Us. We.

I think it's high time for a post about what is going on with each member of the family.

Nora James:

Oh my goodness. She is the funnest thing right now. It's been a lot different with her than with the other girls because they all started talking very early. She babbles all the time and there are a handful of words that she can say, but for the most part she just mimics the syllables and the inflection of our voices. The funniest part, though, is that she totally understands all that we say to her. So I'm so surprised every time she "plays" with me. For example, I picked her up yesterday and told her it was time to night-night. She didn't want to go to sleep so when I got to the part in the routine where I let her flip the light switch off, she lightly placed her finger on it and just sort of wiggled it around and kept her face straight forward but kept peeking at me out of the corner of her eyes. Her little mouth would turn up at the corners and then she would catch her self and go back to a straight face and stare at her finger. I started laughing and then she couldn't hide it anymore and she started laughing, too. It was so cute. She dances all the time and it so funny. This was from a couple of months ago. She's become more expressive since then.

( I had this whole post written and all the sudden everything disappeared. Isn't that the worst? It's so draining to start all over again.)

Eily Edith:

Eily Edith is growing up. She still has baby hair, though, and I comfort myself with that thought when I get all sad and weepy. She's learning how to read and is doing so well that she usually has the word figured out before we've even finished sounding it out. Then she giggles, wrinkles up her nose and we give each other a high five. Every single time. Every single word. She has a lose tooth on the bottom set of her teeth. She channels her inner toddler, though, whenever it's clean up time. She usually runs to the couch with the pretense of needing a nap (she hasn't napped in two years) and after a bit of convincing from Mama, goes to do her assigned chores. We are working on being cheerful while doing said chores. I think we may have a ways to go on that habit. She is cuddly and sweet and full of kisses. Her favorite thing to wear around the house is her underwear. Only.

Rachel Claire:

Oh my. Claire is an interesting child. She is either the most polite, helpful, cheerful child you've ever seen or completely terrible and most difficult. She is very skilled when it comes to her hands. She can make a bed and clean a a floor as well as I can. She can fix her own hair into a ponytail and it usually looks pretty good when she's finished. She has apparently inherited some of her Daddy's artistic genes and is working on copying an entire book, pictures and all, on paper. She is quite determined to finish and I think she's getting near the end. She has a lose tooth on the top of her mouth that is ready to fall out at any moment.

Elaina Ceridwen:

Elaina is wonderfully steady and unchanging. She is, for the most part, extremely agreeable and obedient. I'm always surprised to find out that she's the reason behind an argument. She is hilariously awkward and gangly. I'm sure one day she'll be a graceful swan but right now her appendages are getting the better of her. While I can count on her to clean a room and not get distracted, or take charge of the kids if I need to do something, I can't count on her to carry her plate from the table to the kitchen without spilling it. And that's about seven steps. She starts first grade this fall and I have no doubt she'll do very well. She's a bright one, that girl. She also has a lose tooth. Her seventh, maybe?

James Jason:

Jason is busy, busy. He is traveling all the time and has been doing very well in the competitions he's entered. You can see some of his work here, here, here, here, here,  and here.  He's keeping his face shaved for me (Hooray!) and is just as tall and skinny as he ever was. He's been able to be home this entire month and we've all enjoyed having him around.

Me:

I think you all know how I'm doing because I write about it all the time. If you have any questions, though, I'll be glad to answer them. :)