Hattie - 6 Years!

Hattie girl, you're 6!  You started kindergarten this year and you're loving it so far!  You struggle in match which is new, but you love reading and love learning.  You are a special little girl that loves her friends.  You've already snuck a pair of shoes into school because you didn't like the "practical" closed toed shoes I decided you should wear during winter.  You're my handful for sure!  

At 6:

-you weigh

-you are " tall

-you love the color purple

-you want to be a teacher

-you love your Daddy, but you love your Moma more

-you love to snuggle

-you learned to read

-you're my little lefty and it's so challenging teaching you how to do stuff with the opposite hand than I'm used to!

-you love to accessorize

Hattie, I love you more than life itself.  I can't imagine our family without you in it!

Lily - 8 Years!

Lily Girl, 

You are 8 years old!  Such an achievement that you've been counting down the days to!  You're full of life and love and spunk.  I know that one day, you're going to be running a company, or at the very least, your household, with ease and grace.  You give your Daddy and me a run for our money with your sassiness.  You love as hard as you fight and I wouldn't have you any other way!

At 8 years old:

-you weigh 46.8 lb (28%)

-you are 46.75" tall (24%)

-you love the color pink

-got your first set of braces

-you want to be an engineer/teacher/builder when you grow up

-you love basketball, but you've tried tumble, baseball, and dance

-you love your siblings one minute and they drive you crazy the next

-you love alone time, especially at the beach

Lily, I love that you're a headstrong little girl, even as it drives me crazy.  I love that you're so sure of yourself and even when you're not, you have enough gumption to keep going.  You're going to change the world Lily!

Nixon - 11 Years!

Well, well, well...my little Butterbean is 11 years old!  I can't hardly believe it.  I look at pictures of that little chubby face or hear that little baby voice on videos and it feels like yesterday.  Nixon has always been my little firecracker from Day 1.  He kept me on my toes when he was a toddler and I feel like he will do that for years to come.  He's so much like Chris, it's uncanny.  He's my middle child that just goes with the flow most days.  He's social like Chris and is with friends more than he's home.  He still plays lacrosse, but has no desire to play any other sport.  He is not competitive at all, which is definitely a trait he gets from me. 

At 11 years old, Nixon:

*is 55.5" tall (32%)
*weighs 73.8 lb (31%)
*is in 5th grade
*plays lacrosse
*finally wears a Medium/Large in clothes (growth spurt finally!)
*favorite color is yellow and blue
*wants to be a You-tuber when he grows up
*loves to read (he went through multiple 500 page books this past summer)

Nixon, you have a heart of gold.  You'll go without so that one of your siblings has something.  You wear your emotions on your sleeve and I can usually tell when something is bothering you.  I love you more than life itself. I can't wait to see you grow.  I know you'll go far in life and carry compassion to everyone you meet.

Landon - 13 Years!

My original baby boy is 13! I can't hardly believe that I'm old enough to have a teenager!  Landon has always been such an easy kid.  He has, and always had, such a sweet, compassionate heart.  He takes everything in stride and nothing seems to faze him.  However, you know when something is bothering him, because he wears his emotions all over his face.  It's crazy when you start looking eye to eye with your child, when they start looking more like a grown up than a little boy.  It tugs on your heartstrings just a little to think of everything you've been through together, but also exciting to think about what's to come.  

At 13, Landon:
-weighs 92.4 lb (34%)
-is 5'2" (51%)
-wears an XL shirt, but still a L in pants
-finally moved up to an adult shoe - size 7
-is moving up to 8th grade - last year in middle school even though it feels like we just started
-will play football and baseball in middle school again this year
-has started daily workouts so that he can get stronger
-will eat all day long if you let him
-still wants to be a mechanical engineer when he grows up

Landon, I love you more than life itself.  I'll always be your biggest fan.  You're the one that has taught me so much about myself and this motherhood game

Hattie - 5 Years!

My little Hattie girl is five!  I can't hardly believe it.  When we moved to Wilmington, she was six months old, wasn't sitting up by herself and was still very much my baby.  Today, she is five, runs around like a crazy woman until bedtime..but she's still very much my baby.  Through all the kids, I wanted just one that loved their momma.  Well, I finally have it.  She wants to be constantly by my side.  She loves to run errands, no matter where we're going.  I definitely think she'll be the one to go on shopping trips with me as she gets older..no matter what we're shopping for. I think to myself all the time how unfair it is to only have one baby in each family.  They always get your laid back personality because you've done this parenting thing a time or two and you're not as paranoid about every.little.thing that could go wrong.  I guess they also get some of the disadvantages - you're tired!  Hattie has been a little mother hen from Day 1.  She loves her siblings, baby dolls, Maggie and all her friends with a fierceness.  She loves to nurture, whether it's giving up the last cookie or wrapping you up in a blanket when you're laying down.  She absolutely loves to crawl into Lily's bed after Lily falls asleep and cuddle her like there's no tomorrow.  She loves to hang out in Landon's room and play with his Legos while he plays video games.  She loves to hug Nixon before he leaves for school in the morning (mainly because it drives him nuts).  At 5, Hattie:

-weighs 39 lbs (45%)
-is 41" tall (22%)
-wears a 5t in clothes
-wears a 10 in shoes (itty bitty feet still)
-goes to bed around 9 and will sleep until around 9 on the weekends or days without school
-loves to carry her baby dolls in their carriers when we go shopping
-loves to shorten people's names - Dad, Mom, Land, Nic, and Lil
-will start kindergarten in about 4 months
-finally loves dance - it only took about 1.5 years
-will bust a move and sing in a heartbeat
-has already chosen her husband (Cole Manning)
-has a stubborn streak (baby of the family probs)
-has a favorite color - purple
-loves to accessorize..you can spot her wearing necklaces, rings and bow that usually don't match at all times..sometimes she even sports her tiara
-has told me "Happy Mother's Day" and Chris "Happy Birthday" every.single.night without fail since last May
-has a sweet tooth..she'll sneak a snack in a heartbeat

I love this baby girl of mine with all my heart.  She's so hard to stay mad at because of her cute, bubbly personality.  She completes our family in a way that no one else could.  I can't wait to see how her personality develops even more as she grows up!

Lily - 7 Years!

Oh my..how did we even get to this point?  Seems like yesterday that I was holding you for the first time.  Now, you're 7!  One more year in the car seat as you like to remind me.  6 more years until you can have your own room.  (You remind me of that one more often) I'm not sure what you'll do if Landon ends up going to college close by...you'll be stuck sharing a room with Hattie until you move out!  At 7, you:

-weigh 46.8 lb (28%)
-are 46.75" tall (24%)
-still wear a size 6 clothes and a 13 shoe...you've stayed at those sizes for over a year now
-still choose pink as your favorite color
-are freakishly strong (you're a beast on the monkey bars and have been since about 3 years old)
-want to be an artist when you grow up
-have a ton of best friends..everyone is your best friend according to you
-love your tumbling class...you've moved from level one to level two in 3 months
-love to play any sports we'll let you play (so far it's been soccer, baseball, and basketball)
-are so tenderhearted!  You pretend that you have a stone exterior, but it doesn't take much to hurt your feelings.  I have to try to keep that in mind when you cry over any little thing
-love your scratchy blanket.  You still sleep with it every night
-can play all day by yourself..you still talk to your imaginary friends and you're not afraid to tell me that
-are a great sister..you love your brothers and sisters hard!
-are very opinionated when it comes to what you wear and how your hair is fixed
-love to read..you will read a chapter book in two days if it's one you like


Lily, you're my little Goose and I can't imagine our family without you in it.  You're one that definitely keeps me on my toes.  You're a definite Daddy's girl and I don't see that changing anytime soon.  I love you so much sweet girl.  

Nixon - 10 Years!

Every year, it's so hard to imagine that my babies are the age they are.  You'd think at this point, I would be used to the growing up part of parenting, but I never get used to it.  The funny thing is, even though I hate the growing up part, I love watching them grow and learning new things.  Being a parent is one of the craziest rides ever! At 10, Nixon has calmed down so much compared to how much energy he used to have.  He has quite the personality and is one of the most lovable kids you'll ever meet.  Just about every one of his teachers he's had since starting school tells me how he's always close by and will just hold their hand at the most random times.

At 10, Nixon:
-weighs 70.4 lb (48%)
-is 53" tall (25%)
-has two favorite colors - black and yellow (because of the old rap song)
-loves music...he listens to it constantly
-is in 4th grade and does great in school
-is starting to notice the way he looks (fixes his hair, uses mouthwash everyday...I think this is because of a possible crush, but we can't make him admit it)
-plays lacrosse in the fall and spring
-LOVES to play any video game..it's so funny to think he used to be my child that never wanted anything to do with a video game
-waivers between fierce protection of his siblings and being annoyed beyond belief by them
-wants to be a you-tuber when he grows up
-can run so much during running club...even though he hates every minute of it
-has plenty of nicknames - Butterbean, Peaches, Forehead, Nic-Nac..and the list goes on
-still will point with his middle finger from time to time..although he's mostly corrected this

I love our little middle child so much..he's a whole lot of crazy, but in just the right amount to keep us laughing.  He will talk non-stop when all you want is quiet and quiet when you want to talk.  He's lovable and cuddly at all the right moments.  I love that little boy with all of my heart.  I hope that you're always as care-free as you are right now.