Birthday, Baptism Bonanza Weekend

Phew!

The weekend of Wyatt's birthday party was exhausting, I tell you what.  But, it was fun and worth it.

Ross parents arrived on Wednesday night for the week.  The big boys were off-track and ready to party.

Friday was Wyatt's birthday.  In our family, you get a friend birthday party when you turn eight, and Wyatt chose to invite a few of his good friends to "Bricks and MiniFigs" a cool lego shop by our house that hosts birthday parties.  The kids got to build legos, build lego race cars and race them down a track, and then build a mini figure to take home.  We had juice boxes and doughnuts and right at the end of the party, after all the Lego building was over, our Arizona cousins, Isaac, Luke and Jonah arrived with their mom from Arizona.







After the party we went to the food trucks at Petersen farm for dinner and nearly blew away in the wind, but the food was good.  Friday night was Wyatt's family party.  Wyatt got more lego's for his birthday than I thought was possible.  He wanted to build them all immediately, but luckily we were able to space them out a bit.

On Saturday morning, Wyatt was baptized.  There was some confusion with the stake baptism, but we ended up having a really nice program for Wyatt.  Elliott gave the baptism talk, Aunt Cindy the Holy Ghost talk, and Wyatt was swiftly shoved under water and baptized and confirmed by his dad.  This was the first time all the Howden cousins had been together since Elliott's baptism two years prior.  Hopefully it won't be another two years before we get together again.

We finished Saturday with a really great soccer game for Elliott, one where they actually WON (Woo Hoo!) and had a bbq at our house in the evening.







Sunday, church and Mother's Day.  Ross' brother's family had to travel back home but we hosted his parents and my family for a delicious dinner of prime rib, scalloped potatoes and a bunch of other stuff.  By Sunday night, I was exhausted but it was a really nice weekend.

It's great to be EIGHT! Happy Birthday, Wyatt!

Happy Happy Birthday, William Wyatt Howden.

Can you believe you are EIGHT YEARS OLD!  I can hardly believe it.

Second grade is almost over.  You are great at math and have had almost perfect spelling tests all year long.  You can figure out how to spell words you don't even know.  And, you can calculate change in your head which is something I cannot even figure out - unless it's really easy math.

The last year of your life has seen you become a greater lego master, artist, and dancer.  I've been able to help out at school a couple of times and you have some of the cutest friends.  Mason, Wilson, Andrew and Cooper, Ronan, and Ethan just to name a few.  Before Christmas when I was doing a Fun Friday at school, Ronan told me I was the tallest mom in the world.  I'm probably not, but it made me laugh.

You play basketball, soccer and this year baseball, even though you've decided to skip baseball next season for competitive soccer.  It's fun to watch you "turn it on" in a game, especially when you've spent a little too much time cherry picking.  When you want to hustle, you can zoom.  You are pretty good all around athlete, and I'm pretty sure you get it from me.  Ha!

You've started to read Harry Potter and have almost finished the first book.  You have a photographic memory for music, and after only hearing a song once, you remember the lyrics forever.



I'll admit, year seven was a pretty moody one, but I'm hoping that eight years old see's you like me, your dad, and your brother's a little bit more. I'm pretty sure Grandma and Willie are your favorite people and if I'd let you, you would just watch TV and play on your ipod all day long.  You still know everything and always manage to see on the bright side of life.  You wear your heart on your sleeve, and mom and dad are usually pretty sure of your emotional state.  Like dad, you are an early riser finding it nearly impossible to sleep in.

It's pretty rare when you and I get to spend time together, just one-on-one, but when we get the chance, it's so much fun.  You are a great conversationalist, and are never at a loss for words, stories, or telling me when I've done something wrong.

Turning eight will be the greatest.  You get to be baptized, have a friend birthday party, and start cub scouts.  Woo hoo!



Have a happy birthday boy.

New Year, new season

Basketball is in full swing at our house.  University of Utah games and Elliott and Wyatt are both playing junior jazz this year.  Both boys are having excellent seasons. Ross is coaching both boys teams and Coach Karl is helping out with Elliott's.

Wyatt is still playing in the "developmental" league, so no real practices until next season.  No score board, either.  But, the kids do a pretty good job of keeping score all on their own.  Wyatt's team is pretty good and he has managed to score during every single game.  And, he looks good.  He always makes sure that from head to toe - hair to shoes, he is on fleek.  (Is "On Fleek" still a thing?)

Elliott's team is doing great this year.  So far, they are undefeated in their league, and seem to be the team to beat.  Uncle Willie gave him some Dennis Rodman socks for Christmas and they seem to be bringing him a lot of luck.  He has become a rebounding machine and not a single kid that defends him knows how to stop someone who shoots a left handed lay-up.  One game before Christmas was pretty intense and Coach Karl yelled at the opposing coach, "Shut up, Dude!" but otherwise, good sportsmanship abounds.

It's fun to watch the boys play every Saturday and I am one mama who is very happy her boys LOVE basketball!

Wyatt plays soccer!

Wyatt has been playing soccer for a few years now, but this is his first year on a bigger field with someone else's dad as the coach.  He also lucked out this year and has 4 of his best buddies from school on his soccer team.  They yell and cheer and hug each other at the beginning of every practice, even though it's only been 90 minutes since they last saw each other at school.

Wyatt is a great athlete.  He is strong and fast and powerful.  He does however, sometimes, base his performance on how many people are watching him on the sidelines.  The more fans, the better the performance.  What can I say - the kid loves an audience.

All of Wyatt's games this season are at 8:00 am.  That is so early, and lately, so chilly to get the 5 of us out of bed and to the field on time.  But, it's worth it.  Wyatt has already scored a dozen or so goals and is really doing well - and looks good in a uniform.  It's fun to watch him shift gears on the field and go from regular to super speed.  He's really doing well.

Back to School :: 2016-17 School Year

Well, as of today, the boys have been back to school for a whole week.  They returned to dual immersion Spanish and new grades, Elliott 4th and Wyatt 2nd on Tuesday, July 26 and we had back to school night a couple days after.

Back to school is pretty uneventful, mostly because it was just three weeks from when the previous school year ended.  Elliott's English language teacher, after the second day of school was hospitalized and he finished out the week with a substitute.  We received a letter from the administration yesterday that his teacher of two days, had a stroke! and had resigned her position.  I feel so bad.  We never met her, Elliott was unable to describe what she looked like, how old she was, or anything specific about her so she will forever remain a mystery.  A new teacher has been hired and will start on Monday.  I look forward to meeting her.





Otherwise, we've fallen quite nicely into our routine.   The boys keep growing up faster than I'm ready for.  Quinn starts school in two weeks and then I'll have two hours, three days a week where I will be completely by myself....whatever will I do?  Probably mope around and be lonely.

3 weeks of summer

As much as I complain about year round school, the reality is that in a lot of ways, it really works well for my kids.  I found myself, the whole month of June, pining and whining for days off, ready to just check the boys out of school and be done with it.  But now, as we have only a few days left in our summer, I'm really tired and realize that I don't know what I would do with the boys if they were home for 3 full months.

Elliott starts 4th grade on July 26.  Wyatt will start second grade.  But, they only go for three weeks and then, we have summer number 2.  But summer number two will be without cousins and grandma's and uncles because they will all be back at work and at school.  But, at least almost every where we go, will be empty.

Anyway, in three weeks, we have crammed in a lot.

Fireworks.
Summer NBA games.
2 days of grandma camp, with no moms
Lagoon.
This is the place state park.
Swimming in the day.
Swimming in the night.
Soccer practice.
Cub Country.
Parade float preview.
Lots of lunch (lots of little Caesar's pizza).

We've got a few activities left to complete before summer #1 is officially over, and then we will put the list on hold for a couple of weeks for round two.

Happy Happy Birthday Wyatt Dear...

Today, my boy, you are seven years old.  I can remember the day you were born, and it was great. Our first exchange this morning, on your birthday, was also great.

I opened the door to my bedroom after I got out of the shower and you were standing there, smiling.  I said, "good morning, Wyatt."  You said, "hi mom."  I smiled and said, "Happy Birthday!"  You let out a little sigh, grinned ear to ear and as you dove in for a gigantic hug said, "Thank you!"

You are a handsome, smart, funny and talented boy.  You are always the first kid awake in our house, would like to be the last one to go to sleep and if I'd let you, you'd prefer to sleep on the couch every night.  You are happiest at school, playing baseball, and building worlds in mine craft.  You have grown so much in the last year and are truly an amazing little kid.

Your smile and laugh are infectious.  You love knock-knock jokes, and have become an excellent reader.  Your teachers love you, you sit at a table of ALL GIRLS at school, and get chased by those same girls at recess.  I have no idea, well really I don't want to think about how handsome you will be in a few years, but I think that those girls at school seem to know something I am not ready to come to grips with yet.  Man alive, you are a good looking kid.

You love sugar and raspberries; ice cream and hot fudge.  Food, at least throughout most of your childhood I'm afraid, will always be your nemesis...but that's what missions to foreign lands are for.

Your asthma is getting better and as you get older, your lungs get stronger.  You are a champion at the inhaler and haven't been sick for a long time.  Your threshold for pain is remarkable and even when you have two ear infections in the same ear, as you did a few months ago, you took it like a champ.  Now, if only your dad and I could convince you to stop the "broken arm scream" whenever you think your hurt, and stop you from kicking Elliott in the nuts whenever you get mad at him.

I asked you a few of your favorite things this afternoon.  Here were your replies.
Favorite Movie: Harry and the Henderson's
Favorite song: Fitz and the Tantrums, Hand Clap
Favorite TV show: Phinneus and Ferb
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite drink: (sneaking mom's) Diet Coke
Favorite Star Wars Episode: The Force Awakens

I love you forever and always.  You are my little chickadee and though you are forever stuck in the middle, your star will always shine brightly.

A Dapper Trio

Over the weekend we were shopping at the Salt and Honey Market, mostly to check on my inventory because I was a vendor at the show.  While there, Wyatt decided that he wanted a bow tie, as part of his birthday presents.  We obliged.

On Sunday morning, he started to get dressed and then Quinn decided to jump on the bow tie bandwagon and, thanks to the last couple years of dressy Christmas presents from Grandma Judy, we were able to find a bow tie for Elliott, too.  I must say that these boys of mine, especially when the big boys have fresh haircuts, end up being a pretty dapper trio.

And as we all came down stairs ready for church, I realized that we were all dressed the same - navy blues, so it warranted a front porch selfie before we left the house.

The end of Basketball

Elliott and Wyatt played basketball this year.  Wyatt's was a learning league, and was chaos almost every week.  But, he had fun, made some new friends and did a great job and made at least one basket in every single game.  Elliott was in a third grade team league and it was a little too intense for a bunch of 8 and 9 year olds, but he really improved and in his last game, scored 6 points (two of which were free throws) and had at least 10 rebounds.  A regular Dennis Rodman.

There isn't much else to say, but I did take pictures with a real camera at each of their last games.  Enjoy!