Huston - April 2014

Huston,

I am so behind on your blogs!  I'm sorry.  I do keep notes on what I want to include, so I'm not technically missing anything, they are just getting lumped together.  Besides, I'm just going to blame it on you for keeping me so busy.  You are a ball of energy that uses up all of my energy too.  Thank goodness you made a friend across the street, because he helps entertain you in the evenings.  His name is Garrett, and he is your 'best buddy'.  I don't know if he got that distinction because of the type of friend he is or the frequency you can play with him, but you are a bit obsessed right now.  He's teaching you lots of bad habits that your teachers and I would typically try to intervene on so we've been having lots of...um...teaching moments.

Since you've been in Oklahoma, you've already picked up a little twang.  Sometimes I just find ways to make you say "hat" because I want to see how many syllables you'll stretch it into. You love being outside and will often tell me, "Momma, it's a beautiful day", "I need some fresh air" and "I want the blue light in, not the yellow light".  And you LOVE playing out at Papa's on the farm.  You are his gate opener and help with the cows and think you are big stuff out there.

We went to a karate place in town that is offering a summer camp and you tried out and even though they typically only take 5 and up, they are going to let you attend (you'll almost be 5!).  You did a great job at following his direction and they promise to teach you a lot about discipline and respect, so I signed you right up :)

You have started taking on some chores and are very proud of them.  You are in charge of getting the mail, turning on and off the outside lights and bringing me your laundry.

Your teacher Mrs. Weaver recommended we go ahead and enroll you in Kindergarten  since you've been doing a good job in Pre-K, so we got you all enrolled.  You really seem to enjoy learning and tell me all kinds of things when you get home.  You loved the lessons on planting this month and you are counting, writing and spelling great.  Now that you know your numbers so well, you can even unlock my phone.  Stinker.

You have lots of phrases going on that I thought might hold off until you were a teenager, but maybe that was wishful thinking.  I commonly hear "Ya, I know that.", "Really?", "I told you.....", and my favorite "I need privacy".   You are also obsessed with the words "chicken" and "eyeball".  I have no idea why.  The one I'm completely okay with is that you learned to tell me I'm beautiful.  I know it's probably a ploy to get something, but I still love it.

I think I mention this every blog, but I love watching you play with your brother.  You two are getting close and have a lot of fun together.  You are both crazy and sweet and cute and smart and I love you both so much.  You tackle each other as much as you cuddle, but so far we've had no major injuries.

I'm proud of you every day buddy and I hope you always know that.

Nolan - April 2014

Nolan, my goofy boy.  These past couple months you have developed this ornery personality and you are testing every boundary you can find.  You love to laugh when I tell you "no", you tackle your brother every chance you get and you think chase is the funniest game ever so everything takes twice as long now.

You are a thrill seeker and love to free fall, hang upside down and will climb anything.  You think it is hilarious when I palm your face and push you down and will come and just stick your forehead next to my hand when you are ready for me to do it.  I see lots and lots of ER trips in my future.

The kisses you give are full pursed lips and your hugs are super tight.  You will go night night all by yourself and can be heard talking to yourself in there at random times throughout the night.  You also like to help pick up the house and if you see any trash, you pick it up say "trash" and throw it away.  Huston has learned to take advantage of this.

Right now you are playing with balls, cars and blocks and you LOVE to be outdoors.  You are starting to talk quite a bit:  ball, all gone, quack, cracker, down, brother, dad, momma, dog, papa, mine, etc.  You are also obsessed with dogs and wearing other people's shoes.  Papa is probably your favorite person in the whole world and you love to go see the cows. 

 

Your other obsession is food.  You will eat anything and eat all day long.  You have found a taste for sugar and can be really stubborn and throw fits if you know there are cookies, donuts or candy in the house.  You'll stand and point at them and bring on the tears if I say no.

 

I have so much fun watching you and your brother.  You two are getting so close and love to play and wrestle and cuddle.  I can see that you are growing to be good friends and it makes my heart swell up. 

Your teachers at school tell me what a kind boy you are and how well you listen.  I am so proud of you everyday and love watching you grow from my baby to a little toddler.  You are the happiest little boy I have ever seen and even though I see glimpses of the terrible twos at times, I know you are always going to be my sweet boy.  Love you so much my crazy critter.

 

 

 



Nolan - Feb 2014

Hey cutie pie.  I am happy to report that now that you've gotten the tubes in your ears, you are feeling so much better.  You are so much happier and all the goop is gone from your ears and nose.

I feel like each month you've learned so much more there is no way I can remember it all for your blogs.  You are learning sign language at school and can sign for more, milk, eat, play, love and diaper.  You love to dance and climb and eat and climb.  You are babbling all of the time and can now say momma, dada, brofer, uh-oh and dog.  There are times I feel like I hear words, you can mimic sounds really well.

You love to play peek a boo and hide under blankets.  You've started this wobbly little run that is pretty cute too.  You love to wrestle with your brother and are equally excited he's playing with you and horrified that he's coming at you.  You have no fear and will free fall off the couch and run and jump on anything.  You can't resist it if there is a blanket or pillow on the ground, you are going to land on it.

You had your first major injury.  You were playing with one of Huston's wooden drum sticks and had it in your mouth and fell off the couch.  It punctured that back of your throat pretty bad.  You healed up pretty quickly and it never even really seemed to bother you that much, but it was hard for me to see my baby bleeding.

Everyone points out what a lover you are.  You love to hug and kiss (which is a full open mouth contact with a hum) and cuddle.  You have such a sweet disposition and are almost never cranky.  You love tickles and have even started tickling back.  You make the funniest little noise when you do it too "ickcicleickickle".

You are finally on a sleep schedule and are very into your routine.  About 7:30pm you will come lay your head on my knee and just look at me.  I'll say "you ready for night, night?" and you will immediately start crying but walk to your crib and reach your arms up.  I put you in your crib and turn on your baby and your doggy (two stuffed musical toys) and you cry until I walk out of the room and then stop right after.  You sleep all night long.  I love you for this.  You were 14 months old before this happened and I was one tired momma.  When you wake up in the morning you will play with your toys and babble and just sit there until I come get you.  This means I get to get ready for work before I even come in there.  I really love you for this.  When I go to get you, you reach your arms up and hand me a few of your toys and then waddle into the living room to watch cartoons with your brother and eat a waffle.  When you are done with your waffle, you will walk to your changing table and point to be picked up and then I help you get dressed.  I say help because you are already putting your arms and legs in without my help.  If I get out of order on any of this, you will squawk at me and get me back in line.

You are sweet, adorable, smart and funny and you love to tease.  I just love watching you grow up and I see a little bit of little stinker getting ready to come out in you.  Be nice to your momma.
 

Huston - Feb 2014

Huston, this is your "don't get mad I just gave Nana's dog a mohawk" face.  You don't usually look so innocent.  I am way behind on your monthly blogs, but I will do my best to get caught up. 

A spot opened up in Pre-K in December and you are now a Panther at Highland Park elementary school.  You absolutely love it.  Your teacher, Mrs. Weaver, says you have made a lot of friends and are doing really well.  We have already been to three birthday parties of classmates and it's fun getting to know your friends and their parents.  Right now your "best buddies" are Holden and Conner.  You've come home educating me on body parts, organs, patterns, magnets and being healthy.  You look like such a big boy walking into school from the school drop off line with all the "big" kids.  It makes me sad and proud and I have to admit sometimes I feel a little bit like tearing up.

You had a great Christmas and got the guitar and Lego table that you've been wanting.  It's so fun to see you get into the whole season and understand what is going on.  You are not a fan of the cold weather at all and you are always asking when it's going to be summer.  Every day you ask if you can wear shorts and when you can't, you will push your pants up to your knees and wear them like that.  This is what I deal with on a daily.  You are quite a little character and you make me laugh. 

Probably one of the highlights of your year, was a sleepover at your cousin Gavin's.  This was your second sleepover and you were very serious about what to pack, because you only wanted to pack things that Gavin would think was "cool".  Gavin's momma sent me pictures throughout the time and it looks like you had a blast.  You are already planning the next one.

You are getting really close to your baby brother and I love watching you with him.  You are very interested in when he's going to be able to do things and you always ask me "when I was a little baby could I do that?".  Now that he's walking and can get around better you two have really started playing together and the wrestling has already started.  You also look out for him.....you got on to a teacher at his Valentines party for starting to give him chocolate (he's allergic) and you warned the lady giving him his haircut that he had tubes put in.  You are a great big brother.

Your toys of choice are ninja turtles, power rangers, rescuebots and Legos.  You mainly watch Imagination Movers, but every now and again want to find something new on Netflix.  This led you to Aquabats.  I can never unsee what I've seen on that show, and I may always hold this against you.

We have started a tradition during our bedtime routine that I just love.  Once Nolan goes to bed, we will get in momma's bed and read 2-4 books.  You earn them throughout the day by how well you listen.  Most days it's two, but every now and then you will get four and you think you have hit the lottery.  After we are done reading books we'll play "I love you bigger".  This consists of us going back and forth saying what we love the other one bigger than.  Sometimes we're silly, sometimes we're serious and sometimes you just astonish me with how much you know.

Some of your cute sayings right now are:

• "lapstick" - chapstick
• "mom, I have the hiccups, give me a little tickle" - you are convinced tickles cure hiccups
• "wackys" - khakis
• "I can't know why...." - don't understand

I just love you so much and every day you make me proud and happy and crazy.

Nolan - Dec 2013/Jan 2014

 

Nolan Michael you are such a ham.  In the last month you have learned how to get into everything and never quit moving.  You love to pull all the dishes out of the cabinets and drawers, the movies out of their basket, the stuffed animals out of your room, the laundry out of the dryer and pretty much anything else that isn't nailed down.  You keep me on my toes!

You also love messing with your brother.  You will walk up and hug him one minute and then slap his head the next.  He has started wrestling you and you love every minute of it.  It makes me so happy to see the two of you growing close and I hope that you will become friends as well as brothers.

 

You have really started noticing and mimicking what goes on around you.  You start dancing the minute you hear a beat (a cute little booty shake) and you point and grunt and copy words.  You are starting to notice the TV and love to flip through books.

 



You are so proud of yourself when you get where you want to go and will look back at me and say "oooooo".  You have also learned to shake your head "no" and when I get on to you, you just shake your head and smile.

 

You are still a great eater and won't turn many foods down.  You really, really enjoy Mexican food.

 

Christmas was a lot of fun for you and you loved Santa and the Christmas tree.  You even did a pretty good job opening your presents for being so young.

Even though you are a happy happy boy, every time we took you to the doctor you'd have an ear infection.  Most of the time I didn't even know anything was wrong because you weren't really all that fussy, but at your well baby visits they would catch it.  So, the doctor decided to put tubes in your ears.  This made your momma a little nervous because they had to put you under to do it, but the whole procedure took about 15 minutes and then you were back in my arms.  The hardest part was keeping you in the room pre-op.....

waiting and waiting

making a run for it

And my dear I will apologize now.  It looks like you are going to have my curly frizzy hair.  You had some crazy curls going on and it was sticking out everywhere, so we got you your first cut.

before

during

after

Baby boy, from the very beginning everyone has commented on what a happy baby you are.  You bring me so much joy and I can just tell how sweet and kind you are going to be.  I love you so much and love watching you learn and soak everything in.

 

Huston - Oct/Nov 2013

Huston this picture sums you up.  You are adorable, silly, stylish and crazy.  I'm combining your Oct/Nov posts (forgive me this once!).

You are really enjoying school and have learned all of your letters, count to 19ish, and are getting pretty good at writing your name.  Every word you hear you ask, "what's kind of letter does "X" start with?"  You are also learning to sign your letters which I think is awesome.  Unfortunatley I can't really help you with that.  Peer pressure has set in.  You are now very aware of how cool your outfit is.  You've even linked the direct correlation between your shirt and who will be your best friend that day.  Usually you are hoping for Garrett.  Toddler songs are also now cool.  I tried playing them for you for a few years now and you had no interest, but now that they do them at school they are acceptable.  This means I hear lots of interesting wording of "Old McDonald", "Bingo", "This Old Man" and many others.  My favorite part of all this is that you picked up the phase "my fair lady" and often call me that.  I think it fits quite nicely.

You are still in an eating rut and there are only a few things that are "tasty".  You are officially off of a sippy cup though and although that means lots of spills, you are doing really good at it.

Physically you are getting tall and skinny with a belly.  Your dimples are really showing now and you do this cute little mouth slant when you talk.  Baths aren't quite as fun as they used to be, so it takes some convincing to get you clean these days.

You've experienced your first loss.  Your Beta fish, Ernie, went to fishie heaven.  You thought about it for a second and then decided he went to be with Holly, Nama's dog.  That was that.

The phrase "wasn't me" has started, immediately followed by "i not lie."  "i not did it."  This is not good.  You also took a toy home from daycare in your backpack.  Lots of life lessons learned this month, but I have to give you credit.....once I explain why it's wrong it sticks with you and you repeat it back.  Over and over.

Although you enjoyed the farm life while we stayed with Papa and Memaw for a couple months, we are finally in our own house in Stillwater.  You are rediscovering your old toys and getting into a routine again. 

We've been to a whirlwind of birthday parties.  First we went to Gavins.  You love that cousin of yours.  Then we had Nolan's party and Gavin stayed over.  The next days was cousin Macie's party.  Needless to say when mine was the same weekend, I think you thought I made it up and you and Gavin laughed at me.

Here are some snapshots from the last two months.  Love you buddy.

crazy hair day

superman

trick or treat at dedas

dress up with brother

cousin sleepover

cousin gavin

Nolan - ONE YEAR

Baby boy, how are you a year old already? You are such a cute and happy boy and I just can't love on you enough.  But, don't get me wrong you do have an ornery side too.  You are learning how to tell us what you want with hand gestures and grunts.  You love to clap and point and have learned how to say goodbye with a crazy arm wave.  If you want my attention you will grab my chin and make me look at you.  You'll also turn your head to the side and get right in my face and say "eh?".  One of your favorite things to do is to headbutt.  Most of the time it doesn't hurt to badly, but others you will have little red spots on your head from doing it so hard.  You also love to give kisses.  Open mouthed, humming kisses.  And if I don't watch you it ends with you biting my lips.

You have some crazy fuzzy hair in the back that will not lie down.  Everyone is still trying to figure out if it's going to be red, blonde or brown.  Your little mouth is full of nine teeth and you are getting better at letting me brush your teeth.  You still have no interest in walking, but cruise and crawl pretty much anywhere you want to go.

We had a great time at your 1st birthday party surrounded by family and friends.  After fighting some ear infections you got better just in time and were a happy boy all day long.  You weren't that into the cake, but devoured the pizza for dinner.  I cannot keep you full.  Your favorite part was playing with tape, but now that all the excitement is over you are playing with all the toys you got.

It has been a great first year and it is so much fun to see your personality and looks develop.  You are going to be such a sweet, loving, funny and handsome boy.  xoxox