Taylor 3 Year Update

Where to even begin with this girl? She is equal parts smart, sassy, silly, and sweet, but she's also three and she knows it. One minute she's smiling and cackling with laughter and the next she's throwing herself on the floor with tears streaming down her face. While her emotions and imagination run wild, her heart remains sweet and genuine. She is quick to the rescue when she sees someone in need and can make anyone laugh without even trying. Simply put, she is amazing, and she makes the world a better place just by being in it.

She sings "Who Let The Dogs Out" at the top of her lungs, throws on a tutu over her dirty daycare clothes as soon as we get home each night, and loves her little brother more than anything. She is the girliest tomboy I have ever met, wearing costume jewelry and dresses while climbing trees and looking for rocks. She has the most beautiful long, blonde hair that is constantly covered in sweat, dirt, and a handful of bows and clips. Like most girls her age, she loves to play with her baby dolls and cook in her play kitchen but equally enjoys hiding from Sharp Tooth and playing baseball in the back yard. She has a slight obsession with Doc McStuffins and insists on giving everyone (and everything) a "chep-up" with her doctor's kit. She recently discovered hide & seek and continuously asks us to play (even though she hides in the same spot every time). She loves to sing songs and watch movies. Her favorites include Cinderella, Winnie the Pooh, Curious George, Rapunzel, The Land Before Time, Finding Nemo, and The Little Mermaid. I'm certain she would watch all of them on repeat if we let her.

She has a wide variety of tastes and is always open to trying something new. There isn't a food she won't try and insists that she loves zucchini when in reality there isn't enough Parmesan cheese in the world to make her swallow it. She loves all kinds of fruit (berries being her favorite) and continues to ask for pasta or tuna on a daily basis. Mexican restaurants are her favorite, because she knows it means an endless supply of chips, cheese, and guacamole. Friday nights mean movies and "copcorn" with Taylor eating an entire bag and then polishing off whatever is left in ours. She is the sneakiest little thing, constantly swiping drinks from our tumblers when we aren't looking and climbing into the pantry to steal a package of fruit snacks before dinner. She requires a sippy cup full of milk first thing in the morning and as soon as we get home each evening and acts like she's won the lottery if you put a little chocolate syrup in it. She loves "tookies" and cupcakes and eating the icing off of cake donuts. Her favorite "special treat" is a sucker, and you can get her to do almost anything if you mention the prospect of one. She is a scrawny little thing but can put away more food in one sitting than most grown men. Food is definitely the way to her heart!

Turning three has been a huge milestone for the tot. All throughout the summer, she told everyone she met when her birthday was and how old she was going to be. Three has brought a sense of independence for her, because she has grown so much over the past six months and has really started taking ownership of many different things. She has finally mastered potty training (after a record breaking 18 months) and insists on dressing herself, brushing her own teeth, and combing her own hair. She plays by herself in her room, quietly reading books and assembling puzzles one minute then banging pots and pans and sending her babies to time out the next. She shares her toys with her brother and is quick to fetch diapers and binkies upon request, shushing Logan when he cries and assuring him that "It's otay, sissy's here." She shares her love effortlessly, giving hugs and kisses whenever she feels the need and is quick to remind me that "It's otay, Momma" when things don't go as planned.

But don't let her grown-up persona fool you, she is still the ultimate threenager with meltdowns at every turn. A good day can easily turn sour if she can't get her shoe on or Logan looks at her wrong (which I'm still not sure is even possible). She is a roller coaster of hormones and gets easily frustrated by her limitations. She wants to be five so she can play baseball, go to school, and live in our new house. She wants so badly to be able to ride her bike but hasn't quite figured out how to steer and peddle at the same time. She just wants to GO and BE and DO everything, and I absolutely love her endless sense of adventure. She is the perfect combination of Jake and I, and I couldn't possibly love her more. Her sweet balances the crazy and the combination provides us with an abundance of laughter and more love than we ever thought possible.

You are one of a kind, sweet girl. Don't ever forget that.

Logan 6 Month Update

I know. I can't believe it either.

Logan officially hit the halfway mark this past Saturday and it makes me want to bawl my eyes out. How oh how is this little boy already 6 months old? And how is Taylor almost 3? I just can't...so I won't. Instead I'll ramble on about all of the wonderful things that this amazing little boy is saying and doing and how he continues to be the happiest baby on the planet.

Oh my sweet little blonde-haired boy. Everywhere we go, the first thing people say is "My! He's a big boy."  Girl, you ain't lying. Weighing in at over 20 lbs, he is indeed a healthy boy. He loves to be held and has recently started giving hugs which is the best medicine after a long day. He grabs at our noses, caresses our cheeks, and pulls us in close for smooches. He lets out a high pitched giggle when we toss him in the air and loves to fly around the room like an airplane. His favorite time of the day is bath time where he splashes nonstop until we're all completely drenched and he's gasping for air from laughing so hard. He is the sweetest little love bug, and I hope he stays this way forever.

Favorite past times include rolling his way around the house, sticking things in his mouth, jumping in his exersaucer, and watching his sister for hours on end. He enjoys singing and story time, with his favorite book being "Little Blue Truck" (mostly because of all the animal noises). He loves to sit upright but still needs a little assistance since his balance hasn't fully developed yet. We prop him up in the middle of our bed and he and Taylor take turns playing with baby dolls and dinosaurs. Taylor sings him songs, tells him elaborate stories, and occasionally kisses him and tells him how much she loves him while he pulls at her hair, laughs at her antics, and slobbers all over her toys. Ah, siblings.

Our little Logan has had a lot of firsts this month with the most important being his first word: MAMA! We were at my parents' house just casually hanging out when my sweet baby boy called out for me out of nowhere. I almost didn't even realize it since Taylor says my name approximately 5,000 times a day and I'm basically numb to it at this point, but when I actually processed the fact that it was a different voice and realized that everyone else had heard it as well, I couldn't believe it! Taylor's first word was dada (of course, that girl is crazy for her daddy), so for Log's first word to be mama was completely amazing. Jake doesn't believe that he said it (although he was sitting 5 feet away from him at the time and definitely heard it) and doesn't acknowledge it as his official first word, but I am counting it. Without a doubt.

Another first this month included introducing Logan to baby food. We decided to try solids a little earlier with Logan than we did with Taylor, giving him sweet potatoes just after he turned 5 months old. Initially, he loved them, but over time we noticed that he was developing a tummy ache after each feeding, so we stopped the baby food and reverted back to formula only for a few weeks. This past weekend, we decided to try solids again and haven't had a single issue since. Perhaps his little belly just needed some extra time to prepare for all of that goodness! He doesn't care much for oatmeal or peas, tolerates sweet potatoes and apples, but bananas are his favorite.

I just love this age where every day brings something new. Logan refused to roll from his belly onto his back for months, then out of nowhere he was rolling circles from one end of the living room to the other. He definitely likes to be on the move, and I imagine that by this time next month he'll be sitting and maybe even crawling if his arm strength allows! He is learning and growing at such a fast pace and just when we think we have life as a family of four figured out, something new comes along and reminds us that we have no idea what we're doing (like Taylor refusing to go to bed and Logan waking up at 4:30 AM). It's a never-ending learning curve, but I can't wait to see what the next 6 months will bring.

Stay tuned!