It's coming and I can't stop it....

Natalie is 11 months old...which means her first birthday is right around the corner. I know, I know...you are getting sick and tired of me lamenting about her growing up too fast. But, I figure blogging is cheaper than therapy, so you'll just have to put up with it!

Actually, I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. I am amazed at the ease that we transitioned from 2 kids to 3. Of course we had our moments...usually witnessed by others...but really, I am shocked that adding another munchkin to our family was not harder. (This is where I con all of you into having just one more baby.)

Luke has grown leaps and bounds in every way. He's taller, smarter, funnier, and so enjoyable to be around. This morning he woke up at 6:30am, got up and got his Leapster and then asked me for some headphones so that he wouldn't wake anyone else up....MIRACLE. If you know Luke's sleep history, then you probably just fell off your chair. Really, this is the child who used to get up at 5am and wake everyone in the house....now, he's sleeping longer and is showing consideration for others....simple things, but HUGE milestones! He's more than ready for Kindergarten next year and has recently surprised us by letting us know he speaks fluent Japanese...or maybe not...but he's pretty convinced he can. He throws out some jibberish, and then translates for me, so I know what he's saying. It's pretty hilarious since he speaks really loud and slow when he's translating. I'll have to get it on video and post it so you can enjoy it too.

Peter is growing too. Just yesterday he started insisting on wearing big boy underpants (is there anything cuter than tiny buns in spiderman underpants???) I asked him to wear a pull up at naptime and when I went to wake him up, he'd gotten a new pair of underpants out of his drawer and had slept with them (like a blanky) at naptime...YES, they were clean. He's ready...and so are we! Peter loves to be outside. The other morning he was out in the backyard by 7am. He easily entertains himself and loves to do anything that involves running, jumping, kicking, etc. He was extremely disappointed to find out that he was not on Luke's T-ball team. He wears a basesball shirt to every game and still insists that he's on a team. We bought Luke some t-ball gear for his birthday and bought an extra batting helmet for Peter...for obvious safety reasons. This has confirmed that Peter has an obsession of safety head gear (see this blog post for history). He wears it ALL of the time, and the other night cried when he couldn't figure out how to sleep in it.

This brings us to Natalie...sweet Natalie Kate! She is growing in every way too. She's about 18 pounds now and she's a tall girl. She's pulling herself up and cruising along the couch. She's so different from the boys...the slightest stern word will have her in TEARS. We just aren't used to that...so, when daddy says "no, " cue the waterworks....I'm assuming this trend will continue for the next 18 years. She is a happy, content little girl. She is a snuggler too...she loves to crawl up on Aaron's lap and just lay her head on his shoulder...I'm serious, this girl knows how to get to her daddy. Most days she refuses to eat Cheerios off of her high chair tray, but when she finds them on the floor under the high chair she'll sit and happily eat them up....it's just gross. But, I have to admit that with the third kid my standards have relaxed and I just try to clean the floor more often so I feel better about her using it as a plate. Stop judging me....I know there's a few of you that just placed a call to CPS.

So, that's where we are at. This is a busy time of year with Luke and Aaron's birthday in May, Natalie's in June, and Peter's in July. Everyone is growing, changing, and getting a little bit older. Let the fun continue.