One thing I really admire about Addie is that she is not afraid to stand up for herself. Recently she was struggling with a friend at school. Instead of letting it get to her and wondering what went wrong, she approached the girl, asked what the issue was and cleared the air. And just like that they moved past it and are doing much better! Most girls, especially girls her age, would not dare speak up. She is also not afraid to stand up to me to tell me when I need to change something that frustrates her.
And she has a lot of nerve, in a good way. She is not afraid to do new things or put herself out there. I was so proud of her for running for Student Council. Elections involved giving a speech to the entire student body and she approached it like it was nothing at all. She won the vote and is handing her responsibilities (which are way more than I ever expected!) like a champ. It involves doing a lot of things that would make some kids her age squirm, but not Addie. She rolls up her sleeves and gets the job done! On that same note, she is so great to have in Young Women. She always has an answer to help move the lesson along. One of the other leaders mentioned this to me recently and it was such a nice thing to hear. I hope this skill takes her far in life.
Addie is also very open with me, and I love it! She tells me all about her crushes, the drama of Jr. High, her struggles and frustrations, her highs and lows, who said or did what, etc. I hope she will always be that way. She is a great girl and I love the bond we have.
Kimber- what a great girl! Kimber loves her mom! And doesn't like to be far from me. It's flattering at times. She is also a great friend. She is devoted and complimentary. I know this because she often comes home saying great things or reporting on the nice things she noticed about someone at school. She looks for the best in her friends and stays true to them. She also has a broad variety of friends and I admire that.
She has been playing the piano for three years now and is lightyears ahead of where I was at her age. She has picked up on the piano so well! She loves to play hymns and songs from the Primary Children's Song Book- and she plays them so great! It's so nice to hear A Child's Prayer or Choose the Right rather than the ear piercing beginner songs most kids struggle through.
Kimber doesn't love to do hard things but who does, right? The thing I love is that she will do them and always come out seeing good changes in herself. She used to be so afraid to participate in the Primary Program. It was terrifying to her but she would do it and each year she noticed that it got easier and easier. We just had our program on Sunday and she gave a talk! She did wonderfully! She has also had an interesting year at school. Two weeks into the school year I requested that she be moved to another teacher. It was extremely difficult for her to say the least. But she did it and now she is seeing how much better off she is. She has made a new friend, she loves her teacher and she is enjoying the growth she has seen in herself. I love to hear how she feels the change has benefited her.
I'm not sure where she gets it, but she is very artistic. She loves drawing, painting, creating, designing- basically anything that uses her creative side. Last week for Spirit Week she decided she wanted to make a pineapple headband to wear for Tropical Day. She asked me to take her to the store to pick up the supplies, a headband and pipe cleaners. Not catching her vision, I dragged her around the store for nearly an hour trying to come up with another idea but she kept insisting she knew what she was doing. I finally relented and wouldn't you know it? She blew me away with the most adorable pineapple made from pipe cleaners hot glued to a headband.
Kimber is a fantastic student. She has maintained an A+ report card since she started school. If she doesn't understand a concept she works at it until she understands it adequately. Her teachers have also told me this about her. Her new teacher recently told me that Kimber is one of her top three favorite students. I'm not exactly sure she should admit that she has favorite students, but I was glad to hear she likes Kimber so much.
Lucy- She has got to be the sweetest 7-year-old out there. She is super timid and does not like to be the center of attention. Trust me, she flat out refused to say her part in the Primary Program last week!
Not only does Lucy keeps us laughing but she laughs easily at herself. For some reason she has misunderstood several of our conversations lately, only to chime in with a very distorted view of what she thinks was said. It's often way off- but when we laugh she laughs right along with us.
Along with Kimber, Lucy is a great friend. She makes friends easily and is a ton of fun to play with. She is easily entertained and when she has friends over they never complain of boredom. Not only is she a good friend at school but she is a good friend at home as well. She plays nicely with everyone, especially Colton. She is happiest when she is outside riding her bike, jumping on the trampoline or having some type of adventure.
I love to listen to Lucy pray. She asks for the greatest things without any coaching. Just tonight she said, "bless that if anyone has a test or anything tomorrow that they will do good." Every time she says the nightly prayer she asks for something that we actually need but no one else really thinks of. It's really sweet!
Lucy is always dressed so great and it has nothing to do with me. She really cares about her appearance. She usually chooses her hairstyle for the day based on her outfit- a ponytail for something casual, a crown braid for something fancy, etc. She takes good care of herself and it shows.
Colton- our caboose. I hate to think that I almost didn't have him! He makes our life so exciting! It's fun to have a kid who gets dirty, loves tractors and building things. It's definitely a change from my girls!
I always heard that boys have a special love for their mamas and I've learned that it's true! He is rough and messy, but he melts for his mom and I melt for him. He is my buddy and he keeps me busy during the day when it's just the two of us. I have an extra year with him before kindergarten because he is a September baby, and I am so grateful! We have a great time together.
I've noticed that Colton makes people around him happy. That's kind of a neat thing for a four-year-old. His Primary teacher seems to adore him and often tells me how happy he makes her. His preschool teacher says similar things. I know he makes his parents and his sisters happy but I'm glad other people get to experience it as well.
He is also easy to please, which is nice because he spends a lot of time playing alone. I will often find him playing in quietly with his trucks, lining them up from biggest to smallest or by color, just happy as can be. He will play outside for hours digging in the dirt or burying seeds to make a garden. He doesn't need constant supervision, he's just happy to be busy.
Man, I've got some great kiddos. They keep life busy but worthwhile and rewarding.
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