Two posts in one day?!

Yep, that's right, I'm on a roll here :)  Or I just have some extra energy tonight!  Wanted to get up some pictures of some of our recent adventures ...

Our new favorite spot on the Oregon coast: Oceanside.  Stunning.

We left the husbands in charge to go for a quick walk :)

Take down.

In her happy place.

Me and my girl.

Books forever and ever ....

Grammy and Gramps sent skates!  A huge hit!

Singing happy birthday to her daddy :)

Auntie snuggles are the best!

Cousins = JOY!

Luke at age four ...

Luke at four is delightful and curious and emotionally driven and hilarious.  He has always been my child that loves to be close -- his favorite thing to do is still to snuggle and read book after book after book.  He is amazingly inquisitive.  He is also my up-with-the-sun (dang) kid.  So interactions at 6am look something like this: "Mom, did dinosaurs go pee?  Mom, are your teeth stronger than my teeth since you're older?  Mom, where were me and sissy before we were in your tummy?  Mom, are Spiderman and Batman are friends?" And I'm thinking, "Ummm, can I just have my tea first and then we can talk about all of these things and more?"  Scott and I often laugh at the randomness and the depth of his questions.  He understands the world through story and through words.  His memory is incredible -- he often brings up tiny details of stories or events that happened months or even over a year ago.

Luke is such a loving and thoughtful little person.  In the van the other day I was telling the kids I was getting ready to sign them up for another little dance class at the community center.  Last time Luke was very vocal about the fact that he did NOT want to do dance class.  I try to let them make their own choices when they can, so he would either sit with me and watch Amelia's class or play with Henri at the park during class (Henri's sister Aven did the class with Amelia). So this time I asked him, "Luke, Aven and Amelia are going to do another dance class, would you like to join them this time?"  And Luke's response was, "Well, Mom, I do want to do dance class this time but I don't want Henri to be sad if I'm not playing at the park with him and he is all alone."  That comment was just so Luke.  Always thinking of how things impact others.  (Both Henri and Luke are now enrolled in the class too!)

Luke loves to swim.  He prefers it to almost any other activities and often asks, "Is it Wednesday yet?  Is it swimming day?"  He is not very interested in arts and crafts -- while Amelia will sit and do art for a solid hour, Luke is usually wrapping up his project in 5 minutes flat.  He much prefers imaginative play, being outside or reading books.  It is just a joy to get to be his mama!  What a sweet sweet age this is.

Always up for snuggle time.

Curious.  Always curious.

Happy spring!

First of many fishing trips to come this year :)

Amelia at four ...

I keep meaning to write a post about each of my kids at four years old -- what they like, what they get excited about, what makes them who they are ... I'm a few months behind but that is how we roll around here these days!

Amelia is a beautifully dynamic girl.  A friend used the word "tenacious" to describe her recently and I had never thought to use that word but it fits well.  I looked it up on Webster:  "strong or firm; determined."  That is my Amelia Jane.  When she has her mind set on a project she.will.get.it.done.  I love that about her -- that focus and drive will serve her well.  I've realized in the last four years how much I need to be a student of my particular children.  How my role is to help them channel their gifts, not to decide what they are, but to recognize them and help facilitate their development.  So I've prayed for eyes and a heart to SEE them -- really see them for who they were made to be ... for wisdom to know when to step in to help guide them and when to just let them be.  For ways to connect with them in the ways that they will understand love best.
 
Amelia loves to move.  That girl is always on the go.  She is fast and she is strong and she is coordinated.  Her first question on the way to school is always, "Is it gym day today?" because she knows that Wednesdays their preschool gets to use the church gym.  We went for a family hike last weekend and brought the ergo just in case but Amelia hiked over 3 miles!  We started the kids in swim lessons when they turned four and they really love it.  They often ask, "Is it Monday yet?"  Amelia has become very interested in time and routines.  She likes for me to talk through the days of the week with her ... "Monday is a school day, Tuesday is the day mommy works, Wednesday is a school day ..." etc.  She likes patterns and routines and knowing what is coming.  She is a kid who does well with having a heads up about what will be happening during the day so she can be prepared.
She loves music -- often requesting that songs be turned on for "dance parties."  Dress-up is a very favorite activity at this phase so she often comes out of her room after quiet time dressed in every single item (or so it seems at least) from her dress-up bin.  Amelia loves art -- she loves to paint, draw, decorate anything and everything with stickers.  Her favorite color is pink.  She loves anything sweet.  Anything.  She really is a great eater though -- the only thing I've come across that she won't touch is brussel sprouts.  Fair enough.  She is a big four year old!  I lost the paper from her well child check that had her height and weight on it (because things literally vanish around here with two "helpers") but her percentiles for both were 95-99%.

For the last six months or so Amelia has been in a mama phase.  As babies Luke was the one who was more attached to me so this has been a very special time for me to bond with Amelia.  It almost hurts my heart sometimes just how much she wants to be with me.  Because I know it won't always be the case and I'm trying to soak it up.  When the twins were babies it was very important to me that bedtime was quick and efficient.  It had to be because one of us was often alone during bedtime and when you're outnumbered you don't have long drawn out routines.  You do what works.  But now I treasure bedtime.  We all have family snuggle/book time on the couch and then Scott tucks Luke in and I tuck Amelia in.  We sing our same six songs and have a back rub and then she always asks the same question:  "Mama, will you stay for much longer?"  And as often as humanly possible my answer is, "Yes, baby, yes, I'll stay for much longer."

Dress-up with Caroline!

Sleeping on mama after her four year vaccines

Always her best self when she is outside and playing hard!

And they are FOUR!

And Luke and Amelia are FOUR -- I never would have imagined that birthdays were hard on the parents but every year I have a good cry around their birthday -- tears of disbelief that they're so old and thankfulness that they're here and healthy and joy about remembering the fun things about the last year of their lives.  This birthday was a sweet one as it was the first time they were so aware of everything happening and had been counting down the days.  They loved waking up to balloons on their chairs at breakfast and having cupcakes at preschool.  We did a small evening party and I think the adults had as much (or more) fun with the superhero theme as the kids :)  Happy birthday, sweet Luke and Amelia -- you are so loved!

Happy New Year!

2014 ended in the ideal way in my world:  rich in relationships.  Three dear friends and I were gifted a weekend away at the coast and so four young mamas spent two days debriefing life and parenting and what-the-heck-happened-to-us-these-last-few-years.  It was refreshing to be with three other transparent  mamas who love their families with everything that they are but who also need to take a step back from them to help us get perspective.  I'm grateful we were able to just be together (how quiet it seems without 7 little kids!) and laugh and share and cry.  Good group parenting therapy session :)  

The glorious Oregon coast!

Michelle, Danielle, Lindsay -- thankful every day that I get
to navigate parenting with such wonderful people.

And then the cousins arrived to be here for the holidays!!!  Luke and Amelia were beside themselves -- counting down the days until "Caroline and baby Addy and Auntie and Joe-Joe" would be here.  And Buddy and Samantha, of course.  Amelia informed me today that Samantha is her best friend.  What can I say?  The girl loves animals.  We had a blast -- sledding and hiking and sharing meals and just being together.  When we found out my sister and I were only 10 weeks apart in our pregnancies with the twins and Caroline I had no idea what a gift it would be to get to have our kids be so close in age.  It's so much fun!  It's a circus to have 4 under 4 all together -- but a good (as long as everyone is fed and napped) and very noisy circus :)  

Sledding was one of the highlights -- the kids just loved it!

Stories with Gramma!

My loves.

To not have to bribe Amelia to smile for a photo means she was having
so much fun!

A muddy Christmas Day hike!

Amelia Jane.

These four!  Wish I could freeze time at these ages.  So fun.

Merry Christmas!

And now ... to get ready for these two to turn FOUR!

Holiday fun!

These two are all about the holidays this year!  They've been talking about "the Thanksgiving party" for the last few weeks and are obsessed with Christmas.  I'm not sure I've been this excited about it since I was a kid -- the last few years were fun but this year they know all.about.it and it is just downright joyful to share in the excitement with them.  It feels really special to be making our own family traditions.  I have so much more to say and things that I want to write down before I forget ... but tonight is just a night for pictures :) ...

Fall leaves and favorite "sparkle shoes" ... it's the little things

Keeping warm with her daddy

Snuggles!  (And curls!  She has legit curls!)

It's hard to get pictures of here these days so I'll take them when I can!

Happy Thanksgiving!

These two are all.about.Christmas right now.  So fun to see this
season through their almost-four-year-old eyes

Because we could never leave for school without our favorite 29 items!

I know I'm biased as his mom and all but could he BE any cuter?!

The Sunday night dinner crew.  And Aven's pose?!  Too much.

Tucson!

We were both back to work bright and early this morning so I'm having fun looking through pictures and remembering a wonderfully relaxing and sunny week just spent with Grammy, Gramps and GG Edna in Arizona.  The sunshine, downtime and family time were good for the soul!

Butterfly gardens!

The kids are all.about.Clifford right now.  And Luke is always
all about having a lap to snuggle on!

Or shoulders!

Giraffe feeding session!

Fall, Arizona style.

Glorious.

How much does Luke look like Scott did?!