Six Years Old: Lucie

Our little five pound Lucie has turned into a big six year old girl. You're tall and lanky, and proudly trotted off to kindergarten in a size 8 dress. With the beginnings of school and adventures away from us, what a magical time for you. I hope to capture this moment in a few little notes about Lucie, age six:

You are so loving with your baby brother. You have a gentle, calming presence and can instantly turn his cries to smiles and then giggles. I completely trust you with him when I'm in the other room, and know that you will watch over him like the doting, protective older sister that you are.

Like me, you love choosing Jake's outfits every day, and are in charge of picking his pajamas each night. You get much joy from this, and even named one of his sleepers the "cute as cute can be" sleeper. Reading his bedtime stories is another favorite job; you love it when he likes to sample each page with a big gummy slobber.

Your teeth are coming out left and right! It all started with a slightly wiggly tooth late last September. We didn't quite believe you when you said it was loose. Had you fallen and hit it instead? Nope. At only a few weeks past five years old, it was already time to call the Tooth Fairy. Out that tooth came on the day we left for your first Disneyland trip, and three others have followed since. You now have four adult teeth coming in, and make us laugh with your partial-toothed grin.

As I wrote when you turned five years old, you love to swim. After four weeks of daily lessons with swim instructor "Mr.T", everything really clicked for you. You can safely swim across water over your head and are working hard on your free style and breaststroke. You love to jump into the water and recently mastered both forward and backwards somersaults underwater. Handstands are another new skill, reminding me of the various "synchronized swimming" moves your Aunt Rach and I used to come up with as kids.

You also love to boogie board in the ocean with your Dad. You'll try wave after wave after wave, only coming in when you're shaking with cold or covered in sand and seaweed. With a golden brown tan and goggle marks around your eyes, you are our little fish.

You are wonderfully inquisitive and insightful. You come up with such thoughtful questions, and occasionally stump your parents with your inquiries. When looking over a map together you wondered, "Has anyone ever had a family member in each of the 50 states? If so, how would they get around to visit each one? Which road would they take?" Or, when filing papers together, you ask, "Daddy, what are taxes? And why do we pay them?"

You're very interested in who was the first person to do something, recently pondering, "Who was the first person to ever wear a watch?" and "Who was the very first ruler in the history of the world?" With all these "firsts" questions, we've talked a little about the development of humans. When Ryan asked a similar question, you replied oh-so-matter-of-factly, "You know, Ryan, it's evolution. People came from apes". College anthropology, here you come.

Some favorite things right now include: bread with butter, cotton dresses (you haven't worn pants since 2009), unicorns, Magic Tree House books, bedtime stories about the adventures of three magical ponies named Brownie, Blackie and Polka-dotty, ballet camp, soccer practice, Cinderella, making up stories with dolls or stuffed animals, being read to, and family movie night.

We are so proud of how quickly you take to new things. You played t-ball in the spring (one of only two girls on your team!) and won the "Most Improved Player" award. This summer you did two camps, one with Ryan and one by yourself, and enjoyed both of them. You have the same interest and excitement about kindergarten. For the first time, you are in your own class, with your own teacher, classmates and unique experiences. You seem to be loving it.

We know this will be a great year for you, full of growth, new adventures and friendships. How fortunate we are to be able to share it all with you. Happy Birthday Lucie!

Jakey Firsts

As the little tagalong in our family, Jakey has had quite a few first experiences long before his brother and sister ever did.

The first beach visit came at only a few weeks old, tucked in a stroller and sleeping away. A few more trips followed, either on morning walks or afternoons watching Lucie and Ryan boogie board.

Our last beach visit was the first time little toes dipped in the waves. I think the water was a bit too cold for him. He wasn't a big fan. We all liked seeing him in big brother's old rash guard and swim trunks though.

Another of our little guy's recent "firsts" was the first soccer game (of many to come). With Lucie and Ryan on their own teams, we spend a good portion of our Saturdays on the field. Here's our little fan with a proud member of the Forest Green Pirates:

And next, a smiley moment for Jakey trying out his first high chair. He was getting tired of looking up at us from his exersaucer during meals, and is now thrilled to pull right up to the table:

With the first high chair came his first meal. He took one spoonful of oatmeal and looked at us like, "Where has this been all my life?"

Yes, Jake — we know. You love being just like the rest of the family. Just don't grow up too quickly, little man.

Six Months Old: Jake

Jacob Blue, you came into our lives on a foggy March morning and have been charming us ever since. I have to remind myself that you've only been here for a short time, as it feels like you've always been a cherished part of our family.

At six months old, you are full of happy energy and smiles. You love to interact with people, especially your big sister and brother. When they come into the room, you light up and crane your neck to see them. They adore you too, and have invented all sorts of silly games and songs to make you laugh. If ever we want to clear up a fussy moment, attention from your siblings will do the trick.

You are Mr. Flexible, and perfectly happy to go with the flow of our family. As the third child, you are toted everywhere, from school drop-off to soccer practice to family outings on the weekends. You had more experiences out and about in the world in your first six weeks than your sister and brother did in their first year! Fortunately you are a great sport about it and are happy to catch naps in transit throughout the day.

You have many nicknames. Lucie and Ryan like to remind us that your real name is Jacob, though we rarely call you that. Instead you are Jake, Jakey-boo, Boo-Boo, Cutie, Cutie-a-lot (Ryan's creation), "Guh" (your favorite sound), and the most fitting name of all, Lovable. With your chubby cheeks, eager smile and sunny disposition, this name fits you perfectly.

You've recently started to babble, with sounds closely resembling real words. A girl at the pool was convinced you smiled and said, "Hi!" to her, though I'm not sure you're quite that far along yet. You do say "da-da" over and over again. I wouldn't be surprised if this is your first real word, as you adore your Dad and beam whenever you see him.

Just within the past few weeks, you've mastered rolling over, both front to back and back to front. Unlike your big sister at this age, you don't roll much at night, and prefer to sleep on your side, with your arm flung across your face, in full surrender to sleep.

We're still trying to figure out if you will be a finger or thumb sucker. At this point you seem to like all fingers equally, or simply prefer to jam your whole fist (or fists) in your mouth. I often see you sucking on your arm when trying to fall asleep, but mostly your favorite pacifier is nursing. As our third baby, I'm so happy to have this relationship with you, knowing how quickly you'll grow out of it. Even in the middle of the night, I enjoy our special time, feeding and dozing off together.

You've grown and accomplished so much in six months. We can't wait to see what the next six months will bring (though I wouldn't mind keeping you at this age forever). Your entrance into the world has brought so much happiness and joy to our family. Happy half birthday Jakey-boo!

The Big Five: A Birthday Retrospective

At long last, the birthday montage! This time, with a bit of nostalgia. Age five can do that to you.

The Big Five: Lucie

To our lovable Lucie B, can you really be turning five? You told me you'd be four and a half forever. We are constantly amazed by your recent growths and changes -- here's a quick look at incredible you on your fifth birthday.

This has been the summer of swimming for you! You are an amazing swimmer. You jump right into the water and begin swimming face down while kicking and doing your arm strokes.

You aren't afraid to jump into water that is over your head, even surprising me by doing a dive into the pool on a recent trip. Your risk taking in the water is commendable -- you're constantly pushing yourself to try new things, without putting yourself in dangerous situations. It's lots of fun to watch.

You love to be read to. Several times a day, you snuggle up next to me for a book or two, from Magic School Bus to Berenstain Bears, or any book having to do with dancing or ballet. You love to listen to books, both for enjoyment and for relaxation.

You also enjoy reading your most special books to your loved ones. One of my favorite images from this summer is walking into a room to find you sitting on a stool reading a story aloud, surrounded by all your stuffed animals. I've watched the same scene acted out with carefully placed paper dolls or all your Littlest Pet Shop animals. You love to take on the role of teacher.

Along with your growth in the water comes your determination to try new things on the playground. You got a jump rope recently and have been set on learning to use it. It's still quite difficult for you to do on your own, but you keep trying, and with a little growth, will surely get it soon.

A new fascination at the park is with the monkey bars. One recent day you spent so much time trying to get across the bars, you came home with calluses on your hands. The set of bars at your new preschool is at the perfect height for you, sure to be a favorite destination at morning drop-off.

Your imagination soars. It's not uncommon to find you on the couch, surrounded by all your worldly possessions, pretending you're on a car/ship/airplane journey to the moon/playground/ballet class. You make steering wheels out of paper plates, and gear shifts out of spatulas and wooden spoons. That old green couch goes on some pretty great adventures with you.

The year ahead is sure to be full of adventures and independence, with a new preschool and kindergarten next fall. We look forward to sharing it all with you, and watching you continue to grow and change. We love you Lucie B.!