THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MY KIDS

As always, Julie continues to be an amazing inspiration - in so many ways! She recently posted on her blog a birthday tribute to her oldest daughter. She wrote as many things about Q as how old she is (15 "whys for turning 15). My oldest daughter is just a year younger than Q - also a teenager. Sometimes I think that says it all - she is a teenager - and there is alot for both of us to learn.
After a recent meltdown (from all the kids AND me) and a long letter from my daughter I thought that I don't need the reason of a birthday to let my kiddos know how much I love them and what I love about them. So here is my tribute to my kiddos - 1 reason for every year of their age.

Ce -
1- she always strives to do her best no matter what she is doing
2- she loves to serve others, esp her siblings and parents
3- she is very tender hearted. She can empathize with others and is always there to help out
4- she is a friend to everyone around her
5- she is a great example of what a missionary should be. She has made a goal and a savings account to prepare for serving a mission. She is well on her way as she continues to share her knowledge and testiomony with others around her
6-she is awesome at baking. She can take any recipe and make it even better than I can
7- she is a great big sister and takes time to play and help her brothers and sister
8- she can see what needs to be done and goes out and does it - usually without being asked
9- she still loves to hug her mom & dad and say "love you" - something I hope she will always keep
10- she is an amazing student. she always works really hard enjoys learning new things
11- she takes after her dad in just about every way - it is fun to see them chatting or laughing together and sharing special moments
12- she takes great picts. she is becoming quite the photographer herself - and with the camera I can never get to work right for me
13- she is forgiving - she doesnt stay mad or hold grudges - esp with her ever struggling mom
14- (this is one to grow on as she will be a big 14 in just a couple of months) she is kind and thoughtful to others around her. She tries hard to think about others first before she acts (or reacts) and is always willing to say "sorry" if she knows she is wrong or has hurt someone by her words or actions.

She is my oldest - and therefore usually my "ginuea pig". I seem to make all my mistakes worst with her and yet she continues to be my example of how I want to be. She is my angel and I know I would be lost without her

Ka -
1) She loves to laugh. I often find myself smiling as I listen to her with her brothers or her dad as they goof around together
2) She is a great big sister. She is constantly willing to help her brothers with anything they need
3) She is an awesome cook. I know that if I am not feeling well, or just because she wants to, I can completely turn the kitchen over to her and she can fix just about any meal we love to eat
4) She still likes to snuggle - whether it is having her little brother or sister on her lap, or herself plopped next to her dad, she still loves to be close to others
5) She loves to sing - everywhere and anywhere. It is an indication that she is happy. She also loves singing with others - in church choir, school choir, or singing silly songs with her brothers or sister. Singing usually leads to laughing and goofing too which is fun for me to hear and know that she is happy and enjoying being part of our family
6) She is awesome at studying her scriptures - and remembering and sharing what she has read. She has been a great example to me as I watch her take time for her scriptures no matter where we are or how late at night it is.
7) She is a wonderful student. She works hard to keep her grades up and puts everything she has into projects and assignments
8) She is a wonderful artist - though she doesnt think so - it has been something she has always liked to do and she is getting really good as replicating drawings for assingments or drawing just for fun. She loves playing with colors and giving her works of art to others
9) She is a good example to others as she stands strong in the gospel. As the world changes it seems she watches most of her friends change with it. Often are the times she comes to me because of peers' behaviors or choices. Often are the teaching moments when we talk about the gospel and how blessed we are to have it in our lives.
10) Her eyes are the exact same color of her hair. It is striking as her hair is a deep auburn color. Her eyes shine when she is happy, cloud when she is sad or ill, her eyes reflect who she is and how she is feeling. They are amazing to look at as they glow on her sweet face.
11) She loves to play & read with her younger siblings. Often I have heard her laughing, playing, goofing with them. She sings and acts silly just to get them to laugh too. She shares her joy with them and it brings them (and me) joy too. She reads and does all the voices and inflections to bring the stories alive for the little boys. They love it when she can take time to spend with them.

She is my 2nd daughter (she used to be the youngest) and it amazes me that she is so completely different from her older sister. She has brought so much sunshine and fun to our family. I know we would be missing the great joys in life if we didnt have her as part of our family. We are so thankful that she is.

Ca-
1) He is very sweet and caring to his younger brothers - esp Ky. He has helped many times to get the boys a story and tuck them all in bed.
2) He is very enthusiastic. He gets excited about lots of things - esp school which is a big relief to me this year
3) He is a very good reader. He loves to read now that he can do it on his own. He is so good about coming home and doing his reading homework right away. He esp loves books about odd creatures or adventure stories
4) He likes to serve with his dad. Several times Preston hasnt had a HT partner or has taken Caiden with him on different service projects. Caiden is always excited and ready to go. He loves to help others, esp with his dad
5) He is a great eater. I never thought I would get to say that - he has been my kiddo to fight over food, esp dinner. He has been really great to try new foods in the last little while and I think he has been as surprised as I have been that he has found he likes so many new things
6) He likes pancakes - and to help make them. We have found there are several foods that are a "must have" and "do have" very often. Pancakes are one of them. Caiden is getting really good at being a big helper to make them.
7) He is a good student. I have had the opportunity to talk with Caiden's teacher this year and hear how wonderfully he is doing in class. He has even been selected as Student of the Month and has been invited to an awards ceremony next week at school. I am so thrilled that he is finally loving school and doing so well. It is great to know he is so happy and excited about learning and that he tries so hard to do his best at school.
8) He has a spunky personality. He has always been nicknamed our "little leprechaun" because he has the personality to go with his copper colored hair and green eyes. He likes to laugh and play and he often has a contagious laughter that makes everyone laugh with him.

Caiden is a really great kiddo. Being my oldest son, there are lots of things that I feel like I do for the 1st time with him - he is so different than the girls. He & I struggle at times, but we also have tons of fun together. I am so glad that he is in our family.

Co -
1) He is a great student. He has surprised us all this year by doing so amazingly well in school and with his peers. He loves to be there and he is learning a lot.
2) He loves simple things - frozen berries, reading a story, making a tent out of the coffee table. He is my example of how to enjoy the simple things in life.
3) He is an eating machine. It makes me laugh that I feed him and feed him just to have him tell me he is hungry a few minutes later! It is fun that he asks for healthy things to eat. His new favorite snack is frozen berries.
4) He is learning and growing all the time. There was once a time when we were told by drs that he would be delayed in lots of things, and there were things he may never do. He has proved everyone wrong by doing all sorts of things. He is learning to be more independent and trying new things at home and at school. It is fun for me to watch him as he has learned how to get dressed and get shoes on - things he has really struggled with. As he grows he continues to grow and change and it is wonderful.
5) He reminds me of the importance of gospel principles. His new favorite thing is to ask - every day - "can we do FHE"? Or "we need to read scriptures!" He is excited about these things and looks forward to the time we spend together learning about the gospel. I hope it will always be so.
6) (this is also one to grow on as his bday also isnt far away) I love that he is excited about exercising. He has really taken to one of my exercise videos and he will do it by himself even if I dont. He really gets into it and is getting really good at following along to the different routines. I am glad it has become a good outlet for his energy on the extra rainy days of winter

Colton has been our fragile one for so long. He had a rough start and it has been a long road. He has been the one to help me make big life changes. He has been the one who always needs me. He is getting so big and doing so much on his own now. It is so nice for me that he still asks me to play with him or read to him or do exercises - I know that wont last forever. I am thankful for his sweet spirit in our home and for what a difference he makes to all of us.

Ky -
1) He is a goofball. I am constantly in stitches over his antics, silly faces and teasing ways. This morning was no exception. As I was working in the office he came in to me - just in a diaper and undershirt (he has figured out how to undress himself). A little later I went into the TV to get him and found him watching a movie, sitting on the "empire" (our nickname for our HUGE automan) buck naked all except for colton's oversized pair of Lightning McQueen slippers. It was all I could do to not just bust my guts laughing. He has done this several times recently and I have resorted to putting his clothes on backwards so he cant get them off.
He is also a mischief maker when it comes to that goofball side. Earlier this week we had cookies for dessert. He hadnt finished his dinner and he knew that meant no cookies. A little while after dinner he came in saying cookie and pointing to his mouth. I reminded him he couldnt have a cookie since he hadnt eaten his dinner. He kept repeating and I eventually realized he was trying to tell me he had already eaten one. The girls and I couldnt figure out how he would've gotten one or who had given him one because everyone knows the rules. Just a short time after that we were in the kitchen working on clean up when ceana jumped across the floor fussing at Ky. We figured out how he had gotten the cookie - he was caught red-handed literally doing a chin up on the bartop and had pulled himself up to where the cookies were and was snagging another one when ceana saw him. He is such a little stinker! It was hard not to laugh at his audacity and ingenuity.
He loves to laugh and tease and with his ever growing vocabulary he is getting pretty good at appropriate responses to teasing and joking around. He makes all sorts of silly faces and his laugh is very contagious.
2) He is my car boy. No matter where he goes or what he is doing you can be sure that he always has at least 1 car in hand. He is actually getting pretty good at doing things 1 handed because 1 hand always has a car in it. More often though - it is his arms full of cars, trucks, trains, whatever he can find. The other boys never loved cars really, Ky makes up for that in a big way. It is funny to watch him play or hear him call out to big trucks (macs) or cars or trains when we are driving in the car.

I told a friend earlier today he is an angel and a monster all rolled into one little 2 yr old body. He is a challenge and a joy. He makes me laugh til I have tears running down my face. I dont know what we would ever do without him.

Kels -
1) She is such a happy baby - most of the time. She is a whatever, go-with-the-flow kind of girl. She is getting so big already. I cant believe she is going to be 6 months old. She is laughing and chattering, she is getting her 2 bottom front teeth, she picks up and plays with her toys, she sits all by herself. She loves to be held - and loves to sleep in her swing. She has to be where the action is at all times and lets you know how put out she is if she feels like she has been left all alone.
She has been such a sweet addition to our family. It is hard to realize that she is our last. All of her "firsts" are also our "lasts" - it makes me cherish them even more. Even with our rough days I know we are all so happy that she is here with us now and that she is such a wonderful part of our family

Well, that took a lot longer than I thought - not to think of things, but to type when I am 1/2 asleep:) We are really very blessed to have such wonderful kiddos. They are our joy and I know that I have been very lucky to get to be their mom.