Not Quite a Teen, Tula’i is 12

This boy is going to break hearts with his big brown eyes!!! This guy would play Xbox forever if we would let him. He is not quite as tall as I am, yet. He will be there quickly, though. He AMAZES me with his athleticism. He has reflexes like a cat and is very quick! One of the boys in his grade was even talking about him to his own mother on the way to a tennis match. He farts a lot (it usually smells really bad and can clear the room real fast). He loves to give his momma hugs! I love it, most of the time. He loves his sleep & hates sharing a room because Maika’s breathing wakes him up.

The day started off with me teaching step aerobics at the YMCA. Then we had to go to the school orientation for the middle school kids. Afterward, we went and watched “Angry Birds 2.” I got a decent nap and saw the beginning and end. When we came home, they played Xbox for a while. He requested Taco Salad for his dinner and chocolate molten lava cakes. Luckily, this year his birthday was before school started! Poor kid always has his birthday either the first or second day of school. Although, Kalena had school orientation that night as well. We walked through it pretty fast, then left and had  his dessert.

Not once did he complain either about life happening on his birthday. There are just some things you can’t control.

Leonardo DaVinci

I bought a year pass (with someone else in the ward and really not worth the money)  to the Pittsburgh Carnegie Science Center. It is one of those things that doesn't really change. So, if you have been once, you don't need to go again.

The one cool thing they do have is an exhibit that changes throughout the year. Even though you are a member, you pay to get in at a highly discounted rate. The one I wanted to go to was the Leonardo DaVinci exhibit.

While Cliff and I were walking around, reading about his artwork and a few of his inventions the kids were at the interactive stations trying things out. They were at this take flight one for a while. When they were done and I got there, some of them came back and rejoined me and made more paper helicopters.

Another interactive station was drawing/stamping a face, like DaVinci's Mona Lisa. They were all silly and just had fun, knowing that they would not get a good result with any of it. Because let's just face the facts, we are no DaVinci's around here.

Another station was trying to move rings from one peg to another with the biggest one being on the bottom at the beginning and at the end. They tried to have a race with this one and I don't know who had the best time on it. But, Cliff had to really concentrate to get the job done.

Maika putting together a bridge contraption that DaVinci had put together. 

I couldn't believe the inventions that this man came up with: tanks and canons for warfare, flying contraptions, building underground sewage systems, bridges, etc. He journaled all of it-- things that worked, things that didn't work, how he could improve his inventions...AMAZING!!! The one thing that struck me more was that Leonardo did ALL of this so he could support what he really LOVED to do...PAINT! 

Let the Birthdays Begin

I absolutely LOVE these two boys of mine. Maika’s birthday, of course, is first. He chose to go to Top Golf. Did we ever make it? No and he had the best attitude about it! We were going to take him, but before headed to Top Golf, we had to stop and visit a couple who had just given birth the previous day. Their baby ended up in ICU with a collapsed lung. Not all of us could go in, so we decided to sit out in the lobby and wait. The waiting was finally too long, so we left. As we drove out of the parking lot, Adam Hansen called asking where we were. He wanted Cliff to help with a blessing for the baby, Wesley. We dropped Cliff off at some of the doors and drove to some random street to wait to pick him up. By the time we were done at the hospital, it was too late to go to Top Golf. We decided to take him out for lunch of his choice. He wanted Red Robin. We didn’t even have enough time for that, so we ordered take out. Not once did he complain about any of it. He did discover that the Mad Love burger is really yummy (and this is what he orders now).

We went home and let them play Xbox. That is the kids desire very birthday. One day they will realize there is more to life than video games...OR maybe not and it is just a wish of mine.

He requested a raspberry, chocolate, layered cake. As soon as we got home, that is what I had to make, along with dinner (Kalua pork).

Traits of Maika: He is taller than Kalena and myself, putting him around 5’8” tall, his voice is always cracking (he hates it, but is able to laugh about it), he has a hideous mustache and refuses to shave it, he has a soft heart, likes to hang out with his sisters (and brothers, but I am astonished about his sisters), he usually does what he is asked to do without complaint or argument (unless he is tired), he is just a good kid.