Leland Turns Eight

Happy #8, Leland James!

Every year on your birthday, I think about how bittersweet it is to see you growing up so fast. I miss you being little enough to hold you in my arms with ease (note: I can still hold you, but , man, you're getting heavy!). But watching you grow into the amazing young man you are is the very best thing I've ever been a part of.

You love to wear ties!

These days, you are still fascinated with the Titanic. I don't think there's any information about it that you don't already know, but you read about it over and over. In general, you prefer nonfiction reading: books about boats, the military, sharks, and history are common library choices for you. You have also recently started to get into graphic novels, like Dog Man.

You enjoy playing video games, though you don't get to very often. You play Lego City and you really, really WANT to play Minecraft, but we don't have that game, so you play with friends sometimes. You enjoy drawing and crafting as well. This is the year you started to become interested in superheroes. Thor is your favorite.

For your birthday, you requested a Minecraft cake, and you asked for money instead of a birthday party.

You're in second grade now and loving your teacher, classmates, and school in general. Science is your favorite subject, and although you're really good at it, you don't love math quite as much. You are becoming a really strong reader. It's been fun to watch you progress from a kindergartner learning sight words, to a first grader reading more accurately, but still a tad robotic, to now, when you read smoothly and with great expression. I love to listen to you read.

This year, you tried something new and ran cross country in school. Until this year, you were never very interested in sports, aside from one season of soccer. You enjoyed cross country and were really proud to improve your mile time with each race. You say that you would like to continue running CC, and you hope to win a medal someday. This winter, you are looking forward to learning to ski through the school ski program at Crystal Mountain.

Last summer, you made the decision to be baptized. I don't know another eight year old who loves Jesus like you do. Watching you grow in your relationship with Christ is a beautiful and joyful thing.

Your favorite foods are still hot dogs and pepperoni pizza, and you also really like cheeseburgers, tomatoes (you pop cherry tomatoes like candy!), homemade chicken and dumplings, tacos, and fruit. You also like hot sauce, just like Dad. Also just like Dad, you prefer vanilla over chocolate (weirdos).

Another thing you love: your sister.

I am beyond proud of you. Not just of the things you can do and the goals you've accomplished, but of your heart and the person you are at your core. At eight years old, you are quite possibly the most kind, compassionate, caring person I've ever met. You often think about what you can do for others, and put others' needs and wants before your own (perhaps with the exception of your brother...we're still working on that relationship). You are everything good in this world and I am blessed to be your mom.

Happy Birthday, Leland! I look forward to seeing what this next year has in store.

Olivia Turns Three

Livvy Jo, you are THREE!

You have been so excited about your birthday, pretty much since Alden's birthday two months ago. You can't wait to have cake and have a party, though you keep talking about your friends coming over, and it's only our little family and grandparents attending. It's fun to see you understand the whole birthday thing and get so into it.

You still love Minnie Mouse, but you have also developed a big interest in Iron Man over the last year. You were Iron Man for Halloween and you requested an Iron Man birthday cake. As toys go, you really enjoy duplo blocks and magnatiles, and you're starting to get into babies. You've had three baby dolls for quite some time (I think since your first birthday?) and you've never really cared much for them until the last few months. For your birthday, you asked for a baby stroller, a new blanket for your bed, and a purple toy. Although when you met Santa last weekend, you asked for Goldfish crackers.

Sleeping with your babies

You LOVE books! Any and all books. You have several in your rotation of favorites - all of the Llama Llama books, a book of nursery rhymes, and Opposites. We choose three books at bed time each night (it's really hard for you to narrow it down to just three) and one of those books is always chosen, but really, you love them all. You take a few to bed at night as well.

Music is a favorite for you as well. You love to dance. In the car, you often ask me to turn the music up loud so we can dance. You are the cutest little dancer. Of course, since you love to talk a lot as well (oh my goodness, you seriously talk nonstop), you often ask me to turn it back down so I can hear you.

You are always hungry! You eat so much. Your favorite foods are macaroni and cheese, tacos, most fruits, snack foods (especially Goldfish crackers, and especially the Mickey shaped ones), and sugary treats. You also like hot sauce. Daddy puts hot sauce on everything and you always ask him for some at dinner, which makes you tougher than me!

First real hair cut

In some situations, you are really shy. You are slow to warm-up to new people and feel shy doing new things in front of people. This time last year, you were still quiet and not really yourself at daycare. You did come around and start to show them your spunky personality, but you still sometimes have shy moments when you don't like everyone to watch you. When you're feeling shy, you bring your arm up to cover your eyes. But then there are other times when you are super outgoing. So many times, when we walk through the grocery store, you say hi to everyone as we walk by. Well, not everyone. You say hi to all the men, and ignore all the women. I find this hilarious.

Girlfriend, you are incredibly sweet and loving, and also the sassiest kid I've ever met! You tell me every single day, "I love you, doody Mom," or "I love you, caca." And you call everyone punk. One minute, you're hugging me, the next minute, you're telling me you don't like me anymore. I love your strong, stubborn personality, though I do hope you tone it down a little.

Your adore your brothers. Before bed every night, you have to say goodnight to "my boys" as you call them. You love to play with them, and they are quite smitten with you as well, even during those times that you drive them bonkers.

See? Llama Llama and Opposites

Sis, you crack us all up every single day. You are the funniest kid. You are so much fun, and also so frustrating. But no matter how frustrating you may be at times, you are loved beyond measure. We love watching you grow and seeing your personality develop. We can't wait to see what the next year brings.