Nathan's One Year Photos

My big one-year-old boy at the strawberry patch today. All photos courtesy of the talented Miss Kami Brown.

From the Mouth of My Babe

Strawberries are on! I took the younger boys berry picking this morning. It is one of the many things I will miss about life in New England 

We had to take a "Berry Ferry" (aka a pickup truck) from the parking lot to the actual farm. This guy loved it. Nater was so sticky and pink after picking berries that we had to soak his clothes in hopes of getting the stains out. He was in heaven as well.

We were sitting in church on Sunday when Davis leaned over and whispered to me, "Mom, are four-year-olds almost Dads?" "Not really,"I whispered back, explaining that he had many years before he was old enough to become a dad. "Den why do I have hair growing here?" he said, pointing to his legs. I guess he's noticed that Dads are pretty hairy!

Maddie @ Six Years Old

Maddie turned 6 today! This picture is just so...Maddie. I have no other words.

Maddie and the sister missionaries right before they got transferred. 

Maddie with her principal, Ms. Nana, and her teacher, Ms. Crocco. I want Ms. Crocco to be my mentor when I go back to teaching. She is phenomenal and we will miss her so much. 

• Maddie is really growing up! She is independent, funny, determined, and kind.
• She loves kindergarten and the only time I have seen her get the slightest bit sad or apprehensive about our move to Arizona is when she thinks about how she'll have to leave Ms. Crocco. I am really going to miss Ms. Crocco, too. 
• When I get up to exercise before the rest of the family wakes up, I often find her in my bed when I get back, snuggled up in the covers with her daddy. She loves spending time with him early in the morning. 
• Maddie has always been a minimalist when it comes to food. Lettuce alone but not salad, strawberry shortcake but without whipped cream, and hot dogs without ketchup. I do have to commend her for branching out lately. There was a time when I thought she would never try new things but she seems to be growing out of that phase. 
• I have tried to encourage Maddie and her brothers to help me in the kitchen for years. Maddie has never shown much interest at all until a couple of weeks ago. She picked out a children's cookbook at the library and told me she wanted to start cooking and that I could be her sous-chef. She made her first batch of cookies and Isaac declared (a little sheepishly) that her cookies were better than mine ("sorry mom, I really don't want to hurt your feelings!"). Since then she made her birthday cupcakes and has told me that she is going to just keep baking harder and harder recipes until she becomes a really good chef herself.
• She is very nurturing, especially with her younger brothers. Just last night I watched her teach Davis how to fold two socks together while they were helping me with the laundry (a rare occurrence), and she can't let Nathan go down for a nap without giving him a big hug. 
• She is enthusiastic about just about everything--her teacher describes her as "the girl who thinks the world is made of glitter" because everything is bright and shiny in Maddie's world. I love her positive attitude.
• She is great at using big words out of context. "My doll is so jovial", or "isn't this day repetitive?" I never correct her because I think it's so adorable. 
• Happy Birthday little lady!

One

Our Nater turned one yesterday!

At one year old, Nathan:

• is officially in destructive mode. He is a tornado wherever he goes, pulling things out of drawers and off shelves and making a mess of everything. It's a full-time job keeping this boy safe. He has discovered the stairs and tries to crawl up them whenever he gets the chance. 
• loves socks. He's like a little puppy and has one in his mouth as he crawls around the house. And there's usually one in each hand as well. 
• is starting to develop a sense of humor. Whenever I say, "Nathan, say 'mama'", he repeats "dada!" and then starts to giggle. 
• loves the swings at the park and never seems to tire of them.
• sadly, will no longer eat anything I put in front of him. Luckily he still has several favorites, including blueberries, eggs, crackers, strawberries, clementines, anything in a sippy cup, black beans, and whatever I'm about to put in my mouth. 
• is sleeping better than ever given that he is always on the go when he's awake. 
• is the love of everyone's life around here. The kids fight over who gets to sit by him at dinner, in the car, and even who gets to open up his bedroom door when he wakes from his naps. He is very loved. 

It's kind of the end of an era in our family, now that our baby isn't technically a baby anymore. I've had mixed emotions about his birthday (it came so fast!), but mostly I feel so much gratitude that he is a part of our crazy family. I needed him to be my buddy this past year with all it's stresses and big decisions. He came at the perfect time. Happy birthday, Natey-boy.

Getting a little alone time with Dad.

Strawberry Shortcake to celebrate his first year of life. 

Eating his hard-boiled egg with great gusto.

One of Nate's favorite pass times is watching the cars drive by on our busy street. 

I think he was mad because he wanted me to nurse him and knew that Dad couldn't give him what he wanted. Just look at that little tongue as  he wails away.

From the Mouth of My Babe

Mothers' Day 2014

Davis asked me the other night while I was putting him to bed, "Mom, is there candy in heaven?"