A Long Overdue Family Update

Christian:

Christian's love of all things Harry Potter has continued. After finishing book 1, he quickly read books 2 and 3. I finally had to put my foot down after that. Book 4 is just too scary and mature for a 6 year-old. It is a difficult balance trying to keep him reading at his level (measured at 5th grade), but keeping the books appropriate for his emotional and social state. After he finished each book, we had a family movie night with pizza and treats. Christian and Andrew loved the licorice wands and "every flavor jelly beans" (jelly bellies). Now they play "Harry Potter" daily. They beg me to paint lightning scars on their foreheads and spend their days riding around on broomsticks. It is all adorable! They also have a "museum" of Harry Potter drawings in the bedroom. I can't get enough of this stage right now. I love Christian's eagerness! I love his passion! I love his imagination! I love that he loves Harry Potter!

Christian has spent many a lazy summer day reading in the hammock. 

What an idyllic setting for a little boy to enjoy a little MAGIC! 

"Expelliarmus"... Christian and his licorice wand

 Christian's "Harry Potter Museum"

Dumbledore

Christian's other love at the moment is legos. He spends hours in his room making lego creations. Grandma C. found a huge bag of legos at a garage sale and brought them down during one of her visits. It was a dream come true for our little builder, and if you have ever seen the price of legos, you would know that this Mom was pretty ecstatic too! There were literally thousands of pieces in the bag. We decided that before we let the boys play with them, we would give them a good washing and let them dry overnight. We dumped them all in the bathtub and let them soak. That night Christian was so excited to play with his legos in the morning that he couldn't sleep.

A bathtub full of legos

Christian has also really been a great helper lately. It is great timing because I am quickly slowing down with the approach of the baby. He is responsible with his chores and almost always is willing to help me with silly little jobs (i.e. bending down to pick up something that has fallen). He is such a great example to Andrew, who is not so great with chores at the moment. I can't believe he is getting so big, but at the same time, I love seeing him grow up.

Andrew:

Christian has inspired Andrew in all things Harry Potter as well. It is an every day occurrence that Andrew will run into the room and yell "Expecto Patronum" or draw pictures of Harry and Ron. They both drew some cute pictures for Aunt Hannah (another Harry Potter lover) on her mission. Here are some of Andrew's:

Andrew's drawings of the Hogwart's castle and the golden snitch from Quidditch

Andrew also LOVES to help in the kitchen. I sometimes get tired of the constant messes when he helps cook, but Grandma C. gave him all the attention he could ever want. She came down twice in the last few months, and spent some time making sugar cookies with the boys. Andrew was in heaven. 

 

Fun in the Kitchen

The finished product

Andrew surprises me every day with how much he picks up. He loves to write and try to sound out words (see above quidditch drawing for another writing sample). He also has gotten quite good at numbers. He can count to 100 already and can add small number in his head. Tonight Christian was filling the ice tray and said that he had 9 cubes filled. Out of nowhere, Andrew announced, "That means you have 3 more left to fill." Jonathon and I both looked at each other in surprise. Not only did he know that an ice tray had 12 cubes, but he did the math that 9+3=12. 

Some of Andrew's 4 year-old writing with captions by Mom

All of these skills will be valuable come fall when he starts preschool. We just got the acceptance letter in the mail, and he is sure excited to go to school like Christian. He will be attending our neighborhood school for their afternoon preschool. I don't think he really needs the educational help, but it will sure be beneficial for him to make some new friends and learn some good social skills. 

Lastly, Andrew is a singing machine. He adores music and sings everywhere he goes. He sings along with the radio in the car and loves music time in Primary. When he gets a little older, we will definitely have to get him into some kind of music program. 

The boys also recently had a chance to spend time with their cousins. Joe and Kym blessed their new little boy, Bridger, at her family's home on Father's Day. It was such a special occasion to all get together to celebrate such a sweet new baby. Here are all of the grandkids together:

McKay, Andrew, Jadyn, Christian, and Bridger

Jonathon:

Jonathon had some fun adventures last week when he got to go to Cancun for an International Biology Conference. He won the opportunity to go when he was awarded the best talk at a recent conference. When he talked to me on Skype from Mexico, he had lots of interesting stories that made me scared for his safety. All was well though, and he returned home safely and made a lot of great connections for his future career. I have already conned him into writing a whole post on his experience... so stay tuned. Here is a sneak peek of the goodness to come... and yes, I was jealous :)

Sarah:

I have been enduring the terrible Summer heat and trying really hard not to complain too much. It is unfortunate that it has been the hottest June on record in the state of Utah (we are now on day 4 in a row over 100 degrees... two of which were 105 degrees). The insane heat and the big belly just do not work well together. Swollen feet and major fatigue seem to be the main side effects, but happily, everything else seems to be going great. Baby boy is now less than 4 weeks away from his due date, and we couldn't be more excited. He had been breech for the last 5 weeks, but he made his mama really happy when he finally decided to turn. Hopefully, he stays that way. We are working hard to get the house ready for a new baby and the boys ready for another brother. Perhaps he will continue to be a kind little soul and come a week or two early :) 

Large and in Charge-- 36 weeks