3! {Lincoln}

It's really strange to be saying that my baby is now 3! These last three years have been a bit of a blur, due to a certain child not sleeping for at least 2/3rds of his lifetime :) And now that I'm getting decent sleep, it's like I woke up and all of a sudden he is no longer a baby but an independent toddler. Yikes!

There is no denying his love for making people laugh. While sorting through pictures, it seemed that most of them were of him hamming it up.

I love this age for many reasons. One of the reasons is that he can communicate all of his thoughts and feelings.  He was very much in to his birthday this year and turning "free".  If you ask him his name, it might vary depending on his mood. For a long while he would answer "Um, Linky".  It always the the "um" attached to it. Then it was "Linky Alan", then "Lincoln", then "Lincoln Alan". I'm thankful that he truly doesn't think his real name is Linky! *phew* Some how none of our other kids managed to have nicknames...bur for some reason that one must have stuck out to him.

This age also allows him to speak up for himself and let us know exactly what he wants. Like this donut and cake pop. 

And apparently he was in the mood to wear a napkin on his head at dinner one night. Got to love it when they haven't become aware of what other people might think.

He likes to ask me to take pictures of him "doin' dis".

"and dis"

This was his first time bowling and he loved it! He was so proud even if his ball managed to miss all the pins (even with bumpers). I guess at three years old, getting to roll a heavy ball down the lane is exciting in and of itself, no matter what the outcome.

"Watch mom!"

He is our messiest child to date. He doesn't hold back much when it comes to food. Of course he went through a picky phase but as of late I've been surprised at his love for raw carrots, peppers, and grape tomatoes. All this time I've been fighting with him to eat cooked veggies at dinner and I think offering him some fresh ones might just be his preference.

He is also to the age where he is aware of what his siblings get to do (and he doesn't). I'm sure he is ready to outgrow this particular part of being three.

He has really been in to costumes lately. Except that he only likes to wear them for about 10 minutes then is ready to change in to another one, then another one, then another one...

Just enough time in between that I can't quite finish any task. :) 

He is crazy about his big sisters and brother. Since he spends all day with Selah , he is very sentimental towards his time with the other two. He asks for hugs and kisses in carpool line before school, then when they hop out and head in to school I can hear him muttering "goodbye Evangeline..." Then when they get home he is ready to wrestle and run and fight his big brother. He is definitely the "rough and tumble" boy of the family. Even though he likes to play rough, he is still so sweet and caring to others. I especially enjoy his bedtime routine which requires me to snuggle him and sing songs. I'm not ready for him to outgrow that special time I have with him!

5 years old {Selah}

This girl had been counting down to her birthday for about six months. And it finally came. I like to say she is five going on 15. (What 4 year old would ask for fancy dresses and pink lip gloss?) Her eagerness to grow up is unmatched. Nearly every day she will ask if she is a little taller. Now that her fifth birthday is over, she is already planning for her sixth! 

She is very particular about her clothes, and has her own unique style. She loves to wear dresses and necklaces, headbands, the works. But then there is the occasional walk-out-on-a-limb day when she wants to wear a shirt and pants. *gasp*

She has an obsession with checking the tag of every item of clothing to see if she can hand it down to her cousin. She will go through Evangeline's clothes often and check her tags to see if any of them say 5T...which automatically just makes them hers. Score!

She loves to be silly. But at the same time she is very practical in her thinking. She keeps her silly for when she's at home, but is very practical when we are in public. She is very quiet when "outsiders" are around but is chatty-Kathy when she is comfortable with you.

I'm not very productive during nap time because she has our schedule all planned out. She loves playing games like UNO, memory match, Guess Who?, Go Fish, and Candy Land. And I can honestly say she usually beats me. If luck is a thing, she has it. 

She still loves to play with baby dolls and Barbies. She has told me several times that she wants to be a mom when she grows up...among other things like a dancer, singer, and gymnast. She is going to be a very busy lady!

She always knows exactly what she wants. She loves being one of the "big" kids. She is very aware of things like: who wasn't in her Bible study class today (and if they've ever missed before), and which kid has NEVER been the line leader, and how many kids have lost a tooth. She loves drawing pictures for people, and remembers every single paper she has given to me...and wants to know where it's at if it's been moved. She drew one for her Bible study teacher and has diligently kept good care of this drawing for three weeks until we see her again. Gotta love the heart of a giver.

Speaking of lost teeth, she has already lost both of her bottom front teeth!! First one came loose on accident by biting into food wrong and fell out a month later. And to my surprise her permanent tooth was following right behind. Then her other bottom tooth came out over Spring Break. That adult tooth was coming in behind her baby one (making a second row of teeth)...hoping that straightens out on its own. Yikes.

She has been counting down the days to Kindergarten. This girl is motivated to learn how to read: she will grab a book and patiently sound out every word from beginning to end. She would come sit next to Ajia and blurt out answers to her homework. She is also determined that she will have Mrs. Plowman for her teacher. Every day in carpool line, she knocks on the window and waves hi and says "That's going to be my teacher!" I guess we will find out.

As much as I want my kids to stay young and never grow up, it's also fun to see them grow and mature. I love each stage and Selah has really embraced the BIG 5 year old role. We are so proud of who she is. This little girl is going to do mighty things.