The Birthday Party

Wow! What a weekend. We celebrated your birthdays on Saturday and had a blast! Combining the parties into one worked wonderfully. Your theme was Construction Trucks and you loved it. Dadda was amazed that Momma could make construction cute! I borrowed a lot of tools, the air hose and even an orange cone and pulled it off! All our friends and family that made it had a good time and the weather was nice and cool. Probably the only birthday you will ever have in July that it is 70 degrees outside!!!

Lots of Yellow, Black and Orange! Our house turned into a construction zone!

You loved your construction cake. It even had a caution tape striped surprise on the inside. 

Lots of good food and family and friends. We even had a port-a-potty sign for the bathroom door!

How did this happen?!

How did this happen?!

On the cusp of your birthday party I am looking back going, How.Did.This.Happen!? It was like a whirlwind and poof! y'all were turning 1 and almost 3.  Here is a little bit about what we did the last month and lots of pictures to document. Enjoy!

You LOVE to read. Your most favorite spot is curled up by the window in the bedroom playing and reading together. 

OUTSIDE! Now that Liam is walking he follows Nathan everywhere. Nathan's favorite place is out in the backyard getting dirty and muddy. Y'all wait by the door asking to play out front while we anticipate Dada's arrival home from work. You eat dirt sometimes, yeah, but it hasn't affected you too much!

One year of great memories. How it flew! That is one day old through one year old  for you, Liam. 

Cake Smash!
Nate, you helped Liam figure out how to get messy with his cake.
But you also helped him wash up. 

How grown up Nathan is now! You actually pose for pictures now. My handsome 3 year old!

We had a wonderful 4th of July party with our small group from church. Nate, you weren't a fan of getting in the pool because you were afraid of going down the drain. Liam enjoyed floating with Momma and Dadda in the pool and did great for your first time in a pool. Other than that we had lots of good food and fun. 

This is the Fathers Day card you helped me make for James this year. You didn't appreciate the ties...I told you, just wait until you are older!

Pulling up to stand & Happy Easter!

What a month! 

In short, we were all sick most of the time, Yuck! Then we had a few fun things happen, Day out with Thomas for Nate and Momma and Dada. Had fun with friends and family and then ended the month with a fun Easter Sunday.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Milestones - Couch cruising and mobile to the extreme!

Liam - you are way more mobile now! You happily stand up every occasion you get. You use the coffee table, window sill, tv stand, etc... and fall down occasionally. We keep putting ice on your head, either the left or right side of the forehead. You are learning more and more how to let go and sit down! Your sit to stand has been one of your favorite things to walk around with. You are even taking steps while holding our hands. Slow down big boy! You are also eating lots of table food ( Nate calls it people food :)) in fact, you prefer it. There is hardly anything left on the list we haven't tried yet. I'm so proud of my good eater. I love that we can now take you out to eat with us and bring nothing but a bib and spoon. 

Playing together - Oh, its happening finally! You and your brother are playing together, of course supervised because it can get a little rough. But its so nice to see!

Check up time!

You went to the doctor for a 9 month checkup last Monday. You are 28-1/2" tall now and 18.1 lbs. So still a little guy, just long and skinny!

Social Butterfly Nate! - Since the weather warmed up a little more (after a few cold snaps last month) we have taken out the stroller more. Nathan, you are doing so much better on your balance bike. The only disadvantage is that you still love to stop all the time to look at nature. While I love how perceptive you are and answer the million questions you have, sometimes I wish we could have a more brisk pace! I guess your momma isn't as good as stopping to smell the roses as she should be. You love saying "hi" to all our neighbors as we pass and then talking their ear off! Sometimes we can understand all the conversation but often times the poor person just says,"well, nice talking with you buddy!" and goes on. I love how sweet and friendly you are. My social butterfly!

Superbug hits- Our family and close friends at church all caught a horrible stomach virus. We kept getting it despite repeatedly cleaning and disinfecting the house. Your poor Dada got it the last time and it was hard!  Lots of laundry, pedialyte, and plain toast this past month. I'm so glad everyone is back to normal. We had to miss your cousin's birthday party, church & small group a few times.  (Anywhere there could be kids)

We did, however, get some outside help from your Gigi a few times. 

Nate sick on the couch :(

Visiting friends - We celebrated Momma's birthday out at a restaurant and both of you were so good! Then later we had a wonderful visit with some awesome friends ( almost like family). Nate you loved running around watching the cats run from you and checking on the fire in the fire pit. Liam, you loved playing with their soft blocks and banging on the empty coffee cans. It was a nice time for all!

Day out with Thomas! It was wonderful just having you, Nate and getting to visit one of your favorite characters on TV, Thomas the Tank Engine. You had so much fun and only were scared once when we tried to get a photo of you next to Sir Topham Hat. You even got your first tattoo! It was of Diesel 10 - your favorite villain! The train ride was your very first and you loved it. We also had a great time eating burgers, just the three of us, afterwards.

Easter was fun but chaotic! Nathan you LOVED running around at church collecting eggs. Then we all had fun playing in the backyard at Gigi and Grandpa's house and looking at our Easter baskets. It was so nice to see family and hang out for a bit.

Crawling, drinking from a big boy cup and a new family member!

These boys! You fill my heart everyday. I pick you above all the little boys in the world and now

 I know you pick me too! 

To start off the month we had a great Valentines Day. You both got cards and stuffed animal toys from Gigi and Grandpa. Nate, you loved your new monkey and Liam, you enjoyed your puppy. 

Liam's dedication at church:

Earlier last month we had a great celebration for Liam, his dedication at church. It was a proud and humbling day to stand in front of the church & our family and declare that we are raising you the right way, to know Jesus. In everything we do, we are committed to raise both our boys to know and love God. 

Meeting baby Carys:

My little sister had her baby on February 21st, your sweet new cousin, Carys Victoria. We visited at the hospital and got to bring some love & chaos that only a two year old and 7 month old mobile baby can!

Earlier that day we had a blast with your other cousins and family for Harper's baptism in the Catholic Church. We ate delicious hot dogs and hamburgers and got to play with family. 

It was a full of family fun day!

Milestones for Nathan: (2 years and 7 months)

You are now proudly drinking from a lidless cup! You still have a sippy cup for your water that is carried everywhere; but at the table you enjoy your big boy cup. We have had a few spills but that is just part of learning to pay attention to what you are doing.

You love to tell jokes and stories, but bless you sweetheart, you don't quite understand how yet. We love listening to you, whatever you are saying and how long it takes!

Your favorite thing at night is our story time. You select the books and we read them in a comfy chair in your room before bed. Then you get tucked in, animals piled around you and water cup on the bedside table. Now you tell us what or who you want to pray for and after the amens, wait...(s) and " don't get ups" you settle down for the night.

Milestones for Liam: (8 months)

You have done quite a lot the past month. You learned to eat Cheerios and some solids with your fingers. You started taking off army crawling and enjoyed catching up to us as we walked through the house. Next was sitting up on your own and then crawling! 

Busy, busy boy and right on track with big brother when he was little. 

You are getting two new teeth as well! Your bottom front and one of your front top ones. It's been pretty painful for you, poor guy. We have been up many nights with you when you couldn't go back to sleep. You also love bath time and sit and splash in your little tub. We had to graduate from the baby bath seat since you rolled yourself out of it a few times!
Speaking of rolling, we have had to get creative with getting you dressed and diaper changes! You move a lot! And you do not like to stay on your back at all. 

Storytime:

Sometimes we love how independent you are Nathan. But other times we wish you didn't have so much freedom! You've gotten very good at problem solving. If you can't reach something, you use a toy or chair to help out. This leads me to your latest venture, I call it Nathan and the spices.

You woke up before me and instead of climbing into bed and waking me up you decided to play with things in the kichen. When I woke up I heard noises and realized you were up and busy doing something. 

You played as little game.

Made "breakfast"

And....

Spices here...

Spices everywhere!

You dumped the lemon pepper, cumin & garlic powder all over the floor and countertop. Whew! It was a very strong smell. 

Family time outside:

Thank goodness the weather has gotten warmer! We have enjoyed outside time as a family. We have watched you, Nathan, ride your bike and scooter. You have been swinging and helping to push your little brother in the swing, look for rolly-polys and worms with Dada and whatever activity looked fun to do! Even unusual ones like: hitting the fence with stick, using the outside broom as a weed wacker-complete with sound effects , and moving your play bench over. You are definitely my sweet boy though, always picking yellow flowers for Momma (dandelions) and blowing on the white flowers (seeded dandelions!). I watch  Liam watch you and see the longing to go out and play too. I'm going to have three guys that love the outdoors now! Sounds like camping is in our future!

Liam- a month of firsts!

Baby boy Liam, you are 7 months old now. Your dada and I have seen such a change in you this month. You are starting to participate more in the world around you. You enjoy laughing and talking to us and watching what's going on. Your big brother and sisters ( the dogs) are your main source of entertainment. 

You are sitting so well and only take a few falls forward while reaching for something. You are also on your way to crawling already! You like to get on all fours and then lunge forward to move great distances. If it's just a little ways you can pull yourself along. But we still have to rescue you if you back yourself into a situation you can't get out of. 

You got your first tooth this month too! See? You've been a busy little one! We like to call you "Little Bit" but you are getting to be such a big boy!

6 Months & 2 and a Half Years Old

My sweet boys, you are now 6 months and 2 and a half years old. Where did the time go!!! Since the last post you both have been changing and growing right before my eyes.

Starting with my oldest, my “sweetheart”, Nathan you continue to amaze me. Every week your vocabulary and speech reach new heights. You also never stop talking! You mimic your Dada and me; our mannerisms, what we say and how we react in different situations. Some mannerisms are bad, some good, and some just crazy! We have found ourselves at the end of the “NO!” stage and are working through the “I want to do it myself” (spoken emphatically). You want to be everybody’s boss, including your little brother’s. It’s exhausting! When you stub your toe you grunt loudly (like your Dada!) and when it really hurts you want us to kiss it to make it feel better. Your little legs and hips are covered in bruises and the center of your forehead is constantly a bump. This is due to you not paying attention when you run around. You rarely walk; it’s mostly a run if you are going anywhere. You love moving your stool around to reach up to things, like light switches. You want to watch the coffee brew in the kitchen or put your own DVD’s in the player. Nathan, despite your two year old self, you have the sweetest heart. You can recognize when someone is hurting and walk over and rub their shoulder and say, “it’s alright Momma” or “sorry sweetheart”. You answered your Dada the other day after he asked you ‘Do you know why I love you?” by saying “Because I’m lucky!” You are lucky and so blessed sweet boy.

Now my baby, little Liam, you are 6 months old now and are very much a Momma’s boy. I can’t really leave you with anyone very long due to your strong aversion to drinking your bottle. However, we seem to have no trouble at church with you taking your entire bottle, go figure! I know that this baby stage doesn’t last forever, so I’m looking forward to a little break down the road, but also treasuring my times holding you. You have the cutest chunky legs and best smile; such a handsome little man. You are rolling around to grab toys and the like but once you end up on your tummy, oh no, you have to be righted again. You do well in the walker, just not the kind to race around. You can happily sit and play without moving around. This is very different from your brother, but that is good!

Our days are busy but fun; we watch a movie or cartoons on PBS in the morning and turn off the TV for some quiet time until Thomas the Tank Engine comes on. Nathan, your favorite show is Thomas, so it’s a time when you are quiet and sit on the couch. Momma gets some work done during this time or chores and then its naptime. Both of you are taking naps at different times, but we make it work. There are lots of playing with dogs, cars and trains for Nathan or chewing on toys, walker time and floor time for Liam. We eat our meals together, Liam in the high chair and Nathan in the booster seat. I treasure our family time and when Dada gets home from work at the end of the day, our family is complete. 

Happy New Years! Reflections over the past year.

What a tremendous 2013!

Our Family at the beginning of the year

We started the year with a growing 18 month old Nathan , just learning to talk and stealing our hearts with his sweetness. He ran through the yard, bluebonnets, library and sprinklers and finally the ice at the end of the year. A lot of people ask us, "does he ever stop?" Our reply..." Just to sleep" :) He graduated from his paci, crib, high chair and then changed rooms with no trouble. In fact, he loved gaining more independence. Our house became more full of cars, trains, play tools and a workbench built by James. We started coloring more in circles with sidewalk chalk and crayons and built roads with play doh. Thomas the tank engine and Chuck and Chuggington became his favorite movies to watch; the boy loves his transportation! He learned his numbers, ABC's, and to count. His 2 year birthday came during a busy July when we got to meet our newest edition to the family, Liam. Liam weighed more than his brother and was born with tan skin and brown hair, favoring his Momma. As Nathan matures he looks more and more like his Dada, but with blonde hair and blue eyes. :-)

Watching these two little boys interact with each other has been an amazing experience. I don't think James or I expected them to have a love bond quite so fast. Liam grins from ear to ear watching his big brother Nate. Nathan took a few weeks to want to hold Liam but once he did, you could tell he was a proud big brother.  Nate started the typical sibling," he is touching me" or " he is looking at me" earlier than we anticipated. But those two are going to grow up to be best of friends. 

Having a baby in the house again was an adjustment for everyone. We were getting used to sleeping at night and, of course, that all changed. It took longer to move him into the room shared by his big brother than we thought. But, after 3 months, the boys share a room now. Liam started showing interest in our food very early on and would frequently refuse to be bottle fed. That led to our decision to start feeding him puréed foods at 4 months of age. He loves it and, most importantly, other people can feed him too. He has chugged through avocado, yellow squash, zucchini, peas, sweet potato, brown rice, apple, pear, banana and now broccoli. He eats two to three times a day, about 2 oz each time, and breast feeds 6 to 7 times. Hungry, growing little man! Thankfully we are now getting a full nights rest more days out of the week. Liam is teething like crazy but still only teeth buds can be seen. Nate got his teeth later, so we don't expect teeth any time soon. 

Our end of the year holidays were so much fun. Seeing Nathan trick or treat and celebrate Thanksgiving with family and especially opening presents (not always his!) on Christmas was a joy. He is understanding more and communicating so well. You can have long, often hilarious, conversations with him now. He remembers the most random things and getting a glimpse into what is running in that two year old brain is astounding. It sort of makes your head hurt! He still craves his independence, but admits sometimes to needing ,"a little help". He loves being "really useful, like Thomas" and helps out with all the chores and getting things for Momma during the day. 

We start 2014 knowing all the milestones we will cross with Liam and Nathan and having no clue how it's going to all work with two, but looking forward to the journey.

Christmas 2013!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Cates Family!

What a wild December!

Iced in for almost a week! 

Spending Christmas Eve as a family at church 

and then home to open pj's and special ornaments.

 Liam turned 5 months old and had his first Christmas!

Nate cleaned up! He got a wagon, scooter and balance bike this year!

Lots of active toys for an active boy!