(My) Kids These Days

Nicky

• Is 12 years old
• Wears gym shorts and Hawaiian shirts
• Loves watching Dude Perfect
• Is obsessed with Paul Blart Mall Cop (but if you must know, he prefers Paul Blart Mall Cop 2)
• Wears a size 11 shoe
• Is too big for kid's pants and too small for men's pants
• And I can't find dress shirts that fit his neck (so Sundays are very awkward)
• Is very responsible, and I wish he could drive
• Always helps without being asked (but won't ever do his chores)
• Is very money-conscious and is always lecturing me about what I spend (I hate having him at the store with me)
• Is really inventive, clever, and funny
• But can also be really annoying. He's a twelve-year-old boy, after all
• Is a good writer and cartoonist
• Always has sore legs
• Is very critical of others (sadly, I think I know where he got it)
• Never asks to play with friends
• Chose to do summer piano even though I told him he didn't have to (for the first time ever)
• Asks every day if we can go to Disneyland
• Refuses to read anymore Harry Potter books, and I just have to be happy that he made it through the first two
• Enjoys golfing and has a pretty decent swing
• Imitates Gordon Ramsey every time he eats
• Also thinks he's Derek Hough and can critique dances

Daisy

• Is 9 years old (almost 10)
• Is a really good helper, but it has to be her idea to help
• Has really thick hair that has amazing potential, but I have to fight her to brush it, and she usually sports a rat's nest
• Loves unicorns
• Always gets headaches
• Keeps saying she like sushi, but I'm not so sure
• Has an expander in her mouth and will eventually get braces
• Also says she likes Takis, but again... I'm not so sure
• Loves to sing and is actually pretty good at it
• Is always trying to convince me to let her drink caffeine
• Sits way too close to the TV, and if she had it her way, watching TV and YouTube is all she would do
• Likes to be in charge of things, and I always have to remind her that I am the primary chorister, and she is not
• Yells at everyone a lot
• Makes really dumb excuses for everything, and always gets hurt when its time to do chores
• Has made a lot of wonderful progress after having really bad anxiety for a long time
• Likes to draw and do art projects and makes some really cute and creative things
• Doesn't have a lot of patience for things she's not naturally good at (she gets that from me)
• Didn't want to do summer piano, but after a week of no piano, started begging for it
• Was so excited to see Aladdin and has been singing "A Whole New World" for weeks
• Has major issues with honesty
• Asks everyday if she can make slime

Zoe

• Is 6 years old
• Is my most touchy-feely child and has no awareness of personal space 
• Likes boys and is very forward about telling them she has a crush on them
• Has lost a few teeth and has a lot of overcrowding. The orthodontist has big plans for her
• Loves riding her bike and rides really fast
• Needs to work on her potty mouth
• Wants to wear pajamas all the time
• Is pretty whiney 
• Has big, impossible ideas all the time
• Has gotten really tall in the past year
• Needs a lot of attention but also a lot of alone time
• Has the cutest spattering of freckles across her nose
• Wants chicken noodle soup all the time
• Loves penguins
• Drags blankets everywhere and refers to her favorite one as her "booger blanket," and I'm just not going to ask any questions about that
• Is so fun to watch when she's playing. She perfectly demonstrates childhood joy
• Really wants to take ice skating lessons
• Doesn't like milk and always asks for water with ice
• Sleeps on the top bunk 
• Needs her tonsils out, but I keep putting it off
• Recently learned how to microwave popcorn, and she makes it all the time now

Eva

• Is 4 years old
• Is equal parts adorable and horrible
• Has a sippy cup habit that we're never going to kick
• Loves sharks and has shark sheets, a shark blanket, and several stuffed sharks
• Gets away with a lot
• Makes major messes 
• Throws big tantrums
• Always pats my belly and asks if I'm having a baby
• Has the same potty word problem as Zoe
• Still wears diapers at night and completely soaks them
• Is very disruptive in primary every week
• Is a sugar junkie
• Sleeps on the bottom bunk
• Always has to go potty wherever we go
• Pees her pants and then tells me she spilled her water
• Hauls blankies around (all my kids have been blanket kids)
• Always says "psych!"

All of Them

• Hate doing chores and would rather cut off their legs with a hacksaw
• Are creators and love making things and doing projects. We have daily art project messes
• Want to be barefoot all the time
• Watch way too much TV 
• Love cooking - I've had to develop a "kitchen helper" chart and make a rule that no one is allowed to help cook unless it's their day to be the kitchen helpers
• Fight all the time