30 Days of Thankful: Shayne

Shayners is growing up so much! His sense of humor is really developing and he can really make me laugh with his antics.

An inflatable boat on the slip-n-slide? Why not!



He is responsible, conscientious, and helpful. Up and at 'em bright and early each morning to get his chores done, so careful in his schoolwork, and great with Alex and Aubrey when they need help (sometimes to the point I have to remind him who the parent is ;) )

Trying to be helpful even while sleeping, with a note:

"Only wake me if important or you need help or other good reasons!"





He is obsessed with Minecraft, and this has been a total Harry Potter year for him. He finished reading the series and watched all the movies on some special movie nights with Mom and Dad or with Ethan.

 

Halloween 2012 (He'd just started reading the series.) & 11th Birthday Minecraft Cake



He still. loves. birds. I'm not kidding y'all, this is a lifelong love. I guarantee that as an adult he will be an ornithologist at most, a serious hobbyist birdwatcher at the very least.

 

His own Lego owl creation & Halloween 2012: Dr. Birdbrain the Ornithologist



And if he doesn't become an ornithologist, it will be because he pursues his other dream--the owner of Shayne's Pizza Palace. Just earlier this evening he was upset that Gracie had taken and hidden his notebook of pizzeria ideas: "I'm going to need that, Grace!"



This kid. I'm so proud to be his mom.

---

"We all face times when our focus is on what we lack. Maybe our time, means, patience, or even feelings of love do not measure up to our expectations. At such times, we would find it helpful to adopt President Brigham Young’s attitude and view our difficulties with a grateful heart: 'There is not a single condition of life [or] one hour’s experience but what is beneficial to all those who make it their study, and aim to improve upon the experience they gain.'

"Miracles can happen in our lives as we look to God with a grateful heart. Understanding comes, and strength to endure increases.

"One sister struggled with negative feelings after a divorce. She found it difficult not to dwell on what she no longer had. Her marriage had fallen apart—along with so many hopes and dreams. She would sit next to families at church and wonder what was wrong with her. During this difficult time, she remembered the counsel of her patriarchal blessing: 'Sister, be grateful for all your blessings.' And so she sincerely tried to be.

"Each day, as she paused to thank God for all He had given her, a healing took place in her soul. She was able to fight off feelings of bitterness and despair and feel an outpouring of God’s love.

"'Gratitude,' she says, 'kept my heart soft.'"

From "With a Grateful Heart" from the August 1999 Liahona.

On Having Sisters

One day as I was driving Shayne and a friend of his somewhere, the girls were making a bit of a nuisance of themselves, as girls are often wont to do when boys are around. As their antics went on, the friend--who has two younger sisters of his own--turned to Shayne and said...

"Sisters, huh?"

"Yeah..."

And at that second I saw a look of such complete understanding pass between them that it was all I could do to keep myself from bursting out in laughter. "Oh, the humanity!" their eyes read. I don't think I'll ever forget it.

Fortunately, Alex hasn't reached the stage where his sisters cause him quite so much suffering--yet. On the contrary, he is constantly asking one or the other to be his "best friend forever" and doing all their bidding, from playing as one's dog to being the other's royal servant.

More than that, Gracie is his go-to for comfort and help when Brendon and I are gone or unavailable. She can be so sweet with him, relishing her role as big sister and mini-caretaker, as she reads to him or helps him get dressed. And he always goes to her when we are getting ready to leave them with a sitter: "I'll just sit with Gracie."



Sisters...can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em!

How Sweet It Is

The smell of sawdust and graphite are in the air...it's Pinewood Derby time again!

Shayne was determined, determined to get his car into the finals this year after just missing out in the last. So he (mostly he, I promise) and Brendon watched youtube videos for tips, worked hard, and hoped for the best with his space-themed creation.

I'll let this series of pictures show you the result:

That, my friends, is about as emotionally reactive as you'll ever see the kid. It was so. fun. to watch him.

He won all three of his initial heats and did indeed make it to the finals. There he fell to fourth place out of 35+ cars, just shy of a trophy. But I don't think he could be more proud.

Even though his more stoic expression had returned by the time I took this picture ;)

Did I Ever Tell You...

about the time when, for Family Home Evening, we were going around the room telling things we loved about each person? One of the things Shayne said he loves about me is that no matter when we leave, we always get there on time.

Oops.

Should Have Been Blogged: Shayne's Birthday

Welcome to a new series on the blog: Should Have Been Blogged (SHBB). SHBB will feature tales of events long past that I still want to record. Let's get started...

Shayne, like pretty much every other seven to ten year old boy, has spent most of 2011 wrapped up in "Ninjago" fever. Lego ninjas. So it was no surprise that his September birthday reflected that:

 

When given the choice between a party with all of his friends or a day with the family at the Legoland Discovery Center up in Dallas, it's also no surprise he was Legoland all the way.

 

My review: Much smaller than anticipated, but that could just be the memory of the five million people who were there with us Labor Day weekend talking. Shayne's review: Best birthday ever. And that's what counts.

 
Dallas skyline built entirely from Legos.

We had a birthday miracle when we were able to sneak back (with permission) onto the most fun ride they have, despite it being a one pass ride because of the crowds. It's very similar to the Buzz Lightyear shootout at Disney World, and we clearly got into it.

 
And, based on the scores, Shayne was clearly beating us into the ground.

We also got to see a Clutch Powers 4-D short film. Have we discussed Clutch Powers before? If you've got Lego fan in your house, I highly recommend tracking down the feature film. Total marketing ploy, but funny, clever stuff.

Alex wasn't so sure about the 4 in 4D. Water, wind, snow!

A nine-year old. It seems like the entry point to a whole different ball game, both for him as a kid and us as parents. Love him so! Enough to go Legoland on a holiday weekend a million times over...

Sunday Journal

Yesterday we visited a few nursing homes to sing with our ward. One of my favorite moments, aside from hearing all the children sing "All Things Bright and Beautiful" (Why don't we sing that very much anymore?), was seeing this awesome outfit being sported by a resident's pet dog.

Seriously, what's funnier than a tiny dog wearing shades? The kids flocked to the well-dressed pup and her owner, and she loved it.

This week we were learning about the different parts of our brain, and on Friday when Gracie got the vacuum out after I asked her for the broom, she said, "Sorry! My temporal lobe just isn't working!"

Alex told me this week that he wanted a Bowser (from SuperMario) birthday when he turns three. Yes, future birthday party themes are still a regular topic of conversation around here. When I asked him "What about Elmo?" (from the last time he "decided"), he thought for a minute and said, "No, Bowser. With Elmo on the side." What?

 
Alex discovering the magic of dry ice while making rootbeer last week.

We went to the library book sale this week and scored big. Shayne far, far prefers to read non-fiction, science related books. Which is fine. But I also think it's important for him to read fiction at this point, but had yet to strike the iron with a book or series that really worked for him. Enter Diary of a Wimpy Kid for $.50. I don't know why we hadn't tried it earlier. Yesterday he couldn't be kept from it and asked for book light for the first time. Hooray! Up next, Harry Potter. A couple of his friends have been reading and talking about it, and he's ready to dive in so he can be a part of the conversation (and watch the movies with Mom).

So, I'm loving the Sunday blogging. I've now posted twice as much in the last two weeks as I did in all of September. Hallelujah, people!

Reality Check

I have a little gallery wall in my living room, and sometimes I change out the pictures or posters according to the holiday. Before Mother's Day, and in anticipation of having my mom over for dinner, I put up pictures of the kids and their grandmothers and me and the kids. I also filled another frame with this cute little print:

 

from a proffittable life

When Shayne read it, he said something like, "What's that for?" I joked, "For me! Don't you think I'm the best mom in the whole entire history of the world?"

Pause.

"Not really."

Ouch.

What happenend to that whole mother/son, my-mom-can-do-no-wrong bond we were supposed to have going on? His eyes weren't supposed to be open to my failings this early on!

And my incredulity at his response immediately set in the mother-guilt; he got embarrassed and started saying things like, "Sorry! You are! You are! Sorry!" And my favorite..."I didn't know!" As in, "I didn't know I was supposed to lie!" Ha! The fact that I made him feel like that is just another mark in the NOT the greatest mother of the world column for me.

Lesson: Apparently, I could do better. (Like I didn't know that one already!)

 

Snippets

 

Clips of recent family performances: Shayne's spring recital (yes, his teacher was a pirate this time around), Alex rocking the headset mic, Alex showing us how he "reads" at family scripture time, Alex and Aubs playing Just Dance, and Shayne in a bedtime show he put together...quite a different kind of performance than his recital.

Bayners

What's up with Shayne?

• He is sure he's going to win the Grand Prize in a Lego design contest. I don't think he quite gets how many other kids might be entering. We may need a math lesson on odds before the winners are announced. This is his entry, the Ninja Tank:

• He is learning the Star Wars theme for his piano recital coming up in a few weeks. His teacher gave it to him last month, mentioned that it was a harder piece, and suggested he concentrate on just one line per week. He had the entire song memorized a week later. Never underestimate the power of the force. (I'll post video after the recital.)
• He fancies himself to be quite the chef. He'd be happy to make you his "Famous Cheesy Eggs" or his "Famous Ham and Cheese Quesadilla" next time you're here.
• His go-to movie of choice? The Sword in the Stone. Interesting, huh?
• He loves Scouts. He came in 9th place (out of 24) at his first Pinewood Derby last month. One spot away from being in the final bracket. Actually, he tied for eighth, and they had a race to determine the spot. It was a tough loss (It's so hard to see those watery eyes as a mom!), but we were proud of the way he handled it and cheered on his friends. Of course, lunch at Five Guys afterward helped speed the recovery, too. Though Brendon said that next year, buying a special set of wheels that would ensure his placing would be much cheaper than a consolation lunch! ;)

Gotta love this picture; I knew keeping five pairs of my cheap sunglasses in the car at once would come in handy someday!

• He has a little BFF/admirer. Kaleb just adores Shayne. His mom tells me that it's "Shayne this" and "Shayne that" all the time. It cracks me up and is so sweet at the same time. I'm thinking a lot of it has to do with Shayne's big kid video games and toys (Kaleb is four). And his charming personality, too, of course.

• He has saved and saved and saved his money so that he could finally buy a Dragonoid Colossus, and it's on its way to our front door as I type. We'll see how long the novelty lasts once it's in his possession--I'm guessing it was a bit more about the chase and the goal than the actual item.
• His next monetary goal: Gas money. I guess he heard us talking about gas prices, so the other day he told Brendon that he was going to start saving his money to help us pay for gas to go to New York this summer to visit Ethan. How sweet is this kid?

Cousins

At the park with our New York cousins...it's a good day!

Halloween Dreams

A clip from the mini Halloween recital Shayne's piano class held last night:

 

Bear in mind he's only been in lessons for six weeks, so we think he did pretty great. And, no, your eyes are not deceiving you; evidently, Marilyn Monroe is his teacher?

Baptism Day

One of the big events on our Utah trip was Shayne's baptism. What with my entire family in town for my grandpa's birthday, and with Brendon's parents and grandfather already there, it seemed like the perfect time to gather everyone together for this special occasion. It turned out that Brendon's brothers and their families were all able to come over from Cheyenne and Denver for the weekend as well, so that was even better! (Missed you, girls!) As Brendon's Uncle Gregg (who arranged for us to hold the baptism at his chapel) said, it sure was a big crowd for what was supposed to be "just a small, family baptism"!

 
Dinner with the family before heading to the church. 

 
The man of the hour.

Both of Shayne's grandfathers spoke at the service, and both really spoke to Shayne. It was great to hear their testimonies.

 

Brendon baptized and confirmed Shayne. I loved seeing the circle of father, grandfathers, and uncles for the confirmation and blessing. It made me so thankful for the priesthood heritage and examples of good, strong men Shayne has going before and surrounding him.

 
Shayne had been asking and asking the last year for a "coat like Dad's" for church.

In the weeks and months preceeding this milestone, I prayed and prayed that when the moment of his baptism and confirmation arrived, Shayne would be able to feel the Holy Spirit, be able to recognize it for what it was, and always remember it. So when we got back to the hotel later that night, I was all ready to ask him how he had felt, what he remembered, just sure that he was going to be filled with mature observations about the experience.

Well, just before we left the chapel, Ethan had given Shayne a birthday gift, a Star Wars lego set. So, instead of gushing, I got short, curt answers and lots of furtive looks over at the lego box that was just begging to be opened. Ha! You think maybe I was expecting just a bit too much? ;) Oh well...c'est la vie! I do know that I felt the Spirit, and I will continue to hope and pray that he will always remember this day and the special feeling that was there. We are so proud of him!

September

So, September.

We partied with Mario, Yoshi, and the rest of the gang.

 

Poor Aubs burned her hand terribly when she grabbed my curling iron one Sunday.

 

Not a great day in the Moore household. On the bright side, having her hand bandaged for two weeks may have broken her thumb-sucking habit.

I turned thirty-something and celebrated by watching my children sword fight and beat each other with balloons. We know how to party.

 

I also came home that day to this cute banner made by Gracie:

  

"The Kids Love Mommy. Happy Birthday 35 from The Kids."

And we enjoyed this ree-diculous cake made by Brendo.

 

It was almost too much, and coming from a peanut butter and chocolate lover like me, that's saying a lot! You can find the recipe here: Bakerella. Thanks, Lauri!

We also had Jenny staying with us for about half of September while she was in limbo between College Station and Seattle, which was fun for us.

While she was here we had several nights of this scene, them piled on the bed together, looking up an endless number of jokes to try out on Mom and Dad. Endless.

Then, as you know, we hit the road and Brendon and I really did celebrate our anniversary with a Wal-Mart dinner. Only it was in Vernon, Texas, and I'm telling you, it was the nicest Wal-Mart I've ever been in, in this little nothing of a town near the Oklahoma border. It was an anniversary miracle.

Eight is Great!

 

Our firstborn is eight. Eight! I love it and can't believe it at the same time.

This kid... He is our obedient heart. Our tender heart. He has the patience of Job as we try out this whole parenting gig on him. He wants nothing more than to be helpful, and he loves nothing more than being appreciated. (Maybe he loves legos a little more.)

This temperament of his is so much like Brendon, whom he idolizes. His Dad is his best friend. In some ways, he's still the same little three-year-old who would wake Brendon up in the morning with a cheerful, "Dad, you play trains with me?" Only now it's legos and wii games.

He is just so good. I am so thankful for the example he sets for his siblings as they watch him grow. I do worry sometimes about him maybe feeling like nice guys finish last, or maybe a bit like the Prodigal Son's older brother, with all of the attention and discipline we sometimes have to devote to the younger ones. So I try to remember to whisper to him every night how very important he is to us, and how glad I am that he is part of our family. So very glad.

Happy Happy Birthday, Shayne!

Our Weekend

We went into Memorial Day weekend with big plans. BIG FUN AHEAD. Ball games, parties and get-togethers, bbq, and water fun.

Yeah...no.

By the end of Gracie's ball game Saturday morning, it was clear we had a problem on our hands. Shayne. Fever. Big sigh. My kids seem to have a gift for this sickness before events thing.

So, Brendon and the other kids bravely carried on (ha!) while I manned the sick fort at home. Not a huge deal, but not tons of fun either.

And then there was Sunday. Brendon and the girls were at church, I was home with the boys, and it wasn't long until I heard those words every mother dreads...Mom, I think I'm going to be sick! Of course, he didn't make it to the bathroom, so I had to quickly figure out a way to block the one-year-old from tromping down the hallway into a puddle of...well, no need to go into detail there. (But thank heaven for tiled halls!) I grabbed a couple of chairs from the dining room to construct a barricade, which completey set Alex off screaming. How dare you! I need to know what's going on! I need to be in the middle of everything! I ignored him and rushed to get Shayne and the hallway taken care of. Only, in that rush, I jumped over the chair barricade with more towels...and crash. Hello, broken big toe.

So, to recap the awesome moment: Shayne heaving, Alex screaming, and Mommy crying and trying to keep from blurting out how she really feels.

How was your Memorial Day weekend?

We survived. We tried to reclaim the weekend just a bit by having some of our own backyard water fun on Monday afternoon, where I hobbled out to capture these pictures:

 

But this is the one that pretty much sums up our time:

 

Poor kid. He was so disappointed. His fever didn't break until late Tuesday night, either. He really got a nasty flu bug. Say a little prayer that it doesn't attack anyone else in the house?

Friday Photos and Kiddo Updates

Jenny snapped some more great pictures of the kids a few weekends ago. Every time I look at them, the Eric Clapton song, "Blue Eyes Blue" pops into my head. I wonder why...

 

Shayne...loves drawing maps, plans, and escape routes, reading about birds, and eating strawberries. He can get lost in a SuperMario game if you don't drag him back to earth, just learned the magic of double-digit addition, and was the most consistent hitter on his team when they moved from coach pitch to kid pitch for the first time last week.

 

Gracie...loves singing Primary songs, inviting the family to different parties and competitions she dreams up (I recently won the "Make up your own lipgloss name and draw a picture of what it looks like" competition) and eating black olives. She is getting better and better at reading, she volunteered to give a talk in Primary a few weeks ago, and she still takes a little nap because Gracie + not enough sleep = complete disaster.

 

Aubrey loves...well, life. She does everything with gusto and enthusiasm, including throwing tantrums. She "does" school right alongside the big kids, so I better always have an extra copy of whatever they are doing, just for her. (Yesterday while they were working at the kitchen table, she hollered, "I need some help over here!") She still loves her babies and carts them around, she loves bossing Alex, and most nights she slips into our bed at about 2:00 a.m. without our realizing it.

 

Alex...loves getting into things he's not supposed to (he emptied a large, brand new package of q-tips all over my bathroom floor last week), throwing things on the floor from his high-chair, and eating real food. He squeals with happiness when his dad comes home from work, but at the same time, still only has eyes for his mother. He is drinking from a cup and thinks he is such BIG STUFF now that he can manuever his push toy and the girls' doll stroller around the house, turning on a dime. And here's the big one: We're gearing up for his first birthday party in just a few weeks...

Excuse me while I go cry into my pillow.

Have a happy weekend everyone! I've already got posts scheduled for every day next week, so be sure to check back. It will be fun!