Busy bodies

Wow, has it been busy, and the blog has suffered.

Worry not, though, we can rewind and share some memories of our very fun-filled last few weeks.
First, Baby Joshua's first airshow. Just the baby and me. The other boys were at t-ball.

Yes, it was very loud.

But the baby didn't seem to be bothered by it.



In fact, my co-workers took turns protecting him from the wind and the noise.
Thanks, Tom!



We were lucky enough to have some great weather one recent Friday, and the swim moms (and our kids) got the chance to play together once again. Say cheese!




And just this past weekend, we counted our blessings for the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. I was on stage, while Baby Joshua and Big Boy Michael enjoyed some arts and crafts and good company. Thanks to Amah and Akong for the help!






It was a rather long day for little boys, but we made up for it at home.
Some R & R for all!



Hard to believe, but this just may be the first family photo we have taken. And, well, at least we're all in the picture. We'll have to take a few more in the future! This one was just "practice."




Since these pics have been taken, many milestones have passed.
Baby Joshua has had his first taste of food, other than that old and tired MILK and rice cereal!

Pictures to come!
We love you!

Tummy Time

You've heard about Joshua's dislike of the car. He doesn't really like bouncers, he tolerates swings. We have found he loves his tummy time.



Fussy Joshua can be transformed (sometimes) if I place him on his tummy time doggy pillow (Thanks, Michelle & Craig!). Of course, the smiles don't last long. You have to pick him up in order for that to happen. And, you know what, we do! We're suckers, really.



I realized after I took this picture that Joshua's smile is similar to that of this bear, but that is merely a coincidence. My little artist, Michael, colored this masterpiece. The color variations are all his. I believe he crafted this one at the Y. We think our #2 is moving into the artistic arena. He loves music, drawing, and cooking. As Michael would say himself, "It's double good."

A day at the ball field

You may be happy to know the whole t-ball pants issue has been resolved. I thought the gray shorts he wore previously added a little bit of character to his outfit. However, it was unacceptable.



At Jason's game this morning, wearing the uniform white pants, he looked like everyone else. And, we're proud to say he knocked that ball pretty far.



It was this week as I watched all the other t-ball/baseball moms at the ball park that I realized I will one day be juggling THREE ball schedules. There are plenty of moms in the league with three, four, even five children, and I am furiously taking notes from their experiences.

I will be spending plenty of time at the ball field.
And so will Michael, although likely in the spring, he'll be able to sport a pair of t-ball pants of his own.
Until then, he waits. With me.



And so does Baby Joshua. He has a few years to go. While at the ball field, I usually carry the baby in my BabyHawk (a baby carrier) and hold onto Michael and a bag of snacks with my free hands. Jason is shuffling next to us. I am a sight, let me tell you. And people always come up to me and say, "Are ALL of these YOUR kids?" They always look very surprised, I'm really not sure why.

My little men

I knew this day would come. And you did, too, since I've mentioned before that the signs were there. A wobbly tooth, an excited 5-year-old, an anxious mother.

And, yesterday, (Tuesday, September 9th), it happened.

Jason was eating lunch at school, when he said his tooth hurt. He touched his tooth and, pop, out it came. "It was all wiggly, and then it came out," he said.

I picked him up and his teacher handed the little tooth to me in a plastic bag.

He was so excited to put it in the little tooth fairy pillow that Grandma sent us this week. Thanks so much for it. Perfect timing and a perfect way for him remember this special time.

I imagine he'll have another tooth to set in the pillow soon. When it rains it pours. The tooth next to the one that fell out is loose as well. By the way, he seems to think the tooth fairy needs to pony up a little more than the $3 she did for tooth #1. I told him the economic times were tough for everyone, even those with wings.

Meantime, we're back at the t-ball field. This time, Jason is an Oakland Athletic.



Doug got me all paranoid that our kid would be the most crazily-dressed one out there. Jason grew a lot more than we aniticpated, so we got him the wrong size of t-ball pants. Turns out, it didn't really matter. He nailed that ball twice and had a great time on the field, despite wearing the improper leg coverings. We'll get it fixed by the weekend.



Have you met my son, the chef? I can only hope.
Michael walks around everywhere, making us meals. Sometimes it's cheesecake, sometimes it's a chocolate chip cake, sometimes it's just plain pasta. We can also we treated to "poop" sandwiches. He is 3, after all.

Over the weekend, we actually let him in the kitchen to cook some real food.
The boys had a great time and did a very good job at making pizzas.



The baby is taking it all in stride.
He's got to, with a mother who would make him wear these shades and then snap a picture.



Most of the time, he is a delight. We see this smiling baby ALL the time.



That is, until we put him in the car. Then erase this picture and imagine a screaming hyena. That's Baby Joshua. If you can believe it, he's gotten even louder in his anger. That, of course, makes us want to drive faster, so we can see him smile once again.



Bye for now!

Busy week

Have I said that before?

Yes, and I'm sure it will get busier. I am looking at my calendar, realizing that most of what's on there is stuff for the kids--chauffering them to this activity or that. And, Jason's only 5!

School started this week, so that added to the excitement. The boys have settled in well, mainly because they are with the same teachers. They are having a blast at school.

We were afraid it wouldn't be a good start, though, because the night before the first day back, Jason got stung by a yellowjacket, or a "yellowjack" as he likes to call it. He doesn't cry in pain that often, but this time, he did. Poor little guy, it must have hurt.

What was so funny is what he said to Michael during his ordeal. A couple of weeks ago, poor Michael was rummaging in our pantry and knocked over a LARGE can of baked beans onto his toe. Blood gushed out, he was crying hysterically, you get the picture. He was eventually fine and he has a crazy looking nail to show for it.

The incident must have had an impact on Jason, because even in his pain, he said to Michael, "Michael, don't go outside. I don't want you to get bit by a yellowjack. It will hurt more than a can of baked beans." Somewhere in there was a message of love.

Baby Joshua, meanwhile, also had big changes this week. He started his new stay with Ms. Anne. She is wonderful, and he seems to have really taken to her. She says he is a "delight," and I think she means it. He chats with her in that way he has. And then he smiles all crinkly. It's a marvelous sight. Ms. Anne's mother-in-law believes Baby Joshua will be a tall boy. We'll have to see.



I realized yesterday that I have no pictures of the baby and me together. So, I had to enlist the help of the only "photographer" I had with me yesterday afternoon. Jason.



Hey--at least we were in the picture.



Thank goodness it is finally Friday. Hope you and yours have a wonderful weekend!

Driving Lesson

Thanks so much to Amah and Akong, who spent the week with us for the last week of summer vacation. Doug and I went to work, and they had all THREE of them all day long. And they survived.

Here you can see us enjoying a Saturday morning at the Y. Jason is playing basketball somewhere behind us.

Amah and Akong were in the car during a conversation we have been having with Michael and Jason for weeks now. I didn't understand it at first, but Michael asks me all the time, while I'm driving, "Mommy, how did we get here?"

It took me days to realize he was not asking about our place in the universe, but rather how we got there--grammatically.

He wanted to know if Daddy "drove" there or if Daddy was "driving." For a while, everyone "drived" everywhere.

Both of them still don't get the answers we give them, but they always ask. So, we have to try to explain tenses to them, which they really don't understand.

"So Mommy, how did we get here?"

These days, I have to give him two answers, both of which they don't really understand, and they don't agree with.

"Well, Daddy drove to the movies earlier, and right now, Daddy is driving to the mall."

"No he didn't," Michael always says. "Daddy drived to the movies."

And so the conversation continues.