18 Months Old!

Naomi, this may be the closest I have cut to preparing a child's milestone blog!

- You are getting so big! Participating in family conversations at the dinner table, clapping, laughing at the appropriate times, looking out the window above the bed, grabbing your shoes and bringing them to me when you want to go outside. It's so much fun! But I do love that we can still snuggle while you're sleeping. Right now your schedule is to wake up around 7:30 am, nap from 1-3 pm (although the past few weeks, you've thrown in a few 4 hour naps!! Yesterday you got up around 5:30 pm) then you typically go to sleep around 8:30/9 pm.

First time wearing pigtails -- on our way down to the Lake of the Ozarks 

 - I believe you are are most expressive child. You have so many facial expressions and ways of communicating with us! Plus you do say several words, especially when I ask you to: please, apple, banana, bubba, dog, yes, amen, mama, and dada.

 - You received your first doll on Easter from Mimi! You love playing with Zoë's Rosie, so I thought it was probably time to pick one out for you. You like your baby and have fed her a bottle and carried her around some. I have a feeling you'll be using your doll sooner than big sister did.

- You're a pretty good eater. You like most everything we make. When we made our family trip to the Ozarks we forgot your chair, so we sat you on a pillow at the table and you looked like a tiny human, but you did pretty good nevertheless.

 - Selfies with your brothers :D

 - I love your curly hair! Now that it is getting more humid, the curls are tightening up even more. And I think it's more noticeable because your hair is getting longer. You have quite a bit of hair that hangs in your face so I try to clip it back or put it in a ponytail most days. But I love how it looks right after your baths.

 - You really enjoy riding on little cars/tractors/trucks. You seem to really enjoy being outside. I could tell when we were at Mimi's house for Easter you loved roaming around in the grass and flowers without getting jumped on by a dog!

 - You are adventurous and brave! Very little scares you. Except loud noises as I noticed the other night. But you will climb and jump and try all kind of things to see what your little body can do. You have great balance and are already going down the stairs facing forward! You climb the ladder up into the tree house. It's really quite terrifying to me because sometimes I'm not sure where I'll find you. And it's usually up!

First day of spring ice cream treat! 

Naomi Irene, it is a joy to be your Mama! I love your giggle and the two bottom teeth that always show when you smile and laugh. I love that you get to sleep next to me at night and you sometimes follow me around like a shadow. You are strong and independent and love to pester everyone in the bathroom. You think the pink stool is yours, so you push them all off while I'm trying to brush their teeth at night. You have 2 toothbrushes because you think it's funny to keep pulling new ones out of the drawer and shoving them in your mouth. The sound of your bare feet slapping the ground as you walk around the house has become one of my favorites! I love to see the little girl you're becoming and I look forward to the next six months with you! Love, Mommy 

15 Months Old!

Naomi Irene, you are 15 months old today! You have changed SO much in the past 3 months. Here's what's been happening:

- You have teeth!! The first one broke through on January 24th. And now you have two on the bottom, one on the top! You're 4th is about to break through, another top tooth!

 Playing with a new friend!

-We've perfected the move to getting you on my back into the Boba! You know to lean in and hug me with your legs. You really like to be held still, so I wear you almost every day, especially during school time so we can focus and get work done! Otherwise you cry or climb on the dining table. Although Zoë is super helpful and will sometimes get into the pack-n-play with you and keep you quiet so I can focus on the boys for awhile. 

- The weather finally warmed up one weekend, so we got OUTSIDE! It has been so cold this January and February, so we took advantage of the sunshine and went on a hike at the Parkville Nature Sanctuary. 

- Having fun with Pop-Pop at Zeke's birthday party! 

 - You make some very loud sounds! As shown above ^^ :D

- You are walking almost exclusively! The past 3 months you've progressed from mostly crawling and just a little walking to mostly walking with very little to no crawling. You're even spinning in circles to dance and climbing many things. 

Your post-bath hair is MY FAVORITE! 

- You love french fries with ketchup very much! But you also love steak, roast, applesauce, chocolate, roasted sweet potatoes, bananas, scrambled eggs, sausage, and pasta night! We've started giving you some juice and chocolate milk and you're a big fan of both! You aren't too picky of an eater which is great! 

Girls' Club continues! Mommy is excited for our friendship to grow as you girls grow! 

- You say "Dada", "Mama", "Bubba", "up", "ZZzz" for Zeke and Zoë, and make sounds for both cat and dog. You like mimicking the kids during dinnertime when they play eeny, meeny, miney, moe as we pick the next person to say what they're grateful for. You shake your finger and arm around and point at everybody. 

- You love reading right now! You pick up a book, bring it to me, crawl into my lap, and turn the pages. You like talking to the pictures in the book. 

Christmas Eve service 

- When music turns on, you start bobbing your head; sometimes even while nursing and I thought you were asleep! Ha ha! 

First ponytail! 

-Your hair has gotten long, especially into your eyes. So I've been trying to clip it back or put it up in a little fountain pony most days!

Naomi, you are a joy to be around! You are mostly happy, quiet and calm, although we have found out that your have a certain scream that you emit when you are upset or angry! You love your family very much and are really trying to become friends with Dora. You like giving Levi hugs when he is upset. You sleep from about 8:30 pm to 7:30 am and take at least one nap every day, sometimes still two. You babble and enjoy life! You don't seem to mind the cold and spend most days barefoot (although not outside, to be clear). You enjoy reaching your fingers up to play the piano and sitting on my lap while I play. I can't wait to see how you will change and grow in the next 3 months. Love, Mommy

Look Who's Seven!

Ezekiel Dekker, you are 7 years old today! Where has the time gone?

- You are getting tall! Just over 50". You continue to eat well -- you'd make a pretty good vegetarian most days ;) You are starting to make lunch for us, my goal is to have you in charge one day per week, but we're still working on it! You've also learned to cook several recipes from your Raddish kits from last year. You seem to enjoy working in the kitchen with me! 

- You love to build, create, think, invent. You like coming up with contraptions that solve problems. You love books by Arthur Geisert, especially "Hogwash" and "Lights Out". We gave you a droid and train for Christmas and you had them both built within the day. 

- You like to play outdoors and seem to enjoy our Wild+Free expeditions. Sometimes we'll play out in the back yard and everyone will come inside except you. You'll stay out there and have some fun on your own. As usual, you like life to move along your timeline, so you come in when you feel like it. The same way you went outside, when you felt like it ;)

- You are currently a Jr. High Green Belt in Taekwondo. We enjoy taking you to Kick, 2x a week. You get out lots of energy, learn self-defense, and I really enjoy the character traits they are teaching you as well as the service projects you are able to be a part of. 

- Your fascination with lights, strings, water, pipes, yarn, contraptions, etc. continues. You love the strands of lights you've been given this past year that are battery powered. You also received a water pipe card game for Christmas that is quite fun!

- You began 1st grade in the Fall. You are learning to add, read, hand sew; you enjoy our science projects which cover the 7 days of creation; we've read some fun books -- "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz", "Mr. Popper's Penguins", "The Trumpet of the Swan" and the whole Chronicles of Narnia series to name a few. We are reading through Genesis for history and learning about Mali and Egypt. For enrichment, we study poetry, art, music, memorize Bible verses, work on habits (currently self-control), and learn classic hymns.

- You are such a great helper with Naomi! And sometimes with Zoë and Levi too. It depends on what kind of mood they're in :) But you try to be patient with them!

Birthday Interview 1/26/2019

What is your favorite food? Ice cream! 
Favorite movie? I love many movies. "How to Train Your Dragon" 
Favorite color? Blue and red
What is your favorite thing to do each day? Play with the droids and the Q-Ba-Maze set. 
What do you like most about Taekwondo? The obstacle courses and the games at the end. 
What do you like most about 1st grade? That we get to sit down and watch a video about God. (This is at Kid City). 
What do you like about homeschool? (I guess I should have been more specific!) I really like doing the science projects! 
What is your favorite thing about Daddy? Sometimes I get to have special time. 
Mommy? That we get to have special time as well. 
Levi? I like when I get to play with him. 
Zoë? I like when she lets me play with her toys. 
Naomi? I like it when I get to feed her. And have special time with her. 
What's your favorite song? Time to be Awesome (from My Little Pony movie)
What do you want to be when you grow up? An inventor!!! 
What was the best thing that happened while you were 6? Sledding in the snow. 
Anything else you want to say? I like having fun with my family. Done! 

Ezekiel, you are such a joy! I love watching your mind work. You have a tender heart and I see you being full of empathy and compassion for others. You are getting better at playing the piano and have good rhythm! Your eyes are very expressive and I enjoy hearing your vocabulary expand. We've had a fun year with you -- going to Lake of the Ozarks, the first boys' campout on Father's Day {must be 6 and older to attend!}, watching you begin and continue in Taekwondo, learning to read, and more! I'm so thankful for your grace and forgiveness as we learn how to parent on you. I hope you love being 7! I look forward to all that's next with you. Love, Mommy     

Levi is 5!

Happy 5th Birthday, Levi Olin! I can't believe how fast the time has flown.


Sometimes when I look at you I think you're already so grown up and other times I see how small you really are. You have become such a good helper I can count on. When I need help in the kitchen or doing something around the house you rush in, even if I called for "Zeke" ;) One of your favorite chores is vacuuming. I usually ask you to vacuum the rug, but you typically go above and beyond and pull out the hose and get the corners and other places around the living room that you find dirt. You also clean the mirrors in the bathroom and help wipe down the sinks. You are protective of every single person in your family. You always rush to their aid and defend them.

- You tell some pretty good 'accidental' jokes. Oh yes, we've heard plenty of knock-knock jokes and others funny one-liners that you and Zeke have exhausted. But when you continue being silly and making them up on your own, lots of them are actually quite hilarious!

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- You have begun to enjoy painting and art a little more. We got out the Wii earlier this fall and you love to play Mario Kart. You often ask to play, especially on days that are cold/rainy/snowy. I explained to you early on that we got the Wii out because some days it's too hard to go outside and it gives you something to do inside, and you have remembered that well. And ask me a little too often :o) 

- You helped me make the green bean casserole for Thanksgiving this year. It was SO delicious! We used fresh green beans, made our own cream of mushroom soup (which you chopped up all the mushrooms for, in very tiny pieces), and then pulverized two slices of gluten free bread on the top. It was worth all the effort and we'll include it on more holiday tables in the years to come!

- You were so excited to help Naomi celebrate her 1st birthday this year! 

- Last year, the day after your birthday (if I remember right) you had already put in your request for a spiderman birthday cake for when you turn 5. That desire has lasted an entire year! We have never even seen a spiderman movie! ha! But your pumpkin above and the cake I'm getting ready to decorate and some of your gifts and the decorations all over the house are Spiderman-themed and you are loving it! 

So pleased with your Twilight Sparkle costume! 

- You love the bunk bed Daddy made for you earlier this year! You spent many months on the top bunk, and have just recently switched with Zeke. Now, on the bottom, you have created several blanket hammocks for all your stuffed animals to sleep in. It's really quite the spectacle! 

- For preschool, we worked on weather one day, so I had you and Zoë dress up in different types of clothes and we practiced finding the picture of appropriate clothing for each type of weather -- cold, rainy, hot, etc. It was a fun little project!  

- Supporting your brother at his Board Break-a-thon for TaeKwonDo one Saturday morning. You really wanted to be there for him! 

- You seem to enjoy going along on our Wild+Free adventures. It's fun to explore different parks and nature trails in our area. You 3 do a great job keeping up with some of the older kids! I love that it is growing your love for nature as well as giving you extra social opportunities to make friends! 

- You have enjoyed following along with the stories I'm reading aloud. I think your favorite has been "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz". You asked lots of questions and enjoyed many of the different aspects of being brave and defeating the enemy. We followed up a few weeks later and watched the Judy Garland version of the movie. You were disappointed that they didn't include the lion killing the spider and left out the wearing of the spectacles in the Emerald City. You really pay attention to details! Recently you've begun to bring up memories from long ago, things I am very surprised you remember! 

Let's pause for the birthday interview with the birthday boy (Dec. 16, 2018)

- What's your favorite color? Purple

- Favorite TV show? I like My Little Pony and also, the Magic School Bus

- Favorite movie? My favorite movie is Ferdinand because I liked the part when he was a little kid, not when he was so big. It made me freaked out. 

- What is your favorite thing to eat? Pasta and Pizza and also soup, different kinds of soup, like chicken pot pie like we ate last night. 

- Who is your best friend? Zeke-y, my brother is my best friend. But sometimes I leave him alone. 

- What do you want to be when you grow up? A spy! A spy like Chase so I can see tracks and figure out which animal it is. 

- What do you like best about Zeke? I like playing games with him and also playing hide and Zeke and playing tag and my favorite thing to do with him is... make goofy faces. 

- Zoë? I like playing tag with her and also running with her and also my favorite things about Zoë is when she wears beautiful dresses. 

- Naomi? I like walking with her and also climbing with her so she can learn and also my favorite thing to do with Naomi is feed her. 

 - Daddy? Sometimes I like watching movies with him and also reading books and also telling guinea pig stories and my favorite thing to do with Daddy is play hide and zeke. ;) 

- Mommy? I like cooking with you and also I like letting you help me play my songs {on the piano} and also to do homeschooling and work in my book. 

- What are you most looking forward to about being 5? So I can be in Zeke's class and get prizes {he'll move up to the gym at church and he'll earn prizes for learning his memory verses at Kids City} 

At the Railroad Spray park in Loveland when we visited Grandma in August 

Levi, I feel like the best word to describe you is "more"... you have provided more joy, more noise, love, feelings, food, smiles, laughter, hugs, adventure, thoughtfulness, and energy to our family! You are sensitive and always looking out for everyone's needs, if we can just slow down enough to listen and understand. You are a marvelous big brother and your little sisters are lucky to have you looking out for them! I love watching you grow and learn and hearing you laugh and seeing you use your manners. I love hearing from others how polite and helpful you are! I am so thankful to have you as a son and I am eager to walk alongside you as you continue to grow and learn in this journey of life! Happy 5th Birthday! Love, Mommy