Girls

Around our 10-year wedding anniversary in October of 2015, there was a lot of talk about marriage. Dave and I shared stories of our courtship and the boys saw the collection of 10 years of "selfies" Dave and I had taken during our marriage. I suppose a lot of it was on Andrew's mind because at one point, he said he had a secret to share with me. He said he'd only tell me and then later Daddy. He leaned over and in a conspiratorial whisper he said, "I like girls." Given he was only just about to turn 7, I found this just precious.

Adam at age 2

Adam is growing by leaps and bounds and amazes us with what he understands. If we ask who wants a snack or say it's time to go, he's often the first to grab a bowl or his shoes. He loves jokes and even though he is only starting to string two words together and usually says just one, he can actually get a joke across! At preschool, he jokes with another two year old by calling him the wrong name, with a twinkle in his eye. At home he enjoys his brother's reaction to his physical comedy (recreating a fall, tickling, etc.) He interacts with each brother in a different way. He and Sam love to play horsey, with Adam riding Sam's back. Sam also loves to carry Adam around and Adam happily dangles like a sack of potatoes in Sam's arms. Andrew and Adam love to look at Calvin and Hobbes comics together and Andrew does "nosey nosey" and strong hugs that often end on the floor. Thomas and Adam are preschool compatriots and do lots of pretend play, especially dress up. Adam is on the small side. At his two year appointment he was 2' 9.5" tall (33%) and weighed 25lb 12.8 oz (22%) but is growing steadily. His blond hair continues to be a commonly commented feature and his emerging independence is crystallizing (he makes it clear he wants me behind and him to run ahead!). He is quite the dynamo and we can't wait to hear more from him as his verbal abilities take off.

Thomas at age 4

Thomas loves to tell a good story and can often be heard telling stories with the toys he's playing with and engaging in pretend play with his brothers ("We're a family of cats." "We're superheroes and ninjas"). The other day he told me a story about how when he grows up he wants to be golden Spiderman and he'll be my hero and protect me.

He loves to be silly and goofy and while he sometimes gets rubbed the wrong way and becomes incensed, he can be flipped out of it and return to his joyous, sunshiny self. He loves to tell us he loves us (spontaneously!) and is fierce in his devotion to his brothers (he requires a kiss and hug goodbye every morning).

He and Adam are starting to play cooperatively very well. One of their favorite things to do is to fill our laundry baskets with pillows and call it a "bubble bath". He is very interested in letters at the moment and loves to list off random letters and then ask me what they spell. (One time he actually spelled Foam, but usually it's a random assortment of his favorite letters).

At his four year appointment, he was measured at 3' 5.5" (66%) and 36 lb 11.2 oz (50%) and can now walk to and from his brothers school the whole way (if he chooses...stroller is still the back-up).

We love our "Sunshine Thomas", as he calls himself.

Some of his mis-words that we love: stummyache, hotness, "Can you paint face me?", "I'm snug as a rug bug"