drake: five years old

A year ago, Drake looked like this.

Today, he looks more like this.

If I could describe Drake in one word, it would be "curious".

And his curiousity makes him very, very fun.

I guarantee that there is rarely a dull moment when Drake is around.

He always has such creative ideas.

And gets excited about the small things.

It's hard for him to be serious.

He finds joy in doing anything.

Even his "homework", as he calls it.

He likes to be the center of attention, most of the time.

But Drake isn't always on the move.

Even he can get tired sometimes.

And even he can be serious.... kind of.

He has been so excited for his birthday to finally arrive.

Because he is now five, and that means he starts kindergarten in the fall.

He got some workbooks for his birthday, and he's already enjoying them--getting ready for school I guess.

He requested a cake of stacked blocks.

He placed the candles himself.

Drake is a wonderful son. He's a wonderful helper with both Graham and Avery. He loves to play with friends, but enjoys playing with family too. He just loves to play. I'm grateful that Graham and Avery have such a good big brother to look up to. I can't wait to see how his personality and interests shape his life.

We love you Drake.

avery: one year old

It's hard to believe that our sweet, little Avery is already one year old.

From the day she was born, her brothers have just loved her...

...and played with her.

And in one year's time, she has gone from being one of the toys...

...to one of the boys.

Random facts about Avery

She absolutely loves pens, although I try to hide them as often as I can.

She got her top side teeth in before the front ones came down.

She is my messiest eater...

...but she sure loves to eat.

She used to loathe bathtime...

... but has more recently discovered the fun of it.

She loves to wear hats.

She likes balls.

This picture reminds me of a picture of my brother Matt when he was a baby...

She enjoys books.

You can often find her walking around the house with a little book in her hand.

I think she's cute when she sleeps.

Her nightgown always comes up.

She is all girl.

And she is one of the happies babies I know.

And yes, she still sucks her thumb...

It was fun to celebrate her birthday.

The boys enjoyed some of her new stuff as much as she did.

I attempted a flower-shaped cake.

And this picture shows her blowing out the candle, which did in fact go out right after this shot.

She loved eating ice cream and cake.

I feel so blessed to have Avery as part of our family. She has been a complete joy since she arrived, and I look forward to many more years.

And if you're still awake after making it through all the pictures, here are several videos that I like.

She went from cooing...

to "talking".

And she went from entertaining us like this (I still laugh out loud)...

...to entertaining us like this.

We love you Avery. You're an angel.