Who Am I?

The other day, I started to wonder who have I've become? I mean; I now love working out, I hardly drink any pop any more, Ryan's still getting breast milk and he's 7.5 months old, I'm making my own baby food, I don't miss working, I can easily go a day or two without a shower, I don't make cookies/brownies/etc as much as I thought I would and I have a COSTCO membership. Someone stop me if I start buying organic - please! Of course all of these changes are great for me and my family so no complaints, but still, I'm surprised, I thought I knew me better than that.

Bunkmates

We started a bad habit of laying with Drew when he was really young. He was 17 months old and was climbing out of his crib and I was pregnant with Matt so we got these bunkbeds knowing they might be put to good use down the road and our plan was to put the top bunk on the floor in Drew's room at the time as his big boy bed. Well he of course wouldn't stay in his bed or room for that matter so we started laying with him. It was easy, he would stay there and being pregant at the time a little nap wasn't so bad. Well, we created a monster! Still to this day, Drew prefers to be in bed with us, however we've broken the habit or so I thought. Now on occasion, he talks Matt into letting him sleep with him. So, while the bunkbeds have definatly been a good purchase, there are still times that I wonder why we spent the time putting them up or why we even got them. I'm sure in a few more years he'll break this habit or Matt won't allow it, so we'll let them enjoy this while they can.

Sunday Morning Shave

Like most young boys, Drew and Matt just idolize Craig and want to do everything he does. The poor guy can't even mow the grass in peace and quiet. So most Sunday mornings they like to join him in the bathroom and shave as well. Aren't they cute!

Many Faces

As you can see all of these photos were taken within moments of each other and while we all know they are all of Ryan, he looks so different in each photos. I of course love all the faces he makes, even the ones when he's crying. It is hard not to love the two-tooth smile on any baby, but I just love the profile shot of him. It is often how I see him when I'm holding him. I love how he looks so innocent and sweet and of course those long lashes aren't bad either.

Here's a quick update on Ryan. At 7 month old he is still long and lean, has his two front teeth with the counterparts on the top pushing through. He is enjoying eating all his baby food, loves to feed himself crackers, puts everything in his mouth (seriously, why does the 3rd have to be the one to do that, doesn't he know we have a TON of Legos!?!?), is army crawling, sits up great and can even get himself back into the sitting position and is basically on a pretty predictable schedule as long as we are at home to keep him on that schedule. He loves playing with any toy that makes noise, is very ticklish and LOVES watching his brothers and other kids and often will squeal and giggle when watching them. I'm sure he can't wait to be running with the pack!

I haven't taken the time to look back to see when Drew and Matt hit some of these milestones but I swear he seems to be hitting a lot of them earlier than they did, which is keeping me on my toes!

Holding On

The other day while running errands I had Matt hold my hand as we crossed the street and for a brief moment I took a chance to soak up how it felt to have him hold my hand. I love how it feels to hold their small little hands in mine. Even now at 5 Drew's hand feels too big and before I know it, all their hands will be bigger than mine.

I'm not sure if it is because I'm at home now and have the chance to enjoy these things more or if it is becuase I know Ryan is our last and maybe it is a combo of the two, but I feel like I'm more conciously soaking up these little moments that I know will be gone in a blink of an eye. Thankfully I've got several more years before Ryan's hands are too big to hold so I've got plenty of time to seal this memory away for good.

Two Down, One To Go!

I'm going to offically declare a victory on potty training for Matt. While it has been pretty messy at times, the over all process was shorter than when we went through it with Drew. And of course in true boy fashion, he is now very proud to be able to pee standing up like the big boys. As for me, I'm happy to be buying less diapers/pull ups but am cleaning toliets more frequently.

Mother Goose

While at the Doctor's Office the other day (yes, I know that is a surprise). Our Doctor made a comment that whenever his wife would see a mother walking with her small children she would comment that it reminded her of a mother duck with her ducklings. Now after hearing that I totally feel like a mother duck as I usher the boys in and out of places. And I'm sure by the end of the summer when Ryan is walking too I'll really feel my animal instincts kicking in.

Ready For Bed

Well at least they looked ready for bed. Not sure if they are ever ready to go to sleep.

Splish, Splash, Ryan's Takin' a Bath

I just love this photo. I love how you can see the thrill in Ryan's eyes, how I was able to capture the water splashing and it reminds me of how much he loves the bath. I think he is going to love the pool this summer.

Tis the Season

On Tuesday in class, Matt learned about the 4 seasons. So as usual, I asked him about his class on our drive home and asked him what the four season were. Although it was not the answer I was expecting, it was correct and I give him extra credit for creativity. His answer was, "there is the snow season, short sleeve shirt, bare feet and long sleeve shirt". Gotta love how he connects the dots. And speaking of seasons. Let's give a shout out to Spring. Thank goodness it has arrived. We are thrilled to be outside burning off our energy and are loving the hugs from the sun.

Joke's on Me

The boys have been looking forward to April Fool's Day for several weeks now. Practicing their pranks, they'll tell me that my pancakes are on fire or something else along those lines. So last night in preparation for the big day I put food coloring in the milk. When I poured their milk this morning they really weren't that amused and refused to drink the milk. Needless to say our pancakes ended up being green today. Thankfully there wasn't much milk left in the jug otherwise it would have really been a bust.