SnapShot

Time again for another little snapshot into my kids' lives and what they are up to at this stage. :)

James (5 yrs Old)
Current Favorite Phrase: What's this? Why does it do that?
Current Likes: Baseball, camping, exploring, shooting, Star Wars
Current Dislikes: Cheese
Current Favorite Foods: Rudy's Brisket, Dad's Smoked Ribs, Hamburgers, French Fries, Peaches, Strawberries, French Toast
Current Favorite Drinks: Water, Pop
Current Favorite Toys: Legos, BB Gun, Bug Box, Wheelbarrow, Treehouse
Current Nicknames: Jamesie Bug, J-Bug, Buddy
Current Other: James has suddenly become a young man! It's like he hit 5, and grew up overnight. He is very smart and loves to learn new things. His love of baseball has just exploded since we got our 5 acres. He constantly wants to be outside batting with Dad or practicing his pitches. He's also developed a love of basketball now that we have a hoop. He's also become quite fond of the outdoors. You can usually find him outside exploring the land with his binoculars around his neck, his bug box in one hand, and his bug net in the other. James is an excellent big brother! He takes care of Wyatt constantly and is so patient with him. Wyatt can get away with things that Izzy can't even dream up! James also really loves being on the top bunk and sharing a room with his baby brother. They are adorable together! James will make Wyatt's bed in the morning and insure that all Wyatt's toys are in order. He also helps me a lot around the house. He's excellent at unloading the dishwasher and sorting through laundry piles. I love this little boy and can't stand thinking about him starting school in just a few short months! He still loves his pillow and sucks the middle fingers on his left hand.

Isabel (3 yrs Old)
Current Favorite Phrase: Mom, what is taking forever? That is super-awesome!
Current Likes: Princesses! Everything pink. Purses, dress-up clothes, shoes, taking care of her babies, cooking us plastic meals in her kitchen, playing with her giant dollhouse. Putting on lip-gloss and painting her fingernails/toes
Current Dislikes: Food. She's in a HUGE picky stage right now!
Current Favorite Foods: Noodles, strawberries
Current Favorite Drinks: Strawberry Milk, OJ, Pop, Water
Current Favorite Toys: Her doll house (which is her princess castle), her princess dolls/polly pocket dolls, her talking van, old cell phones, shoes, necklaces and bracelets
Current Nicknames: Izzy Bean, E, E-Train, Jeanne Bean, Iz
Current Other: Isabel is a girl through and through. She is so dainty, she often prances around on her tip-toes instead of walking. She loves to play princess and pretend store. She carries her purse around and puts all of her favorite treasures into it. That often includes, makeup she has stolen from my bathroom! She loves to be dressed up in a dress. First thing she often does is test out the dress with a twirl. She also will care for Wyatt, although her method is a little gruff and Wyatt often ends up screaming. :) She still tries to be tender, and it's adorable to watch. She loves to do preschool activities with James and can count from 1 to 10 easily. She can also say most of her alphabet in order. She continues to love crafts. Coloring and sticker books are her all time favorite! She sings everywhere she goes and fills our lives with love and sparkles! I can't imagine not having her spunk around! She still loves her green blankie and can never be too far from it. She sucks the thumb on her right hand.


Wyatt (16.5 months Old)
Current Favorite Phrase: Baseball! (He says it for any kind of ball, really) Mama, Dada, Squeaks (for any animal he sees). Uh Oh! Also: "Tatu" = thank you. "Bita" = Big Truck "Tata" = tractor
Current Likes: Basketball, Baseball, Matchbox cars, Going down slides, His brother James
Current Dislikes: Being Held when he wants to explore
Current Favorite Foods: Bananas!!! PB&J, Steak, Rolls, Peas, Strawberries. Really there isn't too much he won't eat!
Current Favorite Drinks: Milk, OJ, Water
Current Favorite Toys: Balls! He loves to bounce basketballs and toss baseballs. He also likes to dunk basketballs in his mini hoop. Cars are also high on his list. He loves to drive them around his car garage and watch them go down the slide.
Current Nicknames: Wy Guy, Big-Y, Super Wy, Wyatt Burp, Uno
Current Other: Wyatt has changed so much in such a short time! He walks/runs everywhere now! He can kick a ball, throw a ball, and ride a trike (sorta.) He loves to be outside playing in the dirt. He enjoys pushing tractors around, filling his dump truck up with rocks, laying on Pancho, laughing with James, and cuddling with Dad. He continues to be a fabulous eater! He will eat 3 full meals a day, and 2 full snacks in the middle of those! He's a silly and loves to get a laugh from us. He has a huge need for order (just like James.) He can often be seen putting toys away and walking around closing doors that have been left open. Sometimes we find matchbox cars in our bathroom cupboards, or kitchen cupboards. Wy Guy hates clutter! :) He also loves to read books and learn about animals and what they see. He takes my hand and will squack until I point out animals to him. Car rides are a new wonder now that he can say "Big Truck" and point tot he semi's as they pass us by. He is such a joy! We all love on him to death! Currently he takes 1, two hour nap. At bedtime, he'll goes down at 7pm and wake up at 7:16am. As long as he has his great white shark and a blankie, he'll go down with not a peep. Currently Wyatt has 8 teeth. Four on the bottom, four on the top, and the start of his molars on the bottom in the back. He sucks the thumb on his left hand.

Need a few more pictures of these adorable kids? I thought so. Here ya go:

SnapShot

It's time for another Snap Shot of my kids. It's been aprox 6 months since my last one, and it seems like everyone has changed a great deal in that short amount of time.

James (4.5 yrs Old)
Current Favorite Phrase: Mom, watch me!
Current Likes: Baseball, camping, pirates, dragons, fishing, bowling
Current Dislikes: Cheese
Current Favorite Foods: Scrambled Eggs, Pancakes (stacked up like I eat them), Mom's Macaroni & Cheese, corn on the cob, fruit snacks, briskett, cole slaw, mustard sandwiches (that's just bread with mustard on it!), pork chops, sloppy joes, link sausage, Oreo's, and ice cream
Current Favorite Drinks: Eggnog, Chocolate Milk, Water
Current Favorite Toys: His batcave/batman figures, tonka truck (the one that lives outside and hauls mulch/dirt, his baseball gear, walkie-talkies, flashlight/camping gear
Current Nicknames: Jamesie Bug, Buddy
Current Other: James is still very conscious of the rules and seems to have an inborn realization of the difference between right and wrong. He tests it every now and then, but for the most part he knows when he's done wrong. He's also very polite. He will always ask before he does something and it's almost always followed by a thank you. He's also really good at saying please and your welcome. James has a tremendous imagination! He can make up stories and games for hours and hours. He loves to pretend he's an animal of some kind (usually a bear or a tiger or a dragon) and make caves/forts for his creature to live in. He's also really good at making up elaborate story lines for batman and his pirate action figures to live out. He's convinced he can rid his room of the joker and his evil scallywag sidekicks! He also really loves to go camping, fishing, and play construction worker outside with his trucks. He can push dirt and mulch around for hours. He is learning to read words (such as Cat, Dog, Hat, etc.) and can now recognize every letter from the alphabet (even A which took him forever to learn) and tell you the sound that letter makes. He also loves to rhyme. He will go around the house rhyming objects and words together. Even if it requires a made up word to make the rhyme. He still loves his pillow and sucks the middle fingers on his left hand.

Isabel (2.5 yrs Old)
Current Favorite Phrase: I can do it
Current Likes: Her green blankey, her princess dolls (she can now name them all), playing dress up, playing store (which requires her purse and fake credit cards) making us meals in her kitchen, reading books (she can do this for hours), begging me to put makeup on her (sometimes she gets a big of gloss), painting her fingernails/toes
Current Dislikes: Meat, Pickles, Beans, Eggnog
Current Favorite Foods: Eggo Waffles, Pancakes (with extra syrup), Toast, wagon wheel noodles, corn on the cob, yogurt, fruit snacks, broccoli, peas, rice, jelly beans, suckers, ice cream
Current Favorite Drinks: Strawberry Milk, OJ, Pop, Water
Current Favorite Toys: Her doll house (which is her princess castle), her princess dolls/polly pocket dolls, her talking van, old cell phones, shoes, necklaces and bracelets
Current Nicknames: Izzy Bean, E, E Train, Jeanne Bean, Iz
Current Other: Isabel is a silly billy! She loves to make faces and try to get us to laugh. Her favorite thing is to pull faces at Dad during dinner until he busts up laughing. Isabel always has a song in her heart. And usually, that song bubbles up until it starts coming out of her mouth. She sings about her siblings, me and her Daddy most often. Sometimes she'll sing a lullaby to her blankie, or sing about things she's done so far in the day. And when the mood strikes her, she'll incorporate some dancing with her tune. She continues to be extremely thoughtful. She seems to just know when one of us needs something. Often times, she'll bring me my water, or my phone, or my camera or anything she things I might be in need of. She also loves to try to make Wyatt happy. If he's fussing on the floor, she immediately runs upstairs to retrieve her princess dolls. Wyatt loves the dresses they have (they are rubbery and very tooth friendly) and they are sure to make him stop crying. She also brings stuff to James. If I tell her she can have a cookie, she will bring one for her and one for James. Even if he didn't ask for one! She still sucks the thumb on her right hand, but only when she's tired or about to go to sleep. She is speaking in sentences/full paragraphs! Every day it seems she is learning 5 or 10 new words. She can usually repeat a word back to me if it's one she hasn't heard/doesn't know yet. She loves to go shopping and run errands with me. Also, as previously mentioned, she just potty trained!

Wyatt (10.5 months Old)
Current Favorite Phrase: Da Da, DAH, DUH (for Pancho), Ma Ma
Current Likes: Crawling, Going up the Stairs, Playing with his siblings, Stealing Pancho bones, Being tickled, His Dad, Watching Super Why!
Current Dislikes: Apple, Cinnamon, Scrambled Eggs, When Mom leaves the room
Current Favorite Foods: Turkey, Spaghetti, PB&J, Strawberry Milk
Current Favorite Drinks: See above
Current Favorite Toys: Anything and Everything he can get his hands on. He loves to push cars around, chew on Princess dresses, be with the group when toys are scattered in the playroom, and taste everything he comes in contact with.
Current Nicknames: Wy Guy, Super Wy, Wyee, Wyatt Burp, Uno
Current Other: Wyatt seems to be advanced beyond his age. He interacts with his siblings in a way I don't imagine a 10 month old doing. He can understand a lot of what they tell him, and follows their lead when it comes to how to play with toys. He can play matchbox cars with James just like a 2 year old would! He's a huge Daddy fan. He'll crawl around the house yelling "DAH" until he finds JL. Once he does, he immediately starts to smile and ask to be held. I'd say Wyatt is about a month away from walking at this point. He cruises around and around the house. He can stand for a few seconds w/out support and loves to be at eye level with his siblings. Recently, he has learned how to go up the stairs. He knows I'm not the biggest fan of this activity, so he usually waits until I'm busy in the kitchen to sneak away. Pretty soon I hear him calling for me to come and get him. He's been upstairs for a while alone and is done exploring, so he will sit at the top of the stairs and wait for me to bring him down. Wyatt loves to dance! Every time he hears a beat on the radio, he starts to clap and bounce up and down. He's also a big fan of waving hello and bye bye to everyone he meets. He's quite a charmer! He smiles ALL the time and has a really sweet face. He's always giggling and being a clown. He absolutely loves James and is just now starting to warm up to Isabel. She's starting to calm down around him a bit and they seem to have a good relationship in the works. Wyatt also loves Pancho dog. The two of them spend a lot of time on the floor together fighting over chew toys. Wyatt is great about sleeping. Currently he takes 2, two hour naps. At bedtime, he'll goes down at 7pm and wake up at 7:16am. As long as he has his great white shark and a blankie, he'll go down with not a peep. Currently Wyatt has 4.5 teeth. Two on the bottom, two on the top, and the start of a 5th on the bottom left side. He sucks the thumb on his left hand.

SnapShot

I've been thinking about my kids lately. Specifically, how fast they are growing and changing. It seems that with each new addition time only goes faster. I need a way to preserve these years and remember what life is like with a 4 yr, 2 yr, and 3 month old at home with me. So, I've decided to periodically include a snapshot of everyone on the blog. It's not stopping time, but at least when my kids find their friends cooler than me, I can read back and remember the time they only had eyes for me. :-)

James (4 yrs Old)
Current Favorite Phrase: Let me tell ya somethin'
Current Likes: Baseball, camping, pirates, superheros, race cars, swimming, playing in the lake
Current Dislikes: Broccoli
Current Favorite Foods: Eggo waffles (without syrup), Pancakes (with a syrup pond to dip), Mom's Macaroni & Cheese, corn on the cob, yogurt, fruit snacks, pork chops, sloppy joes, link sausage, Oreo's, and ice cream
Current Favorite Drinks: Big Red, Lemonade, Water
Current Favorite Toys: His baseball gear, the trampoline, the sprinklers, Batman figures, hot wheel cars, pirate ship, binoculars and camping gear
Current Nicknames: Jamesie Bug, Bug a boo
Current Other: James is my sweetheart. He is very gentle and tender hearted. He hates it when he thinks he has done something to upset me or Dad. He's very conscious of the rules and obeys quite well!! He is mindful of his actions and seems to understand right from wrong. He asks to play baseball with Dad about every 5 minutes. Or, to go fishing with Dad out at the lake. He loves to play tag and run around outside. His current favorite is to play pirate or superhero at the park with his friends. He asks for cereal, but request it without milk. :-) He rarely drinks juice (even juice boxes!) asking for water instead. He's turning into a really good eater. He use to be Mr. Picky, but lately he finishes his plate. No doubt his favorite part of the meal is desert though! ;-) He loves his pillow. He seeks it out to comfort him when he gets an owie, or when he is tired and wants to cuddle. Usually he drags it around from room to room so he knows where it is at all times. He still is sucking the middle and ring finger on his left hand, only now it happens mostly when he is tired. He can count to 10, say the alphabet, knows all his colors and shapes, and is starting to learn to read. He has become fascinated with BOM stories lately. Specifically Lehi and Nephi. He asks for them as bedtime stories. And he absolutely adores being a Sunbeam.

Isabel (2 yrs Old)
Current Favorite Phrase: What you doin'? or Where are you? or Hold you.
Current Likes: Her green blankey, her princess dolls (she calls them Beauty and White), dressing her cabbage patch dolls, playing in her kitchen or playhouse, racing cars with James, jumping on the tramp, sitting on me or Dad's lap, bringing Wyatt diapers or wipes, Dora the Explorer.
Current Dislikes: Meat
Current Favorite Foods: Pancakes (with extra syrup), scrambled eggs, noodles, corn on the cob, yogurt, fruit snacks, broccoli, peas, rice, jelly beans, suckers, ice cream
Current Favorite Drinks: OJ, Milk, Lemonade, Pop, Water
Current Favorite Toys: Beauty and White, James Jeep she pushes around, her dollhouse, old cell phones, shoes, dress up clothes, necklaces and bracelets
Current Nicknames: Izzy Bean, Beanie, Beanie Baby, IzamaJeanne, Izaballerina (James came up with that one!)
Current Other: Isabel is my personality child. As in, she has it oozing out of everywhere! She is a goof, and will do just about anything for a laugh. She loves to sing and dance. Rarely does she walk, but instead skips around the house. She is extremely thoughtful for her age and observant. If James stumbles and gets and "ouchie" she suddenly appears with a bandaid! She is really starting to speak in paragraphs now. The other day she said to me "Mom, what you doin'?" I told her to which she then replied "oh, ok. Come play now." She loves Pancho (or Tacho as she calls him) and has decided to re-name Fergus "Woo". All be darned if she will call him anything but Woo now. It's hilarious. She is sneaky and tries to get away with murder around the house. Stating "James hit" for any little thing lately. :-) She loves to laugh and be tickled. She LOVES her green blankie. We call her Linus. She uses it as a cape, a towel, a shawl, a peek a boo tool, and just about anything else she can think of. She, like James, seeks it out when she's hurt or tired. She's big on sucking the thumb on her right hand at the moment. Although, its starting to only happen when she's tired or riding in the car. Right now she is HUGE on The Princess and the Frog. She calls it "pickle frog" and asks for it night and day. Words are starting to pop out of her like crazy lately. My favorites are "Mommy, need you" and "what you talkin' bout". Then there are these: "bear hunt" for "bear" or "doll house" for "doll" or my favorite "Max & Ruby" for Jennifer's baby "Max." She also really loves to get dressed up pretty, have bows in her hair, and go to church. She's come around to loving Nursery, and can recognize any and all church songs that she hears. Often times during the meeting, she'll bust into a Hymn at the top of her lungs. The spirit is strong with her. ;-)

Wyatt (3.75 months Old)
Current Favorite Phrase: Ah-goo
Current Likes: Blowing raspberries, sucking on his fists, licking his chewies, watching his siblings, smiling at me and Dad, sleeping
Current Dislikes: When Mom leaves the room
Current Favorite Foods: Milk
Current Favorite Drinks: See above
Current Favorite Toys: His chew elephant
Current Nicknames: Wyee (Isabel came up with that one!), Wyatt Burp, Uno
Current Other: Wyatt is my easy baby. He is SO mellow! He doesn't mind being lugged around from place to place while I run errands, or just sitting in his bouncy or laying and kicking on the floor while I cook dinner. He absolutely adores James and somewhat fears Isabel. (She tends to mother, I mean smother, him to death.) He also really loves to squeal! It is the cutest thing. He'll smile real big and then a huge squeal will come out of his mouth. He'll also sit and blow raspberries as a form of communication with us. He loves to listen to music and swing in his swing. He's sleeping 6 hrs at night before waking for the first time. After that, he usually goes another 2 hrs (twice) before getting up for good as soon as the sun cracks the horizon. He is the chubbiest of all my kids and I delight in seeing the rolls on his legs and arms. He just laughed for the first time yesterday. He's just now getting ticklish under the arms and on his neck. He's a delight!

So now you know more than you ever wanted to about my kids. But, these are the things I delight in every day, and want to hold on to. It's so fun to see these 3 change and grow into little people. If I could freeze time, I certainly would, but each stage is so new and fun I don't know if that's honestly true. I just don't want them to grow up and move away and/or start school! hehe