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.

Construction and Tractor Party

I let the boys pick out what kind of theme party they want and Sutton told me he wanted a "tractor" party. The word tractor gets used for a lot of stuff around here, and since I am a girl, I call most machines a tractor. However, we did get a really cool book from Gigi & Pops that explains all of the different "tractors" so hopefully I will be able to call them the right names soon! Sutton got a "tractor" for his birthday...it was a combined present from some of his grandparents and us. He LOVES it! And, as you can see, Max loves it too!

















Here is the cake that I homemade...just kidding! Sutton loves "banilla" cake...I love how he says it and I don't correct him :) I love the look on his face....





Sutton, your brother Max got you this present. He picked it out just for you and was so excited to give it to you. You love playing with bubbles and mowing the lawn with dad. So, this is a bubble blowing lawn mower. Max asked me about a month before your birthday if he could get it for you. I loved how he was thinking of you, and what you would want.


We got a pinata that had trucks on it and the kids each got a few chances to take a good whack at it. They had fun. I gave them construction hats to hold the candy in...I thought this picture was so cute because they are just standing there with their hats waiting for the pinata to burst so they can get candy.










Someone finally hit it hard enough, and Greg just started dumping the candy on the ground for the kids. It was like a parade! We had a blast and were so thankful our friends and family could join us!~

Birthday Boy!

Happy 3rd Birthday Sutton! Gosh, it came so quickly! I truly remember in detail the day before you were born....my stomach was nervous just waiting for you to arrive. And here we are, in the blink of an eye, 3 years have passed! You are so much fun and a joy to be around. On your birthday, we woke you up and let you open your presents from us before daddy left for work. We got you a new OSU jacket since you outgrew your last one, and you wore it all the time. Here is Max sporting his new OSU jersey. We got one for both of the boys so when Sutton opened his present, I went and got Max his to try on. It fits perfect and shows just how much this little man has grown! Max is starting Kindergarten this year....it looks like we have a year of change ahead of us :)

I love this picture for a few reasons. 1) Sutton has mis-matched pajamas on. We can't get him to wear matching pajamas very often. Look closely and you can see his blue striped shirt and orange motorcycle pajama bottoms (with an OSU jersey on top!) 2) The toy he is opening is a tool box...he LOVES tools and can work a wrench, screwdriver or hammer really well!

Here we are at the donut shop where Sutton wanted to go for his birthday. This place has the coolest donuts. They have donuts shaped in letters, swords, fish, basketballs, footballs, dogs...you wouldn't believe it and they are decorated as well! (Luke is in his carseat on the floor....poor baby!)

If it wouldn't have been his birthday, I would have been annoyed....but he was so funny staring at the case of donuts...trying so hard to decide which one to have. And with that cute look on his face, I suddenly found more patience :) Happy Birthday my little friend!

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!

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!

Sutton the Swimmer

Today we took Sutton to swim class....we've been going since February in the hopes that we can get him well on his way to swimming sometime during the summer. I find the issue even more pressing since all of our parents have pools. IF he was to fall in, I want him to at least know how to get out. And then there's the issue that I will have three kiddos this summer at the pool, and I would like to know that Sutton has a head start on swimming.

I have been so impressed with Miller Swim School....if you will make the commitment (and it's a commitment) to keep your young children in swim class, they can have them swimming by 2 years old. But, it has to be once a week for a year, maybe less depending on the child. Last year in Sutton's class, there were lots of kids swimming that were 2 years old. But, those parents had kept them in lessons for a long time.

Anyway, so that has been my plan. I wish we would have kept him in classes after the summer......so we picked back up in February and he is getting better and better.

Here's a video from today....he actually swam on his own! He didn't go very far, but hey, we're so proud of him. And HE is so proud of himself! He has asked me to watch it over and over today...probably 30 times he has watched it and I'm not kidding!

Click the link below and you can see our little swimmer!

http://pictures.sprintpcs.com/share.do?invite=CEFr2uh9PYhstzB807sL&shareName=MMS&messageState=RETRIEVED

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!