Oh my goodness, WHERE has the time gone? I keep finding myself lost in watching all three boys. I am at once amazed by all of the wonderful things they are doing and are interested in and feel a pull at my heart strings for the little babies and little boys they once were.
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| No one is sad, Curt told them to give their best mean pirate faces (Brady, Aidan, Gavin) ARRRGH! |
This past weekend we were able to have most of the Kenoyer/Davis side come in town to celebrate the boys' birthday. For how much i was anticipating the excitement and fun (i could barely concentrate at work on friday!), Curt and I could not BELIEVE how patient the boys were about people getting there and getting to open more gifts and eat cake and ice cream! And just have fun together.
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| Gavin's face when he first saw the birthday cake is PRICELESS! |
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| Well, this cake IS kind of awesome. it had ring pops on it when he saw it too. :) |
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| Getting up close and personal with it . .. A&G |
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| Check out Brady's face too - that is his pure joy but he can't believe he is so lucky face (BAG) |
And now for my annual review of who each of these most precious children are, through my eyes.
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| Aidan, eating his favorite vegetable - an onion. Like an apple, and yes, he ate the whole thing. |
Aidan:
Aidan, you LOVE playing tricks on people and saying and doing silly things to make others laugh. You are a performer in the truest sense of the word. You are the first one to start dancing to music and you know how to get your brothers giggling, even when they are in foul moods. You are patient and love matching games and puzzles and living life OUT LOUD. You absolutely LOVE drawing these days. I love that you almost always are willing to try to draw things on your own. You trust in your abilities and I think that is fantastic. You also have such a sweet creative side, that always makes me laugh - like your super hero you created - Banana Man, who shoots bananas at hungry people and monkeys. Delightful. Your soccer skills are improving and you have such determination, i have yet to see you stop, even when someone is running faster than you are. Your Freeze Tag skills are even more impressive and you are loving school. You seem to be the first to make friends, wherever we go, with adults or other kids. I don't think you have ever met a stranger. And you give me the sweetest kisses and love showing affection to dad and I the way we show affection to you and your brothers. It is wonderful.
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| Brady picks a perfect apple - look at that beautiful smile! |
Brady:
Brady, you are ALWAYS thinking. I am constantly amazed at the things you have put together and figured out on your own. You love helping dad and I out - I can tell that is when you feel like your best self. You LOVE soccer and can't wait to be on your own team. You also love coloring and drawing things these days, but you put A LOT of pressure on yourself for your drawing to look a certain way. I hope you are able to trust yourself and allow for the mistakes in life - that is where the learning happens! While you take some time to warm up to new situations, it is only because you are sizing everything up and figuring out where you will be most comfortable. This will serve you well as an adult. You love telling jokes and I think you might be the first boy to be experimenting with sarcasm, which both makes me laugh and makes me shake my head. You will give me a run for my money as you get older. Your observations about the world and how things became the way they are are insightful, touching and funny, like when you told me you thought God wanted your hair to stick up and that was why it sticks up all of the time. You are also strong-willed - when you have something in your head, you become very set in how you want it to play out. Sometimes this results in disappointment, which breaks my heart, but I know is part of life. You are a loyal soul and I believe this is why you take longer to choose friends, but once you are friends, it will be for life. I am worried you may be the first to hold back on snuggling, but that you may be the one who needs it most. I know that you are in tune with your emotions and this can sometimes make for difficult times. Just remember, whenever you are ready to talk, I am here for you and always love you.
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| Gavin being VERY careful as he picks his apple. |
Gavin:
Gavin, my sweet and creative child. You have such a unique way of looking at the world and thinking things through. You still have a mind for puzzles and patterns and figuring out HOW things work. You have really excelled in your ability to articulate what you are thinking and you LOVE to be silly and be in close contact with me or your dad or brothers. Wrestling is one of your favorite things to do because it encompasses giggling and using your insanely strong body and being close to your family. You play easily with new kids, but you are so engrossed in what you are doing, you sometimes forget to find out about them (like their name!). Your drawings and coloring is so impressive and so creative. You always think to add something unique and special to your cars/trains/super heroes/etc. I love that you put people riding in your cars with faces looking out of the windows. I can tell you have your own story going on about your pictures. I am amazed by your memory and your capacity to recall details, like what we were supposed to say to get the tractor to get out of the creek, when we had only been there once a YEAR ago - GO, Bessie, GO! Incredible! (YOu also seem to have this capacity for foreign language - THAT will help you out!) You seem to have blossomed in your new pre-school and that makes me feel so good about our decision for the three of you to take an extra year before kindergarden. You are so loving and patient with younger kids, and you are ALWAYS drawn to babies. For you alone, I sometimes wish we had a younger child for you to play with and care for. I think you would have cherished being an older brother. I love that you ask me to play legos and trains and to color with you. I hope you always feel like you can ask me to play with you. It brings me such joy.
Happy 5th birthday to my three sweet boys. I look forward to seeing the people you are becoming!
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| Curt, cousin Shelly, and Grandma K try out some of the gifts. |
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| awwww, cousins (A, Jadyn, G,B, Julie) |
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| Aidan is 42 inches! (on this, we will measure at home) |
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| Brady is 46 inches! (again, we probably need a level surface!) |
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| GAvin is 45 inches . . . and he loves apple cider doughnuts. |
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| The whole fam - ABG and me and curt - actually in a picture together! |
