Ten on Tuesday- My Boys

1. I still can't believe I have been a mama for almost 3 years. It seems like just yesterday that my little guy was born & now he all too quickly is approaching being a full blown toddler & no longer a baby. Although you wouldn't guess that since he always has that infant pacifier in his mouth.2. He can't go anywhere without his bay. The blue & white blanket I made for him as a baby. He drags it around the house, cuddles it, sleeps with it & is never without it.3. He is usually a sensitive, happy, sweet boy. But sometimes he is a typical 2 1/2 year old & gets angry when he doesn't get his way, says NO when he doesn't want to do something & occasionally hits. Not hard, but still annoying. But still such a sweetie, especially with Jimmy.4. Happy 18 Months to Jojo! 21.5 pounds (Under 5%). 31.25 inches (25%). He was so well behaved during his check up. Didn't cry during his vaccinations. Actually didn't even notice they happened. It's his 1/2 year birthday & he is definitely on his way to 2. Has opinions he wants you to know he has & loves to say Nooooo!5. Such a boy. Loves ball sports. Shooting baskets, kicking the ball, throwing the ball & running with the ball.

6. Loves trucks. Pushing them around, carrying them & just playing with them. We often have to drag him out of daycare crying because he wants to play with the trucks in the rooms on the way out to the car. 7. Joey loves his daddy. Wakes up & falls asleep saying dadadadada over & over. He LOVES books, chicken, bananas, cars (the movie & the actual vehicle) & his baby brother. Always saying beh-bay (baby). 8. I haven't finished his blankie yet so he is constantly chewing on his froggie lovey. Chewing & sucking on the eyes. It's truly disgusting. I have to wash it all the time but those eyes always have the faint smell of breath. Ick! But he loves it. He is holding a pacifier in the 2nd photo but it's not his. He loves to grab it out of Johnnie's mouth & runs away to torture him. He also gets really upset if you try & help him eat. I mean UPSET. Arched back, crying, lips pursed & just a pouty little boy. And it should make me angry but he's so cute it's hard to get upset for now. 9. Last but not least is our big boy who is 18 weeks old now. He no longer has his mohawk. We gave him his 2nd haircut & I can't believe how different he looks but he is still so cute. Here he is enjoying his new chair donated to him from the Laughrey girls who don't use it. CRAZY! Our boy loves it. Thank you.10. He is always so happy & smiling as long as he is not in the car on the way home overtired. Stuck in the carseat. And us stuck listening to the hysterical crying until he falls asleep. But other than that this is usually the face we see. I love that his eyes are so smiley! And even though he is very pale he is by far my most Asian looking baby.

For Today

Taking an idea from a friend.

For Today...I'm hoping to enjoy the day while still making sure everything is planned & ready for the week ahead.

Outside my window... a quiet day so far. No cars, tree blowing & no sun yet. It's not even 6:30am.

I am thinking...why does Johnnie not understand the concept of sleeping in on the weekend?

I am thankful for...the few hours of peace & quiet Rick & I enjoy at night once ALL the boys are asleep. We love them so much but there's something so nice about being able to sit down on the couch without having to nurse, stop a fight or hear "What are you doing?"

From the kitchen...trying a new dinner recipe tonight. Tried one last night that was just okay so crossing that one off & moving on. Trying new recipes at least once or twice a week to build up a bigger dinner cache.

I am wearing...blue velour sweats, a tank top & a sweater hoodie

I am reading..."All That He Ever Wanted", "What to Expect that 1st Year" & "What to Expect, The Toddler Years"

I am hoping...for a good run this morning.

I am creating...2 scrapbook pages today if Jimmy cooperates & naps when Johnnie & Joey nap

I am hoping...that I can get my To Do List done today while still getting to enjoy summer with the boys

I am hearing...Monsters Inc on tv for Johnnie, Jimmy stirring upstairs, Joey moaning in his crib (he does that as he wakes up) & heavy breathing from Rick because he's still sleeping. LUCKY!

Around the house...The house is clean right now because only Johnnie & I are awake for a little while at least.

One of my favorite things...my Sunday Starbucks coffee that I get after my run. I'm up to 4.5 miles. Thank.You.Very.Much. Getting back to normal finally!

A few plans for the rest of the week...Get caught up on my scrapbooks, Send out monthly mailers, a few catch up blogs, a new Netflix with Rick, So You Think You Can Dance with my sisters & enjoying every minute I have with the boys trying to remember that it's a waste of time getting too upset over little things.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you... Johnnie is is 3 months away from turning 3 so in my mind he's still a baby. He tends to be a little jealous of the attention Joey gets from us so those two "fight" a little more as much as a 1 & 2 year old can. BUT with Jimmy he's always very sweet. He doesn't care that we give him attention, he just joins in. I think he doesn't see him as a threat, yet. But either way I LOVE the photo. My oldest boy (with his pacifier of course) talking to my youngest. My youngest listening intently. My middle son in the background picking out his books for bedtime.

Happy 4 Months

Time is going so quickly. How are you already 4 months old? And already wearing this 12 month USC jersey? Talking nonstop, laughing out loud A LOTsucking on your hand or anything else you're holding on to in order to soothe yourselfsitting up for a little bit before tipping over watching your surroundings in awe loving the attention your brothers give you & sleeping 11 hours with 1-2 feedings. You are such a joy & add so much to our home. Your voice can be heard throughout the house & hearing you always brings a smile to my face! You are 15 lbs 14 oz (70%), 25 1/2" long (75%) & my littlest love (but rapidly becoming our biggest boy). I hope you know how much your daddy & I love you!

Happy Daddy's Day

Happy Day Honey! Banana Nut Waffles for breakfast, playtime with your boys,haircuts & milkshakes for the boys, fish tacos for dinner & presents & photos from your family. I hope you know how much it means to our boys that you spend time with them. Just the smiles on their faces when they are looking up at you is enough to melt my heart. You are a wonderful daddy & I'm so proud to have a family with you! And as you saw from the Mother's Day photos, it's really not easy to get photos with all of our boys.And to my dad I hope you know how much you are loved even when you can't be here with us to celebrate. He is on the East coast right now because my dear grandma passed away. She lived 88 years & I'm very glad that we spent the Christmas holiday with her. I'm just sad that she didn't get to meet Jimmy. She will be dearly missed & thought of often.

Flashback Friday

Because Jimmy will be 4 months old next week I wanted to look back & remember what Johnnie & Joey looked like at the same age. So cute! So different! But still the same to me when I look closely. Time sure goes quickly. Pretty easy to tell who is who though, right?

A Day In Our Lives

It seems our days go by so quickly & I wonder what I did all day with my time so today I'm keeping track so I can look back one day & either wonder how I survived or why I thought my life was so busy.

5:50a Rick wakes up to get ready for golf game
5:55 Johnnie comes running in our room
6:15 Rick leaves. I nurse Jimmy.
6:20 I change both boys diapers.
6:30 Johnnie has a bottle of milk (yes he still drinks a bottle)
7:00 Joey wakes up. I change his diaper.
7:15 Pancakes & Sausage for Breakfast
7:45 Wash hands & faces. Change 2 diapers.
8-9 Read books, build legos, play with train tracks & tummy time.
9 Change a diaper. Start Laundry.
9:25 Change another diaper.
9:30 Nurse baby.
9:45 Get everyone ready to play outside
10 Play in the backyard (Swing Set, Push Toys, Box Swing Set came in)
11 Snacks (Yogurt, Cheese & Grapes)
11:15 Change Johnnie & Joey's Diapers.
11:20 Books & Nap Time for Joey
11:30 Puzzles & Books with Johnnie. Start 2nd Load of Laundry.
12p Johnnie down for nap. Fold Laundry. Straighten House.
12:30 Lunch & TV with Rick
1 Nurse Jimmy. Change Diaper.
1:30 Rick finishes putting together new swing set. I straighten kitchen
& entertain Jimmy.
2:30 Gym & Trader Joe's. Boys wake up. Eat lunch with Rick. Change 2 diapers.
3:45 Boys play outside while Jimmy nurses. Diaper Change.
4 I vacuum & straighten house.
4:30 Tummy time & playmat time for Jimmy. TV for Johnnie & Joey.
5 Boys outside with Daddy & Grandpa while I give Jimmy a bath.
5:45 Dinner for Johnnie & Joey while Jimmy nurses.
6:15 Bath time for big boys.
6:30 Jimmy naps. I start dinner.
6:45 Books & bedtime for Joey. Diaper Change.
7 I cook dinner. Rick starts 3rd & 4th loads of laundry. Folds 2nd.
7:45 Nurse Jimmy while Johnnie has another bottle & diaper change before 8pm bedtime.
8 Jimmy naps. We eat & watch Revolutionary Road (GREAT MOVIE!) while I knit Joey's blanket. (And yes I'm still working on this. I'm a little behind since I now have another one to make.) Rick folds final 2 loads of laundry.
10:45 Nurse Jimmy & put him & myself to bed.

It's been a long day. 4 Loads of Laundry. 19 Diaper Changes. 4 Time Outs for Johnnie (And Joey tends to join in & look happy about it). BUT IT'S BEEN A GOOD FULL DAY!

Bonding Brothers

My oldest two boys are finally starting to really play together. They wrestle, they fight over the same toys & now they can actually entertain each other in the backyard on their own. They draw on the sidewalks & fence with chalk. They draw on themselves. Johnnie draws on Joey. They drink juice. I should say that Johnnie drinks juice & Joey does whatever Johnnie does. Including chasing me around the yard. And this last photo is fuzzy because they almost caught me. I knew the day would come when they could really enjoy each other's company & now they are & I couldn't be happier about it. Now if Jimmy could just play with them too. But that would mean he's growing up too fast. He's already 15 weeks old & learning to play with toys you lay on his chest.

A Big Day

Today was Jimmy's 1st day of daycare. You would think that since it's my 3rd baby going it would get easier. But it's very hard to know that I won't be spending all day with him. Because I knew I was going back to work, I had Johnnie & Joey going to "school" for these past 3 months to give me alone time with my littlest love. Well today he officially started. We dropped him off with the same 2 caregivers who took care of Johnnie & Joey. I felt a little anxious at first but by the time we walked out Jimmy was smiling up at Miss Anna & happily talking. This afternoon we picked him up & they said his 1st day went just fine once they figured out that he ONLY likes to have bottles while sitting or propped up. They also think he's going to be a great talker because he spent all day talking. I can't imagine where he gets it :-) Well who wouldn't love being entertained by this face? And amongst all this he went & turned 14 weeks old. He now notices the cats & enjoys their purring & he's getting really strong. I love you baby boy & just because I'm not with you all day I hope you know I think about you ALL DAY!