Graham's One!

To my sweet son,

Oh, how my life has changed since becoming the mom of three and the mother of a boy. I could have never imagined I would fall so deeply in love with a son since I just felt like a mom of girls. Girly things are what I'm good at...coordinating outfits, bows, princesses, pink. But there's something about the way my baby boy grins at me, lays his head on my shoulder, and pats my back that just melts my heart. I could hold and cuddle you all day long. And the funny thing is that I know it won't be long before you're much bigger than I am and I'm watching you help your daddy outside and I'll miss being able to pick you up and smell your sweet baby smell that hasn't yet turned to that of a wet puppy. I sincerely hope that you turn out to be just like your daddy. He's got so much to teach you about being a man and there's no one better for you to learn from.

Here's more about you at one:

-You are just shy of 20 lbs.

-Every time we're in public you get compliments on your big, beautiful blue eyes.

-You eat ALL the time and are constantly hungry. You out eat Heidi easily.

-You love to eat anything off the floor or ground. I'm not even going to list here the things I have found in your mouth...

-You crawl so fast, stand on your own until you realize it, and walk behind your push toy. You're so close to walking on your own!

-We had a small birthday party for you with your friend, Ewan, to celebrate both of you turning one. You enjoyed your cake and made a huge mess. I can't wait to see the messes you both get into as you grow.

-You are still pretty independent and will roam all around the house on your own.

-You've recently started giggling and playing games with me. You think you're so funny.

-Weaning and sleeping through the night has been most difficult with you. We're not there yet, but soon!

I love you, Graham Cracker! You're such a sweet blessing to us.

Heidi's 3!

Sweet, spunky little Heidi Reese:

What a funny, delightful, entertaining little thing you are! You fill my days with laughter and are just so sweet...most of the time. Here's a little more about you now:

-You're still petite. You are true to your age with clothing size and can even wear some size 2. You've got a cute little pixie look to you with short blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. You've kept the dimple in your cheek and also have a couple more near your nose when you smile.

-Your favorite thing to do is whatever Ansley is doing. You love to agitate her and are really good at ignoring her commands when you're playing together.

-You love to cuddle with Mommy and are very loving to everyone around you, telling us you love us an endless number of times throughout the day. You're especially fond of your baby brother and I'm constantly having to tell you to get off of him and to give him space.

-This year you started ballet and I loved seeing you dressed up in your pink tights and leotard. You were pretty funny to watch too. Most of the time you fluttered around the room in your own world and sometimes ran up to kiss the mirror. -You're so loud!

-One of my favorite things about you is the funny way you say different words. Ansley, Daddy, and I get a big kick out of the way you say "maked" for naked, "stunk" for skunk, "toison" for poison, and "wallermellon" for watermelon. nd your little voice is just so cute.

-You've gotten pretty clingy to me lately and I guess it's a middle child thing. Funny thing is that you get most of my attention.

I love you, sweet Heidi Reese! What a fun adventure these past three years have been.

Ansley's 5!

**These birthday posts are about two months late, but better late than never. Right?

Ansley Grace,

Where have the last five years gone? You have grown from a baby into a beautiful little girl before my eyes. Here's a little bit about you at this age:

-You're still super tall and in the 95th percentile for height. You've kept your beautiful blonde hair so far and just got your first haircut a few days ago. There wasn't much to cut and it didn't change your look much, but you enjoyed every minute of it. You're also starting to get little freckles on your nose and cheeks and I'm going to claim those as coming from me.

-We just finished your first official year of homeschooling (prekindergarten) with Classical Conversations. We had such a great school year and you really enjoyed our time at home and going to "school" one day a week to learn, do science experiments and fine arts, and play with your friends. You also started a reading curriculum and have started reading short vowel words on your own. We're keeping it up this summer and you will learn long vowels in a few days.

-You were also involved in Awanas at church and began dance. Dancing is definitely something you love to do.

-You're personality is so sweet, compassionate, and loving. You're also pretty mature and responsible for your age and I can count on you to obey and be a big help with your sister and brother. You have a great imagination and love to play with your Barbies, dress up, and pretend you're Elsa. You and Heidi spend most of the day playing together, with a little bit of fighting.

-You are still so girly and love to wear dresses and skirts.

-But, you've also started helping your Daddy more and really enjoyed helping him combine the wheat recently. Daddy even said you fell asleep while riding around with him.

You are such a blessing to our family, Ansley. We love you so much!

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