The Great Pumpkin Returns

Remember a few years ago when we bought that huge pumpkin that Andi could actually fit in? We felt like we needed to do that again this year, so last week Thad took Thursday off work and after Andi got out of school we headed to the pumpkin patch in search of the great pumpkin. Murray Farms has a bunch of kid activities like the blob, or as they called it the jumping pillow.

And a corn maze.

And a tractor cow train.

And some fun photo ops. I love that Andi put her head all the way through the thing.

This is how Peter spent the afternoon.

The pumpkin is not as large as our first, but it was the biggest around.  The kids knew Daddy would be the one working on the giant, so they picked regular size pumpkins for themselves. Just wait till we get that bad boy carved and stick a light bulb in it.

Peter turned 3 months yesterday, and though there is no Dr.'s visit with official stats to go along with it, I still took pictures. This is as good as it gets, he's so squirmy now!

He's laughing now too, but does not really appreciate being tickled.

The Squish

This post is all about Peter, who is more commonly referred to as "The Squish",  "Little Squish-it", or "Squishy-boo". All names I'm sure he'll be proud of as a teenager. We tried to make up a good nickname, but none of them took, and these just kind of developed and stayed. Squishy is the happiest baby in the morning, or anytime you wake him up. I took these this morning, and yes he sleeps on his stomach, no one tell his Dr. But check out that grin! All you have to do is turn off his fan and call his name and he starts squirming and smiling.

But maybe being woken up at 8am after a solid 12 hours of sleep would leave me smiling too.

Smiling turns to giggling when he lands on the changing table. Naked butt = happy baby.

Peter loves the swing, nightly baths (which make him very chatty) and his fingers.  Chewing on fingers in the swing . . Best time ever.

He's getting pretty strong during tummy time and enjoys the change in point of view.

He also thinks he's pretty hot stuff when he stands.

We just love this happy little squish.

Check.

Last week Thad and I sat down to go over our projects list and prioritize. I suggested that there was a possibility that we might be asked to host Thanksgiving at our house this year, and if that were the case the downstairs bathroom could use some work. Thad was under the impression that since I painted both the walls and the cabinet that I was done. Basically I was, but my plan for the bathroom involved a bit of work for him as well. Mostly tearing off the old mirror that took up the entire wall, and taking out the medicine cabinet that was ugly and the terrible bar of light bulbs and replace them all.  This is not a great shot but you can see the oak cabinet at the bottom, the tan wall, and the mirror that took up the entire wall.

And here is what it looks like from the complete opposite view today.

So if anyone needs a giant mirror let me know.  The other project that I tackled this weekend was the kitchen island. I've been wanting to paint it white, but was a bit nervous about doing it myself and having it look like I did it myself. But I bit the bullet and went for it and I love it! Here's a before.

And the much better after! It makes me happy.

Check two more projects off the list. Besides projects we also had some fun this weekend. Thad took the kids to get a pet. So far this guy seems to love the pond, although he's really hard to find in the water, and super fast on land.  We have named him Squirt (from Nemo).

They love him.

Lately when you ask Sammy what he wants to do after dinner his answer is "We can have a fire in the barrel with fire-sticks (sparklers) and fire!" Last night we had some cardboard boxes to get rid of so Thad said yes to the fire. Here's our totally redneck fire pit. Don't worry, it's not permanent or anything.

And here are some photos of Peter because a post is not complete without them. Here he is at 2.5 months showing off how well his 6 month clothes fit, and his awesome bed hair.

The smirk. 

Amidst all the projects and fun we were able to enjoy all four sessions of conference this time. The kids entertained themselves outside for a lot of that time. One day I'll make them sit and watch, but for now I enjoyed listening to the speakers with minimal interruptions ;)

Wall of Shame

So you know how kids are programmed to fight in the car? Over nothing and everything and be completely absurd? "He touched me" "Don't look out MY window" "She pointed the air vent at me".  Well Andi and Sammy have been particularly ridiculous about car fighting lately and we have been threatening to put a wall between them so they can't even see each other in the car. And since we happened to have a large foam board sitting in the garage, the threats turned to reality this weekend. Behold, the wall of shame. Here's how they feel about it.

Andi was in tears Sunday morning when she got in the car and saw it. Sammy thought it was cool. I Don't know how long it will stay, but so far Andi seems to have learned her lesson and keeps promising not to complain about Sammy in the car anymore.

Speaking of Sammy, look what he can do!

That's right, no training wheels. We didn't even have to hold on to the bike, just helped him stabilize it while he got on and he took off. Of course his stopping technique needs some work. He basically just bails out. 

Sammy asks to hold Peter every morning, and yesterday Peter actually sat with him nicely for a little while. But even with just two I couldn't get them both to smile at the same time.

2 Months

Time is seriously flying by with this little guy. At 2 months he weighs in at 13 lbs 3 oz.(79%), and 25.3 inches long (>97%). Here's what off the charts long looks like at two months old.

He is now sleeping 11 hours at night, and eating 8 oz a sitting, and smiling like crazy.

Thad was in Louisiana last week for a training conference he was in charge of, and since he likes to bring the kids a souvenir when he's gone, we now have these awesome Mardigras masks. I kind of want to hang them on their walls.

And since he was gone and I never get souvenirs I got myself a present. My chairs came in! Thad thinks they are weird, but I love them.

And since the chairs came in a couple of good sized boxes, we made a duplex fort that the kids enjoyed for several days. Until I threw them out. And then they were mad at me. Oh well.

Random Projects

I got the project bug again this last week and have been making changes all around the house. Sammy's room finally got painted, and panels made and hung. The paint looked a lot more gray and less blue on the swatch, but I still like it.

Andi's room got some new "art" that I found at pier one and hung. She actually squealed when she came home from school and saw those butterflies.

The downstairs bathroom walls and cabinets have been painted too. The best part is I did it all by myself. Usually I make Thad hang pictures and curtain rods and install cabinet hardware because it involves the drill and patience, which I don't have. But this time I did it. I measured and checked levels and blah blah, I did it!
I also found this loveliness at Pier one and a pair of them will be living in my dining room sitting area soon!

 Have I mentioned how much Peter loves his swing. Mostly he loves the mobile of fish that spin around above his head. He will watch them forever, always with his mouth wide open.

Andi and Sammy were playing quietly in her room the other day, which is a novel thing. Usually those two are ridiculously loud and semi destructive when they play together. Anyway, Sammy came out of the room looking like he was ready for mardi-gras or some sort of craziness. Thad kinda hates that I let him play with Andi's dress up stuff, but I think it's funny.

Sammy also had to learn a lesson this week. He hit Peter with a toy, again, and I was telling him to keep his toys out of Peter's face. He responded by sticking his tongue out at me and rolling his eyes, which earned him a flick on the mouth and more talking to. As he was walking away at the end of my rant he said, "I'm the boss now." Me:"No Sir, Mommy is the boss." Sam: "No, you flicked me and yell at me, now I'm the boss."  So apparently he was under the impression that we take turns being the boss and chastising each other. Poor kid does not understand why Mommy doesn't have to take turns with him.

This weekend we drove down to Rialto for my Grandpa's surprise 80th birthday party. It's 3 hours in the car both ways so I was a little nervous about the drive with Peter, but he was a champ. He did sleep a little more than usual that day, so he was up till 11 that night, but over all it was a successful first road trip with 3 kids. And the party was great. Lot's of family and Grandpa's friends, and more food than we knew what to do with. Don't act like I got any pictures of the event, even though my camera was in the bag. Lame!

Boys, ugh!

This week has been full of firsts for Andi, and me too as I'm learning how to deal with this crazy little girl who keeps trying to grow up. She's probably going to hate me later for writing about this but I can't help it, it needs to be documented. She came home Wednesday all smiles and energy and told me she wanted to tell me something but that I could not tell Daddy, because he would tease her. It's true, he would.

A-"A boy likes me!"

M- "Oh really? How do you know that?"

A-"Because he sat by me in the computer lab and he smiles at me every time he looks at me."

M-"So what do you mean by likes you? He wants to be your friend?"

A-" No Mom, it means he wants to marry me!"(giggling the whole time)

M- "I see. Did he tell you he wants to marry you?"

A- "No, he said he likes me."

M- "Oh, so he told you? what did you say?"

A-"I said Okay, I was a little shy." (still giggling)

And then she told me all about Matthew who has blue eyes, and blond hair that is spikey in the front, and is taller than her so she can wear high heels when she gets bigger. I gotta give the girl credit for thinking ahead on the height issue, but the giggling I don't know what to do with. I was not like that as a kid, I'm pretty sure I never giggled about anything, let alone boys. And to be honest I'm surprised it is starting this soon. Really?! 2nd grade and kids "like" each other already?! The next 14 years are gonna be rough.
On a sad note she also had he first run in with a rude kid on the bus. To this point in her home-schooled life she only hung out with kids from church and family friends who were all nice and she has known her whole life. She wore a cute pink hat to school yesterday, and when she took it off on the way home some boy told her that he hair was ugly. He was walking with her group of friends and told her that she couldn't walk with them with her hair like that. So she ran off crying and came home very upset. In my head I'm thinking, "You should have turned around and said, yeah, well your face is ugly. Or maybe grabbed a fist full of his hair and then told him his hair was ugly now too." But I knew that was not the best advice for mom to give the 6 year old. So instead I said, Andi, you know that's not true and he was just being mean, so you can either pretend you did not hear him and walk away, or you can say "hey rude boy, stop talking." But I did tell her that if it happened again she was not to run away and cry, she had to pretend it did not bother her. I don't know if that was the right thing to say, but again, I was totally different as a kid. Even if my feelings had been hurt I would never have let them see it. I would have said the rude things and walked off, so her crying really surprised me. She and I are both adjusting to this school thing and learning as we go. So today I'm a little anxious for her to come home and see how she handled things.

Birthdays, frogs, and sleep

I can't decide if time is creeping by or moving faster than I can keep up. It feels like school started a month ago, not two weeks, but at the same time I can hardly believe Peter is already 6 weeks old. Andi is loving school, in fact she wishes she could go on Saturday. I went to my very first back to school night this week and her teacher said she is doing well and making lot's of friends. She is trying really hard to remember names, which is not her strong suit,  and comes home with a new name for me everyday.  She also started back to dance this week and is going to learn a lot this year. Now to get her a piano teacher and get those lessons going as well. Story of the week: Andi burst through the door Thursday bright red, out of breath, and in tears. "Mom, the candy was melting, and I wanted to share it with Sam, so I ran all the way home, but it's still melting in my hand!"  She was close to hysterical until I told her that a minute in the freezer and the candy would be good as new. Aside from her panic attack about a little hershy's nugget I was so impressed with her for even wanting to share it with Sam and being so concerned about bringing it home to him to run all the way from the bus stop. Sometimes that girl really surprises me with her thoughtfulness.
Sammy is getting used to Andi being gone, and I think he's enjoying some one on one Mommy time. Well mostly one on one, Peter's pretty passive about what we do these days. I am enjoying being able to focus on him a little more. It's amazing what a different child he is when Andi is not around. He has no one to bug and fight with so he's just very mellow and cooperative and always ready to be my helper. We are still working on what is and is not acceptable to do with/to the baby. Friday night as a treat we let the kids stay up late and go on another frog hunt. They love doing this, and this time they carried a bucket around so they could count how many they caught.

The final count was 12. Then they dumped the bucket over as the frogs tried to escape caught them again.

Peter continues to be awesome. He slept from 9 pm to 6:30 am last night. Boo-ya. He is starting to enjoy the bath. Enjoy might be a strong word, but he no longer cries in the bath tub, which is a wonderful improvement. He also loves the swing and play mat and is getting close to holding that head up all by himself.

Thad turned 31 Friday, and though I wanted to have a real date night to celebrate, he doesn't want anyone but the Grandma's baby sitting Peter, and since neither of them were available, he settled for Oreo cake and presents at home. Kinda lame I know, but we are going to try for a real date Monday afternoon. I am so thankful for Thad and all his hard work both at his job and around the house. He took the kids and let me get a nap in last weekend, which was lovely.  But when I woke up I had all this energy and inspiration for house projects, and I'm pretty sure he likes it better when I'm tired and uninspired. But either way he's been checking things off the to-do list today and I love him for it.

1 Month

I can't believe it's already been a month. Between last minute summer and family festivities and getting ready for school, the time has flown by. At a month old Peter weighs in at 10 lbs 15 oz, so basically 11 lbs which puts him in the 78% for weight. 23 inches long, putting him in the 91% for height, no surprise. But this is my first baby without a giant head! He's only 44% on the head circumference. The other two were always in the 90%'s.  He also just graduated out of the 0-3 month clothes and is wearing 3-6 months today.  Here are a few photos I took to commemorate the day.

I know his hair blends in with the blanket, but I wanted to use it because the blue lettering matched his onsie so well, and because Tenille made it for him. Lucky boy has crafty aunts!

I wanted to compare his stats with the other two, but apparently neither of them were seen at 1 month. They were seen at 2 weeks, and then 2 months, so next month I can start the comparison.

Another Big First

It looks like summer is officially over, although no one told the weather. 100 degrees for the first day of school, Boo!  Andi was so excited for school this morning that when I opened her door she jumped out of bed, literally, flew out and across the room. We met her teacher on Friday and checked out the campus so she would be comfortable this morning and it worked. She didn't even want me to get out of the car, but I overrode her independence for the first day so I could get a picture of her in front of her classroom. I can't believe I have a second grader! I'm pretty sure I was the only one worried and anxious about today. I know most people let their kids go two years ago, but this is a big deal.

Sammy only cried for a minute on the way home and then I distracted him with treats and cartoons. He keeps asking me where Andi is though, and likes my answer less and less every time I give it. He seems to be trying to prove to me that he's big enough to go to school by doing things like picking Peter up out of the bassinet for me all by himself. I only had a small heart attack and was very proud that I did not scream. I have been trying to convince him all morning not to do that ever again, but he keeps arguing with me about it. I might have to lock Sammy out of Peters room.
I have not been very good at taking pictures of Peter. We took so many of Andi, but I'm so busy with the three that the camera is never convenient. We did take this one of Peter in his "church shirt" that Aunt Tenille made. I know the bow tie is covering his mouth, but that's what I like about it ;)

Thad and the kids have been swimming alot to keep cool. They all love the diving board, and I love the action shots of them jumping. Sammy's poses are the best and Andi can hardly wait for him to hit the water before she's on the board.

Now to keep Sammy entertained till Andi get's home.

The New Normal

Well life is getting as close to back to normal as it gets I guess. The kids are home again, and as of today all the siblings have gone their separate ways, but not before we crammed in a ton of family events in a very short time. We decided to bless Peter at church on Sunday since all of my family was in town, having just returned from the beach. After the blessing all 20 adults, 7 kids, and 2 infants came back to our house for lunch. Then that evening we had a court of honor for Bradon, who earned his eagle scout. Monday night was Rosemary's to celebrate Bobby's birthday, and Tuesday night was an attempt at family pictures in our backyard. We'll see what Kelsie and her photoshop magic can pull together ;)
Here is Peter before church in his cute little slacks and button up.

The Ray family after the blessing.

Bulkeley Family

We were so thankful to have so much family around to help us celebrate Peter. In between all the "events" Kelsie and her camera tried a couple of photo shoots with Peter, but it turns out he's not super cooperative. She did get a few really cute ones though, no photoshop needed .

Wearing Aunt Tanya's hat, laying on Grandma B's blanket. 

 

Peter continues to be amazing. He sleeps a good 7 hour stretch every night, and is so peaceful. He's such a good sleeper in fact I'm not sure how on earth we are going to get Andi to school on time when it starts in two weeks. Out the door by 7:30?! Ridiculous. I know babies this young technically can't smile on purpose, but he smiles a lot. I caught this one before heading out the door a few days ago. Obviously I missed the full smile, and it's on it's way out, but it's still cute.