8 Months Old!!!

Easton, you're 8 months old already!!! Let's see what you've been up to lately:

• You weigh around 22.3 pounds and are about 30 inches long (95th percentile!)
• You have 4 teeth - the two in the middle on the bottom are all the way in but you're still working on the two "fangs" on top....I hope the top middle ones come in soon or you might look kinda funny!
• You had your hernia surgery on 11/19 and did really well - we're hoping that's the last surgery you ever have to have!!
• You're wearing a size 4 diaper - the same size as your big brother Zachary who is almost 23 months old.....this is why my back hurts all the time!
• You're wearing 12M clothes
• You're still army crawling but I think you're really close to officially crawling - you rock back and forth on your hands and knees all the time
• You're still on breastmilk and 2nd stage foods.....you love to feed yourself puffs, bread and Baby Mum Mums
• You love your big brothers and squeal when you see them
• You babble a lot - mainly "baba" but sometimes "mama" and every once in a while you throw in a "dada"
• You learned to wave last week - backwards of course - it's very cute!
• You also learned to clap last week; however, you're not quite sure when you're supposed to do it. I was changing your diaper in the middle of the night a few nights ago and you were crying (how dare I change your diaper in the middle of the night!!) and started clapping at the same time???
• I think that, as of today, you're officially a momma's boy.....my Christmas gift came early this year! I know it won't last once you stop nursing but I'll enjoy it while I can!
• You haven't been sleeping well since your surgery - I think it may have caused a little attachment problem for you....and now I think you're getting a cold so I predict a major lack of sleep for me for the next week or two
• I just can't get enough of my sweet baby Easton and we just love you to pieces!!

Now how about those brothers of yours.....Zachary James, you're almost 23 months old....what have you been up to lately?

• You're finally venturing into some 2T clothes but I'm pretty sure you'll be wearing a size 4 diaper until you're potty trained
• You love to "tackle" Easton....luckily, he's almost as big as you are so he can handle it
• You are talking up a storm - and you have the cutest little, high-pitched voice I've ever heard
• You're working on your 2 year molars....and you're not very happy about it
• We'll be taking you in for your 2-year check-up next month....I'm curious to see how much you weigh - probably not that much more than your little brother!
• You love Mickey Mouse and you and Brady are both currently obsessed with the movie "Cars"
• You love cows
• The shoe obsession has died down a little bit but I still think you'll be the fashionista of the group
• You're sweet and tiny and a little stinker and we love you tons

Now, how about Big Boy Brady

• You are 3.75 years old
• We've been talking about potty training again....we're going to try again when you turn 4.....hopefully talking it up for a few more months will help
• Your speech is getting so much better - you love your new therapists and can't wait until Friday every week so that you can see them
• You got a great report from your teacher for the quarter - much to my surprise, you're one of the best of your class at "circle time"
• Your teachers think you're pretty smart and we agree!
• Your toe walking doesn't seem to be improving much but we're trying to work on it
• You love the new Disney show, "Jungle Junction" and knew the majority of the lyrics within a few weeks
• I think you're going to be really into Christmas this year so it should be really fun
• You crack us up all the time and we love you lots and lots!!

7 Month Update

We took Easton in for his pre-op check-up yesterday........he weighs 20 pounds, 15 ounces - up 2 pounds in one month. No wonder my lower back is killing me!!!! He's all cleared for his surgery in 2.5 weeks....it's started to freak me out a little bit. I'm having flashbacks of being on the surgical floor again, walking the long hallway after we handed him over to his surgical team....just hoping everything goes well and that we're able to bring him home as planned.

Zoo, Zoo, Zoo!!!

We took the boys to the zoo on Monday....it was supposed to be the nicest day of our "vacation" week so we pulled Brady out of school and headed south! Brady was very excited to wear his new hat and "gloves".....



We were all bundled up and ready to go...note all of the empty parking spots in the background...we were parked right outside the main entrance. Monday mornings in November are obviously great days to go to the Cincinnati Zoo!!

I don't think poor little Easton knew what was happening....

This will be one of my favorite pictures for a long time I think....

A penguin, a monkey and a robot walk into a bar.....

Okay, maybe not....but they went trick-or-treating at least!! We didn't really plan on actually trick-or-treating but the big boys were really into it and totally picked up on the concept right away (and stayed in the wagon) so we went out for close to an hour. They did great and had lots of fun!!

They got lots of good stuff.....

Finally, ready for bed!!

7 Months Old!!

Sweet Baby Easton, you're 7 months old today....let's see what you've been up to lately....

• You're getting so big - we'll find out how much you weigh this week but I'm betting you're pretty close to 20 pounds
• You're officially wearing a size 3 diaper
• You're still able to wear some 9M clothes but that probably won't last too much longer
• You're getting really good at feeding yourself puffs and Biter Biscuits - I think you prefer to feed yourself but you also like to eat several types of fruit, oatmeal, some yogurt and sweet potatoes
• You're still on breastmilk about 95% of the time....sometimes I can't seem to pump enough for you so every once in a while you have to have some formula at the babysitter's
• You're still up at least once most nights...and you're still not a good napper
• You're sitting up pretty well but you would rather be on your tummy so you can do your little army crawl.....you're getting really good at that - you're into everything already
• You love your big brothers and can't seem to understand why they can't pick you up
• Your second tooth is coming in - it doesn't seem to bother you too much, though
• You're babbling a lot - it's very cute
• You're still just about the sweetest thing I've ever laid my eyes on and we love you so much!

Now let's see about those brothers of yours.....

Zachary James - you're almost 22 months old....here's what you've been up to lately...

• You're STILL wearing a size 4 diaper
• You're mainly wearing 24M clothes and a few 2T things
• You're still obsessed with your orange Crocs and you absolutely refuse to wear socks or a hat which will be a problem since it's getting cold
• You're just a talking machine - it's pretty hard to understand you still but you definitely try
• You still love penne pasta, pop tarts, gummy worms and lemonade - for some reason, you'll only drink lemonade.....we need to get some calcium in you somehow
• You like to do whatever Brady is doing and have to have whatever he has
• You fall asleep if you're in the car for more than 15 minutes - you love to sleep....just like your mommy!
• You've learned lots of animals and animal sounds lately but your favorite is still the cow
• You're still not the most graceful person in the world.....just this morning you took a nose/chin dive into the magazine rack and have a lovely looking chin as a result
• You're just the cutest thing ever and we love you bunches!

Big Boy Brady, you're 3 years, 8.5 months....let's see what you've been up to...

• You're still anti-potty training unfortunately
• You're wearing 5T clothes for the most part but I've sadly had to venture into the big boy section and purchase some small/4-6 size clothes
• You wear a size 11 shoe
• You love robots, cars and animals
• Your favorite song is "I Gotta Feeling" by the Blackeyed Peas - we have to listen to it several times a day
• You're still taking naps but that may not last too much longer
• You're doing really well with your new speech, occupational and physical therapists
• You love big boy school
• You had your first field trip of the school year yesterday and did really well according to your teacher!!
• You're very smart.....at least I think you are
• You're a great big brother...most of the time....
• You continue to amaze us daily and we love you to pieces!!

TGIF.........Seriously!

It's been a really crazy week. I have a friend who is quite possibly going through the roughest day of her life (at least so far - and hopefully ever) which has had a surprising effect on my day. I guess we're closer than I realized. Anyway, she's in my thoughts and prayers and I keep thinking.....God doesn't close a door without opening a window....it's hard for her to believe that right now I'm sure but hopefully everything will get better soon.



Anyway....onto the fun stuff....Five Question Friday! Here we go.......





1. What is the one thing that you reach for the most in a day (excluding phones and computers)?Wow....I would definitely say my mouse if I were "allowed" but since I'm not....I think it's my necklace that I wear every day. I play with it constantly and have noticed that if I forget to put it on, I reach for it several times throughout the day. I love it - my sister got it for me....it has all my boys' names on it...looks like this...

2. What is the farthest you have been from home?
I should probably win a prize for this one - RUSSIA! Twice! To adopt our Brady boy - best trip(s) ever!!
3. What kind of cell phone do you have? Love it or hate it?
I recently got an LG enV Touch - LOVE it!!!
4. Coke or Pepsi?
I'm 100% a "Coke(a-Cola) Addict"! I recently gave it up to try and lose weight....my new favorite is Cherry Coke Zero.....however, I can't resist a fountain Coke and have one several times a week!
5. If you could go back and change anything about your wedding day, what would it be and why?
Wow - this is a toss-up. There are really two things - I'd choose a different photographer and a different organist for several reasons. I was just trying to save (my parents') money and those two things were very important to me....I should have prioritized better!! The photographer took really lame pictures and the organist refused to come to the rehearsal and just did a bad job. :(

Six Month and Weekend Update

We took the big boys for hair cuts Thursday night...I was hoping to get good pictures of the contrast between how Brady and Zachary deal with haircuts but for the first time EVER, Brady did really well! Brendan always has to sit with him and basically restrain him in order for him to get a halfway decent haircut....they're usually both extremely sweaty and covered with little hairs by the time it's over but this time he did really, really well - I don't think Brendan even broke a sweat! And Brady got his first GOOD haircut! Yea!!! So proud of the Big Boy!!

We took Easton in for his 6-month well baby appointment on Friday.....I underestimated his weight....that boy weighs 19 pounds, 2.8 ounces (75th %) and is 30 inches long (97th %)!!!! I knew it wasn't "normal" for a 6-month-old to be too big for 9M clothes! As an added bonus, he actually slept through the night on Friday - I think we have the shots to thank for that....that never worked for Zachary but I'll take it if it works for Easton! I went to bed early Friday night because Easton didn't let me sleep much Thursday night so I felt great Saturday morning!! Zachary was with us - and VERY sad about it once he realized where he was (which made me feel AWFUL) - so Brendan put him on the scale while we waited.....he weighs about 27.5 pounds fully dressed. Little peanut!

On Saturday, we planned on going to the Miami football game but our timing was off so we actually just ended up hanging out at Aunt Amy's house for the afternoon which was way more enjoyable for me!! After nap time, we had a little get together with some friends for dinner at Amy's - it was lots of fun and I got some much needed "me time" thanks to Brendan! Oh well...the boys were dressed accordingly anyway! Zachary wasn't feeling it in this picture but we tried!!

Yesterday, we had Easton's 6M pictures taken...unfortunately, it was much colder than I anticipated so we were really rushed - hopefully we got some good pictures, though. I brought Easton back inside after about 30 minutes so we'll have to see what we can come up with!

Five Question Friday!!!

It's FINALLY Friday! Here are this week's quetions....



October 2nd Questions:
1. What is your favorite ABBA song?
Definitely 'Dancing Queen'! Although there are lots of good ones.....this one is my top choice!
2. The thing you love most about fall is...
Well, pre-kids I guess I would say football games. But, since we don't have much access to babysitters and we're outnumbered, that one really isn't in the cards anymore. Ironically, though - we're actually going to a game tomorrow.....all 5 of us. Should be interesting. So, I guess now my favorite thing is the weather - I love fall and spring. If it would stay between right around 65-70 degrees and be sunny every day I'd be a happy camper. I love to be able to have the windows in the house and the sunroof in the car open whenever possible!
3. What store you would love to spend to heart's desire (money is no object)?
Hmmmm.....for myself - Ann Taylor Loft. For my kids - it's a toss up between Carter's and Baby Gap. I guess it would be smarter to choose a department store since there are way more options I guess?? In that case, Dillard's is my favorite!
4. What is your favorite snack food?
Definitely appetizer-type things: chips and salsa, chips and dips, cheese and crackers, etc. Not much of a fan of sweets as a snack.
5. What was your first car?
I had a white Pontiac Sunbird - can't remember the year but technically that wasn't "my car" - it was my parents' and they "let" me drive it. Everywhere. Every day. The first car that I bought/leased all on my own was a 2002 Chevy Blazer.

Five Question Friday!!!

TGIF....big time! I had a crazy busy week at work and I'm sooooo glad the weekend is here!! I get to sleep in tomorrow and I can't wait...it's pretty sad but that will likely be the highlight of my weekend!! Anyway....here we go with Five Question Friday....



1. What celebrity have you been told you look like? Hmmm....I haven't been told I looked like a "celebrity" since high school. I was a trainer for the football and basketball teams in high school and our quarterback - and his dad, the coach - were both convinced that I looked just like Shelley Fabares who played Christine on "Coach" back in the day. That's honestly the only "celebrity" I've ever been told I look like!

2. What is your all time favorite movie, any special reason why? My absolute favorite movie is "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". I really don't know why but I absolutely love this movie and have since I was in elementary school.

3. Since we're talkin' movies...Popcorn: overrated, underrated, or 'bout right? Definitely overrated! I can NOT stand popcorn! It really amazes me that so many people like it. It has such a weird texture and squeaks when you eat it - gross!

4. Are you a glass half empty or half full kinda person? Unfortunately, I'm a glass half empty kinda girl. However, to put a half full spin on it I always say that I expect the worst BUT hope for the best. Does that help??

5. What perfume/cologne do you wear? I wear Banana Republic W perfume. Most people don't even realize they make a perfume but I love it and it's the only one I wear. I haven't worn anything else in at least 10 years. And BONUS - my husband wears Banana Republic M so we match!! DOUBLE BONUS - the new outlet mall that's 2 minutes from our house has a Banana Republic store and they sell my perfume for 40% off. Life is good!!!

He Sits.....He Scoots!!!!

My sweet little baby Easton is sitting up now....he falls over some but I think he's an official sitter at this point. He also 'scoots' all the way across the room as long as there's nothing blocking his path!! I don't know if it's technically an army crawl or not but he lays on his tummy and drags himself across the room with his little arms....sounds like it's pretty close to me!! Tonight, he got up on his hands and knees for the first time.....my little baby is growing up way too fast!

I need to get some pictures of these new developments but he's currently sleeping on me and I shall NOT mess with that!!!

You Tube Debut

Brady and Zachary are officially "famous". :) And I'm quite proud of myself for figuring out how to upload a video on You Tube. Really, it was the only way I could email it to family and friends since the file was too big to attach....it's pretty funny, though!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ufjV0jDs8c&feature=email

We had a really good weekend. Yesterday, we did some serious shopping and got some really good deals at Kohl's - all 5 of us went and all of the boys were really good. Then, we went to lunch at Zachary's new favorite - Ruby Tuesday's. They were all really good again which is rare for dining out. Then it was back home for naps (me included - yea!) and Brendan grilled out some really good filets last night....unfortunately, the Hogs lost - otherwise, yesterday would've been just about perfect! The Bengals won today so Brendan's a happy camper. Overall, it was a great weekend!! Too bad it's already over!

Five Questions Friday

This is the first time I've seen this one but it looks like fun....and I love answering questions/filling out lists so, here we go.......

1. What's your favorite line from a movie?-

My favorite movie of all time is "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"....I guess my favorite line from that movie is, "and I love to dance". :)

I also have to throw out "nobody puts baby in the corner"....especially b/c of Patrick Swayze's death this week. :(

2. What "group" did you belong to in high school? Goths, jocks, preps, drama, nerds? - I guess preps??? Although that was the majority of my high school anyway but I think that would fit me best given the choices!

3. If you had $1000 just for yourself what would you spend it on? That would be too fun and will never happen but let's see.....LOTS of shopping, a girls' only lunch, mani's and pedi's and a nice, expensive dinner w/ the husband!!

4. What was your favorite childhood cartoon? Does Fraggle Rock count???

5. What kind of sleeper are you? Back? Tummy? Side? Sprawler? Definitely not a back sleeper - that was my least favorite part of being pregnant!! Tummy, side, and sprawler for sure! I take up lots of space and move around a lot....a king size bed is the key to a happy marriage in this house for sure!!!

Boo Boo Jammies

About 20-30 times a day (that's probably conservative), Zachary - AKA "Monkey" - claims to have a "boo boo" that needs to be kissed. He is quite clumsy and runs into things, falls for no reason, etc. all the time; however, these phantom "boo boo's" also occur when he's doing absolutely nothing. (About 90% of the "boo boo's" are on his knees.) It's pretty cute, though and about the only time he asks for a kiss so of course, we oblige. Anyway, we were at Target the other day and I found the absolute PERFECT pair of jammies for him.....the monkey was the first thing that caught my eye. I buy just about anything I see that's reasonably priced and has a monkey on it. Then I noticed the band-aids.....I couldn't have designed a better pair of jammies myself! These are just perfect for our little accident-prone Monkey!!

Slacker

I guess I've been a slacker in September. Not much has been going on I guess. Brady's loving school, Zachary's a talking machine and Easton is growing like a little weed. That's it in a nutshell!

Okay, so Easton's such a different little guy all of a sudden. It's crazy how much they change right around 4 months. He's so alert now and can roll across a room in no time. He's not sitting up yet but probably will be soon. And I have a feeling it won't be long after that before he starts crawling. He kind of scoots around on his stomach by getting up on his elbows and knees and drawing his knees in to his chest over and over - hard to explain but it seems to be an attempt at crawling in my opinion. His main mode of transportation is still being a rolly polly. I now consider him to be mobile because we have to move things out of his path so he doesn't hurt himself! Sounds mobile to me. Here's a picture of him "playing" with one of his brothers' toys. It's hard enough to explain to the big boys that they need to share with each other.....they're really not going to understand when they have to share with Easton, too!!

Side note - the jammies featured in the picture above were the first pair of jammies that we ever put Brady in....see the picture below - Brady's first official night as our son in Russia...so happy for a quiet room to sleep in...this is one of my (first) favorite memories of Pumpkin Head...

In other news, it's football season. Brendan was soooo excited for the first Bengals game of the season. I was instructed (kinda) to dress the boys in Bengal wear on Sunday. Zachary (still obsessed with shoes) is now wearing Brady's former Bengals jersey. Being the slacker that I am, I have no yet purchased a new jersey for Brady - I need to get one.....anyway, Brendan put Brady's old jersey on Zachary yesterday before he left for the game....of course, the first item of clothing that goes on that child AFTER the diaper is the shoes (pronounced "shoosh")...so, he wandered around with just a jersey and "shoosh" on for a few minutes before Brendan found him some suitable shorts to wear. It was so cute - hard to get a picture but still cute...even with the boo-boo on his forehead....

Brady picked out a new Bengal shirt in crisis mode at Target on Saturday night. He's quite proud of it...as soon as he saw Brendan wearing his Bengals shirt Sunday morning, he wanted to put his on, too! Even though it was 80-something degrees outside yesterday, he insisted on wearing it. Even during his nap....and even with the navy blue shorts Brendan put on him but whatever!!

Oreo-tation, Metatarsals and Jumperoos

Brady's pre-school orientation was yesterday - a whole 4 days before school starts but whatever! (Brady called it oreo-tation at the cookie (pronounced tookie) place.) They don't seem very organized this year but we're soooo excited that he'll have the same teacher that he had last year - he loved her; however, as soon as we walked into the classroom and he saw all the other "friends" with their parents he freaked out for some reason. He started crying and wanted Brendan to hold him. A few weeks ago, we ran into his assistant teacher from last year at Kroger - he had the same reaction but we figured that was just because he was confused by seeing her out of 'her element'. Guess we were wrong! He was really upset for 5 or 10 minutes but then he got over it and was running around like a little mad man - typical behavior for Big Boy. When it was time to go, he threw a little fit and didn't want to go - I guess he'll be fine when school starts on Monday!!

I also found out yesterday that my suspected stress fracture is actually a real fracture?!? I had an MRI on Wednesday afternoon because after two weeks in 'the boot' I was still in more pain that my doctor would like....they called on Thursday (while I was mid-pedicure) and left me a message that they had some "concerns" about my MRI - not a good message to leave for someone. So that freaked me out - I immediately thought it was a tumor or something but luckily, it's just a broken bone! I still don't know how I did this but I broke the second metatarsal in my right foot - I've already been wearing this stupid boot for 3.5 weeks......now, not only do I have to still wear it but I also have to use crutches for at least the next 6 weeks. I don't see how this will be possible with a baby but I'll try....kind of. The crutches are killing my armpits so I'm already being a bad patient. It's going to be a long six weeks.

We introduced Mr. Easton to the jumperoo the other night - he's a HUGE fan. He's so cute...jumping like a little....I don't know...something that jumps and has chunky little legs with fat rolls. Anyway - he really likes it....but it makes me sad because he's getting big so fast!

And here is Zachary with his mini me, Easton. We need to recover the pictures from our old laptop so we can do some side-by-side comparisons of these two at the same age....I think they may look a little alike......

Hi Alligator!

We were on our way home from a rare dinner out tonight when Brady, in all of his 3 1/2 years of wisdom, said from the backseat as he looked out the window, "Hi Alligator!" Given that we live in Ohio and don't see many (okay, any) alligators around....especially driving down a somewhat rural road, Brendan and I both looked out the window to try and see if we could figure out where that comment came from. Brady sits on the same side as me so I had a better view. The only thing I could see that could possibly resemble an alligator was a cloud formation that could look like an alligator getting ready to take a BIG bite out of something less fortunate than him/her. As I turned to Brendan to ask him if he thought that was what Brady was referring to Brady said, "Hi Alligator cloud!" He never ceases to amaze me - that's exactly what he was referring to. I'm not sure if I realized he even knew what clouds were before tonight??? I think he's really smart but he just happens to be hampered by speech/sensory delays....of course, I keep finding myself thinking that Zachary's headed for Mensa because he's talking so well when it's just "typical" behavior. Who knows? I just know that last year at this time Brady probably had less than 5 words and he's now talking our ears off which I love. The singing at a very high-pitched 1,000 decibels I could live without! ;)

Evidently, Brady REALLY wanted a banana this morning. He asked for one at breakfast but I explained to him that they "weren't ready yet" and that they were "still green." A couple of hours later, he came into the family room with something brown all over his face. I asked him what he had been eating.....and he said, "bananas." Knowing that he didn't know how to peel a banana, I dreaded what I might find.....

You can see the bite marks in the peeling. It was very hard not to laugh at this. The problem with having an extra large 3 1/2 year old is that he can reach just about every single thing that we keep on the counters.

Yesterday, I heard him doing something in the kitchen but hoped that he was just playing - I was in the family room feeding Easton....you can see half of the kitchen from the family room but all of the crimes that usually take place occur in the half that we can't see of course (our house has a fairly open design on the main floor so we can't really stop them from going into the kitchen.) Anyway, a few minutes later I went into the kitchen to find Zachary sitting in the middle of what I would compare to a sand box made of rice cereal. I made the huge mistake of throwing away a box of Easton's cereal that must have had more in it than I realized - Brady obviously took it out of the trash can. Not only that, but I left the newly opened box of cereal on the counter - I thought I pushed it back far enough so that Brady couldn't reach it but I was clearly wrong! They must have had a little field day - there was cereal EVERYWHERE. Uggh! I didn't take a picture of that because I didn't find it quite as funny.

The one thing that was funny was their reaction to the rarely seen vacuum cleaner that I pulled out to clean up the mess (I'm very lucky to have a cleaning lady so they don't see many cleaning utensils.) I knew that it might upset Brady but I didn't really care because I was pretty irritated at this point. So, I told them both to go into the family room - Brady listened, Zachary didn't. So, on went the vacuum cleaner - Brady stood on the couch and cried a few of those big huge tears that break my heart. Zachary stood completely still in the kitchen and wouldn't move. Pretty funny! He just didn't know what to think!! Hopefully, they learned their lesson - I won't hold my breath, though.

Brady and Daddy's Day of Fun

Brendan took Brady - just Brady - to the zoo last week on a random day off. Since Brady was only an only child for 13 months before becoming a big brother and losing lots of the attention he was getting, it's really important for us to do special things like this for him every once in a while. I think he had tons of fun - I was at work so I don't know but it sounded like he did! All I know is that he rode the train 5 times! :) Which is great given the sensory issues he has!! That was last Wednesday....Brendan took tons of pictures as usual....
This is Brady's prize that he picked out - he picked one out for Easton and Zachary, too and has been very good about making sure that he only plays with HIS bird...even though it's exactly the same as Easton's! He keeps calling the bird Sweet Pea....it took me a while to figure out why he was doing that...his teacher brought her bird in for a show and tell day during the spring semester several months ago. Its name is Sweet Pea. He only saw it once for a little while several months ago. His memory is AMAZING. It took me a while to remember that and I'm an adult!!

It was a hot day so the misting areas were a big hit....

I can't believe he was able to contain himself enough to get this close to a real bird!! You can see the excitement all over his face...

Daddy made a new friend....

So did Brady...ha!

If you look really closely, you can see a baby tiger...

I guess Brady was really annoying this peacock! :) It just kind of wanders around this area of the zoo....

As soon as they got in the car to come home, Brady was out like a light! And of course, all night he talked about going to the zoo the next day like it was a daily activity! :) He's so sweet when he feels like it but man did he have a meltdown tonight! I should take pictures of that to show him when he gets older!!! Geez!

A Few of My Favorite Things

I was thinking of a few of my favorite things today. I figured I should "write" them down so I can remind myself what makes me happy next time I'm not so happy! So, here are (just) a few of those random things....aside from the obvious (family, friends, blah, blah):

• washing my face after a long day
• all 3 boys sleeping peacefully in their respective beds - at the same time
• the sound of any of those boys laughing
• when any of the boys hug/kiss each other without me asking them to (and even when I ask them to but it's way better when they do it on their own)
• reality TV
• the fact that at 3.5 years old, Brady has realized the importance of turning the light off in a room before he shuts the door - he should share this concept with his father who, at 34 years old, still hasn't adopted the concept fully
• removing an uncomfortable bra after a long day (TMI - sorry but it seriously makes me happy)
• my first Coke of the day
• the fact that at 19 months old, Zachary often says 'thank you' without being prompted
• wireless internet
• sound AND video baby monitors
• car seats - not only for the safety purposes, but for whatever it is about them that make kids sit still and be quiet without trying to escape (unlike high chairs??) for sometimes long periods of time - extra bonus....they also make kids sleepy
• DVRs
• pedicures
• shopping
• "monkey kisses" from my boys
• Easton's sweet smiles when he sees/hears me come into the room and when he first wakes up in the morning
• naps
• air conditioners
• my comfy bed
• date nights - I vaguely remember what those are and hope to encounter them again soon
• chips and salsa
• black and white pictures
• there are soooo many more....I could go on and on but I'll have to save some for next time!!

God's Promise

God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways
All our lives through;
God hath not promised
Sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow,
Peace without pain.
But God hath promised
Strength for the day,
Rest for the labor,
Light for the way,
Grace for the trials,
Help from above,
Unfailing sympathy,
Undying love...

When we were going through infertility treatments and waiting to receive a referral for our adoption, I used to read this every day - it's been hanging on our fridge since the summer of 2006. I actually found it on the back of a program at a Memorial Day service we used to always take my grandfather to at the cemetery where lots of our family members were buried. I had never seen it before but really liked it and kept the program. My grandfather unexpectedly died less than a week later after falling and breaking his hip - this will always remind me of him. Sadly, he never got to meet any of my kids but I know they would've loved each other tons!!

Sleepless In (The) Cincinnati (Area)

Oh..........well, Easton started rolling over last week at 3.5 months. I thought this meant he was a genius, future Mensa member, etc. What I didn't realize was that it would be a complete nightmare! The poor baby rolls over in his sleep and then starts crying when he gets "stuck" and can't roll back over. This happens every 2-3 hours if I'm lucky...if not, it's even sooner! So, needless to say I'm exhausted. And Brendan's no help - he tried to "help" me last night by holding him for the customary 30 minutes after a meal until his reflux issues settle down.....2 hours later (at 3AM) I found them both snoozing away on the couch. So, every night Easton starts off in his crib but ends up in our bed because after the second time he gets up, I'm too tired to do the hour-long meal process that is required for an acid-refluxing, breastfed baby. So, I lay down with him and let him nurse until he falls asleep. I do keep him on his sleep positioner, though so that makes me way less nervous about having him in our bed. Speaking of the sleep positioner...that thing is supposed to keep the boy from rolling off of his back...can I get my money back? That little peanut wiggles off of that thing and is on his stomach all upset every single night - that's what wakes him up!

Anyway....even though he steals my beloved sleep I miss him terribly every day while I'm at work and can't wait to get home to see my eacie-peacie...I don't know how to spell that out phonetically...I guess it's kind of like ECPC....derived from Reese's Pieces but kind of changed for my purposes. I have weird nicknames for people I guess.....Zachary used to be Zachary Wackary which turned into Wax. I called him that for the longest time. Sadly, I guess the older they get the more the nicknames start to fade. Brady was Pumpkin/Pumpkin Head for the longest time. Now he's just Big Boy.

But, I digress....here are some pictures of Eacie (I guess that's how I'll spell it??) on his elephant blankie from "Aunt" Molly....don't know where the scratch came from - he woke up with it the morning AFTER I cut his nails??? Why do I even bother?? ;)

Check out the guns.....

I guess he figures he's such a cereal expert now...he might as well go for the elephant ear!!

On Monday, Brady brought me one of his animal books and kept saying, "what animal is that, Mommy?" even though he honestly probably knows more animals than I do! So, I asked him to show Zachary some animals so those two sweet boys sat on the couch with that book for quite a while while I fed Easton!! I'm sure they were fighting again within the hour, though! Boys will be boys...or so I'm told!!