Sailing

We got to go sailing with Papa and GG last weekend. Who would have known it would be so beautiful when we set the date? We haven't been sailing since Jacob was little, so we were excited to take the boys for a fun day on the water.

Jacob immediately took to sailing and loved helping Papa sail the boat. Eventually, he was even brave enough to go with Daddy out front.




Gavin, not so much. He was totally scared of falling in the water and spent the majority of the trip in the little cabin beneath us. Once we started heading back, he finally climbed up the ladder to try out what it's like to be a captain.



Casey was kind of swallowed up by his life jacket, but he was happy being out on the boat. He really likes the outdoors and gave us lots of cute smiles for the camera.




All in all, we had a wonderful day in the sun. Adam and I have always wanted a boat (that we can take the kids tubing and do water sports on). So hopefully, we'll have lots of pictures of our kids on the water as they grow up!

Nine months

I can't believe Casey is nine months old! This month he has learned how to crawl normally (instead of scooting himself across the floor), how to pull himself up to stand, and how to go from laying down to sitting up by himself. Casey decided that he wants to be on the move all the the time, so he has come to despise the exersaucer. He will arch his back and cry if you try to put him inside.


Together as a family, we decided to make the biggest banana split ever tonight. Adam took the boys to the store to pick everything out and we all helped make it. Then we all helped eat it. You should have seen Jacob and Gavin scooping the ice cream into their mouths as fast as they could. Gavin was taking such big spoonfuls that most of it was falling onto the floor, which of course Sy loved. Poor Casey, on his nine month birthday, was forced to watch from the sidelines.

How many calories do you think are in this thing? I know... so bad, right? Except it was soooo good.

After the banana split, Adam had some fun with his boys. They sure love to wrestle with their Daddy. Here's to hoping they don't get sick from all the sugar and motion!

Mother's Day

Since Adam wasn't here on Mother's Day, it was really nice to be able to hang out at my sister's house. I loved being able to talk with her and just let the cousins play!

Maddie has always been the best with all of my boys. She especially loves babies though, so Casey gets a little extra attention. She thought it was so cute that he would gasp for air when she blew on his face.

It's always a rarity to get all of the cousins in one spot for a picture!
Gavin decided he needed to bring Toodles for the weekend away.
How precious is this?! Especially since the day when they are too old to sleep together will be here before we know it...
Grammy brought bubbles for all the cousins to play with.


I can't get enough of these big blue eyes...

Things I Always Want to Remember...

*Yesterday I felt terrible. I had a fever and with Adam out of town, it took everything inside of me just to take care of my kids. After putting Casey to bed, I layed down on the couch upstairs while Jacob and Gavin were playing with their Subway sandwich kit. I heard Gavin call out that he had to go potty, so I peeked downstairs to make sure he was OK. What I saw was Jacob coming up the stairs. He had made a perfect tray of sandwiches and desserts for his mommy. Unfortunately, he had piled the sandwiches so high that they kept spilling every few stairs. He was determined to make it though, so he patiently stacked each sandwich back up and continued his journey. It took him about 10 minutes just to get up to where I was. Finally at the top, he layed down on his stomach and pushed the tray to me so it wouldn't fall again. I scooped him up in my arms with tears in my eyes and told him how happy he had made me. Then I kept spilling over about how much I loved him and how sweet it was to make me dinner when I was sick. I couldn't help but think about Adam telling Jacob that he is the biggest boy in the house when Daddy is gone. So he had to help take care of mommy and his brothers for Daddy. It makes me so proud to know that Jacob has the bestest little heart. I don't think anything could mean more.

*We have a small group bible study on Tuesday nights so a sitter comes over to watch the boys for us. Jacob is pretty set on us having a curfew of nine o'clock though. He always makes sure to ask before we leave if we will be home at nine zero zero. After the sitter puts them to bed, Jacob usually waits with his eyes wide open until we get home. This night though, he accidentally fell asleep. When he woke up and we weren't home yet, he was scared and really upset. The sitter told us what had happened so we went upstairs to see him. Jacob was crying and clutched onto me with everything in his little being. Through his sniffles he said, "Mommy, I just missed you so much!" It was such a special night because I just sat there hugging him forever. He just really wanted his mommy. I could feel how much he loved and needed me... just like I love and need him.

The things I always want to remember about Gavin and Casey are short and sweet.

*Gavin loves to hug and cuddle. The thing that really makes me melt is that whenever he hugs me, he gently pats me on the back. As if he is trying to console me or something. I love it.

*I love Casey's dimples. Dimples have always been my weakness... they are SO cute. So my favorite thing is when Casey is sucking on his binky and smiles. All you can see are his adorable little dimples.

*Adam taught Casey how to do baby bonks. He has always bonked heads with Jacob and Gavin and now he softly gives Casey little bonks. Casey is so used to it that whenever anyone gets nears his face, he gives them a little bonk. It's really cute.

*Another thing the melts my heart is when I am nursing Casey and he takes his little hand and presses it on my tummy or reaches up to touch my arm or grab my fingers. These precious moments don't last very long, so I am trying to soak them up!

The puzzle race

I am SUPER competitive. I come from a long line of competitive people, so really... I didn't have a chance. My grandpa, the big softie that he was, never let me beat him in putt-putt golf. My mom taught me the Cougar fight song as soon as I could talk and I don't think she has missed a game since. My sister even threw a board game at me once when I beat her! Then there is me. The one who would cry at a swim meet when I was little if I didn't beat my time. The one who would be totally distraught if I lost a game or didn't get an A in school.

Jacob really wanted me to do a puzzle with him today. He picked one out for me and one for him (both had 100 pieces). I started putting the puzzle together as quickly as I could, curious if I could beat him. I think Jacob must be a little competitive too because he was really into our puzzle race. I glanced over a few times, only to see that he was actually further than I was. What?! He is five years old people, FIVE! (I don't even want to know if my three year-old can beat me) I tried to block out any distractions and focus on putting those pieces together. At one point, I could hear Casey fussing in the background, so we paused the puzzle race. Yes, I actually made Jacob stop and come with me to put Casey down for a nap. Then we ran downstairs to finish the puzzles. When I saw Jacob putting in the final pieces, I knew I didn't have a chance. I didn't stop though. I even timed myself to see how long it took me to finish after Jacob was done. Three minutes. It wasn't even close!

Adam is not competitive AT ALL. So basically, it's not fun to compete with him because he simply doesn't care if he wins or loses. After growing up with my family, I didn't know people like that existed in this world! I hate to admit this, but I'm pretty sure he lets me win sometimes to ensure that I am in a good mood afterward. For example, when we play Texas Hold 'Em with his side of the family, he usually gets bored after a few hands... seriously, how do you get bored playing Texas Hold 'Em?! He will watch until he's fairly certain that I have the best hand... then he goes all in so I get his chips. That's the husband I love. ;)

Anyway, the part I appreciate about Adam not being competitive is that he has a ton of patience and never gives up. For example, he will try snowboarding over and over again until he is able to perfectly carve down the mountain. Meanwhile, he waits to comfort his frustrated wife that has given up and is skidding down on her back edge. I'm getting better, I really am. I try not to show the negative side of being competitive in front of my boys. At least with Adam as their daddy, our kids might have a fighting chance...

Dancing with the Stars

Jacob and Kailey. (sigh) These two have been little buddies since they were one. They have been through little brothers and sisters being born, Little Gym, T-Ball, trick-or-treating, birthday parties, Awana, and about a hundred playdates. Jacob loves Kailey. Even though they argue as if they were siblings sometimes, he loves her.

Kailey has this huge chest full of dress up clothes... mostly dresses, jewelry, and cute little shoes. Jacob always tries to find something in the chest to wear though. Yes, sometimes he comes out in a skirt and necklace. His daddy would absolutely die if he saw him on those days. Tonight, (Kailey's mommy and I were watching Dancing with the Stars) Jacob and Kailey came out all dressed up and in perfect form to dance. To my surprise, they seemed to know exactly what they were doing (I think Kailey was leading though)! They spun each other all around the living room. Neither of us had our camera, but my friend caught some still pics on her videocamera. It was the most adorable thing...
Gotta love the army hat and clown pants!

My kids crack me up!

I've been writing down some funny things Jacob and Gavin have been saying lately so I could share them. These little guys are TOO funny!

~ Jacob ~

Jacob was watching his daddy mow the lawn when he suddenly yelled out to him (through the closed sliding glass door ;) "Daddy, I have a question! Daddy! Do you like moving the lawn?!" Because apparently... that is what Daddy is doing out there.

Jacob was full of energy one day and being extra silly. Through his giggles, he looked at me and said, "Mommy, sometimes I wear people out!"

Whenever Jacob and Gavin are upstairs in bed, Gavin usually starts talking or making big roaring sounds. Jacob gets really upset when he does this because he wants it quiet so he can sleep. So he said, "Mommy! I want Gavin to be shy!" To Jacob, being shy means you don't talk.

Adam was showing Jacob a penny and telling him that the man on the front was Abe Lincoln. Later that day, he showed me the penny and said, "Look mom. A - BLANKET."

Jacob had a bad cold last week and I was taking his temperature. He looked at me with sad eyes and said, "Mommy, does it say I have a stuffy nose?"

~ Gavin ~

The other day I heard Gavin saying, "Ok-nee, dok-nee, artichokey!" I couldn't help but wonder where he had heard that before. It was very possible that I could have said it, so that's what I assumed. Then I met my friend for lunch today and she told me that her son was saying the exact same thing! We figured out that it was from a Leap Frog letter movie that we both have. How funny.

Gavin desperately wanted me to play with him so he was tugging me off the couch with his little hand, saying, "Come on! Follow da leader!"

Gavin was running by Jacob and accidentally knocked him over. He looked back and said, "Oops! Exclose me!" (That's what he says when he burps now too ;)

When Gavin was jumping on the trampoline, Jacob kept trying to get on with him. Gavin finally got really mad and shouted, "NO! I ON THE TRAMPOLINE! THAT MAKE GOD SAD WHEN JACOB DO THAT! THAT MAKE GOD SO SAD!" We've been talking about God feeling sad when our kids aren't making good choices, can you tell?

Gavin hears Adam and I call each other hunny and he hears Jacob using the word Miss for his teacher. So he decided to put them together. When he was in the pantry, he called out to me, "Miss hun-ny? You get me some play-doh?" (He also starting calling me Mommy Girl recently.)

This morning, Gavin lifted up his shirt and proclaimed, "Gavin tummy is big and Mommy tummy is little." And really, aren't those the words that every mom wants to hear from her son? You are totally covered for Mother's Day buddy. ;)

~ Casey ~

"Da da da da..."

Saying goodbye to Cubbies

My good friend introduced us to Awana last year and Jacob really loves it. Each week begins with story time, where they learn their verse of the week. Their leader is so good with these little ones and I love that she teaches them the verse in sign language too. Then they have a craft, snack, game time (which two very enthusiastic dads lead), and lots of singing. The grand finale is the Cubbie bear puppet... you can just see their eyes fill with excitement! Best of all, they learn no matter WHERE you are or WHAT you're doing... God loves YOU!

It took Jacob two years to fill in all of his patches, so he was super excited.
Casey cheering on his big brother.
After the Cubbies sang for everyone, there were hot dogs, popsicles, and hay rides!
They were also having scoops of ice cream for 31 cents at Baskin Robbins, so we couldn't resist stopping there on our way home. ;) Silly Gavin insisted on wearing these funky sunglasses.

A rough day...

Just when I think my day couldn't get any worse, my husband comes home and makes it all better...

Look at me!

Casey and Gavin have hit some major milestones in the past few days. Casey has been scooting and rocking on all fours for a few weeks now, but finally figured out how to move his arms and legs in sync with each other on Easter. I don't know what it is with the holidays... laughing for the first time on Thanksgiving, cutting his first tooth on St. Patrick's Day, crawling on Easter. I guess there is a crowd watching so he feels pressure to do something special. Even though he has somewhat figured out crawling, he still uses his arms and legs to scoot where he wants to go. He can get across the room in a minute flat though so I really have to watch him!


Gavin decided to skip the tricycle stage altogether and go straight for Jacob's bike. He has been so stubborn on his tricycle, insisting on using his legs to walk the bike instead of pedal it. So he never learned how to pedal. When we put him on Jacob's bike, he couldn't reach the ground with his feet so he was forced to learn. He actually caught on pretty quickly and loves riding his big boy bike now.

As for potty training, we've finally had a breakthrough. I just wasn't holding out long enough when we put him in underwear. One accident and he was back in diapers. So I decided one day to put him in underwear until he was fully potty trained. We had a few accidents along the way, but I just put new underwear right back on. It took a few weeks, but was definitely worth it! No more diapers... thank goodness!

The Spring Fair

We always try to go to the fair on military appreciation day, which happened to be Friday. Although I was teaching that day, the evening was beautiful so we decided to spend it here.
When we went to Legoland last summer, Adam took Jacob on a gigantic dragon roller coaster. It didn't go upside-down or anything, Jacob's little hands were just tightly clutched to the bar because it curved around so fast. He has been scared of roller coasters ever since... even the little ones. Gavin has never been on a roller coaster though, so we were able to convince him to try it.
He was a little cautious, but it looked like he was having fun. There wasn't a line so the attendant let them ride over and over again. I think by the end, Gavin was definitely ready for his turn to be over!
Of course, having a pilot for their daddy, the airplanes are always a big hit!
Gavin was too scared to try the canoes this year. I think he was worried about falling into the water. The boy ahead of Jacob actually did fall into the water on his way out, so maybe Gavin knew what he was talking about!
The canoes are Jacob's favorite, but he made sure to stay on his feet the entire way so he didn't get his pants wet.
Thank goodness God was protecting us, because we could have been on this ride. Can you believe the entire structure tipped over while fourteen little kids were on the swings? Five of them were taken by ambulance to the hospital and the others left with several cuts and bruises. To think we were only a few rides away... I can't imagine watching the center of this ride crash on top of my kids. How scary!

There were news vans and helicopters everywhere! Thankfully, I just saw on the news that all five children were released from the hospital today and are OK.

Jakey's special day

I remember watching an episode of Jon and Kate plus eight, where they decided to take each child on a special date with just the two of them. I love this idea and thought today would be the perfect day for Jacob and me, since he had a preschool field trip in the morning and a doctor's appointment in the afternoon. So I took Gavin and Casey to Donna's house (where they usually go while I am teaching). I was really excited to spend time with Jacob and I could tell he was so happy to have mommy all to himself. I can't remember the last time just the two of us did something together.

We met his class at the fire station and he told everyone that it was his special day (even though they didn't know what he was talking about). It was so nice to be there without a baby and three-year old in tow. I just got to hold Jacob's hand and make it all about him. He kept thinking that there would be fire at the fire station, which actually makes sense. After all, there is gas at a gas station right? So around every corner, he was looking out for a fire. I tried to explain to him that there isn't fire at the fire station, fire fighters go out to help people who have fire at their house. My sister's husband is a fire fighter too, so it was fun for him to see what Uncle David does when he is at work. I forgot my camera, so I didn't get a picture of him steering the fire truck. Here is a picture of him with his hat when we got home though.

I told Jacob that he could pick anywhere he wanted to have a special lunch date. At first, he said he wanted to get a corndog at the grocery store. Really? Out of anywhere you could go? Seriously? So I gave him some more options to prompt him a little. After pondering for awhile, he decided to get a Happy Meal at McDonald's. We ate lunch together, talked about our day, and shared an ice cream treat.

After Jacob's doctor appointment, I took him to his first T-ball practice of the season. Thankfully, our friend's husband decided to coach this year so he was able to handpick the team. Which means that Jacob gets to play with a lot of his little friends, while I get to chat with my mommy friends. Perfect.

It was such a nice, relaxing, stress-free day... which is a rarity with three kids. We held hands on the way to the doctor appointment and ran, skipped, and galloped together. Considering I usually am lugging a car seat with one hand and pulling Gavin with the other, I cherished every second. After today, I think I will have mommy dates with each of my boys more often. Jacob definitely deserved a day without Gavin throwing a tantrum and Casey needing to nurse or a diaper change, that's for sure!