{Halloween 2013}

We had a busy and fun time this year for Halloween.  The trunk or treat at church was the day before and we had fun watching the big kids at their parade at school.  We spent Halloween night at Aunt Judy's house celebrating with a spookie dinner and a little trick or treating.

This year we had:

A hobbit:

A skeleton:

A fairy princess:

A pirate:

And a pretty little ladybug:

And the group picture - well it turned out typical for our family.

Don't they look like they are up to something?

BAM!

 Happy Halloween!

Pinewood Derby

The last week in May Gage competed in the Pinewood Derby.

Gage and Wade had such a fun time planning out the car and working on it together.  Gage wanted a simple design (a wedge) and Wade worked hard at directing - and being hands off! haha!

One time during the painting stage Wade came home at lunch and I found him in the garage checking out the car.  He asked me if I thought Gage would mind if he added another coat of paint?  Ha!  I told him there was no way could he work on the car while Gage was at school.  He looked a little sad, but agreed to leave it alone.  (sometimes, I swear I have 4 little boys in this house!)

The big day!

Each kid got a turn pushing the button for the cars to go.  It was a pretty cool track! 

It showed the time and mph each car ran.  In this heat Gage got first and his car averaged around 173 mph each run!  Wow!

Gage won second place overall.  He was so excited he ran a little victory run around the gym.  He also got a certificate for most florencent paint job.

I don't think that this troop goes to district, so he doesn't get to move on like last year, but he was still very proud of his second place car.  He got 3rd place last year so maybe next year will be his big year!

Way to go Gage!

{9}

Happy Birthday!  Today Gage is nine years old!

Gage is such a fun kid to have in our family.  The first year - year and half were pretty rough.  He was a pretty hard baby.  And he cried a lot.  I don't want to say it was colic, because colic is supposed to stop at 3 months, but Gage didn't stop crying for about 18 months.  I remember visiting doctor after doctor and switching pediatrician so many times.  I thought something was so wrong with him.  Until I found one that after playing on the floor with Gage looked at us and said, 

"He's fine!   There is nothing wrong with him.  I have a couple kids like him myself.  He is very directed and knows what he wants.  Channel him in the right direction and he will grow up to be a great successful adult!"

She was a great pediatrician, and we were sad when she decided to quit and stay at home with her kids.  (But I couldn't blame her.  I wouldn't trade these days for anything).

That being said - Gage is a fantastic kid.  He always strives to do exactly what is right.  He pays close attention to rules and always tries to follow them. (Unless, of course, I make them up).  His first grade teacher had a rule that they couldn't talk during lunch. (There was no cafeteria, so they ate in their classrooms).  I kinda thought it was a super silly rule.  But he always obeyed it.  Even in second grade when he had a different teacher it took me a couple weeks to convince him that it would be okay for him to talk at lunch time.

It didn't surprise me when I asked him what his favorite color was, he answered, black and white.  This totally fits Gage.  Everything is black or white to him.  

Example:  One time this year his teacher sent home some cursive handwriting homework and it had one letter that they hadn't gone over in class.  Gage just sat there and told me he couldn't do it!  He said that it had to be a mistake because they hadn't covered that letter yet.  I showed him that there was an example of the letter and I showed him how to do it, but I think he ended up skipping that word.  I couldn't believe it, but later that night when Wade got home, I related this story and Wade said, "Yeah, I remember one time in elementary school when a teacher sent home homework and there was something we hadn't learned yet on it yet too. I took it back to the teacher and showed her!"

Gage is just like his Dad - black and white.

This move has been pretty hard on Gage.  He says he likes his new school (except computers) but he still misses his old friends.  He wishes he could have both.  He's so quiet and serious I think it's hard for him to find good friends.  But he is such a loyal friend.  He is always trying hard to make everyone happy. (He gets that from me)

Gage is a fantastic big brother and he adores Lucy.  He loves to play with Eli and Avery (when they aren't touching his stuff) and Noah is either his arch enemy or his best friend.  They are perfect brothers.  I ask him every once in a while if he ever wants his own room and he always answers that he likes sharing with Noah right now and that he would miss talking to him at night.

Gage has been working very hard in reading this year.  His teacher has the Hooked on Phonics program and we have been able to borrow it and send the levels back as we finish them.  He is always good at working so hard on his levels and reading his stories.  He is finishing the last level soon.  I can see a huge difference in his reading this year.  He is reading chapter books faster and reading them out loud more to Noah.  Just last night as I was reading a picture book to the other kids, Gage would jump in and read a page or two for me.  Without me asking!  I was so proud!

If you haven't picked up on it yet, Gage LOVES Legos.  He can play with them all day long, day after day.  And at night, he reads Lego Magazines in his bed by flashlight.  He is pretty creative with them and can built just about anything.  He was super excited this morning when he opened his presents.  He got a set of the Narnia books and The Hobbit Hole Lego set.  He had it put together in no time and hasn't stopped playing with it since.  He is anxious for tomorrow, when we are having a little Lego birthday party for him and a couple friends.

He is such a good kid, we can't believe he is nine!

We are so proud of Gage and love him to the moon and back!  

2013 Goals

A couple weeks ago we sat down at family night and worked on making some goals for 2013.

I found these fun worksheets on Pinterest that each kid filled out.

As you can tell, we tried to make suggestions, but in the end we wrote down exactly what they came up with.  

It made for some interesting answers!

Gage

Age: 8

Favorite color: white

Favorite food: pizza

Favorite activity: Legos

Favorite book: The Hobbit

Highlights of 2012:

Greatest lesson learned: cursive

Hardest thing of the year: reading

Favorite memory: Christmas

What I loved most about 2012: Legos

Looking forward to 2013:

Want to learn: Multiplication

Want to get better at: Reading

Biggest Goal: Get the most legos, legos, legos

Noah

Age: 6

Favorite color: orange

Favorite food: fried chicken Legs

Favorite activity: legos

Favorite book: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Highlights of 2012:

Greatest lesson learned: site words

Hardest thing of the year: moving to Utah

Favorite memory: finishing preschool!

What I loved most about 2012: getting a huge bean bag!

Looking forward to 2013:

What to learn: to read

Want to get better at: wrestling, learning articles of faith

Biggest Goal: Get Better at Angry Birds

Avery

Age: 3

Favorite color: purple

Favorite food: chicken legs

Favorite activity: playing house

Favorite book: Barbie books

Highlights of 2012

Greatest lesson learned: be nice

Hardest thing of the year: leaving Linkin

Favorite memory: Linkin

What I loved most about 2012: When Lucy was born!

Looking Forward to 2013:

Want to learn: ABC sounds and write my name

Want to get better at: being nice

Biggest Goal: Learn a sport!

Eli

Age: 2

Favorite color: blue

Favorite food: food and candy

Favorite activity: flips, cars and trains

Favorite book: anything anyone else is reading

Highlights of 2012: 

Greatest lesson learned: to like nursery class at church

Hardest thing of the year: moving

Favorite memory: Lucy

What I loved most about 2012: Playing in the splash pad

Looking forward to 2013:

Want to learn: to go potty!

Want to get better at: sharing and singing

Biggest Goal: ABC's

Lucy May

Age: 2 months

Favorite Color: pink (just a guess) 

Favorite food: milk

Favorite activity: being with mom

Favorite book: The Hunger Games and McGlamery's Comprehensive Foot and Ankle Surgery 

(just kidding, just seeing if anyone is paying attention)

Highlights of 2012:

Being born and coming home

Looking forward to 2013:

Want to learn: roll over, sit up, crawl and walk

Want to get better at: not crying

Biggest Goal: Be as cute as I can be!

He Passed!

Some of you might know or remember that Gage was born with a few heart murmurs.  A couple of them have fixed themselves, but he still has pulmonary valve stenosis and left pulmonary artery stenosis.  Relatively speaking, these aren't that bad and I always count my blessings because things can always be worse.

When he was a little baby they checked it quite often, then we moved to once a year check ups.  A few years ago he was cleared for every two years.

Today was that lucky day.

Gage told us he wasn't nervous at all and that he was so excited to go! I could tell he was a little big nervous though, because he was giggling a lot, being a little bit jumpy and (the best) holding my hand!  He did admit after it was done that his tummy didn't have butterflies anymore.

First up, his EKG:

Then, he got to play games and wait for the Dr.  I have to insert that we love our cardiologist here.  He trained in Iowa and knows a lot of the same people that we know!  What a small world!

Then time for this sonogram..or the best part because you get to lay down in a dark room and watch a movie!  Gage selected Scooby-Doo. (Although in my picture he is looking out the window, not at the movie?!)

Once again, he did awesome!

Then more games...and a final talk with the Dr.

We had great news, he is doing great (no surprise!) and that if nothing else, the valve stenosis is almost getting better.  Gage got a high five for that one and got cleared for 3 years this time!  YAY!

Looks like tonight we will be enjoying pizza at the park for dinner.  Gage's choice.

The Bravest Boy I Know

Gage had his annual visit to the cardiologist today and he is one of the most brave boys I know! He went without us for his x-ray and the technitian said he did very well and followed all the directions. He then sat so still for both the echo-cardiogram and the EKG. We found out that his patent foramen ovale (the hole between the two atriums) closed. He still has pulmonary valve stenosis and left pulmonary artery stenosis.