Chef-boy-r-d

I had a pint-sized helper tonight in the kitchen.  This adorable little guy chipped in and made the green beans for dinner.  It's been a goal of mine to teach each of my boys to cook and I realize they might only enjoy it at this age, so I try to get them in the kitchen to help as often as possible (I think their future wives will really appreciate this!).  I also learned that it really helps those picky little eaters to try more things.  After all, if they make the dish, they just can't wait to try it...even if it is green!  I even have a whole drawer in the kitchen that is dedicated to the boys.  In it is their apron, chef's hat, cookie cutters, kid's cook books and a variety of miniature utensils.  I enjoy cooking and this is such a great bonding experience with my little men!

Little helper

Three months after I had my middle boy my husband deployed to Afghanistan and I was left with a 2 year old and a newborn.  Bless his little heart, but my oldest son did not take all the changes and transitions very well, he did not like having to compete with his tiny brother for my attention.  Recently he has had a totally different experience at being a big brother.  Although he fights with his middle brother, he does love him dearly.  He is also a great helper with his newest little brother.  He fetches me diapers, gives the baby his paci, talks to him, entertains him and just wants to love on him.  I love seeing the bonds develop between the boys and it's these types of photos I know I will cherish one day!

Crafty

Every once-in-a-blue moon I get in the mood to do something crafty.  A few months ago I came across this idea at a local craft fair and I just had to try it myself.  This chalkboard was made with an old frame, foam board, magnetic spray paint (yes there is such a thing...pretty cool!), chalkboard paint, and decorative magnets.  I keep it in the kitchen and write little notes on it from time to time.  I love the way it looks, it turned out great!

January Sunshine

Yesterday was a beautiful day outside, especially for January.  Thank you God, you knew just what I needed on a Friday after a long week of being couped up in the house with the kids!  We went outside and played for a couple of hours and the boys were running around finding dandelions that were hiding in the yard.  Who knew that dandelions could still grow under the right circumstances in January???  Learn something new everyday!  Maybe God will bless me with a couple more of these glorious days before spring comes.

Meet Mr. Sleep Sheep

The youngest little guy got a new friend for Christmas, the "Sleep Sheep".  Oh and let me tell you...he's not only a friend to the baby, but to mommy and daddy as well.  Who knew a furry little sheep could help him sleep so well.  This soothing little companion has 4 different sound settings: rain (which sounds rather annoying to me), ocean (baby's personal favorite!), stream (pretty relaxing), and whale (now this one's just plain weird).  I've been thinking that when we take our annual family vacation to the beach this summer, baby will probably sleep the whole time because the ocean sound and sleep now go hand in hand for him.  Anyways, I do highly recommend a sound machine for anyone who has a newborn with difficulty sleeping at night, it has been a lifesaver for us!

Yep...He's a Keeper

I could just stare at this tiny face all day long, and I practically do, in between cooking, cleaning, laundry, dishes, diaper changes and chasing the other two around!  We have all fallen in love with our newest addition.  Since my older two couldn't be more different, it is exciting to think about who he will become and what type of personality he will have.  What we've gathered so far is that he is quiet...well, kind of.  He doesn't cry often, but when he does it has the loudest volume I've heard from his age.  I think he's just competing with the general volume level of our household, which tends to be at a pretty high level.  So I guess you could say he is already adapting pretty well to his surroundings...Yep, he's a keeper!

Christmas Card Fun!

Every year since my oldest was born, I take pictures of the kids and have them printed on Christmas cards.  Each year as I add children to our family and they become more mobile, it becomes increasingly difficult.  This year I worked on the portrait over the span of 2 days...enough said!  I probably took over 50 pictures and in each one at least one of the boys was crying, blinking, picking his nose, hitting his brother, etc. I finally gave up and settled for the above picture, the one below is an example of a reject!  I have a whole new respect for professional photographers!

Baby Boy's Arrival

Our newest addition is finally here and we couldn't be happier.  On November 28th my big pregnant self rolled out of bed the best I could and thought, "wow, I've lost control of my bladder... great!"  When you get to the end of a 9 month pregnancy and you are about 50 pounds heavier with raging hormones and a signature waddle when you walk, not much comes as a surprise, including loss of bladder control.  The more steps I took the more I lost control and it only took me a few steps to realize that it wasn't my bladder, but my water had broke!  I was extremely excited as it was becoming increasingly difficult to await the arrival of my new little man.  We headed to the hospital around 11:30.  I wasn't having many contractions on my own, so around 1 o'clock they induced my labor and the game was on!  A few hours into labor I recieved my epidural at 7 centimeters and within 30 minutes baby boy was born after about 10 minutes of pushing.  There is absolutely nothing like that first glimpse of your baby...NOTHING!