Right now being the operative words. I'm not trying to label them early or set their personalities in stone -- they are still heavily influenced by developmental stage, birth order, current teachers, latest books read, etc. I'll always remember that I spent Noah's first year thinking I could sum up his personality with the word "content." Which is now HILARIOUS. But seriously, it's precisely because they change so fast that I want a snapshot of how they are TODAY.
Isaac first, since he's never first, poor guy...
A few favorites...
books: You Can Count on Monsters (counting #fathersson), Ballpark Mysteries (audio)
movie: Star Wars #evergreen
video game: Minecraft
toys: legos, action figures
mispronunciation: "legular" for regular
extracurricular: baseball or basketball
Disney ride: Kali river rapids
cereal: Raisin Bran Crunch
bed: sleeping bag #lowmaintenance
music: TobyMac, The Greatest Showman
doppleganger: Papa Denny
professional aspirations: cowboy, sailor, doctor, coach
- Purposeful. He speaks clearly and with purpose, because: boy #3. How ya gonna get heard?? It's possible he'll be our type-A child, as he takes his pursuits very seriously, one of which is becoming his oldest brother. (Not a giant leap: Noah, meet your mini-me.) I love seeing how much Isaac wants to practice sports, solve puzzles, and participate in everything. Once he learns how to read this year, I think he'll leap forward and never look back.
books: You Can Count on Monsters (counting #fathersson), Ballpark Mysteries (audio)
movie: Star Wars #evergreen
video game: Minecraft
toys: legos, action figures
mispronunciation: "legular" for regular
extracurricular: baseball or basketball
Disney ride: Kali river rapids
cereal: Raisin Bran Crunch
bed: sleeping bag #lowmaintenance
music: TobyMac, The Greatest Showman
doppleganger: Papa Denny
professional aspirations: cowboy, sailor, doctor, coach
- Purposeful. He speaks clearly and with purpose, because: boy #3. How ya gonna get heard?? It's possible he'll be our type-A child, as he takes his pursuits very seriously, one of which is becoming his oldest brother. (Not a giant leap: Noah, meet your mini-me.) I love seeing how much Isaac wants to practice sports, solve puzzles, and participate in everything. Once he learns how to read this year, I think he'll leap forward and never look back.
- Careful. He is still my most sensitive to darkness, literal and figurative. He uses a noise machine at night, audio books during rest time, and doesn't watch all the movies his brothers do. I'm proud to see him increasingly able to set boundaries for himself, and it's good to see his aspirational nature pushing him to be brave. #kindergartenready
- Christian! For months, Isaac had been asking about Christianity and acutely aware that he had not chosen it for himself. Then the week before Easter, Isaac's close friend asked our family at the dinner table if we're Christians, and Isaac piped up with "I'm not!" Until Good Friday, when he leaned over to me during the Stations of the Cross mass at St. Louis' Cathedral Basilica and said, "I asked Jesus into my heart." #puddle And as has been true with each of my boys, ever since, he has shown an excitement about Jesus and joyful desire to learn about him that is inspiring. Praise God.
- Christian! For months, Isaac had been asking about Christianity and acutely aware that he had not chosen it for himself. Then the week before Easter, Isaac's close friend asked our family at the dinner table if we're Christians, and Isaac piped up with "I'm not!" Until Good Friday, when he leaned over to me during the Stations of the Cross mass at St. Louis' Cathedral Basilica and said, "I asked Jesus into my heart." #puddle And as has been true with each of my boys, ever since, he has shown an excitement about Jesus and joyful desire to learn about him that is inspiring. Praise God.
books: Harry Potter 1-4, Encyclopedia Brown
character: Ron Weasley
toys: swords
mispronunciation: "gwit" for grit
food: jelly
extracurricular: martial arts
Disney ride: Everest, Haunted Mansion
cereal: frosted fruity mini-wheats
bedfellows: ALL the blankets & stuffed animals #nest
music: Schoolhouse Rock
nemesis: homework
doppleganger: Papa Stewart
professional aspirations: scientist, comedian
- Exhuberant. Aaron makes "breakfast" for me, writes cards to family, says thank you to the clerk at the register of any store, and donates coins at church. He is also the most passionate about all things British from the Hobbit, HP, Narnia, and Paddington to "afternoon tea" and marmalade. Lately he's been begging to go on our next trip to London. #bestillmyheart He will also say, "You're the best mom ever. Well, maybe not the best... I mean there are other good moms... but you're the best mom I've met here in my lifetime." Which brings me to...
character: Ron Weasley
toys: swords
mispronunciation: "gwit" for grit
food: jelly
extracurricular: martial arts
Disney ride: Everest, Haunted Mansion
cereal: frosted fruity mini-wheats
bedfellows: ALL the blankets & stuffed animals #nest
music: Schoolhouse Rock
nemesis: homework
doppleganger: Papa Stewart
professional aspirations: scientist, comedian
- Exhuberant. Aaron makes "breakfast" for me, writes cards to family, says thank you to the clerk at the register of any store, and donates coins at church. He is also the most passionate about all things British from the Hobbit, HP, Narnia, and Paddington to "afternoon tea" and marmalade. Lately he's been begging to go on our next trip to London. #bestillmyheart He will also say, "You're the best mom ever. Well, maybe not the best... I mean there are other good moms... but you're the best mom I've met here in my lifetime." Which brings me to...
- Honest. Aaron is meticulous about telling the truth, though just this week he said something about, "Well, I could have not told you that..." #gettintoosmart But he's still a committed rule follower, to the point that he feels real distress if he sees others crossing the line. It can be socially disastrous, but you gotta love the strength of his moral compass. At the same time, I love the honesty of his faith. Sunday, he asked a series of questions about whether everyone can go to heaven, so we walked through Romans 9 on the spot. I live for convos like this and love his inquiring mind.
- Prayer. He is the first volunteer to pray on any occasion, and always includes the following (which he developed organically during 1st grade): "Thank you for this day, thank you for my family--including Katherine, and all our relatives. Help me to get to sleep well, help me to have no nightmares. Help everything to be well in my control and not in my control, and stuff like that, if you know what I mean. And if I didn't say it, help it to go well."
And prayer is key right now, as we're 2 for 2 finding 2nd grade to be a tough year, with its dawning awareness of social issues, flaring emotions, and personal identity formation. Aaron is in the thick of it, and often needs reminders that he is a masterpiece from God and a gift to our family -- both absolute truths.
And prayer is key right now, as we're 2 for 2 finding 2nd grade to be a tough year, with its dawning awareness of social issues, flaring emotions, and personal identity formation. Aaron is in the thick of it, and often needs reminders that he is a masterpiece from God and a gift to our family -- both absolute truths.
books: Wingfeather Saga
movie: Avatar
video game: NBA2K
toys: action figures
extracurricular: basketball
Disney ride: Avatar Flights of Passage
cereal: Rice Krispies
music: Lecrae, NF
celebrity: Damian Lilliard
teams: Blazers, Patriots, Cubs, Reds
nemesis: perfectionism
doppleganger: Daddy & Uncle John
professional aspirations: NBA, sports business
- Funny. I LOVE Noah's playful side that still giggles at my jokes and asks Alexa goofy questions. He's silly with Katherine, writes the funniest little comics (sometimes on the church bulletin, about the sermon), and his brothers are always asking him to tell them stories (because his stories are hilarious). He recently gave me a "top secret" dossier with several pages of legalese and memos on how we were going to convert Josh into a Blazers fan. If someday he's a lawyer, he'll be the coolest lawyer out there.
- Teachable. We have really seen Noah blossom in the past year, becoming more mature, thoughtful, and positive. Maybe most of all, I've been amazed how receptive and responsive he has been to suggestions from us, whether on academic, social, or...athletic fronts. While we never barred him from playing football someday, with time (and encouragement), he has gradually shifted his interest to almost every other sport, most recently soccer and golf. We are elated -- and he seems happier than ever. Except during and after his own team's losses. #lifelessons
- Responsible. This is most obvious in how Noah owns his schoolwork (homework, grades, projects) so that I never have to be involved. It's bliss. What's new? 1. He cares about his grades. 2. I can leave him home alone for short periods. 3. He's responsive when I ask him to do chores (or re-do chores). 4. He came home from camp asking to do a Bible study together. #thanksDeerRun All of these are pretty life-changing. And reinforce that I have experienced no greater miracle than watching my children grow into themselves.
- Responsible. This is most obvious in how Noah owns his schoolwork (homework, grades, projects) so that I never have to be involved. It's bliss. What's new? 1. He cares about his grades. 2. I can leave him home alone for short periods. 3. He's responsive when I ask him to do chores (or re-do chores). 4. He came home from camp asking to do a Bible study together. #thanksDeerRun All of these are pretty life-changing. And reinforce that I have experienced no greater miracle than watching my children grow into themselves.
books: The Foot Book, Usborne's Trucks, Gallop
extracurricular: playground slides
food: pizza, fruit
cereal: Life
toys: shoes, baby dolls, purses
fashion: bling
bedfellows: thumb only - she throws everything out of her crib
fear: Mommy leaving, teeth coming
fear: Mommy leaving, teeth coming
doppleganger: Mommy
- Moving. Katherine rarely sits still. She wouldn't sit through a board book until she turned 2, and she still doesn't have any interest in TV/movies. We took the ergo and stroller to Disney and then she walked everywhere. Which also explains her aversion to hours in the carseat. Some of this has to be in her DNA, but even typing this, it occurs to me that I am always on the go, only sitting when she's asleep. So there's that...
- Independent. I'll never forget the first time I noticed Katherine (18mo) standing at her high chair, bib in one hand, baby food in the other, asking to eat. This girl came prepared, even before she could speak. I've also noticed her lining up her babydolls and giving each their own babyfood. Isn't it just like a woman to get dinner for everyone? AND clean up. She'll go get the towel to wipe up her spilled milk, and then drop a little more just for the fun of cleaning it up. But it's not just in the culinary department: Yesterday she brought me earbuds and plugged them into my laptop. She (unsuccessfully) insists on sitting in Isaac's (car)seat, and she's grabs her socks, shoes, purse, drink, and sunglasses at the slightest indication of an outing. This trait is immensely helpful in a 4th child, and we're hoping to capitalize on it in the potty-training dept ASAP. We're just waiting on one more thing: words. She understands most of what we say, but it's not mutual yet. #comeonbaby #talktome
- Female. I am shocked how different it feels parenting Katherine vs. her brothers. She is so much busier, has a shorter attention span, more initiative, fewer words, and less cuddling -- all the reverse of my expectations. However, she adores shoes, purses, baby dolls, and glitter, though they're outnumbered by legos and action figures 100:1 in our house. She even picks the princess plates from among the Thomas, Elmo, and Star Wars options in the drawer. She's momma's girl right now (đŸ’˜) but she also has her brothers and Daddy wrapped around her pudgy little fingers. Basically, I am thankful every day that God gave us this best. surprise. ever.
- Independent. I'll never forget the first time I noticed Katherine (18mo) standing at her high chair, bib in one hand, baby food in the other, asking to eat. This girl came prepared, even before she could speak. I've also noticed her lining up her babydolls and giving each their own babyfood. Isn't it just like a woman to get dinner for everyone? AND clean up. She'll go get the towel to wipe up her spilled milk, and then drop a little more just for the fun of cleaning it up. But it's not just in the culinary department: Yesterday she brought me earbuds and plugged them into my laptop. She (unsuccessfully) insists on sitting in Isaac's (car)seat, and she's grabs her socks, shoes, purse, drink, and sunglasses at the slightest indication of an outing. This trait is immensely helpful in a 4th child, and we're hoping to capitalize on it in the potty-training dept ASAP. We're just waiting on one more thing: words. She understands most of what we say, but it's not mutual yet. #comeonbaby #talktome
- Female. I am shocked how different it feels parenting Katherine vs. her brothers. She is so much busier, has a shorter attention span, more initiative, fewer words, and less cuddling -- all the reverse of my expectations. However, she adores shoes, purses, baby dolls, and glitter, though they're outnumbered by legos and action figures 100:1 in our house. She even picks the princess plates from among the Thomas, Elmo, and Star Wars options in the drawer. She's momma's girl right now (đŸ’˜) but she also has her brothers and Daddy wrapped around her pudgy little fingers. Basically, I am thankful every day that God gave us this best. surprise. ever.
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