Daniel. Sweet little Daniel. We all just adore him! He is so happy and full of smiles. Daniel has grown a lot in the last few weeks. He now enjoys extended periods of time in his bumbo seat and jumparoo. He loves to grab a hold of anything within ready and try to get it to his mouth. He enjoys having a toy to entertain him. He eats well and sleeps pretty well, sleeping through the night about 1 in every 3 nights and taking several short naps during the day. At his four month checkup, Daniel weighed 17 pounds, 9.6 ounces (85th percentile) and measured 26 inches long (90th percentile). Daniel rolled over last week for the first time (back to tummy) and has repeated this act a few times since. He is wearing mostly size 6 month clothes but starting to transition into 9 month clothing and size 2 diapers.
Ethan is conversing very well now. He amuses me with phrases that he's picked up. He is very stubborn and will certainly let you know when something isn't going his way. He likes to help me fix my coffee every morning. There are several things throughout the day that he insists on doing himself. He doesn't ever like to hold my hand when we're walking outside in a parking lot, but he does want to hold it when walking from room to room inside our house. Ethan has started his own little Bible Study class and can (and does often!) sing his first little memory verse. He has also started a music class with "Ms. Gail." Ethan really loves this class and watches the teacher closely to imitate her words and movements. He is very proud of his new CD and asks to listen several times a day. The teacher likes to work with the children on vocally matching the tonic note of a song after it has ended (in a silly way). She noticed that Ethan was not only copying this game, but had the correct pitch as well. Ethan has been getting both feet off the ground to jump for several weeks now. He must find this to be quite fun because he jumps around the house a lot, and when he's playing and happy he has a literal skip to his step. Ethan loves to color, especially with markers which can get messy. He also likes to push trucks around. He's not as into books as much as he was a few months ago and has a hard time sitting still and being quiet. Ethan is still napping every afternoon. He is usually not as tired as James at bedtime and sings and talks before falling asleep (or "all night long" as James likes to complain). Ethan is wearing size 2T clothes and size 5 diapers.
James has started preschool and his Bible study class and is doing well. Teachers for both classes have commented on how well he reads and writes for his age. I try to take a few minutes to have him read to me every afternoon. He likes to try to read words that he find and sees when we're out and about as well. He has made remarkable progress in the few weeks that we've been reading with him. James is more agreeable these days but still has times where he can be very clingy and whiny. He seems to struggle with unexpected changes such as a substitute teacher or change in routine, but once he adjusts then he's pretty happy. This fall he is taking the little soccer/t-ball class that he also did last spring with Coach Lucy. He quickly felt comfortable with her again and almost talked her ear off the first week. Today he was being a bit of a class clown before the class started by making silly noises and trying to get the other kids to laugh. This is still a good outlet for him and he seems to really enjoy running and playing hard. James is old enough for AWANA this year and has started his "Cubbies" class and learning memory verses. James plays happily for about 90 minutes every afternoon in Daniel's room for quiet time while Ethan is napping. James wears size 3T.
This fall has certainly been full of big changes and adjustments for Claire. I won't lie...Kindergarten is pretty intense these days. It's not just the early bus and long days, but the days are quite full with only a 15 minute recess break. Most things seem to be center based learning where she is with a partner or small group. There are math centers, reading centers, social studies centers, etc. Each week Claire has music one day, PE two days, art one day, and library or STEM lab. Claire loves getting to check out a new book from the school library. She also enjoys any activity having to do with computers. She has started buying school lunch one day a week. She doesn't want me to read the menu to her ahead of time though; she likes for it to be a surprise. Claire has a homework grid where she gets to choose an activity each evening. These include things like "Practice the Pledge of Allegiance," "Write you sight words in rainbow colors," "Count a collection in your home and record the number." Claire behaves very well at school and loves it. She's told me several times that she would rather be at school than at home. She can be a bit of a grouch at home in the afternoon, but I know she's tired and I'd much rather have her grumpy at home than at school. In addition to school, Claire is also playing on a soccer team (although all the recent rain has cancelled several games and practices), taking a ballet class, and going to AWANA. Claire has started saying that she wants to be a scientist when she grows up. At home she still enjoys her Barbies and little dolls (Polly Pocket, Strawberry Shortcake). She likes to draw and write and often chooses to do this during her quiet time.
Matt has been busy traveling to SC a lot these days finishing up a response to a big landfill fire. He continues to work around the house when he's in town. His latest projects include painting the front door and painting the kitchen cabinets. He's also really great about helping out with keeping the house clean--a task that is often overwhelming to me. The kiddos take up most of my time and energy, but I do enjoy cooking, going to Bible study, and a new MOPS group that I've joined. We also still have Brooks, out cat. Not much to say about him except that he tolerates the kids very well and will often jump on my lap when I'm reading to someone. He lets them pet him and when they get too rough, he just walks away. Others don't get to see it often, but he's really a great cat for this crazy family of ours!
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