Indy | month 7 & 8

Oh my little Indy Love.

How is it that life seems to crawl by at times but your little life has been in fast forward since the moment I held you in my arms?

Month 7

-You are the happiest little soul I have ever met.

-You love loves and hugs from everyone.

-You drool and drool and drool.

-You are loving your baby food.

-You love to roll all over the place.

Month 8

-You love to get up on your hands and feet.  It would be so much easier on your knees but you insist on your feet.

-You are a mover.

-You are a fantastic sleeper.... unless you are not in your own bed.

-You adore your blanket.

-You took your first plane ride and were a champ.  You fell asleep and slept the entire time.

-You have 5 teeth.

-You always giggle at the kids but Cade can get you belly laughing.

-You do not like your car seat....at all.

-You like to blow bubbles all the time.  You always sound like a little horse.

-You are starting to pull your bows off.

-Everything you find goes right in your mouth.

-You love to swing at the park.

-You will eat anything that comes your way.

We all love you my sweet baby.

You are an angel.

confessions

First a few confessions:

1. I do not like school breaks.  I dread them.  I find myself counting down the days until they are over before they even start.  Call me a bad mom but it gets a little overwhelming trying to entertain 2 very energetic boys with no school distractions.

2. I love, love, love waking up in Las Vegas in the spring.  Windows open, breeze blowing, birds chirping.  It is the perfect way to start the day.

3.  If I could wake up and snuggle with my husband and babies in the morning, every morning, I would be one very happy mom.  It just brings joy to my heart.

So this morning I wake up to a little person saying "mom.... mom.... moooooom."  I groggily come out from under my blankets expecting to settle yet another spring break disagreement.  But to my surprise I see a beaming Beckam holding a plate overflowing with eggs and toast and hear an excited Cade on the other side of the bed doing the same for Jared. 

Those little men woke up, cracked, scrambled and plated 18 {yes 18} eggs for us and made multiple pieces of toast.  Cade was proud that he had made all the eggs and Beckam was proud that he had handed Cade all of the eggs.  Love it.

When I asked them why they decided to make us breakfast Cade replied, "just because of all the nice things you do for us."  ::sigh:: melt my heart.

After we had choked down eaten all of our eggs {while the boys jumped back and forth over the bed and Capri squawked until she had just as many bites as I did.}  I headed down to view the damage.  Not bad considering a 6-year-old and a 3-year-old had made breakfast but it did take a good amount of time to scrub yolk off of... everything.

So back to my confessions.  

1. Those little turkeys proved me wrong.  School breaks are not half bad... except for the cleaning up part.

2.  Windows open, breeze blowing and birds chirping is even better when accompanied by kids.

3.  Snuggling with the family is even better when accompanied with eggs.

Still smiling.

Life

  There is nothing like fall trees.  I love them.

The color.

The crunch.

The memories they stir within my heart.

Not very often, in Las Vegas, do you actually get a glimpse of real fall trees.  As enchanting as palm trees can be at first sight they don't exactly lend much to the fall season.  So when I saw these trees my heart practically skipped a beat.

I was rather impressed with myself.  I had all three kids up, bathed, dressed, fed, and on location by 8 a.m. I wont tell you what I looked like or how Beckam really acted but lets just say neither were very pretty.

Life is finally starting to get into somewhat of a routine.  I still feel a little out of sorts that I have had to replace my normal, leisurely, 10 a.m. workout for a 5 a.m. sleepy eyed run, my enjoyable, quiet shower time with a speedy, chaotic rinse (if I am lucky), and laundry... well... hmmm... lets just say there is a lot of it.

However, how lucky I feel to have these 3 little monkeys.  They have all grown, evolved, stepped up, given a little and loved a lot.

Being a mom is good.  It is amazing.  It is tricky.  It is hard.  It is everything.

I have recently gained a new perspective.  A view from the other other side, if you will.

I had the incredible opportunity of photographing my dear friend Camille as she brought a beautiful baby into this world.  

 

The mom feeling never changes... it just deepens...always

::Gasp::

I know... can you believe it! A post. Major accomplishment, I tell ya!

So much has happened that I figured I should quickly put at least some of it down before the little bambina gets here.

These two cute munckins started preschool. I went back and forth with the decision of sending Cade to kindergarten or another year of preschool and I am SO glad we opted for one last year of preschool. He has grown and progressed so well and I am so proud of him!

Cade and his cousin Amelia are almost exactly one year apart and are either the best of friends or the worst of enemies. I was a little nervous to see how it would play out with them being in the same class but I must say I couldn't be any more happy. They love having each other and I love that they will for the rest of their school careers.

This little man also celebrated his 5th birthday (2 months ago, ::blush::). He was so excited for his birthday and still asks when it is his birthday again. He was once again so excited for candles so we started the morning off with panCAKES and candles. He felt special and was sweet about his overflowing excitement.

We also went to the firehouse to have a "party" for him. We see the firemen at the gym every morning and Cade thinks they are so cool so I figured the firehouse would be the perfect place to celebrate his special day. The firefighters were so good to the kids and the kids hung on every word they said. {Thank you firemen for making seat belts no longer a battle every time we get in the car}

The guys even let Jared put on all of their gear. He felt like hot stuff. Becks on the other hand wasn't too sure what to think about it all so he stood back and just watched and listened to his daddy sound like Darth Vader.

And yes... I was there too :)

I know that I have been MIA lately and honestly cannot promise I will do much better in the coming weeks... I will try though.

Although the posts have been sparse, I have not been MIA from my busy life.

I had the amazing opportunity to venture out out to Ohio to spend some time with some amazing families. I am so blessed to have "family" all over the place.

It was strangely difficult to go back to Ohio, alone.

To have my parents gone.

Nobody at the airport to pick me up.

My bedroom no longer my bedroom.

My house no longer my house.

It was all strange and incredibly emotional. However, a necessary experience.

How thankful, though, I am for those sweet angels in my life that extended their love, homes, and family and allowed me to pull it together again.

It was such a joy to see everyone again and look forward to heading back east again. Love you all!

I also decided, as if I don't already have my hands full, to tap into my crafty side. My sister and I got together and decided that we needed to "make something." After multiple trips to the fabric store we came up with lots of fun flowers/bows. We started off with multiple sizes and I have recently ventured into making teeny tiny ones for the little bub (not pictured)... they are so cute and I cannot wait to get them on her!

Alli and I will soon be opening an etsy shop and I will also be hosting a Christmas Boutique in a few weeks with lots of fun venders and items just in time to get rocking on Christmas shopping. So if you would like to participate or if you are dying over the flowers (not going to lie, love wearing them in my hair, on my shirt, and also my shoes. Can you tell I am so getting into the girl vibe!) let me know. We would love to have you all!

So, there you have it.

No wise advice.

No motherly insights.

No jokes.

No tears.

Just busy.

Busy but good.

Cant wait for this little girl to make her way here. She is getting bigger and bigger and I keep praying she will finish cooking a little early. We are ready to snuggle her!

So until next time (keeping my fingers crossed next time is less than a month away), Happy Harvest!

One Lazy Saturday Morning

One of my very favorite things as a mom is snuggling in bed with all my boys. Very rarely do we all actually end up there at the same time, especially since Jared started coaching football at the high school. However, this one lazy Saturday morning was just what my soul needed.

Lots of jumping and acting silly...

... lots of laughing...

... and lots of my family.

It is amazing how the small simple pleasures in life are the things that embed themselves so deeply in our soul that it gives us that extra umph to keep trudging through the not so simple things in life.

There is lots to share. More birthdays, an ever expanding belly, lots of traveling in different directions, new school, new routines, more work, more, more, more. But for now my little guys in their skivvies will have to suffice.... And lets be honest, that is a lot more fun than stories about "mom duties."

Update

It has been a crazy couple of days months around here. I feel like I have spent a ridiculous amount of time on the computer and yet have done nothing with my blog. You can check out my photography blog to catch a glimpse of what I have been able to work with... I know. don't be too jealous.

So here is a quick recap of what is happening over here in our neck of the woods.

Cade

Cade has been doing well and keeping busy. He has already spent many hours in the pool and is really excited to start swim lessons on Monday. He is convinced that he will be teaching the class but none the less is excited to spend more time in the pool. He has recently decided that he is a "model." Every time my camera comes out, which is rare these days for my own family, he will bust out his GQ face and give me all sorts of poses. It is hilarious. So needless to say, the only way I can get a real smile out of him is to mention something about boogers... gotta love little boys! So predictable.

Cade also just graduated from preschool. I cannot believe that he is growing up so fast. He was not a fan of letters but LOVES numbers. He is now starting to realize that letters actually make words and so is warming up to the idea of actually learning and remembering all his letters. It makes me laugh to hear the things that he comes up with for me to tell him how to spell.

September '09 May '10

Beckam

Beckam is doing wonderful and still as sweet as ever. He truly makes my heart happy. He will always hold my hand and loves to give hugs and kisses to everyone. One of his true loves is food. He loves to have snacks and take them around in a plastic bag along with his sippy cup. He is quickly nearing his 2nd birthday and I cannot believe that he is not a baby any more. He still doesn't use many words but is oddly one the best communicators and listeners I have ever met.

He has recently discovered how to pack things around. His 2 favorite ways to haul his "trinkets" are either his dump truck that he will push all over the place or his pockets. He gets so disappointed in the morning time when he has jammies on because there are no pockets for his toys.

The other day when I did all of our laundry I came up with 3 cars, 2 army guys, 1 bakugan, a mini water gun and a binki out of his pockets. He loves his pockets and it always makes me smile.

Baby #3

Baby #3 is on its way and making me bigger than ever.... the things we do for these little ones! I am currently 16 weeks and the baby is the size of an avocado. So far this pregnancy has been the easiest of all... don't know if that is good or if it means that I am in for a child to make up for the ease but either way I feel blessed to feel good. We find out on the 27th of June what this little "avocado" is. Jared and I are both betting boy but I thought the other 2 would be girls... so much for my "mothers intuition."

Jared

(yes the picture is blurry... another one of cades discovered "talents" is a photographer. He is a little shaky but I love the picture and he is a crack up to listen to "direct" photos.)

This handsome young man turned 31 in May.... wow! We had a small birthday celebration for him and the boys truly enjoyed shouting "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!" to him every chance they got. We also celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary in May. Jared surprised me by taking me to the JW Marriot for the night and treating me to a night out on the town. He is such a good husband. He has been busier than ever and we couldn't be any more proud of him. We are all looking forward to the evenings we will get to spend with him at the pool now that it is light and hot when he gets home from work.

Lacey

(Once again, Cades photo. He directed me to be a ninja... here are my punches. He was happy and it made me laugh.)

I am doing well. I have spent a great deal of time with my camera and some amazing families, lots of fun. I have also spent a lot of my mental energy on trying to figure out, "what's next." We have sold our condo and have been trying to find a house to rent for a while. I thought that it would be so easy to just pick something... I was wrong. I know we will find something but in the mean time I feel like I am touring all the homes and neighborhoods of Henderson.

I have also been stressing over what to do with Cade next year. Although I am SO ready for him to start kindergarten we both know that he isn't quite ready yet. So that leads me to solving another dilemma... where to take him to preschool. Still don't know. Oh the decisions of a mother.

Now that summer, and 110 degrees, are upon us I have been trying to be creative and take the boys on adventures. We have recently gotten snow cones, (lots of them),

visited the pet store (Cade leaving in tears because a dog didnt leave with us)

and spent a great deal of time at the pool (hello sunscreen and chlorine).

We are all REALLY looking forward to our summer vacations and being able to spend time with our family!!

Happy Summer to everyone!

Leprechaun Day

A sneaky little Leprechaun visited our house this morning and left some surprises behind. The boys started the morning off with Green pancakes, Green eggs, Green milk, and "golden" banana coin slices. Beckam wasn't too sure what to do with the green eggs but they both pounded the milk all day because well... it was GREEN! They then headed off to a Green bubble bath because that silly little leprechaun "ran through the tub and made the water turn green."

The boys had a ball and were so excited about this days celebration that we decided to take Jared a green leprechaun snack. We arrived at the office with a green apple, green yogurt, green sobe drink and green junior mints.

The boys played outside all day long. It is finally so beautiful out doors and the boys have taken full advantage of the weather. They no longer play guns, football, lacrosse, light-savers, good guy/bad guy, baseball, and army inside.... they just haul it all outside.

After playing we were surprised with green frosted cupcakes from Jared.

Beckam preferred to lick the frosting and poke the cake...

Whereas Cade just inhaled the whole thing.

All in all we had a great St. Pattys day full of green surprises.

I have realized how much fun celebrating all the holidays can be with little ones around and I look forward to many more years of green pancakes and Leprechaun hunts.

Happy St Patrick's day!

Halloween Surprise

Halloween brought something different to me this year. Among all the screams, guts, ghosts, and monsters I found something unexpected... love. I have always loved my boys... adored them really, however I had also, unknowingly, fallen into a "tasking" mode. I had all my balls up in the air. All my duties, chores, and errands were lined up and checked off by the end of the day. Even though I might have been productive and I still loved my babies at the end of the day, I never realized how much I had missed... until I got sick. This past week I picked up some type of stomach bug. I was so sick, so tired, so dizzy and so consequently I spent a lot of time laying down. Literally being on the boys level allowed to spend more "slow" time with them. Time that I heard their tender words, their funny jokes, their witty comments, their new found words. Time that I saw their smiles, their new found independence, their growing understanding. Time that I felt their slobbery kisses, their big bear hugs, and their snuggles.

I have read many blogs over the past few years and have come across a couple of moms who would gush about how much they love their kids. Something that, honestly, kind of bugged me a bit. I didnt know if it was because I thought they were painting too "rosey" of a picture or if it was because I felt a tad bit guilty, I am not sure. However, something clicked inside of me this halloween season. As I spent this unrushed, uninterrupted time with my boys I started to realize how much fun they were. I found myself having more funny stories rather than frustrations. More laughs than time outs. More yeses than nos. And it was as we were walking the dark halloween streets, begging for candy, it donned on me... I am totally in love with these boys.

Are there still days that they make me crazy... yes.

Are there days that I am ready to turn in my "mom badge"... absolutely.

But am I totally in love with them... without a doubt.

How thankful I am to have realized, even if it was a little late, that their childhood is not coming back so I must enjoy it now. Now is the time to sit down and play games. Now is the time to roll the ball back and forth. Now is the time to listen because I will miss it if I don't take the time. Now is the time to soak them in.

(Bumblebee Transformer)

Halloween was great. Full of candy, candy, candy. I got to take the boys trick or treating. Cade would go as quick as he could from house to house and then stop to have a "candy break." Beckam insisted on walking. It took him FOREVER to get from house to house but he would get SO excited once he made it to the door. He would smile, speak some kind of gibberish, and then wave goodbye. He could make it for about 5 houses until he would just plop down out of sheer exhaustion.

It was a good holiday full of treats for us all.

(Boxing champ)

Stretch

I found myself thinking today... not always the best thing. I have had this little problem since I was young... I get REALLY nervous about anything new. New job, new town, new situations, new school years (my mom seriously thought I was going to end up in home school my 7th grade year I was so nervous... seriously pathetic... I know) anything that I cannot figure out in my mind before hand makes me really anxious. I found those same nerves creeping around inside of me as I thought about my soon departure to Texas on Friday. I am fortunate enough to be attending a photography workshop. I get time to myself, time to learn something new, time to dedicate to something I love. However, it is also something that will be done not only in a completely new arena but done completely by myself... double whammy in my book. I have spent the afternoon giving myself a pep talk, trying to calm my nerves and allow the excitement and anticipation take its place. I was honestly feeling a bit sorry for myself... in a really lame kind of way.

However my perspective was greatly and unexpectedly changed in the most unlikely of places... a baseball diamond specked with 5 and 6, and one 4 year-old boys. We signed Cade up to play coach pitch baseball this season. One requirement, he plays a year up. I have been excited for him to be able to really play but a little nervous (go figure) because he would be by far the youngest and most inexperienced player. As we walked toward the diamond where all the boys had already started practicing Cade says, "mom, they are all way bigger than me!" Not wanting him to worry I said, "no they aren't Cadeo, don't worry about it." He looks up, smiles, says, "oh, okay," and runs out to join them... not a care in the world. I watched him get a little frustrated but only needing a kind reassurance from his dad to pump him back up.

I spent the remainder of practice with knots in my stomach. I didn't want him to feel inferior. I didn't want him to get frustrated. I didn't want him to get hurt. I didn't want him to be scared. I didn't want him to be nervous. I asked Jared several times, "was this such a good idea?" "Are you sure he shouldn't play with the kids his own age this year?" "Are you SURE this is a good idea." Each time he calmly reminded me not to worry. I still bit my fingernails every time it was Cade's turn to hit or catch.

Once practice was over I stood by the dugout and watched my little 4-year-old come in with a smile. I listened as they talked amongst themselves, one said, "I am 6," and another boy responds, "I am 6 too!" and Cade enthusiastically adds, "I am 4!" I smile to see that the only time Cade is the same height as the other boys is when they are sitting and he was standing.

It was in those moments that I realized this is what life is all about, being stretched. This is what I want for my children, to become better, to reach higher, to push harder. It is just sometimes hard for a mommy to sit back and watch it happen. Even though, most of the time, I feel more stress, worry, and heartache for them than they do for themselves. I realized that the worry I felt for myself became so insignificant and paled in comparison for what I felt for my child. However, my child, the one I love so much, the one who could have felt so inferior, the one who really pushed the comfort barriers... just went for it. He didn't look back. He didn't dwell on the nerves. He didn't allow worry to hold him back. He believed in himself and just did it.

So, here I sit not only determined to cherish this lesson but to put it into action. If Cade can do it so can I. This is why we are here... right. To be stretched. To reach higher. To push harder. To become better.

So, wish me luck... I am off to stretch.

So, I started off tonight thinking I was the coolest mom ever...

Friday night and we decide to spend some quality time with the kiddos. Star Wars: Clone Wars is playing in the outdoor theater and so we assume the boys, or Cade, would be enraptured with the light savers, droids, shooting, and action.

We show up with our favorite blankets, yummy ice cream with all the toppings and all the excitement you can muster out of a 3-year-old... that is A LOT for mine. We grab the last open spot in the back and settle in.

10 minutes into our experience I start to panic and think that the movie is actually Mary Poppins. I figure I would give it a few minutes and see if Cade catches on. Just as that thought finishes he looks at me and, loudly, says, "HEY, this ISNT star wars!" I tell him that I knew that and that I think that I might have made a mistake.

15 minutes into the experience... Phew! Just a VERY LONG preview. Cade smiles, "You DIDNT make a mistake mom!! I am so proud of you!" Movie starts.

1 minute into the movie. Cade is humming, loudly, the Star Wars theme music and cheering with all the other boys in the crowd, "Star Wars is SOOOO cool!"

3 minutes into the movie. Ice cream gone.

5 minutes into the movie. Off to get some popcorn.

6 minutes into the movie. Popcorn spilled.

10 minutes into the movie. More popcorn.... gone.

20 minutes into the movie. Cade thinks that he is a Jedi knight. He is swinging his pretend light saver. Making gun noises, why can boys always make those noises!? and totally into the movie. I really am the coolest.

23 minutes into the movie. Beckam is screaming that he cannot push some ladies stroller around. Okay, its all good. We are outside. We don't have to be quiet the WHOLE time.

Getting irritated looks.

27 minutes into the movie. Jared takes Beckam for a walk.

28 minutes into the movie. Cade cries that he did not get to go with Jared. What was I thinking!!

35 minutes into the movie. All is settled. Cade is once again interested in the movie.

38 minutes into the movie. Cade is bored. I see families starting to pack up and leave. They are the smart ones!

40 minutes into the movie. Cade finds a friend. sweet little girl. they play. they laugh. they entertain each other. Okay, maybe this was an okay idea.

43 minutes into the movie. Another friend finds Cade. nice little boy. they both think they are jedis. they pretend to have light savers. they are not very good at not "accidently" hitting each other.

44 minutes into the movie. They are on the ground wrestling. Seriously, what is it with boys and wrestling!

45 minutes into the movie. he is really going to hurt that boy! Cade is back on the blanket with us.

47 minutes into the movie. They are all playing tag. We ask Cade to be a little bit more quiet. Jared looks at me and asks why our child is SO loud. Hmmmm, have you met his dad?

50 minutes into the movie. We remind Cade to be quiet, for the 10th time.

52 minutes into the movie. Beckam is eating all the popcorn that people have spilled on the ground. Gross!

55 minutes into the movie. Boys are on the ground brawling again.

56 minutes into the movie. Cade is back on the blanket. Has he even watched any of this movie!?

60 minutes into the movie. Tag... again. Cades first friend is now playing with Beckam. she is so sweet. this is such a long movie!

65-80 minutes into the movie. Brawling. blanket. brawling. blanket. brawling. blanket.

83 minutes into the movie. Cade is back on the blanket. somehow his attention was pulled back into the movie. Beckam is trying so hard to go to sleep. Just let this movie end already. do they really expect kids to get this movie!?

90 minutes into the movie. We are all excitedly humming the theme song to Star Wars. Cade says, "that was the best movie ever!"

In the end, was I the coolest mom ever? maybe. maybe not.

Could I have gotten away with turing on a cartoon for 30 minutes and sending them to bed? probably.

Would I be able to laugh at our experience of "going to a movie" if we didn't go. nope.

Was it worth it? maybe.

Will we do it again next week? probably.

Moms really do a lot to be cool for a 3-year-old.