Happy birthday Zev!

I can't believe that I have a 12 year old!  

Over the weekend Zev and I went on our solo trip to Six Flags.

We had lots of fun. Zev loved picking all the rides. 

For his birthday, Zev asked all of his grandparents and his parents to get him a laptop.  Ari found a friend selling a two year old MacBook, so Zev got really lucky. 

He got this fun ball from the Richardson family.  

He finally got a new mug to replace his kindergarten gingerbread man mug. It looks black, but when it is heated, it changes to a galaxy.  

Zev had school all day, but he got to come home for the afternoon to play with his new ball and set up his computer. 

I made him, of course, take his obligatory birthday photos out front. 

He is definitely starting to look older and more mature.  

He requested steak and buttery shrimp pasta as a side dish. For dessert, he wanted a banana split like last year.  Yum. 

He said it was a great day. The only part he didn't love is that I wouldn't let him have endless YouTube time.  He has a busy season coming up with his school standardized tests, field day, and sixth grade graduation! 

 

Zev's Birthday Interview

Here is Zev;s birthday interview!  He answered all the questions in line for rides at Six Flags this year.  I love asking these questions every year to see what is the same and what has changed. 

1. What is your favorite color? Black and neon greenish/neon blueish 

2. What is your favorite toy? The Nintendo Switch 

3. What is your favorite fruit? Kiwis, oranges, peaches, plums, or cherries 

4. What is your favorite TV show? Zoids 

5. What is your favorite movie? I don’t have a favorite movie. 

6. What is your favorite clothing? Black and navy dri-fit 

7. What is your favorite game? Minecraft or Animal Crossing for video games... Dragonwood for board games 

8. What is your favorite animal? Zebra or dragon 

9. What is your favorite song? Hey Jude, Blackbird, Thriller, Shed a Little Light, or maybe some others 

10. What is your favorite book? Keepers of the Lost Cities, Harry Potter or Ready Player One

11. Who is your best friend? Hill

12. What is your favorite breakfast food? Waffles or donuts

13. What is your favorite snack? Pita crackers 

14. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Snack plate 

15. What is your favorite thing to eat for dessert? Banana split 

16. What is your favorite drink? Sprite or root beer 

17. What food do you not like? Brussel sprouts, squash, and eggplant 

18. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Steak, butter noodles and shrimp

19. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Bike with Hill

20. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas and Hanukkah 

21. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? My Harry Potter blanket 

22. What do you want to be when you grow up? rocket scientist, astronaut, scientist, mechanic, chemist, inventor, or video game designer...

23.  Who are you going to marry when you grow up? I don’t know. 

24. Where is your favorite place to go around town? Six Flags 

25. What is your favorite thing to learn about in school? Science 

26. What is a time you were brave this year?  Behaving while Tahl was in huge trouble in the same room as me

27. What is a time you were kind this year? When I watched Tahl play the switch to make him happy. 

28. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? Skiing somewhere 

29. If you could have any wish, what would it be? Infinite wishes or WiFi everywhere with zero lag

30. What are you most looking forward to about being 12? Sleep away camp 

May fun

In between all our MANY May birthdays, we have some regular pictures too!

We have been so excited that we can now go INSIDE the library again! 

This is a picture I took of Zev celebrating that he does NOT need braces! 

Here is a picture of Tahl. He and Zev have been having lots of fun shooting in our back driveway. 

This is what Maya does every time I try to do her hair. Pretty smart. 

Fun at the park

We got to have a play date with Rebecca, Gabe, Guy, Eric, and Harper.  The kids had so much fun together. 

Just a little picture of the first (freezing) swim in our new pool. 

On Mother's Day we had an incident where we thought Maya's arm might be broken.  Luckily it wasn't, but we canceled our big plans.  Instead we just went to play in a creek near our house. 

On May 14th, my mom and Craig got married!  We are so happy for them to have found each other. 

They had a sweet little ceremony with the justice of the peace. Then we had cake to celebrate at their house. 

They sent the left over cake and sparking grape juice home with me for the kids to celebrate them! (We couldn't have the kids at the ceremony because of Covid.). 

 

Maya's birthday!

This girl is three!  She got up bright and early to have a three shaped donut. 

She was so excited, but she didn't even finish it. Breakfast is not her biggest meal. 

Then it was time for presents!

Maya got down to business with her new Raya sword. 

After a bath (no pictures allowed) with her new tub toys from pops and Gram, we went to the aquarium and out to lunch with Mimi. 

Maya is scared of the dark, so there were parts of the aquarium she really wanted to rush through. 

She took lots of time showing this little turtle to sea turtles though. 

We also loved how they use lights to make it look like the jellyfish are changing colors. 

Peek-a-boo!

Maya's favorite part, as always, is the hands on touch tank.  There were less things in there than usual, but Maya loved touching the starfish and the anemone. 

When we were talking to the woman at the touch tank, we told her it was Maya's birthday.  She set up a free back stage tour for us! We got to see this shark that was rescued from someone's POOL! 

Maya really wanted to hold this blue tongued skink, but at least the keeper let her pet it. 

After a nice Mexican food feast, Maya passed out on the way home. 

She never went back to sleep, but that meant that she got to help me frost her homemade cupcakes.  All she requested for her birthday was purple cupcakes with sprinkles. I thought I did okay for my first homemake frosting and first time piping. 

In the afternoon I got Maya to try on part of her Raya costume for just a little while. 

After that I found her doing squats in my room. She loves to copy my exercises. 

We went outside to play, but we stopped for a picture in front of our birthday wreath.  Her dressed matched perfectly. 

She might be the cutest little trouble maker I've ever seen. 

After that she left for a bike race with Isaac.  They were pretending that she was UmiCar, and he was Dump Truck.  He didn't let her win like in the TV show though. 

She got off her tricycle to dance to the wind chimes. 

While Ari and I made her birthday dinner, she fell asleep after all the excitement. 

I woke her up because Aunt Madi got to our house just in time for Maya big birthday dinner!  Maya requested steak, mushrooms, Brussel sprouts, and sweet potatoes.  I actually listed vegetable choices for her, and she said "Yes, please, all of them." I added in some bread for the boys (and me...) 

This is her face of joy upon receiving seconds of Brussel sprouts! 

And back to her serious eating face.  This face has brought me a lot of joy over the past three years. 

And last, but not least, she got to eat her purple sprinkle cupcakes!  She continued her trend of LOVING when we sing her happy birthday.  After all of my hard work, she didn't even finish her cupcake because she was too stuffed with veggies.  I guess that is a good problem to have. 

 Maya is fun and happy and full of hugs.  She is (sometimes) a handful especially now that she has realized she can say no or just do what she wants no matter what we say.  We are working on this, and I think it will help lots that she will finally get to go to school this year.