My Baby Takes the Cake!

I LOVE this part of first birthdays!!! If I can get my act together, I am going to frame pictures of all four of my babies digging into their first taste of cake and icing!!! :-) I can appreciate this because I am a total sugar addict!

Once again we tried the birthday crown, but the little man said, "No, thank you!"



I love how at first they are always so confused. They are so used to being spoon fed purred baby food! They can't help but wonder what Mommy is up to putting this white stuff in front of me?


In all honesty, I am not sure how much cake Erik Daniel actually ate. He mostly just played with it! :-)

So, so fun!

I think he had a good time!

Yay for cake! And, yay for firsts!!!!

Love you, little man!

Birthday Party X 2

We had a few close friends and family over to our home last weekend to celebrate Elijah's second birthday and Erik Daniel's first birthday. And, here are a few pics of the special evening. Here are the cakes. The "e" cake and the dump truck were Elijah's cakes, and the number 1 cake was Eriky D's special cake.


I have made a lot of cakes for my sons over the years ~ many of which have been 3 dimensional. But, for some reason the "e" cake was my husbands favorite cake of any that I have ever made! Go figure! The number 1 cake was very fun to decorate. I cut out tin foil circles and lay them on the cake then iced around them. I added the colored icing last. Super easy, and I thought it turned out cute!


In the truck I just put chunks of chocolate cake layered with a chocolate pudding and cream cheese mixture. And, I had to throw in some gummy worms for fun!!! :-)

Now, I could eat him up. . .


Mommy and her big boy!


The Grill Master! :-)


Pretty girls. . .


My sweet Mommy and me. . .


Lijah blowing out his candle. . .


I did what Kate (of Jon and Kate) does for her sextuplets. We sang "Happy Birthday" twice ~ once to Lije and once to Eriky D.

Elijah likes cake, oh, yes ma'am, he does like cake. . .



Pop and Joshua. . .

Pop and Eriky D. . .


The one and only. . . James Christofer Truett! (I love that kid!)

Special friends. . .

Cutie Quin was all partied out. . .

This is Erik Daniel with his friend Sam (see picture below). We put them together in Erik Daniel's play-yard. The only problem was that Erik Daniel kept bopping sweet Sam on the head. My sweet and gentle baby boy bopping his friend on the head. . .

Doesn't Sam have gorgeous eyes!!!! But, in between every couple of bops, Eriky D. would stop and kiss him on top of his head!!! He's a lover not a fighter!!!! :-)


I must end with a little brother-love! These two have a special bond! I love it!

So sweet!

ONE!!!!

**Updated to add. . . I took you to your 12 month check up today, and you were a hit with the doctor, nurse, and lab lady!!! Dr. I said you officially made his sweet boy hall of fame!! You were so good and playful while he assessed you! And, when the nurse came in to give you shots you reached for her, and she took you to the nurse's station. When you got to the nurse's station, you wanted Dr. I. He took you and held you for a little bit while he worked on charts! They had to draw blood from your sweet little finger to check for anemia. You didn't even flinch! You just watched intently as the lab lady milked your sweet finger for blood!! I think you were trying to figure out how she was getting red stuff to come out of your finger! :-) Cute! You are such a joy! I'm thankful for you! You weighed in at 24 pounds and 4 ounces and 32 inches. I'll have to check my records, but I think you may just be my biggest one year old yet!!!! I'm just glad you're mine!!**


I can't believe that my baby is ONE!!! You are so wonderful, peaceful, and sweet, and we thank God for surprising us with the gift of your life!!!

I still can't believe that it has been a year since we met you for the very first time! Now you are busy and active, eating baby food, yogurt, and cheerios, and standing up - balancing all by yourself!! You'll be walking/running soon!!!!! You went from calm sweet baby to wiggly squirmy little man practically overnight!!! And, you are talking loudly and a good bit these days!! Mostly you just say "Mama" and "Dada," but I have heard you make grand attempts at other words! I thank my God for your little life!!! You are blessing us big time!!!

Yesterday we took you to church in your little crown, but you wouldn't keep it on for very long!!! You looked cute as a button while it was on!!! Thanks for all the joy you bring us!!! We all love you to pieces!

Pic #1. . .
Pic #2. . .And, pic #3. . .

Man, I love you, my brown-eyed baby boy!!!!

10 for 10. . .

10 facts about you, little sweetheart, at 10 months of age. . .

1.) Your new favorite thing to do is to stand up holding on to your superyard! And, one of your big brother's favorite things to do is to cheer for you and then pry your sweet little fingers off the superyard and make you fall. :-( He loves you to pieces, I promise! He just has a funny little way of showing it sometimes!! :-)

2.) You have two teeth which makes for a very cute little smile! And, even though you are eating baby food 3 times a day and nursing, you still wake up at least once at night for a little snack!!! Silly boy! One of these days, or should I say one of these nights. . .

3.) You love everyone! And, I do mean everyone! You will go to anyone and everyone and smile at them the entire time. Mr. Mike and Mrs. Susan helped me get to the van with all you boys after chuch yesterday. When we got to the car Mr. Mike said of you, "He is my little buddy." And, Mrs. Susan very quickly said, "Mike, he's everybody's little buddy!" And, it is so true!

4.) You might be part dog! Just kidding, but you do love to chew on shoes ~ especially crocs! We have to hide our shoes from you because they are your favorite teether! :-)

5.) I don't know much about who you will become, but two things I do know. . . You are happy ~ the content kind of happy ~ not the bright and shiney kind of happy. And, you are layed back. You don't get too worked up about anything. In fact, one night we put you to bed and from the other room we could hear you crying. Erik said, "That's unusual." And, I said, "I'm kinda glad. It's good to see he has a little fight in him." You are just a calm little man.

6.) You have brown eyes! I've never had a baby with brown eyes!

7.) Put #5 and #6 together and what do you get? You are very much like your namesake-your Daddy. I always tell Erik, "I think this must be what you were like as a baby ~ calm. Your Daddy is super layed back ~ unlike your high-strung mama! And, you look like him, too, Mr. brown eyes!

8.) You have a very sweet and special relationship with your big brother James Christofer Truett. He adores you. He wants to hold you and feed you and take care of you in any way that he is able. It is so fun for this mama to watch her little boys develop friendships!

9.) You love to crawl around the house and explore! You are a busy boy!

10.) You make life so much sweeter. You go from car seat to stroller to swing to superyard to walker to highchair without complaint. You just look up at me and smile like, "Hey, I'm just happy to be here." And, you know what, I'm so happy you are here, my little surprise baby. I can't imagine my life without you, and I love you with all my heart!

We love you to pieces! It is hard to believe that you will soon be one year old!!!!!!

Mr. 9 Months

This morning I had the great privilege of taking my youngest son to his 9 month well baby check up! Miss Megan came and stayed with the big boys while I enjoyed 3 hours of being the mama to one sweet little baby. We ran in and out of a few stores ~ so easy when you only have one to load and unload!! The weather was beautiful and the outing was a breath of fresh free air for me. Yesterday was one of those days. It was full and loud and hot and tiring, but this morning was peaceful and easy thanks to my sweet little companion.

The little mister weighed in at 22 pounds, 4 ounces and was a whopping 31.5 inches long - the M.D. said that he was the length of the average 15-16 month old. Maybe my little Erik will take after my big Erik???!!! :-) He smiled and babbled all the way through the exam ~ happy as a clam! And, thankfully, no shots this visit!!! :-)

Okay, my sweet one, do you know that I adore you? Of course, you do! I love you to pieces! You have always been a calm, sweet presence, but this month something changed in you a little. It began a few weeks ago while I was changing your diaper. Now, up until this time, you used to lay perfectly still and let me do my work. But, this particular day you began twisting and turning and rolling all around while I wrestled you back onto your back in order to put a clean diaper on your cute little wiggly booty! I laughed out loud at the change in you and reminded myself that even though you have been a gentle, easy baby, you are, after all, a boy!! Changing your diaper has become a full contact sport. I mean, seriously, you went from calm, sweet baby to active, curious little boy in less than one month!! Whew!

The picture above was taken at the zoo in New Orleans. You are always easy to take places ~ just happy to be along for the ride. . .

Your big brothers adore you. The only problem is that I fear they may smother you one of these days. I took this picture in our little apartment on the seminary campus in New Orleans. I came around the corner and saw this. . .

You tolerate all the attention so well!

I think they kinda like you, little man.

One thing is for sure. . .

Being the fourth boy, you will be one. tough. cookie.

I love you so much!

Can't wait to see what this month will bring. . . and the next. . . and the next!

Happy 7 and 8 Months, Sweet One!

I am so amazingly behind!! I apologize my sweet little one!!! I haven't written a post for you since you turned 6 months old! And, a week ago you turned 8 months old!!!

16 months ago I started feeling a little queasy, and my period was a little late, but I knew for a variety of reasons that there was no way Erik and I could be pregnant again! So, I waited and waited and waited, and finally after being a little bit nauseated for a week and a half straight, I decided I better take a test just in case. I didn't really think it would be positive. I had an 8 month old baby in my arms for heaven's sake!!! Logic told me that I was crazy for even wasting the money on a test, but as soon as I took the package off the shelf, I knew. . .

As I drove home from Wal-mart with the test untaken and still in the bag, I praised God, and I knew. . .

I knew it was going to be positive.

And, it was.

And, the rest is history!

God gave us you, my sweet little one!

And, I can't imagine our home without your sweet peaceful presence. You have your Daddy's layed back disposition, and you look like him, my little brown eyed baby boy!

Erik and I took you to New Orleans last weekend, so you got to be the only child for a few days! Now that was fun!!! Mrs. Sheila kept you off and on so that Daddy and I could visit Grandma and Pop in the hospital! Mrs. Sheila is about to become a grandma for the first time, so I told her she could practice on you! I think she kind of misses you!!!! You are an easy baby to babysit ~ you take a pumped bottle very well, and you don't really care who holds you ~ you seem to like just about everybody!! You made Pop smile huge, and that made your Daddy and I so happy!!!!!

You are sitting up, and just the other day, you finally started crawling!!!! Way to go, little man!! You are also eating two meals a day! You love sweet potatoes and bananas the best!

Just the other day, you started getting a little rolly polly while I was changing your diaper. I had to give you a toy to keep you still. And, this reminded me that it won't be long and you will be a little boy ~ active, playful, and full of energy!!! I can't wait to know you better, little one!

I love you,

Your Mommy

Happy 6 months, Sweet Mr. Goopy Eyes

Yesterday was your 6 month birthday! And, just to keep it real, I took a picture of you on the actual day that you turned 6 months old. This is how you looked. . .

You were sleeping soundly, eyelids closed, when I picked you up and put you in the car. It was time to pick up your big brother from elementary school, and so I was in a bit of a hurry. I didn't even look at your face until I was strapping you in your car seat!! And, there you sat, eyes all matted together, smiling. . .

You are a gem. And, I'd like to keep you forever! What a precious little soul your cute body houses! Today we went to see your pediatrician for your 6 month well baby check up and shots! You weighed in at 19 pounds and 14 ounces and were 29 inches long! You weigh almost as much as some of your brothers did at a year! But, the pediatrician said that this was completely normal. You doubled your birth weight just like you are supposed to! You just started out big, little one!

You continue to be a sweet little soul, and we all adore you! Even Lijah cannot get enough of you! The two of you are so close in age that it will be so fun to watch your little friendship develop! You are rolling around, but not yet crawling or sitting up. I haven't attempted solid foods with you, but I will very soon! I am just enjoying you, sweet little friend. I enjoy your sweet smiles, toothless grins ~ but not for long I am afraid! I tell Erik all the time, "We have to stop here because we'll never have a baby this sweet again!" You are spoiling us, little man.

Plain and simple, I adore you.

I love you with all my heart.

Let's journey on, my sweet goopy eyed little one!

5 Months of Pure Sweetness. . .

I do not know what else to say except that you are a joy to us, a pure, sweet, gentle joy.

You are peace to this tired mother's soul. At the end of the day when I am completely spent and have given all that I have to give, I pick you up and hold you in my lap, and your smile fills me up once more. And, sometimes during the day when I have much too much going on around me ~ a scuffle, a few loud voices talking, a meal in the process, a bottom needing wiped, a boo boo needing kissed, crayons scattered and falling to the floor, papers covering the table, a room so full of toys that I cannot even walk, a cell phone ringing, a timer going off (now what was that for?), baskets of laundry waiting by the steps, a dog waiting patiently by the door, a stinky diaper walking around spreading its scent and beckoning me to change it, then in the midst of it all I hear your little cry. And, I think to myself, "This is too much! I can not handle all of this! Can it be time to nurse the baby again??!! I am overstimulated, and in over my head! Help me, dear Lord!"

But, then I walk into the room look down into your crib, your crying stops immediately, and you smile up at me so sweetly, so tenderly that I can't help but relax and smile back. You are happy to see me, and that makes my heart sing! You are peace to me, and I love you more than you'll ever know.

I have taken several pics of you this month that I love. . . Here is one taken after church one Sunday. You are wearing an outfit that your sweet Deana B picked out just for you! Don't you look like a little man in it. . .

All of your brothers adore you, but this one is absolutely wholeheartedly taken with you. He thinks about you all the time, loves to hold you, and he can make you smile and giggle like no one else!! If I am crazy busy and I hear your sweet cry, but there is no way that I can get to you at that moment, then I send JCT in to talk to you and keep you company until I can get there. And, you know what, he loves to do it!! He runs to your crib, stands on the side of it, and talks to you in the sweetest little voice! He loves you. He tells me that you are his baby.

I especially love this one. . .

And, now two more pics of you in my favorite winter tabogon!! You are the fourth little one to wear it, and I think I love it more each time around!!! Look at your sweet little lips!!! I could eat you up!

I am crazy about you little man!!!

Happy 4 Months, little Darling!!

What a cute little sweetheart you are! Love those chubby cheeks!!

I took you to the doctor a few weeks ago, and he said that you were quite healthy, my little man!! He said you were the size of a good six month old!! You were in the 90th percentile in height! And, you weighed in at 16 pounds 4 ounces!! Sweet man, you cried for a milli-second when they gave you your shots, and then you were over it! Tough guy!

Your biggest accomplishment this past month was finding your feet! I love to watch you play with them. You are a joy to me, and I thank my God for you!