We had the 2nd birthday bash
today
at a local restaurant with about 60 volunteers, friends, and family.
Everything went as planned. The quads
made their rounds and enjoyed their cake (but not as much as last year).
Happy Birthday!
... ready for another party after a power nap...
Two years, five months, seventeen days old
We are now at the stage where
putting
them to bed is very difficult. They have been able to shimmy over
the
crib rails for quite some time. During afternoon naps,
somebody
has to lay in their room until they fall asleep; otherwise, they climb
out of their cribs and play. In the past, they have had tissue
parties
and butt wipe parties. We quickly learned to keep that stuff out
of
reach during their naps. Recently, at night, it is
impossible
to keep Christopher in bed. He climbs out of bed, opens the door,
and
comes out of his bedroom like a puppy with his tail between his legs.
Last night
we must have put him to bed a dozen times just to have him get out
again. Nicholas, usually the first to
rise at 6 am, makes it a point to wake everybody up in the morning to
begin
his day.
The nights are getting shorter.
Two years, six months, twenty eight days old (Christmas Letter)
Greetings everyone,
We hope that this year has been a good year for you and your
family.
For us, it has been another year of many changes and challenges.
Pam's
mother, a beloved grandmother to the quadruplets, passed away from
cancer
in July. She is missed very much and will always remain in our
hearts. Consolidation has moved both Pam and
Lee to the new corporate headquarters, causing us to seek a new daycare
facility. The quadruplets transitioned to the new daycare
facility
and continue to enjoy getting out of the house three days a week.
They
have lots of fun learning and playing with other kids and their
teachers.
The quads are a little over two-and-a-half years old and continue to
develop
very nicely. During the past year they have become more mobile by
learning
how to run, jump, and climb. They have learned to drink from a
regular
cup and have become quite adept at using the spoon and fork (although
every
now and then they decide to be more creative than we'd like).
Their
vocabulary has drastically grown from being able to say simple phrases
to
being able to construct sentences, converse, inquire, reason, and sing
songs.
Their attention spans have increased quite a bit and their memories
have
grown sharper. Thus, they now enjoy books and videos at a whole
different
level. Among their favorite videos to watch are Barney, Veggie
Tales,
Pooh, and Baby Einstein. They also enjoy doing artwork, building
with
blocks, and putting puzzles together. Imitation and pretend play
have
also become one of their favorite past times. It's very
entertaining
to watch them enact different scenes together.
Our little helpers and go'fers love to empty the dishwasher and throw
dirty
clothes in the laundry basket. Occasionally, you even see
them
helping each other. They could use more motivation in picking up
their
toys, though. Sleeping habits have definitely changed. They
have
learned to climb out of their cribs and open doors, so it has become
harder
to put them to bed. They go to bed later and wake up earlier in
the
morning than in the past; afternoon naps have also gotten shorter.
The quads are full of energy and are constantly pushing the
limits.
There is often somebody -- sometimes all four -- trying to crawl up a
leg
or competing for a lap or a toy. In order to control chaos, it
involves
a great deal of versatility and creativity to keep them engaged in
various
activities and to provide some structure to their day. They have
also
learned about "time-out" this year. It has been somewhat
effective
as a method of discipline. The living room, dining room, kitchen,
bedroom,
and closet have become their playroom. There is rarely a dull
moment
around here.
Teddy bear Christopher has grown from 22lbs 1oz to about 28lbs this
year.
He LOVES his videos, has to have them, and often takes them to
bed.
He can sit forever mulling through them, picking each one up, studying
it,
and going on to the next. He has memorized many of them so that
when
you hold one up in front of him, he can tell you what it is. He
has
mastered the VCR. Christopher is often seen carrying Pooh,
Barney,
and Minnie Mouse around the house or out to the van. Minnie's
nose
recently fell off under such hard use.
Bright eyed, rosy cheeked, Alyssa, has grown from 19lbs to about 24lbs
this
year. She is still the limber one and often shows off by touching
her
head with her toes. She's also quite the hostess. She LOVES
to
cook, host parties, entertain guests, and is one of our biggest
helpers.
An avid collector, Alyssa collects walnuts, stones, acorns, pinecones,
broken
crayons, and even lima beans from lunch, to name a few.
Princess Emily has grown from 19lbs 4oz to about 25lbs this year.
She
is very "independent". Little princess wins an Oscar for throwing
tantrums
when she doesn't get her way. When she's not throwing tantrums
she
is busy being a giggle box. She LOVES to sing and is usually able
to
get the chorus going. Emily has quite a number of songs in her
repertoire.
Smiley, big eyed, Nicholas has grown from 22lbs 1oz to about 27lbs this
year.
He has impressed us with his hand-eye and foot-eye coordination.
He
LOVES kicking, throwing, and bouncing balls. He is also very
adept
at stringing cheerios. When it comes to sorting blocks and
putting
puzzle pieces together, Nicholas is tough to beat.
A few of our church volunteers continue to come and help watch our
toddlers
which gives us our much needed break and time to do other chores.
We
really appreciate their continued support and love. We also thank
our
family and friends who have been there for us all these years.
Amidst the many changes and challenges, our lives are enriched with
God's
many blessings. There certainly are a lot to be thankful for, a
lot
to celebrate. We wish you love, joy, and peace this Christmas
season
and in the new year.
Love,
Pam, Lee, Christopher, Alyssa, Emily, & Nicholas Deschler
Happy Holidays!!!!
Two years, nine months, eleven days old
Today we graduated to a new
classroom
at our daycare. We will miss you Miss Bobbie Jo, Miss Connie,
Miss
Kim, and Miss Ashley.
