Isaac's School...

Isaac has been cruising right along with his school work this summer. We have had a MUCH more relaxed (and unstructured) pace. But it seems to be working well for us all. Here are some of his recent works...

This is a little video of him reading part of a short story. I try to have him read one story every day. The more he reads, the more fluent he is becoming! :) He has just recently started to get a little more excited when he realizes that he can actually do it. And the cool part is that he is comprehending EVERYthing he reads so far. He can retell me each story he reads, giving specific details as he remembers them.

And this morning, I had him write a story about his little stuffed animal. He worked hard to draw a picture and then write his story. I reminded him about punctuation, and helped him with the spelling for "tiger" and "name" but aside from that, he did everything on his own. He originally spelled "swing" with an "e" rather than an "i" but when he went back to read it aloud, he realized the mistake and changed it himself! This was the first time he's ever written a complete story, start to finish. Not too bad for his first time!! :) We will begin working on the rules of capitalization soon, but for now, I am just thrilled to see him writing so well. We haven't done any handwriting course with him yet, either. He just picks things up SO easily.

BEAUTIFUL night at Morse Beach Park!!

Five months and counting...

So I have been pretty bad with taking progressive belly shots this time around. It just might have to do with the fact that life with three little ones running around is a bit hectic. Just maybe. :) But before heading out this morning, I decided to snap a quick one. We are in our 22nd week now...so 5 months down...and only 3-4 more to go!! Woohoo!! :) So far, I have been feeling pretty good. Definitely dealing with some back pain and general fatigue (what else is new?)...but aside from that, I actually feel pretty good. I typically enjoy being pregnant. Well...from about week 16 through maybe the 33rd week. :) We are still fumbling through names. We will think we definitely have it, then something makes us second guess and go back to the drawing board. There are still probably about 5-8 names that are in the running. Haha. This little lady may not have a name until we meet her! :)

Conner Prairie FUN!

A fun day at Conner Prairie with Aunt Jess and cousin Kennedy! :)

Sarah was rockin the sunglasses today!! :)

The animal barn was by far the favorite of the day! :)

Girls only tea party! :)

When I smile at her, this is the face I normally get. LOL. LOVE her!!

Yes, that would be a sticker on Sarah's face. The girl is slightly obsessed with having things on her face!

Dee dee LOVED the big fan in the barn!

She pushed her glasses up like this on her own...so she could read. :)

They were hot...and tired.

Oh happy day...

Sarah is sick (again). She's been running a fever since yesterday afternoon. She's had a nasty cold all week and had a fever last weekend. I guess it just doesn't want to go away. Grrrrr! So on this fine Monday, I have decided to document a few things that make me smile. Here there are, in no particular order...

Sarah's beautiful eye lashes.

My little superheros!

Family game night...a new favorite: Quirkle!

I *FINALLY* found this calendar (was boxed up since last June). Yes, it's in my kitchen. And Yes, this makes me smile.

Isaac's chalk art. LOVE me some kid art.

Glanced over to find him making silly faces in a pot. Can see my belly in the background!

Just ordered these babies, and they arrived today! LOVE that there are so many of them. AND they are color-coded!

Sisters

Can't believe that we're about to have a third little lady in this house in a few months!! Good thing they are super sweet and oh so FUN!! :) I hope that they become and remain best friends throughout their entire lives. May they enjoy a sweet, loving sisterhood and friendship that brings them joy forever! I seriously adore these precious daughters of mine!!

Snack time with Sarah

I am SO enjoying watching this little one's personality just evolve! And the more I get to know her, the more I just absolutely ADORE this sweet princess. And it helps that right now she is a TOTAL mommy's girl. They all go through phases, and right now she is all about me. I am her favorite in the whole wide world. And while sometimes it gets exhausting, I am soaking it up while it lasts. :) They say that at 18 months old, she should be able to say at least 12 words. The girl probably says at least 200 or more! I lost count a couple months ago. Today she clearly said, "Open the gate please, mommy!" I didn't even know that she knew how to say 'gate' but apparently she does. She also came up to me earlier and said, "Put deez cose on peez, mommy." (put these clothes on, please mommy) as she was handing me some of her clothes. After I changed her clothes, she asked, "Sahs an yoosh too?" (Socks and shoes too?) Not every word is super duper clear (like saying "yoosh" for "shoes" or "dapoo" for "diaper"). But it is still SO fun to see her little language developing SO quickly. I've gotten to enjoy a bit more one-on-one time with Sarah this week, since the older two were at VBS each evening. It's been nice. :)

Comparisons...

Everyone is always saying how much our kiddos look alike. And we are always scratching our heads, because knowing them better than anyone, we just feel like they look SO distinctly different from one another. I mean, sure, you can tell they are related. But identical? Nah! Here are some fun comparisons so you can see what I mean...

At 13 months old

At 18 months old

Now all of that said, there are certainly times that we catch a glimpse of one of them and it reminds us A LOT of another. For instance, just last night as we were checking on the kids before going to bed, Kevin gasped as he looked at Sarah. He whispered, "Gosh...from this angle, she looks JUST like Naomi." And she totally did! It was CRAZY. So yes...they do have similarities. But we love how unique each of them are!! :)

LOOOOOOOOONG overdue update!! :)

What does one write when they have not blogged in over SEVEN months?!? Since the beginning of this blog, I have never gone so long without a single entry. Have I just been lazy? Am I done with it? Have I been keeping up with their baby books instead? No, no, and no. I guess I've just been busy...and tired. I have such little leftover energy at the end of my days that the thought of sitting down to document the lives of my kiddos is just exhausting.

But as I have recently looked back through my blog, I am saddened by the fact that I have not kept up as well over the past several months. I plan to make up a few blog entries (namely, the big ones, like birthdays and milestones). And I will begin today with just a few pictures and updates for each of the kiddos. Then, my plan is to post at least once each week from here on out! Let's see if I can keep with it!!

Let's start with the oldest.

Isaac is FIVE now. How is it even possible that we have a 5-year-old?!? He is still very much ALL boy, but definitely has a sweet, sensitive side as well. As he has matured a bit over the past year or so, he has definitely gotten more pleasant to live with. He knows right from wrong. And usually chooses right...but will occasionally throw in a random bad choice just for fun. He is a kid, after all. ;) Depending on his sleepiness and hunger, he can also still get moody from time to time. And he is super sensitive to any sort of correction. Isaac has been plowing away at school stuff. He is currently reading at a 1st grade level, and we are about half-way through Kindergarten math. He can name and point out quite a few states on the US map, and has learned a lot of random things in science this year. We don't do many super structured school-type activities at this point, given their ages. The most important thing right now is for them to develop a love of learning and to know God. They do this best through playing, so we do lots of that these days. :) Isaac has loads of friends right now. He loves riding bikes with the neighbors and has gotten to be a great little swimmer at the pool. He still remains a phenomenal eater. The kid has quite a diverse palette! :) Now that it's summertime, this boy is covered in bug bites, knee scrapes, and dirt. He doesn't mind. And thankfully, he's okay with taking showers more frequently now too! :) Overall, he is developing into quite the young man. LOVE him to pieces!!

Now for Naomi. This little peanut just turned FOUR last week! She is still a tiny little thing, weighing a whopping 28lbs and 39 inches tall! That puts her around the 50th percentile for height and just under the 5th for weight. Her BMI ranks just under the 1st percentile. So basically, she is smaller than 99% of other kiddos her age. :) So that makes sense why she can (and does occasionally) still wear 18 and 24-months clothes (though most are 3T)!! Most of her update can be found HERE, at her birthday post! :)

And then there is our sweet Sarah Bear. So far, she is the most boisterous of our three. The girl is LOUD. And apparently has a lot to say. At 18 months old, she is full of life, energy, and sass. She weighs in at 22lbs, 5oz, and is 33.5 inches tall (the tallest of our three at this age). That puts her around the 25th percentile for weight and the 95th for height! She desperately tries to keep up with the bigger kids and does a pretty good job at it, too! She runs everywhere, climbs on everything, and is already riding a scooter without assistance. She has even almost gotten the hang of pedaling her tricycle too. She is always BUSY. She will eat just about ANYthing we put in front of her, and is a great sleeper. She goes down most nights without a fight (around 7:30 or 8:00) and usually sleeps until sometime between 7 and 8am. She is down to one nap each day, usually around 1 or 2pm, and will sleep 1-2 hours for that nap. She is pretty easy going, until she doesn't get what she wants. Hello, toddlerhood! Haha. Thankfully, she is VERY verbal (just like the older two at this age). She speaks in full sentences already. Some common phrases are, "I want to eat." or "No thank you, mommy." or "I wanna go outside." or "I want up, please." She has pretty much mastered the phrase "I want..." and can tell you exactly what is on her little mind. When we ask her questions, she will either say "NO!" quite emphatically or if the answer is "yes" she will nod her head frantically with a big smile. SUPER cute. Our favorite thing to ask her lately is, "Are you okay?" To which she almost always responds, "I'm okay." (pronounced "Um-Ahhh-kaaaa-eeee") Makes us all laugh every time. And speaking of laughter...this girly LOVES to make people laugh. She is a HUGE goofball. Reminds me A LOT of Isaac in this respect. She has a special connection with him too. Many times throughout the days, you will hear her yelling, "Iz-ack!! Iiiii-zaaaaack!" She ADORES him. He loves doting on her often, so it's no wonder. ;) Sarah can name just about all of her body parts (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hair, teeth, head, tongue, chin, shoulders, elbows, arms, hands, belly, back, knees, feet, toes, and bottom). I have recently started working on more specific parts (like wrists, ankles, neck, throat, etc.) She points to them AND says them all. She can also identify most common animals and make their respective noises. She has also started calling extended family members by name, which is super fun. I LOVE this stage of life. She is just soaking everything up and learning SO quickly. She seems to be a quick learner just like her siblings. So now we are three for three with little smarties. It's super fun, to be sure. I love watching each of their little minds grow and develop, but even more precious are their hearts! :) All three of our kids seem to have VERY outgoing, extroverted personalities. They will begin conversations with complete strangers, which has really stretched me and my introverted personality. SO fun to see!!

And now for the last baby Ober (who is yet to be named)! We just found out this past week that we are welcoming another baby GIRL into our family! We are due late October, and are looking forward to meeting this little sweetie pie! Isaac was quite disappointed with the gender, but he's already gotten over and will often remark how he is still the king of the house when daddy is at work! ;) I think he takes his role as big brother quite seriously. And he truly is a wonderful big brother!!