Jocelyn Rau

November 13, 2023December 18, 2023

Eleven!

Lana turned 11 last month, and I just love watching her grow into this amazing, smart, funny, ridiculously creative big kid. It’s like every time I think I’ve got her figured out or know what’s coming next, she throws me for an incredible loop that makes life with her just get better and better.

ETA: We had her 11-year-old checkup in November, and all is healthy! Her doctor ordered a blood draw to check her cholesterol, and that was normal, too. Apparently between the ages of 9-11 they can determine genetic cholesterol conditions that would otherwise be undetectable at other ages. Poor kid got her vaccination shot, tetanus shot, flu shot, and blood draw for that all in the same afternoon. So I got her some candy at the clinic pharmacy on our way out. Here are her official 11-year stats:

Height: 4′ 11.25″ (79%)
Weight: 84 lbs. 6 oz. (53%)
Blood pressure: 112/62
BMI: 16.9 (40%)

Her artisitc ability is undeniable. She’s entered this local art show 2 years in a row now and still hasn’t gotten chosen to showcase, but she’s also entering against all adults. I know in my heart and soul one of these years she’ll be chosen to be featured, and they will be blown away. She loves acrylic paints, pencil with shading, and is super into gue/slime right now. I will forever be astonished by her creations, because I have never been nor will ever be able to draw anything anywhere close to what she can do.

She struggled so much with math in school last year, so I was really nervous for her going into 5th grade this year. But I just had her parent-teacher conference right after her birthday, and she is absolutely soaring. Her teacher even said that she’d done so well in the math unit they just finished that she was going to push her harder in these upcoming units to see just how much she can do. I was blown away! Her scores on every math test and checkpoint in class plus the standardized tests from this fall are leaps and bounds higher than last year and back up where she used to be. All of her other subjects are great, too, and she loves writing. They recently completed a personal narrative in class, which she really enjoyed. Her goals for this year include getting better at social studies and getting good grades, and my pride for her grows exponentially when I learn tidbits like that about her. Because her often stonefaced, “meh” persona rarely belies the genius that lies beneath.

She plays the #2 child role in the family perfectly. She’s more than happy to let Della take lead of the siblings while she does her own thing, but when it’s her turn to be in charge, she steps up to the plate beautifully. She just passed her Red Cross babysitting class, and we had no qualms leaving all 5 of them home together when we recently went to Madison for a football game day.

Nigh-Night is her forever friend; she loves monkeys and sloths; she tried water skiing for the first time this summer and almost got up on her very first try with her natural athletic ability; she fearlessly tries stunts that would make most kids cower, like rock jumping and flipping off diving boards; she likes all things outer space and would love to be an astronaut; she can do the worm better than anyone I’ve ever met; she likes the color purple and cheesecake; her favorite foods are still sushi, meatloaf, and Thai beef with sticky rice; and her life dreams include being a glass blower, lava collector, owning a little shop, traveling the world, and just having a life that is fun and exciting. She keeps her confidence quiet, but she is not shy about letting it out to roar when it needs to. Never give that up, my love! No one will keep you down.

Happy 11th birthday, my sweet baby girl, our little Lana Marie! You have made our world so much better simply by being in it, and for that I will be forever grateful to you. I hope you had wonderful birthday celebrations and have the most magical year ahead. We love you to the stars and back and if I could lasso all of them and give them to you I would, because you deserve nothing less!!

And now for the throwback pics and posts, from Baby Lana to today. This one’s amazing!

August 14, 2023August 23, 2023

Thirteen!

Della turned 13 a few weeks ago, and it just sounds so crazy to say that we have a teenager in the house now! I always consider myself extremely lucky, though, because time still seems to be going just right. Like the day she was born doesn’t seem like yesterday to me. I don’t feel like life with her has rushed by to get to this point. It’s gone just right, and I cherish every day.

The little tiny girl with the biggest heart I’ve ever known is just growing into a bigger physical version of that self, which I absolutely adore. She is the most incredible oldest sister to this crew of Goonies, even with the bickering with one younger brother in particular that has become much more constant this summer. Ahem. Morrison.

ETA: We had her 13-year checkup on August 22, and here are her official stats, healthy again!

Height: 5′ 6.54″ (96%)
Weight: 111 lbs. 4 oz. (67%)
BMI: 17.67 (34%)
Blood pressure: 112/60

She’s smart, loves to read, wears the big chunky white Converse high-tops that all the teenage girls love right now, yet still plays with her siblings daily. They’ve invented a new game called “Whack and Capture” that sends them racing around our big back yard, chasing each other with a canvas reading pod that you hang from our swing, trying to bonk each other on the head with it then stuff each other inside the pod. Ridiculous, but it keeps them happy, laughing, and running for full evenings on end. My heart fills every time I see it, even though I constantly tell them to stop hurting each other.

She’ll be in 8th grade this year, her final year of middle school, and we were excited to learn that she got into Algebra for math. Her best friend made it in, too, so I know she’s happy to be in that class together. She’s going to run cross country again this fall, but I don’t know if she’ll run track in the spring again or not. She and Lana still take piano lessons together, but she is stopping band this year so Lana can take over the flute. She loves babysitting for the neighborhood kids, and their parents can’t say enough good things about her.

This one. Our beautiful first born, the leader of our pack. We love you to the stars and back, my little peanut. Squeaker. Happy 13th birthday, our amazing Della Jolee!!! May you celebrate SO many more. We are so fantastically proud of you, and I can’t wait to see all the wonder you’ll bring to this world!

These past pics and posts are starting to add up! Here are all 13 for this amazing little lady…

June 11, 2023

Summer- summer- summertime!

The kids are now all out of school for summer break, and I love it! Yes, they bicker and get on each other’s (and my) nerves sometimes, and yes, I’ll shout at them to be quiet while I work at home full time sometimes, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love summer vacation, and we’ve got a good one planned this year. Here we come, #summervacation2023!

June 11, 2023June 14, 2023

He’s eight!

Morrison turned 8 a few weeks ago, and he was so excited that his birthday was on a school day so he could take little favors in for his classmates. It was also Spring Sing day at school, their big, year-end outdoor concert – doubly fun!

ETA – Here are his official 8-year-old stats:

Height: 4′ 6″ (94%)
Weight: 64 lbs. 6.4 oz. (77%)
BMI: 15.53 (44%)
Blood Pressure: 112/60

He is so ridiculously smart; loves math, reading, and all his intricate Minecraft builds; has loved starting baseball this spring and is improving by the day; is looking forward to taking his first coding class later this summer; loves riding his bike; and still gets the most satisfaction possible by helping. His kind heart remains front and center, and he constantly asks, “Can I have a hug?” My reply? “Always.”

As has become an annual tradition, we celebrated his and his cousin’s birthday down at Grandma and Grandpa’s house over Memorial Day weekend, which is always a fantastic family occasion. Then the weekend after his birthday, Grandpa Frank came up for a visit, another fun time. You can’t beat multiple birthday celebrations!

Another exciting thing is happening for him this summer – he gets to participate in the track and field program through the Rec Department with his sisters! They opened it up to incoming 3rd graders this year, and he couldn’t be happier. He still loves running, sprinting everywhere any chance he gets. I can’t wait to see how much he enjoys it, because he loves running even more than he loves playing baseball. And gritty-ing. He loves gritty-ing, one of the dumbest “dances” ever invented. 😉

Happy 8th birthday, Morrison John! We love you so very much, with your giant heart, caring spirit, neverending questions, and fast feet. Have an absolutely wonderful year, my sweet boy, and here’s to so many more!

For a fun look back, here are his past birthday photos and posts, as well as his sisters’ 8-year old pictures. Always my favorites:

February 22, 2023June 14, 2023

They’re five!

The twins turned 5 last month – 2 hands full of fingers!

ETA: We FINALLY had their 5-year checkups in June, so here are their official 5-year-old stats:

Nat:

Height: 3′ 9.67″ (85%)
Weight: 44 lbs. 3.2 oz. (63%)
BMI: 14.90 (33%)
Blood Pressure: 99/58

Avit:

Height: 3′ 10″ (88%)
Weight: 43 lbs. 6.4 oz. (58%)
BMI: 14.42 (18%)
Blood Pressure: 100/62

It’s so funny watching these two grow up. I’ve said from the beginning that every baby and little-kid milestone that we pass is so much less bittersweet since we’re doing everything twice this time around, but it’s exactly what I needed. I hated growing out of phases and leaving the baby years behind with the big 3, because I always thought of myself as a baby and little-kid mom. But watching the twins go through all of those phases now, I think I’ll be a pretty good all-kid mom.

They are hilarious and 2 little balls of unrelenting energy. Nat always wants to be called Mario, his absolute favorite character. If he could actually BE Mario, he would. I think he might even be part Super Mario Brothers, because his gaming skills are ridiculously good for a newly 5 year old. Cuphead does come in a close second, though, and he’s a whiz at that game as well. His favorite color is still and I think always will be red, his favorite foods are mac and cheese and pizza, he hates to lose and loves to run (fast!), and his guys are still his snuggle go-to (snuggies blanket, Boo, and Cuphead).

Avit is the total sidekick to Nat’s Mario and Cuphead. He’s the perfect Luigi and Mugman, he’ll talk your ear off for days on end, and his gaming skills don’t even compare. However, he can kick your butt in Wii bowling. His crafting skills have EXPLODED recently, and he comes home from school every single morning and creates and creates and creates, until every single tape roll, piece of construction paper, and toilet paper tube in our house are gone. His imagination and creative eye have become serious forces to reckon with, and I could not be more impressed. Nat always used to be the artist of the two, loving to color and draw to his heart’s content, but Avit’s creating has taken over. The world’s greatest engineer has nothing on this kid’s Marble Run building. His favorite colors are yellow and blue, his favorite foods are cocktail weinies and tiny broccoli florets (at least that’s what he’s asked for for his birthday dinner the past 2 years in a row now), he can build every single Lego Mario set known to man and even those yet to be invented, and his guys still rule as snuggles supreme, too (snuggies blanket and Mugman).

They are in morning K4 this year, so half-day kindergarten. They have the same teacher as all the big kids had for K4, which is amazing. They are both so fastidious with their projects in class, often taking longer than everyone to finish up because they work so hard on them. They come home singing the songs from music class each week and they adore their P.E. teacher, who they see every morning after we drop Lana and Morrison in their lines because he’s holding one of the other doors open that we walk by to get to the twins’ lines. They love school, have made friends with everyone in their class, and their heads about exploded with excitement when they got to show me and the big kids around their classroom during Open House night last week. They just started speech class last week, too, so they’ll be doing that once a week now.

They run, they jump, they play, they’re learning to spell, they write really well, and they are starting to read the smaller words that they’re learning to spell all by themselves. I honestly don’t remember any of the big kids being able to read and spell as well in K4 as these guys are doing right now. They would count to a billion if they could, they’re constantly asking what’s this plus this plus that plus that minus this and that and on and on. I’ve spelled practically every word I know for Avit as he’s written letter after letter and card after card and note after note and made project after project. They are absolutely wondrous creatures, and watching 2 of them do all of this together is pretty spectacular. As they grow into the little humans they are, the similarities and sheer differences amaze me. Avit is often the sass and the mouth and the decibel volume, but the hilarity as well. Nat is much quieter and his naughty is always under the radar, but oh, it’s there, too. But the heart and soul and love that these two possess blows any of that out of the water every day.

Happy 5th birthday, Nat Jennings and Avit Jerome! I truly can’t put into words everything you two are and everything you mean to this family. Watching you grow through life is an incredible adventure, and I’m so glad we’re the ones who are on it with you. Daddy, the big kids, and I are so very, very proud of you guys, and we love you to infinity and beyond! Keep creating and running, my littlest loves – life will take you far!!

And my faves, the throwbacks… Posts and photos!

And the big kids’ 5-year-old pictures, too!

January 15, 2023January 15, 2023

…and a Happy New Year!

2022, you gaveth and you tooketh away. You gave me a dream job when I didn’t even ask for it, yet you took my last living grandparent from us.

2023, I feel like you’re telling me you’re here for me to prove myself. If to no one but myself. I want to be the absolute best at this job that I possibly can be, while never sacrificing anything as a mom. The kids have always been my top priority, and that will never change. But I can not only successfully have 2 full-time jobs but excel at it. I’ll prove it.

2022, thank you for all the good and for keeping us all safe and healthy. 2023, may you keep us safe, healthy, and happy, and let the good times continue to roll.

Happy (belated) Holidays and Happy New Year!

November 7, 2022

Ten!

Lana turned 10 last month, and it marked the end of single digits for the girls in our house…

She is still one of the most amazing creatures I’ve ever known. Her level of artistic ability has always amazed me, and it just gets stronger by the day. She recently told me she didn’t want to study for science because artists don’t need science, so there’s a glimpse of the aura of attitude she can possess as well. 😉

She is so smart and loves school, she says because her siblings never bother her there, ha! She has a great group of friends this year, which I absolutely love to see because it took a long time for me to ever hear that she has a “best friend.” And of course they all act like crazy little 10 year olds when they get together.

Nigh-Night is still her third arm, her favorite colors are lavender and teal, her favorite foods are meatloaf/sushi/Thai beef and sticky rice, she would watch Moriah Elizabeth for days on end if we let her, and her dream is to go to space. I took her to the planetarium at our public museum a few weeks ago to hear an astronaut speak, and she was enthralled. It was one of the best presentations I’ve ever attended, and both she and I were in awe at what this man had accomplished in his career and how life in space really works.

She hates brushing her hair, getting in trouble (especially from Ryan) is her biggest fear, and she’s already told me that the “speeches” we give them when they all get in trouble do nothing because they never listen to them anyway. Well fantastic. Again, the ‘tude seeps out of this one sometimes. However, she asks for an extra hug almost every night when I tuck the big kids into bed. This one will always claim a very special piece of my heart.

Happy 10th birthday, my sweet baby girl Lana Marie! Daddy and I could not possibly love you more and are so proud of you, no matter how scared of him you may be. You are my one and only Shmee, and my life has been exponentially better just for having you in it. We love you to the stars and back, my space girl wonder!!

And for posterity, the past years’ birthday photos and posts: