BACK! says it all.

Claire took 15 steps in a row yesterday! She is going to catch those big kids soon. Katie and John are just as excited about it as are Claire and I. It is so much fun to watch. She walks with such glee. Giggle, giggle, step. Giggle, giggle, step. She falls down and she pops back up again to try a few more.

Claire is very fond of telling the dogs BACK when I am commanding them to to move back and down/stay at meal times. She may have crossed the line when she was sitting in her highchair waiting for lunch and watching me squat down at Allison's level and explain why she would be spending the next few minutes on the naughty spot. When I stood to prepare lunch and Allison began to wiggle, Claire pointed straight at Allison and shouted BACK! BACK! BACK!

Allison, starting a phone conversation with Spence - Hi Daddy, this is your Sweet Roja talking. Melts my heart... :)

Precious Gifts

This morning Katie came to me with her small hands clasped around something... She said to me, "Mommy, this is your surprise. It is your birthday present!" She opened her hands and presented me with a necklace we made together over the summer - a string with beads we did together as a craft project. The beads spell her name with hearts and stars randomly placed between and around the letters. The E is backwards. I have the sweetest children. And today, for my 34th birthday I have Katie's special gift around my neck, hanging down next to my heart. I love you Katie!

Oh me, oh my sweet baby!

Claire Bear walks!

Three days ago whe wouldn't even consider taking a step forward except when she needed to catch her balance because the box or big toy she was hanging on to was slipping away.

Two days ago she stood holding my hands, facing me, and took a few steps forward as I walked backwards.

Yesterday she stood between my legs, holding my hands and walked forward with me.

Early this afternoon I noticed her cruising beside a wall and then a piece of furniture. It was different than her usual cruising; she was balancing with just one hand and she had her shoulders squared over her hips and ankles. She was walking forward with just that one arm out for balance.

Not long after that while Claire was playing at my feet and I was standing in Debbie Poole's kitchen chatting with Debbie as she made lunch (if you can call fresh fruit, homemade chicken and dumplings, homemade yeast rolls, vegetables, salad, homemade apple crisp and homemade ice cream lunch!) I looked down and there was my baby... TAKING THREE GIANT STEPS FORWARD! What a fun moment to witness. She was sweet enough to repeat it half a dozen times for me before the end of the day. :) She'll be doing laps with Allison, John and Katie when Spence comes home next week...

Sweet Sentiments

Katie to John - Do you want to give me a hug and a kiss because I found Daisy and I saved the world?

John to Allison - Do you want zero or two barrettes?
Allison - Zero.
John - But zero is none.
Allison - I like zero.
John - But it is nothing!
Allison - Oh.

Allison to all of us - I think I forgot Daddy.
Poor sweet Allison. Spence has been gone for two weeks and will be gone for another two. She did not mean that she doesn't remember him. She thinks she left him somewhere and now she can't find him. :(

Claire watches all of her siblings take their turns at dinner then she clasps her hands together and babbles a prayer of her own. It is so precious. She does the same for our bed time prayer.

The morning after my blog about the challenges John presents me he brought great joy to all of the girls (me included) by spending the morning building and rebuilding (thanks to Claire) a Mermaid Kingdom for Ariel (Katie, in costume) and her fellow merpeople (Allison)...

My 4th

Thanks Laura!

I've been tagged so now I must share with you my 4th photo in my 4th album on my hard drive.

It was taken in February 2007. Katie, John, Allison, Spence and I were outside enjoying the mild Texas winter. Oh how I long for those winters again! Spence insisted on a game of football with the entire family. (Well, not so much insisted... He just wanted to make sure John becomes a well rounded boy. Evidently we were doing too much arts, crafts and cooking for Spence's taste!) Katie looks like she has 2 black eyes. I suspect she had a cold. My kiddos always get those dark circles when they have colds and ear infections. Looking back at the old photo I realize how alike she and Claire look.

What a fun memory. Really, thanks Laura!

Molly, Stephanie, Hauvala & Jenn O - TAG, your turn!

Oops...

So much for blogging daily! Does thinking every day about the blogs I didn't get done count? :)

Spence is away for a month. We are 10 days into his exile. The first few days were rough, as they always are. We are in our groove now and the home is running as smoothly as ever.

John is working on independence. (Yes, that means that John is having significant behavior issues!) He whines and cries because he doesn't want to dress himself one minute. Then he will absolutely refuse to do things as I ask him to because, in his words, he is a big boy and he knows how to do it. UGH! I am going to pull my hair out before this phase ends. It will end, right??? Once he is dressed and past his refusals (which sometimes include GRUNTING at me - are we farm animals?) he returns to his sweet self. He builds bouncy towns on the floor with all of my couch pillows and invites the girls to jump with him. He helps Katie do anything she asks. He is thrilled when he gets to ride his bike. It doesn't matter how cold it is or how long we played outside, he wants to ride and ride and ride... When Spence is home and the weather is nicer it is definitely time to take those training wheels off and get a little two wheel practice in! He makes snacks and lunches on his own and is at my side when I am making dinner. OK, so the sweet and fun moments do outnumber the pull-my-hair-out ones... I'll keep that in mind when it is time to get him in his pajamas tonight!

Ta da!

Claire enjoys the hour each week she spends at the gym. Allison does a half hour of gymnastics. Then it is Katie and John's turn. Claire plays on the floor, crawls up and down the row of chairs and bounces back and forth between my arms and Spence's. I was holding her during the kids' most recent class, watching through the windows... At the end of every cartwheel, somersault and hop the kids are required to do a gymnastics stand - throw their arms up in the air and say 'ta da!' Half way through the hour I became aware of Claire, on my hip, throwing both of her arms up over her head in her own gymnastics stand each time one of her siblings did the same out on the mats. What a cutie! :)

I am aware enough to keep activities gender non-specific in our home. Girls can play baseball if they want to and boys can cook... I can't say Spence is as aware. Case in point? Today he spent an hour in the back yard with the kids. When Spence was done cleaning up the yard he walked over to where Katie was shoveling snow off the porch. Katie to Spence - Look at me Dad! It is good to be doing man work! (Sigh, I am shaking my head... Wait a minute! I cleared snow off the drive the only time we had snow last winter. Our neighbor did it after our first big snow this year. And I did it again after the second this year. Man work. HA!)

John joins us in bed almost every night. Twice recently I have awakened to a noise. I stop and listen. There it is again. John giggling in his sleep! What a sweet, innocent baby noise. I hope it never goes away. (Though I do hope the nightly visits cease before he is big enough to take over the entire bed.)

One of Spence's coworkers managed to find a lollipop for Katie, John and Allison while they were sitting down to watch Spence's promotion. The room was silent except for Colonel Merkel making his remarks. Allison (remember, she has NO volume control!) to the entire room - Look everybody! Do you all like my lollipop? Again, silence as the S-1 calls attention to orders and proceeds to read the official declaration. Allison (bouncing in her seat) - I like my lollipop! I see candy in the middle!

Their antics make me giggle every day. :)

Major Dad

Do you remember the show? It was a family favorite when I was growing up. I think they should resurrect it...
Today Spence was promoted. The ceremony was small and understated just as Spence would have everything if it were always his decision. Katie, John and Allison are certain that it is Spence's birthday. Why else would there be cake and a party? Indeed, the helicopter cake was the highlight of the day for them.
During COL Merkel's brief remarks he reminded me of one of Spence's stories from last summer...
There he was, CPT Anderson... Driving the visiting General, the current brigade commander and the incoming brigade commander around the installation. Quiet, keeping to himself... He checked the rear view mirror and frowned. A moment later he checked the mirror again. After the second glance he nonchalantly announced, "I think I'm being pulled over." He slowed a bit and was forced to say, "Yep, I'm being pulled over."
Ouch!
Congratulations Spence! We love you! :)

Claire speaks!

Sweet Claire was just starting to use her words - kitty cat, daddy - around Thanksgiving. By mid-December she was suffering from an overwhelming ear infection. At her 1 year check up in mid-January I told the doctor that she no longer had any words. She had not regressed with any of her behaviors and she was still signing so I wasn't overly worried, but I watched closely. I spent more time sitting directly in front of her playing word games and signing. At least 6 weeks and 3 prescriptions after that first ear infection she seems really healthy again. She is sleeping well, she is happier during the day and she is more active. I even commented on the change to Spence yesterday. Then today I heard her calling to the kitty cat (her 1st word from months ago) and after dinner tonight she signed and clearly said all done (a first!) repeatedly. These moments are so sweet!