We made it through another crazy year packed full of just about everything you could imagine. From trips, to birthdays, to moving...again, to a baby on the way...again, so we have kept ourselves pretty darn busy this year. One of the big highlights was we started off the year by Jeff and I taking our honeymoon/5 year anniversary finally! We planned the trip for about a year and a half so when it was actually time to go, it seemed surreal. We decided to do an all inclusive trip to Jamaica, and it was worth every penny spent! It was a great time for Jeff and I to relax and enjoy each other's company without dealing with the chaos that life throws at you. In August we found out we are expecting baby #3!! Talk about making our lives more chaotic...but we are truly blessed and excited to welcome a baby girl into the world in late March! I think her older brothers will keep a good eye on her! The final big highlight of the year is that we decided to pick up and move to closer to our friends and family. In August we decided we would put our house in Grinnell up for sale as a pocket listing thinking we would be there for at LEAST another year. By the end of September we found ourselves signing papers to sell the house and trying to find somewhere else to live. Fortunately, it didn't take us too long to find the home we would like to settle in, which we love, and it happens to be in Indianola! The rental we were staying at in Grinnell was not going to cut it much longer. Lets just say it made our college houses look like a dream homes.
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Lets start off with the eldest! Jase. Jase turned 3 last March and is definitely enjoying being the oldest. He really takes his role of being the older brother seriously by telling Tyce what to do and how to do it. Jase also started preschool this year which he absolutely LOVES. He was going to a preschool in Grinnell two days a week up until we moved. He started his new preschool in Indianola at the beginning of December so we will see how this one goes. It is actually the same preschool I attended. So that is pretty special! He loves to meet new people and play with just about anything. I thought Jase was always the shy one in his class until I went for a visit one day and realized the kid really is outgoing and he does talk to just about everyone. He is in the question phase where he asks so many questions all the time such as, "why are you doing that," or "where did you get that," or things like "Mom, who is that girl over there?" When really half the questions are none of our business, but as a parent you try and come up with a clever answer hoping your response will be enough for him and he won't keep asking and asking "why?" Jase has been very big into pretend play and absolutely loves loves loves to pretend he is a policeman. And who else would be a better bad guy then his little brother!! It is pretty entertaining to watch the little rascals play cops and robbers during the day! Jase is so incredibly sweet. He has such empathy for people. He is so caring. This is one of my favorite ages for Jase so far. I didn't think we would ever get out of his "terrible twos." People warned me that three is worse and even at four it doesn't get any better because they are able to talk back to you at that point. I would have to disagree completely. Once Jase hit about 3 he turned into this little boy with such a big heart! Oh yes does he ever have moments or days where he just doesn't quite care what mommy and daddy have to say, but honestly that is rare. Both the boys have their father's brains...thank goodness. We will leave the homework helping up to daddy! Jase is so inquisitive and has so much to say! He is so protective of Tyce and even Ady and myself. If Tyce is upset he tries his hardest to make him happy by giving him toys and comforting him by his words. It is so sweet. He definitely takes on the role of being the "2nd man of the house" next to Dad. I can only imagine the kind of little man he is going to become and I can't wait to watch him grow!
Tyce. Or should I say my Tycer. Tyce turned 2 this year and in fact just this month. Lets just say we call him the "crazy one." Isn't that what most people say happens to the middle child! Jeff thinks he takes after me! I don't know if he means his craziness or his temper. He definitely keeps me on my toes ALL THE TIME, but I don't know what I would ever do without him. He brings a smile to my face everyday and he can always make me laugh. The kid is so smart too. He just turned two and can form 3-4 word sentences and phrases. I remember when Jase was his age, I NEVER thought he was going to talk. Tyce on the other hand worries me because of how much he does know and can say! Tyce tries so hard to please his big brother and do what he asks for the most part. On occasion you will get him trying to be the boss and tell Jase what to do. He definitely can stand on his own and isn't afraid to talk to anyone. He won't be my shy child, that is for sure. Tyce's favorite thing to do right now is play with cars, trucks, trains or anything with wheels. He also loves to wear hats and sunglasses. He is always looking for something to put on his head or face. He has two speeds. He is either on the go about 100 miles and hour or he is sitting in a chair motionless watching his favorite cartoon or movie "Home Alone"...yes I said Home Alone. Tyce still likes to rise and shine between 5:00-5:30 and he is in the 100 mile an hour mode right away. Just this morning, he was doing sprints back and forth from the living room to the family room. I am pretty lucky that I have an early riser husband that doesn't mind getting up with him. As Jeff would say "I love to have my mornings with Tyce." My little Tycer absolutely obsessed with babies. He will go up to them and pet them...yes pet their heads, and he is always looking for a pacifier to put in their mouths or at least one to put in his mouth! I hope his obsession continues when the baby girl arrives but not too overbearing for her :) Tyce is definitely the boy with the bruises and bumps on his head all the time. He is such a dare devil. If he falls over from jumping from something, he brushes it off and does it again. It is almost like he enjoys the challenge so he continues to do it!
Baby girl. Like I said in March we will be expecting a baby girl. I love her so much already. It is amazing how much you can love something that hasn't stepped foot on this planet yet. It will be quite the change for us having a girl around...well minus our cute pug Ady. I am sure she will enjoy having another female in the house. I hope our little girl is easy going because I don't think there will be any other choice! My due date is actually April 1 but since I will have another scheduled C-section, we will go at 39 weeks. Since I am not a huge fan of being pregnant anyway, I don't have a problem having her early. As long as she is ready, I will be too.
Of course Ady or should I say "the girl". She is pretty much the same as she always has been. She has been very good about adjusting to all the new things that have been going on in her life. She recently has found a new sleeping buddy, Jase. Jeff and I are grateful they like to sleep together. This way we don't have her in our bed and I think Jase enjoys the company of the girl. Ady still gets picked on every once in a while mostly by Tyce. He likes to ride her and tug at her ears but she just takes it. Minus her shedding, as pugs do, we believe we have the best dog ever. She was our first baby ya know!
On to the man of the house. Jeff. Jeff is still working at Hy-Vee in Grinnell as the Pharmacy Manager. He still enjoys being a pharmacist and he keeps himself very busy at work. He will continue to commute as long as he can. Especially since he only has to work 4 days a week. His hours are pretty awesome. We finally had to trade in old red (his truck he has had forever that he just couldn't part from) for a newer fuel efficient car since his commute is about 45 minutes one way. When we lived in Grinnell, his commute was about 7 minutes so this has been quite a change for him. Jeff still enjoys golfing in the summer and really anytime of the year when he can. He also likes to spend his Sundays watching his Sunday ticket with our two little rascals. I think he just wants to prepare them for what will go on in the Bates household on Sundays! He is eager to get back in to the swing of things with his friends in Indianola. I keep telling him that we will get there, but can we just settle in to the house first?!? Since we have had so much going on lately, it seems like we have been go, go, go so after Christmas it will be nice to relax a bit until next big thing!
As for me I can't complain. I am getting used to living in my hometown. I never thought I would live back here to be honest, but I am glad we will be close to family and friends. I am not going to lie, having family around is nice when I need a break or just to sleep! I can honestly say I am ready for March and not only to be done being pregnant ...probably forever... but to bring a girl in to this world. My boys have been such a blessing to me that I can only imagine that this girl will be that much more of a blessing to our family. I love being their mom. I feel like it is what I was put on this earth for. I still enjoy staying home, however I have my days when I do wish I worked. It is hard to say that to some moms that work 40 hours a week and think your job consists of catching up on soap operas and shopping. I honestly had more time to do things when I did work, and staying home makes it hard to tell yourself that sometimes you just need a break. It is tough, but I ask myself who else would I want raising my children?!? I thank my lucky stars for the things God has blessed us with and I truly hope he has Blessed each and every one of you!
Happy Holidays from the Bates family!!
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