Letters to Jack Ray: 12/11/15

Dear Jack Ray,

What a difference a month makes my sweet baby boy! The first two months were rough and you had some serious colic but you are quite smiley and happy these days! 

You are starting to really coo and goo and laugh when we talk to you! You are instantly happy whenever someone is looking at you and talking with you. 

You are growing so quickly and have moved into size 2 diapers and 3-6 month clothes already! You are nursing like a champ and are sleeping really well. You are taking a 2 hour morning nap and usually a good afternoon nap as well. At night you fall asleep anywhere between 8pm and 10pm, wake to nurse around 12am, 4am, and then finally awake around 7:30am or so. 

Here's what you've been up to this past month: 

11/15/15: Moved up to size 2 diapers, found your fingers and started sucking on them 

11/16/15: Two month well check 12lbs 6.5oz (75th percentile), 23.75" (75th percentile), got your first cold 

11/25/15: Moved up to 3-6 month clothes, slept for a 7 hour stretch 

11/28/15: Rolled from front to back

11/29/15: Rolled from back to front, first kiss from Ellie at church 

12/08/15: Weighed 13lbs 5.5oz, first double ear infection

Momma and daddy love you to the moon and all the way back! 

xoxoxox,

Momma

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For Letters to Everett, click here!

For more Letters to Nolan, click here! 

For more Letters to Jack, click here!

Letters to Jack Ray: 11/11/15

Oh little Jack Ray!

I am so happy to have you in our family and to be able to hold you and kiss you and love on you; it seemed like you were never going to come! We are so excited that you are here!  

 

You came into this world with such intensity and have proven to have a similar little personality!  You know what you want (which is normally to eat) and you are very vocal when you are not given what you want.  You enjoy nursing and being held and worn and frequently wake up if we aren't holding you. I think that you just don't want to miss one minute of what else is going on!

You seemed to be a bit fussy during the first few weeks however I think that you are coming out of that as we are learning more about what you want and how to keep you happy.  You are so cute and are showing us new things every day.  You love to take baths and lay in the water, you look so relaxed! 

Here's what you've been up to the past two months: 

09/11/15: Birthday! 9:51am, 7lbs 12oz, 21" long

09/12/15: First sleepy smile

09/13/15: First family outing to Ritchie Lake for daddy's baptism, first time being worn 

09/14/15: First doctors appointment- 7lbs 9.5oz, first trip to Target

09/17/15: Had your tongue tie clipped

09/16/15: Umbilical cord fell off

09/20/15: One week appointment- 8lbs 3oz 

09/26/15: Weight check: 8lbs 8oz

10/01/15: Moved up to size 1 diapers

10/07/15: Moved up to 0-3 month clothes

10/11/15: First trip to El Gran Charro, started cooing

10/12/15: One month well check 10lbs (50th percentile), 22.25" (75th percentile); first time to try a bottle (of momma's milk) 
10/13/15: Had your lip tie lasered

10/17/15: First shower 

10/18/15: First smile while awake

10/25/15: First time to the mall, first laugh (daddy was playing with you!), first time in the Ergo

10/29/15: First time to reach for something (Meme's hand) 

Momma and daddy love you to the moon and all the way back! 

xoxoxox,

Momma

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For Letters to Everett, click here!

For more Letters to Nolan, click here! 

For more Letters to Jack, click here!

Newborn Photos of Jack Ray by Todd Barnhill Photography

Happy Thursday all! Here is a long overdue post with our newborn photos of Jack Ray.  We had the wonderful Todd Barnhill and his amazing wife, Magda over to take these photos and I love how they turned out!  Todd is always able to capture photos of the older two, which is quite a talent because they NEVER stop moving! 

Enjoy! 

Letters to Everett: 5/22/15

Dear Everett,

How are you already four years old!?  These past four years have gone by in a flash and I am so thankful for every single moment.  We have certainly had our share of ups and downs but every second that you are in our lives is a blessing!  You are such an inquisitive young boy and you want to know every detail of how things work and why things happen.  Daddy and I might get a wee bit frustrated with all of the questions but we know that it is helping to develop your growing mind so we try to not mind too much! 

You are still as sweet as you can be and love to share hugs and kisses with us.  Overall you have a great disposition and are pleasant most of the time- but you are four, so from time to time we do have some tantrums here are there.  Sometimes we don't understand exactly what it is you want or why you are upset about things and we aren't exactly sure how to move forward but we are doing the best that we can.  We are praying that God will guide us in the right direction. 

You were excited to learn that you will be a big brother again and you are looking forward to the baby coming! You can't wait to hold him and show him all the cool things that you do. You enjoy all things superhero, to include the Avengers, Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the Power Rangers. I think that if you had your way, we would watch nothing but superhero shows all day!  You like to play outside, especially when we go to the farm with friends or go to the pool.  

I am so excited to be your mom and I cherish every day that we have together.  I pray every day that God will continue to watch over and protect our family so that we can be together for many many years to come.  I love you so much and am so happy to watch you learn and grow more each day.  You are such a joy my sweet boy.  

Momma and daddy love you to the moon and all the way back! 

xoxoxox,

Momma

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For more Letters to Nolan, click here! 

For Letters to Everett, click here!

Letters to Nolan: 5/18/15

Dear sweet Nolan, 

I am so amazed at how much you have grown and how much you are continuing to grow each and every single day.  You are taking more and more and putting words together to form cute caveman-like sentences now.  Most of the time we are able to figure out what you are saying and as the days go by you add more and more words to your growing vocabulary. 

When you want something, you do anything that you can to get it!  I love your spunk and your personality and how much you live in the moment.  You are very feisty when things don't quite go your way but are easily distracted away by things that are of interest to you.  Nolan, you are quite the little character and you love to put on a show.  Frequently we will find you dancing, singing, and jumping around providing all sorts of fun entertainment for anyone who might be around.  

The thing that I think you like to do the most is to eat!  You love meat and fruit, of course sweets, but you will pretty much eat anything and everything and enjoy eating.  While your love of eating is strong, you are still mastering the art of feeding yourself.  Most of the food makes it into your mouth however there is always a bit of overflow.  :) 

You love to be outside and run in the great outdoors!  You always want to be doing what Everett is doing and you don't let much get in the way of your plans.  You do not have very many fears (except of bounce houses and electronic fish that swim in the bathtub) so you usually do not hesitate to climb stairs, jump off of things, anything that looks fun and exciting.  

A major development we have had in the past month is that you are potty training! We started elimination communication with you around your first birthday and now you are almost fully potty trained!  I am so proud of you and how eager you are to sit on the potty when you need to go.  We have had some accidents, but you are getting the hang of it and even got to "pee in the grass" (as Everett calls it) the other day! 

Oh sweet Nolan, I love you so much.  You have brought so much joy into my life and I cannot imagine life without you in it.  You are such a sweet sweet boy and your laugh is so infectious!  I do have to admit that I love when you want me to hold you when you are angry or upset and you need your momma (or mommy as you now call me).  Thank you for being such a joy in our lives, I love you so so much. 

Momma and daddy love you to the moon and all the way back! 

xoxoxox,

Momma

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For more Letters to Nolan, click here! 

For Letters to Everett, click here!

Letters to Everett: 11/22/14

Everett,

You are growing and growing and growing! I am so proud of the little dude that you are and how awesome you are with your brother.  You are a loving and kind spirited big brother and love to play with Nolan more than almost anything.  The two of you are getting along more and more these days and it is so fun to see the two of you playing together and having fun! 

Now that you are getting older, you really are getting into doing things for yourself which is bittersweet because you really aren't a baby anymore! Every day you are learning how things work and learning more about the world around you and it is such a blessing to watch you grow. 

Your imagination is at work within you! The drawings that you come up with are so cute and the stories that you tell are so fun to listen to- you are quite creative.  This year for Halloween mommy made you a Peter Pan costume, just like mommy was when she was your age! You had a whole entourage: RaeRae went as Tinkerbell, PigPaw was a Pirate, Mommy was Tiger Lilly, and Nolan and Daddy were Lost Boys!  We had a lot of fun and you really (really) really liked the candy part the best! 

Time is going by so fast and I know that I say that almost every day, but its true.  Every single day with you is a blessing and I am so proud and happy to be your mother.  You give me a joy that is unexplained and I cannot imagine life without you, your brother, and daddy!  You are the best! :) 

Momma and daddy love you to the moon and all the way back! 

xoxoxox,

Momma

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For more Letters to Nolan, click here! 

For Letters to Everett, click here!

Letters to Nolan: 11/18/14

Mr. Nolan,

You are 18 months old today and boy what a big guy you are growing up to be! You continue to amaze me every day with new things that you've learned how to do and new words that you are learning! Everett is your best friend and you want to be doing exactly what he is doing... sometimes before he's even doing it!  You like to climb on anything and everything and especially like to go down the slide... I think you might be a thrill seeker! :) 

This past month your jibber jabber has been transforming and you are starting to form words.  You are learning Spanish from Suyapa and really like to say "agua"... I think it is probably your favorite word! You have such an animated way of speaking; when you say Please, you rub your hands together and say "Peeeeease" with your teeth together, lips pulled all the way to each side, and your eyes squeezed shut! It is so CUTE!  Some words you know are: 

• Momma, Daddy, Everett, PaPa, Rae,GaGa
• Agua, Drink, Nack (Snack), NUH! (Nurse)
• Ny-Ny (Night night), Bye, Hiiiii
• Peeeease (Please), Tanks (Thanks)
• Mine, Me, No

Nursing is still one of your favorite things to do but eating is right up there with it! You are a great eater and are generally happy to try new foods.  Your favorite thing to eat right now is scrambled eggs, just like Everett! Whenever you want something to drink you always ask for agua... unless you want to nurse. Haha.  (Don't hate me when you're older for writing this!)

Oh Mr. Nolan! You are such a sweet and amazing baby toddler and are growing up too quickly!  These past 18 months have been joy-filled and I have loved every single minute.  You love to play and be with Everett, snuggle with mommy, and rough-house with daddy! Thank you for being part of our family, I love you more than you will ever know! 

Momma and daddy love you to the moon and all the way back! 

xoxoxox,

Momma

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For more Letters to Nolan, click here! 

For Letters to Everett, click here!

Letters to Nolan: 4/18/14

Dear Sweet Nolan,

You are just one month shy of being one year old! Spring has sprung and you are really loving spending time outdoors and since you have your daddy's skin tone you are rocking a great tan. One of your favorite pastimes these days is playing in the water table! You really enjoy splashing your hands in the water and getting yourself soaking wet and I'm sure once it gets warm enough you are going to really dig the sprinkler! Speaking of water, you love taking baths and have now graduated out of the laundry basket and now sit just fine with your brother in the tub!

This month you got your first hair cut- you were staring to have a little baby mullet so it was definitely time!  You also have four teeth now and your smile is so so cute! You still love to laugh and giggle, especially if your brother is around. Now that you're more mobile you are starting to play more with Everett and you love that!

You are still quite content to nurse just as frequently as you always have, which is fine with me. You are eating more from the table and prefer to feed yourself. Some of your favorite foods are... anything that we give you! So far you aren't very picky which is great!

I am so happy you're in our life little dude!

Here's what you've been up to: 

03/23/14: First haircut, started playing peekaboo 

03/25/14: You started to laugh when other people laugh 

03/28/14: You will dance when we ask you to!

04/04/14: Said "dog"

04/10/14: Fourth tooth broke through (top left)

04/14/14: Can climb in and out of the bathtub

04/15/14: Got your first freckle

Momma and daddy love you to the moon and all the way back! 

xoxoxox,

Momma

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For more Letters to Nolan, click here! 

For Letters to Everett, click here!

Letters to Nolan: 3/18/14

Dear Nolan,

You are such a sweet boy! Your little personality is just blossoming and you are becoming a little boy (not  a baby anymore) right before our eyes.  You are very inquisitive and want to know what is going on in every room, want to check out everything, and you especially want to just dump all the toys out of the baskets! You really like to mess with Jedi, something that he does not like at all.

Crawling is still your main mode of transportation and boy are you fast! You can get from one side of the room to the other in no time.  You do like to pull up on any and everything and are getting more and more daring in your attempts to let go.  This month you started to push the walker around the house, although you have not quite got the steering thing down yet.

You and brother are still sleeping in our room at night and you usually "request" to nurse two to three times throughout the night.  Since it has been cold outside we have been spending the evenings inside (usually watching The West Wing) and our routine has been for you and I to cuddle up on the couch and you fall asleep while nursing. It is nice to have that time at the end of the busy day just to relax and be with our little family!

Last but certainly not least, your baby dedication was this past month!  This allowed daddy and I to think about the type of person that we hope you will grow up to be and how we can strive to be great parents. We invited family and friends to join us and it was a very special time to share with them.  We pray that you will find Jesus and will trust him to guide your life and we pray that we will be with you every step of the way! 

Here's what you've been up to this past month: 

02/18/15: Nine month well check- 21lbs 14oz (70th percentile), 28" long (60th percentile); Started waving 

02/20/14: First time you played at the play area in the mall 

02/26/14: Said momma 

02/28/14: First ice cream cone 

03/08/14: Stood by yourself for the first time 

03/09/14: Third tooth broke through ( top right) 

03/10/14: Started walking with the walker

Momma and daddy love you to the moon and all the way back! 

xoxoxox,

Momma

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For more Letters to Nolan, click here! 

For Letters to Everett, click here!

Letters to Nolan: 1/18/14

Dear Nolan,

You are eight months old and are in to EVERYTHING! You have graduated from belly scooting to full blown crawling! You can go anywhere and everywhere and literally nothing gets in the way.  You will crawl over, under, and through things to get what you want and where you want! Thank goodness we have gates! 

You have also started to try and walk when we hold your hands and you think that is really great fun! You will walk as fast as we will let you and I am not really ready for all of that!  You are really into playing with toys now and are trying to figure out what everything does and how you can make noise out of it.  Anything that you can clang or bang on the floor is highly prized in your eyes!

You are really settling into your personality now and you LOVE to laugh.  Clapping and squeeling is a daily occurrence and we all love it. You and your brother are really starting to play and entertain each other these days and I love seeing the two of you together.  You guys had a great Christmas and you really loved playing with the Christmas paper and boxes. :)

The latest "health' development that you have had is that both of your bottom teeth popped through this month! The all night nursing that went along with that was not particularly fun on my part but it helped you through it and that's what matters! You are still nursing every two hours or so during the day and will go about four hours at night.  Naps are few and far between here, just like your brother but if you are up in the wrap you will sleep! Needless to say most afternoons are spent with you on my back! 

Here's what you've been up to this past month: 

12/20/13: Started clapping today
01/02/14: Started walking when we hold both your hands
01/04/14: First night you wanted to sleep on your stomach 
01/06/14: First tooth (bottom right) 
01/11/13: Started to crawl on all fours 
11/17/14: Saw you dancing for the first time 
11/18/14: Second tooth (bottom left)

Momma and daddy love you to the moon and all the way back! 

xoxoxox,

Momma

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For more Letters to Nolan, click here! 

For Letters to Everett, click here!