Alex's Baptism

Alex was so excited to be baptized. We thought he would be baptized on his birthday, but the bishop of the ward here in Sevilla, Obispo Lopez, asked if we would be willing to have the baptism on Easter Sunday so more of the members could be there. The baptism was right after sacrament. It was such a special day to be baptized. To be able to celebrate Christ's resurrection and to commit to following his plan of salvation on the same day held special meaning. And to be able to do all of this in Spain was amazing. Alex looked very handsome in his suit. I snapped a few pictures of him in the streets of Sevilla on our way to church...

The program started following sacrament. Probably half of the ward and the missionaries stayed to support Alex. Cassy gave the opening prayer, I gave a talk on baptism (with a translator by my side), Meyka the primary president spoke and bore her testimony, then the primary children sang a song (including Connor and Addy). Matt then baptized Alex. Alex swam himself across the font before he climbed the stairs to get out. Alex was then given the gift of the Holy Ghost and confirmed a member of the Church. The Bishop and one of his counsellors said few words and then Connor offered the closing prayer. There was a lot of love and support shown to Alex and to our family.

Once the baptism was over we went to the Koh's home for Easter dinner which was home cooked Chinese food. So yummy and so different from the typical Spanish meal. Addy was especially excited and ate her rice and meal with her chopsticks for hours, they jokingly said she could just take the bowl home and she thought that sounded like a great idea. They surprised Alex with a huge chocolate cake and German vanilla ice cream. They even had a candle that sang Happy Birthday. So generous of this wonderful family!

I wasn't kidding about Addy and her eating...I just noticed she is still eating even in this picture!

Alex's 8th Birthday

Alex had a great birthday celebration. His main requests for his birthday were crepes with nutella and bananas served in bed, dinner at Burger King, and ice cream. He also wanted to make a pinata. I found balloons, but we never could find any paper. They don't sell that kind of thing at the grocery store. We searched all over and found a papeleria (paper store), but it was never open. So instead Alex woke up to a bed full of balloons. Matt is the expert at crepe making and made Alex all the yummy crepes he wanted. Then Alex had free computer time for the day (or at least the morning, or we never would have gone out). He and Connor played Mad God on laptops side by side in their PJ's. He opened his birthday presents from Mom and Dad (he had already opened all the other presents that Matt brought from home the second Matt walked in the door from his flight). More legoes and a cute hat that he likes to make Cassy crazy with because he wears it cocked off to the side. Then the adventure began when we headed off to eat at Burger King. BK is in the main square of town (and the Semana Santa celebrations). There were HOARDES of people. Cassy and Matt were sure we could make our way through the crowds, through a procession and over to BK. Try as we might it wasn't going to happen so we snaked our way back out of the crowd and watched the procession go by hoping when it was over the crowd would break up. There was a beautiful float that went by and it had a statue of Jesus laying in the tomb (enclosed in a glass case). The crowd was hushed and everyone was quiet. Alex looked at me with big eyes and wanted to know if that was really Jesus they were carrying...

The crowd never broke up so we headed to another Burger King that I had seen by the bridge to Triana. So many people walking around it was crazy. But we made it and Alex was so happy to have his cheeseburger with just ketchup, patatas fritas, and orange Fanta. Matt felt like it was one of the best meals he had eaten since his arrival. Afterward we went in search of ice cream. Alex picked the spot and we went out on the street to sing happy birthday and blow out his birthday candle.

8 things I love about Alex....

1* Alex is always very generous and willing to share. He has even bought our whole family dinner at Little Caesar's with his own hard earned money.

2* He has lost two teeth while we have been living in Spain and likes to show off his Jack O'Lantern smile.

3* Alex likes to read. Some of his favorite books are: Harry Potter, Horrible Harry and Junie B Jones.

4* He still likes to snuggle.

5* He can't wait to be baptized.

6* Alex is so creative. He likes to make lots of different lego creations with Connor. They usually build up the project according to the instructions and then they tear it down to make their own thing(s).

7* He has some serious dance moves, especially if he thinks nobody is watching.

8* Alex would live in his PJ's if he could.

European Moment

The other day we went to a large Plaza called the Alameda to have lunch. It works well for us because there is pizza by the slice for those who like pizza and there are Chicken and Falafel wraps at the local Middle Eastern place for the rest of us. We got our food and sat on some benches to eat. The kids finished up and ran off to play soccer in the plaza. They used the Hercules statues as goal posts. I sat there in the warm sun watching the kids play and the dogs run around (a leash is rarely used here) and the people stroll by in their fashionable clothes. Then some music started up over at a local restaurant where people were eating outside. It was accordian music and another accordian like instrument that you blow into and play a keyboard on. They played some beautiful music that sounded French, I know I have heard it before, but don't know the name. It was one of those moments when the stars are aligned and you hope you never forget. It brought a smile to my face and made me fall more in love with Sevilla. I wonder what those stylish Europeans were thinking as they looked on at my fancy brood playing soccer....Alex in his crazy camo swimsuit and rash guard and Addy in an outfit of her own creation including the sash from Cassy's bathrobe, her shin guards (for fashion, not because we were playing soccer) and her Polly Pocket stashed in her sash. They definitely have their own fashion flair.

Tooth Fairy

Alex lost his first tooth in Spain a couple of days ago. Unfortunately, the tooth fairy is just as flaky here as at home. In Spain, it is actually a ratoncito who comes to bring the children money for their teeth. A ratoncito is a little mouse. We were in luck because he showed up the second night despite the fact that Connor had lost Alex's tooth. And due to being a little late, the ratoncito left two Euros (one for each night), which made Alex happy. Alex also found a dollar in his wallet and was sure the Tooth Fairy had stopped by and delivered it. Maybe she is real....

Futbol, Volleyball, and Flamenco

The kids are signed up for some extracurricular activities at a school that is just down the block from us. As you walk down the streets here you see lots of big wooden doors and wonder what lies behind them. Every now and then you get a glimpse. It can be any number of things; an apartment building, a church, a museum, a music academy, a school, a department store. You have no idea based on the look outside. This school looks just like any other door, but opens up into a huge stone courtyard with two levels (outdoor) surrounded by all the classrooms. Many of the private and semi private schools around here are convents or monastaries that have been converted to schools. As a matter of fact, the school we thought might have an opening for Cassy was called "Las Eslavas" as in "The Slaves". Our Spanish friend, Ivan, assured me that it is actually a very forward thinking school and not to worry, it was just called Las Eslavas because it used to be a convent called Slaves of the Lord.

Anyway, our first day of activities was yesterday. Luckily, all the kids have activities at the same school, on the same days, and between 4-6pm...I wish that could happen at home! We went yesterday and everyone was a little apprehensive. Cassy is signed up for volleyball (which is not her first love). Apparently girls do not play soccer in Spain, so for her age group there is not a girls soccer league. She was so nervous and when the girls showed up all together with their matching outfits to practice I could see her panic, but she was very brave and joined right in. The coach was really nice, although he did not speak English and the girls were very accepting and wanted to know all about Cassidy, especially if she was a Justin Beiber fan...to which she was very P.C. and just smiled and said, "Do you?"

Alex was really nervous because he does not speak much Spanish at all, but he started playing and pretty soon there was a group of boys gathered around him all saying "Alex! Alex!" and trying to speak to him in English (the two or three words that they know). They were so cute and kept saying, "Good job Alex!"

At home, I have resisted putting Addy in the shake your booty dance classes. We have kept with the 'pretend you are a raindrop and hop across the floor' type of dancing. Well, call it Flamenco and a Spanish cultural experience, and bring on the booty dancing. I have never seen anything like it, it was so cute. Next time I will be ready with video and camera in hand. I really don't know much about Flamenco and haven't seen any performances yet, so I didn't know what we were getting into. Addy loved it and she was the best booty shaker out there in her pink tutu skirt with her brown boots.

Connor is also signed up for futbol, but his coach couldn't be there, so they just played a scrimmage with their team. He played goalie and decided that he is good at goalie. Cassy asked if she could play and the boys were very impressed that a girl had such soccer moves. They kept giving her a thumbs up, "You good!" Connor was happy to have his sister playing too. They play on a stone courtyard, rather than a grass field and the kids do not wear shin guards. The boys had them on and the nuns kept walking by and pointing and giggling and exclaiming something exciting about the shin guards.

Everyone had a good experience and they are excited to make some new friends. Hopefully they will become a little more familiar with the language this way too. And best of all....mom gets a break!

Overheard

Connor and Alex got new hoodies the other day (Alex forgot his and we need a jacket here). As we walked away Alex said to Connor, "The girls are going to think we are hot in these!" WHAT??!!!

I noticed that Connor's two week old tennis shoes were showing some wear and tear, so I asked Connor how he is so hard on his shoes. He responded, "It's because I'm an adventurer, Mom."

Back to School

Having everyone go back to school this year has been bittersweet for me. I am excited to hear the sound of silence on occasion and to have the house stay clean for more than five minutes. I am really excited to have some of the bickering stop (at least until 4pm). But this year it will be extra quiet because Addy is starting Kindergarten! She has been so excited to go to school this week. I am so excited for her. I think she is so ready to be at school learning and interacting with school friends. I will miss my little buddy though. It is easy having one child home with me, especially because Addy is so eager to do the things that I am doing throughout the day. She loves to cook and garden and read together, and she also likes to do things on her own like coloring and crafts, playing with her hodge podge mixture of Littlest Pet Shops, dolls, princesses, legos, and whatever else is on hand. As a side note....the other day she handed me a pink play dough ball with lots of glittery beads and some little tube beads stuck in it. I asked her if it was a porcupine and she said it was actually a bomb and when it goes off all of the pokey things will fly all over and get you (obviously she has been spending a lot of time with her brothers). So anyway, it has always been fun to have her around, and she is such a momma's girl that she doesn't ever get too far away. We have been working to get her to at least go to bed in her own bed with Cassidy this summer, with the contingency that if she has a nightmare that she will hop in bed with us. So about 95% of the time she would sneak down to snuggle with us in the middle of the night. Now that school has started, she is so tired that she has even been sleeping in her own bed most nights and we have to wake her up to go to school. There are so many joys of having school age children. It is nice to have some time to myself so that I can get some things done and maybe be able to do some of the extras that I have been wanting to do , but just haven't had the time for. It is easier to go places when everyone can just go hop in the car (for the most part). And it is much easier to go out to dinner! I think it is just kind of hard to say goodbye to babyhood and to realize that we are past that phase in our lives. Especially hard because I just LOVE babies! I like the quote, "Some days can seem like forever, but the years go by in a flash" or something like that. It is so true. Some days with little kids, when you can't even use the restroom without little fingers poking under the door and someone begging to come in, just seem to go on forever and you feel like you are in survival mode. But looking back, it seems it went by in a flash. It is kind of hard and scary to have your kids out in the world and see how influenced they are by their environment. Cassidy's attitude always shifts a little when she is in school and she gets more intense (which is not fun for any of us:) The boys always moan and complain as we try to get back into the school routine of homework, chores and piano. And most of all I do miss having them all around and running for to our next adventure!

Here's a recap of the first week:

Cassy was given an extra two weeks to complete an assignment that was due the first week (that she was cramming to get done) and i think she will still be cramming to get it done by Wednesday. She is in Publications this year and loves it. She is excited to take Spanish, but doesn't love her teacher. She has one teacher that reminds her of the annoying lady who takes Dumbledore's position at Hogwarts in Harry Potter. And she has soccer everyday after school and just found out she made the varsity team, which she is very excited about! She is also working on a very hard piano piece called "Be Still My Soul" that she is going to play with Gabby and Isabella on the violin. Of course her friends play a major role in her life..

Connor has Mrs. Costley for fifth grade and loves being in her class. It doesn't hurt that his best friend, Ford, is in the class with him. They sent home a questionnaire that he had filled out and almost every answer was "Ford". "What was the best advice you have ever been given?" answer "Ford". He must have thought it said "Who gave you the best advice?" When I asked him about it, he got a big smile on his face and said,"I should have put your name down, but I wanted her to know that Ford is my best friend so that she will let us sit by each other." We will see how that works out. Connor wakes up early to read his Star Wars Boba Fat (is that how you even spell it?) or to play Lego's with Alex. He hates piano, but after grumbling he sticks with it and has even found two songs he likes to play..."Ode to Joy" and "When the Saints Come Marching In."

Alex told Grandpa Cola on the phone the other day that he doesn't like school. He has Mrs. Stettler this year and has already been working on memorizing his poems. He does like to drag his feet when it comes to homework, making a 10 minute assignment go on for 2 hours. We are working on different strategies to overcome this. Alex loves hanging out with friends. Sam and Danik are two of his friends he really likes to be with, but most of all he likes to hang out with Connor. They are both Lego masters and Alex just got his Lego magazine this morning and put it in his bag to take to school. He is doing so well with his reading and is attempting to read the first Harry Potter book (with a few picture books thrown in for fun). He is a sweetheart and very protective of his little sister....when he isn't terrorizing her.

Addy is loving Kindergarten, although I think it wears her out a little bit. She has started back to Virginia Tanner dance and loves it. She gets to go with her friend Matisse this year. We had to fill out lots of paperwork before starting school. One of the questions asked what name you would prefer to go by. I asked her if she wanted to be called Addyson, Addy, or Addy Jane. She replied, "How bout I be called Diamond?" We asked her if she had any friends at school. She said she has three. Elise and two others that she doesn't remember their names. This morning when she was getting dressed she did let me know that one of her boy friends had told her she looked pretty in her dress yesterday. She is a very girly girl and loves wearing dresses. She can't stand short sleeves, so she usually wears tank dresses or long sleeves. She is a girl who knows what she wants.

Parenting Dilemmas...

The morning started out with Alex acting absolutely crazy about anything and everything. It seems that is has been a crescendo in behavior over the last week. We were trying to get everything together so the kids could go over to mom's and then go with her to Cherry Hill with Treyden, Trevan, and Kiara. Matt and I were taking Addy to a urology appointment at PCMC at noon. They were going to be doing the nuclear testing to see if she still has ureteral reflux in her left kidney. Of course I also had tennis lessons at 7 and Cassy had to go to registration at Mount Ogden before we went. Anyway, Alex was having a million tantrums about everything and anything. I finally gave the ultimatum....get in control or you are not going to Grandma's. Another tantrum.... YUCK! I hate following through and trying to shape my kids into better people! It is so hard sometimes! So we hopped in the car and then we had to take Kennedy to Mike's house and then drop the kids off at my mom's. Cassy called to see if friends could go to Cherry Hill or if they could babysit Alex. Sammy could babysit. Dropped kids off at Mom's, Alex furious and trying to hit my head, Addy is sad too because she would rather go to Grandma's than the doctor. We pick up Sammy, head home, drop them off, then head for Salt Lake. Speeding, now with all the drama we are going to be late. Ten minutes late, no problem, Matt still not there, but he is close. Addy sits at the desk in the waiting room and colors pictures. Makes me think of her going to kindergarten, she is getting so big! Matt gets there and they call us back. Addy was SUCH a trooper (a little less dramatic than her older sister when she had the test). Unfortunately, she still has the reflux. We will test again in 3 years, hopefully she will outgrow it by then. Head to McDonald's (for being such a trooper) and then meet up with everyone at Cherry Hill. I dropped Addy off and took Cassy home with me to get Alex (I am hoping he has learned his lesson and that by missing out on Grandma's and most of Cherry Hill, & by paying the babysitter $20 of his own hard earned money he will still grasp the lesson even if I take him to Cherry Hill for an hour.) On the way home someone runs into the back of my car... Call the police and wait, then head back home, grab Alex and head back to Cherry Hill. What an exhausting day! The day was redeemed when I won my first singles tennis match that night.

The next morning Alex and Addy both started throwing up, so that was probably what was behind the bad behavior. Who knows?

Addy is trying to get me to go help Connor (who is having some Lego dilemma) and she just said to me, "Do you want him to be tough like a missionary or a total scrag?" Hmmm, decisions, decisions.

Tag....with Grace

"Mom, mom, mom....I've got to tell you something," said Alex as I was reading to the kids just before bed.

"You know Grace? (big smile)"

"Guess what?"

"She played tag today..."

"With ME (bigger smile and THAT look)"

Jazz with the boys...

When the kids play basketball with the Junior Jazz program, they receive two free Jazz tickets (nosebleed section, of course). I had two tickets in my purse so that I could take Connor to his game, but in the meantime I had taken Cassy out to breakfast at Mcdonald's and there was a BOGO coupon for a McMuffin on the back of the Jazz ticket. I totally forgot that the ticket was for an upcoming game rather than one that I had already been to and I used it up. I realized this mistake the night before the game and had planned on just buying another nosebleed ticket (really, how much could they be?). We called Glen Draper (the Jazz expert) to get the scoop on where to get a ticket and such and he said that all the cheap seats were sold out. AAAHHHH! He said the cheapest ticket was $40. So...it was 5:05 the day of the game and it started at 7. I got a hold of Ogden city rec and they had some spare tickets. It turns out that I got enough for our whole family! Matt wasn't up for it, so I ended up taking Connor, Ford, and Alex.

We had a great time! Alex was doing some serious jamming to the music... I am sure if we would have had tickets close enough for the cameras to see us we would have been on the Jumbotron. After a jam session finished and Alex sat down, the Jazz resumed their game, and Alex leaned over to me... "Mom, will you sign me up to play with them next year?"

I love that he thinks I have the ability to do anything for him....and if I could, you know I would!

p.s. The Jazz lost, but it was a close game. It was sold out because Boozer ( a former Jazz player) was playing for the Bulls and it was his first time back on the opposing team. It also turned out to be coach Jerry Sloan's last game....he announced his retirement the next day.

More pictures of the fun at Discovery Gateway!

Alex's 5th Birthday Celebration

Alex was so excited for his birthday party to finally be here.  He wanted to go to Discovery Gateway to celebrate, so we took the Howard Six and told him he could invite one friend.  He chose to invite Gavin Smith.  We had a great time!  The kids especially liked playing with the balls that get sucked into the vacuum system and with the helicopter on the roof.

Everyone in action on the helicopter!

Alex and his friend Gavin.

Posing in front of the Discovery Gateway sign.

Our blondie boy blowing out candles.

Baseball cupcakes.  Alex loves any kind of sport right now.  He was so excited to get a baseball mitt and tee for his birthday.  He set it out on display and wanted to show everyone his "collection."

After Discovery Gateway we went to California Pizza Kitchen and had pizza and sundaes.

10 Things We Love About Alex

1- His soft, velvety ears

2- His mischievious smile when he is trying to be sneaky (which is quite often)

3- He loves to have you guess "Which hand" and trade the item in his hand to the other hand.

4-He sings his ABC's like this "ABCDSRG" and refuses to sing it any other way.

5- He loves to snuggle, but hates to have kisses.  He even has told us he never wants to get married because he hates to kiss.

6- When he gets put in time out he likes to strip down to his underwear to let you know he is still in charge.

7- Alex likes to tackle, shoot (with his pretend gun) or hug his soccer teammates and the opposing team

8-Riding bikes is one of his favorite things to do, but he forgets to use his breaks

9-He adores his big brother, Connor, and loves to play Legos (Yegos) with him

10-Alex is very good at drawing clones and pirates and treasure maps

Happy Birthday to You...

Today was Alex's much anticipated 5th birthday.  He was so excited!  The day started off with Cassy and Connor making Alex breakfast in bed with Mom (Addy also insisted on joining in on the breakfast).  They also made Alex some special gifts that they gave him with his breakfast.  Then we looked through his scrapbook that includes pictures of the day he was born.  He opened the presents from Mom and Dad and later went shopping with Grammy ("with the yellow hair") and Gramps.  While they were at "Toys for Us" they gave him a crown and a balloon since he was there on his birthday.  I think he was more excited about the crown and balloon than anything else.  He wanted Grandma to take them home with her so that his brother and sisters wouldn't touch them.  Later that day he went to Grandma Maddy's to dye eggs, followed up by soccer practice.  A very busy and fun day for my big five year old.  Tomorrow comes the party!

Simon Says

Today we stayed inside and had a PJ day, one of many since the snow and cold has returned.  Alex would love everyday to be a PJ day, but he would officially declare it Underwear Day! Usually we get dressed and go run errands or whatever and then  the second we get home Alex is stripped back down to his skivvies and playing Legos.  Friends are not immune, Alex doesn't care who is here, male or female, he strips down no matter what.  Cassy is, of course, completely mortified.  Anyway, back to our PJ Day.  We stayed in and watched Happily Never After II, which all my kids love, and we played games.  One of Alex's favorite games is Go Fish!  He likes to play every chance he gets.  He especially likes to win.  He has renamed the Queens as Principals.  Do you have any Principals?  And if you ask for Queens he lets you know you have not gotten the name right.  After Go Fish, we moved on to Simon Says.  I have never played Simon Says with a four year old.  Too funny!  First he told Addy and I to touch the chandelier, which you can't reach without a ladder.  So he told us to just lean over the banister really far so we could touch it.  The most original command came next, "Simon Says touch your boogers!"  Game over.