A birthday letter: Turning 4!

 Dear Ava,

What a big year this year was for you! I hope this little letter will again capture for you a few pictures and memories to tuck away for safe keeping from this special year.

First up this year, you welcomed your baby brother! As predicted you love being a big sister. You loved it so much you didn't even really deal with much jealously at all. Watching you take him in during that first meeting was one of the best moments of my life. You are a natural nurturer and care taker. You have been so sweet, gentle and protective from day one. I love that you both light up when you see each other in the mornings or after naps, even the smallest separation gets an enthusiastic reunion from each of you. You've already been asking me about a sister and named a doll you got for your birthday "sissy". I think if it was up to you would love to have lots and lots of little brothers and sisters because you enjoy them so much.

We took you to your first movies. We saw Despicable Me 2 in the summer and then Frozen at Christmas time. Since you saw Frozen you have loved playing out the scenes, singing the songs and often tell us and others that you are not Ava but that you are Elsa. One night you prayed at the dinner table "and please don't let Elsa hurt anyone with her powers".

Not long after you turned 3 you gave yourself a pretty drastic hair cut. It was one of our first days home with just the three of us after Rhett was born. You didn't understand the permanence of your new short hair do, asking often when if we could "cut it long again". We followed up the same day with a professional cut to even things up. So slowly but surely it is growing back and once we both got over the initial shock it has grown in nicely and you looked pretty cute in your little bob.

You also started at a little preschool 3 days a week and you love it! You are always excited for school days. Even your first day since you are often unsure about new things I thought it might be tough for you but you literally skipped down the hall and waved goodbye with no tears. You are learning letters and can now write your name! I love when you come home singing a new song or telling things about your friends, or fun art things you did. You often play school at home where you are the teacher and we are the kids. You have this new little world that is all yours apart from us. When we talked the night before your birthday about being four your first question was with deep concern in your eyes... "but when I'm four can I still go to school with Ms. Robin?" Yes you can, we signed for the same program for next year. I hope there are many Ms. Robins in your future and I am so glad you've had this great experience with your first one.  You have thrived here and even though its one of your favorite places I still love that you run with open arms to me excited to see me at the end of your day. 

                                                  

One of my other favorite things right now is when you read cards to us or say the prayer for us at dinner. You read several birthday cards to Rhett that he got recently. You usually go on and on with much confidence about what they say including lines like "love you also" and in your prayers "help me to be kindly"  and other interesting sentence combinations that crack me up but also warm my heart because I can tell you get it. 

You were a princess fairy for Halloween this year. You love dressing up and this costume has been worn and worn all year long along with your other dress up dresses, wings, crowns, etc. Even when we come home from church on Sundays you are eager to stay in your dress for as long as possible. 

You are a daddy's girl through and through. You only want him to put you to bed these days. I can hear you and him laughing and singing songs at a crazy volume and I am not sure how that prepares you for the transition to sleep but it works. He surprised you and picked you up from the school the other day and you went on and on about it. Recently you also go to go to his office with him for part of the day and you were so disappointed when I came to get you and asked me if next time you could stay all day with him there. I love the way you love one another. 

You love to be at home in what you call your "comfy clothes". You prefer being home rather than going out most days. I find you are inward, thoughtful and prefer smaller settings with familiar faces. You love your family and close friends fiercely and are cautious with new people and places. You seem to test limits mostly at home with us or those your comfortable. 

I love your spontaneous "I love you mommys" and when you are sick you often want me to be the one to hold you. While we've had lots of fun and beautiful moments together this year, you and I have also had some rough days and moments with your will and mine intersecting. At this stage you have an emerging natural drive towards independence, at times you are very strong in your own ideas, preferences and your emotions can be hard to regulate.  And even though I am a professional in the field and have lots of professional parenting training there are moments I have felt lost, unsure and sad that I lost my patience or didn't handle things the way I wanted to with you. I decided one of the best things I can model for you is to say sorry when I know I made a mistake and get back on the train to being the parent I want to be for you. I pray you know my hearts desire and intentions and that will cover the mistakes I make along the way. 

You keep us laughing. I love your humor and when you get laughing and can't stop it is one of my favorite things in the world. You are that stage that bathroom humor is funny to you, we have a house rule that we save bathroom talk for the bathroom , so sometimes when we are home you will ask me if you can say bathroom words while you are in the bathroom and I will say yes and then you will shout out a string of words during this moment of liberation cracking yourself up with yelling "poop, pee, bum" or any and every other related word you can think of.

So as we say goodbye to year three it is another bittersweet time. Time seems to keep flying by when I think about you being 4! Just the other day I was putting away a cookie monster that your brother got for his birthday and I had small wave of sadness that you already seem done with your sesame street phase. Then I changed your clothes in your closest out for summer time and packed up another round of clothes that your little body will never revisit again. But for these few waves of sadness of letting go there is a vast sea of joy and excitement to behold where we are now and all the promise the future holds. So happy birthday sweet girl! I wish you all the best in your adventure into year four, excited to share it along side you! 

love, 

you mama

Sunshine Days

Sunshine days are here! 

Spring has arrived and we've been loving our time outside. 

Lots of bike riding 

 Back yard time

We made an impromptu first zoo trip of the season! 

My dad met up with us at the zoo after the education rally at the capital!

Sunshine is always a magic elixir for our crew. 

11 Months old!

Rhett turned 11 months over the weekend!

So life at 11 months:

He is crawling!

He has started to do a little wave.

He's getting in his second bottom front tooth and waking up a lot right now during the night.

I swear he says "yea" whenever you ask him a question. 

He seems to have one baby sign own to tell us 'all done' 

or he maybe just mimicking us, can't quite decide. 

He loves books and has a favorite right now -  "Moo, Baa and LaLaLa". He laughs every time I get to the "Baa" for the sheep sound. 

He's hair is growing lighter and lighter.

He is on the go and into everything! 

Don't let this picture fool you, he did chow down some spaghetti during this meal but overall he has been refusing to eat much solid food at all and he still prefers to nurse for most of his intake. Hoping that will turn around over the next month. Still nursing about every 3 hours. He will eat at times eat cheerios, avocado, bananas, shredded cheese, and baby goldfish.

Always checking things out practicing pinching things between his fingers and
usually putting it in his mouth to explore it some more. Several times a day I am using my finger to swab the inside of his mouth to see what non-food fuzz or other fun he's put in his mouth.  So if its not food he's happy to put it in his mouth - if its actual food he's quite discriminate on putting it in his mouth. 

This picture cracks me up, he looks like he's plotting his next shenanigan. 

His favorite thing to play with that he's not suppose too, the curtains!
I gave up on pants this day, he had worn them out by the afternoon and it was our first 80 degree day. 

 I have to say between the lack of sleep at night and the getting into everything during the day, this stage is a bit exhausting. He still has mostly a calm and sweet disposition but has been more clingy lately and has had started some of the normal separation anxiety. Still love watching his little personality emerge more and getting glimpses of a little boy.

Time to plan a little birthday celebration! 

Spring Break 2014!

The combination of Ava having her first spring break from preschool and Ryan working longer hours for busy season was the prefect time to take a little road trip to Texas to see our family there. Mom and Dad came and picked up me and the kids in OKC to make the drive. 

These two have more fun together every time we get together. Her closest cousin in age and such a little sweetie! 

Here's all the cousins. Its easier to say just be crazy then try for a regular picture. We have two new additions due this spring/summer that we are excited to welcome to the crew, a girl and a boy to add to this mix! Excited to make some more trips this summer to see them! 

We went to the zoo this time and it was fun. Ava just loves her big cousins.
She got to have a sleep over the first night with Allie and she couldn't have been more excited. 

Little Rhett, wiped out and about to nod off for his morning nap.

Here is awake and post lunch and having some fun with his meme and punkie by the carousel.

We also got to go visit the Lahmeyers one evening, Q got a pet Rat recently that Ava got to see and hold and she has talked about it every day since. 

Our first Spring Break was lots of fun making memories with those we love! 

Babies in a Basket

Ava

Rhett

10 months old...

10 months old! 

He's now been in the world longer than I carried him and he's rapidly changing and doing fun things every time I turn around. 

There are certain moments that you see your child in a different light, at a new stage and it just hits you where you are now instead of where you have been. Rhett sitting perfectly still and engaged in story time at the Library, there he was, my little almost toddler, he was looking and acting so big, then I realized because he is this big now.  This time last year I was pregnant with him now he is sitting up big and tall next to his sister for story time what a difference a year makes, what gift it is to watch them grow. As we approach the one year milestone its exciting and also hard to believe this first precious year is coming to a close. 

I have a similar picture of Ava in our laundry basket at this age, I will have to find it and post them side by side for comparison.

The first time I saw him pull up to a standing position was this day with the baskets! He has also mastered the army crawl the rate of speed he can shimmy to what he wants is impressive. This guy is on the go, his favorite place to go is down the hall to see what's going in sister's room. Those eye lashes and checks are my favorite features, love this picture for capturing that so well. 

A new favorite sleeping position, buns in the air! 

I love when he just wakes up from his nap, usually some wild bed head going on and for the first little bit he just wants to snuggle, with his head draped on my shoulder, he's quiet and still as he gets his bearings and those are some our favorite moments together right now. 

Introducing solids has been quite the up and down, start and stop journey. This week I came across a new way he would take some solid food, by slurping up these puree packets.


Naps are down to two most days. Still nursing about the same amount but can stretch out a little longer when needed. Getting up 1-2x a night.

Exciting to think all the fun milestones just around the bend but also so glad to soak up the space we are in now.
Happy 10 months sweet boy!

We made it!

I think we are finally on the up swing after over a few weeks of both kids getting some pretty yucky colds and coughs. They took turns one having it one week and the other having it the next which meant sleep deprivation spanning about two weeks total. I was seriously feeling the mental strain of the lack of sleep at the end of this week. I found myself looking for something for several minutes that I was actually holding in my hand, I couldn't think of words I wanted to say, I would walk into a room and have no idea what I came for... This is one of those weeks I have thought and thought about single parent's and the challenges they face, even with Ryan's help getting up at night and trading off it felt like we were at max capacity. I am super thankful that this was Rhett's first time to be sick so we had a pretty good 10 month run.  We got some snow and ice so being forced to stay in rest and recoup some more was probably a good thing. Today was a pretty enjoyable quiet little snow day.