Cyrus Lately

Cyrus in his own words:

How old are you?  4

How tall are you?  9

How much do you weigh?  Just miles

What do you want to be when you grow up?  A minja cherry

Who do you love? Mom, cyrus, dad, little Jonah, all my family

What do you like to do?  Kind of play the Wii, but not all the time.  I want to play mine craft sometimes, draw, do sticker books, play ninjas, and lay on the compy bed with dad.  And eat snacks.

Who are your teachers at church?  Sister Selmi (Anselmi) and Sister Silpack (Kilpack)

What clothes do you like to wear?  My new shorts, and if I buy a new shirt I'll love it.

Who is stronger than Dad?  Me

What is your favorite song?  Party Rock

What is your favorite book?  Puppy Book

What is your favorite color?  blue and black

Cyrus in pictures:

One morning Cyrus asked me to take a picture of his cereal.  He thought he had a great looking bowl.

 Cyrus hiking the petroglyphs at Spring Break. He was a fast and efficient climber!

 Cyrus was a good buddy at Calvin and Wyatt's baseball games.  He would hang out with Noah and I.  When he would get sick of playing in the dirt, he would ask Dad to "go on a little walk togethum (together)."  They also go on those little walks when church gets a little too boring for him.  

 Cyrus made a self-portrait out of beads one day. I loved the big smile on his face and the extra-long arms.  

 Proud Cyrus at the top of the climber at the playground.

 Preschool graduation with his joy school group.  I had mixed feelings about joy school, mostly because he never really seemed to enjoy it.  It was a struggle to get him to go each day.

 He is stealing my "special water."  They all do it.  

 Cyrus at the pool. He is a brave swimmer.  He has pretty much taught himself to swim.  

 At the pool together.  

 A few weeks ago, Noah and I were weeding/de-leafing the front yard.  It was hot and not much fun.  Cyrus came outside to help, and by the end he was so tired that he decided to lie down on the porch.  But he's still smiling!

Cyrus is still very much my shadow.  He follows me around and hangs out with me a lot.  He is a decisive child.  He knows exactly what he likes and does not like, and he doesn't mind to tell you.  Sometimes he is a bit crusty to people.  He doesn't like for people to stare at him or laugh at him.  He will screech if he thinks that you are not listening or if you are being mean.  He is tough and wrestles with his older brothers no problem.  Right now he is very much a Daddy's boy.  He loves Noah and is always complimenting him on his strength and height.  He doesn't like to disappoint his parents, and he will cry if he is scolded. Every night he has four chores: change into pjs, clean his room, start the dishwasher, and put his dirty clothes in the hamper.  He likes to work hard and get them done quickly.  He is also very creative and likes to color and draw.  He loves to do sticker books as well.  He likes to try and understand the reasons behind rules, and he asks a lot of questions until he understands.  He is a sweet child.  

Calvin Lately

How old are you?  9

How tall are you?  4 foot 3 inches

How much do you weigh?  60.6 pounds

What do you like to do?   Play video games

Which games?  Pokemon Y and Zelda Wind Waker

What else do you like to do?   Read Garfield books and play basketball

What's the best thing that has happened to you this year?  I really don't know.

How about the worst?  Moving

Why?  It's sad.

What do you want to be when you grow up?  An orthodontist, dentist, or paleontologist

Anything else you want us to know?  No

Calvin in pictures:  Calvin is really great at jumping off of the half wall at our house.  He is a master at climbing.  This winter, we tried to catch him mid jump.  He sure can get some air!

 A phrase I often hear from Calvin is, "I'm bored."  This picture was taken on a day when he was super bored (a snow day).  Usually, I ask him if he wants to help with some chores, and then he find himself something to do.  

 Calvin doing what he loves to do most: play video games.  He is probably the most skilled gamer in our home.  He can beat me (and sometimes Noah) at many games.  Super Smash Brothers has been a favorite lately.  

 Calvin did really well at the Pinewood Derby this year.  He placed first in his den.  Super Fast!

 On our Spring Break hike to the petroglyphs, Calvin wanted to stop and take a view pictures of himself.  Here he is at the top.

 Dapper Dude on Easter Sunday before church. He can't resist making a silly face.  Dad always does such a great job of dressing everybody up in their finest.  

 Calvin and his very best friends, Khayden when we went up to the Jemez.

Calvin is really growing up a lot.  He is still a diligent and hard worker, especially at school.  I rarely have to ask him to complete a chore at home more than once.  He likes to work quickly and get things done so that he can play and have fun.  Calvin has shown a lot of growth this year with his temper. I can see that he tries to calm down before he reacts.  He is happiest when he is playing with friends, the Wii, or with Wyatt.  He and Wyatt have become really good friends.  They play well together.  Calvin tries new foods and cleans his plate at almost every meal.  I have not felt well during this pregnancy, and Calvin has often come to my rescue by completing things that are difficult for me: scrubbing the bathtub, taking out the trash, and carrying in groceries from the grocery store.  He is an excellent grocery store helper.  He knows how to choose good produce and check off items from the list.  I don't know what I would do without him.

Wyatt Lately

Wyatt according to Wyatt:

How old are you?  7

How tall are you?  I have no idea.

How much do you weigh?  57 pounds

What do you like to do everyday?  Everything.  Play with legos, play outside, be a ninja, and draw.

What do you like about yourself?  I like that I'm cool.  

Anything else?  No.

Are you excited to move to Tennessee?  Yes. 

Why?  Because that is where family is.

What do you want to be when you grow up?  Cardiologist

Why?  Because it seems fun

What scares you?  Goosebumps (TV show)

What is exciting to you?  When we go to the pool

Anything else you want to say?  Yes, I'm cool.  And I'm awesome.  And I'm amazing.  Done.

So, our resident seven year old is an interesting kid.  Here is what he has been up to according to pictures.  He has amassed a large tiny puppy collection.  The leader used to be a puppy named Mennon.  He was soon outranked by Big Cheeks.  Here is Wyatt with a box full of his pups.

 He later got a second installment (12 more).  I had built a cardboard house, and he used it for his pups to live in.  Calvin was kind enough to help him organize them all.

 Pups looking through the windows.

 Proud father of 17 tiny pups.

 This next picture shows a Mom Fail.  I used spray sunscreen on his back when we went to the mountains, and I didn't rub it in.  He looked striped.  I felt terrible, but in true Wyatt fashion, he didn't complain once.  Wyatt has a high threshold for pain/discomfort, and he rarely complains if he is sick.  

 Wyatt convinced me to take him on a date to Hiyashi (the local hibachi place).  A few years ago on my birthday, I wanted to go there.  Wyatt was not excited about it because he doesn't like trying new food.  However, the flashy fire show and tasty food convinced him that he liked it, and now he is a fan.  In fact, for a few months, he wanted to work there when he grew up.  Here are a few silly shots of our date:

 This week he discovered that he has a loose tooth.  He hasn't lost it yet, but it is a little bit wiggly.  He asked me to take a picture so that he could send it to Dad at work, which we did.

This last picture I had to take.  He was relaxing in the bathtub, and he had his head almost completely immersed in the water.  When he sat up, his hair was half wet and half dry.  For some reason it tickled me.  Wyatt loves to relax in the bathtub.  He will stay in until the water gets cold.  He is often kind enough to let Cyrus jump in with him (as long as Cy promises not to splash).

Wyatt is a happy kid.  He makes us laugh pretty much everyday.  He always has a good joke or impression for us. He is especially good at imitating Nacho Libre.  He is a kind older and younger brother.  He the biggest peacemaker in our family, and he often gives up what he wants if he knows it will make someone else happy.  Wyatt and I share a love of caramel. He doesn't love chocolate, but he has a sweet tooth.  He still is a bit of a picky eater, and would rather go hungry than eat a dinner that he doesn't like.  He builds legos quite a bit, and he has a talent for using his imagination.