A look back at 2013. With the addition of a new baby, it’s easy to say that 2013 was a very blessed and crazy year for us. I’m not sure Bryan and I know how, but we made it out alive! And, in pretty good shape, I think.
Quinten (1)
We had highs and lows with a new baby in the house. We survived five months of Quinten waking up every 2-3 hours to eat, day and night. And then we made it another seven months of him waking up once or twice every night. Whew! We watched him learn to smile, roll over, sit up, crawl, and eventually stand. He walks along furniture and can stand alone for a few seconds. We’re still struggling through his poor sleep habits, but hopefully we’re on to something good now. He loves to steal Maximus’ toys and likes vrooming any kind of toy on the floor. Everything he touches goes into his mouth. He crawls really fast, especially when he’s trying to get to something he shouldn’t. He loves all food and gets very cranky when he’s hungry. He is a mama’s boy and loves to snuggle. He is a big boy, weighing 25 pounds! He wears 18 months clothes and, like his brother, hates to wear socks. He’s a tummy sleeper. He sucks on two fingers and holds on to his ear while he falls asleep. His first word was, “Nooo!” He has only used it on Wrigley twice, but primarily uses it to tattle on himself before he does something naughty. Before he could say the word, he laughed at us when we told him not to do something. He likes to chew on furniture and shoulders, and toes if he can find them. He loves to splash in the bath tub and tries to drink the water. He has just started to put his arms up when he wants to be held. He is the happiest baby I’ve ever seen, even though he hates being hungry and doesn’t like to sleep.
Maximus (3 1/2)
Looking at the pictures, I realize how big of a jump age two to three really is. Maximus went from baby-faced to looking like a preschooler. He started liking cartoons, especially Mickey Mouse. We’ve since expanded our horizon and have found some new shows that we can watch. He went to his first movie and loved it. His favorite toys are cars and legos. He found out he LOVES cake. He loves helping make it and eat it. He mastered potty training and is very picky about the characters on his underwear. He is also very picky about his clothes, which usually don’t match. Now that it’s cold out, he loves to put on a long-sleeve shirt with a short-sleeve shirt on top. Don’t judge if you see him out, chances are it’s Maximus Style and we tried our best to get him to change. He sleeps with a blanket, water bottle, legos, and cars every night. He bangs around into the toys all night and somehow sleeps through the noise. He loves helping daddy do things, but doesn’t like loud noises like the snow blower or lawn mower. He started swimming lessons this year and absolutely HATED the first class. After that he fell deeply in love and always asks if it’s Tuesday. He doesn’t particularly like nap time and is really good at stalling before bedtime. His latest trick, “mommy, I’m hungry. What can I have?” He’s really excited about Christmas, but very upset that I wouldn’t let him see what everything was before I wrapped them.
Bryan & Kyley
I surprised myself by finding five pictures of us from the past year! The past year is a little hazy, but I think the first time we got out of the house alone was April. Then not again until June. We won’t complain too much, it was a pretty good year! We’re both really busy at work and are constantly trying to figure out how to get more done each day. I stay late and Bryan brings his computer home every night. We’re both still active and spend summers playing softball and winters playing volleyball. We look forward to our nights out, even if we aren’t always doing it together. Since the past year has involved a lot of down time spent on the couching feeding a baby, we’ve started watching quite a few tv series together. We must be getting old, or it doesn’t take much to excite us, because we both really look forward to the nights we can sit on the couch together and watch a show. We made it to one Iowa State football game together this fall, but Bryan made it to a few more. Basketball looks to be really exciting this year and hopefully we’ll be able to make a game or two. Bryan is still playing music with friends and also in the family band. He has his work cut out for him in the family band, but his students are always willing to bang on anything in sight. I’m always in search for the perfect project at home. I don’t want Bryan to feel like he actually has free time. Right now we’re dreaming of a laundry room / mudroom makeover!
From our family to yours, we hope you have a joyous 2014!
