-a monthly recap of some of the things I just don't want to forget-

John Paul

-refers to the younger brothers as "the kids."  For example, "it's okay, Mama, I'm making sure the kids are behaving."
-has been all about the stick bombs.
-has been growing up so much lately.  I love some of the conversations we've been having.
-made his own Advent chain that hangs by his bed.  He removes one link each morning upon waking up.
-has been so sweet this pregnancy with helping to hold Luke or carry things for me.
-is looking forward this Christmas to "seeing friends and having parties."

Michael


-served for the very first time at the altar!
-has very clearly expressed his desire to be a priest.  His plan now is to be a priest, an artist, and a farmer.  He will live on an island and his parish will be close by but not right on his island so then he can take his jet ski to Mass.
-lost that other front tooth while we were in Chicago for Thanksgiving.
-shoveled half the driveway the other day all by himself to earn a couple dollars.  There was a lot of heavy snow and he worked so hard!  He was disappointed when he woke up the next morning to find that Papa had finished the rest after he went to bed.
-while he was out there it got dark and he was so excited that he got to see his first shooting star!  He now decided he would someday like a telescope.
-loves playing house with his cousin Sarah.
-is still so into all things bright and colorful.  He is especially excited this Christmas to drive around and look at the lights.

David

-has been very very secretly planning some Christmas gifts.  But do NOT go into the room when he is working on yours.  Ever.
-told me at dinner one evening that he wants to go out on a date with me "where we will get all different types of special foods and try them all together."  Yes, please.
-is now asking every night that he can get a harvesting blade for his tractor.  And that would be a no.
-decided that his cousin Claire is his best friend.  He likes to play house with the others, too.  He and Michael have both decided that this baby needs to be a girl so they can play at our house and have someone to be the Mama.  Apparently that is currently the subject of much dissension when it is time to assign the house playing roles.  I told them they should just pretend the Mama is out helping someone have a baby.
-on the silly scale, is probably the silliest of all our boys.
-is almost half way through Teach Your Child to Read and is doing fabulously!  We're waiting a bit for more formal math as he doesn't seem quite ready for that yet.
-this Christmas is very excited to "have people over on my feast day and have a glow fight."

Luke

-turned three!!
-and may be - may be - turning a corner in the whole driving Mama to the nuthouse thing.  But I don't want to speak too soon.
-speaks in full sentences, uses the big words that we use, repeats sentences back to us, and it is all somehow hysterical.

-while singing Twinkle, Twinkle, "Papa.  If you want MY twinkle, (for him to sing) you have to pay me."
-decided randomly one day that when he grows up he would like to be a police elephant.  When asked what that was he said he would be an elephant that would suck up water with his nose and then squirt it at the bad guys so he could then take them to the police station.  Alrighty then.
-on the drive home from Chicago was intrigued by the toll situation.  "Is this this the EZPass?"  "No."  "Oh.  Is this the hard pass?"
-loves singing at Mass and O Come, O Come, Emmanuel before dinner.  I love hearing him know the words!
-won't tell me what he's looking forward to at Christmas (probably because he doesn't really remember much of it anyway) but he was a pretty big fan of helping Papa test and put the lights on the tree.  And I think the Christmas music will be a favorite.  After almost a year he still has Papa sing O Holy Night every night before he goes to bed.