Ember - 6 Years Old

I can't believe I am writing another birthday blog post for this girl already! I feel like she just turned 5 a few weeks ago. Yet here I am writing about my big 6 year old! 

Ember weighs 37.5 lbs and is 43.5 inches tall. She goes to bed around 7:30-7:45 at night and gets up at 7:30 am on school days. She still does a quiet time in her room around 1:00 since she is doing half day Kindergarten this year. She still sleeps with Tickle and sucks her two fingers just when falling asleep. 

The biggest and most exciting change for Ember this year is that she decided to ask Jesus into her heart! She has been excitedly telling others and reading her Bible since. We continuously pray that God will choose to grow her in him daily and yearly from this point forward. Another big change for Ember this year is starting Kindergarten. She goes to school every day from 8:30 - 11:30 except for Fridays where she stays till 12:30. She is loving it so far! 

It is such a joy and a challenge to watch and help kids grow in character. There are times where Ember shows such service and selflessness to others by putting herself in their shoes and doing what would be best for them. Then there are times her pride and selfishness get in the way as well. Sometimes she gladly offers for Reece to get to do something first and then there are times when she doesn't want Reece to touch her things. She is still a very independent, creative and organized girl. She has a big imagination and uses it to create projects and games. She loves being with her friends and is a definite Daddy's girl. She can be super helpful with cleaning, entertaining her brothers, and helping cook. We have realized this year that one of Ember's strongest love languages is gifts. She loves receiving gifts but even more so seems to love giving gifts. She is always making and creating things for others. She is also very silly! She sings silly songs and makes silly faces. She loves to do a funny dance that her Daddy taught her. 

Here are some of Ember's favorite things at the age of SIX! She suddenly learned how to read really well within the last year so she has loved reading. She still enjoys being read to as well. Daddy has been reading through the Chronicles of Narnia with her each night after the Bible and it is such a special time for her. She also loves trying to spell words and write words in her sparkle journal. Speaking of sparkles, she likes anything that sparkles and she likes it even more if it is the flip sequins. Her backpack and lunch box are covered in flip sequins as well as a new journal, headband, and bracelet that she got for her birthday. Ember also really enjoys knock knock jokes now that she can read and learn them as well. Another great thing she likes about reading is being able to sing the songs at church. Since we often sit at the back she will face backwards in her chair and read the back projector that the worship team uses since she can't always see over everyone's heads to the front projector. 

Ember also really enjoys games and any sort of crafts. One of her favorite parts of school is art class. She loves drawing and painting. She likes to create things out of recycled materials and other craft supplies we have around the house. She just got perler beads, a latch hook, and some foil art for her birthday that she has been working on every other day or so. Her favorite games are still Uno, Go Fish, and Zingo but she will play others often as well. She of course enjoys playing with Reece at times too. They like to wrestle, play school, paint or do other crafts together, and chase each other around or play a "flashlight game." Ember loves swinging on swings and flying on the hammock ropes in the backyard. She loves riding her bike and going for hikes. The Summit and Chick Fil-A are also still both high on her list of favorite places to go. Ember loves going to Bearizona and playing on the computers at the library. And she is realizing more and more that she really enjoys trips - Disneyland, Legoland, Mexico, Sedona, Phoenix. Her favorite foods are: waffles, quiche, sausage gravy over potatoes, chia pudding, salad, raw vegetables like lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes, apple, watermelon, macaroni and cheese, pizza, hamburger, and yogurt. 

Ember has learned some new things this year as well. She reads very well and is getting better with addition and subtraction. She is enthusiastic about learning and seems to retain information very well. She recently told me about the first Thanksgiving and why we celebrate Veteran's Day. Ember has learned how to wash herself in the bathtub. She can now tie a shoelace or bow on her dress without help. She can brush her own teeth and set up Reece's toothbrush for him as well. She puts her laundry away by herself and makes her bed by herself most days as well. It is very nice to have such a good helper in the morning's when trying to get out the door for school. She can get Reece dressed if he chooses to let her and doesn't run away from her.

Ember played AYSO soccer again this year and is doing NAU ballet again as well. She will be performing in the Nutcracker this year for the first time and is very excited. 

Ember is a very special girl indeed whom we love watching learn and learning from her as well. It is amazing to watch God use our family in each other's lives to grow and mature each other. Ember is definitely growing into a beautiful young girl and we are very proud of her! 

Ember's Birthday Fun:

Chia pudding for breakfast

She had a Halloween party at school and then we went to Chick Fil-A with the whole family for lunch

We went back to her school so she could participate in the Halloween costume parade

Then we made pizza for dinner and went to a local church's carnival night and played lots of games! 

Ember's 6 Year Interview:

Favorite color? Rainbow

Favorite toy? Tickle

Favorite food? Pizza, donuts, smoked salmon and ice cream

A food you don't really like? Jalapenos

Favorite thing to watch? "Leap" and "Nutcracker and the Four Realms"

Favorite place to go? Disneyland, Legoland, and Disneyworld

Favorite book? "Chronicles of Narnia"

Favorite song? "Mac arena" 

Favorite restaurant? La Bellavilla

Favorite thing to do each day? Be with my family

Favorite thing to do with Mommy? Go to stores

Favorite thing to do with Daddy? Play games and cuddle

What makes you happy? Tickle

What is something scary? The Haunted Train

What are you really good at? Standing on one leg and running around the table 100 times or more

Who is your best friend? Addi, Evelyn, Evi, Emmerson, and Sadie

What do you want to be when you grow up? Doctor at the hospital

What do you think about before you fall asleep? Morning and playing with Daddy

Here are a few more pictures of Ember from the last year!

Mexico in October

We are SO EXCITED that we were able to go back to Rocky Point after over a year and a half of not being able to go. It was a shorter trip than normal but the weather was beautiful. It was our first trip with all 3 kids and it went smoother than I thought it would. We are very grateful for our time! 

Our trip was full of playing in the sand and water, eating great food, riding the ATV, and swinging in the hammock. Reece spent many hours pushing his dump truck around the wide open beaches. And Aunt Hope brought some sparklers we used on the last night which the kids loved! 

We cannot wait for the next time we can go :) 

 

Kade - 2 Months Old

KADE IS TWO MONTHS OLD! 

The big two month old weighs 9.8 lbs (2nd percentile) and is 20.5 inches long (0 percentile). Our little guy has been our best night sleeper so far and only wakes up 1-2 times a night consistently. He is beginning to be awake and alert for about an hour before needing another nap and naps for 1-2 hours. He is still sleeping in our room in the bassinet and we swaddle him from the arms down. He has begun to really like sucking on his whole hand or his thumb specifically when in his bed. He is still wearing some newborn clothes but has moved to size 1 diapers. 

Kade loves having someone near him to interact. He doesn't necessarily need to be held but his favorite times are when someone is near him talking, reading, or singing. He will give the biggest smiles and cutest coos. He really enjoys his play gym. He loves hitting the hanging stuffed whale and grabbing onto the turtle rattle hanging near him as well. He likes taking baths and still really seems to enjoy the Ergo carrier. He loves when we get him into his pajamas close to bedtime and loves when we come in and get him up from his bed after he wakes up. Kade is doing much better with enjoying tummy time and always kicks his little feet against the ground propelling himself forward and off the blanket or burp cloth. 

Kade really is a pretty content baby overall and there are not too many things that he doesn't like. Sometimes he gets mad when I burp him in the middle of his feeding. He also usually cries when we take him OUT of his bath. Besides that, he only really fusses when he is getting tired. 

During this last month, Kade has learned how to hold his head up better, make more coo noises, and started grasping objects that are around him. He is doing very good at tracking people or things that are around him and as stated earlier has started moving and grooving a few inches when he is on his tummy. He also learned how to drink out of a bottle and has done really well with taking bottle feedings. 

Kade experienced some more firsts this month. He played in the play gym for the first time. He tried and drank from a bottle the first time. He took his first bath in his blue bathtub in the newborn sling. Kade went to Bearizona for the first time and also went hiking for the first time at Griffith Springs. He moved into size 1 diapers. He went to his first restaurant when we got breakfast at La Bellavia to support the Drayton's new ownership of their second restaurant. And Kade went to his first wedding - he slept through Lauren and Kyle Womble getting married. 

He is learning and growing more and more each day. And I just can't get over how cute he is! We love our little boy so much!! 

Kade - 1 Month Old

Kade has made it to 1 Month Old! 

Kade weighs 8 lbs. He wakes up about 2 times per night - one time between 12:00-1:00 and than again around 4:00 am. He is usually really good at going back to sleep after I feed him. The longest stretch he has slept at night has been 6 hours which was the night of my birthday. Kade wakes up for the day around 6:30 and stays pretty close to a three hour schedule throughout the day till around 5:00 where he is a little more fussy and tends to cluster feed. He is sleeping in the Evan's family bassinet in our room for naps and bedtime right now and is still in newborn clothes and diapers. He enjoys being swaddled when he sleeps.

Kade still has a lot of dark hair and his eyes are getting bluer and bluer every day. Around four weeks he developed some baby acne on his face that has stuck around. He is the king of making noises. He is always groaning and grunting. And he spits up all the time as well - mostly after he eats. He also gets the hiccups pretty much every time after he eats as well.

Kade likes being held and talked to. He loves when someone is near him singing, talking, or reading to him. He loves being in the Ergo carrier for walks and takes good naps in it as well. He likes having his hair washed in the sink since we still haven't given him a bath in his blue bathtub. He loves when we tickle him around his face and he seems to like his feet being played with as well. He loves to watch and smile at Beat Bo when it is dancing and singing with its flashing lights as well.

Kade isn't a fan of the sponge washing part of his bath. He doesn't like being transitioned when he is sleeping (from bassinet or rock n' play to carseat). He usually doesn't like being left alone for very long. And he only likes tummy time for about 5 minute bouts. And he doesn't like when we have to wipe his face over and over after he spits up over and over again.

During his first month of life, Kade has learned to eat :) He is getting progressively better and better at holding his head up when being held. He has learned to smile and track with those who are talking to him. And he just learned how to coo which both kids absolutely love. Reece says the same thing that Ember said about Reece when he was a baby - "Kade's talking." 

There were many first throughout this month for sweet Kade. He had his first Dr. appointment at 4 days old and he was already back to his birth weight. He went on his first stroller ride in the BOB while on his first walk to Ponderosa Trails park. He had his first sponge/sink bath at home. He went to his first soccer game (Ember's) and baby shower (Allison Riggs). He went to three birthday parties in his first month of life (Evelyn, Reece, and Evi). Kade attended church, MOPS, The Gathering Women's Bible Study, and Lifegroup for the first time this month as well. Wow! So busy and life doesn't stop when you are born into a family with two other kids already :) 

We have LOVED our first month with our sweet baby boy and were just talking about the perfect addition he is to our family. I cannot wait for the months to come with Kade Easton Evans! 

Here are a few more pictures from Kade's first month of life: