October

Well, I've avoided the blog long enough.  I guess it's easier to post the happy things than the really tough and painful.  We lost our sweet baby boy, Jeremiah James, on October 12th.  Things have been an emotional roller coaster pretty much the entire month of October, but we're hoping November will bring better days.  It really is amazing and scary how quickly life can change.  We think of and miss Jeremiah every day and wish he were here with us, but we know he is our angel in heaven that we will hold again one day. 

In the midst of the tears and pain we've experienced this month, we've captured many smiling moments with family as well, and of course those are the memories we want to see in the pictures.  So here are some of the fun memories that we'll hold on to:

 Cox Farms with the boys!  They loved the hay ride, slides, animals, play areas, maze, etc.  What a fun day!

 My dad was in town on a business trip and extended his stay when the uncertainty began.  We enjoyed a day at Old Mine Ranch while he was here.

The kids' cousins, aunt, uncle, grandma, and grandpa came for a visit in mid-October.  We enjoyed a day at the zoo together!  

As well as a day downtown... we did some walking and sight-seeing and also went to the Air and Space Museum. 

 The kids all really enjoyed playing together!
 

Last weekend we went to the pumpkin patch to find our carving pumpkin!  I insist on going to a "real" pumpkin patch every year to pick our pumpkin out of an actual pumpkin patch :)  

 Alex was really into finding the BIGGEST pumpkin to carve! 

Another fun day with the kids :)

A day in the life...

I was rereading some old posts from about a year ago, and thought it was fun to read about our "typical day"... wow how things change in one year!  I had a little baby a year ago... and in another year I'll have a third little baby!  Anyway, for memories sake I thought I'd type up a quick "day in the life" today! 
Monday-Thursday are pretty routine around here... with two extra little ones around plus my two, things have to be! 

6:00 - Wake up, make Gary's lunch, Gary heads off to work! 

6:30-7:30 - Nathan wakes up, take a shower while he does blanket time upstairs, snuggles on the couch, and Alex wakes up

7:30-8:30 - Elijah and Asher arrive, watch cartoons, eat  breakfast, get my kids dressed

8:30-10:00 - Play time!

10:00-10:15 - Snack time, Bible story

10:15-11:00 - Project time, letter of the week activity

11:00-11:45 - Independent Play time (one boy upstairs, one in basement and Nathan does blanket time for 30 minutes or so then helps me) while I clean up and make lunch

11:45-12:15 - Lunch time

12:15-1:00 - Play outside if it's nice or do some kind of activity inside

1:00-1:15 - potty, stories, down for naps

1:15-3:15 - Nap time... which ususally consists of me napping as well or watching tv/relaxing!  I'm so exhasuted these days!!

3:15-3:45 - kids wake up, watch a show and eat a snack

3:45-6:00 - Free play, outside play, clean up, make dinner, etc.

6:00 - daddy gets home and kids leave!

6:00-6:30 - Family Dinner!  (And soccer practice or small group for the evening if it's Tues/Thurs)

6:30-7:30 - Play with daddy!

7:30-8:00 - Baths (every other day usually), jammies, stories, bed time

8:00-10:00 - relax with the hubby and usually fall asleep on the couch ;)

10:00 - Head to bed!

That's our "normal" routine :)  Of course the 6 month old that I watch eats a few times and takes a couple of naps in there somewhere, but it isn't really consistent.  We have soccer practice and small group at 6:15 on Tues and Thurs right now and are gone all evening pretty much those nights... and I try to take the kids to the park for a picnic once a week in the middle of the day.  Other than that, this is our normal weekday routine!  Gary is still off every other Friday and on the other Fridays I spend the day with the kids doing something fun :)  I'll be watching the extra kids for a little while yet, but have given them just before Thanksgiving as my "last available date" so that we can have soome time to prepare for baby 3 and enjoy our time as a family before becoming a family of 5 in late Jan or early Feb! 

A great weekend!!!

We had such a fun weekend!  Friday Gary was off and we went to the zoo!  Alex has been asking for the past few weeks when we can go to the zoo again... it was good "zoo weather" because it was very fall-ish.. not too hot, not too cold :)

 It's fun to see how much more into the zoo the kids are each time we go.  The last time we went was a few months ago for Nathan's first birthday.  He loved it then, but was even more into it this time!  He could see animals that were further away, made more animal sounds, and knew more of them by name.

 They're so funny because of all of the unique animals, they always LOVE to watch the ducks!  They stood here a good while and we had to drag them to the next thing!

 Friday night was Alex's first soccer practice!  He has been SOOO excited for soccer... but so far everything has been rained out (the first two practices, and the first game).  They rescheduled practice for Friday so that the kids would meet the coach and get to kick the ball around together before their first game on Saturday!  Alex had SOO much fun at practice!  He did a great job following directions and jumped right in!  He can be timid and we were a little nervous how he'd do, but he did GREAT! 

 After his first practice he came home, put on his uniform and played soccer in the living room the rest of the night!  Then he put his uniform on right after breakfast, grabbed his soccer ball and played again until it was time to go to his game!  He could not wait!!! He kept trying to get us to leave alll morning! 

 He LOVED his first game!  He was the only kid on his team that didn't have a melt down at some point AND the only one who played the whole game without any help from mom or dad (going on the field with him)!  He ran and ran, it was so cute!!  He defninitely wasn't super aggressive in the sense that he didn't really try to "steal" the ball away... I guess he's used to being nice and taking turns haha! 

 He did LOVE to kick it though and played so hard!!  It was adorable :)  I hope he enjoys soccer this much the entire season! 

18 weeks, 16 months, 3 1/2 years

Wow!  My 3 babies are now 18 weeks (in the belly), 16 months, and 3 1/2 years old!!!!  They are all amazing, if I do say so myself :) 

 Our littlest peanut is definitely growing! Mama is starting to feel much better... I only feel nautious now if I don't eat small meals frequently :) I am even back to drinking coffee again this week! (Something that has seriously turned my stomach since the very beginning and something I really missed enjoying each morning!!)  I have been feeling baby flutters for quite some time, although it's hard to know "for sure" that it is baby at first!  I would say my first "feeling" was around 14 weeks, and now I'm more sure that it is our little one as they are stronger and more frequent.  No REAL baby kicks yet though and nothing Gary can feel, more flutters or butterflies at this point :)  Other than that, I'm just tired and have an achy back.  I am hungry alll the time, pee a lot, and can feel myself getting bigger!  I'm in maternity clothes full-time now and it's at that point where things are *starting* to get a little more difficult physically (bending over, getting up, etc.).  Of course, nothing like it will be later, just those first feelings of growth I guess!  As for baby's big brothers, they already love him, too!  (Yes, I just typed "him" without thinking LOL... I really don't have a feeling of boy or girl, but seem to always refer to baby as "he" haha)  Nathan gets the biggest grin each night when we say his goodnight prayers and thank God for the baby.  He says "baby" and pats my belly over and over, so sweet!  Alex asks questions and talks about the baby a lot.  The other day he was curious where the new baby would sit in the car!  He also comments that my belly is getting bigger and bigger! 

 Next, there's this little guy!! Or should I say, BIG boy!  I cannot believe how old he seems lately!!!  He talks A LOT now!  I couldn't even begin to make a list of words he says.  He says more and more every day and can repeat most words if you ask him to!  He is losing more and more baby and is becoming such a little boy!  He loves animals (especially dogs!) and points them out any time he sees them.  If he hears trucks or cars outside or sees them while we are out he always points them out and says "car" or "truck".  He points out planes in the sky and choo choos anywhere he sees them (in books or on tv mostly).  He still loves music and dancing and breaks out the moves all the time - in rhythm I must add!  He also dances when he gets happy.  He loves balls... carrying them around, throwing them, finding them.  Nathan mimics his big brother all the time and wants to play whatever brother is playing.  He makes sound effects and pretends he's on Alex's "rocket" with us!  He buckles himself up and puts on his pretend helmet when we do!  It's amazing what he's capable of already and how much he understands.  He wants to do projects with us every day and there's no stopping him from trying everything that Alex does!  He also loves to go "bye bye".  He grabs his shoes and asks for his hat and cheers "yay!!!!" and "woohoo!!!" He loves when  you chase him or try to "get him" and LOVES to wrestle, tickle, and roughhouse (especially with daddy!)!! Nathan can be quite the stinker too... he holds his own with his big brother and won't let anyone take anything from him without putting  up a fight!  He gets time-out many times a day for hitting, too.  We're working hard on this!  Most of the time it's more of an attention-getting thing, rather than just being mean or trying to get something - but it's a definite problem!  He LOVES giving kisses and hugs though after time-out and almost always behaves after his consequence.  In fact, he is quite the snuggler in general, and is very affectionate.  He pats me when I pick him up, always leans his head on my shoulder and gives never ending kisses throughout the day!  He loves to snuggle and sit on my lap, and brings me who knows how many books to read him all day long!  He is pretty much the cutest little toddler EVER... and no, I'm really not bias at all ;)

Alex is my big 3 year old!!! I don't know how often he tells me "I'm growing, mommy!  See??" and shows me his arms or legs or whatever!  He reminds me every day that he's getting bigger :)  He's also so sweet and affectionate, and oh so snuggly!  Alex loves to sit with me still and give hugs and kisses!  His interests are very diverse right now... he is so creative and imaginative, he is constantly surprising me!  He plays pretend all the time now - he flies his rocket to "planet X", becomes a pirate hunting for treasure, or is "daddy" to his baby "Tony" (his teddy bear that he has named and plays baby with lately!)  In fact, Tony is so popular around here, even Nathan calls him by name ("No-neee")  Alex continues to love to do "projects" and is learning so much all the time.  He's pretty much given up his nap most days (he still has "quiet time" while Nathan is napping, but I've started letting him read books, do puzzles, or color, as long as he stays in the bedroom - usually our room since Nathan is in their room.  He naps maybe 2-3 times a week now. He is so creative he can really entertain himself for quite some time... he stays in there until I go get him every day. And Nathan is napping once a day for about 1 1/2 - 2 hrs - he gave up his morning nap about a month ago).  Alex still loves to read books - he prefers non-fiction most of the time and spends much of his time at the library in that section.  He loves to go to the park and play outside with rocks and sticks.  He also loves all things boy - trains, planes, cars, trucks, rockets, superheros, the list goes on and on!  Alex continues to be sensitive and has melt downs when he gets frustrated or hurt.  We're continually working with him on using his words and expressing himself in ways other than getting super upset.  He's also quiet and reserved in new situations and takes some time to open up.  He is pretty much the smartest, sweetest, absolutely cutest preschooler I know :)  And again, no bias at all ;)

1st Haircut, Carseats, and Baseball!

We finally took Nathan for his first haircut this weekend! His hair was pretty out of control and it was long overdue... I guess there's just something about that first haircut though that makes you want to put it off as long as possible!   

He did great... no smiles, but also no tears.  He sat relatively still and let the hairdresser do her thing.

Cannot believe how much older he looks with his long curls gone and his little boy haircut!  What a big boy :) 

 We took the kids to a Potomac Nationals Minor League baseball game on Saturday... Alex loved it!

 And we got Alex a "big kid" carseat... I was hoping he'd be able to learn to do his own buckle before baby 3 arrives... it's going to be tricky buckling 3 kids into their carseats every time we go somewhere.  We'll see, it's a little harder than I thought it would be for him! 

And we moved Nathan up to Alex's old carseat while we were at it!  We tried putting it backwards first, but it looked so incredibly uncomfortable that we turned it around... Nathan has NOT been enjoying the car lately and I think it will be better this way... we turned Alex at age one, but I guess now they're recommending to leave them "as long as possible or until age 2"... but the car is just torture for him lately, and I'll be in the car by myself with both kiddos for close to 13hrs next month, so Gary convinced me to take the plunge! 

 Here was my attempt at getting the boys to sit on the steps for a picture... 

A little better here!

Beach Vacation!!

We took a family trip to the beach over labor day!!  It was such a fun few days!!  The kids LOVED the beach and water and we had some great family time! :)

 Nathan loved the sand best!  He liked the water the first day when he had no fear, then he fell down and was anxious about it the rest of the trip... he'd get close but run whenever a wave would come!

 Alex wasn't too thrilled with the water the first couple of days... then after some gentle coaxing (and bribing!) Gary got him to go out into the ocean with him, from then on he LOVED the water!  He liked "jumping on the waves" and filling up buckets!  He also liked going out deeper with Gary or me :)

 We got seafood a couple of nights!  One night we went down to a restaraunt on the pier and got shrimp and crablegs, it was DELICIOUS!  And the view was beautiful!

 There was a playground on the beach right by our hotel!  The kids loved it... it was designed as a big ship!

 Nathan was so worn out one afternoon he fell asleep like this after taking a short nap in his crib.  Gary loved it :)

 We went mini-golfing at a "pirate golf course" one night after dinner!  Alex loved the playground they had there :)

 Mini-golfing is a favorite activity for our boys!

 We had so much fun!!

 One night we waited up late for fireworks that were supposed to go off at 9:45... we gave up waiting at 10:30! 

 Alex flew his first kite at the beach... he LOVED it! 

 

 These two kept so busy in the sand and water... I just love how busy kids are at the beach!  It is so fun to watch, they never run out of stuff to do!!

On our way home we went to the Virginia Beach Aquarium!  It was GREAT!  It's the third largest aquarium and was HUGE!The boys loved it!!

We had such a fun trip!!  It was definitely not long enough!!  

Officially a Mini-Van Mom!

We bought a Toyota Sienna a couple of weeks ago!!!  It was a long searching process, but we found one that we absolutely LOVE!!!  It has very low miles and was a great deal!  I know so many moms that don't want a mini-van, but I'm actually totally stoked about it! ;)