Today we gathered for our monthly home-birth get-together, and we also celebrated the kids’ fourth birthdays. It’s hard to believe that it’s already been four years since we all had our first kids and that we’ve all stayed in touch. It was an amazing class, and I think it really was something special and unique for us all to go through together. There were seven kids there today, out of eight, and we all had a lot of fun. Now that the kids are so old, they pretty much just play together and run around in circles, literally, while the adults and other babies get to visit. Maia was especially social today and managed to not get plowed over at all. We’re definitely going to miss this group of people when we move, but we’re hoping that regular visits to the bay will help us keep in touch.

Little Miss Maia has been a real fire cracker lately too. She is so physical and just goes for things in a way very different from Keana. She’s very agile, turning in circles quite well for a little one, and runs and climbs like a little monkey. The other day at the park she climbed up the half-barrel for the first time, almost by herself, a feat that Keana didn’t try until she was almost a year older than Maia is now. If I hold her hands, she’ll walk right up my chest, over my face, and onto my shoulders, squealing with delight as she goes. Maia is so independent and often wants to try things for herself. She very much wants to do what everyone else is doing and refuses food that’s prepared just for her. She just pushes it aside and reaches for yours. Speaking of food, she’s our little carnivore and is usually happiest with her own sausage or hot dog to gnaw on, politely spitting the skin into her little bowl.

Keana continues to amaze us on all levels, but just last week she started to grasp the concept of adding. I asked her if she had nine monkeys and added one, how many would there be, and she quickly answered, “Ten!” She doesn’t always get it right, but the ideas are definitely sinking in. She can’t wait to start school and I’m pretty sure she’s going to be a little ring-leader. When we go to the park she’ll have all the other kids playing chase with her in a matter of minutes, whether they’re two years old or six. Quite the social butterfly. She still struggles with sharing with Maia, but at the same time is amazingly sweet to her little sister. It’s definitely been a struggle for us lately, but we’re all continuing to figure it out and maybe some day we’ll get it.