"My" kids part two.

Nathan Aaron:

This is an old picture of him (he was about 2 1/2 years old) but I have always liked it because I caught him smiling.

Where to start? I guess I will start with his likes and dislikes. His favorite foods are ziti, fruit of any kind, ketchup with/on anything, and "jelly bread". His favorite things to do are count, play with his trains and his train table/tracks, write letters and numbers, swing, cuddle, and copy his sister. Oh, and eat. He doesn't understand the concept of answering questions yet so I don't know what his favorite color is- though I think it may be pink. His favorite songs are We Are The Body by Mandi Mapes and Let It Out by Chris and Conrad. His favorite tv shows are Super Why, Little Einsteins, and Mickey Mouse Club House. He loves kisses and hugs! He is autistic so he interacts in different ways than most kids. He plays with other kids by copying what they do. He is a very cuddly little guy. He will ask me if I will go sit on the couch just so he can sit in my lap and me hold him for a few minutes. He is a very loud and energetic boy, yet at four and a half years old, he still takes a two hour nap nearly every day. He has no sense of what an "inside voice" is ;) He likes to do things on his own and I hear him say (A LOT) "No! I can do it! Let me do it!". He is beginning to be independent. I left him in his room to put on his pajama's by himself for the first time today. It took him about ten minutes but he did it! The only thing he needed help with was putting his arms in the right places in his shirt. Now, I know that at four and a half this should be pretty easily done but for him it is a huge accomplishment. He has come a long way at the Burkett Center and especially loves his teacher Miss Dianna!

(here is a recent picture of him)

Nathan, my cuddle buddy, my little man.

"My" kids.

I wanted to write about the kids that I am a nanny for. Just because I love them very much and I can. Since Kylee is the oldest I will start with her.

Kylee Rose:

At four and a half years old, she is the oldest twin by three minutes. She will do almost anything to make Nathan, her brother, stop crying. Whether its getting him his blanky or giving him the toy that she's playing with. She is very spunky and will argue for hours if I will let her- that's usually where Nathan comes in. They will argue back and forth for the longest time and think its the funniest thing. She loves being a peer helper at the Burkett Center and talks endlessly about her teachers and friends there. Her favorite color changes almost every day. Her favorite things to do are: be swung upside down, wrestle with Nathan, color, play outside, and, recently, she has taken an interest in caring for her baby dolls and stuffed animals. Her favorite foods are eggs and any kind of fruit or vegetable... she will even eat raw green beans. Her favorite song is In Your Arms by Mandi Mapes. She has the sweetest little voice when she sings. Her favorite TV show's are Super Why and The Backyardigans. She really likes helping me fold the laundry and helping me bake. She also likes to pick out her own clothes. If me or her Memom (grandmother) pick something out for her to wear she will most likely not come out of her room wearing the same thing we picked out- even if its just a different pair of socks.
She is a very sensitive and expressive little girl and will cry if all you do is give her a mean look. She will often come to me with big tears rolling down her face saying "Raaaaaaaachel, Nathan yeeeeeelled at me".

My dear, precious, Kylee Bug.

To start off with..

I told my sister that the first thing I posted would be about her. So here goes:

Hannah: She is my twin. Older by two minutes. She is very caring and hates it when she hurts someones feelings. She is one of the nicest girls I know. She likes (loves) getting splinters out of anyone's skin that will let her. She is going to be a nurse- the perfect job for her. She absolutely adores kids. She is super silly but can be very serious when she needs to be. I will often find her prancing through the house in some weird concoction of clothes just to make everyone laugh. She is athletic and really likes to run- especially if its for a good cause. She can do a cartwheel and a round-off... both of which I cannot. She is a part-time nanny and hard working college student. She really likes to fish- as you can see by the great big fish she caught in the picture above ;) If you ever need help with anything- Hannah is one you want to call. I would say ice cream is her favorite food but lately she has been eating a lot of blueberries (hence the blue mouth). Her favorite color is blue and she finds it hard to sleep without her old, raggedy, stuffed elephant named Snuffleupagus, AKA Snuffy.

She is my other half. She is my twin.