Last Sunday, on March 12, Helen turned 5 years old! I guess we keep telling her that she’ll go to kindergarten when she’s 5, because she was convinced that she would be going to kindergarten the very next day. She loves the idea of growing up and being big enough to do all the things her older siblings do. We just love that she is ours!

As you learned in Portia’s post, we had a double birthday party for the girls on March 11. Helen got so excited about all the planning for the party, and loved having so many friends come to celebrate her. I think her favorite part of the mermaid party was the mermaid skirt I made for her (Portia got one too). The instant it was sewn, she wanted to wear it every day. I, myself, am. quite pleased with how well both skirts turned out.

Now, some fun facts about Helen right now in her life.

• She definitely still loves raccoons! Thank goodness! I hope it lasts her entire life.
• Helen is pretty chill about most things, but when she finds something she loves she gives her entire heart to it! For example, a couple of weeks ago we watched The Lego Movie for the first time, and now we don’t go a day without Helen ultra-enthusiastically singing “Everything is Awesome!” at the top of her lungs.
• She got a coloring page of Charmander once, and now that is her favorite pokemon.
• She loves just about everything she brings home from preschool and is always so proud of her hard work. We’re so proud of her, too!
• She adores macaroni and cheese. We probably make a box of mac n’ cheese 3 days a week for the little girls’ lunch.
• She is a riot in primary! Today they sang to her and Portia for March birthdays. Helen nearly jumped out of her seat when they mentioned birthdays, and then hopped all around the front of the room while everyone was singing to her. I’m glad she had the scripture today (also quite amusing) so I got to witness all the hilarity.
• Helen and Bianca are a fun little duo as the last two at home. They get along quite well most of the time, and they have lots of fun and absurd adventures.

Another thing that has been really special for me, as a mom, to watch is Helen’s ability to be a sweet little leader. Being the 4th child, she has become very good at going with the flow of the people she’s with. But recently, we’ve been going to the aquarium with Chelsea and her boys–Cedric (3) and Brixton (1.5)–and Helen is the oldest and tallest one of the bunch. I have been so impressed by Helen’s ability to lead off in the fun and adventuring for the kids in the play-place, and especially by her desire and ability to help them through the hard parts. It makes me even more excited to see just who Helen will choose to become as she grows.

Our Helen is an absolute joy and gives us parenting experiences we’ve never had before! You all should come hang out with her sometime! I guarantee you’ll leave with a smile.

How we love Portia! I’m truly so grateful for the 7 years we have had with her. And I am tremendously impressed by how much she has grown in this past year.

When Portia turned 6, she was in a hard spot in her life. She had been diagnosed with diabetes less than 4 months prior and was still struggling significantly coping with her new reality. When she got on an insulin pump in June of 2022, it was almost like starting the whole experience over again. It was just so so much for such a little girl to carry. She was also really nervous to start first grade–where she would eat lunch at school and have an insulin nurse accompany her to count her carbs. But she has adapted so beautifully to this reality over the past several months. She has made lots of wonderful new friends, one of whom has Celiac disease which has helped her feel like she’s not quite so alone. And I feel like I have finally gotten my pre-terrible-twos Portia back! She is happy, funny, enthusiastic as ever, and an absolute joy!

Anyway, now that I’ve gotten my feels written out, here’s some more about Portia!

• Portia loves make-up! She went on a one-on-one outing with Aunt Christina back in October and came home with her very own make-up kit! She loves putting in on herself, her sisters, friends, and any girl who will let her.
• She has thoroughly enjoyed the process of losing teeth this year! She updates us on each stage of her “wiggly” teeth and has lots of fun with them and the gap that follows. She is also the first member of our family to have realized my childhood dream of getting a tooth-necklace for a tooth lost at school.
• She still loves beavers! She wonders why they aren’t everybody’s favorite animal.
• She comes up with the most clever ideas for games, drawings, and jokes! She is a hoot!
• She is almost counting down the days until she can get baptized next year. <3
• She still loves to cook and help in the kitchen. I love how excited she gets when she gets to make something of her own.
• She also has developed a love for head stands. She initially learned to do them at tumbling, I believe; but now she just does them for fun. She will be in the middle of some conversation, and while she’s talking, just get onto her head. It is quite entertaining for the rest of us!

Also, we don’t do big friend birthday parties every year, but this year I was feeling up to it, and since Portia had never had one, it was her turn! As we began planning the party, Portia suggested that she and Helen have a combined birthday on the day between their birthdays, March 11. I was so impressed that Portia wanted to share her big party with her sister! So, we did it! We had a mermaid birthday bash for both girls along with 9 of their friends! It was actually a lot of fun for me to plan and think about, and only 80% abject chaos during the event, so I consider it a success!

A quick run through of the party is this:

When the girls arrived, they got to figure out their mermaid name (based on the first letter of their name and the month in which they were born) and write it on a name tag.

Then each girl got a turn to put on a mermaid tail and take a picture in the “mermaid lagoon”. We took the pictures with Kathryn’s polaroid camera so they got to take their pictures home with them!

Then we had a treasure hunt through the house. The treasure they found was a little wooden treasure chest for each of them that they then decorated with jewel stickers.

After that we played “pin the tail on the beaver/raccoon.” The guests who came for Portia did the beaver, and the guests who came for Helen did the raccoon.

We had some mermaid treats including cupcakes, popcorn with white chocolate and sprinkles, mermaid floats, and some mermaid-ish trail mix business I made.

The girls got a little goody bag to take their treasure chest, picture, and some other little mermaid-themed toys home in.

Again, we love Love LOVE our Portia-roo! And we’re so excited to see what this coming year will bring for her!