Who can keep up?

The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas always flies by and this year was no exception.  Besides all the wonderful opportunities to visit family and celebrate, we had lots of other reasons for wonder and adventure, especially when looking through the eyes of little boys.

He is 8 months old now, but I never got his sweet little 7-month photo posted, so without further ado...

...here is our baby, growing up just as fast as he can so that he can do all the things he sees his brothers doing.  Luke now has four teeth with a fifth expected any day, is feeding himself little bits of anything we'll put in front of him, crawls on his forearms and belly, and is beginning to pull up to his knees.  This brings him to the perfect level off the floor to pull out and investigate the contents of his dad's sock drawer.  Fascinating!  He is finding his way around the house, and if I put him down in our room I can bet his first destination (now, occasionally after the sock drawer) is our bathroom.  Even if the door is closed, it doesn't latch, so he's learned that he can give it a good push and hopefully make it to our bath mat to scratch at it with his fingers before I scoop him up and redirect him.  He is very vocal, usually "sings" with me when he's tired and trying to go to sleep, and also makes sounds the whole time we are at the table for a meal.

The big boys have been waiting for months for a big event at the farm - the preparation for and laying of a pipeline through the property.  The heavy duty machines finally arrived and they were able to spend a few 70+ degree December days taking it all in.

They got to sit in the driver's seat of a brand-new bulldozer and watch all the excavators, dozers, and big trucks doing their work, plus climb on a huge pile of dirt they'd pushed aside.  Does it get any better than that?

It might get better, for Isaac.  He also got to go feed the cows with Papa, which is one of his favorite things to do anyway, but on this trip there was a rattlesnake at the barn.  He watched from the safety of the truck as Papa removed the danger, and was fascinated to check out the snake and its rattles afterwards.  When we returned to where the others were working, Isaac was so proud to show off the snake (minus head + fangs) along with the stick (yes, that short one that he's holding) that Papa used to dispatch it.  That's super tough-guy stuff.

Later on he was tagging along to check on the pipeline action when Papa asked him to show the bulldozer operator what was in his pocket.  He nearly fell over when little Isaac pulled out the rattlesnake rattles and told him in his biggest boy voice that he'd killed it with his "whopping stick!"

It had been such a busy day that Luke didn't do a lot of napping, and by the late afternoon he was just worn out.  A quick ride in the truck from one part of the farm to another was just too warm and comfy, and I felt his little body relax suddenly as he fell over, asleep on Isaac's shoulder.  He had been so interested in everything all day long and finally gave in to a little slumber.

Caedmon and Isaac had been so excited about the digger action happening at the farm that they wanted to take along their toy diggers to participate in the event.  The hole that we had dug in preparation for a new cattleguard became the perfect place for them to "work" in the soft, fresh earth and they played there contentedly for some time.

So if that weren't enough adventure for one week, we had to wrap up our trip to the farm and head home in time to beat the ice and snow that blew in.  The boys were ecstatic when they woke up the next morning to find a world of white outside and were dressed and out the door before I even had a chance to make breakfast.

Even Luke was entertained by the change of scenery, and gave us a wrinkly-nosed toothy smile!

The boys experimented with different items to determine what made the best sled for the slope in our front yard.  They had a ton of fun sliding on a plastic lid from a storage bin, going up and down over and over.

Luke had another opportunity to experience the outdoors, this time from the warm shelter of his dad's coat!  He loved watching his brothers play while staying snugly tucked in.

I mentioned that Luke has a bunch of teeth - with this being the case, we figure we need to let him use them!  He thought he was such a big guy when I put a piece of sausage on my fork and let him gnaw away at the end, all grins.  Meat has definitely become a welcome and enthusiastically received addition to his diet.

Bonus picture!  I loved this shot of Isaac watching his dad demonstrate flying a toy helicopter that Isaac received for Christmas.  So serious and focused...learning every day!

So much to be thankful for...

We are continually amazed at the blessings the Lord has put in our lives.  These boys have certainly been keeping us on our toes but we're grateful to be able to participate in the adventure of raising them.  

Luke is changing so fast.  We feel like he even looks different from one day to the next, we're afraid to blink!  He's also starting to be more vocal and we're hearing Dadada and Mamama and lots of other interesting things, though he doesn't connect them with us yet.  He is scooting all around and exploring everything he can, and seems to enjoy being on the hardwood or tile because it's so much easier to move.  He will get up on all fours and rock enthusiastically, basking in our praise and encouragement to crawl, then happily flop onto his belly and take off.

Luke eats three times a day with us; sometimes he's an eager eater and sometimes he'd much rather play with his bib or see how quickly he can clear his tray of spoons, towels, and his sippy cup.  His big brothers love to help feed him, too.

It's getting more challenging to get a monthly milestone photo with Luke's little bear...he doesn't sit in one place for long!  When I was trying to take these shots, he was much more interested in coming my direction!

Caedmon and Isaac are always creative with their play, often amusing us with their scenarios and ideas.  Setting up drum sets is one activity that never seems to grow old for them, though they have certainly become more complicated.  This one was particularly impressive to me!

Drum set, in action...he wasn't even looking while keeping the beat on the tambourine cymbal!

Both Caedmon and Isaac were big enough this year to understand that Halloween = candy and they were super enthusiastic about that, especially since we rarely have sweets.  They did pause long enough to pose for a quick cowboy, lion, lion photo before venturing around to our neighbor's houses to model their costumes and get some yummy treats.

Halloween in our neighborhood gets pretty crazy, so we decided to take the boys out early and stay in the rest of the evening.  Handing out candy is best done from a chair in the front yard, as the stream of kids is too steady to justify opening and closing a front door.  Even though our porch light was turned off, we still had kids come knock and ring the bell while we were having dinner, and Caedmon was very much bothered by that.  He felt that if there were kids coming to our door, we should share some candy with them!  We told him that I didn't buy any to hand out, but that if he wanted to share his candy with them he could do that.  He grabbed the treat bowl, which was full of both his and Isaac's candy from trick-or-treating and school, and ran outside.

Daniel went out with the bigger boys and I stayed in with Luke while they greeted the trick-or-treaters.  I wondered how Caedmon, who was so very excited about getting candy, was really going to handle sharing it, especially with strangers.  He began by selecting the ones that were not the "favorites" and from Daniel's report, gave them out very easily.  When the bowl was about half gone, he decided it was time to close up shop, but Daniel realized the opportunity for stretching and learning, and pointed out how many kids were still waiting.  Caedmon continued to pass out treats, more slowly and with greater difficulty, until about six pieces remained...his favorites, the Smarties.  He again asked to please be done, but Daniel reminded him about the kids who were still waiting, and told him that when his candy was gone, there would be a different treat.  So our baby-turned-big-boy stayed out and gave away his (and his brother's) beloved candy, down to the very last piece.  Our heartstrings ached, especially as we considered who some of the candy went to...certainly mostly to little kids, but also some to adults... but none of them knowing the sacrifice he was making.  I could have cried.

So, as soon as he came inside and the reality hit - that the candy was all gone - we cheered and commended his generosity, and loaded up in the car to go get ice cream together to celebrate.

And as I recalled the situation, so quickly judging those who in my mind were certainly not deserving of my son's prized treats, I was humbled to remember our God's great love for us, to send His Son to pour out his blood for all.  For those who are grateful, and those who aren't.  For the kids, and the grown-ups, and the grown-ups acting like kids.  Without differentiating.

Mixed in with the hard lessons and stretching has been a great deal of free play out in the gorgeous fall weather.  Luke loves to be outdoors with his brothers, and will kick his legs and protest loudly if I bring him back inside before he is ready to come in.  He has become quite the connoisseur of everything "yard," enthusiastically grabbing leaves, grass, sticks, and anything else he can reach to chew on or, sometimes, accidentally eat.  For example, when I sat him in the grass to take his picture, he immediately grabbed a magnolia leaf from the grass in front of him and had it to his mouth before I could finish snapping some photos.

While Luke keeps everything in check close to the ground, his big brothers are becoming avid tree climbers.  Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, from my Mama's perspective!) we don't have huge trees for them to climb.  In fact, the only trees that they can get up into right now are fairly small, but if they're out in the backyard chances are good that at least one of them is in a tree.

Caedmon has ventured farther up the limbs than Isaac, but I don't imagine it will take long for them to both be higher than I'd prefer.  As they grow, I must grow too - reminding myself that my children are boys, and they're going to do "boy things," and that these adventures are normal and good for them and that we'll all be better off if I let them flex their muscles and conquer new challenges.  They love it!

Little Conversations

I have been so tickled lately by some of the conversations we've shared with the boys.  We're getting glimpses into their little hearts and minds as they learn to express themselves more and more clearly, and sometimes have to smile when their words aren't exactly the ones they're looking for but we know what they mean.

As the weather gets cooler I've been pulling out the boxes of winter clothes and have asked the boys to try on last year's pants and shirts to see what will still fit.  I asked Isaac what sort of pants he liked to wear and he lost no time in selecting "jeams!"  He has called them that ever since.  And, he sometimes goes the extra mile in making his verbs past tense....not only has he won races against me, but he "beated!" me!  Or if we had a brisk pace in an evening stroll, he might have "runned-ed."

Caedmon is always excited to tell me about the things he's doing in school, often pulling everything out of his backpack to show me as soon as he gets in the car.  One afternoon last week he was telling me about something in his "wiggly reader," and it took me a few minutes to figure out that he was referring to the "Weekly Reader" that the kiddos work on together.  My thought was that in a pre-k classroom, they might be more accurately referred to as "wiggly" readers!

Both boys bless my heart with their sweet words, but Isaac in particular has been showing a new depth that is so touching to this mama. When I picked the boys up from school last week I asked them both about their morning, and what they had done.  Isaac said, "No, Mom, what did YOU do this morning?" I described the errands that I had run, and he asked, "But didn't you have lunch?"  I told him that yes, I did, and then he wanted to know what I had.  Only after I had given him all the details, mundane as they were, was he was content to tell me about his morning.  And then the next time I dropped him off and gave him a big hug, he looked in my eyes and told me, "When you pick me up today I want you to tell me about all the things you do this morning!"

We have also been sharing a Bible verse together before meals, talking about what it means and how to apply it to our lives, and trying to memorize one verse per week.  Caedmon is quick to commit them to memory and be able to recite both the current and previous weeks' verses.  Isaac is usually very quiet while we talk, not wanting to practice saying the words out loud.  A recent verse was from 1 Thessalonians 5:11 - "Be kind to one another and build each other up."  Hold that thought.

This afternoon the boys got to leave to spend a few days with Grammy and Papa.  They have been so excited to go and Isaac told me as they were about to drive away that he would see me in "100 days."  I told him that they would need to come back sooner than that but that we could check back in after a couple of days and see how they're feeling.  He said, "Oh, it's okay, Mama, Grammy has a washing machine."  Obviously we hadn't packed enough sets of clothes for 100 days!  I reminded him that they would need to get along and be kind to each other if he wanted to have an extended stay.  His reply was, "Oh, yes, Mama.  We will build each other up!"  Oh my - he was listening.  My heart is full.

I blinked!

Well, this month certainly has flown by!  We've had so many "firsts" and seen so much growth in all three of our little guys.  

Right after Labor Day was the start of the boys' school.  Caedmon is so excited to be in pre-k and to get to go three days a week.  He is really starting to connect with the other kids at school and form fun friendships; he is always excited to go.  He has grown up so much since the start of school last year, when we would watch him go into the classroom and start doing his "own thing," playing beside the other kids but not really with them.  Now he greets his buddies and tells me all the things they play on the playground, and his teacher told me that he's a very social child.  He is also getting very close to being able to sound some simple words out on his own and is starting to take more interest in doing so.

Isaac enjoys going to his class one day a week, too, and would be happy to go more frequently but we're also treasuring our mornings together when Caedmon is in school.  He is always excited to show us the things that he's made in his class and has learned a lot of fun new songs and his making great progress with letters and sounds.

Luke has also had some big "firsts" in the last few weeks.  He is normally such a content little guy but the last few weeks has gotten really vocal and agitated when we would sit down to supper, looking at our plates and complaining loudly.  I hadn't planned to start solids with him just yet but we decided to see how he would do with them and let him have his first food - a banana.  He was really fascinated and did pretty well swallowing it on his first try, only spitting out a little.  We have also tried avocado with him; some nights he eats fairly well and sometimes he's not really interested, but he loves to be a part of what we're doing.

Everybody got to participate in feeding Luke his first taste of bananas, it was a special event for all of us!  The big boys were so proud and excited for him.

Luke is also getting better at holding himself up.  He sat unassisted for about half a minute one day this week, and one night he got to join Isaac for his nighttime snack (held up by Daniel).  He was so happy to be at the little table with his big brother!  I'm sure it made him feel really grown-up.

Luke is starting to scoot himself around on the floor.  I'm sure crawling is just around the corner as he can also get his legs under him and almost push himself all the way up on his arms.  For now he can make forward progress, which comes in really handy when playing on a quilt out in the yard so he can get to the edge and grab a fistful of grass!  He also enjoys a little keyboard that the boys have.  It's a great toy for him because it's low enough that he can get his hands up on the keys and play some good tunes...sometimes playing with both hands and his mouth all at the same time!

I was somewhat shocked yesterday to peek in his mouth and see that he has two teeth starting to poke through his gums.  I could see them under the gum for a while but didn't expect them to come through anytime soon, since neither of our bigger guys had teeth until 10 months or later.  They are all the way through now - our days of toothless grins are over!

Our official 5-month picture!  This captures his little personality so well...he's such a happy little guy and just loves getting to interact with us and especially Caedmon and Isaac.  Our boys are such a joy and blessing to us, and to each other!

Four months

Now, we've officially reached our fourth-month milestone for Luke - and as Caedmon really wanted to know, the four month mark until his birthday.  These guys have been keeping us on our toes and leading us a merry dance lately - as the weeks fly by.

Caedmon will be starting pre-k after Labor Day, and is excited to get back and see his friends.  I'm excited for him too, he was really starting to enjoy being around the other kids and doing interesting projects and crafts at school, frequently surprising us with little tidbits of things that he's learned.  It helps that he is so enthusiastic about going; it makes it somewhat easier for me to let go of my big boy as he begins real school.

He has been increasingly interested in his youngest brother lately; frequently he is the first one up in the morning and will come join me in the nursery, always giving Luke a sweet kiss on his head in the morning and at night.  He loves to bring toys to "Luker Schnooker" when he's playing in his bouncy seat or on the floor, talks to him, and gives him good head rubs.  Daniel overheard him singing a song to Luke that he made up, to the tune of "Angels We Have Heard On High," about how much we love him.  So tender!

Caedmon is also beginning to show an increased independence and strong feelings about how things should be done.  We are often hearing "I want to do what I want to do!" Don't we all!  We are learning to balance those feelings with also thinking about what others want or need.

Isaac has definitely had a growth spurt recently; we can see that his pace has picked up when we take walks or chase each other in the yard.  He has such a fun sense of humor and frequently uses silly voices or surprises us with the funny things he says.  He has a strong sense of adventure and is willing to try new things without reservation - this summer he has begun jumping into the pool (with a lifejacket), climbing the tree in our backyard (once before I got out there - he did get his ankle stuck and was hanging by his ankle and hands while Caedmon ran to tell me to come), and riding anything with wheels.  He is in constant motion and loves to play chasing games, any sort of sport, and go for walks.

One evening last week I was getting the boys ready for bed and left the big boys drying off and getting their pajamas on after their bath to go change Luke's diaper.  Isaac had been complaining about it being too cold, but I encouraged him to hurry and get dressed to warm up.  I heard the water in the sink turn on, and when I got back to the bathroom I found Isaac sitting in the sink with the water on.  He said that he needed warm water because he was too cold!

Both boys have become fascinated with the PBS kids show, "Wild Kratts," in which two brothers visit different habitats and use special suits to take on characteristics of the animals they're learning about.  They really have learned a lot about a lot of different animals and have had so much fun pretending to have those special suits and transforming into cheetahs (Isaac's favorite), falcons, badgers, ka-zelles (gazelles) and anything else that struck them.  I frequently hear them saying "Activate CHEETAH powers!" and then racing away at full speed.  It was fun to pretend, but they really, really wanted these special "creature power suits" so I thought it would be a fun project to make some with them.  It took me a while to gather the materials we needed, and in the meantime I realized that they didn't want pretend suits - they wanted the real thing!

They have also begun quoting the brothers, so I frequently hear little snippets like "welcome to my world, dude" and "to the creature rescue!!"  One afternoon Isaac was eating a snack and started coughing; I asked if he was okay and he said, "It's just a hairball."  I sincerely doubt he has any idea what that means but he heard it once and remembered in what context to use it!

Luke is at such a sweet and fun age - he is a smiley little guy, has lots of giggles (especially for his brothers!) and loves to be where he can see the action.  We are so amused at his fascination with the television - it's not on that often but when it is, it doesn't matter what is on it (perhaps even just a big blue screen), he will watch with wide eyes.  He joins us for meals sitting in his bouncy seat on the table where he can see everything that is going on around him, often adding his two cents to our conversation and kicking his feet.  Some nights his foot-kicking is so fast, and sometimes he just kicks one foot at a time for a while.  I commented, to the big boys' great amusement, that it looks like he is riding a scooter when only one foot is kicking at a time.  Now we can get his attention and say, "Ready, set, GO!!"  Whether he understands our game or is just inspired to start kicking because he thinks we're excited, he almost always starts "riding his scooter."

He has begun scooting in circles and sometimes making forward progress when in his crib or playing on the floor, and now rolls from his tummy to his back all the time.  He is still working on his eye-hand coordination but can grab objects that are close to him, and frequently has his hands clasped and in his mouth.  His favorite activity right now is taking baths; his eyes get so wide and he smiles and giggles as he kicks and splashes, it's great fun for all of us!

Belated 3 Months

It's Luke here.  Well, I'm three months old now (almost four months) and I wanted to send you some of my cutest pics lately.  I enjoy laying in my bed craning my neck as far as possible to see if someone is coming to rescue me.  I like it when my brothers come and play with me in the morning, but especially when my mom and dad come and pick me up!

It doesn't come as naturally as it looks, but a little head tilt, sweet smile and adorable eye gaze are all part of my repertoire. These sweet things come in handy when it's the middle of the night and my belly is getting hungry.  I usually start making scratching sounds, then little cooing and some mild grunting.  If that doesn't get someone's attention, then I'll flip over on my back, wedge my arm between the bed slats and go straight for the guttural shrieks...works (almost) every time.

I'm all legs like my brothers and have learned how to balance my head when I'm sitting or reclining.  The bear is shrinking each month that we take a picture together, but I'm really enjoying getting bigger so I can be like my big brothers!

And here they are, my best friends!  They like to pet my head and give me sweet hugs.  Mostly I like watching what they're doing and I'm starting to tell them things, but it doesn't seem like they understand what I'm saying yet.  Isaac likes to tell me stories about his giraffe or the trees that he's been climbing.

Here's Caedmon reading me a book which he does so well.  He really takes good care of me as the biggest brother and is learning how to watch out for me and that makes me happy.  Caedmon and Isaac also give me the biggest giggles when they do silly things or try to tickle me, I love it!

It's almost bedtime, so I'll leave you with a picture of me getting dried off after a bath.  My baths are fun and I've gotten to splash in the BIG tub with my brothers, too.  After a long day it feels good to be clean, snuggled in a towel and put in my footed pajamas.  Life is good!

Adventures with Three

Life with little ones is always full of adventures.  Sometimes just getting through the day, even when we're not "doing" anything that day, can require more mental, emotional, and physical strength than I can believe.  But a couple of weeks ago I knew it was time for us to start resuming more normal activities that took us beyond the walls of our home, starting with a trip to the grocery store.

I gave each big boy a list with pictures of the items that they were "responsible" for finding that day and tried to pick a time that Luke would be sleeping.  With him in the front pack and his brothers engaged, at least for a little while, with the items on their lists, we conquered the grocery store and made it home with no real snags.  I was thrilled, and knew that such a smooth trip was probably a gift from the Lord so that I would be brave enough to venture out again!

Such a great first experience, along with an urgent need to get my oil change before going any farther in my vehicle, made it clear that we needed to visit our mechanic for a tune up.  I called ahead to make sure we could get in and out quickly and we headed over.  I am not sure what happened, but our estimated 15-20 minutes turned into almost an hour.  We ended up making ourselves right at home during that amount of time - the big boys did a great job of playing together, made two trips to the restroom (walking through the entire shop with 5 or 6 bays of cars being worked on to get there), and I nursed Luke and changed his diaper and outfit when he had a diaper leak.  When the mechanics finally came to tell us that our car was almost ready, Caedmon called out to Isaac, "Hey Isaac, let's be a hurricane!  You be the eye, and I'll be the hurricane!"  With that, Isaac froze and Caedmon began running in circles around him.  Then they decided to switch.  I had never seen this particular dramatization, and our mechanics just laughed.  Such creative little minds!

Later in the week we went and ate lunch with Daniel.  After an uneventful lunch and visit to his office, we headed back to the parking garage.  Caedmon had been asking the entire time if we could go "do the escalators," which are at the base of the building and a pretty long ride.  Although I wasn't crazy about trying to help both boys on and off and carry Luke in his carseat, I told him we could go watch them.  A kind security guard saw us and came to offer his assistance - I told him that Caedmon just wanted to ride - so he said he could go with him if I was okay with that.  I agreed, and he took off with my firstborn.

Isaac then began begging me to take him down also, but I was trying to wave for Caedmon to come back up.  After a moment's confusion, the guard evidently thought that I was trying to convince Isaac to get on also, and that Caedmon could wait at the bottom by himself until we got there, so he hopped on the ascending side of the escalator.   That left me alone at the top with a three year old and newborn in a bulky carseat, and my four year old all by himself at the bottom, with tons of people getting coming and going.  I gave in, hopped on with Isaac, and rode down to Caedmon.  A kind couple behind me realized that my hands were full and the lady rode back up with us just to make sure we were okay.  I'm sure thankful for the people in this world who are willing to reach out with a helping hand.

Isaac's birthday was early in June and we celebrated with friends and family here at home.  He loves anything that requires throwing, kicking, or hitting a ball so he had a cake decorated like a baseball, and baseball, basketball, and soccer ball cupcakes.  He was so proud!  On his actual birthday, Grammy and Papa came to spend the day with us.  We tried to make him feel extra special with a candle and singing at each meal but he decided that he'd rather we sing "Mary had a Little Lamb" than the birthday song.  And not just the first verse - if we stopped, he requested the rest of the song.  Whatever makes the birthday boy happy!

Our little Luke is well past the 2-month mark now.  At his checkup, he was 24 inches long and 13 lb 5 oz, which means he's growing just great.  He's getting stronger and holding his head up for longer to look around, taking in all the action created by his brothers.

He is full of smiles and I believe just on the verge of giggles.  For the most part he is a content, easygoing little guy, and certainly very interested and engaged in the world around him.  His big brothers are fascinating; when traveling in the car I often hear Isaac's cry of delight - "He is smiling at me!"  Now that he's more interactive both boys love to sit close by and do what they can to entertain him, by sharing toys or singing songs or just talking to their brother.  It's so precious!  He has also recently succeeded in getting his thumb into his mouth by himself, which he has been diligently working towards for a few weeks now.

Any time I get out the camera, the boys are ready to pose and snap some pictures themselves.  The sequence of photos is always amusing to me, as there are certainly no two shots the same.

Even though we knew how challenging it was to catch a good photo of our two big boys together - both looking at the camera, and smiling, and not trying to run away - I really wanted to try to capture our trio all together on Mother's Day.  So we got them dressed up and posed out in the yard, and were pleasantly surprised with the results.  I am always amused at the progression of photos and what each of them are doing!


They were really being troopers and trying hard to give us their "best" smiles!




What sweet boys!  We are so blessed.


Isaac LOVES his little brother.  He is always ready to bring a pacifier or blanket or toy without prompting, and is generous with his snuggles and sweet baby talk.  He was so proud to get to hold Luke for this photo!


Our one month-old!  We will try to get a picture of him with this bear (which is big brothers picked to bring him in the hospital) each month to watch his growth in comparison.


I was getting breakfast one morning and overheard Isaac "reading" a book out loud, which is unusual for him.  I realized he was sharing it with his little brother, who is always tuned in to what the big boys are doing.  So precious!