Tday minus one week.

My little tank loving on his babydoll. Jake weighed in at 31 lbs yesterday, he is 17 months old. That isn't all that much bigger than Luke or Jules at this age.....but for some reason this kid feels like a bag of cement in my arms. It is bizarre how heavy Jake feels. My back is suffering.

Oh! Fall. The joy of watching these boys jump in the leaves while Julia napped and Tessa was held tightly to me in the sling was awesome. This was on Monday, when we had 70 degree weather. Jake and I got in a 6 mile run and all of us reveled in being outside in the unseasonably warm weather.

I dusted off the Bumbo (which I have been meaning to get to Bec for forever) and gave Tessa her first go at it. This kid is already rocking her stylish self, even down to the jaded look! (I was babysitting while Becca went to the gym). I love, LOVE this sweet little girl. She makes my heart beat faster ~ and as much as I love her, I love handing her back to her Mama, too.

Oh, the indignities of growing up with a big Sister!

My silly girl. Jules declared "Mama, I want to MATCH fall" the morning that she chose this vibrant ensemble. Love this girl. Still curious about where this streak of fierce femininity came from.

Life is good. I got my first holiday induced anxiety moment out of the way yesterday ( It had to come at some point, right?!). We are hosting Thanksgiving this year, then hosting a post race party the following weekend. In between I'm lining up sitters, crossing off days for things like Thanksgiving Shows (Luke's class party) Gingerbread house making (Enrichment Christmas event) and holiday parties and family commitments out the wazoo. The kids are just flat out funny these days ~ they constantly are making me turn my back so that I don't laugh and encourage the funny and innocently inappropriate things that they say.

I feel like there is this social mandate which dictates that we, as parents, not have favorites.........but I totally enjoy each kid in different ways, and occasionally find myself enjoying one kid, or one phase, the most. Right now I am just eating up Jake. He is so cute, so rotund and solid and the most wonderful juxtaposition of body and heart......his body wants to tackle, jump, roll, dive.....and his heart just wants to hug and kiss, all day long. He is getting way less messy in the highchair, sleeps so well it is almost rude of me to talk about, and his hair is really coming in.....he is just positively edible to me. He is working on a lot more words, and lives for the moment in the afternoon when I tell him "Jake, go wake up Luke and Jules". He RUNS up the steps, laughing, and goes to each door, THROWS it open exuberantly, and wakes up his sister and brother (this is at 3:45 or 4..........they are still napping till then 4 or 5 days a week, other days they wake up at 3 or so.). He giggles when he nurses, he dives into bed at night, and he is my running and bubble bath partner. Sometimes I feel like Jake and I date :) Like we have this secret life apart from Luke and Jules and Nate ~ this time when everyone else is at school or at work or napping and it is just he and I, doing funny grown up things together.