Quickly Approaching 3!

This, and the three posts following, are finally an update of what's going on in our world! TT took all of these beautiful pictures of the kids (and many more) for my Mother's Day present. I love the pictures SO very much!

Things here are going great! I've been off of work for two weeks now. We've done so much with the kids already! We've gone swimming (in a real pool) twice, gone bowling, watched a movie in the theater, and are making plans for much more! We are leaving this week for a 2-night stay in San Antonio. TT is going with us too, and we are very excited about going to Sea World. Before Sea World opens, we have tickets for a Sesame Stree breakfast with Elmo and others! We can't wait! Later this month we are going to spend two nights with my mom, start swimming lessons, and whatever other adventures we can find!

The kids are doing great at potty training! They've been in panties/underwear for a week now! Very few accidents, and are still wearing a Pull-Up at nap and a diaper at night.

I just can't believe how easy they are right now! They can do so many things independently, and it really makes life so much easier around here. I truly believe this time is the easiest we've EVER had since they joined our family! We've taken all the gates down in the house, so they finally have free-reign. (Except for our bedroom). They can get their own shoes, are starting to drink with regular cups at meal times, and can help do small chores around the house. It is so amazing!

Also, we are just having the best time! We are constantly surprised at what they say, how fast they are growing, and how blessed we truly are. Hope you enjoy this, and the next three posts. Maybe it will get you caught up!!

Avery

Oh, Avery! My little, independent, girlie-girl! I find myself just shaking my head at the things she does! She is so funny too, and so prissy!

Avery's newest thing is the red/yellow car that she drives around the house. Now, you know the car I'm talking about-- that Little Tykes coupe that most all kids have. Well, Avery's love for that car goes to a whole new level. She drives that thing ALL over the house. She will tell us she's going shopping, grab her little purse, get in that car, and then drive to a different area of the house. There you can see her pretending like she's buying stuff, and then she will drive it back to you. Frequent trips to the store happen for "Eggs, milk, and nachos." The other night, she even drove her car to the bedroom, and parked it right next to her bed. She got out of the car, crawled into her bed, and went to sleep!

Avery has gotten very adept at pretend play. Poor John was a doctor's patient one whole Sunday afternoon! She plays in the kitchen, shops, plays with her dinosaurs...talking quietly to herself most of the time. She also, however, LOVES to help around the house. She does a great job of helping with laundry and emptying the dishwasher. She likes to clean with wipees, takes pride in feeding Alex, and does a great job of holding the dust pan.

She can be SO incredibly sweet, or full of drama. Of course she won't leave the house without her bow! John has nicknamed her "Popcorn" for two reasons: she can eat her weight in popcorn, and she's little and always popping around the house. When you ask her what her name is, she will reply "Popcorn Power." Ha!! She can often be found singing lullabies to their stuffed animals, rubbing her brothers' hair, or kissing Bella's nose. She's our sweet girl!

I love this picture because she is laughing so hard!!

Adam

My Sweet Adam! He cracks me up. Adam tells it EXACTLY like it is! He is very much like John in so many ways. First of all, Adam is very stubborn! A few weeks ago they were eating breakfast at their picnic table in the living room. Adam didn't want to eat, not even one bite. John told him "Eat one bite and you can get up." Adam said "No. I don't want a bite, " and that was it. It was definitely a power struggle as Adam finally decided to take a bite 45 minutes later. There was plenty of staring between John and Adam....it was like watching an almost 3 year-old John in action!

Adam also is very verbal! He has a great vocabulary, memorizes books, and talks from the minute he gets up to the minute he falls asleep! We really work with the kids about using their words when they are mad instead of crying. So, frequently Adam's words consist of "Mom, I'm mad at you!" Careful about what you want kids to do, huh??

Adam is also very sweet and uses the word "Please" almost every time he asks for something. In fact, it is mostly, "Dad, I want to watch bowling, PLEASE..." Yes, he loves to watch bowling! He loves to watch any sport in fact. He is also very good a Wii bowling, and has bowled 140 by himself! Adam is VERY independent and doesn't really want a lot of help doing anything. Honestly, he has always been that way. I remember how difficult it was to spoon feed him as soon as he was barely able to do it himself. If he didn't want you to do it, he would just sit and cry and scream when you tried to feed him.

Aaron

This is the perfect picture of Aaron! It truly captures his fun and crazy personality! He is just so creative and witty..

The other night Aaron was on the potty when Avery came in the bathroom and needed to go too. After she was finished---and I didn't have a diaper handy-- I just snapped the top two buttons of Avery's night clothes and told her I would get a diaper when Aaron got finished. Aaron said, "Look, Mom..It's Super Avery!" And sure enough, her PJs looked like a cape! So, Avery stuck her arms out in front of her and started flying away!

Aaron is a very polite young man. He always uses his manners! There are times when I may say something like "Oh, no, Aaron..we don't need to do that now." He will smile, make a little giggle, and say, "Oh, Mom, I'm so sorry.. (laughing)." The other day I accidentally scratched him and when I apologized he said (giggling also), "Mom, it's ok." He also will give his brother and sister anything they want. If he has a toy and they want it, he will gladly turn it over. Likewise, if they have a toy he wants he will say, "Thank You, Adam. Thank You" and the other two know it's time to share.

Aaron gives the sweetest hugs and kisses, loves to hide under John's shirts (while they are still on John), eats like a horse, and at least once a day says "I'm so happy!" He will ask me, "Mom, are you so happy too?" Of course I am!! He is doing a great job brushing his teeth, potty training, and keeping us entertained!