Oh, Nolan, you are 5!
I stare at your little face at least one hundred times a day, Nolan. You are such a cute little boy and every day you are changing and maturing. I love how you ask me to sit and snuggle with you almost every day and you always come up to me with a kiss or hug. You are affectionate and loving with your family and you have a huge heart.
You were really excited to turn 5 and we celebrated up in the snow in South Lake Tahoe with family. You swam in the pool and spa, rode sleds in the snow, made a snow man, shoveled snow, played with legos, rode your new scooter, played with your cousins, dressed up in your new Storm Trooper costume from Nana, and had a big chocolate cake to blow out the candles on. It was so much fun to see your excitement and I always hope you know that even though your birthday is close to Christmas, it is still very special to us.
This last year was extremely full for you. You finished up your first year of preschool and started your second year. We did some traveling to Disneyland, Monterey, and Tahoe. You love going new places and staying in hotels. You also started talking a lot more to strangers, which is funny! It's so fun to see you come out of your shell and answer questions when people ask you things. You are very honest and very sweet.
You played soccer for your second year and you seemed to enjoy it! You played with the same team and really started finding your own little stride toward the end of the season. I love watching you play and even though you aren't the most aggressive little guy - you are the sweetest (in my opinion). You would stop while you were playing and look over at me and yell "I love you, mommy" then blow me a kiss. You are a mama's boy and I love it so much. You and I really have a deep connection.
This year you also grew even closer to your daddy. You are starting to really love learning more about what he does at work. When we go visit you want to see all of the different gadgets on the fire engines and learn more about what he does. You are very smart about knowing all of the tractors and tools, too!
We had an awesome summer waiting for your newest baby brother to come, Spencer. Every single day you and Andie would be out in the pool while Cody took his afternoon nap. You became very confident with your swimming and I loved watching you tackle that. It wasn't easy because you have a little bit of fear in the water, but by the end of summer, you were swimming so well!
You absolutely love being the "biggest" brother and it's evident how much you adore your baby brothers. You and Cody have really started playing well together in the last few months. You do pretty well at sharing your toys with him and you two will play tractors, trucks, and tools for hours. You also both love riding your tractors with trailers all around the house! When Spencer came along, it melted me to see you with your new baby brother at 4 years old. You talk to him in a little baby voice, you immediately wanted to hold him and kiss him, and you really truly love him. You are a wonderful big brother and I hope you always keep your special relationship with your siblings.
You also still maintain a very close and special connection with Andie. You two do fight sometimes, but I would say the majority of the time you two are very close. I love watching you play and do art together, ride bikes together, and just be together. You are very defensive and protective of her and Cody. Just a few weeks ago we were in Hawaii and a little boy was holding Cody in the water when he was screaming to get away - you immediately went up to him and yelled at him to let Cody go and pushed him over. While we don't celebrate the pushing, I was really proud at how you responded. You are very protective with Andie, too, and if she gets in trouble for doing something wrong, you always come to her defense. You will always offer her something of yours if hers breaks, too. You are a sweet kid with a huge heart.
I loved watching you and Andie play all summer long. It was neat to see the relationship change and I hope you both know how lucky you are to have each other. I love when you both dress up, play house, play school, or make forts together.
You are not a great eater - but you do pretty well eating the things you do love. You have a very limited menu of things you want to eat. Your favorites are apples and peanut butter, Dino Bites, bananas, pb & j sandwiches, quesadillas, carrots, chocolate protein shakes, waffles with peanut butter and most fruit. You are wearing size 5T clothes, but most are still pretty big on you. We just had your 5 year check up and you are 39 pounds and 43 inches tall! You definitely aren't the tallest in the class, but you are growing and thriving!
You love your toys and play with them all day long. You love everything Star Wars, tools, balls, and in the last few months you have really become obsessed with building legos! You will build anything you can - blocks, magnet tiles - but especially legos. You do so well with the ages 5 and up legos and can build almost everything by following the pictures. Your teacher told me she thinks you may grow up to build things!
This Christmas was such a memorable one because you asked for a work bench. Pops spent several days and put so much love into building you your very own custom work bench. It's one of the most special gifts I have ever seen. When we went on vacation, you looked at me and told me you couldn't wait to get home because you missed it. You have also said that you want to keep it forever, and I am sure you will. It is so special, and I especially love the hand written note on the bottom of it from Pops. You are so lucky to have the relationship you have with him and Gramz. Speaking of Gramz, you two are definitely very close. Anytime she comes over, you ask if she will stay and you always want to sit by her and snuggle her.
Preschool this year has been good for you, but also been a little challenging, too. You've learned all of your letters and most of your numbers. You are doing well at writing your name and catching on to a few sight words. You have had some issues with being disruptive (a bit of a jokester), so we are working on it. Your teachers are reassuring that it's pretty normal behavior and you're just getting your wiggles out before starting Kindergarten in the fall. They have told me that anytime they have to talk to you, you always feel bad and try to be better. You have such a sweet side, but that temper is still there, too. It's all just part of your personality and you are trying to navigate all of the big feelings that come along with growing up.
You are really a sweet little boy, Nolan. You love your family with everything inside of you - and we love you back times ten. You give the tightest hugs and tell us randomly with out being prompted that you love us. You are a special little boy and I am so proud of you, Nolan. I absolutely love being your mommy. Never doubt yourself, you can do what you set your mind to and we will be proud of you no matter what you pursue in life - as long as you are content and kind.
I love you to infinity and beyond forever and ever. I am SO proud to be your mama.
Love,
Mama
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Dear Cody... how are you 2?
Cody-bear...
My sweet, funny, loving, darling baby boy, I am absolutely head over heels for you. You bring us so much joy every single day and your squishy little smile always puts me in a good mood. I feel so lucky to be your mama. You have changed and grown so much over the last few months. Your vocabulary, specifically, grows every day and you are getting better and better at communicating with us.
Because of your birthday being in November and your eligibility of going to transitional kindergarten, I have already had to enroll you in preschool for next year. You will be the youngest in your class, but you're going to be getting that extra year. I can't believe it's already that time. You are changing so quickly, I beg for time to slow down.
You are such a good natured little boy. You are easy going, happy, and truly such a sweet-spirited kid. You go with the flow, which is good because we are often on the go with your big siblings. You are funny as can be and know how to push our buttons - even though it drives us absolutely crazy sometimes, it's all part of your sense of humor!
In the last few months, we have been busy visiting some new places. You went to Monterey for Thanksgiving and you loved being with family and running around in the house Nana rented for our whole family to spend time together in. For Christmas, we spent time with our family at home and then also a few days in the snow in South Lake Tahoe. It was beautiful and you loved playing and sledding. This month, we took your second trip to Hawaii - your first trip to Kona on the Big Island, and then took a tiny 9-seater airplane ride over to Maui. You did fantastic on all 3 of the flights. People on the plane told us after we landed how well behaved you were. We made sure to have you in your car seat so you could be boosted up and comfortable (& confined).
You loved Hawaii. You loved playing in the sand (as long as your hands weren't too dirty), going down the water slides - which you did at least 100 times - and running around on the grass. You did really well keeping up with everyone and it was fun to see you experience it all. One of my favorite memories was watching you run (you have the cutest little run) and giggle when you saw the waves coming up on the beach. I hope I never forget just exactly how cute you are, thankfully I took about a thousand pictures. :)
We celebrated your 2nd Birthday with family. We went to Disney on Ice with Nana and your cousins, and then everyone came back over to our house for pizza, cake, singing, and presents. You were liked us singing to you and seemed to be happy! Christmas was definitely more fun this year as you seemed to have a better grasp of opening presents and playing with new toys.
Some of my favorite things about you right now: you are a copycat of your brother and sister. You especially love doing everything Nolan is doing - making the same noises, playing with the same toys, and running around playing "monster!" with him. You love riding around on your toys with wheels in the house. You aren't pedaling yet, but you are very quick with your feet. You are also pretty good on your scooter in the yard. You laugh a lot and have the cutest little teeth that show when you smile. You say "Paw Patrol" in the cutest little voice and it is definitely your favorite show (if we can get you to sit still for a show). You are a little bit afraid of the fire engines at daddy's work and love to be held while you check them out. You love tractors, balls, legos, cars, and any trinket you can hold on to while we are out and about.
You are wearing size 5 diapers and 2T sized clothes. You are a great eater and love apples, bananas, peaches, blueberries, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pancakes, waffles, yogurt, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, quesadillas, tri tip, cheeseburgers and almost everything else we put in front of you. You are adamant about feeding yourself and have become very independent in the last few months.
You are at a stage where you are repeating everything and talking a lot! If we tell you we love you, you will blow us a kiss. You don't give out kisses for free, so when we do get them - it makes us melt. You are really tough and have had many bumps on your head and will just pop up and keep going. If I had to guess, you are going to grow up with a fun sense of humor, laid back personality, and really love life. You truly make me proud just by being yourself - you are such a special little boy and words cannot express how much you are LOVED.
What a blessing to be along for the ride of watching you grow. I am thankful every single day for you, Cody. I love being your mommy.
Love you forever and ever,
Mama
My sweet, funny, loving, darling baby boy, I am absolutely head over heels for you. You bring us so much joy every single day and your squishy little smile always puts me in a good mood. I feel so lucky to be your mama. You have changed and grown so much over the last few months. Your vocabulary, specifically, grows every day and you are getting better and better at communicating with us.
Because of your birthday being in November and your eligibility of going to transitional kindergarten, I have already had to enroll you in preschool for next year. You will be the youngest in your class, but you're going to be getting that extra year. I can't believe it's already that time. You are changing so quickly, I beg for time to slow down.
You are such a good natured little boy. You are easy going, happy, and truly such a sweet-spirited kid. You go with the flow, which is good because we are often on the go with your big siblings. You are funny as can be and know how to push our buttons - even though it drives us absolutely crazy sometimes, it's all part of your sense of humor!
In the last few months, we have been busy visiting some new places. You went to Monterey for Thanksgiving and you loved being with family and running around in the house Nana rented for our whole family to spend time together in. For Christmas, we spent time with our family at home and then also a few days in the snow in South Lake Tahoe. It was beautiful and you loved playing and sledding. This month, we took your second trip to Hawaii - your first trip to Kona on the Big Island, and then took a tiny 9-seater airplane ride over to Maui. You did fantastic on all 3 of the flights. People on the plane told us after we landed how well behaved you were. We made sure to have you in your car seat so you could be boosted up and comfortable (& confined).
You loved Hawaii. You loved playing in the sand (as long as your hands weren't too dirty), going down the water slides - which you did at least 100 times - and running around on the grass. You did really well keeping up with everyone and it was fun to see you experience it all. One of my favorite memories was watching you run (you have the cutest little run) and giggle when you saw the waves coming up on the beach. I hope I never forget just exactly how cute you are, thankfully I took about a thousand pictures. :)
We celebrated your 2nd Birthday with family. We went to Disney on Ice with Nana and your cousins, and then everyone came back over to our house for pizza, cake, singing, and presents. You were liked us singing to you and seemed to be happy! Christmas was definitely more fun this year as you seemed to have a better grasp of opening presents and playing with new toys.
Some of my favorite things about you right now: you are a copycat of your brother and sister. You especially love doing everything Nolan is doing - making the same noises, playing with the same toys, and running around playing "monster!" with him. You love riding around on your toys with wheels in the house. You aren't pedaling yet, but you are very quick with your feet. You are also pretty good on your scooter in the yard. You laugh a lot and have the cutest little teeth that show when you smile. You say "Paw Patrol" in the cutest little voice and it is definitely your favorite show (if we can get you to sit still for a show). You are a little bit afraid of the fire engines at daddy's work and love to be held while you check them out. You love tractors, balls, legos, cars, and any trinket you can hold on to while we are out and about.
You are wearing size 5 diapers and 2T sized clothes. You are a great eater and love apples, bananas, peaches, blueberries, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pancakes, waffles, yogurt, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, quesadillas, tri tip, cheeseburgers and almost everything else we put in front of you. You are adamant about feeding yourself and have become very independent in the last few months.
You are at a stage where you are repeating everything and talking a lot! If we tell you we love you, you will blow us a kiss. You don't give out kisses for free, so when we do get them - it makes us melt. You are really tough and have had many bumps on your head and will just pop up and keep going. If I had to guess, you are going to grow up with a fun sense of humor, laid back personality, and really love life. You truly make me proud just by being yourself - you are such a special little boy and words cannot express how much you are LOVED.
What a blessing to be along for the ride of watching you grow. I am thankful every single day for you, Cody. I love being your mommy.
Love you forever and ever,
Mama
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Dear Spencer... You are 6 months old!
Spence!
SIX whole months! I can't believe it. This note is a few days late because we celebrated your half a year birthday in beautiful Maui and I had limited access to the computer. We definitely have celebrated you every single day of your life and there is no shortage of love being thrown at you by your family. You smile so easily and are truly a sweet little soul. You are such a happy little chunk!
Speaking of Maui, this month you took your first flights to Kona, Hawaii, then on a little 9-seater Cessna to Maui, and then another flight back home. You did so well on all 3 flights. You never made a fuss and I was so proud of you! You definitely proved you are ready to hang with your family that loves to travel. You also seemed to love being in Hawaii, but mostly I think you loved the constant attention (Gramz & Pops were with us, too) and all of the love you got from us. We put you in the sand for a few pictures and you went down the water slide with pops and your siblings.
You still are not a great sleeper and some nights I am up 4 or more times through out the night with you to eat. I know this is a phase and I would never trade my lack of sleep for the sweet age you are right now. You still love to be carried in the front pack and I stick you in there every day. You also love to be pushed around in the stroller so you can see everything around you.
You tried some solid foods for the first time this month, too. I started with sweet potatoes and with some help from Gramz, you also ate some rice cereal. You love your milk and everyone comments on how chunky you are. I love that you are doing so well with your breastfeeding, still. I am hoping our journey continues and I am grateful that we have made it this far.
You are wearing size 3 diapers - almost size 4 - and size 9 month and 6-12 month clothes. You have beautiful blue eyes and the biggest, widest smile. When you are really smiling big, you open your mouth and squish your eyes. You also have a very loud cry and loud voice - you squeak and squeal and laugh all the time and it is adorable. You have full blown conversations with us and you are very good at making eye contact. Your daddy and I absolutely love when you stare at us.
You have several nicknames, some of which are made up on the spot by your siblings - but we call you Spence, Spencie, Spencie-bear, Spencie-Spence, baby bear, and Pops likes to call you Spanky.
Your siblings are still all crazy about you and want to hold, kiss, and snuggle with you. It's hard to imagine life with out you, Spencer. I love you so, so much and am so grateful that I get to be your mommy.
Love you forever, baby Spence.
Love,
Mama
SIX whole months! I can't believe it. This note is a few days late because we celebrated your half a year birthday in beautiful Maui and I had limited access to the computer. We definitely have celebrated you every single day of your life and there is no shortage of love being thrown at you by your family. You smile so easily and are truly a sweet little soul. You are such a happy little chunk!
Speaking of Maui, this month you took your first flights to Kona, Hawaii, then on a little 9-seater Cessna to Maui, and then another flight back home. You did so well on all 3 flights. You never made a fuss and I was so proud of you! You definitely proved you are ready to hang with your family that loves to travel. You also seemed to love being in Hawaii, but mostly I think you loved the constant attention (Gramz & Pops were with us, too) and all of the love you got from us. We put you in the sand for a few pictures and you went down the water slide with pops and your siblings.
You still are not a great sleeper and some nights I am up 4 or more times through out the night with you to eat. I know this is a phase and I would never trade my lack of sleep for the sweet age you are right now. You still love to be carried in the front pack and I stick you in there every day. You also love to be pushed around in the stroller so you can see everything around you.
You tried some solid foods for the first time this month, too. I started with sweet potatoes and with some help from Gramz, you also ate some rice cereal. You love your milk and everyone comments on how chunky you are. I love that you are doing so well with your breastfeeding, still. I am hoping our journey continues and I am grateful that we have made it this far.
You are wearing size 3 diapers - almost size 4 - and size 9 month and 6-12 month clothes. You have beautiful blue eyes and the biggest, widest smile. When you are really smiling big, you open your mouth and squish your eyes. You also have a very loud cry and loud voice - you squeak and squeal and laugh all the time and it is adorable. You have full blown conversations with us and you are very good at making eye contact. Your daddy and I absolutely love when you stare at us.
You have several nicknames, some of which are made up on the spot by your siblings - but we call you Spence, Spencie, Spencie-bear, Spencie-Spence, baby bear, and Pops likes to call you Spanky.
Your siblings are still all crazy about you and want to hold, kiss, and snuggle with you. It's hard to imagine life with out you, Spencer. I love you so, so much and am so grateful that I get to be your mommy.
Love you forever, baby Spence.
Love,
Mama
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