More signs

It seems that sign reading runs in the family. Colin is my advanced sign reader, Pryce is the beginner and even MK has taken a liking to signs. Yesterday the boys and I spent the day together at the Georgia Aquarium. Mason-Kate stayed behind. Ryan picked her up from a sitter's house and on the way home he said that she kept saying "daddy, daddy, daddy...." He said "What?" She was pointing out of the car window and saying "Apple, Apple, Apple...." He looked over and she was pointing to the Applebees restaurant sign :) Great, I am sure next week she will be sharing with us that they have 99 cent kids meals on Wednesday nights!

Pryce

Pryce has been on the outs since Sunday with a stomach virus of sorts. It started bright and early Sunday morning and we did not begin to see the real Pryce emerge again until late yesterday afternoon. Of course, he wasn't about to give up on being sick because that would have meant back to school for him today. So, instead of saying he was better, he milked the sickness for all that it was worth claiming that his throat hurt, that his stomach wasn't all better, his head hurt, you name it, he claimed it.....the funny part was watching him in the act of pretending, knowing that he wasn't telling the truth. He was telling me something at one point, pretending to have a scratchy voice due to the acclaimed sore throat. Then I responded and he answered my question with a normal voice.....I said "I thought your throat hurt terribly?" and he just smiled. What he didn't realize during all of this pretending was that I had already decided there would be no school for him today as he really wasn't himself for the better part of yesterday. Plus, in all honesty, I wanted some time alone with him. I miss my little partner. Pryce has always been my right hand man. Colin was in school during the time that we went through lost pregnancies, paperchasing for MK and everything in between so it was Pryce that was left to humor me during the rough days as well as the good days. It worked, he always pulled me up. So, today was our day....and it was a lot of fun just hanging out with one of my favorite little men!

Made In China

Friday night was a lot of fun! The children had a great time decorating their pumpkins and just playing together. We had three families over for a cookout. All three families have little girls who were born in China. The girls are precious! They are all basically the same age, give or take 6 months, and it was just so sweet to seem them together.

And here's Pryce and his friend Keaton having some fun last week....

The Little Things

Again, this is a post for me, one that will make me remember the little triumphs with MK. Today we went for a photo session. Our photographer has been with us since Colin was born 8 1/2 years ago. He is fabulous! Six months ago he had his hands full with Mason-Kate. She cried, she screamed, she was just pitiful....and all the while, I was frustrated because I had never experienced anything like this with the boys. Colin and Pryce have always performed in front of the cameras and especially for Mr. Mike. Not MK though, not six months ago. Mike and his assistant kept trying to tell me how ok it was and reminding me that she had been through so much in such a short amount of time....this I knew but it was hard to understand. This morning, six months later, she was quite the performer for Mr. Mike. She smiled, she fixed her hands how she was told, she laughed, she sat down, she stood up (stood still even) in one place, she played with the bubbles, she played peek-a-boo, she talked....she had a good time! She is secure, she is not scared, she knows she is loved and she knows we will care for her, she trusts us. I did not "get it" six months ago but today I do.

Kindergarten Love

Pryce is a lady's man, always has been and probably always will be. It isn't that he tries, but the girls (young and old) just like him - he is nice, quick to compliment and has the cutest little smile. Since school started in August, he has become friends with one particular girl in his class. He talks about her all the time, they save seats for each other at lunch and they play together at recess. They are great friends. Yesterday I overheard her whisper to Pryce "Do you love me?". Pryce put his hand on her back, leaned over to her ear with this big grin on his face and said, "No, but we can still be friends!" I wonder just how many times he will say that in his future!

A Day At The Lake

Sunday we were invited to spend some time at the lake with family and friends. The children all had a great time. They were especially excited about the boat ride! In other news, Pryce has his first legitimate loose tooth! He woke up this morning and to his delight Colin confirmed that one of Pryce's bottom teeth is loose. Pryce is beside himself. He has watched the Tooth Fairy come and go for years with Colin. Now, it will finally be his turn for a visit very soon. Stay tuned.

Colin's Poem

Colin wrote Mason-Kate the poem below over the weekend. We think Mason-Kate and Pryce are very lucky to have such a great big brother!

Mason-Kate is lucky that she has a home
where she can hang out, sleep and roam
and if she gets lost in the deep, deep woods
I would find her, yes I would,
cause I'm her brother, I love her most
so please don't fuss, for this, boast!