Cardi turned 13 on Friday...gulp...

Thirteen and you know what?  Thirteen year old girls giggle.   A lot.

They giggle at breakfast.

 They giggle at lunch and at the movies.  They know all the popular songs and artists.  I had to google Cody Simpson.  But they are fun, so so much fun and we're lucky that our giggly, music loving teenager has such wonderful friends to share her birthday with.

 They say corny things and they whisper a lot.  And they're quick to remind you that they are no longer kids but teenagers and in just a couple of years they will be driving and then off to college...Gulp.

 I love their excitement.  I especially love our 13 year old.  I love how funny she is and how she can rattle on and on about her favorite book and tv characters.  I love how she can remember faces and details ... except when it's her turn to do the dishes.  I love how she still wants to hang out with her parents even though there are far cooler people in the world.  She is smart and talented and  an amazing writer.

So Happy Birthday to my giggly sometimes serious 13 year old!  You are AMAZING!

A birthday, cub scouts, and baptism

Jackson turned 8 last week.  Eight... 

He wanted a Star Wars theme this year.  Unfortunately, there were no  Stars Wars paper plates, cups or decorations to be had in the whole town but lucky for him he has Bella who made him a Star Wars shirt and signs. 

One day I'm going to do a post on all the creative things that sister does but for now I'll just write about this sweet, sweet boy who was super excited that this sister picked out just the right birthday present for him and even more excited when we showed up at school for lunch.

 

 He's an amazing kid

 with a flare for the dramatics.

 And because he's 8 now, he started cub scouts.

My friend,  Jen, and I get to be his Wolf Den leaders.  We are so excited.  But we were even more excited when he was baptized yesterday.  Cardi and Grandma  sung a beautiful song followed by this sweet girl who did a solo while James and Jackson changed clothes.

 I love how kind he is to his friends and siblings.  I love how he soaks everything up like a sponge. 

I love how he brings the best out in people. 

One of my favorite moments this weekend was after the baptism.  Jackson's favorite song is "Gethsemane."  He didn't realize that Bella sung the song while he was changing so after the baptism she sung the song again just for him.

Those  2 always make me smile.

 And so do these two.  It was such a beautiful and special day. 

And we found out that James' third cousin, Justin,  lives just 8 miles away in Pullman with his beautiful new wife, Ayana, who happens to be very good at painting finger nails and entertaining 4 year olds.

 

I'm especially grateful that Jackson has wonderful grandparents who set such a loving example for him and for all of our family who  e-mailed us their testimonies so we could share them with Jackson and for  Paul and Misti who sent a great video to play during the personal family testimony meeting after the baptism.

And I'm so grateful for each of you.

 

Meredith is Four

Meredith turned 4 yesterday.

Four.  Wow.

 Sometimes it's hard having a December birthday.  Red and green get old fast.  So it's nice having a little pink  in the mix.

 And a big brother who draws a Rapunzel sign for your birthday.

 And a big sister who makes you a pink cake

 and another  big sister (Cardin) who makes you a birthday shirt...that's our new tradition in the last year or so to make a birthday shirt for each kid... 

 We painted our nails, pink of course

and our toe nails.  We dropped kids off at school, had lunch at McDonald's, attended school parties, and our ward party and then we just sat and soaked up some quiet time.  We decorated hats and set the table.

Meredith set a very special plate and hat for her best friend, Addi, in Tennessee.

I love that she stills thinks of Addi.  Sometimes at breakfast she saves her muffin or when she's getting dressed she remembers a dress or shirt  that Addi gave her. 

I love when something unexpected happens and out of the blue she says "I didn't see that coming."

 I love that she is the only girl in sunbeams with a room full of four year old boys and when the little boys see her in the hall and say hi she shows them her pink necklace and states in a matter of fact way that her necklace is gorgeous and waits for them to appreciate and admire her necklace as much as she does. 

I love how she sings her answers (like the goat on "Hoodwinked") and is always ready to put on a performance  for the school staff. 

I love how "Fly Guy" is her favorite book. 

I love how sometimes when we are listening to the radio while running errands she yells from the back seat  "boy song" or "girl song."  Girl songs are okay to listen too. 

I love how she doesn't mind if a dinosaur crashes her garden party. 

 I love that despite the fact she loves dolls and all things pink, she doesn't mind playing with dinosaurs too or how she doesn't judge people or dinosaurs just because they are different.  I love that when I asked her why  the dinosaur was wearing a dress.  She immediately jumped to his defense.

 "Leave him alone. He's a nice dinosaur. Don't judge him!"

I love when she peeks around the corner and tells me she's ready for her debut and then twirls and poses until she's dizzy. 

I love her confidence. 

I love her when she's having a bad day and  says we're not friends anymore and she wants to be alone.  I love her when she kisses me on the cheek and whispers she loves me. 

She's amazing, funny, smart, and sweet...all the things I want to be when I grow.