May happenings

In May we finished up our homeschool experience. I enjoyed doing some theme weeks, and the boys anticipated our activities eagerly. Some weeks and activities were better than others. I hope and pray that school is in session in the fall--it just is not manageable for me to help the boys and give Clara the attention she needs for academic work. Clara also completed her first year of seminary--I am thankful that Sister Bell was able to do Zoom seminary, which provided structure and connection for Clara.

 The boys were excited to make Star Wars cookies for our Star Wars week (May the 4th be with you!).

Tried to capture a pic of Benjy pushing his mower on the street alongside Michael.

This ooblek experience made me not want to make this for a long time. As with many activities, it started out well and then devolved once I left the room into fighting and eventually the boys throwing the ooblek all over the screened-in porch, which they subsequently had to scrub.

 Yoda puppets for Star Wars week.

 Can you tell this was a good week? (Unlike our vehicles week which basically consisted of watching a little YouTube video about various vehicles/sub/train each day).

 The kids helped me make soft pretzels one morning.

 One of Benjy's favorite pastimes is getting into our devices or AirPods, resetting the router, or unplugging things.

 This bike ride down in Waynesboro along the greenway was so beautiful and peaceful. I loved seeing the wildflowers, the sunlight filtering through the leaves, and the occasional fisherman fly fishing. I was sad Clara didn't come with us, but we are still working on helping her feel more confident on her bike.

 A Sunday afternoon visit to the JMU Arboretum.

 We are super bummed the pool isn't opening (yet?), but the boys have made do with our kiddie pool. My suggestion to put the Orbeez in the pool was fun for the kids but made a terrible mess of cleanup. Live and learn. Also, the climbing dome we bought with vacation money (since our spring break trip to Florida was cancelled) I thought the boys would love has been hardly used, which was a surprise and a bummer. Hopefully it will evolve over time, especially if we put the tent that connects to it inside.

Four men's hair mixed together. Can you see whose is whose? I am so grateful for the money we've saved through the years thanks to Michael's haircutting skills.

Michael and I have been taking a Positive Parenting Solutions online course since January. We try to work on it every night for 10 minutes, but it ends up being 3-4 times a week. It has been very empowering and helpful--the challenge is remembering what we're learning in the moment of frustration. Sibling rivalry and disagreements are very difficult for me (maybe because I'm the youngest?), and make me so sad. There are also lots of times when they are playing well together, for which I am very grateful.

Henry turns five!

Henry turned five yesterday. Wow! He was so excited for his birthday and kept asking how many days until it was the day.

He started the day with Froot Loops in bed. Yum!

 Henry really likes slime, so in honor of his special day, we made some in the morning.

 In the afternoon, the Zopps and the Wenigers came over to make giant bubbles and to play.

 So fun!

 Henry got a super cool bug catcher and bug book from the Zopps. He was appreciative and has such a fun-loving personality that people enjoy being around.

 The Wenigers gave him a boom blaster that shoots soft little balls. So fun!

 Henry requested hamburgers for dinner, a meal enjoyed by everyone.

Heavy, heavy hangover. Henry wished that Daddy could be a wizard. He wished for Robbie to be the best Lego builder in the world, and for Clara to be the best "dance player" (dancer) in the world. So sweet.

 Super cool Iron Man mask.

Henry also got cards from several people (including $5 from Nana and Bapa!) and a little compass keychain from our neighbor, Tim Walton. His cousin, Lucy Heiss, had sent him a drawing she'd colored of a puppy. Henry said to me upon opening it, "Doggies are my second favorite animal!" "What's your first favorite animal?" I asked him. "Megalodon," he responded matter-of-factly.

 He also received two Lego sets and a remote control robot, which actually we are returning because it was super lame (as in, it is like a robot for Chinese kids trying to learn English phrases with weird things about the "order of the universe, etc. Dang those Amazon reviews!). So he's getting a plasma car of his own instead. He was happy with his gifts and was already willing to share by the end of the night. Robbie was jealous of Henry's gifts and attention, and today (the next day) Henry let him wear the Iron Man mask for a lot of the morning and did a good job of asking nicely for it back when he wanted to play with it. I was impressed by his generosity and sensitivity to Robbie's feelings. Robbie was hating himself for his struggle against the green-eyed monster all day yesterday and today, giving himself lots of negative self-talk like, "I suck," and "You think I'm stupid," etc. as we tried to give him both empathy and also tried to help him move forward instead of being stuck in his pity party. He is doing better today, especially as we talked about how he could spend his money to buy himself toys, etc. We spoke about gratitude, I had him make a list of his own birthday ideas for his upcoming birthday, and we even made a list of the toys he already has. His words were, "You love Henry better than me. I'm not going to get anything on my birthday. All I'm going to get is a worm!" and things along those lines. I also spoke to him about how this weakness can actually become a blessing and a strength to him if he turns to the Savior for help and prays for help when he feels jealous or inferior. Not sure if it sunk in, but I am hopeful it will eventually.

 He requested a dinosaur cake and was happy with the way this one turned out.

 He has gotten so big lately--he has strong legs like Uncle Bryan and super strong muscles, and he is getting so tall.

Happy birthday, buddy! We love you so much and are so happy you were sent to our family.