Sensational Seven!

On May 8, Tyler and Bryce celebrated their seventh birthday! Wow, seven! They're not quite my "little" boys anymore. I've really had to step back and start letting them do things for themselves. Not the easiest thing for me because I tend to be a control freak. But I was really impacted by a quote the other day that I saw from Ann Landers “It is not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings.” 

I did the best that I could to celebrate on their actual birthday. It was on a Wednesday, and they were in the middle of their standardized tests, so it was kind of a junky day at school. I surprised them by picking them up at school. I had all their swimming stuff ready, and we drove straight to the YMCA to swim and play for a little while. 

For dinner, they wanted waffles with strawberries and whipped cream on top. Awesome! My favorite kind of meals :) 

We opened a few presents after dinner. They each received a nerf gun, some new books, and a fancy "Cars" alarm clock to go in their room. 

I have to admit, I failed in the cake department this year for birthdays. I felt terrible, but that's just the way it is. The boys requested a volcano cake that erupted.....I got so stuck on trying to figure out how to make it happen, that it never happened. So my Mommy confession moment, I had a few frozen cupcakes in the freezer and we pulled those out to sing "Happy Birthday" to both boys. 

Marc played with them for a bit, they got to "skype" with Grandma and Grandpa, and that was about the extent of our celebrating. They were in bed shortly after to get ready for another busy day at school. I know that they really wanted to have a friend party this year, but we just couldn't make it happen scheduling wise, so next year will be a big year to party it up! 

Tyler continues to have a bubbly, contagious personality. He is so enthusiastic about everything that you just can't help but love to be around him and do nice things for him. He is a tender little boy. He does not like to disappoint or feel singled out. Relationships are very important to him, he loves his brother and sister and easily makes friends. He has really started to develop a love of reading. Just in the past couple of months he's read "The Witches" and  "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" all by himself. He loves anything to do with the "Avengers" or "Star Wars" and is constantly make believing some type of game that involves beating the bad guys. 

Heaven help us with how easily distracted he gets. We'll work on homework together so I know that he completed it, but then he'll forget to turn it in the next day! His teacher told me that he had a problem with chatting with his neighbors, so she moved him next to some of the two quietest boys in the class, and the next thing she knew those boys were just as chatty as Tyler! 

Bryce is more somber than his brother. He'd rather play independently doing what he wants to do than conform to what somebody else wants to do.  Legos are his absolute obsession right now! He can spend hours building new creations and is always eager to show them off. He is a people pleaser when it comes to adults. His teachers always enjoy him because he works on task, follows the rules, and they don't have to worry about him misbehaving. He's been described as conscientious  to a fault. Sometimes he's so consumed with perfection that it puts him behind in his other work. He is my non-fiction guru! He LOVES books about sea life, weather, the solar system, and anything that talks about how things work. He can remember details, and loves to write about what he knows. He sometimes has difficulty expressing his ideas or thoughts. He's been a victim of bullying on the bus several times and it just breaks my heart because I don't know how to help him stick up for himself better. One of the things that endears me about Bryce is when he'll ask "Mom, what can I do to help you?" just out of the blue. He really wants to be helpful and tries his best to do little things without being asked. 

 

I have sweet little boys. They try their best to be good and do what is right. For the most part, they are gentle with their little sister, they will include her in their play, and are amazing big brothers. I am so grateful for them! We love having them as part of our family and look forward to what is in store for their future.