The Ambitious Life

  Isaac,  You are a delight!  You are such a quiet, considerate kid and it is so fun to be your momma.  You hate when I leave and wait by the back door to give me at least one, but sometimes five, hugs and kisses good bye.  You want to know exactly when I'll be back and why do I need to leave anyway?  You play so well with all your brothers and sister, you hate being left out, and you almost always have gum in your mouth. It has been a joy to watch you mature this past year - your behavior, obedience, and consideration of others has all grown remarkably.  You are my kid most likely to be found happily playing alone and Legos are almost always your toy of choice.   You are so sweet with Rachel and Faith. You love to 'wrestle' Rae and forget that she is so much smaller than you.  You do so well with your school work when I can convince you to stop playing for a few minutes to get it done!   Young man, I love you and I am SO SO pr...

  Jacob! You are such a fun, energetic kid!  You are so animated and full of life.  You are a loud kiddo and excited about everything.  It has been so fun to see you just get this huge personality.  You are doing so well in school and whip through your work like it is no big deal.  I am always so impressed with you! You  are quick to ask if you can help me with what I am working on and you love to play with Faith.  You don't like when I don't want help though!  You are reading so well and it is fun to see you learning new things all the time!  You like to play video games on your tablet and the Nintendo, build forts and play outside.  It is not unusual for you to lead the charge asking to play outside!   You are creative and fun.  You are competitive and kind.  You are helpful, quick to think of others and a joy.   You are thoughtful, methodical, and a great problem solver! I love you my boy, and I am s...

  Levi James, You are a great kid. You are always full of energy and joy.  You LOVE apples and eat at least one, if not two daily.  You are constantly looking for ways to be helpful and enjoy making your little sisters laugh.  You are doing great in school and just finished reading a 100+ page comic book.  Who knew you would love to read!   You also love video games, especially Zebra Gamer, and telling your dad how to play.  You soak up knowledge and content quickly and it is impressive to see.  You still like taking naps/rests and do better when you've had some quiet time in your day.  You are thoughtful in how your treat people and how you interact.  One of your favorite things to do is disappear with Abi to create art and games.  Your imagination is fun!  You love taking pictures and making videos on your tablet too! I am so very proud of you young man and look forward to another year with you!  Love, Mom Birthday cake:...

  Grace,  You are a delight.  You are so fun to spend time with.  I have enjoyed watching you mature in your thinking and acting and have loved to see that our relationship is beginning some of the "come alongside each other" things that I think will have long time benefits.  (That being said, I'm still the mom and you're still the kid!)   You are a huge help with your brothers and sisters and like to be in charge.  You are excited about the day you can babysit, stay home alone and DRIVE!  You have offered many times to pay if I'll go pick up lunch for everyone :)  You still take care of the rabbits every day and do such a good job being responsible for them.  Pretty soon we'll be able to hand over the whole operation!  You are at an awkward age where sometimes you want to be a grown up and other times you want to play like a kid.  Watching you navigate that, choose between the two, and balance your time has been interesti...

  Timothy,  You my sweet boy are a crazy little four year old.  You have the BIGGEST grin and go from completely calm to completely amped faster than anyone I've seen.  You still like to cuddle up with me, you give the best kisses and you are more compassionate than most four year olds I've met. You LOVE dinosaurs.  You're obsessed.  You spent 15 minutes reminding me of some 70 dinosaur names the other day.  This also tells me you are smart, so smart!  The words you say and things you remember about each one is impressive.  When asked, you'll tell me you want to be a paleontologist and that I will come see you at the museum one day where you are putting together dinosaur bones. Currently you take naps in my bed because you don't settle down with your brothers in your room.  It is a sweet time and sometimes you ask me to hold you.  Generally you bring a dinosaur or two and your dad has been stabbed in the back with them on multiple o...

  Abi, Child of wonder.  You are amazing, do you know that?  You are such a great big sister (and little sister).  You are so creative and love to get the others involved in your games.  You work so hard at school and although you hate it (you tell me often) you do a great job.  You would so much rather be creating a game for everyone to play.  I love how your mind works so differently than mine when it comes to art and creating.  You just go for it and make what you like and it is so fun to watch and see! You had a tough school year last year but on our 8th week so far this year I am SO impressed by your effort and how far you have come.  You have really impressed me with your diligence.  I am amazed by you.  You have a fiery spirit and quite the temper sometimes, but you are learning about your emotions and how to be under control and that maturity you are developing is shining through.   You still love pineapples and no...

  Faith,  You my dear are a gem.  You are crazy adorable, you are so smart and you are a delight.  I am so thankful to be your momma!   You have figured out the baby gate that most adults can't open.  You delight in grabbing peoples' hands and leading them to what you need.  You love to laugh and are goofy as can be.  You're cheerfulness is contagious. I am so impressed with how friendly you are.  You are expressive and make sure EVERYONE knows exactly how you feel.  You are a great sleeper and it has been my joy to rock you to sleep almost every nap and bedtime since you were born.  I hope that doesn't end.  You drink your milk, snuggle down and give me the BEST smiles.  I love it.   You have just started saying "I love you"...which sounds nothing like I love you, but we both know what you mean.  You say "Aw, man" when you're disappointed which usually gets you what you want.  You like to pretend to be...