Sweet Peter

Well, please keep our nephew Peter & his family in your thoughts & prayers. They've had a rough few weeks since he had an accident at home and badly injured 2 fingers. It happened 3 weeks ago, but today he got his cast off his arm & it was a lot to handle for the family. He's only 2 1/2 and is doing well, but still has healing to do. We love all of them & hope each day gets easier for them. If you want to know more on what happened you can click to their blog here then the update here or at my link on the side "The Grahams."

Christmas: lots of fun, few pictures

Well, to be honest, we did get some of Christmas recorded on video, but very few photographs were taken. I think things went very quickly and Patrick & I pretty much had our hands full with someone at all times, so we didn't really have a hand for the camera. So, unfortunately, not too many good pics to post from the big day. We did the "elfyourself" (click the link here or below) thing, though, so you can watch that little video with the kids on it: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1456985371
ENJOY!

For Christmas this year we were with Patrick's family here in the Kansas City area. On Sat., we went to his parents for a visit with his Uncle Chuck & Aunt Marla who were in from Texas. We had a great visit and spent most of the day there. On Christmas Eve, we were with his family at his parents. We went to to overcrowded 4pm mass at our church and then headed over. I might add that the whole mass thing worked out well. You know how you have to be there like an hour early on these days? Well, we knew we wouldn't last that long, so we planned on being there about 25 minutes early. However, as usually happens, it's hard to actually get out of the house on time. So, we actually got to church about 3:55pm. OBVIOUSLY, we knew we would not have a seat. We were in the back in the lobby. The kids did great, though. Leyton & Nathaniel sat quietly on the floor & Patrick held Jacob, I held Leah. I was pleased with the results. We actually stood next to Scott & Bridget Davis, who we knew from college & previous jobs. I talked to Bridget & she told me they got there at 3:20pm. Ha, my response immediately was how glad I was we didn't get there sooner as we would have been in the same spot! Lucky us. I guess they probably didn't feel the same. I think their 2 girls were doing well, but ready to go.

The Christmas Eve party was a lot of fun and all of Patrick's family was there. We also had a few other extended family members there, so it was probably on the order of 35 people or so. We opened gifts after snacks and finally got home around 11:00pm or so.

The kids opened their presents on Christmas morning. I think this is our last year to kind of sleep in before the crack of dawn mornings begin. They didn't really know to go look under the tree. We enjoyed it while it lasted. They noticed the gifts around 8:30am & probably by 8:32am, it seemed we were finished. (Maybe that's a big exaggerated, but not much)

I think some of the favorite gifts were: golf clubs, Thomas trains, dump trucks, legos. Another thing they got were little band kits with about 7-10 instruments - they are enjoying making their own Jim Cosgrove bands. Leah was laid back & we went light on her. She did get lots of clothes this year, though. I laughed in anticipation of how things will change under the tree in a couple more years! We spent the whole day at home and enjoyed it very much. The kids were in bed early & got good rest to get back to normal the next day when Patrick was back to work.

On 12/26, my parents arrived in KS for a few days with us & my sister Beth. We always love their visits. They of course brought some more gifts for the kids to open from them & my brother Ben & sister-in-law Rachel: art easel w/ art supplies, lego table that Grandpa made, more trucks, trains, toy vacuum, etc.

We really had a nice Christmas. Such busy times, though. I feel it's just been so busy. Next items on the agenda: 1/3 is Patrick & I's 10 year anniversary! time flies. Then 1/7 is Leyton & Nathaniel's 4th birthday. Need to keep planning & keep shopping a few more weeks!

I must say we had a great Christmas.

Frosty the Snowman

The other day I was showing the boys some things on the computer. I found on YouTube a little 2-3 minute video about Frosty the Snowman. I was actually looking for the good old traditional Rudolph show with Burl Ives, but didn't find it. Anyway, they really enjoyed watching it. So much so that now every time I get on the computer, Jacob wants to watch something...that's been tricky. Anyway, we've never talked about Frosty, but it seems they really paid attention. A few days later, Nathaniel told me that he wanted a Frosty the Snowman for our house. He said, "I want a Frosty the Snowman for us. I want a snowman that walks around and runs." Wow, he was watching. I actually spent a good amount of time trying to explain to him that it was not possible for us to have a snowman that walked around. I told him that it was just pretend and that he didn't really walk around; that it was just a story. The response, "Well, he did it on the computer?! I want one that walks around." Well, long story short, we went a few more rounds of explanation-protest-explanation-protest and then the conversation died. I don't think he is content with the outcome, but wouldn't it be neat if you could really have a snowman that walked around with you?! If anyone finds one, let me know!

Wonderful Gratitude

So last Friday I had an appointment with a dermatologist. I didn't have anyone lined up to watch the clan, so we took a field trip to KU Med. I was curious how this would pan out with all 4 of them at my 1:00pm appointment (perfectly in the time of Jacob's nap & usually Leah's). On the way there, we listened to their requests for music: Chatahootchie (spelling?) & Tall Tall Trees - Alan Jackson sings these - you can ask the boys & they know what he looks like. Anyway, amidst the music playing, Leyton & Nathaniel were talking a mile a minute & trying to fight for my attention & my answers...they needed a response with each comment to know I was listening, you know, like "Hey Mom?" or "OK, Mom?" or "What is... or Right Mom?". Anyway, I could barely keep up with trying to answer them or to even get through to them to talk one at a time as well as drive sanely. Anyway, I was thinking I was going to have to bow out, but then Leyton said, "Mom, don't I have a lot to say?" I stopped there & admired them & thought how much I love hearing them talk & knowing what they're thinking. I said, "Yes, Leyton, you have a lot of information and I really appreciate you sharing it with me." He said, "Mom, yeah, and curious is like figuring things out (we learn this from Curious George) - I'm curious." I couldn't agree more and am very happy they're curious.

Anyway, we made it to KU, parked in the garage & walked everyone in. I skipped the stroller because I figured the appt. room would be small anyway. So luckily they appt. was pretty much on time. In the room, the doctor pointed to Jacob & asked how old my youngest was. I pointed to Leah who he didn't see & said 2 months. Anyway, I figured they weren't looking forward to having us all in the small room. HOWEVER, the kids were perfect. There was no screaming, no touching everything, no hanging on me, etc. They just sat & watched and didn't make a peep. I just couldn't believe it. I was very grateful.

After that, we went down to the pharmacy to say hi to my coworkers. Everyone was glad to see us. The boys wouldn't say a word. But, we did get some chocolate, so that made them happy. We then went to the satellite pharmacy in the heart hospital where I sometimes staff as well, which is a decent walk for all of us. Anyway, they gladly walked there & then we headed back out to the car. I was just so pleased with how the day went considering in all, we were dealing with the appointment in some fashion & the visit for about 3 hours.

After we were driving home, they boys said (& have also said several times since Friday), "Mom, thank you for taking me to your appointment at Jayhawk Hospital with you. Thank you , Mommy." It was all so special since I had no idea they would feel so privileged to be on this routine type trip with me. It made me feel good that they thought it was so neat to go.

Since Friday, we did an angel craft project at home. Then that night of the project, they told me, "Thank you Mommy for doing the angel project and for taking me with you to Jayhawk Hospital with you. Thank you Mommy." Then yesterday was their "Happy Birthday, Jesus" party at school. They wanted me to come for the party. I hadn't planned on it as Jacob & Leah & I were going to run some errands. But, they asked me to come, so I figured I would. It seemed they were so happy we came. I got some more, "Thank you Mommy for coming to my party at my school" with a big hug multiple times yesterday. Seems it really meant a lot to them - and to me. All these times, it is said with such genuine sincerity I can't help but smile.

They've been very grateful lately and it just makes my heart melt when they make the sweet comments...I'll take them anytime, but sometimes they're really when you need to hear them most.

Happy Birthday, Jacob! (12/12)

Last Wednesday, our little guy turned 2. It's like a big time of reflection, I think. Not that you don't watch you child each and every day and realize what they do, how they talk, etc., and even though you know the birthday is coming, it's just different after it actually gets here. So he's 2. He's a sweetheart with a strong personality and a vocabulary that's growing each day. He seems like a little boy now, not a baby or much of a toddler. I'm amazed lately at how he picks up on more and more songs & repeats a lot of what others say. He's been singing Jingle Bells, and Put Down the Binkie (Jim Cosgrove) and he actually sings a good number of words in a little spurt. I really love that he does it and then once he realizes you're watching, he becomes more shy about it and just grins. He's so cute. He's also really developing his thought processes and knows that certain events have certain outcomes, etc., or can relate things without having them literally in front of him. I'm having trouble with an example of that right now, but I know that when he does it, I just think, wow, he's really thinking. Another big thing is that he's lately been asking to sit on the potty. No progress yet, but he'll ask to sit there, which is a good start. I guess one other thing about him is he's been kind of a clean clean guy! He has been taking at least one shower in the morning (just because he wants to) & then loves his bath at night. So cute. He likes bringing Leah her "fire" (pacifier), gives the big boys their blankies, & will tell everyone goodnight. We love him so much and have enjoyed the celebration of his birthday.

He loved the gifts he got. One of the current faves is the trash truck which has a wonderful beeping sound, you know like when a truck is in reverse?! Well, the catch is that he can push the lever down and it starts beeping...it doesn't stop! Yep, no automatic shutoff on that one. He'll leave the room for a while to do something else & you can try to be sneaky & shut it off. Sometimes, though, you get caught & he turns it back on just for the sake of having it on. Oh well, he's just having so much fun. He also got tools, books, some aquadoodle coloring mats, Thomas the train pieces, legos, & some other trucks. Lots of fun. We had Elmo cake & celebrated at home.

A few vocabulary terms...

Here are a couple things I've heard at home lately:

Stunk: a black and white animal that smells bad (maybe you know it as a skunk)

Lyrics to Rudolph..."and if you ever saw it, you would even say it GROWS."

Items hanging on the tree..."my dad calls them ornaments, but I call them decorations."

Fire: a small device used (often shoved by others) into baby Leah's mouth to calm her (Jacob's term for pacifier - no we don't really put flaming objects near her at all)

Recent Pictures

Bacon Soda?

Today we made chocolate chip cookies; fun was had by all. We were adding the ingredients - they all take turns adding ingredients and then they eat some chocolate chips while we wait. Cookies sure do taste best right out of the oven, don't they? Well, when we added the baking soda, they called it bakin soda, which made me thing of bacon soda. I asked Leyton why is it called bacon soda if it is not bacon and it's not soda. He said in a funny way, "I don't know; that's pretty silly." I think it is. Jacob LOVES bacon & well, we all love soda. So it became a funny little discussion. It reminded me of an old Seinfeld episode when George talked about words and if they sound like good words or not so good. I recall he really thought manure was inappropriately named. You see, since it's made of "ma" - like mom - obviously good, and "nure" - like newer - as opposed to older, so must be better too. So he basically thought the word was made of good parts, yet together not the most appealing. Anyway, enough laughs for the day.

Y-M-C-A!

So a little funny thought or two about the boys. Last weekend my brother got married as I have mentioned. One of his good friends, Jason, is a fireman in St. Louis. At the rehearsal dinner, I was telling them that he was a fireman. As he was dressed up, they seemed a bit confused since he obviously didn't LOOK like a fireman! Ha. In any event, Jason offered to bring the boys some firehats to the reception. So, at the formal reception, we had our boys in their plastic firehats (& also with their fireman badge stickers & firetruck tattoos). Thanks Jason! Then (to explain the YMCA title) on the way home, we were about a mile from the house when we came to a stoplight. We discuss stoplights often, mostly to the extent that we can't go when it's red, but have to wait until it's green. Well, Patrick was driving and decided to basically run the light - we were actually pretty late getting it. So, it did turn red when we went through. Well, the boys noticed! Leyton especially was very concerned. He kept saying, "Dad, it's red, we can't go, you have to stop; Dad, the light is red, WAIT!" Well, we didn't know what to say exactly, so we didn't really say anything. We'll watch that even closer in the future! Ha, so there you have it; wasn't there a fireman and policeman in the Y-M-C-A song/band thing? Maybe not, but it still seemed kind of fitting.

Well, I managed to get one of Leah's baptism pics up. Here she is. She looks kind of happy, too. Hopefully the gown is somewhat visible as well.

Just had to throw this one in, too. The holidays are coming, as you can see! Nathaniel decided he should WEAR the stockings! He's a boy with a style all his own!

Mom works??

I'm a bit nervous about the weeks to come when I will likely be working some again. The boys were usually quick to respond about where I work. However, I think they've really gotten used to me being home. When my sister Beth asked them where I work, they gave her a strange look and answered 1) she doesn't (WHAT?), then 2) my mom works at home. We clarified to see if they would remember where I worked and they stuck with - no, my mom works at home. I asked Nathaniel about this and he said, "Well, you have to feed your daughter! She'll get hungry." So considerate. I did appreciate that I at least got credit for working at home! Precious boys.

Big Weekend Ahead

This coming weekend marks a big family weekend as well...my brother is getting married. We'll be heading to my parents' on Friday. The boys are looking forward to cake and soda and possibly mints. You know, the fun things at weddings! We will be bringing up the gifts during the ceremony. Hopefully that will go smoothly. I think (hope) Jacob & Leah will be carried, Leyton & Nathaniel will hopefully carry the gifts. We'll see how it goes. We're looking forward to seeing more of the family & celebrating this special event.

Baptism

On Sunday, Nov. 25, we celebrated Leah's baptism. It was wonderful. When I get a chance, I'll post a picture or two. Patrick's oldest sister Stacy & her husband Pat are the godparents. Leah wore a gown that my mom made (she's made one for each of the kids). It is beautiful and it looked great on her. Thanks Grandma! It was a special end to the Thanksgiving weekend as we had family over for a family brunch before the mass & baptism. We had a great crowd. I know it is a busy time of year and we really appreciated that so many were able to take time from their busy schedules to celebrate with us. It means a lot.

Leah at 6 weeks

Well Leah is now about 7 weeks. She had a dr. appt. last Friday & weighed 10lb 6.4 oz. & is 22.5 inches long. Growing quickly, smiling a lot, much enjoyed by all.

Dad's Tools No Longer Needed

In the midst of organizing & straightening in the last couple weeks, we found so many of the boys' toy tools. They were so excited to see so many of them together again. We talked about how helpful it is to keep stuff together like that so you know where to find it & so you have the full set (or at least several pieces) & can really enjoy playing. I told them that maybe we could give Dad back his tools since they had so many now (since they "borrow" his all the time & he can never find any when he needs them). Nathaniel told me, "Yeah, we can give Dad's back. We don't need them anymore. That's why I used Dad's, because I didn't know where mine were." I thought that was funny. I'm sure that's completely why they have spread all Dad's tools around the house - including each socket for the socket set!

Family Pictures

On Friday this week, we did go to the mall as a family...but not to shop. We had some family pictures taken. Would you believe that we actually got pictures of everyone - the family along with pictures of each individual child! I was completely and pleasantly surprised that we were able to accomplish this as it was somewhat stressful getting ready for the event. I was prepared to not get anything. I was so happy with the service we received as well given that we are probably not the easiest group to photograph. Especially with Jacob, who was totally not wanting to participate. After we were finished & were viewing the pictures, they gave him another chance as we had not gotten any of him individually. I appreciated that they were willing to try again...low & behold, we got some adorable shots. We had them taken this time at Flash! Digital Portraits. So far, I would highly recommend them. You can view some of our portraits from their website. If you want to see them, let me know & I'll give you our password.

Spitting is OK

Lately the boys have been spitting some. Not really spitting I guess, but just the strawberry type noise that emits a bit of moist spray. I've been telling them that we don't spit, but they just laugh & keep doing it. They really enjoy it. One time recently I once again reminded them not to do it. The response I got was again related to their idol - JIM COSGROVE (who by the way was mentioned on their Thanksgiving turkeys for school as something they're thankful for). Nathaniel told me, "Well, Jim Cosgrove spits." I said that I was pretty sure he doesn't. He told me that in fact he did when he sang the green alligator song...this song is about the unicorns and when they disappeared because they didn't get on the ark. In the song, Jim sings about green alligators, long neck geese, humpty back camels, and chimpanzees...cats, and rats, and ELEPHANTS (which is followed by a hand motion and an elephant noise similar to the noise the boys make but I don't think he sprays when he does it). Anyway, just funny how much they think of him & all the details.

Thanksgiving Fun

Thanksgiving has come and gone already. We had a wonderful time with family. This year was the year to be with my family and we actually celebrated at our house. My parents came to town and my sister and her family were in from Dallas. My younger sister Beth also joined us for the day. It was nice getting the house cleaned up for the gathering - we always say how we think it looks good when we are getting ready for company as it's rarely that decluttered otherwise! The boys had fun with their four visiting cousins - Alex, Allison, Nicholas & Peter. I think they all enjoyed meeting Leah. Allison & Alex seemed to enjoy holding her. Allison also read books to Leyton & Nathaniel & they enjoyed that very much. We missed my brother as he was not able to make it for the celebration. His big week is next week...finishing touches on the house before the big wedding to Rachel on December 1.

Our growing daughter

Leah is doing great. 5 1/2 weeks already, it's hard to believe. We'll get her size update on Friday at her well child visit. It seems she's a night owl, though, as most evenings she prefers to stay up, wide awake with mom & dad until 11:30pm or so. Some nights she's willing to lie in bed & fall asleep on her own, but others she prefers to hang out with us for a while. It's nice spending the one-on-one time with her, but it does cut into the sleep for mom & I don't really want my infant to get too used to staying up half the night! Ha. I'm sure we'll get that in order. She's a cutie, though. For the past week or so, she's started smiling when I talk to her. It's very cute. The boys want her to smile at them, too. We'll work on that. Leyton held her for a long time today. I admire his patience. She was actually quite upset and screaming, but he just sat there & didn't move. I would ask him if he was doing ok or if he was finished. He said no & that he wanted to hold her longer. Shortly after that, I gave her a pacifier & covered her up. It was about a minute & she fell asleep. We helped Leyton feel like a hero for putting his baby sister to sleep. He (well all of them are) is a cutie.

Bathtism

Next Sunday, we are having Leah baptized. We are looking forward to this and have been talking to the boys about it. Today in church, Leyton was asking about it. He said, "When is Leah's 'bathtism' going to be? When are they going to pour water on her head?" "Is that her bathtism?" I answered him and explained that her baptism was next Sunday and yes, that is when they will pour the water on her head & welcome her to the church, etc. His logic was right on, though, since obviously, there is some similarity in the bath & the baptism!

Jacob's Songs

We've really been enjoying Jacob's singing lately. You can catch him just playing or walking around singing a tune. We've heard: "Red Wagon" (Jim Cosgrove song), "Ta ra ra boomteay" (not sure of the spelling, but it's on a Sesame Street CD), and then there's the random "la la la, etc." It's just cute because he does it and doesn't even know anyone might be listening. Then if you look at him, he looks back & smiles & keeps singing. It's quite enjoyable. He seems to be enjoying himself, too.

Pictures...Halloween, Etc.

Our Johnny Cash Hit Song List

All 3 boys really like Johnny Cash music & like to sing. The other day, Leyton had a striped shirt on & said, "Mom, I got stripes, stripes around my shoulders." Cute.
Their top favorites (not in any specific order)...
- Stripes (also one of my favorites)
- Get Rhythm
- Ring of Fire (they say Ring de Fire)
and now I'm forgetting some...I'll add to this one later...I'm feeling interested to see the update on the KU vs. OSU football game going on now.

I'll also still post some belated Halloween pics & an update on Leah.

Happy Birthday, Patrick!

Friday was Patrick's birthday. We all enjoyed our birthday party at home with dinner, presents, and the firetruck cake that they really wanted to make for him. It took a lot of our day to do this cake project, but that's what Leyton & Nathaniel really wanted, so we did it. I think they enjoyed it. They picked chocolate cake to make, yet they haven't eaten any bites of actual cake (Leyton meticulously scrapes off only the frosting; Nathaniel picks around at the cake & frosting, but I doubt he eats even 2 bites - always been his style with some of these sweet desserts - we feel safe giving him as big of a piece as he wants because we know he never eats it - no different this time). Jacob enjoyed the cake, too, but really just plays with it; maybe he ate a little. Fine with us - then we don't have to cut them off or tell them no about the cake all the time! I think Patrick had a nice day. We gave him shirts, a book, and a CD (Highwaymen - has Johnny Cash so the boys were excited as they really like Johnny Cash). That just gave me an idea on the next post - the Johnny Cash update.

Date Night - Garth Brooks!

Well, we lucked out on last Wednesday night. Patrick & I went out for a total of about 3 hours, but we saw some great entertainment! Patrick was invited through work to see one of the Garth Brooks shows in KC at the new Sprint Center. We had a great time. We were in a suite & enjoyed a great view with food & drink along with it. We arrived during the break between Trisha Yearwood & Garth & then stayed for the Garth part of the show. Patrick is not really a fan, but was still entertained. He really did a great job and seemed to really be enjoying himself. The boys and Leah were in great hands at home, so we enjoyed the short break and good conversation with one another that is sometimes hard to find the time to enjoy.

1st Parent Teacher Conferences

Well this week was a busy one (I guess now I see I haven't posted anything). I felt it was pretty busy. Tuesday we had our first conference at school which went well. The boys are both doing very well. It was nice to get a progress report. It was funny because it sounds like there had been a little bit of mixing up on colors; it was mentioned, for example, that at some point Leyton mixed up blue with purple. However, it was funny that before we knew this, Leyton had a discussion with Patrick about his crayons. He one evening told Patrick, when he picked up the blue, "this one is blue, but I think the paper looks purple." After the fact, this all made more sense why there was the detailed description on the blue crayon. Seems they know the colors actually, so that is good and is what we expected. I guess at school one day, Leyton had this issue come up and there must have been some discussion. Seems their teacher is enjoying them, though and it sounds like they're actually playing well with others and not always playing just with their brother. That was one thing I wondered about going in. I'm happy with their progress and they are still enjoying school.

The Gift of Time

So all the talk about energies reminded Patrick & I about another cute thing the big boys do at night when we're reading books in their room. When we tell them we're out of time & it's time to sleep, sometimes they'll reach in their imaginary pocket and hand us some time. "Here you go, Dad, here's some more time." If only it were that easy.

A Bit More on Energies

I was going to avoid going into the whole thing with costumes, but things changed on Halloween. Originally, the Bob the Builder costume was bought for Nathaniel (about a month ago) & Leyton was going to be Thomas. It wasn't until about a day before that they happened to switch ideas. OK, no problem. Although I was concerned they'd both want to be the Bob when it came time. Well, on Wed. afternoon they did end up napping & got some more energies. Nathaniel told me he had a lot in his basket now and that he would share them. Whew, because I felt like I could use some. However, when he woke up, he told me he also wanted to be Bob. There you have it; so we started (while Leyton was still sleeping) trying to assemble a second Bob costume with toys we had. We were making good progress. Then Leyton woke up. I said, "Leyton, what do you want to dress as?" He said Thomas! YEAH. So they switched through their nap. Is this like a belated case of Twin-to-twin transfusion (ha, ha)? Anyway, we did a switcharoo on costumes with them; Jacob was a great M&M & Leah was definitely cute. I'll put up some pictures this weekend. We all had a nice Halloween. We ran out of candy a bit sooner than expected & rounded up a few more treats around the house & still were out around 8pm. The 3 boys had fun visiting neighbors on our street; they didn't do the whole street, but seemed very content with their treats. Jacob walked quite a bit so I am sure that contributed to not going farther. They asked when it would be Halloween again and what they could dress as. Hopefully the time isn't here too quickly! They grow fast enough already!

Happy Halloween! Nap or treat!

Well, last night left me a bit more tired. I think between 2am and 5am, I was only laying in bed for about 5-10minutes because Jacob & Leah were waking up. Anyway, I thought that this afternoon, maybe I'd get the big boys to take a little nap (so I could do the same!). Jacob is asleep, Leah is asleep; Leyton & Nathaniel are not. I told them that we'd need a lot of energy to go trick-or-treating tonight so that maybe we should take a nap to get more energy. They both replied in a VERY serious manner...Leyton: "Mom, I actually already have a lot of energies in my pocket." Nathaniel: "I already have a lot of energies; they're in my basket. I don't need anymore." So there you have it; looks like I won't get a nap, but I did get a chuckle. Maybe I'll rest later...20 years later. Ha, ha. Hopefully we'll be able to get a few pictures of everyone tonight. Leyton: Bob the Builder, Nathaniel: Thomas the Train, Jacob: a green M&M, Leah: cute (that's the neat part - she can wear anything!).

Convenient Dinners

With the birth of Leah, I will admit that I have not been cooking very frequently. My mom was here and during that time, she cooked fairly often. In addition, some of our family and friends have very kindly brought a meal by for us to help us out during this busy time. We have been very appreciative. Tonight I was warming the dinner that was delivered to us by a friend from church. Nathaniel said to me, "Mom, so we can't cook dinner anymore?" I didn't really think about it much but I replied, "Well, sure we can. What do you mean?" He said, "Well, since we got our new baby, we can't cook dinner anymore?" I thought that was funny. I will cook again, but I really do appreciate the help we have received.

Great Big Brothers

They continue to be great big brothers. Jacob has as well, he's just harder

to catch for a picture when he's being loving or giving her kisses!

Halloween Approaches

So only a few more days until Halloween. Leyton & Nathaniel are going to be Thomas the train, Jacob will be an M&M. Leah may possibly wear a Halloween type outfit (not really a costume), but that depends if I make it to the store to get one. She won't be going out anyway, so we'll just see what we do. I think that on Monday we'll carve our pumpkins & get them ready to be jack-o-lanterns. Nathaniel has especially been looking forward to this. It will be a good "project" (they love doing projects). Hopefully the weather will be nice.

Date at Home

So we had a nice weekend this weekend. On Saturday, we once again went to see Jim Cosgrove. It was actually kind of nice because they had some raffles there and after the show I won a new coffee pot for us! It's a nice one (nicer than I'd buy I'm sure, and we actually needed a new one); it saved me a trip to the store! The boys had fun & Jim got to meet Leah. Saturday night Patrick & I had kind of a date at home. We ordered a nice meal from a restaurant we enjoy and ate it after the kids were asleep. We had a nice time & got to visit quite a bit more than we have lately.

Flying Solo

Well, I'm officially flying solo on the daytime duty with the kids now. My mom left today to go back home after staying for almost two full weeks. We have really appreciated her help with the house & with the boys. Hopefully she had fun as well?! Now she will go home to work on projects & business stuff until her wonderful vacation in Nov. to Cancun and then they'll be back here for Thanksgiving, then the following week is my brother's wedding.

I think I'll be able to handle the new routine just fine. I'm feeling good with the exception of being tired, but that won't change for some time. We'll work now on establishing our daily schedule of events that will hopefully allow us to still fit in everything we need to do (including Jacob's nap, feeding Leah, and maybe some fun stuff, too). Leyton & Nathaniel have really been playing well together & keeping occupied and that has been helping a lot. They are all such wonderful kids.

This weekend we'll go see Jim Cosgrove on Saturday morning. The boys are very excited for it and it will be a fun family thing to do. That is about it for now. Hopefully Patrick will have a break as he has worked a ton this week. I think as of Wed. when he got home at 4am, he had worked about 45 hours for the week in those 3 days. He slept well last night, so that is helpful for starters!

That's about it for now. Will try to post a few more pictures soon.

Preschool Open House

On Tuesday night, we had open house at preschool for the big boys. It was very nice. Leyton & Nathaniel had little signs to wear that had a checklist on the back. The front of the sign said "Preschool Tour Guide." The checklist was a list of things they were to show us at the open house: different art projects, their library, birthday book, brown bear, calendar, etc. They seemed to really enjoy showing off their classroom and their projects. Then we got to bring the projects home. That was fun, too, because it actually helped me understand a little better when they would sometimes mention projects that I hadn't seen yet. They'd tell me what they did and they were exactly right, I just didn't have the visual of the project to know that what they told me was exactly what they did. School still seems to be going well, so that is good. They had school pictures last week so we will anxiously await their arrival to see how well they turn out!

Looking back on the Labor & Delivery

I have thought about aspects of labor & delivery lately and the reactions received from nurses & doctors during the whole process. It leaves me with just a few questions...
1) When you arrive at the hospital thinking you are in labor, even if you are pretty sure it's the case, it's interesting how calm & unassuming the nurses can be. I guess that has to do with the fact that they have a lot of women come in thinking they are in labor, and some are and I'm sure a large number aren't. So, they can't really let on either way, but just go about their business to find out your particular status. Once they determine that, then the whole attitude seems to change. Like I thought labor was really going on (& it was), but at first the nurse was just kind of like, ok, um, let's check this out & get the monitors on, etc. Then they checked me for the first time & I was 7cm dilated so then they are like, well, ok are you ready to have a baby, because it won't be long.
2) When the whole pushing part is going on, the doctor and nurse were very encouraging. They were saying, "Oh, you're doing a great job, keep going, keep going, etc.; You're almost there..." With that I wonder, do they say that to everyone? Are you really getting closer or do they just say that to keep you motivated? It seemed so positive and I just wondered if that was really 100% sincere, or just a good cheerleader? Granted, my labors have been pretty short, so I guess I was getting things accomplished, but like I said, I just wondered if that was some talk to keep the moms going.

Anyway, random, but things I have thought about in the past week.

Our Newly Updated Life

Well, Leah is one week old today. She is doing well. We went to the doctor today and other than being a little jaundiced, she is doing great. She weighed 7lb 9.6oz today, so that's above her birth weight. Guess she's eating enough. She's a content little one and is doing pretty well on the whole sleeping thing, so that's good. She's just waking up about every 3 hours, and has been having one stretch closer to 4 hours. I'll take that! Here's a picture of her awake. To be honest, at this point, I must say Patrick gets to claim 3/4 of our kids as she looks like him in my opinion.

The boys are doing GREAT with her. Leyton is very good at enunciating her name with an emphatic LLLeah. They all like to say things like, "It's ok baby girl." "Hi baby girl." "Hi Leah." Etc. Nathaniel is such a sweet big brother. He is very protective and likes to hold her as much as he can. We were at Target the other day and he wanted to buy two outfits for "Leah Elizabeth." It was very sweet. He is always concerned with how she's doing. And then there's Jacob, who has been amazingly gentle! He says "Kisses" & puts his cheek to hers and he also pats her head very gently. He also says, "Hi baby girl." It is very cute. We really couldn't expect a better acceptance of her in my opinion!

Other than that, all else is pretty good. School continues to go well for the boys. They have really been telling some great stories lately about whatever comes to their minds. The other day, Nathaniel was telling me about how he still works at Pulte Homes and that he's busy there. But, he said he doesn't have any more mints; he ate all his mints there. (When Patrick worked at Pulte Homes, he would occasionally bring home mints for the boys, hence the story goes.)

The Home will be Changed Forever!

Well, we met our new arrival yesterday! On Oct. 11, 2007 at 1:26am, we welcomed Leah Elizabeth to our family. 7lb 5oz, 18 1/2 inches. Yes, a girl. I was surprised how different I felt as a mom immediately just realizing I'm no longer a boys only mom. It's very exciting. The boys are very excited, also, and love to hold Leah. The labor and delivery was smooth and Leah and I are both doing very well. I guess I was feeling like the time was coming because on Wed. night, I was just getting some things organized and totally ready for the next day. I also called Beth (our night on call person & wonderful aunt to watch the boys) and asked her to make sure she had her phone near her when she slept. We came to the hospital around 12:15 or 12:30am and I was about 6-7cm when they first checked me. So, it was good we came in when we did! We're actually going to be heading home late tonight. We were allowed to go a bit early, but I think we're ready. Pictures will follow. We are so happy to have our newest beautiful blessing!

Nathaniel's quick pic

Just can't leave out a picture of him?! I'm sure we'll have another one of him next week with Brown Bear!

Leyton has Brown Bear

The boys' class has a Brown Bear that each week goes home with someone different. Last week, Leyton had him. We write about what they did with Brown Bear in a little book and the story gets shared with the class. Nathaniel is very excited about his turn coming up this Thursday. He asks every day when it's his turn. They have a lot of fun with it and really take good care of Brown Bear!

Jacob says "CHEESE!"

Well, in the last couple of weeks, Jacob has turned a corner on posing. He has never wanted to sit for a picture before, but has now become quite a cutie when he sits & says "CHEESE"! Here's one or two from recently.

39 weeks & counting

So today marks my 39 week point. It was my last scheduled day of work this year. Strange feeling! I wonder when the baby will arrive? Who knows. I guess last Thursday, I was 50% & 2-3cm, so I guess there's some progress, but no big action yet. The boys are very excited that I'll be staying home for "a lot of days" now and they look forward to Grandma's visit. Shouldn't be long!

Random Thoughts & Comments

- When Jacob plays with trucks, he pushes them around and has to make "beep beep" noises as big trucks do when in reverse.
- Nathaniel told me today, "Mom, thank you for staying home with me all day." He also said, "This dinner is delicious" (I've never heard him say delicious before that)
- Leyton has a full body response to things and will say stuff like, "That is silly." This comes with a head shake, putting out the hands to the sides, etc. Very much into body language & facial expression.
- Leyton & Nathaniel both have been talking about things like the sky being wonderful or beautiful.

Fast Times and Slow Times

The slow times... Well, as far as the baby goes, the days are passing slowly. I feel good, but just don't know when the big day will be. I am now thinking I'll go overdue?! I figure, if it hasn't happened yet, I don't know how/why it'll change. Ha. I go to the doctor on Thursday, so I'll be curious to see if there is any sign (other than my stomach measurement) that the baby may come soon. We'll hope. I think Grandma & Grandpa would be okay with 10/4 as that's their anniversary! That would be fine with me. I'm still feeling pretty good, not uncomfortable, really, so that's good. I'm a bit worn out, but don't know if it's truly any more than usual. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

The fast times... the three growing boys currently in the house! Jacob got a haircut today - his first basic buzz cut. He looks quite different. It wasn't what I planned, but simply how it ended up in dealing with the time he allowed for it to be done and the amount of wiggling. Leyton & Nathaniel have crazy sock day at school tomorrow & are supposed to wear red. We're hoping to round up some Jayhawk or Chiefs socks for the day. Also, a neighbor dropped off two different things today - it may be a challenge to have these popular items shared. She brought us one set of Curious George pajamas (they love Curious George) and a Hawaiian type shirt with palm trees & lots of cars & trucks on it (yes, another shirt to fit the basic wardrobe they currently enjoy). I'm curious to see if it will work that we have one of each of these two different exciting things! The other school thing that came up today was that we were talking about cleaning up the legos on the sunroom floor (they are there almost all the time). I asked if we could clean them up & they said, "Actually, we only clean up at school." My response of course, "WHAT?" Ha, ha. Anyway, then they went on to say it was because there's "clean up music" at school and that's what determines their cleaning efforts. I have decided I must find out more about this magic music - couldn't everyone use such a thing?

I put Jacob down for nap today & Nathaniel always wants me to hurry with that & get back to him. Today he even said, "Mom, I want you to come out of Jakey's room because I like you to spend time with me." I made sure he knows how much I like it too.

I guess to top off the day, the weather was absolutely perfect, so much of the day, we were out side enjoying the sandbox, swingset, etc., & collected "nature things" in ziploc bags for fun.

Enough for one day.

Songs & Conversations

Friday night we ended up surprising the boys & taking them to see who else but - Jim Cosgrove. He was singing in Lee's Summit & their aunt, uncle & cousins invited us to join them at the show. Patrick's parents went as well. We went decked out in our typical attire, with guitars, and this time we even brought our guitar stands as they are new and the boys needed to show them to Jim. Jim talked to them before the show and did notice the stands and commented about them. He also introduced them during the show as his "mini-me's". It was neat for the boys. After the show, Mrs. Cosgrove also commented about the guitar stands. We had a great time. The whole drive there, Leyton & Nathaniel were pretending to be Jim & their blanky's were Jim's kids (Leyton's was Jim's younger daughter, Nathaniel's was Jim's older daughter). Every minute or second they would be saying something about, "Jim has to go to work tonight," or "Jim likes to sing Red Wagon," etc. Then, somehow between conversations, they each dozed off for a few minutes of the drive. When we arrived, we woke them & figured they would be back to being themselves & forget they had been pretending. Not a chance...Leyton woke up and said, "Dad, Jim's awake!" Too funny.

The other conversations of note are with Jacob. He is really talking and has things in good context. You can actually have a decent conversation with him. "What you doin'?" ... "Nothing, what are you doing?" "Playing." ... "Are you having fun?" "yeah." "Do you want to change your diaper?" "Yeah, powder, pwease." He's really funny. Also at night when you lay by him, if you try to get up, he'll usually tell you, "Lay down." Today in the car, the boys wanted to hear "Back where I come from" (Kenny Chesney) over and over (they even ask if I push the repeat button on the CD player to make sure it stays on). In the short delay between the end and when it restarts, he was saying, "come from, Mom, come from." It really made me think for a second to let that sink in. Of course he knew what he wanted, I just didn't realize he was listening to the lyrics! Ha.

That's about it for today. We're all worn out & ready for a good night's sleep.

Nathaniel's new lenses

Yesterday we were able to pick up Nathaniel's new lenses for his glasses. This is the 3rd prescription he's had for his glasses since January. However, this one seems to be very good for him. It was the cutest thing and made us feel so good that we have glasses for him! When the doctor put the glasses on him with the new lenses, he had the biggest grin ever on his face. I asked him if he liked the new lenses and he of course said he did. Then we went outside and he took off running. He seemed so happy. I don't know enough about vision prescriptions to know how different they are from the last one, but he definitely said he could see better. Then a few hours later, he said, "Mom, I really like my new lenses." I just thought that was so cute and what a simple thing to be grateful about! Makes me think even more how much it helps to have good healthcare & vision services to use - now that is money well spent in our household for the day!

Best Haircut Ever!

Today I was able to go get a haircut after Patrick got home from work. After that, he was planning to take Leyton & Nathaniel to a train display. Jacob & I planned to stay home and go for a walk after dinner. That all went well. The best part about the haircut was that after I was gone from the house for about 5 minutes & had just arrived for my cut, I received a phone call from home. They were updating me on their dinner plans. Patrick asked the boys what they'd like for dinner (I told them leftovers were available). Nathaniel said, "Mom is good at making dinners, but she's not here!" I thought that was cute. That was why they called; to tell me what he said. Then, when I got home, Jacob & Leyton were at the door when I got out of the car. Jacob called out his usual "Mommy's" & Leyton said, "Mom, your haircut looks nice." Patrick's reply, "I didn't say anything to them about it." That was pretty nice for a routine old haircut! We'll call it a good day.

We actually did have a great day. We also went to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch just as a fun thing to do before the baby arrives. Patrick has mentioned a couple of times this evening that it's a full moon. I don't anticipate anything will happen tonight.

Singing & Talking

Leyton & Nathaniel have been very big fans of Jim Cosgrove for quite a while. They love singing his songs and playing the guitar and pretending to be him on a regular basis. However recently, they have branched out a bit and it has been fun. They have one book that is full of songs and the past few days we have been singing songs from the book. They have really enjoyed it and I'm amazed how quickly they have learned the lyrics! Tonight we sang Kum Ba Yah over & over and also the Down in My Heart song. It was really cute seeing them sing these songs. I guess we'll be able to learn some good Christmas carols before December!

Jacob was also very enjoyable this evening. I've been playing with him lately to say the words, "I love you" where we alternate on who says which word. Sometimes he's more playful with it than others & I know Grandma loves to play this with all the boys. Tonight when he was laying in bed, he kept saying the whole phrase over and over, "I - FWUV - You!" It was cute. He was so happy and I don't think anyone could say they hear that phrase too often!

Who has all the answers?

We ran a few errands today and the discussion in the car, as it often does, revolves around questions & lots of "Why's". I guess after a while I run out of answers for the questions. I told Leyton & Nathaniel that they have a lot of good questions. Leyton said, "Mom, I ask a lot of good questions. I say a lot of words, too." I would agree with both. Toward the end of the conversation, when I had no more answers about why the workers were working on the road today or why we couldn't get our own "Scoop" (like in Bob the Builder) and other questions, I told Nathaniel that Mom & Dad didn't always know all the answers for all the questions. He of course asked, "Why?" I said, "Well, only God & Jesus know ALL the answers for all the questions. Mom & Dad answer as many as we can, but we don't always know every answer." His reply was, "Mom, so all the Jesus's & all the God's know the answers?" I said that yes, but there was only one God & one Jesus, but that was correct only they knew all the answers. He said, "Well, and Father Tom." (Father Tom is one of our parish priests). Patrick & I enjoyed that. We'll have to tell Father Tom tomorrow of his high esteem in our household.

Time will tell

I don't have a clue when our new addition will arrive. I've been having contractions for a while, but nothing real. Monday night I became a bit concerned with the discomfort, but I was also exhausted so I went to bed. Everything seemed calm for the night. Today I went to the doctor again for my weekly visit and everything appears to be going well. I had more contractions today, too, but am trying to also remember that when I carried Leyton & Nathaniel, I measured "full-term" (as would be for one baby) for more than a month before they were born. So with that in mind, maybe I would go overdue this time?! Who knows; I don't want to be overdue, but just hope for a healthy baby. This may be the first time I have a baby in my hospital room with me (vs. the NICU) and one that will hopefully go home when I am discharged. Both of these things would be new to me!

So, I can't leave out my Jacob (often called "Jakey"). He is a sweetheart who definitely doesn't want to be pushed around by his brothers! He knows what he wants and will tell you quickly. Some most common phrases are, "I do it!", "What you doin'?", "Candy." He is not afraid of pushing people (aka his brothers) who are in his way, which I guess is a good thing since for now, he's somewhat of an odd-man out. This may change soon, though, as we are expecting our fourth baby at any time. I'm currently in my last month of pregnancy, which is new territory for me - this is my first time past 35 weeks! We don't know the gender of this baby, but it won't be long. We look forward to meeting our new little one. And back to Jacob. This picture is from this summer when he was trying to be funny wearing glasses (old sunglasses - no lenses). He was very pleased with himself. He is a summer blonde with great blue eyes. He really is a content little guy although this week he's been a bit under the weather with a fever, cough, irritated throat, etc. I think he'll come out of it soon. One of his most recent feats was his creativity in his new room. We moved him to a different bedroom in preparation for the new baby. We painted his room & I hung "wallies" or small wallpaper shapes that were trains, planes, tractors, and trucks. There were 25 shapes in all. Patrick wanted them to be reachable for him to look at. I hung the airplanes higher and then the other 20 shapes were basically spread like a chair-rail. Well, naptime has become more challenging as he's no longer in a crib, either. So on two occasions during his hopeful "naptime", he managed to remove 19 of the 20 shapes wallpapered/glued to the wall (the 20th one was behind the chest of drawers so he didnt' see it). So, there went that effort of having a cute new room for him! Oh well, he is still very pleased and has done wonderful with the room adjustment. It is very hard to believe he's going to be a big brother soon!

As I mentioned, Leyton & Nathaniel are 3 1/2. They started preschool this fall. They have just finished their 3rd week and enjoy it very much. The first day was rough for the boys and for Mom, but since then, it has been great. It's cute because our neighbor 2 doors down is in the same class. We have realized we may as well carpool daily because none of the 3 boys will enter school without the other! They look around and wait until the whole group is together. They seem to have a lot of fun. Today, they both even helped the teacher...Leyton was the calendar helper (he didn't really tell me what that meant, but that's ok) and Nathaniel was the snack helper. I appreciate their willingness to help; luckily they will also help at home! A cute thing that Nathaniel said today when I was helping him get dressed was, "Mom, I prefer to have my snap done first before my zipper." I had never heard him say "prefer" before. I got a chuckle from that and happily obliged. They sure do have some quotes! That reminds me of a few days ago when I was preparing my lunch for work (I work part-time currently) and Nathaniel said, "Mom, do you eat your lunch at work?" I said that I did. A few moments later, he said, "Mom, do you have a broom at work?" I said that I did not, but I asked, "Do I need a broom at work?" He quickly replied, "Yes, so you can clean up your lunch!" That was a recent favorite. I guess that is a good indication of what our kitchen floor is like on a daily basis! All well worth it, and I don't see it changing any time soon. This photo is of Leyton & Nathaniel on their first day of school 9/4/07. Leyton in the orange, Nathaniel in green (their love of Hawaiian shirts are a whole different discussion!).

So why start something like this?

Well here it is...a first effort in recording some family fun and memories in a way that they can be kept in one place and lots of supplies and organization are not really needed. This Robinson family consists (at this time) of myself, Christine, my husband Patrick, and three wonderful boys: Leyton & Nathaniel (twins, age 3 1/2) and Jacob (21 mos). They really keep us busy and so often, they make comments that I want to remember, but don't have a set place for this to occur...until now, or so I think. I'm not sure how this will all work, but I'm giving it a try. We have lived in Kansas for about 9 years now and it seems we'll be here for a while longer, at least as far as I can tell. Maybe that's enough introduction, as to be honest, I have no idea if anyone will read this besides me. I will be fine if I'm the only viewer, so believe me, things may not always be updated regularly and/or have high entertainment value. For anyone who does view it, though, I hope it is enjoyed.