Memories...

KENNEDY - 4 years old and thinks she is 30...at least. I thought they weren't supposed to think their parents were idiots until they were at least 13. The other day, I buckled all 3 of them in the van and told them I had to run back into the house for something. She proclaimed, "It's okay, Mom. Go ahead. I'll watch the kids." I remind her almost daily that she is the sister and I am the mommy. She argues for the sake of arguing, which always gets her in trouble. She is getting taller and thinner each day. Her hair is getting darker. I knew this would happen, but it still makes me sad to see that pretty blond going away. She is a natural born leader and thoroughly enjoys telling others what to do. She once said she was going to be a "teller" when she grew up. The other parents at preschool always raise their eyebrows and say "I've heard a lot about Kennedy." I'm sure this means that she bosses their kids around. That's my interpretation anyway. She enjoys helping me in the kitchen most of the time. She is always my "tea helper." This means she opens the tea bags for me. She remembers everything. Cary said the other day that she will be the family historian. She can remember what she wore to an event when I am barely able to remember the event alone. While she is awake, she constantly asks questions. When I answer the question, it is almost always followed with "why?" She loves her black dress shoes. Even when she was just a tiny little girl, her black dress shoes were always her favorite. I think she feels pretty dressed up and special when she has them on. She wants to wear them with everything. Jobey and Illy are still very much a part of her life. Kennedy still eats pretty much everything and loves her veggies. It's quite strange that sometimes we use salad or a green vegetable as a bargaining tool to get her to eat a little more meat or potatoes. She is a joy and keeps us on our toes to say the least.

JUDE - At 25 months old, he is still the biggest little boy I've seen in a while. His pants are anywhere from 24 months (length is good on these, but they are tight in the waist) to 3T (fit in the waist, but are WAY too long). His shirts are 4T - a smaller size would probably fit him, but it depends on your definition of "fit". He is wearing a size 6 diaper. I swore I would never have a child wearing diapers that size. What I meant was that I didn't want one still wearing diapers when they were that old. I never imagined I would have one this big at this age. Never say never. He has just recently realized that taking Kennedy to school means that she will not be around for a few hours and he will be alone. Some days this is a good thing and he enjoys the one-on-one with me, other days he misses her horribly. On the good days, he and I have lots of fun. On the other days, he just walks around looking pitiful and asking me constantly, "where's Kennee?" They really enjoy each other's company most of the time. They play well together as long as Kennedy doesn't get too bossy. He ignores her when she does and that makes her mad. Jude is a momma's boy if ever there was one. He will still eat anything as long as he can dip it into something. During meals that he is not particularly interested in, all we have to do is ask if he is ready to go to bed. "No, I won eat!" Works every time...for now. Jude loves chips, pretzels and french fries and they have become great bargaining tools. His voice is already so deep that sometime it seems he's already gone through puberty. He makes us laugh daily. He progressed from no vocabulary to a lengthy one overnight it seems. His vocabulary literally grows each day. Below is a list of some of our favorites.

cuhwers - covers
cwiffer - Clifford
chuppit - ketchup
mussard - mustard
she's - cheese
scoop - scoot
foon - spoon
fankin - spanking
i won a - i want
i o won a - i don't want
i o won a fankin - I don't want a spanking
tocker - poptart (this one changes almost daily)
noke - milk
chock it - chocolate
chock noke - chocolate milk
kacker - cracker
mammies - pajamas
Onkey - Unkie
kennee - Kennedy
ice crean - ice cream
sissue - tissue
e swippin - she's sleeping
bessue - bless you
siddy - silly
je-G - VeggieTales
wabbit - rabbit

and last, but certainly not least...
effin - elephant (this one is always good for a laugh)

KATE - She is 7 months old now and in a size 4 diaper. Her clothes are anywhere from 9 months to 18 months sizes...again depending on your definition of "fit." She is a big girl! She has rolls on her thighs, she has kankles, creases on her wrists, and rolls around her neck. I think it's adorable that she's so fluffy. Finally got rid of the disgusting cradle cap and her scalp looks beautiful now. Janey and I gave her a hair cut the other day and it made her hair look much thicker all over. She has lots of new growth coming in too. No teeth yet, but she does chew on everything she touches, so there may be a tooth in the near future. She doesn't particularly care to be rocked to sleep. Most of the time, she had rather just be put in her bed and covered up when she is tired. She is a thumb sucker just like Jude, but doesn't favor one thumb over the other just yet. Her little feet are fat and we just stuff them into her little mary janes on Sundays. The rest of the time, she either wears a footed onesie or socks. No need to torture her, huh? She has developed a habit of waking up around 3 or 4 a.m. and expecting a bottle. What is this about! She used to consistently sleep 9+ hours every night! She is still one of the happiest children I have ever seen. She laughs and smiles constantly...sometimes even through tears. When I am having a trying day, her smiles always seem to ease the stress a bit. The hemangioma on her back has stopped growing and seems to have begun to fade. The one on her knee doesn't seem to be growing any more, but seems darker in color in the past few weeks.

Summary - WE ARE BLESSED!