Little things

I can't stop looking at my oldest child.  She'll be five next week and everytime I look at her, she seems older. She looks older. She feels older.  Well, until she gets tired and crawls into my lap, puts her thumb in her mouth and tries to put her hand down my shirt.  That reminds me that she's still within reach.  We got her acceptance letter to Montessori today.  I was so excited and felt such a pit in my stomach.  My emotions are everywhere.  As we sat in the playroom this afternoon, making an 'I love daddy' book, she said "I don't think I'll go to school."  I told her that after summer is over, she would be ready. I told her how she can go to kindergarten and make new friends and learn new things. She mulled it over, seemed exasperated and said "I just don't think I'll know anyone. I think I better go to school where Paige goes." So we talked, something we do a lot of these days.  Questions pour out of her mouth at a speed I can barely keep up with.  She is almost five.

Little things:

If you've seen Isabella recently, she's probably wearing this yellow t-shirt.  I don't think the child has ever worn a t-shirt in her life. If I propose that she wear one, or if she sees me wear one, she tells me that 'it looks like something daddy would wear.' T-shirts are surely not her thing.  Unless it is a t-shirt from her ballet studio, displaying the words Cirque de Ballet, the name of her spring recital. This is a shirt she can't resist.  It hurriedly goes through the wash every couple of days so she can wear it again.

Same shirt, different days.

Quinn continues to breeze through toddlerhood. I am certain she has third child syndrome.  She does things that I am positive are well beyond what I would expect for a 21 month old.  She is one of the big kids for sure.  I came across a baby picture the other night. I had to think really hard because I wasn't sure if it was Quinn or Isabella.  When I realized it was her, I couldn't believe how she's changed. I know I am stating the inevitable, once again. But really, the rate of growth around here is incredible.

Seriously, look at that face. Yes, I caught her in mid blink, but regardless, that is a stink eye and she gives it often.  Sometimes it's a look of concern and a 'what happened?' and sometimes it's a straight up 'are you talking to me?'  She's a sass and a half.

 Although sass makes up some of her, it's definitly not the majority.  She is an explorer, for sure. The most independent of the three.

 She adores, adores, adores, her brother and sister.

 She would talk on the phone all day, if I'd let her. Cradled right between her shoulder and ear, walking around in circles, jabbering away. It's her thing. Oh, and it doesn't have to be a phone either. It can be something like my Flip camera...

 And she loves a glue stick.  I can rip up an entire sheet of scrap paper for her, give her a clean piece to glue on and she's occupied for quite awhile.  The kicker--you have to watch her the whole time. Because the second she is finished, glue becomes chapstick--and she's quick.

Those eyes.  My one non-blue eyed baby. 

Declan is fascinated with dinosaurs. I'm not sure how it even happened, but it did.  Today at the library he was searching for dinosaur books and I told him we may have to ask the librarian where they were. He bolted to the front desk shouting "Miss Michelle! Miss Michelle! Can you help me find a dinosaur book?"  Oh, and he isn't shy anymore.  He'll talk to anyone he's interested in. Question you if he feels the need, and engage any and all women that he sees. 
Back to the dinosaurs though...he has a collection of dinosaur books that he 'studies.'  He knows his favorites, he knows which ones eat plants and which eat meat.  He's troubled by those meat-eaters though.  Not a fan.  I found a little dirt dinosaur 'egg' in the dollar bin at Michaels the other day and brought it home for him. He was in heaven for awhile.  He dug in, in search for teeny tiny dinosaur bones and begged me to make him a pit of dinosaur bones that he could dig for. Oh, and he's already planned his entire 4th birthday party...which isn't for another 5 months...

Declan loves to be outside.  We call him our nature boy now, because there is no where he'd rather be. He loves dirt and digging, rocks and worms, bugs and chickens, butterflies and beetles.  He gets lost while chasing butterflies and bugs (figuratively, that is) and he would move rocks in search of worms for hours.  Every time we drive past a river he begs to go fishing. If only Ryan didn't have to work, I'd never see those boys.

On Sunday we took the kids to see Chimpanzee. I have been so excited about this movie and to be honest, my desire to have a chimpanzee has not waned.  I love those little monkeys! Isabella asked if she could get one as a pet. I explained to her how well I can relate, but they are just not a pet to have in a home.  She promised she would take care of it, feed it, put a diaper on it and all. Things I specifically remember telling my own parents.  It was Quinn's first movie and although we went back and forth about taking her, we decided to give it a try. Quinn has still not gotten into the whole tv watching thing. She just has zero interest.  So we went in with that in mind and even though it was huge, loud, and different, she still has zero interest in movies.  Just for the record.

These are the extent of "Quinn's first movie experience" pictures.  If she wasn't playing in the aisle in front of us, I had her down on the side ramp where she could be 'free' and by the end, mom had her in the lobby enjoying the space.  No theatre seats for this girl.

Yes, she definitly prefers to stand.