when christmas is magical

over the years i've heard various people say that christmas is best with 4-6 year olds, so we are entering our peak magical years, and this one did not disappoint. there were many little bits of delight this season that i want to remember. jack watching 'white christmas' very intently, following the story and asking questions, not wanting to miss a secondclapping our christmas lights on and off with archiejack waking up on christmas morning and exclaiming "santa came for real life!"archie's...

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archie is one

 [aka little archie; archie doodle; archibald; arch] these are ten of the things we love about you: 1. you adore your big brother and he gets your best smiles2. you are an avid climber and can scale things quickly3. watching you mimic us by playing arms up, sticking out your tongue, or face planting into a pillow4. you are often slow to give smiles and laughs, but once you get going they are so delightful5. we've been a little lax on your nap schedule, but you are content...

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making things beautiful

i have a problem when it comes to finishing house projects. i can get very close to the finish line, but my perfectionistic tendencies often trip me up and keep me from completing the final touches on a room, for fear of not picking the most perfect thing. that's a long way of saying that while jack's room was mostly done, i never quite got around to finishing the wall decor. i had some ideas here and there, but nothing was jumping out as the perfect thing.when we were going through ivf with archie...

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life with jack and archie

i am keenly aware that we have less than a year before jack starts kindergarten and have been doing my best to enjoy the time we have together. it often feels like the days are slipping past quickly, but i'm so grateful to get to spend every one of them with jack and archie. they are funny and fun, and i love going on adventures with them. jack is learning a lot and loves finding rhyming words and making patterns, along with his well earned title of puzzle savant. he has quite the theatrical...

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life with archie

we are loving life with our little archie! jack has been a great big brother and is really enjoying archie's snuggles and smiles. we stuck close to home a bit more than usual for awhile, but now that it's summer we're heading out on adventures and archie is content to tag along. he doesn't have an especially predictable schedule, but we're all getting a decent amount of sleep and are settled into a good rhythm. unfortunately pumping and supplemental bottles re-entered our lives around five months,...

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things jack says

most of this lingo is used so often at our house that it's become part of our everyday language. i love getting to be the one who knows what it all means:pichu = a gun of some kindqueen of statues = the statue of libertypass it over = repeat [e.g. a song or story]the pink lady = mariah carey [because she wore a big, pink dress in the macy's thanksgiving day parade]buh-jammies = pajamasthe a-bobble head = the abominable snowmanmap = game instructions, puzzle box, etc.ticket = paper moneylip chap...

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jack is four

these are ten of the things we love about you:  1. you are polite and grateful, often without prompting 2. the way you "whistle" when you want our attention3. you love racing to give the first hugs when we're leaving dyer dinner4. how you cover your mouth and scrunch your shoulders when you laugh 5. you don't stay mad and are quick to forgive 6. when you make heartwarming comments out of the blue, like "mom, i just love being with you!"7. how you crawl into our bed to snuggle...

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anniversary number ten

as our friend michelle was taking photos on our wedding day, she spotted a claw machine in the corner of the lodge and handed donald some quarters. these games are not exactly known for their high success rates, so i was shocked when he took one turn and pulled out a stuffed pink heart with the words "i love you" embroidered across. we snapped a quick photo with our prize and went on with the day, but it gave me the idea to start a little tradition of taking a photo with the heart every year. we've...

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