Katie, Landon and Austin 2017

The first week in December was absolutely beautiful. As the sun was setting every afternoon I was itching to get outside and take photos of something. Owen and Wes were at the beach with Steve and Paula so I called Katie and offered to take some photos of her family. It was SO fun. Perfect golden hour light, the Harbor boats in the background, adorable kiddos and a mama whose love for her boys radiates from her. This may be some of my best work yet. 

5-Year-Old Love Letter

My sweet Owen,

With your 5th birthday you are growing into such a kind and thoughtful boy. You love Hazel and are incredibly sweet with her. You like to hold her every morning and know how to calm her down by bouncing her around and singing songs; "Bouncy Pig," which you made up, is my favorite. You've always loved babies and were just as tender with Wes when he was born. My little sister and I had this same kind of bond and my love of babies lead me to my career as a nurse. When you grow up you want to be a forest firefighter pilot and your eyes light up when you talk about it. One night you were talking about being a pilot and how much you would miss Wes if you were flying all over the world. You decided he would make a good co-pilot and he enthusiastically agreed.

We ordered you new shoes recently and when they came in the mail it hit me how grown up you are. They aren't little baby sizes anymore but full on kid shoes. As a parent I go about my day to day and then such moments come and bam, a pair of rain boots remind me how quickly you're growing before me eyes. I can see why kindergarten starts in your 5th year. All of the sudden you know all your letters, numbers and are interested in reading and writing. You academic interest has exploded and I can see your brain working in new and exciting ways. You're also starting to understand friendships and were thrilled that some of your daycare friends came to your birthday party. You consider your cousin, Devin, your best friend and want to know all about Star Wars so you can keep up with him and your friends at school.

At home you're pretty wild and you do a fair a amount of running, jumping and screaming. At school you're quiet and pretty reserved. You still don't love going to daycare but tolerate it and enjoy playing with your friends- Axel, Gavin, TJ and Ethan. You love your teachers Ms. Trish and Ms. Ali and I agree that they are fantastic. You refused to watch TV all summer long- you just wanted to be outside playing. But now that the weather has changed you would sit in front of the TV all day if I let you. Your current favorite shows are "PJ Masks," "Paw Patrol," "Blaze," and "Team Umi Zoomi." You are obsessed with pajamas and want to wear them all day, every day. You're incredibly creative and have the mind of an engineer.

You still don't like to fall asleep by yourself at night but we're working on learning that skill. Mommy and Daddy lay with you for 5 minutes and if you don't fall asleep in that time we leave for a bit. We always end up coming back and staying with you until you doze off. Physical touch is one of your love languages and though it can be a little tough to find the time to be with you at night I know that closeness is something you need. As our family has grown I'm working hard to understand you and your siblings individually and devoting time to the things that are important for you to feel loved and therefore thrive. Laying with you at bedtime is one of yours and though we're working toward phasing it out, I'm happy to lay with you for as long as you need me to.

As your mama my main goal is to teach you to being loving and kind, to be generous and thoughtful an to be grateful for all that you have. I want you to be empathic and respect people who are different from you. Your dad and I have been teaching you things and doing our best to build a foundation for you to stand on. As you grow I see these traits blossoming in you sweet little heart and I couldn't be more proud. I want you to have good behavior but my first priority always has been and always will be our relationship. If you're pushing the limits I try my best to understand why you're acting a certain way and see you rather than just your behavior. I hope you always know that nothing is more important to me than our bond so you can always be honest about your hopes, dreams, fears, failures and successes. I am your biggest fan and love you with all my heart. I am so proud of you and can't wait to see all the ways you learn and grow as a five year old.

xoxo,
Your Loving Mama

3 Year Old Love Letter

My sweet Wessy bug,

My little 3 year old. The last six months you've lost the majority of your baby fat and grown taller, changing your shape into more of a boy and less of a toddler. Your super chubby days are behind us. You've always been very articulate and that continues to increase as you get older. You like to give a play by play of what you're doing or thinking. You are a super big Daddy's boy and want nothing but his attention when he is around. You love riding in the hiking back pack while daddy is mowing the lawn and insist he carries you everywhere. I love that you admire Owen and look up to him but you very much have a mind of your own. You're okay doing your own thing and stick up for yourself. You have the sweetest voice and the best manners.

Starting at about 2 1/2 you entered into a shy phase which was new for you. When I took you to the dentist you got so freaked out that you wouldn't open your mouth, which you had done at the check up six months prior. You tolerate daycare but get really upset if your two favorite teachers, Ms. Lauren and Ms. Shelly, aren't there when you arrive. You've been mostly potty trained since the end of the summer and you picked up that routine pretty easily. As of your birthday, diapers are a thing of the past and I can't think of a time when you've had an accident.

You still sleep in your crib and really enjoy having that space to yourself. When you wake up in the morning you refuse to get out of your crib for at least 20 minutes. You're not a real morning person, like me, and need some time to adjust to being awake. I feel you- 100%. You still sleep in until 7:30-8 most mornings. You haven't been napping lately but will still happily sit in your crib and play for two hours every afternoon. I'm not sure if it's ever occurred to you that you could climb out, but even if it has I don't think you want to. Being the second born you've never been without a sibling around so I understand enjoying the one space that is yours and only yours. Even outside of your crib you love to play independently. Your favorite toys are magnitiles, your stuffed animals and trucks. You're still super attached to your blankie and puffin. You have the best laugh and the biggest, brightest blue eyes.

Update- I began writing this blog post a few weeks back and as I sit here on your actual birthday the sleeping situation has changed drastically. You no longer nap at all nor spend the afternoon playing in your crib, and crawl out first thing in the morning. Luckily, you are still sleeping in your crib at night and though you make it clear you don't want to go to bed you don't get out. Yet. I'm dreading the day when you do and don't think it will be long. But I will say, I love the sound of little Wessy feet in the morning.

In a family of three kids, each of you has unique advantages and challenges that come with your birth order. As the middle child, I want to make sure that you always feel valued and know how loved and important you are. You bring so much joy and light to our family, I could never imagine our life without you. I was a middle child and it never really bothered me so I hope you feel the same. Daddy and I promise to always see you and understand your feelings. We'll always do our best to meet your unique needs. I see a lot of myself in you. I am so proud of you and love that all the traits you had as a baby are still going strong. You're silly, funny, sweet, emotionally intelligent and kind. You're sensitive and when something upsets you it's hard for you to move past it, another thing that you get from me. You've been incredibly sweet with Hazel and love being the keeper of her binki. You like holding on to it so you have it on the ready when she cries. Seeing how patient you are with her makes me super proud. I've loved watching you as a little brother and seeing you move into the role of big brother is just as endearing.

As you grow I pray that your heart becomes more loving, kind, thankful and generous every day. I pray that you always know how deeply loved you are and that Jesus commands your destiny. I hope you know that I see you and I wouldn't change a single thing about you. Since the day you were born the world has been a more beautiful place and I can't wait to learn more about who you are as you learn, change and grow in your 3rd year.  I love you, sweet Wessy.

xoxo
Your Loving Mama