Christmas Eve 2011

We were gonna go out to dinner, go to church, and go sledding.

Instead we were all in pajamas before 5pm, we forraged in the pantry for dinner, and never even left the house.

Oh well, we still managed lots of important traditions.

{Santa left a note.}

{The tree was bursting with wrapped gifts.}

{I tried so hard to get a good picture of the boys in their matching jammies in front of the tree...sigh...}

{Tried a different composition to mix it up...they were still total goof balls.}

{Maybe this is the best one??}

{The boys decided to leave Santa this treat instead of cookies.}

{Reagan totally had the right idea!}

Anyhow, we are in the midst of a lazy fun-filled Christmas day taking in all the new toys and electronics and cooking supper.  We are hopeful to make it out to see a movie (a Christmas tradition) and maybe sledding...we'll see!

Merry Christmas!

XOXO

Melts in your mouth...

...Merry Christmas from our little M&Ms! Next year we'll have a green one named Luke too! :)

{Already in Christmas matching jammies, settled in for the night.}

Looking forward to an early morning full of little boy excitement and bagels and coffee and a prime rib for early dinner and sledding and church and everything CHRISTMAS!

{Merry Christmas from The Lawsons!}

Litte Gems from Jack

I try to jot down little anecdotes and funny things the boys say so I don't forget and lately Jack has been on a roll.

Here are just few from the last week or so:

"Mom! Warren broke his rocket and just said the s-h word...and I don't mean shark!"

While playing Lego Batman on the Wii Jack had these choice words for the nemesis he was fighting "ahhh! So you wanna mess with justice?!"

"Mom knows everything, even what 15 + 15 is!"

In response to our talks of shuffling bedrooms around if we do end up finishing the attic, "Noooo! I can't have my own bedroom, I would die if I am alone!"

Can't believe my little Jack is turning 6 in less than 10 days. He is truly something else and we couldn't be more in love with him than we are today!

{Man, oh man!  This boy is a "looker"!}

7:46

Was woke up by a naked 2 year old telling/asking me "I want some cheese. Kayleigh and Alyssa come over?"

Stumble downstairs and get said 2 year old a bowl of shredded sharp cheddar and a spoon (he's an odd one!), load the dishwasher which really should have been done last night considering we made mussels and shrimp and that all sat in the sink overnight, pour a cup of coffee, hand out blueberry scones from Whole Foods to the kids so that they will eat them and not me since I already had three yesterday and my weigh in at the doctor's office of 125# ALREADY was a bit sobering, and then sit down to write this silly post.

I took the boys to my doctor appt yesterday. I am already up over 10#, so figuring I should probably chill out and possibly start to exercise...we'll see. Taking them to the Children's Museum today and maybe to the movies this evening if they behave today and don't give me too much grief.

Luke's heartbeat was 140 bpm yesterday, so it is finally starting to come down from "girl range." :) The doctor also told me most likely the reason I am feeling so much movement already (I mean he is waking me up at night already!) is because his placenta is in the back so there is no "blanket" in between his movement and my belly. Whew! I was seriously concerned he was in there just flipping out and couldn't help but wonder what kind of tempermented child was going to emerge in May. Chances are he is a typical boy. Nolan had even managed to get his umbilical cord in a perfect knot while in utero.

The whole notion of having these 4 boys has really had a chance to sink in over the past week for me. I am perfectly content with this family of mine. And for the first time during a pregnancy I am not even remotely thinking of "the next pregnancy" etc. I am done! My family is complete. Four kids (of any gender) is a lot of work and I want to maintain some level of standards in this house for the things that are important to us. Plus I just feel done. Done being pregnant, done having huge breastfeeding boobs, done not sleeping through the night, you get the idea. I am happy to know that it is true how people say you just know when your family is complete -- I was starting to wonder.

Anyhow, better hop in the shower so we can be on the road by 9:30 to get out of this house for the morning.  Hoping for a good, happy day!

Oh and just so as to not have a post without any pictures, here are Warren and Jack playing this great word bingo game last night in the living room...it was so idyllic and cute...until you zoom out and realize there is a toddler having a major meltdown tantrum less than 10 feet away.  Such is life in our house!  Never even did figure out what set Nolan off, but putting him in the bath immediately made him forget his woes :)  And then an early bedtime for all made us all forget our woes from a difficult and long afternoon too!

{This is such a great game for Jack, who is still learning to read, to help with confidence and making reading fun.}

{Warren clapping for Jack since he read a new word!  These are the moments I live for as a Mama}

{These are not the moments I live for...but they are part of the package nonetheless!}

{Oh, Nolan!  We tried everything to cheer you up.  Maybe you shouldn't fall asleep on the living room floor anymore, if you're gonna wake up so disoriented and mad.}

Here lately...

Just a few recent things we've done here lately to capture little minds and pass some time:

Dry ice in a bowl with some water = "witches brew" and at least 30 minutes of the kids sitting around the bowl shrieking watching the water "boil" and hiss and give off vapor.

After going to a Space Time Kids thing at our local library all about our solar system and space travel, we came home and followed the simple directions the enthusiastic teacher had shown us and made our very own alkaseltzer powered rockets. This is such a great project since the kids could actually do most of it on their own using cardstock, high tech bonding agent (elmer's glue), and high teck binding ageng (tape). I got empty 35mm film canisters from Walgreen for the "Engine compartement" in the bottom of each rocket and we were off to the launch pad (aka a garbage bag on the living room floor until we realized these suckers blasted off so high they hit our ceiling...then it was outside!)

Finally, we did a simple experiment with whole milk, soap and food coloring to make cool "fireworks" in the milk and learn a little bit about surface tension and equilibrium...and messes (not that we need any help with that!) They loved it and it cracked me up at the end when we had a murky soapy mess of milk and I said "okay now who wants to drink this?" and they all went "me me me!" Silly boys...

Of course, this is all in addition to the usual running around in underwear tackling each other, eating blackberries by the Costco sized clamshell, and watching Sports Center non-stop. But we try to break up the monotony and that's what counts!

A big note to my little Luke

I want you to know that you are in no way a hail Mary pass to a hypothetical daughter.

We are so excited to have you in our family!

We expect as much from you as all your brothers -- no exceptions or lower standards for the baby of our family :)

You are one lucky little boy to be joining this family! We play hard and work hard and love to learn almost as much as we love to love. We all have hearts for a big family and look forward to what you will bring to the table.

We are also so very lucky to have you. You are one wanted and anticipated little boy! All your brothers already talk about you and throw your name around as if they've known you forever. It melts my heart to hear them talk about where you will sit in the bath and what toys they think you will like.

Your name already rolls off my tongue too, and it feels so good to say it, knowing I will soon get to say it in your little ears when I meet you and for so many years to come. I can't wait to find out what makes you the same as and different from each of your brothers.

Will your voice be raspy like Warren and Nolan's or higher and sweet like Jack?
Will you love pickles like Jack and Nolan or make puking gestures when offered them like Warren? Will you be off the charts tall like Warren?
A social butterfly like Jack?
A Mama's boy to the core like Nolan?
An easy baby like Warren or colicky like Jack?
Will you be the first of our babies to not love all vegetables?
Are you gonna insist on cosleeping like Nolan?
Love football like Warren?
Or Legos like Jack?
Will you have sparkly blue eyes and full ruby lips like all your brothers?
Or some new physical attributes we haven't seen yet?
I just cannot wait to find out! What an adventure it is getting to know each of my boys.

FOUR BOYS!!!!

I am one super fortunate Mama. This is gonna be a good life...

Grow big and strong little Luke, and then come out when you're ready, prepared to be greeted by a whole lot of love and chaos!

Just Sharin'...

Here are a few favorites from a session a couple days ago. What a lovely family and super cute grandkids!

Feel like I need to jump start my photography again. I actually let several requests slip through the cracks this past month while I was so tired and battling headaches. Ready to get back into it! I have a photography class next month that I am doing with a friend of mine - should help to reignite my passion!

So in love with Luke Lawson!

We met our 4th son yesterday evening. Also known as "Wuke" or "Yuke" by his youngest big brother :)

The whole family was there to count his 20 perfect baby toes and fingers...

Ooh and Aah over his kissable lips...

And double check that he is indeed ALL BOY...

Mystery solved as to why his last u/s looked more girly -- little dude put his hand over his man package and the tech had to give him a little shake to get him to let go and show us what he was hiding. It was classic.

We all went to Benihana's to celebrate after the appointment:

He is perfect and we are so excited for May!

I am so relieved to know we have another awesome son joining us, and now I can relax for the next several months saying his name over and over and letting him get big and strong.

Worst Blogger Ever

After all that lapse of time, all I can manage are some cell phone pics and titles...life is BUSY!

[We are looking into finishing our attic!  We are not "basement people," and wouldn't mind having another bedroom and bathroom up there.  Maybe I'll get that bathroom with floor to ceiling tile and an urinal after all for these boys! Still in the research phase to see if what we want is possible and acceptable by our HOA.]

[Seriously, has anyone ever had any luck sprouting an avocado seed? Hmmm...]

[New haircut, with some bangs!]

[From the other side.  Got new makeup (Josie Maran!) and did Davinci Teeth Whitening!  Feeling all sparkly and new :)]

[Even with all the headaches I was having, we got out on this day for a much needed change of scenery.]

[The belly at 15 weeks!  Tomorrow we find out the gender!  Okay this is funny because I took this last week and my belly isn't nearly that big now...maybe I just had a huge lunch.]

[These two are becoming such good buddies! (Now that she finally carries a nerf gun willingly!)]

[I was so sure Warren would test gifted recently that I started some pre-emptive researching, I mean the kid got lots of A's on his report card and has the witt and humor beyond most adults.  Well, he is not.  Not by a long shot.  And chances are neither is Jack, even though he constantly blows my socks off.  "This is 10 bundles of 10 pretzels, mom!  That's one hundred pretzels.  If I did this 10 times, that would be one thousand pretzels!"  All while I made his lunch...]

[Can you guess what we did this morning?]

[The boys loved it!  My cheecks hurt from smiling by the time I cleared their plates.]

[Oh my goodness, this is the shirt Jack was wearing at the hospital when Nolan was born!  How does this happen?  And preschool registration is in less than a month!]

[Jack is the "Star of the Week" this week at school.  I laminated his star after we finished it.  I am obsessed with laminating things these days. :)]

[Mom and Dad snuck out last week for the Kid Rock Concert at the Fillmore in downtown Denver.]

[Jack got his shoes all ready the night before his field trip at school to the Denver Puppet Theater.]

[Our Family's newest addition.  Yes, it really is THAT exciting.]

[I got to chaperone Jack's field trip.  It was so cute.  Love love love that boy!]

[Warren first ever science fair project!  My heart nearly burst with pride when someone asked him what his project was on and he replied "Newton's third law of motion."  He made a newton's cradle out of a shoe box, string, beads and tape too.]

[Such a little stud, that #7!]

[If all else fails when you are taking care of 5 kids, build a tent with a "camp fire" and give them crunchy snacks.  Then you can lay down on the couch nearby for at least 20 min.]