From baby girl to toddler from toddler to boy ...

Well, it's official.  My baby doesn't smell like a baby anymore.  I'm not sure what changed, but as I kiss her head a thousand times, I inhale, and that sweet, relaxing odor is not there anymore.  I noticed the other day that she can actually get stinky feet, just like any kid can.  She can play with small objects and not try to eat them.  She eats what we eat.  She is so small, so much smaller than the other two kids of ours, that I forget that she's growing up.  She picks up the phone and says "Hi-i" with perfect intonation.  She'll randomly repeat words perfectly, like "okay" or "shoe" and gets some close like her brother "Ala."  She'll be potty trained and talking before we know it.

Our daughter's actions are starting to amaze me.  She may even be a toddler.  Kindergarten is optional in Alaska and our son is doing quite well so we continued what we have been doing the last handful of years and we went to my parents' place in Minnesota for a long vacation.  In those six weeks, our daughter went from being able to climb onto a small baby rocking chair to climbing onto adult furniture, climbing over the arms of them, and over to adjacent furniture.  She is, what our five year old says, "getting her grinders."  She's getting all four molars and that does wonders for food processing.  There are a lot less types of food coming through undigested.  She transitioned to sleeping in her own room just fine.   She follows the lead of her brothers quite well.  If she sees her brothers sleeping on an airplane, for example, she will do the same.  If they go to the car or outside, she wants to go.  I often catch her copying me, saying "hmmm" (the thinking sound), locating a washcloth and cleaning the floor (although she bends over at the waist and sticks her butt out and I think I go down onto my knees, which is not nearly as cute), messing with dishes and containers (kitchen work).  It's so shocking and funny at the same time to see a tiny person mimic.

Our younger son, who recently turned four, is surprising me as well.  All of a sudden he decided to hold a writing utensil properly, where for months he claimed that holding it correctly strained his hand.  "It hurts," he would whine.  He announced the other day that he would like to go to school on Monday (he is resuming school in Feb - May Tues/Thurs) and not only that but that he would like to go to school "every day."  He claimed tonight that he wants to do "all of the things," meaning his brother's violin lesson and both of their soccer practices.  Often he will say he does not want to leave the house but then when we are in the car, he doesn't want to return home.  He has not complained once in our two weeks back home about getting into the car to drop off or pick up his brother from school.  In fact, he has often requested to get out into the cold and walk up to the school with me.  He just started his first organized activity outside of preschool and swimming lessons today and he did alright.  He participated, but he is still a different kid.  While 7 other 4 year olds were chasing the soccer ball, he was walking on the painted lines in the gym.  He has always done his own thing.  He is a kind boy.  Today, after school, I took him to a restaurant for lunch and he happily fed his sister portions of his food.  Then, we went to a store and he chose a toy and used some of his birthday money.  He shared it with his brother as soon as we returned home.  His older brother is a good example.  Every new thing he gets, he announces that he is going to share it with his brother.

The doctor said at well-checks the other day that the kids are growing beautifully.  She must be right because it seems one of them always needs their drawers gone through because their pants won't button or their arms are sticking out of their sleeves.

I am really going to miss that sound, "Awe" that our older son makes every time he sets eyes on his sister for the first time.  He says "Awe, you are so sweet" and then kisses her on the head.  Our younger son gets this huge grin on her face, looks at her, and laughs.  I think it's because she gives them such a giant smile that they can't resist showing her love in return.  They never fail to take notice of her.  She has started to kiss everyone.  She tries to say "I love you."  She is growing up too quickly.  They all are.  Our older son here has lost his first two teeth, played in his first soccer games, and recently played in a violin recital in front of about one hundred people.  He loves school, activities, and all of the friends that come along with them. He loves to sit and read Calvin and Hobbes.  He skis with me.  And is constantly asking questions and learning about life.