Learning on the Go

Yesterday's cold and rainy forecast lead us to check out the Natural History museum and it was a great success! Abram stayed home with a babysitter so the boys and I could do some exploring!

Besides the workers, we were the only ones there! We were able to get alot of attention and fun facts in every room we visited.

There is a discovery room where kids can get hands on learning and we had our own teacher in the room that showed us many cool games and artifacts that usually are kept at the top of the shelves. We spend an hour and a half just in that room! The boys put together a skeleton puzzle

and we checked out some BIG spiders! There is much to offer at the museum and we plan to take another trip next week for some new classes they are holding for spring break.

Afterwards we had lunch together and still had time to visit the bookstore and score some new books! I cherish this age and all the questions they have about life in general. I'm surprised at what kind of things they can think up.

The Great Skittles Divide

Cooper & Wyatt were dividing up a package of skittles the other night. When all was said and done Cooper had 34 and Wyatt at 33.

Wyatt: "Hey! You have MORE!"

Cooper: "Well . . . I am six so I get one more than you."

Wyatt: "Oh, that's right! You get one more than me!"

The logic of a six year old will always outwit that of the four year old;)

End of the Season

Today was the last soccer game of the fall season for both of the boys. Their teams played each other. The boys were very excited to show the other up and the insults began before we even got to the field. Wyatt's team didn't have a chance. The TIGERS are a new team made mostly of four year olds. Everyone on the team was playing his first year and had alot to learn. Cooper's team was the dominate force on the field. Some of the BLAZE team has been playing together for two years and the knowledge shows. Thankfully everyone had a blast on the field and there were no hurt feelings. It was beautiful outside and the end of a great season!

Wyatt's proud smile holding his first trophy. It is sitting in the center of the kitchen table where he has admired it many times today. It will eventually make its way into his room, but for now the shiny trophy is the center of all conversation.

Here are the TIGERS! A silly group of three four year olds and three five year olds. Wyatt loves his team and it makes me happy in knowing we made the right decision to not put the boys on the same team. The season gave Wyatt a chance to break out on his own and shine. He's made some great friends that have already made his birthday list. Apparently birthday lists are a BIG thing to young boys as you can be added or quickly deleted from this list at any time.

Sugar Overload

The boys Halloween candy will be disappearing tonight when they go to bed. Detox is going to be brutal, please keep me in your prayers;)

In the spirit of Halloween 'week' I decided to make the drive to take the boys to Storybook Forest at Lake Arcadia. In Cooper's K12 program the kindergarten year of literature is all about fairy tales. We have read the stories of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, Hansel and Gretel, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk and many, many more. When we started reading the different fairy tales he balked at the idea that most seem to be about princesses and didn't want to listen to 'girl stories' I didn't drag those units out for him as long as he understood the basics of who wrote it and why they are such beloved stories.

Storybook Forest had some of the stories we had read and I thought it would be a fun thing for him to see. Being the perfectionist I am I had the whole Thursday evening planned. I wanted to leave our house by a certain time so we would arrive at just the time the forest was opening. One to avoided the crowds and two so that Abram was in a good mood.

Entering the forest Cooper recognized the words "Once Upon a Time"

Rapunzel letting down her hair. She also threw candy out her window too!


The Candy House of Hansel and Gretel. They also had the scenes of Hansel being in the cage getting fatted up by the witch and the witch being thrown in the oven by Gretel. This is one of Cooper's favorite fairy tales.

Trying to pull the sword out of the stone.

Wyatt is covering up little Pinocchio. See the baskets? At each display they had a bucket of candy that the boys were suppose to get ONLY ONE. I am a rule follower and they only got one piece of candy. The group in front of us would take Handfuls and it was driving me crazy!

The Old Lady Who Lived in the Shoe. They had parts of the story or poem on poster board by each display. Cooper would read the poems to us so Wyatt would know what it was about.

Story of the Three Little Pigs. Here they are in the house made of sticks.

At the end of the trails was this huge black cat. I was quite impressed with the layout of the trails, but I would have liked to see it longer. Afterwards you can play six different games and roast hot dogs and marshmallows over an open fire. They also had a storyteller you could sit around and listen too. The boys weren't going to sit and listen to any story. "You read enough during the day, Mom." was Cooper's response to the idea.

Perfect evening, no? Not so much. The husband was late arriving home . . . twenty five minutes to be exact. Have I mentioned I HATE being late? Being the mature, married person I am, I left him. I was furious at being late, him not calling to let me know that I would show him and just leave him. That'll teach him! (I told you I am mature.)

We ended up getting there 10 minutes after it opened and it was crowded. We stood in line forever while I listened to "how much longer?" about fifty million times. Holding a heavy baby who twisted and turned to see every little thing going on.

Two and a half hours later we were finally leaving the scene. The boys were hungry, my back was aching, my arms were numb and I was exhausted. I met a friend I went to college with who took this picture of Abram. It is a good thing you couldn't see my face. I am sure I looked ragged.

Meanwhile Brian had a quiet evening at home, enjoyed eating Taco Bell and watching TV. I really showed him not to be late again, huh?

Who Needs a Nanny?

When you have such helpful big brothers.

Hometown Parade

September was the month of our small town homecoming parade. We met with some friends, hi Pam!, early in the afternoon to watch the parade. The small town did not disappoint with lots of cars, candy and old men with instruments walking in the street parade. The boys favorite part was gathering as much candy as possible and hording it all for themselves. We are still working on sharing with others. We got enough candy to not have to buy any for Halloween. Of course I won't be able to hold on to all that candy and will either eat it all myself or throw it away because I have no self control. For my slim figure I am guessing I will throw it all out. Poor Cooper was the oldest and seemed out of place. I must start putting myself out there and met other homeschooling parents to introduce some friends that our Cooper's age. Thankfully next year Luke will be out of school for the parade and will be able to join us. It was a beautiful afternoon too!

Game Night

This game has become a favorite for the boys to play with Brian. I act clueless so I don't have to get in on the fun and can sit back and watch. I'm a bad mother like that. Cooper takes it so far as to keep score and will announce who is winning every two minutes. It is usually Cooper who is on top and Wyatt is none to pleased. This can be frustrating for Wyatt who will eventually decide he doesn't want to play anymore and come and sit by me. In turn Cooper becomes angry because of Wyatt quitting and then the game cannot be finished, so no winner can be announced. It is a vicious cycle we look forward to at least two to three times a week.

Loving Fall Weather

Last week the boys and I attended our local county fair. The weather was just right and I was feeling adventurous so out we set with no expectations. If things went well we would stay, if whining and crying was in the forecast we would

pack up and leave. Simple enough.

Thankfully everyone was in a good mood so we stayed around two hours browsing at everything there was to see. We were able to look at lots of farm animals up close and personal and even hold a few rabbits, baby pigs and chicks. It wasn't crowded at all so the boys were free to run ahead and look at any animal they chose to. That would NEVER be an option at the state fair!

Even though there were rides we spent time with the animals and inside the buildings looking at paintings, home grown fruits and vegetables, and seeing other homemade things that people had won places for. The boys enjoyed seeing what each thing "won" as they had ribbons on each of the entries.

As Cooper was getting his face painted there was a booth across from him with little knick knacks. They had all the figurines from the old Star Wars movies, which is a huge hit at our house. Since they had the figurines out of the boxes they were only three dollars each. I grabbed those things up and payed without either of the boys seeing me. Score! They will be so excited come Christmas and my pocketbook thanks me too!

It was a relaxing Friday afternoon and I am glad I took the time to go.

Another Summertime Tradition

For the past three years we head to T-town to attend my hometown church VBS. It is from Sunday night to Thursday night and by the end of the week you are totally exhausted, but in a good way. This year the theme is 'Are You Smarter Than A VBS Kid?' At the end of each night a person from each grade group is up against an adult in a series of questions from that night's Bible story. The student's blow away the adults in Bible knowledge and the auditorium goes wild.

My mom is a leader for the PreK/K group so Cooper & Jennah are in the same class. That group is averaging about 25 kids a night! Don't they all look enthralled in the puppets? The groups rotate to five different stations. Puppets, Snack, Games, Story and Crafts. For the past two years I have been a leader for the 5th and 6th grades. This year I am a photographer for the big slide show production on Thursday night. I miss having a group, but it is fun taking pics.


Here is Moses telling the story about the plagues. He is perfect for the part and the kids seem to enjoy the stories as well as the adults. Pharaoh is also there, sitting in his throne giving his two cents as well.

Last night Jennah was chosen as the PreK/K student so here she is up on stage waiting for her chance to go against the adult. Tonight Joe is going to be the adult and that should be very fun! Behind the desk is a HUGE Bible that is opened up each night with the scripture of the night. A kid is chosen at the beginning of the sessions to open the Bible and read the scripture. It's pretty cool!

Jennah did great on stage, she is a natural. Jon and Jessica are watching Abram each night as I take all five kids to VBS. Meridith came last night so she sat with Abram so Jon & Jessica could come up and watch Jennah, thanks Meridith!

I love summertime VBS!

My Three Sons

Can I really be so boring that I don't have anything to blog about? Seems to be that way and you will not hear me complaining! We are in a nice schedule during the day with school time, outside time(love this weather!), room time, breakfast/lunch/snack time and the boys favorite. . .Xbox race car time. Abram is adjusting as well with the eating/waketime/sleeping pattern. Within the last week I have made TWO WalMart trips, a haircut adventure and shoe shopping with the three of them in tow. I survived, but prefer to stay at home at all cost.

We made the first trip to see family last weekend to celebrate my little brother's *gasp* thirtieth birthday. How can he be that old?! It was a fast 24 hour adventure but we had a great time with lots of family, food and fun. It was the best birthday party this year! This weekend we will be celebrating Wyatt's 4th birthday as superhero's. He is very excited and is talking about it nonstop.

I had my last appointment with the doctor last Friday and everything is looking great. The hematoma is completely gone, my uterus is back where it should be and I am at my prepregnancy weight(ha! just kidding). It was all good news and I do not need to go back until next year which I am very, very grateful. I am ready to put the last seven weeks behind me and move on.

Tonight is Parent's Night Out. A testament that God is answering my prayers;~)

With all the rain last week Cooper's soccer coach cancelled practiced. Cooper was looking forward to practice more than usual because he was the 'snack man.' This entails passing out the juice, snack AND getting to put his hand on the top of the pile at the end of practice. According to Cooper this is a BIG deal.

I've mentioned before how obsessed Cooper is with his calendar and when his day arrived he was very excited. I broke the news of the cancelled practice after rest time and he was crushed. It broke this mommy's heart and I wanted to make it better. I told him he would still have practice with him, Daddy and Wyatt. At the end of practice he could hand out snacks and do the shout out to his team, with his hand on the top.

He was VERY excited and wanted to know exactly when Brian would be home. He put his entire practice outfit on and was waiting by the door when Brian walked in. They practiced outside for about an hour and then had their snack in the clubhouse. The faces on the boys says it all.

The Middle Child

"Don't mess with me!"

My Baby

Friday Abram had his first doctor's appointment and I was glad to see a doctor other than my own. I was feeling perky that day and after my shower I actually fixed my hair and attempted to put make up on. It felt good to be 'normal' for a little while. The boys went to a friend's house to play, so it was just the three of us.

It doesn't look as though Abram will be a good car rider, as none of my boys have been, but it is to early to tell. Much to my dismay he doesn't want a pacifier. Cooper never took a pacifier(as hard as I tried)and Wyatt was obsessed with his(loved that!). He also doesn't want to hang out in his carseat, but would rather be held in my arms. This is fine as long as he isn't squirmy or restless, which he is not.

We had a long wait to see the doctor and Abram needed to be fed before we even saw her. Thank goodness I had packed all I needed, plus more.

Once back in the room we had to answer all the standard questions of having a newborn. The whole ordeal seems silly when you have your third child, but I was willing to please them;) As the doctor was checking him out he was fussy and didn't like being naked and having someone poke and prod on him. He continued to get louder and once she was done I swooped in to pick him up. Immediately he quit crying and it felt good to be his Mom. After all we had been through with staying in the hospital an extra three days and my long recovery period I wanted to bond with my baby boy. This moment sealed the deal for me and made me realize he does know me and I know what he wants. It is a good feeling to have. Here is a picture of right after I picked him up. He is looking around with his bobble head, which cracks me up. Brian took the picture into the mirror so it isn't the clearest quality. He is a cutie!

Here are the stats:

Weight: 9 pounds 5 ounces (75%)
Length: 22 3/4 inches (95%)
Head: 14 3/4 inches (50%)

He is the biggest of all the boys by miles! Look at all his hair too! I am loving that. It seems with each child they come out with more and more hair. It is adorable! The two other pictures are some of his house shoes that he will be growing out of very quickly. I love that even though he is a big baby he still has those skinny little legs! I never thought of myself as a baby person. I am quickly becoming one!

Rockin' the 80's

Let us count the ways in what is wrong with this picture. Mmmmkay?
1. Blue eyeshadow and red lipstick
2. Gold chains
3. Sweater vest
4. Spiked & teased hair
Thankfully it isn't a full length picture, that will come later. We went to an awesome birthday bash that was totally 80's! I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. As we were leaving for the party I called the boys from the playroom and told them it was time to go. Cooper comes around the corner and stops dead in his tracks. He looks me up and down three times and the following conversation begins.

"Where are we going?"

"To church."

". . .dressed like that?"

At that moment Dad walks into the hallway and in Cooper's confused state he also eyes Dad up and down then shakes his head and walks towards the car.

We are the coolest parents EVER!

Picnic

During the middle of winter with 70 degree temperatures we packed up our lunch boxes and had a picnic in the backyard. The boys have nominated me for Mother of the Year, for now.

Yes, Sir!

Brian found these cute little PT uniforms at his last conference and had to pick some up for the boys. They were excited to dress "just like daddy does!"

His First Sentence

Last night while I was making dinner the boys were playing with their Leap Frog Word Wammer and putting the words on the fridge. Cooper had asked me how to spell 'my' and 'silly' during this time and I thought nothing of it because most days he is asking me to spell something.

"Look at my funny sentence I made!" I went to check his work and he read the sentence to me. I was very impressed that he knew how to put the sentence together and was more than happy to show Dad when he got home from work!

*Ignore his bed head as I took the picture this morning*

Science Museum of Oklahoma

Back in December we had a free Saturday with no commitments and decided to take the boys to the Omniplex, now called the Oklahoma Science Museum, to see the Our Body on display. It was fascinating to see the different parts of the body and how it all works together. If I were to go into detail about the layers of skin hanging from the body and the body cut into small pieces it would come across as being gross, but it wasn't bad at all. Cooper was a little concerned about the bodies being real people and "why would they do that?" or "did it hurt them when they cut their skin off?" you know, science questions. Once you were inside the exhibit you were there to stay. If you left you couldn't come back in and that was a bummer because of course the first five minutes we were in Wyatt had to pee. I convinced him otherwise and we were able to see everything and even took time to read what we were looking at. If you have a chance to go I would highly suggest it. There is something for any age group to learn about.

After our tour we stayed around the rest of the afternoon exploring. I hadn't been back since I was teaching, four years ago. It has changed for the better and the best part was that it wasn't crowded. The boys loved the kid center were they could run and play. Wyatt loved the train station and could have stayed there all day long watching them go around and around the track. Thankfully once we did find this little exhibit he was content to be elsewhere. He loved the water play table and spent the other half of his time there.

The boys were more than happy to see the rest of the museum and not just stay in the kid section(yeah!). Cooper's favorite seemed to be the one where you go into a little booth area and get a picture then step away and see your shadow. We did alot of different poses in that place;~) A new place that was added was the treehouse playground. It was very neat with alot going on. Again the best part being that it wasn't crowded and the boys could explore as much as they wanted. It was the first time Cooper was introduced to hop scotch. He is pretty good at hopping on one leg, this pregnant mommy . . . not so much!

We also watch a short movie on Christmas and how certain traditions were started in the United States. Both boys were totally bored, but Brian and I found it interesting. At least it was a short film and they managed to sit through it all. A successful family day!

Biten by the bug, er Mouse

I hate traveling. The thought of flying can send my blood pressure through the roof where I either need to be on medication or take up drinking to calm me down. Being away from the boys sends my head spinning as I worry about what could happen. The most we have been away from each other is a weekend and that has always been more than enough. I know, I have a problem;~) I have always been this way and it is who I am. I deal with it and always seem to be okay.



With that being said, an opportunity came up for me to join Brian in Florida at a conference he was attending. The plan was for him to fly out first on Sunday and then me joining him on Thursday when the conference was over and extend the weekend, just the two of us. We decided on this plan two days before he was to leave, so everything was last minute and I didn't have time to think through all the plans of the boys being away from us for FOUR days and me flying ALONE. Two of my greatest battles. I was excited about visiting Florida(where I had never been)and spending loads of time with Brian. The next two days was spent nailing in the details of where the boys would be and what to pack along with packing myself and all the necessities I would need to survive the airplane ride.

Wednesday I drove to the parents house so I could attend my sister's first baby shower. I bought groceries for Aunt Amy's house and took the boys over to unload all the toys they had to have since Aunt Amy didn't have any kids. We all slept at my parents house that night and then Thursday morning I was up at 4:30 AM to get ready and head to my sister's, who had the privilege of dropping me off at the airport for my 7 AM flight.

Florida was more beautiful than I could have anticipated. The military paid for our hotel, which was gorgeous. People were SWIMMING in the outside pool that had a cascading waterfall in the middle. We ordered way to much room service. I took a shower when I wanted, went to the bathroom without anyone wanting to come in and watch or talk to me and woke up when I was ready. It was great!

Thursday night Brian had reservations at a fancy restaurant where you pay a huge price for a small amount of food and it was all excellent. Right before our meal was brought to us they had us eat a teaspoon amount of sorbet to "cleanse our pa let" Fancy, I know!

Friday we ventured to Walt Disney World where we decided to go to the MGM/Hollywood Park for the day. WOW! As we were driving into the park I was amazed at the organization of it all. With so many people you expect delays and cranky idiots, but I found the opposite to be true. Parking cars was like a well rehearsed dance. People flowed in and out and were in the best moods! With highs in the mid 70's to low 80's it was perfect to walk around and not break a sweat, even being 8 months pregnant. We saw every show that was offered, ate delicious food and marveled at how well put together the park was. A "magical experience" for sure.

Saturday we debated about going to Universal Studios and were at the gate to purchase the tickets. I wasn't feeling as energetic as the day before and the thought was walking all day was sending my body into shock. We decided not to go in and it turned out to be the best decision. We found a great outlet mall and shopped to our hearts content and then found a salon/spa where I treated myself to a new 'do and pedicure. It was a very relaxing day and one that I am grateful we took. That evening we decided to head to Downtown Disney to eat at the RainForest Cafe. As we made our way to the restaurant and saw all the people that had the same idea as we had I knew we would be waiting for some time. We took our place in line to give the hostess our name. Fifteen minutes later we were in ear shot of the hostess stand where we find out it would be an hour and a half wait. Since there was alot more to look at downtown we still decided to eat there. As we stepped up to give our name and announce our "party of two" the awesome hostess informed the head honcho to our table! No waiting necessary! Now that is a definite benefit of being a party of two! It was a neat restaurant with lots of larger than life animals and we enjoyed the good food and people watching.

Sunday we headed back on our separate planes as Brian flew straight home and myself back to my parents house to pick the boys up. The best part of flying was that on the longest leg of my trip, both there and back, was that I was upgraded to FIRST CLASS. It is the definite way to fly and made my trip just a little less stressful as I tried not to think of dying. Thank you God for upgrades and being pregnant;~)

I'm glad I faced my fears and made myself go. It was much needed as the countdown to baby begins. Cooper had a hard weekend as we found out today he has an ear infection and strep of the . . . butt?!?! I didn't know that even existed. Upon my return I expected all the whining, fighting, crying and crankiness. It shows me how loved I am and the boys have laid it on me times ten. For the past four days they bottled up all emotions and now that I am back they have let me have it. I was ready for it all and am glad to be back home.