Lifesong

Christian's Fifth Birthday

To celebrate Christian's birthday, we thought it would be fun to go for a weekend getaway to the mountains and stay in a cabin. The last time we went, Christian kept calling it a loggy house and we thought that was so cute. I guess when you are five, though, you no longer say that.

On Friday before we left, we got our first snow of the season. And I use snow pretty lightly, since it was. But the kids were very excited to get out and play in it.

Five year olds also say things like "you're dressing me like a baby!" when I insist that he wear his hat. Man, I didn't know five was the new cranky pants. But as you can see, in the end, Mama won. Mostly because those ears get cold.

John got home early and we headed out. It was a bit of a hectic trip, mostly because.....well, okay, ALL because The Baby screamed most of the way. And when I say screamed I mean bloody murder. Ew, there's that phrase again that I really don't like but it accurately depicts our time together in the car, so I must include it. It turns out, The Baby was hungry and had apparently been neglected in the food department. So sad.

Fortunately, after stopping at Applewood Farmhouse Grill, all was fine. They serve up these apple fritters with apple butter, and ooooooohh-wee! They were tasty lil suckers. Avery ate two of them, she was so happy to have food. The rest of us ate, well, a few more than two. They were really, really good.

We headed back to the cabin and put the baby down and enjoyed hanging out in the hot tub together. Ansley and Christian always love this part of our cabin stay.

The next morning, per Christian's request, we headed to breakfast at The Pancake Pantry.

He ordered Bears in the Snow, which is really just another name for Sugar in the Mouth.

We walked around in Gatlinburg, and it was pretty chilly, but we found a rock store, and if you didn't know Christian LOVES rocks so he was very excited to pick out some rocks. He got a bag full and was very happy.

I can't document everything, though. I do have my limits. I was probably too cold to pull out my camera. Or I was too hot, it's hard to say. You know when you've been walking around in frigid weather, and then you go in a warm store and all of a sudden you're all who turned the heat on? Get this jacket off of me I'm about to melt? You know how you do that? Maybe it's just me, but I have a thing with temperatures, and OH how I hate being hot when it's 25 degrees outside.

We raced go-karts (those pictures are in Project 365.)

We debated going to the Titanic museum. We drove there, and they were doing an ice sculpture competition. That was free, so we walked around.

A chair made out of ice. Pretty cool huh?

We discussed going here, because Christian was really pulled in by the whole boat idea, but we just weren't sure if it would be something they would really enjoy, and tickets are roughly a nice dinner out. A piece.

Clearly we needed some food to help us think more logically, so we got a late lunch, and picked up a bunch of brochures about things to do for that afternoon.

But for a family of five, things get pretty expensive, and we just weren't really sure that our kids would get into any of them. So we got a great idea, and pitched it to the kids. They were super excited!

Our plan? Go rent a movie, grab an easy dinner + brownies and ice cream from the store, and go back to the cabin to open some presents, watch a movie, hang out in the hot tub and eat ice cream. They loved the idea, and while yes it was definitely a much cheaper option, I think we all enjoyed it just as much as an expensive show.

Christian got to open a present when we got home. Star Wars Legos, of course.

They enjoyed playing with Legos while we got dinner ready, and Avery crawled around and explored.

We all ate brownies and ice cream and sang an early happy birthday to The Birthday Boy. We watched some of the movie (Free Willy 2 - it was cute!) while eating, then we put Avery down, finished up the movie and enjoyed the hot tub again.

The kids stayed up until after 10 pm both nights we were there, because we are awesome parents like that.

Christian woke up to his birthday streamers. Just because you're at a cabin doesn't mean you can break tradition. This is one of their favorite traditions, because they always talk about it for weeks beforehand.

Freshly Five, with his new Star Wars Operation game.

Birthday donuts, of course! Another popular birthday tradition around here.

Watching Christian open his presents.

Christian got a Nerf dart gun (and Ansley got one too, since it's always more fun to shoot each other. Did I just say that?) so they had a sneak attack from the loft in the cabin.

We headed home mid-morning. Christian requested spaghetti and chocolate cake for his birthday meal.

So, I made him homemade spaghetti and meatballs.

And we ended the weekend celebration by singing happy birthday to our sweet boy, and enjoying chocolate cake.

We love our sweet boy! I am looking forward to your fifth year!

Freshly Eight

My girl, all freshly eight, up before anyone else this morning (well, except me).Which is unusual for my sleeper, but it wasn't super early, just 7:45.

And normally this is a pj shot, but she was up AND dressed this morning. Which is also unusual. This girl could lounge in her pj's all day. And I honestly don't know where this comes from, because neither me or John are pj-loungers. But this super cute shirt was a birthday present from sweet friends, so she was excited to put it on this morning.

One year, mark my word, ONE YEAR I will get a non-blurry photo of one of my children running through streamers. Last year I had a Canon, this year a Nikon, so you may be tempted to think it's a user error, but you'd be wrong. I focus that red dot right on her, and still, STILL Nikon! The blurry shot. Very few things make me more irritable than a blurry photo. Well I might can possibly think of more than a few things that might make me more irritable - extreme heat, for example. A day of non-stop tapping on me, that'd send me straight to the irritable bin. Irritable bin? I don't know, it just came out, but if there's a looney bin, there should be an irritable bin, right?

But this is about Ansley's birthday. And blurry photos.

Birthday donuts! It just isn't a birthday around here without the Traditional Birthday Donuts. One year, perhaps many, many years from now, but one year, my goal is to have homemade birthday donuts. But this wasn't that year. Christian was still sleeping, but Ansley wanted him up, so I told her she could go wake him for Birthday Donuts. So we sang, and she blew out the candle, and hey the photo isn't blurry! And yummy donuts were eaten by all.

I would like to point out that Ansley brushed her hair, er, "brushed" her hair in her getting ready process, but I imagine it's a process, this learning hygiene stuff. I don't know, since an 8 year old is all I've experienced, but I'm guessing it takes a little while to learn how to fix your hair. She still has a little ways to go. But she tries, and that's what counts.

Have I told you Christian is one of the, if not THE, most thoughtful little boys I know? Everywhere we go he is pointing out stuff that other people would like. "Mom, that shirt is green, Mimi would love that." "Oooh, there's a train, we should get that for Hamilton." And on and on. So we were walking by these Pillow Pets (that I hadn't noticed) and Christian said "MOM! We have to get one for Ansley!" And it's true, she had been talking about one for several months. So Christian gave Ansley the Pillow Pet he had picked out for her, and she loved it. So sweet!

After John got home this evening, she opened the gift from us. (To re-cap, she has received a slumber party, a new sleeping bag that she requested, a Pillow Pet that she had been wanting). And, she had been talking about a new camera. So that was her final birthday gift, a brand new spiffy camera.

Christian came down the steps a little while ago and announced "I can't get to sleep because Ansley keeps taking pictures and the flash is hurting my eyes."

It's so hard to be a little brother.

And I love how Avery's little striped legs are helping in this photo.

At Ansley's request, we headed to Bonefish Grill this evening for her birthday dinner. It was yummy, and everyone had a fun time. Avery made us all laugh.

We gave her a green bean for the first time, and she was hilarious looking at it and trying to figure out what it was. It was very cute!

Then we returned home and sang happy birthday while Ansley blew out eight candles.

A fun day for our super sweet eight year old!

The Eight Year Old Interview

As is tradition, I interview my kids every year on their birthday, asking the same questions (and adding a few each year to keep it lively) and recording their responses. I started this when Ansley was four (I think) and it's been a fun tradition ever since. I love going back and seeing the previous year's responses, and Ansley even asks "What did I say last year?" after answering something.

My Baby Girl will be EIGHT years old tomorrow. CRAZY. I know, each year will be crazy. What, a ten year old? NO WAY. Now she's thirteen. Holy cow! How did she become seventeen? She was just born yesterday.

So now I'm happy that she's just eight.

Eight is soooo on the verge. She's not this little girl anymore, but she's not a grown girl either. She has opinions of her own, and fears and thoughts and loves to express them. But when she's hurt or upset, she still wants Mom or Dad.

(photo by Lillian Prince Photography)

This is the perfect photo for eight: all wanting to be older, have independence, but loves her Swoopee Lu's and sleeps with stuffed animals every night.

On with the interview!

M(ama): What do you want to be when you grow up?

C(hristian): I know the answer to that!

A(nsley): You do? What? A painter. An artist. Is that what you were going to say?

C: Yes.

M: What is your favorite thing God made?

A: Cats. Horses. Cheetahs. (She has a recent fascination with cheetahs, but she has ALWAYS been our animal lover!)

M: What is your favorite activity?

A: Painting. And riding horses. (Which she wants to do, really bad. But has only done twice in her life. The horse part. She has painted more than twice in her life.)

M: What is your favorite animal?

C: I know THAT one too!

A: Cats.

C: Yep, that's what I would have tolded you.

A: I'm not done. Cats. Horses. Cheetahs. (I guess we'll go with her favorite as the one she said first?)

M: What is your favorite bug?

C: Mom, these are easy questions.

A: Butterfly. Ladybug. And katydid.

M: What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy?

A: Go build something!

M: What is your favorite thing to do with Mama?

A: Go shopping! (Yes!)

M: Do you want to be a Mom when you are older?

A: Yes. (Yay! A change from previous years. She has been very anti-Mom.)

M: How many kids do you think you will have?

A: Two. No, wait, probably three.

M: Will you get married?

A: Yes. (Don't worry, we've discussed the God-ordained order of these things.)

(photo by Lillian Prince Photography)

M: Who is your favorite friend?

A: Kennedy. Rylee. Karis. That's why I invited them to, you know, my party. (Makes sense.)

M: What do you dislike?

A: (with a sideways glance to Christian and a slightly lowered voice) Christian talks A LOT. I mean, A LOT. And sometimes I don't like that. Like, all day, Mom! He talks all day. And when he screams, I don't like when he screams.

C: Mom, did Ansley just say she didn't like when I talk?

M: No, buddy, that's not what she said at all. She just said sometimes you talk a lot, which is true. But I (mostly) always love to hear what you have to say.

C: Ok.

M: What is your favorite song?

A: The Conga.

(I know. An explanation is needed, right? It's because she can't control herself any longer. She just feels the rhythm of the music getting stronger. Oh, wrong explanation. We were waiting for John to come out of Home Depot in the pouring rain. The fact that it was pouring rain is not really important to the story, I can just picture it so clearly. The kids were getting restless, so I switched my XM radio to the 80's and turn it up. And, you guessed it, this song was on. Ansley immediately loved it and was dancing all over the car. Then proceeded to ask 5,467 times after we got home to please find that song. So we've played it once or twice or several dozen times since then. And now? Now she's gotta do that conga, beat!)

M: How old is Dad?

A: 44 (Yikes!)

M: How old is Mom?

A: 33 (Yes, always.)

M: What is your favorite day?

A: (thinking) I'd have to say Christmas. Christmas is the best day.

M: What is your favorite snack?

A: Cookies. And chocolate covered strawberries. (That last one is not a snack we have often, or ever, but she requested them for her slumber party and helped make them, so they were on her mind.)

M: What is your favorite place to go?

A: The cupcake place.

M: What is your favorite thing about Christian?

A: He always plays with me and he shares his cupcake or cookie or whatever he has, he will always share with me. (This is very true.)

M: What is your favorite thing about Avery?

A: She's SO CUTE!! And when she goes bababababababa. That's hilarious.

M: What is your favorite thing about Daddy?

A: That he goes places with me.

M: What is your favorite thing about Mommy?

A: That you almost let me do whatever I want. (Really? Seriously? Wow. Cuz, to me, it feels like I'm always on her about getting her schoolwork done and picking up her clothes and doing this and that and.....seriously? Hmmmmmmmm.)

(photo by Lillian Prince Photography)

M: What is your favorite memory from this past year?

A: Christmas! Wait - what happened at Christmas? I can't remember. I guess that's not a good one then. Oh, I know, getting the trampoline.

M: What is the best thing about being eight?

A: I'm older. What'd I say last year?

M: Which would you rather be, a carrot or a fish?

A: Fish.

M: Why?

A: Because I would be in the water all day. I love the water! (Yes, she does. She's already part fish.)

M: What does Dad do all day?

A: Work, work, and work!

M: What does Mom do all day?

A: Clean, clean and cook! And go grocery shopping. And teach us and spend lots of time with us. (Like.)

(photo by Lillian Prince Photography)

M: What is your favorite thing in the whole wide world?

A: My family.

M: What is your favorite subject?

A: Reading.

M: What is your least favorite subject?

A: MATH! (grumpy face) (Boo! I was so hoping she wouldn't inherit my math-hating genes.)

M: What are you most looking forward to in your 8th year?

A: Presents!

M: What is your favorite restaurant?

A: Red Lobster and Bonefish Grill.

(photo by Lillian Prince Photography)

How we love our sweet Ansley Girl!

Seven has been a wonderful journey, and we look forward to all that Eight has in store for us!