Liam is fourteen

It's been a full year with a teenager and y'all.... I can see it's the beginning of some hard but also really fun years.  This year has been weird on its own with COVID still running rampant and getting to know a new school. Throw in the general awkwardness of becoming a young adult and you have yourself a recipe for some interesting times.  Even though it hasn't been easy, I know we have grown as a family and have remained connected (sometimes by a thread). At the end of the day, we know we love and support each other to the end of the earth and back. 

1. What is your favorite color? Dark Green
2. What is your favorite toy? My computer
3. What is your favorite fruit? Pomegranate
4. What is your favorite tv show? Psych
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Boneless buffalo chicken 
6. What is your favorite outfit? Vans shoes & socks, cargo pants, Vans shirt
7. What is your favorite game? Minecraft Hypixel
8. What is your favorite snack? Popcorn
9. What is your favorite animal? Kiwi bird
10. What is your favorite song? Doomsday by MF Doom
11. What is your favorite book? Swing by Kwame Alexander
12. Who is your best friend? Dad
13. What is your favorite cereal? Frosted Flakes
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Throw a football with dad
15. What is your favorite drink? Root beer
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? cup of water
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Kielbasa 
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Sushi
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? biologist
21. What is your favorite movie? Spider-Man No Way From Home
22. What is your favorite football team? Saints and LSU

This has been a year of big growth for Liam, both physically and developmentally. He's grown something like 5 inches in a year. He's really asserting his autonomy and has discovered his style in clothes! That is a new one, he's never really cared about how anything looks but he's always cared about it being comfortable. He's landed on a skater look and his wardrobe is very reminiscent of my time in high school which is a trip. 

Getting back into school physically has been a blessing to everyone involved. As much as he loves being home, being around other kids his age has really improved his overall disposition. He played on the flag football team at a time where he really needed to get back to moving his body and is now interested in joining the team at the Y in the Spring. 

We discovered (after missing a lot of school) that he had a vitamin D deficiency so we've been working on being outside more and taking supplements and it's made such a difference. Although he's still more tired than the average kid, he has stopped missing days from school. 

He is still sweet and snuggly towards his dad and me. The teenage moods are happening more often but he's still there peeking through, letting us know not to take it too personally. So we wait and try to be supportive as best we can. 

Livi is eleven

1. What is your favorite color? black
2. What is your favorite toy? my bike
3. What is your favorite fruit? bananas 
4. What is your favorite tv show? Inbestigators
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Ramen
6. What is your favorite outfit? I like all my outfits
7. What is your favorite game? Roblox
8. What is your favorite snack? Takis
9. What is your favorite animal? horse and my pets
10. What is your favorite song? Hooked on a Feeling
11. What is your favorite book? Babysitters Club
12. Who is your best friend? Sierra
13. What is your favorite cereal? Lucky Charms
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? bike and ride horses
15. What is your favorite drink? Vanilla Milkshake
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Rigby
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Toast with butter, eggs and avocado
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Farmer or Architect and Interior Designer
21. What is your favorite movie? Thor Ragnarok (so far)

Livi started middle school this year... well, kind of. She started a new school that goes from 5th-12th so although she hasn't "officially" entered middle school, she is getting a taste of what it's like with different teachers for each class. Of course, this isn't a normal school year. Being remote all year has come with some major challenges. She's a social kid who learns best by experiencing so you can imagine how hard this year has been on her. Through all that, she has managed to make new friends (as Livi always does). She's really growing into her own and starting to leave behind her more childish toys. It's been gradual and it's still happening. 

Liam is thirteen

1. What is your favorite color?pale yellow
2. What is your favorite toy? My computer & 144 hz monitor
3. What is your favorite fruit? Pomegranate
4. What is your favorite tv show? Sherlock
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Sonic's boneless buffalo chicken 
6. What is your favorite outfit? Champion long sleeve shirt, black & white basketball shorts, white Nikes
7. What is your favorite game? Minecraft Hypixel
8. What is your favorite snack? Dill Pickle Lay's Chips
9. What is your favorite animal? Kiwi bird
10. What is your favorite song? Cigarette Daydreams by Cage the Elephant
11. What is your favorite book? The 2nd Candymakers book
12. Who is your best friend? Cameron Matherly
13. What is your favorite cereal? Honey Nut Cheerios
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Go on a walk with Dad
15. What is your favorite drink? Root beer
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? my Kindle
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? pumpkin spice muffins
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Westville Pub buffalo chicken wrap
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? politician
21. What is your favorite movie? Dr Strange
22. What is your favorite football team? Saints and LSU

So I guess I have a teenager now? He's all teen, all the time. He hit a growth spurt of about 3 inches in the last 5 months so he's just an inch or two shy of my height. He's sleeping later, starting to have more opinions about he wears, and rocking a tween-stache (which he hates and I will definitely get yelled out if he founds out I wrote that).

Like most boys his age, he is heavily into video games and wants to become a you tuber. His current game of choice is Minecraft, specifically a server called Hypixel. He still cubes occasionally, but with competitions largely going virtual he's lost the motivation to keep it up like he once did. But he has made some good friends as a result of the cubing community, including one local friend who he now plays Minecraft with!

Through the pandemic, he's strengthened some old friendships with his best friends in Florida. He plays video games with them virtually and even got to spend a week with them in person a couple months ago. He started a new school this year (reluctantly), but I think he's liking it. I am thrilled with the change and they've done the best they can with all this virtual craziness. 

Overall, he's doing really well. He's starting to discover who he is and has a newfound love of politics. Granted, what he knows of politics comes from the Trump presidency so let's see if he finds it just as fascinating once he sees how boring it really should be. And let's hope it gets boring again real soon. 

 

Livi is ten!

1. What is your favorite color? blue!
2. What is your favorite toy? legos!
3. What is your favorite fruit? pineapple! 
4. What is your favorite tv show? All About the Washingtons!
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Chic-fil-a!
6. What is your favorite outfit? Sports pants and a sweatshirt!
7. What is your favorite game? Roblox! 
8. What is your favorite snack? gummies! 
9. What is your favorite animal? otter!
10. What is your favorite song? Call to the Wild (from Zombies 2 movie)!
11. What is your favorite book? Babysitters Club!
12. Who is your best friend? Luya, Lily, Sierra!
13. What is your favorite cereal? Lucky Charms!
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Swim in the pool!
15. What is your favorite drink? Dr Pepper!
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas!
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Penny!
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Pumpkins with M&Ms!
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Professional athlete (basketball)!
21. What is your favorite movie? Zombies 2!

Livi is in fourth grade and I think she's really hit her stride. School has never been easy for Livi and it never will be, but now we have a good handle on the way she learns. She's got a great teacher, an amazing math tutor and her IEP. She might not learn well the traditional way, but she sure is brilliant. Her confidence seems to be high and I want to make sure we keep it that way as she navigates middle and high school in the coming years.  She has so much imagination, determination and creativity.

She is always doing some kind of project. There is constantly scissors, glue, cardboard, markers, or [insert crafty item] lying around. She loves to create by painting, coloring, drawing, whatever. She's also really into baking and cooking. She's got the basics down and can make a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs and avocado toast on all her own. She is starting to come up with her own ideas and is learning what flavors go together. 

She's been taking a Silks class for a few months and seems to be enjoying it. It takes a lot of practice and core strength and it's makes my day when I get to see her nail something that she's been practicing on for weeks. She's also doing Girls on the Run again this year for the third time. She loves the fellowship with her other girls and it's the closest thing she has to a team since she's not one for organized sports. I'm a huge fan of the club and hope it leads to more running dates with me. 

The funnest new thing that she is into is houses. She is obsessed with all things "modern". She likes to go on walks to check out the newly constructed houses in the area. Anytime she learns about a celebrity, she looks up their house on google. When she plays Roblox, she is designing and building houses. I think we may have a future designer or architect on our hands. 

She needs her friends. She is so social and needs to belong to a group. She's also very kind and thoughtful. If any of her friends are sad or down, she tries to lift their spirits and this includes her family. She's a shining light that I'm so thankful to have in my life. 

Liam is Twelve

1. What is your favorite color? neon pink
2. What is your favorite toy? Xbox
3. What is your favorite fruit? banana
4. What is your favorite tv show? Simpsons
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? buffalo chicken tender
6. What is your favorite outfit? Saints jacket
7. What is your favorite game? Madden 20
8. What is your favorite snack? Flaming hot Cheetos
9. What is your favorite animal? narwhal
10. What is your favorite song? Bare Necessities from Jungle Book
11. What is your favorite book? White Bird
12. Who is your best friend? Cameron Matherly
13. What is your favorite cereal? Apple Cinnamon Cheerios
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play football
15. What is your favorite drink? Rootbeer
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? a book
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Toasted waffles
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Blaze pizza
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? I don't know
21. What is your favorite movie? Mulan
22. What is your favorite football team? Saints and LSU

Liam is in sixth grade which means this is his first year of middle school. He rides the school bus most of the time and when he rides with me, he rides in the front seat now. Sixth grade started with some added responsibilities such as packing his own lunch and setting his own reminders so he knows when he needs to leave to catch the bus. He got a phone at the beginning of the school year so he could contact us if anything happens on the way to/from school. It's not a smartphone like he was hoping for, but rather a flip phone very similar to the one I used to have back in the day. He's learned the art of texting using a keypad which I find pretty funny. 

Overall, he is having a fantastic year. He doesn't tell me much which I understand, but most days he is in great spirits and seems to be enjoying the autonomy that middle school brings. 

He is fully into speedcubing and has been in 3 competitions despite starting the hobby last April. Right now, he can competently solve a 3x3, 2x2, pyraminx, and megaminx. He has a 4x4, but he's working on his speed for that one. 

We attempted fall baseball this year, but Liam ended up breaking his finger and it really messed with his head. He's worried about getting injured again and has opted into flag football for the Spring which he hasn't done before outside of pickup games. But he does love himself some football. 

Lately, he's been really into politics. It's not a great time to be into politics with all the weirdness that is going on, but I am proud of him for staying informed and asking questions. He is hoping Amy Klobuchar wins the Democratic nominee spot.

He's so so sweet and kind and cuddly and I love him so so much.

Livi is Nine!

1. What is your favorite color? blue
2. What is your favorite toy? LOL doll
3. What is your favorite fruit? pineapple and mango 
4. What is your favorite tv show? Bunked
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Chic-fil-a
6. What is your favorite outfit? "Obviously, this one" (she's wearing a sushi shirt and camouflage pants that do not remotely go together)
7. What is your favorite game? Roblox
8. What is your favorite snack? salt and vinegar chips 
9. What is your favorite animal? dolphin and parrot
10. What is your favorite song? 7 rings by Arianna Grande
11. What is your favorite book? Babysitters Club
12. Who is your best friend? Luya
13. What is your favorite cereal? Lucky Charms
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Go on the swings
15. What is your favorite drink? Coke
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Penny and Rigby
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Toast with butter
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Scientist
21. What is your favorite movie? Spiderman, into the Spiderverse

Liam is Eleven

1. What is your favorite color? neon pink
2. What is your favorite toy? Xbox
3. What is your favorite fruit? mango
4. What is your favorite tv show? Stranger Things
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? chicken tender with fries and honey mustard
6. What is your favorite outfit? Saints jacket
7. What is your favorite game? Fortnite
8. What is your favorite snack? Salt and vinegar chips
9. What is your favorite animal? pigs
10. What is your favorite song? Bow down by Slushi
11. What is your favorite book? Refugee by Alan Gratz
12. Who is your best friend? Hayden, Sophia, Kai, Xander, Jude
13. What is your favorite cereal? Apple Cinnamon Cheerios
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play football with daddy
15. What is your favorite drink? Lemonade with Sprite
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? a book
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Banana ice cream
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Poke bowl
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Professional gamer
21. What is your favorite movie? Dunkirk
22. What is your favorite football team? Saints and LSU

Liam had a couple of rocky years, I’m not gonna lie. Actually, scratch that. I’ve had a rough couple of years learning and understanding how to best parent him. He’s taught me so much. Mostly, how to be patient and how to stop and really empathize. He’s so book smart that I tend to assume that means his emotional intelligence must be up there too. Turns out, they don’t go hand in hand. We still have some things to work through, but he's come a long way and I am so proud of him. He’s one of the sweetest kids I know. Even as a fifth grader, he will hug me every time he sees me. Even if it's the middle of the school day. 

He and his dad have always had a bond but it’s really grown this year mostly due to... dare I say it... football. He’s an avid Saints fan but will watch just about any game with Chris and be in heaven. He reads about as often as he breathes. He can’t get enough. We visit the library weekly and leave with a stack of about 15 books each time.  He's often seen rotating between 3 or 4 books at once. 

He's really into Greek mythology right now, as well as Fortnite, EDM, and nerf guns. This is his last year of elementary school which means we will be touring the different options for middle schools in the new year, but he'll likely end up at Asheville Middle where most of his friends are going.