My boys

I've been wanting to do this post since Luke was born so I'm happy to be finally getting around to it!!  When Luke was born, he really looked a lot like Chase.  Now, as he has grown over the last 9 weeks he is actually starting to look more and more like Jacob.  I went back and got pictures of the older boys in their dedication outfits so I thought having Luke dressed up tonight in the same outfit the other two boys were in was a perfect opportunity to put their pictures side by side to really compare them.

The top picture is Jacob (he was 8 weeks old at the time), Chase is on the right (he was 7 weeks) and Luke is on the bottom left (he was 9 weeks old this past Tuesday).  There are so many traits that he shares with Jacob but with that said, you can definitely tell these three boys are brothers!!  Love these boys of mine!! :)

P.S.  Sorry the quality is not too great... I'm zoomed way in to get them about the same size but you get the picture!!

Pumpkin Patch 2010

This past weekend we went back to Northeast United Methodist Church where they have their own version of a pumpkin patch. We went there last year to pick our pumpkins and this past weekend we went back for a few photos.  I ended up getting a pretty good picture of all three of my boys together which was surprising considering I was posing them, getting them to smile and taking the pictures all by myself! 

 But what is even more crazy is to look back at last year's pictures and see just how much these boys have changed!!  How do they grow up so fast and change so quickly?  We plan on going back this weekend to actually pick out our pumpkin but we had fun getting a few pictures!

And even though Luke wasn't even a thought in our minds this time last year, the Lord knew just how much Luke would complete our family and fit in so perfectly!  He is so loved by his big brothers and I can't wait to see how much he is going to change between now and this time next year! :)

I got a few great pictures of my precious nephew, Eli, while we were there.  Here is my favorite! :)

So proud!

The teacher in me is so proud of what I'm about to share...

Chase is not only recognizing most of his letters but he is writing his first name all by himself and figuring out what sounds go with the letters.  He has been writing his name with a little bit of help for a while now but a few weeks ago he surprised me by writing all by himself.  This little doodle thing is a little small so Chase had to get creative to get all his letters in but this was the first time he wrote it completely on his own!  I also love how he had to underline it! :)  His thing this past weekend was telling us that Eli (his cousin) starts with "E", Daddy starts with the letter "D" (and so does Dan) and train starts with "T".  I love how eager he is to learn and hope it continues and that he'll be a great student in school!  Time will tell! :)

2 months old YESTERDAY!

Where has the time gone?  My little one is already 2 months old... yesterday he turned two months.  Yesterday was October 17th.... what happened to September and the first two weeks of October??  It seems like just yesterday we were here....

.... going through the first two weeks of August, anxiously awaiting our little Luke's arrival.  So many things to check off the list before the big day and then all of the sudden it's the morning of August 17th.  So fun to think back on how excited we all were, how nervous I was, how the Lord protected and provided just what we needed that day and the days to follow.  After coming home from the hospital my days were so crazy busy that my fridge calendar was stuck on August.  I think it was October 1st that I finally got around to updating my calendar but before I could erase that month I had to take a picture to remember those weeks and days!  Sentimental I know... but seriously, where have the last two months gone??

3 Year Old Schemes!

I have always known that little kids can be very smart but it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I realized just how smart they can be.  I will admit now that my 3 year old out smarted me but now that he has fooled me once he won't be able to get away with it again for a while... not this way at least! :)
When it comes to meals, my boys know that there are certain expectations about what they are to eat and how much of it they need to eat.  Normally, breakfast and lunch portions are what I know they can eat in order to cut down on how much food is wasted.  This one afternoon, however, Chase was really dragging his feet in finishing his lunch.  He had been at the table for a good amount of time and his PB&J sandwich was still not gone.  I told him he had 5 minutes to finish his food and if he could not finish then he would lose his TV show privilege before nap time.  To my surprise a few minutes later it was gone.  End of story.  Fast forward to dinner the next night.  We had picked up a pizza on our way home from running errands.  Normally the child loves pizza but again, he was taking a very long time to eat.  He wanted some of Grandma's special pumpkin bread for dessert so I told him that when he finished five more bites of pizza he could have some.  I was busy trying to get a few things done around the house (dishes, laundry, normal picking up type of stuff) and before I knew it his pizza was gone.  He got his pumpkin bread and gobbled that down in no time.  A few minutes later I noticed Jacob at the table talking to Chase and I over heard Chase say "That's just pizza, brother."  I immediately go over to the table, look around for pizza and was confused about what Jacob was asking about.  After asking the boys about this Jacob points to our napkin holder in the center of our table... there is a little bit of pizza sauce on the corner that is closest to Chase's seat but nothing that would have raised a red flag when seen.

I bent down to get a better angle and this is what I saw....

Not only where there his pizza bites from dinner but there also was his PB&J sandwich from the day before!

My child had been so smart and sneaky that he was able to get all that food perfectly hidden under our napkin holder!!!  My first reaction was to laugh... it was really was quite comical but I was trying so hard not to laugh, knowing he would pick up on that and also think it was funny and o.k. to do.  This situation led into a conversation about telling the truth, telling a story and doing what is right even when Mommy & Daddy are not watching.  I now make sure to check not just the napkin holder but his pockets and under the ledge of the table... who knows where food is going to show up next! ;)

Backyard Camping

Over the summer Charles took Chase on their first camping adventure.  They went just down the road and spent one night and had a blast!  Once the weather started cooling down a little at night Charles was so excited to take both the boys out back for a night under the stars... campfire and all!  So a few weeks ago it was the perfect night to camp out...  Charles came home from work and set the tent up.  Just before dark Charles took the boys out back to start a fire and set up the sleeping bags.  To be honest, I was a little skeptical... I thought for sure in the middle of the night he would be bringing them in to their beds but much to my surprise I woke up the next morning to the sound of the boys going potty.  They had made it and were so proud of themselves.  Charles said they slept great... he, on the other hand, did not.  He said every time he woke up he made sure both boys were covered up and warm (such a great daddy!).  He wished he had the camera outside in the middle of the night... he said Jacob sleeping with a hat on his head, all snuggled in his sleeping bag and sucking his thumb was one of the cutest things he has ever seen. What a special treat for the big boys, the first of many I'm sure!!  Inside our nice warm house Luke and I slept great, all cozy in our beds! :)

This was the scene in our backyard a few weeks ago! (Notice Chase in the "window" of the tent)

Playing with flashlights... one of the best things for these little boys!

Jacob loving that he is a big boy and is camping with his Daddy & big brother!

All ready to go to sleep!

Meeting GG & Goomba

Just before Luke turned 6 weeks old we made plans to take a trip to Hilton Head to not only see Nana, Pop-Pop, Dan, Ash & Eli but also for GG (Great Grandmom) and Goomba (Great Grandpop) to meet their newest great-grandson.  We drove down Friday after school and came back home Sunday afternoon.  It was a quick trip but it was so great to see these 3 boys with some of the healthiest and most fun great-grandparents out there!

GG getting her hands on Luke for the first time!

Having chats with Uncle Dan & Aunt Ashley (above) and showing off those eyes to Nana.

The big boys having fun playing with each other.

Morning snuggles

Pop-Pop gets a turn!

Nana getting in some loves with her youngest grandbaby!

So happy in Goomba's arms!  Love seeing the look in their eyes when they are with their great grandchildren!  Nothing more special!!

My three boys with their great-grandparents!  So thankful for how much time we've had with them and pray for many more years with them!

Nana & Pop-Pop with three of their boys!

8 Weeks Old!

My baby is 8 weeks old... he actually turned 8 weeks old on Tuesday but his 2 month appointment isn't until Tuesday of next week.  I will update then on how big he is after that appointment but for now, here is an 8 week old picture of my precious third son smiling for his Mommy.  It melts my heart!!

Now back to catching up the blog.  Coming up soon:  Meeting GG & Goomba, Big Boys Backyard Camping Trip, and Fall Fun!  I will work on getting those up soon so I can be all caught up :)

Daddy & his boys during Bible time

The last 7 or so weeks Charles has had to really take on the bedtime routine with the big boys.  Before having Luke Charles and I would both be involved in putting the boys to bed... I would brush their teeth while Charles helped them go potty.  Charles would read the Bible story and then we would all pray individually.  Most evenings 7-7:30 is normally when he wants to eat which prevents me from being able to help out.  This particular night, however, Luke must have been off a little bit and we were able to take part in the boy's normal nighttime routine... once the boys brushed their teeth, went potty and had a sip of water it was time to pile onto Jacob's bed for Bible and prayer time.  It was so cute sitting on the other bed looking at all 4 of the men in my life reading Bible stories and snuggling.  Both of the boys loved having the entire family in their room.  But Chase was especially excited that his little baby was in his room for Bible story time that he couldn't keep his hands off of Luke.

All the boys reading a Bible story together before bed.

Chase loving his baby brother being with him for Bible story time and bedtime prayers!

Big boys saying prayers with Luke & sharing their snuggie and bear-bear!

I'm so thankful for a husband who is so involved in my boy's lives.  He never hesitates to help out with whatever is needed and looks forward to these times with his boys at the end of the day.  I love spending time as a family and having the opportunity to teach these boys the Bible and share with them the love their Heavenly Father has for them.  I'm even more thankful that His love is unconditional and even though I fail Him over and over He loves me despite my imperfections and failures.  That is the kind of love we strive every day to show our boys so that one day they will have that same kind of love for their wives and children!

Bath Time

The day before Luke turned 3 weeks old his umbilical cord fell off.  I was so ready for it to come off... my cord experience with Luke was so different from the other two boys and that made me beyond ready for it to come off.  The day it came off I was getting ready to take his diaper off to show Charles just how close it was to being gone and as soon as I pulled the diaper down it was already off.  I didn't waste five minutes before getting everything ready for his first bath.  I couldn't wait to get him submerged in water and really clean in all his creases.  It felt so good to get him nice and clean and he seemed to really enjoy it as well.

Luke loved every minute of his bath and continues to do so every time I bathe him!

Chase & Jacob both stood close by to help.  Here Jacob is ready to wrap Luke up in his ducky towel :)

All clean & wrapped up to keep warm.

And while we're talking about bath time, Nana has a tradition that she does when all her grandbabies visit her for the first time... she loves giving her newborn grandbabies baths in her kitchen sink.  She has done this with eight of her nine grandchildren (Micah was born in Japan and didn't visit the states for the first time until he was about 10 months old...a little bit too big for the kitchen sink!).  We went down to HHI last weekend so that Luke's great-grandparents could meet him and Nana couldn't wait to give Luke a bath.  Luke loved every second of it and was so relaxed!!

 

Loving every second in Nana's sink

Love this face!  He seriously tries to communicate with you through his beautiful eyes!

Brothers & Best Buds!

On March 13, 2008 Chase became a big brother.  He was only 14 months old.  In Chase's little world, Jacob is around to play and have fun with, to get into trouble with and I hope those boys will be best friends for life!  The big boys have so much fun right now pretending together... they can pretend to be doing something forever and I love it!  The other day they were pretending to be at school, they both had their lunch boxes and they were pretending to have circle time, lunch time and time to go outside.  They probably did this for a good hour, playing so happily together and getting along so great.  There are days, however, that I feel like I need to be wearing a black and white striped shirt and that I need a whistle hanging around my neck.  There are days that I feel like all I do is break up fights and diffuse arguments.  But for the most part, these two big boys get along so well and love having a playmate around at all times!!  Then, on August 17, 2010 Jacob also became a big brother.  He has taken to his roll perfectly.  He has never shown any aggression towards the baby and only wants to give him lots of loves and hold him.  He comes up to me when I'm holding or feeding Luke and he says, "Awe, he's so cute and cuddly!"  It melts my heart to know how much he already loves his little brother and how much he loves being a big brother.   I look at my three boys and can't get over the joy and love I have for each of them.  The Lord knew exactly what he was doing in choosing us to parents these three and what a responsibility it is.  Charles and I can't get over how blessed we are with these three boys.  We pray every day that they will grow up to be best buds, that they will challenge each other, be supportive of each other, that they will be loving and grow up to be strong, Christian men.  I pray every day for the women that these boys will marry one day, I pray that as they grow up they will learn how to be great husbands and great fathers but most importantly how to be the leaders in their communities as well as in their families that the Lord wants them to be.

Just after coming home from the hospital... the boys would not leave his side, even when he was on the billi bed they would lay right next to him and talk to him, sing to him and love on him by touching the top of his head gently!  

 Having a brother means you'll always have a playmate.  Can't wait to see how Luke fits in to the mix when he gets old enough.  I have a feeling he will fit right in :)

The big boys love playing with Luke.  Now that he is starting to interact a little bit they love to talk to him and try their hardest to get a smile out of him.