Dear Aaron,
Daddy being gone is so hard. We've had an adjustment period, but while the weather has not been able to choose hot or cold, we have enjoyed the nice days outside as much as possible. Play time in the middle of the day, often eating lunch outside, has been incredibly helpful. Also doing math first is helping to not kill your love of it, which I was starting to worry about for a hot minute there.
At the beginning of the month I was having Reed sleep on the guest bed in Ana's room. You liked the idea of having your own room, but you also don't like being alone while sleeping. So I switched the rooms again. Now we have a playroom, and the bedroom. You all have slept so much more easily. Nighttime routines are so much easier, because all the stories, songs, prayers, everything can be done in the same room instead of going back and forth or me sitting in the hallway so everyone can hear. At first you were kind of excited and kind of annoyed, but you appreciate it more than get annoyed by them so it has been working really well. Plus I just don't have the patience and energy to move all of the upstairs every 3 days, and you can appreciate that now and are good about quiet time while the others nap.
The other night you said the bedtime prayer, and I was blown away by how truly genuine you were. You were not just saying nice things, you were having a real conversation with Heavenly Father, and thanking him sincerely and praying for others with real desire for their well-being. It was moving to realize you have been absorbing so much, and have that much of an understanding of God and what the gospel really means.
About a week and a half ago, also during prayers, you said something that I thought was hilarious and also witty. You prayed for "everyone in our family with back problems," instead of listing them individually like you used to, haha! I thought it was great because you still genuinely wish those blessings on them, but you also are tired of saying it over and over, ha.
We finally went back to the movie theatre to see Ferdinand, although I tried to convince you to see The Greatest Showman instead. You enjoyed the experience, and helped me immensely, but you also did not enjoy the whole plot of the movie (hello real bull fights and chop shops, let me introduce you to my super sensitive son who is just like me and is broken when life is cruel). I was glad I could sit next to you for the last half of the movie to still talk to you through the intense parts, just like at home.
We went to a "concert" at the library earlier this week, with a folk artist who I thought was going to play for kids, but even though it was an "all ages" event, you enjoyed it immensely, and I was so glad to share it with you. You listened to the tidbits inbetween, and while you don't care to play the guitar, you thought it was cool.
Last night was a Relief Society activity, and you kids got to have a little lesson and activity too! You had to earn some tickets through work, and then got to spend your ticket money in the "shop", then enjoy a movie and snacks. You were so excited to talk about how much you help here at home, and were so eager to earn those tickets! It was adorable how excited you were.
Earlier this month you enjoyed being able to see baby in the early ultrasound we did. When we told you we are going to have another baby you were completely fine with it, and know this baby is going to be a fun sibling you get to play with. You keep switching between wanting another girl versus wanting another boy. Time will tell.
This is from Daddy when we were talking earlier tonight: "I love how Aaron is so smart and geeky, and then he has those moments of just such great strength and wisdom for his age." Daddy loves being able to share his games and nerd stuff with you, and I love it, too.
Love, Mommy
Dear Ana,
You have loved LOVED everyone sleeping in the same room! You sometimes complain because you have to try that out, but being able to have the comfort of your brothers there, too, has been so nice. You love having stories and prayers in the same room, and the playroom being away from anyone sleeping has been so helpful in the early mornings when you wake up!
You still like to sneak into my bed some nights, but you have been doing better at not being too sad when I have you go back to your bed. I do enjoy the snuggles when you can fall asleep easily next to me, though.
You have come to understand that I appreciate whispers more than screaming. You love to try both, with different phrases, but always tell me, "I know this is your favorite because it is quiet." Sigh, finally getting somewhere with that, ha!
You enjoyed going to the movies and getting to eat popcorn there with different toppings (we NEVER do, but it was a fun outing and I caved). You sat through most of the movie fine, sitting next to me for the first half, but then started to loose interest in sitting for the last 20 or so again, and walked around a bit. You definitely love to play with Reed, ha.
For the concert earlier this week, at the library, you were so ... everywhere. You wanted to lay on chairs, crawl around, skip, dance, play chase with Reed, oh my goodness it was crazy. But, while you wanted to play, you understood enough to know it needed to be quiet. And you did enjoy most of the music, wanting to clap and dance for some of the songs. It was the talking in between that they lost your interest.
You LOVED the activity last night, with earning ticket money and buying little trinkets. You have worn the little paper crown all day today. And you have been practicing the phrase "self reliance" all day, telling me how self-reliant you were when you cleaned up the living room all by yourself! I love how motivated you can be, and I hope you always want to learn and improve so strongly.
Lastly, you thoroughly enjoyed seeing the baby at my appointment. You keep hugging my already expanded tummy and kissing baby. To say you are thoroughly overjoyed for a baby sister is an understatement. I just hope everyone's joint guess that it is a girl turns out to be correct, because you want a little sister so desperately!
This is from Daddy when we were talking earlier: "I love that Ana can be cutesy and dainty, until you tick her off and then she will break you." We sure do love your passion, and are constantly being reminded how we can improve as parents and a family. You keep us going in the right direction.
Love,
Mommy
Dear Reed,
With Daddy gone you have had to adjust a bit, too, but it has been alright. You enjoy everyone sleeping together, although sometimes you think it is a party and then I have to use the door knob things against you. This breaks your heart, and mine, but it has been very effective in getting you to stay in bed. The first few nights started out much longer, but you realized I was very serious and have since chosen to make it easier for everyone. Most nights, ha.
You have been working on prayers, too. You copy whoever is praying most of the time, and this afternoon you said the prayer so wonderfully. You even finished without my prompting, and it was adorable to see your joy as you completed it on your own. You may be a rambunctious 2 year old most of the time, but you are full of the Spirit and eager to learn and love.
The movie theatre was a fun experience. For you it mostly involved testing out the seats, figuring out how to sit comfortably, eating the popcorn and snacks, getting up and down A LOT, and walking up and down our row and the row in front of us, sometimes sitting on the steps for a break before continuing. I thought you would fall asleep, but for the second time I was proven wrong. You enjoyed it though, and did very well. Being able to play in the arcade area after was super fun for all of you (even though I did not bring any coins for you to actually play anything).
The other week you came into my room bright and early, and woke me to say, "Mom, I drank my water, see?" and then opened your mouth as wide as possible to show me it was, indeed, gone. You did the same thing this afternoon, showing me that you had eaten all of your banana, opening wide to show me an empty mouth. You've done it between those 2 instances, too. It is hilarious every time!
The concert at the library was an excuse for you to run wild in the library. It was chaotic with you, but with Ana's help you mostly stayed quiet. Thankfully they had advertised it as 4 and up, so you didn't bother any one.
I was worried about you for last night's activity because you didn't nap yesterday and fell asleep on the way there, but you had a long enough snooze that when I took you to the nursery room and held you for a minute, and with the wonderful preparation laid out before you, and your siblings there, you were perfectly content to do as the others and enjoy a snack at the end. Even you had something to tell me about all the chores you did and the prizes you chose.
You were completely wild for my OB appointment. I have never had that experience before. You were standing on chairs, going around the entire room and touching everything, turning the lights on and off, I mean good heavens. But then when we did the ultrasound part you were excited, until you couldn't tell what was happening and got bored. When we left and I thought we could wait for the pharmacy, you literally ran off as fast as you could down the nearest hall. We did not stay for the pharmacy.
With all that being said, you have LOVED looking up baby online, and talking about the baby in my tummy, telling me you have a baby in your tummy, too, and making sure to snuggle, pat, kiss, and poke baby plenty. You still don't have a full grasp of what this means, but I have no doubt that you will love having a baby in a few months.
Daddy said this to me earlier: "I love just how much fun Reed has with EVERYTHING," and I couldn't agree more. You keep us on our toes, and remind us of our weaknesses when you copy them, but you also remind us of the love here in our home as you willingly help and apologize and hug and snuggle just like everyone else.
Love,
Mommy
Daddy being gone is so hard. We've had an adjustment period, but while the weather has not been able to choose hot or cold, we have enjoyed the nice days outside as much as possible. Play time in the middle of the day, often eating lunch outside, has been incredibly helpful. Also doing math first is helping to not kill your love of it, which I was starting to worry about for a hot minute there.
At the beginning of the month I was having Reed sleep on the guest bed in Ana's room. You liked the idea of having your own room, but you also don't like being alone while sleeping. So I switched the rooms again. Now we have a playroom, and the bedroom. You all have slept so much more easily. Nighttime routines are so much easier, because all the stories, songs, prayers, everything can be done in the same room instead of going back and forth or me sitting in the hallway so everyone can hear. At first you were kind of excited and kind of annoyed, but you appreciate it more than get annoyed by them so it has been working really well. Plus I just don't have the patience and energy to move all of the upstairs every 3 days, and you can appreciate that now and are good about quiet time while the others nap.
The other night you said the bedtime prayer, and I was blown away by how truly genuine you were. You were not just saying nice things, you were having a real conversation with Heavenly Father, and thanking him sincerely and praying for others with real desire for their well-being. It was moving to realize you have been absorbing so much, and have that much of an understanding of God and what the gospel really means.
About a week and a half ago, also during prayers, you said something that I thought was hilarious and also witty. You prayed for "everyone in our family with back problems," instead of listing them individually like you used to, haha! I thought it was great because you still genuinely wish those blessings on them, but you also are tired of saying it over and over, ha.
We finally went back to the movie theatre to see Ferdinand, although I tried to convince you to see The Greatest Showman instead. You enjoyed the experience, and helped me immensely, but you also did not enjoy the whole plot of the movie (hello real bull fights and chop shops, let me introduce you to my super sensitive son who is just like me and is broken when life is cruel). I was glad I could sit next to you for the last half of the movie to still talk to you through the intense parts, just like at home.
We went to a "concert" at the library earlier this week, with a folk artist who I thought was going to play for kids, but even though it was an "all ages" event, you enjoyed it immensely, and I was so glad to share it with you. You listened to the tidbits inbetween, and while you don't care to play the guitar, you thought it was cool.
Last night was a Relief Society activity, and you kids got to have a little lesson and activity too! You had to earn some tickets through work, and then got to spend your ticket money in the "shop", then enjoy a movie and snacks. You were so excited to talk about how much you help here at home, and were so eager to earn those tickets! It was adorable how excited you were.
Earlier this month you enjoyed being able to see baby in the early ultrasound we did. When we told you we are going to have another baby you were completely fine with it, and know this baby is going to be a fun sibling you get to play with. You keep switching between wanting another girl versus wanting another boy. Time will tell.
This is from Daddy when we were talking earlier tonight: "I love how Aaron is so smart and geeky, and then he has those moments of just such great strength and wisdom for his age." Daddy loves being able to share his games and nerd stuff with you, and I love it, too.
Love, Mommy
Dear Ana,
You have loved LOVED everyone sleeping in the same room! You sometimes complain because you have to try that out, but being able to have the comfort of your brothers there, too, has been so nice. You love having stories and prayers in the same room, and the playroom being away from anyone sleeping has been so helpful in the early mornings when you wake up!
You still like to sneak into my bed some nights, but you have been doing better at not being too sad when I have you go back to your bed. I do enjoy the snuggles when you can fall asleep easily next to me, though.
You have come to understand that I appreciate whispers more than screaming. You love to try both, with different phrases, but always tell me, "I know this is your favorite because it is quiet." Sigh, finally getting somewhere with that, ha!
You enjoyed going to the movies and getting to eat popcorn there with different toppings (we NEVER do, but it was a fun outing and I caved). You sat through most of the movie fine, sitting next to me for the first half, but then started to loose interest in sitting for the last 20 or so again, and walked around a bit. You definitely love to play with Reed, ha.
For the concert earlier this week, at the library, you were so ... everywhere. You wanted to lay on chairs, crawl around, skip, dance, play chase with Reed, oh my goodness it was crazy. But, while you wanted to play, you understood enough to know it needed to be quiet. And you did enjoy most of the music, wanting to clap and dance for some of the songs. It was the talking in between that they lost your interest.
You LOVED the activity last night, with earning ticket money and buying little trinkets. You have worn the little paper crown all day today. And you have been practicing the phrase "self reliance" all day, telling me how self-reliant you were when you cleaned up the living room all by yourself! I love how motivated you can be, and I hope you always want to learn and improve so strongly.
Lastly, you thoroughly enjoyed seeing the baby at my appointment. You keep hugging my already expanded tummy and kissing baby. To say you are thoroughly overjoyed for a baby sister is an understatement. I just hope everyone's joint guess that it is a girl turns out to be correct, because you want a little sister so desperately!
This is from Daddy when we were talking earlier: "I love that Ana can be cutesy and dainty, until you tick her off and then she will break you." We sure do love your passion, and are constantly being reminded how we can improve as parents and a family. You keep us going in the right direction.
Love,
Mommy
Dear Reed,
With Daddy gone you have had to adjust a bit, too, but it has been alright. You enjoy everyone sleeping together, although sometimes you think it is a party and then I have to use the door knob things against you. This breaks your heart, and mine, but it has been very effective in getting you to stay in bed. The first few nights started out much longer, but you realized I was very serious and have since chosen to make it easier for everyone. Most nights, ha.
You have been working on prayers, too. You copy whoever is praying most of the time, and this afternoon you said the prayer so wonderfully. You even finished without my prompting, and it was adorable to see your joy as you completed it on your own. You may be a rambunctious 2 year old most of the time, but you are full of the Spirit and eager to learn and love.
The movie theatre was a fun experience. For you it mostly involved testing out the seats, figuring out how to sit comfortably, eating the popcorn and snacks, getting up and down A LOT, and walking up and down our row and the row in front of us, sometimes sitting on the steps for a break before continuing. I thought you would fall asleep, but for the second time I was proven wrong. You enjoyed it though, and did very well. Being able to play in the arcade area after was super fun for all of you (even though I did not bring any coins for you to actually play anything).
The other week you came into my room bright and early, and woke me to say, "Mom, I drank my water, see?" and then opened your mouth as wide as possible to show me it was, indeed, gone. You did the same thing this afternoon, showing me that you had eaten all of your banana, opening wide to show me an empty mouth. You've done it between those 2 instances, too. It is hilarious every time!
The concert at the library was an excuse for you to run wild in the library. It was chaotic with you, but with Ana's help you mostly stayed quiet. Thankfully they had advertised it as 4 and up, so you didn't bother any one.
I was worried about you for last night's activity because you didn't nap yesterday and fell asleep on the way there, but you had a long enough snooze that when I took you to the nursery room and held you for a minute, and with the wonderful preparation laid out before you, and your siblings there, you were perfectly content to do as the others and enjoy a snack at the end. Even you had something to tell me about all the chores you did and the prizes you chose.
You were completely wild for my OB appointment. I have never had that experience before. You were standing on chairs, going around the entire room and touching everything, turning the lights on and off, I mean good heavens. But then when we did the ultrasound part you were excited, until you couldn't tell what was happening and got bored. When we left and I thought we could wait for the pharmacy, you literally ran off as fast as you could down the nearest hall. We did not stay for the pharmacy.
With all that being said, you have LOVED looking up baby online, and talking about the baby in my tummy, telling me you have a baby in your tummy, too, and making sure to snuggle, pat, kiss, and poke baby plenty. You still don't have a full grasp of what this means, but I have no doubt that you will love having a baby in a few months.
Daddy said this to me earlier: "I love just how much fun Reed has with EVERYTHING," and I couldn't agree more. You keep us on our toes, and remind us of our weaknesses when you copy them, but you also remind us of the love here in our home as you willingly help and apologize and hug and snuggle just like everyone else.
Love,
Mommy
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