All About Nicholas!

I have three kids, but Nicholas is king. The kid demands so much attention that he rules the house. Sam and Benjamin like him, but their patience is beginning to wear thin. There is a contest between the three of them -- To see if Sam and Benjamin can close their bedroom door before Nicholas gets there. So far, the big boys win . . . but I think in a few weeks, Nicholas will again reign supreme.
Nicholas' latest trick is climbing. He can climb on the coffee table, the couch, chairs, in drawers in the kitchen -- and now on Josh's desk. Oh yes, Nicholas will find a way to get whatever he wants.

With three boys, our house is always noisy -- but the loudest noise by far is Nicholas grunting to get his way. He only has to grunt about half the time because he's learning to talk very quickly. He can now say so many words -- besides Mama, Dada, Sammy (meee), and Benjamin (Be), He also says Stinky, Diaper, Light, Cheese, Bread, Milk, Water, Waffles, Noodles, Book, Blanket, Binky, Bottle, Ball, Balloon, Bath, Snack, Smarties, Cookie, Juice, Drink, Toy, Car, Bye-Bye, Door, Outside. . . There are more. But the special thing about the list is that the words aren't just things he notices. The words are all demands of things he wants. He only says words when he wants something, and then the word or words are repeated over and over again until he gets what he wants. (With the exception of stinky -- that's just a funny word he says). Nicholas is so demanding, that I'm afraid he's scarred his brothers for life. When we told Sam and Benjamin we were going to have a baby, Sam said, "Not another one!!" And Benjamin said, "Ok -- but only if it's a girl."

But at the end of the day, we still love him . . . and we'll keep him. After all, how can we imagine life without Prince Nicholas?

After weeks of enduring freezing temperatures, I was reminded why I love Texas. Where else can you find 80 degree weather in February? The boys spent several hours playing outside. They played baseball and soccer, rode bikes, had races . . . It was fabulous. And, as an added bonus, if all three boys are outside, there is no one inside to make a mess. Can life get any better than this?

p.s. -- Sam is at school, Benjamin is outside, and Nicholas is taking a nap. Otherwise, this post would not exist.

How do you do it?

It's been 2 months since I last posted a blog -- and I want to know how do people blog all the time? Right now, Nicholas is crying at my feet (arms waving, back arched, feet kicking). I'm not ignoring him, that would be impossible. I tried to hold him, he didn't want that -- but I guess, given his current state, he wanted to be put down less. So I have a crying baby, a five year old who is bored, breakfast dishes that need to be washed, one last load of laundry that needs to be folded . . . Not that I think my life is harder than anyone else's. But I do have something that no one else has -- Nicholas. He is the most demanding, opinionated (although adorable) baby. If he even senses that I am heading towards the computer, the tears start . . . Smarties can only cure the crying for so long. You'd think I neglected him all day long. So where to people come up with the time to take cute pictures, and then post them? Please, let me know your secret!
Anyway, there's my post of ramblings. :) At least I got 2 minutes.