BOY oh BOY...

...my heart goes pitter patter over this little man. As busy as he keeps me and as active as he is, I would not trade him for ANYTHING. He is everywhere and into everything. These days he loves to climb up the step stool unattended and turn the water on and brush his teeth.

He is talking up a storm and repeating lots of things. Last night his Daddy was playing with Emma and saying, "ready, set, go" and she would take off running. Did not take long for him to catch on and he started participating and saying, "set, go" and taking off too.

hmm...Sister carries a flip phone, so he has started carrying an old Blackberry. It is so funny how he wants to be just like her and have the same stuff that she has, if not he takes it away from her. She gives it up every time, she is afraid of him and all those teeth in his mouth.

We spend every evening outside these days and the kids are loving life. They enjoy the water table, playhouse, swing set and catching bugs. Hoping to break out the water ball this weekend and invest in a hard plastic pool that sits at the bottom of our slide. Gavin's favorite thing out there these days is licking the dirt off the river rocks or putting them in the microwave/kitchen in the playhouse.

Those cheeks, ankles, hands, toes, feet, fingers, ears, nose, eyelashes, mouth and big round eyes... I just can not get enough...some days I could just eat him up he is so darn cute to me.

Happy THIRD Birthday, Emma Lou!

Wow ~ the past three years have flown by and it is hard to believe that we are officially the parents of a three year old. You have been reminding us, "I am a three year old now!"

Seems like yesterday when we went to the hospital full of anxiety wondering if we would know how to parent you. We caught on quick and you were such a great little teacher, never letting us miss a beat. Each new day brought something new and we adjusted to your schedule and catered to your every want and need. Lots has changed, but one thing remains the same...our unconditional love for you.

Every day with you gets better and better. I constantly find myself saying, this is my favorite age and months later I am repeating myself. Every single stage with you is so different, yet so enjoyable. It is amazing to see how much you have grown and changed over the last 36 months.

I truly believe that God knew exactly what he was doing when you became our daughter. Everything about you is perfect and all that we dreamed of when we talked of having a baby girl. Your personality is definitely one~of~a~kind, your heart is huge, your smile is contagious, your affection is amazing, your level of comprehension and vocabulary far exceeds your age, your love for animals is admirable, your ability to be a big sister is so sweet and your love for life brings a smile to the faces of so many.

Some random facts about you:

• You recently had 4 inches cut off your hair (1st haircut)


• Completed your 2nd year of MDO


• Enjoy making things, painting or doing any type of craft
• You love to play pretend and your imagination runs WILD
• You are very dramatic & expressive in everything you do
  
• Potty trained


• Wear size 4 clothes and size 7 shoe


• Love to play outside, ride bikes & swing


• Completed your first year of gymnastics


• Love your cousins so much


• Sleep with a stuffed dog every night (white dog)


• You are obsessed with the color PINK


• Talk about being a Firefighter everyday


• Favorite food is Chik Fil A


• Still love to watch Caillou and Noddy


• Brush your own teeth and get yourself dressed


• Pray before every meal


• Always say, Yes ma'am/sir, No ma'am/sir, Thank you, Please or Ma'am (rarely need reminded)


• Madly in love with our dog Beamer


• Started sleeping in a full size bed in a big girl room


• Have begged non stop for a PINK Nintendo Ds


• 3 best friends are Tori, Lizzie & Brook


• You love to be a helper no matter what you are helping with


• Chatter nonstop and always need an explanation for everything


• Currently have 2 pet frogs that Grandma gave you for Easter


• You love Jesus and talk about him constantly


• Favorite song is Our God is an Awesome God


• Sleep all night long and rarely get out of your bed


• You tell us about 10 times a day that you love us


• You are extremely outgoing


• Enjoy going to the Bulldog school and watching the sporting events

Rise and Shine, it's your Birthday! Daddy & I woke you up this morning by entering your room with a PINK sprinkle donut, PINK milk and PINK candles while we sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY. You have chosen to go to Olive Garden for your birthday dinner and to Baskin Robbins for a sprinkle ice cream cone and some PINK ice cream. We hope you have a "PINKALICIOUS" day!

Happy Birthday to you Emma Caroline, we love you so much and look forward to celebrating YOU for many more years. Continue to put Jesus first, love your family, adore your cousins, protect your baby brother and cherish your friendships. Our hope for you is that life will always excite you like it does today and that you always pay attention to the "little things" in life, that so often put a smile on your face.

Our life has been so blessed because we have gotten to share it with you and call you our daughter and big sister. You are an amazing little girl, with a personality that can change the world. Thank you so much for all the JOY you have brought into our lives. You will never know how much we love you, as you would say...ALOT!

Happy THIRD Birthday, we love you so much!

***Daddy left the following in a comment for you and there was no way I could not include it in the post for the book we are having made (since comments will not be printed).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU ~ EMMA LOU!

It's hard to believe that it has been 3 YEARS since you gave me the most important and rewarding job of my life, being your Daddy. From the first time I saw you on the ultrasound screen to the moment that I actually laid eyes on you, I knew that our lives were to be forever blessed by the gift of you!

There is not a day that goes by that your loving spirit & uniquely funny sense of humor does not remind me of all that is good in the world. I can not possibly count all the little things that I love about you, but oh how I love you! One thing that comes to mind, when we ask you if you are a Mommy’s Girl or a Daddy’s Girl, you Always reply “I’m a Mommy’s Girl & Daddy’s Girl, I am both of yours Girl”. You are one of the sweetest little girls I have ever known and you, my baby girl, make me more proud than I could ever put into words. I cherish the fact that you always want to be where I am and be my “Big Helper” in anything I am doing. I love how you tell us you love us 10 times a day! I look forward to opening the door when I get home to hear your sweet voice yell “Daddy is home” and come running to me. The last three years have given me more than I could have expected or asked for. I cannot wait to see what this life has in store for you, I know that it will be Great! You, my Emma Lou, are the very meaning of a blessing (one which I am thankful for everyday)! I hope that today (& everyone to follow) that your day is full of love, joy and happiness!

Happy 3rd Birthday Emma Lou!

I Love You With My Whole Heart,Daddy

Melt my heart

This just might be one of my favorite pictures ever. My 88 year old Papa holding Gavin at Emma's Birthday Party on Saturday. Such a sweet moment that I got to capture and such a treasure for my Son to have one day. You are looking at one of the greatest men I have ever known and a little boy I love more than life. Makes me miss my Daddy and wish that he could have shared a glimpse with my little man too.

Gavin had a great time celebrating his Big Sister's Birthday too. He really enjoyed running all over the Fire station, eating cake and playing with all the big kids.

Yep, he is still smiling and seeing what he can get into at all times. Super fast, afraid of nothing, strong willed, chatting up a storm, super friendly & teaching us what life is like with an active little boy.

He started telling us, "I love you" last Saturday and they are some of the sweetest words we have ever heard.

a BLAZIN good time!

Yesterday we celebrated Emma's THIRD Birthday Firefighter style. It was a great time shared with 60+ family and friends.

This party ended up being so much fun and Emma seemed to enjoy every second of it. It was super HOT outside, but it did not keep the little ones from running, screaming, laughing and playing.

Here is Emma's big THIRD birthday surprise from Mommy, Daddy & Gavin.

Happy Birthday sweet girl. Thank you so much for making me think "outside of the box" with this party. When you originally picked the theme I struggled a bit, but I had to keep remembering it was all about YOU! I had visions of pink everywhere, but you quickly changed my mind. Every little detail of this party was about you...from the food, to the theme, to the cake, sweet girl. I can hardly wait to journal every detail of this party for you to remember for years to come.

We are so PROUD to call you our daughter and so blessed that the Lord picked us to be your family. Every little thing about you puts a smile on our faces and joy in our hearts!

I hope you always DREAM BIG!

Happy Lil' Girl

Emma's birthday celebration started today when we revealed her Birthday present to her, yes it is a little early. There was no way to hide it since it arrived at our home today, so as soon as her Daddy got home from work we SURPRISED her and she was one happy little girl!

Her Daddy stood outside armed with the camera while I walked her out. As soon as we opened the door she spotted it and we started singing Happy Birthday to her (she sang right along with us). This picture is PRICELESS and so was her response. We got some great pictures of her as she saw it, but I am going to wait till after her party on Saturday to post them.

As we put her to bed tonight she said, "Mom and Dad, I love my _____ but I still want the Pink Ds." Strong willed? Hmmmm......I would say so, just like her Mommy.

I wish that every child in this world could feel the joy she felt in her heart today and smile from ear to ear while they celebrate their special day.

Only 3 more days till your party baby girl and 6 more days till I am the Mommy of a THREE year old. Never stop smiling Emma Caroline!

Our little Firefighter!

Gearing up for a third birthday party at our house and hoping to have a BLAZING good time. There was no discussion at our house when it was time to plan this 3rd birthday. I asked, she told and a FIREFIGHTER party it is for my girly~girl.

She talks daily about fighting fires when she gets big and makes me promise that I will let her do it. If she is anything like me, she will change her mind a hundred times about what she wants to be, but I love to watch her dream!

Emma, we are excited to celebrate your birthday with you on Saturday and even more excited that you are our little girl. You set our hearts on FIRE daily!

Pray for the Pink DS

In 8 short days my favorite little girl will be 3 years old. We will be celebrating her 3rd birthday on Saturday with family and friends. To say this little girl is excited is an understatement, she is beyond excited.

We have been asking her for months what she wants for her birthday and everytime we get the same response, "A pink DS Mom". That would be a pink Nintendo DS for all of you who were unaware, like me. Hmmm....funny thing is, the age on this little gadget is 8 and up. Well, her cousins and friends have it, so she think she is big enough to get it too. It is not going to happen, even though she is begging and her Aunt Rara is willing to buy it. We just really feel like she is too young. Now the Pink Leapster, we can talk about it.

I share this story with you because tonight as she was getting nestled into bed, she had something on her mind. After we got her covered up, I asked her who she wanted to pray and she quickly replied, "You Mom." I got started and shortly after I got out, "Dear God" she interrupted me and said, "wait Mom, wait." She put her little hands up on my face and held my cheeks in her hands and said, "Mom pray about the DS tonight." Needless to say, we had to stop and have a little lesson about what we pray for and what we don't ask God for. She did not accept that explaination, she just kept asking "why Mom, why Mom?" I finally found an explanation she was satisified with in her 3 year old little mind, that is wise beyond its years.

I must admit, it was so cute and so funny to me but it caught me off guard. I really thought she was wanting to pray for my Uncle that is in the hospital or her 3 year old cousin who is having his 2nd heart surgery tomorrow. Instead, she wanted to pray about the pink DS she has been dreaming of for months.

She has the sweetest heart I know and she loves life more than normal for a little girl. I am so glad I get to share the little moments in life with her and I look forward to so many more.

15 months of BOY-NESS!

Our HAPPY little boy turned 15 months old today and we celebrated with a little fun in the sun.

It is impossible to imagine how much we love this little guy and how much he has ROCKED our world, made us smile, brought us to tears, encouraged us to live healthier and challenged us on a new level. He is what we dreamed of in a son and so much more.

His hugs are rare, but when we get them they are so worth the wait. He is completely opposite from his sister and is determined to get the most attention in the house. Just when I think I can not love him anymore, he proves me wrong and my heart grows deeper and deeper in love with everything about him. Continue to keep us busy Gavin, you are the reason I want to live forever...I can not wait to see what life has in store for you little boy.

We love you so much, you will never understand how much so we will just keep telling you. Thanks for the past 15 months, you are a BLESSING!

Happy Memorial Day

We had a wonderful weekend celebrating with family and friends. It was so great to see everyone and spend the day in the pool with the entire family. Got lots of great pictures of the kiddos enjoying some fun in the sun, looking forward to getting those posted soon.

Emma & Gavin were both troopers and managed to stay in the water for the entire day. I can not wait to hop on a plane in about a month and head to the beach with my sweet babies. It is going to be some kind of fun!

Before I forget, Gavin can now fill in the blank of Old McDonald. We sing, Old McDonald had a farm ________ and he says, "E-I-E-I-O". It has to be one of the cutest little things I have ever heard. Today he was trying so hard to say, a moo moo here and a moo moo there. He could get out the moo part and the rest was jibber jabber.

As for Emma, I bent down to kiss her last Tuesday and guess what I saw? The cutest little FRECKLES scattered under her eyes and across the bridge of her nose. I love em and think they are so stinkin cute!

Off to get some rest for my last 2 days of school. Woo-Hoo!

The girl finally got a...

...HAIRCUT! It is not as short as I would have liked, but we were so proud that she finally let the scissors get close to her. Might have had something to do with the candy in my bag, promises of Chik Fil A for dinner or something associated with her birthday party. I know we are not suppose to bribe or threaten our kids, but no rules applied to this situation.

Mrs. Julie was so sweet and was prepared with dum dums waiting and a cute little book. I ended up having to hold her in my lap, but it did not bother me one bit.

We kept telling her that Mrs. Julie also cut Brookie's, Tor-Tedra's, Cassi's & CoCo's hair. That kept her interested for a bit and then she was ready to talk about the next thing.

I thought I would be a little sad about it, but I was 100% okay and more then ready to watch the hair hit the floor. Even her Daddy said, she could have gotten a little more cut off. She ended up getting 3-4 inches of stringy baby hair cut off, so now it looks much healthier.

She seemed to be really proud of it and ready to get the candy in her hands.

We came home, washed it and I had to comb it out and get a final picture. This is one more thing Mommy can check off her list.

Thank you Emma for cooperating today and I am sure it will be a piece of cake from now on.

Splish Splash

I think this little man is going to truly enjoy his summer and all the hot days we plan to spend at the pool. We took the kids to the pool for a couple hours today and ran into the Carrizal family, always good to visit with them and see their two adorable children. I am sure Lizzie was thinking otherwise when Emma was eating her ice out of her pink bucket.

Kind of hard to get pictures at the pool, but I did manage to get two of this cute little boy in his turtle swimsuit.

Yes, that is a Roaring Water in his hand. He thinks he needs everything his big sister gets, so that should explain it. I have my kiddos convinced that these are "juiceys". I warned those Carrizal kids not to set their Capri Suns down or the Frazier kids would be stealing them and the secret would be out.

Looking forward to summer and all the time I will get to spend with my kiddos, my Mommy friends and their kiddos too.

Ready for some FOOTBALL!

Opening a new school found us with only 9th and 10th graders this year. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining at all. It has been a great school year, one of the best as a matter of fact. With only 9 days of school left, I am still smiling and walking down the halls with some pep in my step.

I love my kids, I love my job, I love my co-workers, I love the challenge, I love helping others and I love the relationships I have been able to build as an Assistant Principal this year. My caseload has consisted of 220 amazing, awesome, talented, kind hearted, compassionate kids that all have a very DIFFERENT story to tell. One day I am going to write a book about all the kids I have come across and the stories I have heard. Some are funny, but most will tear your heart completely out and make you wonder if you ever have a legitimate reason to complain.

We will be adding Varsity sports this year and our campus will consist of 9th, 10th and 11th graders. There is something about Friday night Football that excites us all and I especially love that my whole family can be a part of it. So, I have ordered Gavin a jersey and the Emma a uniform to wear to support the Bulldogs.

She was so excited when I brought it home because she loves the "BULLDOG SCHOOL" and so does her Mommy.

Oh it is going to be some kind of fun when we take the field for the first time with the Band roaring, Cheerleaders yelling, Color Guard marching, Drill Team dancing, players running and my 2 babies standing on the sideline with me. My life is all I ever dreamed of and more.

I am proud that my kids get to be involved in my career. I am glad they will grow up exposed to the academics, athletics, fine arts and all that makes up public school.

If I could do it all over again, I would do it all the same way. From teacher to counselor to assistant principal, each step of the way was good, NO it was GREAT! Looking forward to spending summer with my two babies, but I am going to miss all my kids.

AMEN

Something very special happened at our house this evening. One of my proudest Mommy moments with this sweet little boy. I took him in his room tonight to lay him down to sleep and he immediately grabbed his blanket and nestled face down on the mattress. I began praying with him and when I got close to the end he started shouting, "Amen, Amen, Amen". He must have said it 6 times before he stopped.

I say he is sweet, but I feel like I should be honest with you and with him (in hopes that he reads this one day.) The truth is...he is the MEANEST 14 month old I have ever been around in my life. He throws fits, pulls our hair, bites us and attempts to hit us in the face. I have NEVER seen a kid do the things that he does. People think we are kidding when we share this information with them because he is so happy ALL the time. I am here to tell you this is 100% the truth.

We have spent the last month trying to redirect his inappropriate behavior and concerned about what is going on. He is super independent just like his sister, very strong willed and gets frustrated very easy. He is doing so much better since we are very consistent in holding him accountable and issuing some sort of consequence when he does not make good choices. I am confident we will all be on the same page in about 4 more weeks. He has made so much progress and is doing so much better, but we do have a ways to go.

We love this little boy so much and we want him to always be the jolly little fella he is today, but we have to make some changes in other areas. So, you tell me...is this a BOY thing?

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 12:11

Big Girl Bed

Tonight was an exciting night for the WITTY ITTY BITTY. We finally decided to say goodbye to her crib/toddler bed today. We had purchased her a furniture set before Gavin's arrival, but a couple of weeks before he was born decided she/we were not ready for that so we ran out and purchased a 2nd crib. Well, we are now back to a one crib household and Emma is ecstatic.

All day she kept saying "Thank you Mom and Dad for my big girl bed." Little did she know we have had it stored in our closet for 15 months.

Her room is not complete, we still have some monogrammed items that are not finished and we are also having some additional things made to tie it all together. Our goal was to stay in the same color scheme as the nursery to avoid having to repaint.

When we took everything out of her room I asked her what she thought we should do with her bedding and the crib. She quickly responded, "Sell it Mom, Sell it!" Anyone who knows us will laugh hysterically at this, she is so my child! Good idea mini-me, good idea.

Notice she has her white dog, cousin (dog her friend Lizzie gave her when Gavin was born) and baby bear (Nana brought it back from Alaska) in the bed with her. We went from 21 critters in the bed to 3, hopefully that will last.

I think she likes it and she is going to be just fine with the transition. Her Daddy had a harder time with it than she did. He said, "Emma your Mommy always talks about what makes her sad and this makes me sad. You are in a big girl bed now."

We took the camera in her room tonight & took lots of pictures. We prayed with her, told her we loved her about 10 times each, hugged her, kissed her and hugged her again. This is what we saw when we left and that was about an hour ago. We are so proud of you BIG girl!

1 month from THREE

What does a little girl look like that is 1 month shy of being THREE? You are looking at her. I can hardly believe that we are only days away from celebrating THREE years of life with this one-of-a-kind little girl.

She is so super excited about the upcoming celebration and so are we. She has chosen to celebrate by having a FIREFIGHTER birthday party. You heard me right, we let her choose and she did not think twice about her decision. Remember this is the child that ask me daily, "Mom, are you sure I can be a Firefighter when I grow up?"

We can not even begin to explain how much joy you have brought into our lives Emma Caroline. You my sweet girl are everything we ever dreamed to have in a daughter and so much more. We love you so much and are so blessed to be your Mommy and Daddy.

mY siLly GirL

She has become my permanent tag~a~long everywhere I go and I must admit, I love it! She is as silly as they come.

Always wants to make me laugh and loves to look at little trinkets everywhere she goes.

She usually brings her "white dog" that barks and makes lots of noise when you squeeze his belly.

She kept begging me to buy her these glasses and telling me she looks just like her Grandma.

She has told me no less than 100 times in the last two days, Happy Mother's Day Mom, I love you & I am so happy it's Mother's Day Mom. I can not wait to see what she says to me tomorrow, the next day & the day after that!

Night-Night

When we got ready to put our little man to sleep tonight he started shouting, "night-night, night-night". It was so plain and clear, we knew exactly what he was saying. He was super proud of himself and just kept saying it over and over again.

Bedtime is such a wonderful experience for this little guy. We take him to his room, he turns off his own light, hugs us, he lays down, we pray, cover him up and he puts himself to sleep. One of the things I am most thankful for is the routines we have established with our children and how peaceful bedtime is for both of them.

I am thinking we might have another WITTY ITTY BITTY on our hands. This guy appears to be a talker just like his big sister. He now has 13 words in his vocabulary, way to go buddy.

Mom, is it summer yet?

This little girl is my big helper every time I make a trip to the grocery store. The last time we ventured through the produce section she shouted, "Mom, is it summer time yet?"

Yes baby, it is almost summer time. Why?

"Because we get to eat watermelon in the summer Mom and I love watermelon, can we buy one?"

I can't help but wish that my sweet Daddy were around to see this little country girl eat up some melon. He would have been tickled pink watching her. You see, when I was a kid he use to just split one open and let us go to town. I remember piling my seeds up on a piece of newspaper for the big seed fight after our belly's got so full they were about to POP!

I am looking forward to spending 6 weeks off this summer and enjoying all the fun stuff summer has to offer. Yes, we will even buy a real watermelon so I can introduce you to your first SEED fight baby girl.

14 Months of Smiles

You have given us enough smiles in the 14 little months of your life to last us a lifetime Gavin, but we long for more and more.

You have started walking and you did not do it a step at a time, you decided to stand up and take 7-10 steps all at once.

You are a VERY strong willed little boy and have began throwing fits. Yes, you throw yourself on the floor into a belly flop position and you bite the carpet or try to bite the floor. If you happen to be standing you bite the furniture or try and bite one of us. You can scream, shake and cry like nothing we have ever seen. I have started correcting you and you are getting better, but man you can throw some kind of fit boy! It is hard for everyone to imagine that you can do this because they always see you as a jolly little fella.

You are becoming more vocal everyday, entertaining us with constant babbling and laughing. Your vocabulary consist of 12 words in the order you said them:

• Momma
• Dada
• Emma
• Nana
• Uh oh
• Thank you
• Dog
• Rara
• Hi
• Bye Bye
• No
• Beamer

Here are some more facts about you at 14 months old:

• 27.5 lbs at the Dr. on Saturday
• Size 6 Sandel (same size as your sister)
• Size 6 Diaper
• Size 2 Clothes
• 12-24 month Pedi Peds
• First real haircut, clippers were used
• Love to ride in the Bike Trailer
• Crawl like a Bulldog with your hand turned inward
• Chik Fil A is your favorite place to eat
• Feed yourself with a spoon
• Enjoy splashing in the bath tub
• Constantly take your shoes off, so you stay barefoot most of the time
• Play with cars and make a zzzooomm noise
• Enjoys the grass and playing outside
• Want to have or do whatever your Big Sister does
• Sleep from 7:30 at night till about 6:30 the next morning
• Cook at Emma's pink kitchen all the time
• Pretend to eat, talk on the phone and take our temperature
• Brush your own teeth (we help you to get them real clean)
• Do not like when Beamer barks if someone rings the doorbell, it scares you
• You always want to be around Emma or know where she is at all times
• You love to hug your Daddy
• Open mouth kisses are your favorite and it is so sweet
• Light switches keep you busy
• Climb anything that can be climbed
• Dig through the cabinets
• Love our dog, but are not fond of any other animals

Gavin, we love you so much and are so grateful to have you in our lives {fits and all}. You are the happiest and sweetest little boy we know, but can also throw the biggest fits we have ever seen. You are ALL BOY and keep us moving constantly. You have encouraged us to live a healthier lifestyle, so we can keep up with you and be around for the long haul ~ Thank you!

I wish I could explain to you what it means and does for me everyday when I see that smile on your face. You light up any room you walk into, but you light up my entire LIFE! Your eyes tell a story and even when your not smiling those eyes are saying 1000 words.

We love you so much and are so proud to call you our SON ~ never stop SMILING Gavin Thomas Frazier.