A WHOLE YEAR gone by!!!!

"Hello again! Remember me?"

"Ahh yes, I do in fact. You're the crazy mother of 4 small children aren't you?"

"Well yes, I do have 4 small children, but I wouldn't necessarily say that I am crazy yet, though I must say that this past year has assisted me greatly in reaching that goal!"

" Is that why I haven't heard from you in a while?"

" It's definitely been a contributing factor! I mean other than the complete lack of time and energy."

"So how have those little rascals been?"

"Do you want the long or condensed version? haha:) How do I begin to sum up a whole year?! I could easily write a novel about each of my children. Heck I could write two novels about each child, one detailing all the mischievous and naughty things they do, say or have gotten into and another about the hundreds of ways that every day in the midst of all the chaos they manage to steal a piece of my heart and run away with it.

Maddox, my angel. He has remained one of the most caring and sensitive children that I've encountered in my life. He still loves hugs, kisses and soft songs ( but definitely not in front of his friends anymore ) He cares how you feel and the world stops if he feels like he has hurt me or made me sad. He is smart and loud, yet at the same time shy and reserved. He is hesitant to try new things and timid when it comes to new experiences. I have yet to get a bad report from his teachers at school. He is still very concerned with his look, clothes and shoes more than his hair. The child will not let me style his hair! He has grown so much in this past year. Both physically and mentally. My little guy that was watching Dora and playing learning games on the computer is now watching Toy Story and playing Mario and racing games. Watching him play on the playground I no longer have the Hawks eye on every step he takes. I watch him swing and climb with ease over bars that are 12 feet high. I don't know why, but I rarely get sad about watching these changes. I feel more of an excitement. An excitement of the changes that are happening right in front of me every day. I look forward and anticipate watching his growth. But don't get me wrong, Mad does slip on his horns every now and then. Along with all the positive changes that age has brought, he is also picking up on the negative. He is now scared of the dark and of hallways. He has completely mastered the art of talking back. And playing copycat has become a new hobby of his as well. He has added "dang it" to his vocabulary which I firmly correct him on if I hear it slip. And he is somewhat of a bully when it comes to sharing or playing with Jaxon! ( that is when they are not behaving as the best friends they have become ). Maddox and I share a very special connection and I look so forward to seeing how that is going to grow over the years. I look forward to updating his accomplishments over the next year!!

"Wow, he sounds like a pretty neat little guy. I can't wait to see some pictures of him! How about Jaxon?"

"*laugh* My little Jackie Jack. You just can't look at him without smiling. He could not have qualities and characteristics more opposite than Maddox. He has remained my tough guy. He still isn't quick to give hugs or kisses, but you know when he does they are sincere. ( Unless they are the hugs and kisses when he is sneaking out of his bed at bedtime to steal a few more minutes awake;) He is SO helpful. He loves to help with the babies, cooking, cleaning, carrying in the groceries. You name it he's on it. He is adventurous and daring. He is always the first to try something new whether it's a ride or new food. He bravely will march outside after dark and search the ground for Maddox's lost bunny or a lost sippy cup from earlier in the day. He is a darned good sleeper. Ahh if only all the kids would sleep in like he does;) However, lately he has been a little more difficult to get to sleep. It has taken a bit more bribing and coaxing during naptime! He will copy or attempt to copy almost everything that he sees his older brother doing.....Oh goodness, I can see this as foreshadowing for the years to come haha! The teachers at Jaxon's school praise him for being so well behaved, generous and helpful. They say he is just an angel. And yes, I had to confirm we were talking about the same Jaxon b/c just like Maddox, Jaxon has developed quite the behavior over the past year. He is very headstrong, much more temperamental and hands down the quickest to use a potty mouth. His favorite new words added to his vocabulary: butt, butt head, stinkin' head, hate, and stupid. All of which have earned him several tastes of dawn dish soap! Jaxon is such a fun child. His relationship with Maddox has grown so much as he is getting older. I love his laugh and how he says, very whenever it should be really or how he started saying "selth" instead of "SELF" because that's how he hears Maddox say it. I love that he says "hont" instead of "honk" or a "t" for all his "c's" His big speech accomplishment this year was learning how to say "thirsty" instead of "firsty". I wish I could have taken a picture of the pride on his face as he sat on the edge of my bed and repeated "thirsty" over and over again. I enjoy all of Jaxon's firsts and his progress because I can see how hard he works at his accomplishments. So much of Jaxon's first two years were such a blur to me, that I make a conscious effort to acknowledge all of his achievements every day and really focus on his progress. "

"He seems like he has really grown in this past year!"

" A lot, he also catapulted from toddler to little boy fast."

"So tell me about the twins, what's new? I'll bet they've grown!"

"*smile. I still don't know if I've fully grasped the fact that I have 2 year old twins running around my house. Who am I kidding, Running my house! With every milestone they have hit this past year, I caught myself breathing a sigh of relief and thinking, 'now things are finally getting easier'.. *SCRREEEEEEEEAAAACCCCHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Cue squeals, screams and cries. They tricked me. Oh yes they did. They let me believe that the calm had come. Calm my behind! Try calm before the storm!!!! They are twin tornadoes that delight in the fact that everything they touch or come in contact with can be destructed. Including attempting to terrorize each other. Twin bond, well if there is sucha thing it sure hasn't come yet. Rarely in this past year have I noticed any particularly bonding between them. In fact Ty seems to be completely content learning the ways and hanging with his older brothers, he just simply couldn't care less about Olivia's interests and her likewise. In fact when Ty feels like his domain has been threatened he is quick to chomp on his sisters arm or stomach or grab a handful of her hair and raise it in the air with a victory grunt. Olivia is left to either flee for her life or scream at the top of her lungs until either Arik or myself runs to her aide. But don't get me wrong, while Olivia is not violent she feels that she should always have her way or get what she wants. If not ....then she screams.......and screams....and screams. This tactic is wearing thin on me, so I am very thankful that her vocabulary has taken a turn for the best. She definitely is a little parrot. I love hearing her copy my words. To contrast her piercing screams she has such a sweet little voice. Ty on the other hand, well, the little guys is trying. The best way I can describe Ty's language is Caveman talk. We communicate great actually, as far as him getting his needs across. He follows very specific directions and always lets you know exactly what he needs. He just chooses not to use words. A conversation with Ty goes as follows: " Ty would you like to lay on the couch with your sippy cup?" sharp up and down nod " UGH" . "Okay, which couch?" he aggressively points to the long couch. " UGH UGH" " Here you go , now to you want to watch Dora?" again a sharp single nod yes. I turn on the t.v. and walk away. "UGGHHHHHHHH aggghhhh agghhhhhh!!" "What???? ....... Oh!! You want a blankie?" A vacant look and another sharp nod, "ugh" . And so goes our chats haha:) The progress and the milestones are too many to list over the past year for the twins. They have been an incredible blessing to our family. Ty is loving and curious, he's sneaky and stealth, he's cuddly and caring. I tend to watch him a little longer when I lay him down at night and for some reason, I find myself a little more emotional when I tuck him in. Maybe it's just the way he looks up at me, or how sweet our bedtime routine is. Maybe it's that he's growing so fast. Then there is Olivia. My princess, yes, she is still my princess and will hopefully always be. She is a firecracker and has more of Jaxon's outgoing personality. She is a lover, she's quick, she's smart, funny, dramatic and loud. She gets a kick out of herself and loves to dance. Currently her favorite "attention grabber" is standing on the coffee table and dancing....to hip hop only mind you! She is the perfect blend of girl and tomboy. She loves her dolly and purse and dress up, yet her favorite show is Dino Dan and she will have just as much mud if not more on her after playing outside. She is cuddly and affectionate and loves to please. And just to clarify, yes she does have Daddy wrapped around her pinky. There is no denying it!"

"Phew, it sounds like you have your hands full?!"

" You wouldn't believe how often I hear that! And yes, I do. I believe my body has been programmed to survival mode this past year. Raising children is the most daunting and yet rewarding tasks anyone will take on in their lives. The responsibility is HUGE and that weighs heavily on me to do my best for my children. I surely make mistakes and goodness knows I have my meltdowns, but every day I go to bed I picture my 4 kids faces and thank God that he has blessed me with them. I welcome the challenges the next year has for me , I look forward to documenting more crazy antics and adorable firsts. I can't wait to see Maddox begin kindergarten, or the twins start "pre-pre school. Maddox and Jaxon will be 4 and 5 this year and in two days the twins will celebrate another birthday when they turn 2. And in writing this it reminds me how much we have been through and accomplished this past year. Every day I celebrate the small victories and anticipate the minor battles that the next day will bring. I go to bed with a renewed sense of ambition and welcome the next day with an open mind an open arms."

" Well, after hearing from you I retract my previous description of you as the crazy mother of 4 young children. Perhaps the Proud Mother of 4 young children would be more fitting?"

" I appreciate that, however, maybe crazy isn't so far off. ........I am having a fictional conversation with my computer after all!".......Until next time:)