Party Time!

This weekend we were invited to three birthday parties! We didn't want to have to choose between our friends so made stops at all three. It was a busy but fun day!

Nathan was giving Paige a push on his toys!


Nathan turned 2 on Saturday!


I left my camera in the car at Noah's party so didn't get any shots of this one. Noah is turning one year old on March 11th, which also happens to be Reeds birthday. Happy Birthday Noah!

Ashlyn also turned 2 years old. This is where I got the most pics because it was at My Gym so the kids were contained to an area I could always see them. They were on the loose!

The sweet birthday girl


Jayden and his Dad listening to instructions

Singing Songs

Paigey checking herself out!

Trampoline time

Carter and Paigey who share a birthday

Reed in the balls. (This was a big moment because he used to be scared to get in them. He's a control freak and doesn't like things out of order - no idea where he gets that from....)

Paige on the other hand, has never had any fear of anything! Getting ready to slide by herself.

Carter on the balance beam

Kiley going for a ride in the wagon

Group picture!

Reed's trying to stop Paige from escaping...

...and there she goes!

Ashlyn and her Strawberry Shortcake cake.

Paige doing some more climbing

Guess she needed a little rest

Reed likes to copy everything she does.

Everest and Jayden jumping into the balls

Reed and Jayden rolling around

This was a swing/zipline type thing the kids went on

They started at the top....

....and slid all the way down. Paige was not impressed - she had absolutely no reaction!

Lets try that again in case she missed it!

Still not impressed....

Reeds turn! (Another big step for him because again, letting go of control!)

Reed LOVED it!

Blurry but you get the picture!

So fun!

Happy Birthday Nathan, Noah and Ashlyn and thanks for sharing your special day with us!

T-ball

Reed is going to start T-ball next month which a bunch of his buddies! I didn't want him to have no idea what he was doing so got him a set to practice on. I wasn't sure how athletic he would be at 2 (almost 3) but he did a good job!

Dada showing him how to hold the bat


He didn't want to use both hands at first


Time to swing

The windup

Whack!

He was very excited at how far he hit it!

He laughed every time he hit it for a while!

LOVE this picture! The toddler look is GONE and here is this little boy in his place!

Sometimes he hit it too hard and took the 'T' with him!

Dada had to do some more coaching

Now he's got it!

I'm so proud of my little man and how quickly he picks things up. I'm so excited to enter this phase of his life where he starts to do things as a team with his friends. And it doesn't hurt that I get to hang out with my friends too while we cheer on our little ones! What could be better?

Another Milestone

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that posts about transitioning to big kid beds would come only two weeks apart for my 2 1/2 year old and 1 1/2 year old! Reed has done amazingly well and after a rough first few days, I can put him to bed and shut the door and not worry about him getting up etc.

A few months ago Paige figured out how to climb out of her crib. We lowered the crib mattress and took out the crib bumper and that seemed to solve the problem - or so it seemed....

A week ago in the middle of the night I heard a loud thud followed by screaming. She had managed to do it again! This time we knew we had to do something before she broke her neck! I DREADED this day. Paige is a very different child then Reed and I imagined her on the loose in the house climbing the walls - literally! But we had no choice.

We bought a bed and braced ourselves for the worst! Day 1, nap 1 as I assumed, she immediately got up and started banging on the door. I let her cry a few minutes, went back and layed her back in bed without saying anything to her. Repeated three times and then gave in and lay down with her until she fell asleep. The same thing happened at bedtime but took less time to fall asleep.

Day 2 I put her down for a nap prepared to be a little stricter. I waited outside her door and never heard a sound! I thought it might be a fluke but she did the same thing at night!

I must admit I'm really sad to put my last baby in a bed so soon. I was ready to let go with Reed because he's almost three but definitely was not prepared with Paige just two weeks later. They're babies such a short time which makes me sad but I'm also proud of how quickly she adjusted. Just goes to show she's as smart as she is beautiful!

First nap

Growing Up

The terrible two's have been really rough for us with Reed. You can just see the struggle for independence as he's trying to find his place in this great big world. Everything has become a battle. Because he's so tender hearted I've been worried about pushing him into anything he's not ready for that most kids his age are dealing with (potty training, big boy bed, pre-school etc). I want to protect him as long as I can so I figure we'll do things in his time. With our daily battles I didn't want to add anything to it that might push him over the edge (and me).

Someone recently gave us a twin bed set. I've been hesitant to move Reed out of his crib. He still fits, never climbs out and seems to find comfort in it. Since they can stay in it until they're four I figured, what's the rush? Unfortunately, the lack of space in our garage pushed the issue. I set up the mattress on his floor with his new Thomas the Train bedding he got for Christmas from Grandma and Grandpa just to see how he'd react but didn't take down the crib right away. He played on it a couple days and said he wanted to sleep in it one night. It was a rough couple nights. I ended up sleeping in the bed with him!

On the third day we set up the bed frame and for whatever reason, this changed everything! He LOVED it and was so excited to sleep in and play on his "big boy" bed! This was a week ago and he hasn't gotten out of bed since! We took down the crib and he didn't even care! I got a little teary eyed putting away the bedding he's slept on for almost three years but Reed happily said goodbye!

Since then I've seen a lot of changes in Reed. Maybe it's just a coincidence or maybe it's because we handed him a little bit of independence. His attitude has changed and there hasn't been a single tantrum, a lot less tears and just a better spirit all around! Whatever the reason, we've definitely turned a corner with him and are so excited to see the little man he is becoming!

Here I was thinking I was protecting him from growing up too fast. Maybe I was just protecting myself and in the process was holding him back. Or maybe it was just the right time! It just goes to show, regardless of what other kids their age are or aren't doing, your child is an individual and will be ready to do things in their own time! I am so proud of Reed and this little step towards growing up he took!

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace." Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

A Special Date, Then and Now

When I was 9 months pregnant with Paige I took Reed on a last special "date" to Los Rios at Oak Glen. They have a nature trail perfect for kids. I love being outside and used to spend a lot of time hiking pre-babies. I decided to start the tradition with Reed and it was just one of those perfect days where the sun is shining, the air smells amazing and all is well with the world.

Lately I've been having a really hard time with Reed. Call it the terrible two's or just the fact that he is amazingly stubborn like me! My days are filled with tantrums and tears and my nights are filled with his nightmeres and fears. My patience has been pushed to the limit and beyond. I knew we needed some quality one on one time and what better place then re-creating our perfect date?

This was our date a year ago and a half ago, arriving in a stroller..


This time we didn't even get the stroller out of the car!


One of my all time favorite pics. My hair's a mess (probably didn't wash it) and I have no makeup on but all that matters is the memory of one of my favorite days!


Same comments as above, a year and a half later!

Last time we went it was July, this time it was December so there was snow!

It's amazing how much joy something as small as snow can bring to a child! I wish life were still so simple for me but watching him has got to be almost as good!

Playing with the snow

Trying to make a snow ball

After throwing a snow ball at me

July 2009

He used to be quite the wanderer...

Now this is about as far as he gets.

The bridge to a little dock

Same bridge, much bigger boy!

Another old favorite pic on the dock

A new favorite!

One of the cutest pictures ever!

Glad the simple pleasure of watching ducks hasn't left him yet!

My little goofball

Growing up so fast!

Parenthood is so much more challenging then I ever could have imagined. It's like a marriage where there's a honeymoon period that inevitably comes to an end. Gone is the frail little newborn who I thought would never be one of "those children" that disobey or do one naughty thing. But just like a marriage, the years that follow the "honeymoon period" are even richer and deeper in spite of the challenges and in many ways, because of them. Reed challenges me but he also makes me a better person as I learn and grow right along side him. Even in these difficult seasons of life I am so greatful for my children and blessed by them every day. Sometimes I just have to take a time out of the daily routine, one on one, to show them the simple joys of childhood and how very much they are loved!

Bowling

Last week we went bowling as a family with my parents, sister and neices and nephew. I wasn't sure how Reed would do but he LOVED it.

Watching his ball go down the lane.


Auntie Allie helping him out.


Paige wanted to play too!


Spare!

Waiting for his ball...

So cute!

A little arcade time with his cousins

And of course, Paige wanted to climb!