Today

Everyone around here changes so quickly.
I tell them to stop growing up, but they don't listen.
Kacin reminds me that it is good for them to grow up
so he can have a wife and get married and have his own family.
A lot of their growing is in good ways.
I just want to capture who they are now
in this moment
before I close my eyes and Kacin's wife comes along.

L
She throws her head back and laughs now. She surprises me each day by saying new words. She randomly blows raspberries in our faces and then carries on like we are not covered in her spit. She asks to sleep with Kacin every night these days. She has fallen asleep next to him once, but usually she just plays with his glasses when we leave the room. She often has an opinion about what to wear when I dress her in the morning. She loves wearing her rain boots and putting on D's shoes. She asks to play at every park we pass. I can finally get her to keep a small clip in her hair for most of the day to keep her bangs out of her eyes. She protests against naps and sleep these days because she just wants to play. She loves singing Lullaby to her babies.

D
He is communicating and engaging with us more and more. He now has over 20 words/word approximations and uses 3 signs. He calls both me and Eric mama (sometimes Kacin and Kyler are mama, too) and just recently he tries to say L's name. He still loves cars. The second thing he says to me each morning is "ee", which means he wants his set of keys (I hook those to his pants). The first thing he says is poo-poo. He smiles sooo big when he sees Eric or his car. He doesn't always like to see the school bus, but he does great at school. He gives great big hugs, which are nice until he bites your shoulder or pulls your hair. He sings when he is happy. A game he plays goes like this: run to you, say bye and give you a kiss, run to a door, open and close it, and repeat. It is one of his repetitions, but he is so happy and it is so cute when he asks everyone for kisses. He likes to help.

Kacin and Kyler:
I know they are two different people, but today they have enough in common for me to say this about both of them. They love mine craft and they avoid my camera. They are both incredibly good and helpful with D and L. They especially love getting the littles out of their beds in the morning. They are busy with soccer practices and games and piano and cub scouts. They work hard around the house, but their room is always a mess within two minutes of cleaning it. One reads and the other plays games with me. I am so proud of them both.