Hands-On

I’ve been trying to come up with a fun thing for the boys to paint on my belly while it’s at its prime….
And by prime, I obviously mean biggest.

So I got super creative and let them adorn my belly with their handprints. I know, I know, watch out, Martha Stewart.

I thought it might be cute to have it framed in Charli’s room…just as a memento for how excited her brothers were about meeting her.

Bo Strikes Again

Independent children are great, and very helpful, after a certain age.

This little guy decided he would like some more Fruit Loops. So he took it upon himself to pour his own, on a plate, and the floor.

The good news is, this motivated me to vacuum.

Our Boys Are Surely Blessed

And our little girl will be too.

A righteous man who walks in his integrity -

How blessed are his sons after him.

Proverbs 20:7

Bob, you are such an incredible father. I am excited for the model our boys will grow up with. You are committed to me, to them, to the Lord and I respect the heck out of that. I'm so happy to parent with you and I'm so excited for our children to have you as a father!

(SAM)

Almost 5 years ago, this little guy made you a dad. (We were such babies!!!)

(GREY)

Almost 3 years ago, this one solidified the role.

(BO)

And close to 2 years ago, this one pushed you over the edge.

I'm not even sure what to say about this one ;).

We have a sweet life, babe. I love you!

Happy Father's Day!

A Picture Heavy Post for Cuteness Documentation Purposes

It's true, the more children there are, the more difficult it is to get pictures of them.

This is my feeble attempt to push back against that.

Sam: 4 1/2

Grey: 3 3/4,  2 3/4  Can I blame that on pregnancy brain?

Bo: 18 months

Baby Girl (not pictured): 20 weeks gestational age ;)

So cool...too cool to even look at the camera most of the time.

So handsome too.

Melt my heart, sweet kid.

This one loves to pose for the camera...

and give "loves."

Dumping loads every where he goes.

Happy kid...

with a touch of attitude.

Wearing small glasses and conquering playhouses.

Also, conquering little brothers.

It's Monday, So Here Are Three Random Things

1 - I haven't blogged in quite a while. I blame this on Twitter, Sam, Grey, and Bo. Then again, when I do have stuff to blog, I usually attribute it to Sam, Grey, and/or Bo.

2 - I'll be 20 weeks on Wednesday. I still haven't done a pregnancy post with any pictures. Hopefully that's gonna happen sometime here in the next 10 days.

3 - I don't know why God blessed me with such a wonderful husband. And I don't use the word wonderfully lightly. He is such a perfect fit for me, a source of encouragement, support, and laughter. I so enjoy him and am more and more convinced of how great he has made my life.

Ok, 4.

4 - My baby has his 18 month check-up today. 18 months! I guess I should be thankful my kids stay bald so long because they look like babies for longer ;). Bo is such a little treasure, definitely loves his momma, and is probably in for a rude awakening when this little one makes her appearance.

Two Can Play This Game

Remember this fort?
Sam designed and built his own, complete with windows (the pillows around the bottoms of the chairs).

Stocking Loot

Oh my word, I have so many things that need to be blogged about. For now, here’s a picture of the boys on Christmas morning!

11 Months–Bo

I’ve gotta say, one good thing about Bo turning a year old is that I release myself from the pressure of getting these month posts up. What’s that you say? It seems like I have already released myself. Well I don’t know if that’s fair…I have gotten 3 of his 11 months posted in a timely fashion!
Moving along.
We’re at about 11 1/2 months right now. * Thankfully, I’m probably the only one that actually cares about these posts and I don’t really mind too terribly much that they’re up late. I’m just glad they’re up.
Let it go, Greta. Let it go.
So Bo is 11 months. As in, my baby…who never was very teeny tiny, is almost 1. I love the age he is right now. But honestly, I haven’t disliked any age with him. He is so laid back and just plain sweet. Like the other two have been/are, he is just so much fun to watch as he learns new things and gets better at communicating. Watching his little personality develop is such a wonderful thing.
This little guy, who Grey has really taken to calling Bo Bo, has not tried to take any steps, but he is standing on his own and cruising like crazy. He has also become quite the little speed crawler. I think I mentioned that last month, but shocker, he’s even faster now. He tries to chase his brothers as they run around and around the house. I have visions of what our house will look, feel , and sound like in about 6-8 months when he can walk/run without falling down every couple steps. Bob may want to come home a little later because they seem to be at their craziest right as he is getting home.
We’ll miss the noise and chaos when they’re gone. (sniff, sniff)
Bo is so sweet. He leans in to give head bonks and he’ll just lay in my lap and snuggle. He loves if I face him on the floor and crawl really fast at him. The kid just sits back up on his knees and laughs…it’s pretty great.
He is still taking 2 naps and sleeping great at night, unless he’s teething. He’s been teething the last couple weeks. I expect 3 or 4 teeth to bust out very soon with the way he’s been gnawing on his hands and responding to Tylenol. He sleeps about 1 1/2 hours in the morning and then at least 2 1/2, sometimes 3 in the afternoon. The child is ready for bed around 7:30/7:45 and up until the recent time change, he was sleeping almost 12 hours.
He gets 5 bottles but praise the Lord, we’re almost done with that! Yay!!! However, that probably means I’ll be buying 3 gallons of milk a week, maybe 4. Good gracious. He has a very healthy appetite and will eat, or try, just about anything we put in front of him. He especially loves ice cream. Can you blame him?

Bo, we love ya buddy! You are such a sweetheart and you bring out sweetness in your brothers too. Most of the time, they’re really gentle with you and they like to share. I’m hoping all that will rub off on you. You’re blessed to have them for big brothers. And I’m blessed to have all of you for sons.

Do You Take Dis…Black Card?

Bear with my videography and obnoxious laugh. And pay close attention to around the 25 second mark.

Does my son have The World's Most Prestigious Card?

Also, Grey takes a lot of abuse.

10 Months–Bo

Again, super late getting this up…well I guess, not as late as I was with the other ones.

Before I know it, you'll be running around with the other two.
Y'all are either keeping me young or turning my hair gray.

Anyway, here’s what you’re up to.
You’re signing “more”, maybe “please.” You’ve been doing “so big” for a couple months now. You are extremely interactive, put everything in your mouth that you find on the floor, eat just about anything I give you, strongly prefer me, and sleep like a champ.
Basically, you rock. We.love.you.

Sometimes, you look so old. And that’s without hair!

I get lots and lots and lots of blurry pictures right now. I think that’s the plight of life with boys/toddlers. They don’t stop moving and unless you’re an excellent photographer, which I am not, you end up with blurry photos. 

I may not have clear pictures, but I’ll remember what a busy and active time of life this is!

 

9 Months–Bo

Apparently this month I did not do the chair pictures.
Fail.
Regardless, let’s check out what Bo was like around 9 months.

Sometimes these two look so so similar. I see it here, raised eyebrows and wide eyes.

Bo, you’re crawling like a speed demon and getting into all the “big kid” toys. You’ve got your work cut out for you, buddy.

Every once in a while, you prevail.

Did I mention what I happy little guy this one is?

There’s Something About 3 Months and 9 Months

Note: I wrote this a few almost two months ago and am just getting around to posting it...so goes my life.Around 3 months, babies change.
They stop crying so much, or at least for no reason.
I’d like to believe their little systems are getting used to living outside the womb. They also start to interact a good bit more.
I’ve always focused on that 3 month mark and encouraged other moms who are trudging through sleepless nights which to lead to zombie-like days, rip-your-heart-out crying, nursing woes, and many other difficulties that come along with precious babies in their first months “outside.”
Just recently, I’ve realized the 9 month mark is another turning point. Babies really start to understand a lot, interact with their eyes (really looking at you knowingly), some are signing, clapping, waving, and they’re usually pretty vocal.
I love the little baby phase, but have always thought 12-18/20 months is my favorite age (so far). Well, I think I need to bump back my favorite age to include 9 months.
I know I’ve said it to everyone we talk to and I’ve mentioned it on here but Bo is soooo easy. I mean, ea.sy. But he really is such a joy...a bright spot (if I can say that without it sounding TOO cheesy).
If you haven’t guessed yet, he just turned 9 months. (That post, along with his 8 month post, to come. Good gracious I’m behind!) It’s hard to focus and enjoy each part of a child’s growing up. There’s so much going on! But Bo is really helping me to step back and relish it all. And I pretty much love that about him.

8 Months–Bo

(We had quite a bit of this going on since you got your front top teeth.)

Bo, the fact that it’s taken me so long to get this, your 9 month, and 10 month posts up has nothing to do with how much we love you! It has so much more to do with how mobile you’ve gotten and how incredibly busy your brothers are!
Sam likes to sit down behind you, grab you, then lean back. This is what usually results. You look less than thrilled and he is delighted (and oh, so old looking!)
You are just the sweetest little babe…the sweetest.

I Don’t Have To Bribe This One To Snuggle

While I was getting whacked in the face, he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Honestly, I really was too.

He's a Toy Whose Batteries Never Need Replacing!

Here, you'll see Bo is being tucked in because Sam is all done playing with him and he should go to sleep.

6 Months - Bo

Apparently with each kid, time flies by even quicker.



It really seems like Bo was born just a few days ago. Or maybe that day is just burned into my memory so well...

Either way, Bo, you are still super, super sweet. You're an observant little fellow. Who can blame you though with all that's going on around ya?

You love to chew on your toes, grip onto my shirt when I'm carrying you around. You grunt like crazy to get more food (learn your sign language!) and you still sleep like a champ. Your dad and I go check on each night before we go to bed and it's so cute to see you laying there clutching your blankets with your legs raised up...that or you're rolled over on your side.

We love you little bub!

I Ask Myself the Same Question

"Why hasn't that made it to the blog?" - Bob

Sorry about the orientation AND the poor quality. Maybe that's why...

5 Months - Bo

Happy, clingy, sweet, cuddly, tough, grabby, observant.

Bo is an awesome addition to our family. We all enjoy him so much!

I laid him down on the floor the other day and he was close to a plastic bag. So you know he grabbed it, stuffed it in his mouth, started shaking it, and laughing out loud. Why do babies love plastic bags so much?!

As Sam would say, "BO! We love you!"