From Two to Five in Nine Months! Ok, 27 Weeks and 3 days...: July 2017

SIX!!

Mindy has a few words to say about the kiddos...

It just seems crazy to think the girls are six-years-old and will be off to 1^st grade in one month. My pregnancy and their births-day is something I will never forget and something I can always hold over their heads. J

Raising them is still a challenge and I am sure always will be. Each day brings highs and lows but at the end of the day we couldn’t imagine this life without them and would do anything for them. Savoring our hugs, kisses and snuggles because someday soon they won’t want to be touched/near us.

For the first time we are starting to split the girls up more (mostly per their request) and watching them develop individually even more than before.

Gymnastics: all 3 in separate classes

Soccer: Teagan and Rianne

Ice skating: Teagan (so good but only wants to free skate)

Art: Rianne and Brielle

Basketball: Teagan and Rianne to attempt this fall

T-Ball: Rianne

1^st grade: Will all be in a different classroom

A little update on each.

Rianne:

You are a happy girl 98% of the time. But watch out when you get overly tired, hangry, or just plain mad. You have a temper! You are a big helper and so loving. You give the best hugs! You are an excellent reader and love to organize your room. You were so sad when you broke your collarbone (1^st broken bone) and weren’t able to finish out your t-ball games and having to sit out on other activities.

We have learned that you get motion sick this year (Barfed all over me when we got stuck in flight in a thunderstorm and after you went on too many rides over and over again at Adventureland). Your favorite color changes often but you still like green. You eat about anything (thank you!) and really love your vegetables especially tomatoes.

Teagan:

You are a pretty happy-go-lucky girl but still get your feelings hurt and cry easily. You love, love, love dogs and continue to ask often for us to get one. You love to snuggle especially before you fall asleep. You have no fear and will try about anything. You are very loving and giving and often respond to us with “okay”. You love to swim and be outside. Rides tend to make your tummy hurt but you will still do them if it’s the rides your sisters want to do. You are a pretty picky eater but we can usually get you to try new things.

Brielle:

We often respond to your demands (not requests) with, "okay, your highness." Your response is "I am not a highness." You are very strong willed and we so hope that gets you far in life and you do something great with it. You test our patience hourly, but when you laugh it melts away all the frustration. Your laugh brings an instant smile to people’s faces. You are still a little squirt but you don’t let that stop you from doing the things you want to do. You are a SUPER picky eater. Grilled cheese for days is what you will eat currently.

From Dad:

I get to spend most every morning with you guys and it's my favorite part of the day (well, maybe tied with when I get to pass out next to whomever I'm falling asleep with at the end of the day)

Rianne: We definitely have a special bond and I worry each day that we'll lose it when you are all grown up, like 7-years-old, or something like that. You're the big helper always carrying your sister's things when they won't and letting us know how heavy it is when they don't help. You're a fierce competitor, you listen to your coaches to get better, and always ask to hold my hand before we cross a street or go into Triad for summer camp. You brood like I do when there's an injustice, but just as easily are the one who gives the first hug when something goes wrong for someone else. You love to read with me and work really hard every day to become a better reader, each day I'm surprised as you read a word I can't believe you know as an almost 1st grader. You like to organize your things in your room and make it just right before you go to bed, but watch out if somebody messes with your things. There's a place for everything, and everything has it's place. You are the only one of us who sleeps on her back, so sometimes I'll talk to you at night and you are out cold.

Teagan: You are the bold adventurer I always wished to be. You continue to kill me with "I love mom" and you'll give me a pseudo hug each morning as you go into camp. I love watching you skate, and hope to one day skate as well as you do as a 6-year-old. You skate around your classmates and they had to put you into a higher class because you keep going off away from the group. You don't like to read because you can't do it as quickly as you pick up sports, but you love math because it's a kinesthetic experience and you're pretty good at it. I accidentally taught you negative numbers because I didn't read the directions. When we're dipping our toes in the pool, you'll have dived in head first. You love to go to the pool, jump in and swim to me telling me to back up, back up, back up, then stop by putting your palm up and jumping in. You challenge yourself and get upset when we don't let you move on to the next challenge as quick as you want. Your "oh-kay" when we ask you to stop doing something is pretty priceless.

Brielle: You are the most cerebral of the three, instead of reading from memory, you use phonics to sound out how each word works.You are the consummate intellectual who will ask over and over why something is and you will pause, then judge if it should be that way or not based on your experience. You are in command of most everything like with reading where you say, "wait, wait, don't tell me" or "I knew that." You are kind going into the stuffed animal cubby in your bed and offering me an animal so I have someone to hold on to before we go to sleep. You like to use our names "mommy, mommy, mommy, mom" or "daddy, dad, daddy, daddy," in very rapid succession when you want something. One night, I took a while to get your chocolate milk and you said, "Daddy, next time can you get my milk fast" You treat me a lot better than mom and are absolutely inconsolable if you deem something to be unjust. You love to draw and it's clear you have a creative streak that I hope will stay with you for the rest of your life.