Snips, Snails & Pretty Pigtails

Noah had a HUGE milestone kind of day last week!! He's been working on tying shoes for several weeks now. We'd just do a little bit at a time--to keep frustration levels nice and low. He's known the fundamentals for a while, but putting them all together hadn't quite happened yet. Tuesday he suddenly got all motivated (on his own) and put his mind to figuring this thing out. He needed a couple of pointers during the process, but after only a short time he HAD IT!! He was SO pumped! I wish you could have seen him jumping up and down--so proud of himself.

And THEN he had his very first soccer practice of the season. Now, just so you get a clear picture here: we're talking about a newbie soccer-player-wanna-be putting on cool, baggy soccer shorts (and the anticipation of cleats very soon) to head out into the sunshiny day and the grassy field to meet seven new soccer friends/teammates and a couple of coaches and run around kicking a ball for an hour or so. He was beside himself!! Don't have to tell HIM twice to go get his shoes on...and besides, shoes with laces are WAY fun to put on now!!

It was a VERY big day. (Did you know he's just a couple of weeks away from SEVEN??!! SO hard to believe.)

Fancy Footwork

I got the biggest kick out of watching Noah's face while the coach handed out all their goodies: uniforms, water bottles, car magnets, etc.

Saylor is becoming more and more lovely each day. People (often perfect strangers) STOP us to tell us how beautiful she is. And they don't even get to see the daily stuff, like her kneeling beside Baby Atticus to stroke his head and sing "Jesus Loves Me" or "read" him a story. She does that stuff without being asked. She just has compassion for him, whether or not he is in need of attention at the moment; she's content to just go be with him because he might like the security of her company. (And he definitely does.) She's going to make a wonderful mommy some day.

The Prettiest Ballerina That Ever There Was

Gabriel is doing so great now that he's totally dairy-free! It's amazing. He's back to being the "eater" of the family. Well, every once in a while things have to come back out because the texture just didn't work in his mouth. Could this be a teething thing for him? Or is he more like Saylor than we originally thought? Hmm...time will tell, I guess. He, too, dotes on Atticus, though not quite in the same way. He is eternally aware of Atticus in "fussy-mode" and rushes to take care of things by finding him a toy or giving him his "Silkie." It's very sweet. I'm not sure if it's because he loves/cares for him or if he just thinks that's what he's supposed to do at those times...OR if he's just desperate to stop the noise. Haha!

Gabe and His OWN Beloved Silkie

Atticus is amazing. He rolled over the hard way (back to stomach) on February 17th (at about 4.5 months). He LOVES the Johnny Jump-Up where he trains each day to become a "Tigger." It's hilarious. He says "dadadadada" and "dididididi" and even if he just woke up and has "said" nothing yet, if I start saying "dada," he will repeat it. Awww. His little voice is too precious for words.

Rolling...

Rolling...

Rolling...

Last month's "Snips" are posted here.