Austin is 7!

Austin is a year older!  He may not have changed much in size...but he has made so much growth that has been so exciting to watch. Life has been crazy so I was slow getting his interview done. But he made sure to remind me quite frequently until we did it. He is such a sweet middle child. 

Mom: What is your favorite color?

Austin: Dark Blue 

Mom: What is your favorite food?
Austin: Stuff...what was my favorite food last time? Hamburgers (Austin either is always hungry, or barely eats anything at all. It can be hard to keep up.)

Mom: What is your favorite animal?
Austin: A Horse

Horseback riding was for Chet's birthday, but Austin had just as much fun.

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

Mom: What is your favorite movie?
Austin: Chronicles of Narnia 

        

Mom: What is your favorite song?

Austin: The Distance (by Cake, Austin loves music and has many requests in the car. I love to see the big smile he gets on his face when a favorite song of his plays.)

Mom: Who is your scripture hero?

Austin: Captain Moroni and Mormon (Austin always begs me to read more while we're reading scriptures together. We're in the war chapters and he has really loved them. He also makes sure that we give him chances to read in family scripture study and he is improving so much.)

Mom: What is your favorite dessert?

Austin: Cinnamon Rolls

Mom: What do you like to do for fun? 
Austin: Playing Legos, playing with my brothers and sisters

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

Austin: When you read a book to me (Austin is my least demanding child, so when he asks if I will do something with him I always try to do it.)

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

Austin: Watch football games with him (Austin knows that his dad is the strongest, smartest, and tallest man...and I hope that he feels that way for a long long time.)

Mom: What is your favorite thing to do with Mariah?
Austin: Wrestle (Austin is our peacemaker so he loves wrestling until everyone starts to get mad, then he usually clears out.)

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

Austin: Play Basketball

Carving sticks with the dogs...These two boys are almost always together. Austin has done so many things before Chet did because he wants to keep up with his big brother. He's been using a pocket knife for several years now and finally got his own on his birthday. Chet insisted on buying it for him. 

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

Austin: Play Stuffies with her (They set up all the stuffed animals and play different scenarios: family, grocery store, vet...)

These two are starting to play more and more together. They usually play while the older two are finishing school and it is so nice to see them getting along. Austin also enjoys helping Eliza with her school. 

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

Austin: Play Battle with her (He'll probably regret this later, but Austin likes to fight Vivi with their light sabers, and she gets really into it.)

Mom: Who is your best friend?

Austin: My family 

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

Austin has a real desire to be the oldest and one day during a discussion that I don't remember the topic of he said, "You shouldn't kill anyone just to be older." I'm grateful that he has that understanding...

One day at a homeschool group activity all the children had to introduce themselves and say one activity that they enjoyed doing. "My name is Austin and I like to eat food." I think that must be genetic. 

When trying to express how much he loved sweets to me he declared, "I'm a sugartarian". If there are treats in the house, he knows about them and asks each day if everyone can have one. 

It is hard for Austin to go to bed early if his older siblings aren't home yet. It had been a long day and I knew he really needed to go to sleep, but Chet wasn't going to be home from basketball practice for another hour so I was getting desperate. And then inspiration came: I let him know that sleep is very important for children who are growing and that good sleep can even help a child grow more. I then told him that this could be his chance to get an edge on Chet. I could see the wheels turning in his head and then he got a little grin on his face and immediately snuggled down under his covers and tried to fall asleep. He was asleep in minutes. It's not often that I say just the right thing but when it does happen, it must be documented. Austin likes to frequently remind Chet that just because he's taller than Austin now doesn't mean it will always be that way. 

Austin doesn't often have the patience for pictures, but he does love to take selfies. Here's a few of my favorites.

Austin is quite the adventurer, always trying to keep up with his siblings. While at the Jump Park for his birthday he was nervous to go on the zipline, but once he saw Chet and Mariah do it he was determined to go. I was proud of him and his bravery. 

Austin loves to create and especially enjoys legos. He got several different kits that can be made into multiple things and he often disappears to his room to work on another lego project. I love the sense of pride he feels when he makes something all on his own. 

Austin loves hand knitting and made a scarf for his cousin Anni’s birthday. 

He doesn’t draw as often, but every once and a while I’ll get a gem like this.

Austin started piano this year and has done really well. I waited a little longer to start piano lessons with him and I think that made the difference. He usually only needs help on the first day after his lesson and then he is able to practice on his own, sometimes with a little guidance. He loves the prizes and the gumball machine at the studio. 

Austin is still very loving. He enjoys sitting by Alice at church as often as he can. 

I'm excited to see all the ways Austin will grow and change this year. We are so grateful to have him in our family. 

December

 December once again flew at breakneck speed, but we managed to make some fun memories and I kept my sanity...we're calling it a success! 

We started the month off with The Victorian Stroll. Mariah and Chet both played the piano in their music studio's window and Mariah also played the ukulele. After putting her ukulele on the floor of the truck, Chet stepped on it, completely snapping the neck (or whatever you call that part). This was minutes before she was supposed to play. Thankfully Morgan had an extra ukulele so the crises was averted. Mariah and Chet both did really well on the piano. I filmed them both and after Chet got done he came and sat by me and said, "thanks mom for blinding me the whole time I was playing." I guess my phone's flashlight was on. He kept his composure...I was testing him. 

Eliza, Vivi, and Austin were good sports watching their siblings perform and were excited to see Santa and the train sets. I decided to give roasted chestnuts another try and liked them much more this year...they tasted a lot like pine nuts. The kids made sure we got free cookies and hot chocolate at multiple stops around the square and we all stayed relatively warm. 

Mariah made a special Australian bread and added her own twist on it by adding bacon and cheese to one and chocolate chips and marshmallows to the other. They were both delicious. 

We had our Christmas Frolic with our homeschool group and even Vivi got to make a pizza. She spent the whole craft time trying to find things to dump out...must have felt right at home. 

Tanner took the oldest three to a hockey game so obviously the younger two had to have a party at home. We dressed up in dresses (Eliza even picked out a dress for me) and had hot chocolate. Vivi didn't seem to be a fan and decided it would be more fun to dump it out on the counter. We then watched a Winnie The Pooh and Eliza seemed to have a great time until right before she went to bed when she had a meltdown and asked in tears why, "Mariah, Chet, and Austin get to do all the fun things?" She then fell asleep within minutes. 

The kids have now set up their own hockey league in our shop. They bust out their roller blades and hockey sticks, the neighbor kids come over, and they play for hours. Tanner is so pleased. 

We took the kids swimming one Saturday and Vivi wore these goggles for a good long while. Once we actually got in the water she just wanted to throw them. 

We had our sleepover around the Christmas tree and this year the kids got pajamas. Vivi was a matching nightgown too, but she refused to put it on for a picture. Now we'll never have that cherished memory that I was banking on when I bought the nightgowns...Since the boys are too cool for pajamas now I just bought them some sweats and long sleeve shirts. 

We read Christmas books all snuggled up and then Tanner and I told some stories from our childhood. Then Tanner and I slept in our own bed and the kids begged to have Josie sleep with them but she still isn't completely potty trained so I told them that would have to wait until next year. Vivi slept in her crib because we actually wanted to be able to fall asleep. 

We celebrated the first day of Hanukkah with homemade sourdough donuts. I forgot to add the salt and spices to the dough...but they still tasted good enough for us to eat them all that night. 

We had some really cold days during December, right after it had snowed. It was hard for the kids to look out at the snow but not be able to play in it because of the at times up to -35 degree wind chill. Once it finally warmed up to 0 degrees they were out playing for over an hour. Hot chocolate was a must after that. We are so grateful for a warm home...and that our chickens survived in our junky, drafty coop. They are tough ladies. 

Uncle Sevy came for Christmas! Tanner asked him what his favorite Christmas tradition was and he said gingerbread houses. So because I love him we did it. Tanner helped the kids a lot with their construction of the houses. 

Vivi didn't make a house, but she took her job of eating as much chocolate as possible very seriously.

I helped Eliza with her construction and I was worried that she was going to feel cheated when she saw what dad had done for the other kids. But thankfully she was perfectly content with her design. A Christmas miracle. 

Mariah decided on a flat roof to maximize the amount of candy she could put on her house.

Chet didn't give up, even when he had some structural challenges. 

Austin let Dad use a hot glue gun right from the start and probably got his house done the fastest. 

Uncle Sevy has decided this will be his new Tinder picture...the ladies will be lining up.

The boys went to another hockey game while we had a girl party at home. The girls and I watched a production of The Nutcracker and Eliza and Vivi had fun dancing throughout it. It was bitterly cold that night so I was very relieved when they made it home safely. 

For Christmas Eve we had our Shepherds Night and ate way too much food. 

We didn't have many people this year so I had to be the angel and Mary, but I think it was still special. 

Because Christmas was on a Sunday, we decided that we would just do stockings in the morning and presents after church. The kids got their sugary cereal, which Vivi didn't seem to know what to do with. But she insisted on dumping her cheez-its in with her cereal and then didn't take a bite. Not that I blame her. Mariah woke up in the night sick and threw up several times so I stayed home with her and Vivi. Tanner and the other kids sang at church while he played the guitar. Chet even sang a solo and did really well. 

Vivi would not let me take a picture by herself...this was the best we could do. 

Tanner really had faith that Mariah would feel well enough to go to church so we all got ready. But she burst into tears right before we were going to leave so plans changed. She threw up not too long after that so I'm glad she stayed home. 

Mariah was sick on her Birthday too this year...here's hoping it won't happen for any more holidays. 

We watched Mr. Kruger's Christmas and I cried. Then we were able to Zoom with some of the Crossley family for a little which was fun. 

After the church crew got back, we opened gifts and had so much fun no pictures were even taken. And just a moment to brag about my husband, he did almost all of the Christmas shopping and wrapping this year. He also made most of the food Christmas Eve. I think I'll keep him around. The kids drew names for each other again and worked hard to earn money to buy their gifts. That is always my favorite part of Christmas day is seeing them open each other's gifts and learning the joy of giving. 

This year for our Advent we learned about 25 different names of Christ. The kids loved lighting the candles and we loved making the focus of our Christmas season be about Jesus. 

We also had our manger out that could only be filled with straw when secret acts of service were done. It was fun to see the kids sneaking around trying to do kind things for others. I think we might need to leave that manger out all year round. 

The day after Christmas the kids spent most of the time playing on the new Nintendo Switch, because they knew that after the break the rules concerning it would be drastically different. Mean ol' mom...

We decided to go to a Jump Park place for Austin's Birthday. The kids had so much fun and I was proud of them for trying new things even when they were a little nervous about some of it. Chet and Austin weren't so sure about the zipline but they still did it. Austin said he would only do it if I did. It was really hard for me not to whoop and hollar the whole time, because no one else had done that...which is a shame because it makes those kinds of things so much more fun. 

Eliza and Vivi loved the ball pit. 

In case you were wondering, no, Tanner did not let the birthday boy win...

Austin decided he wanted a cookie cake this year. 

New Years Eve we tried something new. I don't think this was my original idea but I can't remember where I heard about it. But we all dressed up as a character from the Old Testament (we studied the Old Testament this year as a family) and everyone had to guess who we were. 

Mariah was Esther

Chet was Moses

Austin was Noah

Eliza was Ruth...she came up with her on her own. She couldn't remember her name but knew the story well enough that I could tell her. 

I acted out Balaam on our bouncy donkey...took the kids a while to figure out who I was. And Tanner did a great replay of David and Goliath. It's a tradition that we're going to have to continue. 

We introduced our new theme, Making our home a Sanctuary of Faith and a Center of Gospel Learning. We are so grateful for the year 2022 and all the growth it brought us.