Living in Mommywood

LONG Overdue!

2011-07-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how time has flown by and how incredibly long it has been since I have managed to type something! I honestly have just been busy - as usual - and any free moment I have, well, I'm spending that holding and playing with the sweetest, cutest baby in the world!

Colton is SUCH a joy! He is happy and sweet 99% of the time, which makes the fact that he won't drink from a bottle and still is up every 3 hours at night completely fine. I am so in love with him and I really just can't get enough! It makes me sad to know that he has just turned 9 months old and is growing up so fast. He is crawling everywhere, waving, pulling up on things and I swear he is starting to recognize the sound "Ma Ma" and "Da Da" for us. He is just the nicest little baby (I think I probably thought this about all of my boys!) and I can just spend my whole day wrapped up in him!

Summer has brought loud times at our house with all 4 boys home all the time! It has been fun-filled and I am not looking forward to them heading off to school in a few weeks.

Jacob is HUGE and is actually excited to head off to 6th grade... I, on the other hand, am NOT ready for this transition into adulthood that I am already starting to see. He is a good boy and I'm praying that he will continue to be just as responsible and compassionate as he continues to grow. I had to buy him a size 8 MENS shoe yesterday and since he has outgrown everything (and he needs "COOL" clothes) we are spending a small fortune to dress him for the school year. I'm also getting a lot of heat from him about getting a cell phone because ALL of his friends have already had them for a couple of years! I would say he is exaggerating, but he's really not. He is just about the only one who doesn't have one, but other than that, I don't really see any reason for an 11 year old to have one! Who knows what we will do because I don't want him to be truly the only kid without one, but I don't really want him to have one either!

Keaton has been having a good time building and hanging out, sleeping late and playing with friends. He's not as excited about school starting, but I guess that just comes along with going into 3rd grade - the grade where they actually start real homework and letter grades. He's growing too and is just figuring out who he is.

Gavin is looking forward to starting Kindergarten and has already gotten his backpack and lunchbox. I can't believe he is going to be away from home all day everyday soon and that makes me sad. Kindergarten is really one of those big "grow up" years and by the end of school Gavin won't be the same kid that I am sending there in 3 short weeks.

So, my babies are all growing up and while they are all in such fun stages of life, I am always sad when I stop to think about how fast the time is flying by. I love these kids more than life and yes, they consume me, all my time, love, thoughts and energy, but I wouldn't want it any other way. Their childhoods are passing by so quickly and I am constantly just grasping for one more moment of them at the age that they are, but no matter how hard I try to stop it, time just keeps marching on and the days, months and years just keep passing by. It's sobering to think that Jacob has already lived more than half of his life with us as a child...

On a happier note, summer has been great! We have been to Orlando to see Universal Studios and Disney World, The Everglades, Key Largo and the other Florida Keys, JW Marriott in San Antonio for a long weekend, Port Aransas to the beach for a few days and we still have another trip to JW Marriott in 2 weeks! We have spent lots of days at the movies, laser tag, bowling and hanging with friends. The boys are having a blast and I am so thankful that we have been able to spend such a good summer together. Joel has even been able to take some time off work to spend with us!

I need to update more with some pictures, but atleast I got some thoughts and memories out here. After all, that was the whole point of starting this blog - to keep track of things I never wanted to forget.

Is He Cool or What?

2011-02-15T18:20:00.001-08:00

Valentine's Sock Hop 2010

15 Weeks Old

2011-02-09T11:19:00.001-08:00

I really can't believe it's already been 15 weeks! Only a couple more weeks and my sweet baby will be 4 months old...:(

At 3 months old (1/27/2011) Colton weighed 16lb with all his clothes on and was 24.5 inches. He has basically doubled his weight since birth and has grown 3.25 inches! He's starting to sleep a little better. He goes to bed usually around 10 and wakes to eat between 3 and 4am, nurses on one side and falls back to sleep. Around 6:30 we're up again to nurse on the other side and then back to bed for another couple hours. He wakes up in a happy mood and loves to smile and giggle. He's batting and grabbing at the toys that hang above him on his activity gym, but doesn't seem to be anywhere close to turning over. Probably because I hold him entirely too much, but I just can't get enough of him! He's getting too big to sleep in his little bassinet next to my bed, but I am keeping him there as long as I can. I love waking up to his sweet little face in the dim light of the alarm clock. He is very ticklish on his tummy and upper thighs and loves to bounce up and down. He is loads of fun and continues to be the sweetest, cutest, most happy natured baby I know!

Behind the Times

2011-01-26T20:54:00.000-08:00

Time is flying by at our house and baby Colton is 14 weeks old today and will be 3 months old tomorrow! I am so sad that he is growing so quickly and spend most of my days just holding and loving on my sweet, sweet baby. Well, as much of my day as possible, because as you can probably imagine, with 3 other boys, a husband, 2 dogs, 2 businesses and just normal life, things can get pretty busy around here. Baby Colton is the sweetest, cutest, most loveable baby in the world (I'm sure everyone thinks that about their baby), but I truly think that he is! He has grown SO much and was 13 pounds 10.5 ounces and 24 inches long at his 2 month well check. I think he is probably approaching 16 pounds now, but will know for sure in a couple days when we are at the doc. He's been smiling for ages and lauging out loud as well. I don't know a happier baby! He's even started batting at toys hanging above him a couple weeks ago and "talking" to them. His hair is still red as can be and I really don't think it's going to change. I spend so much time holding him up close to me that it still shocks me how red his hair is when I see him from a distance. I don't let him get too far away from me because I am just enjoying him SO much and treasuring every moment. As much as I'd love to always have a baby in the house, I'm sure this is the last one that my husband will allow, so I've got to make each moment last.

The other boys are all doing well and are glad that the school year is half over. They are counting the weeks until Spring Break! Keaton turned 8 on December 1st and Gavin turned 5 on January 3rd. I can't believe either of them are so old already... I can still remember them as newborns like it was yesterday. Jacob is working hard on his school play and it's only about 10 days away now. I look forward to seeing it, but don't know how anything can top his performance as Charlie Brown in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown last year.

I will have to be more diligent in keeping this up to date. I really want for this to continue to be a record of our lives and a way for me to keep those precious memories forever. For now, I'll just leave you with a recent pic of the cutest red-head on the block!

Can I Feed Him?

2010-11-14T14:10:00.001-08:00

I had to remember to write this down!

When Colton was 1 day old and Gavin came back up to the hospital to visit with my sister, he was puzzled by how I was going to feed the baby. It was time for him to eat, so I started to nurse him. Gavin saw what I was doing and asked, "how does he get milk out of there?" I explained to him that babies drink milk from their mommies so they can grow big and strong. He was sitting on my hospital bed and pulled up his shirt and said, "Can I feed him from mine?!" He was as serious as can be and it was just the funniest thing!

2 Weeks Already :(

2010-11-14T13:55:00.001-08:00

My sweet baby is 2 weeks old already! Although I've been through this 3 other times, I really just can't believe how the time has flown by. It makes me sad that he is growing and changing so very quickly and there's nothing I can do to slow it down.

Colton has the sweetest, most laid back personality. He doesn't cry much, only when he's got a gas bubble or needs to burp. He doesn't cry when he wakes up at night, just makes little baby noises. He smiles a lot and although I know he's not smiling at me or at anything in particular, he still seems like a really happy baby. He actually has "laughed" in his sleep several times. None of my other boys have ever done this at such an early age, but he seriously will be sleeping, crack a huge smile and then his tummy starts to move back and forth and he starts making a little baby noise. It's not a cry and it's not the same noise he makes when he wakes up. The only thing I can equate it to is a chuckle! He sleeps a lot and wakes up about every 3 hours in the night. He has yet to be awake during our family dinner time which is great because it allows me to eat with the rest of the family. This in itself seems amazing because I can vividly remember my other babies waking up as soon as I sat down to eat! It was like they could sense that I was about to do something I really needed to do and inevitably would wake up and NEED me before I could ever finish a meal. So, thus far, his red hair has not proven to make him hot tempered or any of the stereo types of red heads. I'm praying this will continue to be the case!

Colton's 2 Week Stats-
9 pounds 6 ounces (93rd percentile) - he's gained 1 pound and 3 ounces since birth!
22 inches (99th percentile) - he's grown 3/4ths of an inch since birth!

So, when I say he's growing too fast, I really mean it! Here he is at 2 weeks old. I think green is really his color!

Cutie

2010-11-14T13:54:00.001-08:00

Off to Dell...

2010-11-14T13:06:00.001-08:00

We were released from the hospital on Friday, October 29th and went to see our pediatrician for Colton's first check-up on Saturday, October 30th. Although his billirubin levels were low and normal when we left the hospital, Dr. Reidy decided to check them again just to be safe. Due to his facial bruising at birth and because our blood types are opposite of eachother, she said he was at a high risk for having jaundice. Since he didn't look yellow to any of us, she expected the results to be in the normal range. Unfortunately that afternoon she called to tell us his levels had gone from 7 to 20.4. A level over 20 meant that he needed to spend the night in the hospital under the blue lights, so off to Dell Children's we went. Fortunately my parents were near by and were able to pick up the older boys and the dogs for the night.

We got to Dell, checked in and had to undress sweet little Colton and leave him in an isolette under the billirubin lamps.

It really wasn't too bad except for when he would cry and we couldn't pick him up and take him out. He did look kind of cute in the little "sunglasses" they put over his eyes! He was allowed to come out every 3 hours for 30 minutes to nurse and we had to record his feeding schedule and leave all of his wet and dirty diapers in the bathroom to be weighed. Fortunately when they took his blood again late that night, his levels were down to 12.4 - a much more normal and safer level. Because they had decreased significantly the doctor let us put Colton in a regular crib without the lamps to see if his levels would continue to decrease. We were glad he didn't have to stay in the isolette but we still had to sleep over. Joel and I endured the most horrible pull-out couch ever and I actually felt worse when I woke up in the morning than after he was born! Our nurse took Colton's blood again first thing in the morning and his levels were down to 11.1, so we were able to go home.

Jaundice was quite an adventure for us as Colton was our first baby to ever have any problems with it. Our short stay at Dell made us even more thankful to have a perfect, healthy baby boy.

Colton Ryder

2010-11-11T16:44:00.000-08:00

Colton Ryder, our 4th precious son, arrived on Wednesday, October 27, 2010 at 2:15pm. He was 8 pounds and 3 ounces and 21 & 1/4 inches long.

After much uncertainty about whether to go in for a possible induction, we decided it was the best choice for our family. There was a field trip that Joel was supposed to go on planned for Keaton on Thursday, the kids were out of school on Friday and Halloween was Sunday, so considering the baby would be 4 days past due by the 27th, we decided to check in to the hospital on Wednesday morning. I really wanted to avoid having a pitocin induced labor if at all possible, so we decided to just go in and have the doctor break my water. We arrived at the hospital at 5am, started some IV antibiotics and then the doc came in at 8. I was having some contractions show up on the monitor, but they weren't very strong. She said I was about 2.5cm dialated and 65% effaced at that point. She broke my water at 8:05am and said she'd be back between 12 and 1 to check on us. Joel and I started walking the halls and the contractions were immediately 5 minutes apart. By about 10:30 they were 3 minutes apart and getting much stronger. After having walked the halls for 2 hours or more my legs were getting tired, so we decided to hang out in the room for a while. As noon approached I told Joel that I'd better be making some progress because I was pretty uncomfortable. I was expecting to be 5-6cm by the time the doc came back and if I wasn't, I may seriously start considering an epidural. When I labored with Gavin, I didn't get to the hospital until I was 5-6cm and it made it much easier to not consider pain relief options. When you're sitting in a hospital room for hours it makes getting an epidural sound much more enticing. The doctor arrived at about 12:30 and I was 5cm and 100% effaced. She was pleased with the progress we had made and went back to see patients in her office across the street knowing we'd be calling fairly soon for delivery. Around 1:30 I was in extreme pain and thought it was about time to start pushing. The nurse checked and said there was a tiny bit of cervix left, but she was going to call the doctor anyway. People started flooding our room, taking the bed apart, turning on lights and warmers and getting ready for delivery. When Dr. Meritt arrived she checked me and said she was sorry but we weren't ready... she thought I was only 8cm. At that point I was in so much pain I was desperate for it to be over. I told her she had to help me have the baby. She told me she was sorry but it wasn't quite time and offered me an epidural but said it would take 30 minutes to get. I just wanted to have the baby. She was about to leave and go back to her office but she decided to check me again and I was 10cm! I was so relieved. There's nothing like the sinking feeling you get when they tell you it's time and then decide it's not really. Watching them scurry around taking things apart and then putting them all back together is horrible. Now people were scurrying around again taking things apart and getting the doctor gowned up for the second time. I was clenching the left side of the bed rail and have absolutely no idea where Joel was - he says he was on the right side of the bed and was rubbing my back. My eyes were closed and I really can remember nothing but the pain, hearing them discuss how high my heart rate was and an oxygen mask being placed on my face. After pushing about 5-7 times, baby Colton made his grand entrance. I barely opened my eyes to look at my new son when they laid him on my chest for the first time. I was just so relieved for it to be over. Joel was across the room with the baby as the nurses cleaned him up and they were all talking about his red hair. One of them came over to me and said, "HER hair is so pretty! SHE has the prettiest red hair!" My automatic response was, "Thank you!" and then I realized what she said...did I just have a girl?! I called out, "Wait, wait! It's a boy, right?" They confirmed that he was indeed a boy, but for a split second I was in complete shock! It was shocking enough that he had red hair, but a red headed girl was not something I was prepared for at all. Colton had a lot of bruising on his face, apparently from coming out so quickly, but besides that, he was perfect scoring an 8-9 on his APGAR. He continued to cry for about the first 45 minutes of his little life, presumably from his hurt and bruised face. Once he was cleaned up Joel brought him over to me to hold and really see for the first time. He was perfect and precious and looked so much like Gavin did at birth. This was the baby that I longed for, prayed for and thought I may never have and I was completely in love with him. The love a mother has for her baby is something that never changes, no matter how many babies you have. I may even appreciate my sweet little miracle more, having had the experience of how quickly my other babies have grown.

Later that evening we were able to introduce Colton to his 3 older brothers. As we expected, they were all thrilled and as sweet as can be. Joel captured their first glimpses and reactions on video, so I will be able to treasure those moments forever. Here we are, our new family of 6.

Gavin was worried about leaving me alone in the hospital. He started tearing up when it was time for him to go because he wasn't sure where I would sleep or how I would get food. It was very sweet!

All in all, it was a wonderful day with a perfect ending. As always, the horrible pain of labor was completely worth it and I'd go through it all over again to experience the joy and miracle of life. Sadly, Colton will be my last little baby (at least according to my dear husband... I don't know that I'm 100% ready to say that he is absolutely the last one!) and I am treasuring and loving every single moment, even the ones that are painful or that happen in the middle of the night!

40 Weeks 3 Days and Counting

2010-11-11T16:40:00.000-08:00

Here I am at 40 weeks and 3 days pregnant. Only 1 day to go until we meet our new son!

"Fancy Girl"

2010-10-10T15:22:00.000-07:00

Two weeks after Mom's first chemotherapy treatment, her hair started falling out in handfuls. I am so thankful to have a friend like Nina who wouldn't let Mom go to a barbershop and opened her salon on Sunday to take care of her. It was hard for all of us, but her hair will come back and by the grace of God the cancer won't.

Mom and Nina smiling through the tears

When it was all over

Mom with her new hat

After the trauma of it all, as usual, the boys brought some extra happiness to us all. Since we were meeting my Dad and the boys for lunch after the hair cut, I showed the boys a picture of Mom's new hair on my phone. Gavin saw it and immediately broke out into the biggest smile and said, "Mom-o's new hair looks awesome!" When he saw her at the restaurant he told her he thought her new hair was awesome! Then as we were leaving lunch Keaton said, "Mom-o, I think with your new hair and hat you look like a fancy girl." She said, "Really, you don't think I look like a boy with my new hair?" And he said, "No, Mom-o, you look like a fancy girl!" How's that for raising your spirits?!

36 Weeks

2010-09-26T16:10:00.001-07:00

ONLY 4 WEEKS TO GO!!!

Another Birthday

2010-09-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

As we approach my birthday weekend I feel like I'm in a funk. I should be at least a little excited, but in the back of my mind I keep thinking about my last birthday. I was turning 30 and Joel actually planned a nice dinner party with some of my favorite people to celebrate. I just remember not even wanting to celebrate because my birthday was the day I had planned to announce our pregnancy and the next "birthday" that was coming up. I don't think I ever even told Joel that those were my plans. After all, we only knew that I was pregnant for 11 short days before it ended. I can clearly recall being so excited about the pregnancy. We had been trying for what felt like SUCH a long time. It had been just a little less than a year at that point and the pregnancy came as such an unexpected joy and surprise.

This year as I sit here 35 weeks pregnant and turning 31, I am so thankful for the sweet little life that is growing inside me. I can't wait to meet him and I know without a doubt that if our other baby was here, I would not be having THIS child. With all of that being said, it's still a bittersweet feeling and a sadness that I wish I could completely forget.

Can't Believe I Forgot to Write This Down...

2010-09-09T17:58:00.000-07:00

Back to the first day of school.
We get up, get dressed, eat breakfast and take our traditional first day of school pictures on the porch and head off to school. We park the car and start walking towards the entrance and as we get closer to the front doors Jacob turns to me and says, "Mom, please don't hug me or anything when we get inside." Hearing those words was crushing. I assured him that I wasn't going to embarass him but asked if I could at least walk him down to his class and take a picture and while he didn't answer, he just kept walking and before I knew it he was 10 steps ahead of me. We got close to his classroom and I could hear the teacher talking. Before I knew it he was in the classroom and I didn't even get to say goodbye. It was one of my hardest mommy moments yet. Never again will I be able to take a picture of him in his desk on the first day of school... my baby is all grown up.

Getting Ready for Baby!

2010-09-08T19:03:00.000-07:00

Amidst all the craziness going on with my mom and her health the time has been flying by. I am almost 34 weeks pregnant now and it's astonishing that we are supposed to have a new baby in just 6 short weeks!

There are a few big things that I have wanted to do before this baby gets here. One of them was to take the boys on a fun trip before summer was over and the baby came, but with mom's surgery and all, we weren't able to do that. We were able to go to Hyatt Lost Pines over Labor Day weekend and had a great time though. We've also been able to do some other small fun things around town, so hopefully that will make up for the lack of a real vacation this year. We did manage to get two things checked off our list though!

A new car! Yay!

We have had my suburban since Keaton was 6 months old and put 120,000 miles on it since then. Since it was a 2000 model, had many miles, the dent from the pole at the school and things were starting to just generally malfunction, the time was right to move on. I am so excited about my car and am even more excited about how CLEAN it is! 7 years of kids riding and eating in a car really does make it dirty no matter how much you wash or vacuum it! Somehow I just couldn't picture myself putting my new, clean baby in that dirty old suburban! I know that sounds completely crazy, but I am truly relieved that this BIG item is checked off our list!

The other big thing that we (and by "we" I mean Joel) have gotten done is the nursery. We have been waiting for a reason to tear the carpet out of all the bedrooms in our house and this baby gave us one! We bought all the material to do the other bedrooms in the house as well, but they can wait for a bit until things settle down around here. Joel has worked hard to rip out carpet (with the help of Keaton and Gavin), paint and lay new floors in the baby's room. Everything turned out well and now all we need is accessories and a baby!

After ripping out the carpet

New baby blue paint

Starting the flooring

Almost finished

Gavin helping

Finished

Gavin's First Day of Preschool

2010-09-08T18:53:00.001-07:00

Gavin's preschool started the Thursday before Labor Day. He was SO excited to get back to school and was really hoping to go 5 days a week. Unfortunately for him Mommy doesn't like her boys to be gone! I had only signed him up for a Tuesday/Thursday morning class, but at his request put him on a waiting list for a 3 day a week class and the 5 day a week class. On the night we went to meet his teacher, Ms. Gloria (Keaton had her when he was 4), he went to the director and asked if she had found a spot for him 5 days a week yet! Of course there wasn't a spot, but all of us laughed at his persistance! On his first morning back to school he stopped in the preschool office again and asked the director if she even had a 3 day a week spot for him. Requests from someone as cute as him must go a long way because by Friday afternoon he had a 3 day a week spot! He's super excited to be going to school 3 days a week and if he's happy then I'm happy. My house sure is going to be quiet on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the next 6 weeks though!

Here's Gavin ready to get back to school.

Here he is in his classroom.

First Day of School

2010-09-08T18:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how the summer flew by and we're already 3 weeks into the school year! The boys weren't really looking forward to going back, but once they finally met their teachers, their excitement grew. Both boys were lucky to get great teachers this year. Keaton has Mrs. Fleming, the same teacher Jacob had for 2nd grade and Jacob got Mr. Benthall for 5th grade. It's amazing that Jacob is in his last year of elementary school...how sad!

Here they are ready to head off to the first day of school.

Gavin just had to take a picture with them even though it wasn't his first day.

Mom's Progress

2010-09-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

This whole cancer thing has really not been fun for any of us, especially my poor mom. August 13th she had a double mastectomy and reconstruction. The surgeries took about 5 hours and my poor dad was on pins and needles the whole time. He was actually breaking out in hives in the waiting room! Mom did well and was released 2 days later. Jacob spent his last week of summer at their house helping to take care of their dogs and doing anything that needed to be done. He is such an amazing 10 year old. He never complained once about missing his last week of summer to help his Mom-o and Papa. Unfortunately mom's wounds on the right side did not healing correctly and to make a long story short she ended up having a second surgery to remove dead tissue and skin, reduce the size of her expander and give the remaining tissue and skin the ability to grow back healthy. The pathology reports came back that there was no cancer in her lymphnodes and she was thrilled. It even made the thought of having a second surgery bearable. That joy was short lived after her appointment with the oncologist who told her that while it was great there was not cancer in her lymphnodes, her pathology report was troubling. He did a new chest x-ray and bloodwork and sent her home to rest and heal completely before he started her on any kind of treatment. After receiving the bloodwork analysis, he called and let her know that going without chemo was not an option. He also suggested that she have a port placed to make receiving her treatments easier. She was upset, but seems to finally be getting back to normal. Emotionally she has had a hard time accepting that she is sick and my dad has been very cautious and has not really let her do a lot up until last Thursday. I think all this laying around at home resting and not doing anything has contributed to her feeling down. She went out over the weekend to see a movie, did some shopping and even had the boys come over for a visit, so she's starting to improve. She was able to go back to work from home on Tuesday and has enjoyed feeling somewhat normal again. Tomorrow is her appointment with the oncologist to really discuss her blood work at length and find out more information about her treatments. I'm just praying that what the doctor has to say is not a devastating blow when she's just starting to feel normal again.

The "C" Word

2010-07-29T16:22:00.000-07:00

CANCER.

My mom has just recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. I'm feeling really weird about it all. I just can't really get it to sink in, it's just too unreal.

Three weeks ago she told me she was going to have a biopsy on a lump she'd found. It's pretty big, about as big as a silver dollar. She'd already had ultrasounds on it and the doctor thought it was probably cancer. As she told me this through her tears, saying that she just wanted to see her grandchildren, I sat there calmly reassuring her that she would be fine, maybe they were wrong, atleast she was young with good insurance and besides breast cancer is pretty treatable. I felt bad afterwards. How could I not cry? How could I tell her all of that? She's my mom. I guess the shock of it all? I don't know.

Fast forward to last week Wednesday. The biopsy is over and the doctor called to let her know that it was definitely cancer. He wanted to get the actual pathology reports in before he met with her again, but since my dad is already scheduled for a hip replacement, he thought it would be fine for her to wait and have surgery in a month or two. She felt pretty good about that and was planning to just have a double mastectomy in a couple of months and move on with life.

Today she met with the doctor. The cancer (although he is unable to confirm the stage until after the surgery) is very aggressive and she needs to have surgery as soon as possible. After that, she'll need to meet with an oncologist and he felt pretty certain that chemo and/or radiation was in her future as well.

I'm freaked out. I just keep thinking about all the bad things that could happen - I can't even type most of them. How and what I'm going to tell the boys? What if this doesn't work out the way I want it to? And what if she's too sick to come to the hospital when the baby comes? What if she has no hair in her first photos with our new baby? What if she is well but her immune system is so suppressed that her doctor won't let her come to the hospital to see us? What if the boys don't get to spend any time with her this fall because they might give her germs? What if I get cancer?

This really can't be happening.

FINALLY OPEN!!

2010-07-27T08:53:00.000-07:00

After what seems like an eternity, our newest store is finally open! I won't even go into all of the drama that surrounded the acquisition of the lease, negotiations, build-out, inspections, etc. that occurred over the last 15 months, but believe me, it was A LOT!

We opened on Tuesday, July 20th and have been VERY busy every single day. A couple of days revenue in the new store even surpassed the original - not by much, but still, what a relief! The stress of when it would open and IF it would do well is pretty much over. Now we're just dealing with the stress of our business partner leaving for Ireland the day after we opened! It is definitely a lot more work to run 2 stores (one being brand new) and training new employees without our right hand man. There have definitely been times that we thought it would have been nice to be able to do all of this on our own without a business partner, but I am certain now that we'd be hard pressed to do it without him!

Here are some pics of the new place.

I actually like this lighted sign so much that I'm pretty much ok with the fact that it cost so much!!

LOTS of fun!!

Our check-in area

The Party Room

Inside the Party Room

The Butterfly Whisperer

2010-07-19T14:48:00.001-07:00

Summer and Baby Stuff

2010-07-07T15:35:00.000-07:00

Once again we are working to open a new store over the summer and although we've worked like crazy and everything is ready, apparently the City of Austin is not. Permitting stuff is a nightmare and can you really believe that there are separate inspectors for drywall and drywall fasteners?? Seriously, if a guy knows about drywall, shouldn't he be able to inspect the fasteners used to secure it to the wall?? Luckily the landlord and his contractor have been the ones responsible for dealing with the city and all their nonsense, but personally I would feel much better if I were in control of dealing with the city. Sometimes I just can't really believe that the City of Austin can be that difficult to deal with. So here we sit with a store that was ready to open 2 weeks ago and no occupancy permit, money flying out the window everytime we get a call for a birthday party we can't book and everytime a mom stops by to see if her kid can come in to play.

Gavin has enjoyed being home with his brothers the last month. He's really so easy going that we don't have to do much to keep him happy! Keaton went to a Tennis Camp a couple of weeks ago and absolutely loved it. He and Jacob also went to an incredible VBS. Unfortunately they only take kids going into Kindergarten through 5th grade, so Gavin couldn't attend this year. Jacob and Keaton had a great time and can't wait for me to sign them up again next year. Jacob was also able to go to Fiesta Texas with a friend for his birthday. We've done some swimming, seen some movies, played with friends and over the 4th saw Bob Schneider in concert and a fireworks show! All in all the summer has been good so far and I'm looking forward to spending a few days away from home soon. With the new store opening soon (we hope!) we won't be able to go on a BIG vacation, but I'm thinking a couple days at Hy.att Lost Pines would be fun and relaxing.

On the baby front, I'm now 24 weeks 4 days along and all seems to be going well. I had a doctors appointment yesterday and was thrilled to learn that I've only gained 23 pounds in this 24 weeks! Hopefully I will continue to grow at 1 pound per week or less and could actually end up with a weight gain of only 39 pounds! That would be 11 pounds less than my last 2 pregnancies and 24 pounds less than when I was pregnant with Jacob. Of course I am not counting on it since I have gained A LOT of weight with the other boys, but it definitely would be nice to have less weight to lose! Here's the latest belly shot taken today.

I've also managed to clean out the room that will be the nursery and even bought some bedding. I saw this set more than a year ago and loved it and then found it at the outlet this weekend. I contemplated whether or not it was too "babyish" but ultimately decided (with the help of my dear friend Weslea!) I could change it out when he outgrows it since it was such a great price. AND, how often do you love something for over a year and then happen to find it the first time you're out shopping?

Feeling a Little Guilty

2010-06-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

Although I could be spending money in much better ways, I just ordered this.

Why I need a beautiful (and expensive) diaper bag is beyond me, but I saw a woman carrying a similar one in the elevator of my doctor's office and fell in love. I immediately got online that afternoon and looked it up, gasped at the price and decided I surely wouldn't get one. I shouldn't have signed up for emails telling me when they had special outlet sales though.

Today I got the email saying they were having a surprise outlet sale till tomorrow so of course I had to check it out. I've never even held or opened this bag and have only seen the similar one in the elevator, but I ordered it anyway! Since all outlet sales are final hopefully I will love it. AND if I love it, perhaps I can get past the lingering guilty feelings of making a large and unnecessary internet purchase. If not, I guess there's always ebay!

Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

2010-06-01T19:09:00.000-07:00

That's what little boys are made of!!

It's another boy and we are so thankful that everything looked good and healthy. Unfortunately, this little one does not have a name yet, other than Ghost Rider which was suggested by Gavin. It is VERY unlike me to go in for a sonogram without a boy name and a girl name picked. I never even looked at girl names this time, I knew he would be a boy. So there won't be any, "If you were a girl you would have been named..." Now we've got to figure out what he will be named! Joel suggested something that means "finished" or "the last one!" That being said, it was kind of bittersweet going in for what I know will be our very last ultrasound to find out the gender of a baby. But, 4 is enough, I guess....

Our little boy was not very cooperative during his picture session and we really didn't get any good ones. I've never had a 3D ultrasound and actually have never really wanted to have one, but the doc switched it on briefly to try to catch a good look at some of his organs and we ended up with this one of his face (or at least the part of his face not covered by his arm!) Most of the time he had both arms crossed in an "X" over his face and his head buried!

The boys were excited to have a new brother, especially Gavin and Keaton. Keaton says that girls are too sassy and so it was better that it was a boy. Gavin just wanted it to be a boy, so he was thrilled. Jacob said he was glad he was healthy and would have been just as excited for a girl. Joel was honestly indifferent to the gender and truly just prayed for a healthy baby. The families were glad he was healthy, but being that there are no grand-daughters on either side of our family, I know they were all pulling for a girl. And I wouldn't be being honest if I didn't say that although I knew all along this baby would be a boy and I am excited for his arrival, it is a little sad knowing I will never have a daughter. I will never have a little girl to dress in pink or princess costumes, never have a tea party birthday, never have anyone to take for a fun glittery pedicure, never help pick dresses for prom or her wedding and never have the experience of my daughter giving birth to new life.

So, I am the mom to 4 boys now. I look forward to what the years ahead will bring and the joys of raising boys!

3 More Days....

2010-05-28T20:10:00.000-07:00

Tuesday can't get here fast enough! I'm so certain it's a boy, but just the anticipation of seeing that little baby is driving me crazy! I'm going to have to keep busy the next few days to keep my mind off the appointment. I was doing pretty well, but got home tonight and had a message from the doctor's office to confirm the ultrasound. Now it is ALL I am thinking about! That and what in the world will we name this baby??

Skip Day!

2010-05-27T08:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was "Skip Day" for my two oldest boys! I've taken them out of school for trips and stuff before, but I've never just surprised them at the end of the year with a day off and a trip for no reason.

A few weeks ago a couple of friends suggested we take the boys out of school and take them to Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. The boys were all so excited! It was a fun day of roller coasters, water rides and park food like funnel cakes and frozen lemonade. I, of course, couldn't ride many of the rides with them and our friend, Lauren, has health issues that kept her from riding a lot of the rides as well. Luckily Valerie was a good sport and rode with them when they needed an adult!

It's always so hard to take pictures as the rides are spinning and moving, but here's one of the group (minus Lauren and myself) riding the Roadrunner Express Roller Coaster.

From front left to back - Jacob, Gavin, Keaton, Jeremy, Valerie and RJ

I just think this picture is so funny because Jacob looks like he's having a great time, Gavin looks completely calm and all the other boys look like they are hanging on for their lives! Valerie said she was asking RJ if he was ok because he seemed so scared!

By the time we got home we were all tired and sore from walking so much, but all in all it was a great day. I'm glad I had the opportunity to surprise them with such a fun trip.

18 Weeks! And More!

2010-05-23T16:43:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been awhile since I've posted anything, but life has been VERY busy with the end of the school year. Seriously, all the many activities at the elementary school are taking up my whole life!! Ok, maybe not my WHOLE life, but I am at the school pretty much every day for one event or another. And, the 2nd Hoppin' House should be opening in about 2 weeks, so I have frantically been shopping for all kinds of things that we will need. Being pregnant, I've gotten out of all the manual labor this time around and Joel, Anthony and a bunch of contractors have been working hard the last couple of weeks.

Gavin just finished his first year of preschool last week. He was excited for the last day of school because of the "Splash Party" but I don't think he really realizes how long it will be before he goes back! He really enjoyed his Tuesday and Thursday mornings at school and I know he will miss his teachers. Here's a picture of him enjoying some ribs at Out.back Steak.house the other night. I still have no idea how the boy can eat them all the way to the bone with no front teeth!

Keaton's class has been going through the alphabet celebrating each letter with a theme day, A for Astronaut Day, B for Bubble Day, C for Cooking Day and so on. It's a fun way to count down the last 26 days of school but is one of the reasons I'm at the school every day!! He also just had 5 teeth extracted for orthodontic reasons on Thursday and looks like he has no teeth left!!

Jacob has been busy at school doing pretty much all fun stuff. After the TAKS test was over at the end of April, they pretty much haven't done anything worthwhile. I'm not really sure why kids have to go to school till June 4th if they are not going to learn anything after May 1st! Jacob just wrapped up his special film project and also had the opportunity to record a radio commercial for Hoppin' House. He did a great job! Here he is outside the studio.

So, the kids are busy and growing and so am I! I am now 18 weeks pregnant and will find out the gender for sure on June 1st. We are excited to know for sure, but I'm about 99% sure it will be a boy. The biggest bummer about that is that I can't get rid of all the boy stuff I've been saving! I've got boxes! At least with a girl I could get rid of the current stuff and then when she outgrows stuff I could pass it along. I am in the mood to declutter my house and having another boy would not help that process!! Other than that, I'm ready to hear, "It's another little boy!" and will be completely happy and grateful. I'm just praying for a healthy baby...I think many times we take for granted our perfect and healthy babies and so far we have been incredibly blessed. So, here's a picture of me at 18 weeks - taken today by my professional photographer, Jacob.

14 Weeks

2010-04-28T15:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a couple pictures taken by my professional photographer, Keaton, of me at 14 weeks pregnant. Once again not the greatest, but still I've got it documented with some sort of photo!! Once I get bigger (and not TOO big) I will have some professional photos done since this will be our last little baby...

I thought this one was sweet of Gavin "hugging" the baby. He's really excited!

Chocolate

2010-04-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when I take a phone call!! A couple of days ago I was on the phone with my dentist's office. Gavin came up in the middle of it and asked if he could have part of his chocolate bunny from Easter. I told him to hang on because I was on the phone. Well, I got off the phone and then Joel was asking me what the doctor said and we started talking about that. I completely forgot that Gavin asked me for something....I looked over and that's what I found! It was so messy and funny that I just had to laugh, take a picture and throw him in the shower!!

Ten Years Ago Today

2010-04-21T19:02:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago today I felt nervous, scared and excited. Ten years ago today I found out what it meant to love someone more than life. Ten years ago today I met my first born son. Ten years ago today I became a Mommy.

Over the last ten years I've spent countless hours talking with you, playing with you, watching you grow and learn and become who you are. I am so proud and amazed at the person you are. You are kind, loyal, compassionate, smart, funny, creative and so much more. I never knew I could love this much, this deeply. I also never knew that along with the immense joy of watching you grow, there would be so much sadness in knowing how much time has gone by and realizing how little time you have left as my little boy.

Happy 10th Birthday, Jacob. You'll never be a single digit again... I love you more than words can ever express, deeper than the oceans, bigger than the sky.

Do You Ever Feel Like

2010-04-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like there is a HUGE rain cloud following you where ever you go? Or what about like you're finally reaching the summit of a gigantic mountain and then you slip, bounce a few times on the rocks and plummet to the bottom again? I am seriously having one of those kinds of weeks - and it's ONLY Wednesday!

It all started last Thursday when my tooth started to hurt. By Sunday, it was pretty uncomfortable and I was waking in the night and taking tylenol every 4 hours on the dot. Monday morning I went to the dentist and the news was NOT good. I needed atleast 1 root canal, possibly 2, and if it was only 1 root canal, then I needed 2 fillings. Oh, and there are other problems that we also need to address later. Bear in mind that I NEVER had a cavity in my life until I first got pregnant. If having dental work wasn't bad enough, I needed to go to an endodontist to do the root canal. Then it got worse...

I had to go into the consultation room to discuss the billing for ALL of these procedures... My out of pocket portion for the dentist is ONLY about $1000. They also let me know that the root canal at the endodontist would probably run about $1200, but hopefully I'd only have to pay about $400 of that cost. Did I mention that dentists and endodontists don't have payment plans and that all of these treatments need to be completed and paid for in the next few days? All I could think about is that $1400 is about what it would cost to buy the new flooring for the boy's bedrooms and the nursery or almost half of a pretty good vacation this summer or any number of more fun things we could spend our money on.

Well, I had the root canal yesterday. The good news is that the endodontist was very nice and good and what he did. I honestly didn't feel anything and my tooth is feeling much better. Then, today happened.

Today, after parking in the very last available parking spot at the school, when I backed out... I hit the metal railing with the front end of my car. STUPID. My blinker light is busted and there's a huge dent. The grill is messed up. Seriously, we were probably going to get a new car by the end of the year, but WHY???? Why today? Joel was obviously not thrilled about it. His exact words were, "I'm not going to get that fixed. Can you please do something that won't cost me money?" (In his defense, he just called to tell me that he wasn't mad about the car.)

So, tomorrow morning, bright and early I'm off to the dentist to get my crown and 2 more fillings (oh, and pay $1000) and HOPEFULLY I won't somehow fall off a mountain top on my way there.

**Just as a disclaimer, I KNOW that my problems could be WAY worse and that lots of other people in the world have much more serious issues going on. Oh, and yes, I know I am whining, but I just needed to vent!!

Baby Update

2010-04-14T18:40:00.000-07:00

Isn't that just the sweetest profile! Seriously, the first thing I thought when I saw it was that it looks just like Gavin!

I went to have my 12 week screening ultrasound on Tuesday and honestly, I still kind of had this sense of fear going in. What if there was a little blob that hadn't grown without a heartbeat? It was a strange feeling, but I was so relieved when I saw a little face, hands and feet and especially a heartbeat. The heartbeat was good at 141 bpm and all of the fluid measurements for downs syndrome were well within the normal range. I'm still waiting on the blood work to confirm that we are super low risk, but I'm not really concerned.

We told the ultrasound tech that we had 3 boys and were anxious to know the gender of this baby. She told us that she and the other ultrasound techs had a non-scientific way to guess what the gender would be at 12 weeks. She said the actual doctor wouldn't have any part in this "guessing" but she would let us know what she thought if we wanted her to. The theory is, since all of the genitals are on the outside right now anyway, a little boy part will be pointing up and a girl will be pointing down. Of course we had to know what she thought, so, her best guess.....

It's probably a BOY!

I can't say that I'm surprised or disappointed, I just hope that all of our family and friends that are pulling for a girl won't be disappointed! We'll see if she's right in about 6 weeks!

Since I have never taken photos of my belly during my other pregnancies, I figured I'd better this time since this will be my last! It's a little blurry since it was taken by Keaton, but it will work. I've gained 7 pounds so far, so here's my little baby bump at 12 weeks.

Growing

2010-04-07T16:48:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday when I went to get Gavin from preschool his teacher approached me and asked, "Are you um..... fine?" I was a little confused by the way she was asking but answered, "Yes, I think so. Shouldn't I be?"

She goes on to tell me a story about how they were discussing things that grow in circle time, plants, trees, butterflies, kids, etc. and Gavin chimed in with, "My mommy's belly is growing." She said that she told him that his mommy's belly was pretty small and she really didn't think that it was growing. Then he told her, "My mommy's belly is growing because she's growing a baby!"

So, I had to confirm that my sweet little child was telling the truth and we are indeed "growing" a baby.

Can't wait to see how this little one is growing on Tuesday!

More Acting

2010-04-07T16:41:00.000-07:00

Since Jacob finished his play, the director asked if he would like to be involved in a special film project. He, of course, said yes and so the filming has begun and will last for the next 2 months.

Mr. Seabolt is working on getting his Masters of Fine Arts in Directing, so he has to produce an original film. It's a very unique opportunity for Jacob and gives him the chance to experience acting in a different way - improv as opposed to scripted and on film as opposed to live. We're excited for him and he is beyond excited for himself! The coolest thing about it is that this film will be entered into South by Southwest Film Festival, Austin Film Festival and several other Texas and out of state film festivals.

Who knows, maybe one day we will see "Jacob McCullough" in lights!!

Football Season!

2010-04-07T16:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's football season here at our house. Keaton, our boy we thought least likely to want to play football, is playing flag football! His team is called the Wild Cheetahs and he is LOVING it!

The games are WAAAAYYYYY too early - we have to be there to practice at 8am and play a game at 9am - but the joy that football brings him is worth the loss of sleep. Keaton has played in 2 games and has successfully pulled the flags off 3 kids on the other team and has even caught the ball! He's especially enjoying the jersey that is blue on one side and flips inside out to be white on the other. For some reason that is super exciting for a first grader. It is so much fun to see your kids doing something they enjoy!

Pictures coming soon!

Introducing.....

2010-03-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

Our much anticipated, wished & prayed for, very loved fourth child.

I guess since all of our family knows and our boys know, it's time to post about it! After quite a long journey in trying to get pregnant and 1 miscarriage, we are very excited but cautiously optimistic about this little child. Joel is certain it is all going to be fine, but I am still not 100% sure that this will all end in a positive outcome. Coming from someone who had 3 pregnancies that ended with perfect babies, miscarriage absolutely taints the innocence of pregnancy.

I am trying to be positive and have had nothing but good bloodwork, doctor visits and sonograms so far. We saw the little heartbeat last week, had a good appointment today and I've gained 5 pounds, so I'm starting to feel like we just might have a baby in October!

It's All Over....

2010-03-01T15:25:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe it! Months of work and it's over in a blink of an eye! Jacob performed as Charlie Brown this weekend in "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." We were SOOOOOO incredibly proud of him! He truly was the perfect Charlie Brown, and really, I'm not just saying that because I am his mommy!

As we watched all four of his 2 hour performances, all the dialogue, singing and dancing, we couldn't help but marvel at his natural talent and ability. And, I'd have to say it was one of the highlights of my mommy life when I heard people around us commenting on how "wonderful that kid who played Charlie Brown was" and how the kid that was chosen as Charlie Brown was "perfect for the part!" We just stood around listening to the audience comments, basking in the glory of our son's performance without letting on that WE were his lucky parents.

I am SO grateful that Jacob had this opportunity. He's a kid who in real life, is actually much like Charlie Brown. He lacks self-confidence, no matter what we do or say. He's great at so many things, but really, he doubts pretty much everything about himself. When he stepped on the stage, all of his insecurity melted away and he was a child that I have NEVER seen before. He was confident, he was excellent and he was proud of himself. He never waivered, he was never scared, didn't miss a beat. A new child was born this weekend, a child who is confident, proud of who he is, stands tall and is sure that he is worth something. Our star was born and ironically, it was thanks to Charlie Brown.

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown!

2010-02-09T14:22:00.000-08:00

Jacob will be starring as Charlie Brown in a little less than 3 weeks and I can't stop thinking about it! Sure, we rehearse a lot at home, the songs are constantly playing in our house and Jacob talks about it regularly, but should I really be dreaming about it? The funny thing is that not only am I dreaming about it and singing it in my sleep, my dreams are things like a guy I went to high school with is selling me tickets to the play. I ask for 22 and he can't seem to get my credit card transaction right. Strange.

I can't wait to see Jacob as Charlie Brown... I'm definitely going to cry.

Johnny Bob

2010-02-03T17:28:00.000-08:00

My little brother, Kristopher, is currently serving in the Army's 82nd Airborne Infantry Unit and has been sent to Haiti. He left about 4 days after the initial earthquake and has been there ever since. We don't know when he'll get to come home, but it's looking like it's going to be a long deployment. When he left it was quite a surprise, just a text message in the middle of the night letting me know he was heading to Haiti and that he loved us. By the time I got it, his phone was going straight to voicemail. After the next earthquake in Haiti, we worried since we had no contact. A couple of days later he was able to text my dad from an unknown phone, but we knew he was safe. About a week ago he started texting me from his phone. In texting with him, after asking all the basic stuff, I asked what he was doing and if he felt like he was helping people. His response was "nothing" and "no". My heart hurt for him knowing he was there and felt like he wasn't making a difference. Yesterday, that all changed.

I texted to see how he was and if things were getting better. He told me they were and then he texts me, "I delivered a baby today." I was totally dumbfounded. "Seriously?" is all I could write back! He was completely serious. My brother, a guy who jumps out of planes for a living, delivered a baby in Haiti. I guess he's had some medical training in preparation for his time spent in Afghanistan, but definitely not in delivering a baby! The next natural question was, "Did they name it after you?" and he said "No, but I got to pick the name." He named him Johnny Bob. Johnny Bob? Why in the world would he pick a name like Johnny Bob? Apparently all the kids running around were asking him his name yesterday, so in fun, he told them it was Johnny Bob. When he was asked to name the baby, the first thing that came to his mind was... Johnny Bob!

A Glimpse into the Future

2010-01-28T17:09:00.001-08:00

This is the conversation that I had with Gavin the other day.

Gavin: Mom, I'm going to marry Sofia.

Me: Ok, well, did you tell that to Sofia?

Gavin: Yep. (Long pause) Mom, what do you have to do to get married anyway?

Me: Well, you have to buy Sofia a ring, Sofia has to buy a white dress and then you guys have to go to a church and you have to promise that you will love her and take care of her forever.

Gavin: (LONG pause and then very matter of factly) But Mom, I'm only 4.

This was such a cute moment with Gavin! It was so funny because it was truly like he realized that he's only 4 and he can't possibly get married now!

I'm not sure that 20 years from now when we have this conversation it will be near as cute...I'll certainly be bawling my eyes out because my baby is getting married!

As Promised....

2010-01-26T12:26:00.001-08:00

Here's a picture of Jacob's new adventure/animal themed room! Don't mind Gavin's hand in the corner of the picture...

I still need to get some pictures and accessories, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. We're looking for a large old looking world map for the wall and maybe some kind of animal picture on canvas. He's also got a black bookshelf that we're going to put a bean bag chair next to for reading, but it wouldn't fit in the picture.

Jacob is loving his new room and feels so grown up having a queen size bed. He even told me, "I can't believe I have a queen size bed. It's only 2 sizes away from the biggest bed size, a California King. Man, I'm getting big!" Too funny! Now if he could just keep it this clean...

By Request....

2010-01-25T19:55:00.002-08:00

Here's the table in my dining room!

I think I am going to paint the walls a different color and get some new window treatments too! That will have to be a project for another day though... I just finished moving Jacob into a different bedroom, painting, buying new furniture and bedding and now all I need is accessories. His room looks very grown up now, so mission accomplished, but I'm done with home improvement projects for the next month or two! I'll post pictures soon.

The Table

2010-01-20T20:10:00.000-08:00

It all started when I saw this

when I was out shopping. I saw it, I sat down and I imagined myself surrounded by the boys and Joel having dinner, and I LOVED it. Not that I NEEDED a new dining room set, but I LOVED it, so I went home and told Joel that I had found the dining room set that I had been looking for. Of course his first response was, "How much is it?" Once the most important questions had been answered, he said, "Sell your dining room table and we'll go get it." I was so excited!

Before I did anything drastic, I went back to the store with Joel and the boys and asked all of them what they thought about the table. Joel liked it and the boys, well, they told me that they liked our old one better and it was too high. Jacob also informed me that it wouldn't look good in our dining room. All of that aside, I decided to sell my table. I called a friend who had previously admired it and asked if she was interested and it was SOLD!

So, we went out and bought the table. As soon as the table was in the dining room, I got that sinking feeling. You know, the one where you KNOW you've made a mistake and you can't take it back? I had sold my table, spent money on something that was not necessary and then helped carry the 180 pound table and eight 25 pound chairs up the numerous stairs to my front door for this! Jacob was right, it didn't look good in our dining room... Seriously, how did a 9 year old boy know it wouldn't look right in our dining room when I didn't? Thing is, I think I KNEW it wouldn't look right, I just WANTED it to look right!

So now I'm stuck with this great dining room table that I love in a room that I hate...guess I need to get a new house!

Gavin, Reading?

2010-01-13T18:19:00.000-08:00

Gavin and I have been working on "school" on and off for a few months now. At his age, the other boys were never even remotely interested in reading or school stuff, but Gavin is. I figured I'd attempt to teach him to read, even though he has a year and a half before he will be in kindergarten, so I bought a Hooked on Phonics Kindergarten Curriculum Kit. It has tons of great stuff in it for reading, writing and math.

I can't believe how much knowledge he has soaked up! He can identify ALL of his uppercase letters, most with sounds and all but 7 of his lowercase letters! Once he knows all of his lowercase letters we will move on to reading! He actually read the word CAT this afternoon! He can count to 40, which is pretty exceptional since they want them to count to 20 by the time they get to Kindergarten. We have been working on handwriting by learning how to hold a pencil properly and drawing lines in various ways. After he masters his lines we can move on to writing letters.

I'm so excited for him! I hope he continues to love learning throughout his days in school and beyond.

It's Just a House

2010-01-08T19:59:00.000-08:00

I know we are behind, but tonight the boys and I pay-per-viewed "Up". We had a great night together! We had fun eating junk food for dinner - cherry pie, ice cream and popcorn! The boys loved the movie and I actually enjoyed it as well (in spite of my tears!). It was nice to take the time to sit and watch with them as opposed to doing dishes or something else while they are entertained.

The line in the movie, "It's just a house" really touched me. It's nice to be reminded of what is important in life, and it's not the things. The people, experiences, relationships and memories, those are the things that last for a lifetime.

So, in honor of the movie "Up", I am chronicling the memory we made tonight, a night of junk food, laughter, tears, snuggling and fun. A memory I hope my boys will always remember.

My First Post!

2010-01-04T21:14:00.000-08:00

After much thought, I've finally decided to start a blog! Since it's the beginning of a new year I thought it would be a perfect time to get started. My main goal in all of this is to be able to save some of the memories I have of our growing family and the boys lives. Pictures and videos are amazing memories, but there are so many things that happen and words that are spoken that you just can't get on film. Here's a little about each of the boys.

Jacob - Age 9 - He's a typical oldest child, responsible, cautious and eager to please. Jacob loves animals and plans to become a zoo keeper. He loves to travel and has quite a list of places he'd like to go. He's exceptionally smart, but tends to doubt his abilities. He's got an incredible imagination and is very creative. He also happens to be very kind, compassionate and generous. He's a wonderful older brother and he loves his brothers. He stays out of trouble and aside from an occasional reminder about his attitude, we rarely have any trouble with him.

Keaton - Age 7 - The middle child. Keaton is in love with all things mechanical and wants to design and build cars for a living. He is independent, but plays well with others. He's constantly building things and taking things apart. Sometimes the taking things apart gets him into trouble (for example, smashing a robot against the wall to see what's inside). He's the kid that other kids want as a friend. He cries easily when he thinks he's in trouble or when things aren't right in his world. He's sweet and compassionate, much like Jacob, but is very deliberately compassionate. For example, he knows how I hate to be at home without any of my kids, so he'll ask if he should stay with me and keep me company even if he'd be giving up going somewhere he really wants to go. He loves his brothers and his family and especially his cars and magnets that he builds with.

Gavin - Age 4 - The Baby. Gavin is sweet, cuddly and mischevious. He's big for his age and has been described as a "gentle giant" by his preschool teachers. He's a Mommy's boy and loves to sit on my lap, hug, kiss and snuggle with me. He adores his older brothers and wants to be just like them. He's prone to accidents and has knocked out his 2 front teeth and had stitches 3 times in his little life! He makes a lot of messes and I always wonder what's going on when he's quiet. When he was smaller I would find eggs broken all over the kitchen floor because he would go the refrigerator and throw them out. He loves cars and shares a room with Keaton. He's what some would refer to as "the golden child" because even when he's doing wrong, he's just so sweet and cute that it's hard to be mad for long.

Joel - My Husband - We have been married for 12 years and still enjoy living life together. Joel has to be about the hardest working guys around. He's one of those guys who can pretty much do anything from building a house to building a business. Despite his busy schedule he still makes time for the boys and they LOVE playing with their Dad. When we got married I know people thought we were crazy... maybe we were, but I still think it was the best choice I could have ever made.

And then, there's me. Bristelle, Mom to 3 of the most amazing boys and wife to Joel. I love to do stuff with and for the kids, bake, spend time with friends and family (at least most of my family), plant flowers, scrapbook, sleep, eat out and my very favorite thing to do.....travel! I wish I had more free time and money and I would go SO many places.

So, this is my introduction to the bloggy world. I look forward to looking back over the posts in this blog in the coming years and remembering more of the little things in life.