Tucker Monthly

42 months old!

And this face says it all...

These days, Tucker has so much personality, whether he's talking our ear off or being silly.  I still love these big lips that he's had since birth :)

Happy to be eating a milkshake at Tenders - one of our local favorites.   

 I had to snap this picture of Tucker napping since it's a rare occasion these days.  He doesn't seem to be ready to go a full 7 days without one so he'll usually fall asleep one or two days a week but most days, he just has some quiet time in his bed.

 Enjoying putt-putt at the Young Life Mini Golf Tournament.  I think this will be a frequent activity this summer...if Daddy has the patience :)

 Sweet sister time...  when he's not being too tough, Tucker really is happy to be close to his sister and the same is true of Hadley.  Our "after nap" time is always a sweet time of day!

 Visit from Charis and my friend Amy - what a treat!

 Fun times at a birthday party with his best buddies, Max and Miles.  These 3 just look like trouble, don't they?  :)  Maybe the fact that they're clothesless makes it worse :)  We are thankful for good friends and a fun summer ahead to spend with them!

There was a sweet Mother's Day Tea at preschool.  It was a special day for me because it was the only class event that I've gone to without Hadley.  Most of the time I'm so busy trying to keep her from destroying the classroom that I barely get to focus on Tucker so I loved this morning with my boy!  I even got a kiss :)

Tucker is nearing the end of preschool and we still can't say enough good things!  Words to describe him these days are independent, stubborn, silly, observant, and curious.  We hear "why" and "what for" often and his memory of random things in the past still amazes us.  He loves Jake & the Neverland Pirates and riding his scooter on walks around the neighborhood.  We love you Tucker boy!

Bike Day at Preschool

Tucker had so much fun taking his scooter to preschool!  It was a cooler than average morning but the kids had fun.  As you can see in the group picture, Tucker was very sad to say goodbye to Mommy...and his scooter.

Hadley Monthly

15 months old!

Hadley seems to be crossing over into toddler territory.  She seems much bigger and more capable...or at least she thinks she's more capable :)

She loves anything of Tucker's... maybe one day she'll play with dolls?

 She was introduced to her first milkshake and she was down to business :)

 She still loves going in to wake up Tucker.  These two get along really well for the most part-- the issues are usually only related to Tucker not wanting to share his favorite toys :(

 We had fun celebrating Cinco de Mayo since Hadley's little friend Clara turned 1 that day.  These pictures of her make me laugh and that seems to wrap up her personality!  She's funny, silly, and carefree.  She's starting to purposely do things to get your attention and make you laugh.  Tucker and her have also started going back and forth and it gets pretty rowdy around here :)

Hadley's wearing 18-24 month clothes and size 6 diapers.  She's still taking 2 naps but her morning nap is pretty short-- you can tell she's going to drop it in the next few months.  She loves to eat and doesn't turn down much :)  She's still drinking her 3 bottles of milk a day and we'll probably try to start transitioning to milk in a sippy cup soon.  She's into everything and doesn't seem to play with one thing more than a few minutes.  She's saying a few more words--  "night night", "Tucker" (her own version), "de-de"(her blanket), and "pease"(please).  

Here's to a busy summer!

Hadley Monthly

 Hadley is 14 months old!  This picture of her above is her in a nutshell-- ON THE GO!  This girl never stops.  Our days are full of shutting doors, putting up gates, childproofing kitchen cabinets, and making sure things aren't on the edge of the counter.  To say she is adventurous is an understatement and she is curious on every level.

Hadley enjoyed her first Easter (since last year she was too little to notice).  She attempted to gather a few eggs and followed big brother, of course.

Hadley with a bow in her hair-- a rare occasion.  I have to distract her while I'm putting it in or she'll take it out immediately.  If I'm lucky enough to get it in, it's usually minutes before she figures it out and  rips it out. Maybe one day?  :)

Oh, I love these baby snuggles!  Hadley is busy but when she slows down, she LOVES to snuggle and sit close.  I have to soak up these few and far in between moments.

This month she accomplished the ride on toys all by herself.  She's very proud :)

A sweet time of our day is after afternoon naps... Tucker loves for Hadley to join him in bed and Hadley doesn't mind either :)

Hadley learned how to eat out of her snack trap on her own. This is a lifesaver when we're on the go or just trying to keep her occupied.  She of course tries to pull the lid off (Tucker NEVER did that--the simple difference between these two :), but we haven't had too many puffs disasters in the car.

Sweet moment-- Hadley loves her "dede" and sucking her finger... JUST like big brother.

And she loves her Daddy.  Daddy is a little smitten with her too :)

The scowl.  We were introduced to that this month.  I won't say which parent she learned this from :)

Hadley, you are a joy.  You are busy, but you are a joy.  Who knew a 14 month old could be so physically demanding.  Thankfully you sleep like a dream and the long night of 12 hours that you sleep is a nice break for this tired mama!  You are happy, silly, and carefree.  You love to eat and will try just about anything.  Your favorite foods are sweet potatoes, pancakes, sausage, applesauce, and anything cheese!  You still love your bottle--3x a day--and it's hard to imagine stopping that anytime soon, although we will probably need to.  You are more shy these days, purposefully being hesitant when someone approaches you. You are sad when I leave you but seem to quickly bounce back.  You are taking a shorter morning nap and a good 2-3 hour afternoon one.  You love going on walks and playing outside.  You cry when we come in.  The TV nor anything else holds your attention more than a few minutes... you are busy.  Have I mentioned you are busy?  But, you are sweet and your cheeks are so edible that I must kiss them 100 times a day.  We are thankful for you!

Tucker Monthly

 Tucker is 41 months old.

He still loves diggers and is happy with them in the mulch, inside, or with just reading about them in books.  And he's training his sister to love them well also...

Speaking of his sister, she totally idolizes him.  She's constantly watching him, copying him, giggling at him... and a lot of times, just like in this picture, he doesn't even notice :) 

 These days, he is silly...and mischievous.  This month, he officially stopped napping (with the exception of one or two days a week) and we transitioned to "room time".  Well, we attempted to transition.  At first, we allowed him to "play quietly" with a few toys and books in his room but he quickly proved to us that we had given him a little too much freedom.  It only took him a few days to figure out how to remove the childlock knobs off of his door as well as the door into walk-in storage in his room.  One day, after finding that he had pulled several items out of the attic into his room, the rule of "stay in your bed" was introduced back into room time.  Now, he just has quiet time in his bed with a few books--he's doing much better now!

 He enjoyed a visit with Papa while we were down at the beach this month.  We are blessed with a lot of grandparents and great-grandparents. And what's cooler to a 3 year old than a great-grandpa that wears a cowboy hat, cowboy boots, and has his own farm?  

 Tucker is a big helper to Daddy in the yard and in the garden.  He's taking his role very seriously and can even name the flowers that are planted in the yard :)  His wife will thank Brad one day!

 Tucker is still loving preschool and his weekly playdate with his buddy, Max.  He is never sad when we say goodbye and is proving to be more and more independent.  He loves everything in it's place and still doesn't like to see a mess.  He loves to read and looks forward to our trips to the library to find new books.  He loves to ride his scooter and is finally getting brave enough to use the orange brake to "stop".  He loves Saturday mornings with Daddy and trips to Target with Mommy :)  Our little boy is seeming really big these days and it's hard to believe he's well on his way to 4 years old.  We're looking forward to a fun summer!

Beach!

Even though Tucker's only in 2day preschool, we took full advantage of Spring Break and headed to the beach.  It was a good change of environment and of course, the help from Gigi is always amazing!  Being in a different place is always a good bit of work but I think it's worth it?  :)  

Hadley is really into chairs right now-- she loves to crawl into or on top of things to sit on.  This is all fine and good until she tries to stand up...and she always does :)

 I.love.this.picture.

We had a few days that were warm enough for the beach.  It was Hadley's first real experience in the sand and water since last year she just hanging on the blanket or in the stroller.  She LOVED the water and even though it was really cool, she just kept wanting to run back in.  The giggling would take over and she just couldn't get enough :)  She didn't eat the sand as much as I thought she would and she was super friendly with everyone near us.  I have a feeling this summer will be full of LOTS of chasing!