Nate is ONE!

Yesterday our littlest guy turned one whole year old! WOW, that was quick! Life with Nathan is sweet; he is such a happy guy and we all love having him in our family. He has fully mastered walking, has completely entered the toddler phase and spends his days cruising all over the house making messes whenever possible. I'm pretty sure he has broken or damaged more things in the house than either of his big brothers combined. I blame that both on his mischievous and curious nature as well as having a much more distracted Momma. We have also found several non-trash items in the trash can because this little guy has a love for throwing things away. He sure keeps us on our toes!

This morning Nathan had his one year check up. He is ahead physically and right on track verbally and socially. He continues to be long and lean (most likely due to his non-stop calorie burning behavior). Dr. D said he is doing well and thriving.

New Stats:
Height- 31 inches (90%)
Weight- 18 pounds 5 ounces (10%)
Head Circumference- 47centimeters (75%)
shoe size - 3
diapers - 3
clothes - mostly 12m but still some 6-12m as well as an occasional 12-18m

New Skills:
-drinks well from most any type of sippy cup
-plays "where's Natey" (peekaboo) on his own initiative
-throws a ball
-tries to mimick often (brush his hair or teeth, buckle himself, pretend in the play kitchen etc)
-new words: ya (yes) and  nana (banana)

Favorite Things:
-balls of all kinds
-toys with buttons, moving parts or things he can open and close
-bath time
-Penny and dogs in general (we met our neighbors new puppy yesterday and he was giggling and following her all over the yard)
-most any fruit, but especially blueberries, strawberries and bananas
-peas, sweet potatoes, beans, and squash
- most any meat, but especially chicken
-CARBS and Yogurt
 -swinging

Scream Inducing Things:
-diaper changes
-getting dressed
-basically anything that requires being still
-not getting to play with his brothers tiny toys

Not only is Nate a very busy little guy, but he's noisy too. If he's not babbling, laughing or crying he is banging something to make noise. You can almost always here him coming or going, which is helpful since he's always on the go. He continues to be a tiny little guy, and I keep thinking he's due for a growth spurt because he eats as much or more than his big brothers at meals and continues to nurse about 4 good feedings a day. Maybe he just uses up all those calories before he gets a chance to chub up because he literally never stops moving unless he is strapped down or asleep. Actually, even when he is strapped down he is usually wiggling his arms, legs or both. I love watching him learn and grow and can't wait to see how God uses our special boy and his boundless energy! What a fun first year, I pray for many more (and the guidance to be the best Momma for my sweet Nathan)!

1st Annual Photo in Daddy's Boots

Celebrating One Year of Nathan!

Tonight our family joined us for dinner to celebrate our little Nate turning one (on Monday)! The party theme was balls since that is one of Nathan's favorite things, and one of his first words. We had a fun evening but missed 4 of the 5 Wallaces who were stuck at home with the stomach bug (such a bummer!). Levi, Joel, Nathan and Asher enjoyed playing while the adults chatted and then we enjoyed a dinner of some of the birthday boy's favorite things. On the menu was baked penne pasta, peas, strawberries, blueberries and of course birthday cake. (Nathan wasn't sure about what he thought about the cake, he spit out most bites and then fed the rest to the dog! But, he did eat a couple of bites and smear it all over his tray). Today is actually Pop's 61st birthday, so we also had a greek salad and 2nd birthday cake to celebrate him as well. How sweet of him to share with day with his littlest grandchild!

Aunt Tam, Cousin Jenny, Kamryn & Kynlee stopped by on their way to the Taylor Swift concert

loves him some Italian pasta :)

Happy Birthday Pop!

Nathan got a lot of fun new toys and had a blast playing with them after ripping apart the wrapping and packaging. Before going to bed Philip and all 3 boys had a punch ball fight. Nate had a blast joining in with his big brothers. I'd call the party a big success! Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate our sweet little guy! We sure do love our Nathan and our wonderful family as well! One year post coming soon.

Star of the Week

This past week Levi was "Start of the Week" in his class at school. As a reward for being star, you get lots of extra work! on the Friday before his special week Levi brought home a large poster to fill with facts about himself, photos and lots of coloring.  He had the weekend to complete the project so it could be displayed in class while he was star. Levi is not a perfectionist. He was fine to fly through coloring without thought and not sputtering about his hand writing or spelling. It took every bit of my self control to only help him a small amount and allow him to choose colors I felt clashed, only color the way he wanted too and answer the questions in his own words. I'm more of a control freak than I thought. It turned out ok, but I know he has the ability to color much more carefully.

He also brought home the class "pet " which was a stuffed cat named Fang. Levi was to take Fang with him wherever he went all week, journal the activities and then return the toy and the completed book (with paragraphs, photos and drawings) on Friday. Homework time is getting better for Levi and I, but it is not one of our favorite things to do together by any stretch. I'll admit, by the end of the week I was glad to see Fang go and happy to be done with the extra homework! Levi was very proud of his work and excited to show it off at school. He's always my star :)