Sunday, March 31, 2019

Silas is 9!

Silas - "9 more years and I'll be an adult."
Me - "No, you aren't an adult until you're 18, bud."
Silas - "Yeah Mom, 9 more years."

What!? How did I not realize that he's half way through his childhood?? 😭 I seriously cannot believe it. The statement "the days are long but the years are short" have never been more true. I want SO DESPERATELY to soak in every single laugh, every single tender moment, every single experience with each of my babies and yet most of our days feel so rushed and our weeks so busy.

The realization that we are teetering on tween/teen years has me nervous. I just read an article about 12 year olds and how they shut down and shut out people around them as they begin to navigate the teen years. It's hard for me to believe that my outgoing boy who shares everything about his day will soon become withdrawn and somewhat introverted so I relish these days of conversation, the best conversations being at night before bed.

Silas is still loving baseball and always goes into a season with high hopes of being on the best team. He missed his best friend, Kellen, with every fiber of his being but is learning to navigate the year without him. Kellen was such a constant in our house last summer that most days I just took him along wherever we went because it was just easier. Those two boys being on the same team last year was icing on the cake and they dominated their team. I can only pray that God gives Silas another friend like Kellen or that He brings Kellen back into our lives soon. Silas really misses that deep, connected, brotherly friendship that he had with Kellen.

He got his first mountain bike for his birthday. He was so pumped, so eager to go out and ride. Seeing his excitement and watching that face light up is so awesome. I want his gorgeous hair, his big, dark eyes and his phenomenal eyelashes etched in my memory forever. Seriously, the most handsome kid I've ever seen.

Although he's made some mistakes this year, he's made some awesome decisions that have made us so proud. He and his friend saw another student eating lunch alone so they went and joined him. I see little glimpses of his heart like this and it makes me so excited for his future.

We just got back last weekend from spring break in Phoenix. Briar was a perfect traveler and the big kids had so much fun. Seeing their excitement and joy when it comes to vacation is so much fun. They love flying and always come home on such a high. The memories they have of our trips are so awesome and I love that they are getting to see part of the world. A big thanks to my parents for taking us along!

Saturday, March 2, 2019

6 months in

Here we are 6, almost 7, months in with Briar. I literally wouldn't trade her for anything. 6 months has flown by and even though this is my third time doing this, I'm still surprised at how fast time goes.

Briar sits pretty well by herself for a while although we stay close because she'll topple over every time. She very much dislikes being on her own and still protests when we aren't engaging her in conversation or play. EVERYthing goes in the mouth, except baby food. She purses her lips and refuses to open her mouth with baby food. So mama's milk it is. Still every three hours. She did have some ice cream the other day and seemed to enjoy that.

She thrives on the chaos of our house. Her favorite spot is in my arms, snuggling or on my hip while I do things around the house. I sure do love having a baby on my hip. I think I could live like that forever. Silas always wanted to be facing out to see what was going on but Stella and Briar love to snuggle facing in or close to me on my hip.

She was 14 pounds 9 ounces at her 6 month check, which is what Silas weighed....at 2 months. Ha! My petite little gal. She's started sucking on her toes which is just so stinking cute.


Stella is beyond ready for Kindergarten. In fact she hates being asked about preschool because she's embarrassed to be in preschool. She has started doing addition and subtraction is and I think it's safe to say she's obsessed. This girl could do math all day long. Still my sweet girl, she is looking more and more like her Daddy to me. My parents say she is a spitting image of me but I see a lot of Jake in her. I could snuggle Stella all day and both of us would be content. I hate that she's a middle child but she doesn't seem to mind. My "best girl" for so long, my attention has been taken away from her when Briar arrived and although it's been hard for both of us, I think we're still very close. She's the best big sister and has finally started really taking an interest in Briar and interacting with her.

Silas will be 9 at the end of the month and my heart cannot hardly take it. He seems to be a rollercoaster of behavior at school - mostly good but occasionally a little naughty. Nothing terrible, just boy stuff. His teacher was ringing a bell at school and he said in front of the class, "ring that chime, girl!" Although it makes me laugh, obviously it was disrespectful and he got a note home. Where does he come up with this stuff?

He is amazing with Briar and goes out of his way to hold her, interact with her and greet her. She thinks he's good stuff too. His first baseball tryouts are today and that kid is so excited. He so desperately wants to be good and on a good team that travels and does tournaments. Those teams are SO expensive and I feel bad he can't do those but such is life with a growing family.

Jake and I had our 19 year dating anniversary yesterday. We mentioned it in passing and couldn't believe it's been 19 years but didn't do much else to commemorate. Life has been crazy and busy. I'm picking up at work more, he's working weekends for a neighbor. We're all looking forward to Arizona in a couple weeks with my family.

And spring....we're so ready for spring!!!!