Kaitlyn: Three and a Half Years Old

Katie Bug,

My sweet, precious baby girl. You are growing up so fast! You like to remind me of this, too. Yesterday during lunch, you proclaimed, "I put my pjs on, went night night, and I woke up big and strong! I'm getting big and strong like you!" You like to do all the things that I do, as well, and during lunch you also told me, "I will come and help you take care of your patients. I can help you make them feel all better!" Some days you say you want to be a nurse, although other times you will enthusiastically refuse the notion. :) I know you will be amazing at whatever you decide to do my doodle bug. 


Disney On Ice @ the Alamodome, April 14th

SeaWorld with Carmen and Tamara, April 2013

A typical day for you when you are home with me-
*You wake up around 8-8:30am, depending on where you are sleeping (usually in mommy's room, sometimes your room or grandma's when you stay there) and/or when Nathan wakes up and where he wakes up at (in his room vs the same bed you are in).
*Go potty, by yourself, and change out of your pull-up.
*You help me get breakfast. Usually you have a waffle/toast/bread of some sort and fruit. You love fruit and your favorites are strawberries, bananas, blueberries, watermelon and cantaloupe.
*You watch cartoons on Disney, Jr. while you eat breakfast and have some free play around the house while I do laundry/clean/get ready for the day.
*We load up the car around 9:45-10am and head out for the morning. We either run errands or go play. Sometimes we head to Sea World, where we stay until 1-2p, or go to the park or swimming at our neighborhood pool, have play dates with your friend Abbey, or we meet our friends for lunch (usually at Chick-fil-A).

Landa Park with the Potters, May 2013

Mother's Day at SeaWorld, May 12th

*Lunch usually at 12-1p*After lunch winds down, you and Nathan get ready for a nap. You usually sleep for a couple of hours, although lately you have been waking up after an hour. I doubt it will be long before you skip naps all together.
*The afternoons are usually spent playing with your daddy. Rarely do we head out for errands in the afternoon. Your new house has a playroom and your playground is all set up outside, so you have lots of things to do at home in the afternoon.
*Dinner is usually around 6-7p.
*Bath time is play time for you and Nathan at our house! Usually y'all get in your pjs after bath. Nathan goes to bed earlier than you, so you play with Grandma or Uncle Jon if they have stopped over, or you play with Daddy until it is time for you to go to sleep.
*Bed time is around 9pm. Sometimes you stretch it out to 930 or 10pm. You are my little night owl!
*When Mommy has to work, you and Nathan go to Aunt Tara's house during the week and Mawmaw's house on the weekends. I take you both in your pajamas so you don't have to get dressed at 545am. Daddy picks you up when he gets out of work in the afternoon, and then your day pretty much resumes as normal.

Charlize's 2nd Birthday Party, May 18th

Getting a haircut, May 2013

You love to help out around the house. You help me find things (although you have your uncle's sense of direction), put things away, bring me laundry, sweep and push the mop, and help cook or do the dishes. You bring Nathan toys all the time. As a typical preschooler, you still are working on sharing,  but you usually do well. Nathan, on the other hand, likes to take your toys away or pull your hair when he is upset, and then you start the "tattle tale" game. I can't tell you how many times I hear, "mommy, Bubba pulled my hair! ....took away my toy! ...is in my room!" You both love to play and love to fight. There is usually more playing then fighting though, thankfully. 

Katie's 1st Bike, May 2013



Big Girl Room!!! June 2013

You received your first big girl bike with training wheels this summer from Mawmaw and Pawpaw . You picked it out all by yourself and it's pink with Disney Princesses. You are very preoccupied with Disney Princesses. You know almost all of their names, even for the princesses I didn't know you had seen (Sleeping Beauty and Jasmine). When you put your pjs on, you spin around and tell me that you are a "princess" and tell me you have to lift the side of your dress up (like the princesses carry their gowns). When I wear a dress, you tell me to do the same, "Mommy, you're a princess like me!" You like to watch this Barbie movie at Mawmaw's that is about a princess and a rock star, and you love Sophia the First, which is about a young new princess. In fact, you have informed me that your birthday will be a Sophia the First party - you know in December! I used to be the same way and planned my birthdays 6 months in advance when I was younger, too. My little princess is also obsessed with tea parties, "or tea sets!" as you call them. You have two porcelain tea sets that you play with and are surprisingly careful with. You pour tea for Uncle Jon, Mawmaw and myself, and hold the lid on the tea pot very carefully. Sometimes you are a bit demanding, "No, Uncle Jon! I don't want you to drink all the juice yet!" but it is always fun to play with you. :)


Brunswick Bowling Alley, June 15th

Sea World wtih Abbey, June 2013



Swimming with Aunt EJ, Summer 2013



Fourth of July at the Hyatt Hill Country with Aunt Megan, 2013

You are still in swim lessons and take the 9am class for P3. You and Abby have not mastered your nose bubbles, yet, so you haven't been able to ring the bell for P2. Hopefully you will soon. Caleb is the other little boy in your class, and last week there was another young boy that started. You love swimming and are a very good student.


Katie @ 3.5 years old, July 4th



Aubree's 3rd Birthday Party, July 6th

Our new house has a beautiful new room in it for you, one you even helped me decorate and set up. You love to play in your new room, even shutting the door so that no one will come and disturb you. Mawmaw and Pawpaw bought you a lovely white bedroom set with purple/pink/yellow/green linens these cute white ruffle curtains. However, you have yet to SLEEP well in your new room....you still cry and come to my room, even with your new ladybug nightlight I got you. Oh well, we will continue to work on it. 

Lunch with MawMaw, July 2013



Sea World with Caleb, August 8th

If you get any sweeter, your Grandma might melt. :) You do and say the sweetest things. You frequently tell Mawmaw, Bubba and mommy that we are your best friends. When someone feels sick, you will lay with them and give them hugs so they "feel all better." You think of others frequently and are very protective of Baby Emma. You love as hard as you play. You are so much more than I ever could have dreamed! 

Mass at St. Anthony de Padua, August 2013



Hanging out with Aunt Tara, August 2013

I am excited to continue watching you grow! You are so smart, and ask to go to school all the time. We told you that you had to learn to use the potty before you could go to school, but now that you have potty training mastered, there is nothing holding you back. I am looking into pre-schools for you, but it might have to be next year since school will be starting so soon. You memory is sharp, too. You remember things that happened 6-7 months ago! 

Acelyn (4), Katie (3), Tailey (4), August 18th

You are so special to us, Katie. We love you to the moon and back! I know you know I am proud of you - you told me "You so proud of me mommy? You so proud of me!" the other day - but please don't ever forget it. You are my little angel.

Love,
Mommy

Nathan: Month Eighteen (and 19! and almost 20!)

Nathan,

Blue Bonnet Pictures, April 4th

My sweet boy, life has been so busy this summer. That's partially why I am so behind on your update. We have been on the go non-stop since I last wrote about what you have been up to. In April, we sold and closed on the only home you and Katie know. It was bittersweet to sell our first home, but we quickly moved into a nice, new, bigger home at the end of May. We spent the in between time living with Mawmaw and Papaw, which you and Katie LOVED! There is nothing better to you than your grandparents-not even sweets. :) Mawmaw had a bout of diverticulitis and had to be hospitalized twice. Gam Gam and Great Gpa came down to help mommy take care of everyone, and you had a blast entertaining them. Aunt Meghan came to San Antonio three times in the past three months-it was nice to see how much you love and missed her. Also, Aunt Tamara came to see us from Germany, and you met Carmen for the first time. There has been a lot going on!

Riding "the horsies" at Sea World

You are a full blown toddler at this point. You run, climb, hurdle, and crawl into every little place that you can find. We can't turn around for one minute or you will be climbing onto the high counters and tables or digging into the medicine cabinet (like you did today when you broke into the Mucinex bottle)....You and your sister take great pride in climbing up and over the couch now that the furniture "floats" in the middle of the room rather than being up against a wall. You are even trying to dance and bounce up and down to music or spin in a circle.  You especially love to dance to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song, which was also a favorite of your sisters, too.  You are even sleeping in your own big boy toddler bed as of March 30th.

Easter Sunday, March 31st

First "Big Boy" Haircut at Sharkey's

It is so much fun to see you learning and understanding more and more each day. You see us using the bathroom and you try to "help" by handing us toilet paper, occasionally helping us wipe, and flushing the toilet. When we were at mawmaw's house, you liked to sit on Katie's Dora Potty when someone else was going to the bathroom and you had such a big grin on your face! You can climb into and out of your highchair, and will get up there ready to eat when you are hungry. You like to help "mop" the house, try to "wipe" up messes and your hands with towels, love to "wash" your hands (which is more like you splashing water), try to "help" put new trash bags into the kitchen trash can, and "assist" with the laundry by opening and closing the washer and dryer doors and putting/pulling clothes out. You are able to get your shorts off by yourself and you help put your arms through when we put your shirts on. You pull your shoes out of the closet and try to get them on yourself, although you are not quite ready for that yet. You even started blowing us kisses on May 17th.

Lunch wtih the Ladies @ Z'Tejas, April

You are able to throw balls by yourself, drop objects into empty containers, stack objects together, and sometimes you like to color. I am starting to trust you with spoons and forks-I know, I know. You have been able to do this for awhile, but I knew you would slop your food all around and not just eat. Now you are using a fork or spoon to eat with when you *want* to. You like to hug and kiss baby dolls, and real babies too! When you want to give Emma a hug or a kiss, you take her pacifier out and plant a big one on her. You are such a sweet boy!


Sea World with Tamara and Carmen, April

Feeding the Dolphins @ Dolphin Cove is one of your favorite things to do!

You are saying more words everyday. I can't even keep up with all the new words that you say, so this is a rough list of words. I am sure there are more:
Mama
Mommy
Mom
Dada
Bubba
Uh Oh
Bella
Maw Maw
Jon-Kin (Uncle Jon)
Done
Tickle Tickle
More, "Moe"
PApaw
Bye Bye
Amy
Katie "Kay-Tee"
Baby
Tara
Mine
This
Get You
Chip, "Cheep"
Emma
Please
"Corn" for popcorn
Thank you
Go
Door
Love you (to Mawmaw when we were leaving the hospital)
Peek-a-boo
Water
"There you go!"
"Got it!"
Car
"Make it Dark" (You shut the bedroom door when you said this while we were getting ready for bed)
"Five" (while you were giving daddy high five)
Welcome
Pollo
Macy
Puppies
Ants
Milk
"Nana!" for Banana
"I'm clapping" (You told me while you were clapping)
"I Cold"
"I jumped!"
"Water Daddy Please"
"I see you"

That's over 50 words, which is more like the vocabulary of a two year old. I am so impressed with how well you are able to speak to us. You and Katie "talk" to each other all day, so I am sure that helps. I think if you didn't try to suck on your pacifier all the time, you would be saying more words.


Playing at Landa Park, May

Some places we have been the past few months:
Countless trips to Sea World and Aquatica
San Antonio Zoo
St. Luke's Episcopal Church for Easter Sunday
Out to Celebrate Daddy's 33rd and Mamaw's 50th Birthdays
Sharky's Cuts for Kids for your first big boy haircut (and two more)
Mi Tierra's for dinner with Aunt Tamara
Landa Park with Uncle Tj, Aunt Lindsay, Danica and Carissa
Charlie's 2nd Birthday Party
Pump It Up
Heritage Duck Pond
Hyatt Hill Country Resort for the 4th of July
Various Aunt's Houses: Aunt Tara, Aunt EJ, Aunt Nomi, Aunt Melissa
Of course Mawmaw's and Pawpaw's house
Dr. H's office
Mommy's work
Swim Lessons

Kisses for Emma, May

You are still my little snuggle monster, although you are becoming a lot more attached to your daddy and you ask for him frequently. You are still nursing, but mainly once a day either in the morning or at night. I am trying to wean you, but you are rather persistent, and I know that you use it as a comfort measure, too.  You take milk from a sippee cup rather well and have between 16-24 oz of milk a day. You drink a lot of water, and ask for it all the time. You haven't had too much juice at this point, but you have more than made up for it with the sweets you enjoy-cookies, ice cream and chips to name a few. You are hitting the terrible twos a bit early, and with that comes your pickiness with your food. It is hard to get you to eat somethings-for example, you won't eat hot dogs for Tara or chicken nuggets for me, but you will when we aren't around. You still take a two hour nap around 12-1p and you sleep from 8:30pm to 7am (ish). You wake up around 5am and come into my room to sleep with me most nights since we have moved to the new house.


Swimming at Aquatica, May

Hanging out with Grandpa Paul, June

We are still keeping a close eye on your weight. You are back on the charts now, but you are still under 5%, so you have a follow up with the endocrinologist around your 2nd birthday to check your bone age. We have come to the decision that you must be a "late bloomer" and that you will eventually hit your "genetic window" for your height and weight. They think you will be between 5'10" and 6'2". You are wearing small/medium cloth diapers, size 4 disposable diapers, 12-18 month clothes and size 5/6 shoes.

Heritage Duck Pond with Katie and Mommy, June

Playing at Dr. Hilger's Office, July 17th

I look forward to seeing how you continue to learn and grow over the rest of the year. You are growing so fast-you won't be my baby for much longer. Always know that mommy loves you more than words can express and  I will always be your biggest fan!

Love,
Mommy

Our New Home

We bought our second home this afternoon, at 2pm. The new house was picked out with so much thought and love. We looked for months to find a neighborhood that would work for our family. I miss living in Aline so much now that the kids are here and getting older right before my very eyes. I worry about how it will be to raise them in such a large city when what I know is running down country roads, cutting through the neighbors' yards to get to my friends' houses, swimming in the creek and collecting tadpoles. We almost started to build two other houses during this process, but at the last minute didn't proceed with the contract.



Our New Lot, Spetember 2012

Finally, I came across the neighborhood that we chose. It is a nice small gated subdivsion in a very large master-planned community. I like that there are only ~90 homes in the section we live in. The yards are larger, most have a 70' wide front yard, ours has almost 80 feet. The streets are wide and the cars are few and farther between than our old neighborhood. The kids play out front, and the neighbors wave when they drive by. We have already met several of the neighbors, and we haven't moved in yet. The community has a lot of wooded areas and shrubs/plants to maintain some sort of privacy. Our neighborhood is right across from the middle school, which is in front of the elementary school where the kids will someday go.



May 2013

Our house has enough space so that we have a guest room and a playroom for the kids. I didn't envision quite this much space, but it is really great to have. The guestroom has a seperate bathroom with a shower. It will be nice for our guests to have a bathroom to use that isn't decorated with the kids toys, towels and step stools. We were able to get higher ceilings that what we had, Paul's 3rd car garage, my dining room that connected into the kitchen, and a flatter backyard. Pretty much everything we were looking for! I am know that life throws you curve balls, but I am really hoping this is my "forever" home!




Katie's New Room

Nathan's Room



Guest Room

Kitchen

Playroom

Nathan: Month Fifteen

Bubba Dubba,

My precious baby boy, you are quite the little "toddler" nowadays! You walk so fast that you look like you are running. You are also becoming quite a little "monkey," too, climbing on stools, coffee tables, up and down stairs, onto the couch, up legs, onto chairs...If you can't get there on your own, you grab something to climb on to reach what you want! At the duck pond this past month, you climbed up the stairs to go down the slide and walked off the landing onto the slide and down the slide all by yourself! You smiled so big; you were extremely proud.  You definitely keep us on our toes!


Nathan learning new "skills", January 2013

You seem to be learning more and more everyday, especially with your words. You have been spitting out new words left and right. It is hard to keep up with all the words you say now. Of course you say the usual suspects (mommy, daddy, etc.) but here is a breakdown of all the words I have heard you say, or heard about...
Mama
Mommy
Mom
Dada
Bubba
Uh Oh
Bella
Maw Maw
Jon-Kin (Uncle Jon)
Done
Tickle Tickle
More, "Moe"
PApaw
Bye Bye
Amy
Katie "Kay-Tee"
Baby (while pointing at Emma)
Tara
Mine (you told Daddy while he was playing with your Elmo guitar)
This (at the doctor's office while showing me your crackers you wanted)\
Get You (I don't know the phonetics for this one, he was playing chase with Katie)
Chip, "Cheep" (reaching for a Dorito I was eating)
Emma


San Antonio Stock Show, Feb 17th

You point to things and are doing fairly well indicating what you want from us. Of course, you continue to be a bit dramatic and fling yourself on the floor crying when you don't get what you want. =) You definitely understand most of what we are trying to tell you, just sometimes you don't like the answers you get. You like to push the boundaries, too, and sometimes keep trying to get something when we tell you no. (That is a Ross trait if I knew one...stubborn). At Aunt Tara's house, when she tells you "no," when you go back to do it again, you stop, look at Aunt Tara and shake your head "no" at her! LOL! You are too cute for your own good.

Sneaking cake when no one was looking, Feb 4th

You and Katie love to play together, however, you both like to pick on each other and make each other cry. Ahh, brings back so many memories of Uncle Jon and I growing up. You guys play "well" together a little over half the time. You are a bit laid back compared to Katie. She likes to pull the things you are playing with out of your hands, and usually you stand there with a blank expression or you run off to find other toy. Sometimes you will fight her back for the toy, or she will keep taking your new toys away until you get too frustrated and cry. You love to chase each other around and play "get you!" all the time. You laugh and laugh as Katie chases after you. She loves to dote on you, too, and kisses you every night before bed. She hugs on you and kisses you quite frequently during the day. When you need help, she gives you food, hands you toys and finds your pacifier. You were going to go to time out at Aunt Tara's a couple of weeks ago and Katie told Aunt Tara, "It's okay, I've got him. He's a good boy. Nathan's a baby." LOL! It is fun to watch you both grow and learn together.

Sleeping with Uncle Jon, Feb 7th

Some other skills you are able to do:
-Bend over to pick up objects
-Holding out your legs to put on your socks and straightening out your arm to "help" put on your shirt
-Eating well with your fingers
-Attempting to feed yourself with a spoon/fork
-Empties containers of contents (VERY well)
-Imitates others
-Initiates games (usually peek-a-boo)
-Responds to instructions (you will give mommy kisses!)
-Pushs and Pulls toys when walking
-Attempting to scribble with a crayon (you like to pound it into the table repeatedly, making "dots")
-"Helping" around the house (You love to vaccum, sweep, and wipe off the surfaces with rags)
-Turning pages in the books (You don't reallly like to sit and listen to stories, though)
-Knows how to use common objects (like mommy's phone)
-Takes off one piece of clothing (your socks and shoes)
-"Gets finicky about food" - this makes feeding you HARD
-You give Katie's dolls Eskimo kisses

Playing on the playground, Feb 18th

We went to Idaho in January for Grandad Ross's funeral (January 24-26). It was your first plane ride and a sober occasion, but you did so well on the trip. You slept during most of the flights and didn't really fuss too much on the plane/at the airport. Your schedule was definitely off, though, and you didn't sleep very well while we were gone. You and Katie had a lot more melt downs, too. It was a pretty hectic few days, so it was expected/understandable. You got to meet a lot of your Ross second cousins, see where Papaw grew up, and you played in the snow for the first time! You and Katie loved the snow. =)

Playing in the snow for the first time, Jan 26th 

I also took my first "out of town trip" without you. First in February (9th-11th) to Vegas with Daddy for my 30th Birthday, and again at the end of last month (22nd-24th) to Kansas for your godmother's mother's funeral. It's been a hard couple of months for everyone and while we have cried a lot more, we are making it through. The joy you and Katie bring our family pulls us through the tough times and y'alls "not so good times." You love hard and you play hard. The sparkle in your eyes is so uplifting to me.


Spending the weekend with mamaw and papaw, Feb 22nd

Lastly, we continue to struggle with your weight....I have no idea what is going on, why you aren't growing as much as expected. You eat all of the time!!!  You are certainly becoming more picky about what you like to eat. You hardly want to eat chicken or sandwhichs, things you used to love. Hot Dogs seem to be hit or miss. For some reason you don't really like pasta, mac and cheese, bread....you know, all those awesome carbs that help you gain weight. You also aren't a fan of veggies but you LOVE your fruit! That is a sure fire win for you. =) You do seem to like junk food and sweets, which I try to limit you on. We continue to supplement with 4-8oz of Pediasure every day. You drink 8-12 oz of whole milk and continue to nurse on demand (probably 3-5 times a day depending on if I work). We saw an endocrinologist last week to check some of your growth hormones, your blood counts and your thyroid...haven't heard back on the results as of yet. I am sure that you are fine, you just have a really high metabolism and are very active. You are exceeding your developmental milestones, as well. No matter what, though, we love you so very much.


March 2 @ Danica's 2nd Birthday Party

You are such a light in our lives, Nathan. You make us laugh constantly, love deeper, test our patience and fulfill our family. We are so proud of all that you have learned and look forward to seeing you continue to grow.

At the Duck Pond, Feb 18th

Love,
Mommy






Kaitlyn: Three Years Old

Katie Bug,

You are now three years old….going on thirty! You are such a big girl with a personality to match. You are so adorable, though, and you are constantly bringing joy to our lives. Every day you seem to learn something new; you have a way of showing us the world in a different light.

Some thoughts about your life as a three year old (in no particular order)-

*You are potty trained, as of December, with occasional accidents when you need to have a bowel movement. You are so proud of yourself when you use the bathroom and are pretty good about letting us know when you have to go. Sometimes we find you have already gone to the bathroom, done your business, and we catch you headed back out to play.

*You are a big helper. You love to help mommy with anything that needs done. Whether it's cleaning, cooking, driving the car, or being a mother hen! You love to help Mamaw cook in the kitchen, although you are not always eager to eat the food afterwards. Also, you look after your brother and frequently tell me when he is misbehaving. This past month you actual spanked his hand away from the Christmas Tree when he was getting too close and pointing at the ornaments. You point to him and yell at him "Bubba, no sir!"

*Dinner time is hit or miss with you. Sometimes you eat second helpings, sometimes you eat very little.

*You love baby dolls. You feed them, put them to sleep and sooth them when we “make it cry.” (You have a baby doll that talks and it cycles through phrases to crying). You have even tried to nurse your baby, which is so cute!

*You love real life babies, too. You frequently ask about “Baby Emma,” and you always want to hold her. You are not scared to be around the baby, either. Even when Emma is crying, you soothe her and tell us “she needs a pass-ee-fire.”

*You love being outdoors. You learned how to play on scooters recently, and you always want to go to the Duck Pond or the park. You are quick to make friends with the other kids on the playground and follow them around even if you aren’t talking to them.

*You met the majority of your third and even fifth cousins in November when we went for a family reunion/Early Thanksgiving. It was so neat seeing you interact with everyone.

*You are such a good sleeper, you sleep from 9:30pm to 8:30am or so every day. You usually take one two hour nap around 1-2pm, as well.

*Play dough is one of your new favorite toys. You love to play with your Cookie Monster play dough set where you make pasta and veggies and feed them to Cookie Monster. You got more play dough from Aunt Rikki for your birthday, too!

*Your favorite movies are Toy Story, Finding Nemo and Tangled. You are a huge fan of Tinkerbelle, Special Agent Oso, Doc McStuffins, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Elmo (although not as much as last year).

*You love pink and wearing your pink boots and Jesse Cowboy Boots. You were Jesse for Halloween and you still wear the glittery red boots that matched your costume. You still talk about how you were “Jesse and Bubba Buzz Light Year.”

*You are a Mamaw’s girl through and through. You always want to stay the night with Mamaw, have her get you dressed or do your hair, sit by you, get you out of the car, etc. Whenever we leave the house, you ask to go to “Mamaw’s house.” Uncle Jon is your bestest buddy, too, and you love to follow him around and order him to play with you. He is teaching you to dance to “Gam Gam Star” (Gangam Style).

* You sing more songs to your movies, lullabies and shows nowadays. You also sing Taylor Swift’s “Never Getting Back Together.”

*You love sweets. Any kind of sweet. And you know that Godiva is better than other milk chocolates.

*You also love shoes, sunglasses, and jewelry. You are quite the accessorizer, although it doesn’t always match.

*You love to play with my stethoscope and play doctor. You want to listen to “bubba’s heart.” You know that mommy works in the hospital, and when I get home from work you tell me “mama all done working. All done your patients?” When you come to the hospital you like to look at the helicopters that “gotta get more patients.”

*Daddy puts you to bed every night. You like to cuddle up in mommy and daddy’s bed, but you also sleep sideways and take up all the room. =)

*You know all your colors and letters of the alphabet. You know plenty of numbers, too, however you will only count to ten if we prompt you and only to 4 or 5 if you are counting by yourself. You like to sing your ABCs in the back of the car. Daddy is teaching you your right and left sides of the body, and you are pretty good with them, too. You can name all of your body parts (head, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, chin, cheeks, neck, arms, hands, fingers, chest, tummy, back, bottom, legs, feet, and toes).

*You have a great memory and can remember back for a few months time.

*Your friends you play with regularly are Isabella, Caleb, Charlie, Eveyln, Emma, Benjamin, Braeden and Kellen. We haven't seen Lily as often, but you play with her, too, and "Aunt Nonee" used to watch her with you earlier this year.

*You can dress and undress the lower half of your body without help and can get your sleeves on and off of your shirt. You are able to put your socks and shoes on, but sometimes your shoes are on the wrong feet.

*You are now swimming in the P2 class, which is for three year olds who can swim with the instructor and three other kiddos. Daddy doesn't have to get into the pool anymore! Your classmates are Aiden, Abby and Caleb.

You are growing and learning so much! You are mommy's little sunshine and the sparkle in my eyes. I love teaching you and watching you see the world through innocent eyes. I am learning so much from you and am constantly reminded how blessed I am to have you as my daughter. I hope that I can be the kind of mother that you will always be proud of!

Love,
Mommy

Nathan: One Year Old (and 13 months, too)

Nathan,

This time of year is CRAZY busy for our family. Not only was it your first birthday, but Thanksgiving, Holiday Parties, Christmas, and Katie’s birthday. That is too much for one mommy to keep up with!

I have tried to do my best, and hopefully I will be successful in the future, but your updates this month and last are a bit late. Oh well…

You are still as cute, lovable and ornery as you ever were.  You are learning so much and getting into everything. Since your last update, you have started Walking! Running! And climbing! You took 14 steps on October 31st and never looked back. Now that you are more mobile, you are into everything. You constantly open cabinets, pull things off the Christmas tree, climb on step stools and your latest - play in the toilet. Yuck! You are ALL boy! You have 6 teeth now! (2nd tooth on the right November 18th, Top Right on December 10th and Top Left on December 14th). I think you are actually working on your 2nd bottom right tooth, right now, as you were drooling up a storm last night.

You are speaking more, too! Your list of words include: Mama, Dada, “Bubba,” “uh oh” on November 12th, “Bella” on December 14th and you gave Isabella a hug when she got home from school, and “Mawmaw” January 1st while pointing at Grandma. You wave “Hi” (November 25th), “Bye” (December 3rd), and clapped your hands (November 25th). You are becoming so communicative. You are making sounds and gestures for your other wants and needs, and I am sure you will be talking more and more in the coming weeks and months. You seem to be growing taller and heavier, but the doctor tells us you are still under the 5th percentile for your height and weight. I am not quite sure why this is, but otherwise you are doing so well! Your hair doesn’t have any problems growing at an accelerated rate, however, as you got your FOURTH haircut right before your birthday.

You love to play “peek-a-boo” and “get you” with Katie and anyone else that wants to join. We took our first long distance road trip (to Aline) with you November 2-5th for an Early Thanksgiving with GamGam and my cousins, aunts and uncles. On the way home, you were playing peek-a-boo all on your own! It was darling. Speaking of our road trip, you did really well! I was a bit nervous to see how you would do as the farthest you have gone is the coast and back, but you slept well, played by yourself and didn’t scream for the majority of the trip (as I feared you would). This trip was when you really started eating people food well! You scarfed down Thanksgiving dinner and never looked back!

We have been all around the past two months; it is hard to keep track. I had vacation for a bit around your birthday, and I wanted to fit in as many holiday and fall activities as I could. We went to Devine Acres Farm for a hayride and to see a pumpkin patch with Tiffanie and Caleb October 30th. You had a blast being outside and taking everything in. We made several trips to the duck pond and SeaWorld, where you started taking part in feeding the dolphins like Katie. You even tried to eat one of the fish, but thankfully we caught your hand in time. We have had a slew of birthday parties, including Caleb’s November 17th, and Isabella’s December 9th at Amazing Jump. You love partaking in the birthday festivities and most importantly the cake! We have been spoiled by having Gam Gam with us twice in the past two months (once for your birthday and again for Christmas). You love to play with Gam Gam and G-Paw, and they seem to have enjoyed being here with you, as well. We went to the River walk on December 2nd while they were here with Aunt Rikki and you loved your first boat and carriage rides, as well as looking at all the Christmas decorations. We also made a quick day trip to Portland for Emma’s baptismal December 23rd with the family. You did so well in the car, but you were entirely over being at the baptism and fussed when Papaw held you instead of letting you run around everywhere.

Your Clothing/Eating and Sleeping Habits:
Clothing: 6-12 months, size 4 shoes

Diapers: size 3 disposables and “medium” cloth diapers

Sleeping: Bedtime is around 8:30pm. Sometimes you wake up around 5am, but you are awake for the day at 7:30. Your naps have been more erratic lately. Sometimes you take a morning or evening nap for 30-45 minutes, and sometimes you don’t. You always get that 2 hour nap in during the middle of the day, though.

Eating: You are eating so well! And big boy foods, too! You eat breakfast, lunch and dinner with snacks in between. You are not even kind of interesting in baby food anymore. You LOVE fruit. You would eat it all day if we let you. You like corn and sweet potatoes, but fruit is definitely the winner in fruits vs. veggies. You enjoy chicken and some beef. And you LOVE sweets. You had cupcakes and cake/ice cream for your birthday, which you thoroughly enjoyed. You still nurse 3-4 times a day and do really well drinking whole milk out of a sippe cup.

Overall, you are becoming quite the little toddler and are extremely energetic and happy 99% of the time. You bring so much joy to our family, and we are so proud to call you our son! We love you and I look forward to updating again when you are 15 months old! I am sure you will have learned so much more by then.

Love you to the moon and back,
Mommy

Christmas 2012

Christmas time this year was so much better than last year! I am very happy to report that, as I was a bit nervous thinking each year was going to be a chaotic blur. LOL! I have been planning Katie and Nathan’s birthday parties for several months now, but lining up when to order presents, decorations, book venues, go Christmas shopping, squeeze in holiday parties, and celebrating with families is a bit of a mess. Hopefully I pulled it all off this year; I don’t remember hearing too much complaining, but then again, I might have selectively blocked that out.


We celebrated with our friend’s children on December 19th. Tiffanie and Jeremy, Noemi and David, Paul and I were able to gather almost everyone that was here last year to open up Christmas gifts, have some holiday treats and enjoy one another’s company for a couple of hours. I know it is hard to get together during the month when so much is going on, but it meant a lot to see the kids get together and play and open presents. I can’t believe how quickly these kiddos are growing!

Paul and I were able to attend the PCU Christmas party on the 21st. One of my co-workers hosted the party for us in his beautiful home. We had such a fun time hanging out and having some drinks with everyone. It was nice to be able to relax while not at work with the ones I spend so much of my week with. :) They were even able to get us to sing Karaoke. Oh my goodness, I am awful. lol!
The Greer Family opened their home to friends and family for their 2nd Annual Holiday Open House on the 22nd and Paul and I took the kids by for a little while that evening. Mrs. Greer had put out quite the spread, as she usually does, and we had a great time visiting with the Greer and Kazear families. This has become one of our favorite new traditions! After the party, we headed over to Irma and Ramon’s house for the Garcia/Gauna Christmas celebration. Unfortunately, we were a bit late and most of the family was headed out after we arrived. It is hard for the little ones to stay awake and not only was it past Charlie and Lorelei’s bedtimes but always Katie and Nathan’s. We were able to visit with everyone for a little while though before we headed home and called it a night.

My grandparents were able to come down for Christmas and Katie’s birthday this year. I always love having them here, and it feels more like “Christmas” to have them with us. Mom, Papa, Grandma, Grandpa and Jonathan all came over for Christmas morning at our house, and mom made lunch for us afterwards. Katie was so much fun to watch this year! She was really into opening her gifts and had to get every last piece of wrapping paper off before she looked at what she received. She seemed so excited about her toys and loved unwrapping Nathan’s (and anyone else’s) gifts, as well. Nathan started to help unwrap his gifts, but he quickly lost interest and let Katie take the lead. He loved banging all the gifts around after they were open, though. Irma, Ramon and Paul each stopped by to give the kids presents and visit for a bit Christmas morning. Katie and Nathan were thoroughly spoiled for Christmas this year! (as were Paul and myself!) They will have enough gifts to play with all year long!