nanny and poppy

Even as an adult, your parents can sometimes continue teaching you. You may not agree on everything in life--your personhood is now more separated and you have a family of your own--but there are still sweet lessons to be found.

I am so very thankful for the way my parents grandparent my children. It's a joy to watch them be intentional, to watch them show up time after time for both the important and the mundane. To see my kids' faces light up when Nana & Papa (or Nanny and Poppy as they've become) show up for birthday parties and soccer games and Christmas programs and random lunches. I am learning from their relationship that the best way to show love really is time. That physical presence can mean so much. I am grateful for these lessons, and most grateful for the ways my kids are benefitting from them.

my three-year-old sunshine

Sweet Shepherd,

You are three. You are crazy and wild and fun and adorable, and you are three.

You've grown up so much this year. You no longer just repeat things that the twins say--you make up entire stories all on your own. You talk and sing all day long. My favorites are "Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun" and "You are My Sunshine."

You love Cooper. You stalk him around the house and just want to lay your hand on him. You will sit and silently pet him for so long, you completely happy and Cooper a bit terrified.

You think you are as big as Barnes & Frances. You get so upset when they get to do something you can't. And for the most part, you totally keep up with them. You think their friends are your friends, and you get confused when things are separated based on age. Barnes & Frances are your very favorite people.

You're a little scared of Ellis. He bit you once, and for some reason every time he gets near you you start screaming and running, saying he's trying to bite you. You hate having to share with him and hide your toys from him.

You LOVE Belle. You love all things yellow, so her yellow dress makes her a hands-down favorite. The night before your birthday, you told me you wanted a Belle tea set. This was the very first I had heard about this, but knowing how much you love Belle, we made it happen. Now you dance through the house pushing your Belle tea cart, singing Be Our Guest and pouring a cup of tea into Chip.

You are the very pickiest eater. You say you will only eat macaroni and cheese, cheerios, and quesadillas, and you really don't eat too much more than that.

You are stubborn. You truly understand the power of no. You have all out refused to potty train.

You love construction, movies, soccer, TV characters, gymboree, bubbles, m&ms, ring pops, and performing. You like to wear your sunshine shirt.

You make everyone you meet smile. You have a unique charisma, and people fall in love with you.

You warm our hearts and make our family so much more special. We are so thankful to have been chosen to be your mom and dad. We love you immensely and cannot wait to see where your contagious spirit takes you in life!

Mom

Shepherd's Trolley Party!

A few months ago, Shepherd saw a trolley out and about and suddenly remembered that the twins had a trolley party once, so he just HAD to have a trolley party too. When Shepherd wants a trolley, he gets a trolley, so this past weekend we celebrated our middle love with a big Daniel Tiger themed festivity.

This party turned out to be SO MUCH FUN. We had an awesome face-painter, which was a huge hit with all the kids. Shepherd and Barnes turned into ninja turtles, while Frances became a princess. There was a hot dog cart, bounce house fun, the cutest cake, and most importantly, trolley rides! Shepherd went on all three loops, and the kids got a dance party going aboard after the last round. It was completely adorable!

Shepherd was adamant about three things this year: 1) he wanted yellow in the decorations, since that's his favorite color; 2) he wanted the trolley to look like Daniel Tiger's trolley; and 3) he REALLY wanted to invite his own school friends. He got all three things, and he never stopped smiling. Pretty sure Shepherd felt very celebrated and loved as he gets ready to turn three.

we love daniel tiger

happy birthday, sweet shepherd