Brothers, Best Friends...

(...and sometimes worst enemies.

But that's not what this post is about.)

After pretending to feed his brother dinner in the high chair (with imaginary food), Tait Jr. (3) pretends to put his little brother Miles (2) to sleep in the rocker.

"Yours ting a tong."

"What song?"

"Yours ting a Jesus God tong. No, yours ting a David tong.

'Bout David kill da bad duy."

Then I heard a soft sing-songy (or is it "ting-tongy"?) voice from a little boy, singing his brother to sleep:

"David kill da bad duy.

David kill da bad duy! 

David kill da bad duy...."

These little guys melt my heart at least fifty times a day!

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I won't even mention how long it's been since I posted last. (And don't you dare look back to see.) There are a million and one things to post ... which is probably why I haven't posted at all. :D There are four posts in the works right now, and now that I feel like I have a handle (more or less) on all of my wifely and motherly duties, you'll hopefully be seeing more of me. : )

- Posted using BlogPress from my Super Handy iPhone

From Mommy to Her 3-Year-Old on His Birthday

Today is always a special day for me, full of special memories surrounding Little Tait's birth. While it's sometimes difficult looking back at his rough start...

...really, what I mainly remember are all of the precious moments of early motherhood.

Little Tait's 1st Birthday
If I look tired, it's because I also had a 5-week-old. :D

Dear Little Tait,

You have grown into such a big boy overnight! It seems like just yesterday you couldn't even put your own shoes on, and now not only are you slipping into your boots yourself, but you're even helping your little brother with his!

Yes, you are certainly my little helper. And what a wonderful helper you are! You're always ready to run an errand or do a job for Mommy ... throwing away the baby's dirty diapers, fetching the wipes, searching for a lost pacifier, comforting Matthew when he cries, cleaning up the toys, wiping up a spill on the floor, putting away the clean silverware in the drawer, setting the table, emptying the waste baskets ... and the list grows longer every day.

It melts my heart to see you interact with your baby brother. You are so gentle, sweet, and loving; and when you talk to Matthew in that high-pitched voice that you reserve only for babies, it always makes me smile.

Your fascination with snow, airplanes, tools, hymnbooks, computers, and all "workin' trucks" is so much fun, and we enjoy seeing everyday events transformed into exciting new experiences as we watch them through your young 3-year-old eyes.

I feel like Daddy and I have gotten to know you on a whole new level recently. It's so exciting to actually be able to carry on conversations with you, and your constant chatter brightens every second (yes, every second) of every day. You are like a little sponge, absorbing every detail of what goes on around you, even when we think you aren't paying attention. This was never more evident than the other day, when we were talking about God's creation.

Me: "Taiter, God made Mommy and Daddy, and you and Miles and Matthew. What are some other things God made?"
You, looking out the window: "God made the trees..... My not eat apples from there."

It had been months since Daddy read Genesis to us during evening devotions, and we had no idea you even grasped what Daddy was saying. What a good lesson for Daddy and me, reminding us how much you pick up on!

We look forward to seeing what God has in store for you in your fourth year of life! Daddy plans to take you to work with him more, as you're getting to be such a big boy now, and Mommy looks forward to helping you learn more colors, letters, and numbers! I think potty training would be a good thing to wrap up sometime soon too. :D

We love you, and constantly pray that God would give us the wisdom, patience, and perseverance to train you up to serve Him!

~Mommy

With his brothers and great-grandfather,
who was a bomber pilot in WWII,
flying more missions
than nearly any other pilot

Head over to the Little Tait Foundation for Preemie Aid for another blog post in honor of Little Tait's birthday, and some thoughts from my hubby!

A Boy and His Fans

Love this happy little guy!

Matthew with the toys his adoring fans piled before him

- Posted using BlogPress from my Super Handy iPhone

A Tribute to Miles on His 2nd Birthday

Happy 2nd birthday to Miles...

...our emotional one...

...our dramatic one...

...our accident prone one...

In the hospital waiting to be sedated
Read this story here,
and another one of his ER escapades here.

...our funny one...

...our clueless one...

 

...our musical one... 

...our messy one...

...and, of course, our rock thrower. If there is a rock anywhere in the vicinity, Miles will find it and do what every little boy naturally does with rocks.

When I found out we were expecting Miles, I cried. Not because I wasn't excited about another baby, but because I was already so overwhelmed with a newborn. When we discovered that Miles was on the way, Little Tait had been home from the hospital for just 6 weeks (after spending his first 3 months before his due date in the hospital).

I was still in the newborn stage ... up for feedings around the clock, adjusting to life with a baby (a very fussy baby) at home, etc. I was still adjusting to married life and life in Alaska. After all, we'd only been married a little over 10 months!

I wondered how in the world it was possible to handle another baby so quickly after the first one. But, God is faithful, and He gave us the grace and the strength - through 10 weeks of semi-bedrest while taking care of an 8-month-old, and a week-long NICU stay - to welcome a new little blessing into our lives. (Tait's parents were truly a godsend!)

I never could have fathomed the joy that Miles would bring into our home. He is such a little character, and his silly, clownish antics draw countless laughs from us throughout the day. He's always been a smiley guy, which very early on earned him the nickname "S'Miles." He also answers to "Moo-Moo," "Mr. Miles," "Miledy Moo," "Mi," "Mr. Smiles," and "Moody."

He is, of course, best buddies and worst enemies with his 10-and-a-half-months older big brother. They do everything together. Everything. Except ... well, actually there aren't any exceptions.

 

His high-pitched scream is a signature characteristic, and is released anytime his brother steals a toy or an earth-shattering tragedy happens. Usually, it's because of the former and not the latter.

 

He is a much earlier talker than Little Tait was, and can pretty much get across whatever he wants to get across. It might take him a full minute to get ten words out though, between all of his stuttering and searching for the right word....

This was one of those
""I can't believe I don't have my camera,
but I'm sure glad I have my iPhone"
moments. :D
Miles provides us with lots of those.

Miles is truly a joy in our home, and we look forward to the great things God has in store for him! May He give us the wisdom to disciple him, the patience to discipline him, the perseverance to train him, and the grace to listen to that high-pitched scream yet again.

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His birthday was Sunday, and I've had this post, minus the pictures, prepared since then. Better late than never! : )

2 Months Old!

We've entered the beginning of the "fun stage"

... the interactive stage!

Sure, those first two months are definitely some of my favorites, with all of the sleepy snuggles and quiet bonding. (In fact, it's right about this time that I start missing the newborn stage and feeling ready for another baby!) But it's always so exciting when those sleepy little baby dolls become interactive, interesting little characters ... when they make eye contact when you speak to them ... when they smile when you play with them ... when their big eyes follow you across the room as you walk away ... and when they start those first sweet coos of baby babble.

Matthew is normally a serious baby, with a furrowed brow and concerned expression, so those smiles are extra special little gems. I wasn't able to get any smiles from Mr. Serious during our 2-month photo shoot yesterday, but I did capture a few on my iPhone! Enjoy!

The beautiful, preppy blue blanket was handmade just for him by his great-aunt Chris!

And my two favorites....

Tait Jr.: Builder, Big Brother, and All Boy

He asked me to "build tower" with him. He said he wanted a "big tower." And he wanted the Lego man on it too. And he wanted to use all the "Wego's."

So, even though I'm desperately trying to clean the house and fold the laundry in between toddler meals and snacks, diapers changes and potty training, baby feedings, husband helpmeeting, work on one of our new ministry projects, and a million and one other things...

... we did.

And he was proud. So we took a picture to show Daddy, with the tower we built together and the tower he built all by himself.

Little Tait has grown up before my eyes! He's learned to talk (and utilizes his new-found skill quite often), learned to dress himself, learned to somersault.... And yet, it seems like almost yesterday he was in the hospital, struggling just to breathe. On the other hand, somehow it seems like he's always been here with us, that there was never life without him. I guess that's almost true, since we'd only had 6 months of married life before he surprised us 3 months earlier than expected. It's hard to believe that, come November, he'll be 3 years old already!

Just in the last 7 weeks, he's learned to be a big brother, too.

It was note quite 8 months after his due date that his first little brother arrived, and Little Tait and Miles have grown up more like twins than big and little brothers. So, in a way, this is his first experience big-brothering a baby.

Little Tait loves Matthew. Devotedly. He brings him toys, tries to comfort him when he cries ("Happy! Happy, baby!" or a gentle "shhhhh"), and asks to "holdum" at every opportunity. He's learned how to be gentle (well, most of the time)....

He thought the flash in his eyes was "punny" [funny].

He suggests reasons why his little brother might be crying - "Miss Papa? Miss Papa, baby?" (when Papa was out of town recently), "Tummy hurt, Mom?" "Eat, Mom? Wants milk?"

He's fascinated when I lay Matthew on a blanket on the floor and set up books for him to look at; he even recreates the setup for himself later to lie on the blanket and look at books. And he reads books to Matthew, showing him his favorite objects in the Richard Scarry books. "Pickle car, baby?"


He's becoming a wonderful little helper, running lots of little errands for me throughout the day and helping with the care of his younger brothers.

I look forward to what God has in store for this young man as he continues to grow and learn! And I thank Lord that He has entrusted us with the daunting and humbling task of raising and training little arrows for His kingdom!

Why, hello there!

Note the dirt and grime on that grubby, boyish face. : )

6 Weeks Old Today!!!

I can hardly believe it's been 6 weeks since we were introduced to the newest member of our little family! Matthew is turning out to be a little chunk, just like his big brothers! (Chubby babies are, I think, about the sweetest sight in the world!) His weight gain of about 1 1/2 ounces a day since he got back up to his birthweight 5 weeks ago has brought him to nearly 10 pounds!

Since I am now 6 weeks postpartum, I can pick up more than 10 pounds, for the first time in over 5 months! Somehow, these two toddlers of mine seem heavier than they used to be. :D









No smiles yet, but we're enjoying his sleepy smile previews! Looks like he'll be a pretty adorable smiler! : )

- Posted using BlogPress from my Super Handy iPhone

Of Boys, Rocks, and Lakes

I was working on editing these on my computer, but for some reason, every time I edit a photo, my computer moves it to an unspecified and apparently top-secret location that is completely unknown to me. (The recent blogging drought is due, in part, to this, my computer's unlawful usurpation of power....) So, these are the raw, unedited iPhone photos....

It was a cold, somewhat cloudy Alaskan summer day, and we were at a lake for a friend's birthday party. The big boys present were having fun wading in the lake with their boots, and Little Tait of course had to follow right along. I was glad I'd put his boots on before we left the house!

And then ... Miles decided that he wanted to follow the big kids too. No boots on that boy! But the freezing water didn't phase him a bit, and he continued - for nearly an hour! - his new favorite pastime of throwing rocks in the lake, soaking his sleeves above the elbow each
time he bent down for yet another rock from the bottom.

Sometimes, as a mother of three little boys, you have to turn a blind eye to the endless dirt, mud, grime, and impossible stains. ;D

A good friend of ours, Jen, of Visionary Pioneers, brought her camera (now why didn't I think of that?), and caught these much better pictures of our Miles....

Little Tait playing hide-and-seek with his buddy, Coleman

And I just had to post this one too,
of a few of our friends' little girls.
Great job, Jen! This one is just gorgeous!
Completely postcardworthy! : )