Grant, 15 months

Weight: 18lbs 5oz
Height: 28 3/4"

LOVES:

• Throwing things. Everything. He rarely throws actual balls, preferring anything and everything. He loves to see what noise it makes and how loud it can be.
• Being a ham. Pull out a camera and he gives you his best smile. He loves to play peek-a-boo and point out his nose. He makes us laugh by scrunching up his nose and breathing deep. He makes the best faces and has the best laugh.
• Understanding toys and things. He's the one most likely to explore every aspect of a toy. What it does. How it feels. Noises it makes. Sometimes what it tastes like.
• Talking LOUDLY. He loves to YELL! And scream. And he loves it when you yell and scream back.
• Animal crackers, goat's milk, all fruit, peas, hotdogs, PB, and most other foods. He sometimes likes to spit the food out look it over and then go back to consuming it.
• Sleeping with a blanket under his head. We finally got him and his siblings pillows and he showed his appreciation by rolling around on it. He is the best at going to sleep because he immediately snuggles into his pillow, snuggles his teddy and gets comfy under his blanket.
• Being chased. He is such a cute walker/runner and really gets a kick out of mom/dad trying to "get" him.
• Walking. He had the hardest time getting the whole "bend your knees" while walking. But now he's a pro. He's so tiny (1% for height and weight) that seeing him walk seems like it goes against "nature" but he LOVES it.
  
• Copying what you do. He loves to blink with you, nod his head, and do other silly things right back to you. He loves to mimic most facial expressions. His favorite game is peek-a-boo.
  
• Holding your head when he hugs you. He gives good sweet hugs and on occasion graces you with a big, wet, open-mouthed kiss.
• Sharing love E.T. style: Grant loves to point his tiny pointer finger at you and have you return the greeting with your own. Sometimes it's best when you suck on your finger first, just as he does.
• Music. Not as much as Ella but Grant to likes to get "down with it!"
  

PERSONALITY:

• Loud! Grant might be small but if you never saw him you'd think he was 10 feet tall, as loudly as he talks and screams.
• Silly. See above comment. With his silliness and flexibility I call him my little Jim Carey.
• Inquisitive. He, above the others, is more interested in figuring out every aspect of his toys, food, shoes, clothes etc. He will sit and feel them, move their parts, put them on his head, etc. He's a definite thinker.
• Mischievous. Grant has always been a little devious in his attacks against his siblings. Of course, since he's the smallest he doesn't have size on his side. Once during an ultrasound he was being his normal photogenic self (funny, thinking of it now, that that has NEVER changed...he always gave us the best US pics) but seconds into filming Henry there he was with a swift kick to Henry's face.
  
• Happy. He is full of love for life.

IN TROUBLE FOR:

• Playing in the garbage. If you find a trail of coffee grounds in the house, it will likely lead to Grant-man. He's constantly pulling stuff from the trash, much to my disgust.
• Screaming. After awhile it does get on ones nerves.
• Throwing food on the floor. Enough said.
• Biting. If you thwart him (ie take a toy or try to push him around) then you better be prepared to be bitten. Ask Henry.
  

HATES:

• The LOUD vacuum cleaner. VERY scary. Enough of a punishment for coffee grounds spilled through the kitchen/living room.
• Sleeping past 7. Sleeping in is for losers who aren't going to be successful scientists. Or moms and dads exhausted from toddlers and 4 year olds.
• Being bullied by his bigger and bossier siblings.
• When we go outside his line of sight. Immediate crying if he is in the kitchen and you go to the living room. Or if Henry shuts him in a room and he can't see you.

One of his many adoring fans.

Mr. Smiley. This picture is also a favorite because Grant often sits with both arms in this position.

Finally caught his "sad" face on camera. He is the perfect "Walter" for you Jeff Dunham fans.

Victory is mine (see below!)

One of a few times when Grant is "winning!"

Did you doubt his silliness?

The epitome of silliness. He likes to put food on his head when he's done with his meal.

Henry, 15 months

Weight: 22lbs, 14oz
Height: 30.25 in

Loves:

• Being silly. He knows he's silly too because he'll do something that will make you laugh and then turn and give you a big grin, "see, aren't I cute??" he says.
  
• Putting toys/shoes/books/sippy's/dolls/dog toys/small blankets etc into baskets, which includes the garbage can. Right now he is filling one of our clothes baskets with everything in sight.
  
• Mr. Teddy. Of the 3, Henry's is the most beloved bear. He makes sure to carry him out of bed every morning and nap and then carries him around till he needs both arms for something. He was so excited to grab him from the laundry basket this afternoon, Mr. Teddy had had a bath because Henry "put" him in the garbage along with a sock and play phone.
• Animal crackers, goat's milk, all fruit, peas, hotdogs, PB, and most other foods. He is not happy while eating however unless he has food in BOTH hands. Sometimes both hands AND his mouth.
  
• Sleeping on his tummy with his head on top of his arms or on his side snuggling Mr. Teddy
  
• Throwing his bedding on the floor at night and nap time. Closing and opening doors.
  
• Walking. Henry definitely likes to run and move. He's on the go all the time and has the most adorable walk. Daddy says he looks a bit like an ape...albeit a VERY adorable one.
  
• Getting what he wants, when he wants it. Henry will literally chase his siblings down for their cookies or toys. He's the triplet bully, always trying to steal someone else's lunch money.
  
• Giving kisses. My favorite thing yet about Henry. He gives you sweet kisses when asked and he still loves to give BIG hugs and cuddles.
• Mama...I'm still his main squeeze.
  
• Sleeping in the car. He falls asleep in seconds and even if he wakes up and seems like naptime is over, he can almost always fall back to sleep. Who can blame him? Warning: Also EASILY falls asleep in his highchair if left "unattended."
  
  
• Acting like a puppy. He still loves to put stuff in his mouth and shake it like a dog. STILL adorable.

His personality:

• Silly. And he knows it. See comment above.
• All boy. Henry walks, talks and interacts like a boy. He's got a deep voice, which we hear quite often. His favorite syllables are "do-be-do-be." He walks LOUDLY just like his daddy. I commonly mistake his footsteps as that of his older (and heavier) sister and even sometimes daddy himself.
  
• Serious. As much as he is silly, Henry has his moments of seriousness. This is especially seen when he is eating. Food is QUITE the serious subject.
  
• Adventurous and fun loving. We didn't see this trait as much until Henry discovered the indoor play-yard at our mall. He LOVES to run and slide and crawl through tunnels. The first time, we spent a good chunk of time capturing the little escapee.
• Flirtatous. Henry becomes this shy and sweet smiling little boy around EVERY female. He made sure to stop and say "hey, baby" to every female (adult) within the confines of the play ground. I am not exaggerating!

In trouble for:

• Bullying, terrorizing, and picking on his 2 SMALLER siblings. Initially it was because they had a toy or food item that he wanted. Now it seems that he does it because he enjoys it. His favorite target is Grant and his favorite way to pick on him is to grab his collar and pull him down to the floor or just pull on him while Grant is walking. SO NAUGHTY! He also steals their snack cups or sippy's because his are empty or because he likes theirs better. This problem is very hard to discipline for.
• Pulling off his bibs, mid meal. Quite annoying habit that all 3 have gotten into.
  

Hates:

• Sharing mommy's lap. He shoves and kicks and is altogether mean to his siblings. All with a sweetest smile for me.
• Having baths. The babies used to LOVE baths but that was in the old house. The new house has no tub so I've been bathing them in the kitchen sink, which is quite large. Plenty of room for splashing good times but for whatever reason he hates it.
• Others having stuff or more food then him.
• Wearing hats. Keeping your head/ears warm or the sun out of your eyes is for chumps.
  
  Henry when he can't get something he wants. VERY sad/angry!
  
  
  He's pretty proud of his "mad" spoon skills.
  
  
  
  Jungle Henry.
  
  
  
  Milk, milk, milky, milk, milky,milky, milk, milk!!
  
  
  
  
  If there's food around, Henry's around!
  
  
  He loved exploring this strange toy, but my favorite part is that it captured him "talking."
  
  
  
  See aren't I adorable and silly!
  
  
  
  

Ella, 15 months

Weight: 20lbs, 13oz
Height: 29.25 in

Loves:

• Moving. She NEVER stops. Such a little walker/runner. She was the first (as expected) to take off on her own. Since then there is no stopping her. Initially she only crawled to get to an object to help her get standing again but then once she learned to stand alone she NEVER crawled again. Now she's running and when the mood strikes stomping (which is oh so adorable).
• Being a bit of a tease. She loves to snatch a toy from her "womb-mates," give it a chuck mid-dash and LAUGHS gleefully while doing so.
• Books. She is really getting into turning the pages and looking at the pictures. Shawn and I have not been good at reading to these guys but that is starting to change. I recently read one of my favorite's " I love you through and through" and she sat for the whole thing. She probably would've enjoyed a second or even third reading.
• Animal crackers, goat's milk, all fruit, peas, hotdogs, PB, and most other foods.
  
• Sleeping on her tummy most of the time with blankets, her teddy or whatever shoved under her belly and pelvis. It's most often her teddy and it's pretty cute. She's a big drooler because her face is always smashed into the mattress.
• Her teddy. It definitely has the roughed-up bear look going for it. I love that she cuddles him so tightly and loves him.
• Having her inner thighs tickled. It's still her ticklish spot and she still goes the most crazy when Shawn blows on them or tickles them with his "5 o'clock" shadow.
  
• Blowing kisses. She does so quite frequently and ESPECIALLY when she's just been told "no!" She also loves to blow raspberries, especially on my tummy...for whatever reason.
  
• Drama. She is the queen. She is going to be THE BOSS someday. She is definitely the "older" sister of the 3. If you sit on the floor she practically plows anyone in her way down to get the prime lap spot. Then she scoots her butt out till she's lounged back like a queen on her throne. I can see that as soon as she can "speak" she will be ordering everyone else to do her bidding.
• Music. She's a dancing queen!
• To laugh. She doesn't need a reason other then her joy for life.
• Daddy...of course! Tonight she was quite the excited chatterbox the second daddy walked through the door.
• Stomping. It's a new skill and she breaks out in silly stomps whenever the mood strikes. I had to capture it on video because it was so adorable. Sometimes she runs and stomps at the same time and THAT is a silly sight in and of itself.
  

Her personality:

• Talkative. Lots to say, none of it is understandable. She does repeat you, but I haven't heard use them on her own. Though it's hard to pay attention to 3 talkers.
• Fun-loving/joyful. She definitely finds life fun and exciting. She wears a smile nearly 24/7.
• Adventurous. She has {almost} no fear. She exhibits the least amount of stranger anxiety and just all out goes for it with abandon!
• Sweet. She's a darling. She cuddles and kisses. But more then that she just loves to be around people.
• Silly. Most toddlers really are silly. They march to their own beats and find life fun, hilarious, exciting and a all out blast. We love being on the ride.
  

In trouble for:

• Standing up in her highchair. She does it repeatedly (read approximately 5 times a meal). Unfortunately, a simple "NO" does not create even a glimmer of obedience and so we've had to be a little more firm in our punishment. The last two days have been MUCH better.
• Pulling food from the cupboards. With the new house we've only JUST installed the door locks. So this one is getting better.
• Throwing food on the floor. She can be and is the worst at making a floor mess. I can only imagine what it COULD look like if we didn't have a dog.
• Pulling off her bibs, mid meal. Quite annoying habit that all 3 have gotten into.
  

Hates:

• Ella loves life and is such a firecracker. She hates slowing down. Evie can be a bit of a naughty in this department as she loves to love (hug/hold) the babies and Ella doesn't like to be kept still for so long. She also probably doesn't like her space invaded so frequently.
• Being clean while eating. She is the one to create the most messes.
• Having baths. The babies used to LOVE baths but that was in the old house. The new house has no tub so I've been bathing them in the kitchen sink, which is quite large. Plenty of room for splashing good times but for whatever reason she is scared of it.
• Vacuums, brooms and the corn stove. VERY SCARY!!! It is terrifying for her!
• Getting her picture professionally taken. For whatever reason, the little silly gets SERIOUS and acts as if she is SUSPICIOUS of the photographer. {Nearly} every picture of her since birth has her scowling. Which, if you know Ella is completely against her happy, silly character.

Here's the last THREE months of Ella in pictures:

Attacking Toby.

Sliding.

First time in the sandbox. Notice the sand covering her shoulders.

Dancing QUEEN!

She already loves jewelry!

SO serious! This is about the closest to a smile you're going to get!

How big are you, Ella?? SO BIG!

Messy eater.

This is one of my favorite things about Ella. Running full tilt, arms outstretched into my arms!

SHE'S GORGEOUS!!

We are still working on the "feeding myself with a spoon" skill. So far, their attempts have been messy. They need more practice but imagine being the mama and having to clean this up x3 at EVERY meal...see what I'm saying!

Ella,

It's such a joy to be your parents. Everyday we watch you change and grow and are amazed that you are our own sweet, Ella Bella. Your zest for life and joy at the world are a thrill to watch and be a part of. We pray that you will always have this spirit and that the Lord would use it for His glory. Ever since you made your presence known with your kicks and jabs, ours has been a journey of love. NEVER doubt it. You have made life SO much more beautiful. I cannot imagine a day without you in it. Love you to the moon and back! Mama