9 months of five kids.

I intend this to be a lengthy and detailed post. That said, we shall see. I always try so hard, but am cut short and find my drafts days later...

I am sitting in the family room, watching a movie while Andrew enjoys a night of quiet out on his own. We're trying to make Tuesday nights a little rotating break for the two of us, so he is out tonight and I'll go out next week.

As I type this Miles is in his bed screaming in protest and Lucy has informed me that she is sick and will be staying home tomorrow so that she doesn't get anyone else sick. She actually looks sick, so she may be right. I can't decide. As for Miles, he's on his own.

So, the boys are nine months old now! They are a true delight. Every minute with them is just precious and fun. We spend so much time just staring at them in amazement. They have the most charming and infectious smiles, and are such easy-going little guys. Grandpa came to visit for two weeks recently and he and I were both shocked to hear Max cry one afternoon. We just kind of looked at each other and wondered what to do with poor Max, who was clearly hoping we would solve his problem. They just never cry or fuss, always cheery and willing to sit and watch it all go by.

Both boys are crawling, climbing and standing, and Max is starting to cruise the furniture. Miles is a little less adventurous in his physical accomplishments, but that seems to be because he's constantly looking for trouble. Miles hits the ground running in the morning and doesn't stop looking for trouble until his head hits the crib. He prefers to have one hand in the toilet, one hand in the dog food and one foot tangled in something most of the time. He's incredibly curious and will persist until he has success at gaining access to whatever he finds. I find it incredibly endearing and funny. Of course, he hasn't blown anything up yet.

Max is far less curious, presumably because he's too busy socializing and charming his sisters. Max would prefer to cuddle, smile, be tickled and generally bask in someone's attention. He's usually the center of attention and spends most of his day smiling and soaking up the love. He likes laps, wrestling, chatting with his sisters and watching Miles get into trouble.

The boys are almost always within a foot of each other and are in sync almost 100% of the time. It's fascinating. One of the most frequent questions I get about them is whether they poop at the same time. The answer is yes. Almost always. They both got their bottom front teeth while grandpa was here, within about five days of one another. I was a little surprised because I had really assumed they'd get their teeth on the same day. I'm not even kidding. I have known many sets of twins and these two are truly like one person in two bodies. One of my favorite parts of having a baby is the first smile of the morning. That smile times two? Killer. They always pop up and grin at the same moment, so happy to see mama.

Strangers continue to ask us how we tell them apart. We still laugh and respond, "we don't!" For most of the day it doesn't matter much right now, and it seems like some days they are easier to tell apart than others. We can always tell them apart if we sit them together and look at them, but even then we often have to look for a few seconds. Their personalities are really starting to make them feel more different, and we can usually tell who's who by what kind of meltdown they're having.  Max sucks his right fingers and Miles sucks his left thumb, so it's pretty simple once they're tired!

Let's move on to Claire. If anyone is running the show around here, it's Claire. She is absolutely adorable and she gets away with murder. Her vocabulary is nearly complete and she's definitely the funniest kid in the bunch so far. She lives to sneak a drink from my cup and say, "it just a tiny sip!" Claire really loves her little brothers and can often be heard yelling, "OH MACCCKKKKKSSSS!!" She can't say "miles" yet, so she calls them both Max. Whatever!
Claire can often be found playing games on her kindle or watching her sisters do whatever they're doing. She's starting to like playing with Legos and will spend a long time building by herself while the house crashes around her. Just like the rest of her family, she's pretty quiet and knew the value of solitude. She lives to snuggle and her last request of the day is always, "nuggo me?" Like I said, she runs the show!
Claire is potty training herself and continues to make progress. She's really too young for me to push the issue, so she just runs naked and does what she wants. I'm pretty sure the other two girls did the same thing at this age. I'm also fairly confident that I will not be potty-training the boys in this fashion.

Molly? She's such a cute little nut. She reminds me so much of myself at this age. She lives in her head, talking to herself, listening carefully, doesn't miss a thing. She often seems like she's a million miles away, but she holds us accountable for everything. She is fiercely loyal to those she loves and will fight tooth and nail to make sure everything is just and fair. She is our judge and jury, to be sure.

Molly spends most of her day coloring and writing stories. She's very excited about learning to read and is constantly asking Lucy to show her how to write this or that. I'm almost afraid to teach her to read, because once she realizes what a book can offer to her big imagination, we'll never see her again!

Lucy is enjoying first grade immensely and is turning into such a cool person. She is in the class she was hoping for and was so excited to learn that she can go to the school library any morning she wants to exchange her books! She is really reading well and I think she's starting to figure out just how amazing a book can be. I'm hoping to see that big click within a couple of months and see her really appreciate what literature can offer.

Our big girl is still into creepy crawlies and flying creatures. She loves all things nature and is happiest sitting outside and feeling the sun on her face. She has a very cute little crush on our handsome little next door neighbor and they chat when they walk from the bus to the front door. I hope he moves before she hits five feet. She's a hopeless romantic like her mother - I'm pretty sure I can already tell you how the boy next door turns out...

Lucy is really developing her character these days and continues to develop her faith. She'll be starting religious ed thus month and I am happy to report we'll be using the Faith and Life series I'm hearing so much about. Lucy is excited to start, as she's really looking forward to her sacrament prep next year!

Andrew is doing great - what a wonderful man I have in him. He will be running the Tough Mudder in Dallas next month, so we're all looking forward to that. His mama will be here to spectate with us as he completes the 13 mile obstacle race. Seems crazy to me, but seeing as I had two people inside my abdominal cavity at this time last year, very little seems crazy to me anymore.

My amazing husband also changed positions recently, and I am super proud of him for his promotion. I don't know that I can give much more detail on the interwebz, but his recognition is due to so much dedication, talent and hard work. He truly deserves it! Congratulations, babe!

Me? I'm doing fine. My days run together in weeks of blissful care and happiness. Strangers comment on how stressed I must be, every time I leave the house, but honestly? I don't know how I could be any LESS stressed. This is as easy as my job as a mother will ever be. It's physical, sure, and maybe I'm losing some sleep here and there, but it's all so simple right now. Every day is a blur of kissing babies, drying tears, making sandwiches and washing dishes. It's uncomplicated and so fun. Sooner than I realize, life will be full of other people's plans, adolescent emotion, spiritual battles and hard decisions. For now, life is paradise and I'm the queen. My loyal subjects adore me and believe I hung the moon. What's not to like?

Life is good. It really, really is.