When I first started this blog I did a weekly rundown of the boys.  It was a great way for me to jot down all those little traits and moments that I wanted to capture but so often let slip into oblivion.  Really, my memory is so poor when it comes to those things.  Then Luke was born and I stopped.  But if I can get my act together I'm hoping to make a somewhat regular practice of it again.  It gives me a moment to pause and reflect on who these little people really are at this moment in time and that is a good thing in this crazy house.  It's helpful for me but I'm also hoping someday they may appreciate it as well.

John Paul 

-has taken to saying "Oh dear" after every slight silliness or mistake

-spent about three hours in the garage the other day making something for his mama for Christmas...and this was after he spent two days embroidering something that is supposed to go with it

-still has a hard time turning his brain off so he can fall asleep

-has a very silly slapstick humor that is only encouraged by the presence of his younger brothers

-can read an entire novel in an afternoon

-is very proud of himself when he gets a Jeopardy question correct

-will still talk to anyone at any time for as long as you will let him

Michael

-has been taking a nap fairly regularly not because he wants to but because he is much happier boy when he does

-very rarely will pull out a book on his own but the moment you start reading, he's right there next to you snuggled in with that thumb in his mouth

-still loves color and anything sparkly, golden, or glittery

-eats like a bird and has the body to prove it

-has the habit of saying "right?" after every statement of fact he makes, still so unsure of himself, he is

-will paint or craft for several hours at a time and loves his weekly art class

David

-still cannot master normal talking volume

-has entered that adorable phase of self-narration

-can turn moods on a dime

-still loves looking at books

-has a very, er, feisty personality

-thrives when he is alone with Papa or Mama

-began waking during the night this past autumn...and still hasn't gotten back into sleeping through the night regularly

-told me the other day that he thinks we will have "a million TRILLION" babies

-loves trains, legos, "doing school", and still has the most vivid imagination of all the boys

-is so proud of the fact that he now has his own "class" at our weekly homeschool group (craft and read aloud time)

Luke

-will almost always give you a smile when you look at him

-except the very few times when he is severely overtired and is awake all night and gets in a "zone" and  is inconsolable and it is so hard to snap him out of it

-can now dance(!) which is always the cutest thing ever and mostly consists of waving both his hands and bopping up and down

-is actually wearing clothes that are the "right" size as opposed to his brothers who have always been a size behind

-barely eats any solids and much prefers mama's milk...unless, of course, it is cat food (at least it's the "natural" kind??)

-will only take one nap a day now, though he could really use two and that is contributing to him sleeping way worse than he did as a newborn

-can throw a ball and has his own special sign for the word "more"

-has a mother in denial that he is turning one in a few days