Hmm, birthdays..

So now that I've finally noticed I have all the birthdays up & thought - there we go, 1, 3, 5, 7, & 2 x 9.  But then I realized - I haven't posted the "1".  Sorry, Catherine.  I'll get that up soon.

The girls on their recent "wedding day"

Little girls.  So much fun to catch their little moments.  We had some flowers recently and they decided to dress with heels on and carry flowers around and say that it was their wedding day.  Precious girls.

Happy 9th Birthday, Leyton & Nathaniel!

Unbelievably these little twin baby boys turned 9 somehow this year!  They sure have grown.  They are becoming very nice young boys.  Nathaniel enjoys reading, basketball, baseball, Legos, cap guns, listening to music, and helping Dad.  Leyton enjoys basketball, Legos, Wii, studying and reading (well, just kidding about the studying and reading), and listening to music.  Leyton LOVES seeing Catherine each day.  He can't wait for her to wake up in the morning and always spends extra minutes after school visiting with her.  They both really help out with their younger siblings.  Nathaniel will read to Anne and this morning he was doing puzzles with her.  He has such a gentle way of talking to her and it is sweet to hear.  It is crazy that they will soon be headed to 4th grade.  KU, Miami Heat, and St. Louis Cardinals are easily their favorite teams to follow.  They both work hard at school and are very responsible about getting their homework done pretty much on their own - a new change in this household!  We are very blessed to have such nice young boys and this year will be another fun year to see how our oldest boys grow and change.

Happy 7th Birthday, Jacob!

Bummer for him, he was home sick!  He actually missed four of five days of school the week of his birthday!  We knew he felt pretty sick, though, because he didn't even get out of bed or really worry about his special day.  The biggest concern was whether he'd get his full size bag of Skittles from the school office for his birthday.  Once he was assured he could get it when he went back, then he was just fine.  Never did I plan to post this so late, but I'm really starting to doubt my ability to keep up with blogging these days.  I guess I can say I'm "living in the moment."  But, Mr. Jacob turned 7 in December and he is basically the same size as his big brothers.  He's really grown a lot lately.  He sometimes gets mistaken as a twin as he & Leyton resemble each other more than Leyton & Nathaniel do.  He is doing great in first grade and sometimes it's easy to forget his actual age.  Luckily, he reminds us with his silly 7 year old boy actions.  He still loves his Legos, enjoys the Wii when he gets a chance to play (limited around here), and is a great reader.  I would say his favorite books to read are his saint books.  I'm sure he knows a lot more saint facts than his parents with the variety he reads about.  I have enjoyed getting to spend time with him at school, too, when his class comes to Catechesis of the Good Shepherd each week.  His favorite sport is basketball followed by baseball.  He still keeps his silly grin and a good level of mischief.  One of his other favorite things is playing with his siblings.  On any given day, he'll pair off with a different one of them and they'll go on their way to play.  I love to see his relationships with each of them.  Genuine and sweet, and sure doesn't keep his feelings to himself.  We love you, Jacob!


I am trying to upload a picture, but at this moment am fearing that since he was sick, that I didn't even get one?!  I'll post it if I find it.  Otherwise, here's one of him with Catherine from a little later.

Happy 5th Birthday, Leah!

We celebrated Leah's 5th birthday in October.  As she is older for her class, she is also one of the tallest.  She is head and shoulders among some of her classmates.  We've also figured out she's kind of an "old soul."  She looks forward to being a mom and seems to really enjoy being a teacher when she's playing in her room.  She's picked up on reading pretty well for her age and is also a very imaginative girl.  It is not surprising at a party with adults and children that she wants to hang out with the adults.  She's a playful girl at home, but still sticks pretty close when venturing out.  She does like to be in charge, which is sometimes a good thing and other times leads to a few tears.  She plays dolls, does TONS of paper crafts, has become quite a little helper around the house, and a great big sister for Anne & Catherine.  We love you, Leah!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Anne!

Why not celebrate her at her half birthday this month, too?  Well, we also celebrated her on her actual birthday, of course.  Little Anne turned 3 in July, and I am sure the word I think of most when I think of Anne is JOY.  She is just the perfect example of a joyful little girl.  You can often watch her prance around the house dancing to her own tune or requesting I turn on music for her to dance.  She loves to wear dresses every day, whether they are in season or not.  She is very playful and loves to do puzzles, dance, play Legos, Play-doh, and many types of imaginary play.  She enjoys Dora and Minnie Mouse quite a bit.  She and Leah are becoming closer friends and it is very fun to watch them interact.  It is clear that Anne really looks up to her big sister.  Her brothers are always looking out for her, too.  I cherish the time I get to have with Anne every day.  She will mostly consider herself a "big girl" except when the idea of school comes up.  Then she says, "I'll stay with you, Mom, 'cause I'm just a little girl, right Mommy?"  Sure love her!

Happy Birthday to...

...well, all my children.  It seems I missed posts for all of their birthdays except I caught Catherine's first.  SO, time to catch up.  We'll get Anne, then Leah, Jacob, Leyton, & Nathaniel.  We are into our odd year of ages.  Anne turned 3 in July, Leah 5 in October, Jacob 7 in December, and Leyton & Nathaniel 9 this month!  Wow.