Tayson's 7th Birthday

Can our little Tayson really be 7? I can't believe it. On May 19th, Tayson turned 7.

Tayson said he wanted a Lego party, so we tried to play some games that included legos.

We were pretty sure it would be raining considering it had rained for the last 2 weeks, but miraculously it was a beautiful day. Too bad we hadn't planned anything for outside. The sticker weeds outside were a little too rough for a balloon game The kids still had a great time though.

The following pictures are not in order because it's just too much of a pain to try and arrange but you'll get the idea.

This is my attempt at a lego cake. I'm obviously not a professional but I had fun doing it anyway.

Tayson loves Legos (I think everyone already knows). He wanted the Lego Atlantis set this year.

In our family, we play "Heavy, heavy hang over thy poor head. What do you wish this person with a bump on the head". Basically the person giving the gift recites the statement above and then bumps the birthday kid on the head with the gift. Then the birthday kid wishes the giver something like, "I wish you a cruise" or "I wish you could be a professional baseball player". The point is for the birthday person to really think about the giver for a moment and wish them something they would want. In this moment, Tayson wished Jay (and me) and new baby. How sweet. Don't worry, Jay really didn't hit him that hard but I got him pretty good earlier.

While we were waiting for kids to arrive the ones already here created their own balloon game. They had a blast being crazy.

Here's a "little" about Tayson.

Tayson has a Jekyl 'n Hyde type personality. We never know who we're going to get. Either the sweetest, caring, responsible, thoughtful, son and big brother or "something else entirely". He definitely keeps us on our toes.

Tayson is very smart and does well in school. Tayson loves Legos. I know I've said this a lot but it's true. He researches about them online, he gets books on the history of them from the library, he keeps up-to-date with the latest releases and they are pretty much the only toy Tayson ever asks for at least in the last 3 years.

Tayson recently has changed his future job to a marine biologist from the former rare archeologist (although he says he can do that on the side). Tayson's new change has come because he is really excited about sharks and a lot of other sea creatures. He reads many books about sharks and loves to share what he has learned.

Tayson enjoys playing basketball. I didn't realize he could even play until we were at the park and he made 4 or 5 baskets.

Tayson enjoys reading and recently he and I have been reading the Fabelhaven books together. It's so exciting to see him enjoy reading and using his imagination.

Tayson is a very inquisitive child and so I am amazed by his questions about the gospel. We have started to talk to him about his baptism. I think it's great that he shares what he knows with his friends and let's them know he loves to go to church and that he's getting baptized when he turns 8.

We love Tayson and are blessed to have him in our lives.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Was your Mom mean?

Was your Mom mean?

I know mine was. We had the meanest mother in the whole world! While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast. When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches. And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids had, too.

Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison. She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with them. She insisted that if we said, we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.

We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labour Laws by making us work. We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.

She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes in the back of her head. Then, life was really tough!

Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them.

Because of our mother, we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced. None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's property or ever arrested for any crime. It was all her fault.

Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom was.

I think that is what's wrong with the world today. It just doesn't have enough mean moms!

It was so fun to hear this poem in Relief Society today. Now when my kids tell me I'm mean, I will say, "Thank you! And thanks to all the little people who made it possible."