catch the moment 365: week nineteen

Posted on May 15, 2014 by mommyinthemidwest

Shew, what a week! My birthday, Dexter’s first trip to the dentist, Mother’s Day, and Dexter’s birthday. All jammed into 7 days. We’ve got Dexter’s little birthday party coming up this weekend so the crazy, fun chaos that comes with this time of year continues.

127/365: May 7th. Strawberry margarita = happy birthday to me!

128/365: May 8th. Dexter’s first trip to the dentist. He was a little nervous, but did great!

129/365: May 9th. On my way home from work.

130/365: May 10th. At the park.

131/365: May 11th. Mother’s Day. Dexter watching and waiting for his turn to ride Pop Pop’s tractor.

{pictures of me and the boys on the last five mother’s days here}

132/365: May 12th. Dexter had a fever all day Sunday and then Monday started throwing up. Pretty sad state of affairs for someone getting ready to celebrate his 3rd birthday.

133/365: May 13th. Dexter’s Birthday! After puking 10 times in 12 or so hours, he took a long nap and woke up feeling so much better. Thank goodness. I just made a quick box cake (orangesicle). Ryan and I thought it was delicious but the boys weren’t too impressed. B-day fail. Not the happiest birthday around here by a mile.

127, 128, and 130 are my favorite pics this week – that beautiful drink, Dexter at the dentist, and Theo swinging upside down at the park. Of course I like the one of Dexter’s birthday but honestly it’s just not my favorite picture this week. Womp, womp. Downer of a day. You know, I kind of think that sky on day 129 deserves an honorable mention. Not a bad photo week overall, huh?

Which photo do you like best this week?

xo,

~C~

Dear Dexter – You’re 3!

Posted on May 13, 2014 by mommyinthemidwest

Dear Dexter

Happy birthday buddy, my big boy! My Batman-loving little man.

You are so kind. Genuinely kind. This will carry you far in life, but don’t let people take advantage of your kindness. You care about people and have a sincere desire to be nice to them. You want to follow the rules and do what’s right. You love making people smile and feel happy. You are also wildly unique and wildly … well, wild! You love to run and jump and climb. You are fearful of almost nothing (just jumping in the pool). You trust others. You give the best hugs and the sweetest little kisses. You still ask for “milk hot” when you wake up and most nights before you go to bed. I don’t care…I will fix your milk hot as long as you ask me to. You are rarely ever still but you love sitting in my lap to read stories so I take advantage of those special times.

One hour old – meeting big brother.

You are almost potty-trained. We just need to work on getting you out of diapers while you sleep. You have come a long way in a short time with tremendous growth in your independence. You love to be outside. You are strong. You are tough. I have to remind myself that while you are MY baby, you are no longer a little baby. You fall and brush it off. You are a stinker and put me in my place sometimes. I will threaten you with a time out and you willingly run to the time out chair, laughing all the way. You sit there and shout out to me “mommy, I’m in time out!” Then come to me tell me to ask you why you were in time out. How am I supposed to keep a straight face, Dexter?

One year old – you still use this cup. Ha.

Your blonde hair is getting darker every year but your eyes are still a beautiful medium blue. You love all things Batman, along with other superheroes. You are falling just as deeply in love with Legos as your brother. Batman + Legos = a dream come true for you. You are a good eater with a wide variety of well-liked foods. You would eat candy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I let you and I have to constantly remind you that we have to eat more healthy things than unhealthy things. You are usually happy to oblige. You like coloring and playdoh.

Two years old – bad haircut but still cute.

You wake up happy and go to bed happy. You have a bright smile and a positive outlook to go with it. You are silly and smart and want to be a lot like your brother in a lot of ways. You talk like a baby sometimes and it drives me crazy. You stuttered briefly for a few weeks but it went away as quickly as it started.

While you are three, you will start pre-school. You will become 100% diaper free. (Our house will be diaper free….I can’t even wrap my head around that!) You will fall and get new boo boos for me to kiss. You will go to the beach for the first time ever. You will get even better at numbers and letters. You will get taller and your hair will get darker. You will outgrow everything that fits you today. You will find something new that you love and get tired of something that you play with every day right now. You will grow and change but you will stay the same. You will continue to make us laugh happy laughs and smile joyful smiles. You will continue to brighten our days and fill our hearts. I hope you will still hold my hand and hug and kiss me every day.

Three years old – happy birthday, babe!

I can’t wait to experience every milestone and challenge that three has to offer, right by your side. Welcome to 3 sweetheart!

Love,

Mommy

Mother’s Days

Posted on May 12, 2014 by mommyinthemidwest

I’ve been meaning to pull out our external hard drive for awhile to look up some pictures. One of my favorite things about taking pictures, and especially sharing them with others, is marveling at how much changes in a few short years. Here’s a recap of my Mother’s Days as a mom… I can truly say I’ve never been happier to hold any title.