What I Love About You - Wyatt

Wyatt.

Oh, dear me.  You made me a Mommy.  In so many ways you have been SO YOU since the day you were born.  Adorable, active, and able to function with very little sleep (you get that from your Dad)!

Every day you wake up and from the second your feet hit the floor, you are ready to play.  Hockey. Baseball. Legos.  People always say that TV makes kids lazy.  TV makes you active.  You ARE that baseball player on TV.  You keep your eye on the ball. You swing when he does.  You field the ball.  You tell every single member of our family (including your poor sister who just doesn't care) where the play is.  What the count is.  How many outs, hits, and errors there have been in the game.  CC Sabathia just threw that ball 93 miles per hour.  Do I know how fast that is?  I do, but it's more amazing when you tell me!

You LOVE sports, but you also love so many other things.  Dinosaurs are probably number one.  Your teacher told me that you were the "resident expert" during your classes' dinosaur unit last month.  You went last with each day's facts about dinosaurs because you could tell everyone things that were left out.  Or things that no one else knew!  But you are going to be a paleontologist-hockey player-baseball player when you grow up, so that all makes sense!

And animals, you are obsessed. Crocodile babies are boys or girls based on the temperature their eggs are in?  I had no idea.  Bats, bugs, dogs, giraffes...I can't keep up with it all, but it interests you.  You soak it all up.  And Legos.  I had no idea that you would wake up at 3:30 in the morning just to put a truck together.  But it happened.  It actually happened.  

You like school.  You have a talking problem (you get that from me), but you love school.  And I love helping you read.  It starts as sight words, and then sounding out words, and it culminates with you shouting, "Mommy, why does that sign say....?" from the back seat.  I love that!  You have no idea the kinds of adventures that lie ahead of you in books.  I get so excited when I hear you reading in your room at night after tuck ins!

You are the most competitive person I know.  While it's no surprise (let's just say that your Dad and I have the same tendencies), it is a little crazy.  You're mostly just competitive with yourself (can you make that play better the next time, hit the ball farther, finally turn that elusive double play? You did!), and you have been known to throw a glove on the ground when you miss a ball.  And then Daddy just slides you right to the outfield.  Your drive kind of amazes me (but it also totally frustrates me, too).

You are a great big brother.  To Hudson and Finley, anyway :).  Your relationship with Reese has it's ebbs and flows, but we all know you love her!  You know how to irritate the mess out of her, but you also hate to see her sad.  Being a big brother is so complicated!  You love to teach Hudson (your current favorite is hockey), and you adore Finley.  You hate to hear her cry, and you will stop whatever you're doing to help her.  Or play with her.  She just loves you.  You make her whole face light up!

And you are an amazing friend.  Last week when your friend Jack was upset that he didn't get the game ball at baseball, you put your arm around him and told him that he shouldn't be sad, and that you would help him get it at the next game.  I don't know what your plan is to help him get that ball, but I was amazed when his Mommy told me the story.  She said you made him feel so much better.  And because I never get to see that kind of interaction, I think I told you a million times that day how proud I was of you!  And then today you really wanted to buy the last snake at the school store (with money you "earned" yourself) , but you let Alex have it because he wanted it, too.  I love that!

None of this means that we don't have our moments.  You aren't perfect.  I know I'm not.  Neither of us operate with an abundance of patience.  You like to use words you shouldn't use, especially in front of your little brother (Although I secretly love that you told me that the "S" word is the grandfather of all bad words.  And you were talking about "stupid."  That's as bad as it gets around here). You have a tendency to hit your sister. But I can't let the fact that you're a little boy who's just learning how to be a good person get in the way of the fact that you are my sweet little boy, and it's my job to teach you not to do those things!  I am so proud, and so lucky, that I get to be your Mommy.  And I know that your Daddy, who you think is your "best buddy in the whole wide world" feels the exact same way.  You are my favorite six year old in the whole wide world, bubs!  We love you!

Project 365: Week 18

If you follow me on Instagram, there's a very good chance you've seen all of these.

Tuesday, April 30

I continue to be amazed at how well Wyatt follows the directions that come with his Legos.  I'm more amazed at his patience level when he sits down to put these together.  This is *not* typical for my six year old during any other activity!

 Wednesday, May 1

Big day!  Reesie got her seventh reader and Wyatt got his twentieth.  These two love to read.  Wyatt's even been reading books on his own before bed at night.  He always tells me that he read a book, and he didn't even get any words wrong!  

 Thursday, May 2

Love these two sweet and silly girls!

Friday, May 3

Brian and Wyatt after Wyatt's spring program!

 Saturday, May 4

Reesie getting out of the van after soccer and baseball.  Always entertaining, this one.

 Sunday, May 5

This little one's eyelashes astonish me.  They are sooooo long!

Monday, May 6

Sweet sleeping Reesie.   She actually fell right asleep after I tucked her in, which almost never happens!

Spring Program - The Performance

This is mainly so I have this to look back on when my sweet little kids aren't so big anymore, but here is the "finale" of their spring program.  A rousing rendition of "Butterfly in my Soup."

It was a little windy that day, but you can probably hear that :).  Wyatt is between the bunny ears in the back, and Reesie is on the very end on the right!

Spring Program 2013

Wyatt and Reese had their spring program at school on Friday.  It was a lot later than it usually is, but I'm thankful they waited until May.  It still feels like winter every other day (seriously), and while it was sunny, it was still a pretty chilly day for a spring program!

 Reesie's class went first...

 And she was still all smiles, even though it was chilly!

Wyatt was surrounded by two little girls who were wearing the same dress.  He told me that morning that he wasn't going to sing because he didn't like to.  But dancing?  He told me that dancing is his "thing."

 Afterwards there was a little parade to show off their "costumes."

 I can't believe that it was his final program at his school.  It's so hard to believe how quickly the last three years have gone by!  I'm going to wait until his graduation next month the get too choked up.

Three year old class

Four year old class

Since it was Wyatt's last program, we went to his classroom's party first.  By the time we got to Reese's class the party had died down some.  But not for these three!

Eight Months Old!!

This little girl is eight months old!

UNBELIEVABLE!

Stickers from Watch Me Grow 

That little face is such a joy.  She just lights up a room!

Here's what Finley Quinn is up to this month:

• She is somewhere around 18 pounds.  Here's what I know for sure: carrying this child out of the Y every day does a number on my arms!
• She LOVES food.  She always tries to steal the spoon so she can feed herself.  She is definitely enjoying all of the new tastes and textures, and if she's NOT enjoying it, she lets me know!
• She's breastfeeding about 7 times a day.  I'm trying to feed her more during the day to eliminate some of our night feedings.  Because there are definitely still night feedings.
• She's wearing mostly 9-12 month clothes, but she also fits into a few 18 month outfits.  C-razy!
• Sleeping is an issue for her.  But mostly for me.  She falls asleep fine on her own, but if she wakes up she needs to be nursed back to sleep.  That doesn't really cut it for me because I'm exhausted, but it is what it is.
• She mastered sitting and reaching out for her toys, she can jump like you wouldn't believe, and now she's added some backwards crawling to the mix!  I am so not ready for her to be mobile.  I'm combing the house now looking for anything and everything that she could put in her mouth.
• She is making lots of sounds, but nothing official.  If you talk to her she'll make sounds back as if you're having a conversation.  And there's lots and lots of shrieking.
• We're at a grand total of 2 teeth.  One has cut through, and the other is cutting right now.  Like, as I type this she's hanging out with us at 10:45 at night.
• She will stand if she holds my hands, and she also does it if I prop her against the couch.  She actually stood there for 20 minutes last night.

Smiley girl

 I LOVE her expression here.  "Reese!  What are you doing?  This is MY picture!"

 And a few more...

Hanging out poolside

 She loves her Sophie.  Loves her.  And they've been pretty attached recently.

 Last night she picked up her pacifier and put it in her mouth when she finished her dinner. "Mom, I'm done. Let's go take a bath." 

I can't believe that we're two thirds of the way through her first year.  She is growing so fast!

Project 365: Week 17

Trying desperately to get caught up before Finley Quinn turns 8 months old tomorrow!

Tuesday, April 23

I've been going to the YMCA 3 or  4 days a week to work out.  The first few days were NOT good for Finley and Hudson, but they finally adjusted to being left!  Now Hudson even says, "Go to YMCA, Momma work out, I play, Momma come back.," after we drop the kids off at school.  Finley has even started "noticing" the other kids!

 Wednesday, April 24

Ready for baseball!

 Thursday, April 25

We had to take Reese to soccer (Brian met us there after work), and Wyatt fell asleep on the way home.  That's what happens when you wake up at 5:30 ready to play Legos!

 Friday, April 26

Hudson was very into the new episode of Sofia The First.  Very into it.

 Saturday, April 27

Just hanging out!  I love, love, love this little dress from Restoration Hardware!  It was originally Reesie's but it's perfect for her little sister!

 Sunday, April 28

Another shot of Reesie the gardener.  And her KISS shirt.

Monday, April 29

Matching sisters!  I ordered the tunic for Reese, and then saw that there was a matching one for Finley...and Reese's favorite thing about having a sister is the matching!

Project 365: Week 16

Tuesday, April 16

Wyatt got his nineteenth reader at school!  This book was a big one for him - LOTS of new words and smaller print - but he had the best time with it.  He's getting to point where he can look at a word and sound it out quickly.  He really loves reading, and I'm looking forward to keeping up with it this summer!  Now we just have to get over his initial shyness with his teacher - which prompts him to tell her that he doesn't know words he spent all summer reviewing!

 Wednesday, April 17

Practicing for his spelling test and drinking a green smoothie.  He's been doing a great job with his first real "homework" assignments, and he's pretty determined to get all 5 of his "real words" and his 2 "bonus words" right every week.  

 Thursday, April 18

Little sister smiles.

 Friday, April 19

Wyatt has been obsessed with his rebounder lately.  He cracks me up because he won't stop until he's caught 5 in a row.  Then he ups the ante to 10.  And then 15.  And then he gets frustrated with himself for messing up, and he starts all over again.

 Saturday, April 20

We went to Trader Joe's that morning and Hudson really wanted to make cookies.  He helped me put them on the baking sheet, and then he helped me eat them!

 Sunday, April 21

My mom called and offered to watch the kids, so we went out to eat and followed it up with bowling.  I haven't bowled in about, oh, 4 years.  I'm terrible, but we still had fun!

 Monday, April 22

She could get up on all 4's, but there was no crawling happening yet!  And that tongue was sticking out because she was getting her first tooth, and that obviously makes it feel better!