Updates

Jameson- J has been cruising through 4th grade. Every time I see his teacher, she tells me what a delight he is to have in class and he just brought home a truly stellar report card. His attitude about school and with friends is so pleasant and for this I am so proud and thankful. He had a science fair last week and did a fun experiment to determine how size and shape of balls affects how fast they travel. He has done some traveling of his own recently and had a great time on a ski trip with Jim and Cameron. He loved taking the chairlift and going off jumps, and wishes he could do a lot more skiing. Hockey ended on a good note and now he is gearing up for the start of baseball and spring soccer. He was so excited to have just won his NCAA basketball bracket that he did with a bunch of friends, and is still busy playing basketball out on the street with the posse of boys from the neigborhood. Jameson has been so great with his siblings, and I have been relying on him to help me with the girls, whether its entertaining them in the playroom or helping me keep an eye on them while we are outside. He amazes me with his positive attitude and truly has a calming effect on the whole family.

Cameron- Cam is making great progress with his reading. He has come along way this year and I am so proud of him. He still struggles with school work and gets easily frustrated during homework but we are trying to sort it out so that he can get the help he might need and he will know what a great kid he really is. He was thrilled to finish hockey and those skates might be hung up for good! He loved the boys ski weekend and is quite a natural skier and fearless out on the mountain. Now that the weather is warming up, he has really enjoyed playing outside with his neighbor friend usually building a fort of somesort or making a science potion. We played a little wiffle ball today and he had a blast with that too. He is so curious and always very busy. He is very determined (read :stubborn/ defiant) but so lovable and affectionate too! His can make Addie giggle louder than anyone I know! He just started soccer and has had fun practicing out in the backyard with me and just scored a goal in his first game. Baseball has just started too and he is lucky to have his dad helping coach the team.

Ella- Ella is still very much into her baby dolls. She loves to rock them, swaddle them and give them bottles or make a bed for them. She also loves bags and purses and is always filling them with odds and ends from around the house. She also enjoys projects so almost everyday we try and do a crafty activity. She still loves her pacifier and carrying around her "bitty" but we have been trying to leave these items in the crib. Speaking of crib, nap times have been a challenge to say the least. Her zipper on the crib tent broke so she started climbing out of the crib again, resorted back to her old ways of taking off her diaper in her crib, so back she went into sleepers with the zipper in the back and now her sister and her have to be separated for naps because they were having way to much fun in their cribs keeping eachother up! On her own Ella will easily nap for three hours and I often have to wake her up! In other milestones, Ella is really starting to speak in full sentences, can sing her ABCs and count to 20! She has been asserting her independence a lot recently (read :tantrums all through out the day) and is very opinionated about what she wears, how she wears her hair and what shoes go on her feet. She usually wants whatever her sister has and is usually the one to end up getting it! She loves animals and we have yet to pass a dog she doesn't run to pet. She is a great eater, although tonight told me her dinner was "yucky, Eyya no yike. Eyya have ice cream!." Yesterday, I tripped Avery by accident, and Ella said with out hesitating "Oh, sorry honey" beating me to it. It struck me as very funny at the time. She is quite the character these days and always makes me laugh.

Avery: Avery is also into babies, bags, jewelry and make-up (especially mine that she finds in my purse when I don't keep it out of sight). It is so fun to watch her engage in pretend play and see that little imagination at work! She loves to get into drawers and cabinets and is always finding treasures to keep in her pocket. She loves to color and can recognize a couple letters in her name and tries her best to write the letter A. She is pretty good a drawing circles. She could listen to stories for hours on end. All of her baby dolls are named "Baby Gemma" after her little cousin. She loves special alone time and is so pleasant to be with one on one. Her sister and her have been getting into lots of scuffles recently and Avery is usually the one to give up the favorite toy and always ends up in tears. This age has been particularly difficult with Miss Avery as she has such strong opinions about what she wants and when she wants them. I am trying very hard to be consistent with timeouts for unfavorable behaviors like hitting, whining and shrieking. Hopefully I will see the fruits of my labor soon and get back my sweet little girl. She was doing great with Potty training a month or so ago, but I got too lax about it and we have regressed a lot but hope to get back at it soon! She enjoys playing school and I think we will all be ready for her to start in the fall as these days leave me utterly exhausted!

Addison: Addie is still the sweetest baby ever and I don't want her to become a toddler! I wish I could keep her this sweet and happy forever. She always has a smile on her face and is so happy to go with the flow. She is great at entertaining herself, but now that she is mobile has to be watched every minute or will be easily led into trouble by her sisters. When you ask her a question she always nods her head "yes" in agreement. It is the cutest thing. She blows kisses making the the sound affect along with it and it just melts my heart. She waves and says "hi" to everyone and is such a friendly little girl. She loves music class and crawls around the room visiting everyone and dancing along to the music. She has been pulling up on anything she can reach, and balances for a few minutes so walking is not far off, although I wouldn't mind if she stayed my little baby forever!