Boys here lately.

Ahh some of the stuff that happens on a daily basis with a brood of boys...

{Nap mutiny results in eventually crashing on the floor}

{Nolan is so skinny his pants fell down while he did the monkey bars yesterday at the school.}

What else have we been up to?  Hanging out at The Children's Museum as per usual.

Finding cool new toys at the preschool playground.

Jack made this perfectly arranged and symmetrical pizza at the museum. Yum!

Warren comes right home from school and gets into an activity.  He is a busy body for sure!  Have to force a snack in him and get him ready for baseball practice most days.

We recently got updated pictures done so I have been busy updating my photo wall in our loft and making my Easter mailers.  I LOVE pictures.

It was fun to put the new images in and see how their faces have changed.  Little Nolan at 6 months and at 2.5 years!

The Summer of 2012 is finally coming together!  Enrolling Warren and Jack at Camp Primrose for 3 days per week half days.  They will be there for 15 hours per week going on field trips and having a blast.  Also decided on golf lessons for them at our nearby course.  Nolan and Luke will be my home buddies and I will make sure we have lots of fun stuff going on here for them.  Of course we will have our usual stomps like the Children's Museum and our favorite bounce house. 

And I already got the boys' Summer workbooks at our local OfficeMax since it is closing and selling everything for great prices.  Thinking to have T and Thu be "school" and golf lesson days since they won't have camp.  Everything always goes so much smoother in my head, so we'll see how it all works out :)

You should have seen his face...

...when I gave him the paper and told him to rip it up. Most of the bits were unusable since he used his teeth to tear it up. Glue everywhere. There are about 10,000 reasons why I'm not a preschool teacher but we are having fun muddling through this little workbook. The concepts are already beneath him (colors and shapes) but he is getting practice sitting at the table getting out supplies and squirting glue all over the table. I think that's maybe valuable??

I'm never quite sure what I'm supposed to do at home all day with a toddler. He mostly tags along wherever the big boys' lives dictate we go. Follows me around the house, watches PBS, empties out closets, eats an inordinate amount of carbs...hope that's what he should be doing at 2! :)

{Way to go, Nolan!}

***

Our Spring Break trip to Moab is all planned. So excited for a little road trip adventure. We haven't been there since before we got married -- the kids are gonna love it. Bryan is taking Warren and Jack rafting and we are stopping in Glennwood Springs to swim too. Gotta get to packing up the van soon!

***

Not much else to report. I am really starting to get uncomfortable in this pregnancy and it's for a whole new reason than I've ever experienced in pregnancy before...it feels like I have 4 times too much blood circulating in my body.  I am itchy, have spider veins ALL OVER my legs, and just feel so heavy.  I swear I can hear my own pulse just sitting at the computer typing.  I know it is a relatively easy fix to get my legs back from looking like a horror show after Luke is born, but it is still so disheartening to see, especially now as the weather warms up and I would normally be getting out shorts and considereing taking the boys swimming.  I can't imagine subjecting anyone to the alarming sight!  Okay, rant over.  I know this is all temporary and the outcome far outweighs this discomfort! 

***

Jack's First Wobbly Tooth

March 18th...the day the wobbly tooth that was hanging by a thread finally cut loose and capped off our exciting St. Patrick's Day weekend with a bang.

It took us all nearly a full hour to settle back down for bed. Nolan tried in vain to rip out one of his teeth to be like Jack and Jack had to look online for quite a while for the perfect new Lego to spend his Tooth Fairy money on. It was classic.

Finally, the house was quite again and the Fairy went to work delivering the goods in exchange for that perfect little white bottom tooth. Jack woke up bright and EARLY and had to tell us all about his wild night of catching a glimpse of the Tooth Fairy and getting $15 dollars under his pillow.

{Jack's rendering of what he witnessed last night:}

Anyhow, life is slowing down a bit... although we just starting little league baseball last week, which Bryan is coaching -- so cute! Need to get some pictures of Warren and Jack on the baseball field with Daddy (their team is the Muddogs and Bryan is the head coach!) So proud of Bryan for taking on the task of coaching. I can tell it means so much to the boys and will make a lasting impression on them.  The practices are actually at the boys' Elementary School, so it doesn't get any better than that!  I will post pictures soon!

Glad to be back from my blogging hiatus!

I'll sneak a tiny Luke update in here just in case I'm not really back on the blogging bandwagon.  I am nearly 30 weeks, passed the glucose test and am smooth sailing until his delivery!  Doctor isn't even having me come back every two weeks since everything is so great.  I feel like an old pro at this.

Also, just to document -- the boys both had AWESOME report cards this past reporting period.  LOTS of A's... we have SMART boys :)

One of Those Days...

Starts with a sleepless painful night. And it goes on from there...

Confirmed strep throat at OB appt (Luke is perfect!) but not before the first quick strip culture failed and your doctor gets called to an emergency delivery and you reach capacity of sitting in a tiny exam room with multiple children.

Doctor accidentally calls antibiotic prescription into wrong pharamacy, giving you 20 "bonus" minutes at Target with three wild boys on an in-service day from school.

Tearful conversation at the dining table over manners/fighting and Mama being sick.

Discovering someone wrote pen on the leather couch.

Feeling overwhelmed by laundry.

TV on so long it is heating the living room.

Eating oreos and popcicles for lunch.

Feeling resentful that hubby used all the hot water this morning, leaving you a cold shower you can't seem to recover from... even though you know he has a cold too and has a big day at work today.

No patience for typical little boy behavior.

Wishing the day away.

Thankful for unconditional love and forgiving hearts from your kids.

Knowing it is only noon and you have a trip to pack for and that everyone has those kind of days, so why should you be immune?

***

The Amoxicillin will work quickly

We will be on the road to a relaxing fun weekend trip soon

Laundry will always be there

A spree of tv and junk food isn't the end of the world

Tomorrow is a new day

Valentine's Day 2012

This is the Shutterfly card I mailed out and gave to teachers etc:

I absolutely love Shutterfly!  Sent these out to about 25 people for less than $10.  They have so many great designs it is always a struggle to choose just one!
*** 

Finally got a double boiler to melt Ghirardelli chocolate chips for dipping strawberries for Jack's class party. Yum! I see a lot of melted chocolate in my future.

I got flowers, tickets to see The Fray at red rocks soon, and love notes from my boys. What more could a Mama ask for?!

We don't normally make a big fuss out of Valentine's Day, but the boys love getting all dressed up for their parties at school and they just beam when they bring home their handmade Valentine's for Mom, so that is pretty contagious!

We've been...

...playing with baby Luke via Mama's belly button.  Also trying to nurse a lot lately, but that's a whole 'nother topic.  Oh Nolan, such a boob man!  I predict some jealously when Luke gets here and starts nursing.

...eating LOTS of berries and whipped cream.

...attending more than our share of fun birthday parties at cool venues.

...blowing bubbles in the living room of course!

...dressing up as Captain America every morning.

...eating SO much fruit that we have to go to the store sometimes three times per week to keep stocked.

...READING!!  Jack is reading at around 1st grade level and loves to make a "project" after he reads a new book.  Love half day kindergarten :)

...Writing our last name (phonetically) on all school work now.

...loving Mo Willems books in the library while Mama stuffs the Friday folders at school each week.

...finding treasures at our thrift store.  Nolan loves his new piggy bank toy so much!

...attending so many activities like this Valentine's Day puppet show at our local library.  What a gem of a community library we have!  We have been to a SpaceTime thing, a wild safari thing where the kids got to see an chinchilla and pig and lots of other animals.  Next month is a Chemistry thing that we won't be missing!

...thinking we're way cooler than we are drinker root beer from a coozy like Daddy.

...so busy as usual.  Life is full and good!

Uh Oh!

I actually had “the thought” today...no mortal girl/woman could ever be good enough for him...my sweet, smart, handsome, tall drink of water wonder boy. Uh oh! And he’s only 7. Lord help me, I sense a bumpy ride letting these guys grow up.

Today Warren is going on his first non-mommy chaperoned school field trip. All dressed up to ride a bus, see a play, and probably ask for the car keys soon. Sniff, sniff. Image 4993 actually makes me weepy, what is wrong with me?! I swear I am going to be a super cool MIL that any DIL will be lucky to have...so long as she’s good enough.

In reality, I know when the time actually comes I'll just be relieved someone finds them each fit to take on, considering their personal hygiene, moodiness, and hyperactivity!

Sledding!

It's always a bit iffy when I hand my big camera off to a passer-by, but this nice lady did a pretty good job! Here we all are in one frame at our local rec center getting ready to go sledding. We have always loved our rec center but now we love it just a tiny bit more.

Nolan loved sledding and pretending it was "so scary, mom!" and then asking to go again and again.

The boys had happy determined looks on their faces as they trudged back up the hill. 

Even Mama went down a few times, encouraged by the fact that my coat still zips over my belly.

Couldn't resist a taste of freshly fallen snow!

I seriously love this picture!  I totally remember this feeling from childhood :)

The boys even had a neighbor friend meet up with us.  So fun!

I couldn't love my guys any more...

They make my heart swell and make me so proud.

Awww, feel the love! :)

Just Sharin'...

Flying pigtails...the essence of little girl.

Blue eyes and shy smiles.

Playful and cute.

Tricycle time!

His name is Luke too!  Oh how I love him!

Playing at our park out front.

Two babies in the swing :)

All three siblings!

And finally one of baby girl all by herself.

Love my Mama friends, and their super cute kids!