Jared is 7!

Jared's cake was a little bit of an afterthought this year.  I've been busy shopping, with church things, and figuring things out for Christmas that I'd forgotten he requested a Mario cake.  So the day before Jared's birthday I browsed the internet in search of a Mario cake.  Jared told me I could buy one but that was only a last resort for me.  But online the only cakes I could find were fondant cakes:(.  I've never done fondant before and wasn't about to try. 

 

Chris started searching too and said I should try.  After a little research we found a fondant that was easy to make.  I have to say I was quite pleased with how easy it was to make the fondant, how easy it was to achieve the color I wanted (unlike frosting), and how easy it was to to roll out, cut and assemble the fondant.  My cake is far from perfect but I'm very satisfied with my first attempt and Jared said it's the best cake I've ever made, so worth my time.  And thanks to Chris for his help.  He made the bricks and assembled all the cutouts.  I would say it took us two hours working together.

  

 That morning he opened presents right away.  All the gifts were a hit: Zelda ds game, globe, legos game, Hugo, and over the door basketball hoop. 

 For breakfast he requested choclate chip pancakes.  This time I chopped up the choclate chips and put it in the batter.  I liked the results.  The choclate was better distributed and you got choclate in every bite!

 It was a really relaxed day.  We went to church, played on the playground afterwards (the weather has been incredible!), ate lasagna, cake and ice cream, and watched a Christmas show together.

 The above picture is blury so I had him do a repeat pretend shot but I didn't notice the boys had already taken out the candles, Ha!

 Things I want to remember about Jared:

• Starting to like girls, just a little.  When a friend asked for suggestions of cute girls in his class to help name their new baby Jared immediately said Lilah and then a few other names.  I didn't think much of it til last week I told him Lilah's mom was having her third girl, just like we have three boys.  That evening for family prayer he prayed for Lilah's mom and baby.  Then last Friday when I went to help in Jared's classroom, I was working with Lilah out in the hallway and Jared came up to her and said, "Hi Lilah.  How's your mom feeling?"  I was beaming and Lilah was confused.  But in my mind I was thinking, you keep that tactic up little guy and one day your going to win a girls heart with questions like that:).  So cute!
• Jared's doing really well at school.  He has fun with friends and is doing good scholastically.  His teacher enjoys him in class and says the biggest thing for him to work on is to remember to raise his hand (he likes to contribute and has lots to share:), and he needs to work on his penmanship.  I agree but honestly I'm grateful he even does his homework.
• Homework he hates but he does it.  Sometimes I have to give him a few reminders but he does it without me needing to be by his side.  When he's done I check it, tell him if he needs to fix anything, and he puts it away.
• Jared has started taking piano lessons.  He has to practice for ten minutes five days a week.  It takes some coaxing to get him to practice but he's doing really well!  He often gets bored of the songs he's been given for that week because he's mastered them.  But this week he had more challenging songs and he wasn't a fan at first but he's getting it.  He's only been taking for a month and I'm pleased with his progress.
• At school he has to read every day for 10-15 mins.  He jumps all over the board with what he reads.  Some of his current reads are Magic Tree House books and Harry Potter (we read together).  We've been able to steer him away from Goosebumps.   Last year that's all he wanted.
• Jared loves sports.  He did soccer this fall and loved it.  At school he enjoys playing soccer at recess and football.  When he plays football they often have him be QB. He's got a good little spiral throw. 
• Loves Pokemon.  I think I've seem him actually play two times.  He mainly looks at the cards with friends, trades them, and talks about their powers and damages. 
• This boys can move his body.  He's in an after school boys dance club and really enjoys it. 
• He hates going to bed!  He often comes out after his brothers have fallen asleep saying he's bored.  Most nights he stays up later and reads with us. 
• He enjoys listening to books on CD.  One of his favorites in the Secrets of Droon.  I try to remember to get a new one every time we go to the library.
• He hasn't lost any teeth yet.  He wants to.  He's had his top and bottom teeth slightly loose since the summer but has yet to loose them.  At his last dentist appointment his x-rays showed his front teeth coming in so it's a matter of time.  I can wait though.  I like his little boy look.

I love this little man. I don't know what I'd do without him.  I can't believe he'll be eight in one year.  I hope it doesn't fly by.  I love you Jared!

Halloween 2012

Pumpkin carving happened solo this year.  We got pumpkins early but didn't carve them so they'd last for Halloween Day.  We were running out of time and Chris was busy so we ended up tag teaming it.  He had to work a little later and I had a meeting so I started the process and he finished.  The boys were all helpful.  Miles wasn't a fan for long but stuck it out for awhile.

We ended up almost finishing the pumpkins before Chris came home.  He got his hands a little dirty.

This year Jared carved his pumpkin all by himself.  He stuck with it and at the very end he didn't want to finish but did it.  And it looked pretty good too:).

All lit up: Miles', Spencer's, and Jared's.

For our church Halloween party our family made use of Cherie's hard work and went as BYU Superfans.  The kids wanted to dress up in their costumes but I threatened them the night before that they WOULD wear the BYU gear or they wouldn't go.  I won:).

For awhile the boys have been saying they wanted to be what they were last year for Halloween. Perfect... until I take them to Costco one day. Then they all changed their minds of course!  Miles wanted to be Jake, from the Neverland Pirates, so bad.  But then he changed his mind to batman.  I saw a batman costume on sale and picked it up and kept both just in case.  He said Batman for a solid week before Halloween and the night before he wanted to be Jake again.  Phew! I'm glad I didn't return it yet!  I think Miles was most excited to have his hair dyed black. 

That morning I asked him if he wanted his hair like Jakes and he excitedly answered yes!  I took him into the bathroom and blow dryed his hair to make it spikey if front. I turned him around and asked him if he looked like Jake and he bowed his head and sadly said no.  I realized then he wanted to LOOK like Jake.  I felt so bad.  There was no way I could make him look just like Jake.  I quickly sprayed his hair black, put his head band on and had him look in the mirror again and he was ecstatic!  I was elated as well:).  Crisis averted.  Below are my boys dressed up: Spencer: Knight, Jared: SWAT, Miles: Jake

Miles at school

Spencer and Miles eating breakfast at school with friends

Jared coming down the stairs for his school parade.

Once outside he quickly shed his coat.  He really thought he was cool stuff.  He especially loved his whistle.  He said during recess he kept making people line up to go inside when he blew it.  Tricky, tricky:). During Jared's class party he won the jar of candy corn by guessing closest to the number in the jar.  There were 180 and he guessed 190.  Awesome for winning, not awesome that it was candy corn, bleh!

Jared reading a poem with school mates

And actual trick-or-treating.  It was a good night but still a little chilly.  I put three layers on the boys.  Miles was so puffy everyone wanted to squeeze him. 

Miles was very gracious to everyone and would give the best thank-yous.  I don't know how many people said he was the cutest thing they'd seen.  I didn't think his costume was that great but I think he's cute enough to get those comments:).

Spencer's hat kept creeping up.  At times I would wonder if he was a Pope or knight. 

When we got home we had pizza with neighbors Julie below and Terri and helped them hand out candy to the late trick-or-treaters.

Terri with Spencer and Miles

The boys went to bed wonderfully and woke up and immediately got in the tub.  I think they could have used a few more hours, don't you think? 

Since Halloween we have all eaten way too much candy and still have more to go.  I think it's time to sneak it away... HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

BYU vs Notre Dame

Back in October we had a lot of visitors coming in for the BYU vs. Notre Dame game.  And Spencer's birthday happened to be in the middle of it.  Our first Guest was Grandma Cherie.  She came in and immediately we went to pick up Jared from school and brought home with us six extra boys.  It was madness and I'm glad she was there:)

 

As always the boys enjoyed her ipad.  While she was here I enjoyed taking her to the boys classrooms and having her help me volunteer there:)  It's so nice when she comes for all of us.  We love when grandmas and grandpas come!!!

On to the Notre Dame game...

Cherie made all the boys capes.  Sad to say the grown men did not wear their capes but the boys did before the game.

A cool cemetery we passed on the way.

Uncle Jordan and Miles.

Jordan, Jared, Me, Miles, Jim, and Cherie

Our Family (yes we all went)

The game was fun but I was a little stressed by the end.  Miles wasn't being bad, in fact I was quite impressed with him, but I could tell he was making others nervous.  As for the game... if only we had a quarter back is all I can say about that...

After the BYU game the Chris, Jim, Jordan, and Ty went to a Bears game on Monday (Spencer's B-day.) Chris stayed home til we put Spencer to bed. I have to mention that Ty was on crutches and he successfully manueverd himself around miles of walking. What a workout! We were all impressed with his skills.

Spencer, Ty and Miles at a park

Til next time Meservy Clan!  Can't wait:)

Spencer is 5!

Really?!  Is my second oldest 5!?  He's getting so big and so old to me.  And yet my little Spencer is still a kid at heart.  This year for his birthday he got an extra-special treat.  Grandma and Grandpa Meservy and Uncle Ty and Jordan were here to help celebrate!  

The morning got off to a bumpy start.  Spencer and Miles woke up at 5:00 that morning so Chris and I told them to crawl into bed with us. We all fell asleep and no one woke up until 7:20!  Yikes!  Chris and Jared usually leaves at 7:30 and I leave with the other two boys at 7:45.  For awhile he's known what he wanted for his birthday breakfast, pancakes and strawberry syrup (more like a jam that I make).  I had everything ready the night before for the strawberry part but there was just no way we were going to get pancakes made, open presents, get dressed and out the door in time!  I told Chris we'd have to forgo the pancakes but he insisted Spencer would have them.  So he made them:).  And guess what... Jared was only a few minutes late, and Miles and Spencer were less than five mins late too.  The birthday boy got his desired breakfast and we still opened presents and to school at a decent time:).   

 After school, Uncle Ty helped Spencer assemble his Ninjago motorcycle from Grandma M.

 And later in the day he wanted to go to the park and try out his new bike.

 He loved that it was green.  His past bike was 12" and this was 16".  It took a little while for him to learn how to start on his own but he got the hang of it quickly.

 When Jared got home Spencer decided to try out his Jake and the Neverland Pirate Leapster game. His leapster was low on battery.  I keep the batteries in the bathroom and changed them in there.  The boys didn't even make it out of the bathroom.  This is where they played it.

Spencer picked an amazingly, simple cake.  It looked fun and he loved it!

I love the sequence of these next two pictures.  HA!

The family playing Headbandz, a game Grandma M gave him. It was a lot of fun.

Our neighbor Julie came down for some cake and joined in on the fun:).

His birthday I'd say was a success!

Things I want to remember about Spencer:

• He's sensitive.  He hates when I get mad at him or yell.  He immediately gets mad and won't let me touch him.  Sometimes it's a little extreme but it's good for me because it helps me approach him differently and more gently.  He's got a sweet, sensitive spirit that I absolutely love.
• He rarely says I love you but more, "I like you mom." Whenever I hear it I hear Love though.  
• He used to not let me give him lots of kisses.  He said I could only give him kisses if he said I could or if he gave them to me.  He didn't dish them out often so I often found myself saying sorry because I'd sneak a kiss here or there.  But recently he's been giving me lots of kisses and I've been able to give him lots too!  I love showering my kids with hugs and kisses and I've been grateful that he's letting me more:)
• He's competitive and quite the athlete.  He's fast, he's dense, and he can be aggressive.  Sometimes he gives up too soon.  He likes to be good and he likes to be good right now!  There'll be times when Jared and him will race and Jared gets a head start.  Spencer starts to catch up but after a few seconds gives up because he's behind him still.  If he kept running he often would've won.  
• To go along with the last point, Spencer loves watching Jared play the Wii.  He sometimes plays but doesn't last very long.  He says he's not very good.  I keep trying to get him to play instead of watch though.  How's he suppose to get better?
• Kids in his class are drawn to him.  He helps others and looks out for them.  One girl, Yolotzin, especially likes him.  When I help in the classroom, once a week, I often hear her yelling his name from across the room.  
• He can't wait for Kindergarten.  He asks me all the time how many days til he's in Kindergarten.
• As of right now, when he gets into first grade he'd like to play the violin instead of piano.
• He loves his older brother.  He watches and mimics what he does.
• I started teaching him back in the spring how to read.  He was doing awesome but I got busy and stopped.  I tried over the summer to re-introduce it but he didn't want anything to do with it.  Two months ago we re-introduced it and he's doing great!  Sometimes it's a struggle to get him to start but he does really well after we get going.  I love how he gets it.  It's like a light bulb goes on in him and you see it click.  When practicing individual words he'll proceed to tell me a sentence using the word to prove he knows the meaning of the word.
• I think he's going to like math.  He often asks for math worksheets.  I'm giving him sheets from a kindergarten workbook and he's doing great.  I don't even sit by him to help him.  He finishes them brings them to me and I correct them.  It's simple stuff (addition and subtraction under 10) but he really loves it.  
• This boy can pretend play like no other.  When Jared is at school, Spencer and Miles will play for a long time creating characters, building environments, and setting the mood for their pretend play.  
• Sometimes he asks me to call him Spencer Wencer.  (love it when he requests this:)
• One night when laying by Spencer he told me, "Mom, we need to have a sister so I can play house with her.  I can be the dad and she can be the mom."  Spencer gets along marvelously with girls.  He's gentle and kind and yet he can switch into boy mode quickly and rough and tumble with his brothers.  He's going to be a good husband like his dad some day: gentle, sensitive, and kind.

My big little Spencer James, I LOVE you!!!

School's Started... Kind of...

After Labor Day Chicago schools started school... for four days, then the teachers went on strike.  So the kids have been home with me and I've been busy doing miny school sessions and playdates.  Jared often complains to me that his teachers are on strike so he is too. 

 

This year it was crazy getting the kids to school.  I was ready for the morning.  Bags were packed (the night before Miles put on his backpack and kept falling down because it weighed too much for him. It was pretty funny), clothes were laid out, baths were taken the night before but somehow we were still rushing and I didn't even get Spencer's or Miles' hair combed.  I didn't get near the picture quality I would have liked to have gotten but at least I snapped some pictures. 

 Our first stop... Jared at 7:30.  The kids were suppose to be picked up by their teachers on the playground at 7:40.  Of course things run a little late on the first day.  Sadly I didn't get to watch him walk in because we had to get going to take Miles and Spencer to their school which started at 8:00.  At 7:45 I gave Jared a kiss and said good-bye.  He wasn't sad in the least but I was bummed.  I wanted to see my first grader walk in to school.  Instead I ran home with Miles on my hip to get my other two to their school.

 Last year Spencer's school started at 9:10.  The time change has not been kind.  I now have to drive by another school that's starting around the same time making my drive go from 7 minutes to 15-20 minutes.  Needless to say we were a little late.  It was so rush we hardly had time to hug and kiss them.  Chris was saying good-bye when Miles started to cry.  I hid behind the door and ordered Chris to follow.  (Last week they had orientationa and they were very adament that parents leave their children at the door and not try to console them.  Parents would not be allowed in the classroom and by them staying they were only making the situation worse.)  So I obeyed.  Chris peeked around the corner and told me to look.  Miles was hugging Spencer who was hugging him back.  I don't know if I could have walked away if Spencer wasn't there to help Miles.  We then walked outside and Chris peeked in the classroom to see how Miles was doing. He said Spencer was showing him things around the classroom and he was fine.

After school Miles had so much to tell me.  First he said, "Mom, I didn't whine! But I did cry."  I asked him if he'd cry the next day to which he replied, "Yes." When I asked why he said, "So Spencer can hug me." I guess I'm ok with that.  He told me about the story they read-about a little boy and dog, about their carpet time, and playing on the playground- his favorite part.  He told me more than Spencer and Jared ever have and he's starting a year younger!   Spencer confirmed the story was about a dog and boy with a little more detail and not much more.  When I asked him his favorite part of the day he said, "Giving Miles a hug."  I'm so grateful these boys get to be in class together, at least so far (four days into it).

The rest of the days Miles was a champ going to school.  He gave me a hug and kiss and walked right in.  I was able to help on Friday and he did great.  Spencer and Miles pretty much stick together when at school.  They interact with other kids but definitely look for each other.  I'm a little dissapointed with the number of boys again this year.  Last year there were 5 boys to 15 girls.  This year it's 6 boys to 14 girls.  And five of the boys have siblings in the class.  Spencer and Miles, a set of twins, and one little boy with an older sister in the class. 

Jared had a good day at school as well.  He didn't talk much about it just said good or I don't know to every question I asked him.  He was ready to get back to see friends. 

What did I do with my time?  Holy cow did I hit the ground running.  I had so much I had to do between my responsibilities with church, errands, and housework.  I didn't get much housework done because of everything I had to do.  I was looking forward to the second week and getting my home in better shape but didn't get the opportunity.  Instead my house just kept getting dirtier as we spent time at the dentist, museum, parks, and practices.  Oh well, it'll get done some time... maybe:)