the kids

I need to write an update on the kids! It's been too long again!

Natalie is learning so much at preschool. She absolutely loves it. I am not ready for her to go to kindergarten. That isn't for another 8 months but we have been informed that Zeeland kindergarten is going to be all day everyday starting next year. I am so bothered by this. I won't be ready for her to be gone that long. It has really made me sad thinking that we only have a short time left until she won't be home with us during the day. And preschool tires her out enough already. Sometimes she is really tired after school. And she only goes 2 afternoons a week. I'm sure she'll love it though. Just in the past couple of weeks, Natalie has been singing 100% on key. There was almost like this transitional week where all of a sudden, she is 'right on' instead of 'almost there'. She loves to sing and dance. And the way she dances... it's like spiritual or something! She is definately becoming a little lady. A couple of months ago, Natalie woke up yelling. Her foot was asleep. Jordan went in to be with her and she started to call out to Jesus. She called out, "Jesus! Jesus! Heal my foot! Jesus, You're the Son of God... heal my foot!" And He did! She calmed down and went back to sleep! We laughed so long and hard over that! Natalie still likes to act like animals. She is extremely good at it. She snarls, gallops, leaps, licks, scrathes... completely mimics dogs, cats, horses, and rabid creatures that freak everyone out! I'm not too concerned that she does this so often because she doesn't do it at school.

Ruby is quite the little lady. She is learning and growing as well. I have not been diligent at all with doing 'school' with her in the afternoons that Natalie is gone. She no longer naps in the afternoon either so I really should work with her more often. Ruby still loves to play with her baby. 'Baby' is as real as it could possibly be to Ruby. She holds her all the time and talks to her. Baby can't stay in the car or she'll get cold. Baby has to go in the bathroom stalls with Ruby so that she can pee too! Ruby gives her baths when I'm not looking (so I have to take her out of Ruby's arms at night to wash it!). And Baby can talk now - a very high-pitched, squeaky talk. Baby calls Ruby 'Mommy' and sometimes Ruby will call Baby 'Sister!' We were watching a movie with the kids one night and Ruby was getting a little scared... Jordan nudges me and Ruby has both of Baby's eyes covered while Ruby watches. She just loves her! How will we ever break her of this?! For now, it's pretty darn cute! Ruby knows her ABCs and can count almost to 20. She is still our little fashionista. We went shopping (but just for Jordan!) the other day and Ruby was very impressed with Old Navy's line of children's clothes! Ruby came out of the bedroom one day crying about her eye. She told me to take it out, told me she had a headache and she just kept carrying on. I had looked at her eye and it was a little red and I asked what was wrong and she just kept telling me to take it out. So after 10 minutes I laid her down and looked at it one more time. I moved the skin around the bottom of her eye and there was a sparkley sequin (about the size of a pinky-nail) made out of cardstock paper! Ruby had put it in her eye because she thought it would be pretty! I had to peel it out of her eye! Poor girl... that was what she wanted 'out'!

And Charlie is 18 months old now! I feel like he's been trying to cut some teeth for too long now! He is an amazing eater. Many times at dinner, he eats more than Jordan and I! Charlie loves sweets and is always dragging me to the kitchen to ask for more of something. He is a FLIRT! He's always playing around with his eyes like the girls did: rolling them, shutting them, batting them for dramatic effect! And it works! I'm in love! He also kisses us all day long, the girls included! Charlie also has this cute little walk that he does where he keeps his knees bent. He knows it makes us laugh but he does it even when he thinks no one is watching! He LOVES tools and helping his dad work and lately he has been getting into everything! I can hardly keep up with him. He is constantly on the go, taking things out of drawers and cupboards and finding new places for things. He's starting to say more words. He says all of our names plus 'grandma', 'more', 'eat', 'ew', 'natalie', 'ruby', 'gary', and other basics. He has said his name already, too which is soo cute! He picks on his sisters all the time and can hold his own when they pick on him. He is playful, he is fast, he can scream like a girl. Today he pulled me by my neck to kiss me on my mouth. Love. This. Boy!

Love. them. all.