milestones 9.5, 8, 6, 1.5

L, 9.5 years old

Favorite color: teal

Favorite food: asparagus, sushi, turkey legs

Favorite treat: cheesecake, lollipops

Favorite movie/show: Once Upon a Time, Daddy Daycare

Favorite song/band: L2M, Taylor Swift, Rachel Platten, 5^th Harmony

Favorite book: Secret series

Favorite activities: reading, dance, playing with friends, drawing

Favorite toys: tablet

Favorite animal: tigers, butterflies

Favorite place to go: Tarahumara, Children’s Museum, Planetarium

Favorite/Dream vacation: Hawaii, Peru

What I want to be when I grow up: teacher or a pilot

I dream about: the perfect world

I worry about: my family

I’m good at: dance, reading, piano, sharing

I want to be better at: dancing, piano, gymnastics

Someday I want to: aerial and backhandspring

I’m thankful for: my family, my Heaven Father

I like it best when: I’m dancing, reading or with my family

From mom: My super sweet, tender hearted, sweet toothed, eager to grow up girl. She’s balancing the world of being a kid and quickly becoming a “tween”. She loves to watch chick flicks with me, she’s acting more and more grown up (both good and bad) and her tastes in music and fashion are maturing so fast. It is so fun and so exciting to share these adventures with her. I love shopping with her, hearing about her day, teasing her about her crush and more. I share her anticipations and her heartbreaks.  She has such as strong sense of fairness and equality and she wears her heart on her sleeve: she cries easily, offends easily, but forgives easily. Her week is packed with dance classes, she’s always eager to go be with her dance friends and lose herself in the music. She has much less enthusiasm for practicing piano but she has long surpassed my skill level and I love listening to her play. We love to share a treat and talk after a busy day. Her sisters can still occasionally talk her into playing dolls but she would much rather spend her time reading or hanging out with friends. I’m not sure I was ready for her grow up so fast but I love all the new adventures, the humor and excitement and activities. She’s so much fun and I’m so excited to see what comes next.

A, 8 years old

Favorite color: all of them

Favorite food: pasta, sushi, soup

Favorite treat: moose tracks ice cream, twix, smarties

Favorite movie/show: Once Upon A Time, Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, Narnia

Favorite song/band: L2M, Rachel Platten, Taylor

Favorite book: Magic of the Rainbow, Friend’s Forever Jasmine’s Big Idea

Favorite activities: art, karate, gymnastics, playing with friends, dragon training

Favorite toys: Mittens & Ava (stuffed cats), hatchimals, Dana (stuffed dragon)

Favorite animal: cats, dragons, dolphins

Favorite place to go: to eat sushi, bowling, the pool

Favorite/Dream vacation: Hawaii, Legoland

What I want to be when I grow up: veterinarian

I dream about: dragons, being a master ninja

I worry about: losing my dragons

I’m good at: swimming, writing stories, piano improvisation

I want to be better at: backflips

Someday I want to: own a dragon shop

I’m thankful for: my dragons and my mom, getting to come to Earth

I like it best when: I get to play with my friends, or I’m at school

From mom: This girl is racing into the world with plenty of imagination, energy and enthusiasm. She is so happy and feisty and creative, I love everything about her. She does everything with such fire and is always the ringleader, whether its playing dolls with her sisters, rounding up cousins to play backyard games or leading dragon training during recess. She loves to play with her friends, making me grateful for our fantastic neighborhood where she has lots of playmates. And she has taken to piano like fish to water. She knocks out her required playlist as quickly as possibly as her favorite is improvisation. She disappears multiple times a day to go play and create her own music. Karate has really helped to harness her focus and while not taking art lessons anymore, she still loves to create. She’s constantly gathering boxes and random bits for her next project. Her creativity extends into her wardrobe as my little fashionista and she loves to make bold fun choices in her appearance. She loves to help with Z and always has the best attitude when it comes to doing chores or helping me.

E, 6 years old

Favorite color: blue, purple, pink

Favorite food: ramen, mac n cheese, chicken pot pies

Favorite treat: m&ms, raspberry lemon sherbert, moose tracks ice cream

Favorite movie/show: Cinderella, My Little Pony and maybe Wizard of Oz

Favorite song/band: me!

Favorite book: Amelia Bedelia, Dr. Suess

Favorite activities: play with my family, watch movies

Favorite toys: Penny, Prince and Ruby (my panda family), Cinderella doll, Barbie house

Favorite animal: panda

Favorite place to go: the zoo, Grammy’s house, Snow White forest (fav camping spot)

Favorite/Dream vacation: Hawaii, China

What I want to be when I grow up: panda trainer

I dream about: pandas, mom & dad

I worry about: losing my family, not getting along with kids at school

I’m good at: making mommy happy, giving hugs, playing games

I want to be better at: dance

Someday I want to: see a real panda

I’m thankful for: my family

I like it best when: being at home

From mom: This precious little imp has completely stolen my heart. She gives the best snuggles and intuitively knows when I need her to cheer me up. She’s loves to cuddle and still sneaks into my bed nights when Daddy isn’t home. She’s super stubborn and feisty, she knows how to dig her heels in and insist on what she wants. Or on the flip side, she can be completely charming and talk her way out of anything. I’m a totally sucker for those big blue eyes and sweet stories. She has a fantastic memory, despite being much younger than the rest of the piano students, she learns easily and is able to keep up. She gets frustrated quickly but always comes back around, not wanting to give up. She’s forgiving and sweet and so eager to help. She is very expressive and creative. She loves to draw, put on shows and tell long rambling stories. She loves baby Z and fawns over him, often being too helpful. In fact she is often the instigator and prompts the mischief or misbehaviors at our house. She loves school and talks endlessly about her classmates and projects. Her favorite day is Tuesday, when she gets to go to dance and she asks all week long anticipating the day. She is so happy and expressive, and makes everything so much more fun.

Z, 1.5 years old (according to the girls)

Favorite color: blue, green

Favorite food: asparagus, string cheese, bananas, oatmeal, cheerios, broccoli

Favorite treat: ice cream, dumdum suckers, fruit snacks, marshmallows

Favorite movie/show: Mickey

Favorite song/band: everything, he loves to dance!

Favorite book: baby book (a board book meant to teach vocabulary)

Favorite activities: wrestling, driving his little coop car, eating

Favorite toys: blocks, cars, balls

Favorite animal: dog, cat, elephant

Favorite place to go: his crib, Sportsman’s to see the animals with Dad, the gym smoothie bar, Grammy’s house

Favorite/Dream vacation: Hawaii, Washington DC

What I want to be when I grow up: basketball player, a daddy, doctor

I dream about: trucks, daddy

I worry about: can’t find binky or bedtime bear

I’m good at: smiles, hugs, wrestling, dancing

I want to be better at: talking

Someday I want to: climb Mt Everest

I’m thankful for: truck blanket, binky, bedtime bear, mom and dad and sisters

I like it best when: when daddy comes home

From mom: Among a long list of nicknames, Z is our dessert. After having the three girls so close together, having baby Z has been such a sweet experience. He is SO fun and sweet and charming. I am head over heels, absolutely smitten with this kid. I’m his third favorite person (after daddy and papa) and still, I could not love him more. He gives the best hugs. More huggy than even the girls at this age, he swings his arms back and races over to wrap me in a hug. And then releases, swings his arms back again and races to the next person. Sometimes even just between two people over and over. He is also generous with his kisses, especially if he sees me kiss daddy, he has to give one too. My favorite snuggles are when he is tired. He wants me to scoop him up and then he snuggles into my shoulder with one arm wrapped around my neck fiercely. He whispers “night night”, over and over as I carry him to his room. He dives into his crib, gathers up him blankets and immediately rolls on top of them and hugs them like a pillow. He sleeps through the night most of time, sometimes needing a dose of tylonel for teething or a  soothing pat on the back on a rough night but rarely needing to be cuddled, and absolutely refusing to sleep in our bed. He takes only one nap a day and spends the rest of the time racing around full speed. He follows sisters as much as possible and has already mastered the art of provoking them, stealing a favorite toy or hiding an item from him. He loves his blocks and his books, as well as cars and balls. He also loves Mickey! He will watch a few minutes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse but doesn’t sit still for long. He loves music and will immediately dance and insist I dance with him. His vocabulary includes mama, dada, papa, sister, eat, ball, book, night night, go, out, up, cat, dog, (always said overprounced and with great enthusiasm!), up, apple, uh oh, stop it, cheerio and no. He’s totally fearless; he loves to climb (bookcases and tables included) and loves to roughhouse (most especially with daddy who throws him highest). He thinks sneezing is hilarious and insists on climbing into the shower, regardless of whoever is in it and whatever clothes he might still be wearing. When he hears the garage open, he goes racing and squealing to find daddy.