Personality

I have heard a mother's worst enemy is time. The little boogers just keep getting bigger. And changing. What's up with THAT? So, I thought I would post a little about just what each kid is like at this very moment. It'll be fun to look back and see how much they change from year to year.

Kaylee is just about the funniest 4 year old to walk the earth. It's not a matter of IF we will be called for parent/teacher conferences, it's going to be WHICH drug they recommend medicate her. The girl is hyper. And impulsive. She is the last one to go to bed (after streaking down the hall, flying down the stairs, dodging our attempts to grab her, hiding in the closet, and finally being wrestled into her bed every night. Usually naked the entire time), and she wakes up with a great big smile. She is SO carefree. I'm not sure how she gets bigger, cause she hasn't eaten without being coerced/bribed/begged in years. When I get a call in 13 years that she has hitchhiked on a circus train to Vegas and is jumping out of airplanes with Coolio and Dakota Fanning, I won't be surprised. She sings. And sings. And sings. I bet she sings/hums at least 50% of her waking hours. She is strangely analytical. She likes to line things up and count them. And then rearrange them and count them again. And then rearrange them and count them again... you get the point. Anything will do- orange slices, pencils, beads, etc. And she sings while she does it. She will talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime. She lives life with GUSTO.

Presley (almost 3) loves kisses all over her face and does NOT like it if you start to leave her room at night before she has kissed every square inch of your face. And your hair. And sometimes your elbows. She may have a touch of the OCD Jesse has- she insists on changing clothes if she gets a spec of dirt on them, she has very particular opinions about what she wants to wear (lately she has been choosing to wear jeans to bed- screw the jammies), and she is Ms I-can-do-it-myself-I-don't-want-your-help! with everything from squeezing her own toothpaste to opening her own cereal bars. She loves her raggedy old stuffed puppy and the baby puppy her mommy tried to fool her with. I fear she may have some of the "Genovese curse," the insomnia gene that plagues my dad's side of the family. She wakes up several times a night and comes running in our room (which, as you can imagine, does wonders for my insomnia). She idolizes "KayCoe" as she calls Kaylee and made sure to pick out a lollipop for Kaylee after her visit to the doctor this week. She is scared of the dark (sleeps with a bright light on) and will not hesitate to tell you she does not like chocolate (plain strange). She will tell you she loves you this much (arms wide), this much (arms tall) AND this much (hands close together).

Emily (6 years) is our little pleaser. She loves school. She LOVES making books out of whatever paper she can find. She loves babies...LOVES em. You can usually find her trying to cuddle whichever 2-3 year old will allow it. She is learning to read and gets SO excited when she spots a "sight" word. She is a drama queen- when it suits her. I've seen her take spills on the soccer field that didn't phase her, but if the right person is looking and she stubs her toe- all hell breaks loose. She dances well- sometimes a little too well (think Patrick Swayze/"nobody puts Baby in a corner" kind of dancing... YIKES). She is sooooooo sensitive- cries at the movies Cars and Free Willy. She enjoys being the oldest and the leader. She has a sweet tooth that rivals no other. She has an appetite in general that rivals no other. When I take her measurements I understand why- the girl has grown like crazy over the past few months. She has too many teeth - baby teeth that won't come out and permanent teeth that just don't have the space they need (I'm no psychic, but I foresee some serious orthodontia in the future).

Jude (~20 mos) is all boy, despite the gross amount of estrogen in this house. He climbs. He throws. He hits too. I melt a little each time he backs up into my lap, plops down, makes himself comfy and opens a book for me to read. It's usually a book with lots of animals in it cause he loves making animal sounds. Most animals say "meow." He LOVES Dora the Explorer (is it sad much of his limited vocabulary is words from Dora? "Map" "Backpack" "Wawa" (aka Dora)). He is so excited when we walk in the door. "MAMA!" "DADA!" as he comes running as fast as those little legs will carry him. He is challenging at times (oh who am I kidding... he's almost always challenging)- he likes to be held and will attach himself with a strangely vicelike grip to your legs until he gets what he wants. He loves his woobies (blankies). He runs. And falls. And gets some of the biggest goose eggs I have ever seen on the middle of his forehead. I would be lying if I said that thought of brain damage hadn't crossed my mind at least once due to his preponderance for hitting his melon. He likes "mook" (milk) mixed with "moo mook" (soy milk). He gives great, big, slobbery, open-mouthed kisses. You know the kind, they leave you with his snot and slobber and food on your own face, but you just don't care because you know those kinds of kisses are fleeting and he'll grow out of them soon and you just can't stand the thought of him not being a baby anymore. So you love and cherish those slobbery kisses. When he smiles, his eyes get all sparkly and his mommy turns into a goopey pile of goo.

If you know my kids and I left anything out, feel free to comment ;)!

A few pix of some of the favorite toys from Christmas. The gator below is real, but Papa Jack did buy them a play gator that they LOVE. The second pic is of Jude's new favorite toys- matchbox cars. As I have been playing with him, I have found myself wondering why I never had these as a kid, they are awesome! Jesse told me he and Spychaj used to bury theirs all over the woods by their house when they were little and that we could probably still find them out there. That's awesome.