Happy 1st Birthday Jonas!

I can't believe our sweet boy is ONE! He has truly been a bundle of joy from day 1. He is so easy going, loving, cuddly, sweet, playful and happy. He has brought unimaginable to joy to all of our lives and grown our family in so many ways other than numbers.

He definitely has his father's handsomeness. His eyes are so crystal blue with the longest eyelashes to compliment them. He's always smiling. I love how he pats my back when I carry him around and how he rubs my arm as I nurse him. He's such a gentle boy... (most of the time)

He loves to wrestle and love....we'll see how this develops as he moves more into toddlerhood. When we're all in the floor playing, he'll immediately come over to the girls and lay down on them to show love, but then switch into playful wrestler mode. It's been so sweet to see his boyish ways show at such a young age.

He loves to be chased and the girls love to crawl on the floor and chase him. He's also really started getting into dancing and clapping lately. Isla can make him laugh like no one else. She loves to entertain him. Laylin does too. She wants to see him when we're riding in the van. They are both constantly singing for him, performing for him and doing just about anything to get a giggle out of him.

His first word was momma and he says it frequently now. Especially when he starts getting tired. He loves to climb and open and close things. I can tell he really wants to figure out how things work. He will study an object for so long, investigating all its parts before moving on to the next. He definitely gets this from his father too!

He's a great eater, sleeper and car rider, but I can tell a shift is starting as he moves into toddlerhood and continues with teething.

We can't wait to see what unfolds in the years to come with our sweet Jo-Jo!

Kiddos Updates - Birthdays & Milestones

I've done a terrible job documenting the kids milestones lately as I'm a little more than busy. They keep my hands, feet and mind going strong all day long into the night lately as a few are fighting sleep.

Let's start with the oldest, Miss Isla Rae. Our big 5 year old!
Wow, I can't believe she is 5. Isla is my sidekick. She has the sweetest heart. Always helping, thinking of others and doing everything she can to put a smile on my face.
For our sweet girl's big birthday milestone, we visited Great Wolf Lodge on her birthday. She LOVED it! We all did. We were in the water for two straight days, celebrating with late nights, cake and yummy mac-n-cheese (one of Isla's favorites). Emery came along with us as well and it was so much fun for Isla to have a partner to do all the fun slides with.
We spent the summer going to parks, museums, libraries, pools and the Discovery place.
This week, we started her official first day of Kindergarten at home! Homeschool is our newest adventure and I can tell she is going to excel at it like she does so many things.
She has a deep love for cooking, art, singing, learning and Jesus. She makes my days so sweet!

Our little Laylin Jane just turned 3! This comes as a shock to most people we meet as she weighs a whooping 22lbs. But oh, she makes up for it in personality. There is nothing little about this girls strength, will and fierceness.
Laylin's birthday was a week+ celebration. We got to celebrate with the Jones family at the beach with a little party, then continued the celebration with the Bradbury family at one of Laylin's favorite places, Chuck-e-Cheese. On the day of her birthday, we had a small party at home, went out for ice cream and she went to Bible school where the whole VBS crowd sang happy birthday to her on stage! And guess what....she wasn't the least bit shy!
Our sweet little firecracker's favorite color is pink, she loves to change clothes 10+ times a day, she is hungry 24/7 for snacks and loves her siblings fiercely.

My little heartbreaker Jonas Finn is on the brink of taking his first step. Last week he started standing without holding on to anything. He's already improved his balance in just a few short days. He is nearly almost smiling. He recently got his first cold and even through being sick, he continues to have a smile on his face. He is such a light! He loves wrestling with Laylin, playling peek-a-boo and watching Isla. He's constantly on the go, but I love how he still loves to be snuggled by me.

These kids keep me busy and mostly crazy from sun up to sun down, but the simple blessings they pour out on me daily are irreplaceable. I thank God for calling me to be their mommy, chef, maid, caretaker, chauffeur,  nurse and teacher. It's a heavy weight some days, but such an incredible calling!

JoJo Jonas!

Sweet baby boy. Our JoJo is growing up so quickly! This week he started pulling himself up to a standing position. He's all over the place when he's on the floor and his crawling skills keep getting faster and faster.

He loves to play in the floor with his sisters, eat and take a bath. He's such a content easy-going baby. He just folds right in with all our daily activities and makes our lives so much sweeter. From sun up to sun down, Isla and Laylin are loving on him, fighting over who holds him and tending to his every need.

He is still my cuddle bear and I am holding on to every minute of it.

Jonas Finn 4 Month Recap

I have never held a more snugly baby than Jonas. I call him my little koala bear. He holds on to me so tight and his little cuddly body just mushes in to mine. I've had less time to sit and hold him as I did with Isla and even Laylin, but that's made our snuggles even sweeter.

He is such a pleasant little guy. Barely fusses for me and when he does, it's been pretty easy to detect what's bugging him. He manages his reflux really well and seems to always be happy. He smiles so much.

At 4 months old, he weighs 15lbs and 1.2oz. He is in the 54% for weight and 59% for height at 255.5 inches long. He was my smallest baby length wise at only 18inches new but is growing so well! He's mostly wearing 6 month clothes now, but has started wearing some 9 months sizes. He drools a lot and loves to make spit bubbles.

He brings so much joy to everyone in our house. Both girls are so in love with him. They constantly want to kiss, bounce, hold and talk to him. (Which means I can never leave him unattended with them!)

Laylin will say "Baby happy at me" when Jonas smiles at her. Isla swears Jonas talks to her. Maybe they have their very own special language.

At 3 months old he rolled over from his belly onto his back. He's yet to accomplish rolling from back to belly but he's trying everyday and Isla is even getting down in the floor to show him how to do it and cheer him on. He also started laughing out loud at 3 months old and does it with out much effort now. At first it was over a tickle he laughed, now I can just talk to him and he laughs. He loves it when I sling my hair around while I'm diapering him. I imagine I do look pretty funny, but it makes him happy so who cares, right?!

He started really smiling at 2 months old. It was more because he recognized my face and intentional than the smiles we saw before.

He does well with the bottle, is usually content in his bouncer seat and recently started sitting more in the bumbo.

He's always had great head and neck control and is so STRONG!

We love our little cuddly, snugly, smiley, sweet guy so so much!

Busy bees...

My girls have been keeping me busy lately.

If I could have one wish, I would wish Isla's non-stop energy and bigger than Texas personality was contagious! Being 6 months pregnant and already suffering from lack of sleep due to two little gals who try to climb in our bed every night... I could really use it! Her ongoing energy and enthusiasm seems to be limitless at times. I love this about her.

While Isla is bouncing off the walls, Laylin is following close behind. She tries to keep up with big sister best she can. She wants to do everything Isla does, but at the same time she is searching for her own independence. She may not say much, but she makes up for it in her feistiness.

Both girls are so different and so similar at the same time. I love watching their bond and love for one another grow daily. They are really starting to play together a lot more. Sure this comes with screams, fighting and usually Laylin hitting Isla, but none the less, they love each other. Isla tries to mother Laylin and Laylin rejects it by trying to run away. It's a push pull relationship, but the love these sisters are beginning to share is so sweet to watch grow.

They are both getting overly excited about the arrival of baby #3. As we prepare by getting the baby things out, I think Laylin is beginning to understand the concept of another baby coming.

I can't wait to see the relationship these two form with our third.

24 from my 4 yr old!

I asked Isla these 24 questions just after her 4th birthday and here are her answers... some are hilarious including the fact that she thinks I'm 12 yrs older than Joel! Makes since that she sees him as a big kid :)

1.       How old are you? "Ummm...I am 6. Just kidding, I am 4."

2.       What do you want to be when you grow up? "But every time you tell me not to grow up!? I AM going to grow up. I want to be a nurse."

3.       What makes you happy? "Laylin"

4.       What makes you sad? "Laylin hitting me"

5.       What makes you laugh? "Daddy tickling me"

6.       How old is Mommy? "20" 

7.       How old is Daddy? "8"

8.       What is something mommy always says to you? "Don't you grow up!"

9.       What is your favorite thing to do? "Go to the Y and swim"

10.   Who is your best friend? "My cousins"

11.   What are you really good at? "Doing my princess puzzle"

12.   What is your favorite book? "Princess story book"

13.   What is your favorite food? "Noodles"

14.   What is your favorite song? "Let it Go"

15.   What is your favorite animal? "The Alligator"

16.   What is love? "Mommy snuggling with me"

17.   What does daddy do for work? "He looks on his computer and he does some work on there"

18.   What does mommy do for work? "She spells everything out"

19.   Where do you live? "North Carolina"

20.   Where is your favorite place to go? "To the store with the fishies and the tiny shrimps" (Great Wall of Chinese Restaurant)

21.   What is your favorite thing to do outside? "Throw Bella's ball"

22.   What is your favorite holiday? "Come here, it's a secret...Christmas!"

23.   What do you like to take to bed with you at night? "Baby bunny rabbit"

24.   What are do you thank God for? "My family"

Growing Up...

These two girls are growing up. Neither no longer "babies" all though they will both always be My baby.

Laylin Jane wants to do everything Isla is doing so even though she's small,  I can sense her growing up even quicker. She's starting to talk more, humming songs, dance, run and twirl and is very playful. She's also still very feisty. She has a big temper and is not afraid to show it, but at the same time she is sweet as she can be. I love how she wraps her little arms tight around me now when I'm carrying her or rocking her to sleep at night. I can really feel her love for me and it makes my heart so full. 

Isla thinks she's nearly grown up now. She announces to me everyday... "Mom, when I'm 7 and all grown up..." She tells me about what her wedding will be like. How she will continue living at home with her cousin Lawson and all the fun things she will do. Its so entertaining to hear her tell stories. She is really good at it! She loves to perform, dance, sing and be the spotlight. I, of course, love it too. She keeps my days happy and there is never a dull moment with her.

My blessings, my gifts, my challenges and accomplishments these girls teach me so much about true love, understanding, patience and our Father's love each and every day. 

Sweet blessings!

Little Miss Laylin is In.To.Everything! This full blown toddler is keeping me busy. I never had to child proof this much with Isla. Laylin finds every small thing and every big place to climb.

She LOVES to climb. Up the stairs. Up onto the potty. Up on to tables. Up on her sister. Up on Bella. She can't get enough of climbing.

Big sister, Isla loves to encourage her to climb too and get into a lot of other things she shouldn't. These two are playing very nice together lately, but also getting into lots of trouble together. Its fun to watch their bond growing and see the love and excitement they share for one another each day.

Laylin is starting to talk and communicate with signs a lot more now too. She is signing a lot.
She signs: more, all done, eat, water, bottle, milk, banana, dog, night-night, sleep, bath, clothes, shoes and a few more words.
She says: Momma, Dada, Isla (her favorite word), Bella, Poppa, Mamaw, Papaw, dog, duck, water, bye-bye, hi, night-night, ball, baby and many more.

Isla has been learning to read with Daddy at night. I love to listen to the two of them reading together as I'm rocking Laylin to sleep. I think it's my favorite part of the day. Isla loves to learn. Her enthusiasm is contagious. She is a very quick learner too. She knows many sight words and loves to practice sounding words out bit by bit. She also likes to be the teacher too. Each night she tells Daddy or I that she will read one book to us and then we can read one to her.

I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to be with these sweet girls everyday and watch them growing, learning, changing and developing their own special personalities together.

Firsts...

Isla has had a lot of firsts lately and she has been over the moon excited about all of them.

Swimming lessons - she started swimming lessons in October. She is one of two in her class. I've been so proud of her excitement, confidence and her sweetness. The other little girl she is in the class with has been terrified of the teacher and being away from her mom. Instead of Isla getting upset
about the little girl screaming, she's been trying to calm her down. She tells her its going to be okay, shares the pool toys and smiles at her. I've been so proud to see her light shining and also proud of all her new swimming skills!

Dentist - she had her first dentist appointment this week. She was not hesitant at all to climb up in the chair and when they asked her how many teeth she thought she had, she opened her mouth and counted them one by one until she got to twenty. I was amazed at how well she did! She was super excited to get to pick out a toy from the treasure box at the end too.

Home with mommy - This is our first week of being home more. We've cut her preschool hours to just three mornings a week versus all week and she is doing school with me at home on Mondays and Fridays. Our first Monday was awesome! I had to be a little more flexible than I had planned, but overall it went well, she was excited to learn and we had fun together. This is a great trial for us to continue to explore homeschooling for the years to come.

She's growing up so fast that it often makes my chest ache. She no longer likes kisses on the mouth, she tells me - "on the cheek mom."
She calls me mom most days and if I'm super lucky, I get a mama, but hardly ever does she call me mommy.
She wants to do it all herself these days. She used to like for me to show her the way first, but now, she wants to do the first try herself too.

All these things are great and I love to see her growing smarter, stronger and more confident every day... but some days I just want time to stand still. I want to take a mental snapshot and remember her and Laylin in their thermal pajamas smiling at me before bedtime. I want to remember her silky skin and how she asks for tickles on her back over and over again. I want to remember how brushing her hair is a fight, but she jumps at the opportunity to brush mine. I want to remember her eyes lighting up when I tell her I'm going to put her to bed tonight, or snuggle with her for a little while.

I hope I remember all these things and more forever.

Laylin Milestones

Wow, Laylin has hit a lot of milestones since my last post and these milestones have been keeping me busy!

• For starters, she turned ONE!
• She hit her biggest milestone - WALKING! She is now up to 15 steps. She's getting more and more confident every day. She took her first steps on September 21st! 
• Now, she's not only a walker, but also a dancer! She loves banging her head to the beat of...well, anything. The TV tunes, music, sounds from a toy... it really doesn't matter. This girl just loves to dance! 
• She's still holding strong at just 4 teeth, but she's a great eater. 
• Still weighing in at a whooping 17lbs, but healthy. 
• Her personality has really started to shine recently. She's giggly, goofy, playful and feisty! 

We love our little Lay-LION!

A note to my girls...

Isla,

You're three years old and SO.MUCH.FUN! I love everything about you... you are strong willed, full of personality, incredibly sweet and sympathetic. Every day, you wake up bursting with energy, ready to take on the day! You are adventurous, brave and determined. You love to read, learn new things and do it yourself. You're so sweet and such a great big sister. I love to see your love for your sister growing and your special bond with her growing. Laylin lights up when she sees you and I can tell the two of you will have a lasting bond. 

Laylin,

My sweet one year old baby... you are oh so cute, and oh so feisty! I love how observant you are. You carefully study and watch everyone you encounter... taking it all in before you flash your toothy smile. You are playful and vibrant. I can see your curiosity increasing as you are eager to get into everything and explore. You are getting more confident with standing and I think those first little steps will happen any day now. I love how loving you are. You are such a cuddle bug. 

My heart grows bigger every day I spend with you girls. I'm amazed with how much love and joy you two have brought to my life. 

Laylin Jane - What I think about your first year...

As you are just 9 days shy of turning one. I hold you and think about you growing inside me. I think about the miracle of my pregnancy. I think about your little body intertwined in mine. I think about our first ultrasound. I think about how perfect God make you. I think about the pain I felt during labor. I think about the indescribable joy I felt holding your tiny body for the first time. I think about your first breaths. I think about what I thought was your last breaths. I think about how beautiful you were the first time I saw you. I think about those first few months. I think about the long naps and how content you were. I think about what a good baby you are. I think about the night I almost lost you. I think about the miracle of waking up that night to find you not breathing. I think about your little grey lifeless body laying on the floor. I think about that faint cry you gave that reassured me you were still breathing and broke my heart all at the same time. I think about how strong you are. I think about the hospital stays, doctors appointments, worry and fear. I think about the miracle of your life. I think about the alarm sounding from your monitor and the panic we used to feel. I think about the sleepless nights. I think about all the time we spent together in the dark. I think about how you love to be held. I think about how loving you are. I think about you growing and thriving. I think about your sweet voice saying mama for the first time. I think about how petite you are and how much you love to eat. I think about your feistiness and independence. I think about your strong-will. I think about how determined you are. I think about seeing you crawl for the first time. I think about you standing tall. I think about you clapping and waving bye backwards. I think about your sweet grin and your one and only tooth that's only a fourth of the way in. I think about the joy you have brought to my life. I think about you lighting up every time you see your sissy. I think about God's plan for your life. I think about the blessing that you are. I think about how much God must love me to bless me with you.

Onederful Laylin Jane

Our sweet girl is almost one! I can hardly believe in just two short weeks she will be turning one. In a way, it feels like a year has gone by, but at the same time when I look at her - I can't believe she is one. She still feels so much more like an infant to me rather than a toddler. I know part of that is me not wanting to let go of each stage, but part of it is because she is still such a peanut.

She is so incredibly smart. Absorbing everything we say and do. This week she started putting words together and said (and signed) "All done" at dinner time. She's also saying, mama, bye-bye and Isla.

She is signing all done, nurse and I think she is starting to sign sleep. Isla loves doing baby signs with her and Laylin is really starting to catch on.

She is standing up all by herself and in to everything!

I thank God everyday for such an incredibly sweet blessing. She is just the sweetest!

Happy 10 Months Laylin Jane

Laylin did a lot of big things after she turned 9 months old. She began to crawl and pull up to a standing position all on her own. She is babbling more and starting to make more sounds... I think mama and dada will be coming soon.

This week she is 10 months old, and the sweetest thing ever, but I've noticed she has started to develop a feisty side and her personality is really starting to show! Now, if Isla you take something away from her or do something she doesn't like, she will yell and smack her hands together letting us know she is not happy! I remember how much fun Isla was at 10 months and I love that I get to relive this stage with Laylin.

Looking forward to seeing all the things she does this month!

Happy Birthday Isla! You're Three!

Happy happy happy happiest of birthdays Isla Rae!! I love you so much. Watching you grow has been an unimaginable blessing to me. My love for you is unlike anything I could have ever dreamed of.

You are such a BRIGHT LIGHT! Your imagination carries us to amazing places and on comical adventures daily. You love to sing songs and stories and even just plain sentences. Singing has been one of your favorite things to do lately. You also love to twirl, dance and especially jump. You are such a climber and risk taker. There aren't many things that you are scared of. You have really become a brave girl... Yes, girl, you are no longer a baby (although, you will always be my baby).

You love to play lion and hide-n-seek. You also still love to be chased, explore outside and paint.

You've become quiet the girly girl, although you aren't afraid of getting dirty. In fact, you love to play in the dirt and make 'dirt cakes.' Your favorite thing to wear is a dress or swimsuit. You like to get your nails and toenails painted, but hate having your hair fixed. You also really like to play with mommy's make-up. In fact, you got into my blue eye shadow the other day and most of it was left crumbled in the bathroom floor (that's okay though, because I really shouldn't be wearing blue eye shadow anyways :) )

You love to read books and run through the sprinklers. Water play is on your list of favorites too. Your favorite colors are pink and purple. You love all the Disney princesses, but recently, Sofia the First has been your favorite.

You are incredibly smart and love talking. I love having conversations with you and hearing your sweet little voice. You are so sweet and loving. I cannot believe it has been three wonderful years already. You've grown so fast. You are my sunshine.

I love you so very much.

Mama.

Isla says...

Isla has had the cutest sayings lately and has been telling lots of stories! I wanted to jot these down so I don't forget...

cob on the corn (for corn on the cop)
cop corn (for pop corn)
I love you so much.... FOR EVERYTHING (she pulls the "for everything" from Cinderella and tells me this at least twice a day)
Happy Mother's Day (we're two weeks past mother's day, but she still tells me happy mother's day everyday... I love it!)
Booty shake (this girl loves to shake her booty... and be naked!)
Rarrr (she loves scaring people)


She has the best imagination, loves to sing... even normal conversations... and has had the best attitude lately! I'm so grateful for her sweet heart and the strong bond we share.

She has my heart...

If I counted the kisses I give this girl daily, I think I would loose count after 100. So so sweet!

Sweet Laylin Jane is 8 Months Old!

Every day gets better and better as Laylin grows. She is such a sweet heart. I think she's going to hit some major milestones this month and next. I can tell such a big difference in her lately.

She is getting louder and really finding her voice. She has taken a much bigger interest in toys and her big sister. She is also showing more effort in rolling over and trying to crawl. She pushes her body up with her arm and squirms her legs behind her, but hasn't quiet figured out how to get up on all fours yet. She will though... and soon!

She doesn't show any interest in eating though. We've tried several times, but aren't forcing it or in any rush. When she's ready, we'll know it!

She LOVES the water. She squeals as soon as we turn on the faucet or start filling up the tub. She also LOVES her mama! She lights up when she sees me and immediately gets sad when she can't see me. A little separation anxiety starting to form...

Her and Isla have started to play more and I love to see the bond forming between these two sweet girls.

She finally weighs over 16lbs! Such a chunkier!

We're a little behind in taking her 8 month pictures since we were on vacation during her 8mo bday, but I'll get those posted soon.

The differences...

Love watching these girls and seeing the differences and growth, development and especially personality. They are both so uniquely special! I love how God crafts each one of to be special in our own way.

7 months of sweetness...

Our lil peanut is officially 7 months old. She is full of happiness. I am sometimes amazed at how happy and breathtakingly sweet this little girl is. Oh, and she is incredibly loving.

• She smiles and giggles a lot
• Lights up when she sees Isla
• Is rolling over
• Loves to listen to my voice
• Is sitting up
• "Talking" and cooing a lot! - its as if she is humming sometimes
• She's very ticklish, easy-going and content

We feel incredibly blessed to spend every day with the cute little miracle of Laylin Jane!