A Letter to My Son...Happy 4th Birthday!!

Dear Griffin,                                               April  2016

Year four of your life has been my favorite thus far! It has been full of laughter, milestones, and new found favorites.

         Griffin, you never cease to make me smile. Even at times when I’m upset with your behavior/choices, a witty comment from you can turn my frustration into a chuckle.

         You have some new “favorites” that have become very important to you in this year of life. Your newest obsession is the Wii. You wake up talking about it and there are many nights you even thank Jesus for it in our prayers before you to go to sleep. Not only do you enjoy making friends and family members into Wii characters, you also make complete strangers you come into contact with into characters. You’ve made the AT&T guy who came and fixed our TV into one, and you have even made our cashier from a visit to Target into one.

         You are also very into the alphabet, but more specifically, you ask everyone (once again, complete strangers) what their “favorite letter is.” This question simply means what letter that particular person’s name begins with. You think it is really cool when you see POP’s name on things like POPcorn packages or labeled POP radio stations on the XM radio screen in the car.

         Team Umizoomi and PJ masks are your two favorite shows to watch on TV. That is actually where you got your newest catch phrase. Any time you have to life something heavy, you preface it by saying “Super Griffin muscles” and it magically gives you the strength to life that particular object.

         You, my son, have turned into quite the prayer warrior. Every night you start your prayers by thanking Jesus. The staples you say every single night are your “family, friends, and Mrs. Jill.”  You also thank Jesus for one more thing, at random, each night. You have chosen to thank Him for some things like basketball, the letter “T”, Team Umizoomi, and carrot cake.  Next in your nightly prayers, you have specific prayer requests. This is the part that melts my heart each and every night. You listen to my prayers each night, and remember them for your own prayers.  You think of people who are sick or sad and you pray for them. As a 3 year old, you prayed specifically for people’s bodies to be healed from cancer, people going through infertility to be blessed with babies, people who are sick to feel better, and people who are sad to be happy.

         You love to bowl, play outside, go to CiCi’s Pizza, eat chips and salsa from Chili’s, play with Brother and Sissy, and go to the park to visit your “friends.” (Any random kid that happens to be at the park that day) You are a rule follower, don’t like loud noises (especially toilet flushes and referee whistles), love baths (but not getting your hair washed), and love “shooting hoops” with Daddy. You don’t like Mama or Sissy’s hair in a ponytail, love pants with pockets, carrot cake is your FAVORITE treat (You even asked Santa for it!), and never want anyone to have hurt feelings.

         You fill me with JOY, teach me new things every day test my patience, make me laugh, and make my heart swell with pride. I absolutely LOVE being your Mama. I can’t wait to see what year 5 has in store.

                               Happy 4^th birthday sweet boy,

                                                Mama

   

  

A Letter to My Son...Happy 3rd Birthday!!!

Well, it has been 2 years since my last post. Crazy how time flies!! I am determined to get back in the swing of things with this blog....I want to have this documentation for memories to look back at.

I have kept with the tradition of writing a letter to Griffin at each birthday....and I make a birthday video for his party each year as well. His party is this coming Saturday, May 2nd, and Sunday is his 3rd birthday. 

I found myself lost in thought as I was writing his birthday letter this year, so it is on the lengthy side....but, I kept it that way. :-)

Happy 3rd birthday letter to my sweet son:

Griffin,

What can I say…the 3 years I have had the privilege of being your mama have surpassed my expectations. You are everything I have ever prayed for…and more!

          Your kind heart and compassion towards others completely melts me. You are always willing to share, and you hate to see others with hurt feelings. Your gentle words of “It’s okay, Mama” can instantly put a smile on my face. You are always willing to share your first bite with anyone; even if it’s the chips you have begged us to give you.

          You have become very inquisitive about the world around you. Within seconds of me leaving the room, you quickly find me and ask “What are you doing?” My favorite is when you are playing outside and come in to check on me and my whereabouts.

          You have also become very observant and intrigued with letters and numbers. You want to count things every chance you get, and love to line things up to make it easier. Singing your “ABCBs” have become a favorite past time as well. You get so excited when you see a “M” for Mama or a “D” for Daddy. You even love the letter “G” for Griffin in the word TARGET when we visit your favorite store.

          You are ALL boy which is another quality I absolutely love about you. Being outside is your favorite. You love to run, swing, and throw sticks in the water….but, you hate for your shoes to be dirty. You will even sit down to check them in the middle of doing something fun.

          You look up to your Brother and Sissy so much. You often want to do exactly what they are doing. Sometimes you even want them to just sit by you if you are playing on your iPad (or their phone!).

          You are very routine and like to do things a certain way. (You get this from your Mama! J ) you like to ride in “Daddy’s truck” to Mrs. Jill’s in the morning, and you say it’s “Mama’s turn” every night when it’s time to put you to bed. You also make sure that I lay out what you are wearing the next day before you go to sleep. If you don’t like the shirt I pick out, you don’t hesitate to tell me so!

          You gave Mama her first official scare with you this year at Easter. Seeing my baby boy (Yes, you will always be my baby boy.) so scared and bleeding was one of the worst moments in my life. In that moment, when you were hurting, it hurt me too. I was so proud of you and how you handled it like a big boy. You are brave….another quality I love about you.

          You are starting to make your opinions known and are quick to tell us how you feel. (You are the first to tell me you don’t like my hair up in a ponytail and ask me to take it down each time) You pick which shoes you want to wear each day and think it’s neat to point out when you see something “Nike”.

          You are full of such happiness and I love watching your personality develop. You bring such JOY to your Daddy and I. You spark up conversations and give “knuckles” to people you don’t know. I don’t think you have ever met a stranger.

          Paw Patrol, cars, basketball, soccer, chicken nuggets, and Cheerios are some of your favorite things. You love to be silly and dance, run, draw, and chase the “puppies”. You want to be just like your Daddy. You always tell me about everyone that you “love” and even choose who you want to pray for at night.

What a gift you are.

          I could go on and on about your qualities that I love. To put it plain and simple, I just love you. I love everything about you. Even on days where it seems like timeout is your favorite place to be…I love you. I love you more than I even thought possible. I always will….no matter what. That will never change. Like I say every night in my prayers with you….I thank God for making me your Mama.

Happy 3^rd birthday, sweet boy.  You are my sunshine.

                                               

                                                                   I love you,

                                                                      Mama

We are having a Paw Patrol theme at his birthday party!

This one is my favorite and shows his silly personality!

A Letter to My Son....Happy First Birthday Griffin!

Well, it has been quite some time since I have posted in this blog. I really need to do a catch-up post. However, at this time I am just posting a letter to my baby boy. Well, he's not quite a baby any longer...and it makes me so sad to think about. He has grown up to be quite an amazing kiddo.

I have written a letter to him for his first birthday. I plan on doing this every year for his birthday. (Yes, a tradition. I am officially starting this one and I LOVE it! I have waited ALL of my life to be able to start my own traditions for my family...and this will be one of many more to come! :-) )

So, here it goes.....

A Letter To My Son:

Dear Griffin,

        

            Next week you will be one year old. I can’t believe it!  I am completely in awe of you and how you have changed me.  I have tried not to let one day go by that I don’t stop and appreciate how wonderful you are and what a special gift you have been to my life. I remember this each and every night when I pray over you. I thank God for you and for giving me the very special privilege of being your mama.

 Life can get busy and the days can be long, but this year has been so short. To this day, one year later, I still find myself so giddy to leave work and pick you up from Mrs. Donna’s house. I love to come through the front door and see the big smile appear on your face and watch you (usually with cup and spoon in hand) come racing towards me with that fast as lightning crawl of yours. It makes me a little sad to think how quickly the first year flew by. I can’t imagine what the next years will be like.

         I love to watch you and your little personality unfold. You, my son, are quite a ham! J Your laugh sounds like flipper and you love to suck in and gasp at things you find funny. You have this exuberance for life. It is so refreshing. I hope you never lose that.  You love measuring cups, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, being outside, chasing balls, watching your Dada throw balls or socks in the air, and you really love dogs. You love to eat, being around your Brother and Sissy, when I kiss your feet, and wagon rides.  When I say “Uh Oh” you think it is so funny. You love everything to its fullest extent.

Some days I just want to keep you sheltered in this home so that no one can take away your joy.  I don’t want you to hurt. I don’t want you to see the bad in the world.  Right now, to you, this world is the most perfect place. I could learn a lot from that attitude. I hope you will always see the beauty in the world.

         You are the one who made me a mommy. My only baby. You are the only one who will ever know what my heart sounds like from the inside. I will never ever stop loving you. Happy birthday, my big boy! You are my sunshine!

                            I love you, Griffin Christopher, to the moon and back,

                                                                     Mama

Baby Dedication~ October 21, 2012

This past Sunday, LC had a baby dedication. Usually when this happens, there are at least 5 babies up front with their families. However, this time it was ONLY us! That made the amazing experience even MORE special!

Dad, Deb, The Hodges, Glenn, Eric, and our family of 5 were the family that attended. I have waited all of my life for this moment......and I can't put into words how special it was for me.

Everyone came over afterwards for Spring Creek BBQ and I attempted to have family pictures taken, however.....every picture turned out awful. Not to mention the fact that sweet Lyd broke her arm the day before AND I didn't notice that Griff didn't have socks or shoes on until AFTERWARDS!!

Here are some of the pictures from Griffin's special day:

~K

5 months old!

Wow, I am a little behind considering Griffin is 8 days away from being SIX months old and I am just now posting his 5 month pics....

Here are some pics from his 5 month photo shoot....... I will update you on his progression in about a week when I post his 6 month update :-)

Man, I have myself a handsome young man on my hands!!!

I just love being a mommy!

~K

Our baby boy is 4 months old!

Time sure has flown by......our baby boy is getting SO big right before our eyes.

Some things that he has started doing this month:

• He rolled over from his back to his stomach for the FIRST time all by himself yesterday (September 4, 2012).
• He tries to hold his own bottle and is successful every once in awhile.
• He definitely recognizes those he sees the most often. (Mama, Daddy, Brother, Sissy, Ms. Donna)
• Watches t.v. (He loves bright and colorful cartoons and pictures)
• Reaches for objects. (Especially on his floor gym and bouncy seat)
• Laughs and smiles OFTEN.
• Holds a conversation with you.
• Chews on anything he can get his hands on. This includes sucking and chewing on his fist, thumb, toys, and his favorite....a burp cloth.
• He loves his Mrs. Donna.....If she is holding him when I go and pick him up in the afternoons, he is laying his head on her chest. I wouldn't have this any other way... I want him to love her and her to love him.
• Loves to watch his "friends" on his mobile in his crib. He will lay there for up to 40 minutes at a time just laughing and talking to his friends.
• He used his "Exersaucer" for the first time yesterday as well....I have a feeling that he will soon love to be in there more often than not....

Today at his 4 month check up he had the following stats:

Weight: 15.2 pounds (50% percentile)
Height: 25.5 inches  (80% percentile)
Head Circumference: 25 1/4 in.


Dr. Fikkert said that he looks wonderful! She told us to continue to be aggressive with "tummy time" to help the shape of his head. He got his 4 month shots. She also said that he is either showing signs of teething (drool, fussy, runny nose, low grade fever, chewing on things, etc) or he is experiencing his first cold. She told us that the symptoms are very close to each other....so we will see :-).

Here are some of his 4 month pictures:

This hit home...

I just got this poem from a friend.....it hit home. It is so very true.............

Author: Unknown

Before I was a Mom...
I made and ate hot meals. I had unstained clothing. I had quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom... I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom... I cleaned my house each day. I never tripped over toys or forgot words to lullabies.

Before I was a Mom... I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about Immunizations.

Before I was a Mom... I had never been puked on, pooped on, spit on, chewed on, peed on or pinched by tiny fingers. I had complete control of my mind, my thoughts, and my body. I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom... I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom... I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom... I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom... I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment, or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

Griffin has changed me forever...... and I love that about him! :-)

~K

3 month cutie pie!!

 

Here is a cute video of David and G singing "If You're Happy And You Know It"

~K

2 month check up

Today we went for Griffin's 2 month check up with Dr. Fikkert. He got his shots so he is officially released to "be in public" and go to the church nursery! :-) (Even though I will keep him with me at church for a bit longer.

Here are his stats:

Weight: 13.4 pounds........ 76th percentile
Height: 24.5 inches..........90th percentile!
Head Circumference........42nd percentile

She increased his Zantac (acid reflux) meds to 1 ml twice daily. I am happy about this because I truly felt that he outgrew his last dosage and was starting to be in pain after he ate again.

Overall....VERY healthy and happy baby! What a blessing!

Here is a cute pic I took today :-)

~K

I sure do LOVE his baby blues!

Happy 4th of July!

Here are some pictures of Griffin's first 4th of July: