3 Years, 10 months

Hey Drama Queen,

You are THE most. My best girl.  You make me laugh so much.  Having just gone through a really tough year, and an even tougher holiday, you (and your brother and daddy) remain the joys and lights of my life.  Your laughter is infectious, and it has inspired my 2016 resolution to laugh more, enjoy more, find the joy in each moment and really live for that.

I find that it is easy to slip into "mom mode" or "stress mode" and see the stress, what isn't done, what I haven't accomplished, what I don't have, and so on, instead of my new motto "WHAT IS!?"  What is great? What do I have? What can I laugh at? What has filed me with joy today? And so on.  believe me... There is a LOT more good and wonderful than not in our lives, and we have everything to be thankful for.

You are obsessed with bodily sounds and happenings. It can be unnerving when at dinner you say "this is poop" "I farted" "my butt stinks" none of which I have taught you. It can be funny, but also gross and inappropriate, but you think it is so hilarious. How do I balance teaching you with just letting you be a kid?  I want to let you be a kid... That laughs and giggles as much as possible every day! 

I love how you say "glankie" instead of "blankie," "bitamin" instead of "vitamin," " temshapure" instead of "temperature" and I am NOT going to correct you.  I love how you want to do the same nighttime ritual with your babies that we do with you, and how good and conscientious of a little mother you are. You do get frustrated with them, because sometimes they don't listen, so you send them to the thinking chair, but always end with a kiss and a hug.

You have a thanks saying that you learned at school and we say it before every meal:

Insert "kankful" instead of "thankful"

We are thankful for the food before us.
We are thankful for the friends beside us.
We are thankful for the love among us.
We are thankful.
Now we may eat.

Sometimes you don't want us to say it, and it frustrates you when we do. You are funny. I tell you that you are weird a lot, because you are, but I also tell you I love that weirdness and I am glad that is who you are. You are my BEST girl.

We spent new years eve together. I was supposed to be in Times Square with daddy, a bucket list item for me, but I would not have had it any other way.   You had been sick and I didn't want to leave you... Not to mention that I tried to buy the flights too late. We laughed, shared some sparkling cider, you did my hair and makeup, for a zombie film clearly, tickled, colored, etc. I think your love tank was full when you asked to go to bed at 11, and so was mine.

I love you, I'm "kankful" for you every single second. Help your mamma laugh more this year, okay?  Teach me to loosen up... All I have to do is watch you, really! 

You are so sweet with your little brother and he ADORES you!  Keep being the sweet, loving big sis that you are.  He will always need you!

I love your sense of style... the clothing choice is all you, girl!

Our new star wars due... you ask me for it many days for school!

My New Year's Eve date... SNUGGLES!

You said, "Mommy, I want to fix your hair and makeup!"  Then, "Mommy, you look very pretty!"  okay... ;-) 

"Mom, take a picture of all the faces!"

Friends!  Will and Keenan!  We had a lot of fun, and you guys were laughing really hard at something in this picture!

Our adventure to ICE... 9 degrees, a few sculptures, an ice slide and hot cocoa... "one for me and one for the pot"

"Mom, take a picture of me with the sticker on too!" 

My monkey in a tree!

Uncle A-Aron with the boys at Christmas 2015

All the kiddos waiting to open presents.  I don't think Max and Henry cared much!

The calm before the storm.  After you kiddos went to bed, I sat up with a hot drink, the tree, and It's A Wonderful Life.  I made it to bed before Santa arrived, though!

I adore you, my little monkey!

This cracked me up.  "I want to take one by myself"

Right before you climbed up and jumped.  You have done this high jump thing many times, but this was the first time you did flips... backwards.  People were cheering.  You tried front flips and couldn't get them, but it was hilarious to watch you try! 

3rd haircut, 2nd professional one... You were having to look up at me through hair... it was time ;-) 

Santa!!!  You know him!!!

Mommy-Daughter date to get our nails done!

Jellystone Lights... you sat in my lap and fell asleep about 15 minutes in.  haha!  I got snuggles and cuddles, which I rarely get these days because you are so ON THE MOVE!

You, Aunt Jess, and Reme Lynn before the lights at Jellystone!  It's tradition!

I love you so much... I would use all the words if I could.  You are my BEST girl!

Fun Christmas happenings.  Cookie decorating with our friends... we do this every year.  Sarah & Charlotte, Aunt Jess & Reme Lynn,, Mindy & Ellie Mae.  We were missing Kristin & Evan Miller and Yani & Hannah. It's Tradition!

You love decorating cookies.  "I will do it all by on my own"  One of my MOST favorite things that you say!!!  YAS girl... you do it!

I tried helping... you needed me for my muscle in getting out the icing... nothing else. 

Working hard! 

Our Christmas Card, I made it at the last minute and never sent it out.  I tried, I did not succeed, I let it go and posted it on Facebook.  "This is the card you would have gotten!"  We win some, we lose some!

5 Months

Well Baby Boy,

I have been falling down on the job.  I have missed your last three letters. It has just been crazy... Always!  Our family came into town for Christmas, and leading up to it we were working so hard to prep, and after, we were so exhausted.

Let's see... You have two teeth. You got the first one on December 15th, and the second one on the 20th. You can sit up unassisted, but you can't get in that position on your own. You are reaching, grabbing, picking things up and putting then in your mouth. You are talking like crazy!!!  I love it!  You are making new sounds... more complex.  I'm signing to you. You started solid food on December 27th. Mollie fed you... Hilarious and adorable, but you loved it. Rice cereal and carrots.  Subsequently, you have not much cared for it.  Maybe you aren't ready. 

You stare at me so intensely and I LOVE it. You are really struggling with teething and sleeping. I am tired!  We finally started you in your own bed officially on January 2nd.  You grew out of your swing like a month ago, but we didn't let that stop us.  ;-)  The transition has been rough.  You roll all over the place, you aren't accustomed to your crib and because you can move so well you end up with your legs sticking out at the end of the crib or on your stomach, too tired to roll back over.   Being congested doesn't help... it just makes it harder for you to sleep.  You aren't sleep, by the way.  Let's try to change that, mmmkay?  I had a towel placed under the mattress to give you some elevation, but it just made you roll to the end of the crib.  We took it out, and while you are congested, maybe we will just leave you in your bounce chair, in the crib, buckled in.  Not my preference, but whatever works ;-)   . You are so uncomfortable in the swing and the floor cuddle bouncer (which we have had in the crib for a while).  You are just too big for them. You are long and my little chunker-Man, as Mollie calls you.  Daddy says he is going to do a time lapse video of your shenanigans at night :-) 

Last night, you struggled to fall asleep because you had the whole crib to move around in instead of being cuddled by the swing or bouncer, and you seemed miserable, but you slept longer than any other night... I'm pretty sure because you could roll to your side and stomach, where you seem to be most comfortable. However, I have to let you get there on your own, because I have to put you to sleep on your back with nothing else in there with you! 

You are crying... Be right back.

You are gorgeous and sweet, making new sounds everyday. I absolutely adore you. I'm so fortunate to have you as my son.

I love you,
Mommy

Your sister did this to you...

Me and my little chunker-man

Again... your sister, but you adore her.  You tolerate the above. 

My gorgeous, teething, sitting up cutie pie!

the cousins are VERY ready to open presents!

Sibling love is the sweetest thing to watch.  You two adore each other. 

The two newest additions... 2015 boys!

another anxious pic... LET US OPEN PRESENTS!

4 months old- November 23rd

Soooo... I'm over a week late. What can I say? Life is crazy, but wonderful. We spent this last week and your 17th week in TX. It was great!  We got to spend time with your cousins Olivia, Lily, and Henry, your Uncle Aaron, Aunt Jenny, and Grandma. 

Daddy was working for Mr. Luke, and he played the halftime show on Thanksgiving Day at AT&T stadium, so we decided to spend the holiday with my family.

You are happy, talkative, sleeping without a swaddle, and growing up way too fast. You giggle at me, enjoy my rapping, dancing and singing and smile at me with such joy. Oh, how I adore you.

You also enjoy blowing bubbles, and you are good at it.

I love you. Forever and always!

Mommy

3 years, 8 months

Hey Little Shaw Shaw,

You love to make up new words and this is one of your latest and funniest.  Remember Gonky??? You said that for the first time again last night at dinner when you called your brother Maxi-Gonky. It makes me laugh.  Actually, most everything you do makes me laugh. You are really, freaking funny kiddo.  You like me to take your newest made up word and insert it into all the songs we sing.  For instance,  "Put your shaw-shaw in, put your shaw-shaw out, put your shaw-shaw in and shake it all about."  I really enjoy how you keep us creating new things all the time all the while doing constant stand-up comedy routines.

For instance, let's talk about how you love talking about poop!  I think you would rather be around your boy friends than your girl friends because they will talk about poop with you.  All.  The. Time. Right now we are working on not actually calling people Poop, Toot or burp.  This is a fun one... haha!  It is funny how fascinated you and all your friends are fascinated by those words.

You are a lot of fun and REALLY loving. One of the things I got from being pregnant a second time is some serious hip pain.  Since I sit criss cross, apple sauce to nurse your brother (when I have to for comfort), my hip really hurts.  One day I asked if you would just sit on my hip and rock back and forth.  You said yes and did that for like 30 minutes... it helped so much.  Two days later you asked if I would like for you to rub my hip again.  Very sweet.  You also love hugs and kisses... you always have, but you are very generous with those and want like 50 before you go to school and 100 before bedtime.

Some ways you say things that aren't exactly right, but I may never correct you:

• This old man, he played one, he played knick-knack on my thumb with a knick-knack waddy pack, give a dog a bone. 
• Kwazo (our cat Cosmo)
• Hone-on (hold on)
• Tophia (Sophia, the first) 

We have done a lot of Fall Festivals and fun things over the last 2 months... I will try to show them in pictures!

You found this cardboard thing at the park and thought it would be funny to put it on like a necklace.

You are a speed-racer on the tricycle that Uncle Abe and Aunt Val are letting your borrow!

Pumpkin carving... after Halloween.  Better late than never!

You look very focused on your work with Daddy... so does Daddy!

Proud of your choice of pumpkin!

gymnastics... you seem to love it!

You have great form!

Boo at the Zoo with one of your besties... Emma!

Right before Boo at the Zoo and you asked for my lipstick... this is what happened! ;-) 

You love to dress yourself and on this day you wanted to dress up to go get Daddy from the bus!

Pumpkin decorating with your friend Linden at your school's Fall Festival

School Fall Festival with our friends Brigid and Shaunee... you were too busy to have your picture taken!

two cute princesses!  Mollie and Linden!

Too cool for school.  Afternoon visit to the park!

Outside Soulshine Pizza before Mr. James and Mr. Kent's birthday party!  We represented for Daddy... You made a friend named Caesar... he has three daughters, so he spoke your language and you had such a good time!

Lucky Ladd Farms... you were exhausted by the end, but had a great time!

Pumpkin patch picture and you knowing just what to do to make Max stop crying!

Barrel Train with your friend Emma at Lucky Ladd Farms

Face painting with Emma!

Pumpkin Patch with Emma!

Pumpkin Patch with cousin Jimmy!

You loving on your brother... melts a mother's heart!  We had actually just got locked out of the van thanks to yours truly and were waiting on AAA

You playing a fierce game of checkers with Daddy at cracker barrel!

A fun trip to Knoxville to see our friends Shanell and Lyric!

You basically think you are spiderman!

You met Elsa, Anna and Olaf!  You were SOOO CITED!

Playing "Ring Around the Rosy" with Paigey and Epleata!

Hug-wrestling with Keenan... again!

The three amigos with snowbird!  

Rapunzel in all her glory!

Toddler Rave at Aunt Jess with Charlotte, Hannah, Reme Lynn, and Evan Miller!

Pumpkin painting!

Cookie decorating!

Loving on your brother again!

Art projects are the best... you were at this for two hours!

Time with Aunt Veronica, Uncle Nate and Donovan!

Snuggles and funny faces with Aunt Veronica!

Bath time fun with Baby D!

Loving on your brother!

Loving on your cousin!

Let's make mad-crying faces like Max, mommy!  Okay... Let's!