updating on life!

So, the problem with not posting in MONTHS is that so much happens in the time since I've written, that I can't possibly write it all here. And the task becomes this huge thing that I avoid because the thought of trying to write down all of what's been going on is daunting. But here's my attempt...Please know that this has been written over the course of a few weeks, so some of it is outdated. Sorry..

Dare I say...Spring is here! After what feels like the longest, coldest, sickest winter ever, we are READY for some warm weather and sunshine.

JJ is making big moves these days!! He grows up a little more each day. He talks a lot (what he's saying, we don't always know!) and he is still a little copy cat - in a good way! Anything Audrey does, he's right next to her doing it too. All the way down to how she eats her food and how she drinks her milk. He looks up to her so much and wants to be just like her. He's very much his own person too, though. He loves his trains and wants to wear the same train shirt every day. We have two of the same shirt so I have to try to stay up on laundry so he can wear them. He's learning his colors, numbers, shapes, letters, etc. I admit that I haven't been teaching him as much as I used to with Audrey. Partially because I really don't have the time like I used to, and partially because he doesn't really care to look at books and practice that kind of stuff. He loves Nathaniel too. He already tries to wrestle with him and will try to put him in his lap and hold him. He's such a little cuddle bug.

I think my favorite thing about Joshua right now is how he loves to laugh. And even better - he loves to make other people laugh. Sometimes on my worst days he is the only thing that can get a laugh out of me. Such a comedian and such a middle child. Always pleasing and he just wants everyone to be happy. :) He has his temper (oh YES he does!) but for the most part, little baby JJ is such a love bug and always the one I go to when I want some extra cuddles and kisses. I love the way he is with Nathaniel. Sometimes when he wakes up from his nap, JJ will come downstairs and walk right up to Nate and say, "Bebe hug, bebe kiss" and love on him for a minute. He is so affectionate and I love that.

My Nathaniel has grown so much these past couple of months. He has FINALLY outgrown his fussy stage. Josh (sr) and I keep commenting to each other things like, "wow, is this really him?" and "Gosh, Nate is just so HAPPY!" and its true - he is a very happy boy now. He follows the big kids from place to place trying to keep up and play with them. He plays alone pretty well, which is very important when I'm trying to get food on the table or get other chores done.

He still is hanging tight at 8 teeth - more than the other kids had at this age, but he's had these same 8 for a few months already. He is a very hard teether so hopefully we can put of the rest of them for a little while longer. He's crawling super fast, cruising along furniture, and will walk holding our fingers. He's tried standing up without holding on, but only for a moment - once he realizes what he's doing he immediately sits back down. I think he may be walking before his first birthday. Audrey walked at 10 months but JJ didn't until 13 months, so we'll see! So far, Nathaniel resembles Audrey in a lot more ways than he resembles JJ.

He sleeps in our bed still. The good thing is that he will ALSO sleep in a crib, so for naps and "first bedtime" he sleeps in the crib. Then after his first wake up at night (usually 2-3 hours later) he comes into our bed. That's where things get really tough. He tosses and turns sooooo much and wakes us up. Worse, he wakes himself up, and sometimes he's just up. Awake. In our bed, crawling around, laughing..in the middle of the night. This sometimes goes on for an hour, sometimes just a few minutes. I think we need to stop bringing him to our bed but I know from my own experience that its not easy to have will power like that in the middle of the night, several times a night. Its not like we can just lay him back in the crib and he'll go back to sleep (God I wish) so it is more of an effort to stay awake, get him into a deep sleep, and then get him in the crib without waking him again...so yeah. We'll get there. Until then, MORE COFFEE! Audrey slept in our bed until 17 months..JJ until 6 months. I think Thane will be somewhere in the middle.

Audrey is turning into a little girl...outgrowing the baby stuff. We've attended some 5th birthday parties already this year, and I keep thinking "FIVE??" WE ARE TURNING 5??". Sometimes I'll catch a glimpse of her and I'll see that little baby Audrey is still in there somewhere. I love watching her grow but of course I am always sentimental about the days that are past us. She's SO independent. I was just telling Josh last night how I need to accept that she is simply her OWN PERSON. She will go to great lengths to do exactly the opposite of what we've asked of her. Obviously this is irritating in many ways, but also I admire that quality within her. She knows what she wants and that's all there is to it.

I know I've said this too many times to count on this blog, but Audrey is such a joyful little girl. I'm sure people think the opposite because she isn't the most outgoing or social girl around, but when she is in her element, doing her own thing without being bothered, she is so content and happy. Always singing and dancing, so free and easy. Now that the weather is warming up, she's able to do what she loves the most - go outside! We've had lots of outdoors days recently, playing in mud puddles, swinging, looking for worms, picking flowers..all the good stuff.

We will be moving next month to the new house. The good thing is that its more space by almost 1000 sq ft. The not so great thing is that we are going to a townhouse. So while we gain space and a garage, we are giving up our awesome, huge yard. The new place does have a small backyard, and there are some things about the yard that I love. But still, we won't have the luxury of our own playground right outside, and we are going to have to figure out a way to do some urban gardening since we won't have the space to put one in the yard. BUT we are on the same street as the elementary school so we can use their playground after school hours and in the summer, plus we are gaining walking paths, neighborhood pool, neighborhood playground, dog park, and a lot of other amenities. All in all it is a step up for us, but I do think the townhouse living will be tough for us after having all this yard space for 3.5 years.