Three [Noah]

Noah, you are THREE!!!

Goodness, we love you big boy!

It's hard to believe that it was about a year ago that you first got glasses. You want them on at all times, unless you are really tired and/or in bed. You still get many comments from random people when we are out and about. I really don't think anything of it, unless people stare...that's just weird. Really, most of the time, when people look at you they smile...its hard not to.

On this particular day, you insisted on taking your nap with the candy corn hat I had thought I was making for baby Eliana..but it is clearly MUCH too big for her, as it fits all three of you boys.

Your nap schedule is very hit or miss these days. This is a recent change, and I'm not so sure I'm a huge fan of you not napping. But I usually do not fight the issue, as I have found out I spend more time trying to get you to lay down and stay laying down then what "consequences" may arise later if you are tired. You sleep with your two blankies (which are your go-to in any moment of sadness or tired or feeling as though you have been treated unfair).

You are developing quite the independence...which comes with a hefty dose of sass. 

 I'm not sure if its on purpose yet or not, but you st-ruggggle with learning your colors. It is baffling to me how you can put a somewhat difficult puzzle together with ease, but when I go over just a few colors and ask you to repeat them..you get them all jumbled. I am not too worried about it. You do crack me up when I say "what color is this?" and you say one of three things....

-a color (your stand-by answers are "dark tan", "blue", "pink")

-"You know." (this one is a classic..because I have to give you credit in thinking why should I tell you if you already know!)

-"I already told you."....similar to the above, but when we are reviewing it more than once..you're not having it!

You are choosing to be extra "controlling" when it comes to going to the bathroom in the toilet. I can't say this is my favorite way for you to use your strong will, but I'm sure you will come around, and I won't be changing your diaper forever :)

This is what you did when I was talking to you about going poop in the potty.

You stinker!

You love to play on the trampoline...and this face is pretty classic of you when you are showing off your ornery side.

You and Christian play and play on the trampoline together. You usually wrestle...sometimes you chase each other, and every now and then you pretend you are a "family" and talk in different voices. For not being super big, you hold your own quite well as far as being tough.

You love to help. Both Daddy and me.
Often, if you notice I'm making something you come in the kitchen and try and bring the stool over so you can get your hands busy! The other day, I was making bread and you ran to the bathroom...I followed you, and you said, "I need to wash my hands!!!" I didn't know why, but I helped you wash them. Then you ran into the kitchen and said, "Now I can help!!!! Get the stool. I can help now!!"

An added bonus..you are my taste tester.

Speaking of food, you are a so-so eater. Most of the time, you will sample unknown items in the tiny-tiniest littlest bit you can possibly get in order to know if you should go for it. But you would rather stick with the things you know...peanut butter/jelly sandwich, sausage (summer sausage) sandwich, yogurt (you will say, "I don't mind the chunks"...only because Christian strongly dislikes the chunks of fruit), hamburgers, chicken, applesauce, pizza, and ANYTHING sweet! However, you do not like ice cream, or anything that is too cold..its just not your thing (unless you can take TINY licks...which if you get your own, it would melt before you could finish!).

You do your own thing. As a rule, you play so nice. You don't mind playing by yourself. Some of your favorite things to play with are Legos (the Duplo kind mainly), cars/trucks, sand/dirt, chalk, puzzles, coloring, Play Doh. You are very good at puzzles (I've probably said that before...but you are!). You are a thinker, you have a plan for things. You see us using the air pump sometimes, so you thought you needed to pump up your (plastic) car tires....oh man, it worked out real well!

 I enjoy watching you play, I love when you talk or sing while you play.

You are sweet. 

When in public, or around people you don't know very well you are usually quiet or reserved. I know you have a loud side, as I see that QUITE often at home. Just the other day, I had told you to turn your volume down several times. And finally, in the afternoon, you randomly looked up at me and said, "I don't know where my volume is."

I turned a pretend knob on my throat and I said, "Its in here, you just turn it down."

He looked at me, and said in his true Noah fashion, "Ummmm....actually, that is your nnn-eck."

You can shout quite loud, and we have been working on the concept of whispering when needed. It seems to be a steep learning curve for you.

I simply adore your hugs. When you give a hug, you believe it HAS to be given around the neck..and it is so sweet. And when I am asking for a hug, you always add, "AND a smooch too"...complete with a kiss on the lips. You don't give out affection on your own very often, the times you do..its pretty special. You will love on Jonah probably the most. Although, he is getting big enough that he causes you some annoyance, and the love doesn't always flow so freely in your actions to him.

You also REALLY like going to church. You get excited on Sunday morning, and say, "I'm going to MY school! I'm going to see my frieee-nds!" You like your Sunday School teacher, Phyllis (and her assisant....Grandma!). You LOVE to sing the songs, both at church and at home. You remember the stories you learn very well. It is very entertaining watching you and Christian get into "arguments" about "Jesus said.......(be nice, don't be rude, share with others)" whatever it is that you are needing to fit your need at the time. We try to remind you BOTH, that although Jesus may have taught whatever point you  are trying to get across, he also taught other things with that! (Ironically, adults do the same thing at times)

You look up to Christian. You love to watch the bus pick him up for school. When he comes home from school, you will greet him so nice. Today you said, "Hi Shis-shen!! How was your day at school???" Melt my heart. You care for him so much. You and he can get into quite the hang-ups over toys and how you play, but you truly have the sincerest love for him.

You LOVE LOVE LOVE to be read to. I honestly think if I had nothing else that I had to do...I could probably read to you all morning long, and you would be perfectly content with that. We do read throughout the day several times, and you sit and listen on our lap EVERY opportunity given.

Some of your favorite books right now are: Fred & Ted books, Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site, any Bible related book/story, "What was THAT?", and so many more!

You have a good memory too...its hard for me to keep track of the bits and pieces you remember from various stories when you reference them.

You may be small-ish...but oh so mighty!

You weigh just over 28 lbs..21%, and right at 3 ft tall...20%.

You wear 24-2T things mostly...although there are more than a couple of pieces of clothing you and Jonah can easily share. Regardless, you are healthy and we love you just the way you are.

You are hilarious...you make us laugh daily.

You are loving..your sincere and tender ways are so so sweet.

You are ornery..and stubborn...and this may drive me crazy somedays, but I am hopeful it will be a positive quality that will be used in a positive way!

You are playful...I love watching your joy for life.

You are smart...the things you learn daily, amaze me...you teach me so much about life! 

You are Noah Benjamin...and you are three years old....and we love you SO very much!

ONE [Jonah]

My baby is ONE!!

These past 12 months have gone by very fast, and all of the sudden you are looking and acting like a little bitty boy..not a baby.

You and I get along real well..

as you do with Daddy and your brothers. 

I love watching your face light up when one of them walk in the room. You love when Christian and Noah show you affection, it melts my heart every time. Christian will say, "Hey Buddy, hey! You want to come here." Or he will pick you up if you fall, kiss your head, show you a toy. And Noah, he is as gentle as ever MOST of the time. He lets you (on purpose) pull his hair, his glasses, or just nuzzles up next to you..and you LOVE it. The 5% of the time he feels like he needs to prove he is a tough big brother..he will grab your leg while you're walking, or snatch a toy away from you...and then you look so confused and hurt. He is almost always quick to say, "Sorrr-reee, Jonah. Soorrr-ee for knocking you down." Ahh, brothers, what are you going to do? 

I love watching you reach for the person you want to hold you, or how you walk up to their legs and give a little tug to let them know you need to be held. You are needy from me some days, but otherwise you are not a fussy or whining little boy. 

One of the cutest things...is how you love babies. You look at the pictures of yourself in your room, and have started saying "ba-bee". You were giving Baby Jack love. It is so adorable.

Words you say: Mama, Dadda, Baby, Go, Ba (ball), Buh-bye

You wave bye/goodnight, you give kisses (to us anyway), you snuggle into our shoulder, you clap your hands with excitement or when we clap for you, and you pat my face and chest as a way of endearment.

Sleeping baby...

You sleep with your blue blanket...I can't say you sleep ALL through the night. We are just starting to give you a bottle with part whole milk mixed in at bedtime. So far, you are doing good with that!

You let us know you are ready for bed by laying on the floor, acting like you are sleeping...or you will make the "eh,eh,eh" sound if I'm around...as in "feed me, and put me to sleep please mama!"

You are full of life and wonder, you like to explore wherever your little hands and feet can get into. You are fast crawler, but you also learned how to WALK this month! You are good at it too! These first steps are SO very cute, how you doddle around. You got your first pair of walking shoes/boots, and you have already done a good job of breaking them in! You like to take things you find, and place them on a shelf (at the very highest point you can reach) and then scoot it as far back as you can. At this rate, you will be "misplacing" plenty of items for us. You are experience in opening cabinets/drawers in the kitchen, hightailing it into the bathroom if the door is open, opening the trash can drawer, and making a dash to the laundry room if that door is open. You have gotten pretty good at stairs on your own. I definitely don't leave doors open on purpose, but your older brothers don't always remember..and you have done well so far when given the opportunity to deal with stairs. On the 2-3 steps, you do a forward/side step down...and on the longer ones you usually make an "ahhh, ahhhh" sound at the top to tell on yourself that you are at the top of the stairs!

You love balls. You are good at throwing them...and you certainly love chasing them as they roll. If they have lights in them, its just an added bonus that you laugh at. Speaking of laugh, your smile is just so sweet. You show your four teeth off as you smile...two more are trying to break through, that I can see anyway. And you have a mock laugh that is hilarious. If you hear one of us laughing, you copy us..and then we REALLY keep laughing.

 You love to be outside. If anyone is outside, and you are left indoors..you bang on the back glass door and talk to whoever is out. You like to go on walks, bike rides in the bike carrier, and SWING! 

You have an uncertainty regarding animals. If you can see them, and know they are unable to touch you, you laugh and love to look at them. When they lick your feet, or touch you...you are very uneasy about them, or even cry about it.

You got a new swing for your birthday from Grandpa and Grandma...and you LOVE it!

You eat well...much better than either of your brothers. You like meat still...any meat that you have been offered, you have liked. You like the vegetable pouches of food...and can down them in about 10 seconds. You eat mostly what we do..and the list of what you don't like isn't crazy long. If there is something you don't want, it's pretty funny how you don't make a sound but you sure do shake your head "no".

My big boy, you are so handsome.

Your hair is light brown, your eyes are a bluish-grey (still unsure what color they will be).

You wear 12 month clothes, even some 12-18 mo things if they are overalls..you are growing!!

You are just over 20 lbs (34%) and 30 1/4 in long (72%). You checked out very well at your one year check up. You have allergies like the rest of us, but otherwise very healthy!

We also had your eyes screened, and they checked out just fine. Our eye doctor's office offers a free screening before 12 months...so that was nice.

These were taken a week after you turned one..but I finally was able to catch you in action walking!

Jonah Timothy..you are such a sweet boy.

You get many kisses and hugs throughout the day, and bring many smiles to our faces.

You are a complete joy to have in our family.

I pray that you continue to be healthy and grow to be a strong, kind-hearted Christian man.

Happy ONE YEAR Jonah!

Jonah's FIRST Birthday

We celebrated Jonah's first birthday a week early...

since some important family members were going to be gone on his actual birthday.

It was lovely outside this week, so we decorated the driveway for Jonah....even the chickens "helped".
Christian made a giant chalk cake, and spelled "Jonah" in the inside. He sure does like to sound things out.

Our happy little supervisor.

He loves balls, so I tried to have things that symbolized balls/circles for his party!
The cake...oh my, we'll just focus on the end result. It was certainly not what I thought I was going to do, but I am actually not at all disappointed with how it turned out. It was an angel food cake.

It was fun to put up his monthly pictures. How quickly the time flies, but also a good way to remember each phase.

He was curious about the cake, but didn't really want to eat it.

The big birthday boy with Mama and Daddy.

Grandma's are pretty special people.

He wasn't too crazy about the actually opening of presents, but he liked to discover the gift inside!

He loves his Grandpa. He is pretty relaxed about life, but he surely knows who he wants to hold him..and Grandpa is one of those lucky people!

Mom showed me this picture of my first birthday....I thought it was too amusing!

 We had fun celebrating you Jonah!
We love you SO much...and pray you have the happiest birthday...with MANY to follow.
So glad we have family that can join us in making this an extra special time to remember!

Pumpkin Patch [2015]

A BEAUTIFUL day to visit the pumpkin patch. 

It's always one of my favorite places to take pictures...so here's just a 'few'.