Birthday Bash!

On Saturday, this guy will be ONE!  

We celebrated last Saturday since daddy was supposed to be drilling on B's actual birthday.  As it turns out, his unit had a training thing last weekend so he won't drill until April.  So, we'll have a nice family dinner out to celebrate the actual day!  Logan helped make Brody's smash cake:

 Sweet girl wanted to do it all, she wanted to make everything so special for her brother.

Brody is usually my happy, sweet, nothing phases me, child and he was NOT himself on the day of his party.  He was fussy and it was so hard to get him to smile and enjoy himself.  We found a tooth cutting yesterday and I'm pretty sure that was the culprit of the mood. 

 We had some friends over to help us celebrate.  Brody and Logan love to play with Claira-lynn!

  

 Brody was a little apprehensive of his smash cake when we came at him with a candle...

Logan helped him blow the candle out and then attempted to show him how to dig in.

 He was content licking the frosting off of his fingers and trying to pick the sprinkles off the cake one by one.

Picking at the sprinkles: 

He really, really enjoyed the chocolate frosting.

Quick family shot:

 After the sugar we got a few smiles from him:

 It was nice to have daddy around for the party, you can tell the kiddos really, really love it when he's home!

And now for the party details!  Even though I knew it'd be a small party, I couldn't stop at cupcakes and streamers.

I did a couple banners with his monthly pictures, and we realized that after about month 2 he didn't change a whole lot!  He got a little longer, but other than that (and the fact that he sits up without assistance) you can't tell he's had 10 months of growth in between!

I made this fun dip (yogurt, cream cheese and coolwhip topped with confetti sprinkles) and cut up Brody's favorite fruit to go with it!  Logan loved both the fruit and the dip but she ate them separately.  She's named the dip "finger dip" since that's how she ate it!

We went with a monkey theme for the party.  We've always called B our little monkey and so it just fit!

We gave out "Brody bars" to our guests:

We had such a great time celebrating one year with our little boy!  

Snow!

We've been waiting and hoping for snow this winter but it's been so warm that we were beginning to wonder if we'd get any at all! Wonder no more, though, we got a teeny tiny bit last night.

It started to fall in big flakes about 8:30 last night and Logan was already long asleep. She had been asking all day if it was "nowing" yet and I was so sad that it waited until she was in bed to start. I was very tempted to wake her so she could see it fall but Mike reminded me she usually gets up once before 11pm to go to the bathroom and she could see it then. Go figure that last night was the first night in a while she actually DIDN'T wake.

She woke up around 6:40 this morning and noticed the white stuff outside and begged to go out and play a little. I knew if we didn't get out quickly that it'd probably melt since a good bit of it was already gone as it was. So, we bundled up and headed out.

She had to scrape it off of cars and other surfaces to actually get a bit of it in her hands.

This one was not too amused:

As you can see, it was barely a sprinkling of the white stuff but it was enough to have her excited. I SO wish we'd get one good snow fall, I think she's at such a fun age to enjoy something like that...and I'm not pregnant this year so I'd actually be able to play with her!

Here she is trying to show off her "no-ball" it kept breaking apart, though, when she opened her hands.

I'm pretty sure that's probably all we'll get this year. Here's hoping for a good snow fall next winter!

11 months!

Brody is 11 months old! I'm so sad I didn't get to post on the right day but we discovered that the cord that connects the camera to the computer had quit working right before I went to load his 11 month pictures. So, we had to wait for a new one before I could post. Fear not, though! There are a ton of pictures.

At 11 months old, Brody:

- Is 18lbs.

- Wearing size 9-12 month clothes.

- Wearing a size 3-4 diaper.

- Is our little prince charming! He's so sweet and quick to come to our "rescue" when either Logan or I seem to be upset. Logan fondly refers to him as her "little prince" or "little chip" (from Beauty and the Beast).

- Is so, so happy! We get comments all the time about how people never see him cry, he's always smiling or laughing. We know this not to be the case because we've seen homeboy get teeth, and it is no walk in the park, but we're so glad he's so easy going with others.

-Is easy going and quickly seems to warm up to people. He doesn't mind being passed around unless it's close to bedtime and then all he wants is momma.

- Had such a good time with Mimi when she came to visit! He cried and cried when she got out of the car to go back to Miami.

- Loves to spend one on one time with mommy but is always excited when Logan gets home or wakes from her nap.

- He adores his big sister. He constantly follows her around and always seems to find a way to get her to do things with him. They're best buds and it's so fun to watch them interact! He loves her so much that he always reaches for her hand to hold in the car as soon as they're both buckled in. You can definitely tell he's the second child because when I take him out on his own he looks for Logan immediately and is not a happy camper in the car without her.

- He's nicknamed Logan "ya-ya." I think it's because she calls herself "Lo-lo" when she's talking about herself with him. She will not tolerate anyone but him calling her that. Today, on one such solo trip, he kept calling out, "ya-ya? ya-ya?" It was so sweet!

- Is still on a very rigid schedule. We have a hard time going out in the mornings because he's only awake from 7-8:30/9 and then goes down for a couple hour nap. He's consistent! He also naps from 1-3 and then is in bed no later than 7...lately we haven't been able to keep him awake much past 6:30. Thankfully, he usually sleeps a full 12 hours.

- LOVES to put things in his mouth! We started to wean the paci and he only takes it at night and at naps but I've had to start bringing it with us when we go outside to keep him plugged so he doesn't put rocks, dirt, sticks or anything else he finds in there! I also sweep and mop the kitchen 3-4 times a day and have to constantly vacuum and spot check the rugs. It's only by God's grace that we haven't had any major swallowing incidents with him, though, he did swallow his sister's earring this month!

- Got two more teeth this month! We're up to six now! We've felt it, too, because Brody, while normally a great sleeper, is AWFUL when he teethes. I'm normally up every 1/2 hour with him when he's cutting one.

- Is getting more adventurous with standing and moving around. He can walk back and forth on the couch while holding it and uses a push toy to get places, sometimes. He still won't venture from furniture to furniture (even pieces so close he'd only have to turn around). He doesn't seem really interested in walking and I think it's because he crawls at the speed of light!

- Is eating like champ. He eats anything you put in front of him and I haven't found any foods that he refuses yet. His favorites this month were bananas, avocados, rice, broccoli and peas.

- He's still nursing several times a day but we're looking forward to adding some whole milk to his diet next month!

- Is always on the move. You can have him right next to you one second and then you look back and he's on the other side of the apartment. I'm telling you--speed of light.

- LOVES to dance! Even if I'm just humming a song, he's grooving with me. It's SO cute.

-Is relaxed and pretty mild mannered unless you do something to really annoy him. He does have a big temper that flares up very quickly if he's not happy with you.

- Started playing peek-a-boo.

- Can say: more, please, thank you, milk, hungry, all done and night night in sign language.

- Can say: mama, daddy, bye bye, ya-ya (logan), night night and ball.

I'm so sad that this is our last monthly update before the big ONE! How this year has flown is beyond me, I seriously don't feel like it's been an entire year. I miss my little newborn but I absolutely adore the little boy that he's becoming.

Green Monster

Thankfully, both of our children are not picky eaters. We've worked hard to make sure that they try a nice variety of foods and that they eat whatever is put in front of them. That being said, it's always nice to find a fun way to hide veggies (especially green ones) that the kids really enjoy and this gem did just that!

The green color absolutely did not deter them! In fact, I think it added just a little more intrigue to the drink.

Here's the recipe:

(Pre cut banana slices, zip them in a ziplock and freeze them for an hour or two beforehand)

Blend:

1 frozen banana (or more, taste preference)

1 tbs peanut butter

1/2 cup of vanilla greek yogurt

1 cup of milk

Fill the rest of the blender w/ baby spinach--I probably put in 3-4 cups worth.

Blend and enjoy!

I gave Brody a cup of it before remembering it had peanut butter in it! Oops....well, he's just a month shy of a year old, right? Good news, he's not allergic to peanuts, and he loves some spinach!

Tale As Old As Time...

Logan has been begging for a Belle dress for months. I almost took the plunge last summer when the Disney Store had all of their costumes on clearance, but I just wasn't in love with them. So, I did a lot of searching and found and combined a couple of tutorials to come up with my own pattern! We planned to give it to her for her birthday and I documented it all through pictures so I could show them to her one day.

{Phase 1} That's a LOT of fabric.

{Phase 2} Top is complete! I went for a peasant top instead of the traditional, off the shoulder Belle look because I knew she'd like the feeling of that better.

{Phase 3} The pickups. Oh. my. stars. These took so long to complete, and I ripped and re-sewed SO many of them before I finally got them the way that I wanted them!

{Phase 4} Accents. Light yellow chiffon to accent the pickups in the skirts and then sweet satin roses accented with baby pearls. Perfection!

{Phase 5} Accessories. I had some leftover fabric so I made a handbag to match the dress. The strap is braided satin.

{Phase 6} I tried desperately to sew gloves from the satin but it was near impossible to sew around the tiny finger holes. So, we ordered a pair and I tried to dye them. Unfortunately, the little bit of polyester in them prevented the dye from sticking to anything but the thread that held them together! White it is.

{Phase 7} The delivery! I packaged it all up and had her open it last. She was so excited and immediately wanted to put it on! I'm so glad to be able to do things like this for her. It was worth all of the hours, all of the frustration, all of the seams torn open just to see the twinkle in her eyes as she put it on.

Three.

How it's even possible that it's time for me to sit down and write this post is beyond me. I can't believe my firstborn is already three. It's been the hardest birthday for me because I see every little bit of baby slipping away and being quickly replaced by little girl. I love the little girl that she's becoming, but I surely miss the sweet baby stage. Logan is such a joy to be around and I know I say it a lot, but I feel so blessed that God chose us to parent her. She is such a blessing to our lives and it's hard to remember a time when she wasn't around.

At three years old Logan:

- Is wearing size 3T clothing.

- Is wearing a size 7T shoe comfortably, but we've started buying size 8 to prolong the usage of her shoes (she shot up from a 5 to a 7 in literally 3 weeks).

- Has a pretty head of blonde hair. That won't grow. Seriously, I feel like it'll be stuck at shoulder length forever! I even got it trimmed up because I'd been told it helps it grow back more even and more quickly. Not the case for us.

- Is sleeping in a twin bed!

- Is night trained. Took one wet bed and we haven't had one since!

- Still naps 2-2 1/2 hours a day. She is SUCH a great napper, goes right down and sleeps really well. We thought about cutting her nap a couple of times but she's a b-e-a-r when she doesn't nap and then has a really, really hard time falling asleep at night. So, we're going to hang onto it for dear life!

- Her days normally start between 7:00-7:30, she eats breakfast at 8, plays with little brother until 9 and then has mommy all to herself until 11. This is usually when we do some kind of structured preschool activity. We eat lunch at 12, she naps from 1-3ish, then we play until dinner and she's in bed around 7.

- She is not a picky eater. Though, she does favor the phrase, "but I don't like that, mommy" when she's told what we're having for dinner. She has to be reminded that it's not a kind phrase and that she has to try whatever is put in front of her. And usually she'll devour it. The only food I can't seem to get her to enjoy is spaghetti sauce...I think the acidity in the sauce doesn't sit right in her mouth as she always complains it makes her mouth hurt.

- Her favorite foods are: mac and cheese, peas, french fries, whole grain french toast, bananas and strawberries.

- Her favorite toy is her baby Lucy. She carries her everywhere! I often get quizzical looks from people when they see her walking around with Lucy until they realize that Lucy is a doll and I'm not, in fact, allowing my three year old to carry my infant around by the arm. :) She's such a sweet little mommy and wants her dressed in normal clothing in the morning and pj's at night. She has woken in the middle of the night to find Lucy in play clothes and will wake me to change her.

- Her favorite book is her Disney Princess bedtime story book. We read from it most nights along with her Bible. Her favorite Bible story is the story of Jesus' birth and she can pretty much recite the entire thing from memory.

- Her favorite movie is Beauty and the Beast. She'd watch it on repeat if I let her. She also really loves the Princess and the Popstar (it's a Veggie Tales movie) and Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue.

- Her favorite TV show (of the moment) is Micky Mouse Clubhouse. She also really enjoys Super Why.

- She is very, very girly. Hates to be dirty. Hates stains. Loves dressing up and wearing jewelry. Loves getting her nails done and always asks for "pink" on her cheeks (blush).

- Is a fantastic big sister. She has yet to get aggressive with Brody. She's usually gentle and loving and only really gets upset when he's taken something she really loves and put it in his mouth. And it's usually not even because he's taken it, just because he's "sauced" (slobbered) on it. She loves to play with him and teach him how to do things. She holds his hand in the car so he's not scared, wants to be the first face he sees when he gets up from his nap, looks for him as soon as she wakes up and just really enjoys him.

- Loves playing with friends! This year I've really seen her go from playing along side of other children to playing WITH other children. What a fun transition! It's nice to see her care for her friends and want to have them over to play. The fighting over toys that she only uses when they come over gets a little old........but we're working on it. :)

- Her favorite restaurant is Chick-fil-a. She loves their new grilled nuggets but I think she really thinks we're paying for the ketchup and getting the nuggets as a condiment.

- Her favorite color is pink. Any shade.

- She loves ballet. She's always asking how many more days until her next class. She goes to bed quickly on Wednesday evenings because she just can't wait to wake up and get ready to go!

- She loves to help out around the house. She has pretty much taken over sorting all of our laundry and putting it into the washer. She needs help getting up to turn the washer or the dryer on, but she knows how to do both. She helps clear the table after meals, she makes her bed every morning, picks up toys to help me out and likes to take a dust rag to our dust bunnies.

- Her love language is words of encouragement/affirmation. She is so sweet about letting me know how beautiful rooms look after they're cleaned. I love to hear, "Oh, mommy! It looks d-eautiful in here!" Makes my heart happy. She also really loves to be affirmed. She gets a very accomplished look and seems incredibly satisfied when you've told her how well she's done or that you're proud of her.

- Has an ever expanding vocabulary that shocks people. She likes to use big words after she's heard them and about 80% of the time uses them correctly. The other day she said something and I looked at her quizzically and she responded, "I know you're amazed by me." Oh goodness.

- Can read some sight words-- "Logan" "Brody" and "Mommy" she has down really well. She recognizes "baby" and "Jesus" some, too.

- Can count to 30, you have to get her past 13 because she gets stuck and starts saying "thirteen, eleventeen, eleventeen, eleventeen" until you give her 14.

- Has an infectiously sweet laugh that has everyone smiling.

- Has a great sense of humor and loves to hear people laugh because of something she's done.

- Has a crazy temper! It flares up quite a bit. We're learning about controlling emotions and how our responses and reactions show people the condition of our hearts and it seems to be getting through to her.

- Has a sweet, sweet heart and hates it when she's done something to hurt someone. She'll apologize like there's no tomorrow and tear up if she knows she's hurt you (emotionally or physically). I'm so proud to be her momma!

Another year gone by just means another 365 wonderful days I got to spend with this sweet little girl. It's such a blessing to be home loving on her and teaching her how to love people the way Jesus does every single day. We love her so much and are excited to watch her continue to grow and develop. I just keep hoping time will slow down a little. Happy 3rd birthday, Logan!