Austin is 9!!

The girls have a picture of Great Grandma Volk in their room on their dresser. They both wanted to give her a good morning hug when they woke up. 

I found these beads at the Dollar Tree. Adelaide made me a necklace while I folded laundry. 

Saturday morning: After everyone finished their chores, we walked to the temple. Aaron took the boys and Eleanor to a help load a moving truck for a lady moving out of her grandparents' home. Adelaide and I changed our clothes at the church so I could play the piano for a baptism. We all met up after the move and baptism and walked home together. Yay for a temple walk!

Eli played his last basketball game. These two sisters are the best cheerleaders (sometimes...they do get rambunctious during the game.) This moment of them holding hands was so cute. 

On the weekend before Austin's birthday, Aaron took the boys and Duane to an indoor soccer game. We scored some free tickets through the military. The team won in overtime! 

While the boys were at the soccer game, we had a girls night. We went to Claires where Eleanor spent some of her birthday money from items on the clearance rack. We ended the evening with a mini-ice cream cone.

A friend asked if we wanted this wagon. I took Adelaide on a lunch walk - she eats her lunch while I pull her around the neighborhood. 

On March 5, Austin woke up and turned 9! We love birthdays at our house! We talked about how Austin was baptized a year ago. Sometimes when I see him with a group of his friends, I realized how tall he's grown. People ask me all the time if Eli and Austin are twins. 

I pull out the birthday kid's baby book and we reminisce about how cute our babies were! We had eggs and homemade donuts followed by presents before Austin hopped on the bus. 

Austin asked for a chicken sandwich from McDonald's for lunch. I snuck his lunch into a brown paper bag and we enjoyed a nice lunch date together. 

Austin's birthday fell on a Tuesday this year. I rearranged my piano lesson schedule so Austin could invite a few friends from school to our house. They played indoor basketball and then soccer outside followed by snacks, cupcakes and presents. Austin has a fun group of boys. I love seeing him form friendships. 

I did put together a quick scavenger hunt together where the kids found a treasure box full of candy and Pokémon toys. 

Austin prayers for kindness in every prayer he offers. He offers to help Adelaide eat when she's struggling with dinner. He says the funniest phrases on repeat throughout the day. His handwriting has improved so much this year. Austin has struggled with attending PEAK sometimes (the gifted program) because he doesn't want to leave his friends. PEAK pushes him. Although he says he wishes I didn't sign him up for it, (I didn't actually - his test scores were flagged and the district said he qualified for the program) his teacher told us at conferences that he's doing great in the class. We love Austin for the young man he is becoming. He still gives me a kiss on the cheek every time I tuck him into bed and at the bus stop before he leaves for school. He isn't competitive, but likes group sports if he can play with his friends on his team. He's constantly making us laugh and also strengthening our testimonies as he asks questions and thinks deeply about the gospel. 

I was so happy when I found out Austin was a little boy so that Eli and Austin could experience the joy of siblings. The two boys fight at times, but then wrestle and laugh together often. They share a room and they can't fall asleep if one of them isn't home. 

Happy 9th Birthday, Austin! I hope you felt so loved today and every day!