Isaiah....reading?

So apparently Isaiah has heard this book before but neither Eric nor I had any idea he was that familiar with this book! Amazing how quickly these little boogers pick up on things :)

Happy Birthday, Baby...

My Precious Noah,

I have spent so much of today thinking about what I was doing exactly one year ago today and I have spent so much time smiling. I remember so many things about the day you were born (I would like to be able to say I remember "everything" but I know I don't!) and it was such a happy day! You came into this world such a beautiful baby boy and while the first few months of your life were a bit, um, challenging, you have become the most joyful little boy. I am sure most mothers are concerned when their second child is born that they will not be able to love that baby as much as their first, but I can assure you, angel boy, that you are loved just as equally as your big brother. I don't ever remember a time when it was a struggle to love you.

I love how you love to stand up on your own and you just giggle and laugh! I love how you scrunch up your nose when you are really tickled about something. I love how you come to "attack" me when I sit down on the floor to play with you. I love when the words, "momma" roll off of you tongue. I love the way you snuggle into my chest and giggle when I sing to you. I love the way you get so excited about food :) I love the way you adore your big brother. I love the way you have completed our family so perfectly.

The Bible tells us that children are a reward from God and Noah, you are such a reward. You have brought more joy and laughter and happiness to our family than you will ever know! We thank God for you everyday and if He had given us a chance to choose our second child, there is no one else we would've chosen! You are a treasure, Noah Jackson!

Happy 1st Birthday, precious boy!

We love you more than you will ever know

xoxo

Mommy and Daddy

Another Picture Update

Yes! We are still alive! Our life has been non-stop ever since we moved back and I think I will constantly be learning how to manage life and time with multiple children :)

Our boys are fantastic and they continue to amaze me everyday. Isaiah is getting the cutest little personality and from things his grandmother tells me, it sounds like he is turning into his father! He is such a bright little guy and has the most tender heart. While it is sweet to think that he is a passionate child, it is frustrating at times because he seems to break over the simplest things. I often get frustrated because he cries so easily and I simply don't know how to foster that emotion. I want to be sensitive to it if he is truly hurting or sad but I don't want a whiny kid!

He is literally a sponge and picks up on the funniest things. The other day was a tough day with the boys. They were neither one feeling very well and they were both tired. I have never said this to Isaiah before but I had had enough and said, "Isaiah you are driving me crazy!" Later on that day I asked him to do something and he said, "Mommy, you're drivin' me crazy!" I wanted to laugh but I somehow held it together and let him know it was not nice to say that to mommy. I just have to be so careful about what I say!

It appears as though Isaiah is getting his momma's love for books. He is constantly asking us to read to him and loves all kinds of books! There are quite a few he can even read to us because he's heard them so many times!

He continues to be very much a thinker and an analyzer! He is constantly trying to figure things out. And it also looks like little brother may follow in those same footsteps!

Isaiah loves his brother and frequently loves on him unprompted and just when we think we're getting through to him about being kind and loving, he goes and takes a toy from Noah. We're still working on that sharing business!

Back when we had snow, Eric took Isaiah out to play in it several times. He didn't really care to ride in the sled, he would rather walk through the snow. He enjoyed exploring with this daddy but he absolutely hated getting snow in his face. One night after playing for a while, they came in and enjoyed some hot chocolate. Isaiah adored it and learned how to say, "aaahhhhh" after taking sips!

Isaiah also got to go to his first high school basketball game with his daddy! He had a blast and especially loved the snacks he got! These two adore each other!
The weather has been so nice and we've spent many hours outside! Isaiah loves to play with chalk, ride his tricycle, pick dandelions, throw rocks and run in the grass!
A few weeks ago, we got to go to the Children's Museum with the Sommer family, Isaiah and Noah's grandparents and Lilly and Myllah's grandparents! We all had a wonderful time!
The slide was a highlight for Isaiah....
and so were the kisses :)
Isaiah also got to go on an Easter Egg hunt with his buddy Caleb! It was a chilly day but they had a blast!

Isaiah also got to do some egg coloring over Easter weekend! It got a little messy, but he loved it!

And Noah. Our sweet little Noah. He is such a joy. He is literally so full of joy! He laughs and smiles all the time and makes us laugh all the time! It is hard for me to remember exactly what Isaiah was doing at this stage but I think maybe Noah is talking a little bit more than Isaiah did. Noah is saying quite a few words and seems to learn new ones every couple days! He is also a BIG climber! I have had to rearrange some furniture because he has no fear and just climbs, climbs, climbs! The stairs are his favorite! I often am not able to find him and sure enough, he's all the way upstairs! He is a great eater and pretty much eats everything we do these days. He is really trying to wean himself from his daytime bottles. He would much rather eat than drink :)

Noah loved this little car at his Nonni's house! He was so content to just sit and be pushed around! He thought it was especially cool to play with the steering wheel! :) And he looked so darn cute in there!

Noah is getting really strong and really brave when it comes to standing! He is getting very good at doing it on his own without holding on and has taken a couple steps but would still much rather prefer to crawl! He's so fast at it, I don't blame him :)
The first couple times he stood on his own, he just acted so excited and proud of himself! I am especially fond of this picture because this is the same outfit his big brother was wearing when he took his first steps :)
It is really hard for me to believe that my Noah will be one year old in just five short days. Time with your first child goes by so quickly and then a second one comes along and time seems to speed up even faster. I can't imagine what it will be like when we are on child number 15. (just kidding!) However, if there was a guarantee that all of our children would be as happy and as well-adjusted as these two, I might consider it!

No, don't think so...

The boys enjoyed some delicious blueberry pancakes this morning and they were so cute!
Do you think Noah is ready for a haircut yet? Check out that hair falling on top of his ears! :) Ash, bring your scissors when you come!

I promise, promise, promise I will try harder to keep up with this blog! I really do want to preserve these memories we are making! Our boys are the most precious gifts from God and I thank Him everyday for entrusting them to us.

An update in Pictures!

I'll get straight to the biggest update we have!!!

Why is Isaiah in a box, you say? Well, it's because we have moved! Where are we, you ask?
We are back in snowy Indiana! Why move back in cold January, you ask?
Why not? We are closer to family and our midwest friends! Yes, we miss the warmth and sunshine of Florida and we miss our dear friends, but we felt like this was as good a time as any as far as business goes!
The boys have adjusted well and have had fun exploring new places!
They are happy and content!
Yes, we've had some rough moments where we've had to just take a time-out but....
we've also had moments of new developments and fun!
And we've had a lot of special family time!
The boys adore each other and have fun hanging out together!
We hope you all stay warm this weekend wherever you may be! We're "expecting" a snow storm this weekend however are seeing no signs of it YET! We miss you, Florida, but we're anxious to visit often! xoxo

Still alive and well...

Wow! Has it really been two months since I last posted anything? I guess you could say we've been a little busy and some big changes have taken place. Stay tuned for a larger update soon!

In the meantime, here's a little video to hold you over!

xoxo

ABC's and 123's

Isaiah is getting better and better at his alphabet and his counting! I could just listen to that little voice forever! :)

I could just eat them up....

These boys just get sweeter and yummier each day! I love each moment I get to spend with them (I even try to rejoice in the sleepless moments and remember that there are women who would LOVE to lose sleep from a precious baby!)

So much has been happening in the past few weeks, especially with our Noah. He is growing and changing so rapidly it is hard to keep up. We took the boys for well-check visits a couple weeks ago and they are both healthy and wonderful! Isaiah was 29 pounds and Noah was 17 lbs. 14 oz. The biggest shock of the visit was that Noah's head is in the 90%. WHAT??!? My babies heads have always been small! Honestly, I think maybe the nurse mis-measured a little bit, however, Noah's head shape is very different from Isaiah's so I suppose she wasn't too far off!

Noah had cereal for the first time just a couple days before he turned 6 months. He was not a fan of plain cereal so after a few tries I quickly added some other flavors and he started doing much better. He is now eating like a champ and eating a TON! He's tried carrots, peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, pears and bananas. He wasn't too crazy about peas at first but they have grown on him and he's doing much better!

This picture is from his first experience with cereal! Isaiah loves Noah's head for some reason and anytime he kisses him, it's always on the head!

Noah was trying to get a closer look at the sting rays
Isaiah and daddy having a moment on the beach
Isaiah loves the beach!
Noah has gotten really great at sitting on his own! He still topples occasionally but is pretty good about catching himself!

Ah.....my boys
Oh that face....
Loving daddy's hat!

So sweetCousins!
Uncle E thought it would be fun to bury Isaiah in the sand. He is very excited about it in this picture but it did have to grow on him! And it didn't last long! :)

This is the face Isaiah makes when you ask him to close his eyes! So cute!!!

Isaiah is doing great and has quite the vocabulary (and personality!). It seems as though he says new things everyday and we are seeing him understand things more and more. He cracks us up everyday and we love his little personality. He is so sweet and loves to love on us. At night when we are going through our bedtime routine, his way of stalling is to have Eric and I both pray. He asks one of us to pray first then the other one has to pray also. Then he starts jibbering words we don't understand and we just have to walk out. Then he goes to sleep quickly and easily but he tries to prolong it with prayer! Maybe he'll just be a big prayer warrior one day! He also insists on praying at each meal and this is his prayer every single time, "Dear Jesus, please keep mommy daddy safe, Amen." He loves his brother and loves that his brother loves him! He often says, "Noah yikes me, mommy!"

Noah is wonderful, as well. He is scooting and army-crawling everywhere! He is also putting everything in his mouth. I really have to scan the area when I put him down and make sure there is nothing that could hurt him! He is eating solids twice a day and I think he's just about ready for a third meal also. He is still nursing four times a day and sleeping pretty well too. He sleeps about 11 hours a night and takes two naps a day. The naps are really consistent as far as how long they are. Some days I get two 2 hour naps and other days I get an hour here and an hour there. I can't complain though because it could certainly be worse! The nurse and the doctor kind of put me in my place about his sleeping. Isaiah was an amazing sleeper and was so easy to train to sleep. Noah has been a different story but still a precious little boy. It's amazing how two people can have two little boys and raise them the exact same way and they are just so different!

I am head over heels in love with my three boys!

Have a great weekend!

xoxo