jibber jabber about the kiddos

The family is really all over the board in terms on staying on the go. Jake is going to be finishing up football this next week and Sydney will be doing the same with soccer. That means a couple of end of season parties to go to. It should be fun.

Kiley is continuing to amaze me with all that she is picking up and doing on a daily basis. The whole learning process is amazing. Children truly are miracles. She's walking but no talking yet. I continue to listen for that moment. There have been a few times where she has blurted out the word 'dog', 'ball', 'mama' and the other day, even 'papa' it was nice to hear those words. If you ask her where her tummy is she sticks it out and pats it with both hands. It's really cute, but then again, I'm her papa. :)

For her birthday she got lots of toys. Courtney kept books from when Jake and Syd were younger so we have plenty of those and we continue to get clothes from friends with children just a little older than Kiley. We are so thankful for that. So, yeah, lots of toys. Gran got her a beautiful bracelet. A keepsake that kiley will most like not wear for very long as quickly as she is growing. It's beautiful! She also got the cutest little pony that plays music when you wind it up from grandma and grandpa. It bobs it's head back and forth too. she loves it almost as much as her little black and white puppy. That says a lot! Her uncle Jeff got her a toy that she loves playing with too. it's one of those toys that has a character pop up when you push a button, or turn a key or toggle a switch. If you have little ones, you know what I'm talking about. We play with it enough that she is remembering where the lion and panda are. All in all I have to say Kiley is the cutest little girl in the whole wide world.

A couple of other things that she is getting good at. She can pat my nose when I say, "where's papa's nose?" She can also give you a high five. She has the cutest little grin and scrunches up her whole face with her mouth wide open showing 2 little teeth on the bottom of her mouth when she shows it to you. It sounds alittle scary but it really is cute.

I also like it when she snuggles with me at bed time. She'll rest her head on my shoulder when we are heading upstairs and give me a little hug. It's extremely nice and sweet.

I've said a lot about kiley but we have two other wonderful children getting all smart and precious. they fight tirelessly but i think that's what we did with my mom growing up too. When they are not fighting they are learning math and reading. Jake is reading like crazy. Since he finished the Lord of the Rings books he's moved on to others of the same caliber and enjoys them. We practically have to tear them from his hands at night. Sydney is not quite there yet but she loves to read too and she's playing with two hands on the piano now. She really owes me a concert. Maybe this weekend?

...So jake has his final game tonight. He has played incredibly well this year. Huge improvements that make the game so much more fun. He catches, throws, runs and plays defense really well but I think his running has improved the most. I think it was a good idea to encourage him to play flag football again this season so that his skills are more refined for tackle. That'll be a whole other game for him. I think he'll like it.

Sydney loves to play games and seems to be in a board and video game stage. When were not doing that she's asking us to play school with her. very very cute. She loves being a teacher and loves to correct us. i mess up some on purpose but I think she likes it. She still enjoys kicking the ball around in the yard and lately has asked me to go bump the volleyball back and forth. Neither of us are very good but she likes it so we do it. Her friendships are really developing now too. she has so many friends. Which isn't surprising as active as she is. Brownies, soccer, gymnastics, runners club.... all kinds of stuff.