Just thought about writing a little something about our kids since I haven’t talked too much about how they’re doing.
Kade – Our oldest 6 year old. He is our little manager, keeping all the kids in place and is very fast to point out when someone is doing something they’re not supposed to. I read in a Bible study book that it might be a trait of a prophet, pointing out the wrongs in people, which is a really positive way to look at it so I’ll take it. 
Kade is very bright and school is so easy for him for now. They’re still working on very simple things so it’s not rocket science but if there is a new math concept introduced he just gets it so quick he surprises me a lot. He’s also becoming a really good reader and it is pretty easy for him too and something we never had to work on much. The only thing he needs to improve on is his handwriting, but it doesn’t surprise me at all since he has not liked to draw or color ever since he was little. I used to bribe him to color one picture and then he got to do something else. So he really hasn’t had as much practice with fine motor skills until just this year. But he is getting a lot more interested in coloring pages at church and he works really hard so it looks nice. He’s always had a little bit of a perfectionism in him and if he knows that he can’t do something really well he doesn’t even want to try. So he needs a lot of encouragement and cheer leading with some things. But he loves going to school and loves learning new things. Kade is also our huge people person and hates being alone. He even hates to sleep alone in his bedroom so I guess having his little brother with him is a treat for Kade. Since I watch kids during the day there is always someone here to play with which Kade just loves. Even if he gets upset with someone and storms into his bedroom, he’s out in less than 5 minutes having a good time with the kids. Kade has a big sensitive side to his little person too which we need to remind ourselves of sometimes because he feels hurt pretty easily. Overall, he is growing up way too fast and sometimes I have to catch myself because I think he still needs me like he did just a couple years ago. It is a little sad but it is so fun to see him grow into his own person, having his own ideas and grasp new concepts in life all the time.
Anika – 3 years old and a very much a girl. Ehren and I both love having her as our only daughter because she is such a girl, cute and gentle, with a little flirtatiousness already. She can be a huge social butterfly at times, just wanting to be with other kids but she has no problem being quiet by herself, reading her books or play with her toys. She didn’t start to talk very early on so for a long time we had a hard time telling how much she really knew or understood but I think she’s been learning all this time because she surprises me with what she knows every day. She doesn’t try to show off what she knows but she’s listening to everyone and learning new things from her big brother. She loves letters and puzzles with letters so she’s into that now. She has known the alphabet for almost a year now and still likes to learn about the sounds and spelling words. She is also getting into the pretend or role play and likes to play “house” or “tea party” with her animals, ponies or barbies. It is so cute to watch her and Emily (Ani’s cousin who I watch every day) role play together and say things they hear us say. Ani also loves animals and is not afraid of any of them. About a week ago she got a kitten from Ehren and loved her right away. It’s an outside cat but we bring her in to play with her more since it’s so cold out and Ani just follows her everywhere and giggles. I think what I enjoy the most right now is that Ani lets me put as many dresses and clothes on her as I want to, she waits patiently as I try new hairstyles on her and make her look pretty. It’s funny because I’ve always been a tomboy growing up and my mom would have to fight me to wear a skirt, but now I love dressing up Ani for church or whatever. We both love being with Ani especially in the evening because she gets all cuddly and giggly and never gets crabby like the boys when they’re tired at night. Just a sweet little girl, although she can get pretty big screams out of her when Kason is taking something from her.
Kason – our little or big 19 month old. He’s no push over that’s for sure. Usually in a happy mood, follows the kids around and if he spots something he likes he just dives for it without care. The other kids usually end up crying or yelling at him, but Kason could care less. He’s built so strong, looks like a power builder but he can be so gentle. He loves snuggling with mom or dad, mostly mom though. His right thumb still goes in his mouth when he needs comfort and his other hand is rubbing his ear. Kason is very observant though and not much gets passed him around here. Somehow he’s not saying too much but he also doesn’t need to because with the signs he knows and few words he can get by. I think at times he gets little fits when he’s frustrated and can’t explain himself though. In the middle of one of those moments if I look at him and ask what is going on, he starts to talk with his quiet voice, all gibberish so I have no idea what he’s talking about but he’s seriously explaining himself. His favorite shows are Signing Time, which is where he learned all the signs and the leapfrog stories which teach all about letters and letter sounds. We didn’t think he could grasp too much from it but just about a month ago we realized he actually knows most of the letters in the alphabet. When we point to a letter and ask what it is he tells us the letter with a big grin. Sometimes he just says the letter sound instead of the letter like “Duh” instead of “Dee”. We have bath foam letters too so now when Ani is taking a bath with him she quizzes him on the letters and Kason loves it. I’m just really surprised he picked it up from watching that show (I know, the kids are not supposed to watch any tv until they’re 2) because even Kade who we were impressed with at the time was close to 2 when he recognized the letters. It’s pretty easy to miss Kason’s small steps because of all the other kids, but you can tell he is going to be smart and nothing goes by him. One thing he started since he’s about a year old that he just loves to read. Sometimes he’ll pretend to read his favorite books to himself but mostly he brings us books to read to him and once we start there is no stopping reading without crying. He could sit in my lap and read a book after book after book, well that’s if I continue to read his favorite ones or new exciting ones. Pretty much anything about Thomas the tank engine is good, then Dr. Seuss is good, and any ones illustrated by Eric Carle, and a few of Anika’s books that became his favorite too. So if I grab a book that I know he doesn’t like he starts to cry and throw a fit and runs to pick the “right” book and will cry by me until I read it even if I’m reading a different book to someone else at the moment. Kason is just our big teddy bear and we all love him. I say big because ever since he was born he was off the charts on his height. We’ll have to see when he’s 2 to see how tall he’ll be, but people think he’s at least 2 years old when they see him. It’s not fun with clothes either because he’s been wearing 2T for a while and even though he’s a bit shorter than Anika, he could wear her size clothes. He is quite a bit heavier than she is so that is a little strange too. Kason also loves being outside no matter the weather but I have a harder time with it since he is covered in mud head to toe in minutes. Now we finally have snow and Kason doesn’t get dirty, but he gets snow everywhere and with the cold temperatures he doesn’t last out there too long before I make him go inside, his fingers and legs just red from the cold.
