Army Party

We celebrated Biggest Brother's 8th Birthday with an Army Party. It was a lot of camo, ammo, and a ton of fun! Kevin and the boys made the marshmallow shooters and decorated them with camo duck tape. They were a hit according to the boys. The grenade water balloons were another favorite. Grandma Sheryl was visiting and helped us get all of those ready. There were about 100 grenades just waiting to be launched!

Kevin started the festivities with some Basic Training- jumping jacks, pushups, etc. The boy thought it was a joke until they had to keep going because some boys were slacking!

Then, they moved on to the obstacle course set up in the yard, crawling under tarps, shooting water guns at a target, running around cones, jumping over obstacles and crawling through tangled ropes. 

The first time through they got to use all their body parts. But, the next few tries they had to roll dice. Depending on their number, they either lost an arm, a leg or their vision. They had to do the obstacle course with their injury the next few times. It was funny to watch them trying to hop through it or go through with a blindfold over their eyes!

The littlest guy slept through the whole party! A water grenade broke and sprayed on him and he slept through that too. Go figure! He wakes up all night, but sleeps through that!

The camo cupcakes were a hit- thanks to Grandma Sheryl for making these look and taste so great!

Not sure if you can see it, but they were really launching the marshmallows at me while I took this photo. You can see on on the right side coming out of the gun! Perfect timing!

We ended our time at the indoor pool. You could easily find our boys since they still had their camo painted faces! It was another great party to remember.

For his real birthday, he woke up early before school to open his gifts. The highlights were a Peyton Manning Broncos jersey, a new scooter, and $100 bill from Granny. He couldn't believe it was his to spend- not even for the college account! He ended the day with a trip from the tooth fairy, as his tooth fell out while blowing out his birthday candle. Not a bad day, I would say!

Thanks to Grandma Sheryl for all of her help while Kevin was out of town and for all the help to get ready for the party. The Army Plane above is still the favorite birthday toy. We had a great visit!

Happy #8!

I'm a few days late, but Baby is sleeping, Big Brother is at McDonald's with a friend, and Biggest Brother is at school taking spelling tests and learning his subtraction facts! Better late than never!

How can it be that you are 8 years old? Having another baby has brought back so many memories of you as a baby and little guy that I can hardly believe how quickly the time has passed. You are in 2nd grade- a big shot now! This school year has brought some new reluctance to doing homework and reading, but still you do it and I'm proud of the progress you are making. You are a brave boy, always willing to try something new. Your latest adventure was skateboarding lessons. You turned down the opportunity to play sports with 2 different friends to take lessons without knowing anyone. While I can barely watch, you are learning to ride in the skate parks- even doing the ramps! Yikes! 

You are a great big brother to both of your little brothers. With Nathan, you still like to be boss, but sometimes you let him have his way. You are helpful to him and try to be patient. He looks up to you and wants to do and be everything you are. I hope you continue to be a good role model to him. With Colton, you are gentle and sweet, always taking time to say hi and give him a kiss when you walk by. You love to hold him and rock him at the end of the night. I know he's much younger, but I think you two will have a special bond throughout life.

You were the first to make us Mom and Dad and we certainly still make a lot of mistakes, but we're grateful that God has blessed us with you as our oldest boy to help mold us along the way!

So, here you are, a mouth full of missing teeth (even losing one while blowing out your 8 candles on your cake). I see glimpses of the little boy you were and glimpses of the boy you are growing up to be. I am proud of the boy that you are right now! 

Love you, Buddy!

One Month Old

Our little man is one month old! 

It's been a long time since we had a newborn in the house and there was so much I'd forgotten. For instance, I forgot how many diapers one baby can go through in a day. I would just sit down from changing him, when he'd dirty another one. One night he went through at least 4 diapers in less than 10 minutes! I forgot the amount of laundry one little person adds. I forgot how late babies stay up at night before falling asleep for a few short hours. I forgot how hard it is to wake up for those middle of the night feedings night after night. 

But mostly, I forgot how you can love someone you just met so deeply and unconditionally and sacrificially.

This past month has gone by so quickly. When he was born, he cried for 2-3 hours straight. We looked like deer caught in the headlight wondering what we were in for. However, after that, he mellowed out and was the sleepiest, calmest baby I'd ever had or seen! What a blessing to have this little guy be so easy. However, as the weeks went on that sleepiness turned into a little problem. He wasn't eating well and wasn't gaining weight well. My milk supply was diminishing and the doctor said he wasn't getting enough calories to even eat effectively. The remedy was to feed him, pump, and then bottle feed him. This meant I was feeding him pretty much around the clock for several days. It wasn't easy and I wouldn't want to do it again, but we got back on track and I'm happy to say he's eating and gaining weight like a champ now. 

This first month he typically slept long periods and would wake up for an extended time around 7pm. (Just in time for the big boys to start their bedtime routine!) Then, he was up until about 11. Thankfully we had the Olympics to keep us occupied as we waited for him to give into sleep. He was getting up usually 2 times a night, but even had a couple of 5 and 6 hours stretches at night. Can't complain too much about that. 

The big boys have transitioned well. Mostly they like to hold him during book time at the end of the night. They like to laugh at his silly facial expressions and arm movements. Biggest Brother asked, "When will he get self-control?" I replied, "That's something we all struggle with our whole lives." I'm pretty sure I didn't help him out with that one!

Pictures Below are at One Month Old!

Don't you love those lips?

His hair is pretty wild, so we just went for the mohawk. Why not? 

We've been battling thrush and a doctor at Children's treated him with Gentian Violet. His mouth was this awesome purple for 2 days. It made everything it touched purple too! The boys and I sang the Purple People Eater song to him for 2 days straight. Seems like we're on the mend now and thankfully he's back to his normal colors!

Back To Life: Back To Reality

I always get that song stuck in my head when the kids go back to school (and when we get home from vacations!) But, last Monday, it was back to reality for the big kids. Between having a newborn and Daddy home, we got into a rut of absolutely no schedule in July. Being back to school is good for us all. The boys were really excited to meet their new teachers and see their buddies again.

Big Brother was excited to push his new Little Brother up to school to meet all of his friends.

Before school on the first day. Biggest Brother- 2nd Grade and Big Brother- Pre K

Before school started, we tried to get a little last minute fun in. Kevin's mom was visiting and it was a great help. Between household chores and painting our fence, she found time to play with the kids and give me time for naps. I am so grateful to have a great Mother-In-Law and a loving Grandma for my boys.

She took this of our family before she left.

After dropping her at the airport, Kevin took the big boys to a scrimmage at the Bronco's Stadium. They are big fans, but have never been in the stadium or to a game. So, they waited an hour or more in line in the hot sun with a record number of fans (over 40,000) to watch a preseason scrimmage. 

The boys are also tackling new skills. Biggest Brother chose not to play football this season. Instead he's taking skateboarding lessons. He's been practicing up at the school. 

So far, no broken bones or teeth. (I hope I didn't jinx myself with that comment!)

Big Brother likes to surf down the hill on his belly. He also tackled riding a 2-wheel bike. He's a bit shaky still, but he did it on the first night out. I was really proud of him and thankful that Kevin takes on the challenge of teaching the boys this skill!

And just because he's so cute, a picture of Little Brother. More updates on him soon! But, for now, I'm heading up to sleep while I can!

Summer's End

Summer is coming to an end. We meet the boys' new teachers and drop off school supplies tomorrow. Baseball is done and we are gearing up for nights of homework and getting to bed early.

This summer was our first with the boys both in a sport at the same time. We were busy and spent many hours at baseball games. It was a lot of fun and they both had great seasons.

I took these in the backyard. It's hard to get them to pose for photos these days!

They both earned trophies at their last game. This was the whole reason Big Brother played t-ball. He's seen all the trophies Biggest Brother has gotten and has been mighty jealous. Can you see the joy on his face from that first trophy?

And below, this was him sliding into home on his last play of the season. They can only run one base per hit, but he likes to slide in as if it were sudden death. I have no idea where he gets his dramatic side! :)

And just because we can't get away without a photo of the Little Brother, here he is! He fits right into Daddy's baseball glove, but not for long!

Our New Family of Five

I love taking photos. But, I can't be in the photos when I'm taking them. So, I asked my friend to take some family photos when the baby was 10 days old. Here's what she came up with. There are so many to sift through, but these were some of my favorites...