Lagoon

We had our summer's first trip to Lagoon on Memorial Day. And Millie's first time! Thank you, Papa, for the passes again.

Here are the boys, waiting for the rides to open at 11 AM.

Our big boys now go together on bigger rides and come back and check in with us occasionally. The little boys ride together.  But we were looking for rides to ride with more of us together. These teacups aren't bad!

And the Carousel and train are for the whole family.

Millie was so wiggly on the train. Ben wanted to hold her but she wanted to squirm all around. James smiled on the Carousel until we realized his horse was "broken" (aka it was one of the stationary animals and didn't move up and down).

Max was a little too cool for a picture.

Also in the picture below I am getting "Blue Steele" from Max. But Ben, Andrew and James liked these cars that really bounce up and down as they go around. I rode behind James as we bounced, and JB claims to have some slow-motion video he says he will treasure forever.

When Millie fell asleep after lunch, I went looking with the 3 older boys for a ride to all go on together. But Andrew was juuussstt too short! We walked all over, and finally ended up at the Log Flume, which then had a breakdown and we waited for a very long time. I was proud of Jamesy for being really patient with JB while they waited for us.  

Hopefully we will have fewer crowds on our next trip. I mean, crowds are good for Lagoon's bottom line, but, we like to feel like it's only our amusement park, you know? 

-By the way, here is the post of baby James's first trip to Lagoon in 2013.

-I didn't officially post about baby Andrew's first trip, but it would have been the summer we took my friend Andrea to Lagoon in 2011.

-And here is baby Ben's first trip in 2008. 

-I don't have baby Max's first trip because I started blogging when he was 2 1/2.  But I do remember he must have been around 10 months old -- I tried to feed him baby carrots and spilled the baby food on the carpet in Papa's office. 

School's out

6th grade, 3rd grade, and kindergarten are in the books for these boys!

Here's the picture on the first day of school.

Max on Friday had safety patrol duties, but he asked Ben and Andrew to walk earlier to school with him, so they could all walk together for the last time.  (aaaawwww)

The week was full of lasts -- the most emotional one being the last time he would have the school pizza. (!!)  Though I think the district kitchens means he could have the same pizza next year in middle school.

Max's teacher had a nice note on his report card. She said he is kind and thoughtful, and she never saw him get angry with others. He was always quick to volunteer to help.

Andrew had such a good year in kindergarten. It was full day, and he LOVED Mrs Moray.

Her microphone she got for his ear ended up helping the whole class, especially on their family program day. They all used it and the parents could hear their lisping poems perfectly.  He started the year not reading, and at his assessment last month Mrs M said he is reading on a level usually seen several months into the first grade year.


Ben did great in third grade with his sweet teacher, Mrs Roberts. He had a few friends in the class and made more during the year. He's in the very back of the picture below, by the teacher.

The third-graders had kindergarten reading buddies, and Ben was Andrew's reading buddy. His teacher said he is super smart, and she thinks he should do school ELP (extended learning program) next year. 

I got word about some sort of trouble with basketball being banned for a bit because this age group was being too competitive or rough. Sounds familiar, as I found a note recently from kindergarten or 1st grade where his teacher said Ben was tackling kids at recess. I remember he told me "we were pwaying football."

Deja vu

For some reason, after deleting some emails on my phone, it jumped backwards to November 2011. I found these pictures my brother Peter sent me that he took while we were all at my parents house in Missouri (for the wedding of my brother Joe). Our first three children were the age of the last three children now.

(Max age 6)

(then-Benny now-Ben age 3 1/2)

(Andrew age 10 months)

They look just like the last three -- Ben especially looks like James at the same age, and Andrew looks like Millie at the same age.

The next email down was one I had written to my friend Autumn, and it included this:

Benny's behavior is getting better, as long as I make a conscious effort to praise him constantly, and spend at least 15 minutes a day uninterrupted with just him and me. No baby, no phone, etc.  He's a sweetheart. A terror sometimes, but a sweetheart.

And Andrew is determined to nurse and sleep next to me for the rest of his life.  

Wow, that is exactly the same as James and Millie right now. 

I find that the kids who had a baby come when they were at least 3 years old, had a tougher time than the kids who had a baby come with they were 2 1/2.  So Ben and James basically have been harder at 3 than Max and Andrew were. Who knows what will happen for Millie when she hits three years old. I am told to be careful not to spoil her. 

6th grade promotion

How handsome and tall is Max getting?!

He had his 6th grade promotion today from Highland Park Elementary School.  Nona came to see it, and Ben came from his 3rd grade classroom to watch, but then scooted off to recess. And Andrew was at kindergarten water day, but the rest of us were there. Andrew informs me that they watched the 6th graders sing their songs yesterday for the school.

Max was presented with the Hope of America award for a large service project he did with some friends. They volunteered many Friday afternoons at a senior living center.  This morning they invited parents to come up with their child, but Millie chose that moment to be really thirsty, so I tried to take a picture of JB with Max and here is the fuzzy far away result.

That head in the front there is a friend of ours. He turned and said, "It's too bad JB and Max look nothing alike!"

He was also recognized for helping with the Safety Patrol all year.

Max has gone to this school for 8 years. They stopped hosting the preschool after him and before the rest of our boys.  Here is his preschool graduation:

Other Max school posts include
-First day of preschool
-celebrating his birthday at preschool
-preschool graduation
-First day of kindergarten
-last day of kindergarten/celebrating birthday (which includes one of my favorite Max pics ever)
-first day of First Grade
-last day of First Grade
-first day of Second Grade (no last day of 2nd Grade pics. I was about to have baby James)
-first day of Third Grade (a 3/4 split class that year)
-last day of Third Grade
-first day of Fourth Grade (when I thought he could never get any older)
-last day of Fourth Grade/Max's class opera (featuring a solo)
-first day of Fifth Grade (I swear this was just the other day, I remember writing the post so clearly)
-last day of Fifth Grade
-first day of Sixth Grade
-Christmas program (featuring the shoulder shimmy)

Teethy

Andrew has now lost his two bottom teeth. Which was very exciting for him. And it made James jealous (like Ben was when Max lost his first tooth). Here's the post when Ben lost his first tooth.

Buuuut.... his two new teeth are growing in quite catawampus.   Skewed. Zigzag. Crooked.  I thought that about Ben, and wrote it in that post linked above, but this is much worse.  It's so cute though.

The Tooth Fairy sometimes is late coming to our house. She must just get busy with others or something. So JB has started paying the boys a dollar a tooth.  Win win.

Speaking of teeth, Millie now has eight of them.  She had a rough week last week where two were coming in and she had caught the awful 3-4 day fever/cold/cough/nose virus going around. She bit me bad one night while nursing.

And Max took out his own loose molar recently. His going on a year almost of braces and is so handsome.

Wrapping up the school year

Just a few days left this week and next for this school year.

My kindergartner Andrew had a rock show in his class. He showed this Agate that JB brought back from Brazil. He has adored full-day and all he has done and learned. He chatters the most when they all walk in the door at 3;10.

Then 3rd grader Ben had his class informance (dancing and singing about math concepts this time). Ben can move across that floor, and wasn't shy about it.

6th grader Max has been the busiest. He had a Greek mythology fair, an orchestra concert (we recognized the Pirates theme out of the three numbers, but 3 year old James kept asking, "Are they DONE?"), and a WWII program and swing dance.

Kelsham S was his partner for the dancing. They all practiced for weeks. Kids with older siblings who had been through it before, told the others at the beginning of the year that you had to find a partner stat, OR ELSE. It led to some stress. 

We were proud of Max for asking Kelsham (her mom was also pleased). Then the word came that you were assigned by height. And they got each other anyway. 

I loved the dance. And I sent two pictures of my still-living 95-year-old WWII Navy-vet grandpa in for the slideshow.

Next are field days and water days and movie days. Their testing I think is all done.

Ten months

This dolly doesn't like to lie down (lay down?) on blankets anymore for her official monthly pictures. She wants to be standing. And she has a favorite spot out front.

She will often be waiting there with JB for me to come home every morning. Or she stands by the toy drawers.

Our other babies also liked that spot.  And this spot, on the dishwasher.  She was quite proud herself when she climbed up the first time.

Our Millie is so curious and crawly and cute.  When she is nursing, she tries to twist around, or put her foot up to my neck, or even stand up on my lap while hooked on.  She bit me once or twice with those 6 or 7 teeth.

We call her Chickie, Dolly, Tootie and Girlie.  She will get so excited if you are holding her and come around a corner and she spots a brother or the other parent. Her legs start kicking and she laughs.

I have so many skirts and dresses in the 12 month bin that I just got out from the attic (from my SIL in Seattle, neighbors and a co-worker). I feel like I barely had time to let her wear all the  9 month skirts and dresses! 

I think it would be great if JB's little brother was able to have a baby girl first, because  I could give them stuff. And I really need my brother Peter to move back from Japan and have a baby girl; there are enough clothes, and they are taking up space in the attic. So is Peter's baby swing.  And our bassinet, and Exersaucer and baby boppy, etc. I have given away a ton to people in the ward with new babies. But one woman recently brought sleep sacks and socks and stuff back to me -- "Thanks for lending it," she said. Aw, man, keep it!

The new garage (4 years old this month) gave us so much more storage space. But with 5 kids in a house that is just under 2,000 square feet, we are getting crowded. Others are leaving our ward for bigger homes. I just need to be ok getting rid of my own accumulated stuff, too.