Time is flying!

I've fallen quite behind with updating - it seems two on-the-move 18 month old toddlers and a big six year old kindergartner are keeping us on our toes. It's funny how time seems to move just as fast in different phases of life. When Harper and Sam were newborns I thought things would slow a bit once our days didn't follow a tight schedule involving every two hour feedings and frequent changing but reality proves that chasing three kids in three different directions brings new challenges as well as lots of joy!

Harper and Sam are 18 months, here's what they've been up to:

Harper:

Stats: Has come a long way from her 5 lb birth weight and clocked in at just over 20 lbs at her 15 month check-up. She is the peanut of our duo (Ben affectionately refers to her as "a little elf"). She has 6 teeth and is working on all four of her 1 year old molars at once.

Food: Has her mama's sweet tooth - loves cookies and chocolates. She isn't too picky and loves fruit, yogurt and spaghetti. Mama's babas still take first place in the food and drink category. That's right, this table for two has been open for over 18 months. We'll work on weaning eventually, but for now nursing offers comfort for all that ails this little gal (and has kept her pretty healthy throughout what seems like a never ending winter!)

Activity: Loves to follow big brother around and get into his toys (except for one buzz lightyear car that races across the floor. She shakes it and then passes it off to someone else like a hot potato before it zooms away). Standing on furniture and practicing getting down like a big girl. Knocking down her brothers' carefully built towers. Singing row, row, row your boat and twinkle twinkle. Wearing her boots (apparently they are made for walking). Looking out the window and watching for woof-woofs. Modeling various hats. Stomping her feet while laughing (I don't think she got the "if you're angry and you know it stomp your feet" memo).



Words: This little lady has a lot to say. Her vocabulary includes: mama, dada, Beh (Ben), baba (of course), woof-woof (dog), meow, neigh-neigh, quack, up, snow, mess, no (usually this happens in the context of her about to do something she shouldn't and she reprimands her self by yelling: NO, NO, NO while shaking her head), oh no, oh my (complete with both hands on her little cheeks) and nigh-nigh (night-night).

Sam:
Stats: My tiny little guy has turned into quite the big boy and was up from 4lbs at birth to just about 22lbs at his 15 month check-up. He looks much bigger than his sister - especially in the noggin region (his sweet little head circumference is off the charts for his age and we find he falls more frequently than his sister, most likely because he is somewhat top heavy at the moment). He has eight teeth and is getting his top two molars.

Food: Sammie is my big eater but can be picky if he is teething and if doesn't want to eat will send  his food flying off his tray faster than should be humanly possible. He loves his eggs, yogurt, wild rice soup, spaghetti and shepard's pie. He is still loving the mama milk, but I think will give it up easier than his sister.

Activity: Loves stacking blocks and cups to make towers and since he is such a mellow little guy doesn't usually get too upset when Harper comes to knock it down. He just sets right back to business and gets to work. Playing with balloons. Racing cars down the car ramp. Following big brother Ben around and trying to do everything he does. Pounding nails at the work bench. Playing toy kitchen. Singing row, row, row your boat, lounging with dad while watching a music show before bed.

Words: We joke that Sam will never need to talk because Harper always has something to say, but he is starting to vocalize a bit more. His vocabulary includes: mama, dada, cheese, baba, nigh-nigh, no and a whole lot of russian-greek words that he speaks at an incredibly fast clip that I don't understand.

Ben turned six in January which doesn't seem like it should be possible. He had a fun birthday party with 15 of his closest friends at an art studio where they constructed robots out of pieces of scrap wood. It was so much fun to see him interacting with all of his buddies and seeing all the creativity at work as the kids built their masterpieces. He's been staying busy this winter with lots of rocket construction (we'll have quite the show once spring finally arrives) and comic strip making. Soon enough, he'll be getting reading to set his leprachaun traps! He had a rough go of it with some illness over the last month but is back to his energetic, fun loving self which we are so grateful to see. He was out of school for nearly a week while he was sick and when I dropped him off on his first day back, it was so sweet to see his classmates reaction to him. He clearly has made many good friends in kindergarten! He has had some fun outings lately from jumping on the massive trampolines at SkyZone with dad to checking out the new dinosaur exhibit at the Children's Museum with mom, as well as a date to see the new Lego movie with both Chris and I. We cherish our time with our oldest beetle and love seeing the sweet little boy he is growing up to be.