Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes
2 months ago
Monday, September 15, 2014
Skipping some time....
I'm going to skip a significant amount of time on this family blog. I tried making a photo book, and there is no time for me to replicate what I already did. I'm still trying to figure out my preferred method of record keeping for my family....We will see if things change :)
Dear Macy
Dear Macy,
I love you. Every year you are growing and changing and developing yourself. I like to see the person you are becoming. I like to see you fight to overcome obstacles. You are always so determined to accomplish the things you want to do. Sometimes, you get frustrated because you can't do everything "perfect" on the first try. You are getting better though at being patient with yourself. That's a good thing. Everyone needs to be patient with themselves. I still have to work on that sometimes. I want to be perfect at everything, but I'm learning to let that go and just do my best. The other day, you wistfully said to me, "Mom, what if I was perfect at EVERYTHING...." One day, Macy. But not for a very, very very long time.
Right now, you are working on piano and gymnastics. You have so many things that you want to do, but those are what we've narrowed them down to. You like to push yourself in both of those. You find great satisfaction in learning and mastering new skills.
You are doing great with school this year. You are showing much more independence just since last year. You know that you have to complete your assignments, and I don't think there have been any times where you've thrown a fit and tried to get out of it. You love to read. You like music. I love singing with you. You seem to be getting along great with the kids at school.
You have lots of friends you like to play with: Ella, Indie, Quincy, Annie, Ellie, Carlie....you love playing with people. Some of these girls are new to our area this year, and I've been pleased with the way that you've taken them under your wing and made them feel comfortable.
You are such a big help with Hadley. You love taking care of her. I greatly appreciate your help. The first time that Carston was babysitting, guess who changed Hadley's poopy diaper? Not Carston! You did! And you did a good job.
I love you, Macy. I'm so happy that you are a member of our family.
Love, Mom
I love you. Every year you are growing and changing and developing yourself. I like to see the person you are becoming. I like to see you fight to overcome obstacles. You are always so determined to accomplish the things you want to do. Sometimes, you get frustrated because you can't do everything "perfect" on the first try. You are getting better though at being patient with yourself. That's a good thing. Everyone needs to be patient with themselves. I still have to work on that sometimes. I want to be perfect at everything, but I'm learning to let that go and just do my best. The other day, you wistfully said to me, "Mom, what if I was perfect at EVERYTHING...." One day, Macy. But not for a very, very very long time.
Right now, you are working on piano and gymnastics. You have so many things that you want to do, but those are what we've narrowed them down to. You like to push yourself in both of those. You find great satisfaction in learning and mastering new skills.
You are doing great with school this year. You are showing much more independence just since last year. You know that you have to complete your assignments, and I don't think there have been any times where you've thrown a fit and tried to get out of it. You love to read. You like music. I love singing with you. You seem to be getting along great with the kids at school.
You have lots of friends you like to play with: Ella, Indie, Quincy, Annie, Ellie, Carlie....you love playing with people. Some of these girls are new to our area this year, and I've been pleased with the way that you've taken them under your wing and made them feel comfortable.
You are such a big help with Hadley. You love taking care of her. I greatly appreciate your help. The first time that Carston was babysitting, guess who changed Hadley's poopy diaper? Not Carston! You did! And you did a good job.
I love you, Macy. I'm so happy that you are a member of our family.
Love, Mom
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Dear Avery
Dear Avery,
Right now you are 9 and we are just finishing up our first month of school. I love you so much Avery. You are a light in the world. You are positive and encouraging. You are incredibly creative. You are always coming up with fun, creative, and elaborate things to play. Your sisters greatly benefit from your imagination, and I know that it has inspired their own. You are a great sister. I truly appreciate the way that you look out for your sisters and seek to help them. You are definitely a peacemaker and try to make our family run smoothly.
I have been very impressed with how well you have been working in school. You are independent, you stay focused, and you work hard. I don't have to remind you to be doing your work. That is a big help for me. I love to read the things you write.
This year, you decided that you wanted to do gymnastics again. I've loved to watch you work in gymnastics. You've learned that as long as you don't give up, and you keep trying, you will eventually be able to do the things you are trying to learn. That is awesome!
This summer, one of your best friends moved. It has been hard for you, but I've been so proud of the way you are trying to make the best of it. I have loved watching you strengthen other relationships. Everyone loves to play with you because you are a good, kind friend.
You still love to read. You hardly ever get in trouble, but if you do, it is usually because you are reading when you're supposed to be doing something else. It reminds me of myself when I was your age. Whenever we go to the library, you finish your books within the first week. There was a book set you really wanted that cost $15. You set up a store in your room with a whole bunch of things to sell. Macy and Kate were your best customers. After that, you were still a few dollars short. You earned the rest by doing the dishes and thoroughly cleaning the car (vacuum, washing windows, etc.). I thought that was great that you were willing to work hard for what you wanted.
You still love snuggling, going to grandma's, playing games, playing with your friends, riding your bike, rollerblading, and creating things.
I love you. Avery. I feel so lucky to be your mom, and I'm so happy with the person you are.
Love, Mom
Right now you are 9 and we are just finishing up our first month of school. I love you so much Avery. You are a light in the world. You are positive and encouraging. You are incredibly creative. You are always coming up with fun, creative, and elaborate things to play. Your sisters greatly benefit from your imagination, and I know that it has inspired their own. You are a great sister. I truly appreciate the way that you look out for your sisters and seek to help them. You are definitely a peacemaker and try to make our family run smoothly.
I have been very impressed with how well you have been working in school. You are independent, you stay focused, and you work hard. I don't have to remind you to be doing your work. That is a big help for me. I love to read the things you write.
This year, you decided that you wanted to do gymnastics again. I've loved to watch you work in gymnastics. You've learned that as long as you don't give up, and you keep trying, you will eventually be able to do the things you are trying to learn. That is awesome!
This summer, one of your best friends moved. It has been hard for you, but I've been so proud of the way you are trying to make the best of it. I have loved watching you strengthen other relationships. Everyone loves to play with you because you are a good, kind friend.
You still love to read. You hardly ever get in trouble, but if you do, it is usually because you are reading when you're supposed to be doing something else. It reminds me of myself when I was your age. Whenever we go to the library, you finish your books within the first week. There was a book set you really wanted that cost $15. You set up a store in your room with a whole bunch of things to sell. Macy and Kate were your best customers. After that, you were still a few dollars short. You earned the rest by doing the dishes and thoroughly cleaning the car (vacuum, washing windows, etc.). I thought that was great that you were willing to work hard for what you wanted.
You still love snuggling, going to grandma's, playing games, playing with your friends, riding your bike, rollerblading, and creating things.
I love you. Avery. I feel so lucky to be your mom, and I'm so happy with the person you are.
Love, Mom
Friday, August 8, 2014
Dear Carston
Dear Carston,
You are growing up. This last year, Dad and I have noticed a change in you as you have started to mature and just act, think, and feel older. It feels like you are leaving your childhood and entering a new stage of life. It is exciting. Every so often, I feel like I get a glimpse of who you will be as an adult. And I like what I see.
I like your kindness. You are nice to all of your friends. I never hear you putting them down or saying anything that would make them feel bad. There have been a few times where there was trouble, and it just about killed you. You love to be on good terms with everyone and that is a good quality. All of the times you had to be the new kid, those have given you compassion. I remind you to look for others who need a friend or to be included, but you are often already doing it on your own. I love that you are developing that habit because it will bring you and Heavenly Father great happiness.
You are developing quite a humorous streak. I'm going to say that comes from your dad :) You can make me laugh. One of the things we are working on though, is knowing when it is appropriate to be funny, and when it isn't a good time. You're learning :)
School this past year went really well. At the beginning of the year, you were coasting. You had a "good enough" attitude that didn't sit very well with me. It didn't help that your "good enough" lack of effort still gave you a high ranking. We had some talks, and you actually pushed yourself to excel. It was awesome. I want you to always push yourself in every area to see what you are capable of: physically, mentally, spiritually, and socially. We are here to progress, and that doesn't happen without exertion. You brought home perfect scores in writing, science, and other areas, but what really mattered is that you were giving it your best effort. You are capable of amazing things if you put in the effort. God has blessed you with a quick mind.
I love that you are curious and want to experience new things. You did competitive soccer last year, which you loved. The time commitment was daunting though, considering that you still had to play basketball and baseball. Double sports each season was NOT ideal for the family, but we did it. When it came time for tryouts again, we decided to all pray about it. You decided yourself not to do it. And Dad and I felt the same way. I love how the spirit works like that. It tells us truth. I am excited for you to continue having experiences with the spirit and learning more about how he can guide you and direct you. Back to wanting to do it all. Your latest thing is golfing. And you want to do tennis. And fencing. And guitar. And a million other things. That's a good thing :)
You just went away for 5 days to summer camp. I about died. I thought about you all the time and was counting down until you came home. Dad doesn't know how I'll survive your mission :) You absolutely loved it. You haven't stopped talking about how fun it was. I can't believe that the little boy who made me a mom all those years ago is old enough to spend five days away from me all on his own. ]
You still love anything army (Dustin just hooked you up with a duffle bag). You like to play any sport. You love hanging out with friends, staying up late, watching Angels' games with dad, playing games, reading, drawing silly pictures, eating treats, playing MineCraft, having airsoft wars, and playing night games. You don't like eating beans (your worst enemy), when I make you go to bed before 10, when people mess up your legos, or when none of your friends can play.
I love you so much Carston. You are an enjoyable person to be around. What I want for you more than anything is to develop your own testimony of the gospel, to have a relationship with Heavenly Father, to develop your talents and gifts, and to then spend your life serving God by serving the people around you. For me, that is how you find true joy in life.
Love, Mom
You are growing up. This last year, Dad and I have noticed a change in you as you have started to mature and just act, think, and feel older. It feels like you are leaving your childhood and entering a new stage of life. It is exciting. Every so often, I feel like I get a glimpse of who you will be as an adult. And I like what I see.
I like your kindness. You are nice to all of your friends. I never hear you putting them down or saying anything that would make them feel bad. There have been a few times where there was trouble, and it just about killed you. You love to be on good terms with everyone and that is a good quality. All of the times you had to be the new kid, those have given you compassion. I remind you to look for others who need a friend or to be included, but you are often already doing it on your own. I love that you are developing that habit because it will bring you and Heavenly Father great happiness.
You are developing quite a humorous streak. I'm going to say that comes from your dad :) You can make me laugh. One of the things we are working on though, is knowing when it is appropriate to be funny, and when it isn't a good time. You're learning :)
School this past year went really well. At the beginning of the year, you were coasting. You had a "good enough" attitude that didn't sit very well with me. It didn't help that your "good enough" lack of effort still gave you a high ranking. We had some talks, and you actually pushed yourself to excel. It was awesome. I want you to always push yourself in every area to see what you are capable of: physically, mentally, spiritually, and socially. We are here to progress, and that doesn't happen without exertion. You brought home perfect scores in writing, science, and other areas, but what really mattered is that you were giving it your best effort. You are capable of amazing things if you put in the effort. God has blessed you with a quick mind.
I love that you are curious and want to experience new things. You did competitive soccer last year, which you loved. The time commitment was daunting though, considering that you still had to play basketball and baseball. Double sports each season was NOT ideal for the family, but we did it. When it came time for tryouts again, we decided to all pray about it. You decided yourself not to do it. And Dad and I felt the same way. I love how the spirit works like that. It tells us truth. I am excited for you to continue having experiences with the spirit and learning more about how he can guide you and direct you. Back to wanting to do it all. Your latest thing is golfing. And you want to do tennis. And fencing. And guitar. And a million other things. That's a good thing :)
You just went away for 5 days to summer camp. I about died. I thought about you all the time and was counting down until you came home. Dad doesn't know how I'll survive your mission :) You absolutely loved it. You haven't stopped talking about how fun it was. I can't believe that the little boy who made me a mom all those years ago is old enough to spend five days away from me all on his own. ]
You still love anything army (Dustin just hooked you up with a duffle bag). You like to play any sport. You love hanging out with friends, staying up late, watching Angels' games with dad, playing games, reading, drawing silly pictures, eating treats, playing MineCraft, having airsoft wars, and playing night games. You don't like eating beans (your worst enemy), when I make you go to bed before 10, when people mess up your legos, or when none of your friends can play.
I love you so much Carston. You are an enjoyable person to be around. What I want for you more than anything is to develop your own testimony of the gospel, to have a relationship with Heavenly Father, to develop your talents and gifts, and to then spend your life serving God by serving the people around you. For me, that is how you find true joy in life.
Love, Mom
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Dear Hadley
Dear Hadley,
You are the most adorable baby. It is hard to imagine our family before you were born. We all love you so much and can't get enough of you.
Right now, you like to think you can walk down stairs. Needless to say, this doesn't always go so well :) Your other new obsession is putting on everyone's shoes. Add that into the stair mix and things definitely end poorly. You are a busy, busy girl. You are always moving, always exploring, and always wanting to try things yourself. That usually results in lots of messes and lots of crying when you don't get your way. You LOVE being outside. Absolutely love it. You love going for walks in your push-along car Grandma and Grandpa got you for Christmas. You love baby dolls and stuffed animals. When you get out of your crib in the morning, usually courtesy of Macy, you head for Avery's room and choose some stuffed animals to lug around for the morning. You also love real babies. When your cousin Connor was here for a month in the summer, you couldn't get enough of him. You did your best, but he definitely got clobbered a few times when you were loving on him. Everyone loves to watch you dance in the car. You shake your head and wave one arm around. It is pretty adorable.
After our experience with Avery being allergic to dairy, we had our suspicions since you stopped nursing. I put you on a different formula and that seemed to help. When you turned one, we tried milk and it did not go over well. We decided to put you on Almond Milk instead and that has worked out much better. No screaming and writhing in the night, no trouble with your poops, no nasal congestion, and no flushed, rough cheeks. The only downside is that most kids get their fat from dairy. You didn't gain weight the last three months, so the doctor and I are keeping an eye on that and I'm trying to pump you full of other fatty, non-dairy foods. We will see how it goes. You are an excellent eater and you eat a TON to make up for all those missed calories most kids drink.
Since we took you off dairy, you sleep through the night like a champ. I am very grateful to you for that! That makes it a lot easier for me to be a happy, calm mother. We tried to train you from the beginning to be an independent sleeper and you seem to have the knack of it. We just put you in bed with your blanket and bear and you go to sleep. We took away your binky when you first turned one. That was only hard for a couple days. We decided to do it because when we got home from a trip, no one could find your binky when it was time for a nap. Kate found one the next day, but I figured we were already halfway there so we would tough it out.
You love reading books. Or should I say, you love bringing us books and looking at a few pages before dashing off to grab another book. You absolutely are in love with your baby cousin Paige. We all think you'll grow up to be good buddies. She seems to like you too :)
Your siblings all love you. They are always anxious to make you happy and none of them, Macy especially, can handle it if you are crying. We love your sweet loves and kisses. I love how whenever I carry you, you hang on to my arm with no intention of letting go. I also love when I'm putting you down for a nap how you snuggle into me for a bit before you go down. Your smile and ensuing dimples melt my heart. Your laugh is contagious and makes it difficult for anyone to ever stop playing with you.
I love you so much sweet, little Hadley. I am so grateful that I listened to the promptings of the spirit and went through another rough pregnancy. You were worth every single second of awfulness. You are a testament that God's plan for us is always better than our own plan.
Love, Mom
You are the most adorable baby. It is hard to imagine our family before you were born. We all love you so much and can't get enough of you.
Right now, you like to think you can walk down stairs. Needless to say, this doesn't always go so well :) Your other new obsession is putting on everyone's shoes. Add that into the stair mix and things definitely end poorly. You are a busy, busy girl. You are always moving, always exploring, and always wanting to try things yourself. That usually results in lots of messes and lots of crying when you don't get your way. You LOVE being outside. Absolutely love it. You love going for walks in your push-along car Grandma and Grandpa got you for Christmas. You love baby dolls and stuffed animals. When you get out of your crib in the morning, usually courtesy of Macy, you head for Avery's room and choose some stuffed animals to lug around for the morning. You also love real babies. When your cousin Connor was here for a month in the summer, you couldn't get enough of him. You did your best, but he definitely got clobbered a few times when you were loving on him. Everyone loves to watch you dance in the car. You shake your head and wave one arm around. It is pretty adorable.
After our experience with Avery being allergic to dairy, we had our suspicions since you stopped nursing. I put you on a different formula and that seemed to help. When you turned one, we tried milk and it did not go over well. We decided to put you on Almond Milk instead and that has worked out much better. No screaming and writhing in the night, no trouble with your poops, no nasal congestion, and no flushed, rough cheeks. The only downside is that most kids get their fat from dairy. You didn't gain weight the last three months, so the doctor and I are keeping an eye on that and I'm trying to pump you full of other fatty, non-dairy foods. We will see how it goes. You are an excellent eater and you eat a TON to make up for all those missed calories most kids drink.
Since we took you off dairy, you sleep through the night like a champ. I am very grateful to you for that! That makes it a lot easier for me to be a happy, calm mother. We tried to train you from the beginning to be an independent sleeper and you seem to have the knack of it. We just put you in bed with your blanket and bear and you go to sleep. We took away your binky when you first turned one. That was only hard for a couple days. We decided to do it because when we got home from a trip, no one could find your binky when it was time for a nap. Kate found one the next day, but I figured we were already halfway there so we would tough it out.
You love reading books. Or should I say, you love bringing us books and looking at a few pages before dashing off to grab another book. You absolutely are in love with your baby cousin Paige. We all think you'll grow up to be good buddies. She seems to like you too :)
Your siblings all love you. They are always anxious to make you happy and none of them, Macy especially, can handle it if you are crying. We love your sweet loves and kisses. I love how whenever I carry you, you hang on to my arm with no intention of letting go. I also love when I'm putting you down for a nap how you snuggle into me for a bit before you go down. Your smile and ensuing dimples melt my heart. Your laugh is contagious and makes it difficult for anyone to ever stop playing with you.
I love you so much sweet, little Hadley. I am so grateful that I listened to the promptings of the spirit and went through another rough pregnancy. You were worth every single second of awfulness. You are a testament that God's plan for us is always better than our own plan.
Love, Mom
Friday, January 24, 2014
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
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
Sunday, December 29, 2013
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.
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