Crazy Hair Day

Thanks to one of the other moms at co-op, we've been able to have a few "spirit days" this year. Jammie day was a bit hit (my kids would live in pajamas if given the option). The next one was crazy hair day. I wasn't sure any of them would really be interested, but they were all excited! 

Elise liked the idea in theory, but in practice only allowed me to put in an Elsa ponytail. She added a headband and we called it good.

Aaron was my favorite. I thought he'd go with crazy spiky hair because his hair is already 75% crazy and spiky, but no. He wanted "flat hair like Seth." There's only so much I can do to get his hair flat, but we gave it a go! 

Catherine took care of her own hair.

She definitely had one of the most impressive displays of crazy hair!

Seth went with simple: tiny ponytails:

Most of them had either popped out or broken by lunchtime.

Harder to tell, but I went for the standard "Princess Leia" buns:

Glad they still get a chance to do some of the fun "school" things!

Catherine's Baptism

Catherine's baptism kind of snuck up on me. Probably I wasn't quite mentally ready to have her be so old already! A couple weeks before the big day I woke up in the middle of the night panicking because she didn't have a white dress (things you don't have to worry about when your son gets baptized!). Thankfully Grandma Cathy pulled through with this adorable little dress. I borrowed the headband from a friend in the ward, convinced Catherine to let me curl her hair, and snapped some pictures. 

Apparently the cool thing now is to take baptism pictures in front of the temple. Well, DC is closed for renovation and Philadelphia is too far to drive just for pictures. Also, it's February. It's cold and everything is dead. So we improvised and snapped some pictures in my bedroom.

She wanted her hair cut short for her birthday and baptism.

I'm always sad to see it go, but she does look adorable!

This is my favorite.

It's the one we put on her program.

This is her favorite.

She likes how her eyes look.

You can see why Aunt Elizabeth told her she has "Disney Princess eyes."

A very Catherine grin.

Trying to get the whole dress.

Who needs shoes, anyway?

Big blue eyes and tiny freckles. 

The big day was Friday, February 23rd. Catherine was super lucky: the weather cooperated nicely, meaning she got to have Grandpa Mark, Grandma Sara, Aunt Joanna (recently returned from her mission) PLUS Uncle Daniel, Aunt Wendy & family at her baptism. And, of course, Uncle Timmy, who she had originally assigned to give all the talks and prayers at her baptism. 

Watching the font fill before the baptism began.

With Daddy, all jumpsuit-ed and ready to go.

We let Catherine be in charge of the program for her baptism. She asked Bente and Aunt Wendy to pray (after Seth refused). Talks were given by Uncle Timmy & Aunt Joanna. She chose to sing "Gethsemane" and "A Child's Prayer." She asked Marley to play piano and Sis. Blomquist to lead the music. I loved that her baptism was such a blend of family and people we consider family. The room was filled with family and friends from both wards. I got a little teary when I looked around and saw everyone who came because they love Catherine. She is a lucky little girl.

She asked Grandpa Mark & Uncle Daniel to be the witnesses. Despite her fears, no rogue toes or hair popped up and she only had to be immersed once. Apparently the font had been mostly filled with cold water, so while the top layer was warm, she was a little blue and shivering when they finished. 

Once I got her warmed up and dressed, she was given the Holy Ghost by her dad. In the circle were Bro. Uhlig, Craig, Uncle Daniel, Uncle Timmy, and Grandpa Mark. I jotted down notes about her blessing as Jon spoke so I could write them down later. Sadly, in the post-baptism chaos they disappeared. I'm still devastated and praying they miraculously resurface somehow. 

Catherine's post-baptism refreshment choices included brownies, those disgusting store-bought sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles, and conversation hearts. I brought a veggie tray for my own sanity (for the record, it was the first thing eaten). She later berated me for forgetting to bring the Cuties she had apparently requested at some point (there were a LOT of requests in the days before the baptism). 

Despite being a bit distracted during the program (thank you, Seth), I hope she was able to understand in some degree the important decision she made that day. We had lots of discussions in the weeks before. She was nervous about a lot of things, but seemed better once I verbally walked her through everything that would happen. 

I've been really impressed with her desire to do things like read her scriptures and get started on her Faith in God. She has her moments of stubbornness, but she really is a sweet, helpful and empathetic girl. I'm proud of her decision and am excited to see her grow in her testimony. 

Elise Kitty

Miss Lady Baby,

From the moment you wake up in the morning until you crash at night (or randomly fall asleep in the van or on the couch during the day), it's a constant Elise variety show. You could do something as simple as watching a show on the iPad. Or you could change your outfit for the 5000th time that morning. Or find a gluestick and start gluing things to the walls. Or all three within a 15 minute time frame. 

I can't imagine our family without you. You are our snuggler, our enthusiasm, our chatterbox and our chaos. Three years old is going to be a perfect fit for you. Happy birthday, my Elise Kitty.

Here's what you're up to at age 3:

-When you moved into Catherine's room, we put your clothes into her dresser. Eventually I moved them to the lower drawers so you could get them yourself. It means I don't have to help you dress, but it also means that your room always looks like your laundry basket exploded all over the place. You change at least three times every day just for fun. Every outfit must have a tutu. Good thing you have several to choose from (although the super fluffy purple one is your favorite). 

This was one of your more interesting outfit choices. I was going through the baby clothes in the nursery (swapping out girl clothes for boy clothes) and came across this winter car seat blanket/coat thing. I put it out of the way since we obviously won't need it for a little boy born in April. You quickly retrieved it and came to show me your new outfit:

(Notice your legs coming through the holes for the car seat buckle)

If I could only use one picture to personify you, this would be it.

Grandma sent matching jammies for you and your baby:

-Speaking of sleeping in Catherine's room...we don't do that anymore. As in NO ONE sleeps in there. Not quite sure how it happened. First Aaron lured you in there because he didn't want to be alone. Then Catherine eventually joined because apparently Aaron's top bunk is softer than hers. And Seth will make an appearance anytime there's wind or a storm at night. So we have six bedrooms, six people, and only two rooms get used regularly.

My favorite part of this room-sharing is hearing you and Aaron chatting together. Generally you refuse to accept any blankets besides your special "softie blanket", but sometimes Aaron will ask if you want to "share (his) dreams", which means share his big comforter. It's adorable. Of course, then there are the nights you whack him on the head with your flashlight or keep everyone awake singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes" on repeat...

Kitchen mermaid

-You LOVE co-op, nursery and your little playgroup. You talk all the time about all your friends and when you will get to see them next. Specific favorite are Matthew, Maple & Julia. All your teachers love you and tell me how sweet and smart you are. They don't believe my stories about your chaos at home. 

You & Julia on jammie day at co-op

-You went from being a bit of a late speaker to a full-on, nonstop talker. We think you may be another extrovert like your biggest brother. We love hearing your little phrases and watching your (sometimes teenager-like) body language and facial expressions. Your favorite expression is "I a gwown-up. I wearing unda-ware." This offends Aaron to no end: "NO. YOU ARE A KID!"

-You haven't napped in about a year, but you'll still fall asleep in the afternoons about once a week. We hate when it happens because then we know you'll be up until 9 or later (which is past when Daddy & I go to bed). Sometimes we'll let Seth & Catherine stay up a little later to be your entertainment committee.

Looks like a late night is in the works tonight.

-You're getting into the dress-up phases. Your favorite outfit is your "swimming suit" (actually the pink and black zebra-stripe shirt Catherine wore when she was Madonna for Halloween), but we'll see various combinations of princesses, warriors and nonsense through the week. On this particular day you were a "firebender". You can tell because of the ponytails on your arms and legs. You and Aaron played "John the firebender" a lot for a month or so:

-You are extremely independent and don't like anyone helping you when you can (or think you can) do it yourself. You do, however, still enjoy being babied when you are first waking up or get hurt/upset/offended by something. 

-Whenever it's your turn to pray, we give you the choice of who you'd like to help you. The answer is inevitably "Daddy." Your first question every morning is, "Daddy at work?" You love the days he's off and can play puzzles or jump on the trampoline with you. Every afternoon when he comes home you dance and clap with joy. "Daddy!! You home!!"

You stripped down, filled the sink and climbed in.

Why? No one knows.

-You wake up every morning hangry. Your siblings all prefer to delay breakfast for a little while (just like me), but you need food immediately. If I happen to still be in bed when you get up, you charge into my room: "I want my milk." There is no distracting or delaying you--you will start crying if you don't get your milk immediately. Many times you'll immediately demand breakfast as well. We've learned that keeping you fed makes everyone a lot happier. 

-Babies. Babies are your whole world right now. You have adopted every baby that we have collected through the years as your own. Your very favorite is your Elsa Baby that you got from Grandpa Mark & Grandma Sara for Christmas. Second favorite is Doggie Baby from Cousin Russell. But all dolls are loved and hugged and fed and put down for naps in various locations (our favorite being the trash can under Jon's desk). You dash into nursery every week and spend the entire time with the babies in there. Same thing with your playgroup: you go straight for the babies or dolls. You also love playing with the tiny animals and dollhouse you & Catherine got for Christmas. All your siblings have to do to make you happy is to offer to "play babies" with you. 

You & Elsa baby

Daddy & I often look at each other during some of your "personality" moments and wonder what we've gotten ourselves into. But we wouldn't trade any of it. We love you so, little kitty. 

Elise Turns 3

Two days after Catherine's birthday, it was Elise's turn to wake up to balloons and sugary breakfast food. She was thrilled with all the purple and pink balloons (which all are considered 'purple' in her book). 

We were supposed to have her little playgroup friends over for a party, but a nasty ice/snow storm blew through that day and cancelled everything. Thankfully they were able to join us the next day for some fun at the pumps (where I took zero pictures). But in the meantime you enjoyed watching Frozen and Tangled and sneaking in a birthday nap.

The Elsa cake (of course)

Thrilled to be getting sung to.

This was what she looked forward to the most about her birthday. 

Three years old!

Her gifts included some Elsa clothing, a little camera, Calico Critters and lots of fake food and bottles for her baby dolls. Thankfully she didn't seem to notice that she failed to receive the Kitty Baby, Butterfly Baby and Spider Baby (?!) that she began requesting a few days before her birthday...

Cat Catherine

Dear Miss Catherine,

Looking back through the years, it's fun to see how much you have grown and changed. But what I like the best is seeing the ways you have always been Catherine and probably always will be. When you were four, I wrote: "Every day with you is an adventure. I never know from one moment to the next what's going on in that little head of yours or what to expect next. It makes life exciting, hilarious, and sometimes a bit terrifying. I wouldn't change it for the world." Apparently not much has changed in four years!

You are still very independent and do not like being compelled to do things. Most of the time you happily do your schoolwork and jobs without much nudging, but every few weeks you try to push things. It generally ends in tears and, recently, screaming and stomping. But after taking some time to be alone, you generally emerge again as pleasant Catherine. We're calling it practice for the tween years.

You don't love school, but you do love your class at co-op, which consists of exactly four girls (you, Sophie, Grace & Kiera). All the co-op teachers love teaching your little group, including me! I get to have you for chemistry. 

Making a graphene model out of grapes and toothpicks

Sophie (one of your best friends) decided to help you out.

You are still a tiny thing. Your weight is not even on the charts, but you are 75th percentile for height. It makes finding pants that fit very exciting. Thank heaven that jeggings are in right now!

I gave you the option to take a "real" gymnastics class this year (meaning tumbling, backbends, that sort of thing) and you soundly rejected it in favor of a Ninja Warrior style class. You love climbing the highest ropes, swinging across the rings, and balancing across the various obstacles. And because doing crazy stuff at class apparently isn't enough, you like to do things like this when we're at home:

You enjoy a good game of Minecraft or Roblox in the morning, but you're just as likely to forgo electronics in favor of a book, art project or other creative outlet. 

A MagnaTile tower you created one morning.

You have recently taken up the role of lead entertainer for Aaron & Elise. You'll create forts for them, arrange games, and encourage some great imaginative play. They adore you and happily follow you around until you get sick of it and lock yourself in your room, leaving them whining outside your door.

With the new changes, you were able to join Activity Days (officially this time) in January. Unfortunately, right as you joined I was released from being your leader and put in the RS presidency. I did get to join you for one last activity: making pillowcases! 

Occasionally you'll decide that you need to do my hair. I love it, minus the parts when you are less-than-gentle with any tangles. 

A Catherine original hairdo.

Art is still one of your favorite hobbies. You got to attend a six week class where you made little things out of clay and you were in heaven. You begged to keep going but we didn't want to gamble with the baby showing up mid-class. But you've managed to find ways to keep yourself creating!

Painting the jewelry boxes the boys gave you for your birthday.

You are still very selective about who you will accept into your inner circle of friends. Your first choices are always Emma O. and Sophie, with Emma K. and Grace as second options. All other church and co-op friends are merely tolerated.

You still love playing with Seth but are finally getting better at standing your ground when he pushes too far with teasing. 

Your love of piano has just blossomed this year. You are constantly playing music, usually trying to play Seth's songs (and doing a pretty great job of it). It makes teaching you so much fun.

You are my most willing helper and will (generally) happily do whatever favor I ask of you. You still love helping me cook and have actually gotten really good at preparing certain meals all by yourself. 

I love seeing you grow in your skills and your personality. You are a confident, smart and interesting girl who is not at all prone to giving in to outside persuasion. I am so grateful every day for everything you bring to our family.  Happy birthday, my Catherine Cat.

CATHERINE'S BIRTHDAY INTERVIEW:

1. What's your favorite color?   "Aqua."

2. What is your favorite food?  "Hmm...(extremely long pause)...donuts."

3. Who is your best friend?  "Sophie. And Emma O. And Emma K."

4. What's your favorite movie? "Stitch (as in Lilo and Stitch)." A rather random choice.

5. What's your favorite toy? "My balloon. (After some deliberation)...It would be my flower, heart, piggy-bank, butterfly thing (little crafts she'd gotten for her birthday and was painting)."

6. What's your favorite game to play? "Skip-Bo."

7. What's your favorite game to play on electronics? "I don't know. I haven't played on devices since three days! (After some prompting) Roblox."

8. What's your favorite snack? "Pretzels with peanut butter and Nutella."

9. What's your favorite animal? "A squirrel. Because they're cute and fluffy and sooooooo tiny!" I blame this on Uncle Timmy and his squirrel vs. birdfeeder videos.

10. What do you want to be when you grow up? "An artist. I'm gonna paint."

11. What's your favorite song? "Bushes of Love." Kill me now.

12. What's your favorite Primary song? "A Child's Prayer. I memorized it on the piano."

13. What's your favorite book? "Chester's Way" (a random Valentine's book she keeps in her bed).

14. What's your favorite school subject? "(Extremely long pause)...Umm, Mom math." (Mom math is when we do something more hands-on, like playing store or making playdough fractions). 

Bonus Catherine commentary: 

"I got a haircut." (She loves her hair short and begged for a cut before her birthday). 

"I don't know which one is my favorite pet. I think kitties and squirrels."

Catherine Turns 8

Catherine was up right at 7 am on her birthday to celebrate turning 8!

Instead of birthday cereal, she wanted birthday donuts.

These things were monstrously huge and delicious!

She also brought some to share with her friends at co-op that day. 

After her birthday dinner of biscuits and gravy, we opened gifts while Grandpa Russell & Grandma Cathy watched over Skype. The best present? Her very own set of scriptures!

We waited to do cake and party until after her baptism that weekend. She was lucky enough to have not just her friends there to party with her, but also a whole bunch of family! It was a bit (a LOT) insane trying to rush from baptism to lunch to cake to party, but Catherine had a great time and that's what matters in the end. 

With the giant donut (bundt) cake

Out they go!

For her birthday party all she wanted to do was go to a trampoline park. Seth had gotten to go for a friends' party and was quite descriptive about how much fun it was and how she would love it. 

And so we drove 30 minutes to the trampoline park, then unexpectedly waited in line for another 30-45 minutes just to get in. I was terrified the place would be completely overrun, but it ended up being not too bad at all! 

In all the chaos I didn't manage to get many pictures, but much fun was had by all! Even Aaron, who sometimes doesn't enjoy loud, crowded venues

Elise, of course, was right in her element.

If she had her way the entire world would be made of trampolines and climbing structures. 

Bored girls waiting in line for the climbing wall:

Megan, Emma & Catherine

Other party friends not pictured: Sophie, Grace, and another Emma.

Catherine made it to the top!

Aaron spent the last hour or so of his time at this battle place. Despite losing almost every single round, he happily climbed out of the blocks and immediately got back in line for another go. He won one or two rounds fair and square, plus "won" a round or two against Jason and Seth. He was so pleased with himself whenever he was the last one standing! 

It was loud, crazy, and chaotic, but all the party-goers LOVED it. Happy 8th, Miss Catherine!

February Fun

February was simultaneously so cold that our pond froze solid and so warm that the kids didn't need even a jacket the day they decided to test the strength of the ice. I was imagining my quite pregnant self having to dash across the ice to rescue someone. Thankfully we avoided that scenario!

Enjoying pink heart pancakes, strawberry milk and conversation hearts for breakfast on Valentine's Day. 

Thanks to a snow storm our co-op Valentine's party was postponed a week. It conveniently fell on Catherine's birthday, which pleased her immensely. They were all very thrilled with their ridiculous piles of sugary treats. 

My Best Friend

Drawing is still high on Aaron's list of favorite activities. I can't decide which one I like more: the Chewbacca-esque guy in the center or the cyclops holding the earth on the left.

As part of our homeschool, the kids can earn 'attitude points' by completing all their schoolwork and chores without (too much) whining. They save these points up for various rewards. Seth and Catherine tend to use theirs to get out of doing math, but Aaron saved his up for a date with Mom. He very specifically requested "pink ice cream in a cone." Not what I would have picked in February, but I will admit that it was very delicious! 

A rather new obsession is sending things in the mail. This picture shows a card and a small package with a peach ring inside that he wanted to send to Grandpa Russell. Unfortunately, our mail carrier doesn't seem to know what to do with a tiny card that says "Arizona" on it. Next up on our list: learning to address and stamp an envelope!

He and Elise are about 50/50 now with playing/fighting. When they get into a good groove, they will play together for HOURS (usually playing animals). But there are still lots of moments when it degenerates into battles (usually instigated by Elise's teasing). Aaron's new favorite threat is, "Elise! I will not play babies with you!" 

He's also obsessed with her hair (which really is super soft and fun to touch). He'll compulsively touch it and kiss it and rub it on his face when she's nearby. She is not a fan and tends to retaliate with flailing and punching. Doesn't stop him, though. 

We are fully in the "hours and hours of questions" phase. Yesterday during dinner he went on for probably 30 minutes or more about Great Wolf Lodge and how much it would cost to build one in our yard, and how big it would be, and how much people would pay, and...and...and... It's hilarious when it's not exhausting (especially because he has a tendency to ask the exact same question 5 or 6 times in the course of a conversation). 

After a couple of years of waffling back and forth, we finally decided to have Aaron evaluated at Kennedy Krieger. The entire staff was completely charmed by him. When his evaluator finally came in she said, "The girls up front told me he was the most adorable little boy they'd ever seen!" So clearly it's not just my mom-bias!

Despite being stuck in the same room for three hours of questioning (for me) and testing (for him), he was remarkably cooperative and mellow. The evaluator and I were both very impressed. 

Ultimately, he was diagnosed with a higher-level language processing disorder. Specifically, he has a hard time with any language that isn't very concrete. He will probably struggle with this his entire life. Luckily he already seems more naturally inclined toward math and science which will involve much less figurative language. 

Surprisingly, he was also diagnosed with hypermobility, which means his joints extend beyond the normal range. This can make controlling his body very difficult since he doesn't get the normal feedback from his movements. I was SO grateful to hear this because he has struggled for years with his motor skills. His pediatrician didn't seem to think it was concerning and the evaluation from the school system blamed it on our "large family." Apparently they don't understand that having more kids makes me LESS likely to dress my own kid, not more...

She also informed us that he is 100% not on the autism spectrum, which was something we had considered. He has several tendencies that look very autistic, but his social skills (read: charm) were a clear indicator that autism is not the issue here. She did warn us that she's seeing early signs of mild ADHD and anxiety. I'm grateful to have a heads up on that front. 

I left the evaluation feeling so relieved to have answers. It was also a blessing because it answered some questions I'd been having about Seth as well. 

I sure love this little guy. I'm so excited to see what he decides to do with his gifts. The other night he told us he was going to be a "math-petitioner" when he grows up. I think even Math itself might give up and answer his questions after a few hours of Aaron interrogation...