Out of the Mouths of Babes

I know every mom thinks this, but man-oh-man, my kids are funny {and sweet}!

Anderson moved to a new big-boy bed complete with adorable mismatched bedding from Target's Pillowfort line.  His sheets have black clouds on them, and one night as he was trying to go to sleep, he started screaming hysterically.  When I ran in and asked him what was wrong, he was able to compose himself and tell me that the "eye cloud" was scary because it was looking at him.  I had no idea what he was talking about, but noticed that one of the black clouds had a white notch in it that apparently looked like spooky eye at night.

Anderson's imagination is running wild lately; he will play independently for hours making up stories and mixing characters.  He has a fondness for the "good guys" and an extreme fear of the "bad guys".  A tiny little Lego man rocked his world after about 45 minutes of playing on the floor of Buddy's closet with normally-off-limit Legos.  Ear shattering screams and hysterical crying were brought on by the "bad guy with the long hair".  I don't know what the bad guy said or did, but Anderson brought him up several more teary times.

After talking about haircuts for a few days, Anderson kept requesting his hair to be styled like "Nonny from Bubble Guppies".  We had to look up pictures to show Mr. Jay Anderson's inspiration.  Only an almost three year old would request to look like an orange haired cartoon character!  Alekzander followed up with a related request when it was my turn to get my hair cut, "Will you please get your hair cut like Molly in Bubble Guppies?"

Sweet, smart Alekzander still mixes up words sometimes. Animals still comes out as "aminals" and my headaches are "head-ics".  I hate to correct him because he makes me smile!

I love listening to both of them talk, play, sing, and learn.  The resulting laughter is an added bonus.

Mama's Day 2016

I am so lucky that these two precious faces 

call me Mom/Mama/Mommy.

To celebrate Mother's Day this year, 

we packed some boxes for our move, folded some laundry,

and then did some of my favorite things :: 

had a picnic with the Taylors, 

took pictures and went on explorations in the woods, 

ate TCBY for dinner, and I even got to take an amazing nap in the hammock.

So thankful for hand holding, hugging, 

fresh picked flowers, and sloppy kisses from sweaty little faces...

and a husband who spoils me year round.

Six Years

Accepting that we were the parents of a Kindergartner

was a little hard to swallow at the beginning of the school year,

but now we are the parents of a six year old! 

Wrapping our heads around that is crazy, 

but we are so blessed to watch Alekzander grow and develop.

Alekzander remains sensitive and sweet.

He does not like being wrong and 

is sometimes hesitant to try new things.

When his actions lead him the wrong way, 

and consequences ensues, he immediately seeks out 

an "I love you; I forgive you" hug.

He loves to tease his little brother.

One minute he will be arguing, poking, 

or head-locking Anderson, and the next,

he is hugging him or letting Anderson crawl all over him.

He often pulls Anderson in for a hug when he sees

him at school in the afternoon,

and he is one of the first that will comfort Anderson 

even if/especially when he may have been the instigator

or cause of his brother's tears.

Alekzander loves to be outside.

He would love to dig for worms 

and get dirt under his nails every day if he could.

He likes to play soccer or 'volleyball' until dark.

He can ride a two-wheel bike when pressured,

but he prefers his scooter or running.

He has a keen palate for a kid and 

can name the three ingredients in my biscuits.

Fruits remain a choice dessert,

and he could eat pizza or noodles seven nights a week.

School is going well.

He is a friend to all, he likes to lead,

and he is learning to read.

He prefers math over reading,

loves PE and recess,

and is dying to buy school lunch!

Within 30 minutes of waking up,

he has to let a loud, crazy primal noise out

{which inevitably wakes up Anderson too early}.

When asked why, he says it is to 

get the crazies out before going to school 

{while this method is not always successful, it is consistent}!

Upon coming home from school,

he immediately needs his down time which 

typically includes a TV show and a snack.

We love watching his personality grow and develop 

as he becomes more sure of himself.

We welcome his 6:40 wake up call

as it is a bright start to our day,

and it is when his mind/mouth wake up.

Ready or not, the questions start rolling

as if he has used his night to come up 

with ones that will stump us for sure.

The endless questions, the sweet insecurities,

the silly antics, sometimes emotional bedtimes,

and energetic outbursts are just a few of the things

we love {and would never change} about Alekzander.

Happy 6th Birthday, buddy.

We love you to the moon and back,

and will continue to wrap our love around you

forever and always.

The Tank

Our little tank.

A solid little guy who knows what he wants.

Tough as can be with a heart of gold.  

He asks for "Snuggy Buggy" (snuggles),

Gives kisses, hugs, and pats,

And is free with his unprompted, "I luf you."

He is polite and precious

and can be loud and grumpy demanding what he wants,

smiling, and saying 'please.'

Anderson is funny and he knows it.

He can make all of us laugh by giving zombie kisses or

pretending to sleep and then shout, 'I'm awake!'

He even shouts that out in the middle of the night.

Currently he is obsessed with all things Frozen.

We bought him a Frozen storybook from the book fair 

two weeks ago.  There has not been a day yet

that he has not had the book in his clutches. 

He sits and reads it to himself and has a favorite page that he studies:

Anna and her best friends forever!

He is anti-carbs, pro-dairy, super snacker.

A mama's boy through and through,

superhero, race car, farm animal toy fanatic.

He loves to try to take pictures and see himself in the camera.

At a recent 'play in the woods' family photoshoot,

all he wanted to do was hike and explore. 

When he was asked to sit still or lay in the leaves and smile,

he acted like he was a cat being pinned down in a bath!

Ironically, he does hate baths, especially when he has to lay down to wash his hair.

There is not a thing I would change about this silly, tantrumming, little two year old

Who absolutely steals my heart every day.

 Photos from our "Play in the Woods" session with our friend Susan

Truths of Two

Oh, this little love. 

It is a good thing he is cute

because he is giving us a run for our money.

In a matter of days, he busted his lip twice,

fell down the stairs, darted to the road,

and skinned his knee.

He makes frequent demands "right now!"

and cries crocodile tears almost daily.

He is two ... the truest, the 'two-est' of two!

But he has the biggest heart.

He prays for Mia and Tessa and Baby Butt.

He cried the other night when I was leaving

and clearly said, "Mommy, don't leave me."

He loves to give one more hug after you put him in his crib,

and without fail, he will kiss you on the mouth if you pretend to pout.

He recounts the details of his day,

can recite Buddy's books from school,

and knows how to spell Alekzander's name in a song.

He is smart and cute, cuddly and strong.

He makes us laugh,

amazes us with his vocabulary,

and charms us with his snuggles.

Anderson,

we'll take the two-ness of you

because we love you sooooo much.

Anderson's Birthday Party

In the middle of July, 

in the middle of Charlotte, 

in the middle of two CONCACAF Gold-Cup soccer games, 

among 60,000 soccer fans, 

we celebrated Anderson's second birthday with some of our favorites.  

They battled the crowds and the heat, 

drove around for 30 minutes looking for a parking spot 

and came to eat cupcakes and hatch dinosaur eggs with us.  

We were so blessed by their presence. 

Anderson had no clue that the party was all about him.  

He was content to survey the scene with Goldfish and grapes 

while big friends and 'baby' friends played around him.  

He did love the cupcakes and enjoyed hearing and singing 

his favorite song, "Happy Birt-day!" 

And hopefully he felt celebrated and loved.

 His safe, happy place.

Waiting for his dinosaur egg to hatch.  

There were 32 of these ice eggs! 

They were a big hit, but the big kids were not patient enough 

to let the heat or water melt them to reveal the dinosaurs 

and took to smashing them on the ground.

 Birthday Boy surrounded by friends

Thoroughly enjoying his cupcake

 The perfect present from the Millers

Sweetness

Donuts for Dad

 Donuts for Dad :: a preschool rite of passage

{which happened to fall on Wacky Wednesday in honor of Dr. Seuss!}

Complete with sugar donuts, a wacky tie, and sweet sentiments.

Such a precious time!

19 Months

 19 month old sweetheart.

Sure footed. Independent. Explorer.

Loved beyond measure.

Horsey

These two.

They are my shadows.

True constants.

Anderson is, perhaps, more interested in Syra,

than she is in him, but she is his protector for sure.

More than once I have caught Anderson 

draping himself over Syra for a standing hug.

Syra tolerates it and a lot more.

Anderson tries to play "ho-sth-ee" ::

his version of "horsey" said with the cutest little lisp.

She tolerates it.  Watching the world go by - 

ignoring the weight on her back.

I hope, secretly, she loves the extra attention.

Because she has been getting a lot of it lately

from her faithful companion.

Miss This

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this
-Trace Adkins "You're Gonna Miss This"

Emerging from a rough season of sickness after sickness, 

emotional exhaustion, physical brokenness, 

I do know I will miss this.  

Maybe not the sickness, exhaustion, and brokenness, 

but the little moments in between.

While I do not love that a white box of baby wipes is the centerpiece on our kitchen table
among paperwork, computers, and crumbs, I am happy that we have a table to sit around as a family. I will miss it when life gets too crazy or sports, friends, and work interfere with family dinners.

While the piles of books on the floor day after day drive me crazy, I love that I have two little ones who have access to a well-stocked children's library and will likely love learning.  I will miss it when my boys think they are too big to present me with a book and plop down in my lap to listen to their favorite story for the tenth time in one day.

While urgent care visits and blood marring the face of my first born are admittedly one of my least favorite things, I am glad to have great care providers - and a calm husband and a brave boy.  I will miss the days when a hug from Mommy and a stuffed-Rex snuggle cannot fix the hurt that the world will bring.

When dishes get stacked up and laundry baskets overflow, I find peace in playing on the floor, holding a grumpy toddler, and listening to my five year old sing the same song {incorrectly, but adorably} twenty times in a row.  These are the moments I will miss.

The happy.

The sad.

And all the crazy in between.

I'm gonna miss this.

18 Months

A year and a half - unbelievable.

Even though he is more 'big boy' than baby, 

I have cherished just a few more nights of 'wok-wok' 

- rocking the sweet boy to sleep.

He is easily half (almost exactly) half of my height,

but fits so perfectly against my chest.

Sweet little hands that mimic mine rubbing his back; 

chubby fingers grabbing mine to rest on his cheek; 

open mouth breathing leaving puddles of drool on my shoulder.

Precious, quiet moments.

When he is not still or quiet,

he is laughing at Alekzander's shenanigans,

chasing after Syra, 

or wrecking shelves of organized books or toys!

Elmo, books, gorillas, and balls remain favorites.

He knows every book in the house that has a "rilla" in it

and walks around with at least one Elmo book in his hand at all times.

Strawberries, blueberries, bread and "noo-els" are consumed often and voraciously.

Brother hugs are met with resistance 50% of the time.

"No" has become a favorite phrase - especially when he's being silly.

Silly happens often!

Unbelievable - this little human whom we love with all our hearts.

Merry Christmas Cards