Jordie turns 10...with his bestie by his side

I couldn't pick the photo I liked better so we're sharing them both! This dog loves this boy so much it warms my heart when I see them play together and live life side by side. When Jordie sat down to take his photo with Harris for his birthday Koda just stood there and looked at him because it is rare that anyone sits in this chair. As soon as Jordie moved over and called him up he climbed up and turned around and looked right at me with the big awesome goofy grin on his face (I mean the dog, not the kid!) 

I love the bond these two share and I can't wait to see how it develops in the years to come! 

Today my Jordie Boy turns 5

My sweet loving little Jordie boy is 5 today and I don't know why but his aging seems to make me the saddest of all of my kids. I think it always has for some odd reason. I've always said that James taught me how to love another human being more than myself, but that Jordie was the baby that truly showed me what love at first sight felt like. My delivery with James was rough and being a first time mom felt so foreign to me, but 3 years later when Jordie came along I was just so at peace and excited for him to get here and knew I'd make it and be able to be a good mom. It's no secret that when Jordie was born I was surprised and a little sad that he wasn't the little girl I had secretly really been hoping for...but in some weird way it has made me love him so much more that he wasn't. He has since the day he was born reminded me of his Daddy and his big brown eyes have always melted me the moment he stares at me. Even today when he looks at me my heart just beats faster with a love I can't explain.

This last year has brought about some big changes for my middle guy. He has blossomed into a super funny and challenging little fellow who loves to argue (sometimes I think just for the sake of arguing!) He loves big and truly gives the best hugs of anyone I know. Since I went back to work I am feeling and missing his presence a lot. He was my little buddy through some tough days with his little baby sister and I am happy to say that we lived through those days together. We spent a lot of time this past year with his little friends and I am so proud of the person that he has become. He has many many little girlfriends and not many little guy friends at all. Janet told me tonight that he is just kind of their little old soul at preschool. I can see that totally. He is definitely wise and mature beyond his years.

Here's to another great year ahead and learning more about what makes Jordie who he is and who he will continue to grow into. This next year will include a huge milestone called KINDERGARTEN! I can't believe that my second baby is already ready for this next step. He is so proud to be getting bigger and watching him at the ball park tonight happily telling every single person there that "it's my birthday today you know!" just made me even more excited (and slightly less sad) to see how much he grows and changes even more in his big year of being 5.

"Hey Jordie boy...guess what?....I love you buddy!"

Time for ice cream at Putters! 

These two are so cute together! 

Attempting to get a nice brother photo

Attempting to get 5 kids to look at the camera is damn near impossible!

Our yearly photo with our Jordie boy!

I love his smile in this one!

Checking out his new book from Nana & Papa

Big hugs for his favorite Papa guy

Checking out the book with Nana

I love how grown up and big he seems here!

We ran home quickly to snap his pictures with Harris the Bear tonight!

Birthday selfie with Mom & Harris

Are you surprised that we spent his birthday at the ball park? He got to pick dinner tonight and of course chose McDonalds! :) 

There is nothing I love better than a happy and content 5 year old at bedtime.

Jordie boy...if you are reading this years down the road...I hope you NEVER forget how much I love you and how much you mean to me. 

Happy Birthday to my biggest little

Today James turns 8 and I feel like it was just yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital and we laughed in the parking lot and actually said to each other "who thought it was a good idea to give us a baby?" We had no idea the level of love and commitment and joy that a baby would bring to our lives. From those first days of being a family of just 3, to now being a family of 5, this kid has always been my best buddy. He is so much like me (except that he loves sports like his daddy) that it drives me crazy most days but I wouldn't change anything about him. He has such a huge heart and truly loves being around people. He is very friendly and will talk to literally anyone that he sees. He is so smart that it's awesome to think of the future that this kid has in front of him. He reads like a pro and his math skills already far surpass mine. He is a great friend, brother and most importantly son. Jim and I couldn't be prouder of the kid that he is today and can't wait to see all of the amazing things that he ends up doing with  his life.

I've got the external hard drive out to do some backups so I'm able to access all of the photos that I've taken of him over the years (probably somewhere in the 40,000-50,000 range by now) so I'll share some of my very favorites with you now :)

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Happy Birthday James! I love you so much big guy!