Kid Update

Since we have been out of touch with so many of you for a while, I thought that I would give you all a quick update on the kids...including recent pictures. Most of my blog posts will not be updates like. I will be putting short posts about what we are doing.
Everyone asks what it is like with four kids under five...in a few words...amazing, exhausting, lively, frustrating, easy, hard...it depends on the day and the kids. For the most part, it has been wonderful! The girls are an amazing help, and the boys sleep 11 hours a night and are very happy babies. Our days are very structured and without much downtime, but we keep the weekends pretty relaxed and flexible. (I even have time to scrapbook!) When all is said and done, we are having a great time. There are moments...unfortunately (as Ryan so eloquently put it), our patience did not grow exponentially like our love did, but we are sure giving it all we've got. Read below for more specific information about all of the kids.


Abi: You probably won't believe it but Abi is almost five. She reminds us on a regular basis that her birthday is on March 20th. I guess with the two new additions to the family, she wants to insure that we won't forget about her. She will be starting Kindergarten in the Fall which is quite a shock to our minds, and she cannot wait! The day care has great preschool curriculum, so she is learning as quickly as her little mind can absorb everything. Recently, she started surprised us by starting to spell short words. For all of your parents of preschoolers out there...get the Word Whammer by Leap Frog. It is an amazing tool for young kids. She is our thinker of the bunch...always asking questions about how things work and why we do things certain ways. Definitely the little mother in our house, taking care of Lucy (when she is not poking at her or tattling on her) and the Boys. I don't know what we would do without that other set of little hands, sometimes.

Lucy: Where to begin...2 1/2 going on 5 or 6. Lucy is definitely a momma's girl in more ways than one. She is all energy all of the time, and sometimes more than we can handle. In her short 2 1/2 years, I think she has spent more time in Time-out than Abi has in her almost 5 years. She is our ornery, loveable and independent child (have no idea where she gets these traits). In the span of just a few minutes, she can make you so angry that you could scream and then you are hugging and laughing with her. Wherever she goes, messes and laughter are left in her wake. Because of the way our day care structures their center, she is also doing preschool with Abi. The day care providers tell us that she doesn't usually participate in preschool, so they think she is not learning. However, sometimes she blurts out answers to things that they are doing and surprises them all. She is learning...she tells us something new almost every day, so we know that some things are swirling in that little head...not just new ways to get into trouble (like putting the frozen turkey in her closet...whole other story). She is fiercely protective of her little brothers and usually connected to Abi's hip. I am little concerned about how she is going to handle Abi going to Kindergarten next year, but usually my concerns are not needed...she'll probably handle it like a champ!

Jack & Beau (pictures, respectively): I couldn't imagine before they were born how much fun both of them would be to have. Don't get me wrong, having twins is A LOT of work, but they are just wonderful! The Boys are great babies, easy going and wonderful sleepers, so that makes our lives just a tab bit easier. If you can believe it, they are 4 months old, now. We took them to the doctor for a check-up last week, and they weighed 16 lbs and 15 lbs. 11 ozs., respectively. Dr. Core looked at me and said, "Looks like they have caught-up." To which I replied laughing, "Were they ever behind at 6 lbs. 12 oz & 6 lbs. 4 oz?" They are very healthy babies even though they have had a constant case of the sniffles since they have been born. We just chalk that up to the time of year they were born, having two older sisters and day care. They just had their first "sick" visit to the doctor yesterday...both have pink eye, but that is easily remedied. They started vegetables this past week and love it! And, yes you read the information above correctly...they sleep 11 hours a night. We typcially put them to bed at 7 pm, and we wake them at 6 am. They wake-up smiling and happy...and so do we. Day care has been almost a non-adjustment. They've taken to it very well, and really enjoy watching and interacting with all of the bigger kids in their class (there room has infant through 4 years old). It will be a lot of fun to watch how they change over the next few months. Sometimes I look at them and still feel a little overwhelmed, but then they smile at the same time, and it all goes away! It is amazing how God has chosen to bless us so completely.