Kids' Updates

Carter turned seven at the end of June. I can't believe he'll be going into second grade this fall. He had a wonderful year in first grade and has become a remarkable reader. This year was his second lacrosse season. He improved a lot from last year but is in it more for fun than competition. It's fun to watch him, too. Carter lost his first tooth on Valentine's Day. His top two teeth (3rd and 4th ones lost) were accidently kicked out by one of his friends. They still haven't grown back in. He's becoming quite a fisherman and can't wait until he has as many lures as Grandpapa.

Myles will be six at the end of November. He went to Head Start this year and all the staff claimed he was their favorite. Apparently he was very well behaved and was a pleasure to have there. He tied his shoes on Easter Sunday after only one learning session. We think he is going to be quite athletic. I was going to take him to the church parking lot to learn to ride a bike with no trining wheels. First I had to take the training wheels off, and then I went to put them on the porch. When I turned around, Myles was halfway across the yard. He had gotten on and ridden off all by himself! Myles is really looking forward to kindergarten and going to Carter's school on the big bus in the fall.

Merlyn will be four in October and is (according to her) a movie star and a princess. She has three imaginary boyfriends: OdieOdieOde, WadieWadieWad, Jeffery, and Spiderman. It seems that she is our accident-prone child. You may remember that she fell off a spring horse when she was just over a year old. Her nostril separated from her face and she needed 22 stitches. That left a slight scar that is barely noticeable. Her latest accident happened the second day of our first camping trip. Merlyn stepped into the ashes of the fire and got a second degree burn on the bottom of her left foot. She is healing nicely and finally gets to go barefoot now.

Berkleigh turned two in February. It's amazing how quickly kids grow, but I think her first two years flew by even faster because she is our last baby. There's nothing babyish about her when she stands up to her older siblings, though. She jumped off the porch at Bryan's parents' camp (about four feet high) after seeing her brothers do it. Her vocablulary is amazing for her age, and her "big fat belly" is almost as vast. Last November she had surgery to put a tube in a clogged tear duct. Her eye has been gunk-free since then. We still haven't figured out where she got her red hair, but we love it anyway!