3 and a half

We certainly can't leave Kason out of all of these recent updates and being that he is 3.5 (as of yesterday), it seems like the perfect time.

Kason's stats: 37.5 lb and getting taller by the minute, it seems

This guy amazes me on a daily basis. I often wonder if he would be the same little boy we now know if he wasn't the oldest of 3. I worry that already, at his young age, he feels the pressures of being the oldest. I worry that Kyle and I sometimes forget that he is only 3 and expect too much of our little guy.

I think we also sometimes forget because of just how smart he is. He is so smart! Kyle got a snack out for Kason and Emily the other day. There were 6 in the package and Kyle asked how many he should give to each of them, to which Kason quickly replied, 3. Kyle, thinking it would be a teaching moment, was a little perplexed when Kason answered him very matter-of-factly. Really, kid, slow down!

Also, did you know he can read? I mean, really read. If I had to guess, I would say he is at a late first grade or early second grade reading level. He has, for a looong time, been obsessed with letters and their sounds. He began trying to put the sounds together over a year ago, but just mastered three letter words a few months ago. So, I bought him some BOB books. Since then, he hasn't looked back. He can string sounds together, knows when a vowel is long, short, or silent, and to break down compound words into their separate parts to figure out the whole word. He rarely comes to a word in a book that he cannot figure out himself and when he does, he asks us and then studies the word, depositing it into his crazy memory bank (we call him our little elephant because he never.forgets.anything!) for a while before moving on. Before he asks us, though, he will scan the pictures and the rest of the page to see if he can decipher the word himself given these context clues. Really, it is amazing to watch this kid read.

Aside from his love for all things academia, he is still a rough and tumble boy. He loves all things Cars and Cars 2 related, playing with his cars for hours every day. He loves to play baseball and man, can he hit that ball hard/far. He likes soccer, swinging, racing (but hates to lose), playing with the older boys on the street, wrestling with Daddy, driving his Jeep, school, riding his bike and his Razor, etc, etc.

He is still our cuddly little snuggle bug and an awesome big brother. He and Emily definitely have their moments, but there is no doubt just how much they love each other. Kason often tells us that Emily is his best buddy and Emily hates leaving 'her Kason' at school. Pick-up is great, though, as the two run to each other for hugs as if they haven't seen each other in years. Afterwards, they commence bickering over who gets to sit and who gets to stand on the stroller. :) He also loves to love on his baby brother, especially holding his hand, which has become a bit of a battle now that Noah needs his hands to hold toys and crawl and such.

He is happy, smart, loving, kind, playful, and oh-so-many more things I can't put into words, and on days when I'm wondering who he would be if he were an only child, I think of who he is now and know that he is exactly who God intended him to be. 3 kids in 3 years might not be for everyone, but we wouldn't have it any other way!

Hot Diggity Dog!

Emily is 2! Has been for a little over a week now. We celebrated the day of her birthday with gifts and a trip to the Kemah boardwalk. She and Kason had so much fun riding on the airplanes, the carousel, and the balloon ferriswheel.


Riding her new pink tricycle




Riding the airplanes at Kemah


Sweet!



On Saturday, we had her Minnie Mouse party. While most of the guests were boys, I still think everyone had a good time. We had a Chick-fil-A lunch, Minnie Mouse cupcakes, Minnie Mouse chocolate dipped oreos, followed by a rousing game of Pin the Bow on the Minnie, and a few swings at the Minnie pinata. She was once again showered with gifts and is enjoying them all!


In her Minnie Mouse dress and hair accessory that Mommy made


Minnie Mouse cupcakes and chocolate dipped Oreos (thanks for the help, Mom!)




Checkin' out the goodies :)


Pinata (it was really the pull-string kind, but we got out a bat instead)


She and Noah both went for their well-check appointments last week. Emily weighed in at 25lb (26%) and 34.75in (82%). Loooong and skinny. While I am sure she will love these proportions as she gets older, it makes it a little difficult finding clothes that are long enough but will also fit around her skinny little waste.

At 2, Emily loves all things Minnie Mouse. She likes Mickey, too, but prefers to refer to him as Meeska Mooska. She can sing her ABCs, recognizes all of her letters, uppercase and lowercase (for the most part), knows their sounds, recognizes a few numbers, lots of shapes, and a few colors. She loves puzzles and books, but they don't hold her attention very long. She does not quite share the interest in books and educational toys that Kason does and we don't push it. What she does love, though (aside from Minnie, of course), is taking care of things. She loves to take care of her baby dolls, her stuffed animals, Noah, Kason, and anyone who is upset or hurt.

While she is the most loving and cuddly little girl, she can also be a real handful. She is STUBBORN as anything and prefers to do things in her own time. This strong personality made us rethink potty training a few weeks ago. She was doing very well the first day, but got a little nervous the second and Kyle and I decided that now wasn't a good time for us or for her. We have too much on our plates at this moment to be as patient and positive as we need to be to venture into potty training, so we'll likely wait until April or May to try again.

I hope that strong personality stays with her as she grows into a strong, confident young lady.

6 Months + some change

Well, really, about 3 weeks worth of change. :) I was waiting until after Noah's appointment this week to post his update.

6 Month Stats: 18.5 lb (60%), 28 in (90%), and a big head :)

While I'm sitting here wondering where my little newborn has gone, he is crawling across the floor stealing his brother's cars. Can you believe that?! Crawling? Isn't it too soon? Actually, he's been army crawling since 5 months and hasn't looked back since. He still hasn't quite figured out hands and knees crawling, but he sure is trying. He will rock and rock, scoot backwards, then dig his little toes in and launch himself forward. Then, he usually decides it's easier to army crawl. :) I'm sure it will be no time at all before he is chasing Kason and Emily around the house.

His little voice is also adding to the chaos in this house now and we love it. I am busy trying to get him to say, 'mama', but he insists on 'dada', with a 'mmmmmm...da' thrown in every now and again just to tease me. Aside from crawling and babbling, he's also been busy trying new foods. We started just shy of 6 months and he loves it. He is really showing interest in big people food, but is happy enough with his purees, puffies, mum mums, and yogurt for now.


First time eating applesauce


Mmmm....MumMum

What else does he love? Cars - no, really - he is already a boys' boy. I put him down in the middle of the playroom floor surrounded by his toys and within a matter of seconds, he is under the train table playing with Kason's cars. He just can't get enough of them. We just have to keep a close eye to make sure no tiny wheels pop off in his mouth. Aside from that, he still loves to be sung to (his favorite is the Alligator song, as we call it), car rides, watching the big kids play, JUMPING, being outside, and cuddling with Mommy (Daddy, too, sometimes). He is a real mama's boy right now...what can I say? He knows where his food is.




I looove cars, Mommy!


My very own race track!


Playing with my bird bath

He is working on some teeth, but nothing has popped through just yet. He sleeps through the night verrrry occasionally. Most nights he is up once, if not twice, to eat. But, he usually goes right back to sleep after a quick nursing session, so I am okay with that. I really think he will drop the night wakings once his teeth pop through, but then, as we all know, more teeth will come...ugh! He is also still battling some ear problems. While he doesn't have an ear infection right now, he does have some fluid on his ears. Along with this, he has been congested since the day we brought him home from the hospital and when he gets really excited, he kinda wheezes and coughs. So, Dr. T prescribed him singulair. We are hesitant to try it, though, since none of this really seems to bother him. So, we filled the prescription to have it on hand, but are going to wait a while to evaluate his real need for it. If he continues to get ear infections, we will give it a shot. If not, we'll probably hold off unless his symptoms get worse.

As I'm sure you can tell from the pics, he is a pretty happy camper so, for now, we'll just keep doing what we're doing.


Check out those eyes!

Christmas....

I know, I know...Christmas has long past, but what can I say? I've been busy....verrrry busy.

On Kason's last day of school before the break, he had his Christmas program. It was sooo cute! The kids did a great job and Kason was singing Christmas carols for weeks after Christmas was over.




Can you find Kason?


Cookies and juice after the program

On Christmas Eve, we went to the family service at church. Kason was a bit restless, but Emily really seemed to enjoy it. After church, we came home and they got to open a few gifts from our friends, Dan and Kate plus their Christmas jammies and slippers. And, just before bed, Kason and Emily helped me get a plate of cookies and a glass of milk ready for Santa's visit.


Lovin' on brother


The best I could do...sibling and/or family pics are not easy to come by




Opening jammies








Nibbling on Santa's cookies....Noah wants in on the action

The kids, of course, had a blast on Christmas day. We started with stockings and gifts from Santa. Then, after breakfast (yummy baked french toast), we spent some time opening and playing with the gifts from Mommy and Daddy. It was so fun to see Kason and Emily so excited for their gifts. Later that afternoon, Sean, Tina, Cody, and Allison came over and we enjoyed a nice dinner and some more gifts. Sean recently accepted a position in Boston and we are excited for them, but bummed that we will be so far apart again.












Snowman family...Santa left a piece in each of our stockings

A couple of days after Christmas, my brother and his family came for a couple of days. Kason adores his older cousins, especially since he can wrestle with them and be as rough as he wants. We had a great time and can't wait to see them again in March.

Happy Birthday, Emily!

Has it really been two years?! It seems like just yesterday, she was all wrapped up in her blanket being snuggled in my arms. She is the sweetest little girl on Earth and we are so blessed to be her Mommy and Daddy!

Happy, happy birthday, Emily! Mommy, Daddy, Kason, and Noah love you so much!!!



**In other news...lots of posts are in the works and will hopefully be posted in the next couple of days.**