It has been so long since I have updated on the kids. Or maybe it hasn't been that long, but we have been so busy, and everyone seems to be changing like crazy before my eyes. I feel like I have so much to say and these descriptions get a bit lengthy, but I want to remember everything. So here it goes, the latest on each kiddo.....
Austin
My oldest child is definitely a leader. He is the kid in charge (or at least he wants to be in charge of everyone). I have to remind him often that he is the child and we are the parents. He is the biggest helper. He puts the dishes in the sink without me asking. He puts toothpaste on his toothbrush and his brother's in the mornings when we are in a hurry, again without me asking. He will entertain Colton when he gets fussy and I am trying to fix dinner. He is really an empathetic kid, and I love that about him. He quietly does things like this and I have to stop and tell him all the time how much I appreciate his help.
He has started reading books (the Bob series...thank you Lisa Graham for sending those!) and does a really good job, something that makes this teacher's heart swell. He also looks at signs while we are driving the car and reads them. I love it!! He is a bundle of energy, and often tells me he doesn't want to take a nap. But when I tell him to lie down, he ends up sleeping the longest out of all three kids at nap time and still has no problems sleeping at night. He can do ok without a nap, but when he doesn't have one for a few days, it starts to show in his attitude and he gets grumpy/whiny. He is a collector of everything, and spends countless hours setting up "battles" with all of this soldiers, super heroes, and other toys. He is an excellent artist coloring in the lines, and draws pictures really well. This is a big deal for a mom with boys who don't really spend much time coloring. He loves Legos. Oh my how he loves legos! He could sit and build for hours, and wants every lego kit they have. I love hearing about the things he builds, and what each part does. He has a great imagination. Finally he has become an excellent bike rider. He does still have the training wheels on it, but that's because he was too tall for the little bike he had, and he is just a little too short for his new bike to comfortably take them off. I'm not pushing this yet anyway, we are just so happy that he is riding his bike, I don't see any reason to make him want to quit.
Braeden
My little lover, my middle child. Oh those eyelashes. Look out ladies, Braeden is going to knock them dead with his eyes! He is my sweet little cuddler. He has grown so much in the last year, and I can't believe he will be 4 soon. He has gotten taller and thinner too. He is my "Mr. Question" kid, constantly asking questions. "Mommy, where do raisins come from?" "Why do ants live in the ground, and why did God make ants?" Every answer I give him leads to another question. I love that he is so thirsty for knowledge (except for when he is asking me more questions as I am closing the door to his bedroom at night). He is a Momma's boy (I have to admit I kind of love this because I know he won't always be like this) and gets a bit clingy and shy around new people. Don't get me wrong though, he ADORES his father, and loves to act/be just like his daddy.
He is a bug lover. I wouldn't be surprised to see him grow up to be an Entomologist. He will pick up any bug he sees, which I keep telling him may get him into some trouble one day. He had a little phase there where he would dig in the sandbox at school to find grub worms. No big deal, until you have found a grub worm while reaching into the school bag, or one in the pants pockets you are about to put in the washing machine! His teachers were so good with him, and often gave him ziploc baggies to put the bugs in instead. Speaking of collecting things on the playground, he is often finding things (small rocks, acorns, sparkly things, sequins, pretty leaves, flowers) and giving them to me. He calls them "treasures" and you know what, I totally treasure each one of his gifts. The best news we have recently is that he has finally quit wearing pull ups at night, and I can say that now we only have 1 kid in diapers. Yeahhhhh Braeden!!
Colton
My baby officially turned 10 months old the other day. I can't believe it. T-E-N months old!! Time is flying by. In the last month he has done so much. He has been sleeping through the night for about 3 months, and is such a happy baby. In fact pretty much every time I am out with him, someone tells me he is such a happy baby, and most of the time this comes from a complete stranger who Colton has charmed. He smiles the best gummy smiles. He has no teeth yet, but can gum his table food pretty well. He has been drooling for months, but still has no teeth. He went from rolling around the room and sitting up to crawling (so far he crawls commando style like Braeden did) and pulling up in the last 3 days. He pushes up on all 4's, and I wonder if he will start crawling off of his belly or not. He gets around really quickly.
He is so cuddly. He will put his head on your shoulder, put his arms down by his sides, and sort of melt into your neck. I think it's his way of hugging. I love it! He takes two naps a day, and if you hit them at the right time, he won't fuss a bit when you put him in his crib. At his 9 month check up he was 24.6 lbs. (92nd percentile) and 31 inches tall (98th percentile). He is currently in 18 - 24 month clothes, but I have put a few 2T shirts on him and they aren't overly huge. He is the biggest/tallest baby out of the three boys. He loves to eat, and has recently gone completely onto formula in the last couple of weeks. He wouldn't take a bottle at all until he was almost 8 months old, so I have slowly weaned him, and now he loves them. In fact he often wants more than the 8 ounces I give him at each feeding.
I guess if you couldn't tell I absolutely love my boys. I could not ask for 3 better children. I am so blessed that I get the chance to be their Mommy. Every thing about them is so perfect to me, and I wouldn't change a thing. Even when I get frustrated because raising 3 boys can be a challenge, I wouldn't change a single thing. People I know who don't have children often ask me what I am doing this week, or what I do all day, and don't I get bored. I tell you there isn't a spare moment in my day to get bored. No, not every week is filled with exciting excursions to the zoo, nor is every day filled with tasks that get us out of the house, but there is definitely no boredom. Every day is kind of the same, breakfast, get them all dressed, go outside/play, lunch, naps, go outside/play, dinner, bath, bed, and kind of different because you just never know what that in between meals and sleeping time will hold. That doesn't sound like much, but when you understand that at no point in that day am I just sitting around reading a magazine (wow, you should see the stack of those I have to be read), that I am actively engaged in my children, then you see that I couldn't possibly be bored. The addition of all of the household chores (errands, groceries, dishes, cooking, laundry, cleaning) fill up my days completely. I choose this though. I choose to make my "job" taking care of my children and my family. I am so blessed to have a wonderful husband who works so hard at a job that allows me to stay home. I choose to be there with them when they need me, because they are growing so fast, and one day they are going to tell me they don't need me to help them. Until that day, I will strive to be the best Mommy I can be, showering them with love, respect, and guidance.
I am so extremely blessed. I love my family.
