Six Months Old / Kids, kids, kids.

My how time flies. I can't believe my brand new little baby is already 6 months old! His 6 month check-up is on Thursday. I can't wait to find out what he weighs and how tall he is. Sure, I could weigh and measure him here at home, but it seems so much more official to get the low down at McDreamy's office. I know that he fits perfectly in size 12-18 month clothes.

One thing is for sure - he's a sweetheart. Just a love. It's a known fact that I'm a baby addict, and this guy isn't helping my addiction at all. I adore him and his cute baby ways. His toes. His BIG beautiful still-to-be-determined eyes (I think they are at least green-ISH.) I love how he cuddles into me. How he lights up when his Daddy comes home. I love watching him study a new toy.....eyebrows furled, lips pursed, touching it with his dimpled little hands, and turning it around so carefully before instinctively shoving it into his mouth. I love how he GOBBLES his fruit puree's down with such gusto and happiness. I love how he looks at his brothers and how they look at and play with him. Sigh. My baby. What can I say? He's my most wonderful one yet. I know, I know. I shouldn't say that. I adore my boys to the moon and back and they know it. I just mean that in terms of the "sweet" factor, this baby takes the cake. I can't quite explain it....it's his disposition. He has a beautiful soul.

Believe it or not, I find myself thinking about having another baby in a couple of years. N and R are so close! I don't want Jack to feel left out. I oughtta knock out one more so that he has a sibling who is closer in age. Uh....Did you buy that excuse? I'm so grossly impractical. Seriously. What kind of crack am I on?? I think that as long as I'm young enough, I'm going to keep wanting another one. I just love them! I'm crazy like that. I know that I'm at least a little bit crazy, because these boys? These boys drive me NUTS. Seriously. They cause me to see red at least once a day. At least. What can I say? I sort of like craziness. The wrestling. The potty jokes. The loudness. The stickiness. Crackers and play dough in my carpet. I must on some level....enjoy these things! These kids are just so fun though. Never a dull moment around here. You know, between the beatings they give each other over matchbox cars, and their perfecting the fine skill of burping the alphabet.

Today R. told me that he loved me because my hair is "stylish" and because I'm "a darling." And so, I forgave him for flushing wads of non-flushable wipes down the toilet and clogging it up.

Again.

I about died laughing....but he had no idea why.

Overheard while they were playing checkers......

N.: "Okay R., so these are the BLACK GUYS and they are in charge."

R. : "And now they're going to JUMP ME, right?"

Blue Ball Park

Okay, I know how that sounds.....this park does have an actual name, but this is what my kids call it. Blue Ball Park. And I imagine that there are a lot of kids who call this lovely park by this.....less than lovely name.

We spent much of Monday playing at the park, and taking a long walk along one of the trails nearby. Big Al had the day off, so we were able to spend the day together which was great. It was a little chilly, but we had a good time anyway. Now that it's raining again, I'm glad that we went while we had the chance. Besides, it was a great opportunity to test drive my new Ergo baby carrier. My little guy has outgrown the Bjorn.

He's SO tall. Way taller than N. was at almost 6 months. Now that he's eating actual food twice per day, he's just growing at what seems like lightening speed. Anyway, I LOVE the Ergo much more than I ever loved the Bjorn. I never liked slings...tried the mei tai....eh....no thanks......but this is perfect. I wish I would have had it with the first two. It's really fantastic.

And here we have...the controversial picture. Admittedly, there was a time when I would have flown to the moon before letting anyone take a picture of me FROM THE BACK. However, I'm proud of the fact that I'm down 25 pounds since the first of the year. I have a long way to go, but 25 down is certainly a start. So anyway, here we are....just the 5 of us. N., R., Baby Jack, myself, and my big 'ol rear. Loud and proud, baby. Loud and proud.

Kinda Crafty......

Last week was Teacher Appreciation week at N.'s school. I decided to whip up a few gifts. For his teacher, I made a button bouquet with floral wire and buttons from my gianormous button box. I can't take credit for the idea - I saw it somewhere and made a mental note. It may have been from one of my Home Companion magazines....I can't remember. Anyway, after making the "flowers," I decided they needed a vase....a glass basil jar would have to do. My basil leaves are now living in a ziplock bag. No big deal though, because once covered with some spare scrapbooking paper and adhesive ribbon, the jar made a perfect vase for the button bouquet. His teacher loved it!

For the TA, I stamped a set of birdy-themed notecards. They turned out okay....not great. I love the owl one of course.

Pardon the bad lighting on the notecards...

While on a crafty roll, I decided to make my Mom a gift for Valentines Day. This is just a paper piecing, framed in a simple black 8x10 frame. The hearts each have an initial for the loves in her life. Her late husband (My Dad), me, my sister, and each of her grandchildren. She loved it and it was fun to make. Funny how the simplest things sometimes make the best little gifts.

Yesterday I went through my scrapbook supplies and PURGED a ton of stuff. If I've had it for 3 years and haven't used it....I'm probably not going to use it. There's so much....I'm probably going to put it on ebay as one huge lot. It's mostly embellishments....new in their packages....plus tons of paper......just taking up space. I've been finding time to scrap again, and I'm loving it as much as ever. Not every page is a winner, but the process is really therapuetic for me in terms of stress relief!

Boys are Cool

Most of Jack's wardrobe is Zutano. First of all, it's adorable. Secondly, it washes beautifully and just gets softer and softer. Third, it's affordable and mixes and matches well. Anyway, when I saw this cozy sherpa pull-over, it was a no-brainer. LOVE IT! It reminds me of what I already know. Despite the beating of eachother (the older two), the ENDLESS toilet (more specifically - POOP) training (seriously. SERIOUSLY.) the potty talk, the ugly toys......

Boys are indeed - cool.

Curly

R. isn't known for having pretty hair. His older brother is. But I've been conducting an experiment to see how his hair would look grown out a little. I love it! It makes him look younger and softer....which is a welcome look for my tough-little-cookie of a 3 (almost 4!) year old.

Tall

Pardon the basket of laundry.....

Wow. Big Al is 6'5. Here he is, sleeping on the couch with N. N....who isn't yet 6 years old. Unbelievable. I mean...I know my kids are tall, but when I saw them like this I was just struck by the comparison between these two. At only 5'5, it won't be long before I am the shortest one in the house by a long shot!