I've taken a break from a few things. 

I miss keeping a record of our growing family here.

So, I'm back with older children.

EIGHT, SIX and (in just three days) TWO...

What have they been up to?

Big E

Reads chapter books like crazy. 

 (as in stays up all night. )

  which Mr. Dreewes has pointed out, among other things reminds him of me.

Has decided to let his hair grow.

Plays Axel F on the piano

Loves to shoot his friends

 (with nerf guns or on the xbox game - HALO)

Likes sushi but

      not grilled cheese sandwiches

      (not a trait he inherited from me...)

Miss E

Has a love for girls, of all ages.

Reads signs aloud in the car

Prefers "ice cold water, with ice in it"

Creates art and lovely sweet notes 

   ( prolifically )

Can brush her own hair

Dislikes smoothies. and chunks in yogurt

  likes going out to Thai food with Dad.

Little E

Performs all his own stunts

  (first child to go to the ER, first child to chip teeth...  and so on.)

Loves to do wooden puzzles.

Gives the sweetest hugs in the known universe.

Likes grapes.  (which could be grapes or strawberries.)

Is wearing big boy undies.

I'm sure I've missed a few really important milestones, and forgotten funny stories.

But to sum it up

 :  Our kids are sweet, crazy and very smart.  and we love them to bits  :

the e's

Wordless Wednesday

Miss E's Quotes.

"When we get a dog,

I think we should get a...
Golden Re-fetcher."

"I'm looking for rocks...

with crystals inside,

Lighting Rocks."
(Thunder-eggs a.k.a. Geodes )

"Is my marshmallow

Silver-Brown yet?"

Birthday Tea Party

Photos from Miss E's Birthday

Miss E describes Snoring...

Miss E walks into our room, looking very tired. "Brother E is making this snarly noise while he is sleeping... And I don't like it. "
"It's like bumps in his nose. And I don't like it..."

Easter Pictures

Miss E is officially FIVE...

that is all.

Miss E on Mad Survival Skillz. YO.

We have discovered Man vs. Wild on netflix recently...
Bear Grylls is a dude who gets dropped off in wilderness situations, and demonstrates how to survive and get back to civilization... He crafts a shelter, hunts for food, navigates wierd terrain, etc.
The kids are pretty impressed.
Everytime we are out hiking "Oh, look! I can climb this like Bear Grylls!"
"Bear Grylls would eat that if he had to survive..."

About 30 seconds into an episode, sweet Miss E announces "I hope he kills something soon!"

Yes, you might want to take her on your next trip to the wild.

our october news..

☼ Big E ☼

Doing well in school. He has surprised me with a natural math sense, that I do NOT possess. He is smart, smart, smart. It's amazing to watch him be challenged and then to be surprised at his own ability.

This month he lost his top front teeth.

That's six teeth gone now.

It's changed his face from a little guy face to something bigger,

older and a little sillier.

His love to cuddle and have his back scratched remind me that he is still my little guy...

☼ Miss E ☼

So girl.

Most conversations include "pretty" and most projects include glitter.

She is crazy smart just like her brother,

and enjoys listening in on the more advanced lessons

and blurting out the answers. Or just loud guesses.

She loves to help - with cooking, baby watching, closing car doors, shopping...

It can become a crisis of disappointment and drama if a job is not available.

In general Miss E is all sweetness or all tears.

Searching for attention in a busier year and a bigger family.

We make sure to have time with the kids as individuals,

for small things like a trip to the hardware store with Dad

or playing at a friends house without siblings.

I'm sure it could happen more often...

Any other ideas?

☼ Baby E ☼

Smiles at everyone.

This month has been full of big milestones.

This month we are

six months old,

scooching around the floor,

getting our first two teeth,

trying out solid foods,

sitting up unassisted,

making new intentional noises.

And he rediscovered that he can stick his tongue out.

All the time.

Baby E also had his first solo adventures as

Mommy and Daddy did some celebrating at a wedding.

A triumph! And a might big shout-out to our brave friends

who took such good care of him.

Longest Post EVER. part four

PART FOUR

Miss E gave herself a hair cut. . .

"It was in my eyes."

It's a typical part of childhood. I guess.

It's also scary to find piles of hair through the house...

It was really long . .

and I miss it sometimes.

But new shorter hair has less tangles.

AND THAT ROCKS!

Longest Post EVER. part three

PART THREE

What else has happened...

Little E turned 3 Months Old!

We started doing Cloth Diapers. (saving some CASH dance!)

and he's just beginning to giggle...

It's going to solve some world peace problems!

Our area is having a Heat Wave.

Pink cheeks are the new look around here.

Sitting in the creek is the new hangout.

Mom also got a paid photography job.

Hello, Senior Portraits!

umm, apparently I should make it clear that

is graduating senior not senior citizen . . .

and Dad even watched our sweet nursing baby.

who hates the bottle.

and the binki.

Big E lost his third tooth. And THREE more are wiggly.

He's drinking all his food through a straw this fall...

Dad is starting a project at church,

leading a team of men installing the sprinkler system!

Mom is helping by putting the yummies in the tummies.

(also called bringing lunch -by people who don't get as much time with the Good Doctor Seuss...)

Longest Post EVER. part one

Dearest Blog, I have been meaning to post all month.

It seems like we have been busy for a while.

What have we been up to?

SO MUCH!

PART ONE

Vacation Bible School.

" All Aboard "

God provided such a super-awesome-fun-healthy-exausting distraction while Dad was out of town ! ! !

The E's got the energy out, played with friends and learned fun songs.

Even Little E had a good time with plenty of arms to hold him.

And we can't forget SNACKS – Every night Miss E amazed Dad with a detailed description of every treat she received that day!

And as an added bonus Mom got to be the photographer for TONS of kids having a blast!

Good Morning.

Did you know...

Babies, even newborns can imitate facial movements.
When Baby E first came home,

I told big sister to stick out her tongue for him.
He copied her & she knows that she taught him this game...
It's fun for Daddy too.

Super Saturday.

The two Big E’s used to have one night a week that we let them cuddle and sleep in our room, if they could do a good job going to bed all the other nights.
Of course now that we have a Little E there is a little less room
and we just had to make other plans.

Our brilliant substitute – let them sleep on the pullout couch.
It doesn’t sound too exciting, until you add a plastic cup with a crazy straw and call it Super Saturday! That’s good marketing. And so far they love it…

The New Photographer

I mentioned that Miss E likes to take pictures of Baby E.

First she started out taking pictures of her baby doll.

(Who she renamed after Baby E.)

Then she sat and took lots of Baby E.

She would wait for him to do something new, and then snap another.
"Mommy, he moved!"
Eventually she would lean close and make a noise...

to encourage new poses.
There is a new photographer in town, and I hope she doesn’t break my camera.

Getting to Know Baby E

Getting to know our new guy!

He is a such a kissable and sweet addition to our family.

The first thing in the morning Big E and Miss E come check on him.

We all enjoy cuddling our warm little bundle!

Miss E likes to hold him,

take pictures of him, and especially to help change him.

Big E likes to be Mom's Helper.

He is learning to be more independent and thoughtful.

Especially when I am occupied with the little guy!

It already is hard to remember life without our Baby E.
(just two kids? just two carseats? eating a meal with both hands free?)

It's been some long nights and tired days too.

But we know how fast it goes, and how special these days are!

Easter

there was a slug on that one.

Eggs

Big E was shocked that we were going to eat our Easter Eggs.

He wanted to save his "forever!"

We settled on documenting them.

My mom also came to the rescue,

with blown out eggshells to dye.

Which could last a long time.

(but Miss E already tried to put hers into her pocket...)