Emphatic Snuggler, Leg Hugger

Under duress of my siblings, I must post another blog urgently. I thought I would go into some detail of my children, since they are home from their respective schools now for Christmas break and are such a strong presence. No, not college, just daycare.

I'll begin with Willie, my 13 month old son, aka Big Chunk or as titled above, the Emphatic Snuggler. He is on the move these days and as my brother, the father of 3 sons warned me, leaves a wake of destruction in his path. Although he flings food that mirrors a satellite careening through space at warp speed and says "hello" to all humans younger than him with a solid bonk on the head, he is one of the sweetest babies I have come across. He hugs with such force that it chokes you up, both literally and sentimentally. The mixture of affections range from a "gentle" swat on the face to a head on your chest that would make even the biggest Grinch melt with fulfillment. I endure these gestures and wince through the pain in order to cherish every moment of this surely short-lived babyhood. His show of love certainly spreads to his sister, Marie as he scrambles her puzzles, knocks over her towers and giggles with a depth that only she can elicit thanks to her games of chase.

Recently, my husband's company, Oregon Timberworks hosted a circus at the main shop. There were three members of the troupe and they awed us with acrobatics, juggling and some Cirque du Soleil antics. Willie was absolutely mesmerized. He sat perfectly still and hardly blinked for the hour long show. He also has a similar fascination for the moon. At first sight, he points and says "mooh, mooh" and will continue to do so until it is out of view. This makes for interesting walks and car rides!

Our first born, Marie delights us everyday. She is 3 1/2 and is reading short words such as c-a-t and t-o-p as she sounds each letter out. Her writing skills are also developing at an amazing rate. She traces letters and spells out words with letters. Today she wrote on some gift tags and various symbols such as "t" and "o" and "m" appeared. Although we are not touted as religious folks, we do try and teach our children about different faiths so that they may be enlightened and follow their respective spiritual paths. In speaking of Jesus and his life of good deeds, Marie asked if baby Jesus shows up with policemen and ambulances if someone needs help. On some level, I'm sure He does.

Rarely is there a moment when she is not singing, dancing or jumping. In fact, we can often gage the level of excitement in direct relation to the number of jumps. She knows several Allman Brothers songs and the majority of tunes from "O Brother Where Art Thou?". Her hula dancing is coming along and she now attempts moves from the Nutcracker. In order to refine these burgeoning skills, we are enrolling her in Portland's "Do Jump" classes. We may have our own circus troupe before you know it.