Happy 5th Birthday Emma Jean!

Emma Jean, you finally turned 5! You have been waiting to be five for a long time now...ever since your friends turned five last Fall. And then on your first day as a five year old - you come down the stairs and ask, "how long till Im six?!". My dear girl, you're growing up too fast.

This has been a busy year for you! You graduated from preschool, learned to ride your bike, moved into your OWN room, and got to ride the school bus for the first time during summer school.

You have also grown so much! Looking at your picture from the beginning of the school year, to now and I cant believe how much you've grown. And not just in height, you too have matured into a lovely young lady. You have such a sweet, sensitive heart - it breaks my heart when you cry during an emotional commercial, or when you hear a 'sad' song on the radio. I pray that your heart remains open and sensitive, and that what breaks God's heart will touch yours and shape your life into a caring life.

Happy Birthday Robert!

We celebrated Robert's birthday, and slightly-belated Father's Day, with a day at the Children's museum and a pool party! The best part, all the kids were there celebrating with him, as Austin was visiting us for a couple of weeks. A real gift for all of us!

Mimi is One!

Miss Eliza Leigh, my little Mimi! You're a toddler now! You share a birthday with your Great-Grandma Jones, and this past weekend we celebrated your and her one-ness (your One and her Eighty-One!). A big one year old, you've mastered all you're baby skills and are now on to bigger and better things. You've started walking, still a bit tippy, but you certainly prefer being upright....and up-high. By far, you win the prize for the family climber - up and down the stairs, desks, chairs, and anything else that will get you a higher vantage point. Its a miracle you dont have more lumps and bumps on your little pea-head. And speaking of 'lumps and bumps', your sisters have had their hand in a few of your welts along the way, but you can't seem to get enough of them...its apparent you love them like crazy. As much as we try to keep you away from their rough attention, there's no where else you'd rather be. Emma carries you around like her own personal doll. Eden has started doing it too...but with slightly less carrying, more dragging. You dont seem to mind though and love just being in the middle of all their antics. You are also our little entertainer, and love to play peek-a-boo, and any other game that lavishes attention your way. You're even talking a bit - Dada, Mama, Mema (Emma), Chester, & up; and have no problem getting anyone's attention. I didn't think anyone could top Eden's volume, but yes YOU did!

Your favorite things to do are teasing your sisters (stealing their blankies and running away), wrestling with Daddy, and hanging on my leg. You love to dance, and sing...your little voice singing in the back of the car melts my heart every time. You are such a snuggle-bug too! There's nothing sweeter than you popping your thumb in your mouth, grabbing your ear with the other hand and dropping your head on my shoulder to snuggle. Your favorite toys are your baby (or any baby), stacking toys - but you mostly just like to empty things: cupboards, drawers, and anything organized. Recently, you picked-up the nickname Mahem.

We love you forever and ever Ms. Mimi. Happy Birthday!

Eden Turns Free...er, Three

(Yes, she burst into tears shortly after this pic...we wont be singing Happy Birthday to her anymore)

Eden Kay! You are a three year old (or free, as you would say). You are such a super-smart little girl. You have things figured out before we have chance to, most of the time. Talking up a storm...literally. You have one LOUD little blowhorn, Miss! Holy cow. Thankfully, most of what you do say is hilarious. You keep us rolling. Last week during our bible study, you told us that "Jesus likes pickles" - of course, we had to agree with you.

Some of your favorite things to do are, of course, playing with your sisters. You and Emma are quite the rockstars singing along to the Donut Man and Bullfrogs and Butterflies. You love to play house and have a very creative imagination (i.e. using the fridge as an elevator, etc.). You love to read books; play outside in the muck, mud, snow, etc; ride your tricycle; and color & paint. You have also become quite a good little helper. You love to help me in the kitchen with cooking and dishes, and you will do anything for Eliza.

You certainly have a mind of your own too. You wore your Christmas dress to your party, try as I might with convincing you to wear pink or ANYTHING else. You told me that Auntie Jen couldn't come to your party. Of course, I asked you why, but to no avail. I pleaded and told you she would be so sad; to which you replied, "she will only be sad for a little bit, Mom". I asked you if she could come if she brought you a present, and you said she could just send the present with Uncle Jay. Luckily Auntie Jen still came, and I think you forgot about uninviting her and didn't kick her out. All that to say, that you are very determined, know what you want, and are forgiving most of the time.

We love you Eden Kay! We thank God for you and are looking forward to seeing you continue to grow into a beautiful young lady.

Hope For Spring!

Its been a long winter here...really long. Tons of snow, lots of subzero temps, lots of flu/cold bugs. We're all over it. On the way to school today, Emma actually said "hate" when to referring to the snow. Im pretty sure its the first time she's used that word...that's huge for a kid. We're starting to dig our way out though - literally and figuratively - the snow is melting (we saw our grass a week ago, only for it to be burried again, but at least we know its still there); we're on the mend (just some stuffy noses, and another few days of antibiotics for Eden - the first ever round for any of our kids-which will likely help her hearing get back to normal after an epic earache); and are looking forward to new and promising changes for Spring.

So, its been awhile since I've blogged, so here is a quick update on all of us:

Eliza is 10 months old. Crawling all over the place. Standing, occasionally on her own. She's starting to hold-her-own with her sisters. She's also starting to chat: Da Da, Ma Ma, outside, shush, and Chester. Im guessing her next word will be NO NO, since that's what she hears all day long.

Eden is a couple weeks shy of turning three. She wants a Spiderman birthday cake, and wants to wear her Tinkerbell dress...which when I really think about it, fits this little spitfire just right. We'll see though, her big sister has been really pushing the princess idea...it could go either way at this point.

Emma is a couple months shy of finshing preschool. She's mastered her ABC's and 123's, can spell her whole name, and is becoming so independent. She's all signed up for Kindergarden, and is excited that her teacher will be her Uncle Jay. She's also been practicing hard at ballet class, and her spring recital is next week. We're all excited to see her performance.

I am just happy everyone is on the mend. It makes for some loooong days stuck in the house. Robert was working out-of-town during the thick of our illnesses, and my Mom had to rescue me a few times; selflessly taking care of my sicky babies, while I was down for the count too. Im back at work though, and willing the snow to melt faster, and the sun to beat hotter.

Robert has been busy with school and work. He's been working part-time for a company that builds sports domes. Its kept us afloat and he seems to enjoy it for the most part. What he's really excited about though is a venture that him and an old work friend are about to undertake. They're starting a new company, making/designing some electrical doohicky that saves energy...like significant energy...for homes/businesses. Yes, that's a technical term. Ha! Anyway, he's been busy looking for office space, applying for patents, budgeting and planning; and as of May 1st, they'll be an official business!

So, thats it in a nutshell. Hope everyone out there is doing well too!

Peek-a-Boo and Green Beans!

This is what happens when you play peek-a-boo with your bib while eating green beans. Yum.

There's a nice little peek at her shiny new tooth too!

Eliza is 7 months old!

This little peanut is already 7 months old. She's movin' and grovin' trying to keep up with her sisters. She loves to bounce and smile. She hasn't quite got the crawling thing down yet...but she's fast as lightning and can get anywhere she wants faster than you can catch her. Eliza loves her sisters, and they love her - too much Im afraid, as they CAN NOT leave her alone. Eventually she'll be big enough to bear the brunt of their affections, all little sisters come into their own, but until then Mom and Dad will continue to be her defenders. Anyone got an infant helmet and eye goggles we can borrow?