1.5 Years

Six more months have come and gone - spring, summer, and school has started! You are full of personality and spunk these days and we are just adoring watching you grow into your beautiful little self.

• You now weigh (coming soon) lbs and are (coming soon) inches tall. You are still in size 3 diapers and size 18 month clothing. 
• Speaking of diapers, we have began dabbling in the art of potty training. From an early age, you would let us know if you needed a new diaper. You understand the concept, let us know when you have to go, but it was come time to go on the potty, you refuse. You pretend to try and wait for a moment or two, but then you hop off and go on your way. You've even cut down on accidents when diaperless, but still won't go in the potty. When you've waited as long as you can, you simply get us a diaper to go in it! 
• You are still somewhat of a stubborn little sleeper. Naptime is easy-peasy. Between 12:30 and 1:00, we head upstairs, plop you into your crib, and down you go for anywhere from a 2-3 hour nap. Bedtime, is less than ideal. You do not like early bedtimes and tend to stay up anywhere from 8:00 and 10:30, depending on the day. Unlike naptime, you can't just be laid down (although we try, daily). You love your snuggle time with Daddy at night time (just like when you were a baby) and prefer to fall asleep on his chest. However, sometimes, you just need to come down for a few more minutes, one more cup of milk, and then you're fine to fall asleep by yourself. 
• You have 20-25 words that you can say now. "Uh-uh" (meaning both no and yes!) and "help" seem to be the favorite this week though. 
• You are an avid dog lover. You love your stuffed animal  "pup," as well as your puppy cousins. You can't get enough kisses and pets from them - squealing and shouting when you see them. 
• You have the silliest, sweetest, spunkiest little personality that just cracks us up! You have always been so independent, but we are reaching new levels of independence recently. Feeding yourself, (attempting to) dress yourself, washing your body during bathtime, pretending to do your own ponytails - there's nothing you don't want to do yourself. 
• You are a tough little cookie and can hold your own. Having two older brothers around, you have no choice though. Watch out if anyone tries to take your things, you aren't going to let it part easily.
• You still love to climb. Barstools have been removed from the kitchen and kitchen chairs have to be up on the table. And while we are trying to take away the ability to climb, you see this as a challenge. You are now scaling the drawers in the kitchen to still climb on top of the counters.
• You are the sweetest little cuddle bug. Constant hugs, kisses, and simply cuddling up with us throughout the day.

You loved the small celebration today of your half birthday, clapping your hands while we sang to you and wanting to blow out the candles over and over again. We love the joy and sparkle you bring to our lives, Char!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.5 Years

It seems like a lifetime ago and yesterday all at once. Five and a half years ago our lives forever changed. After a difficult, and sometimes hopeless, road, that beautiful little word finally appeared for us. I remember tiptoeing downstairs so I wouldn't wake your daddy. I remember my shaking hands as I tried to open the test. And I remember this was the first test that didn't take what felt like a thousand years...it was almost immediately confirmed that it had finally happened. Pregnant!

Not only is today so special because it was the day we found out we would be parents, but it is your half-birthday too! I just love this day! So without further ado...

Wiley

• You weigh 37.4 lbs and are 42.5 inches tall. I can't believe this tall, lanky, "little boy body," was once my three pound baby. We tease you often and ask you stop growing, but you are quick to remind us you can't, God wants you to grow. "But I always you baby, Mommy...even when I all big." Amen, sweet boy, amen!
• Your mind fascinates me and I feel like I can often see the wheels turning. You love to invent things right now - putting legos and different toys together to create a new gadget. Each new invention is dramatically, and adorably announced / presented (thanks to the show Rusty Rivets!), "Introducing the _____9,000!"
• You are a puzzle whiz! Ry's nap was going long yesterday, so I introduced you to a 100 piece puzzle, knowing you'd be up for the challenge! Together we completed the puzzle and you want to keep it on display to show everyone your hard work.
• You love letters and numbers. You can write your first and last name by yourself now, along with several other letters. You know the sounds of many letters and like to identify words that start with those letters. (This has become a fun dinner game - figuring out what letter each different food on your plate starts with!) Your math brain really amazes the teacher in me though. You can quickly add numbers between 1 and 10, you count to 29 with correct one-to-one ratio, and can already compare which numbers are greater or less than. 
• You are beyond social and put your shy, quiet Momma in awkward situations with strangers constantly. A quiet, polite wave is the most I'm willing to give to a neighbor or someone I don't really know. You, on the other hand, are shouting, "Hello!" and trying to make the sweetest small talk with any and everyone. 
• Knowing you are so social, it may go without saying, but this deserves another bullet...you LOVE to talk! If we let you, you would talk non-stop for an entire car ride (...no matter the length of the car ride!!). This week we went to the zoo and you filled nearly every one of those thirty minutes with commentary, questions, and sometimes just narration of what we were seeing out the window. The more excited you are about something, the louder and higher your voice gets too. Being that you are a passionate little bug, that means your voice is typically pretty loud and pretty high pitched : ) Learning to control that passion has been something you've been working really hard on. When you have a thought, you want to share it immediately...even if someone else is already talking. For a four year old, this can be a difficult concept. Thanks to the help of some really great picture books though, we are super proud of how you are trying not to interrupt others and trying to control your voice. 
• You have taken over the role of dishwasher and I don't think anyone could be happier about this than me ; ) You even get offended if anyone else washes the dishes. I'm loving this new stage of more responsibilities....now how can I bottle this up and make sure it lasts through the teen years??
• You love to be outside - especially if it means you are helping Daddy. You love to ride around on your bike and your Paw Patrol jeep! 
• You love to play t-ball with your brother too. This year you boys are playing on a real t-ball team. It has been entertaining to say the least! You have a great, powerful hit, but the real entertainment comes when you are in the field. When you want to, you have a great throw too, but often lose interest quickly out there. Sand castles with the dirt, drawings in the dirt, dirt piled inside your hat, picking flowers, "snow angels" made in the grass, ....we've seen it all! An hour of t-ball is about forty-five minutes too long for four year olds!
• You are a wonderful big brother. You love and protect both your siblings fiercely. I'll often catch Char riding around in your Paw Patrol jeep with you, your arm around her shoulder hugging her close to keep her safe. You love to pick her up and carry her away from danger. You love your brother too - letting him tickle your thumb or hugging and snuggling up with him. You both get along so well (you have your moments - but the good definitely outweigh the bad). You are truly best friends and like to do mostly everything together.

Ryan

• You weigh 31.8 lbs and 41.5 inches tall. Our little Skinny Minny who loves to eat, but can't seem to put a pound on!
• You have an incredibly vivid imagination! We don't know if half the things you say truly happened in reality or simply in your mind. We are also often assigned new names to help shape your pretend world. When playing "Rusty Rivets," I am no longer Mommy, but suddenly become Botosaur. I think we went through an entire day without you calling me Mommy. "Botosaur, can I have some milk please?"
• You love letters and numbers. You can write your first and last name by yourself now, along with several other letters. You are beginning to learn many letter sounds and try to identify words that start with those letters. (This has become a fun dinner game - figuring out what letter each different food on your plate starts with!) Your math brain really amazes the teacher in me though. You can quickly add numbers between 1 and 10, you count to 29 with correct one-to-one ratio, and can already compare which numbers are greater or less than. 
• You are beyond social and put your shy, quiet Momma in awkward situations with strangers constantly. A quiet, polite wave is the most I'm willing to give to a neighbor or someone I don't really know. You, on the other hand, are shouting, "Hello!" and trying to make the sweetest small talk with any and everyone. 
• You are incredibly competitive and have been for awhile now. (I have tried to hide this trait in myself from you, so that you don't turn out quite as crazy as me...but somehow you have inherited it anyway!) It can be so intense, that often you will try to quit in the middle of a game if you are going to lose. You know you have to finish a game now though, and push through...trying to teach you that it's not about winning, but having fun.
• You love to be outside - especially if it means you are helping Daddy. You love to ride around on your bike and your Paw Patrol jeep! 
• You love to play t-ball with your brother too. This year you boys are playing on a real t-ball team. It has been entertaining to say the least! You can really hit the ball and have a great arm too. It's been neat to watch you improve already as the season has gone on. What used to take several disjointed steps of field the ball, think about it, find first base, step, and throw, has now become a fairly fluid motion of fielding the ball and throwing to first. We have also witnessed sand castles with the dirt, drawings in the dirt, dirt piled inside your hat, picking flowers, "snow angels" made in the grass from you! You continue to ask when you will have a real game though (even though you've had at least ten real games already). When asked what you mean, you explain, "Where the guy you says, 'You out,' Mom? He go to a real game." Oh my competitive child, you want an ump, calling people out at a t-ball game!
• You are a wonderful big brother. You love to protect Charleigh and keep her safe. You are fiercely protective of your brother. You won't take anything without confirming Wiley will get one too. I love that he is your best friend and I know he will always be taken care of if you are around. 

What a crazy, fun life we have together boys! I can't believe how quickly time is passing. Happy half birthday!

 

Preschool Festivities

We have had such a fun week, celebrating the completion of your second year of preschool! Monday was your field day / bike-a-thon. You boys had a blast rolling around and weaving through all the other bike riders, waving and shouting “Hi!” to your buddies.

Friday, we celebrated another year of preschool completed. We loved watching you boys sing and were happy to celebrate such a wonderful second year of preschool. It was such a positive year for you both. FIlled with such loving, tender teachers that truly knew you boys. I am so thankful Ms. Paula was put into our lives - you boys really took off this year and we couldn’t be more proud!

As if we didn’t already know this, it is official, I am going to be such a mess this time next year (when you graduate preschool and get ready to move on to kindergarten) because I am already having a hard time with this milestone!

While one could say, but you still have another year left. I am over here thinking, oh my gosh, we only have one more year left!! One more year of living in our happy little, protective bubble. One more year of fun and play and exploration. One more year before you begin elementary and you spend more time at school than awake at home. One. More. Year.

So, one year boys to live it up and soak up you being this little! One year to make as many memories as possible. One more year to continue molding and shaping you into polite, responsible humans that can take care of themselves in the big world of elementary school!

Happy Birthday, Squish!