- St. George Island with Bruce extended family and aunt Jan (climbed to the top of the SGI light house with Hampton, ice cream cones, playing tennis, riding bikes, shell hunting, a visit with the Mica/Edenfield’s, swimming in the pool, beach time)
- Animal Kingdom with Hampton and Carter (loved the rollercoaster and all of the animals and safari)
- Weston Pro Soccer Camp for Hampton. He went for four hours each morning for a week with Austin Clymer and learned lots of new skills.
- Swim lessons with Ms. Mary Dukes for Carter ... he was swimming like a fish in no time!
- South pointe Church vacation bible school ... Hampton didn’t know a soul and had a great time each morning. His friend Joel from church was helping with the Bible school that week and H loved that.
- Hampton, Carter, and Sally Kate went to see “Jumanji” at the Marion Theater. The movie scared them but they ate their weight in popcorn and gummies to make up for it :)
- Hampton played on the summer basketball league at the YMCA with his friends Nash and Kaiden.
- First Presbyterian vacation bible school with a bunch of friends for Hampton ... he loved the theme and learned so much!
- Library story hour with our friend Cooper. Carter and Will loved this!
- Splash pad downtown with our friends Kate, Andrew, Gwen and Nora. The boys spent hours playing in the water ... and eating snacks ;)
- Cousin Camp with Elizabeth and Will and Knox from Nashville
- Cousin Camp with Kingston and Hyatt
- A morning of swimming with cousins Caitlin and Bennett from Richmond
- Lots of fun swimming and play time with SK, Moore, David, and Ann-McLean when they were down from Tallahassee over the summer
- A back to school pool party at Honey’s with lots of school friends a few weeks before H and friends started kindergarten
- Marineland with all three boys to see the dolphins
- Ponte Vedra Inn and Club with the Hagood family (highlight was definitely the kid slide and hunting crabs every night)
- Daily swims in Honey and Granddaddy’s pool
Monday, October 15, 2018
Summer 2018 Memories
Some highlights from our summer ...
Will - 2.5 Years
Will ... at two and a half years old you are full of wonder and hardly miss a beat! You have two big brothers to keep up with, and keep up you do. You have changed so much since I last wrote an update on you at fourteen months old! You spent last summer discovering the joy of the water table and water hose and spent hours outside every day. We also spent a lot of time in the pool and you loved it. When Carter started school last fall (two mornings a week) and Hampton went five mornings a week, we had quite a bit of one on one time. You were my morning buddy and we ran a lot of errands and folded a bunch of clothes and blew a lot of bubbles while your big brothers were at school :)
You were Mr. Smee for Halloween and it was the best costume ever for you, your tummy was on full display and you got quite a few laughs! At 1.5 years of age you went through a definite stage 5 clinger mode and needed me at all times. You always had your arms outstretched to me if I wasn’t holding you and we had a few challenging days. Grin.
Your favorite outdoor activities included playing with your chainsaw, weed eater and blower. Swinging on the swing set and taking wagon rides. You also loved climbing up into the tree fort and I had a few small heart attacks watching you come back down! You loved Christmastime and were so excited to look at Christmas lights and our tree.
Your favorite song to sing was “I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck!” And favorite books at two include: The Big Red Barn, Spot, any Sandra Boynton book, Red Truck, and any book about animals. Your favorite foods include anything I make (you are the BEST eater), chicken nuggets, applesauce and yogurt, gummies, and green beans and cauliflower. You still sleep in your crib with 17 different loveys and blankets and you love to watch Moana, The Greatest Showman, The Lion King, PJ Mask, and any show that features your all time favorite: “the school bus song” (Wheels on the Bus).
Out of all of our kids, you have been our earliest talker. By two, you were talking in full sentences and carrying on conversations with everyone. Your little voice is so cute and all of your “c’s” and “k’s” are “t’s” so cold, Mr. Cody (the horse), because, okay all sound like ... “told”, “Mr. Tody”, “betuzz”, and “otay.” I never want you to start saying them the right way because it’s so cute, but I know you will and my heart will miss this!
For your second birthday, you had a bright orange dino cake with blue candles and an array of friends who came to swim in Honey and Granddaddy’s pool with you and eat pizza. You sang along with everyone else when it was time for the birthday song and you were so proud when we said your name :)
Highlights of your summer included beach trips to St. George Island and Ponte Vedra with your extended family and cousins, fireworks on the 4th of July, a trip to the splash pad and story time at the library. You loved seeing the dolphins at Marineland and playing with Kingston when he came to Ocala and then at the beach.
In August you began school at St. Paul’s as a “doodlebug” with Ms. Bern and Ms. Karla. You have LOVED going to school two mornings a week and love your sweet friends Jax, Rory, Nora, and Leah in your class :) You are so tired when you get home from school and take a good 2+ hour nap every afternoon. You take a snack each day at school and ask me for “applesauce and gummies”, haha. There is not a kid (besides Carter Paul) who loves gummies as much as you! You also LOVE your lunchbox and blue water bottle. You want to carry them non-stop. You have never been a big milk drinker so I’m constantly pushing yogurt and cheese.
You are such a sweetheart, Will. So go with the flow and a friend of everyone. People say all the time, “is he ever NOT smiling?” You are the happiest boy. We love you to the moon and back and then some!!
You were Mr. Smee for Halloween and it was the best costume ever for you, your tummy was on full display and you got quite a few laughs! At 1.5 years of age you went through a definite stage 5 clinger mode and needed me at all times. You always had your arms outstretched to me if I wasn’t holding you and we had a few challenging days. Grin.
Your favorite outdoor activities included playing with your chainsaw, weed eater and blower. Swinging on the swing set and taking wagon rides. You also loved climbing up into the tree fort and I had a few small heart attacks watching you come back down! You loved Christmastime and were so excited to look at Christmas lights and our tree.
Your favorite song to sing was “I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck!” And favorite books at two include: The Big Red Barn, Spot, any Sandra Boynton book, Red Truck, and any book about animals. Your favorite foods include anything I make (you are the BEST eater), chicken nuggets, applesauce and yogurt, gummies, and green beans and cauliflower. You still sleep in your crib with 17 different loveys and blankets and you love to watch Moana, The Greatest Showman, The Lion King, PJ Mask, and any show that features your all time favorite: “the school bus song” (Wheels on the Bus).
Out of all of our kids, you have been our earliest talker. By two, you were talking in full sentences and carrying on conversations with everyone. Your little voice is so cute and all of your “c’s” and “k’s” are “t’s” so cold, Mr. Cody (the horse), because, okay all sound like ... “told”, “Mr. Tody”, “betuzz”, and “otay.” I never want you to start saying them the right way because it’s so cute, but I know you will and my heart will miss this!
For your second birthday, you had a bright orange dino cake with blue candles and an array of friends who came to swim in Honey and Granddaddy’s pool with you and eat pizza. You sang along with everyone else when it was time for the birthday song and you were so proud when we said your name :)
Highlights of your summer included beach trips to St. George Island and Ponte Vedra with your extended family and cousins, fireworks on the 4th of July, a trip to the splash pad and story time at the library. You loved seeing the dolphins at Marineland and playing with Kingston when he came to Ocala and then at the beach.
In August you began school at St. Paul’s as a “doodlebug” with Ms. Bern and Ms. Karla. You have LOVED going to school two mornings a week and love your sweet friends Jax, Rory, Nora, and Leah in your class :) You are so tired when you get home from school and take a good 2+ hour nap every afternoon. You take a snack each day at school and ask me for “applesauce and gummies”, haha. There is not a kid (besides Carter Paul) who loves gummies as much as you! You also LOVE your lunchbox and blue water bottle. You want to carry them non-stop. You have never been a big milk drinker so I’m constantly pushing yogurt and cheese.
You are such a sweetheart, Will. So go with the flow and a friend of everyone. People say all the time, “is he ever NOT smiling?” You are the happiest boy. We love you to the moon and back and then some!!
Hampton - 5.5 Years
In August of last year you began (what we thought at the time) would be your final year at St. Paul’s. You were an “Owl” in Ms. Jessica and Ms. Mandy’s class and what an amazing year you had. Your teachers absolutely loved you and you loved them in return. Ms. Jessica always talked about “your stories” and your little southern accent, ha! You loved your friends Miles, Holden, Robert and Nash and reserved a very special place in your heart for a little girl named Ellie Jo. Ellie had you wrapped and told me on every occasion, “Hampton’s mommy, I’m going to marry Hampton!” Ellie Jo was sort of the ‘mayor’ of the class and spoke on authority :) You all had so much fun! Every milestone at St. Paul’s in your VPK year met with a tinge of sadness as we thought you’d soon be leaving this special, magical school for kindergarten elsewhere ...
Soon after school began, Hurricane Irma whipped through Ocala and left us without water and power for ten days. We made the decision right before the hurricane hit to head north and evacuate and it was the best decision! We stopped in Birmingham to hang with aunt Loren and uncle Matt and then went on to Memphis where we spent a fun-filled week with Grammy and Poppy and our many friends. A highlight for you was riding the camel with Carter at the Memphis Zoo.
You continued playing t-ball through the fall on Coach Matt (Fabian’s) team and had a great time. The early morning games were the best! We took a much anticipated trip to the pumpkin patch and you were SO excited to carve a pumpkin with your dad. You were Captain Hook for Halloween, Carter was Peter Pan and Will was Mr. Smee. You were all about trick or treating and Granddaddy attached a hayride to the rhino which we rode all over Grandmommy’s neighborhood. So fun and you all had a great time!
In late November we put up our Christmas tree and you told me at least ten times as we were putting it up, “I love Christmas, mommy!” Boy after my own heart. All you wanted for Christmas was transformers and Santa definitely came through! You told your brothers all Christmas season long if anyone was disobeying or having a tantrum that Brucey the elf was watching! Your dad and I joked that Brucey should stay all year because the three of you were angels the month of Decemember, haha. You love singing and practiced your songs for the SPCS Christmas program non-stop.
For your 5th birthday, we surprised you with a trip to the Magic Kingdom. You really began asking to go in the year leading up 5 and we knew it was time. You woke up the morning of our trip and had no idea where we were going until you saw the map and balloons on the table. You were SO excited and began telling Carter what was going on. You are a lover of roller coasters and you had a few meltdowns when you learned that wait times at Disney are two hours per coaster. Yikes. Overall you loved it and I think besides riding Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain, your favorite part was watching the parade and shows with Carter. We also did the annual birthday bunch party with your six friends all born within six weeks of you ... we rented a bounce house and ordered pizza and you all had a big time!
You started playing soccer for the first time in the spring and you were the star player ... and also a ball hog, ha! You loved to score goals and were relentless at pursuing the ball and scoring. It was a successful first season, for sure. You also learned to ride your bike without training wheels in the spring and we were so proud of you. You’re still mastering the art of turning without wrecking in the bushes, but you’ll get there :)
In May you graduated from St. Paul’s and your graduation ceremony was the sweetest. You were picked with a few others to lead the song, “One Small Voice.” And you did such a great job!! When Ms. Kelly the director said what each student wanted to be when they grew up upon handing out diplomas, your answer was, “just like my daddy.” Your most favorite part about graduation, however, was post graduation ... water day! You’ve asked me every day since when you’re having another one!
Your special summer memories included a trip to St. George Island with the Bruce family (you loved playing tennis with Poppy and climbing to the top of the lighthouse with me), Weston soccer camp, the First Presbyterian and Crosspointe VBS’s, a trip to Animal Kingdom and Marineland, playing basketball at the YMCA with Nash and Kaiden, watching “Jumanji” at the Marion Theater, having your cousins visit from Tennessee, and a trip to Ponte Vedra where you fell head over heels with hunting crabs every night with Granddaddy.
After months of praying and trying to figure out where you would attend kindergarten, a spot opened up on the waitlist of St Paul’s. I cried tears of relief and joy knowing you’d be there again. Three weeks after we received the news, you began your first day of kindergarten ...
Ms. Karli and Ms. Christina are your teachers this year, along with Pastor Robert (your Spanish teacher). You are learning and growing by leaps and bounds and it’s only the beginning of the year! So far you have mastered around fifty sight words and can sound out other words fairly easily. I’m so proud of you and all you are learning! You just finished up your second soccer season on the Purple Rhinos team and you’re about to begin your first of flag football on Friday nights.
You are a joy, Hampton. I love that you love music and learning, that your favorite thing to eat is still a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios, that you are kind to your friends and say good morning and the name of every person you pass on your way to school each day.
To the moon and back, you are so loved!
Soon after school began, Hurricane Irma whipped through Ocala and left us without water and power for ten days. We made the decision right before the hurricane hit to head north and evacuate and it was the best decision! We stopped in Birmingham to hang with aunt Loren and uncle Matt and then went on to Memphis where we spent a fun-filled week with Grammy and Poppy and our many friends. A highlight for you was riding the camel with Carter at the Memphis Zoo.
You continued playing t-ball through the fall on Coach Matt (Fabian’s) team and had a great time. The early morning games were the best! We took a much anticipated trip to the pumpkin patch and you were SO excited to carve a pumpkin with your dad. You were Captain Hook for Halloween, Carter was Peter Pan and Will was Mr. Smee. You were all about trick or treating and Granddaddy attached a hayride to the rhino which we rode all over Grandmommy’s neighborhood. So fun and you all had a great time!
In late November we put up our Christmas tree and you told me at least ten times as we were putting it up, “I love Christmas, mommy!” Boy after my own heart. All you wanted for Christmas was transformers and Santa definitely came through! You told your brothers all Christmas season long if anyone was disobeying or having a tantrum that Brucey the elf was watching! Your dad and I joked that Brucey should stay all year because the three of you were angels the month of Decemember, haha. You love singing and practiced your songs for the SPCS Christmas program non-stop.
For your 5th birthday, we surprised you with a trip to the Magic Kingdom. You really began asking to go in the year leading up 5 and we knew it was time. You woke up the morning of our trip and had no idea where we were going until you saw the map and balloons on the table. You were SO excited and began telling Carter what was going on. You are a lover of roller coasters and you had a few meltdowns when you learned that wait times at Disney are two hours per coaster. Yikes. Overall you loved it and I think besides riding Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain, your favorite part was watching the parade and shows with Carter. We also did the annual birthday bunch party with your six friends all born within six weeks of you ... we rented a bounce house and ordered pizza and you all had a big time!
You started playing soccer for the first time in the spring and you were the star player ... and also a ball hog, ha! You loved to score goals and were relentless at pursuing the ball and scoring. It was a successful first season, for sure. You also learned to ride your bike without training wheels in the spring and we were so proud of you. You’re still mastering the art of turning without wrecking in the bushes, but you’ll get there :)
In May you graduated from St. Paul’s and your graduation ceremony was the sweetest. You were picked with a few others to lead the song, “One Small Voice.” And you did such a great job!! When Ms. Kelly the director said what each student wanted to be when they grew up upon handing out diplomas, your answer was, “just like my daddy.” Your most favorite part about graduation, however, was post graduation ... water day! You’ve asked me every day since when you’re having another one!
Your special summer memories included a trip to St. George Island with the Bruce family (you loved playing tennis with Poppy and climbing to the top of the lighthouse with me), Weston soccer camp, the First Presbyterian and Crosspointe VBS’s, a trip to Animal Kingdom and Marineland, playing basketball at the YMCA with Nash and Kaiden, watching “Jumanji” at the Marion Theater, having your cousins visit from Tennessee, and a trip to Ponte Vedra where you fell head over heels with hunting crabs every night with Granddaddy.
After months of praying and trying to figure out where you would attend kindergarten, a spot opened up on the waitlist of St Paul’s. I cried tears of relief and joy knowing you’d be there again. Three weeks after we received the news, you began your first day of kindergarten ...
Ms. Karli and Ms. Christina are your teachers this year, along with Pastor Robert (your Spanish teacher). You are learning and growing by leaps and bounds and it’s only the beginning of the year! So far you have mastered around fifty sight words and can sound out other words fairly easily. I’m so proud of you and all you are learning! You just finished up your second soccer season on the Purple Rhinos team and you’re about to begin your first of flag football on Friday nights.
You are a joy, Hampton. I love that you love music and learning, that your favorite thing to eat is still a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios, that you are kind to your friends and say good morning and the name of every person you pass on your way to school each day.
To the moon and back, you are so loved!
Sunday, October 14, 2018
Carter - 3.5 Years
Carter ... this is technically being written the month before you turn four years old, but it makes me feel better (eek!) if I say you’re 3.5 years old. Time flies when you’re having fun and I need to write these little updates before I forget what an absolutely magical year this has been with you.
Last August (a little over a year ago), you began school at St. Paul’s Christian School. You were a “Busy Bee” and had Ms. Courtney and Ms. Cathy as your teachers. You loved the playground, snack time and your friends Cooper and Gwen! Hampton had been a little timid going into school for the first time but we joked that you marched right in and never looked back. It was a little easier for us to leave you because we knew you wanted to be just like your big brother and you were so ready for school. For Halloween you were Peter Pan and there was no looking back ... from that day onward (until this very day), you have worn your Peter Pan costume non-stop. I have washed that ratty thing so many times at this point (at least once a day!!) and you wear it to play, to the store, to run errands. You don’t dress up as Peter Pan, you become him. You won’t answer to Carter when you are in costume - only Peter Pan!! HA! You make a sword out of anything ... stick, brush, duster, etc. And you fight battles with Captain Hook on the daily. Your favorite movie over the past year was Hook and you wore it out!
For your third birthday, we had a morning party at the St. Paul’s playground. We had donuts and chocolate milk and some sweet friends to come play with you! You were smack in the middle of a viral cold/fever and were a little under the weather but you still had fun. Your actual birthday fell on Thanksgiving Day and we celebrated in Birmingham with all of the Bruce extended family. Uncle Stephen gave you a red scooter and you were in love!!
The Christmas season brought new levels of excitement in our home. I’m pretty certain you and Hampton were up by 5 a.m. every single morning to find Brucey the elf and see what tricks he was up to and if he had left you candy. The Bruce family was here for Christmas and so was cousin Kingston. We had a lot of fun playing with him for the ten days they were home from Nashville! You received so many toys but your favorites were the tractor you received from Santa and all of the farm animals. You played and played and played with those little animals and that tractor. Granddaddy began taking you and your brothers across the street to see “Mr. Cody” the horse and you were obsessed with going to visit him and feed him so hay.
In February we surprised you and Hampton (for Hampton’s 5th birthday) with a two day trip to the Magic Kingdom. We stayed in a hotel which was equally as thrilling as the mouse house for you two. You loved riding the elevators and watching cartoons in bed. Your favorite part about the Magic Kingdom was meeting Peter Pan (you had on your Peter Pan costume too), the parade and shows. You were a little shy about meeting most of the characters but had no problem with Peter Pan. You kept asking him, “Where your sword??” Over the course of our first day, you ate two Mickey Mouse ice creams and French fries for lunch and thought you’d won the lottery.
You love, LOVE the color green ... you still drag your green blanket around, want to wear green underwear every day, like Peter Pan, and say that green beans are your favorite because ... uh, green :)
I hope you never stop saying “betuzz” (because). It’s the cutest. You are still the most dominant of our children ... you have an opinion about everything and if I say up, you say down, if I say go, you say stop. Getting dressed is a three-ringed circus because you have a definite idea about what you will and won’t wear (down to the underwear!). As dominant and strong-willed as you are, you are a total lover. So tender and sweet, especially to your momma. You love to get in my lap with your green blanket and snuggle and definitely want to be with me when you wake up from your nap.
Our summer held so many memories for you all, but special highlights for you included ... watching The Greatest Showman movie on repeat (and pretending you WERE the greatest showman!) ... you have some real song and dance moves and entertained s every night on your fireplace stage, a trip to St. George Island with the Bruce family, a day adventure to Animal Kingdom in Orlando, a trip to Ponte Vedra Inn & Club with all of the Hagoods (you loved being with your cousins and catching crabs every night!), a trip to Marineland, swim lessons with Ms. Mary Dukes, the splash pad with friends, and lots of visits from cousins. We went swimming nearly every day and played outside all summer long!
You started back to school the end of August as a “Bookworm” with Ms. Keri and Ms. Tami. Ms. Keri told me a few weeks ago that you all were going to make sheep one day, and you told her, “I don’t like sheep...I’m making a HORSE!” Haha. She also noticed you putting small rocks in your mourth during circle time and when she questioned you, you said, “I’m pretending it’s gum!”
Your favorite things to eat are macaroni and cheese, pizza, scrambled eggs, blueberry waffles, potatoes and French fries of any kind and CANDY. I’m still helping you brush your teeth because I’m partly scared of you getting cavities! You will eat fruits and vegetables too, but depending on your mood it can become a real tug of war.
I love you to the moon and back, Carter Paul Bruce. You make life SO fun!
Last August (a little over a year ago), you began school at St. Paul’s Christian School. You were a “Busy Bee” and had Ms. Courtney and Ms. Cathy as your teachers. You loved the playground, snack time and your friends Cooper and Gwen! Hampton had been a little timid going into school for the first time but we joked that you marched right in and never looked back. It was a little easier for us to leave you because we knew you wanted to be just like your big brother and you were so ready for school. For Halloween you were Peter Pan and there was no looking back ... from that day onward (until this very day), you have worn your Peter Pan costume non-stop. I have washed that ratty thing so many times at this point (at least once a day!!) and you wear it to play, to the store, to run errands. You don’t dress up as Peter Pan, you become him. You won’t answer to Carter when you are in costume - only Peter Pan!! HA! You make a sword out of anything ... stick, brush, duster, etc. And you fight battles with Captain Hook on the daily. Your favorite movie over the past year was Hook and you wore it out!
For your third birthday, we had a morning party at the St. Paul’s playground. We had donuts and chocolate milk and some sweet friends to come play with you! You were smack in the middle of a viral cold/fever and were a little under the weather but you still had fun. Your actual birthday fell on Thanksgiving Day and we celebrated in Birmingham with all of the Bruce extended family. Uncle Stephen gave you a red scooter and you were in love!!
The Christmas season brought new levels of excitement in our home. I’m pretty certain you and Hampton were up by 5 a.m. every single morning to find Brucey the elf and see what tricks he was up to and if he had left you candy. The Bruce family was here for Christmas and so was cousin Kingston. We had a lot of fun playing with him for the ten days they were home from Nashville! You received so many toys but your favorites were the tractor you received from Santa and all of the farm animals. You played and played and played with those little animals and that tractor. Granddaddy began taking you and your brothers across the street to see “Mr. Cody” the horse and you were obsessed with going to visit him and feed him so hay.
In February we surprised you and Hampton (for Hampton’s 5th birthday) with a two day trip to the Magic Kingdom. We stayed in a hotel which was equally as thrilling as the mouse house for you two. You loved riding the elevators and watching cartoons in bed. Your favorite part about the Magic Kingdom was meeting Peter Pan (you had on your Peter Pan costume too), the parade and shows. You were a little shy about meeting most of the characters but had no problem with Peter Pan. You kept asking him, “Where your sword??” Over the course of our first day, you ate two Mickey Mouse ice creams and French fries for lunch and thought you’d won the lottery.
You love, LOVE the color green ... you still drag your green blanket around, want to wear green underwear every day, like Peter Pan, and say that green beans are your favorite because ... uh, green :)
I hope you never stop saying “betuzz” (because). It’s the cutest. You are still the most dominant of our children ... you have an opinion about everything and if I say up, you say down, if I say go, you say stop. Getting dressed is a three-ringed circus because you have a definite idea about what you will and won’t wear (down to the underwear!). As dominant and strong-willed as you are, you are a total lover. So tender and sweet, especially to your momma. You love to get in my lap with your green blanket and snuggle and definitely want to be with me when you wake up from your nap.
Our summer held so many memories for you all, but special highlights for you included ... watching The Greatest Showman movie on repeat (and pretending you WERE the greatest showman!) ... you have some real song and dance moves and entertained s every night on your fireplace stage, a trip to St. George Island with the Bruce family, a day adventure to Animal Kingdom in Orlando, a trip to Ponte Vedra Inn & Club with all of the Hagoods (you loved being with your cousins and catching crabs every night!), a trip to Marineland, swim lessons with Ms. Mary Dukes, the splash pad with friends, and lots of visits from cousins. We went swimming nearly every day and played outside all summer long!
You started back to school the end of August as a “Bookworm” with Ms. Keri and Ms. Tami. Ms. Keri told me a few weeks ago that you all were going to make sheep one day, and you told her, “I don’t like sheep...I’m making a HORSE!” Haha. She also noticed you putting small rocks in your mourth during circle time and when she questioned you, you said, “I’m pretending it’s gum!”
Your favorite things to eat are macaroni and cheese, pizza, scrambled eggs, blueberry waffles, potatoes and French fries of any kind and CANDY. I’m still helping you brush your teeth because I’m partly scared of you getting cavities! You will eat fruits and vegetables too, but depending on your mood it can become a real tug of war.
I love you to the moon and back, Carter Paul Bruce. You make life SO fun!
Friday, June 30, 2017
Hampton - 4.5 Years
Hampton ... it has been such a joy to parent you. Last August, you started the K-3 program at St. Paul's Christian School as a "bookworm" and had the most wonderful year with Ms. Keri and Ms. Christina. Before your first week of school I took you on a "date" to buy some school supplies. We went to breakfast, as you had requested we go anywhere you could get some lemonade :) We went to First Watch and you wanted to hold my hand in the parking lot so a car wouldn't run me over. When we got to the sidewalk (with no car in sight) you said, "phew! that was so close!!" You told the waitress that your chocolate chip pancake was "so awesome" and told me as we left, "I take you on a date because I love you so much, mommy!!"
The fall brought many firsts for you, among them, your very first gator game at Ben Hill Griffin stadium! It was hot and raining and by the time the band left the field before kick off you were begging daddy and granddaddy to "go home" - hahaha. Granddaddy loaded you up on boiled peanuts and hot dogs and you lasted until half time. You are enthralled with dinosaurs and super heroes and wanted to be a t-rex for Halloween. You love to affirm and one night while you were eating your ever gourmet dinner of mac and cheese and apple slices you said, "you are such a good COOKER, mommy!" My all time favorite was the night I was tucking you in and you leaned over and whispered, "I won't ever let anything happen to you, mommy ... I won't let those bad guys get you!" Be still my heart :)
You love to talk about God and pray and whenever you see a rainbow you exclaim, "look! God's promise!!" You sing all of the songs you learn at St. Paul's and in each program at school you are front and center with the motions and knowing every word to every song. You don't have a bit of stage fright and when you march down the aisle to your place on the stage you wave to every family member you see and say, "hi mommy! hi daddy! hi Carter! hi Honey! hi Granddaddy! etc. etc.
On your fourth birthday, after back to back stomach flus, you landed in the emergency room for dehydration. Your little body just couldn't take any more. They gave you IV fluids and got your levels back up and sent you home on a toast and Gatorade diet. Not exactly the way we wanted to spend the day, but we were thankful to have you on the road to wellness and recovery! Your birthday party was held a week later at bounce n play with your play group and you all had the best time running, jumping, eating pizza and cake. I think about 50-60 kids were in attendance ... go big or go home!
The one thing you wanted to do more than anything in life as you approached four - was to ride a roller coaster (you even told your teacher this when she posed the question, what do you want to do when you grow up?). You were always too small and didn't meet the height requirement, but for your fourth birthday we went to Legoland and you met the requirement! We thought you'd be terrified to go upside down and so fast, but you absolutely LOVED it. We rode that coaster at least four times because you were so excited!
You started t-ball in the spring ... #10 on the Cardinals and you really loved it. You would chase down the ball in the infield and yell to us when you got it in your glove, "I got the ball!!! I got the ball!" It was a great first season. You love to ride your bike (and fast!), drive your jeep around, make mud pies, look for bugs, pray before dinner and bedtime, talk about SeaWorld, talk about fireworks (we count down the days/weeks/months until 4th of July), eat shells and cheese and honey nut cheerios, build legos and train tracks, and be a big brother. You are a fish in the pool and love to practice your super hero jumps in the deep end and belly flops. You all love when daddy comes home at night and you all run to him! He plays tackle with you or wrestles with you and you eat it up.
You attended your first vacation bible school at First Presbyterian this summer and the week after said, "mom, I miss that vbs..." You love Moana, Up, anything super hero or dinosaur related in the movie realm, and Garfield. You still sleep with shamu at night and take a nap during the day because I lay down with you for a few minutes to get you settled.
We love you to the moon and back, Hampton!
The fall brought many firsts for you, among them, your very first gator game at Ben Hill Griffin stadium! It was hot and raining and by the time the band left the field before kick off you were begging daddy and granddaddy to "go home" - hahaha. Granddaddy loaded you up on boiled peanuts and hot dogs and you lasted until half time. You are enthralled with dinosaurs and super heroes and wanted to be a t-rex for Halloween. You love to affirm and one night while you were eating your ever gourmet dinner of mac and cheese and apple slices you said, "you are such a good COOKER, mommy!" My all time favorite was the night I was tucking you in and you leaned over and whispered, "I won't ever let anything happen to you, mommy ... I won't let those bad guys get you!" Be still my heart :)
You love to talk about God and pray and whenever you see a rainbow you exclaim, "look! God's promise!!" You sing all of the songs you learn at St. Paul's and in each program at school you are front and center with the motions and knowing every word to every song. You don't have a bit of stage fright and when you march down the aisle to your place on the stage you wave to every family member you see and say, "hi mommy! hi daddy! hi Carter! hi Honey! hi Granddaddy! etc. etc.
On your fourth birthday, after back to back stomach flus, you landed in the emergency room for dehydration. Your little body just couldn't take any more. They gave you IV fluids and got your levels back up and sent you home on a toast and Gatorade diet. Not exactly the way we wanted to spend the day, but we were thankful to have you on the road to wellness and recovery! Your birthday party was held a week later at bounce n play with your play group and you all had the best time running, jumping, eating pizza and cake. I think about 50-60 kids were in attendance ... go big or go home!
The one thing you wanted to do more than anything in life as you approached four - was to ride a roller coaster (you even told your teacher this when she posed the question, what do you want to do when you grow up?). You were always too small and didn't meet the height requirement, but for your fourth birthday we went to Legoland and you met the requirement! We thought you'd be terrified to go upside down and so fast, but you absolutely LOVED it. We rode that coaster at least four times because you were so excited!
You started t-ball in the spring ... #10 on the Cardinals and you really loved it. You would chase down the ball in the infield and yell to us when you got it in your glove, "I got the ball!!! I got the ball!" It was a great first season. You love to ride your bike (and fast!), drive your jeep around, make mud pies, look for bugs, pray before dinner and bedtime, talk about SeaWorld, talk about fireworks (we count down the days/weeks/months until 4th of July), eat shells and cheese and honey nut cheerios, build legos and train tracks, and be a big brother. You are a fish in the pool and love to practice your super hero jumps in the deep end and belly flops. You all love when daddy comes home at night and you all run to him! He plays tackle with you or wrestles with you and you eat it up.
You attended your first vacation bible school at First Presbyterian this summer and the week after said, "mom, I miss that vbs..." You love Moana, Up, anything super hero or dinosaur related in the movie realm, and Garfield. You still sleep with shamu at night and take a nap during the day because I lay down with you for a few minutes to get you settled.
We love you to the moon and back, Hampton!
Carter - 2.5 Years
Carter Paul ... when people meet you they immediately love you. Your little smile and batting of the eyelashes and overall charm has won you a lot of friends and admirers! You have had a huge year in growth and development! You love to sing and play musical instruments. When uncle Michael grabs the guitar, you grab your (fake) microphone and belt it out Whitney Houston style (Wheels on the Bus is your all time favorite, but you have a wide repertoire these days ... you are currently singing My God is #1).
While Hampton was in school, you helped me run errands (Will too). You loved to go to Publix (and often when I leave you with a babysitter you'll say, "Publix, mommy?"). You also began to really love to brush your teeth around the time you turned two and went around with a toothbrush hanging out of your mouth a lot of the time. You got in a fight with a wasp nest and got stung four times while playing outside and afterward if you saw anything from a gnat to a dragonfly you yelled, "WASSSPPPPP!!" On total red alert :) Your great love for your beloved green blanket (adult sized that you adopted as your own) cannot be matched. You call it your "ho-ho" (not sure) or your "bank-et". Anytime it's time for bed you say, "where ho-ho go?" or "where my bank-et, mommy???" It's kind of hilarious :)
Christmastime rolled in quickly and you were terrified of Santa. I put you on his lap with your brothers because the documentation has to happen and the terror on your face escalated quickly. You lasted about 12 seconds, but we have a lifetime in laughs from the 20 pictures we snapped in that short time! Ha! You are also a little apprehensive of dogs (big and small), but climbing high up in the fort, dangling from trees, holding live spiders, etc. equals absolutely no fear for you! You are beginning to get into the spirit of Christmas and definitely feed off Hampton's excitement because he's all in. You loved the lights, the food, the family and friends, the tree, the toys, the cookies! We made so many great memories.
A few weeks after the holiday season, we moved baby Will out of our room and into the crib in the nursery ... and moved you out of the crib in the nursery and into the other twin bed in Hampton's room ... your new big boy room. Night 1 was bad, my friend. For nearly three hours you escaped that bed, screamed and wailed, jumped into Hampton's bed (woke him up so that he screamed and wailed...), repeat. But on night 2, you got the picture. And began to abide by the rules of staying in your bed and sleeping :) Now you're a pro! Although it usually takes you and Hampton a good hour to settle in and actually sleep. Too fun to talk to each other and throw stuffed animals from one bed to the other with the lights off :)
February was a rough month ... you had the stomach flu and landed in the ER two weekends in a row (one weekend you twisted your ankle at Hampton's birthday party (on the bounce house) and you had an x-ray for a possible break, the next weekend you slipped in the bath and busted your chin on the ledge ... bring on the dermabond).
The spring and summer brought LOTS of time outside. You love to swing, run, play in water, play with the blower ("blow blow") and the green broom, and get dirty. You are constantly saying, "watch, mommy!" or "look tam-ton! look!" (Hampton) You love to watch Harry the Bunny and the Mother Goose Club. Santa brought you a little red tricycle for Christmas and you love to ride it (though you don't use the peddles, just your feet - Fred Flinstone style!).You were potty trained in June and seem to be doing well ... and you also started swimming lessons with Mrs. Mary Dukes in June. Your favorite thing about swimming is wearing goggles and "diving" for rings on the steps. All of the under water business brought on a middle ear and swimmer's ear infection which made you miserable, but after a few days of antibiotics you were on the mend! You love friends (especially all of Hampton's friends ... Robert Hart is your hero), but Gwen Stevens and Sadie Lane top the cake. Favorite snacks are "do-gurt" (yogurt), raspberries, crackers, or CHIPS! (which you only get on special occasions) You mostly like to be naked, find bugs in the dirt, run around with sticks, and eat sweets.
We couldn't love you more if we tried. xoxo
While Hampton was in school, you helped me run errands (Will too). You loved to go to Publix (and often when I leave you with a babysitter you'll say, "Publix, mommy?"). You also began to really love to brush your teeth around the time you turned two and went around with a toothbrush hanging out of your mouth a lot of the time. You got in a fight with a wasp nest and got stung four times while playing outside and afterward if you saw anything from a gnat to a dragonfly you yelled, "WASSSPPPPP!!" On total red alert :) Your great love for your beloved green blanket (adult sized that you adopted as your own) cannot be matched. You call it your "ho-ho" (not sure) or your "bank-et". Anytime it's time for bed you say, "where ho-ho go?" or "where my bank-et, mommy???" It's kind of hilarious :)
Christmastime rolled in quickly and you were terrified of Santa. I put you on his lap with your brothers because the documentation has to happen and the terror on your face escalated quickly. You lasted about 12 seconds, but we have a lifetime in laughs from the 20 pictures we snapped in that short time! Ha! You are also a little apprehensive of dogs (big and small), but climbing high up in the fort, dangling from trees, holding live spiders, etc. equals absolutely no fear for you! You are beginning to get into the spirit of Christmas and definitely feed off Hampton's excitement because he's all in. You loved the lights, the food, the family and friends, the tree, the toys, the cookies! We made so many great memories.
A few weeks after the holiday season, we moved baby Will out of our room and into the crib in the nursery ... and moved you out of the crib in the nursery and into the other twin bed in Hampton's room ... your new big boy room. Night 1 was bad, my friend. For nearly three hours you escaped that bed, screamed and wailed, jumped into Hampton's bed (woke him up so that he screamed and wailed...), repeat. But on night 2, you got the picture. And began to abide by the rules of staying in your bed and sleeping :) Now you're a pro! Although it usually takes you and Hampton a good hour to settle in and actually sleep. Too fun to talk to each other and throw stuffed animals from one bed to the other with the lights off :)
February was a rough month ... you had the stomach flu and landed in the ER two weekends in a row (one weekend you twisted your ankle at Hampton's birthday party (on the bounce house) and you had an x-ray for a possible break, the next weekend you slipped in the bath and busted your chin on the ledge ... bring on the dermabond).
The spring and summer brought LOTS of time outside. You love to swing, run, play in water, play with the blower ("blow blow") and the green broom, and get dirty. You are constantly saying, "watch, mommy!" or "look tam-ton! look!" (Hampton) You love to watch Harry the Bunny and the Mother Goose Club. Santa brought you a little red tricycle for Christmas and you love to ride it (though you don't use the peddles, just your feet - Fred Flinstone style!).You were potty trained in June and seem to be doing well ... and you also started swimming lessons with Mrs. Mary Dukes in June. Your favorite thing about swimming is wearing goggles and "diving" for rings on the steps. All of the under water business brought on a middle ear and swimmer's ear infection which made you miserable, but after a few days of antibiotics you were on the mend! You love friends (especially all of Hampton's friends ... Robert Hart is your hero), but Gwen Stevens and Sadie Lane top the cake. Favorite snacks are "do-gurt" (yogurt), raspberries, crackers, or CHIPS! (which you only get on special occasions) You mostly like to be naked, find bugs in the dirt, run around with sticks, and eat sweets.
We couldn't love you more if we tried. xoxo
Will - Fourteen Months
You are at such a fun little stage ... you walk everywhere now, drink from a cup, and eat everything we eat (you love to eat!) ... you sleep 12 hours at night and nap anywhere from 2-3 hours a day. You can wave bye-bye, blow kisses, throw and kick balls, dance, clap, do the motions to the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" (your favorite song). Your words on repeat are da-da, cheese, and juice, ha! You just moved up from the infant room (in the church nursery) to the one year old/toddler room and you love playing with all of the other kids! The best is when I come to pick you up and you see me through the window and start smiling and clapping ...SO sweet :) You haven't really been sick since we had tubes put in your ears (praise!), but you are currently fighting off a summer cold. We have been outside a ton this summer and you love to splash, play in the water table, play with the hose, and get dirty. Your favorite snacks are cheese sticks and bananas. You also love, love watermelon. When I read to your big brothers you are becoming more and more interested and want to touch books like Pat the Bunny and That's not my Train! You love to follow your brothers around, push Carter out of the cozy coupe car and steal his trains, go on rides with Granddaddy, and tackle your daddy at night. I could eat you up with those chubby arms and legs, rosy red cheeks, and thick hair. We love you, Will!
Thursday, May 18, 2017
One Year - Will
William Lane,
Your birthday is the happiest day of our lives. I will probably write this on every birthday card or letter your will ever receive, just as I have written it on your big brothers'. Because more than anything, it's just true.
There is so much about your first year of life that if I didn't have documented, I would not remember. It was the fastest, craziest year ever ... and somehow, still so, so wonderful. You were such an angel in those first few weeks of your life ... sleeping in my arms and just taking in everything and everyone around you. I wanted time to stand still in those early mornings and late afternoons so that I could drink you in just a little bit more. I'm so thankful that I wrote things down and that I took pictures and videos because it was bedlam most of the time. Three boys in three years is a wild ride, and from sun up to sun down (and then some) it was go, go, go.
I was so emotional in the weeks leading up to your birthday because you are the baby. Never again would we do any of these tiny baby things and it can put a lump in your throat quicker than anything when that realization hits home. On the morning of your birthday, you woke up to pomp and circumstance from some wildly excited brothers ready to sing to you. For your breakfast, you had blueberry waffles and wore your blue birthday hat and then mid-morning we headed to Chick-fil-a with Nash and Robert and Elizabeth (your older brothers' friends - because this is what happens with the third baby) and you all played on the playground and ate 700 French fries and a few chicken nuggets and Ms. Casey introduced you to ice cream (which you loooooved) and then we went home for naps. We had another par-tay around dinner when your Honey and Granddaddy and uncle Stephen came over for Latinos and cupcakes. You received a dump truck from your cousin Kingston which lights up and makes noise and you haven't put it down yet. Kingston turned one six days before you and you gave him a dump truck too. Great minds think alike :)
Several days after your birthday we had your Peter Rabbit birthday brunch with family (and Holly, Sally Kate and Moore) and you had so much fun! You weren't really into the whole smash the cake thing, but you laughed repeatedly at Hampton sticking his finger into your cake and licking it off. Such a fun celebration!!
As chill as you were the first six months of your life, the next six months brought chronic ear infections and a whole lot of sickness (thank you older bros!) your way. So much in fact that a few weeks before you turned one, you had surgery to insert tubes in your ears. You were either sick or recovering from sick and add in the fact that you got all of your teeth (except 2nd year molars and a few others) by the time you were one and you were a whole lot of miserable. We held you a lot and gave you baby advil a lot and took lots (and lots!) of walks outside (the only time you were happy when sick). We are grateful for Dr. Jiron and hopeful that you are now on the road to wellness!
At one, you can wave bye-bye, take steps (still crawling just as much as walking, but definitely getting very close!), say da-da (on repeat), drink and feed yourself, dance to music, kick your legs when you think you're about to get either a waffle or mac and cheese, and play chase with your brothers (you crawl around after them, they scream, and you laugh and laugh). You are not a big fan of baths or showers, but you love to splash in the water table outside and play with the hose.
I love your little rosy cheeks and thick, dark hair. I love the way your little chubby feet look like sausages and when you're sitting in just your diaper how you look like a baby Buddha. I love the way you laugh and how excited you get when you see me come in in the mornings to pick you up from your crib. You bring so much joy to our family and you are the perfect caboose. I can't wait to see how you grow and develop in this next year and I can't wait to see all of the ways that God will use your little life for His glory and your good. I pray you know how deep and how wide His love is. And how very much we love you too.
To the moon and back,
momma
Your birthday is the happiest day of our lives. I will probably write this on every birthday card or letter your will ever receive, just as I have written it on your big brothers'. Because more than anything, it's just true.
There is so much about your first year of life that if I didn't have documented, I would not remember. It was the fastest, craziest year ever ... and somehow, still so, so wonderful. You were such an angel in those first few weeks of your life ... sleeping in my arms and just taking in everything and everyone around you. I wanted time to stand still in those early mornings and late afternoons so that I could drink you in just a little bit more. I'm so thankful that I wrote things down and that I took pictures and videos because it was bedlam most of the time. Three boys in three years is a wild ride, and from sun up to sun down (and then some) it was go, go, go.
I was so emotional in the weeks leading up to your birthday because you are the baby. Never again would we do any of these tiny baby things and it can put a lump in your throat quicker than anything when that realization hits home. On the morning of your birthday, you woke up to pomp and circumstance from some wildly excited brothers ready to sing to you. For your breakfast, you had blueberry waffles and wore your blue birthday hat and then mid-morning we headed to Chick-fil-a with Nash and Robert and Elizabeth (your older brothers' friends - because this is what happens with the third baby) and you all played on the playground and ate 700 French fries and a few chicken nuggets and Ms. Casey introduced you to ice cream (which you loooooved) and then we went home for naps. We had another par-tay around dinner when your Honey and Granddaddy and uncle Stephen came over for Latinos and cupcakes. You received a dump truck from your cousin Kingston which lights up and makes noise and you haven't put it down yet. Kingston turned one six days before you and you gave him a dump truck too. Great minds think alike :)
Several days after your birthday we had your Peter Rabbit birthday brunch with family (and Holly, Sally Kate and Moore) and you had so much fun! You weren't really into the whole smash the cake thing, but you laughed repeatedly at Hampton sticking his finger into your cake and licking it off. Such a fun celebration!!
As chill as you were the first six months of your life, the next six months brought chronic ear infections and a whole lot of sickness (thank you older bros!) your way. So much in fact that a few weeks before you turned one, you had surgery to insert tubes in your ears. You were either sick or recovering from sick and add in the fact that you got all of your teeth (except 2nd year molars and a few others) by the time you were one and you were a whole lot of miserable. We held you a lot and gave you baby advil a lot and took lots (and lots!) of walks outside (the only time you were happy when sick). We are grateful for Dr. Jiron and hopeful that you are now on the road to wellness!
At one, you can wave bye-bye, take steps (still crawling just as much as walking, but definitely getting very close!), say da-da (on repeat), drink and feed yourself, dance to music, kick your legs when you think you're about to get either a waffle or mac and cheese, and play chase with your brothers (you crawl around after them, they scream, and you laugh and laugh). You are not a big fan of baths or showers, but you love to splash in the water table outside and play with the hose.
I love your little rosy cheeks and thick, dark hair. I love the way your little chubby feet look like sausages and when you're sitting in just your diaper how you look like a baby Buddha. I love the way you laugh and how excited you get when you see me come in in the mornings to pick you up from your crib. You bring so much joy to our family and you are the perfect caboose. I can't wait to see how you grow and develop in this next year and I can't wait to see all of the ways that God will use your little life for His glory and your good. I pray you know how deep and how wide His love is. And how very much we love you too.
To the moon and back,
momma
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Will - Eleven Months
Sweet Will ... the biggest news in your eleventh month of life: I weaned you completely to formula, (no more nursing) and then two weeks later, to whole milk ... annnd, after having an ear infection every month (except October), Dr. Jiron put tubes in your ears. We took you to the surgery center early on a Monday morning, and before you (or we!) knew it, the tubes were in. The dr said that due to the chronic infections, your ear drums were being pulled into the inner ear ... we all felt good about the decision to have tubes put in, and we're looking forward to a future of wellness! You are now standing without assistance and taking one to two steps and then sitting down. You will hold our hands and walk with us though, so I'm thinking walking by yourself is right around the corner! You love spaghetti, applesauce, strawberry yogurt, quesadillas, and any type of bread. We are outside a lot and you love to push your brothers toys around and splash in the water table. This month we have been making the transition to one nap a day and you are doing pretty well with it ... going from two one hours naps to a solid two hour nap in the afternoon is also helpful. It's the first time in a year that I've had a two hour block of time in my day without any babies/toddlers ... a new lease on life for mommy :) Will, you are such a blessing. We love you so!!
Will - Ten Months
We barely survived this month due to crazy sickness. Your big brothers ended up in the ER three times over a ten day period (dehydration, split chin, sprained ankle) and in between all of that you had bronchiolitis (and needed breathing treatments every three hours), more ear infections, AND the stomach virus. Have mercy. Despite sick mania, you continue to be the sweetest baby. I know that you don't feel well a lot of the time, but you love to laugh and play outside with Hampton and Carter. You also l o v e to swing. You squeal when we swing you and it makes your brothers laugh too. You are beginning to eat more table foods (mashed potatoes, soft fruits and veggies) and I believe that our nursing days are coming to an end. You have started to drink formula out of a bottle (finally!), so I will probably wean you in the next few weeks. You are beginning to pull up on the couch and move around furniture, but you're not in any hurry and no one around here is about to hurry you! When we say, "give kisses!" You put your little lips on our cheeks and give the sweetest kisses. Such a love bug!! We can't imagine our world with you. Love you to the moon & back, William Lane.
Will - Nine Months
We have a crawler on our hands! You are a mover and a shaker and not slowing down for nothing or nobody these days. It's a whole new ball game for your big brothers because now you can get into their legos and trains, haha. We made the transition this month from our room to the nursery and it has been life changing for all of us! You finally began sleeping through the night, but I'm pretty sure it had a lot more to do with the fact that you knew I wasn't four feet away from you than anything else. You had another ear infection this month and bless your heart, can't get well if you tried ... between your brothers bringing home germs and your own exposure in the nursery at church (and putting every thing in your mouth), you are sick non-stop! At nine months old you are a definite momma's boy (which I don't mind too much:)) ... as in, if you can't see me, you're crying. As long as I'm around, all is right in the world! You are still taking two naps a day, being spoon fed formula, eating your weight in puffs and sweet potatoes, and loving life!
Will - Eight Months
Such a fun month! We celebrated your first Christmas and you had the best time watching your brothers play with their toys and playing with your own. You still aren't crawling, but you can scoot to where you want to go and get what you want if you really want it :) I decided on Christmas Eve that I needed to add formula to the food line up because I could tell my milk supply was going south and your appetite was not diminishing! You fought the bottle like a champ (unless it had breast milk in it), so I ended up adding formula to rice cereal and spoon feeding it to you. I continued nursing, but with your teeth, chronic ear infections (so sad!), and voracious appetite, formula had to be added in. Your very favorite food is sweet potatoes and you start kicking your feet every time a spoon of it even comes close to your mouth! You are taking a morning and afternoon nap and you're still in our room, but after the first of the year we are making the grand transition and you will move to the nursery and Carter will move to the twin bed in Hampton's room. Fingers crossed!
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Will - Seven Months
In this last month, you gained two new top teeth. You are now eating two meals a day in addition to nursing. You have rice cereal with dinner, but you are regularly feasting on carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, bananas, apples, zucchini and corn, and your very favorite ... pears. You get so excited to go outside and love to watch your brothers play in the driveway. We'll blink and you'll be running around with them too! You are still taking two naps a day although the morning one is hit or miss (usually in the car while running errands or coming back from taking Hampton to school). Your best nap is from 1-3 or 3:30 in the afternoons. You are still getting up once at night due to your teeth, but go back down easily and then sleep until I get up or a member of the fraternity comes in and wakes you, ha! You are in size 4 diapers (same as Carter) and weigh an entire four pounds more than either of your brothers at this exact age! You had an ear infection this month and we did amox for ten days. Your big brothers bring around cold germs pretty often and you've done pretty well considering all of those crazy germs coming in and out of our house! You are in size 12 month clothes although some of those are a little tight on you! You can reach for any and everything and get frustrated when you can't get to something that you really want :) You're not crawling yet, but you I'm not really encouraging it yet either. The thought of having one more mobile human being (and a toddler at that) to keep an eye on makes me want to hide underneath my bed ;) You continue to get called a "girl" by strangers and continue to have the most laid back disposition. Just a total go with the flow little boy! We love you so, so much and can't imagine the world without you!
Monday, November 28, 2016
Two Years
My sweet Carter,
Your birthday is one of the happiest days of our lives. I write this line every year, on every birthday card, for every brother. This is a statement I know innately and fully. And it's true.
I often describe you to others as "a lover and a fighter." You don't give up easily and have a will to be reckoned with, but you are such a lover of people and places and things. You are so, so friendly and wave to everyone you see in the grocery, often before they are even looking at you. When you meet someone new, your automatic go-to is a hug. You just wrap your little arms around someone's legs - and tightly. And every time we say, "Love you, Carter!" You grin back and say, "lub you!"
There are so many different things you love ... you love to mow with your daddy and mow on your own with your fisher-price lawn mower. You yell, "mow" the second you go outside and up and down the driveway you go with that little green mower. You love balloons and love to say "balloon" over and over again. You LOVE your green blankey and drag it all around the house (it's actually an adult size blanket, but you adopted it as your own and will not sleep without it!). You love snacks of all kinds and when we visit the park or splash pad or pool you hover around my bag the entire time demanding one bag of snacks after the next. You love "the wheels on the bus" and even though you can't say all of the words, you do all of the motions. Your face lights up when that song comes on! You have no fear and climb to the top of the fort in our backyard (and give me a heart attack each step back down), jump in the water freely, and run with abandon in any and all directions. You love to do everything your big brother does and get frustrated when you cannot. You love Mickey and Minnie, your grandparents, goldfish in a bowl (you are constantly pointing to where I keep the goldfish and saying, "in bowl! in bowl!"), taking a shower and playing with shaving cream, brushing your teeth, the sandbox, and playing chase.
At two you are saying most words ... it's more of if you choose to use them. You especially love to say "B" words ... book, blue, brother, boat, bus, bowl, bed, bath, etc. You call Hampton "brother" and Will "baby Will." You feed yourself, drink out of a cup, jump, climb, help take your clothes off when it's bath time, and bring me books all day long to read to you. You follow directions and can communicate in two to three words sentences like, "mommy, out!" and "get down."
This was the year you became a big brother. At 17 months, you were still a baby yourself when we welcomed a new baby. There are so many days that I just don't remember as life has been a blur of diapers and wipes, nursing and cutting up bite sized pieces, naps and strollers and car seats and sippy cups and cribs, etc. But you have adjusted so well to being the middle man in the mayhem of it all. You do everything that Hampton does (for better or for worse) and you both have learned to really play together. Hampton has you convinced that the citrus trees in the backyard are really the "dark, scary forest" and you hunt bears back there ... often. Your eyes grow wide as saucers when you think a bear is really on the loose! For the most part, you do well together, but there are times during the course of the day when you knock over his lego tower or remove one track from his train track (and you run away with it) or lock yourself in the bedroom (subsequently locking him out), and he goes bananas. I tell him that patience is a virtue ... a lot :) You have become a helper with Will and you get diapers and throw them in the trash for me when I ask you to.
For your second birthday party, we had some family and friends over and celebrated with LOTS of balloons and a bounce house with attached slide. You absolutely loved bouncing around in there with your brother and his friends and your friends as well. Your eyes lit up when you realized we were all singing the birthday song to you and you clapped and yelled, "yay!!!" at the end. Hampton blew out your candle before you could even make a wish or get a breath and you gobbled up that cupcake with sprinkles quicker than I could catch mine :) You received so many fun books, a wheel barrow and your own chain saw, dvds, clothes, etc.
You are so, so loved. By your family, by your friends, by people who simply see you waving them down in the line at the grocery store. I even received a note from Joel's mom that your pal Joel (a middle schooler that helps out in your class at church) was so sad when you moved up and out of the one year old class. Your little life brings joy to all who know you.
Several months ago, I went to a women's conference at church and told your daddy a month or so in advance to go ahead and look forward to that Thursday night because childcare was provided and I was taking all three of you with me. I told him to go golfing or to dinner or to stay home and take a long nap in a quiet house (all luxuries with three kids three and under). Several days before the conference he said something that I will never forget. He asked if I could take Hampton and Will as previously planned but leave you at home. Your daddy works so hard, Carter. He is sometimes gone before you all are awake and sometimes returns after bedtime. He works a lot of weekends. But he saw an opportunity to spend quality time with you (an opportunity that Hampton has received a lot of as the firstborn), and he took it. He spent those hours loving you, reading to you, chasing you, playing with you, and putting you to bed. And I loved him for it. You are so blessed to have a dad who gives so much of himself to you and to your brothers.
Happy 2nd Birthday to my precious boy. I love you more than words, Carter Paul!
Love,
mommy
Your birthday is one of the happiest days of our lives. I write this line every year, on every birthday card, for every brother. This is a statement I know innately and fully. And it's true.
I often describe you to others as "a lover and a fighter." You don't give up easily and have a will to be reckoned with, but you are such a lover of people and places and things. You are so, so friendly and wave to everyone you see in the grocery, often before they are even looking at you. When you meet someone new, your automatic go-to is a hug. You just wrap your little arms around someone's legs - and tightly. And every time we say, "Love you, Carter!" You grin back and say, "lub you!"
There are so many different things you love ... you love to mow with your daddy and mow on your own with your fisher-price lawn mower. You yell, "mow" the second you go outside and up and down the driveway you go with that little green mower. You love balloons and love to say "balloon" over and over again. You LOVE your green blankey and drag it all around the house (it's actually an adult size blanket, but you adopted it as your own and will not sleep without it!). You love snacks of all kinds and when we visit the park or splash pad or pool you hover around my bag the entire time demanding one bag of snacks after the next. You love "the wheels on the bus" and even though you can't say all of the words, you do all of the motions. Your face lights up when that song comes on! You have no fear and climb to the top of the fort in our backyard (and give me a heart attack each step back down), jump in the water freely, and run with abandon in any and all directions. You love to do everything your big brother does and get frustrated when you cannot. You love Mickey and Minnie, your grandparents, goldfish in a bowl (you are constantly pointing to where I keep the goldfish and saying, "in bowl! in bowl!"), taking a shower and playing with shaving cream, brushing your teeth, the sandbox, and playing chase.
At two you are saying most words ... it's more of if you choose to use them. You especially love to say "B" words ... book, blue, brother, boat, bus, bowl, bed, bath, etc. You call Hampton "brother" and Will "baby Will." You feed yourself, drink out of a cup, jump, climb, help take your clothes off when it's bath time, and bring me books all day long to read to you. You follow directions and can communicate in two to three words sentences like, "mommy, out!" and "get down."
This was the year you became a big brother. At 17 months, you were still a baby yourself when we welcomed a new baby. There are so many days that I just don't remember as life has been a blur of diapers and wipes, nursing and cutting up bite sized pieces, naps and strollers and car seats and sippy cups and cribs, etc. But you have adjusted so well to being the middle man in the mayhem of it all. You do everything that Hampton does (for better or for worse) and you both have learned to really play together. Hampton has you convinced that the citrus trees in the backyard are really the "dark, scary forest" and you hunt bears back there ... often. Your eyes grow wide as saucers when you think a bear is really on the loose! For the most part, you do well together, but there are times during the course of the day when you knock over his lego tower or remove one track from his train track (and you run away with it) or lock yourself in the bedroom (subsequently locking him out), and he goes bananas. I tell him that patience is a virtue ... a lot :) You have become a helper with Will and you get diapers and throw them in the trash for me when I ask you to.
For your second birthday party, we had some family and friends over and celebrated with LOTS of balloons and a bounce house with attached slide. You absolutely loved bouncing around in there with your brother and his friends and your friends as well. Your eyes lit up when you realized we were all singing the birthday song to you and you clapped and yelled, "yay!!!" at the end. Hampton blew out your candle before you could even make a wish or get a breath and you gobbled up that cupcake with sprinkles quicker than I could catch mine :) You received so many fun books, a wheel barrow and your own chain saw, dvds, clothes, etc.
You are so, so loved. By your family, by your friends, by people who simply see you waving them down in the line at the grocery store. I even received a note from Joel's mom that your pal Joel (a middle schooler that helps out in your class at church) was so sad when you moved up and out of the one year old class. Your little life brings joy to all who know you.
Several months ago, I went to a women's conference at church and told your daddy a month or so in advance to go ahead and look forward to that Thursday night because childcare was provided and I was taking all three of you with me. I told him to go golfing or to dinner or to stay home and take a long nap in a quiet house (all luxuries with three kids three and under). Several days before the conference he said something that I will never forget. He asked if I could take Hampton and Will as previously planned but leave you at home. Your daddy works so hard, Carter. He is sometimes gone before you all are awake and sometimes returns after bedtime. He works a lot of weekends. But he saw an opportunity to spend quality time with you (an opportunity that Hampton has received a lot of as the firstborn), and he took it. He spent those hours loving you, reading to you, chasing you, playing with you, and putting you to bed. And I loved him for it. You are so blessed to have a dad who gives so much of himself to you and to your brothers.
Happy 2nd Birthday to my precious boy. I love you more than words, Carter Paul!
Love,
mommy
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