Give me 5

Aaron turned five and during the day came skipping into the room and said "Ta-Da I'm five."     I don't know if I've ever met a kid more prepared to be 5.  He's such a joy to be around.    Most days I thank Heavenly Father he sent me such an even temperament for a child.  He blesses my heart so much!!  Aaron is your smiley, go with the flow,  make others happy and prefers to be with lots of friends sort of kid.    When's he's busy he is busy and will stick to a project and really focus.  When he is not busy all he wants to do is busy himself with bugging his sisters or messing with Spencer.    I guess that's how it goes with a high energy boy.  

It's a tradition that I'll decorate a cake for each birthday.  Aaron wanted the exact cake as last year but I have a rule that I will never make the same cake twice.   Mary gave me an idea to use the frozen buttercream transfer method for a star wars themed cake.  In the past I would decorate the cake in private to surprise the birthday kid but Aaron was so insistent that he help I caved and during the process I saw him so happy I realized he may be that kid that enjoys the creating of a project than the actual finished project.  Plus it kept his touch everything sort of hands busy for a long time on a rainy Saturday afternoon.  Best days ever for both of us.  

Here is the finished storm trooper!

I'd prepared Aaron to not expect a big birthday bash this year but ever since Phin's brought a birthday pinata to Sunday Dinner Aaron would say can't we at least have a pinata with the cousins.  Sounded like a good deal to me so a Sunday Dinner Pinata party is was.

Knots

Have you met many 4 year olds who can tie their own shoes?  Well Aaron can.

It really isn't that surprising.  Aaron starting walking and then immediately began finding anything rope like and knotting them up and making his own sort of pulleys.    He's got an incredible sense and interest about how things are put together.  His babysitter Kathy, who's husband who has an Engineering/lawyer/MBA degree and thrives off of helping his kids win Science Fairs (sort of husband) will text me pictures like this and often tells me how impressed she is and thinks Aaron has an Engineer's brain.

I most certainly hope she is right and he continues with the interest because at least in my neighborhood I see the the Engineer husbands coming home earlier than the rest of the overworked men.

After Aaron independently tied his shoes I told him I'm so impressed I might just have to brag about him.  He said I shouldn't do that because his friend Ezra brags all the time and he doesn't like it. Sorry my humble bud, sometimes a mom just has to brag every once in a while!!

Say it louder

Spencer prefers to scream to get his needs met but he does have a lot of words that we encourage.   I think he is on the verge of a language explosion as I'm seeing a lot of word approximations of words he imitates.  This excites me like no other because this kid needs words!!!  He has developed this high pitch squeal that sends my nerves to the moon with anguish.    Emily did the same thing at this age and I retreat within myself when he's doing it and tell myself "It won't last forever".  

Here is his 16 month language sample:

Ah Oh  ( He loves hearing himself say this word.   Sometimes he will drop something just so he can say it over and over again.)

doe  (go)

ane (Jane, he often calls for her when he wakes up)

Ma (milk or mom)

Ba (sippy cup)

da da (dad)

yes

No

side (outside)

ba (ball)

siz (shoes)

mo  (more-usually when he wants candy)

da da da (when he sings Darth Vader's song with Aaron)

dow (down)

aa (up, when he wants me to hold him)

Mie (Mine, usually if someone takes something he is playing with)

nigh nigh (I've heard this a couple of times when he's willing to take a nap and says it to me when I lay him down)


Perhaps my favorite though is when he hears the phrase "time for a prayer" he prompting folds his arms before anyone else and waits with the most enthusiastic proud of himself smile and then makes sounds throughout the prayer as if he is saying it himself.

I love this kid

Really mom did you have to take a picture.......

is what I'm going to hear when Spencer is older and sees this in my blog book!!!

Spencer loves to put his sisters underwear over his head and walk around like its an important part of his outfit.  When I'm doing laundry he loves to come in the laundry room, sort through the piles of clothes, find the girls underwear and put it over his head.  Today I found him with 3 different ones on...

Emily commented how sometimes when she is in her room Spencer will march in go directly to her underwear drawer take out of pair of her underwear and put in on his head and march right out of her room without even giving her the time of day.


Funny kid!!

Summer Roundup 2017

It's that time of year again when I start looking through summer pictures feeling nostalgic that my favorite time of the year is gone.  Here's my round up of my "stray" pictures of our summer fun. 

We spent a lot of time at Cowabunga Bay

Dad's make the best rafts.  

  Boys, Boys, Boys!!!  Aaron is the happiest surrounded by lots of friends.  My house felt like grand central station most days we were home and I fought for my sanity most of those days but I wouldn't change the life Aaron gets to have in our neighborhood for anything!!

My girls got into making fairy garden for about a week.  Jane's soccer fairy garden turned out to fit her personality perfectly.

Emily had a lot of company as she practiced her piano each day

Jeff helped us cut down a large pine tree in our front yard

Most of the grandkids with Nona celebrating her birthday

I'm lucky to serve as one of the activity days leaders.  I had such a fun day as with my girls at "This is the Place State Park"

Cupcake wars at the Sandy library.  A bit of a disappointment but Jane and our neighbor Elle hurried  and ate the candy off the top and then went back for refills on the candy and all was well.  

Jane's new soccer team enjoying a summer party together

The girls reading before sleeping on the deck