Matthew Turns Seven!

 My sweet Matthew is seven!? My, how time flies!! We had such a wonderful time celebrating our littlest brother. 

This was the first birthday in our new home! I was so grateful Cate stayed up and decorated with me!

Everyone got peach gummies and a giant lollipop, and gold Pokémon cards. Matthew also got snake gummies.

He wanted a dragon ninjago cake. Johnny assembled the ninjago pieces for us, and Cate decorated the dragon with them.

It got a little morbid.

Yay! Presents!!

He was a pretty happy boy the next morning!

For breakfast he wanted cinnamon rolls and chocolate milk. 

He was so excited he didn’t eat the cinnamon rolls! Ha ha!

He asked me to read him books halfway during the day, and he fell asleep- talk about MY highlight! 😍

He woke up and cuddled with his dad. Matthew is the master cuddler at our house!

Next we went bowling and to the arcade. He loves the ninja turtle game!

The cutest bowler I ever did see!

For lunch we had mashed potatoes and gravy.

Fro dinner we had pizza (his favorite) and root beer.

I think Matthew’s favorite part of his birthdays is having all the attention on him. He is usually the spectator and cheerleader for everyone else. He milked it for sure. His siblings got together and got him a Pokémon set. For the first time, HE was the one everyone wanted to trade with- what a perfect gift!

He also got a nerf gun which of course led to an epic nerf gun battle. My parents got him remote control bumper cars which were also a hit. 

Matthew- what a joy you are to our family! You emanate love and warmth. Your cuddles are the best. I love how at school when your classmates were asked something you were good at, they said you were good at forgiving others. You 100% are a rockstar at that. You live to be a part of whatever is happening. You make us laugh with you quick with and silliness. I love reading books with you, and it makes me so happy that every day you bring me a stack. You are a loyal friend and a loving son. We are blessed that God gave us such a positive force in our home!

The Last Couple Days of School

These pictures are out of order, but I wanted to document some moments from our last couple days of school!

For breakfast on the last day, the kids ate snails, haha! “Snailed it!” This is a clever idea I stole from Instagram.

Here they are all dressed for the last day! Cate is wearing her school’s sparrow shirt for the assembly (she isn’t quite dressed yet by the time the boys leave.)

On the last Wednesday of school, I took the boys to Red Robin for bottomless floats and fries.

On the last day of school we have a school bus cake. Everyone loves the tradition, but no one eats the cake, so I tried a giant cookie this year!

The last week of school is a giant picnic at the elementary school. Here is William with his friends.

The boys excited for their last day! I love this drive every morning. The sun is rising over the mountains gets me every time!

One of my favorite traditions is our “Be the Light Awards.” We talk about our family theme for the year a every child gets recognized for actions and mindset that really added light to the world, and where we saw growth. I am always filled with gratitude as we do this. All the kids are so happy for their siblings. The award winner has to give a speech about their award and it can a full spectrum of silly to quite touching. This year I had a stack of golden Pokémon cards, so every person got to choose a card after their speech—it was pretty cute watching them get so excited.

Cate got the “Lift Where you Stand” award, as well as the “Busy, Busy Bee.” This year was extremely stretching and she was exhausted after all her positive activities she’s involved in, but I was grateful she made time for valuable things by prioritizing family, church and her person relationship with Christ as she navigated middle school life. Also, so many times this year her teachers would write home and let me know different ways she’d elevate the people around her with kindness and awareness of others. I love that about her. She has such a steady confidence in what matter most.

Care all dressed for her last day of school.

The boys excited for their last day.

William really became accountable for his own school work this year, he also started owning up to his choices and emotions in a more mature way- he got the “Responsibility Boy” award. He was also recognized for being the baby-more master (long story), his sense of humor cracked us all up this year!

Matthew got “Mr. Cheerful” for self explanatory reasons—it is very fitting. He chooses to forgive, to look on the bright side, to be excited for whatever is happening. He also got “The Art Master” award because of his growth in art and drawing. Fine motor focus is not something he loves and starting kinder couldn’t even draw people. I loved seeing his art when he came home every day and probably have a box of Matthew’s kinder work, alone.

Our fireplace for the awards.

On the second to last day, they took flowers from our yard to teachers.

And back to awards…upside down, ha! Johnny was awarded the “Peacemaker” award. He is so good at standing up for the underdog in a way that builds friendships with everyone involved. He really cares about individuals and it shows when he helps others resolve conflict. This year Johnny rose to the occasion of being the oldest Brassell at school. It was so neat to watch his confidence grow. He has quite the sense of humor! He was a compassionate leader and stayed very aware of others which I think takes a lot of focus!

Cate on her last day again! Ha ha.

And boys on THEIR last day again. Being silly, or cool. Ha ha

Cate walking to school after I dropped her off.

Johnny and I picking up Cate from her last day.

On the last day of school we packed up the van took the kids camping out to the Oregon Caves with the Rices. What a great kick off to summer!!