Hello from the FIVE of us!!

I've been meaning to post for weeks now, literally...but I just didn't know where to begin! It's been so long since I've blogged so I feel a little lost. My hope is that this NEW blog will share our life as a family of 5 with you, and I'd like it to reflect my personal interests too. I admit, I've become somewhat of a blog addict over the past several months and I'm dying for my blog to be as great as the ones I follow. 

Soooo where to begin?! Well, let me fill you in & bring you up to speed on the kiddos first!

^Eli ^

Our sweet little guy is really quite the sweet BIG guy. He's 9 months old now, weighing 22lbs. He's hefty too which you'd find out soon after you've got him in your arms. You'd never guess he started out at 6.7lbs. He started crawling everywhere recently so now I've really got to pay attention ALL THE TIME. He can go from sitting to crawling & crawling to sitting now, so he finds his way around very easily. Eli enjoys "tasting" everything he finds on the floor so my housekeeping skills have to be up to par these days.  Our baby's temperament is so mild & it's so easy to get a smile or a giggle out of him. He's the perfect cuddliest baby for our family!

^Keston^

 Our rough & tumble #2!! He's a fire-ball man! His little legs run EVERYWHERE. He loves anything with wheels - especially his Thomas the Tank Engines, making messes - especially spontaneous mommy's not looking messes, wrestling with Caleb, and just doing whatever you're doing. He's quite the talker too. He speaks very clearly for his age and can express himself well with words...but that doesn't stop him from the typical terrible two tantrums though...oh no no no! Keston is our challenge.  Andy and I are continuously going before the Lord for wisdom on what to do with our boys, but most frequently with this guy. He so lovable & affectionate, always wanting to be busy by my side...but he's also very strong willed and uhhh...charismatic, if you catch my drift :)

^Caleb ^

You didn't know our firstborn was really a dinosaur, did you? Yes indeed! He's a dinosaur who can morph into buzz lightyear too. How bout that?!  Caleb turned four this fall and is showing so much independence and personality everyday. He's VERY creative, witty and sweet.  He's not the rough and tumble type, although Keston pushes him to be sometimes. Caleb always has a plan that he might explode from if he doesn't execute it. He loves to build forts, nests, and houses out of the couch cushions, pillows and blankets, set up pet stores or play school with his stuffed animals, go on treasure hunts, dig for worms, collect bugs - the list goes on.  Yesterday he flipped the jumpolene upside down and turned it into a library where he led story time.  This fall I started working on some home school-preschooling with Caleb. He's able to recognize his whole alphabet now & tell you their sounds. We're still working on writing the letters...he's starting to show more interest than he used to.  He's a smart kiddo who LOVES to learn!

Not a day goes by that our boys don't express love to each other (even if it is just through an apology). I consider myself to be so blessed to have these boys and I'm always praying that God would use each of them in one another's life - and that they'll always be the best of friends. Even though Eli is small, I can already see a connection between him & his big brothers. It won't be too long before he'll be bopping around with them screaming his head off too. They all 3 are great playmates. There are days where Caleb bugs me all morning, asking if it's Keston's nap time yet so he can play without him...but there are also many days where he bugs me all afternoon, wondering when Keston will be waking up to play.

They're learning great life lessons of caring & sharing with one another. I pray it sticks :) That's a lesson that so many adults forget about.