August - An Interview with a FIVE year old

My favorite food is: "Uh...clicks his tongue...HOTDOGS!"

My favorite sport to play is: "Um...uh...football."

The best show on television is: "Uh...basketball...no no no I mean Transformers! It's not on the tv anymore."

The coolest person on Earth is: "Liv. Liv. Liv."

My favorite thing to learn about in school is: "Color."

The thing I do the most awesomely is: "Basketball!"

If I could go anywhere in the world, I’d go to: "Ben's baseball field."

My favorite color is: "Blue."

When I grow up I’m going to become: "A football player."

My favorite song is: "Uncle Jack's song."

The book I love right now is: "Old, New, Red, Blue."

Three words that describe me: "blond on his skin, my hair is curly, and my legs are long."

Right now I’m thankful for: (I rephrased it what do you want to say thank you for?)  "Pizza! (and then chants bee-za bee-za bee-za over and over.)

When I was little, I used to: “Cry!"

My favorite season is: "Baseball."

The snack I like the best is: "Pizza, hotdogs, cheese, apples."

One food that I do not like is: "Rotten pizza."

My best friend is: "Ben and Mommy and Daddy and GG"...(as he sees me type it he says, "no I want you to write Genevieve."

If I had one wish it would be: "I wish my mama would hug me."

My best memory is: "Going on our road trip."

My favorite thing to play is: "Football!"

What I want for my 5th birthday: "Is.......a light up turtle that's Donatello, the purple one."

He loves his decorations but he told me I forgot to put them in the kitchen and in my room, his room, and genevieve's room. Oopsy.

It's been a hormonal week. I can't stand all this growing up. I want my babies to be babies even if there is so much fun to look forward to. It's all going too fast and it literally makes me feel sick.

But I love who Desmond is today. He is such a fun kid. He is funny, a little weird, extra cuddly and sweet. He loves his family so much. He looks up to Ben and plays good with G. He's an entertainer and has the best facial expressions. He's absolutely gorgeous. He uses his manners and wants to behave not so that he doesn't get in trouble, but so that we aren't mad at him. He is so creative. He is our pickiest eater, literally gagging on food he doesn't like. He still can't wear socks or underwear because he can't stand the way they feel. He's sensitive in every sense of the word. And he's perfect. He is so, so, so perfect and I feel beyond grateful that I've known him for 5 years.

Sleepy G.

My tiny tot is growing before my eyes. 

Her 2 year check up was this week. 

She was only 1% in height and .5% in weight but she is perfect in every way.

To say I'm having a hard time with her being TWO is putting it lightly.

I finally got around to writing her 24 month newsletter and I sobbed the whole time.

You can read it if you scroll back to 12/31/13. (I wanted it to be in last year's blog book.)

The way I feel when she sleeps on me is probably the happiest a person can feel. She is still my baby, but she is changing by the second.

I think, wow, she is so big. But even as she grows, she still can seem so innocent, so young, and so precious, like that tiny baby she once was.

And just as I think, well, she's still my baby, I think again of how big she is, how much she does independently, how quickly this will all be over.

And then I return back to this moment. This moment. She will never be as tiny as she is right now. I love her so. 

Newsletter: Month 24

Dear Genevieve,

This newsletter, your last, is almost 2 months late. Have we been busy? You bet. But that is not the reason. Not even close. I have avoided this newsletter with every fiber of my being. I have been writing these newsletters for over 6 years. For the last 73 months of my life, I have sat down to remember and record the amazing, hilarious, heart-warming ways my babies have lived. I have included some hardships, like the sleepless nights or sharp-teethed bites. But mostly, I share those moments that truly make me smile. I write these letters for many reasons. My hope is that they will help me remember you, remember your growth, your development, your childhood. I also write them in case there is a time when you want to know about your early years. But what I've discovered in the 6 years of writing monthly newsletters, is that I do it in part to remind myself how absolutely beautiful my life is. You and your brothers make my life worth living. You make me smile. You make me laugh out loud. You make me cry tears of pride and joy and in the next moment you have me crying tears of frustration. You push me to my limits in patience. You teach me lessons in service, empathy, and compassion continuously. Because I'm your mom, I consistently reevaluate my values in order to guide you and teach in the most loving way I can. You take me through the utmost extremes of the human experience...high and low...best and worst...My heart breaks with every month that passes and yet seeing you grow is my life's greatest joy.

You are SO much fun. This month you have grown by leaps and bounds as far as your vocabulary and development. You are talking so much and even though most of it is in that very unique Genevieve language, we often understand full sentences and difficult words. You play so well independently and though you love playing in your kitchen or with your baby dolls, you probably spend even more time playing with legos and blocks. You will sit and color for huge chunks of time and push your stroller around and around the big circle in the middle of our house. You have discovered the joys of the ipad and my iphone this month. You usually just want to watch youtube videos of "moo cows" grazing or videos of yourself but you do know how to turn on a netflix show too. You almost always have a purse around your neck and "blue baby" the carebear and the little dress up minnie mouse are your most cherished toys.

Your days are fairly blissful. Surprisingly you are our earliest riser which is a hard race to win. Usually about 5:30 a.m. you are up and ready to join the rest of us in the big family bed. You nurse for a long while and then you start asking to "git dow! Pay! Os!" (Get down and play! And get me some cheerios!) You and Ben are up first everyday. He helps you out of the bed, gets you cereal, plays with you, and gets out any toys you want. He loves this time with you. Then it is off to get him to school and either you come to yoga with me or stay at home with daddy. You always eat two breakfasts and by 9 a.m. you are asking for cheesesticks or pretzels. You go down for a nap around 10 a.m. and sleep for a good 2 hours. You eat constantly while you are awake and anytime ANYone is in the kitchen you still want to be on the counter. You and Des play lovingly with legos, blocks, and balls. He takes you for rides in the doll stroller, you jump in the crib, you sort through his toys, or make towers out of pete cups. You LOVE to help me with laundry or just cuddle with me and make me worthless. Daddy coming home causes you to SHRIEK with joy. You run to him and then remain on his hip. He loves to sing to you, dance with you, and even wrestle with you a little more gently than with your brothers. You have discovered that you LOVE showers. You beg for us to let you in and then you use 1/2 a gallon of soap washing your "bah-ee" and "hairweh". When it's not the shower, you beg to stand on a stool and wash yourself at the bathroom sink, rubbing handsoap all over yourself. You LOVE to get dressed and will often bring various outfits from your dirty laundry basket for wardrobe changes throughout the day. You are constantly busy, constantly adorable.

You've been interested in the potty, LOVE to paint, and get reallly upset if you don't get to go help feed the chickens. You LOVE cows and laugh so hard at patty and cali. You want tattoo earrings, painted toes, and bows in your hair everyday. You can recognize the colors pink, purple, blue, yellow, and green and sing this lovely melody of nonsense that is supposed to be your ABCs. You ask for "ugh mo" (one more) and hold up one little finger for almost everything but the best is at night when you ask for "ugh mo hong" (one more song). You love bedtime. You love chocolate. You love papa and gaga. You LOVE baby breckin. You love minnie mouse. You love bananas, cheese, carrots, apples, honestly, you love ALL food. You love dinnertime and try your hardest to entertain us every night at the table. You want to be just like your mama but you want to be WITH your daddy. You are pure joy...with your wild hair, your huge brown eyes, your kissable lips, your big belly on your tiny body and your pure crazy personality. You are more than I deserve.

Your birthday was simple and perfect. You felt so special and it made me happy to celebrate my baby girl. It's fun seeing how much you enjoy attention from your family. You may be completely shy and reserved with others, but within these walls of our home, you shine so bright. You perform, seek approval, and really let loose. I love being in the elite group that gets to see your crazy. After all, we all know who you got that from. :) As you grow, I realize how much fun we have together. How similar we really are. This does bring some comfort to know that we will have time for this special relationship to grow and we have so many adventures before us. But for now, I grieve. This last newsletter symbolizes so much change. The clock of time continues to tick. My babies are growing. My youngest is now two. I will soon have no one on the boob or in diapers. Sure there is something to be celebrated there, but it is a definite ending to a chapter in my life. A chapter that I have whole-heartedly loved. My baby turning two was special and I am only sad about what is past, because I so enjoyed the ride. 

I may not write any more of these newsletters, but I do fully intend on capturing you as much as I possibly can. All moments are fleeting. Time flies. This is the only way I know to savor it, slow it, and return to it when I need to remember just how purely perfect it was.

I love you so, so much little girl,

Mama

Newsletter Month: 23

October 14th - November 14th

 

Dear G,

 

Or I could say GG Square Pants as your brothers have started calling you this month! You are learning and growing and advancing so quickly my girl. So much so that I would have to say you have already reached the Terrible Twos and you aren't even 2 yet! You challenge my every direction, outrightly say "NO" with emphasis, hit anytime you see fit, and demand your every desire with royal meltdowns. It's everything I knew having a daughter would be!

 

 

I hope that does not come across as sounding mean, because I don't mean it to. Being a girl myself I totally get it. We know what we want and we know how to get it whether by manipulation or full out fighting. We are strong. We are smarter than everyone else. And throw that Jones blood in there and we are STUBBORN. When you throw your head back screaming because I won't give you candy I just see all of the fighter characteristics that will make you successful and independent. When you whack your brothers in the face I just see the courageousness that will keep you safe and not be pushed around. Things that I have always prayed for my daughter to be. It's not that you are spoiled...though you may be...I see it more as a tough little cookie making her voice heard in a family of loud voices. And I am proud of you for it.

 

Your talking is improving so much and as it does you become less and less frustrated when asking for what you want. It is still a complete Genevieve language all in itself with full run on sentences of balderdash but it is slowly becoming a bit more decipherable. Something like "Aye poo aye go ih per" translates into "I pooped. I go get diaper." You bring diapers to us when you need a change and adamantly shake your head no and shout NO! with a huge smile when we ask if you want to use the potty. You want to color everyday and you always shout out the color of whatever crayon you select. This is hilarious because you only use four colors: pink, blue, green, and yellow. You know blue and you shout, BOO! And all the others are pink, PEEK! You love pink. It's the color that gets you the most excited. Cows are another love of yours. You want me to walk you over to just look at them and though you can say cow you usually just say, "mooooooooooo" and point or "Moo?" with your arms in a shrug like "Where are those cows?" There have been a lot of "WHYs?" Another hilarious thing you've started doing is RAWRING! You usually do it with some sort of attack motion. Obviously this is learned from watching your brothers but it is so funny coming from such a little dainty sweet face. You lean back and then lunge forward with a huge "RAWR!" with sparkling eyes and a smile cracked. You know its funny. You do this to your brothers and they pretend to be scared and you will just chase them around the loop of the living/dining rooms and they scream and you scare over and over and the squeals of delight from you that you can actually "keep up" with them makes me love your brothers even more for playing this way with you.



 

 

Speaking of those brothers...you adore them. You look up them so much and I see how often you try to be just like them. Then in the next moment you are bossing them around or slapping them in the face. It's amazing to see your relationship with them growing day by day. You are a close-knit group and I love that. You ask for Ben as soon as we drop him off at school and start cheering when it is time to go get him. If I ask, "Do you love mama?" You always answer with a nod while saying, "And gaga! And Papa! And Da-ee! And Bubba! And Desi!" Every time.

If I had to describe you this month it would have to be sort of Jekyll and Hyde...or the Tale of Two Genevieves. You are the most incredible child when other people are around. Even if its just Papa and Gaga who you see all the time. You will be angelic. Unbelievably easy. You will let anyone hold you, not say a peep, just smile and well, that's it. But if it's just us...Whoa. You've been more challenging than ever. You are teething, you've had a cold, AND had a tummy bug and though you hide it for others, you let us know all about it. You whine and fuss and scream and throw fits. You hit and cry and won't let us put you down. You throw things just to make it point. And guess what...I see so much of myself in you. In all honesty, I put so much effort in letting everyone else see all my good. I am always polite, kind, and put others needs before my own, even if I don't feel good or don't want to. And then, when I am with those I love the most, I let it all out...sometimes even taking it out on them. I'm not saying it's right, but it is how we are. You are your mama's girl!

You are girly girl ALL THE WAY. You can't wait to get dressed in the morning and you want to pick out all aspects of your attire: dress, shoes or "boots!", JEWELRY, and "tips" (clips for your hair). You feel so pretty once you are done and you run out of the room to show the boys. You love to shop and though 1/2 the time it is so cute because you want to help throw stuff in the buggy, the other 1/2 is just terrible because you throw a big time hissy when you don't get something you want. You still cuddle your babies esp. care bear and your stroller walks around the house have turned into more of a gathering game. We've found a lot of random household items in your baby's stroller including shoes, cups, trash, even a jar of honey. But probably your favorite thing to do is help with the laundry. You get so giddy pulling each thing out and shouting out who it belongs to. Each shirt or sock is a discovered treasure and the look of pride on your face is enough to make a dreadful chore something for this mama to look forward to.

Thank you for making even the mundane something to cherish. You are so special.

Love,
Mama

Newsletter: Month 22

September 14th  -  October 14th

Dear Genevieve,

What a time we've been having love! Hard. Fun. Crazy. Hectic. Exhausting. Manic. Sweet. Precious. That is what this month has been like. And not very much of it relates to you. It's just been busy and you've ridden the wave of chaos like a champ. You really do have the most easy-going personality and if it wasn't for the complete disastrous of a mess you make every day with everything possible you can find, I might forget you were even around sometimes. No, that's a terrible joke. You do make crazy messes but you also make beautiful songs as you walk around singing to yourself. You do ask for food and drinks 450 times a day but you also say 'peez' and 'tay ewe'. You do cry for nana and squeal when you don't get what you want but you also have the worlds best smile and sweetest cuddles. 

You have become even more independent this month and I think I take it for granted sometimes. I miss you when you are toddling around doing your business of sorting your dishes in the pantry and taking your baby dolls on walks in the buggy around the house. But then when you do need me for those long periods of time, I immediately feel like you need me SO much. It's ridiculous. It's mostly do to how overwhelmed I've felt these past two months and it just seems like whenever I HAVE to get something done, your independent time is over. But seeing you play is so fun. You play so differently than your brothers. You don't really play anything, it's all just a big game of sorting and stashing. Whether it's the trains from the train table, the babies in the buggy, your tea set, or anything else you can find you just want to put them in something, and then take them out. Sometimes when they are out you will line them up or play with them a bit but then you start putting them back "in." You also love to read books, or actually just flip through the pages as fast as you can and stare at the cover for a long time. Hiding out in the pantry is a favorite and drawing on anything you can find. Ben has had to turn in homework with your scribbles all over it already! You love to color and you can say "boo" and "peek" (blue and pink). You definitely know which color pink is but just about all the other colors are blue. 

You are actually a very quiet girl. It's hard to get you to talk and when people you ask you things you never ever have a response. They are lucky to get a shake of the head or a nod. But at home or at Gaga's we will catch you just wandering around singing in the sweetest "lala land" voice. Your songs have no words but you just sing...and I love it. You know a lot of words and have been saying, "No mama!" or "No bubba!" Hmmm....some others include "up, down, book, on, off, cow, dog, that, and where's ___" with her hands in a shrug. You of course know "mama, daddy, bubba, des, gaga, and papa" and you incorporate these into sentences all day. "Where's daddy?" "That's desi's" "Go gaga's!"

You talk a lot to us but when it's not the select words we know, you will just spew out a whole conversation of what we call Genevieve language. Sometimes based on your intonations we can figure it out and when we do you smile so big and nod your head really fast. You certainly know what you are saying! 

It's so funny that things we picked up on about you when you were so tiny are still true. Girl, you still LOVE shoes! You bring me your shoes all the time to put on you and when they are on you walk differently...like you know you look pretty. You also love jammies. You will pull out your favorites from the laundry hamper and beg for me to put them on you. When we get dressed in the morning you always point to the dresses and get so excited when I put you in one. You still sit on the counter in the bumbo chair forever just snacking away and watching the household. You still eat more than any of us and still love a good sit. It's just getting more pronounced now that you are bigger. It's like you know more and feel more confident and you are always trying to tease us or impress us or get us to laugh. You still waddle when you walk and hold your hands up with limp wrists when you run. I love how you can get so wrapped up in an activity that you will work on it for an hour. Something as simple as finding a new place for my little glass birds. You will walk around placing them places for forever until you get it just right. 

You still like to rise and shine at 5:30 or 6:00 and lay and nurse for awhile. Then you are up with Daddy eating and playing. You love to take Ben to school, ride in the car, go to yoga with me. You like to be out. Then by 9:30 you are ready for a nap. The afternoon you stay busy pushing your antique buggy, snacking, 

playing with your pop up toy, lounging in the boys room, or helping me. You do like to follow me around and watch me. Daddy is home for lunch, we pick up Ben and then it's the crazy evening of dinner, chores, playing, reading, bathing, outside time, AFV, homework, and bedtime. One of the best times of day though is seeing your face every time your daddy walks through the door. Your face makes this big 'o', your eyebrows shoot up, you look at me like, 'is that really him?' and then you shout, "DADEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE" all while running toward him with your arms up. It's true what they say about daddies and their girls. One day I caught you in the other room  talking on my cell phone and sipping tea out of your plastic tea cup with your pinky up. I was dying inside. It's incredible to see you do things like that. I am amazed at what you can mimic already and what you can do. It's like you can do anything...everything, and yet you are still this tiny thing that I see as my baby. You ARE my baby.

Love,

Mama

Newsletter: Month 21

Dear Genevieve,

I've been writing these letters for almost 6 years now. Never once have I missed a month. Here we are 5 days from your next month and I haven't finished writing this. I am so tempted to just not do it, to give in to my exhaustion and skip on over month 21...but I can't. The guilt will just eat at me. So instead, I'm gonna bullet-point it. Please forgive my laziness. It's just that, well, it's so so crazy around here lately.

August 14th ~ September 14th

~We spent a full week in California with Lala and Breckin. Just us girls. It was lovely.

~ You answer almost every question or command with "Oh-Tay" in a super sweet sing song voice.

~And almost every other response is "No way!"

~You spend hours pushing around this antique wicker baby stroller. You pile in a few of your baby dolls and then happily push them all over the house.

~You got a plastic Disney princess tea set from Gaga on Desi's birthday. You immediately knew what to do with it and would have several tea parties every day. Then you kind of got over that and now you just love to dump out all of the pieces from the tea set onto the coffee table and then pick it all up, over and over and over.

~You play a similar game at Gaga's. But instead of tea sets its the mini books...dumping and picking up over and over and over.

~You still happily sit on the counter in the bumbo seat and even ask to be put up there if the boys are at the counter for any reason. 

~You want to eat as soon as you wake up. After you nurse for a bit you immediately starting asking for "O's" in the morning.

~It can not be stressed enough how much time you spend in the pantry. You are in there ALL the time sorting cans and jars, messing with the trash, searching for food, and hiding. It is by far your favorite room in the house.

~You love to ask for drinks. Because you can reach the sippy cups you will get one out, get someone to fill it for you. You take a few sips, carry it off somewhere and then a couple of minutes later go for another cup and ask for more. You do this every day until every sippy cup in the house is full of water and stashed somewhere.

~You still take one nap a day. It's usually in the morning but you can last until just after lunch if you have to. You get so excited for naptime and when I ask if you are ready, you nod your head yes and take off down the hallway. When you crawl up into my lap in the rocking chair you have a huge grin and can't stop laughing as you say, "night night? night night?"

~Anytime we are walking somewhere, even if it's just in the house walking from room to room, you reach up and hold onto my fingers.

~Now that daddy and Ben are back to school you ask at least 10 times a day with your arms up in a shrug, "Where's daddy? Where's bubba?"

~You love my phone and want to swipe it and look at the pictures. You even pretend to talk on the phone and as you babble away, you tilt your head to the side and cross your ankles!

~Every single day this month you would pull out every single baby doll or stuffed animal that you have and line them up on the couch next to you. Then you would want us to place a blanket over your lap so that it covered all the baby dolls. You would sit still and smile for a few moments, then crawl down and rearrange the babies and want us to do it all over. 

~You've started to be really, really expressive when you get excited. You make the O lips face and your eyes light up and then you know that you did you so you laugh at yourself after and then do it again.

~The hitting has started. You hit your brothers to be both funny and mean. You hit me and daddy in the face for a reaction. As much as we don't like it, it's still really hard to get mad at you.

~You've joined in the daily game of chase that circles through the living room, dining room, and entry. You waddle, waddle, waddle as fast as you can after your brothers shreiking in delight even though they can practically lap you. They act scared of you and you love that you are part of their game.

~You notice when your brothers go next door or somewhere without you and you do not like it. You will crumble at the garage door screaming and crying for them.

~You are so into books and magazines! You don't want us to read to you though...you just want to flip through the pages all on your own.

~You LOVE to color. LOVE it. Every paper in our house has huge scribbles all over it including some of your brother's homework. 

~If we are out you never want to walk on your own. You immediately turn to me as soon as your feet hit the earth, put up your arms and say, "Up mama."

~We tried to start the potty-training process. You have no desire whatsoever to go in your potty and when I do have you try you just say, " 'per. 'per." And then you go and get me a diaper to put on you.

~And if this month had a theme, it would be green care bear. That thing is your "baby" and "baby" goes everywhere with you. It was mine when I was little and you have an infatuation with you. It is your favorite baby and you like to carry it over your shoulder while you pat it's back. You can't stand for your brothers to even touch it and it sometimes even gets to sleep with you.

It's not a ton, but hopefully these few memories will help me remember how absolutely adorable you were at 21 months old. I certainly don't ever want to forget.

Love, Mama

Newsletter: Month 20

Dear Genevieve,

JULY 14th- AUGUST 14th. What a month. So much change has happened! Your brother turned four, I chopped my hair off and dyed it red, your daddy went back to work, your big brother started school, our long, free-wheeling days of summer have transformed into the regimented routine of fall, and you my dear are growing up.

In my mind you are still this tiny, helpless, constantly nursing, easy peasy baby and then when I look at you I am taken aback. It's as if my eyes are out of focus and I have to shake my head and concentrate for a minute to realize what is really before me. Instead of that tiny baby girl, there is a friendly, smiling, sometimes sassy, sometimes sweet, quickly becoming independent little lady! Sure you still need me for cuddles but mostly you want to sachey around, squeal, sing, and show off in any way you can. You pretend to be shy but really you savor the attention that you constantly receive and the tug at my heart for that baby in my arms is helped a little when seeing the beautiful, hilariously entertaining girl you will become.

My gosh honey you are adored. You may never know just how much, but this family does everything it possibly can to try and show you. Your daddy is complete mush. He takes one look at you and his entire body language just changes. His face is softer, his mouth can't help but smile, he eyes sparkle and his arms reach for you. He is always telling you how pretty you look, how sweet you are, he's even got the dorkiest song he sings to you about how your beauty is unsurpassable or something cheesy like that. The brothers are just as devoted. Ben is so proud that he can pick you up and you actually let him now! He's always asking you if you need help with getting up on the couch or need carried somewhere. When you get hurt he picks you up and carries you by your armpits to wherever I am. His voice completely changes when he talks to you. Now that he is in school all day he really savors the things you are learning and doing and gets so proud of you. Des was pretty lonely when Ben started school but he is learning that he has a sister that can play with him too and HE gets to be the boss now! :) You two have a special connection and it's as if he can communicate better with you than any of us. And your mama...I am still in complete disbelief that I have a daughter like you. You are more beautiful, more delightful, more fulfilling that I could have ever even dared to hope.

You have learned so much and done so much incredible stuff this month that I had a hard time keeping track of it all. Whenever anyone say, "I love you" you started making a kiss face and saying, "MuuuuWAH" as a response. There was the 911 call and the pigtails. That was fun. We went on a few walks in the nearby neighborhood and you would sit leaned back in the stroller holding your foot in a heel stretch. Then one time you tried to jump out and fell face first on the asphalt. That left a mark and we haven't gone since. You finally learned to respond with a word other than no! Sometimes you say "uh, huh" and other times you say "jah" with a deep raspy voice. Everytime I take you in for nap or bedtime you want to find the ipad first so I can play a game. You are smart and you know if I have the ipad I will nurse and rock you MUCH longer! You still sit happily in the bumbo chair on the counter for breakfast and lunch and even if I'm cooking or working in the kitchen. You LOVE to snack and eat and want to munch on something almost all day long. Your vocabulary has really started to take off and though it's probably completely mumble jumble to everyone else, we can almost always understand what you are saying. You are obsessed with your brother's trains now. You want to play out on the train table often and you bring in all the trains when you are done and carry them around with you everywhere you go. It's a train in one hand and a carebear or baby in the other. You are starting to tell us when you've gone potty in the diaper, still love to pick out your outfits and are still in love with shoes. You like to get in the bath with your brothers, take a ride in the gator, and swing with mommy or daddy. You wake up between 5:30 and 6:00 every morning crying to get in bed with us. You obsess over pictures of your cousin Breckin. You excitedly wave and say the sweetest "Bye" anytime you even leave the room. It's all just adorable. You are just adorable.

Your days are pretty much the same most of the time. Early to rise, ready for a nap at 9:30, wake up for lunch, play all afternoon, eat your weight in food, then off to bed at 7. You are very aware that Ben is gone most of the day and ask for him a lot. "Bubba?" Bubba, outside?" When we explain that he is at school you say, "Oh Tay" in the sweetest voice ever. This is response to a ton of things. Once you were screaming in the car and I said, "Vivie, your screams are too loud." You paused, sweetly said, "Oh Tay" paused again and then started screaming again. :) You are considerate, sweet, and though you have moments of acting out, you usually really strive for obedience.

Every day with you is a treat. You are much less my baby and much more my buddy every day. Though this hurts in ways I thought were foolish once, now I understand. Change is hard, but it's also unavoidable and in some ways, really exciting. Seeing you grow is in fact, really exciting.

Love,
Mama