Genevieve turns 8

Most years I begin Vi's birthday blog with a sense of disbelief.  Something along the lines of "I cannot believe she is THIS many years old!"   This is the first year where it just...makes sense, like, of COURSE she is 8.   She has always been smart, but there was a degree of maturity that happened this year that just helped me be a bit more prepared for her continued aging and growth.

 She is becoming more self aware of her emotions and her impact on others.  She has been processing things externally and I hear her laying in bed processing events that have happened during the day.  Most recently reassuring herself of who she is compared to what someone else said about her.  I had talked to her about it, but she said she still needed to "talk it out a bit to herself".   
I recently got her a journal as a place she can also process emotions and thoughts in response to life and she has already started pouring herself into it.   It's such a coming of age thing having to process life events and their impact and it just makes her seem older to me, but I am already proud of how she is trying to handle things.

She is extremely factual and literal.   It makes her painfully honest, and often comically so.  My cousin is going through a difficult time having to re-home one of her dogs.  Genevieve's response while trying to be empathetic, "well at least you have one dog"(reminds me of her dad). 
This year she also came in and told me "you look decent today mom".

We have noticed her eagerness for learning.  Not just academically, (I still have to threaten her sometimes to do school) but overall in her understanding of life and knowledge.  She wants to know how things work, why people respond in different ways to different situations; and she wants to know how she can try to do things on her own.    She is learning more complex games, reading more advanced books, pursuing knowledge on things that interest her.
 She wanted her own tools, when we gave her a small hammer/screw set, she promptly removed the door knob from her door (accidentally, just noticed the screw there and got to work). 

This year was also an overall difficult year for our family, and I've seen part of her maturity develop as we have worked through that together.  We had a couple big life changes in our lives that her acute and quizzical mind has not missed their significance. She experienced loss for the 2nd time in her life when we lost my aunt this year.   Most kids have this sense of invincibility, that Genevieve doesn't seem to have.  She is cautious, sincere and aware of the concept that people come and go in our lives.   It has made her love more fiercely and appreciate the people we have in our lives.   She randomly asks us how different people are doing, she thinks of others and shows awareness of when they are in need of affection.  She has asked some hard questions that have been difficult for us to answer when we WANT to assure her of certainty...and we cannot.   I was a bit nervous of her becoming fearful, but she seems to have become more graceful instead. 
 I am so proud of how she is navigating life, and so thankful for the many, many people who have helped shape her and influence her towards grace and love instead of fear.

Ezekiel is turning 5!

Five is again, a difficult year for me.   With the girl it was realizing how big she is getting.  With the boy it's not only how big he is getting...but realizing...I no longer have "small children"...I just have...kids.   Weird right?   Now I have two school age children.  I was a preschool teacher for about 10 years, it's where I have thrived, felt comfortable, and now I am putting that behind me and moving forward with my school-age kids, and I don't know if I'm ready!  Kids have a way of doing that...pushing you forward.

He is so ready to be five.   He also seems to know it's a "big-kid" age.  He has the guts and gusto to be big, so he is ready to have the number to go with it.   He has been out to conquer the world since he was born and the bigger he gets, the more excited he is to do it.

He loves being outdoors to play and explore.  I love seeing this with my kids.  I am so thankful for my giant front window where he has the independence to be out on his own, but I can safely watch him from a distance as he imagines, creates and plays in his own world.

He is genuinely compassionate and graceful.   He is exceptionally quick to make right wrongs, apologize or show forgiveness.   He may be the one to more often make me want to pull my hair out...but he is also the one to more often be quick to apologize or make me smile.   He pushes boundaries, but he sure learns in the process.    For two years his sister wanted to have a "all girls" party, which made him sad, but I let her (Fancy Nancy tea party wasn't a place I really trusted a 3 year old boy).  Yet for two years when he said he was going to have an "all boy" party, he in the end changes his mind and invites his sister.  I actually tried to talk him out of it this year, reminding him his sister didn't invite him, to which he replied, "yeah, and she hasn't apologized either, but I'm still going to invite her and let her come because I love her"..   HOW DO YOU SAY NO TO THAT?!  My goodness, that is the kind of grace and mercy I hope to walk in every day.   I tell you what...next year I'm sure making he gets to go to his sisters.

He has... SO MUCH energy.  We put him in gymnastics since he is constantly climbing and jumping off of things, thinking it would be something he really enjoyed.  We were wrong, he liked it alright, but kept asking not to go.  He wanted to do karate instead, we finally let him and he has LOVED it!  The structure, discipline and energy release that goes with it has been perfect for him.  I love the self-defense and training for real life safety scenarios.  It enables him to take care of himself and gives me assurance to let him play independently.

He still loves to cuddle. He may be crazy, rambunctious, a bit rascally, and full of energy, but the boy loves a good snuggle.  I think God tends to make boys a bit more cuddly to help balance out all the gross and orneriness.   Then again, maybe that's just my kids.

He loves cheesy jokes.  We recently spent half an hour just sitting and reading knock, knock jokes.  His favorite saying/joke of all time is "Guess what? Chicken butt".   It makes me laugh, so I got him a shirt.   It is his favorite.

Also, if we are going to talk about Zeke this year....we have to mention his hair.  He is losing his curls!!  It's a dream come true for him.   Twice this last year I caught him rubbing lotion and then sunscreen into his curls and telling me "I am trying to make my hair straight!"  I guess it worked.   I loved his curls, but with his crazy hair, there is a good chance they may come back! 

It's been a fun year, he is turning into quite the handsome, fun boy.  In my dreams he will want to hold my hand and cuddle each morning for the rest of our lives....but I know it's just a season and all seasons come to an end.  I'm going to keep loving this time, but hopefully raise him in such a way that he goes forward with confidence and compassion to be all that God has made him to be.

Genevieve turns 7

It's Vi's birthday week:
"Life flies by in seconds...you're not a baby Gracie you're my friend.  You'll be a lady soon but until then...you gotta do what I say."

I've loved Ben Folds ability to tell stories through song for years....this year his song "Gracie" is what immediately came to mind when I sat down to write this blog.    I think it's because this year I am starting to see more clearly the young lady Genevieve will become.   Small glimpses...but she is coming more into herself. 

She is fiercely driven.  Once she sets her mind to accomplishing something, she follows through with a perseverance that leaves me quite impressed.  She has started doing extra chores to earn money towards things she would like so she doesn't have to take money from her convertible savings.  I could take a few notes from her self-control and money management skills....

She loves nature.  Which...is definitely nurtured in our home.  She listens, she observes closely, explores, asks questions, and genuinely appreciates all nature has to offer.  She remarks on the colors of the sunset and wonders if God possibly loves pink and purple as much as she does.  She constantly asks me to bring the "nature cards" that Karlie got us whenever I mention going to the park.  She explores the textures around her, and gathers what she can to bring back to her space.

She is still as girly as they come.  This year she was prescribed glasses, she loved getting to pick out her new purple glasses, they made her look older, and are awfully adorable.  She loves dressing up, feeling pretty, and going on dates with her daddy.  This year she asked me for a braided headband and patiently sat throughout the week as I watched YouTube videos and attempted to do her hair for her.  She gave lots of encouragement and praise, and in the end, she was delighted to have her hair styled just the way she wanted for a special night out with her dad.

Her full array of emotions confuses us but is part of her loving, empathetic heart.  A few times this year we caught her crying and she had no reason other than "I just feel like crying".  You do you girl.  But she loves her family devotedly, that's for certain.  I'm amazed how she can play with her brother for HOURS with little to no bickering, they just want to have fun.

 She wanted a "creating and inventing" space, so she got a new desk where she sits for hours creating art or gluing and taping things together that end up being some kind of invented contraption.  Creating is her passion as of late, and it's fun to watch her imagination come to life.

As always, it's been a fun year that has flown by. She's grown socially, emotionally, academically, and physically and I am always amazed and in love with who she is and who she is becoming.