My baby is 5!

I'm a little behind on my Blog updates as Olive turned 5 over two months ago, but I didn't want to miss writing a birthday tribute to my little girl because I want remember her just as she is today. 

Olive has made so many big changes in the last year. I thought I would have a hard time watching her grow because I didn't want her to change from the sweet adorable little girl she has always been, but I've been surprised to learn that each new stage brings more joy in a different way.

Olive continues to bring sunshine into every room she enters. She always has a smile on her face and is constantly getting into fits of giggles and laughing. Even now that she is older and I make comments about funny things she does that she wouldn't have understood when she was younger instead of feeling bad that I am making fun of her she just starts to laugh at herself along with us. This quality will serve her throughout her life. 

Olive has been learning to do so many life changing things this year, one of the biggest being that she learned to ride her bike. I wish I could say this was an easy process, but it came with a lot of tears and frustration on both our parts. When we started Olive hopped right onto the bike and rode like a champ, but something got into her head and after that she wouldn't even really try and would bail out after a couple seconds. I was frustrated knowing that she could do it and she was frustrated that I was pushing her when she felt a little scared. I really wanted her to learn the life lesson that you push through things that are hard and scary, and you fall and get back up and it's those types of experiences that can result in the greatest sense of joy and accomplishment. I finally realized I had to change some of my teaching techniques and once she eventually got it down she never wanted to get off that thing. Sometimes I have felt that I baby her too much and so this bike has been a good learning experience for both of us as she has taken many falls and had to get right back up and ride despite the cuts and bruises, and she's wanted to get back on because it's something that she loves to do. There is just something about riding a bike on your own and this sense that you are so big and powerful and you can go and do anything all by yourself. I really do feel like it changed both of us. She learned to be more independent and I learned to let go a little. 

Olive also started school this year. Big deal! I was a little worried to put her in because she is almost a year behind most the kids as her birthday is at the end of July, but I felt that she was definitely emotionally ready and really looking forward to going and that she would be able to catch up with all the kids and be ok. We had worked a lot on reading during the summer and she is doing well, but not quite there yet. That is another thing that is so exciting to watch your kid learn because it completely changes their life and gives them so much more independence and an informed view about their world and what is going on around them. She is also working on swimming and is doing well but not quite to the point that I would just drop her in the deep end, but I am excited to see her getting there. Such big things like bike riding, learning to read, and swimming. Once you've got those down you're on your way! 

Olive has really thrived since she started school. She has already made many friends and asks to have one of them come home with her almost everyday. She loves being in class and around others and I can use it as a threat that she will not get to go to school if she doesn't listen (I'm sure this will only work for this year.) She rides her bike to school everyday and it's her very favorite thing to do in the world. We had a couple close calls in the beginning but she has finally got the hang of the rules and how dangerous it can be to not follow them. She has started to be more curious about things and aware of more complex ideas. It's fun to see her mind grow and develop and change our conversations with one another. 

This summer Olive really blossomed into my little helper. When Elijah was born she could not have cared less about him. She has never been keen on babies or dolls or anything of that sort, but she suddenly started to help me with elijah and it has been so great. She tries to calm him down when he gets upset and she is very patient and loving and includes him in the things she is doing. She will even carry his things or help get him dressed if I ask her to, which is a huge help. It was like once he became a person she could interact with she became her sweet affectionate self and brought him under her wing. Her independence alone has been so helpful. Now when we travel she is so aware of where we are going and how long it will take to get there and the things she needs to do to help. One of my favorite sights is Olive going through the airport pulling her own little carry on she brings with her. It has been such a help to know that I can trust her and she will stay by me and do what is needed to get where we need to go. She has never been a big whiner or complainer and often easily accepts changes in schedule or other conflicts. She is still a 5 year old and often acts how a 5 year old would, but I have been proud of her ability to control her emotions and not fly off the handle when she doesn't get her way. 

Right now Olive loves to color and give all her drawings away to everyone around her. She loves to go outside and look for potato bugs and crickets and make little homes for them before she lets them go. She has started to like alone time which she didn't ever want to have before ( I think that comes with having a little brother who can ruin things.) She always wants to play with a friend but prefers to stay home if I am going to go out and run some errands. She still has an interest in dinosaurs and space and will still say she wants to be an astronaut so she can go look for dinosaurs on other planets. She loves to take baths with her brother and the two of them will play dinosaurs for an hour or more in there if I let them. She doesn't really care so much about watching tv or shows and doesn't ask to play her gameboy all that much, but still loves to play it a bit in the morning (which we don't mind as it gives us extra sleep.) She loves having babysitters over and will sometimes ask me to go somewhere so she can have one come over and play with her. I have started to let her dress herself in whatever she wants which has resulted in pretty much the same outfit almost everyday to school -space pants with a pink skirt over it combined with a dinosaur or space shirt. I keep thinking I am going to make her start changing and wear something different each day, but I just can't bring myself to do it. When she pulls that pink skirt over her pants she just looks so happy. She loves having long hair, but hates it when I brush it. She has to sleep with our orange cat Vixy every night and the cat has gotten used to the schedule and often comes in right when I am putting her to bed. She keeps asking me to get pets and currently would really like to get a bird. Maybe when she's older. 

Olive is strong, inquisitive, beautiful, and kind. I hope I can have the image of her as a five year old for the rest of my life. I feel so blessed with the opportunity to see her grow. She'll go out into the world and do wonderful things. I know it. 

Washington Summer of 2017.

I have to take myself and my kids to my parents home every summer. It's non-negotiable. Olive had been asking for months and months if "today was the day" we got to go to "Grandma's that lives far away" (that's what she calls her,) and so all our adventures were long awaited when we got there and Washington, you never disappoint.  

There is a checklist of things that my kids and I must do immediately upon arriving at my parents home; check the chicken coop for eggs, get on and feed some horses, and rummage through the garden/orchard for fresh produce. Elijah wanted to spend every waking moment on or by the horses, Olive wanted to check the coop for eggs about 10 times a day, and I think I consumed about 50 plums in the time that I was there. Being at my parents always reminds me that it's the simplest things things in life that bring you greatest joy and happiness. 

My Mom's next door neighbors are huge Corgi aficionados. They have three of these dogs themselves and lots of friends with them. Elijah and I went out for a little ride on one of our horses and when we got back my mom and Olive were talking to our neighbors and I peered over the fence to a yard full or corgi's! 15 of them! They invited Olive and Elijah to come in and play with the dogs and it was like someone opened up the pearly gates. It was just about the cutest thing I ever saw! A few days later they had a big Corgi party and had over 100 corgi's there at once! The last picture is Olive holding a little corgi named Olive. They wanted a picture of her holding her namesake, and then she made that funny face (and that was her good face after a little coaxing haha.) She cracks me up when she randomly pulls these faces out of nowhere. 

Vacation Sleep.

I. Just. Can't.

Every time I go home I love to visit the Seattle Science Museum. It's a great place for kids with tons to do for all ages. An animatronic dinosaur room, a sea life station, lots of bugs and a butterfly room, a little rocket ship and space exploration and so much more. We are lucky our yearly pass for the museum here gets us in free over there, but we were less lucky with how busy it was with lots of summer days camps... you can't have it all. 

I went on the most wonderful bike ride with my brother and his kids. It was everything I love about Washington. We rode along the slough with the beautiful greenery and the wonderful smells and sights and sounds of birds with my kids laughing and enjoying life with their cousins, and it just felt like how life should be. I love being with my little brother. He is always up for an adventure and so playful with all the kids. We rode to a little park and played for a bit and my brother initiated a game of tag, and you should have seen the way Olive's eyes lit up when he ran over and tapped her and shouted TAG! We rode back into the sunset and stopped to get some blackberries on the way. They were not quite ripe yet so we tried some tricks to get what little bunches we could find way up high. We stacked all the children up on my brother's shoulders and did a little chain to get the blackberries down and safely away from the bushes, after which they were consumed within milliseconds by all the kids. We did get quite a few scratches here and there, but it was worth every bit of it. 

Every day this summer in Washington was a great one, but this one might have been my favorite. For lunch I met up with best friend in Kirkland and we went to this amazing place for lunch and sat and chatted and enjoyed being together (and I enjoyed the only little break I took from my kids on this whole trip.) Then I went back and took my kids to Mukilteo Beach for low tide, to take a ride on the ferry, and to get some yummy fish and chips and ice cream. I loved everything about this afternoon; enjoying fresh caught seafood on the wharf, searching for little crabs under rocks with my littles while they squealed with delight, and riding across the water feeling the breeze in my hair and smelling the salt in the air. At our stop on Whidbey Island the kids saw an older lady waiting and couldn't help themselves to go and start talking to her. She was sweet and cute with them and told them she had grandchildren close to their age and that's probably why they liked her. People are good.  

Saturday was Olive's birthday. On our day in Seattle we were going to visit my Dad in his office, but because of traffic and because Elijah fell asleep we decided to skip it which devastated Olive, so on her birthday I let her pick what she wanted to do and she wanted to go visit my Dad at his office. Luckily my dad is a workaholic and was going in on a Saturday anyways so we joined him. I love being up there and can't believe my Dad gets to have that amazing view of Seattle to look at everyday. The funny thing is that Olive just wanted to visit my Dad to get free hot chocolate from the machine in the lunch break area. Kids are so funny. But you know, birthday day made! 

All the heart eyes. 

Then we headed out for a swim at my friend's house on cottage lake. We had had the best weather while in Washington, and it could not go wasted without going for a swim. The water was pretty cold though, and I can't say we lasted too long, but luckily we got to go home to birthday celebrations and one last dip in the hot tub. 

These first two photos are still shots I took from a video. It makes me laugh just to look at it. The first one is Olive greeting all of her presents with so much delight, and the second is Elijah when he realized after trying multiple times to steal presents that none of them were for him. I didn't really think to prepare him by saying that it was Olive's birthday and all these presents would be hers since I think the last thing he remembers was Christmas where they both got presents. Major fail on my part, but also pretty cute and hilarious. He will get his turn this month. 

Then you know, one last dip in the hot tub followed by an amazing fire by Grandpa, who is always up to make a good fire for us all. It was a good trip, it always is.

We left Sunday night and spent the night in Eastern Washington with Kc's Aunt and my mother in law who had flown out to drive back with me. I had wanted to stop in Granger for a long time but it's hard to justify a big hour or more long stop when you have 12 or 13 hours to drive. We got on the road a lot later than I had hoped so we didn't have a ton of time to play on all the dinosaurs before the sun set, but it was totally worth it and something the kids of course just loved. I would do this every time if I could. It was awesome to cut a few hours off our drive the next day and have somewhere to stay and to let the kids enjoy the trip a little more and stop and do things that we love. And a shorter drive meant I could take my time a bit more and let this beautiful little boy and girl sleep in a bit in the morning. What a lovely way to end our month away from home. Can't wait until next year.