Good gracious! Behind doesn't even start to describe this!!! I know I can't catch up at this point, but I'd like to record some things before everything gets even crazier, then sometime when I'm up in the middle of the night maybe I can post thousands of random pictures.
We had lots of fun activities over the summer that I'll post mostly in the form of pictures later (I'll have to jog my brain!) John and Eve earned a rainbow of ribbons on swim team. It was such a great experience for them, and they loved it. It blows my mind that Eve, on Jr. Swim Team, at age 6, is doing butterfly (sort of). The coaches are amazing, it's a great workout, great community, great fun, and sure has made them great swimmers. Ellie did great in Guppies, too! Not to miss Jake, he's just as much a fish as the others. Needless to say, the pool was our happy place over the summer.
This year in school...John is in Mrs. Rice's class. She's wonderful. He's not thrilled about school this year because he says it's boring. Part of it is a, what I'm now calling, 2nd grade attitude. Most of it is because he's very bright and feels like he's reviewing material from Kindergarten. His teacher agrees, so we're thinking of different options to challenge him. He is a very good student, reads like crazy, and remembers everything! Eve has Mrs. Seeley. She is also fantastic. She is a little more rigid, and Eve becomes more and more of a free spirit in la la land, so hopefully the two can find some common ground. We're working on introducing a "hurry up offense" with a little focus, but without crushing the gift of her laid back creative spirit. Eve loves school and her teacher. She's also reading quite well, doing well across the board actually. Ellie has Mrs. Looper (same teacher Eve had in 4K), and Mrs. Nelson (hard for me to say that...it's my good friend Holly). They, too, are fabulous. Ellie is still a bit shy at school, but is coming out of her shell a bit, and that's been fun to watch. They are all doing so well in school, and it's just amazing to me to watch how they grow and learn!
Jake is doing quite a bit of learning as well. He just cracks me up. He's talking like crazy, and says the funniest things. When the kids are naked, we call it "Nudie tootie fresh and fruity". A few weeks ago I asked him, "Are you nudie tootie?" he responded "Fruity" with his voice getting higher at the end of the word...almost like a question. It's now a common question that always gets us all laughing. He loves feeding the geese. I was amazed when I asked him what the geese like to eat (seemed like a complex question to me), and he answered, "Sandwiches". He loves all things that go; diggers, garbage trucks, airplanes, etc. For the longest time he'd point out every airplane he heard, ask "where go?" and I'd have to answer, "to the airport". He also is starting, or shall I say increasing, his independent spirit. The other night at the table he forcefully said, "Stop it! Right now! I'm eating!" He's really stringing a lot together and has an amazing comprehension.
2 weeks ago Eve learned to tie her shoes and Ellie let loose on 2 wheels! I figure we need to foster some independence before this baby comes.
I've missed so many funny little things they've said, and there's no way this pregnant brain can bring those things back. One funny moment was when we were playing the game Life. I had a car with a pink peg. We all had a hard time reaching everything, so Eve was taking care of my car for me. When I passed the block to get married, without hesitation or a second thought, she removed my pink peg, put it in the passenger seat, and put the blue peg in the driver seat. Buck and I laughed and laughed and she had no idea why. That's just what they always see at home, so it made sense to her (either that, or she was making a comment about my driving).
Ellie and Jake still have this special bond. They just love each other and make each other belly laugh all the time. The other day I had just finished giving them a bath when Buck came home. They were jumping around in circles, flapping their arms, stark naked, yelling "Daddy's home! Daddy's home!" It's moment like that that just make me smile and think how happy I am to be where I am.
Everyone is super excited about the baby coming soon. It's actually been fun not knowing if it's a boy or girl this go-round. The girls still really want a girl, and the boys still really don't care. The other night we were at the dinner table and asked Siri for fun. It took several tries to get an actual answer, but Siri finally said it's a girl (it was more of an explanation that the name "Baby" is feminine). Oh my! I wish I had it on video. Crazy loud squeals erupted at the table. "IT'S A GIRL!!! IT'S A GIRL!!!" It was hilarious. Eve and Ellie both say that if it's a boy they'll still hold and kiss him, so I think we'll be OK either way. Every night they ask me to put them to bed. Not because I'm the favorite tucker inner, but because they want to hug and kiss the baby goodnight. It's so very sweet, and I love that they all are so excited. The sibling bond they have (even though they fight and argue plenty), has really been one of the most special things I've experienced. I love it.
So there's our past few months in a nut shell. I hope one day I'll get around to the pictures. Big news coming any day now...
