Random Rundown

Whew - it's been a crazy busy summer.  Can't believe it's already halfway over.  We have been so busy living life and having fun, that I haven't had time to document on the ole bloggy. 


We've been doing a lot of this...  and guess who loves it?  Joshua is a little fish.  He loves it!

We also spent some time at the good old Shelby County fair.  The boys have so much fun.  And guess who that pretty princess is - yep, our niece won Miss Shelby County Teen.  So proud of her!

 

We've also been busy playing the new Wii U - Jonathan's birthday present.  They LOVE it.  Mommy, not so much, but the rest of the crew could play it all day long (if we let them, which we don't!)



Mommy and Daddy snuck away for a little date night to see one of his co-workers get married.  The Kiddos got to hang out with Grammy and Pa.  I tell you what, there's something magical about grandparents.  There is nothing.  I mean nothing that the boys can ask them that they won't do.  :-)

AND.... drum roll, please.... MOMMY got to party like a middle school kid!  I went to see New Kids on the Block with some girlfriends from church.  We had a blast.  Let me tell ya, those guys are still fun to watch.  We were joking about how old we were and how old the New Kids are... doesn't matter.  I'm still a super fan! 

Happy FIFTH birthday Big Bad Jon

omgeee, I'm running late.  Such is life with three boys, I suppose.  Or maybe I'm just in denial about this post.  My baby is 5.  Wait. a. minute.  What???  Yep,  Jonathan turned the big F-I-V-E on May 30.  I just can't believe that he's already five years old.  My goodness.  Where to start on this momentous occasion...
Here's a few tidbits about the birthday boy- a list of fives if you will...
Jonathan's five favorite foods:
  strawberries, blueberries, yogurt, ice cream and barbecue fritos
Jonathan's five favorite games:
  Super Mario on the Wii U,  Mario checkers, Mario memory match, Sorry, Hide and Seek
Jonathan's five favorite TV shows:
  Tom and Jerry, Sonic X, Looney Toons, (okay - that's only three... he really watches anything his brother wants to watch)
Jonathan's five favorite places to go eat:
  McDonalds, Snappy Tomato (which he calls Papa Tomatoes), Steak and Shake, Zaxby's, and Little Caesars
Jonathan's five favorite places to go:
  HOME (he loves being home!), Mamaw and Papaw's, Grammy and Pa's, anywhere with Daddy, and the park

Here's a few highlights from his birthday celebration...
First, we went to Chuck E Cheese on his "real" birthday.  He was so excited to get a Wii U from mommy and daddy, Grammy and Pa and Mamaw and Papaw. 

Then, he had a few friends to play at the Discovery Gym.  A fun time (and awesome Mario cupcakes) were had by all.  I made these cute little mustaches for everyone for a picture.  So cute! 

 

Little buddy, here's praying that your 5th year is all you hoped it could be.  You are a wonderful and sweet boy.  It nearly rips my heart out to believe you are already 5 years old.  It feels like just yesterday that we surprised everyone at Jacob's first birthday party with a shirt that proclaimed he was the big brother and that I was pregnant with you!  You have a great and funny personality and sometimes I just love the things you say.  You make us laugh all the time.  You are growing so big and starting to become a little more independent of your brother.  You go to your own class at church now with no problems and handle activities that are only for "k and up" like a champ.  You are a quality time guy for sure.  The first thing we hear each morning is "what can we do?"  Jonathan, keep on learning about and loving Jesus.  Remember he will never leave you or forsake you.  Neither will we.  I love you forever, I love you for always. 

Closing a chapter

This one's been in the bloggy cue for a while... (I have a lot of catching up to do!!!)

I've probably said this 100 times on the old bloggy, but oh my goodness, I wish time would just stop moving so quickly.  We are in transition around here, I guess you could say.  Jonathan finished up preschool (forever - sigh!) last Friday and Wednesday, Jacob finished up his Kindergarten year (sigh!)  Oh my goodness, how is it possible that I'm the mother of a first grader and a kindergartner and a much too old 7 1/2 month old?  

Jacob had a fantastic year at Painted Stone and I'm so proud!  He had the best teacher ever and really really flourished.  Okay - totally gonna be that braggy mommy for a minute...hold your ears if it makes you gag.  Ha!  He was a model student.  He had great behavior (stayed on green all year!) and was kind to his peers.  One of my favorite pictures I have of him at one of my trips to his classroom was him randomly helping one of his peers tie his shoe.  He is a fantastic reader - I loved watching him read stories to his classmates.  He loved doing his homework (may be a nerd, just like his mommy!) and was super motivated to earn special treats and to pick from the treasure box at school.  He scored so well on the standardized tests.  They made him nervous.  He enjoyed all his special area classes but music was his favorite.  He played outside for recess and loved it.  Sometimes he even got to play on the "big kids" playground.  During indoor recess, he often did art and would draw some of the cutest pictures and write funny stories.  I loved reading his writing and trying to decipher his spelling.  He has a strange habit of putting an apostrophe at the end of every word he makes plural.  It's cute.  At the beginning of the year in his writing activities, his teachers would try to get him to expand and write more sentences, he would embellish his stories with sentences like, "they are.  They really are.  Yes they are."  He gets in quite a hurry when he writes, which makes me nine kinds of crazy, so I'm constantly telling him to slow down and remember to write the letters the way his teachers do.  He tries to write in cursive - which kind of looks like chicken scratch if I'm honest.  :-)

Here he is with his super sweet and super awesome teacher, Melinda Haggard.  Can't say enough good things about her!

 

Kindergarten awards day. 

 

Jacob grew and changed a lot this year.  He is more obedient and helpful at home and a great big brother to both his brothers at home. I'll always remember his kindergarten year as the year with no teeth.  Seriously - almost his entire year was without his whole row of front teeth.  SO CUTE!!!! He is a typical silly boy - doing silly, impulsive things that get him in trouble.  And he is SOOOO messy. But, for the most part, he does so well.  Jacob grew and changed...So did mommy.  I tried to cherish the time I had with him, because it felt so limited.  That was the biggest adjustment for me - not seeing him as much.  On the first day of kindergarten, (y'all remember...) I was a hot mess.  Well, I had nothing to worry about - he was great!  I am grateful that summer is here - we have a whole list of fun things planned.  I hope I can not be too busy to soak in all the precious little moments we can share.  My prayer is that I can truly enjoy all of my kiddos every single day.  I also hope first grade is just as fantastic as this kindergarten! 

 Here he is on the last day of school - took pictures like this on the first day of school too....

Ode to Chester

this post is a tad late... ahhh, the story of my life it seems.  Jonathan has had a fabulous year at FBC preschool.  It's hard to believe it's over.  Last Friday, we said goodbye to some fabulous friends and teachers that have helped shape my boy's life and began an early love for learning.  Jonathan loved preschool - especially "riding bikes" and "playing basketball with Walker."  Those were always the highlights.  If I pressed more, I could usually find out what he had for snack or what songs they sang and what was the Bible story of the day/week.  He's a man of few details though.  :-)  Our preschool pick-up conversations usually went something like this:
Mommy, "Hey buddy, what was your favorite thing about preschool today?" (I learned early that I can't just ask "how was preschool?" - all I get then is "fine.")
Jonathan, "Playing with Walker." 
Mommy, "Cool - what did you guys play?" 
Jonathan, "we rode bikes and played basketball.  Then we played with Eli and Lincoln some too."
Mommy, "What about Molly Kate?" 
Jonathan, "umm she's a girl so she don't like basketball but I play puzzles in the room with her."  
Mommy, "what else, buddy?"
Jonathan, "Can I play your phone?"

Alrightythen... my few minutes is gone.  Sweet sweet boy.  I do typically get bits and pieces about his day at random times during the day.  I need to be better about stopping what I'm doing to listen to him.  I feel like I say, "just a minute..."  TOO MANY TIMES.  I know guilt is not from the Lord, but man, when I think about this, the guilt almost strangles me.  Oh Lord, help me be less busy and more attentive so I don't miss any of the details of his life when he's willing to share them. 

One of the highlights of preschool is getting to bring home the classroom stuffed animal, Chester Bear.  Jonathan got to bring him home twice.  He made every move we made.  It was totally adorable.  :-) 

Here's Jonathan with the preschool director, Jan Wonderlich and his sweet teacher, Linda Ashby.   Both are WONDERFUL women of the Lord and have loved on my boys with all their hearts.  I am so grateful. 

In my house, I am the:

milk pourer

milk cleaner upper

boo boo kisser

Band-Aid opener

milk maker

bottle giver

diaper changer

bootie wiper

backpack packer

lunchbox maker

question answerer

snack maker

popcorn popper

fort maker

grocery shopper

meal maker

bike helmet fastener

shoe finder

cheek kisser

sock matcher

clothes washer

nail clipper

swing pusher

stroller pusher

carpool driver

craft maker

paci finder

cheerleader

homework checker

silly song singer

dance party creator

prayer warrior

 

 

All of these things are in my job description... I am mommy.  And I love it.  And it's the BEST job in the world.  I love being a mommy and am so grateful that three little people on this planet call me mommy.  I know I'm far from perfect and I pray every day that God would guide me and help me be exactly the mommy they need.  Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful mothers - especially my awesome momma.  I love you.  Thanks for helping shape me into the mom that I am. 

6 months... growing like a weed

Baby Joshua is six months old.  Can you believe it???  Time is going so fast.  Here's the highlights.  Joshua weighs exactly 17 lbs, and is 26 3/4" long.  Both in the 50th percentile.  He got his six month vaccines on Wednesday and has been a little fussy/feverish since, poor baby.  He is generally so happy and pleasant.  What an incredible blessing he is to our family.  He is absolutely the light of his brothers' lives.  I cannot believe how much they love him.  No one makes him laugh like they do.  Seriously.  He loves it when Jacob says (yells!) "There's my smile" and jumps in his face.  He also loves it when Jonathan puts his foot on his belly and pretends to fall on him.  Lord help us all if he ever
actually falls on him.  It makes me nervous, but the belly laughs that result are so worth it.  I'm convinced that there is no better sound on earth than that of a happy baby laughing.  Joshua started eating some solid foods this month.  First sweet potatoes and then bananas.  He liked them both.  Next up??? avocado... that's sure to be some DIRTY bibs and clothes.  :-)  Joshua started rolling over and sleeping totally on his belly.  That makes me nervous, but there's no sense in me changing it.  He's pretty darn content.  He is an incredible sleeper!!! He sleeps from about 8 or 8:15pm to 8 or 8:15pm.  We still wake him up at 10 or 11 for a dream feed.  What a sweet boy.  He is enjoying being outside watching the boys run around and jump on the neighbors' trampoline.  He doesn't like the sun in his eyes.  He is all into his toys and can
transfer them from hand to hand. He also has started sitting up on his own - he can hold on for about 15 seconds before making a face plant. He's right on target developmentally.                        

                          It's getting harder and harder to get his month-by-month update pics :)

see, he's totally trying to stand up...

 

or lay down on the job...

 

or scoot and roll (speaking of rolls, check out those thighs!)

 

Whatever he's doing, I'd say he is just about the cutest thing ever!!!

what to do?

 

Those of you who know me well, know I've been agonizing over a big decision... to send Jonathan to Kindergarten or wait another year.  Still not fully decided, but after hearing from his preschool teacher, his Sunday School teacher - who both have many years of experience with this age kiddos, and Jacob's kindergarten teacher, who so awesomely agreed to give Jonathan a screener... we decided to go ahead and register the big boy for BIG K.  Oh. My. Goodness.  Honestly, I may still change my mind in August, but I really think he's ready.  He did awesome on the screeners and academically is totally ready.  I don't want him to be bored if he waits another year.  He just seems so much more vulnerable than Jacob was.  I don't know why... I guess it's the second born syndrome.  Or the fact that he had all those medical problems when he was two.  Probably, it's the fact that he still has crying fits and home and acts like a total baby sometimes.  Yep, that's what I worry about the most.  Of course, everyone says he acts totally mature and responsible in other settings.  And of course we still have 4 months.  :-)  I love that little guy so very very much and I want the best for him.  I pray that he loves school and he is happy and has good friends.  I pray that he will not be led by the wrong kiddos. I pray that he will be salt and light in a dark world.  I pray that he has awesome teachers.  I pray that the speech stuff he has going on won't be a big deal and that he won't get made fun of by his peers. Y'all, this parenting thing is no joke.  I know this is the first of many many tough decisions.  :-)

Here he is on Kindergarten registration day!

who says dressing boys can't be fun???

Happy Easter from our little family to yours.  We had a fun-filled weekend with family, friends and sweet worship at church.  Thank you Jesus for the ultimate sacrifice - may we never ever forget! 

 

five months old already? You can't be serious...

Hello everyone!  I'm five months old (actually, 5 1/2 but who's counting?)... I love being 5 months old.  It's way better than being 4 months old.  See??? I get to hang out in this really cool toy.  It lets me sort of stand up, which I think is awesome because it's more like what my brothers do.  I can also see them better this way.  BUT, I only like it for about 5 minutes at a time.  I am a diva after all - what does that word, "diva" mean anyway??? My mommy and daddy call me that sometimes.  I mean who wouldn't want to go potty as soon as you get a dry diaper on?  Mommy and daddy are so silly. 

 

I also get to hang out with super cool people like my Grammy and Pa and Mamaw and Papaw.  Here I am in the awesome and strong arms of my pa.  Did you know that I'm named after him? 

 

 

My mommy also finally remembered to put my number 5 onesie on for my famous photo shoot.  I'm getting so big.  Do my legs look big to you?  Hmm, they do to me.  I guess my mommy's doing a good job feeding me.  I love my life.  I have so much fun.  I have a couple of new tricks - I can totally grab my toes and I can roll over both ways.  I'm also getting really good at grabbing things and playing a little with my toys.  I even grab things I'm not supposed to like mommy's hair and food off their plates.  I'm so cool!  Oh and guess what else???  I can blow bubbles and squeal really loud.  Hee hee.  Don't be jealous!  I still eat five times a day and am only getting mommy's milk so far.  They keep talking about cereal or something, but I haven't tried it yet.  I am one happy happy boy.  I smile all the time.  I like it a lot when mommy or daddy play peek-a-boo with me or smell my feet and say "shoooooweeeee."  Sometimes they make me laugh so much I get the hiccups.  I also laugh a lot when mommy wipes my bottom.  It shouldn't be funny, but it is to me.  :) You know who else makes me giggle?  My big brothers.  Goodness, they are funny dudes!  I love them so much and can't wait to get big enough to play.  I love to watch them play basketball and cards and superheros and well, anything really.  They are really great big brothers. 

 

 

Well, I guess that about wraps it up for my 5 month update.  Life is good from my little eyes.  I am one blessed little man. 

Snow Day Fun

(ps - I'll add pics later!)

I love snow days!  Maybe not in March, but I love them, none the less.  I used to love them as a little girl too.  Now, as a parent, I couldn't wait to watch the news to see if SCPS was cancelled.  Even though I know we are signed up to get a "one call" from the school system telling us they are cancelled, I still like watching the news to wait and see if it comes across the bottom.  Weird?  Probably.  But oh well. 

So, yesterday, we had a snow day.  Only the second this year, and I hope the last, since this momma desperately needs some SUNSHINE!!!  But, since we had a snow day, of course I wanted to make the best of it.  Our day was fun - Jacob even said, "this is the best snow day ever!" several times.  :-)

So, to start, we had an epic game of Life.  Yep, the boys love board games and so do I!  I won, but hey, who's keeping track, right?  Then, after consulting Pinterest, we made a list of several must-do projects. 

First, we took an ordinary bar of Ivory soap and put it in the microwave.  Y'all, if you haven't ever done this.  Do it.  Now.  It is really cool.  Messy, but cool.  It grows into this big ball of white fluff.  So, we used it to make snowy scenes.  (caution - if you are weary of messes, probably not the project for you!).  We glued little pieces of the fluff on blue paper and then created snowmen to go with it.  Then, we jointly created a story titled, "The Snowy Day."  Each of us got to work together by adding one sentence at a time.  We even illustrated it.  It was quite entertaining.  Especially since the house smelled like ivory soap and each time you breathed or moved, little white flakes of the fluffy stuff would fly around.  Cute story.  Weird illustrations.  My kind of fun. 

Then, the boys wanted to play outside (which I detest by the way - I hate being cold!) so I wasn't sad at all that it was time for the boy to eat.  So, I sat in the warmth, fed the boy and watched as they frolicked and threw snow on each other.  Then, they piled all their warm clothes in a heap on the kitchen floor and we had hot cocoa. 

Then, we did an experiment with magnets and pipe cleaners.  Also pretty cool.  No too messy and super easy.  It kept Jonathan occupied for quite some time.  Jacob liked it okay, but it didn't entertain him as long.  Joshua was just along for the ride.  :-) 

For lunch, I made grilled cheese sandwiches and cut out the shape of a snowman - pretzel arms, peanut eyes, ketchup scarves and teenty tiny cheeze-its for snow flakes. Yep, I did that all on my own.  Without Pinterest.  :-) 

After all that, this momma was exhausted and the house was (and still is) a disaster.  So we had some quiet time, which wasn't really quiet - they are boys, after all.  Momma chilled and watched my guilty pleasure - 90210 reruns on SOAP.  We then did some crafty cards for the father-in-law's birthday and called it a day.  I have to admit, I'm always super glad when Daddy walks in the door in the afternoons, but I was REALLY glad yesterday.  I was pooped.  Messy house, smiling kids and a momma still in her jammies to prove it.  Guess what???  I wouldn't have it any other way.  I am blessed. 

Will you be my valentine?

I love holidays.  All of them.  I love little traditions we are creating with our family.  Fun stuff.  This year, Jonathan had to make a box to take to school to collect his little valentines from his friends.  Of course, I consulted Pinterest (any statement that starts there is dangerous!) and Jonathan decided he needed a monster box.  So, a monster box we made.  It was so much fun!  Jacob made one too to have at home.  I love creative projects with my boys.  :-) 

The night before Valentines Day, I made a sweet little mobile to surprise the boys - it was hanging down from their door frame and surprised them in the morning.  They seemed to like it.  :-)  Joshua also had some hearts on his door too with reminders of our love and God's love for him. 

I was so glad to get to go to Jonathan's little party at school and Daddy got to go to Jacob's.  I'm so glad we are flexible and available to do these things.  I wouldn't miss it for a second. 

And finally, let's talk about  my sweet Valentine.  So glad he gets to "be mine" forever and ever.  I am blessed.  I love you honey! 

Time is just moving too fast!

Can't believe Joshua is already 4 months old.  Actually, he's almost 4 month and a week old.  Here's some things about this age that I just love.  I'd forgotten how sweet this age is.  I LOVE it!!! 

He's becoming so interactive.  I love the fact that I walk in a room and he immediately finds me and follows me.  He smiles like crazy.  He is starting to beat his hands on anything around him. He also folds his hands together a lot - looks like he's praying.  He does it every time he eats.  So sweet.  He kicks his feet and laughs at his toes.  Really - it's so cute!  Especially if he has some type of animals on the feet of his jammies.  He is so happy and so content.  He slobbers a lot and likes to suck on his fingers.  He's trying to be a thumb sucker, but sometimes misses and its really cute to watch him try to stick his thumb in his mouth.  It looks like his whole face is hiding though because he doesn't make a fist, he has all his fingers straight out.  Oh his smile - would melt anyone's heart!  Love love love that gummy sweet grin.  He loves his brothers so very very much.  Jonathan loves to hold him, but will quickly say, "I'm done."  :-)  Jacob loves to talk to him and it's very very sweet.  He's much more interested than I ever thought he would be. 

At his four month check up, he weighed 14 lbs 14 oz and was 25" long.  (50th and 75th percentiles respectfully.)  He hasn't fully recovered from the RSV episode.  He continues to have a nagging cough and is congested.  Is that just the way it'll always be for him??? I sure hope not.  He is a great sleeper.  He goes to sleep completely on his own, without rocking!, at about 8 or 8:15.  He sleeps until 7 or 7:30.  YAY!!!  Occasionally, he wakes up at 5:30 and I change his diaper and he goes right back to sleep.  He hates to be wet.  :-)  Sometimes, we have to go put his paci in to settle him, but overall, he is an awesome sleeper.  He is taking two decent naps a day (about 9:30 and 1:00) and a catnap sometime in the evening between 4:30 and 6.  He eats like a little hoover.  hee hee.  He's eating 5 times a day -  6-7 ounces each time.  Sometimes, with his congestion and all the snot, he throws up.  It is scary and I don't like it one little bit.  That has gotten better too, the more distance we get from the RSV episode. 

Oh sweet Joshua, I can't imagine life without you.  You are soooo easy and sooo good. Everywhere we go, people say, "is he always that good?"  Yes, yes you are.  You are a total go with the flow little dude and so flexible.   You add life and energy to our family and we love everything about you.  I pray that you will understand the deep love of Jesus and will surrender your whole heart and life to Him.  XOXOXO

RSV (really... sucky...virus!)

Welp, we've had quite the couple of days here.  Several "firsts" for our little family.  Not firsts I'd like to repeat, mind you.  For starters, Joshua had his first sick visit to the pediatrician on Friday.  He was pitiful - coughing, choking, feverish and wouldn't eat.  Y'all - he's serious about his milkies, so I knew he wasn't feeling well.  He was diagnosed with RSV (i know the technical name, but to us, it will always be known as the really sucky virus...explanation later.)  That night, as was expected, we had a rough night.  The first time actually in a long while that baby boy hasn't slept through the night.  Saturday was actually a pretty good day.  He still felt crummy, but was mostly comfortable and rested okay.  Saturday night though... another story.  For the first time in his little life, he flat out projectile vomited several times after eating.  Scary stuff. And.he.did.not.sleep (at all) Saturday night, hence, neither did we... Sunday was even worse.  Nothing really helped him feel better - he just wasn't comfortable unless we were literally standing up holding him.  His breathing was labored.  He looked sad and worried.  It was pitiful.  He perked up a little during the afternoon, but by evening, his breathing was even worse.  I knew the warning signs, but my mommy intuition was just confused.  See, our pediatrician told us on Friday that he was 99% certain Joshua would get through this without hospitalization.  Here's what we were told to look for that would indicate a need for hospitalization:  breathing more than 60 breaths per minute (Joshua was breathing about 65 or so) and oxygen levels at or below 94 (Joshua's were at 94 or 93).  Also, we were supposed to look for retraction at the ribs during breathing.  Well, he was doing a little of all these things, but no so severe that I just knew he need to go in...  Our friend Sherry, who is a nurse and awesome momma, came over to take a look and she said he was "just on the fringe."  Well, several hours later, and after a call from our pediatrician, we took our first trip to the ER - for Joshua anyway.  We've been there once with Jonathan.  We went to Kosair at Brownsboro Road... awesome facility by the way.  Joshua got some tests run, chest x-rays and the suction.  OH THE SUCTION.  (That's why we will always call RSV the really SUCKY virus).  You will understand if you've ever seen or heard anyone have to get "deep suction" done.  Y'all - we had to leave the room - went way down the hall and we could still hear the awful suction sound and the screaming was almost more than I could bear.  Seriously - if (I pray no one ever has to experience this!) your child ever needs deep suctioning - RUN out of the room as fast as you can!! Anyway, even with oxygen, he was unable to keep his oxygen levels to an acceptable level, so we were told he'd need to be admitted.  So, we took our first ever ambulance ride to the downtown Kosair Hospital.  My little man was all hooked up on the stretcher and I about lost it.  I rode with him and Billy followed close behind the ambulance.  By this point, it was about 2 or 3 in the morning and Joshua was still awake.  Despite all the trauma, he was still smiling.  My precious precious little guy.  So sweet.  So, we got to Kosair and into our room and finally got settled at about 3:30 am.  When we got there, the deep suction had to happen again.  And again.  And again.  Oh my word y'all - awful.  But I know it helped him so much.  Gross, I know, but you should have seen the gunk they got out of him.  Poor baby.  He got oxygen through the night and up into the day on Monday.  He began to make some progress and decided the oxygen tube was just so NOT cool, so he helped take it out of his nose.  :-)  The nurse was willing to let him try without it, and he did well.  He still had to be suctioned a bunch of times that day.  The criteria for going home was 12 hours with no oxygen and 12 hours with no deep suctioning.  So, we were hopeful to go home the next day and thankfully, we did. 

All in all, it was only about 40 hours.  But it was a sleepless 40 hours and so scary.  I knew he was "okay" but it was still scary and sad.  I am so thankful for our amazing family and friends for the visits, the snacks, phone calls and prayers.  We are blessed beyond measure.  Glad to be back home, semi back to normal.  I missed my big boys!  Joshua is still sick, but so so so so so much better.  He is eating better , but gets choked really easily when eating now.  So it's still scary, but his breathing is back to normal and he is back to his smiling, sweet self. 

a fly on the wall

I there were a fly on the walls of the Stover house, here's what he/she might see...

* A sweet little three month old baby FULL of slobbery smiles and adorable goos and coos.  LOVE his heart!  He adds so much fun to our little family. 

* The same little three month old SLEEPING LIKE A ROCKSTAR!!!!!  seriously - so blessed!  He goes to sleep at 8 or 8:30 and sleeps until 8.  We wake him up for a "dream feed" at 11ish.  Daddy usually does that feeding.  He's eating 5-6 times a day and drains 5.5 ounces each feeding.  Getting some sweet trademark rolls on his leggies.  And those cheeks?  Yes, please! 

* Joshua must have the best kidneys on the planet.  He seriously pees about 12 times a day!  We are unfortunately doing our best to fill up a landfill with all the diapers.  I prolly should be doing cloth diapers, but I just don't think I could keep up. 

* A cute little six year old with no teeth.  Seriously - he lost another one this weekend - that makes 7 teeth lost.  unbelievable.  This one wasn't exactly supposed to come out right now.  It was a little loose, but was helped when Jacob was jumping in a bouncy house and somehow face-planted on the gym floor. 

* Two little spies.  Oh wait the fly wouldn't be able to see them because they are invisible.  They usually put on their jammies and run around saying "you can't see me."  It's very very very cute.  They say, "we are busy.  Don't come in our room." 

* Other really cool costumes as well - the other day, they were Captain Hook and Peter Pan with some make shift costumes. HILARIOUS!

* A little four year old who is slightly obsessed with Sonic racing play station game.  He would play it all the time if we let him, which we don't of course.  We generally let him play for about 30 minutes a day.  He even "pretends" to play video games. 

* Mommy is obsessed with the Ruzzle app on the iPhone.  I try to get daddy to join, but he's just not that into it.  :-) 

* Mommy is pumping my face off to provide yummy milk for "the boy."  It's working for us!  SO much so that there's a blue light special on breast milk in our house.  Seriously - can't even fit ice cream in the freezer right now.  Looking for places to donate the milk.  Any ideas?  Pumping is just a way of life for us.  And of course there's no privacy.  Jacob asks, "why doesn't he eat from your breath, Mommy?"  Yep, he says breath.  And it's cute.  And I haven't corrected him.  Lord help us if he goes to school and says mommy tries to breath feed but it just doesn't work, so she hooks up this weird system and milk drips into bottles from her breath."  Oh golly.  :-) 

* Daddy is loving the NBA package on Direct TV... there's always some game on TV. 

* The big boys are excited about playing Upward Basketball at church.  Actually, Jacob is playing and Jonathan is helping daddy "coach."  Cute!  The team name is Sycamores.  Jonathan says it like "sik -a-mo-uz"  in true southern fashion. 

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Man of Honor

Yesterday was a big day for our little family.  My sweet, amazing hubby was ordained as a Deacon of our church, Shelbyville First Baptist.  It's a big deal! I am so proud to be married to a man who is willing to love God and love people.  That's his utmost desire.  Our little family benifits from that in MANY ways!  Billy is honorable, loving, genuine, kind and consistent.  I can't think of a man more fitting for the job of Deacon.  His favorite verse (he even put it on his groom's cake at our wedding) is Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever."  During his testimony yesterday, he shared the impact this verse on his life.  In a world that is changing minute by minute, it's so comforting to know we serve a God who never ever changes.  He said that no matter where he is, New Year's Eve, on the basketball court, at work, at home on the couch or at church on Sunday, he tries to be the same person.  Ya'll - it is so true.  Billy is the most consistently sweet person on the planet.  What you see is what you get with him.  Well, me likely what I see and what I get!  :-)  I feel honored to be walking alongside Billy in this journey called life.  I feel honored that God chose me to be his mate.  I feel honored to support him in ministry and service.  I feel honored that I get an up close and personal look at this awesome man of God.  And don't get me started on Billy the daddy - y'all all know that I believe Jacob, Jonathan and Joshua are the most lucky boys on the planet becuase Billy is their daddy.  Seriously - I love my husband!  Thank you Jesus for the incredible man that he is and that he.is.mine.forever! 

Merry CHRISTmas!

What a wonderful couple of days we've had!  There are some things I just never ever want to forget, so here's our Christmas highlights.  Hopefully, this will help when ONE day, I finally get time to sit down and scrapbook our wonderful life.  Until then, it's the electronic version that will have to do. 

 I love that these two cuties woke up REALLY early and were so excited!  I love that we read the Christmas story and prayed together as a family before the madness began!  I also love bed heads.  :-)

 I love that the big boys love and adore their little brother so much.  I also love that Jacob chose his own clothes for Christmas Eve with the Stover/Duncan family.  He wore his very loud elf hat too and looked in the mirror and said, "Oh my gosh I look so cute."  No joke... he really said that!

 I just love this.  That is all.  I mean how could you not??? 

I love that Jacob was so thoughtful and bought something for Jonathan at the Santa Shop at his school.  Even though it wasn't "his own money," it sort of was and it was totally his idea.  I love that!!!  He tried to find something for Joshua too, but they didn't have any baby stuff. 

I love that Joshua somehow had about 8 Christmas outfits to wear. We tried to give each one equal time. :-) Here's one of my favorites!

 

Some other highlights...

• I love Jonathan's expressions and his sincere words of gratitude when he opened presents... "I love that one.  I wanted that!  Wow, isn't that cool?  Thank you thank you thank you..."  On almost every present.  It was precious. 
• I love that our little family got to participate in the service at church by lighting the advent candle.  Jacob was such a big boy reading part of our script.  First service went great.  Second service... well, let's just say I cut out a whole paragraph of what I was supposed to read because Joshua was starving and spitting out his paci to scream a little hungry. 
• I love that we got to spend so much time with our families. 
• I love that I have eaten so very very bad the last couple of days.  Okay, that's a lie.  I don't love that, but I do love the food I got to eat.  Now, I need to get control and get my butt in gear to exercise! 
• I love all the homemade ornaments my kiddos make me at school.  I used to make fun of my momma for putting all the ornaments my sister and I made for her on the tree even when we were grown.  Now I know why she does it.  There is nothing better than a homemade angel or nativity scene to add the prefect touch to any tree. 
• I love love love that my hubby is home this whole week.  Yay! 

I love our little traditions we are creating.  It's hard to not have the "gimmes" at Christmas time.  We are no exception to that, but we try really hard to remind the boys of the best gift of all - the birth of Jesus. 

Merry CHRISTmas from our family to yours!