From a young age we would refer to Anya as “Anya the great” I don’t even remember how it started but it was just what we called her. In kindergarten I would write Anya the great on all her snacks (we were required to label!). She has really lived up to that and I believe that she is great because that is what we expect. Because we taught her that she is great she lives in a great way.
I wanted to do the same with the twins but I had to think about what are some traits they show and what of those traits do I want to encourage? At 11 months old Natalia was able to climb out of her crib. It was awful (lol) but incredible at the same time. Hence, Natalia the incredible! She also has so many other traits that make her incredible; she is incredibly strong, an incredible athlete, incredibly kind, and such a joy to have in our family!
Nikolaj also has such wonderful qualities and at the beginning of the year it was clear! Nikolaj was the only 7 year old in the state of Hawaii to qualify for the State swimming championships. We were so incredibly proud of him, not only because of his work ethic and natural swimming ability but because of his bravery. It took an incredible amount of bravery to swim with all those much older boys. He was nervous but he went out there and did his best. After day 1 of a 4 day swim meet he got badly injured and ended up being admitted to the hospital for 5 days, three surgeries, multiple radiation, 9 lb weight loss, 4 weeks with his mouth wired shut on a liquid diet, and numerous “pokes.” Pretty brave lil boy! Nikolaj the brave!
An excellent reminder to stay disciplined and be kind to yourself ✨