And A Half

Natalie. 6 and a half years old.

Natalie is bursting in confidence and "little girlness" right now.  Even though she might tell you that school is "booooorrring" a quick glance at her with her classmates reveals a confident, friendly and energized kid!  She is a great athlete and competes just fine with the boys in her class.  It is fun to hear her reading simple books and finding joy and pride when she shares her new skill with us at home!  She gives 100% and crashes after school...after a snack she is usually curled up on the couch (sucking her thumb) watching Natalie has lost 2 teeth in the last month and looks so cute! PBS Kids or Psalty the Singing Songbook.  Natalie is still great with Oliver and tends to him well...especially when 25 cents is involved.  She and Stratton bicker and tattle on each other but are each other's best buddies.  They understand each other and their differences make them a sweet little team.  Natalie is sounding more grown up in conversation and is asking more questions about life.  She has some silly girlie sayings like, "easy peasy lemon squeeze" and "I'm totally freaking out!" A ball of energy, emotion and silliness...all with big blue eyes!  That's Natalie :)

Stratton.  4 and a half years old.

Stratton is my sweetheart talker.  He loves, loves, loves to talk about everything, everything, everything.  He wakes up at 5:30 am, walks into my bathroom, hugs my leg then lays down on my closet floor, crosses one knee over the other and starts humming or talking to himself as he gazes at the ceiling...this is routine every morning!  Then he starts to chat.  He prays for breakfast, compliments my outfit, and the conversation keeps going until he is fast asleep.  He is quick to hug, give a smile, a kiss and an encouragement.  He doesn't mind playing alone but enjoys playing with friends.  He and Oliver and doing better together until Stratton is tired and decides that Oliver is annoying.  Stratton still says "tetause" (because) which is so cute...especially when he is explaining away things more abstract than most 4 year olds like eternity.  Right now his favorite word is "appropriate." :)  He gave good effort on Natalie's basketball team but was more concerned with getting to know his opponents than playing the game!  He makes sure that I know he loves me and daddy the best, but clarifies that this is second to Jesus.

Oliver.  1 and a half years old.

I can't believe my baby is 1 and a half!  How can this be?  I don't care how old Oliver gets, I will still call him the baby :)  Oliver is running, climbing, eating, and holding his own in this house!  He is a man of few words but gets his point across just fine with pointing and noises.  He loves his pacifier and even though he is a busy little guy, he is quick to take a moment to run over to give a hug and kiss.  He loves to high five, throw and catch and knock over blocks.  He is 35% for weight (23.3lbs) and 65% for height (33in).  Oliver is tough and doesn't get too bothered by bumps and bruises which is a good thing because he is typically sporting one or two on this cute face on any given day.  He is my best sleeper- going to bed at 6:30pm and waking up at 6:30am.  He usually takes one 45-60 min nap for me a day...but it just depends on our schedule...typical third child on the go!  Oliver loves his brother and sister but they get frustrated when he "messes up their stuff."  He just wants to 

be part of the gang and does a very good job of keeping up!