Quick Kids Update

Aspen has grown up a lot this past year. He loves school. His best friend at school is Nash, and every single day I pick Aspen up at school, Nash runs to my window to say hi to me. It's pretty cute. Today he had a new nickname for Aspen. Aspen is now "Asp". Haha. I thought I'd given him a name that couldn't be shortened, but he found a way :)

Aspen has also been talking a lot about "brown people" (we've been watching the news a lot about the earthquake in Haiti). He's quite curious about why people are different colors. The other day we were driving and he asked me if people from Haiti could live here. I was a little confused and said, that some people have been able to adopt kids from Haiti that didn't have parents anymore, and then asked him why he was wondering. He said he saw a lady in the car next to us driving and was thinking she was from Haiti. :) No buddy, not all people who are black are from Haiti.

He's also been talking a lot about marriage and who he can marry. I've told him that I want him to find a girl who loves Jesus, loves him and who will be a good mommy to the kids they have someday. The other day at dinner he blurted out that he wants to marry Ari when he grows up (girl in his class). I've known for a while that she liked him, then more recently he very carefully admitted to me that he liked her too. We were completely taken by surprise when he admitted it because he had been so embarrassed about it before. Now he likes to say that he wants to kiss her (it's the Mark in him trying to get me riled up!). I told him that I understand he likes her, but he can't kiss her or any other girl until he's 16. He thought about that a minute, and then said in a very serious voice, "I sure hope she goes to my school when we're 16."

See that look on Journey's face? That's her "I love my sister so much I can't contain it" look.

I can hardly believe Journey just turned 3. If only I could slow time down. She is now halfway potty trained. Completely with potty, but so far Number 2 is "too scawy". Even Aspen has tried to reason with her, but she is convinced it's just too scary.

Right now Journey is loving Tinkerbell and is playing with her dolls and legos a lot. Her best friends are Ava and Eliza. She starts every day playing with Aspen in her room while they wait for us to wake up, and plays a lot on her own while Aspen is in school. I don't really know how to describe it, but she has the kind of personality where people are naturally drawn to her. She has a sweetness and innocence about her, I think.


Aww Willow. She's 5 1/2 months old now and such a joy. See the smile on her face? Yep, pretty much lasts all day unless she's tired or left alone. I think she will be a social one. She loves to be around Aspen and Journey or her cousins, and doesn't like to be left alone.

Aspen and Journey love having her around and regularly fight over who gets to sit by her in the car. So far, I generally let Aspen sit next to her since he is able to help with entertaining her, giving her a binky or wiping her face if she spits up. Plus Journey has a hard time keeping her hands out of Willow's face. Her love is 2, well actually 3 year old style - in the face and a little rough!

She just cut her first tooth, and has mostly grown out of the reflux. I've been slowly weaning her off her meds. She's slept through the night twice now. Not in a row, but hopefully we are moving in that direction! Willow is also growing super fast and is now in 12 month size clothing. She weighs 18 or 19 lbs., and let me tell ya, my neck and back are really feeling it. But she's worth it. Love that baby girl!