Jude is Two

Our littlest man is two.  This kid makes us smile, giggle, and shake our head every single day.  The way he runs around the house on his toes is comical and his long, red locks are, too.  He has us all wrapped around his finger and we just adore him more than we can say.  Here is what Jude is up to these days...

• Jude's favorite things in the world right now are trains.  He will play with his trains and train table for long stretches of time in his room. He is a bit happier if someone agrees to play with him.
• Jude is learning to talk, slowly but surely.  Our favorites right now are: 'I need help', 'Momma' (said so lovingly), Dadda/Daddy (also said lovingly), 'Choo-choo', and 'pizza'.
• Jude has mastered sleeping.  He takes a good two to three hour nap in the afternoon and sleeps through the night.  We love him for it.
• Jude loves it when someone reads to him.  Any books with trucks or trains are a go-to.

• Eating is something Jude does well.  He will plow through food with the best of them.  His favorites are peas, pizza, raspberries, Uncrustables, macaroni and cheese, blueberries, cookies, and any kind of meat. 
• Kisses and 'nigh-night' are a must before bed.  He goes around to each of us and doles them out, me taking all I can get and Luke and Lily reluctantly stopping their play to love on their little brother.
• We joke with Jude about his belly and he always loves to show us his 'big, fat belly'.

• Anything with a lid is exciting for Jude.  He loves to open and unscrew containers.  We literally thought about getting him a bunch of empty bottles for his birthday this year, but for some reason he likes them full.
• One of Jude's secret pleasures is going into his big brother's room to play with his Legos.  If Luke is distracted, Jude will make his way to his Lego table and play with each and every creation. Thank goodness he doesn't feel compelled to put little pieces in his mouth.
• Jude is a pretty social kid.  He will try and talk anyone into reading him a book or playing trains and cars with him.

We feel so incredibly blessed to call Jude our's.  Our lives are better because he is in our family.  We love you to pieces, sweet Jude!

Four Years with Lily

Our baby girl is four years old.  It seems like literally last week I was kissing her squishy cheeks and dressing her up in the cutest rompers and headbands I could get my hands on.  And yet, here we are, four years into this girl's life and she is running and counting and changing her baby brother's diaper.  

Our Lily girl cannot be put into a box.  She plays with cars and blocks and builds intense forts.  She can hold her own with her brothers and yet another side of her yearns for all the pretty things.  She loves being fancy, wearing jewelry, and having 'real' tea parties.  She dreams of princesses and babies and already has decided she is going to be Tinkerbell and Aurora and Sophia next year for Halloween.

Her emotions are big and strong and (mostly) beautiful.  She is really high when she's high and really low when she's low.  She wears her heart on her sleeve and is more honest than I sometimes want her to be.  

She wants a baby sister for her birthday (sorry sweet girl) and is practicing by incessantly asking to change Jude's diaper and any baby that happens to be in eyesight.  She is into shopping more than her Momma and wants me to buy something for me anytime we are out together.  

Lily loves to tease her Daddy as well as have him twirl her around the living room to 'Daddy's Little Girl'.  Daddy calls her both 'my little orange' as well as 'sloppy joe'.  She giggles every time.  

Our girl is tough, outspoken, kind hearted, helpful, and a momma bear.  These last four years have been sweet and beautiful and hard and full of grace (for all of us) and we can't help but be full of love and gratitude for our Lily.  

Happy Birthday sweet girl!