The difference these days in the boys picture taking is worth noting. Tyler just LOVES getting his picture taken. He will willingly try to jump in front of the camera when I am trying to take a picture of something/someone else. Kevin really does not enjoy having his picture taken at all. He does like to say "cheese" and loves to take pictures of others, but when I camera is pointed at him he tends to run away to do more important things. Jacob doesn't seem to mind getting his picture taken...yet. And has started tracking things....so I assume that the camera is fascinating to him at this point. Given their differences, you can imagine my excitement to get all three in a few different pictures...even if not everyone is looking at the camera or has their eyes open. Just having them all there in one shot just made my day! :)
A kiss for baby brother. 
All three boys looking at the camera!!! I just love it even though Kevin refused to touch Jacob or Tyler. :) 
Another picture of all three! 
Five week old Jacob! 
Tyler checking out Jacob's hand. He was so excited that Jacob reached out and touched him that I had to snap a picture. 
My serious little man! 
One proud big brother watching singing to Jacob a song he made up. 
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tummy Time With Mom and Dad
Last night after Tyler and Kevin went to bed, Jacob spent a little time with both of us showing off his tummy time skills. He started off just laying on his blanket on his back, but got upset that we were just talking and not flipping him to his tummy because he was ready to show off a bit.
And boy did he show off! :) This was his longest period on his tummy and we were both impressed by his head control!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Spring Cookies
This afternoon we decided to make some spring sugar cookies (i.e. sugar cookies from a baking pan that has egged shapes with flowers on them). Both Kevin and Tyler thought it would be a fun project to work on, but Jacob had his reservations. ;) 
Once the cookies were mixed and iced, the boys sat down to decorate one each. Unfortunately, I discovered I had almost no confectioner's sugar and barely managed to make enough icing for two cookies. But we managed and the boys were excited to at least have one each to decorate. So they worked on icing their cookie, then spraying the icing blue with food coloring spray, and last but not least, adding the sprinkles! I always forget though that their approach is to just dump the sprinkles on and make a big mess. And you will see in this first picture Kevin does have a tear running down his cheek as he was VERY upset when I placed Tyler's cookie and plate in front of Tyler and then went to find the sprinkles rather than put Kevin's cookie in front of him right away and so I think he thought he wasn't getting one (even though I just knew he wouldn't wait). ;) 
THey had fun making a mess and decorating. And then the best part! They got to eat them! :) After I shook off lots of sprinkles first. ;) 
At this point, Jacob was okay with their project and ready to watch. :) 
And when they were done, Kevin decided to wipe his hands on his face. I told him not to do that, and he taught me that I should be quicker with the napkin. 
because then he started rubbing his hands through his hair! Yikes! :) 
Once the cookies were mixed and iced, the boys sat down to decorate one each. Unfortunately, I discovered I had almost no confectioner's sugar and barely managed to make enough icing for two cookies. But we managed and the boys were excited to at least have one each to decorate. So they worked on icing their cookie, then spraying the icing blue with food coloring spray, and last but not least, adding the sprinkles! I always forget though that their approach is to just dump the sprinkles on and make a big mess. And you will see in this first picture Kevin does have a tear running down his cheek as he was VERY upset when I placed Tyler's cookie and plate in front of Tyler and then went to find the sprinkles rather than put Kevin's cookie in front of him right away and so I think he thought he wasn't getting one (even though I just knew he wouldn't wait). ;) THey had fun making a mess and decorating. And then the best part! They got to eat them! :) After I shook off lots of sprinkles first. ;) At this point, Jacob was okay with their project and ready to watch. :) And when they were done, Kevin decided to wipe his hands on his face. I told him not to do that, and he taught me that I should be quicker with the napkin. because then he started rubbing his hands through his hair! Yikes! :)
Saturday, March 26, 2011
All at the dinner table
Thursday night, Adam and I were busy getting dinner on the table when I turned around and saw all three boys sitting at the table. They had been sitting there, but turning around and just seeing three little guys staring at us quietly was pretty neat. In that moment I flashed forward several years to when they were bigger and realized I should snap a picture!
And a picture of Jacob playing on his tummy time mat for the first time on Thursday. Both Kevin and Tyler were so excited to finally get this out for him and put him on the floor. Jacob enjoyed a bit of tummy time with his brothers cheering for him. When Jacob had had enough of tummy time I went and got some toys to hang for him to track. Well, that opened a can of worms as both Tyler and Kevin decided to mimic me and before long Jacob was surrounded with every baby toy as the boys kept running back to his room to get more. ;) I should have taken a picture but by then I was so tense from all of the toys piled up around Jacob, and Tyler and Kevin's yelling in excitement to play with Jacob that I didn't think of taking a picture. :)
I did get a quick picture though of Jacob looking at his brothers. You can see Tyler's arm at the bottom of the picture. It is definitely fun (though admittedly stressful as the adult) to watch Tyler and Kevin's excitement for their little brother's accomplishments. :)
And along the same note of being excited for your little brother, Kevin announced yesterday that he just wants to wear big boys (i.e. underwear instead of diapers). He did this by saying "no mama, big boys" when I tried to put a diaper on him. And so yesterday we worked on potty training. He has been working on it but not full time. Yet, yesterday he was determined to practice all day and I am just so proud of him as he did great.
The reason I am sharing this though is that it was so much fun watching Tyler and Kevin interact throughout the day. Tyler was always right there to cheer Kevin on when Kevin would go potty. He would help Kevin get a new pair of underwear and re-explain that we have to keep them dry when Kevin would have an accident. And Tyler would randomly suggest going to try to potty to Kevin and Kevin would listen! And then Tyler would cheer and high five Kevin when he tried.
And Kevin was so much more excited to listen to Tyler than me. And when I wanted to put a diaper back on Kevin at the end of the day when I wanted to work on dinner and not have to worry about potty training, Kevin would tell me "no mama, big boys Tyler". And so we kept at it as he wants so badly to be a big kid like Tyler. So we will see where this leads, but it was so cute yesterday watching them interact as Tyler encouraged Kevin to be a big kid and how proud Kevin looked when his big brother would be excited for him. :)
And a picture of Jacob playing on his tummy time mat for the first time on Thursday. Both Kevin and Tyler were so excited to finally get this out for him and put him on the floor. Jacob enjoyed a bit of tummy time with his brothers cheering for him. When Jacob had had enough of tummy time I went and got some toys to hang for him to track. Well, that opened a can of worms as both Tyler and Kevin decided to mimic me and before long Jacob was surrounded with every baby toy as the boys kept running back to his room to get more. ;) I should have taken a picture but by then I was so tense from all of the toys piled up around Jacob, and Tyler and Kevin's yelling in excitement to play with Jacob that I didn't think of taking a picture. :)
I did get a quick picture though of Jacob looking at his brothers. You can see Tyler's arm at the bottom of the picture. It is definitely fun (though admittedly stressful as the adult) to watch Tyler and Kevin's excitement for their little brother's accomplishments. :)
And along the same note of being excited for your little brother, Kevin announced yesterday that he just wants to wear big boys (i.e. underwear instead of diapers). He did this by saying "no mama, big boys" when I tried to put a diaper on him. And so yesterday we worked on potty training. He has been working on it but not full time. Yet, yesterday he was determined to practice all day and I am just so proud of him as he did great.
The reason I am sharing this though is that it was so much fun watching Tyler and Kevin interact throughout the day. Tyler was always right there to cheer Kevin on when Kevin would go potty. He would help Kevin get a new pair of underwear and re-explain that we have to keep them dry when Kevin would have an accident. And Tyler would randomly suggest going to try to potty to Kevin and Kevin would listen! And then Tyler would cheer and high five Kevin when he tried.
And Kevin was so much more excited to listen to Tyler than me. And when I wanted to put a diaper back on Kevin at the end of the day when I wanted to work on dinner and not have to worry about potty training, Kevin would tell me "no mama, big boys Tyler". And so we kept at it as he wants so badly to be a big kid like Tyler. So we will see where this leads, but it was so cute yesterday watching them interact as Tyler encouraged Kevin to be a big kid and how proud Kevin looked when his big brother would be excited for him. :)
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Crafts, Baths, and One Month Old Already
This is our second full day of being on our own. I will tell you that I am extremely grateful to have had the assistance of grandma's for the last month! I never thought I would get so much help and am so appreciative of the time that they took to spend with us and all that they did for us. Adam and I were just so worried as Jacob's birth approached about what we were going to do with his work, my surgery, our crazy dogs, and two energetic boys. And to have such help was just amazing!
Yesterday was just crazy to say the least. I really wasn't sure how we were going to make it on a daily basis by the time Adam got home and I didn't even have to do laundry or cook (thank you grandma's) yesterday. The dogs were both sick, Tyler and Kevin were wrestling maniacs, Jacob apparently could only sleep if being held and screamed the remainder, Kevin managed to destroy a few things in the house, and both Tyler and Ellie thought it was necessary to bark/yell right by Jacob when I did get him to sleep. I was definitely overstimulated by the time Adam got home, and thankfully he just jumped right into the chaos and helped me get everyone settled before heading out to shovel our lovely new snow we got yesterday.
So yesterday was crazy, but thankfully Jacob slept great last night and only woke up three times. And then today has been great. It started with Tyler's first swim lesson for the spring. We took the winter off as I was just too big and uncomfortable to take the boys out and about. And both Tyler and Kevin were super excited to be going and were huge helpers to get us out the door on time. Kevin sat patiently in the stroller and actually cheered Tyler and the other girl in his class on! I can't wait for him to turn three so he can take a class too as he just loves going there.
Tyler really likes his new swim teacher and there is only one other girl in his class. He is now in the level four class and they are practicing the Frank and Murray and the backstroke. And given that they know the basics this and that there are only two kids in the class, Tyler swam almost nonstop laps for thirty minutes. He was just so excited and when he wasn't swimming was ALWAYS under the water looking at the bottom through his goggles. His new teacher was nice and just laughed at him, rather than get mad since he wasn't paying attention. And he shocked us all when at the end of class (they usually stand on the side and jump in for fun) did a dive off the side! It caused two other teachers who were watching to laugh, but Tyler's teacher did scold him since the water was only four feet deep. I was shocked as I had NEVER seen him do this, but apparently he learned that you could jump in other ways than feet first when he went swimming with his cousins. And even though Adam says that he just did belly flops then, you wouldn't have known it today when he went in head first.
The outing definitely went better than I thought it might go as Jacob just slept and Kevin was so peaceful. And when we got home, Tyler was tired enough to no initiate wrestling with Kevin, making the afternoon overall less destructive/loud. And Jacob is even getting to nap while the boys play by him nearby. So overall, a much calmer day than yesterday.
I even took a few pictures in addition to writing this ramble while things are tame. ;)
First, Kevin eating a post-nap snack with a color-changing McQueen. Tyler and Kevin both love this car, and Kevin was so proud to be able to have it without Tyler coming to try and take it.
A few pictures of Jacob from yesterday. He is now a month old! He is a very laid back guy when awake, but when he is tired he becomes more irritable as he doesn't like to sleep on his own. This is likely due to the amazing cuddling ability of the grandma's as he really tried to take advantage of their visits and snuggle as much as possible. :) And I don't blame him one bit as he sure did look comfortable sleeping in their arms. But now, we are learning to sleep on our own and he has made huge strides in just two days.
A few pictures in his swing. He still isn't sure about this and prefers swinging side-to-side over the normal rocking motion. He just has the best serious looks. :)
Yesterday was just crazy to say the least. I really wasn't sure how we were going to make it on a daily basis by the time Adam got home and I didn't even have to do laundry or cook (thank you grandma's) yesterday. The dogs were both sick, Tyler and Kevin were wrestling maniacs, Jacob apparently could only sleep if being held and screamed the remainder, Kevin managed to destroy a few things in the house, and both Tyler and Ellie thought it was necessary to bark/yell right by Jacob when I did get him to sleep. I was definitely overstimulated by the time Adam got home, and thankfully he just jumped right into the chaos and helped me get everyone settled before heading out to shovel our lovely new snow we got yesterday.
So yesterday was crazy, but thankfully Jacob slept great last night and only woke up three times. And then today has been great. It started with Tyler's first swim lesson for the spring. We took the winter off as I was just too big and uncomfortable to take the boys out and about. And both Tyler and Kevin were super excited to be going and were huge helpers to get us out the door on time. Kevin sat patiently in the stroller and actually cheered Tyler and the other girl in his class on! I can't wait for him to turn three so he can take a class too as he just loves going there.
Tyler really likes his new swim teacher and there is only one other girl in his class. He is now in the level four class and they are practicing the Frank and Murray and the backstroke. And given that they know the basics this and that there are only two kids in the class, Tyler swam almost nonstop laps for thirty minutes. He was just so excited and when he wasn't swimming was ALWAYS under the water looking at the bottom through his goggles. His new teacher was nice and just laughed at him, rather than get mad since he wasn't paying attention. And he shocked us all when at the end of class (they usually stand on the side and jump in for fun) did a dive off the side! It caused two other teachers who were watching to laugh, but Tyler's teacher did scold him since the water was only four feet deep. I was shocked as I had NEVER seen him do this, but apparently he learned that you could jump in other ways than feet first when he went swimming with his cousins. And even though Adam says that he just did belly flops then, you wouldn't have known it today when he went in head first.
The outing definitely went better than I thought it might go as Jacob just slept and Kevin was so peaceful. And when we got home, Tyler was tired enough to no initiate wrestling with Kevin, making the afternoon overall less destructive/loud. And Jacob is even getting to nap while the boys play by him nearby. So overall, a much calmer day than yesterday.
I even took a few pictures in addition to writing this ramble while things are tame. ;)
First, Kevin eating a post-nap snack with a color-changing McQueen. Tyler and Kevin both love this car, and Kevin was so proud to be able to have it without Tyler coming to try and take it.
A few pictures of Jacob from yesterday. He is now a month old! He is a very laid back guy when awake, but when he is tired he becomes more irritable as he doesn't like to sleep on his own. This is likely due to the amazing cuddling ability of the grandma's as he really tried to take advantage of their visits and snuggle as much as possible. :) And I don't blame him one bit as he sure did look comfortable sleeping in their arms. But now, we are learning to sleep on our own and he has made huge strides in just two days.
He is also doing great with tummy time and can lift his head up quite high and look around. And although we haven't gotten them awake, he has the cutest smile and laugh while sleeping. No idea what he is already laughing about, but it is so much fun to hear!
He is also doing well sleeping at night....he tends to wake up three or four times at night, but will quickly go back to sleep.
A few pictures yesterday doing some tummy time on the couch next to me.
A few pictures in his swing. He still isn't sure about this and prefers swinging side-to-side over the normal rocking motion. He just has the best serious looks. :)
A few pictures later in the day sitting on the couch. He was exhausted by this point and not thrilled for more pictures. But I wanted some with his stuffed dolls. ;)
Tyler's new discovery is regular Lego's. He just loves the little sets and works so hard to follow the instructions, and just shocked me because he can actually follow them! The problem is that Kevin is still way too little for them, but wants to desperately play with them. So he will break Tyler's creations and tears by everyone usually follow. We are trying to have Tyler just play with them when Kevin is focused on other things and/or napping, but that is hard because when Tyler gets focused on something he just wants to keep going (wonder where he gets that from??). ;)
Yesterday, I decided to give all three boys a bath at the same time. Well, I put Tyler and Kevin in the tub for my sanity as they love to play in the water and do so cooperatively. They were doing so well that I decided to give Jacob a bath in his baby tub next to them. And all was GREAT until Jacob was done and dressed. At that point he was super fussy as he wasn't thrilled to have been taken out....and I had to fish Kevin out of the tub (he ALWAYS refuses to get out on his own). So a little drama, but all self-imposed, and eventually it all worked out. :) Just funny that I didn't see the end coming knowing how Kevin is with getting out.
Not a fan of a bear hat I put on him to match his pjs. :)
I just love the feet on his pjs! :)
And a picture of Kevin playing in what I thought was the last of our snow. Silly me. :)
Jacob getting a bath from Grandma G. He just LOVES baths, just not the getting out part. :)
Kevin making some foam fish with Grandma G. He just LOVED making a craft with Grandma. It was so cute watching them do this.
And a cute picture of Carlie. :)
Tyler's new discovery is regular Lego's. He just loves the little sets and works so hard to follow the instructions, and just shocked me because he can actually follow them! The problem is that Kevin is still way too little for them, but wants to desperately play with them. So he will break Tyler's creations and tears by everyone usually follow. We are trying to have Tyler just play with them when Kevin is focused on other things and/or napping, but that is hard because when Tyler gets focused on something he just wants to keep going (wonder where he gets that from??). ;)
Yesterday, I decided to give all three boys a bath at the same time. Well, I put Tyler and Kevin in the tub for my sanity as they love to play in the water and do so cooperatively. They were doing so well that I decided to give Jacob a bath in his baby tub next to them. And all was GREAT until Jacob was done and dressed. At that point he was super fussy as he wasn't thrilled to have been taken out....and I had to fish Kevin out of the tub (he ALWAYS refuses to get out on his own). So a little drama, but all self-imposed, and eventually it all worked out. :) Just funny that I didn't see the end coming knowing how Kevin is with getting out.
I did get a few pictures of Jacob all clean and snuggly though. :)
Not a fan of a bear hat I put on him to match his pjs. :)
I just love the feet on his pjs! :)
And a picture of Kevin playing in what I thought was the last of our snow. Silly me. :)
Jacob getting a bath from Grandma G. He just LOVES baths, just not the getting out part. :)
He is always just so serious and focused when awake. :)
Kevin making some foam fish with Grandma G. He just LOVED making a craft with Grandma. It was so cute watching them do this.
And a cute picture of Carlie. :)
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Three Week Old Jacob
Jacob is now three weeks old. He has lost his "eagle cry" that he had when he is born and now has a normal, loud baby cry...well for a baby his age. He is pretty laidback and could spend all day content if he was always being held, though that is not always possible even with Grandma here to help. He sleeps about 4 hours right now at night straight and then goes for about an hour for the rest of the night. Since he is still sleeping a lot of the day away, I suspect that nighttime will get better as he is awake more throughout the day. But for now, I will definitely take the consistent four hours!
A few pictures of Mr. Jacob. First, a sweet kiss from big brother Kevin.
Always seems to have a very serious look on his face.
Telling me how he is done with the sweater. :)
Checking out his big brothers who are hovering over to help me with pictures.
Probably best to keep one eye on them.
Checking out my camera. So cute! And Tyler is holding his hand here.
I can't believe you are three weeks old already!
A few pictures of Mr. Jacob. First, a sweet kiss from big brother Kevin.
Always seems to have a very serious look on his face.
Telling me how he is done with the sweater. :)
Checking out his big brothers who are hovering over to help me with pictures.
Probably best to keep one eye on them.
Checking out my camera. So cute! And Tyler is holding his hand here.
I can't believe you are three weeks old already!
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