JT - 13 month update

Our little guy turned 13 months this past week. He is 29 pounds and really long - I can't remember the exact number so i'll have to do it again when he wakes up. But it's off the charts - as if you needed that information. You can probably tell by the pictures. ha!

This shirt says "Chicks dig me" and it barely fits.  It looks like a muscle shirt, doesn't it!  Chicks surely do dig him in these duds.

Little Muscle Man likes to cruise in and out of these bar stools but now he likes to walk between them over and over again.

He is still a very happy little boy.  But his "tenacious" personality is coming out.  If he wants out of his high chair, he'll throw any remaining food/spoon/forks/whatever else onto the floor until you get him out. Yes sir!

He's saying 'da-da' all.the.time.  But he's saying 'ma-ma' if he wants something. Little stinker.

JT - you are a treasure to us!

JT - One year!

Our "little" man turned one year on April 11th!  Mike's parents were here so we had a very low-key but special celebration for JT.  He actually ate the cupcake too.  Remember Bella's first year? She did not want the cake at all.  So our little man went the opposite route and loved it!  Our neighbor baked his cupcakes and asked Bella what kind of cupcakes her brother would like. She said pink cupcakes - and pink cupcakes he got!

I was trying to get a family picture but Jonathan was smashing cupcake into his daddy's face.

Then JT proceeded to lick it off.  Adorable!

And i'll leave you with two pictures of what he's been doing a lot lately!  Smiling and standing/trying to walk.

Happy birthday sweet boy.  We love you!

On being a mother

"My children..."

"I have a three year old and a one year old..."

"My kiddos..."

"My daughter..."

"My son..."

It never gets old to say these words.

I still catch myself thinking, "I can't believe I can say those words".  When Bella was born, Mike and I often said to eachother, "Isn't it crazy that we can say _____ (insert words like daughter, little girl, baby)?".  When JT was born, we said the same thing but the words that were inserted would now be "children, kids, son AND daughter".

I catch myself looking at them - wishing I had a camera to capture the moment - but not wanting to look away for fear of missing the moment.

This happened yesterday.  I was pumping gas and had the back windows open.  Bella and I were talking and JT was "talking" to us too.  I looked at both of my kids smiling at me and captured the moment in my mind while thinking, "Gosh, I love these kids".

It happened earlier this week.  We all went out to check on our vegetable garden. Bella saw a cat and, as she smiled from ear to ear, skipped towards it to not disturb it. She then crept (very gracefully, I might add) closer to it with a big smile on her face whispering to it.  I captured that sweet moment in my mind. My daughter in complete happiness at the cat.  Her gentleness, her happiness, her warmth.

It happened this morning when I picked JT up out of his crib.  He'll look at me and then put his head on my shoulder for a hug. This repeats until he hears his sister talking or he remembers he's hungry.  I capture those moments in my mind.

I don't want to forget those special moments of being a mom.  Being a mom also means cleaning up poops and pees, fixing a glass of water for the 18th time today, responding to lots of "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy", and doing the many other unseen tasks and love-duties throughout the day.  The majority of the time there is not a thank you.  There are not many appreciative glances.  And there are definitely not many prayers of thankfulness from my kiddos because of discipline.

But, what there is are the captured moments of a little girl skipping towards a cat, a little boy smiling to make sure i'm looking at him and then hugging me, and two precious children that I can call my own.  I do not take this lightly as I have some friends who recently lost their children too early.  So, i'm reminded of the preciousness of my own kids.  Of being their mom.  For they are the ones that made me a mom.

Mother's Day - 2012.

Bella - 3.5 years

This little gal is 3 years and 6 months. I can't even stand to think that she will be four in another six months. Nope, not going to go there. Here comes the tears...need to talk about something else not so sentimental...

So, let's talk about her "hugging" (aka. tackling) her "brudder".  We have to keep reminding her to be gentle with him. Even though brother is nearly as big as she is, he's still a baby that can't walk.  She still tries to get him to stand up and dance with her though. ha! 

She also likes to take his clothes.  She can actually fit in some of his clothes, hence, she's wearing his hat in the net picture.

And another tackling photo.

And another hugging-tackling photo.

She also loves to play "mommy".  She puts her babies in timeout, she'll feed them, she'll make supper (which is usually soup and once day she made tofu), she'll rock them, she'll put them to bed.  If she's already put her babies to bed, we have to whisper when we are reading our books before she goes to bed.

Her babies have to also be lined up perfectly before she'll cover them up.  Some of them even have names.

Daddy and Bella bought us ice cream to celebrate the finish of my school semester.  So she got to eat it before she went to bed. And here's where she chose to go!

Bella is getting taller and taller and skinny!  We're having a hard time finding pants that are long enough and skinny enough and shirts that are long enough too. Uh oh. We're in trouble.   She also says 'cheese' on command. Maybe she's used to pictures?!? never!

We playing in her room a lot lately because it has the most toys.   Poor brother wanted to play on the horsey too!  Bella still likes put on her cowgirl hat, throw it in the air, and yell 'Heehaw!'.

This melts my heart!  Daddy took her on a daddy-daughter date to the museum this week.   And she LOVED it - especially the butterfly house.

Some of her favorite things to say include:
1.  Hey guys, hey guys, hey guys.
2.  Mommy, it's so beautiful out here (when we go outside in the morning).
3.  I LOOVVVEEEE it.
4.  What's this called? What's this called?
5.  Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy.
6.  Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy
7.  I am Miss Jenny (her teacher). Guys, guys, you need to listen.
8. Good job!
9.  Mommy, Mommy, Mommy.

Another thing that she does is continues to sing and dance.  Last week, while I was taking a break from studying, Bella wanted to dance. So we put on music and danced all over the living room with JT. She kept telling me "good job!" - an encourager, right!

She also has a theme song to E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.  Last week, I was reminding her to brush her teeth and she started singing about it.  I asked if she wanted to go plant with me and she sang about it.  She was eating carrots and sang about it.  Watch out American Idol!

The men in my life

As you know, I am smitten with the men in my household! Sometimes it's hard when JT will go to noone else except me - especially when I feel like I just want a break.   But then i'm reminded how special it is to be a mother to him and to be wanted.  So we'll snuggle a little more.  A day will probably come when he doesn't want to snuggle. Until then, i'll keep reminding myself to snuggle some more!

Come here momma.

He really did like this. These pictures don't show it too well but I promise he was laughing.

And here he is telling me a story.

And another story.  What a doll!

He did not like the feel of the grass.  He would get courageous and attempt to go off of the blanket. But then he would back right back up when he would feel the wet grass.

We decided to walk around a little bit though and got his feet wet with the grass. I love this!  Mike can tell you that if we are walking in the grass, I have to take my shoes off. Thanks dad for teaching me this!

And, now, for the other special man in my household.  I love this picture.  I love the people in it a thousand times more though!