{rIGhT NoW}

In an effort to freeze time just a bit- oh, wouldn't it be nice if that were possible!- I'm going to attempt to capture a little glimpse of each of the kids right now.

DREW-

Drew has learned how to say I love you. It is adorable. Ben, Gracie, Luke, and I must say it to him a hundred times a day just to hear him say it back. So cute! He is obsessed with the song "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and sings it all of the time, though we might be the only ones who know that that is what he is singing. :) He is so strong-willed! He throws a fit over the littlest little thing, but, luckily for us, he is quickly distracted. He is starting to understand our expectations a bit more and will point to the toilet or electrical outlet and say "no no no." When we leave each day for our walk, he will stop at the end of the driveway and point to the road and tell us "no, no!" He likes music and would like to sing songs with us almost all day if we would agree. He loves to listen to books and really enjoys lift-the-flap books the most. He almost never sits still unless he is eating and even then he has a hard time! He can't be left alone for even a moment without causing some sort of mischief- I wish I was joking! He wears me out and tries my patience as only an eighteen month old can do, but he is so stinkin' cute that I wouldn't trade even a moment with him at this age.

LUKE-

Luke spends an unbelievable amount of time each day drawing. Yesterday afternoon he spent Drew's entire naptime (a little less than two hours) sitting at the dining room table drawing. What's really neat about this is that before about six months ago, Luke had absolutely no interest in drawing. He has this hangup about not being good enough at stuff; if he feels like he won't be good at something, he refuses to participate. This is the same reason he won't ride his bike and wouldn't write his name for a while. It's nice to see him enjoying a new hobby.

He has begun to talk about his imaginary brothers from China again after about a year long break. Now they text him all of the time. I can't tell you how amusing it is when he says, "Oh, I just got a text from my Chinese brothers. They say...." He is all about teaching us to speak Chinese and I can't keep from bursting out laughing sometimes. This morning as we were driving Gracie to school, he said, "Do you know how to say cow in Chinese? It's a short word for us, but in Chinese it is pooie pooie pow ta too ee cha cha cha" After laughing I asked him to repeat it and he said it againthe same way. That imagination is something else! :)

We went to kindergarten registration on Tuesday and were able to take a tour of the school. It was good to watch him change from nervous to excited during the hour we were there. He is starting to read and write and really likes to add. I am able to keep him challenged enough academically during the day, but I'm really ready for him to get to go be around his peers once again. I'll think he will love school.

GRACIE-

My girl is growing up and becoming so independent! She is still the sweetest little thing and loves to cuddle and sit on my lap, but she also wants to do things like carry a purse everywhere we go, wash her own hair, pour her own drinks, and pick out all of her own outfits. She is a tremendous help with Drew and has an unbelievable amount of patience with him. She still considers herself his second mommy and likes to be the one to bathe him, unstrap him from his car seat, and read to him.

She loves to spend time with us no matter what we do. She is my cheerful errand-running partner (the boys? Not so much!) and queen of asking if we can pleeeaase go out to lunch. She happily completes any household task we give her; her favorites are setting the table and putting away the groceries. The other day she worked in the garden with us with such enthusiasm!

She is the leader of her brothers and very much the oldest child. She has a bossy streak- most oldest children do- but we're working on that. She is a natural teacher/mother/nurse and is so nurturing to the rest of her family. She is the first to run to get an ice pack or bandage if someone is hurt and the first to offer a hug if someone is upset. Such a sweet little person.

In other Hedenberg news, the kids began new classes yesterday afternoon at a local gym and LOVED them! Gracie takes a gymnastics class where she gets to tumble and do wault, balance beam, and uneven bars. Luke's is a more sports-based class for five year old boys. The best way to describe the class is high energy....just what Luke needs. Each month, the boys will get a basic introduction to a new sport. This month is baseball and Luke really enjoyed it. I had to laugh watching his excitement over the baseball activity the class did. He honestly just couldn't even hold his body still he was so excited and the smile on his face was so worth the price of the class!