Grace is 7, in 2nd grade, and does well in math and science. She runs down the stairs most mornings half dressed thinking she'll miss something. She enjoys carrying her clipboard, making checklists and questionnaires. Her type A personality comes through as she explains rules to her sisters and will freak out if one of them is reading a library book with an apple slice, afraid they will get something on the book. I had to stand in line with her recently so that she could show a librarian that someone had written in a book she wanted to check out. She is the most empathetic and compassionate person I know, and is extremely giving and sharing to her sisters. She worries about things that are out of control, which makes it challenging for me to comfort her. Grace is beginning to change into a bigger girl, becoming more particular about her hair and outfits. She and her friends like to wear colored hair bands on their wrists so they can put their hair up and take it down throughout the day. She plays hand-clapping games like Miss Mary Mack and Down by the Banks, makes BFF necklaces and friendship bracelets, seems to do a cartwheel every 5 seconds no matter where we are, and still outruns the boys.
Madeline is 5 and is in love with Kindergarten. She slowly comes downstairs on school mornings after getting dressed, making her bed, and straightening her room. If she hasn't completed her homework as she is waiting in afternoon carpool pickup, she will immediately after coming home. Most of the time she will have her week's worth of homework completed before Tuesday. She goes though the class seating chart from memory every week or so with me, and recalls details of her day as I tuck her into bed each night. Madeline tells me several days each week that she's had the best day ever. She spells and reads very well, and will hold a book out as a teacher does to a class when she reads to our family, often pausing to ask us a question about the story to make sure we're paying attention. She turns her nose up at every single meal that does not involved mac and cheese, and we see tears nearly every weeknight when we don't have dessert. She loves knock knock jokes, making herself burp, and will give funny one-liners…telling a sleepy and grumpy sister, "welcome to the first day of the rest of your life."
Charlotte is 4 and loves to cuddle. She will take my hand and put in on her, and gives many big hugs throughout the day. She is very shy with people outside our family and chatters at me non-stop when Grace and Madeline are in school. She is very stubborn, telling me "I don't feel like to" but I only have to discipline her a fraction of what I had to last year. She blows out her lips when she's frustrated as Europeans do and says "oh nuts" a lot. Charlotte tells a lot of made up stories (lies, really) about nonexistent people at her school or church. She talks a lot about a friend named Lily who is always in trouble, and often sees her car in front of us or behind us. She often wakes me up in the middle of the night to tell me "she's tired of sleeping all night long." She is afraid of automatic toilet flushers and works hard to swing higher than her sisters. She runs hard, pumping her fists and kicking her feet back almost touching her rear. She chugs any drink in front of her until its empty and is always wearing cheap plastic rings and putting on chap stick.
Alice just turned 2 and seems to change weekly. She carries her Gankie everywhere and sucks her thumb when she's tired or doesn't get her way. She will even try to eat or drink as she sucks her thumb. When we pick up the girls from school and they are trying to tell me about their day, she will loudly talk over them, frustrating everyone. She growls when she drops something and will repeat everything she hears. She sings loudly in public and lays her head back when she swings. Alice still likes me to carry her around, and prefers to be on my chest rather than my hip. She will belly laugh so hard it makes her hiccup and will do anything for desserts or pirate's booty ("a-pie-ets-a-booey"). She loves cheese and granola bars and is becoming very observant in the car, shouting out landmarks. Alice really keeps us laughing and I often hear, "You have your hands full with that one!"
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