Henry Turns 7!

Henry turned 7 on Monday. He was so excited because this year he had his first friend party (he chose other activities the past couple of years). After shooting down pretty much all my party ideas, we finally settled on a few games and no theme. The only thing he likes is Pokémon and throwing a Pokémon party would be the entertaining equivalent of studying for a final exam: just. can't. do. it.

So the theme was: birthday.

First we did a hula hoop race but I got no pictures because I was busy reffing.

Then they played "unwrap the present wrapped a dozen times while someone else tries to roll doubles to end your turn" or whatever it's called.

 The age difference of the guests was apparent on this game. The older ones flew through the layers of newspaper while the young ones were much more casual about it.

 Then I made them put on birthday hats and play "All I Want for My Birthday Is" which is a great time filler when you're waiting for two more kids to come before we played the next game.

"Pin the Football in the Goalposts." Can you believe Henry shot down this game when I suggested it? I decided to do it anyway because it was so cute and free to make.

 Then Henry opened presents which was all he cared about anyway. Notice the normal reaction from the crowd as he opened a basketball.

 And the reaction when he opened a pack of Pokémon cards.

 Reaction of the crowd when he opened a toy.

 Reaction from the crowd when he opened more Pokémon cards. I rolled my eyes.

 And James because he's cute.

 Piñata time! Presents and a piñata was all Henry wanted.
 We started youngest to oldest, 20 second turns. Erica was up first.

Aaaand she got smacked by the piñata on a return swing. I love this picture too much considering it's of my child hurting. But look at the reactions of the kids against the wall. Photographic gold.

 Cousin Mason

 Neighbor Wayne.

 Cousin Nathan.

 Neighbor Dexter.

 Birthday boy himself.

 BFF Myer.

 Neighbor and Pokémon pusher Rylan.

Neighbor and Sarah's friend Violet.

 Sarah was the oldest participant and was so worried that she wouldn't get a turn before the piñata burst.

 And cutie boy James eating candy he found. I didn't get a photo of Justin pulling on the rope. Dang.

 Then the kids filled up their great bags and we sang happy birthday with candles stuck in a box of doughnuts, just like Henry wanted, and the kids went home.

Monday was his for realsies birthday. We all woke up early so he could open presents before Justin had to leave for early meetings.

 He got a new watch. The one he got last year broke apart. I hope this one is sturdier.

 He asked for a leather football but I got him a Passback football because it looked fun and he already has a few normal footballs.

 A new BYU shirt that he's comparing to the color of his shorts.

 And a new camping chair since his monkey one is perfect for James.

He also got a box of orange Fanta, Cheetos, circus cookies, Kit Kats, and some basketball shorts.

Here's his birthday cake. He drew me a picture of just how he wanted it to look. He threw it away like the next day but I remembered. 2-layer yellow cake with chocolate malt frosting and strawberries in a circle on top.

 I let him do the strawberries when he got home.

 And then he did all the candles just like he wanted.

I love this boy. He is so difficult sometimes but he is a well of strength. If I can just convince him to commit himself to good things, he's going to change the world.

There's a McDonald's like a half mile from our house with a playplace. We've driven past it innumerable times in the last 10 years. We've never been there because I don't like McDonald's food and I don't like their sweaty play places. I think our kids didn't even know what it was until like 2 years ago but once they knew, they've been asking to go, mostly Henry. I turned him down flat every time until he played the birthday card and I had to take him (although I tried to talk him into other restaurants right up until that evening.) They loved it, of course. They thought the food was excellent and the slides amazing.

 Afterward we had cake and ice cream at home with all the grandparents. This was the first year he didn't have his cake at a park. He wanted to be at home this year which worked out because it was pouring outside.

While we were all in the living room, James meandered back to the table and shoved all the candles back in.

He got birthday money from my parents and Beyblades, football gloves, and a tackle box from Justin's parents.

Here are some things about Henry:

1. He says he doesn't like to read but really he just hates the take-home books from school. He loves the Wayside School books and picked some Captain Underpants books from the library that I can't get him to put down.

2. He got Student of the Month last week for doing such great schoolwork. Apparently he's a super well behaved boy at school (he gets it all out of his system the moment he gets home).

(He emptied out his backpack and this is what I got to sort through. I wonder what his desk looks like.)

3. He would wear the same pair of black basketball shorts and red sports shirt every single day if I didn't put them in the laundry basket when he's not looking. Then I have to do the same thing with his blue shorts and orange shirt and then his gray shorts and blue shirt.

4. He has been earning a quarters by doing extra chores around the house. He says he's going to save for more Beyblades or Pokémon cards but he usually caves and buys candy or ice cream.

5. He acts like he's going to die if he can't play with friends. He may be more extroverted than I ever imagined. I've cut back all the kids to only play with friends 2 school days a week (for my sanity and their well-being) and he didn't handle it well at first but now he's okay with it. He plays with Rylan, Tristan, Dexter, and Wayne, and will beg to ride his bike to Myer's house. I don't let him play with Tristan often because they just play videogames.

6. He lives to tease his sisters. I wish he could walk past them without touching them or getting in their way. I really hope it's something he'll outgrow but he's lost toys to time-out until he can go 24 hours without being unkind (which he can so it gives me hope).

7. He's so fun to joke around with. I think he's my only child that can take a joke. He knows when we're teasing and just laughs at us and rolls our eyes. (Contrary to Sarah who takes everything literally and will explain a joke to death.) He's good at making up jokes too but it devolves to potty humor pretty quick.

 Well hello handsome.

 Here's his birthday interview. I love that he put James as his favorite person.

Mothers Day 2018

I've got a big fat post coming for Henry's birthday but I thought I'd better post this because it happened first and I love them so much.

My 5 Favorite Things About Being A Mom:

1. Homemade notes and cards.
2. Seeing them get excited when they learn new things or do something hard.
3. The funny things they say and their cute little faces.
4. Doing kid stuff again. (Three Amigos is way funnier as an adult.)
5. Doing whatever I want, when I want. (Well, within the confines of keeping 4 children fed, rested, and to and from school on time.)

My 5 Least Favorite Things About Being A Mom:

1. The noise and the mess and the fighting.
2. Every time I leave the house I have to bring a bunch of littles with me or inconvenience someone else.
3. Saying "I'm just going to the bathroom. Wait for me here. You don't need follow me" several times a day.
4. The inevitability that someday it will all be over and all I'll have is a clean house and a quiet brain full of regrets.
5. Pokémon. 

James is 18 Months

James is 18 months old! Hooray! He's just under 32 inches tall which is about where Henry was at 2 so he's on track to pass up his big brother.

He says hi to everyone he meets and sees while we are out and about. Most people happily say hi back and some even gush over how cute and little he is. Sometimes people don't hear him so he says it louder or walks over to them if he can. 

He's not shy but all signs point to him hating nursery for the foreseeable future. He's been the past 3 weeks and last week was the worst of them all. I never tried to leave him until last Sunday but before I even left he was extra clingy, like he knew it was coming. And he threw a monster fit an was inconsolable so I had to go back in because I felt bad for Sis. Wyatt and James. Unfortunately Justin and I are now both occupied third hour so I don't know what we're going to do. Just let him boo-hoo over toy time?

I remember Erica not saying much until she was nearly two years old and then it was language explosion. James is more steady, adding a word every few days. Recently added words are bath, uwo (hello--when he pretends to talk on a phone), bu (bus), mo (more), apo (apple), Dada, Wawa (Sarah), Ucka (Erica) and he just said Henry today but it just sounds like a whiny sound. I love that he can yell for other family members instead of just "Mem!" all day long. He also put his finger to his nose and shushed me when I told him to take another bite of his cereal.  He understands pretty much any direction I give him, especially if it's to throw something away.

His favorite game is peek-a-boo. He also like to sing "Here's a ball for baby" because it has actions. He's pretty picky about what songs I sing to him at night and he'll say no until I sing one that he likes. It switches every night.

 He loves to feed himself---often with disastrous results.

I'd like to get to the phase where we don't have to hose him off at the sink after every meal. When I'd say "let's wash your hands" his hands immediately went to his hair for some reason so I don't say that anymore.

Sour cream is good for dipping your quesadilla or just smearing all over oneself.

He's super attached to his blanket and will only put it down for good food or to go outside. He'll throw it out of his crib if he doesn't want to go to sleep and then pitch a fit that he can't reach it. "Is that a 'I threw my blanket out of the crib cry?'" we ask each other after we put him down.

He is getting pretty fast at running which isn't good because he usually only runs away from me. He's starting the 'passive-aggressive pouty stand in one spot' because he doesn't want to leave the library and go to the car thing. Drives me crazy. Maybe he's really 2. He's as tall as a 2-year-old, acts like a 2-year-old, talks like a 2-year-old.

He has to watch the bus leave every morning. He panics if he's in his highchair when he hears it. "Bu? Bu?"

 I think he'd make a good porcelain doll.

He loves to look at the new flowers in the window box and any flower really. "Owa!" He has an underbite but I'll teach him to correct it just like I taught Erica and just like my mom taught me. (Is it genetic?)

He walked around with a spoon down his shirt for the better part of yesterday. I pulled it out once but he put it right back in.

I think he sees these onesie shirts as a giant pocket. When I changed his diaper I found a penny, a rock and an animal cracker in there too.

That scowl. I know that scowl too well.

Baby brothers are so crazy.

Best buds. I couldn't do James without Erica. I just couldn't.

Some days I can't believe I've survived this long with him. He's such a demanding child. Loud, vocal, whiny, and temperamental. But he's also cuddly, sweet, affectionate, funny, and smart. Being his mom is not for the faint of heart.

Because he makes my heart melt. 

Little stinker.

May Days

I had a good laugh at Henry's expense. He put on his church shirt inside out and didn't notice. "Didn't you think buttoning it up felt different?" Maybe it was easier. This is him undoing it after I so kindly brought it to his attention.

After church Henry and Erica built this ramp thing. There was a very long and detailed explanation but now I don't remember what they said.

I finally finished a project! Sarah's bathroom is pretty bare but now it's a little less bare!

It's purely decorative so I told her she can only store stuff as light as toilet paper which is exactly what she does.

Our neighbors are moving sometime this month so I got some pictures of them with my kids. Dexter was Henry's very first friend. They've been buds since they were both in diapers.

 They fight over Pokemon and argue over Beyblades but when they get along, they are so funny together.

 This will be Henry's first friend good-bye. It hasn't quite sunk in yet.

Sarah, on the other hand, has been saying farewell to friends for years and I am bracing myself for the tears.

These two have grown apart this past school year but they still giggle and have a good time. The hope is that they will still live in the school boundaries so hopefully they'll still see each other at school in the fall or perhaps be in biking distance.

 Justin built me this window box and I finally got flowers planted in it. I love it so much! I can see the flowers from the inside of my house

Let's just hope they don't wilt and die in the afternoon sun this summer. This may be the best the flowers ever look. If they die I'll replace them with fake ones.

Meanwhile in the backyard, the girls were planting more flowers and Justin and Henry were planting the garden. The girls wanted their own pot of flowers to take care of. I hope they have better luck than I ever do.

 I didn't feel like planting a garden this year but we didn't have a garden last year so I guess it was time. Farmer Henry is all about it.

 Erica is pretty excited too. It's all exciting until the weeding needs to be done and bugs take over. But they are bigger this year so I'll make them help more.

 We planted tomatoes and peppers for salsa.

 This was James during the planting. He eats dirt so we didn't let him help.

I love these two together. Erica is the best sister. James has no idea how lucky he is. "James, come play with me in your room. Do you want your milk? Here's your blanket. It's your turn, James"

Henry: I was hopping to my desk and every time I hopped, I tooted. Like this.

Me (wondering if he was embarrassed or hoping he was embarrassed): Did you like it?
Henry: Yes.

Justin got put in charge of the Mothers Day treat for our ward which means I get to choose what all the ladies get. After an extensive taste test of 8 varieties of Sodalicious and Sip'n cookies, we decided on just the regular frosted pink sugar cookie. In case you were wondering, they both weigh 4.1 ounces. Sip'n cookies are thicker and the frosting is thicker but crumbled weirdly in my mouth. I found Sodalicious to have a more homemade, buttery taste. They are also flatter with thinner frosting. I liked them slightly better while Justin preferred the thicker Sip'n cookie. We went with Sodalicious because they gave us a better deal.

There are no calories if you're taste-testing.

 And I found this sweet quote that could not possibly invoke any feelings of guilt or inadequacy among the sisters (very, very important for Mother's Day) and stole a flower wreath from google and put it all together to be tied to the cookie bag. Feel free to steal it.

This little lady was my shopping partner on Saturday for Henry's birthday presents. We went to BYU to get him a shirt. She thought the Wilk was the coolest place ever and that was before I showed her the bowling alley. She wanted her picture taken here.

 And here.

 And even here.

If she thought my tour of BYU was compelling, wait until she sees my enthusiasm for USU.

Erica at 4 1/6

Erica wants to grow out her bangs and it just makes me so sad. She is soooooo stinking cute with bangs. I've been pinning them back for the last week and I miss them already. I decided I wanted to take lots of pictures of her before they are too long to wear down so here's some photos from an impromptu photo session. (And if anyone knows a way to convince an otherwise obliging child to change their hair goals, let me know.)

The only way she would let me take her picture is if she could hold her bear and paper airplane.

 (Those are her beloved tulips she picked out at the garden store and helped me plant last fall.)

We had her preschool screening today and I am secretly hoping she doesn't get in and no preschool in the city will take her and I'll have no choice but to keep her home another year. (She'd be so sad though.)

Erica: When I'm bigger will you teach me all the things you know how to do?
Me: What do you want to learn how to do?
Erica: Make food, make eggs, delete things.

(While driving to my mom's house) Erica: Do you have to do what Grandma tells you to do?
Me: Yes, but Grandma doesn't really tell me what to do.
Erica. Because you're the mom now.