Zoë is FOUR!

Zoë, you are 4 years old today! You are full of life and laughter and bravery! Here's what you've been up to:

 - You completed 2 weeks of swim lessons on August 1. We took them at the Springs Aquatic Center this year and had a great experience! As the picture shows, you were all in and passed your first level with flying colors! You were glad to be in the same level as your cousin, Miriam.

 - We had a fun all-girls morning at Dagg Spray park earlier in July. You and Naomi had a lot of fun splashing and playing.

 - 4th of July at Mimi's house in NE! You love being outdoors -- playing in the water, finding bugs, playing with animals, riding trikes and scooters, running, climbing, sliding -- you go after it all!

 - On July 1, we started our new school year, so you are officially in Pre-K! You enjoy having your own books to work in while your big brothers do their school work. You like art the most, as well as music and learning your letters.

 - I decided to give you bangs in May. Your hair was continually in your face and you'd just swish it away every once in a while; when I tried to clip it back or put it in a pony, it'd only last part of the day and then you'd be there trying to see through all your hair while building legos or something and *I* couldn't stand it anymore ;) So we went for it and I think you look cute! You're totally pulling them off!

 - Your first time to mini golf was this Spring down in the Ozarks on our family vacation.

 - You love to dress up and look pretty. You don't wear bracelets and accessories like you used to, but you do like to find the right shoes and often wear dresses or skirts. You've allowed me to do your hair more, braids, ponytails, clips, etc. And occasionally you'll ask for an animal hairstyle. So far, I have attempted to make you look like a dog and a unicorn! ha! And you have requested "butterfly" for your birthday. I guess I'll see what I can come up with!

 - Your first "official" haircut. I asked for tips on FB and read through a book about taking care of curly hair. I feel like your curls are coming along now that I'm learning how to treat them better. And I did my best at a dry hair cut/trim and I think it turned out ok! You were more patient than I expected and I think it's about time to do another. Your hair has gotten so long!

 - You are pretty patient with Marshall even though the first year we had him he knocked you over so many times. I see you outside petting him calmly and telling him "easy" and convincing others that he is a good dog. It warms my heart to see the way you care for him.

 - We had special time together on Valentine's Day this year. We went to Parkville Coffee and had a protein ball and hot cocoa, read books, and enjoyed some much needed one-on-one time. I have a rotation on my phone so I am more consistent with my special times with each of you kids. We had another special time in June. We went to Jason's Deli and you picked out all that you wanted on your sandwich and then we did a little shopping. Although it's only 3 times a year, I'm hoping over the course of your life, those moments will add up and you will know how much you are loved and cared for by me.

 - You are a great eater! There are few things you reject, and those are intermittent. Like sometimes you don't want peanut butter, but other times you seem fine with it. You like all kinds of meat, roasted broccoli, corn on the cob, most every fruit, and chocolate :)

- You love to dance and I really hope we'll be able to get you started in dance class in a year or two! I think you will do very well at it. You have good rhythm and now how to shake your hips-- ha!

- You are in a phase of saying some really funny as well as endearing sentiments. One night you were thinking about a bad guy you had seen in your movie, so I was singing your new favorite song for when you are scared. When it was over you said quietly, "My heart is telling me to cry." It was very sweet and sincere.

What is your favorite food? Doughnuts
Favorite song? Let it Go
Favorite drink? Apple Juice
Favorite movie? Moana 
Favorite color? Purple and pink 
What is your favorite thing to do each day? School. Coloring. 
What do you like about homeschool? Writing books. 
What is your favorite thing about Daddy? Love 
Mommy? Love   
Zeke? He loves me
Levi? He loves me 
Naomi? Her plays with me 
What do you want to be when you grow up? A police officer and I going to be a doctor! 
What was the best thing that happened while you were 3? Reading books
Anything else you want to say? *shaking head* No. 

Zoë Kayte, I love having you as a daughter! You make every day more joyful and fun. I love your smile and your laugh. You are going through a phase where you don't want hugs or kisses from your brothers at night which is a little off-putting for them, but they're learning to work with you. I look forward to the year ahead as I watch you learn and grow and change. I pray we will always be close and that you will be courageous, compassionate, and kind. Happy Birthday! Love, Mommy 

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