It was Time

 We haven't had a 'professional' picture taken of the family since C was born.  So, this was our first experience as a family of 5.  The kids cooperated somewhat...and the photographer had a quick finger and so the brief smiles C gave, he captured.

Funny things that I notice...C has Diesel 10 in his hand, which I knew when the picture was taken.  Again, the photographer did a pretty good job of capturing C when it wasn't in front of his face.  The thing I didn't notice until we got the pictures back was that E was wearing a very green ring.  I guess I didn't check wardrobe close enough.  But, it does add character to the pictures.

I think this was the best one of the kids.  C was not cooperating at all for these pictures.  I was amazed how well that they came out.  But, it is a great picture of X.

This one was the best of C.  I love his expression.  He's just too adorable.  It is great of X as well...even though it isn't so flattering to E or Jut.

It was a fun experience.  We'll have to try it again sometime.

Halloween Antics...

The second most anticipated holiday of the year...Halloween...costumes are discussed for the ENTIRE year leading up to the event.  I can't even begin to describe how much the kids love Halloween.  I don't remember ever being as excited about Halloween as my kids are...(but I probably was even though I don't remember).  Unfortunately for my kids, I don't get nearly as excited as they do about it...so they are left to create their own costume concoctions.


Well, for all the discussion...not much gets decided about costumes until the day of...In the morning, E was going to go as a bride.  We even picked up my veil from Mom's so that she could wear it...then she changed to a sparkle fairy...then it was a panic because it was 4 and she didn't know what to be.  It was a cold, rainy night this year.  So, I suggested wearing a full body red leotard to keep her warm...to keep her modest we hunted through her dress-up clothes and pulled out her lady-fairy costume.  We pulled off the wings...and deemed her a 'lady-bug monster".  She found some red netting that we put over her hair and a pretty ribbon to help secure it to her head.  The finishing touch to her costume was some wolf ears to make a 'true' monster.  It was quite the costume.  She looked very pretty and not very much like a monster but in her mind she was a monster...so a monster she was.

Thankfully, the boys were so much easier.  X was very content to be a cow...no discussion or changed minds...just the costume on and off because it was too hot to wear indoors for very long.  C didn't really like that whole 'dress-up' idea.  He had the bumblebee costume on for about 5 minutes and decided he was finished with that crazy idea.  However, once he found out candy was involved, he had a whole new attitude about his bumble bee outfit.  He loved the candy...ate more candy throughout the night than I would have ever allowed the older ones to eat.  He just unwrapped what he wanted and ate it...the little stinker.  I am probably very fortunate that he wasn't up all night with a stomach ache!

Just for comparison...here they were two years ago when C was just 4 days old...

Thankfully, X has grown into the costume a bit more...and maybe we need to get a bit more creative for next year! However, my prediction is that C will be wearing that cow next year...everyone needs a turn as a cow!!

Haunted Houses...

 The library sponsors a few contests throughout the year.  In October, they hosted a 'haunted house' contest.  As soon as E saw the display for it, she was ready to make hers.  We got a bag that she could place her 'decorations' in as she finished them.  Then, Jut found her a box to use.  She was ready like a week early to turn it in.  She was so excited.  She had her vision for what she wanted to do and she did it.  She named her house "The Pink Ghost".  She was incredibly proud of her work...(I did try to make some suggestions but she wasn't taking any of them because she thought it was perfect already.)

Jut decided to make one too.  They were going to work on them together...but mainly Jut worked on his after the kids were in bed one night.  But, to E, they were doing it together and that was awesome.  He called his, "The Original Ghost Busters".

So, they submitted their entries...and the patrons of the library voted for their favorites.  There were a lot of entries in the children and adult categories.  I think there were around 10 kid entries and even more adult ones.  E's entry was obviously done by a six-year old without adult 'help'.  There were many of the 'kid' entries that looked like they had substantial adult assistance.  There was another entry by a 6-year old that was completely covered in perfectly cut felt in coordinating colors.  It was a pretty house, but my 6-year old couldn't have mastered that!  By anyway, I digress...Jut got the call that they could come pick up their houses.

He went over and the ladies at the library told him to let E know that she had taken 4th place in the kids' category.  E was so excited to know that she took 4th when she was up against so many older kids.  She was ecstatic to know she did so well.  The library workers have all complimented her on her house as they have seen her since and congratulated her on her 4th place.  It makes her feel so proud of her work.  I'm thankful that people saw an honest 6-year old's work and appreciated the effort that SHE put into it.  It made my mommy's heart smile to see her hard work recognized and appreciated.

She's already got plans for next year's house.  She's hoping for 3rd place!  :)

X is 4!

X turned 4 on Saturday.  He and C had their b'day party that evening.  It was a good time.  Aunt Jenna, Lydia and G'ma Daron arrived on Friday evening.  So, they got to spend the entire day with us.  Aunt Stacey came to our house Saturday afternoon to take the b'day boy and E out on an errand...and they managed to weasel donuts and a trip to the park out of their generous aunt.  It was a wonderful day for my little guy.

Let's see...things that I want to remember about X at 4.  He is a wonderful older brother.  He has so much patience for C's antics.  They are playing together more and more.  It is fun to watch them together.  X is a good younger brother too.  He and E typically get along very well and have lots of fun with with their imaginative play.

This summer the kids started digging holes in the back yard.  I don't think our landlord will ever believe us that we never had a dog here.  There are so many holes out back.  X loves digging the holes.  After he gets it deep enough with a shovel, he brings all his construction type toys over and plays in the dirt.  He is undoubtedly a boy with his love for dirt!

X also decided that standing on his head was fun this summer.  He loves to run to the couch or a chair and pop upside down and stay there for a bit.  I thought it was kind of weird but I read in a book that it is a 'normal' phase for boys.  Go figure.

He learned he could climb the fence to climb into the cherry tree this fall.  He loves being up in the tree with E...but he can't get down.  So, it does lead to some issues.

The boy is still completely obsessed with Star Wars.  G'ma Daron got him a millennium falcon for his b'day and he loves it...although, he loves his Thomas and the Shark too...he'd been waiting for that for a LONG time.  So, although he loves Star Wars, Thomas is still a huge favorite.  The boys spent forever playing with their new play sets today that they received for their birthdays.

School is a favorite time of day.  Lately he's been asking me, "Mom, how can I be helpful today during school?"  That means, "I want something to do."  He has a dry erase maze book that he loves..but he enjoys the math manipulatives of tangrams, pattern blocks, unifix clubes, etc.  He can generally write an "A", "L" and "X"...so, we'll get his name one of these days.  He memorizes scripture with us...he can recite the books of the new testament.  He loves to add.

He's still my cuddler.  He wants morning cuddles.  Climbing into bed in the middle of the night still occurs.  He is just the sweetest little guy.  Whining is sometimes an issue, but we continue to work with it.  Its difficult being stuck in the middle!

We started 'commision' jobs this fall.  X is so reliable.  He does his jobs every day.  He always earns his full commission.  He is a dependable guy...and he likes to make mom happy.  But, I love his willing attitude to be a helper.

We'll see what age 4 brings us!  :)

C at 2

C at age 2 is a lot of fun.  He is so much fun, but he also takes a lot of my energy.  I joke that if he were in school he'd have a one-on-one aide.  Mischief always seems to land in his lap.  Part of that is just the normal 2 year old curiosity about life and part of that is normal boy, but I think C might have received an extra spoonful of 'mischief ' when he was getting his attributes assigned.  I just found another place that he colored all over the carpet with a marker (thankfully it is washable...and grr to his sister for not taking care of things!)  He loves coloring...on everything...if it is someone else's paper or something other than his own paper, it is even more enjoyable.

He's just starting to say letters and point to words.  Now, the letters don't correspond to the words, but he's starting to become interested.  He loves doing 'school' with us...if that involves coloring or his own 'worksheets'.  He loves the dry erase boards.  He always asks for 'green' but only about half the time does he really get green out when he asks for it.  But, it is always exciting to see that initial learning occurring.

Trains are a favorite.  He loves, loves, loves Thomas.  He seems to always have an engine in his hand.  We read lots of Thomas books.  However, he does play with all of the different types of trains that are around the house...Big trains, little trains...the boy just loves trains.  He loves anything with wheels really...matchbox cars, tractors, trucks, construction vehicles.  Right now he loves the tractor and combine.  G'pa is harvesting using both and so C has spent quite a bit of time playing with his too.  He also loves playing with Duplos and building stacks.  His imaginative play is beginning to develop and I'll hear him talking with his toys.  He is at such a fun stage.

C's vocabulary is exploding like crazy.  His sentences are typically around 3 words..."Moon up sky" or "Need drink, Mom." or "Watch 'coveries, Mom" (The Great Discovery) or "Dad home?  No church.".  He LOVES to talk.  He loves that he can communicate his wishes.  He just started tattling on his older siblings.  I hear, "Mom, Nander blah, blah, blah" , or "Mom, Espeth blah, blah, blah."  I can usually only understand the first two words and then he goes on talking but I can't decipher what he's saying but I can tell by his voice inflections that he's tattling on his brother.  If the olders are excited talking about something, he has to be right there talking too.

He runs everywhere.  He's lost that toddler gait...he's all boy running.  He loves to jump...loves to jump off things (especially the furniture).  If he's not jumping off things, then he's climbing up on to things.  He has the cutest gallop.

He still likes to rock at nap and bedtime.  But, many times, he'll look at you after a few rocks and say, "crib".  And that means cuddle time is up and he's ready for bed.  Most nights he'll put himself to sleep but sometimes we end up in there for quite a while because he doesn't want to be alone while he gets himself to sleep...but that is happening less and less frequently (but it happened tonight).

His favorite book right now is a non-fiction children's book called Eruption.  It is all about volcanoes and how scientists decide to evacuate an area.  It has great pics of volcanoes but isn't your typical book that 2 year olds would enjoy.  He likes looking at the maps and point to them and say, "Casey Thailand".  He can generally point to SE Asia where Lindsey is.  But, his love of that book amazes me.  He has chosen to read it almost every nap time and bedtime for the last week.

C is currently adamant that he wants to wear undies.  But, he has no real concept about using the potty.  He's had a couple #2 successes on the potty, and he goes everyday that he naps when I wake him up but he doesn't really get it.  .  However, that doesn't stop him from refusing to wear a diaper and pulling out X's undies and putting them on.  Thankfully, he typically has very small accidents that only wet his undies when he's wearing undies, but after the second pair of undies in a morning, I get fed up with changing wet undies and force the diaper issue.  Tonight we solved the underwear issue by wearing them on the outside of his clothes...looked rather funny but much easier to clean up.

C can be a rather shy guy.  Object permanence hasn't become a reality in his world yet.  So, he shuts his eyes when he doesn't want you to see him..  He'll get shy with people and bury his head in my legs or turn his head so that he can't see them when he wants to be coy...or is feeling a bit sheepish or shy.

We sang "Happy Birthday" to him...and either our singing was awful or he didn't like the attention or something, he was quite distressed through the whole thing.  He wanted nothing to do with the candles, either.  He perked right up when he was given his piece of cake, though.  We'll see how he does this weekend for his and X's b'day party.

One last note:  C outweighs X by 1.5 lbs...he's roughly 37.5 lbs, but he's still a couple inches shorter than his big brother...so X is still mostly a clothing size ahead of him.

Happy 2nd Birthday to my Whirling Dervish

See You Later...Part 2

We bid our good friend, Lindsey, 'farewell' back in January 2011 as she left for a 27-month stint in Thailand with the Peace Corps.  She came home last spring.  She instantly became one of the kids' favorite people again.  She always made them feel special and loved.  Tomorrow she is leaving for another 1.5 year stint to teach English in a rural village back in Thailand with the Churches of Christ in Thailand.  Once again, it was hard to say goodbye, as she is one of our favorite people, but we know she's doing what God wants her to be doing (despite all the hiccups in getting back to Thailand this fall).  It is funny to think that X is now about the same age as E was when she left the first time, and C is about the same age as X was.  We know that C won't really remember her when she returns, but we'll all remember how he always called her "Casey" (her younger sister's name) until the night before she left when finally he said, "Lindsey" when looking at her picture on the camera.  But, he'll know who she is...we'll pray for her daily and send her lots of letters...and get the fun of looking forward to seeing the elephant stamped letters delivered to our mailbox.

Lindsey, you fit right back into our life so seamlessly this spring.  We treasure all the memories that were made.  We look forward to hearing about all your new adventures in this next saga of life, but we also will be very excited for when you come back again!!  Shalom, friend.