Wesley turns 12!!!

Wesley brings so much joy to my life.  There is never a dull moment when Wesley is around.  He marches to the beat of his own drum, and my life is better because he is in it.  He thinks outside the box, and does things other kids would never do.  He is funny, and unique.  He is wild and excited about life.  He is brilliant and goofy, and goodness I love him!  From the time he was born, he always did things the hard way.  He came early and had to spend a month in the NICU, and then was on oxygen for another month after that.  He was slightly delayed in the gross motor and fine motor areas, but extremely advanced intellectually.  He was TALKING in sentences around 18 months and already knew his alphabet. He was reading small words at three.  He could tell people about rocks and the earth and photosynthesis by four.  He was board in school, and sometimes teachers didn't appreciate his intellect, and would scold him for getting up, or not paying attention.  If I could go back in time and homeschool him for the first few years of elementary like I was able to do with Blake, I would in a heart beat.  Alas, we cannot go back in time, but I sure admire Wesley's strength and determination to keep going even when things got tough! Wesley loves reading and learns about all sorts of random facts that he eagerly shares with me.  I wish I could remember them all! He and I are very similar in many aspects.  I think he gets his ADHD from me, and we can butt heads at times.  However, I hope he knows how fiercely I am proud of him.  How amazed I am at his beautiful, strong, perseverant soul. He says the funniest things that always make me laugh.  He asks me how I'm doing every day I pick him up from school, and that means so much to me.  He waits for me to sit down to dinner before he eats, and has really deep conversations (when he wants to come out of his room to talk). He hates wearing jackets, and prefers shorts even in the snow.  He knows exactly what he wants, and doesn't like when life deviates from that path.  He is going to do amazing things in this world.  His strength, determination, and stubbornness will change the world.  I love you Wesley.  I'm so thankful you were brought into my life.  What an amazing human you are! 

He wanted a luau themed birthday, and chose to go to nickel mania for his birthday celebration.  One of my favorite parts of homeschooling was being able to go to public venues during the day while most other kids were at school.  We had the entire arcade to ourselves! He wanted a homemade apple pie in leu of cake! I was a bit nervous to attempt a homemade pie, but Wesley helped, and I think it turned out beautifully! 

In the spring, the weather can be warm and sunny, or cold and snowy, and change within hours.  We took advantage of the warming weather and went on a lot of fun field trips. Homeschool adventures took us on a snowshoe guided field trip up Big Cottonwood canyon, bike rides along the Jordon River trail, zoo fun, and backyard playtime.  During this time, the covid vaccine also came out.  I remember how excited I was to receive it, even though it was very controversial.  I eagerly signed up online as soon as a could.  Luckily, I found an open time slot at a local movie theater (yes - movie theater!). Many public attractions were still closed, even a year after the covid pandemic started.  The theater was converted into a covid vaccine clinic.  I found it amusing that I got to wait in a theater for fifteen minutes to make sure I didn't have any adverse reactions.  

We also made leprechaun traps, and Blake was lucky enough to catch a "Leprechaun!" 

Its important to me that my kids know how stinking loved they are.  We don't have family in Utah to come over and celebrate birthdays like I had growing up (even if it was just my grandma for most of my life, I felt so special when she came over to celebrate my birthday!). I always decorate for each boy (if they want). They get to pick the theme, and I make sure to have a fun celebration even if we don't host a large party.  

Each year, I let my boys pick a fun place to celebrate their birthday at.  This year, Wesley wanted to go to nickel mania with his brothers.  

Our Leprechaun traps (first picture), and the mess the leprechaun made (second picture): 

Blake caught a Leprechaun in his trap!!  

What a weird time to be alive and have the opportunity to get vaccinated in a move theater!  Some people had bad reactions, so the white tents were set up as an emergency station if someone had an anaphylactic reaction.  

We went on the BEST field trips while in homeschool.  Even though we were very cautious due to covid, we wore our masks and still got out!  Even two years later, Blake still comments on all the fun adventures we had during homeschool.  These are the memories I will cherish forever.  

When ever we started a new science unit, I alway tried to make it special.  When we started our anthropoid unit, the boys woke up to bug catchers under their assignment board.  We went on some fun adventures during this unit! Also, warming temperatures always means more outdoor play! 

One day we hopped on our bikes and went for a ride along the Jordan River trail.  Everything was still brown from winter, but the sun felt glorious.  My sweet Wesley the water lover, even went in the frigid river to look for treasures.  Note his brothers watching from the sidelines.  This is our life every time we encounter water - Wesley goes in no matter how cold the water, while Chase and Blake watch on the dry shore! 

Freddie's date with my handsome boy! 

Even though the zoo isn't our favorite place to visit, sometimes we get a good deal that we can't pass up.  

I even treated the boys to expensive zoo pizza, and we enjoyed our sunny picnic at the zoo!