Catch -up

I have put the new pictures in chronological order, so scroll though for the last 6 weeks. Sorry for the delay.

Pictures of William

William at 2 weeks

William at 3 weeks

William with his brothers at 5 weeks

5 Weeks and 11 Pounds

My kid is getting to be a real chuncker. He is huge in fact. For the first time I might have a child out grow his clothes in the time frame given on the label.

I am going to try and take a picture of him every few weeks with his little owl that Gabe picked out for him. This should give you all an idea of how big he is getting.

Dinosaurs Unearthed

There is a fabulous traveling exhibit about dinosaurs called Dinosaurs Unearthed. Lately this is my older boys obsession. We talk about dinosaurs like we expect to see them at the zoo. We know everything about each dinosaur including what time period they existed in. Anthony can also tell you the order of the time periods and will tell you the various theories as to why they became extinct. He is such a little nerd...just like mom and dad.

Anyways, the dinosaurs in the exhibit move and make sounds. There is interaction for the kids and a 3D movie. The exhibit talks about some new fossil discoveries that makes them think that dinosaurs were more apt to have feathers and hair.







Here is the updated velociraptor. He's not your daddy's dinosaur.


The best part was that Anthony would time the roars and the lulls so he could run past the carnivores during the lull. That kid cracks me up!

It was a great day!

Wonder Woman

Growing up, my favorite superhero was Wonder Woman. She was amazing to me. She could kick the ass of any guy, she had an invisible jet, her bracelets would cause bullet to bounce off her, she had a magic lasso, and her hair and make-up always looked great no matter how hard she worked. Did I mention her rockin' body? Seriously, would love to look like that.

Lately I have been feeling like I am caught in a Wonder Woman rerun. Do the laundry, fee William, run to the store, feed William, get the kids ready, feed William, do homework, do projects with the kids, feed William, feed other kids, try to sleep, feed William, try to spend time with husband, feed William. (Yes, William is a hungry pig...healthy happy and fat). To be honest, I can see why she only had a 30 min show. Being Wonder Woman is exhausting! And I have come to realize as all children do when they think of their super heroes, Wonder Woman was not real!

The reality of all the things that should get done and all the things that will get done cannot match up. Choices have to be made. I can't lasso bad guys and have perfect hair and make-up. I have to choose what is important, a clean house or healthy homemade food, playing with the boys or an A in school. I still want it all, but I am just too tired to get it all.

Mother's Day is approaching, but I think it should be officially named Super Heroine Day. A special thanks to all the moms who manage to make Wonder Woman look lazy.

Promise to post pictures this weekend of the kids and such.

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.

Still no baby

I know many are checking, but there is still no baby.

Treasure Box Day

So Tuesdays are the day we get our vegetable and fruit delivery from a local coop kinda business. The boys love it. They will try things from the magic treasure chest that they won't try from the store. Kids are so funny. I was unsure if this would work out for us, but I love it too. I spend less because I am at the store less and it forces us to use fruits and veggies I might not otherwise use...like rainbow Swiss chard. I can also get fresh grass fed cow milk. It makes awesome yogurt.

I have been slowly trying to make reasonable changes in our diets. Some things are quick and easy (but maybe not cheap) like the kind of milk we drink. Bread was by far the easiest. I can make 4 loaves at a time and that will usually last us for about 3 weeks. Others have been more difficult, like cutting ready made, store bought snacks. Gabe is completely suckered into the shiney wrapper of snack bars.

Don't get me wrong. I still consider ice cream a food group, and Blue Bell is my favorite. Every once in a while I love going to Sonic or Chic-Fil-A. I know they are bad for me and just don't care. But, I no longer need a super cheese burger and large fries. The small fry for all 3 of us will do.

Hopefully over the next year, we can make the changes stick. If you are thinking you want to try and make some changes, try reading "In Defense of Food" then take a look at everything you have in your pantry and fridge. It will at a minimum make you think about what you are buying and why.

The side benefit is that this is probably the healthiest I have ever felt. I have gained the least amount of weight with this pregnancy and I never feel like I am skimping. I am still looking for the reasonable balance where I don't have to spend all my time cooking, but also don't feel like I am filling my body with junk. Most websites really lean towards doing everything from scratch...which I think only works for a very small percent of people.

To find local farms and farmers markets: http://www.localharvest.org/

I have already found some things in the Savannah area so that we can make the transition during the move.

Random Pictures

These are just some random but cute snaps I took of the kids over the last month.