Snips, Snails, & Pretty Pigtails

Noah may not know everything there is to know about soccer yet. But he certainly gets in there and isn't afraid of the action. No, sir! I think he's a lot like me and really wants to always "be the one" who gets the job done! Ha! Even his guitar teacher says he's really picked things up quickly. And, believe me, it's been with very little practice. We're still working on that nice, disciplined lifestyle we know we're supposed to have by now. *sigh* But seriously, the other day Noah finally pulled out his guitar, immediately checked to make sure it was in tune (he definitely has an ear for that...), and then absentmindedly began strumming a chord combination. I swear, he sounded like he'd been doing it all his life. The strumming pattern itself was so laid-back--it really sounded good! And, y'all, I know I'm biased 'cause he's my boy and all, but I'm telling the truth here! He is just a natural!

Saylor is such a big girl now. If you know her well, you know that for her entire life she has owned (and adored) a small, pink blanket called "Silkie." When she held it, she sucked her thumb. It was an automatic response. From babyhood to age five, this is what would happen. She mostly only had it when sleeping, so it wasn't too big of a deal for us. But deep down I was a little worried that once she lost her front baby teeth, we'd have a mess on our hands. Well, the Lord was good to us and one day about a month ago, Saylor just flat-out lost "Silkie." I mean, for REAL lost it. We looked everywhere!! So, after quite a few tears were shed that first night at bedtime, she had no other choice but to go to bed without it. The next day it was still nowhere to be found, but by this time Saylor was a little proud of herself for making it okay without it. Since then she's only had a handful of moments where she really felt distraught not having it to comfort her. She's doing so well!! And she has truly delighted in telling her grandparents, etc. about how big she is now. And no thumb sucking! (She never even considered putting her thumb in her mouth unless she held Silkie. So, that part is completely over and without any blood, sweat, or tears.) Isn't that a blessing?

Then there's Gabriel...aka Resident Woodcarver and Visual Artist of Many and Varied Media, has recently been enjoying different activities, like filling the sink with water until it overflows the top (that's always fun), eating whatever scrap of food anybody was foolish enough to leave alone for two seconds, and dumping contents (like unpopped popcorn, for instance) of plastic baggies onto the carpet. He's always sweet about it, though. When you tell him, "NO! We don't do that," he says, "Oh..." and nods his head like he completely understands. He's one of those kids that will have to try everything at least once--just to see what it's like.

He is also turning into quite the little talker. Mind you, we still have a world of trouble understanding him. (Just try to speak the English language without using "g" or "k." Yeah...sort of limits him a bit.) But he tries so much more than he used to and even puts two and three words together on his own. The other day this little girl got hurt in Saylor's dance class, and Gabe said, "Mommy, girl...ear." Of course, it sounded like "Mommy, duh...ee-uh." But I got it. And it made my day! A few other marvelous things that regularly come out of his mouth nowadays are: "upstairs," "Honda," various friends' names, and "oatmeal."

Atticus is my Cuddle-Bug. I recently weaned him so Paul and I could take a trip to Eureka. Hate weaning...so. much. But he did great. He really did! Every once in a while (even now) he'll ask to nurse, which breaks my heart, but so far I've been able to distract him easily, and he doesn't fuss or anything when I put him in his bed without it. Still, it's hard for us mamas. I'm just so thankful that he is so very snugly. He loves to sit in my lap when I'm reading or we're watching something together as a family. And he's one of those babies who loves to put his head on your shoulder while you rock him. It feels so good to have his sweet little head up against my neck. In fact, I'm starting to tear up a little as I type this post, so precious he is to me.

The theme this time is definitely "Progress," wouldn't you say? They're growing up on me, y'all.