She's 5! | Helen's 5 Year Update

I can't believe my little girl is 5 already! It's been amazing to see her grow from a baby, to a toddler, to an independent little girl.

Helen has had a big personality since the moment she was born (well obviously before that as well, but we couldn't see it yet). This girl has all the spunk. It can be a challenge at times to guide her to control it, but I love that she is driven and knows what she wants. I hope she doesn't lose that confidence as she gets older!

Here Are a Few Facts About Helen at 5 Years Old:

• Clothing: She fits most 4T clothes, but she can still wear a few of her 3T things as well. She's a shorty like me. 😊
• Sleeping: Helen hasn't taken a nap consistently since Jim was born. Instead she has quiet time while Jim takes his nap. Which is also work time for me...
• Learning: I can't believe how much Helen has learned this year! We're already done learning the alphabet, and now she can write most words that I give her. It's funny to me that she can write but isn't quite there with reading yet. I'm sure it will just happen one day. And she's doing addition and subtraction and loving it. She has a very inquisitive mind and asks lots of questions on a variety of subjects. Her memory is amazing. She can remember things from years ago that we have nearly forgotten about. 
• Chores: Helen is actually a big help to me these days. She cleans her room, wipes the table, unloads the silverware from the dishwasher, and other little tasks I ask her to do. I think she'll be able to master some cooking skills soon: she is almost able to cook rice by herself! She would be able to do it all if she was tall enough to reach everything. 😂

Here is Helen's 5 year interview:

QUESTIONS:

1. What is your name?
2. How old are you?
3. What is your mom's name?
4. What does your mom do during the day?
5. What is your dad's name?
6. What does your dad do during the day?
7. What is your favorite color?
8. What is your favorite food?
9. What do you not like to eat?
10. Who are your friends?
11. What is your favorite song?
12. Will you sing it for me?
13. What is your brother's/sister's name?
14. How old are they?
15. What is your favorite place to go?
16. What is your favorite thing to do?
17. What do you want to be when you grow up?
18. What is your favorite book?
19. What is your favorite thing to watch?
20. What does your brother/sister like to do?
21. What's your favorite toy?
22. What is your favorite animal?
23. What do you want for your birthday?

He's 2! | Jim's 2 Year Update

James turned 2 this month! He hit a growth spurt recently, and he was just shoving food in his face and asking for it constantly. It seemed like he outgrew his 18 month clothes overnight.

Decorating the Christmas Tree

I used to be a huge proponent of glass Christmas tree ornaments. Then...I had kids. And I realized that I routinely break at least one glass ornament a year, and if I wanted my kids to be at all involved in the process of decorating, there would be MANY broken ornaments to clean up.

So I bought some pretty plastic ornaments that only bounce on our tile floor when we drop them.