love

Dear Dexter (2 year letter)

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

Dear Dexy,

Two years have whizzed by and here we are once again, celebrating another birthday.  You have been celebrating for a few days already and we’ve told you happy birthday so many times that you probably have no clue when your birthday really is.  We decided not to have a big party this year, just a few small gatherings with the people closest to our family.
Such a big kid now. 
Every time we drive past a playground, daycare, or elementary school, you shout “mommy, a playground! I wanna go there!”  You are noticing everything in your world and telling us about it. Your vocabulary and ability to initiate conversation has exploded in the last couple of months. I love being able to talk to you in the car about every little thing you see.  
You have boundless energy and enthusiasm for life.  You have started having the occasional tantrum but you don’t hold a candle to your brother in that department. Yet.  Since you were tiny, you have always been this happy little guy.  Content. Laid back and happy to go with the flow.  It doesn’t seem to bother you when your schedule changes. Without a nap, you become more hyper and less willing to listen to redirection but it doesn’t ruin your day.  Like some people (no names!). 
You might end up being our little sports fanatic.  Just like daddy.  You have shown an interest in sports on t.v. and can identify most sports balls.  You taught yourself how to dribble a basketball and will spend lots of time outside in the driveway showing us and practicing.  You also love to just throw a ball.  Or bounce a ball. Or kick a ball. Or roll a ball.  I love that you have this interest because it’s yours and yours alone. This is not something that you like because Theo does.  This is ALL YOU!  
You love mowing the grass!
  
You have such a fun, curious, and mischevious personality, but you also have such a sweet side.  You love coming into mommy & daddy’s bed early in the morning and snuggling between us.  You’ll say “I wanna sun-gull.”  You love having someone gently tickle your back or belly.  You’ll say “kickle my bell-dee!”  You love giving hugs and chisses and frequently ask for them.  You tell us all the time “I love and like you!”  Sweet, sweet, boy.  I love and like you too.  More than you’ll ever know. 
You love to eat!  You are not picky about what you eat.  For almost as long as I can remember, you’ve been stubborn about feeding yourself.  We cleaned up a lot of messes because you started this at a very young age.  Apparently independence is wearing off because now you’ll often ask for help with your spoon or help with your fork when it’s too much trouble or effort for you.  You love meat, fruit, vegetables, cheese, sweets, and salty treats.  You’re just an easy guy to please.
You and your brother are quite a silly pair together.  Sure, you push and shove and take things away from each other but often times, the best part of my day is watching you play together.  Offering to help your brother or accepting help from him.  You love each other.  One of my biggest hopes for you and Theo is that you’ll always be close. That you’ll always love, help, and support each other.  That you’ll love each other’s kids and be the coolest uncles and the best dads in town.  You’ve got a great role model. 
Dexter, your daddy and I cannot imagine life without you.  You are an incredible little boy!  I’m so proud to call you mine, even though I know you’re not, really.  I’m just housing, loving, and teaching you until you are ready to take on the world. I’m honored to be your mom.  Two is going to be amazing!
all the hugs and kisses chisses you can handle,
Mommy

one week from today.

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

In one week, we will celebrate Dexter Jay’s 2nd birthday.  Hard to believe that two years ago I was just a week away from welcoming our second baby. Our second son.  And that we didn’t know if he would be a boy or a girl.  The last two years have been jam-packed with all things BOY, for sure.  It’s been a fun and interesting two years with lots of changes.  I can’t believe it’s already been a year since Dexter’s big 1st birthday party. It’s amazing how much faster time seems to pass once you have kids.  It’s easy to see how much can really change and how much a person can grow and develop and learn in a month or a year.  Dexter is an amazing, lively, energetic, happy little boy and I wouldn’t change one thing about him. 

That’s a lie. I’d make him sleep in a little later instead of always waking up between 5:30 and 6:30am every day.  But even with that being said, he’s healthy. He’s unique. He’s his own little person and such a huge part of our family.  So how could I even dream about changing that?  2 years already! Ryan has been saying he’s 2 for a couple of months now and I yell at him every time.  Let my baby be a baby.  I can still say he’s 1…and that sounds like a baby, even if I know he’s not. Something tells me when these kids are 10 & 11, we’ll think they were still babies at 2 & 3. 

xo,
~C~

Theo’s third birthday celebration

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

Can’t believe this was a year ago.  Can’t believe this was two years ago.  Yikes.

Friday morning we started our day with a quick breakfast at McDonald’s.  We’d planned on going to more of a sit-down breakfast place but as usual, it took us longer to get out of the house than we’d hoped.  The boys didn’t mind.

Afterwards, we drove to the Newport Aquarium.  The reason we were hoping to get an earlier start was because we knew the boys would fizzle out after/around lunchtime.  We still got there around 10:40.

One of Theo’s favorite things was this big demonstration tank and the scuba divers.
Dexy liked the alligators and crocs.
He doesn’t really measure up to Mighty Mike.
I can’t help it.  He’s such a dreamboat.
And little Mr. Handsome himself.
Waiting for the lorikeets to get interested in our nectar (they never did).
Theo showing off his little box of tiny critters/souvenirs from the aquarium.
I missed my mid-morning snack and by 1pm when we left the aquarium, I was ready to eat one of my children, poor dears.  Luckily there was the MOST AMAZING THING IN THE WORLD right there by the aquarium called a soup and grilled cheese restaurant.  What I don’t understand is if someone built a restaurant JUST for me, why am I just now finding out about it?  I give you Tom + Chee.  
Playing with new critters while waiting for our cheese. Yum. Cheese.
Heaven in a plastic basket.
Oh, ya know. Just drinking milk out of the carton like I’m in school.
Goofing off at B&N.
I found it really surprising that by this point in the day, Theo still had not mentioned anything about opening presents.  We had decided the night before that we would let him open as many of the ones that we got him and the ones that had been shipped to us from my mom and a friend when he woke up, if he asked.  We didn’t want to make him wait.  Since we ended up being in a hurry, we were relieved.  Finally, around 4pm, after we got to Ryan’s sister’s house in Cincinnati, he asked to open some gifts.  
After we went out to dinner, we came back for cupcakes, more presents, and more Toy Story madness. To say that the boy is obsessed would be an understatement!  
YUMMO.
Singing to my boy.
Make a wish!
Dexter was every bit as excited as Theo was.
His wish came true.  Emperor ZURG!
All in all, it was a long, exciting, happy day.  I think Theo got everything he had hoped for and has been playing with his new pals ever since.  We spent the rest of the weekend soaking up family time and playing outside on Sunday in the beautiful weather.  It’s hard to believe my baby boy is already three years old.  I know time’s not going to slow down any time soon.  Boo to that, but cheers to the next year and Dexter’s 2nd birthday coming up in two months.  
xo,
C
~C~