A long-overdue update

Oh my - this blog is sorely in need of an update! Here's a look into what each of the kids is up to these days.

Carter is three years and one month. He's quirky as always, regularly saying things that make us scratch our heads or laugh out loud (or both). The other day, out of the blue, he asked me, "Mama, did you know that at night, God comes down the ladder, takes the sun away, and puts up the moon? And then in the morning, he goes to the box of suns, picks out one sun, and puts it up in the sky, and takes the moon away? Then he goes back up the ladder."

He adores Curious George, has gotten attached to a little stuffed puppy he carries everywhere whom he calls "Puppy," is extremely compulsive about certain things like the placement of the animals and books in his bed, and has more energy than he knows what to do with. He reads very well now (although it's hard to get him to sit still long enough to get through a page).

He's starting to make some real progress in the potty-training area, thanks to a jar of gummy bears we keep on hand as incentives. He is far from shy, and will strike up an animated conversation with anyone he sees, usually starting with, "Hi! My name is Carter! My birthday is July 17!"

He can be strong-willed and is currently learning about how to ask for something without whining, and how to respond when you don't get your way. He likes bossing his sister around, and we often hear our words coming from his mouth as he speaks to Amelia:

"Amelia, I'm only going to say this one time, and then you have to say 'Okay, Carter!'"

"Amelia, I want you to be my big helper. Can you go get my puppy for me please?"

He eats most anything, although he's not fond of vegetables, and would prefer to live on a diet of gummy bears and Reese's Pieces if he was allowed (but what 3-year-old wouldn't?). He daydreams about playing instruments on the stage at church like daddy, getting to go back to the beach next summer, and has already planned out all the details of his 4th birthday party for next July.

Amelia is just two months shy of her 2nd birthday. Her big news is that her cast has finally come off...

...and she can walk again! It's been a process relearning how to walk; she'd only been walking about 2 weeks when she broke her leg. 

She loves it and wants to walk constantly, although it's still slow going and she falls a lot.

We recently took her to the doctor to look into the "out-toeing" she's doing (her right foot is turned out quite a bit when she walks) and we'll be getting a sonogram on her hip to see what's going on there and if any treatment will be needed.

She talks constantly, and can be quite persistent if she feels she's not being heard. She's an endless stream of questions: "What's Mommy doing? Daddy at church? What's that sound? What's it called?" She rarely says anything that's not a question. She asks difficult ones too, like "What does 'easier' mean?" Tell me, how would you answer that in a way a 2-year-old could understand?

She's learning to share with Carter, and will now cover her mouth with both hands if she knows she's supposed to quietly wait for something. She's super attached to mommy and usually cries at the mere mention of a babysitter. She loves Grandma's house, and asks about her cousin Anna almost every day. 

She knows she's having a birthday soon, and asks to look at the birthday cakes every time we're in the store (she's decided she wants one with balloons on it). In public, she is quite noticeable because of her high, loud voice and constant questions. She was sitting in the waiting room at the doctor's office recently and had the whole waiting room in stitches with her questions:

Amelia: "All done doctor?" 

Me: "No, we're not all done at the doctor yet."

Amelia: "What's it called?" 

Me: "That's a little girl, and it's a 'who' not a 'what.'

Amelia: "Doctor look at legs?" 

Me:"Yes, the doctor will look at your legs."

Amelia: "Mimi show doctor walk? 

Me: "Yes, you're going to show the doctor how you walk"

Amelia: "Doctor say, nice legs?" 

Me:"Um... I suppose the doctor might say that..."

She's very opinionated and loves accessories like sunglasses, jewelry, and hats. She knows almost all her letters and quite a few numbers. She sleeps around 12-14 hours a night and takes a 2 hour nap. I often hear her say, "Mimi tired. Mimi go night-night?" She definitely takes after her mother when it comes to enjoying sleep!

She would live on crackers, bread, and pretzels if allowed. Oh, and birthday cake. She thoroughly enjoyed her daddy's birthday yesterday. When the grocery store clerk asked her, "Who is having a birthday?" she just kept repeating: "Cake? Candles? Chocolate cake?"

She asked me to take this picture and posed intentionally. "Mama take picture of Mimi with fork?"

Luke is growing well and is generally a very good baby. He started smiling recently and will spend several minutes cooing at the mobile above the crib. He is not a great sleeper; he rarely will sleep in the car or when we're out and about, and when we're home he requires a pacifier, swaddler, and his vibrating chair. Even with all that, he's still up many times per night, but not always to eat; he often just wants his pacifier back or to be swaddled more tightly. 

He is around the 75th percentile for weight, head, and height (at last check). I'm guessing he's around 12 lbs. now but it may be more than that. He has a visit next week so we'll find out for sure then.

For Ken and me, these can be tiring days but they are also wonderful ones. Ken has been working hard during the month of August, traveling to various conferences and events, and enjoying serving in a variety of ways at church. I am home with the kids most days, having stopped teaching violin recently. We also spend some time with my parents at their home, and the kids absolutely love the time spent at Grandma and Grandpa's house. 

I do find myself exhausted at times, running low on patience or energy as I change another diaper or clean up another mess, usually with the sound of a child or two crying in the background. But those are opportunities to lean on the Lord for strength, remind myself of the incredible blessings I've been given and what a privilege and joy it is to be these children's mother. 

And there are lots of other moments during the day that offset the challenging ones, like watching Carter sweetly sing ABC to his brother, or hearing Amelia shout "Daddy's home!" when Ken puts his key in the lock at the end of the day. It's not always easy, being parents of three kids 3 and under, but it's a job Ken and I wouldn't trade for the world and we are SO grateful to God for the blessing of our little ones. 

So that's us right now, in a nutshell! Enjoying the end of summer and gearing up for the relaunch of my photography business in September. Living in the good of the gospel and thanking God for his kindness to our family. 

Till next time!