summer break

Summer break.  Oh summer break.  You had so much potential.  So many opportunities to be fun.  And now you're almost over and I'm not sure what happened.  I wasn't ready for you; I didn't know how much I needed a good plan.

Creighton was supposed to learn to write his name and tie his shoes.
We were supposed to go to the park and library and children's museum and do fun lunch dates.
We were supposed to get into a good summer routine with chores and allowance.
We were going to bake cookies and play in the kitchen.
Beckham was going to get better at basketball and being active everyday.
I was going to have nice morning devotions with the boys and memorize bible verses.
Beckham was going to regularly read to himself.
We were going to eat healthy snacks.

BUT...
We did do Boston and Wisconsin and grandma's house.  Golf lessons and VBS.
Creigh did get a little better at writing his name.
The boys got better at emptying the dishwasher and folding the towels.
We hit up the neighborhood pool and had water balloon fights.
We went to the library a couple times and once to the zoo.
Creighton learned to ride his bike.
We ate popsicles and ice-cream cones from McDonalds.
I read to the boys.
We sometimes did a morning devotion, but had lots of teaching moments to discuss.
There were summer evenings of walks and bike rides and golfing in the yard.

Summer, I wasn't ready for you; you took me by surprise.  You started with me being gone in Hawaii and coming home to house full of boys.  B & C's bickering, stubbornness, and competitive spirits; where did these come from?  It wasn't like this before.  The lack of school schedule, the wide-open and boring days, the complaining about doing a chore.  The asking for snacks, and shows, and friends to come over and play.  Why oh why is it so hard to just have a nice, normal day?  Summer, I wasn't ready for you, and granted, there were moments of fun.  But next year, oh next year, when school gets out, I'm going to be ready with a schedule and goals and activities to do in the sun.

So bring on the lunch boxes, homework and early morning routine.  School schedule is sounding quite nice.  Quiet days with just Ollie will suit me quite well; farewell to you, summer break.

the arrival of Oliver Douglas

And just like that.. our much deliberated, much anticipated third child has arrived.  How does 9 months go so slow and so fast at the same time?!  I will say, despite my days being consumed with feedings and little sleep and figuring out what a 1 week old baby could possibly be mad about, being on this side of pregnancy is much better than being pregnant!  To meet the little baby you've been carrying and get to snuggle them and watch them grow is so sweet.

I had previously joked in this post that the baby would probably be overdue and I wondered if his delivery would be like the other boys.  Well, Oliver was almost overdue and came just one day before my due date and his delivery was Nothing like Beckham or Creighton's.  It was so much better, faster and smoother... such a blessing.

For starters, my water didn't break first like it did both times before, which I've heard makes the contractions more bearable and I think I agree.  Of course it was still painful, but maybe just a smidgen less.  Second, everything progressed very fast!  A little timeline:

around 2p: started to feel some mild contractions but didn't want to get my hopes up b/c I had them on the Saturday before and they had stopped.
2:30-4p: hung out with a friend and chatted since the boys were at Sheli's house and I had the day to myself (yea for friends that are neighbors and live around the corner!)... still having the same contractions, maybe getting slightly more painful
4-4:30p: went home and showered, contractions getting a little more painful.  We were supposed to go to Sheli's house for dinner and I let her know I was having contractions but I thought we could still come to dinner.
4:30-5: got ready, finished packing my hospital bag, as I was pretty sure this was the real deal.
5p: called Chad (who was on way home from work) and let him know that we wouldn't be going to Sheli's for dinner b/c my contractions were too painful.  Called the doctor.  By this time I was breathing through contractions.
5:15p: Chad gets home from work and we leave for the hospital.  It felt like every contraction got more painful on the way there.  I was hoping I would be at least 5 cm dilated by the time we got to the hospital.. Chad told me not to hope for more than a 3 and was expecting another 10 hours of labor.
5:45p: Arrive at hospital and check in.  I'm dilated to a 7!!  I was hoping to not get an epidural this time (mostly b/c I thought it would help me push better/faster than with the other boys) and once I realized how far along I was, I knew I wouldn't have to get one.
6:30p: Little Oliver is born!  Such a different experience without an epidural.  It's hard and painful but better in the sense that you feel everything your body is telling you to do and there's such a sense of satisfaction when it's all over!

6 lbs 15 oz. 20" long

such long little toes!

the boys didn't know what to think of Oliver in the hospital... Beck has tentative and sweet with him and Creigh kind of acted like he didn't exist and tried to be the center of attention as much as possible... not too different than what we expected :) 

Oliver had some jaundice and had to be under the lights at the hospital...  I was loving that cute little mask he had to wear until I realized how much he didn't like it, or being under the lights!

amazing how those teeny tiny newborn clothes can be baggy on a baby!

we're thinking Oliver looks a lot like Creighton!  I even find myself calling him Creighton... 

a newborn pic of Beckham

and one of Creighton

you know you are a mom of boys...

...when...



+ your pocket's often full of little lego pieces that need returned to their rightful place
+ you get excited to see construction sites along the road and call mini excavators "cute"
+ wrestling is a common after dinner activity
+ "poop," "stink," and "butt" are used as often as possible and are hilarious terms
+ you try to believe kicking footballs and throwing baseballs can be safe indoor activities... always quickly realizing they aren't
+ everything is a competition... who is faster, gets the toy first, has more milk in their glass, picks the first book
+ there are 100% zero dolls in your house
+ your garden box has plants for part of the year and the rest of the year it is a dirt digging haven full of trucks
+ going to Lowes and "riding the lawn mowers" is a fun family activity
+ you think about making dinner and what the kids will eat well, you think of meat
+ you ask how their school day was and they say "good" (and mean it, no other details necessary!)
+ you get told "I love you so much," "big or small, I'll always be your boy," and "you're the best mom" because little boys are just the sweetest! (or can be :))

pregnancy facts

I've been asked many times during this pregnancy how I feel and if it is different than my other pregnancies.  My response is usually "good" and "I don't really remember, but I think about the same!"  Since Creigh is 4 I really don't remember much about his pregnancy, but I do know that both his and Beck's went smooth and were fairly uneventful, thankfully.  I never have anything really to complain about with pregnancy, but I would still always prefer to not be pregnant. :)


I thought it would be fun (mostly for my own sake) to document some random pregnancy info this time around:


Favorite foods?  Grapefruit!  Cottage cheese.  French fries.  Salt & vinegar chips.  Pizza.  Asian food.  Anything tomato.  Vanilla ice cream.  Give me all the savory, salty, cheesy food when I'm pregnant.  Maybe it's not really that different than when I'm not pregnant, just a little more carbs and cheese. :) 


Aversions?  Strong smells.  Mostly in the fragrance dept., like soaps or cologne.  I know that whatever soap is in my bathroom, if it's slightly strong, I'll hate by the end of pregnancy.  The balm I put on my stomach has a very light smell and I'm still sooo sick of it!  There are still some smells from prior pregnancies that I just can't take.


How much weight do I gain?  I gained 20 lbs. with B and 25 with C, so I'm not heading in the right direction!  ...although I was pregnant 2 weeks longer with C.  That's something right?  And speaking of being pregnant two weeks longer with C... I had Beck 4 weeks early, Creigh 2 weeks early... this one will likely be overdue!  haha


Aches and pains?  In some ways I actually feel better when I'm pregnant.  My low back gets achy and my left hip/glute get tight fairly regularly, but when I'm pregnant they don't really... not sure if it's a posture thing, or just the fact that I'm not beating up my body with intense work-outs?  Either way, it's a nice positive.


Workout routine?  It's fairly non-existent when I'm pregnant... which is kind of nice in a way to get a break from the norm and have an excuse to sleep in, rather than be disciplined and work out.  There's so much modifying and discomfort that goes along with working out when pregnant, that I probably do less of it with each kid.  These days I usually do an arm workout 1 day/week, cardio with light weights one day/week and maybe a day of running, if it's decent in the morning.  And by running, I should say jogging with small walk breaks if my legs or stomach are tight.  Me and running really don't get along that well when I'm pregnant, but it's still refreshing enough that I try to it here and there.
* running update:  I tried this morning b/c it was sooo nice out and made it like 1/4 of a mile and decided that it's time to be done.  No more running during pregnancy.  There was just nothing slightly enjoyable about it and my legs were screaming for me to "please just walk!"


Labor & delivery?  Both B & C's L&D were very similar.  Water broke.  No contractions.  Not dilated.  Walked for 2-3 hrs at hospital to get labor going.  Pushed for 1.5-2 hrs.  Baby born 14 hours after water broke.  The main difference was that I needed Pitocin with C b/c contractions stopped and I also needed oxygen while pushing due to his heart rate fluxuating.  Curious to see if this baby follows suit with my water breaking first and feeling like I'm not in labor yet.


Favorite baby app?  Don't use one.  I download very few aps and tend to be a little old school in the technology dept.  I have no idea how big my baby is or how it is developing... which I kind of thought I would follow a little more this time... I'm probably missing out on all the fun stuff.


Favorite maternity clothes?  Gap.  They are the only jeans I have found that fit good and you can always get Gap clothes on sale.  I did discover Pink Blush maternity clothes this time around and got a couple dresses and shirts from there.  Overall, their stuff looks super cute online, but I was disappointed in the actual fit... it was a little too flowy for me.  I returned several dresses that felt like they had way too much material, so maybe order a size down on the flowy stuff.


Least favorite thing about pregnancy?  Everything!  haha.. not really.  I don't like the restrictions on the activities I can do and the food I can eat.  I don't like feeling like your stomach is always in the way and so, so tight.  And the light cramps/general discomfort in the stomach area isn't so fun... I carry my babies low, so there's just lots of extra pressure down there.  Oh!  and I almost forgot the annoying fact that my left ear pops all the time during pregnancy... more later in my pregnancy.  Not the right, just the left.  It's delightful.


Favorite thing about pregnancy?  Some days... nothing!  But if I have to pick Something, I would say that it's kind of nice to have a break in some of my normal routines (like I was saying before about exercise) and have an excuse to sleep more or just eat what sounds good.  There's always the typical answer of "feeling the baby move," which is true too.  And I kind of like the challenge of losing my baby weight... gives me motivation for getting back in shape.  I love running after I've been pregnant - I feel so light and free!  And going back to regular clothes and feeling like you have a new wardrobe again!

# 3

For a long time I wondered if I would ever write this post... really ever since Creighton was born.  I pictured writing it as times, but often thought I never would.  There has never been a decision in my life, in Chad and I's married life, that has been so debated, so mulled over, prayed over, surrounded by so much indecision.  Why was it so complicated and so hard?  Maybe because we're both analytical, or we both like things calm and simple.  Because we had gotten in the groove of having just two boys and it was starting to feel "easy?"  Because I like to work and it seems hard to have three kids and keep working part-time?  Because we have two healthy boys and what if the third isn't so healthy?  Whatever the reasons, at the end of the day, I kept being convicted that they were selfish and driven by fear.  Yes, it's ok to only have two kids, many families do.  But for some reason we kept praying and discussing and could never really say,  "Ok, we're done, done.  Two boys is all that's in it for us."

So here we are today.  #3 is on the way.  Due to the practical nature of the decision and the fact that we didn't "always know that we wanted three kids and we're just so thankful for another one," I started off pretty neutral about the news and still struggle with being excited.  Just the other day I had another bought of "what are we doing?  I can't even handle two kids, how am I going to be able to mother three?  Why are we adding this stress to our lives?  Aren't we into the groove of two kids and it fits us so well?"

But that's just the thing.. it can be so easy to think of the negatives... how my life is going to change and be so much harder and how what little independence I had is going to be gone forever (or so it seems).   I know I can be irrational and that there are going to be so many blessings and joys that will come from this child that I can't feel or picture yet, because they aren't here.  I only know what life is like now, but it's impossible to fully understand the future until it's here and reality.

And I say that we wavered on the decision and make it sound like we were unsure, but at the end of the day, we really did have peace and confidence in our decision... that it was where God was leading us even if we didn't fully understand or it seemed hard, or we weren't even sure we wanted to go there.  There has never been anything in my life that I've chosen to do (by God's leading) that felt so hard and unknown.  It has felt so backwards for me to choose something that (in my mind) is going to be much harder than my current stage.

But Ephesians 4:20 kept coming back to me:
"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us"

...And I wanted to be able to say that we gave God the opportunity to do far more abundantly with our lives than we could ask or think.  So we chose to surrender.  We chose to say yes.  And God chose to bless us with a pregnancy (very quickly) that will hopefully end with a healthy baby.  I know that God has plans for us that will be far greater than I can hope or imagine, I just have to trust in the process and not let my limited knowledge lead to doubt.  To not let the fear of the unknown overrule the peace of Christ in my heart.  Obedience requires faith and I can find joy in knowing that God has a plan and will equip me for life with three littles.

we'll miss you

we'll miss your charming smile
and your pockets full of love
we'll miss how you tease Sheli
your steadfastness in your Father above

we'll miss your confident demeanor
your endless stories and advice
we'll miss your generous spirit
your relationships went beyond just being nice

we'll miss the future memories
with the boys you'll fail to make
we're sad you won't meet the baby
their little hand you'll never shake

I'll miss you asking about my day
when I come to pick up the boys
how you cared about those little guys
were even patient enough to fix their toys

we'll do our best to carry on your legacy
so our memory of you never dies
to share love abundantly as you did to others
as our time on earth here flies

you were patient, humble, kind and joyful
too many positive characteristics to name
that's why we chose to name our son after you
our precious Creighton James

we love you Jim.

Both of these pictures were taken at the Traders Point Loft restaurant, one of our favorite places to eat out with Jim and Sheli, and was actually the last place we ate out with them to celebrate Beckham's 6th birthday.  Lots of good memories made there...

this and that

So this is what happens when you don't take time to blog for a long time... lots of randomness.  Here's some tidbits about our summer and what the boys are up to lately...

meeting friends at Mulberry Fields park - they love the stream there

All Comers family track meets in Zionsville... despite Beck's face, mom got into it way more than the kids did :)

the zoo brings out the crazies

lots of dune buggy riding 

and lots of bug bites this summer!  both of the boys (and myself) get bites so easy and C swells up to spider bites and Beck swells up to some mosquito bites

summer is for smores!

and donuts!  sharing a nutella filled one from the Zionsville farmers market

family hike at Eagle Creek park.. Beckham was our guide. :) definitely need to go there more with how close it is to our house - great spot!

pool time and mismatching flip flops (C's thing for a while this summer)

love these moments.

just like daddy... and Scott (who mows aunt Sheli's yard and wears headphones)

first time at the dentist for C and he was awesome!  Beck was terrified and cried his first time and C was the opposite... which is kind of what I expected.  He tends to embrace new things head on and Beck is much more tentative.

a bowl full of summer!  mom's tomato/cucumber salad made with garden fresh veggies is a must in the summer.  never get sick of it.

first day of school!  big stuff! (literally... Beck's outfit is a size 7 :))

walk before dinner in downtown Zville

loves helping water the flowers

enjoying one-on-one time with C now that Beck's in school.  the Lego exhibit at the zoo was their favorite this summer

flag football this fall for Beck!  not sure it will be a repeat activity (due to skill level :)), but he seems to be having fun and loves making new friends and being part of the team.  All he really wants to do is tackle, so wrestling with dad is the preferred kind of football!

Beckham:
- says he likes everything about school and doesn't complain about any of it (except being woke up in the morning for it :)), but usually says "I don't know" when asked what he's learning
- told me the other day that "big or small, I'll always be your boy"... still my little sweetie!
- doesn't want to ride his bike without training wheels
- wants to have friends over and play with the neighbor boys the minute he gets home from school
- keeps me in check and tells me not to drive too fast, or say bad words (like "shoot!" or "stupid"),  or reminds me of things I said I would do
- wants to have another baby so we can "get a car where the doors slide back"
- likes to tell jokes... most of which do not make sense



Creighton:
- likes to say "of course I do/will, why do you ask?" about everything... when if he wants to go somewhere, or eat something or play something.
- was begging the other night to ride his bike without training wheels, but decided it was overrated when he couldn't do it right away and wants the training wheels back on
- still wants me to cuddle with him in bed almost every night as he falls asleep
- is known to be found naked in the morning, after going to the bathroom in the middle of the night and not putting his pants back on... but I'm just glad he didn't wake me up to put them back on, b/c that's usually what happens
- wants to be "dropped off" at Sheli's house ever since Beck started school.  he'll say "mom, when we get to Sheli's house, just drop me off and Don't Go Inside!"... he even tries to close the front door on me so I won't come in.
- is a complete goof ball that talks a bunch of nonsense, and is either completely grumpy or completely fun and sweet... not too much middle ground with him

the time I cancelled a flight

So I just posted about our last month of traveling.  Turns out the trip to France didn't quite start out as expected...

We were scheduled to fly from Chicago to London on Friday, May 20th.  Let's just do a little timeline:

6:15p - departure time
7:15p - delayed departure time.  board the plane but after we left the gate we were informed that there was an indicator light on that needed to be resolved before we could leave, so we returned to our gate.  it sounded like it would be a quick fix.
11p - after the flight attendants saying we should be leaving in around 30 minutes about 5 times, our plane was good to go and we started to taxi to the runway again.  my stomach starts to feel a little weird.
[thoughts]  Am I getting sick?  My stomach is feeling off.  I knew we shouldn't have eaten airport Chinese!  Man, sure hope I'm not b/c this is a seven hour flight and I really do not want to be sick!  Maybe some digize will help... used that.  Still feeling weird, I think.  Just don't think about it and it will go away.  Should I tell Chad?  Oh it will probably go away.  Ok, starting to get hot and sweaty.  This is weird.  Kind of light headed and I think I really might throw up.  Time to tell Chad (who had been talking to Seth and hadn't noticed).  
Chad takes one look at me and tells me to go to the bathroom!  I go towards the back of the plane while the flight attendant is furiously shooing me back to my seat, as we were about to take off.

I fumble for the bathroom door and tell the flight attendant I feel sick while I'm starting to feel really light-headed.  I feel super weak and sit down.  The attendants rush towards me, help me up and ask if I'm ok... I fall down again and pass out for a little bit (I think... it's a bit fuzzy but Chad said I did).  I just remember feeling really weak and really wanting to lay down.

By this time they're calling for the paramedic and asking me all sorts of questions and giving me oxygen.  Chad realizes that it's me with the problem and comes to the back of the plane.  During all of this I remember just thinking it was all so weird.  Was it really happening?  This kind of stuff never happens to me!

They turned the plan around and went back to the gate.  On the way back a nurse on board kept taking my vitals and asking me questions.  By this time I was feeling pretty ok again, just really cold and shaking.

They took me off the plane in a wheel chair while Chad endured the glares of the annoyed passengers, due to the fact that the plane STILL was not on the way to London at 11:30pm.  I was taken to an ambulance to do another round of vitals and an EKG.  Everything checked out fine.

The guess was that I got dehydrated from sitting in the airplane so long while it was being fixed and needed some food.  Still seemed a little odd that I would have such a strong reaction to that.  The paramedics asked if I wanted to go to the hospital, but we decided not to, since I seemed ok.

So, the part about the flight being cancelled.... since we had waited so long to take off, the crew had to change (something about a 4 hour limit) before we could take off again.  Since it was so late at night they had to cancel the flight.  Yea, felt really bad about that.  Everyone had to make new travels plans to London.  We all blamed United. :)  I had to trust that there was some reason it all happened and I was just thankful that the plane hadn't taken off before I got sick.

We had to stay in Chicago overnight and lost a day of vacation... but it all worked out.  I did end up throwing up in the trash can in the airport while waiting for new travel plans to be made.  The next day I just felt achy and had chills.

A few days later when we were in France, I got an email from work stating that a bunch of people got sick on Fri/Sat after a lunch meeting that we had and the Marriott on Thursday ... and I had my answer as to why I got sick.  Although after having gone back to work now and talking to others about it, it's kind of a mystery why 50+ people got sick b/c they inspected the food and it checkout fine??  I also learned that I had it "easy" as some people were throwing up all night and sick for days. Mine just turned out to be really bad (or was it good?) timing.

back when there was warmth

Now that I'm officially cold all the time and kind of shiver even when I'm inside and feel like I should be wearing gloves right now as I type and 68 degrees in this house is just not warm enough.... it's time to remember those days when it's sunny and warm outside and hope they come back sooner rather than later.  Especially for my lazy boys who are way too into their shows and games these days.  Technology is the best and worst at the same time.

Warmth, I miss you.  Little boys with no clothes and hoses and dirt and walks after dinner, I miss you.  Here's to nice days, when we can be outside as long as we want.  I'll be here waiting when you return.

I don't want to forget...

How their little fingers and cheeks smell of sweet slobber after a night of sucking their fingers.

When they come into our bedroom at night and whisper "mom, can I lay with you for just a little bit?"

How Beckham corrects me when I don't say things Exactly right, especially in relation to... well, just about anything.

How we look for trucks and construction sites while driving and point excitedly and talk, talk, talk about them when we find them.

How Beck gently rubs my shoulder and says "I love you mom."

That Creighton likes to lay his head on my shoulder while I sing songs to him before bed.

How much they love to wrestle with dad after dinner.

The one day after BSF when Beckham said "mom, I want to tell you what I talked to God about during quiet time."

Their simple joy for digging in the dirt.

When they enthusiastically say "I love you so much, mom!"

How brave Beckham was before his first swim class, as he sat alone and wiped tears from his cheeks, while I watched from the observation room.

How they excitedly say "you're right mom!" when I am (surprisingly) right about something. :) Or "good job, mom!" when I do something nice, like make them food, or fix their toy.

About Creighton's weird obsession with rubbing things with texture while sucking his fingers... like "bumpies" and bug bites and scabs and my dry feet.

How they both love to push the mower and pretend pull start it, just like daddy.

That Beck loves to sing and dance, but he's too shy to dance in front of other kids and sings so confidently, whether he is saying the right words or not.

The moments the boys show love and kindness towards each other... Beckham protects Creighton or helps him out, they are excited to play together, or tell each other sorry and that they love each other.

Beck has a thing for peace signs in pictures right now. :)

Love those boys.

important life updates

... ok, so maybe not really important, but here's a random assortment of information about our life as of late:

Beck got his first ever short hair cut in time for summer.  Loved his longer hair, but he gets sweaty from fairly minimal physical activity and Chad was always promoting a short 'do, so I finally caved.... and Beck finally decided he was brave enough for the trimmers.  My first thought was "oh no, what did I do" after I cut it... hair is such an identity and it totally changed his.  He looks more grown up and I think he even got more of an attitude the minute it was done. :) 

Beck also got his first set of real kid golf clubs and went to the real golf course with Chad and loved it.  Chad tried to go play a few holes by himself the next day and Beck's sadness just wouldn't go away.  We have a family membership to a course close to our house and I have a feeling they'll be spending as much time there as possible.

The inside of our house is pretty much finally done so now it's time to focus on the outside.  Patio and landscaping.  Here's the patio, but the landscaping is still quite lacking.  If anyone wants to come do it for us, that would be great.  We'll even let you do it for free. :)

I love food.  I love cooking.  I need to talk about food more.  I also love Costco and food from Costco.  Sometimes I think about starting a food blog to promote Costco products just b/c I used them so much.  I can find simple, quick food to make from there that still feels fresh and delicious.  If you happen to have these three items on hand,  you can make some amazing lettuce wraps:

Think: the dressing from the slaw mix tossed on the noodles and topped with the peanut butter, grain mixture.  Then I topped it all off with some pickled onions & cucumbers, chopped peanuts and lime juice.  They were quite colorful and pretty but I didn't think of taking a picture until after they were devoured, so just close your eyes and picture it.

And speaking of pickled onions.  They are one of my favorite food accents right now.  On burgers, tacos, Asian... love the tangy, zesty crunch they add.

It's funny to hear yourself in your kids.  I like to say "say ok, mom" to Creighton to make sure what I'm saying is sinking in (or it makes me feel better about the interaction at least).  Beck caught on to this and he'll frequently lay out a situation to Creighton, explaining how they are going to play or what Creighton is going to do, followed by a "say ok Creighton," ensuring himself that Creighton is going to oblige with his desires...

My favorite phrases these days are "Creighton, stop screaming.  That is an awful noise.  If you need something just ask me." and "Beckham, just leave Creighton alone and give him some space.  If he's screaming that means he doesn't like it."  and "Creighton it's not ok to scream when you don't get your way."  Creighton is a screamer.  Beck was not.  It's not fun.  Advice?


I catered a rehearsal dinner.  First time for that.  It was  fun  enjoyable, but it is a lot of work for one meal.  I think my favorite part of it all is the menu planning, working with friends the day of the event, and having someone tell you that they tried something new and liked it.  My not-so-favorite part is the many, many details that float around in your head that you try to keep straight (list, new list, updated new list).... but I am an organized person that can handle details, so it works out.  I would do it again, just wouldn't want to do it every week.  I mentally told myself to take pics of the food, but the night of was too busy for me to remember, so a menu list will have to do, should you care what we served (the bride and groom wanted Italian):

Appetizers:
tomato.basil.mozerella toothpick kabobs drizzled in balsamic reduction
roasted grape and goat cheese crostini - p.s... I used the leftover roasted grapes to make a peach/grape crisp kind of dessert, topped with vanilla ice-cream and roasted coconut.  First time I had roasted grapes in dessert form and it was yummy!
prosciutto wrapped melon drizzled with mint pesto
sausage, cheese, and walnut stuffed mushrooms

Meal:
Bread w/ olive oil
Salad
Pasta with an alfredo, basil pesto, oven dried tomato sauce
Chicken stuffed with prosciutto, provolone and asparagus with a lemon sauce

And thankfully I didn't have to make dessert, which was ice-creamy and delicious.


Chad is letting his creative side come out and made this etsy-inspired piece of artwork for our living room out of scrap wood we have lying around.  He's scheming up his next project for the back yard and I'm all for it.  Love being resourceful and making cheap things that look great.  Turns out it's handy to live in a construction zone where they are regularly throwing away wood pallets. 

... and the most important one... Creighton took his FIRST drink out of a straw!!  Yes, he probably should have done this like 2 years ago, but every time I would offer him a straw, he would just kind of look at it or kind of put his mouth on it, but I COULD NOT get him to actually take a drink (but I didn't really try very hard).  Then at Costco he decided he could drink out of the straw!  So yes, this is huge.  I had to take sippy cups everywhere that used straws, unless I wanted him to just drink out of a regular glass.  Freedom!  He hasn't been consistent with it ever since though, of course. :)

The goof balls that are a delight and exhausting all at the same time:

Riding "fast backwards" mowers (Beck's name for mowers that go fast, backwards, of course!) during one of our many trips to Lowes.  They love climbing on the mowers and Beck always pretends to be "Scott," the name of the guy that mows aunt Sheli's lawn.  He has a "fast backwards" mower and he is very cool.

a sweet moment while watching the rain

first trip to the pool for the summer!

the little guys

I started drafting this post months ago and am just finishing it.  And the boys are already different than they were when I started writing it...


... Every now and then I feel the pressure to write a post about the boys.  To write down as much as possible about what they're saying/doing before I forget it all.

They are finally at a stage where they play together.  Which = more messes, chaos, and many toy battles, but I'll take it over Creighton bugging me to hold him all day long.  Creighton is still my biggest fan, but he's getting much better at playing with Beckham, or entertaining himself... which is refreshing for me.  I used to hardly be able to sneak through the room he was in without him following me and wanting held.

And speaking of that needy little Creighton who has been more challenging to parent so far (solely due to personality differences to Beckham... nothing really that challenging)...  well, we've discovered how much he reminds us of me, and Beckham is more like Chad.  So I guess I'm the one to blame. :)

How is Creighton more like me?
he's independent and wants to make the decision/do things himself
he's more of a risk taker
he's carefree and doesn't want to be restrained
he's busy and doesn't want to just sit
he's silly and likes to be the center of attention (not sure how silly I am, but I don't mind attention)
he's kind of a touch-me-not and often doesn't care for his brother's affection (although he loves to cuddle with me?)
he's stubborn and doesn't mind being told "no"/being disciplined... likes to see what he can get away with :)
he's particular and likes things a certain way... has an opinion about his shoes/clothes, how I do things, likes to clean up

How is Beck more like Chad?
he's soft hearted and feels things deeply
he's quick to say sorry and hates to disappoint
he likes to relax
he knows the right/thoughtful thing to say
he's cautious
he likes being taken care of and having things done for him :)

Creighton even looks more like me and Beck more like Chad.  Kind of fun to see them take after one of us.  I'm also predicting their sports are going to follow us... Beck's already into basketball and golf and I'm banking on C being the runner. :)

What else are the boys up to these days?

Creighton is learning new words every day, talking more and more.  When he turned 2 it's like a switch flipped and he knew how to talk.  He says "that" all the time, wanting to know the name of what he's pointing to.  He'll repeat the same word over and over while reading a book.  He loves books, but usually just wants to turn pages quickly and point to various objects, but is sometimes interested in hearing all the words.  He's starting to know his ABC's.
His latest favorite saying is [insert word] first.  Such as "Thomas first" when that's the show he wants to watch.  Or "milk first" when he wants a drink.  "Cheese first" is a common saying at meal times.  I'm waiting for his food palate to mirror mine... although he likes random things like blue cheese.

Beckham is still our our super observant/amazing memory little guy who is quite the smooth talker and always knows the right thing to say at the right time (but it feels genuine too).  He can be super sweet and say things like "I just can't stop loving you mom" or try to manipulate a situation... like "mom, how about you read me three books b/c you love me," or "I have an idea, how about I watch just a little show."
Beck has been very sweet with his brother lately, encouraging him to be obedient or trying to sooth him when he's worked up about something.  Some examples:  coaxing him to try his vegetables at dinner, helping him calm down during a time-out by reading him a book, soothing him while he's scared at the Dr's office, trying to get him to say sorry when he's disobedient. 
He'll say things like
"it's ok Creighton, just calm down"
"just take a bite Creighton, just one bite"
"we need to be obedient to mom and dad Creighton"
"I'm right here Creighton, it's ok"
"Just say sorry Creighton"

Creighton hanging out in the sink at Sheli's house... this is what she does with him while she needs to get things done, like make dinner.  I guess he likes it and asks to go in the sink!

love times like this when they play peacefully together

Creighton has some amazing bed head!

Creighton loves being the frog after bath time and will walk around for a while with this towel on his head

looking all grown up in their matching outfits ... I think it's the comb over :)

glad their sandbox is done so they no longer feel the need to dig in the mulch in our front yard.  it was a little chilly this day, so this is me being lazy and taking a picture from inside.  :)

sharing a hot dog at Costco!

Creighton determined to brush his own teeth.

Might as well suck your fingers and pick your nose at the same time!  I'm pretty sure he wasn't feeling too well in this pic..

This is what frequently happens when I pick Beck up after work and he hasn't taken a nap... falls asleep on the way home and can't wake up for dinner.  Even Chick-fil-A. :)

Ok, what do you think... does Creighton look like me?

Creighton (obviously)

me (even more obvious!)

this is me too :)