Madison...3 1/2 and the Mother of the Bunch

Yes, this post is well over due....

Well Madison is now officially 3 1/2 but can sometimes act as if she's 13...boy are we going to have our hands full. I think I'm now considering it a blessing that we just have 1 girl out of the bunch! She definitely is the mother of the bunch. When she is told to clean up toys she immediately dictates to Carson what he needs to do and she is clear about what his discipline will be if he doesn't obey. Much to her dismay Carson (and Jason) are fully aware that they don't really need to obey Madison. At times she is a great helper to the boys. She is doing so much better at going to discovery land at church and having others watch her. Sometimes she'll put on a "show" right before I leave but that's just really a lot of drama.

Here she is "reading" one of their many Dora books to Carson. She is a great storyteller. After hearing the story just once or twice she can tell it very well by herself.

Here is one of her first people pictures. I actually drew the face with eyes, nose, hair, etc and then asked Madison to put the arms and legs on. She did exactly what most children at this stage do (I remember this from my college human development courses). But she was very proud of herself. Now she regularly is drawing her own people with faces and all.

In the spring all the children came down with a 24 hour stomach flu. I captured this moment as Madison slept peacefully on the couch. Dress up is still a favorite. Besides picking out her dress up clothes, Madison has become quite insistant on picking out her own clothes in the morning. She actually does quite well with matching, but doesn't always understand that she needs to consider the weather in picking out her clothes. She also doesn't understand that typically we only wear one outfit a day. It hasn't been uncommon for her to appear downstairs after naptime with a new look.

She loves to help in the kitchen, but with the boys this becomes very difficult if I don't have someone else here to distract them because they want to be wherever Madison and I are. Here Madison is enjoying frosting some Valentines cookies.

Another favorite...reading to Carson.

Just enjoying some arts and crafts.

And a little video for you to enjoy.

Here are some other cute things she's done or said that I just want to hold onto.

*One day she came to me saying, "I just can't stop leaking." I finally found out after much questioning that her eyes were watering.

*When we're in the car, she'll ask me, "Mom, are you on the phone?" before proceeding to talk to me.

*When watching a TV or video program, she'll say, "pause it, I have to go potty."

*I have done a lot of talking about who Jesus is and who God is and what they have done for us. I will frequently ask her questions like, "who helps us when we are tempted?" to which she'll respond "Jesus." One day I asked Madison, "Who are you?" to which she responded with much enthusiasm, "Jesus."

*One day we were all in the car heading out to run errands. Madison asked, "where are we going?" I replied, "Sam's Club." She looked at Sam and said as both a statement and a question, "Sam we're going to your club?"

*She loves to pretend and she loves to sing...she now is able to make up songs to the tunes of other songs she knows. Recently I heard her in her room singing, "I'm going to put my music on, music on, music on..." to the tune of London Bridge as she put a new CD in her CD player.

*Unfortuneatley all of my children have become wonderful back seat drivers. They all (even Jason) regularly tell me to "go" when I'm stopped at a red light...I try to explain why I can't go. Madison at times will say "cmon, beep, beep" as she urges drivers to get out of our way....I don't think she's picking this up from me???

Well that's all for now....more updates to come Easter, Time Outside, Ballet Camp, Hershey Park, and many more.

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

Today I overheard this conversation between Madison and Carson:

Madison was walking down the hall towards Carson calling his name, "Carson, Carson."

Apparently, Carson wasn't paying any attention to her.

Then I heard Madison say sternly, "Carson, when I call your name, stop what you're doing and look at me, okay!"

She does comprehend what I've been working with her on....if only she would do what she's trying to teach Carson to do!

Sorry no pictures with this post, but coming soon....a longer post on Madison complete with pictures.

Our Middle Child...Carson

Carson gives us the best smiles...when he's in the mood! He can tend to be our moodiest child especially when he doesn't get the proper amount of sleep or when he's not allowed to have his pacifier. But when he's happy, he's happy.
He's learned to enjoy some of Madison's favorite TV programs, like Dora, and now likes it so much that it's his first choice. Here's a picture of him enjoying a little TV with Grandpa.

He's at that age where he wants to do everything Madison does. Coloring is a fun activity for him although watercoloring is a little more messy! I have them both in a 7 week art class and well, we'll just say that's been interesting! Carson learned quickly that the messier he got, the more often he got to wash his hands....more interested in the soap and water than the crafts!

We try to discourage him from putting on Madison's dress up clothes but occasionally he'll still find her pink ball cap lying around and slip it on....well at least he looks a little masculine with it on backwards.

He also has entered into the world of pretend with Madison's assistance. Most of the time he is a willing participant as she plans crazy adventures to save animals in trouble. He's also good at helping her make blockades to keep Jason out (poor guy). Here they are enjoying their space after moving toys into a circle to hopefully block Jason out....however, it typically doesn't work....Jason is just too smart for his own good.

On very few occasions Carson has helped out in the kitchen. Here we are making some muffins.

Carson's vocabulary continues to expand. I expect that he'll have that verbal explosion around 2 1/2...the age Madison was when her vocabulary took off. He's very polite and says thank you and you're welcome. He knows all of his body parts. He sits on the potty every once in awhile but is usually not successful. I'm just glad he's not opposed to it. This summer we plan on beginning the real work of potty training. What fun! We also plan on moving him to the toddler bed this summer as he as mastered the art of climbing out of his crib. He's actually pretty good about staying in his bed but only on a few occasions has he climbed out in disobedience.

He may be the youngest, but....

...he's very capable of doing much of what his older siblings do! At 15 months now, Jason is 25 pounds, 4 oz and nearly 33 inches tall--2 pounds heavier and 1 1/2 inches taller than Carson was at 15 months. He's a big boy...I have a feeling that by next year he and Carson will be wearing the same size clothes and maybe even shoes! He is very close to having 16 teeth--the same amount as Carson--a few of his i-teeth are just beginning to poke through.

He's pretty happy most of the time but can tend to "lose it" whenever Mommy leaves the room or trys to hand him off to someone. Fortuneately though the phrase "out of sight, out of mind" still holds true for him. If he can't see or hear me, he is fine!

He knows a few phrases in sign language--please, more, and all done--and is very verbal although most of the time we don't know what he's saying. He has learned all about how gravity works and experiments with it regularly as he drops items from his high chair and then responds "uh-oh!" He regularly points at things especially the pictures on the wall and he generously gives open mouth kisses on our cheeks. He's learning a few body parts and loves to close his eyes as he brings his finger close as he says "Eyeee."

He is extremely active. He not only walks well, but he runs around the house chasing Madison, Carson, and sometimes the dog. He has mastered climbing up on the couch and toy box and just yesterday he realized he could also climb up on our dining room chairs. Today I walked out of the kitchen and found him on the table! Oh Boy...it's a whole new ballgame now! He also is getting pretty good at climbing up on our bed...which is pretty high off the ground. He has been watching Carson carefully and has learned that various household objects (toys, laundry baskets, boxes, etc) make great stepping stools! He loves any type of ball and spends a lot of time throwing them across the room.

While he is active, there are a few moments where he allows for cuddling. I relish those times after naps where he is especially cuddly! And sometimes he might be found just chillin on the couch with one of his siblings.

And this boy can eat. He gets very excited if you use any of the following words: snack, eat, food, breakfast, lunch, dinner. But he is rather picky...he tosses vegetables and goes crazy if he sees bread or cheetos! We have to keep that stuff in the kitchen until he's eaten the rest of his meal! This picture was captured after he devoured a chocolate chip cookie....good thing he likes baths!

And like all toddlers, he does some things that just crack us up. Madison and Carson love Dora, the Explorer which means Jason has seen his fair share of episodes. Without any prompting from us he has mastered the "we did it" dance that Dora does at the end of each show. Watch the clip below to see his little dance.

Looking Back and The Boys

A little over a year ago I captured this shot...
And now in 2009 a comparison shot....wow how time flies!

Here are our boys! What a pair they are!

Having so much fun on the couch...especially now that Jason can climb up onto it all by himself!

A precious picture that I'm sure Carson will hate me for in about 10 years! He loves to put on hats...all hats...even Madison's....our little frenchman! I just couldn't resist getting a picture of him!

Pretend Roller Coaster??

Madison is at the age where pretending is very important in her day to day activities. Typically Carson is very compliant and goes right along with Madison in the land of pretend. Some days they are pretending to be Diego as they rush to help the animals in trouble. Other days they are pretending to have dinner in Madison's room. She closes her door, right after yelling "dinner will be ready in 5 minutes" (I must do that alot!), sets up her table with all of her dishes and play food, and then they sit down to eat. It is so cute as they hold hands and pray and then they begin to eat. Lately Madison has been pretending to go on a roller coaster. She uses various things (the vacuum hose, straps from the booster seats, etc) as the seat belt and straps herself and sometimes Carson in and away they go. Here's a peek at her pretend roller coaster.

Our Very Own Marching Band

For Christmas the kids got two different drum sets with a variety of noise making instruments. One of the songs on our bible memory verse CD has a great song that works well with marching. Here the kids are showing off their marching talents.