Landon - 10 Years!

In July, my first born moved into the double digits.  I can't believe that the baby who made me a moma is no longer in the single digits.  He's been such a good boy from the very beginning.  He was the baby that slept through the night at just a few weeks old.  He would hardly ever cry except when he was hungry.  He chewed on his little fists constantly and had such a hard time getting his little teeth.  He made everything so easy and still does.  He doesn't need me to remind him to behave at school.  He always tries to see how much better he can do and I love that about him.  He's definitely his Daddy's sports buddy.  If any sport is on tv, he feels the need to watch/analyze it.  He's still convinced that he'll play professional football and baseball when he grows up.  He's very protective of his brother and little sisters, even when he doesn't want you to see it.  Since we've moved to Wilmington, he has really come out of his shell.  He's made more friends than I've ever known him to have and he actually participates in things, even when I can tell he's nervous.  I love that little boy and he'll always have a special place in my heart.  I love that he still holds my hand and he really tries to be understanding when things don't go his way.  He wears his feelings on his sleeves and I love that he loves to talk with me when something is bothering him.  Although it brings me to tears to think about him growing up, I can't wait to see it.  I know that he'll make me proud...he already has.

10 Year Old Stats:
-Weight - 74.4 lb (52%)
-Height - 4'4" tall (74%)
-Favorite color - Orange
-Best friend - Bradley
-Favorite food - BBQ chicken
-Favorite baseball team - Red Sox
-Favorite book - the Missing Series
-When he grows up - Baseball player
-Wants to go to college - ECU

Hattie - 2 Years!

Well, that two years went by way too fast!  My little Hattie Girl is and always will be my baby.  I'm ashamed to say that at two years old, she already knows it and will take advantage! Just the other day, Lily was sitting in my lap and Hattie comes up to her and pushes her away with her hand while saying, "No, Lily, that's my mommy, not Lily's".  I love that she's such a moma's girl!  The boys kind of go back and forth between me and Chris and Lily is definitely a Daddy's girl so it's nice to have one that's mine.  I'm sure this will change many times through the years, but for right now, she finds great joy in telling her Daddy no to everything and then running to me.  At two, Hattie:

-weighs 27.4 lb (50%)

-is 33" tall (25%..my little shorty)

-has a head that is 47.6 cm big (50%)

-wears size 5 diapers

-wears 3T clothes...she must have had a growth spurt recently because she was rocking the 2T clothes just a couple of weeks ago with plenty of room.  I will say that she can't wear blue jeans because her belly is so big.  If I get them to fit in her belly, they're way too long in the length.  So, we have to do all leggings.  I love to see those little fat thighs in leggings!

-wears size 6 shoe.  She still has itty bitty baby feet

-talks like crazy..her favorite words are No, Li-ly, Goose, Nic-Nic, Landon, Moma, Daddy, cookie, pop-tart and milk.  She has also started pairing words together.  If Chris picks her up from school, she'll say, "Mommy work" and when Chris is gone, she'll say, "Daddy work". She also love to say, "Hush Maggie". (she may have heard this from me a time or two)

-loves to play outside.  She absolutely loves the trampoline and just wandering around the back yard

-has started posing when I pull my camera out.  She'll put her hands on her hips and say cheese like crazy!

-goes to sleep around 8:00 every night if we're home and will sleep until about 7:30 am on the weekends (sometimes later if I'm lucky)

I just love this little girl so much.  She's such a snuggle bug and she has such a mix of all her siblings personalities.  

One More Step

Well, this past weekend, we took one more step to saying goodbye to our baby years.  And let me tell you, this was probably one of my hardest steps to take.  After this, all we have left of our baby years is Hattie sleeping in a crib and diapers!  It's so hard to believe and while Chris is loving it, I'm hanging onto every step until the last minute!  I've known since Hattie was born that I wanted to do something special when we got rid of her paci.  Simply because she's our only child who has cared anything about it.  So, early on, we decided when the time came, we would go to Build-a-bear and let her put her paci into the bear with the heart.  This way, she can sleep with her paci still, just not with the paci in her mouth.  

Recently, she has started talking around her paci.  This drives me nuts!  She also would bite her pacis to the point that most of them were barely hanging on.  This made me nervous especially at nap time.  Couple that with the fact that she didn't even use her paci at daycare and I figured it was time.  The boys were going to be going to a basketball game in Chapel Hill this past weekend so I figured there was no time like the present.  On the way down, I looked at Hattie and said, "Aww, Hattie this is the last time I'll see you with a paci".  Her immediate response to me was to point her finger at me and say "hush!"  She obviously did not want to talk about it!  

When we got to Build-a-bear, she put the paci right into her bunny she had chosen and didn't look back.  I couldn't believe that it went that well.  But, oh when we left the store, she had a meltdown.  She cried from one end of the mall to the other and 30 minutes into our ride to pick up the boys from the game.  She kept saying, "paci, I want my paci".  I would give her the bunny and she would throw it down on the ground.  Or, she would dig in the bunny trying to get the paci out.  

Luckily, when we got home, she was so tired, she went right to sleep.  On Sunday, she didn't even ask for her paci during the day.  After bath, she did ask for it once, but I told her that her paci was gone bye bye and she was fine with it.  She has finally come around to loving the bunny.  I think she's finally figured out that at least she can still hold it!  I love that little sassy girl of mine.  

Lily - 4 Years!

Well, my little Goose is four years old.  It's so hard to believe that she just has 1.5 years until she's in kindergarten.  She's always been so grown acting, but lately, it's like she's growing up right before my eyes.  At four, Lily:

-doesn't really like to be called Goose anymore..well Goose is okay, but Lily Goose is not
-definitely has an opinion on what she wears daily (if she's worn it once, it's old) and how she wears her hair (only in a braid or ponytail)
-weighs 34.2 lbs (50%)
-is 39.25" tall (50%)
-has a BMI of 50%
-still will talk in her sleep.  This can really freak you out because most of the time, her eyes are wide open and she makes complete sense with what she's saying
-is quick to boss her brothers around, but she has a soft spot for Hattie and will usually give Hattie her way with everything
-wears size 4T/4 clothes and size 10 shoes
-sleeps from about 8:30 pm - 6:30/7:00 am.  She will take a nap, but doesn't really like to
-her favorite color is pink
-loves ballet, coloring and anything Frozen
-even though her birthday was less than a week ago, she's already asking how many more days until her next one!

I love this little girl more than I ever thought possible.  She's sassy, rambunctious, and kind-hearted..all rolled into one little ball of fun.

Growing Up

I guess I knew this day would come, but still, I'm not ready.  Yesterday, while talking about a little girl at school with Chris, Landon's ears, very obviously, perked up.  When asked did he think she was pretty, Landon, for the first time, said yes.  We still had to convince him multiple times that it was okay to think a little girl was pretty.  Just because you think that doesn't mean that you're going to end up marrying her.  But still, he showed interest in a little girl and that makes me so sad because that means my baby is growing up!  I don't know if I'm ready for all that.  I just like him to be my baby forever!  It seems like it was just yesterday that he was born and I was struggling to figure out the whole parenting thing.  He's been such a good child from day one.  I've never had any problems from him.  He's definitely a typical "first born" - perfectionist, takes care of everyone, loving.  I can't believe that he's already in fourth grade and hearing that a little girl was pretty was just a reminder that we'll be figuring out the whole dating thing before I know it.  That made me realize that parenting never really gets easier, it's just that once you think you have something figured out, you move onto a different struggle.

Hattie - 18 Months!

Hattie Girl turned 18 months at the end of September.  Time has flown by faster and faster with each child.  It's crazy that she'll be hitting the 2 year mark before long!  She is such a little love muffin and loves to snuggle and give both Eskimo and regular kisses to you.  When she does, there's usually a loud MUAH that goes along with it.  She's the most laid-back baby that I've ever known, but I guess being the baby of 4 will do that to you. At 18 months, Hattie:

-weighs 22 lbs, 15 oz (30th percentile)
-is 30.25" (15th percentile)
-has a head circumference of 46.3 cm (44th percentile)
-finally moved up to size 5 diapers
-wears 18 to 24 month clothes, depending on how it's made
-sleeps from about 7:30 pm to 7:30 am on the weekends and during the week, it's whenever she can get to sleep (depending on practices and game for the boys) until 7:00 am when I wake her up
-takes about a 2.5 - 3 hour nap daily
-has 11 teeth (finally!)
-is in the Toddler 2 room at school
-still clings to that paci (she chooses which one she wants everyday and when she goes to sleep at night)
-is starting to cling to her "baby" (exactly what Nixon used to call his lovey too)
-loves shoes!
-loves to dance..she does it every time you turn the music on

Hattie is such a great balance to our family.  She's definitely a true baby of the family and gets spoiled by everyone..especially her brothers and sister.  Hattie May, I love you much and couldn't imagine our family without you in it!

PC: Dana Ashlyn Photography

Nixon - 7 Years!

It's hard to believe that my little Butterbean is 7 years old already!  He still loves life more than anyone I know.  There's really not much that will take a smile off of his face.  We finally convinced him to play a sport this fall.  He chose flag football as his first team sport and he did really good.  He learned a lot just in the couple of months that they were playing.  I was hoping that would convince him to play more sports, but so far it's a no-go.  He is not very competitive and would rather just play with his toys or friends than to be on a team.  And that's perfectly fine with me, but I am glad that he at least had the "team experience" at least once.  At 7 years old, Nixon:

-is 48 lbs (7th percentile)
-is 47" tall (25th percentile)
-wears size 7 or 8 clothes (youth small works in shirts, but the pants are always long on him!)
-wears a size 13.5 or 1 shoe depending on the brand
-still loves to play with Ninja turtles, power rangers or any action figure he can find.  He has the best imagination and doesn't have to have anyone playing with him to have a good time
-is in 1st grade 
-is learning to read so well this year.  He got the basics last year, but I'm starting to notice he can read road signs or billboards now if he really tries
-loves to dance
-has neon green and black as his favorite colors
-never meets a stranger.  Everyone quickly becomes his best friend
-is usually not a morning person and he gets really mad if Landon sleeps through the alarm in the morning 

Nixon is definitely one of those kids that will make you slow down in life.  He doesn't do anything in a hurry but with a love for life like he has, it's hard to stay mad at that little face!

PC: Dana Ashlyn Photography