Wednesday, October 23, 2013

More Milestones

From the Merriam-Webster dictionary...
ad·o·les·cence 
Pronunciation: \ˌa-də-ˈle-sən(t)s\
Function: noun
Date: 15th century
1 : the state or process of growing up

Big D turned twelve today. TWELVE!  It sounds so grown up. So ready for new opportunities and responsibilities. So...so...OLD.  And so soon! Where did the time go?



As I said yesterday, I am often reluctant for these naturally occurring milestones to come along, but this one seems really big to me.



You'd think I'd be okay with this, since I already have a teenager. But for some reason my little boy turning twelve is hard to swallow. I mean, just look at this...



He's still got that great smile, which I love. And while he is no longer a fan of hugs, and he doesn't sit on my lap anymore, he's still got a big heart and a whole lot of love for his family. He has no problem teasing his brothers or sisters, but if anyone else gives them any trouble, you can bet Big D will stand up for his siblings. And, if you judge by his tough exterior, you may not guess that he's so incredibly good with little ones.





Not just with our G-man, but his other siblings, little cousins, and friends as well. I can't even count the number of times people have told me how sweet or how helpful Big D was with their kiddos.



He is a great help to me at home, even with changing diapers! So maybe I shouldn't lament his adolescence so much. There are definitely some positive things that come with growing up. And I am so proud of the young man he has become.



Happy Birthday, Big D!

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

It's happening...


When you become a parent, things start happening more quickly than you ever thought they would. And definitely more quickly than you would like.  It seems like as soon as your baby becomes a toddler it's time for Kindergarten already, and suddenly you have a teenager in your house!

We've experienced a couple of major milestones at the Reddy Zoo this week.  First, the G-man started eating baby cereal! While I had tons of fun taking pictures of him eating breakfast this morning, it hardly seems possible that he's old enough for cereal already.


He's not exactly sure what to think of this mushy stuff.


And he would much rather just grab the spoon himself.


But he's getting the hang of it.


And, of course, he had a large audience cheering him on.  The other kids always make him smile.


And if that wasn't enough of a shocker for a mama, Miss M got her driver's license!!!!  Yes, I know that Miss M's news is slightly bigger than her baby brother's first bite of cereal, but unfortunately I didn't think to document the event with even a single picture.  She probably would have killed me for posting it here anyway :-)

As reluctant as I am for milestones such as these to occur, it really will be nice having another driver in the house.  Especially one so willing to run to the grocery store for that forgotten ingredient, or to drop off a sibling at soccer practice.  Now, if only a reliable third car (preferably a cute little crossover in a fun shade of red or blue) would just show up in our driveway.  Then we'd be all set.




Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Birthday Girl


Believe it or not, Banana turns eight today. She's been looking forward to it for quite some time now. "Eight is great!" has become her motto. 



Banana is such a good big sister to G-man and super-sweet with Mr. H. She is my extra set of hands most days; not to mention the only other female in our male-dominated homeschool. 


She often laughs at inappropriate times (like when someone trips and falls), but her laughter is so infectious that the whole family tends to join in, including the person who fell. 


She and Big D share a birthday celebration, as their special days are only a week apart. They enjoyed a beautiful day at the park with 18 of their cousins this past weekend. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BANANA!!