I want to Remember.....

I want to Remember that right now:

Jacob

• has good manners saying "Please", "Thank-you", "You're Welcome", "I would be happy to do that Mommy" and "I'm Sorry, will you forgive me?"
• After every meal, he clears his plate, cup and utensils, without being asked
• favorite color is red, favorite animal is the elephant and favorite number is 3
• really digs airplanes and firetrucks
• is very kind to Noah and will go play with him if he is fussing and mommy is busy with Caleb. He does this without mommy asking him to.
• loves all animals
• enjoys playing outside at the park, riding his bike and playing t-ball and soccer
• shares and plays very well with Caleb most of the time
• recognizes numbers 1-5 (100% of the time) and 6-10 (50% of the time)
• starting to learn his alphabet
• enjoys singing songs and making up his own songs
• still takes a nap (thank goodness!)
• favorite cookie is an Oreo
  
• will ask mommy to pray with him if he needs help getting control
• obeys mommy and is always my big helper
• very articulate and not afraid to use some very BIG words
  

Caleb

• loves his niney(blanket) and mickey mouse
• wants to talk so badly but he can't seem to get those words to come out legibly
• has several hundred words and receptive language is excellent
• occasionally puts 2 words together, but not very often
• loves to do whatever Jacob is doing
• enjoys his airplanes and playing with his animals
• likes to sing songs with mommy, favorite is "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "2 Little Blackbirds"
• does well at story time, sitting for parts of it
• has a great time at the park, loves to climb and jump
• will eat almost anything I give him, we call him "Chomper"
• starting to say "love you" if prompted
• refers to himself in second-person
• quick to smile and giggle
  
• before going to sleep, he loves to have his back rubbed while I sing him "Jesus Loves Me"
• if upset, easily redirected
• puts on his crocks without help and likes to undress and dress himself
• so anxious to be a big boy and yet so cuddly and sweet
• independent
• Loves to play with his Imaginext Toys, Farm and trains
• very sweet to Noah and always ask for him if he is not around
• loves chocolate and Oreos
• takes his diaper off when it is too wet and will let me know when he is poopy
  

Noah

• quick to smile, giggle and coo
• his hands are his favorite toy
• rarely cries, sometimes fusses and only when he is wet/dirty, hungry or tired
• Loves to be tickled on his belly and around his neck
• enjoys being gently lifted up in the air and back down, always makes him giggle
• still gets mommy up 1-2 times per night
• needs to be around the action, he likes to watch his big brothers and be facing outwards when held
• loves the bumbo, doesn't like the exersaucer (the noises on it bother him)
• uses the paci some, but the least out of all my boys
• he is truly the happiest and easiest going out of all my boys
• likes to snuggle with mommy in the early morning hours after daddy has gone to bed
• still sleeps in the bassinet next to mommy because she is not ready to move him to his room
• puts himself to sleep with the paci and all swaddled up
• meeting all of the normal developmental milestones for his age

Each boy is a blessing to our family in his own way. I watch them each day and smile at each of their accomplishments and added dimension to our family. Often times, I wish I could bottle up every memory and never forget. Sadly, as the years go on, the memories will fade and that is why I have this blog, so that I can look back on these times and remember how special each of them are to God and to Brian and me. I am so honored that God has given us these children. Raising them to be obedient to Him is not an easy job or one I take lightly. I get one shot to do this, so I'm giving it my all and won't look back with regrets!

"Train up a child in the way he should go, And even when he is old he will not depart from it."
Proverbs 22:6

Needless to say, I'm not posting the things I don't want to remember! ;-)

Noah is 4 months old!

Noah is 4 months old today! He is growing and changing so fast. He is smiling, cooing, laughing all the time. His laid back personality has been a blessing in our house. He can roll onto his side, but has no interest in rolling over completely. He is simply content as long as you are talking to him and he can be sitting up and observing his surroundings. He loves to interact with his big brothers. He is a great eater, eating every 2-3 hours and waking me once during the night.

Noah has also started to grab at toys. He loves to bring them to his mouth and gets so excited to have something to play with. He loves to play under his playgym. This afternoon he rotated a full 180 degrees while under it and was grabbing at the toys above!

I have always allowed the boys the first 4 months to sleep and eat whenever they want. I have found from experience, that around 4 months they start to ease into a more ideal schedule. Just in the last week, Noah is taking one long morning nap (1 1/2 hour to 2 hours) and a very long afternoon nap (2 1/2 to 3 hours) and then a short cat nap around dinner time. I swaddle him up, turn on his music maker, insert the paci and he is asleep on his own. I will take the paci from him in a couple of months if he is not sleeping thru the night....I have found that doing the whole cry it out method works best if you take the paci as well. Better to get it all done in one swoop! Noah rarely needs the paci during the day, mostly just for times when I can't get to him right away and I don't want him fussing, church or sometimes in the car. He truly is the happiest baby! We go to the doctor tomorrow for his second round of immunizations. I'm excited to see how big he is!

The Catholic Family Handbook

The Catholic Family Handbook is an excellent resource for any Catholic family. Fr. Lovasik explains simple ideas to help strengthen your marriage and raise responsible children in the faith of the Catholic Church. He discusses the importance of the marital bond and how that love filters down to strengthen family unity. He discusses techniques for raising your children in the Faith, effective discipline, developing character and communicating love. Fr. Lovasik has written a wonderful book for families of all walks of life!

This was a book that I read and did a review for Sophia Institute Press. You can check out their website at:

http://www.sophiainstitute.com/

This is a book you won't regret reading!! Enjoy!

My Little Spiderman

Jacob thinks he is tough!

Jacob is ready for Halloween and so excited to wear his new Spiderman Outfit!

I purchased this costume for Jacob today at Target. He decided to forgo Buzz Lightyear (Gasp!) so Caleb will be Buzz and Noah will be a little green pea pod!!!

Precious Preschoolers

Today I am grateful; particularly grateful! I truly believe that when God closes one door, he always opens another for us. The last three months have reinforced that belief. There are days when I'm insistent upon standing at the closed door, banging on it, praying someone will open the door and allow us to go back to life as we knew it in Texas. However, that particular door will never open again. So it forces me to look at the open door and enter. Some days I do it with a happy heart and other days it is more reluctant. But regardless, I am trying each day to seek out the good in Connecticut. Today, I found good!

I was at the library several weeks ago when I came upon a flyer that was advertising for a program through the University of Connecticut called "Precious Preschoolers". I called, hoping that we would be able to do it. The program director, Michelle, was very kind and said that I could bring both Jacob and Caleb, even though it was for 3-4 year olds. Noah could stay with me. So, today was our first day and what a wonderful program I came upon. We got there at 9:30 am and the first 30 min were free play time with the moms and kids. The kids had a snack and juice and one of the teachers read the children a story! Today's theme was apples and they got to taste different kinds of apples. Jacob's favorite was the red Gala apples. They also tried granny smith and golden delicious. Caleb of course, ate whatever he could; my little chomper! At 10am, the moms broke away and went next door where we talked about our backgrounds and filled out a survey since we were actually participating in a research study. This time, I don't mind being a lab rat! ;-) The program is designed to help parents in various parenting areas. There will be some topics on discipline, developmental milestones, activities to do with the kids, etc. I am very impressed with this initiative put on by the State of Connecticut because this is the kind of program that builds up families. We live in a time where the family unit is under attack. Parents are in need of more support and guidance. I was thrilled to have found this program, my only sadness in it was that more parents didn't sign up. There were three other moms, which made for a very intimate setting. We will be doing this every Thursday until sometime mid-November, break for the holidays and then resume in January. Thursdays will be guaranteed good days for us. I am thankful that God guided me to that flyer. Maybe this open door isn't too bad.

I am in LOVE!!!

One of the best things about being a stay-at-home mom is that I have ample opportunities to photograph my children. For a while, I was hard on myself that my pictures were not professional quality and perhaps it was a waste to have a professional camera if all I was going to do was take pictures around home. But then I began to realize that these "simple" pictures I take each day mean the world to me. Brian and the boys are my life and I couldn't be happier or prouder of them! So, each day I take my simple pics with uninteresting background and effects, but it is the smiles on those beautiful faces that mean the world to me!

My 3 precious boys...can't believe they are all smiling and all looking at the camera!

Getting Noah to giggle like this is SO easy! He is the happiest baby!

Noah has started to grab his toys and bring them to his mouth (of course)

I am working with him on holding his head up, but he is stubborn to do it. So, I pulled out the boppy to assist him and he was okay with it. He is so laid back he prefers to just sit and observe everything, rather than do himself.

Jacob was reading his book and Caleb decided to climb up and "read" with him

Caleb is excited to do whatever big brother is doing!

Fellowship

Just as I had no idea what residency would be like, the same held true with fellowship. In my mind, I had hoped that it would be easier than residency. Boy was I wrong. Fellowship has been a struggle in such a different way than residency. The hours are longer, the demands are greater and I have never seen my husband so stressed out. Here is what is on Brian's plate right now:

1. Finishing up a research project from S&W that he will present at the American College of Surgeons meeting on October 4th.

2. Studying for his oral boards he will take on November 15th.

3. Trying to find a job; discerning what will be best for his career and our family

4. Coordinating a trip to Greenville, SC to interview for a job there.

5. Talking to S&W about a job there after fellowship

6. Working 5:30am to 6:30 or 7pm every day.

7. Fellowship requirements every month include: M&M, journal club and a presentation to the general surgery residents.

8. Required research project for fellowship due by June 2011.

Okay, I'm just exhausted typing all that out, no wonder Brian is a little stressed out. These times I feel so helpless as a wife. I ask him repeatedly what I can do for him and he always says nothing. This is frustrating for me because I want to help him and take away some of this stress. So, I pray for him and have come to realize that there are a lot of things I can do for him as his wife. I can keep trying new meals and always have delicious, nutritious, home cooked meals for him, keep the house neat and clean, keep the kids happy, not complain about my own personal struggles, pray for him and keep a smile on my face. Prayer and a positive attitude can go a long way in keeping a happy house!

In the meantime, we will keep fighting the good fight and hope for the best. My prayer is that God will guide us and that we will be obedient to His will for our lives. We have been here for 3 months and have 9 more to go. I'm sure I will look back on this year in our lives and wonder how we survived?! I know that as long as I have God and Brian by my side, anything is possible! Life is good and I know that the future will come, so for now, I'm just going to enjoy the present moments, because we all know they pass too quickly!!!

Footed PJ's

The temperatures at night are dropping, which means it is time to pull out the footed PJ's. As a kid, these were always my favorite! I love seeing the boys in theirs and love to cuddle with them. Thanks to my friend Marla who gave me her boys pj's last winter, so Jacob has a wonderful selection to pick from!

Noah went shopping with me while Daddy bathed the boys and got them ready for bed. It was past his bedtime by the time we got home, so he had crashed on the way.

Jacob thought it was a good idea to put his Texas cowboy belt on over his pj's! That kid is a Texan thru and thru!

Sweet Brothers ready for bed!

The temperatures at night are dropping, which means it is time to pull out the footed PJ's. As a kid, these were always my favorite! I love seeing the boys in theirs and love to cuddle with them. Thanks to my friend Marla who gave me her boys pj's last winter, so Jacob has a wonderful selection to pick from!

Silly Boys

Doing School!

Caleb's Frown

Jacob's Silly Face

Nana Leaves

After a 10 day hiatus in CT, my mother had to leave today. Despite the boys smiling in the picture, we were all sad to see her go! Jacob cried when we dropped her off and I had my own tears I was trying to hide. It was so nice to have so much time with her. The boys had a blast and I thoroughly enjoyed having her around to chat with! She will be back in October to watch the boys for a few days while we head to SC to look at a job for Brian. We love you Nana!

Fun times with my Mom

Caleb truly adores Noah

Nana having fun with Noah

I love this pic with my mom and Noah!

Time to fix something.
Sadly everything in our house needs to be fixed, the duct tape is wearing out.

I love this pic of Noah

Mr. Bugg has finally been passed onto Noah. Mr. Bugg came to us thru a garage sale. When Jacob was a baby, Brian worked a lot and I was bored most of the time, so I would hit the garage sales on the weekend when he was working (which was a lot!). I came across Mr. Bugg and for some reason it became my favorite toy. By the time Caleb came around, it was MIA. I am very OCD about my toys and having them all organized. I searched high and low and it was nowhere to be found. So, I found one on Amazon and purchased it. About 4 months before we left TX, I was at the church nursery and found what I truly believe was our old Mr. Bugg. It made sense because we had been doing studies there and quite possibly I had left it there. I had never seen it there until after we had lost ours. But, I left it alone. I was at the church a few weeks before we left Texas and saw it there and couldn't control my hands. Somehow, that Mr. Bugg made it to CT. So, now Noah gets to play with it and Mr. Bugg lives on!

While my mom was here, I made a lot of new recipes for her that I have been making. Many of them required the grill. One night I was busy feeding Noah and my mom went out to light the grill. I was sitting on the couch with Noah, watching the boys play and nodding off. I opened my eyes to the grill on fire! Low and behold, Mom had lit the grill and never opened the lid. Because our grill does not sit under a cover, I leave all of our utensils in the grill. Needless to say, the fire one and my utensils lost. At least it made for a great pic!

Random Pics

Time to wrestle!

Noah laughing...I love that boy!

Nana telling stories..one of Jacob's favorite things to do with her!

One of my favorite pics of Mom with Noah!

Noah in the exersaucer. This is the ONLY pic I have of him smiling in it, because he doesn't really care for it!