11/15/13

At about 1.5 months old, Chauncey could lay on his back and push himself all over the house.  It looked like it hurt, but he couldn't sit still (unless he was cuddled in his bed).  He is a very laid back, happy baby.  Chauncey rolled over at 3 months at 2 days old.  I thought it was a fluke.  But, no, he never stopped.  He has been a little machine ever since.  About two weeks ago, about 3.5 months old, he officially sat up by himself for the first time.  He was steady for a second, and he was concentrating really hard, with a coy little smile on his face.  He knew he was conquering new feats.  A few seconds in and he was pretty wobbly, and leaned over laying on his legs.  Now he is getting stronger and better at sitting up.  I don't remember the other two doing these things quite this soon.

Isabela can write most of her letters now without having to copy them.  She asks, "What comes next in my name?"  If I help her out verbally with a few, she can write out her full name.  She is growing up to be quite the girl.  I can't believe how big she is.  As she plays with her friends a few times each week, it is interesting to see how their brains are developing.  Summer Sage can look at books for hours, and reads a lot of words (she is a full year older than Isa).  A few months back, her mom said for the first time Sage recognized a location they had been to some months before.  Isabela loves stories, but focuses so much more on colors, places, things, events, people.  She is the next navigator in the family (after Brandon).  She can tell you if we are going the right way and how many paths there are to get to the store.  Since she was little (two or younger), she has always recognized places we have been, even if she hadn't seen them for months at a time.  When I worked the after school program, and students would leave stuff behind on accident, Isabela could always tell me to whom it belonged.  She is very observant as to what people wear, what their hair looks like, and the designs on their backpack, etc.  These traits definitely did not come from me.  I would never notice if my best friend wore the same thing three days in a row.  (Oh, wait.  That's what I do.)  Oh, yes, and she loves to sew.  She makes little pillows and bean bags (which she cuts, I sew 3.5 edges, and she flips it right-side out, fills it, and sews the last little section).  Now she begs daily to make a dress for herself, which we will do soon.

Xander has been morphing into a true little boy.  He still doesn't mind wearing skirts with the girls, and playing dress up.  But he is realizing now he is the prince and not the princess.  (I will miss that, though. :D)  Mostly, though, he does any and everything he can to get a rouse from Isabela.  99% of the time, it works marvelously, so I don't see anything I can do in the parenting realm to stop it anytime soon.  She gets upset so easily, he just can't help making her squeal.  He is quick to apologize, then do it again.  It's so hard for me to keep a straight face as I discipline sometimes.  He is just so cute, even especially when he is conniving.

As for the rest of life.  We are very blessed.  Sometimes it is difficult to see others and what they have...I would really like a home of my own.  The biggest reason is so I can make permanent changes to organize food storage/preparedness items, and to have a garden. (Brandon and Isabela want their BIG and little puppy dogs, respectively, when we get a house.)  We have plenty of indoor space here, but it was not designed well at all for a family or for storing things.  Our stake president told us during stake conference that we need to make sure we all have sufficient water and heat.  He feels that we, as a stake, are not well enough prepared for the coming winter.  A friend told me her mom's stake conference had a similar message, "Gone are the days of telling you to prepare for yourselves and your families.  We have been told that forever.  Now it is time to prepare for our neighbors if we have the means to do so."  It has been interesting to see how many people have taken on the challenge in our ward.  The Lord truly does direct His church.  I feel so blessed to be apart of that.