The Loveable Sevens

{I found this picture in the middle of random pictures Kate was taking while trying to figure out my dumb camera.  This was such a candid moment.  What a treasure.} 

On the morning of Luke's 7th birthday - I got this message in my inbox:

From: My Big Kid This Week
Subject: The Loveable Sevens

"Congrats! You're entering one of the most rewarding phases of parenthood. Now your child requires less hands-on supervision and care, but he still looks up to you for guidance and support. His curiosity, excitement, and eagerness to learn make him a charming companion in the year ahead. His academic interests begin to take shape, too. Growing exposure to science, writing, math, and other subjects will give you a sense of where his natural interests lie."

The Day:
 So - this little boy woke up on his birthday to a cold house with a broken furnace.  And for the first time in our 6.5 years of living in this house - we actually built a fire in the fireplace.  So, that was an exciting start to our day.  And I'm typing this up a week and a half later in a freezing cold house.  We still don't have heat.   Our guy should be here any minute - for his 3rd time....which is a charm right?  ju-ju-ju-ju....(those are shivering noises) 

 

For his birthday breakfast - he asked for crepes with Nutella and grape juice.   He got to open 2 presents: Grandma Songer sent him spy gear night vision goggles and his pixie present from Rosalie - a spy voice disguise box. 

 So, now that he was the proud owner of "official" spy gear - he wanted to call over his co-founder of his spy club - agent Jane Wilson.   I set up a treasure hunt with spy clues in the backyard.  Here is the spy club members enjoying their spoils in the loft of the shed.

Later we went to Target to spend the birthday money from Grandma and Grandpa Hale.  Luke took the decision seriously.

final product - (with help from dad)

Emme and Luke are birthday buddies with birthdays on the 19th and 20th.  

 FOUR AND SEVEN!  Happy Birthday to both!!

The Date:

Luke's Birthday date was a roller skating rink and ice cream.  He is so excited that it was hard to even connect with him cause he was being such a maniac bouncing off the walls.  What a fun boy though.  Later on in the week we were doing Bests and Worsts of the day - Luke said - "Well.... the best thing in my whole LIFE was roller skating with mom and dad."   It was a funny night for me because it was really just us observing him - we couldn't seem to break through to really interact with him or catch up to his energy level.

The 7 year old:
a few tidbits about Luke...

He has such a vivid imagination that he can (and does) spend hours running back and forth from the kitchen to the front door making explosive jet noises.  He's so content to just sort of live inside his head for a few hours and doesn't need anything from us.

He is social.  Who would have thought that our serious baby who seldom made eye contact would be so social.  Friends are a big deal to him and he's not shy at all about making new ones.  He's at a new school and was missing his kindergarten friends so much.  He had just made a friend on his new bus and was so upset one morning when Joey said he wanted to take him to school.  "But I have a friend!!"  And the next day I walked him to the bus stop - he got on the bus and sat down by somebody and looked out the window at me and excitedly pointed to the kid and mouthed "my friend!"

He really is getting to be such a good helper.  During my sleepless nights with a newborn - he would let me sleep by getting up in the morning and getting cereal and milk for the kids and making a "baba warm" for Maryanne.  You can tell he feels so good about himself when he does nice things for people because it snowballs.  He gets praise and wants to do more and more - until he's given you every toy he owns and covered you in all his blankets to make sure you are warm and happy.

He loves his parents.  You gotta love someone who loves you right?  When he's gumpy and mad about something - most of the time it just takes a few pokes, wrestles and jokes to get that Luke twinkle back in his eye. and I love that.  My favorite times with Luke are when I take the time to snuggle with him before sleep.  He tells me over and over "I just love you mom". 

This boy is a keeper.  He's changing and growing up so much.  Here's to the loveable sevens!


                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Fall Break - Branson

Branson, MO 

the place you go if you're super old or have a bunch of little kids  

Hiking in the Ozarks

take this "hike" for example -- you get to see all the wonders and beauties of the Ozarks - the forests, waterfalls, caves --- all from the comfort of this:


That's right - they paved paths and built huge bridges so you don't have to take a single step.  This among other things cater to the mobily challenged.  It's kinda awesome.

 We'd just stop along the way to smell the roses....and climb the rocks.

  

Because we agreed to listen to a 2 hour spiel about timeshares - we got a smokin' deal on a 3-bedroom, fancy condo.  So we spent the entire week just hanging out, watching conference, swimming, playing the clubhouse Wii, pool, mini golf, indoor tennis and basketball and of course our timed playground obstacle course competition.  The Wilsons (sans Caleb) and the Cremeans (sans Drew) joined us for part of the week.

Sunday conference

mini golf

 swimming

And our most exciting adventure was the amusement park SILVER DOLLAR CITY!

This is how Maryanne felt about most of the rides (scared)

except this one...

I think these two rode this butterfly ride like 7 times.  These have controls that lets them go way up and then back down.  They always chose the pink butterflies to ride in until once all the butterflies were taken and so they rode a caterpillar.  Lucy didn't ever push the button to go up so they just stayed on the the ground while everyone else was going up and down.  I asked Lucy why she didn't make hers go up and she said "because mom - caterpillars can't fly!"  Oh right.

Cowpeople

Luke loved this ride.  He didn't even have to ride it to love it.  You shoot water FROM the boat AND there are guns on the side aimed AT the boat.  So, he got soaked on and off the ride.  Something about Luke - he can dish it out and he sure can take it too.  He doesn't back down even when he is getting pelted in the face with water.  

My favorite rides I think were the Outlaw Run roller coaster and the Barn Swing.... and I actually quite enjoyed the Happy Frogs :)

 I would guess that Luke's was the Electro Spin.  And I know Joey loved the Wildfire roller coaster, but his favorite ride was the Giant Barn Swing.

log flume

And on this very day - this girl (my niece Malan) turned 10!!   Birthday girl with her cookies and cream funnel cake.

She's a dare devil and rode all the scariest rides and screamed a lot less than I did.

Our "new" garage sale stroller has a nice cargo area in the bottom.

Our last night there Amanda and I went on a date while Joey watched the kids.  We drove into downtown Branson and ate at a local place that definitely had just the kind of hometown country ambiance we were looking for.  We were the only ones without a huge silver bucket of seafood.

That was Branson: the wholesome family entertainment capital of America.   This family was wholesomely entertained.  Thanks Branson. 

halloween 2014

We will we will ROCK you

our first event of this very eventful Halloween was the Lausanne Halloween Carnival at our neighbor Josh's "big school".  Joey, Luke and Lucy were camping with the scouts so the 3 of us went together as 80's rockers.  (frederick has a teeny-tiny mohawk)

Lausanne is a fancy private school and they put on a fabulous carnival!  All the classic booths with some added bonus ones like pony rides, fortune telling, bounce house, live band etc.

#2 - Priddy Farms Pumpkin Patch

my new favorite family - the Schwartz family! (well, 3 of them anyway)

 we found the best pumpkin!

jack-o'-lantern making...

 pssst - casey and edith - do you like our awesome canvas pictures on the wall?  best pixie present!!

 #3 - Halloween Kid's Bookclub....  a serious Mermaid, a Chili Pepper and a Fairy

#4 - Ward Trunk or Treat

grim reaper, mummy, skeleton, mavis (from hotel transylvania) and her dad dracula and a dead bride

give me pouty.... ok... now scary.... good job dead bride.

 I found this hottie at the party.  That's her mom's animal-print jumpsuit.  totes adorbs.

some more of my faves.  The Thomas fam as characters from Wreck-it Ralph: Fix-it Felix, Sgt. Calhoun, Vanellope Von Schweetz and Wreck-it Ralph.  All homemade costumes. (Later Ralph actually got a gold medal for winning the chili cook-off - which made his costume even better!) 

And then Candice (who always does something cool) - as the big bad wolf with her little red riding hood

just being a mummy.... trying to get the little skeleton to go to sleep

#5 - Lucy's Preschool Dress-ups

D is for Disney 

(regular friday alphabet dress-up)

Halloween Dress-up

These snow princesses and shark are ready for Halloween parade through the high school.  (their preschool is at the local high school)   That shark is killing it. :)

 Lucy's Preschool Halloween party

 Lucy decorated her pumpkin... like a ghost.   Skeleton Freddy. Thanks Aunt Kate for sewing on the bowtie.  Keeping Frederick classy.

And finally --- after all that ---- actual Halloween.  

Where I took one solitary picture....(one solitary, spooky, stripey picture).

At Halloween Cove.

It was a fun but cold night.  We only lasted about 45 minutes.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!