[ dependence vs. independence ]

Dependence vs. Independence

I can see a competition brewing inside of my littlest one. Her development toward independence versus her fears and need for dependence. Crawling and pulling up to furniture has given her a little tinge of confidence that proves she can try new things on her own, but yet she backs down and away from the danger if it feels too risky.  She is just now starting to have her first tastes of food (at ten months). And she's loving it. I wouldn't say she loves food more or even as much as breastmilk, but she's slowly getting the hang of exploring new flavors. She's tried green beans, peas, carrots, squash, zucchini, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and she absolutely loves steamed broccoli. She pretty much enjoys feeding herself, but she knows she still needs help. She's beginning to stand for a few seconds without holding on to anything, and while she's doing it... while she's upright, all by herself, without any support, she gets this sparkle in her eye while she smiles a smile of Are you seeing what I'm doing, Mama?, but the sparkle is quickly followed up with a nervous I don't quite think I can do this alone yet look right before she plops to the ground, and gives way to her doubt. She'll walk behind the security of Mommy or Daddy's fingers to hold in front of her, but she doesn't believe yet that she can actually push that walker at the same time she walks behind it. It's quite bittersweet to watch her take each step of independence, but I suppose that's the entire goal of living a life of a parent. I think with each developmental milestone she has, BrettRyan is itching for a third little Buckingham. I always thought I'd be the one who always needed a baby around, but I think he might be living up to that need too. :)

LOOK AT THOSE TEETH!!!! Four pearly whites now!

(Laidey's 9 (9.5) months)

Adelaide 9.5 months & Breck 2.5 years

Breck has always been the best to go to bed with no questions asked. He'd crawl up into bed with paci and Bearpo in tow. We'd sing, read a book, and then pray with him. He'd give us a kiss, hug our necks, roll over to his side, we'd cover him up, he'd tell us goodnight, blow kisses, and wave as we backed out of his room waving too. But lately?! Things haven't gone quite so smooth. Now we frequently hear any one or many of these:

"Breck NO wanna go to bed!"

"Breck no want paci bearpo." (As he tries to hand them back to us)

"My tummy hurts. I need Tyzenols."

"Breck need to cry. Breck need to scream."

"Breck hear-d a noise! Breck scared."

Our extremely hot picnic at the "Air-pain-port"

July 4th -Beach Day! 

I refuse to get used to the fact that we can just buzz over to the sandy shores of our Michigan beaches for a sunset, or a day of fun at the beach. It takes my breath away every time that sky and water horizon comes into view. 

The beach was completely packed on Independence Day.

My sweet boy...

(reminds me of this photo: Summer 2011)

(Summer 2011)

He actually played IN and WITH the sand this summer! :)

Sweet Lou peeking up over her little sand-free hideout. 

Mama can't get enough of this hat that miss Brittany got Adelaide!

 It's the cutest and I understand she swiped it for $1.00!

I scored big. time. with this play kitchen! We've been looking for one for the kids for months! Used ones are going $40-$60 on craigslist, but I found this beaut for $5.00 at a garage sale! I hauled that thing up into our van all by myself... then gave it a bath in our front yard and it looks brand new! 

We have several fun days ahead of us... Family will be visiting!!! Aunt Holly broke the news to Breck the other day on the phone that they are coming up to stay with us, and ever since, Breck says at least once a day "Breck need to see Holly. BroBro, Dylllllly, Aaanon, and Holly coming in twwwo weeks." Little does he know we'll see them in ONE day! Yaay! 

[ catching up in photos & milestones ]

A little catching up to do in the area of favorite photos:

May 2012


I'm convinced that bonnets are the best baby girl accessory yet. Irresistible!

Grand Haven Kite Festival!

When did this happen? feels like only yesterday I had one little boy newborn, and now this? Time is going too fast, but I love watching them grow up together!

We love it when family come for a visit. 

Helping Daddy make "pain-cakes"

I adore his hair in these photos.

She's irresistible in bonnets. 

My Mother's Day loves.

This photo could use a post all to it's self. There aren't enough words. This photo is so priceless to me. This was the moment I, and my friends, had the opportunity to meet Brittany's baby, Jubilee! Brittany carried Jubilee for seven months, knowing she wouldn't get to keep her here on earth, unless God intervened with nothing short of a miracle. Not only did I get to meet her, but just moments before Brittany gave birth, things started moving so fast and she called her mom, sister, and ME into the room for the birth. I couldn't believe it! I felt so humbled and honored that she invited me into such a sacred and private moment of their lives. I'll never forget watching Brittany be such a wonderful Mommy as she met and said goodbye to her sweet girl in mixture of the same moments. That was probably the most moving and emotional experience I've experienced, aside from birthing my own babies. Even in a moment of meeting and saying goodbye to her baby... a moment no one ever knows how they would handle it... she seriously was such a Mama. Proud. Protective. Comforting. Nurturing. Jubilee was the cutest little thing with a tiny button nose and such a tiny figure. I can't think about that day without getting misty-eyed. I know Brittany and her husband miss their sweet girl so much. Such an honor to walk with them through that defining moment. And so proud of them how they have and are giving God the glory through all of this! 

(Photo used with permission by Brittany. Photo captured by Trudy Holtz)

Pretty much fell in love with these moments between LaideyLou and her Nana Anna!

I never want to forget the way the top of that sweet little head smells like! I gets me every time when babies look down like this...

Laidey's sweet little friend, Julia! She's so beautiful!

Mama had some helpers to scout out a wedding location for a photography shoot. They were big helpers! ;)

I love everything that's going on in this photo!

Grammy and Poppa took us to the Boulder Ridge Exotic Animal Park! It was very cool and much better than the usual Zoo.

He loved seeing and feeding the animals! He was not at all bashful!

I feel the same way, Laidey. The same way.

Somebody's first time in the pool!

Somebody's third summer in the pool! Hard to believe!

She does this every time she crosses a threshold. It's so precious! 

Favorites from June 2012

I couldn't believe it even when my eyes saw it... this really happened. He never ever, ever falls asleep just anywhere. I came back downstairs from nursing Adelaide and found him snoozing on the couch like this. Little bum up in the air and all!

Yellow baby toes... can it get any more "summer" than that?!

 She's so good at doing "SO BIG!"

Holly and I hosted a 40th anniversary luncheon for Mom and Dad the weekend of their Anniversary June 17th... 

We had Mom's cousin, Patsy, make a mini replica of their wedding cake! 

And then we stayed a few extra days to play... 

Breck loved riding in Papaw's BIG truck!

Laidey absolutely adores her Aunt Holly! She relaxes in her arms in the most precious way... unlike with any one else. A special little thing those two have going on...

Milestones: Potty Training.

This one? This twenty-eight month old? He's potty trained!

I'd been dreading it so very much. I'd avoid thinking about it or planning for it, and I just couldn't bring myself to read up on it. I'd always hoped the conversation topic would quickly change when it came up. I'd made up my mind that we'd try once he was three years old... because it felt safe and bought me some more time.  I was frankly so scared to even try it because I honestly thought I'd be the one choosing to put diapers back on him because it was too hard or too much work. I couldn't have been more off on my anticipations! He has done so very well! Much better than we ever expected. He was a pro from the beginning. I think that's how it is for most transitions for our kids. We, as parents, interpret and expect new transitions as challenging... like switching from a crib to a toddler bed or diapers to big boy pants, but in reality - we're the one's who make it challenging. Our kids just go with the flow, and change and growing up are so natural for them. It's natural. It's easy for them.

Potty training was not planned. It was spontaneous, but we just went with it! Potty training started on Mother's day evening. Daddy and Poppa had gone to a movie while Grammy and Mama gave the babies a bath and put them to bed. Before Grammy put Breck into the tub, she sat him on the toilet and asked him if he could try to go potty. He started concentrating and you could just see him thinking about what he was trying to do. We talked him through a few tips on how to try and we turned the sink water on... the water pressure at about a "trickle" to set the mood. :) And there he went! He went and Grammy and Mommy screamed and cheered with excitement! We couldn't believe it... the squealing continued as Grammy ran downstairs to grab the video camera. By the time she got back upstairs... he had the control to stop and then start again for the camera! :) It so very obvious that he had some serious control over what he was doing and could go "on demand!" So there were several cheers and giggles and celebration phone calls to Mamaw and Papaw between bath-time and bedtime! :) Once he was in bed and reality hit that he was so very ready to start... it was just a no brainer that he would wear big boy pants the next morning and no more diapers. That was the last day! No more diapers (except for naps)! The first two days were honestly exhausting because he literally could go potty every time we asked... so every five to ten minutes we were running to the bathroom. He was rewarded each time with a sticker on his chart and a Tic-Tac. He definitely enjoyed the car and letter stickers I picked up at the store, since he's so into finding letters in words that he sees! By day three... there was significant improvement. Visiting the bathroom every five minutes turned into thirty and forty-five minutes by the third day. And by the end of the week... he was going every hour to hour-and-a-half. By the end of the week we were also driving to and from the beach with no accidents! Such a big boy!

Crawling.

And this one? She's crawling & pulling herself up! (at 7.5 months!) (She's now 10 months... Mama is so behind!)

She decided to crawl the same week Breck started potty training so that meant one thing: this Mama was BUSY! :) Because Adelaide is the total opposite of her observant big brother when he was that age. He would just watch and touch things not really going after things, but Laidey gets into a-n-y-thing she can reach. She loves to try to each paper, bites pieces off of foam toys, gnaws on chalk, etc. Her curious self keeps me on my toes, but I love it because it's funny watch what she'll get into next! :)

Siblings.

I love seeing them together. Breck loves to blow raspberries on her bare belly... and she just giggles and laughs! They frequently chase each other around the house and laugh together. I am also spending a lot of my time peeling Breck off of her because he just doesn't know when enough is enough, or how to measure his own strength. :) But I love when I come up on them... and I see sights like these... 

And just for kicks... as proof as to why it's taken me so long to get back to blogging. Besides the normal every day life of keeping up a home, taking care of two small children, cooking, errands, etc, this is where I've been. Sorting through thousands and editing hundreds of these... I had the awesome opportunity of photographing an amazing couple who married in Rockford. The guest list was twelve people long! :)