Lawson is TWO

Lawson turned two in January.  I have really been slacking in the memory keeper role for my family, and I realized today that if I don't document these moments for my family, no one will.  So here is a little info about Lawson at two years old!

Height: 35 inches, 66th percentile

Weight:  25.5 lbs, 16th percentile

We have been feeding this kid anything and everything for so long and it is finally paying off.  He is not only on the chart, but it double digits percentile wise.  We are so happy to finally see some growth in this area.

Likes:  playing/tormenting his sisters, watching Super Why, being naked, playing outside on the swing set, eating dirt, taking baths, Thomas the Train, eating vitamins, the Thingamajigs book, stacking blocks, playing on the ipad, sitting on my lap, doing puzzles, playing with his basketball, football and soccer ball

Dislikes:  drinking milk from a cup, being told no, speech therapy (haha), sharing his toys

Favorite Foods:  spaghetti, oatmeal, pb&j sandwiches, goldfish, raisins, grapes, chicken, cookies

I won't lie and say that Lawson is the easiest child on the block.  He throws fits, he doesn't talk and he does a lot of things that drive me crazy (like eating dirt and putting his hands in his diaper when he has poop!).   But, I will say that despite all the hard work, and tears (his and mine) and frustration, I feel so blessed to be his mom.  I know that God has a plan for Lawson's life and I pray every day for patience and wisdom in parenting him in order that he can grow up to be the man God intends.  I feel a tremendous responsibility with Lawson and I can honestly say that my walk with the Lord has grown more during the last two years than I thought possible.  I simply could not parent Lawson without help from Him.

I don't want to make it sound like there are no good or fun times with Lawson, because that wouldn't be true.  He is a huge cuddle bug and loves to give hugs and kisses.  He cracks me up with his dancing and the games he plays with his sisters.  He is a great little boy and I love him so incredibly much.

For his party, we had family over for cake and ice cream.  The cake was Thomas inspired and once again the hubby did a great job decorating.  The party totally wore him out!  He fell asleep playing the ipad once everyone had left.  That NEVER happens!

Happy birthday, Lawson.  Mom and Dad love you and feel so thankful to be your parents!

Pictures from Our Trip Part Two

Here are a few more pictures from our trip to the lake.  

Lawson wanted to drive the boat!

Captain Lawson

Molly at Ha Ha Tonka

Trying to get a group picture is near impossible

Look!  The girls are getting along and smiling!  

This is what it looks like when Molly and Isabelle go fishing.

Jason caught quite a few fish while we were there.  This was not the largest but I think it was the first!

Again, group pics aren't always super easy, but this was the best of the trip!

I love my family and I love having time to get away together and do family things.

pics from our trip, part one

these are just a few of the pictures we took while on our "vacation" to the lake over memorial day!  

moll loves sleeping on the boat

my girls on our last boat ride

lawson sporting his new hat and swimming trunks

fun at ha ha tonka state park

isabelle and dad fishing together

i think she looks about 16 here  

despite the fact that the water was freezing, both girls swam

j is a great dad to be in that water with them

my kids love the lake.  it is hard driving there and back as they aren't great travelers, but to hear them giggle and see them high five each other when we get there makes it worth it (mostly).  we fit a lot into this trip so i will have some more pics tomorrow!

A Few Things About Laws

Lots of exciting things have been happening with my little man.  I thought it was time for an update.

First, Lawson is now a walker.  I know, it only took 16 months, but still.  The day we celebrated my birthday with family, he decided to stand up and start walking.  He still crawls a little, but mostly he is walking.  Pretty exciting stuff!

Next, he got his first tooth.  And now his second, third and fourth are all trying to make an appearance at the same time.  He is beyond cranky, having a hard time sleeping, has a constant runny nose and is producing nice and disgusting diapers.  All hallmarks of teething for my kiddos.  Fun times.

Also, he is climbing up into things.  He started climbing up on the ottoman in the living room, but quickly progressed to the rocking chair in his room.  I tried to get a good pic, but he wouldn't stop rocking!  He was quite proud of himself.

Another change coming our way is speech therapy.  Lawson isn't much of a talker.  I have been a little concerned with his speech so I took him for an evaluation today.  We will start sometime this week or next and I am looking forward to it.  I think (as do the therapists) that a large part of the problem is from when he had fluid in his ears and wasn't hearing all that well.

Lastly, for today, Lawson is finally big enough for his car seat that we bought back when he turned one.  My girls both hit the weight limit on the infant car seat right at their first birthday, so we assumed Lawson would also.  Not the case.  But, we have been working very hard to get him to put on some weight and I am proud to report that he is over 20 lbs now and if my scale is correct, close to 22 lbs.   We still have some work to do but he is making progress and I am happy.

I love my sweet little guy.   

How we Celebrated

Here is a little recap of how we celebrated Easter this year!

1.  Saturday night we attended our church's Easter services.

best family pic out of like 10

handsome hubby

my bff, my sister

2.  We had Easter tacos for lunch on Sunday (a tradition for our family).

3.  The girls ate a ton of candy from their Easter baskets and then proceeded to act like crazy people the rest of the day!

4.  We had an egg hunt in the front yard.

another great one of the hubby

most of the fam

5.  Molly was finally able to fly her new kite.

6.  After a full day of family, food, and fun everyone in my house was asleep by 9pm!

Ordinary Days

Recently I watched a video on facebook of an author reading part of her book, The Gift of an Ordinary Day.

After watching the video, I checked out her book from the library and read it.  And while it wasn't exactly my type of book, it did force me to think about my children growing up and how fast it all really will go by.  When you think about it, taking care of small children is such a very tiny part of our lives.  Yet, when you are taking care of three toddlers under the age of four, it seems like the runny noses, dirty diapers, night time interruptions and constant corrections will last forever.

In an effort to try and keep perspective, and to make sure I can record as much as possible about this time in our lives, I thought I would make a list of some of the ordinary things that make up my days with my wonderful kiddos.

Cuddles on the chair holding at least two sometimes three kids while watching Gabba, Curious George or some other children's program that drives me bonkers (Barney, Dora, Pinky Dinky Do).

Preparing, and cleaning up three meals a day for three kids that often just want to eat grilled cheese, peanut butter and jelly or mac n cheese, not the well thought out, well planned, balanced meals I have fixed that day.

Playing games like Memory or Splish Splash or better yet, the games out of the back of the Highlights magazines.

Hearing a million times a day, "I'm done," being hollered from the bathroom.

Bath time with three babes who all love to see how much water they can get out of the bathtub and onto the floor.

Doing "school" which basically amounts to us singing songs, talking about the calendar and weather, coloring pictures and doing some phonics/reading lessons with Isabelle.

Breaking up arguments between Isabelle and Molly one moment and then seeing them play together wonderfully the next.

Kisses, hugs and snuggles all day long.

Cookie parties and dance parties.

Hearing made up stories from the girls.  Molly just told us that her grandpa had a polar bear that hurt his eye and that her grandpa told the polar bear, "don't eat my chips."

Molly calling Jason, Grandpa and me, Grandma.  Molly calling herself Kenna or Lauren or Will, calling Lawson, Seeda, and calling Isabelle, Hannah.

Taking walks to the neighborhood park or just playing in the backyard.

Reading books like, Can I Just take a Nap, Pete the Cat, Kiss Kiss Yuck Yuck, Madeline, Hurricane Henrietta, The Thingamajigs, Cat in the Hat, and I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas over and over and
over again.

Saturday morning breakfast with donuts or pancakes or cinnamon rolls but always together as a family.

Telling my girls repeatedly that they are beautiful and look so pretty despite the crazy outfits they choose to wear.

Tucking in and singing songs and saying prayers and giving "one last hug and kiss" every night at bedtime.

So there you have it, some (but not all) of the ordinary things that take place during our days.  I am in a phase right now where I really, really, really don't want my kids to get any older (especially Isabelle).  I can't imagine a time where she won't want to give me kisses on the lips or hold my hand or sit on my lap or tell me how much she loves me or even that she is so glad I am her mom.  And frankly, I know that time is coming and will be here before I know it.  I don't want to see the end of her asking if I'd like some loving or crawling into bed with us in the mornings to snuggle.  And since I know that I don't have control over time, I am trying to soak in every kiss, every hug and every moment of her being four instead of being sad at how fast it is all going by.  I encourage you, no matter what phase of mothering you are in, to capture some of the ordinary moments in your day.  Write them down so that you can remember the perfectly ordinary days that I am sure will be what you will treasure most after the kids are gone and living lives of their own.

Party Time

Today we had Lawson's follow up appointment at the ENT's office.  It is a little hard to believe it has already been two weeks since his surgery for ear tubes!  After a great hearing test and a quick look in his ears, our wonderful doc says all is well and we don't need to come back until it is time for a one YEAR checkup.

pre-op

Lawson got sick right after his tubes so until this week it has been really hard to tell how much the tubes have helped.  His disposition has been much better during the day, but until I saw him at the hearing test today, I was really unsure if the tubes had helped at all.

Since he is feeling better, we started sleep training.  I prefer using the "Ferber" method of progressive waiting and it has worked like a charm.  I know that not many people like the CIO method, but with this at least you have a point at which you can go check on them.  And, for the record, there has not been one single time where Lawson has cried longer than 10 minutes or had to go past the second waiting time.  Last night he slept (without waking) from 8pm until 2:45am.  That is a miracle, people.  And, after 10 minutes of crying, he was back asleep until 6:45am.  Praise the Lord.  CIO works for this family.

In other news, tomorrow is his first haircut.

I am not exactly excited and have yet to decide how much hair will be cut from his head.  He is just so stinking cute (even with the curl that sweeps away from the side of his head).

I'll post an after pic for you soon (assuming the haircut takes place...lol).

Last but not Least, Lawson

My friend, Erin, did a series about her kiddos (that you can find here, here, and here) that I just loved.  She is a great mom and a wonderful blogger and after reading her first post I decided to steal her idea! My first two are here and here.  And now, on to my precious baby boy, Lawson.



photo by ccmiller

 If I were going to introduce you to Lawson, I would probably tell you the following things....

1.  He loves his sisters.
2.  When he eats he likes to have a cheerio or puff in his mouth before taking a bite of his actual food.
3.  His favorite toys are the Dora guitar, blocks, and his rocktivity music table.
4.  He is a dancing machine.
5.  Yes, he is small for his age.  No, he isn't walking yet.  Nope, no teeth either.  Am I worried?  No.
6.  Oh, and yes, still breastfeeding.  As much as I have tried, he refuses to drink from a cup.  Bottles aren't much better.
7.  He is ticklish on his feet and on his belly.  For extra laughs, give him a big zerbert.
8.  Favorite foods include avocado, banana, spaghetti, and pancakes.  He is old enough to want to feed himself, but the no teeth thing makes it a little tricky.
9.  I think he secretly wants a little brother.
10.  He is a momma's boy.  I don't know how it happened (haha), but I love it.
11.  Whenever he hears the garage door opening he starts waving.  The girls have been waving at Jason when he leaves for awhile now and Lawson is starting to catch on.
12.  He is a total paci addict.  While I realize that for some paci use is totally normal at a year and for others it is totally not normal, we have been waiting for a period of wellness before taking it away. 
13.  When he crawls on the tile he does this weird one leg extended crawl that is hysterical.
14.  If you are looking for a cuddle bug, look no further.  Lawson is one cuddly kid.


I know from past experience that children change.  What you say about them when they are babies can so easily change when they are 2 or 3, or 4 and so on.  After all, I once called Molly easy and laid back.  However, with that being said, I think Lawson will remain as laid back and chill as he is now.  And my hope is that he remains just as sweet and happy as he is now also.  I love him more than I really thought possible.  I mean, I know that you love each kid just as much, but I may have been a little worried about being a mom of a boy.  Turns out, it is pretty amazing.  Lawson is pretty amazing.

Lawson is ONE!

So my baby boy turned one this past weekend.  One.  Crazy.  I am having a hard time coping.  Freal.  He is helping me a little by not walking and not getting any teeth so he still looks like a baby.  Kind of. 

one of the greatest days ever

Here is some info about Lawson at one.

Height: 29 inches (24th percentile)
Weight: 18 lbs and 11 oz (3rd percentile)

photo taken on his actual birthday

Eating:  Was improved until this past weekend.  He is/was eating more "real" foods like non-baby oatmeal for breakfast, veggie pasta or spaghetti, chicken cut up into tiny, itty bitty pieces, soup, bread, etc.  Basically I am trying to get away from baby food.  It is hard with the no teeth thing to find table foods that he can eat!  Lawson still nurses about 4-5 times a day and I think for now I will continue to nurse.  I may change my mind once those teeth come in, but for now we're sticking with it.  Lawson eats just about anything I give him with the exception of chicken pot pie!

Sleeping:  Also had major progress until this most recent sickness.  While Lawson has never really gone through a long phase of sleeping through the night, it was close during these past three weeks.  I had finally felt enough peace about his ears to do some sleep training and then BAM, sick again.  After seeing the doc today we are scheduling a time to meet with our ENT to discuss tubes.  Hopefully one of these days Lawson and I will sleep.

Likes:  Anything his sisters like, his rocktivity music table, his paci (lol), pulling up on the furniture and cruising around, taking baths.

Dislikes:  Having his nose wiped, not being allowed into his sisters' room, drinking from a cup.

Milestones:  Lawson started clapping and is close to mastering some signing.  We are working on mostly food/eating related signs for now.  He also started taking baths in the bathtub without the baby bath and really likes it when he gets to take a bath with Isabelle and Molly.

For Lawson's birthday Jason and I made a construction cake that I discovered on pinterest.  I found the picture on pinterest but the link only took me to spam, so I googled construction cake and found her site.  Here is the link.

Her cake was pretty awesome and I thought we could pull it off.  I was responsible for the cake (I used the recipes from her site) and the icing (used this icing and made the chocolate version).  I have to tell you that I think this was the best from scratch cake I have ever made.  The frosting was super yummy also!  Jason was responsible for the decorating.  He cut a little sliver out of the top and piled it back on the cake and frosted over it all.  We then used oreo crumbs for dirt and put candy rocks on as well.  The trucks were purchased at target in a little combo pack of construction vehicles.  Jason did a great job and overall the cake was a huge success. 

Here are some photos of the cake.

And, just as soon as Laws is feeling better the lovely CCMiller will be taking some photos for us!  I am so excited to hopefully get some great shots of my little guy!

Happy Birthday to the cutest, most cuddly, sweetest, most adorable little guy on the planet!

Ten Months Old

This past month has been the slowest and fastest ever.  I guess that is what happens when your child is sick for pretty much an entire month.  Poor Lawson couldn't catch a break this month.  First was a cold, then an ear infection, now Roseola.  He has dealt with snot, vomiting, fever, diarrhea, ear pain, and now a rash all over his body.

He is miserable, I am tired and the girls are pretty sick of not having access to their mom like usual.

Here is some info about Lawson at 10 months old.

Height and Weight:  He weighed in at 18lbs today.  This is good since he had diarrhea for four of the last seven days.  He was fully clothed which may have contributed to a weight gain, but we'll take it! 

Eating:  Lawson has had a marked decrease in his appetite this month.  Again, probably because he has felt like crap most of the month.  I don't feel like I can say how his eating habits have been because nothing has been consistent.  He isn't eating much, isn't nursing much and won't really touch his snacks.  My doctor said the nasty word "self-weaning" today at our appointment suggesting that is why he isn't nursing but I will not accept that.  I think I will cry if that is what is happening.

Sleeping:  Ugh.  Again, being sick sure gets everything out of whack.  This month has been terrible for sleep.  Hard to get to sleep, doesn't stay asleep and naps are all over the place.  Looking forward to a healthy baby so we can get back on track.  Though, I have decided (and may do a blog post on) that sleeping through the night is a big, fat myth.  Seriously, not even my four year old consistently sleeps through the night. 

Likes:  Being held, being rocked, watching Gabba, and playing with toys that play music.

Dislikes:  Taking medicine

Milestones:  I don't know if I mentioned it or not, but he has been waving for a month, and while he hasn't started signing, I am starting to sign to him.  He isn't crawling, but still doing his army crawl, however he is starting to try and pull up on the furniture.

I say it every month, but it seems fitting to say how thankful I am for Lawson during November!  This month hasn't been the easiest month, but I realize how fast this time goes by.  I am more than thankful that I have the ability to stay home and take care of my kiddos when they are sick without worrying about losing my job or not having an income.

Looking forward to a much more healthy report next month!

Eight Months

Lawson just keeps growing up.  I hate, hate, hate, hate it.  Like seriously, hate.  There is not much in this world that I would say I hate, but Lawson getting older falls in that category.  And hot weather.  I hate hot.  Moving on....Lawson is eight months old today.  Sometimes I look at my husband and realize that someday Lawson will be that big also and it makes me want to cry.  I am going to be a hot mess when he turns one.  Unless I am preggers again by then in which case I might be less sad, or maybe way more sad who knows. 

ANYWAY...Lawson is eight months today.

Here is some info about Lawson at eight months!

Height and Weight:  Unknown

We have managed to go another whole month without any trips to the doctor.   Whoo Hoo!!!  Though, just as before, he is still the smallest in his nursery at church.

Eating:  NON STOP.  For real.  We have started more and more and more solids.  We also started with the dreaded puffs.  He loves them but I had forgotten just how messy they were.  So basically he eats actual food two or three times a day (fruits, veggies, rice cereal), and then nurses what feels like a bazillion times a day.  In reality he is nursing every four or so hours sometimes less.

Sleeping:  Let's just say that no one in the house is really sleeping great these days.  Lawson included.  He has been waking up two or three times a night.  And yes, I realize there are those that would say to let him CIO, but at this point I am not going to do that.  Naps, however, are going great.  And I am not using the swing to get him to sleep anymore, just laying him down in his crib.

Likes:  crawling/scooting all over the house, playing in his sisters' room, eating puffs, putting things in his mouth, giving mom kisses (whoo hoo), and playing with toys

Dislikes:  sleeping through the night, not eating, being hot, being wet, being ignored

Milestones:  Lawson is sitting up all the way (PTL), scooting/crawling, and since I forgot to mention it last month.....saying dada.  Still no teeth and still has the paci. 

Well, there it is, a glimpse into Laws at 8 months old.  He is such a cutie pie.  I am so thankful for my little man!

Recently on Instagram

I love instagram.  I think I have mentioned that before.  However, not everyone is on the IG bandwagon, so I thought I would share some of my recent pics (an idea stolen from my friend, Jessica).

Here is a little glimpse into what we have been up to.

Lawson crawled from the living room into his sisters' room.  Don't know how happy they will be with this new milestone!

Isabelle at story time.  She has missed going!

Molly at story time. 

Molly was just a little cold sitting out on the deck with me this past weekend.  It was in the 50's first thing in the morning!!! 

Pretty sure Moll has the bluest eyes in the family.

You should know she is stuck in her baby's playpen.  You should also know that this was the fourth time I had to go in there and get her!

The girls found a frog in our garden.  They proceeded to throw grass at him for his food.

Lawson ready for some Cowboy football.  Too bad we lost.

She had just told me, "this superhero needs help blowing her nose."

Lawson is finally sitting up.  This isn't the greatest example, but he can sit up straight!!

If you are on instagram, let me know!  I am @tracyd53.  My account is private due to some weird people following me so just send me a request and I will add you.  Have to be a little careful when posting pics of the kids!  I would love to follow you also!