Andy loves markers!

Andy loves to play with crayons and markers. Sometimes he gets them without us knowing ... like this day. He got a red marker and managed to get it all over himself from head to toe. In the last picture, I was telling him to show me his hands - he thought it was pretty funny.

Andy - 20 months old

Ben's Christmas party at School

I am not the room mom for Ben's class, but I'm on the PTA and I do get to help out. I wasn't sure what to expect since this is our first year at the Academy. Most of the kids came in as kindergarteners and since it's small, they all know each other as do the parents. So I'm just feeling my way around, trying to figure out the rules and what is allowed. They aren't allowed to have too many parties - but they are allowed a 'winter party.' It was a fun day. The kids had snacks and crafts. And I actually got to help out - which I appreciated. I had Will's party that day - so I brought him along to Ben's party. Everyone was super nice and even let Will particpate in the snack and craft.




That's Will there behind all the books. Ben is learning so much about other countries and cultures. They are really going into depth about alot of stuff and he's having a great time learning.

Ben, and a couple of his friends that he enjoys hanging out with.

Will's Christmas Party at Pre-K

Will goes to Pre-K 5 days a week, so he actually has 2 parties and pretty much 2 of everything. They have a TTH Class and a MWF class. I am the TTH room mom so I was in charge of one of the parties. We had pizza, cookies, a book exchange and played Christmas bingo. The kids seem to have enjoyed themselves quite a bit. It was a fun day!

I moved the tables around to try and get the kids more together - facing each other. I think it was well planned and went well.


We had pizza, cookies (from another mom's cookie store) ... yum! And we had a book exchange.


Will and his friend Kaden

Will was showing his friend, Kaden's, mom how big his tummy was from the pizza and cookies.

My goodie bags that I made for the class. The were filled w/snowman straws (which the kids used for whistles), playdoh, pencils, stickers, suckers w/Christmas covers. The tag had Will's picture on it.

An overview of the party

Playing Christmas bingo with cheerios.

The kids opening their books.

Will got a Diego book. Yea for Diego!

Andy and a red marker!

Andy got a hold of a red marker and tried to eat it. I asked him to show me his hands so I could see how red they were. He was so cute and thought he was pretty funny all red.

O'Christmas Tree

Last night after all the boys got their baths, I lined them up in front of the tree to take some photos of them. I like to do that every year - so we can see how much they change from year to year. Andy was definitely on board with it. He kept running up to the tree saying "cheese" and then he would run back, look at himself on the camera and go back and say "cheese." Ben and Will eventually got in on it and they allowed me 2 pictures. They humor me and let me, but they aren't much for taking pictures anymore.

 

Andy, Andy & Daddy

Will, Ben

Our First Snow!

I was about to put the boys to bed when we heard something outside. I thought it was sleet (and it could of been). We looked outside and it was snowing ... big ol' flakes. The boys were so excited - they wanted to go out and look. So of course, I had to grab the camera. They were in their undies, but they didn't care. They grabbed some jackets and headed outside to pose for me (Andy was already in bed). I had them stand by the car since that was the only place the snow was sticking to.

Andy - 19 months (on the 23rd of December)

I use to be really good about updating and journaling about the boys, but I've gotten so lazy about it. I didn't start this blog until this year so my other journaling is in a different format. I wish there was a way to date things so that they would go in order of date, and I could add it to my blog.

I will go forward and hopefully get better about journaling. It seems there's not enough time in the day and I continually put it off. It really makes me sad that I'm missing the chance to document all these wonderful moments. So ... I'm going to try and keep up. I really feel it's important and something I want to do to have these memories cherished. The boys grow so fast. Already they are 6 1/2, 4 1/2 and 19 months. I can't even believe it. Andy is almost 2 and I don't know where the time has gone.

I am going to start with Andy....

There are a lot of things that I love about you at this stage.

1. You are always so happy. You laugh and squeal with delight when something happens to make you smile. You are the best natured little guy.
2. You are talking pretty well. You say a lot of words (dog, eat, cheese, chair, sit, down, bed, juice, pee pee, poo poo, potty, diaper, nanna (banana), shoe, sock, more, mommy, daddy, ganny (granny), side (outside), see (do you see this? i see it.), apple, ice. Pretty much whatever we say or ask you to say, you do.
3. You are communicating really well. If we ask you a question, you answer it. You will shake your head yes or no and say yes or no. When we tell you to bring us something or do something - you know what we are saying. You understand so well.
4. You love dogs and call the dog to come inside or go outside by making the kissing noise.
5. I think you are almost ready for potty training. You know when you are going poo-poo and pee-pee. You want to go on the potty, but when I sit you on it, you don't go (yet). On November 11, you were taking a shower with Ben. Ben took your diaper off, then you said "pee pee" you squatted down on the floor and grabbed your diaper and put it over our privates to catch your pee. Since then, you squat and pee on the floor whenver you need : ) or in the bath when you are bathing.
6. You are very expressive. You have many different faces for your moods and feelings. I love that about you.
7. You love mommy mostly.
8. You have Ben and Will wrapped around your finger. If you want to cuddle and read books, you go to Ben. If you want to fight, play or be rough - you go to Will. Each of them gives you something different and you love that.
9. You are inquisitive. You love to tinker and figure things out. You move chairs to open doors, you climb on chairs to get to the table or whatever else it is that you want.
10. You love for mommy, daddy, ben or will to sit down and play with you. you tell us 'sit down.' and then you'll tinker with toys or point to the tv, meaning 'sit with me and do this.' it's so sweet.
11. if you want something or want to show us something, you'll come get us and pull us by our pants or shirt and say "see".
12. You love to feed the dogs and fuss over them. basically anytime you see a dog, you want to touch, kiss, chase until they play with you. You already have a love for animals like mommy : )
13. You absolutely love to play outside. You are old enough now to really enjoy the park - and you do. You love walks, being pulled in the wagon, or just playing in the backyard and jumping on the trampoline with your brothers.
14. You are a great sleeper. You go to bed about 8pm, sleep all night until about 9:30 am ... sometimes later. It's great b/c you are happy just being in your bed. You don't fuss when you wake up. You play. Which is great! You take one nap - usually about 2 hours. I put you down for a nap when I leave to pick up your brothers from school in the afternoon.
15. You enjoy some tv. You like the Baby Einstein Movies, and Letter Factory. You already know some of your letters and their sounds (A & B) and numbers (1 & 2).
16. You wear size 4 diapers, size 5 1/2 - 6 shoe, 12-18 or 18-24 months clothes.

You are a great joy. We are so thankful for you and feel you complete our little family. We can't wait to see how you grow and develop and what your personality will take after. But saying that, it's hard to watch our little baby grow and get bigger.

Fun at the Park

It was a beautiful day out, David was working late - so the boys and I decided to take advantage of it. We went to a park nearby that we love. We played on the park for a little while, then took a nature walk through the woods. We had a great time. All three of my boys love to be outside - especially Andy, so it was a great time.

Ben, with his sweet smile; Will thought it was funny to put his face in the speaker. Yeah ... it was funny! Will was darth vadar this day. Everyday he's someone different.


Will (Darth Vadar) hanging upside down; Ben doing a flip

Ben doing a hand stand; Ben, Will and Andy. I was trying to get a good shot on the slide, but it didn't work out real well. The sun was hot and I couldn't see all of their faces.

I love these pictures of Ben and Andy. I think they are so sweet. They really represent what they mean to each other. Ben is truly in love with Andy and really takes care of him and dotes over him. And aside from David and I, Ben is Andy's favorite person. He loves him so much. Andy's a big cuddler, so he loves to sit with Ben and watch tv or let Ben read to him.

Going for a walk. First Ben's pulling the wagon; then Andy's pulling and ben's giving him a boost. We most always have to take a stroller or wagon if we are going to be walking a lot. Will can't walk that much w/o getting tired and needing to rest. The cold and heat are hard on his lungs.

Adolphus Childrens Christmas Parade

This year was our first year to attend the Adolphus Childrens Christmas parade. David stayed home w/Andy and Ben, Will and I ventured into the cold. I talked to a girlfriend, Andria, who told me that I had to get there early to stake out a good spot. The parade started at 10am. The boys and I left the house at 7:00 am and got to downtown at 7:30am. We found a great spot just down from the Adolphus. We sat there in the freezing cold, with no sunshine for 2 1/2 hours waiting for the parade to start. I didn't know what to expect, but I did pack heavy jackets, gloves, hats, scarves, blankets, 2 small chairs for the boys and the wagon to pull them in. I should of brought heavier blankets and a chair for myself. That would of been ideal. Aside from all the gear - we had a great time. The boys really enjoyed themselves and I was pleasantly surprised that the parade was a lot longer than 15 minutes (like they are at Disney). It was a good hour long - which made the wait worth it.

(1) Ben and Will all snug in their winter gear waiting for the parade; (2) Ben and Will in the front (next to our green wagon) laying down waiting patiently. I love this shot b/c it looks like a bunch of homeless people.

This is the building David use to live in many years ago. We were actually sitting just down from it a little. It was neat to tell the boys their daddy use to live there. They of course couldn't believe he would live in the middle of downtown, but it really was a primo location.


We saw Santa, Snowman, Barney, some of the Dallas Stars, Ironman, Spiderman, Elvis, Elsie the Cow, Bob the Builder, characters from Star Wars, Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat, Max from Max and Ruby, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Rudolph, the Incredible Hulk, The Texas Rangers, and of course Santa Claus. There were many more appearances than this ... so, so many.

Creative Differences

We're working on our Christmas card for this year. My design got shot down so I thought I'd post it here...

I like it because it screams... maybe just not Merry Christmas... But I can't help liking it because it's just so darn festive...

david

Uncle Bubba dropped by

Eric dropped by to get some photos I had taken for he and his family and he was able to play with the boys for a few minutes - which they loved! They just devoured him and was so excited to get to see him. As you can see - they all had a great time! Well ... maybe not Eric ... he may be in alittle over his head. Ha!