Monkeying around

Last week after school, we stayed at B's playground and played with some friends. I turned around and saw J going for the monkey bars. What is really amazing, he is on the second bar. No, I did not put him there and by the look on his face, you can tell he is amazed he made it there. He also did not hesitate to drop when he was ready. The bars were probably 6 feet off the ground. He seems to have no depth perception, or he just does not care. Yesterday we were at the park and I turned around to see him jump off something that was over 4 feet off the ground. I don't know how his little bones can handle the repeated jumping!!!

Eating on the floor

Why are my kids not sitting in chairs while they eat???????????





























For the safety of the boys, I have had to remove anything that can become a 'ladder' so to speak. The other day he got his vitamins out. I am not sure how many he ate, but I do know that the bottle had just been opened a few days prior and this day it was half empty! Maybe that would explain the 6 or 8 dirty diapers I changed that day?? The vitamin episode was the finally straw. Next time he could get into something that his stomach will not handle as well.
That same day the boys decided to take a bath in our bathroom. The little suction cup thingy that holds shampoo, soap etc had fallen down and I really did not think much of it as they got into the bath. A short time later I heard B say, "Mom, you better come in here, J has blood all over him." Fortunately as I headed into the bathroom, it occurred to me what probably happened. Otherwise I am convinced I would have freaked out when I saw J. He was standing up in the tub and had a stream of blood from his lip all the way to his toes. He had, as I thought, somehow gotten a hold of a razor and managed to cut his lip. I did remain very cool and calm as I thought this could need stitches. After 15 minutes though I was able to get it to stop bleeding.

One more reason why we are so diligent to pray for a hedge of protection around the boys!

J

I sure love this kid! I think though that he is the child that one might term my 'payback' kid. Seems that every parent has one child that seems to give them a run for their money and I am betting that J will be my child. He is a middle child just like me!

I love watching him kiss JB on the head.
I love to hear the pitter patter of his feet running upstairs, even though he should be in bed.
I love watching him pull all the cushions off the couch and do somersault after somersault as he laughs.
I love it when he is sent to his room and 2 seconds later he is yelling "Momma, me have betta attitude".
I love to hear him laugh while in the shower with B.
I love praying with him at bedtime and hearing him ask to pray for the same things over and over (cows, water, our friends Mark and Tomo - not sure why but when he decides to pray for something, the request comes night after night for months...).
I love hearing him speak - today he said probably his longest sentence ever "Tell Dad to come downstairs please". He accentuates every word and has this unusual deep tone often times.
I love to watch him ride his scooter, as he ackwardly leans back as he pushes off.
I love his curls.
I love it that he is still small enough to easily pick up and carry, even when having a tantrum.
I love the sign he uses for 'treat' when he has gone in the potty.
I love to watch his determination when he opens the yogurt by himself.
I love his sense of adventure.
I love laying down with him and taking a nap.
I love to watch him chase after the soccer ball when his little legs get to going.
I love to hear him yell "I did it".
I love how he will fall asleep in his closet during nap time.
I love hearing his screams throughout the house.
I love when he puts on B's pajamas and they just hang off of him.
I love watching him stack couch cushions 5 high and jumping off them.
I love the fact that he is so independent and wants to do so much by himself (as frustrated as I get with his 'No, let me do it')
I love it when he hides behind a certain chair because he is eating something he should not be (he thinks I can't hear the wrapper making noise).
I love the way he holds out his hand when he says "no".
I love to watch him in the video store as he grabs everything off the shelves with great excitement (and puts them back when asked).
I love to find you hiding under your bed when you are doing something you should not be and you go there to hide when you hear me coming.
I love how excited he gets about going fishing.
I love watching him play in the sandbox.
I love it how whenever I spank him and he starts crying the one thing he wants is for me to hold him - despite the discipline.
I love his curiousity.
I love watching the drool run down his chin.
I love his level of noise and often don't want to silence him but feel I should because of others or where we are.
I love to watch him push the child's cart in the grocery store as he hops/skips behind it (even though one time he got away from me and a store employee had to chase him down...I could hear him all the way across the store, just couldn't catch him).
I love to hear him say "knock it off"
I love to hear the 'gallop' sound as he runs/skips down the hallway.
I love to see him wrapped up in his towel after a shower with water dripping off his nose.
I love to see him get so excited when Dad walks through the door.
I love to watch him run naked through the house.
I love how he puts his clothes on backwards and sometimes inside out.
I love to watch him carefully wrap a napkin around his popsicle.
I love to watch him try to roast a marshmallow.

It will be so awesome to watch him as he continues to grow and develop. That sense of adventure, curiousity and determination is going to be quite the combination. Will be interesting to see what other gifts and talents develop that God has given him.

B

B...
I am so thankful for this little guy! He keeps me on my toes with all of his questions. Although frustrations run high as he tries to 'wear me down with his reasoning', I know that God has something special for this kid. He has been given a mind that does not seem to ever slow down. He is always planning and thinking about his next move. You can see it in his eyes. You can hear it in his voice. He is trying to figure out how to get what he wants.
I love to watch him work a 100 piece puzzle.
I love to hear him sing songs.
I love to watch him play his board/computer games.
I love to hear him 'rev' up his little engine (feet) as he prepares to take off running.
I love to watch him wrestle with J.
I love to watch him get excited about something and exclaim "you have got to be kidding".
I love it when he wants to help me in the kitchen.
I love it when he comes up with a better solution to a problem than I could have.
I love to see his independence and desire to do things by himself.
I love to see his problem solving skills, as he tries to figure out how to get the ball out of the tree.
I love to watch him teach J new things.
I love to watch him try to close his dresser drawer when he has crammed all of his clothes in there.
I love to watch him decide it is best to pull them all out and fold them properly.
I love to get on the computer and find cool things to show him, like astronauts in outerspace and how things float around, to which he exclaims "that's incredible".
I love to hear him call people, whose names he cannot remember, "Dude".
I love to watch him get excited when we go to the arcade and he 'plays' all the games, although I don't put any money in the machines.
I love to listen to him play with his Rescue Heroes and all the pretend conversations they have.
I love to watch him cross his arms and get a pouty face when he is upset with me.
I love to watch him run across the playground at the end of each school day and give me a hug.
I love to hear answer a question about the bible - the things he retains.
I love how he can recall events and details from things that happened 6 months ago (things that I don't even remember).
I love to hear him answer the phone now when it rings.
I am so thankful for his unconditional love even when I discipline him and his willingness to forgive when I lose it with him when I should not have.
I love to watch the expression on other peoples faces when we are out in public and overhear the two of us talking/negotiations.

I love some of my most recent interactions with him....
"Mom, I want to buy this"
"Sorry. I told you we are not going to buy any toys this trip"
"But Mom, let me explain to you why we need to buy this. You see, Luke has this and so does Ian so it is only right that I have it too...."

At the checkout stand...
"Mom, I really need this"
"I have already told you no"
"Mom, why are you so mean to me. You don't EVER buy me ANYTHING"
"Sometimes I tell you yes and sometimes no. Today it is no"
"That is not fair" with the folded hands and pouty face.

I love how his mind is always thinking...
Today we were riding in the car listening to a CD about the creation story. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." As the story went on, he quietly listened. Then it was
"Mom, can we go to outerspace sometime?"
"No, just a few people ever get to go to outerspace."
"Why?"
"Because you need a really big spaceship to go there and they are very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very expensive"
"Well....if dad worked hard everyday we could get one."
"Oh, I don't think that would get us a spaceship. Maybe you should be an astronaut when you grow up. They get to go into outerspace."
"Well, I just don't understand...." and he trailed off on a long list of things he does not understand about outerspace. He was just so frustrated that he could not wrap his 5 year old mind around it.

There is a lot about my oldest to love and I look forward to the many more things I will discover.

My 3 Sons

I like the sound of that....My 3 sons. Not to mention I really liked the show growing up!!

boys and fall festival 005, originally uploaded by Mory2006.

Fall Festival

Was a hot day here! Could not believe the number of people that turned out for the local fall festival. The parade was about 6 blocks long and I would guess that the people were 2-3 deep in most spots. We actually got there a little early to make sure we were in the front so that J could get candy. I should have known that about 1 minute before all the floats got in front of us, a lady and two small kids stepped right in front of us and sat down basically at my feet. I was a little peeved. I decided not to say anything though because J was so tired and did not seem interested in getting down from his perch on dad's shoulders. We stood on the side of the road for an hour watching horses, fire trucks, army trucks, cheerleaders, high school band, etc. I did not realize a parade could last that long. JB slept through it all thankfully. When B's float, the AWANA float, finally came by, he was sitting on the wrong side of the float (despite the careful instructions I gave him about where to sit). Dad chased the float down and got some pictures though. He said he had a good time though. When I picked him up afterward, he looked so tired. I did not even think to send a water bottle along with him (he had been out in the 90 degree heat for 2 1/2 hours without water.



Afterwards, there were vendors and inflatables at the local park. The fire department had free pit BBQ for lunch. I hear the BBQ was still available 2.5 hours later. (That is a lot of meat!). Remembering how chaotic the park was last year after the parade (waiting in the bounce house line that was 30 kids long) we opted to go back to the park later in the afternoon. The lines were much shorter. Although my outing was almost ruined by 2 boys that were around 10 years old. I don't know that I have ever told anyone to their face that they were obnoxious, but I did not withhold my tongue with those two. It seemed that they followed us from bounce house to obstacle course to inflatable slides. As we finally left the area I even made it a point to talk to B about those boys and how rude I thought they were. Just being loud, pushing, inappropriately using the inflatables, just 2 boys unsupervised totally feeding off of each other. The boys sure had fun and I was very impressed with all the climbing J did. He kept up with B pretty well.

Mannequins

I found it so odd. Today I ran into Old Navy with J and JB. As soon as we walked in, there were 2 mannequins right in front of us. J stood there for the longest time looking at them. I realized that he had probably never seen a mannequin, since we don't frequent stores that have them. I told him they were not real people and then walked up and 'knocked' on one of them. His eyes got really big. Then he smiled and walked up and touched them. As we left the store, he was eyeing them again and I told them he could touch them one more time. He walked up and just about knocked both of them over. It is so fun when one of them discovers something 'new' like that!
The last couple of nights JB has been fussy. I think it is more a matter of overstimulated and can't go to sleep, versus colic. Either way, it has meant two nights I got to sit on the couch and watch Biggest Loser and America's Got Talent. Something I very rarely get to do...watch evening TV in large chunks of time.
B had another good week at Kindergarten. He brought home his first 'fundraiser' - ugghh! One thing I have started doing on the way to school in the morning is to pray out loud for B's day. It is amazing the things he will mention for me to pray about. That is one thing I really want to instill in their lives, the importance of prayer. Anytime or anywhere and no request is too small. I also find that when I start praying I get there attention. Sure comes in handy when I am mad and frustrated with them and cry out loud in prayer for patience and wisdom. He is back into AWANA and is a Sparky this year. The local 'Fall Festival' is this weekend and I think he wants to ride on the AWANA float, so hopefully we can get some good pictures.
I attended a PTC (parent teacher committee) meeting tonight. Figured a great way to get plugged in and involved and knowledgable about what goes on. For example, there are two K-3 schools here and we attend the 'older/original' school. I did not realize that the school was built in the 50s and therefore is not wired for this century. Most classrooms only have 1 computer. One of the goals of PTC (long term) would be to get 4 computers in each classroom. However, before that can be done, there has to be $40K worth of electrical work done to support those computers. I knew the school district was very tight for funds and the budget had been cut, but there is no art program and unless the PTC funds a field trip for each class, there will be no field trips.
I had my 6 week check-up today and got the green light to resume all activity.
That's it for now...hopefully more pictures this weekend.

JB's first hike

We finally got out as a family of 5 and did a short hike - about 1.5 miles round trip, at best but it was great. The weather was beautiful and it was a very shaded hike with just enough uphill to burn some energy. The two older boys did great. They are starting to figure out if you don't watch the trail, you will take a dive. J had one big trip while he was crossing a very small (depth wise) stream. He did not like the cold water. We actually got a really good family shot again while hiking
.


I have been playing with a few features on the camera and for some reason, love the eye shots. It is not too hard to tell who is who....(I tried to get one of JB with his eyes open but the red eye flash kept freaking him out). I don't know if all babies are not born with eye lashes, but JB did not have one when he was born. I am amazed how fast they have grown in 5 weeks. He might end up with beautiful long lashes like the other boys after all.





We also bought a fire pit for the backyard today, so looking forward to roasting lots of marshmallows and spending time out back as the days get shorter and the evenings get cooler!



One more pic of JB...still trying to capture that accidental smile....

This and That

B continues to enjoy school. Everyday the first thing he tells me is how many times he got to go on the playground. Today was their first "Library Day" and he got to check out a Spider-Man book. He was very excited. He continues to bring home smiley faces every day from his teacher and I learn one or two more names of classmates. Today the big news was that one of the girls had a bloody nose. Still not sure how that happened but did not appear to be caused from an accident.
J plays very nicely while B is at school but throughout the day will say "Go pick up B". He loves getting to play on the playground while we wait for the bell to ring. He is still taking really good naps but struggles falling asleep at bedtime. B now has the bedtime routine down and does not give us too many problems, but J does not seem to mind the spankings. They are both asleep most nights by 8 (and it is quiet usually around 7:30), so that is an improvement. They both seem to be getting into the habit of wanting to read by themselves a bit in bed too, which I happily welcome.
Whenever it gets really quiet in the house, I will call out to J and ask what he is doing. His usual response is "Just Looking", which can mean one of many things. Fortunately he has not figured out how to cover up his tracks yet, so I can usually figure out what he has been up to. I finally got all the toys in the house rounded up and sorted and put in the playroom closet and a lock on the closet door. Now, I control how many toys and what toys come out. It sure makes for a much neater, picked up playroom. No more tripping over toys and the power struggles of cleaning up a whole mess of toys. Now my next project is their bedroom closet and sorting all the winter/summer clothes and getting a lock on that too (to discourage the throwing every piece of clothing out until I find what I want or the 'I picked out cut off shorts for church and you told me to get my clothes and I don't want to change').
JB is doing well. Still sleeping a lot but is finding it hard to fall asleep for 'the night'. He usually will fuss around 8pm and requires some one on one. I recently came across a bottle of Gripe Water that I have had (it is Oil of Fennel) and can be used for gas, colic, etc. I tried it one night. He went from screaming and flailing to an instant calm and ready to tackle his pacifier. (I know the Gripe Water does not 'work' that fast, so assuming it is the taste that distracts him??) He is the first of my three to take to a pacifier so this is new territory for me. It is very soothing for him, but very irritating for me when he can't keep it in his mouth longer than 1 minute. He is starting to coo and even though I see him every day, I am amazed at how big he has gotten. He is starting to outgrow his 0-3 month clothes - seems he has a long torso. When I took him in for his month check up, the nurse practitioner was listening to his heart for a very long time. I started to get concerned when she finally piped up that he has the 'latino' blood. His heart was beating really fast and took him a while to settle down, although he certainly was not upset outwardly. The nurse and others have commented on how strong he is when he kicks or holds his head up. He knows he has two very active brothers he will need to keep up with.
I am just about ready to hit the gym again. Will wait until my 6 week check-up next week and then hopefully the weather will stay nice enough for some bike riding and I can figure out some gym time. We took a short hike over the weekend and did pretty well. Had to push JB in the stroller but we made good time.
JR is enjoying the new job. His boss is very accomodating and good to his employees. We have been a one car family for 2 weeks now (long story short, our trusty mechanic can't figure out the problem, then our mechanic, who works alone, fell and broke some ribs so was out of commission for a while....we hope to have everything fixed by end of this week) and getting everyone dressed and out of the house by 7am so we can take JR to the bus stop to catch the shuttle up the canyon has been challenging. I guess one nice thing is I don't ever have to worry about doing 'hair', unless you count J's long hair and curls.

New family photo

New Family Photo

9.2

JB had his 1 month check-up. He weighs 9.2, which means he has gained 2 pounds in 3 1/2 weeks. So, I guess all of his sleeping is not interferring with his eating and gaining weight. I also had her check my incision (I have been keeping an eye on it). As expected, it is not infected (but inflamed). So, I am getting on some medicine to try to stay on top of it before it becomes infected.
Should be nice weather this weekend, so hoping to get an official family photo with our 3 sons, as well as a hike in. Will probably take a day trip to Billings on Saturday and just hang out the rest of the weekend.

Happy Birthday JR

The boys and I baked a cheesecake for JR's 40th and then the boys 'decorated' it. I don't know that cheesecake and ice cream was a good idea just before bedtime though. The bedtime routine has been going much better. With the exception of tonight, they have both been asleep by 8 the last couple of nights.
J's speech therapist finished up her 'testing' on Monday and is recommending that we hit it hard for September and then reevaluate discharging J, or at least going to every other week in October to see if he regresses. He has so many words and is becoming a little chatter box. He has definitely regressed in the potty training area, which I expected. I have backed off and will wait for a cue from him to pick it back up.
Recently I was outside with a neighbor talking when B approached us with glasses of water. Seeing a 'teachable moment' I commented on B's servant attitude and how nice it was that he was looking out for our needs/wants. He has 'served' me numerous times lately. However, the 'serving' pattern is becoming quite interesting. Around snack time, B will seek me out and bring me a popsicle, telling me he thought I would enjoy one. He never asks for one himself, but you sure can see the 'want' in his eyes. It sure is hard to tell your son no when he is being so 'considerate'. He is also a great help around the house, especially getting me things when I am tied up with JB.
J is quite helpful around the house too. Just today he saw me taking empty cereal boxes and 'breaking them down' for the recycling bin. So, he grabbed the full box of Frosted Mini Wheats and proceeded to pour the whole box in the trash before 'breaking' down the box. Fortunately we had just taken out the trash, so it was a clean trash bag and I could salvage most of the cereal.
Finally starting to get JB on a set schedule with eating and sleeping. The last two nights I have actually had dreams, so not sure if that means I am getting good sleep at night, but have not been napping every day.