Tuesday Ten - Birthday Edition

Today begins the annual Birthday Blitz in the Witherspoon household.  My hubby, my oldest, and my youngest all have birthdays within a five day stretch this week.  It's maddness!  Since we have a birthday Triple Whammy this week, I thought I would do a Triple Whammy Tuesday Ten, too!  Here are three lists, each listing ten special things about the birthday boy and girls!

<a href="http://www.the-golden-spoons.com" target="_blank"><img alt="The Golden Spoons" src="http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b552/lspoon1/smallTuesdayTenjpeg_zpsad8292e4.jpg"/></a>

Ten Things About David

1. He makes me laugh.  He is always the one cracking a joke and lightening the mood - something I didn't' even know I needed until I met him.
2. He works hard.  I used to call him a workaholic and, I guess, he still is to an extent.  But, now I realize that he 1) is doing all he can to provide for all of us girls and 2) he really loves what he does.
3. He is really good at his job.  He works for a very, very large company yet people know him - important people.  His reputation precedes him, as they say, in a good way. 
4. He is really smart.  Tech stuff - he knows it.  Current events stuff - he knows it.  Financial stuff - he knows it.  I consider myself pretty intelligent, but, as evidenced by my use of the word "stuff" these are subjects that I am not too smart about.  He is.
5. He is a great daddy.  He has high expectations for our girls.  He loves them unconditionally and always puts them first.  I've seen him reschedule things and practically bend over backwards to make it to an event or something that was important to them.   Just last week, he literally ran through the Atlanta airport to barely make it to his flight home because he knew his girls would be waiting for him.
6. He is super supportive.  Let's face it, nobody really understands blogging except for other bloggers.  However, David realizes that it is something important to me and he supports me.  He has taken time to help me figure out some tech/code stuff.  When I hesitantly mentioned going to a conference, he said "Do it!" And, he only gets slightly annoyed when I sit beside him on the couch catching up on social media and reading blogs!
7. He's my Mr. Fix-it.  He is handy with a toolbox and can fix most anything around the house.  Hang a ceiling fan?  Sure!  Unclog a toilet?  He's your man.  AC not working??  He can definitely tell you what's wrong and can probably fix it if he has the needed parts!  (In fact, just a couple weeks ago, a guy from the power company came out to put a new meter thing on our AC units.  He broke something so the thermostats weren't working.  David went out, told him what was broken AND how to fix it!)
8. He doesn't smile in pictures.  Ever.  I looked for recent pictures of him to include in this post and this was the only one I could find where he was kind of smiling.  We even had a family portrait done in the fall and quite a few people have mentioned his lack of a smile!
9. He's never met a stranger.  I'm a bit more of the wallflower type, but not David.  He can make conversation with just about anyone anywhere.  He always has stories about who he sat next to on planes.  We can be in line somewhere and he'll strike up a conversation with the people behind us.  Since he's in sales, I guess this is a good thing, though!
10. He is quite possibly the hardest person on the planet to get a gift for.  His birthday is today.  Know what I got him??  Nothing. That's because I absolutely could not come up with anything to get him.  He never asks for anything. If he does want something, he goes and buys it.  If I was to buy him something, there's a good chance he wouldn't like it.  He's got plenty of shirts and ties.  He's picky about how pants/shorts fit.  I wouldn't even attempt to buy him tech stuff.  It is seriously impossible. 

 Ten Things About Rachel

  

1. She is incredibly smart.  She's going to a Magnet Middle School this fall that is specifically for "Academically Gifted" kids.  School has always come easily to her and she always gets good grades.  
2. She hates to have her picture taken.  Maybe she gets this from her dad (See #8 above), but she is going through a phase in which she does not want her picture taken - ever.  Since this is already a long post, I won't add more pictures, but anyone who has seen our family Easter photos for the past two years knows exactly what I'm talking about.  I had to crop her out of a photo from her 5th grade graduation ceremony to get the one above!
3. She is very creative.  She has come up with some very inventive games and projects over the years.  She is currently writing a novel, too!  (Can't imagine where she gets that!)  Here's one of her ideas from a couple years ago - still one of my favorite posts!  The only downside to this is that sometimes she sees the big picture, but doesn't consider the details.
4. She loves animals with a passion.  She has been a self-procalimed vegetarian for almost 4 years now.  I thinks that's pretty impressive for an 11 year old kid!  For her past three birthdays, she has asked for dog/cat food donations for the local shelter rather than gifts for herself.  She wants to be a zoologist and already has her path to that career mapped out.
5. She is just about the most determined kid I've ever met.  (I'm not just saying that because she's mine.)  Once she sets her mind to something, there's a really, really good chance that she will accomplish it.
6. Her freckles.  She is rather indifferent about them, but I love them.  She has almost always had them and I can't even imagine her sweet face without them!
7. Her favorite colors are teal and neon green.  In fact, she's a little obsessed with them.   At least 75% of her summer wardrobe consists of these two colors.  When she loves something - anything - she does it all the way!
8. She loves little kids.  This past week during Vacation Bible School she helped in the nursery.  She LOVED it!  I used to be the same way when I was younger.  
9. She HATES doctors, dentists, etc.  In our state, kids are required to get a TDAP booster before entering 6th grade.  I took her a couple weeks ago.  Our doctor recommended adding in a meningitis vaccine just for kicks.  She honestly had a bonafide little mini-panic attack when the nurse came in with the needles.  She doesn't remember anything she said or did for a good 3 minute chunk of time.  (At least she says she doesn't remember.)  If she has a cavity, laughing gas is automatic and I'm not sure who dreaded that recent trip to the doc more - me or her!  Hopefully, someday she'll outgrow this and we can all look back and laugh about it.  Hopefully.
10. She is so excited about going to Middle School.  I'm not sure I am all that excited, but I'm glad that she is.  She's excited about having a locker, not being treated "like a little kid" anymore, and meeting new friends.  I know she will be successful and I hope her enthusiasm continues.     

Ten Things About Emily

1. Of all three daughters, Emily is by far the "girlie" one.  She only wears dresses.  She loves all things pink, purple, and princess.
2. She's a chocoholic.  She loves chocolate cake, brownies, etc.  And who can blame her, right??  Her latest flavor fascination is Red Velvet.  She has requested Red Velvet cupcakes with chocolate icing for her birthday party!
3. She's a super picky eater.  I honestly worry about her nutrition.  Despite my best efforts, she won't try much of anything new.  I'm trying to crack down without starting huge power struggles, but it's really hard.  I hope she will soon learn to be a little more flexible!
4. She's great at playing by herself.  Sometimes, she will go to her room and just play for quite a while.  She listens to her music and has a tea party with her stuffed animals or plays with Barbies or creates something from recyclables.  Which leads me to . . . 
5. She's like a little engineer.  I wrote a post about that back in January.  She loves to get things out of the recycling bin and build something with them.  She comes up with some really creative stuff!
6. She is NOT a nature girl.  She is terrified of bugs.  (Here's an example.)  Mosquitoes love her.  She doesn't like being hot or sweaty or dirty.  Other than being in the pool, convincing her to go outside and play is nearly impossible.
7. She is so loving.  She's a hugger and she tells me she loves me multiple time a day.  There's not much that makes her happier than to just sit and snuggle on the couch while watching TV or a movie.  
8. If you ask her what she wants to be when she grows up, she'll tell you that she is going to get married and have 20 kids!  I'm sure that, over time, that number will change, but for now, I think it's just adorable.
9. She's the baby.  Because of that,  perhaps I've coddled her longer than I did the older two.  I honestly believe, however, that some of it is her personality as well.  She still has minor separation issues.  She still has her blankie.  She still sleeps with a bazillion stuffed animals.  She can still be clingy.  I have to remind myself that she is just now about to turn 6, but, on the other hand, she's about to start first grade and maybe it's time that I expect a little more independence from her.
10. She is silly.  Now, she can be shy - especially when she has an audience.  However, when she is comfortable, she can be super silly.  She has the best giggle and she can do a spot-on Honey Boo Boo impression (even though we don't watch that show!)