Naked Santa

I think it's hilarious that my boys, especially Ollie, are thrilled to wear hats and any other funny accessories, but not their clothes. We had a lot of fun with this one. 

Look Mom, No Hands!

I'm getting a little worried about Ollie's gluttonous tendencies. He loves food!!! Not that I can blame him, but he doesn't go this crazy over casserole and vegetables. I think we all need to make some dietary changes in the new year. 

Trucks and Cake

What could be better than cake and trucks for little boys? Can I tell you what would be better for a 30 year old pregnant woman? Maybe not receiving an invitation for Christmas after declining the one made for Thanksgiving ~ and then canceling the day before.  I guess I'll just have to settle for chocolate cake. Ollie never declines an invite like that. It would also be nice if I could get the computer to quit underlining everything I'm typing. 

Bob The Builder - Who?

The boys enjoyed an outing to Lowe's build and grow today. They built their own wooden gingerbread houses. Ryan was putting the finishing touches on Halle's. 

Ollie's First Haircut

Let's re-cap:

You may remember our mullet-baby, but NO MORE!!!

Ollie had his first haircut yesterday. He actually sat really well for it and it turned out well. In some ways he looks like such a big boy now, and in other ways I think it's made him look younger. You judge for yourself.

Parker Pooped!!!

This is a re-enactment of what took place this morning. Parker pooped in the potty. It was a glorious occasion!!! Hopefully he will keep up the good work. 

Andventures in Potty Training

Any advice on potty training? Parker insists on wearing his new big boy undies, just to pee in them five minutes later. It makes me CRAZY!!!

Mullet Baby

Ollie has the grossest mullet. It's happened gradually, over time. Normally you don't notice it because it's wispy and curls in at his neck. But here's proof ~ we have a mullet baby!

Who took the candy from the candy jar? Ollie!

It's a GIRL!!!

I'm proud to announce that we will be welcoming a baby girl into our family. The boys are very excited - especially Bryce. He said he's pretty sick of little brothers getting into his stuff. Can't blame him there. I'm kind of shocked, but I know she will be a necessary dimension to complete our family. 

Unemployed Hot, Sexy Man

Ryan was laid off today. YEA!!! Now we're going to be living super tight, but it will be good for us. We were able to sell our nice silver car so that brings our insurance down and we are officially DEBT-FREE!!! YEA!!! I'm really excited that I don't have to go to Bryce's pack meeting alone tonight. We'll see how I feel tomorrow. 

Pregnant Mom+Three Busy Boys - Dad = a bad day at church

I thought yesterday we had reached a new low, but you never know how much lower you can sink until you do. Church, all forty-five minutes of it, brought us to a new low. Ryan couldn't be there today so I was on my own - pregnant with three kids. Things were ok until the sacrament portion when Parker found that he can reach the light switch and turned the lights off. Shortly after that, Ollie fell off our pew and banged his head. I took him out while he wailed, then went back in once sacrament was over. We were doing well for five minutes until Ollie hit his head again and I decided to move us out to the hall. I was thinking the kids would calm down once they had more room and wouldn't have to be so quiet. NOPE! Parker climbed the drinking fountain and sat in it while I was chasing Ollie. Parker ran across the stage while there was a class going on in the gym. Bryce who was supposed to be watching Ollie was busy playing with his toys and lost track of Ollie who was trying to climb the same drinking fountain Parker did, but found he's too short to manage Parker's stunt. I felt overwhelmed and decided to leave once the tears started pouring down my cheeks. 

My new personal hell

I don't have a picture to illustrate this one, but my trips to the store have reached a new low. If I did have a picture you would probably see a very stressed out, angry looking woman with three beaten children around her. I took all three boys to Trader Joe's this morning because I was feeling extra brave after Bryce's soccer game. Apollo can walk, and because of that he has to stay buckled in the cart. But, he insists on wiggling himself out of the seatbelt in the cart and standing anyway. Parker spends most of his time standing in the basket and hanging one leg over the side, threatening to jump out. The store people get very nervous and tell me to please sit my children down because they could fall out. REALLY?!?!?! Sometimes I just want to scream "I promise I won't sue, just quit giving me impossible instructions!" Bryce is busy trying every sample the store has to offer, and assumes some things are samples that aren't. It had been months since I had taken all three to the store and now I remember why. I can't imagine how I'll do it with four. I'm not sure which is more hellish to me, the family photo or trips to the store with the kids. 

Hot, Sexy Man for Hire!!!

As the two of you know (Pinks and Tacho), Ryan is looking for a new job. Any suggestions would be appreciated. "Get a job" is not a helpful suggestion. Nor is "McDonald's is hiring".  Any leads would be great!

Bryce in Disneyland

Bryce went to Disneyland for his 9th birthday. We rode the new Nemo ride and that was my favorite part. His best friend Tru was able to join us for one of the days, and that was Bryce's favorite part. He was definitely the happiest kid on Earth. 

30th birthday

Ryan took me to Cannon Beach for my 30th birthday. He got this fun little sports car (from work) and we stayed in a nice hotel. The only problem was that I was at the peak of my morning sickness. I spent most of the time in our room  feeling crappy or hiding somewhere in public to throw up. He tried so hard to make my birthday a memorable one, and it was - just not the way I was hoping for. 

Balloon Fun

What's more fun than a bunch of balloons? 

See if you can find Bryce? 

He's camouflaged.  

Parker! Honk your horn!!!

Do you see a recurring theme? Parker is happiest when he's driving ~ maybe he can look forward to a lucrative career in bus driving or being a trucker. That's scarey. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Brycie-ro (like Ichiro)

Here's Bryce at a Mariner's game this summer. He enjoys watching Ichiro, but I think his favorite part is the garlic fries and peanuts. Who can blame him? 

Ollie and Mom

This was Ollie's (my third little sweetie) first wedding. It was beautiful and he looked so handsome that I had to show him off. 

My sweet Ollie

Family photos ~ my favorite

I love the lasting memories that a nice family photo can leave. This one was taken a little too recently for the haziness to set in to make it a positive memory. I remember feeling my blood pressure soar as the sun was beating into my eyes and someone wasn't looking at the camera while the rest of us were. We did get this picture and it's a nice one. Next time we'll wait until sunset, not first thing in the morning. What's your personal hell?