October

Drew: Enjoying soccer practices and games with Daddy, lots of creative play, fun with basketball goal, working out 'friend' issues at school, can definitely see those relationships are VERY important to Drew. Can be pretty goofy, more outgoing, dancing and singing more, excited about science and math, doing really well with an independent reading program at school, learning to tie shoes.

Drew raised money this month for his school through a Walkathon. We made a video at home to email to close family to ask for donations. We wrote a short script for him to read and one of the lines was "I will walk for one hour"...the first time he read it he said "whore" instead of hour and Mommy and Daddy found that pretty hilarious...until we had to explain why it was funny!

Noah: doing GREAT at school, enjoys color by number pages, more creative play, bribed with Pokemon cards to play soccer, loves doing floor puzzles, more fear at bedtime - lots of "bad dreams" and coming to sleep in bed with Mommy in the middle of the night. Loves being pushed on swings, loves playing in bounce houses. Pretty social kid - will talk and say hello to just about anyone! Called Halloween "Halloweena" all month! Still doesn't like getting kisses, enjoys "book night" at bedtime on Saturdays, starting to help more around the house with cleaning up and getting the dinner table ready - this is a BIG deal for Noah!

A few funny stories about Noah:
Mommy lost her voice this month and explained to the boys about drainage down the throat, etc and then later he explained it as "Mommy has a booger in her throat"!

Had a poop accident one day, while IN the bathroom (could that be more frustrating...he literally pooped in his underwear because he was busy playing in the bathroom, 2 feet away from the toilet, where we told him to go try to poop!!!). Daddy told him to clean it up, giving him a rag. When Daddy went back in to check on Noah, he was completely naked, lying down on the ground where the poop had been, with the rag covering his belly and his hands behind his head! UGH!!!

He loves to take baths in our master bathtub as it is much larger. He swims all around in it, but then sometimes he tries to drink the water as it's draining, or lick the bottom of the tub - it's SO gross!

Kate, little miss Kate. We jumped right into cold and flu season with catching some kind of virus leading to fever, lots of coughing and lots of snot. Poor girl wakes up with her hair stuck to her nose there's so much! So we have learned to keep the pony in at night as well to keep it out of her face! She HATES getting her nose and face wiped and cleaned of course too! She also got her 7th tooth this month. So, she's been extra clingy to Mommy, for what seems like forever.

She loves going to her brother's soccer games - she just roams all over the place...she is walking onto the fields, checking out people's water bottles and bags, playing on the bleachers and just loving being outside - Mommy hardly sees any of the actual games! She also loves playing chase/being chased by her brothers. And being in the swing is an all time favorite for sure! She really loves to move, just move and run, all the time. And she loves to be outside...her new favorite thing outside in the front is to run into the street, so that's just perfect...and we won't be in the front as much for awhile!

She is learning to throw her "fits", and man, she can throw them! She will stomp around in circles, throw herself down onto the ground, make her body impossible to hold if that's what you are trying to do, and of course, she's a great screamer! So that's fun. But it doesn't bother me near as much as with the boys...I'm already over it I guess! :)

She wants to drink from normal cups just like everyone else, but that of course makes a huge mess. She thinks she's a big girl I guess! She's starting to be able to walk backwards, definitely has different speeds to her walking and running and LOVES to climb! Again, I think she thinks she's a big girl and is keeping up with her big brothers!

So, she's clingy to Mommy, that's been established. She LOVES her daycare teacher! OH, how wonderful this is! She almost NEVER complains and goes right to her from my arms in the morning - a true blessing! I keep telling her teacher I'm going to take her home with me! Kate is doing well with Grandma Palmer too as she sees her several times a week now, and is starting to warm up to Papa as well. She HATES the church nursery! Mommy is working on that, by staying in there with her lots, but so far, as soon as she sees me making for the door, she gets so upset, and often, doesn't calm down and I have to come back to get her - which is super hard to keep her content in church by the way!

We are down to nursing just first thing in the AM and dropped the bedtime one this month. She has yet to drink milk though - she'll take the first sip and then not have anything to do with it...so, that's great! We will work on that... She is getting better going up and down little thresholds and small steps, which is usually going outside, so lots of motivation there! She has started to blow kisses - so cute - and will fold her hands for the mealtime prayers!

These boys love their sister, and she sure loves them too...she and Noah get to spend a bit more time together since Mommy doesn't make Noah go to preschool every day...

A week before Halloween we went to Redeemer's Fall Fun Fest. Then we went to St. Paul's Trunk or Treat on Friday and then trick or treating in our neighborhood on Saturday and Noah was so excited, but a little confused..."It's Halloweena again?!"