Freeze Frame - July 2009

Some days I just want to freeze time for a bit. You know, just capture the essence of who my kids are at this point and the sweetness of this time in our lives. So, I decided that freezing time isn't possible (anyway, who am I kidding? I don't want to be changing diapers, buckling seat belts, and wiping bottoms forever {grin}), I should record these things so I they will be mine forever.


Sam:

• Is excited for Kindergarten, but can't hardly bear the thought of being away from me for that long each day.
  
• Is obsessed with McDonald's Happy Meal toys. I don't understand it. We don't eat there very often, but it's always on his little mind.
• Loves his little brothers. He can often be found snuggling with Matthew or reading books with Caleb. Luke is his best friend, but they have trouble sharing at times. Sam told me that he always wants the toy Luke is playing with because, "it wooks more interesting when Wuke has it."
• We chat with Brad (on speakerphone so everyone can participate) everyday while we're eating lunch. Today, Sam announced, "Dad, I know what I want to be when I grow up." long pause for Brad to ask what his career choice was...followed by "I want to be a McDonalds worker. What do you want to be when you grow up, Dad?"
  

• Brad shared snippets of the musical, "Singin' in the Rain." Sam is a HUGE fan! He loves to sing & dance to "Make 'Em Laugh" and "Moses Supposes" - quite an interesting song choice for a 5 year old.
• Sam calls our baby monitor a "ther monitor" (as in thermometer).
  

Luke:

• Loves to kiss me...over and over and over again. This is mostly incredibly endearing and makes me feel like a million dollars. However, it seems Luke always has a slobbery face or a runny nose. ick!
• Knows his colors and shapes. He likes to point them out to me everywhere we go. You can't begin to imagine the number of colors and shapes you can encounter at the grocery store.
• Doesn't like change. He recently destroyed another pair of shoes, and his daddy made a repair (more on this later) that left them not fit for public appearances. So, Luke and I went shoe shopping on a recent "date" - just the two of us. He was not interested in getting new shoes and made his wishes known...over and over again. "No, not new shoes."
  
• Luke loves to make up "knock knock" jokes..with no punchline. We love him, so we laugh uncontrollably. HE grins from ear to ear and cackles with laughter.
• Luke loves to play outside. He especially loves to play on our new swing set. Swinging makes him giggly and happy.
• Instead of upside down, Luke says, "ups down"
  

Matthew:

• Loves to snuggle with me when he wakes up. He greets me with outstretched arms from his crib, and melt into my body when I pick him up. He pats my arm gently and it melts my heart.
• He is very mellow and laid back...99% of the time. When he has simply had enough (someone takes something from him, won't allow him to do what he wants, etc...) he gets wide-eyed and throws something. It's hard to keep my composure long enough to correct him.
  
• Loves to eat blueberries.
• Is beginning to shake his head up and down to answer "yes" to my questions. Hasn't mastered "no" yet.
• He made up a game that he plays with his daddy. When Brad is sitting on the couch, Matthew sneaks around behind the couch and pulls gently on Brad's hair. He waits for his daddy to say, "Who pulled my hair?" Then Matthew walks around to the front of the couch and squeals and giggles when Brad says, "It was Matthew!"
  

Caleb:

• Is a tiny little guy (7th percentile in weight) and a scrapper, too. He is prone to bite his brothers (nearly always Matthew) when he gets angry. He is the first "biter" we've had...and we hope it's a behavior that stops quickly. We're working hard to break the habit.
• Makes silly faces. He closes his eyes and scrunches his nose...and then grins with delight. He is especially happy when performing for an audience.
• Is talking like crazy, knows lots of word/phrases. My favorite is "Hi, brother!"
• Caleb's greatest love is dancing and singing. He loves to sing along to Sesam* Stre*t's, "Sing a Song." Can often be heard singing "la, la, la, la, la." throughout our house. He also likes to sing "Twinkle, Twinkle" and the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" - but, his favorite is "Jesus Loves Me." He sings the last syllable of every line with great gusto!
• He loves to be upside down.