Leon's 12th Birthday

Now that Leon is 12 it feels like I have four teenagers in the house.   He isn't technically a teen, but he is in middle school and he is as tall as two of my teens.

Sometimes I think Leon has a split personality because everyone at school says he is very quiet, but at home he is the loudest out of my six kids.  I think at home he is loud because he is always trying to get our attention by being louder than his siblings.  I honestly don't know why he is so quiet when around others.  I don't see it often, but it could from him being unsure of himself.  I have noticed that he is a very technical person and any small discrepancy can trip him up.  He takes everything I saw very literally which makes it hard for him to follow directions.  If my directions are not specific enough or if they contradict a past direction in some way he gets stuck and doesn't know what to do.  He is a very sweet guy, but sometimes it is like we are speaking two different languages.  As he gets older I hope he grows in confidence outside of the home.

Leon is also doing swimming lessons and he learned a ton.  I would say this was his first time really taking lessons and with him being a little older the growth was huge.  

Leon likes to play games, sports, and spy things.  Leon is also now a deacon at church which is pretty cool and means he is old enough to join in the weekly youth activities among other things.

In case you are wondering the big cut is from diving into the pool during his swimming lessons.  He hit the bottom of the pool hard and had a huge bump on his forehead along with the scrape.

We really love Leon and are so happy we get to celebrate birthdays with him.  Happy Birthday Leon!!

Leon's 11

Leon just turned eleven!  He had to go to school on his birthday but we still tried to make the day special.  He asked for toaster strudels for breakfast.  I love that he choose something so easy.  Then after school we did presents and cake and ice cream.  

He wanted a chocolate cake and mint ice cream.  I think I've convinced most of my kids that chocolate cake is the way to go.  For dinner he requested orange chicken.  I didn't take any opening present pictures but the main thing he got was a clarinet.  He has been saying he wants to play it for years and next year he will be able to in school so we went ahead and got him one now.

Leon only wears two different outfits so it was easy to figure out which one he should wear for the pictures, the one that wasn't dirty.  We do laundry everyday and rotates between this black long sleeve t-shirt and a light green one.  He also has a second very similar pair of sweats he wears.  He had tons of clothes but he hates it when I make him wear anything else.  I think it is a comfort thing.  

Leon is a great kid.  This year he is home in the mornings with just me and his two younger siblings so he gets to be the oldest for about an hour and a half.  I think it has been really good for him.  I've seen him playing so well with both Calista and Beatrix.  It is so nice because he is usually the youngest of the older four.

In his spare time Leon likes playing with his remote control airplane, kicking/throwing/hitting balls around the house, and jumping on the trampoline.  

Happy Birthday Leon!

Leon's Birthday

Leon has entered the double digits!  

We loved celebrating his birthday with him.

Leon is a great, kind boy.  He is quiet in school but loud at home.

He is smart and athletic and really doesn't get the credit at home for how great he is.

At home he is usually the "little brother" trying to get his older siblings to play with him.

I am curious to see what he will be like as an adult.

Mochi really wanted to join us for these pictures.

Leon is not the slightest bit interested in pictures or how he looks.  That might not actually be true, he does rotate between two outfits and never wears anything else.  I think it is more of a comfort thing though because his clothing of choice isn't the greatest.  

Leon likes, ping pong, talking in weird voices, and correcting me when I say something that he thinks isn't 100% accurate.

He also likes, reading (Survivors and Seekers series), playing Minecraft, and watching Star Wars Clone Wars.

Leon is one awesome human!

Leon's 9th Birthday

We had a fun low key birthday for Leon.  We actually celebrated over a week early because Bob was going to be out of town for the big day.  So it was pretty much a regular day when Leon went to school.  Then after Bob got home from work we ate pizza for dinner, Leon's choice, opened presents, and ate cake and ice cream.  He wasn't asking for a friends birthday party so I didn't bring it up.

Leon planned out this cake design and I made it.  I forgot who the guys is supposed to be, I think someone from mincraft.  And then he wanted kitkats on top just so he could eat kitkats.  It was hard for him to plan because he doesn't have anything he is really that into.  No shows or sports or anything specific.  He is pretty easygoing and is usually happy to do whatever. 

Happy Birthday Leon!

Leon's Baptism

We are so happy and proud of Leon for choosing to be baptized.  With three older siblings he was looking forward to this day for a long time.

We have Covid restrictions in place we were limited to ten people including ourselves.  Along with the eight of us the bishop and primary president maxed out our attendance.  It was honestly very different feeling not to have the support of family and ward members present.  Everything felt super low key.  Tucker and Penelope did a great job giving talks, and I was excited to be an official witness for the first time.    

We invited family to join over zoom, and I think most people showed up on there.  I don't think they could hear very well, but it was nice to know that they were there to watch and support Leon.  Living in Japan even without Covid we wouldn't have had much family come, but through zoom even more people were able to watch.

Leon was a little nervous, but not too much.  He is a really easy going child.  We don't have a font in our church building so we use the Chapel of Hope, which is the non-denominational base church building.  It is the same place Scarlett and Penelope were baptized at.

  Once we finished we headed home and ate CTR cookies.  

For me it was the easiest baptism to plan and carry out.  I am really happy for Leon.

2nd First day of School

Scarlett and Leon had their first day back to school on Monday.  The've been doing virtual school, but now that our covid numbers are super low the actual school has opened back up full time to students.  I, of course, have mixed feelings about it, but overall things went as well as they could.  

The kids had a ton of stuff to bring back with them on the first day.

Masks are mandatory.  That includes at the bus stop, during the bus ride, and the entire time at school.  The kids also have plastic barriers set up on their desk.  Their desks are spaced out.  The playground is sectioned off, and their one recess is short.  Their lunch times are extra early.  I think in order to reduce the amount of children in the cafeteria some kids are eating even earlier and some even later than what would be considered normal lunch time.  The bus children must arrive 10 minutes earlier and leave ten minutes after everyone else.  There is no sharing.  

Leon likes his teacher, Dr. Maxey.  His best friend from last year is in his class again this year so he is pretty happy.

Scarlett also likes her teacher Mr. Sinski.  He is fun and so far she enjoys her class.  She says that it is easier than virtual school and I'd have to agree.  It is easier for both of us for her not to be doing virtual school.

Things have been much calmer and less stressful at home.  I'm still plenty busy with homeschooling Penelope and Tucker and watching Calista and Beatrix, but now I don't feel like I'm being pulled six different ways all the time.  Virtual school was not a good fit for us.  I hope the schools stay open for the rest of the school year, but that is not guaranteed.  I feel bad for sending Scarlett and Leon to school all day where it almost seems like they are treated like prisoners.  I would not like it at all.  They are on the bus for about two hours a day, even though we live 15 minutes away.  They are doing fine though and so I think it is the best we can do this year.

Leon's 6-Year-Old Video

It was a fun year for a six-year-old! 

Leon Birthday Photography

 We managed to take a few nice photos around the house for Leon's 7th Birthday.

He is so happy and smiley it was a breeze.

I like to tell the kids not to smile while taking pictures.  It usually results in the most real smiling.  But this time Leon actually pulled off not smiling when I asked him to.  I'm not complaining.  He is so handsome.

 Seriously, what a cute little guy.

I don't know why I never thought of using our storm shutters for window backdrops before.   I think this black background is my new favorite.

At this point Leon was getting a little bored of taking pictures.

 But he really couldn't resist smiling for long.

 We were probably only doing this for about ten minutes.

Happy Birthday Leon!