Pictures by month...

...because I don't always have it together.  And I haven't posted pictures since October except for the Stinker's 1st birthday party.  Unacceptable.  So, my darling children, since this is pretty much the closest thing to a baby book either one of you will get, I am throwing up some unedited pictures by month.  Here is October:

Pumpkin Patch

Dress up like a book character day at school

Halloween

 

Dear Little Peanut and Little Stinker,

Peanut, you are 3 YEARS and 1 MONTH OLD!  

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I have found that the BEST thing to bribe you with is the promise of wearing new shoes.  We bought some gold jellies yesterday and you will do anything for the privilege of wearing them (they are pretty stinking cute).

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You have just started sounding out words and telling me which letter they start with.

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We went to Disney World for your birthday…just you, me and Daddy.  We had a FABULOUS time.  You met Ariel and Belle and got to ride on rides.  We only went for the day, but it was totally worth being exhausted to see your super enthusiasm over the most magical place on earth.  You asked if next time we could bring your brother and that just makes me smile J

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You sang in big church at school last Sunday and it was so adorable.  You wore your red dress and stood on the front row and sang “Help One Another” with sign language and everything.  I was one proud Mama.

Stinker, you are 14 MONTHS OLD!!

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You are still in size 4 diapers, moving into size 18-24 pants for the length, and 18-24 shirts are a tad baggy on you.  Your feet are growing, and I’m not sure what size you wear right now, but you are growing out of every pair of shoe we own.

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I cut your hair and I did a terrible job, but it is slowly growing back.  I’m sorry.

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You are a fantastic napper at school now, and I think it is because you thrive in routine.  You are a terrible napper at home but I think that’s because we always have something different going on.

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You are learning animal noises but so far you will only say “moo”.  

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You are learning sign language and love to sign “more”, “please”, and “all done”.  You use “all done” vehemently when I am changing your diaper.

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You absolutely LOVE music and can’t stand still when you hear it.  You bee bop around when we have the radio turned up in the house and it is awesome to watch.

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You finally got those two teeth in that you’ve been working on for so long.  Total count = 8.

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You love playing in the back yard with your sister.  You can go down our little slide by yourself, although you need help climbing on to it.  You also can hold your own in the trampoline.

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We dug up the garden last weekend to prepare to plant for the spring, and you were SUCH a boy.  Dirt was everywhere (and yes, you did taste it).

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You still nurse in the morning and at night and I am hoping to keep it up at least through flu season.  It’s been going around the school and I’ll do pretty much anything to keep you and your sister healthy.

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You are moving to the big kid class in a couple weeks.  This makes me happy for you because you will have so much fun with those big kids, but sad for me because your babyhood seems to just be slipping away.

I am one thrilled Mommy to have you two babies.  I love you with all of my heart and will always be here for both of you when you need me.  You are absolutely the BEST thing your Daddy and I have ever experienced.  Watching you grow will be a lifetime of entertainment and joy.

Dear Little Peanut,

You are THREE YEARS OLD!!  Whew.  I can't even believe it.  You are our precious little princess.  You are smart, sassy, tenderhearted, expressive, inquisitive, and a sweet sweet girl.  You have grown so much this past year.  You have your own ideas and opinions.  You have your own friends and experience a life apart from us.  My heart swells with pride when I think of all you are capable of and all the things that I know you will accomplish.  Watching you grow has been one of the best things your Daddy and I have ever experienced.

Some facts about YOU:
- You wear size 3T pants and shirts, size 2T dresses, and size 7 shoes.
- You are potty trained!!  Except for at night...but I'm not really worried about that yet :)
- You know your ABCs and can count to 20 and know all the sounds to all of the letters.  You have started to spell words whenever we are out and about.  You can spell your name.  You love to practice tracing your letters.  I feel like you are really close to reading, we just need to spend more time on it.
- You sing ALL THE TIME.  You love to make up songs to melodies you already know.  You also know sign language to most of the songs you sing.
- Purple is your favorite color.
- You are into all things Disney.  You love princesses and I think right now Cinderella is your favorite. We went to Disney World this past weekend for your birthday and you had a stellar time.
- Your favorite shows right now are Sofia the First, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  (See?  You love Disney.)
- You say the craziest stuff.  I try to write it all down, but sometimes I forget, so just know that you are HILARIOUS.
- You love all things girly.  When we get home from school you immediately go to your room and change into a skirt so you can spin.  Your words.
- Your favorite foods are: chicken nuggets, oranges, and gummies.
- You still suck your thumb.  We've been discussing needing to quit and talking about it makes you sad.  Today you asked me if it was ok to suck your thumb if you washed your hands and it was night time.  I really wanted to tell you yes.
- You are in the phase of hating to go to sleep at night.  You come up with the most typical excuses to get out of bed.  You need water, you need to pee pee, you need a bandaid, etc etc.
- You always get good reports from your teachers at school.  You are kind and smart and usually listen to your teachers.  Not always the first time, but you eventually obey.
- We've found the best way to get you to behave is to get a "reward" and put it up in the house and let you try to earn it.  We have a small mason jar next to it and you have to earn a certain amount of cotton balls in your jar to get your reward.
- You love playing dress up and pretend.  You like to "read" books and play with dolls.  You also like to play with your brother and teach him how to do things.
- You have an amazing memory.
- You love reading Bible stories.  I usually read them to you and your brother while you're in the bath.
- You are an amazing big sister.  You love your brother so much and try to take care of him.

You are a light in our world and we are so incredibly blessed that God chose us to be your parents.  You will grow to do amazing things.  You are SO SPECIAL and I hope you always know that and always believe it.  We love you so much.

Birthday Boy

Some long overdue pictures from the Stinker's first birthday:

My handsome boy

Batmobile!!

And, of course, the cake pictures-

We just had a small gathering of friends and family at the playground near the house.  We had cupcakes, chexmix, and apple juice.  You destroyed your cake but didn't actually get much in your mouth.  You got some amazing toys and had a blast playing with them with your sister.  Successful first year!!

Dear Little Stinker,

You are ONE YEAR OLD!!  Actually, as of right this minute, you are 13 months old.  I've been falling behind on the updates.  You are pure joy right now.  You have the coolest personality and disposition and we are having so much fun with you.

Some facts about YOU:
- You are in size 4 diaper, growing out of a size 4 shoe, and wearing 12-18 month clothes.
- You have the same 6 teeth you've had FOREVER, and you are working on all the rest at the same time.  You are teething up a storm right now.
- You say "mama", "dada", "nana", and you make a noise that kinda sounds like Stella.  You also say "nah nah" which means no no and "uh oh".
- You love to point and baby babble like you're explaining everything to us.  Your baby talk sounds like a cute little bird cooing.
- You have started to run a little and chase your sister around all the time.
- You are still a snuggle bug and give kisses all the time.
- You started sleeping through the night in your crib which is a MIRACLE but we've backtracked since the teething apocalypse.
- You are a morning person.  You wake up in an insta-good mood unlike anyone else in the family.
- Your hair is growing so much...except for on top.  You were working on a pretty solid mullet so I decided to cut your hair...I'm so sorry.  People say it will grow back.
- Your favorite foods are: banana, coconut yogurt, sweet potatoes, and puffs.  You still hate sippy cups and usually throw 90% of your food on the ground.  Oh!  You also love waffles because that's what sister eats for breakfast, so of course you now love them too.
- You still nurse in the morning and at night.  We cut out the lunch session a couple weeks ago, and you've done wonderfully.  But I really miss our mid-day visits.  I might start visiting again just to play :)
- You love to play with the play kitchen and pretend to stir drinks and then let us drink them.
- You wave and blow kisses.\
- You love playing in blankets and pillows.
- When you don't get your way you throw a mini fit.  This consists of you bending down and pressing your face to the floor for a second.  Then you stand up and are over it.  It's hilarious.
- You love to slide and can go down the little baby slide we have by yourself.

We love you so much and are completely entertained by you.  Love you Stinker!

Dear Little Stinker,

You are 11 MONTHS OLD!  Right around the corner from that huge one year milestone where I can’t “officially” call you a baby any more.  But, you are still very much my little baby!  I am clinging to these days where you still need me and reach out for me to hold you.  You are certainly growing leaps and bounds and are constantly entertaining us with your own brand of humor.  You have such a spectrum of emotions already and demonstrate your various reactions with such intensity.  My little Mama’s boy :)

Some facts about YOU:

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You are still size 4 diapers and size 12-18 month clothing, however anything we buy you will now need to be 18-24 month.  You are just now starting to need shoes, and I’m not quite sure what size fits yet.  Maybe a 4?

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Your hair is filling in and you have spectacular bed head in the mornings.

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It takes you a long time to wake up just like your Daddy and sister.

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We are trying to sleep train you.  Last week you slept through the night, in your crib, two nights in a row!!  Both nights you slept around 10 hours straight, which is nothing short of a miracle.  However, we went to Gainesville and you slept in a bed with me in the hotel.  Apparently either that or teething has caused a severe regression in our progress.  You absolutely refuse to sleep in your crib right now.  Mommy and Daddy are tired.

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You are a walker!  But I haven’t made the “official” announcement.  You will do about 6-7 steps at a time before crawling.  You get so excited when we clap for you!

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You are getting better at finger foods.  Right now you will eat banana, eggs, and sometimes peas and carrots.  Mostly you still love your applesauce/rice cereal/coconut yogurt combo.

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You don’t like sippy cups.  We will have to work on that since you will be starting on almond milk soon.

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During bath time you like to spread out on your belly and kick your legs like you’re swimming.  I have a feeling you will be a little fish in the pool.

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When someone asks for a kiss you lean your forehead in for them to kiss.

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You imitate your sister constantly.

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You say dada and nana and mama.

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When you have a blanket or towel you cover your face so we’ll say “where’s Stinker??” and then you pull it off so we say “there he is!!”  Over and over.

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You like to bang things around to make noise.  Drummer in the making?

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You still have those same 6 teeth!  I feel like you are never going to get the others you’ve been working on.  This is the longest teething process ever!

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You have had a few bottles of soy formula since I stopped pumping during the day.  Most days, though, you can go several hours between nursing and be just fine.

We love you little pumpkin, and can’t wait for next month’s big birthday!!

Dear Little Stinker,

You are 10 MONTHS OLD!  You are silly and smiley and dramatic.  You love to be on the move but you also hate to be alone.  You are constantly observing the world around you with a slightly hopeful look on your face, like, man I just can’t wait to jump in on the action!  You are tough, even though you are emotional.  Kinda like your Daddy!  We adore your cute little self.

Some facts about YOU:

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Size 12-18 clothes are getting a bit snug.  Your PJs are too small but they’re all we got, so you constantly have belly showing.  Size 3 diaper, who knows what size shoe b/c we just aren’t that kind of people, and you are 21.5 pounds.

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Your hair is finally filling in, however it is only filling in around your head.  The top is still pretty sparse.  Hence the old man look.

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You are still a terrible sleeper and have actually regressed in the nap department.  Your Dad and I are going to tag team the sleep training process (for real this time) and hopefully next month I will have a much better report.  We are tired at our house.

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You still nurse all the time too.  I’m planning on partially weaning you at a year, and I have a feeling you will have strong objections.  Sorry fella, mama has to stop it with the pumping.  I’ve had enough.

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You are doing better with solids, but still further behind than I would like.  It seems like you hardly get any food into your mouth so I’m always afraid you’re starving.  Your weight gain says otherwise.

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Your favorite food is coconut yogurt.  You tried pasta for the first time the other night and I think that might start to take second place.

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You have taken two steps (in a row) so far.  Not quite consistent enough to call you a walker.  I’ve given up on saying “any day now!” because, obviously you can hear me and want to prove me wrong.

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You show us your muscles and make a “huhhhhhhh” sound when you do.

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You still have only 6 teeth.  You are the slowest teether of all time and I feel terrible for your bitty mouth.

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You are very good at waving and clapping your hands.  I’m trying to teach you the “more” sign, but since you aren’t very excited about food it’s hard to bribe you to do it.

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You like regular sippy cups, not the ones with the straw.  Total opposite of your sister.

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You seem to always have an ear infection.  We are just now getting over the virus/infection/sickness of the decade and it took a toll on every single one of us.

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You are going to be Batman for Halloween

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You aren’t super into books right now, but you do tolerate the touch and feel ones.  I read you the same Goodnight book every night, and when I start to read it you start to cry.  I don’t necessarily think it’s because you don’t want to go to sleep…more that by that point you’re so tired you don’t want to hear my voice any more.

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You love to wrestle with your sister and Daddy.

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You still love to sleep on your stomach

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Your thighs are very very ticklish

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Loud noises make you laugh

We love you little Bud.  Can’t wait to see what you’ll do this month!