Growing Up {with Brothers}

I got my girl ready for church last week and was struck at how big she is. She is growing up {fast}!

She isn't walking yet, but she "walks" around furniture. And her favorite way to get around (when I can't carry her or she isn't in the mood to crawl on her own): holding onto my legs so I have to take S.L.O.W. tiny steps while she toddles around with me - she does this mostly when the boys are crazy and I am hurridly trying to get dinner cooked and on the table. Usually, I can get a brother to come rescue me, but she always comes back to hold onto me and whine to be picked up. It's like she thinks, mom is busy and every kid needs something, I guess I should be needy too.

But, thankfully, her brothers are always their to play with her during this time, at least for a while, so if I'm super quick with dinner I can get it done without my second pair of legs dragging behind me.

sometimes she's good at entertaining herself on her own - especially if it involves sticking her hands in the toilet, unrolling toilet paper, ripping up magazines (like she was trying to do in this pic), or unloading a drawer, cupboard or recycling bin all over the kitchen Luckily, her brothers are mostly always there to clean up her mess for me. I am blessed for that and so is she.

She is MOST happy after a nap if one of the boys get her out of her bed. If I get her, she gives me big smiles. The boys, though, get squeals and giggles. They all have their own after nap routines, depending on which one is in the mood to see her when she says, "I'm awake! come get me." Isaac can't actually get her out but he loves to go in her room and hand her toys. The two of them get along really well. Austin climbs in the crib with her and plays peek a boo with her blankets, then he pulls her out and plays with her toys or reads her a story until they both come crawling to find me. When Landon gets her, it's short and sweet, "Hey Ella!" and he picks her up and brings her to me.


And another great thing about brothers: their toys.

I keep this little truck in her closet. It saves the day when I need quick entertainment for a diaper change. And I always tell her, "here's the truck." Well, I guess she loves it because just the other day she saw it across the room, pointed and said, "TUK!" Her FIRST real word! (she says mom, and dad but we're not always sure is she means us. This was for certain.) Only a girl with three older brothers says "truck" as their first word. And that's not all.

We read books daily. Maisy Drives is her favorite. I know that because she crawls behind the rocking chair, finds it in the stack, and brings it to me. We practice words when we read. I say things like, "the kitty says meow. the sheep say baa." etc. Maisy Drives has vehicles in it so I say, "the car says vroom, the helecopter says whir." You're wondering if she repeats the words or sounds? The only sounds she repeats are the vehicle ones. "vroom vroom" she says, on every picture - even the kitty ones!

We still say the real sounds and laugh at the bunny saying "vroom". And we keep reading. This girl is growing up so fast, I'm so grateful she's got a house full of brothers to teach her the important things every girl should know. I'm sure some day a guy will be thankful to her brothers too, for teaching her that cars and trucks come before everything else!