milestones 11, 9.5, 7.5 and 3

L, 11 years old

Favorite color: sunset orange

Favorite food: red peppers, waffles, crepes, steak

Favorite treats: gelato, frozen yogurt, cheesecake

Favorite movie/show: cooking shows, Zumbo’s Just Desserts, Dance Academy

Favorite music: country

Favorite book: Fish in a Tree, Out of My Mind, Serpent Secret, Wonder

Favorite activities: dancing, reading, crafts, sleeping, watching cooking shows with mom

Favorite toys: tablet, books

Favorite animal: sea turtle

Favorite restaurant: Braza Grill, Menchie’s, Ichiban

Favorite place to go: HangTime trampoline park, the mall

Favorite game: Canasta, Board Game Island, Mario Monopoly

Favorite holiday: Christmas, my birthday, Valentine’s Day

Favorite vacation: Disneyland for dance competition with my best friend

Dream vacation: Italy, Kenya

Something new in my life: wearing glasses, did a humanitarian trip to Mexico, snowboarding

What I want to be when I grow up: teacher

I dream about: if I had magic

I worry about: nah. I’m chill.

I’m good at: dance, reading, writing, hanging out with friends

I want to be better at: math

If I could have a superpower: telekinesis  

Someday I want to: be in West Side Story or Annie

I’m thankful for: my family

I like it best when I am: reading, dancing

This tender little girl is quickly becoming a tender young woman with all the ups and downs and emotions that come with it. So she worries a lot actually. She loves the academics of school and her teachers are encouraging her to take honors classes next year. But she struggles with some of the obnoxious boys plus the general woes of kids just trying to figure out who they are and not always being the nicest friend. I can’t blame her. She’s often caught between two worlds, bring silly and playing barbies and imagination games with her sisters and sometimes, simply growing out of it. This part of life is rough sweetie and you are too exceptional, too wonderful to have to put up with some of it. So in the meantime, she’s so fun. I love, love, love hanging out with her. She’s my favorite person to take shopping or lounge around and watch movies with. She has a huge heart and is bursting with talent. I’m so proud of what an exceptional young lady she is.

A, 9.5 years old

Favorite color: teal

Favorite food: enchiladas, sushi, spaghetti

Favorite treats: dark chocolate, twix, sour gummy worms, frozen yogurt

Favorite movie/show: Miraculous Ladybug, Wreck it Ralph 2, How to Train Your Dragon, Once Upon a Time

Favorite music: Zero, Lindsay Sterling, Please Pass the Peas by the JBs

Favorite book: Fish in a Tree, Keys to the City

Favorite activities: swimming, crafts, tumbling

Favorite toys: art supplies, books

Favorite animal: kitten, dragon

Favorite restaurant: Ichiban, Panda Express

Favorite place to go: the park, friend’s house, Michaels, HangTime trampoline park

Favorite game: Epic Mickey on the wii, Eye Found It

Favorite holiday: My Birthday

Favorite vacation: Caribbean Cruise

Dream vacation: birthday trip Legoland, another cruise!

Something new in my life: wearing glasses, new spelling patterns, sewing

What I want to be when I grow up: veterinarian and writer and artist

I dream about: flying, cats, dragons

I worry about: school, taking tests

I’m good at: rock climbing, piano, drawing, singing

I want to be better at: reading, math

If I could have a superpower: invisibility

Someday I want to: be on swim team, play violin, play basketball

I’m thankful for: mom, dad, school

I like it best when I am: reading

I love this spunky, fun, imaginative, passionate, crazy girl. She keeps me on my toes. She wants to try it all and do it all and she’s good at EVERYTHING. She so cute with Zach and such an amazing helper when my hands are full. She makes friends with everyone and she’s so fun to be around, she’s just simply irresistible. I love how creative she is. She was given a writing assignment at school and turned it into a chapter novel. In the crazy emotional swings that are so common around her, she is the most chill. She’s easy going and more steady, and I love that about her. She can handle fun family teasing and dish it right back. And I especially love her crazy strong moral compass. This girl is unshakeable and so brave. Never lose that.

E, 7.5 years old

Favorite color: pink

Favorite food: spaghetti noodles, tortellini, waffles

Favorite treats: sherbert, reese’s pieces, taffy

Favorite movie/show: Cinderella, Miraculous, Once Upon a Time

Favorite music: Beethoven, Disney songs

Favorite book: Geronimo Stilon, Thea Stilton

Favorite activities: swimming, free dance, playing games

Favorite toys: pandas, Barbies, big dolls, Hatchimals

Favorite animal: panda

Favorite restaurant: Ichiban, Panda Express, Red Mango

Favorite place to go: ice skating, bowling, Home Depot for kid craft, the zoo

Favorite game:  Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky, the wii

Favorite holiday: Christmas

Favorite vacation: Hawaii

Dream vacation: China

Something new in my life: going to activity days

What I want to be when I grow up: veterinarian

I dream about: princesses

I worry about: taking tests, getting injured and can’t dance

I’m good at: dancing, piano, singing, theatre

I want to be better at: patience, no fighting

If I could have a superpower: shapeshifting

Someday I want to: see a panda (again)

I’m thankful for: my family

I like it best when I am: happy

My little tweetie panda bird. She’s still half my baby and half eager to grow up. She’s feisty and passionate, with a tender heart with Libby and the crazy imagination of Abi. She’s beautiful and fun and super silly. She still asks every night for me to cuddle her to sleep and every day I marvel how fast she’s growing up. Hearing her read aloud is amazing, she’s learning so fast and is so dang smart. She has an incredible memory, a gift that has help her keep up in a piano program designed for kids older than herself. And she can persevere! She gets frustrated so easily and when I immediately want to back off she pushes through. In our piano 30 day challenge streak with the girls, she is winning hands down and logging in multiple streaks. She’s dedicated and fun and sassy and I’m so eager to see what she will do in the world.

Z, 3 years old

Favorite color: blue, red

Favorite food: pancakes, yogurt, edamame, string cheese, panda cookies

Favorite treats: suckers, m&ms, ice cream cones, “pocket-lick-uls” (popsicles)

Favorite movie/show: “sky skies” (Little Einstein’s), Super Wings, Mickey

Favorite music: Sunshine, songs learned in nursery

Favorite book: anything sissy will read to him

Favorite activities: swimming, following daddy around, making messes, bubbles

Favorite toys: airplanes, duplos, tools, dinos

Favorite animal: elk, deer, moose, sharks

Favorite restaurant: Café Rio, Dairy Keen

Favorite place to go: the pool, Papa’s house, Sportsmans Warehouse

Favorite game: anything that involves chasing, growling, tackling or pushing mom away from dad

Favorite holiday: his birthday

Favorite vacation: Disneyland

Dream vacation: Legoland

Something new in my life: more words everyday, speaking so much and more clearly

What I want to be when I grow up: Daddy

I dream about: eating, animals, airplanes, Papa

I worry about: getting left out, sisters having treats and not sharing

I’m good at: hugs, kisses, singing, sharing

I want to be better at: potty training

If I could have a superpower: flying

Someday I want to: be Daddy

I’m thankful for: Daddy

I like it best when I am: with Daddy, especially if tools, trucks or elk are involved

Oh this kid. I miss him already. I miss baby Zach and little Zach and I already know I’m going to miss the not so little Zach I have right now. He recently decided to call me “darling”, instead of “mom”. So every day he calls, “darwing! You coming?” and “darwing, you tuck me?” and “darwing are you ok?” He’s tender and sweet and makes me melt. Despite his huge size, I still carry him up the stairs at preschool because every several steps he cries out “Stop!” and I have to stop so he can kiss me and then I can go again. He’s so feisty and stubborn! He’s super sweet and compliant as long as it is his idea. I have to wait until he’s ready or it’s such a fight—bedtimes, meals, getting dressed, anything. And he’s strong as an ox so it really can be a battle! He wakes up so happy and loves to go wake up his sisters. And so tender, he still rushes to comfort an upset sister and give me hugs all day long. Unless Daddy is around and then he completely ignores me and is suction cup attached to his Dad. He hates to be left out of anything and can charm anyone into his ideas. I love his strong little hands, his squishy cheeks, his bright blue eyes, his super tight hugs and tickling his firm little feet. I don’t realize he’s outgrown something until it’s already gone. Like his happy dance for food. Or declaring himself a giant! Little man, I miss you so much already.

Jan to April 08

So I got caught up in October. Ish. And then disappeared again. And then I wrote a fabulously well detailed entry about November and December which included an amazing trip to both Boston (just husband and I with my parents) and to Washington DC for Thanksgiving (with the kids and husband’s whole family) and Christmas recitals and celebrations and shenanigans! And now I can’t find it. I’ll keep looking. Luckily, all these things are recorded in my kids’ journals because I’m super bossy and better at making them stay caught up than I am.

So this is where I get caught up January to April. Oof.

January was meant to be pretty quiet. I call it the great Christmas recovery. But life is a roller coaster right? First the good stuff

--New Years was our annual crab and artichoke feast. With lots of playing the wii and movies and games and snow day. The girls finally built my 6 foot snowman and we’ve been hooding around our neighborhood several times. The snowfall has been crazy this year!

--Abi chopped off her hair. Her silky but rather plain longish hair was traded in for a sassy and spunky A-line bob that suits her personality well and she loves it.

--Nate and the kids got in some great skiing days and Libby tried snowboarding. She’s totally hooked and loving it.

--the girls got to go ice skating a few times, loving that.

And now the bad

--Nate had an accident in January. He went snowboarding with some friends and took a bad crash. There’s about 3 hours of time that he can’t remember at all and we spent the night in the ER. It wiped him out pretty good for a few weeks with light sensitivity and migraines that we just couldn’t get under control.  The girls were so good about keeping quiet and staying out of his room so he could rest. Even baby Z was quiet and sweet, sneaking in to cuddle him and being so well behaved. His body was so busy healing that his immune system went down and when influenza tore through the state, it had a field day at our house. Nate and Zach were both dangerously sick, I was mildly sick and we thought the girls escaped it, only to come down with it two weeks later. And then the next month, our well fatigued immune systems took another hit when strep and influenza B took their turn. Everyone has been sick and it was generally awful. His concussion seems pretty well past him but I suspect he is still prone to headaches because of it. And the enormous amount of stress at work.

--somewhere in the midst of this, I cut my hand pretty badly. I’ve had several nicks and burns and noticed my left hand tends to be a little more clumsy.  But after this particular cut, the ER sent me to follow up with the doc that did the surgery last March. He ordered nerve tests and sent me to physical therapy, throughout which, has gotten worse. The stiffness in my neck has gotten better but the numbness has shown up in my right hand as well, proving it’s not necessarily related to the surgery. I can still do most things, even teaching at the gym isn’t a problem. But things like typing, playing piano and especially trying to cut food is hard. When rotated down, my hands have no strength. But more concerning is that some mornings I wake up and fingertips past my elbow are completely numb. Probably half the time. Sometimes holding a book to read or driving can cause numbness too. I don’t have a good conclusion for this part of the story. But I do have an amazing massage therapist who is helping and considering chiropractic care next.

Back to the good stuff…

February

--Chinese New Years neighborhood block party was a huge hit. Lots of food and fireworks that prompted the cops to come and reprimand us and then realizing the occasion, stayed to celebrate.

--school valentines party and beautiful roses for mom. And we ended up making new Valentines boxes for both Abi (a cat) and Evelyn (a panda). Libby still uses her Olaf box from 4 years ago.

--one on one date night for Abi, we took her to see Wicked! It was a Broadway tour, so incredibly powerful. We got all dressed up, went out for sushi with my parents and some great friends, had great seats to the show and Abi was in heaven.

--my niece was baptized! So excited and the girls were thrilled to go support her. At her baptism, the kids sang the primary song we learned for Christmas, If I Were a Shepherd and she has told me how that helped build her testimony and contributed to her conversion. As part of that weekend, we took our niece and Evelyn on a date to pick out their scriptures.

--We had TWO go-to-the-movie nights, much to the girls’ delight. They saw How to train your dragon 3 and the Lego movie 2. Both reportedly wonderful (I was on Zach duty. He still doesn’t watch tv but he is pretty much the cutest thing on the planet so I don’t mind.)

--We spent a long three day weekend at a cabin in Bear Lake with my parents and my brother’s family. The kids had such a blast. They spent all days playing with cousins, watching movies, being out in the snow, visiting the hot tubs, doing crafts and generally having the best time. It was lazy and low key and totally wonderful.

--And dance competitions! Evie preformed two different evenings at the halftime performance at a local high school. And in the company showcase. Both Libby and Evelyn have had 2-3 competitions where they preformed beautifully and especially loved going out to eat with friends (usually Zupa’s!) Libby preformed 3 dances with Club this year and has an 8 count solo in one of the team numbers. Her team did a production number, a jazz and a lyrical number. She’s one of the most experienced (and talented) on her team and I love watching her dance. Evie’s team competed with two songs, Candy and Dr. Suess. Both are super fun and sassy and have so much personality.

March

--husband sold his truck. Rather abruptly. And we spent awhile car shopping. But I consider each a good date day so I like that part. We are now the proud owners of a Toyota Venza in near perfect condition. He jokes that it’s a grandma car but it much better suited to the amount of time he spends driving freeways.

--the girls have loved attend activity days, all 3 of them. Pool parties, crafts, baking, so much fun.

--Clara and Ada came for a long lazy weekend of playing and movie night sleepovers. We played dress ups and enjoyed the fun treats and souvenirs they brought us from Japan!

--piano festival was another great success! All 3 girls competed and scored high enough in each category to earn a master musician award. I’m so proud of them in the piano work. They do most of it without my help (as juggling tends to get a little out of control) and even Evie, so much younger than the rest of her class works through all the ups and downs to keep up. They all play phenomenally well for the relatively short time they’ve been playing. Our Christmas and spring recitals are pretty low key, more of a fun music party with each of them sharing a favorite polished piece, just a snapshot of what they’ve been working on. But piano festival is where they pour in the time to polish multiple pieces, write an original composition and are tested on theory, technique and sight reading. Libby has even began sight reading hymns. Simply incredible.

--And Epic birthday celebrations! First, both Libby and Zach’s birthday were on a Thursday, one of our busiest days with after school extra curricular activities and husband was out of town. So we did our traditional birthday breakfasts and school treats. But the celebrating came on the weekend. For Zach’s birthday we did a pool party with tons of themed food (hot dog octopus, cheeto coral, veggie straw seaweed sticks, chicken salad crab sandwiches, watermelon carved into a turtle and an epic 2 tiered Finding Nemo cake. He’s super spoiled. And half fish. So a swimming party was perfect for him. My brother’s family came and a few friends and we had a great time. He especially loved his new SuperWings toy and bubble maker and shark shirt. For Libby’s birthday, I took a carload of her and her friend’s to HangTime trampoline park for a long morning of jumping, tricks, bounce basketball, rock climbing and general chaos. Such a blast. Then we met all the family at pizza pie café for lunch (our recent favorite). I took her friends home while Nate took Mimi and Libby skiing and then we finished off the day attending a star gazing party at the state park. Libby said it’s in the top 5 best days of her life.

--(and she added another to her “top 5 best days”. It was a dance competition day, she had a great dance day, fun lunch with friends, we spent her break shopping for some new summer clothes and at the awards ceremony, got to accept an overall grand champion trophy on behalf of her team. What a day!)
--oh, and somewhere in there, both Abi and Libby started wearing glasses! We anticipated that for awhile and life is much brighter for them both now. They're fun and suit them well (especially Abi, so sassy!)

April

--Spring Break version 1! Nate, as a Rotary member, was invited to chaperone a humanitarian trip with a bunch of high schoolers to Mexico. We decided that he would take Libby with him and it was an incredible trip. She was the youngest person (there were a few kids not quite in high school, but she was youngest) but was most fluent in Spanish! So she and one other girl acted as translator for the group of nearly 40 people. She was even interviewed on the radio about the projects they were doing. They spent a day painting houses, fun bright funky colors. They spent a day at a piñata factory, helping make piñatas while the adults repaired the roof. They had a great beach clean up day and finally a whole day of playing and sight seeing, which was spent taking a boat out to a local island for kayaking and playing. She loved the food, made some great friends, got lots of one-on-one time with her dad and they brought home wonderful souvenirs for everyone. What an experience! I’m so glad she got to go do this and we are looking forward to more kids getting to go as they get older.

--Spring Break version 2! Meanwhile, I stayed home with the other kids for a staycation week. Monday we went to Café Rio (Zach’s favorite) and a dance party at the library. Tuesday we met Sommer and her girls for day at the zoo. We saw all kinds of fun animals and went out to dinner together and had cousins spend the night at our house. On Wednesday we spent the morning playing and the afternoon at This Is the Place Park for baby animal days! Despite the rain, it was a perfect day, getting to see the cute animals and explore the charming town. They especially loved the school house! We went to dinner after and visited the See’s Candy store. On Thursday we went to a STEM event at the library and build toothpick castles and marshmallow catapults! We went to Taco Bell and Red Mango (and I was clearly having fun spoiling my kids all week!) And Friday we went with some friends to HangTime and Pizza pie Café for one last epic Spring Break staycation day! Everywhere we went, we anticipated crowds and happily found none. I had a blast with the kids and they loved our adventures.

--I took evie for a one-on-one to Color Me Mine and we spent the evening painting a masterpiece, an adorable mermaid sculpture to hang on her wall. We went out for ice cream and talked and I loved getting the time with her.

--Our fun Easter week included the neighbor hood egg hunt (which I swear every year I need to find someone else to chair it but it always turns out to be so fun), the bunny trail at Lee’s Market, dying eggs and a movie night. Grammy and Papa spent the weekend, weekend with them are always so much fun, we love having them with us. On Sunday we had stake conference and then got to dive into easter baskets. The girls each got a Hatchibaby and Zach got an Ironman helmet. We spent the evening at the aunties house for a wonderful feast and an awesome egg hunt with lots of treats and great prizes and time to play with cousins! This is even more fun now because another of the favorite aunties has moved to the neighborhood! my kids (who are we kidding? and me) especially ADORE her and are so happy she's closer now!

--All of the kids had great field trips! And I got to go! Abi’s class went to Discovery Gateway Museum. She sat with me on the bus and read me a story she has been writing. At the museum they split us into groups but then mostly just turned the loose. So we spent most of the time with a couple of her best friends. They especially loved the life flight simulator and the earthquake simulation. We ate lunch at a park before heading home. Evie’s class had a short afternoon at This is the Place Park, where again the big hit was the school house and the train. And then we went to Red Butter Gardens for a guided tour. Her favorite part was when we got to taste the plants. We tried chives and sorrel and nectar and something that tasted like a dark carrot. But the sad part, and I’m sure I will regret for a long time, I couldn’t go on Libby’s field trip. I’m so sorry sweetie!