Jason's First Communion

It has been a big year for us and for our faith.
Jason just celebrated his First Communion and as part of the process, they "made" him try wine for the first time as well.



He told us in no uncertain terms that would never enjoy a glass. Never.



It has been a WHILE since we checked in. We can't believe we are just a few weeks away from the end of the school year.

SNAPSHOT:
Michael has discovered a love for that lovable Junie B. (the girl with the atrocious grammar). He is a reading fool these days. We adore it!

Jason is going into what will likely be his last baseball game of the season. He's had a fun time with it and enjoys the karate lessons we started for him and Michael at the YMCA.

We are winning the war against potty training! I wouldn't say we win all the battles, however. Joshua is, for the most part, dry day and night! It has taken more time than we thought it should have, but we are very proud of #3.

Happy Birthday, Joshua!

Poor Joshua!
Being the third child, we are hard-pressed to find original ways to celebrate the milestone.
Tonight, four days after his third birthday, he asked me if we would still be able to go to Barnes & Noble for his birthday party. What??! Or course, I told him yes, but I'm not sure right now if we'll be able to fit it in.

Poor kid.

On his real birthday, though, we really pulled out the stops.
He got presents and cake and truly, he enjoyed the evening...at home.



I could tell him we are still recuperating from a weekend (last weekend) at church. We spent Good Friday there, then Saturday night, we were there for many hours as Doug was welcomed into the Catholic Church.

The boys held out for many minutes, but even our night owl couldn't hold out.



Surprisingly, Joshua didn't complain about the monkey suit we placed on him. No tie, but we were happy he didn't strip down to his skivvies during the service.



Earlier in the day, we thought it was important to get his hair cut (as well as the hairs of the other two). Good thing we made that choice. We were in the front row for the ceremony and everyone could hear Joshua singing...that is, until he fell asleep.



On a side note, something bizarre is happening this spring. Lots of rain or something. Our yard looks like a botanical garden of some sort. Never seen these blooms before!



Before all three boys took their naps at church, we got a chance to take their picture. It was the last time they smiled that night, unfortunately.



Hope your weekend is faring better!

Happy Easter!

We marked Good Friday this evening with a trip to church.
Unfortunately, Joshua didn't understand the solemnity of the situation.

He started to sing while we were all bowed in prayer.

Cute, but highly inappropriate.
And loud.
Then, he decided it was time for a nap.
Thank goodness he is cute.

The beginning of the end...

of diapers.

You can see Joshua is not too thrilled about it.



We officially started the process today, and so far, so good!!!

He is still not smiling about it, though.

Beach boys

It is hard to believe how much they have grown.



We paid a visit to the beach today. We figured it would be a nice way to spend our anniversary! No swimsuits this time, though; we definitely needed the jackets and an umbrella.




This new park opened on the sand and we had to check it out.



Despite the blowing winds and cool temperatures, we had a hard time prying the children away from all the fun equipment.




Afterward, we celebrated with ice cream!!!
Speaking of foods that taste good, lately, Jason and Michael have been on a bit of a health food kick. They learn all about the food pyramid and healthy eating from school and they realize a lot of their favorite foods don't really have a place on the triangle.

They know that potatoes can be healthy, but french fries really are not. So, the other day Jason asked me if he could squeeze the potatoes out of the fries, and if that was the case, THEN would the food be good for you? Nice try.



Will that mean a diet of green beans and sprouts from now on? Something tells me that won't fly.

Have a great night!

Happy Birthday, Michael! You are 6!

Michael was King of the Hill today.



It was as if he had two special days. We celebrated his 6th birthday in the classroom. He originally wanted his official party to be at the putt-putt golf course. We sent out the invites and that was on the location line. But earlier this week, I knew it was going to be chilly and wet today. We went to the fallback...Chuck E. Cheese!



They are doing something new and pretty cool now. It's called Ticketblaster. The birthday boy walks into a tube and with wind blowing inside, must gather up as many tickets as possible. He was allowed to bring in Doug for support. They did well, scoring more than 400 tickets!

If you are keeping track, this would be party #4 there. We always say we won't do it again. And every other time, they do disappoint. But this time was not one of them. We had a great time this afternoon. Weekday parties are the way to go.

And, I met Michael's two girlfriends. Yes, you read that right. Girlfriends. Plural. We did not realize he was such a casanova. But these charming young ladies apparently want to marry Michael.



He did as I thought he would in the face of all this adoration. He took it all in stride.

The other boys just ran around, trying to gather up as many tickets as possible.




By the way, whether I like it or not, we've introduced the "magic" of this place to our youngest. Something tells me today's visit will not be our last.

Snapshot

There are so many days I feel like I should run around with a recorder, catching moments with the kids. They say the most amazing things. I'll try to be better about not forgetting them.

Jason has started a new baseball season. Coach-pitch still, but rest assured, it is still a challenge. He's looking forward to the games. We've also started a "hitting" academy for him, to build confidence. He's moved into Beyblade land, and loves those spinning tops. And "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" will beat out any Magic Tree House or Muggle.

Michael is now a grown-up 6-year-old. And boy does he seem older than his years! 6 going on 60! He told me this afternoon the only thing he likes to do is sing. He thanked me for putting him in the children's choir at church. I've also put him in karate. He may have to learn how to defend himself.

Joshua, at almost three years old, no longer sucks his thumb! It was a habit we thought would be so difficult to break. A couple of months ago, we put the yucky stuff on his thumbs that would leave a nasty taste in his mouth if he chose to suck. But he must have powered through it. I believe he sucked off the yucky stuff...every time. This time, though, all it took was a comment from Michael. It is like the pot calling the kettle black because Michael sucked his fingers for so long, but he told Joshua, "You're gross. I'm not letting you on my bed until you stop sucking your fingers." That night we put the solution on Joshua's fingers. That was a couple of weeks ago. And Joshua has stopped. Who knew? We're still working on the potty training, though. Maybe I should ask Michael to make a statement...

Happy Birthday, Michael!!!

I can't believe he is now six years old!!!



Michael had a special day today to celebrate his birthday. He is telling me (as I write this) that he ate a breakfast of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. He says it was a good start to the day. Amah and Akong gave him a digital watch and he is thrilled with it. He brought it to school and his teacher, Mrs. Dykes, noticed him smiling every time he looked at it.

I stopped by his kindergarten class today, loaded with sugar to share. While at the grocery store, it seemed like a good idea to bring in juice boxes, cupcakes and lollipops to Michael's classmates. When I got into the classroom, even the children felt like it was a good idea. I'm not sure their parents will think so tonight.



I think it is safe to say Michael enjoyed my visit. He was beaming as he ate his chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting. I haven't seen as a big smile in a long time.



The day got better for him. He opened some wonderful Beyblade treats from Grandma and Grandpa. Remember that birthday crown from school? He is STILL wearing it.

Happy Birthday, Michael! He may not be a baby anymore, but I always tell him, he will always be MY baby.

Old Man Michael

We've got a new nickname for #2. Recently, we have noticed a bit of a crusty tone to his words...particularly when referring to his little brother, Joshua.

Granted, Joshua is a bit of a free spirit. Here he is squeezing in a workout, properly using the push-up bars, or at least trying to.



As grown-up as Joshua is, though, he hasn't quite kicked the thumb-sucking habit. And Michael obviously hates it. He dislikes it when Joshua sits next to him, for fear of his "icky, slimy thumb." He dislikes being touched by "Fingers," as Michael calls him. And he really does sound like an old man when playing keep-away with a smiley, happy baby, who just wants to give Michael a hug.



While we have given Michael a new moniker, Joshua gets one, too. "Mr. Personality," we like to call him. And just like he lives up to the "trouble" name, he also exudes quite a bit of personality. He knows exactly when he is in trouble and what he needs to do to get out of it.
A simple smile, he knows, gets him pretty far.

He was smiling all on his own (no motivations behind it) this past weekend. We saw "Tangled" in the theater. I was surprised at how much we all enjoyed it. For two days after the movie, Joshua kept talking about "The Pencil." What???

It was after a little while, I realized he meant "Rapunzel," who is the main character in this movie.

If you ask him now, he'll say "The Pencil. Nice movie. Yellow hair turned black." Hopefully, that doesn't ruin the film for you, but, in those eight words, he summed up the entire plot.

Have a great weekend!

Celebrating our presidents

Our own Honest Abe came home yesterday with a new distinguishing feature. Michael wore his hat pretty much all day long (minus the time we spent at the pool). It would not have held up that well in those conditions.



Joshua's reaction was immediate. He couldn't stop staring at Michael.

Who could blame him?

Finally, after a minute, he says, "Michael, I wuv yo hat." He repeats it a few more times. "Michael, I wuv yo hat."

Michael, he's so nonchalant. He replies, "Thanks." He didn't even look up from his homework. I think he was coloring in a picture of a kitten.

You can tell Joshua's feelings are as true as he can make them.
As I am writing this blog post, he's able to look at just a picture of Michael's hat and he says to me, "I love Michael's hat."



If I were Michael, I would not leave him alone with it.

A handful

We were lucky enough to have a friend come over and watch the boys last night. Doug and I were thrilled to get a date night out. As we were tripping over ourselves to flee our home, I looked over at the brothers...and I hoped they would be good for her.



When we returned home, Jane promised us that the boys were well-behaved. But just look at those smiles. I think we may never really know...

Thanks, as always, to Mr. Jack. It has been a while since we last saw him. As a result, we were at the Barber Shop for about an hour and a half!

Tower no more

He's just waiting for his chance to pounce. Notice the blocks that used to form a tower behind him. Joshua is ruthless.



Jason and Michael were so proud of their creations...creations they had to put together very quickly.




The dynamo that is Joshua then got to work.



The boys took their minds off of their lost art projects with a visit by Grandma. We were so happy to see her.





She got to see Jason take part in his first school dance. We watched him cut a rug on the dance floor with oldies (that are new to them!) like the "Electric Slide" and "Macharena."



Here's to the start of baseball season and the arrival of warmer weather!




Have a great weekend!

Don't let this sweet face fool you.



We call him trouble and right now, he's living up to his name. And we know when Joshua is asleep, at least he can't carry out one of his antics.
He is still in diapers and for a while, he would let us know when he filled it. That was nice.



Now, he will show it to us. The other day, he picked up a couple of popsicle sticks that were on the table and STUCK them in his diaper and drew us a little picture. On the walls. Yuck.

I guarantee you, the other two would never have thought of doing this.

They are too focused on playing games! Poor Grace. She stopped by and could only sit in the middle of the action.



Joshua isn't too interested in the games yet. But he took some time to watch a movie with Rob.



Rob was sure to keep Joshua's hands in view at all times.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Time for bed

I love when the boys are all showered and ready for bed, but not yet ready to fall asleep. More often than not we are rushing them to their pillows, knowing they have such an early start in the morning. But tonight, we had a few extra minutes.

We had a great day with swimming lessons (all three are taking them now) and a pleasant dinner. The afternoon snack was a bit of a challenge, though. Joshua is speaking plenty more words now, but it is not always clear still what he is trying to say.

Today, he kept screaming at me, "yenky toms," "yenky toms!!!" "YENKY TOMS!!!" What in the world is that? He continued to get more and more upset because I had no idea what he was talking about, but then Michael, who overheard, matter-of-factly said, "He wants Lucky Charms."

Oh. Lucky Charms.

So I asked him. "Lucky Charms?"

"Yeah. Yucky Charms."

"Yucky Charms?"

"Yeah. Yucky Charms."

Yup. That's what he wanted.

Jason wants more and more Beyblades. That is the toy of the moment. What happened to all the Star Wars, Legos, Bakugan that were the hot toys of yesterday? In the closet.



We think Michael may be onto something musical. He is learning a little bit about drumming from Doug. He certainly is enjoying one-on-one time with us.



Michael is definitely a funny little guy. The most bizarre things make him sit up and take notice. Like tonight, as I was kissing him good night and leaving the room, he says to me, "Good night, sweet woman!"

And good night to you!

Toothless Michael

Michael lost his first tooth last week, Jan. 9th to be exact. And he lost his second one today. The tooth fairy better start saving up. You could say it is about time they started falling out. His permanent teeth have already started to come in, BEHIND where his baby teeth were. In fact, I think they are both almost all in. I just look at his mouth and Jason's mouth and I think, I better start working harder! We'll be paying plenty of visits to the orthodondist!!!



We have been immersed in the winter sports here. For a few weeks after baseball ended and through the holidays, we took a bit of a break. But, new year, new sports! The boys, all of them, are back with swimming. Jason's teacher thinks he would make a good candidate for swim team, Michael is getting so much better and Joshua only screams for five minutes (as opposed to 15) when he is brought to the pool.

School is going well and Jason is adjusting well to his new one. He has an "interview" coming up because his class is opening a "restaurant." We love this school. It is a dessert shop and he wants to be a sous chef. Asked why he chose this job over, say, a manager, and he says, "Well, it doesn't look like managers do anything. I want to do something and I think I can do that as a chef. Managers just sit at their desk all day." Doug (of course a manager) was rolling, as was I.