Nineteen & Four

Elle is nineteen months now! How did the time fly by so fast? I can't believe we've had this sweet little lady in our lives for 19 months. She's been such a joy to love and watch grow and learn. She and Conrad wrestle like they're brothers, she loves to help me with chores, she is totally fearless, talks to just about everyone and anyone when we are out and about, loves food-will eat whatever I put in front of her & has the funniest grin. And my Conrad will be four next month. FOUR! I can't believe it. He is the most emotional boy I know. But in a good way. He feels everything and is very intuitive of how others are feeling as well. I hear other moms at birthday parties say that their son is "all boy" and I wouldn't describe Conrad as being "all boy." Although he certainly is all boy, he's not your rough and tumble type necessarily. He is incredibly affectionate, loves to learn about peculiar things, he will dance his pants off-talk your ear off-hug your neck off..... it's been a journey with him this year and because we're so much alike, I know our relationship has been sometimes a very difficult one. Three kicked my butt. He never had the terrible two's, he had the terrible three's! We know how to push each others buttons and that's what makes parenting a three year old so hard. Lately, I've done a lot of letting him stay up instead of napping so we can cuddle on the couch or letting him do big boy things with me that Elle can't do so that he feels extra special. We've been closer lately than ever before and it has been a huge blessing to feel any little gaps between us fill in.

Yesterday was a fun day. I had asked my friend Nicky to come over and take just a few pictures of Elle & I together nursing since Elle is now only nursing about 4 times a day and we're in that weaning phase (It's been a slow process and I'm letting her lead the way with it) but we're at the end of it and I wanted to sort of document this season of my life (because heaven knows when I'll be nursing a baby again & it has meant so much to me) just to have photos for Elle for maybe when she's a mother herself and I can show her pictures of how sweet it was when we nursed and how it's not weird that she was a toddler.... anyway. So Nicky is over and we're getting ready to take some photos and Conrad asks to build a fort, so we grabbed two chairs and threw some blankets over them & made one real quick. He asked to read some books in our fort, so we read some books...... Below is what ensued. Kids in a fort, Elle & I and my two crazy kids dancing to music in their underwear/diaper.

Elle rubs her face with my hair & plays with it while she nurses.... 

 Afterwards, we went and ate Chipotle for lunch & had Golden Spoon with Nicky for dessert. The kids love her and I love that so much. I love that she was around to take 

Conrad's 18 month photos and now she's taking photos of my 19 month old Elle. 

Thank you Nick, for capturing these moments of me and my crazy kids. Love you dearly!