The Six Stooges

Hello? Is anyone there? O.k... so you all probably thought I had completely given up on this blog. My last post was in August--almost six months ago! Just say it. I am completely pathetic. Life is busy, but hey--it's busy for everyone. I was talking to a dear friend of mine on the phone the other day and she told me she finally started a blog. I decided I needed to make some time to update everyone on how things are going. Don't get your hopes up--I may not post again for another six months, but I'll try to do better.

Kids change so much in six months. I know you all received our Christmas letter which pretty much summed up 2007. Carter is still excelling in school--we are filling out paperwork to apply for the "Highly Capable Program" at his elementary school. The testing is in March, so we will see. He is, as I speak (or type or whatever), trying out for baseball. We finally decided he needed to do something. The last thing we need is a social recluse! He has been begging to play for some time. I am very excited for him (not so excited about hauling everyone around to practices and games). Sigh. The extents to which we go for our kids. The picture I've included was taken at Carter's recent Cub Scout Space Derby He is still really enjoying the scouting program.

Avery is finally overcoming many of the fears she's been dealing with at school. She is happy and a wonderful student. She is a great reader and is starting to read chapter books. She recently lost her first tooth, which she was very excited about, as can be seen from the picture. Her other front-bottom tooth is loose, too. Oh, to be a kid again and be overjoyed by the simplicities of life! Avery really wants to do gymnastics. We told her, "Carter first". Actually, we said we'd see about this summer maybe.

Maia is still her sweet/spicy self. She and I have enjoyed having time together during Colby's naps. We have been doing "letter-of-the-alphabet" projects on a weekly basis. I can't believe she will be five in March! She is very excited for Kindergarten and I have no doubt she will do well. The picture included in the blog was taken during a family trip to the zoo recently.

So, did I say kids change a lot over a six-month period? O.k. that's usually true. But, Colby...he's still as curiously-destructive as ever! But is he ever hilarious! Sometimes, I don't know whether to laugh or cry with that crazy cat. The other day, he busted a huge grumpy (that's yet another way of saying, "B.M") in the bathtub. Maia started shrieking and freaking out, so of course, I removed the children and the bath toys and scrubbed the tub down with bleach. While I was doing this, Colby got into my Sanctum, the Holy of Holies--the Craft Room (where I keep all of my scrapbook stuff, etc.), and proceeded to PEE on the floor. Then, after we all showered together. I put a shirt on him and ran to get a diaper. He climbed up into Carter's canvas chair and PEED again, soaking the chair and his clean shirt. I think he does these things to spite me (ha). He is talking amazingly well and he even has a very favorite song. Nearly every morning, he comes downstairs and says, "Mommy! Hed in um game!" (which means, "Head in the Game"--it's a basketball song from the huge teeny-bopper success, "HIgh School Musical"). He grabs his little basketball and starts running like a maniac all around the bonus room. I could write volumes about my fourth child. But, I'll end with one last, very cute thing. At bedtime, he insists on giving(and getting) kisses. But he's very particular. We have to kiss him through the spaces in the head board of this crib. It's very endearing.

Last week, it snowed here, which is why I included the snow photos. This was Colby's first time really out in the snow. He had mixed feelings about it, until he discovered you could eat the snow, and then he was happy as a clam. We had a great time sledding down our gravel driveway. I knew there were some bonuses for living in the styx!

Anyway, I hope you are all doing well as 2008 moves forward. And I hope this very lengthy blog entry was enough to satisfy some of you. I will try to do better. I will. It's hard enough keeping up on the scrapbooks I keep--sheesh! Bye-Bye.