First Grade Football

This year marks a lot of "firsts" for us...Max lost his first tooth, and then a second. He is starting first grade, and we are now in a new sport...football!

Max is excited to play a new sport, and we are having a blast watching him! I will admit that it was hard to let him go...his first practice was stressful just getting him out the door!

Max, you are growing so much! All of our friends and family have been commenting to me about how much you have grown lately! Tonight at dinner, you had two bowls full of soup, strawberries and for dessert, I laid out a plate of three cookies for you and your brothers to share. I came back and you had eaten all three! You told me before bed that you were hungry again...I think big grocery bills are in store for our future! We love your school, because it feels like an extended family. There are less than 60 kids in your grade, so we have grown to know and love the families that go to school with you. Seeing you all dressed up in your football uniform makes me get a lump in my throat....gosh, you are growing up way too fast!

Tonight, we had a great talk, and I am reminded of how sensitive you are. You have been asking both Greg and I to take you to get a gift for Sutton's birthday...you are always thinking of other people. And, you are very black and white on issues. I like that about you though...you have strong convictions of how you think things should be....

Here's to a great year in First Grade and in a new adventure with Football! We love you sweet guy! For all of our family that may want to see games, we don't have a schedule, but heard they will be on Saturday mornings...stay tuned!

I don't want to forget this....tonight when I put you and Sutton to bed, you started crying. I asked Sutton if he hit you, and he said, "no, I was just checking on him because he was crying for no reason". So I asked Max further and he said, "I don't want Sutton to turn 4 tomorrow" (and the bawling began). He told me that he liked how Sutton couldn't say the ABC's correctly, and that he liked him the way he was and didn't want him to grow up! (Note to self: maybe I say the things of my heart outloud....). The best part was, as Max is saying this to me, Sutton interjects "see, I told you he was crying for no reason"

Ahhh, the sensitivity of a 3, almost 4 year old!

Lost a tooth....

Max lost his first tooth on our trip to Great Wolf Lodge this weekend. He has had a few loose teeth for a few months now and I keep thinking it will happen any day. Well, we ate lunch one day and he just cried as he ate because he could feel the tooth "crunching". I remember that feeling....

During naps, I heard him whisper, "Mom". I went over to his bed and he showed me his tooth. He was so excited...I could just sense his self pride! Most of his friends at school have already lost a tooth, and I could tell he was now finally so excited to be like them :)

Here he is later that day at the pool...enjoying life with one less tooth! Greg was teasing him and told him that we needed to make sure the tooth fairy knew where he was...that maybe we should go online and register to make sure they knew we were out of town, and to come see us at Great Wolf Lodge. Well, Max totally went with it and decided he would wait until he was home. So tonight, I brought it up again to see if he wanted to put it in his toothfairy pillow. He started crying...apparently he didn't want the tooth fairy to take his tooth. Don't worry...I wrote the tooth fairy a note asking them to please leave Max's tooth, along with the money :) And the "toothfairy" (ies) were arguing at our house as to whether Max should get a quarter or a dollar. I know kids whose tooth fairies have given them up to $5 per tooth, so I didn't want Max to feel like the toothfairy didn't like him :) I know, it's stupid. As I write it, I realize how stupid it is...gosh why do I worry about such little things?

We had a blast on our trip...got some cute pictures of the boys playing that I will post later. I just didn't want to forget to write down Max's first lost tooth. Love you sweetie!

Kindergarten Picture

Where has the time gone? I can't believe Max is in Kindergarten! We just got back these pictures last night and I am amazed at the young man Max is becoming. He is learning so much at school. He told me his vowels the other day, and I apparently forgot that "y" is a sometimes vowel! So he is already teaching me. :) Max is playing soccer again and really seems to like it even more than last year. He has become more aggressive (in a good way) in wanting to follow and kick the ball. He gets to play with some of his good buddies from school, so that is also fun. And, Greg and I have loved getting to form friendships with these parents.

Oh we have got to get Max into some type of music or instrument. He can still listen to a song a few times and know it. His current favorite is, "While I am waiting". It's a song about praising God or serving Him while we are waiting on Him. Max literally belts it out. He told me the other day that he wasn't going to practice it again because he didn't want to make me cry!

I love seeing how God made each of our children so different. Greg and I often dream about who they will be and what gifts God has given them. Whatever they do or become is fine with me, but I do want to build confident men.

Love you Max...and I love seeing you grow and change over the years. It's hard to swallow and I do get a little sad watching you grow so fast. But my mom & dad always taught me to look at the good...and the good is that you are growing into an amazing little man. Your dad and I are proud of you!

First Day of School

Max started Kindergarten last week and he is doing so well adjusting to the new schedule. He is a little tired when I pick him up, so we're trying to get everyone in bed early at night to make sure they get enough rest. Max has an incredible teacher who loves Jesus, and is excited to teach the kids not only an education, but said she will teach them about Jesus every chance she gets. I am excited about that! Here Max is with daddy just outside of his classroom on the first day. I did cry a little...especially the night before. But I could tell he was ready, and that helped me deal with the transition. He was getting bored not being at school, so I am excited for him and for what this year has in store for him. Sutton started preschool at Metro, so he and Max will be at the same school and we LOVE that! They are in the cafeteria at the same time and can see each other from across the room. Sutton just loves his teacher, Ms. Staires. Max had the same teacher when he was in preschool. Actually when we went for enrollment, Sutton asked me why he couldn't just stay there that day! He is so funny...lately he has said some words wrong and I don't correct it because I think it's hysterical. He tells me to "honk ka corn" which is really "honk your horn". He loves it when we honk the horn. The other day I said I was going to make pancakes and he can't say it, and says "picnics".

This is the boys leaving Chapel on their first day of school. At chapel they explain all of the rules they have and what they expect from the parents and children. Then they end with praise and worship....it'll make a grown man cry to hear a chapel full of children praising our heavenly father. My only saving grace was having Sutton with me because he was singing with us, but had a three second delay to his words. So it made me chuckle inside. Max looked up at me and smiled when he heard him as well. NOTE: They are holding hands here....these guys are good buddies!

This is at chapel, just giving a little love! I have to say that I love them wearing their uniforms...they look so cute! We got new school shoes, and did you know that you can run faster with new shoes on? Yep, it's been proven at our house :)

Great Wolf Lodge

We have been able to do LOTS of fun family filled things this summer, and going to Great Wolf Lodge was one of them. I heard about this place from my sister Molly, and we decided to go when we went to Dallas to visit Max's doctor. This place is so neat, that pictures just can't capture all that is there. We had a BLAST and will plan on going back every year! At night, they have storytime and the boys loved it. They had sent us an email telling us to bring pajamas and slippers, so we had fun getting everyone in their pjs!

Here we are at story time, waiting for it to begin! There were TONS of kids there...SO fun! Max had his spiderman slippers on and Sutton had his Elmo! Sutton looked at me and said, "Hey you didn't fix your hair!" I cracked up because he was so right! The bad thing about short hair is there's no quick or easy way to pull it back....but I didn't care!

Here we are after I got in the lazy river with the boys. We asked a random lady to take our picture. Poor Luke was a little hot because they keep it warm in there so that you aren't freezing when you come out of the water. Overall, he was a trooper and a fabulous baby!

Hi baby Luke! Sweet thing....he lived in the stroller, in the baby bjorn, or in my arms. It was so fun just holding him and enjoying family time together!

My boys in the lazy river...having so much fun! This place is amazing! They even have slides for adults that Greg went back to ride by himself when the kids went to bed! I love that he enjoyed it so much!

Max loved what he called "monkey bars" and was so proud of himself for being able to do this. There were a few times that Greg would take Max to ride the slides that only he was tall enough to do. And I would take Sutton to play in the kids area, with Luke strapped to me. I wore a swimsuit thinking that I would never see anyone there that I knew....well, I was wrong! AHHH! This body is not swimsuit ready :)

This is Greg and Sutton in one of the outside pools and we are waiting for Max to go on the monkey bars....

Here is our room! It was so fun....they had bunk beds for the boys with a tv in it! They thought it was so cool. Around the wall, is our part of the room, but it was fun to have it a little divided and for the kids to feel like they had their own area. This place has thought of it all! For coffee lovers, they have a Starbucks INSIDE the hotel!

Here is where we stayed (and Luke too). The bunk beds are on the other side of the wall. We had a blast at this place, and highly recommend it to anyone. My biggest piece of advice is to go during the school year....prices are more affordable and I assume less people.

Summertime Movies

Each summer our local movies offer FREE movies for the kids, so if the movie is free, then you have to buy popcorn and pop, right??? We have been to a few this summer and have enjoyed the time. I took my camera the last time we went so that I could get a few pics of our time there. After this movie, Sutton enjoyed running around and going from seat to seat.....and eventually got stuck in one! Check out the look on his face :) Here are my little movie buddies...and another friend of mine that you can't see is Haley. She is our babysitter that comes over to help me out (and keep my sanity). I like to call her "Best Friend Haley"....because she does help me so much!

I asked my niece Ann Marie to take this picture of me and the boys. I was holding Luke through the majority of the movie to keep him quiet, and was enjoying our snuggle time. When another little man of mine wanted to snuggle too. It reminded me that although Sutton is getting older, he does still want to be cuddled, and even sometimes treated like my baby (but don't tell him I told you) I have noticed this more since Luke has joined us....and that's okay and totally normal. I don't mind it one bit, I actually enjoy knowing that he needs me and loves my hugs and kisses! We sat like this for a good hour....and my body was numb, but my heart was full!

Taking off the training wheels

Well, I kind of decided that Max needed a little encouragement to get his training wheels off. So one night when Uncle Sage came over for dinner, Greg took off Max's training wheels....and thus the invention you see below. It all started because Greg was trying to keep up with how fast Max was peddling, but was having to run next to him....so he came up with this idea to have a "handle" behind him and help hold him. It was a great idea, but the clips snapped off within a few trips around the garage. These are just a few of the things I love about Greg....he's a problem solver, that's for sure. And little Sutton is just like him. The other day, Max said, "Sutton, you're going to be a fixer! You like to fix four wheelers, and dirt bikes...you like to fix stuff!" I love to see how the boys take after their dad on stuff like this....

Here is Uncle Sage helping "Eggbert" with his helmet. Sorry Sutton, but you look so cute and so funny in a helmet! I think we need the next size up! We love having Uncle Sage around here...he lives in Tulsa now and we love any and all time we get to hang out with him!

Greg was getting Max all ready for the "ride". We knew he would probably bite the dust a few times, so we were trying to get him all padded up. Yes, those are gardening gloves that he is wearing :) The boys and I had just planted flowers and Max wanted to wear them....good outfit!

Our Boys....

You know, when you see and are around your children every day, you don't seem to notice how much they grow. But when I take pictures and look at them, they all seem bigger.

Luke has grown over three pounds! Last week he was 10 pounds 5 ounces! He has already started to outgrow a few outfits.....

My Dad sent me a neat text the other day and told me to pray that my boys would always have this great relationship with their dad. They LOVE their daddy, they love being with him, are sad when he leaves...and their daily ritual is to run to the front door so that they can see Greg's car pull away and go down the street. So, I have started praying that this relationship not only continues, but blossoms and grows year to year. Then I started thinking about the relationships that exist and will exist BETWEEN the boys themselves. I do pray that they become great friends, and can be there for one another for many years to come...

Max & Sutton are best buddies, and for the most part, get along well. The biggest struggles come when they are trying to figure out who gets the toy they are fighting over... And Max...you want to hold your brother every second he is awake. And when he's asleep, you want to know why he sleeps so much and when you can hold him again. If I just let you hold him for literally a minute, you are good. Sutton, you only need about 30 seconds or less. If Luke cries, you tell me, "Mom, he wants milk!" You crack me up!

Last few days at school

The last week of school, we had lots of fun things to go to with Max's class. It's been fun getting to know new friends this year, and I always enjoy getting to know the parents. This was the "fun day" at Metro and the kids got to play games and jump on the Jupiter Jump. Sutton, Luke, Noonie and I went to watch and be a part of it all. I am trying to get IN more of the pictures so that one day the kids will know that I actually was around :) So here is a pic of me and my big boys....little Luke was in the stroller. I love this pictures of me and Sutton. Ever since Luke came, I have noticed that you are a little more clingy to me. And, I don't mind it at all :) I love all of your kisses and hugs. You are always asking me if I am going to leave you. I promise to never leave you little guy! Sometimes I forget that you are only 2 (almost 3) and because you are so tall, I treat you like you are older. You always keep us laughing with the things that you say. The other day we were in the car and Noonie was driving. A sports car came up next to us at the stop light and you said, "Race them Noonie!" And you didn't stop there...when the light turned green, you started chanting Noonie on! You said, "GO GO GO! (And then you somehow added in the OSU cowboys) GO POKES GO!" Mom and I were laughing so hard....I literally had tears in my eyes!

I love this picture! Here are some of our sweet friends...Danny is next to Max, and Chandler is on the end. The best part is that the first time I took this picture, it only included Max and his friends. I had done a close up shot....and when I zoomed it out, I saw Sutton standing on the end...wanting to be in the picture! So I crack up when I see this, because it reminds me of a little brother who wants to be included. And for the most part, Max you are good at including Sutton!

Family Pictures!

We asked our friend to come over and take pictures of our newest little man, and our family together. It's fun to see our new family of five. Quincie is the one who took our pictures in the fall, and my favorite part was how she caught the boys just being themselves.

So, it didn't surprise me how absolutely patient and creative she was when she took these pictures! You can see our proofs at www.quinciescreations.com
Click on "Proofing" then put in "laura" as the password.

I will have to "talk" to Quincie because there is one on there of me that is SOOOO bad! Don't worry, you'll find it :) Greg and I died laughing! So, the parents don't look the greatest...but we love how she caught the boys in their true state!

Notice how Sutton is so intently looking into the camera...she told him to watch out for the monkey in the camera. We cracked up because you can tell he is really looking for that monkey!

Thanks Quincie! I love that our moment in time was captured forever!

Too Sweet.....

Today Max had soccer practice and I went to watch. I have been trying to lie down and rest because little Luke is giving me a run for my money. But, tonight I met Greg at practice and brought the boys.

Well, at the end of the day, I always try to find out what the best and worst part of each day was. It's just a way to get us all talking....and it's funny because Max usually asks us what ours are too. But, that's another post....

So, I asked him at dinner tonight, "what was your favorite part about soccer tonight?"

And he said, "When you and daddy were holding each other and watching me play"

It so shocked me that I didn't know what to say. I guess I expected him to say something about actually playing soccer. But, he loved seeing his mommy and daddy love on each other! Wow....so amazing!

I looked at Greg and he said that Max had told him the same thing in the car on the way home.

I have always heard it said, but this just proves to me even more, that we HAVE to let our kids see us be affectionate with one another. They need it, it makes them feel secure...

And who knows, it may be the best part of their day!

I love you Max....you, my sweet, are a pumpkin!

Boy parts....

Since the real reason that I do this blog is to keep up with the funny things the boys do and say, then I have to write this one down so that I don't forget.....

Today we went to swim class, then to run some errands and got to meet Noonie for lunch! It was such a great treat. We pulled into the garage and I always get out, shut the garage door, and unload my first armful of stuff from the car. I was going back to get Sutton out of the car and I saw Max had come over to get him out first.

And this is what I see....Max is standing in front of Sutton, pushing down on the button (located at Sutton's crotch) so that the five point harness will unlatch and he says,

"Sutton, hold on, this will only hurt your penis for a minute."

I DIED LAUGHING!

That is one friend taking care of another......good stuff!

Sharing a Room...

Just before Thanksgiving, we moved Sutton into Max's room so they could start sharing a room. I figured the longer we gave them to get used to each other before our baby brother gets here, the better. They have loved being roomies...and they are so funny! They know that it doesn't matter how early they get up, they can't come downstairs until the clock says 7:00. Just this morning, they both walked downstairs to our bathroom, and the first thing out of Sutton's mouth was, "The clock said 7". (He has heard his brother say that quite a few times)

So here are our two little men....I took this one morning when I came upstairs to get them. (Hence Sutton's crazy hair!) You can't tell from this picture, but the "S" in Sutton has been removed from the wall MANY times...and because it is red, it works as a great crayon! Did you know that if you rub it around on the wall long enough that red will show up on the wall? It's really cool! :)

Do you know what this is?

About a month ago, Sutton gave up his pacifiers, and this was one of our ways of celebrating! It all started after Christmas when Greg and I were talking about when to take away his pacifiers. I always think it is harder for me to actually do it, than for the kids to give them up.

So I mentioned to my friend Carrie who watches Sutton that we would be taking them away soon. He is 2 1/2, so I knew it was time....

Well, Carrie called me back that same day and said "Sutton has something to tell you". Well, apparently after nap they had a good talk about how he was a big boy now, and he told her that he wanted to throw his pacis in the trash! So they threw them in the trash can, and he was calling me to tell me about it!

Well, I knew now there was no turning back. So when I picked him up, I told him we could give the other pacis to Patrick (our children's minister at church) and he would save them for baby Luke (wink, wink) or we could put them in the mailbox so they would be mailed to the hospital.

You may wonder why I made up weird stories, but I had always heard that it is best to get the pacifiers out of your house so that your child doesn't ask for them over and over AND so that as a parent, you aren't tempted to change your mind.

Well, Max immediately told Sutton that the mailbox is dirty and that would get lots of germs on the pacis....so he nixed that idea. (Someone remind me not to have older brothers around when I am explaining these same options to Luke one day)

So Sutton decided to gather all of his pacis to take to church that night and give to Patrick. Only problem was I neglected to call and give Patrick a heads up. Apparently, he handled it well and went right along with our plan. Thanks Patrick! So here they are...Daddy took them to buy a big tub of ice cream so we could all celebrate Sutton's big accomplishment. I stressed about this for literally months, and within a few days, he never mentioned a pacifier again.

Sutton, we're proud of you buddy! You are such a big boy, and you don't need those stinkin' pacis anymore!

Super Heros.......

Hello Sutton! Well, the hat is a little small (for starters) and I think the costume looks more like a gymnast suit than Spiderman's real duds! Buddy, I think you need about 4 sizes larger for it to fit right. Notice the knickers?

Before Thanksgiving, we decided to move Sutton into Max's room. They made the transition really well, and they have loved rooming together. I have really noticed them becoming better friends, as a result of sharing a room. It's been really neat to watch! So this was the day that we were moving their stuff, and they decided to dress up in some old Halloween costumes. As you can see, the costumes are MUCH too small! And a little bit revealing! But when they put them on, I just died laughing and had to get my camera!

Max you cracked me up because you also were in denial that your costume was too small. It was so tight that when he went to sit, he started choking! And he also is apparently sporting some knickers......

Our New Family

We like to do "crafts" at our house....I think Max got that word from my friend Carrie! She is really good at crafts. This day Max made our family out of index cards. With a little glue, some stickers and crayons, he made each member of our family.

So please notice me...the large one on the left! And notice that he drew a baby in my tummy! Then notice Greg next to me....he told me that daddy is tall (hence the long legs!) I'm not going to take it personally that he made me three times the size of daddy! (Or at least I'll try not to!) Here is our whole family together....mom and dad on top. Max and Sutton are next and then baby Luke is at the bottom! I like how baby Luke made it into the picture twice....he's both in my tummy and a baby outside of my tummy!

I put these up at my office, it's hanging on the wall behind my desk. I love looking at it, and I crack up when I see it! Oh, and I show it to anyone who will give me a few minutes to tell them about it.

Thanks for the Craft Max! I love it and wanted to take pictures so that I would always remember our family!!!

Our "Concerts"

We like to keep the music on almost all day.....it makes us in a better mood (or at least mommy!) And we often like to have our own concerts....you know...where you grab a "microphone" and sing into it. Well this was a jammy day, so I let them stay in their pajamas most of the day. We sang songs and just hung out. After our concert, the boys wanted to get on the couch. I thought it was cute how they got on there together....reminded me of Molly & I on the front porch when we were little (wish I had a picture of that!) Notice: Max's microphone is still in hand... So here we are singing our hearts out in the kitchen....I didn't catch Max because he was blinking...no, he has his eyes closed folks! He's really into this! Sutton grabbed a spatula, but he calls them a "broom". Don't know quite why though.......

Max is really into music. We made a game where when a song comes on the radio, we try to see how quickly he can name it. It's amazing how quickly he picks up music, lyrics and the tunes.

Thank you Quincie!

We went to meet Quincie at the park a few weeks ago and I just loved it! We got to let the boys play and just be themselves and capture them having fun. This set of pictures may just be some of my favorites because it caught them playing....and I will be able to remember them in their everyday lives.

Thanks Quincie! I just love all of the pics!

Starting so soon???

Last week we were in the car running errands, and my sweet nieces were in the car with the boys and I. We had great discussions in the car that day, mostly about questions on the Bible, or how many wise men were really there when Jesus was born....it was good stuff!

On the way to take the girls to my sister, Max went into a "talk" about how he didn't like having a brother. My heart sank because that's all this little man will have. But before getting too emotional, I asked him what he meant and quickly realized it had nothing to do with "brothers". So here is our conversation:

Me: What do you mean honey?
Max: Well, brothers are loud at night and they wake me up....
Me: Well, the next time Sutton is being loud at night, I can come up there and talk to him. Don't worry, we will teach him to be quiet at night, okay?
Max: Well, last night I was having a beautiful (he really said beautiful) dream and I was just about to kiss the girl when Sutton screamed and woke me up!

Okay, at this time, the girls and I just DIED laughing! We could not believe what we were hearing! Lauren and Ann Marie started "calling" who would get to tell their mom! Lauren said, "I get to tell mom first".

Max continued: See we were at the castle, and the dragon was there and I was just about to rescue the girl!

Sounds like a scene from Shrek to me! I don't know where he got it, but sure it could have been from a movie or something. When I told my friend Carrie she said they had watched a movie like that at her house....so that could be the culprit as well!

Either way, it was too funny!

Transformers, Spiderman, Star Wars....

Well, we had a great Christmas and have TONS of pictures. But in the meantime, I have been meaning to post this one on Max. This year at school he learned all about Transformers and Star Wars...he already knew some about Spiderman (although he has never seen the movie because I think it is way too scarey!) But, he is really into superheros!

Max, this day I found you with all of your superheros lined up on the fireplace and I believe they were fighting! You have such a great imagination! For Christmas, you got a Star Wars helmet from Santa that disguises your voice (you love it!) You got lots of Star Wars super heros, more Transformers and a Spiderman belt.

You are growing so quickly. For so long, you were smaller and your little body was working overtime to catch up....but you're there now! You are just as tall as your peers, and you have had constant growth for years.

You are growing physically and spiritually. The other day you came to "big church" with us and we had communion. It was perfect timing, because you asked TONS of questions. My favorite was when we had the grape juice and you leaned over to ask me if "there was blood in my cup". It's a smart question, since Jesus did die for us....but it was funny at the same time. A friend of ours went forward asking to be baptized and saying she asked Jesus in her heart. So we talked about that. I told you that you could have communion when you asked Jesus into your heart. (This was all happening when daddy and I tucked you into bed...we were talking about our day) You just quickly said, "Well, I have asked Jesus into my heart over and over again". You have said that to me before, but it still shocks me that you say it. The other day we were at Noonie & Papa's house. I had asked you to help your cousins pick up the toys, and you were doing a great job. While picking up, you found a pretty pink bracelet and you went (without me noticing) to Noonie's desk, and wrapped the bracelet in paper with tape. Then you tucked it in your pocket and came over to me. You told me you had a present for my birthday. When I informed you that my birthday was a LONG way away, you said, "Ok, I have a present for you....you're gonna cry!" And he was right...I didn't cry, but it was so sweet that it made me get a frog in my throat! See, in his mind, I am the "girl" in the family....I am the only one who would want such a bracelet (that is probably one of my nieces' bracelet....). He has done this to me before and brought me pink plastic rings and stuff. I like being the only girl in the family....I think this is going to serve me well in the future! Even if nothing changes, I still feel SO blessed to have these little men around me!

Max, I love your personality. I love your heart. You are a sweet little man, who is growing up before our eyes. I hope I can remember every little fun story or funny thing you say. You are a treasure!