Update

Adding the "monthly" update to our blog.

Mary - Mary is 3 years old. She's tall, smart, loving, and a joy to be around. I know she's tall because a month ago I tried on her Easter dress and it fit her. I put it on her the day before Easter and it was 4 inches too short. Luckily, we had already done some spring shopping and she had a dress that happened to coordinate with her brothers' clothes. (Yes, they'll hate it later, but I do dress them alike.) I know she's smart because not much gets by her. She takes great joy in having stories read to her and discussing them later. She is also a master puzzle builder. She's up to 100 piece puzzles with some assistance in strategy and can complete a smaller puzzle in only the time it takes to gather all the scattered pieces. I know she is loving because she's so good at expressing it. She greets her brothers so warmly in the morning, giving them kisses and escorting William to the breakfast table with a skip in her step. Her tenderness toward others is heartwarming. I know she's a joy because I find myself melting when she's around. Some of the little things she does and says just touch me the right way. I took her for her first manicure last month and she sat with me while I had my nails done too. As I buckled her in the car on the way home, she said, "I sure did have a good time, Mom." Such sweet words to hear from such a soft voice.

William - William is 2, going on 22. He's clever, mischievous, adorable and dramatic. If I were fast enough with the camera, I could prove just how clever he is. Maybe not scientific proof, but the evidence of his mind drawing conclusions is clearly marked on his face. He gets the most distinct grin when has a moment of genius or makes a new connection. This morning he recalled that his middle name is Henry, just like the character in the story we were reading. His mind spun in sheer delight and he grinned this goofy grin as if he'd just connected all the loose ends in the universe. There is definitely photographic proof of his mischief in his photo gallery. It's not the first or the last time he's helped himself to food in the kitchen without permission. Usually, it's cake, sometimes applesauce. Whatever he chooses, he always leaves a trail... either on his face/hands or on the kitchen floor. His response when questioned about eating candy sprinkles the other day: "Romans 3:23 All have sinned, Dad." Which leads me to the adorable part. Some of his most adorable moments are directly after a moment of weakness. I frequently find myself turning away or leaving the room to avoid laughing in his face and completely undermining my authority. One of the most adorable things he does is also his most dramatic. He has this "voice." He uses it when he has something to say that he deems important or especially matter of fact. It's especially deep and "big" for his age. I suppose you have to hear it to understand it, but it is definitely one of William's trademarks. Perhaps a new video camera is in order so we can capture the true essence of William.

Robert - Robert is 4 months old. He's really getting to the fun stage. He's awake for much longer stretches and coos, giggles, gurgles and blows raspberries when we play. He rolls from his tummy to his back, grabs toys and chews them. Just yesterday he began sitting up with support from pillows. He is an overwhelmingly happy baby, crying only when he really means it. Like the others, he is a wonderful sleeper, now sleeping 12 hours overnight with 3 strong naps during the day. His greatest asset is his smile. That toothless grin is the embodiment of everything joyful in the world. I thoroughly enjoy every day with Robert.

A brief recap since I last wrote - In July, Doug and I considered selling our house and consequently did a lot of house hunting. We found 2 houses we really liked. We listed our house ourselves, but got no results, so later listed with a realtor. In August, Doug and his brother took a trip to Vienna and Hungary with the Greater Europe Missions group, where he served as a technology resource (I'm sure he will balk at this over-simplification) to missionaries gathering for an annual conference. I, unfortunately, did not get to tag along this time. September was a big month for our family members. My sister, Michelle, married Stephen Klash - a very enjoyable event for all and David and Leah had their 3rd child, Mary Elena. Nonetheless, we really focused on showing/selling our house in September and had 2-3 showings every week through November- not a small task with 2 small children and a large belly to tote around. As stressful as it was, we clung to hope that we would move before the arrival of our baby boy. Then, in anticipation of the impending craziness of the holidays, we celebrated Mary and William's birthdays in October at a Pumpkin Farm. We employed a barnyard theme and spent our time feeding animals, running pig races, and licking red icing despite the windy conditions. This year was the first year we celebrated Halloween with traditional trick-or-treating. William went as his favorite animal, a cow. Mary had a harder time choosing her costume, but eventually settled on a cat. They had fish crackers and milk after making the neighborhood rounds...meow! Moo! Our busy month of November consisted of house showings, family celebrations and baby preparations. By December 1st, I was tired of frequent interruptions by potential buyers, many saying how much they loved our house, but bought the same floor plan a few streets over because it was still under warranty. We shut down all showings until further notice and prepared to welcome little Robert Douglas into our family. Of course, we didn't decide on his name until several hours after his birth. We debated for weeks between our final two choices. We both agreed that each was a marvelous name, but I preferred one and Doug the other. In the end, I "won," but not because of my rhetoric or debate skills. It was just an act of kindness on Doug's part. Since that time, we've settled in to having 3 kids and are doing quite well. We've taken our house off the market and rearranged to make this floor plan more manageable until we're ready to start the process again in a couple of years.

There are dozens of fun little things we've done in the last year. Some of them are captured in pictures at www.clarks.smugmug.com. I could tell stories about the kids for hours, but I'll let you browse the picture site to get an idea of what we've done.