Just Goofin' Around

I love my kids. They are so funny. Granted I know that on any given day you could call me and I'd be ready to tape them to the ceiling fan- but I do love them. Please know that. I just had a few random pictures that didn't really have a specific post to go with them- but I thought they were cute. So...

Here is one of my three kids goofing off one afternoon. Yes that's a bandaid on Ryan's forehead. His toy alligator bit him in the tub the other night and gave him a pretty good little cut. I suspect foul play involving his brother, but the heretofore mentioned brother continues to deny it...

Kate's bow is courtesy of her wannabe hairdresser brother, Ryan. He decided the bow looked better down by her ear. I'll let you decide. I'm still leaning towards the idea that he has no future in this type of career...
I sat on the floor the other night to talk to Kate while she was hanging out on her little play-yard-thingy, and the boys thought that I looked like a chair. Maybe it's time to hit the gym a little harder...
And my three little naked ones! Aren't they cute!? One day they'll hate me for bringing this out for all their dates to see... Yeah... I plan on being one of THOSE parents.

All I Want for Christmas is...

Two bottom teeth! Yeah... I can't believe that I have a kid old enough to be losing teeth (without the aid of a baseball or a good fall)!! Sure enough though- the other day- Ty totally grossed me out by opening his mouth and pulling his bottom tooth clear down to his chin... And then wiggling the one next to it back and forth. Yuck! I got looking in his mouth and the permanent tooth is already pushing it's way up! We were in Salt Lake the other weekend- so Grandma Janet popped the first one out with her fingernail while she was looking at it, but the other one wasn't quite ready to make it's way out. So we gave Ty a few days to work on it, and then we sat down and started really playing with it one night. I gave Ty a wet washrag and let him kind of chew on it for a while after dinner, and then we started pulling. It really didn't take a lot, just a little pull and... POP! Out it came. Ty was super excited to put both teeth under his pillow that night for the tooth fairy. He looks so cute right now. I just can't believe that he's getting so big!

I'm Soooo Tired!

Kate loves her saucer. She spends a good portion of the day in it because she is so content. She really seems to like it when I teach Joyschool. I think it's because she can be up to see everything without being right in the middle of the action. I think. Don't know because she can't really tell me. Anyway, the other morning, I put her in the saucer while I was doing an activity with my Joyschool kids, and then sent them outside to play. I came back into the living room and found this...

She didn't even cry! She just... fell asleep!

Featuring Ryan Jay; Who Has NO Future As A Barber...

The boys were cutting up and gluing together a Thanksgiving picture the other day. They were both pretty content and quiet, so I ran to the bathroom. I was literally gone for about two minutes. When I came back, I noticed little hairs all over Ryan's highchair. And then I noticed his new haircut. He has three little bald spots right in the front of his hairline. Awesome.

Halloween

It was supposed to pour buckets this Halloween at our house. And as one that will be Trick or Treating with the boys... I opted NOT to get soaked. So we went down to Salt Lake (okay- and it's just way fun spending Halloween with the Halloween nut. Aka: Grandma Janet) and planned on taking the kids to the mall to do their trick or treating. It was totally packed- apparently a lot of people had the same idea. But the boys had so much fun! Their favorite was stopping at Mrs. Fields- they were giving out little cookies.

Anyway- here are our little monsters... Two pirates and a kitty.

Kate was so sweet- she didn't even make a peep at having to put on a costume. As long as she had her binky- she was fine. Even at the mall- she just hung out in the stroller- taking it all in I guess.
Okay and really- the tail was the cutest part of the costume...

Pirate Ryan... Who bawled the whole time I was getting him dressed. But once he was finished and ready to go- he was totally fine. What gives!?
Pirate Ty... He cut his lip the other day at preschool and got blood all over his costume. He told me it made him look more real. We also found out when I was getting the eye patch on that he has a loose tooth! The permanent one is already trying to poke through! I told him to eat lots of Laffy Taffy since a missing tooth was even more Pirate-y.
A couple of scurvy knaves if you ask me...

We had a lot of fun this year- I love seeing my kids so happy!

Scary Skeletons

Shaun's school does a Halloween parade the day before the kids get out for Halloween. And because all the big kids dress up- I like to dress up my little ones too. But I didn't want them in their costumes because they tend to spill... I know I know- live and let live mom. It's my anal-retentiveness showing.

So- I put them all in their skeleton jammies for the day. We started the day with Joy School. Then we went and had flu shots. I told them if they sat there and got their shots that I would take them to lunch. Which I did- we went to Arctic Circle and had corn dogs (exciting I know) and ice cream cones. And we were lucky enough to have Shaun join us! Then we followed him back to the school and we watched the parade.

The kids were totally exhausted by the time we were done and in need of a nap. But it was fun day and I'm glad I have pictures of the three of them as skeletons- they may never let me do it again!!

PS- I can't believe they make PINK skeleton jammies. How cute is that!?

Joy School

Because I'm not busy enough (Cough Cough), I decided it would be fun to have Ty in Joy School on the days that he's not in preschool. He's old enough that he's bored when it's just us now- so it's nice for him to have something else to do. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the concept- Joy School is a preschool that is taught by moms. We rotate each week and follow a lesson plan. Ty has really enjoyed it, and Ryan had a blast when it was at our house last week.

We were learning about the body and all the things that it can do. So I set up an obstacle course in the house (it had snowed this week) and let the kids run a muck. It was so funny to watch them!! One of the obstacles was to run around Kate's saucer three times- she sat there looking shell shocked afterward. Because this was last week- I also had the kids two days before Halloween. So we had a Halloween party and let the kids dress up when they came over. It was soo funny to watch out my back window when they were having free time- the dragon and the bee were swinging, the little skeleton was digging and the big skeleton, the ninja and superman were all playing soccer. It just struck me as funny.

Anyway- I am so grateful that they are all such great kids! It makes my turn so much nicer when I like them and don't mind doing things for them!!

E is for Elephant

Ty is having a lot of fun at preschool this year. The teachers are so cute with the kids and I love their curriculum. Each week is a different letter and number. This last week was E and the kids made Elephant masks. It was so cute- as they paraded out of the classroom, each had their masks up to their faces and made the mom's guess which kid was theirs. It was cute. And Ty had a lot of fun playing with it- we had to make several repairs to the trunk because he kept taking it outside and in the car.

The Joooooo

Since he started talking, Ryan has called his binky a "Joooooo." I don't know why. I don't pretend to know why. That's just the way it is. Despite it's odd name- Ryan loves his binky. When it was bed-time or nap-time, his face just lit up when you handed him his "Joooooo." But he's two. He's technically past two. And it was time to let it go.

So- we gave him a pair of scissors and his Joooooo, and let him have at it. Sure enough- he snipped the end off without thinking twice.

Of course after it was done- he sat there and gave Shaun a look that said, "What the crap did you let me do that for!??!" He stuck it in his mouth and tried to suck on it- but to no avail. He told us it was ick and that it had to go in the garbage.

Off to the garbage he trotted, Jooooo in hand. And he chucked it. Leash and all. I tried to save the leash since Kate could still use it- but he wasn't having it. He took it back from me and told me it was all ick. And off he went to bed. He didn't say a word about it until the next morning. When he went promptly to the garbage to fish it out. I had pulled it out the night before and put it with Ty's old binky.

I don't know why I save them. It makes me sad every time I see Ty's... I guess I'm just never ready for them to grow up. It's like it takes me by surprise. I know they're two. I know they're ready to give it up- but when it comes time to actually take the binky away... I have a really hard time with it. I even cried this time. Ryan has always let us baby him a little bit- it goes back to when he was in the NICU- he was always just this little baby- and now- it's like I just turned around and he's walking and talking and having opinions... Sometimes I wish he could just go back to being my little binky baby.

Forts and Such

The boys and their neighborhood friends were out back the other day and they built this fort. I really don't have a lot to say about it- but I took a picture because I loved their ingenuity. They sat back there and played in it for two hours!

4 Months

Our little Katie-bug (I know- you can gag if you want to) is four months old. And I know I already told you about her cereal and her tub... but I didn't really do an official post about it.

So. She is rolling over. And she LOVES her saucer. She'll hang out in it long enough for me to switch laundry or make dinner- it's heaven sent! I even took it to ballet with me last week and she sat in it for a good portion of the time! The boys have had a lot of fun with it too... Which is odd to me. It's not like they can sit in it or anything- but they sit and play with the little toys right along with their little sister.

It's amazing to me how much head-control she has. I feel like she is still such a little baby (I'm in denial- I want her to still be four weeks rather than four months) to be doing such things. She is also drooling like crazy- I keep checking for teeth- but there's nothing there yet. Kate also loves to laugh- her happiest time is at night. Right about when the boys go to bed (there could be a reason she's so happy- maybe she's feeding off of my emotions at the same time... :D ).
And she still has the prettiest blue eyes you've ever seen. They are just like her dad's- and I am so happy that one of the kids got them.

Pumpkins

I get so caught up in the day to day life of being a mother of three and a wife that sometimes I forget to sit back and actually pay attention to what's going on around me. Somewhat self-involved huh? Anyway- it's the end of October! Pumpkins are grown. Leaves are falling. And costumes have been readied.

The boys both decided to be pirates this year and have been parading around their pirate hats for about two weeks now. They wear them to breakfast. They wear them to play. And Ty even tried to sleep in his the other night. I didn't care- but it wouldn't stay on his head- so he had to sleep next to it. The boys now walk around saying "Arg" to anyone that will sit still long enough to listen.

Kate is going to be a cat this year and could really care less. She does not try and wear her costume around. And she seems less than impressed with all of her Halloween bows. Of course- she is only 4 months old... I'll take it in stride.

I was happy to get a few pictures of the kids in their Halloween gear though- Ryan has been such a pill lately with what he wears. What two year old cares what he wears? He isn't old enough to have an opinion. But there you have it- he refuses to wear anything with ghost on it. I didn't tell him that the "Boo" shirt shown here is semi-ghost-like.

Up

Growing up that is. Katelyn is four months old. She rolled over for the first time last week. She eats cereal. She sleeps through the night half the time. I'm about to move her into her own bedroom at night. She laughs. She smiles. She loves her binky half the time and absolutely throws fits when you put it in her mouth the other half of the time. She never spits up. She loves her mobile, and will fall asleep so sweetly in her crib if you turn it on for her. She just watches it spin and slowly her eyes will close.

Kate has a love/hate relationship with her carseat. In that she loves to hate it.

She is getting stronger and can stay in her Bumbo for longer periods of time now. Though she still gets frustrated with the toy in the tray... Maybe I should take it out...?
She spends probably hours in her swing. Best investment ever. We go through C batteries like water around here.

Four Months Equals Cereal

Katelyn had her first taste of the grown up world. Not that any of us eat rice cereal anymore- but it's the first step in a long line of new tastes and textures for our baby girl. She did awesome. After the first few bites- she started to recognize the spoon and would open her mouth when it headed toward her. Granted the cereal went everywhere once I put the spoon in her mouth- but at least it made it in without a fight! Her tongue doesn't understand at all.

Does she look full to you? She slept through the night the first night we gave it to her.

For Grandma Janet

My mom loves Halloween. And the love that once bordered on obsession when we were kids has now spilled over into/onto her grandkids. She bought the boys the cutest pajamas. Here they are modeling them for you. It's like a checklist for fall or something.

Pumpkins: Check

Skeleton shirts: Check

Halloween Jammies: Check

Thanks grandma!

Pinks and Blues

I have decided something. Since having Kate, I have entered the Other Side of the Store. The Pink Side. The Blue Side is fairly unintimidating and straightforward. There are bears and dinosaurs and the occasional train. There is no such thing as "Accessories." The Pink Side scares me. There are headbands. Bows. Tights. Sashes. It's... there are no words. Sometimes I long for the simplicity that came with my little boys. So in an effort to recapture that- I pulled out a few blue outfits for Kate to wear. To be fair- I did add a blue bow.

But whoever said that girls only had to wear pink? I like blue. And I think it's pretty against her skin.

Cherries

This is my favorite outfit (despite the stupid collar). And I wanted a picture of Kate in it before she grew out of it.

I also like this one. It has cherries too. I don't know why- but I think they are so cute on Katie. Please excuse my unmade bed.

Big Tub

Kate has officially graduated from the sink and is now bathing in the bigger girl bath tub. It's inflatable and is quite possibly one of the best things that is out there for baby baths! I love it. I've had it for all three of my kids- it's like having a tiny swimming pool in your bathroom. Kate likes it too. It gives her room to stretch and kick. It's her favorite place to sit and laugh- I guess something strikes her as funny in the bathtub.

First Soccer Game

Ty had his first official soccer game. His team is the Blue Lightning and he tells us it's because they are all so fast. They won their first game and Ty even scored a goal! He was also the first one that had to be carried off the field crying... he got run over. The coach took pity on him and carried him off before he could think about retaliating.

He had so much fun- and thanks Grandpa JB for picking up socks and shin guards for him!

Three Months. When the Crap did that Happen?!

Katie is three months old and thinks she's much older than that. She has amazing head and body control for someone so young (I think). I pulled out the little Bumbo chair for her- and she will sit in it as long as you are sitting next to her. This is apparently NOT one of those toys you can leave her in happily for any amount of time. But that's okay. It's supposed to help her get even stronger. She just is so intense when she's batting at the little toy on the tray. She's gotten to the point that she sits and stares at her hands. She'll ball them up into little fists and stare at them. Then when they move- it's like it startles her- she gets this surprised look on her face and the process starts all over.

She laughed the other day too. It's just crazy- I know I've said it before and I'll probably say it again- but she's just growing so quickly. I remember sitting in the hospital bed at about 2:30 in the morning one day and looking over at her in her little plastic bed. She was such a tiny peanut. Now she's trying to sit and roll over. She coos and laughs. It's nuts.

Soccer Camp

I signed Ty up for soccer this year. Mostly because Real Salt Lake was doing their soccer camp this year- and I thought it would be so much fun! Shaun was a little dubious- but I think that's because he never played... He has no idea how much fun it is!!

I took Ty over on Saturday morning and they did drills and scrimmaged. Sigh. I'm a real soccer mom now. Not that there's anything wrong with that... though it puts me in the mind to buy a minivan and buy a pair of pink fuzzy slippers that I can wear around the grocery store...

Again Ryan was bummed that he was too small to be out where Ty was (I see a theme developing here)- but I let him kick the balls into the goal for a few minutes when they were done.

First Friend Party

My little boy is growing up. He was invited to his first friend party. I'm good friends with Alyssa's mom, so I got to come and help/watch. The kids had so much fun!It was pretty comical though- going and picking out a present for Alyssa. She is (obviously) a girl and as such- we had to go down the pink aisle at the store in order to find her a present. Her mom told me that she likes Polly Pockets- so I held one up for Ty to see. He got the most disgusted look on his face and he told me "No. Alyssa does NOT like that. I'm going to get her a game." Which he did. I had no idea he was so opinionated.