Ezekiel: 12 months

So of course, Zeke has a birthday and it flies right by me without a post about him.  Many thoughts, but no action.  Here's hoping I can remember back to give an accurate picture of what he was doing at 12 months...

• He is finally coming out of the crabby baby he used to be.  I think he was tired.  I probably should have been more strong-willed about sleep training.  Too late now.  
• He has the best smile and laugh.
• He loves to dance and will go to the CD player and lift up his hands toward it to get you to turn it on for him.  
• Never did take a paci or suck his thumb
• I think he might be my pickiest eater, if that is even possible.  He never did like many purees.  And he is super picky about table foods.  Fruit is definitely the favorite, but a kid can't live on fruit only.  He doesn't like a lot of things Thomas did, like hummus and guacamole.  He recently decided he likes black olives though, which is weird considering all the things he doesn't like.  
• He likes to paint himself with whatever food juices come with his food.  He does a lot of food hair gelling, ha ha.
• Mike and I say he definitely has the personality of "the baby."  He can put on a show when he wants to, lol. 
• He loves to follow big brothers around and wrestle with them.  He gets so mad when they leave the house or go outside without him.  
• He loves this little spiral ramp car track that we have.  
• He puts everything in his mouth.  EVERYTHING.  Leaves, grass, rocks, legos, bottle caps, lint from the dryer.  
• He also likes to bite stress balls and tear them up into little pieces with his teeth.
• He has mastered the stairs, both up and down.  Thank the Lord.  No more gates for me. And he loves the climb other things, like the ladder up to the trampoline, Lord help me.

Ezekiel: 11 months. What?!

Our blonde little squeaky Zeke is already 11 months old.  

• He is the blondest of all our babies. 
• I feel like he might also be the pudgiest, but that is not saying too much, lol.  
• He likes to yell just to hear himself, especially in the morning, when he is the only one up. 
• He has his two bottom middle teeth and his incisors actually came through on top before any other top teeth.  Little vampire baby.
• Walking is his thing and he is our earliest walker yet, starting about 10 months, but really going strong about 10 1/2 months.
• Eating is not his thing.  He might even be harder than Jackson and Max.  Thomas likes SO many more things than Zeke does.  Zeke really likes to feed himself.  If I try to spoon feed him, he usually spits whatever it is out all over his hands and tries to feed it back to himself.  This does not work so well with pureed things or oatmeal.  
• Loves to be on Mama's left hip.  And he will wiggle and jiggle himself around till he is settled there just so.  
• He loves to play in the toilet.  He is our first child to be so into this and he is fixated on it, watching to see when anyone leaves the toilet seat up.  Gross.
• He LOVES to be outside.  He will cry (mad cry) if I walk toward the back door like we are going out, but then I don't actually go.  
• Still nursing.  Gets up once in the middle of the night most of the time.  If I nurse him sometime before 0500 he will usually go on sleeping until about 0600 or 0630.  
• It is incredibly hard to get a good picture of this kid.  He sees me with the camera and he runs toward me.  And then, he gives me this terrible look, like he is trying too hard to smile.  

Zeke: 9 months!

Zeke turned 9 months on Thomas' second birthday.

• Pulling up and furniture surfing.  Attempts to stand on his own, but he is still very wobbly. 
• He can climb up the stairs, but of course, he is a danger to himself because he sits backward like there is a floor under him.  Therefore, the stair gate went back up.
• Does not have a huge variety of food he likes and what he does like, he wants to feed himself.  If I am giving him something pureed or mashed, he will take the spoonful and then spit it back into his hand so he can feed himself.  Gross.  And annoying.  And it makes for really messy mealtimes.  
• Still does not sleep through the night.  None of them did very early, but Zeke and Thomas take the cake, going past 9 months.  
• Doesn't take a paci or suck his thumb.  What?!
• He is the wiggliest, squirmiest baby just in general.  He takes it to another level with diaper changes.  
• Loves the brothers.
• Is not really interested in cups. 
• Just has two bottom teeth.
• He loves to slime my hair and chew on it.  He also loves to do this to anyone with hair, especially Thomas.
• He is a very early riser.  Every day at least by 0600, but usually earlier.
• He smiles for the camera.
• He got his first haircut this month because his bangs were just ridiculous.

Thomas turns 2 years old!!

December 30th, 2015

At two years old Thomas keeps our laugh tanks filled up and is just a joy.  He is also mischievous and gets into everything and sometimes I think he is going to make me go lock myself in a closet. 

• If you want to see a little of what Thomas is like, watch the 1989 Steve Martin movie "Parenthood" and watch his son Justin.  If they remade the movie, I would audition Thomas for that part.
• He is my best eater.  He likes more things than all his brothers put together.   Thank God I got at least one like that.
• He is finally sleeping through almost every night.  He was past 18 months and still usually waking once, which was oh so lovely with another little guy wanting to eat and such.
• He still likes the pacifier, the soothie, which he calls "Blue," because his favorite is the blue one.
• His hair is crazy and I have to cut it fairly often or he starts to look like a wild man.
• He is pretty much potty trained at home.  He pretty much runs around naked at home all day.
• He loves to dance.
• He loves a good walk in the stroller and that is pretty much the only place he is chill.
• He loves cars and playing cars and the Blue Track we have for them.
• The first and last thing he does every day is find and talk to Zeke, who he calls "Zekey" or "Zekiel," which sounds like "Zekeo."
• He wants to be involved in the process of doing everything.  
• He likes to push literal buttons, turning the TV on and off when Jackson and Max are trying to watch.
• He is starting to put two word phrases together, which was a long time coming.  Pretty much he has been on the slow side of talking since the beginning.  
• That being said, he is super smart.  He will take a chair into the kitchen and put it in front of the fridge in order to climb up and get what he wants. 
• He is a messy eater.  Definitely likes to play/paint with his food and leave a trail wherever he goes.
• He loves our neighbor's dog, Olive and will call out her name incessantly if he can see her outside.  Better than the dog, he loves their daughter Genevieve.

1 year.  

2 years

Jackson: Eight years old!

October 6th, 2015

• The boy is handsome as can be.  Looks just like his Daddy.
• He is into Pokemon.  He and Max can battle for long games and he has quite a collection of cards and paraphernalia.
• We consider him in third grade this year.  He is reading all kinds of different books, although I would not say it is his favorite pastime.  He is working on learning to type and got quite good using a free internet program called Dance Mat.  
• He is still playing piano and is quite good.  He has gotten to a point where he enjoys playing, I think because he is good at it and who doesn't like doing things they are good at, lol? 
• He is super competitive.  As in, he can turn every single thing into a competition, which he will then try to find a way to win.  
• We are working on recognizing when this is unnecessary, like when you are playing with your 4 year old neighbor girl who is like your little sister.  We must be nice to the little sisters!
• He is also into sports, specifically NFL and college football.  He is keeping his own Word document on their rankings and the order in which he likes them.  Good Lord, help me.  Max and Jackson already know and understand way more about football than I do.  
• He played flag football, which just ended.  We had great coaches and he really enjoyed the boys on his team.  We are taking a break from sports after this, until the next season of flag football.  
• He is still a rather picky eater, although I can get him to try new things without as much hesitation as there used to be.  
• He and Max are still the best of friends.  So glad they are brothers.  
• He loves the little guys and is great with them.  Watching Thomas give him hugs and kisses is so fun.  
• He loves to measure himself and weigh himself.  He is certainly enjoying the growing up.  I keep telling him to slow down and of course, he giggles and says, "I can't!"  Don't I know it? 

Current favorite pastime: Wii.

Had a little run-in with the pavement at the park.  Had a great time playing football with the Cowboys for the fall season.

We had a barbeque with friends to celebrate Jackson's birthday, not that I got any pictures of him with his friends.  Lions cake!

Zeke: 8 Months!

Welp.  I missed the 7 months post.  Poor Zeke.  He certainly seems to be experiencing that thing where there are less pictures and stuff written about him.  Too many other kids to look after.  But, I wouldn't have it any other way!!

• Crawling all over the place and fast too.
• Wants to eat any time we are eating.  Will take baby foods/rice cereal, but seems to want what we are having if there is something he can work with.  
• Starting to like the bath.
• Doesn't take a pacifier.  Or his thumb.  I can live with that.
• Not sleeping through the night.  Still gets up once, usually twice to nurse.  And he is an early riser.  
• Dinner time is the witching hour.  He does not like me to cook.  He wants me to hold him pretty much the whole time I should be cooking.  I usually love cooking, but Zeke...
• He likes those little surf-board MumMums. 

He loves to climb all over Thomas.  And the big boys too.

Grandma Clemens came to visit!

I could not get a better picture, but this boys is already trying to climb the stairs!  Lord help me!

Riding on my knees:)

One of his favorite pastimes:  pulling my hair, sliming all over my hair, climbing all over me!

Sweet potatoes and favorite people

Zeke at 6 months

At 6 months Zeke:

• Rolls all over the place.  I have to gate the top of the stairs when I put him outside the boys' bathroom because I am worried he will roll all over the place and right down them.
• He has a voice.  It mostly feels like he is yelling at my all the time, but I can take it. 
• His hair is still crazy, but it doesn't stand up anymore.  And he is the blondest of all my babies.
• He has started on some baby foods with rice cereal and seems to like them.  
• His most favorite place is in my arms or on my hip.  
• Napping is not his favorite, at least not long naps.  Cat-napping seems to be his thing.
• Jackson, Max, and Thomas make his eyes light up.

Ha ha.  There might be more than this, but he just turned 7 months, so I better make the post, with a few pictures.