Where does the time go?

Due to my lack of blogging, this is my attempt to catch up on what our lives are like right now.  It is hard to remember to blog because I use Instagram everyday (which is like a photo journal of our days) so I forget to update this.  So here we go...

How is this sweet boy almost TWO years old?  I am amazed how much he has changed in the last year.  Hutchinson is going to love summer-everything about it.  Last year he spent most of the time in a stroller it seemed-he didn't walk until almost 15 months so by the time he was walking...it was cold outside.  He LOVES to be outside.  He loves to play anything that includes a ball.  Basketball or "ba-ball" is a favorite.  He loves golf and has started connecting on his swing!  You have to be on the look out when he is playing golf, he can get a hold of it!  He loves to explore, climb, jump, get dirty, color and just about anything that is big brother AKA Bo-Bo does.  Hutchinson is Finnean's little shadow.  He attempts to do everything he does and is pretty good at copying his every move.  He is a smart little boy, he doesn't have has many words as Finnean did at this age but boy does he know what is going on.  He adds words everyday it seems and is a pro at making animal noises!  My favorite is when he does an elephant and throws his arm up like a trunk.  He says Dad, Hi Dad, Hey Dad just about as clear as Finnean does.  Sometimes you don't know who said it.  He does NOT on the other hand say Mom, Momma, Mommy.  He can say it, I have heard it BUT he refuses (okay maybe not refuses but he won't call me MOM and is makes me a little sad!).  He sometimes calls me Beee-beee (baby) but that is about it.  I have no idea why.  He knows I am his mom but he sure doesn't want to say it!  Another  cute word that he says...bubb-bles...oh it just melts my heart!  H is smitten with Jerry and you can often find him giving him a hug or just sitting next to him giggling.  I think Jerry's beard cracks him up.  Hutchinson has a pretty awesome laugh.  He loves to be tickled and that is one of Finnean's favorite things (he told me) about Hutchinson is when he laughs.  He LOVES to throw things...that would be great if it was limited to balls but it is not.  Cups, forks, plates, trucks, cars...the list goes on and on.  If he is done with it, he moves on by throwing it!   This boy absolutely loves to read.  He brings me books all the time and snuggling up before bed and reading is probably one of his favorite things.  His favorite thing to find in a book is a moon or a flag.  Is currently obsessed with both of these things.  He can spot a flag anywhere and can say it too.  He waves his little hand saying "flag, flag, flag, flag, flag!"  He also says WHOA!! or WOW!! and those are pretty cute too.  I love hearing what his little voice sounds like.  I am sure that he doesn't talk has much as Finnean did because Finnean talks SO MUCH!  :)  H loves going to the library and listening to stories.  He plays trains and loves to color the coloring sheets there.  We usually have a bagel date at the local bagel shop once a week.  He LOVES eavesdropping on the little old lady gossip and bats his eyelashes at them to get their attention.  His favorite is a warm blueberry bagel---I have tried it, he is on to something.  He seems to enjoy our time together while Finnean is at preschool but always gets a big smile when I tell it is time to go get Bo-Bo from school.  We recently gave up the paci.  He has been doing pretty good, just a few nights he couldn't get back to sleep without it BUT we just gave it up cold turkey...so there is no going back!   He is getting faster!  He is figuring out how to bend his knees and really pick up speed (this might be the end of me).  He loves to draw.  You can usually find him with a hotwheel or two in his little chubby fingers.  We don't really go anywhere with 4.  Two for each boy.  H is still pretty petite.  It will be interesting to see how much he has grown at his 2 year check up.  He wears size 4 diapers and will be moving to size 5 soon.  Most of his clothes are 12-18 months but will be moving on up soon.  He has these beautiful, big brown eyes with crazy long eye lashes.  I am pretty sure he knows I am sucker for long lashes and has me wrapped about his little fingers.  His little legs are chubby along with his little belly.  He has these little love handles that are probably the cutest thing I have ever seen.  His cheeks are still round but his face is starting to look like a little boy and not a baby.  I have to remind myself of that often, he is growing up and he needs to be treated like a big boy and not a baby sometimes.  He is a momma's boy but he sure loves his daddy too.  He can't get enough of Grandma and Poppa Wagler.  He calls Grandma, GaGa and it is pretty stinking cute.  All and all he is just a happy kid.  He loves to play and play hard.  We couldn't imagine our lives with our little Hutchinson Reyes Wagler. 

I ask Michael probably everyday..."How did we get so lucky?"  I feel so blessed to have these three boys in my life.  I just continue to soak them up and be thankful.  We try and have as much fun as possible together.  We are working hard to raise polite and respectful little boys.  We want to give them as many experiences as possible and show them how to be kind.  We say those four words a lot at our house.  Polite, respectful & be kind.  We want them to know what it means to volunteer or to be active in your church.  We want them to be passionate about something or many things. We have found that parenting is hard.  I know, I know you are shocked by this but it is really hard BUT it seems the really hard times are countered greatly by the good times.  We have knock down, drag out temper tantrums, struggles to eat dinner, lack of listening etc. etc. but all of those are overshadowed by the fun we have together and that we get to spend each day snuggling up and reading books or going on adventures or being superheros or building the biggest lego tower to date.  We are learning from our mistakes, we are making mistakes and we are just trying to be the best parents for Finnean and Hutchinson.  WOW-this caption got much sappier than I intended but my heart is just so full, I had to share it.  It is not always rainbows and unicorns around here but we do have it pretty good.  For that I am so thankful. 

This guy.  WOW!  He is old.  He is sassy.  He is just so darn funny.  Finnean has the best facial expression and loves to talk.  Oh my word, this boy loves to talk.  I think there is some word quota he is going for each day.  Thankfully with all those words he shares funny stories, reads books to Hutchinson, makes up adventures that we are going on, tells me about his day, recalls the tiniest of memories from our past...so I am thankful for all those words he speaks each day but goodness, sometimes it is exhausting!  He loves school and really thrives there.  He will be done on Wednesday with preschool until the fall where he will go 5 mornings a week (this has been a very tough decision for us-so many pros and cons) but he needs the social interaction and he absolutely loves to learn.  He is eager to find out new things at school and is the first to notice if something is different in the class room.  F has an AMAZING attention to detail.  This has been somewhat of a struggle in the past, making him a bit reluctant to change but going to school has really helped with becoming more flexible.  He is learning that his friends don't always want to play what he wants and how to deal with that.  He loves art.  He loves the Sculpture Park downtown and is probably one of his favorite places to visit.  He loves to explore and he has such a kind heart.  If he finds a bug, he calls it his friend.  The tree in our front yard is his friend.  He loves to watch birds and animals.  He is really into picking up litter or "glitter" as he calls it sometimes.  He is so soft-hearted but struggles with controlling his emotions.  We work hard on that.  His outbursts happen less often and we learn something new from each one.  He loves to play pretend.  Superheros, babies, Mario cart, baby horses...the list goes on and on.  I love his imagination.  He loves to write.  He is really good at writing his name and can spell a few words on his own.  He is sounding out words and has the craziest memory-tell him something once and he can remember it.  He loves to read.  F loves hot wheels and always has some with him.  He loves his train set and legos.  He is particular and likes things to be in order.  He is a preservationist already, loves old buildings.  Anything to do with a construction site is super awesome.  He loves to help Michael work on any project and still is a spitting image of him.  He loves his daddy and watching their bond continue to form is so neat and probably one of the best parts of my job.  He is kind of a momma's boy but I guess that is what happens when you are together most of the time.  He love the "city" and going to the city, everything about the city really.  He is feisty, always testing us and seeing how we will respond.  He is so observant.  He loves to ride his bike and go on family walks.  F loves to cook and help in the kitchen.  He is awesome at making friends at the park and likes to find new kids to play with.  He is so much fun to be around.  He challenges, oh does he challenge me.  We are both pretty emotional, so that makes for an interesting combo some days.  We have a lot of fun together and I love that get to watch him grown each day. 

I feel like I have the best job in the world.  It is probably one of the hardest things I will ever do.  Being at home with the two boys, full time with a husband that travels sometimes can be very exhausting/stressful/crazy/hard but I would not trade it for anything.  I get to see the little accomplishments, I get to teach them things, I get to show them the world.  I still hate changing diapers (hopefully by the end of the year we will be DONE with them!!) and I strongly dislike temper tantrums but that is real life.  I get to be there for so many teachable moments.  I learn from them everyday.  I get experience things I would never have stopped and checked out if it weren't for these two little boys.  I am working on my paper airplane skills and I can build a mean lego tower.  I am a coach, a cheerleader, a chauffer, a cook, a maid...the list goes on and on but because I do all of those things...I get to stay at home with my boys.  I get to see them grow each day.  Thankfully because of my amazing husband, I get to do things for myself as well.  Bare Root continues to thrive.  It is crazy being a small business co-owner.  We have so much fun and I am so lucky to be able to have a business that I love with one of my dearest friends.  I recently ran a 10K.  Something I NEVER EVER IN MY LIFE thought I could do.  The end wasn't pretty (Michael took pictures...thanks babe) but I did it.  AND my time really wasn't that bad at all.  I finished in 1 hour, 2 minutes and 11 seconds.  10 minute miles is just fine with me.  I want to do another one and see if I can finish in an hour or less.  Good to have a goal, right!?  I just feel like I was put on this planet to be a momma.  I am not sure what I am going to do "when I grow up" but I am sure that something will fall into place.  I am not losing sleep over that right now.  I have children to help me lose sleep :)  For right now, I just focus my energy on how to be a better mother each day to those beautiful boys.  I recently read something about how easy it is to compare ourselves with each other and how hard we can be on ourselves but the moral of the article was that you are the best mom for your child, I am the best mom for Finnean and Hutchinson.  So that is my goal each day, be the best momma I can be for those sweet boys.  I have to mention that not only do I have an amazing husband but I have an awesome friend support group and family that help me with the boys.  There is no way that we do this on our own, I am thankful for that!

I looked for a picture of this handsome fellow by himself but I couldn't find one....note to self-take pictures of Michael.  Michael continues to work hard for us so that I can stay home with the boys.  He is doing GREAT (not that I had any doubt) in his job and it is hard to believe that it has been a year since took his new position on the MSI team.  He is staying fit by taking Jerry for good walks each night, I am so thankful for this!!  M recently joined our Church Council and has taken on a big project with the council to raise funds to rebuild our stairs on the front of our church.  I am so proud of him for getting involved.  He helps keep our house in order and is the rational one in our house.  He brings a calm to our house that we need.  When everything is going to hell, I know that I can count on him to be a voice of reason.  We are a good match that is for sure.  He is my rock. M still loves to play golf and I hope that he can get out there this summer a few times.  He is an amazing dad, AMAZING.   I am one lucky gal.  Not only does he work outside the home and bring home the bacon for us, he is a diaper-changing, adventure taking, supper cooking, lego-building, book reading, toilet cleaning, fort building, Mario cart racing, disciplining, guitar loving, knowledge sharing dad. The boys' faces just light up when they hear the door open each night.  He is not inside for 20 seconds before he is being asked to play legos or to "watch this".  He is just amazing.  It is hard to believe that 7 years ago this month he asked me to marry him.  We have been having fun ever since.  Thank you, Michael Wagler, for being the best husband for me and the best daddy that Finnean and Hutchinson could ask for.