Maverick Laughing!

So, Derek posted this video that I took. Sorry the actual laughing takes about 1 minute to see since as soon as I turned the Flip on, Maverick was just staring at it wondering what I was holding over his face. He finally remembered that those silly noises I'm making are funny and then started laughing again.

Gotta love that sweet sound. It makes it all worth it.

Last Day at Great Wolf Lodge

Sunday was our last day at Great Wolf Lodge. We hit the waterpark and the arcade in the morning, had lunch and then headed home. Here's a picture of the boys' "Room" inside our room. It's like a little nook for them with bunk beds and their own tv (not that they watched it). Now imagine that the doorway and small window were covered with a dark blue blanket that we hung from those command 3M hooks that you've seen because that's what we did. It worked out great to give them a darker place for bedtime and naptime. I knew there would be no way they'd settle down if they could see us walking by their door to get to the bathroom, etc....

A nightly ritual at Great Wolf Lodge is story time for the kids. I heard it was great! I never did get to go because I would always be nursing/putting Maverick down for the night. Apparently the clock tower and friends come alive and sing songs, etc..

After the nightly show, a staff member would come out and read a story and then the boys would get to hug Wiley the wolf before turning in for the night. Also, as you've already seen in some pictures we got wolf ears whenever we'd eat at the Moose Lodge. I think we have 7 or 8 pairs that made it home! Here's a last family picture before we left and I'm shocked how well it came out since at some point every boy (under age 5) was crying before this was taken.

One last thing I'd like to say is how great all of the staff at Great Wolf Lodge was. They were all so friendly and helpful in everything we needed. Always a smiling face. We can't wait to go back. Maybe in a few years....

Waterpark Fun!

A rare picture of just me

We spent at least part of everyday (Thursday-Sunday) at the waterpark. This is definitely a place we want to go back to. We all had so much fun! Brighton's favorite thing was to sit on the jetskis and shoot water. This kiddy pool was only 18" deep and had a few slides in it. There were so many things to do. Chandler enjoyed it too, but also liked going on the slides with mom and dad.

Here's Chandler and I exiting the large "family" waterslide. This ride could hold up to four people at once. Derek, Chandler, and I did get to ride it one time just the three of us and that was nice. Technically you needed to be 42" to ride any of the larger slides and Chandler is just shy of that. Luckily they were nice and let him on them anyways. Hopefully by the next time we visit, Brighton will be big enough as well.

This trip wasn't an easy one with our 3-month-old in tow, but Grandma definitely helped us manage. We couldn't have done it with out her. Maverick has now decided he is much less portable for naps, and that made keeping the "big boys" entertained harder since we had to let Maverick nap as much as we could. Luckily, he would take a morning nap in a parked stroller in the waterpark where I could cover it with a towel to make it dark and more peaceful. Believe it or not, he napped in the bathtub in the afternoons! We would put his bassinet in the tub, turn off the light and have the lullabies blasting from the nearest outlet. I'd usually strip him down to his diaper since he likes to be swaddled and I didn't want him to get hot in the stuffy bathroom. Once Brighton's afternoon nap was over, we'd head down to the waterpark where Grandma and Maverick would join us later.

All-in-all it was definitely a fun time even if it was a bit of a challenge juggling everybody's schedule. Can't wait to go back!

Discovery Place

Today since we were so close to the Discovery Place Museum in Charlotte, NC we decided to head there for the morning. The first place we visited in the museum was a hit with the boys. Brighton could have spent all day at the water table.

Even with the apron that was provided he still managed to get one sleeve and part of his shirt completely soaked. Meanwhile, Chandler was busy creating a giant building of some sort.

We also checked out all the aquarium exhibits before heading to another floor for more fun. I have been to this museum before and remembered that I really liked it. I don't recall who took me there, but I was probably 8-10 years old. I'm sure it was while I was visiting my Aunt and Uncle Seagle who lived in Charlotte at the time.

While Chandler and Brighton were busy building more things, Diane decided to create some more rooms to add on to our house. At some point in the future we'd like to add on to our house and Diane created some great ideas for us :)

She made a new master bedroom and large closet and bathroom with a shower and separate tub. She also created a dinning room and an office. Now if only it was easy as laying out with blocks....

Here Diane explains her floor plan....

We took this trip to Charlotte for a wedding for a high school friend, Ashley McCrossen (now Allen). We actually stayed in Concord, so this was our first time driving into Charlotte. It was actually hard for me to see some familiar sights as they all reminded me of my Uncle. I really miss him and can not even imagine how hard this is for his family to not have him in their daily lives. We all miss you, Uncle Dennis.

3 Month Stats

A little late with Maverick's 3 month stats....13 lbs, 6 oz. He is 24 1/4 inches long. My little man is growing up. Here's a picture of him from our trip to Great Wolf Lodge. I hope to find some time to post about the trip soon. We had a blast!

Hot & Smoky at the Airport

Today we met up with one of my college friends, Alisha, and her husband, Mike, and their one-year-old, Zach. We decided to go to the RDU observation park and have lunch while we were there. The boys loved pretending to be airplanes and running down the runways.

Here they are taking a break to look at the planes that were coming and going.

After lunch, Alisha brought out the bubbles for a little more fun. By this point we were all hot and sweaty. It was just way to hot and we were ready to go. Chandler took a turn with the bubbles. This was the day that all the smoke was blowing in from the forrest fires and it was just gross outside.

Meanwhile, Zach checked out Maverick who was chilling in the stroller, but starting to get ready to go. It was just way to hot. Did I mention that?

Notice Alisha trying to get Maverick to take his binky. Well of course, Brighton now wanted a turn with the bubbles and when I wouldn't let him hold the container (because he'd spill it of course, and they weren't our bubbles to spill) a meltdown ensued. Maverick was crying, Brighton was crying....at least Chandler wasn't. I decided that was about all we could take and we were out of there! Too bad we didn't have more time to visit with Zach. Maybe next time!

Thanks to Mike for taking and sharing the great pictures!

Mr. Randy

Mr. Randy attends our church, PGUMC , and has a real love for children and our boys especially. When Brighton was so sick and in the PICU after Christmas 2009, Mr. Randy made a special visit to let us know he was praying for us. When we went to church today, Mr. Randy told the boys that he'd come pick them up and let them help him put away the church signs. The boys were so excited to take a ride in his Gator and help him out. Mr. Randy even gave them hats! What a fun afternoon.

3 Months Old

Here's my little man giving a smirk. His 3 Month picture ended up being in his PJs since by the time I went to take it he was fussy and not having any of it, but later on in the evening he was all smiles, so I just went for it.
Here's Maverick earlier in the day hanging out in the jumper. Thanks to this cool blue pillow Grandma bought him he can sit upright more while holding up that big noggin. It's hard to believe this little guy has been a part of our lives for 3 months now. He is such a sweetheart and definitely a mama's boy. He actually "slept through the night" June 8th from 9:30 p.m. till 5:45 a.m. so I know it can be done. Right now he's in a pattern of when he wakes up every 2-3 hours he wants to nurse for a few minutes to get back to sleep. Everybody is happy with this arrangement but mommy. We are working on reminding him ways to get to sleep on his own (aka without boobie). I have dubbed him "the nibbler" but I'm hoping this is short lived because I like my sleep.

He actually gave his first real laugh earlier in the month (6/14) and I hope there are more to come. He's in the habit of taking a morning nap for 60-90 minutes and a long afternoon nap of about 3 hours (if I'm lucky). He also takes an evening snooze for about 45 minutes before being out for the night. We're still unsure of his eye color. I'm rooting for dark blue, but most people call it prelude to brown. We'll see about that one.

He loves toys that light up and play music. He's also a big fan of his brothers, so I ask them to play with him when I need a few more minutes to wrap up whatever I'm trying to get done for the day. I haven't had a chance to get a weight on him yet, so when I do I'll post stats.

Big Boy Bath!

Maverick has graduated from our kitchen sink and is now using the baby bathtub. It's pretty comfy for him to bathe in, but not the easiest for Mommy to actually wash him in. Hopefully in a few more months he will graduate to the next bath apparatus that helps him sit up in the big boy tub. He seemed to like his new bath hammock and was grateful to finally get clean without bumping his head!

Boys' Rides

If you remember from several posts ago about my stroller delima, I ended up with a new single for Maverick. Here he is enjoying his new ride and happily munching on his fists. He's taken several strolls around the neighborhood and lake while the "big boys" as we like to call him were on their bikes, trikes, or other paraphernalia.

Chandler got this pedal car from Santa and has now really started to be able to do it all his own. Brighton prefers walking beside him, or running as his form of transportation as shown here:

He's such a little ham!

Baby Loves Swaddle

Maverick has some habits that are all his own, one being swaddling. He demands/requires swaddling for sleeping and napping. My other boys slept in swaddling blankets for nighttime when they were really young, but never for naps. Once they outgrew the infant swaddling blankets, that was it. Not Maverick. He will be swaddled to sleep or he will not sleep. He's outgrown the infant wraps that we like to use for nighttime, but luckily just for him the company (Halo Wraps) has finally made a 3-6 month size. YEAH!

As for naptime, I got these great Aden and Anais muslin wraps from Target that work great for swaddling. They are really thin, so he won't over heat and he loves them. You can always tell when naptime has ended because he has broken "free" and you can hear him happily sucking on his hand over the monitor.

Such a cutie pie!

Here he is as a little burrito. We'll see how long the swaddling phase lasts, but for now it's working great. I'm always wondering if he likes to be like this since he came so early and still wants that cozy feeling.

Swimming Lessons!

We have hired a swimming instructor to come to our pool to teach our boys and their buddies (Hayden & Patrick) how to swim. I really wanted the boys to get more comfortable in our pool this year and this was the perfect solution. There was no way I was schleping 3 boys to a local pool when we have one right in the backyard. This works out great with Maverick napping happily in his crib while the lessons are going on. I've still had a helper each day with me so I can have an extra set of hands if need be. The instructor, Hannah has been awesome with the boys. With our cooler weather this week, the pool has been a little on the chilly side and Brighton & Patrick have gotten easily chilled. The big boys have done great though.

Here's Chandler reaching and pulling with Hannah. He's so confident in the water with a life-jacket on, but our goal is true swimming this summer. At least he can stand in the shallow end this year, so that helps. He actually jumped in the deep end to Hannah with out a life jacket on his third lesson. I know that took a lot of courage and I'm so proud of him. These lessons should really come in handy next week when we are at Great Wolf Lodge!

Brighton has not been his normal fearless self this week. In fact, he didn't even get in the water one lesson. I'll admit, he has a cold and probably isn't feeling the best, so I didn't push it. Of course Chandler didn't mind the extra time. Brighton had just had lessons with me in February, and would blow bubbles with me in the water there. He's not too sure about blowing them through his nose like Hannah was trying to get him to do here.

And here's the whole gang having lunch after a lesson. What a great opportunity for our boys and a fun time with friends. Here's to more swimming fun soon. I'll have to post a video to show our progress.

Kittens!

You'll never believe what we found under the dog house last night......kittens!

If Derek had time to blog about this, I'm sure he'd make this post a lot funnier. I had actually called animal control on Tuesday of this week because we've seen a stray cat in our yard and it's driving Katie crazy. Animal control told me that it could be a week or more before they could come by with a trap. Okay, no problem.

Well, last night I was watering my tomato plants and Derek said he just saw the cat dart out from under the doghouse and climb the fence. I went over by the house to investigate and heard "meow, meow, meow". I immediately knew now why this cat had been hanging around so much. She was a mom cat and had a litter of kitten under our doghouse!

Now I'm thinking....should we leave some food out? As a fellow nursing mom I immediately felt compassion for this cat and all the energy it takes to nurse your babies. Derek thought it was hilarious that one moment I wanted animal control here and now I'm wanting to feed our unwanted guests. Long story short, Derek contacted a co-worker that is big into cat rescue and he found somebody willing to take this litter and bottle feed them every 2-3 hours!

It was quite the feat for Derek to reach the kittens. They were WAY under there!

Of course, the boys wanted to hold them. We estimated them to be about 1 week old due to their size and the fact their eyes weren't open yet. Chandler wanted to hold an orange one.

Derek ended up finding four kittens. One black, two orange, and one that was colored like the mother....black and tan. It's hard to see the coloring of that one, but it's the dark kitten on top of the orange one in the picture.

Brighton picked the black one to hold and shortly after that, Derek was off to meet the woman who would be caring for these little ones until they could find a new home.

It certainly was a crazy end to our week!

Head's Up

I like posting pictures for comparison. Everybody thinks my boys (especially Brighton and Chandler) look so much alike. I really don't see it. Here's a picture of each of my boys at about 2 months old. Brighton had so much dark hair! I can see similarities much more between Chandler and Maverick. What do you think?

Here's Maverick

Chandler

and finally....Brighton

Summer Camp

Today was the first day of a week long summer camp that both Chandler and Brighton got to attend this year. The theme of the camp was reptiles and amphibians. The boys had a blast and mommy got a much deserved break and enjoyed some one-on-one time with Maverick. This was Brighton's first time in a preschool-type setting and he did great. You'd never know this was his first time away from mommy. He fit right in!

After such a great experience we've decided we'll do another camp at the preschool in August. Can't wait!

Baptism Day!

Today we baptized Maverick. We normally attend the 11 o'clock service at our church, but attended the 8:30 a.m. service today since it was graduation recognition Sunday and we couldn't fit it all into one service. Maverick normally sleeps till 8:30 or 9 a.m. so of course, waking him up early meant he was ready for a nap right about the time he got baptized. Sleepy baby = crying baby. Oh well....

Here's Pastor Jay holding him just after he was Baptized. He made some joke about forgiving Maverick for embarrassing the preacher and quickly handed him back to me.

Here's the whole family gathered for a picture. Obviously it was taken quickly and not much thought was taken into making sure you could see everybody. I wasn't in charge of that.

Luckily with Derek back behind the camera we were able to get some more shots outside. I love this one of my three boys with their Godparents, Erin & Joel. We had a great day and are so happy that our family could be here for this important occasion.

Baptismal Dinner

Here's the guest of honor being held by our # 1 Godmommy, Erin. We had a dinner at our church to celebrate that we would be baptizing Maverick on Sunday. We had about 30 or so of our family and friends there with us. I made spaghetti pies and had help from Grandma Diane with the punch, salad, dessert, and bread. My Aunt Judy also made two desserts (although I considered one a fruit) and my mom brought some tea.
Here's the kids table. Chandler and Brighton sure enjoyed having some guests their size at the party. I think a good time was had by all. We are so blessed that our heavenly father gives us the gift of baptism and we are able to baptize Maverick tomorrow. What a special day to remember.