JP's 1st Birthday Party

Sunday we celebrated JP's first birthday with our family and a few friends. We had such a great time and we are so thankful for this sweet boy!






pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting...yumm!



pumpkin party favors


JP was NOT impressed with his cupcake! He just cried and wouldn't eat it!





After the party we had dinner with the grandparents and JP opened his presents.


He was so excited about his water table (or maybe the big box?). I love him putting his hands over his mouth in excitement!

Duck for President

Last Wednesday Emmie's class went to see Duck for President at the Columbia Children's Theatre. Poor Emmie was sick and couldn't go (she cried and cried...it was pitiful) but fortunately we were able to make the show on Saturday. And it meant that Ellie, Ruthie and I got to go too!

We had never been to a show at the Children's Theatre and it was AMAZING! We will definitely be going back for more of their productions.

I haven't actually read Duck for President but I loved how they made the electoral process easy for the kids to understand. It was such a great learning experience for my kids and it was entertaining at the same time!

I was pretty impressed with Ruthie. She sat still for the whole show and kept telling me afterwards "I like it!"

a ONE year old kind of day

Yesterday was a BIG day for JP. He turned ONE! That in itself is a big deal. Apparently he thought birthdays should be celebrated with milestones!

In the morning, I was getting ready in my room and JP crawled out of the room and into the den (where Emmie, home sick from school, and Ruthie were). I went to look for him a few minutes later. The girls told me they thought he was in my room. Ummm. nope. He had crawled himself out the doggie door for the first time. He was enjoying the rain and playing in the puddles.


For the last few weeks JP has been working on standing and will very rarely also take a step of two while standing. He has been working more and more on standing up and he really loves to stand up holding on to Ruthie's pillow. He really wasn't interested in taking any steps though. Until yesterday. He heard that one year olds walk so he thought he would prove that he is a one year old!






He was walking even more today and really well! I'm pretty sure that within the week we will have a full time walker!

And because he's a very advanced one year old he decided to practice being two. Tonight he took one of the baskets from in front of the fireplace and turned it on its side and squished it between the table and the couch. I was keeping an eye on him, waiting for him to use the basket to climb onto the couch. Instead he sat down on the basket, started grunting, and turned beet red. Yep, he was using it as a potty. I was laughing so hard I could barely tell Paul what I was laughing about!

Dear JP

Dear JP,

Today you are ONE! I can not believe how fast this year has gone but at the same time it seems like you've been a part of our family for so much longer. When we found out we were having another baby it was a HUGE surprise. I was definitely in shock for quite a few weeks. I knew from the moment I found out that I was pregnant that you were a boy. We didn't find out ahead of time if you were a boy or a girl but I just KNEW. Your daddy refused to believe it and I think it took him a while after you were born to really believe it! When you were born I was the first one in the room to see that you were a boy. The nurses all laughed because I didn't say "it's a boy", I said "I was right!" You were the best surprise we could have ever asked for!

JP, I could not imagine our family without you in it. Your sisters absolutely adore you. They were also quite shocked when they found out about you. Some of them weren't so sure about another baby. Yeah, they got over that real fast. They think you are the BEST. BABY. EVER. They want to do everything for you. They want you to play with them. They want to hug and kiss you all the time. Even Ruthie, our little "bull in the china shop", has always been so gentle with you. While they may have thought you were the best baby ever since the moment you were born, you were not sure at all about them at first. For the first few months you stared at them with big, fearful eyes. Now you are always right in the middle of what they're doing and I love listening to you make them laugh and vice versa. You follow them around and overall they're pretty tolerant of you getting in the middle of whatever they're doing. You let them dress you up as the "king" so they think you're pretty great. The other day you were outside with Ellie and Ruthie and you were waiting to grab them at the bottom of the slide as they slid down. All three of you thought this was hysterical. I could have listened to y'all laughing all day.

I think there is something special about a baby that you know will be your last. While it's really not okay that you still get up at night (usually only once and its pretty close to morning) I have more patience with it and snuggle with you a little longer because you are the last of my babies I will do this with. Every milestone you hit is bittersweet. Smiling, laughing, crawling, walking. You are the last of my babies to have these "firsts". Every step forward you turn into more of a little boy and less of a baby. It hurts my heart a little that you already have big boy hair (and have had to have a few haircuts!). I miss the soft baby fuzz. Just one more way you are growing up too fast! You still have a little spot under my chin that you like to lay your head and I dread the day when you stop doing that. You already have gotten to where you don't want to snuggle as much but every now and then you'll crawl over and sit yourself in my lap and I melt, every single time.

When I look back at your first year you were not my easiest baby nor were you my hardest. You are you. You are the baby that is perfect for our family. And you are not so much a baby anymore. I have loved getting to know you this year. I love your sweet smile and your frantic wave "hello" and goodbye" to everyone you see. I love your sweet laugh and your determination when you want something. I love your sensitive side and your tough "boyish" side. The little boy who shakes and screams when the hair dryer turns on is the same little boy who loves to hit the washing machine over and over because it makes a loud noise.

JP I can't wait to see what this next year holds for you. I can't wait to have lots of fun adventures with you and see what kind of trouble you and Ruthie can get into. You bring me so much joy and I love you more than you will ever know! Happy birthday sweet boy!

Love,

Mama

Kindergarten Performance

Last night the kindergarteners performed during the PTO performance. Ellie was a "leader" for one of the things that they did. She was SO excited to be chosen for this and she practiced so much to get ready for the big day!











I had a free ice cream at Chick-fil-a that was expiring yesterday so we headed over there afterwards for a quick treat for our big kindergartener (and her sister who was so excited to see Ellie perform)!

Dance

Dance has started back up and this year I have two dancers! Emmie is taking Ballet and Jazz. She decided to try jazz instead of tap this year. So far she is really enjoying jazz! 

Ruthie is my other dancer! She was SO excited to start dance this year. By the end of last year she was always so sad that she didn't get to go to class while we were at dance with Emmie (and she was always trying to slip in to a class...apparently she thought nobody would notice her in with the high school girls!). She is taking Creative Movement this year, which is ballet and tap. She loves her teacher and she's probably one of the youngest in the class but seems to be doing well! I will say it was quite hard to find shoes and leotards for a tiny 2 1/2 year old! I'm very thankful for some friends that have sent us their tiny leotards because they are not easy to find!

We spend 2 hours at dance on Tuesdays which makes for a long afternoon after school pick up but its nice to get it all done in one day. Ruthie has class first and while she's in class I do homework with Emmie and Ellie. Then we have a little break before Emmie dances. The nice thing is that it's so easy to keep my littles entertained. There are always a gaggle of older girls there that are so so sweet to Ellie and always come and find her and let her tag along with them before they go into class. We love our Bailey's family!

My girls adore Blair...she sat and listened to Emmie read the first day we were back...so sweet!

11 months

I am 11 months old!

• I wear size 9-12mo clothes (12mo fits the best but I don't have many 12mo summer clothes and the stores have all their fall clothes out!) and a size 4 diaper
• I love to eat. Some of my favorites are any type of fruit and eggs. I'm not big on any veggies and green beans make me throw up.
• I go to bed at 8pm and generally wake up around 7:15am. I usually get up once each night. I was doing pretty well sleeping through the night or at least until 5 or 6 but recently have lapsed back into getting up in the middle of the night. I usually take a catnap in the car in the morning and then sleep from 12-2 or 2:30.

• I love my pacifier. I get it occasionally during the day but mostly just at naptime and bed time.
• I take a bottle at breakfast, lunch, 4pm, and bedtime. Mommy will probably start transitioning me to whole milk this month. I really like to drink water out of my sippy cup so Mommy is hoping that I will also enjoying drinking milk!
• I have 6 teeth. Two on the bottom and 4 on the top. Those last 2 on the top were ROUGH.
• I ADORE my sisters! I love to go upstairs and play with them and I generally want to be right in the middle of whatever they're playing. Fortunately they're mostly willing to accommodate me.

• I love to hold on someone's fingers and walk. I also love to push toys and walk behind them. In a pinch I will substitute with a kitchen chair or barstool.
• I love to climb the stairs (because my sisters are up there!). I am starting to learn how to go down the stairs safely which makes Mommy happy!
• I am generally on the go with no time to stop and cuddle but every now and then I will get my pacifier and snuggle up to Mommy. I have a special spot I tuck my head right under her chin.

• I have started to go to childwatch at the Y a few times a week while Mommy swims. I do amazingly well! Mommy thinks it helps that Ruthie is in the same room as me.
• I jabber a lot. I say "mama", "daddy", "hello" (and often put my hand up to my ear like a phone when I say it), and "byebye" and wave.
• I love to climb and am getting in EVERYTHING!

• This month we went to Gran and Grandaddy's house for a few days. We had lots of fun playing at their house and also wen to the Children's Museum in Greenville which was lots of fun.

• This month Emmie and Ellie started school. I get so excited when we pick them up!

Emmie at 11months.

Ellie at 11 months.

Ruthie at 11 months.