Fletcher's first Easter

You may be a bit confused by the title of this post, but I assure you that it is accurate.  Even though Fletcher is now over a year old, he just experienced his first Easter.  This didn't really dawn on me until after the day was over, because typically those first holidays all happen in the first year of life.  Since Easter moves, however, Fletcher experienced his first birthday before his first Easter.

We celebrated Easter morning at church in Greenville and then had lunch with my parents and grandparents.  It was really wonderful to celebrate the birth of our Savior with my family.  We have gone to church in St. Louis the past few years, and it was fun to be back celebrating in Greenville.  Audrey decided to sit by my grandma the entire service (by her choice with no prompting) which made my grandma's day. 

Fletcher is extremely fascinated by plastic eggs, so it made him very easy to entertain.  He had more fun trying to take apart and then put things back in the eggs than hunting for them.

He was also more excited about the empty plastic eggs I put in his Easter basket to add a little color than he was about the toys. His siblings made sure he didn't forget about the toys completely though.

It had rained Sunday morning, so the grass and ground were a little soggy.  That didn't deter the older kids though.  Audrey and Barrett had so much fun finding the egs that I had a hard time getting a good picture of them.  Most of the pictures I took are pretty blurry.  Audrey especially wanted to run everywhere trying to find all of the eggs first.  She did find most of the more obvious eggs, but Barrett's patience and persistence paid off in finding a good number of the more well hidden ones.

We also managed to fit some real eggs into our Easter festivities as well.  We didn't hide the hard boiled eggs, but we did decorate them.  It is so funny to see how their different personalities even spill over into their egg decorating.  Audrey was quick and decisive on how she decorated hers.  Barrett, on the other hand took his time and enjoyed every second.  I am pretty sure that Audrey had decorated all of hers when Barrett had only done half.  Naturally, she tried to convince him to let her help him decorate the rest of his as well.  He didn't give in.

We are so blessed in so many ways, and this past weekend highlighted so many of those blessings for us.  It is truly awe inspiring just how much God loves us. At the end of the day, that's all that matters.  It's not the eggs, the games, the outfits, or even the family time.  It's just us and Him, Jesus Christ, our Savior.  Praise God! 

Real Hockey

Since before Barrett could ice skate, he's been begging us to play hockey.  I don't know if it's because his dad plays, because we watch so much St. Louis Blues hockey, or because he just likes doing anything active.  Maybe it is all of those things.  I have no doubt, however, tath Barrett loves hockey.  He took ice skating lessons and played hockey in the garage with his dad to help him prepare, and this fall, he did is first learn-to-play.  Frankly, the first couple of practices, I thought we'd thrown him in too early.  Many of the other kids were older and could skate a lot better.  Suprisingly, that did not deter Barrett at all.  Every time, he came off the ice grinning ear to ear and bragging about how sweaty he was. 

At the end of that session, he still didn't seem ready for a league, so Billy did some one-on-one skating with Barrett, he took more lessons, and we signed him up for another learn to play this winter.  The progress was good.  He could skate well enough that he could spend more energy focusing on how he was using his stick.  After each practice, he would beg us to let him play in a "real hockey" game.  He wanted to do a league so badly.  So like any good, push-over parents, we signed him up for a spring league.  This is the more relaxed league and has a mix of ages, so it seemed like a good entry point into the league world. 

From the moment we told Barrett he'd get to play in a league with games, he told everyone he saw that he was going to play "real hockey."  It would not just be practice drills anymore.  He was going to play games.  He had a couple of initial practices, and each time he left them very frustrated, because he just wanted to play "real hockey."  So, the week leading up to the first Saturday they would play games, that's all he could talk about.  That also happened to be the same weekend as Audrey's birthday, her sleepover party, and his best friend's birthday party.  So, a few days before, he asked me if I knew why he was so excited about the weekend.  My initial thought was his sister's birthday party.  Wrong!  Then, I guessed Presley's party.  Wrong again!  "Mom, it's my first real hockey game," Barrett told me as if that absolutely should have been the first thought that came to mind.  Well, I guess I do know his priorities going forward. 

Today was the first day I had been able to attend his game.  Barrett played pretty welll, especially considering it has been less than 1 month since he started playing in a game format.  He fell down a lot.  But, he tried really hard, got really sweaty, and came off the ice grinning.  So, I'd say it was a successful day!

In the photos, Barrett is in the black sweater with black socks, #11. And  yes, he is one of the youngest and smallest kids in this league! He doesn't care though.  He just loves playing real hockey.

Guess Who

Today, Fletcher was wearing a onesie that Barrett wore frequently as well.  That, naturally prompted me to go back and look at some photos of Barrett when he was around Fletcher's age.  In my searching, I found that the two boys look strikingly similar, especially when they are grinning.  So, I thought I would put a couple of photos side by side to see if others can tell the difference.  So, here they are.  Both of my boys at around One Year Old.  Can you tell which one is which?

     

One Year Old

Each time I have looked at you over the past few days, I have been struck by how much you have grown, both physically and intelectually, since that day we first met you 364 days ago.  Watching you eat a variety of foods from your tray, it seems so strange that when you were first born, you lacked an appetite because of being jaundiced and struggled to gain weight.  Seeing your chunky little legs try to balance and walk, it's easy to forget how tiny and fragile you were. So, on the eve of your first birthday, I have to take a few minutes to look back on the past year in addition to the here and now.

From just one week old, to just one week away from y our first birthday, one thing you've had all along is your crazy hair.  The color has evolved throughout your life, but you've always had a lot of it.  You had your first haircut a little over a month ago, and you're due for another one soon. 

Being outdoors has always seemed to calm you.  Now that you're mobile, you love exploring the park across the street from our house.  Your siblings are usually playing elsewhere, so you get some time to yourself to play and explore your own way, which you seem to love.  You like going down the small slide, but we have to re-introduce you to it each time we go before you get excited about it.  You don't like crawling on the astroturf under the jungle gym, which may be part of the reason you've started voluntarily walking more often.  One thing is for certain though,  you are becoming more and more adventurous. 

You have also loved the water since your first bath. I still remember being completely shocked at how calm and comfortable you were in the water even as a newborn. Your brother and sister both went through phases where giving them a bath was a bit of a battle.  You, on the other hand could splash and play all day.  At swim lessons, none of the other parents want to be near us because you are splashing and kicking so much.  You think it's hilarious though.

Over the course of the past week, you've really started to walk more without holding onto anything.  You'll even stand for a while sometimes, and I am pretty sure you're doing it just because you can.  The other night, you actually grabbed a hockey stick and stood there trying to move it around like your brother.  After playing with him for a bit, you naturally got tired and decided to lay in the middle of the floor with your stick.  You do that more often these days too.  You'll just randomly lay in the floor, flat on your back.  Your sister says you're playing dead. Whatever the reason, it's really stinkin' cute.

While Fletcher's gross motor skill growth is probably the most striking development of the past month, his communication skills are also growing rapidly.  He loves to say "hi" to anyone and everyone he sees.  This morning, when I was letting the dogs in, he siad "hi Jack" as Jack walked beside him.  He can say a number of words, although many sound very similar still.  He is also learning non-verbal ques can communicate information.  Specifically, nodding or shaking his head.  I am pretty sure he doesn't understand what the head motions mean, except that they should be used to answer questions.  I asked him yesterday if he liked his birthday cake that he was shoving in his mouth.  His response was shaking his head "no."  He ate most of it though, so I am pretty sure he actually liked it. 

Fletcher's comprehension is also increasing.  He watches and observes everything going on around him.  He especially loves watching and imitating his siblings.  He has a look on his face when he things he is doing something like a "big kid."  For instance, he will "use" a fork at meals by touching his food with it before picking up the food with his hand and shoving it into his mouth.  He also loves to "build" with Legos; we just put the pacifier in his mouth so he isn't tempted to eat them instead.  It is so cute to see how he looks up to his older siblings and wants to do everything they do. 

You have grown so much this past year, and I know you'll only continue to learn and grow as you enter your second year of life.  I am so glad that you are part of our family.  Even though you've been with us for only a year, it feels like you've always been here.  Our family wouldn't be complete without you. 

8 Years Old

It is hard to believe that you, my baby girl, are 8 years old!  Has it really been 8 years since you came into our lives and made me a momma?  How quickly these 8 years have gone by!  At the same time, when I look at how tall you are, how much you've learned, and how much you do on your own these days, it seems like it must have been more than 8 years since you were a tiny baby peering up at me for the first time. 

You love arts and crafts.  Half the time you tell us you're going to be an art teacher when you grow up.  You are always creating something with whatever materials you can find.  I can't get our online orders out of the box before you are taking it, cutting it up, and making something new out of it.  I also can't every have too many sticky notes, because you like to use them to practice your bubble letters and write notes for everyone on them.  You do have an eye for beauty though.  I am frequently stunned by the perceptiveness of your art pieces.  In one case, you had to use small pieces of black, white and blue colored construction paper to make a winter picture.  Most kids in your class made snowmen or penguins.  You made black trees with one small blue bird on the branch of the tree in the middle with snow falling onto the ground.  It was beautiful.  You also love creating stories.  You're writing skills are coming along, but I don't think that's the part that you love about it (especially not the spelling part).  I think you love the way words can be used to paint a picture in other people's minds...I guess that's why if you aren't an art teacher, you're career aspiration is to become an author and illustrator of children's books.

You love of the arts extends into music and the performing arts as well. You've been taking piano lessons and are continuing to improve.  You are doing really well with ready the notes and are starting to learn more different rhythms.  You do a great job with sight reading, but get really hard on yourself when you have to try multiple times to get a piece right.  I guess you inherited a bit of my perfectionist tendencies.  You also love dance and are continuing to improve your technique each year.  You definitely have the potential and the ability.  You've definitely got the attitude and performance part of it down.  As you get older, I also expect your focus to improve as well, which I think will make a huge difference in your technique. 

You're also not afraid to be a little different, which I love.  I can definitely see the peer pressure starting to have its influence at times, but you still aren't afraid to be yourself. And, that you is just a little bit nerdy (much to your father's delight).You love Star Wars.  Not many of your friends are big Star Wars fans, but you don't care.  You can hold your own talking with the boys about Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Kylo Ren and Rae.   You also love Legos, possibly more than your father.  You can sit down for several hours and put together Lego sets that were designed for people twice your age.  And, you complete them correctly. You also do Lego League at your school, and your group is one of the only all-girl groups.  I love that you are breaking stereotypes by just being who you are and doing what you love.   

You care about others deeply, and this is coming out more as you learn more about the challenges of the world around you.  You are extremely interested in different cultures and are even betting more adventurous about trying foods from different cultures.  You always have great ideas for how to help people you see on TV or read about that need help.  You also like to do things to help the environment (like frequently reminding me not to keep the water running longer than I need to).  More and more, your compassion surprises me by the times and ways it comes to the surface.

Some of your best and worst moments revolve around your interactions with your brothers.  You are a great big sister and extremely helpful with Fletcher.  Your dad and I joke that you're our 7 (now 8) year old babysitter.  Now that Fletcher is mobile, the times you want him out of your way are increasing.  You have a lot of little things in your room that he loves to get into.  You and Barrett have a lot more ups and downs.  The ups come when Barrett is playing exactly the way you want him to.  The downs come when he decides to express his own ideas, which are different from yours.  He cares so much about what you think and wants to be like you.  Secretly, I think you like that, even though you would never admit to it.

You continue to perform well in school, with math as your best subject.  Despite your stated career ideas, your dad is still hoping you'll be an engineer. Speaking of your dad, the two of you do have a bond that I love to see, but honestly don't understand.  You are both undeniably goofy.  In fact, you think he's pretty hilarious.  You both get the same unbridled joy when you're excited about something, even if no one else is excited or it isn't popular to be excited about it.  It's like you just can't contain the excitement, and it comes out in this contagious crazy, goof-ball sort of way.  I guess your goofiness is a good balance for as serious and strong-willed as you can be.

Happy Birthday to my strong, beautiful, intelligent, independent, caring, goof-ball of a daughter.  I love you more than you probably realize, and I always will.