Arsenal

 We busted out Kyle's soccer jersey the other day, and he loved modeling for some photos.  We were SUPPOSED to get #4, since it was his 4th birthday, but #4 is no longer on the team, so I guess it doesn't matter to much.  {#8 is no longer on the team, either.  We can't win!!!}  Anyway, I can't help but get excited about this little soccer player when he wears this.  We need to get him signed up!

Kyle's first week of preschool went pretty well.  After the first day, he came home and told me he LOVED school, he made ONE HUNDRED friends, and he played and played.  He told us all about the day, "We sat on a rag {rug}, played on the playground.  They have TWO playgrounds with lots and lots of big slides.  We played and played."  When we asked him about learning anything, he just told us that they have puzzles and books, "lots of books.  Different books."

Day two was a little different.  I picked him up and asked him how they day went.  He said, "Mom, I just did some bad things.  Just a little bit.  I had to sit in time-out."  When I asked him why, he told me that he kicked some dirt.  At least he didn't kick anyone else!  He also painted and played in the kitchen.  His best thing: Playing with blocks.  His worst thing: Time-out.  "That made me SO sad!" he said.   I just smiled.  A) It's GOOD for him to be sad and miss out on play time.  Maybe he'll make better choices next time.  B) It was only day TWO.....

 Day three ended with a shock since Dad picked Kyle up from school.  He was NOT happy about the change in expected plans.  {Type A, anyone?} He told dad he just got in trouble "a little" and that it was mostly "an accident."  He painted, made a sand picture, colored, played outside, and did NOT have to go to time out.  He likes school and wants to go back.  Tomorrow will be interesting, trying to explain that he only goes three days a week!

As for Ryan, he's enjoying some cousin time and LOVES to play with mom while Kyle is away at school.  It's amazing how much I can get done and how lazy I feel with only one child for a few hours!

Trying Out the New Camera

 My new camera is up and shooting!  I was playing with different features the other day, trying to read the manual, learn all the new ins and outs of a "real" camera, and figure out how to adjust for different settings or for videos, when Kyle started posing and asking me to take pictures.  Then, just for fun, I took a few of Ryan and Claire.  It's fun to play with a new toy when you have such willing subjects for photos!

First Day of Preschool

Kyle has been talking about going to school for many months now, and today was finally the day!  We packed his bag and his lunch, and he got dressed in his new outfit for school.  When we were almost ready to leave, Kyle asked me who was going to stay with Ryan--because Grandma isn't here and Dad was at work.  I told him Ryan was going with us.  "Ryan is going to school?!" he asked.  "No.  Just to drop you off."  "But who will stay with Ryan when you go to school with me?"  That's when I realized that Kyle didn't quite understand the concept of him going to school by himself.  Once I explained it to him, he just started talking about how he was going to play with all the kids and see his teachers.  I have no concerns on that part....I just hope he behaves!

Bag packed with his first homework assginment...baby brother right by his side.

It has been a lot of fun getting to have some one-on-one time with Ryan, too!

I leave soon to pick up our big preschooler, and can't wait to find out all about his first day!

Birthday Fun

 I love birthdays--especially mine! 

This year was another wonderful day, thanks to so many loved ones and friends.  First of all, one of the greatest blessings was a break in the 100+ degree temperatures we've had for a record amount of days this summer.  It actually cooled off a little, I like to think, in honor of my special day! 

We did a little shopping, had some yummy lunch at Freebirds, and headed out to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner!

Here's me and my boys, ready to celebrate!

Here's the whole clan:

Kyle LOVED his hot dogs!

I LOVED my cheesecake!

Then, we came home to open some presents..and Kyle told everyone to sing "Happy Birthday!" {Stephen asked if this picture reminded everyone of any other birthday we've recently celebrated...}

I FINALLY got a new camera!!!! {With a fitting name.}

Thanks to everyone for all the lovely cards and wonderful gifts.  I felt so special and so loved! 

Mini Cooper #3 Update

Yesterday was my last monthly checkup for this pregnancy.  I can't believe we're already down to doctor visits every two weeks, but I better let it sink in soon.  Baby Boy #3 will be here before we know it.  Even though I feel like I've just gotten SO MUCH BIGGER in the last few weeks, I only gained 2 pounds this month.  {Maybe I just feel so miserable because it's been over 100 degrees outside every. single.day in August!!!!!}  My belly is measuring right on with my weeks of pregnancy--28--and the heart beat is perfect.  I'm also happy to report that my doctor is perfectly fine with inducing me if needs be, unlike those morons in Northern South America.  I'm also glad that things with this baby boy seem to be going right on track.

Now the fun part.  As many of you know, we've had plenty of experience in picking out/fretting over/going between boys names.  I've even enlisted the help of friends and family in offering opinions on the subject.  So, what would boy #3 be without the traditional Name Game blogpost.  Kyle and Ryan are both Irish/Gaelic in origin, so I was thinking it would be good to continue in that vein.  Also, they both have a Y in their names, so that was another option in cohesion. 

Here's a list we're considering with this one:

Ayden
Brayden
Caleb
Cameron
Clayton
Cody
Colby
Dylan
Ethan
Evan
Grady
Jayson
Landon
Zachary

Thoughts?

No matter what the name, I'm just hoping he's as healthy as his brothers.   

Meet the Teacher

Kyle and I got to go to our first "Meet the Teacher" today.  {It's so different being on the other side of this, since the only meet the teacher days I've been to recently have been the ones where I was the teacher!}

Kyle gets to start preschool next Monday and is BEYOND excited!  First, we found his class...Ms. Marilyn's Monkeys.  He went straight in and was a little weird when first meeting the teachers.  It's hard to explain how he acted...not shy...almost annoyed that he had to talk to these people instead of getting right into the action and playing with other kids.  He shook Ms. Marilyn and Ms. Lora's hands, and then went straight to the kitchen area to make some soup.

Then, I got to ask some questions, get a schedule of his day, get his bag and folder, and sign up for a car tag for drop off/pick up.  Kyle is number 54 {just like Uncle Hubba!}  He got this cool t-shirt and got to play for a long time while I went to the Meet the Director meeting. 

I am really excited for Kyle to have this opportunity and am sure he will have a great time in school!

Bonding

If I would've known that all it took to get a little peace, quiet, and brotherly harmony was to whip out some Angry Birds, I would've been pulling out that little trick a long time ago!  Instead of fighting or complaining that one was getting more attention than the other, these two brothers spent a good 15 minutes in lovely, contained, intense, happy silence! 

Poser

 The boys were all dressed for church, and Kyle told me that Ryan looked adorable.  I told him he did, too, but was corrected.  "No, Mom.  I'm handsome.  You need to take ten pictures of me.  Get your camera."  He then proceeded to pose and check each shot to see if it was "a good one."  "Okay.  Let me make a monkey face.  Take another one.  You have to take ten."  {We took ten, but here's 2 of my favorites:}

"Okay, Mom," Kyle said.  "Now take some pictures of Ryan!   I'll make him laugh!"  We got a few good ones of the baby monster, too!

Now I'm home with Ryan since he still has some of the crud we've all had all week.  {Imagine that....the ones that can't take any "real" medicine...just Tylenol...are the ones still holding onto cold/flu symptoms!}  I didn't want to expose any more children to what we've had, so Ryan and I made an appearance for sacrament meeting and then came home to quarantine ourselves and have a good rest.  Happy Sunday, everyone!

Teach 'em Early

 How crazy is it that my boys were actually fighting over who got to use which broom this morning?  I started doing some chores and the next thing I knew, both Kyle and Ryan wanted to help mop/sweep with the same cleaning tool.  Thankfully, we have more than one choice, so they both were put straight to work!  The ironic thing is that when they are both old enough to actually clean without just pushing the mess around and making more work for me, I'll have to force them to pick up a broom.  I'll take what I can get for as long as they'll do it cheerfully!

I Miss This....

 I haven't felt up to posting anything on the blog this week.  That would require taking photos and thinking of something interesting to write about.  Instead, I've barely been able to get up and get dressed because we are all sick!  Kyle and I stayed home from church on Sunday because he had a runny nose, soar throat, headache, and cough.  I woke up on Monday with the same symptoms and was pretty much drained by 4:00.  Thank goodness Stephen got home early and Grandma and Grandpa ran to Chick-fil-a.  I was in bed all night, barely able to move.  It's no fun being sick and pregnant!  Having 2 boys to chase after while being pregnant is enough to wear me out, but trying to fight a cold was exhausting!  Now Ryan and Stephen are both sick.  There's nothing like a summer cold to bum you out.  Instead of enjoying all there is to do at this time of year, you're wiping snot off your face {and 2 boys' faces!} 

Since I have no new photos, I thought I'd look back into the archives of last year.  I found what we were doing a year ago.....

 Kyle has a snotty nose of a different kind!

Ryan is ready for his first beach experience!

Man, I'd rather be hanging at the beach than sick and in bed! 

It Was Too Quiet.....

Becoming a mom has heightened a few of my senses.  I can smell a dirty diaper from a room away or keep an eye on each child at the same time, which is quite a task for me, seeing as I only have one good eye!  Sometimes I feel like I have super strength and my endurance level has definitely been increased.  The one thing that sets off more sensory alarms than all others seems to be the sense of hearing, more specifically, hearing NOTHING AT ALL.  The sound of silence to a mom's ears is deafening because it means there is something wrong....sometimes very wrong. 

I heard the sound of silence yesterday, and thankfully caught up to it before too much damage was done.  Ryan had just managed to be out my sight and quiet long enough to unroll nearly an entire roll of toilet paper into the toilet, splash toilet water all over himself and the surrounding areas, and start to fill up the water with toys.  My mommy senses caught on in plenty of time to stop any flushing or clogging of said toilet.  {I'm also going to really not even think about him possibly using that cup to try to drink some of the "punch," though.}

By the time I'd come on the scene, he was already wet and dirty and the mess had been made.  You all know me pretty well, though.  I couldn't help grabbing the camera to document this blog-worthy moment!

Boots & Baby

Kyle saw his cowboy picture from yesterday's blog post and asked where his boots were.  I told him we needed to take some pictures with his boots on, so as soon as he had the chance, he geared up completely.  He also wasn't happy with just taking one picture.  This kid was posing like the paparazzi was out--shooting, standing with the gun high in the air, looking from one side to the other, modeling his look.  It was hilarious to go through all the shots, but here's the best one of Cowboy Kyle, boots and all.  

When Ryan walked in on our photo shoot, Kyle told me I needed to take pictures of "that baby."  There were lots of action shots here, too, but I managed to get one where "that baby" wasn't running, dancing, or mid-movement of some kind. 

I sure do love these boys! 

Cowboy Up

Kyle LOVES playing cowboy!  It cracks us up that he gets all geared up with his hat and guns and includes the Tickle Monster gloves as part of the ensemble.  Stephen got this picture a few days ago of the way our little cowboy looked as we headed out to run some errands.

Since then Kyle has talked non-stop about wanting...no....NEEDING some boots in order to be a real cowboy.  I kept asking him where he thought we could buy some boots to throw him off.  I told him that maybe we'd go shopping and look for some, hoping that we wouldn't find any and that that would put his insisting to an end.  He truly did need some new sandals and Payless is having its BOGO, so we stopped in this week.  Kyle immediately told the salesperson that he was looking for boots, and he repeated that request while getting his foot measured....and while getting his shoes back on.  They actually DID have some boots, so Kyle got his wish afterall.  When we got home, he put on the boots along with all the other stuff and proudly exclaimed, "Mom, now I'm a REAL cowboy!"   

{*I will try to get a picture of the full effect soon!}

16 Months

Ryan is 16 months old today!  It's so fun to see him grow and change and master new things.  He is still all boy and LOVES to be into everything, climb on anything, jump off tables, make messes, play with cars and toys that make noise, and run as fast as he can where ever he can. 

He's also starting to actually sit and let me read some books instead of just running around while I read to Kyle, which is fun.

We sure love this little guy! 

Swimming Fun

It's been SO hot here, but we have a pool to cool off in.  It's been fun getting the kids out in the water, too.  They have had a great time playing together.  

 Claire thought spraying Kyle with the hose as he went down the slide was the funniest thing ever!

Ryan was in and out of the water quite a bit, jammin to some tunes and trying to be our DJ.

I'm glad these baby monsters love the water as much as the adults do! 

Pregnancy Countdown: August

It's time again for another monthly prego photo.  Here's the one from July.  And here I am today! 

 

26 weeks

Does it really need to be one of the hottest, driest summers in Texas history while I'm this pregnant?  Not fun.  But, November will be here before I know it, and Baby #3 will make his debut.  It's getting more and more real now that he's moving around so much and my belly is jutting out there.  I learned, via the computer, that this little nugget is now about the size of a cantaloupe and weighs about 2 lbs.  {I've gained 15 lbs., which is obviously just a tad more than that!}  I only have one more monthly appointment and then I go down to every 2 weeks!  

Visitor

Claire is staying with us for a week while her parents are in Boston!   It sure is fun having a cousin around to run and play with.  Claire grabbed a bag to carry around, while Ryan was playing with cars or telling me all about this snake. 

These 2 played together for quite some time, which was very nice! 

They even wore each other out enough to take a couple of nice, long naps.