Busy, busy, busy

The fact that I am working on this blog at 1:15 a.m. pretty much sums it up. With all the gathering and packing up of our sea freight shipment and other preparations for Papua New Guinea (Gavin is doing by far the majority!), my dad's recovery and wanting to spend as much time with him and bring babies to see him, and just everyday life, I have been very lax about blogging. I LOVE doing it, though, and I need to do it so I don't forget the things the babies do!

Recent notable cute or developmental things:

1) David noticed the shape of a book under our large, thick, woolen area rug in the living room and managed to pick up the rug enough to dig out the hidden Little Golden Book. It was quite a task as the rug is heavy and the book wasn't right at the edge, but he persevered!

2) The kids have started learning to take turns. It's so cute watching them try to contain their impatience as they watch their sibling and wait for their turn to play with a toy or be bounced on the exercise ball.

3) Tonight Marcie had a toy that David wanted, so he just grabbed it. I told him he had to wait his turn, and Isaac gave the toy back to Marcie. David stood right there watching her suck on it, waiting as patiently as a 16-month-old can be expected to. After a few seconds I asked Marcie if he could have a turn, so she kind of shoved it at him with a sort of resigned, disgusted, "Fine!"-sounding sigh. She's so dramatic. (Don't know where she gets it from.)

4) The kids are ALL obsessed with balls. They all talk about and notice balls everywhere, even the decorative balls on the tops of the mailboxes in my parents' community.

5) David has started pointing at everything and saying, "What's that?!" except it sounds like, "Was-at?!"

6) Marcie comes running, saying "Pit-ee!" ("pretty") when she sees that I am wearing large earrings.

7) Rather than just charging ahead, getting whatever he wants as soon as he possibly can without hesitation, Will has started to obey and look at me as though he's seeking my permission - or perhaps check to see if I'm paying attention! I realize that we haven't hit the tantrum stage yet and that the obedience is going to be an ongoing and no doubt increasing challenge, but it's still pretty exciting to watch my kids actually exert some self-control!

8) Seth and Grace are so sweet and non-confrontational they stay in the background when a war is going on between the other three. They find the war very interesting to watch, though.

9) Will got stuck in the garden bench and was silently trying to figure out how to extricate himself, but David couldn't wait for Will to problem-solve; he had to yell and cry for us to come help his brother immediately!

10) When we ask the kids if they want to read it a book, it's so cute to see them run to the book box, pick one out and plunk themselves down on our laps.

Okay, I gotta hit the sack or I'm going to regret it tomorrow. Thankfully most nights the kids have been sleeping all night until nearly 8 a.m.!

Grateful for your love and prayers,
Carrie

Will in the book box

David with Will on the hearth

Gracie wore this "ammo" belt from one of Isaac's birthday Nerf-type guns around her shoulders for half the afternoon!! It's so funny to see the types of things the kids think they want to wear, and to watch them trying to put them on. Like one of Isaac's socks around their necks: hmmm, don't think that's gonna work for long. Marcie is the most dedicated "dresser" of the group but refused to wear a frilly dress we tried to put on her a few days ago! Strange.

David on our walk tonight with Grandpadad. He had been looking at the sheep's face, way down towards the ground, but by the time I could get my phone out he was intent on the acorns. He took one for each hand as we walked on.