The latest with.....

CAIDEN

My big Second Grader!  What a little stud he is :)  I can't believe he's gonna be EIGHT in just a couple of weeks! Who sped time up all of sudden???  Anyway, I love this kid.  It's never hard to get a smile out of him.  Except the morning of this picture, he wasn't too happy that I made him wear a collared shirt (not his favorite).  He only has two and naturally, he wanted to wear the other one, but it happened to be the shirt he wore in last years school pictures (yeah, it still fits).  "Who CARES!" he says.  Um.....ME.  I use these school pictures as covers for their scrapbooks.  We can't have the cover of him on last years scrapbook and the cover of him in this years scrapbook wearing the SAME SHIRT!  I mean COME ON!

Funny story - A few days ago I picked him up from school and he said to me as he got in the car, "Mom, I wish I was at Knolls Vista."  "Why??" I ask (thinking something bad has happened).  "The girls here drive me NUTS!  They're always bugging me and talking to me.  They're so annoying!"  I then had to explain to him that no matter where he's at he will have to deal with annoying people....forever....for the rest of his life. He stared at me with big eyes.  AND I explained to him that when you're as good looking as you are, girls are just gonna want to talk to you.  And then he rolled his big eyes.  Haha.

We also just finished up Fall Soccer (insert happy dance).  He had days where he loved it and he had days where it was a struggle to get him to go to practice.  The games he loved.  He definitely got in the action a bit more this season, but still remains a bit timid.  He did his very best though, and I was a super proud mama.  His favorite position to play was defense, and was pretty good at it.  Least favorite - goalie, for sure.  He played it a few times and if the other team scored on him even just once, it just crushed him.

The very last game of the season, we showed up only to find that the other team didn't show.  So his coach decided to have them scrimmage each other.  Not only were they super tired (having no breaks) but I was surprised to see how much more aggressive the boys were with each other!  I think just taking away that pressure and probably knowing each other so well, they just let loose a bit.  It was the best I've ever seen Caiden and the other boys play!

and here's his biggest fan....

PAIGE

This little girl is growing up right before my eyes.  And literally GROW-ing.  She's up to Caiden's nose now.  How did this girl get all the height and her brothers not so much??  She also is loving school and slowly learning to read.  (We will get there, right?) She still remains to be a bit on the shy side - at school, that is.  At home, good gracious she is loud!  And is so very, very funny!  She constantly cracks me up.

This Fall I signed Paige up for gymnastics and she LOVED it!  She was so excited to go each week and would get ready hours before it was time to leave.  And you get to wear a sparkly new leotard with a matching hair pretty?!?!?!  Pure excitement, I tell you.

This is her first time doing it and once we were there I discovered that she couldn't....really...do a somersault....at all.  It was a bit hysterical.  In fact, when she was just running around, one image (or person actually) came to my mind.  PHOEBE BUFFET.  Yes, Phobe from Friends running through Central Park.  (Here is a video if you're not familiar.  And if you're not familiar shame on you!  Friends was the best show ever!)

Now do NOT think for one minute that I am making fun of my sweet little Paigey.  If you remember correctly, Phoebe ran like that because it was just too boring to run the other way.  She was the one having the most fun.  And let me tell you, Paige has the MOST fun there.  She is smiling from ear to ear the WHOLE time.  I LOVE her and I LOVE her many Phoebe ways.  Another Phoebe-like trait that I love is whenever she stumbles (whether slightly or full-on crashes on her head) she exclaims "I'm Okaaaaay!!!"  Oh, it kills me!  (I honestly have thoughts of changing her middle name to Phoebe.  Seriously.)

So this is her trying to do a somersault the first day.....

But she improved drastically and could successfully perform several somersaults in a row in fabulous form.  See video below.  That's my girl :)  I really wanted to keep her in gymnastics, but it ain't exactly cheap.  Maybe next spring....

PRESTON

What's new with Preston?  Well, he's still cute.  He's a little over nine months now and about 18 pounds.  Poor little guy is following his big brother's growth trend (who happens to be following my growth trend.  Sorry guys).  Anyway, this little guy is so dang precious.  I hold him and I feel such pure happiness.  He should be crawling by now but it's not happening.  He HATES tummy time and the instant he's on his tummy he flips over.  Fast.  But yet, he loves to stand.  So I think he just might skip crawling altogether and start walking.  Hopefully not yet.  I'm not quite ready for him to be mobile.

He's a happy little thing too.  I am so blessed to have had happy babies. 

You may be wondering what the little red spots are on his cheeks.  My poor Preston has suffered from excema since about 3 months old.  At first it was from head-to-toe and the worst cradle cap you've ever seen.  Poor guy was miserable!  Luckily, after seeing a dermatologist, we got several medicines that cleared it up everywhere....except his poor little cheeks.  Teething like crazy and constantly putting things in and out of his mouth doesn't help.  The only day it was clear was the day I took him in for his pictures at Walmart, which is the reason I took him in for pictures.  I thought a miracle occurred when he woke up with clear cheeks!  But it was back the next day, and has been there ever since.  I do hope it heals soon.  

But either way, we just love him so much.  Caiden and Paige love him and it is the greatest thing to watch them play with him and make him laugh.  He thinks they're pretty great too.

Oh and the latest with ME and CASEY????  Not a whole lot.  We just work our little tails off updating this home.  It's coming along though.  Maybe some "after" pictures soon?  Maybe????