I like to do these quick verbal snapshots of the kids every so often.

June 22, 2011- Lexington, NC

Mary- 7 years old.   As my Dad said yesterday “she’s such a dollbaby!”.   This is such a perfect description of Mary!  She is just such a nice kid.   She likes everybody, she’s so friendly and just loves meeting people and talking to them.   I think this is one of her most lovely traits.   She continues to really enjoy art- she draws as often as she can, loves to paint, make pot holders, etc.  I’d like to teach her some simple embroidery this summer.   She’s finishing up first grade and did a very good job this year.  Her reading is really improving and she loves to do math.   I would say that her biggest struggle is learning to put things away completely- she is great at cleaning up…until you look more closely and realize that while things LOOK neat & tidy she has not really put things away in their proper place.

Nathan- 6 years old.   He is a talker.  Heaven help us, he talks non-stop, all the time, all day long, more than his three sisters combined!   One thing is for sure, his wife will never complain that he doesn’t talk to her or she doesn’t know what he’s thinking!    Nathan loves science and wants to know the how & why of everything.   He continues to adore Lyra and wait on her hand-and-foot.   There is a reason she is 15 months old and not walking yet.     There just really isn’t a need with her own personal servant waiting on her 24/7.   I really love to see his tender side come out with Lyra.   She had her 15 month appointment yesterday and Nathan was NOT happy with the nurse for giving “his” baby 3 shots and making her cry.   Nathan needs to work on self-control in a major way- with his mouth and his actions.   I think we will be talking about and memorizing James 3 this year.  heh.   His impulsiveness gets him in trouble- he does things he knows are wrong, and he’s always sorry later but he has a very difficult time doing the right thing *in the moment*.

Savvy- 3 years old.  FEISTY.   I had a good laugh the other day when my friend said that Savannah doesn’t know her place in the family- she acts like a typical first born child, not the third!     For sure, no one is going to push this girl around.    Like all good Fairchilds, she is a terrible tease.   The problem is in teaching her that there is a time and a place for it and knowing when to quit.    She started preschool a few weeks ago and just loves to do her “school work”.    She picks up so much just by listening to us- she can know recite Galatians 5:22-23 (The Fruit of the Spirit) and just this morning she recited Christina Rosetti’s “Let’s Be Merry” and “What Do They Do?”- two of her favorite poems.  She also knows “Grizzly Bear” and Ogden Nash’s “The Panther”.

Lyra- 15 months.  She is FAST.  The minute she hears an open gate she is out of it like a streak of lightning and heading for either the stairs (which she can climb in about 3 seconds), or the bathroom.   She just started standing up on her own and using the ottoman or the walker to push around the living room.  If we can get Nathan to stop fetching for her all the time, I think she would start walking pretty soon.   She has the most glorious nut brown skin- and the more time we spend at the pool, the browner she gets, even with sunscreen.  I love it.    She is delightful baby- I could have a hundred more like her!