September 2016

Jake - 

Loves the mix, belly laughs at kids, His first word is woof woof and it is the most adorable thing because he pushes his lips out and has the most serious face when he does the woof woof - calls dogs woof woof, He is a weird eater man - he chews food and then gets more interested in another piece of food on his tray so then he spits it all out and goes for the other food and doesn’t swallow much. zerbits on belly, cah cah cah - come on is his chant and even the other kids say it and jeff will say cah cah cah and the kids will yell come on then jeff says cah cah cah, crawling regular now but did army crawl first for 3 months, crawls into pantry and pulls cereal down to eat it, obsessed with playing with any balls, likes to play and crawl with scout, says momma dadda and woof woof, obsessed with reading books but he likes to turn the pages the best, when jeff comes home he power crawls to jeff shouting dada, loves when jeff gets his “finggies” which means pretend biting them - really gumming his fingers and he belly laughs, kids want to crawl into his crib every morning and jake doesn’t like it he wants just momma to get him out of his crib, he is the biggest cuddler when you hug him on your shoulder he rests his head on your shoulder and hugs back, he will  usually go to any adult and hug them and put his head down on their shoulder, Lydia and Luke love picking jake up and trying to carry him but Jake usually gets sick of it quickly, jake is an extremely happy and easy baby, he had strep a few weeks ago but was still a trooper and recovered quickly, Jake loves playing with tags in between his fingers when he is tired especially the ones on his wubanubs, when he is super tired and wants to go to bed he lays on my shoulder and makes a hmmmm hmmm sound and i make it back and he copies me and we do this over and over until he is ready for his crib, when daddy puts you to sleep he whispers in your ear “i love you so very much, get a good sleepy, see you in the morning”, RIDING THE BULL is the cutest thing - Jeff holds him on his hip and Jeff puts his hand up and then Jake puts his up like he is riding a bull and they bounce up and down and jake laughs and loves it, he destroys all his shirts by being the messiest eater

Drew - 

Lieutenant Frank Drebin, good bad and the best mooth kiss, lots of beebee, bee bee net en yahoos, huggies and booboots  - which is hugs and back pats, loves to say excuse me for the burp or toot - thinks it is so funny, loves to play with Luke’s friends, Loves his Henrys - Henry beck and ketcham, drewman nettles, wants to go to school everyday instead of only 3 days, very social and super polite saying please and thank you so loud and adorable voice unprompted, he over exaggerated smile with big teeth and squinty eyes, he still likes to sleep in his crib but he can crawl in and out of it, loves sleeping in room with Luke, He asked for funny things for his birthday: golf room, movie theater, swords to hit luke with, slippers, robe, sleeping bag, in a really good happy stage right now just turned 3, in the balloon room at school, all potty trained and never has accidents - he is so proud of himself going poopoo and wants everyone to see it, loves to play all sports and wants to wear soccer spikes to luke’s soccer practices, loves tennis and watching it on the couch with daddy, hates mooth kiss, foobon, likes to eat everything bagels, carrots and ranch, pirate booty, smoothies, popsicles, likes to dress himself and needs to pick it out himself, loves reading at night with daddy, working on learning his abc and numbers, LOVES the farm and swinging, loves bounce house and loved swimming with floaties and jumping in and playing categories this summer at shaw and farm, loved paw patrol in spring and winter of 2016 but now like mickey mouse club and lion guard, his front teeth have cute space in between them and are crooked from beebees, fights and wrestles with Luke from morning to night, extremely smart and loving, loves “skateboard” song which is if that skateboard wheel falls off mommas gonna buy you an elephant, if that elephant runs away mommas gonna buy you a new bee bee. starting to learn prayers at dinner and bedtime

Luke -  

scared to poop because it hurt one time so we have to force him to sit on the toilet and go. Jeff is the only one that can make him go - sometimes it is 4/5 days without going, he says - is eet gonna hooort (hurt), Rules dookey, super into routine and gets mad if something is done outside of normal routine and wants to go back and do it over - like if I’m not in my bed when he wakes up he throws a fit and pulls me back into my bed then we can get up, if he doesn’t get enough sleep he is crazy exhausted and loses it at the end of the day, he refuses naps but sometimes is tired enough to fall asleep in my bed or on jeff, Loves soccer and likes defense - smiling the whole time he is on the field. loves hanging out with his buddies and can’t keep his hands off his brothers and friends because he loves them so much, gets in trouble for making a fist and pushing on jake’s fingers or crawling with him and getting on top of him softly but he says i just love him so much! and he does - he just can’t keep his hands off of him even when he tries, in the superstar room and ms amy is his teacher, loves hanging out with billy diehr and they play so well together. is still shy and quieter around people and teachers but is getting better at talking to others and saying thank you loud, doesn’t want to say sorry and when he does says it mean usually. Luke is obsessed with building and drawing!!! he loves drawing treasure maps and coloring in small area coloring books, he is very talented. obsessed with difficult puzzles and is super organized with all his toys. Loves to build forts and play bball and is learning to ride his bike too now! He is really showing interest now in reading and sounding out words! Wants to learn how to tie shoes too, extremely smart and loving, likes to push the limits and likes to do everything lydia does, loves pork chops, turkey, cheese sticks, cheese itz, Starting to talk back with attitude, loves one boy song at night and scratching his back, says goodnight love you and wants us to repeat it every night as we close the door. Learning to do the sign of the cross and doing well at prayers

Lydia - 

Cuppie, cake of cup, lost her front tooth and has a lisp and looks adorable! Obsessed with singing, music, excited for piano lessons and practicing, first grade spelling and reading words are beyond easy for her and i am having to figure out how to challenge her with other work. she is extremely motherly, nurturing but with that comes bossing boys a little but always for the good! she reads so very well - at least a 2nd grade level maybe even 3rd grade. she is starting to help by bringing dishes over and making her bed. She usually listens really well but she can talk back about everything and thinks she knows it all already. she is very talented at soccer and her competitive nature makes her want to be in the game all the time. She has many playdates and love doing lemonade stands. She is very independent and showers herself and puts her hair up herself. she likes me to help her get dressed for school in the morning because she is so tired, she loves bringing her purse everywhere. she likes wearing makeup and stick on earrings. She loves walking to and from school with Luka, Abbey, and Isabella. At night we cuddle in her bed and she reads a page then I read a page and so on. She is always loving hugging and kissing on daddy and mommy. She asks the most interesting and advance questions - always. She is very good, competitive and kind at soccer. She is extremely loving toward God and Jesus and is always praying and talking about Jesus and His lessons. She loves buying lunch at school and her favorite meal is breakfast for lunch. She really wants mommy to go to every field trip and be at every school volunteer opportunity. She radiates everything wonderful that could be!

Nicknames (per 5/6/16)

Lesley - - Mine, cookie, threepy, go deet, bite you gut it, cute,
cookie-fied cut, bitty gut it, chief runs into walls

Lydia - - Beeboo, bookenz, shah-doosh, quo-dee, meb keflezghi,
cupcake, cuppie, me bow-key, one cuppie, cutes, sweets

Luke - - Hoondsum, duckey, sugar-filled, mankeeto tickle pits,
aza-dookie, biggest oldest boy, gooey

Drew - - Drewman, nettles, foobahn, quesdadore, middle sized guy,
mooth-keese, toon-stenz, huggy head

Jake - - Phalfadore, val viv vevoe, meex, jakey yeah

February 2016

Drew –
Drew talking so cute with sentences - binki fairy story (calls it bee bee), best buddy forever, Mouth (mooth) kiss (keese). Says bad mom and laughs, loves his navy rain boots but takes shoes off all the time and loves running naked and barefoot everywhere including the park( not naked there though) his little hair colic made horns on his forehead. Speaks above normal with his words!!! Asks mommy to sing one boy and rock me and loves to read Elmo potty book before bed. Loves trains and train table. Super silly boy.

Luke –

Cast doesn't want to tell anyone story. Wants to hide it under his shirt really good about it though- like it’s not even on anymore, excited when person of the day. He goes from bashful, to rough, to sweet. Really good with Henry Beck and Jake. Takes care of them like he is their big brother. Obsessed with coloring and painting. Still doesn't want us to say are you ok after he falls or gets hurt. He hits me and gets pissed if I do so I just ignore when he falls. He acts embarrassed. They all believe (Drew & Lydia too) that the elf and Santa talk to me and adults are the only ones that can hear them. They all say I love you and have a good day at school and hug and kiss before they leave for school.

Lydi-
Miss independent but sassy because of it. Loves school but says it's too long. Loves her Principal miss Gearon and has a great joking relationship with her and calls her crabby. Was great at soccer this fall. Aggressive and fast, she scored the most goals on the team. She is doing dance once a week but doesn't love it. The reason she wants to do it is because she really can't wait to wear makeup and her costume in may and be on stage. She loves to sing getting to know you and beauty and the beast song with me. It's adorable and she has a beautiful voice. She can't wait to start piano lessons and loves to sing while playing piano. Her progress report always shows great marks in math and of course reading she is excelling in. She was so excited that she got the golden ticket for the 100th anniversary celebration of Olol. She is extremely social and after school asks "are we doing anything special tonight" or "is anyone coming over for dinner" she helps the boys very much and is their little mother. She can be easily distracted and we have to remind her to concentrate on what she is doing. She loves her iPad and would love a phone and her own Facebook page. She gets nervous about safety things like driving fast or not having seatbelt on. She prays beautifully and has memorized difficult prayers. Play dates are on hold for a while because it's difficult for her to be happy on them with Luke around sharing attention and also after a long day at school. She is the most special, the most gorgeous, talented, brilliant and extremely loving girl we could ever ask for

Jake -

Cutest chubby cheeks, his eyes light up when the kids play peek a boo or just come and talk to him in a baby voice which is almost all the time. Older kids are obsessed with him. He is constantly smiling. He loves to eat!!! He slept in the rock and play next to our bed until 6 months old. He hated sleeping flat, had to do the cry it out and he did so well teaching himself to go to sleep by sucking on his two middle fingers and then also with the binki. He loves banana and sweet potato the best. He can sit very well at 6 months but doesn't want to roll from back to tummy. He loves his jumper. Phalfadoor, Phalfie suits him so well because his whispy hair is always sticking up so cute!!! He lights up when he sees Daddy come home and laughs when he slides down his legs, flies in the air, and he giggles when we kiss and give him zerbits on his neck! He loves his car seat and likes to nap in the car. He hates the bath or any water and screams through the whole bath! We are so crazy in love with our baby boy!

August 2015

Lydia - 17 more days until our first baby goes to kindergarten. She is 100% ready but mom is going to be a mess letting her go that first day. She is so brilliant. She can ready almost anything and sound out other big words. She can open the paper or any adult book and read. She likes to sit with us and add and subtract numbers. This summer she has had many camps because she just adores the social interaction. She asks every night what are we doing tomorrow then after the morning activity she wants to have another activity/playdate! She only naps maybe one day a week when she is super tired. she has rest time instead but by 7pm she is so tired!!! She always wants to dress to the 9s and adores her stick on earrings. she doesn't want to put her hair up or back even when it is hot though. She likes to wear it down and doesn't like to brush it much. she likes to eat eggs, raisin bran, waffles, cream of wheat for breakfast. she is a very good helper 99% of the time. She will run up the stairs and get the boys shoes etc. She will help mom up from the couch when super pregnant. She can not wait for Jake to arrive!!! She wants to hold him all day long she said. she sits with luke in the back of the car now and helps him put his seatbelt on each time! This summer she has really started swimming well! She went off the diving board for the first time and then 3 weeks later went off the 5 meeter platform!!!! She was so brave. It took her 2 times looking and walking down the steps but then her friend Malia jumped and she followed after. After the first time she went off many times! Froto Beekins is what jeff usually calls her. she asks jeff if she looks pretty. she likes when luke sleeps in her bed with her. She gets scared easily. always asks us - is everything ok? she is Obsessed with the phone, texting people, facebook, calling people, asking - who is it as soon as the phone rings.

Luke - Loves drawing and coloring now. He plays so very well by himself at home and his toys and usually Drew. He likes to color with the markers that don't show up unless on special paper. He also likes any cars, little animal toys, and his scooter. He is super silly and talks moron all the time. Jeff and him talk back and forth in moron and laugh together! When he gets mad he calls me bad mommy. Minawash, sir gooey, beh beh beh beh. When jeff comes home on Friday he yells weekend to Luke and points at him. Luke yells weekend back at him points at him. super cute! Luke is the one that wrestles the most with jeff without crying or complaining about it. drew and him are in the room together now but luke likes to sleep in our bed and be moved when we come up or sleep with Lydia. he naps everyday but plays in his bed for a bit before falling asleep. He gets to stay up an hour later than the other two and is so sweet and loving during that time. He either plays well or snuggles with us on the couch during that time. He calls me sweetie mommy! He is extremely loving and shows it. He takes our hands and kisses our palms. He doesn't eat well at meals. Breakfast is the best for him but he loves to have toys at the table and doesn't sit well at the table at all now. We really have to encourage him to eat and keep sitting. he doesn't like to be away from us much. he doesn't like to go to camp but when he is there he has fun as long as charelston or evan is there! he only has 2 camps this summer. He loves to jump into the pool in a silly way off the side of the pool. He isn't interested in swimming without his floatie. He is very happy with it on. he can put his own shoes on and dress himself. He loves teenage mutin ninja turtles, or batman, just because his friends introduced those characters to him. he has never watched the shows. Loves  little einsteins tv. he has really smelly feet in the summer and laughs and wants jeff to smell them. Loves to eat turkey and strawberries. Obsessed with sticks and loves playing aqnd running around at park with his guy friends. He does like to push a little with his friends but I think its just to get their attention. So handsome and we tell him that, he gets silly or bashful. loves to watch playdough egg videos on our phones. excited for soccer this fall! says he wants to play with daddy the whole time.

Drew - Such a sweet loving baby but has just stared getting tons of personality!!! Loves to scream in the car and at the dinner table and tries to talk and tell us what he wants but its hard to figure out what he is saying. He has really started talking the last two weeks though. He says elmo, all of our names, mix, really repeats everything we say, puppy, ball, milk, mio (which means any drink), bug, butt, baby, even says Jakes name and knows he is in my belly. he is obsessed with jumping off the ottoman onto the couch and it makes me nervous.  He loves playing any sport or throwing any ball. He goes to sleep and nap so easily. He likes to read books with you then you just place him in his crib with his binki (ebbee) and he is out.  He likes to get naked or just take his shirt off. We have to tell him to keep his diaper on or bugs with get his bottom. When Luke comes down from his nap Drew runs to him to hug and kiss him like he hasn't seen him in months. Its adorable. When Drew gets mad he tries to bite or scratch and gets cute mad face. Jeff gives him mouth kiss which is a little kiss on the side of his mouth and he HATES it. He comes running to me and wants me to rub it off. As long as I rub it off he is fine and runs back to jeff to wrestle and get in the mix. Has to kiss and hug jeff when he goes to work and asks wheres daddy all day. He has cute birdlurds when he wakes. His little forehead scar from running into the kitchen door frame is looking a little better but he fell outside while running with his chicken wing arms and opened it up a bit again and made a big bump right at the scar. He likes to jump/fall into you from the side of the pool but always has to be held because he is too skinny to fit in the floatie and is scared a little and needs you to hold him. squeezes faces with his fingers and nails. takes him shoes off in the car and screams for elmo video in car.

May 2015

Drew- getting to be big boy. Says many words such as Lydia, bird, shoe, GO! (In the car). Calls his binki an eebee. We want to take it away but he's so obsessed that we give them to him for naps and sleep. Obsessed with sports. Plays basketball for 30mins straight in house and with Luke next door neighbor with real big bball and hoop. Will throw ball to our Luke and Luke will hit it and they run to get ball. Drew sits with daddy and watches all sorts of sports. First word was ball. Runs soooo cute with his fists at his chest and elbow out like chicken wings and he's so serious when he runs. Super skinny waist- he's 20 months but wears 6-12 month shorts. 12-18 size falls off of him. Super sweet with momma! Lays on shoulder and cuddles. Understands all that we say! Wipes kisses off face and makes eyebrow mad face. Laughs and loves being silly with daddy. Loves daring things like being upside down, sitting on top of car or refrigerator. Tries to use scooter already. Won't stop climbing things!

Luke- rule follower, safety guy. Loves to do what lydi does or a friend of his does. Super sweet especially at night with just mom and dad on the couch. Holds all his friends hands! Obsessed with Evan and Charleston his "buddies" from school. Loves when dad whispers in his ear at night you're my buddy forever. Really into ninja turtles now- pjs and underwear. Playing t-ball and has a good arm when he throws! Only orders chicken strips at restaurants. Reads books in bed before nap. Finishing up balloon room now at UUM preschool. Very organized and likes things in their place. Plays and takes care of Drew very very well. Talks in moron talk all the time and thinks it's funny. Gets mad and will try and hit me but then feels bad. Loves bike and scooter.

Lydia- lots of attitude and sass but very helpful when she wants to be. Loves taking walks because she gets to see everyone around us. Asks everyday for a play date or to play with a neighbor. Super social- says hi to everyone she sees and also knows all the names in her school and siblings. Reads at 1st grade level already even though she's only 4 years old and yet to start Kindergarten. Having petting zoo party at farm for 5th bday. Wants frozen party though now. Very spirited and wants things her way. First dance recital this weekend and can't wait to wear makeup and do her hair. All she wants to wear is flip flops and stick on earrings

February 2015

Drew (nicknames have been gop, goppy, gip geech, drettles, drewman drettles, tooban, da fooban, and many iterations of drewman and drettles) - running everywhere can come to you and give hugs and open mouth kisses, wants to do everything big kids do and follows them around, throws food to get attention but is a great eater still, when older kids go into school he runs ahead and wants to play with sand table or his favorite- the kitchen!!!, starting to say words like- all done, apple (he grabs them out of refrigerator and walks around taking tiny little bites out of his big apple), bird, ball, mommy, daddy, yidi, yuke, loves cars and trucks and especially balls and basketball hoop. He lays on shoulder right away when tired for nap and sleep. Smiles and giggles huge with his cute chicklet teeth and squints his eyes. He understands all that we say and direct him to do- very smart!

Luke (nicknames have been sugar filled, handsome dooky, mankeeto tickle pits, my buddy, and many more) - loves school especially his friend Evan, loves coloring and being on computer, building blocks, playing with animals and cars trucks and trains. Obsessed with the train store and will play with the train tables for hours. Learning to dress himself, zip coat, and put on own shoes. He's talking very well and loves to sit and read/look at books. Loves Drew so much and sometimes squeezes him too hard because loves him especially his hands. Always wakes up with birdlurds. Loves the bath and running up and down the side walk. Loves the zoo and train there. Drinks a ton of water, juice, and milk but won't eat much food other than his favorites- oranges, eggs, chicken nuggets, pizza. He won't eat a vegetable! Loves toy story movie and going to library for story time. He loves to play this kindergarten learning game and is great at it. Very smart!

Lydia (nicknames have been Froto Beekenz, Meb Keflezghi, me cupie, beeboo, cupcake, cutie, and many more) - smart as a whip already reading big words and has a photographic memory for sure. Still very social and loves people. She is always asking who are we going to see today and tonight what are we going to do today. She always needs an activity or play date. She is super super loud and we have to constantly remind her to lower her voice. She is obsessed with school but already there is girl drama sometimes that hurts her feelings. She loves to color, write, read, run, take walks, play in snow- but wants to do all with friends or Luke. She is very picky about what she wears and wants to wear stick on earrings and throws a fit when I won't let her wear makeup. She can't wait for kindergarten. She can be smart Alec and talk back to us big time. She likes to talk potty talk and gets in trouble for it but just at home. She has stopped taking naps but is so tired has to got to sleep at 7. Luke stays up with us and is a perfect little cuddling angel for that extra hour.

We are starting plans for our addition this summer to build in 2016.

We love you so much, Mommy & Daddy!

November 2014

drew - drew started taking major steps at his 14 month bday mark. he is now walking from the kitchen to the tv room. he loves to eat and his favorite things now are mandarin oranges, turkey, string cheese, yogurt, grapes, graham crackers. He does this funny thing where he tries to give open mouth kisses but we are always afraid that he will bite down with his cute sharp teeth. he thinks that is so funny. he is super tickelish and giggles at everything. he is still such a sweet, loving, happy baby for sure. he still takes 2 naps a day and sleeps in his sleep sack but now he likes to go to sleep with his cup of milk. He is starting to LOVE reading books and touching all the pages. He understands many words and understands commands. he can nod his head yes and its super cute. he says momma and dadda and sometimes puppy. he is trying to talk more. he has had 3 ear infections in the last few months so hopefully he won't have anymore or the dr may have to put tubes in. He sleeps very well at night. Obsessed with binki still and wants to turn around in the car to see the movie. races around the ottoman with the kids giggling. He loves to play with trucks and blocks. he still doesn't like to sit in the bath but loves to stand at the faucet and bite the water as it comes out. he was a crab and frog for halloween. Nicknames: Dreddles, gip geech, goppy, drewman

luke - loves his cars and buses but is really into building blocks and houses for his little animals. he likes to categorize them into farm and zoo animals. his teachers say that he is advanced in the organization and matching and art areas. she was impressed that he organized his cars by color at school and lined them up perfectly. He loves to listen to books and asks many many questions. he doesn't like to eat much at all. obsessed with candy and chicken nuggets and mio drink. he won't sit in his chair at dinner well and hasn't been listening to us very much. when we put him in time out he just screams and throws things. he is scared of his daddy though. he never wants me to tell daddy any of the bad things he did while daddy was at work. he cuddles on the couch with daddy and in his book reading chair and they talk about how much they love each other. he wants to climb on everything and the winter is not going to be easy for him pent up in the house. his friends at school are liam, billy, evan, and charleston. his teachers say that he is a very good boy but sometimes pushes a little. no hitting, he saves that for home and hitting his sister. they chase each other around the house and luke just learned how to pull lydias hair. he sleeps in a twin bed on the floor now with truck sheets that he loves. on his bday cake he wanted horses and trucks! he LOVES play animals esp horses. he likes to make houses for them. Nicknames: Mankeeto tickle pits, The Duke of Dookey, Sugar-filled

lydia - is getting to understand other peoples feelings much better now and really tries to behave most of the time. She takes naps about every other day and has a big bed in her room now. She  loves to paint her nails and put on pretend makeup. She wears her sequin purse that jodi gave her to school each day and has lipstick and change in it. she dresses herself in funny outfits and doesn't want to wear her hair up unless it is to dance class on Saturdays. she played soccer this fall and was aggressive and enjoyed it but didn't like when she got hurt. she is still a drama queen and says she has a boyfriend at school. for xmas she is going to get a bike and she wants stick on earrings. she loves to wear necklaces to school. She is very advanced in her letters and reading. She loves to read and can sound out many words. She has many books that she can read through already. She has a memory like no other. she understands so much and asks many questions. She is very close to God and prays at night very well. she can say the our father and hail mary already! she likes frozen movie songs but is scared of the movie at times. once she is overtired she loses it and causes a huge drama scene with friends or family. she is a good helper and likes to help set the table and will clean up her toys if she is praised during and after. Nicknames: bookenz kiss, me cuppy, meb kafleezgee,