The surprise of the century!
(for our family at least!)

The ultrasound tech said that she is 99.9% sure and hasn't been wrong in the 8 years she's been doing this. I am still a little skeptical . . . :)

How Hard is it to Take Pictures?

My kids usually beg me to take their picture. They ask me to take pictures of their sports, their hide-out creations, their artwork . . . But try to get them to pose for a "real" picture, and the have different ideas. After one hour and 30+ pictures, we gave up. Here are the "best" pictures.

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.

Nicholas is One!!!

Yesterday was Nicholas' birthday. I can't believe he is already one. Here are some things Nicholas accomplished in his first year of life:
He can walk.
He can give five.
He can play patty-cake.
He can point to his nose and hair.
He can say "Doggie" "Daddy" "Light" "This" "That".
He can squeal at the top of his lungs to get what he wants.
He can spot a dog a mile a way.
He can follow Sam and Benjamin around and destroy whatever they are playing with.
He can eat a whole bag of grapes or a whole can of mandarin oranges in seconds flat.

Now -- here's what I wish he could do
Say Mommy.
Sleep through the night.

We sure love our Nicholas!!

Thanks Karen! I'm having a great time doing all the family pictures on my computer. Some of them turn up the BEST matches! All my boys match Shirley Temple -- and Nicholas has a 40% match to Oprah! It's classic!


SAM



BENJAMIN




NICHOLAS

Six Weird Things about ME (I was tagged...)

Six ThingsRules: Each player of the game starts with “6 weird things/habits about you”. You need to list six weird habits you have or things you do that seem weird to others. At the end you must list or “tag” six people who need to complete this. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own “6 weird things/habits” as well as state this rule clearly. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they have been tagged and to read your blog!!


1. I can't swim. I never learned (not that there are many opportunities to go to the beach in Alaska.)

2. I don't like to listen to music in the car if there are other people in the car -- it's too chaotic. I don't mind having it on when I'm on my own, but put one other person in the car (even a baby), and the radio is off.

3. I am afraid of moths. They fly into hair and leave a chalky residue. I have also been known to shy away from an occasional butterfly if it's mistaken for a moth.

4. I HAVE to read the newspaper every morning.

5. I like to set my alarm for 30 minutes before I really have to get up so that I can look at the clock and blissfully think, "Oh good -- I have 30 more minutes to sleep." Of course, Nicholas is on to my game, and wakes up 10 minutes before the alarm so that not only do I not get the extra 30 minutes, but I loose 10 more!

6. I am obsessed with finding new recipes. I get tired of eating the same dinners over and over -- so I am always searching the internet for new recipes to try.

Since I don't know anyone else that blogs, the list will have to die here . . . Sorry Karen.

Keeping up with a blog is harder than I thought!

The boys were really excited to carve our pumpkin for Halloween. They even named it -- Evil Ed. Since Josh had to work, the carving task fell to me . . . so the pumpkin didn't turn out as scary as Sam had planned!

My poor Sam . . .

I've been cutting Sam's hair for three and a half years. And it usually turns out pretty good.

But last night -- I got distracted, and started the hair cut without the attachment, and this is what happened. . . .










After he saw it, he tried to get me to fix it his way.
Sam: "Do the same thing to the other side. That way my friends will think that's how I wanted it."
Mom: "No way. Just tell them you had to have brain surgery."
Sam: "There aren't any stitches. No one will believe that."
Mom: "You could have had the surgery will a small microscopic device."
Sam: "Or I could just tell everyone that my mom butchered me."

I guess that's the truth.

Life with Boys -- can't beat it!

So . . . I've had this page, but haven't put anything on it. You could call it laziness, but I prefer to put the blame on the fact that I have 3 boys. (but it's probably more laziness than anything else). So here we are.




Sam's first day of first grade

Benjamin humoring me

Nicholas doing what he's not supposed to . . .