Sweet Baby is THREE!

Happy Birthday Ryan!!!

For a very long time, I've called Ryan my "Sweet Baby."

Not because my others boys aren't sweet, but he really was a sweet BABY and the name just stuck. And now, HE IS THREE! How did this happen?!?! 

Ryan has a magical way of making you smile! His laugh and smile are contagious, genuine and precious. He's definitely begun to rock the boat a bit in making demands and having opinions (as most 2-3yr old boys do) but his sweet little spirit is still strong as ever and it's been such a joy these last 6 months to watch him come out of his shell verbally, taking on the talking world around him. No doubt about it, he was a late talker... but goodness, his little voice and his vocabulary now are both just wonderful!

Ryan is no stranger to illness... for a kid that started off his first year surviving RSV, swine flu, regular flu and chicken pox, you would have thought he'd had enough. Along with battling asthma from that beloved RSV and the seasonal allergies affected, this summer he's had MONO. It's totally a fact in our house... if it's rare and severe and a kid can catch it, Ryan will! But he always bounces back! :-) And boy, he's one precious kid when he's sick.  I've been blessed to be home with him through all his sickness, snuggling with his precious elephant pillow and the beloved paci. Oh yeah, the paci... now that he's three it's time to pass that along! Gonna be a rough few weeks around here, I'm afraid!

A few great notes about Ryan

He LOVES Logan and has no idea they're 3 years apart!

He wakes up every day asking to go to Grandma's house or to go to Graham and see the moo-cows.

He calls everyone a "friend"-- People we go to church with, someone I say "Hi" to in the grocery store, someone that says "Good morning" to me when we go into the Y. They are ALL "Friends"!

He's a mama's boy- to the EXTREME!

He LOVES our dog... absolutely adores him!

He loves to wrestle, tackle and play chase. 

all.the.time.

He's a climbing, flipping, risk-taking machine that only stops when he's made to.

Outside is his heaven. Riding bikes, playing bubbles, riding tractors, fishing and swimming. Like most little boys, the park is his happy place. A trip outside can stop any tantrum or bad moment. 

He's our EARLY riser... we bought THIS sun clock to make him stay in bed till the sun wakes up. It works. Sometimes. But he is ALWAYS awake before the sun and then exclaims loudly, "The sun's awake!!" as he runs out of his room each morning.

He's my one kid that loves to snuggle. For being as busy as he is, when he wants to just lay with mama, it's so precious!

He's our eater... he eats pretty much everything still and is quicker and more likely to clean his plate than any of the others. 

Here's that smile again! :-)

Dear Ryan, 

I cannot believe you are three years old! You are absolutely one of my favorite people in the whole world and hearing you call me mommy has been one of God's greatest gifts to me! You bring so much life and joy to our home each day. I love the way you want to be just like Logan, and then you have little J following and copying everything you do. You find absolute joy in the simplest of things... a cow on the side of the road, a popsicle on the driveway, time on the floor playing blocks together... sometimes you're so easy to please it amazes me! 

You're going to start going to Big Church soon and attending Bridge Kids and I just know you're going to love every minute of doing "big kid" things. You weren't the easiest kid to potty train, but your independence now that you are is such a cool thing to get to watch. This summer has been a big jump in that independence as you've started to try and dress (and undress!) yourself, you have trusted the life jacket to swim without someone holding you and  you've even put yourself to bed a few times! Not so sure I'm ready for that last one! :-)

My day begins with you every morning and though sometimes it is earlier than I'd like and I'm trying to make you go back to bed, I really couldn't think of a better way to start my day than with your sweet voice! Taking away the paci this week is going to be heartbreaking... for all of us! You truly are in love with that thing and it's going to break my heart to see you cry... but maybe it will just mean a little extra snuggle time each night and that I can handle! 

We love you sweet baby Ryan... you are our middle, that yummy center that fills our hearts with gladness! May you always know how much you are loved!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

 

Happy Second for #3

 Last week our youngest turned TWO! Where has the time gone!?! We were in NY on his birthday, so it was a blessing to get to celebrate with so many people that love him so much but maybe weren't able to be in TX for our big dedication and adoption celebration earlier this year. We had a little family party at the beach just for him! -Pictures to come soon!

Who couldn't LOVE that sweet smile?!?!

  

This smile can brighten up a room! Joshua LOVES family. He's slow to wake up in the mornings and has his moments with not wanting to be touched, but he really does love both of his brothers and gets very excited when he has time with his grandparents. I'd have to admit that he has a VERY special connection with his Papa, and it's not just the tractor driving that Papa does for hours and hours each time we're in Graham. Since Joshua was little, Papa has always been able to bring a calm to him and Papa's lap holds a very special place in our little man's life.

 He has the ability to bring so much joy to our hearts!

 

I'm happy to announce that Joshua has turned into one of my best sleepers. It surely didn't start off that way, but he transitioned very well with our move in January and there are days when I'm having to wake him up in order to go for the day and be where we need to be... and afternoons when I have to wake him from his nap because dinner time is approaching! He takes GREAT naps and is always very happy with going to bed at night, often telling you it's time for bed by asking for his paci and knocking on his own bedroom door. I know, that's a real gift!!  He's really improved with bath routine the last few months, finally being ok with water being poured on his head and actually enjoying the time to play in the water. That's made pool time this summer a lot better too because he LOVES the water now! Just look at the smile in this shot--

 He is so good in the water that he'll actually just float around on his own (with us close, but not having to "hold" him) and just kick, kick, kick. Grandma and Grandpa's pool has been one of his favorite places this year!

It wouldn't be an honest post if I didn't share that he can be a challenge emotionally. Sometimes we just have to laugh at some of his stubborn tendencies (in order to stay sane) and then pray and trust God that He can AND will use this part of his personality to do great things as he grows up! God has already done so much on Joshua's behalf with struggles we've had in the past and I have no doubt that He will continue to do so as we continue to give our son into His hands and trust His providence. The biggest thing God has done for us recently is in regards to Joshua's eating habits. We've climbed mountains in this area and though some parents just don't understand this, starting where we were with him and his physical needs first, we've come SUCH a long way! He now eats pretty much everything we do, though meat and texture is still a big barrier for us. He continues to improve and we continue to try new things... it's a process and we're seeing the fruits of our patience with each passing week. The good news is that I can now make his plate just like his brothers, give him a fork and spoon and then just sit down and enjoy my own meal. It's not a battle anymore as we have had to make the choice to leave it at that. Him feeding himself and the ability to sit through a meal quietly (well, quiet for a 2 year old) is a big step in the right direction.

 And even when he acts like this, we still love him with everything we have! :-)

  

At this time last year, I wasn't able to post about him on our blog yet. We were in the depths of some of the issues I've mentioned above and he is a completely different child now. He is independent, smart, sensitive, active, and an absolutely precious little boy! God has stretched us, grown us and blessed us more than we ever could have imagined and for that I will always be VERY thankful! We love him more than I ever knew I would be able to and that is all due to the love God has bestowed first upon us. May He be glorified by the parenting that is done in this home!

Dear Joshua,

Happy Birthday little man! This year has been a wild ride for sure and you have stretched my heart more than I ever thought possible. There is no doubt in our minds that God has a great plan for your life, with obvious things we can already see at age 2!

You are SO bright! You sing whatever your brothers sing, have learned most of your ABCs and are very verbal, always able to repeat whatever you hear. You have a genuine LOVE for animals, particularly our sweet dog Dylan. You hug and give kisses generously to mommy and daddy and the way you say "Wuv ew" for "Love you" is just the most precious sound to my ears! 

When we leave you in a nursery at church, Mom2Mom or the Y, teachers just ADORE you! They give praises each time, always talking of how sweet and smart you are. You SHINE in those places and that is such a special gift to us, knowing you're content and happy. I especially love how you like to read books. You'll sit for book after book (often preferring the same ones over and over) and it's a very easy way to bring calm and peace to your day. 

Recently you have started saying so many things to show your high level of vocabulary. You seem to just pick up everything you hear and make connections so easily that it amazes us... you LOVE trucks, tractors, planes and anything else that goes, and you love to shout "Look!" when you see one of these things out and about. You are always pushing a truck or push-toy around the house and always doing so very quickly! You are light on your feet and get around swiftly, sometimes making us imagine you as a track star making your way through a 100m dash in no time! Who knows, though it's fun to dream and consider! :-)

I write these "letters" so that one day you and your brothers will have the chance to look back over your years and see how you grew each year. In reading this one, I want you to KNOW something, and really know it... deep down in your soul. You are SO loved! You have a loving God that created you and sent you to our family... and that same love from Him flows through us to you. We love you and desire you and you being in our family is satisfying to our soul! You have two brothers that think you are the most precious thing... they crave your hugs and your involvement in their activities and it's been such a pleasure to watch you start to admire and mimic Ryan. He's definitely your best buddy right now and I hope it can continue to be that way for years and years to come! Our family (extended) is a very special one as we are blessed to be in touch and relationship with both sides, deep into the roots of where both mommy and daddy come from.... and EACH of those people loves you too! You are surrounded by people that care about you and want the best for your little life. May you always know this to be true!

We love you sweet boy and pray for another blessing-filled year of watching you grow and mature. 

Love, 

Mommy and Daddy

The Rest of June

 When we talk about the month of June, we discuss it with "before mono" and "after mono"

This post covers AFTER mono... and in these first pics, you can still see those tired eyes on our sweet Ryan.

Wearing brother's goggles

We FINALLY found goggles that fit... Grandpa's goggles! Shouldn't be surprised when he's also wearing adult ball caps!

Who doesn't love a big wheel?

Tree climbing... now Ryan's learning too!

"Walk with me Grandpa!"

Father's Day... and this is exactly each kid's tendency. Joshua's hugging, Ryan's just chilling on Grandpa's lap and Logan's reading the "card" he made nice and loud so everyone can hear!

Group HUG!

Daddy's gift... a range finder!

First year to golf with the big boys on Father's Day!

Five of my favorite guys!

We have discovered the fun of water balloons!

A few pics playing on a night in the front yard

This is his "I'm not happy" face... yes, it's awful!

This year we went to Jeff's work and took him to lunch for his birthday. VBS was going on each night of that week, so we fit in what we could and my parents gave us a date not on the weekend before.

We finished up June in Graham with a weekend of lake fun!

Ryan's new fishing pole... he LOVED it!

He loved it so much he didn't even need clothes to do it!

There's that FACE again!

Muna and Papa came with Kevin for lunch that day. It's always a great part of our visit to get to see them!

It's a hard life, isn't it?!?!

Our attempt at a picture with all three boys and their great-grandparents!

I'm sharing them all because I want you to see this progression...

Logan starts of normal and turns into a forced, fake, "why am I still here?" face. Ryan gets more compliant and genuine with his smile as Joshua gets more and more unhappy.

When I look at all of those, I notice how much fun Muna had during the attempt and how strong and calm Big Papa stayed while trying to keep Joshua on his lap! Oh the joys of picture taking!!! LOL

Logan had his first drive-in experience this year too! We saw Madagascar 3 with Aunt Kelley, setting up chairs in the back of Papa's truck! What a special memory and I'm so glad I got to share it with him!

July has begun, with the boys in Graham and Jeff and me getting an ENTIRE week at home alone! It was such a relaxing break; a "stay-cation" that we are VERY thankful for! We go back to get them tomorrow and I'm ready to hug them all and spend some quality time together before we head out for NY next week! Summer fun to be continued...