Until

I never thought life would be this wonderful. Or that things would work out so perfectly. I never imagined you would fit so seamlessly into our family. You bring me such joy and peace in this crazy life of mine. I never knew I could love like this again. Until you...

Smile

Jack...oh, how you make me smile. And laugh. And sometimes pull my hair out. But mostly just smile. Like when you make me go into my bedroom every morning when Will wakes up and pick him up and then put you on the other hip. You grin and say," Mama's got two boys! Mama's got two boys!" until we make it to the playroom and I plop you on the couch. We must do this every morning. No exceptions. And I smile when you walk up and kiss me in the strangest places like the elbow or on my back. And when you tell me your Daddy works at "Two Lions " and I have no idea what you are talking about. And how you always say "thank you" or "thanks." And how sometimes you ask me, "Mama, can I have your hair?" when you're ready to go to sleep and want to play with my hair. You make me smile by simply being you. I love you, Jack.

7:00

7:00 am. That's when things get rolling around here these days. And it's kicking my tail. Sam spoiled me when it was just us. He loved to sleep in and has been known to sleep until noon. If he wakes up too early, I can usually tell him, "Sam, honey, it's too early to get up. Go back to sleep." And he does. He is a lot like me in this sense. He appreciates a good night's sleep. Will is currently doing his best sleeping in the morning. He will usually sleep fairly late and once he wakes up, he is only awake for a short time before taking a good morning nap. I'm crossing my fingers that he'll follow in Sam's footsteps when it comes to sleep. Jack is just like his Daddy. He is an early riser. If he sees light trickling in his window, he is certain it is time to wake up. And there is no telling him it's too early to get up and getting him to go back to sleep. I muddled through the days before Will was here, knowing I could go to bed early if I needed to or catch an occasional nap. But now 7:00 is killing me. I would pay good money to anyone that can tell me how to keep my middle child in bed longer.

Jack doesn't nap 90% of the time and by 2:00, he is a hornet. If Sam gets woken up by Jack, he is unbearable by dinnertime. So afternoons are tough around here lately. Everyone is done. Including me. Jack is asleep for the night usually by 9:00 and Sam goes to bed around 10:00. It's usually 10:30 or 11:00 before I get Will down for the night and I piddle around until midnight most nights. Seventeen hours of constant business. Seventeen hours without one minute of free time. It's tough. And I am tired...very, very tired. But I sure love my days with these three sweeties. I just really need a nap.

The Stink Eye

This is the stink eye. Eyebrows arched and furrowed, all seriousness, all business. Usually it is a little more pronounced. I get this look when I take too long to get him from his crib after naps. Or if I don't feed him in a timely manner. Or if I insist he ride in that dreaded car seat. I get the stink eye from my baby. Luckily, he is just sweet enough that one good squeeze and kiss from Mama makes the furrowed brow go away and the smiles appear. I love this little one. Stink eye and all.

Hollywood

Move over George Clooney and Brad Pitt...there's a new man in town.

Random

Sam's latest obsession is bull riding. He sets up rodeos, or "radios" as he calls them, complete with the barn, fences, bull and cowboys. It is a game to see who will win each ride, the cowboy or the bull. Jody records bull riding and they watch it together at night. He says he's going to be a bull rider when he grows up. To which I reply, "Oh, son. Please no." He is still sleeping on the top bunk every night and loves it up there. He also gave up his "soft cups" (Nuby sippie cups) and now drinks from hard sippie cups. This is monumental. I made the mistake of transitioning him from the bottle to Nubys and it's all he would ever drink out of. He was a soft cup diva, refusing other cups and always requesting, "Milk in a soft cup, please." This is a big deal around here, trust me. The other day when Jack was acting particularly crazy, Sam asked me, "Mama, can't we just send him somewhere? Like animal kingdom or something?" Sam's favorite of the seven dwarfs is Doc and he doesn't understand why Dopey doesn't have a beard. "Does he not need to keep his chin warm too, Mama?" Yesterday on Mema's porch Sam was drinking a Dr. Thunder, a knock off Dr. Pepper. When it was time to leave he said, "Wait, Mama. I haven't finished my salt and pepper."  He and Jody found a small turtle near the chicken coop the other day and he now lives in a little dish by the kitchen sink.  He named him "Turtle Lee," a nod to his love for his cousins.

Jack is becoming even more and more a Daddy's boy these days.  He asks me every morning, "Where's my Daddy?"  When he's hurt he cries for his Daddy not me.  Yesterday I noticed a splinter in his finger and tried (with him kicking and screaming) to get it out.  He quickly, and loudly, told me, "No, Mama!  My Daddy gets out my splinters!"  Jack absolutely loves Snow White and constantly asks to watch "the witch movie."  Grumpy is his favorite dwarf, probably because he says "shut up," Jack's favorite new saying.  He says "shut up" a lot and has received spankings, time outs and stern looks, with no avail.  He even told an old lady at church to "shut up" when she told him how handsome he was.  When you tell him, "We don't say shut up," he says "Me and mean Grumpy say shut up."  Thanks for that Walt Disney.  Jack is obsessed with the sliding doors on the van and I fully expect them to be broken by June.  He shuts the door on Sam every single day.  Sam screams, I fuss, Jack laughs.  He loves fruit loops and likes using them as his hay bales to feed his toy cows.  He hooks the fruit loops on his tractor fork and feeds his herd.  The other day he asked me for a bowl of fruit loops while I was nursing Will.  I told him he would have to wait just a minute until I finished feeding Will.  He then said, "Mama, just give me some fruit loops out of your boobie, okay."  Oh son, if I could make fruit loops out of my boobie we'd be in business buddy.
Will is now smiling and starting to coo.  I can always tell when a big grin is coming because his eyes light up. He grins so widely, showing a mouth full of gums.  There really is nothing like seeing your baby smile.  I live for those smiles.  They light up my day.  He is still enjoying his rice cereal at night, although it doesn't make him sleep any longer.  His eyes are still blue but I just can't believe they will stay that color.  He has a pretty rough case of baby acne right now but my doctor reassures me it will be gone soon.  He tried not to laugh when I asked him if this meant he would have acne when he's older.  He reassured me it wouldn't.  He's used to my nutty questions and concerns.  At his one month checkup I questioned the way Will's stomach looked.  I thought it looked funny at times, with a small bulge around his belly button.  I was sure it was a hernia.  Dr. Mann told me, "Oh don't worry about it.  As soon as he can do some crunches that will go away."  He thinks I'm crazy, I'm sure.  Will still hates his car seat unless he's asleep and will scream until he either falls asleep or we arrive home.  He gives me the cutest stink eye when I go to get him out of his seat, eyebrows arched and glaring at me as if to say, "It's about time, lady." His hair appears to be thinning and it makes me so sad to think he'll probably lose his hair.  Sam and Jack lost theirs too and it made me sad to see their baby hair disappearing too.  He is focusing on objects and staring at things for the longest time, taking everything in and learning so much. It's just about time to pull out some of the baby toys which I can hardly believe.  He is growing so fast.  
Me...I am continuing to adjust to life with three young boys.  It is a whirlwind of exhaustion and immense joy and I am so abundantly blessed.  Oh, and I really want an iPad.  I have no idea what they are good for, but I really think I need one.  

That Face

One sweet little face. With big brown eyes and arched eyebrows. And a silly grin. And the ability to make funny faces one second and flash you a serious look the next. He keeps us smiling. And laughing. And loving him so much. Just with that sweet, precious, little face.

Night Out

I don't get out much.  That is if you don't count Chick-fil-a.  With three kids in tow, one of which is usually attached to my boob, it's more work than it's worth most of the time.  So a chance to go out to dinner with others who can help me with my three sweeties is a welcomed event.  We went out to dinner tonight with Jody's parents.  The boys were angels and things were going remarkably well.  After dinner, Jody's Mom wanted to go to Roses to look for flower pots.  Roses is like a really big dollar store.   Several steps down from Wal-Mart and light years away from my beloved Target, but I'm up for anything these days.  Even Roses.  Jody asked me as we walked down the aisles of random items, "What exactly are we doing here?"  Sam and Jack were thrilled to find the toys and walked out with a rifle and butterfly net.  Will was getting hungry and fussy so we wrapped things up and prepared to leave.

And then...Jody tells me he doesn't have the keys.  "What do you mean, you don't have the keys?"  So we searched and realized he had locked the keys inside.  It's 8:30 now, Will is gnawing my neck, the people arriving are looking shadier and shadier, Sam is shooting people in the parking lot with his rifle and Jack is running around trying to catch butterflies in the sad plant area on the sidewalk.  We call Aunt Boo who runs to our house and finds the extra set of keys and we wait for her to arrive.  Will can wait no longer to eat, so I have no choice but to sit down on the curb, in the fire lane, and nurse my baby.  I told Jody I had never felt like such a redneck.  There we sat, me nursing, Jody teaching Sam the proper way to shoot a rifle and Jack running between me and Poppa putting the butterfly net on our head and saying "I got you!"  There was an old lady sitting in an old hoop ride glaring at me as I nursed.  She was really enjoying the show. As I sat there completely humiliated I see a truck pull into the parking lot, high beams on.  The truck proceeds to pull to the front of the store right where we were sitting.  The parking lot was nearly empty and there were plenty of front row spaces.  But this guy felt the need to park in the fire lane and pulled up twenty feet from where I sat nursing with his bright lights shining nicely on yours truly. "Are you kidding me?" I said.  Thankfully, G-Ma ran over and stood in front of me to block the high beams from blinding my baby.  And then I looked over to see Poppa holding a cardboard sign that he made from Sam's rifle box.  And on it he had written,"Will work for food. Grand kids! Have one, get one free!!!"  And I just had to laugh.  At the whole experience.  At what my life has become.  Three boys. Exciting trips to dinner and Roses.  Sitting on the curb nursing my newborn.  And I wouldn't change a thing.

Pics courtesy of Jody's cell phone...

Planting the Back Forty

JP invited all the grand kids over this afternoon to help plant his garden.  He built a garden box with forty individual squares for planting.  All the kids were excited as they chose their seeds and planted them.  Sam planted carrots, Jack planted cucumbers, Landry planted onions, Cannon planted snap peas and Cade planted zucchini.  Will slept like an angel on the porch completely unaware of the action going on around him.  I hope Nana and JP will share their vegetables with us this year since Jody is boycotting planting a garden this year and focusing on his cattle.  Maybe next year we can have a garden again, or at least a garden box.  Because what is farm life without a garden...

Big Boy

I tried something new the other day.  After an afternoon of nonstop nursing and bottles of formula, I didn't know what to do with my still very hungry boy.  We were at Mama and Daddy's for dinner and Mama suggested I offer Will rice cereal.  I worried he was way too young, but Mama reassured me that when Allyson and I were babies you offered cereal at six weeks.  Sam and Jack didn't start cereal until they were three months old.  But after my afternoon nursing marathon, I was ready to try.  So I ran to the store and picked some up.  I returned and fixed Will a bowl, fully expecting him to gag and refuse it.  Um, nope.  He ate it up.  He swallowed it perfectly, never gagged and would have his mouth open waiting for the next spoonful before I could get it ready.  He loved it.  This boy just loves to eat, and it shows.  I took him to the doctor earlier in the day because he was very congested.  He had gained a pound since his one month check up, six days ago.  He's a thirteen pounder now.  So he enjoys his nightly cereal snack now and I can only imagine what this boy will do when he can eat baby food.  

Last night I laid Will on his stomach on my bed and went into my bathroom for just a few seconds.  When I walked back in, he was on his back.  Surely he didn't just roll over, I thought.  I flipped him back to his stomach and watched.  Sure enough, he began kicking his legs furiously until he rolled himself  onto his back.  I called my Mom and asked her if that was normal.  She said she didn't think so, but he probably wouldn't be able to do it on the hard floor.  Today he has rolled over twice on the hard floor.  I checked Sam and Jack's baby calendar and they didn't begin rolling over until 4-5 months old.  What am I in for with this little boy?  At this rate, he'll be walking to the table and eating a steak at six months...

New Swings

Nana and JP got a new swing set for their house with five swings. And the kids are loving it...

Sorry

I have been working on manners with Sam...please, thank you, excuse me, I'm sorry.  He is extremely polite and usually very well mannered.  His biggest setback is his shyness.  He gets so anxious when he has to address strangers or adults that "please" and "thank you" can be pretty tough for him to muster up the courage to say. He has mastered one thing though..."I'm sorry."  In the past few weeks, anytime he and Jack fight, Sam will quickly say, "Sorry, Jack.  Sorry."  It never fails.  They fight.  He apologizes.   He even apologizes prior to a fight by saying, "Sorry, Jack, but I have to take this cow from you.  Sorry."  I've told him that's not quite how apologizing works and that he can't tell someone he's sorry and then do something he knows is wrong.  We're working on that.

He melts my heart when he apologizes to me.  He always comes to me after doing something wrong and tells me he's sorry.  Always.  And he tells me why he's sorry, which is so sweet.  Sometimes his apology doesn't come until hours after he's done something wrong.  But it always happens.  Sometimes he even apologizes for things I don't know about.  The other night he jumped out of his bed, ran into my room and said, "Mama, one day after we went to Target, I took the toilet tissue out of the bag and I was playing and I put the bag on my head real quick.  And I know I'm not suppose to do that 'cause it makes you not be able to breathe and you could die, so I'm sorry Mama.  I'm sorry."  He wrapped his arms around my neck and gave me a huge hug and a quick kiss before running back to bed.   Oh how I love his sweet little manners.  And his sweet, sweet heart.  

Ringworm

We've been enjoying the warm weather around here and the boys are anxiously awaiting the start of summer and swimming pool season. I, on the other hand, am wondering how on earth I will manage the two big boys and a newborn at the pool this summer. I have a couple for more months to figure that out. Until then, Jody has found a sufficient swimming spot and has encouraged me to cancel our pool membership and just take the boys swimming in the creek. "Look," he said. "You could pack a picnic and come down here on the gator. You just hold Will and let them play." Okay, honey. Sounds easy enough. Except for the fact that Jack refuses to leave on his bathing suit or pull up. And there is a very hot electric fence on the other side of the creek bank. And all the cows follow us from the pasture down to the creek and stand around the gator (where I'll be sitting with Will, you know) mooing loudly because they think I'm throwing out feed. And, of course, I'm not worried about snakes. Especially since older generations named that creek Moccasin Branch. And there is the idea of them getting ringworm. Especially Jack, the naked one. So I'll leave supervising swimming in the creek to my husband. And I'll break out the water hose and sprinkler in the front yard. No ring worms, or snakes for that matter, allowed.