dear fox,

you are four whole years old. almost a whole hand. i can’t even stand it. you were so dang excited to turn four! you loved to tell people that your birthday was close, and that you would be four, and that in one more year, you will be five and you can have gum. because we have always told you that you can’t have gum until you are five.

i have said it before and i will say it until i am blue in the face.. you are seriously the most sweet, sensitive little soul. that has not changed. in fact, it has only become stronger and more apparent over the past year. you love to give hugs, to tell people you love them, to sing songs to your sister, to comfort someone when they are sad, and always give a shoulder to cry on. you are so in tune with the feelings of those around you, and it is comforting to see your compassion shine through.

you are very particular. you like to have things a certain way, and you do not like change. if something is one way the first time, you better believe it needs to be the same way every single time after that. you get frustrated and upset when something isn’t just the way you expect it to be. you are organized and meticulous. you have the sharpest memory and will ask us about things from years ago – no kidding.

you are a smarty pants. you can count past twenty. you say the alphabet forward and backward. you can write your name, love to color, and draw some really awesome happy and sad faces. you can listen to a song a few times and then we will hear you belting out the chorus. you are very musical, you always want to listen to your favorite songs (including "someday you will be loved" by death cab for cutie, "don’t give me up" by gothic tropic, and "i’m the one" by the descendents) and you were excited to get a karaoke machine for your birthday. you love to perform, and always want to be on stage. you will perform for us daily, and always end each show with a bow. you are always very proper.

you will be in preschool at miss meg’s again this year, for your second year of preschool. you absolutely loved your first year, and you thrived. school is your thing. you love to learn, you love the order that exists, you love to follow directions, and you love making friends. at the playground, i often overhear you asking a total stranger if he or she wants to be your friend. it is heart warming. you are really into the solar system, trains, and bodies. your favorite book in school was "the body book" where you learned all about internal organs and the digestive system. it is fascinating to you.

you like to play outside, and are always going and doing. you played soccer last fall and spring, and like it much better in the spring. it took you awhile to come around to the sport. you also love to ride your scooter, and just got a balance bike for your birthday. you were excited about it, but still a little confused as to why it doesn’t have pedals. you love to go to the park, play on the playground, throw rocks into the stream, go hiking, do cannon balls at the pool, and dig in the dirt. you are also passionate about going to lagoon, and rattlesnake rapids is your favorite ride.

your imagination is something else. you are always pretending to be someone or something. you love to play super heroes, you love to be spider man. you love to play make-believe with your cousin, nora. you have brought some of those make-believe games home to play with stella.. you will tell stella, "honey, it’s time to go to the store!" or "sweetie, it’s time for bed!" – it’s pretty adorable. i can always catch you having some sort of conversation with an imaginary friend or two, and you are often repeating things you hear at home, and it reminds me just how observant you really are.

you love to cook and help out in the kitchen. your favorite thing to do is make chocolate chip cookies (and then proceed to eat half of the dough). you always want to help your dad or me with whatever chore is at hand. you like to help with dinner, but more often than not, you will ask us if we can just make a call and order some pepperoni pizza. your favorite. you have been eating a lot more lately, after going through a long phase of never really eating too much. your breakfast favorites include mini pancakes, any type of fruit, and the occasional bite of eggs. for lunch you always want salami, cheese, and crackers.. but chickfila is another favorite. you’ve been awesome at eating whatever we are having for dinner, and you are good to finish everything on your plate. sometimes you don’t like what you try, but it is great that you will at least give anything and everything a shot.

you love stella sue. your friendship has become something dreams are made of. you always ask where she is, what she is doing, and are the most protective big brother. you love to give her hugs and cuddle up to her. you speak to her in a sweet, sing-song voice that makes my heart burst. you show her how to do things and she is 100% obsessed with you. she looks up to you SO much, and for the most part, you are a great example! aside from the times you teach her how to spit or scream. of course you guys have your moments where it’s hard to share or you just need your space, but overall, you just love each other to bits.

you are still taking a nap every day, probably because you typically go to sleep around 8:30 or 9 and always, without fail, wake up by 6 AM. you are good to wake up on your own, turn on one of your favorite shows, and wait for the rest of the house to wake up closer to 7. after a few hours, your little brain and body need some mid-day rest, so you will crash for about an hour or two around 1 o’clock. i have no idea when you will drop your nap, but for now.. it’s great. you and stells nap at the same time, and are always ready to go on a fun adventure after you both wake up.

you always want to go on an adventure. you ask me every morning what we will be doing that day. you also ask me who is watching you. you’re a good sport.. i don’t like leaving you and going to work most days of your life, but you are always happy to have someone care for you, as long as we have something fun planned for after i get home. and as long as you know exactly how things are going to go down. right now dad stays home monday and tuesday, you have a nanny wednesday and thursday, and nana sue watches you friday. jordynn stopped being your nanny last may, and you were so sad. you still always tell me that you miss jordynn and love her the most. it’s pretty sweet. but you have lucked out with more good nannies – you had kenna all summer long, who always took you to do fun things like the splash pad, pool, zoo, or park. and recently hayley started watching you, and you love the days she comes over.

you are growing, growing, growing. you wear a lot of 5t clothes. you wear size 11 shoes. you are 42" tall and weigh 40 pounds. you are going to pass me up before i know it! you have switched to a booster seat in the car, which you think is pretty dang cool. you always tell me that you are big and strong, and that you need to finish your meal so you can beat stella in a race. you haven’t had your 4 year check up yet, but i am confident that you are right on pace for a little guy your age.

speaking of confidence.. you have a lot of it. like a whole load of it. i can always find you whispering under your breath, "i can do this.. i can do this!" it’s so great to see you try things and accomplish them, and have the confidence to try things over and over again if you don’t get it the first time. you make me so proud.

it is pretty mind-blowing that you’re four. it seems like you were just a little newborn, like, a few months ago.. but here you are. four years old.  this past year has been a lot of fun. like i said, you had your first year of preschool. you had fun playing soccer. we went to california in april, and st. george in august. you love the boat and and beach. you had tons of cousin adventures. you played with your best mate, stevie (and jessica and molly) a whole lot. you went to your first concert (death cab for cutie) and you went to lagoon more times than i can count.

you are such a treat to have in our family. you make everyone happy and you remind us to be sensitive and sweet, just like you. you teach us a lot. we are lucky to have you in our lives. happy four years, buddy. i better gear up for you to turn five.. and for you to have gum.

you are the very, very best.

love, your momma

dear stella,

you are a year and a half! pretty sure the past six months whizzed by in the blink of an eye. we were just barely celebrating your big day, and now you’re already halfway to your next one. make it stop.

you, my dear, are the brightest light in the world. you are always beaming, smiling, happy, friendly, chatty, and oh so sweet. you really have the best demeanor and it’s impossible to not give back a huge smile in return to your huge, gap-toothed grin.

you are petite, with short skinny legs and but a poochy bum and belly. you shake your hips when you walk. you love to walk. and run. and climb. oh, how you love to climb. on EVERYTHING! you are such a monkey. you go to gymnastics with your dad, every tuesday, and you absolutely love it. free reign to climb on all the things. you are one tough cookie. you fall often, and bonk your head, run into things, take a tumble.. but you never cry for long and get right back up again. you are very resilient.

you recently had your 18 month checkup, where you literally cried the entire time. you don’t cry often, but when it comes to the doctor’s office, you are all tears. it’s so sad, because the doctors and nurses don’t get to see how sweet you are! you are just absolutely terrified of that place. but they checked you out and made sure you are healthy, which you are! you are 23 lbs 1 oz, which is the 56th percentile for weight. you are 31.5" tall, which is the 39th percentile for height. your head is 18.5" around, which is the 70th percentile.

you are super smart and don’t miss a beat. you may not talk a whole lot (well, not a lot of what we can understand, at least..) but you know exactly what everyone is saying. when we ask you to do something, you will do it. go throw this away, go grab your pajamas, go give fox a kiss.. you do it all. you know what we are saying, and it’s so exciting to see you catch on to everything.

as far as talking goes, your favorite word is, "yeah!" and you say it with a high-pitched tone.. and say it to basically every question we ask you. you don’t say "no".. yet.. thank goodness. you also say shoes (you’re obsessed with them), cheese, dad, mom, nan (for nana sue), dah (for dog/penny), buge (rhymes with "luge") for brushing your teeth, hi, all gone, down, and a whole SLEW of words we can’t quite make out. lots of jibberish. it’s cute and funny.

you can point to most of your body parts – your eyes, nose, ears, hair, cheeks, mouth/lips, belly, hands, and feet. you love to play peek-a-boo, this-little-piggy, and horsey. you love holding hands and pulling around whoever will go with you. you shriek really loud when you can’t get the attention you are after.

you are suuuch a great sleeper! you love to go to bed. you will bring us your sleep sack and basically ask to be put to bed. you go down without a fuss and sleep for about 10-11 hours each night. you take one nap each day, ranging from 1-3 hours depending on the day. you are rarely cranky and do really well with this sleep schedule. sometimes we are busy going and doing, but you are super easy going, so pushing your nap back or sleeping in the car will usually work for you.

you love to eat! you have most of your teeth, and are real good at chewing. you will try anything we put in front of you, and you will always run to the fridge screaming, asking us to open it up so you can survey the options and point to whatever suits your fancy for the moment. it’s usually a babybel cheese. but you also love having your own little baggie of cereal or crackers. some other favorites are broccoli, dad’s spaghetti, chicken nuggets, oatmeal, mac & cheese, strawberries, kombucha, and la croix. you love having your own can of la croix and are actually quite good at drinking from a can on your own. you still have milk about 2-3 times a day… and still out of a bottle. we tried for a sippy cup and you were not having any of that. we are suckers.

you love imitating fox. you look up to him so much, and love him the most. you want to be just like him. he makes you laugh all the time, and it’s music to my ears. i hope you two always get along. you love to read stories, play kitchen, and swing. you are happy and content doing whatever the rest of the crew happens to be doing at the moment.

stella bella boo, we are so lucky to have you in our family. you really complete us and life is just the best with you in it. i love you to the moon.

love, your momma

well hello there! pretty sure I am typing to crickets, at this point.. but here I am. ready to ramble. it’s a new year, and I have a new goal to post twice a month on meals & moves. probably not so much about meals and moves, but more about everything in between. about life itself. and this and that. and maybe even the other. who knows, might not have time.. we shall see.

anyway, if you are reading.. hi! happy flipping new year! 2017 was very good to my little fam and life is great. we are so excited to see what 2018 has in store, I am sure there are many adventures to be had.

so since there is no point it trying to pick up where I left off- I literally have no idea where that may have been- I am just going to dive right in.

fox is almost three and a half and is loving the preschool life. he goes twice a week and it’s his favorite. he loves to sing, read, say his ABCs forward and backward, dance, and work. cleaning, yard work, you name it.. he likes to help out when and where he can. he got a pint-sized cleaning kit for christmas and you’d think it was the best thing ever. he’s such a good little dude.

stella is just over 15 months and is a full blown toddler now. not sure where my baby went, it happened in the blink of an eye. she has 5-10 words under her belt, her favorite one being, “shoes”. the lady is obsessed with shoes. she brings everyone their shoes to put on. she loves to have us put her own shoes or boots on her first thing in the morning. she’s crazy about ‘em. she’s such a sweet bug and always quick to give kisses. such a joy.

marsh and I are still plugging away at our day jobs, which is going really well. we love the company we work for and can’t complain a single bit. we try to do a lot as a family on our days off or down time, and actually managed to pack a ton of good times in between october and december. allllll the festive things, I tell ya. it was great.

as far as moves go, I am back to exercising. I started working out at orange theory fitness in july. I have an 8-times-a-month pass which means I get there twice a week. I have consistently made it there and am happy to say I’ve accomplished all 8 classes every month since I started. a couple of months I even went 9 times, but I had to pay for that extra class and it was something like $20 and I decided I would rather stay home in bed rather than pay another 20 bucks, haha. but! I have to say 8 times a month has done wonders for me. the classes are an hour long and are unlike any type of workout I was doing. they are super intense and really get my heart rate up. the afterburn experienced after each class is awesome, I can seriously tell my metabolism is revved up after going. even twice a week is enough for me to notice a difference in my fitness, and it’s nice to basically be back to where I once was. I would say I have a lot less muscle, but endurance-wise, I am pretty close to where I was back in 2013, pre-babies. I actually kind of like that it’s not a ton of heavy lifting. I was doing a LOT of that back in the day, and this type of workout is a nice change. and it seems very effective, so that’s great. I have had to pull myself out of bed much earlier than I would like to, but the fact that you still pay if you don’t show up to a class you signed up for really helps in the motivation department!

meals are going well. about a month and a half ago I started being more conscious of what I was eating. that was also around the time that I stopped breast feeding, and I realized couldn’t eat the world anymore – ha. and then, for about the past month, I have been in a marco polo group with some friends where we are focusing on eating more body-for-life style. it was actually nice to have some accountability over the holidays. obviously we all still enjoyed the fun food the holidays bring, just didn’t go absolutely crazy. I think starting monday, another group of us will be a little more serious about body-for-life style eating. at least until I head to costa rica- cannot wait for that upcoming trip!

I made a way tasty stuffed bell pepper soup this week. stella even loved it and she’s kind of picky on the food front! it is super simple. here is the recipe.

ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 14.5 oz can beef broth
• 2 14.5 oz cans petite diced tomatoes
• 1 14.5 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 tb dried oregano
• 1 tb dried basil
• 1 tsp each salt & pepper
• 1 cup rice
• cheese for garnish

directions:

1. heat a large saucepan with some olive oil, brown ground beef and half the onion. drain and set aside.
2. heat a little more oil in the saucepan and add remaining onion and peppers. sauté for a few minutes. add garlic and sauté for another minute or two.
3. add broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, seasonings, and ground beef. bring to a boil then turn down and let simmer.
4. meanwhile, cook rice separately.
5. serve a portion of the soup over top a serving of rice. garnish with cheese and enjoy!

this made enough for dinner for two nights, and it was even better the next day!

I am participating in a facebook group that is 40 bags in 40 days. each day, we have an area of the house to clean out and the goal is to have a bag of stuff to throw away and/or donate. whether it be a grocery size bag, ziplock bag, or garbage bag… the goal is to just PURGE. so far, so good. this week we did junk drawers, fridge and freezer, coat closet, media stand, linen closet, and tupperware. I am loving the motivation to get things tidied up, a little at a time!

I am so excited! my 365-day chatbooks just came.

I have a separate instagram where I posted one photo of each kiddo that I took each day in 2017. at the end of the year, I printed a book for each of them. I did an 8×8 hardbound book through chatbooks, at they both turned out so nice! I am excited to have them and for the kids to have them when they are old and grown. it’s so fun to flip through the pages and see how much they changed in 2017.

I am going to do it again this year.. and for as many years as I can! I think I also want to start doing regular chatbooks, since I do zero form of scrapbooking. I still am working on putting together and printing both of their monthly letters I wrote from the first years of their lives. it’s a work in progress!

well, truth be told, this blog post is short but it took over four days for me to find time to type it, haha. life is busy. life is good. I will try to check in here more often. my goal is to get two or three posts in each month. I really enjoy blogging, I just don’t have time to do it like I used to!

happy new year!

Qs~

1. do you have any goals for 2018?

2. any fun trips coming up?

xo. janetha g.

dear stella,

one whole year has gone by since you have joined our family! i cannot believe you are one. i cannot believe you are closer to being a toddler than being a baby. but that’s okay, i will always and forever be calling you my baby. you may not like it, as the baby of the family i always complained about it as a kid, but now it’s kind of nice to know i was the baby. and you are our baby. always and forever.

let’s just start by talking about the BIGGEST NEWS of all. you can walk! yep! you figured it out just two days before your first birthday… and we can’t even believe it. you are so happy and excited to be walking, and very, very proud of yourself. rightly so! it is so cute to see you do this little cowboy-ish walk. you still prefer crawling, as it gets you from point A to point B much faster, but you definitely like to practice your walking quite often. i am sure you will be running around before we know it.

your one year checkup went great. you are ticking off all the boxes and are healthy as can be. you are 19.5 pounds, which is in the 45th percentile for weight. you are 28.5" tall, which is the 25th percentile for height. your head is 18.25" around, which is the 85th percentile for head size. you have the cutest, round belly and a teeny, tiny bum. your feet are long and slender and your nose is as cute as a button, with the benson ski slope shape. you’ve got your dad’s olive skin and beautiful brown eyes. your hair is getting so long! it gets tangled in the back and you hate to get it brushed out. your eyebrows are expressive as ever, and you have lots of teeth already in and more coming in. three on the bottom, four on the top, and who knows what else will pop through in the near future!

the funny thing is, while you are growing and changing every day, you still look exactly like you did as a newborn! fox looks like a completely different person when we look back at his newborn photos. but you haven’t changed. i mean, you have.. but you haven’t. you look the same. just bigger. with more hair. it’s the funniest thing. and you are oh, so adorable.

you have definitely taken a leap in your brain development since last month. you are such a smarty-pants. you will sign to us when you want more, or when you are all done. you shake your head "no" (all the dang time!) and will nod your head "yes" in approval. but more often than not, when you are happy or approve of something, you will scrunch your nose up and smile REAL big and stare at us with your approval. it’s the best thing, ever.

you are quite the light sleeper, so we have to be pretty quiet during your nap times or night time. you prefer to sleep on your belly, with your bum sticking up in the air. you are a little stink bug. you are taking two naps right now, but neither of them usually last very long. you have been napping in your crib in your room, though, so that’s good! as long as you have your zipadee zip on, a soft blanky lining the crib, and a few binkies nearby, you are pretty good to sleep in your crib. you also like to sleep in really, really dark rooms.. so sometimes daytime naps in your room can be a challenge, and we will resort to having you sleep downstairs in the dark "nap room". you are still waking up about once a night on average, and i will get up and nurse you for a bit. you are good to go right back down. you are going to be a very sad lady when i stop nursing you.. i am kind of sad just thinking about it. although i will not miss the nipple biting that has become somewhat of a game for you.

you love to eat! you actually are not a huge fan of pouches or any type of baby food or snacks. you much prefer to have whatever the rest of us have. that’s fine, for the most part. you love raspberries and meatballs the most. you are a big fan of noodles, watermelon, string cheese, mini bagels, and yogurt drops. you handle a sippy cup like a champ and are OBSESSED with la croix (sparkling water). if you see any of us with a can of la croix in hand, you go bonkers until we give you a sip. it’s pretty hilarious.

you are a chatter bug, and are quick to say "haaaaiiii!" to anyone and everyone. you wave hello and goodbye. you love to play patty cake. and peek-a-boo. you love to clap. when we ask, "how big is stella?" you raise your hands to the sky, and we say, "SO BIG!" it’s the best. you love to give kisses (open mouth ones, mainly) and hugs, and love to lay your head on someone’s chest when you are sleepy. you are obsessed with going outside, and will dart to any open door so you can get out there to explore. you love to sit on the porch out front.

you put everything and anything in your mouth. we have to watch you closely because it is hard to keep the house baby-proof with fox around. he has his gear all over the place, and of course you want to have whatever is his.. and you want to put it in your mouth! but the good thing is, fox is a great big brother. he is very protective of you, and if you put something in your mouth that should not be there… he either asks you to take it out or tells me or your dad about it. and the awesome thing is, you gladly take whatever it may be out of your mouth and hand it over to us! sweet little lady.

you really are just the sweetest. you love the dogs, especially penny. probably because she is just your size. you love to put your arm around her and lay your head on her back. it’s so cute. you always want to be held and you will give us a big victory grin whenever you get picked up. you love to play in empty boxes and love to climb on anything and everything. you are so curious. you are always wondering what fox is up to, and are quick to copy him. you are such a sponge. the bond I see growing stronger each day between the two of you just melts my heart. he loves you so, so much and you think he is the greatest person in the world. I hope you both love each other this much forever and always!

we have had lots of fun adventures this past month! we went to wheeler farm and you loved looking at the animals and basking in the sunshine. you were able to sit on one of the farm porches with fox, stevie, and molly like a big kid! we went to silver lake a couple times. once to walk around the lake with our gang, and another time to take our family photos with jordynn. you loved picture time and loved your birthday smash cake even more. although we did have to show you how to smash it and convince you that it was actually an edible cake. you were a little skeptical.

you went to your first state fair! the first of many, let me tell you. we never miss a year. you absolutely loved going down the big yellow slide! you were also happy to try all of the fair food – especially the peaches and ice cream. i can’t blame you.. that’s the best food at the fair.

on your birthday, you woke up to a room full of balloons, which you were very excited about! i took the day off and we went on a shopping spree with nana sue! fox came along, too. since you decided to start walking, we had to get you some shoes. you needed some new clothes since it’s getting colder, so we got some cute pants and cardigans and hoodies for you. you loved shopping basically ’til you dropped! we went home and you had a nap, then the celebration continued with presents from me, fox, and dad – a slumber sloth, some clothes, books, magnets for the fridge (since it’s the perfect height for you) and a few toys. your big gift was a wagon! dad put it together and then fox pulled you around in it at the church next door. you LOVED it! then we went to tony burger’s for dinner where you devoured your dad’s shake. it was the perfect day.

we also celebrated your birthday with a party the next day at nana sue’s and papa randall’s. we were going to do it at the park, but the weather took a turn for the worse and it was windy, cold, and rainy. it all worked out and we had such fun at your first "stellabration" with your family and friends! we had two kinds of soup (chicken noodle and nana sue’s stew) and scones, salad, rolls, and cupcakes! you loved getting sung to and weren’t too sure about eating a cupcake. you really liked opening gifts and got excited when opening each one. you are such a fun and funny lady.

stella.. how are you already one? i keep replaying the last year in my head, and can’t believe it went by so fast. maybe it’s because we have done the baby thing before with fox, and knew what to expect.. or maybe time really just speeds up the older i get. whatever it is.. i am not a fan of how quickly that first year of yours went by! but i must admit it is always exciting to see you learn and grow, and the changes you make each day make my heart burst. you are so cute, clever, and charismatic. you make life awesome. you are seriously a dream, my little lady. happy birthday to you… and many more.

love, your momma

dear stella,

i am in denial as i write this.. but you are eleven months old. that means your days as a baby are numbered, and it makes my momma heart ache a little. ok, maybe a lot. you are the most delightful baby, and i know you will be the most delightful toddler (well, i hope).. but i just want to freeze time with you as a baby for a little longer. it’s true what they say.. the second baby grows up wayyyy quicker than the first. time. it’s a funny thing.

and with that said, it really seems like you have grown up SO much this past month! your little personality is so distinguished and your sense of humor shines through. you really are a clever girl, learning more every day and surprising us with everything you do.  you are quick to mimic anyone you are watching, you are a very observant little lady. and of course you are so, so sweet. you always have a smile for anyone and everyone you see. you have this squeaky, screechy giggle that makes us all laugh. you scrunch up your nose and breathe really fast when you are excited. you click your tongue. you always say "tikkatikkatikka". you like to wave with both hands, using lots of wrist action. i love all these little quirks of yours.

i am not sure how much you have grown this past month, but i know you have gotten taller. your legs are so long and really leaning out, not sure where those stems came from. definitely not from me. probably you dad- you also have his olive skin.you have not really grown out of any clothes lately, though.. i wouldn’t say you have plumped up much more than the last month. it will be fun to see what your stats are at your one year appointment. (but, really, no rush.. you don’t need to turn 1, just yet!) your hair has been getting lots fluffier, especially in the back! it is starting to curl up at the ends. it makes us wonder if you will end up with curly hair like your dad.. or stick straight, like mine. only time will tell. your dark, brown eyes are so beautiful, as are the long lashes to go with them. you have a twinkle in your eye and squint those baby browns when you smile at us. you are one pretty lady.

you have alternated from sleeping in your dockatot in your crib, to just your crib by itself. you can never really make up your mind on what you prefer. you do this not so awesome thing where you wake up, roll over, sit on your bum and holler until someone comes to rescue you.. and help you lay back down. this is something you have started doing over and over, many times each night.. it will be good when you figure out that you can lay back down on your own. sometimes you will be shouting at us in the middle of the night, and i will come in to find you scrunched down at the foot of your bed, not sure what to do from there. i remember this same exact thing happened with your brother.. it’s all part of learning new skills and being mobile. you will figure it all out soon. i hope.

you actually have become quite the stinker when it comes to both night time sleep and napping. you don’t want much to do with naps, and while you definitely NEED two naps a day.. you often only take one. you do this thing where you flip out righhhht before zonking out for your nap. so if whoever is putting you down can power through the flip out, you will snooze happily for over an hour, most times. it’s actually kind of cute, in a way, and a funny little habit you have. a lot of times you will snag your nap in the car, because this summer has been full of going and doing. one day we drove all the way to ogden.. over an hour round trip of driving, just because you REALLY needed a nap! you are still in your infant car seat, which is kind of surprising. you aren’t the heaviest baby, so we just roll with it. i am sure we will switch you to a new seat in a month or two.

you, my friend, loooove to eat. you love it to bits. you always want to be eating something. meal time is your jam. you love to sit up at the island in the kitchen and eat whatever we are having. you also can often be found with a snack in your hand. i usually find bits and pieces of your snacks around the house, because you like to carry them around with you. you are a big fan of watermelon, string cheese, bananas, meatballs, tortellini, and blackberries. oh, the blackberries. we have a blackberry bush out back, and you eat those things like there is no tomorrow! you are happy as a clam when you are munching on those things, and you always end up covered head to toe in purple blackberry juice. it’s pretty dang cute.  oh.. and.. you are OBSESSED with la croix. it’s hilarious! you see a can of la croix and you start chirping really loud until someone cracks it open and gives you a sip. you do really well at drinking out of a sippy cup all by yourself, too. we usually put some of your very own la croix in a cup to keep you happy.

you like to hang out in the bathroom for some reason, so we have to be careful to keep that door shut. fox has a potty chart on the wall, with stickers, and you love to book it into the bathroom and pull the stickers off the chart and try to eat them. fox usually forgets to keep the bathroom door shut, so then it’s go time for you to get to the bathroom and eat those stickers! you are a quick little crawler, too. it’s funny to see you try to get away from us, when you know you are doing something you shouldn’t be doing. you’re hilarious.

you still hate getting your hair washed, but it’s just something you need to deal with. you do love sitting and splashing in the tub, though. you are still in your baby tub and we set it up on the counter so you can see yourself in the mirror. i am not sure how much longer that will last, it’s almost time to move you to the big tub. you have this game now, where you plop your face straight into the water and try to drink it. i make you pull it back out… and then you put it back in.. and i tell you to get it back out.. and then you laugh hysterically at the situation. fox will also say, "stewwah! don’t dwink the wadder!" and that makes you laugh even harder. bath time is actually pretty fun with the two of you, these days. when you are a little bigger and more stable, you’ll be able to hang in the big tubby. it will be fun to see what you think of that!

with summer coming close to an end, we are hanging on to all the fun outdoor fun we can get! we have done lots of exciting things this past month. we celebrated the 24th of july, you loved to watch the bigger kids do sparklers. you also loved gnawing on corn on the cob. you checked out the parade and had fun there, but weren’t as interested in it as you were the snacks everyone was eating.

fox took swimming lessons and you came along to watch, playing with the foam blocks on the sideline and trying to crawl into the pool. not to worry, you did get lots of pool time in! you love to be held in the water, but aren’t a huge fan of the infant floating raft. you would rather be in someone’s arms.

we went to lagoon a handful of times, including our work lagoon day which you had a blast at! it was the longest we’d ever stayed at lagoon, and you were a trooper. you took a couple doze-arounds in the stroller and ate all the watermelon you could handle. it was perfect.

we also had a day at the lake! you loved playing on the beach of pineview and watching all the action. you came on the big raft and thought that was pretty cool. but you mainly hung under the shade canopy with your dad, eating watermelon.. of course.

you are always a good sport about going along for the ride with your brother’s plans. you hang out at gymnastics and at soccer, and for the most part enjoy watching your surroundings and scouring the floor for any snacks that may be left behind.

we had a few park dates with friends. you love to swing. we also hit up craft lake city where you enjoyed a refreshing watermelon coconut juice. girl, you love watermelon. we checked out the davis county fair where you tried cotton candy for your first time – obviously it was a hit. you also went to my friend haley’s wedding and loved dancing to the music! it was so cute to see you bobbing your head and shimmying your shoulders.

the month ended with fox’s third birthday, which was fun! we had family and friends over for cake and ice cream, and a pinata, and you just charmed everyone with your giggle and scrunchy nose. you are so much fun.

it was such an exciting month, and this next one coming up will probably be the same! you really do make life so much fun, you are the light of our lives and we all love you to pieces. i am sad that you are growing up, but i am so grateful i get to witness it and help you along the way. being your mom is seriously the very best. i love, love, love you, stelly belly boo!!

love, your momma

dear fox,

three whole years have gone by since the day you were born. i can’t even believe it. you have been so excited to tell everyone that you are THREE! you hold three of your cute, chubby fingers up and exclaim, "hey guys, i’m three now!" it is pretty exciting. you wanted a pinata for your birthday, and really didn’t ask for anything else. so a pinata you had, and some cake and ice cream with some of your favorite folks.

you, my friend, are the sweetest and smartest guy around. you are constantly teaching me to be a kinder human (while simultaneously teaching me to be a more patient human-ha!) you really are a tender soul, and i am grateful to have your sensitive influence in our family.

you love very fiercely. you are quick to tell people and things how much you love them. you love to give hugs and kisses. you have great manners. you always, always say "thank you". please is usually there 75% of the time. you are great at saying sorry, too.. you usually greet me after work with a, "sorry you had to go to work, mom." it’s pretty dang cute. you are very into saying goodbye, waving, and exclaiming, "see ya next time!" to whoever – or wherever – we are leaving. "see ya next time, lagoon!", "see ya next time, swimmin’ pool!"

you can count to fifteen, sometimes you can get up to eighteen. you can sing your ABCs. you love reading books or having them read to you. some of your books you read to us, you have them down pat. you love talking about shapes and colors. you will spot shapes out and about, and especially love to point out crescents and diamonds. you retain so much, you are like a tiny sponge, just soaking it all in and figuring things out.

you are very artistic and musical. i can always catch you singing a tune to yourself. you pick up on songs quickly, and sing them often. you always ask for us to play certain songs, and when a new one is on, you ask, "what’s this one called?" you also love to draw and paint. you can write your name, or your own version of it.. and it actually does resemble "FOX" more than you’d expect!

you still have a few remnants of your baby-hood hanging out there, like your nap and your B. you take a nap each day, usually for close to two hours. you are still in your crib, too. you have skipped this nap maybe once or twice in all your life.. and you do not fare well without it. but as long as you get that little snooze in, you are good. you wake up early, still.. usually between 6 and 7 in the morning. you like to stay up until 8 or 9, but sometimes we can get you to sleep in the 7 o’clock hour. i am sure that will change come wintertime.. it’s just so nice to stay up until the sun goes down. and, yes, you still use your B for naps and night. but that is going away… we told you that once you go to school, you can’t have B anymore. you tell me all the time, "mom, when i go to school, B is going away." so i hope that you can handle it well, when the time actually comes.

you surprisingly don’t eat a whole lot of food. for how big you are, i would think you’d eat more. (yes, you are big.. you fit in lots of 4T clothes already!) breakfast is usually a yogurt or a string cheese, and sometimes a bite or two of toast or a bagel. but really, you don’t eat much in the morning. lunch time is hit and miss, you’ll usually eat some fruit along with one your favorite things, which include a grilled cheese "sammich" or mac and cheese. we can usually get you to eat whatever we are having for dinner, at least a few bites. hands down your favorite place to eat out is chickfila, you love chicken nuggets and the fruit cup. oh, and the dunk dunk. you have to dunk the majority of your food into something. you are also a big fan of hot dogs and pizza. one of these days you will come around to vegetables…

you talk. nonstop. all the time. you have so much to say. always. nana sue says that’s how i was as a toddler.. so i suppose you get that from me. you are very observant. you tell me exactly what is going on, and hours – days – even weeks later, you will tell me what happened on a certain occasion. you are still telling me about a green balloon that flew away last december. you speak very well, and you are not shy about giving us a piece of your mind. you like to try to bargain with us… and we bargain right back. you definitely don’t miss a beat. paw is teaching you some spanish. you always have an "hola" to greet him, and an "hasta luego!" when you are saying your goodbyes. you are very tidy, you love to get things out.. but not as much as you love to put them back. you are very concerned about putting things back where they go. if something is out of place, you have a mini-meltdown until we get it back. i suppose that is a bit of OCD from me, as well.

you love to work. gardening and cleaning and mowing the lawn and doing the dishes or laundry.. you are always there to lend a helping hand. you always want to do whatever your dad is working on. you also love to help with your little sister. stella ADORES you, and you love her right back. nobody can make her laugh quite like you can. and you are always singing to her, giving her hugs, or telling her how much you love her and/or miss her (if it is first thing in the morning, you will say, "stewwwwah! i missed you last night!" the best. i think watching you care for her is my very favorite thing in the world. i hope you always love her as much as you do right now.

sometimes you get frustrated, which comes with the territory of being three. your brain is growing and learning so quickly, but sometimes life is just too much for you to comprehend.. and you will act out. your favorite ways to do so are to smack or shout.. but you are working on folding your arms and stomping your feet when you are upset. i know you are trying your best, and that’s all i can really expect of you. you are quick to say sorry, which is good… but sometimes you will go right back to being naughty, ha! we will roll with the punches, and keep working on keeping you in line.

you are potty trained! it took about ten days of really buckling down with things, and now you are awesome at it. you loooove to wash your hands afterward, part of your love of being tidy, so sometimes i wonder if you try to go potty JUST so you can wash your hands again. it’s one of your favorite past times…

you also really love swimming (you took lessons over the summer), riding your scooter, cuddling with cozy cozy blankets, playing baseball or soccer in the backyard, visiting nana and paw, going to any and every park, and baking cookies. you have so much PASSION. about everything. you are always excited. you are always ready for an adventure. you are so much fun to hang out with!! you have the rosiest cheeks, the greatest smile, the cutest button nose, and the most expressive eyebrows. you make my momma heart burst over and over, all the time, always amazing me at how clever you really are. you are growing up too fast, right before my very eyes. i am excited to see you learn and grow… but i am also in denial that it’s happening so quickly.

fox, i love you to the moon and back, times infinity plus eleven.. you are truly my very best guy.

love, your momma

dear stella,

ten months old! my tiny human, how are you already in the double digits? i am really in denial, this has honestly been the fastest year of my life. the fact that your birthday is right around the corner is unbelievable.

you are a very, very mobile little lady. you crawl so dang fast and we can hardly keep up with your curious antics. you are always climbing things, pulling up to stand everywhere you can, and getting those little hands in places they shouldn’t be. we have to keep a close eye on you. but it is so fun to watch you explore, learn, and move around.

you have made a few big changes this past month. the biggest being that you have moved out of mom and dad’s bed and into your crib! it’s sad and good all at the same time. i actually can’t believe we kept you in our bed for as long as we did, but i was in denial that you were growing up, and growing out of your dockatot. so the time came to get the bigger dockatot (the grand) and transfer you over to your very own crib in your very own room. and it’s very far away from me. okay, okay.. i guess it’s not THAT far. but i have to say i do miss having you right next to me sometimes!

at first you did not do too well in your crib. well, first we tried it without the dockatot and you did horribly. you didn’t make it through the night. but then once we had the cozy dockatot in there, you did a little better. you were still waking up multiple times a night for awhile there, but you have slowly narrowed it down to waking up once in the night, right around 4 AM. of course there are those nights that you still wake up 2 or 3 times, but overall you are doing a lot better!

you were still napping in your rock n play, even though you were doing nights in your crib. but then i told jordynn (your nanny) that we switched you to the crib.. and failed to mention that it had only been for nights.. and she took that as you were sleeping in there for naps, too! somehow she managed to get you down for your naps with her in your crib, so that’s that! i tried a few times to get you in there, and was pretty unsuccessful. but after trying and trying, you have been getting better at napping in there. your naps definitely are not as long as they were in the rock n play, which i think has something to do with the fact that it’s so light in your room for naps, and it was dark in the room with the rock n play. so maybe we need to get you some black out curtains for your room!

oh, yes.. you may have noticed i said your nanny was putting you down for naps. that’s the other big change you went through.. you stopped coming to work with me! i am actually so sad and miss you lots during the days while i am away from you. but you were crawling everywhere and climbing on everything and the office was just not the place for a little wiggly lady like yourself. so you are now officially home every day! monday and tuesday with your dad, wednesday and thursday with jord, and fridays with nana sue. fox likes to have you around every day, and i know you probably prefer it to being at work with me.

you have had another bottom tooth poke through! still nothing up top. but those bottom teeth are sharp, sharp, sharp! you are biting down a little more often than i would like, haha. but i am still nursing you when we are together and pumping milk for you while we are apart. you have been drinking less and less milk, though, and are really into ALL the food. some of your recent favorites include string cheese (you hold the whole thing and gnaw on it until it’s gone!), watermelon wedges, ravioli, chicken, mini bagels, and of course bananas.. always bananas.

you get really mad if we eat in front of you and don’t share. you get especially mad when fox has a drink (juice, chocolate milk, etc) and drinks it in front of you. you don’t like that he has something and you don’t! but he is usually good to share whatever he is having, if it’s something you can have.

actually, fox is great at sharing most things with you. he is a very sweet big brother. he gets very concerned when you are crying. he will pat your head, give you hugs and kisses, and say, "it’s ok baby stewwwah, i lub you" – it melts my heart! nobody can make you laugh as hard as he can. it’s so fun to watch you two play together. i know you love each other so much, and hopefully the love you have for each other will outweigh the bickering in years to come. we shall see. :)

you really want to be held more often than not. and if we aren’t holding you, you want our attention. you are very good at shrieking real loud to get our attention. and once you have it, you grin from ear to ear and are happy as a clam. your smile is basically the cutest.. and don’t even get me started on your laugh. it’s hilarious and contagious and, oh, i love it!!

you really are happy more often than not, and you have a smile for everyone you meet. you don’t always want to go to new people, though. you will go to them for a second, and then reach back and ask to go back to mom or dad. but at least you are giving people a chance! and, if nothing else, you will always give them a smile. you’re so sweet.

the bath is a love hate situation for you, these days. you are fine splashing for a bit, but when it comes time to get your hair and face wet, you flip out. it’s a struggle, so we don’t wash your hair every night like we used to! one day you may like it.. but it’s not looking like any time soon. you also aren’t a fan of putting any clothes over your head. you are turning out to be a little particular about quite a few things! it’s funny!

it was a fun month, things started out on a family vacation in st. george! mom’s whole side of the fam was there – all your cousins and aunts and uncles and nana and paw. you had the time of your life! you loved the pool, playing with your toys in the living room, having everyone give you tons of attention, and eating anything and everything you could get your little hands on. it was a blast. we also had some professional photos taken while there, and you did great! you are one happy, photogenic baby.

you have been out and about quite a bit. summer is the time for outdoor activities! we headed up to snowbird for a little hike on stevie’s birthday. we hit up the pool many, many times. some days we would just hang out in the backyard with a sprinkler and the dogs. you love penny and randy.

you have gone to lagoon quite a few times. you absolutely love the carousel and you are also a big fan of people watching. you have been great at taking little doze-arounds in your stroller while fox rides the rides. don’t worry, next year you will be able to go on more rides! it has been hot, so we have done a few indoor activities, too. you loved the children’s museum and could have stayed all day.

you celebrated your first fourth of july with a parade and popsicles and cute patriotic outfits and barbecues and ice cream.. all of the things! no fireworks for you, this year, you conked out a little early for that! you were a big fan of all the festive things we did, though.

the summer of baby stella is just the best. it has been so fun seeing how you’ve changed and watching you enjoy every last minute of life. it is exciting to watch your face light up with every little thing you encounter. you make things so, so awesome. i love you to bits, my baby girl!

love, your momma

dear stella,

you are NINE months old. how in the world did that happen?! you’ve officially been on the outside longer than you were on the inside. these months are flying by way too fast, much faster than pregnancy went, haha.. and you are changing so much each and every day. this past month has been a busy and exciting one.

first and foremost – the biggest milestone of all: you can crawl! you had been scooting around the room on your bum quite a bit, and were pretty good at getting from point A to point B with your scooting. you would try to crawl here and there, but you couldn’t quite figure out how to support yourself on all fours AND be mobile. but right around june 16th, you started to actually crawl. now that you know the concept, you are really starting to get the hang of it and are getting faster and faster as the days go by.

another new thing is a second tooth, on the bottom, that has pushed its way through your gums. you are too cute with your two bottom teeth. it’s not so cute when you start chattering during a nursing session, because those cute teeth are SHARP, and they don’t feel great when you bite down on me. at least you aren’t purposely biting (yet) and it doesn’t happen all too often.

you are growing like a weed, and we can’t stop you. you weigh 17 lbs, 14 oz which is the 44th percentile for weight. you are 27 inches tall, which is the 23rd percentile. and your head is 17.5 inches around, which is the 66th percentile. you are healthy as can be, and hitting all the expected milestones for your age.

you have developed a little bit of stranger danger, and definitely remember those people whom you are around often. and if anyone else tries to get a hold of you? forget it. you want to be back in the arms of someone you are familiar with. you especially love your parents, which is definitely a good thing. when one of us has been away for any amount of time, and you see us, you start flapping your arms SO hard and SO fast- it’s adorable. i think you might take flight one of these days!

you have still been coming to the office with me three days a week. i am not sure how you have managed to sucker me into bringing you along, still.. but you have. it’s getting harder to keep you entertained, though, so i think we will call it quits come july. i don’t like to think about it, but i know it needs to happen and i am just grateful you have been sweet and cooperative enough to come as long as you have! you really are just the sweetest girl and charm everyone at the office.

in fact, you charm everyone everywhere. literally any and every time we are out and about, at least one person comments on how cute you are. and then you give them this crinkle-nose smile you are known for, and that just seals the deal. you are happy and charming and lovely and just the very best!

you are super into eating – anything and everything. you will try whatever we put in front of you, and there is nothing you have turned your nose up at. you especially love popcorn and popsicles. they are definitely two of your very favorites, and we can’t eat either around you without you squawking for a bite. it’s pretty funny. you also recently tried quesadillas, pizza, yogurt drops, rotisserie chicken, and garbanzo beans. one of your favorite things to eat is chicken and broccoli casserole. you could eat it all day long. you’re still really fond of crackers and bananas, and love to have one (or both) in hand as often as possible.

your sleeping habits leave something to be desired. you are not the best at sleeping through the night. you like to stay up late with me and your dad.. we don’t mind. you will go right down, but after about three or four hours, you will wake up and want to be held. after that it is hit and miss. sometimes you only wake once before the morning, and other times you wake up four or more times. definitely all over the map! but the nice thing is, you go right back to sleep after nursing you. you never wake up at a consistent time in the morning, either. it’s anywhere from 6 AM to 8 AM. you’re just doing your thing.

your naps are also not consistent. some days you take one, other days three. sometimes they’re long, other times super short. today you took an hour nap and then an hour and a half nap. it would be nice if that was the regular occurrence, but there is nothing regular about your naps. lots of time i will drive around for awhile if you happen to fall asleep in the car, just so you can catch some Zzzzs. the nice thing, though, is you are always happy – no matter how little sleep you have gotten in the day. you are very, very rarely cranky, and you hardly ever cry. it’s lovely.

you’ve had a fun month! summer is in full swing, and you are loving it. you went to lagoon a couple of times, and managed to sleep through part of it. but you did go on the carousel and LOVED it. it was adorable! you were so excited and your eyes lit up. i actually got a video of it and posted it to instagram, and lagoon reposted it.. because you are just that darn cute.

it’s food truck season, so we have been heading out to those for dinner quite a bit. we also hit up the liberty park farmer’s market one evening, and the bountiful car show another night. you do really well if you stay up past your bedtime, so it’s been fun to enjoy the extra hours of daylight at things like that.

you’ve also become quite the little water baby! we have been to the pool many times, and you love sitting in the shallow end and splashing your hands in the water. you look so dang cute in your swimsuit, too. there will be lots more pool days to come!

oh, stella you are just such a joy. i am having the best time watching you learn and grow, and you really add such a perfect touch to our family. thank you for being the sweetest baby in all the land. i love, love, love you.

love,

your momma