Sweet Little Thing

happy heart day plus random ramblings and photographs

2012-02-14T10:59:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day!

I hope you have someone to kiss. Or maybe lick.

Apparently, this guy is a sloppy kisser.

(trust me, it's true)

Superbowl a few weeks ago. we got together with our church small group and part of another small group. here are some the babies. just hangin and shootin the breeze. literally i'm sure.

and then there are all the big brothers. man, you put all these little boys together in a large, wide-open room and you can prepare for mass casualties. a short while after these photos were taken some of the boys had ripped their shirts off and were just going bonkers.

this is just one of the many redonkulous scenes i happen upon on an hourly basis. sometimes i don't even ask. i don't even ponder. i just walk away. because really, what good would it do to ask a two year old why he insisting on laying on the floor, without pants (that's totally normal by the way), in the fetal position, while eating a popsicle, next to a really small for real pot, which is right next to an even smaller piece of corn. people, when you have walked in these slippers, you learn, just keep on walking, right on by and into the next room.

later, my heart skipped at beat at walmart when i walked past a little box of these babies.

in fact, my heart skipped so hard that it sent a misfiring to my brain which would normally tell me, "no, shannon there is no room for that in your cart". and somehow during the skipped beat which lead to the misfortunate misfiring, the dang box ended up in my cart, across the conveyor belt, beyond the scanner and into my sweet-loving mouth.

and after i got over the shock of this next picture my husband took while he was getting ready for work this morning........(uhhh, my mouth hanging open, shirt partially up) it did sorta like make my heart skip a beat again. just in a different way than the cadberry egg did. this was a total mommy and baby snuggling zonkage heart beat skippage. plus the fact that my hubby took it. that's kindof cute too.

this is how Maverick lives his life.

{do not note the crusted on food on the side of high chair. just don't even realize it's there. just know that i wipe up every spot of food immediately. don't even BEGIN to think that this crusted on food may have even been there from when Chase was a baby. just don't go there in your minds. i told you i wipe this stuff up immediately. why? because that's what june cleaver would do}

and if he's not there waiting for every morsel of baby-dropping goodness

well then.........the next obvious place is sprawled out with someone climbing on top of him.

shaggy mcshag shag.

the other weekend, i went late-night shopping to our favorite close-by grocery store with the yummy donuts. it was one of those HOAR frost things going on so I snagged a photo and used the light from the lightpole for some dramatic light. because i am cool like that. grocery shopping photography. i think it could be a new trend.

i also decided that these shadows on my deck might create a neat picture. and i'd say it did. neat i tell you. neat. clearly i have a unique talent for capturing wood boards criss-crossed by shadows of wood spindles. seriously. someone hire me!

more shadows. plus a baby.

more photography. at church.

this guy is such a card. he just HAD to wear his rain boots to church the other day. we were gonna make him switch into his little sneakers but then we decided....pick your battles, people, pick your battles.

last weekend i made these crazy pinterest inspired cookies.

and i use the term "made" very loosely here. as in, i conned derrick into grabbing one of those pre-done rolls of dough at Target. added a little food coloring. and a hug on top. cute is about as far as i can go to describe their taste.

so, have a very happy day. i'm going to get back to the task at hand. trying to be a

DU, Du DU DUnnnn, SuperMOM!!!

yeah right.

Happy heart Day. Spread some love and cheer.

Beckett {9 months}

2012-02-12T11:49:00.000-08:00

Oh dear. Where did 9 months go?!! Literally, it feels like yesterday that I was posting pictures of my belly

as you were growing on the inside. Like HERE. And even posing pictures of you from the actual inside wombal area. Like HERE.

Imagining what you would be like. Preparing for what you would be.

After 9 months of getting to know you, what I can say is that you are so much better than I imagined. And it's not so much that I imagined that I wouldn't like you or anything. I just am so.in.love.with.you. (your big brothers must have taught you how to have that effect on me). But, really, you are just a card. You are a buggy wuggy, sweetie peety. I don't know how many ooey gooey words I could use to describe you.

A LOT.

Here you are in your monthly month photo.

Look at those toofers sticking out!!!

Here are your toes at 9 months. Because I know when you are 22, you are gonna go....mom....can you show me a picture of my toes at 9 months old. I just know that's gonna happen. And I'm gonna be prepared when you do. Mark one down for the momma B! {yes I just gave myself a future point. mom's need points and point charts too sometimes}.

Are you seriously kidding me Beckett? If you ask me for a really expensive sports car when you are 17 and I would normally say NO. If you show me this picture....I will have no choice but to buy you that sports car. All my senses will leave me. It's just too sweet. Who could say no to this face?!!! I am puddy in your hands. Puddy I say. Puddy.

Here you are standing. Because you do that now. Yesterday you even stood for 2 seconds unassisted by anything. Your dad was a witness to that one. Lucky duck.

And here you are eating some corn that you found in the chair. I think Chase had dropped it earlier.

You have turned into a little human vacuum actually. You crawl around the floor finding many a crumb and proceeding to eat them. I take them out of your mouth when I can. But we all know the real truth. You eat more than I know about. Sorry dude.

Here you are so excited to be posing with your big brothers. Excited I tell you. Excited.

And finally. This picture almost puts me in a coma.

It's a coma of love.

Sweet, sweet, love.

For my sweet, sweet, toofer boy.

Ok, now I need to collect myself and type Beckett's recent updates.

He is eating lots and lots of foods. Corn,peas,pizza,mac n cheese (slap me, i know),

lots of stick puffs, cheerios,crackers,bananas, applesauce, pieces of bread, and lots more that i'm sure i'm forgetting. Really, he just likes to eat what we eat. Just really, really small or he gags.

He is waving.

Saying mom,mommmm,mommma. Quite a bit.

Standing.

Dancing.

The "soooo big" thing.

Oh and he really loves to run away from us. Except he's crawl running because he doesn't run yet. But feeling and giggling represents him being really excitedly running away. Do you people feel me on that. Maybe I will have to do a video of it later. The run/crawl video.

Well, I'm sure there will be many other things I missed. Which reminds me, one thing I for sure missed was his 9 month check-up. I need to schedule that puppy. But part of me is like, really? Does he need a check-up? He eats a lot. He is growing. He's smart. I don't know if there is much of a point. But I probably will take him in. You know. Because "they" say we should.

Last but not least we have a fun little 9 month video. It's so so so so cute. It's also a little risky to post. I might get in trouble. But I'm a risk taker. So here she blows. {ahem, Derrick, I so so soooo love you}

So, I guess we'll find out if Derrick throws my computer out our bedroom window for my repeated posting of potentially embarrassing things that involve him. But really, honestly. I think it was super cute and endearing. My husband singing and playing with his children. All while in the kitchen cooking supper, mind you. The only other potential problem I do forsee with this is that just this weekend, Derrick took it upon himself to take a short little video clip of me and the boys doing Jillians ripped in 30 workout. He tells me that the video will be used for his very first blog post. This scares me for many reasons. One being my totally unhip workout outfit. Two being the ridiculous squatting moves. And three being the angle at which he shot the video. Which I was initially unaware of.
So, that could be a little problem that catches us with me.
In the meantime, I will just pray that his threats just that.

But I digress.

Beckett. We totally totally love you.
A year or two ago, before you were here.
That just doesn't make sense.
But, you my sweet boy.
You make perfect sweet sense.

hugs and kisses,

your momma B.
(or sometimes referred to by your father as "shaniqua")

Project 52 { My Three}

2012-02-07T20:39:00.000-08:00

My Three | Week 39

We had a family sick day on the day of this picture. Mommy got a bad case of.....{all males should hit the back button now, i repeat....ex out your safari browser, hit escape, dive out of your chair, leave the room, do whatever you must do to avoid reading} no really, i'm serious, SCRAM! if you know what's good for you! ..........mastitis/plugged ducts {see, don't say i didn't warn you!} and yes, for the record, i just said plugged ducts! and boy were those babies plugged and boy was I laid out all day from it.

On the bright side, the boys got to hang with their daddy all day. Aside from tending to the boys for me, the hubs got a special "order" from my Doctor which he was quite happy about. It's related to the plugged ducts. Need I say more? (If I do, don't worry, another post is sure to come to detail this).

Back to the boys. The temps rocketed up to the mid 40s during the late afternoon which made way to prime snowman making conditions. And of course, all of this led us to a wonderful photo op.

My Three | Week 40

Here they are all ready for church one morning. I dressed them in their shirts but it was Chase's idea to add the ties. I thought it was quite an adorable idea.

Chase wasn't so sure about this. :)

Ahh boys. Each week just gets better and better.

cranky bottom

2012-01-31T19:07:00.000-08:00

One day.....nothin was gonna make those little cheeks smile.

And by nothin. I. mean. nothin. He was just a cranky panky. With some sort of chocolate stach.

Perhaps Beckett could give it whirl. Go ahead, little human smile-inducing phenom, you. Make your big brother who is a cranky pants. Just smile.

Not so much, huh?

Ok....well, maybe...just maybe if the big brother holds you in a ~~stick~~ smile up. Then you might like sort of like just give us a teensy, weensy smile.

Hmmmmmm. Clearly this isn't working.

Poor little cranky bottom. No chance at a smile I guess.

That is. Until. He {gets himself undressed [as usual] }and discovers for himself a new phenomenon of sorts. A straw + milk = smile.

I do believe there is a little smile under all those milk bubbles.

randomness and a belly button cord.

2012-01-28T21:17:00.000-08:00

Today was a fun day! Derrick's parents are visiting so we went to Noodles. That's a noodle on Beckett's lip. He capital L O V E S noodles. He's getting so big! It was fun to eat out.

Noodley lip smiles.

My mom in law and I went to Hobby Lobby. I thought this was funny. I texted it to my BFF, Cassie, right away. Cassie is going to kill me by the way. I posted old pictures from our Puerto Rico trip on FB and there were some really,really funny ones of both of us. One where she had just hugged her now husband with her wet bikini on and it left imprints of her boobs on his shirt!!! isnt' that funny!! and some of me with these hideous red, floral, tropical capris. they were just redonkulous! somebody seriously needed to slap my face off for wearing them. but cassie was not happy to say the least that i posted pictures of her. so now there is going to be some type of retribution. and i'm pretty much thinking that i should just shut my entire facebook page down now. i know that i need to be afraid. very afraid.

Later my husband needed to go pick up a bunch of meat at our fave meat shop. So I asked him to drop me off at a mod thrift store while he did his "meat shopping". It's a rare occurance for me to get out on my own, much less go to a store that like has lots of thrifty clothes ON SALE, and actually have enough time to try them on for pete's sake!!! Usually, if I do run in for a minute....it goes like this. I get my dressing room filled with ideas and then the honeymoon in the minivan with my hubs and the kids is over and we are headed back home before I could say, "i'll take one of those" to the nice sales ladies.

today though, i saw an opportunity. that being, my husband headed to the meat shop. clothing store which was right along the way. plus 2 older children just nestled into a long nap. plus one grandma who just can't turn down the chance to snuggle with one little almost 9 month old.

and that my friends is what we call a "mom opening". i saw it. and i took a running spring through that door!

i had a blast! i scored this cute little BRIGHT PINK sweater and SA-WEET boots on sale!!! now let me remind you before you get too excited here. just know that behind every great outfit may be a few

little things you don't see. like the boots for example. although they fit great in the foot-al area, they seem to be a bit snug on the calves. like almost couldn't zip them up snug. like, ouchie snug. until i can finally get them zipped. then they are fine. but really, i was wondering if some of the weight i have left to do is just sitting around in my calves because i've never needed to "suck in my calves" so to speak.

but that's not the point. point is, those babies are cute. also take note of the darker boots a few boots behind the lighter set of boots. my husband thinks i have too many boots. so the farther back boots.

i almost choose those because they are super cute COWBOY boots! what girl doesn't need a pair of modern cowboy boots i ask thee!!?! well, i sure do. but.....i held back and stuck with the pointies instead. which by the way, my BFF Cassie has already informed via the picture text i sent her that she in fact does not like these. she's just not a pointy shoe girl. and i can live with that.

ok, so moving on. this is my new cube shelf for my "office". i'm super pumped about it. now just don't judge me yet. i haven't quite figured how to organize it yet. i'm sortof in a room re-do process right now. i need to find baskets and storage boxes and little decor things and so forth. and that ghastly thing on the top is my printer. it only fits there so i gotta deal right now. the pictures weirdly above it and behind the big white thing are old pictures that no longer will be there but i just haven't taken them down yet. i will, i will. and the big white thing is my dream board. have you ever made a dream board? i'm super excited to make mine. and when it's done, it's going above the imac to the left i think. my "office" by the way is little space inside my master bedroom. it's all good. all good.

The day got even better when we were fooling around with my old camera. I pulled out an old memory card and shoved it in the reader and came up with these.

5.5.11.

Beckett was 5 days old. I'm just so happy that I forgot about these pictures and just found them now.

So happy.

the cord!!!!!!

happy being a big brother, Chase!! {he was sooo innocent here}

just love this.

boobie blisters are my favorite!!!!!!

the sweetness is oh.so.sweet.

It is as if at 5 days old he is saying to himself, "oh yeah boys and girls, i did it. i have arrived."

Oh golly gee willikers! I'm just so excited about this day. It was relaxing and fun. And yummy.

now i'm off to beat my head against my desk as i try to figure out how to make a new blog. i bought this little cheapo template and now i can't fugure out a way to edit it to my liking. i'm sick of my blog. i've got big ideas for it. just not a lot of technical skills to do it myself. and google can only take a baller so far.

goodnight my party-people. good night.

Iphone Frenzy, Y'all.

2012-01-26T22:31:00.000-08:00

Here's a bit of a review of this week and last....from the view of my trusty iphone.

Maverick went to preschool. Here he is getting pumped up for his debut.

p.s. Maverick.....you need a hair cut really bad. your breath reeks something fierce this week. but we love that stinky, nasty breath of yours anyway. sortof.

This is chapel time at our Preschool. How cute is that?!

Beckett getting some serious smoosh face with one of the preschool siblings.

Chase and I had a drawing date while Leighton was a preschool. Beckett was napping.

I thought this dinosaur I drew wasn't half bad. Mind you, I said half, people.

Then Chase requested a dino on his paper.

And this is what I came up with. Seriously, what the world is that!? That's called....."your mommy is on crack and trying to draw you a dinosaur" dinosaur. sorry buddy. really though....what is with that nose?

derrick tells me it looks like an anteater.

we went to a college game with the boys.

of course the highlight was dippin dots.

this is us. {minus Beckett. he was at aunties giggling the night away}

paint.

my girl Lyd was over the other week. she had my iphone.

did a 500 piece puzzle with the hubs and Jonah-ronah.

couch.romping.

and then there's Beckett. or should i say...where is Beckett?

oh yes, clearly, he is where every totally watched third child should be.

in the lazy suzan.

no, i mean....really. he's IN the lazy suzan. that is called SA-WEET parenting 101.

me and my boooooo-diggity.

boo-diggity and his boo-daddy. snugglin.

i leave you with this.

hot chocolattte. and 2 marshies to boot.

bam! that's us. have a great weekend!

no wait....on second thought, i'll leave you with this.

you.are.welcome.

Project 52 { My Three}

2012-01-24T12:34:00.000-08:00

My Three | Week 38

It's fun looking at them all together. Each one so different. Each one so alike. Some people say Beckett looks just like Leighton. Some say Chase like Leighton. Some say Beckett like Chase. Some even dare say Beckett looks like his mother. The list and combinations goes on. I love it all.

Here they are, rockin their jammies, watching a show.

Well, sortof. If you count grabbing your brother's ear and your other brother's crackers as "watching a show". I think I was the one who in fact was watching the show.

{DIY} Bath-time Cupcakes

2012-01-20T20:08:00.000-08:00

I give you.....Boredom-Busting, Bath-time Cupcakes DIY.

Ok people!!! Are you ready for a super-duper easy-even-Shannon-can-do-this-DIY!??? I found it on Pinterest. I know, right? Shannon? On Pinterest? Never!!! This NEVER happens. Or not.

The cast of characters are seen here.

1. three little plastic cups. or on pinterest, they used muffin tins. i didn't want to use my muffin tins. i used little plastic bowls instead. i'm a rule-breaker like that.

2. your husbands shaving cream. ours is a more natural version of shaving cream, called Alloy.

{as a mid-day bonus.....mmmmmm, my bathroom smelled like my husband after he leaves for work in the morning. I like that smell, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm}

and

3. Food coloring.

So this is what you get when you a. fill cups with shaving cream, b. drop food coloring in cups,

and c. mix them. Isn't that cute? And easy!!!!

Then add a few paintbrushes and two sweet little boys and let the fun begin.

And this is the result. Beautiful middle of the day, bust-the-boredom, paint the tub art-work.

Happy boys = happy mom.

Christmas 2011 {Numero Dos}

2012-01-18T14:27:00.000-08:00

Seriously. Two little brothers sleeping on the blow-up air bed in their matching Christmas jammies from Grandma. How much more cute can it get? As you can about imagine. It can. And it will.

Get cuter.

The five little cousins. Ready for some gift opening frenzy.

We made gingerbread men. Thank you Aunt Linda for sending these kits!

Baby wrangling 101.

It was so balmy over Christmas that I decided to take this dork outside and play some tennis ball with him. He is such a dork wad, but we love him like any proud owner of a dork wad puppy would.

The great-grandparents in all their glory. Plus Maverick's tail.

Little Helen. Not sure what to think about the mauling she is receiving.

My man. My squeeze. The lock to my key. The shot of espresso to my coffee. The glove to my hand.

The radiator beneath my hood. The Awe to my awesome. How ever you wanna slice it.....he's my other half.

Awwww, Derrick's mom and Grandma. A mom and a daughter. So sweet.

Now this is Ramona. She looks pretty sweet and innocent right? And let me tell you, she is.

But....I'm just sorta thinkin they might wanna keep their eyes on her in about 10 years.

a view from the outside.

Once again, it was a wonderful, merry-filled Christmas surrounded by our family. We are lucky. We are blessed. Jesus was born. And we sure love that Jesus. Amen!

Christmas 2011 {Part Uno}

2012-01-16T22:20:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2011. It will be told in Part One and Part Two. Part One today.

We had Christmas at my mom and dad's the day before Christmas Eve.

This is about as good as it gets trying to get the 7 cousins to cooperate for a picture. Thank you, Jonah and Lydia for looking toward my camera!

No thank you, Dad, for putting your right butt-cheek in my shot!

This is the lovely Christmas tree bokeh shot that I love. I'm a bokeh nerd like that.

These are my children. Once again, not cooperating. Love them.

The bigger kids. Very nicely cooperating. Too bad I wasn't totally framing this correctly. Oh well, the sheer awesome-ness of this sibling picture makes up where I lack.

My monkey-like son. Doing monkey-gymnastics. Over ~~the saw horse~~ Grandma's couch.

Oh, Beckett. We love you.

My bro, Jason and his little mini-deer-slayer, Keenan.

Chase and Grandma. Doing some serious cookie frosting discussions.

Laughter.

Ok. This makes me happy. That's my dad.

He's so funny. We got him these hunting bibs. He was born in full camo gear, I swear.

I think he may have even slid out of his mother's womb blowing a goose call.

That's my girl, Lyd. Ok, she's not like totally mine, but we are tight.

Ok, things got pretty intense after the Christmas meal and presents.

I love this.

And this.

And well, I down-right love this so much, I might, once again, eat this baby.

Christmas Part One was perfect and filled with ________.

(can you fill in the blank-hint: see pic below).

Ok, and just incase you don't have very much skill in the area of looking for reflections in Christmas balls.........here's the answer:

Fridays on Faith

2012-01-13T19:01:00.000-08:00

A great poetic rhyme for my Fridays on Faith segment. It's interesting when you think about how many people and families have conflict and resentment over different views on religion. I'm thinkin....this video clears up the ages of debate, yo.

Happy Friday, y'all! Holla if you love Jesus!!!!

Beckett {8 months}

2012-01-11T20:46:00.000-08:00

8 months. Where did you go?

Wowzers. It's been over 2 months since an update on this little wonderboy. I missed 7 months! Whoopsie. And it's not so much that I missed it. It's more like I mis-placed the cute little tie sticker things and kept "waiting until I found them". Well....in the words of my brother, Jason, when my cousin Justin's wahoo fell out of his boxers during a post-Christmas present opening dance maneuvear, "that just happened".

So, yes, that just happened and I found the ties. Finally.

Back to the reason for the post here. Beckett.

There have been a lot of changes happening since our last post! What hasn't changed though is how much I want to eat those cute little toes.

His personality is blooming. He is a pretty incessant smiler. Doesn't take much more than a glance to get a big ole gummy smile beaming back at you. It's an immediate day brightner!

So, the term mobile has a new meaning. I don't remember his big brothers getting this crazily mobile this fast. I'm scared.

As you can see, he made his way off the chair and likes to pull up on things and cruise around.
I now find him in all kinds of precarious places. If he's not wedged in between the wall and a table, he's stuck under our dining room chairs. He thinks it's a jungle gym. And for all intents and purposes, it is.
We sure don't eat on the thing. 3 messy boys and very light cream carpet equals a recipe for "let's just eat in the kitchen for the next 15 years". The darn table might as well get some other uses. I'd say a jungle gym makes sense right now.

Point is, he's standing with a couch assist.

I find Chase funny in the background of that picture.

Ok, then we have accomplished waving. As seen in the picture on the right. He's quite proud of himself. As he should be. Good job bud. This is just one more smooth move to add to your arsenal of
"great ways to get mommy break down and give into my every demand due to my immense cuteness"

And I rest my case.

If you look real close in this picture above, can you guess the other new milestone? A
free gift to the first correct guesser!!!!
I don't know what the gift will be though? Maybe I'll pick something from my desk right now. That could mean some pretty amazing options.....like, a baby nail file, a Clear Defense germ killing gel (used), some pens, a green highlighter, a Leadership in Action magazine, a memory card...
seriously....this could get pretty ridic.

Ok, back to Beckett.

Well, that about sums him up. Wait, no it doesn't. There's so much more. Let's see. He's eating lots of foods. He really likes sharp cheddar gold fish. Calm down, Mom, calm down. I bite off the goldfish bodies and just give him the teensy tiny tail. Last weekend when mom was here she about had a heart attack with every little thing he put in his mouth. Just settle it, Mom. I know you gave us pureed food until we were 14 but seriously, the kid knows how to gum his food. Love you too!Ok, so he's smart. Shocker! He thinks he is a vacuum cleaner. He finds every little speck of crumby goodness on our floors and attempts to eat them. I usually remove them but sometimes it's too late. Sorry dude, your fast! You are starting to say momma a little bit and we've heard dada once or twice i think. right honey? or am i just in crazy land right now? no, i'm pretty sure i heard dada. He's not killin it on the growth charts but he's not lagging behind either. He's right in the middle. I'm cool with that. He is sortof on a schedule. Not a long napper but he sleeps pretty good at night. Soon he'll be running to basketball games with his brothers and won't want a thing to do with us. So for now, I'll enjoy the fact that he prefers to be snuggled in with me to his crib. Even if it means one trip downstairs to get him in the middle of the night. I'm good with that. Oh crap, how could I forget a big milestone! He cam climb stairs!!! I might have a picture to prove it???? Haaaaa-"might have a picture to prove it!?" That's like asking a whale if it plans on eating a school of fish today! Ok, so of course I do and yes, I have several! Thank you iphone.

Here we are....being proud of ourselves that we made the first step.

Here we are enlisting the help of some crazy little basketball jersey clad monster-catcher.

Here we are making the assent.

and here we can almost taste the sweet victory of our first set of stairs!!!!

Overall, 8 months is a super sweet month. I love you little buddy. You're one of the four best things that ever happened to me. Okay, Maverick, five. Love you, boo!

Project 52 {My Three}

2012-01-05T13:30:00.000-08:00

My Three | Week #!*#??

This week brings a new chapter. For starters, I realized my weeks are messed up. I had us a few weeks ahead of what we really are in this last few post so......yeah, that's neat. Way to go mom! But hey, maybe this is because I take too many pictures??? I guess I was a little ahead of myself. This might be an indication of how busy these three keep me! I'll get that little quirk ironed out here and corrected someday so we are right on track again. Someday.

Anyway, this week there is a certain little mini super hero in the making who is on the move and ready to join his super hero brothers in fighting crime upstairs and downstairs, all day long. Thus the gate seen here. The gate has been added for maximum security. Oh yeah, and to make them even more

dangerous, the mini super hero also pulls himself into the upright/standing position and gets himself into all kinds of little pickles.

Project 52 {My Three}

2011-12-30T21:31:00.001-08:00

My Three | Week 33

Ahhh, what little brother Christmas picture wouldn't be complete without some holiday-ish sweaters?

The story behind these photos is pretty good. I was committed to making this picture happen. Sometimes, I can't tell you how difficult it is to get them all together, to sit down, and look at me, much less smile or look cute. But this morning, right before church, I made sure everyone was ready a few minutes early. This was a integral part of my plan. Tee, hee, hee. So as usual, they were running around like wild, untamed animals totally ignoring their mother's directions. So I pretty much made a loud shriek of a noise to get their attention and went into "momma bear possessed by a wicked demon" voice and said, "alright you guys! i am not going to say this more than once. you all get your cute little bottoms over to that tree, you do not pass go, you do not stop for tea, you sit those tukouses down, you hold your little brother up, look at me and you smile. dag nabit!" i think i even flared my nostils at them.

but.....do you know what? it worked and they did! see!!!!!

although....i have to admit. i think they knew that i was really just being silly with them because this was the reaction i got from them when i finished my little "momma bear means business" routine.

My Three | Week 34

Week 34 landed us on the actual Christmas. Here they are, livin it up in their Christmas jammies from Grandma Laurie. Thanks Gma!! Here they are, back to ignoring my photographic directions.

Man, do I love these three.

Go Tell It...via a 4 year old.

2011-12-27T19:32:00.000-08:00

Ok, so Christmas is over. I know. I'm so sad. But I think I can squeeze just one more little drop of

awesome Christmas music goodness out here on my blog. I had to share this. Just watch this! And be prepared. Cuz you gonna get you some goosebumps at the end! Just a warning.

And I just have to share this sweet little moment we had with the boys tonight while tucking them in. It's unrelated to this video. They haven't seen this video. But....it does end up being quite related in the end.

So, Leighton was asking all about heaven. Like all about it. Will we walk? Will we fly? Will there be houses in heaven. Ect. and ect. And he started asking about the people who are gonna be in heaven. And we told him, well, the people who have Jesus living in there hearts will all be in heaven. And he said, "so some people don't have Jesus living in their hearts?!".

And I said, "well, Leighton, some people haven't asked Jesus to live in their hearts and there are even some kids and people who don't even know anything about Jesus. Because no one has told them about the great story of Jesus. And in the bible, God says that it is our job to go tell people about Jesus so they can know about him and then have them in their hearts too."

(that was the simplest way I could think of to explain that tough question)

And he sat there quiet for a moment.

Then he said, "mom........don't you think we should just go tell it on a mountain? just like the song we sing at preschool?" and he starts singing it to us.

To which we replied.

Yes, Leighton, let's go tell it on the mountain. :)

And I think.....I'm not totally sure, but I think that's exactly why God tells us in the bible that unless we become like little children, we will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Just sayin.

Happy Christmas & what the heck......

2011-12-25T14:02:00.001-08:00

Happy Christmas! May your day be Merry & Bright! May you know the real gift given that night.Here is our virtual Christmas card this year. I think if someone were gonna make a website in my honor it would go something like this:www.whattheheckdididotodeserveallofthis.com. Just sayin. I get it. I'm thankful. And boy, are these boys cute!

Love & loved by Jesus. Love them. Love you. Share the love.

lots of Christmas

2011-12-23T21:32:00.000-08:00

We totally wish you a Merry Christmas!

Christmas tree cupcakes. Just a cupcake, some frosting and some christmas M&Ms. Now that's my kind of DIY project!

Christmas tree Christmas card display. Thank you Pinterest. I love you pinterest.

Gotta love FAMILY.

Totally yummily fun with my boys earlier this week.

love.love.love.

Merry Christmas from the North Pole

2011-12-21T19:14:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!!!

Letters to Santa!

Babies in Christmas jammies.

Beckett is crawling.

Like a rockstar.

Now he's mobile. And loves picking up little teeny tiny particles off my floor and of course, puts them in his mouth.

Let the weightloss plan for mommy kick in.

Good thing because I made puppy chow today with not 1, not 2, but 3 bags of chocolate chips!

Yum on the lips.

Ouch on the hips.

My cutie-patotie.

Ohhhh, ohhhh, ohhhh, check this out!

Santa sent us a message!!!!!!! I posted mine on FB but if you aren't on my facebook, go to

the Portable North Pole TV to create your own message for your little loves! It's so fun!

Christmas Is....

2011-12-19T21:56:00.000-08:00

Christmas is....

oh so pretty.

and playdates with goodies.

Christmas is....

mom's taking pictures.

and little toes by twinkling lights.

Christmas is....

Chase being silly.

and boys and their binkies.

Christmas is....

little girls with such cute piggies

and babies by the christmas tree.

It's is everything and so much more.

This time of year I most adore.

Christmas Program 2011

2011-12-16T12:13:00.000-08:00

Leighton had his first Christmas program last night! Check out his musical skills!

His little solo debut on the zylaphone was a complete suprize to us! What a moment! I can't even describe how fun it was to watch him step out from his class and play this by ear. He is quite a musical little boy and has an amazing memory. I love that on the way home, he said, "mom, i love playing that lizaphone!"

Here he is again showing us his talent!

More on the program later. In the meantime, we are waterpark bound for a fun family night. Waterslides, lazy rivers and pizza parties, oh my!

Hope you are all enjoying Christmas!!!!

Project 52 {My Three}

2011-12-14T14:33:00.001-08:00

My Three | Week 32

Sure, being the little brother has it's benefits. Someone is always smiling at you

because you are so cute. And you sure get a lot of kisses from your whole

family. Including the dog. And hugs aren't in a low supply either.

And then there are those other times.

When you have had enough.

So....naturally, grow yourself some knees and you learn to crawl.

Job well done my sweet boy. Your iron-will and determination

will carry you a long ways in this life.

Friday's On Faith {Where Will You Land?}

2011-12-09T08:59:00.001-08:00

I love this for a Fridays on Faith segment. The Story of Mary and Joseph if Social Media had been around. Pretty cool.

One of my fave fave Christmas songs. Gotta love me some Barlow Girl. The voices are uhhh-mazing!

And while many of you and myself enjoy the beauty and wonder of this majestic season, I know there are many people who are hurting. My prayers are turned to the Keller Family, who just today celebrated the valiant life of a devoted husband, father, and mostly a man who lived his life FOR JESUS. If you take just a quick glance into the life he lived and legacy he leaves, it is covered with a big fat, JESUS stamp all over it. I love that. My heart aches for his beautiful, kind wife and their two little boys. But his story and his legacy will continue to change lives for Jesus for.ever. I implore you to read his story and the blog where he and his wife shared their struggles but mostly their full trust and hope in our one and only hope.

In the end, it's so so so so simple. SO. SIMPLE. It's what the twinkling lights, the spritzed cookies, the tinseled trees, the frantic shopping, the chaotic mess that we create out of it, is all about.

A little, tiny baby, born of God into our world to bring us light, hope and life. This little savior all bundled in manger. 2000 years ago. CAME FOR A REASON.

It's what Jack so passionately talked about and lived.

The. reason.

WAS. YOU.

So you could have life. And not even in the sense that you will wake up each morning and breathe and can live a wonderful life here on earth. That's just a bonus.

Really..... It's. not. even. about. this. life. The saving we get, when we accept. It's for a life beyond this life. It's walking into the embrace of JESUS. The Son of THE MOST HIGH. That's what Jack stepped into last week. That's what he was longing for. Jesus had called him home and Jack knew, without a doubt that he was running into the arms of his Heavenly Father.

The question for you and me, is not when or how we will die.

The real question is:

where.will.you.land?

Project 52 {My Three}

2011-12-05T20:55:00.001-08:00

My Three | Week 31

Here they are. Growing so fast. Talking with Santa about all their biggest wishes.

Leighton requested a train. Chase a sucker. And Beckett, well, he just wants his mommy.

That sounds great to me! I love those boys. Even you, Santa. Merry Christmas!

the fourth of july bubbles 2011

2011-12-03T19:35:00.001-08:00

so i figure since we have Christmas in July, why not have July in Christmas? really, i'm not even sure what the deuce Christmas in July means. but....i do know that July in Christmas on this blog means that i am super behind on blogging some fun events and i need to get my rear in gear.

anywho, the 4th of july was a lovely little event this year

there was ALOT of baby action. ALOT.

so i'm super duper too busy to be taking photographs for people anymore. but....there are a few little newborns that get born and my camera just turns itself on, marches across the state and insists on being the lucky dslr to photograph them. so, naturally, i just shut up and listen to what my D700 is telling me.

and i click.

this is my BFF, Melissa's newest little boy, Evan. seriously.

the sweetness is unable to be contained. little mr. evan, wrapped in his mama's loving hands.

then there was my new niece, Helen.

fyi-i picked up this adorable headband at Pout Baby Boutique. one of my fave stores!!!!

and here, her mom lovingly painted these blocks to coordinate with her diaper cover. how sweet is that?!which her mom by the way, has recently opened her own baby boutique across the state which i'm totally pumped about! MoeMoe's Garden recently opened in Dickinson, ND and carries some stinkin adorable and awesome and unique baby, toddler and mom items. Way to go Jayme!

speaking of sweet. this is Helen's big sister. my sweet Ramona. before we went out into the backyard for a swim in the baby pool.

leighton doing his own odd version of swimming.

my beautiful blue eyed boy. one of them anyways.

grandpa just enjoying the day, watching his grandbabies play.

mr. chubby cheeks. and his baby. i mean, the baby is mr. chubby cheeks. sorry honey. typo.

rrawrrrrr......if i wasn't taken, i would so marry that guy. oh wait. i did that already.

and this picture represents a total of 6 adults trying to get a normal picture of two newborns and 3 toddlers. yep, i didn't think so.

oh my sweetness. grandma frances and her sweet great-granddaughter.

and here is one of the VERY FEW pictures I got at the fourth of july parade. this is my chasey. he got traumatized by the SUPERloud firetruck siren. this is how he walked to me. this is how he sat with me for the next hour and half. tootsie roll in his mouth. he eventually fell asleep like that and drooled tootsie roll all over him and me. it was sticky but mostly sweet.

more newborn-ness. naps are just more fun this way.

look at those lips!

we returned home on the actual 4th to celebrate on our street with a few neighbors.

this is chase. still traumatized from the firetrucks. now waiting to be re-traumatized by the fireworks.

however....before the fireworks could get really going, a nasty, torando-producing storm blew in and we headed for the basement. even though we didn't get fireworks, leighton provided us with his own show.

bubbles 2011.

that was pretty too. and thankfully the tornado-ey storm didn't hurt anyone.

in the end, our weekend was filled with lots of newborn sweetness, freedom, family, memories, fun and

even some bubbles.

2011-11-29T21:24:00.001-08:00

I got my Christmas cards ordered! BAM! Can't wait to get those babies! I adore TinyPrints and they don't even pay me to say this. Actually, if I were a smart blogger, I would probably figure out a way to get them to pay me for saying that on my blog. I'm not smart. I just like them. Alot. Dear Tinyprints, I will be sitting by my mailbox starting now until they day those pretty little babies arrive. Just in case someone is lookin for me!

Let's see here. What else is new? Beckett is crawling like a komodo dragon. I mean, I'm not totally sure if that's the right comparison but I'm really thinking it's close. It's really funny either way.

Leighton can say his alphabet backwards. His dad taught him. They do cute things like that. In fact, today, Derrick told Leighton we should rename him, Leighton, Sir Toots Alot. Isn't that funny!!!! Now Leighton stops, farts and then snickers to himself saying....hee, hee, Leighton Sir Toots Alot-that's me!

last week, before the thanksgiving festivities began, we took the boys out for pizza and games.

while we waited.

mmmmmmmmmmmm.

Pizza stuffed in mouth photos. Awesome work me.

Self-portrait.

Goof ball.

Gamers.

me n my B.

rewind. check this. beckett at just a few days old.

now look at my big boy! that's just redonkulous how big he is getting!

i think i need a haircut. and i think i need to get to bed. good.night.

Pardon that Turkey {Thanksgiving 2011)

2011-11-26T18:19:00.000-08:00

There was only one turkey who got pardoned this year at the Thanksgiving feast.

Cuz he was just too cute to eat. Except he's almost so cute that you wanna eat him. Strange.

This pretty lady made Thanksgiving a yummy, stomach-filled possibility this year. Hi Valerie. :)

Valerie takes care of things like that for me. I'm lucky.

I did make these little Pinterest inspired cuties though. Pilgrim hats. Yum.

Ignore the messy frosting job on the pilgrim hat buckels. Excuse me if I was eating the extra reeces cups while I was trying to frost. It's harder to get a straight line when you are trying to secretly eat stuff.

Here's my sweet nephew. Love him.

Uncle Aaron and his shenanigans.

Snuggin with Grandma.

Pretty Lydie.

My husband. Trying to peg me with a frisbee. Typical.

Me and my little turkey.

And then there was the "fee wheeler", according to Chase.

This is just awesome in a photograph.

Hi Chase.

Someone is getting soooo big!!!

Pretty much the cutest turkey I birthed this year.

I have one parting thought. Or request. Can someone remind me to turn my camera the other way from time to time? Thanks. Sometimes I need help like that.

Beckett {6 months}

2011-11-22T20:27:00.000-08:00

Mr. Cute-pants himself turned 6 months on me, almost a month ago. Mommy is a tad behind. Shhh,don't tell anyone. So here he is.

At 6 months. Clearly. As if the sign didn't point that out.

Mr. Cute-Mc-Cute-pants himself.

Bein all sweet and innocent.

And inquisitive.

And back to just cute.

With a side of funny.

And here he is completing a very large milestone. CRAWLING!! Check it out. Ignore the crazy mother who is recording. I swear that wasn't me. I'm not crazy. Just about my kids. And their dad. Awww.

Ok, back to the action here.

So, the 6 month update goes something like this:

he's still cute.
cuter actually.
he crawls now.
in his own weird way.
he eats babyfood now. rice,sweet potatoes and carrots so far. which i made all by my little ole self.
{which, the above mentioned feat of me making babyfoodo actually deserves a standing ovation. if you knew how inept I was in the kitchen. but this post isn't about me so stay seated please. thanks.}
he is super duper and i mean SUPER DUPER easy to make laugh.
he has about 400 quintrillion ticklish spots. hence the above benchmark.
he rolls around like a wild-man.
he is very easily entertained by his two wild monkeys, errr, ahh, i mean brothers.
he loves hangin in his exersaucer.
he likes to watch tv with the boys.
his hair is sure filling out these days.
he is starting to give us kisses. the open mouthed, i want to suck on your face kind.
he gets superly duperly really excited sometimes and squeals and flails and it's really funny.
he acts like a fish out of water when you put him in the tub. he just flaps and kicks like it's
nobody's business.
he does NOT understand that his crib is a good place to be. and that it's totally acceptable to sleep in ones crib every now and then. for the whole night. totally acceptable.
overall though.......
he's pretty much just all good.

i don't really have his medical stats. i haven't taken him in for 6 month yet. bad mommy. bad mommy.

oh well, i figure like he's growing, he's crawling, he sure likes to eat, and he's cute so he's probably pretty good.

i'll get him in soon. in the meantime, i'm gonna go to bed and enjoy the next few moments where there is actually a spot for me.

sometimes.....just jump.

2011-11-16T19:58:00.000-08:00

sometimes when you want to fly....

even though you can't exactly see

how you're gonna hold yourself up.....

you've got to say a prayer, close your eyes,

.......and jump.

soon enough.....

it all becomes so clear

God attaches our wings

not before

but AFTER

we jump.

and after you realize what you have.....

share it.

a beautiful mess

2011-11-13T07:03:00.001-08:00

Sunday morning breakfast.

i made my first ever batch of babyfood on friday. my friend Heidi Smith recommended this book to me. it looks like a book i could handle. it spells every single step out. and i mean every step! like you can't just say, puree the carrots to me. you have to tell me exactly how i do that and with which types of tools.

i haven't bought the book yet but I did find some instructions online. it was super duper easy. like easy enough that even I could do it. here's what i did.

1. cut up regular long carrots into sticks. they were cheaper than the baby ones.

2. put them in tin foil and on a baking pan. baked for 30 minutes on 375. it said baking is the best way to preserve the flavor.

3. spread them out in a flat tupperware dish to let them cool. the instructions said they should be cool before blending.

then i wasn't sure how i was gonna blend them. we do have a smoothie jr. blender but it was too high for me to reach and i don't like washing complicated gadgets afterwards. that was out. next i texted my husband and asked him if he thought we had a wand hand mixer. i'm not sure why i texted him. i could have just opened the cupboard and looked. he said we probably did. somewhere. so i opened a cupboard and the thing almost fell out on me. perfect.

4. blended them with water with the easy to wash wand mixer. i added a lot of water, little by little until i thought it looked like the stage one runniness of gerber baby food that i bought with the two other boys.

5. then i put it in ice cube trays and froze them.

6. popped them out into snack size baggies and then put all the snack sized baggies in a larger ziplock.

7. fed them to Beckett and he gobbled them up.

so there you go. it was easy and now i don't have to go to the store and buy 20 jars for 20 some dollars. my bag of carrots was 1.65 at walmart. i had the water at home and all the other gadgets. that was way cheaper. i like that. next, i'm goin for sweet potatoes.

later that day, i made a homemade chicken pot pie. it was delic. i found it at Pioneer Woman. i love her.

Maverick went in for a haircut. here he is before.

haven't taken an after yet. let's suffice it to say that....well, i should NOT have told her to take some length off of his tail. apparently, "take some length off the tail" means shave that baby down to the skin.

hi Leighton. i love you!

this morning, while the boys were playing downstairs Chase ran up to Leighton and said,

"Leighton, Leighton (really excited voice), guess what!!!! Jesus lives in my heart!

he's gonna tect me!" (tect = protect).

Out of the mouths of babes. I'm so glad they get it.

Speaking of those babes. They are eating me out of house and home this week.

And Chase can be likened to a tornado. Good thing he's a cute tornado because I can't tell you how many markers and blocks and kitchen cabinet items I trip over and step on, on an hourly basis.

Someday. They will be big. Someday I will miss the mess. I'm gonna enjoy it.
because it's a beautiful mess.

have a good monday everyone!

one gloomy, fall day

2011-11-10T20:51:00.001-08:00

one gloomy,fall day. he got an idea.

it's called.......a tree. and a boy. and his brother.

boy....do i have my hands full or what? i can only imagine how this will evolve over the next few years. yikes- this could get interesting.

after photographing the said little boy dangerous stunts and then diverting a catastrophe, i grabbed a pretty little fall, end of the day snapshot.

Later, I came around the corner to these two little Mickey Mouse-lovin goof-balls.

So I grabbed myself a front-row seat for some big brother, little brother fun.

some days.....i can barely get over Chase. he steals my heart in a different way.

fillin my days with so many smiles.

yes, Maverick, you too.

and don't forget big sloppy ~~licks~~ kisses.

So there you have it. one gloomy, fall day. with a side of lovely.

Project 52 {My Three}

2011-11-07T19:23:00.000-08:00

My Three | Week 28

Here they are. Decked in their Halloween shirts.

I scored all of them for less than a buck last year.

Including the dog's shirt. Wahoo. I'm a gigantic ~~tight wad~~ budget shopper.

Here they are. Ready for the big candy fest. In keeping with my total

thriftiness theme, guess how much I paid for all these outfits combined?

A big fat ZERO! Dragon and big lion were FREE, mailed lovingly by my BFF

Cassie. Baby lion was purchased 4 years ago at a Kmart

one day before Halloween for a whopping $4. Wahoo!

My Three | Week 29

This week included the induction of whole grain cereal. and

lots of kisses. as always.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

Halloween is always quite a treat at our house. Three littles to get dressed up always makes for

maximum cuteness. I suppose I'm partial but I do not think there was a cuter lion, dragon or baby lion

in the whole entirety of the earth. Let me submit the evidence.

So, we started the afternoon strong. Complete with Halloween shirts, a fun and tasty halloween edible craft project. Thank you Pinterest.

Notice my cute little pupil all ready to learn about crafting and frosting.

Someone clearly already knows about the frosting part.

Now, pose nice with your cupcakes, Leighton. Or that.

Oh.....and I did mention halloween shirts, right?

It's a rule, Maverick. Sorry. ALL family members must participate. Especially when one scores this polkadot halloween shirt at Target, for .75 cents the previous year.

Earlier in the day, Maverick came with us to pick Leighton up from Preschool. Snapped

from my iphone at a stoplight. Seriously, people. I do not make this crap up. This is my weirdo dog sitting in the front seat completely thinking he is a human. I can't imagine why he would think such a thing. Shirt and all.

p.s. my husband was not happy about the shirt for Maverick by the way.

Halloween pumpkins sent every year from aunt Linda and cousin Sarah! Thanks you guys!

A Halloweening we will go! Beckett is wondering who this new baby lion is in his car mirror.

Dragon-boy.

Dragon-boy gets down to some serious trick or treating.

Rrrroaarrr says Chase. This is his personality in a nutshell.

Baby lion, I love you!

We loved watching them run up to the doors together!

Halloween 2011 in our neighborhood was quite a treat!

Halloween cuteness. Beyond words. I love my goblins! Here's to another successful year. Our candy dish runneth over.

Project 52 { My Three }

2011-10-30T20:43:00.000-07:00

My Three | Week 27

Here are my three this week. My fire-breathing dragon boy. My never wearing pants dude.

And my sweet little one sock on, one sock off baby. This picture just cracks me up. It's

so them. It's so my day to day routine. I just can't believe we are this many weeks in to my life with three

little boys. And I can't believe that Beckett is sort of holding himself up on the step. Ok, well, I think actually he was holding himself up before I took this photo, but by the time I got my camera over the ledge, one hand has slipped down and his cheek is smashed up against Leighton's armpit. But....that's pretty day to day stinkin accurate. And I love that.

Three Zero, baby.

2011-10-27T20:53:00.000-07:00

Amidst this wonderful week of Halloween preparation, I'd like to take a moment to sit right down and tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel Air. Oh wait, that was DJ Jazzy Jeff, not me. Sorry, I sidetracked for a moment. But that was a good show wasn't it?!

Anyway, I'm taking a break from the wonderment of the Fall season to go back and catch up on some fun events from summer. I just can't for the life of me figure out how to keep up with my blog. I'd love it to be all chronological and schtuff but it just aint. So backwards we go. There were just too many cute pictures from this event not to share.

And what exactly WAS this event.....one might be asking. Well, someone turned 30. Someone just up and left her amazing youthful years of the 20somethings and landed smack in 30ville. And there was a party for it. Thank you to our lovely, awesome, amazing friends, Rob and Laura, who hosted the once in a lifetime event for us. No really. Thank you, you guys! I wish I had a picture of you two love birds but I didn't take one. The best I have is a picture of Rob's leg and hand, helping Chase down the steps. I will post that later.

Here's my middle boy. He knows how to party and make people laugh. It's just hard not to get happy when you see this kid.

Here's my crew. I like them. I'm gonna keep them.

Lydia and Chase. Partners in crime. For life.

Big brother J. wins!

Lydia. Always make me smile. I need to write her letter. She writes me letters all the time. And draws me the best pictures ever. I love that girl.

Oscar!!! Oscar is gonna be a big brother!!! I'm just sayin.

Little L-man. My sweet photographer turned friend, Heidi's littlest boy. She's gonna take our family pics this weekend. Wow.....good luck, girrrrl! We are quite a crew!

A serious game of.....run away with the

Ok, here's Rob!!! I guess a little more of his body made it in this shot. That's Rob helping Chase. He hosted the party with his lovely wife, Laura. We love those two. They love our boys.

The back of my biggest bro. Clearly Beckett aint diggin what Aaron's got to say.

Lots of kids playing.

Little R. man. Love those cheeks!

That's my big boy!

My awesome friend, Heidi. Also included is the blurred out cheek of my other awesome friend, Jenelle. Love my girls from my growth group!

My birthday cake.

Why yes......that sure is a girl in a bikini on my 30th birthday cake. My husband was responsible for this cake. That's all I'm sayin.

So, all in all, the event was a success! Lots of people asked me like how I was doing and stuff with turning 30. I don't know. I guess I liked it. I pretty much just plan for each decade to just get better and better. It sorta seems like 30 will be a cool age to me. Like I'm still young but I'm still not old? Right? Except that's probably not true for my teenage babysitters. They probably think we are really old.

Anyway, I'm just counting my blessings that I have enjoyed 30 years on this earth. God has given me more than I could have imagined.

{DIY} Mummy jars and pumpkins and cute babies

2011-10-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

I really really love fall. There is just something about the crisp air, cloudy days and lit candles that speaks to me. I think it reminds me of home a lot. Fall was always a special time at our house. The boys went out hunting and me and mom spent the long weekend days together. In a cleaned up house, candles lit and some very delcious meal in the oven waiting for the guys to get home. Now that I have a family of my own.....it's different and fun. First off. We don't really keep candles lit around here too often. I do from time to time. But inevitably a little boy sized monster sneaks up and blows them out. And proceeds to touch the wax. And as far as a nice meal in the oven....I have to laugh at that one. I'm a big failure in that department right now. But maybe when my kids are older I won't burn as many things. Maybe? Anyway, it's fun to reminisce. And perhaps one of the reasons I tend to burn and ruin things in the cooking department is because of my new found addiction to Pinterest. Seriously. Love it. Although it may be one of the culprits of my burnt meals, it also has it perks. Like taking a super-uncreative in the craft department soul and making some things possible and fun. Like this! A monogram letter pumpkin. Super duper easy. Cut out a piece of fabric into a letter and glue it on. Now I can do that!!!! Yay!

Or these....my boys had fun with these mummy jars. I find them pretty cute, we got a little craft time out of it and later we had a "campout" complete with ice cream next to them.

Here are my boys at the campout. Wow guys......way to look like you are enjoying yourselves!

Beckett didn't join us for the campfire because he was sleeping. But later in the week, he and I had a little cutie mc cute pants photoshoot on the couch. Nothing sophisticated about it. Just my baby boy. In his "I love my mummy" shirt and his big blue eyes and pierce my heart with a valentine type of arrow smile.

Eyelash central.

My little sitter up er guy working on his balance and strength.

I can barely take how cute he is.

Look at me, Mom! Hurry and take a picture...before I do a sideways face plant.

Brother loves.

Mommy love.

My biggest boy. Getting an idea.

Here is it. Oh boy!

And I love this photo the most! This was us our neighbors birthday party this weekend, taken on Derrick's iphone, by Derrick. Way to go honey! I love this picture!!! and NO the egg absolutely, positively DOES NOT symbolize anything, thank you miss Heidi Smith for the lovely suggestion on FB, though. it's just an egg from the toy kitchen Chase was playing on. phew!!!

the Fall Festival

2011-10-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

So we attended that Fall Festival about a month ago.

Here are my three little goblins. Pretty scarry. I know.

The colorful bouncy house was a hit!

posers.

Every fall festival needs a cookie-making station!

the cutest pumpkin pickers. not to be confused with nose-pickers. cuz they would
never do such a thing. ever.

handsome and his pumpkin.

Now this photo makes me smile. I love all the combinations of my boys together.
Pure daddy love.

Checkin out the bunny.

Fall doesn't get much better than this!

Project 52 {My Three}

2011-10-19T12:54:00.000-07:00

My Three | Week 25

Taking my three to Target. It's becoming a bit more complicated as they grow. Now it requires a cart and a stroller. Good thing it was mom & dad team effort. Otherwise.....I wonder if I could hook the stroller to the cart somehow? As if bringing three boys under the age of 4 to any store doesn't have crazy written all over it to begin with.

My Three | Week 26

This week, we took a trip to the firestation in our neighborhood.

I love that Chase has soot on his nose. Typical.

Summer Trips

2011-10-14T06:54:00.000-07:00

The summer of 2011 held a lot of fun memories for us. I think it's been my favorite summer to date. Our three little boys just make our life oh. so. full. While that does include lots of little boy mischief and it's fair share of dirty diapers, I just can't imagine how bored we would be without them. And I just can't imagine what camping would have been like if we weren't parents to these three little hooligans. Let's have a look at the annual camping trip.

You may have seen the last annual Mijangos/Heick camping trip HERE. It was quite a delight.

This year was no shortage of kid-friendly camping fun and an extra dose of sugar laden snacks. Followed by S'mores of course.

Here is the long-version of the weekend. Told in pictures. Mostly.

I thought this sign was pretty appropriate.

Yes, I sure do.

We arrived and set up our camps. Only to be welcomed by an awesome storm.

My brother called to inform me that we were, in fact, in the path of a tornado.

So, clearly, the next logical thing to do is....

and find the closest hotel with pool and enjoy the rest of our evening.

Cassie and Gerardo decided to check into that hotel when the men returned to our campsite to "check things out" and found their tent.

"no thanks. i'll take a dry hotel bed." thought Cassie.

The Heick family, on the otherhand, returned to their camper {thanks mom and dad H.!) and slept peacefully after many hours of hotel swimming and tummies full of fast food.

The next morning, Chase and I had our bubble date. Blogged about HERE.

Then we took the kids to the land of the story book.

Hi Sergio.

Most of us liked the "tea cup" ride. Except Chase.

They are cute.

Ahh, my bestie in the whole wide world.

Beckett slept a lot.

The moms went racing.

Which made some not too happy.

Then Leighton had to tell us something.

It's time for S'mores!!!!

Sergio demonstrates proper S'more eating techniques.

The boys hang out.

Chase steals marshmallows.

Everybody was pretty dang happy.

Except that one time.

Nothing that a kiss won't fix!

Chalk it up to another successful annual camping trip! I can only imagine how fast I will need to move when Beckett has his running shoes on too! I better go workout now to prepare.

Project 52 {My Three}

2011-10-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

My Three | Week 23

This week, it was nice. And warm. So we decided to have a storytime picnic.

Do you think I could use a pedicure....

My Three | Week 24

Hanging out with Derrick's family before church.
I love how all three of them refuse to look at me. Thanks boys.

the butterfly who wouldn't leave.

2011-10-08T17:36:00.000-07:00

Here is our pretty, lovely butterfly. Let's call him Monet. Keep the T silent.

Grandma and Grandpa H. discovered him in his cocoon on the beach. Have any of you ever seen one those beauties? The cocoon thingys? I had never really examined one. But it had really really really pretty gold thread. It was pretty. Wondering why I didn't take a picture of it? Me too...since it sat in my house for about 11 days. Forgot.

So, here is Leighton hanging out next to his butterfly buddy, Monet.

Chase and Monet.

Getting ready for the big release.

Chase....why do you have a pacifier in your mouth? You never did use a pacifier. Now that you are

Two, you think it's time to start using one? Doubt it.

This is not as much a picture of my tibia as it is Beckett watching the butterfly action.

Saying goodbye to our new friend.

Except Monet wouldn't leave. I think it was too cold out. Monet just stayed. Even with prodding, that thing wouldn't leave. But finally a few days later, the thing up and found his wings. Of course I was planning to photograph the big moment. But, no such luck. Anyway, thanks for brining us a cool butterfly Grandma and Grandpa!

Beckett {4 months} & {5 months}

2011-10-05T18:38:00.000-07:00

{Four months}

Wow, the time between 3 and four months flew by so fast I didn't even get the blog post up before 5 months hit! So here we are doing a double whammy. Life is so busy with three little ones that I'm having a hard time remembering what even went on during the fourth month. I'm pretty sure sleeping through the night stopped abruptly. And teething was right there to pick up the free sleep time that I was enjoying. But even with a lack of sleep...it's hard to resist those toothless gums.

And those toe-jam filled toes.

Wow...Mr. Serious-face. Plus some extra toes.

Streeeetch.

Wow. You are turning out to be a little charmer. Just like your predecessors.

{5 months}

Here we are at 5 months. I totally see some cheekage filling outage here.

Grab those toes. And Look at me balance!

Holy cute buckets, Batman.

My little big boy. Growing out of his mom's frame. Of her camera lens.

And just a few iphone shots. All gussied up for a wedding.

Chew chew smile. Chew chew laugh. Chew chew scream.

So yeah, speaking of screaming. There's a lot of screaming coming out of this little 16 pound wonder these days. It's not so much a cry scream as it is a listen to this guys....."i can scream and squeal louder than any of you can talk" (or louder than any of you can hear yourselves think) for that matter. Really it's cute. Until it starts hurting our ears. Then I just go and kiss him to make him stop. Let's see. Those teeth haven't poked through yet but I swear I saw a teensy tiny bit of white yesterday. The drool and fussing is confirming that fact that we are teething. Just not full force yet. As you could see in the pictures above, Beckett is starting to balance sitting up. It's so funny to watch him topple sideways over onto his side. And he is starting to scoot himself around just a tad. Like last weekend, when he propped up next to his cousin, Helen, he scooted himself from the top of her head down to her feet. Of course, he was ticked so
I think that helped him push a little farther. He also turns a bit and rolls over a lot. Not both ways yet.
He is totally interested in toys and loves hanging out in his exersaucer. Thank you JESUS!!! Oh yeah, and when he is not screaming he is starting to really babble. When he gets upset he says, "maaa, maaaa" and otherwise if we are just talking I can usually get him to mimic a sound like "ahhh, ahhh". I'm sure i'm forgetting a boat load of other things too.
In the medical arena, he is way over due for his 4 month check up and shots. Bad mommy. Bad mommy. The appointment is scheduled. I'm pretty sure they are gonna tell me that he grew and he is healthy. And then I need to decide what kind of shots I'm gonna let him get. Boo.
Mainly though, he's growing. He's cute. He likes to laugh. He's totally addicted to mommy and I'm totally gonna keep him. For sure.

love,
mommy

Leighton goes to school.

2011-09-29T12:14:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago, Leighton and I had a little backpack hunting date. On our date, not only did we find a super cute backpack, but we made an extra stop at the pet store. And we found this guy. We thought he was pretty darn cool.

Hi.

Then my big boy hit one of his big milestones. First day of preschool! Tear.

The gang.

Here's the cute backpack.

Purchased at the Mac Daddy of baby boutiques. Pout Baby Boutique. Complete with a fun kids

play area so mom.can.shop!!!! Really smart idea. Moms shopping while kids happily play. My total favorite.

Have a great year my little frankenstein. Mom loves you so much!

Oh....and because I am so proud of him and because I love that he goes to a christian school where his teachers love on him and teach him about Jesus.....I had to post this too! Check out these mad verse memorization skills! Thank you to his wonderful, God-loving teachers.

Project 52 {My Three}

2011-09-28T15:22:00.000-07:00

My Three | Week 22
My three twinkies.

pretty cute.

nice Chase. real nice.

I really can't get over the cute.

the weeks roll on. they grow up fast. dont blink.

What do a mom and a rap star have in common?

2011-09-25T19:28:00.000-07:00

So.....do you all remember the famous rap song by DMX called "You All Gonna Make Me Lose My Mind"? Here, let me refresh your memory a bit.

Y'all gonna make me lose my mind

Up in here, up in here.

Y'all gonna make me lose my mind

Up in here, up in here.

and so forth.

I would post it here from Youtube but the second line was too nasty for this blog.

So if you don't remember.....go to youtube for a refresher.

So, what's the point?

Pinterest. I absolutely love love love Pinterest. Love it.

So.....tonight after an exhausting bedtime routine with the boys. Derrick was awol watching the big game for a few hours. I came upstairs with the little one hanging off my boob. Cuz he's addicted to that thing and doesn't tolerate being taken off it very well. I plopped down on the chair only to see a chewed up baby poop diaper right at my feet. Thanks Maverick.

And thanks to Pinterest. This is what pops into my head. Did I mention my love for Pinterest?

Project 52 {My Three}

2011-09-21T21:30:00.000-07:00

My Three | Week 19

Tail end of summer.

My Three | Week 20

Maxin and relaxin.

My Three | Week 21

School is in session.

Chase {2 Years}

2011-09-11T13:08:00.000-07:00

He's two.

My cute little, twinkle-in-his-eye, used-to-be-my-baby boy is two. {actually, he turned two in July. i'm just a tad bit behind. i can't figure out ~~what~~ who in the world would keep me so busy that i can't keep my blog right up to speed} Wait a minute...yes, I can. It's this guy and his two little cronies! And I love it.

Let me tell you something about Chase. He knows how to do Two. He does Two very well. He's crazy.

And he's all boy.

Minus his deep love of kitchens and tea parties.

I'm quite certain he's gonna be a ladies man.

(disclaimer..this little lady is his cousin so he certainly won't be wooing her one day)

Seriously though, we are gonna be in trouble when he is older. Heartbreaker!

Here's my growing boy on his actual birthday enjoying an ice cream party with us on the deck. He's just so funny, this one.

He knows how to make his mama smile.

And the world smile.

Need I say more? He's Two. And he's all mine. Ok, and his dads. I'll share. Just a little.

In the development arena, Chase appears to be doing just great. He talks really really well and very pronounced, just like Leighton. He comprehends more than we want him to for his age. Ha. He can sing the alphabet and count to 20 with just a bit of help. He can pray on his own. But he mostly does now I lay me down to sleep for all prayers. He can sing his favorite lullaby pretty much by himself. He can recite nursery rhymes. He can almost ride his trike without help. He does know how to bargain and whine, which is neat. He does not have a wide pallet of taste buds. Mostly he prefers condiments like

Ranch, ketchup and BBQ sauce. He is on a bit of clumsy spell but he usually just shakes every little

bump and tumble right off. He will go on monster hunts with Leighton and play along pretending quite well. He does not like to share but will sometimes. He is sneaky. He is really looking forward to turning

three so he can chew gum like his big brother. He sneaks up on the cupboards and steals the gum he's not supposed to chew. And permanent markers. And then writes on my beautiful table tops. Mainly, though, he's Two.

My sweet Chase. It's just hard to find words to describe how much you brighten my day. You have such a unique and fun and sweet little personality. I can't wait to watch you grow and change throughout the years. Well....actually, I can. Let's just take this a little slower, OK? Love you bud.

Love,

mom

Project 52 {My Three}

2011-09-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

My Three | Week 17

my three. plus me.

My Three | Week 18

my three. and their dad. wrestling. as usual.

just them.

Faith of Fridays

2011-09-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a LOOONG time for my Faith on Fridays section!!! Today I just wanted to share this youtube video that my good friend, Trista posted on her Facebook page.

There really aren't words for this. Just watch. And be awed. At pure. God-given talent. Try not to get goosebumps at the end. Just try. This kids ability has the power to pierce the soul. Just watch. I dare you.

It's a FROG's life.

2011-09-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

the story of the frog. who kept trying. {and possibly praying}.

bein a frog aint always rosy posy and just layin around flickin your tongue lookin for flies sorta thing.

sometimes it's serious business.

somedays....just somedays...you end up in the yard of three adventurous little boys.

and while this little one looks rather harmless.....

every frog should know that behind every cute, innocent little baby you will find his frog-hunting brothers. and their mom. with her camera.

and if you turn your toady back for just a second....you wind up in these lovely new living quarters.

and after a little session of being prodded, examined and of course photographed.

you jump.

and you jump some more.

eventually, you tire of jumping and just start praying. {at least if frogs prayed that is. i'm sure that this would have been the point where he was praying and asking

God to make this crazy family set him free.}

and then you continue jumping.

and after all that jumping and praying. you are.........free at last. free at last.

and you hop away.

happy boys. and a happy frog who now believes in prayer. ribbit.

Sights of Summer 2011

2011-09-06T19:37:00.000-07:00

Just a few. Very few sights of the summer of 2011 from my iphone.

So many photos to blog. So little time.

{Project 52} My Three

2011-08-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

My Three | Week 16

Out at lake. Bein cute.

2011-08-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

This will be a long post. There. Now don't say I didn't warn you.

My husband went to do this.

For a lot, a lot of days.

Leaving me alone and adrift as a single mother for a brief stint.

So...naturally, we decided that when the cat's away...the mice should play.

This is not my husband by the way. He is not a cat. This is Millie. The most fierce house-cat I have ever met. Do not. I repeat. DO NOT mess with that house cat. I'm just sayin....

No really people, don't even try to sit down on the couch next to this beastly feline. She will hiss so fierce that you might soil yourself. I know. I almost did.

Anyway....so, naturally the boys and I had a family meeting and decided we were just no good at being home alone without our daddy. So we packed up for our own trip.

Who says a 4 hour and 15 minute road trip with 3 boys ages 4, 2 and 3 months and no stops is gonna be that bad?

Really, it wasn't. this was just a small stretch. The rest was a breeze. Just don't ask Chase if it was a breeze.

Because he will probably tell you that in attempting to launch a pack of ritz back to him while still safely steering the van down the highway at 78 miles per hour, that I like nailed him with pack of ritz crackers like smack in the nose/face. Seriously, that kid just flat out lies all the time. That sooooooo didn't happen.

But alas, we survived the trip and made it to what we like to coin: MijangosLand. Yay! We survived!

We always have such a great time. Cassie and I make sure we keep the drinks flowin.

We made a trip here.

We tried for a picture of me and the boys on the iphone. To send to dad. Our own version of backpacking. But only me and Leighton were in on this bright idea.

(Cass...I think you did get one on your camera.....wetransfer that puppy please!)

Made brownies.

and homemade playdough.

Apparently, kneading playdough makes kids laugh.

I suggested we make a lemonade stand. So we looked on Pinterest for ideas. Then we realized that that sounded like a whole lotta work. So we just made lemonade.

there was a tiny tiny tiny bit of slip n slide action. as witnessed here by izzy.

and by tiny tiny tiny i mean as in the time that cassie spent looking for the air compressor, hauling it out and filling up the inflatable piece of kid heaven was much much more than the time the kids spent on the dang thing. in fact, i think sergio was the only one who even used it. and once he realized that his two boring cousins were inside, he said forget that. and moved onto a monster hunt with leighton.

sorry cass. thanks for the effort though.

We loved that summer means eating outside which means less sweeping up of corn and chip crumbs.

Making a scarry tunnel leading to a secret cave tent.

They had tea parties.

And they were just plain cute to watch.

Here's cutie McCuteCute. Thinkin he's pretty cute.

Loved it Cassie. Loved it all! Thanks for letting us invade you for 5 days!!! We love you guys!

How old?

2011-08-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

One sunny morning in August, my niece Lyida asked me on a coffee date. Lyd is so fun to have coffee with. And this mama rarely gets to go out for coffee. And coming from a mom of all boys, getting some time with a little girl is pretty darn sweet. This is my Lyd.

Me and Lyd. She's a great little gal.

After coffee (hot chocolate for her) we made a trip to the mall. Justice and Claires were her stores of choice. I bought her these glasses. Apparently she loves buying fake glasses and has multiple pairs. I found that out from her mom when I dropped her off. Whoops.

We stopped in the candy and toy store and thought these cards were pretty cute. And true.

How old would you be?

What would you do?

Yes we do. We sure do. Thanks for the memories Lyd.

Leighton {4 Years}

2011-08-22T21:28:00.000-07:00

Being a four year old means.....

waking up to balloons and the sunshine on your birthday.

It means jumping off of swings like your daddy does.

It means diving into your new dragon pool from Grandma & Grandpa.

It means contemplating your wish before you blow out the candles.

It means capturing your very first frog.

It means ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream.

It means knowing how old you are!

It means daddy letting go of your bike for the first time......................tear.tear.sob.

It menas being the very wonderful, one and only, you.

Oh wow. I think I need to grab a kleenex. My boy is four. And he is so darn good at being four. He rides his bike now like he's 8 and not 4. He works on his letters like he is already in school. He spells his name!! He takes care of his little brothers in a way that makes me so proud. He makes his baby brother light up and smile the biggest gummy smiles ever. He prays so sweetly. He loves his friends. He loves his family. He is funny and tender and smart. He is four.

Project 52 {My Three}

2011-08-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

My Three | Week 15

I don't know what happened to Week 13 and Week 14? No clue. I know those weeks did happen. I'm sure of it. I just didn't force them into weird positions or sneak over the top of them to snap a picture. Mom fail.

Oh well. This week we have the makings of what I'm sure will happen many a day in our house as each of them grow. Dog piles baby! Oh boy!

Project 52 {My Three}

2011-08-16T11:53:00.000-07:00

My Three | Week 12

Big Monster. Middle Monster. Little Monster.
Doesn't get much ~~scarier~~ cuter than that.

Beckett {3 months}

2011-08-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

My littlest boy. Blowin through the months. What a cute little daper three month old.

One thing he is not blowing through is the onsies. I swear when Leighton was his age, we had more blowouts than you can imagine. This guy keeps things much better under control in that department. Or maybe the Luvs company has just improved.

He continues to be a pretty chill little dude. He prefers to be draped over ones arm, face-forward and side-laying most of the day. His cheek smashed up against your forearm. Drool included. And boy can that boy drool. If he is anything like his biggest brother, he will have a full set of eight pearlies in about 3 more months. Lord help my ladies...or as Leighton would call them, "my feeders".

What else can I say? Leighton and Beckett continue to be best buds but now Chase has really started to take a liking to his new bro as well. He is now taking breaks from his "terrible two" naughty antics to stop and give his little bud a kiss on the cheek, on a regular basis. Leighton and Beckett have now mastered the art of Leighton laying beside him and pulling him up on his chest and giggling at each other. And they usually both enjoy that, until Leighton gets spit up on.

My favorite thing about three months old.....aside from everything. The giggles. I adore those giggles.

Love you bud. Signed, mom.

Most Days

2011-08-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

Of course there are days when I dream of having it all totoally together. Of keeping up with the house. Of feeling like I actually contribute to my children's like educational process and development, beyond what Mickey Mouse can provide. Where I get up before the children arise. And actually like shower. And get myself all ready for the day. Throw on some pancakes and eggs for the DH. Kiss him on the way out the door and pinch his butt for good measure. And then my kids come frolicking up the stairs into my arms ready for another day of adventures and learning.

But ~~somedays~~ most days we just aren't quite there.

Most days we don't get it all done.

Most days, we are just all nerd.

And I love that. Most days.

Project 52 {My Three}

2011-08-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

My Three | Week 11
Seriously. Cute. My children are seriously cute. I struggle all day not to eat them up.
In a good way. Obviously.

And aside from dealing with the obvious cuteness overload, I can barely figure out

how it is so that I am posting an 11 week update. It seems like just yesterday that little double chin was making it's way onto the front seat of our Subaru. Nearly anyway.

Bubble-dates and Forever Moments

2011-07-24T20:24:00.000-07:00

One hot and sunny summer morning, they all slept in there.

Here's one of them. Sleeping. Angelically. Of course.

And I got one of those rare moments.

Rare in many ways.

Rare in that it was peaceful. No one was fighting. No one was throwing their peas. No one was crying.

Rare and that it was just me and him.

My second little stinker. Just me and him. Waking up with the sun.

And his bubbles. No....our bubbles.

Just me. Him. Our bubbles. And the Sun.

Here he is. Enjoying a bubble shower. If you have never taken a bubble shower, I highly recommend it.

I had never had one myself. Until this special moment. And I loved it.

These are the rare moments of ~~summer~~ my life that I don't ever want to miss out on. These are the moments I want to remember. Forever.

Thanks for a bubble-date at sunrise, little buddy. I love you. And I love our life.

More to come from this annual camping soon. :)

Beckett {2 months}

2011-07-21T06:29:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how two little feet taking up such little space on the earth can take up so much space in our hearts.

Wow. 2 months? Really!!! He's already 2 months old? It really seems like a big fat blur of time that has flown before my very eyes. But it has been oh so good this time around. And not that any of the previous boys weren't oh so good too! But, you just wonder before you have them if you will get to enjoy them as much or how hard it will be or whatever.

But just have yourself a gander at this little guy.

He is absolutely as easy and laid back as he is cute. Meaning this little guy is really a dream come true in the baby department. The biggest shocker that Beckett has given me is that he sleeps through the night.

Now let me tell you. I used to think "those moms" who bragged about their newborns sleeping through the night were actually on crack and just were so strung out that they didn't realize their babies weren't actually sleeping while they were sleeping. Becuase, come on, they don't sleep through the night that early. They can't. And then along came Beckett. He fell into a sleeping through the night routine probably close to 5 weeks. And I just sortof ignored it and told myself it was a fluke and he would start waking every two hours any day now. Because that's what his predacessors did. And With the boys, I just came to accept that I would never sleep through the night again until they were one. And that was fine too. But my little Beckett just likes his sleep. Sure he will have a night here and there, maybe once a week or two where he awakes and wants a snack but really I can't even recall the last time he woke up for me.

In other developmental news, Beckett is all smiles. Anytime you show him your smile, he will match and raise you 20. His big gummy smiles are just.plain.heavenly. Add in the sweet little precious cooing and I can barely stand it. Ok, clearly he's not all smiles in this picture but I thought this one displayed his downright handsomeness.

This was what I was referring to. Although this is more of a "i've got something up my sleeve smile"

And this is a "i know how to melt my mommy's heart smile"

His two month check-up went very well. He's in the 43rd for weight and he's in the height category....well, have you seen his parents? Let's just say he's in the "short" percentile. Other than that, he's a healthy little dude and we thank God for that.

On the home front, Beckett has settled right into our family and I think he is even starting to like us. Well, for sure we know he LOVES Leighton. Him and Leighton have this special little bond that is very apparent. Beckett can be wailing away and as soon as Leighton goes over to him he stops crying and is very soon beaming at Leighton with a big gummy smile. Leighton is very protective of him and it is just one of the sweetest things in the world to see them interact. Well, I'm sure there are many many more things I'm not covering. But the bottom line is we are just smitten!

We love you little Beckett Cullen. We.love.you!

Facetime and Frog boy

2011-07-17T22:24:00.000-07:00

Let's just face it here. Lately, I've been way way way way too busy to blog. And I really dislike that. It's a good busy but my bog is suffering. I'm hoping to find some balance and keep it up more. I have so so so so many fun photos from this summer so far. Lake visits and parties and family and friends and camping, oh my! I intend to share all of this and more here someday. Eventually, some day, one day, one glorious day where I have a magical day that allows me to complete 159 hours of photo editing and blogging, mysteriously, into one day, I also plan to design and print our photographical blog stories into a beautiful blogified album. Yes, yes, that will be a sweet victory to complete that sucker.

Anyway, get to the point right! The point is, I wanted to share some pretty sweet pictures. These are from mid-June. This is my biggest boy, talking to his best friend, Sergio via Facetime. We love love love Facetime. We mainly just have it with my most bestest friend in the whole wide world, Cassie and her little nuggets. And it's just pretty dang neat that Facetime allows us to feel like the 4 1/2 hours between us isn't THAT far away.

And as if we thought that my camera just couldn't deal with one more shutter snap of cute, I turned the camera on my sweet little frog boy.

Project 52 {My Three}

2011-07-16T22:05:00.000-07:00

{My Three} Week Nine.

{My Three} Week Ten.

{DIY} Chalkboard Summer Fun List

2011-07-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

Today I want to show you a super-easy tutorial for this little beauty.

How fun and cute and totally motivating is this! I'm so excited to start checking off what we have already done and what we want to do this summer. I found this great and fun idea on one of my favorite websites, Pinterest. I cannot tell you how much I love this website. It' s a place where you can browse through pictures of ideas and pin them on separate boards. For example, you can have a recipes board, clothing board, projects board....and on and on. There is power in seeing something visually. I believe this is how I have turned the "oh if i only had time" projects or ideas into a reality. LOVE IT!!!!

Ok, so onto the tutorial. It's really really really really easy. Trust me! If I say it's easy, that means E.A.S.Y.!!!!

Ok, so here is what you need: a piece of plywood from your local Home Depot type store, chalk board paint, trim board usually found in the way back of the store (they will need to cut it for you), paint to color your trim, and finally a box of chalk.

For my playwood board. These are really cheap and you can pretty much pick out any size and thickness. I picked a 4x4 square board and then had the guy just cut it into a 3x4 so it was more like a picture frame. I also picked a rather thin one so i could hang it easily with 3M wall sticky hanging stuff. Here's my plywood board. Pretty basic. It was about $5.

Remember to save the extra piece and let your little one work with you. Leighton got to paint his board using a little paint brush and water. I try to avoid the combination of little boys + paint. Just ask my mom what happened about 20 years ago when she had a can of smurf blue paint in sitting in her clothes closet. Let's just say little Justin and Jason gave mom's entire closet and the clothes hanging in it a "makeover". Smurf style.Knowing that, I think we will just stick with water as a nice paint substitute for now.

So your board is ready. Now grab the chalkboard paint that you also picked up at your local Home Depot type store. I chose black but you can have them tint it another color like green. Now paint it. That's my favorite part. I love painting. Really, I do.

Then you take your trim board which you requested they cut in four pieces the size of the sides of your board. Then you will need a strong and dappled man to help you with the next part.

You will need this strong and dappled man to navigate a mitr saw for you. Unless you already know how to use a mitr saw. I didn't. And I had no intention of learning. So, that's where my strong and dappled husband came in. He cut angles into my trim board so it would fit together on my board. Thanks honey! {And thanks to our neighbors, Steve and Tonya for borrowing us your saw!}

Then I gorrilla glued them onto my board. I set a heavy board on it over night to make sure the trim and glue set up.

Then we added our activities with brightly colored chalk and we are good to go!

And here are my handsome helpers.

Now get out there and make yourself this super easy summer activity chalk board!

Ok, just one more quick idea. So, because I wanted to do this fun project with the boys and also use it as a cute piece for their playroom, I decided to make a couple of accent pieces. So even if you don't want to go get all the materials for the big board you could totally do this with items you probably already have. You will only need your chalkboard paint.

This next part is done using a basic frame. I didn't take a picture of the frame before. Sorry.

Here are the steps for this even easier project.

1. Take the glass out of the frame or frames.

2. Paint the glass from the frames with chalkboard paint and let them dry.

3. Paint your frames. Like this. I even did this holding baby Beckett.

Put your painted glass back in after it's all dry. Like this.

Now you can use it for whatever you want. Maybe use it as a menu board in your kitchen. Maybe use it as a board to write an inspirational quote on? Whatever you want. I used mine as accent pieces in the playroom.

Isn't this neat?

My Three

2011-07-04T22:27:00.000-07:00

My Three | Week 7
Separately. These three are so special, each in their own little ways.
But the three of them together. That's just something I can't even
begin to put to words. Ok. Maybe one. A.Dor.A.Ble.

My Three | Week 8
There aren't 30 little toes out there on the face of this green and blue and multi colored earth that could possibly be even get anywhere near the realm of closeness to as cute as the 30 little toes that my husband and I are responsible for.

Happy Fourth of July

2011-07-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

A few from the Fourth of July 2010

Hope you spend the weekend enjoying your family and friends and fireworks and independence!

{DIY} Simple Dipped Strawberries

2011-06-30T07:48:00.000-07:00

Wanna show the world what you got? Wanna celebrate the 4th in style and oh so yummy delcious yumminess? Want everyone to think that you are an amazing, talented, creative domesticated diva-like baker.....even when you clearly know you are not?

Show up with these at your upcoming 4th of July party with these babies and consider yourself having hit a home-run....no, on second thought, a Grand Slam.

Aren't those adorable!!!!!It's super EASY!!!! Now, let me just back up a bit and clear up the air here. This area of life that some call cooking, baking, creating, crafting their food together oh.so.beautifully........I S.T.I.N.K. at. So, if I can do this. ANYONE can do this! Like I said...it's easy.

So let's just get right into the lesson that I am totally unqualified to be teaching here.

First let's take a look at your ingredients:

strawberries. blue sparkly sugar. almond bark.

Hello people! Are you grabbing the significance here?! That's just three easy ingredients!

Ok, onto the steps now.

Step 1: Wash and dry your strawberries. (not just for this recipe....always wash your fruit and vegetables, my friends. do you know how many pesticides live on those healthy buggers!) Just do your body a favor and wash those puppies.

Step 2: Take your almond bark and cut it up into chunks. I used a butter knife. Then

Pop the almond bark in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stopping to stir. Use 50 or 60% power on the microwave. Stir frequently until softened.

Ok, now, stop the show. Hold the presses! Don't forget the single most important thing that is not even on the ingredient list........this whole thing will not work without this special concoction of mommy-waking heaven.

Ok, now that's better.

Step 3: Pour your pretty blue sparkly sugar in a bowl. I found mine at Walmart but the grocery stores probably have it too. Just don't get the sprinkles. It must be sugar. And it must be sparkly. For obvious reasons. Cuteness.

Step 4: Give your toddler a strawberry and take out your camera.

Setp 5: Start your process.

Ready, set, grab, dip, spin and cutify.

Meaning, grab your strawberry, dip it in the almond bark and spin. Make sure you dip

the strawberry just 2/3's of the way. Then spin. Then proceed to roll the bottom third of the now 2/3's covered with almond bark strawberry into the sparkly blue sugar for maximum cuteness. Make sure you place them on wax paper, or I used freezer paper because it looked like wax paper to me. Let them sit for a few minutes to harden and then place on your pretty Fourth of July platter or tray and place in the fridge.

Your final product should look like this.

Now go get your super easy ingredient and have yourself a ball. Then you can walk into the big festivities this weekend with your beautiful platter and just sit back and wait for the oohhhhs and ahhhhhs to begin. The last party I brought these too, one girl thought they were really expensive and ordered off of TV! Seriously.

I have a few more tutorials up my sleeve in the near future. I'm not sure what has gotten into me lately but come back real soon.

I heart summer.

2011-06-29T05:12:00.000-07:00

For various reasons.

Like watching my middle one on the swing.

And warm, smiling babies.....

And waking up to shirtless boys cuddling in my bed.

In our part of the country, isn't the arrival of summer just an amazing experience?! And while I love, no...... ADORE the weather this time of year, perhaps it's not so much the weather that makes me love summer. Perhaps it's all the extra light that shines into my life, illuminating what I really love.

Project 52 {My Three}

2011-06-24T21:43:00.000-07:00

My Three | Week Three

My Three | Week Four

My Three | Week Five

My Three | Week Six

dang, these kids grow up fast. i just really really heart that i am witnessing it all, play by play.

Beckett's First Bath Tutorial

2011-06-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

How to bathe a Beckett Tutorial.

Step 1. Find yourself a Beckett.

Step 2. Find yourself some baby bathing products.We use safe ones.

Step 3. Find yourself two cute toddlers to help bathe your Beckett.

Step 4. Realize you need to put your camera down if you want to actually get the bath completed.

Ok...snap one more picture.

Step 5. Finish the bath without any pictures of the actual bath because....

A.your hands were wet and we don't pick up a $2600 camera with wet hands

B.you don't take your hand off your wet, slippery Beckett during the bath

C.you have two toddlers near your wet, slippery Beckett...yet another really good reason NOT to take your hands off of him.

Later....to make up for the fact that you didn't get any pictures of the actual bath while it was in progress, you can just take some cute, cuddling-with-a-Beckett-after-his-first-bath pictures. Cuz those are cute.

And a little after that, you can even take a cute squished up and snuggling with mommy while she takes pictures with her new iphone. Cuz that's cute too.

Overall, Beckett got clean. And I got some cute pictures. And that is a success in my book.

Beckett's 1st Photoshoot by Mommy

2011-06-17T22:11:00.000-07:00

Alas the time has arrived where I have found the time to edit and now post my little Beckett's first photoshoot by his happy mommy photos. I don't know what can make a mom, or any person happier than looking at photos of a newborn. There's nothing. Notta. Zip. This is it. Happiness just lives here. At this very blog post. And in my arms. Cuz I'm lucky. Dang lucky. Now, go enjoy you some mostly sleepy newborn awesomeness. By his mommy.

Because I'm sure you want to see more, just like I do. Every day. All day. I posted Beckett's full gallery over at my lovely photography website, MiraBella Photography. Click the link. The password is: beckett (pretty sneaky choice for a password, I know.). Again, enjoy.

Blazin Beckett {Chapter Three}

2011-06-13T21:50:00.000-07:00

You can find the Prolouge HERE. Chapter One HERE. Chapter Two HERE.

Chapter Three. {Close Those Legs, Girrrrl!}

So, there we were. Back at home. Every stinkin male in my house was asleep. Including the dog. You would think that AT LEAST the dang dog would sense what was going on. Don't they say that dogs have this crazy innate sense? Like some can sense when someone is about to have a heart attack? And some are used in therapy to help people heal? And on and on. Well not our dog. Ohhhhhh no. Maverick was all sprawled out and as whacked out of his mind in sleep, as my husband was.

So, onto the previously mentioned tutorials. "Laboring at Home for Dummies" Basically, the entire trick here is to be so confused by the fact that you know you are in labor but that the medical community has sent you home because you are not in labor that you become entirely unsure if you really are in labor.

So, you lay your head down on the pillow, let your eyelids become heavy and drift....away.....into....WHAM-nope guess not-there's another contraction. Pretty much like a sledgehammer to the midsection and back. No sleeping here I'm afraid.

Then take a bath. Then go lay down. Then get throttled by the sledgehammer-like contraction again and promptly get up to lean over the bed and groan. Then do that a little louder to wake up your precious, living in sweet dreamland bliss of a husband. Hear him snort. Realize you don't want anyone or anything looking at you or talking to you so just give it up and let him sleep.

Then you proceed to the couch to watch CMT. Nope. Can't lay down. Then go take a shower and start to get ready for church. Just for the heck of it. You never know right? So...by the time you are ready to go,your little boys start squeeling and running up the stairs to greet who they hope will be their tender,loving ,gentle and sweet mother. Instead........they got a bear. So you get the point. And I got the point. I WAS in labor.

I will just fast forward the parts where I call the hospital. {becuase I don't want them to kick me out again but i really thought this could be it} Request the hospital people get their dang epidural people ready STAT. Call my sister in law to request my brother return to our house. Glare at my husband for eating not ONE, not TWO, but THREE hard-boiled eggs! And grab your pretty trench coat.By the time my brother arrived, I knew this was getting SERIOUS.

9:06 am- pulled the Subaru out of the drive-way.

Got on the road and realize we are having a blizzard. On May 1st. We are having a blizzard on May 1st?

Get halfway to the hospital and call the hosptial again. This time I am slightly yelling. "OK.....pant pant pant...nurse.......there is NO NEED for the triage room. Just get the epidural person up in the room NOW!". And the nurse says, "ok, just breathe and get here".Exit the freeway and pull up to the stoplight. Enter the poor old couple who witnessed the EVENT. Described HERE.

Again...still swearing at my husband to go through the blasted light. Husband still avoiding eye contact.

For good reason.Got a few more blocks. Starting to rip more clothes off. Seriously, I don't know why I did that? I was REALLY REALLY hot. Like hotter than I 've ever been.

Then get to ANOTHER red light and CA-BAM! There she blew! Perhaps one could say. My cup runneth over? The damn broke? Or, we could just get right down to it and say that my water broke.It would have been extra neat if this had happened in our nicely leathtered seated minivan instead of our hard to replace fabriced Subaru. But, it did. My water broke in the car. And that's not even the exciting part.

Now onto the "What To Do When the Lid Blows Off the Cooker?!"

Doot doot doot- doot doot doot doot. {that's me dialing up the hospital again}

The same nurse picks up the phone for the third time. So we knew each other by then.

Peggy: Labor and Delivery. This is Peggy.

Me: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, Peggy, my water just broke....AND SOMETHING IS COMING OUT!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Peggy: Ok, ok, just calm down. Just keep breathing.

Me: I can't breath! Something is coming out of my body! I'm pushing! I can't stop pushing!

Peggy: Ok, DON'T PUSH! Whatever you do, DO NOT PUSH! Ok, you are going to have your husband just drive straight to the ER! Drive into the garage and we will meet you there.

Me: GET THE EPIDURAL PERSON READY!!!!

9:24 a m.

We pulled into the ER garage and see 10 people and a gurney waiting for me. I rolled out of the Subaru and onto the gurney. They race me up to the 4th floor.

Me: Pant, Pant, Pant, gasp for air. Scream. Epidural. Pant. Pant. I need the epidural now!

Nurse Bobbi means business: No, honey, I'm sorry. There's no time.

9:26am. Arrived to our room.

Me: still screaming. and pushing. and begging for some pain meds.

Nurse Bobbi means business who is now screaming back at me: SHANNON!!! Look at me in the eyes!!!!!!!! Close your legs and stop pushing!!!!!!!!!!!!

Me: silence. {gulping}

Nurse Bobbi means business: You do NOT need to push. The baby is right here. Your body will do this for you. Just breath. Ok, guys get the delivery kit ready. The doctor is not gonna make it.

Derrick walks in the room. And grabs my hand.

And pop! Out HE flies!

9:37am. Beckett Cullen Heick enters the world.

Me: get him over here, get him over here!

and there we were. snuggled together just like we had been the previous 9 months. except in this moment..................we snuggled in reverse.

The end. Stay tuned for a few closing thoughts on Beckett's Blazin Birth-story.

Blazin Beckett {Chapter Two}

2011-06-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

Chapter Two. {It Was a'Simmerin!}

Where we last left off, we were returning from the hospital, not with our baby but with our 2nd baby's gallon of whole milk. The third baby was still all shoved up in my baby cooker. But what we would soon find out was that baby cooker was about to blow it's lid!

So, here's the slightly shorter version of what happened at the hospital:

We waltzed in there at midnight that night, ready to get the party started. And apparently, I walked a little to brisk and with a little too much of a spring in my step. Because the nurses that saw me walk said they could barely tell I was pregnant from the front (with my black,cotton, button up, tie in the front, super cute, from Target maternity trenchy coat jacket). They said, normally when a girl is in labor she walks in waddling. And I was just walking normal I guess. Sheesh. Sorry. I didn't know that was rule here.

Anywho, I knew I was gonna have that against me when the nurse had to call the doctor.

And for those of you who don't know how this goes, let me educate you a bit.

You go into the labor. Or you think you might be going into labor. You to to the hospital. Straight to Labor and Delivery. You do not pass go. You do not collect $200. You just go. So...you get up there. You tell them you are there. A nurse takes you back to the "triage room". You de-robe. You strap on a super tight elastic horrific looking band all over your belly. They shove a heart monitor in between it and your ginormous belly. They throw you up on a bed. They turn on your TV. And they leave you there like a beached whale gasping for air. FOR AN HOUR.

Ok, I forgot to mention, they do let you put on a super flattering hosptial gown. Good thing!

So, they do come back and check on your from time to time but for the most part. The point of the"triage room" is this: Check Cervix | Monitor your contractions | Check cervix after an hour for any changes Then they call the doctor and report the information and also I'm guessing they report your state of mind and how you are acting. Like:

A. are you screaming and acting like you are dying of pain.

B. are you just chilled out in the bed watching a little Kate and Prince Charming get married biography on A&E with your husband. Apparently, the latter of the two, is not the way to prove you are in labor.

And we did do that. We watched Prince Charming and pretty little Kate Middleton's love story. And I contracted and grabbed the bars and tossed and turned but I watched the dang show and I liked it. So sue me.

After an hour, although I was contracting......THEY.SENT.ME.HOME.

The good ole cervix hadn't changed enough I guess. Clearly, I wasn't very good at proving to them that I was in labor.

But I was. Oh yes, I sure was. Let's just say the lid was a'simmerin!

So, we packed up and headed back for home, wondering what the deuce just happened. And what we were supposed to do next. I guess it was getting time for Derrick to roll up his sleeves and snap on some latex gloves.

{Later we would joke that maybe Derrick should always keep a spare pair in the Subaru...just in case}

So we rode off into the dead of night, let's say around 2am, and headed back for our home front. And on the way, Derrick suggested that we stopped at our favorite local grocery store to grab Chase his beloved milk for the morning. You see,were out of milk and one of the big things we were worried about when we left my brother to sleep on our couch and be there in the morning to help the boys was......." Oh No! Chase is out of milk!!! What will Aaron do!" It's not a pretty sight to see Chase out of milk. So. we. stopped.

Derrick actually asked me if I wanted to go in with him.

And while it sounded oh so tempting to labor in a grocery store. I passed on the invite and rocked out my contractions in the car.

Back home we came. Sent the brother home because he is only 5 minutes away. And off to bed we went. Correction. Off to bed Derrick went.

In the next Chapter we will cover a couple of how-to-manuals, called Laboring At Home for Dummies and What To Do when the Lid Blows off the Cooker!

In the meantime, let's enjoy a few more shots of Beckett's first days of getting loved on.

FOREVER moments.

2011-06-09T07:40:00.000-07:00

{Things I want to remember forever}

This morning the boys came truckin upstairs to see me and Beckett. After a few minutes of our regular morning catch-up time Leighton goes and makes me realize how awesome my life is.

Leighton: Mom, do you know how high I love you?

{a big smile fills my face}

Me: How high, Leighton?

{stretching his arms up and back behind him}

Leighton: As high as a dinosaur, Mom.

Seriously, folks, what better way is there to start your day than that?

Well, maybe there is just one way. Maybe not better in it's total adorableness and melt-your-heart-want-to-fly-to-the-moon way...but check this next one out.

It comes from Chase. So you can about imagine right.

Chase looks at me and I see a thought pop in his head.

He gets a little grin and runs out of the living room to do something.

He returns with a fine toothed comb.

And proceeds TO COMB MY LEGS!

That's when, as a mom, you know.........maybe it's time to bust out the shaver.

Beckett {1 Month}

2011-06-06T22:31:00.000-07:00

Well, my sweet little bub has gone and turned One Month old on me already.I could barely believe my eyes when I looked at the calendar last week and realized that it was time to pull out his super cute monthly onsie.

During your first month, you have accomplished quite a bit. And while there are many I could write about, I will just cover a few notable ones.

1. You have learned to get cuter. And this even after I thought you just couldn't get any dang cuter. Oh yeah, and you like to eat your own hands.

2. You developed a nice holding of the head up skill. Nice work, sport!

3. You have single-handedly figured out how to be so dang cute that you convinced your mom that she should hold you 24/7 and never put you down.......therefore resulting in the sheer fact that your HIGHLY preferred hanging out place is snuggled up to either your daddy or me. Not your swing. Not your bassinet. Not your vibraty chair. Not.any.thing.but.us.

ahhhhh,and who could blame me?

Oh and lastly,

4. You have managed to not be picked up and carried or thrown or dropped by either of your big, well-meaning brothers.

Until this morning........

This morning, I left you on the bed with Leighton. And Leighton is was very trustworthy. I was out in the kitchen emptying the dishwasher with Chase (can i get a woot woot for toddler chores anyone!). I heard you crying and then stop. I didn't think too much of it but came to check anyway. And there you were, laying on a blanket that Leighton had placed you on and moved you to the foot of the bed, all nicely wrapped with a binki in your mouth. Your not a big binki fan so far but somehow Leighton always gets you to take one. So, you did. And there he sat. Proud as a pea-peckin owl that he moved you, got you nicely wrapped and binked up.

Project 52 {My Three}

2011-05-30T15:43:00.000-07:00

My Three | Week Two

This boy is comin along for the ride, whether he wants to or not!

While he may be unsure of these two big brothers now....

I have a feeling they are gonna grow on him.

Blazin Beckett {Chapter One}

2011-05-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

Chapter One. {The Preliminary Hours....and a hot date}

Derrick and I don't get to date too much these days. Really, it's our fault. We need to work on that. Dating is really an important aspect of a marriage. I HIGHLY recommend it. Having little ones certainly makes it more of a challenge. But it's one of those things that for a little work and preparation (finding a babysitter) has a big pay-off. I.e,. Healthy Marriage, a break from the little loves, fun-ness, adult conversation, the list goes on and on.

So, on the eve before Beckett's swift arrival, we were so blessed to have one of our church and small group friends offer to watch our boys so we could go out on a date. (THANKS JENELLE & ANDY) And we just don't turn offers like those down. So, we dropped off our boys and headed to our favorite restaraunt, Qdoba. I know...it's sad that that is our fave but hey, who can pass up queso burritos EVER! Not us. Plus, it's a bit lighter on the old pocket-book and we know we have loads and loads of diapers to buy!

The lovely dinner of spicy, mexican goodness (plus extra hot sauce) was followed up by an amazing idea by my one true love. The conversation went something like this.......

me: "ok, that was good, so now what are we gonna do?"

(so let me interject a question here...do any of you love birds out there ever get a chance to go on a date and it's such a rare occurance that you don't even know what to do with yourselves? well, that is normally us)

hubby: "hmmmmm, hey, when was the last time we went to Barnes and Noble alone?"

(ok, let me interject here again....so while some of you may be calking your heads a bit, readjusting your eyeballs, and thinking...seriously? Barnes and Noble? the guy suggested Barnes and Noble?!....just relax.Barnes and Noble was like one of our favorite pre and post marriage activities. I can't tell you how many cups of creamy filled coffee we injested while studying together late into the night..........ok, he was studying..............i was reading some trashy magazine or a book about the latest diet craze. those late nights hold a lot of pretty neat memories for us. and i really puffy hearted this idea)

me: "wow! we haven't been to barnes and noble alone in like YEARS!"
in fact, the last time I was at Barnes and Noble alone was HERE. But the last time we were at barnes and noble together was with the boys. and the closest that gets to romantic is when i have to ask my hubby to grab a wipe to get the smeared booger off Chases's sleeve. Seriously, it's that romantic!

So, we sat down at a little cozy table, grabbed about 20 baby name books and went to town firing names back and forth at each other. It was a lovely little segment in time of kidless bliss. One of my favorite moments was when a poor mom kept running by us chasing her not-listening little toddler. I just kinda smirked, looked at my husband and whispered...."aren't you glad that's not us right now?"

After adding a few more names to our list and realizing it was almost bed-time for the kids, we rode off into the sunset in our big eight passenger mom-mobile chalk full of car seats. Got the boys home, filled with ice cream and off to bed with just enough time for us to watch a movie. And this is where the action began. And I'm not talking about the movie. I'm talking about my contracting uterus.By the end of the movie, the contractions were coming regularly enough and made me uncomfortable enough that I knew I was in labor. However....it wasn't horrible pain yet, I just knew it was the real deal.

Or so I thought.

So, we called my big bro who high-tailed it over to our house at midnight so we could go have ourselves another little human. And out the door we scurried.

Surely, one would think that the next time we return home would be two days later with our newest little bundle of sweet baby goodness.

That would have been a little too uneventful for this birth story, however.

Instead, we would return not two days but two hours later with a puzzled look on our faces and a gallon of whole milk.

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Stay tuned for Chapter Two so I can share what happened why the gallon of milk?

In the meantime........here are more photos of little Beckett's first few hours and days of life.

Project 52 {My Three}

2011-05-21T07:18:00.000-07:00

My Three | Week 1.

I'm excited to be starting a new project! A bit of a Project 52. For those of you who don't know what a Project 52 is, click HERE.

I aim to capture all the boys together, every week, for Beckett's first year of life. I have a couple weeks to catch up in the posting department but I'm sure you all understand. If not, let me just say this: newborn + 1.75 yr old + 3.75 yr old = lots of fun and very little mommy blogging time. But alas, I will catch up soon and keep this project as up to date as humanly possible.

Let me also clear the air that this project will not be perfectly set up photo shoots and matching outfits. While I might throw one of those in there from time to time, I am going for the real deal, the nitty gritty of life with these three little charmers.

So, I will quit boring you all now and just get to the super sweet pictures of Week 1. Enjoy.

Blazin Beckett {The Prolouge}

2011-05-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Beckett's Birth Story. Told in sections becuase it will be way to long for me write in one post. Thought hat might bore you a bit. And I don't like to bore you.
...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
{The Prolouge}

So there I was.

Bent over the passenger seat of our Subaru. Rocking. Panting. Screaming at my husband to go through the D#*!N red light. Burning up and tearing my black maternity jacket off and whipping it into the back seat.

There my husband was. Staring straight ahead. Avoiding any eye contact with me at any cost.

(He had learned that a few hours earlier when he accidentally caught my eye while he was peeling what seemed like his third hard-boiled egg of the morning. All the while, I'm over by the couch crying and panting and rocking and whining in agony. The stare he got from me over that third egg, was not pleasant. I'm sure had our little boys not been in the room at the time, something would have flown across the room. But, I just glared and focused on my breath. And he figured out that he should just not look at me until we were at the hospital.)

And there they were. The poor older couple who pulled up next to us at the red light. Probably on their way to church. Peering across the lane, into our car with a horrified look. They must have been wondering what on earth was going on right there in the next lane. A lunatic of a woman, tearing her garments off and flailing about. If they could have seen the size of my belly, they would have known. But I'm pretty sure they couldn't see it. They were sitting too low in their sedan. Instead, they just looked in. Eyes as big as pancakes. Horrified, I'm sure.

My husband avoided eye contact with them as well.

Then the flippin light FINALLY turned green.

...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Stay tuned.....Chapter One: {The Preliminary Hours} is on the way.

In the meantime....enjoy a few little Beckett's Birthday Goodness photos. I'm sure he will love these when he's older.....I'm sure.

Gotta love that dark, curly hair.

And those ink-stained toes.

And those cheeks. I might eventually eat those cheeks.

Baby Beckett and his snorts.

2011-05-10T20:40:00.000-07:00

I'm so smitten by my new little boy that I can barely stand to put him down. Baby Beckett is such a sweet little baby and his big brothers are doing a great job helping me and their daddy take care of him. I am mostly done with his very first "photoshoot by Mommy" but it will be a bit longer for more pictures. I'm just too in love with his baby snorts right now! Anyway, I hope these can tide you over until I have more computer time.

Oh, and don't think I forgot about "the birth story"! It's coming. Along with many more pictures from his big arrival to the world. Again...his snuggly snorts and squeaks are just at the very top of the list at the moment.

Mother's Day, Mixing Bowls, Pant-Peeing and My Life

2011-05-07T20:08:00.000-07:00

First of all, a HUGE Happy Mother's Day greeting to my own wonderful mother! I love you mom and I will never forget so many of the great moments we have shared together.

Ah, heck, why not just share one here, right?!

Do you remember when we lived in that little town that started with a W? And we were hosting Thanksgiving that year? And Cassie and her family came to spend it with us? And we were in the dining room making some type of cake? You, me, Michelle, Cathy and Cassie? And you wanted to show us how cool you were that you could let the metal bowl go, with the mixer in it....and we all watched with great awe as you successfully mixed and mixed, hands-free from the bowl?

And we all know how fast those metal bowls can spin when you let them go right?!

And then.......you know what happened next right? Let's just say our beautiful striped cream and blue wallpaper, complete with the awesome geese from the 80's was covered in chocolate cake batter.....along with the rest of us.

And weren't we all laughing so hard that Michelle actually peed her pants?

Michelle, that you was you right?

Or wait, was it Michelle who did the hands-free mixing you you that peed your pants, Mom? I can't totally remember.

But, what I do remember is this: we.laughed.a.lot.

Thanks, Mom. I do hope I can someday bring as much laughter and joy to my children as you did for me.

Now......onto the heart-melting.

I don't know if it's just that I'm the lucky one that gets to be their mom.
And I'm a bit biased.
But...doesn't this melt-your-heart!

The blessings God has given me through motherhood are quite, quite, quite everything.i.could.have.asked.for.AND.MORE.

Weekly Womb #39

2011-05-05T12:36:00.000-07:00

So....do you remember the old public service announcement in the 80s for drugs?

You know.....the one that goes...."this is your brain" {insert picture of an egg in it's shell}

Then.......{insert a picture of an egg being fried}..."this is your brain on drugs".

I know you remember that! If not, google it.

Well, here's my version of the 39 Week Public Service Announcement.

This is your pregnancy.

This is your pregnancy on Qdoba's Salsa Roja. {Roja = HOT people}.

So, there you have it! If your are looking to induce your labor, take a trip on into your local Qdoba resturaunt and have yourself some fiery hot salsa! {ok, so i have a few other tricks up my sleeve too but we'll have to talk privately about those!}

Without further adou........

Meet the newest little creation from our very own baby boy factory:

Welcome to the world to our sweet baby boy, Beckett Cullen.

Born | 5.1.2011

7lbs | 19 1/4 inches

May Day will never be the same again little man.....and neither will our Subaru!

More on that when I release the big, heavily anticipated "Baby Beckett's Doozie of a Birth Story".

You will want to stay tuned for that.........trust me. :)

In the meantime, I will do my best to share more of my sweet baby goodness photos.

Oh yeah, and I will be trying to convince Beckett that his night-time bedtime does not start at 3am!

Love Them

2011-04-30T21:57:00.001-07:00

Daddy Moments and some Squatting

2011-04-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

Baby #3 is well on his or her way out of my very stretched out abdominal region and into the great big world. I mean, not at this moment. But, come on, I'm about 38 weeks and 4 days so it's gotta happen within the next week....or so. Right? That's right isn't it? It WILL happen eventually like in the next week or so....Right?!

{Please refrain from commenting if you went past your due date with one of your children. I DO NOT like to hear those stories. I sort of get ill when I hear about that happening. Please, please, just refrain. Thank you. I love you. But, thank you.}

Anyway, before Baby #3 arrives and gives us the big gender reveal, I wanted to share some pretty dang sweet photos of my boys and their daddy. Having a "daddy moment". I love those moments. And I love that trio of boys..............

I absolutely love them.

Sniff.sniff.

Now, I think I need to go do some squat thrusts.

Wish me luck.

Naptime Cry Session

2011-04-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

Major pregnant hormones + a deep love of Christ + my Great-grandma Carrie's favorite song + a huge fan of this Carrie......

= major naptime bawling session for this grateful mama.

{thanks for sharing this on FB, Linds!}

i dare you to watch this and not get a goosebump. i.dare.you.

Weekly Womb #38

2011-04-25T17:56:00.000-07:00

My most-BFF/double-cousin/basically sister, Cassie, has requested a 38 week photo. I'm a little nervous to share how huge I am.

My niece, Lydia, on the other hand is not nervous about sharing this and provided all of us with a 38 week image of me during the Easter Service yesterday.

So.....without further ado, here is what I apparently look like at 38 weeks!

I have to say, I completely love this picture and it's quite accurate! My little Lydia is such a talented little artist already at 7 years old and I will cherish this drawing forEVER!

What I will not cherish forever, however, is what I would like to term, "hitting the proverbial pregnancy wall". Like, I hit it! No....

I smashed into it really hard this weekend. Is anyone following me here? Have any of you ever hit this prego-ville wall before?

Like, what I mean is: "ATTENTION, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.....DOCTORS AND NURSES...ahem, let me clear my throat a bit here....GET THIS STINKIN AWESOME, WHO I KNOW IS GONNA BE CUTE-AS-A-BUTTON
BABY OUT OF ME.......NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would now prefer to just hold the babes, instead of like housing the little snickerdoodle. SERIOUSLY. I'm like done. Stick a fork in me....or wait, perhaps stick a little hook in me and pierce my bag of water please. Cuz, I AM DONE.

Oh wait, you know my super awesome husband? That hottie of mine? Well, he's just lucky he's so dang good-lookin because he requested that I just wait until the weekend so he can finish up some stuff at his work.

Oh yes....sure honey, you just go sit in your comfy little padded rolly chair all day and work away while I'm here at home.....trying to keep your two older children alive as I can barely walk much less put the dishes away without ramming my ginormous belly into the counter. You don't worry about a thing though...just get that work done! Do you need me to rub your shoulders while you are at it!

Just kidding, babe, I totally want you to get your work done. But really, I'm done! On the other hand, I still have a few things to finish up here this week so I'm cool with waiting too. Well, no, I'm not, let's get this show on the road already! Well, wait, we still need to find some names....uhhhhhhh.

Empty.

2011-04-24T05:39:00.000-07:00

Celebrating the empty cross and an empty tomb.

Waiting patiently for our little one who will be here soon!

Weekly Womb #37

2011-04-20T21:46:00.000-07:00

Well, we have moved into the "safer zone" of my pregnancy. That meaning, if I have the baby tonight, the baby should be for the most part..... fully-cooked. Now it looks like just a few more weeks of weight-gain for this little munchkin and we are on our way to our new life with three!

I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that I wasn't crapping my pants just a little bit as to how
we are going to manage a newborn admidst the chaos of our already busy and active boys. But, the bottom line is, we will. That is just the way it's gonna work. Cue the coffee-maker please!

The baby should be around 6lbs this week, according to Babycenter. Leighton was born close to his due date at 8lbs and Chase was born 10 days early at 7lbs 6oz. So.....Babycenter is probably close on this one. If I remember correctly, the baby will now be putting on a 1/2 lb or more a week. Yikes! They didn't say how much the mama will put on. And neither will I be reporting that number.

Now it's just a waiting game. We still have ZERO, ZILCHO, ZIPPO agreement on a name for a boy or a girl. So.......it looks like Leighton's choice of Grasshopper Heick is still the name we will go with. Seriously though, we would gladly welcome any suggestions on baby names so feel free to leave a comment with your awesome ideas. Can't wait to read some of them! Also....don't forget to vote on your guess for the time of day the baby will be born..........and stay tuned!

If I Were A Bubble....

2011-04-17T14:32:00.000-07:00

Perfectly, Imperfect.

2011-04-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

Ok.......so let me set the record straight here. I really, really, really, really don't like to be one of those bloggers who just types all this "cutesy, schmutsy, our life is so perfect" stuff about my kids and really literally almost makes you want to vomit in your mouth. I repeat...I don't want to make you vomit in your mouth!

I do hope that you get some sense of the realism of life through some of my writing. The realism as in....

i do occasionally have crabby kids. REALLY crabby kids.
and said occasionally crabby kids ocassionally. JUST occasionally people, have a crabby mom.

{like the other night when we were scurrying to get supper ready while ushering the kids in from outside (praise God!) with fresh mud and dead grass all over their shoes and clothes and eventually tramping it onto my carpet. i was trying to contain that while not burning the awesomely ~~processed~~ health-filled box of angel hair pasta, which i would have burned hadn't my husband caught it, and then keep that list running for about 10 minutes. and add in a dash of chase dumping maverick's water all over the bathroom floor and stomping in it with his brand new dry fresh out of the dryer socks and while Leighton is trying to take snacks out of the cupboard as we remind him that supper is almost ready so he doesn't really need ice cream. and imagine that i hadn't been one bit crabby or snippy with them. imagine. and then slap yourself and wake up. cuz i was. i was cranky and bossy and annoyed. and at one point i looked at my husband who quickly looked away as if to avoid making eye-contact with this mother monster storming through the house trying to get things in order and for cryin out loud, not burn a meal for once. just once!}

anyway, back to the list of realism:

messy messes
forgotten appointments
late for everything
goofed up names of great friends kids who i totally know their names
dogs who get hurt at the park and the mother of said dog, does not know how
poop. lots of poop
broken glasses. thank you chase
many,many,many more.

ok, so there. our life is real. it's not perfect.

but......................

but......................

then there is THIS!

and in this moment i know. everything. all of this. this messy, imperfect life. it is actually quite possibly the most perfect thing i could have ever dreamed of.

thanks God.

wait...........did you just puke? i hope not.

Creamery Dreamery

2011-04-12T05:22:00.000-07:00

Wow! I've really been slacking on the blogging lately! I am finding it harder and harder to keep up with both my blogs these days. Perhaps that has to do with two, who will for the moment remain nameless, little busy busy busy busy busy boys running around our house. Did I mention they are busy? Perhaps it also has to do with the nearly 6lb human growing inside my belly. Hello, doesn't that seem like a lot to lug around 24/7! Or perhaps it has to do with my busy little businesses......

More to come on that later. In fact, all of this has me planning a brand new blog! It's gonna be a big change and it's gonna be fun! But....I'm still in the design process. And I'm NOT a designer so this could take a while. In the meantime, let's take a peek at a fun playdate we enjoyed with my Mom's church group last week.

Let me give you a hint: Leighton got to do this.

I got to drool over these.

And these....

What was all this candy-filled, ice-cream scooping fun you might ask?

Well, our Mom's group (similar to a Mops group) met up with our precious little dairy-lovin little ones at our local creamery to learn all about the process of the delectable, deliciously, deleriously, drool-inducing process of Coldstone ice cream. {Insert drool}

This glorious event of learning about the process and then passing that learning straight into our taste buds, sure put a smile on Leighton's face.

And Chase...well, he's just Chase.

Of course, it put a smile on his face....but only after he bossed me around a bit. Because I swear that kid loves to boss me around and he knows just how to make me a puddle of clay in his hands.

Anyway, the playdate was super-fun and I think all the kids and moms had a great time!

Blessing or Curse

2011-04-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

I took this photo last week when the snow was a little higher. It's melting fast so I figured I better share this soon! Yay spring!

Weekly Womb #34

2011-03-30T12:19:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what a baby looks like on the inside at 34 weeks? Wonder no longer!

Here's our little nugget still cookin away. Oh, and don't get scared away by the funky stuff on the side of baby's face. That's just the 4-D waves picking up the movement of fluid. I guess they need a quicker shutter speed on their equipment! Anyway, this little one is pretty dang adorable if you ask me.

Watching the baby opening and closing his or her mouth was pretty funny! I might use this one for his or her graduation slideshow! I'm sure this will get me some serious eye-rolls when this one is older.

And this is just pretty sweet. Snug as a bug, in a rug. Errrr...in a womb.

As you may have figured, we had another ultrasound to check my placenta and it looks like it is migrating further and further away. Amen to that! I think it was between 2.8 and 3.6 cm away this time. So the thing is doing what it's supposed to do. This continues to warrant me for a normal delivery vs. a c-sect. Again, while the c-sect sounded a bit appealing as far as scheduling and speed is concerned, I guess it's gonna be the good ole fashion way for me. Cue the epidural tech please!

According to Babycenter:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well.

According to Shannon-center:

ROOM IS RUNNING OUT QUICKLY. And while the baby is highly encouraged to continue growing and gaining lots of weight, the renter isn't sure where we will be housing the extra baby girth?

At my appointment, my belly is measuring 33 weeks. Baby's heartbeat was upper 150s. My bp was like 117/67. The top number is starting to creep a bit. Normally I run about 100/60 when prego so I will keep an eye on the creep-age. Other than that, all is good. I continue to nest and get a lot done with the kids, around the house, and in my many business adventures. That is a plus.
I would consider this probably my best pregnancy, as far as how I have felt. A big plus. On the downside, Derrick and I HAVE NO IDEA what we are gonna name this little nugget. Right now, the only thing we have is an idea from Leighton. And really, it's totally unisex. So, if we don't come up with something quickly, in 5 1/2 weeks, we will be introducing you to:

GRASSHOPPER Heick.

Stay tuned.