Hank is 8!

I think I blinked and my precious little baby boy grew into a handsome, clever, sweet young man. It has been a joy to have Hank in our family--he holds a special place as the oldest and the leader of our pack of boys.

Hank is an early riser and likes to wake up and get himself dressed first thing in the morning. He is full of energy--I don't think I can remember a time that he went to bed willingly. Hank is a picky eater but has come along ways from his babyhood days and will cooperate with most vegetables, but he prefers the basics like french bread, plain pasta, and pancakes. Hank is smart as a whip. He seems to understand concepts with ease, breezes through his homework, and has always been at the top of his class in math, reading, and spelling. Hank is very social and loves to play with his friends, but sometimes his friends complain that he is bossy (typical first child trait) and sometimes Hank can get frustrated when others don't do what he wants them to do. Hank is used to telling his younger brothers what to do and has learned to be a great leader; most kids just gravitate towards Hank. Like his Dad, Hank is assertive and has no compunction about asking a waitress for a refill of his rootbeer, or asking a salesperson how much something costs. Hank is a true boy and loves all things sports. He is loyal to all of his Dad's teams; once even proclaiming that the color "red" was a bad color because it belongs to a rival football team. Of all the sports he plays (golf, soccer, basketball, T-ball, track), Hank enjoys playing basketball the most but has also shown an aptitude for track. Hank can be very affectionate and still enjoys holding my hand, snuggling with me on the couch in the evening, and will even give me a kiss on the lips before bed.

I can't begin to express how proud I am of the great little person that Hank is becoming and the privilege that I feel to call him my son. Hank, you are loved more than you'll ever know...to the moon and stars and back! Happy Birthday, Hank!

The Birthday Boy!

For as many things as I do wrong as a mother, I feel like I'm really doing something right with our family birthday tradition. Instead of all of the ridiculous, keeping-up-with-the-jones' kids birthday parties with junky treat bags and themed decorations that are entirely lost on the guest of honor, we have created a birthday tradition that creates a lasting, family-centered memory....at half the cost and zero clean-up no less! So, as per tradition, we packed our bags (or laundry baskets as the case may be) and stocked up on pizza and junk food and headed to a hotel for a night of swimming and late night movie watching.

After another round of swimming at the hotel pool, we went to Cowabunga Bay for more swimming fun! We really could stay at that place all day...and we did! I had to drag the boys out of the water after spending six hours at the water park so we could make it back home for cake and ice cream.

I guess it's a small step up from last year's birthday request of boxed Macaroni...this year Hank requested pancakes for his birthday dinner.

In addition to the Legos and baseball cards Hank asked for, Hank was also given his own set of scriptures engraved with his name on the cover, a scout manual and scout uniform, and a skateboard.

Happy Birthday to my sweet Hanky-boy!

Summer Lovin'

Doesn't this sequence just scream "summer time?" The other day I took the boys on our first splash pad visit of the summer and thought I'd have to beg and plead for them to slow down long enough for me to snap a quick photo, but Max surprised me by doing this completely non-coerced little gig for me. Love the exuberance and energy just exuding from this boy!

Eight is Great

There is something to be said for snuggly, tiny newborns and curious, playful toddlers, but of all the stages so far, I think 8 might be my favorite. I genuinely enjoy Hank's company--I love that he can be a fun-loving, goofy, innocent little kid and at the same time be a thoughtful, intelligent, helpful young boy. One of the many things that I love about summer time is the chance to spend one-on-one time with each of my kids and do fun activities together for no reason at all....like play a favorite board game, just the two of us, on a quiet afternoon.

School Is Out for the Summer!

Our good friends invited us over for an official "School is Out" party, complete with water balloons, homemade gak, sprinklers, and loads of junk food.

Next up was our neighborhood's second annual shaving cream fight. I don't get it; it seems weird to me. But, Hank and Max had a blast and ended up covered with shaving cream in every crevice...so I guess it was a success?!

Hank brought home a straight 4s report card (the equivalent of all As), so we gave him the privilege of selecting our dinner out that night.

Hank's choice? Pizza Pie Cafe aka the Chuck-A-Rama of pizza. The cutlery was dingy, the food was bland, and the space was packed, but I guess I shouldn't knock it since I'm sure I'll be singing the praises of buffet prices with my five boys in the years to come.

For dessert we enjoyed our first shaved ice of the summer. At only $.50 a cup, we can treat the whole family for $3...now THAT is a value!

Finally, Aaron won (if that's how you choose to look at it) the coin toss and took Hank and Max to a dusk showing of a Disney movie at our neighborhood's own little movie screen/bed sheet.

I feel like I set the bar way too high for the kids' summertime expectations with our Last Day of School day of celebration. As much as I love to party, play, and eat junk food, I don't want to give the kids the impression that I will be manufacturing non-stop, structured activities all summer long. Fair warning boys: along with ridiculous amounts of summertime fun, there will also be chores (that's right!), homework (oh yeah!), and plenty of days spent doing nothing that involves getting dressed or being productive. Such is the beauty of lazy, wonderful summertime.

Memorial Day

I was excited to bust out my sweet new bike, but it was with no small effort that we got our whole family on wheels for a Memorial Day bike ride. Hank and Max rode their own bikes, while Rocky rode with me in a front pack and Ben and Joey got hauled in a trailer behind Aaron's bike.

Ben and Joey are going to have to learn to like bike rides...because I loved it!

In the afternoon, we met Nana and Papa Grover and Ryan and Mindy at a local park for a barbecue and a friendly game of softball. Most of the kids weren't able to fully grasp the concept of the softball game, but I'm hopeful that this may be the beginning of a bright tradition in years to come.

Sunday Drive

Growing up, I would complain from the backseat about being bored every Sunday afternoon when my parents piled everyone in the car for an aimless "Sunday drive." My mom would respond to my whining by suggesting that I "enjoy the scenery." I remember glancing out the window at the passing landscape and retorting to my mom that, "a tree is a tree." Well, fast forward a few years (...or decades), and wouldn't you know, it is now I that begs every Sunday afternoon for Aaron to take me (and, in yet another great turn of the tables, our less than enthusiastic children) on a Sunday drive? Several weeks back our Sunday drive led us through American Fork canyon to the Tibble Creek reservoir and I just soaked in the beautiful scenery surrounding us. The highlight of the excursion was walking down to the reservoir and letting the boys attempt to skip rocks across the water.