Nathanael celebrated his 16th birthday. Yes, I know. I am not old enough to have a child that age-but nevertheless it is true. Lindsay had a soccer game in Salt Lake and so we all went as a family to her game but then went to eat dinner at a restaurant called "Sette Bello". It is an authentic Italian pizzaria. The pizza is thin and light and oh so delicious! We had gone years ago and Nat wanted to have his birthday dinner there because he remembered how much he liked the food. It was in Salt Lake not too far from Lindsay's game. At the restaurant, we gave Nat his birthday gifts. First, we gave him a pink Juventus jersey as a joke. However, the joke was on us as Nathanael loved it and wore it to school the next day. Nat is usually so conservative that Travis and I were shocked that he genuinely liked the pink jersey. Juventus is an Italian soccer team that Nat has loved since he was little. They have another jersey that is black and white striped which reminded him of his favorite animal-the zebra. They also used to have a player in their club from the Czech Republic-Nedved. Ever since he went to an Olympic hockey game when he was five, he has liked anything from that part of Europe. The next gift was a nice watch that is gold tinted because it was his "golden" birthday. We told him that he could wear his watch to church, formal dances, and other occasions that require some dressing up. His last gift was a cell phone. Yes, he is now 16 and we feel it is good for him to now have his own phone. Nathanael seemed genuinely pleased and grateful for his gifts. The Friday following his birthday, all his friends came over for a late night. They played basketball and other games. Everyone seemed to have a good time. Then on Sunday, Nathanael was ordained a priest and also received his Duty to God Award for a Teacher. It was a tender moment for me to see my oldest son be ordained a priest and I am grateful that Travis is worthy to confer that office upon him. Although Nathanael had a good birthday, he is somewhat disappointed to not have his drivers license-which I understand. He is so busy these days playing soccer! He seems to be doing pretty well at being a goalkeeper (something I would never want to do). Yes, I need to do better at helping him get his license.
Lindsay has been busy playing on her new soccer team, running track, and being in the school musical. It was so fun to watch her this week in "Willy Wonka". She gets to be in a featured dance group at the very beginning and then a cook in the next part of the show. Finally, she is an Oompa Loompa. She is so cute and it has been very enjoyable to see her have this experience.
Ethan has also been busy playing soccer and also participated in a production called "The Hope of America". He got to perform with several other schools at the Marriot Center at BYU. He seemed to enjoy performing and participating. Ethan also participated in a talent show in his class at school. His friend played the piano while he sang. The song they performed is a popular song and the accompianment does not play the melody. Ethan sang right on key and the kids all cheered quite loudly when the boys finished. They worked really hard on it and they did a great job! I am grateful that he is brave enough to sing in front of his peers. I hope he continues to enjoy music.
Clarissa started her soccer season and the day before Easter, she got to play the entire game because a lot of her teammates were gone. She really got into the game and scored a goal! Clarissa's class also did animal reports this last month and then the teacher bound them all and gave each child a copy. Clarissa chose to do her report on the giraffe. I love her writing style. She states a fact about the giraffe and then it is followed by a cute little comment and her personality just shines through!
Zachary is learning and growing each day. He loves to go, go, go! Because all the other kids have a "soccer ball shirt", he wants one too. Just wait Zachary-your turn will come! Zachary loves to have two breakfasts and a big snack at 11:00 a.m. He must be a Hobbit! He is at a really fun age but also a difficult age. He is starting to really assert his independence-which is sometimes embarrassing when he is yelling at me in the grocery store that I don't like him because I won't let him get whatever he wants! It has been a while since I have dealt with a 2-year old- I am a little rusty. Hopefully, I will get through this year without going crazy!
This month has been busy and good -mostly good that it's just about over! Easter was lovely and I enjoyed the traditions that we have as a family but I also tried to really ponder why we celebrate this important holiday. Then we had spring break where we are still in the process of converting one of the bedrooms to an office. The project took longer than expected and I am hoping to finish this week. We did try to do some fun stuff as well like going to the zoo. However, somehow Zac had eaten a peanut and had an allergic reaction at the zoo. Instead of it being a fun experience, it was a little scary. On the way home, we got him some Benadryl and he threw up all over his car seat and the van. Oh the joys of parenting! The next day, Zachary was well again. Finally, with Nat's birthday and soccer, and dance, and musical-it just made life a little nuts - but very interesting! Whew! I almost can't wait for school to be over and the summer to begin!
My "moment of joy" came today as we were leaving church. Ethan asked Zac who came to nursery today (meaning some of Zac's little friends) and Zachary answered, "Jesus".
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