Kaden's Farewell, Surgery, Ethan and Tate's Birthdays

Wow, these last couple of months have been so crazy, but in a great way. My brother was recently called to the Salem, Oregon mission and he is leaving today (which also happens to be Tate's Birthday)! He was set apart last night and there was a huge whirlwind of emotions. The blessing was powerful and profound, but it still couldn't take away the fact that my 19 year old brother would be leaving in the morning for 2 long years. There was a myriad of tears and hugs amongst Kaden, his brothers, grandparents, parents and me. He is so strong emotionally and mentally. I feel that not only is he ready for this, but he will succeed in a huge way while he is gone.

There has been much talk lately about him finding a girl when he gets home. I am excited for it because I will have another sister-in-law (Out of the 6 I already have!!). That means I will have 11 sister-in-laws after all my brothers are married!!!!! :) I can't wait.

Ethan celebrated his 7th birthday recently. He is doing really well with everything and will really miss his teacher and friends. It has been kind of emotional for him because his best friend Landis moved to Hawaii yesterday. His mom became my go-to lady for help with carpooling because we lived right by each other. We alternated the carpooling and it worked out fabulously. I will miss her friendship and seeing Landis' smiling face everyday.

Ethan has already read a couple of small chapter books. He is starting to enjoy it more than he used to and is very helpful. He likes to do chores and asks how he can help me when I do my own. I enjoy seeing how happy helping others makes him. He is also taking a big interest in plant life and learning about different weeds, flowers and trees. He has a cute type of respect for them which is awesome, he hates to pull weeds because he feel like they serve some type of purpose.

Caitlyn is growing up and becoming independent, yet so cute and feisty as always. She is finding more productive ways of communicating instead of screaming to get across her feelings which is nice. She also doesn't mind dressing up and allowing me to dress her a little girly. She calls Ethan "Daba," herself  "Baby" and Tatum "Tate." She likes to count and ride her bike.  It is crazy to think that she will be 3 years old in July!!

 

 

Tatum is doing well. She had some friend issues for a little while at school that I believe really helped to shape her confidence in herself and also helped her to learn to rely on herself. She is reaching an age where peers and friends are so important and she started to make new friends that mesh well with her personality and have her same standards.

She looked at me a couple months ago and said "Mom, what would you say if I wanted to shop off all of my hair?" I told her it would be fine if she would be happy. So the next day, Tate got her hair cut so short. It fits her personality so well and is spunky but nothing too over the top. It is also easier for her to deal with in the morning which I am sure she is happy with.

 

Although the first picture of her is cute, the second one really depicts her personality. She is bold, logical and precise. She really doesn't let anyone get away with treating her poorly and I love that about her. She likes that people think she is a nerd and wears the label proudly. For her birthday on the 13th, she got a Kendama from her uncle Kaden. She also got a Perplexus Epic, a very challenging spherical puzzle/brain twister that she has wanted for a while. Her interests in Pokémon have diminished, although she still collects the cards and enjoys drawing manga characters.

 

Here is a video of her most recent drawing: