Baby Joshua

In my head, I knew that Baby Joshua would arrive early. His due date was officially set for May 16. There was no way.

However, he surprised us by making his way into the world THREE weeks ahead of schedule, on April 25th.

And, what about that quickie 3rd-baby delivery I was counting on? No such luck. I was in labor for about 12 hours before Joshua came screaming into our lives. As far as we can tell right now, all is well. He weighs 7 lbs., 9 ounces, and is 21 inches long. But, all the nurses kept saying, "I've never seen that before, I've never seen that before" after hearing him screech. He was angry about being here, and he let everyone within earshot of the building know about it.



Thanks so much to our dear friends, Kathy and Sean, who opened their doors to Jason and Michael, when I called at 12:30 in the morning, for emergency babysitting duty.



We worried the most about the boys' reaction to Baby Squishy, now known as Baby Joshua, although the names are interchangeable in the house. We have nothing to worry about, yet. The boys are fascinated by the baby. They want to "hold" him every chance they get, which, I can tell you, isn't often.



Maybe it's because he is number 3, maybe he knows what he needs to do to be heard. Baby Squishy goes from zero to VERY loud in about 3 seconds. But, he also calms down just as quickly. You just need to know what to do. Since we're still in the process of figuring that out, it's still a bit chaotic around here.



This is Joshua, Day 2.
We already can't imagine life without him.

Michael's pledge

We just realized that Michael knows the Pledge of Allegiance.



He recited it for us, verbatim, today.

You know it.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of da United States of Damerica.
And to the Republic for which it stands.
One nation, under God, indibisible, with liderdy, and justice for all."

I was kind of impressed.
Then, Jason chimed.

"OK, Michael. What is zero plus zero?"

Without hesitation, Michael said, "Nine."

Happy Birthday, Akong!

We were so fortunate to be able to spend the weekend celebrating Akong's 69th birthday.
It's a big deal. If he had wanted it, there would have been many, many candles on his cake.




Instead, we settled with just one. We had a splended Chinese banquet with exotic dishes that I think Dad liked. Best of all, Tim was able to come to town to mark the milestone.



We love you, Akong!

It's a dirty job....

and Michael is certainly up to the challenge.



Another ambitious project carried out by Michael's preschool teacher.



These 3- and 4-year olds, who might have difficulty picking up after themselves, learned the value of picking up after others on Friday.
Holding plastic bags and wearing rubber gloves, Michael's class became the school's enthusiastic outdoor cleaning crew.



Plenty of bottles, cans, and styrofoam coolers came inside with these pint-sized worker bees.

In return, they got big smiles and a chocolatey snack for a job well done.

For the love of T-Ball

No doubt you have already heard that T-ball mania has swept the household.
When we're not attending a T-ball game (which is difficult to imagine since we have about three a week), we are practicing. Jason has recruited little brother Michael and his 9-months pregnant mommy to throw balls to him. He's not that picky, to tell you the truth, as long as the balls don't fly too high.



Of course, Game Day is a very big deal. It's important that those times at bat count.
Oh, yeah, when we're not practicing T-ball or baseball, we're watching it, then analyzing it. We have never seen Jason so focused before.



Rest assured, Michael and I have found a way to make the time pass while Jason runs the bases.



Snacks, anyone?

Game day

The Mariners FINALLY took to the field today.

Jason woke up at EXACTLY 7 o'clock this morning and rushed downstairs to check in with us. He wanted to make sure the game was still on.

All he could talk about was home runs.

Unfortunately, I missed the first game of Jason's T-ball days.
Doug, very ably, captured the moments for me.



This is Jason's first time at bat. After fouling off a few pitches, Jason laced a ground ball down the first base line and raced to the bag.

Safe!!!

But there wasn't much time to celebrate. Jason had to pay attention and run the bases.



This is Jason standing on third base. He wanted to make sure Doug saw him in action.



Jason was more than proud of himself. He soon scored. Doug says he finished the game 3-for-3, all singles. Well, pretty much everyone finished the game 3-for-3, all singles. The kids, every single one of them, had a great time.



When Jason got home, all he could talk about was the game. And, this zinging hit he got. Apparently, the ball he hit went so fast, it almost went all the way into the outfield. Not quite a home run, but in his mind, close enough!

Thanks to Doug for his insight into today's actions.

I look forward to sharing more details of his games. Of course, you may not want to hear ALL of the details. He plays about 4 times a week!!!!

His friends might think it's good to get it out of his system, too. Anybody who comes over these days is now obligated to pitch to him, whether they want to or not.

On the bench

To be honest, the entire team is on the bench.
The weather has been so wet, two games have been cancelled, including the one on Opening Day.

But, that didn't stop the Mariners from taking part in their picture session.



Jason got his teal jersey and you could tell he was so excited to have it on.



The other boys in the family had to have a closer look.
Of course, if the team ever plays a game, we'll have the pictures to prove it!

One day...

Growing up

We haven't seen the sun in days.
So the boys haven't had the chance to play outside. Not since Grandma and Grandpa's visit, which really wasn't that long ago.




The boys had such a good time when they were here visiting. As you can see, Jason is very much into t-ball. He wants to practice any chance he gets.



Michael, well, he is definitely growing up.

We took him to the doctor just yesterday for his 3-year old checkup, and boy, was he a ham. He's weighs just over 30 pounds, and is three feet one inch tall. He was very proud of himself for giving the nurse a urine sample, in a cup. I'll be honest, I was, too. And, the one shot he received?

"It didn't hurt, mommy. I didn't cry."

Humility is not really his strong suit. Michael told anyone who would listen that he did very well at the doctor's office.

"I got two stickers because I was so good."

Michael's birthday bash

Sometimes at our house, you'll hear things like, "Mommy! Jason is sticking his finger in my ear!"



Thankfully, all of that animosity was cast aside for Michael's birthday bash.



We invited Michael's classmates from school, and friends we've known since we've been here. Actually, we invited their younger siblings. It was important, for some reason, to try to establish that these were Michael's little buddies.



Michael really had a blast.



We used to come to this play gym quite often, and Michael never wanted to participate. He never wanted to do what Jason was doing.



But, during this birthday party, Michael surprised us all. He did all the exercises, jumps, and running around that all his friends were doing.



Even better, his best friend was by his side, almost the whole party. Jason was very concerned that Michael would not have a good time, so he stuck by him. It was the cutest thing to see.



You may remember that Michael in the past weeks had been threatening the entire family with an "un-invitation" to his birthday party, unless we behave. Jason never got that. He was allowed to come, no matter what.

Of course, now that THAT party is history, Michael is focusing on #4.

And, he's telling all of us, again, we need to behave. Or else, "you won't be coming to my birthday party."

Shiro in the house

We have had a whirlwind week (last week). I'm a little behind in sharing details.
Plenty of visitors to help us through Spring Break. Thank you to Amah and Akong, and Grandma and Grandpa, who, were so wonderful to us while the boys were off from school.

But, that's not what this post is about.

Meet Shiro.



He's a polar bear on loan to us for Michael's birthday from his preschool teacher.



We had to chronicle Shiro's week with us in a little diary. Too bad, he spent most of his time in Michael's bedroom.

But, before the end of his stay, we brought him to Michael's birthday party. He had a blast. Michael did, too. More on that later.

Surprise visit

We were thrilled to open the door last week to find our dear friends, Ann and Thomas, with their three children in tow. The boys so enjoyed seeing Lauren, Tyler, and Harrison.



These little ones have known each other for YEARS. Talk about walking down memory lane. I reached back into the archives, and pulled out this one of Lauren and Jason, who are only a few months apart. In this picture, Jason is 9 months old. Lauren is just over a year.



Michael wasn't in the picture, literally and figuratively.
Then, Doug woke him up from a much-needed nap.



It was difficult to wake him up. Clearly, you can see that. Then, I guess there wasn't enough action to keep his daddy occupied.



While the baby snoozed, his big brother scored! Ann & Co. brought some wonderful presents for Michael's 3rd birthday.



Eventually Michael got to play with his new toys--but, not until Jason decided he was finished!
Thank you for stopping by, Ann!!!

Chlorine-free afternoon

Sunny and almost hot--the "swim" moms got together outside of the pool since classes were cancelled this past week.



The kids ate chicken nuggets. The adults ate much, much better.

No complaints all around.

Thanks, ladies, for a great afternoon, and the great gifts for Baby Squishy. You shouldn't have!!!

Easter ham

You can't tell by these pictures, but the boys were a delight during a long Easter Sunday service. They must have used up all their good behavior inside the sanctuary, because I couldn't get them to stand STILL to show off their Sunday best.



I have to admit, worried as I was about their behavior inside, I didn't need to.
We walked into church and immediately found out there was no church nursery available. That meant Michael was hanging out with us.

With no food. I was unprepared.

Surprisingly, he was upbeat, even treating us and people behind him to some Wiggly dance moves during the "Alleluiah."

Happy Easter to you all!!!

Say "Cheese!"

Michael is 3!!!

Baby Michael is no more.
Michael is now 3.

And, today's celebration is just the first of many for this little one.

His first real party is scheduled for the end of next week. Just his friends will be there.

And, you can tell, he can't wait.

Home Run

Jason hit a home run on Saturday during t-ball practice.

I think everyone else on the team did, too.

But, talk about a confidence builder.




Jason leaves practice with his head held high. I can't even tell you how excited he is to be a part of this team.

Doug is, too. That's him, helping coach the little ones around the bases.



Game 1 takes place two Saturdays from now. Go Mariners!!

Girl Scout Cookie Love

Who doesn't love a Girl Scout Cookie?

Michael is on board.

And, he showed us how much the other day.

We were having a dessert of the shortbread cookies.
Michael and Jason each had two.

Michael needed to use the bathroom (Go, Michael!).

And, he wanted to make sure we didn't touch his cookies.

"Are you touching my cookies, Jason?" He yelled that a few times on the way to the bathroom.

"Are you touching my cookies, Jason?"

"Are you touching my cookies, Jason?"

Finally, it morphed to this:

"Don't touch my cookies, Jason. ARE YOU **LOOKING** AT MY COOKIES, JASON?"

Thankfully, for Jason and for the rest of us, they were right where Michael left them.

The "baby's" revenge

This game is called, "Jump." As in, "jump" on Jason.
And, I'm not a big fan of it. But, as you can see, the boys are.



I know I won't be able to call Michael my "baby" anymore.
But, you can see, he's slowly getting his revenge (thanks, Walter!) for being the "little" brother all his young life.

Speaking of little, my little man is doing great on the potty-training front. I should temper that by saying it could change any day now. But, he has spent the past few days accident-free at preschool. AND, he did a #2 in the bathroom at Target. My first reaction, of course, was, "Do you really need to go here?"

He said yes, and then proceeded to follow through successfully! Yay!

The start of something fun

Jason is now an official Mariner.
And, he couldn't be more excited.

He started t-ball practice last week, and he's been beside himself with joy over what the next few months will bring. And, I didn't realize until a couple of days ago what kind of commitment these sports are.

This is my boy at practice, ready to field a ball and throw it back to the coach. It is about the cutest thing I have ever seen.

We had to miss a practice yesterday, once again, because of Jason's social schedule. He had a birthday party to attend right around the same time.

Jason tried to tell me that we could make both events (we could not physically do it). Then he told me, "But, Mom, we need the practice."

Wiggly party

It's nice to know that even though the boys have graduated from Elmo to Rachael Ray, from addition to "mulvibication" (Jason's word), from diapers to Big Boy Underwear (Yay!), some things never change.

They both adore the Wiggles.




Love 'em or hate 'em, you have to admit. They do have the power to get kids moving!
They danced, together, for almost an hour. A wiggly party for sure.

Let's try it again!

A quick update on our potty-training progress.

He did it!!!!

#1 and #2, at different times. On his own terms.

He is so proud of himself.

We are, too.

Of course, he has a way to go before being fully trained.

It's a good start, though.

Michael couldn't wait to show Daddy and Jason his prizes for letting me know BEFOREHAND that he needed to go.

Yay!