So it's been a busy first few months of the year. The boys just finished up their second season of basketball. Phew! Here's the rundown. The good: It's an indoor sport! In Seattle, that's always a good thing. We were also happy to see some big improvements over last year's at times painful year of triple dribbling or running to the wrong basket. This year the boys were the older of the bunch since they combine 1st and 2nd graders and it was nice to see them feeling confident and acting more aggressive. The not so good: Nothing screams "bad mom" louder than when your kids make a basket, look to make sure you're watching and then approach you and ask if talking with friends is more important than watching them make baskets. And finally, the ugly: Jack giving the boys advice that included "elbow back since they're not calling foul on him" and "cover that one guy that no one seems to cover". Connor was not happy with dad after getting a foul called on him for guarding the wrong player and elbowing back. Perhaps Dad needs to brush up on kids basketball rules as he's learning they aren't quite the same as the NBA. :)
Bachelor season has ended! I'll miss my Monday nights with the girls at least until May or June or whenever the next season begins. I won't miss waking up Tuesday morning with a sick stomach from all the junk food we down. I'm also promising myself that I will never ever read realitysteve.com again. Sadly I knew who the final four were going to be right as the season began and knowing Vienna would be 'the one' weeks before it was televised was awful. Still trying to figure out that one.
Finally, the most important news: On Feb. 27th the boys turned 8! This is an exciting birthday for a couple reasons. The first and most important being they are now old enough to be baptized. We have yet to determine when or where this will happen because there is an ongoing debate in the household about this. Jack and I thought it would be such a neat thing to do it in the ocean in Hawaii since we have many great family memories in Hawaii. Ty thinks this idea is "awesome" but Connor told us "the ocean is not a house of the Lord so I'm not doing it!" Next we thought about going to Utah since we have a lot of family out there and it would make it convenient for most everyone to get there. This seemed to be a good option until they realized that their friends here wouldn't be able to attend. In the end, it comes down to what the boys want and depending on the day, what they want changes. So this story will be continued in the next few months.
The second reason this is an exciting birthday is because Jack and I feel this is also a time of cleansing for us. As parents we find ourselves reflecting on all those poor parenting moments. You know, those times when you angered quickly and reacted perhaps in not the most impressive way. Like the time I went ballistic when I found a couple four year olds playing in a puddle of food coloring that they had found and emptied out onto my cream colored family room carpet (right in the center of the room). Let me remind you that when you mix all the colors of food coloring, it forms BLACK. Not only was there a puddle the size of a basketball but there were footprints coming out from the puddle in every direction. The moment is actually a blur to me but I'm certain it involved almost ripping arms out of sockets as I dragged them up to their bedrooms, a horse voice from all the screaming I did, not to mention a couple pink bottoms. Well, when Jack and I started to think back on our earliest childhood memories, there are very few, if any that either of us have that took place before the age of 8. So we're thinking that around this time the boys memories of their busy, busy, childhood should be starting to fade and in the meantime we're hoping that from here on out we will never raise our voice, swat a bum, threaten soap in the mouth, forbid a treat permanently, or bribe our kids again! I'm at least hopeful that the carpet coloring incident will be a blur in their mind... while at the same time I'm hopeful that all the wonderful family memories we have created here in the home or on vacations will be imprinted in their memory forever!!!
Being that they are now eight I thought this would be a good time to post eight things about each of them that immediately come to mind when I think of them. Here is what I have to say about our sweet Ty:
1. I love that Ty always comes to find me in the morning to give me my morning hug.
2. I love the way he naturally takes it upon himself to look after, take care of and play with his sister.
3. He is a problem solver. If there is something that needs fixed or done and the conventional way of doing it isn't possible, he will figure out another solution.
4. He's an amazing builder with a ton of creativity. The things he builds whether by following directions or making up as he goes along absolutely amaze us.
5. He is very well liked and people just seem to gravitate towards his contagious personality.
6. He is the protector of the family. He feels others pain and takes it upon himself to fix any pain others are feeling.
7. I love that when Jack is having a heart to heart with him whether it be directions or discipline or just conversation, Ty will look straight in his eyes and not look away until the conversation is over.
8. He is indeed our daredevil, whether it be on his bike, skateboard, skis or scooter. He is always working on new moves and tricks, challenging and testing himself.
Bonus one that I had to include: He loves to share his testimony at church, usually focusing on events and stories from his life while ending with how much he loves his family.
Here are a few things we love about Connor:
1. Choosing the right is a priority in his life. He is always encouraging everyone around him to do the same.
2. He loves to read and is very good at it. I love popping into the boys room at night and seeing them cuddled up next to each other on their bed with Connor reading to Ty.
3. His vocabulary is huge. We are impressed with some of the words that come out of his mouth. It's like talking to a grown up.
4. He's always thinking of others feelings.
5. He loves to compliment me whether it be the way I look or the food I've prepared. He knows just what to say.
6. He is a natural master of video games. That's his thing and he's proud of it!
7. He has an amazing memory. He can watch a video or hear a story and there is no part that he can't remember. (Hoping this is just selective memory and those not so good moments we talked about above will become a blur for him...)
8. He's an observer. Connor is completely content not being the center of attention and just being an onlooker taking it all in.
No doubt they can both challenge our patience but they continue to love us unconditionally even if we do not live up to being the parents we dream of being 24/7. What I find the most fulfilling are the wonderful compliments we receive from others about the boys. Whether it be a teacher, parent, friend or neighbor, for some reason they both always have and continue to leave positive impressions on those they interact with. At times I wish those same "Tys and Connors" would always exist in our home but I'm happy to hear that outside of the home, all the things we teach them seem to be paying off. I don't know what we did to earn the right to be their parents but boy do we feel blessed. We love you Connor and Tyler.
The Birthday week, as we like to call it since birthdays never seem to be just one day long included a class party, family birthday celebration, and the birthday party with friends. Here's how the week unfolded:
Ty's class party! Sage and I surprised Ty with cupcakes for him and his classmates. The kids LOVED these and although baking is not my thing, I'm taking a liking to making cupcakes. Sage wanted to sing a birthday solo so you'll see I included a photo of her singing her one hit wonder to the whole class. Like Ty, Sage doesn't seem to have a shy bone in her...
All week all Connor could talk about was how excited he was for his class celebration that was to take place the Friday before his birthday. Unlike Ty's class, Connor's class doesn't allow food. Instead, each child either chooses to have an extra recess, a special art project or a parent come in to read. They let the class know what they have selected on their designated "birthday" day. They have a special poster that is signed by the family and all the kids in the class and is then laminated and given out on this day. Connor was devastated when his birthday wasn't celebrated on the day it was originally planned. When he came home that day he was in tears. Ty was at a play date but the moment he walked in the door and Connor told him what happened, Ty was in action, planning his own mini celebration. I could hear him busy in the kitchen and when I came downstairs to see what was going on I came upon a yogurt "cupcake" with blueberries and candle, and a "trail mix" of Connor's favorite cereals. Then he quickly made a sign. Less than five minutes after arriving home, this is what Ty had put together for Connor... Nothing makes me more happy than to see my boys feel each others pain and celebrate each others happiness. Thankfully his birthday was celebrated the Monday following his birthday and he has selected me to come read to his class even though he realized his class will be "upset that he didn't pick the extra recess". I love that he finds pleasure in having me come to his class. I know these days are numbered.
This year when we asked the boys what they wanted for their birthday they stated "fish". I have never lived down the last fish we had which apparently I'm to blame for it's death from "not cleaning the bowl frequently enough". The boys have really wanted dogs but since we like to travel, it has become a debate on whether they want to continue going on fun vacations or get a dog. We will get a dog at some point but I'm hoping to buy a couple more years of freedom so thankfully out of the blue they started mentioning how much they wanted fish. Fish it was. No complaining on our end. After a sweet $15 spent at Pet Smart, their birthday was complete... Jack was mortified that this was all we were doing but if something isn't broken, why fix it? The kids had nothing else they wanted plus when you add the gifts from grandparents and friends, it ended up being a very satisfying birthday. We topped it off with our once every four years surprise trip to Chuck E Cheese and Krispy Kreme for donuts since we were cupcaked out...
Finally, the boys celebrated with a party with their friends. This year they wanted a movie night. I was bummed that the movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid wasn't coming out in theaters until a month after their birthday so we decided instead to do a pizza/movie night here at the house. There ended up being nine boys and Kiara (a sweet girl that's been in the same class as Ty since Kindergarten). They all had a blast. They had pizza, watched G Force and we did an intermission with glow sticks and popcorn and then it was cupcakes and ice cream and present time. As they walked out we handed them their popcorn container full of sweet treats and popcorn packets for them to unleash at home. I wasn't daring enough to get then all hyped up on that amount of sugar in our home. So we bailed on our concession stand idea that we originally planned. Always glad to have this annual event done with!
Leave it to Ty to get his gifts all displayed neatly!
