One Down Two To Go

I have officially wrapped up my first trimester.

This is the third time I've journeyed down this path, and, honestly, I thought I had the route well navigated and roadblocks just wouldn't come my way.  Oh, how wrong I have been.

From nausea to exhaustion to a multitude of other less-than-pleasant pregnancy symptoms, these past three months have been a whooping.  I have failed miserably at trying to channel my inner 'Mother Earth.'

In previous pregnancies I would be complimented on the 'pregnancy glow' that I radiated, this time I had a co-worker say, "oh, this is going to be a long nine months!"

Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled to be pregnant and blessed to have an addition to my family.  And, I am absolutely thrilled that my first trimester is over and I'm starting to come back to the land of the living.

I have great hopes for the next three months: I hope to make some appearances at 24 hour fitness, I hope to shower and change my clothes before picking my boys up from preschool, I really hope to make dinner and be able to clean up the kitchen all in one day, and I really, really, hope my boys see me more vertical than horizontal (i.e. lounging on the couch.)

But, hearing my beanie-babie's heart beat has been the best reward for all the discomfort. There is a huge prize at the end of this journey and  I'm thankful to be a third of the way there.

Mrs. Clean

Car gel intended to paint car bumpers black.

Mrs. Clean gets rid of dirt, grime

and germs in just a minute.

Mrs. Clean will clean your whole house

and all the boys that are in it.

Markers intended to write letters and color pages. 

Reach For The Stars

Harrison: "Hey, Mom, I have a great idea!  How about we get a rocket ship and fly into outer space??  You, me, Daddy, and Gavin, is that a good idea?!"

Me: "I don't know how to fly a rocket ship."

Harrison: "It isn't hard, you get inside and then count numbers the other way, 10, 9, 8, 7, 5, and when you get to one you say blastoff, then, when you leave planet erff (earth) the rocket ship will tell you open, you push a button, and you can then be in outer space.  Wouldn't that be sooo cool? There are so many planets we could go to, like eight of them!  But, we would have to be careful of the stars, they are pointy and can hurt you."

Me: "I don't know where to buy a rocket ship."

Harrison: "I bet Target or Wal-Mart."

 I could maybe knit Harrison a rocket ship and we 

could throw it really, really high into the sky!

Winter Zoo Trip

A lot of my holiday plans were spoiled by bad weather and long lines.  So, unless a winter tornado whipped through North Texas I was determined to at least make it to the zoo to see the new babies that had been born.  Everyone bundled up and headed to the zoo with a smile.  

 

It's impossible to resist covering those cheeks with kisses he's so cute!

Steve has really gotten into photography, hence why he's always behind the camera and not in the photos.  I thought this was a neat one of my brothers and me. 

The kids love feeding the birds.

Clearly, this well-fed bird enjoys the seeds on the end of the stick.

 

Harrison hamming it up for Dad. 

It's A Wonderful Life

We stayed home this year for Christmas.  We didn't get to pack up and head to Washington, D.C., Ohio, or Florida.  Being a nurse has the occasional drawbacks, and having to work holidays tops the list.  But, we ended up having a nice time in Texas, and although it didn't snow, it was chilly enough to light a fire and snuggle up under some blankets. 

I asked Justin to bring his guitar to sing Christmas songs.  This is like many other situations in my life, my imagination is far better than reality.  My boys were grumpy and in desperate need of a nap. I think we barely sang two versus from 'We wish you a Merry Christmas' before the meltdowns occurred.  Gavin kept crossing his arms defiantly, saying, "I don't yike dat song!"

 

Harrison was so excited to see all the presents under the tree.  He said he thought he had heard Santa Claus the night before dropping off the presents.  

 

Harrison was designated 'Santa's helper' and was given the job of passing out the presents.  This lasted maybe fifteen minutes until he was only picking out 'Harrison presents.'  "Oh, look, here's another one for me!!"

 

Bend at your knees, keep your back straight, and lift with your legs.

Gavin opened a total of SEVEN costumes! He was in costume overload.  He would barely get on one before he was changing into another.  Sometimes he even layered different pieces, creating such heroes as 'Batman America!'  It was quite entertaining.  

 

 

 

 Again, these pictures weren't taken over the course of hours, he did all this in a matter of thirty minutes!

Justin and Dixie

Uncle Alex was woken up a little earlier than he anticipated.  He made up for it with an afternoon nap.

We thought we were a 'shoe-in' giving Dad these Miami-white shoes.  He seemed to need a little more convincing.  

Harrison's favorite gift was the newly-made game room.  We told Harrison his Play Station had broken so we called Santa to send his elves to come get it so it could be fixed by Christmas.  He even received a message from Uncle Justin Santa Claus letting him know he was going to try really hard to get the Play Station fixed and under the tree by Christmas morning.  Harrison kept looking under the tree for a 'rectangle box' because "that's the shape, yep, Mom, it's rectangle, do you see a rectangle?"  All the presents had been opened and no rectangle box had been found.  We made him close his eyes and guided him into the new game room.  A wrestling mat for the boys, all the toys moved from the bedroom and living room, a new t.v. with a hooked-up Play Station!!  He was beyond excited!

Gavin enjoyed discovering what each box held.  Two cubes just for his beloved costumes.  

 

Uncle Alex brought his latest and greatest pet, a baby caimon alligator he named Darth Gator.  Gavin was fascinated with this baby. He kept growling at him trying to intimidate this little creature.

A little scared to touch him with his hand, so a foot would do just fine.

Those teeth are little, but pointy and strong.  My brother is crazy with what he considers a 'pet.' 

It was a lovely Christmas filled with memories and love. Next year, beanie baby with be with us adding to the excitement and laughter of the family.  It's what it's all about.

Gonna Find Out Who's Naughty Or Nice

Steve- "Harrison, you are making such good choices right now.  You're being nice to your brother and sharing toys.  Now, this morning you were making bad choices because you were..

    (abruptly interrupted)

Harrison- "Daddy, hush.  Hush, Daddy, I don't want Santa Claus to hear you."

Steve thinks this Santa Claus thing is amazing.  He's disappointed we didn't start this way back in October.    Harrison thinks Steve has Santa's personal phone number and he can call him whenever he thinks a report is necessary.  Personally, I think it's a little creepy to make your kid think he's being watched by an old man.

Christmas Play

It's a rite of passage for children and parents alike to attend/participate in a Christmas play.  This is Harrison's second year and Gavin's first.  Last year Harrison was a mere black sheep, he graduated this year to a speaking role.  We practiced and practiced (okay, to be honest, maybe for only a couple of hours prior to the play) but we practiced enough that they did a pretty good job. 

"Jesus came into the world to bring peace and love to everyone."

            To repeat myself from many posts ago, photoshop had to come about from photographing children.  Probably boys at that, and probably ages five and two.  It's nearly  impossible to get these two to sit still and smile.

Gavin was so excited to put on his suit, he kept telling me, "I'm a man."  We took them for ice cream afterward and I took off their jackets and  dress shirts to spare me a date with Stainstick.  Gavin, with endless amounts of chocolate on his white undershirt kept asking, "where my shirt go??  Where my shirt, I wanna be man!"  Harrison told him he wouldn't be a man until he grew up and turned fifteen.

My baby boy is getting so big.  It was just last year that he sat in my lap during the Christmas play and even had to be taken outside for being so restless.  Tonight he was singing "We wish you a Merry Christmas!" and looking so debonair. 

A Perk of Texas in December?

Outdoor picnics for dinner

Evil Knievil Meet Gavin

I thought I was bulletproof or Superman there for a while. I thought I'd never run out of nerve. Never.
~ Evil Knievel

This child has more creativity than I could ever imagine.  This is an infant Superman costume that is now only a shirt, with knee pads being used as gloves, with a helmet haphazardly protecting him. Gavin is always entertaining and making us laugh.

Honest Abe or Not So Much

Harrison asked for popcorn with M&M's while watching a movie.  Steve told him popcorn was okay but that he couldn't have any M&M's.  After he gave Harrison his bowl he told me he had put some M&M's in the bottom of the bowl and asked what I thought Harrison would do when he found them.  We placed bets with one another being for or against the honesty of our son.  Steve said he would eat them and not say anything.  I said he would eat them also, but would have to confess that he did so.


Harrison came to kitchen about 15 minutes later and said, "Dad, you said I couldn't have any M&M's, but there were M&M's in the bottom of the bowl.  But, I wasn't sure if they were M&M's, so I ate them just to be positive.  And, yep, they were M&M's!" 

Give The Boy What He Wants

Gavin is the best snuggler. When I wake up from nights at work he often takes my hand and guides me to the couch to 'nuggle.' He loves to be held close after his baths while he's drying off in his towel.  We had a special moment the other day, after his bath when we were snuggling extra tight.  I was humming to him and stopped to ask if he wanted to sing a song together.  Thinking he would choose maybe, 'Jesus loves me' or even the 'ABC's, I was very surprised when he sheepishly nodded and said he wanted me to sing 'boom, boom, pow.'  I asked him to repeat his request three or four times because I was certain I had misunderstood.  After he clearly said again, 'boom, boom, pow', I gave him what he asked and belted out my best Fergie "people in the place....if you want to get down....put your hands in the air.....Will.I.Am drop the beat now..." The special moment changed from sweetness to laughter as I watched my naked boy shake his toosh to my rendition of The Black Eyed Peas.  

Half A Decade

 

You woke up on your birthday telling me all the things you can do now that you've turned five.  Something amazing happened while you slept and turned from four to five....

"Mom, watch me run, I'm so fast now that I'm five!"

"I can beat Daddy up at wrestling, I'm sooo strong."

We were looking through the new atlas book his Great-Grandmother Jane had given him, he pointed to the map and said, "look, two pyramids."  I asked him how he knew what pyramids were and he replied, "Mom, I'm five now, I know lots of things." 

"I can play cards and beat everybody in the family!"  (we don't play cards....)

Half a decade you've been alive.  Five years you've been challenging me and helping me grow into a better person and mom. You are the quintessential first-born: loving to know the details of everything, not particularly enjoying when plans are deviated, being very responsible (sometimes also seen as bossy) with those around you, conscientious of others' feelings, and most of all you love to make us happy!

In honor of your fifth birthday I want to list my top favorite five things about you:

1. Your eyes.  They are a mixture of brown, blue, and green. And, they are absolutely beautiful.  You will stop some hearts with those eyes, son.
2. The look on your face when you accomplish something all by yourself.  It's a look of pride and excitement.  I hope as I watch you grow I see that look a thousand times more. 
3. How happy you become when you see your extended family or even get to talk with them on the phone.  I want you to always value and love your family like you do as a five year old. 
4. Your smarts.  You have a good head on your shoulders!  I love teaching you things because you learn quickly, and more importantly, you love learning.  
5. Your stubbornness.  Although, at times, it makes me crazy and is very embarrassing, I think stubbornness will translate into determination. 

Bergman's Pizzeria-5 Out of 5 Stars!

 We celebrated my big boy's five year-old birthday with a chef-themed pizza party.

 

 The chefs started out decorating their own hats and aprons.  Pay no attention to the fabric pen in Ian's mouth, he was just a little hungry!

 What a delicate little chef, she stayed very clean, no apron was even necessary.

 Nathan is serious about his cooking responsibilities. 

 The kids rolled out the pizza dough, topped it with sauce, cheese and pepperoni.  I'm not sure how Evan was able to see his pizza as his hat is on his chin.  I think this may have been my fault, I measured his head a tad too big!

 The kids then watched while their pizzas bake in the brick oven!  

 

 Harrison later told me his favorite part of the party was "Guess that Jelly Belly!"  

I wasn't sure how this game would go over with thirteen little kids participating, but they all played along really well, especially because, regardless of their answer, they all were able to pick from the prize box.

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 Every good chef must know a little about pastry decorating, right?  I think I'll be finding sprinkles in the house for months.  They really got into the decorating.....

 ....and, of course, the eating, too!

 This is one of three costumes Gavin changed into during the party.  Batman, Indiana Jones, and Iron Man all made an appearance.  Actually, he debuted his 'birthday suit' also, so that technically makes it four costumes, but who's counting??

 Garrett showing off his blue teeth from his cupcake.

 The kids, all exhausted from endless cooking and eating, settled in for a late-night movie of Toy Story 3.  Garrett wasn't ready to give up his hat, he worked hard coloring all those panels!