The Ambitious Life

Rachel, You will forever be my Bean.  Rachel Bean, Beanie Baby, Bean, Beanie...you answer to all of it.  And I'm so glad you do.  You are big and so fun and I love you so much.  You give the best kisses and ask for kisses and hugs all the time.  You still love to be tickled on your stomach and back, especially when you're in a bad or sad mood.  You absolutely love to be in the water, in fact you got to spend the morning of your birthday at the pool with your big sisters this year.  You had such a good time!  You are also getting so brave at things like traveling playground and other places we go being able to do things on your own and ask for what you want. This was your last year as the school mascot as you start Pre-K this year.  I can't believe it.  I'm not sure how you got so big, but it went so fast!   You love to play on your tablet and you ask a lot about your Nintendo turn because you like playing in Minecraft.  Yo...

Isaac,  You're 10!  What an amazing kid you are.  I am so excited that you are mine.  This year, you went with your dad on your 10th birthday trip.  You went to Kentucky to visit the Ark and Creation Museum.  I know Dad also bought you some Legos to do while you are there and you told me you wanted Coca-Colas...which dad bought and you brought home to share.    You have a strong sense of justice - that is, you don't love it when your siblings get away with stuff.  You like things to be fair.  That also makes you pretty darn trustworthy.  You are such a great mix of goofy and serious and I love to watch how your personality is growing and maturing.    You love to build things on Minecraft and build Legos - a good mix of real life and pretend :)  You are a good problem solver, so creative, and ready to try new things.  You work really hard in school and do a good job but I know you don't love it...most kids do...

 Jacob, Young man, I am proud of you!  It is so interesting watching you grow and see how your personality continues to develop and change.  You have a deep sense of justice and what things to be "right".  You are also always taking in the world around you and trying to make sense of everything you see.  Sometimes you share "facts" that aren't really facts and it is interesting watching you have to sort out things that are true and things that "someone said once". You recently started playing the drums - Dad moved his into the laundry room for you.  It has been really cool to hear you practice and watch you figure things out.  I am excited you found something to deep dive into.  You prefer TV to Nintendo and you prefer Legos to books.  You don't like to read but you are always improving!  You are creative in coming up with games and competitions for the kids. I pray you continue to develop a heart that chases after God.  It is my pr...

 Levi, You are changing all the time and you are starting to look like a young man.  You have moved upstairs for middle school and church and are LOVING it!  Grandma gave you a camera for your birthday and you love to show me the pictures you are taking.  I see a creativity in you that is emerging and I love it!  You are thoughtful and analytical.  You are observant and try to figure out the world around you. You LOVE to read and devour books.  It is hard to keep you in good books.  You also like to play Nintendo a lot and it's been fun to watch you figure out different games and how to get past the challenging parts.   You are almost done (I think) with your braces and have done a great job with them.  I know it hasn't always been comfortable and you are probably really missing apples :)  I am excited to see how your mouth feels when you don't have to deal with any of it any more! I am so proud of who you are and who you are b...

 Grace Louise, You my dear are hitting the teen years fast and hard.  Glory, you have gone from little kid to (almost) full grown adult almost over night and while it is glorious to watch it is also hard on my momma heart.  Keep going though.  It delights me to watch you work through different situations and to see you figure out how to navigate relationships and circumstances.  You have grown so much in the past year and have become characterized by (mostly) wide decision making, choosing good friends, and recognizing when you need help. You are VERY into makeup, skin care, hair design, and more.  Your current plan is to study cosmetology and I can't wait to see you jump into this.  I think this will be perfect for you.  You are such a huge help to me by doing the little girls' hair when we have places to be and you have recently started cutting the boys' hair.  You also have started babysitting at other people's houses and it's just cool to...

  Timothy, You are such a FUN kid.  Seriously.  You make the best faces, you are expressive, and you make yourself known.  While you don't love talking to people you don't know, you aren't shy.  You are quick to make friends and everyone who knows you, loves you.   You still like dinosaurs but you aren't quite as obsessed.  Minecraft and Pokemon has taken over some of your brain space :)  It's fun watching you learn new things and try new things out.  You like to trade Pokemon cards with friends and tend to come home with STACKS of them! You like to try new things and you have really liked rollerblades lately.  Dad and I bought you some for your birthday because you use the big girls' and they are too big!!   I am really proud of you kiddo.  You like to sing me Believer by Imagine Dragons to me.  It's super fun.  You also do the Wii Dance moves and song to "Take On Me" and it is HILARIOUS. Keep being sweet y...