It has been MONTHS since I posted anything! In my defense, it has been completely crazy at our house. There is not a day of the week that doesn't have something going on. There is rarely a week where there isn't something special going on (birthdays, weddings, etc.). Okay... where to start?!
Eli just celebrated his half birthday! At 6.5 he is still larger than any kid in his grade. He has played 2 seasons of basketball, and continues to play soccer and modified tball. He is getting better at sports with each season. We have noticed that he is really good when he gets fired up and not so great when he doesn't pay attention. Brian and I just had the end of year conference with his teacher. She said he is doing really great in school. He has a lot of friends and is very high academically. She gave us things to work on and when she mentioned multiplication I almost passed out. I asked if that was Kinder or 1st grade work these days and she said it wasn't, but that was next for him academically. The kid is really smart.
Jaxon has his graduation from Grammy's Kindergarden tomorrow. It is really difficult to remember that he is only 4. Jax is on a 1st grade level in math, reading, and writing. We had his 5th birthday party early so his school friends could attend. We invited his classmates and his soccer team. There were 29 kids there. It was crazy fun! Jaxon is playing tball and soccer... sort of. He is really coordinated, but we are working on getting him to be aggressive. He can play aggressively for just a tiny bit before he falls back into his old habits. Jaxon loves to help all the time. He will fold laundry, help with AJ, and pick up toys. His latest interest is ninjas. He keeps his ninja swords on his bed post and I have instructions to come find him if there are bad guys near.
Alysa just had her 6 month appointment. She is doing really great. She is 75% in
height and 60% in weight. She is a LOT smaller than her brothers at the same age. AJ is advanced enough in movement that it is not wise to lay her on the floor and walk away for any period of time. That girl is quick!!!! She prefers the green veggies when eating food. I was so excited to give her bananas the first time and she acted like it was the worst thing in the world... that was a shock because she puts absolutely everything in her mouth. Bananas have to taste better than 99% of the stuff that she grabs and tries to eat. Brian and I are amazed at how easy going she is. She really doesn't kick up too much fuss about anything unless she is hungry. Thank goodness we had an easy baby this time around.
All the kids love to be around each other. The boys LOVE their sister and she loves them back. They all entertain each other. The boys are still incredibly close even though they attend different schools and their interests are starting to be different (Eli in video games and Jax the busy body). Most mornings Brian and I wake up and find them sleeping in the same bed (they are still afraid of the dark). They are just like puppies! I can tell AJ is anxious to get in the mix. She loves rolling around next to her brothers. It really is amazing to watch all of them together.
The kids are about to get out of school, and our crazy summer will begin. We have 3 family weddings (Lindsey in DC, Christian in Waco, and Preston in Cincy). We also have a family vacation planned and Aunt Krissy is coming in for it!!!! Time is flying by so fast. Each night Brian and I have to discuss what the plans are for the following day and how we are going to get all the bodies to the right locations on time or somewhat close to on time. At this point it is unclear when any of us are going to get any sleep. Who needs sleep as long as we are having fun right?!
This weekend was completely wild and full of twists and turns! I woke up to contractions (and the room spinning) at 4:30 am on 11/11/11. During the day my blood pressure crashed, I lost all energy, got energy back, was given pitocin to help get contractions get stronger, the epidural somehow went wacky right at the last minute (after having it all day), lost all feeling in my entire body and energy, vomited through some of the pushing stage, and finally had a baby... that was the very mild brief version. The real version is going to be sold to Hollywood and used in some kind of comedy or drama depending on what swing you want to give it. 
