We left at about 6:15 AM when it was still dark the day after Christmas. We got our first view of snow covered trees just before the sun came up. I always love the way the world looks with a fresh layer of snow:
The drive was long and the snowy, icy roads made it even longer. It took us 18 1/2 hours to drive from our home in Washington to my in-law’s house in Orem, Utah. Thomas was not a fan of all the changes in elevation that made his ears feel clogged:
Charlotte is in first grade this year and loves school. She has become a very good reader this year and can now read small chapter books independently with good fluency. Unfortunately, I struggle to find books that she is very interested in reading. After a trip to the library, Isaac will read in his bed for hours, but Charlotte usually needs to be reminded to read a book. She does enjoy reading books to her little sisters, especially Ila, but she chooses books that are well below her reading level to read to her.
This year I gave Charlotte the task of directing our Nativity. As soon as I mentioned getting our costumes on, Nicole ran in and came out with a cape and a tiger hat and declared that she would be the tiger. She would not accept any other role, so this year we introduced the tiger to our Nativity. Ila was our angel and she insisted that she should have a baby too. I guess you could say that this year’s nativity was less than accurate, but it was loosely based on the account we find in Luke.
Here’s our little cast:
And here’s the video:
I like to write about my children on or near their birthdays each year. Here is what I wrote about Ila last year when she turned 2 and here is what I wrote about her two years ago when she turned 1. 
It’s hard to believe that she’s 3 now. She’s still so small to me. She accepts her smallness as part of her. She regularly tells me that she’s too small for this or that or that now she’s big enough. (it may not sound so adorable as type on a screen, but if you can imagine her little voice telling you how she’s too small for a haircut or big enough for underwear, then you’ll understand why I it makes me smile every time) She has learned to work around being short. She recently discovered that she can climb up on our counter high chairs and with a “purple chair” she can access the computer or her booster seat. She wears the same size diaper as her baby brother, but she doesn’t mind.
Charlotte choose an outing instead of a party this year (which I’m glad for because outings are a lot less work for me). She wanted to have her outing be just like her best friend Ander’s birthday outing, including having him ride the bus home from school with her. We choose Wednesday, December 19th since it was the last day of school before winter break. It was pouring when they got off the bus, so they had a very wet walk home:
Charlotte decided that she wanted to bring chocolate cookies to her class for her birthday. Since she loves to bake with me, I had her make them with me a few days early.
She has a great egg-cracking face:
Name: Charlotte Rose Cochran
Age: 7 years, 3 day
Weight: 43.8 lbs 20th percentile
Length: 44.5 inches 5th percentile
Last well check (5 year)
Age = +almost 2 years, weight = +7.8 lbs, length = +4.5 inches,
Name: Ila Jane Cochran
Age: 3 years, 1 week, and 2 days
Weight: 23.4 lbs less than 3rd percentile
Length: 32 1/2 inches less than 3rd percentile
Last well check (21 month) comparison:
Age = +1 year and 3 months, weight = +almost 5 lbs, length = +2 5/8 inches,
Sometimes when I’m unsure of the nure’s handwriting, I double check percentiles at this website: http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/growthcharts2/a/percentiles.htm
We also got a referral this time to an Endocrinologist to discuss her “short stature.â€
I’ve been so sleep deprived the last few weeks, that I haven’t had the energy to write. I was up much of the night with Thomas for several nights before Ila’s birthday so I was very tired on her big day.
My first picture is from the night before. My girls all love to help me bake things so I invited Ila to help me make her birthday cupcakes. In this pictures she was amused that she had some sugar on her feet:
Zach posted this video of Ila and Nicole on Facebook and I loved it so much that I transcribed all their words and am posting it here. It’s best to play the video when you read the transcript so that you can hear their super cute voices. Enjoy:
I put things in (parentheses) when both girls were talking.
Z: What will you do when Mommy gets home?
I: Mommy get home, then Ila, then Dad, then Mommy will give me a mommy hug, then Nicole will give me a hug.
Z: Then what will you do.?
I: Ila go, then Isaac will go, then mommy will go to soccer practice, then Isaac will go to soccer practice, then Tommy will go to Soccer Practice.
Z: Then what will happen?
I: Then Ila will go to soccer practice.
Z: To soccer practice, yeah.
I: And Nicole stays home, and Daddy go to soccer practice.
Z: To soccer practice? But it’s bedtime.
I: Daddy, Daddy stay home with Nicole,
Z: Ok, I will stay home with Nicole.
Ila: Yeah, Then, Then Ila will watch and, then Isa, then Ila will watch Isaac, then Nicole will watch Isaac then Mommy will watch Isaac, then Nicole will not watch Isaac. Then Daddy will watch Isaac, And then
Z: And I will hold Thomas
I: and Thomas stay home.
N: I will stay downstairs and Ila will come
Z: Yeah,
I: Then Nicole will stay.
N: And Nicole will stay and Ila will come and Nicole will stay with Daddy and Ila will go to the oh. When the bus comes, I will get on the bus when my bus comes.
(I: Nicole will ride the bus, and Daddy will stay with Nicole on the bus, Nicole will wait for the bus, yeah. Then the bus. .)
I: Yeah, I, I be in the, I be in my own bed, and I be in Nicole bed, then Ila dance.
(N: When my , I , I have to wait for the bus us us to go. I have to wait for the bus to go to school.)
Z: No, stay in Ila’s bed.
I: and I be in Charlotte’s bed, then I , I , I will , I pet the kitty too.
Z: Yeah, Alright
I: And Tommy, and I play with the boat with Thomas.
Z: Ok, play with Thomas.
I: Then Mommy will go then Ila will stay here with Tommy.
Z: Oh, and will you cry “oh no, Mommy?â€
I: Yeah, and Daddy will give me Dinosaur Chicken Nuggets.
Z: Yeah, I will. I will give you Dinosaur Chicken Nuggets.
I; yeah
Z; yeah
Z: and I will give some to Thomas
I; No, Nicole want to eat. And Nicole is hungry and she wants to eat some breakfast. then Daddy will give her breakfast. Then Nicole will say “I hungryâ€
Z: Yeah, what will Nicole eat?
I: Nicole want to eat a hotdog.
Z: She will definitely want a hotdog.
I; then
Z: with ketchup to dip it in
I: Yeah, then Nicole want Dinosaur Chicken nuggets then she want dip, and dinosaur Chicken nuggets and Ila will not get dip.
Z: Ila will not get chips?
I: and Ila will
Z: but you will have dinosaur chicken nuggets
I: but I eat,
Nicole (What will, what will cry?)
I: but I eat candy cookie. Then Ila, Then Mommy says:
Nicole: ( What will cry?)
Ila: Um, Ila cry and Ila
Nicole What will start to go eh heh [fake cry]?
Ila = [fake cry]
Z: what is starting to cry? Is Nicole crying?
N; yes,
Z: why?
N: Cause, what Nicole wants.
Z: What do you want?
I: (I cry,I want Mom)
N: Um, a hot dog.
Z: You want a hot dog? At bedtime?
N: Yeah.
Z: That’s the silliest thing I ever heard.
I: Then I crying mama. Then I go with Mom. Then away. Then Nicole will go with mom and Daddy will stay here.
N: I cried
Z: Then I will go to work
N: (I cried out mom)
I: Then Tommy will stay here with Daddy
Z: Ok, alright. That’s a good idea.
I didn’t know what a Rain Gutter Regatta was, until Tuesday. Apparently it’s a scouting event where you make your own boats and sail them down rain gutters. I didn’t get many pictures because Zach and I were taking turns taking care of Ila (who fell asleep on the way to the church) and Thomas while helping our older three kids modify their boats. 
My kids love to build with Cardboard. Here are two things they made in November. The first is a Café that they made when they had a day off of school. Charlotte was adamant that it had to be a Café and not a restaurant:
I finally sat down to sort through some pictures from the last few months and I just have to share some of them before I put them in my picture storage folder:
10.8.12: I laid Thomas down in Ila’s bed and she absolutely loved it and wanted me to leave him there:
I have wanted to upgrade my camera for a little while now. I have been disappointed with the quality of pictures that my camera takes, particularly indoors where the light is lower. We justified our purchase by saving my birthday money and adding some Christmas money to make up the difference. I got this camera (and I managed to get it for less than it’s currently listed for):
We hosted my youngest sister, Sarah and her family for Thanksgiving this year. I probably should have taken more pictures, but with 8 kids 8 and under it was a busy time. 
All of my girls love to bake and cook with their mom and I have been trying to find ways to spend more quality time with each of my kids, so I decided that it was time for Charlotte to do more than just pour in what I measured. I set up our area and got out all the ingredients:
As soon as Charlotte came home from school, we got started. She read the recipe:
Charlotte has been very excited about the prospect of losing a tooth ever since she first discovered a tooth that she could wiggle a few days ago. Tonight her tooth had become very loose and she was so excited that she went on and on about all the different ways she thought it might fall out and how she’d react when it finally did fall out. She also told me that in her class, they get to share how they lost a tooth and the class sings a song to them.
The following is a little video of Charlotte telling some of the ways she thought her tooth would fall out and the dances she thought she’d do. When it actually did fall out she started jumping around the kitchen and I took a video of her telling how her tooth came out:
I wish I had taken a video of her singing the song that they sing to each other when they loose a tooth at school. Maybe I’ll take that video tomorrow and post an update.
