Big Brother, Little Brother

Lately, Emmett has been proudly telling me and anyone who will give ear, “I’m a big brother AND a little brother.”  And though there are days and moments when I feel like this poor “middle” child gets short changed,  he seems quite content with his place in our family.   And oh the way he manages to be the fun loving, always up for an adventure little brother and the sweet, caring big brother.

In all ways, Emmett really is the big brother and little brother right now.  Too big for binkies, but still small enough to tuck his Bear, Bear under his arm wherever he goes.  Big enough to hold his baby brother, but not too big to be held and cuddled.  Big enough for a pedal bike, but still wanting a push.  Big enough for Legos, but not yet to big for block towers.  I do think I rather like this age he's at...my little boy AND big boy.

 (Last week he  decided that he no longer needed his binkies at night.  Luckily he knew someone who just might really need them, so we set to work to “mail” his binkies to Montana to our little buddy Cache. (Note to self: if we ever again we need to deport a batch of binkies via helium balloons, DO NOT pick the rainiest, stormiest night of the year to do so.  Three failed attempts later (two hang ups in trees and one in the swing set) they flew out in the field just far enough to hover and totally freak out the neighbor's horses before Shane snuck out to get them….thankfully unbeknownst to Emmett.)

Just a little peak at my big, little boy in all of his cuteness these days...

Did I mention this guy now rides a bike, sans training wheels?  Yup-since July!  When we were down at my parent's last month, he showed off his stuff on their little "pedal bike." (As he calls them.)  I most definitely will sing the praises of the Strider bike.  He rode his for just over a year (from two years old to three) before hoping on a pedal bike with no training wheels and literally just taking off.

He holds my heart this big, little boy of mine.

First

Tonight marked a very big first for Eli!  In addition to the actual losing of the tooth, now there's the first night of going to bed waiting for the tooth fairy (hence why this mama is still up waiting to assist in her arrival!)

Oh, goodness-these firsts are all so exciting, but this one-well this one feels monumental.  Yes-that tooth and the hole it left behind are actually so small in size, but this next step of growing up-well it feels so very big.  I can remember exactly the moment I first noticed that tooth-his first.  We were sitting on the floor my drooly, sweet baby boy and I.  As he chomped on my finger, I remember thinking, "there's something in there!"  Oh, I can so recall that exact moment.  And I remember looking at him thinking, this is big-he's growing so quickly!  And now, here we are, catapulting into the next stage of growing up.  And I'm sure I'll look back and remember so clearly standing in the bathroom assuring him that yes if I just touched his tooth with the wash cloth it would fall right out, and the excitement in his eyes when it did, and the racing to tell daddy, and the calls to nana and papa and granma and granpa-we don't soon forget these firsts, do we?

With his tooth tucked safely in an envelope, he insisted a letter MUST be written.  Clearly, pink was the most suitable choice. (She likes pink and purple, I'm informed).  For those whose native tongue may not be phonetic spelling, his letter reads, "Tooth Fairy, I pulled my tooth out with a wash cloth.  Eli." Surely that's important information for a tooth fairy to have.

And now, my friends-now I get to play Tooth Fairy.  I would certainly be lying if I said I had all kinds of clever traditions up my sleeve.  I can't even say I've really thought and planned celebrating this first like we have some of the others. Perhaps it is time to hop on over to pinterest and see just what kind of Tooth Fairy fun there is to be had.

6 Trips Around the Sun

This sweet boy of ours celebrated his 6th birthday last week.  6?!  Was it not just yesterday he surprised us by arriving 3 weeks early?  And now I can not imagine a day without our Eli.  This eldest of ours-he holds all of our hearts.  

This year was the first year we decided to opt out of doing a big celebration.  It felt a little strange at first, but just us, celebrating all together, was a new kind of special.  Of course we mixed the new tradition with lots of the old too.  The last few years, we've started a family tradition of decorating the boy's bed while they sleep the night before their birthday.  Lucky for me, this guy sleeps like a rock. (He's really in there, tucked in, I assure you.)

Waking up 6 years old!

This year he had one big wish-a pony ride.  Luck was on our side, because when I called to schedule a 30 minute trail ride at Lang's Pony Farm  I discovered they just happened to be holding a half-day Pony Camp on the 21st.  After a birthday breakfast (always, always dutch babies for this guy), we headed off to the farm.  I don't know how many more years he's going to let me tag along and happily comply with my requests for photos, and knowing that makes this even sweeter to me.

And keeping with our family birthday traditions (Surely it can't be possible to have too many of those, don't you agree?) I stuck around just long enough to snap this picture at 12:28.  Six years ago at the exact time was when Eli took his first breath and made us parents.  Just after I caught this moment, he looked over at me-all grins, and happily waved goodbye.  Bittersweet these moments, I tell you.  The ones when I swell with pride at his confidence and surity of himself, and then my heart simultaneously breaks realizing he doesn't need me.  I suppose a mama is never ever ready for her child not to need her.

The rest of the day was filled with more favorites-pizza for dinner and a chocolate cake for dessert.  A chocolate cake with a tractor on it, please was the specific request.  However, this mama may have forgotten the tractor-but no worries on was unearthed and added post haste by the birthday boy himself.  Funny thing about that tractor...I stepped out on the porch for a minute and I heard Emmett explain, "Mom!  The tractor is pushing the mud!"  With a little help from him, it certainly was..straight through the middle of the cake.  Fortunately, this grown up 6 year old of mine has developed a good deal of patience for the types of assistance his little brothers sometimes provide.

My heart is so full with all the joy he has brought into our lives in 6 years and I can't help but smile as I think ahead to all the wonders this next year will bring.  Happy, happy birthday sweet Eli!

4 Months

Fair Thee Well