All right, already!

I'm hearing you:

#1: too long since the last update.

#2: too many words and not enough pictures.

#3: Shave! --The whole body (--hey, now, let's not get personal).

Well, let me take care of the first two complaints anyway.

I have been busy, and so has Suzy (--would you believe it, in addition to the normal end-of-the-school-year stresses, she has finished her Masters, and is about two weeks away from doing her second triathlon since the babies were born--yea, she's a slacker, no question). Nevertheless, we have been collecting both pictures and videos, and the kids, somehow, keep getting cuter. Every day, literally every day, something new comes out of one of them--some new physical or verbal feat.

Longest sentence so far belongs to Scout: "Ba-bye big poopie." Actually, if you're talking about length in terms of time, she still has the longest sentence: "Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig Poopie." She also hums "Twinkle twinkle," and loves scribbling on paper.

Now, Kiefer knows Scout's name, and he calls Charlie "Bird" (--his clip of "Charlie Bird"), and, he is already something of an athlete: good throw and a good kick--plants his non-kicking foot actually, and when he runs his whole being bubbles with excitement, knees, elbows, wrists--every joint as buoyant as his smile--yippee!

What Charlie lacks in throwing accuracy, on the other hand, he makes up for in effort. His whole body somehow winds up, and when he releases, after a couple of sideways shuffles, the ball might go five feet or five inches in any direction, even behind him. Sometimes it doesn't even leave his hand--a pump fake, so good, that it even fakes him out. But Charlie excels his siblings (and probably all living beings) in two important ways: best dancer, best walking armswing--his left arm--he is either marching--there's a kind of aggressiveness to it, or he is trying to offset the weight of an imaginary ghetto-blaster on his steady right shoulder--serious soul in that kid--or, at least, in his left side. The dance step is even more impressive--and now commonly imitated. He busted it out in Target a week ago. He walks a couple of steps, then drops his hands to the ground, as though he were either starting a round-off, or setting up for a breakdance move, but then he lifts his right leg and holds it in the air, as though to say, "Psyche!"

Yea, he's cool.

(Okay, I get it, close to exceeding the acceptable amount of words...)

Last tidbit for you. When these guys wake up from either their nap or night of sleep, they more often than not are bouncing in their cribs, and guffawing (Katy Williams-like). Their best joke, developed and perfected after 9 months, is an intentional whack on the head proceeded by a over-dramatic"Owwww!" It's a sure thing--no audience can resist laughing. There is a new "Peeee-yuuuu" with fingers pinching the nose that's pretty funny now too (--especially when you are woken up to it in the morning), but the physical comedy is still winning the day. Just yesterday, in fact, after their nap, I took them out of their cribs only to hear them cry to be put back in. I put them in (the boys anyway) and watched about fifteen minutes of ridiculous hilarity...

Oh, and one more note: Favorite activity: Nakedness!!! Freedom--run around and dance Party--unmitigated Joy--that's what nakedness means--that, and maybe a little help with the dishes.

Totally worth a pee spot or two, I'm telling you.

Oops, sorry, one more thing: congratulate Mo Moore on her twins (born three days ago), Mandy and Drew (getting hitched tomorrow), Chuck and Sharyl (little girl due by the end of the month), and Katie D for completing her second masters and getting a new job up in Casper, Wyoming (--if you haven't figured it out yet, Katie is the standout of my family). Oh, and Sam and Shaleen have one in the oven, which will put the DeStefanos up by one on the Kiefers. Go fertility.

Love to everyone,

Joe, Suzy, Larry, Moe, and Curly.