Tercera, Derde, or Troisième

Any way you say it this one is a third! Today #3 turned 4 and she continues to be full of life and good humor. The picture above is from just after her first "big-girl" haircut and trip to to the salon. Another big milestone today was that she got to have gum. It took fewer than 5 minutes before she was back to report that she had swallowed it.

New Kid is well into the inquisitive stage asking many questions but rarely waiting for or agreeing with your answer. She is very much an individual but does often try to emulate her sister. She excels at swimming and is in the beginning stages of reading, but her favorite school lessons are the ones involving math. She is kind and thoughtful and always interested in how you are doing.

Life is moving quickly and she is growing up fast! Happy Birthday New Kid!

Happy Birthday

To my First Born on the day after your 9th birthday . . . 

Happy Birthday! You have now entered your 10th year and the last year of single digits; I do believe you are excited about this milestone. You are literally and figuratively straddling a turning point in your life and this paradox is demonstrated daily by your actions. You try hard to be a mature tough boy but at the same time are deeply sensitive and youthful. I love this about you and sometimes it breaks my heart as I watch you struggle with this dilemma as you react to something that has happened trying to hold back tears. You care so much for everyone and are always concerned with other's feelings. 

At this time your best friend is still Mickey and he still does everything with you and you tell him everything. Your favorite animal is the chipmunk and you get overly excited when you see one whether it is in a magazine or among the rocks in Colorado. Reading is still your most favorite activity and you fly through books like they are pamphlets. We are amazed you can read so fast and wonder if you really read every word, but you seem to comprehend as you pass the AR quizzes and test extremely well on reading level exams. You will read anything and typically you read it more than once! We're having a hard time finding books to keep up with your pace.

Baseball is your sport of choice and you have continued to play in the the local League every fall and spring. Most days you try very hard and have made some pretty awesome plays in the field just in the last month. You have also learned to play tennis but we have not done a great job of continuing lessons or practice outside of the camp you attend in the summer. I hope we can 
develop this skill more in the years to come. We just returned from your third year of skiing at Wolf Creek. The Wolf Pup instructors remember you from year -to-year which I think  means you are infamous . . . mostly for all the snowballs you throw! This year you spent your second day of ski school alone with "Big Dave" traversing the mountain including Treasure and Alberta lifts!

During this past year we also went to Florida and enjoyed the beach and waves with your cousins and then you got to stay in Louisiana spending 2 nights in Alexandria and several in Shreveport. This gave you a chance to have one-on-one time with your grandparents that was a priceless experience. You then flew home alone! This was something your Dad and I knew you could handle because we know you have the ability to be mature and independent. It is in these situations that I think you shine the most.

I am excited for the next several months particularly as you wrap up this school year which has been pretty tough for you. Your advanced class has tested us all and continues to push you to do more and work harder. We will see how you handle the last term but I predict some change in your academic direction which I think we all need. I have no doubts that you will excel in school no matter the setting and you will learn no matter the environment. You are an extremely smart kid! Speaking of school you recently made the Rubik's Cube team which has you totally pumped and you spend hours practicing your technique. What a an accomplishment!

We love you dearly and are very proud of you. You are a beautiful boy inside and out. Happy Birthday!

Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday to my First Born who turned 8 on March 30^th! If only I was as organized as I was when you were born 8 years ago, I would have completed this blog post on or before your actual birthday. A lot has changed in 8 years . . . we didn’t even have a blog 8 years ago. I may have been organized when you came along but I was not calm or confident in my parenting skills. I clearly remember my amazement when we drove away from the hospital (after nearly squeezing you to death with the car seat straps) thinking that they just let us take you. We didn’t have to pass a test or get certified in parenting or anything. You were ours to do with as we wished. And what did we do? We stared at you – a lot. You loved sleeping in your car seat and we could just set you down in the bucket and watch your sweet little peaceful face.

You were not an easy baby. Was this you or us? Looking back, it may have been us as we were so worried about messing you up that we might have been overbearing causing your unhappiness. Our biggest challenge was getting you to sleep. For the first two nights we had to hold you to sleep and then we figured out that you would sleep in your car seat and with Dr. Alexander’s permission we went that route for many more nights then I want to admit. First kids bring so many concerns and fears particularly regarding feeding and sleeping. There is so much societal pressure to give only breast milk and for 6 weeks we did only that but I know that what I had to offer was not sufficient. I know now that your unhappiness and unwillingness to sleep was because you were hungry. It was a little too obvious that once we started you on formula, you started sleeping much better. 

Dad was very concerned that your brain would not grow because you were not sleeping. We kept thinking we were going to “ruin” you by letting you cry. Well, we are 8 years in and I would say you are not ruined and your brain is bigger than the average kid. I guess breast milk is not the golden path to brain growth and those few nights we let you “cry it out” didn’t do any permanent damage. You are such a smart kid storing so many facts in that brain that I am constantly amazed at what comes out of your mouth. You know more at 8 then I know at 37 . . . so much like your Dad. It is very hard to put into words how proud I am of you. I know we are entering some tricky years as you are no longer a little boy. It is going to get harder to shelter you from the scary things in the world but I believe you are smart enough to handle them. You are such a sensitive and caring kid that I want to continue to hold you in close and keep the “real” world at bay, but I know it is time to push you out of the nest every so often for more learning opportunities.

I hope you continue to be my sweet little boy. Much love my son.

It's My Birthday

It's my birthday and I am TWO today! I'm full of trouble and love to test my parents by climbing as high as I can and getting into all kinds of stuff that is not mine. I smile often but can attempt a good tantrum if I don't get what I want . . . I just don't understand why that makes my parents laugh so much. My vocabulary is growing every day and I'm getting better at telling Mommy and Daddy what I want. I love to take baths and go night-night and I love Elmo and Minnie Mouse. My favorite meal is breakfast (I'll eat any version of it) and my favorite foods are fruits and pastas. My best friend is my brother and I love to play Legos and Choo-Choos with him and of course I love to play in the sand and dirt!