Jane at 18 months

Jane turned 18 months old on February 19. She weighed in at 28 pounds, 9 ounces and was 34.5 inches tall at her check-up. That puts her in about the 95th percentile for both height and weight. Jane is a very determined, spunky girl with lots of energy. She loves to mess up Fitz's train tracks and run off with a piece or two now and then. She loves Winnie the Pooh and asks for him by name (either Pooh or Winnie the Pooh). She loves family singing time and does a lot of the actions. She is our best eater, happily partaking of everything from bell peppers to steak. She even eats kung pao chicken! She loves the blanket her Grandma made for her and insists on bringing it with her when she gets out of bed in the morning. She loves all of her family, but is a little nervous about people she doesn't know that well. She enjoys nursery, but always cries a bit when Mom or Dad drop her off. She says a ton of words (ball, no, go, hi, bye, more, all done, up, down, banana, outside, chicken, oopsie, uh oh, whee, oh man, oh cool, oh no, whoa, oh nuts, tree, baby, shh, e-i-e-i-o, cat, Mom, Dad, Katie, where's Katie, shark, teeth, door, etc.). She loves to get her teeth brushed and especially likes it when I let her turn on and off the bathroom light. She loves to play outside and to dance to music. She loves to look at books. When you say chicken, she will put her arms under her armpits and say, "bok, bok." She claps and folds her arms for prayer. If you're lucky, she'll give you a kiss. She has one adorable dimple on her right cheek. She is super cute and fun and loved everywhere she goes. She completes us!

Fitz at 3 years, 11 months, 1 week

Fitz will be 4 years old on March 29. He is obsessed with sharks and trains, but loves pretty much all animals and cars and planes as well. He loves superheroes and wears Alek's blanket around his neck like a cape (but it has to be that blanket; don't you dare try to give him another one). Fitz is a rough and tumble kid who likes to wrestle and play fight, but is sweet and obedient. He's laid back and happy-go-lucky. He loves school and is doing well there. He gets very excited to get on the bus. Josh talked to his teacher today and she said he is just a joy to have in class. He has several friends he has gotten quite attached to, he does whatever he is asked to do by his teachers, and is a quick learner. His vocabulary grows every day. Over the weekend, he fell down in the yard and told Dad, "It's okay. I'm not hurt." He knows his colors and shapes, can count to 20 and is learning the alphabet. He is an extremely talented sleeper, slumbering while Charlie jumps on their bed or occasionally on him. He loves all his brothers and sisters and enjoys playing with them. He loves to sit with Auntie Kim and Uncle Aaron at church and is so happy Auntie Kim is in primary with him. He had a hard time leaving nursery behind but has now settled into the routine of Sunbeams. Fitz is cute and fun and funny and brings a lot of sunshine into our home.

Charlie at 5 Years, 10 months

Charlie is going to be six years old on May 3, but you can see from the above that he is still our baby. This picture was taken right after Charlie dressed himself for the first time, on February 22 of this year. We were all cheering and praising him as he completed his task and he was quite pleased with himself as well. That beautiful face says it all. Charlie still rarely says words and is struggling to communicate in other ways. He was having a difficult time last month and was often crabby and frustrated. He seems to have come out of that and is doing better. Maybe he had the winter blues, just like the rest of us. Charlie loves to jump and spin. He loves Winnie the Pooh, Cars and Finding Nemo. He loves movies with animals, especially sea life. He loves to eat and eat and eat, and is getting a little better about sitting at the table to do so. Certain noises bother him, but he can usually stand them by plugging his ears. Charlie loves soft, squishy mattresses, blankets and pillows and especially loves Grandma and Grandpa's bed. He loves school. He loves to be outside. He is a happy boy, and we all adore him.

Katie at 7 Years, 4 months

Katie (aka Katie B, Katie Anne, Kitty Cat, Katherine, #2, etc.) is 7 years, 4 months old. She asks just about everyone she meets when their half birthday is and will then happily share when hers is (May 3, Charlie's birthday). She can talk your ear off, but fortunately the stuff she says is pretty interesting or just flat out delightful most of the time. She's extremely expressive and pretty silly. She has a flair for drama. She loves dolls, ponies, dress-up, sharks, Star Wars, superheroes, Legos, dresses, make-up, and art. She loves to dance and to sing. She especially loves to sing with her cousin, Alesha, either well-known or improvised songs. She enjoys school, but is a little sad about some of the kids who are mean to her sometimes. She loves to be around other kids and to play. She has a great imagination and will tell herself fantastical stories when there is no one else around to play with. She is in 1st grade and is just starting to learn to read and do addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. She wishes she could do chemistry and physics like Alek. She adores all her siblings and is a good sister. She is very helpful around the house and with the kids. She loves to spend time with her Mom and Dad and with Grandma and Aunt Doreen. She says, "I'm a very beautiful princess, but the kids in my classroom are very disrespectful and I feel we need to be very kind to each other. My family loves me very much and they very kindly like to play board games and card games. One of my favorite things is going on vacations. I love my Nana very much and I want to see her."

Alek at 13.5 Years

This is my firstborn, my Alek, just 4.5 months away from his 14th birthday. He is 5'3" tall and weighs about 95 pounds. He's in the 7th grade. He loves to play video and computer games, play basketball and soccer, run, eat sweets, read, joke around, build legos and watch movies and TV. He likes girls. He is a little embarrassed by Mom and Dad in public, but he still talks to us about anything and everything, which is awesome. He is great with his younger siblings, who respond well and look up to him. He is a very bright young man, but struggles to pay attention -- in school and everywhere else. He loves science, math, history and reading, but is not a fan of writing, much to my sorrow. He is a talented singer and actor. He sings with the ward choir and sang "Angels We Have Heard on High" as a duet with me in sacrament meeting during the Christmas season. I was beaming from ear to ear the entire time, and it was truly one of my favorite experiences of all time. Alek loves to dance Gangnam Style, and doesn't get too annoyed when Katie and I get down with him. He's very handsome, as you can tell from the above. He is currently the 1st counselor in the Deacon's Quorum in our ward. He played on the school basketball team this winter, learned a lot, and is looking forward to playing again in 8th grade. Alek gets along with and enjoys people of all ages. He is a good person and I enjoy his company, even if his overabundance of energy sometimes wears me out.

A Poem for Alek

Bird

Youth can be given a bad seed
Which holds the mind and heart in check
And slows the thought
And slows the mood
So that one
Sits more frequently on branches and
Isn't as flighty
Does not squawk as much
Maybe sings less

The pill
That stops the singing
The song which is misunderstood
Only
to be something other than what it is

The bird
Whose song goes with the eye
Where it looks
Goes the heart
From branch to branch
Moment by moment

A bird
largest animal on the planet
Needs no remedy

       -- by Zachary Phillips, Alek's teacher


Leave your impressions and interpretations in the comments.

Josh is Funny

I am having fun with Josh, torturing him with these questions I found online:

http://www.corebloggers.com/blog/fun-questions-to-ask-your-boyfriend.html

#9 asks "Do you hate your boss? Why?"

Josh said: I'm the boss. I love the boss.

It's probably not translating in writing, but it was hilarious.

#13: What is the most embarrassing thing you have ever done in your life?

Josh: My teenage years

He makes life fun. I am a lucky lady.