Three Days of Birthday!

Cruise had an awesome birthday, despite the anxiety he had because of the changes in schedule. But he loved all the wonderful things he got to do and the awesome gifts he received. Here's how the three day extravaganza went:

Thursday: Thursday was Cruise's actual birthday. Dave & I had stayed up late the night before blowing up balloons and making the modeling chocolate figurines and the fondant for Cruise's cake. We blew up green & white balloons using our air compressor. Good thing too because I think we would've passed out just after a few! Since Cruise wakes up around 5:30-6 (and we don't), we thought a good surprise would be to fill his playroom with balloons of his favorite colors! So that morning he was so excited to find a sea of balloons to play in. All the boys loved it, especially Miles! It was like baby balloon heaven!

After Dave & I woke up, I made pancakes and then we had Cruise open his presents. We got him the complete series of the Magic School Bus t.v. show. I also got him his first chapter book called the 13-Story Treehouse which he is loving! Once he's done with that, I'll get him the 26-Story Treehouse.

Typically on the boys' birthdays, I take them to JCPenney to get their picture taken. Cruise refused this year. He refused to wear what I wanted him to wear (which was what he would normally wear for school). He wanted to wear basketball shorts and a white t-shirt. And he did not want his picture taken. So we had to cancel. Hopefully his school pictures will turn out okay.

So instead of doing that, I got started on making the cake. For the cake part, I made a chocolate pound cake, which I hadn't tried before. I prayed the whole time it would turn out okay. It cooked and looked perfect! It wasn't the exact flavor or consistency I was hoping for, but it was good enough.

Once the cakes came out of the oven, Grandma & Grandpa Ybarra came over to wish Cruise a happy birthday and to give him a very special present: a microscope! Cruise loved it so much he hugged it! Thank you Ybarras for the wonderful gift!

After their visit, Cruise for some reason wanted to go to the mall. We needed to get lunch too, so we decided to visit the South Towne Mall in Sandy. There wasn't anything good in the mall, so we walked next door to Mimi's where we had horrible service and not very good food that we had to wait about 45 minutes to actually eat. So that was a bummer. But afterwards, we went back to the mall and Cruise & Jett rode the carousel.

We went home and Dave had to leave for work and I got started on decorating the cake. I wouldn't say it's the easiest thing to watch 3 boys, decorate a cake, and make dinner all at the same time, but somehow I was able to manage it. I put the finishing touches on the cake at about 9pm and I was finished! I was happy to be done with it before midnight, because I was tired!

The cake itself was, like I mentioned earlier, a chocolate pound cake. I also made a regular vanilla buttercream that I frosted between layers as well as on the top and sides. I made four colors of fondant: light green, green, brown & dark brown. I used gel food color for the greens and cocoa powder (regular and dark) for the browns. I used scissors to fringe the green to make them look like grass, and then I had to measure and hand cut the squares for the checkered pattern. I made the modeling chocolate in red, black, yellow, and white. The fish/shark was all modeling chocolate, the rings I made by taking licorice ropes, connecting them together with toothpicks, and wrapping modeling chocolate around them. I bought some yellow edible glitter and dusted the rings with it. I used blue gel to mix with the buttercream for the water. I bought the flavored sugar crystals at Zurchers to be the Chaos Emeralds from the Sonic game. I placed Sonic on top using a toothpick and frosting. I thought I was done, but Cruise pointed out that Sonic needed a chili dog (Sonic's favorite food), so I grabbed some brown fondant, red modeling chocolate, and made a hotdog to put on top. This was such a fun cake to make!

Friday: Friday was the big birthday party! I got up early, got ready and headed over to the store with the 3 monkeys to pick up the balloons for the party. We got home and I fed the boys some breakfast then we headed out to the Museum of Natural Curiosity at Thanksgiving Point. 

(Cruise obviously wanted a Sonic themed party this year. So all the plates, cups, napkins, etc. were Sonic. I also got each of the kids their own water bottle with Sonic on it. I figured parents don't need more stuff sent home with their kid that they'll just end up throwing away. Anyway, here is the invitation for the party I had made on Etsy:)

We met Cruise's friends at the museum and they got to play for about an hour and half. His friends Nico, Leif, and Jack from school were able to make it, as well as his friends from the neighborhood, Aiden & his little brother Connor. Quite a few siblings and all the parents attended as well.  I left the museum early to pick up the pizzas, grab the cake, balloons, and party stuff, and booked it back to the museum. Dave met me curbside and helped me unload and set up at the outdoor tables. We ate lunch, had cake, and Cruise opened his friends' presents.

By then I was completely drained and needed a nap!

We went home and that's exactly what I did: I passed out. I was so tired!

Saturday: Friday night my folks flew in from California. So Saturday after Cruise's ABA therapy session, we met my parents and my sister Abby & her husband Casey at Tucanos in Provo. We ate as much meat as we could stomach, and then Cruise & Jett inhaled a giant piece of chocolate cake. I mean, the thing was gone in about 5 minutes! It was incredible! Cruise opened some presents from my family. He got some money from Grandma & Papa Greer, money from Grams, some legos and a water game from Aunt Abby & Uncle Casey, and an awesome knitted snake from Aunt Ruth that Cruise named Agent, after his real snake. Thank you for the wonderful gifts family!

Cruise with his snake.

After eating, I put the boys' swimming suits on and they got to play in the splash pads outside. Once they were bored of that, my parents took them to Provo Beach Resort where they got to play in the arcade and ride the carousel. They had a blast! We finished off the afternoon at my parents' house where they got to play with Grandpa for awhile.

And that was Cruise's birthday! Whew!

Today You Are Seven

Dear Cruise,

Another year has passed and you have grown that much more amazing. You learned to read, you graduated from 1st grade, you learned about your autism and how it makes you a super hero, and you learned how to be nice to everyone, even the bullies. You are thoughtful and kind, you are curious and passionate, you are silly and happy, you are smart and inspired. I am so proud of you and all you have accomplished thus far in your life.

I look at all the extra work you have to do compared to your peers and am amazed by how hard you work. Other kids come home from school and have a snack and go out to play, but when you come home, you have your snack and not just go out to play, but have to face the difficulty of interacting appropriately, reading faces, and practicing conversational skills. Other kids go to church and go through the motions, but you go even though it's hard to wear itchy clothes, you sit even though your body needs to move (and spin, and jump, and hang upside down), you try to listen even though you can hear every little sound in the building, and you try your best to learn, even though most of what is being taught is so abstract and symbolic. But you know what? You're not other kids, you are unique and one of a kind. You are Cruise, the most incredible kid I've ever known.

You march to the beat of your own drum and you aren't afraid of being yourself. I love your self-confidence and how you beam with excitement when someone wants to see your "lab" or help you with experiments. I love the bright light that you are to so many, especially me. You teach me and forgive me every day. You make me laugh each day with the funny things you say and do. You think I'm beautiful, and that is enough for me to know that I am because you never lie. You see the good in everyone and hate to see the bad. You are best friends with your brother Jett and so sweet to Baby Miles. You are imaginative and creative. You are the amazing Dr. Cruise, greatest scientist of the world!

Cruise, this next year will be awesome. You will have new experiences, make new friends, learn new things, and grow even more! You'll probably lose more teeth and will have to make the decision as to whether or not you want to get baptized. Some things this year may be not so awesome as well; you'll face new difficulties and meet new challenges. But that's okay, because those things make you better, even though they aren't so much fun sometimes.

Cruise, I am so proud to tell people that you are my son. I am so proud to be your mom and I am so grateful you were my first little boy. And as much as I love you, I want you to know that your Heavenly Father loves you even more! And that's a lot of love! He knows you better than anyone and I'm sure is just as proud of you as I am. I love you Cruise, no matter what, I always will. Have a wonderful birthday Sweetie, and have an incredible year! You're the coolest kid ever! Don't ever change.

Love,
Mom

Scrunch Face & A Sophisticated Palate

This baby.

He's the best baby.

His new thing is the scrunch face. He will scrunch up his face and make a sniffing sound out of his nose. It's the greatest thing ever.

He also won't eat baby food.

He must eat something with A LOT of flavor. Stuff like spinach ravioli. Yeah, and a side of blueberries. And you see that cookie in the corner there? Nope, he won't eat that. It's too bland. The kid gets one tooth and thinks he can eat whatever we're having! Oh...and he does. It's incredible.

And that's my funny baby post for today. 

Chem Camp aka "Lab School"

Cruise's obsession with chemistry and science has been wonderfully irritating lately. I say that because I love that he is so excited about science and wants to do it all the time. But I also say it because he wants to do it ALL. THE. TIME.  at the expense of my sleep, my kitchen (despite the fact that I set up a lab for him on the back porch), and my sanity. He literally wakes me up at 6am asking me to do science with him in his lab. When I get downstairs there is food coloring, water, lemon juice, and all sorts of utensils all over my floor and table. And even when I do science with him, he will talk about it non-stop throughout the rest of the day. He will literally follow me around the house talking about science. All I can think is that his passion for science is so great, that it is literally seeping from every pore.

We were lucky to find a Chemistry camp nearby in American Fork put on by Mad Science, so my parents decided to make it Cruise's birthday present and pay for him to go! The first day he almost peed his pants he was so excited! He packed a snack and his lab coat. He was the only kid with a lab coat. For the most part, he was in heaven! Lots of hands on stuff and an instructor who was just as excited about science as Cruise. There were also things that were hard for him, like group work, not always being called on, and the fact that the camp was 3 hours long every day. I think they could've left it to 2 personally, but he did really well. I was super grateful that Cruise's ABA tutors were able to get their hours in with him at the camp. It was so nice to be able to drop him off and know that one of his tutors would be there to help him out. Friday I went with him since he normally doesn't have ABA on those days. He did tell me later that he doesn't want to go to lab school anymore, but that he wants to just work in his lab. I totally understand that. It's more fun to just experiment than it is to listen to someone talk and tell you what to do. But overall, the camp was a hit and Cruise ended up with a lot more tools and containers for his lab.

Thank you Grandma & Papa Greer! Cruise has made it clear that he is now a "Genius scientist" and the "Smartest scientist in all of Utah!"

Jett's Woodworking Skills

Jett has recently shown some interest in building stuff with wood and nails. So the other day while we were at Lowes, we passed by a display that featured stuff for kids: mini hammers, goggles, screwdrivers, and pre-cut wood with instructions on how to build certain things. Jett decided on a monster truck. He also HAD to have a hammer and goggles like Dad. When we got home, they got right to work on it. Jett thought it was the greatest thing ever! And he especially liked having help from his dad.

Summer Travel Series: Mexico

This week the boys wanted to go to Mexico. Jett took a turn being the pilot and Cruise kept his job as flight attendant. We got to Mexico and got our "stamp" and then we talked about Mariachi bands and listened to some music. I had the kids listen for different instruments and quizzed them. Then we talked about the pinata and did our very own. The boys cheated and kept looking over and under their blindfolds, so I just removed them all together. I think they had fun beating the donkey to pieces. It's hard to do these "trips" and leave out so much information about history and culture, but with short attention spans, you can only highlight so much.