Dear Kate

Dear Kate,
I love you! You finally, finally had your birthday!  You've been waiting all year for that wonderful day.  In your opinion, birthdays are the absolute very best day.  I can hardly believe that you are five, and yet I can hardly believe you've only been in my life for 5 years.
Kate, you are such a beautiful girl.  Someone once said that the happiest girls are the prettiest.  That must be why I see so much beauty when I look at you.  You are one incredibly happy little girl.  The simplest and smallest things will make your whole face light up in a smile so big your face can hardly hold it.  You love life.  You appreciate it.  You enjoy it.
Usually in the morning, you will come in with a big smile and get so excited to snuggle into my bed.  You always say you love me with that same big smile.  You love to sit on my lap.  You like to play this silly game where we lay down and pretend to sleep, and I snore like crazy and make it so you can't sleep.  Your current love is My Little Pony.  That was the theme of your party this year, and you came away from it stocked with more ponies than you might know what to do with.  Good thing you have lots of sisters to share in the fun.  You and Macy share a room right now, and as soon as Macy wakes up, she gets you to go play with her.
You are a little social butterfly.  Everywhere we go, you'll ask, "Can I make friends?"  Whenever I say yes, you get that big grin on your face and head off to find the nearest friend.  You are always wanting to go to other people's houses to play.  You love to go to Owen's house and say that you're in love with him.  When I ask what that means, you tell me it means you're going to marry him.  There is a little competition though, because Carter is nice and has fruit snacks.
Fruit snacks! You have some kind of weird obsession with them!  I've never been a fan of them and don't generally buy them, but I might need to start.  Your favorite people (Grandma Robin, Grandma Mary, Ashlee, etc...), they all have one thing in common.  They give you fruit snacks!  Your other obsession is frosting.  You're not picky about what's underneath it because you generally don't eat anything but the frosting.  Think donuts, cake, cookies, cupcakes, oreos, etc.  While I'm talking about food, I should probably mention that you could eat chicken nuggets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  At first, I resisted when you requested nuggets (with ranch dressing) for breakfast, but I eventually caved to that sweet little face.
One thing that everyone knows about you is how much you love parties.  I'm pretty sure you ask me everyday if we can have a party.  It doesn't really matter what for, as long as there is a party.  You love to decorate for them.  You can blow up balloons all by yourself, and you got quite creative last time with the streamers, threading them through the stair balusters.  You love to bake things, especially if they have frosting.  I try to let you have as many parties as possible.  How could I not when you get such enjoyment from them?
You are working hard at your reading.  Sometimes I think you've got some form of dyslexia going on.  We've had to work really hard to get you to sound words out from left to right instead of backwards.  You also will write your name and other things completely backwards (flipped letters).  What I find interesting is that Avery did the same thing, and you both are quite creative and see the world and things in it in ways I don't.  Maybe those two things go hand in hand.  I am so impressed with how hard you've worked and how many words you've learned.  You are doing so good sounding out words that you don't know.  You are much more interested in the pictures though and spend lots of time looking at all the details.  You notice things in books, and just in general, that other people miss.
Maybe because of that, your art seems quite good to me.  I might be biased since I'm your mom, but the amount of detail in your drawings is impressive.  You draw a lot of gowns and say that you want to be a fashion designer when you grow up.
You are so loved, Kate.  You are a little ray of sunshine in our house and in my heart.  We are all constantly commenting on how cute you are.  Dad wishes he could record you all day long because you say the cutest things and are so imaginative.  I've loved watching you with Hadley, hearing how sweetly you talk to her.  I love that every night when I put you to bed, you have to give me two hugs and two kisses, one on each cheek.  You love your cowboy boots, your green blanket, and wearing winter hats.  I love you sweet Miss Kate!
Love, Mom

Macy's Kindergarten Graduation

Carston's 10th Birthday Party

 I am so lucky to have Carston for a son.  I love this amazing boy!  He wanted a Star Wars party this year.  He helped make lightsabers for all his buddies (there are quite a lot of them :).  They all had a blast attacking each other out in the dirt-filled backyard.

 We were crazy and took all these boys down for some laser tagging.  They absolutely loved it! 

 We hurried back for cake and presents! 

We love you Carston!  You are so kind and sweet.  I love that you tell me you love me multiple times a day.  I hope that never stops.  I love the way you take care of your sisters and try and help them work things out.  I love how grateful you are.  You inspire me with your prayers each night as you truly express thankfulness for just about everything in your life.  That carries over in how you treat other people.  You are always saying thank you and showing appreciation for the things people do for you.  Being grateful truly brings happiness.  I love your sense of humor and your desire to enjoy life and help others enjoy it as well.  I love the independence you are developing; you take charge in getting your school and practicing done all on your own.  I love your sportsmanship and the effort you put into improving yourself.  I love that you enjoy so many different things.  Whatever we're doing, you find a way to enjoy it and have fun.  I love you, and I'm so grateful that you came into my life and made me a mom 10 years ago!  Every day since has been a blessing.

 John discovered that Hadley liked Pinterest more than Drudge Report

 We are all enamored with this sweet babe

 Can you blame us?

 Carston's 4th Grade Utah Program

 Still earning badges and all scouting paraphernalia

 Each 2nd grade had a class talent show, and then three people were chosen for the combined 2nd grade talent show.  Avery was chosen for her piano piece.  She was so incredibly nervous.  She was adamant that she was not going to do it.  We had a little talk about what happens if we let our fears win-they grow stronger.  I told her it was her choice.  Her turn came, and they had to skip her because she just couldn't make herself go up.  Her teacher said to let her know if Avery changed her mind and they could have her go at the end.  This sweet girl faced her fears.  She said she would do it if I went and stood by the piano.  She played her song just beautifully.  I was so pleased with her for not letting her fears win even though it was excruciating for her to get up there.  Sometimes, we just need people to stand by us as we face our challenges.  Knowing we are not alone is a powerful thing.  I'm so proud of you Avery!  Her sweet Aunt Ashlee was there and brought over a Merida doll from the movie Brave so she could always remember how brave she is.

 Macy and Kate's soccer team.  Kate is there to socialize and Macy is there to score!

 Siblings are the best

 I can't believe all these beautiful children belong to me!  I'm a lucky woman.

Dance Recital May 2013

 

Baseball and Hiking

 Carston takes after his dad; he likes to play every sport!  This summer was filled with lots of baseball.

 The girls weren't always thrilled to go to another game, but they made the best of it.

 This kid loves his baby sister.

 Taking pictures seems to be a great way to pass the time.

 

Carston also likes hiking.  That gets hard with a new baby and sisters who don't have as much stamina.  Luckily, Uncle Dustin frequently comes to the rescue and takes him out hiking.  He was pretty excited to use his camel pack :)

They even saw a moose!

Avery's Spa

 Avery decided to have a spa.  She made her own fliers and took them to all of her friends.

 There was makeup.

 Nails to be painted

 A waiting area with activities

 She was so lucky to have so many great friends come to her Spa

 Everyone left looking beautiful

And Little Miss Avery was excited about the money she earned!

It always gets to me when someone goes out of their way and intentionally tries to lift other people higher.  Especially when the person being lifted is myself or one of my children.

I had to teach the lesson in Relief Society a couple weeks ago.  I don't know very many of the women in there, and sometimes I'm nervous.  I'm not nervous about the actual teaching part, but I worry that I will unintentionally hurt someone's feelings, or prick a tender part of the heart.  That worry is heightened right now because I don't know a lot of the women.  I don't know their struggles, their histories, or their pains.  Anyway, the day after I taught, I received an email from a woman in the ward that I don't even know.  She went out of her way to find my email address online and send me a message telling me I did a good job.  That was sweet.

And then today, someone else went out of their way to lift up one of my kids.  Carston had the opportunity to try out for a competitive soccer team and play with his cousin.  He made it, but he got into it a couple months later than all the other players.  A lot of the players played on the team last year, and I think all of them have played at the competitive level except for Carston.  That has been a little hard on Carston's confidence.  I think he has worried that he isn't as good as the other players.  Today at his game, his coach went out of his way to come talk to me.  He told me how impressed he was with Carston's progress, that he had surpassed his expectations of how much he would improve with the training.  He said he was one of the top three players when he was on and focused, that he just needed to build up his confidence.  He said he was the only player who could stop the superstar of the team in practice.  I was able to tell Carston all of that and it was exactly what he needed to hear.  You know, his coach could have thought those things and just kept it to himself, but he was thoughtful enough to know that it would lift Carston up if he heard them.

That is how I want to be.  That is how I want my kids to be.  It can be so easy to be wrapped up in our own lives, our own problems, that we fail to look around and notice the simple ways that we can lift others.  I am grateful for these reminders and hope that I can be better.

Easter 2013

For some odd reason, we decided to take these pictures with the crazies who live next door.

  Resurrection Eggs

Games with Grandma Robin

 

Grandpa Danny