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July brings us to birthday and half-birthday season, which means it's time for a family update. I think I used to do these monthly... but then I had three boys and decided to homeschool. Certain people have wanted to test my sanity, for sure. Anyhoo...

Mason-- 8 and a half, going into 3rd grade! Unbelievable.

This kid has enough personality to fill a circus tent (and sometimes makes me feel like I am a permanent resident of a circus tent). He is inquisitive, hilarious, passionate, excited, active, loud, impatient, talkative, smart, creative, and energetic.

 

He loves finding things, especially small shiny things, often with the metal detector that was his sole wish for his eighth birthday. He loves making projects and wants to be either a treasure hunter or an inventor. He does not yet love school-- the act of sitting still and writing anything down on paper is physically repulsive, apparently, but he loves to do and make. He is an excellent reader and prefers humorous fiction and avoids frightening mysteries. He has been known to read more than one chapter book in a day, especially when he was going through the Magic Tree House and Boxcar Children sets, but he's finished all those.
Mason loves camping, climbing trees (or walls if he's allowed), jumping, swimming, being outside and mountain biking. This year was his first year as a cub scout and he LOVED wearing the uniform and collecting badges, camping trips, and the big overnight to the aquarium. He is also super-persuasive-- next year Joe will be the Bear Den Leader, after Mason begged and begged and volunteered him in person at the meeting asked sweetly.

 

Mason loves trash-picking. A few days ago he discovered a vacuum cleaner that the neighbors had put out with the trash and he rescued it. He came to the dinner table literally jiggling and squealing with the excitement of being allowed to take it apart, mostly for finding springs, nuts, bolts, and other small pieces inside.

 

He loves creating this glasswork with his Lolo and her friend Cathy every summer. Last year he came home with a belt-buckle for himself and a necklace for me; this year this is what he created:

 

He does not love sports yet but finished his first season of flag football recently and spent the summer on the swim team at the Y. He is getting better about playing games but it's never his first choice. First child, really really does not like to lose ;)

 

Levi-- 7! Going into first grade, home now for nearly 6 years. Time flies!

Levi is such a funny mix. He loves to be crazy, sometimes he'll do almost anything, even bordering on the dangerous, to get a laugh. The picture below might seem like it's about sweet Micah and our sweet GG but really it's Levi at his best-- the kid loves photobombs. All. The. Time.

 

 

He loves to be physical-- he gives the best full-body wraparound hugs-- but most of all he loves to wrestle and be tackled and tickled.

 

Levi loves to learn how to help and is always the first one, and often the only one, who offers to help cook or wash dishes. Sometimes I think he might be a chef. He appreciates food. All day long. This picture cracks me up, with the polo and the hand on his hip. I think this is what he'll look like as a dad, cooking for his family.

 

 

Levi is also my sweetheart, my empathetic baby whisperer. If there is a baby around he always asks to hold or feed the baby, and he actually does a great job with it. He was so helpful earlier this summer when we kept Baby Jaxon for a few days. He is so excited to know that when littlest M comes home he'll get to hold her right from the start and even carry her around (we'll see how much she actually lets him but at this point he's just glad for the opportunity). Levi is also sweet when it comes to my emotions-- if he knows I've been sad or physically sore he'll check back in later and ask how I'm doing. In a testosterone-laden house I really appreciate this sweet attention.

 

As sweet as he can be, Levi is also totally 100% all boy. He loves sports-- the more contact the better- and fishing. He could also happily swim for hours at a time and still begs to take a bath :)

 

 

 

 

Micah-- 4 years old! My baby is officially not at all a baby anymore.

(But sometimes we still pretend.)

 

Micah was my easiest, happy-go-lucky baby. He was a quiet watcher-- so quiet in fact that one night I laid awake all night certain that he was deaf and that was the reason he had been so quiet. He talked pretty late but I'm certain that he was just listening and figuring out how things worked. He loves to build, cut, color, and write. He is the first little boy I've had that will actually quietly keep himself entertained for hours, going from one little project to another with little to no direction. He has been known to spend an hour or more coloring or tracing which is basically the stuff of miracles in our house.

 

 

Micah is strong and determined. He loves to swim and ride his bike. This picture was taken after riding 5 miles.

 

 

His one wish was for a RC monster truck for his birthday. He doesn't yet have the sense of entitlement that so easily creeps in around birthday season and is pretty easy to please. We love to make him smile :)

 

 

Micah loves to play games and even if he doesn't understand all the rules or even come close to winning he does his best and plays happily. He does get sad when he loses but he'll always play again the next time. I love this character trait!

 

Micah is growing more and more independent but sometimes he just wants to be carried. Which is getting harder and harder because he is SO BIG. But I'll take it :) He is my least physically affectionate of all the boys, so I sneak in my touches where I can, and appreciate any kisses I get, however few and far between. He does always bring me flowers though-- our Pentas out front never have any blooms left after he's passed by.

 

For his age, he has tried a lot of things, just in keeping up with his brothers, but he is not a huge risk-taker. One ride on the surf board was enough for him, and he's just getting to where he likes to go over the waves on the big tube behind the boat. He is tender and tough, sweet and rough.

Big little boy.

 

Littlest M-- 15 months

We love her already and we can't wait to really get to know her! She has had a tough start and is headed for a family with three big brothers so there's no doubt that this will be one tough little girl! We have been blessed to have lots of friends that have been able to visit and take pictures. We recently got the MOWA comment that we had waited for with such excitement. If we had received it any earlier then we likely would be in Ethiopia right now holding her. But government officials decided they want more paperwork before we travel so it'll be Fall before we get to go. We are hoping and praying to have her home by Christmas.

Her latest developmental report says "M-- appeared to be comfortable with her nannies and peers. She clearly enjoyed being held by her nannies as well as playing in the room with her toys and is eager to discover new objects and play with it by grabbing and throwing it, although she throws the objects without a full force and sometimes throwing it backwards. She appeared relaxed and socialized well with her peers. She demonstrates eye contact, even when encountered with strangers. The nannies describe her as “a happy, enthusiastic and full of smiles girl”.

 



 

Come home, little girl!