Mom Life

Sometimes you wander into a room, look on the table, and see a velociraptor doing math problems.  And that's not weird.  It's just life.

#momlife

Wishes

I have a Mother/Child journal book that I do with each of the kids.  The book has various questions or entries that we fill out in response to one another.  Recently Adelie's book asked the question "What are 4 things you secretly wish you could do?"  Adelie's answers were so totally Adelie that I needed to share them here.

1.  Have the power to heal

2.  Be able to turn into a mermaid

3.  Write books about Jesus then send them to people who don't know him

4.  Have a giant foam block pit in our house.

As random and varied as these 4 wishes seem, they epitomize who Adelie is.  She is my caring, thoughtful, empathetic, people-oriented, faith-driven daughter who loves mermaids and, yes, would love nothing better than a giant foam block pit in our house.  I love all the things that make Adelie the special girl she is, and this list just highlighted so many of those things.

My Adelie is one of a kind.  And I love everything about her!

Progress

It is not uncommon for my younger two children to complain about what I have made for supper.  We have repeatedly talked about being grateful for the time and effort someone takes to make a meal, whether or not it's something you prefer.  

Last night I made enchiladas for dinner.  When I put dinner on the table, Adelie made a disgusted face.  She followed it up quickly with, "Thanks for making dinner, Mom.  Maybe I'll actually like it this time."

Not sure that's a ringing endorsement, but I appreciated the effort.  We'll call that progress.

Twelve Years Old

Staley is officially 12 years old.  She is 5'0" tall (50th percentile) and weighs 90 lbs (44th percentile).  Staley is wearing a variety of sizes.  She is starting to outgrow most of her 10/12 clothes, but can wear size 12 pants up to adult XS/S tops.  She wears size 5ish shoes.  It's hard to know how much sleep Staley gets.  She goes to bed between 9:00 and 9:30 on weeknights, but often is awake long after that.  She sets her alarm for 7 on school days, but will sleep in on the week-ends, sometimes not getting up until 9 or after.  Staley is in the 6th grade with Mrs. Selvey as her homeroom teacher.  She is involved in a number of different activities.  With NTA, Staley is involved in Stage Kids, Rising Stars, and Broadway Dance.  Now that she is 12, she can also join Singapella (an NTA acapella singing group) and Tech Kids (learning behind the scenes skills).  She also participated in their Shakespeare summer class and show.  This year, Staley has also participated in the Penguin Project, EMS Drama Club, singing lessons, piano lessons, Student Council, EMS Library Board, band, youth group, and library volunteering at the public library.  Some of these activities are during the school day, which is very helpful in keeping her extracurricular schedule somewhat manageable.

Staley's love of theater and participation in theater activities keeps her schedule full!

Likes:  Staley loves singing, dancing, theater, and anything that involves performing.  Although she is not currently participating in any organized sports, she plays volleyball at recess every day and likes to go for runs.  She is planning to run cross country and track in 7th grade.  Staley spends much of her free time reading, listening to showtunes and audiobooks, drawing, and doing calligraphy.  She also enjoys making videos/movies with her siblings, cousins, and friends.  Board games are another favorite activity.

Staley is creative and enjoys using her creative talents for school projects and gifts.

Staley loves to read.  Fantasy still seems to be a favorite genre, but she reads a little of everything.  Staley has enjoyed watching some older kid movies like Guardians of the Galaxy, the Harry Potter movies, and the Lord of the Rings movies.  However, she still enjoys movies we watch as a family and episodes of Bluey, a family favorite TV show.  When listening to music, Staley has a variety of songs/albums she likes, but Taylor Swift songs and showtunes are favorites.  Current favorite musical soundtracks include Matilda, Les Mis, Six, Dear Evan Hansen, and (of course) Hamilton, although I have been hearing less Hamilton lately as other shows have arrived on the scene.

Show tunes are the best tunes!

Staley has become a very good eater.  She eats anything we make (except veggies) and prefers to share an entree off the adult menu at restaurants.  It's hard to list her favorite foods since she generally eats whatever we make, but her birthday meal of choice is always cheeseburgers on the grill and no peas.  Staley still has a preference for comfortable clothes.  Sweatshirts, t-shirts, and leggings are staples, but she also now regularly wears jeans and sweaters.  And when she can't find something in her closet that she wants to wear, she looks in mine.

Sweaters and jeans?  We've come a long way!

Staley enjoys having a full schedule and lots of activities, but she also needs her alone time at home.  Although social at school and with all her friends in her activities, Staley sometimes asks to just stay home to relax.  Staley has a lot of different friends.  At school she eats lunch and spends recess with Charlotte, Lucy, Morgan, Opal, Anna, Annalise, Jerzie, and a few other girls.  Kaitlyn is who she spends the most time with at church and youth group.  Because Stella and Adelie spend a lot of time together, Olivia is a friend that Staley does a fair amount with outside of school.  But Staley also has friends from different schools and in different grades through NTA and Penguin.  And her cousins remain some of her best friends as well.  I love that Staley's friend circle is wide.

Penguin friends

Cousin time is always the best time!

Staley loves her NTA friends.

Dislikes:  Staley does not like vegetables.  She still has a little social anxiety in new or chaotic situations.  She acts shy around some adults, especially adult males like her principal.  Staley prefers to have some activities and social opportunities that do not involve her siblings.  She still does not like the anticipation of anything painful like shots or pulling teeth, although no longer freaks out like she used to.

Skills: Staley continues to improve with her skills.  Her skills with singing, piano, dancing, and flute all continue to improve with practice and lessons.  Acting comes naturally to her.  Staley is very responsible and independent with all her daily activities like getting homework done, completing household chores (although still sometimes needs to be asked/reminded), doing her hair, and preparing for her shows.  She now does her own make-up for the shows she is in, memorizes her lines/songs/dances typically without help, and makes sure she's caught up with any schoolwork so it doesn't interfere with her busy extracurricular schedule.

Staley is now in Level 3 piano books.

Staley is very bright and does well in school without too much extra effort.  She continues to get straight A's, typically gets all her homework done in study hall or throughout the school day, and has standardized test scores in the 97th percentile for math and the 99th percentile for reading.  She is so blessed that school comes easily for her.

Personality:  Staley is responsible, motivated, and persistent.  If she wants to do something or sets a goal, she will work hard to achieve that goal.  She also has a good head on her shoulders.  She makes her own decisions about what she likes or what she wants to do, regardless of what others think.  If she makes up her mind about something (wanting to do something, not wanting to do something, not liking something), she will not be swayed.  I love that strong sense of self, although it can sometimes be frustrating as a parent when she digs her heels in about something.

But for the most part, Staley's stubborn streak has toned down a lot from her younger days.

Although social, Staley does best in her comfort zone and can get overwhelmed or shut down in new, busy, or chaotic environments.  Sometimes after shows, she starts to get anxious and wants to leave the crowded theater to go change out of her costume instead of visiting with those who came to see her.  Staley always wants to do things right and know the plan, so she will sometimes ask for help before trying something on her own or will ask questions she already knows the answer to just to re-confirm that she knows what is going on.  She is becoming more aware of these tendencies, and we are working towards improved coping and independence in these areas.  Life skills!

Penguin was a step outside of Staley's comfort zone...and it was so good for her!

Staley has a good sense of humor, sharing her own dose of the sarcasm that flows through our house. She is confident in herself and her abilities, although is also competitive in all that she does which sometimes makes her less likely to celebrate accomplishments of her siblings and others.  Staley continues to grow in her faith, doing her own devotions and Bible reading on a regular basis.  She is excited about getting older and doing "older kid" things.  Staley enjoys helping out with younger kids/younger cousins and becoming one of the older kids at Stage Kids who helps the littler ones.  It's exciting to watch her grow and mature, but is also a little bittersweet as I see her growing up so fast.

I love this 12 year old, and I love watching the amazing person she is turning out to be.

This Boy...

At our house, our after school rule for snacks is that the kids can have one thing off the "snack shelf" and then, if they are still hungry, they can choose something healthy like a piece of fruit.  Yesterday after school, Briggs said, "Mom, I already had one thing off the snack shelf but can I have a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios for the rest of my snack?  It's okay because it's heart healthy."

#readingthebox

#theadvertisingworks

#can'targuewithhearthealth

Staley and Adelie both had to be picked up from separate activities yesterday in two different places in town at the exact same time.  Zach went to get Adelie and I went to get Staley.  Since we would be gone less than 10 minutes, we let Briggs stay home alone.  I told him that if he needed something, he could use the family phone to contact me.  I hadn't even backed out of the garage when he called me to ask a random question.  He then texted me a few minutes later to ask if I was home yet (hmmm...) and then again another minute later just to say, "I love you so much."  So in the span of less than 5 minutes, Briggs used his freedom with a cell phone to call me once and text me twice.

#thatswhykidsdontneedcellphones

#toomuchtemptation

The other day Briggs asked Zach to get him down a bowl.  Zach asked if he wanted a big bowl or a little bowl.  Briggs responded, "I need a big bowl because I'm almost a big kid."  When Zach asked about when he would be a big kid, Briggs responded, "I think big kids are 8 and I'm almost 8."

#almostabigkid

#lovethisboy

Penguin Project

The Penguin Project is a theater opportunity for individuals with special needs.  Each Penguin artist is paired with a mentor who helps them during rehearsals and supports them onstage during the performances.   Although a bit apprehensive at first, Staley decided to become a mentor for the Penguin Project show this year.

The cast of the Penguin Project show, Footloose.

The Penguin Project was a time intensive extracurricular activity.  They began twice weekly rehearsals in September with those increasing to almost daily rehearsals after Christmas until the shows ran in January.  By the end of the 4-show run, I think we were all ready for it to be done.

Staley's partner was Maggie.  They got along well, although Maggie had a bit of a stubborn streak and would sometimes make rehearsals hard on Staley by deliberately doing the opposite of what she was supposed to do or not listening when Staley was trying to help her.

When Penguin first started, Staley noted that she felt a little uncomfortable around individuals with special needs.  That was one of the reasons I thought it would be a good experience for her.  And by the end, Staley became much more comfortable, enjoyed going to rehearsals, and made friends with both the artists and the other mentors.

Penguin was a really good experience for Staley.  She enjoyed herself, made new friends, was able to serve in a way that grew her while also incorporating something that she loves, and has already said she wants to do it again next year.

I love the mission of the Penguin project, the way it gives artists with special needs the chance to shine, and the way it brings together a variety of individuals, both with and without special needs, to work together towards a common goal.  The Penguin Project is a great program and I'm so glad Staley had the chance to be a part of it this year.

Don't Stop Believin'!

Stuffy Church

When we came home from church this week, Adelie asked if she could do her own church service for her stuffed animals.  She called it "Stuffy Church."  

Adelie was the organizer and pastor of Stuffy Church.  She made a program, assembled the congregation, and then led the service.

Stuffy Church was packed!

I love this sweet girl and her sincere faith. 

Apparently, her congregation does too.

Birthday Favorites

We have a few birthday traditions in our house.  There are birthday gifts.  Birthday treats for school.  Grandparents come over for birthday dinner.  The birthday kid gets to choose what's for dinner and what's for dessert.  These are the things the kids have come to expect as their birthdays roll around each year.

For Staley's very first birthday, we made this sign that we hung up for her party.  We kept the sign and with each birthday, we would pull out the Happy Birthday sign again and hang it up in our living room.  As Adelie and Briggs came along, we made some new letters so the birthday sign could be used for each of the kids on their birthday.  Now the sign typically hangs up in our house from January until about April, just switching out the name as each next birthday comes along.

Last night it was getting late.  As I was heading to bed, I asked Zach if he could hang up the birthday sign so it was there when Staley woke up in the morning.  Zach asked if it was really necessary.  I wondered if it was something Staley would even care about, but decided that we should go ahead and put it up.  This morning as Staley came downstairs, she exclaimed, "The birthday sign!  That's one of my favorite things about my birthday."

12 years later, it's still a birthday tradition in our house.

And I guess it's a favorite one.

So is it still necessary?

Apparently yes.  Yes it is.

Happy Birthday, Staley!

How?  How did this happen?  How did my baby grow up so fast?  12 years seems like such a long time, yet it feels like just yesterday that Zach and I were sitting on the couch, freshly home from the hospital, wondering what in the world we were supposed to do with that precious baby lying between us.  I love going through pictures each year for a birthday post while replaying so many memories from the years that have flown by to get us to this day.  Just going through the past 12 years of pictures took me on a whirlwind journey of memories as I watched my sweet baby girl...

...introduce us to all the parenting firsts,

...learn to explore her world,

...develop her own (often strong) opinions and preferences,

...discover the stage,

...find those things that became her comforts,

...start her school journey,

...embrace the world of theater,

...start to make her own decisions about hair and fashion,

...fill our schedule with things she loves,

...develop in her responsibility and maturity,

...embrace our family adventures and travels,

...enter those tween years with grace,

and blossom into this amazing 12 year.

As I was looking through photos, I was reflecting on the fact that, although so much changes as the years go by, many things remain the same.  As an infant, Staley was curious and bright and never needed as much sleep as I thought she did.  Still true.  As a toddler, Staley had strong opinions and stood by her convictions and had so much imagination.  Still true.  As a younger child, Staley was confident and persistent and felt at home on the stage.  Still true.  And as my tween-ager, Staley has grown in her responsibility and maturity while still being bright and persistent and imaginative and confident while not needing as much sleep as I think she should and still feeling most at home on a stage.  I am so proud of the person she is and can't wait to see where this 12 year old goes next.

Happy birthday, Staley!

You couldn't be more loved!!

Interview with a 12 Year Old

Favorite color:  Teal, lime green, black

Favorite food:  It depends on the day.  I like cheeseburgers, cheeseburger pasta, fish tacos, and Grammie's homemade pizza.

Least favorite food:  Peas

Favorite restaurant:  Monicals

Favorite dessert:  Uncle Bob's ice cream and Oreo balls

Favorite toy:  Books

Favorite stuffed animal:  Teddy

Favorite animal:  Sloths.  And platypuses too.

Favorite game:  Scattergories

Favorite movie:  Guardians of the Galaxy

Favorite sport:  Running

Favorite activity:  NTA

Favorite thing to do at home:  Lock myself in my room and read and do calligraphy and listen to things

Favorite thing to do at school:  Hang out with my friends

Favorite subject in school: It depends on what we are doing and who the teacher is.  This year it's science.

Favorite field trip you've been on:  Shedd Aquarium

Favorite place to go locally:  State Farm pool

Favorite place to go on vacation:  It depends.  Pentwater is awesome because of cousins and stuff.  National parks are cool because there is hiking and adventure and stuff.  And Disney is great because it's Disney.

Favorite thing to do with Adelie:  Make funny movies

Favorite thing to do with Briggs:  Read books

Favorite thing to do with Mom:  Go running

Favorite thing to do with Dad:  Math

Favorite book:  You shouldn't even ask me that anymore.  I have too many.

Favorite princess:  Anna

Favorite outfit:  My Hamilton sweatshirt and athletic leggings

Favorite pajamas:  T-shirt and shorts

Favorite play you've been in:  There's too many.

Favorite play you've seen:  Wicked currently, but it might change when I go see Les Mis.

What are you excited about doing when you're 12?  Singapella and Tech Kids

What are you scared of?  Not getting an A

What is the best thing about you?  I'm smart.

What are you good at?  Theater and school stuff and running

What is something you'd like to learn how to do or get better at?  Dancing

Who is your best friend?  Lucy and Charlotte and Morgan and Opal

What do you want to be when you grow up?  A professional actress on Broadway or movies or maybe a psychologist if the Broadway thing doesn't work out.

Where is a place you'd like to go that you've never been?  New Zealand and Hawaii

What is one show you'd like to be in and what role would you like to play?  Glinda or Elphaba in Wicked or Matilda in Matilda

She's 12!

Question of the Day

Which is the better nightly shower scenario?

My son who finishes his shower in less than a minute, yet insists he had plenty of time to wash up...

Or my daughters that stay in the shower way longer than could possibly be needed to wash adequately, thus using up all the hot water?

#singingintheshower
#didhereallyusesoap

#boyversesgirls

#showerstruggles

Say Cheese!

 

New year.  New haircut.  New smile.

Same sweet boy.

Good-bye, Christmas Break!

After our past few weeks of Christmas break, the kids head back to school tomorrow.  We have enjoyed our break, filling it with Christmas activities, family time, playing with new Christmas stuff, and spending time with friends and family.  The kids aren't ready to head back to school, and I'm not ready to start back into our busy schedule of school and activities.  We had a really nice Christmas break.  Along with all the Christmas activities I've already posted about, some of our other Christmas break highlights include:

Putting together new Lego sets and playing with new Christmas gifts/toys...

a cousin sleepover (while Staley and Liam stayed at Grammie and Grandpas)...

lots of playdates and time spent with Avery, Isla, and Aunt Christie over the week they were home...

almost daily multi-hour Penguin Project rehearsals for Staley...

lots of playdates with friends including a trip to the skate park with George...

and crafts, movies, reading, pajama days, play time, water bead orphanages, and just enjoying a little home time.  We also celebrated New Year's Eve with our friends, the Hostetlers, which I didn't take any pictures of.  But we had fun visiting, playing games, and staying up until midnight to toast the new year.  (Or in Briggs' case, 10:30.)

Staley also kicked off her birthday celebrations with a sleepover with friends.  There was lots of giggling and game playing and movie watching and snacking and hair braiding and staying up too late.  She had a blast!!

While Staley was celebrating with her friends, Adelie went to a sleepover for her friend Stella's birthday.

Not to be left out, Briggs had a sleepover at Uma and Papa's.  

I love time at home with my family.  I love the fun things that filled our Christmas break, the time with family and friends, and the relaxing time at home.  I could use a few more weeks before we jump right back into the crazy, but I guess that's not how this is going to work.  So January...look out!  Here we come!!