Bye-bye baby mullet...

...Hello Big Boy Haircut! On December 10, 2011, Ryan got his first haircut. Scott and Shane came over so that Shane could cut Ryan's hair for the first time. I trust only the best with my boys first do :)

What a traumatic situation it was! Ryan screamed and cried. I had to hold him tight to make sure he did not move too much, but Shane was calm and worked his magic. I am still amazed at the quality of the cut, especially since he used electric trimmers. He was worried he would cut Ryan with the scissors because Ryan was moving so much.

Needless to say, he did a great job, and Ryan looks adorable! Now people will stop referring to him as "such a beautiful little girl!"

Sweet baby boy, you are so handsome!

To our Good Girl...

Dear Sweet Bridger,

What a sad day it was for all of us on Saturday to have to let you go. You are already greatly missed around the house. You were such a good girl. I know we told you (and Dakota) that all of the time because now Ryan refers to all dogs as “good girl.” I am not even sure that he knows what the word “dog” means.

Thank you for bringing so much joy to our lives, especially your daddy’s life for the past 13 years. You truly were man’s best friend. I remember the first time I watched you and Aspen at my house. Dakota, of course, hated both of you and growled every time either of you would come within 10 feet of her. You destroyed a plant I had as well as two pictures frames, but I let it go because I loved Peter, and he loved you two.

You have been a constant companion on runs, hikes, etc., and you were always so excited to do it. It was so hard to see you deteriorating over the past couple of months because you could not do the things you loved most, and that broke our hearts. I went on a run yesterday and thought of you. I could just imagine that you are out there somewhere running around and chasing birds.

We were laughing the other night when we were talking about the day you and Dakota (who did grow to love you and become your best buddy) chased a squirrel down in the backyard and tore it to shreds. No, that is not funny—the poor squirrel—but the fact that it looked like a massive blood bath, especially on Dakota’s face, was what was amusing. That squirrel definitely put up a fight.

You were the best guard dog. Everyone was afraid of that bark. Little did most know that you were the sweetest, most gentle dog. Never once did we worry about the boys being around you. Thank you for letting Charlie ride you like a horse, pull your tail and ears, and poke you in the eyes. You took it all in stride, and he loved you so much. In fact, losing you has been tough on Charlie. I have not witnessed true emotion like that out of a three-year-old. Somehow, he just gets it.

And then there is your daddy, Peter, who loved you like you were his first child. He was so good to you and you to him. I told him that when I die, I want to come back as a dog with an owner like him. True, unconditional love. When the boys were born, you did not become a dog to him like some people said you would, you were still his baby girl.

Well, Good Girl, it is time for you to run wild with your momma, Aspen. Thank you for everything you gave us. We will miss you greatly and love you so much. We were so lucky to have you in our lives.

My three favorite dudes...

There are those times in life when I just think to myself how lucky I am. I have an amazing husband who makes me smile and laugh, and who I truly just enjoy being with—he is my best friend and the love of my life. I also have two beautiful boys who make my heart grow more and more every time I see their sweet faces. Sometimes life is moving so fast that I forget to think about all of the wonderful things and people in my life. I am truly blessed. Thank you Sweets, Charlie and Ry Ry for making my life so incredibly wonderful. I love you all too, too much!!!

Grins, giggles and lots of teeth

What a rough month and a half we have had with you, Little Man! It all started back in August with you throwing up, which was quickly followed by a bout of the runs that lasted for days and days and weeks and weeks. Your poor little body lost two pounds in one week! That is a lot of weight when you only weight 20 lbs.

Over the past month you have been poked and prodded and put under anesthesia, and you have been such a trooper--you have constantly kept a smile on your sweet little face. It seems we could all learn something from your demeanor during this time.

Needless to say, here we are with not many answers. The good news is that your liver function is normal, you were negative for Cystic Fibrosis, and your blood work looks pretty good. Now we are awaiting results from a biopsy that was taken during an endoscopy last week. And let's just say you were AWESOME for that! You went 22 hours without food and were still in a good mood. Mama would have been cranky and crying after that long.

This Thursday you will be 15 months. You have a zillion teeth (as seen in the photo), you have fabulous (long) hair, and this infectious smile. Many times you are mistaken for a girl. People stop me quite often to comment on your beautiful big eyes. They are quite fantastic!

You do not say too much (I think Charlie does all of the talking for you), but you love to laugh. You can kick and throw a ball like no other 15 month old, and you are fast on your feet. You and Charlie are interacting more and more, and I love it. You love going in his room in the morning to wake him up before school. Your favorite game with him is hide and seek--he hides and you look for him. When you do find him, you squeal with delight and run the other way, and he chases you.

I am sorry that you have had to have all of these tests. Dr. Book and Dr. Baar just want to make sure it is nothing too serious. We are very lucky to have two incredible doctors looking after your well being. Plus, you have many angels above watching out for you as well. How lucky we are!

Alright, Little Man, I love you too, too much. I wish you health and happiness and good test results.

Love,

Mama

Charlie's First Day of School!!!

Charlie getting ready to leave for school! Ryan trying to get back in the house.

Charlie's first moments in his classroom as a Cosgriff Tiger!



Charlie and his buddy Alex waiting for Alex's big brother Michael to get out of school.

My Sweet Charlie,

I cannot believe that you started your first day of school today. What a big day it was for all of us! You are in the three-year-old program at Cosgriff, which is where Mommy went to school. I am so happy that you will also be a Cosgriff Tiger.

It was a great morning. You had some yogurt for breakfast and then we got you dressed in your outfit that you picked out last night. You looked so handsome--you always do! I loved how excited you were to pack your new Toy Story lunch box into your Thomas the Train backpack.

We got to school at 815 and waited for Mrs. Cimbora to open the door. You already met a new friend today...Jett Rimando. You also have some friends in your class who you already knew like Luca Crosswhite and Kate Dunn. And your good friend Thomas is also at Cosgriff but in a different class.

Your first day was spent getting to know the other kids and your teachers. You also talked about your favorite foods, which you said was pizza ( I am not so sure about that!).

After school, you went to Extended Day for a bit and then Heather picked you up and took you to their house so that you could play with Michael and Alex. You will be going over there every Monday, and I think that will be a lot of fun for all of you!

Mommy is so proud of you. I love how excited you get to try new things. You were one of the few kids who did not seem scared or cry when they got dropped off. I also cannot believe that you are old enough to start pre-school. Were you not just in my belly not that long ago? The time goes by so quickly, and we are enjoying every single moment of it. You are so much fun! You are so smart. And so sweet.

Thank you, Charlie, for making me smile every day! Have fun my little tiger. Enjoy every day!

I love you too, too much!

Mommy

The Simple Joys...

It is amazing what can make a child laugh so hard. Here is Ryan laughing as he throws "Baby" at Grammy Pat. Pretty cute!

Happy First Birthday!

As Charlie would say, “Holy Guac” Baby Boy! We cannot believe you are one already. You had a nice birthday yesterday. You woke up to us singing to you, and you clapped and clapped after we were finished and gave us all kisses. Your kisses are too funny. You open your mouth and head straight for our faces—slobbering on us, but we love it. Charlie laughs and laughs when you kiss him, so you just keep doing it.

On Sunday we are having a bit birthday bash for you at the house. I hope you have fun and are not scared of all of the people. We will post pictures later. I have enlisted Atha as the photographer. If she wasn’t so good at it, I would not ask her all the time. Ha! It will be a fun day with lots of good food and lots of people who love and adore you.

I thought a lot yesterday about the day you were born and what a wonderful—and scary—day it was. You were born at 2:35 p.m. and weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz. and were 20.5 inches long. And you came out “blue.” Thank goodness for the amazing NICU team who resuscitated you so quickly. On Monday we will find out your height and weight now. I cannot wait!

You bring so much joy to our lives with your sweet smile, your silly laugh and your constant chatter. You move all over the place but are not quite confident to take those first unaided steps…even though I know you could do it. You love it when we play “Mommy’s gonna get you” and you crawl as fast as you can away from me and squeal the whole time. You also love to be outside but do not like the way the ground or grass feels on your knees, so you walk on your hands and feet, which is quite comical. Ms. Teresa says that you love to go out to the courtyard at school with the big kids and play.

You are eating like a pro, and you have liked most everything we have given you. Your most favorite thing is berries, especially raspberries and blackberries. Last night for your birthday dinner you had fish, berries, pasta and sweet potatoes. Charlie said the prayer and he prayed that you would have a good birthday and then he prayed that he would have a good birthday…in January. I hope he, too, survives your party on Sunday. Charlie, you are certainly accustomed to being the center of attention.

Daddy and I cannot wait for the upcoming weeks when you start walking on your own and start using words other than Mama, Dada, Nye Nye, hi and Ba Ba. The other new thing you are doing is brushing your six teeth. You open your mouth really big and say “ahhhh.” It is too funny. You are definitely in the stage of mimicking things you see us do.

Happy first birthday, Sweet Ryan. Thank you for being so wonderful. Daddy, Charlie and I love you too, too much!

Mommy

Friday FUNday

Hi Charlie…My little sunshine,

How is it that we are so lucky to have two wonderful little boys? My heart grows every time I think of you and Ryan. You two are pretty amazing!

I am so thankful that I am able to spend my Friday mornings with you. We have so much fun trying new places for breakfast. I think your favorite thus far is Over the Counter on 3300 South. You loved sitting at the counter and watching the guys cook. “Momma, they are cooking so much eggs. I cannot believe it!”

Last week we went to Blue Plate, per Miss Christina’s suggestion. You picked a table outside. Every time we go to breakfast, you always want “cancakes” and scrambled eggs. When we were leaving Blue Plate, you said to me, “That was a fun place to eat, Momma. Thank you for taking me there for breakfast.” I am amazed at how sweet and polite you can be. You are a very thankful child, and I hope you always stay that way.

In fact, the other day we passed by Judge, and I told you that I went there for school. You said, “Can I go to Judge when I get bigger?” To which, I responded, “yes.” You then said, “Thank you for letting me go to Judge when I get bigger. I want to play football there.” That, my sweet boy, is something that we may have to re-think down the road. How about soccer or lacrosse, instead?

Charlie, I say thank you to you for being my little buddy, for filling my heart with joy and for making our lives that much better. I hope when you are all grown up that we can still enjoy our little “dates.” I look forward to our next outing…where will breakfast be this Friday? No matter where we go, I know it will be fun!

I love you too, too much!

-Momma

p.s. Here you are this past weekend on your bike in PC. You rode for two miles...boy were you tired!