The Ferens Farm

This weekend we celebrated Austin who was given to us by God one year ago.  We had a great time celebrating our little man and enjoying family time, complete with cupcakes and present!  It was a very mellow birthday, but Austin knew something was going on and I think he learned it was all about him because he got lots of sugar and a few presents, with wrapping paper he was allowed to rip!  I can’t believe I have a one year old, again…

This year flew by so fast, I have no idea where the time went, but what I do know is that my baby is turning one year old on the 27th.  Crazy to think that a year ago right now I was so sick and no one knew what was wrong with me exactly, or if Austin would be okay when he was born, or really what to expect, but he was born and I was healed and life moved on, fast.  Now one year later it feels like a distant memory, but one I don’t want to ever forget. (For some details about last August click here.)

In the last three months Austin has “come into himself” making his mark on our family.  He brings joy to our family, his face lights up a room, the smile and those checks suck you in and you just want more!  He is silly, looking to make us laugh and snag the attention of his siblings.  What a busy boy he is, getting into everything and on the move!  Now we can say, there are definately 4 kids in our family, 4  to keep track of, 4 to feed, 4 to cuddle, 4 to care for, he is now, one of the gang.

Here are his stats @ 1 year old:

Weight: 24.5 pounds, 75th percentile for weight and height, 18-24 month clothes

Teeth: 3 (one top tooth barely poking through the gums and two bottom teeth all the way in)

Sleep: 11.5 hours at night (straight!), 2 naps a day, about 1.5 hours each

Movement: not walking, but walking along everything.  He crawls like a madman, at supersonic speed!  He loves to crawl through things, like a tunnel or under a blanket.  He will do it over and over again.  He loves to jump in his crib holding on to the side rail, or on the small trampoline.  Even though he is a very skilled mover for a non walker, he still loves to be carried or worn in the Ergo.

Nick names:

• A man
• A-ster
• Au-dee (made up and called by Ally only)
• Little Man
• Baby Boy

Food:  His boy LOVES to eat!  He screams in anger if he doesn’t get to eat before everyone else.  He likes pretty much everything but loves: fruit, yogurt, watermelon, bread, string cheese, frozen peas, ice cream, berries, anything sweet, nursing, and whatever his brother or sisters are eating. He loves water from my water bottle, he will be getting his own for his birthday!  (Really, there is nothing I can think if he doesn’t like to put in his mouth and swallow!)

Talking:  He “talks” all the time.  Constant noise is coming from him and I can tell he is talking, I just can’t tell what he is saying!  He does say a few things such as: “that?” (while he points),  ”uh-oh”, and “DaDa”.  He also waves, lifts up his arms and says “yeah”, claps, and kisses (only open mouth style!)  I also think he says Zac sometimes, but it sounds like “that” so it is hard to decipher.

Toys: he still loves to put things in his mouth, but has calmed down a bit, thank goodness!  He seems to have a special liking for balls, chasing them around the house.  He also likes to play with anything he knows he shouldn’t play with, like the toilet water, small legos, toilet paper, the washing machine, the dishwasher…you get the point!

Skills:  Austin excels at opening cupboards and drawers and pulling everything out!  He can make a mess and empty a drawer in less than 3 seconds.  His best skill is throwing things over his shoulder, usually his right shoulder.  He LOVES to empty clothes out of dresser drawers, throwing everything out as fast as he can.  He also likes to crawl to my piles of laundry (especially when they are already folded) and throw them all over the room.  He can do this at hyper-speed!  Austin has a special liking for piles of clothes and towels, I wonder if this means anything!??

Austin, you have been the perfect “last baby” for me.  Sweet, cuddly, full of love, full of smiles, fun, playful, spunky, just everything I love!  I can’t believe you will be one on Friday, if I think about it too much I tear up and start to cry.  I remember when you came out and how perfect you were, despite all the worries about if something was wrong and how sick I was, together we pulled through and it was all good, Praise God!  When you get older and I tell you the story of the month leading up to your birth, you better thank me for hanging in there…

Everything with you is bittersweet.  I get so excited when you enter a new stage, but I get sad, knowing you are growing up and I won’t get to experience this again.  Your  Daddy says I can’t baby you too much, but how can I help it?  Every time we are in the rocking chair together and cuddled up I think, how quickly this will fade, thanks for indulging me now.  One of my favorite things about you is your energy and desire to explore and learn.  You have a zeal for life and I love to watch you process how this world works.  You like to watch your brother and sisters do things and then try it yourself, I have a feeling this won’t fade in you.

You have one of the most expressive faces, I can tell how you are going to respond verbally to something before a sound comes out, just by watching your face.  You light up when someone walks in the door you like, such as Daddy, GG or Pappy, it is so sweet.  You are making a real impact on this family now, I can tell I have four kids, you aren’t just sitting back, but participating in our life and you keep me on my toes!

Thank you for a wonderful year that I never want to forget.  I am excited to get to know more of who God made you to be in this next year.  I love you more than you will ever know or understand, Mama.

Princess Zoey will turn 4 tomorrow.  This weekend we celebrated with a family party.  Zoey was SO excited all day, totally living it up and acting like the birthday girl.  We started the day off with a special breakfast at On Common Grounds, she got a pastry and hot chocolate, no protein when she gets to choose!  We came home from breakfast and cleaned out the garage together as a family…seems like a strange “birthday activity” I know, but we had to get it ready for her to ride her new bike!  Right when we finished cleaning family started to arrive and the rest of the day was full of fun and food.

I told myself that this year Zoey could have a “friend party” in addition to our normal extended family get together, but when I approached her about it she told me she didn’t want a party.  I had a hard time believing her so I asked again a few days later, she gave the same answer that time and the following 3 times I asked.  So, to my surprise, we are not throwing a “friend” party this year…I am relieved!

Below is Zoey’s new bike “Cotton Candy.”  It is her pride and joy.  When she first got the bike she was a bit apprehensive, but her riding skills have improved 300 times since Saturday when she first rode it.  The night she got this she told me that she had “wanted this bike for YEARS!”  Today she asked me if she could go to the garage and ride, I told her yes so she ran out and rode around and around singing praise songs at the top of her lungs…nothing could be cuter!

Zoey and her princess cakes.

The cakes close up:

Zoey had been telling us she wanted a princess birthday party since the day after last years party and then just a few weeks before she changed her tune and told us she wanted a “Jesus Birthday.”  Not knowing exactly what that means or how to do this without being blasphemous we talked her back into a princess party.  Once she agreed she insisted that there be a “tiny weeny” mouse on her cake, can you spot it?

Brandon is all about tradition, and he has taught me to love it as well.  One of the traditions we have in our house is themed birthday cakes.  I make the cakes and frosting from scratch and Brandon designs and decorates it, to be WHATEVER the kids want.  Our tradition has been that at three you get  to pick your cake design, prior to that, we just make a “regular” cake.  We broke our rule this year, Ally got a themed cake for her second birthday but she didn’t get to pick it, we used a Build-a-Bear cake pan and decorating kit that my aunt had given us.  It turned out really cute, but took Brandon three and a half hours to decorate!  Normally Brandon designs and carves the cakes, no directions, just from his own creative mind, so this cake was a bit different.  Although we like how this one turned out, he decided making it up himself is still the way to go.  Enjoy these cakes from years past as well as this years creation below.

Zac’s 3rd birthday, a front end loader cake, Brandon’s first cake ever and still my favorite!

The Monster Truck cake, Zac’s 4th birthday.

Zoey’s first cake, on her 3rd birthday, she wanted a pink heart with raspberries and blueberries, that is what she got!

Zac’s 5th birthday, a Dinosaur Volcano cake.

Finally, Ally’s 2nd birthday cake, a Teddy Bear Princess!

We now officially have a two year old in our home, yesterday Ally turned two.  She was so excited about her party and her birthday, it isn’t everyday that #3 gets all the attention, so she lived it up.  We had a small family birthday party on Saturday with Ally’s one friend, her best friend, Sierra.  These two are 5 weeks apart and have known each other since they were in utero, they play better than any two year olds I have ever seen, it is really sweet.  Ally spent most of her party glued to Sierra, at one point they were in her bedroom playing and my mom went to check on them and Ally closed the door and said, “no,” I guess they were having girl talk!  At Ally’s request we had chicken legs and homemade macaroni and cheese, and of course cake (that is all she really wanted!)  Ally got a few presents but by far she is most excited about her new socks…go figure!  She wants to wear them all, asking me to change colors many times a day.  She has even figured out how to put them on herself!

Now that Ally is two she is offically out of the baby stage, even though she will always be my baby girl.  I can’t believe how fast these two years have gone…it makes me tear up thinking about it.  At two Ally is extremely capable.

• She can dress herself as well as pick out her own clothes, most of the time the clothes are on backwards or she has two legs in one hole or the outfit is terribly mismatched, but every now and then it is all put together right.
• She puts on her own shoes, and almost always gets them on the right feet!
• We are on day 5 of panties with no accidents, totally motivated herself to be potty trained.
• This girl is verbal, she gives me a constant narration of the day and her thoughts about it.
• Ally is tender, she tries to act tough with her “mean voice” but she crumbles when reprimanded.
• What a jokester, she loves to make people laugh and her favorite activity is torturing her big brother and sister.
• Austin is well taken care of by Ally, she likes to  bring him toys, burp clothes and give him his binky when he is crying.
• Ally loves to wear glasses, hats, necklaces, or anything else she can find to make her feel “big.”
• Talking on the phone and pushing strollers around the house are her two favorite past  time activities (well, besides tormenting Zac and Zoey.)
• Ally is probably the toughest girl you have met, she has been known to fall, tumble, bump, roll, skid, crash, and bang without so much as a grunt or wale afterwards.
• She is a cuddle girl, before nap or bed she wants to rock and sing and pray, all with her special cozy blanket.
• Her smile and attitude about life makes me melt and when I am having a bad day I just need a few minutes with her to remind me it is all worth it.

Those are just a FEW of the things I love  and know about Ally.  She makes my life so full, her joy is contageous and I thank God daily for sharing her with me.