The Carlos Family

Monday, December 23, 2013

THANKSgiving

November was an exciting month for us. We decided to host our first Thanksgiving (totally real adults now that we've successfully cooked a turkey!), Chloe's been preparing for her first dance recital (it's December 14th), Clayton has been rocking his soccer class, and Easton is saying more and more words.
Clayton and Chloe are 3.5...WOW! Stop growing, little monkeys! They are both continuing to thrive in preschool. Clayton has his first girlfriend, Sadie. She also happens to be Chloe's best friend at school. I am sure this will be a common trend in future years. They got their first progress reports and are both doing really well. Clayton's vocabulary and memory retention is incredible. I am amazed daily at what he knows. I'm so used to being a middle school teacher and the students not "getting it" because they are focused on everything but what you are teaching that seeing my 3 year old soak everything up and retain on first exposure is pretty awesome. Every day off for Ryan is sports day with Clayton. While our backyard has incredible entertaining potential, it is perfect right now for our little toddlers. They play soccer (goals, cones, drills, cleats, etc.), baseball (bases, mitts, aluminum "flat" bat--Clay's word, and overhand pitching), and basketball (raised hoop, jump shots, and dribbling, and drills). And the best part is, Clayton loves it. Easton does too. You should see him dribble a soccer ball, drop kick it, swing a bat, throw a baseball, shoot a basketball and dribble the ball. I am doubting there are a lot of 20 month olds who do that, but given Easton's incredible desire to model EVERYTHING his siblings do, he's already a natural. And while they boys practice sports, I try to practice dance with Chloe, though it doesn't go quite as smoothly. Not because she doesn't want to or doesn't enjoy it, but because, you see, at 3.5 my sweet Chloe is already an expert on everything and well, Mommy, I know nothing. So, we argue. Yes, I argue with my 3.5 year old. Love the term "threenager" because I definitely have one of those! Regardless, Chloe is doing so well with her dance. It's a pretty complicated routine and as long as she can stay focused and not get distracted, she knows how to do everything. Her costume is an adorable Christmas red tulle and sequin fluff of sass! The song is, "All I want for Christmas is a Hippopotamus." We can't wait to see our precious baby girl on the stage. Chloe's academics are impressing me too. She finally spelled her name for the first time and her focus in general is improving significantly. Chloe loves doing crafts and art and especially excels at fine motor skills. And back to Easton...well let's just say every day that he doesn't end up with a bruise, scratch, cut, or black eye is a successful day. He's a lot of work, but I love him so very much. New words (though he still doesn't say things repeatedly) are "chee" for cheers, "wa wa" for water, "di it" for did it and monkey and fire truck sounds. Easton also has a true obsession with the show, Fireman Sam on Sprout. Like obsessed, is an understatement!

Here's some pictures from our month...

Kicking off Thanksgiving with a little lesson on the meaning, giving, and the beginning of new family traditions.

Easton getting into the fun with Miss Lin at Messiah Lutheran Preschool

Impromptu stop at the Fullerton Train Station to watch the trains

We love being outside!

A fun night at California Adventure! Big Boy E even got to ride on some of the Cars Land rides!

Shaving with Daddy

Papa Jim had E for 5 minutes and the story is that while walking Easton decided to do a somersault on the concrete!

Family Christmas shopping day at the mall...successful day!

Welcome back Buddy, Sparkles, and Dash!

We hosted our first Thanksgiving Dinner. It was such a nice, special, and relaxing day. There's nothing better than the love of family.

Family football game!

We had a grateful jar this year that we added to each day. We took turns daily. For Thanksgiving we asked everyone to put something funny or unique in and then guessed who was thankful for what. It was super fun!

Nothing kicks off the holidays better than brand new Christmas lights that don't work! Thanks goodness for 4 brains!!

My daughter has better style than me!

Cheering Daddy on at his handball game.

Boys = Dirt and trucks!

More Thanksgiving pictures!!

Monday, November 4, 2013

Pumpkins, New Clothes, and Lots of Orange!

October was a full and busy month for us. It's amazing how adding preschool, dance, and a sports class for Clayton has really impacted our time. Clayton and Chloe continue to love preschool. We were surprised a couple of weeks ago when their original teacher was let go and a new teacher was greeting them. Shocked, was an understatement, but the kids seem to really like their new teacher, Mrs. Bardelsek. She has over 14 years of preschool teaching experience and seems really comfortable. It was a transition for the little guys, but all they were really concerned about was that their little friends were still in their class. C and C come home from school with lots of art work, stories, and songs. It is so wonderful seeing them thrive and enjoy preschool. They had grandparents day this past month. Papa Jim, Nonnie, and Grammie came to play with them. Their aide, Mrs. G recently complimented how much Chloe has grown since the few first weeks. I guess she was pretty shy at first, but has really blossomed and found her place in the class. They said that Clayton is definitely the "in charge" twin, but that he lets Chloe do her thing and doesn't intrude on her in the least. So happy to hear that! We also had our second annual Halloween party and had so much fun! The kids looked adorable, had fun, and it was a nice time for us parents too! Oh and thank you to Grammie and Papa Louie for buying new fall wardrobes for the trio. We are so thankful for the help. If only we really appreciated when we were younger the joy of getting ALL new clothes and shoes every few months!! Slightly envious of my children's closets!!

A few fun little tidbits on Clayton and Chloe...

Chloe is quite the talker. It's so fun to just listen to her ramble. She often points her finger as she's talking (must be the Italian in her!). I'm so impressed with how much she's retaining in dance. She absolutely LOVES dance. Chloe knows the three parts of her foot, dance moves, like a "tondou" (spelling?), and all sorts of combinations. She's kind of a pistol to practice with because she "knows it all." She's clearly her mommy's little girl. We are so excited for her recital in December!

Clayton continues to be obsessed with all sports. He sees it, he has to play it. He just finished t-ball through the city of YL, but it was super disappointing. Luckily, though, Soccer Shots just started a program at Messiah right after school on Tuesdays. It's a 12-week program and goes from 1-1:45 right after school. It is fantastic! We are so excited to watch him participate in a more organized program taught by people who have a clue as to what they are doing! He's our question asker. He needs to know everything, the why, the how, etc. I've learned that when I do have to discipline him, I have to explain why pretty thoroughly. He's just super inquisitive.

Easton boy is 18 months big! And OMG he's enough for 5 children! Easton thinks he's 3 and has a naturally fearless personality, so the combination of the two means I am running after him constantly trying to prevent injuries and sometimes, well, I am a second too late. Easton models everything the twins do, which is great in many situations, but not so great in others. He constantly has bruises, scratches, and fat lips! Easton compliments his craziness, though, by being the sweetest cuddler. He continues to be a mommy's boy and when he's tired lays down on the floor. He's such a good sleeper. His big Aiden and Anais blankies and pacis are his security items. Mommy needs to have the blankies cut in half, so they are more manageable for him to run around with. His language is improving. A lot of his sounds are becoming words, but you have to really pay attention. Easton is notorious for saying something a few times and then not anymore. His doctor isn't concerned yet, as it is pretty common for subsequent children to be delayed talkers for obvious reasons, but we will reevaluate at two years old. He makes lots of sounds (train, fire truck, dog, rooster, lion) and says dada, mama, da (for dog), uck (for truck), eer (for here), ookies (for cookies). I really try to work with him, but he's just so busy. He knows what things are, it's just saying them that's a challenge for him. If Easton could talk, I imagine he'd share how happy he is that his brother Clayton is playing with him now. They are buddies, finally. Chloe has always been a little mommy to E, but Clayton didn't give him much attention. Now, though, Clayton asks to play with Easton and the excitement when they all see each other after being separated during preschool is magical.

Here's his stats: He weighs 23 pounds 41%), 14 ounces and is 32 1/2 (41%) inches tall. He keeps moving up the percentile scale as he was a little guy at first!

As for us, we are hoping to sell our rental house. Our lives are full and busy enough as it is, let alone the added responsibility of a second property. Fingers crossed we get it sold soon! I am still loving doing my little creative projects. I just bought from Craig's List and repainted a fun little accent table for our dining room. I have a tendency to move on to the next project before I finish the previous, so my new goal is to only buy the products needed for one project at at time, so I am not tempted to move on. Our house is bustling with the holiday excitement already. Halloween was so much fun with our little guys (pictures of our fun below), we had a Thanksgiving lesson last night complete with a book on being thankful, a grateful jar that we will add to each day, a Bible verse about being thankful, a craft, and talk about giving to those less fortunate. We also watched Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving to top it off. We are excited to host Thanksgiving this year. I don't know what I am doing, but am happy to have something new to obsess over!

Here's some pictures of our fun month...

Easton Boy LOVES My Gym!