I am so grateful that we can still opt for 1/2 day Kindergarten. I love my quiet afternoons with Gideon. The other little ones are down for naps and he and I get to share lunch together, we read together, write stories, bake cookies, cuddle on the couch, and he tells me all about his day. I love 6 year old humor and hearing about his big events for the day. I have always wanted to be a stay at home mom more than anything else. I am so very grateful for a husband that shares in that vision and values my time with our children. We are often asked how in the world we can afford to not have me work and to have so many children. We explain that it is all a matter of priorities...there are many things in life that we can happily do without but we cannot and will not do without me being home each day when our children leave for school and when they return.
Josh and Gideon love to create and build things using legos, boxes, paper towel rolls, paper, tape, tape, and more tape! The most prized possessions in our home, and the ones most argued over, are boxes! Whenever a box appears I know I will soon hear, "Mom! Can I have this box?" Although sometimes I grow weary of boxes everywhere, I love to see the creations they come up with. Their imagination never ceases to amaze me.
Gideon is now 6 years old! He was so excited for this birthday and loved being able to choose his dinner and dessert. For his dessert he wanted a rescue bot cake. He saw pictures of these amazing cakes made by amazing moms with more creative ability in their pinky fingernail than I have in my entire body. I was really concerned of how I was going to pull this off because he had 100% confidence that I was going to be able to make the cake of his dreams. I was talking to my mom and she suggested I get some rescue bots and put them on his cake. I thought that was genius but I was still really worried that Gideon would be disappointed. I decided to surprise him so if he wasn't happy with the results hopefully we could gloss over it and quickly open presents.
When it came time for him to have his cake his expression and his shouts of, "JOSH!!! Look how AWESOME my cake is!" put my concerns at bay. I'm so grateful he was happy with it. He thought it was so cool that he got new rescue bots on his cake. Spring, jokingly, told me she was going to ask for a Piano Guys cake for her birthday! Her wit is getting really good! :)
For dinner he chose to have hot dogs. No surprise there as that is one of his favorite foods right now. For his dinner with mom and dad he chose Wendy's because he wanted to get a frosty! Such simple pleasures. I love the moments Joel and I have when we take out just the birthday child to dinner or lunch of their choice. There is a bond that is strengthened when we can focus for a while on just the one. I'm so incredibly grateful for these choice spirits that our Father in Heaven has entrusted to us.
Some highlights of Gideon as a 6 year old include:
*He LOVES rescue bots. He and Josh will play for hours and hours together creating cities.
*He loves math and has been blessed with a very mathematical mind.
*He is so silly. He is in the stage of making up jokes. His jokes aren't always funny but his laugh and giggle will get you every time!
*He does not like kisses, or at least he says he doesn't. But he smiles and giggles as he wipes them off. I keep giving him kisses anyway!
*He does love hugs. He has to give all his siblings and me a hug before he leaves for the bus in the morning. In fact, he will not go out to get on the bus until he has hugged everyone. Luckily his bus driver is very patient.
*He can be found outside all the time. Jumping on the trampoline, riding his bike, playing gaga ball, or just running around like a crazy kid are his favorite pastimes.
*He is sensitive. He often feels like his is ignored or people don't understand him because of his articulation issues. I have to be really aware of that. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to deal with this so he can make his wishes known before the frustration sets in.
*His smile and giggle brighten my day. I look forward to him running in from the bus each day at lunchtime and spending time with him. He melts my heart in a way only he can.
For Homecoming Festivities the Junior High Band joins the High School Band for the parade and the football game. They practice for 2 evenings together prior to the festivities. I love this part of the program. This year there were nearly 400 students in this combined band! Spring was SO excited to be a part of this and was not ready for the night to end. She kept saying, "I can't wait until next year when I get to do this every week!" Thomas loved working with his buddy, Mason Marquette. Spring's buddy, Julia Moxley, requested to have her again this year as well which made Spring's day!
Mary marched in the parade as well with her school's Student Council. The rest of us were spectators...well the kids were candy hoarders! They come home from this parade with more candy than we know what to do with. The last few years I end up using what is left from this parade as candy for Halloween trick-or-treaters!
A wonderful night and Stow crushed the other team in the football game as well! Go BULLDOGS!
Our silly and sweet Gideon is 5 years old now! He chose to have macaroni & cheese, chicken nuggets, and apples for his dinner. He also chose an ice cream cake for his dessert. This sweet boy is full of smiles. He likes to be silly and tell jokes. Gideon loves to play rescue bots and paw patrol when he is inside. Outside he loves to jump on the trampoline, run "really fast", ride his bike, and act like a crazy man with the neighborhood kids. Gideon loves to have Spring sleep in his room with him. He "reads" his scriptures and says his prayers every night before bed because "that is what Spring taught me to do!" Gideon gets to go to speech weekly. Somedays he enjoys it and other days he gets really frustrated with trying to make the correct sounds. We are hoping he will continue to find little pieces of success with it. Gideon is always good for a joke...you may not "get it" but his giggle and smile make you laugh anyway. Happy 5th Birthday, Gideon! We are so blessed to have you in our family!
These two love doing crafts together and painting has been a favorite this month. They even rediscovered finger paint. Trying to get all the enthusiasm for that over with now while it is still warm enough to paint outside.
Library visits are always a highlight. I can usually get them to run any errand with me if I promise a trip to the library when we are done. Gideon has speech at the library once a week as well so we get to enjoy the time playing and reading while he is in speech.
Jacob has become very good at pulling food out of they pantry and out of the recycling container.
Already loving to play music.
He doesn't like it so much when all his siblings go outside to play and he is left inside. We often find him looking out the windows "talking" to them.
Puzzles are a daily happening.
Enjoying being outside for as long as the weather will allow it!
"You have nothing in this world more precious than your children. When you grow old, when your hair turns white and your body grows weary, when you are prone to sit in a rocker and meditate on the things of your life, nothing will be so important as the question of how your children have turned out. It will not be the money you have made. It will not be the cars you have owned. It will not be the large house in which you live. The searing question that will cross your mind again and again will be, How well have my children done?"
~President Gordon B. Hinckley
Eternal Sweethearts
"Having [children] together-building a family together-seemed a natural progression to the union we began on our wedding day. [These little people are] , among many other things, a representation of our love and commitment to one another." -Trish Perry
