Happy 14th, C!

Collin turned 14! It still seems nuts to me that he could be that old, but he is a great young man, and I just love him so much. 

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For his birthday this year, he wanted to the family to go together to see the new Marvel movie - Wakanda Forever. So, the Saturday before his birthday, we went to lunch at BJs (free pizookie!) and then to see the movie. 

On his actual birthday, I took him to get his eyebrows waxed (he was a good sport, but it hurt a lot more than he expected) and then I took him for a breakfast taco at the best spot in town - Mary's - which almost made up for the waxing, haha.

It was Christmas Break already, so when we got home we watched Christmas movies, made smores in the fireplace and on the gas cooktop, and had hot chocolate. 

For dinner, I surprised him with "slit chicken," pilaf, and steamed broccoli. He wanted cheesecake for his cake. 

He got a WaterPik (lame, but necessary with his new springs, see below) and a new... LAPTOP!  He's been using an old one of ours, and it's battery life was about 20 minutes. The next day, he and Brennan also got cell phones for the first time. 

Ok, now a little about my sweet oldest boy this past year. 

SERVICE

He still loves to serve others. Whether it is being the first to pitch in with a chore here at home or being willing to go do baptisms at the temple with only 15 minutes of notice, he is the first to volunteer and almost never seems put-out by the inconvenience. He's a gem.

The neighborhood hosted some activities at the community center on the day we celebrated his birthday too.

BRACES

He got his 2nd round of braces put on over Spring Break '22. 

Just after Thanksgiving, they put him into "springs," which abruptly moved his bottom jaw forward a shocking amount and completely remedied his over-bite. His teeth are still moving to adjust though, so his molars don't meet in the back at all. 

His spring actually broke the Saturday we were celebrating his birthday.
Luckily, an ortho assistant met us at the office and fixed it super quickly.

Eating has been a learning process, especially since he has always been a slow eater AND this has only compounded that. He also always has "thirds" each night at dinner, so it's a LONG process. 

TALL

We have called him "Tall" since he was little and Brennan couldn't pronounce his "kah" sound, so instead of "Coll" he said "Tall." And he has lived up to the nickname! Collin is taller than me now, measuring in at 5'9." I passed my mom when I was in 6th grade, so I guess I should be glad he was in 8th, but it is still odd to be shorter than my son. We wear the same size too (Adult Small), so it's fun to share t-shirts and hoodies.

P-TECH

As an 8th grader in our school district, you select an Endorsement for high school. It is similar to a college-major and guides your high school studies and electives. Collin has said he wants to be a "good" hacker for years, and our high school offers ONE endorsement pathway that leads to an associate's degree in... CYBERSECURITY! It is a perfect fit, and he applied and was accepted to the program this fall. He will apply for college (yep, they have to be accepted to the community college) in January, and if all goes well, he'll graduate from high school with a level one certification in cybersecurity (employable!) and his associate's degree. We are all really excited about it! 

ALLERGIES

This boy has quite the response each January and March. His eyes swell shut, as well as watering and burning. During those two months, he takes two prescriptions each day - Zyzal in the morning and Singlair in the evening. He also does medicated allergy eye drops and warm, moist eye compresses. It quite the ordeal! I think he'll be done with Texas - and its year-round bloomings - as soon as he is old enough to leave home. 

PIANO

Collin has now been playing piano for 8 years. He is really good! He loves arranging music and is very opinionated about what he does and does not like. After his Spring '22 Recital, his teacher said she needed us to find a more advanced teacher, and I was able to find a male who leads all the music for the Lutheran church in Boerne. He is conceited and very challenging to get along with, so we have our good lessons and our not good ones. We have one more hurdle for him to clear (sight-reading proficiently in bass clef) before he graduates from formal lessons. Then I'll just have him pick challenging songs he likes and learn them to perform for the family. For his Spring Recital this year, he is playing a complicated piano piece while Ryan plays an equally complicated violin accompaniment that Collin wrote. It is super cool!

RUBIK'S CUBE

I have started subbing at the middle school from time to time - as requested by my middle schoolers - and my first day in an 8th grade classroom, the kids wanted to know which Collin was my son. I tried to describe him - tall, thin, went to Van Raub, blond, swoopy part in his hair. Then a boy interrupted me, "Oh, do you mean Rubik's Cube Collin?" Ha, yep, that's the one! Collin always has a Rubik's Cube in his hand, and apparently he has the fastest middle school solve time. He has a ton (9?) of them now, and yes, he got a new one for Christmas. He's always been a fiddler (he used to knit!), so I guess the Rubik's Cube puts his brain and fiddling to good work. 

TEACHER'S QUORUM

We were placed into a new ward in October. Despite all the other wards being drawn according to middle-school boundaries, our neighborhood was placed in a ward in another school DISTRICT. Katelyn, Ethan, and Brennan all have a same-age friend within our neighborhood but now Collin. I learned in July that he wasn't going to know anyone in the new ward, and I started prepping him. As is typical for him, he took all the change with grace and without complaint. He did find the new ward's method of passing the sacrament a complete disaster, and he complained a few times about the lack of organization. 

With the new year, he was called at the new Teacher's Quorum president. He said that the first thing he was going to do was fix the sacrament passing, but now he realizes he's got enough on his hands with arranging the preparation and bread delivery to worry about how the deacons are passing. He's going to be great, and I'm super proud of him. 

INTROVERT

I've always known that it took a lot for people to get to know Collin. I've known that he likes to keep to himself and thing a lot before he says anything. But on his birthday, he made a comment to me that still shocks me, though I know it shouldn't have come as a surprise. "I know this is going to make me sound like a robot, but I do everything in my power to not have to be with other people. I don't like to have to deal with them." My Collin is an introvert. His Papa - and even a little bit Ryan and I - like our space and solitude, but Collin already knows this about himself at 14. Such self-awareness. I am also grateful that his Church responsibilities will push him a little out of his comfort zone, because dealing with people is part of life.

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And that's my happy, hard-working, kind, smart fourteen-year-old MAN-child! Happy birthday, Tall! 

Thanksgiving with Gpa & Gma

Grandpa and Grandma Morello came to visit for Thanksgiving this year. It basically rained the whole week, but luckily we got a break over the weekend and were able to get out and do a few things. 

Our family has gotten into watching a show called "Domino Masters," so after having Grandpa & Grandma watch the season finale with us, they ordered a domino set for the kids. It came the next morning, and it was great to have a new toy during the long, cold, rainy days. 

We played Rook and Rummy-O each day. We also watched all the movies in the Christmas Story trilogy. Who knew there were three? We made and ate Thanksgiving dinner, decorated for Christmas, and cried over the Buckeye loss to Michigan. 

On Saturday, it finally stopped raining, and we headed to Six Flags. We saw a Christmas music performance, rode the carousel, ate funnel cakes, watched Looney Tunes Christmas, and saw their amazing Nativity show.

Afterwards Six Flags, Grandpa treated us to Yard House for dinner. 

Sunday was another sunny day, thankfully, so we went for a walk after church and Grandpa played Four-Square with the kids on the back porch.

After the kids returned to school on Monday, Grandpa & Grandma and I went out to lunch and walked around the Japanese Tea Gardens. It was warm and sunny and almost made up for the terrible weather the rest of the week. 

It was so fun to have them visit, and we wish they didn't live so far away! Once a year will never be enough. Happy Thanksgiving!

Ethan is NINE!

Happy 9th birthday, Ethan! I told him I was okay with him turning 9, but he absolutely couldn't ever turn 10. Then he said, "I don't think it works that way, Mom." Oh, sweet boy, if only moms could always get their way. 

The weekend of his birthday he got to bring home his class's pet stuffed hippo, Timothy. Timothy went everywhere all weekend, and it was actually really fun. 

Saturday started with Ethan's soccer game. He stills loves playing soccer goalie, but his real talent is for defense. That boy is a reliable massive kick back to the other end of the field, just like his Mom was! I'm so happy he is still enjoying it. He has a great group of boys he's been on the same team with for a long time now, and it's fun to see him work hard. 

After soccer, he got changed and cleaned up and headed to his birthday activity. This year, Ethan wanted to take his friend Logan to Andretti's. Between a week-long trip to Germany and a week-long trip to Detroit, Ryan was home for the weekend to do the big event.

At Andretti, they did two rounds of laser tag and played a bunch of arcade games. 

Afterwards, Ryan took them out to dinner at Red Robin, where they got burgers, fries, and milkshakes. 

Then Logan came back to our house to put together the Iron Man Lego set that Logan had gotten him. 

His actual birthday was on Sunday. We were switched to a new ward last Sunday, so no one knew it was his birthday, but he told his teacher, and they sang to him anyway. I'm proud of him for taking the initiative. 

After church, he asked for cheeseburgers for his special meal. His present was an Alexa alarm clock, because all the other kids already had one, and he was feeling left out. I got him this sprinkle cake at HEB, and we had Cookies Over Texas ice cream, because it isn't a birthday in our fam without it now.

Happy birthday, E! We love you!!

Ethan is still our happiest child, but this last year he has decided he will no longer be the "push-over" child. He used to let his sister and brothers get just about anything they wanted in the name of peace, but he's all done with that. He's more than willingly to put up an argument about just about everything. 

He is also insanely lazy, and if lying will get him out of having to do something - even for a moment - it's worth the consequence when he gets caught. So frustrating! 

In addition to playing soccer, he is also really enjoying pickleball. A man from church has started coaching kids after soccer practice, and he and Collin and Brennan are learning a lot. 

He loves swimming, doing crazy tricks with Dad on the jet ski, tubing, and knee boarding. I'd like to get him on a swim team with Katelyn next summer. He will still try just about any new thing - roller coasters, cliff jumps, water slides, etc. I still have to keep quite a good eye on him, or he's liable to go do something really dumb.

He still loves Minecraft, YouTube, and stuffed animals. He'll still cuddle with me when I ask to, which I love. He's our best sit-still-and-hug kid, by far. He loves Legos and Marvel too. He's getting better at Mario Cart, and he and Brennan enjoy Super Smash Bros. 

He is in Gifted & Talented at school, and he is on-grade level for reading, which is a huge relief after the last couple years. He still has to work at it - unlike math, which comes so easily. 

He and Kate have joined the Kindness Club at school, which meets once per month to do service. I'm proud of them both for reaching outside themselves to give to others. I'm volunteering as a parent too, so it's fun to do it together. 

And that's our buddy Ethan. Happy bday, little one! 

Cruise!

Overview

We took the kids on a cruise for fall break! I have been feeling guilty that Ryan and I get to go and do all the fun things, so we found a good deal and jumped on it. We left out of Galveston, just a 4-hour drive away. We cruised to Costa Maya, Mexico - which is as far south as you can go in Mexico before you're in Belize - where we saw a Mayan ruin and visited a Mayan village. Then we headed to Cozumel, Mexico where we snorkled. We had a great time! 

Wednesday, Oct 5th - Drive to Galveston & Board Grandeur of the Seas

We got stuck in some Houston traffic, but all in all, it was an easy drive. Ethan's nose bashed into Kate's head on the gangplank onto the ship, and he got a pretty nasty bloody nose. 

We unfortunately learned that the pool was freezing and tiny but enjoyed some hot tub and climbing wall instead. 

The kids discovered the soft serve ice cream machine and had their weight's worth each day. 

We had dinner at the nicer restaurant, The Great Gatsby. Then we put grumpy Kate & Ethan to bed at 7pm, and the rest of us watched the sunset and a trivia game show.

Thursday, October 6th - At Sea

We got up early and ran on the top deck's track. After breakfast, we played some ping pong and did more climbing wall. 

(Shockingly, Brennan's 5th grade teacher - who I sub for from time to time - was also on our cruise. This was Thursday morning when she photo-bombed the kids after breakfast.)

Ethan & Kate enjoyed some time in the Adventure Kids area, while the rest of us played Movie Theme Song trivia. After lunch, the boys headed to a movie, and Kate and I napped and read... and of course got some more ice cream. 

We enjoyed a nice dinner again and put Ethan & Katelyn to bed. The big boys and Ryan & I went to "Who Feels Like a Caribbeanaire?" which was super silly and super fun. 

Friday, October 7th - Puerto Costa Maya

We ran on the track and had breakfast again. After some shuffleboard and ping pong, we headed off the ship for our first excursion. It poured rain as we walked the 2 blocks, but the van was waiting for us early, so that was nice. 

We headed to about an hour to the Chacchoben Mayan Ruins. Our tour guide was great! We walked around and saw the whole compound, including 3 pyramids and lots of stairs. It rained a bit and the bugs were kind of bad. 

These ruins are different from Tulum & Chichen Itza because they are about 1,500 years older and the trees/forest wasn't all chopped down when they were excavated, so we were walking in the forest most of the time. There were monkeys swinging in the trees too, which was awesome. 

After Chacchoben, we rode in a van (just our fam) to a Mayan city, where we were given a tour of a traditional garden and lessons in making tortillas and Mayan salsa. 

Kate got to mix the squash seed powder into the salsa too. We also were treated a nice meal under a tiki hit - chicken, rice, black beans, squash & carrots, hibiscus tea, and more tortillas. 

Back on the ship that night, we decided to let Ethan & Katelyn stay up late to see Family Feud, but it was boring, so we headed to the pool area to watch some Jurassic Park before going to bed.

Saturday, October 8th - Cozumel

Early the next morning, we left the ship for our second excursion. We took a cab to Tortugas Beach Resort, and played on the beach until our boat arrived. Even though the beach part was pretty disappointing, the boat and snorkeling part was amazing! 

The kids had never done it before, but they did great. We saw turtles at our first stop. It was raining, but when you are swimming, the rain doesn't really matter. 

At the second stop, we saw lots and lots of HUGE starfish. 

The third stop was a huge area of amazing coral and lots of fish. 

The last stop was a sandbar of the softest, white sand and the clearest teal water I've ever seen! We swam with the stingrays and chased the fish. We ate ceviche, guacamole, chips, and pineapple on a floaty in the water while we played. 

This was the best relaxation we had the whole trip! After getting back to the ship, we got dressed up to attend the Broadway Music Show. 

Sunday, October 9th - At Sea

The water was really rough today, and Katelyn & I were pretty motion-sick, unfortunately. The kids built their egg-drop contraption with Ryan and enjoyed a movie in the theater while I tried to get it together. We played Harry Potter trivia too. During my "fresh air and deep breathing" time, I got to see this fun fruit & vegetable carving demonstration. 

That afternoon was the Egg-Drop Challenge, where their contraption was completely different from everyone else's and easily survived the first round despite not having a parachute. The second round was for accuracy, and ours led the whole time, but one parachuting egg lucked out and landed an inch closer to the target. We took 2nd place and were super disappointed. 

After the egg-drop was the Parade of Nations, where each country of the staff was represented with music and dance. 

After our last dinner, we headed to the concluding show, which was a comedy juggler. Super fun! They also did a farewell from the ship staff. 

Monday, October 10th - Drive home from Galveston

By the time we woke up, we were already back in port. We ate a quick breakfast, exited the ship, and drove home to Boerne. We had a traffic problems in Houston, but all in all, it went very smoothly. 

All in all, we are a bit on the fence about cruising again. The kids LOVED it - all you can eat all the time - but my stomach has still not settled more than a full day later. I always figured it would be hard for me, and unfortunately, I was right. I'm sure we'll go again in a few years, but we probably won't be regulars like some.