Busy, Busy, Busy

That is the only word I can think of to describe our life right now. There isn't time for much of anything beside the occasional shower, which is the only time I get to myself. Even bathroom breaks aren't private anymore. But, somehow, out of all the chaos, we have found small opportunities for some fun. A couple pictures of what we have been up to...

Jonathan is 5 months old!! I can't believe how big this kid is already! He is in the 95% for height and 75% for weight. He was, at his 4 month check up, almost 28 inches and almost 16 pounds! Can you imagine growing a whole 8 inches in 5 months!? Its a wonder he doesn't cry more. I remember having growing pains when I was younger and it was awful! But Jonathan is such a sweet tempered little boy. He smiles and giggles and has found his feet and is turning over all the time now that he tolerates a little time on his tummy. How did I get so lucky to have this boy in our family? And he is pretty darn handsome too, for that matter! Wouldn't you agree? I love how whenever he sees us in the morning he squirms and wriggles around, smiling like we are his favorite people in the world! Because, lets be honest, we are!

 We found some time to head to the Clayton Pumpkin Patch this year! The girls loved running around and seeing all the different size and colored pumpkins. I wish we could have taken them on some rides or let them play games, but it was $7 per kid, per game! Sorry girls, maybe next year.

Sophie is... busy. Always busy. The teachers in Nursery have used that very word for her. Busy. If she isn't asking me to read a book, she is doing a puzzle or building boxes or castles or towers or giving a speech while standing on the counter or piano. Or she is picking all the keys off my keyboard. Or she is throwing a tantrum for which there is no cure but herself stopping on her own time. 

Yes, busy, seems to be a good word for her. A mild description, but still accurate. haha.

She is saying a so much to us. She is making more eye contact and asking for things. She is repeating so many words and is far beyond the "average" amount of words that most kids her age have. She doesn't always want to use them. She is one super focused little girl when she sets her mind to a task and nothing interrupts her. We have been trying to keep her challenged but she is one smart girl and can do any puzzle we give her!

And of course, like any little almost 2 year old, she is just curious about things around her. Like the huge glass vase at TJ Maxx. She just had to touch it and leave a nice sparkly mess for the store employees to clean up. I can still hear the low hum from the "Oooooo"'s that echoed around the store as it hit the floor.

Sophie loves music and asks to listen to Orla Fallon every night before bed. I think its funny she loves a certain singer right now. Isle of Innisfree live concert on Youtube is her favorite.

 Sydney babe is really becoming a little girl. She loves My Little Pony toys and singing and coloring and is well on her way to finishing her 100 piece puzzle on her own! She is enjoying doing worksheets in her Brain Quest book for Pre-K. She is reading The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe with Gabe at nights now and is soo excited for when she gets to see the movie!! Some of her favorite things to do are go to the park, go to the Library and pick out some book, and go to Trader Joe's and push her own little shopping cart! She in constantly asking us what things are, how they work, and what things are for. She is such a good helper when it comes to Jonathan. Most of the time. I am so very glad she is willing to go get diapers and wipes for me as I'm holding a baby with a eeky dirty diaper, sing songs to Jonathan while I am getting something cleaned up and Jonathan is crying. Or helping Sophie with her toys or singing and reading with her. They have started to like sitting on the stairs, halfway up to read their books together. She wants to play the harp and the bagpipes when she is older. I think the Irish Folk music we listen to all the time has inspired that. At least she didn't pick the Bassoon.

Gabe is working harder than ever. I always feel guilty about the long hours that he has to take some days. He is enjoying the work though. He is doing Home Health visits 3-5 times a week so that usually means he is doing an extra hour or two of work on top of his normal school hour work days. And maybe a once a month hour or two at a skilled nursing facility. He had a patient last month that couldn't speak except with a device he put up to his throat and the patient just couldn't produce a sound. For over a month he hadn't said a word and at Gabe's first visit with him he spoke! The guy was soo happy. Gabe felt really great he was able to help someone. Gabe is also pumping iron at the gym! haha. He is doing the workout that Henry Cavill did to get in shape for the role of SuperMan in Man of Steel. Lets just say Gabe is succeeding. He can't wait for the "mass gain" phase because then he needs to eat 5000 calories a day and with the holidays coming up, that won't be a problem!

Lets see, what have I been up to? Well, I took these pictures here ^, haha. Other than that, my attention is solely spent on these three cute kids. I think I get a shower every other day now. Some days I lose track. I just look forward to the day we can take the kids out of the house without one of them crying after 15 minutes. A well planned trip can quickly turn into "Why did we even bother leaving the house" kind of days. I'll have to write more when I feel less like a robot. Makeup? whats that?