Birthday Boys

Christian and Hyrum's birthdays fell right before the start of our huge Christensen Reunion that I was in charge of. In short, there was absolutely no way that I could plan a big party for them while trying to get everything else done. In fact, I didn't even have time to make a cake or fun dessert like normal. I felt bad, but they didn't seem to mind too much. Since their birthdays are only one day apart, they like to celebrate them together, which is great with me. They opened presents, and then we took them out to a restaurant of their choice. They wanted to go to Pizza Pie Cafe. It turned out great because it was a meal they both loved, and they both got huge ice cream and cookie sundaes for free because it was their birthday. Sweet! They were thrilled with it. I guess it proves that sometimes it is okay to not be a perfect mom who does perfect parties with perfect cakes. Sometimes it is okay to just try your best to get by. In the end, it was about spending time together and celebrating these awesome boys. My brother's birthday is the day after Hyrum's (3 birthdays in a row!). He and my parents stayed with us on Sunday night to go to the reunion the next morning, so we had brownies and ice cream with candles for all three. Happy Birthday Boys! Here are a few fun things about each of them right now:

Christian
Age: 11!
Favorite Food: meat (all kinds)
Favorite Game: Minecraft
Favorite Friend: Rubin McDougal
Favorite Subject: Engineering/Science
Favorite Book: Harry Potter Series (always!)

At 11 years old, Christian is such a good helper. He is starting to be able to do real jobs like mowing the lawn, and he is almost old enough to babysit (yay!). He enjoys getting to do big kid things like playing games with the adults, going for long bike rides with Jonathon, and staying by himself occasionally. I remember that age and what a hard transition it was, especially being the oldest. We are trying to give him lots of opportunities to be more independent, but we can definitely do better.

One of Christian's best qualities is his desire to do what's right and have integrity. He knows right from wrong and has a very strong conscience. I can trust Christian because he proves it to me on a regular basis. This quality also gives him a bit of trouble at times when he feels that he or someone else is being treated unfairly or wrongly. It bothers him immensely and sometimes he just can't let it go. I'm sure he will figure it out though, and it will be a huge advantage for him in the long run.

Christian is inquisitive, a great reader, and an excellent problem solver. He amazes me with his ability to work through complicated math problems. I was taught to do everything in a very orderly, sequential way. I can follow the formulas that I'm given, but I'm not great at understanding the theory behind things. I think this is partially due to teaching methods (common core is much better at teaching thinking skills than the formulaic way that my generation was taught). Christian struggles with keeping his work neat enough to solve long problems accurately, but he can think his way through any problem, and it is usually in a way that I never would have dreamed of. If we can get him to be a little more organized, he will continue to excel in school. He definitely follows after Jonathon in his way of thinking. He has recently developed a little bit of a temper, but I think that also comes with the pre-teen age, so I'm confident he will get that under control as well. Overall, he is just a great kid that we like to hang out with.

Hyrum
Age: 4!
Favorite Food: Bread, anything sweet
Favorite Show: Paw Patrol; Veggie Tales
Favorite Friends: Cousin Caleb, Christian, and Andrew
Favorite Book: Cars
Favorite Thing to Do: TALK... nonstop

Hyrum is a little firecracker. That is a nice way of saying that he's a handful. He is happy and energetic to the point of being a bit crazy at times. He talks all the time to anyone that will listen. Because of all that talking, his vocabulary is huge and he speaks very well. He has a pretty short attention span though, so I am a bit nervous how he will do with focusing during school. Hopefully preschool will be good for him. We are still working on letters and numbers, but unlike our other boys, he just doesn't care very much about them, so I don't push too hard.

Hyrum is so full of life. His face is so expressive all the time, and he isn't afraid to show any of his emotions. When he is excited, he is truly excited with his whole body. When he is sad, he shows it through his body language, his facial expressions, and his words. I love it because I can always tell how he is feeling. Everyone else in our family is much more subdued, so it makes him unique and endearing to a lot of people.

Four has brought with it some discipline problems. Hyrum is deciding that he doesn't want to obey any more, and we have had more power struggles of late than I would like. I clearly remember the same thing happening to a lesser extent with Christian, so I am hoping this is only a stage, and we will get through it. He tends to be more sassy, more disobedient, and more dramatic than Christian was, so I am having a hard time with him right now. He also doesn't show enough respect toward other adults, which we are trying desperately to nip in the bud because that is a huge pet peeve of mine. I guess that all kids are different, and the parenting never stops.

Despite the problems, he is such a lovable kid. He is cute as a button, and gets compliments about his red hair all. the. time! People love to be around Hyrum because he will talk to them and interact with them. He adores his brothers and wants to do everything that they do (including cub scouts... only 4 more years, buddy :) He also loves to help me in the kitchen and always wants to be involved in what any of us are doing. Hyrum keeps us laughing and brings enthusiasm to our family. We sure love him!