Toby turned 7!

This month Toby had a fabulous birthday! He was super excited to have Grandma here to visit, and we all went to our favorite indoor waterpark/pool called Miramar. (Since we have a strict 'no pictures of adults in swimsuits' policy, I don't have any pictures from that trip.) For his birthday dinner Toby requested steak on the grill, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, and peas. For his birthday gift, Toby got his first viola and we downloaded Minecraft on my Kindle.

 

And instead of birthday cake, he requested banana splits!

He got to choose three flavors of ice cream (Neapolitan, mint chocolate chip, and chocolate) and several toppings (hot fudge, M&Ms, crushed Oreos, sprinkles, whipped cream, cherries and sliced bananas!) Toby's got some good taste.

 

Toby continues to be our Little Man.

He loves puzzles, math, Legos, and now the viola, and football.  One day recently I printed out some pictures of these tessellating lizards.  The kids each colored two, and then I cut them out and we played with arranging them.  This is the kind of stuff that Toby LOVES.

 

He is also growing into a strong reader.  He likes it when I send him on a treasure hunt around the house following clues, or when I send him outside on a nature hunt.  I write a list like, "something blue, something dead, a leaf shaped like a heart, a snail shell, etc." This was his box of goodies he brought me one afternoon from a nature hunt around the yard.

 

Toby is such a gentle soul. He is learning German like a champ and works so hard at things that he is interested in. He is still very sensitive, and a perfectionist. He genuinely likes to do kind things for others though, and that is probably the thing I love most about his personality. 

Toby's birthday interview:

(20 questions style)

1. What is your favorite color? Red.

2. What is your favorite toy? Minecraft on the Kindle.

3. What is your favorite fruit? Apples.

4. What is your favorite tv show? Super Hero Squad.

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Macaroni & cheese.

6. What is your favorite outfit? My shirt with the lizard and jeans.

7. What is your favorite game? That might be hard, because I like Monopoly, I like Minion Rush, I like Minecraft.

8. What is your favorite snack? A piece of chocolate with a cheese stick.

9. What is your favorite animal?A rhino.

10. What is your favorite song? Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

11. What is your favorite book? I don't really have a favorite book... ALL books.

12. Who is your best friend? Jack and Thomas.

13. What do you want to be when you grow up? A builder, dad, engineer.

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride my bike.

15. What are you really good at? Building, that one's easy.

16. What is a food that you hate? Bell peppers.

17. What do you like to do with Mom? Cuddle.

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? French toast.

19. What is your favorite dinner?  The butterfly one (Pasta Primavera.)

20. What makes you happy? Christmas and Legos.

Kinder frei in Ibiza!

In about 10 days it will be our 10 year anniversary! Time flies when you are moving 5 times, having 4 children (that are participating in 3 sports, and playing 2 instruments,) and trying to be one big happy family! So we thought it was about time we went on a little vacation without the Littles. Rob's mom agreed to come visit us and play the role of Super-Grandma for a few days so that we could go on a once in a decade holiday.

 

We chose to go to Ibiza, Spain.
Here we are after just checking into our hotel and putting our feet in the sand for the first time. Ibiza was close enough to be a short trip, but far enough to be exotic.  It is an island in the Mediterranean and is most known for its late night club scene and electronic music. And its beaches. Care to guess why we picked it as our kid free destination?

 

This was the seaside pool at our hotel on the night we arrived.  The weather was sunny and in the 80's the entire time we were there.

 

Rob on the rocks.  

As close as we got to partying hard.

 

This is the Dalt Vila- Old Town.

We really did not plan to do sightseeing on this trip, but spent a morning walking the walls and streets of this awesome old city.

Sooooo many stairs. You really don't get a feel for how hilly a place is by looking at a street map.
 

 

What do you do if you have a cafe on the stairs? Just throw down some cushions and little stools as tables and call it outdoor seating. There is an interesting mix on this island of young clubbers, old hippies, and locals trying to make a living. We tried some good Spanish food- melon with Iberian ham, and bread with olives and this garlic aioli that was so delicious.  We didn't find a good looking tapas place, so I guess we will have to go to another part of Spain one of these days to try that.

  

Next to the cathedral at the top part of the Dalt Vila.

 

  

Next to the cannons... checking out the cruise ships docked below.

 

  

On our walk we saw this- a real live banana tree!  I had never seen one before, so we had to take a picture for the kiddos. 

 

  

We spent the rest of the day lounging on the beach not far from our hotel, and it was nice, but ya know, nothing super special. ( The constant beat of electronic music in the air, drunk tourists, and bits of plastic bags found floating made me a little nostalgic for the Jersey shore.) So the next day we decided to take the ferry to Formentera.  This is a smaller island about a 45 minute boat ride away.

 

 

Once there, we rented these horrible bikes for very cheap.

Rob is a regular bike rider.  I am not. But I thought, it's pretty flat, shouldn't be too hard, I will be fine.  About 5 minutes into our ride, I knew I had been wrong.  I was working so hard. By the time we got to the beach we were aiming for, Playa de Ses Illetes, I was in tears and totally hot, dusty, and annoyed. The beach made it all worth it though.  When we got on the bikes to ride back, I was ready to grit my teeth and just do it, when Rob realized my back tire was completely flat. THAT is why it was so hard. Rob graciously offered to ride the broken bike back and I rode his. Which was so super easy! I felt much better about my bike riding skills then.

 

The most beautiful beach in Spain.

Seriously.  We just spent a lot of time staring at (and swimming in) the perfectly clear water and sitting on the white sand. It was awesome. There were actually plenty of other people there, but I tried to get a picture without people in it... because of, well, the nudity. It seemed the further out we walked on the beach, the less clothing our fellow sunbathers were wearing. But who cares. It is going to be pretty hard to find a beach to ever beat this one. 

After we rode the horrid bikes back to the ferry port, we had a gelato and did some shopping for souvenirs for the kids, and that was our short trip away.  I am so glad that we did this!  It was a lot of fun to hang out with my Rob and to know that the kids were safe and happy and we could just enjoy having an adventure together. Who would have thought after a whole month of dating, and three month engagement, we would make it so far? I took a book with me on this trip, and actually read it since there were no kids to count on the beach, and I bookmarked this...

...Don't blush, I am telling you some truths. That is just being "in love," which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two. -Corelli's Mandolin

First days! (belated)

 

Toby's first day of first grade! 

A big change for Toby this year is that he has enrolled in a partial immersion program at his school.  Half his day is in English (Reading, Spelling, Language Arts) and half is in German (Math, Science, Social Studies.) He know several kids in his class and is loving it so far, and learning German very quickly.

  

Charlotte's first day of third grade!

Charlotte's biggest changes this year are having a male teacher for the first time and having a big locker. She didn't know anyone in her class on day one, but now has two new best friends. She is so great at making friends.

 

Charlotte's first day back at piano!

She got off to a rocky start back in January, but after the Summer break she was ready to get back to work with a new improved attitude. I think she just expected it to be easier, and it has been good for her to have to work hard at something and to see her improvement.

 

Toby's first day of viola!

Toby has really, really wanted to play the cello since he was like 3.  I did much searching last year, but was unable to find him a Suzuki method teacher (that we could afford, anyway.) So he played piano with Charlotte. Well, a new family moved into our ward this Summer and the mom teaches violin and viola! So Toby has begun viola lessons (which he may someday decide to switch to cello, but for now he is so excited!)

 

This is also happening! 

Toby has started playing flag football. I am glad that it is not tackle football, as we really have some learning to do about all of the positions, rules, and ya know, catching the ball.  But Toby is loving being a football player, and this a great time for him to learn the basics and decide if it is something he wants to continue to pursue. 

And finally THIS is happening! 

Charlotte has joined cheerleading. She is the youngest girl on her squad of 9-11 year olds (she turns 9 next month) and she has been struggling with having confidence in this new environment.  But each practice she has improved, and she says that she loves it.  I will put up a photo of her in her uniform at her first game.

Soooo, life has suddenly become very, very busy.  But wait, there's more.  I'll give an update on what Jake is up to in a few weeks.  Stay tuned.