Hanging out

No school, no summer camp this week. Just me and the boys. And, this is what we did.

Not much.



I do have to say I'm pretty impressed (sometimes) with Jason. Baby Joshua started to cry and he immediately reached over and pulled the baby into his arms.

Of course, Michael wanted to do the same thing. And, when I told him he could not, he went into a tirade. This is a new one, and it is difficult to stop laughing when he does it. He'll pound his little fists three times, and scream, "DERMIT, DERMIT, DERMIT!"

I'll let you know when his potty mouth gets to be too much.

What did he say?

If you know Jason at all, you know that he isn't a big talker.

UNLESS

you happen to mention the Nintendo Wii, which we recently got.

Then, be prepared for an earful on his favorite games. That's what happened to the poor cable guy who was stuck with our animated 5-year old while trying to dig through wires in an upstairs closet.

If you get him talking about baseball, watch out. You might be there a while.

Anything else, the weather, his school, his family--you won't hear a peep from him.



That's why THIS was so funny.

Talk about not being able to get away.



Baby Joshua, trapped in a one-sided conversation with his big brother. And, you guessed it, Jason was giving his little brother the lowdown on the latest level he attained on his favorite Wii video game.

Too bad, little Joshua can't yet press that "off" button.

Family fun

The best part of traveling to see relatives is spending time with them once you get where you need to go. Aunt Jeanne and Grandma got to see Baby Joshua at his best.





Uncle Bud and the boys got some play time together.



And, well, Grandpa saw firsthand how fussy #3 can be. And, as you can see, big brother Jason is never far from his littlest sibling.



To this day, Michael still remembers the trip because it marked a big first for him. It's the first time he got the chance to bowl a round on his own.



We introduced the boys to the football stadium at the University of Georgia in Athens.



We even caught up with Andrea, a dear friend we met back in our Macon days.




Through it all, the baby was probably wondering why he kept getting dragged everywhere.



At least his big brothers know how to have a good time. Michael talked non-stop,



and Jason couldn't stop asking for BASEBALL. Thank goodness his cousins were willing players.

We had such a wonderful visit! Thank you all!!!

Road trip!!!

We are back, and some of us are still smiling.



Actually, we are all pretty happy with how our vacation went.
Somehow, we survived a 10-hour car trip (each way) to see Grandma and Grandpa and we have some great memories and great pictures to share.

We had a wonderful time, and we thank all our loved ones who took time out of their busy days to come see us and entertain the kids (that was the key part)!

No question, the highlight of the trip for our boys was the chance to play with their cousins, Ezekiel and Elijah. Every time they walked through the front door of Grandma and Grandpa's house, we knew we were spared another game of Candyland or Uno. Thank you!!!





Most importantly, we were there to celebrate Grandma and Grandpa's 40th wedding anniversary (just a few months early). Uncle Bud made an appearance, so did Aunt Jeanne, and we got the opportunity to mark the occaision with Dave and Stacie and the boys at a wonderful local eatery.






There are plenty more stories to tell, but they will have to wait. Until then, sweet dreams.
We've never been brave enough to allow the boys to share a room. But, it appears we had nothing to worry about. Everyone had peaceful nights of rest while away from home.



Good night for now!

Proof in the pictures

I have been telling anyone who will listen that Joshua looks exactly the same as his two brothers did when they were born. Weeks ago, I pulled out a picture of Michael and the resemblance to Joshua is quite striking.
This is Jason, taken in 2002, just two months after he was born.



And, yes, I was wrong. There is a resemblance, but Joshua obviously came out with more hair.

No more school!!!

Hard to believe, but Michael's first full year of school is over.
I had the chance to watch the beautiful program that his teacher put together to celebrate the end of school. It was also an opporunity to share with us parents what the kids have learned all year.



It was wonderful. And, you really get a sense of what monumental task she had at the beginning of the year.

For example, they learned not to hit or to bite, not to eat each other's food, and to stay in their seats.
While dealing with that, they learned the alphabet, their numbers, the Pledge of Allegience, and many, many songs.



Here, Michael is demonstrating what a snake does. It is a song I have never heard before, but I got the chance to watch 24 little kids drop to the floor and wiggle. Enough said.



And, the search for that elusive Thumbkin is always on. Both boys sing it constantly, and on this day, the parents got the chance to hear the song in its entirety. We all smiled through this one.

Congrats to all the kids on a successful year. Good luck to parents who now have to keep those kids occupied for the summer!

Almost two months old

Every day of Joshua's seven weeks with us, he's had to face facts.



That he's the smallest of the group, so far, and that big brother Jason is ALWAYS in his face.

At least the boys have started to include the baby in their nightly reading sessions.



When given the chance to be by himself, he's always looking up--ceiling fans, lights, the sun--all have the power to perk the little one up.



We do believe we caught our first smile on camera, too.
Joshua was probably just excited that he had some breathing room because his big brother was occupied with something else.

Priceless

Conversations between 5-year olds and 3-year olds are priceless.

As you know, the boys are big fans of the Food Network.
As Michael told me the other day, "I like all cookings."

Rachael Ray is one of the most popular in our house, and the chance to see what culinary treat she can come up with is a good bribe.

We always test each other: Would you eat that, would you taste that?

And, funny, from Jason, who won't eat anything with color (just plain pasta, plain rice, plain bread) and from Michael, who hasn't had a vegetable touch his lips knowingly, they always say yes.

Arguments sometimes erupt as we try to determine the truthfulness of these answers.

Would Michael REALLY eat Rachael's savory pork chop rub dish?

Michael said unequivocally yes.

Then Jason asked him, "What if she dropped it on the floor, would you eat it then?

Michael said, again, without hesitation, "Yes."

Jason replied, "Then you must really like her."

Brothers forever...

Friends for life.

We survived

Yes, we survived our first road trip with three fussy boys.
The ride to and from Amah and Akong's house was pretty painful. The three-hour car ride is normally uneventful. But this time, the older boys argued, whined, and wished the trip there was shorter.
So did we.




Once there, though, we had a pretty nice time.
The boys got to play with their friends, Austin and Baby Leo.
Jason finally got to hold a baby. He's been wanting to very badly since Joshua's arrival.



Jason and Daddy got to see an Orioles baseball game and arrived home at 1 a.m. He is still talking about the plays on the diamond and eating at McDonald's past midnight.



Michael didn't get to go to the game. He wouldn't have enjoyed it anyway.
See that face he is giving us in this picture?

We're seeing a lot more of that these days. More on that to come!

Welcome wagon

Baby Joshua is good as gold--when he is being held.

Thanks to our dear friends who have stopped by to say hello to him.





Amy, Rob, and Kathy found out what we already know--that human contact puts him to sleep--almost automatically.

You can probably figure out what happens when our guests leave and I put him down.

In the name of love

Baby Joshua's had some fitful naps over the past few days. Is it reflux or just a fussy baby? Is it the dreaded colic???? We still don't really know, but we went to the pediatrician today to make sure he's growing. He is! 9 pounds, 1 ounce at just over a month old!

We also got a prescription for medicine for infant reflux.

I thought the reflux was the only cause of his sleeping distress.

But, I realized today, that our #1, Jason, likes to peek in on his baby brother, at all times of the day.

I caught him patting Joshua on the head during one of his naps today. As if Joshua were a puppy.

I properly chastised him.

And Jason replied, "But I love him, Mommy."
He repeated it. "I really love him."

Imagine what would happen if Jason DIDN'T love him.