Popeyes at the Park

This past Saturday was beautiful (as I write this, we are "snowed/iced" in and it's like 20 degrees outside). Anyway, after the boys woke up from their naps, we went by popeyes, picked up a box of fried chicken, and headed to the park. We went to a little park close by - actually at the elementary school that we are zoned to attend.
It was around 75 degrees outside during naptime. It all seemed like a great idea. We packed up a giant bag with all the essentials - charlie's baby food, diapers, wipes, drinks, sunglasses, you name it. When we got to Popeyes, we had to wait, because they were making fresh chicken. Charlie screamed. and screamed. and screamed (wee, wee, wee) all the way to the park. THought he would be happier once we got him out of of the car. As it turns out, he wasn't. It was very windy, and had cooled off quite a bit. Luckily, I had a blanket in the car, and just wrapped him up like a little burrito, and he was alright. Jackson and Cooper nibbled on their dinner, and then ran off to play. I normally would have pushed them to eat a little more, but didn't want it to get too dark before they even had a chance to play. This was their first time to have Popeyes. Or fried chicken for that matter. Sad. In fact, Colin and I have lived here for more than 5 years, and I think we've had fried chicken twice. Something must be wrong with us. That's a good new year's resolution. More. Fried. Chicken.

Having a cold one.

I'm drinking a Miller Lite tonight with my sweet husband.

Celebrating my dad's life today by enjoying his favorite beverage.

I miss him so much. It's been four years since he passed away. Everything reminds me of him. Time just keeps moving on, but life is different without him.

I have such a rich life. So much to be thankful for. A husband who would do anything for me, and three boys to treasure. A wonderful mother and brother.
I owe so much of who and where I am today to my dad.

Jackson knows that my dad is up in heaven. He asks if we can take an airplane to get there.


We miss you, dad. And you definitely left a mark. Thank you for being you.
I love you.

Not much to blog about...

I haven't updated our blog in a while. Not much going on over here. I can sum up the last week in a few sentences ... or run-on fragments....

Some of Colin's college friends came in town to stay. They had a wedding to attend in Dallas.
I know Colin enjoyed seeing everyone. We don't "get-out" much these days. Maybe in a few years ...

Don't they look nice? All four of them stayed in Jackson's room. One on the top bunk, one on the bottom, one on a cot, and Drew on a sleeping pad.

Oh, and they drank some beer...

In other news...

Cooper is acting like a 2 1/2 year old. Whine, Whine, Whine. This is all I hear, "WAAAHHHHHH!!!!"

Jackson has been missing some naps. Going to bed at 6:30. He's cranky without naps. I'm cranky without his naps.

Charlie has been napping in the van to and from Jack's school. He won't nap at home since he caught 15 minutes in the car. He's spit up 2 million times this week. Really.
Oh, and he started crawling, got two teeth, and can push himself to a sitting position.

Our car went back in the shop last Friday. $1500 later, and we're just wondering what to do. It's long - since paid off, and we don't want two car notes. Maybe this will be the last time in the shop for a while...

That's about all that's happening here in our house. Jealous?

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Last Sunday started off with lots of rain. It rained early that morning and didn't stop. As the boys set down for lunch, we watched a few flurries and some sleet begin to fall. Before they even finished their sandwiches, we looked up and saw this:

I couldn't get over it...the yard was covered in white.

It snowed, and snowed, and snowed.
Jack and Coop took a nap, and then Colin took them in the backyard to play.
(It was still snowing).

Cooper was very excited. That is until he took his first step and heard the crunching sound.
FREAK OUT.
Colin laughed, then scooped him up.
Didn't want to go inside, but decided it was safe enough inside the playhouse.

I swear he didn't move for 25 minutes.
Smiled a few times.

Colin and Jackson had a blast playing in it.
Here's Colin making a snow angel.
Jackson actually made one first, and convinced Colin to give it a try, too.

I stayed inside with Charlie, and loved watching them through the window.

Jackson kept throwing snowballs at me.
And screaming "I'm freezing!"







He loosened up the second day.

Poor Frosty.
Jackson ran into him, and his head fell off.
Jackson took the opportunity to karate kick him to pieces.

This was my favorite part : )
I was happy to deal with a little extra laundry for the fun they had.
Not sure if I'd like to do it everyday.
We ended up with around 5" of snow. And it stayed in the 20s for most of the week.
In fact, Colin didn't have work, and Jackson didn't have school on Monday.
Today there was still little bits of snow in the flowerbeds, almost a week later.

Can't wait for the next snow!

Football Game

Last Friday, Colin took Jackson to the NCAA Divison I Football Championship Game in Frisco, Texas. He had originally bought the tickets for he and my brother (in the chance that McNeese might make it). Anyway, he decided to take Jackson - and it turned out to be so great!
Jackson was beyond excited ... I did resist telling him until Friday morning. He loved the game - and decided that he and his daddy should cheer for opposite teams. Funny. He got to eat a hotdog, popcorn, a pretzel ... (he was in heaven).
So glad they made time for some one-on-one.

Breakfast

I would love if this picture had audio of his continuous humming
that takes place though each meal.

Go Charlie!

(wardrobe change)

Charlie's had a bit of a cough since Friday. No fever or any other symptoms, but I brought him to the doctor yesterday just to make sure it wasn't anything serious. It seems like it is an isolated cough, and not a big deal. Glad we went (while Colin was home, so I didn't have to take all three boys!) and best of all - we weighed him and he's gained over a pound! Yay Charlie! The visit to the doctor was well worth it. Looks like he's back on track. He's still on the small side, but he's growing!

He just turned seven months old. Unbelievable.

He's sitting up all on his on, without any support ... and gracefully falling down, too.

Scooting, sort of. He moves all around his crib, and on the blanket on the floor, just not really sure how he gets there. He's trying to army crawl - maybe next month (I'm in NO rush).

Still spitting up all the time, but now it's orange, green, or whatever color his dinner was : )

He's eating great (like always). Now he has a big bowl of fruit/oatmeal in the morning, veggies or fruit/rice at lunch, and veggies/rice at dinner. Also, a snack of fruit in the afternoon. Oh, and he nurses 4 times a day. (He eats all day long).

Laughs like crazy (especially at Jackson and Cooper).

Gives really sweet hugs.

Sleeps pretty well at night -from 7:30 until 3:30 or so. Nurses, and then goes back to sleep (sort of) until 7 am. That's a rough/unpredictable few hours. Still lots of burping/spitting up that makes it hard for him to sleep.

Naps three times a day. Goes to sleep on his own. We just rock him for a minute or so, give him his pacifier, and put him down. Not even a peep.

Life with three kids, three and under, just keeps getting easier. The stress of a newborn - the unpredictable schedule, the crying, etc, is gone. A routine helps so much. And a happy baby means a happy mommy : )
We're s thankful for these three little boys. Can't believe we have been so blessed.

Oh, I often find Charlie with his legs out of his pjs when he wakes up from a nap. I couldn't stop laughing when I went in to get him the other day. The little wiggle worm had managed to get both legs out of his pjs, and one of arms completely out of the sleeve.

Middle Child

Since Jackson started "school" back in September, I thought of all the wonderful one-on-one time I would have with Cooper. Turns out, that wasn't really the case until recently. It seems that having a newborn soaks up alot of time (who knew) and the rest of the time was used getting all three of them dressed, fed, and out the door, dropping Jackson off, coming home, and then doing it all over in an hour or two. Maybe if Jackson were in school for 8 hours a day vs. 2 hrs a day it would be different : ) But, we'd miss him too much!
After the Christmas break, Charlie seems to be easier and easier every day. I mean, he has always been really easy going, but just nursing all day long, changing clothes from all the spit up - and the normal baby duties required my attention. Now he is taking 3 regular naps (sometimes he sleeps for 30 minutes, other times - 1 1/2 hours! He can sit up on his own and loves to be on a blanket surrounded by toys. Now, Cooper and I have some nice time to "bond" during Charlie's morning nap. I try really hard to include Cooper - even if he is playing happily by himself (which he usually is), I make sure to get him to help me gather all the laundry, or let him pour in the laundry detergent... and lately, he's been helping me do some cooking. I'm trying to get back in the groove of having a semi-decent dinner everyday. Sometimes I'm more successful than other days.
Cooper is a different kid when he has all of my attention. We just seem more connected. He laughs more and communicates more clearly. (Or maybe I can just hear what he is saying without a crying baby or a talkative older brother). I do feel like the middle child gets the short end of the stick in some ways. I really do have to make a conscious effort to take advantage of every minute I have with him alone, I know it's so important to our relationship.
Here's a few shots of him helping me make some butternut squash puree for Charlie.

I'm hopeful that very little sock fuzz made it into the puree.

Happy Birthday

I may have posted this picture before, but I'm not sure. This is my dad and mom, my brother, and possibly my cousin Mariette? Not sure where I was. My guess is that it was for Mariette's baptism. Regardless of who the baby is, I always loved this picture. Daniel, your glasses are awesome. Mom I love your dress (really, I would wear it today), and my dad has a tie on. What?

Today is my dad's birthday. He would have been 65 years old. Retired, hopefully. Spending his time on his tractor and working on his property out where he grew up. I think alot about the "What ifs." What if he was still alive, and he were able to come up and visit us. What if he could take J, C, and C fishing. Or for a ride on the 4wheeler. What if he could hold them. Or tell them long-drawn out stories that I miss so much. What if he could be in our everyday life, instead of just in our prayers.

I am so blessed to have had him for a dad. Though we drove each other crazy, I had a lot of respect for him, and we had so much in common. I miss our relationship.

I think about him alot as I go through this journey of parenting. I lose my temper so easily, and I like things done a certain way (much like him). It drove me crazy when I was growing up - how he thought there was a right way to do everything. It's a struggle for me. To give up some control, and be more open minded. I'm working on it :)
I also remember how he not only talked about doing the right thing, but he DID the right thing. He helped someone out when they needed help. He didn't just pass by a problem. He also took such great care of everything we owned. Also, pretty annoying as a kid - having to cover up the trampoline with a tarp and bungees and then prop it up on coke crates so it wouldn't hold rainwater. Really annoying if I remember correctly. But, everything we had (including the trampoline) lasted for a long time. He had such respect for the things he and my mom had worked for. I think about him everytime I look outside of our kitchen window and see the kids toys and balls strewn across the yard.
I think about him everytime we see a bucket truck on the side of the road, or the power goes out, or when I see a new holland tractor.
For those of you who knew him, I hope you remember him today, and say a little prayer for him. January 7 is still his birthday. I pray that he is in heaven, and can see the face of God. I pray that I can see him again one day, too.
I'm thankful for all the time I had with him. It's been nearly 4 years since he passed away. I still miss him terribly, and my heart feels heavy knowing he's not down Miller Lane anymore. Some days it hits me all over again, like I just found out. But other days I can smile, and remember my favorite things about him. I can watch all three boys, and know that he would be so proud of them.
I love you, Dad. Happy Birthday.