Michael turns 10

This post is from more than 2 months ago!  Bad Mom moment #18,937,463,873.... nevermind too many to count!

On March 23, I officially have two kiddos in double digits!  I can’t even believe the little 3 year old boy who came to me with dimples in his hands, cheeks from ear to ear and an appetite of a 10 year old, is now actually 10.

Yes our Michael is moving onto his second decade of life and I can hardly believe he’s grown up so much- right in front of my eyes.  The boy with such wonder of how things work, why things are the way they are, and curiosity that never stops… yes he’s still the same, just in a much bigger version.

To celebrate Michael turning 10 we celebrated with him on our vacation of a lifetime- I say that because we will probably never experience a vacation as elaborate as that with the kiddos still home.  The cruise was his gift and he made sure we didn’t forget it. 

In my office at my work, I have the first pictures of the boys that were shared with Jarrett and I at the red file meeting back in May of 2010.  

Sorry, can't get it to turn the right way- The first picture we saw of the boys.

Those pictures I look at each morning and smile thinking, as crazy as they make me, my life wouldn’t be complete without them.  I’ll never forget the emotional response I had upon seeing their beautiful faces and to this day, when I look at those pictures, my heart rate increases as I feel love and the emotions I experienced back them, come rushing back.  Michael’s innocent, yet life-experienced beautiful green eyes stare into the picture with a smile so wide his upper lip can’t curve.  Such a cute little bugger (as my grandma would have said), he’s changed so much, but the smile still the same and his eyes still as beautiful.

Oh my heart... how can he be so grown up?

He still had his baby cheeks.

Of all my living children, Michael has taught me the most about being a mom, about patience, forgiveness and about trying to understand more.  It’s not a surprise, he’s been our biggest challenge- he after all is most like me in his stubbornness and determination to keep talking til he wins the argument.  After the dust settles and we come back to the center, I always tell him he’ll make a great debater or attorney someday. He’s not one to quit and I think that will take him far in life.

Michael at the NCAA Experience in March

Getting ready to slam dunk a ball!

Throughout our times of foraging through the bumps in our life, Michael is always one in the end to think more about others before himself.  Like yesterday after work, I was carrying in Madelyn, about 4 bags and had three other things in my hands I was about to drop.  While the others ran ahead, Michael stopped and said, “Mom, what can I carry, reached out to grab some stuff and then ran ahead to open the door for me.  Just one example of many things he does thinking of others first.   

Or how he tries to be so sneaky in asking what size shoe I wear and what is my favorite style, so he can use his hard earned saved money to buy me a new pair of shoes.  When I asked him why he said, "Mom you haven't gotten new shoes in a long time, you deserve them."  Makes me cry just typing this. 

Of the many reason I am so proud of him, this year I am soooo soo so proud of how well he’s done in school.  He has a great teacher who challenges him, holds him accountable and encourages him to always take his performance to the next level.  That is what motivates and drives Michael and he’s had his greatest year so far.  He has excelled academically, socially is engaged in good relationships amongst his peers and tries his best to appease his teacher.  While he still needs help in keeping himself organized, -he may or may not have lost his daily agenda for a month (he recently found it again and had it signed for over a week straight), he has done such a great job, I am so proud.  He also recently participated in his grade science project fair and of over 100 science projects judged by engineers from GE, his project on sleep deprivation was one of only 10 projects to receive recognition and an award. 

Michael's' State of Arizona float project, which he received an award on.  

The kid loves to learn... here at the ASU Night of the Open Door here he is learning how to dress a wound.

Michael has been participating in baseball this spring and after taking a two year break has been doing a nice job reconnecting with the sport.  It has been so fun to watch him play again.  Michael is an excellent big brother and such a great help with Madelyn.  He watches and protects her in all cases and would do anything he could to make her smile.  I often hear him telling her how much he loves her.

Michael is truly a gift to our family and loving in ways I never knew I’d get to experience.   We have watched Michael grow, change and mature so much in this past year and a half it makes me wonder what the next few years have in store.

With knowing I only get to have Michael around for another 8 years before I have to let him go expand his wings, I try to tell myself to cherish the moments.  I know they will go by too quickly.  The first 7 together have most definitely.  As Michael begins his 10^th year, I want him always to know just how much his dad and I love him.  How we push him to always do his best, demand that he does things with quality and to always do more than is expected, because we know it will help him in the long run.  I hope Michael knows just how proud we are of him, how confident we are that he will achieve anything he sets his mind to and how we are always there to support. 

 Michael we wish you a very happy birthday!  It was sure fun to celebrate with you on our vacation.  It will a trip I’ll never forget.  I love you always Michael.  While you may no longer be the toddler boy with the dimples in your hand, you’ll always be my little boy.

Love you always,

Mom and Dad

Madelyn's a year.

365 days ago today I was laying in recovery cherishing each moment with my healthy, full of life, full term, even chubby newborn.  It had been 9 full months of fighting to get to that moment and as exhausted as I was, my heart felt love in another new way.  My spirit felt renewed and I thanked God for the blessing we had just been given.  Yes 12 months ago this morning.  It seems like yesterday. 

Waking up this morning to our happy, loving and "big" as everyone tells me Madelyn, my heart felt similar to how it did that morning a year ago.  My spirit remains renewed, I am thankful to God for the life he has blessed me and my heart feels love in another new way.

In the past 12 months Madelyn has enriched our lives in ways I could never have imaged and even more fully than I hoped.  Madelyn's siblings LOVE her, smother her in hugs and kisses to the point we have had to ask them to give her a little space.  And Daddy and I are pretty smitten with her too.  Other than being a little stinker when it comes to sleeping in her bed, we caved around month 10 and just put her in bed with us a couple of nights and now there's no going back from the slippery slope, Madelyn is a WONDERFUL baby.  She is super easy going, smiles more than she ever frowns, is a good eater (hence the reason why everyone tells me she's big) and she's smart.  She says many words, including "Momma, Daddy,  Meme- Mommy hold me, Jack, This (for something she wants and points to, Jack, and when we ask her if she wants to brush her teeth, she opens her mouth and says, "ahhhhhh"  

She loves to dance, waves bye bye and signs "all done" when she finished eating.  Her favorite foods are toast, strawberries, blue berries, spaghetti, mac-n-cheese, yogurt and sweet potatoes.  

Her favorite toys are cars to race, her Cabbage Patch baby she carries around and blocks, which she dumps out and then puts back in.  She likes to play with books and laughs everytime Mickey Mouse Club House comes on the TV.

My favorite this she does now is give kisses.  She kisses open mouth kisses and its so sweet.  She also learned that when we pray at dinner and bedtime she should fold her hands.  She joins in now and after we pray she claps to cheer that she did something exciting.  

Yes, at 12 months I can hardly believe she's doing all these things and more.  I can't believe a year ago today I laid in that hospital bed, wiped out, but still so excited, happy and full of love.  Man that was one incredible day.  And as wonderful as that day was, I sit here today and give thanks for each day I've been blessed enough to be her mom and have her in my arms each night.  I still do not take that part for granted.  

Here is a quick look back at some of Madelyn's pictures from the past 12 months.... This is just a start of her bday posts.  So many pictures to put in just one post.

May 2016- Newborn

Newborn- 6 days old

June 2016- 1 MONTH

July 2016- 2 MONTHS

2 months

2.5 months.... who does she look like?  Mommy or Daddy?

2.5 months

August 2016- 3 MONTHS

3 months

Love those toes!

September 2016- 4 MONTHS

Getting ready for Noah's Kindness Project

On our way to the doctors office?

College Football Season!

OCTOBER 2016- 5 MONTHS

Growing just a bit!

Loved by her siblings!

Her brother Noah's bear is getting pretty small in comparison to her!

Fun to see who she looks more alike?

NOVEMBER 2016- 6 MONTHS

One of her favorite faces!

DECEMBER 2016- 7 MONTHS

JANUARY 2017- 8 MONTHS

FEBRUARY 2017- 9 MONTHS

MARCH 2017- 10 MONTHS

11 MONTHS- APRIL 2017

MAY 2012- 12 MONTHS

Madelyn we hope you had a nice birthday, although as low key as low key can be.  We hope you know just how much you are loved, how deeply you are cared for and for how grateful we are to have you in our lives.

Madelyn, 365 days ago you came into this world and started the process of rebuilding our lives in a way we didn't know how to do with out you.  This past year has been incredible and we love you more than you'll ever know.  Happy birthday my darling. Being your mommy for this past year has been such a gift.  Happy birthday baby, happy birthday.  Love you always, Mommy and Daddy.

Until next time

Angie