Friday, July 24, 2015

Catching Up

We celebrated Avery's 6th birthday, Jack's first birthday, Easter, Mother's Day, my birthday, our 10th wedding anniversary (!) the last day of kindergarten, and Father's Day over a two-month time frame.









May had record rainfalls plus many tornado warnings. Avery was a little stressed. Eleanor was just happy to have a cookie.

happier with a helmet on


Avery won the Science Award this year!



Avery treated me to a spa day, but we quickly moved indoors due to mosquitoes.



Last formal day of school (kinder)

Last day of school.

Our 10th anniversary. Luke had someone recreate the top tier of our wedding cake (different flavor inside), plus bought me my wedding flowers. I cried. A lot.


Also, this blog feels forced now, and my time is short. It's great to have a record of our days, but I'm feeling the need to find something that requires less planning, less time at the computer, and something I can just jot down quickly. I love long stories, but I don't know that this is the space to share them anymore. I'm not sure how I'll document our family life in the future. Right now Instagram is doing a good job of capturing the snippets of daily life, and all of my favorite photos end up there these days. I know I'll want a more extensive record, but I think something more private is in order for that kind of journaling now that Avery is in school. The blog will hang around, since I want to capture all of this in a couple books. If anyone has other ideas on how to document life (that isn't paper scrapbooking), send them my way.

The First Year

Happy Birthday Jack!

Your first year flew by so fast. One minute I was welcoming you into my arms, and I closed my eyes for but a second, and you are one. I cried on your birthday, mourning the rapidly ending days of your babyhood, but I'm so eager to see who God is shaping you to be. You are funny and charming, and you have a million-dollar smile. You happily play all day long, sometimes on your own, sometimes with your sisters, and though you'll wander off to explore, you are always back near me, checking in, touching, making sure I'm still there.

You are cruising still, and I keep thinking walking is imminent (since I'm writing this more than three months late, you didn't walk until 15 months). You are a "rascal-baby" as Eleanor has dubbed you, into everything. Your favorites are the office to mess with the computer and the pantry, and if you can get your hands in the toilet, it's an extra special day for you.

You have yet to grace us with what I would call good sleep, but you aren't the worst sleeper ever, so I'll survive. You go down for naps very easily, twice a day, and each nap is usually a couple hours long.

Mealtimes are fun, because you aren't a picky eater yet (and hopefully never). You seem to like a lot of seasoning and don't mind spicy foods too much. We had to get you tested for nut allergies before we could introduce anything, and praise God you aren't allergic. We started you on almond milk and almond butter, since these are also safe for Eleanor, and if we get a moment without her around, we'll try out some peanut butter just for fun.

You seem to have sensitive skin, and we are constantly battling eczema on your face (to come over the summer - an elimination diet that seems to prove it isn't dietary, but it did give your skin a break and your face cleared up, with no reaction when the foods were brought back in).

You clap and point and babble and sit back and observe and love bathtime and your sisters and you are just the most fun.