Starting 5

It's become a family tradition to pick out BYU shirts from the bookstore every fall to wear on game day to support our alma matter. It's always fun to root for the Cougars, but THIS is the real team that I am cheering for:

Mad Max (nickname chosen by Max)

I'm pretty sure I already posted about this, but I wouldn't be doing my blog justice if I didn't include a picture of Max all done up in his baseball uniform. Max is a great little slugger, has a strong arm, and spits sunflower seeds like a pro. Now that he's playing kid-pitch, Max has had to learn how to judge a strike from a ball. Coming from machine pitch where every ball is a strike, Max has struggled to decide when he should swing and when he should wait for a better pitch. During a quick coaching moment, Aaron advised Max to swing if the ball was pitched in the strike zone. Realizing that the majority of his teammates were walked, Max replied, "I don't want to swing, I want to get on base!"

Birthday Fit For A King

I start pressing Aaron for input on his birthday festivities months ahead of his birthday, but he never offers any suggestions beyond asking for brownies and icecream or a card from the kids. He may act all humble, but I know that Aaron secretly wants me to go over the top and make a big deal over his birthday. And, since Aaron is a pretty big deal, I kind of like the chance to spoil him with the special treatment. So, I didn't hold back. We booked a room at the Waldorf in Park City, ate birthday dinner at Ruth's Chris, went to a movie in a theater all to ourselves, woke up to a room service breakfast, and golfed at a course set atop the mountains. 

Aaron is my one and only and I relished the time to celebrate him. Happy day to you, Aaron!

Last Hurrah

We recently rediscovered some old video footage and about died seeing how little the boys used to be and resolved anew to take more pictures and videos. They're never looking the same direction and their facial expressions are odd, but the photo is priceless because it's the only way that I can freeze those five boys, sitting together in their swim suits and splashing in the overspray of the water slide, to keep forever. 

Rocky Talky

Things Rocky Says:

- "bayntee" (blankie)

- "Hayntee" (Hanky)

- "worst dad (mom) eber!"

- "tiss" (kiss)

- favorite song!

- owhide (outside)

- see Dad! (said first thing in the morning)

- "doing mom?" (What are you doing?)

Rocky is quite verbal for his age and I'm loving watching his little personality develop. 

While the brothers are away...

It's all fair game when big brothers go to school.

Kindergarten

I have to remind myself that he's only starting kindergarten, because I have literally been stressing about this day for the past two years! Will he be able to keep up? Will the other kids be nice to him? Will he like it? Will it be the right fit? I made a big stink (a nice way of saying I filed a 100+ page brief detailing how Ben's right to be educated with his peers was protected under federal legislation...interestingly, the committee decided to see things my way after all;) with the school district to have Ben placed in a general education classroom, with a dedicated aide, so I felt like there was a lot riding on this transition. I also felt the magnitude of the milestone that Ben was crossing--countless hours of therapy, treatment, tutoring, and homework  all lead up to this accomplishment...kindergarten! It was a big day!

Ben came home from his first day all smiles! The next day, when I was getting him dressed, he asked where we were going. When I told him he was going to kindergarten he asked, "again?!" With so much emphasis placed on that first day--new outfit, new backpack, new supplies, big breakfast, photoshoot), it's no wonder he thought kindergarten was a one-time event. 

When Ben comes home, I love to hear about his day. He struggles to communicate all of the details, so I have to fill in some of the gaps. One morning, I challenged Ben to ask his kindergarten friends what their names were so that he could report to me who he sat next to and who he played with. Ben, with his obedient little heart, felt conflicted and said, "Mom, if I talk, my teacher will write down my name!" I love that Ben always tries to obey.

I don't know what is in store for Ben down the road, but I'm so proud of how far he's come and how hard he's worked to get to this point.