John Paul

Ahh JP, what are we going to do with you?  You have figured out how to work the baby gate in your room (a long time ago now actually) so we taped the gate shut, and then you figured out how to climb over the gate by standing on boxes that we use to hold your toys, so we removed the boxes, and then you figured out how to prop up your mattress over the gate and use that to scale the gate, and then you used your comforter and draped it over the gate as traction, and then you used the door handle (we used to keep your door open) to pull yourself out of your room, and now you can just scale the gate.  And what you will do is sneak out of your room in the morning and not wake us up but sneak around the house getting into trouble, like when you snuck into the pantry and took an entire box of chocolate covered pretzels and ate half of the box while hiding behind the couch - where you hide when you are doing something naughty.

"Mama, we hafta decorate the tree with a pumpkin so we get ready for baby Jesus to come."

I took you to see your first movie at a movie theatre, Snoopy.  You were so excited.  We got Chinese food at Wegmans before the movie but we had to eat in the car because there were no open tables!  

Rosie Baby

Mia Baby

John Paul

This week, you called PapPap every day on the phone. "Mama, hold on a second.  I not finished yet.  I still talking to PapPap.  I have A LOTTA things to say."

Rosie Baby

What can I say, best baby ever with the longest black eyelashes, rosiest cheeks and best smile.  The time is going by too fast, and it's so hard to appreciate everything because JP and Maria have nonstop energy.

Mia Baby

Picking up sticks at our favorite mud pile.

This is how we roll these days.  I take it for granted because this is "normal" for us but I snapped a quick picture because I never want to forget this.  I think I'll look back so fondly on these days even though it's really hard right now.

Ready to eat again.  As soon as I say "Mia, do you want to eat?", she runs to the kitchen and either sits at the table or climbs up in her high chair.  :)

John Paul

John Paul started his Catechesis of the Good Shepherd class this year.  I'm amazed that he can sit still in the class and pay attention to the teachers so well!  The class is ages 3-6 and there is one other 3 year old in the class who is there with her brother, all the other kids are ages 5 and 6.  "What did you learn today, John Paul?"  "Jesus loves me, and Jesus loves Steven!"

Tired out Dada.  All 3 watching a movie.  :)

"It's OK, Rosary.  Don't cry, I am here.  I gonna take care of you.  Look, Mama, she smiled at me!  Why she do that?"

  

Making spider cupcakes for Halloween, just the 2 of us.  "I make 2 eyes, 2 eyebrows, a mouth and 4 legs."

  

This kid always wants to "sleep in Mama room".  I was trying to get him to take a nap in his room but he wouldn't, so I brought him to our room and he fell right asleep.  :)  He also always wants to "I want to sleep in my place", which is behind a baby mattress that we prop up against the wall in our room and tuck him in behind it with his pillow and blanket.

Rosie Baby

"Rosary" as JP calls her, or "The Rosie Baby" as I call her is just the happiest little baby.  She's my only baby so far that will just fall asleep in her crib (with no crying) ever since she was a newborn.

I love holding her, and I soak up every minute I'm holding her...I don't get to do it that much because I'm very busy with the older kids.  She's the only baby so far that I've been able to easily rock to sleep.

I haven't figured out if she's given me a "real" smile yet but she definitely smiles a lot!!

She's an angel baby and I love seeing how much the older kids love her and care for her.

Maria

Mia is our eater.  :)  As soon as the refrigerator opens, she is right there next to me.  I have to sneak around to make dinner!

Yesterday, she was walking around chomping on what looked like were some rolled up napkins, but it was several slices of turkey that I had put in the garbage!

Boy does she love Rosie.  She always gives her smothering hugs and kisses, tickles her toesies "tickle, tickle, tickle!", wants to feed her food (Rosie is 2.5 months!), and always runs to get a new diaper for her.  

She looks the cutest in pig tails, and sticks her hand out when we're on a walk for me to hold her hand.  She also loves Paul Paul "Pau Pau...Pau Pau...Pau Pau" and gives him lots of hugs.

She does NOT like to be held!  She does not like to sleep with us (I tried this when she woke up in the middle of the night) and will wake up to push our hand away if we run her back or try to hold her hand.

"Pau Pau" and "Mia" sleep in the same room on mattresses on the floor next to each other. JP puts up a big fuss if Maria can't sleep with him!

John Paul

Funny things JP has been saying this month:

- "Mama, my poop not working."
- "Mama, I hafta go pee.  I drink juice, then it come out my penis."
- "Paul Paul, don't touch that, it's bird poop."  JP touches it.  "Mama, why he do that?  Somebody not wipe his butt?"

He's so good with Rosie.  He calls her "Rosary."  Every time she cries, he stops what he's doing and goes to sing to her.  "Round the cross, round the cross, round the keek, round the keek.  Mama, she stopped crying!"

"Mama, don't yell at my sister!  I her big brother, I hafta take care of her. (when I was going "boo" to Mia at the playground)."

Every night when we put him to bed, one of his many stall tactics is to come out of his room and say "Mama, I almost forgot say SEE YOU IN THE MORNIN' " with a big smile on is face.