Another month goes by and my baby boy is slipping away before my eyes! He is full on walking now which makes things so much fun. He is SOOO close to standing up on his own, but can't quite pull himself up straight, so he has to crawl to the closest thing to pull himself up to walk again. Once he figures that out, he will be 100% walking. I love to see his little hands up in the air as he's trying to balance. It's such a sweet phase, that's for sure. He has definitely grown up a lot in the last month, thanks to that crazy 9th leap. He is more aware of so many things and trying his best to communicate, even if he doesn't have the words yet. I can't believe he's 15 months old... time needs to slow down! 

his little right hand, always out for balance, and his cheeks jiggles when he walks. haha, two of the things I don't ever want to forget!

Wanting to go see the chickens!! 

• Slimmed down a lot from all the walking, so now he can wear some of my favorite pants from when Solomon was smaller! It seriously makes me so happy to see him wear his big brothers clothes!!!
• LOVES to be outside and will stand at the door screaming till we finally go out. As soon as daddy gets home from work he starts pointing to the back yard to go see the chickens with him. It's so cute!
• Still pretty attached to mommy right now and won't let anyone put him to sleep still, but I'm hoping this will change in the next few weeks, since Gigi will be with him while Peter and I are out for some weddings. 
• SO obsessed with Solomon also, he literally follows him around trying to copy everything he does. It's so sweet to watch. They have also started to play really well together and Solomon even asks for him to play with him sometimes. 
• Favorite foods recently include: oranges, any kind of meat, eggs, blueberries, peanut butter and honey sandwiches & pretty much anything that I'm trying to eat ;) 
• The sleeping at night has gotten much better after some molars have cut through! He even had  a solid 8 hours of sleep a few nights ago and I was shocked. He hasn't done that in MONTHS.
• Almost all his molars are in, the bottom two came first and then the upper left, still waiting on the upper right to come in. 

weekly three.

Three straight weeks of just my normal Friday weekly three posts on this little forgotten space for mine! Oh man, makes me sad!! It’s not really forgotten, I just don’t know where to find the time to work on it. I do have some plans for next week and I’m hoping to work on that during that weekend ahead!! We’ll see what happens, either way it’s going to be a beautiful weekend, and I’m very excited! Happy Friday to you! 

Asher, always wanting to copy his big brother, even including some homeschooling! 

Enjoying some playtime in Solomon’s room with his “cuties” and his new tent for his bed. 

Spent the afternoon today working on my deck with my momma, and by working, I mean hanging out and watching her work!

weekly three.

It’s Friday!!!!! Yay! I’m so happy to see this weekend arrive because I have so many fun things to do!  It’s been a long-ish week for us here, so I’m excited to welcome some family time. We already started the morning at Kangaroo Jax (a favorite for Solomon) which is always fun, but today was extra special since it’s Jonah’s Birthday!!! It was sweet to spend the morning with him and let the kids play together. Happy weekend to you! 

We started off the week with some musical activities with friends, it was such a sweet morning!

The way these two play so quietly and well together in the playroom lately makes me smile!

Happy Birthday to our sweet Jonah!! We love you so much and can’t wait to celebrate you tomorrow night!

weekly three.

This week has felt so much like Spring and it’s made me giddy!!! The weather has been amazing, no need to worry about a jacket, and I have the Spring cleaning itch! I’m excited about the weekend and all the plans we have. It’s gonna be a good one, hope yours is too! 

One of the many things that makes me feel the spring in the air, all our fresh eggs! 

& all the faux plants that make me look like I have a green thumb!

Date night with daddy and my baby boy, while Solomon has a date with GiGi for the night! Mmmmm!!

Solomon // three + a half.

I can't believe it's been a full year since I wrote that super emotional post last year, for Solomon's Two + a Half birthday. Part of me knows that was all brought on by my three month postpartum emotional roller coaster ride that I was currently on, but I'm so thankful I took the time to write it. It helped me process a lot of the things I was feeling about having my first baby growing up, and it helped create this half birthday tradition. I'm sure I will feel this way every year, because he's my first baby. The beginning of my motherhood, my sweet boy!

A lot has happened during Solomon's year of being three so far. He has grown so much and I can see the little boy coming out in him more and more. I'm also starting to really see his strengths and weaknesses, and I'm constantly trying to figure out what I can do to make him the best person he can be. Because of that, I'm always trying my best to always point him to Christ.

One of the biggest changes for us during the last year has been our decision to homeschool. When I was growing up I would always dream of being two things, a mommy & a teacher. Even as a little girl I would walk around with a baby doll and then also pretend to have a classroom. So, in a way I have been living out a very real dream come true, and I can't imagine doing it with anyone else. Solomon has been an absolute dream to teach in the last two months. He loves it and I love it, and I'm praying it continues to be a good fit for us. We'll see what God has planned, but I'd love for this to continue for a very long time. The past two months of homeschooling has brought so many little moments that I know we wouldn't have experienced otherwise. Like, walking through the grocery store and looking for food that starts with the letter F, or going to the library and asking me what letter we are working on next so he can find books to read, and then riding in the car and naming all the things he sees that God has made. The devoted time we have spent each day learning together has been so sweet, and it has really made me prayerfully dependent, asking for patience and for the Holy Spirit to lead me and to keep our day centered on Him.

There are so many little things that I love about Solomon right now. His desire to learn, that he definitely gets from his daddy, is so much fun to experience. I see so much of Peter in him, which I love. Unfortunately, I also see the parts of myself that I'm not crazy about... like his short temper and lack of patience with things that he can't control. But, on the flip side, he also finds extreme happiness in the small things like I do, and that is super fun to watch. He loves figuring things out on his own, and tries his best to be self sufficient, from building a lego creation to getting in and out of the car.

Like most kids at this age, he's obsessed with any form of screen time, but we try our best to balance that with a lot of free play, crafts and books. Some of his favorite things to play with is legos, make believe with everything from batman to dinosaurs, he's still obsessed with coloring or any kind of artwork, and he'd spend the night with Gigi every weekend if he was allowed. He still loves to play quietly by himself but I can see his excitement to play with his brother now since Asher is getting older, which I love. Some times I will get busy cleaning or folding laundry, then I'll realize that they are so quiet and I get nervous. I will go peek in, waiting to find a disaster, but 90% of the time, all I find is Solomon in his own little world and Asher trying his best to copy everything he sees. It's such a special thing to watch, and I love seeing Solomon evolve into his role as a big brother.

his face when I told him tomorrow was his half birthday!

He is so tender and kind, but still a full on wild boy. It's such a tricky combination to try and nurture and grow. He loves hard, which means he might demand more of us at times, but his heart is usually in the right place. That is the one thing that I'm praying for constantly, his heart, and my ability to soften it and help mold it into what God desires. I heard a quote this week at my Bible Study, that made me really think about this stage of life.... "We are building for eternity & it's worth the best effort." 

At the end of the day, this is my first time ever parenting a three and a half year old. I can read all the books or articles, and I can talk to all the other mom's who have been in my shoes, but then I think one thing; they haven't had my son. God knew that Solomon was best with us. He saw our hearts and our desires, and he saw fit to give us this precious life. That is still amazing to me! It is a true privilege to mother this boy of ours and all I can do is ask for my heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to guide me in everything I do. It's such a heavy task, so heavy that I feel I may never do anything right, but I will continue to do my best and love him with my whole heart.

His "mommy, take a silly picture of me" pose & because it wouldn't be a half birthday post without the normal questions! I added a new one this time because he wanted to answer more questions, ha! 

favorite book // Jonah and the Whale
favorite food // strawberry and chocolate ice cream
favorite song // ninja song
favorite toy // buzz lightyear and batman
favorite thing to do // clean up (ha, no lie... that is what he said) 

favorite memory // eating a cookie at Chicken Salad Chick

weekly three.

This week has been so full of ups and downs. Monday, awesome day! Tuesday, so exhausted but pushing through it, cause it’s only Tuesday, right?? Wednesday, seriously the best day in a very long time!!! Thursday, can I just stay in bed and wake up on Friday? Yay, it’s finally Friday! I’m really hoping the rainy weather will help me get some of my to do list completed!!! Hope you have a good weekend.

Auntie Cassie book reading always turns into photo sessions, cause these kids are way too cute! Asher was napping and Jaden was at school, so they sadly missed out. I love Sophie is trying to copy Solomon with her tongue out, ha!

I mean, I know I made him, but he’s seriously cute!!

I got my new Erin Condren teacher planner and I’m so excited to sit down this weekend and plan out the next few weeks of homeschooling!! It’s going to be so helpful!

Asher // Fourteen Months.

Another month of our happy Asher!! There are so many little parts of his personality that are showing more and more now, that seriously make me want to eat him up. He is the sweetest little thing, but still so full of fire. It's a tricky combination, but it's definitely never boring. Seeming to be a true second child, but I wouldn't want him any other way. We are in the phase of toddler-hood when babies change and adapt so quickly. All the little ways that he has changed since last month is so crazy to me. I try my best to not compare Solomon and Asher, but I can't help notice how much more of a baby Asher seems. Solomon was already running around by this age, and talking a lot, too. I know a lot of this is the difference of a first child and second child obviously, since Asher doesn't get nearly as much one on one attention. BUT, I do not hate it one bit... I absolutely love that he feels like my baby still, and not a full on toddler like Solomon did. Their personalities are so different, and Asher is definitely a momma's boy, and I will soak it in!!! 

peek-a-boo, still his favorite!

Always begging for food!!

• Seems to officially decided to be a co-sleeper, which I am not fighting one bit. Some may thing that this a step backwards from his crib sleeping, but I'm loving it!! 
• Unfortunately, this also means that he won't go to sleep for anyone other than me, which makes date nights tricky now. This all started when he entered his 9th leap (Wonder Weeks) so I'm hoping things will adjust back, and he will comply to his bedtime routine with others, once this leap is over. 20 days left. HA!
• Cutting his first (maybe several, can't really tell for sure) molars, which seems super early but apparently I forgot which order teeth came in for babies?? Either way, it sucks and I hate teething so much. 
• Loves hugs, kisses and cuddling in general; which I absolutely love.
• So obsessed with his brother and wants to copy everything he does. He wants what he eats, tries to eat it the same way, wants to play with what he is playing with, and do what he does. The level of concentration he has while watching Solomon is adorable!
• He is loving his midday nap, usually from 1-3 each day, and going to bed between 8-9. It's nice to have a reliable schedule with him, and he definitely thrives with it. 
• Enjoying books and will crawl over to them whenever he is bored with toys, which I think is so sweet!! Also enjoying TV more than his brother ever did (second child problems!) and cries for me to turn on the TV more than I care to admit. HA!
• Almost walking, I feel like I've been saying this for over a month now, but he's definitely taking his time. He has no desire to walk more than 3-5 steps at a time, since crawling is so much faster. 
• Peek-a-boo is still his favorite thing, and also how I get most of his smiles for pictures. He just can't get enough of peek-a-boo. 
• Not super verbal, but responds more with head nods and pointing. He does love saying da-da, bye bye and barking non stop for any dog (or animal) he sees. 

Sweet boy looking so cute in his shirt from Diana Basna Art, such a perfect gift!

weekly three.

This week was a good one, starting with sunshine and playing outside and all the good things that Spring like days bring. Then the rain came back. I’m trying to not let it get to us but it’s hard to get the energy out with the weather not working with us! I’m hoping we can find some moments this weekend to get out of the house and explore! I’m so happy it’s friday!! Hope you have a good one!

Starting the week with sunshine and some outside playtime was so good for us!!! I also love how Asher watches every single thing Solomon does! He loves his big brother so much.

The Spring weather is making me so happy, and the trees happy too! Even the chicks are giving us eggs again. So happy!!

This boy is officially 14 months old, even if February doesn’t have a 29th day to mark it! I’ll be sharing some highlights from the last month of Asher on Monday, but this picture before bed just shows all his sweetness!!!