Staley Fun

Grandma Alice came for a visit and Piper had a full schedule planned...candy store, ice cream store, boat park, scooter ride, toy store and lots of stories to be read. Mission accomplished!

The boys got lots of Grandma time too, with long walks to town and lots of play time in the playroom upstairs. Grandma Alice is great with the kids, she loves the time with them and we love the break and opportunity to get out too. We snuck in 3 date nights and one daytime cross country ski and lunch date. So fun, Thank you Alice for being so strong and confident to care for our three munchkins.

Also this past week we had Piper's first Parent/Teacher conference at her Montessori school that she goes to 3 full days a week. It was fun to hear her teacher talk about what a fun, silly, well-liked girl Piper is at school. Ms. Heather gave us a better idea of some of the different things that Piper likes to do at school, which was great to hear because it is hard to get Piper to tell me about her day, so as far as I know, all she does each day is eat lunch and paint. =-) And I know this because her lunch is mostly gone and she brings home piles of artwork each day. Funny thing is that some of what she brings home are gifts from her older four year old friends that love showering Piper with attention and presents. Piper loves school, it is great to see her thriving and learning and making friends.

A cute story one of her teachers, Mr. Brian told me was that recently he was trying to get the attention of the kids so they could move on to a new project and they weren't being good listeners so he was starting to get frustrated. Piper sees this happening, so she goes right up to him and says, "Mr. Brian, do you need a hug?" He said that just made his day.

I do notice this about Piper, she is so in tune with how other people are doing. She is very caring and sensitive to the energy and mood of people around her. Piper is good at asking questions and communicating in ways well beyond her three years, so good that it is easy to forget that she is just three.

Calvin and Jett are quickly becoming "little boys", it is fun to see. Their understanding and ability to follow simple instructions like, "Go get your jacket." or "Can you pick out a book?" and they actually do it!

Calvin is pretty animated, he makes all sorts of faces and sounds. He has repeated several words, but only once each. I think we are in trouble with him because he is quick to throw a tantrum by laying on the floor whining if he doesn't get his way. Calvin is super physical, a favorite activity lately is climbing up on a big storage bin and flinging himself off on to pillows. If soccer is Calvin's sport of choice, he might be a lefty! He likes kicking balls and his left foot seems to be dominant.

Jett has the "d" word down pat. He points at everything and says, "Da da da da" or "Do do do do" or "Doy doy doy doy". Jett love burps and farts! Whether from himself or someone else, bodily functions are sure to get a good belly laugh from him. It is interesting to see the difference in sleep that the boys seem to need. We are down to one nap a day and Calvin is usually up after an hour and 45 minutes. Jett will sometimes nap for three or four hours! And the rough life of being a twin and sharing a room, if he accidentally gets woken up before he is ready, he is sooooo sad, but won't go back down. This can make for a long rest of the afternoon. =-(

Jett is a lot more timid when it comes to physically climbing on things, he is way more cautious, but slowing gaining confidence by watching Piper and Calvin climb all over everything. After all the fun we had sledding a few weeks ago, Dave set up an indoor sled hill using our couch and cushions and a thermarest. Piper and Calvin right away were all over this fun. It took a while for Jett, he loved sliding, but was unsure about getting up to the top by himself.

We are looking forward to warmer weather and all the playing that will happen OUTSIDE!! It is great that the boys are now walking and can participate in all the fun. I am happy about the stage we are in and all the stages to come. However, this past week when our friends Dan and Alyssa Shaw had their second baby. I saw the picture of this tiny little one and it made me panic a little. I feel like I can barely remember, especially Piper, but even just one year ago, Calvin and Jett being that small and babyish.

The realization that I wont experience that tiny newborn baby stage again caused some anxiety in me. Don't get me wrong I know I don't want any more kids (we already have a bonus baby), but it makes me wonder if I took it all in and was able to experience all there was to experience during that sweet beginning of life time. I am sure I did, but it all happens so fast, it feels like a blur. I don't want to stop time, but I feel very conscious of it moving right on by. I guess these feelings are just a good reminder to live in the moment, the now is right now, and it can't get any better than that. Everything else is the past or the future and just in my head anyway!