danny is two

Dear Daniel,

I am a lucky mama to get to spend this Mother's Day celebrating your entrance into my life two years ago. I still recall every moment of your spectacular arrival, and every moment I've spent with you since has been just as spectacular in part because, Danny, you are a piece of work!

You've recently decided that you have opinions about everything, which is fine and to be expected, but thankfully a lot less frustrating to deal with now that your communication skills are improving. While I wouldn't call you a chatterbox, you're so far reaching speech milestones better than any of your older brothers, which for me is not only a relief but also a breath of fresh air. Added to your opinions is a growing desire for independence, made clear by your stubborn and frequent use of the phrase, "No! I do!"

Alongside the mischievously sly twinkle in your eye you wear the most contagious smile. You are so full of life and pretty easy to please. You love treats and going to the Child Watch at the YMCA. You love to be read to and you still carry around your beloved cloth and binky. I can't believe both how busy you are and how dedicated you are to your routine. You like things to be just so, and won't abandon your play without picking up after yourself first. You love to color -- on paper, on tables, on walls -- and you do so with your left hand. You are increasingly agile and can run wild, jump high, and manage stairs with the best of them.

As I write this, you are playing and laughing with your brothers, and listening to you tickles me, too. You bring such joy to our family, and I'm so grateful that you are mine.

Love,
Mama

Here is how we celebrated two years of Danny Boy:

He opened his big gift -- a big boy balance bike -- yesterday. He's almost too small for it, and is currently only able to shuffle along on it, but he loves it anyway, mostly because it makes him one of the big boys.

 I love how this shot captures how everyone came out to cheer him on during his first ride.

For other gifts, he got a set of animal figurines (that I spent many days collecting one by one with Hobby Lobby's one-use-per-day 40% off coupon -- it was a true labor of love), a mix-and-match monster book from Grandma Joyce and Grandpa Gary, and a set of Color Wonder markers and paper from Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Dave.

The fact that everyone kept wishing him a happy birthday and singing him the birthday song initially confused him and ultimately annoyed him, but when it came time to sing for the cake and ice cream, he was all over it!

   He loves candles, and blowing his out was his favorite part.

four years of matthew

Dear Matthew,

Has it really been four years since you waltzed into my life unexpectedly early and with a temper that was just as unexpectedly mellow? You are still categorized in my mind as one of my "little boys," even though over this last year you have blossomed in ways that very much prove your desire to be grouped with your older brothers. You've "unmellowed" in often frustrated ways -- your voice has gotten louder as your ability to feel and express anger boils over with sometimes distressing frequency. And you suddenly started finding and voicing your opinions.

But despite these new developments, you are still very much the sweet, mellow Matthew I have known and loved these four years. You still give the best hugs and your enhanced ability to communicate has brought about the most tender and insightful conversations. You are a creature who craves routine, and our days together are pleasantly familiar. Any breaks from our regularly scheduled program bring out your natural inclinations toward hesitancy and reluctance and require advanced and repeated preparation.

This last year has been a big and often overwhelming one for you, and not without its challenges. You managed a move away from the only home you'd known, along with your first year of preschool, which you attend four mornings a week. You've adapted to learn and enjoy both, but they were not easy changes for you. One skill that severely suffered as a consequence was your ability to keep your pants dry. We've tried just about everything, but nothing so far has been permanently helpful. In that regard, it's been a very frustrating year, and it's made me realize that your mellow nature comes with puzzle pieces I can't quite seem to fit together.

I love you, Matthew, and can't imagine my life without you in it. You've been such a calming influence and real blessing to our family, and I'm so grateful that you are mine.

Love,
Mama

***

Birthday celebrations!!!

The day began with his first time in the Big Kid room at the YMCA Child Watch. He was excited yet nervous to go, but he put on his brave face and did a great job. It helped that people he knew from church were also there.

For lunch we went to Chick-Fil-A, but he ended up not wanting to stick around long enough to play on the playground because he wanted to get home to prepare for his play date with his friend, Jacob.

Matthew and Jacob had a lot of fun together, starting off their afternoon together with a round of Go Fish.

It was hard to wait until Dad got home to open presents, but in the end it was worth it. He raked in a collection of penguins, both plush and figurines, along with The Peanuts Movie, a fun book from Grandma Joyce and Grandpa Gary, and a BB-8 shirt from Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Dave.

But the finale came in the form of a balance bike. He likes it, though it'll be some time before he's truly confident riding around on in.

When I had to disappoint him with the news that I did not have the skillz to make him a BB-8 cake, he settled for "brown and white muffin cakes." So I pulled out the copycat Hostess cupcake recipe I made a few years ago for Caleb's birthday and they fit the bill.

Just before bed, he "talked" with Grandma Joyce and Grandpa Gary on Facetime -- I use air quotes there because he didn't actually talk. But he did warm up enough eventually to show them some of his gifts.

I think he had a pretty great day. I can't believe he's already four, and yet at the same time also can't believe he hasn't been a part of our family for longer.

six years

Dear Caleb,

On the one hand, six is not a very big number. I often find myself forgetting that you are still very young, so if my expectations for you sometimes feel unrealistic, I apologize. But on the other hand, six is a big deal, and so are you. On this day six years ago, when you entered my life, and during those first moments that I held you in my arms, I knew that you were a special boy, a gift sent especially to me and to our family. How could I not expect great things of you? And, I'm pleased to tell you, you have lived up to a great many of them, and that makes me so proud.

You are a hard worker who is stubbornly determined. You are shy and sensitive and thoughtful of others. You are observant and bright and are destined, I know, for great things.

But you are not without your faults. You are a tease who is adept at finding and pushing other people's buttons. Your stubbornness has yet to be fully broken and it often gets you into trouble. Sometimes I feel that I have no other option than to throw up my hands in intense frustration with you. That gleam in your honey brown eyes and the sly upturn of your toothless smile just might drive me to an early grave. I would encourage you, Caleb, to continually strive to be better, to reach that full potential I know that is in you.

I love you, Caleb. I have always loved you and I always will love you. I encourage you to keep trying to be a good brother and obedient child. Remember to smile because your smile always brightens my day. Happy birthday, my sweet, sweet boy.

Love,
Mama

The birthday celebrations started a day early with a visit to the awesome Cincinnati Zoo.

 The birthday banner and a small pile of presents greeted Caleb when he came downstairs in the morning.

After eyeing the box mix on several different trips to Target, Caleb desperately wanted me to make him a brightly colored tie dyed cake. Although it tasted fine, it didn't look particularly appetizing. In fact, after I garnished it with sprinkles and Dum-Dum sucker "balloons," it was only fitting that it was dubbed the Clown Cake. The things I do for my boys....

 

 He blew out all six candles!

 His bike, which he received as an early gift a few weeks ago, was his main gift. But it was accented today with a few smaller things -- a small pair of binoculars, a frisbee, a basketball, a horn for his bike, some Where's Waldo themed notebooks, and a few shirts from Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Dave, and a ten-spot from Grandma Joyce and Grandpa Gary. He's thrilled about each gift -- apparently all his dreams came through this year.

After the gifts were opened, we went outside to try out the frisbee. Even with the learning curve, it's a hit. And it doesn't hurt that they have a huge yard to play with it in.

eight is great

Dear Garrett,

Happy birthday to the happy, round-headed blond boy who eight years ago made me a mother! This evening at exactly 6:55 you paused in reflective excitement and then jumped for joy as you officially became an eight-year-old. This is a big year for you. In a few weeks you will be baptized and therefore accountable for the choices you make. I hope you do your best to always choose the right, and, when you make mistakes, as you inevitably will, to humbly ask your Heavenly Father for forgiveness as you repent and make your way back to the right path.

Given your parents' introverted tendencies, you are surprisingly social. You don't go to the park to meet up with friends (although you certainly don't oppose to doing that), but rather, you go to the playground to make new friends. I hope that you are always this friendly and happy to include others in your group.

I love the way you absorb knowledge, and you gather it from everywhere: books, television, reading over my shoulders, eavesdropping on conversations you probably shouldn't... And I love how excited it makes you. The wheels in your head are always turning and your creativity is limitless. Keep learning, stay focused, and be persistent, even when things get hard. Your passion will take you far if you let it.

Your smile, with its surprisingly straight teeth, is contagious, and the things you say keep me and everyone around you laughing. But for all your carefree spunk, you are also very cautious. You are not comfortable unless you know every detail of whatever plans lay ahead.

You are an incredibly sweet and sensitive little boy. Please remember to always be kind to your brothers and obedient to your parents. As the oldest in our family, you've been given a lot of responsibility, and I hope that you live up to that.

I love you, Garrett, and I look forward to watching you do great things, not only this year, but in all the years to come.

Love,
Mom

*****
Celebrating Garrett

I have no pictures, since pretty much nothing is allowed on the decks of NYC public pools, but Garrett requested that on his birthday he get to go "swimming with friends." So we invited a bunch of people to join us at the Double D pool, and he had a blast practicing his sweet underwater moves.

In the evening, Uncle Tyler and Aunt Amanda, who are in town for a brief visit, came over for a small family birthday party. It was great to get to see them.

 Garrett and Tyler talked space (pictured here ) and circuitry (with his Snap Circuits, not pictured). Tyler works as an engineer whose current project entails satellites for NASA.

He wanted a ding dong cake like Matthew got, but when I told him it was a little too involved for the time I had to devote to baking, he settled for a chocolate "French cake" with icing to make it look like a ding dong cake. It didn't turn out nearly as pretty as I'd hoped, but just about every cake I've made on June 30th for the last eight years has had issues. I blame the heat and humidity.

Ready...

 

 ...blow...

 ...and wish granted.

 He was so excited for the set of scriptures he got.

 Other gifts included a real rock collection, a diary with a lock, a NASA shirt and astronaut ice cream, a bike bell with the promise of a bike to put it on once we've moved to Ohio, a book with facts about Cincinnati, and a boxed set of Encyclopedia Brown books...

...which he got started on right away.

It's great to be eight, and by all accounts Garrett had a really great day.

one year

Dear Daniel,

Has it really been a year since you made your rushed, dramatic entry into the world? If there's one thing I've learned about you these last twelve months, it's that when you make up your mind to do something, it must happen now. And it started with the moment I went into labor. You have a stubborn determination to do what you want to do, no matter how hard I try to persuade you otherwise. Your singleness of mind is disturbingly impressive.

In the last few weeks you have developed a firecracker personality. At one moment you are happy and giggling, and the next you might explode in a fit of frustrated rage. In essence, you've become an adorably squishy ticking time bomb with a shrill shriek to boot. And yet you can also be just as ready to start smiling and flirting again. You are adept at picking up social cues, and have even mastered the art of the courtesy laugh. You continue to absolutely hate being pinned down for diaper and clothing changes, but you're still generous with your wet, open mouthed kisses. Your curiosity about the world around you is evident in many forms -- the path of destruction you leave in your wake, the way your fingers like to wander their way into my nose, and the pleasure you seem to derive from sinking your teeth deep into my skin to see my startled, pained reaction.

You're growing up right before my eyes: you prefer the independence of a sippy cup to being held for a bottle, you get around the room on two feet, whether it's by cruising along furniture or pushing your push wagon across the floor (you're not quite ready to take independent steps), and you love to join in with the whatever the big boys are doing. It's been a good first year with you, Danny Boy, and I'm looking forward to many more to come. You are such a joyful part of of our family, and we would not be complete without you.

Happy first birthday!

Love,
Mama

We spent the day at a playground with friends. You spent your time exploring, climbing, and sliding.

 "What? For me?!"

Yay! New toys!

His big present was a collection of Schleich farm animals. I think it was a winner.

"Gimme those cupcakes!"

He really wanted to touch the candle. We really didn't want him to.

Judging by the mess he made, I think this party was a hit.

three years

Happy 3rd Birthday, Matthew!

"Every family needs a Matthew." That's what I like to tell people. Even though in recent weeks you've been asserting yourself more forcefully, you are still so tender and mild-mannered, it's often very hard for me to resist sweeping you up, holding you close, and stroking your soft, soft cheeks.

Now that you are three, I'm suddenly noticing how tall you've grown, as well as how much more interested you've become in joining in with your big brothers and their goofy antics. I love your frequent plea of, "How 'bout me?" when you want to be included. You are a sharp little boy, and very observant. You love to put puzzles together, and you are forever sorting things by color and kind.

Your favorite thing to do each day is play. It is your work, and you are so good at it. Playdough, Legos, cars, animal figurines, kitchen toys, and magnets are some of your preferred things to play with; and they keep you busy for hours. You also love to have stories read to you -- and I love it when you curl up next to me to listen when I read them. When you pick the books, you almost always choose Mo Willems' Pigeon books. But as much as you love reading, you are a sucker for your shows. You're addicted to Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, Blue's Clues, Little Bear, Curious George, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, and anything with a minion in it.

Routine and familiarity are your two comfortable companions, along with your Snoopy and your cloth. Every day at lunch you request crackers, cheese, applesauce, and milk, after which you take a nap (though I think your napping days are slowly coming to a close). You like an order to things and get a little put out when something is different -- like when you see a toy put away in the wrong spot and shout, "Hey! That not belong here!"

But I love that your hand still belongs clasped in mine as we walk through the neighborhood. Every family needs a Matthew, and I'm so glad that we have you.

Love,
Mama

Matthew woke up to find his very own scooter.

 Helping me make a birthday cake.

And sporting a chocolatey face in the process.

I made him a Ding-Dong cake (decorated with a Hostess cupcake swirl). Between the two cake layers was a layer of cream filling, and the whole thing was topped with a chocolate ganache. It was almost too tasty.

 Opening a few more small presents.

Happy birthday, Matthew!!!