On Turning Three

My Chaseyboy.

Just as cute as they come.

It's more about his little personality than it is his dashing good looks.

There is just some factor this kid has.

I can't ever put my finger on it.

But it always, always makes me smile.

Chase turned 3 just shy of a month ago. We celebrated his big day out at the lake and it could not have been a more perfect weekend.

3 years ago.......things were starting to heat up in my womb. 

3 years ago......He entered and set our hearts on fire all over again. It's amazing how you think you couldn't love anyone more than you do your first...and then along comes the second.

And then, he is born and you are. just. stopped. All over again. {And not just stopped by the people with their hands in your crotch, pulling and snipping and yanking and all the great things we experience right after the birth-because that is just downright embarrasing}.........but I mean like your heart is just stopped. For a moment it becomes frozen/suspended/no movement. And this new little person just jumps right into your still, unable to beat, heart. Is that why they say, be still my heart? I don't know, but sheesh, that is what it was like for me.

You hold him and kiss him.

And you look at him and you are just rocked.

And then you blink your eyes.

And he turns 3.

And because every little child should wake up to balloons on their birthday, you and your mother in law blow up balloons at wee hours of the morning.

And all he wanted for his birthday cake was blue cupcakes. No special characters. No immaculate train scenes. Nope. Just cupcakes. Just blue. {me likey easy}

it was a cupcake eating.

love fest.

And since his big brother got a cool watery,glittery,magical wand for his birthday......clearly, this was top priority for the three year old. i just adore all his faces.

{not to mention, as i was editing this post, i just realized he totally has his hand up his pants!!! ok, so maybe this explains the faces?????}  www.that'ssonotmykidwithishandsinhispants.com

ahem. moving on.

then his dad had a super fun idea to hide his big present.

because our boys are musical.

an acoustic guitar was a cool choice.

how melted is your heart right now? mine is just a slop of a mess at the sight of this picture. a good mess.

ok for real. was this kid born for the stage?

i can see many a girl falling for this little charmer. however, they will need to just fowgetaboutit.......cuz mama's gonna hold the key to his heart until he is done with college. then we can talk ladies. maybe.

happy third birthday little man.

we love you so so so so much! you just don't even know how cool you are. well, actually you do. but you are even cooler than that. you are just sweet and funny and even caring. your little big brother instinct has really kicked in with Beckett. ok......now that's not to say you aren't mighty naughty with him too.....but when you love him. you just love him. and it's fun to watch. you and leighton are just side kicks. you have your share of fights but really mostly, you two just jive together. you have spent a good portion of your 3rd summer in the sandbox with him. he looks out for you very well. he really loves you. it's pretty impossible to do anything less than love you.

and your orange boots! i can't find a picture at the moment but i am sure i have many. you have been wearing those orange boots since february. you love those things! you look so cute in them. you wore them through rain,sleet,snow and hot hot hot heat. they are just you. i'm sure they are way to small for you by now but you don't care. you just trudge along with them. i love them on you.

you are going to preschool in a few weeks.  leighton will get to be with you during your entire first year of preschool and i adore that. you are so excited to go to preschool! the one big factor in your potty training completion this summer was just that. you worked for your goal and you accomplished it, way ahead of schedule! wahoo!

you are a little boy of curiosity and wonder. 

you are three. you are mine. and you were made to make people smile.

know it. know it well.

love,

your gangsta mommy

Beckett {10 Months}

I'm a tad late {again} on Beckett's monthly update. Hey...at least I got it up IN the same month. That's pretty awesome of me. At 10 months, things around here are getting a little more busy. Wow..this kid can get around. The closest I could get him sitting on his butt in our monthly chair photo was this.

Beckett {9 months}

Oh dear. Where did 9 months go?!! Literally, it feels like yesterday that I was posting pictures of my belly 

as you were growing on the inside. Like HERE. And even posing pictures of you from the actual inside wombal area. Like HERE. 

Imagining what you would be like. Preparing for what you would be. 

After 9 months of getting to know you, what I can say is that you are so much better than I imagined. And it's not so much that I imagined that I wouldn't like you or anything. I just am so.in.love.with.you. (your big brothers must have taught you how to have that effect on me). But, really, you are just a card. You are a buggy wuggy, sweetie peety. I don't know how many ooey gooey words I could use to describe you. 

A LOT. 

Here you are in your monthly month photo. 

Christmas Program 2011

Leighton had his first Christmas program last night! Check out his musical skills! 

His little solo debut on the zylaphone was a complete suprize to us! What a moment! I can't even describe how fun it was to watch him step out from his class and play this by ear. He is quite a musical little boy and has an amazing memory. I love that on the way home, he said, "mom, i love playing that lizaphone!" 

Here he is again showing us his talent! 

More on the program later. In the meantime, we are waterpark bound for a fun family night. Waterslides, lazy rivers and pizza parties, oh my! 

Hope you are all enjoying Christmas!!!! 

Beckett {4 months} & {5 months}

{Four months} 

Wow, the time between 3 and four months flew by so fast I didn't even get the blog post up before 5 months hit! So here we are doing a double whammy. Life is so busy with three little ones that I'm having a hard time remembering what even went on during the fourth month. I'm pretty sure sleeping through the night stopped abruptly. And teething was right there to pick up the free sleep time that I was enjoying. But even with a lack of sleep...it's hard to resist those toothless gums. 

And those toe-jam filled toes.

Wow...Mr. Serious-face. Plus some extra toes.

Streeeetch. 

Wow. You are turning out to be a little charmer. Just like your predecessors. 

{5 months}

Here we are at 5 months. I totally see some cheekage filling outage here. 

Grab those toes. And Look at me balance! 

Holy cute buckets, Batman. 

My little big boy. Growing out of his mom's frame. Of her camera lens.

And just a few iphone shots. All gussied up for a wedding. 

Chew chew smile. Chew chew laugh. Chew chew scream.

So yeah, speaking of screaming. There's a lot of screaming coming out of this little 16 pound wonder these days. It's not so much a cry scream as it is a listen to this guys....."i can scream and squeal louder than any of you can talk" (or louder than any of you can hear yourselves think) for that matter. Really it's cute. Until it starts hurting our ears. Then I just go and kiss him to make him stop. Let's see. Those teeth haven't poked through yet but I swear I saw a teensy tiny bit of white yesterday. The drool and fussing is confirming that fact that we are teething. Just not full force yet. As you could see in the pictures above, Beckett is starting to balance sitting up. It's so funny to watch him topple sideways over onto his side. And he is starting to scoot himself around just a tad. Like last weekend, when he propped up next to his cousin, Helen, he scooted himself from the top of her head down to her feet. Of course, he was ticked so
I think that helped him push a little farther. He also turns a bit and rolls over a lot. Not both ways yet.
He is totally interested in toys and loves hanging out in his exersaucer. Thank you JESUS!!! Oh yeah, and when he is not screaming he is starting to really babble. When he gets upset he says, "maaa, maaaa" and otherwise if we are just talking I can usually get him to mimic a sound like "ahhh, ahhh".  I'm sure i'm forgetting a boat load of other things too.
In the medical arena, he is way over due for his 4 month check up and shots. Bad mommy. Bad mommy. The appointment is scheduled. I'm pretty sure they are gonna tell me that he grew and he is healthy. And then I need to decide what kind of shots I'm gonna let him get. Boo.
Mainly though, he's growing. He's cute. He likes to laugh. He's totally addicted to mommy and I'm totally gonna keep him. For sure.

love,
mommy

Leighton goes to school.

A few weekends ago, Leighton and I had a little backpack hunting date. On our date, not only did we find a super cute backpack, but we made an extra stop at the pet store. And we found this guy. We thought he was pretty darn cool.

Hi.

Then my big boy hit one of his big milestones. First day of preschool! Tear.

The gang.

Here's the cute backpack.

Purchased at the Mac Daddy of baby boutiques. Pout Baby Boutique. Complete with a fun kids

play area so mom.can.shop!!!! Really smart idea. Moms shopping while kids happily play. My total favorite.

Have a great year my little frankenstein. Mom loves you so much!

Oh....and because I am so proud of him and because I love that he goes to a christian school where his teachers love on him and teach him about Jesus.....I had to post this too! Check out these mad verse memorization skills! Thank you to his wonderful, God-loving teachers.

Chase {2 Years}

He's two.

My cute little, twinkle-in-his-eye, used-to-be-my-baby boy is two. {actually, he turned two in July. i'm just a tad bit behind. i can't figure out what who in the world would keep me so busy that i can't keep my blog right up to speed} Wait a minute...yes, I can. It's this guy and his two little cronies! And I love it.

Let me tell you something about Chase. He knows how to do Two. He does Two very well. He's crazy.

And he's all boy. 

Minus his deep love of kitchens and tea parties.

I'm quite certain he's gonna be a ladies man. 

(disclaimer..this little lady is his cousin so he certainly won't be wooing her one day)

Seriously though, we are gonna be in trouble when he is older. Heartbreaker! 

Here's my growing boy on his actual birthday enjoying an ice cream party with us on the deck. He's just so funny, this one.

He knows how to make his mama smile.

And the world smile. 

Need I say more? He's Two. And he's all mine. Ok, and his dads. I'll share. Just a little. 

In the development arena, Chase appears to be doing just great. He talks really really well and very pronounced, just like Leighton. He comprehends more than we want him to for his age. Ha. He can sing the alphabet and count to 20 with just a bit of help. He can pray on his own. But he mostly does now I lay me down to sleep for all prayers. He can sing his favorite lullaby pretty much by himself. He can recite nursery rhymes. He can almost ride his trike without help. He does know how to bargain and whine, which is neat. He does not have a wide pallet of taste buds. Mostly he prefers condiments like

Ranch, ketchup and BBQ sauce. He is on a bit of clumsy spell but he usually just shakes every little

bump and tumble right off. He will go on monster hunts with Leighton and play along pretending quite well. He does not like to share but will sometimes. He is sneaky. He is really looking forward to turning

three so he can chew gum like his big brother. He sneaks up on the cupboards and steals the gum he's not supposed to chew. And permanent markers. And then writes on my beautiful table tops. Mainly, though, he's Two. 

My sweet Chase. It's just hard to find words to describe how much you brighten my day. You have such a unique and fun and sweet little personality. I can't wait to watch you grow and change throughout the years. Well....actually, I can. Let's just take this a little slower, OK? Love you bud.

Love,

mom

Leighton {4 Years}

Being a four year old means.....

waking up to balloons and the sunshine on your birthday. 

It means jumping off of swings like your daddy does.

It means diving into your new dragon pool from Grandma & Grandpa.

It means contemplating your wish before you blow out the candles. 

It means capturing your very first frog. 

It means ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream.

It means knowing how old you are!

It means daddy letting go of your bike for the first time......................tear.tear.sob.

It menas being the very wonderful, one and only, you. 

Oh wow. I think I need to grab a kleenex. My boy is four. And he is so darn good at being four. He rides his bike now like he's 8 and not 4. He works on his letters like he is already in school. He spells his name!! He takes care of his little brothers in a way that makes me so proud. He makes his baby brother light up and smile the biggest gummy smiles ever. He prays so sweetly. He loves his friends. He loves his family. He is funny and tender and smart. He is four.