Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Falling in Love!

Wow! The time is really flying by. I find myself most days just wanting to capture the precious moments and take the time to write them all down. But too often they get by me. The last month and a half (since I wrote) has glued us all together and now it is impossible to imagine life without our funny, independant Calvin and sensitive, clever Zahara. They are a gift and a joy. It is fun to watch the sibling rivalry start to fade and be replaced by funny kid interactions. Eliana is completely into Big Sister mode. MY big sister, April, often reminds me (when Eliana is being a bit too bossy), that it isn't easy being the oldest. So, I try to be patient and laugh when I see Eliana parroting all the words to Calvin and Zahara that I have said to her. "Sit down!", "Mommy said, no!", "STOP!" But, being the youngest myself, I also remember that it isn't fun being last all the time, the littlest one, or getting whapped on the head! SO, it is a constant balancing act....Patience....Discipline....Grace....Love... There are days that go great and I feel like "SUPER MOM"! Others I fall into bed feeling like I wish I could do some parts over. But, like Anne of Green Gables always said, "Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it....yet."

Other than the day to day stuff...no huge news, but I thought I would give an update on all three kiddoes:

Eliana's world right now consists of her favorite things...gymnastics class, books, playing with Evan (her cousin) and of course...as many bowls of cheerios as I will allow in one day. She is also really into zoos, farms and animals. She talks ALL the time, and is constantly saying funny things. The other day she walked out with a straw hat on and said, "Look, Mom, I'm a Girl Cow!"...She meant a cowgirl! :) She is full of energy, loves to sing and dance. She loves to walk around holding onto Zahara's hand, and she loves to show her how to do new things. And whenever Zahara does it right she cheers for her. So, now Zahara walks around the house cheering "hooray!"

Calvin is my adventure man. He is always getting himself into sticky situations, and then can't get out again. He climbs on things, then can't get down. He has, more than once, pushed his arm up into a toy only to get it stuck. He manages to get his knees and elbows jammed into places. It is kinda funny. I feel like I am running from one thing to another saving him from disaster! But he is also delightfully independant. He plays well without a lot of fussing. He is snuggly and loves his Mommy. And of course, I LOVE that! He has a temper....mostly that flares when food is slow on the appearance. He'll eat almost anything. In short...he is pretty easy-going...as long as he is fed! He is not only walking, but practically running. He also trys to hop with two feet, but ends up doing this funny skip. And the cutest thing is that whenever he hears music he just HAS to dance for a bit. He is saying hi, bye, Dada and Mama.

Zahara is our sensitive one. Like her big sis, she has a flair for being dramatic. She LOVES to be held, and would probably like to be held most of the day if we would! She has a quirky little sense of humor and seems to already know that she is funny. She likes to follow Eliana around and do whatever she is doing. She likes stuffed animals and dolls, and gets really attached to things. She is a "watcher". She watches people and things all the time. She seems to be a visual learner because you show her how to do a puzzle or toy once or twice and she can do it.

It is amazing how different these three are from each other, but still each of them is so FUN. Tony and I just find ourselves falling in love with these guys!