It's Official

Nathan is four today (although we aren't talking about it at all since as mentioned in a previous post he believes he has been four for two days now)!

 What do you say about Nathan that I haven't already said on the blog before...  He's just Nathan, and that in itself describes him enough.  He loved being able to go to the Big kid area at the gym today.  The worker said he went around and tried out everything they had and was obviously excited about all of it.  We love our middle child:)

Choo Choo Choo goes the train

 Sunday evening train building, complete with show obstacles, Dragon's guarding the way and tunnels

Party like it's your birthday

Nathan did not understand that his party was Saturday and his birthday is not until Monday.  When Ben tried to explain, he actually ran to his room crying.  So, this year, Nathan's birthday was the 29th of January:)

 Four cream cheese oreo balls with candles.  Nathan has never really liked cake that much, so this year we had something yummy for everyone. 

 He could not for the life of him blow out those candles

 K and A finishing their mac n cheese.  The rest of us had some really really really (can I say that since I made it?!) Mexican soup and homemade tortillas.  I guess you could say it was a Diego theme, haha.

 Presents begin

 Kate and Addy kept saying "Thank you!" when Nathan would open his presents.  They assumed they were theirs as well.

He was in Heaven...

Rub A Dub Dub

Three girls in laundry baskets...

What a way to watch t.v.  This also means I actually had all the laundry folded.  This has since changed with the new rounds of laundry:)

Graduation Day

Today I had my last IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meeting for Bailey.  He has officially tested out of Special Education services.  He met every benchmark well before projected in the plan, and so we all agreed he would now be done. 

The above picture is his.  He drew it to illustrate one of his poems.

This 

reminds me

of Mount Everest

Skiing up, climbing up

All of it is hard to do 

So don't climb Mount Everest

Typical Bailey humor!  I am a little teary just thinking about how hard he really has worked and how "easy" at times he has made it to have a child with special needs.  We are very proud of him!

Mooma

Today we went down to the Bay area to be at the grave service for Mooma.  She passed away last Friday and did not want a funeral, just something small at the burial.  I dug up old pictures that had turned into a must take for each baby.  It became a tradition we had to make it down to see her with each new baby in our family to get the Mooma picture. 

Mooma comforting a crying Bailey in 2001

Mooma with Emma in 2004

 

 

 Little Nathan and Mooma 2007

 Meeting the twins (Kate top, Addison bottom) in 2009

Her passing has been expected for a while, but has also been a day everyone was happily waiting for.  Mooma could no longer see or hear very well.  She had lived a long life in which she was one of the most peaceful and kind people I have every met.  She was a tiny little thing that everyone loved and respected.  We are grateful she was able to meet each of our children and look forward to seeing her again someday.

 

 

 

 

Emma and Me

Aren't we cute?  Even if she looks more like Ben than me...

I was disturbing her Poptropica game by taking pictures

Gorgeous hair.  People pay for these highlights

Bailey, resisting pictures.  Guess he had enough for today.

Elders of the San Francisco de Solano

Bailey finished his mission project last night.  While searching for things to add to it, he came across his Missionary action figures.  Of course, in his mind a mission need missionaries, right?  So, we present the San Francisco de Solano Mission...

 Elders tracting at the mission

My little pony is safe in her corral. 

Sniff Sniff

This was me all day today.  Our friend's daughter (well, she is our friend too!) got married.  I started to realize what a wreck I am going to be at our kids weddings:)

First met this little girl when she was only 11!

Daddy's Girls

 

The younger ones spent the morning with Ben so I could do Art Docent in Bailey's class.  I came home and they were in matching pink and purple outfits with matching pigtails. Cue the awwwwwwssss....

Emma: Super-starrrrrr!

 Since I decided I need more pictures of Emma and Bailey, of course Emma was willing to participate.

 Documenting her hair length.

 Posing...

This hat used to be mine.  I wore it when Ben and I were dating.  She changed her outfit to match the hat after school and has worn it ever since. 

I need to take more pictures of Bailey and Emma...

Because I realized all I had on my camera were of the three younger ones!  We are now back in school after three weeks off...It was SO nice!  We did not do very much, other than hang around, but that works for me. 

These three love Dora and Diego.  I let them get out blankets to watch it and cuddle on the couch.

Mid fight about something.  They end quickly.  K and A usually play well together, but have those fun moments of its mine!  So hard to share when you are a twin.

I promise she does smile.  It happens, but a lot of times she looks like this. Currently she is working with a Speech Therapist, an Occupational Therapist and another woman who I have no idea actually what she is, but she comes every week.  I am wondering if that is bad if I don't know what she is?!  It took me a while to remember her name, too.  And that was with coming every week!  Placer county has more resources (translation Money) than Sac county, so we are getting a lot more intervention for Addison than we were in Fair Oaks.  We are hoping for the same result as Bailey and that she will eventually work through everything and catch up.  In this family, she has a lot of motivation to do things which is nice.  She hates to be left out.  

 I told Kate to get next to Addy for a picture and she made this face

 I still don't see how they look alike, but people will say in public how they can't tell them apart at all.  Well, I guess since they don't know them, it would be hard.  I think they just see two people who are the same height and can't distinguish between them.

Mr. Personality himself! 

A Sunbeam, A Sunbeam....

Saturday night, Nathan getting his hair cut in preparation for Church the next day.

This was him when I said, "Smile, you are a Sunbeam!"

 Then he got over the fact that he didn't want to go

No revolts were led and no clothing removed...Nathan made it through Primary