Tyson - June 2012 - 6 Months

Well we went to your 6-month checkup, and you continue to be my middle of the road kid with your weight at 45th percentile at 16 pounds 9 ounces and your height at 75th percentile at 27 inches.  You're bigger than your sister was but smaller than your brother was.

Middle of the road or not, you are still stinking adorable when you get out of the bath.  Notice still no teeth there, and I'm REALLY glad.  I LOVE gummy baby smiles and I HATE teething, so you can keep this look as long as you want.

The other day we were at the Fish Lake cabin, and I must have been loving on you or something because Uncle Joe made the comment that you were going to be spoiled.  I agreed and told him that you were my favorite.  He kind of looked at me like I was crazy for admitting it, but at this point you are totally my favorite!  You still take naps during the day and you don't talk back!

I picked up this jumper at a yard sale a few months before you were born, and boy am I glad.  We have the ExerSaucer that we bought when Logan was a baby, but the jumper is entertaining for everyone in the room.  You go absolutely nuts in it.  Sometimes I'm afraid you are going to break a toe with how fast you get going in it.

You had your first camping trip this year, and boy am I glad we have the trailer.  You were an absolute dream the first day we were there, just chilling with me or in the saucer and even going down for naps easy.  The first night you slept better than you normally do at home!

By the second day though we could tell you weren't feeling that fantastic.  I had a feeling that our good-camping-baby luck had run out.   That evening your dad took the bigger kids to the lake to fish, and we were bored, so I hopped on the fourwheeler with you and we putted around camp at around 4 MPH.  I was holding you with my left hand and steering with my right, so we pretty much could only go in right-handed circles, but we had a good time.  You actually fell asleep at one point!

Then you took your first bath in the trailer tub and we got you ready for bed.  Yeah, it didn't happen as easily as it had the second night, and you definitely confirmed that our luck had run out.  You screamed pretty much the entire night and only started to relax a little after some medicine.  We cut our camping trip short and headed home early the next morning.

Sure enough, I took you in to the doctor that Monday after you spent Sunday on round-the-clock Motrin and Tylenol, and one of your ears was red.  Hello first ear infection!  After a few doses of antibiotic though you were back to my happy baby.

Ah, see!  I love this stage.  Happy baby!  I quit swaddling you when you were sick because you acted like you hated it.  I figured you were finally done with being swaddled.  Nope.  After you got feeling better I would put you down for a nap and you would wake up 30 minutes later cranky as ever, but you wouldn't go back down.  I decided to swaddle you again to see if it would help, and you slept for 2 hours or more and woke up in the BEST mood.  I told the doctor yesterday that we are addicted to swaddling and if I have to swaddle you until you are 3 to get you to take naps that is something I am willing to do.

Just chilling with your brother one morning on mom and dad's bed....

On one of our trips to the park this last month Tess decided you needed a snack.  It doesn't look like you really approve here, but a little while later I had you on the grass and you were trying your best to get your hands to cooperate and shove more grass in your mouth.

Not so sure about this grass stuff...

And the next day at the park (your actual 6-month birthday), you got your first taste of Dr. Pepper.  I'm pretty sure you were a fan.

You are growing out of your 6-month clothes and wearing 9-month things most of the time now.  After Uncle Dusty set you down the other day when he was here and you face planted, I realized I had better at least start teaching you to sit up.  I love the stage you are in now though.  Can you stay here?  You are content most of the time to chill on your back or belly and especially in your jumper.  Once you learn to sit up it seems like there is only a small window where you are content with that before you start trying to crawl, and babies who are trying to crawl but can't aren't very fun babies ;).  I really would freeze you here for the next 6 months (or forever!) if I could.  If you do insist on growing though, I hope you keep your easygoing personality.  I may have broken a parenting law by calling you my favorite, but the thing is I think you are dad's favorite and Logan's favorite and Tessa's favorite too!  There is nothing more fun than a baby who loves to jump and play and giggle at anyone who wants to play.

We love you bud,
Mom

Logan - June 2012 - 5 years

Let's just go ahead and skip the list of reasons why I am copping out and not doing a regular letter for this month. I know it is your fifth birthday letter and all, but I'm just going to go ahead and follow the tradition I started last year and do your interview and then post a few pictures at the end.  Here goes...

YOUR FAVORITE...

FOOD? Umm...sandwiches.  (This is true. You would eat a cheese sandwich for every single meal I think.)

CANDY? All of the kinds of candy.  (You take after your momma here...)

PLACE TO GO? Family Dollar. 

GAME TO PLAY? Monster Jam (Your new monster truck game for the Wii).

TV SHOW? That's a tough one.  Super Why!  (We only have a few these days thanks to dad dropping Dish Network).

MOVIE? Cars?  Cars 2?

PERSON? Dad.

THING TO DO? Go to the park with the bunnies. (We haven't done this yet, but I talked about maybe doing this today.  I think this was a not-so-subtle reminder...)

COLOR: Blue and green.

PERSON TO PLAY WITH? Kashton. (Same as last year.  I really think it is actually Tess, but I'll go ahead and let you slide on admitting that one.)

TOY? My zippleback.

HOLIDAY? Christmas.

THING TO DO WITH DADDY? Go get treats with him.

THING TO DO WITH MOMMY: Help her. (thanks bud!)

THING TO DO WITH GMA & GPA H? Go to their house and play.

THING TO DO WITH GMA & GPA V? Go to their house and play.

NUMBER? 5

ANIMAL? Dragon.

CARTOON CHARACTER? Super Why.

THING ABOUT ME? Because you love me.

PLACE TO BE TICKLED? My armpit.

PLACE TO GO WITH MOMMY?  The library.

PLACE TO GO WITH DADDY?: I already told you! (I guess that means to take rides and get treats with him.)

DRINK? Water.

TREAT? I already told you!  All the kinds!

PLACE TO VISIT? Grandma's house. 

BOOK? My Ironman ones.


Well quite a few of the answers stayed the same as last year.  You still love to play with your grandma's and grandpa's, but I really do think that your favorite person to play with is Tess.  Maybe you just don't realize that she counts!  


The other day after we got back from camping and you had taken a shower you came out and we had this conversation...
You: Mom, look how clean my armpit is!
Me:  Yeah buddy, looks pretty clean.  Good job!
You: Yep.  I tried to find the stuff that makes your armpits smell good but I couldn't find it. (Dad left his deodorant in the trailer and hadn't been to the store to buy new stuff just yet...)
Me: Oh yeah?  You think you need it now huh?
You: Yeah mom, I'm old enough to use it now.  Did you forget that I turned 5?


Yeah I'm pretty sure you aren't going to let us forget that you turned 5.  


We went camping out to Pine Lake over your birthday/father's day weekend, and on our way out you made us laugh when you noticed the paved bike trail that runs from the Bryce Canyon turnoff down through Red Canyon and said, "Look! There's a road for minivans!"  It took me a second to realize what you meant, but when I caught on I couldn't stop laughing.  You are pretty good at making us laugh.  Much better at making us laugh than listening!  It's a good thing that you get along so well with Tess most of the time or the "not listening" might just be enough to get you put up for sale.

On Father's Day you also gave your first talk in Primary.  Somehow every other time you have been assigned a talk in Primary in the last year and a half we have ended up being gone the day you were supposed to do it.  I tried to get it on video since it was a Father's Day talk and your dad couldn't be there but it didn't work, and I was pretty bummed (I did get a picture out of the failed video attempt though!).  You basically "wrote" the whole thing.  You drew pictures of your dad, uncles, grandpas, and Heavenly Father and then on the back you wrote a couple words about why you loved them and were thankful for them.  You did such a good job and weren't even scared.  I was pretty proud.

We love you so much bud and can't wait to see how being 5 treats you.


Happy birthday bud,
Mom.

2012 "official" t-ball picture

Learning how to make Tessa's birthday balloons stick to your head.

One of my favorite pictures of you ever!

Tessa - June 2012 - 3 years old

Oh my Tessa girl, I can't believe you are 3.  I like 3!  Can you stay 3 forever?  I still like to ask you at night when we cuddle if you will talk to me when you are older and tell me about your boyfriends.  You tell me that you will, and then the other day you told me that you already had 3.  Three boyfriends at 3 years old?  Then you went on to tell me that Daddy, Logan, and Tyson were your boyfriends.  I happen to think those are 3 GREAT boyfriends for my 3-year-old.

You are such a silly thing and always do your best every night to think of ways to sneak out of your room when you are supposed to be sleeping.  The other day I could hear you in your room playing and snuck in to listen to the fun you were having, and when you noticed me I snapped a quick picture.  I love how you can take the simplest things and make these great stories up and enjoy playing so nicely by yourself.  What a fun girl you are.

In your room in the house we are in right now there is a door to what used to be a "cattery."  It's basically a little tiny room we use for storing a few things like my sewing and craft stuff.  You know you aren't supposed to go in there, but the other night I heard you in there.  I snuck in your room and got right next to the door and peeked around and said "boo!"  Oh my goodness girl.  The look on your face was PRICELESS.  I HATE to be scared, but now I totally know why people do it.  I haven't laughed that hard in ages.  Luckily for me you forgave me pretty quick, even when I did the same thing to you the next night when I caught you in the storage room again.  Your dad just shakes his head and says now he has the right to scare me now.

The other day we went up to Panguitch to help Grandpa and Grandma cut down a tree, and you got to help feed the lambs over at the Hulet's.  I couldn't get a real good picture because you were trying to run away from them or get them to come to you.  I think in the end you really do like those little lambs.

Then I snapped a picture of you and your brother playing nicely together on the trampoline.  I had to take it through the blinds inside the house because I'm sure if you would have seen me the two of you would have started fighting like cats and dogs immediately!

You are such a funny little thing.  The other day I could hear you yelling from the bathroom, and when I went in to see what was going on this was what I found.  You looked at me and said, "Mom!  There is no mo pay-po taw-oh!"  I love your funny voice, the silly things you say, and your goofy personality.

I've been thinking of some traditions we can start for birthdays, and this year I tried a few out on you.  Your dad and I (mostly your dad actually...) blew up balloons and put them in your room after you fell asleep the night before your birthday, and then I decorated the front of you door with crepe paper.  Then we hoped you didn't wake up in the middle of the night and freak out (you have a tendency to freak out).  The next morning you seemed a little confused by all the stuff in your room, but I think you decided it was fun.  For breakfast I made cake batter pancakes with sprinkles, which you and Logan thought was fun too.  Logan had been up since about 5 a.m. and had time to color you a picture, and then wrapped it up in one of his big poster-size coloring pages and gave it to you as your first present.  You were pretty excited to get such a nice present from your brother.

Your dad and I gave you a movie, a fun Tinkerbell Shrinky-dink charm bracelet craft, a sweater, and a bike.  I was excited to try to catch your reaction when your dad brought out the bike.  It is a little blurry, but it does show you were pretty excited!

Getting a better look...

It's a balance bike, and your dad is pretty skeptical about this silly bike without pedals I got for you, but it is supposed to help you learn how to balance and eventually ride a 2-wheeler without training wheels.  I am hoping it works because I really hate it when your dad is right!  Whether it does or not though, you seem to like pushing it around with your feet in the house.

Later that day Logan, Tyson, and I took you out to lunch at Lotsa Motsa for your birthday, then we went to the park for a bit to try out your bike some more.  The rest of the day was about like usual until we headed out to the Relay for Life carnival that just happened to be held that day.  You and Logan got to try out the bounce houses, do the fish pond, and get some treats before heading home to have cake with dad and Tyson.

Overall I think we were all pretty successful in helping you have a fun birthday.  We all love you so much.  Logan kept making you cards all day that said happy birthday with pictures of cakes and candles and "I love you Tessa" on them.  Who couldn't love this fun, spunky, silly girl that we are lucky to have in our lives.  I'm so glad that 3 years ago we were surprised with our sweet little Tessa Lindsay.  I also can't believe that it has been 3 years that we moved to Kanab and I was able to start being a stay-at-home mom.  Time is going so fast.  I love you more than you know sweet girl, happy birthday!

Love, 

Mom