Tuesday, December 7, 2010

'Tis the Season

The boys and I have been trying to stay busy while AJ has been gone on his latest trip. We decided to go and see the lights at the temple on Monday night for our FHE, and while they aren't even remotely close to the lights at Temple Square, the boys and I fully enjoyed seeing the lights on the temple grounds (with the added bonus being that I was walking around in sandals still, and the boys only needed sweatshirts...definitely wouldn't have happened if we had been at Temple Square!)

These three little boys are the best gifts that I have ever been given. They are such a joy and delight in my life. I love the laughter and energy that they bring into our home. It's amazing to me, in looking at all of them in that picture, how alike they all are and yet how you can still see their own individuality as well. Camden loved the nativity sets (there are two...I didn't get pictures of one of them), and he had to make sure that he petted each and every animal before we could leave. As we were driving up to the temple, Keegan asked me if AJ and I were going to get married there again. I guess he hasn't quite fully grasped the concept of eternal marriage just yet, but at least he knows that the temple is where his mom and dad were married, and that is where he will be married as well once he is older. Then he wanted to know if I had thanked everyone who was at the temple the day I got married, and wanted to know if I had made sure I gave loves and blew kisses before I left the temple after getting married (he's very into making sure I say "thank you" for everything...I guess I must be over stressing the need to have manners with the boys). He cracks me up. I really should start carrying around a tape recorder with me to capture all the things that he says, and the way that he says them.


Halfway There...

I can't believe that Hunter is already 6 months old. It does not seem possible to me. It seems like you wait forever for them to be born, and then in the blink of an eye they aren't little babies anymore. He is so different from Keegan and Camden, and it some ways that has made things easier and in some ways it has been harder. He is definitely my linebacker of the bunch...he weighs more at 6 months than Keegan did at nine months and Camden did at a year. He is my little chunky-monkey and I love it! What can I say, the kid likes to eat. When I was finally ready to start him on solids (he was ready at about 5 months, I held out until he turned 6 months) he was practically grabbing the spoon out of my hand and trying to help me get it into his mouth. Now, as soon as I sit him in his seat and he sees me mixing up his cereal his legs and arms start moving every which way and he doesn't stop until he is full. I'm still only feeding him once a day with cereal and fruits, but my pediatrician gave me the go ahead to start feeding him all varieties of food, and said I could bump it up to more than just once a day (personally I think Hunter paid him off to say that, but I can't prove it). I'm trying to make him his baby food (like I did with Camden) so we'll see if I can keep up with his demand once he starts eating solids more than once a day.

Hunter is rolling EVERYWHERE...although he has learned that rolling onto the kitchen floor isn't nearly as soft as staying on the carpet. He's sitting up on his own, most of the time, although he prefers to be on his back and belly because he can roll anywhere he wants, and he just started army crawling a few days ago. I have a feeling that Keegan and Camden will be learning very quickly that if they don't want Hunter to have a certain toy than they are going to have to pick it up and keep it out of his reach. He got his first tooth the day after Thanksgiving, and I have a feeling a second one is about to join it. Thankfully, he's been a pretty easy teether. His first one finally cut through during his afternoon nap and he didn't even make a peep.

Some of Hunter's Favorite things at 6 months:

1. His brothers - he thinks that Keegan and Camden are there solely for his entertainment and his entertainment alone. Keegan, especially (and Keegan loves having an adoring audience). His face lights up when he sees them and no matter where he is, if he hears his brothers he stops what he is doing and looks for them.

2. Hunter loves when Keegan "helps" him roll over. They do this almost every night after their bath. Hunter is usually on the floor on his back while I help Camden get dressed, and Keegan will go up to him and use his head to push against Hunter's side to "help" him roll over. They both end up laughing the whole time. I really should get video because the description does not do it justice.

3. His toes...he tries to get them in his mouth at every possible chance.

4. Scratching at things to see what noise it will make. He does this all the time...when I'm burping him, when he's sitting on someones lap, on the floor, anywhere. He especially loves the office chair and the sound it makes.

5. Being carried. Hunter does NOT like the stroller...mostly because he really doesn't get to spend that much time in it (or at least he didn't until recently). At 20 pounds, however, he's just way too heavy for me to carry everywhere, so he is learning to tolerate the stroller, and Keegan is learning to not be in it anymore (I think he likes the freedom).

6. His snuggles (blanket). No matter how asleep he might be when I lay him down for his nap, 99% of the time he will kick his feet up in the air until I put his blanket on him, then roll to the side and pull it up to his face and then stick his thumb in his mouth (yeah, he's my thumbsucker...although it's not all of the time, so I don't think we'll have a hard time breaking him of the habit). He loves having a soft blanket (or stuffed animal in a pinch) against his face when he first goes to sleep. It's so cute.

7. The sounds he can make with his tongue (he loves to click it against the roof of his mouth) and the sound of his voice. I love his little babbling as well.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Happy Halloween

My little cast of characters....


Hunter, the ferocious(ly drooly) lion


Camden, the ever reluctant superhero (he does not like dress-up of any kind...apparently AJ was the same way when he was little...you would have thought we were torturing the kid when we put on his costume...although he was just fine once it was all the way on)


and Keegan...the only one who willingly put on his costume (even though it's a very generic, homemade version of a spiderman costume...because to be honest, I wasn't going for spiderman, I was just going for generic superhero but he insisted the he was going to be spiderman, hence the very late addition of a spider to his costume and the wrong color "boots").

I swear that I will never make another costume again...these just about did me in (although I think I remember telling myself the same thing last year too, which obviously didn't stick). Hunter's was the only one I really had no part in. It's Camden's costume from two years ago...and it was lovingly made by my mom (although I did provide the fabric and do the ribbon mane). I don't know how she did it making costumes for all of us kids growing up. Maybe it's because I'm such an impatient sewer (something I'm working on)...or maybe I was just tired and mad at myself for putting this off until the last minute (kind of like last years pirate costumes), but dragging 3 kids to the fabric store was just something I couldn't get excited about, so I kept putting it off in the hopes that I would have a chance to go on my own, and it never happened and I ended up with all 3 of them at the store with me anyway...a week before Halloween, with about 30 of my closest "friends", all doing the same last minute costume sewing that I was. I guess, in the end, all that matters, though is that they got done, and my boys had costumes and they seemed to be just fine with them.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!


Keegan and Camden's jack-o-lantern's that they helped their daddy carve.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Conversations With a 3-year-old

I had the best exchange with Keegan tonight. It went a little like this.

K: Mom, what you doing?
Me: Making some cookies.
K:Oh. Cookies for me?
Me: For all of us.
K: My have one now?
Me:Not yet, bud, they still have to bake. You can have one after you finish your soup (corn chowder) and have a bath.
K: Oh. My not want any more soup. My all fulled up to here (as he does the sign for "full").
Me: Oh, you're all filled up, huh?
K: Well, my not all filled up yet (he so knew that I was going to say that he must be too full for cookies if he was too full for more soup...it's like he's inside my head or something. Or maybe we just have that conversation a lot because he always seems to have room for treats but never room for his regular food). My still have some room for my cookie. See, right here on my side (as he shows me the exact spot on his side where he still has a little room left). This where my cookie go. My just have no more room for soup.

To be fair, he had already eaten most of his soup and his sandwich, so it's not like he was just going to have cookies for dinner, so he probably was "all fulled up". You gotta love the kid, and his reasoning though. He so takes after me. Even at the age of three he knows that there is always room for some dessert.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Super Boys to the Rescue

Keegan has been asking me to make him a super hero cape for quite some time, and I had found a free pattern online (so great, I know, right? I love that it's reversible...and free) but I've kind of been putting it off, because I really don't feel all that confident in my sewing abilities. I finally bit the bullet a few weeks back and made a cape for Keegan and then another for Camden. The fact that Keegan has worn it for some portion of the day, everyday since it has been finished definitely made the effort worth it. Camden is still a little hesitant to put his on (which shouldn't surprise me seeing as how he cried for about 20 min. the other day when we dressed him up in his pirate costume from last year to go trick-or-treating at Sea World) but I'm hoping that eventually he will warm up to the idea of wearing it.

All in all, they didn't turn out too bad. It's a little long, but that just means he can grow into it. I've never embroidered anything on before, and you can tell when you give it more than just a cursory glance, but Keegan is totally happy with his (especially since it was made in the colors that he wanted it to be), and it's something that I made for him...and I love that he runs up and down the hall and all over our backyard using his "superpowers" to rescue and protect people. Now I just have to convince him that a generic superhero costume will be good enough for Halloween rather than the Spiderman one that he seems to want. It might take more superpowers than I currently have at my disposal to accomplish that task! :)

Monday, October 18, 2010

Frog Princes...

So, I found this great free tutorial/pattern for a beanbag frog when I was first looking for and making beanbags for the boys that spell out their names (and help with letter recognition....which has been great). My goal for the original beanbags was to have one full set with the entire alphabet and then each of the boys having their own name spelled out as well...eventually, I'll get the whole alphabet done, but for now Keegan and Camden are the only ones that are done. Hunter's is a work in progress (although at least I have all of the squares cut out...they just have to be sewn together now, the letters need to be painted on and they need to be filled....all in my spare time, which naturally I have a ton of). ** Side note, I love when people are willing to share their creative energies for free with those of us that are less creative.


Anyway, I needed a break from sewing a gazillion blankets (at least that's what it feels like...we have a ton of pregnant ladies in our ward right now) and I was looking for a little gift to make and give to the older son of some friends of ours who just had another baby boy (I feel like the older kids sometimes get left out and I didn't want him to feel neglected) so I used some scrap fabric and put one together, just to get a feel for how it would turn out. It goes together super fast, which is great, and turned out pretty cute. Of course, as soon as Keegan saw the one I was making for our friends son, and wanted to play with it and then asked for one of his own when I informed him that it wasn't for him. Of course, once he had his, Camden needed one too, so a third one was made. I think it's a good thing that Hunter isn't talking just yet, although it's probably inevitable that he will get one of his own as well.

The one with the crown is the one being given as the gift (although Keegan informed me today that his frog needed a crown as well so I guess I better get on that) and then Keegan's and Camden's are on the sides. Not too bad for a few hours work, if I do say so myself (and I already had everything I needed so in a way, it was free, which is even better). And of course, no post is complete without a picture of my very own little princes! :)

She's Crafty....

Every once in a while I get inspired to make stuff and I actually end up following through with it. While I'm not great at it (like my sister) I'm ok...and thankfully my boys aren't too picky about crooked seams and poorly hand sewn items.

Here's a little preview of what I've been up too...


Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Our Utah Trek

AJ has to retake his boards in a couple of weeks (he has to retake them every 6 years), so in order to give him a little peace and quiet in order to get some really good study time in, I decided to head to Utah to see my family, because it had been way too long since we've been together. We were originally supposed to go up the first week of August, but Keegan and Camden both got sick, so we had to postpone our little excursion until just this past week. My mom came with us (thankfully), and it was a wonderful week of fun in Utah. All three of the boys did great on the drives up and back, so great in fact that I'm more than willing to do the trip again soon. (Utah, you've been warned)! ;) Other than a few minor moments and meltdowns (Keegan really, really missed his dad and wanted to go home every night, especially after we said our prayers in which we asked that our Daddy be watched over while we were away), it was a great time spent with my siblings and my mom and the boys with their cousins. They got their fill of bounce houses, and dinosaurs and pioneer heritage and just plain old hanging out with family fun. We got to ride trains and see Temple Square and enjoy a typical Utah summer storm (for the 5 minutes that it lasted).

We can't wait to go back!

Two at the Zoo

Time for catching up again, and I can't think of a better way to start than with Camden's birthday. I can't believe the little man is already TWO. For his birthday, we decided to go to quite possibly his favorite place on earth, the zoo. He seriously asks me daily if we can go and see the animals, so it was the best choice. Plus, we got to see some old friends while we were there, which made for fun times all around (the best part for Camden was that it was the second time in the same week that he was able to go to the zoo, and since we went later in the day, AJ got to join us, which is a rare thing indeed). We got to see all of his favorite animals, including the giraffe that he shares a birthday with, as well as some that we don't normally get to see. Since we took his cupcakes into the zoo, there weren't any candles for him to blow out, but he didn't seem to mind so much.

(hanging out at the zoo on his birthday)

Camden is my very stubborn, willful child (and I know that he comes by it honestly), and I have a feeling that he is going to be quite a challenge for me as he grows older. He is exasperating and exhausting and challenging and yet he's also my happy, loving child, who is more than willing at anytime to give loves and kisses. He is smart and he loves to be read to (and he'll "read" on his own), and he is strong and loves to be outside and loves, I mean LOVES, animals. He talks, but not a lot, although he is getting to be more and more talkative each and every day (when you have an older brother like Keegan who talks constantly from the moment he wakes up to the moment he goes to sleep it's sometimes hard to get a word in edgewise, but Camden is slowly learning to hold his own). He has a love of "Cars" and trucks and anything that goes, and has learned to love "Woody" and "Boo" (Buzz Lightyear) and "Eroes" (Superheroes) because it's what his older brother loves as well. He loves his Dad and he loves Keegan. If he wakes up in the morning and Keegan is already out of bed, he comes into my room and asks where "Ne Ne" (how he says Keegan) is. Once he knows where to find his older brother, his day can begin. He also spends a lot of time during the day asking me where "Dad go?" and repeating that he's at work when I tell him where AJ is. He is learning to tolerate his little brother, and is more than willing to tell me when Hunter is crying or upset, and he always makes sure that Hunter is in the car when we go anywhere before he will let me put on his seat belt. He is Grandma's little buddy (as our recent trip to Utah reaffirmed). He is fearless, and willing to try anything that he sees Keegan doing, like jumping into our friends pool from their spa (which is higher up than the pool), without checking to see if Dad is there to catch him first (thankfully, AJ was and he survived to do it again and again and again). He doesn't like to do anything he doesn't want to do, and doesn't always listen as well as we like him too, but once he sets his mind to do something, he'll do it without being asked again. His laugh is so contagious, and I love hearing him laugh and giggle with Keegan as they play whatever game they are playing. He has a great imagination that he expresses in his own little way, and I can't wait until he is able to vocalize it a little more. He is so opposite of what we were used to with Keegan, and yet I wouldn't have him any other way. I love him just the way he is.


(showing me just how unhappy he was about something...a common look most days and then happy as can be just a little while later)

Happy 2nd Birthday, Camden Man! Here's to many more years of laughter and loves.

Monday, August 2, 2010

"Lost in the circle, beautiful circle, wonderful circle of love"


Sorry for my absence of late. I've been busy taking care of the three greatest little boys in the world. My days are full...sometimes, I'm not sure with what, and I find myself completely exhausted at the end of each day, but I am loving being a mom. Especially because I am a mom to these guys. I love my life.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Total Randomness...

apparently the housing market in San Diego is better than I thought, because even if your house isn't for sale, people are willing to buy it.

AJ and I got a letter in the mail the other day (just addressed to AJ, really, but since I live here too, it was also meant for me) from someone who said that she and her husband wanted to buy our house and that if we were willing to sell it to contact them. Hello, random, right? I mean, it's not like our house is on a busy street, where there is alot of traffic, so a lot of people see it, etc. We are at the end of a cul-de-sac...kind of out of the way. And it's not like we have a "for sale" sign in front of our house, or that we've contacted a realtor. Heck, it's not like we've even considered selling it...so why would someone just send a letter to us? Especially since there are actually 3 or 4 houses just down the street from us that are for sale.

Hmmm...I wonder if that means we just get to name our price too? :)

Hi, My Name is Hunter...

and I'm a milk-a-holic.

I still can't believe that it's been a month already. And I really can't believe that Hunter is as big as he is. He had his 1-month checkup today and he already weighs 12 lbs. 5.8 oz. REALLY?? And here I was thinking how small he seemed to me (and I guess in comparison to his brothers, he still is small...and yet, oh so big). Most importantly of all, I'm just grateful for how healthy he is...and how happy. For the most part he really is the eaisest baby (although we are still working on getting our days and nights figured out...right now his "day" starts at about 4:30 a.m. which is so not fun for me, or AJ, for that matter).
It's nice to have him here...and to have some of my fears and concerns just melt away. Keegan and Camden have been great with Hunter. They are so gentle and careful with him, and totally look out for him (the concerned look on Camden's face when Hunter starts to fuss is pretty stinking cute). For the most part, they just kind of ignore him...or just play around him, and thankfully there have been no jealousy issues. It's amazing how a heart can expand it's capacity to love...even when you think that it's just not possible.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Fear and Self-Loathing at 38 Weeks

WARNING: Super personal post ahead, so feel free to pass it up if you aren't in the mood to read it.

So, remember the episode of "The Office" where Pam and Jim are going to have their baby and Pam's obviously very much in labor, but she keeps putting off going to the hospital because she says that she wants that extra day in the hospital, although in reality it's really because she is scared that she can't do it?

Well lately, I've been channeling my inner-Pam, which would be fine and all if this was my first child, but somehow the fact that it's my third makes me feel really pathetic. I'm seriously scared out of my mind that I'm not going to be able to handle having a third baby, especially since it means that I will be the mother of 3 kids, aged 3 1/2 and under. I wonder if it really is true that it's going to take at least 6 months for me to even begin to feel normal. I wonder how long it will take for me to get up the courage to attempt to take all three of the boys out of the house at once (and if I will ever feel fully comfortable doing it before this baby is older than 1). I wonder how I'm going to manage holding Keegan's hand, and Camden's hand and hold a baby all at once while walking into a store, or crossing a street, or going anywhere period. I wonder if I'm going to be able to deal with preschool at my house again when it's my turn in the rotation to teach. I worry about how Keegan and Camden are going to react to him, and I worry about how much they might have to sacrifice over the next few months, and I hope and pray daily that they won't resent me or their little brother for it. I worry that I won't be able to show them how much I love all of them, and how that won't change even with a new little baby in our family. I worry about my ability to raise my boys right, so that they will add something amazing to my life and to the lives of whomever they might come in contact with. I worry about the fact that AJ and I will have even less time together than we already do, and I hope that it doesn't destroy or severely damage our relationship, and that the toll that it will take is something that we can get through and that we will be stronger for it on the other side. I worry about the stress that being the sole provider puts on AJ and I wonder how best to help ease it.

With Keegan I was so ready for him to just get here already, and be born, and it was hard having my doctor tell me that he wouldn't induce me (especially since it was my first) and it was hard having to go the 2 days past my due date that I had to before I went into labor with Keegan . With Camden, we scheduled the induction, because we wanted to make sure that my doctor was the one that delivered him, especially since she already knew all the history of what we were dealing with in regards to his lung, and we knew that he would be a bigger baby and then the little stinker decided to come the day before I was scheduled to be induced. This time around, I'm more than willing to just let this little boy come when he's ready, despite the fact that the longer he waits the bigger he will be, and despite the fact that I'm uncomfortable and physically done with being pregnant. It's not that I'm not ready to meet him, because I totally am. I can't wait to see if he looks like his brothers, or if he will look completely different. I'm ready to see what kind of personality he is going to have, especially since Keegan and Camden are total opposites in so many ways. I can't wait to see him and know what his name is. I can't wait to hold him, and love him and enjoy all of those amazing (albeit sleep-deprived) newborn moments that are so amazingly special, and yet, I still turned down my doctor's offer to induce me this Sunday, knowing that the next possible date for her to induce me after that won't be until after my due date, because I'm ready, and yet, I'm not, and I'm not really sure if there is any way to ever be fully ready for something like this, and I hate it.

I hate that I don't fully trust in myself, and in my ability to adapt and to expand, and to manage and to be a mother, which I know, without a doubt in my mind and heart, is what I was ultimately meant to do in this life. This is the path that I have chosen, and this is a decision that AJ and I made together, knowing what the challenges and trials and struggles might be, and now suddenly I have lost all confidence in myself and in that decision. I hate that I am so scared and so insecure about my abilities when I have family and friends that are struggling with so much more and who are doing it with such grace and confidence and strength.

Sometimes, human frailties suck.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Brothers...

I love the relationship that Keegan and Camden have developed. It's so much fun to listen to Keegan help Camden, to hear him ask "what you need Camden" or "it's alright, you okay, mom will be here any second". He always makes sure to look out for Camden. It's a blast watching Camden observe everything that Keegan does and then try and do the same thing. He truly admires and worships his older brother, and both boys make sure that if one of them gets a treat the other one gets one as well. I love that they are totally content having each other as play buddies, and that hugs inevitably turn into wrestling matches, and that walks around the neighborhood turn into races up and down our street. They don't always get along, but the love that they have for each other is pretty evident, especially at night, as they are going to bed and blowing kisses to each other. I found a quote a while back, and it seems perfect for my boys:

"Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero"