3rd Annual Strawberry Pickin'

When Jackson's teacher scheduled a field trip to the strawberry patch for May 9, I was bummed that I would probably have to miss out. I scheduled Bebe to come down so she could go along, but when the week of the field trip rolled around, I decided that we all may as well go. I am not one to miss out on a fun outing, plus I absolutely love to see Jackson with his school friends and treasure the time to get to know the other moms and his teacher better.

After all, we have been going since Jackson was one so I really hated to miss it this year.


Let me just say that I could not have managed this circus without Mom there.  Jackson and Colton were a cinch but Weston was like a wild animal. Running through the fields, playing in the mud in the parking lot, eating rocks, you name it. Full.Time.Job.






Colton, at a mere 10 days old, slept soundly the whole time.


But in the end, we got a bucket full of fresh strawberries, had a great time with friends and some good afternoon naps.


And just for fun...

2011

2012

Our new normal

So we have been getting adjusted to our new life as a family of 5. I've had a few days of being solo with all 3 kids...with no outside help and no preschool. Its definitely busy but we are getting into a rhythm. It helps that Colton is such a laid back, content little guy. He just rolls with it.


Colton had his 2-week check up on Monday and is 8.5 lbs. As much as I love to see him growing and thriving, its bittersweet because I want him to stay tiny, I am totally cherishing this newborn stage.


Jackson is a role model big brother. It just warms my heart to see how sweet and truly gentle he is with Colton. And wakes up wanting to see the baby and goes to bed only after kissing him goodnight. Colton may be ousting Westie out of the BFF title.


Weston is getting better every day. He was never rough to Colton but definitely gets whiny when I nurse and starts screaming for "Choo-Choo Press" (Mickey Mouse's Choo-Choo Express) anytime I am distracted with the baby and he feels needy. I am thisclose to throwing that DVD in the trash. He's still my baby too, though, and I am trying to spend some individual time with each of them, especially Westie.



Ben is swamped at work and has been working super late every night this week. These kiddos miss not seeing him before they go to bed and I know he misses seeing us too. But its just a season and his workload is so cyclical. I guess thats just the nature of engineering.

I've been trying to come up with activities to do around here rather than being on the go all the time.

So, we've been washing cars & wagons...



Playing outside in the sprinker & eating popsicles...




Testing the waters with potty-training (hence the little cheeks above!):



Lots of playtime in our jammies:



And walks around the neighborhood:




Life is good right now. Crazy, chaotic and so so busy, but so good. We are just slowing down and enjoying this precious time with these little blessings!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Primal Fudge

When Alisha was here, she made this amazing dessert recipe that I just have to share.  She is vegan/dairy-free/sugar-free/fun-free (just kidding!!) so when she said she had a delish "fudge" recipe you can bet I was a skeptic :)

But these little peanut butter cups were so amazing that I have made them twice since she was here.  Less than 2 weeks ago. And I feel so healthy when eating them too.

Basically you mix all the ingredient together in the blender (or juicer in her case) and then pour it into a lined mini-muffin pan.  Pop it in the freezer for 30 minutes to harden and voila, the most delicious little chocolate peanut butter cups you can imagine.  And practically as healthy as spinach.

{To clarify the recipe, the top three ingredients are coconut oil (which is a solid, lard-like consistency), unsweetened cocoa powder and peanut butter (or almond butter).}

Super Daddy!

Ben has been home this week helping with the transition from 2 kids to 3.  Its been such a blessing having him home and spending so much time together as a family.  He has definitely been super daddy and taken over the older boys for the most part.  It has given me a chance to rest, nap and snuggle with Colton, which has been golden.

On Monday, Ben took Jackson & Weston to the doctor.  By himself.  Both boys had runny noses & coughs so we wanted to make sure they weren't contagious.  Turns out Westie had an ear infection and Jackson just has sinus issues due to this enlarged tonsils.  And neither are contagious which is huge.

After the doctor, he took the boys to the bounce house for a few hours of fun.  I think Ben had as much fun as the kids and I was so thankful for a morning in a quiet house. 

While he's mainly been in charge of Jackson & Weston, he does love snuggling with baby Colton.  Even a little skin-to-skin :)

And you are never to little to start rough-housing and riding piggy back!

And we've had lots of breakfast & cartoons in bed.

And lots of night time stories.

So thankful for such a hands-on daddy for my children and for a loving hubby who has been serving me all week long.  Thanks honey!!

Party of 5: Week 1

This week has FLOWN by and we are on our way to getting adjusted to our new family of 5!  Both big boys have done amazingly well with their new baby brother and I am so thankful for the easy transition.  Here are some pictures from our first week with Baby Colton.

As far as sleeping goes, I am totally a co-sleeping momma so both baby & I are getting decent sleep.  He basically snuggles with me all night and sleeps & nurses as he pleases.  Sure beats getting up every 3 hours!  

Oma was amazing with watching the older two boys while we were in the hospital.  Not only did she manage them, she cooked some delish meals which we are still eating on!  We are so thankful she made it in time for Colton's birth and for her willingness to help us out!

This is one proud big brother.  Jackson absolutely adores Colton and wants to hold him, kiss him and snuggle him as much as possible.  He has even decided that Baby Colton is his best friend (don't tell Weston).

First outing: to Publix with Mommy at 3 days old.  Shopping with a newborn is SO much easier than with a toddler & preschooler.  (And don't worry, I had him covered up the whole time, except for this photo.)

The paci-monster has figured out how to suck on two paci's at once.  So much for establishing a germ-free environment.  Perks of being the poor third child!

Snuggles with Bebe!

We love his tiny little body!  Its hard to capture how tiny he is.  7 1/2 lbs isn't that small for a newborn but he is so skinny and itty bitty.  I guess its all relative to the 30+ pounders we are used to toting around.

 More snuggles with Bebe & finally getting to meet PopPaw!

My first outing with all 3 kids. I went to preschool to pick up the big boys while Ben was mowing the yard.  I totally rocked managing all 3 from the 20 yard walk from the church to the car.  I'm home free.  Here's to hoping our first trip to Target will be as easy :)

Our first outing as a family was to Dillard Farms for ice cream, surprise surprise.  Colton enjoyed his first ice cream for sure.

This little guy is swallowed whole in his newborn sleepers.  However despite his tiny size, he is not scared to throw gang signs.

Weston still likes to swing in my lap and has not been able to do so in the last months of pregnancy.  Still not ideal but he fits better now that Colton is in the Moby.

This little guy has the tiniest little hiney we've ever seen.  I could eat him up!!

A special visit!

I got the rare chance to spend a few days with my BFF Alisha last week and we had the best time!  I knew she &  her family were coming in to town over the weekend but since I was so close to having a baby, we didn't really make plans to get together until the last minute.

She treated me to a birthday lunch at Chicora Alley last Sunday afternoon and we had the best time just hanging out & catching up.  I talked her into staying with us on Monday night & Tuesday while Alex had to work in Gastonia.  It was so much fun watching Jackson & Ethan playing like old friends!  And Alisha basically took over cooking, cleaning & laundry while she was here...totally spoiled me by taking care of us so I could rest.  Just like my momma!

Monday night, we had a living room dance party courtesy of YouTube.  The boys had the best time in hanging out in their super-hero jammies.

Tuesday, we went to the zoo in the morning.  Poor planning on my part, we didn't have 3 big carseats in my car (not that they would all fit...) so poor Westie had to cram into the infant carrier.  He was content although we were total jailbait had we been pulled over.

At the zoo, mating season is in full swing.  The giraffes seemed eager to make another baby Kiko.  Just part of the zoo's PR.  (Look closely...)

And in typical fashion, Jackson "didn't have to go" when we were down at the bathrooms...but had to go "soooo bad" when we were up at the top of the zoo.  So bad he "couldn't walk".  And being almost 38 weeks pregnant, I couldn't carry him...so I did what any other classy, southern mom would do and let him hop up and pee in the bushes.  We made sure no one was around but Alisha was so thoughtful to snap this picture. 

After the zoo, we went to Runway Cafe and had lunch while we saw at least two dozen planes take off and land.  The service was horrible but the boys were excited to see the planes and the weather was so nice for sitting outside.

Alex came back for dinner and to pick up Alisha & Ethan.  We had the best time together and it always flies by so fast!

On a side note, Alisha is forever the entrepreneur.  She is always getting her feet wet with something new...whether its fabric design, aprons, personalized stationary, promoting vitamins, brainstorming the latest greenhouse technology, you name it!  Her latest & greatest is a juicing venture called NourishU that she and her sister Missy started recently.  I'm probably butchering this, but from what I understand, they feature super healthy, dairy-free, sugar-free and soy-free drinks (sounds questionable, I know, but I've tried them and they actually taste amazing!)

They are currently in the test marketing phase where they sell their products in a local YMCA however they plan to invest in a food truck so they can take their show on the road (well, not really on the road, but to local festivals and events).  They both have such a passion for promoting a whole foods diet and with their background in farming and Alisha's increased health awareness after her health scare, this is a niche that seems to be the perfect fit!  They have developed a promo video that I plan to post when she gets it finalized....if she gives me the okay :)