A general post has been needing to be written for a LONG time, so here it is.
Ned: Is a mega-cute baby. I absolutely love cuddling with him! He's a momma's boy for sure, but is more willing than the othere two were to let other adults hold him.
He's taking more time than I would like to begin crawling, he seems to want to skip the crawling and go straight to walking. Every time I put him down to sit, he stands on his feet, locks his knees and arches his back so I have to press on his waist to get him to sit down at all. He'd be perfectly happy if all I did all day was to hold his hands and let him walk all over the house. I just try to remind myself that once he starts crawling, it means a lot more work for me. I must admit though, I love having him as my baby and am reluctant to lose him to toddlerhood. With each new baby I realize how short babyhood really is. We love our baby boy!
Gwen: Is as cute as ever! She is beginning to show more ocd tendencies;) She loves to sort things. I often find her sorting her fruit snacks, rocks, game pieces, etc. She loves having the Christmas tree up as she loves to take off the ornaments and put them back on over and over again. I have the kids put away the silverware for me and she loves to do it. When she does it, she's very particular and careful about doing it. She stacks all the silverware in very neat piles.
Gwen is also a TV-lover, even though we don't have TV- she loves to watch any show she can on the computer. It's a very good thing we don't have a TV. She's such a sweetie and we're so glad she's in our family!
Lincoln: Is growing up too fast! I've been working with him to get him ready for Kindergarten next year and he is really doing well! He is so excited to go to Kindergarten, which is saying a lot for my shy little boy. I love to see him in classroom-like settings. I just watch him and think-- "oh he's going to be that student!" (That's just the nerdy-teacher in me) He's the quiet, observant student. But don't be fooled, he's not totally meek. He has a little bit of a quiet stubborn-independent streak. He is not a TV-addict like Gwen, but he enjoys it more than he used to. He continues to be his father's shadow, loves being outside, in the garage and going on 4-wheeler rides. He's an excellent oldest child/example. We're so happy to have our Lincoln!
Nikki: Am loving being able to stay home with my children each day to raise them. I think the more I do this job, the more I enjoy it--even if it gets more and more challenging with each new child. I still teach piano and try to fit in a little sewing and reading here and there, which isn't very much. Pretty much I mostly do mom-stuff, but that's okay (most of the time ;) As my kids approach the elementary age I get more and more excited. I know better how to work with kids those ages. I'm a little obsessed with the fact that Lincoln is going to Kindergarten next year (Zach can vouch for that). Life is good for us.
Zach: Keeps busy with work, his calling, honey-do lists, and cycling. Just got his first cell-phone ever and is a decided apple-fan. He's particularly excited about UNLV basketball this season and even has me following it a little bit. Often he'll follow a UNLV game (on game tracker) with his phone close by so he can text our bishop--another avid UNLV fan, with his commentary throughout the game. We love our daddy/husband!
P.S. this picture of him was at our first annual General Conference weekend backyard campout. Zach camped outside with Lincoln and Gwen after roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. So fun! We tried to re-create the event for his birthday, but were rained-out. Oh, well.
