My Boys are Growing Up!!

The other night, I sat down and started writing a post about what we'd been up to.  After about 90 minutes and 12 paragraphs, I decided maybe it was a little much.  So, in an effort to get the ball rolling with posting again, I think I'll just summarize the last several weeks :)

1)  The kids and I were sick most of December and again right after the new year.  I've decided that we're not going anywhere except for school and church for the next several weeks.  The flu is everywhere right now and even though we're vaccinated, I don't want to take any more chances than necessary.  So, basically, I'm living in a state of fear of getting sick, which kind of stinks -- but not as much as 4 trips to the pediatrician in one week toting all 3 kids stinks.

2)  Kellen's surgery went very well.  It was definitely much more traumatizing for me than for him!  I was so sad dressing him in his little hospital gown!  No tears, though, until I handed him over to the anesthesiologist when it was time for surgery.  I was really surprised at how we just handed him off.  I guess I just pictured that they would take him away in a little crib or something, but no -- I just handed him over to someone else's arms.  When he was done, the nurse met us in the hallway outside of surgery, handed him over to me, and walked us to the recovery room.  Once they saw he was able to keep down some formula, they released us to go home.  Everything was great until he started coming down from his anesthesia.  He just screamed and screamed for about 3 hours once we got home.  Once that was over, though, he was fine.  I had to take the dressing off myself a few days later.  He cried again when we did that, but the doctor warned me it would be his worst day, and it was.  He is now fully healed and doing great!

Mommy with a brave face.

"Stop, Mom -- this is so embarrassing!"

3)  Once his ear infection and circumcision were both healed, Kellen started sleeping through the night. I decided the week before Christmas that I just couldn't do it anymore.  I let him cry at his normal feeding time.  He was more of a whimperer, not really a screamer.  He cried for about 40 minutes, and that was it.  From that night on, he has slept a solid 12 hours.  Now, please don't think I'm bragging about this.  He WAS 9+ months after all!! LOL!!

4)  This year was our first Christmas morning in our own house.  We went back and forth about what we should do, but in the end we bit the bullet and just decided to have our own Christmas at our own house.  We had the BEST Christmas Eve and Christmas morning!  It was incredibly special to start our own traditions.  To attend our own beloved church on Christmas Eve.  To put our kids down in their own bed.  To give them our full attention while they opened their gifts.  It was awesome!  Around lunchtime on Christmas Day, we packed up the van, tidied up the house, and left for a week in Michigan to celebrate with the rest of the family.  Oh wait ... I forgot to mention something, and it definitely requires its own bullet ...

Just before our Christmas Eve brother exchange.

The Hall Cousins.  Can't wait to meet the newest little one due in March!!

5)  Our kids found ALL of their Christmas presents hidden in a closet about 4 days before Christmas.  Yes.  They.  Did.  They had a heyday in our secret hiding place for who knows how long before we discovered this.  They went through every bag, every box, every nook and cranny.  They even found the X-Box, which must have required a LOT of searching.  How did we find out about this?  When I came down from getting dressed that morning, the basement door was open and the boys were playing down there.  A little wierd, but whatever.  A little while later during breakfast, they were telling us all the things they wanted for Christmas -- literally naming EVERY SINGLE ITEM in the closet.  The truth came out.  I thought Jon was going to cry.  He was distraught.  While they were at school that morning, he moved all of the gifts to a different closet.  We took the boys down in the basement and asked them to show us where they saw all of the gifts -- the closet was empty.  Jon and I acted clueless. Then, we just let it drop.  Fortunately, the "preview" didn't seem to take away from the Christmas morning enthusiasm.  It all ended well!  :)

6)  Jon and I went to Vegas, Baby!  Well, Jon's work sent him for the Consumer Electronics Show and I tagged along for a few nights.  What an awesome little getaway.  Highlights included dinner at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant and seeing Cirque's "O."

7)  I had to call a mom of one of Landon's friends and let her know that they couldn't have anymore playdates for a while.  If you know me at all, you know this was a traumatic situation for me -- I hate any kind of conflict!  The deal was that we kept having this child over to play and he just wasn't very nice.  I couldn't just avoid inviting him because his mother was constantly trying to set up playdates, so I had to actually address the situation.  Bleh.  Glad that's over and even more glad that HE won't be over anymore.  I can only choose my boys' friends for so long ... ;)

8)  Have I mentioned yet that we FINALLY found some great friends in our neighborhood?!  I'm over the moon excited about this and have been praying for this for some time.  We've lived about 3 houses away from each other for the past 5 years and never met until this past fall at Tanner and their son's "meet the teacher" day at preschool.  I've truly been so lonely for a good neighbor friend for such a LONG time and I know that the LORD made our paths intersect at the perfect time.  I'm so thankful for this family!

Tanner and his new buddy

9)  Jon has begun his last 5 months of school.  YAHOO!!!!  I'm glad he did this second masters program, but I'll be so happy when it's done!

10)  I want to cry almost everyday when I look at Tanner.  He is just becoming this big kid and I think everyday about how I'm going to miss him so much when he goes to full-day Kindergarten this fall.  I feel like his time with me is almost over -- and soon he will be having experiences all day that I don't know anything about.  (Mostly because he's a boy and will only share very random details, if any.)  I'm so excited for him, but sad for me.  He is such a sweet, thoughtful brother to Kellen (and to Landon, too, when he wants to be).  Today he asked me if we were going to have any more babies.  I said I didn't know and he said he was worried that if we had another baby, nobody would get Christmas presents.  Not sure how that thought came to be ... Then he was worried about where everyone would sleep.  I told him that he and Landon could still be roommates and that Kellen would move into Grammy's room.  He was worried that Kellen would fall out of the bed in there, but I assured him if we had another baby, Kellen would be old enough for a big boy bed at that time.  So then he said, "How about we do this, Mom ..."  And that's when he lost me.  Here he was, sitting on the toilet, naked, deep in conversation with me, and I had to stop thinking about what he was saying and just take a mental picture of my little boy sitting on the toilet and talking to me about important things and tuck it away in my memory so that I would never forget.

He looks so old with his hair like that!

We love our new snowball makers!  Now we just need more snow!

My star swimmer!  Making waves in Octopi 2! :)

11)  Then I think of Landon who will be going to Kindergarten the following year and I have major anxiety.  How in the WORLD will he be ready for Kindergarten in less than 2 years.  The kid is crazy. But he's also crazy cute and crazy sweet and crazy lovable.  He is OBSESSED with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at the moment.  He has already made his birthday list -- TMNT iTouch case, TMNT shirt, TMNT bathing suit, TMNT pants, TMNT towel, TMNT socks, TMNT pajamas, TMNT soap, TMNT shows.  (No, I didn't make that up -- I copied it word for word).  He is all boy all the time.  His brand new Christmas toys are full of scuff marks.  This puzzled me for a while until I asked Jon about it.  He said they are from "contact" -- i.e. crashing his toys together in battle.  A little different from the Barbie play back in my day, but such is life with boys I guess.

"Is it time for cocoa yet?"

So handsome ...

My little gamer, lookin' just like his Daddy.

12)  My little Kellen isn't so little anymore.  He was 24.2 lbs and 31.5 inches at last week's checkup.  The doctor talked about turning him around in his carseat when he turns one, and switching him to milk, etc.  It was kind of a wakeup for me that my infant really isn't an infant anymore.  This baby gets so much lovin' from his brothers, it is unreal.  I LOVE bringing him downstairs in the mornings -- the big boys still ooh and ahh over him, ask to hold him, and generally do anything to get a smile out of him.  He is definitely my most laid back child so far.  He does like to be held by his mama, though, and I love that he wants me.  He is pulling himself up on everything and starting to cruise a little.  He is starting to do "So Big" which makes us all laugh every time.  I think all the time about how much joy he has brought to our household in the past 10 months.  Seriously, nothing but SHEER JOY for everyone.  Its so funny how much more enjoyable a baby is for a family the more people there are to enjoy him! (Not sure if that made sense, but at I know what I mean :)

 Brother kisses are the best!

Still not sure about his new cozy coupe.  

He's so lucky to have brothers who glady push him all around the house in it!

 Scrumptious

Soooooo Big!

Okay, so 90 more minutes, and 12 more paragraphs later, I basically have the same post as I did before.  Lol!  Time to get some rest!  Here's a few other random pics from playing in the snow at Grammy and Poppy's!