The Big 3

Today is the day our big boy turns 3. I really can't believe it. He is growing up so fast and has quite the personality. He is independent, funny, social...yet does not like to be the center of attention, animated, and (of course in my opinion) very very smart! He is strong willed or "spirited" as some have called it, yet so loving and sweet. He tells us multiple times a day that he loves us. He loves to sing, dance, play ball, ride in tractors, and read books. He knows it's his birthday and didn't waste any time taking advantage of it. First thing this morning, he announced, "I need 3 breakfast-es because I'm 3." We love this kid and feel so blessed that he was given to our family! Lately, his big thing is to make faces at the camera. Truthfully, it will be a miracle if we get his 3 year pictures done because he absolutely loathes getting pictures taken and is not into smiling when there is pressure to do so. Here are a few of his faces:

sad

sillyangry

happy...of course, he had just seen his tractor birthday cake!

Oh yes we did. In truth, I came up with the idea and game plan and Chad executed. That's why I married him. So many hidden talents.

Happy Birthday, Luke!

More pics to come...we had a fun joint birthday party for the boys this weekend!

Our Little Mouse

My dear husband gave me chocolate for Valentine's Day. Not just any chocolate, the good stuff. The other evening after the boys were sleeping, we decided to bust out the good stuff and have ourselves a chocolate treat. However, something was amiss...

No, we don't have a puppy or any pets in the house. No mice either.

Turns out a certain boy, born on Valentine's, has developed a taste for the good stuff. I'm pretty sure this happened while he was "playing quietly" and I was making supper. Can't say I blame him. I love chocolate almost enough to eat through a wrapper to get to it too.

Valentine Birthday Boy

Many people think of this day only as Valentine's Day, but we have another reason to celebrate! Adam David was born on this day one year ago! We didn't exactly plan for him to be a Valentine's baby, but apparently that's when he wanted to arrive. This year has flown by, and we have loved having an extra little person to love each day! He has been the easiest baby ever...at least until the last 2 months or so. Somehow, he has forgotten how wonderful it is to sleep through the night! We're working on it. He is a happy little guy, and adores his big brother. His favorite things are bathtime, crawling up steps (preferably with Luke chasing him), reading books, and playing with Luke's toys. He says "uh oh" and signs "more". And he's imitated me saying "all done". I thought I was crazy at first, but Luke heard it too! He's taken a step here and there, but is not very interested in trying and prefers to crawl. He sure is loveable and gives lots of hugs! We just love this little guy!

a few days old

5 months old

6 months old

7 months old

9 months old

ONE YEAR!!! Happy Birthday, sweet boy!

Oh The Places Cars Will Go

One thing about motherhood...you never know what you will find. This find made me smile. Finding a toy car in a semi-clean toilet, not so much.

Bath Time

This is the new favorite pastime at our house. We recently started sharing bathtime...who knew it would be such a hit? As soon as they hear the water, they come running (or crawing super fast). They love playing in the water together and giggle lots. Luke hasn't admitted it at home, but his Sunday school teacher reported that he said Adam was his best friend. *melt* a mommy's heart!

New Car!

Adam's first ride. Happy baby!

Adam was just as excited to see Luke in the car!

Luke's first time in the car. Approximately 0.2 seconds after he got out of bed.
Because we were sick and didn't get to go to Omaha for Christmas with Chad's family, we got this Christmas present in January. It is a major.hit. Both boys are very into it. And, it's actually worked out well for me, too. If I need something put away in another room, I just ask Luke to "drive" it there, and suddenly picking up and putting away is fun!

Forget the To-Do List!

I have a to-do list that's a mile and a half long. For every item I check off, three more grow in its place. It's overwhelming. But, the weather gave us a wonderful near-70 degree day (in January!?!)...so what's a mommy to do? The list stayed at home, and we went to the park and enjoyed the sunshine. The infinite number of giggles and smiles were totally worth it. My goal is to do this more often this year. It's so easy for me to get wrapped up in the busyness of life...and that's not what is important. My children are growing fast and I am determined not to miss a thing!

Veggie Tales

Apparently this is the result of watching perhaps one too many Veggie Tales while sick on the couch for a week:

Bah Stomach-Bug

This last week we saw a little too much of this:

Both Chad and Luke came down with a nasty stomach virus last Monday. Nasty is not descriptive enough. I'd call it wicked, maybe just down right mean. It caused things to come out of both ends for not one, not two, but SIX days straight. And added cold-symptoms on top of that...runny nose, cough, and headache. Luke was inches away from having to go to the hospital for IVs because he was getting so dehydrated. Adam and I escaped the virus (thank the Lord!), but Adam fought a bad cold through it all. Basically, everyone was miserable, which meant we were all up at all hours both day and night. One night I think I got up around 9 times between both boys. Finally, (finally!) today everyone is basically back to normal, with the exception of lingering colds for Adam and Luke. It was one of the most trying times I have had so far as a mother. I will say, however, puke no longer has any gross-out affect on me. I'm over it. A big thank you goes out to my mom, who rearranged her work schedule to help me take the boys to the doctor, and who came over one day just to let me get out of the house for a little bit and run some errands. I think I might have lost my mind if it wasn't for that. Unfortunately our Christmas "break" resulted in being shut-in our home, which also meant we had to cancel plans to see several different friends we hadn't seen for 1-2 years. We were also planning to head to Omaha this past weekend to have our Christmas with Chad's family and that had to be scrapped as well. We were disappointed to say the least, but I am so grateful to see the light at the end of this nightmare. Now, back to work tomorrow. I'm gonna need to find some caffeine in the morning.

Merry Christmas!