Twenty Questions - Korri 11

Starting at age three, I've asked Korri 20 questions around the time of her birthday. I chose NOT to direct or influence her initial answers (or try really hard not to). Here are her responses:

20 questions: answered by Korrigan on 1/31/2022

1. What is your favorite color? Mint green

2. What is your favorite toy? Schleich horses

3. What is your favorite fruit/veggie? Fruit: mango Veggie: cucumbers

4. What is your favorite TV show/YouTube channel/movie? TV Show: My Perfect Landing; YouTube Channel: Gypsy Equestrian (horses) and Maraih Elizabth (art); Movie: Hamilton

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Home: pizza rolls; School: taco in a bag with Doritos; Restaurant: pepperoni pizza and dessert pizza at Unhinged Pizza

6. What is your favorite outfit/thing to wear? Black leggings with pockets and a hoodie with brown UGGs

7. What is your favorite board game/card game/video game? Board Game: Life; Card Game: Incoherent Family Edition; Video Game: Sandbox

8. What is your favorite snack? Ice cream with a tiny bit of strawberry sauce

9. What is your favorite animal? horses

10. What is your favorite song? Live Like You Are Dying, by Tim McGraw

11. What is your favorite book? Keeper of the Lost Cities series by Shannon Messenger

12. Who is your best friend? Lauren Cardinal

13. What is your favorite cereal? Fruity Pebbles

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Winter: Ice skating; Summer: swim

15. What is your favorite drink? rootbeer

16. What is your favorite holiday and why? Christmas, because we get to spend time with family and celebrate Jesus’ birthday

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Blanket/comforter and three pillows

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Skinny pancakes

19. If you could pick anything, what would you eat for dinner on your birthday? Unhinged Pizza

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Horse trainer/working with horses

Bonus Questions:

21. What is your favorite sport/activity to play? Horse riding

22. What is your best/least part of school? Best: band;  Least: math and science

If you are curious as to what her responses were last year, click here to link to that post!

Korri, Korri, Korri...what can I say about our amazing, strong-spirited Baby Grill?! You know that saying about how your daughter is going to change the world...but you have to survive raising her first? I don't feel this way ALL of the time because I genuinely love spending time with her and enjoy her personality...but some times...watch out!

Here is the first picture of her ON her birthday:

I deeply believe that you shouldn't aim to be your kids' friends (that's not your job as their parent!)...but I love her so much and she really IS one of my favorite people on the planet. Maybe I won't call it "friends" now, but I think maybe that will change once she doesn't live with me anymore!

Here is the second pic of the day:

We got our nails done with Sasha!! So fun. And I love that she wore the crown :)

I wonder what the next year will bring!

Twenty Questions - Finn 13

Starting at age three, I've asked Finn 20 questions around the time of his birthday. I chose NOT to direct or influence his initial answers. Here are his responses:

20 questions: answered by Finnegan on 1/11/2022

1. What is your favorite color? Purple and green

2. What is your favorite toy or thing to play with? Lego  

3. What is your favorite fruit/veggie? Fruit: Strawberries. He wanted to know if cucumbers were fruit, which they are, so…cucumbers! Veggie: Romaine lettuce

4. What is your favorite TV show/YouTube channel/movie? TV Show: Beyblade Metal Fusion ; YouTube Channel: SB737 (Minecraft YouTuber); Movie: Sing 2

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Home: tacos or pizza; School: orange chicken or red sauce with meat pasta; Restaurant: Cream Cheese wontons and Peking Chicken with white rice from LeeAnn Chin

6. What is your favorite outfit/thing to wear? Anything dry fit, things that are a little baggy

7. What is your favorite board game/card game/video game? Board Game: Life and Bermuda Triangle; Card Game: Cards Against Humanity-Family Edition; Video Game: Zelda Breath of the Wild and Minecraft Dungeons

8. What is your favorite snack? Chocolate ice cream, or peppermint nougat

9. What is your favorite animal? Golden eagle and deathstalker scorpion 

10. What is your favorite song? Anything by Rainimator, such as Falling

11. What is your favorite book? The Warrior Car series, all of them

12. Who is your best friend? Xavier P

13. What is your favorite cereal? CocoRoos

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Summer: Football in the backyard; Winter: go sledding

15. What is your favorite drink? 7UP

16. What is your favorite/least favorite holiday? Favorite: Finn’s birthday, because of all the presents only he gets, Least favorite: Halloween

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Kiki

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Cherry Frudels at school

19. If you could pick anything, what would you eat for dinner on your birthday? Huge chocolate ice cream cake with hot fudge drizzling down it

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? I don’t know, YouTuber (Minecraft)

Bonus Questions:

21. What is your favorite sport/activity to play? Football in the backyard

22. What is your most/least favorite part of school? Best: choir; Least: Band

This is our first set of questions answered by a teenager! He definitely thinks through his answers. He also liked breaking answers out into different categories because I think it's hard for him to pick just one of something because it depends!!

Click here to see his answers from last year: Twenty Questions - Finn 12

This is the first picture of Finn as a teenager. This was my post on Facebook regarding my baby becoming a teenager:

Today is a day I have many strong emotions about and while I'm not surprised I have them, I am surprised at how big they are.

On January 6, 2009, I prayed for him to live 13 hours and would have given anything to KNOW we'd be here today celebrating 13 YEARS and teenage-hood. AND we are so blessed that he's healthy and honestly, a great kid. Like, seriously. So thankful. So happy. So grateful. So hopeful. So blessed. So many things.

To the boy who brings us so much joy. Who made us parents. Who arrived early just so he could meet us. Who gives the BEST long hugs. Who has all the feels and feels them big. Who is laid back and chill until you push a little too much. Who is our miracle.

My eyes are misty, but I think you understand why. First picture as a teenager from this morning.

We honestly couldn't be prouder of the young man he is becoming. I know we have a lot of teenage years ahead of us, but I'm hopeful that we'll get through them together. 

Love you Buddy Boy!!

Twenty Questions - Mac 7

 Twenty Questions - Mac 7

Starting at age three, I've asked Mac 20 questions around the time of his birthday. I chose NOT to direct or influence his initial answers. Here are his responses:

20 questions: answered by MacKeegan on 08/02/2021

1. What is your favorite color? Blue (and orange)

2. What is your favorite toy? Legos

3. What is your favorite fruit? Oranges/clementines

4. What is your favorite TV show or YouTube channel/movie? TV show=iCarly, YouTube=Wisp, Movie=The Boss Baby 2 and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Chicken Patties, popcorn shrimp and pepperoni pizza with french dressing

6. What is your favorite outfit/thing to wear? Clothes (lol)...then jammies

7. What is your favorite game/video game? game=Trash; Video Game=Luigi’s Mansion 3 and Minecraft

8. What is your favorite snack? Salt and vinegar chips

9. What is your favorite animal? Cats and ants

10. What is your favorite song? Anything on Kidz Bop

11. What is your favorite book? Dragons Love Tacos

12. Who is your best friend? Reagan

13. What is your favorite cereal? Basic 4

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Sled

15. What is your favorite drink? Pop: specifically 7Up and root beer

16. What is your favorite holiday? New Year’s, because we get to stay up

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Nothing

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Chocolate chip granola bar

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Unhinged Pizza or homemade Chicken wings

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Video game creator and tester

Bonus Question:

21. What is your favorite sport to play? Basketball

22. What is your best/least favorite part of school? Best=recess, Phy Ed, Least=The end of the year because I miss my friends and teacher.

Mac's answers were very thoughtful this year and a few surprised me. Here are my two cents:

1. He "forgot" about orange and asked me to add it later! Blue is new though.

4. Wisp is a Minecraft YouTuber. I had to look it up. Also, the juxtaposition between his two favorite movies is pretty funny!

6. He said "clothes" as a joke, which I thought was hilarious.

7. Trash is a card game he plays with Grandma. He got Luigi's Mansion 3 for his birthday and has enjoyed playing it with his very limited screen time.

10. He and Finn listen to Kidz Bop every chance they get!

12. Reagan (whom I used to babysit) has ALWAYS been Mac's favorite person and I asked if he had any other best friends and he said, "nope."

13. It's daddy's favorite...?!

16. First time he hasn't said Christmas!

21. No hesitation with this one!! He's basketball obsessed lately.

22. He loves moving his body!! And for his least=LOVE! But that is him to a "T" He loves school and his friends.

Click here to see his answers from last year: Twenty Questions - Mac 6

He still LOVES anything spicy but didn't answer with any this year. He also still LOVES screens but we've been severely limiting screen time this summer and while he asks me "what can I do" one thousand times a day...he's fine not being on screens all the time.

We had Mac's well child appt on July 21. He is growing like a weed, which we knew since everybody who seems him comments on how much he's grown!

Height: 52.25" - 97%

Weight: 72.8lbs - 97%

Basically, he's one healthy, growing kid. He's decided that he's growing his hair out so he can put it in a pony tail. I'm surprised that it doesn't bother me more than it does but him needing to brush it everyday is a constant battle!!

Here's a picture of the birthday boy on the morning of his birthday. We made it special with donuts and hot chocolate!

On his actual birthday, we had a "mini" party which included Reagan coming over!! Here are the two besties being silly like usual:

After a LOT of discussion and changes of mind, Mac picked "dragon" for his "theme" and for his cakes. Here are both of his cakes: 

He's one lucky boy to have enough people in his life to celebrate with TWO parties. We are also so blessed to have him in our lives. He never stops...talking, moving, touching, laughing, snuggling, asking questions, giving kisses, telling lies, invading personal space, telling us how much he loves us, jumping on everything, dribbling a basketball and being the best and most annoying little brother! God truly broke the mold with this kid.

Twenty Questions - Korri 10

Twenty Questions - Korri 10

Starting at age three, I've asked Korri 20 questions around the time of her birthday. I chose NOT to direct or influence her initial answers. Here are her responses:

20 questions: answered by Korrigan on 1/31/2021

1. What is your favorite color? Mint green and aqua

2. What is your favorite toy? Hoverboard (American Girl Dolls are second)

3. What is your favorite fruit? Soft blackberries

4. What is your favorite TV show/YouTube channel/movie? TV Show: Pony Sitters Club; YouTube Channel: Mariah Elizabeth; Movie: Greatest Showman

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? tuna wrap from Subway

6. What is your favorite outfit/thing to wear? Comfy clothes/Under Armour

7. What is your favorite game? The Game of Life

8. What is your favorite snack? Strawberry Ice cream or oranges/cuties

9. What is your favorite animal? horses

10. What is your favorite song? You’ll Be Back from Hamilton and This is Me from Greatest Showman

11. What is your favorite book? Goddess Girls and Land of Stories

12. Who is your best friend? Lauren Cardinal

13. What is your favorite cereal? Fruity Pebbles

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Winter: Sled with my family; Summer: swim

15. What is your favorite drink? rootbeer

16. What is your favorite holiday and why? My birthday because I turn an age older and I get to pick what we eat

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? a pillow and my pink blanket with a foot pocket

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Toaster Strudels

19. If you could pick anything, what would you eat for dinner on your birthday? Pepperoni stuffed crust pizza

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Professional horse rider and a mom

Bonus Questions:

21. What is your favorite sport/activity to play? Horse riding

22. What is your best/least part of school? Best: Art;  Least: Music

If you are curious as to what her responses were last year, click here to link to that post!

Now that they are a little older, I really enjoy doing these questions with them (it was like pulling teeth when they were younger with a lot of "suggestions" from me! For what it's worth, here are some of my comments:

2. She just got a hoverboard for this birthday and she's still learning how to use it, but so far, everybody but Finn loves trying to ride it!

4. I did not know how "Mariah Elizabeth" was, so this is what Google told me: A YouTuber that is known for her squishy makeovers.

9. We looked back on her previous years' answers and every year but when she turned 3, she picked horses! Not a big surprise, I guess.

10. She's loves musicals! A girl after my own heart.

19. She actually picked Casey's pizza and when I asked her, she said because she forgot about stuffed crust!

20. She has said this or some variation of it every year except when she turned 3!!

Korri, Korri, Korri. What can I say about Korri. She is the kindest and most thoughtful child while at the same time being the most stubborn and challenging! We've really worked on being respectful this year and I hope it is sticking, even a little. She just wants to be the center of the action and her brothers just don't want her to be!

She is VERY social, which has been a huge challenge this year of COVID-19 and quarantining. She was able to go to school in person this fall but we switched to Distance Learning in mid-November. She has struggled a lot with missing her friends and not physically being at school. She was elected to the Student Council this fall and gets to do the weekly announcements for all the Distance Learners, which I think makes her feel special and connected. While I LOVE having the kiddos home, we are all looking forward to when they go back to school in person...hopefully soon!

Even though I wonder some days if I'm going to survive raising her, I know she is going to grow up to be an amazing adult who makes a difference in the world. She truly tries to lift those around her up and help whenever she can (as long as it isn't her brothers!).

And while I didn't take a specific picture, she was opening her presents at the exact moment she was born 10 years ago (10:39 am):

Here's to another trip around the sun and to seeing what you accomplish this year (and hoping for more time with friends and family as COVID slowly gets under control...God willing!!).

Twenty Questions - Finn 12

Twenty Questions - Finn 12

Starting at age three, I've asked Finn 20 questions around the time of his birthday. I chose NOT to direct or influence his initial answers. Here are his responses:

20 questions: answered by Finnegan on 1/11/2021

1. What is your favorite color? Neon orange and neon green

2. What is your favorite toy or thing to play with? Lego

3. What is your favorite fruit? blackberries

4. What is your favorite TV show/YouTube channel/movie? TV Show: Pokemon, oh wait, BattleBots ; YouTube Channel: TechZone; Movie: after lots of thought...Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Home: Adult Lunchables (Hillshire Farm Snacking Plates); School: pizza rounds with French dressing; Restaurant: burrito from Bugambilias

6. What is your favorite outfit/thing to wear? Under Armour and/or DryFit

7. What is your favorite board game/card game/video game? Board Game: The Game of Life; Card Game: Uno Attack; Video Game: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 

8. What is your favorite snack? chocolate, any kind

9. What is your favorite animal? birds

10. What is your favorite song? Anything on Kidz Bop

11. What is your favorite book? Percy Jackson series...anything by Rick Riordan

12. Who is your best friend? Xavier P

13. What is your favorite cereal? Frosted Mini Wheats

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Summer: driving RC car outside; Winter: snowboarding

15. What is your favorite drink? Rootbeer

16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Kiki

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Frosted Mini Wheats

19. If you could pick anything, what would you eat for dinner on your birthday? Chori pollo or LeeAnn Chin (but he picked potstickers this year!)

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Drawer like an illustrator, no color, just pencil

Bonus Questions:

21. What is your favorite sport/activity to play? Football in our backyard

22. What is your most/least favorite part of school? Best: getting done each day...or math; Least: Distance Learning

My two cents (for what they're worth, which isn't much! LOL):

1. I feel like his favorite color changes every few minutes, which is good, but drives me nuts when trying to figure out what colors he likes!

4. He honestly didn't know what "TV shows" were! 🙈 He came up with BattleBots after I gave him several suggestions. I honestly don't think he watches Pokemon much any more. The movie was hard for him to think of one, but to be fair, he probably hasn't BEEN to a movie theater in over a year!

7. He got Life for his birthday so it was probably top of mind, but we all do love playing it!

8. When he looked at his answers from last year AFTER he was done with this year's, he said. "Oops, I forgot about Nutella and pretzels!" Which I think is actually his favorite.

14. He wanted them separated into seasons, which makes sense. Also, he hasn't actually gotten to drive his RC car outside in the summer because he got it for Christmas AND he got a snow board for his birthday but has used that several times already. Snowboarding is a sport where being a little shorter is an advantage!

17. KiKi is a blue "lovey" with the head of Winnie the Pooh that he got when he was a baby. I've since bought five others or so but told him no more! LOL

19. His answer literally made me laugh because I said but you picked potstickers! He said he forgot about Chori Pollo!

20. Again this year, he had a really hard time coming up with anything for this one. I rememeber being a kid and wanting to be lots of things. I think he's just a deeper thinker than I was! I do see drawing of some sort in his future, even if it is as an architect.

21. Because he LOVES playing football at school but HATES getting tackled. He's safer in our backyard. LOL

22. I feel the best was a total "tween-ager" response so I forced him to tell me his favorite subject. Also, his least made me sad, but they should hopefully be going back to school before too long.

If you are curious as to what his responses were last year, click here to link to that post!

This was the last picture I took of him before he turned 12 because I forgot to take my usual "last picture" at bedtime the night before. This was two days before his birthday and we were visiting Great Grandma Smith and Great Grandma Walsh...which made my heart so happy. I also wanted to post this picture because it shows where we are right now with the social distance and masks. But a safe visit is better than no visit (although I would have given anything for a hug from both of these amazing ladies!!):

And this was the first picture I took of him on his birthday as a 12 year old:

 

Side note for those of you who know me well: he was given the option and it was his CHOICE to still have Christmas up for his birthday! He's so handsome and growing up way too fast. He's on a "long hair" kick and while I know this isn't actually very long, it drives me nuts because it is so shaggy. Hopefully one day soon, I can bring him to a salon to get it shaped up a bit...or a visit with Auntie NaeNae!!🙏 It isn't deemed "necessary" at our house right now.

A few weeks before his birthday, I asked him what he wanted for his birthday cake. He said he'd think about it but finally a week before, I was like, I need an answer, Bud! And you could hear my heart break into a million pieces when he said, "I want a chocolate/chocolate Dairy Queen ice cream cake." I tried really hard to not make it be about me and held my tears in and pulled myself together...and picked up the phone to order him a DQ cake. I mean, it was WAY easier NOT making him a cake, but that isn't the point. Oh, well. Korri saw my disappointment and said not to worry, her birthday was just around the corner! And the cake was actually decent:

He got a lot of Lego sets and has put them all together already. He and Mac rearranged their bookshelf so they could use it was Lego display instead. Also, before you create a scavenger hunt to find a present for your child...make sure they will LIKE doing said scavenger hunt! Jim and Korri created a really cute one but Finn HATED it because he felt like he was being tricked. So, no more scavenger hunts for presents for him. He asked for and received a snowboard for his birthday. I was shocked at how quickly he took to it and figured it out. This video is the second of third time going down the hill on it:

This is our last year of being teenage-free! I can't believe we are knocking on the door of having a teenager. While the days may go by slowly, the years just fly by. Finn has really matured a lot this year and has learned to control his reactions much better. I think he understand responsibility and while he doesn't WANT to do what we tell him, he usually does. We have really focused on kindness this year, especially with being together so much due to COVID and I can see him making an effort (albeit a very small one!) to include Korri and be kind to her. Hey, I'll take it.

And the very best part about turning 12, I measured him and he is FINALLY tall enough to not need a booster seat any more!!! Finn and Korri were both asking to get measure once a week, so I finally said I would wait until Finn's birthday. He TECHNICALLY has just under a quarter inch to get to the required height, but I count that close enough (especially since he NEVERS goes anywhere right now!). Plus, we have his well child appointment in a couple weeks and we'll get an official height measurement then. Big day for Finn (and Korri, because I said she had to be in one as long as Finn had to be!)!!! The next hurdle will probably be a phone but I'm REALLY trying to hold out on that until ninth grade. We'll see. Say a prayer for strength for Jim and me!

We have also worked very hard this to year understand your emotions better and to be able to express them. He often comes up to me and says, "huggy?" and just wants a hug. I ALWAYS stop what I'm doing and give him an extra long hug. This is HUGE for him and really shows a lot of his growth. And I'd be lying if it doesn't just about make my mom heart explode...every. single. time!! He's really going to do amazing things and I can't wait to see what they are. However, time can slow down a little, if it wants. I guess that is one thing quarantining during COVID has given us, time together! I'll take it.

Twenty Questions - Mac 6

Twenty Questions - Mac 6

Starting at age three, I've asked Mac 20 questions around the time of his birthday. I chose NOT to direct or influence his initial answers. Here are his responses:

20 questions: answered by MacKeegan on 9/7/2020

1. What is your favorite color? Blue, no, actually bright orange and green

2. What is your favorite toy? Legos

3. What is your favorite fruit? Plums

4. What is your favorite TV show, YouTube channel and movie? TV show=Just Add Magic, YouTube=Unspeakable, Movie=Cars 3 and Frozen 2 (with mommy’s help)

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Popcorn shrimp

6. What is your favorite outfit/thing to wear? Shorts

7. What is your favorite game/video game? game=Uno Attack, Sesame Street Uno, Minecraft Uno; Video Game=Minecraft

8. What is your favorite snack? XXTra Flamin’ Hot Cheetos

9. What is your favorite animal? Kitty and baby dog

10. What is your favorite song? Hamilton Soundtrack

11. What is your favorite book? Sandra Boyton books (specifically Opposites and Blue Hat, Green Hat because he can “read” them himself)

12. Who is your best friend? Ben (his cousin)

13. What is your favorite cereal? Trix

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play tag, hide and seek tag and swim

15. What is your favorite drink? Orange juice and any pop

16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas because we get lots of nice gifts

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Any stuffy, but I haven’t really been doing that lately

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Peanut butter granola bars with chocolate chips

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Buffalo Chicken wings

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Bird, actually I don’t really know, or maybe work at a restaurant because you get a “ton” of money but it would be really hard work

Bonus Question:

21. What is your favorite sport to play? Karate and basketball

22. What is your best/least favorite part of school? Best=snack time, Least=everything is my favorite

First off, yes I realize we are a month and a half late. Oops! At least I remembered now, right?

Mac in a nut shell: loves anything spicy and would eat snacks all day long and asks to be on screens all day long.

My feedback on some of his answers:

2. First he said "tablet" and I told him that was technology and NOT a toy. Sheesh. He does do other things besides screens.

6. This made me laugh. This kid runs around in just shorts all the time and it is like pulling teeth getting him to put on a shirt of any kind. I thought he'd say "Under Armor" since it continues to be popular in our house, but I didn't lead him and he didn't come up with it.

9. Could there be a more vanilla answer?!?! I mean, so DOESN'T like kitties and puppies?

10. Our whole family is obsessed with Hamilton but he randomly belts out songs all the time. I love it.

11. He's REALLY interested in books and reading right now. I also loves The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein and Ralph and the Motorcycle books by Beverly Cleary.

18. He also like chocolate chip mini muffins and when I make him eggs.

22. He's REALLY excited to learn how to read and I'm SO thankful he loves school. Bring on Kindergarten.

Click here to view his responses from last year.

Mac gives us a run for our money and NEVER stops talking but at the same time is the sweetest boy. We struggle with impulse control with his body and him telling the truth. He is SO smart and carries on conversations like he's an adult. I can't wait to see what he does this year in Kindergarten.

Twenty Questions - Korri 9

Twenty Questions - Korri 9

Starting at age three, I've asked Korri 20 questions around the time of her birthday. I chose NOT to direct or influence her initial answers. Here are her responses:

20 questions: answered by Korrigan on 2/10/2020

1. What is your favorite color? teal

2. What is your favorite toy? Barbies, no American Girl Dolls!

3. What is your favorite fruit? watermelon

4. What is your favorite TV show/YouTube channel/movie? TV: Free Rein and Winks; YouTube: The LaBrant Fam and Movie: The Greatest Showman

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Grilled Cheese with tomato soup or ketchup

6. What is your favorite outfit/thing to wear?  I like all my clothes...dresses, comfy clothes (UA), and two new boots

7. What is your favorite game? Mastermind or Apples to Apples

8. What is your favorite snack? Ice cream with no chocolate

9. What is your favorite animal? horses

10. What is your favorite song? This is Me, The Greatest Showman soundtrack

11. What is your favorite book? Ivy and Bean series

12. Who is your best friend? Lauren Cardinal, Hunter Olson and Lilly Steen

13. What is your favorite cereal? Fruity Pebbles

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? swim

15. What is your favorite drink? peach kiddie margarita

16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas, because you get to spend time with family and get new things AND celebrate Jesus' birthday

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Trois (stuffed dino) or Crab stuffy

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Mini Cinis

19. If you could pick anything, what you would eat for dinner on your birthday? eat at Unhinged Pizza or spam

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A mom and horse rider

Bonus Questions:

21. What is your favorite sport/activity to play? Gymnastics and Karate, no actually horse riding

22. What is your best/least favorite part of school? Best: PhyEd and reading Least: math


I think this might be the first year where we didn't get frustrated with each other when asking these questions! LOL She was thoughtful and for the most part, answered them exactly as I would have if I had taken it for her. Here are some comments.

2. She said "Barbies!" right away and I gave her a look and she said, "No, American Girl Dolls!" which in my opinion is the more "right" answer.

4. Testament to the times we live in: she didn't know what a "TV Show" was!! I said, something with episodes. Sheesh! She also didn't come up with Free Rein on her own, but once I mentioned it, she said it had to go first.

6. She REALLY struggled with this one. We came back to it and finally I suggested her new boots. She said they weren't an outfit and I said they are a thing to wear though! And she strongly agreed. She does like all her clothes though. She's my fashionista for sure.

14. She looked outside and I just said, "it can be any time of the year!" and she immediately said "Swim!" She doesn't like winter. LOL

15. Specifically at Bugambilias in Buffalo!

17. Unlike Finn, she doesn't HAVE to take anything to bed with her, but she does like to have a stuffy of some sort. Also, yes, I had to google how to spell three in French! Whatever, I took Spanish!

18. These are mini cinnamon rolls at school. Good job school for having yummy hot breakfast!

19. She mentioned spam last year too. I promise we don't eat it THAT often! Sheesh.

20. Awww! Sounds like a pretty good life to me. She specifically said NOT a horse competitor or trainer! She just wants to RIDE.

21. She didn't think horse riding was a sport, so I changed the question to say activity...but I think it is a sport!

22. I was shocked with PhyEd. I even questioned her and she said yes! Okay, then. I knew reading would be best and math would be worst..even though she is so good at math! Argh.

I've already bestowed my thoughts and feelings about Korri in the post about getting her ears pierced. That is going well, for the most part. One ear is more sore than the other and we've had tears, but hopefully we are on the way to healing at this point. She does a good job keeping them clean and moving them around.

Korri is helpful, kind, loves to be in the kitchen doing anything, loves to be involved in activities (karate, piano, ice skating, horse riding, gymnastics, religion class to name a few!). She also loves it when I'm involved with her activities, like volunteering in HER classroom or when she helps when it's my turn to facilitate Children's Liturgy at church. I cherish this because I know it won't be too long until I'm not "cool" enough to do anything with her, in public anyway.

We still work on her being respectful and opening up about things going on in her day and how she feels. She tends to either hold it all in (bad!) or not let it phase her (good!). I'm not sure which it is yet...probably a combo of the two. She's had to deal with a lot of conflict in her short 9 years and she has handled it with grace. I'm very proud of the lady she is growing into and can't wait to see the things she accomplishes.

This is the last picture before she turned 9 (in one of her "nine" shirts from Customly Yourz by Andrea Johnson!):

If you are curious as to what her responses were last year, click here to link to that post!

Nine is fine

Yesterday was the day. I'd been looking forward to it and asking about it for years. And finally, Korri decided she was ready to get her ears pierced! She said something about a month ago, which was prefect with her 9th birthday coming up. We looked at the calendar and decided we would go together on the Sunday AFTER her birthday because she had a friend come over ON her birthday and then it was her and Finn's hotel family party on Saturday, so Sunday seemed to work the best.

Side note: I LOVE that she was nine when she decided she was ready to get her ears pierced. I wasn't allowed to get mine pierced until I was 13 and I remember BEGGING (like B.E.G.G.I.N.G!) my mom to let me get mine pierced when I was nine because it was my golden birthday and I was so ready. For real. Well, I wasn't allowed to but it was a part of my heart that never fully healed. Clearly! LOL. So, now my daughter did when SHE was nine!! Oh, the things that stick with us, am I right?!?!

After a LONG week and weekend, I wasn't sure I was up for going, but I'm SO glad we did. It is a mother/daughter experience that I will never forget. Doing things like this reminds me what an amazing young lady she is.

First off, I was thinking we'd just go to Claire's, but I heard so many bad things about them, that I looked around. I found out on Saturday, that a local hair salon does them BUT they aren't open on Sunday. Then Google told me about a place called Piercing Pagoda. The best part? They have TWO technicians, so they do both ears at the same time. AND they are open on Sunday. Perfect. I called to make an appointment and they said they had two technicians scheduled from noon to 6pm on Sunday but didn't make appointments. Again, perfect.

We had two vehicles at the hotel, so the boys went in one direction (home) and the girls went in another (to the Mall of America, the closest Piercing Pagoda location). We got the MOA right after they opened, so parking was a breeze. It was too early to get her ears pierced, so we went to her favorite place to eat there: Freshens Crepes and Smoothies! She got a crepe filled with bananas, strawberries and nutella! I MAY have had a small bite and it was as magical as it sounds!

We walked around (I mean, if you can't get your 10,000 steps at MOA, where can you?!?!) for a bit. We noticed a Claire's location and she asked to go in. I let her pick out some earrings for when her ears heal. She wisely picked two cards of earrings with 8 pairs on each! LOL She wanted to get a good bang for MY buck ;)

Then the piercing place wasn't quite ready (but we did get to watch another girl get her ears pierced and thankfully she didn't freak out!), so we stopped in DSW and Korri was appalled as some of the platform tennis shoes there! I love her shoe fashion and opinions. It made me feel not so old when we agreed on ugly shoes. I needed some casual/dressy shoes but didn't find any there. I mean, they have a ton of shoes, but does anybody else have a hard time FINDING anything?!?! Oh, well. That's what website search filters are for!

When we went back, they had two technicians on staff so it was time! Korri told me on the drive there that she was nervous. I told her I would be worried about her if she WEREN'T nervous! But also, she's my tough nut, so I knew she'd be okay. Here's her virgin ears before:

We picked out earrings and she wanted ones "just like yours, mommy." Awww...she does have good (i.e. expensive) taste! Then we picked out a couple for daddy since you of course got a deal on subsequent ones if you bought one pair! I spared no expense. I got the extended "warranty" (in case there are issues), the 14k gold studs (JUST in case there's an allergic reaction!) and the rapid healing spray (which probably doesn't do anything different than the normal solution, but it made me feel better!). Whatever, you only get your ears pierced for the first time once! Don't judge me.

Before and after

And she has a smile in the after pic! She was a stoic rock star. She held my hands but didn't squeeze or anything. After, I asked if she was okay and said said, "owww?" Tough cookie. I think I was more emotional than she was! They got hot and sensitive and she kept bumping them and saying, "Oh, yeah!"

After the ears, I asked if she wanted to get our nails done and she said yes yes yes! So she got a pedicure and her first GEL manicure! I just got a fill, as I had a cut on the bottom of my foot and while I needed a pedicure, the idea of putting my foot in water and then brushing it at all, made me shutter. Oh, well.

The ladies there were very kind and helpful and were amazing with making Korri feel special. By this time, I realized I hadn't eaten lunch and was getting light headed. We went to Noodles and Company where I had lunch (shrimp zoodles, which were amazing!) and Korri had a "snack" (chicken Cesar salad!).

While we were eating, we realized we were exhausted. We made one more quick stop at Claire's (there are THREE locations at MOA! Crazy) and then we headed home.

It was a beautiful day and wonderful experience to share together. It was a coming of age for Korri and she rocked it. She is growing up so fast and is so mature in some ways and I just want to hold on to her and tell her to stop growing up! She really is great. I know we butt heads a LOT but I guess that's what kids do with their "safe" person, right? I hope I'm always a shelter for her to give her rest and comfort and that we can share in a LOT more experiences like we did yesterday. Love you so much, Baby Grill!!!!

Oh, and I think it is safe to say, we were tuckered out!! I however, didn't get a nap!

Twenty Questions - Finn 11

Twenty Questions - Finn 11

Starting at age three, I've asked Finn 20 questions around the time of his birthday. I chose NOT to direct or influence his initial answers. Here are his responses:

20 questions: answered by Finnegan on 1/08/2020

1. What is your favorite color? Blue and green
2. What is your favorite toy? BeyBlades
3. What is your favorite fruit? Berries
4. What is your favorite TV show/YouTube channel/movie? TV Show: Pokemon; YouTube Channel: Popular MMOs; Movie: Star Wars Last Jedi
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Home: Adult lunchables; School: pizza rounds; Restaurant: burrito
6. What is your favorite outfit/thing to wear? Under Armour
7. What is your favorite board game/card game/video game? Board Game: Monopoly Jr; Card Game: Uno Attack; Video Game: Minecraft
8. What is your favorite snack? Nutella and pretzels
9. What is your favorite animal? Arctic fox and a lion
10. What is your favorite song? RadioActive by Imagine Dragons
11. What is your favorite book? Anything by Rick Riordan
12. Who is your best friend? Ryker, Xavier, Isaiah, Paxten and Martin
13. What is your favorite cereal? Fruit Loops
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play football
15. What is your favorite drink? Rootbeer
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas, because we get to spend time with family and get gifts from Santa
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? KiKi
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Skinny pancake burritos
19. If you could pick anything, what you would eat for dinner on your birthday? Ice cream, mint chocolate chip cookie dough
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? I don’t know, author, drawer and comic book illustrator

Bonus Questions:
21. What is your favorite sport/activity to play? Golf and football
22. What is your most/least favorite part of school? Best: Social Studies/History; Least: Band, it’s too hard

My two cents (for what they're worth, which isn't much! LOL):

In general, I feel like he had a hard time picking just one answer for a lot of the questions. Not sure why, but there's definitely a theme or pattern!

5. Adult lunchables are the Hillshire Farm Snacking Small Plates. If you haven't had one yet, they are pretty fabulous!

12. It used to bother me that he doesn't have one "best friend" but it doesn't bother him and really, it is probably better that way. When you list five boys as your best friend, you always have somebody to hang out with! Plus, I know three of the boys well and they are really good kids, which helps, too!

17. KiKi is his "lovey" from when he was a baby. It is a small blue blanket with a Winnie the Pooh head that rattles. I've had to buy several extra ones from China over the last 11 years. Hopefully he doesn't need any more new ones!

18. Skinny pancakes are a Thomas family tradition and are a cross between a pancake and a crepe. We just started putting bacon, egg and salsa or hot sauce inside and rolling them up and they are amazing!!!

19. Hey, the question said "anything!"

20. He ALWAYS struggles with this question. One year he said "a boat." Really?!?! I really made him stay with this one and think about it. Eventually I did start to list some professions as well as tell him things he's really good at. Eventually he came up with these. But was very adamant that a drawer is different than a comic book illustrator!

22. I would argue that his favorite part of school is ACTUALLY getting two food choices for lunch every day! Seriously, every day he comes home, tells me what the two choices were and then I guess which one he picked!! Hey, you connect with your middle schooler anyway he lets you! And for the record, Band is NOT too hard...he NEVER practices, which might make it SEEM hard.

If you are curious as to what his responses were last year, click here to link to that post!

Here is the last picture of my ten year old before he went to bed and turned 11 (at 5:25am the next morning):

And I want to thank Jim for taking it, as I was already in bed, on my way to being sick for Finn's entire birthday, which was a huge bummer for me. Finn handled it with grace and rolled with the punches. Every year instead of a big friend party, they get to pick one friend to get off the bus with them, play and then go out to dinner with us. He picked Paxten from #12 above. Also, because I was so sick, they did NOT get to go out to eat, but Jim grabbed some Pizza Hut for them, which I think they thought was a fine substitute. Jim also picked up a Dairy Queen Blizzard cake for him since, for the first time, I didn't finish a cake on time, which totally wrecked me. Again, Finn was very gracious.

For his cake this year, he picked R2D2 from Star Wars and we compromised to R2D2's head, as his whole body would have taken a LONG time (I've done it before, so I know!). Even though Finn celebrated ON his birthday, we celebrated again the next night so I could participate.

I was well enough for him to come into my room (please don't judge the dirty clothes in the background in the pictures...I was sick!!) to open his presents on his birthday right before bed. He got a BeyBlade Metal Fusion set including Beys and a new stadium (refer to question 2 above!) and new Under Armour pants (refer to question 6 above!). But the REAL birthday present was a letter from Hogwarts inviting him to go there! Which he didn't understand until Jim explained that we would be taking him to Hogwarts in Florida (The Wizarding World of Harry Potter) in Feb! He's beyond excited. Oh and the best part (for me!) is that Sasha and Sonia (Jim's cousins) are joining us!! I mean, come on!!

Eleven is going to be great. I FEEL like Finn is starting to outgrow some of his behavior issues that we struggle with (compliance, listening, over-reacting, showing remorse, etc.). He seems to really understand what respect is and even if he doesn't act that way all the time, he seems to be respectful more often than not. Oh, and now that he's 11, he can babysit Korri and Mac!! Which he has done twice (as of me typing this on 1/19 and had done a great job!). He's honestly growing up. He is rocking middle school and gets excited about projects and things going on at school. He's started identifying his emotions and expressing his feelings to us which, if you know him at all, is HUGE for him (and makes parenting him easier!). But as with every year, I'm a little sad that he IS growing up so quickly. I love all my baby birds in my nest and needing me. But I know eventually you must set them free and if you've done a good job raising them, they will fly! I know with every fiber of my being that one day (too soon for me!) Finnegan is going to fly and fly big, whatever he does in life!! (as long as it isn't "being a boat!) Love you to infinity to the infinity power, Buddy Boy!!!