I am going to update about ‘life’ soon…as it marches steadily by. For now, enjoy a glimpse of Gabby’s spring All City Choir concert. Tommorrow I hope to get Zach’s band concert up, and then update everyone on the April birthday madness, Easter, landscaping plans, etc. I hope this youtube video embed link works. 
If it doesn’t and you just get a red X, I’ll work on it asap and you can just go see it at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs2tWSzQF9U
It has been about 2 months since I last posted. Nary a Dylan story or a Reese picture to be seen. I apologize, and luckily not that much has happened so you haven’t missed much.
Let’s just start at the bottom up, so to speak, for updates! Reese is doing great. Sleeping through the night better than any of the other children. She had one eye-tooth come in in January (bottom right) and 2 came in last month (top right and top left) and the bottom left is very close to making its appearance. She is speaking in sentences, singing songs, quoting movies, jumping off the ground, dressing herself, etc. Your basic bright toddler. She is also becoming a bit of a diva. “Move over” and other demands. Screaming to get her way. I say she needs a younger sibling to sort out these issues, Mark says she needs discipline. 
I’ll have to check the dates so I can write in in her baby book, but a few weeks ago she nursed on a Saturday morning and didn’t ask for it again until Friday night. And then another week went by before she requested it again. Now she asks maybe every 2-3 days. I am doing child-led weaning, so I don’t offer and I don’t deny. It’s been a sweet and slow and peaceful process. Reese will be 2 on June 20th, which happens to be the first day of Summer and a Saturday, so that is when we are having her birthday luau party. I can’t believe my caboose is entering the terrible twos!
Dylan is doing well. He has spring fever and needs to get outside. He doesn’t sleep well lately, but we’ve noticed that the days it’s nice outside and he can go out and thoroughly exhaust himself he sleeps through the night, not complaints of monsters, spiders, or foot cramps. He designed a dragon car for tomorrow night’s Pinewood Derby, and I will get pictures posted ASAP. He has begun his reading lessons. He is on lesson 11 out of 100 (lesson 100 getting you to a second grade reading level.) He can read simple words made up of the 6-7 sounds he has learned (AM, SAT, MAT, RAM, etc.) He loves his story time at night. He used to twirl his hair when he was tired, but we cut it off to shake that habit, so now he sneaks into my bed and asks to twirl mine! Dylan will be 4 in 3 weeks (he constantly reminds us, LOL.) Hard to believe our biggest surprise is becoming such a big boy.
Alisa is leaping and bounding with her reading skills and dictation exercises. She ‘hated’ reading, and now enjoys it to a point. She loves math though, and drawing. She had another eye appointment, and gets to have another 4 months off the patching to see if her eyes regress. Her prescription was also changed to a weaker lens! Did I write about her birthday party? 9 little girls with a Valentine theme. It was fun, and cute, and she had a blast. Can my long-lashed newborn really be 6?
Ethan graduated from the Bears to the Webelos in Scouts. In Webelos most of the work is done with a leader instead of at home. He is very busy each week filling his requirements. Gabby’s doll of a piano teacher offered to give Ethan lesson’s at 1/2 price for a year because she knows he wants to do percussion in band and you have to have a year of keyboarding. We just have to find a way to fit the lessons into our budget, but we will! He also desperately needs swimming lessons because the child pretty much sinks and he’ll be facing swimming tests in Scouts in a year. Ethan took a friend to see the Witch Mountain movie for his birthday. I can’t believe my sweet baby, my buddy (because of the 4 year gap before Alisa came) is 10!
Gabby is doing so beautifully in her piano lessons. She just entered grade 4, and is learning a church hymn a week too. She recently had her All-city choir performance, and has her 6th grade performance later this month. Tomorrow she turns 12! She leaves the Primary program at church and enters the Youth program. She’ll have access to simple make-up and wants highlights, and is getting a sleeping bag for her birthday because she’ll be going to girl’s camp in August. I can’t believe my baby who came out screaming is now my ’serene tween’! She is planning a party with about 8 of her friends.
Zach has all approval for his Eagle Scout project. On May 9th and 16th he will be carrying it out at Pioneer Park in town. I’ll be happy when that is over. He has finished all other Eagle Scout requirements, save for getting a physical for the last merit badge. Anyone interesting in coming and volunteering can contact him (via me, if you don’t have his email.) All are welcome! Especially if you have a GPS (he is making a map of the park) or want to volunteer/serve food for the other volunteers. Young children are invited to help clean up the trails too. Zach had the All-City band concert a couple of weeks ago, and later this month has another. In May, a week after the Eagle project, he has an Honors recital and his FIRST youth dance! His Mara device (the thing that is moving his lower jaw forward to fix his overbite) one year anniversary is coming up, and he is happy at the thought of having that off. It does hinder the eating he so loves to do. He has sprouted to about 5′11 and talks constantly of driving in a year. I can’t believe the baby who came out calm and looking around is going to be 14! Aw, here comes the waterworks!
Mark and I are doing well. I had a bad cold, and lately me ears feel plugged, which has made me dizzy and nauseous, but today has been much better! I look forward to Spring really being hear to get outside. Mark is doing well too. He is anxious to get outside and plant some seeds and till a garden, and do some landscaping in the front. In May we are taking a little vacation to Madison, WI and the Dells. In June we are doing a mini-camping trip to Many Point Scout Camp. After 2.5 years of NO vacation I am excited!
Hope this finds you well, and I promise to update like I should from now on. Jen
