7 Months

 

Oh, this boy makes me happy! He is so sweet and cuddly, and has such a great belly laugh!

At 7 months...
Wills can almost sit unsupported
He eats food 2 times a day, but still doesn't care much for it
Is STILL teething....but no teeth yet
A great sleeper at night and during naps
Has started expressing some opinions - Grunts or yells at Trip when he is being too rough.
Wills is such a pincher! He especially likes getting those little hairs at the bottom of my hair line.
Still wants to put everything in his mouth
Loves to jump in his jumperoo or with J holding him on the bed
Like his brother, he loves being tossed in the air (something AK has always hated!)

In the labor and delivery room after Wills was born, J and I agreed that he resembled my little brother Timmy. As he has grown and changed, I see glimpses of my grandpa, my dad's dad, "Poppy" in him. Especially when he smiles. I remember that when Timmy was little, everyone said he looked like our Poppy too. I just think it is so sweet that Wills is taking after my dad's side of the family considering his namesake. His middle name, Randal, is after my dad. When Wills smiles, my heart swells with gratitude for the little reminder of my dad and grandpa.

2 years

(I love this picture, taken on my phone, because I was asking her how old she had turned. She obviously thinks she is much older than 2!)

It feels like Anna Kate has been 2 for such a long time. At about 18 months, she started walking and talking. She gave up her pacifier independently, just handing it to me one night while I rocked her and saying she didn't want it anymore. Around the same time she decided that she wanted to start going potty like her big brother, not in her diaper. I objected to this because with a newborn I was not about to start potty training. But, since then she typically goes #2 on the potty.

I know that I am biased, but I am telling you, this girl is smart. She counts to 15, sometimes 20. She knows her ABC's, and recognizes about 10 different letters and knows their sounds. She is really good at matching colors. Even obscure shades that I don't think Trip can tell the difference between. She likes to build blocks, line her trains or dolls up in a line, play with her princess castle, and she LOVES to swing. How is it that 2-year-olds could swing for an entire day and not get sick?!? I remember Trip being the same way.

At 2 years old, Anna Kate can express her emotions better than most adults I know. She feels emotions so strongly. She will look at me with tears in her eyes and say, "I am so so sad." Or with a look of anger and grunt, "I am SO SO mad!" Or she will have a face of pure joy and with a huge grin say, "I am SOOOO Happy!" Everything is "So So ...." or "Soooooo..."

She started doing gymnastics with Trip when she turned 2, and loves it! She had been watching him from the sidelines for so long, that when I told her one day that she could go with him, she was thrilled. She loves looking through books and also watching TV (unfortunately). She asks me all of the time to "watch a show on the iPad". And she is persistent! Asking sweetly about a hundred times with a look on her face like she is only asking for the first time.

Around her second birthday, Anna Kate started sleeping in a big girl bed, which has proven more difficult lately. Last night she snuck out of bed and was silently sitting legs crossed at the end of the hallway holding a baby doll and watching whatever show J had on the TV... Probably Duck Dynasty!

My sweet, strong girl,

You know what you think and what you want, and you will not be moved. My prayer is that this quality will make you a warrior for Christ. That you will stand strong in your faith, proclaiming His truth. That you will fight for the oppressed. I pray that the Holy Spirit will use your strong will to help you to resist temptation and stand strong in your convictions.

I am so excited to watch you grow and learn and change into the woman God made you to be. You are fascinating to me, amazing, and beautiful. 

Your Dad and I love you SO SO much!

Spring

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 years

• 50-60th percentile for height and weight
• Knows letters and their sounds, is starting to put letters together to make words. Reading is right around the corner!
• Can write his name and a few other letters
• Counts to 40, recognizes 1 - 10, starting to understand some basic math. The other day he said, "There are 2 girls in our family, and there are 3 boys in our family. That is 5."
• Trip continues to be tender-hearted and is such a sweet big brother most of the time. He is not shy to give hugs or kisses and to tell us he loves us. 
• In some areas, Trip is totally independent. In others, he has no interest. Like getting dressed. It's not so much a matter of being able to get dressed. It is more that he just doesn't want to stop what he is doing and take the time to get dressed. He is the same way about bathing. He asks if he can just sleep in his clothes for the next day so that he doesn't have to change!
• He is still obsessed with Spider-Man, a phase I am ready to leave behind us! On the positive side, his imaginative play has increased considerably since discovering super heroes. 
• He REALLY wants to learn how to ride his bike with no training wheels. I am sure I am holding him back here because I just dread the scraped knees that I know will follow!
• Trip does NOT like to play independently. I am so thankful to have Anna Kate around and able to play with him more and more!
• He told me the other day that he wanted to be Spider-Man when he grows up (surprise, surprise). I explained that Spider-Man was only pretend, and then he decided that he wanted to be a dentist like his grandpa.
• He is so smart. He makes these observations that I am not sure I even think about at 30. He asked us the other day where the sun goes when it goes down. If it goes under the ground. So, J gave a little science lesson about the earth/moon/sun rotation.

Trip Bubba,

As I write this you are laughing and playing with your sister in the other room. You are so funny, kind, and smart. You have patience with me and a heart to forgive even when I don't deserve it. I love that about you. Showing grace, forgiving, being patient, loving. I know that God has given you these qualities to bring glory to Him as you grow.

And you are growing so fast. So fast. I am proud of you Bub. I love you more than I can express. Remember, you promised that even though you are a big 4 year old, you would still give your parents loves forever. We will hold you to that.

6 months

Height: 2' 3"
Weight: 19 lbs. 4 oz.





Not sure what percentile Wills' stats put him in. All I know is that this "little" guy is doing a number on my back!

There is not much to update about Wills. I feel like I continue to write what a happy guy he is. How joyful and laid back he is. How much he laughs. How much he love his big brother and sister... That is all the same. I would say the most noticeable change at 6 months is that he is "SO SO LOUD" as Anna Kate would say. He is easily my most vocal child. And that is saying a lot because Trip and Anna Kate are big talkers. I can only imagine that he is trying to keep up, or simply trying to get some attention. He will literally YELL "Dadadadadada!" at the top of his lungs. He gets especially loud just before he falls asleep. It's really pretty funny.

Much like his brother and sister, he is at a chewing stage. So, holder beware. He will grab anything he can - loose garment, earring, hair - and stick it in his mouth. I am guessing we will see some bottom teeth pop through any day now. Trip and Anna Kate both got their bottom teeth at around 7 months. It's amazing how similar my children have been in every area.

This little boy is precious. He is my sweet boy.

Anyway, that's it and that's all.

Little J

2, 4, and 30

March was a wild month of birthdays around here. On March 4, Anna Kate turned 2. Five days later, Trip turned 4. And 3 days after that, I hit the big 30!

Anna Kate's birthday was on a Monday, and our church family was having a BBQ the Sunday before. We decided that if we just brought cake to the BBQ and everyone sang happy birthday to her, she would think the entire gathering was for her sake. It worked like a charm! Trip talked all week about how we had a birthday party with all of our church friends for Anna Kate. I think he was even a little jealous, despite the fact that we actually threw him a birthday party at our house with a few of his little friends!

Anna Kate's face was priceless when about 100 people started singing to her. She was a little shy, but obviously so excited at the same time. Trip and her friends helped her blow her candles out, and she shared princess cupcakes with all of the little kids. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures because I was holding the cake!

Later that day we went as a family to Build-A-Bear, where Trip and Anna Kate picked a monkey and a penguin to adopt. It was quite the experience. There were soooooo many kids there, and everything was incredibly expensive. Not sure I'll be going back. But, for the sweet 2 year old, it was a good experience. Trip may have enjoyed it even more!

For Trip's birthday the following Sunday, we let him invite a few of his closest little buddies (and their families) over for a Spider-Man themed party. When he woke up the morning of his birthday, he walked out of his room to a gigantic Spider-Man balloon. It was literally the size of J! Trip was not so sure what to think at first. Once he realized it was a balloon and he could lift it up, he relaxed.

It ended up being rainy on his birthday, which ruined our plan of having the kids play outside. So, we improvised, pulled the suburban out of the garage, and set up Plasma cars, bikes, cars and the pinata out there. Trust me, the house was still FULL of crazy kids, but it was nice to have a place for them to get their energy out and (sort of) contain the mess.

For my birthday, my wonderful husband planned a ski vacation for just the two of us. My mom flew in from Missouri to take care of all three kids. J and I were in Park City from a Friday morning to a Monday afternoon. It was the perfect time away, and I was itching to get back to the little ones. We skied, ate lots of food, and enjoyed a spa day. We hadn't skied since we were dating, so we were happy to spend our time on the greens and even happier for the massages!

All in all, birthday success!