Nathan: Two Years Old

My Rowdy Bubba Bubba

I can’t believe you are already two years old. You’re personality has definitely blossomed this year! You love to talk, and talk more than most three year olds that I know. You have even started to copy Katie and ask us “why?” all the time. This past month, you have also started copying mommy and Aunt Tara and answer yourself “said so…” because mommy and Aunt Tara said so. Lol! You are very good at asking “please” and almost always say “thank you.” You speak in short sentences most of the time and can say “shoulder ride please Johnan,” “I want my mommy,”  “water daddy please,” and your favorite “I want my ‘fier’ (pacifier).” You say so many words; I can’t keep track of them all but it has to be at least 150-200. Despite that, you are pretty stingy with your “love you” and say it most to Aunt “Tear-wah” (Tara).  You are learning your body parts and know your head, eyes, nose, mouth, tummy, arms, hands, legs, and feet. You like to grab noses as tell us “honk honk!” All of your teeth have come in as well, except for your two year molars. One or two of them are peeking through, but not quite out.

Swimming with Charlie at Aquatica, July 29th

Lunch with Abbey and Miss Jess @ BJ's La Cantera, August 2nd

You love to play and laugh all the time. You hop around the house and tell us “happy, happy, happy, happy!” Katie is your favorite playmate, followed closely by Emma, Abbey (Katie’s swim buddy),  Caleb, and Charlie.  Your Uncle “Johnan” is the coolest guy. You have followed suit with Katie and the two of you tag team him to play “Get You!” You love you grandparents, but of them all, you are Pawpaw’s buddy.  You are just like him, too. You have his temper, outgoing personality, pouty faces, and he is the only one that can get you to snuggle up and take a nap some days. A big change from last year is that you are a major Daddy’s Boy! You always want to be with him and ask for him as soon as you wake up or get home. You are such a happy boy and make friends easily.  At Thanksgiving at Gam Gam’s you made fast friends with your 3^rd cousin, Angela. She carried you around and played with you all day at the park. 

Katie and Nathan at Mass, August 2013

Trip to Oklahoma, August 16-19, 2013

Nathan's First Movie, Planes (Alva), August 17th

You climb like a monkey, and attempt to climb up the ropes and up the slide backwards at the playground. Somehow you can swing yourself onto my cabinets and try to reach things on the 2/3^rd shelves in the kitchen. You love to play with balls and toys that light up. You really enjoy being outside and will find all kinds of things to get into in the garage and backyard. While you like some TV characters and shows, you certainly are not interested in watching a whole cartoon show. Your favorite cartoon is Little Einsteins and Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  Most recently you have developed a love of putting on other people’s shoes - whether they are Katie’s light up shoes or Daddy’s sandals makes no difference to you.  In typical boy fashion, you are big time into pulling girl’s hair and get in trouble quite a bit for doing so. Time outs do not work very well with you; you usually throw yourself dramatically on the ground in a fit of tears whenever you go to time out. However, you know mommy’s look and you certainly don’t want to get a “pow pow.” Counting down from 5 usually gets you to rethink your behaviors.

Emma and Nathan grocery shopping, August 28th

Nathan with Mawmaw and Papaw at Landa Park, September 2013

Nathan at Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, September 2013

You used to be such a good sleeper until a month ago or so. You usually sleep from 8:30pm to 7am. Sometimes you wake up at 5am, but you go back to sleep without much fuss. Recently though, you fight sleep, and end up falling asleep somewhere between 9-10pm. You wake up constantly and always want daddy to sleep with you on the couch. When he is getting ready for work, you are standing outside the bathroom door or shower asking for him.  I am hoping this has more to do with you possibly getting your molars or your allergies causing you to wake up more. Mommy is not a morning person, and your 5-6am wake ups are pretty rough! You are still eating okay, and continue to grow bigger each month. Your favorite foods are strawberries, waffles (pancakes, toast, mini waffles), chips, corn, peanuts, and fruit snacks.  You made it 23 months nursing (although much less frequently for the past two months) and nursed for the last time November 8th.  I am so proud of us for making it so long, and while I miss the special bond with you, I was ready to be done nursing! We have a follow-up with the Endocrinologist in December to check your growth, but I am positive you are making progress. You have moved up to size 18-24 month clothes and size 7 shoes, but are still in size 4 diapers.

Big Bubba brushing his teeth

Happy Halloween 2013!

I am so proud of the little boy that you are becoming. You have so much energy and are full of life. I can’t wait to see all the new things you are going to learn this year.  It won’t be long and you won’t be needing mommy as much to do things. You can already take off all your clothes yourself. If we aren’t paying close enough attention, you strip down to your birthday suit and try to get in the bathtub or shower with us. You love the water!! You are starting to want to “poopy in potty” and have asked to sit on the potty a few times. You don’t do anything yet, but you pull off the “paper” and flush all by yourself.  When anyone is doing laundry, you help pull out the step stool and climb on top of it. You also really like playing with the vacuum and broom and will pull them both from the closet when we are cleaning. My favorite was this past month when we were cleaning up and you chimed in singing “Clean up, clean up” with Katie! J You are so smart, Nathan, and a fast learner!

Nathan as "Jake" from the Neverland Pirates, Halloween 2013

Nathan and Paul snuggling on the couch

Angela and Nathan at Aline Park, November 3rd

I hope that you always know how much we love you! You are such a sweet, sweet boy and I cherish your hugs and kisses after a long day! Have a wonderful birthday (a Thanksgiving Birthday) and know that mommy loves you more than life itself.

Isabella (6), Nathan (23mo), Eveyln (7), Katie (3.5), Lily (2.5), Caleb (3)
 at Caleb's 3rd Birthday Party, November 24th

Katie and Nathan, Thanksgiving 2013

Love,

Mommy

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