The past week's happenings

Isaac at Sports Day. (The scarlet letter A on his forehead stands for Alpha, the team he was rooting for.)

Isaac at his recorder recital. He did great! He also plays piano.

Anything can become a toy around here! This is Gavin's ladder, which very handily has five enclosed segments.
Left to right: Seth, David, Marcie, Will, Gracie

Little imp David

Seth and Will enjoying the platform Daddy built for our new rope swing.

Life is GOOD! All are doing well, thank God. The quints make us laugh throughout the day with their words, mannerisms, and antics. Their relationships crack us up, too. Will is definitely the self-designated "enforcer" of all rules and commands, but he's the biggest encourager too. "Day-ded, go back to the table! . . . Very good!"

When Gavin built a roof for his motorbike last week, Will kept saying, "You did it, Daddy! Good job!"

Will and the two girls are singing several whole songs now. Will can sing parts of the Veggie Tales, Bubble Guppies, Bob the Builder and Thomas the Tank Engine theme songs, too. David and Seth aren't so much into the singing, but they do love to dance!

Marcie will tell me, "No, Mommy, I don't sink so," if she's not interested in doing what I ask her to do. Her earnestness and tone of voice is so cute, it's hard not to laugh, but she DOES have to obey whether or not she "sinks" [thinks] so!

Gracie is also trying to be the big boss right now. She yells and points and commands a lot. No one takes her seriously. They all ignore each other's commands. They know who the bosses really are!

Seth is combining sentences and making them increasingly complex, so that's fun to hear. He's very much "with it!" He's definitely smart enough to try to manipulate us, too. He'll ask for food right before bed because he knows we feed him whenever possible. Or he'll say he needs his diaper changed, or that he needs to go in the potty, just to try to convince me to get him out of his crib for a little quality one-on-one. (I don't fall for it, but he gets points for trying!) He loves all people and thinks they exist for his pleasure. He and David are very much into pointing out things and identifying them, or describing what others are doing, and also explaining what it is they themselves are doing with toys or objects or siblings.

Sometimes when David talks it feels like I'm talking to a 20-something-year-old in a two-year-old body. He's just SO aware  of the world and in touch with his feelings, and his vocabulary astounds me! His way of thinking about things is very analytical, but he also feels things deeply and expresses his needs very articulately.

Marcie and Gracie have substituted "Stop it!" for "I don't like it!" and say, "Excuse me, please," when they need to pass by or sneeze or cough. Such little ladies. . . sometimes.

All the kids say, "Look at me!" when they think their newest skill or cute pose is worth our attention. I couldn't figure out what Marcie wanted me to look at in particular a few days ago. It seemed like she was standing a little strangely, but I wasn't sure. Finally, seeing that I had no idea what to praise, she said, "I look so beautiful!" (She had on new clothes - thanks to the Starlings!)

Marcie has decided to do her business in the potty, but only when she feels like it. I certainly don't have the time to be taking her to the bathroom every 15 minutes, so I'm happy for her to tell me when she wants to go and wait for her to reach the point where she decides she no longer wants to use diapers at all.

David is also perfectly capable of using the potty, but he doesn't care to. Seth and Grace occasionally like to try, and sometimes they succeed, but they're not particularly interested. We are definitely letting these kids set their own timetable! As long as they are trained by age 4 we'll be happy. :) (That's when they start preschool with the famous and beloved Debbie as their teacher, Lord willing!)

Our babysitters last night said that Isaac deserves the Brother of the Year award, he's so amazing with the little kids! He plays with them like crazy, loves them fiercely, and protects/corrects them like a parent. He's gotten quite good at putting them in time-out when they aren't being kind to a sibling.

I so appreciate Isaac's help around the house and the effort he's putting into school and other responsibilities. He has good friends right next door, so there's plenty of fun to be had as well! I love hearing them laugh and play. What a great place to live!

With love and gratitude,
Carrie