Kate's 4 Year Letter

Dear Katybug,

I'm writing this letter on the eve of your 4th birthday.  We celebrated about 10 days ago with an adorable ballerina birthday party at "Tippi Toes," but you've been anxiously awaiting the day that you will "turn 4 for real."  I just tucked you in bed and gave you your last kisses as a 3-year-old. Oh, how my heart aches at the fact that my baby Kate is growing up! This year has been a good one, despite coming down from our Disney World high last December.  Your biggest "newsworthy" moments include starting preschool and developing a new love for ballet.

Earlier this year, you spent time participating in gymnastics at Bounce Academy.  You seemed to have some fun, but you were reluctant to participate in all of the activities.  You're cautious like your mama! We decided to take a break from gymnastics in early Spring, and you haven't asked about it since. The summer brought parent/toddler swim lessons at the Mustang Rec Center, and you did pretty well. Still, you had a hard time relaxing and participating in all of the activities.  During the Spring and Fall, you helped cheer on Ian at his t-ball games.  You always packed your purse full of goodies (i.e. lip gloss, pens, paper, little trinkets) and entertained the other fans in the stands.  Mommy didn't get to watch much of the games because we spent so much time getting drinks, going potty, etc.  This Fall, I semi-worked to convince you to give dance another try.  You've loved it ever since! You are in the toddler class at "Steppin' Out Dance Academy" in Tuttle.  Your teacher is Ms. Carrie, and your classmates are Ruth White and Addie Robertson.  You get soooo excited to go every week!!  You also love to practice your moves at home, and you really love to get dressed up in your dance outfit.  We are so excited about your Christmas recital next week!

All year, you've been attending Little Broncos Kids Klub in Mustang. In June, daddy started working there, so he is with you every day!  You still love Ms. Mel and all of the other great staff members..and they love you! In August, you started 3-year-old Preschool at Christ Lutheran Church in Mustang on Tuesday-Thursday from 8:30-11:30am.  You seem to love Mrs. Barbara, Ms.Tammie, Ms. Mabel, and all of your friends.  You are always "teaching" mommy what you learned! We are so proud of your letters and reading already!  Next week, we will get to enjoy your Christmas program. :) You've been practicing all of your lines!

You're currently wearing size 5T clothes and size 9-10 shoes. You LOVE high heels, frilly dresses, hair accessories, nail polish, and anything girly!  You still love pink! Your favorite foods are cheeseburgers, Spaghettios, pizza, hot dogs, goldfish, and anything sweet! You like "helping" with everything, so you're always asking to help in the kitchen,  Fortunately, you received an Easy Bake Oven and love it!  We upgraded to a big girl daybed this summer.  It a bit hard at first, to be in a "big bed," but you do fine with the guard rail.  You are still an early riser...about 6:00-7am on most days.

Ruth, from dance, has become a good friend.  You like to play with her, as well as Mila and Elliana (friends you made at Little Broncos).  Your favorite person to play with is, in fact, your big brother.  You always want to know where Ian is and what he's doing. 

We adore you, Kate.  Your beautiful smile, eyes, and spirit just light up any room.  We pray that God will continue to bless you and those that are blessed to be around you!

With Love,

Mommy & Daddy

Ian's 6 Year Letter

Dear Ian,

Well, another year just flew by! Today, you are 6 years old, and I am reminiscing over your baby pictures.  It seems like just yesterday when daddy and I were in the hospital.  We celebrated your special day by taking sprinkled donuts for your class, then having dinner at Mazzio's Pizza.

This past year has been full of fun!  Since this time last year, you have been to Disney World, completed pre-K, had surgery, and joined a t-ball team.  In November of last year, we went to Disney World with Uncle Alan, Aunt Carrie, Wyatt, and Grandma Donna. We had a great time staying at Wilderness Lodge and visiting all of the parks.  You loved riding all of the rides, including the roller coasters!  You are definitely brave!

In December, you had your tonsils & adenoids removed at OU Children's Hospital...mainly because of snoring. Everything seemed to be going great for the first 2 days after your surgery, but then you woke up bleeding on New Year's Day.  Mommy and daddy had to take you to the emergency room, and they had to go back in and cauterize the bleeding areas.  It was not a fun way to start out 2016, but you did really well.  Since then, we can hardly hear you when you sleep!

In the Spring, you joined a t-ball team called the Pirates.  Daddy helped out with the coaching, but your head coach is Justin Dowdy.  We loved watching you play in the first few games, as you would stand out in the field and act like a velociraptor laying eggs in a nest...so hilarious! (Although, mommy was frustrated at the time...looking back, it was cute ;-). You have continued to play on thse Pirates through Fall ball.

May brought about the end of a great Pre-K year at Piedmont Primary School.  You made so much progress during the year, and you are very close to reading.  You really loved Mrs. Clark, Mrs. Michael, and your good friend, Bishop Doss.  This Fall, you started Kindergarten at Prairie View Elementary here in Mustang.  We decided to have you transition into Mustang Schools since we partially liked our house due to the proximity to the school.  Also, daddy started working at Little Broncos Kids Klub this Summer, and decided not to return to Piedmont for several reasons. Your Kindergarten teacher is named Mrs. Stringer.  She seems really nice & you seem to like her.  There are 23 kids in your class, including Ivana (our friend across the street).  Mrs. Stringer says that you're doing well, but you have been sneaky with taking Lego characters to school.  Just the other day, you stuffed some in your shoe since mommy and daddy said you can't take them in your pockets or backpack.  Yesterday, daddy caught you trying to sneak them in your underwear!!  You're just bound and determined to take them to school!  After school, you ride the van to Little Broncos, and daddy brings you home.

You have your doctor's appointment next week, but I just know you are so tall for your age! You are wearing size Youth Small (6-7) and wearing size 13-1 shoes.  Your favorite foods are McDonald's Happy Meals and cheese pizza.  You also like Spaghettios, yogurt, and nacho cheese Doritos.  You're completely potty-trained...even overnight!  This is a good thing because you come and get in mommy and daddy's bed at least 4 times per week!!  Mommy wouldn't mind except for you are a crazy active sleeper.  Your favorite toys right now are Star Wars Legos...in fact, your recent birthday party at Wild Horse Park playground was Star Wars-themed.  You like to play Lego Star Wars on Wii, run around outside, and play with Angry Birds, minions, and dinosaurs.  We are trying to work on bike riding, as you're still nervous to ride by yourself.  We're hoping to remove the training wheels soon!

Your best friend is still your sis, Kate.  You guys play together all of the time!  Some of your other friends include Caden Leipen, Blaine Mounce, & Bishop Doss.  We have joined a wonderful church called SouthPointe, and this has led us to a small group with several other friends. It's been nice to have a loving church family because, just this week, Papa suffered from a stroke. He is doing okay, but it was a bit uncomfortable for you to see him in the hospital.

Ian, we love you so much.  Thank you for being our son! 

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Kate's 3 Year Letter

Dear Kate,

This letter is a little late, as we were in WALT DISNEY WORLD on your 3^rd birthday!!!  There was no better way to spend your 3^rd birthday than getting a princess-ed up in the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.  Aunt Carrie and Uncle Alan treated you to this special occasion, and after much debate, you decided to be “Rapunzel.”  You picked out a Rapunzel dress and the Rapunzel hair (i.e. poofy, long, blonde hairpiece).  You loved getting your nails painted, your makeup done, and glitter sprinkled all over.  Once you were finished, you waltzed around the park on your way to lunch at “Be Our Guest” restaurant.  There, you celebrated with a special PINK (of course) cupcake.  You really enjoyed everyone singing “Happy Birthday” to you.  Although you may not remember this monumental occasion, it will be well-documented in pictures!  To celebrate your birthday at home, we had a little “Pink Princess Part” at our house, including a Princess cake, pink lemonade, and pink ice cream.

Over the past 6 months, we’ve moved to Oklahoma City, and we are pretty much all settled in!  Even though we’ve been here for several months, you still refer to our house as “our new house.”  You have a new room with a white toddler bed, and TONS of girly toys.  You love to play with your baby dolls, princesses, hair accessories, jewelry, and any other little trinkets.  Your favorite color is still pink, so there is a  lot of pink in your room.  It’s obvious that you’re a girly girl because you only want to wear dresses, princess nightgowns, and you always want your hair “braided like Elsa.” 

You love your groceries! At your recent doctor’s appointment, they said you were 90^th percentile in weight and around 65^th percentile in height.  You are finally growing taller!  I knew that you would eventually catch up.  You love mac and cheese, Spaghettios, cheeseburgers, French fries, chicken nuggets, goldfish, graham crackers, yogurt, and anything sweet!!  Ever since we’ve moved, you have been getting up really early in the morning….generally between 5:30 and 6am.  This has been hard on mommy!  Also, you frequently come and wake us up in the middle of the night so we can “come lay with [you].”  You love your blankie, your pillow, and your baby dolls.  Each morning, if we’re lucky, you will peacefully go “watch a movie” (i.e. TV show) and have “choc milk and a nack.”  On other mornings, you will display quite the protest about getting up.

Since September, you have attended Little Bronco’s Kids Club in Mustang.  It seemed to take a while to warm up to the staff, especially since you were used to Miss Lori, but now you really like Ms. Ashley, Ms. Stephanie, and Ms. Mel.  You are learning a lot at “school” because you come home and sing songs, tell stories, and tell us some of the things you talked about that day.  We also started dance lessons at Dance Authority (called “First Steps” class).  You were an adorable ballerina and loved the idea of taking dance, but once you realized that mommy couldn’t stay with you in the class, you started  not wanting to go.  After 2-3 months, we let you stop for a while.  Maybe you will want to do it again in the future!  You keep talking about taking gymnastics, so maybe we will try that next.

You love spending time with your family.  “Bubba” is your best friend…sometimes…in fact, you will let EVERYONE know if he/she is your best friend, or not.  Generally, it depends on the circumstances.  Most frequently, your best friends are Bubba, Daddy, Mommy, Grandma Donna, Nana, and Nanny.  One of your favorite activities is coloring, drawing, and looking at books.  You also love to play outside, and you could swing for hours!  That is definitely your favorite activity when outside.  You had your first trip to a beach while in Florida, and you loved running around in your swimsuit and playing in the sand.  You also enjoyed exploring at Lake Texoma over Thanksgiving.

Nearly every day, someone comments on how absolutely BEAUTIFUL you are!  Mommy and daddy couldn’t agree more.  We pray for your heart to be filled with kindness, gratitude, and love. 

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Ian's 5 Year Letter

Dear Ian,

Wow...you're 5?  How can this be?  It seems like just yesterday that we
first saw your precious little face!  We've had so many exciting, new
things happen in the past year.

First and foremost, we made a HUGE transition by moving from Wichita to
Oklahoma City!  Although it was nice to move closer to grandparents, it
was sure hard to leave the first house daddy and I had when you were
born.  We have sooo many wonderful memories in that house!  I pray that
you'll be able to have some memories of your first room...even if
they're not detailed (mommy has LOTS of pics to help out).  You did
really well with the move and seem to like our new house.  You really
like your new room and your new "big boy bed."  Some of your favorite
things to do in our new house include playing in the backyard, running
in circles through the house, and taking a bath in mommy and daddy's
jacuzzi tub. 

This past Spring, you wrapped up a great year at Eastminster Preschool
in Wichita. You had some challenging times, mostly with your behavior,
but Mrs. Lisa was so impressed with your improvement throughout the
year.  This Fall, you started all-day Pre-K at Piedmont Primary School.
This worked out well for us since daddy is working at Piedmont
Intermediate.  Your teacher is named Mrs. Clark, and you have 22 kids in
your class.  When you're not at school, you're at home!  No more daycare
for you!  You really loved Ms. Lori in Wichita, and it was looking
difficult to find a good home daycare in OKC, so mommy and daddy were
thankful for all-day Pre-K.  Mrs. Clark said that you're so smart and
very compassionate towards the friends in your class!  We've had a few
behavior issues, but hopefully those are just new-school jitters. You
seem to like singing and know songs for the days of the week and months
of the year.

Since you really enjoyed Cubbies/AWANAs last year, you were willing to
do it again.  You've Cubbies at Covenant Community Church in Yukon,
while mommy participates in bible study.  You're also trying out soccer
for the first time, and you're a proud member of "Team Flash."  You're
starting to get the hang of playing soccer, although we're not sure
you'll play forever.  With a weekday practice and a weekend game, you
stay busy from week to week.  At home, you stay active with playing
outside, using your LeapPad, playing with toys (i.e. transformers, cars,
Paw Patrol, Octonauts, Lego Juniors, and Magnatiles), and watching
cartoons.

Your favorite playmate is your little sis, Kate.  She idolizes her big
brother and follows you everywhere!  You both like to play "Shark Boy
and Lava Girl."  It's based on a TV show of the same name that you both
like to watch.  If we are somewhere and Kate is not around, you want to
know what she is doing.  She does the same for you.

You are very tall for you age!  You finally landed in the 97th
percentile for your height.  You're still slender, and wearing size 6
clothes and size 11-11.5 shoes.  Your favorite foods are Spaghettios
(still), mac and cheese, chicken nuggets (especially McDonald's), and
pizza.  You also still love Goldfish, graham crackers, apples, and milk.


This November, we will be taking an exciting trip to Walt Disney World!!
Uncle Alan, Aunt Carrie, Cousin Wyatt (born in April of this year), and
Grandma Donna will be joining us!  You are very excited, and I can't
wait to see your face when you arrive.  Mommy and Daddy love you so very
much, sweet boy!  We thank God for you, and love you "to the moon and
back."

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Kate's 2 & 1/2 Year Letter

 Dear Kate,

Before I started typing this letter, I went back and read your 2 year letter.  My how you have grown and changed!  Yet, some things are still the same.  You continue to bring daddy and I so much laughter and joy.

The biggest two milestones that you've accomplished over the past 6 month...potty-trained and sleeping in a "big girl" bed!  You pretty much potty-trained yourself about 2 months ago.  I'm not sure if it's because you're around other kids that are potty-trained, or if it's because you're a girl, but we didn't have to do hardly anything!  You took an interest in sitting on the little potty chair in the bathroom, and once you figured out how to go, that was all it took!  You still have occasional accidents, but love to wear your panties, bloomers, etc.  You also like to change to a new pair after each bathroom trip...this makes for a lot of laundry! 

Last night was your first night in your "big girl" toddler bed! You were soooo excited, and you did great all night long!  You love your pink sheets, and have to snuggle with lots of "extras," including your blanket, bunny lovey, 2 pillows, and a water cup.  You also like to have your projector on...specifically, shining the purple monkey up on the ceiling.  You go to bed around 8:30-9pm and awake around 6:45am.  It's nearly impossible to get you to wear any other PJs besides your princess nightgowns.  You still take about a 2 hour nap each afternoon.

Besides the color pink, you LOVE snacks and princesses!  You always want to have a "nack," a drink, your blankie, and a princess movie turned on.  You love to sing, "Let It Go," and songs from "Sleeping Beauty," "Aladdin," "Little Mermaid," "Snow White," and "Cinderella."  You have a few princess costume dresses, and you always twirl every time you wear one of these outfits (acutally, you twirl with any skirt/dress).  You love to wear high heels, jewelry, and carry purses.  You're definitely ALL GIRL!! I'm so excited because by the time I write your next letter, we will be in Disney World! Aunt Carrie, Grandma Donna, and I have a lot of fun times in store for you!

Your favorite snacks are GoGurt, graham crackers, apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, strawberries, goldfish, and donuts.  At least you love fruit! ;) Each morning you request "choc milk" and "yogut." You pretty much have all of your teeth in, and you like to show them when flashing your precious smile or screaming at the top of your lungs when you don't get your way! 

Your vocabulary gets bigger each day!  Mommy and daddy are getting to where we can understand you more and more, but still you'll adamently tell us something, and we don't understand what you're saying.  If it's a request...watch out!  You will get frustrated quickly!

You love playing with "bubba," and you always want to know what your best buddy is doing.  Even though you're frequently playing together and laughing at bubba's silliness, we also hear, "bubba do it," a lot! This happens when you're trying to deflect the blame for something.  You like to tell us when "bubba mean," or "bubba hurt me," even though it's just gentle sibling rivalry.  Generally, after you get a few hugs from mommy and daddy, you're right back to playing peacefully.

You love to have mommy read books to you.  Your favorites include any picture/word books, "Goodnight, Moon," "Move Over, Rover," "A Potty for Me," and your Poke-A-Dot book.  We typically read about 4-5 books each night before bed.  You also love to play with baby dolls, your Little People princesses and castle set, your vanity, and your Minnie Mouse kitchen.  You love "doing your hair," and really enjoy it when mommy puts your hair in "pig tails."  We are trying to grow your bangs out now, so your hair is in a somewhat awkward stage.  Even though you like your hair "done," you don't leave any ties, bows, or clips in very long. You're still somewhat petite and wear 2T-3T clothes and size 7 shoes.

You continue to go to Miss Lori's house on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 10am-5pm.  You have lots of friends over there, and you absolutely LOVE Miss Lori.  We recently had a scare when you choked on a small charm from Aggie's bracelet (Lori's daughter).  You were fine, thanks to Miss Lori, but we've been having lots of talks about NOT putting stuff in your mouth!!  You like to play with Lilly, Kenna, and Aggie.

You are definitely "Little Miss Independent" and don't hardly want help with ANYTHING!!" You say, "I do it!!" a lot!!  Especially, when putting on shoes, putting on clothes, brushing your teeth, getting in/out of the car, the bathtub, and going potty.  You won't even let us open a band-aid for a boo-boo without yelling, "I do it!" as soon as we get the band-aid box out of the cabinet!  Despite all of the independance, you are so very loving and you love to cuddle.  You'll always come over to mommy and daddy to collect hugs, snuggles, and laughs.  It melts our hearts when you put your sweet head on our chests.  I know nanny, papa, and Grandma Donna feel this way, too!

Some more big events that have occurred over the past 6 months include the birth of your cousin, Baby Wyatt Alan Hromas, and finding out that we're moving to Oklahoma City!  This move is bittersweet, but it sure will be nice to be back in Oklahoma and closer to family.  We can't wait to instill some of those Sooner traditions and values into you. :)  It will be sad to leave our home in Wichita, as we have so many special memories of you, here inside of these walls.  Fortunately, mommy likes to take an excessive amount of pictures. :)

Well, I supposed I'll wrap this up by saying how much we love you Katybug!!   We are so blessed to be your parents, and we look forward to watching you grow, each and every day.

With Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Kate's 2 Year Letter

Dear Katybug,

Well, you're able to say how old you're turning tomorrow!  You're also able to tell us what kind of birthday party you'd like to have...."minn mouse." The expansion in your vocabulary is just one of the many changes that we've witnessed in the past several months.  You're able to comunicate pretty effectively, although some of your words are not extremely clear.  Your favorite words are eat, yesssssshh, no, bath, "juische," milk, snack, and MINE!  You also love to say "bubba," probably because he brings you so much joy.  You and Ian are two peas in a pod, and he makes sure he includes you in everything.  You LOVE to mimic everything he does, and you laugh at it all!

You almost have a full mouth of teeth now and likely just have a few more to go.  Meal time is the best time to practice using those teeth, and you definitely don't have any concerns about over-using them.  As nanny would say, "You love your groceries!"  You love yogurt, chicken nuggets, raisins, goldfish, animal crackers, green beans, broccoli, and cheese (one of your definite favs).  You also love milk and juice. 

I'm so excited that you are "all girl!"  You love to be a little mama to your baby dolls, wear your jewelry, and anything that is PINK.  You also like to wear bows (temporarily) and cute shoes.  It's so sweet when you give your babies stroller rides (you say you're "going on a walk"), then you take them to your baby crib and cover them up with a blankie. Your favorite stuffed animal is your pig named "Peppa" (after the cartoon).  You are also addicted to your caterpillar paci, and the sight of it can calm nearly every breakdown.  Unfortunately, the site of it when we won't let you have it will cause a temper tantrum.  It does help calm you down, so we let you use it primarily while sleeping.

Rearranging the clothes in your drawers is a big hobby of yours!  For some reason, you really like to try to wear bloomers (especially ruffly ones), and I wonder if this means your ready for big girl undies?  You tell us every time you go "poo poo," and sometimes tell us if you go "pee pee."  Considering you've done this for a while already, and you're just now turning two, I'm hoping that means you'll be easy to potty-train.  You love bath time, and you try to help mama by "washing" bubba.  It's so cute, even though mommy has to go back and do it again, anyway.

When mommy and daddy are at work, you go to Miss Lori's house (Wed, Thurs, Fri from 10-5).  You love Miss Lori, as well as your friends at her house.  I think that you have some competition there because you have developed one sassy attitude when you don't get your way!  Lori said that's how all of you little girls act.  I think we may have our work cut out for us with you, sissy!

You still have the biggest, brightest blue eyes, and people comment on them all of the time.  You have straight blonde hair that, unfortunately, grows much faster in the back than in the front. Grandpa Dick says that it's exactly like how mommy's hair was as a little girl.  You're still petite, which is surprising, and you're currently wearing mostly 18 month clothes and size 5-6 shoes.

Thank you so much for all of the joy you've brought us over the past 2 years!  We can't wait to see you grow into a beautiful young lady! (But...not too quick...slow down).  Happy Birthday!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Ian's 4 Year Letter

Dear Ian,

You're 4!!  This is the first time you were super-excited about your birthday. You asked numerous times how old you were, and you loved knowing that you were becoming a "big boy." We celebrated the "big day" with a Ninja Turtle-themed birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese.  You are definitely in to Ninja Turtles right now, which it kind of neat given Uncle Alan and Uncle Grant used to love them when they were young.  You love to dress up in all of your ninja gear and act out all of your moves. :)  You love to role play and always want daddy and I to decide which turtle we would like to be...so cute.

Your vocab has exploded, and you use your words to ask all kinds of inquisitive questions. You always want to know what different things mean and why we do certain things.  It really keeps us on our toes!  You are learning sounds of various letters, counting up to 100, and you know how to make new colors by mixing two (thanks to colored bath tablets :).  The other day in the car, we practiced simple addition.  I am so impressed at how fast you learn!  One of your newest activities is AWANAs.  We started it this Fall at Crossroads Baptist Church at Central and Greenwich.  You are in the "Cubbies" group, and you are learning so much!!  A "sponge" describes you perfectly, as you are excellent at memorizing bible verses.  You commit them to your long term memory and can even remember the "Week 1" verse, 10 weeks later!

You are an amazing big brother!  Your sister, Kate, things you are the BEST thing in the universe!  She absolutely loves her "bubba."  She laughs at nearly everything you do, and she wants to mimic all of your actions (good and bad).  She always asks about you if you're missing, and she is so excited to see you return.  Most of the the time, you're very sharing and inclusive with her.  If you upset her, however, she will stand her ground and let you know about it!

Your diet has not expanded much since the last entry, and you are still picky.  Your favorites are pizza (pepperoni -- like the ninja turtles), Spaghettios, goldfish crackers, turkey/cheese, hot dogs, and Ninja Turtle Gogurt.  Dinner times are such a chore.  Daddy and Mommy generally spend a majority of our mealtime trying to get you to eat your food.  You are fully potty-trained now, so that has been nice.  You still wear a diaper at night, and I can't imagine we will stop this anytime soon.  You're wearing size 4T clothes, although you're still almost too thin for the 4T pants.  You're already taller than many of your friends, so I have no doubt that you're going to surpass mommy and daddy.

It's no question that your favorite toys are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  As mentioned earlier, that was the theme of your birthday party, and pretty much every gift was related to TMNT.  You still love Disney Cars, Planes, and Chuggington Trains.  You also like to build with your Lego Duplos, play with your tools, and play with Playdoh.  You love to role play, and you're very inclusive with mommy, daddy, Kate, and your friends.

You had the honor of being a ring bearer this year in Uncle Grant and Aunt Abbey's wedding in Kansas City.  You looked adorable in your little suit and tie.  You got a little shy when it was time to walk down the aisle, but you sure opened up on the dance floor.  :)  Aside from Kansas City, we've taken trips to Red River, NM for skiing and summer fun, as well as San Antonio for Chelci and Jeremy's wedding.

This Fall, you started preschool at Eastminster Preschool.  You're in a class of 10 kids, and your teacher is named, Mrs. Lisa.  You seem to enjoy school, but often bring up your "old school" (Discovery Place).  I think this is mainly because you miss your friends.  It's been an adjustment, but you've been doing really well.  Daddy and I can already tell how much you're learning.  You still go to Ms. Lori's house when mommy and daddy are at work.  You love Ms. Lori and your friends there.

Ian, we are so proud of you!  You have such a sweet heart and a fun spirit.  We love that you have a deep interest in the Lord, and we pray that it will flourish.  Happy 4th Birthday!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Kate's 21 Month Letter

Dear Katybug,

Happy 21 months, sweet girl!  In a few short months, you'll be 2 years old!  I can't believe it.
You have been like a sponge lately....just constantly showing off how much you're learning and absorbing!  You are really taking off, and the transition from "baby" to "toddler" is now complete...(well, with the exception of your beloved pacis :).  This is most evident by you running everywhere you go, and your ever-expanding vocabulary.   It seems like you learn a new word everyday.  Today, you were telling me something was "red," while a week ago, you were pointing out "blue."  You also pointed out the "fish" (well, technically you said, "My Fish!") in the bathtub this evening.  I think you're trying to keep up with bubba, as he is always talking and telling you stories.  Some of the newer words/phrases that you've learned include snack, milk, juice, "Iwanna eat," outside, "Iwanna go outside," wa-wa (water), movie, peas (please), thank you, book, poo-poo, and probably many more.

You are definitely opinionated now, especially when it comes to your daily activities.  If you aren't in the mood to do an activity, you make sure everyone knows...generally by shouting, "No!"  You enjoy certain activities such as eating, playing outside, baths, and reading books, so you make sure mommy and daddy let you do all of these every day.  You are starting to develop a little more imaginative play.  Lately, you've been playing with your babies, feeding them bottles, pushing them in the stroller, snuggling with them and a blankie, as well as playing with your Princess Castle and Klip-Klop stable.  You make lots of noises and sounds for each character, even if their not quite understandable by all.  You enjoy reading books with mommy and daddy, and you like to read them in the car. 

Your favorite foods are sweets, turkey, cheese, peas, carrots, broccoli , green beans (yes, veggies are included on the list), pizza, mac-n-cheese, and yogurt.  You have also enjoyed eating ice pops outside on the deck this summer like a big girl.  Your schedule hasn't changed much from 3 months ago, except that you frequently only take one afternoon nap now.  You still wake up before 7:30am and go to bed between 8:30-9pm.  Miss Lori watches you Wednesday through Friday, and you're well-loved at her house.

I haven't really notices any new teeth.  You're wearing size 18 months in clothes and 4-5 in shoes, so still on the smaller size.  Your hair has been getting longer in the back, but the front can't keep up.  We had your first haircut last month because it was looking to  shaggy.  Now, it's back to the same length.  It looks like you have a strawberry-blonde color!

We've had a busy summer!  You were the flower girl for Chelci's wedding in July, although you didn't end up walking down the aisle.  The same was true for Abbey and Grant's wedding in July...you were the flower girl for that wedding, also.  You sure looked adorable in your dresses, though!    You tolerated the trips, although it's harder for you to sleep away from home.   Finally, we went to Red River at the beginning of August.  You had a lot of fun with all of the other kids!

We love you so much, Kate!!!  Each day with you brings us pure joy!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Kate's 18 Month Letter

Dearest Katybug,


If I had to describe you in two words right now, it would be "sweet & sassy!"  You are certainly starting to let your personality show off.  I cannot believe that you're a year and a half, but my how things are changing right now.


The biggest changes over the past 3 months involve your ability to communicate.  You're words are starting to take off!  So far, we've heard you say mama, dada, bubba, bye-bye, baby, more (pronounced "mo"), bath, book, papa, dog, moo, and most recently...night-night.  Oh, and I can't forget your new favorite word, "no!"  That one has been overused lately! :)  You are getting much better at "telling" us what you want, as well as showing us when you're not happy by throwing tantrums on the floor (complete with hitting, biting, kicking, hair-pulling, and scratching...yep, I mentioned earlier that you were sassy).  Despite your inevitable entrance into the terrible twos, you have tons of sweetheart moments, as well.  You're very cuddly, and love to snuggle up next to mommy.  I love that you do this!  You also love curling up with your blankie, paci (usually 2 of them....), and you're stuffed pig we call "Peppa" (after the TV show, "Peppa the Pig).  Briona, one of the girls that nanny babysits, got you your pink piggy as a gift and you LOVE it!


You still like to play with girlie things, like necklaces, shoes, purses, and other trinkets.  You're good at organizing and helping clean up by putting things back in the containers where they belong.  You enjoy looking at books...sometimes even right side up!  You have a great time dancing to the "Hot Diggity Dog" song on Mickey Mouse Club, or dancing to the "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" song.  It's so adorable to see you dance!  You definitely got your moves from daddy. :)  "Driving" your Doc McStuffins car and sitting on any type of rocking toy or see-saw makes you very excited.  It's hard to get you off of anything that moves!


One of your favorite pastimes is eating.  You look forward to each meal and snacks in between.  Even though you've been a great eater thus far, you're starting to get more picky.  You aren't really interested in graham crackers or squeezy pouches anymore, but you really love yogurt bites, goldfish, mac and cheese, pizza, hot dogs, peas, carrots, green beans, eggs & sausage, and spaghetti.  At least there are some veggies included in the mix!


You're still taking about 2 naps per day - one in the mid-morning and one in the afternoon.  You wake up around 7:30 each day, sometimes earlier, and are generally in a fairly good mood.  When it's time to go to bed at night, you walk to your crib and reach up!  You're ready to snuggle up with your blankie, paci, & Peppa, say your prayers, and go "night-night."  We don't have any problems putting you to bed.  During the day on Wednesdays through Fridays, you still go to Miss Lori's and love her!  It makes mommy sad because you're not a baby over there anymore, but you still get lots of love and attention from the other kids.  When you're not at Miss Lori's, you're with mommy and daddy.


You've been sick at least once in the past 3 months with a stomach virus.  It's so sad to see you so puny!!  You had all kinds of stomach problems, so mommy and daddy had to stay home from work with you.  Fortunately, it didn't last long.  You're other ongoing battle is with eczema.  We're having to give you daily to twice-daily antihistamines, steroid cream, and Aveeno cream to keep it tolerable.  We also try to put you in socks and pants a lot to keep you from scratching your legs and ankles (the worst part).  You have 12 teeth now, and you put them to good use. :)


Since the weather has been warming up, you've had the opportunity to play outside more.  You LOVE to swing and go down the slide.  You also like to run around and chase after bubba.  We've gone to the pool at the YMCA a few times, but you're very hesitant of the water and loud noises.  You're pretty content sitting on the side and splashing in the shallow water.  I have no doubt that you'll get more comfortable with the water as time goes on....you definitely love bathtime!


The next few months will be busy!  Namely, you will be the flower girl in two different weddings: cousin Chelci's wedding and Uncle Grant's wedding.  We will see how you do, but no matter what, you'll be adorable in your little dresses. :)  We just got to see you in your Easter dress last month, and you looked pretty darn cute in the poofy dress!  We will be making a trip to San Antonio for Chelci's wedding, then up to Kansas City 3 weeks later for Grant's wedding.  We will also be heading back to Red River in early August for our annual summer trip. 


Kate, there are so many exciting times to come.....we just know it!!  Thank you for being our precious gift from God.  We are truly blessed to share our lives with you!


With Love,


Mommy & Daddy

Ian's 3 & 1/2 Year Letter

Dear Ian,

Happy 3.5 years, son!  As I write this, I'm alone at home while you and Kate are in Norman with Nanny and Papa for Spring Break.  Daddy is in Texas, heading back from a fishing trip with Jeremy and the other groomsman.  It's been a relaxing few days, but I miss my babies!

You are definitely a toddler now...look like one, act like one, talk like one, and play like one!  You're still tall and slender, wearing 3-4T shirts and pants (3T pants are a little long, but you're almost too thin for 4T). You're wearing size 8 shoes, and you're pretty good at getting your shoes, socks, and pants on all by yourself!  You're mostly potty-trained now, although we still have a few accidents.  If you have an accident, you go to your room and change your undies and pants all by yourself.  Sometimes, the undies are even on the right way! :) We're still working on going #2 in the potty regularly, but it will come...

You play hard!  You still love Disney Cars, Disney Planes, your construction stuff blocks, Lego Duplo blocks, and your train set.  Our house is constantly covered in cars...everywhere!  You also like to play with Playdough and color.  You've started getting more intentional with your artwork, and even drew a recent pic of Caesar that I thought was pretty impressive for your age!  You're able to write your name pretty well, and you're starting to identify letters and sounds.  You also love to wear your new superhero PJs.  The Batman and Superman jammies have capes, and the Spiderman jammies have "webs" under the arms.  Your newest fav movie is Disney "Frozen."  It just came out this past Tuesday, so daddy ran out to get it on release day. You still go to Discovery Place from 7:45-11am on Mondays and Tuesdays, then Miss Lori's on Wednesday mornings, and Thursdays and Fridays from 10:30-5pm.  Your closet friend at Miss Lori's is Chase, and we hear you talk about him a lot.  You are very social and never seem to have any reservations about talking to anyone.

Your favorite foods haven't changed...goldfish and fruit snacks.  You are a pretty picky eater and only eat if it's your idea, or if you're really hungry.  You definitely still favor mac and cheese and Spaghettios.  On Tuesdays, after school, daddy takes you and Kate to Chick-Fil-A and you love "Chick-Fil-A Tuesdays."  Daddy says that the same moms are there most weeks, so you have a little group of friends that you play with. You still love chocolate milk, white milk, and apple juice.  You're newest craze is Ninja Turtle or Spongebob Go-Gurt tubes, as well as "squeezy pouches" (applesauce, fruit/veggie mix....mainly want these because Kate gets them).

 I can't even begin to cover everything you say now.  Your vocab is too expansive!  You're inquisitive, though, and will ask if you don't know the meaning of a word or phrase.  You tend to get a little obsessed with not-so-nice words, and use them more often than you should.  These usually cause you to get in trouble if you continue to repeat them.  We think that you learn them from older friends at Miss Lori's.  It's hard to shield you from things like that, but we've been trying to teach you that they're not nice.  On the other note, you're very sweet and tend to say very kind and loving words to mommy, daddy, and Kate.

Kate is your little sidekick!  She gets so excited when you're around, and you do the same...unless she's interfering with your toys.  She's starting to get pretty sassy and will definitely stand up for herself.  Just yesterday, mommy was FaceTiming with you both at nanny's house, and Kate did NOT like for you to see mommy, so she kept pushing you out of the way.  Funny kiddo....you two are going to have a lot of stories in the future!  You still enjoy church and you're in the 3-year-old class.  You like playing with JJ, and you always want to know if she'll be there.

Bathtime is one of your favorite times of the day.  You love to paint and "shave" with your playsets.  You always want a toasty towel when you get out and say, "Mommy, is that a warm towel?" (we use a little towel warmer).  You don't always take naps, but have quiet time in the afternoon in your bed.  You ALWAYS want the iPad.  We had to block Power Rangers because you were trying to mimic them by kicking and fighting.  Santa brought you a LeapFrog for Christmas, hoping to take the place of the iPad, but you still always want the iPad.

In January, we went to Red River and you "tried" skiing for the first time.  You did NOT like it!  You did not like the boots or the skis.  After about 5 min, you were done!  Hudson lasted a lot longer.  You did LOVE sledding, however, so we spent a lot of time playing with the sled.

We love you so much, Ian!  You bring so much joy to our lives, and you surprise us daily with your intelligence and inquisitive nature.  Here's to a fun summer!!

Love, Mommy and Daddy

Kate's 15 Month Letter

Dear Kate,


Well, you're 15 months old!  When I sat down to type this, I didn't think I would have much to add since the last post...wrong!  You've learned and changed so much in just 3 short months.  Let's see...where to begin...


Since you turned 1 year old, you have enjoyed your 2nd Christmas!  Daddy and I were excited to watch you this year because last year, you were less than a month old.  We just knew that you would be a little more "into it" this time.  We spent some time in Enid before Christmas and through Christmas Eve night.  You had fun seeing family at Grandma Donna and Grandpa Chuck's house, as well as Great-Grandpa Frank and Great-Grandma Leta's house.  Your favorite things to do were to play with the wrapping paper and try to grab Ian's toys...haha...he didn't like that very much!  You also liked to touch all of the "pretties" on the Christmas tree.  The Sunday before Christmas Eve, we met Nanny and Papa at Eischen's in Okarche to exchange gifts and have some famous fried chicken.  Mommy is 32 years old and had yet to go to Eischen's!  You can check it off of your bucket list already. :)  On Christmas Eve night, we drove back to Wichita in some really heavy fog.  It was so dense that mommy made a wrong turn onto I-35 and had to drive 20 minutes out of the way to turn around!!  It was a bit scary, but you and Ian were sleeping soundly in your car seats.  When we got home, you went right to bed.  The next morning, you had a blast with your giant (yes, giant...7 feet!) stuffed caterpillar, Klip Klop Princess Stable, and Little People Princess Castle.  It was fun to watch you and Ian play and enjoy our special family time. 


The biggest milestone since the last letter is that you're walking!!  You had been cruising for a while, but confidently took your first independent steps at 14 & 1/2 months.  You have been on the go ever since!!  You love go walk all over the house & chase after brother. You're also starting to get the hang of stairs.  Going up is no problem, but we're learning to come down properly.  You seem to be pretty good at understanding, so when we say, "Lie on your tummy, Kate," you do exactly that.  Lately, you love "driving" the little push car around the basement.  You haven't really figured out how to go forward, but you're an excellent backwards driver.  Ian thinks it's funny and says, "Mommy, look!  Kate's going backwards!"  You could care less...you're driving all over the place.


You're definitely a girl, that's for sure!  Your favorite things to play with are baby dolls, your Minnie Mouse Kitchen Set, your picnic basket, your tea set, and necklaces.  You got some pretty beaded necklaces (cheap!) for Valentine's Day, and you LOVE to put them all on and wear them around the house.  If mommy tries to take them off for anything...bed, bath, etc., you throw a tantrum.  You also like to look at books, as well as play with anything that Ian's playing with at the time.  Ian is NOT a fan of your interventions, but it's so cute to see you wanting to play with your big brother.  You also seem to like to organize.  You'll pick up all of the pieces of something, just to put them back in the box.  Then, you'll dump them out and repeat.  The other day, you took some pieces from Ian's Tinker Toys set, all identical, and put them in his cars box....one by one.  You would open the lid, put a Tinker Toy in the car box, then close it and go get another one.  You did this until all of the identical pieces were gone.  Today, you took all of the unmatched socks that mommy was organizing, put them all in a basket, and got upset if anyone tried to touch them.  Hmmm....I wonder what all of this means?!


You're quite the little "talker" now.  You say a few words...mama, dada, bubba, hi, bye bye, bath ("ba"), ball, and "uh oh."  You have a variety of squeals and shrieks, both pleasant and not so pleasant, to let us know what you want and don't want.  You will point at something and let out a shriek!  If we recognize the correct thing that you want, you smile, coo, and nod.  If it's the wrong thing, you swing your arm and squeal again.  You're pretty sassy when you want to be.  If Ian's interfering with something you're doing, you scream and take a swipe at him with your little hand.  You're definitely learning to stand up for yourself!


It is obvious that you're in the right family because you love to eat!  Haha!  You will eat pretty much anything and shovel it in your mouth at 90 miles per hour!  Your favorite foods are macaroni and cheese, bananas, squeezy pouches (i.e. fruit/veggie baby food), graham crackers, and anything that you can "collect" and carry around in your snack cup.  You love to drink milk and still have a warm bottle ("baba") in the morning when you wake up early--it puts you back to sleep. :)  You have 4 teeth on top and 4 teeth on bottom now, and you're not afraid to use them.  When the last few teeth came in, you were really fussy.  It turned out that you had a double ear infection, so you had your first round of antibiotics.  Ian hadn't had an ear infection before, so we may have waited longer than we should have to take you to the doctor.  Fortunately, you felt a lot better within another day or two.


You're daily schedule involves getting up around 7:30-8:30am (waking up at 6:30am for a bottle then going back to sleep).  You will have breakfast and play, then you'll typically take a morning nap.  After lunch and more play, you'll take an afternoon nap.  When you awake, you're usually up until bedtime.   You are at home with mommy and daddy most of the days, but you go to Lori Chrisman's house Wednesdays from 8:30am-11:30am and Thursdays & Fridays, from 10:30am-5pm.  You love Miss Lori and she loves you! 


Bath time is one of your favorite times.  You enjoy the bubbles, bath activities (i.e. paints, colors, shaving cream, etc.), and playing with Ian.  After your bath, you love to run around the house naked (well....mommy makes sure you have a diaper on now...I learned my lesson).  You're so happy to be "free" and have a final burst of energy before bedtime.  When you go to bed, you want your paci, blankie, and "baby" (doll).


Kate, it has been so fun watching you grow and change.  I just wish it would slow down! 


We love you!
Love,
Mommy and

Kate's 1 Year Letter

**I had this written before her 1st Birthday on 11/29/13, but didn't get around to posting it until now.**

Dear Kate,

I just cannot believe that you’re already 1 year old!  It simply amazes me how fast time flies.  I really try my hardest to cherish every moment I have with you because I know they’re passing so quickly.  I also cannot begin to tell you how much joy and happiness you’ve brought to our family.  It’s amazing how God allowed our ability to love to grow exponentially when you joined our family.  Not only are you a blessing to daddy and I, but Ian also adores you! 

You have continued to grow so much, in every way, since the last letter I wrote.  Size-wise-, you are now 19 lbs 1 oz. (17%) and 28 1/4 inches long (23%).  You’re wearing 9 month clothes, but are about to move to 12 months…in PJs, at least.  You are finally able to wear some of the little size 3 shoes. You’re just so petite!  I honestly don’t know where that came from!  I love dressing you in cute dresses, hair bows, and leg warmers (with ruffles :).   Your straight, dark-blonde hair is getting longer, so I can finally clip a little bow in now.  You have bright blue eyes, and daddy and I CONSTANTLY have people tell us what a beautiful baby you are!  (We agree! :)

You’ve been crawling for a while now, and sometimes, pulled up on your knees.  In the last 2 weeks, you’ve started  standing up next to the couch, fireplace, bathtub, activity toy, etc.  It’s so cute because you give us the BIGGEST smile when you stand!  You’re so proud of yourself, and we are too!  You love to crawl around with a “baby” (i.e. baby doll or stuffed animal).  You give us a huge grin when we show you one of your babies.   You love playing in the bath with Ian, and like throwing toys on the floor with a smile.  It’s cute for now, but at Ian’s age, it’s not cute any longer. :)

You’re vocab is expanding, as well!  If you pick up a ball, you will say, “ball,” and when you leave, you’ll wave your hand and say, “bye-bye.”  We’ve also thought that you’ve said “hi,” but it’s less obvious.  When we sing “Patty Cake,” you start clapping your hands.  You’ve started standing your ground with Ian.  If he takes a toy that you’re playing with, you squeal and try to get it back.  You love playing with Ian though.  When you see him, you get a huge grin on your face.

You started sleeping through the night in mid-October (10 & ½ months).  Mommy had been nursing you 1-2 times per night, but you really didn’t need it given your good appetite.  We had to give in and let you “cry it out” for a few nights.  It worked!  Ever since then, you sleep from about 8:45pm to 8:45am, with a feeding about 5:30-6:30am.  During the day, you take 1-2 naps: morning and afternoon.  You do pretty good at putting yourself asleep, as long as you have your paci, blankie, and a “baby” in the crib.

You have a great appetite and will pretty much eat anything!  We don’t think you even chew/gum the food because it goes down so fast!  You really like any type of fruit, especially bananas, Gerber raviolis, graham crackers, and oatmeal or rice cereal.  You also like avocados, mixed veggies, and beans.  You’re getting better at drinking through a sippy cup.  At your daycare, you recently had a taste of cow’s milk and apparently did fine!

Lori Chrisman is your babysitter.  She watches you and Ian on Wednesday mornings during daddy’s meeting, and Thursdays and Fridays from 10:30am-5:00pm.  You love Miss Lori, and she loves you!!  All of the kids think you’re pretty darn cute, as well!  On Tuesday  nights, mommy and daddy trade off date nights with Jim and Jessica Lucas.  You love to go over to their house and play with baby Neely, who is just 10 days older than you.  You girls are so cute together!  She gets called “Nee Nee Bees” and we call you “Katybug.”  For Halloween, she was a bee and you were a ladybug….so adorable!!

This year, your first birthday is on a Friday…Black Friday , to be exact.  You were born a week after Thanksgiving last year, but your birthday is the day after Thanksgiving this year.  We’re celebrating with Nanny, Papa, and Daddy’s side of the family at the lake Texoma cabins.  We had your “official” birthday party on 12/3/13 in Enid.  We had the party early because lots of family members were in town for mommy’s cousin, Jill’s, wedding.  The theme was “Ladybugs” since we call you “Katybug.”  You were quite the adorable little lady!  You wore black and white polka dots with a red tutu.  You LOVED your first taste of cake and ended up covered in black and red frosting.  You received several nice gifts, including a new activity walker, a personalized chair, a Minnie Mouse kitchen, a nursery, a lantern toy, a ZooPal certificate, a Care Bear, clothes, Minnie Mouse doll, and money for your college fund.  Several friends and family came to help you celebrate!

Katybug, we love you so incredibly much.  This year just FLEW by!  Daddy and I continue to pray that you’ll be happy and healthy for years to come.  You bring us so much joy.

Happy 1^st Birthday, sweetheart!

Love, Mommy and Daddy