In the mood...

WARNING: This post if for my children to read when they get older, so you may find this boring.

I woke up this morning, feeling in the mood to write down a little something about each of my kids so they will know what they were like at this stage of their childhood. My soggy memory cannot be relied upon. I used to ask my mother what I was like when I was young, and she would say "I don't really remember. You were a good kid. Happy." Nothing else. But she had 11 childen and therefore, I forgive her. My childhood memories are very few and far between of what I was like. I remember being happy though and playing hard with my siblings and working hard.  So I wanted to write down a few things about each of my children so I will have a better answer for them when they ask me what they were like...

Carson (10) - your are our best behaved child. When I am lecturing all of you  kids in the car on the way to church about not messing around and getting ready ontime, I really don't mean you. When I am lecturing all the kids about being nice to eachother and not bickering, I really don't mean you. You only drive your mother crazy when you stand quietly near her, wanting something, but not wanting to ask. You just hover around until I notice and ask what you want. You are super easy to please and my only child who says 'thank you' without being reminded. You love to read, read, read. You are currently reading the Eddie Bone series and the Tennis Shoes and Nephites series you got for Christmas. You have been taking piano for over a year now and played a couple Christmas songs at our family program. Your teacher says you are a good site reader. Besides reading, you enjoy hiking, camping, rock climbing, golfing, and playing Harry Potter Lego wii game. You are very quiet, except when you are talking about favorite topics. You are a straight A student and a perfectionist. You do not have any close friends, pretty much a loner, but everyone at school is nice to you and respects you. You will still come and snuggle up to me sometimes and I love it.You are the sweetest sick kid, which is too bad since you and Lauren are my healthiest.  I am so proud of you and wonder what I did to deserve such a great kid.

Jackson (10) - Your personality has really started to develp over the past year.You and your twin brother are becoming more and more different. Last year you seemed grumpy and tired alot and now you are happier and have more energy. You are quiet, a loner, but you are becoming more social. You didn't get straight A's last semester and so you have been determined to improve this semester. You have to work harder and spend more time on your homework, but you are determined. You love camping, hiking, and playing the wii. You are especially good at wii sword fighting and kicking your mother's butt.  You go to bed before everyone and get up earlier than the rest of us. You are a homebody and  love to play with your cars and outdoor adveture toys and get annoyed when Lauren plays with them when you're gone. You don't play any sports and take music lessons but you are searching for something that interests you enough. You don't have many interests, but when you like something, you REALLY like it. You are obsessed with the tv show 'I shouldn't be Alive' and have all the episode recorded. I tried to get you to find other shows you like and you have added 'wipeout' and 'Destroyed in Seconds'. Figures. You love to watch disasters, but you are scared of riding grandpa's 4-wheeler and when dad drives the car with one hand near the canal you scream. Oh yeah, you scream like a little girl. :)

Ressa (7) - You have always been such a sweetheart, but your 2nd grade friends have taught you a couple new tricks, like acting like you don't hear me when I tell you to brush your teeth, or hiding something I have asked you to put away. You obey every rule at school or church and love to participate in every activity you can think of.  You are very social and have lots of friends. Friends are always calling to have you come and play and you love to be active, always doing something. You are kind and forgiving of people. You have been taking karate for a year now and have advanced to an orange belt. You are a natural but hate to practice. You just finished soccer and have been taking horse riding/barrell racing lessons from my friend. You were one of the dancers in the school Christmas program and now you want to take dance again, so we will have to evaluate what you are going to drop instead.  I am glad you are so busy because if you are home you are in front of the tv. These last couple years have been interesting as far as your health goes. First a bladder disorder causing frequent UTI's, a seizure back in Sept that has put you on meds, and somewhere around 10 bouts of strep throat in the last year. You have an appt to see the ENT about getting your tonsils out. I have been accused of being hardest on you, because everything comes so easy to you and so I expect more. That is probably true.

Lauren (4) - I thought about writing about each of my kids this morning while doing laundry and thinking how funny it is that you hate jeans. You only like stretchy pants or skirts. I have succeeded in getting a pair of jeans on you on a couple occasions, but you always change out of them later in the morning. You say they are too cold. Whatever. I tell people you are my highest and lowest maintenance child. Lowest, because you  fall asleep in the car and I can take you out and lay you down again and you stay asleep. You eat the foods I eat. You love Subway and we go there often while the kids are at school. None of my other kids would eat anything from there (well, Ressa has recently discovered a love for tuna so there is hope).You are independent, getting yourself dressed, getting your own snacks, entertaining yourself, riding your bike down to grandmas without saying a word. Highest maintenance because you demand attention and expect anything and everything at that precise moment. I told you yesterday that I was the boss and you said Jesus was really the boss. So I told you Jesus IS the boss and he says to honour your father and mother, making me the boss. You are too sassy and smart for your own non-denim britches. I wonder where you get all that sass? Like Ressa, you are very social and have lots of friends, as long as they are your age or older. You have no time for younger children and ignore them or treat them with disdane. You love me to draw on your back and give lots of kisses and hugs.

There. I think that is enough for now. I will try and do this again in a year or two to keep things fresh. TTFN!