Our Not-So-Little Lytles

I took some current pictures of my kidlets yesterday.

I'm so happy to be a mommy. It's the toughest job out there, for sure, but somehow the fun-filled happy times seem to make the hand-wringing frustrating parts a little more bearable.











Here's our littlest, Oliver. He turned two on October 28th, and he just keeps getting less like a baby and more like a big boy, and too fast! While it's good that he's progressing normally, I don't like to think that he's not a baby anymore.
He's such a fun, sweet, energetic kid. He has so much enthusiasm for the things he loves. He is really interested in trains. He calls Thomas the tank Engine, "T-T-T!!!" And when he wants to hold the girls' hamsters, he cups his hands together and pleadingly says, "Wuhwee!" I don't know how he came up with that name, but it's so cute. He likes dribbling the basketball and drop-kicking things. He's all boy. He doesn't have an extensive vocabulary yet, but I can tell he understands what we're saying because he follows directions, when he wants to. When he doesn't want to, he says, "Doh!" which means, "no!" =) I always love the way toddlers pronounce things their own way, and I'm not in any hurry for Ollie to start talking "properly".
I'm so glad he's ours.

Jane is six and in the first grade. So far, not so good....... She says she hates school. I hope this attitude isn't here to stay, or she's going to have an awfully loooooong road ahead! She is also very particular about her wardrobe. It's an ordeal every morning trying to get her to pick something to wear that she approves of. If I suggest an outfit, it's automatically going to be unacceptable to her. =P

She's a fun girl when she wants to be. She's always been a good independent player. As long as she has something she likes to play with she'll keep herself occupied for quite a while. She is serious about coloring and does meticulous work. She has a good eye for colors and balance. She also draws a lot of cute pictures on her own. She still sucks her thumb and plays with her hair when she's tired. She's been doing that since shortly after she was born. I'm so happy to be her mom. Raising her is not always a piece of cake, but it's a treat nonetheless. ;)

The adorable strawberry dress she's wearing was mine when I was about her age. My Grandma McCaleb made one for me and one for each of my two sisters. We had a bunch of matching outfits over the years courtesy of her. We tried to say we didn't like dressing the same, but I think we secretly did.

Cora is eight and in the third grade. She seems to really like school. She is doing really well, in every subject, but especially in reading. That girl has some serious comprehension skills! She remembers pretty much everything she reads, down to the details. That's more than I can say for myself. ;) She's also good at drawing, mostly pictures of cute little animals. She loves stuffed animals, socializing, playing games on the computer, keeping current with her emails, playing piano, and building forts. She excels at being goofy, and I must admit that I sort of encourage that kind of behavior. =)