Graham--This kid is at such an entertaining stage. Maddening at times, yes, but he makes us laugh everyday and entertains us frequently with his cuteness.
• He LOVES to eat apples and cucumbers.
• He usually follows along with whoever is saying the prayer on the food. He now eats exclusively at the big table instead of in his high chair.
• The first thing he says in the morning is "Where is daddy?" and "I want breakfast."
• He frequently requests "I snuggle you" when he's hurt or sad or in trouble.
• For the last 6 months he has slept on the floor next to his crib on a blanket and pillow. We've recently tried to transition to the twin bed in the girls room, but it hasn't been super successful yet and we resort to putting him back in the room where we can shut the door and he can't get out. He sometimes wants you to lay by him or sit in the chair or sometimes he just tells you to go.
• He loves to play games and can follow the rules of many of them. It's adorable to watch him play.
• He would be happy to play at the park every single day. He especially loves the swings. He also enjoys outside time on the trampoline and zooming around on his scooter. He is sometimes naughty and wants to head down the road on his scooter. It does not make his momma happy to have to run full speed after him while largely pregnant.
• He loves to watch shows, but once he starts he doesn't want to stop and turns into a demon when you turn off the tv. Thus, he only gets shows on occasion. Team Umizoomi is a current favorite.
• His sneakiest move is to get into the master bedroom where the "school area" is and get on the kids' chrome books. They are touch screen and he can manage them shockingly well. Whenever I catch him he quickly hides under the table to try to stay out of reach. He also did an amazing ninja roll to disappear under the bunkbeds the other day when I was trying to get him for something.
• He gets super shy when video-chatting and usually resorts to ducking into a ball, closing his eyes, and/or turning his head.
• He loves to be chased and frequently insists that his siblings or daddy be a monster.
• Everyday he puts on his "skirt" (one of the tutus from the dress up bin). He loves to spin and twirl in it.
• He frequently carries around Paw Patrol characters and a naked Anna doll.
• Every nap time and night time before he goes to bed, he flips his pillow to the other side.
• He still loves look and find books. Our collection is growing large.
• My favorite is when he responds to questions with a simple but adorable, "Sure!"
Norah--Norah is a great playmate to Graham. They frequently do art, play pretend and play games together. They are good little buddies; they are also the only ones that bite each other. She's a dedicated colorer. Pictures are colored thoroughly with lots of colors. She's the one lucky duck that gets to actually go to school. She loves preschool and we love that she gets to go 4 mornings a week. She's working on learning her letters and numbers. She writes really clearly (she also fists her writing utensils), but she has a harder time identifying the letters she writes so well. :) We're working with her on pronouncing her 's' sounds when she speaks. The only thing she wanted for Christmas was a trumpet.
Caroline--This girl is a great student, even with online school. She is a top reader in her class. In fact, I can hardly find enough books to keep her satisfied literarily. She has read or is reading her way through Junie B. Jones, Magic Tree House, Ivy & Bean, Dragon Masters and Harry Potter. I'm constantly looking for new series and trying to get as many books from the library as I can. The downside to her reading is that she has one more thing that keeps her up way too late at night. Getting her to sleep at a reasonable hour is a rare occurrence. Coincidentally, she's the only child in the family that ever sleeps in. She's losing her teeth left and right these days. She refuses to let anyone pull them out; they get so loose that they end up falling out while she brushes her teeth or eats a meal. She's excelling in gymnastics, daring with her trampoline tricks and attending a running club with Reese Roundy and friends on Wednesday mornings. On my 40th birthday, the kids were all supposed to say something about me. Caroline whispered in my ear "Sometimes I say mean things, but I don't really mean them." It was the best. This girl still adores any screen time she can get. She watches a lot of Just Add Magic on Saturdays. She recently started playing Boggle with Gayle and Emmett. She does a pretty darn good job for a 6 year old! She's also she is such a messy eater. Somehow she gets food all over her face/chin when she eats. :) She's recently rather obsessed with the Korean boy band, BTS--basically just the song "Dynamite."
Emmett--Sweet Emmett. He's great at showing affection and telling mom how great she is. He's a passionate and emotional sports fan. Tears can come as early as the first quarter if things aren't going well for the Panthers, the Utah Jazz or the Cougars. Sometimes there is pounding of fists against the couch, weeping and wailing and then despondent laying immobile on the floor. He loves going to parks and finding friends to play football or soccer with. He's an independent, responsible student. He loves playing games (Boggle, 5 Crowns) with Grandma Gayle. He's on the Easley Battle of the Books team this year and does plenty of reading. He's loving doing basketball clinics at Hillsborough Sportsplex and is constantly practicing on both the indoor and outdoor hoops at home. He's as passionate a player as he is a fan! He's been wanting to learn how to cook some things on his own and now quite regularly makes scrambled eggs for the family. Emmett is strategic in planning what to wear. For example, he always wears his t-shirt with a football player on it under his church shirt, so that he can be wearing it later in the day when he watches a football game.
