Reese

Reese.  Oh, Reese.  Where do I even start with Reese? 

Reese was our first baby to come home.  He came home at 3 1/2 weeks old.  He has made sure that there have been no dull moments since he came home. 

Reese is funny.  He makes us laugh.  A lot.  He says things that you don't expect to hear from a 3 year old.  He also tends to get things wrong, including lyrics from songs.  Recently he asked me if I saw the "PUS" truck (better known as the UPS truck) and asked me for a piece of bikini (zucchini) bread.  He loves to tell stories, which always start with, "Once a time".  He's just funny.  People always comment on how funny he is.  He's not trying to be funny, he's just a funny kid.

He LOVES to read books.  He would sit and listen to me read books all day long.  I love that.  I love that when I read to him he listens and really gets carried away in a book.  Later I'll hear him repeating what we read and even using the same voices I used when I read different characters. 

He is a very interesting dresser.  They pick out their own clothes and boy does Reese pick some crazy outfits.  He puts really strange things together and almost always has part (or sometimes all) of his clothes on backwards or inside out. Yesterday he wore a shirt that looked more like a dress.  I did turn it around for him because it was a button up polo and it was driving me crazy.  Most of the time I let him wear whatever he comes up with.

He is a Papa's and Grandpa's boy.  Somehow he always gravitates toward his Papa and his Grandpa.  He was the first to climb up into Papa's lap after the marathon.  He just can't get enough of his Grandpas.  Perhaps it's also because he's so darn cute and convincing and his Papa pretty much can't tell him "no".  He gets away with the most in our house because he can convince us in some adorable way to change our minds.  It doesn't happen often, but it happens more than it does with Aiden or Noah.  He just has an ability to soften people.  Every night when we tuck him in he gives me a kiss and 2 "monster" hugs.  I look forward to it every night.

He's so clearly the baby of the 3.  He gets Noah and Aiden, but especially Noah, to do things for him all the time.  You would swear he was much younger than the other 2 the way they do things for him.  That's just his personality.  He will forever be convincing others to do things for him.

 

Noah

Last week I told you a bit about Aiden.  Now I'll tell you about Noah.  Noah was originally our smallest.  He weighed in at a tiny 3 lbs. 8.6 oz.  He was so small and I distinctly remember crying over him because he was so tiny.  Now he's our biggest kid and an absolute brute.  He's in the 75th percentile for his age now.  He may not be a tiny baby anymore, but he's still a mama's boy.  He's also the child that gets under my skin the most.  He pushes every button and then some in an effort to irritate me.  The words, "Noah Henry" leave my mouth more than any other words.  So, here he is.

This is my favorite picture of Noah.  This was taken at about 10:25.  He was born at 10:16.  Not even 10 minutes old.  Isn't he cute?!

Noah is our "helper".  He always wants to help with things.  He wants to do grown-up jobs.  He is constantly taking out Nate's tools, my brooms and kitchen utensils and in this picture he took out Nate's earmuffs for work.  He always tells me he wants to do, "Daddy jobs".

This is Murray.  Murray is Noah's right hand man.  He loves that Murray more than anything.  He got it for Christmas when he was a year old and they have been inseperable ever since.  For a long time he couldn't even sleep without it.  I find Murray all over the place.  Yesterday I found him stashed in my corner curio cabinet.

Murray is also Noah's downfall.  A couple of weeks ago we were getting ready for church and one of the boys came upstairs and said, "Someone was sneaking cookies!".  When I went to check it out it didn't take long to realize who that someone was.  Murray was laying right next to a bunch of sprinkles.  Busted.

Noah is about as strong as a grown man.  When we were working on our garage/back yard earlier in the summer he would put things in the wheelbarrow and wheel it around the house. 

Noah is also the guy that has the hardest time when he gets sick.  A cold for Noah means his athsma is worse and we spend time with his inhaler and listening to his wheezing trying to decide whether or not we should take him in.  This picture is from this summer when he had croup.  We sat in the bathroom at about 3:00 in the morning. 

Noah LOVES Devyn.  It's one of my favorite things about him.  In this picture he was giving her a kiss.  They are buddies and he looks out for her.  She loves him just as much.

 

Noah is shy.  Painfully shy.  He is finally starting to come out of his shell and is a little bit braver all the time.  He has a smile that will melt your heart and sings his favorite songs all day long. 

 

He also thinks he's the boss.  He's the first to tell someone else what the rules are and probably the last to follow them.  He is such a stinker and is constantly getting into things.  He keeps me on my toes all day long. 

That's my Noah.  My sweet, naughty, shy little guy.