My Little Boy is SIX!!!

My little boy had a birthday last week.  It's official.  He's six.  How is it that one little number can make someone sound so much older?

We had a fun birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese on his actual birthday.  It was super fun to be there with a few friends and our family.  Lots of pizza, lots of cupcakes, lots of tokens and lots of fun later, we called it a night.

So now he's six.  When Ian was born, he had to be induced.  He was a week late and I was beginning to wonder if he were ever coming.  After a much quicker labor than his big sister, he was finally born.  He had a head full of hair and was the cutest little guy I'd ever seen.  From day one, he was a snuggler.  Oh, how I loved that tiny baby boy, tucking his little legs up under him and burrowing into my chest.  I can't help but miss that little fluffy-haired little guy, who stole all our hearts.

He's grown up quite a bit in the last few years, and they are good changes.  He might be a little bigger now, but he still likes to snuggle.  The other day he got hurt playing somewhere and he was a little upset.  He climbed up into my lap, and I held him for a few minutes.  After a bit he turned to me and said, "I'm okay.  I can go play now."  Just a little love from his Mommy was all he needed.

Last weekend we were playing bocce ball in the yard.  After a lucky streak, I started throwing the balls into the woods and bushes at the edge of the yard.  Every time I would throw a ball into the bushes, Ian would run super fast toward them, yelling, "Don't worry, Mommy!!  I'll get them for you so you don't have to get in the bushes!"  What a little gentleman!

So even though he's growing up a little too fast for my taste, I can't help but be so proud of who he is becoming.  I just love that little guy to pieces!

Conversations

Merry Grace was just talking to me while I was cooking lunch.  We had Ian's birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese the other night, so I guess that had her thinking.

Merry Grace: You know why I scared of Chuck-E-Cheese?  I scared of Chuck-E-Cheese because he's freaky.
Me:  Oh really?
Merry Grace: Yeah.  And he has a big head.

Frankly, he scares me a little bit too. :)

How Can a Year Go By So Quickly?

My baby is One and I can barely believe its true.  If there weren't proof positive in the calendar and the fact that she is taking baby steps, and climbing onto the couches, I wouldn't believe it.  It has just gone by too fast.  But here we are and here she is and it has been a joy to have her in our family.  She has been the dearest, sweetest, most wonderful baby we could have possibly hoped for.  So here are a few of my favorite things from the past year.  Happy Birthday Logan Paige, Paigie Poo, Paigie Waigie, Little Bit, you Darling Baby, you!

My Favorite Things

Brand newborn babies

All snuggled and cozy,

Sleeping in baskets

Or cheeks warm and rosy,

Seeing the love that a sister can bring...

These are a few of my favorite things.

Bright blue-eyed babies

And big sloppy kisses,

A hint of a smile

And hearts full of wishes,

Enjoying even the simplest things...

These are a few of my favorite things.

Lavender tutus

And wrinkly noses

Being mischievous 

Or Smelling the Roses.

Knowing that you are the cutest thing...

These are a few of my favorite things!

She Does it Herself

Paige has been a great eater from the start. Nursing with her was so easy. Some of it, I know, was my attitude and situation, but still, she was great. When we introduced solids, she was super. She never turned her nose up at any new food. She just seemed tickled to death to have something new to try. And she ate plenty, so I never worried that she wasn't getting enough to eat. She has moved into feeding herself, loving to pick up bites of pasta, bread, peas, carrots and anything else we'll put down in front of her. But there are things that just can't be broken up into little bites--like applesauce, for one--so there are times she still has to eat with a spoon. And that hasn't been going so well. After a few bites, she would shake her head, "No" to me and refuse to eat. And then, a few days ago, it dawned on me something that might help. And so this is what we tried:

And it worked!!! I remember my other kids, who would rather not eat than have someone else feed them. Stubborn things. Apparently Paige is on the same path. :) It just seems like its happened too soon. But she is so cute feeding herself with a spoon, its really hard to complain.

Things I Love Friday

I think the correct blogging term is "Things I Love Thursdays" where you post about things you love....on Thursday.  Unfortunately, its Friday.  So there.

*Walking down the hall and seeing my freshly made bed.

*Watering my flowers.

*Stepping outside into air that is both warm and cool.  

* Homemade chocolate chip cookies.

*Clothes that smell like fabric softener.

*My huzby bringing home dinner.

*Giggling little girls.

*Opening the Windows.

*Leftovers.

*Re-reading a favorite book.

*A new haircut.

And, of course, these guys...

Let the Cheering Begin!

In our house, we have been anxiously waiting for Tarheel football to start. But really, the cheering goes on year round. We start the training early around here!

Silliness

Right now its after lunch and the little girls are in the bath. I brought the laptop into the bathroom to get some blog updating done while they get some much needed scrubbing.

When you have kids as funny and cute as mine (Hey, its true! What can I say?!), its hard to go too many posts without some pictures.

Merry Grace continues to mother Paige, oftentimes against Paige's will. :) She LOVES it when Paige will let her feed her her bottle. Most of the time, Paige is not at all interested in this scenario, but every once in a while she is and will snuggle up with her big sis and drink her bottle. It is pretty cute. :)

We emptied out the boxes the other day and Paige found an instant play place. Forget those high priced play yards! This works perfectly. She was entertained in this thing forever.

She loves climbing in things (hence the fascination with the boxes) but doesn't limit herself to cardboard boxes. After her Daddy threw those away, the drawer below the oven worked just fine. Cabinets are fair game too. I need to get a picture or two of her in the little boxes she tries to fit in. It gives me a laugh to see her squished into a shoe box. :)

Here is a picture of Merry Grace's pot she painted earlier this week. Hers is the one on the left. The other one is one that one of the kids painted in year's past. We got tickled at who she picked to "love" on it. She wanted to say that she loved each member of her immediate family, plus Lois (her brand new aunt) and the Tarheels. Too funny.

Ah ha. Here is one of the prime reasons a bath was in order. Merry Grace so generously shared an oreo with Paige after they both ate their lunch. Oh dear, what a mess that was. Paige LOVED it though. Imagine that. Paige is at the age where she really wants to feed herself, but it is oh-so-messy. Its nice to be able to grab a bite with the rest of the family, instead of feeding the baby, but the clean-up is shocking. I frequently tell Paige that I think it might be easier to have another baby than to clean her up. :)

The happy sharer and the happy eater of the oreo. :) How can one little cookie make such a mess?!

Here is Miss Fancy Pants herself. Thankfully, this little gal doesn't change clothes as frequently as she used to, but she still has a fashion sense all her own. You should really click on the top picture to really appreciate her outfit. That was this morning. At some point she changed into the outfit in the second picture--her navy blue tee and Ian's navy pajama pants--because they matched, of course. :) And now that she's had a bath, I'm sure outfit number three is on the horizon. And yes, even three outfits is an improvement. But really, how could you not love that sassy chick? :)

Well, journaling is done, scrubbing is done, and now its time for other things. How is that for multi-tasking? :)

Beautiful Weather and Good Times

Well, its that time of year again--back to school. I guess everyone says it and feels it, but I'll add my voice anyway, "I can't believe I have a third grader and a kindergartner!" School started for Elise last week and she jumped right in. By third grade, this stuff is old hat to her. She has a wonderfully nice teacher, a well-behaved class, and seems to have made the adjustment to a new grade with more homework with ease. Ian went one day last week and then started for real this week. Cory walked him in on his one day last week and then that stinker insisted on walking in by himself this week. He didn't even want Elise to walk with him. What a big kid!! It is a really long walk to the kindergarten classes, and I wasn't sure he'd be able to find his way. Apparently he either has a good memory or a good sense of direction, because he made it just fine. (I, on the other hand, spent the day debating different plans, all involving a subtle way in which I could venture down the school and peek in his room to make sure he made it okay.) I can already see the wisdom in holding him back last year. He's so much more prepared this year. I miss my two kiddos while they are in school, but it has been good for Merry Grace, Paige and I, and good for the older kids too. I think they really like having a sibling at school with them. They even eat lunch at the same time, so they wave to each other in the lunch room. They are just too cute. My favorite part of the day is picking the two of them up from school each afternoon. They come out to the car together, holding hands. It is precious!

The little girls and I are enjoying some time around the house and doing some projects here and there. We went to Lowe's and got a few flowers to put around the house. (Did I mention that it was SUPER easy to go to Lowe's with only two kids?) We came home to enjoy the beautiful fall-like weather, clean off the front porch, and plant the flowers we'd picked out. Our hanging baskets are now full of pink and purple petunias, and there are mums in various pots on the porch. Merry Grace and Paige enjoyed the outside time, too. Merry Grace had bought a clay pot which she painted in the yard while I cleaned. She spent quite a bit of time on it, adding different colors along and along, and ended up with a lovely camouflage green pot. We then stamped some words onto it which read, "I love Mommy & Daddy & Lisy & and Ian & Paige & Lois & Carolina." Paige crawled all over the porch, ate potting soil, splashed in the water from the hose where we were watering things, got filthy dirty and had the time of her life. The porch looks great, we feel refreshed from all the fresh air, and life is good.