The Menagerie

I have often talked about the boys liking their stuffed animals. Most people think they have 4 or 5 each. They are SOOOO wrong.

Newborn Pictures

Check out Lori's blog at Center Stage Photography

This is William's first photo shoot. He did beautifully as did his older brothers. I am blessed with agreeable children...at least most of the time.

Thanks so much Lori for making it special.

The Sweetest Things

We came home last night from the hospital. The first few hours was a bit rough, but I think we are all getting the hang of it. On the way home I was treated to an amazing mid-west sunset. It was totally the classic prairie sunset view. I really wanted to take a picture, but alas Rob had the camera in the other car with him.

Now, I know why I love him so. He stopped to take pictures of exactly the spot I would have taken a picture. I plan to work on editing tomorrow, but here are a couple of pictures without editing.



Today was a wonderful day at home. Rob has worked so hard to help out. The boys have been just super loving. And my mom is here to take care of me. It is really wonderful.

Anthony loves to hold the baby and is really taking to his role as big brother. If William cries, Anthony comes running to tell us or tries to cheer him up with kisses and stuffed animals. I love how kind he is. Today, Anthony brought me flowers from the garden. I love daffodils, so I couldn't help but smile at the gesture (obviously my mom helped him out a little). The best was the smile on his face. Gosh I love that kid.


Gabe is just smiling all the time. I think he is more excited to have me home than the baby, but Gabe is getting there. Today while I was laying in bed resting, Gabe just came in and curled up with me. We laid there just snuggled up for a little while.

Best of all, Rob and William actually seem to be bonding. Gabe and Rob had a rough go for the first year. I called it the cycle of hate. It didn't matter what Rob did, Gabe wanted nothing to do with him. So seeing my husband and baby asleep together just melts my heart.

Our Newest Arrival

William Thomas Xavier arrived on 6 April at 12:56pm. He weighed 7 lbs 12.5 oz and was 20.5 inches long. He is such a chunky monkey compared to the other two. Many of you remember when Anthony was born at 32 weeks only weighing 4lbs and 7 oz. This was quite the different experience. Yes, he did have a very pointy conehead! Right at the end, my contractions went from every 2 min to 6 min, so he is a little pointy.

The upside is that I had a normal labor with no pitocin. Yes, I still love my epidural. Also figured out why I liked the one with Anthony and not with Gabe. The Army hospital still uses an older and cheaper drug that causes heavier legs and wears off a lot slower. However, most civilian hospitals have changed to a different drug that allows you more movement. Also, the nursery prefers to keep the baby at night with the exception of feedings so mom gets more rest. It is wonderful to be taken care of so well.


I am recovering well and feeling really good. William is eating like a horse. The only disappointment is the lack of nutrition in the hospital food. It is worse than a school cafeteria.

The older boys got to visit last night too. Here are some pics.

"Dad made them say...'my brother is not a football.'"

Finally sleeping

My New Blog

Since I have been trying to cook more from scratch, I started a new blog for anyone interested in the resources and recipes we are using.

Hard Cooking Made Easy

Enjoy!

Easter

We had a great Easter. It started the night before with egg dying. We just did solid colors since I am not all that creative :-)



In the morning, the boys got to open their Easter baskets. We did not do a lot of candy (5 pieces each). Thankfully, the grandparents did not send candy this year either. We should actually finish Easter candy before Christmas this year :-) Mostly they got coloring books and stickers. The fun frivolous egg stuffer were the champagne poppers. My boys love these. I think they are great too...a one time, dispensable activity that cleans up pretty easy.



Easter Morning we headed to church...I love Easter hymns. It is definitely my favorite Church Season. Anthony and Gabe have spent the last month in school learning the Easter story. Anthony did Resurrection Eggs for his class and has been telling me the story non-stop for a week. While I love the story, I think by the 300th time, I was ready to scream. By the 500th time, I was just numb. I think he likes being able to relay the story. He is now willing to just tell Gabriel the story without my involvement each time.


After church, we had brunch at my house with some friends. I love brunch...ham, eggs, sausage balls, desserts. I am lucky to have great friends here. All of our kids get along reasonably well for all being in the 3-5 year old range. We had a small egg hunt for them. The kids also got to decorate chocolate cake eggs for their dessert. But mostly we all sat around eating and enjoying each others company.

Happy Birthday to Me

For my Birthday, Rob got me a new laptop...which I love. It actually doesn't crash every 30 min. My old one was almost 5 years old and having serious issues. The boys and my mom baked me a cake as well. Chocolate with purple icing. Anthony wanted to put princesses on my cake because girls have princess cakes, but he was willing to settle for sprinkles instead.

At the Park

A few days ago we had our first fantastic warm day. Lots of sun and fun. We met up with friends at the park. I love watching my kids run around.