Brittyn's Gym Class

October 2012

Ryan loved her gym class when she was two years old. We thought Brittyn might like it too so we signed her up for the EXPLORER's class at Truesdale Gymnastics center. She wasn't initially sure of the class but she eventually warmed up to it. She loved her coach Alana and her favorite station was always the trampoline. At first she didn't participate in very much but by the end, she was doing one of the best tabletop moves in the classroom!!! She loved that class and looked forward to going to "my gwymm cwass" every Friday. I am forever grateful that she had such a good time!





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Brittyn's birthday...

I kinda feel bad for Brittyn this year. I feel like her birthday go pushed aside because we had a brand new baby and we couldn't give her special day the attention it deserved. I know, she's only two and probably won't remember but I will, for a while at least and I'll feel bad for a while. But we started off her birthday on Friday the 14th of September with an afternoon at The Cake Shop. She picked out a special cupcake for herself and she and Ryan enjoyed a cupcake at the shop. Poor Huntington was just along for the ride, he didn't get one on that day. The next day was her party and we did a "Hungry Caterpillar" theme and had family over for lunch and birthday cake. She seemed really excited to be eating yet another cupcake, until the green icing stained her fingers and her face. She got over that real quick! She had a good day eating cupcakes and opening presents, I hope she'll remember a happy day!!!











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The boy's first bath

I love giving my babies their first bath at home. When they are done I love to scoop them up out of the water and wrap them in warm hooded towels and stand in front of the bathroom mirror and admire nothing but their little faces because everything else is covered by the towel. I love that when I scoop them up from the water that the shock of going from warm water to cold air startles them so that their arms and legs turn into little frog extremities and their little hands spread out super wide. I can't help but laugh at this sweet little reflex. And, when I gave Huntington his first bath at home, he did not disappoint. His little hands and feet stretched out super wide, grasping for anything he could reach. It was hard to get him wrapped in the towel because I was laughing so hard. I hadn't seen that kind of shock since Ryan and Brittyn had their first baths. I miss that soooo much. I guess I'll enjoy it until my little Huntington get too big for mama's help.


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At home with Huntington

I had the best maternity leave this go round. It was easier for me because I had already been through one baby where we were both brand new at the game of mommy/baby and another where I took care of more than one child at a time. Now I'm not saying by any means was this a cakewalk but it was just so where I was able to juggle and maintain a little sanity at the same time. I was able to focus on Ryan by taking and picking her up from school and spend the time in between on Brittyn and Huntington. I enjoyed my time off with them very much and am so grateful I had as long of a leave as I did.





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And then there were three...

(August 31, 2012)
The weeks before Huntington were some of the most miserable weeks on record for me. I had had two other children in the summer but they were girls and I kind of knew what to expect but with this boy, he just completely threw me for a loop! I was more sore, more tired, more emotional and cranky...you name it, I had it!!! I thought he would never get here. I had even gone so far as to schedule an induction TWICE!!! Thankfully I chickened out the first time and the second time I progressed on my own, for which I was so thankful. Finally on my due date, August 31, 2012 my baby boy was born at 2:50 pm. Huntington Brooks Longfellow weighed 8lbs 8oz and measured 20 1/4 inches long. He is the most precious boy I've ever laid eyes on and all my aches and sicknesses melted away when they gave him to me. He was and continues to be so precious and he joined his two big sisters in the "love of my life" category. The girls love him and couldn't get enough of him, even from the very beginning. I'm so happy he's finally here and everyone gets to enjoy in the fun that is my Huntington.








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VPre-K

(August 2012)
Turning FOUR YEARS OLD was a huge milestone for Ryan. She had been talking about it since she was two! Even then, she was read to go to school. She and Joe would scour the roads every morning for school buses on the way to Grandma's and when I picked her up she would tell me how many buses she had seen. She even told me several times that she wanted a "school bus" birthday party. She would talk endlessly about how old and big she's getting and counting down the days till she turned four years old so she could go to school.
Finally, that day has arrived. The night before school, we tried to prepare her for her first day by letting her choose her snack and pick out an outfit. then Joe gave her a father's blessing to start the school year. the next morning, on August 20, 2012 she started
VPre-k at Bradfordville Baptist Church, here in Tallahassee. She started their Beginning Steps Ministry Program and she loves it. Her teacher is Mrs. Debra Albanese and Ryan loves her. She affectionately referred to her as Mrs. "Elbow Knees" until she figured out the correct way to say her name. Ryan was so excited so Joe and I both took her to school that morning. I let her pick out a cute little outfit to wear the first day, a coordinating set of shorts with cherries on them and a navy shirt with sparkle cherries on it. She was so happy and did not cry at all. I was not so fortunate but I was able to contain my emotions till I left her. We were and continue to be so proud of her and know that she is going to have a blast in school this year. I just hope this enthusiasm lasts for many school years to come!!!


Ryan's very first school picture!!!















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Our little Rough-n-Tumbler

Brittyn is a lot of things. She's silly, smart, funny, determined, sweet and a little bit sassy. Sadly, she's a little clumsy too. In the last 24 hours, she has fallen into the bathtub and out of the laundry basket, only to hit her head and her shoulder. Thankfully, she was mostly scared and was able to shake it off and continue playing.
Now, I say all this because there was a time not too long ago that she took a tumble and wasn't able to shake it off as easily. Back in March 2012, I got a call from grandma saying that Brittyn had been jumping on the couch and had tripped and fell and hit her head on the glass and iron table. She had a pretty big goose egg on her head and wasn't completely and consistently conscious. She wanted to know what to do. Well, I didn't know what to do either, so we thought we should take her to the emergency room. I was scared outa my mind and Joe was out of town for work so I met grandma at the ER and waited for the doctor to see my baby girl. We waited for a couple hours before we got a room and the ER doctor said she would need x-rays to make sure they weren't missing anything. By this time, she was awake and slowly returning to her normal self. Still we needed the x-rays for safety. Brian and a friend were able to come over and give her a priesthood blessing and off we went to get the x-rays.
She was such a trooper, I couldn't be with her at the x-rays because I was pregnant with Huntington, but grandma stood with her and the doctor was able to get the info he needed to ease my fears and let me know she would be fine. I was so scared for her but she was fine then and thankfully continues to be fine. I'm so glad everything turned out good for us, I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have my little "Brittles". So thankful everything turned out ok!











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