Sydney List 2012

Some reason it always feels like I've just ended my last list as it's already time to start a new one. I can't believe what a big girl Sydney is. Looking through my yearly list is such a huge reminder of how fast she's growing. I wish I could just freeze the clock on her, but I know that's just not possible. She's so eager to grow up and I keep reminding her to enjoy being little. I don't think she believes me though. So here we go again.
1. You're still our picky eater. In fact, we finally just convinced you to try green grapes. You thought they were scary and would only eat red ones.
2. You eat pizza, but still refuse to have sauce on it. This poses a real annoyance with all the pizza parties. Some reason they just don't make pizzas anywhere without the sauce.
3. You always mess up the phrase "I'm dying to..." because you say you're "killing" to do something, like "Mommy, I'm killing to eat this lollipop because I'm so hungry"
4. You are so good with your baby sister. You ask to hold her all of the time and when you do, you sing so sweetly to her. You're the best big sister ever.
5. Fish out of water is what you are, such a great swimmer. You and your dad swim every night and play games in the pool. You learned how to do cannon balls this year.
6. So excited to be a big sister, you went with me to any appointment you could. This made such an impact on you that you wanted to play doctor every day and referred to yourself as "Dr. Brainard", mommy's obgyn. You said you want to be a baby doctor when you grow up.

7. You had a very traumatic thing happen with your thumb being slammed in the door this year. I've never seen you take such good care of something before. You continue to bite your nails, all of them except that thumb nail. It's impressive how long it's gotten and you still leave it alone and remind me to file it.
8. You are such a girly girl. You tell me I have to share my high heels with you and I catch you stealing them and wearing them around the house all the time.
9. You love make up, oh my goodness. I gave you a few items and you apply it all...and reapply it again every 5 minutes. I tell you that it hasn't worn off yet, but you don't believe me.
10. I wish it wasn't so, but the boys love you. In fact your first week at kindergarten, we were told that you hold hands with Christopher and kiss him all over his face. We've been working on the "keep your hands, feet, lips and all body parts to yourself"
11. You've gotten to be such a big girl this year that you can even do your own laundry!
12. You told me that you're excited to turn 16 because the people who give you your license will also be the ones giving you a car. I'm pretty excited about that too. I had no idea I didn't have to pay for it.
13. You're a very stubborn child and insist that you are always right and know more than Mom and Dad. These conversations never go well. They usually end with a door slamming in the house.
14. You love pretending to have a baby in your belly and we catch you all the time with Cabbage Patch Kids shoved inside your shirt. You walk around admiring your belly bump. Here's a photo of you post delivery.

Nonnie, my second pair of hands

Nonnie came out to visit us when Addison was just a few weeks old. She came to help be my second pair of hands. Chris went back home for the Annual Green Lake Invitational, so she came to help during that time. She was such a huge help to me and the kids and I'm so grateful for the time she got to spend with us. She learned Addison's little quirks as well as I did. It was really crazy to see how much she grew in the short time we had with Nonnie. When she first came, I was extremely sleep deprived, waking up every 45 minutes or so. By the time she left, Addison was sleeping a few hours at a time!

Saying goodbye was hard for Nonnie and us. I was pretty sad to see my second pair of hands leave. The girls loved having her around and Syd called her the best roommate ever! :) I'm so thankful for the girls to have such wonderful, caring and loving grandparents.

Cara & Ray

Chris and I are always picking up our phones to find photos that Syd took of herself randomly. This kid.

The adorable Cara holding our chubbers, Addison

Syd wanted Cara to do her makeup. She talked about this day for the longest time!! Love these two

Love

When you have one child, you find it hard to believe that you could love anything else the way you love them. Until you have another. Your love doesn't become shared, your heart simply grows larger. We are extremely thankful for our little miracle baby that we worked so hard to be blessed with.

Routines

Starting new routines. Syd is absolutely loving Kindergarten. I can't believe how fast she's grown. I feel like it was just yesterday that we were changing her diaper and now she's a little lady. As she gets ready to leave for school, she always wants to hold her baby sister. Life is good.

Yoga Anyone?

Addison and I are relaxing while we watch Syd do some yoga. Does it count as exercise by watching?

Happy Birthday to Me!

The years seem to be flying by a whole lot faster these days.I need everything to just slow down! Although my birthday consisted of me being a little sleep deprived, I wouldn't have it any other way. It was a wonderful birthday and I received some LOVELY Frye boots for the Fall and two shirts from Chris. They even had a delicious chocolate cake for me to blow candles out on. What's a girl to wish for when she has everything she ever asked for already?

Making a wish while looking at this gorgeous baby girl

Randoms

Addison doing what she does best....sleeping during the day! 

Tummy Time on her Nap Nanny

 

Syd workin' it while we had our family dentist appointment.

Addison was a dream and slept practically the entire time we were there!

Just because she's adorable

As a treat, I gave Syd a few pieces of makeup. Didn't take her long to put them to use!

Random Cuteness

Addison is still just a little bitty thing, so I use her boppy to prop her up a little so that she can play with and see her play mat. She's completely aware of her surroundings. Getting so big, so fast!

Syd absolutely loves to hold her baby sister. She's the best big sister ever!

Quick Shots

Our Gorgeous Big Girl

How absolutely gorgeous is this big girl? She continues to amaze us each and every day

She also really loves to sit in her sister's nap nanny. It's like her very own, personal lounger!

We've had some really insane Monsoon winds lately and Syd's playhouse has been at the receiving end of a lot of it. It slid it across the deck and right into one of our palm trees. Of course, not all the screws came out, so most of the pieces were still attached in areas, so I couldn't lift it by myself. Always happens when Chris is out of town.

Watch Out Kindergarten, Here She Comes!

Hard to believe she's already five and heading off to Kindergarten. I feel like it was just yesterday that we were struggling to get her to walk (lazy 16 month old walker). She's so smart, creative and most of all happy. She's just so stinking happy all the time and I love it. She walks around the house and outside singing her little heart out with some pretty impressive dance moves to go along with it. She's now off into the world of school, homework and responsibilities. So proud of her and the woman she's growing up to be. Syd, you'll always be our baby girl. We love you! Now go knock em dead!

Announcements are finished!

Although we had announcements made from the hospital, I wanted to make a few of my own as well. They arrived and they're so pretty!!! I feel like I need to pinch myself. I feel so completely blessed.

Addison's First Injury

At 4 weeks old, we've already had our first incident. Poor little Addison scratched her cornea on her right eye. She always has her hands in her face, covering her eyes and my worst fear came true. In the middle of the night, she scratched it and screamed so loud. Come the morning, her eye kept tearing, so I found an eye doctor that was open and would see her as an emergency. He looked at her eyes and found the scratch on her cornea. We left with some antibiotic eye drops and a strict order to put baby gloves on her.

This is how Dad burps the baby

Swing Time

Although she isn't the biggest fan of the swing, it still allows me to get a bottle or something else quickly. I just love her cute little face!! She's starting to make expressions and they crack me up.