Sunday

Family time seems to be few and far between these days, so we make the most of our time together. This morning we headed over to Hot Bagels and enjoyed breakfast as a family of five. Hank picked out Taylor's outfit, but she put on the finishing touches...leg warmers. I like her sense of creativity and self confidence so for the most part, we let her wear what she wants. Sometimes we just laugh to ourselves when we see her walking down the stairs in her hand-picked outfit.



After breakfast, we headed to the local gym so that I could finally join. I haven't had the clearance from my doctor yet, but Ryland turns 6 weeks tomorrow so I should be good to go. I'm so excited. I have a goal to lose 20 pounds by Christmas.

Ryland spent several hours today napping away. In fact, at one point Hank and all of the kids were napping while I spent the afternoon prepping meals that I could freeze for the upcoming weeks. If you can believe it, tonight's dinner was the first meal I cooked since Ryland has been born. We have been incredibly blessed by neighbors, friends and our small group buddies who provided several meals a week for us. I have no idea how I will be able to add cooking to my daily tasks, but I will have to figure it out soon!



Taylor and Landon are really different from each other. Taylor is neat and clean; Landon is the messiest boy I know! After ever meal, half of the food is either on his face or in his lap. And when he wants to tell you he is full, he starts to drop food off of his plate and onto the floor. I have spent countless hours cleaning the tile beneath his high chair.



Our Sunday together was another day that we thank God for!

This & That

Ever feel like a lot has been happening, but you don't have much to say? That's been my case lately. I am super busy with the kiddos although we are getting into a nice routine. I am so grateful to have a mother-in-law who can help me out with the kids whenever. Without her I think I would be going crazy right now. Anyway, here are a few thoughts going through my head.

* I've personally never had a flu shot. I tend to keep away from needles as much as possible AND I've known several people who get the flu shot but still get the flu. Anyway, our pediatrician recommended that all of us (except Ryland) get the flu shot this year. Our pediatrician's office is already out of it so we have to look for other places that still have it in stock. Do any of you give your kids the flu shot? Any adverse effects?

* One of my closest friends is moving to sunny California in a week and it's really starting to hit me this week. I'm so excited for Stephanie and her family, but I am really going to miss her.

* Almost every time we drive by Hank's parents house, we pass by their community water fountains. It seems like one of the fountains has been in construction for over a month now. Taylor always tells me how one works but the other is broken. Well yesterday she said, "Mommy, that fountain works but that fountain needs a new battery." She totally made me laugh! Taylor is putting associations together...something is broken so it must need a battery. (This past week she has discovered one of God's greatest creations: batteries.)

* Ryland is well fed...almost too well fed. When is this boy going to slow down and start to sleep more than he eats at night? I think I have to crack down and get him on a good schedule (which I try to do) instead of feeding him and letting him do what he wants while I tend to the other two. I need him to eat, play and sleep in that order every three hours. Sometimes he just wants to eat and sleep and sometimes he wants to eat, play and eat....

* Landon is slowly showing some feisty spirit in him. If he doesn't want to be buckled in his carseat, he'll let you know by fighting his way out. Thankfully I am still stronger than him and can hogtie the boy in. He is still my love bug and understands way more than we give him credit for.

* I'm so thankful the weather is showing signs of cooling down. I need to get out there and walk with my kids. I really need the exercise and I'm sure the kids would love being outdoors.

* I am so excited to join a gym in a week after I pass my doctor's 50-point inspection test ;-) I'm just a little nervous about putting such a young baby in the childcare system though. We haven't even taken Ryland to church yet because we are so afraid of him catching something. When we had Landon, the doctor recommended we not take him to church for the first few months and then very limited public places after that. Now with the swine flu scare, it makes me a little more nervous to take Ryland or any of the kids to places where tons of kids congregate.

Yeah, I need therapy huh? :-)

All Boy!

Dirt + Boy = FUN

Just Like Him

Come to find out, both of my boys look just like their daddy. We can tell that Landon has a little of me (mainly my eye shape), but other than that he is just like his daddy. Here is a photo of Hank and Landon both taken around one year old.




And now Ryland appears to be Hank's twin. You should see the photos of Hank as a baby! Seeing Hank's baby photos is almost surreal; it's like looking down at Ryland. I wonder if he will have my eye shape too. Only time will tell!

A Mouth Full

Ryland turns 4 weeks old tomorrow. Almost too hard to believe. He is officially out of newborn diapers and clothing. We've already realized that little Ryland wants to be held all the time. If he's not being held, he wants to be propped up on our soft, cushy pillows on our bed. He's not a big fan of the swing or light or loud noises for that matter...not a perfect scenario with two older, noisy siblings around. Both of my boys wanted to be held; Taylor was good as gold in her own crib or the swing...not so much of the touchy, feely kind.

This weekend Taylor learned her full name as well as the full names of her family members. Our little Chatty Cathy is able to have longer conversations and is a 2 year old going on 13. She says a million times a day, "No, let me do it!" It seems there are very few things we can help her with anymore...she insists on trying to do EVERYTHING on her own. It must be something most little kids go through...or the fact that she is a firstborn.

I've been reading The New Birth Order Book by Kevin Leman and have been discovering interesting information about why my kids are the way they are simply due to their birth order. The book also discusses the varying parenting styles based off of our own birth order. Hank is a firstborn and a perfectionist. I linger somewhere between only child and firstborn and am very deliberate yet cautious. This book is opening our eyes to our strengths and weaknesses and how we affect our children due to our personalities. Definitely a good read!

It's All Good

My friend Joanna told me the first week would be rough, but the second week and every week thereafter would be better. Boy, was she right! Last week I thought I would die due to lack of sleep. This week I feel like I have things more under control. Routines are being set and I am enjoying my kids more.



Ryland is getting so big. He barely fits into the newborn-size diapers, but I am bound and determined to use them up. It's hard to believe my baby is almost a month old. The time is flying by! Ryland is still feeding every three hours and is likely to be almost 11 pounds now.





Taylor is a hoot! There have been so many crazy things she's been saying lately that I forget and need to start writing them down. Last night we couldn't see the moon in the sky for some reason and she literally asked me a hundred times where it was. I finally told her it was probably in China. Today as we were driving to Taylor's first dental appointment, we saw the moon in the sky and she said: "Mom, the moon is back from China." The kid makes me laugh. Taylor had a great report from the dentist. A couple things that I/we need to work on, but overall she was an excellent patient...accept for the brief moment that she swatted her arm at the dentist. It was incredible to see Taylor's x-rays and her full mouth of teeth including her adult teeth. In the photo above, you'll notice that Taylor has a new smile. I think she is so sick of me taking photos of her that she has resorted to a generic smile.




Yesterday I took Landon to Gymboree for the first time. Even though he was skipping his morning nap to be at Gymboree, he had a fantastic time. He loved everything and was laughing and smiling the whole time. I am so happy that he now gets his chance to experience something new and fun.

Labor Day Weekend

Our Labor Day weekend wasn't too exciting. With a 3-week-old infant in tow, nothing sounded appealing...either it was too hot out or it required too much energy :-) I have promised myself that we will do something fun next year even if it means escaping to a local hotel to enjoy the lazy river and pool.

We did get lots of family time in though and that is the most important thing to Hank and I. During the week, the kids only see Daddy for a couple of hours each night if we are lucky so we try to make the most of our time together on the weekends.




Yesterday we took Landon to get his haircut...yes again. I can't believe how many times boys have to get a haircut compared to girls. Taylor has had like four haircuts her entire life; Landon has already had four or five and he is 14 months younger. Next thing we knew, Taylor was hopping up in the chair to get her haircut. It had been several months so I had the stylist "trim" her beautiful locks. Anyway, we found the trick to getting the kids to sit still and to look low for the stylist to do her magic...a lollipop. All Hank had to do was hold the lollipop down low and the stylist could cut evenly.

NOTE: Yep, that is carpet burn on Taylor's little nose and upper lip. She decided to jump/dive off the foot board of her bed a few nights ago...I think she thought she was a dolphin or something. Thankfully the scabs are falling off and she is healing quickly.

Hope you all had a great Labor Day with your families!

It Takes a Village...

"It takes a village to raise a child."

This quote couldn't be more true...at least in our household. This past week started off with lots of hope and determination. Soon enough though, I found myself so exhausted that I had a three-day long headache. I am so thankful for the way others reached out to help me. We have had meals delivered every other night from friends and neighbors and that has been HUGE. My friend Kim came over Tuesday afternoon when I was suffering from a migraine due to lack of sleep. She fed and bathed my kids for me. What a godsend! And my mother-in-law took Taylor for a half day and then came over on a different day to allow me to nap. Another godsend!

This past week has been hard simply due to sleep deprivation. Little Ryland likes to nurse every two hours at night and it's been killing me since I'm someone who needs 8+ hours of uninterrupted sleep. All is well though. Next week should be better and Ryland will hopefully graduate to the next level and sleep at least 3-4 hours straight.

QUICK UPDATES
Taylor: She decided to jump off the foot board of her bed the other night and now has major carpet burn covering her nose. It looks so bad and makes me sad. She continues to say,"It's ok Mommy, it doesn't hurt."

Landon: He is using more of his words and is showing more of his personality. People are awestruck that he says "thank you" already.

Ryland: He isn't even three weeks old yet, but has been able to hold his head up for over a week. The nurses and doctors have commented on what a strong baby he is, but you can really tell when he picks his head up while laying on his tummy or on our chest.

Ryland's Birth Announcement