In honor of the fast-approaching 1st birthday celebration for The Fab Five, I thought I’d share a little bit about each of the little crazies that make our world so joyfully unpredictable…emphasis on the unpredictable part!! In what will forever be unfair to Lila and Ryan, I’ll go in birth order for this little tribute… :-)

Brooklyn Faith, what a beauty! If I had to choose one to be the pageant queen, it would be Brooklyn, hands down. She has the most striking features of the five – big hazel eyes, full lips, super long eyelashes, and a killer smile! She is also, without a doubt, the sweetest of the bunch.  Quick story:  my “alarm” goes off every morning around 6:15 – the sound of babies laughing, squealing, and hollering at each other and at me, signaling the day’s beginning. So I trudge upstairs and take them out of their cribs one-by-one , change them, hand them their morning bottle, then head back in for the next one in line. When I start pulling them out to get the process going, I am greeted with pained shrieks of anguish from all but one of the remaining babies left bouncing in their beds. “How could you not pick me, Daddy?!,” they seem to be saying. But Brooklyn? Nothing but smiles! And that sums up Miss Brooklyn’s persona – sweet, patient, loving, and absolutely adorable!

Britton Grace – that smile says it all, doesn’t it? What would have been as appropriate and equally telling is if I had posted a picture of Angry Britton right next to this one. Yes, the little one, the one we most commonly call Little Bit, is also the uncontested diva of the bunch. Remember that story above about pulling the babies out in the morning – Britton usually goes first! She definitely has her moods – angry, fussy, inconsolable – but she also has a delightful feistiness that more than compensates for some of her less than delightful moods! She is still so, so tiny (she wears size one diapers!), but do not underestimate the might of this little one – I am certain she will be the first to do the many “firsts” among The Five!

Jack William – my boy! My lonely, mistreated, helpless little boy! Poor Jack has the unenviable fate of having six women determine his every move in life…every.single.move…Girlfriends? Only if the six approve. Dressing himself? Not without the girls’ consent. Thinking for himself? Not a chance! Fortunately, Jack seems to be well-designed for the gauntlet that awaits him in life…laid back, content, happy-go-lucky, easy as it goes…that’s Jack. No kidding, Jack is just happy, seemingly all the time. We are literally surprised when he is upset about something as if that is something babies are not known for! While the rest of our world swirls about at the pace of a chicken on crystal meth, Jack doesn’t seem to notice, or care for that matter. He is as content as content can be…for now, at least, and we are going to enjoy it while it lasts!

Lila Addison – the one we thought was as laid back as Jack has proven herself to be quietly mischievous. When Lila is quiet, something that happens less and less these days, she is probably venturing off to explore and get herself in trouble! She is our only babbler, was the first to say ma-ma and da-da (and mean it!), and I’m pretty certain will have no trouble competing with Britton and Ryan for the personality award! She is also the one that seems to be most connected to Eliot McKenna – read more on that here: http://www.joneslife.net/2009/10/a-special-bond/.  Her tongue is always waggling like you see above and her blue eyes absolutely sparkle…what a cutie!!

And then there was Ryan. Actually, if you are keeping up with this blog you are probably most familiar with Ryan Elizabeth, otherwise known as Ryan the Lion, as she has been the subject of many, many videos and blog updates…what can I say, she’s an easy subject for camera and keyboard alike!  She was the only one making any noise on the day of their birth and she hasn’t piped down yet! She is without a doubt the most colorful of the bunch! From her lightning quick smile to her equally ferocious roar to her collection of facial expressions and the accompanying sound effects, Ryan keeps us Smilin’…and laughing…and usually shaking our heads in bewilderment! First to crawl, first to walk, and she will probably be the first to pitch herself headfirst off of some high place, sending the whole gang of us off to the emergency room to watch her be the first to wear a cast…Ryan, Ryan, Ryan…oh my!