Trey Turns Three!

Trey has turned 3 and I can't believe it... it really seems like just yesterday he came into our lives!  The boys have been looking forward to his birthday for quite some time and they weren't disappointed:) Trey did a great job and even seemed to enjoy the singing this time around.  Thanks Trey for a GREAT day!

True to form this day hit some bumps along the way before we even got to the party, but we did make it!  At the fair earlier in the week I got a flat tire, no big deal, I made it home just fine, AAA came and changed the tire in my driveway. Our mechanic ordered some new tires and we were scheduled to have them put on next week... he said we would be fine to drive to Brewer on our full size spare. The morning of the party we found the spare flat from a slow leak and really couldn't take the risk of getting another flat tire without a spare that far from home with four kids on a Sunday.  So, the kids and I all crammed into the Corolla and left Gabe home.  With the airbag turned off we risked putting Noah in the front seat in his booster seat, he was thrilled. If Audrey would have taken a bottle I would have left her home and I knew the boys would have been very disappointed if they had had to stay home on a cold rainy day.  This was the day I discovered that Noah gets car sick.... about halfway there he looked a bit pale (from playing on the ipad in the front seat) and said, "I think I have to throw up".  Being in Gabe's car and barely being able to fit what was necessary for the 5 of us, I was not prepared for a vomiter.... Lucky for me I had stopped at Dunkin Donuts before leaving and had one of their paper bags... it did the job;) Needless to say, we made it to the party relatively unscathed with the cake and cupcakes still intact!

Once there, some one (Grandpa) let Ben eat 2 (or 3 or more, I am not sure I ever really got a straight answer) hot dogs and more than one cupcake with bright blue frosting.  There is a chance that this was the most exciting day of his food eating life.  I was only marginally concerned about the blue frosting staining his hands and face, so I forgot to tell Gabe about the frosting when we got home... Gabe changed the first poopy diaper soon after we arrived home.... he was a little frightened by the color and didn't believe that his "GI transit time" was that fast.  Needless to say he had 4 more bright blue dirty diapers that night and as a result his diaper area was stained bright blue for about 48 hours afterwards even WITH a bath:)

Farmington Fair 2013

Noah and I had a very fun time attending the Farmington Fair on Agriculture Education Day this week with his class, so much so that Noah kept insisting on a "family field trip to the fair". On Wednesday Gabe had the day off and Noah had a half day of school so we headed to the fair.  It was a really great fair for this area and the beautiful weather helped to make it a very exciting family "field trip".  There aren't any pictures of the kids with the animals because I had left with Audrey to grab a different stroller, leaving Gabe with the 3 boys, and this was the conversation:

Me: "Gabe, make sure you get some pictures of the kids with the animals."
Gabe: "Pictures?!?!? Jen, I am just going to do what I can to make sure no one runs away."

I sometimes forget that he isn't used to being outnumbered in a public place with Ben;) 

Audrey Eats:)

In preparation for an upcoming field trip with Noah's class we gave Audrey a bottle... only to realize that she was almost six months old and she had never had a bottle... oops.  I have gone back to work with all of the others at around 3 months, so we were always very careful to introduce a bottle early on "just to make sure" that they could do it.  That was likely our intention this time around, but things were a bit chaotic during her first 6 months and we just forgot... then I thought, well she takes a pacifier really well so this shouldn't be a problem.... it was a real non starter for her... we have our first bottle refuser... so, onto food.  She really liked the cereal and seemed to like water from the sippy cup, so I guess there is hope yet that she won't starve when I leave her;)

Benjamin's 2nd Birthday Celebration- Dinosaurs!

We had our first dinosaur birthday this year and Ben couldn't have been more excited for it.  We struggle a bit with him because he doesn't talk and is very happy to play with whatever his brothers are playing with, so he we aren't always sure what he really likes or dreams about playing with.  Having said that he did pick out the dinosaur sheets for his new bed and he seemed to like the looks of his decorations;)  Grammy, Nannie, Grandpa & Trey made the trip to help us celebrate.  Aunt Amy is out of the hospital and feeling much better, but not well enough yet to make such a significant car trip;)  

Ben loved running into his balloons on the morning of his birthday!  The kids all had fun digging for dinosaurs in the moon sand (note to self- moon sand is strictly an indoor activity because house flies also love moon sand AND it sticks like glue to the deck when it gets sprayed with the hose...) and breaking open the "rocks" to discover little dinosaurs inside.  We had two different kinds of dino "rocks".  One made from sand, coffee grounds, flour and water and the other of baking soda and water which makes for some cool bubbling when sprayed with vinegar.  Overall the Ben had a great party, thank you to everyone who came to help us celebrate!

James's First Day of PreK!

Our second little/big guy went off to his first day of Pre-K today! Just in case you can't read it- he wants to be a crocodile when he grows up... he is pretty adamant about this:)  He has been desperate to go to preschool since last winter and his day finally arrived.  He has been working so hard on potty training over the summer to be able to go.  There are very limited preschool options in this area, so we did decide on pre-k at the same school his brother is attending.  It is just 2 days a week and the school only has grades Pre-K through 2nd... I think that we are ok with this;)  He also gets to ride the bus which we are not yet sold on the exposure he will get riding with kids up to 6th grade, but being in preschool they strap them into a car seat in the first or second row... not to mention that their bus driver is a big guy who I don't think anyone will mess with;) so for now it works.

Benjamin Turns Two!

Our sweet boy turns 2 today!  Ben continues to grow in a consistent pattern off the growth chart with no end in sight.  He is rapidly catching up to James who is 27 months older than he is.... sharing clothes now is nice, but I am not sure it will go over well when Ben surpasses James in the next few years;)  For his size and strength he is certainly a force, especially when he is running at you full bore, but at the same time he is so loving and gentle.  He is affectionate and gives the best hugs... you just have to be ready for them... I have been knocked over more than once by the unexpected hug... he sees any adult in a crouched position as really needing a hug right that second:) He has grown up so much over the past 6 months being super protective of Audrey and all of his brothers, being a big help with chores, and desperately wanting to do anything and everything that his older brothers do... this is where we struggle sometimes because he is big enough to do almost anything they do, but he doesn't have good enough judgement yet for things like climbing on the top of the play set.  This summer he learned to swim on his own with his lifejacket, so we are hoping that will continue through the winter.  He still isn't speaking, but over the past 2 weeks we have seen some great improvement in his willingness to try and say words over just smiling at you... he also now has quite a vocabulary of animal sounds:)  We love you little man and can't wait to see what the next year has in store for you!

Trey and Lily Visit

My sister has ended up back in the hospital to help get this flare of ulcerative colitis under better control.    We were lucky enough to be able to have these two cuties, Trey and Lily, for a few nights and the kids all had a blast!  The big brothers love to bake, so we made some cookies while the little sisters were napping on day #1. We did lots of drawing, painting, cooking, playing outside, swimming and reading. I have some great video of the bigger boys "reading" to the girls who were soaking up the attention;)  They are all such good big brothers that is was a great help.  Gabe and I were exhausted, but in retrospect it was not as overwhelming as we thought it may be, so come back anytime for a sleepover Trey & Lily!

Noah's First Day of 1st Grade

We officially have a first grader! That's right, today our first born is off to his first day at a new school, riding the bus for the first time all by himself.  He was super excited and had a great day.  James was confused  about why he didn't get to go to school too today, and spent most of the day asking where Noah was. Ben, on the other hand, was thrilled to see the bus pull up in front of our house not once, but twice today:)  Gabe was pretty proud because when we asked Noah what he wanted to be when he grew up this year he said, "I want to do what daddy does" (Gabe considered this an improvement over his answer of "constructioner" he gave last year).  Stay tuned for James's answer to this question on his first day of Pre-K next week...