Five G's

Yes, I'm quite pregnant. 33 1/2 weeks along, in fact, with a little girl. She has a name (a young lady must be equipped with monogrammed items, of course), but we'll make that public when she arrives in another few weeks. Due to her residency in my body & a couple of impressively energetic boys, I much prefer to nap instead of blog. Or read, or watch a DVR'd show, but usually any daily "rest time" (aka "Thomas sleeps & Will stays in his room until mommy feels capable of parenting again") means I pass out on the couch until our eldest gets sick of his 500 piece puzzle (no joke) or Lego creation. Thus suffereth the blog.

So here's a brief recap of where we are now.

Colin is in his LAST year of training. Keep in mind--it's been 4 years of medical school, 3 years of residency, and 4 years of fellowship, in 3 different cities. He enjoys what he does, really likes his colleagues & this current hospital, and is darn good at his job. The exciting news (though not really new news) is that he's all set with a job in a Richmond private practice starting next summer. Colin's always been good about appreciating his present stage and not constantly looking ahead to the "when I finish training" point, but I know he'll get a kick out of finally being out on his own. And to be honest, I get the sense he'll be working even harder those first years in practice than he currently does. Super. At least we'll be closer to our extended families...Grandparents, get ready for some quality grandchild bonding :)

Since we know where we are headed, the house hunting has commenced--and perhaps finished. We're still working through a few issues with the contract, but I think we're building a home in a neighborhood along Robious Rd in Midlothian. (We can get you locals the details later, but the general internet public doesn't need to know our future address.) I'm extremely excited about this house though, and Colin has been kind enough to give in to his opinionated wife on most every detail. I'm very grateful.

The boys are awesome. They truly are awesome kids. Will is in 5 day preschool, since he'll start kindergarten the following year. Thomas is even heading to school this year 3 days/week, and he's thrilled to have his own big-boy backpack and lunch box.

Will is overflowing with personality. He's a smart, inquisitive, independent, passionate, funny, goofy, loving, loud, persistent, determined, strong, caring, never-stopping ball of energy. He won't take no for an answer, and that drives me both batty and pleased. Thanks to his curiosity & his daddy's expertise, he also knows more about the gastrointestinal system than the average adult. He has an incredible memory. He's a major daredevil. He wants to be an army doctor and daddy when he grows up, yet he doesn't want to go to college and leave his mommy. Sweet for a 4 year old to say, but I'm hoping for a change of heart down the road.

Thomas is a bright, cuddly, sweet, thoughtful, social, creative, dramatic, adaptable, cautious, verbal, caring, thumb-sucking and blankey-loving 2 1/2 year old little man. He definitely looks and acts much older than he is, which makes me sad. He loves wearing a polo, khakis, sunglasses & flip flops, and he walks around with his sippy cup in a cozy. Colin thinks we're getting a glimpse of future Thomas as a UVA frat boy. Oh my.

Can you tell we've got two very different children? They both amaze me by how they're growing, what they're learning, and how they actually take in what we say. They love each other, fight each other, both end up in time-out multiple times a day (or hour), play hot wheels, build things, play war (the new favorite pasttime by far), do art projects, read read read, annoy each other, all the usual sibling stuff. I'm so proud that they're our kids.

And this next one...She'll have to be tough to survive her big bros. It's been way more fun than I expected choosing girl stuff. And I've found that I'm a great deal pickier than I was with the boy stuff. There's just something about the smocked dresses, the pink, the hair bows, the polka dots and flowers and ruffles and lace and jewelry...

So that's the current status of the G clan. Might be the last update you get for awhile, but I'll try to do better with pictures at least. Seeing as how my boys don't exactly stand still, photo-taking is not the easiest thing, but I ought to try. Hope you all are well!

Thomas, the slowest present-opener ever. It took him all morning. (Meanwhile, Will's M.O. was more of the ripping paper/tossing gift to the side/on to the next wrapped item approach. He's a mover and shaker, that one.)

Thank you Catherine & Matt for possibly the most popular toy of the morning. The Stomp Rocket. He continues to shoot it all over the house. At me, his brother, and anything breakable. Really, sister, thanks for that :)

Another favorite item--the Hot Wheels Dinosaur set. He fell in love with it at Costco one day, and Santa just had to pick one up.

Can you see the joy on his face?

The razor scooter. Due to the crazy 20 degree temps down here, Will has been zooming (and I mean zooming) around the house on this because I refuse to go outside.

I didn't take many pictures in Colonial Beach (our camera was literally held together by duct tape and coins...a new one is on its way...), but here is Thomas on what he calls his "new big boy bike." This really is a cool contraption. It's been circling our downstairs too.