Solid Food

Dear Rusty,

Oh sweet boy... you are growing so fast! You are three and a half months old and you probably weight close to 20 lbs! You are wearing 6-9 month clothes. You have two bottom teeth, and I am fairly certain I see another one trying to pop through.

You have been staring at my food lately. Really gazing at it. Then, the other day you wanted a bottle all day long. All day. All you did was eat and sleep. So I gave in and I started you on rice cereal. It has really helped calm your appetite down. I think you were just ready to eat. I know they say wait until 6 months but honestly, how many kids your age are as big as you?! Not many.

I bought you a big boy car seat. You could have fit into your other one probably a few more weeks, but truth be told I couldn't stand carrying you in it for one more day. You were just getting so heavy! You love your new seat! You feel like one of the big kids. Your siblings love it too. Kaylee is positive that I bought the seat for the sole purpose of allowing you to have a better view of her. You like to watch your siblings and you find Connor especially funny. He is pretty good at making silly faces!

You are so strong too! You can roll over, you can push up on your arms when you are on your belly, you grab your toys and pull on them.... I am actually really amazed at all the things you are able to do. You don't feel like a 3 month old to me. You feel much older.

I have been having such a good time hearing your voice lately. You talk and talk. The other night Daddy had you giggling and it was the cutest thing in the world.

Everyone who meets you comments on how laid back you are. You are such an easy going kiddo.

Daddy has been teasing you about how you take up his side of the bed. You don't. The two of us squeeze onto my side of the bed and Daddy gets his full diagonal space the same as always, but it is pretty funny to hear him tease you and to see the looks you give him. The “who me?” look that you do so perfectly because of those big, round, innocent eyes. The truth is, Daddy finds it much easier to throw all of you into bed with him too. You kids love to snuggle! One night when I came home from my “survivor” night at a friends house you were all in my bed. I asked Daddy the next morning why everyone was in one bed and he described it perfectly saying, “well, our kids like to sleep like a pack of wolves!” hee hee. We're probably going to have to get a sign for our front door that says WELCOME TO THE DEN!

I love you buddy! I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

XOXO

Mommy

Sleepover

Dear Bubbas,

Hunter went and saw the movie The Croods during the summer. He wanted to see that movie instead of going to see Sesame Street Live. He told us all about how great it was, several times. We decided it would be a movie we would rent as soon as it came out.

Then a few weeks later you started asking if you could have a pajama party. I wasn't really up to having a big party so I told you that we could have a slumber party when the movie The Croods came out. I thought it was going to come out in late July. Nope. It JUST came out. You were so excited when you started seeing the ads that the movie was coming and you started planning your pajama party immediately.

I ended up buying the movie for you. Partly because I knew you were going to love it and mostly because I was being lazy and I didn't want to drive across town to blockbuster to chance that they would have it and then worry about driving back across town to return it the next day. So we are now proud owners of a new movie.

We had Christian, Josie, Kennedy, and Kaylee's friend from preschool Kaylee over. It was a really fun night for you guys. It wore Mommy and Daddy out pretty good, but you had a blast. I think the best part was that you got to wear your pajamas for the whole party. You three sure love your pajamas!

I am glad you had such a good time. I'm also glad we bought the movie. You watch it once every day! You love it so much. Mommy and Daddy liked it too. I was giggling pretty hard while we watched it. Now you three and Daddy walk around the house quoting the movie and making each other laugh.

Thanks for being such easy kids to please! I love you!

Mommy

Hunter

October 11, 2013

Dear Hunter,

You have had a pretty hard time adjusting to Kindergarten. First, you didn't want to do the school work at home. You kept asking why you had to do it. Then you tried to assert authority and announced you were “not going to do it!” However, after I calmly explained to you that you could sit at the table all day not doing your homework if that was the choice you were going to make, you decided you would go ahead and just get it done.

Then we started going to classes at MCP. It was way too much for you. You were very worried about Mommy leaving you there. I stayed with you the whole first day. The second day went well. The third day you broke down crying at lunch time and the staff had to console you for a good thirty minutes. When you came home that day you threw up.

So, after a lot of bumps I am happy to say we have settled into a pretty good routine. You now love doing schoolwork at home. You ask if you can take more “math tests” all the time. Instead of one long day at MCP we switched you to two short days and that is working much better. You love all your teachers at MCP and all your classes. I even give you a sticker for each day that you do a really good job with your school work. When you get to 10 stickers you get a dollar. You earned your first dollar the other night and you were THRILLED!

Lately you have been incredibly worried about your teeth. Will Captain Crunch hurt your teeth? Will it cut your mouth? Will your teeth turn yellow if you don't sing the whole happy birthday song while you are brushing? Are your baby teeth already rotten? The list of fears goes on and on. I am not sure where this fear of healthy teeth has come from. We're just reassuring you as much as possible and trying not to lose our patience with answering the same question a zillion times! You have a dentist appointment at the end of the month so I am thinking you'll feel better after the doctor oohs and ahhs over your teeth.

You are getting very anxious for the pajama fairy to come. You have left her several notes on the doorstep. I love to hear you talk about her. I hear you and Connor telling each other, “I'm pretty sure she is real.” She is coming soon. I'm sure of it. We'll just have to be patient a little bit longer.

You are playing flag football and you are loving it. You score a touchdown every week. One week you scored two. You like to tell everyone how you “ran TWO times and nobody could catch you, not even once!” I love watching you play. You have started to figure out that you are one of the fastest runners out there but you haven't quite figured out that you are the fastest. Most of the time you are running half speed and keeping up with everyone. You are just as happy running by all the action as you are pulling a flag!

I love you buddy! I'm glad school has gotten easier for you. I love watching the way you love life and all the things life has to offer.

XOXO,

Mommy

t-ball

Dear Kaylee,

You started your first YMCA sport- T ball! You love it. You tell me all the time that you “are good at this game, and a good hitter!” I love watching 3 year olds play t ball. It's so funny. You are all so little out there and you're trying your hardest, but every now and then a butterfly catches your attention or someone ends up running the wrong direction. I love listening to the coach. He is so kind and patient. “OK guys we're going to practice hitting the ball, stand up please, first we have to make sure we have a helmet on, no not yet don't grab the bat yet, we have to stand up now please, we wear the helmets so nobody gets hurt, please take the glove out of your mouth...” ha ha. I love it. It is clear that every ones biggest concern is what the snack will be at the end of the game, and who is in charge of bringing the snack. We took baseball sugar cookies for our snack and you were so proud of yourself for helping me make them because all the kids went nuts over them!

You started preschool too. This year you are a caboose. I didn't do a very good job preparing you for the upcoming school year. I had my mind on home school and the baby. This will be my 4^Th year taking kids to preschool at Bethel and so I guess I thought it was old news. Well, it wasn't. You were so excited on the first day of school and went running up... to your old class. Ugh. Epic Mom Fail! You were so shocked that you had a new class, with new friends, and new teachers. You went in just fine, but when I picked you up you wouldn't talk about your day. Then the next time you told me you didn't like school and you didn't know who your teachers were. The third time you cried your little eyes out and said you didn't want to go to school. However, when I picked you up that day you came out of class bright eyed and happy and said you know who your teachers are now and now you like school. I'm sorry I dropped the ball on preparing you. I will try harder to remember that things are new and scary for you even if it's old news for me. Your teacher today told me that you made a new friend in your class, Cadence. She said you two really hit it off. You also have a friend from last year in your class named Kaylee H. You really like Kaylee H. and talk about her all the time. We're going to have to start having some play dates with your friends.

We've had a lot of whining lately. I think all the little changes in our family; new baby, new schools, new friends, etc. have really taken a toll on you. One day you were fighting over a chair with Hunter and Daddy put you in time out. For whatever reason you took the chair with you, which is normally not allowed. Daddy said by the end of the three minute time out he found you in the corner, asleep, with the chair on your lap. It made us laugh pretty hard. You've been doing a lot better lately so I think you're starting to adjust to everything pretty well. 

I think we're finally all starting to settle in for the school year. I at least feel like we're all coming back to a place of normalcy. I love you so much, and I just can't wait to see what this school year has in store for you!

XOXO

Mommy

Kindergarten!

Dear Connor,

You are a big Kindergartner now! I can't believe it! You really love school this year. Well, you've always loved school so I guess this year is no different. We are learning at home this year. I didn't want to put you in an all day Kindergarten program. It is going very well. You are really determined and you work really hard. On Tuesdays you get to go to MCP to take 5 classes and have lunch with your friends. You are taking Art, Where I live, Solids and Liquids, Lunch, PE, and Magic School Bus Science. You talk the most about Magic School Bus Science but whenever I ask you what your favorite class is you say all of them. The first day of your classes I stayed with you the whole day. You were very concerned about being in school and changing classrooms all by yourself. I don't really blame you. Typically kids don't have to worry about that until Middle School and they even panic. During one of your classes I had to leave to go give Rusty more food and you were so upset. The teacher had to pull you off of my leg while you were screaming and crying. But by the end of the day you went to your last class and just waved to me saying, “see 'ya later mom!”

You are really going through a “mom is going to leave me” phase right now. You have always been slightly concerned about that. When you were two I had to tell you every day on the way to preschool that I would come pick you up at least ten times. You calmed down the next couple of years but this year it is back with a vengeance. If I go to the bathroom you start yelling through the house “MOMMY!” I walked across the hall of Kaylee's preschool today and you came running to see where I had gone. You want me to tell you where I am going several minutes in advance before I go anywhere. I am trying to work with you on that, because I really want you to trust that I am not going anywhere. You are stuck with me. Sorry, buddy.

We have a joke in the house. We like to say, “and here's another Sad Moment by Connor.”  We say this because you like to point out all the things that are “sad.” We will be having a great time and you will suddenly say, “ hey guys, here is something sad. I lost my lego.”

The latest sad moment by Connor was the other night at MCP. They were having a back to school night. There was a giant bounce house style obstacle course and root beer floats. They were selling bags (which you got one) and t-shirts. It was a very fun event. You turned to Kaylee and said, “Kaylee, when you turn 5, this is the place Mom is going to just drop you off and leave you here for a whole day... yup. She will.”

You weren't telling her in an excited, “I bet you can't wait until you're 5” tone, it was more of a “enjoy life while you can because 5 is all down hill.”  All I could do was laugh because how sad could a place with bounce houses and ice cream be?!

You are playing flag football right now and you absolutely love it. You are pretty good too. You were disappointed that there were no snacks given at the end of practice and I am thinking maybe your coaches heard all the surprised 5 year olds asking for their snack because at the second practice there were snacks. That makes the sport practically perfect in your eyes.

You have been such a good kid lately. So funny too. You've taken on a British accent at times. I have no idea where it came from. You taught yourself charades and you act things out several times a day instead of just telling me. You think almost everything is funny.

I am so glad I have you around. My life would be so boring without you. And thus, you are stuck with me forever, or until you turn 30 and I kick you out so I can have a grand baby. Hee hee.

I love you,

Mommy

Russy

Dear Rusty,

I can't settle on what to call you, Russell or Rusty. I switch back and forth depending on what I happen to say. I like both of them so much. On accident a few times I have called you “Russy” and I even like that! I am not the only one struggling either. My friend Leanne goes back and forth too and she called you “Russy” by accident once!

You are so blue eyed! You have the lightest blue eyes ever! Connor keeps telling me that it looks like you're going to be a blue eyed boy. I think he's right.

You are sleeping really well. You sleep a six hour stretch and then a three hour stretch. Every few nights you wake up every three hours, but it really isn't bad. You just eat and go back to sleep. You mid day nap is very consistent; three solid hours in the afternoon.

You eat so much. I am pretty sure that is all you do, and yet you are not as chubby as I would have expected you to be by now. You are solid. You weighed 14 lbs at your 2 month check up. But you are long and still fairly lean, considering.

We took you to the pool for the first time. You didn't seem overly enthusiastic, but you didn't not like it either. I think you were pretty neutral, but you sure looked cute in your swim trunks!

You absolutely love to sit up. You grunt and push your body until whoever is holding you helps you sit up. You love sitting in your Bumbo although you are pretty tipsy in it stil. You do really well in the exersaucer. You love to sit in that and will sit there for up to 20 minutes playing and smiling at your siblings. Daddy says that he thinks you will be left handed because you always touch your face with your left hand and you use your left hand when you are playing. He says the exersaucer is “clearly made to gear babies towards being right handed because all the fun toys are on the right hand side of the toy.” hee hee. Daddy just rotates the chair so that you can reach the fun toys with your left hand.

I love snuggling you so much! I told myself that I would put you in your crib and not in our bed when the time came. Well, the time has come and it hasn't happened. You sleep in your crib for a few hours each night, but the truth is I would much rather you be with me so you sleep right next to me in bed. You prefer it too. I can tell because you don't sing in your sleep nearly as much when you are in bed with me and Daddy as you do when you are in your crib.

You smile at EVERYTHING right now. You love it when I snort and say “Uh-Oh, I'm going to get you!” because you know that means that kisses are coming. You are getting way more than your fair share of kisses around here. I think someone is constantly kissing you. Who can help themselves though with those adorable chubby cheeks!

You found your feet. You would look down and then jump out of fear. Grandma would say, “those are your feet. They've always been there.” Then a few minutes later you would look down and jump out of fear again. You did that four or five times. We all got a good laugh out of it. The next day you were staring at your feet in the car. Except this time you were wearing your monster pajamas and you had little monsters staring back up at you. I laughed to myself and thought 'I guess that would be confusing'. I can only imagine what you were thinking, “where did my feet go and what on earth is that?”

Daddy and I are going out of town tomorrow for an overnight trip. I decided to leave you home because you are not a huge fan of your carseat and I thought it would be more relaxing and fun for you to stay with Grandma rather than being dragged around in a car all weekend. I am struggling a little bit actually leaving you. I am not sure how I am going to make it 30 some hours without holding you. I guess we will have to have extra snuggles when I get home and before I leave! You're definitally sleeping in the bed with us tonight!

I love you buddy. I love watching you grow and explore your world so much! I can't wait to see what each new day brings.

XOXO

Mommy