And so it begins......

Well, it has taken me a while to get aboard the "techno" train, but we're finally here! Now.....where to start? Perhaps a quick update is best. And because I am partly using this blog to get out of doing baby books and other scapbooky type things, I am going to start from scratch, even though most of you probably already know this stuff!

Ellen in the sunflowers...our tried and true first born, complete with all the blessings and curses of that status! She is such a help to me, except when she thinks she knows better than Mama! She is quite capable, and probably won't need parents at all in a year or two. This year for school, E is in "second grade" and studing world history from the birth of Christ thru the Middle Ages. We are planning on doing ECHO and AWANA again this year, and Ellen is especially excited to begin piano lessons this fall. Her pleasures are reading, swimming (we just finished lessons yesterday), and having fun with family and friends. (Ellen- Age 7)

And here's Ben, the lone ranger in a field of estrogen. Somehow, I think he will be able to handle it. "Here Mom! I found a worm for you!" See what I mean? Ben is our busy but easy going (most of the time) entertainer. He is all about having a good time. Ben started "kindergarten" this year, and will do AWANA and ECHO as well. Ben enjoys bugging his sisters, doing math, playing in the dirt under the slide, and driving his cars. Recently we went to the race track in town, and Ben was tickled to have the chance to announce "Gentlemen, start your engines!" over the loud speaker. (Ben- Age 5)

Can't forget Lydia. You know that song from "The Sound of Music"...."How do you solve a problem like Lydia? How do you catch a cloud and pin it down? How do you find a word that means Lydia? A Flibbity Jibbet? A whirly whip? A clown?" That about sums it up. She is a delight and a handfull tightly rolled into one. Lyd will start Bethlehem Lutheran Preschool this fall, and participate in ECHO preschool also. She "does school" by working on puzzles, coloring, and playing with bear manipulatives. Here she is at Ellen and Ben's swim lessons, which she decided she wasn't going to do this time. She snagged Ben's goggles, and kept jumping off a step yelling "Look at me! I'm diving in the 'Lympics!"

(Lydia- Age 3)

And last but not least, Ruth. What an easy, enjoyable, happy baby! She is getting more fun every day. She is eating big girl food now (baby food) and is ALMOST crawling. She can get her rear up in the air, then can't figure out what to do next. She has been teething this week and has been crankier than usual, which still means she's pretty content. Ruth is babbling all the time now. She says "MaMaMaMa", though it's more like a swear word since it's usually when she is frustrated about something. Current favorite thing to do- eat paper. (Ruth- 6 months)

And I suppose I should write something about Dan and I, since we started this whole circus, but I will have to get to that in another post!