Whitney Family

I'm here in New York with Kelly visiting Kamilah and meeting little Laila for the first time.  Being here has been so much fun and even though we came here to help it's been super relaxing!  It's nice to wake up with literally nothing on the agenda but to help take care of this sweet little baby.

Being here has made me reflect back on my three and marvel at how fast they really do grow!  I also can't believe how quickly you forget the stages of their growth, yet while you're in the moment you think you will never forget.  I thought I would take this opportunity to write down what each of the kids is doing now and characteristics of their ever changing personalities!

Dresden:  My biggest boy!  Still can't believe I have a Kindergartner on my hands!  His first few weeks of school have been great, he loves his teacher and new friends.  They use a clip method in his classroom where every child has a clip that starts on green and if there is a discipline problem like not listening the clip gets moved down to a different color.  We have made it his goal to keep his clip on green all year long and each day when I pick him up from school he can't wait to tell me if he got a sticker that day for staying on green.  Dre's personality is so type A/first child syndrome!  He is a pleaser, always trying gain our approval and praise.  Dre is a worrier!  He worries about everything and his prayers at night can get pretty long, "bless we won't have any fires, kidnappers, robbers, bad dreams, tornadoes..." and it can go on and on!  He is also a natural leader, I am amazed at how he can come up with and organize games to play and then get his friends to follow.  We have a neighbor who lives across the street, Jacob, who Dre loves to play with and even though Jacob is two years older I have noticed Dresden is the one to initiate and lead in what they play.  One of Dresden's favorite things to do is go to Top Golf with Chad and they usually go at least 2-3 times a week when Chad gets home from work.  Dre is a scary good at golf!  He knows just how to hit the ball and can out drive me for sure!    He's also a natural at baseball.  Chad has pitched the ball to him since he was two and he now goes to the batting cage and hits ball by himself that come at him at 35 mph.  Most people comment that they can't believe it when they see this little kid in the batting cage hitting ball after ball that is pitched his way!

Coen:  This kid truly melts my heart!  He is the most high maintenance of the three, but for some reason has a soft spot in my heart.  Something about him is irresistible to me and I swear I kiss him 100 times a day!  I always tell Chad that I hope there is no side affect from being kissed too much as a kid!  If anyone asks Coen what his name is he will reply "Coco Bear" because that is what we call him.  He is very verbal if you talk with him one on one, but most people would think he doesn't talk a lot because he is more quiet in a group.  Coco's favorite thing is his blanket that he calls"tee tee" and if he could he would take it everywhere with him.  He loves to do the "Bear Dance" holding his blanket and dancing around while humming, we always know he's happy when we see him doing his Bear Dance! Coen loves to read books and play with his trains and balls.  His best friend is, of course, his twin sister Ena and they are true partners in crime.  Anytime it is too quiet in the house I know they are up to something and I have to check quick to see.  They love to get into my make-up and recently poured foundation powder all over my new bed!  Despite the trouble they get into together, I must say I am finally seeing the benefits of having twins.  They always have a playmate, which is so great especially during the hours Dre is in school.

Ciena:  Our little Princess!  This girl cracks me up daily with the things she says!  She is very head strong and definitely the leader of her twin brother, but loves to listen to Dre and follow him around.  She's a girly girl and loves to play dress up and all things princess.  She has her Daddy wrapped around her little finger, of course!  She was so excited about her pink bed and to have her own "girl" room in the new house.  The first night she was excited to sleep in her own bed, but sure enough just as I thought a couple minutes later she was sneaking back in with her brother!  Those two have slept in the same crib most of their lives (they would climb into the others crib to sleep) and are so attached I think it will be a while before they can bear to sleep in separate beds!  I love it when I tell her to do something and she says in a strong voice like she's in the military "YES, Mam"!  She also calls Coen her, "Boy" and usually refers to him that way, "where is Boy" or "come here boy" always in a demanding voice!  One of the funniest conversations with her happened a few weeks ago when I was trying to explain to her why she could not stand up to pee like her brothers.  I told her that girls don't have wieners so we have to sit to pee.  She looked at me and plainly stated, "But I want one!" Followed by, "can you go get me one at the store?"  I was laughing inside and wanted to clarify what she said so I told her, "you want me to go to the store and buy you a weiner?" and she replied, "uh huh, a PINK one!"