Static

There is a lot of static electricity in our house.  We have to be so careful when we reach out to touch someone, or we can get a surprisingly sharp jolt. Nick was sitting in my chair, which seems to generate more electricity than anywhere else, and the whole back of his head looked like a Koosh ball.  I had to get a picture.

Ethan has been walking around for a couple days with this "horn" on top of his head.  Sometimes it is sticking nearly straight up.  It's hysterical.  I think that it is time to get his first haircut.  He didn't get the curls the other boys had, and with his fine hair, it just sort of frizzes out, especially around the ears.  There's only one person I want to cut his hair for the first time, but it will be exceedingly difficult to try to get an appointment.  It's not as if we just live down the street from her shop anymore.  We'll see.

Boxers

My boys have grown into the "physical" play stage.  Thanks to their Daddy, they have learned to "duke up", or box, with each other.  It started out that they were only allowed to duke up with Daddy, but now they have taken it each other.  They get some really good whacks in there!  I was at the computer and heard them downstairs, so I took a few pictures. I love the looks of elation on their faces, they are having a great time!

Nick is always the one who gets "knocked out."  That's because he enjoys taking a fall.  He's so good at it, too.  I remember when we came home in March and Nick "duked up" with Uncle Josh.  He pantomimed putting gloves on, put his fists up, and then.....fell down, before even one punch was thrown.  What a ham.

Jesse Or Nick?

Jesse, almost three years old, visiting Joey in the hospital....eating my crackers.  He was "sharing." That's what he told me!  So cute.

Nick, three years old.  They could be brothers, rather than cousins!  I love how this picture makes Nick look like he has red hair, when in actuality, it is very blonde.

Bear Loves

None of the boys have really become attatched to anything as babies.  Joey never even used a pacifier.  None of them have dragged around a blanket, sucked their thumb, or had a special stuffed animal that they had to sleep with.

But that has changed with Ethan.  He has become quite attatched to the special bear he got from Aunt Stacei and Uncle Josh for his birthday.  He doesn't have to have it ALL the time, but sometimes, when he first wakes up, he will throw a fit if we try to leave it in his crib.  He will carry it around (usually by one of the legs) and love on it for awhile.  After he gets distracted with something else, we are able to take it back to his bed, but I love watching him love on his bear.   I wanted to show you how cute he is with his bear, and to show Aunt Stacei how loved her gift is.

Punkin Patch

Joey

Nick

Ethan

I have grown quite an adorable pumpkin patch over the years.  I wanted to share it with you.  There's room for more pumpkins!

Happy November!

I love this time of year!  Except for the weather (for I like it a bit warmer), November and December are my favorite months.  I love the Spirit of this season, and I love the feeling that is in the air.  I love Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the fact that nearly all my sisters and I have birthdays in November.

But before November, there is Halloween.  Here are a few pictures of my cuties all dressed up.  We carved pumpkins in the morning, and Nick took the two older kids out trick-or-treating.  They went to all of five houses or so, but the boys had a blast and were thought to be some of the cutest kids ever seen. 

The boys did NOT like cleaning out the pumpkins.  I had thought that, being boys, they would love to get all goopy.  I had them all stripped down to their under garments so that they could get messy and just be wiped up.  But I should have figured that they would not enjoy it.  These boys are afraid of bugs!  They are certainly not typical boys.  Joey and Ethan wouldn't even touch the stuff, and Nick did a little, but he shuddered each time he took out a pinch.

Ethan kept shaking his head "no" each time I tried to get him to put his hand in the pumpkin.  All I could get him to do was point.

Joey wouldn't even touch the pumpkin.  I had to beg him to pretend to put his hand in the pumpkin and smile so that I could get a picture!  He wasn't even happy to do that.  Oh well.

Joey dressed up as a cowboy.  He was the cutest cowboy I've ever seen.  Nick was a pirate, very adorable.  Ethan was a pumpkin.  I know it looks like he is about to fall over, but the truth is, I can hardly get a picture of him because he keeps walking up to the camera before I can get the picture taken.  I kept trying to get him to stand up by the wall, and by the time I was sitting down to take the picture, he would be in my lap.  Makes it very difficult to get a picture of him. So, he is in mid-step in the picture, and it makes him look a bit tipsy.

My precious trick-or-treaters! 

Just Icky

We have all been fighting the cold around here for more than a week.  I have had bits and pieces of it for a couple weeks now; some days my sinuses are congested, some days my lungs are inflamed, some days my throat hurts.  Tonight, it's all of the above.  I can't sleep.  I'm so exhausted, I just want to sleep for weeks, but am too uncomfortable to.
Nick came home from work early today with the same thing.  He feel miserable also, but he has to make sure he is fit enough to go to work tomorrow.  It's the last day of the month and he needs to make sure they have a clean close.  He will probably have to work late, and still go in on Saturday.  Poor guy.
Joey has had a bit of congestion as well, but has been a trooper and kept in school.  If he gets really bad, I'll keep him home.  But as long as it is just a bit of sniffles (which happens so often this time of year) he will still go to school.  He wanted to stay home today, but by the time it was time to leave for school, he seemed to want to go and didn't put up any fuss.
Nick and Ethan have also had the crud filling their noses.  They have each had their share of fevers.  Tuesday night was kind of frightening, because Ethan had a temp of 103.1.  None of the kids have ever had a fever so high.  We gave him Tylenol, and within an hour it had dropped to 101.3.  A couple hours later, after he was asleep, there was no hint of a fever at all.  Nick came in our room about 1:00am and he had a low grade fever.  He, too, was given a dose of the wonder drug and slept well (in our bed) for awhile.
At about 3:30am I woke up and started to roll over, but noticed that I was soaking wet.  Nick, who had been laying on top of the covers, managed to soak my quilt, the comforter, sheets, and me completely.  I changed myslef and Nick, but since Nick (my husband) was still asleep, I saved the bed for morning.  Nick was aware of the situation, so he stayed on his dry side of the bed.  I put Nick (my son) back in his own bed.  That left me with nowhere to sleep.  So I climbed into bed with Joey!  A little while later, I noticed that Joey was hanging half off the bed, so I adjusted him back securely in the bed, and what should I discover, but that he had soaked through as well!  At least his was not so disasterous and was confined to a very small area on his side of the bed, so I let him keep sleeping, as there was only another hour or so before morning.  So come morning, I had two beds to strip and clean on top of getting four of us ready for the day.
I have a week of very little sleep, feeling icky, and yet here I am, boring the lot of you with my rambling while drinking hot Apple Cider (so that I could take my Advil).  I had taken Sudafed earlier, but it did nothing for my head, so I reinforced it with Advil.
Joey has a Harvest/Halloween party at school tomorrow.  He gets to dress up in his costume, have cupcakes, and do Halloween activities all day.  He should have a blast.
I'm too exhausted to stay up any longer, and I have nothing more to say right now.  However, since I still can't sleep, I will stay up and try to burn my eyes into closing for an extended amount of time.  Now, if only my boys will cooperate and stay asleep, and in their own beds.  One can dream!

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Monday was Joey's first field trip.  The class went to a pumpkin patch which held lots of activities for them; there was a hay maze, a corn maze, a slide, a hay ride, animals to look at (but not pet, unfortunately), a snack, and a pumpkin to pick.  Joey had a blast.  I, unfortunately, could not go because I have the little boys to watch.  Younger siblings are not allowed on field trips.  One of the other mom's so generously offered to take pictures for me, and also offered to watch Nick and Ethan if there is another field trip that I wish to go on.  That was very sweet of her. 

Here are a few pictures that Melissa took of Joey's field trip.


This is Joey's class.  I don't know all of their names yet; in fact, I only know a couple by sight.  Joey is in the top row on the right, and beside him, the cute little blonde in pigtails is Lindsey.  Lindsey is the girl that Joey said is (or was) his girlfriend.  Why?  Because she drew a picture of them holding hands, although she colored his arm the wrong color!
Will is the big kid in front; his mom is the lady who took pictures for me.

Joey is making his way through the hay maze.

Joey is going down the slide (on the left), and enjoying a hay ride (below.)

Joey is pleased with the pumpkin he chose.  Although it is missing a "handle", it was one of the better looking pumpkins picked out by his class.  He sure is a cutie!

Home

Thanks to the awsomeness of Mom and Dad and Grandma and Grandpa Dooley, our house is now a home.  I can't even begin to express my gratitude for all their help.  In just two short days, we got almost everything done.
Grandma and Grandpa spent a lot of time and effort to reupholster our dining room chairs, and added a vinyl covering to protect the fabric from the messiest of the inhabitants in the house.  They look wonderful.  I love the fabric Grandma picked out. 
When Mom and Dad got here Wednesday afternoon, they started the difficult muscle work of bringing in all the furniture (most of which went upstairs) and because of poor design, it was a challenge at times.  Grandma had made Nick's favorite, Stroganoff, for dinner, so we had a scrumptious feast on Wednesday night.
Thursday was spent going through all the boxes and finding the right place for our things.  Mom spent much of her time in the kitchen/pantry getting everything organized and put in the most logical place.  I spent my time split between corralling kids and going through all the clothes and putting them in the right drawers and closets.  Dad and Grandpa golfed Thursday afternoon. 
Because he has been without his barbeque for three months, Nick wanted to BBQ on Thursday.  So we had some delicious New York Strips, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and cauliflower (Dad's favorite) and leftover apple salad and potato-rosemary bread.  It was mouthwatering.
After dinner, Mom, Grandma, and I started hanging pictures.  I think we did a wonderful job, getting things just right, and enjoying each other in the process.  If you ask Dad, Grandpa, or Nick, they may tell you they wondered how we got anything hung at all! (There was quite a bit of laughing involved;  I'm sure you can't imagine.)
Friday morning found us finishing the details.  Mom organized the linen closet, Grandma and Grandpa finished the chairs and helped me hang the last of the pictures, and I set up my "pretties" table.  I haven't had all my breakables out in over five years; it was much like Christmas opening all those boxes and wrappings to find all my delicate, pretty things. 

Joey had his first school pictures taken today.  It was one of those milestones for this momma.  It makes my heart twinge when I think of him growing up. I'm so proud of him.  Another milestone for him will come at bedtime; he will be sleeping in his own room for the first time in over three years!  We decided that we would put him in the "spare" bedroom with the queen bed.  He has his own desk, a light by his bed where he can read before going to sleep (something I wouldn't want him to do with Nick and Ethan in the room).  The bunk beds are still set up, so when we do have company, Joey can sleep on the top bunk, and our guests can have their own room with an actual bed.  If you came to visit us in Alaska, you should come visit us again and enjoy the improvement!

Just as a side note; Nick still has trouble staying in bed.  At naptime yesterday, I found him asleep on the floor....under the crib!  That boy makes me laugh!

Bunk Beds

The boys were so excited to get their bunk beds back.  We didn't get them set up on Sunday, but they had their mattresses on the floor and didn't have to sleep on the ground for the first time in three months.  On Monday, before picking Nick up from work, I worked on building the bunk beds as a surprise for Nick.  I got the bottom bunk done and the top bunk three-quarters of the way done before I needed to leave to get Nick.  He was pleased he had so little to do, as it would have taken past bedtime to finish had he had to start from the beginning after dinner.

The boys did well in their beds, but still ended up in our room at sometime during the night.  During nap today, I peeked in on the boys and found Nick asleep on the floor.  It cracked me up.  Then at bedtime tonight, I peeked in on them again (it didn't seem possible to me that they would be so quiet so quickly) and found them all asleep, Nick on the floor again!

Welcome To The Evergreen State

We now live in the state nicknamed the "Evergreen State."  However, this is what I am surrounded with! I have laughed to myself everytime we drive back from Oregon; as we cross the Columbia on Hwy 97, we are greeted with a sign that says "Welcome to the Evergreen State" and yet there is no greenery in sight.

We do have some beautiful fall foilage at the base of some of these hills (not pictured) that is quite stunning.  The area is not totally devoid of greenery....but for the most part, this is what see everywhere I go.

THEY'RE HOME

The men finally made it home.  The truck is all unloaded, and our garage is full of all our boxes and furniture.  The men are resting now; not sleeping, just taking a break.  I'm not sure, yet, whether we will get anything moved into the house.  Deservedly, the men are exhausted.

That's the latest.  Have a blessed day.

4:30 AM

I got a call from Nick this morning; as in 4:30am this morning!  They had just crossed over into Washington, he was able to use his cell phone again, and even though he didn't want to wake me up, he wanted me to know they were back in the US.

As if he didn't know that I would have wanted to hear from him at any hour.  Of course,  now I can't go back to sleep.  I want to start the laundry, move some things around in preparation of their arrival, take a shower.  Unfortunately, all of these things would wake the children, and that is the LAST thing I want to do at this time.

I wanted to talk to Nick longer, but he kept trying to get me off the phone.  If you had only talked to your spouse for a grand total of fifteen minutes over the last four days, you'd want to talk, too.

I guess we won't be making it to church.  I really want to to go, but the men will be driving up about the time that we would be leaving.  The boys will be much too excited to see their Daddy to be too upset about missing church.

Just three and a half more hours, give or take.

Didn't Hear, Again

I didn't hear from Nick again tonight.  So....they could be stuck in inclement weather, they could have decided to keep driving, or they could have found somewhere to stop and just forgot to call.

The worrying is not so bad; I'm not a very panicky person when it comes to health and safety.  That's not to say that I don't want those that I love to be safe and healthy.  I just don't jump to the worst case scenario, like, "My son has a fever....oh no, it's cancer!"  (This may seem like an exaggeration, but I know people like this.)

The worst part about not hearing from Nick is not knowing where he is or when to expect him home.  How far did they drive today?  Where did they stop, if they stopped?  How long will their drive be tomorrow in order to get home?  Will Paul have enough time to help us unload at least the big furniture before he has to leave?  Should I go to church in the morning, or are the men going to be home before I would get back?  I need a plan, and when I don't know where they are, how can I plan my time effectively.  I want to get somethings in order before they get home so that when it comes time to unload everything, we can just put things where they are going to go without having to rearrange anything in the house. 

I have already rearranged the living room to give better access from the garage, the dishes are all done, the floor is swept and mopped.  But there are a few things upstairs that could be moved around, but don't NEED to be moved around until I know when they will be back.

Goodness, I wish I could hear from Nick.

Good night.

Finally Heard

I finally heard from Nick this morning.  They had a very rough day yesterday.  Apparently, there was a fatality on the road at one point and they were sitting at the side of the road for a couple hours.  Then they ran into freezing rain and the roads were closed down due to jack-knifing trucks everywhere.  So they spent the night on the side of the road.  Nick knows from experience how nearly impossible it is to sleep in a U-Haul.  I'm not sure they got much sleep.

They were able to start moving again this morning; the roads were cleared and sanded.  The going is slow, but as it warms up, the driving gets easier.  Nick called me from Fort Nelson, BC.....about 500 miles from where they wanted to end up last night.  So now it looks like they won't get in until Sunday night.  I don't know how far they will try to drive today, I have no idea where they may end up, so I have no clue as to when they might make it home. 

The boys are really missing their dad, and as he only gets to talk for about 2 minutes a day, there is not enough time for them to tell him everything they want to.  Ethan cries everytime I hang up because he doesn't get the chance to breathe heavily into the phone for as long as he would like.  He is thrilled to hear somebody on the other end of the line, and spends most of his "talking" time pointing at the phone as if to say, "They're in there."

For missing their dad, the boys are really doing fairly well.  Bed time is probably the hardest time.  It is our routine for Nick to put them to bed.  I will brush Ethan's teeth and lay him down, but Nick supervises the boys' teeth brushing and tucks them in.  It will be nice to have him home so the boys can love on him.  I wouldn't mind loving on him myself, but I will let the boys have first dibs!

I will continue to keep you updated as I find out where and how the men are.  Have a wonderful weekend.

Never Heard

I never heard from Nick tonight.  I can only pray they are safe.  I have no way of contacting them, have no idea where they were planning to stay in Prince George.  They are probably sleeping away and Nick just forgot to call.  I hope to hear something tomorrow.  I am going to try to get some sleep tonight and try not to worry.
Good night.

First Leg

Nick and Paul have reached the end of the first leg of their journey.  They picked up the U-Haul around noon yesterday and got it all loaded up.  They got a good night's sleep and left around 4:30am this morning.  Nick said that they drove through some snow flurries in Alaska, but nothing too distracting, nothing to hinder their driving. 

Nick just called half an hour ago; they have reached Whitehorse, their first stop.  They will, hopefully, get another good night sleep tonight so they can leave at the same time tomorrow.  The plan is for them to drive all the way to Prince George tomorrow.  I will hear from him again when they stop.

Only hearing from him once a day, and only after they have been driving for 15 hours, is not altogether easy.  I'm not worried, but it would still be nice to know that they are safe throughout the day, rather than just when they stop for the night.  But they get no reception in Canada, so I have to wait until they stop at the hotel for a call. 

Just two more days.  They plan to be in by Saturday....later in the evening.  They will sleep that night before unloading the truck on Sunday.  I will keep you updated as often as I am.  It will be nice to have them home.

Celtic Woman - A New Journey - The Blessing

In the morning when you rise,
I bless the sun, I bless the skies.
I bless your lips, I bless your eyes,
My blessing goes with you.

In the nighttime when you sleep,
Oh, I bless you while a watch I keep.
As you lie in slumber deep,
My blessing goes with you.

This is my prayer for you, there for you, ever true
Each every day for you, in everything you do.
And when you come to me, and hold me close to you,
I bless you, and you bless me, too.

When you're weary, heart is tired,
If the world will leave you uninspired,
When nothing more of love's desired,
My blessing goes with you.

When the storms of life are strong,
When you're wounded, when you don't belong.
When you no longer hear my song,
My blessing goes with you.

This is my prayer for you, there for you, ever true
Each every day for you, in everything you do.
And when you come to me, and hold me close to you,
I bless you, and you bless me, too.

I bless you, and you bless me, too.

I want to sing this when we dedicate our next baby, whenever that may be.

Long Day

Our day started way too early.  We were up at 3:45am to get ready to drive to the Sea/Tac airport to drop Nick and Paul off.  They have started their adventure; loading a storage unit full to the brim into a moving truck and driving almost 2600 miles in three days.  I am praying that the weather stays clear for safe driving directions.

As we crested Snoqualmie Pass, there were snow flurries.  It didn't amount to much, but made us a bit aprehensive for the rest of the week.  When we dropped the men off at the airport, Nick had a hard time saying good-bye to Daddy.  He wanted to pick Daddy back up as we were driving away from him at the curb.  The rest of the week should be interesting.  Even though the drive back was only 2 1/2 hours, I had a difficult time staying awake.  I tried everything; cranking the Christmas music, rolling down the window for brief periods of time (so I wouldn't freeze the boys), dancing, slapping my face.....I am sure that drivers in the other cars were calling the crazy person hotline to report a runaway loony!  We made it back in one piece, but we were struggling.

After lunch, we took Joey to school.  I brought the little boys home for a nap.  I wanted to lay down as well, but I couldn't guarantee that I would wake up in time to pick Joey up, so I stayed up and read.  I woke up a few minutes after three, already late for picking Joey up (he gets out at three.)  I ran through the house getting the boys up, throwing them in their carseats.  I gave a quick call to the school, almost in tears, letting them know that I was running late and to make sure Joey was still there (that he hadn't tried to get on the bus).  I was so worried that Joey would be scared or worried, but he seemed to do okay.  We went to the library after school to get a few books for the boys.

I put the boys to bed early.....Nick and Joey are still awake, whining and trying to find ways to stay up and get in trouble.  Nick's new "cute" thing is to empty the drawers in the dresser, unfolding all my hard work and throwing it around the room.  I think, when we get the bunk beds set up, I will handcuff him to the rail so he can't get out of bed.  Maybe not.

I know that I can't go to bed now because I would sleep for a few hours and then be wide awake for the rest of the night.  So I will try to stay awake for a couple more hours and then get to bed early (for me) and try to catch up on some sleep.  Good night to you all.

Celtic Woman - A New Journey - You Raise Me Up

I have always loved this song; first from Josh Groban, then Selah, and now this arrangement. Absolutely beautiful! Music has a way of moving through my very blood until it is bursting forth from every pore and cell of my body. This arrangement does that for me.
As a side note; I love to see a big, burly, manly drummer tinkling those fairy bells! Makes me laugh; kind of like an oxymoron.
Enjoy, and be blessed.

"I Can Do It!"

On our way home from dropping Nick off at work this morning, Joey exclaimed, "Mom, look!  I can do this!"  Trying to get a look at him over my shoulder and still keeping my eyes on the road gave me just a quick glimpse at what he was doing.  I about lost control of the vehicle.

My sweet, innocent, five year old was back there flipping me off!

I had to take a deep breath to control myself before losing it.  I didn't want to jump to conclusions, but I had no idea where he would learn such a thing, even if he didn't understand what it meant.  So I asked him where he saw that done.

"In 'Where Is Thumpkin'."

Whew!!  Just a childhood, finger-motion song he learned in school.  In all honesty, the "Tall Man" and the "Ring Man" are the hardest to hold up by themselves; he is right to be excited when he accomplished this feat.

I did mention to him that he should only hold up that finger when singing the song....just in case.

Cute Girls

My son has noticed girls!  I'm not ready for this.

We were doing a word search puzzle in his Cars coloring book.  The last word he was to find was "Sally."  He said, "Aww, Sally's a cute girl."  I started laughing; my son thinks a cartoon car is a cute girl.  Funny, and not too worrisome.
Then Joey said, "You're a cute girl, too, Mommy" and leans in to give me a kiss.  I thought that was very sweet.  I had to ask him one question...."Are any of the girls at school cute?"
"Yes"
"Who?"
"Riley M., Lindsey, Alexis, Maya, (pause), ALL the girls are cute!"

I should have known better than to ask.  Like father, like son.

Fishy Faces

My boys are so talented!  Ethan has been able to make a fishy face for months, which I find surprising because I find it difficult sometimes.  As you can see, Joey still struggles with it, and Nick still uses his fingers.  Aren't they adorable?!

It is now the first of October.  Hard to believe.  But the weather has finally started cooling off.  In fact, it can be quite frigid in the mornings.  But the afternoons can still heat up.  I left the air conditioner off today until I realized it was 80 degrees inside.  I decided to turn it on for a few hours.  I'll turn it off again here in a few minutes.

Not much to say tonight.  I know Nick wants on the computer now, so I better hurry.

The Month Of September

It is already the end of the month, and I have hardly blogged at all. I'll admit....it was because I was mad.

I was so mad at my experience of Joey's first day of school, I didn't want to blog about it for the longest time. Then, as time went by, I kept putting off getting back on the blog because I knew I would have to talk about his first day of school before continuing on to anything else.

Joey was SO excited to be starting school. I was excited for him, but afraid of how I would handle it if he came home crying. When it was time to pick Bubba up from school, I squealed like a school girl all the way there, so happy was I that I could go pick him up and find out how awesome his day was.

When Joey saw the boys and I waiting for him, he looked at me and started crying. I was worried about what had happened, and my Momma's heart was aching for him. I asked him what was wrong. He wailed, "I want to ride the bus!" I was hurt. After looking forward to seeing him after school, anticipating long conversations with him about every little thing that he did, he was upset to see me. Every question I asked him about his day got me a negative, pouty, Eeyore-ish answer. Now, I know that he had a great day; but he refused to share it with me. My memory of his very first day of school will forever be marred.

Joey has come to grips with the fact that I pick him up from school everyday. He is more willing to share the fun things he does in class, and his teacher has already told me that she feels spoiled with Joey, and that when she is with another child, she wishes that child can be more like Joey. (I know that she likes all her kids, but it makes me feel great to hear my son is special to her.)
Joey has gotten to ride the bus home twice now. A couple weeks ago, Nick needed the car, so we had to walk Joey to school. It took us 45 minutes! And then, I still had to walk Nick and Ethan back home. I decided, after arriving at the school, that there was no way that I would be able to make that walk again in just an hour, so I stopped in the office to let them know that Joey would be on the bus that afternoon. Joey's only comment about the bus ride he so anticipated, "It was a little long." He also got to ride the bus home again today and had the same reaction.

Little Nick is doing well. He is so expressive! He is talking so much more, and even if he is still difficult to understand, he is still communicating. His imagination is really taking off, fueled, of course, by his older brother. We go to the library after dropping Joey off at school at least once a week, where he can sit and color, do puzzles, or watch the lizard while I "shop" for books. The library in town is quite small, but it gives him an opportunity to do a "big boy" activity without his big brother. Joey can sometimes make Nick feel that he only gets to do "big boy" things because he is tagging along with the "real" big boy. (Older brothers will do that sometimes; I should know!)

When we came home in mid-September for Lisa and Brian's wedding, my cousin Kathy came over to take pictures of Nick and Ethan for their 3yr and 1yr portraits, respectively. She took some amazing pictures of both boys. Nick is very photogenic, even when he is pouting. I had a couple different outfits for each of them, and Nick did not want to change out of his first outfit, so he pouted most of the rest of the time. Only after Kathy allowed him to help take some pictures did he cheer up enough to give a couple more smiles. I can't wait to be able to get the pictures printed up. What I'm going to do is, pick a few out of the lot and let people pick their own favorites of each boy that I will have printed up for them.

Ethan....boy, what an adorable kid he is. He took his first "official" step (by accident) on Aug 15. After that, Nick and I would have him practice walking between the two of us. For the first week or so, we could get him to take one or two steps. Then, the next week, he would take three or four. When we came home in Sept., he was up to six steps. But that weekend, he started venturing out on his own a bit. That next week after we got back, he just started walking ALL over the place. I have even seen him stand up on his own (without pulling himself up) once or twice.

Ethan loves to jam. When he hears some up beat music, he is dancing and head-banging to the beat. He will also fake sneeze. I have tried to get a video of him doing it, but he is usually so interested in the camera, he won't "perform." But he is so cute when he does! He tips his head back as far as it will go for the "aaahh, aaahh" part, and then throw his head forward, making some semblance of a "choo" sound. It usually comes out on a laugh, because he is so tickled with himself. And of course, Mommy is tickled, too. I always say "God bless you", and that gets him going again.

Nick and his Dad will be flying up to Alaska on Oct 13 to get our stuff out of storage and make the 2500 mile drive back home. We should have our stuff by the 17th, if all goes as planned. Please pray for good weather and safe driving conditions. It is a little worrisome that there is talk of snow already. It's not necessarily the roads, as those are usually well plowed. It's more concerning that they might be driving through a snow storm. In a big U-Haul, that is a little more scary than in a smaller, personal vehicle. I think the thing I am looking forward to having back the most is the boys' bunk beds. They are so sick of sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags! I don't blame them. I'm also looking forward to Mom and Dad, and Grandma and Grandpa Dooley coming to help us unpack and find a spot for everything. Well, us girls will unpack....the boys will go golfing!

Well, I had to get the month of September chronicled before starting a new month. It's hard to believe that it is October already! Have a blessed week.

Sleepy Boys

Ethan fell asleep eating lunch, not something that usually happens. He is much to interested in eating, to fall asleep.
This is my son who is too big to take naps. He falls asleep on the couch after school at least 50% of the time.

The boys sometimes have a hard time going to bed, or taking their naps. When that occurs, I usually find them asleep int he doorway. (I have to put the gate up in their doorway so they don't keep getting out of their room. Even if they are out of bed, they are still confined to their room and eventually fall asleep.) This is the result....curled up in the doorway.

Pretty Pictures

Sept 19, 2009...Lisa and Brian's wedding at Rockaway Beach.

We stopped on the way to enjoy this most beautiful view from a lookout point. The weather was fantastic. I have always thought Oregon beaches are the most beautiful on the West Coast.
I can't even remember the last sunset I watched at the beach. This was a particularly spectacular one, better in person. I love how the towering clouds were painted with just a touch of color.

The newly wed couple Lisa and Brian taking a walk along the beach.

It's not often I allow pictures of myself to be taken, but we were at the beach, at a wedding, so I couldn't really get out of it.

We stopped and Mary's on the way home on Sunday, another beautiful day. Ethan loved the trees.

My Walking Baby Boy

Ethan has been so amazing. Last weekend (not the one we just finished, but the one before that) when we came down for Lisa's wedding, Ethan was still just walking a few steps at a time. But while we were at Mom's he started venturing out a bit more. He would let go of the furniture on his own, with no prodding, and walk a few steps to no discernible objective....just to walk. For the last week, he has been walking ALL over the house, practicing all day long. He can be so funny sometimes, looking like a drunken sailor. Sometimes he will switch directions, but we can tell it wasn't on purpose, because he starts going sideways a bit before getting his feet straightened out going the right way.

You can see at the end of this little video that he came to give "baby" kisses. What you may not be able to tell, is that he had the entire lens area of the camera in his mouth! I love how he lays his head on his shoulder in a look that SCREAMS cute!

Disco Baby

Joey is instructing Ethan in the groovy dance of disco. Ethan is a great dancer. He loves to jam.

Make Sure You Know Who You're Calling

Last Tuesday, Nick called me on his way home from work. As is his usual practice, when the phone was answered, he said, "Hey, Babe." What he didn't expect was to hear silence. So he pulled the phone away from his ear to make sure he called the right number.

He hadn't.

He had called his boss, Trish. "Trish" and "Trin" are next to each other alphabetically in his contact list, and he called the wrong one! Trish busted up laughing. Nothing like calling your new boss "babe" to break the ice!

First Day Of Kindergarten

Joey started Kindergarten today! It still seems a bit unreal to me. I suppose, through the repetition of school days, reality will settle in soon enough. Boy, was he excited to go! He was sleeping on the floor in our room last night, and when he woke up, he popped his head up and said, "I know it's my school day today!"

I survived our first "drop-off." We arrived at the school a bit early, so I took a few minutes to pray with the boys in the car. I started getting teary-eyed just a bit, but was able to reign it in. Of course, it was difficult for anyone to hear my prayer as Nick was screaming the whole time.

Yes, it was my middle son who had the hardest time. From the minute I started putting shoes on, till several minutes after we got home, Nick was screaming, "Me want Bubba!" As we walked Joey to his classroom, and as we walked back to our car, everyone passing us gave us looks of sympathy for the little brother being left behind. We tried calling Daddy at work to see if hearing his voice would calm Nick down, but Daddy was in a meeting.

When we got in the house, I took Nick in my arms to snuggle for a minute. I offered to let him call someone else since Daddy couldn't talk. He chose Grandma Mary. So we got to talk to Grandma Mary at work for a few minutes, making her day in the process.

The good news is, that after getting the kids home, it was time to put them down for a nap. I told Nick, that when he woke up, it would be time to pick Bubba up. In fact, he is just waking up now, and I was afraid I would have to wake him up. As he came out of his room, he asked, "Bubba home yet?" He is currently helping me type, which makes it quite difficult.

Now it is time to wake Ethan up and get buckled in the car. I can't wait to hear about Joey's day! I'll blog about it when we get home. Have a great day.

Fire Brigade

I think that all boys, at some time in their childhood, have a fascination with fighting fires. I believe that the passion runs deeper in my family, as we are surrounded by fire fighting heroes. My dad was a firefighter until he retired to work for LifeFlight. My Uncle Rob fought fires, my Uncle John volunteered. Now my brother Josh is a firefighter. Because of their influence, I have my own little fire brigade in my own house. Sadly, with budget cuts, we only have one helmet that must be shared between them. But don't they make an adorable team?!

So Much In My Head

I've had so much going on in my head (as crazy as that makes me sound) I have been unable to put it down into words. Every time I would sit at the computer to blog, I would become intimidated, and leave before having to face my blank computer screen. I will try to put some of it down on "paper" so that I can have a fresh mind tomorrow. Tomorrow is a VERY big day, and I have to be at my best....and I want to be able to blog about it tomorrow, and I know I won't be able to if I haven't "unloaded" what's already in there.

(Please excuse the mess....it's way past my bed time, and as I have previously stated, my head's a bit convoluted right now.)

Let's start with the boys' doctors appointments. Nick and Ethan had their Well-Child check-ups last Tuesday. This was the first time at a new doctor, and let me just say....I didn't really like her much. My husband liked her even less. I felt like she thought we were brand new parents who needed her advice on how best to raise our kids. She told us we should dress our kids differently, and told us that we should change Ethan's sleeping habits. There were lots of little comments here and there throughout the examinations that just irritated me. I would just smile and say, 'uh-huh.' Don't get me wrong; she was very nice, and if she told me something that I needed to do for the health of my children, that would be different. But most of what she had to say is more personal preference type things, if you know what I mean.

The important thing is that both the children are growing healthy and strong, and right on track for where they should be. Nick was 36 inches tall, and 31 pounds. Ethan was measured at 30.5 inches and 21.4 pounds. They are both happy children, except when the get shots. Without their records from the previous doctor, they may not have gotten all the shots that they needed, so we will have to check back with them later. I hope they don't need anymore. It is enough of a headache once.

After the doctors appt, we stopped by Joey's new school to drop off the rest of the enrollment papers. Then on Thursday, the school had an open house. So I took the three boys, all by myself, to see where Joey would be going to school, his classroom, and to meet his teacher. Then the PTO put on an ice cream social. I tried my hardest to skip that part....but with three kids, you've got to know that at LEAST one of them will spot (or smell) the ice cream and start a chorus with the rest of "please, please, please." So, with only one extra hand (as I had to push the stroller with one) I tried to get enough dishes of ice cream and keep the two not in a stroller from running all over creation. Needless to say, I was anxious to get back home.

Saturday, my husband turned 31. Yes, he is firmly ensconced in his thirties now. I'd call him an old man, but I'm not to far behind. Just under three months, to be exact. So I have to be careful how much I tease him about his age. We went out to dinner, but the rest of the day was his to do what he wanted. He relaxed by playing WOW most all day.

During nap time on Saturday, I took Joey school clothes shopping for the first time. I know that at this age it is pretty easy; I can get away with picking the clothes that I like. But it gave me shivers, shopping with Joey, to think of all the years to come, and how few of them I might get my way.

On Monday, the three boys and I went back to the school for a one-on-one meeting with the teacher. Joey will be in Miss Bellamy's PM Kindergarten class. It was a very short meeting, basically going over the paperwork she wanted to give the parents, and all the extra papers we have to sign. I like Miss Bellamy. She seems to really enjoy the Kindergarten age, and her eyes sparkle when she talks to the kids. I think Joey will have a lot of fun. I know he's excited.

And now....THE BIG ONE. Tomorrow. What a cornucopia of feelings I have about tomorrow. Joey's first day of Kindergarten. I can hardly breathe right now, thinking about it. For the most part, I am way so excited for him. He is going to have a blast. He will finally be able to spend an extended amount of time with kids his own age. He will be learning so many exciting things. And I can't wait to hear about it when he gets home.

But....this is my baby. What if he's not included by the other kids? What if he's laughed at for talking about his "little son Sam"? What if throws a tantrum because he doesn't get to do what he wants? What if he comes home crying? I won't be there to hold him if he gets hurt, or scared, or lonely. He probably won't be any of those things, but I hurt just over the thought.

And I can tell its bed time, because I'm getting weepy over my keyboard, imagining all sorts of horrible things. That's what happens in the middle of the night when I'm supposed to be sleeping. My mind won't shut up! So, I'm going to go now. I want to be as fresh as I can be, because tomorrow will be hard enough.

I have some great pictures I'll have to post later. And of course, I'll have "Joey's first day of school" pictures tomorrow. I'll be back tomorrow. Good night.

One Year Comparisons

I know you've seen two of these pictures very recently, but I thought I should put them all together in one place. Here it is, the last of its kind. This is the last comparison you will have to endure.

Joey, at one year old, my Chubba Bubba.
Nick, at one year old, my biggest ham.

Ethan, at one year old, my happy angel.