New Year's and Tyler's birthday

We have always spent as much time as we can over winter break up at our cabin.  The problem was that, this year, we didn't have a way to get up there as a family.  Our Argo isn't working right now, and Christopher needed to get up there and fix the snowmobile, but we either didn't have time or he took his turn with the awful cold/flu bug that was going around.  He finally got well enough to head up just before New Years and fix it, coming back down to get the rest of us.

Thankfully, his brother decided to rent two snowmobiles this year.  That helped out a lot, and made the whole weekend a lot more fun.

The Chinese lantern flew a little better this year, but there was still too much wind.

Our midnight festivities were a bit early, this year.  We had a blast playing minute-to-win-it games, and then by 10:30, everyone was either asleep or really, really tired.  We made our own fake midnight and called it good.  I just love that Tyler laid down to talk to this tired doggie, and got too tired himself to get up again.

The next day we went sledding and sledding and snowmobiling and more sledding.  Kaitlyn and her cousin made about a dozen trips down the one mile road to get picked up and carted back up.  Christopher went with his brother on the rented snowmobiles exploring (and getting stuck a few times).

And we even played some games, too.

We had perfectly packed down snow for the whole time our guests were there, and then it snowed a lot more the night before we left.  They kids weren't really able to sled down to our car like they were hoping, since it was too much powder, but we had a great walk down anyway.

Unfortunately, I was starting to get sick myself by that time.  Everyone else had been sick the week before, and we were all amazingly well over the weekend, but I came back ready to crash.  The worst part was that it meant I wasn't up to much for a Tyler birthday party.  We talked to him a few times about if he wanted a friend party or a cousin party or a Classic Skating party or a party at home, and he mostly just agreed with everything we said.  I tried to ask which specific friends we should invite, and he would list one or two from different groups entirely and trail off.  As sick as I was, I just didn't push it.

So this year, Tyler only got a party with us at home.  He never complains.

I was so tired that I didn't even read the instructions right for the frosting.  It was only enough to almost cover the cake.  I just turned it around for the picture so you can't see the bare side . . .

I love that goofy kid.

Birthday snapshot:

*His classroom at school has two lizards for pets.  He talks about them constantly now, or at least interjects the word "lizard" into all kinds of conversations where that word usually didn't go.  I wonder what he talks about at school when he can actually see the lizards.

*He lost 4 teeth in the month after his birthday.  Keeping the tooth fairy busy!

*His handwriting is getting almost kinda legible!  I'm so proud.  I know it is really, really difficult for him.  I watched him read a spotlight form for church the other day, and write out the answers himself.  For him, that is huge.

*We read for 15 or 20 minutes in the car every morning.  He loves Fly Guy books, and books about Star Wars or Ninjago or Lego Movie.

*If I don't push him off, he will spend all day, every day on the computer playing Minecraft or Cool Math Games, or on his Kindle.  As soon as we put him in bed, however, he usually gets up and plays Legos until he gets tired enough to lay down in bed (with his light still on).

*He is the most kind and considerate person.  When I compliment him, he tells me "thanks for saying that!"  He loves to help when he can, and is just happy and kind to everyone.  Except Jasmine.  He is still sure she is the enemy.

*One day, Daddy was teasing him by pretending to not understand something.  Then Tyler unleashed his newest insult: "you not-knower!"  We love using that one whenever we can now.

I love my Tyler-dude!