So what's the point of a blog if you can't brag about your kids a little? Since this is kind of a family journal I'll justify it by saying I'm documenting Calvin's growth and progress. I wanted to post a picture of him but it's not letting me, so we'll have to be pictureless. Calvin will be going into nursery beginning next month and I can't believe that he's already a year and a half. I know John is probably thinking, "Finally!" since he is the one who has to entertain him all during church while I'm playing piano. To me, it's gone fast. He's so big already, at least tall.. though I don't know how he is in the percentiles since we haven't been to the dr. in a long time. He's losing his baby fat, darn it, the thunder thighs are slimming down, but he still has the adorable cheeks that jiggle when he runs. Which he does a lot. He has this funny little jumping run so he moves almost as much vertically as he does horizontally. He is a good jumper too, and clears two inches off the floor. I don't think my girls cleared the floor at all until after they were two. Maybe later. I wondered, with Calvin being male, if he would not be as verbally strong as the girls were. I don't think he was talking quite as soon as they were, but the past couple months he has really taken off. He has been learning new words every day and can verbally communicate what he wants now, in so many words. Just now he came up to me and said "where's gon-kie?" (donkey), I stood up and he ran back to the bedroom, making sure I followed, and pointed into his crib, where he had dropped it into. I got it out for him and he took it, saying "Gake-oo!!" (thank you) and took off running. At dinner he asks for a spoon "poon!" and bowl "Boh!" and "wah-tee" (water). He's learned "no!" and "ess!" (yes) and "book" and "sooz" (shoes) and "beh-kess" (breakfast--blasted kid wakes up every morning at 6am ready to eat); and surprises us sometimes by saying new words spontaneously like "stop!" and "Let go!" and "my hair?" (actually pointed to his hair and wanted a hair clip in it like the girls...) He will repeat every word you give him, especially animal names (even attempts "elephant" though it kind of comes out in a jumble), of which his favorite (and mine) is "mon-key!" "Mah-mah" is grandma and pa-pa is grandpa and Mommy and Daddy he has down pretty good. Kimmie is "Mimmie" and Emily is "Eh-lee" (he really does the L sound!) and uncle Richard is "Rich-ee" and we can't for the live of us get him to say uncle Gary's name. Not sure why. He answers my questions, usually with an "mm-mmm" (foreshadowing of things to come I'm sure), though if the answer is yes he will usually repeat the last word or two of my question.
He loves to play chase with the girls, and today the three of them were wrestling on the floor and giggling hysterically. It was really cute to watch. Then for a minute or so he was just standing there watching the girls run, and I was watching him and then he turned those big brown eyes on me and gave me his most impish grin, and my heart was just full. Do you ever get those moments where you are watching your kids and you see for am instant into their souls? And you think, "they are so beautiful, how can I possibly be the parent that they deserve?" Do you ever think of the path of life that is stretched before them, of the pain and sorrow that is just inherent in growing up and a part of life, and want to wrap them up in your arms and never let go? Do you ever think, "what would I give to keep them from hurting, to save them from all the things that are out there waiting to destroy the precious light they hold?" And then, is it any wonder that the great plan of happiness' central feature is the family, is the potential for each of us to become a parent, that we may come a little closer to understanding the love of a Savior who gave Himself for us? Could God possibly love me even more than I love these little people that have been placed in my care? Somehow, in some incomprehensible way, the answer is Yes.
Here's the front of the house, up close. The bushes are majorly overgrown, but the yard will probably have to wait until spring to get fixed up... I really like the brick on the house, and the large porch. The two upstairs windows you see will be the kids' rooms. 
And the kitchen... I have big dreams for this area that involve ripping out cheapo old wood cabinets and redoing the whole thing, but we'll have to see how feasible that will be. The fake wood floor will also be coming out at some point--anybody have input as far as tile vs. laminate flooring?
