5 Months...3 Year Check Ups

All the Christmas Crazy meant we missed Nolan's 4mth appt with the pediatrician. Oops. So we scheduled his appointment for 5 months...and I'm pretty sure he'll survive. He is doing quite well, actually. This guy weighs 18.10lbs (that's up 11lbs from birth!) and he is 26in long. I think he was 90th percentile for weight, 53% for height, and 70-something for head size. ("70-something"....only for a third child)

Miss Josephine was a healthy girl, too! She was 38in tall and a solid 35lbs. I was a bit shocked that she's in the 66% for height, because - let's be honest - she is a Becker. But it seems she may have some potential height in there. WooHoo!

Josie has really changed in the last few months. She is talking so much and she's actually really funny! After the appointment we were driving home and she took off her boots, then her socks. This annoys me. I started getting crabby with her, as I was driving... And she put her sock on her hand, lowered her voice, and said, "Hey! Don't say that to me...I'm Josie Becker." (using her sock like a hand puppet). What am I supposed to say to that? I died laughing. You win, Josie Becker. You win.

For reference - HERE are Jack's 4mth wellness stats.
I don't know where Josie's 4mth stat post is...but I believe she was put on a "diet" that visit, so we prefer not to remember that time in her life.

33 Years

 This past weekend the Beckers arrived in Northville from Indiana AND Idaho! I'd like to say that they all came JUST to celebrate my birthday - but in reality Devin just happened to be passing through Detroit. He needed to meet Nolan and the timing worked out perfectly!

Josie never misses an opportunity to entertain. Luckily for her - she can always find a captive audience in her grandparents.

We watched Jack play in his first indoor soccer game. It was...ummm, interesting?!? He did well, but was lacking some focus on the court. I will give him credit for having LOTS of energy.

Saturday night we got a babysitter and headed out for an ADULT ONLY meal. I can't even tell you how excited I was for this. Like - WAAAAY TOO excited. Pretty sure my father-in-law thinks I need to get out more. But here's the thing...wine, sushi, adult conversation, an uninterrupted meal... These are things most people just take for granted. Not me. This is a delicacy. A rarity. I embraced it. I loved it.

See that face? That's the face of one PUMPED mom. For MI peeps - we ate at Shiro in Novi and it was really delicious!

So great having Devin there with us! We missed Kristin - but she isn't traveling these days...since our niece is about to be born (due Feb 19th)!!! We miss the Idaho Beckers. Hope they move east soon.

After we relieved the babysitter (who was stellar) - we ate some cake and called it a night.

My 32nd year of life was pretty amazing. I grew my little business to just the right size and I became a mom for the 3rd time. Really excited to see what the next year holds for me... hopefully more nights out so I don't seem so lame on my 34th birthday. :)

Special THANKS to all the people who sent me some love on my birthday. I love hearing from so many people on that day. Throughout my life I've been blessed to cross paths with so many amazing people...whether it was elementary school, studying abroad, or partying in a frat house...I've made new friends in Michigan, while holding on to some of my best friends from birth, elementary school, high school, college, and grad school. I have an amazing family (original and through marriage). I know I am very blessed in love, friendship, and family. Thank you.

Sleep

When he's in his mom's bed....

 When he's in a crib...

Nolan gets what he wants. Always.

Table Exercise

Sometimes the urge to work out hits you, just as you're finishing up your cereal. So - logically - it's best to climb on the table to do your exercises. I was told he was getting "very powerful" from this move... I can see why.

Sledding

We have a small hill behind our house that is perfect for kids to sled down. Jack and Josie spent some time sledding with the neighbor kids on Sunday and had so much fun!

 He has a need for speed...

We've actually seen some sunshine lately around  here! I won't lie...it definitely makes winter days more bearable.

Sir Jack of Northville

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Last Saturday we celebrated Jack's birthday with a Knights & Princesses Party. Jack invited his class and it was the perfect amount of chaos. He had SO much fun!

Tyson was a real trooper. He volunteered to be the "dragon" and the knights attacked him as he tried to get to the princess. I'm pretty sure the dragon sustained welts and bruising. Even foam swords can cause damage.

Princess Josie Elsa and her Knight, Sir Jack. This was Josie's favorite party because she got to wear a princess dress and no one made her change clothes...

Nolan was a "Knight in training" and he tried really hard to learn all of Jack's best jousting moves...

But he was too tired. Maybe next year.

Jack's 5! A trip down memory lane...

The word "poopy" got this smile. Boy humor. I embrace it.

Call me crazy...but I can't believe I have a 5 year old. I feel like I could tell you every single detail of my life 5 years ago today. I woke up before my alarm sounded. I showered and got dressed...I even threw on some make-up and dried my hair. Before I walked out the door, into the cold, snowy January morning - I took a picture by "Baby Becker's" crib.

At the hospital my blood pressure was through the roof. They were all "OMG you have preeclampsia" and I was like, "Uhhh, HELLO...I'm about to welcome my first child into the world." {and I didn't have Preeclampsia} There was some Tracy Chapman playing in the room {what?!?}, at various points in the day I was laughing, and sitting on a birthing ball. At 3:30pm, I looked at the clock after pushing for almost 2 hours...and said to myself "This baby is coming out before 4, because I'm STARVING!" He arrived at 3:51pm - a tiny, warm ball of amazingness. And I listened to him cry and whimper as the nurses and doctors checked him out
...and I ate THE.BEST.DAMN.BAGEL.EVER.

This may have been pre-bagel. I still look hungry.

We spent months getting to know each other. I learned what his cries meant...and he learned to recognize my voice, then my face, then my smile. He smiled back. I was so in love. I still am.

I won't sugarcoat it. As soon as he learned to walk, he learned to run and throw...and then kick. All hell broke loose...on more than one occasion. I've accepted the fact that sports will be played INSIDE...but I've relegated them to the basement {we live in Michigan for God's sake}. He jumps off the stairs, on the couch, and on my bed. He's now a much bigger ball of energy.

I swear he's been throwing a ball since he figured out how to move his right arm.

He's the life of the party. He's never met a stranger. The other day, we were walking through the mall and we both saw an elderly man sitting on a bench. As we were walking by, Jack said, "HI! Have a good day!" And the man's face lit up. I hope he always does that. I hope he can always find ways to make this world a better, happier place to live.

Sometimes he's so persistent it drives me crazy. He's stubborn, too. But he's also so, so sweet. He loves his little sister and little brother so much. When he smiles at Nolan, his smile reaches his eyes...and when he and Josie play house together he calls her "hunny." It's pretty darn cute.

I've been taking more videos on my phone of all three of the kids. I don't want to forget their little voices or the way they say certain words. Jack is SUPER close to Tyson. If you ask him who his best friend is - he'll tell you "my dad" {followed closely by "and Maddox and Jace and Christian and Owen."}.

Best buddies.

Jack -
You are a special boy. You make a lot of people very happy. You make Daddy and me very proud. You are loved. Always. Happy 5th birthday.
XOXOXO,
Mom

One of the last family picture of just the 3 of us...
Josie arrived a few weeks later.

New Year, New Ride

So one of the "perks" of being a GM family is that Tyson gets to drive a new GM car every 6 months. But that also means that we agree to buy or lease a new car (for me) every 3 years. I'm not complaining...

When Tyson started back at GM in June '13 - they informed him that we would need to buy a new car in 2015. We kept that in mind...but weren't quite ready to part ways with the Traverse. Then Nolan arrived...and Christmas came...and we realized that we can't fit our family of five, plus two dogs, plus all of our s#%* in the Traverse. We started hunting for something new and on January 2nd "Martha" came to live with us:

She's a 2015 Chevy Suburban and she's the perfect shade of IU red (crimson). Jack fell in love with her because of her color. Josie loves her DVD players. Nolan thinks she's the perfect only place he can nap. And the day we got her - she earned my trust by navigating the icy roads without a problem. No ditch for me, this year!

And for those non-IU people, wondering where she got her name:

This is Martha. If you want to know why we love her, just click HERE.