Living Life in a Pile of People

Greetings!

Looking at these pictures, one would get the general impression that my children spend most of their time climbing over each other. And that's not entirely untrue!

The kiddos:

A: We got some BOB books, and he is tickled pink that he can read them. His handwriting efforts are really improving, too. It won't be too long before he launches into real books. 

M: As I was tucking her into bed lately, she explained why she "needs" all her stuffed animals in her arms as she falls asleep: "So that if there was a fire, I could save a lot of them. That's why I sleep loaded up."

E: Our little guy is trying so hard to talk. He's so relieved when he can say something we understand, and gets frustrated when he can't. He likes to shout "Amen!" when we pray before a meal, and is pleased when he hears the word in church, too.

These pics are from his first time exploring the yard for himself. It's finely warm enough, and he was delighted to crawl all over and get extremely muddy.

They look so tall in this one! It's partly the angle.

... and not as tall (they were getting ready to jump).

Considering the way children love to crowd into tiny spaces, I'm not sure why folks think kids need their own rooms!

All on her own bat, she tried to make clothes for her doll out of scraps the kids found in the trash. Poor thing, she was trying to use tape. We may have to have some real sewing lessons.

AND: here's some video footage of the kiddos these days.


Enjoying muffins:

The kids attempt to recite a poem: 

Cruising around and keeping busy:

Valentine's Day

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy Valentine's Day! Here are a few pics and videos.

Our littlest guy seems quite word-focused. Occasionally he'll surprise us by saying something. Two nights ago at the end of the meal he saw his siblings leave the table to go play, and exclaimed, "Done, Mama!" At least, I'm morally certain that that's what his sounds meant and sounded like. He'll also say "nana" if he sees a banana. Waving goodbye is another of his new accomplishments.


Today I was treated to an impromptu Valentine's Day parade:

I'm not sure if he's "driving" this toy because it's a car, or just because it has wheels:

Hanging out together in the morning before church (note the person in the box).

Our weather is a constant yo-yo of snow and then rain.

One of his favorite activities: pushing chairs all over the house. He's also started to push the little table around as well.

(As you can see, the table is traveling).

Here's from Valentine's Day:

Making Valentine's Day jello (in a heart-shaped muffin tin).

Helping prep veggies for the dinner.

Making cards.

The "heart people" were his own idea.

That lid doesn't actually go to that container, but he's determined to put it on. He actually works persistently at closing that container on a regular basis. 

Trying to put his own socks on (by rubbing them against his feet). 

Oh! And we had Margaret's hair cut! She seems to really appreciate the new freedom of a short style. It had gotten so messy-looking, with a ton of new baby hairs of different lengths, and we decided short hair was in order for a while.

These pictures are actually from before V-day:

The "before" picture.

And after!

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love,

Anna

He's a Serious Crawler

Dear Family and Friends,

Happy January! I wanted to share a video of E's new crawling and pulling-up skills, and I've included a few photos as well.

The eldest kiddo is full of "boy energy" these days and needs as much outside time as possible. When he gets too restless inside, we ask him to do fifty jumping jacks, and then he feels much better.

The second born likes to narrate her life with a wide variety of verbs. She's always talking about "darting over" somewhere, and uses a lot of other phrases that sound rather like she's been listening to Thornton W. Burgess books. We even get third person-- "I don't want to do that, she murmured," is something she actually said today.

The little one is growing big fast! He clearly understands a lot of words and is constantly on the move. See the video below for an example.

Pausing to rest at the botanical conservatory.

Sometimes everyone feels a need for the same seat.

The big kids left me alone!

Here he is, on the move and trying to get hold of a book:

This one shows him eating, but he's already gotten A LOT better at feeding himself.

Christmas!

Here are some pictures from our Advent and Christmas.

Love,

Anna

***

First, though, a few videos:

Big brothers are so entertaining:

Baking requires lots of discussion:

Let's go!

Sort of coordinated:

We are into dropping things these days:

Advent

We gave away SO MANY COOKIES this year. I didn't get to quite all the varieties I had wanted to try, but when Sam counted up the ones we DID make, the total was thirteen. So I guess it's probably good I stopped. 

And, of course, cinnamon rolls are a must.

Christmas 

This year we saved decorating the tree for Christmas Eve.

The kids are much more skilled this year at hanging ornaments. Even though the decorating is officially done, though, these ornaments are on the move. It's very mysterious the way they reappear in new places. 

Dressed for Christmas Eve service

Christmas morning: The little guy's first cinnamon roll.

Enjoying their uncle's old hats.

Would it be Christmas without playing a board game? Possibly not.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!