Lydia // 4 Years

My goodness, this is what happens when I completely neglect to care about my blog anymore. Happy birthday to my baby, 3 weeks late! Let the record show that I am also not going to be uploading pictures on here anymore, and I will also probably stop doing birthday posts for kids when they turn 10 for the sake of privacy and such. (So, Nicole's most recent birthday post will be her last.)

Lydia counted down to her birthday for weeks. She was eager to be old enough to have TWO gummy vitamins at breakfast time like her older siblings and regularly informs random people that she's four now. She wanted nothing more for her birthday dinner than plain pasta with cheese on it. We actually celebrated her birthday a day early because we were visiting my family in California (Jenna's homecoming) and we drove home on Lydia's actual birthday.

Lydia at age 4:

- Sings loudly and somewhat offkey (it's endearing)

- Loves wearing dress-up clothes in a way none of her siblings did. We're talking daily dress-ups here. Her regular pick is Elsa, but she will often wear Aurora as well.

- Will immediately approach anyone who has a dog and ask to pet it (she's *very* good about asking first.)

- Really wants to attend elementary school with her siblings and recites all the time how she'll be able to go to kindergarten once she turns 5

- Already a pro at navigating the elementary school, honestly, because we're there quite often for the volunteer work I do. The front office ladies all know her by name.

- Enjoyed her first year of dance class quite thoroughly, is currently loving summer dance camp, and looks forward to starting her next dance class in August (and possibly adding Acro into the mix!)

- Every time I did her hair for her dance concert rehearsals/performances, she'd say it was her "Zuko hair" because the top ponytail reminded her of Zuko's hair from season 1 of Avatar (You can tell from how novel this experience is for her that I don't put her hair up often)

- In true youngest child fashion, she desperately wants to do what her siblings are doing and gets sad when she's left out of activities or outings because she's not old enough yet

- Loves books, hooray!

- Quite skilled at solo play, partially out of necessity since she was the only child at home during this past school year

- She attended preschool two mornings a week and loved it, so we'll be upping the frequency to 3 times a week this coming school year

- A bit sassy. Telling her more than once to wash her hands or pick up her toys will often illicit a response such as: "Uuuuuugh, I KNOW, stop SAYING that!"

- If she's upset, she'll inform you: "I don't like you anymore." Ultimate insult, you know.

- If she could get away with only eating cheese, yogurt, pasta, and bread products, that would be all she would ever eat

- We went to Disneyland back in November 2024, and Lydia was juuuuuuuuust barely tall enough to get away with going on rides with a 40" height requirement IF she stood up as straight as possible. We managed to get her onto Radiator Springs Racers with us but failed the final height check for Rise of the Resistance. That one probably would have scared her a bit anyway, so it's for the best.

- I need to record this quote before I forget it. We arrived for pictures at our dance studio. The studio director saw Lydia and told her she looked so pretty in her costume. Lydia shrugged and said, "I'm just a girl." I sat there choking on my saliva and wondering how my preschooler learned popular social media vernacular that none of my other kids use.

- Loves to sneak a few too many treats to our cat

- If she spills water on her clothes she must change immediately

- Has learned how to play a couple little tunes on the piano with coaching from her siblings

- Requests the "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" theme song at bedtime every night

- Just barely started using a nightlight in her room. While we were in Fresno, the room she slept in had a nightlight. Her own bedroom has always been pitch-black and has never bothered her... but once we came home, she had nightmares 3 nights in a row. A nightlight fixed that issue!

- Loves pink

- Loves treats

- Loves our cat Ava

- Can unbuckle and buckle her own car seat, hallelujah (and is responsible about keeping it buckled)

- Recently got into Nicole's nail polish and thought it was lip gloss, so she emerged from Nicole's room with bright blue lips 0_0

- Has a favorite cashier at Costco that she looks for every time we're there. If he's working and his lane isn't too busy, she'll insist on getting in line for him. She thinks he's hilarious.

I don't think I'll every quite get over how each of her birthdays marks an "end" for me. I'll never have a 3-year-old again. Very bittersweet.

Lydia, we all love you so much! Here's to starting your 5th year of life!

Autumn // 6 Years

Our favorite little kindergartner has been 6 for a whole week already! It was her golden birthday, too. 6 years old on the 6th. Her top request for her birthday was her very own lightsaber, she picked out her favorite outfit to wear to school on her birthday, and she reminded me multiple times to make sure to pick up donuts to bring to her class or else her classmates would all be "very disappointed" in her.

Autumn at 6 years old:

- Still as strong-willed as ever

- Has the cutest laugh ever, honestly

- LOVES books and is progressing very quickly with learning to read.

- The initial adjustment to kindergarten was a little rough (as I've said, she's strong-willed and free-spirited and likes to do things on her own timetable) but now that she's adjusted, she's thriving at school.

- Has "sticky fingers" (especially when it comes to treats and books)

- Can hold her own in Mario Kart against her older siblings

- Sings loudly and enthusiastically at school and church, with a great mind for remembering lyrics

- Still has a list of people she regularly cycles around to at church. If you're lucky enough to make her list, good luck getting rid of her. She'll be attached to you for life.

- Now that I think about it, she really loves people. Really. She's an extrovert, for sure.

- Her tastebuds change as frequently as Utah weather in the spring (which is to say, several times a day, every day.)

- Loves her Acrobatics class, but just barely dropped her dance class after being in it for a solid 6 months. The teacher is new and has a rather strict teaching style that doesn't mesh well with Autumn's free spirit. We'll try dance again in the fall!

- She's giving soccer a second chance this spring, but only because one of her best friends is signing up with her. We'll see if she actually plays this time!

- Was brave enough to go on Rise of the Resistance when we took a trip to Disneyland back in November, and loved it so much that I immediately took her on it a second time as my rider swap buddy

- Frequently wears two jackets to school, mainly because the zipper on her winter coat broke, so she wears a second lighter jacket that she can zip up

- Uses the Tonie Box that Lydia got for Christmas just as much as Lydia does

- Loves chapstick (who doesn't?)

- Wants me to read Harry Potter to her, but I'm just not ready for that time commitment yet #ThirdChildProblems

- Turning out to be a night owl like her big sister

- Also is probably the lightest sleeper in the family, aside from possibly me

- Likes to put the stickers she collects on her bedroom wall. She just might be getting a sticker album in her Easter basket because mama doesn't like the sticker wall!

We love you so much, Tumble. (I hope she always lets me use that nickname because I love it. Or "Tum" at the very least.)

Nicole // 10 YEARS!!!

One whole decade.

She's been alive for one whole decade.

I've been a mom for one whole decade.

Nicole had some strong feelings about having to go to 2 hours of dance on her birthday (she's missed a handful of classes from a recent vacation and never made them up, so I told her she couldn't miss class on her birthday), and she was convinced it wouldn't be a great birthday because of that. Plot twist: she told me this evening that it was actually a great birthday. She had a good day at school, got to play a bit of Animal Crossing, was able to eat her favorite pizza before dance (Papa Murphy's) and got to go to a holiday party with her grandpa and siblings before coming home and opening her presents. I hit a bullseye with her presents, apparently.

A small note: I think that the age of 10 is where I might stop doing the blog birthday posts for each kid. As life gets busier and crazier, making blog posts just feels like another thing to do. We'll see if I even make it to the 10-year mark with the other 3 kids.

As always, pictures are... coming eventually. (Maybe pictures are the problem! Maybe I should just stop worrying about attaching pictures to my posts!)

Okay, let's talk about the birthday girl.

Nicole at 10 years old:

- Book worm, always. A new favorite series this year: Star Friends

- Constantly tumbling around the house. It seems like she can't go more than a few minutes without doing some kind of walkover or kickover or roundoff.

- Joined choir and orchestra at school this year and is proud of her natural musical ability. The teacher has had Nicole help lead her section in choir on more than one occasion when they were working on split-part songs.

- Has progressed to the Regionals round of the annual Reflections contest in the "Dance Choreography" category. We'll know by January 2nd if she gets to go on to the state level.

- Finally consented to *officially* learn how to ride a bike... and then promptly outgrew the bike we had on hand for her.

- Got her ears pierced a couple months ago! After claiming that she would never ever EVER get pierced, she noticed that most girls her age had pierced ears and decided that she wanted to after all. She was so nervous. We switched her earrings out for the first time this evening! I got her a variety of earrings for her birthday.

- Picky eater

- A true Hermione at heart. She loves to show off her knowledge, loves to answer questions correctly, loves books, loves to follow rules and let other people know when they're not following the rules or doing things correctly... to a fault, perhaps. She even has the social awkwardness of Hermione.

- Her laugh reminds me of a chipmunk or squirrel. Sorry if this embarrasses future-Nicole. I'm recording this here as a reminder for myself, just in case her laugh changes when she hits puberty.

- STILL insists on wearing jeans with dresses. Someday she's going to ask me "Mom, WHY didn't you stop me from doing that!" and I'm just going to laugh.

- Is finally showing interest in some self-care items (beyond bathing) such as brushing her own hair and learning how to put her hair in a ponytail. I never thought the day would come! She's getting better and better at it.

- Runs cold and has many blankets piled on her bed

- Has the BEST reactions when she comes through the door after school to see that I have put up new holiday decor for whatever holiday is coming up

- Watched all 9 films in the Skywalker Saga and has a mild obsession with Kylo Ren. Shortly after we finished those, we had her watch the first 3 Pirates of the Carribean movies. It's so fun to introduce these films to her, and she's been handling the content really well.

- My constant shadow in the evening when the rest of her siblings have gone to bed.

- Went to a birthday at a reptile house a few months ago. She entered the party with a healthy fear of snakes, and left the party obsessed with them and wanting a pet snake of her own. I told her she'd have to feed it live mice. That deterred her a bit.

- Her 4th grade teacher has two pet bearded dragons, and Nicole has earned a few different opportunities to hold one. This has only increased her newfound affinity towards reptiles.

- Has a tendency to prefer the morally grey, troubled, villain-leaning male characters in a book or movie. Draco Malfoy, Kylo Ren, Anakin Skywalker, Jareth the Goblin King... well, she IS my daughter.

- Such a night owl. It's ridiculous.

- We need to get this singer/dancer into a musical, stat! But WHEN?!

- Loading the dishwasher is her favorite kitchen job.

- Religiously feeds Ava dinner at 5:00 every day (unless she's gone, or Austin manages to beat her to it)

- Sure, she's 10, but she's still just a kid. She loves kid things. She loves to play with Barbies. She even spends plenty of time playing with her sister's Little People sets.

- She IS showing some interest in pre-teen stuff, though. Nail polish. Makeup. Hair. I'm just waiting for the fashion awareness to kick in (hopefully sooner than it did for me... so unfortunate haha)

- Yes, she likes Taylor Swift, but she loves movie and video game soundtracks more.

We love you, Nicole! I'm glad your birthday ended up being great.

Austin // 8 Years

My not-so-little dude turned 8 today. Halfway to getting a driver's license. One quarter of my current age. Crazy to think that he's been around for 1/4th of my entire life. He was all smiles when I went into his room singing this morning, spoiled his classmates with donuts, and was oh-so-patient when Costco didn't have the taquitos that he wanted for his birthday dinner and made a gracious 180 decision to get Chick-fil-A instead. Let's brag on the birthday boy a bit, shall we? (Do I even have to say at this point that pictures will eventually get added to this post? Let's just assume that's always the case now. Ha.)

Austin at the age of 8:

- Kind and caring

- Helpful

- The best friend to those around him and very friendly in general

- I've said it in years past, but this kid is ridiculously good with numbers, spatial awareness, and problem solving. While they're reviewing addition and subtraction in his 2nd grade class, he's over here doing multiplication, long division, and exponents.

- Obsessed with soccer and plays it with his buddies whenever he can

- Learning more and more tricks in his acro class. He's working on backbend walkovers now!

- Has started attending choir at church

- Has quite the Pokémon card collection, and can oft be found sneaking cards to school so that he can trade them with his friends

- Obsessed with our cat Ava. He steals her away on a daily basis to go cuddle with her on the couch, whether she wants to or not.

- Enjoys shooting hoops outside and is hoping to play basketball this winter, if Mom can figure out how to work it into our schedule

- Went through a short phase where he said "Bro" pretty often, but it didn't last long (fortunately)

- Very good at moderating his candy intake when he gets a box or bag of candy. He can make it last a week or longer if he wants to.

- Quick to say a heartfelt "thank you" when someone does something nice for him

- Still has the very best belly laugh. If you get him started, you won't be able to resist laughing with him.

- Loves root beer

- Wants to be a scientist when he grows up

- Does cool tricks off the diving board at the local pool

- Likes writing notes to his friends

- Really wants to be a night owl like his big sister but is SO grumpy the next day if he tries to stay up late. Bro needs his sleep!

- Graphic novels are his book of choice

- Really got into "Avatar: The Last Airbender" this year

- Was given Doug's old alarm clock earlier this year and has become fond of listening to the radio. He's probably better-versed on Top 40 Hits than anyone else in the family.

- Out of all the radio hits he became familiar with this summer, he seems to prefer "Whiskey" by Hozier

You're my favorite son, Austin! I love you a lot. Thanks for 8 years of dimpled cheeks and belly laughs.

Lydia // 3 Years

 Somebody had a birthday about 2 weeks ago! Ummm, so this means we no longer have any babies or toddlers. This girl is a full-out preschooler who chatters the day away and has her first day of preschool in 5 1/2 weeks. We're all obsessed with her, and she was pumped for it to finally be her turn to blow out candles. She chose chicken taquitos as her birthday dinner and brownies with ice cream for her birthday dessert.

[pictures are forthcoming, as per usual]

Lydia at 3 years:

- Obsessed with the soundtrack for the Disney movie "Wish"

- Loves books

- When we ask her a "why" or "why not" question her response is often "Because yes."

- Became very efficient at riding a 3-wheel scooter earlier this year, and got a new scooter for her birthday

- So friendly. Often says "hi" to people we pass at the store or on walks.

- Runs to pet every dog she sees. I'm trying to get her to ask the owner first, but she just gets so excited when she sees a dog.

- Looks forward to church because she loves nursery. She's currently the only child in nursery because nobody else is nursery-aged (except for one other little girl who never comes because of separation anxiety). Lydia gets 100% of the attention from the nursery leaders and revels in it.

- Still takes a nap almost every day

- Finally got moved to a "big girl bed" at the beginning of the year and loves it.

- It's funny how similar she is to Austin, while Nicole and Autumn are more similar to each other. For example: when it comes to sleep and bedtime, Autumn and Nicole are night owls who gave up naps around 2 years of age, stall bedtime, and get out of bed multiple times for water or to sneak books to read; while Austin and Lydia don't fight bedtime, kept their naps past their 3rd birthdays, and never get out of their beds (for naptime OR bedtime).

- Has the best one-liners. I can never remember them though. I need to start keeping a list of the things she says because she really is hilarious.

- Still has a 6th sense for treats

- Enjoys building with Magna-Tiles

- Loves eggs, pasta, applesauce pouches, rotisserie chicken, and cereal

- REALLY wants to pet the cat all the time, but the cat doesn't want Lydia to mess with her because Lydia is kind of loud, high-pitched, and is a bit aggressive with her affection. It's a give-and-take, depending on how thin the cat's patience is running (and she's a very patient cat).

- Started potty training a bit over a week ago, and she's handling things pretty well so far. We aren't accident-free yet, of course, but she knows what to do and gets better and better at it with each passing day.

- It should be noted that she chose Bluey underwear at the store

- Loves to play with her siblings, especially imagination-based play

- Daniel Tiger is her TV show of choice

- Spent the past year helping her mom volunteer at the elementary school in the Home Reading program. We would go in every week to switch out books, and Lydia loved checking the room key out, carrying the book box from the kindergarten room, and playing with the toys while mom checked the books in and out.

- Loves being outside

- Getting more comfortable in pools, but still won't leave the steps or very shallow areas

- Enjoys video calling with my family members

- Steals Nicole's smart watch and hides it under her bed

- Loves wearing dresses

- Almost always puts her flip flops on the wrong feet

- Is finally old enough to participate in the summer camp that the kids do at the dance studio, which starts in just over a week. She is PUMPED.

- She's been dying to start dance classes, but the youngest class was already full by the time she was old enough for it this past year (you have to be 2.5 years old). She'll get to start in late August!

We love you, itty bitty Lyddi! Even though you're no longer a baby, you'll always be my baby. :D

Autumn // 5 Years

Tum Tum is five, and I can hardly believe it. Truly. She has been looking forward to her birthday for weeks and has been all smiles all day. She changed her mind on her birthday dessert multiple times before finally settling on donuts. (Of course...last night she said she wanted cake instead, but I said it was a bit late to be changing her mind again...so donuts and ice cream it was.)

This girl is quite the character. Let's chat about all things Autumn! (Pictures are forthcoming, as per usual. Austin's are up on his post now, so I'm making progress!)

Autumn at 5 years old:

- Situational Social Butterfly

- Treat Thief (heaven forbid you leave a treat unattended on the kitchen counter)

- Chapstick Addict

- Every time we have a visitor in our home that she likes, she yells "I LOVE YOU!" out the front door as they're leaving. (And if you're lucky she'll say, "I love you so much forever and ever.")

- She has a whole setlist of people that she goes around to during the first hour of church. She'll hop from family to family, settling herself in next to her favorite people for a few minutes before heading off to the next stop on her list. She'll add a new person/family to the list every couple of weeks.

- She still resists going to Primary most Sundays. There were several times in the past year when she would run out of the chapel before the prayer was done and hide somewhere to avoid going to Primary. Her usual hiding spot was up on the stage in the corner by the curtain. Once, Elder's Quorum had already started and she was hiding back there...nobody noticed! She didn't make a peep!

- There have also been a handful of days in the past year where I've had to hand her out the front door of the car at preschool drop-off because she didn't want to go and even once where I had to get out of the car and retrieve her from the back seat. MOST days she gets out of the car happily and willingly, though.

- Very good at Bop It! (her high score is somewhere in the 80s)

- Loves books and has been caught many times using a nightlight to look at books when she's supposed to be in bed (including tonight).

- Regularly sneaks down to her older siblings' rooms to take their stuff (mainly books).

- If her siblings love it, then she also loves it. Monkey see, monkey do.

- Strong-willed

- Still sucks her fingers (We've tried to stop her, but...well...see the previous line.)

- Dairy and beige foods are her favorite foods (breads, crackers, pretzels, cereal)

- Has her own room now that Austin has moved into his own room. She LOVES it.

- Went through a phase where she'd ask about death every few days. More specifically, when she would die. She didn't seem nervous or stressed about it, just curious.

- Loves to swim (but can't swim unassisted yet)

- Enjoys puzzles

- Loves to play a boardgame called "Race to the Treasure" in which the goal is to use path tiles to create a pathway from one end of the board to the other while collecting keys along the way.

- Classic third child. Interpret that as you will.

- Plays so well with her little sister while the older two are at school. They listen/dance to music, play with barbies and Little People, and play make-believe.

- Current music of choice: Descendents; Puss in Boots: The Last Wish; and various video game soundtracks.

- Started regularly refusing to dance during the first 20 minutes of her dance class (during the tap portion), so we just barely switched her to an acro (tumbling) class, and she LOVES it.

- Really wanted to play soccer last spring, and then spent most of each game refusing to play. She'd play a bit towards the end, but only because there were treats and I told her that only kids who play the game get the treats. I'll let you take one wild guess on whether I'll sign her up again this year or not. :P

- Getting tired of preschool, apparently, and just wants to go to the same school as her siblings. I can't even imagine her in kindergarten, she doesn't seem old enough! But that's still half a year away.

She does things completely on her own timetable, loves freely and openly, and keeps us on our toes. She brings a certain chaotic, "wild card" energy into our home, but not because she's hyper or uber-loud; the chaos comes from not knowing what she will do from day to day. Will she eat the chocolates that Doug bought for me? Will she accidentally damage one of her sibling's toys that she wasn't supposed to be playing with? Will she hide under her bed with a crayon and completely coat the wall with bright scribbles? (True story. Yes, she intentionally went under her bed to scribble because she knew it would be hidden from us.) Ah, Tumble Bum. We love you so much.

Nicole // 9 Years

As of about a week ago, Nicole is halfway to adulthood. IS THAT NOT INSANE?!?! Okay, I'm done yelling. But honestly, it's a bit crazy to think that her childhood (if you include the teen years) is halfway done. Nicole had a bit of a busy birthday because of school, ballet, and acrobatics, but we still managed her birthday dinner request of grilled cheese with tomato soup, as well as a rousing chorus of "Happy Birthday" while she blew out candles that were wedged into no-bake cookies and ice cream. Most of the true festivities happened over the weekend with a birthday party with friends from school at Hang Time (a trampoline park) and a pizza dinner and cake with my in-laws.

Nicole at 9 years old:

- Still a huge bookworm. I put a small bookcase in her room about 2 months ago and she has already run out of space on it because she keeps bringing all types of books home as prizes from her teacher at school.

- Stays up too late reading with a nightlight. I let her get away with it because #childhood

- Even though I already read the entire Harry Potter series to her (twice, technically) she is now reading it herself. Currently on book 6. She has her own copies of all 7 books.

- Participating in Battle of the Books for the first time at school this year and is quite confident her team will win

- Has a full dance schedule this year with ballet, jazz, and acrobatics every week

- Entered the PTA-run "Reflections" program for the first time this year and came in first place for Original Dance Choreography at the intermediate level (grades 3-5) at her school.

- Sang a solo in church for the first time back on Easter. She was so nervous but did SO well.

- Has vivid dreams pretty regularly

- Still loves Polly Pockets and has enough sets to create an entire community out of them

- Wears jeans under dresses

- Puts her shirts/dresses on backwards half the time

- Would wear dresses every single day if she could

- Would also wear flip flops literally everywhere if she could

- While she's still obsessed with KitKats, there's a new candy battling for her number one spot: Airheads Xtremes

- Straight-up asked about Santa earlier this year, so... she knows

- Doesn't talk to me about boys all the time anymore, so I guess we're getting to that phase where mom isn't her go-to gossip buddy anymore. Waaaah.

- Became obsessed with the TV show "Miraculous: The Adventures of Ladybug and Cat Noir" this year (and got the rest of us hooked on it as well, honestly)

- We discovered this year that she's missing two of her adult teeth. They're just... not there. Her front two bottom molars. Hopefully the baby ones last for many years to come!

- Would rather handle the dirty dishes than sweep the kitchen floor

- Refuses to ride a bike, even though she can technically do it (Doug has witnessed)

- Very efficient on a razor scooter

- Runs on the cold side, so she's developed the habit of huddling over the heating vents whenever the furnace is running and complains that the 3 blankets on her bed (plus her fleece pajamas) are not warm enough at night

- Collects ChapSticks

- Very eclectic taste in music, but primarily prefers movie and videogame soundtracks

The happiest of birthdays to you, Nikki B. Enjoy your final year in the single digits!

Austin // 7 Years

Somebody turned SEVEN a few days ago!!! It still seems like yesterday that this kid was small enough to carry around and keep snuggled up on my lap. Now he's attending school all day long and has his own bedroom (after years of sharing with this or that sister) and is reading books!

Austin wanted to invite every single boy in his class at school to his birthday party, plus a couple boys from the other class who had been his friends in kindergarten. It was his first birthday party (because I'm a slacker who didn't want to deal with executing birthday parties for the past several years) and he had an absolute blast. He requested chicken enchiladas for his birthday dinner and chocolate cake with chocolate frosting for his birthday cake.

As per usual, pictures will be forthcoming. I still haven't edited the pictures I took of Lydia back in June for her second birthday!

Austin at 7 years old:

- Trades Pokémon cards with his friends after school every day until his sisters and I yell at him through the window to come get in the car

- Can do backbends really well and is working on getting strong enough to do kickovers

- Still loves playing soccer. We need to get him into a league that plays more than one season!

- Doesn't have a banana per day anymore, but that's mainly because he's at school for lunch now and bananas don't keep well in his lunch box that he tosses around.

- The best helper. He's very willing to lend a helping hand at home and at school. His teacher said he's the first to volunteer to help a struggling classmate or to complete a classroom task.

- Responsible

- Kind

- Thoughtful

- Generous

- A great mind for mathematics. He's already doing multiplication in his head.

- I'm still amazed by his spatial awareness. Just today he created a 3D model of a local building without any help from parents, and it looked very neat. If I hadn't sat there at the table and watched him make it, I wouldn't have guessed it was made by a first grader!

- We're currently reading the first Harry Potter book for the second time, and he's looking forward to finally moving on to the second book. (Nicole is looking forward to it too, haha!)

- Protective of his little sisters, especially Lydia

- Wants to be friends with everyone

- Enjoys playing Minecraft, Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Lego Harry Potter, and Kirby

- Has so much energy!!!

- Still has a tendency to be snuggly (when he's not bouncing off the walls). Old habits die hard!

- Lost a total of 4 teeth so far. He doesn't patiently wait for them to fall out--he pulls, wiggles, and twists it until he manages to extract them himself.

- Loves to ride his bike and his razor scooter

- Doug took him skiing for the first time this past winter and he handled it pretty well

- When we are voting on a playground to visit, he always insists that whichever one we choose NEEDS to have swings

- Quick to pick up on new skills

- Is very good at pacing himself with candy and treats. He'll get a pack of candies and make them last for several days, just eating a couple here and there.

- Still loves building with Legos and has an entire table in his room he can use to build at

- Still has the best belly laugh (I hope he always has a contagious laugh)

- He's a budding comedian, actually. He's made a few jokes in the past year that are quite witty and make Doug and I snort-laugh. He likes to make others laugh and seems to have made it his personal goal to get me to laugh whenever he can. He takes great pride in it and always points out, "Made you laugh!" when one of his off-the-nose comments elicits a chuckle from me.

- (To build on the previous concept: Last year for Mother's Day he was asked "What makes your mom laugh?" and his answer was, "I have tried everything to make her laugh and it doesn't work" so yes, he really does consider a great accomplishment to get me to laugh, apparently)

- I taught him some piano this summer, so he can play a bit now. He actually has a fantastic ear and can sound songs out without needing music. He transposed "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" into a minor key and called it "Old MacDonald Lost His Farm" and I love him for it. He performed a minor version of "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider" that he had created at his Kindergarten talent show back in the spring. He went through a Music In Minor phase, I suppose!

Oh, this kid. Doug and I often ask each other where on earth he came from because he really is awesome. I have always been nervous and a little freaked out at the concept of my children becoming preteens/teens, but I'm quite excited to see the kind of teen and adult this kid will be someday. We love him dearly and our home is a better place with him in it. Happy 7th birthday, Austin!

Lydia // 2 Years

No more babies in this house... Lydia is a full-fledged toddler! Of course, she'll ALWAYS be my baby, but she's two now. TWO. I've never had a two-year-old without also having a newborn or being at least halfway or more through my next pregnancy. I'm really getting to savor her toddlerhood. She's the cutest little thing, and we love having her in our family. We celebrated by going to watch a parade, seeing cousins, and eating pasta for dinner because she's obsessed with pasta. Brownies for dessert, and she blew her candles out like a complete pro.

Let's talk about Lydia at age 2:

- Quite the chatter box and learning new words all the time

- Has a 6th sense for treats and will come charging through the house as fast as her fat toddler legs will carry her if she knows I'm opening a package of something sweet.

- Climbs to the top level of our backyard playset but can't get back down on her own

- Pronounces "water" as "rah-der" and I am already dreading the day she stops doing it because it's adorable

- Just as book-obsessed as her older sisters. If I sit down anywhere, she will immediately take advantage and bring over book after book after book, then climb up on my lap and demand, "Read book!"

- I'm still her very favorite person in the world, but she's not very clingy anymore

- Gives the best snuggles when she wakes up from her afternoon nap

- In addition to being pasta- and dessert-obsessed, she also loves cheese (like, a lot)

- She's in an oatmeal phase and has had oatmeal every single morning for breakfast for the past couple weeks

- Loves animals, especially dogs and cats. She attempts to pet any dog she sees.

- Quite finicky about fruit. One day she loves raspberries, the next she outright refuses them. Rinse and repeat with every single fruit.

- Thrives on routines and procedures

- Has the best smile, especially when she scrunches up her eyes and nose

- Very happy and boisterous little girl

- Loves to sing (one of her favorite songs is "Good Tonight" from the Netflix movie "The Bad Guys")

- Enjoys going for walks in the stroller

- Really enjoys going to nursery at church and will run straight there the moment it's time

- Starting to become a little defiant and says the word "no" with increasing frequency

- Walks down the stairs, but will still slide down on her belly if she's looking for speed

- Likes helping with laundry and putting dishes in the dishwasher

- Takes "selfies" with one of my old (non-functional) smartphones while saying "Cheeee!"

- Too observant and clever for her own good

- Problem-solver

- Gets into LI-TER-AL-LY EVERYTHING

- Chronic snacker and can often be found with her hand in a cereal or cracker box

- Currently going through her Peter Pan obsession phase, just as her oldest sister did at this age

- So friendly and says "Hi" to everyone we pass when we're on a walk

- Likes wearing necklaces and bracelets

- Graduated to a booster seat at the kitchen table, so now all 6 of our chairs are occupied!

- Some of my top nicknames for her are Lydi, Princess, Shoo/Shoom (based on a sound she used to frequently say about a year ago that sounded like "shoom") Shooby Snack, Honey Bun, and Bitty Lydi.

- Has been sized-up as a snack by a komodo dragon at a zoo (such a funny story, that enormous lizard was licking his lips)

- One would think that she would hate being in the car because of the sheer amount of time she has to spend in it because of taking her siblings to school and extracurriculars, not to mention going on errands with me, but it's quite the opposite. She's always excited to get in the car and go places.

I'm obsessed with her. She's the perfect little caboose to our family and brings us so much joy, while also keeping us on our toes. Love you so much, itty bitty Lydi!

Autumn // 4 Years

This morning, I attempted to sing the "Happy Birthday" song to Autumn, and she got mad at me. Not the best start to a birthday, but once we got some breakfast in her she was much happier. She's not very keen on getting older because she WANTS to be "babied" (probably because she has a little sister who is "babied" constantly) but even Autumn gets excited about some of the perks of getting older (such as getting two gummy vitamins in the morning instead of just one).

Autumn at 4 years old:

- Loves any and all dairy products--especially milk--even though they don't completely agree with her digestive system

-  Will easily spend large chunks of time per day looking at books/"reading"/having me or Doug read books to her

- Enjoys listening to Disney movie soundtracks

- Has her own "playlist" on YouTube that has the most random assortment of songs and artists on it such as Sara Bareilles, Justin Bieber, Fergie, and Owl City

- Regularly sneaks down to her big sister's room to "borrow" her books, Polly Pockets, and art supplies

- Current top tv show of choice is Pinkalicious on PBS Kids

- Is starting to play well with her baby sister, and it's so fun to see them close themselves away in Autumn's bedroom and giggle in there together for a while

- Sugar addict

- Regularly sneaks onto the kitchen counter to swipe a cookie, or a sibling's toy that I put out of reach, or to take a sip out of my Swig cup

- Not very ticklish, but has a cute laugh when you can get her going

- Was very brave this past year and got comfortable with being in pools

- Enjoys easy hikes

- When the weather is not freezing (like it is right now!) she loves to ride around on a 3-wheel scooter

- Had a hard time adjusting to Primary at church for the first couple weeks (so hard to leave nursery, where she's been for 2 1/2 years and there's snacks and toys and baby sister to play with) but she's warming up to it now

- Scared of elevators for a while, but now is just mildly nervous in them

- Likes the idea of dogs, but gets nervous around dogs

- Monkey see, monkey do. If her siblings are into it, then so is she.

- Already talks about being excited for kindergarten and going to the same school as her siblings. Excuse me, miss, but you still have a year and a half before you head off to kindergarten!

- Dresses up in costumes a lot these days (princess dresses, old dance concert costumes, etc)

- Has the cutest little voice where her "l" sound comes out as a "w" sound (so "Lydia" becomes "Widia")

- Probably plays with Austin the most at this point in her life

- My first child to need a nightlight in her room (much to Austin's dismay, since they share a room currently. Yep, he prefers a very dark room.)

- I have to be careful to remove all books from her room at bedtime because she will take her blanket and pillow and lie down by the nightlight with her books and fall asleep reading. Cute, but then she's grouchy the next day.

- If she steals something she shouldn't have (treats, siblings' toys, ChapStick, etc.), she hides it in a corner of her closet. It's the one of the first places I look if something is missing, and I suspect Autumn might have taken it!

- Quiet yet goofy at preschool, and kind to her classmates

Love you lots, Tum Tum. We love watching you learn and grow!

Nicole // 8 Years

I'm finding it a little hard to swallow that this girl is 8 now. HOW CRAZY?! I remember being 8! She's going to enter the preteen phase before I know it. She's still deep in the magic of childhood right now, though. Unicorns are still cute, Santa is still magical, and climbing on the furniture is still something that happens too frequently for mom's liking. Haha!

Her birthday was on Sunday, and we dragged the celebrations out over 3 days with a party at Hang Time with some of her friends, dinner at my mother-in-law's, and another dinner and dessert of her choosing (taquitos...chocolate peanut butter cheesecake and ice cream). 

Nicole at age 8:

- Sings daily and has a strong voice with a fantastic sense of pitch.

- I finally picked back up on teaching her piano this year (after an almost-1-year hiatus because #babysister) and she's making very quick progress. Music makes sense to her.

- LOVES to read and will easily spend hours a day with books. She stole a nightlight from the hallway a couple nights ago so that she could use it to finish one of the chapter books we gave her for her birthday that she had spent all evening reading. She was so grouchy the next day...

- Loves playing Mario Kart

- Night owl

- A liiiiitle boy-crazy. Her list of "boyfriends" (AKA boys she has a crush on) currently amounts to 7.

- Has an impressive Polly Pocket collection

- Favorite book series include (but are not limited to): Owl Diaries, Unicorn Diaries, The Magic Treehouse, The Princess in Black, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I also finished reading the 7th Harry Potter book to her earlier this year.

- Thanks to her acrobatics class, she is very close to perfecting a backbend kickover. She worked VERY hard on her handstands and backbends all summer. It's so cool to see her get stronger and more flexible, especially because acrobatics was very hard for her when she first started.

- In addition to acrobatics and jazz/ballet she has started taking contemporary dance, which she LOVES.

- Obsessed with KitKat bars

- Spends any money she gets on.......books and KitKats. :D

- Does not like soda/lemonade, so water is her drink of choice...unless there's chocolate milk!

- Enjoys swimming at local recreation centers, or her grandpa's pool during the summer

- Regularly lets us know that she wants to go back to Disneyland (Incredicoaster is her favorite ride)

- Had two more teeth pulled this year, bringing the total # of teeth pulled up to 4 (and 2 lost naturally)

- Loves a good card or board game

- Such a goof. For every nice picture I got of her for her birthday shoot, I got two that were of her being goofy. The ones I've shared are just a tiny taste!

We're so lucky to have this crazy chicka in our family! Happy birthday, Nicole!

Austin // 6 Years

Look at this handsome little kindergartner! What a kid. My favorite son, you know. And every time I tell him he's my favorite son he responds, "But I'm your only son..." and I respond, "Yep." He was sick yesterday on his birthday, which was a big bummer. (I was sick too, hence publishing this post a day late...) Fortunately, he was able to enjoy some birthday festivities on Saturday. Doug and I took Austin and Nicole to Austin's outing of choice: Getting all-access wristbands at Provo Beach Resort. Lots of laser tag, croquet golf, bowling, playing on the indoor playground, carousel rides, and arcade games. Nicole was even brave enough to do the high ropes course with me, but Doug had to get back off with Austin because Austin was a little too nervous to try crossing any of the planks or ropes.

Let's talk about the birthday boy, shall we?

Austin at 6 years:

- LOVES his baby sister and has dedicated many hours to tumbling around with her, chasing her, and letting her push him around. (Lydia now thinks that walking up to another toddler and steadily pushing them backwards while giggling is the proper way to introduce herself and play.)

- Currently has a paper airplane obsession. I can't keep track of the sheer number of papers he has folded up and flown across our house.

- Still loves Legos

- Enjoys racing his older sister on Mario Kart 8 and creating things in Minecraft

- I read the first Harry Potter book to him earlier this year and he really enjoyed it. He's thrilled to be Harry Potter for Halloween this year.

- This past year has brought a lot of big emotions and transitions for this kid, so he finds himself getting frustrated or upset more easily than in years past. He juts out his lower lip when he's in one of these moods, and I know the emotion is very real and big to him... but I have to admit, the lower lip is funny!

- Energy level = through the roof at times

- His biggest concern when he started kindergarten was making friends. Now he tells me every couple of days about a new friend he has made. He wants to be friends with everyone.

- His belly laugh is still extremely contagious

- Really wants us to get a cat. I know, buddy. I know. Litter box logistics are still the main issue here.

- Has amazing spatial awareness and has the early makings of an engineer. Numbers make sense to him. He already does math in his head.

- He's eager to start learning to play the piano like his big sister, so I suppose that's how we'll be spending some of our time during the cold winter months

- Can't smile "normal" for a picture if his life depended on it! He either squeezes his eyes closed and flashes a big cheeser, or he squints his eyes and does a thin-lipped, toothy grimace. I only got some "normal-looking" smiles for the pictures in this post by getting him to talk about something he likes.

- His birthday dinner of choice is chicken taquitos

- STILL has a banana almost every single day

- Has the makings of a rollercoaster junkie, much to my delight

- Soccer is his sport of choice, although he really enjoys t-ball and his acrobatics class (like tumbling, but more dance-oriented)

- Did karate for most of the past year of his life, but stopped over the summer

- Learned to ride a bike this summer

We love this kid! Happy birthday, Austin!

Lydia // 12 Months

Our little caboose has finished her first year of life. Just like that. By the time she woke up this morning she was already officially a year old. She was oblivious to the fact that it's her birthday, of course, but her siblings were all very excited on her behalf. It was enjoyable to watch her demolish her smash cake this evening. She also stuffed herself at dinnertime because I served a favorite meal of hers: spaghetti, complete with meatballs, garlic bread, green beans, and cantaloupe. She went to bed with a very full tummy.

What a year it has been. It's been hard, honestly, but we love her SO. MUCH.

Lydia at 12 months:

- So close to walking. So very close. She can cruise along furniture while only holding on with one hand, walks when we hold her hands, and can even get into a standing position from the floor, if only very briefly.

- Takes two naps half the days, only one nap the other half

- Finally (finally!) sleeps through the night. When I say that, I mean she doesn't wake up at all or need me to go in and hold her. Her average bedtime is 7pm and average waketime is 7am.

- Eats a banana a day and loves all forms of pasta and breads. She also loves frozen peas. And treats.

- Since her highchair is by the kitchen window, she's always grabbing at the curtains with her messy hands. My poor white curtains...

- All bathroom doors have to be kept shut now because she enjoys unrolling the toilet paper

- Not big on being read to (there are only 2-3 books she'll sit for) BUT she really likes flipping through the pages of any book she can get her hands on herself

- Her dearest ambition is to get her hands on the Nintendo Switch, or one of our phones

- 8 teeth

- Recently discovered how fun it is to chase her siblings around furniture

- Too smart and observant for her own good. Has already figured out how to open various cupboards and drawers, even some that have some child-proofing measures on them.

- Can now slide her way downstairs feet-first on her tummy (although she needs help turning around and getting started)

- Still absolutely refuses to let anyone but me put her down for naps/bed (even Doug)

- Has imprinted on a blanket and snuggles with it in her crib. (Come to think of it, maybe that's why she finally sleeps through the night... she has a snuggle buddy!) It's white with pink/yellow/orange whole citrus fruits on it.

- Enjoys swinging at the park

- Won't leave bows on her head unless I distract her... but she always remembers in the end and rips it off

- Learned how to shake her head

And now, as per tradition, here are pictures of Lydia from birth until now!

^ Newborn ^

^ 1 Month ^

^ 2 Months ^

^ 3 Months ^

^ 4 Months ^

^ 5 Months ^

^ 6 Months ^

^ 7 Months ^

^ 8 Months ^

^ 9 Months ^

^ 10 Months ^

^ 11 Months ^

And 12 months!

What a cute little chunk of heaven right there. I'm so excited to see what little personality quirks she develops as a toddler. We love you so much, Lydia! We're so lucky to have you in our family!