January Update

Although winter isn't my favorite season by any stretch of the imagination, there is something kind of nice about "hibernating" for a while. Looking out the window at snow and ice while being cozy and warm with a hot drink inside, or curling up with a good read, or just watching some football has been relaxing and restful so far this winter.

That said, we've had our share of sick days already in 2011. New Year's Day brought the dreaded "stomach bug" to our household (which all of us but Andrew eventually got). Then a week later, Nicholas and Daniel got strep. On top of that, poor Daniel has been suffering from the worst case of eczema on his face and ears. The good news is that our new pediatrician was great, and prescribed some meds to get everyone back to normal quickly. (Plus, in the big scheme of things, a virus and strep aren't really that big a deal.)

What has really struck us lately is how God gave each of our sons his own unique personality. Here is a brief update about all three boys:

Andrew: He hit the six-month mark on Christmas Eve, and started sitting up this past week. He is so good-natured and happy, always returning a smile when he gets one. He is also very cuddly, which has earned him the nickname "Sweet Pea Huggamuffin." (Can I still call him that when he's a teenager?)
Unfortunately, the great sleeping habits we thought were forming last month were only temporary. He's back to waking up around 2 or 3 a.m. Pretty soon, I think we'll have to let him cry it out. Mama needs a solid night's sleep!

Daniel: The best way to imagine D-Bear now is to think of Linus from Charlie Brown. He usually has his thumb in his mouth, may have a blanket, and is often the one to make the most profound statements. Nothing escapes his notice! He is full of questions, and eager to learn. Daniel taught himself the alphabet a few months ago by working a puzzle we have. He is Mr. Extrovert, and enjoys his weekly preschool, Classical Conversations, and church friends.
Daniel is still going through a silly phase. It seems to be his attention-getting mode. We'll see how long it lasts!

Nicholas: At times, Nicholas astounds us with his maturity! ("Daniel, we can't have a cookie in the store now, but don't worry. We can get one after lunch at home.") Other times, he's showing his silly side by making us laugh as he dances around. His absolute favorite person right now is Andrew. Nicholas hugs him as soon as he sees him in the morning, and does whatever he can to get a laugh or smile from him. Our oldest child is often in his "own world," and we'll catch him smiling about something funny he's remembering.
Some days, homeschooling is like pulling teeth, but usually he does well, and is getting more independent- especially with his written work and reading. This past week he read Curious George Makes Pancakes and Green Eggs and Ham. He seems to have Chris' logical engineer's brain. I am so proud of him and how hard he's working!
Nicholas and Daniel both just started a Tae Kwon Do class on Saturdays. Let's just hope they don't learn anything to use against each other. :)