Double Digits

Have we really been parents for 10 years? And do we really have 5 kids? We couldn't have asked for a better kid to start with. Mariah was a hard baby but that just made us appreciate our other babies knowing it could always be harder. Now she's a super easy child and that just helps ease the burden of parenting. We are so grateful for this girl. 

And she's still willing to do a Birthday Interview! 

Mom: What is your favorite color?

Mariah: Purple and Blue

Mom: What is your favorite food?
Mariah: Hawaiian Haystacks

Mom: What is your favorite animal?
Mariah: A Dog

Right now she gets her animal fill with Sean and Callie who are not house cats, but sometimes the kids bring them in and I allow it if they are holding them and don't let them down. 

Mom: What is your favorite book?
Mariah: I like the Green Ember series (Birthday gift) Harry Potter and Poppy

Mom: What is your favorite movie?
Mariah: One that makes me laugh or giggle (I love watching funny movies with Mariah because her giggle is the best. Makes me happy every time I hear it.)

        

Mom: What is your favorite song?

Mariah: For church songs I like Love One Another and for just normal songs I like The Giving Tree

(Mariah loves to sing, play the piano and her ukulele. She comes up with her own music and lyrics and is always creating new songs. She likes to lead her siblings in rounds and is learning harmony.)

 

Mom: Who is your scripture hero?

Mariah: Abish, Esther and I like Nephi

Mom: What is your favorite dessert?

Mariah: Chocolate ice cream with chunks of chocolate bar and cookie dough in it. And it has to be creamy. 

Mom: What do you like to do for fun? 
Mariah: I like to read. 

This girl is always reading...sometimes I feel like the parents from Matilda, I have to make her stop reading and do something else. But she knows that I'm less likely to make her stop if she's reading to her siblings. 

Reading while I fix her hair

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

Mariah: I like just sitting and talking with you. 

This girl is so easy to talk to. Thats one of the best parts about your kids getting older. They are so fun to talk with. I love this girl's wisdom and humor. 

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

Mariah: I like when we go on daddy daughter dates, like going to the store, and I get to talk to him. (Tanner enjoys telling dad jokes to Mariah and knows he's doing something right when he gets the eye roll.) 

Mom: What is your favorite thing to do with Chet?
Mariah: I like to play board games, card games, and sports. (Chet was so excited when Mariah started basketball and wanted to play more often with him.)

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

Mariah: I like to play with him. Sometimes we wrestle and it's fun. (And usually when Mariah wrestles him it doesn't end in tears.)

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

Mariah: I like to paint her nails and fix her hair. 

She is such a good big sister to Eliza. She knows just how to work with her and can often get her to do things when I'm at a loss. 

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

Mariah: I like to carry her around the house and play with her. 

Vivi gets so excited when she sees Mariah. She especially loves it when Mariah takes her outside to see the chickens and cats. 

Mom: Who is your best friend?

Mariah: That's a hard question. I like my family, my family are my best friends.  (Mariah is a friend to everyone. I love watching her kindness as she interacts with others.)

Mom: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Mariah: A dog trainer or a Zoologist

Mariah loves creating things. This is a water color she did of a snake charmer with his cobra. 

I love when Eliza does things with Mariah. It gives me a moment without my little shadow, and they are just so sweet together. 

Mariah is very responsible. She usually gets all her chores done and does her school all by herself. She loves to practice piano and I don't have to ask her to do it. 

This year Mariah has started typing and one day she kept talking about her Wompoms. I was so confused until I realized she was talking about her "Words per Minute" or WPMs. I had a good laugh about that. 

One day the kids witnessed Tanner's Jr. High Boy style of flirting...

Mariah: Why'd you kick mom? 

Tanner: Because I love her

Mariah: (said with great disgust) There's better ways of showing your affection.

Tanner: like what? 

Chet: Well, you could say I love you and I want to marry you.

In Tanner's defense, the kick was more like a love-tap. I was fine. But I loved seeing Mariah's indignation. The girl knows whats right. 

After reading at night, Mariah usually comes out of her room to say goodnight and sees Tanner and I doing all kinds of "fun" stuff. So she told me what she plans to do at night when her kids are asleep: "First I'll eat chips and then I'll eat Triscuits and cheese. Then I'll eat Chex cereal and maybe even frosted flakes." Yes, Tanner and I really live it up after the kids go to bed. She then said, "And when I get engaged we're gonna have a party and have at least five different kinds of ice cream and I will make a cake and if my husband wants to he can help decorate it and we'll have cupcakes." And when I said I hoped I'll be invited she said, "Yes I'll invite you if you're still alive." 

Mariah likes to read to her siblings using different accents. It's really fun to hear. She also likes to make up skits for the kids to do and films them. 

One time while we were at Costco she walked into another aisle excitedly but then came back with a disappointed look on her face. "I saw a sign that said, Bud Light, and wanted to check out the light shaped like a flower bud, but it was just alcohol." It was a big letdown for her. 

She once said, "When I get married I want a husband who will leave me alone at night. I want it to be as if there's no one there." 

The other day during their online class they were asked to share who their most favorite character from abook or movie was. Some kids shared Lucy from the Narnia series and Samwise Gamgee from LOTR, inspiring characters. Mariah? She said Sid the Sloth and Chet? Gollum...yeah that's their most favorite characters...humor goes a long way in this family apparently. 

We love our Mariah girl and are just blown away at the beautiful, kind, smart girl she is becoming. She makes us look good as parents and it actually has nothing to do with us. Happy Birthday Mariah!