Meet Our 3 Year Olds (and their big sis, too)!

I still can't believe that my babies are 3. This year, we celebrated Toy Story style with many family and friends that gave up part of their Mother's Day to share our special day. 

Three seems so grown up...I know, it seems silly (unless you're a mom). 

 We didn't have quite the adventures as we did the year before...no airplane rides or national t.v. appearances, but we did have some noteworthy firsts:

Look, NO STROLLER at the the big zoo!  We don't draw near the attention, so we're able to just enjoy the animals.  

Thanks to our friends, The Westons, we had our first "swim lessons".

We also experienced our first trip to the beach.  We didn't make it to the ocean...that will have to be a first for another year.  We loved Silver Beach in Michigan, though, and we're so glad we got to share this first with our friends!

 

 

 

 

 These are just some of the big events that we experienced as a squad. :)  Now, check us out individually:

Meet Harrison!  He is still our very rambunctious one, but he has a quiet side, and you will often find him off playing alone rather than with his siblings (we call it quad denial).  His pain tolerance still amazes me...he didn't cry at all when he got his shots last week.  He's the second biggest of the bunch, weighing in at just 28 lbs.  He has become a very good talker.  He tells me likes (Scooby Doo, horses, chicken nuggets, and going to the zoo.  He would much rather eat candy than anything else (especially starbursts), but then again, what kid wouldn't.

Meet Jaylyn!  She's still our little peanut weighing only 23 lbs.  She is a tough little cookie, and even being small, she holds her own...it took the doctor and two nurses to hold her down to give her a shot last week. ;) Like her brothers, she has become quite the talker.  She loves her blanket (that was really one of the boys's), sucking her fingers (not sure how we're going to break that habit), cheeseburgers from McDonalds, and her very favorite thing is gum!  She is quiet and shy when around new people, but she warms up and makes friends fast.

 

Meet Ben!  If you've read my last post, you know that Ben gave us a pretty big scare with a very long seizure that resulted in a hospital stay, an MRI, and a diagnosis of Chiari.  We are going to see a neurosurgeon next month to determine if any treatment is necessary.  He hasn't had any episodes since, and we are grateful.  Just looking at him, you'd never know that there is anything wrong.  He is our biggest, weighing 32 lbs.  He is a lover of life.  His belly laugh is and always has been infectious. He loves to sing "Let it Go" from the movie Frozen. He is so smart... he can "read" No David (we have to read it every night at bedtime) word for word. When he says things like, "It's okay, buddy." to his brothers, it melts my heart.

 Meet Oscar!  He's still our short and stalky guy.  Watching him walk with his little chest puffed out brings a smile to everyone's face.  He still steals the hearts of all of the ladies by batting his pretty eyes...he's quite the little flirt.  He loves chicken nuggets too, but like the others would prefer to have candy instedead.  I love the animation in his voice when he tries to tell me stories about his brothers and sisters, and he's very quick to jump into a fight between the others (he doesn't play favorites, just usually hits whoever is closest).  He's the real reason we had a Toy Story party this year.  He has Woody dolls of all sizes, and we can help but laugh when we hear him ask, "Where's my big/tiny Woody".

We can't leave out big sister!  Lilya shocked us all when we decided at the last minute to start her early in kindergarten.  The youngest in her class, she still did amazing...she finished the strongest reader in her class!  I couldn't be more proud of the year she had at school.  She also found a new love this year...the show Full House.  It's kind of sad to see her outgrowing the cartoon show phase, but I'm excited to see what this coming year has in store for her. 

As always, I'm thanking God for the blessings of these beautiful babies.  It is an incredible journey that I often feel unworthy of leading.