Reasons

Loving the zoo with Daddy. In Keeler's case, REALLY loving the zoo. He's falling right in line with the others as a big giant animal luvah.

Let's just say that the beginning of January was a little challenging around here. Nothing huge--just normal sibling-in-the-middle-of-winter stuff. But, my patience was a bit thin. I decided to take some cues from Jessica (who is always so honest about parenting and children) by trying to focus on the things that my kids are doing right now that I absolutely love and the characteristics they each posses that I love. It was a great exercise for me and definitely helped when I was sending them to another room for the 27th time that day to "work it out".

• Obsessed with hats. Anytime we leave the house he stands in the entryway pointing to the box where we store them.
• Is so mischievous but hilarious at the same time. Last week found him sitting on the toilet seat with his feet (socks on) in the bowl splashing the water. YUCK. Then 2 days later I found him in the tube in his footsie jammies "shaving" his leg (jammies still on) with a capped razor. How can you not laugh??
• Has gotten much fonder of giving snuggles and sitting still long enough to read books. *dreamy mommy sigh*
• Still has awesome dancing skills. Seriously, awesome.
• Looks so, so, so much like his biological sisters and we love it. :)
• Starting speech therapy evaluations. Still a pretty quiet guy--unless he is frustrated that we can't understand what he wants.
• Cries anytime we drop one or both kids off anywhere. Or if anyone leaves the house. Or if Spencer goes to work. Or if one of the twins gets sent to another room. He likes his family unit intact.
  

I love this picture because it looks like a caricature of Milo. Not the actual Milo--Milo Exaggerated.

• Still has the loudest and most enthusiastic laugh ever. Has possessed the same adorable and infectious laugh since he was a baby. Remember?
• Cried the first week of gymnastics (because it was hard and he didn't win any of the strength competitions) but has worked so hard every week since to get better and to win or come in 2nd place in a few of the competitions.
• Loves being a big brother. I mean seriously LOVES it. He plays and plays and plays with Keeler. Despite Keeler's tendency to "totally destroy" his Legos.
• Gives me giant hugs and calls me "the best Mommy".
• Loves school and learning so, so, so much. Staying home sick is a pretty serious torture for this guy. Thinks Science Club is "AWESOME!!!" and always knows exactly which day it is.
• Loves to play Angry Birds on my iPod for his screen time.

Sewing away. Already asking me questions about my machine that I have no idea how to answer.

• Loving sewing classes. Crafting in a learning environment is just about too much for her to stand. Made the cutest skirt ever and has worn it every single day since.
• Currently obsessed with listening to Little House books on CD. Like, for hours at a time. Then she wants to ask question after question about how people lived back then--and is begging for a trip to the Dakotas so we can go to Laura Ingalls Wilder's house.
• Asked for a "hygrashun pack" and a "camura" for her birthday in anticipation of our summer trip to Yellowstone (make that "hydration pack" and "camera") and has talked about Yellowstone nonstop. Love that she takes trips to the max and wants to learn everything she can about the places before we go.
• Has really bonded with her teacher this year and does anything she can to help or talk to her. :) For example, offering to make a new girls bathroom pass when someone failed to return the last one and not being so upset when she can't go to PE (darn ankle again) because it means she can stay behind and draw on slates in Ms. Lazzarini's classroom.

Oh I love these little monkeys. There are days when I think that just might lose my ever-loving-mind but, mostly, I want to stop time. They are all growing and changing so fast. Some days I almost feel like I'm watching a home video of my life you know?

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For those who are just dying to know other mundane details, let me indulge you. Ha!

Erin decided to run another marathon. Yikes. Should be interesting. I mostly love the training so I'm kind of excited to start.

Spencer is trying to "branch out" after his boss and I nearly had to stage an intervention in December re: his obsession with climbing and his tendency to get all Cymbalta-commercial on us if the weather was bad. After deciding against online gambling (joke) and bowling as alternate hobbies, he has settled on...RUNNING!!! What? I know. Crazy right? He's just doing some short runs on the dreadmill for now but says he's going to train for a real live race. Lookout.

Erin got sick of feeling sick and getting no answers from traditional medicine so...is seeing a nutritional therapist who has made about a 95% difference in sinus infections and IBS symptoms (TMI? Yeah, I know.). Awesome, awesome, awesome.

Isabel's ankle is STILL giving us grief. Sheesh. Enough already. She is starting physical therapy now and has "the ankle of a college athlete with a sprain". What? I don't know.