KID OF THE WEEK # 4

Daniel Edward

October 7, 2003

Daniel is my baby boy. He is very sweet and very precocious. He was my biggest baby, weighing in at 9 pounds 7 ounces. I had gestational diabetes with him, if that tells you anything. He was born in Coldwater in the middle of the night. We made it to the hospital just in time for an epidural and a few pushes and there he was. He was a very good baby. He slept a lot, he played well, he was a very happy baby. Until we brought Sarah home. The first day I had all 5 kids home alone, by myself, was the first day Daniel decided not to take a nap or do anything else I wanted him to. So much for perfect children, they only exist in our minds!!!

Today Daniel is still a beautiful little boy. He is 5 and in Kindergarten at Britton Macon Elementary. He adores his teacher Mrs. Stahl and has already made lots of friends. That is Daniel's thing though. He is a people person. His first teacher, bless her heart, used the term "used car salesman" when describing Daniel once and I would totally have to agree with her assessment. Daniel is a people person. He loves to talk and he loves to be social. He also loves his girls. The girl in this picture is Liz and she lives in Texas, good thing cause I don't think her daddy will let her with in 100 feet of Daniel after the day this picture was taken. They were fast friends after about 5 minutes of knowing each other and inseparable. That is my Daniel.

Daniel was asked all the usual interview questions too. His favorite color is red. Mostly because green and blue are taken and I won't let him like black and the rest are "girl" colors. He likes lions because they run fast and roar loud. His favorite sport is baseball because there is a lot of hitting, throwing and running. He likes gym and recess at school because you can play games and run. Are you sensing a pattern? Daniel is all boy. He also thinks he is 8 just like the twins and thinks he can do all the same things they can. The thing is, he usually can. His feet are only about one size smaller than theirs and he can wear their clothes from the previous year. He is wearing some size 7 tops and they don't look too big. He is going to be a big tweenie and teenager I think.

Daniel also loves to help. He will almost always do "jobs" for me when I ask. His favorite is taking Tiger, our dog, outside. He is at his best when he is busy. In Hillsdale he had homework every night, not a lot, but something. Here he just has a book to read, so when that is done he likes to do other homework. At first he worked on a book from his Montessori school, but he finished that rather quickly. So I bought him one of those thick workbooks that covers all the subjects. He sits down at a lap table and works on that until the big boys are done with their homework. He is going to be well prepared for 1st grade!!

Daniel's biggest and best features are his dimples!! They melt my heart everytime I see them. He has a face that is hard to say no to. Maybe that is why all the girls just love him. I know I do!!

KID OF THE WEEK # 3

Jacob Allan

September 2, 2000

Jacob was born second on that day in September. He actually gave us the most trouble. He was breech and kept moving away from the doctors hand. We were "one more try" away from a C-section. Thankfully he was caught and born 15 minutes after his brother. He was 6 pounds 9 oz and very blue when he was born, but he came around quickly. He was born in St. Louis at the same hospital we had Grace. We had about 9 months there before Doug got his call to St. Paul's in Hillsdale. I remember pushing the double stroller with Grace in front at 14 months old, a twin in the back laying down and the other twin in a Snuggly strapped to my chest or back. It was a chore to go anywhere with the three of them!! We survived though and now Jacob is 8 1/2 and in third grade at Britton Macon Elementary school. He really likes his teacher Mr. Finger. They are doing very well with the transition to Britton.

Some interesting facts about Jacob: His nickname is Jake, but I still call him Jacob. His middle name comes from my dad whose name is Allan (and Nathan's comes from Doug's dad whose name is Michael). His favorite color is blue, which is the color I dressed him in as a baby. His favorite sport is baseball and his favorite subject in school is Science. His best friend is Everett from Hillsdale. He also wants to be a Pastor when he grows up. Again this is bound to change, but then again, maybe it won't. His favorite thing about Britton is that now he doesn't have to wear a uniform to school. This is my least favorite part ;-) He also wants you all to know he has a good family. I didn't put him up to that either.

Jacob's name means beguiler or jokester in Hebrew and he fits it very well. He loves to joke around and play tricks. He is the more outspoken funny guy of the twins, where Nate's one liners just kinda sneak up on you. They are a great pair and we love them dearly. I hope you have enjoyed getting to know Jacob better. There are only two kids left. I wonder what Daniel will have to say...