I went home to visit for 10 days … If I could have spent every second of every day with these 3 kids, I would have. I just love love love them to death… My family is very good about sending me videos and pictures through text. And, I see them all quite frequently through skype.. One of the “new” things they all have been doing in their life is swimming… It is amazing how much they have progressed. The last text video I received was all of them shouting “TO INFINITY AND BEYOND” and jumping in the pool… The way each one jumped describes the exact personality of each kid…

First, Samantha … The oldest of the 3… She is 6 and will be 7 in a couple weeks. When she was about 3 months, I picked her up every Saturday of her life and spent the whole day with her and brought her home in time for bedtime. We did this for a couple years straight until I moved away for school. We have always had a close bond and she is by my side the whole time she gets to see me. When she jumped into the pool, she wanted to make sure Grandma was ready for the video … She yelled the loudest and did her best jump in. When she popped up out of the water, she checked to make sure Grandma had gotten that. She is quiet and shy with strangers, but loud and outgoing with her family. She is lovable. When she first saw me last week, I picked her up and hugged her for about 10 minutes straight. She just laid her head on my shoulder and rubbed my back. She is kind and she is the best niece anyone could ever have! Here is the way that I see Sammers …

Next is Ethan.. Usually we call him E or E-bay. He actually turned 6 the day these photos were taken. Playing the video I had to watch it a couple times because I didn’t even notice E jumping in. I thought he was already in the water. He yelled the Toy Story phrase with the rest of the kids but jumped in very close to the side. He is cautious and likes to be comfortable with his surroundings before he tries new and crazy things. Ethan has a heart of gold. When the other kids were screaming “Auntie get in the water!!” he looked at me and said “Auntie, will you please get in the water with us?” How could I not?? He is thoughtful, creative and knows just what to say to brighten your day. He also is the best Wii Bowler I have ever seen … EVER … This is how I see E ….

And Race … This boy just makes me smile … My mom always has said her favorite people in the world are 4 year old boys .. I never really understood because I don’t remember my brother at 4 .. But, being home this summer, I couldn’t agree more. On the video Race screamed right along with Sam and E, but he was already jumping in the water before the sentence was even over … He jumped the farthest, splashed the biggest and had no fear. This boy will try anything. He was the first to learn to ski last week, he jumped right into the lake where he can’t touch (and can’t quite swim yet) AND he ate all the olives and mushrooms I picked off my pizza! (Good boy!)    🙂    Race is hilarious, energetic and encouraging … This is how I see Race …