3 months tenley.

tenley girl, you still have us on the edge of our seats over here! something's always changing-never the same old boring routine with you! one day the swing is a big hit and the next...not so much. sometimes you'll take your paci...and, well, for the most part you just chew on it a bit and spit it out (i think you'd prefer your hand, pointer finger or thumb, but we're trying to avoid it). what seems to work one day most likely won't mean biscuits tomorrow. we like to refer to you as our "high needs child" :).

there are a few things that we are very certain of though:

-you DESPISE the car seat
-you CANNOT STAND being alone (hence, all the meals spent holding you at the dinner table while trying to scarf down chicken nuggets, chug a Dr. Pepper, and attempting to control rylan's graceful eating habits all with one hand)
-you are sensitive
-you are emotional
-you are not afraid to voice your opinion (trust me we've heard it a million times and yes, loud and clear)
-you like to sleep with a blanket over your face (we're keeping an eye on you with this one)
-you are a night owl like your momma-you always seem to want to talk the most when we're getting you ready for bed
-you're a daddy's girl (sure, you like me too, but i see the way your eyes light up when you look at him, and i wouldn't have it any other way :)

you're still not a fan of tummy time, but have become a bit more interested in touching your toys. rylan has been helping me try to get you to play!

we've gotten a few good laughs out of you (daddy gets the best ones!), but you are a tough one to crack!

just recently you learned how to blow raspberries and i must say it's adorable.

you are eating every 3 hours, go to bed at 9 pm and usually give us about 7-8 hours before you need to eat again. daddy puts you to bed at night and you go to sleep pretty easily.

we love watching you learn and grow and i can't get enough of your sweet face :)

looking forward to another month with you.

love you forever,

momma

2 years rylan.

is this real life?

i cannot believe this day has come,

the day that i can no longer call you my baby.

the time to no longer count in months, but in years.

2 years old, my precious son,

my first born.

i catch tiny glimpses of the little man you are becoming every day-in the way your neck has slimmed up right along with your cheeks and your belly, your little boy hair that sticks up in all sorts of unimaginable directions after bedtime, how your "uh-huh's" and no's have suddenly taken on meaning, the way you always want to do everything yourself, and in the expression on your face as you concentrate on something new.

i still remember when i laid my eyes on you for the first time. it was like all my dreams coming true at once, all the love in the world ever felt all at once to where my heart could just burst and you were mine. my son.

sharing these past two years with you has been the best and i feel like i've known you a lifetime. i am the luckiest to get to share my days with you.

i praise the Lord for blessing me with your tiny sweet soul and i pray for many more years of life together, as well as an eternity.

and forgive me, but i may just continue to call you my baby anyway because, although time changes everything, i'll always remember the day i locked eyes with you, the sweetest baby boy in the whole wide world and that baby will always be mine.

i'm a fool for you.

love you forever,

momma

6 years, my love.

seriously? it's been 6 years since the day we got married. i remember it like it was yesterday.

the chill in the air, the ice on the ground, how you ran to me during our "first look", the shake in my voice while saying our vows, the moment we turned and looked at each other with our "i can't believe it-we're married!" faces, the crimson rose petals, and the feeling as we drove away from the reception as Mr. and Mrs. still gives me butterflies!

the past 6 years have been undefyingly beautiful and overwhelmingly abundant in all things. the spiritual growth that has occurred, the day-in-day-out sacrifice you've given, the tears, the laughs and the joy, oh and the love, the love runneth over.

i love raising babies with you, our dance offs, how you can fix anything, watching you and rylan wrestle, road-tripping with you, the way you roll tortillas, how you put tenley to bed at night, sharing "snackies" with you and how you always sing the wrong words to songs. i will always be jealous of your swaddling skills and the way you can back a truck up into the tiniest of spaces, but most of all i love figuring out how to do this life in a way that glories Him with you.

these past few years have only solidified "our verse" Philippians 1:6,
"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect in until the day of Christ Jesus".

to say that it has all been easy would be a tall tale, but having you by my side on this journey has been the delight of my life.

i pray that tenley marries a man as good as you and that rylan walks tall in your footsteps.

i love you Mr. Baker,

-the Mrs.

23 months rylan.

the twos are really hitting hard these days and it's been a bit rougher on you now that i have to split my time between two kiddos. i'm still fighting to get good quality time with you though, don't worry. some days are easier than others and some days it's really a struggle. i hate that i end up having to occupy you with the ipad or tv while i take care of tenley sometimes, but that's just the reality of life now with two littles. oh, but some days things just jive, you know, and we are back on our time, just me and you. and everything is right in the world.

you are becoming quite the little man with your first real haircut and losing your poochy baby belly (which i'm not too fond of by the way). i was buttoning up a collared shirt on you the other day and all i could think about was you getting dressed for your wedding day. buttoning up your shirt, putting on your tie and jacket, making sure everything fits just right. how am i ever going to let you go? this momma's heart can't take much more of this growing up thing.

some of our favorite sayings of yours right now: "tenwey" aka tenley, "mick time" aka milk time, "ssssnack??"-shakes head yes, "sit me"-sit with me, "wub you"-love you, "see you, bye", "come on!", "vee"-wee,  and listening to you say the alphabet is the absolute best thing on the planet.

almost every time we drop you off at church or the gym lately someone comments on how smart you are or how many words you know. we think you're the bee's knees kid and i think you know it.

love you forever,

momma

2 months tenley.

oh tenley girl, can i just say things are starting to look up with you! now, don't get me wrong, you are still by no means an easy baby, but we're coming right along you and me.

we've finally figured out that your tummy causes most of your fussiness and by most i mean 80% of the time, the other 20% can be chalked up to the fact that you never want to be alone. yep. you're a snuggler. the other day we were all bundled up together and your little hand had the tightest grip on my shirt as if you were pleading me to stay with you forever. so i stayed there and studied your perfect little pouty lip and button nose and traced my finger along your chubby cheeks that seem to take up the majority of your tiny face. yeah, there's nothing better than this.

you're a pretty fidgety little sleeper and the sound machine is your best friend. i'm sure you will be wearing ear plugs one day just like mommy ;). we've been putting you to bed around 9 pm lately and you usually give us at least 6 hours of sleep. we're hoping you will move to 8 hour stretches soon-mommy and daddy need more sleep baby girl!

you've started talking to us more this month and have been smiling like crazy! it brings your daddy and i so much joy and we make fools of ourselves trying to get you to show us your dimples! they're the sweetest dimples i've ever seen too by the way.

you have taught me so much in your short two months. things that i hate to see in myself, things that i didn't even know were there, things that God is now working on in me and for that i am eternally grateful. you are my biggest sanctifier little one. you have drawn me closer to the Lord and i'm falling more in love with you every day.

love you forever,

momma