Updates

Ruth marked her 24th week this week!  During her waking hours she is busy putting everything she can get her hands on into her mouth. She likes to play on her play mat and doesn't lay on her back too long before she rolls herself onto her tummy.  She pivots herself around to the different textures and flaps and spends time experiencing all of them...by putting them into her mouth.  We'll probably let her try sweet potatoes within the next few days!  I can't believe she is old enough to start solid foods.  Ruth goes down for the night between 7:30 and 8:00 - she is in her cradle and still sleeps better swaddled. She usually wakes once and I nurse her...this is usually somewhere between 3:00 and 4:00...then she sleeps again until 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning.  She loves to laugh and smile at her brothers and really usually has a smile for anyone who smiles at her.  All in all, she has a rather pleasant demeanor and we are enjoying her quite a bit!


Paul is the nurturer in our family.  He seems to be aware of people's emotions and he certainly likes to express his own.  He does cry quite a bit - especially when he's tired...and, if he is tired AND you tell him no to something he wants...major tears. He enjoys music and picks up the tune and words (or what he thinks the words are) to songs rather quickly.  He enjoys going to school on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and almost always comes home with a painting he has made.  I think he likes to feel the paint on his fingers as the paper is COVERED in paint! We have kept every one, but I know that will need to change.  Paul likes to play pretend and, for some reason, thinks he needs to ask permission to pretend as he'll frequently say, "Can I pretend I'm baby Paul and....?" or something like that.  He is a rather picky eater and would likely limit his diet to all carbohydrates if he could.  I try to sneak protein in by buying "cereal" bars that are really protein bars and giving him juice which has vegetables in it.  He makes interesting observations such as, "This pillow (the boppy) looks like lungs." - which it really kind of does!


Luke is the logical controller in our family.  I admit it - he is pretty much just like me and I imagine is like I was at his age.  He is also very energetic and likes people quite a bit.  So much so that they likely feel a bit suffocated by him.  Adults are nice about it, but his Kindergarten friends are not so selfless.  He greats them enthusiastically and he has many friends, but I think that on any given day any given one of them is ready to be in charge and Luke doesn't like to give that up.  He is also very logical and this is not the case with most of the children in his class.  It really frustrates Luke when they don't do what he says!  Needless to say, he has not yet honed the skills necessary to temper his personality so that he doesn't get so frustrated by and is not so frustrating to other 5 and 6 year olds.  This seems to be manifesting itself more this "semester" as I think all the children are kind of tired of the school routine and there is really nothing "new" to discover with each other. Luke likes school though, but he is having to learn how to be serious when it is time to be serious and that is tough for him.  He also has to learn acceptable ways to react when he's frustrated. When I ask him what frustrates him at school, he says, "when they other kids don't listen to me" - so there you have it!  He is doing a fine job learning to read...although I think he could do better if he only cared to.  He can add and subtract well and he really knows what he needs to know for first grade.  His handwriting could be better, but so could mine!  We are trying to decide on where to send him for 1st grade, but we think we have it narrowed down.


Richard spends most of his time at work, taking care of/playing with the kids, and thinking about when in the world he's going to have time to get some big projects done.  It seems there is always some minor maintenance emergency that pops up and prevents him from spending what free time he has on the larger projects. Plus, he does like to relax!  He has been attending a "man seminar" at the church Monday mornings at 5:30! This is huge for him...that is really early!


I feel like I am always 5 steps behind and I'm either rushing to get stuff done at work so I can get home or I'm rushing to get stuff done at home so I can to work.  I'm really trying to get into the habit of being in the moment...when I'm with the kids I need to really enjoy that time and not think about other things, for example.   I'm barely keeping the clothes clean and I'm failing at folding them and putting them away.  I barely keep the dishes out of the sink and forget about keeping the floors clean.  As soon as I vacuum, the boys come home from school and empty the playground sandbox out of their shoes.  I should probably get the vacuum out again right then and vacuum it up, but I don't.  However, if it weren't for the tiny bit of keeping up that I do...I don't want to even think about how bad it would be.  I try to take satisfaction in the fact that we always have toilet paper and Kleenex!