Do What?

You want me to do what?  This was my response to the optometrist at #2's recheck last week.  Let's just say the doc did not tell me what I wanted to hear.  I had actually thought I'd walk in there with #2, he'd check his eye, then promptly tell me what a great job I was doing and that #2 didn't need to wear his patch any more!  However, what ended up happened couldn't be farther from the above scenario.

The doctor said there wasn't any change in the farsighted eye and so we have two options:
1) #2 can wear a patch all day long.  Unlikely, he fights putting it on and keeping it on all day would be nearly impossible.
2) Put atropine in his good eye to blur the vision so the bad eye as to do all the work. 

Ahhhhhhhhh, I can't believe we have to do this.  I suppose the alternative isn't ideal, he would never see well, if at all with the bad eye.  We haven't started the drops yet, we're heading to Cali over Christmas for a McGilvary family reunion and I don't have the heart to start this terrible routine while we're having fun.  We're going to get the drops because one, they are easier, and two, once he realizes how awful they are, maybe, just maybe, he'll understand that the patch isn't quite so bad after all.  In a perfect world that's how it would work.  Right now he'll wear his patch for a long time once it's on (two-three hours).  Maybe we'll be able to get him to (reluctantly) put a patch on in the morning when he wakes up, off for nap, and then on again after nap.  I sure hope so. 

Most of the information out there on the world wide web makes it sound like this is relatively quick.  It doesn't give a time frame, but I'm hoping it's a month or so.  The doctor was positive and reiterated that because we caught it early we have time to try different treatments.

But really, ugh.  I hope this doesn't last long.

Beating the Cold Snap Blues

For those who read this blog that don't live in the interior of Alaska it has been really cold up here; not just cold, but cold for a really long time. It has been three weeks since I've had the boys out to play, and the last time we did that was when we flew down to ER to visit with Ahma and Grandpa. We haven't been outside because it's been below -20F for weeks, and a lot of that time the temperature was at -30 or lower. I have a personal cutoff for going outside at -20. It's really hard to keep cheeks warm at those temperatures, and #1 has the lingering frostbite to prove it.

So, we've been cooped up inside all this time and I've been challenged to find lots of things for the kiddos to do. Here are some of the activities to stave off cabin fever:

 

I pulled my van out of the garage and then "painted" tracks on the floor with water and let them ride their bikes.  #1 enjoyed pushing #3 in the stroller, and he enjoyed it right back!

 

 #3 watching, from a safe distance!, his brothers zoom around on their bikes.

The house was really cold this morning so I thought it best to play near the stove.  We rarely get these rugs out, so the boys were entertained for quite some time.

 

Yesterday I pulled out the large electric train and each kiddo took a turn using the controller.

I've been trying to get of my comfort zone and getting the paints out more.  Here the kids are making ornaments.  I cut out shapes from cardboard and they chose their colors.  

 

 Here they are finished.  I plan on stringing them and letting the kids put them on the tree.  It's been ages since we've had ornaments, and I figure no one will care if these break!  Headache free tree decorations.

 

 We bought a small magnetic dry erase board and hung it on the wall.  Something else for the boys to do when the lack of cooperation and cabin fever start to close in on us.  Here are a couple other painting projects. The apple and dinosaur are cheap wood cutouts from the craft store and after they were painted I glued on a magnet.  The snowflakes and tree are painted on cardboard with painters tape to make the shapes!

 

 Each of the boys playing with their computer.  #1 has a couple really cool games on his that uses the mouse to guide a spaceship through the air and a monkey through a maze!

A fort!  We don't have many boxes, so I made this with one box, the rocking chair, a play tent, and the babies JumperRoo.  Had to get creative!

How Do You Beat The Winter Blues?

How does one survive endless days of -20F (or lower, today was -35) with a (almost) 4 year old (yikes!), and 2.5 year old, and a six month old? You let them wreak havoc on your house and pray no one gets hurts or nothing gets broken! My kiddos love running in the house, especially around our pantry, it makes a great track. #1 has become really good at saying, "excuse me" to the little one instead of pushing him out of the way.  They do this at least once a day and somehow (yet thankfully) it never gets old.  Luckily I don't have to worry about #2 getting shoved down the stairs anymore!

#2 running around the pantry

 

We also take goofy pictures.  #1 has recently discovered he can make his face do funny things.  It sure does make for frustrating, uh, I mean interesting fun pictures!

 



Yes, I even let them jump off the couch.  For some reason a pile of pillows and blankets provides quite a bit of fun.  From jumping off the couch, to running and crashing onto them.  It burns a lot of the cabin fever off as well!

#1 in mid jump, and #2 just beginning his.  Lots of laughter!

 

The kiddos have also enjoyed playing "flashlight game" where they get flashlights and run around the house finding the items I say.  Lots of up/downstairs stuff.  Hallway bowling; although this doesn't last long.  #1 and #2 don't let the other actually bowl, they think it's funny to knock down the cups before any bowling can ensue.  And of course play dates with friends and story time at the library.

 

Here's a few extra pictures for the road!

 





 My big ham!  7 months in 2 days, 22lbs, 28inches!  And a happy pleasant boy!

 

Big brother helping to entertain the littlest one.  When he's not being to rough, he's been really helpful.  He is always telling me, "Mom, I love my baby brother!"  I'm glad he sees him as an asset!

 

Brothers getting along and posing for a sweet pic.  #3 really adores his brothers.  He watches them with an eagles eye.  He is both, soaking up everything they are doing, and at the same time watching out for danger!

What our winter looks like so far.  We have more snow then Anchorage.  However, with the cold temperatures we have an inversion, where cold air is trapped under a warm air pocket, so the valley (where we live) is super cold with really really really bad air quality.  So right now it's smelly and smokey outside with no end in sight. 

Young Children's Eyesight

So this is to expand upon what I've discovered about young children's eyesight and the importance of taking them into an eye doctor for a routine checkup early on. 

Here is a link to a post I wrote earlier this year about my sweet little #2 and his/our journey of toddlers wearing glasses.  Go here to see what I wrote.

I'll add to it that he's become much better at wearing them, and does so 90% of the time.  I think he is finally seeing a difference and realizes he sees better with them on.  A lot of the time he'll go get them for us.  Oh, and he can even put them on himself now!  #2 will wear his patch without much arguing.  And really, once I get his glasses on over the patch he gives up and carries on with his day.  Allowing him to set the timer has helped.

I follow another blog and here is her experience with getting her son eye glasses: here  There are also a lot of great comments, read those as well.  Other mothers share their experience and advice on the subject.

I will reiterate how important it is to get your little ones eyes checked.  There is a short window to correct it, and once it's gone, it is gone forever. 

It's Warmer?!?!?!

Our winter has been up and down so far and it's only the second month.  We had a week of really cold weather, -30F to be exact, yikes!  I had the wood stove going so we stayed toasty warm inside.  By the end of this week we were all going stir crazy and things were getting desperate.  To mix things up a bit I threw together a scavenger hunt, the boys drug pillows and blankets out to jump on, and we even went bowling in the house.   I also complied a list of things we could do in a pinch, because well, cabin fever is going to strike often.

And as luck would have it, yesterday it warmed up to 24F and the kids got sick.  Gah!  Today it was a modest 7F so I got us all (excluding Colin who was napping) outside for an hour.  It really cleared my head and even helped calm their coughs.  Here's to hoping they are feeling even better in the morning.  On Tuesday I fly with the three boys by myself down to ER to visit my parents.  Husband has been working a lot lately and I'm looking forward to the extra set of helping hands and maybe even a nap!

Sorry Ya'll

Sorry ya'll (or really Cousin Sharon),

I'm have to add those stupid character questions when adding comments.  I've suddenly been hit with spam for xanax and other weird things since lifting it.  Hopefully this won't affect anyone.  I like reading your comments and knowing that someone other then me looks at the blog!

Winter is Here

The boys on the first walk of the year (disclosure, this was a few weeks ago)

 

Winter has begun in the cold, cold, so very cold, north, and it did so brutally.  Last week we woke up to -17F.  WHAT?  Being in the interior is crazy.  Luckily it's warmed back up to a toasty 10F.  I try to get the boys out once a day if the temperature is above -20F, however the sharp drop in temperatures didn't allow me to slowly acclimate so I've slacked off so far this winter.  Today I did get the kiddos outside for a 20 minute walk and it was so nice.  I hate being couped up in the house.  That being said, getting a almost 4 year old, 2.5 year old, 6 month old, and myself dressed and out the door takes a lot of work; I hope it doesn't stop me in the months to come!

 

#3 continues to be a really good sport.  He has really enjoyed going on walks, even though the means being bundled up.  I've added a neck warmer that I crocheted to his winter wardrobe to (hopefully) keep his little cheeks from getting frost bit.  #2 likes pulling his sled around, but he wants to hold my hand ALL THE TIME.  I hoping he's just getting used to being in a snowsuit and walking in the snow.  #1 is having a BLAST!  Today on our walk he rolled in the snow for quite a while.  He's even stopped being freaked out when snow gets on his face.

 

We have been keeping warm with the wood stove.  I've decided to try another fuel saving measure this year, not warming up the house using fuel before we get up.  Brrrrrrrr is all I have to say about that!  I think we'll save a bunch of fuel, but waking up to the house being 60 is pretty chilly!  Our rooms are still heated through the night though, I'm not that crazy.  We'll see in the next couple of months if it's worth it or not, but I can't imagine in not. 

 

Happy Winter to everyone!

Just Around the Cornor

My first born is almost four.  I can hardly believe it.  I know it's two months away, but still, four years is A LOT closer then 3, or 3 1/2.  Yikes.  It's somewhat unbelievable that sleepless nights were that long ago, or that he was just learning to crawl, and then we were excited he started to walk.  Let's not forget the teeth and the solid food!  And then I fast forward to the present, and well no wonder it doesn't seem like four years because I did it all over 2 1/2 years ago, and am doing it again right now!  I guess that's the thing with having three kids in 3 1/2 years, once you get one out of a stage, there is another one following closely.

There are perks though to having an almost four year old. His temper has really "mellowed," well as much as boys can :) He keeps his hands to himself a lot more now. He also is making good choices more then bad. He loves saying I love you, giving hugs and kisses. He still likes to snuggle. He helps his brothers.  His speech is getting better everyday.  But I have a running joke with the speech therapist that I'm really pulling for an "r"!

 

And here is my 2 1/2 year following in the footsteps of his older brother.  Unfortunately for my ears, his terrible twos are manifesting in whining, not in temper tantrums.  I think I prefer the yelling!  His speech is also delayed, however it's due more to his stubbornness and not due to hearing issues like his older brother.  Just the last couple of weeks he has begun to repeat most of what I, and his older brother, say.  He now says two colors: bue (blue) and wewwow (yellow), and currently trying to remember eeen (green)!  He is super busy and a daredevil.  The newest adventure is jumping down the stairs.  He's going to kill me!  He thinks he can keep up with #1.

 



 

My baby!!!  He will be six months old next week. NOOOOOOOO.  I swear with #1 every new milestone was exciting because he was the first.  With #2 is was a little less novel, but he did everything so fast.  With this one I don't want him to grow up!!!!  I can't believe he could be eating solid food already.  That he can roll over and do pushups.  That he is getting his first tooth.  That he will be crawling at some point.  It just can't be!  I want to bottle him up and never let him out.  He LOVES his brothers and is such a good sport with them.  He doesn't even mind if they stand on him, it's great.  He is just precious.  And soon enough he'll be moving at the speed of light like the others and then I'll be nostalgic for those sleepless nights all over again.

A Hunting He Will Go!



This first pic isn't the best of Husband, but, if you can zoom in you'll see #1 sporting his favorite look, a wink topped off with a thumbs up!  Husband went hunting a couple of times in September but could never find that elusive moose.  Total bummer because we really needed one this year.  The boys helped Daddy get packed up and were rewarded by receiving a ride on the 4-wheeler.  #1 has been eyeing the trailer and I thought, what the he**, let's put his helmet on and let him ride.  He had a great time and we all earned a little brownie points!

 



Here is #1 giving Daddy a nice send off.  All packed and ready to go!

Below is my food cache for the winter.  I froze five bags of raspberries, seven of lowbush cranberries, and 10 or so of blueberries.  The raspberries were picked just up the road where we live (must pick more next year) and about half the cranberries are from our "front yard."  I convinced Husband to pick blueberries out at moose camp and he came through!  I'm so excited to have freshly frozen local berries for muffins and pancakes for those cold dark winter days that are coming. 

Two Boys in a Room

Way back in April we finally bit the bullet and put both boys in the same room (#1 and #2, #3 wasn't here yet!).  This decision was not made lightly.  We had thought about it for awhile, but then as luck would have it we were sort of thrust into it by two separate events.  The first was our domestic water pipes going out the day after Thanksgiving.  To accommodate all the exposed holes in our walls we moved #1 up into our bedroom (oh yeah, I must write about this) and #2 into #1's room.  #2's room became what I affectionately called our hoarders room because all things in our house went their to collect dust, disappear, then die a lonely death.  The sleeping arrangements stayed as such all the way until April.  I had politely, gently, subtly, and then not so subtly pointed out that I was 37 weeks pregnant and that soon we would have a third child (second event), who would be sleeping in our room and that it was time to get things moving to get #1 out of our room.  I didn't want #1 to feel as if the baby was replacing him and the cause for him being moved out, and we were quickly loosing time!  Husband quickly patched up the one room.  I made a cute calendar to countdown to this momentous occasion.  As it turned out, it was more for me then them.  Husband and I both dreaded them sharing a room.  We imagined endless nights of them laughing, playing, hitting, kicking, yelling, etc, etc, and that they would never get enough sleep and be grumpy and miserable, therefore making us miserable.  Thankfully, this couldn't have been farther from the truth and was in fact an easy transition.  The first night they laughed and played for an hour; the second, 30 minutes.  After that smooth sailing. 

Now fast forward five months to the present.  It's still going well.  However #2 decided it was a good idea to start screaming, crying, and jumping in his crib when it was time for lights out.  This prompted #1 to scream, cry, and pitch a fit at #2 to stop, "#2 be quiet, go to sleep."  They would do this for five minutes then silence.  It SUCKED.  It was loud and it bothered me to no end.  I felt bad that #1 was bothered by #2's racket.  I also felt bad for #2 because getting yelled at when you're sad sucks.  Finally I started to tell #1 that instead of yelling to calmly tell #2 that it'll be okay and to go to sleep.  Now I just simply remind him of this every night, and voila, no more yelling, and no more crying on #2's part, I'm SOOOO smart!  Now when I close the door I hear kindness, "#2 it's alright, mom will be back in the morning, go to sleep.  It's okay, go to sleep." Thank goodness!

I Love...

...being a mother of three wonderful, energetic, sweet loving boys!  These kiddos can bring a smile to my face even when I'm in the grips of overwhelming frustration.  My boys are full of energy.  I get them outside as much as possible.  This usually means 1-2 hours in the morning, and another bout after naps/quiet time in afternoon, usually a walk if the baby is awake.  These kids run in the house, rough house, jump off furniture, and use me as a jungle gym.  I wake up frequently with bruises without a clue as to where they came from.  These boys play rough and loud!  If only I earned a penny every time I said "Keep your hands to yourself" "You play gotcha with your dad, not your brother" "Stop squishing him."  And in a year I'll have one more to "reprimand!"

These boys are so sweet and loving.  Every time I'm at my wits end and I feel as though I am raising the next degenerates of society, #1 will come up to me out of the blue and say "I lub you Mom."  How can your heart not melt and make you realize you must be doing something right?!  #1 comes up to me frequently throughout the day unprompted to tell me loves me, gives a kiss, or a hug.  He does this with both his little brothers as well.  #2 loves giving #3 kisses and hugs.  It's pretty amazing.  And just today #1 on our play date went up to a little girl, shook her hand and said "Nice to meet you!!!"  Incredible!

All this being said, they are a handful, and I am fearing winter already.  I say already like it's somewhere in the far future, but in reality it's freezing at night and snow will be flying within the next two weeks.  We are going to have definite cabin fever.

Which brings me to this:  Any of you moms of multiple, wild, aggressive boys have any suggestions?!  How do you teach boys to be calm?  Or does this just come with age?  And does this mean I'll sound like a broken record for years to come?!

Happy (Belated Internet) Birthday #2!



Happy 2nd Birthday to #2!  I realize this is a little late.  We did celebrate his birthday, on his actual birthday, I'm just a little late letting all my Internet peeps know he turned two.  We had a nice bbq at our house with some of our adult friends and Husbands family over.  Lots of cousins to play with!  I decided we would forgo the traditional cake and made homemade cupcakes, from scratch, including the frosting.  Below is my (lame) attempt at hand drawing airplanes, one of #2's favorite things at the moment.  They turned out pretty good and were tasty.  Cupcakes for a crowd of little people is definitely the way to go.  An added bonus is the limited cleanup, no plates or forks, yea!!!

 

Here is #2 enjoying his cupcake.  #1 helped him blowout the candles.  Luckily #2 is very accommodating to his older brother (so far).  I fear the day (coming soon) this finally ends.



 A very cute picture of #1 when he was still a little baby.  Unfortunately, I failed my second born by not getting a super cute picture of him when he was first born.  I'd make some sort of excuse, but truly there isn't one.



#2 has in the past year really developed into the quintessential toddler.  He has blossomed under his big brothers guidance; a lot of times he faithfully does whatever he tells him to do.  Unfortunately for #1 this too is coming to an end.  Not sure how to convince #1 that no matter how loudly or forcefully he tells #2 to do something that, no, he actually doesn't.  #2 is starting to assert himself more.  In fact, he just started saying the word no to us.  It's pretty cute, I'll ask him something, and instead of grunting "uh-uh", he'll say "no mama." 

Other (not so cute) things he's picked up are:
- screaming at me (thanks to #1)
- hitting me when he's mad (why do children do this to their mamas?)
- being obstinate
- oh, there's the forever repeating myself telling him no:
         - don't touch the baby swing
         - don't touch the baby chair
         - don't push your brother
         - don't stand on the over: I could go on forever, so lame children aren't created to listen

Cute things he does:
- crashing his body into the ground (for fun)
- lots of hugs and kisses
- playing with his older brother
- lots of kisses for little brother
- riding his trike
- just being himself!  He's got such kissable cheeks :)

There are a thousand things I'm missing, but you get the gist.  I'm so lucky that he's apart of our family.  Can't wait to see what the next year will hold for him (or us). 

I Passed the Test!



Not sure if I mentioned this or not but #2 wears glasses.  Husband and I noticed his left eye (around nine months old) was turning in when he looked at objects but then would adjust back to normal.  I asked several people whether to take him to the optometrist and got both answers: 1) No, don't take him, they'll correct it when he's older and in school 2) You should take him and get it looked at.  I waited until he was 18 months old because I sort of felt like I was teetering on the edge of being a neurotic mom.  So I finally took both #1 and #2 to the optometrist to get their eyes checked out.  #1 passed (even though it's really only a visual exam with parental input on how they were doing) and #2, not so much.  Turns out lazy eyes are EXTREMELY important that need to be checked out and corrected ASAP.

The doc said many people wait until their child is in school for correction but by then it is too late to correct that eye, it will be bad FOREVER.  You child will be stuck with 1200 vision in that eye FOREVER.  There is a limited amount of time that the brain has to relearn how to see at 20/20 vision and once that time frame is passed, you can't get it back.  SO SO SO glad we took him in.  They ordered him some "cute" Winnie the poo frames which were very cute, but unfortunately too small and we had to upgrade to a larger, read, more expensive pair.  (Sorry folks, no pics of his first frames, although I do have a video where they make an appearance.)  Here's the thing about children's glasses, even though they are tiny they still cost as much as adult frames and they are no less prone to breaking or getting scratched.  Ugh.  The doc said for him to wear the glasses as much as possible.  Do you know how hard it is to get an 18 month old to wear glasses and not break them?  I do.  It's tough.  And remember I was six months pregnant at this point chasing him around, trying to get him to both wear them and not break them.

#2's second pair of glasses.  He LOVED picking

dandelions this summer and he'd store them in

his firetruck.

In April I took him back for a recheck and the doc very kindly said he only saw "mild improvement."  The goal for the next four months was to get him to wear his glasses AT LEAST six hours a day AND WEAR A PATCH for an hour (or more) a day.  I totally looked at him and asked if he was crazy.  Did he not see that I was three days from my due date?  Not only did he have to wear his glasses more but I also had to convince him to keep a patch on as well?!?!  Crap.  To give the doc credit he really is a nice guy who told me he understood he was expecting the impossible out of me.  I do like the guy.  He has two sons and is great with our kids.  I asked if he would be able to measure how good of a mother I am based on how well his follow up appointment in August would be, and with a smile and go natured laugh said yes.  And off I went with #2 out the door with glass patches in my pocket.

It took #2 all of one day to realize that if he bent his head down he could look over his glasses, thus defeating the purpose of the patch.  The next step, getting a "sticker" patch for his eye, featured here:

The thing about the patch is, well, to put it blatantly, is it makes him sort of blind.  The patch goes on his good eye thereby forcing his bad to do all of the work.  He has a pretty strong prescription for the bad eye that guesstimates the amount of correction.  He hates the patch.  He hates it so much that he would rather sit in timeout for forever.  Luckily though once on he'll leave it on.  I'd say we've had pretty good luck (read me).  Over the past four months he has consistently worn the patch 70% of the days, usually for two hours (the longer the better).  He also keeps his glasses on for the majority of the day; exceptions, car rides, when he in angry, or they fall off one ear and we're not around to fix it. 

Don't let the picture above fool you.  These glasses have taken a beating.  The original pair were bent to hell and he had gnawed off the latex bridge piece more times then I care to remember.  Additionally he broke off each ear piece and the end result was new frames.  Thankfully they have a warranty.  They have also gotten lost outside.  One time my mom's dog found them and used them as a chew toy so there are nice little indentations on one lens.

This brings us to our latest recheck.  Turns out I am a fabulous mom who cares greatly about #2's future eyesight (and possible his future) because I passed, err, he passed with flying colors.  There was more improvement then was expected so I did my part, and #2 kind of did his.  The doc is changing his prescription so he'll get new scratch and bite mark free lenses in two weeks.  He still needs to wear the patch everyday but thankfully we are heading in the right direction.  I must admit I was pretty nervous.  "We" even did so well that we won't be back for six months when usually he'd want to see us in three! 

The end goal is that by seven or eight years old he will have restored his vision to 20/20 and won't need glasses anymore.  Let's up everything keeps going smoothly for the next five or six years!!!

The Dresser

There is a serious short fall of five drawer dressers in this town.  I've been wanting a dresser for the boys room for six months or so.  When summer showed up, and shorts and t-shirts came out of storage, I found I no longer had room in their child sized wardrobe closet to fit all of their clothes. So my search began for the elusive dresser.  None of our retail stores (walmart, fred meyer) sell one that is reasonably priced.  The less expensive stuff on Amazon, according to the reviews, comes damaged and usually is missing parts.  There is no way I'm going to a furniture store and purchasing my two little terrors an expensive dresser.  I went to Craigslist.

 Let me say this again, there is a serious short fall of five drawer dressers in this town, including used ones. 

A dresser would come up every two weeks or so, and when I would call they were already sold, and usually already picked up.  Often times this would be within the hour of the post.  But alas, finally, after months of diligent searching I finally found one!!!  I bought it without even looking at it, I had to go with my gut that this fella wasn't going to screw me, he even delivered it us! (Granted he did just live down the road, and was coming over to pick up the cash anyways)

So now to the point of this post.  Husband and I looked at the dresser in the garage today and an entire discussion ensued, all around this central question, that you would think we already had the answer to, "Where are we going to put the dresser?"  The thing is, #3 will eventually be moving out of our room, when is he about six months old.  So the discussion then led to, which room?  Do we put him in the larger bedroom with the spare bed (like we did with #2 before he moved into the same room with #1), or do we move the big boys into the larger room and #3 into their room?  It's nice to have a spare room with a queen bed in it for company, but the thing is that with three kids, we don't have the luxury of having a spare room any more.  So to sum up a long (and possibly pointless) post, we decided that on Wednesday we'll be moving everything around and the boys will be in the big room.  It has it's own drawbacks, mostly the little door that goes to our well pump and storage area, still thinking about how to make that little boy proof.  It will be nice to give them a little more space.  And we think we'll eventually put them all in the same room so we'll have a head start on that.

And we'll end with a picture, an all words post just doesn't seem fair.  Especially when you have such cuteness to share with the world.

At the "Beach"

Thursday was super warm, it was 80 outside.  After the kids woke up from naps I thought it would be fun to go to the local watering hole and play in the sand and sun.  I didn't know how #1 and #2 were going to handle the water, the last time they were around anything other then a bath tub or river was two years ago when we took a trip to San Diego, CA to visit Husband's family.  We took the boys to the beach, #1 ran away from the water.  #2 was a mere 7 weeks old and slept through it.  I was so excited to see #1 jump right in and start playing.  #2 followed right behind and did his own thing!

Look how happy he is!  #1 played and played with the sand and water.  He even went into the lake up to his waist.  I'm going to sign him up for swimming lessons which start the beginning of August.  Hopefully he'll have a great time.  We're heading back to CA in December so it's imperative he gets comfortable with water.  I know the beach will be too cold, but we're staying in a resort so they'll have a heated pool, or outdoor pool, or both, not really sure.

#2 ran and ran at the edge of the water.  No shoes!  It was nearly impossible to get a picture of him looking at me, he was so busy.  He especially liked taking sand from the beach and pouring it into the lake.

Sand + Water = Mud!!!

 Busy filling up a bucket.

Husband putting the baby to sleep.  Have I mentioned what a precious, great little thing he is?!  He just goes with the flow, it's incredible.  At 12 weeks he weighs in at 15lbs 12oz and is 25inches.  He is in the 97 percentile for both! 

Finally, he stopped long enough to get a picture of his face!

It was really hot (for us) and the boys had a fabulous time.  What is most astonishing though, is, only seven months ago it was -50 out.  Actually, it may have even been colder then that, Husband and I thought it may have been -55 at our house at some point last winter.  That makes a 130 degree difference between our maximum high and low for the year.  Crazy, not sure why I live here.  I followed the boys around, probably looking like an idiot, trying to get pictures.  It was our first time going and hopefully we'll get a couple good more days when Husband is home so we can go again.  Maybe next time I'll hand the camera off to Husband so there's proof I tagged along. 

Not a Minute Wasted

Last week Husband and I packed up our van (yes we have a van!), put the kiddos in (I know, shocking we didn't leave them behind!) and hit the open road.  We went to ER to visit my mom (dad was down in Soldotna fishing, but did come up briefly).  We drove down Wednesday and came back on Monday, and we didn't waste a minute while down there.  There was something planned each day down there.  All the kids did really great on the drive down, we took plenty of car breaks.  We got out of the car to throw rocks and even found a really great little trail that looked out on a huge river valley we hadn't known about.  Everything was fine until we hit 1.5hours from my parents house and #3 decided he had had enough of the car. I should mention, for the out of state people, it's a six hour drive without kids, with it took 7.5 hours.   

Thursday we all went to the zoo.  The boys had a great time burning off pent up travel energy while Husband, mom, and I chased them around.  I'm not really sure they saw many animals, but they did enjoy climbing up on the wooden railing every chance they had.  The weather was even great (a rarity this summer). 

Friday mom and I took the kids in to "A town" to visit with a friend who has a son #1s age, they were actually at the hospital the same time we were!  It was great to catch up and compare notes on our little ones! 

Saturday we had a long time family friend come out for a play date at my old elementary school.  She has a son who is almost a year and a half older then #1 and he had been asking when he could get together with my boys again (we saw them last Thanksgiving).  We chose a playground, because in his words, "Kathy only has baby toys."  Which is not entirely true, she has five trucks and two handheld toys and that's it.  Maybe I should bribe her and say we'd come down more often in the boys had more toys to play with!!!  Unfortunately we only stayed for an hour because the weather was rainy and cold and I didn't have a rain jacket or umbrella, and I'm not a boy so I eventually got cold.  Later that day Husband and I went into "A town" to do some errands while the boys slept/had quiet time.  Can you call that a date?  Probably when you have three kids in three and a half years! 

Sunday morning the weather was cloudy but warm so I (strongly) suggested we head to Thunderbird Falls for a 2 mile "walk." Husband was a little apprehensive thinking the boys would get tired but I figured they would be okay. I did however question this when I saw the trail, I really didn't remember it looking so steep! They boys did GREAT, I think total they walked 2.5 miles because we went to the top of the falls and then took another trail down to the bottom. I was a little worried about #2, he pretty much walks aimlessly and doesn't pay attention to where he's going. At two years old he still falls CONSTANTLY. I envision him being very much like my little sister Becky. He walks and lives life without a care in the world. There were several signs warning "Danger Drop Off" and I was scared he would look up at some tree he found interesting and would walk right off. Luckily we went with three kids and came home with three. They were even all ours! 

Sunday evening I invited myself and our kids over to above said friends house for another play date and dinner.  It was really neat to see her son and #1 wrestling around.  It's not too often that #1 has another kid his size to rough house with.  We were on strict orders by her son that the boys were not to mess up his room unless they cleaned it, which they did, twice.  He has a LOT of cool toys and monster trucks. 

And then Monday came and it was all over (including sleeping in because my mom is a saint and gets up at 6am with my kids).  I was sad to go.  I briefly saw Jenny twice and Mike came out to the house for an hour one day.  Becky was in Canada enjoying a music festival.  My siblings are always busy when I come down.  I must plan better next year because they are all pretty darn funny (I was reminded again this trip just how much) and I miss them, and seeing them in passing just doesn't cut it.  Luckily both my sisters are planning one more trip up in August to visit before the long cold winter sets in. 

 Throwing rocks during a stop.

Petting a chicken at the petting part of the zoo.  The "keeper" came up to me and asked if I had animal experience.  Not sure he liked me picking up "his" chicken.

Why do I get to take care of most of the kids!  I brought Husband and mom along so I wouldn't be doing it by myself!!!

Uncle Mike time!  Look how happy #3 is to meet him.

Ahma and #3, she loves these boys!

First family picture at Thunderbird Falls. 

All my boys!  Such a handsome lot. 

Thanks #3 for taking the picture for us.  I guess I could have taken you out of the stroller.  Whoops, didn't think of that till now.  I'll blame it on being to busy.  Sorry!

"You'll Sleep in 30 Years"

This is a phrase I hear (often) from my mother.  I remembered this as I laid down for a nap today, #1 watching a movie during quiet time with Husband, #2 napping in the boys room, and #3 sleeping in the swing in our room.  She says this when I (frequently) complain about being tired.  I suppose she's right, there are certain things you have to give up, or at least partially, when you decide to have children, sleep being one of the most crucial and first to go.  I do keep in mind however that I am getting much more sleep then I have in the past four years.  #3 still sleeps pretty well, in the swing, and so I am getting about six hours a night of combined sleep.  This in our house is a miracle even though to most this doesn't appear to be much (#3 is back to waking every 3 hours to nurse).  Back when #2 was born, or rather, when he turned 4 months old, like #1, he started to wake every hour, on the hour to nurse.  Between him feeding and #1 waking 2-3 times a night with night terrors and colds, I was literally getting 1-2 hours of interrupted sleep a night.  That's right 1-2 hours TOTAL.  On top of that I was working a little more then part time.  It was miserable and it's alwasy in the back on my mind. So I am thankful I have a "good baby."

As I was (supposed to be) sleeping, I started thinking about all the other wise advice my mother has given over the last couple of years.  Most of it has been helpful:

-  You're the boss.  - I remind myself of this when I try to put #1 or #2 on timeout and they won't listen.  It helps to keep me going in the face of adversity.

- It's not your job to entertain them. - LOVE this one.  Especially when I start to feel like I'm not doing a good enough job providing stimulating, educational activities.  Because, as you know, parents are obsessive about making their kids smart by teaching them everything early, like the ABC's and how to read, instead of giving them enough free play and letting them use their imagination.  I am so thankful we have an acre of land and the boys can enjoy the outdoors in our own backyard.  Here is a list of things Husband has built/added to their play area.  Seriously, it's like a playground and we really don't ever have to leave expect to get groceries if we didn't want to.  However, we do leave because I need a change of scenery:

• Swings
• Tire swing (this is favorite and added this year)
• Playhouse (or rather a hotel for little kids, it's THREE stories)
• Balance beam
• Teeter totter (Husband built this using a stump as the pivot) 
• Rock box (last summer Husband and I swept up 15, 5 gallon buckets of pea gravel off the road)
• Childsize picnic tables
• Lots of toys
• Oh, and part of a garden box for digging

- He's a baby, he's not doing it on purpose. - I must confess, I am not in love with newborns.  I find them pretty difficult and frustrating.  If you think two year olds don't listen, try a newborn.  They don't eat or sleep when you want them to.  They cry, sometimes for no reason.  I have had to repeat this to myself many a time while walking the floors with a crying baby. 

- I don't know what you should do, I had girls first. - This one is particularily unhelpful (sorry Mom!).  My boys, are well, boys.  And with this comes a lot of aggression, acting out, and energy.  Not bad of course, but as my mom puts it, different.  I love having these boys, but it does come with challenges, and challenging behavior.  Add stubborness to the list and I have my hands full.

We will of course end with a picture.  Can't get enough of these guys!

Sharon, Thank You!

Sharon, thank you for enjoying my blog!  I enjoy catching up on yours when I can.  Just thought I would thank you with my blog, for thanking me with your blog.

Kids Say the Cutest Things

#1's vocabulary has really taken off.  He was evaluated by the school district and was accepted into their speech program which he was eligible to enroll in at the age of three.  He attended "school" for one half hour twice a week starting in January.  #1 had a great time and made a friend who also lives in NP, we've even had a play date with him this summer!  I'm not sure if #1 was ready to speak more clearly, or if the speech therapy was absolutely necessary, or if it was a combination of the two.  Either way, it is much easier to understand him.  There are still times when I have to apologize for not understanding him and I have to guess at what he is saying, but there are improvements.  He will be going back to "school" when school starts in August.  Wow, that's next month, eek!  I'm sure I'll be getting some looks lugging a 3yo, 2yo, and 3 month old in school drop him off.  That being said, here are some of the cute things #1 says now:

- That not nice to me Oren - a favorite because there are always fights happening
- When I get bigger I will have big feet like dad and grow hair on my arms (he has been very curious about how he doesn't have any, I have a little, and dad has a lot!)
- His imagination is really taking off, he's always talking about a fire: under the table, in the kitchen while I'm trying to cook, in the bedroom
- I love you so much, happy birthday (not sure why he pairs these two together)

#2 is taking after his older brother and not talking much at all.  It is astonishing how well he communicates with such little vocabulary.  He literally only says a handful of words: mama, dada, truck, train (brand new this week), water, banana, baby, and then the usual sounds, uh-uh (no), uh-oh, uh-huh (yes).  Becky my youngest sister was up for a visit several weeks ago and she thought he was talking up a storm, that was until I told her to pay attention, boy did he have her fooled.  He is definitely far behind but I'm not sure it's a hearing problem like it was with #1.  I think he's just lazy.  The only thing it could be is chronic fluid in his ears, so we'll see.  Maybe he'll have tubes in a couple of months.

Cheating

This is cheating because all I'm going to do is add links to a few videos we've posted to youtube in the last couple of months.  Ahma and Grandpa have seen them, but for the rest of you, here they are.  I'm sure Ahma will sneak another peak at them all!

#3 having a conversation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGqOKe5HWLE&feature=g-upl

#3 enjoying tummy time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gcLazu0kw4&feature=g-upl

#1 and #2 getting along
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXuXMFOviSU&feature=g-upl

#1 and #2 jumping on pillows during a cold winters day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C29ctseG80Y&feature=g-upl

A few of these videos are proof that my two oldest children do get along, sometimes.  While not always perfect, each month they are getting better.  #1 often shares toys with #2 without even being prompted.  #1 and #2 now share a room and the other morning, #1 went into the spare room to get toys to play with until I got them, and he had put toys in #2's crib so he wouldn't be bored!

At the Request of Ahma

For those who don't know, son #1 had a pretty big speech delay.  At some point, around two and half, he finally started talking, mostly because we had tubes put in his ears and his adenoids taken out.  Seems cruel, but it was life changing for both him and us.  Because of the speech delay, Grandma came out as Ahma, and we thought it was too darn cute to ever try to correct.  It was then I realized just how lucky us first borns are, we get to decide for all the other grandchildren what our grandparents will be called.  I remember asking my mother's mom if I could call her Granny and it stuck.  See, we older kids have it so easy, said no one ever!  But this is one of the only perks I've come up with so far!

Okay, so now the point of this post.  Ahma requested I put this super sweet picture of all my boys up for the world to see.  So eat your heart out:

Colin Mitchell's Birth Story

Born 5/2/2012, 1:35am, 11lbs 12oz, 22.5in

I was terribly uncomfortable during this pregnancy.  I had pretty bad "morning" sickness the first seven weeks or so, slept poorly from 20 weeks on, had painful braxton hicks contractions starting at 18 weeks, and I felt huge which I know is a complaint everyone has.  I was so big that it was uncomfortable to sit up straight, including on the toilet, and as everyone knows, pregnant women spend a lot of time going to the bathroom.  To top off the aforementioned discomfort, a week and a half before my due date Connor and Oren came down with a terrible cold which we later learned was the flu.  They had high fevers and persistent, long lasting coughs.  I went from wanting the pregnancy to end, to hoping I would go past my due date so the boys would have more time to get better before we brought a newborn home into a cold stricken house.  As luck would have it, I came down with the flu as well.  I coughed so hard I pulled an abdominal muscle.  Did I mention I was still pregnant?  My muscles were already stretched to the max, so coughing with a huge uterus was made worse.  But, I got lucky and that healed.  Then, while still pregnant and having the flu, I coughed so much and intensely, I pulled a rib muscle.  How lucky can one girl be?!  And because I was pregnant I couldn't take any medication.  I was left to suffer.

My mom, thankfully was here for it all.  She drove up on April 20th and was here from the beginning of the boys illness.  May 1st was like any other day.  Spent the day with the boys.  Shawn was going to class during the day, he was taking his paramedic refresher course.  We ate dinner, got the kids in bed, and started watching Burn Notice with my mom and Shawn.  Around 9:45pm I thought my water broke.  Shawn posted it on Facebook and then I had doubts, and then I wondered what everyone would think if I had 'cried wolf" thanks to Shawn.  But, I was right and baby time was finally here.  I called the midwife and we agreed that we'd meet at the birth center at 11:30pm because Shawn thought the earlier the better.   He's always been worried that I'd wait to long and we'd have a baby in the car or at home.  At 10:30 I called the midwife back and told her we'd be leaving for the birth center ASAP because I had one hard contraction.  Oren's birth was so fast and I had driven into town (20 minutes) in hard labor that I knew I didn't want to do that again.

 

 

We arrived at the birth center (BC) at 11:15 and the midwives already had the tub filled.  Shawn got Enya playing and candles lit.  These two items were very important to me since we didn't really have time to get things organized like this when Oren was born.  After spending a little time in the tub, and contractions being regular, I decided to get out, I just wasn't "feeling" it.  I sat on the toilet for maybe 10 minutes and then decided I needed to get back into the tub.  And then of course time warps and I loose track of time.  I know when I got back into the tub I was in transition, that the baby was descending, and that I was uncomfortable.  I also know that I was happy this was coming to an end.  This labor and delivery was nearly identical to Oren's so I knew it wasn't going to take long.  Although fast labors are extremely intense, it's also nice to not be in pain for hours.

With a couple of pushes the head was out.  Then, the strangest thing happened again, my contractions stopped, just as they did with Oren.  This freaks me out again, and I got all crazy and asked the midwives to help.  The baby was stuck and then finally after what seemed like forever, but what was really only maybe a minute, the baby was born.  It's another boy!!!!  Colin Mitchell was handed to me.  The midwives couldn't believe how big he was.  I got out of the tub and moved onto the bed.  Shawn cut the cord about 20 minutes later. 

 

 

As the midwives went to weigh him we all took our guesses.  We knew he was bigger then the other boys, so maybe in the upper 9 pound range.  When they put him in the sling and weighed him Kelly's eyes popped.  I asked if she was surprised because he weighed less then what we all thought, she said "No, more."  Corey the other midwife took a look her eyes too popped.  I said how much?  They said, "11lbs, 10oz."  I said, "Go get the real scale."  You know, the ones hospitals have that give a digital read out.  Once weighed they said, "Uh, this scale says he weighs more."  Holy moley, I just delivered an 11lb 12oz baby boy.  WOW.  Who even does that?  I guess I do.

 

 

Then all of my pregnancy woes came back to me.  No wonder I was so uncomfortable, no wonder I couldn't even sit on a toilet without being in pain.  I was carrying this huge baby.  And to boot he was long as well.  There was NO ROOM for either of us.  Everyone has been shocked at how much he weighed.  I didn't gain a bunch of weight, no more then I did with Connor or Oren, I didn't have gestational diabetes, he was just meant to be big.  I'm not even sure he was truly stuck.  I think if I had remained calm and waited for another contraction he would have come out more easily.

Fast forward to now.  Colin is a very healthy 14lbs 8oz at seven weeks old.  He has fit spectacularly into our family.  We all love him to death.  Connor and Oren can't get enough of him.  Connor calmly reminds me when he's fussy, "He wants to nurse."  They give him gentle kisses and rub his head when he's upset.  And best of all, this baby sleeps.  And I mean, this baby sleeps.  I couldn't have asked for more.  I think he may have acid reflux, so he sleeps in the swing.  I never thought I'd "mechanically mother" my child, but last night he slept 7.5hours, and I sure as hell ain't going to mess with that.  I know what sleep deprivation does to mothers, I was there for three straight years and will avoid that at all costs.  Sleep is enabling me to be a happy, healthy, fun mother to all my children and I am so thankful.  We are overjoyed to be the parents of another boy.  Even two months later I still can't believe we have three boys and that I gave birth to what my friends affectionately call a toddler.  I'm thankful that my mom was here for three weeks after Colin was born to help out, which enabled me to recover and enjoy my newborn baby.

There you have it!