First Year To Wrestle As Brothers

As the day to sign up to wrestle was fast approaching, we kept asking Taylor if he was going to do it or not.  He kept going back and forth.  Then he finally let it out that he really did want to, but he loves his family too.  I think he thought he would totally be giving up all family time for a while.  We explained that he can wrestle and still love/be with his family.  That settled it and he was ready to go sign up and have the first practice that night.  Just as we were about to head down there, Payton mentioned that he sort of wanted to try!  This was the first time he had even shown an interest and since we were already going through the motions with one kid, of coarse it made sense to cheer on another kid at the same time.  We thought we would go down to the first practice and see what they thought and if it was something both boys wanted to do.  Payton still wasn't sure and so he watched for a few minutes and then decided to give it a try.  The school has a loot of wrestling shoes they lend out for the season, so both boys picked out a pair and they were set to go.  After the first practice they were both excited and ready for the rest of the season!  They wrestle all the time against each other, and maybe that is why they do have some experience, but it will be fun to get them learning some moves.  They will practice two times and week and have to attend 3 meets in order to compete at State.  It is fun knowing that they will be going through their first year of wrestling experiencing this together and we would already be there at the meets and could now cheer on two boys!

Oh these singlets make me laugh!  Payton looks like he has some muscles and he is a strong kid.  Taylor does too but I am afraid it also accentuates an already small frame!  I love it though...he has a lot of strength and determination packed in that quick little body of his!

Their first meet ever was in Choteau.  We picked Mckay up from work on the way to the big meet and boy was that an eye opener!!  They each get paired and wrestle someone about their same size two or three times.  Taylor just barely turned 7 so he was in a tricky age bracket and I think it was a little difficult to find a kid his age who still weighed around 40 pounds.

One of the most precious things I have loved to witness this season between the boys, is how much Payton takes care of his younger brother, Taylor.  Taylor wrestled before Payton and Payton was right there on the side of the mat giving him a pep talk and cheering him on along the way. 

I think Taylor won 2 out of 3.

Taylor trying to pin someone.  Let me tell you, Taylor is all business when it is go time.  He shakes his opponents hand and is always so straight faced until the match is over.

One thing that we are running into, is that some of these kids (especially those Payton's age) have been doing this for years.  They know a lot of moves and our boys still have a lot to learn since this is their first year, but they are still having fun.

Go Taylor!

Now it is Payton's turn!  He was weighing around 79 pounds and by this age these guys know what they are doing.

Payton is not easy to take down and sure puts up a hard fight.  He still has a lot to learn and I am sure knowing moves and strategies will help him as the season goes on.  I am hoping he will get a win soon, he is a tough kid! 

 

I am so proud of how they both are trying something new and giving it their all.  It is a bit of a rough sport to watch as a parent.  There is really nothing you can do to help them out of a tough situation.  I can still see one of Taylor's matches when he was paired with a kid who had a lot of experience, I think he even outweighed Taylor by a few pounds, and knew some different moves.  He had Taylor on the floor and Taylor's eyes met Mckay and I along the side of the mat and he looked as if he was pleading for help and saying "this is all I can give", as his face was being pushed into the mat.  We had to talk a few tears back and give a few pep talks here and there and they were ready to go again.  It seemed to be the theme of the night, as little kids would be seen crying everywhere you turned that night.  It is such a personal sport and I think very emotional at the same time.  Beyond the wins and losses, I think both boys tried hard and were also there for each other along the way, that has been the neatest thing for me to see!

Valentine's Day

This year Valentine's Day landed on a Sunday.  I actually had to speak, since they used Mckay on Christmas this year, I guess they got around to catching me.  It was the topic of love and really made me think about the things that matter most to me and my dear family members.

Mckay and I gave the kids a box of their own chocolates.  They were on cloud 9!  Even the look on little Gavin's face was priceless.  We sure love our kids dearly.  Mckay and I also gave each other small gifts, but the day to spend together as a family was my favorite of all!

Brielle received a Valentine back in the mail from some cousins, it made her day!

Love is such a blessing in our lives!

Saturday Hoops

During the winter the kids usually participate in a basketball camp Saturday mornings that is put on by the high school players and other volunteers.

Payton is in the lower corner playing during half-time.

The little guy in the middle now, Payton really likes to shoot hoops and play basketball.  The other kids were hit and miss this season depending on what we had going that particular Saturday, but Payton's was earlier and he tried to go most mornings.

Lunch at the Cafeteria

Throughout the school year we have been joining the kids at school for lunch in the cafeteria from time to time.  I think it has been great practice for when Brielle will be in school next year.  Plus it is always a great excuse to check up on the kids and get a chance to see them again!

McKenzie, Taylor, Payton, and Brielle (Gavin was behind me in the stroller).

We love eating lunch together!

The Train at the Library is a Hit

Gavin absolutely loves this train at the Choteau Library.  On Thursdays we go to Choteau for Brielle's preschool with friends and us moms.  Of coarse while we are there we hit up Mckay for lunch and even stop by the library sometimes.

Gavin knows when were are heading in there and gets all excited.  When it is time to leave he gets a little upset.  He is getting better at walking and works on it quite often.  Gavin has started taking several steps without help, not much longer now and he will be all over the place!

Gavin's Funny Face

Oh man, what a character!

It is funny that I caught this on camera.  He makes funny expressions and even fake laughs and laughs when others laugh...Gavin the goofball!

Taylor's 7th Birthday!

Taylor is not the most patient person when it comes to waiting for things that he is excited for (Birthdays, Christmas, trips, etc.).  He was thrilled when it was FINALLY his big day!

We decided to let him open a present early so we could play with it!

It sure wasn't hard to convince Taylor and he was all for it!

It was a Star Wars Monopoly game!

 

Now on to Taylor's actual birthday...

For breakfast I made his favorite, Chunky Monkey Pancakes with peanut butter syrup.

He felt so special and was very grateful!

What a handsome kid!  We sure LOVE our Taylor!

Then later that evening when Dad got home from work, we had Papa Murphys, Taylor's request and sparkling cider to celebrate!

Then some family joined us for presents and dessert to follow.

Taylor was eager to open his gifts.

This kid loves peanut butter!!

In fact, when he needed a tooth pulled, he wasn't really wanting me to pull it but agreed to it if I would give him his own jar of peanut butter (HA HA!  And yes, that was all his idea of the perfect reward!!)

I love the look on Payton's face here too!

I guess it will be fun for the kids to all battle together with their Light Sabers!

Super exciting!!

On to dessert of peanut butter pie and ice cream!

Blowing out his candles.

We love birthdays!

Taylor was ready to get into this pie!

Yummy to the tummy!

One big happy family!

Taylor is a great kid! 

When he makes mistakes he later feels terrible.  He has such a tender heart and wants to do good but sometimes he is quick to react and then later regrets his actions and sincerely apologizes for his wrongs.  We let the kids stay up a little later on this day and that was such a treat for them.  Taylor dislikes when bedtime rolls around, recently we had one of those nights when he was protesting bedtime.  I tried to get him to realize this happens every night and that he should just get used to the idea.  So before leaving the boys' bedroom I snuck back in there and listened to the boys in the dark for a few minutes.  I heard Payton say, "It is your turn for the brother prayer" (I didn't even know they did brother prayers).  Taylor replied, "I said it last night", my... doesn't that sound familiar!  Payton later told me that Taylor actually had said it the night before but Payton thought it would be good for Taylor to say it.  Wise decision!  During the prayer Taylor prayed that they could make right choices, but concluding the prayer, Taylor went right back to grumbling about bedtime.  Then Payton told Taylor, "Why would you ask for that if you weren't going to do it?"  After a small teaching moment with these two brothers, my heart was softened and I was grateful that they share a room and the goodness that comes from their examples to each other.  Anyway, back to Taylor, he is a great little learner.  He loves math and is a great reader.  Taylor cracks up watching the Minions movie.  His smile and laugh causes us to do the same.  He decided to wrestle this year but it was not an easy decision because he knew it would take time away from being at home with the family and he said "I want to wrestle, but I love my family too".  This just goes to show where his heart lies.  He is a family guy and family really matters to Taylor!  He is a huge fan of watching sports with his DAD, he is a bit serious and competitive when it comes to sports.  Taylor is good at memorizing and has a few of the Articles of Faith memorized, a couple of them he had memorized before he could even read.  There are a lot of lovable and noteworthy things to say about Taylor!  I love everything about him.  We love you Taylor and hope you know that!

Happy Birthday Buddy!

A Sick Day

Payton wasn't feeling well one morning so I kept him home from school.  Some days you just need a day to regroup and get feeling well again.  Actually, there have been a few times various kids have stayed home from school not feeling well recently.  It is just that time of year and things are going around.  At first I thought we got hit pretty mild and then of coarse later we got a different kind of bug and I had spoke too soon.  On the plus side, I do enjoy the extra time with the kids!

Once Brielle busted out the paints, Payton wanted to join in and she was thrilled to have some company for the day.  It was a cute memory for these two.

Super Bowl 2016: Great For Bronco Fans!

Well the Broncos made it to the Super Bowl again!

We have been excited for the big game.

We had a small party at Swensen's, there were plenty of Denver fans in the mix (family members that live nearby)!

And to top it all off........... the Broncos WON!

100 Days Smarter

It was the 100th Day of school and the younger grades like to so a little celebration and work with the number 100 on that day.

Sweet Taylor is really enjoying First Grade and days like today make it all the more fun!

What's not to love?

Payton and McKenzie are also really enjoying their teachers and classes this year, it has been a fun school year thus far!

Brielle Sending Off A Few Valentines

Brielle is one of the most crafty little kids, she could seriously craft and do artsy things for hours!

She has really loved writing letters and practicing her preschool skills.

Here she is making some Valentines to mail to a few cousins.

Off to the Post Office we go!

It was so fun for her to do this and a good project for us to do together!

Gavin's 15 Month Well Check

15 months already....how can that be?

Gavin turned 15 months and is really starting to get around.  He is a bit of a slower walker on his own, but doesn't mind cruising around if he is holding onto something (furniture, a walker toy, hands, etc.).  Gavin is such an easy kid to love.  His hair makes me smile, and those dark eyes melt my heart, not to mention all of his funny little expressions!  Gavin is starting to try harder to communicate (I mentioned this in a recent post:  He signs "more" in sign language, says Cheeeesh (cheese), baby, mama, da, bath, hot, and points and grunts to many more things in order to attempt to communicate his desires). Gavin loves his entire family.  In return, he is completely loved and adored by us all.  It has been nice having older children to help this time around and they pack him around and help to make him happy all the time, it is wonderful!!  He has been a dream baby when it comes to sleeping.  If on occasion, he wakes up crying, all it takes is a quick snuggle and being tucked back in with his favorite blanket, but even that doesn't happen very often and I quite like the snuggle when it does.  Actually, he really is a snuggly boy, and even likes to lay on the shoulder of some of my friends (I think he likes women).  He is constantly making us all giggle with the funny little things that he does and the faces he can make.  When he does venture to walk on his own, he will seem too small to do so, as he has a smaller little frame and seems so short .

Here are his stats:

Weight:  19 pounds 10 ounces (7%)

Height:  29 1/2 inches (2%)

Head:  46 1/2 cm (37%)

 

After his appointment we were starving so I took Brielle and Gavin out to eat at Café Rio! 

It was fun and these two really put down the food!

Brielle being silly with an orange!

Thanks for the free nino (I love that about this place).

Another funny thing about going to Café Rio, is that now Brielle loves to go there and she often says she wants a green lemon (ha ha she means a lime, but when I try to correct her, she still prefers saying the place that has the green lemons!)

Oh the joys of kids!