Kangling Year in Review

{Chloe (9), Hannah (8), Rachel (13), Lilly (3), Autumn (11), and Elise (5)}

This year has been a very eventful one for the Kanglings full of crazy trips and sport seasons.

So here is the girls' year in review:

Rachel: Rachel lives for Starfish and is going back in February to spend a month there with her grandma. She played forward this year in soccer and had a lot of fun. She also played Unified Sports this year for soccer and basketball and really enjoyed that. Her biggest accomplishment this year was completing her Personal Progress award for church (similar to the eagle scout).

Autumn: Autumn got to go to South Korea this year and really enjoyed it. She is progressing in photography and takes amazing pictures (lots of them). She played defense in soccer and had a fun year with her team (your worst nightmares). She is still the comedian of the family and always makes us laugh. She loves reading and when she has a book you won't be seeing her until she finishes the whole thing. She also found a recent love for Shakespeare.

Chloe: Chloe plays the piano like crazy and is now playing hymns and primary songs. We constantly find her picking out songs from all of Rachel's books. She played soccer this year with Chris as her coach. She played forward and was one of the top scorers on her team. Chloe's been doing a lot of sewing and knitting and made a lot of cute things to put in fair this year.

Hannah: Hannah turned 8 this year and was baptized. She still loves horses and has been reading books about them like crazy. We've found her reading out of a horse encyclopedia and she knows about every type of horse there is. :) She started book 2 in piano this year. She had a fun soccer season and was her team's goalie. When schedules didn't conflict she played for Chris' team.

Elise: Elise believes she is the queen of the family. She loves making pies with her "pie maker (Rachel)". She started reading this year and always is excited when she can pick out a word. She's learning piano really quickly now and is learning songs every week. She loves posing for the camera and listening to her sisters read aloud classics to her. (a Kangling first)

Lilly: Lilly is our cuddle-bug and loves to give hugs and kisses. She loves Hello Kitty and is always pretending to be a little kitty and goes around on her hands and knees, meowing. She loves when people read her books and always comes to you with a pile of about 10 books at a time and has to have you read them all, unless you can distract her.

Lilly was being a little silly during our family pictures this year

and in every picture she was making a face similar to this.

little pioneer children

Autumn's little pioneer party? A complete success. From the weather (it waited to rain until we were pulling our car away from the Barn) to the chickens (who *happened* to lay enough eggs for everyone to find an egg), it went just exactly how we had envisioned. The party ended up going 4 hours as we had a lot of fun to pack in. There was candle dipping, potato sack races, feeding the goats and chickens, felting eggs and making the biscuits and butter. Whew. It makes me tired just listing it. I didn't think we would have time to do it all, but it came together quite well. The best part of the whole thing? Seeing a bunch of girls in bonnets and aprons. It was just so stinking adorable!! And Autumn has pronounced it to be her best birthday party yet. (I suggested we aim to make this a climax, but she didn't buy it.)

The key to this whole shebang? Our wonderful friends, the Woodwards. They have become our 2nd family since moving out to Forest Grove and I must say that this party would have been quite dull in our little neighborhood. Move it to a barn that is complete with a creek, goats and chickens? Yeah, it makes it about a gazillion times cooler.

Keeping it even

The other day, I was talking to Autumn and let her know that I blogged her pictures. Apparently, my children keep score. The immediate response was, "On both blogs?" So now I am blogging on the "other" blog to help everyone keep it nice and fair. (Can I tell you how much I hate that word?)

The hardest thing about these pictures? Getting Autumn to tone down the "I just got my braces off" smiles and to stop laughing hysterically. Autumn recently got her braces off and I have to commend her for being such a sport. (excluding the first trip to the theatre that left in her crying because she couldn't eat popcorn, but we won't count that since I might have done the same thing.) She hasn't touched nuts, chewy candy, carrots (which she actually likes!), whole apples and everything else on the long list of can't haves for those folks with braces. I was constantly forgetting and she was constantly reminding me, in her sweet Autumn way, that would need a substitute.

I thought she rather enjoyed that whole experience, as she was always showing people the new color of rubber bands and what not....until they told her it was time to get them off. She started a count down and told everyone who would listen. And now that they are off? She is just as responsible with her retainer (good thing because I am sure you will all hear about me having to cough up $180 for a new one if she does lose it!) and always goes around with a big, teethy grin, showing off her perfectly aligned pearly whites. It makes it worth it to know that she can have such an unguarded smile, even if she could have had 24 American Girl Dolls instead.

Pictures as promised...

Pictures, as promised.  Note that these were taking while nursing (on the right side, which took extra skillz with all of the camera buttons being on that same side) a 10 month old girly who loves to pull on the camera strap every time I try to click.  But they are proof that we did celebrate Autumn's birthday, which is the important part.  Butterfly cupcakes, her new (and very annoying, but not quite as annoying as a real dog) fur real puppy and her birthday shirt.  Birthday fun, all the way.

Bonus Picture:

This is Elise, doing her new trick, compliments of Autumn.  Winking has become the new trend at the Kang house.  Autumn winks at you about 10 times per conversation.  I am not sure if she thinks it will get her out of trouble or what, but it is pretty cute.  Since Autumn is the sweet teacher to her little sisters, Elise has taken up winking too.  Unfortunately, it is a little much for a 2 year old.  Luckily, her hand is willing to help her as she says "Wink!"  Pretty cute stuff.  

Birthday Party #3. Completed.

Birthday season at the Kang house is now more than half way done.  Dang.  That doesn't count Chris.  Ok.  Birthday season at the Kang house is now half way done.  3 down and 3 more to go.  Luckily, the next 3 tend to be a little bit more on the low key side.   We've survived birthday parties for Chloe, Rachel and Autumn.  Now we have Elise (who is having a Thomas party and has started inviting people that she deems as her friends.  There goes the small family gathering that I was imagining.), Lilly and Chris.  

Yesterday was Autumn's fairy party.  This was an especially important one because her birthday got "cancelled" last year when our house sold and we were moving out the week after her birthday.   Chris ran the show when I woke up without a voice, officially earning his "I have 6 girls and am proud of it" badge in fatherhood.  The girls decorated fairy wings, made fairy shrinky dinks, had a "fairy naming ceremony", did a little scavenger hunt and finished the day off with some butterfly cupcakes and chocolate bird nests. (Thank you, Hello Cupcake.  Again.  I know how to decorate cakes, but I think we are converted to the ease of cupcakes.  Definitely.)

There are very few pictures since Chris was probably a little out of his element as it was, but I do have a few that I will post tomorrow.   Must sleep.  Now.  Ok, after this last thought.

I love my Autumn.  Her middle name, Joye, sums it all up.  She is such a joy to our house.  She is so thoughtful of her sisters, looking out for everyone.  She tends to get in trouble for not doing the "not so important in the long run" stuff like....her chores or school.  But when she isn't doing her school, it is because she has been ShangHai-ed by Elise or Hannah.  They know that Autumn will kindly help them with whatever they need, whether it be help choosing out colors for a piece of art they are working on or build an especially cool Lego creation.  Since she first learned how to read, she would read books to her sisters in the best voices.  She can do all sorts of accents and is an expert story teller.  In addition to all of the above, she is the most tender hearted little girl I have met.  Gosh, Autumn.  I just love you!  Hannah wrapped up her favorite toy for Autumn's birthday present.  A little later, I was talking to Autumn about her presents and she told me how much Hannah loved that toy.  She realized the importance of that sacrifice, which is so Autumn.  Last note and then I will go to bed.  Swear.  Double pinky promise.  We have a tradition (that I want to change) that allows our kids a job free birthday.  It gets a little annoying when you are holding a leaky baby and ask for a diaper to hear "But its my birthday."  So lets go back to Autumn's birthday.  I can't talk.  Chris and Rachel are at a service project.  I am trying to get 100 and 10 things done for her birthday and to get the house cleaned up.  Autumn was helping me like crazy all morning long.  I didn't hear (not 1 time all morning) the much beloved Kang daughter response of "But its my birthday!" from her.  Not once.   Autumn-melli, I love you more than a lavender italian soda. Add that to my list, too.  She is my daughter that loves lavendery cuisine as much (or more) as I do.  Goodnight, all.