Nathan is 6.5 Years Old!

At 6.5 years old, Nathan is 52 1/4" tall and weighs 58.6 lb.  He very comfortably wears size 8 clothes and size 2 shoes.  He is such a big kid.  He still has a big/round head, but the rest of his body is really skinny.  He doesn't necessarily look skinny when he wears clothes, but when he takes his shirt off you can definitely see ribs :).  I guess that's what happens when you grow really fast!

Nathan has matured a lot this last year.  What were originally daily meltdowns are now only weekly, and we can usually tell when one is about to start.  He needs to have physical activity every day, so especially during this time of Covid we make an effort to get him outside everyday, even if it's just a quick walk to the mailbox.  It makes the world of a difference!

Matthew and Nathan share a love of the Nintendo Switch and so they often play that together.  Overall, they get along really well!

Nathan loves Lego.  He builds with it everyday!  Right now he is working on rebuilding all of the sets he has received, and so he often recruits the help of Jon and I or his siblings to help him find the specific pieces he needs.

He continues to be a good reader.  Every now and then I have him read aloud to me just to ensure that he is reading clearly and fluently.  Nathan also continues to do really well in math.  His ability to perform mathematical equations in his head often catches us by surprise.

A couple times a week I will lay in bed beside Nathan when he goes to bed and we talk about the best and worst part of his day, or we read from one of his animal facts books that he has.  His favourite book continues to be his A-Z Dinosaur book that we bought on a whim from Value Village when he was a toddler.

Nathan has switched up his morning breakfast routine and now usually has two pieces of toast with peanut butter and hagelslaac, followed by a banana.  He seldom has cereal anymore.

He has a terrible habit of singing in an opera-like voice (for no reason!).

Nathan is a creature of routine/habit.  He likes a predictable schedule, or knowing in advance what are the plans for the day!  He even likes to wear the same clothes, as you can tell by the pictures below :)

Matthew and Kayla are 9 Years Old!

Matthew and Kayla's birthday this year did not go according to plan.  Just as school was being let out for Spring Break, the corona virus pandemic started escalating.  Within a few short days we had to cancel our plans to be in an Abbotsford hotel, and then cancel our plans to camp, and then cancel their birthday party.  We couldn't even promise them when we would make up those special activities, because everything is an unknown right now.  I told them that if school is back in session before the end of the school year, then they can have a birthday party, otherwise they will get an extra special one when they turn ten.  They have been extremely understanding of the situation - it's probably me that is more upset than them!

Anyways, they are nine!

Matthew:

Matthew now weighs 58.4 lb and is 52 1/4" tall.  He has quickly outgrown his size 8 clothes and has started with some size 10s.

Matthew continues to win over the hearts of his teachers.  He is a good student with a quick brain and an infectious smile.  He loves anything to do with numbers.  Math is definitely his specialty, and he has recently fallen in love with the game "crib" and "Sushi Go Party".  Matthew is obsessed with anything to do with Mario.  The Nintendo Switch is well-played by him!  Every spare bit of birthday money he has goes to buying new games.  Although, he did save some money to buy the third Harry Potter book which he was ready for.  If he's not playing video games, then he's watching videos on YouTube of other people playing them.  At school, his best friend is Emmy and he seems to enjoy imaginative play with her at recess, re-creating movies and books they have read.  His favourite meal for dinner is soup, and he loves any sort of spiced/Dutch cookie (ex. boeterkoek, speculaas, stroop wafels).

Birthday Questions:

1. What's your name?  Matthew  
2. How old are you?   9
3. What is your favourite color?  Red and black because they are the colour of flying Mario on Super Mario Galaxy
4. What is your favourite toy?  Probably the Nintendo Switch
5. What is your favourite fruit?  Kiwi   
6. What is your favourite tv show or movie?  I don’t know   
7. What is your favourite game?  Super Mario Oddysey   
8. What is your favourite animal?  Penguin 
9. What is your favourite song?  King of Kings   
10. What is your favourite book?  Harry Potter   
11. Who is your best friend?  Emmy and Adaya   
12. Who are you going to marry?  I have no idea.   
13. How many kids are you going to have when you are married?  I want 4.   
14. What is your favourite thing to eat for breakfast?  Bacon and eggs.   
15. What is your favourite cereal?  Lucky Charms 
16. What is your favourite thing to eat for lunch?  Egg Salad on bread   
17. What is your favourite thing to eat for dinner?  Tuna Melts   
18. What is your favourite thing to do outside?  Play volleyball   
19. What is your favourite drink?  7-Up 
20. What is your favourite snack?  Veggies and Fruit
21. When is your bedtime?  7:00   
22. What do you like to take to bed with you at night?  My book 
23. What is your favourite holiday?  Spring Break 
24. What do you want to be when you grow up?  A teacher   
25. Name one thing you do really well?  Play video games   
26. What makes you feel sad?  When someone calls me a name.   
27. What makes you feel happy?  When I cuddle with Mom.   
28. If you could choose a different name, what would you choose?  Michael 
29. Where do you want to go on vacation?  Disneyland 
30. What is your favourite thing to do?  Play video games   
31. What is your favourite thing to do with Mom?  Cuddle   
32. What is your favourite thing to do with Dad?  Play crib   
33. What is your favourite thing to do with your siblings?  Play video games   

Kayla:

Kayla now weighs 68.0 lb and is 54 5/8" tall.  She is comfortably wearing size 10/12 clothes.  Kayla adores reading.  She finished the fourth Harry Potter book within days of receiving it for Christmas, and has since started re-reading the four she has all over again.  She enjoys playing games and doing jigsaw puzzles.  Kayla is also a good student.  She is extremely neat and diligent in her work.  At school, her best friends are Madelyn and Harmannat.  They love climbing all over the playground equipment at school.  Her biggest decision to make right now is whether or not she wants to cut her hair short (shoulder length) this summer or next.  She is tired of having naughty hair and wants short hair that will be simpler for her to brush herself.  She loves watching animated tv shows that have a fantasy (magic/dragons) component to it.  Kayla's favourite meals for dinner are similar to mine, which is nice.  She loves BLTs and quesadillas.  She much prefers candies over chocolate, often declining to have chocolate chip cookies or chocolate eggs.

Birthday Questions:

1. What's your name?   Kayla
2. How old are you?   9
3. What is your favourite color?  Blue
4. What is your favourite toy?  Hermione’s Wand
5. What is your favourite fruit?  Peaches and Kiwi   
6. What is your favourite tv show or movie?  Don’t have one   
7. What is your favourite game?  Also don’t have one   
8. What is your favourite animal?  Fox 
9. What is your favourite song?  Don’t have one   
10. What is your favourite book?  Harry Potter series   
11. Who is your best friend?  Madelyn, Emmy, Harmannat   
12. Who are you going to marry?   I don’t know   
13. How many kids are you going to have when you are married?  4   
14. What is your favourite thing to eat for breakfast?  I don’t know.  Omelettes or Pancakes with Strawberries & Whipped Cream   
15. What is your favourite cereal?  Trix 
16. What is your favourite thing to eat for lunch?  BLT  
17. What is your favourite thing to eat for dinner?  I don’t know.  Quesadillas     
18. What is your favourite thing to do outside?  I don’t know.  Go swimming.   
19. What is your favourite drink?  Lattes, Pop (Pink Crush), Lemonade, Punch 
20. What is your favourite snack?  Apples with Peanut Butter 
21. When is your bedtime?  7:30   
22. What do you like to take to bed with you at night?  Fox Pillow 
23. What is your favourite holiday?  Christmas 
24. What do you want to be when you grow up?  Author   
25. Name one thing you do really well?  Basketball   
26. What makes you feel sad?  When I’m not allowed to read.   
27. What makes you feel happy?  When I read   
28. If you could choose a different name, what would you choose?   Isabella
29. Where do you want to go on vacation?  Hawaii 
30. What is your favourite thing to do?  Go to Disneyland   
31. What is your favourite thing to do with Mom?  Crafts   
32. What is your favourite thing to do with Dad?  Talk about Harry Potter   
33. What is your favourite thing to do with your siblings?  Play card games.