Happy Valentine's Day!

Christmas 2012 - Photo Style!

This Christmas was my favorite yet as this is the year Milo really got ALL of it - the gifts and Santa and everything.  It was so fun!

My boys modeling their Christmas outfits.

All dressed up for Christmas Eve's Ugly Sweater Contest

You have never seen a kid so excited for Santa before! He jumped up and ran when he heard that Santa just walked in the door and then kept jumping out of his chair ready to go up there.  Waiting for Santa to call his name was like torture. It was so cute and really my favorite moment of Christmas this year probably!

 Giving Santa the picture he colored for him.

Telling Santa what a good boy he was this year.

 Daddy and Uncle Tommy both got special gifts from Santa this year...

Two tired candy canes ready to go to sleep and wait for Santa.

Santa came!

(that envelope on the tree is the picture of the playground we got them for Christmas that they will probably forget about and be shocked come spring!)

Heading downstairs Christmas morning

Milo made us this ornament at school and it was all wrapped up so we could open it on Christmas.

Modeling their special Santa gifts from Christmas Eve the next day - official Dunder Mifflin "World's Best Boss" mugs since they both got promoted into management this year!

THE Birthday Party

This year we did a big joint birthday party for the boys. I usually feel like kids should only have a huge party with the whole big family and everything for their first birthday (or second in Milo's case since we didn't live near family for his first) but I was not about to do 2 parties so close together so it was a big party for them both!  The house was packed to the gills but it was a great time. I only wish I had gotten a few more pictures. But here's what I did get, or got from other people.

Yeah, they each had their own cakes AND we had cupcakes. Grandma S was in charge of the cakes and she wanted to make 2 though. Really we didn't have nearly as much left as I thought we would so it was probably perfect.

By the time the party was over this table was completely OVERFLOWING with gifts. These boys were so spoiled and they loved it!

Its easy to decorate for a Mickey party in this house. Grab the Mickey pillow off Milo's bed, his Mickey blanket out of the living room, and gather up the roughly 4,000 Mickey toys scattered all over the house and there you have it. Just doing our part to keep Disney in business.

I made the shirts and grabbed the last pack of Mickey ears at the store. Milo and I both had them on and a couple of kids wore the last 2 pairs. Doug and I also both had different Mickey shirts on but I didn't get a picture of us all together. (Womp womp.)

4 Years Old

 

Dear Milo -

A couple of weeks ago you turned 4 years old. I find it so hard to believe the ways in which you have grown up in the last year.  Your speech has come by leaps and bounds for starters, particularly since summer break. Truly I think the only reason your speech therapist comes still is because you haven't had an evaluation in a while.  Once you do I think we will be done for sure.

You have also matured in your attitude lately too. While we still have our moments of tantrums, they aren't nearly as bad as they were in your three year old days, and usually we can reason with you before we get to the time out stage.  You continue to be very sensitive though, and that is usually the reason you do lose your cool. But I think that is just your personality and you will always be more sensitive, and more touchy feel then some other people, and we love that about you. Your future wife will appreciate it as well I'm sure! Along with that sensitivity comes a lot of empathy. You can see when people are feeling bad and you want to make them feel better. If you brother falls, you kiss him. If mommy coughs, you ask me if I am alright. Really you are about as sweet and loving as they come!

(terrible phone pic of a pic and still the cutest thing ever)

You started school this year and are loving it! As soon as Miss Peggy comes to the door you are ready to run right in and have since the first day! Such a change from a year ago when you didn't like to be dropped off at playgroup at first, now you don't even turn to say goodbye!  You always tell me about what you did on the ride home and about your friends. Your favorite school friends are Cole and Jossalyn and you talk about them all the time!

(birthday crown at school - so proud!)

Some things seem to never change though, and you are still a ridiculously picky eater, sticking by your old standbys. Cereal, oatmeal, pancakes, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, chicken nuggets, and french fries remain your favorites and your brother can out eat you at almost every meal! You are more likely to try new things with your friends though so I can only hope that kindergarten improves this situation.

I can't deny it anymore, you really are a big kid now. But we are loving the boy you are becoming and I think just from these last couple weeks I can say 4 is going to be a great year!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

(I know the official Santa photo is a real snooze, but never fear, Grandma caught a good one on her cell phone!)

1 YEAR OLD!

 Height: 29.25"

Weight: 20 lb 1 oz (12%)

Dear Parker -

Look at you, my big one year old. No longer really a baby, but a toddler now! I really feel like it happened in a blink of an eye and I was much more emotional about your birthday then I was with your brothers, probably because it came so much faster!

Really, as much as i hate to admit it, "toddler" is a more appropriate term now for you. You are walking like a pro. In fact in the last day or so you've started to choose walking over crawling whenever possible. You also legitimately point to what you want now, instead of just raising your hand at it.  And you are pointing at a lot nowadays as you ALWAYS want whatever your brother has, especially when it comes to food and drinks.

You eat everything in sight now and it shows since you gained almost 2 pounds since your last weight check a month and a half ago. You love meatballs and waffles still, and we found that you also really love kiwi. You don't eat any baby food now, but you will still let me feed you yogurt and applesauce. You also love milk and drink so much of now. Between you and your brother I am buying a ton of milk!

You are such a silly dude and still very laid back when we are out and about. You love to play with your brother and make a mess and get into everything but you also love to take breaks and snuggle on someones lap every so often when you are playing. You might be a toddler but you're still my little baby!

We love you so much big man! You are becoming such an amazing little boy!

We have a walker!

I was finally able to catch this kid walking on video this morning. We are in so much trouble now!

(Also, am I the only one who thinks of zombies when you say "walker" thanks to The Walking Dead? Although, his resemblance to the way zombies walk is really uncanny. And as a matter of fact, so is his grunting when he wants something. Hmm...)