16 months

I have been compiling stories about the boys.  Sorry this is pretty wordy! 

They love to read. They only have a handful of books they like, which are about torn to shreds...the spines broken, pages bent, etc. We had to remove two books entirely because of the fights that broke out over them (Brown Bear, Brown Bear and The Very Busy Spider). When it is time to read, they will fight to get in a lap, then snatch the book away from me and/or from each other as I read, which makes it difficult. Luckily, they only will sit thru a few books (not at a time, period. We have a gazillion, but they only want a handful). Point is, I have those books memorized. And really, Nate is the one who does most of the reading...they see him, and they run over with a book. Poor thing has read Mr. Brown Can Moo more times that he can count.

They are now climbers. In the basement we have 2 old couches that they climb up on (they haven't gotten on the upstairs couches yet, and I won't let them on them when they do figure it out). They line the back wall, with a coffee table in between them and a Step2 slide/fort thing on the end. They run and giggle and climb and fall (on the couches) and slide. We have had a few falls that have resulted in crying...but nothing serious. N found the outside deck table the other day, but no one (knock on wood) has discovered the dining room table.

They also have figured out all the door handles to outside. The door handles are the lever sort, not the round sort. The other day we were getting ready for church (Nate and I in our bedroom, door shut, in the 3 minutes allocated to get ready), and it got reeeeeally quiet. Turns out all 3 boys were in the garage (not sure where Z was). So now we have to make sure the garage door is closed!

They are getting much better at understanding dircetions. They can bring us shoes if we ask for them. They know which cup is theirs, and assuming it is in clear view, they will choose theirs (not a brothers). When we tell them it is time for "pacis and blankets" they know to go to bed. If we mention going outside or downstairs, they will head to the right door. If we tell them to get a different book, not the same one we have read 10 million times, they might ;) If we tell them to stop something, they might do that as well. See, they have selective understanding. But luckily, if I am asking them to do something, at least ONE will obey, which leaves me TWO arms to pick up the other kids and make them do what I want them to!

I wish I was a better/funnier writer to describe diaper changing time, because really, it can be hilarious (or makes me crazy, depending on the time). Pretty much no matter what, if there is poop involved, all the boys want to be involved. And since I don't use a changing table, but the floor, diaper time is fair game for anything. I think it is worst when I change N, but this synopsis can occur with anyone, just change up who is where. When I bare N down and grab the wipes and new diaper to clean him up, inevitably he is reaching down there too, to see what is going on. Simultaneously, C has decided that he MUST be in my lap at that exact point, so he is ducking under my arm and onto my leg. And generally L is trying to pull out as many wipes as he can as quickly as he can so that he can eat them. Often, Z is trying to jump on my back to be part of the fun. So I'm using one hand to grab two legs and at least one arm of N (to keep him out of the poop), warding off L and trying to close the wipes with my other hand, trying to not fall onto C on my lap (and keep HIM out of the poop) because Z is putting all 50+ pounds of himself on me. You wish you were me, don't you?

All three are getting better with words.  All of them have Dada and Mama and know when to use them.  I think N has the most "words" that he sometimes uses:  uh oh, uh uh (dog), and boo.  C and L sometimes get dog and uh oh also.  We'll get there. 

And really, these are the only pictues I have of all 3 of them from recently.  It is just getting too hard!