Miles' Birthday

On Miles' birthday, he woke up to the floor of his room full of balloons. He came downstairs and immediately spotted his present that I had not yet wrapped because it was charging: his very own tablet! So he didn't get to open it, but I don't think he really cared. He said, "This is my tablet? No more fighting for tablets?" Exactly kid, exactly. It was the only thing he asked for for his birthday. And we were definitely tired of the boys fighting over two tablets. First world problems. Anyway, he was really excited about it, so he watched cartoons on it while he ate breakfast. 

The mail came while he was eating and we found a card from Grandma & Papa Greer and another from Grams (Great-Grandma)! They each gave him a gift card to Target so he could pick out his very own present. So a few days later, Dave & I took him to Target and he picked out a Lego Ninjago set (mostly for the mini figures). And Miles made Daddy put it together.

Anyway, after breakfast, Miles wanted to snuggle and play a little on his tablet. We're always up for snuggles! Then he wanted to read the new Piggie books I had just bought through Scholastic. They're his new favorite!

 After we got ready for the day, we had lunch at the Thanksgiving Point Deli and then Miles got an ice cream cone. We then drove to the Megaplex and got tickets for the 3:30 showing of the Lego Ninjago movie. After running some errands, we checked the boys out of school a little early so we could make it to the movie on time, and of course they were super excited! The movie was pretty good but I don't think it was as funny as the Lego Batman movie. The boys really liked it though. After the movie, we ate dinner at Zupas and then went home.
 

We decided to only do a big family party for Miles since he doesn't have a lot of definite friends, which was totally cool with me. We settled on a Lego Batman theme since Miles just loves Legos and definitely loves Lego Batman. 

I ordered a Lego Minifigure cake pan and Legos mold/ice cube tray from the Lego website, with the goal of making a large Lego Batman surrounded by chocolate Legos. I just have to say, Lego is awesome and I'm so glad they make such cool products, especially baking stuff. I made all the chocolates on Thursday (21st) and threw those in the fridge. I chose to do red, purple, yellow, and green. They were super easy and came out looking like actual Legos!  I made all the fondant on Friday. I made a ton of black, which required an entire large container of black gel food coloring. The fondant looked purple and so I had to keep adding and adding to get it looking black. Then I made a bunch of yellow, a little white, and peach color for the face. Once those were finished, I put them in the fridge to use the next day. Finally, on Saturday, I baked, assembled, and finished the cake! I used my recipe for a dense cake box cake which uses sour cream and pudding mix. It always works out and tastes great. Unfortunately, the Minifigure cake and the small round fell in the middles. It was probably because I opened the oven when I thought they were done, but they were still doughy in the center. But it worked out. The two squares turned out perfect, which was awesome. The Minifigure did not bake evenly and was overcooked along the face and of course around the hands and feet, but it didn't really matter since it would all be covered in frosting and fondant. Still tasted great. 

While those cooled completely, I whipped up some buttercream that I chose to color yellow. I added in some almond extract and it really made a difference with the taste, especially with the white cake. I laid out the squares next to each other, made sure they were the same height, and then frosted those. 

I then drew and cut out the cape out of paper towel, rolled out some black fondant, laid the paper down on top, and used an Exacto knife to cut the cape out. I then laid that onto the cake. Next up was transferring the Lego Minifigure onto the cape and rectangle cake. I did decapitate him, but it wasn't anything some frosting couldn't fix. I covered the Minifigure in buttercream, rolled out more black fondant, and placed it onto the Minifigure one section at the time starting with each arm, the legs, and the chest. I was really glad I had bought a new Exacto knife because it really made the process so much easier. I had never used one before, I always opted to just use a knife, but this project really needed a tiny, super sharp knife. 

The body was finished and then I sat and stared at the head for a few minutes. I had to figure out how the heck I was going to make a Batman head. I had baked the small round cake for this purpose, but I still didn't really know how I was going to do it. I started cutting it up and finally figured out the ears and the connecting lines to the head. 

Once that was done, I rolled out the white and peach fondant, cut out some long pieces, and placed them on the face. Then I rolled out more black and placed it on the entire head. As I did this, I realized I had forgotten to give poor Batman a nose. So I shaped some fondant and placed it under the black sheet of fondant, then finished fitting it onto the head. I used my Exacto knife to cut out his mouth and eyes. Then I made him some eyebrows out of black fondant and shaped those onto the face. 

Finally, I rolled out the yellow and had to shape the oval by hand, then used a ruler to get the right thickness of Batman's belt. I whipped up some royal frosting, which is the kind of frosting you use to put gingerbread houses together. It hardens really well and is piped easily. I opted to use this instead of food markers because I just didn't want to spend more money than I already had, but it was at this point I was really wishing I had bought one because piping is super hard, especially when you haven't eaten all day and your hands are shaking. So, needless to say, I was not happy with how the black piping turned out. The bat symbol, which I had to do completely by hand, wasn't big enough, the belt wasn't centered and the lines weren't even, the mouth was meh. It was at this point I realized how much pain I was in from bending from the waist for hours without a break. My back hurt so bad! But I still had to place the Legos and write Miles along the bottom. So I quickly finished those last details, and then laid down. I spent the rest of the evening laying on a heating pad and could barely move without being in a ton of pain. Luckily it was gone by the next morning. That cake killed me.  

Miles was really excited about the cake.

On Sunday afternoon, we cleaned up the house, put up the decorations, and got everything ready for the party. I made party favor bags that each had a little bag of Lego candies, chocolate coins, Lego Batman stickers, a punch balloon, and a Lego Batman or Batgirl mask (that I made out of foam sheets and elastic".  

I put a table up in the front room for the kids to color Lego guys. I made little crayon holders out of Legos, and Jett made some letters that spelled out Legos to put in the middle of the table. 

I had little bowls of Lego candies on the tables and had themed paper products for the cake. I made Miles' name out of Legos for the middle of the table (thank you YouTube). I also bought a really cool Lego Batman banner that looked awesome, and Dave helped put up all the decorations. 

I had planned a couple games, but the kids seemed to be completely content playing with the toys in the playroom, so I decided not to worry about it. Everyone seemed to be having fun. Grandma & Grandpa Ybarra, Dan and Little Liza, Mary and her kids Aaliyah, Eli & Olivia all came to the party. Sadly, Abby & Liev were both sick, so the Wilsons couldn't come. Miles was sad when he heard they couldn't make it. 

 After singing Happy Birthday and Miles blowing out his candle, he looked at me, asked, "Can I eat Batman now?" I said yes and he leaned into the cake and took a bite out of Batman's foot! Ha ha ha ha ha! I was not expecting that and it was the only bite of cake he took the entire evening (he isn't a big cake fan but still wanted a cake at his party).

We ate cake and had Miles' favorite ice cream: mint chocolate chip. Miles ate a lot of ice cream. 

Then we had presents. Grandma & Grandpa got Miles the Lego Batman movie (which he's watched at least 50 times since then), The Elliotts got him a sticky slingshot toy, and Dan, Sofia and Liza got him an Amazon gift card. 

 The rest of the evening, the kids all played with the toys in the playroom and everyone had fun chatting.

It was a successful party and I was really grateful so many family members could make it!

Today You Are Four

Dear Miles,

Well, it's official, you're no longer a toddler. You're a big boy! You being my baby, I've gotta say I really didn't want you turning 4. I wanted you to stay little forever. But every day when I pick you up, you get heavier. Every day when I get you dressed, your clothes get a little smaller, a little shorter. Every day when we play and talk, you get a little bit smarter (too smart for your own good one might say). It's all very bitter-sweet, but I love watching you grow and learn. 

I really do love you, kiddo. I love that you refer to Cruise and Jett as your friends, I love that when your arm or leg fall asleep you say that they are "sparkly", I love that you love going fishing with Daddy, and I love that when you pray, you pray for your fish. I love that you love painting and sidewalk chalking, that you sing along to "Shiny" on Moana (over and over and over again), that you love hard rock, and that you prefer blueberries over chocolate (because it means more chocolate for me). I love that you love reading with me and getting new books! I love your hugs and kisses, your snuggles and sweetness, and when you say nice things and share your toys or snacks. 

Miles, you're getting bigger and learning more every day. You will be making new friends and learning how to get along with others. You're probably going to decide what you want to be when you grow up. But I want you to know this: I don't care how much money you make, your status in the world, or even how smart you are. What I do care about is whether or not you are kind to those around you; that you are a good person. And that starts at the beginning. So, be kind little dude. Show love to those around you, and you will receive love and blessings in return. They may not always be immediate, but with kindness, you can never go wrong. 

You are my heart, Miles. You make me happy and grateful to not just be a mom, but to be your mom. I love spending time with you and enjoying you while you're still little. Heaven only knows how fast it goes. 

Happy Birthday, Sweet Boy! I love you sooo much!

Love,

Mommy 

Miles' First Day of Preschool!

Well, it finally happened: Miles started Preschool!!! Which means...2 hours of ZERO children, three times a week. 

Miles was pretty excited to start school; to wear a backpack and be dropped off like his brothers. I signed him up for Little Learner's Preschool, which is where I had Jett go his first year of preschool, and he started on September 5th. Stephanie Jensen, one of the Sisters in the ward, does it at her home and is pretty great. She and her co-teacher, Kristie Hall (another sister in the ward), work really well with the kids and Miles is always happy when he comes home from school. He is loving school and is making friends. 

Here are his first day pictures. I took a lot. It's hard to just take a couple when you have a cute kid...and when they won't simply smile for you: 

 He had to show me his new shoes.

I can't believe my baby is old enough to go to Preschool. 

The Love Loud Festival

On August 26th, Dave and I had the amazing opportunity to attend the first annual Love Loud Festival, put on by Dan Reynolds, lead singer of the band Imagine Dragons; a band that originated from the Provo music scene. The purpose of the festival is to essentially bring together those of the LDS faith and our LGBTQ brothers and sisters in support and love. The profits go to organizations and resources that support LGBTQ youth in our community.

We actually ended up putting our tickets up for sale on Facebook, because we couldn't find a sitter to watch the kids for 6+ hours. But when my friend, Jeanne-Marie, saw we were trying to sell them, she immediately offered to watch the boys for us so we could still go. The show was completely sold out and people were really wanting to get their hands on some tickets, so we were really grateful we could still go. We took the kids over to her house around 4:00 with a GIANT pizza; they have 4 kids of their own, so it was pretty incredible that they were willing to watch our kids for that long.

The event was held at UVU and the doors opened at 4; we got there around 4:30ish. We parked in the northeast parking lot of campus and walked towards the ballpark where it was being held. On our walk over, we saw this huge line and we were really confused as to what it was for and if we were supposed to be in it. But so many people among us were walking past, towards the entrance. So we just kept walking. We got to the front, still confused, sat down and listened to a band play that was just outside the entrance, when we decided to get back up and continue towards the entrance. As we approached, one of the staff opened a new entrance that took us around the back of the stadium. Still confused, we kept going and found ourselves at an entrance with no line. We got in, walked down the seating to the field to where the actual show was going to be (there were food trucks and I was hungry), and Dave saved us a place right there on the grass not too far from the stage. As the show progressed, I looked around and couldn't believe how lucky we were that we had gotten so close! People were all the way up in the stands and the stadium was filled beyond capacity! Apparently, we were supposed to be in that long line. So...we got super lucky by the fact that we were super oblivious.

Dave is in the red shirt sitting on the grass. Dan Reynolds is on the screen talking about Love Loud.

Alex Boye hosted the event and was awesome, there were a lot of speakers, single acts, etc. Dan Reynolds' wife, Aja Volkman, also a musician, played and sang without her band. Nicholas Petricca, lead singer of Walk the Moon, sang and played his keyboard. His band was unable to attend, but he gave a pretty impressive performance. Michael McLean, Joshua James, and Krewella also performed. Finally, Neon Trees performed. They were really good and super entertaining. Tyler Glenn did a legit crowd surf which was pretty awesome. And then, after waiting for what seemed like forever, Imagine Dragons finally performed. I love Imagine Dragons, but seeing them live is absolutely incredible. They are better live than recorded. I was completely blown away. So, if you ever get a chance to see them perform live, totally do it. You won't regret it.

Tyler Glenn, lead singer of Neon Trees

 

During their last song, Dave and I ran out of their super fast, all the way back to our car, so we could beat the traffic and get to the kids. We finally got back around 11:30 PM, but they were all troopers and were very patient. I think it was totally worth it and am really glad we got to go do something completely different and for a good cause.

Cruise & Jett's First Day of School

The boys started school on August 22nd. Dave gave the boys each a blessing the night before and I gave them each haircuts. I was actually pretty proud of myself this go around. Either they all get awful haircuts or they all get great haircuts. There's usually no in-between. So luckily I slayed this time.

Cruise started 5th grade this year. His special ed teacher, Mrs. Poyfair, is new this year but he's known her since 1st grade. She was an aide for Harris' class and is now the new small group teacher for grades 3-6. She is super nice and knows & loves Cruise, so that is such a relief. Cruise's general ed teacher is Mr. Young, who is a younger teacher with lots of energy, passion, and really likes Cruise. So we pretty much hit the teacher jackpot this year for him. Cruise, after the first day, said he loves Mr. Young's class and being in his class is his favorite part of the day.

Jett started 2nd grade and his teacher is Mrs. Covington, a quirky, older lady. Jett came home every day for the first week complaining that she made them all practice standing and walking in line throughout the school and if any of them got out of line, they'd have to start all over again. I laughed and said that it would get better. And then I told him about my teacher in 2nd grade and how when kid's ticked her off, she'd stab them in the head with the tips of her long nails while yelling at them (also a reason why I willingly became the teacher's pet that year).

Just like I said it would, it got better and now he loves his teacher.

The Solar Eclipse

August 21st was the solar eclipse. Dave desperately wanted to see it in the path of totality, and the nearest place was Idaho. This was also going to be the day before school began and the day of Back-to-School night. After a lot of discussion, I agreed that he could go and take Cruise and Jett, but that I would be staying home with Miles because 1) Miles wouldn't care, 2) Sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic with 3 little boys just doesn't scream "a good time" to me, and 3) Someone had to go to Back-to-School night. I know, I'm a huge party pooper. But the three of them were really excited and we agreed it would be a memorable event for all of them.

Dave's sister, Katie, who lives in Idaho, was going to be out-of-town with her family during the eclipse, and therefore would have an empty house. She was so kind to let them stay there rather than sleep in the car on the side of the road. The best part was, their house was sitting in the path of totality, so it was an extra bonus because Dave and the boys were able to just walk outside and experience it. 

They drove up Sunday after lunch and were surprised to find there was no traffic. They had brought everything they would need, including extra gas and food. The eclipse was Monday morning and they had all prepared with cereal box viewers and Dave's welding helmet. They were completely in awe of the whole experience and Dave had the hardest time describing it. They sent me this photo, but of course it just didn't do the whole thing justice.

Dave wrote this about the experience:

"I should say something about the eclipse. It was the most spectacular natural event I have ever witnessed. I can see why people flew from all corners the world just to see it. I also can understand why people get addicted to seeing solar eclipses and travel across the world just to see them again. I don't think you have any idea what you missed if you didn't get to see it in person. I have watched several professional recordings of the solar eclipses and I have always been fascinated by them. Many of these "recordings" are very impressive but I was MOST surprised to find is that none....NOT A SINGLE ONE of these "recordings" can show you what you actually see with the naked eye when you're in the path of totality. I don't know why that is exactly. I suspect that none of our modern cameras are anywhere near as capable as the human eye when it comes to witnessing something like this. Perhaps we haven't created a camera that can focus such intense light coming from an object so distant and then refocus instantaneously to very little light coming from that same distant object and then back again to very intense light fluidly with out changing filters and settings and all sorts of other things in a split second. I tried to "take video" and "photograph" the eclipse and once I got home I looked over all my footage and photos and realized what I captured is junk compared to what I saw. No wonder you can watch even the NASA recordings of the event and think to your self "so, it gets dark and then it get light again big whoop" What you saw was a "recording" you didn't SEE the eclipse. You might think "Dave how different could it actually be from the recording?" IT IS JUST DIFFERENT, TRUST ME. Now that I saw it with my own eyes I get why ancient people, albeit naive to the cosmos but still logical human beings, were terrified of it and thought something terrible was happening or about to happen. You watch recordings of it and you think you get a sense of what it looks like....I am sorry I have to DISAGREE. I still have not seen a recording of the event that even closely resembles what I ACTUALLY SAW today. Here is our best shot of the eclipse that we got. Jett gets the credit for actually snapping this photo. It looks sorta cool and I think he did a really good job but what I want to impress on your mind is that what you see in the picture looks like a child's scribble on paper compared to what it really was."

While the eclipse was happening, and everyone was outside with their glasses, staring at the sun, Miles and I were in Costco doing the shopping and it was the best Costco trip of my life. I think I only saw a small handful of people in the entire store. Again, I'm a huge party pooper, but when it comes to the grocery shopping getting done in the least painful way possible, I don't mess around. Yes, I actually took a picture. Because just like the eclipse, this only happens once every few years or so.

That evening, Dave and the boys were stuck in traffic. It took 6 1/2 hours to get home; they were bumper to bumper most of the way. That trip is usually 3 hours. So I ended up going to Back-to-School night with Miles. I paid my PTA dues, bought school shirts, and met all the teachers. I first went to Cruise's homeroom, the small group autism class, and spoke with Mrs. Poyfair and grabbed all the paperwork. Then I met Jett's teacher, who is an older lady named Mrs. Covington. She seemed nice and quirky, and had the whole room cowboy themed. Then I decided to meet Cruise's general ed teacher, Mr. Young, who is a younger teacher with lots of energy and was really excited to have Cruise in his class for math, science and social studies. 

Dave and the boys all got home around 8pm and were tired and hungry. I was happy to have them home again and even more happy that they got back in time for the first day of school. 

August 18th: Last Boat Trip of the Summer

Dave wanted to get out on the lake one more time before summer ended. Unfortunately, it was once again choppy, windy, and crowded. Dave and the boys explored the island a little and then Dave got a run in on the wakeboard. But most the time was spent swimming.

The boys were happy to spend some time on the "beach" which is not a beach because walking on it without shoes is a lot like walking in a room full of Legos. They still had fun but Cruise & Jett managed to get carried away from the shore in one of the tubes. So Dave, Miles and I had to jump in the boat to go after them, and then we decided we were done for the day. Okay, Mom decided we were done for the day because Mom had reached peak anxiety.