Our Amazing Kids

Although the main purpose of this blog has been to keep everyone informed about Kellin, I think it’s time I devoted a post to my other three amazing kids.

“Rabbit” (our oldest and only girl) is now 12 years old. She is getting ready to enter seventh grade and has turned into such a beautiful young lady. She is now taller than I am (seriously, at 12?!) and thinks it is so much fun to tease me about it. She LOVES to be on the trampoline outside and is often out there several times a day practicing her jumps, flips, turns, etc. It’s amazing to watch her when she’s practicing all of these gymnastics moves; in my opinion, she’s fabulous! She is also terrific with little kids, and she has been working one day a week this summer at a nearby daycare as a helper. AND she baby-sits her brothers for us! Although we’re cautious about not leaving them alone for too long since she is only 12, I feel like we’ve entered a stage of our lives with new freedom. I can run to the store by myself. Or take another child to an activity without taking everyone along. Wow, it feels so strange and awesome! And Rabbit does a great job with her brothers; in fact, Pooh is always asking if she can baby-sit him. She still enjoys reading but goes through books way too fast for us to keep her in new ones, so she often re-reads her old ones. She loves fantasy-type stories and has really gotten into the Dr. Who TV show as well - a great activity for her and Daddy to do together since it’s not on my list of favorites.

“Tigger” is nine years old now and will be entering fourth grade. He’s still just as bouncy and energetic as ever. He loves to run around and pretend all kinds of things, and he loves to be silly (especially if he can make loud silly noises - something that often annoys his siblings). He is absolutely brilliant with Legos and constructs things that I couldn’t even begin to put together. Just yesterday, he created a sword and a scabbard, and the sword really pulls out of the scabbard, AND he managed to string it on a rope so he can wear it. Today he’s decided to construct a large white castle with a portcullis. And yes, these are his words to describe what he’s making. He also loves to read, especially anything that has to do with wolves. He is a wolf expert and can tell you all kinds of facts. He says that when he grows up, he’s going to construct a wolf sanctuary and live there so he can study wolves. Right now, our three boys share a (very large) bedroom, but we are in the process of creating a separate bedroom for Tigger. He’s growing up and is excited to have his own space.

“Pooh” is five years old and will be starting kindergarten. Although Kellin is very much our “baby” developmentally, Pooh is officially our youngest and as such, it’s a milestone for me to send him off to kindergarten, although he is SO ready. Sometime in the last year, this kid figured out how to read and now he reads like crazy. His current favorite books are the Magic Treehouse series (chapter books - at age five - before even starting kindergarten!). He also loves nonfiction books, especially if they talk about animals (his favorite is reptiles). We recently took a trip to a reptile zoo and he LOVED it! Pooh can often be found playing Legos with Tigger, and they have so much fun together most of the time. I suspect that when Tigger moves out to his own bedroom, it will be hardest on Pooh. Although since the Legos are all in the big bedroom (Pooh and Kellin’s), I’m sure they will still play together often in there.

These are three truly amazing kids. When we brought Kellin home 2 ½ years ago, it wouldn’t have been unexpected for them to feel some jealousy or resentment, but I have never seen any sign of this. They all embraced Kellin as their brother from day one and they love to talk to him and celebrate his accomplishments. Even Pooh, who was essentially displaced as the baby of the family, is so loving and sweet to Kellin. I am so thankful for these kids who have been such an example to me in their unconditional acceptance of Kellin and all the intense care his needs require. We are so blessed to have such remarkable and caring children.