March

The boys are getting so big, so animated, so vocal, and so much fun.  For the first time since this whole thing started, I can honestly say the work and the fun are starting to balance each other out.  I said starting.  :)  There are still moments when I want to pull my hair out of course, but overall these boys are just the sweetest little blessings ever.  

Last Sat. morning....all snuggled up in our jammies reading (some half naked, as usual)

Derek, Andrew, Micah

Lots of our snow melted here at the beginning of March, and we had a few nice days, which the boys loved! A, D, M, T

Derek & Andrew

Andrew man.  I love it when babies squat for some reason!  :)

Derek & Tyler

This is how awesome of a daddy Evan is.  He got home from work, and the boys all told him that he was "very sick."  He needed to lay down, and they piled about 10 blankets on top of him.  Derek got out the stethoscope and was listening to Ev's arm, hand, etc.  Micah and Andrew, as you can see, have syringes and empty medicine bottles, and about every 5 seconds he was getting a syringe of "medicine" in his mouth.  Also in this picture, Tyler is carefully pulling off pieces of tape that were being used as "band aid's", and was sticking them all over Evan's face.  This kept the boys busy for about 45 minutes. I was definitely encouraging this game. SO HILARIOUS!!!

Tyler had his first big boy birthday party which he went to all by himself!  He had to dress up as a "fighter guy".  He had so much fun!!

Tyler goes to preschool a couple mornings a week and more and more tells me how much he loves it.  His teacher said he's so well behaved and does really well.  Oh. My.  What an amazing thing for this mama to hear!  Tyler is the happiest when he has either a piece of rope or caution tape, a clamp or stick or tape of some sort.  As long as he can be tying things together or making barricades that block people from going somewhere he's really happy!  He's such a little boy!

The boys are always always better when they are busy.  They need lots of projects.  I've had them all take rags and wipe off the kitchen chairs, move books from one side of the room to the other, put clothes away, help unpack the dishwasher, wash windows, etc.  I seriously make up things for them to do to keep them busy.  They stay out of each others hair much better then, and they always ask to do more!  Here is Micah helping me unload the washer.

The weather has been crazy....freezing one day and nice the next.  We always go outside.  Here is Micah on a freezing day.  Micah is talking in such complete thoughts and his speech is so well developed. He uses the correct pronouns and tenses of verbs most of the time.  Or maybe I just notice his more b/c he's SO LOUD and talks all the time.  :)  He's also still very rambunctious.  He hits his brothers often and then takes off running.  Usually I'll just see him running and then someone starts crying and saying, "Micah do dat again!!" so I haul him off to yet another time out.  Usually when I tell him that he is not allowed to hit he says in a really sweet, fakey, sing songy voice, "I'm not doing anything...."  Oh. No.  Tyler even runs from him.  I'm laughing as I'm writing this.  Our life is such a circus!!

As far as personalities go, Andrew is just a little lover.  He's so sweet.  He always wants to snuggle or sit on my lap, and he's just so laid back.  Micah and Derek can be screaming about something or whining, and Andrew is just always fine.  When Andrew talks, much of what he says is perfectly pronounced, and he's into making up words right now which he knows is really hilarious.  He's such a happy, funny little boy.  Not much bothers him, but when it does he tries to get his way in a different way.  He whines more than screams his lungs out, which is what his brothers find most effective.

And Derek is such a sweet natured kid.  He's SO big for being 2 (like....him and Tyler could about share shirts), and he screams louder than I've ever heard a kid scream when he wants his way, but overall, he wants to make everyone happy and make sure he's in me and Evan's good graces.  He always is saying, "right, mommy?" so that I will agree with him on whatever he's talking about.  He loves to sing, he's a rule follower, and he is still such a jokester.  He's always looking for ways to make us all laugh -- like doing his "mad eyes" at the dinner table or pretending like he wants to give you a bite of his food and then at the last second sticking it in his own mouth.  Sometimes he'll just come stand right next to you and stick his tummy out and look at me like, "come on...tickle me so I can laugh!"  And his laugh is so contagious and deep and genuine that you can't help but laugh every time he does.

Sometimes riding your trikes is just more fun in the backyard on the rocks.  ????  Tyler and Derek

I just need to capture this image.  It's driving me crazy, so I don't kn ow why I want a picture of it, but I just need to show you what our entry room floor looks like right now.  We have snow boots, rain boots, crocs, shoes, hats and mittens for playing in the snow, winter coats, spring coats, baseball hats.  This in between season stuff is not good for our entry room organization!

Our night time routine is getting much more manageable.  It still probably seems like an assembly line compared to most homes, but it works good.  We usually put a show on that they like b/c it's seriously the ONLY way they will sit down right now.   Then Evan and I get to work.  We get the diapers and jammies, and start changing everyone into their PJ's, then it's snacks for everyone, and when there's 5 min. left in the show, they get drinks of water, and then we brush everyone's teeth.  Andrew is the most cooperative for sure.  Derek is getting better.  And Evan and I usually take turns doing Micah b/c he's the least cooperative!  :)
Then we all march down the steps, and to get them in to their room, we have say, "Where do you guys sleep again??  In the bathroom?"  all three say, "NO!!" and we keep guessing where their beds are.  They usually want to run in and show us their beds right away, as opposed to two of them running back up the steps and hiding, or running laps upstairs.

Just this week they started really getting in to singing, so before I go out every night we sing a couple of songs.  "Jesus Loves Me" and "Twinkle Twinkle" are their favorite.  I can't even tell you how sweet it is to hear those three little baby voices coming out of their beds singing "Jesus loves me this I know...."  Definitely a highlight of my day.  Then when we say "I love you" before we walk out, all of them echo "I love you mommy, I love you daddy."  Such sweet rewards...

And really....will it ever stop being fun to ALL be in the tub together?  This looks like fun now, at the beginning of the bath, but by the end, I was totally soaked and regretting letting them all get in together.  They are for sure naughtier together!!

Sweet little Andrew.  Pants-less scooter driver holding on to his Cars book.  Andrew LOVES books and is always the first one to ask me to read to him.

Tyler and Derek are the best of buddies.  Their personalities are SO similar, and they love playing together.  Derek wants to do everything Tyler does and really looks up to him already.

And how amazing is this picture?  My best friend Shelly and her family was in town unexpectedly for Ryan's grandpa's funeral last week, so we got to see them for a few hours!   Here are her 6 year old triplet girls and all my boys.  And the most exciting news of all is that after many years of trying to have another baby, and then giving up on trying exactly one year ago, Shelly is pregnant!!  Yes, it's only ONE baby this time, and we are just rejoicing with her and Ryan and the girls in this.  When will we learn that God works on his own timing?!
Derek, Addison, Andrew, Hailey, Micah, Emily, Tyler (we're going to need a bigger couch soon!)

And this picture is pretty amazing, too.  This sweet little girl is Maci.  She was born a few weeks before our boys at 24 (ish?) weeks weighing 1 lb, 6 oz.  She spent months in the NICU and was there when our guys were there for a few weeks after they were born.  Her amazing parents have been through so much.  Maci's mom, Janelle, is first cousins with Shelly, so she came over when Shelly was at our house.  Maci is a little miracle baby, and is doing SO great!  Derek, Andrew, Maci, Micah

A rare shot where no one is running away!  Derek, Andrew, Micah

My little biker gang....ha ha!  They all begged to wear sunglasses that day!

Andrew on his beloved Fire Truck.  It comes in the house with us, outside with us, in the sandbox, etc. etc.

Micah on the tractor....

And Derek on his trike which he calls a "scooter"....  Tyler wouldn't stop riding circles around me to let me take a picture.  :)

Potty training is going okay.  I'm taking it slow, and trying to keep it fun.  Giving marshmallows for a reward has been a great trick.  My boys will do anything for a marshmallow.  They're getting the hang of it for sure, but it is once again such a circus.  Here's how it usually goes:  One decides they need to go potty and they strip totally down in the middle of the living room and run to the bathroom.  Then another decides, then another.  So I have 3 naked boys in the bathroom now.  By the time I get there, at least one has missed the potty chair and peed on the floor.  #2 has sometimes stepped in the pee by this time, so I'm disinfecting the floor and cleaning off a little foot (again).  I've also just decided to keep all rugs out of the bathroom.  Not worth it!

The boys get so excited after they pee that they pick up their potty chair WITH PEE IN IT and bring it to me to show it to me if I'm not right in there.  One day, I was in a different room, not even knowing they were going potty, and pretty soon all three were standing in the room behind me, on the carpeted floor, holding their potty chairs that were full of pee.  We amazingly have not had any spills as a result of that, but it freaks me out.  They are amazed at their pee.  When they go, they are so excited about it that they about stick their heads right in it b/c they have to get their faces so close to it to see it good.

And yes, we take baths together, we eat together, we ride trikes together, and....we go to the bathroom together.  Life is just more fun together, ya know?