On Tuesday, I started a new job - watching 7 year old twin boys before and after school. They arrive at about 7:00am and I feed them breakfast and make sure they do 1/2 hour of reading each day before school. Tristan comes on Tuesday too - as do Johnny and Natalie. We had a full house!
On Tuesday, I sent Max off to school with treats for his class. I found these sweethearts for $.16/each on clearance after Valentine's Day. A little card stock and printed tags and they were ready (I made them that morning).
On Tuesday, I walked Sophie, Max and the twins to school, brought Max his treats which he forgot and met with the twin's teachers. On Tuesday, I took Natalie and Calvin to preschool.
On Tuesday, I made a birthday cake - a new recipe. Poppy seed cake with an orange cream cheese icing and a traditional English custard filling. It is ridiculously delicious and I may have eaten a half of the cake this week. You think I jest.
On Tuesday, I walked over to the school with the 4 little ones to walk home with the twins.On Tuesday, Sophie decided to make Max a present. She came up with the idea, design and execution all on her own. I had my hands full with 8 kids and trying to make a birthday dinner and frost a 4-layer cake before it was cool. This is what she made:
It was so cute, I got a little teary. She knows Max loves Star Wars, so she made him a light saber - and a pretty dang good one if I say so myself! She was so excited to give it to him, she could not even wait until the dinner dishes were cleared off the table. What a sweet sister!
On Tuesday, my oldest child turned nine. On Tuesday, I reflected on my son Max:
- He is a very devoted reader. He does not go anywhere without a book. He reads in the car, he reads as he walks to and from school, he reads in the bathroom, in school, at breakfast and dinner. He reads all of the time. His favorite books this year? The Redwall Series, The Warrior Series, Artemis Fowl Series, The Keys to the Kingdom Series, The Edge Chronicles, Goosebumps Series and The Chronicles of Narnia Series.
- He is very energetic. When not reading, he is running, jumping or wrestling his siblings. He loves soccer and basketball and riding his bike.
- He started Cub Scouts this year. He worked hard to earn his Wolf badge - with help from our friend Ken and his Dad. He finished the night before his birthday by getting up with his Dad at 11:00pm to go pick up trash in the neighborhood by flashlight - don't ask.
- He is inquisitive. Max loves to learn and has his Dad's freakishly good memory (lucky him - I have the worst memory). His interests are broad and include astronomy, dinosaurs, drawing comics, Calvin and Hobbes, airplanes, military stuff - like tanks and the world wars, chess and birds.
- He is very easily stressed. He is concerned about meteorites, tornadoes, bad guys, and sickness. He likes to have a light on in the bathroom at night - both for the monsters and to read when he should be sleeping. It takes him a LONG time every night to get to sleep. He is a champion at stalling. He chews on the necks of all of his shirts. None of them can be handed down to Calvin.
- He loves couscous and rice, yogurt and fruit. He loves Culvers and El Azteca. He always tells me what a great cook I am - I love that.
- He is doing really well with his piano though it is still hard to get him to sit still and practice for 30 minutes straight. It usually takes over an hour and 10 reminders to get it done. He has a great singing voice.
- He still thanks Heavenly Father for birds, animals, trees, bugs and stars when he prays and then goes on to ask that no one on the earth dies or gets sick or is killed in a flood that night.
- He loves his family. He loves to give kisses and hugs and positively glows when praised. Max is handsome and refuses to get a short haircut this year. I am hoping we can buzz it come summer.
- Max is somewhat oblivious to the world around him. He gets lost in his own little world and ends up being told instructions several times before he actually hears who is talking to him. He makes airplane whooshing and shooting noises when he unloads the dishwasher and for about an hour before falling asleep.
- His favorite birthday gift was a pair of binoculars from his Dad.
- Max is a great kid. We feel blessed to have him in our home and under our care. We love Max very much! Happy birthday kiddo!
Happy Birthday Max! His cake sounds really yummy! And Sophie's gift is so sweet.
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