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Etta's 4 year stats

She had a height growth spurt!
height: 3 ft 4in 70%
Weight: 35lbs 50%

Etta really likes hearing how she is a big 4 year old girl. She had a lot of fun talking to her Dr, showing off her one-footed-hopping skills, listening to the stethoscope, talking about Halloween, etc. She was super independent and brave and did not make a single fussy noise during her vaccine.

Her speech therapist loves on her like a grandma and is always impressed with how Etta listens & follows directions, has a big vocabulary, etc.

In co-op preschool Etta is getting close to two girls and likes holding their hands or playing house with them. She is not afraid to speak up during circle time or talk in front of the group.

Lest you think she is the perfect child, let me be clear: I love her to pieces. But she can have an attitude problem. If she does not want to hear what  you say, she will actively avoid eye contact and just pretend you do not exist. If she is upset about something (and sleepy or just woken from a car nap) her fuss tantrums can last a loooong time.If she wants to do something, even if she knows she should not, she may just decide that she will do what she wants and screw the consequences.

And she is 4 now!

Etta is 4!!

Cousin Lauren is turning 3 tomorrow

Cousin Aubree just turned 6 yesterday

Cousin Asa is fun to be with ...

...even if he is not always having fun :)

Miss Etta Rose is 4!

and she loves being 4 and being a big sister!

and can't forget

my third beauty
(well, second if we are going in birth order,
but third if we are going in order of who I posted about)


If it is after 2pm and she is in the car for more than 5 minutes,
this is likely to happen.
Because she likes to use her energy to do this:

 

 

Not as many good pictures.
But I am getting good time with her basically every day
once Addie has been dropped off at school and Willa is down for her nap.
We read books and prep dinner and read books and eat lunch and read books and ...
did I mention read books? She is insatiable for sitting & listening to books!
Her Sunday School teachers mention every week how she sat & had them read lots of books.
She has started declining snack so that she can have more books.
When she is upset she will have boogers and tears dripping down her face
and will be screaming "read me a book!"
Books as therapy and comfort?
I can think of a lot worse things!!

Kindergarten

And now for some "Holy-cow-my-first-born-is-now-in-elementary-school" pictures!

 

 

 

 

A few more pictures of the growing girl

 

 

 

 

 

 

Willa's 12 month pictures

 

 

 

Willa and I will try to do sporadic photo shoots & post them,
but without stickers to remind us
we might fall behind or have big gaps of silence.

One!

Today Willa the wonderful is one!

One year ago today I had to be induced since I was two weeks overdue with baby girl #3 and she showed no signs of coming. One year ago today after a fairly normal labor my 9 lb 15 oz beauty with a full head of hair was born. But was not breathing. One year ago today they were rushing around her trying to help her breath on her own. And once that was established they were keeping her body cold and preparing to transport her to a different hospital. One year ago today they were worried she might be having seizures. And were handing us paperwork telling us about cool cap therapy and warning us about the potential for brain damage since our newborn baby had been without oxygen due to the cord around her neck. One year ago I was reaching out to her with my shaky un-medicated postpartum body so I could touch her little hand before they wheeled her onto an ambulance. One year ago I got to hold her for the first time with monitors and wires attached to her. And I had to see her get her nourishment thru tubes instead of from my breast. One year ago I got a short glimpse into what it means to have your child in the NICU. 

But today Willa Constance is one. And she is wonderful! She is crawling up stairs, working on her standing balance, wanting to do everything her sisters do, working on learning words, eating large amounts of food, loving peek-a-boo, fussing when we take something away from her that she wants,etc, etc. In other words she is being completely normal! She is a sweet, happy, beautiful girl. And our scare at her birth and her days in the hospital made me realize how incredibly wonderful a normal healthy baby is. 

We all want great things for our kids, We want them to be brilliant and in excelled classes. Or be amazing at sports. Or really musically or artistically gifted. But how often do we stop to think what an incredible blessing it is to have a "normal" healthy "average" child? A child who can walk without pain or a prosthetic. Who can see and hear the world around them. Who can be in a bad mood and refuse to do their homework even though they completely understand it.  Who can be their age & enjoy their childhood and not spend large chunks of their life in & out of the hospital. Whose heart pumps their blood. Whose body fights disease. Whose eyes help them see. 

So today on Willa's birthday I gratefully acknowledge what an incredible blessing she is. And I also think of all those parents who spend their days and weeks caring for a child with medical needs. Or watching others care for their child. I think of those parents who don't have the means to give their child the food, clean water or medicine they need. I think of those parents who are surrounded by violence and struggle to keep their children safe. 

I send up prayers of thanksgiving and prayers of petition. 

Willa's 11 month pictures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family Camp

We had a fun time at Family Camp at Warm Beach Camp in Stanwood.
The things I liked best?
-that it was a quick easy drive
-that although it is called camp, we were not actually camping.
Hooray for cabins with decently comfy beds and hot water!
-that I did not have to spend a single second thinking about or preparing meals.
Hot meals with fruits and veggies always on offer.
(Plus something sweet at nearly every meal!)
It could take a while for me to get sick of that!
-the ability to linger after a meal because a grandparent or aunt or other relative had an eye on my kids
-family time of course!
-good worship time and thought provoking sermons/lessons

The things Addie & Etta liked best?
-probably they would say they liked everything but here is a list of some of the fun & yummy things
-horseback ride      -bounce house
-pool      -art      -cotton candy
-time with big (second) cousins   -time with cousins
-bike parade


Did you know that there are Marston's with great artistic talent?

 

 

some Marston's have true musical skill

 

Marston's are also known for their athletic abilities!

and, well, the rest might speak for itself

 

 

 

 

 

Each day there were morning and evening sessions for the adults.
And the kids were in a classroom during those. It was like Sunday school meets VBS.
The girls really retained the lessons.
We were playing a game yesterday and they needed to choose a color chip.
They said they could choose: "blood of Jesus (red), streets of gold (yellow) or growth in Christ (green)"

Family Camp probably won't be quite an annual event for us,
but it will definitely be a recurring part of their childhood!