Adventure of the day

Getting exercise with three small children is always a challenge. But today, I decided I was going to make it work. I checked out the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred DVD from the library a few days ago (have I mentioned that I LOVE the library?) and I hadn't so much as cracked the case yet. So, today was the day! On a side note- there are 3 levels of workouts on the dvd. But do not be fooled....level 1 is no joke. Hello! I may not be able to move tomorrow. The fact that there are two harder workouts kind of scares me! I got Gavin set up on the floor with some entertainment, Brady chose to color and Kellen parked himself on the couch. Under a blanket. Yep, I had an audience for the first half of my workout. Apparently me working out = quality entertainment! Ha ha After a while, Kellen decided he needed to be closer to me and got down on the floor next to me, scooting himself as close to my side as he possibly could. Let me tell you, doing crunches with a small child snuggled up next to you is not the easiest thing to do. But how sweet is that? By the end of my workout, Gavin was crying because no one was paying attention to him and both Brady and Kellen had joined me in doing the exercises. I love that they just want to be a part of whatever I'm doing, even if it makes things a little more difficult sometimes. ;)

My life be like....

Here is a list of snippits from my life lately...I've been having some "you know you're a mom when" type moments and wanted to share. Extra cool points for you if you know the song that my blog title is referencing! :) Here is a glimpse into what I've been up to as of late...

finding play-doh under my finger nails and thinking it's the new "french manicure" - realizing my shirt has drool spots and maybe even a little bit of spit-up on it and not changing right away because I'd probably only be clean for two minutes, and the only result would be more laundry- hearing "MOM! You want to see this? My poop is like a ball!" - promptly writing this down on the quote board as soon as I caught my breath from laughing- attempting to burp Gavin by patting his head instead of his back- dressing up in one of the most awesome one-piece jumpers ever bestowed upon this earth and going roller-skating - rejoicing in the all-consuming love and forgiveness of Christ

Whew. Life is a bit like a circus, a bit like herding cats but full and SO worth the chaos.

Two months

I can't believe Gavin is already two months old. He is quite the little charmer. He loves people talking to him and is quite generous with his smiles and coos. Brady and Kellen are still quite taken with him, Brady more so. That boy just loves babies! The other day, I had gotten out of the shower but was still in the bathroom and overheard something like the following conversation:
Brady- "When are we going to have another baby?"
Alex- "I think Gavin will probably be our last baby unless God wants us to have another one."
Brady- "Can I pray to God for another baby?"
Alex- "Sure, you can ask God for another baby brother if you want."
Brady- "Well, it could be a girl next time..."
So sweet!

Snow complex

That's right. I'm beginning to have a complex about snow. You see, I love the snow. Not just looking at it, but playing in it too. Two years ago it snowed enough to play in right after I had Kellen. So I was confined to the couch, forced to watch the fun out the window. The snow skipped us last year but decided to come back full force this year to torture me, not once, but twice in a matter of months. Once when I was super pregnant, once after having Gavin. I guess if you're stuck being the observer, it helps to have some adorable little guys to look at. :)

Is there such a thing as blogger's block?

It's been brought to my attention that sitting on my butt all day while I heal from my c-section would be a perfect time to write a blog entry. And it's really logical, seeing how I have the laptop upstairs with me for my entertainment. I just can't seem to muster the motivation to write anything. So, this is me writing anyways. I cannot be held responsible for any level of "sucky-ness" this may achieve. Be forewarned.
Recovering from a c-section is hard. There's pain, there's the feeling drugged all the time, there's isolation. I think the transition period where I'm healing and am not part of the everyday life (and discipline) of the boys puts a huge stress on my marriage. But I see Gavin's tiny little face and his sweet eyes looking back at me and I can't believe that God has entrusted me with another amazing gift. I am blown away by that. And beyond grateful that God gives of himself that I might love these boys in a way that is glorifying to him. Because I definitely can't do so on my own.
I can't believe I'm the mom to three THREE! little boys. Yikes! I'm so excited though to see them all grow into their personalities and to see what Gavin will be like as his personality becomes more apparent. Brady and Kellen are such a riot, he has a lot to live up to. :)
We had a family movie night a few days ago and introduced Brady and Kellen to the awesomeness that is the musical "Annie". (Gavin slept through most of it, so he'll have to be reintroduced later. ha ha) There aren't many non-animated movies I can think of that would hold both boys attention, but the singing and dancing had them glued to the screen. As I watched them watch the movie, I found myself racking my brain for other appropriate musicals I could share with them. The highlight of the night was singing "Tomorrow" along with the movie and having Brady and Alex join in. (Kellen couldn't make it through and had been put to bed, or I'm sure he would have been right in there, singing his heart out with us.)

"Fake" preschool

My friend Bea and I have been getting our kids together to do some preschoolish type activities about once a week or so. Kids getting sick and such has put a damper on our little school every once in a while, but it's been pretty enjoyable. We've done cooking together, crafts, science experiments, color theory and even had a couple "field trips" to the zoo! Brady (and Kellen) love having Makayla (and Juby) come over.

Worst. Blogger. Ever.

I think I deserve an award or something. I really have thought about writing a blog entry many times really, I just haven't done it. In over 3 months. Impressive, if I do say so myself. So, I'm writing about a few of the things we have been doing over the last few months. And maybe my New Year's resolution should be to blog more consistently. You know, if I actually made resolutions. :)

We went to the Puyallup Fair. The boys got their faces painted- Brady picked out a dragon and chose pink and yellow as his colors all by himself. Kellen's red ladybug was chosen by Grandma.


Kellen was much more interested in looking at the animal barns than Brady. But when we got to the petting zoo area, he wasn't so sure about the goats. By about the third goat, he was in love!





Brady went on rides for the first time. He, of course, was an instant fan. His favorite was the roller coaster, although he did request (and was promptly denied) to go on the human slingshot AND the extreme scream. My little daredevil.


Pumpkin carving! Kellen seemed to like the pumpkin guts, while Brady didn't like the "slimey-ness" on his hands. (For being all boy, he sure does hate getting dirty!) Brady even helped me make a few cuts on our pumpkin face and loved it!



Lindsay and I combined creative forces again this year for our Halloween costumes and decked our families out as the crew from Alice in Wonderland featuring the Mad Hatter, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, the March Hare, Alice, the Cheshire Cat and the White Rabbit. Brady had his role down pat on the night of Halloween, running from house to house, while repeating "I'm late, I'm late!" over and over.


We also travelled to Blaine for Thanksgiving this year. We were able to rent a park model unit at this place called Beachwood and it worked out quite well to have space for all of us. The boys and I even went into the pool for a little bit. We all enjoyed being able to stay for the weekend.