Aaron's 9th Birthday

9 years ago I was handed a little bundle in a blue blanket and our lives changed overnight. We had no idea what we were in for. Maybe it was because he was our 1st born and he sensed our hesitation and fear, or maybe it was just his personality, but he was the most fussy, difficult baby we've had. Well into his first year he would fuss and whine and Matt and I would look at each other and remind one another that 1.) He didn't know he was annoying... and 2.) It was a good thing he was cute.

I am happy to report that Aaron did, indeed,overcome the fussy baby stages and has turned into a wonderful young man that we are very proud of. He is a great son and a loving brother to his brothers and sister. We all love him VERY much.

Some fun facts about Aaron:
*This past year he has discovered the joy of Star Wars. While he is completely enthralled with all things intergalactic- I must admit that some days I tire of his JarJar binks impersonations at the dinner table. :)
*Aaron LOVES books and reads very quickly. We have a hard time keeping him in fresh reading material because he reads it so quickly! I have taken to checking under his pillow every night because he sneaks them into bed and stays up way too late reading.
*He has  a love for Mexican food and frequently asks for burritos, tacos, and enchiladas.
*He still loves tomatoes and would eat them like an apple if I let him.
*He also discovered Alvin and the Chipmunks this year and likes to try to sing like them in a high squeaky voice.
*He decided that he wants spiky hair on top, so every morning we gel it, comb it up and blow dry it into his favorite style.
*He loves cookies, especially snickerdoodles.
*We still call him Aaron Bear, even though he recently has started rolling his eyes at this.

Happy Birthday Aaron! We love you!

Visiting the Fire Station

As a requirement for earning the WOLF rank in Cub Scouts, the boys are supposed to visit a firehouse to learn more about fire safety. We are very lucky in that our Cub Scout Leader is married to a former volunteer fireman and so he was able to give us the grand tour himself. The kids loved it and even the adults found it interesting.
(as a disclaimer for these photos, I must say that I was lucky to get Caleb in the pictures at all- next time I won't insist that he try to smile, and I really have no idea why none of the scouts were paying attention and looking at the camera... I blame it on being 8-10 year old boys with small attention spans!)

 Pack 206

Sister Howe, Aaron, Jake, Blake, Paedon, Jordan, Lestat, Brody, Tyson

 Brody Mayer, Max Anderson, Aaron

Aaron and Caleb

Aaron, Kellie, and Caleb

 Aaron and Caleb

Scouts and Siblings

Levi's Piggies

(Overheard in my living room tonight as Caleb was playing with Levi's toes...)

This little piggie went to THE STORE.
This little piggie STAYED HOME.
This little piggie went to GET SOME BOLOGNA.
This little piggie went to WENDY's.
And this little piggie went WEEE WEEE WEEE WEEE WEEE all the way home! 

(What exciting Pigs Levi has! I love it!)

Turning 6 "BITES"

My mother is a nice woman. Whenever I call to complain or seek wisdom about how to handle my kids when they are driving me crazy, she always takes the time to remind me how kind and generous she was when we were young and growing up. While I don't recall thinking she was so kind when the vacuum was running at 6 am on a Saturday morning- I do have to admit she was a lot nicer at the dinner table than I am.
Growing up, I was a pretty picker eater. Instead of fighting me at every single meal- she had a rule that if you didn't like what she fixed- there was always Campbells. I'm sure I lived off of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup for many years of my life.
Ironically, now I am the adult with a picky child and I am sure I am not handling it with the grace my mother did. I have tried the "there's always Campbell's" ploy with my kids until I realized that I was making soup EVERY night because they refused to try my cooking.
I got fed up, (pun totally intended there...) and the soup went flying out the window. We now have a rule around here. When the kids decide that they are done or they don't want to eat what I made I tell them that they have to eat as many bites as they are old. Aaron gets really annoyed by this. He tells me that if he has to take 8 bites then it's gone and he's had to eat everything. Kinda the point, I think.
Caleb is by far the worst offender. He's going through a phase where he doesn't like anything. I keep telling myself that someday the food struggle will pay off. That I WILL win this battle. That Caleb WILL learn to like more foods. And so I brace myself every night for the complaining that inevitably happens when he sees his plate. This is a battle I'm willing to fight.
Before I tell the next part of this story, you should know that Caleb has a flair for the dramatic. He talks in absolutes: "I'm NEVER going to get to do that..." and "You ALWAYS say that!" and "Nobody EVER helps me!" To hear him talk, you'd think his life is so tragic.
A week ago, when he realized his birthday was only two days away, he came to us, practically sobbing in his "Caleb-my-life-is-over" fashion.
CALEB: "I DON'T WANT TO BE 6! OH NO! I DON'T WANT TO BE 6! IT'S GONNA BE NO FUN!"
MATT:"Why not, Caleb?"
CALEB: "Because when I'm 6 Mom will make me eat SIX bites, instead of 5! I just can't do it! I think I want to stay 5 forever- but Mom's not gonna let me!"

(at this point I am trying not to laugh and am thinking, "gee, I didn't know I even HAD the power to turn birthdays off"... but I digress)

Poor Caleb. I don't think he's yet realized that he's not gonna win this battle. His Momma's just too mean I guess. Maybe he should go visit Grandma J... I hear she has soup. :)

Caleb is 6!

Our blue eyed boy turned 6 TODAY!

 
It's hard to believe that it's been six years since Caleb joined our family. In honor of this grand day, here are a few things that make Caleb...well, Caleb.

• Caleb likes cereal, and has grown especially fond of Raisin Bran. The more raisins, the better. This works for him, because he generally eats his breakfast fast enough that the flakes don't get soggy (yuck).
• Caleb is reading more and more. He sometimes surprises us by reading something that he wouldn't have given a second look six months ago.
• Bearing that in mind, Caleb is very reluctant to do something unless it's on his agenda. This is improving as he gets older, but it's funny to see how he subtly refuses. For example, if you ask Caleb to give you "five," he will usually do it with his forehead rather than his hand. Ask him why; you'll only get a sly smile.
• Caleb likes having blue eyes. Our other kids all have brown eyes, so Caleb hit the recessive gene jackpot. This little difference is something that he is very proud of.
• Caleb would rather eat green salad than mashed potatoes; wear shorts rather than pants; sleep in rather than get up early; and hug his baby brother rather than his sister.

Caleb, we love you and are so happy to have in our family! Happy birthday!

Celebrating Levi...

LEVI is 1 TODAY!

GIFTS...

 OPENING GIFTS...

PLAYING WITH NEW TOYS!

THE CAKE

"HMMM... WHAT IS THIS?

"LOOKS GOOD!"

"TASTES GOOD..."

"FEELS SQUISHY!"

"CAKE FINGER PAINTING IS FUN, TOO!"

LEVI IS 1 TODAY!

1 year ago today Levi was born! 

He is such a blessing in our lives. They say every pregnancy and every child is different and I know that is true. Even before he was born he was rather quiet, never kicking a lot or raising too much fuss.  Levi has stayed pretty much true to his beginnings this last year. He tends to be rather quiet most of the time, preferring to observe a while before jumping in the fun. He spoils Matt and I with his snuggling addiction, (not that we're complaining!) and is just such a sweet little spirit in our home. He has been cruising around walls and furniture for quite some time now, and has even ventured out for 2 or 3 steps at a time. I am sure he'll be running soon. He has 8 teeth with more showing signs of emerging soon. He loves chasing his brothers and sister around the house and has the best laugh when he is excited to see them. He really loves them all! He is eating well and has recently begun removing his bib when I try to put it on him before meals, which iis kind of annoying but he really isn't normally a messy eater so we get by okay without it.

We feel so blessed to have our little Levi Bear, there is no doubt that you were meant to be part of this family and we love you so much!  Happy Birthday, sweetheart!