Our Three Kiddos

Joshua

Grown so much in the past 3 months.  I’ve noticed huge progression as he’s started preschool.  He’s confident in his social skills, asks questions, and talks your ear off.  He is more giggly and breaking out his shell a little bit more.  He has also grown a lot in his writing and drawing skills.  Just two months ago he could hardly write letters well with a pencil, but now draws shapes and is becoming more imaginative with what he likes to draw.  He’s drawn our family, orange race track with double-loop (what he wants for Christmas, airplanes, dogs, cats, trucks, semi-trucks, etc. etc.  The list is pretty much endless. He’s always been very logical and not very creative so I enjoy seeing his creative side shine though. 

He loves his friends, remembers a lot of names, and is sight reading a lot of words.  As we look through books, are out and about running errands, or just sitting near the computer, I’m surprised by the amount of words that he can recognize.  I really should and need to sit down with him more as he’s in this excited stage of learning.  Take advantage of his curiosity for reading and recognizing new words and letters. 

Josh still has a major obsession with monster trucks.  He loves to watch videos of them on YouTube and Jake and him plan on going to a Monster Truck Rally next month.  

Josh is such a tender-hearted little child.   If he gets in trouble, he can mope for another 30+ minutes after only being in timeout for 1 minute.  He takes most things personally (and can be incredibly timid or wimpy sometimes0, but with that is also very aware of others feelings and how he makes others feel.  He tells me he loves me a lot, taps me on the shoulder just for me to look at him giving a sweet smile, and he is the sweetest to his siblings (most of the time).  

I really look forward to what lies ahead for Josh, but also don’t want for him to grow up too quickly.  He’s got full-day kindergarten next year and I’m just not ready for him to jump into that.  I hope that he (and I, mostly I) can be ready for that big change in his life.  We are also planning on getting him into some recreational activities come warm weather.  That might be soccer or tee-ball.  We’ll see when it comes.  I’m so proud of his accomplishments thus far, and hope that I can cherish everything he’s doing as it comes, because it really only happens once. 

School pictures

Learning to color from Daddy

Hat Day at school

"Mom, it spells be grateful!"

Audree

My little spitfire Audree! Oi! That girl.  She is so incredibly adorable and such a feisty girl all at the same time.  She’s independent, wanting to do everything on her own.  She likes to dress herself, put her shoes on, get her own diapers, throw away her own garbage, etc. etc.  As nice as some parts of this is, it’s also exhausting, mostly because she takes about 4 times longer than I would.  It’s teaching me loads of patience, right?    Audree is a girly girl at heart.  Isn’t it just funny how they come that way.  She loves to dress up in her headbands and bracelets.  She enjoys her “princess” dress which is just a really nice Sunday dress that is almost too small. Luckily Santa will be bringing her mounds of princess dress-ups this Christmas.  She loves her purse, loves to have pretty hair (except about dies getting it brushed).  She is also a rough and tumble little one.  Because of Josh (and Jake’s Hot Wheel’s obsession and their cheap pricetag) she likes cars and has her own little collection started.  Most recently she’s become super into Minnie Mouse. 

She is the complete opposite of Josh and at a young age is very dialed in to her creative side.  Most of the time she’s off in la-la land singing about everything she sees, finds, or is thinking about.  She has mad drawing skills and is so much more advanced in that area than Josh was at this age.  She’s incredibly smart, but free-spirited and honestly I wouldn’t have her any other way. 

She loves pretend play, is scared of the dark.  She claims to have pink and purple hair and her favorite colors are pink and purple.  Surprise, surprise right?  

So many time I forget how young she really is, mostly because I feel like in many ways she’s right alongside with Josh as far as basic knowledge, motor skills, and creativity goes.  I have to often take a stepback and remember that her tantrums and behavior coincide with her real age and not how old she comes across to be most of the time.  

I wish I could bottle that girl right up and save her at this age forever.  She is a gem.  So funny, silly and loving.  

Wearing Zach's pants.  Good job Dad! Ha!!

Josh and Audree have recently become fixated on their “things” (also pronounced “fings” or “fangs”).  Ever since Halloween when they had their pumpkin buckets they collect their favorite things and carry them all over the house.  This definitely includes they cannot fit in there like their animals, pillows, favorite blankies, monster trucks.  Honestly I feel like I have a 100 “fings” per kid lying around my floors at all times.  I really need to take the time to get in under control.  Get some bins and limit the number of “fangs” they can have out at a time.  Josh and Audree also love to pretend play.  I’ve caught them playing “shots”, “timeout”, “naptime”, “picnic” and many other play times.  I love seeing them play together

Zachary

Zachary is definitely growing quickly.  In just the past 2 weeks I feel like he’s grown months older.  He sits up, eats solids like there’s no tomorrow, army crawls, gets up on his hands and knees, babbles, and shows so much personality.   He claps, raises his hands high above his head, etc.   He smiles at just about anyone and everyone.  I’m still nursing him because I still really like it, think it’s best for him and because it’s much cheaper.   I’ve started to supplement with one bottle a day at night before bed.  It helps a little bit maybe, but really I think this small boy just has a small stomach and needs to eat often.  Even at night.  We are still up twice a night right now.  I just don’t have the heart to let him cry because I feel like he really is hungry and he’s small.  Like still in the 8^th percentile small, so I’m okay with giving him as many feedings as he feels he needs.  Plus it’s just easier to spend 5 minutes nursing him back to sleep than an hour of crying.  

Zachy is super loved by his family, especially his siblings.  They adore him, hold him, drag him around by his feet (ugh on that one) and just love him.  And he loves them to pieces.  He really has been such an awesome fit into our family.  I’m not sure what we’d do without him.