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.