The Last Birthday of the Year

Although Austin's birthday is the 27th of December, we made his cake and opened presents earlier in the month. I've found that by the 27th, I am all funned out and the last thing we need is more sugar. Austin was perfectly fine with an earlier birthday. 

He picked out the flavor of his cake (chocolate peanut butter) and decided how it was going to be decorated. He helped me make the cake and even let Mariah and Chet help him decorate it. He was so happy about his race car track and gummy bear spectators that used mini peanut butter cups for seats, all his own idea. 

Chet made the checker flag to put over the finish line. 

 

Mariah made Austin a coupon book. She had different things like, read a book to you, play with race cars, or make your bed. After getting some new race cars and tracks, Austin had to redeem that coupon right away. 

Chet made Austin this lizard (I think it's a lizard, not positive) out of paper. It was so cute to see how excited Austin was to get it and he still plays with it.

The night before his actual birthday I was in bed and ready to fall asleep when I remembered that I hadn't decorated for his birthday. Like I said, I'm real lame after Christmas. But Tanner and I hauled ourselves out of bed and decorated the house enough to make him happy in the morning. 

We had Reeses Puff Cereal because Austin requested chocolate cold cereal with marshmallows for his birthday breakfast. I couldn't find that kind of cereal but he seemed happy with what we got. He wanted mac and cheese for lunch and we ended up making loaded french fries for his dinner. He requested pepperoni pizza but we ended up having pizza the day before so his next request was french fries. The boy is so flexible. We sang Happy Birthday to him that night with a candle in a slice of pumpkin pie and ice cream. Perks of a December birthday, you can have someone sing Happy Birthday to you twice in one month. 

He is changing so much and was excited to do his Birthday interview this year and specified that we do it alone in my bedroom. 

Mom: What is your favorite color?

Austin: Blue

Mom: What is your favorite food?
Austin: Pepperoni Pizza

Mom: What is your favorite animal?
Austin: Dog and Horse

Mom: What is your favorite book?
Austin: Harry Potter 

We had a lot of fun reading this series and the kids have a lot of discussion/debates about Harry Potter and Austin fully participates. 

Mom: What is your favorite movie?
Austin: Harry Potter

He still gets scared during any thematic part of a movie and either needs to be sitting on Tanner or my lap, or he runs and hides behind the counter, just peeking his head up enough to keep watching the movie. 

Mom: What is your favorite song?

Austin: All songs I like but one song that I like is Polaroid (Imagine Dragons) and the Beach Boy songs. 

Mom: Who is your scripture hero?
Austin: Captain Moroni

Mom: What is your favorite dessert?
Austin: Vanilla Ice Cream

Mom: What do you like to do for fun? 
Austin: Play soldiers with Chet

Austin and Chet are usually some of the first awake in the house and they start playing right away. They are my two who fight the most, but also have the most fun together. I hope they'll be best friends their whole life. 

Mom: What is your favorite thing to do with Mom? 

Austin: Read books with her

Austin loves one on one time with me and some of his favorite things to do is games, puzzles and baking. 

Mom: What is your favorite thing to do with Dad?
Austin: Play Games

Mom: What is your favorite thing to do with Mariah?
Austin: Play Downstairs

This is Austin's "about to succumb to sleep" face. 

Mom: What is your favorite thing to do with Chet?

Austin: Play Downstairs 

One of the things that makes me happiest is seeing my children help each other. 

Most of the kids' free time is spent playing imaginative games, legos or jumping in the bounce house downstairs. 

Mom: What is your favorite thing to do with Eliza? 

Austin: Play Dolls with her

Though they know how to push each others buttons, Austin and Eliza have started playing together more in the past few months. They get her babies all dressed, pack their bags, and head off on trips together, making sure to tell me goodbye first. 

Mom: Who is your best friend?

Austin: Mom and dad and my whole family

Mom: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Austin: A Engineer 

Austin has become very opinionated about what he wears. At the beginning of quarantine, he started fighting wearing a white shirt for home church. I decided not to push it and he has now decided that dress clothes are acceptable as long as we are at church, but once thats done they come right off. He also wants to only wear shorts and a t-shirt, even in freezing temperatures. He fights wearing coats and claims he is never cold. 

He loves spending time outside with his family. And is usually up for whatever crazy ideas Chet might have. Like fishing with a nail. 

Although he is becoming more outspoken in his opinions, he still is our sweet mild-mannered boy who loves cuddles, for the most part. We're hoping some of his methods of expressing his displeasure are just a phase. 

Austin has gotten pretty good at taking selfies and I find them on my phone a lot. 

He's always up for dressing up during playtime or with the family.

For the longest time we couldn't figure out how Austin got this mountain shaped scratch on his nose. We finally realized that it was from a basket that he had on his head while running around with his siblings. 

Austin is getting more into drawing and I love his creations. This was his flying train.

And here is his tadpole, fish and duck drawing. 

When Austin saw his cousin Terron's math curriculum, he decided he needed his own. After weeks of begging, I finally broke down and got him a math curriculum that he has loved doing with me. He isn't as excited about learning his letters but will sit down with me to do that every once in a while. 

He's always saying the cutest things. Here are a few that I wrote down:

Natalie asked him, "what kind of animals eat pine cones?" and he said, "a pine cone eater, because ant eaters eat ants." Can't argue with that logic. 

While looking for one of his shoes he told me, "I know you already have super lots of money so if you find my shoe I'm going to give you a kiss." That motivated me way more than money ever would and when I found the lost shoe I made sure to make him pay up. 

Austin likes to use really big numbers. One of his favorite is a "cicillian". "A gallon of funny videos would be a cicillian." 

When I didn't have a dessert made for FHE, I offered the kids a kiss for their treat. Austin replied, "that can be dad's treat." 

And just like that he's five years old! We are so grateful for what Austin brings to our family. He has wisdom and insight beyond his years and we can't wait to see what this next year will bring for him. 

December

December went by so quickly, which must mean we had a good time. 

 Mariah and Chet were going to play the piano during the Victorian Stroll. They were so excited to pick out their outfits from the Chamber of Commerce and actually get to be in one of the windows. When the Stroll was cancelled, they still had the piano performers come in and play inside the Chamber of Commerce and they both did so well playing for maybe five people. Then we walked around the square, watched some clogging performances, ate funnel cake and visited Santa. 

This is as close as Eliza would get to Santa. She wouldn't even turn around for a picture, I think she was afraid he might try to pick her up. I think the face shield stressed her out. She insisted on wearing a dress too when she saw Mariah in her dress. 

We had a sleep over around the tree. I read some Christmas stories and then Tanner and I shared some memories we had of Christmas as children. And then I told the kids that whichever child fell asleep first would get a prize the next morning. Austin immediately laid down, closed his eyes and was asleep within minutes. Once Chet had realized he had lost the competition he stopped trying to fall asleep and tried to keep Mariah awake. But Eliza was the last one asleep. She loved laying right next to the tree and looking at the lights, talking nonstop. After she fell asleep, I moved her into her crib and Tanner (who had fallen asleep on the couch) and I headed to our own bed. 

We made a video for the missionaries in the area and I accidentally took a picture of Tanner here. But I wanted to document his beard for posterity. Eliza kept telling him she didn't like it and he should cut it off with a knife. I thought he looked really nice but I wasn't sad when he shaved it off on New Years Day.

Our ward had a Christmas party outside. Tanner was picking up Aunt Natalie so the kids and I just went. There was hot chocolate and cookies and even Santa for a little while. We sang Christmas Carols accompanied by Sister Kooyman's harmonica. The kids ran around in the snow until I felt like I was a popsicle. It was really cold so I was actually grateful for my face mask.

We got to ring bells for the Salvation Army again and had a great time. We sang Christmas Carols and wished everyone a Merry Christmas.

Austin decided the car would be more fun about half-way through but everyone else lasted the full hour. 

My mom pointed out that we had no family pictures with Gus in them, and that we just had to get one. So this picture was for her and it was hard and nothing short of a miracle to have all of us looking at the camera. I blame it all on Natalie and her great skill.

We took a walk after church behind our house and had a great time exploring. Chet jumped off this log for the second time and ended up hitting his cheek with his knee and decided it was time to go back home.

Gus had a little too much fun and was covered in mud and burrs. I ended up finding three different types of burrs on him during his bath. Remind me again why I wanted a dog? 

Early one morning after a rough call night, Tanner burst into our room waking me up to say, "Ashley, look at the sunrise!" I looked, gave a groggy reply and fell back into bed. But it really was beautiful.

While I went to pick Heather and Zach up at the airport, Natalie and the kids flew kites and made cookies. Natalie was amazing and gave each child a different task in the cookie making process and she said it went really well. 

Why does Eliza look like a teenager in this picture? It kind of breaks my heart.

I got back in time to help with the rolling out and baking of the cookies but Natalie did most of it. 

The next day we had fun decorating the cookies. Eliza just wanted to eat all the frosting.

Uncle Zach watched the younger three kids while Mariah went with Heather, Natalie and I to some stores in town. She got to enjoy some peppermint hot chocolate.

Uncle Baydon was able to find a used air hockey table for us that needed some TLC. Heather, Natalie, Zach and Tanner fixed it all up and it looked fantastic. 

Tanner jokingly suggested they put the Pittsburgh Penguins logo in the middle and Heather totally did it! Tanner's sisters spoil him. Let's be honest, they spoil me too; they wrapped most of the gifts, were constantly doing dishes and cleaning the house, and were just the best house guests ever. 

On Christmas Eve we had our Shepherd's night.

Eliza loves to dance and Natalie got this great shot.

Tanner always has fun shopping for food so I knew he would be the best one to get our food for Shepherd's night. He didn't disappoint. We had at least seven types of cheeses, pomegranates, grapes, olives, two types of sausage, crusty bread, hummus and shish-kabobs. Totally historically accurate to what the shepherds would have eaten during the Savior's time. Let's just say they inspired our food choices. 

Heather and Zach made a great Mary and Joseph and we were excited to use the manger that Hiram made for us. I love Shepherd's night and the way my children immediately become reverent when we visit the baby Jesus. Even Eliza was solemn and quiet. 

We let the kids know that they shouldn't come get us until 7:00 am the next morning to open presents. I heard them wake up in the morning and go out to check the time. I looked at my phone and saw that it said 6:58. I heard Mariah say, it isn't 7 yet, we better go play in our room and then they played for around thirty minutes. Guess I better spend a little more time on clocks with them. 

We spent the morning opening presents and taking it easy. This year the oldest three did different jobs to earn money to buy gifts for each other and Eliza. They worked really hard and put a lot of thought into what they were going to get for their siblings. Mariah even worked extra jobs because she really wanted to get a dress up knight costume for Chet. I loved to see the joy on their faces when they watched each other open their gifts. 

After a lunch of Top Ramen (given in each stocking), we went to a rest home and sang carols. It was a little different this year because we had to wear face masks and sing outside while they cracked the windows open. But it was still a special experience. Several of our children didn't have the best attitudes heading there, wondering why we were even doing it. But once they saw the people scooted right up to the windows, some with their hands on their hearts, some singing along; they realized how special it was for some of those people. It was heartbreaking to see the empty parking lot on Christmas Day and to think of so many people alone during this time. 

Later that day we headed to the racquetball court so Zach and Tanner could play a couple rounds. Then we all played a little basketball and volleyball before heading home to a dinner of leftovers. 

That night we acted out the Nativity a few times so each of the kids could be who they wanted to be. We were grateful for our Christmas day and the opportunity we had to spend it with family. 

A couple days after Christmas we got some snow. Right when there was enough to play in and the kids were all bundled up outside it started to sleet and then rain. They headed inside and we woke up the next morning to a thin layer of ice on top of the snow. Needless to say there weren't any snowmen being made. But it made for some really fast sledding. 

I looked out the window just in time to see Austin and Eliza flying down the big hill, arms and legs flailing. Once they got to the bottom Eliza couldn't climb back up because she was too light to break through the ice and just slipped. I went down to rescue her and Natalie wasn't far behind. She insisted on "Aunt Nattie" pulling her back up in the sled and wouldn't let anyone else do it. 

Chet and Tanner shoveled the sidewalk and driveway together and got this great shot.

We were sad to say goodbye to all our visitors but tried to have a fun New Years Eve. We decided on a new family motto for the year and then played some different games, finished the last Harry Potter book, watched a movie and rang in the New Year at 9:30. Now that's the right way to celebrate New Years. Tanner and I shared a smooch and thoroughly disgusted our children (although Mariah pointed out that it wasn't as long as they do it in the movies) and then headed to bed. 

We are grateful for this year. Everything didn't go the way we had planned but we are humbled to see the blessings we received all year long.