The Last Stocking

Today I picked up Logan's stocking.  Dennis and I purchased 5 stockings when Colin was a baby.  We are probably the only people in the world that plan that far ahead, but we figured we wanted to have matching stockings and didn't want to have to buy new ones each time we had a kid.  So, after 6 years we now have all the stockings embroidered.  When Dennis and I discuss the pros and cons of a 4th child, he points out that we would have to buy new stockings...maybe he has a point!

Logan and I ran some errands today and I must say he can be such a chill baby at times.  At the grocery store he just laid back with his feet propped up in the cart and just looked around.  At least 10 people made comments about how relaxed he looked!  We were at the grocery store for a LONG time too and that was after a stop to the mall.  I was very relieved that he was so good and seems to be feeling better today.

The big boys and Dennis had another drawing session this evening.  The amount of paper we go through is insane but it is nice to see them being creative.

8 months old!



Despite having a cold and not feeling that well, Logan is having a big last couple of days.  He is finally cutting his first tooth, which I felt yesterday.  If that wasn't enough he is also starting to crawl.  He took his first couple steps two days ago.  Unlike his brothers who both were tummy combat crawlers (especially Colin who barely crawled regularly until right before he walked), Logan seems to be a true crawler and is doing it fairly early too.  I am a bit nervous that he might choke on all the little toys the big boys leave around that he can now crawl to.  We are going to have to keep a closer eye on him.

At eight months, Logan is sleeping about 10-11 hours at night (about 7:30pm to 6am) and takes two naps a day most days.  Some days he wakes up earlier but will go back to sleep if I feed him.  He is pretty attached to me which I attribute to Dennis traveling and also me not working.  If he is tired or in a bad mood he especially wants just me.  Most of the day he is pretty chill playing on the floor by himself, but after his afternoon nap he does get fussy on and off, some days worse than others.  He is eating stage 2 and 3 foods as well as table food if it is chopped up very small.  But, he isn't able to pick up stuff with a pincher grasp, so he can't feed himself yet.

He is growing so quickly, I wish he would slow down!

Deck The Halls!!!

The Christmas tree is up, the lights are on, and stockings are hung!!!  I love this time of year and love when our house is decorated for Christmas.  This year we kept the decorations to a minimum (not that we have very much normally), so the house won't look to cluttered if we happen to get a showing.  It still is putting us all in the Christmas spirit to see the tree and stockings up.

The boys had fun putting the ornaments on the tree, of course I had to help them because otherwise only the bottom quarter of the tree would be decorated!  Now we just need to get some more shopping done and we will be good to go for Christmas!

Thanksgiving 2010

We went to Northern VA for Thanksgiving and had a wonderful time at both Catherine's and Holly's houses.  It was great to be able to spend Thanksgiving with both sides of the family!  I am thankful for so many things but just to name a few...

1.  A loyal and hard working husband
2.  Three incredible kids who are as loving as they are handsome
3.  A large extended family that gives us lots of love and support
4.  And most of all that we are all happy and healthy!

Family Photo 2010

Today we took our first professional family photo since Logan was born.  As any parent of three kids can relate to (especially parents of three boys), our expectations going in were very low.  If we could get a picture with all three kids looking at the camera we would be happy.  Luckily, the picture turned out pretty good.  Every one was looking at the camera and almost smiling! 

Colin was great the whole time.  He smiled in almost every picture and there were just a couple shots where his eyes were looking away.  Logan did surprisingly well also!  However, he is a baby so we had to deal with him spitting up sweet potatoes on himself and the floor and we had to stop to wipe drool many times.  He was also a bit shy so he would lean against me or put his head down when the photographer looked at him.  But, we got some great smiles out of him.  Evan was the hardest to photograph, he was a bit of a restless three year old.  He kept putting his fist out like he was a superhero and couldn't seem to find a midway point between cheesy grin and no smile at all.  But, like I said all in all it was a success, no tears and a family shot that is worth giving to others! 

Because I can't scan professional pictures, this blog won't have a picture along with it.  Everyone will have to wait until our Christmas cards go out!

Movie Night!

Despite all the delicious candy Colin and Evan had in their Halloween baskets, they have been fascinated by a microwave popcorn bag that each of them got from one of the neighbors.  They have been asking when they can eat it for a month now.  So, finally we decided to have movie night so that they can enjoy their popcorn.  Well, apparently we have deprived our children, as both of them have never seen popcorn being popped and were watching the microwave the whole time.  Popcorn is just not something we think to buy.  When they were done being captivated by the microwave, we turned the lights off and watched the movie together.  It was a great family night and one we will have to repeat more, now that they are getting older.

Family of Three!

Dennis took the week off so Logan and I got to enjoy his company today.  We decided to take advantage of the older boys being at school and get most of Colin and Evan's Christmas gifts.  It was weird to go shopping with just us and Loggie.  It brought back lots of memories of just having one kid and how easy those days were!  Loggie was perfect when we went out to lunch and then Walmart. Once again he almost fell asleep in the cart and was face down leaning against the cart by the end.  It sure is easy to have just one kid, but I wouldn't change what we have for the world! 

Philly Marathon

We had a great weekend in Philly, cheering on Meghan in the Marathon.  The boys had fun making signs and cheering.  Colin said he was too shy to yell "Go Auntie Meghan", luckily Evan told Colin, "I am not shy, I will do it".  Meghan did great finishing in 4th overall for women.  I was so busy cheering that I forgot to take pictures most of the time, but managed to get one of Meghan heading to the finish (she is in the background)....

Colin got sick in the car on the way up and had a croupy cough the night before so we were dreading having all of us in the hotel room.  Luckily, all the boys fell asleep very quickly and slept all night!  The boys in general were well behaved this trip and enjoyed hanging out with Grandma, Grandpa, Miranda, and Auntie Jen .  They were exhausted though and all slept 2-3 hours on the way back home. 

I must also add that Logan was an angel in the car, he slept good and then just laughed at Evan.  He never cried until the very end of the trip when he was hungry!  He also was very good during the whole Marathon!  Overall, it was a great road trip!



Like Father Like Son

If you know Dennis than you know that he loves ALL things pumpkin...pumpkin latte, pumpkin pie, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin soup, you name it.  Well, today I discovered that Logan just might be following his Daddys love of pumpkin.  Logan devoured my pumpkin loaf at Starbucks, he gave me the hugest smile after he tasted the first bite!  I should also mention that he spent the entire 15 minutes I was in line (yes it really took 15 minutes, there was only one lady working and she was new) flirting with the ladies behind me.  They couldn't get enough of him and how can you blame them.

We ordered Chinesse tonight and the boys were very excited to open their fortune cookies.  Well, Evan's fortune said he was "Socially Active" and Colin's fortune said he will make his wife very happy!  I have a feeling both of those fortunes might be true!

Well, we are packing our bags for our weekend trip to Philly to watch Meghan run a marathon.  It is amazing how much stuff you have to pack for a family of five for one weekend!  And, we have to have the house clean just in the slightest chance that we could end up with a showing.  I guess I will be busy tomorrow getting it all done before we go.  We are looking forward to a great weekend away!!!

No Sleep Evan

Well, it seems Mr. Evan is trying to drop his naps.  He fought it for 2 hrs today before finally falling asleep.  I had to go in to his room at least 10 times because he kept banging the walls and furniture and getting out of bed.  He kept telling me he wasn't tired.  As I have said before, he doesn't seem to need very much sleep.  Even when he wakes at 6am he comes running in to our room with a big smile on his face and ready for the day to start.  I still need them to have nap time for my sanity and to get stuff done around the house, so I am not ready for naps to go away.  Also, when he is very tired he does still fall asleep.  Maybe it is time to put some books back in his room so he can read during rest time.  He lost the book privilege a long time ago because he would tear the books during nap time, hopefully he has outgrown that phase!

Logan is trying so hard to crawl, he is doing really good coming up on his hands and knees and rocking back and forth.  He always has a big grin on his face while he is doing it, but I am sure I have a big grimace, I do not want my baby to grow up!!!

In other news...tonight we closed on the refinance of the house.  We cut $400 off our mortgage and have no payment until January, perfect timing with Christmas around the corner!  This will also make renting easier to stomach if we have to go that route.

Calmness

Another rainy day, another sleepy Logan.  Today he managed to not fall asleep in the Target shopping cart, but did fall asleep as soon as he got in the car.  He didn't even wake up when we got home and I moved him to his crib.  Must be the rainy weather we are having putting him to sleep.

It has been a nice, calm couple of days for all the boys actually.  Colin and Evan have been doing a ton of drawings when they get home in the evenings, which makes for a quiet house.  If only every day could be like today!

A Fair Trade

The last thing two active little boys need is sugar.  Well, last year the boys Halloween candy lasted all the way to Easter since we try to limit how much they can eat each day.  So, Dennis came up with an idea, he offered the boys a trade.  He offered them money for their candy so that they could go buy a small toy or they could have an action figure we had already bought.  The boys could choose how much candy they wanted to trade and thus how much money they would get.  Surprisingly, both boys said Dennis could have all their candy!  We let them keep a few pieces, but they gave us all the candy and in exchange they took the action figures.  They were super excited and so were we.  I think we will make this our new tradition!

Of course after the boys went to bed Dennis and I went through the candy and put our favorites aside, I couldn't possibly throw away Reese's peanut butter cups afterall!  The majority we put with some canned goods and such to go to needy families (we probably are only supposed to give nutritious food, but it didn't seem right to throw away a huge bag of candy).

Logan had a great day today, he was so chill that he fell asleep in the cart at Walmart!

Jeremy and Shannon Visit

Evan helping Mommy make muffins before our guests get in town.

One of Dennis' best friends, Jeremy, and his girlfriend, Shannon, visited this weekend.  We had a great time watching the Hokies and then enjoying an adult night out.  Evan's teacher, Ms. Emily, babysits for us sometimes and has been really great with the kids.  We spent a night out at a Sushi O.  I can't believe I actually like Sushi after years of trying it several times and not liking it, but it seems to have grown on me!  Granted I still stay away from some of the options, but Dennis is excited that I now enjoy eating sushi with him.  Anyway, the kids enjoyed having an audience to entertain all weekend.

Logan enjoying his Mohawk.  His Daddy loves doing this with his hair.

Don't Wake A Sleeping Baby!

It's very frustrating for me that I am sitting at home, not working these days, and yet I can't volunteer at Colin's school or go on field trips with Evans class because I have a baby at home and no day care options for Logan.  I absolutely love being home with Logan, but I wish that I could take advantage of not working and be able to help out more at the boys' schools.

Well, I am friends with the class mom for Colin's class so she asked me if I wanted to help volunteer at the school once a month.  Some of the parents get together in the cafeteria and help the Kindergarten teachers with whatever prep work needs to be done for future class projects (i.e. tracing, cutting, etc).  She said that I could bring Logan in a stroller, so I jumped at the opportunity to help out. 

Unfortunately, I wasn't thinking that Logan is normally napping during that time.  Sure enough I had to wake him when he was only about a third in to his nap.  I have always heard the term "Don't wake a sleeping baby", and for the most part I like to follow that belief.  I am a schedule person and like my kids sleeping/napping on a schedule, I think it is good for all of us.  So, it felt very wrong to go in to his room and wake him up. 

He was a trooper the first half hour I was at the school, he just sat in the stroller and watched me trace.  But, then he got real fussy and I had to cut it short, since I couldn't trace and use scissors if I picked him up.  Oh well, I learned today that volunteering is just not going to happen until all the kids are in school.  From now on I will let Logan enjoy his naps and I will just enjoy being home with him.

Evan's Parent Teacher Conference

Today was Evan's turn for a preschool parent/teacher conference.  I am happy to report that Evan is doing great!  I mean really great!  He listens to the teachers, obeys the rules, shares, participates in class and isn't shy to get in front of the whole class and do something.  I am happy to see that he is on his best behavior at school.  His teacher says she has never had a problem with him, in fact he is so good about obeying rules that he makes sure his classmates are also obeying the rules, he will tell them, "you are not making good choices right now"! 

Academically, he is right where he should be.  I have seen a huge jump in his interest in school in the last two months and desire to learn and that seems to have helped him soak up a lot more information.  She also commented on his people drawings being very good for his age.

The teacher apologized for the conference being so short, but she had nothing else to say he is "just great!".  I am very proud of both of my boys for having good conferences.

On The Move

Logan is becoming more and more mobile, however, he can only scoot around on his belly in a circle at this point or backwards, causing him to end up under the tables pretty often. He comes up on his hands and knees occasionally and rocks back and forth, you can tell he is eager to crawl.  I am not as eager.  I like when babies are young enough that they stay where you put them, once he starts crawling my job gets much harder!

Evan was a bit of a mess this evening.  He napped only about 50 minutes at school before getting woken up.  At home he normally naps 2-3 hours and he is actually better off some days not napping at all then having to get woken up.  He definitely doesn't seem to need sleep as much as Colin always has, but some days he really needs it and when he doesn't he can be very cranky.  Needless to say, I was ready for bed time tonight!

Christmas Anxiety

It's that week again...Dennis is off to Indy until Thursday night.  It is also that time of year I start to get anxious.  I am realizing that Christmas is around the corner and while I love Christmas I always start to get anxious around this time thinking of all the shopping I have to do.  In the beginning of the season it is so overwhelming, especially to someone like me who doesn't like shopping.  Don't get me wrong I love giving people gifts and I love receiving gifts (who wouldn't), but the process of actually deciding what to get and searching around for the right gift is something I dread.  Well, I am realizing that a lot of people have already started and are way ahead of me.  I haven't bought a single gift yet, or even have a single thought yet as far as what I am going to buy.  This years count...23 people to shop for, and that doesn't include stockings, teacher gifts, and other holiday party gifts....UGH!!!  I better get to work!

Well, I spent the day searching on the internet looking for inspiration of what to buy the boys and came up empty.  When I wasn't doing that I was spending time with Logan and doing some more studying for the home study course I am taking. 

I then got very brave and took the boys out for Chick-fil-A spirit night to benefit Colin's school.  This could have been a disaster, just the 3 boys and I, but it was a surprisingly calm dinner.  No tears, no fighting, no tantrums...I will call that a success!

What Do You Want To Do In Heaven?

I used to love daylight savings, I mean who wouldn't want an extra hour to sleep in?  Well, as soon as we had kids I realized that daylight savings is no fun.  Our kids already wake up between 6 and 7 and don't know what "sleeping in" means.  Luckily, with the exception of Logan (who woke up at 5:30), the boys woke up a little after 6.  So, it could have been a lot worse.  Hopefully, over the next few days they will adjust and sleep a bit longer.

I took Colin and Evan to church this morning before Colin's Sunday school.  Dennis stayed home with Logan who was napping. For the first time I had the boys go with the young kids for the "youth ministry" where they talk about the gospel reading in children's terms and then color a picture relating to it while their parents are in church.  Afterwards, I asked the boys what they learned and today they learned about heaven.  The teacher asked them what they want to do in heaven.  And Colin answered "fight"...ugh!  At least Evan had a more positive answer, he said "go to birthday parties"!

While Colin was in Sunday school Evan and I went to Starbucks and then to the church playground.  Evan was talking to one of the parents the whole time.  The dad asked him how old he was and Evan answered "3, I am an Aspen" (that's the name of his preschool class).  Then the dad said "Wow you are big, are you driving yet?" and Evan answered very seriously "No, not yet...".  Evan went on to tell him he has a tricycle and a motorcycle and all the preschool classes he is no longer in and the fact he will be 4 at his next birthday....etc.  It was a good 20 minute conversation!

If you noticed, I said "I am an Aspen" not "Me am an Aspen", Evan seems to be slowly dropping the "Me".  Kind of sad because it sounded so cute.  I guess my boy is growing up.

Well, since we are supposedly moving to Indiana (I am starting to have my doubts we will ever actually get there), we have decided to adopt the Colts as our 2nd favorite team.  Since the Skins are on bye, the boys put on their Colts gear and cheered them on.

Family Day

I love Saturdays.  It is so nice to have Dennis home all day.  We actually had no plans this weekend, which is always nice.  We were able to just get errands done and things done around the house.   Dennis cut grass and went grocery shopping, I got my hair cut and helped Colin do the school work he had missed while he was sick (his teacher sent it home with one of our neighbors). 

After naps we all went to the bookstore where Colin's artwork was chosen by his school to be displayed.  The boys enjoyed picking out a book each while we were there (more superhero books, ugh). 

It was a nice family day.

Stir Crazy

From the way the day started I thought it was going to be a long, bad day.  Colin still had a fever when he woke up this morning.  The high fever broke but it was still around 100 so he had to stay home from school.  Once again, I couldn't go out to run errands and our fridge doesn't have much in it besides Logan's milk.  Evan was very hyper this morning and one of the first things I heard him say was him telling Logan "Logan, I'm telling on you!".

Luckily, the day got much better and calmer as it went along.  Colin spent the day watching the Hokie football game that he had us DVR last night and him and Evan both did some coloring this evening.  See their pics below...

Colin's picture of "Daddy", notice the hairy arms and legs and the tattoo on his arm.

Evan's picture of Hulk and Dr. Doom, they are "fighting"

I think the boys and I are both stir crazy after this week stuck at home, hopefully we can get out this weekend.

Colin Sickness

Colin has unfortunetly picked up the fever that Evan had on tuesday.  He woke this morning with it and had to stay home from school.  For whatever reason it seemed to hit Colin harder than Evan.  He was ok most of the day but then this evening his temp went to 103 and he got sick all over the sofa.  I am hoping it will just be a 24 thing like it was for Evan. 

Colin and I spent the day at home watching tv and working on spelling.  It was a good low key day.  I am hoping everyone wakes up healthy in the morning, so I can actually leave the house and get some stuff done.  Now time to watch the Hokies....

ABC's

I am very grateful to have a boy like Evan.  This morning Logan was off schedule and his morning nap was delayed a few times by a dirty diaper and then spitting up all over his crib.  During this whole time Evan colored nicely at the table and then went in to his playroom and played with his legos for about an hour.  Having an independent child sure has its benefits at times, he is very good about keeping himself entertained. 

When I finally got Logan settled and finished doing some cleaning, Evan and I spent some time working on his numbers and letters with the number/letter blocks.  I was having him find each letter in the alphabet and put it in a row.  He was very cute, every time he tried to figure out what the next letter was he would start at the beginning and say his alphabet.  Well, when "L" was the next letter he said, "A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,Ella,O,P..."  "We need to find "Ella""! 

I enjoyed my day with my Mr. Evan.

PJ Day

Evan woke me up 3 times last night and he was burning up with a fever, so he stayed home from school today.  Colin was already home because of a teacher work day.  I decided it to declare it a pj day thinking we could stay in our pj's all day, watch some movies and just rest.  This lasted a few hours and then Colin wanted to change in to regular clothes and Evan soon followed.  But they did have a fun day watching movies, playing with blocks, coloring, and Colin and I worked on some spelling.

It was a pretty calm day and for some reason Colin got on a cleaning kick and wiped down the kitchen, living room, downstairs bathroom and made beds.  Cleaning must be his new thing. We still make him "rest" at nap time for an hour or so (so him and I both can get a break) and lately he has been spending that time cleaning his room.  It is cute all the different ways he rearranges his closet and stuffed animals!  A boy who wants to clean...I can't complain about that :-)

Evan seems to be okay, the fever comes back when the Advil wears off, but he doesn't seem to have any other symptoms thus far, hopefully he gets better soon.  I must say though that I enjoy the added cuddles I get from him when he is not feeling well.

Colin's Parent/Teacher Conference

Today was my parent/teacher conference with Colin's Kindergarten teacher.  It was very rushed and to the point, not the warm fuzzy conferences of his preschool days.  The teachers are just so busy these days.  His school has 8 Kindergarten classes with 23 kids in a class.  It is a good school and school system, but the teachers just don't have the time to get to know the kids all that well.  I wish Dennis could have been there with me because she had to talk fast and all the information was a bit overwhelming.  Unfortunately, Dennis had to stay home to watch Colin and Logan.

In a nutshell...Colin is doing well academically.  For his pals testing he scored an 86/102 (the benchmark was 28), so he is well above average at this point.  These tests involve early reading skills like rhyming, letter sounds, spelling etc...  She did give us some feedback on behavior like he needs to work on not rushing too much or getting distracted so easily.  She said his behavior has improved the last couple weeks and after seeing his test scores she is attributing that to him being bored the first month or so.  In kindergarten it is hard to tell how "advanced" kids are because some kids start to level out or even drop off as things get harder and other kids that may have been slow initially start to catch on.  So, things may change, but for now he is above average.  She was good about giving me some ideas of things to start working on at home.

One funny thing about the conference...Colin sits at a table full of girls.  Well, I was thinking that it was good he was with girls because they might keep him calm.  However, his teacher told me she was moving him because he sits with a table full of strong willed girls who might be leading him to be a little too loud!! 

For dinner we had Evan's soccer team party.  It was pretty chaotic, with too many people in a small hot party room.  The kids seemed to enjoy it though.  After years of watching Colin get trophies Evan was very excited to get his first trophy!