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.