Soccer

We decided to sign the boys up for soccer this fall and it has been a learning process for all of us.  Garrett and I are both quite competitive, so we have to keep reminding ourselves that the boys are three and they aren't always going to stay engaged in the game. 

Sadly, for their first game Blake was home sick with strep, so we both missed game one.  We have had many practices and games cancelled due to rain, but the season is finally coming together and sadly to an end. 

The boys are loving it and are starting to get more and more aggressive which makes for very happy parents. 

Here are my handsome guys ready for their game.

When they do go after the ball they are so proud of themselves.  Can you see Blake's huge smile?

Go Blake Go!!!!

 

It's times like this when Garrett and I are about to go crazy and yelling "Go after the ball!"

 Jack did so great this morning and scored THREE goals!!!!  We were so proud and he was even more proud!

Here he goes about to kick it in!  Notice the little boy from the opposing team running towards the sideline vs. the ball?  Three year old soccer is so cute!!!

I am so excited that we signed the boys up.  It has been so good for them.  We will be doing it again in the spring.

9 months

 How have 9 months passed already?!  This year is just flying by and I don't like it.  Kate and her brothers are getting so big.  It is so sad and so amazing to watch all at the same time.

Kate turned 9 months on September 12th and is doing so great!  She is crawling around everywhere and about to enter the "into everything" stage.  That stage and I have a love/hate relationship.  She is even saying a few words like 'dada' and 'byebye.'  No 'mama' yet, but it better be coming soon.  :)  She is even mimicking the inflection in my voice when I say short phrases to her.  Yes, I know, she is a genius. 

She is wearing size 4 diapers and 12 month or 12/18 month clothes.  At her 9 month well visit she weighed 18 pounds 13 ounces (51%) and was 27 3/4 inches long (59%).  So pretty much she is perfect!!  She is still drinking four bottles a day with almost 6 ounces in each.  She is making up for the lack of milk with lots of food.  She is eating chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, peanut butter sandwiches, rice, chicken spaghetti, cubed ham, cheese and tons more.  Whatever we eat, she eats along with baby food.  She is not picky at all. 

Kate is such a blessing and answered prayer.  The older she gets the more and more I see my mom in her, especially her eyes.  Her laid back personality is so much like my mom too.  She is seriously one of the happiest babies I have ever met.  No matter where we go people are constantly stopping us to ooh and ahh over her.  Her brothers are still so in love with her but becoming more frustrated as she is crawling to their toys.  We had a feeling this would happen. 

Here she is at 9 months.

These pics are getting harder and harder to take as she just crawling everywhere.

 I mean really, does it get any cuter???!!!!

 Oh how I love her!!!

First Day of School

The boys started a new preschool this past Wednesday.  I loved our old school but there are some advantages to their new one so we went ahead and made the switch.  I have heard such wonderful things about their new school I really don't think we will be disappointed, other than missing friends and teachers at Spring Baptist.

The boys were excited to get back to school and I was excited to get back to a regular schedule.  Here are the boys with our now traditional 'stairs' picture.



Here they are with their backpacks and looking so big!!  Notice how much taller Jack is than his brother.


 We had to get a picture with Kate too. 

 Here they are outside of their "new big school because we are big boys".  It is closer to home and called Faith United Methodist. 

 Outside of their 'Busy Bees' classroom.  Their teachers, Ms. Barbara and Ms. Christi are so sweet.  I really think they are going to have a great year!  Blake was slightly more apprehensive then Jack, but once we opened the door and Ms. Barbara was blowing bubbles, all fears disappeared. 

 I had to throw one in of Kate with this adorable outfit that was given to her.  It is so girly and I love it!!

Well, we're back...finally!!!

 This time it really isn't my fault that there has been a lack of posts.  Blogger and my email log in haven't been jiving and I couldn't get into my account.  Well, after much time and frustration, here we are.

So,  quick re-cap of Kate's last two months.  She is growing like a weed!!!  She now has 2 teeth on bottom and one of her top teeth is working it's way through.  She is wearing some 12 month and some 12-18 month clothes.  She is in size 4 diapers and has too many rolls to count.  I love every single one of them. 

The biggie is that she is now a crawler!!  She doesn't go far distances yet but she is up on all fours and moving.  She can get to where she wants to go by a combination of rolling and crawling.  I love watching her strategize her next move. 

I had to take her to the doctor last week because she had a really nasty bite on her hand that was looking worse and worse.  It turned out to be a spider bite with no reason for concern.  However, we popped her on the scale and she was 19 pounds 9 ounces.  Holy cow!!!  We will get an official weight next Wednesday for her 9 month well visit. 

Kate is still the easiest, happiest baby ever!!  She brings so much joy to our family. 

 

Half a year

Six months, half of one year have come and gone in the blink of an eye.  I don't know where that time has gone but I have loved every second of it.  My life as a mom of three has been the most challenging, exhausting and rewarding thing I have ever done.  I wouldn't trade a day of it, even the bad ones.

Kate,
You are now six months old and still an absolute delight.  You are so laid back and a go-with-the-flow kind of kiddo baby.  Let's not get ahead of ourselves.  You are such a delight to be around and you absolutely adore your brothers.  You are so much more aware now and you are constantly looking for them and at them.  They make you laugh and smile like nobody else can.  I have started to send them upstairs to play while I feed you so that you will focus on your bottle and not on them.  They love 'helping' me get you out of your crib and seeing you when you first wake up.  They are always welcomed by your huge smile. 

You are now wearing 9 month clothes.  As soon as your size 4 diapers get here from Amazon, you will be wearing them at night and size 3 during the day.  We have started you on solids and you are a huge fan of both peas and applesauce.  You needed a little more time to warm up to bananas, but you like them as well.  You also have started eating Puffs and are taking to them as well.  You are almost there with feeding them to yourself.  You are rolling over like crazy onto your tummy, but apparently you have forgotten how to roll back onto your back.  So you just cry when you are finished being on your tummy.  You'll get it any day now. 

We went to the doctor yesterday and got your shots.  You were also weighed and measured.  You weighed 16 pounds 14 ounces (70%) and were 26 3/4 inches long (85%).  This explains the 9 month sized clothes.  :) 

This picture is the perfect example of how you are 95% of the time.  We are on cloud nine.

Your brothers each wanted a picture with you.  They love you so much!!!

 Everyone thinks you look just like Blake.  I would have to agree.  I do think you might have dark hair like Jack though. 

We love you so much Kate and are excited to watch you grow even more.  If you could just do it a little slower we would all really appreciate it. :)

School's out already!?

It is amazing how quickly 9 months passes by.  It seems like the boys' first day of school was just a couple of months ago, but here we are and school is out.  A lot has changed with our family in the last 9 months and my boys have grown up so much. 

They made wonderful friends at school that we are still keeping in touch with this summer.  They also had the most amazing teachers who absolutely adored them. What a wonderful first year of school for my boys, this is one proud and happy Mama. 

Here are my little guys on the first day of school back in August.

Here they are with Kate and I. :)

 And now the last day of school shot.  They look so big!!!

 Their wonderful teachers, Mrs. Julie and Mrs. Lori.  Lori and Jack were big buddies, she was always loving on him and he went to her so easily.

What a difference 9 months makes.  Kate is here and our family is complete.  Can you tell that some wonderful show was on TV?

Blake & Jack turned 3!!!



Well somehow the time has passed and in the blink of an eye my baby boys have turned 3.  I still haven't figured out where that time has gone but I have loved every minute of it.  We had a crazy Memorial Day weekend filled with lots of fun!

On Sunday afternoon we had the boys' Batman/Superman birthday party.  My dad recently moved to a great new house with a beautiful pool and huge cabana in his backyard.  So, all of the boys' friends came over and we had a great time.  

Here is Blake, all ready for his party.

 Jack is ready to go too!

 Sweet brothers!  My dad always says, "When they were born I couldn't tell them apart, and now I can't tell they are brothers."  So true!!

 Kate had to get in on the superhero theme, so she wore her Wonder Woman shirt.  How cute are my kiddos??!!

 Here are the Superman cupcakes complete with capes.

 Batman got his own cupcakes too.

 I made each of the boys' friends a superhero cape complete with their initial on the back.

 I also made these banners that hung on the mantle in the cabana.

 Since the party was at 3:30, we just had some snacks to munch on.  And yes, the cake batter dip was left at home by accident. :(

 Last year, Blake and Jack both were scared to death of the 'open' water.  Now only Jack has that fear.  Blake was a little fish and loved every minute of it.

 Quick potty break.  A major perk of boys, they can just go in the grass.  Don't judge!

 Garrett had so much fun swimming with Blakers.

 Our wonderful group of friends.

 Every year, we sing Happy Birthday separately to each boy.  They are their own person, and deserve their own song.  It was so cute because Jack sang to Blake and Blake sang to Jack.  It was precious.

 I think they liked their cupcakes.

 I LOVE this picture of Jack.  What a handsome little guy!

 Blake loved jumping off the side of the pool.  And I didn't even have to catch him, he just went under the water and popped right back up. We were so proud of him!!

 I think Jack spent less than 5 minutes in the water aside from the beach entry.  As you can tell, he isn't too happy about it.

 Enjoying a Tootise Roll Pop from the cupcake toppers.

 By the time we got home on Sunday evening, the boys were so wiped out that we saved presents until Monday, which was their real birthday anyway.

 A sweet birthday hug.

 Garrett and I got the boys a Power Wheels police car complete with lights and sirens.  It is so cute and the boys LOVED it!!!

 I love this shot of Blake hopping in the car and Jack running around to the driver's seat. 

 Off they go.

 I will not like this shot when it happens again in 13 years.  Time better really start to slow down.

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate our sweet boys' birthday.  They are just the sweetest little guys I know and I have adored being their Mommy.  I couldn't have asked for better kiddos.  They love each other so much and the joy I get watching them grow together and have conversations together is overwhelming.  We love you so much Blake and Jack!!!