The Birthday Twins

 So many birthdays to celebrate, and we are having so much fun!  Today Jonah and Benaiah turn 11 and 8! 

Jonah is getting almost as tall as me and he just won't stop growing!  This past year he has become a wonderful young man who helps out with all the "man chores" like helping me open jars - ha!  He is very interested in anything having to do with the outdoors - survival, hunting, and predatory animals.  He is fast, strong, and capable but can also get down on the floor with the littles and have them rolling with laughter.  He is extremely talented at pencil drawing and devours books.  Jonah can usually be found sneakily doing one of these activities after lights out.  Jonah is a smart leader and natural talker.  I can't wait to see how God uses Jonah to be the hero of his story!

Benaiah might be the youngest of the "big boys" but he does everything his own way.  He loves to read fantasy books but also speeds through math like a whiz.  He enjoys programing robots, playing with his snap circuits, and would be happy to sit in front of a screen all day.  (Good thing I'm his mom.). Benaiah is cuddly and enjoys read aloud time the most.  He asks questions about how everything works and wants to know all. the. things.   He loves yetis and other mystical creatures like centaurs and minotaurs.  He is quiet most of the time but when he gets silly it gets wild!  I love seeing him grow into his role as a big brother as he blesses his siblings by teaching them games and reading to them.  He is one smart (and sweet) cookie!

We love you, Jonah and Benaiah!

One Year with the Warrior

 

Uriah - oh, what joy he brings to everyday!  Millions of smiles and buckets of silliness.  It is hard to believe where we were one year ago.  He has come so far and overcome so much to become a strong, independent, smart little guy!

He loves to dance and play the woodblock.  Benaiah has gotten him hooked on the silly song "Pancake Robot;" even if he is upset he will stop crying at the first few notes.  Uriah is a master at sneaking up the stairs and is starting to climb on chairs.  He doesn't mind the Alaskan cold and even when I try to put socks on him he pulls them off to chew them.  He is starting to enjoy food - chicken, grapes, and graham crackers are his favorites.  Our little man doesn't like to sleep or nap, but who would when there is always so much going on around here.  He is all boy; he can already drive a toy car and roll a ball back and forth.  He can show on his fingers that he is one, clap, wave, and say "Hey," "Mama," and "Dada."  Uriah loves to slide and be in the action of whatever his siblings are playing.  If everyone laughs he will start laughing too.  He is the cutest little thing and gives the best hugs!  

We love him through and through.  We are thankful everyday for the miracle he is and the blessing of being able celebrate his first year of life.  We can't wait to see what God has in store for him!  

We love you, Uriah!

Juliet is SIX!

 Happy Birthday, Juliet!  She has gone from. six pound bundle to a six year old!  I feel like six makes her an official big kid.  The two missing teeth make her look even older.  

Juliet is such a bright and sunny little daughter.  She faces challenges head on and works hard to do her best in whatever she does.  She loves crafts of all kinds and all the pink, purple, and teal things.  She enjoys any animal that will let her pet it.  Her nurturing heart makes me (and Uriah) smile. I love watching her teach the littles letters while playing school and leading them on walks around the house while playing family.  Juliet has a funny way of saying things that leaves us quietly snickering in an effort not to hurt her feelings.  She is a wonderful helper in the kitchen and she can hike up mountains with the best of them.  She is beautiful inside and out!  

I asked her what it felt like to be six.  She said it feels funny and makes your toes feel tingly.  :)

Now, let's hear from her!

Tickled Pink to be Three!

Today we celebrated three years with lovable Poppy girl!  Her only request was pink cupcakes and pink.  No gifts, just pink.  So, we did just that.  She woke up to a dining room makeover with pink decor, pink iced cinnamon rolls, strawberry applesauce, and pink milk.  She wanted me to sit and read books to her and she hiked all by herself to a waterfall.  We spent the afternoon eating pink cupcakes with friends and finished the day with a bowl of pink ice cream with pink sprinkles! 

Poppy is a joy and delight.  She is happy, helpful, and full of energy.  She is spirited and only gets upset when she feels she has been wronged.  She takes great care of "The-doe" and all her other babies.  She likes to help cook so she can lick the spoon, lead the way on walks, and draw pictures of our family.  Poppy has grown up so much this year as she now sleeps in a big girl bed, sits at the table like a big girl, and wears big girl panties to bed.  I use to call Poppy and Theo the babies but she doesn't let me get by with that anymore.  She gives cuddly hugs and loves for me to hold her while I do all the things - and I kinda like it ;)

This is her first year doing a birthday interview.  She had us laughing!  Check it out!

What is your favorite color? pink

What is your favorite toy? kitchen

What is your favorite fruit? cake

What is your favorite TV show/movie? A turtle movie

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? chicken

What is your favorite thing to wear? Tiger shirt (Me: What tiger shirt?  Poppy: Daddy is going to get me one at the store!)

What is your favorite game? Candyland

What is your favorite animal? Hippo – pink hippo

What is your favorite snack? pretzels

What is your favorite song? Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

What is your favorite book? Brown Bear Brown Bear

What is your favorite thing to do outside? sit on a blanket and eat cookies

Who is your best friend? Eli (Benaiah: What about me? Poppy: You! Everybody!)

What is your favorite drink? juice

What is your favorite holiday? Get candy

What do you take to bed with you at night? Doll one

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? waffles

What do you want to be when you grow up? A monster!

What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Cake!

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Watch a movie

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? Read books

What do you pray about? God

What do you love about yourself? I’m mean.

What is your favorite thing about Benaiah? He reads books to me.

What is your favorite thing about Juliet?

What is your favorite thing about Eli? He plays games with me.

What is your favorite thing about Theodore? He plays with me.

What is your favorite thing about Huck? He colors with me.

What is your favorite thing about Jonah? He’s stinky.

What is your favorite thing about Uriah? He plays games.

What challenges you? Playing games

What excites you? Watching a movie

Twins Turn Nine!

Double the fun on a birthday for two!  We had so much fun celebrating Huck and Eli turning nine!

Huck is becoming a Renaissance man.  He is cooking his way through his banana cookbook, attempting to learn crochet, practicing tricks on his scooter, and reading a variety of books at lightening speed.  He enjoys playing board games and joining in on whatever his siblings are up to.  He loves dance parties and acting silly with Eli.  Huck doesn't let much bring him down and enjoys sharing jokes.  

Eli is an absolute delight.  He thinks of others first and is always lending a hand.  He cares so much for the three youngest and is like a little dad.  He comes up with goofy ideas and drags Huck in on the fun.  He puts on plays and puppet shows on the regular and draws pages of cartoons each day.  While, he might get distracted easily and forget he is eating breakfast, it is usually because he is helping someone else.  He comes up with colorful ensembles and lives in crazy socks.  

And now for my favorite part!

Huck:

What is your favorite color? Red and then purple

What is your favorite fruit? banana

What is your favorite TV show/movie? The Parent Trap or other movies mom watched when she was little

What is your favorite thing to wear? Yellow shorts with my yellow and gray shirt

What is your favorite game? Kanoodle

What is your favorite animal? Monkeys, specifically orangutans 

What is your favorite snack? Ants on a log

What is your favorite song? Go Fish songs

What is your favorite book? Desmond Cole Series and Tomie de Paola

What do you like to learn about? reading

What is your favorite cereal? Cinnamon Toast Crunch

What is your favorite thing to do outside? roller blades

Who is your best friend? Eli

What is your favorite drink? water

What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

What do you take to bed with you at night? Sock monkey and my banana pillow

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Banana baked oatmeal

What do you want to be when you grow up? geologist

What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Chicken Phillies with butternut squash and parsnips and corn on the cob

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Going to his work

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? cook

What do you pray about? Having a good math lesson

What do you love about yourself? I have a good family

What is your favorite thing about Benaiah? He lets me do his snap circuits

What is your favorite thing about Juliet? She is a good listener when I read to her and she likes listening to me when I read.

What is your favorite thing about Eli? He likes drawing with me and every time he starts a project he asks me if I want to do it.

What is your favorite thing about Theodore? He makes silly faces.

What is your favorite thing about Poppy? She likes drawing.

What is your favorite thing about Jonah? He likes playing outside.

What challenges you? Math lessons

What excites you? Eating new foods

What makes you sad? When I have to leave my grandparents’ house

What is one thing you want to accomplish before you turn 10? Go see someone carve gems

Eli:

What is your favorite color? orange

What is your favorite toy? Marionette puppets

What is your favorite fruit? oranges

What is your favorite TV show/movie? Pete’s Dragon

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Oranges, peanut butter and honey sandwich, and peppers

What is your favorite thing to wear? My orange pants, orange shirt, and mismatched socks

What is your favorite game? Bob Ross Happy Accidents

What is your favorite animal? Naked mole rat

What is your favorite snack? Puppy chow or trail mix

What is your favorite book? BFG and Wolf

What do you like to learn about? Writing and reading

What is your favorite cereal? Raisin Bran

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Hula Hoop

What is your favorite drink? Orange juice

What is your favorite holiday? St. Patrick’s Day

What do you take to bed with you at night? Hippo, sock snake, my robe

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? French toast

What do you want to be when you grow up? Scientist and artist

What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Chicken Phillies with butternut squash, parsnip, and corn on the cob

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Go to Colorado

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? Try new art projects

What do you pray about? If someone is sick and I pray for the next day to go well

What do you love about yourself? I’m creative and I have lots of friends

What is your favorite thing about Jonah? He tells me lots of animal facts and at night time he tells us stories about a kid named Hunter

What is your favorite thing about Juliet? She likes art and How to Draws.  Whenever I am alone and I don’t have anything to do I call her.

What is your favorite thing about Benaiah? He is a silly goose and always gives me great ideas.  He always talks about what he wants to build when he grows up.

What is your favorite thing about Theodore? He likes wrestling with me and I throw him all over the place.

What is your favorite thing about Poppy? She also likes doing art and she is a big ole goofwad.

What is your favorite thing about Huck? He is my twin and he likes to do art with me and he is also interested in mushrooms and fungi.

What challenges you? math

What excites you? Going on trips

What makes you sad? When someone gets hurt

What is one thing you want to accomplish before you turn 10? Go to Georgia

Way Back in February . . .

Well, when you have a baby the day before birthdays you might fall a little bit behind. . .

Jonah turned 10 and Benaiah turned 7!  They had been looking forward to it for so long, but the day ended up looking very different from what they had planned.  I am forever grateful for sweet friends and neighbors who helped them celebrate while we were in the hospital.  When, I finally got home to them at dinner time I realized I didn't have a cake or anything.  What do you know?  Here comes a cake to our front door.  Jonah and Benaiah were so understanding and compassionate when their special day was turned upside down.  I sure am lucky to have two super sons!

Jonah keeps getting taller and taller and checks to see how close he is to catching up with me every other day.  He continues to devour books and especially enjoys books about the wild and all the creatures there.  He is always up for one more chapter even if it is under the covers after bedtime.  He challenges himself physically and is always learning to do new feats - any kinds of ball, frisbee, scooter, bike tricks, and roller blading.  He talks big, but he still loves his hugs goodnight and cuddling with Uriah.  Everything Jonah does is big - he eats more than everyone, talks more than everyone, moves more than everyone, and keeps me on my toes! 

Benaiah is my little engineer.  While everyone else is throwing rocks in the river, he is designing a harbor.  When a he finds a contraption in the kitchen he examines it to see exactly how it works.  He loves Legos and snap circuits.  Benaiah has really taken off with reading and is speeding through chapter books.  He is a whiz at math and makes my job as his teacher too easy.  He can be rather stoic and then break out in super silly dance moves or a hilarious joke.  He has learned to roller blade, write in cursive, and swim without floaties.  He can listen to read alouds for hours and loves to cuddle.  If he had it his way he would watch TV and eat toast with butter all day.  :)

And here they are . . . birthday interviews!

Jonah:

What is your favorite color? green

What is your favorite toy? Small toy animals

What is your favorite fruit? Mango and apricot

What is your favorite TV show/movie? Africa’s Deadliest and Gummie Bears

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Smoked pulled pork

What is your favorite thing to wear? camo

What is your favorite game? Hide and seek in the woods

What is your favorite animal? Any in the dog and cat family

What is your favorite snack? Heath apple dip

What is your favorite song? Go B-zerk

What is your favorite book? Hatchet, Old Yeller, and Bears of Blue River

What do you like to learn about? history

What is your favorite cereal? Corn Pops

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Sitting in trees looking for animals

Who is your best friend? I like all of them the same.

What is your favorite drink? water

What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

What do you take to bed with you at night? A flashlight and books

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Homemade waffles and pancakes

What do you want to be when you grow up? African explorer and missionary

What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Chicken pockets, salmon, caribou, and a bunch of other stuff

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Race

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? cook

What do you pray about? Lots of things

What do you love about yourself? I’m athletic.

What is your favorite thing about Benaiah? He puts puzzles together with me.

What is your favorite thing about Juliet? She scares away every bear within ten miles.

What is your favorite thing about Eli? He is smart.

What is your favorite thing about Theodore? He’s loud.

What is your favorite thing about Poppy? She’s cute.

What is your favorite thing about Huck? He throws footballs with me.

What challenges you? All my brothers and sisters

What excites you? Going on a long trip

What makes you sad? Not much

What is one thing you want to accomplish before you turn 11? Shoot a moose

Benaiah:

What is your favorite color? Blue and maroon

What is your favorite toy? Legos

What is your favorite fruit? pears

What is your favorite TV show/movie? Chip and Dale

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? toast

What is your favorite thing to wear? neon

What is your favorite game? Matching game

What is your favorite animal? Rhino and bat

What is your favorite snack? Fig bars

What is your favorite song? Throw Up Your Rawk Fist

What is your favorite book? Mirette on the High Wire

What do you like to learn about? Reading

What is your favorite cereal? Cookie Crisp

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Go up the Butte

Who is your best friend? Claire

What is your favorite drink? Hot chocolate

What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

What do you take to bed with you at night? Patchy

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? toast

What do you want to be when you grow up? engineer

What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Go to his work and eating a Lunchable

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? Listen to story after story after story

What do you pray about? Getting Uriah out of mommy’s tummy

What do you love about yourself? I’m a genius.

What is your favorite thing about Jonah? He’ll get the mail when it is cold outside.

What is your favorite thing about Juliet? She plays with me.

What is your favorite thing about Eli? He’s a good artist.

What is your favorite thing about Theodore? He is really cute.

What is your favorite thing about Poppy? She is really sweet.

What is your favorite thing about Huck? He plays with me.

What challenges you? Races

What excites you? When Mamzie comes to our house

What makes you sad? When a baby dies in mommy’s tummy

What is one thing you want to accomplish before you turn 8? Get all my facts on Reflex

Juliet Turns Five!

Juliet had a pink-filled day full of fun to celebrate turning five!  She is a spunky, silly, and smart girl.  She embraces life in a family full of boys and is strong, fast, and unstoppable.  She loves all things sparkle, shine, and fancy.  She has learned to ride a two-wheel bike and hiked to the top of countless mountains.  She has lovely handwriting and her coloring skills put Danny's to shame.  She can beat the whole family in memory match and likes to come up with Would You Rathers for our around the table time - although they always revolve around ballet and princesses.  She cares for Theodore like a mother and loves to help me cook in the kitchen.  She longs for long flowing locks, but got my crazy hair (bless her heart).  She does have a stubborn streak and will fight for what she wants, but the brothers are learning to be more stealthy or move out of the way.  ;) She likes music to dance to and making up songs about whatever comes to her mind.  She is a joy and a blessing of a daughter.  We love her so much!

So, what did Juliet have to say about being five?  Well, here you go!

What is your favorite color? pink

What is your favorite toy? magnatiles

What is your favorite fruit? grapes

What is your favorite TV show/movie? Daniel Tiger

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? ants on a log

What is your favorite thing to wear? dresses

What is your favorite game? Frankie’s Food Truck

What is your favorite animal? monkey

What is your favorite snack? cereal

What is your favorite song? Jesus Loves Me

What is your favorite book? Fancy Nancy and Pinkalicious

What do you like to learn about? God

What is your favorite cereal? Marshmallow

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride my bike

Who is your best friend? Maila

What is your favorite drink? lemonade

What is your favorite holiday? October

What do you take to bed with you at night? Baby bear

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Oatmeal

What do you want to be when you grow up? ballerina

What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Cinnamon rolls

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Go to the jump park

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? Color

What do you pray about? That I love God and I am thankful for what I have

What do you love about yourself? I am so fancy.

What is your favorite thing about Benaiah? That he loves me and he cuddles with me

What is your favorite thing about Jonah? That he plays kitchen with me

What is your favorite thing about Eli? He lets me come to his ice cream restaurant.  (Eli was standing near and has no idea what she is talking about.)

What is your favorite thing about Theodore? He wrestles with me.

What is your favorite thing about Poppy? She plays magnatiles with me.

What is your favorite thing about Huck? That he loves me to pieces

What challenges you? Lifting up a heavy trash bag

What excites you? The fair

What makes you sad? When brothers don’t play with me

What is one thing you want to accomplish before you turn 6? Not to be mean