Does This Count as a Baby Book?

Miscommunication

2012-02-05T19:54:00.001-06:00

Do you all remember the "NOT HOT GLUE" incident?

The one where I sent Jeff to the store with a list of groceries including special instructions that we needed "Glue Sticks - NOT HOT GLUE."

He interpreted my note as HOT HOT glue sticks, and although he thought it was weird, he figured he just didn't know the different levels of hot glue.

Because that makes a ton of sense.

Well, today we topped that story with our inability to communicate.

Last week, I re-did the pictures in my office and brought home about 100 pictures - some old and some new. I had them in the front seat of my car. This morning, I attempted to clean out the car before we went out for breakfast.

I placed the pictures on top of our trash dumpster next to the back door.

The same place, for the record, that we often put sippy cups, school bags, mail, and other Non Trash Items when we are cleaning out the car but too lazy to walk inside.

In that moment, Jeff and I happened to be crossing paths, and so, to eliminate any confusion, I said, "I am setting these here, but they are Not Trash." I then turned around and proceeded to get in the car.

What Jeff heard: "TRASH!"

Hours later I asked where the pictures were, and he looked at me like I had two heads.

Lisa: You know, the ones I sat on the dumpster when I was cleaning out the car.

Jeff: I threw them away, like you told me to.

Lisa: You are joking me, right?
Jeff: You sat them on the trash can and said TRASH.

Lisa: WHY ON EARTH would I throw 100 pictures of our kids away?

Jeff: I don't know. I wondered that. But why did you set them on the trash can with the word TRASH anywhere in your sentence?

**Poor Jeff only had to dig through a bag or two of old diapers, jalepeno seeds and other gross garbage before he found the missing pictures.

Chiefs and Indians - An Adventure

2012-01-09T06:39:00.019-06:00

What this video does capture:
The great time shared by four young boys and their dads. Look close and you can even see the boys “stirring” the water with their oars. Jeff and Matt both argue that next time it would easier to just give each kid an anchor instead of an oar.

What this video doesn’t capture:
The moment I decided I had endured enough of Baby Nathan’s kicks and hid behind the truck to empty my bladder. We had been out in the woods for a full two hours at that point and hadn’t seen a soul. But of course, OF COURSE, that is the EXACT same moment that a jeep rounded the corner and stopped a mere 30 feet from my makeshift port-a-potty. I didn’t make eye contact, but I guarantee whoever was in that jeep is sitting around the water cooler today talking about the pregnant lady they saw in the woods with her pants around her ankles. It’s one of the rare occasions I wished I had a penis.

The Tribe
Chief Big Heart Empty Wallet - GrandDad (because every adventure is fun, but guaranteed to be expensive)

Swift Feather (aka Lead Oar) - Jeff

Chief Wobbly Canoe Slippery Foot - Matt

Sharp Arrow - Peyton

Long Spear - Hayden

Black Hawk (aka Splashing Oar) - Davis

Chief Rubber Arms Patient Heart - Ryan

Also, special thanks to Squaw Enables Big Fun - Mimi,

who stayed home and watched Chief Stinky Britches Blake.

Oblivious

2011-12-07T06:24:00.001-06:00

Now that I am resolved to the fact that I am going to be living in a house with five boys, I look at the bright side every opportunity I can. The nice thing about boys (and I am not just talking about little boys), is that they are so oblivious to their surroundings.

This year I have been doing much more online shopping since I have become an Amazon Prime member (highly recommend it!).

Each day it's fun to come home and see what has arrived, because even though I ordered all of it, it's still exciting to open the box and remember what exactly I ordered after the kids go to bed.

But some nights, I just don't have it in me to open up the boxes, break down the boxes, and hide the gifts...so they just sit and pile up at the front door.

You'd think, since there is only 22 days left until Christmas, a stack of boxes at the front door might lead to some questions from the boys.

Maybe they would shake the boxes.

Or read the return address.

But, nope.

No, they just walk right by them for days at a time, without even a single inquisition of what's in the box?

For this reason, I think the kids will believe in Santa when they are in high school. There is no reason for them not to believe.

No light bulb moments.

No wait a minute...that doesn't add up.

Just completely oblivious boys.

"Hey mom! Can you move this box so I can reach my jacket," Hayden asked before school the other day.

By his age, I already knew even my mom's best gift hiding spots (the top left corner of her closet), not to mention how to unwrap and re-wrap the presents under the tree.

***

Somewhat related: There was also this time last summer when we picked up the kids early from school. We were in GrandDad's truck. The bed of the truck was loaded to the brim and hauling a small trailer with two 4-wheelers. We made it all the way to the Oklahoma state line before anyone piped up and asked where we were going. I guess it just didn't cross their mind for the first 100 miles to ask.

Measurements

2011-12-06T06:26:00.002-06:00

These two boys have been almost the exact same height their entire lives...(even though there is about a 10" gap between their dads). What can I say, Stadler genes are strong...or Lyle boys grow late.

Only time will tell.

But over the last weekend, I noticed that Peyton had about a half an inch on Davis.

Of course, clearly I was wrong because as you can see in this picture, Davis points out that he is a solid two inches taller.

Oh Christmas Tree!

2011-12-05T06:37:00.002-06:00

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, after the turkey and dressing had long settled in our bellies, I cheerfully suggested that we pull out the Christmas tree and decorate.

I had forgotten that Jeff was in a bubble until the marathon when he voiced his concerns about putting up the Christmas tree for fear he might get hurt.

Now granted, our tree is twelve feet tall and not the easiest thing to maneuver.

However, we've been putting it up for six years now and managed to stay injury free.

In an effort to compromise (because I didn't want wait until mid December to get festive), I suggested that maybe we should get a smaller, REAL Christmas tree instead this year.

I am so accommodating like that.

Much to my delight, Jeff agreed and our quest for the perfect REAL Christmas tree began.

In my head, the Christmas tree search was so much more romantic. We'd all go hand in hand and ohhh and ahhh over the possibilities until we all agreed on the perfect addition to our living room.

In reality, the kids were totally uninterested, so Jeff and I picked out the tree in about 3 minutes since it was rainy and cold.

Then, as Jeff paid and the teenage boys tied the tree onto the Suburban, the kids raced through the unpicked tree farm like a maze.

I begged them to slow down.

Actually, just FREEZE! and SAY CHEESE! It's picture time!

Meanwhile the owner started yelling at his employees for Not Greeting Customers In A Timely Manner and ruined not only the photo opp, but also the whole Christmas-y memory for me.

So then we left and realized somewhere along the way home that REAL Christmas trees don't come pre-strung with lights.

Who knew?!?

I am happy to report though that no one was injured while Decking the Halls of the Lyle house, despite the fact that a chainsaw was used to trim up the branches.

Twenty Six Point Two - Part Two

2011-12-04T20:08:00.000-06:00

Congratulations Jeff on finishing your first marathon!

You make me proud.

You also make me think you are crazy!

(Also, please don't take it personally that Hayden is disappointed that you didn't win first place, yet still received a medal. He has high expectations).

***

Jeff's highlights of the race include: ten people running barefoot,

one person running in flip flops, pouring rain, someone working on their cellphone while running.

***

Video captured on TV by Matt:

Thanks Matt & Mel for joining me to cheer Jeff on.

Twenty Six Point Two

2011-12-03T17:26:00.001-06:00

For the last three months, Jeff has been training for a marathon. In fact, the marathon is tomorrow.

I will never again be so happy to watch someone run 26.2 miles and then celebrate with a big juicy steak.

Jeff is very cautious right now about EVERYTHING. Over the last week, he declared that he is in a "bubble."

He doesn't want to drink after anyone because he doesn't want to get sick.

He doesn't want to clip his nails for fear that he will get an ingrown toe nail.

Starbucks was off limits because caffiene would dehydrate him.

No orange juice either, because that might over-hydrate him.

Yesterday, he reluctantly agreed to go to Target even though he worried it would tire his legs. Apparently, walking and standing in the electronics section is "MUCH harder than running 26 miles."

I find that hard to believe, because if strolling the aisles of Target could burn as many calories as running a marathon, I'd be a supermodel.

He declared last Monday that we would be eating the same thing everyday this week so that he stays "regular."

Tomorrow there is a 90% chance of rain with a high of 47 degrees. Brrrrr. As I type this, he's pacing and worried and looking up every weather website online.

Although he is really well trained, I think the reality set in yesterday when he picked up his running packet and realized that he would actually be running farther than the drive from Plano to Fairpark on Sunday.

I know he will do great tomorrow and I'm confident he will exceed his two goals: 1) to finish 2) to beat Oprah's time.

Here's wishing Jeff the best of luck tomorrow with no toe nail issues, no pooping issues, and no soggy shoes.

(And is it bad that I am hoping to get a nice, close, parking spot to cheer him on at the finish line.)

Black Friday

2011-11-28T11:55:00.005-06:00

Mattress shopping while pregnant, in the company of four boys (one of which that needs a nap, one that only wants to go to the play area, one that is STARVING, and one that doesn't understand the concept of early bird specials) on the day after Thanksgiving is not nearly as fun as it sounds.

There is a reason that a typical Black Friday in our family is a mother-daughter tradition.

Is it any surprise that several salesmen walked right by our family of five without asking if we needed anything? Finally, when we approached one of the salesmen and told them we were ready to buy a new mattress*, he apologized for his inattention and said he thought we were "just resting."

I could see his point.

While Jeff and I probably looked very relaxed while wrangling a crying baby and scolding two other kids at alternating times not to jump on the beds and not to fold themselves up into the remote controlled mattress, my home is at least a little more relaxing than the middle of the jcpenney furniture department.

********
*We didn't just buy any old mattress, we bought a super cool one with a remote control and head/feet lifting actions. Does that make us old? Oh well, Merry Christmas to us!

Oh and Dear Santa,
Instead of making a list this year, we walked around the mall and took pictures with stuff we like. Have your elves follow us on Instagram.

Bear Hat and gloves at Gap Kids

School Spirit and Thankfulness

2011-11-27T10:11:00.001-06:00

Even though the Aggies lost to the Longhorns on Thanksgiving day, we still had a lot to be thankful for.

We started a new tradition where we all sign, date, and write what we are thankful for on the tablecloth (to be added to every year). Thank you pinterest for the idea.

And for years to come when we pull it out of the cupboard to set our china(ette) on the table and notice the Christmas style holly leaves on it, we will be thankful that it was on sale.

At Kohls.

I am thankful for (in no particular order) yummy side dishes, a baby boy that wiggles in my tummy, three healthy other boys, a God that has blessed me in so many ways, my job, a four day break from my job, online shopping, Christmas music, caramel lattes, a wonderful husband that is not afraid to change a dirty diaper, the smell of a real Christmas tree, epidurals, and parents that offer free baby sitting.

Okay, there is a particular order..but that wasn't it.

Peyton is thankful for cousins. And God. And Jesus.

Davis is thankful for God and Jesus too.

Ryan is thankful for Blake. It was unspoken but it probably has something to do with him not being the baby anymore.

Blake can't write yet but if he could, I think he would write that he was thankful for food. And a Granddad that that feeds him pumpkin pie with extra whipped cream.

Hayden is thankful he is not a pilgrim. Did you know they didn't have wi-fi or Nintendo DS's?

For the record, I am thankful we are not pilgrims too.

Vote! For Blake!

2011-10-14T07:16:00.002-05:00

If you have time today, please go to

http://laurakentphotography.com/blog/2011/10/07/costume-contest/

and cast a vote for Clark Kent. You will have to scroll to the very bottom, past the facebook comments, and enter your name, email (not published) and comment.

If you are on facebook and want to vote there too (not cheating), go here and "like" the picture...(not the album):
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10150342607288996&set=a.10150342606318996.371189.287677798995&type=1&theater

Reasons you should do it:

1) He can't be overshadowed by his older brother, Davis (the middle-est one) who once won a photo contest for this picture. Hindsight is 20/20 and Davis is pretty cute too, so I am not quite sure why I entered that photo of him. I guess it captured his personality. Regardless, we won.

2) He smiled at our ridiculous fake laughing and was only bribed with a small ice cream treat afterward.

3) He still lets me pick out his costumes. Oh how those days just FLY by. :(

4) He might really be Superman and save the world. You never know.

5) He's not wearing underwear on his head.

6) He's really cute, just ask his mom!

7) I have the chance to win another photo shoot so that I'll have more really cute pictures to share.

8) It's Friday, and who is really 100% productive on a Friday?

He Just New

2011-10-03T18:14:00.001-05:00

Jeff says he can totally relate to Hayden here. It's just so frustrating having to constantly explain how you know so much.

The Big Reveal Party - A List

2011-10-02T21:04:00.002-05:00

1. So first off, I'm pregnant.

2. For the fourth time.

3. It's still sinking in and in the meantime, I've lost my ability to form intelligent sentences. So get used to lists.

4. We had a gender reveal party scheduled for the second I turned 15 weeks and was able to find out the sex of the newest addition to the family.

5. Actually ONE DAY BEFORE, because come on, how much can one baby change in 24 hours?

6. It would have been cool if I had found out at the same time as the other party goers that day. But I'm impatient, and that would have been impossible.

7. It was still a cool party. The only pink (and blue) baby party I will ever have.

8. Party goers wore the color of their guess (pink/blue).

9. This is the fam. It looks like Blake is wearing white in this picture, but he was sporting light pink. He really didn't have a definitive guess, but he looks up to Hayden and Hayden was CONVINCED it was a girl.

10. This was the hopeful (pink) crowd. The one (and only) little girl you see in the pictures (Ella) will not officially be related until she marries Davis in 2030.

11. I was in this crowd only to throw people off since I already knew.

12. Even though Jeff was wearing blue (to split the vote), Uncle Matt took one look at me before the Big Reveal and said, "she's wearing pink, so it's a boy" so matter-of-factly and then "confirmed" it by my reaction.

13. Apparently Matt read some stupid book about facial expressions and lived with me for eighteen years, so he can read my face.

14. Or he is just a good guesser, with really good odds.

15. Aunt Amy went all out and won the best dressed (most hopeful?). She wore a custom GIRL! shirt, with rhinestones and all. Maybe she can wear it to the next gender party she goes to?

16. This is the realistic crowd (blue).

17. This is the big box that the kids opened.

18. And this is what was inside the big box.

19. SHOCKER!

20. These are some happy brothers who are currently in serious negotiations about what to name their baby brother.

21. Up for consideration at the moment: Nathan Cole, Wolverine, Caleb Daniel, Thomas Tank, Lucas Christopher, Harry Potter, Zachary Cole, and Thomas Jerry.

22. (Some names are under stronger consideration than others.)

21. Jeff gave Marc his favorite My Three Sons shirt since he no longer has a need for it.

22. And our world just got a little CRAZIER...but we are SUPER EXCITED and know that Blake will make a great big brother.

24. Stay tuned for a FAQ post.

The Best Medicine

2011-09-13T21:00:00.001-05:00

Ever since I saw this video of the baby who laughs hysterically at torn paper and this video of the baby who cracks up at nose blowing, it's been on my to-do list to get a video of Blake belly laughing at something random. One night a couple of months ago, after attempting to explain to Jeff the hilariousness of these two videos, I finally just grabbed some paper and started ripping it in Blake's face.

He didn't laugh. He just furrowed his brow and stared at me. The exact same way Jeff was doing across the room.

Then I faked blowing my nose.

Nothing.

Blowing my nose while ripping paper? Funny, right?

More blank stares.

It's not that he doesn't laugh, he does. He laughs all the time. But I've had zero luck getting anything on camera because as soon as I start to get the camera out, he stops laughing.

So you can imagine my surprise when I came home from taking Hayden to Tae Kwon Do tonight, and was shown this video.

Apparently, it's hilarious to get a ball thrown in your face.

I think that just about sums up what it is like to be the third boy in the family.

Back To School

2011-08-25T20:18:00.014-05:00

We are almost done with the first week of school and for the most part it’s been fairly uneventful. Since it is his first year in real school, Davis was really looking forward to it. Hayden, however, was not fooled by all the first day hoopla and knows that the first day of school brings worksheets and homework and reading, Oh My!

He never once admitted to being excited, even after the big reveal at Meet The Teacher that 2nd graders get to use iTouches for learning games this year.

At this point, four full days have gone by and this is what I’ve gathered.

Chronicles of Kindergarten

Observations on classroom and size of school:

Kindergarten is bigger than PreK2.
The cafeteria part where you pick your food up is smaller but where you eat the food is bigger.
Three centers are open now. Puppets. Blocks. Legos. There is a reading center but Ms. Thacker hasn’t opened it.

Observations on sayings :

Instead of saying "sit on your bottom", they say "sit on your pockets.”
Sing-songy rhymes get stuck in your head. Example: Sit on the floor. Sit on the floor. Not on the ceiling, not on the door. That song was stuck in Davis’ head ALL DAY LONG so he had to sing Justin Bieber Never Say Never to “cross it out of his head”

Observations on friends:

The good news is that Davis already knew three people at school (excluding Hayden). Two Ryan’s and a Mica. (He also met a Patty and a Laney – ha! that’s for you, Mom).
The bad news is that he has a slytherin in his class. His name is Brooks. (For those of you not living in the Harry Potter World, a slytherin is apparently a bad guy. But I gathered that from wikipedia, because I’ve never watched the movie.)

Rules:

Regarding lunchtime: Under the table there is a bar and you are not allowed to touch it. Only the cleaners can touch it. Sidenote: During this discussion, Hayden interrupted to admit to touching it once, and found out that all it does if you touch it is lift up and make noise. Big deal, he said.
Regarding bathroom permission: If you need to go to the bathroom, raise your hand while crossing your fingers, and then after the teacher gives you permission, get the ‘G’ pass or the ‘B’ pass off of the window. Sounds confusing.
Regarding playground equipment:

Do not get on top of the tunnel or just “hang out” inside the tunnel. Just go STRAIGHT THROUGH IT. Sidenote: Hayden interrupted Davis again for a slight correction. The tunnel is actually a “curved cylinder” next to the monkey bars. In case there was any confusion.
Also, do not go under the high monkey bars when someone is swinging.
Do not walk up a slide.
If two people are walking on the “balance bean” you can bump into each other, so someone has to “be kind and get off.”
Do not throw wood chips at people. Even if you are just playing with the wood chips and you don’t see someone when you threw them. (That’s hypothetically speaking of course and did not actually happen to Davis.)

Statements from Second Grade

"It was good."
Except he also has a slytherin in his class: Shahein.

This picture was taken on the first day, right after Davis arrived.

He is opening play-dough and looking at me with a face that says

Play-dough? Really? Kinder is going to be a breeze!

Mine

2011-08-14T22:36:00.001-05:00

my alarm clock

my chef

my breadwinner

my auto mechanic

my competitor

my IT tech

my jewelry repairman

my landscaper

my handy man

my driver

my visual basic consultant

my carpenter
my jar opener

my financial planner

my personal comedian

my extension ladder

my baby daddy
my love

...you're all these things and MORE.

Happy 12th Anniversary Jeff!

Jeff,
We've laughed together.
We've cried together.
We've celebrated together.
We've grown together (literally and figuratively).

People thought we were crazy when we walked down that aisle,
and those same people probably still think we're crazy (for different reasons).

But I don't have one regret and I love you more now than I ever have!
Seeing you teach the boys life lessons makes me fall in love with you all over again.

And to think, I found you at the ripe old age of sixteen.

You're the best husband, dad, and friend a girl could ever ask for
(even strangers tell me that).
Love, Lisa

Injury

2011-07-24T17:18:00.001-05:00

It's been about a week since our family arrived home from the vacation to Destin and I finally wanted to sit down and record the awesomeness of the trip. But tonight I suffered an injury.

An injury sustained when someone in my family was changing for the night and took off his underwear.

And because this person can't just take his underwear like a normal person, he KICKED them off the tip of his toe right into my EYE with so much force that I thought I was going to lose my eyesight permanently.

My eye instantly filled with tears and all I could think was that I was going to have to explain to everyone that I was blind due to an nasty accident involving a high kick and a pair of Star Wars underwear.

Which would be quite embarrassing.

So, tonight, instead of the full recap, I'll leave you with this.

Bikes and golf carts were the primary mode of transportation to and from the beach.

Which I loved.

----

More excuses for the lack of blogging:

**We came home to a broken a/c unit and 90 degree house. Which is HOT! Mega HOT!

**Blake is now mobile and often "crawls" his way over to the laptop and bangs on it. Our keyboard is now missing the 'W' and the 'D'.

Not missing (as in his stomach), but we can't reconnect them which really lowers my typing productivity.

Mobility

2011-07-01T06:25:00.000-05:00

...and our lives just got a lot more CRAZY.

Out To Eat

2011-06-29T23:01:00.001-05:00

So we are already to that stage where Blake is embarassed to be seated with us. This is how he spends 90% of the meal...facing the other way, flirting with the waitstaff.

It's as if he thinks we're not entertaining or something.

Part of me wants to remind him that I spent nine months of my life carrying him around, it's the least he could do to acknowledge my presence. I would never let Jeff get away with that kind of inattentiveness.

But then I think, HEY! HE'S DISTRACTED! HOW MANY CHIPS CAN WE SHOVEL INTO OUR MOUTH BEFORE HE TURNS AROUND THROWS THE CONTAINER OF SWEET N' LOWS AT THE NEXT TABLE.

Webcam to gif

On Why I Am Thankful I Have Liability Insurance

2011-06-29T17:28:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I sent these pictures to my insurance agent after I spent about 15 minutes with her discussing the minor accident I was involved in last Friday morning.

Make that minor INJURY accident. Puh-lease.

When I sent the pictures, I made it clear that they were taken after the accident occurred.

It happened about a mile from work. I was trekking along, listening to Kidd Kraddick in the morning, when there was a fender bender a few cars ahead of me. Everyone slammed on their breaks and I didn't have enough time to come to a complete stop.

Brakes were slammed. Tires screeched. And I hit the guy in front of me.

You can see from the pictures that my front bumper had no damage whatsoever despite the fact that I hit him going 4...maybe even 5 miles per hour. In fact, the only damage in my car was a slight loss of diet coke.

The second after I hit the car, the man driving threw his hands up in a dramatic 'whattHECK' kind of move. I panicked that he was going to get out of the car yelling at me.

But then, sometime between that moment...and when he got out of the car, his attitude had changed. It was probably about the time that he realized this was his chance at an extra payday.

We hadn't even finished insurance information before he was complaining that his back and neck were "tightening up."

And that's when I knew.

I called Jeff and told him.

I was in a wreck.
I was fine.
The kids weren't with me.
My car was fine.
My diet coke was about 2 ounces less than prior to the wreck.
And no, I wasn't texting.
But I'd put money on the fact that this guy is going to file a medical claim.

It still gets me riled up every time I think about it even though it is technically no money out of my pocket.

You want to file a collision claim for the ONE INCH scratch on your back bumper?
I get that. It was my fault.
I should have been four car lengths behind you instead of 3 and a half.
FINE!

But you were injured? Seriously?!?

Clearly, someone did not take the 4 hour ethics course that I did this year.

***
Post Edit: I just checked my claim online. It was already closed out. The man I hit (with my UNSCRATCHED vehicle pictured above) was awarded $1,000 for "bodily injury" less than three business days later. So much for the due diligence my agent assured me of after informing me about the "injury".

I'd blog more, but I am off to submit an emotional distress claim over the loss of my diet coke. That should be worth at least $500. It was practically full before I hit him.

Goodnight Kisses

2011-06-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

And The Saga Continues...

2011-06-16T06:15:00.000-05:00

The Next Chapter
My Quest to Find A Workout Activity That I Enjoy

Chapter 1- ~~Running~~ (can't control my breathing---or keep my balance, for that matter)
Chapter 2- ~~Rollerblading~~ (oh.my.word. this looks so much easier than it actually is)
Chapter 3- ~~Jumping on the trampoline~~ (too bouncy)
Chapter 4 - ~~5K a month~~ (the t-shirts weren't worth it and 5K is a long way)
Chapter 5- ~~The stairs~~ (Jeff says I ruin the carpet)
Chapter 6- ~~"Stations"~~ (jump roping is a lot more difficult than it used to be)
Chapter 7- ~~Boot Camp~~ (I don't like people yelling at me)
Chapter 8- Evening bike rides with Blakester

The Pros: He loves it. He fell asleep half way through, but still got lots of attention by onlookers.
The Cons: Sore butt. It's hot outside. Sore butt.

The Original Summer

2011-06-15T12:06:00.000-05:00

Hayden asked me the other day when the "original day of summer" was. Not sure what he meant, we went back and forth for a good five minutes about it.

Then it finally dawned on me...he wanted to know when the official first day of summer was.

So I ~~got out my 'S' encyclopedia and researched~~ googled the term "Summer" to satisfy his inquiry.

In case you are curious, the official first day of summer is June 21st...but it sure felt like it was Memorial Day Weekend to me.

On Folding Paper (Over and Over)

2011-06-14T12:46:00.009-05:00

Hayden is very into origami these days.

And by "very into" I mean that he loves to look up youtube videos on how to make every origami idea that pops in his mind. Then he attempts to make it for about five minutes.

Then he gives up and begs one of us to make it for him.

I do what any good mom would do. I refuse and tell him that it is his hobby, not mine.

This goes on and on and on and on.

And on some more.

If I haven't mentioned it before, Hayden has a one-track mind. A very narrow, straight, SINGLE TRACK MIND.

Will you just help me with this one fold?
I just don't understand this ONE PART?
Just real quick... tell me if I am doing this right.

And the next thing you know I am sitting ~~Indian Style~~ Criss Cross Apple Sauce in the middle of my bedroom floor shhhhshing the rest of my family so I can hear the instructions on how to make a proper fold for a jumping frog.

Jeff and I are becoming quite the professionals. Among our accomplishments: dragon, penguin, cat, star, fox, beyblade, fortune teller, cube.

Jeff's Dragon

My 8-point star

Handyman

2011-06-13T17:42:00.001-05:00

If you are in need of a fan installed in your room,

I can tell you a little trick.

Crawl in bed with us, squirm your way in the middle,

and claim it's too hot in your own room.

Jeff will install you a BRAND NEW FAN by Day #3.

Guaranteed.

Missing Sign

2011-06-12T20:37:00.000-05:00

Wanted: My Baby Back!

Where did he go?

And who replaced him with this boy?

Full Ride

2011-05-27T07:21:00.001-05:00

Well, the graduation last night went off without a hitch, unless you consider people-who-have-front-row-seats-but-still-insist-on-standing-up-to-video a "hitch."

All in all, a good time was had. The kids threw their caps. No one tripped on their gowns. And Moms were in fact allowed to take pictures whenever they wanted.

I can't think of a better way to spend a Thursday afternoon than cheering on my Salutatorian - while sitting in preschool size chairs - in a 110 degree room - with 97 other proud parents/grandparents.

Also, the best news: Davis earned a full ride scholarship to Frisco ISD. Woo Hoo!

The Graduate

2011-05-26T07:38:00.003-05:00

Today is a big day for Davis. He is graduating from Pre-K class where he is currently "number 2 on the list."

I imagine there's not really a list that ranks the students and their abilities and I haven't had the guts to ask the teacher for fear of being that mom. But don't try telling Davis there isn't a list because he is adamant there is and can tell you each student's placement. If someone doesn't finish all of their worksheets in a day (Brian!), they usually drop a place or two.

I should stop here and say Congratuations Paige for securing the #1 spot.

Here is a video of Davis sharing his (many!) thoughts on his graduation today. If you don't have five minutes to spare (and trust me when I say it could have been an hour if I would have let him sit there and talk that long), here are the highlights:

* Keon can't be there because he is on "bay-cation"
* 23 kids are graduating
* Boys have to wear handsome clothes, ties are optional, belts too
* Girls can't wear flip flops- and can have a maximum on one bow
* Walking on Sunshine will be sung
* Moms can take pictures

To my Salutatorian Davis,
Happy Graduation!
I am so proud of your accomplishments this year, even if it is an imaginary list. You are so ready for kindergarten. I have no doubt you'll succeed. I also have no doubt that I will look back at this video in thirteen years (when you are really graduating), I will cry Big Fat Tears!
I love you!
Love, Mom

Air Hayden

2011-04-19T03:33:00.000-05:00

We've got GIANT feet!

We're over six feet tall!

We Can Dribble Shoot and Dunk

But that ain't ALL!

We like Baaaaa-sket-BALL!

Oh YEA!

We like Baaaa-sket-BALL!

We Got Smurfed

2011-04-17T22:03:00.004-05:00

Ways to spend $99.00:

1.) Enjoy a dinner for two at Bob’s Steakhouse.

2.) Fill up my car almost two times.

3.) Get a new Coach purse (from the outlet).

4.) Purchase 2000 Smurf-Berries.

The following story is true and should serve as a warning to anyone who lets your child play with your smart phone.

This story involves Davis and someone we will refer to from this point forward as “The Accomplice”.

Davis is 80% responsible. The Accomplice is 20% responsible.

It all started when I had a temporary lapse in judgment and volunteered to be the official scorekeeper for Hayden’s basketball team, the Titans. Basketball score keeping is way more serious than I envisioned and involves a Special Scorekeeper Seat when we are the home team.

Last Saturday was one of those games. Because of this, The Accomplice graciously offered to watch the two younger kids while I kept the score.

All was well until half-time when The Accomplice nearly sprinted across the court when the halftime buzzer went off. Nearly out of breath and visibly upset, she explained that Davis was playing with my phone and asked her to put in my password so that he could download something.

Sidenote: The Accomplice happens to know me very well.

Like very well…enough to know my catch-all password.

But apparently not enough to know that our kids are not allowed, under any circumstance to have our passwords. Not even if they beg.

So The Accomplice put in the password, and long story short, we are now the proud owner of 2000 Smurf-Berries. I didn’t even believe it was true until I got home and checked my itunes account.

It’s true.

Since I have been know to dispute an erroneous $2 charge on my credit card, I am obviously going to fight this until I am blue in the face (no pun intended).

So the first thing I did was a google search and found that it could definitely be worse. Check out this article.

Then I did some more research looking for contact numbers. I found that the Smurf game has a whole facebook page dedicated to it. I clicked on it, hoping, EXPECTING to find other angry parents protesting exorbitant priced Smurf-Berries.

But Get This. GET THIS!

Instead of other angry parents, I found people (11,224 people, no less) who had logged on to the Facebook page to join the virtual smurf Village. They were in fact complaining and whining… that the developers of the game don’t allow players to buy Smurf Coins…only allows Smurf-Berries.

“It’s Not Fair” they posted.

Who are these people? They’re living among us. Could they be our Neighbors? And more importantly, would I be friends with someone if I knew they were consciously buying Smurf-Berries WITH REAL MONEY?

***

Fortunately for The Accomplice, Jeff was more upset about the basketball game, so his first response when he heard about our new ownership in Smurf-Berries was “can you at least trade them in for Gargamel dollars?” It was a relief to see that he still had a sense of humor.

***

And later that weekend, we had this conversation:

Me: I am going to get a pedicure after church today.

Jeff: Okay, how many Smurf-Berries will that cost?

***

The Accomplice literally made herself sick over this accident. She offered to pay for it, but we’re not going to accept becuase I am holding out hope that I can argue with Pappa Smurf and the whole Smurf Village to get this charge reversed.

However, we can't promise that we'll stop laughing about this anytime soon. I am certain we will be converting all purchases into Smurf-Berries for years to come.

***

p.s. I'm changing my password.

***

Post edit: I just received this email from Apple, so Davis and The Accomplice are off the hook.

Dear Lisa,

Welcome to iTunes Store Customer Support. My name is Hareesh and I am glad to help you today.

I understand that your child accidentally made In app purchases and the purchase of "WAGON OF SMURFBERRIES " was unintentional. In five to seven business days, a credit of 99.99 USD, plus any applicable taxes, should be posted to the credit card that appears on the receipt for that purchase.

Please note that this is a one-time exception, as the iTunes Store Terms and Conditions state that all sales are final.

On Tax Advice & Financial Planning

2011-04-15T00:04:00.002-05:00

Since today is a very important day in the tax world

(it's the day my mom files her annual extension),

I thought it was only appropriate that Blake wears this shirt.

Jeff and I are both CPA's *

so when we decided to have three kids,

it was really all about effective tax planning.

I mean don't get me wrong...

the memories and experience of raising

three boys is exciting and fun and stressful and crazy,

but the important thing is we now have

one. Two. THREE! extra exemptions.**

And, if you think it is a coincidence that all three kids were

born in the last quarter of the year,

you are severely underestimating Jeff's planning and budgeting skills.

But do you want to know what's even funnier than this shirt?

The fact that it annoys Jeff because it says "tax deduction"

when EVERYONE KNOWS kids are actually an EXEMPTION!

Ugh. If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times:

these clothing manufacturers really need to read up on their tax lingo.

*Please don't ask me a tax question. I am much better equipped

to tell you important information like the final four girls on the Bachelor...

or why Renee Zellwegger and Bradley Cooper called it quits.

In fact, I just watched a one hour special about the upcoming wedding between

William and Kate, so if you want to talk about Royal Wedding cakes, give me a call.

**Obviously, I am kidding. We didn't have these kids just for the exemptions.

Eventually they will mow the yard and take out the trash too.

Be Specific

2011-04-14T06:55:00.002-05:00

Davis & Ryan 2011

How to tell if your waitor has kids:

After our fajita dinner,

Melissa ordered 4 scoops of ice cream and motioned

toward the end of the table where the 4 cousins

~~were sitting well behaved~~ were supposed to be sitting.

The waiter brought out 4 scoops of ice cream.

IN TWO BOWLS.

In fairness to the waitor, Mel did not specify the number of bowls.

***

That's Davis' Duh! Winning! face.

So proud.

E Trade

2011-04-13T06:35:00.004-05:00

Blake nervously logged on to his E Trade account

and was pleasantly surprised to find that his

stocks were performing well.

***
Actually, I found out that Baby Einstein on YouTube is a wonderful luxury that I never used with the other boys. It allows me about 15 uninterrupted minutes to fold the never ending pile of laundry that sits on my bedroom floor.

Just'a Swingin'

2011-04-12T06:59:00.024-05:00

How do kids go from this

to this

in such a short period of time?

Life moves so fast.

So bittersweet.

I think I am doing a better job

of enjoying the little things this time around.

What I am not doing a good job at:

documenting the little things.

So, to make up for lost time on Blake's milestones

...he has two teeth...he's super ticklish...

loves standing (with assistance)...

hates cereal...and adores his big brothers...

He'll never know a life without whistles, bouncing balls, and evening practices,

but amazingly, he can nap through it all.

Oh, and he smiles the biggest when I make the sound of a snake.

Blake 2011.

Hayden 2011.

Stumble Trip

2011-04-10T17:07:00.001-05:00

Alternately titled: Why I Shouldn't Work Out

Or: Reason I Deserve a Big Mac

Last week I jumped on the work out bandwagon.

Actually, I just sort of strolled onto the bandwagon because,

let's be honest I don't run or jump anywhere.

On Day 1, I did my stair routine.

The one where I walk up and down my stairs fifty times.

It was a great workout physically, but also great for my productivity.

By about the 10th flight, I was needing a break

so I decided to multi-task.

Wash a bottle.

Climb three flights of stairs.

Hang some clothes.

Climb three flights of stairs.

Take out the trash.

Climb three flights of stairs (including an armful of toys).

By the end of the workout, the house was spotless

and I was dripping with sweat. I felt productive and accomplished...

until the next day when I literally

COULD. NOT. WALK. without looking like a hobbling fool.

And the next day. And the next day. And the following seven days.

So ten days later, when my calves had finally healed,

I set out to attempt another workout.

This time I was going to run/walk 2.5 miles.

Walk a minute, run a minute.

(Can I just say that time seems to stand still during the running periods?)

All was well until the 1.8 mile mark.

I was in my "running" phase.

Bright red.

Dripping in sweat.

Daydreaming about my future size 4 body,

while still maintaining my incredible 18 minute mile pace.

I looked down at my watch for the 45th time during one of the

longest minutes of my life when it happened.

In my ~~haste~~ lack of oxygen induced fog,

my right foot hit an uneven spot on the trail

and sent me soaring through the air.

I was air born and there was not a chance to recover.

In slow motion I watched my hands shred across the pavement

like I was sliding into home plate.

Except, instead of scoring the game winning point, I cried.

Then, through tears, I laughed at myself.

Who Falls? I thought.

I tried to play it cool when a car drove by

Like I was just looking for roly-polies or something.

Then I stood up and hyperventilated

as I struggled to catch my breath.

I thought I broke my thumb.

I hobbled home feeling sorry for myself

every step of the way.

And that reinforces why I hate working out.

Nicknames

2011-03-29T03:09:00.001-05:00

Nicknames:

Blakey

Blake the Snake

Bubbafett

Bob jr.

Loch-lips Monster

Bubba Bake

Tooter-Polluter

This time around, we will not be outdone by The Waters and all their nicknames!

Karate Kid(s)

2011-03-28T12:01:00.000-05:00

The big boys started Tae Kwon Do. They're in two different classes right now, but the instructor is incredible and tailors his interactions based on their individual personalities.

All was well until Davis' second class when no one else showed up. This meant it was a private class and he had 100% of the instructor’s attention for a full thirty minutes.

Which if you know Davis at all, you know that 100% of anyone's attention for thirty minutes is like a DREAM COME TRUE! Do you know how many stories he can tell in thirty minutes?

Like fifty!

But somehow during that time, in between teaching the instructor the proper way to do a swan kick (as seen on Karate Kid), Davis was able to earn four stripes on his previously all white belt.

High block! Low Block! Breaking a fake board! He was a natural!

Oh the JOY!

And Pride!

Until Hayden's class started to trickle in and I quickly realized that he was not going to get the one-on-one attention.

Which meant his brother was going to be four full stripes ahead of him. How traumatic!
I know I should be more sympathetic. Really, I do.

But, it's worth mentioning that in toddler tae-kwon-do, “stripes” are also known as electrical tape, so if I was an unethical person, there was an easy solution to this problem. Instead, I took the higher road and explained to Hayden that Toddler Tae Kwon Do is totally different than Junior Tae Kwon Do...thinking one more Life's-Not-Fair-Conversation would buy me at least a little more time. Finally Hayden became somewhat content and resigned to the fact that his little brother had more stripes (of electrical tape) wrapped around his belt.

Then the next week rolled around and Davis landed himself in another private class.

A few kicks and twenty five dollars later and he had earned an orange belt.

Mr. Wilkenson must have sensed that this was going to be a touchy subject, so he actually spent an equal amount of time testing Davis as he did coaching Hayden (who, if you are keeping track, is still a WHITE belt) on the proper way to respond to his little brother's big achievement.

Whatever Mr. Wilkenson said must have really impacted Hayden, because although he has made sure to tell us in private that he is still 11 belts ahead of Davis, he's been very congratulatory to Davis. Going so far as to tell him how "solid" his new belt is (that must be the new lingo).

Which makes me think we started ~~karate~~ Tae Kwon Do entirely too late.

***

Mr. Miyagi, Karate Kid:
In Okinawa, belt mean no need rope to hold up pants.
Daniel-san, karate here. [taps his head]
Karate here. [taps his heart]
Karate never here. [points to his belt]
Understand?

Snow Day(s)!

2011-03-27T20:33:00.000-05:00

We worked from home for four straight days while all of Dallas shut down due to the ice and snow storms. Like most of DFW, we went from “SNOW STORM! Woot Woot!” (on day one)… to “Are you freaking kidding me?" when they canceled schools for the fourth straight day in a row.

Unfortunately for me, this was one of my busiest times at work, so even with all that time at home, we didn’t get to have a single snow ball fight. I sat in that bed (my make-shift cubicle) for about 96 hours straight.

I've never been so happy to get out and check the mail, which was our compromise after I became extremely envious of Jeff's 20 minute alone time at CVS.

Alive and Well, But Busy

2011-03-22T23:39:00.001-05:00

You know that whole blog a day thing? Well, we had a good run while it lasted, right?

Obviously, that didn’t work out.

At first I skipped a couple of days and my head was spinning...in a constant state of guilt.

Then I skipped a few more and I found myself writing catch up blogs in my head…which completely stressed me out more.

It was sort of like that time when I was a six year old little girl BAWLING hysterically to my mom because I couldn't stop saying curse words IN MY HEAD.

Do you have any idea how stressful it is to repeat bad words in your head that your bad-influence-friend says? Words like 'sucks' and 'stupid'. Very stressful!

Anyway, another week or so of Not Blogging went by and suddenly I was all, “Blog? What blog?”

Fast forward two months and that’s where we are today. Since we last spoke, this particular boy has gotten HUGE!

There is definitely a lot happening these days, but not a lot of free time to sit down and soak it all in.

So here are the top thirty nine things we (one or all of us) have been up to over the last couple of months. I will follow up with individual blog posts in more detail, but this should get you up to speed for the most part. I’m sure it goes without saying at this point…don’t hold your breath for those posts.

1. Stayed at home for FOUR STRAIGHT days due to snow and ice.

2. Became thankful that I don’t live north of the Red River since there would probably be a lot more weather days.

3. And that I have a full time job.

4. Started a diet.

5. Taught the kids how to say “Duh! Winning!”…a parenting moment we will no doubt look back on with pride.

6. Bragged about a baby who sleeps through the night (when he feels like it).

7. Stopped bragging about a baby who sleeps through the night after realizing I was jinxing myself.

8. Started official ~~Karate~~ Tae Kwon Do classes. I’m still not sure of the difference, but I know that I get corrected every time I say Karate. These lessons cost more than the previous ones which included a $1 Redbox rental of the new Karate Kid movie with Jayden Smith.

9. Attended the third annual Girl Scout Cookie Taste Test hosted by Mimi and GrandDad. If you have a Girl Scout in your family, grab a pen and write this name down…Mike Stadler. You won’t regret it.

10. Ended a diet.

11. Started Blake on baby food.

12. Wondered aloud how someone in my bloodline can HATE food so much.

13. Dressed Hayden up like a 100 year old for the ~~100th~~ 104th day of school. Those snow days got in the way of a lot of good things. Including peace and quiet.

14. Bought tennis rackets. And matching sweatbands.

15. Played tennis.

16. Chased tennis balls.

17. Lost tennis balls.

18. Started a diet.

19. Became (what felt like) a single mom while Jeff worked 20 hour days.

20. Picked my favorite kid of the day to sleep in my bed during those long nights (they didn’t know the selection process).

21. Thanked God that on Jeff’s last busy night, he arrived home literally minutes before Angel ate a baby bunny and regurgitated it in her crate.

22. Realized that when I say “this is my busiest time at work”, it has a whole different meaning than when Jeff says it.

23. Fed the kids raw oysters for the first time.

24. Made a 3-D angler fish complete with a flashing light. Hey, first grade parents…WE’RE BACK IN THE GAME!

25. Spent way too much time scouring match.com (totally unrelated to the Jeff working late thing).

26. Convinced Davis that he should create a TV show called Kid vs. Food (similar to Man vs. Food) after he ate over a dozen wings.

27. Cheered the Cow-Q-Lated BBQ team on (Matt and Jeff) in their second competition.

28. Ended a diet.

29. Took all three boys to their annual well check appointment.

30. Realized that we were 4 days early for said doctor’s appointment.

31. Waited 4 days and revisited the doctor with all three boys in tow.

32. Determined that while efficient, a triple doctor’s appointment that involves shots for two out of three kids was not practical.

33. Tricked the kids into a photo shoot at the house.

34. Hosted a Belated New Year’s Eve and Minute to Win It Party.

35. Made ~~homemade~~ blueberry muffins after Davis sung the days of the week song and realized that “saying the word Monday reminds him of blueberry muffins.”

36. Convinced Davis that even though we know how to make blueberry muffins (with the help of Betty Crocker), it doesn’t mean we should sell them to our friends and cousins.

37. Lost a tooth. Then literally lost the tooth again - - somewhere in the carpet. I would like to apologize in advance if you are ever at our house and happen to step on a tooth.

Note Jeff in the background searching for the tooth

38. Advised Hayden to write a note to the tooth fairy explaining his predicament.

39. Aged another year and was gifted with an adorable sock monkey.

One Hundred Fifty Nine: Secrets and Bunny Ears

2011-01-17T21:58:00.012-06:00

I just love this picture because it is such a perfect

example of what happens when I get out the camera.

And it looks like Blake is actually leaning in to hear what his dad has to say.

I don't know what Jeff was telling Blake in this picture,

but it probably had something to do with the secret to sleeping through the night.

We'll make you a deal.

Sleep all night and you can sleep in our bed.

Just don't tell the others.

One Hundred Fifty Eight: Brothers

2011-01-16T21:39:00.023-06:00

The oldest and the youngest.

Their similarities:

Sunset Eyes.

Lack of Teeth.

Both whine when they are tired.

Neither know how to flush the potty.

Their differences:

Blake is on an all liquid diet.

Hayden is on a Nutella Toast diet (aka chocolate toast).

Hayden wakes up and requires cartoons.

Blake wakes up and requires his pacifier.

Hayden's greatest skill: 30 second headstands.

Blake's: burping like a man.

One Hundred Fifty Seven: An Addition to the Rule Book

2011-01-14T20:19:00.015-06:00

After showertime tonight, a new rule was adopted.

A rule I never in my wildest dreams would have thought was needed.

The Rule?

No cartwheels! And no headstands!... until your underwear is on!

To protect their privacy, I will refrain from telling you

who was breaking the "rule."

One Hundred Fifty Six: The Future

2011-01-14T18:24:00.000-06:00

I hope I can get a picture EXACTLY like this

when they are in their twenties.

But by then, everything will be different.

There will be exams to study for, girlfriends to impress,

and career ladders to climb.

(Except in the case of Hayden, who stands by

his career ambition to be a clown.

He may not have to worry about any of those things.)

One Hundred Fifty Five: Sunset Eyes

2011-01-13T17:56:00.002-06:00

Those eyes.

Those eyes almost earned us an extra night stay in the hospital. On Christmas Eve.

Blake, 2010

The last day we were in the hospital, the doctor walked in and started to talk about the improvements he was seeing in Blake's breathing and overall stats. He talked about how he was going to discharge us, right in time to celebrate Christmas at home. Then he told us about how Blake might get a little worse before he gets better.

"Expect another 7-10 days of suctioning and coughing" he said as Jeff bounced a wide awake Blake on his knee, nodding at the doctor.

Then in the middle of the discharge instructions, the doctor stopped mid sentence and started to stare at Blake as they locked eyes for a good ten seconds. Finally, Blake focused his eyes on something else in the room.

The doctor looked relieved when Blake glanced away. He began to explain to us something called Sunset eyes, a serious condition that could indicate brain swelling in infants.

We informed him that his oldest brother also had that "condition" and they were in fact called "Hayden eyes".

Hayden, 2003

Thankfully, we were discharged about 2 minutes later, and we were in the parking lot loading the car about 2 minutes after that. In fact, our nurse told us she had never seen anyone pack up a room so fast after she came in our room and realized that we had already loaded our bags and unhooked the forty wires from Blake's body.

Can you blame us?

It was Christmas Eve.

Santa Clause was coming to town and there were Nintendo DSI's to charge. STOCKINGS TO FILL!

One Hundred Fifty Four: Germs

2011-01-12T22:17:00.001-06:00

As I mentioned before, we had the unfortunate experience to spend a portion of our Christmas break in the hospital. Blake came down with a case of RSV at seven weeks old. Because of his age, his pediatrician wouldn't even see him and required us to go straight to the hospital which completely derailed our Christmas plans.

But in the end, our prayers were answered. We spent two and a half days in that very cramped space, but we were released on Christmas Eve right in time to slide into bed before Santa came.

Of course, that wasn't until after I opened my BIG FAT MOUTH and asked the boys one last time what they wanted for Christmas including what color DSI's they wanted.It took a good thirty minutes to convince them that Blue and Black are the two "most rare" DSI colors produced. I blame the lack of sleep on my poor judgement that night.

Things I learned during our hospital stay:

* Apparently, two months is the magical age when infants don't need to be rushed to the Emergency Room at a slight fever (>100.4).

* I must have made one too many trips to the Dollar Spot at Target without using hand sanitizer.

* A heart rate monitor, when accidentally disconnected, sounds like the patient is flat lining. Scary.

* Always pack more than one set of clothes when packing for a hospital visit. You never know when you might get puked on.

* I should really stop rolling my eyes at moms who use those shopping cart covers. In fact, maybe I should even buy one.

* I watched three whole seasons of Grey's Anatomy, so I'm basically qualified to give medical consulting advice to local hospitals. I will start with this: there is a need to revisit the order in which tests are done to babies. For example, instead of starting with the fourteen blood tests, x-rays, and catheter, maybe the nurses should start with the RSV test that only requires a simple nose swab.

*Approximately 9 out of 10 nurses are excellent. It seems 1 out of 10 are in on-the-job-training.

* The Mama Bear in me comes out when left alone with a choking baby if the nurses take their sweet time responding to my TWO panic calls. (Once I realized he was okay, it got a little tense. Tears. Tone. The works.)

* I drink lots of whole milk when I am stressed out in a hospital. Can you imagine how much weight I would gain if I had a family member in the hospital long term?

* When tired enough, I have the ability to sleep on tile floor if the other option is sharing a tiny cot with my husband. For the amount you pay per night in the hospital you'd think they could throw in an air mattress. (Consider that more free advice to the medical staff.)

* BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. After two and a half days in the hospital, it takes another two and a half days to stop hearing the beeps.

* Jeff and I can pack an entire hospital room in approximately 90 seconds once given the green light to go home.

One Hundred Fifty Three: Trade Off

2011-01-11T21:15:00.000-06:00

GrandDad came over tonight and in exchange for gourmet fish tacos,

he offered to do homework with the boys.

Lucky for him, it was reading night and not writing night.

Because otherwise, he might have had to call in sick

to work tomorrow so that he could finish.

Typically all of this would take place in the living room,

but until our furniture is delivered, we'll be entertaining all guests in the bedroom.

(Don't take that the wrong way!)

Pop Quiz: How many adults and kids can fit on a King size bed?

Answer: At least five.

One Hundred Fifty Two: Technology and "Real Life"

2011-01-10T23:16:00.000-06:00

Did you know? that if you accidentally leave a Nintendo DS game in your pocket and don't realize it until after it has been washed and dried... it will still work just like new.

Did you know? that lectures about washing electronics fall on deaf ears if experience proves otherwise.

Did you know? that when you lose your video game privilege, you can just invade your brother's space and "coach" him as he plays.

Did you know? that if you both lose your video game privilege at the same time, no worries. You can still play "real life video games". In fact, "Real Life Donkey Kong 64", when played, looks very similar to a game called "tag" in the 80's. Except now one can shout out "PAUSE" if a break is needed.

One Hundred Fifty One: Snow - A Photo Essay

2011-01-09T19:19:00.002-06:00

I was going to blog about something profound
or half way funny today, but then it snowed and completely derailed all productivity.

So while the rest of the city is scurrying around canceling school,
closing roads, and stopping EVERYTHING because there's
snow on the ground, I leave you with this:

One Hundred Fifty: Simplification

2011-01-08T18:35:00.000-06:00

We have really decided to simplify our life and take
on a much more zen approach to decorating.

***

Trust be told, I got on another Craigslist kick and listed our entire living room for sale.

I was surprised by the speed at which our sofa, love seat, and chaise lounge sold.

I was hoping it would sell a little closer to the end of the month when our

new furniture is set to arrive, but we listed it at 10 am and were sitting

~~Indian Style~~ Criss Cross Apple Sauce on the bare wood by 4 pm.

I know the speed at which it sold had nothing to do with the price it
was listed for (or the great pictures I took), and everything to do

with the fact that Jeff made me go in and edit the post from "couch" to"sofa"

because "no one calls them couches anymore."

One Hundred Forty Nine: Burrito

2011-01-07T18:57:00.001-06:00

I have my strengths, but baby-burrito-wrapping is not one of them. Which is why this task distinctly falls under Jeff's Area of Responsibility if he is anywhere nearby.

In the picture above, Blake is wrapped in a plain receiving blanket...which is so 2005. It's Twenty Eleven now, and there are blankets that serve only this purpose and promise MIRACLES. Kelly loaned us one but I am still undecided on whether or not I prefer the new fangled blankets that GUARANTEE YOUR BABY WILL NOT GET LOOSE.

It's not that it doesn't work, and I know that swaddling is the supposedly the answer to any and every baby problem, but I just feel so guilty when we use it. Like we are putting him in a straight jacket on the way to the insane asylum.

Obviously, he doesn't seem to mind the restrictions.

One Hundred Forty Eight: All You Need Is Love

2011-01-06T17:59:00.002-06:00

All You Need Is Love

***

(and 4 ounces of formula every three hours - slightly warmed)

(and an occasional nap - preferably in someone's arms)

(and diaper changes - as quickly as possible since wipes are cold)

***

But mostly just love.

p.s. Having two older brothers, Blake needs new clothes about as much as he needs running shoes, but I am slightly addicted to retro shirts.

One Hundred Forty Seven: Two (Very Vocal) Thumbs Up

2011-01-05T20:08:00.002-06:00

Movie night.

Despicable Me.

Word to the wise: Don't ever watch a movie with Hayden and Davis if they have already seen it...assuming you don't want the whole plot revealed to you minute by minute throughout the entire movie.

There wasn't a scene n that went by without commentary from at least one of them.

And it seems my little Siskel and Ebert seem to think there is at least one funny / surprising / scary / thing you need to pay extra extra close attention to in EVERY scene.

One Hundred Forty Six: Weigh Ins and Generic Brands

2011-01-04T22:08:00.001-06:00

Today was Blake's 2 month check up.

If this visit to the pediatrician was a reality TV show,

it would have been a cross between

The Biggest Loser (with all the weighing, measuring, and percentages) and

The Price is Right (since whoever guesses the closest weight wins).

Blake weighed in at 11 pounds 3 ounces which meant Jeff was the winner at this visit.

His prize? Extra feeding time with Blake at midnight.

Congrats Jeff!

That 11+ pound weigh in put him in the 48 percentile, which is impressive,

but for some reason, I can't help but think that some people birth babies that big.

OUCH!

They measured his head and body as well,

but I can't remember those measurements because I was too

busy trying to come up with an acceptable answer to what kind of formula he eats.

Nurse: Is he only on formula now?

Me: Yes.

Nurse: How much does he take?

Me: About 4-5 ounces every 3 hours.

Nurse: What kind of formula

Me: Enfamil

Nurse: Enfamil?...?...?...What kind of Enfamil?

Me: Um...

Nurse: Enfamil with Lipil? Enfamil Premium? Premium Enfamil with Lipil? Enfamil AR?

Me: Um...just the basic kind.

In reality, he was only eating Enfamil for the first 6 weeks or so...until he finished off all of the free samples we received at the hospital and in the mail.

He has now successfully transitioned to Great Value Brand.

Because we are cheap.

And I figure if we can eat Toasted O's instead of Honey Nut Cheerios,

then it's not too early for Blake to make some sacrifices* to.

But the thing is, if I were to answer that he eats Great Value...or Parents Choice...or whatever it is, I think that would mean they would stop giving us the free samples.

So I winged it and said he is on Enfamil...Enfamil Basic....if they even make that.

And it worked like a charm earning Blake another 2 weeks of the good stuff.

Because as we all know Free is better than Cheap.

*For the record, when I asked the doctor about using

Generic Brand Formula (in a totally hypothetical tone),
she acknowledged that it was perfectly acceptable and just as nutritious.

One Hundred Forty Five: On Wearing Pants with Buttons Again

2011-01-03T20:42:00.008-06:00

Today was officially the first day back to the grind. And by "grind" I mean sitting at a desk staring at a computer with an occasional meeting to break up the day.

Today we got off to a rough start. It began with Blake timing his morning feeding at the exact time I would have normally been crawling out of bed to begin searching for the sole pair of pants in my closet that ~~don't need ironing~~ need ironing the least.

That set us back by a good thirty minutes.

But it was during those thirty minutes that I snapped these pictures...which might just be my all time favorites in his ENTIRE life.

Then when I asked him if he was ready for his first day of school, he smiled even bigger and did a fist pump.

Although my maternity leave flew by entirely too fast, and it was completely unfair that I had to go back to work while Jeff enjoyed one last day of vacation, I can't say that I didn't look forward to getting back into a routine at least a little bit. I am just a more productive person when I have somewhere to be at a set time.

Not to say that I actually get to said place at that specific time, but it's the idea of the agenda that my Type A personality thrives on.

But even after the last morning bottle, the whole rest of the daily routine still had to play out before we could get on our merry way.

Jeff: Where's Hayden's backpack?
Me: In his room.

Jeff: Hayden! Davis! Go! Brush!Your!Teeth! ( x 19)
Kids in unison: Ugh! Why do we have to brush our teeth anyway?

Jeff: What do you want for breakfast Davis?
Davis: What is Hayden having for breakfast?
Jeff: IT DOESN'T MATTER

Jeff: Where are Davis' shoes? (yelled from the living room)
Me: Not sure, but probably next to the trampoline. (yelled from the bedroom)

Finally, at 7:35 a.m., we were out the door...and only 10 minutes behind schedule.

If you know me at all, you know that I was actually proud to only be 10 minutes late with all three kids in tow. For me, that's like running a marathon without training. And finishing before they roll up finish line and take down the barricades.

Next I dropped off Hayden in the carpool line as I said goodbye and wished him a good first day of school. I had that whole conversation without letting anyone in the first grade see me. Hayden of course did the same, and said goodbye to me IN HIS HEAD.

A Success.

Next up, I arrived at the daycare with Child #2 and #3. My greatest accomplishment of the day was when I changed the Davis drop off routine. The previous routine went as follows WITHOUT EXCEPTION: right cheek kiss - left cheek kiss - forehead kiss - Eskimo kiss - hug - I love you symbol - and then I turn around so he can "push" me out. Same routine since he was two.

Now the goodbye is much more concise consisting of a quick kiss, side hug and a wave as he walks back to the breakfast table. We talked about the "new goodbye" all the way to school. It went off without a hitch and I was able to part ways from him at the front door and immediately take Blake to his classroom. This was no small feat for Mr. OCD.

At first, it was a little sad to give up the extra five minutes of the ritualistic kissing.

But it was time.

It would have just been awkward to do the routine and get "pushed out" of his dorm room.

Major success!

Then I walked into Blake's classroom as I subconsciously patted myself on the back for my super-mom performance up to that point. I met the teacher and talked about how much Blake typically eats (4 ounces) and how often (every three hours).

We talked about his likes and his dislikes.

We talked about how much he typically sleeps.

Then the teacher asked if he takes a pacifier?

"Um."

"Yes." I said slowly as I remembered that I forgot to pack his pacifier.

"He actually loves his paci."

We chit chatted a little more and I promised to send Jeff up with his paci. But then the planets realigned when I went to the car and found his second-string paci. It wasn't his preferred one, but life's not always fair and the sooner he learns that, the better.

Glass half full: I'll call that a Partial Success.

Still smiling, I got back into my car, turned the Garfield Gets Real DVD off, and listened to Kidd Kraddick in the Morning for the first time since early November.

It felt good.

I was enjoying my commute and peace and quiet without having to TURN IT UP! or TURN IT COLDER! for anyone else in the car. I was even enjoying my diet chocolate protein shake. I was about 2/3rds of the way to work when I started to brainstorm how I was going to tackle my first day back at work.

"First I would check my voicemail", I thought. But surely no one would leave me voice mails when I had left an out-of-office message saying I was ON MATERNITY LEAVE (wishful thinking).

"Next I'd check my email," I said to myself as I also thought about how relieved I was that I wouldn't be weeding through hundreds of emails since I had kept up with them over my time off.

And that's when I realized that I forgot my computer at home.

MASSIVE FAIL.

I blame it on the spanx cutting off my circulation and blood flow to my brain.

So I turned around. Picked up the computer and arrived back at work about 25 minutes later. I parked in the farthest parking spot in the garage.

And then my badge didn't work.

After going to security to fix that I finally made it to my desk only to find a burned out light and a broken keyboard.

It was a very productive day indeed.

All that to say that I have never been this excited to curl up in bed, in my stretchy pants, and watch an episode of The Bachelor. I am even willing to overlook the fact that this season of the Bachelor is a REPEAT and starring commitment-phob.

One Hundred Forty Four: Bluetooth Has Nothing On The Sling

2011-01-02T20:39:00.000-06:00

The baby sling is by far the best hands free contraption ever made.

Which partially explains why I have bought three of them this go round.

I am hereby declaring myself the baby sling expert.

After a visit to a furniture store with all three boys in tow last weekend, I was wishing they made a sling that I could lug around Hayden and Davis as well.

Hayden can't walk into a store without doing at least fifteen cartwheels or front handsprings these days. Which to be honest, as long as he hits his landing, I am willing to overlook. But it was the game of hide and seek that almost got us kicked out of that particular store.

Maybe I need to invest in one of those kid leashes next.

One Hundred Forty Three: Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T16:45:00.009-06:00

First off...Happy New Year. Thanks for revisiting my blog even through my blogging laziness. I am fighting every OCD tendancy in my body by forcing myself not to go back and update the last nineteen days. It's a bit deceiving to do that and according to Mica, it messes up her blogroll.

Let's just pretend I said I would blog three hundred and sixy five times over roughly the next year and then I will be able to move on without feeling guilty.

My lack of blogging is definitely not due to lack of happenings in the Lyle family. I had a good excuse for at least a few of the days I missed after RSV visited our house and landed us in the hospital for three days right before Christmas. Then I used every ounce of motivation I had left in my body to take down the Christmas tree and visit Walmart to buy all kinds of diet food. Which I plan to start eating ON MONDAY.

Speaking of Monday, it is going to be a major buzzkill marked by the end of my maternity leave. Unfortuately, that means work, emails, high heeled shoes, returned phone calls, spanx, and surviving solely on fruit and fish.

Hayden and Davis, Christmas 2010

Do you have any idea how hard it is to get them

to STOP moving for two seconds?

This is what we have been up to lately (all which will be blogged in due time).

< >

rsv

eating

shopping

gift giving

germ giving

gift receiving

germ receiving

kung fu fighting

tooth fairy visits

watching movies

christmas partying

buying new bibles

playing family fued

taking bubble baths

counting poopy diapers

celebrating Jesus' bday

working over a holiday

planning 2011 vacations

going to children's hospital

waking up every three hours

transitioning to formula - ouch

playing competitive scrabble

dreading going back to work

dancing like michael jackson

looking forward to work - a break

learning about salvation - getting saved

being a

family

One Hundred Forty Two: Baby

2010-12-12T21:40:00.001-06:00

It looks like two little boys are not ready

to give up their status as the baby of the family.

Or maybe they just think those are

some comfortable chairs.

One Hundred Forty One: Hung With Care

2010-12-11T21:09:00.001-06:00

It is going to take a lot of will power over the next eighteen

years not to let fact that I ordered Blake's new stocking in

the wrong font completely annoy my OCD brain.

One Hundred Forty: Tradition

2010-12-10T13:59:00.004-06:00

It's all fun and games until a couple conspires

to get the ornament ~~they~~ the wife really wants.

(Nothing says Christmas like an ice skating cow ornament!)

Seven out of ten of the

boys participate in the

tenth annual ornament exchange.

One Hundred Thirty Nine: Let It Rip

2010-12-09T16:26:00.002-06:00

The clear Winning Birthday Present this year was a game called BeyBlade. The kids play it every morning at 6 a.m. and every evening after dinner until bed. There's even a cartoon on every morning at 6:30 a.m. dedicated to teaching kids how to play. (Genius Marketing!)

The game is basically just a bowl (the "battle arena") and two old fashioned tops ("Pegasus" and "L-Drago"). The tops battle it out in the arena and the last one standing gets a point.

Simple enough.

But it is unfortunate that the makers of the game added an obnoxious element by including the need to start each game with yelling from each of the players.

"THREE! TWO! ONE! LET IT RIP," the instructions say to shout before each battle.

As you can imagine, that alone is irritating enough to hear at 6 a.m., but in our house it goes more like this:

THREE! TWO!...
   Nooo! I was supposed to say three-two-one!
Nooooo! You said three-two-one last time!
   Nooooooo!
Fine! I'm not going to play!
   Fine, you can say three-two-one this time!
THREE! TWO! ONE! LET IT RIP!
Blake is already getting in on the action
and so far doesn't seem to have any
problems yelling.

One Hundred Thirty Eight: Homework

2010-12-08T15:27:00.100-06:00

Jeff assists Hayden with his homework reading journal

Every week Hayden reads a teacher-assigned book and answers three specific questions in his homework journal using complete sentences.

This is hands-down the most difficult chore in the entire household. On most weeks, Jeff and I literally have to tag team the task mid-way through or one of us is likely to throw our hands in the air, send Hayden to his room, and do the homework ourselves.

I mean, I'm no speed reader, but do you know how fast I could read The Blue Mittens, and answer that "Granny was my favorite character because she was so giving."

Approximately thirty seconds.

It takes every ounce of our combined patience to help him get through the weekly assignment. The sad part is, it has nothing to do with his ability. It's not that Hayden doesn't have the brain-power to do the homework, but the whining to reading ratio is about 10 to 1. It would make your ears bleed if you were a surprise visitor on homework night. The most common phrase uttered on these dreadful Homework Nights: TALK IN A NORMAL VOICE!!!

But I'm Tired!
This is lame!

It's too hard!
BOR-RING!

Why does Davis get to play?

How? Many? More? Pages?

But in his defense on this particular night, since when is "echolocation" a first grade word? It was in the middle of a thirty page mini-encyclopedia all about sound.

Seriously? I think someone mistakenly packed up the valedictorian's weekly reader in Hayden's back-pack. Someone needs to tell Ms. Collins that we are just shooting for Top Ten Percent.

He only thought the story about Granny knitting Leah some blue mittens was "so boring" last week.

One Hundred Thirty Seven: Lunch Date

2010-12-07T16:35:00.006-06:00

The other day Mimi and GrandDad offered to take the big boys to the movies in an effort to teach them the importance of being willing to watch a good chick-flick (Tangled).

Jeff and I welcomed the calm and serenity of having only one child to attend to and went out for a nice lunch at Chuy's.

It's so different eating with an infant. Once the baby carrier is nestled snugly in the sling, the lunch almost turns into a romantic little date.

No need to remind anyone that the forks and knives are not swords.
And the bowl of coffee creamers are not miniature glasses of milk.
And napkins are not capes.

I figure we have about six months left to enjoy as many of these threes-company-lunches as possible before Blake is grabbing for every Sweet-n-Low bag within reach.

One Hundred Thirty Six: Wild!

2010-12-06T14:22:00.004-06:00

Jeff loves to play this "game" called "attack baby" where he carries Blake around and places him right next to Hayden and Davis' face to scare them.

They think it is hysterical and for whatever reason, Blake *usually* seems to like all the laughing and commotion as well. But by about 2 minutes into the "game", the volume in the house reaches the level where the neighbors are probably reaching for their remote to turn up their TV.

That is usually when I step in and act as the family fun ruiner, ceasing all chasing, screaming, and flailing around with my five week old involved.

Which brings me to: can you just imagine my life in ten years?

I am going to go ahead and predict that I won't have much time for blogging when they're teens. I will probably spend the majority of my time following them around to make sure they are not video taping themselves doing crazy boy stunts like pushing themselves down a flight of stairs as they sit in a shopping cart.

**Please overlook the permanent Kool-Aid mustache on Davis and the Nutella on Hayden's cheek. No time for face-washing these days.

One Hundred Thirty Five: Calling His Bluff

2010-12-05T12:43:00.002-06:00

Heeee's Back!

The magical elf that watches the kids to make sure they are good,

then flies back to the North Pole to fill Santa in on all the details.

Our elf's name is Melph but he is somewhat forgetful and

only remembers to fly back to the North Pole about 5 days a week.

Which probably can explain why he's sort of losing

his effectiveness with Hayden and Davis.

Sometimes I think the kids are calling Melph's bluff

when they talk back or fight with each other

RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM!

Jeff's nightly entertainment is hiding Melph in

the highest, most obscure places in the house.

One Hundred Thirty Four: Let Them Be Little

2010-12-04T15:11:00.028-06:00

As I said before, this whole professional newborn photo shoot was a new experience for me. I am so excited that my friends and family gifted me with the photographer gift card at the baby shower. It is one of my favorite gifts EVER. So timeless.

And based on all of the whining / bribing / random posing that was involved in the twenty minute Christmas-card-photo-shoot a few weeks later with Kellie, I know I made the right call by inviting the big boys for only a fraction of the newborn shoot.

p.s. I love the song that I set the slide show to...probably because I let him "sleep in the middle" more than I should. :)

One Hundred Thirty Three: Outtakes

2010-12-03T15:13:00.008-06:00

Our Christmas cards went in the mail this week.

As I put the batch of cards in the mailbox, I couldn't help but think that the single picture I chose for the card really didn't do the whole experience justice. Only Kellie knows the behind the scenes stories of this photo.

She knows that I forgot socks for my baby that day, and that Davis was wearing Batman socks that didn't match my theme at all (thankful for b&w photos).

She knows that Jeff complained the whole 100 yards I made him carry our full sized wingback chair to the middle of an empty field. (The wingback chair pictures didn't make the final cut, but thanks Babe!).

She knows that she, as the photographer, was under strict orders to tell me if I picked an unflattering pose. A tough task since all poses are unflattering three weeks post baby.

She knows that we bribed the kids with dollar store toys and gave them way too many extra warnings when they began waving every stick in sight as a sword. Nothing says Merry Christmas like false threats and bribes.

She knows we mistakenly timed our shoot at exactly the same time a nearby school let out. We were in a random empty field and she knows how frustrated we got at the dozen or so students who never learned the courtesy to WALK BEHIND a photographer when they are taking pictures.

She knows that it was the first day for me to wear high heels after nine plus months of flats. And how I fell carrying Blake when my heel got stuck in the mud. Thankfully, he was safely buckled in his car seat and unharmed.

She knows how many extra photos we had to take to appease Davis, who thinks he is also a photographer with great ideas. The Thinking Photo. The I Love You Photo. The Thumbs Up Photo. The Crazy Face Photo.

Don't you think Christmas cards would be so much more interesting if they showed the "best" picture on the front, and one of the not-so-great pictures on the back.

I think everyone would feel a little better about their own family if they knew that their closest friends go through the same challenges when trying to capture that special moment.

Or maybe it's just me.

Anyway, enjoy our outtakes. Hopefully I can make at least one family feel normal.

Hayden experiments with his smile.

Davis experiments with his smile.

...still experimenting

...more experimenting

Jeff and Blake look at me

and ask how much longer with their eyes.

bug-eyed boys

the hiding-behind-the-chair-might-be-more-flattering pose

the thought-provoking pose

the surprised-face pose

the swords

the thumbs-up pose

the I-Love-You pose

they say it takes a hundred pictures

to get a good one

One Hundred Thirty Two: Boy Who Cried Wolf

2010-12-02T15:08:00.011-06:00

It's official. Blake is definitely going to be the child that gives me grey hair before my time.
He just turned one month old and already he is responsible for three of the most stressful times of my life.

It all started in utero. When I went in for my very first appointment at nine weeks, the doctor ordered a routine ultrasound to determine the size and age of the baby. Technically I could have saved them the time because I know my body down to the minute, but I wanted to see my little peanut.

Anyway, during the ultrasound, the technician asked me about three different times if I was sure I was having no problems.

No bleeding?
No

Not even a little?
No

No cramping?
No

Hmmm. She said. With a tinge of surprise in her voice. She went on to explain to me what she was seeing was a subchorionic hemorrhage. It was "the most common sonographic abnormality" as if that was supposed to make me feel any better. She probably explained it pretty thoroughly, but unfortunately, when I got back to work I googled it and four links later had diagnosed myself with something much more severe.

Something I could fret about for the next 30 some-odd weeks. This fortunately turned out to be nothing. Praise God.

Fast forward to my 18 week ultrasound. I had already found out that Blake was a boy (shocker!) and so I was really expecting the appointment to be rather anti-climatic.

Which it was.

Until about 6 hours later when Dr. Boyd called to let me know they had found another "abnormality" in the ultrasound. There was a cyst on his brain. It could be nothing...it is very common even for adults to have cysts on their brains...or it could be a "marker" for something much more severe. She wanted to send me to a specialist for further testing.

I don't remember many more of the details but I know that I had a complete meltdown in the middle of Wendy's that night. I know that I couldn't take another bite of my spicy chicken sandwich. I remember trying to explain to Jeff everything she had told me. He was so confused. He had walked away from the table for two minutes to get the boys a Frosty and come back to a sobbing wife.

The boys were also confused. Jeff tried to explain to them that there might be something wrong with the baby. I remember Hayden looking back into my teary eyes with concern on his face, and in a very sympathetic tone said, Mom, is Blake really a girl? I guess that was the worst thing a six year old could imagine.

We had two high tech specialists appointments after that to determine if Blake showed any other signs of abnormalities. At both of those appointments they assured us that everything else looked fine, so he was *probably* okay. That word probably sat in the back of my mind for the next twenty weeks. This also turned out to be nothing. Praise God.

Then about two weeks ago, on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Jeff and and the boys had just arrived back home from a bike ride. My phone was ringing as they walked in the door. I answered, and it was Blake's new pediatrician asking if we could come into the office immediately to discuss his newborn screen results. They had come back 'abnormal.'

We haven't ever loaded up the car and three kids as fast as we did that afternoon. We were to the office in less than ten minutes. Me, already in tears of course...and not even sure why...as I held what seemed to be a perfectly healthy baby boy.

When we walked in, we were ushered into one of the patient rooms and the doctor came in pretty soon afterward. She explained that Blake showed signs in the newborn screen that he may have a condition called MCAD, which is a completely treatable "disease." She went on to talk about what it is. Basically, MCAD deficiency prevents the body from processing certain fatty acids and in turn makes the sufferer become hypoglycemic.

The doctor described it so casually and matter of factly that by the time she was done, tears were no longer falling from my eyes. Then she explained that she was going to send us to Children's Hospital that night for additional testing. Before she left the room, she gave me a very genuine hug and I felt almost at ease, until I read the one page MCAD handout she'd left that said if not treated could result in "sudden death".

And of course, the tears started again.

Let me just stop and say thank goodness that Jeff is level minded in times like this.

Anyway, longstoryshort, we went to Children's Hospital and got a blood and urine sample (do you know how hard it is to get a urine sample on a two week old?). Then we waited a week to get the results. During that week, we were under the strict orders to NEVER LET HIM GO MORE THAN 4 HOURS WITHOUT EATING.

No pressure.

I am happy to report after many prayers from family and friends that once again it was a false positive. PRAISE GOD!!!

All that to say: if this boy keeps this up, he is really going to wear me out and I will be dying my hair in no time. The doctor assures me that he should be a perfect teenager since he is putting me through all the stresses now.

I am hoping she's right.

Hayden & Davis wait patiently

(and I use that term loosely)

as we get additional tests for Blake at Children's Hospital.

One Hundred Thirty One: Wives' Tale

2010-12-01T14:41:00.013-06:00

I was certain Blake was going to come out looking like a troll with all the heartburn I had,

but this post should serve as proof that the old heartburn / hair wives' tale is just that...a wives' tale.

Blake's one centimeter long locks should dispell

this urban legend once and for all.

One Hundred Thirty: Christmas Decorating Part II

2010-11-30T18:58:00.000-06:00

It normally takes us a few hours to get all of the indoor decorations out of the attic and put up. This year it took us a solid two days.

On Day 1, just the tree went up (thanks to Jeff) and then when it came to my part of the deal (the ornaments and decor) I sort of got tired.

So I went to bed instead (secretly wondering if Jeff was right about the Christmas-decorating-baby-exemption rule), but ~~thinking~~ hoping I would have more energy the next morning.

And then that night Blake had other plans for how we should spend our family time between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. so the next morning, Jeff and I took our time getting up.

Unfortunately, the two older boys have an internal alarm clock set at exactly 6:20 a.m. or 10 minutes before our alarm clock goes off, whichever comes first.

(For those of you not up to speed on the Cartoon Network, BeyBlade comes on at 6:30 a.m. and no one can convince Hayden to sleep in because of the great invention of the DVR).

Anyway, on this particular morning, I awoke to the sound of the boys in the living room, giggling away, decorating the tree by themselves. They were so proud of themselves and the fact that they "only broke one but had already fixed it." Once they saw me and the camera, they declared the tree fully decorated (as seen below).

The sad part was that I was still so exhausted, I almost agreed with them.

**Please don't turn us into CPS for leaving them unattended with a 12' ladder in the living room.
Although it's not the smartest thing we have done as parents, we were tired.
Plus we've have done extensive OSHA training in our household so they never went higher than the third rung (as evidenced by the highest ornament).

One Hundred Twenty Nine: Christmas Decorating Part I

2010-11-29T22:52:00.001-06:00

Jeff seems to think that having a baby within the year

exempted our family from decorating the house for Christmas.

I did not agree with that logic.

Guess who one that battle?

The following pictures represent Jeff's realization (after eleven years of marriage)

that a happy wife is a happy life...

even if it means single handedly putting together a twelve foot Christmas tree.

Blake looks on (and occasionally shouts out critiques)
as Jeff puts together our tree that now only partially lights up.

Davis entertains Blake with his mime routine (video to follow shortly).

One Hundred Twenty Eight: The Bumbo

2010-11-28T22:38:00.003-06:00

The Bumbo chair is one of the great inventions that happened in the baby industry between 2005 and 2010.
And I just have to say I am thankful for it.

It's one of the few places I can put Blake during the day that he seems somewhat content for almost a full five minutes. And then he's all, "sitting up is great and everything, but can SOMEONE PLEASE HOLD ME AGAIN. THIS IS GETTING OLD!"*

*in this case, CAPITAL letters do represent YELLING.

One Hundred Twenty Seven: Deprived

2010-11-27T22:16:00.001-06:00

Poor Angel.

Our sweet little dog, Angel (who required us to get all new flooring in the house due to her over-active bladder).

She just celebrated her twelfth birthday. And she was the queen of the house until seven years ago when Hayden joined the family and turned our life upside down.

Spoiled rotten.

Not that we threw her birthday parties or bought her gourmet doggy cookies or anything.

We were never those dog parents. But it's no secret that she did get a little more attention pre-kids.

One Hundred Twenty Six: Whoop!

2010-11-26T21:34:00.001-06:00

Since the Aggies were having such a good season, Mimi decided to get each of the boys an Aggie jersey.

Thankfully, our late-in-the-season added support didn't jinx them like it did the Cowboys back in January.

(You can thank me later Mike Sherman!) (Sorry Wade!)

And now the Aggies are Cotton Bowl bound. Which means I am no longer a 2 percenter...more along the lines of a 5 percenter.

Don't get me wrong, I am excited about watching my alma mater play in the Cotton Bowl, but I'm slightly more excited about another opportunity to get a picture of the whole family in their Aggie jerseys. That was the plan on Thanksgiving, the day of the big Aggie/Longhorn game...but I never managed to get everyone together long enough to pose. Instead, the day was filled with deviled eggs, family chats, Black Friday ads, pumpkin pie, and a fair share of calorie loaded casseroles.

One Hundred Twenty Five: Thankful

2010-11-25T09:09:00.001-06:00

Thankful for Blake's first captured smile...

even if it was just a dream.

Also thankful for: God, broccoli and rice casserole,

a wonderful husband not afraid to change diapers,

US magazine, my other children (when they don't whine),

Christmas smells from Bath and Body Works,

hot baths, maternity leave, and stretchy pants.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you are thankful for the BIG things and the little things too!

One Hundred Twenty Four: To Great Grandparents House We Go

2010-11-24T11:05:00.001-06:00

Last weekend we went to the Great Grandparents house for an early Thanksgiving Lunch and a formal introduction of Baby Blake.

Now that the kids are older, this is going to be a favorite in their book since Great GrandDad started a new tradition.

He presented a bucket of quarters to them with only ONE RULE: you can only reach in one time, so grab as many coins as possible and put them in your yellow bowl.

Davis' Loot: $4.50
Hayden's Loot: $8.25

It literally pays to have bigger hands.

And since that day we have heard Can we go spend our money now? approximately ~~5,783~~ 5,784 times.

One Hundred Twenty Three: Decaf

2010-11-23T10:33:00.007-06:00

Davis is our adventurous eater / drinker.

He loves to try anything we have on our plate.

So it comes as no surprise that he loves COFFEE!

And loves doing "Cheers" with it.

(I'm not sure why we even taught him CHEERS...it's not like Jeff and I have a nightly toast.)

When we are at a restaurant and Davis hears one of us order coffee, he insists on having his very own cup.

I then spend the next thirty minutes making sure that everyone within earshot hears me saying it's DECAF.

LOOK DAD! HE SURE LOVES HIS DECAF COFFEE, DOESN'T HE?

GOOD THING THAT IS NOT REAL COFFEE, OR HE WOULD BE WIRED!

(Ironic because I don't worry about looking like a bad mom when he orders Diet Coke.)

One Hundred Twenty Two: Delegation

2010-11-22T10:00:00.013-06:00

No time to say hello goodbye...

We're late! We're Late! We're LATE!

I pump. He feeds.

It really is that easy.

:::wishful thinking:::

Actually, this was the first time Davis was able to feed Blake

even though it was the chore "he had signed up for."

I still haven't gotten my act together when it comes to pumping

so it took us running into a time cruch for a lunch date for me to actually do it.

One Hundred Twenty One: Piggies

2010-11-21T14:55:00.002-06:00

Last night as we were saying our good nights and prayers and hugs and kisses and anything else to prolong bedtime, one of the big boys began playing with Blake's toes and doing This Little Piggy...sort of.

It made me realize that somewhere along the way, we dropped the ball as parents. I can only speculate that we stopped playing with their toes right about the same time that their memory kicked in. Either that, or they are just really creative in coming up with new versions.

Davis' Version:
This Little Piggy went to the market.
This Little Piggy went shopping.
This Little Piggy ate candy all day long.
This Little Piggy LOVED going shopping.
This Little Piggy cried all day on the way to his home.

Hayden's Version
This Little Piggy went Trick or Treating.
This Little Piggy said 'Let's have fun.'
This Little Piggy went to a dance party.
This Little Piggy gave out party favors.
This Little Piggy said "Let's PAR-TAY!" all the way home.

I choose to believe they are just taking their poetic license with the piggy story. Who can be certain the third piggy had roast beef anyway?

One Hundred Twenty: Helper

2010-11-20T22:25:00.009-06:00

What is your favorite part about being the middle-est brother?

Throwing away diapers and bringing you water.

One Hundred Nineteen: The One Where We Gave Up

2010-11-19T22:24:00.001-06:00

I have blogged before about how Jeff and I usually put in a valiant effort to win the unspoken competitions when it comes to classroom projects / decorations / and what seems to be the never ending dress up days.

But when the "First Grade Turkey Strike" was sprung on us via the Thursday Folder, we were tired.

Exhausted, really.

We hadn't even put the finishing touches on the Rubik's Cube and another dress up day was nearing. You'll notice from the picture above that we decided to put the minimal effort in to get the job done. A few feathers and a beak out of construction paper, and we called it complete...so we could move on to bigger and better things (poopy diapers! laundry! counting down the minutes until the next feeding!).

But the other ~~competitors~~ moms shouldn't count us out of the race for too long. I estimate we will be back in the "game" as soon as we are getting 8 hours of consecutive sleep again.

One Hundred Eighteen: What Every Baby Registry Should Include

2010-11-18T22:25:00.002-06:00

During the first few months with Hayden and Davis, I was a walking zombie.
In fact, I don't really remember much of those early days because I was so tired. I can remember the lack of sleep doing crazy things to my mind. Hallucinations of misplacing the baby when in reality he was right next to the bed safe and sound in the bassinet.

This time around is different though. I am much more aware and awake during the nightly feedings and I think I owe it all to my iPhone, specifically my Words With Friends app. At every feeding, I groggily grab the essentials: 1) the baby 2) the burp rag 3) the iPhone and 4) the boob.

In no particular order.

Well, there is an order, but I will spare you the details.

Just know that I am beyond thankful for these five people (Matt*, Natalie, Alissa, Kelly, Mom) that have helped me keep my sanity over the last two weeks.

*Also worthy to note: Matt claimed his first victory against me on 11-13-2010. Congrats!

One Hundred Seventeen: Fun Fact

2010-11-17T22:20:00.001-06:00

Did you know that a seven pound baby can

make twice as much laundry as a family of four?

At one point today, there was
poop was on almost every item in this stack.

One Hundred Sixteen: So Fresh and So Clean

2010-11-16T21:25:00.001-06:00

Doesn't Blake look so peaceful and content above?

Let me assure you THERE WAS NO PEACE in the Lyle household a mere five minutes before this picture was taken.

In fact, this boy, the same boy I once described as "a baby that doesn't cry...only wimpers" let the world know he WAS NOT HAPPY!

There will be NO LEISURELY BATHING in his lifetime! NO WAY! NO HOW!

I asked Davis to try to calm Blake down as I lathered him up. But even Davis' ten minute monologue of the benefits of baths vs. showers (toys! swimming! bubbles!) couldn't convince him otherwise.

One Hundred Fifteen: Family Dinner

2010-11-15T21:14:00.000-06:00

Can you please pass the ~~salt~~ baby.

Isn't that a nice center piece?

One Hundred Fourteen: Happy Birthday Peyton

2010-11-14T17:31:00.001-06:00

One Hundred Thirteen: A Sleeping Baby

2010-11-13T11:42:00.002-06:00

Last Thursday, Blake and I did something I've never done before with a newborn. We had a professional photo shoot.

Professional as in not JCPenney or Target Portrait Studio.

The pictures are currently in the editing stage, but I absolutely LOVE how they turned out. The photographer was so patient and taught me a little something about being patient as we would wait for the perfect shot.

The second key to a great photo shoot: inviting the big boys (and I mean all THREE of them) only for a brief time at the end. This photographer takes about 30-40 shots of each pose from all different angles and I knew I had made the right decision when Jeff was giving me the are we done yet eyes after only about three flashes.

The third key to a great photo shoot: Bribes. A promise to go to the Target toy aisle and an all-you-can-eat-milk buffet really does wonders for their demeanor.

All in all, I was at the photographer's house for about three hours. And although it will look like Blake slept through the entire thing once you see the final pictures, let me assure you HE DID NOT. It's an illusion.

Here's a sneak peak:

One Hundred Twelve: Sunning

2010-11-12T16:26:00.005-06:00

Someone is following his brothers' lead

and showing slight signs of jaundice.

His doctor instructed us to place him
in front of the window a few times a day.

I can confidently say, this is the most tan he will be his entire life.

For the most part, he doesn't seem to mind all of the sun tanning...

it's just those pesky heel pricks at the doctor's office

that really seem to tick him off.

One Hundred Eleven: Homework & Parades

2010-11-11T15:50:00.003-06:00

Mimi recently asked me how my life was adjusting to having a baby back in the house. My immediate response: other than the whole lack of sleep thing, babies are easy.

It's first graders and their darn homework and never ending projects that are hard.

If we are not studying for a spelling test or doing the weekly reading journal, we are dressing up a paper turkey like a superhero, or creating a costume for the annual vocabulary parade.

NEVER ENDING.

Hayden's vocabulary word this year: CUBE.

Since Blake and I had a conflict that morning (a newborn photo shoot), I sent Jeff and Davis to the parade so Hayden wouldn't be the only parent-less child (people take this vocabulary parade very seriously!).

This is the one picture that was on the camera when they returned from the parade.

Thank God I sent him. Can you imagine if we didn't have the actual parade documented?

And just when I thought we were going to get a little reprieve, I opened the Thursday folder and read a note that said, "Next Tuesday is the 1st grade Turkey Strike. We look forward to seeing your little one dressed up like a turkey." SERIOUSLY?

Wish us luck.

One Hundred Ten: He'll be rolling his eyes at us soon

2010-11-10T09:53:00.000-06:00

I know Blake is probably annoyed with us right now. I can see it in his eyes...with all of the awkward holding...and cameras flashing...and switching off between two older brothers vying for his attention...who think he is more like a Pillow Pet than a human...who still can't grasp the concept of supporting his head and neck.

And then there is that pesky pacifier that Momma uses as a snooze button for a good 20 minutes in the midnight hour.

Blake's a squirmy little fellow so my typical daily iphone photos are not working out so well.

(Unless you are coming here to see blurry pictures of my new baby...in that case, email me, because I have hundreds of those.)

But he is snuggly and sweet and forgives us all pretty fast when we do annoy him, as long as I keep his belly full. Which I do, and not just because it benefits the both of us. I love to see his drunk little face when he is done eating.

But like I have said before, if he thinks this is bad, he should talk to his older brother. If Hayden could remember that far back, he'd say, PUH-LEASE!

You think brotherly love and a little tummy time is bad?

I was posing on a tricycle by your age.

And don't even get me started on the first time I rode a horsie!

One Hundred Nine: Lessons

2010-11-09T09:08:00.001-06:00

Directed toward Hayden:
What is the first thing you are going to teach your baby brother?
Science. Like science experiments. Like how to shrink a feather.

Directed toward Davis:
What is the first thing you are going to teach your baby brother?
That when a dog goes (panting noises), it means he is tired.
Then I am going to teach him about site words. Did you know I have a site word in my name.
IS!
Seriously, who needs kindergarten when lessons like this will be readily available from your big brothers?

One Hundred Eight: Competition

2010-11-08T08:57:00.004-06:00

Even labor and delivery can get competitive when I am involved.

Shortly after the birth of Baby Blake

(affectionately referred to as "Bubba Bake"* by his older brothers)

we oooohhhed and aaaaahhhhhhed over the baby...

took a few photos.....

and then Jeff promptly announced the winner of the height / weight contest.

Since my awesome labor and delivery nurse had inside information (literally),

she was disqualified and Melissa was declared the winner.

Congrats Mel!

* Blake was not mispelled above. When reminded that Blake's name had an 'L' in it, both the biggest and "middlest" brother looked at me like I had lost my mind. Duh! Bake was a nickname!

One Hundred Seven: Out and About

2010-11-07T18:31:00.011-06:00

Today we ventured out to the park.

After a 3 hour nap.
And gourmet lunch prepared by Chef Jeff.

It was wonderful.

p.s. seeing Hayden prance down the street with his iPod and hat on backwards (since Dad didn't have enough ~~time~~ energy to put gel in his hair) makes me realize I made the right call in having another baby. Now if only I could figure out a way to keep him from growing up.

p.s.s. Jeff was supposed to wear this shirt home from the hospital, but in all the hustle and bustle, and pain medicine, and guest beds that WERE NOT seven feet long, we forgot all about it until today.

One Hundred Six: Compare and Contrast

2010-11-06T17:08:00.001-05:00

Blake, seconds after rolling over for the first time.

I have no idea when Hayden and Davis rolled over

for the first time, but I am going to go ahead and

call Blake an over-achiever.

Hayden, 2003

Davis, 2005

So, Hayden or Davis? What do you think?

One Hundred Five: CEL-LA-BRATION

2010-11-05T21:34:00.004-05:00

This hospital does it right.

Steak and Lobster, for each of us.

A date night of sorts, topped off with a baby to cuddle with.

Of course, I remember there'snosuchthingasafreelunch
from Economics 101, so I expect the bill shortly.

One Hundred Four: Happy Birthday Blake

2010-11-04T21:29:00.002-05:00

He's Here!

He's Finally Here!
World's Easiest Labor! (more on that later)

Introducing Blake Michael

Blake joined the family today at 5:06 p.m.
Weighing in at 7 pounds, 1 ounces

and measuring 19.25 inches long.

Now excuse me while I go lay on my stomach for a bit.

One Hundred Three: It's That Time

2010-11-03T21:58:00.001-05:00

I went in for my weekly doctor's appointment this morning (with Jeff in tow) and found my blood pressure was borderline high. I was expecting her to just monitor me for an hour or so and release me, but instead she said she wanted to induce me tomorrow morning at 10 am.

Oh my!

Stay tuned.

p.s. For the record, I didn't do anything do anything to artificially inflate my blood pressure. Because trust me, if I knew how to do that, Blake would be a week old by now. :)

One Hundred Two: Dual Purpose

2010-11-02T20:02:00.000-05:00

When you are too cheap to install side steps on the truck...

When you are 9 months pregnant and can't get

into the truck with out a hoist...

A potty stool works just fine.

One Hundred One: Tours and Shopping Sprees

2010-11-01T19:19:00.001-05:00

Tonight Jeff and I did something we've never done before.

We went on a hospital tour.

Kellie and Mica took the kids for a belated birthday celebration and shopping spree. That in and of itself is a little nerve racking to a parent...allowing your kids to wander through a toy store with non-family members to pick out a toy. Will they say thank you? Will they obey? Will they ask for the most expensive toy? Will Davis try to count how many words he can rhyme with Witch?

It seems impossible to prepare your kids for that situation. It's like a kid in a candy store WITHOUT THEIR PARENTS!

So instead of worrying about the endless things they could say or do that could make us look like bad parents, I chose to just get excited about our little Monday Night Date Night.

Jeff and I split some sushi (only fully cooked, of course) and topped the night off with ice cream from Paciugo.

Delish!

But since we are typically eating with 2 kids who could turn on us at any given moment, we have a really bad habit of shoveling our food in...completing an average meal in less than 30 minutes. On this particular night, the wait staff must have been really slow, because our food was out fast and we were able to beat our BEST time by about 10 minutes.

So with time to spare, we decided to go visit the hospital where I will be delivering Blake. Every Monday night from 6:30-7:30 they offer an open house, and while that seems interesting, to be honest, I secretly hoped that I could just sneak into one of the empty L&D rooms and convince a nurse into giving me some Pitocin.

No such luck.

In fact, the tour really did nothing for me other than make me a little more nervous. I think my earlier strategy was smarter. Ignorance is bliss.

But I did find out that the husbands are fed 3x a day and on the last night there is a steak and lobster celebration dinner. Plus the husband bed/recliners are now 7 feet long.

If it wasn't for those darn contractions, it would almost be like that time we went to a Sandals Resort.

One Hundred: Trick or Treat

2010-10-31T19:00:00.009-05:00

May the force be with you!

Hope you had a Happy Halloween!

Ours included:

Candy....Babe's Chicken...some "robust dialogue"

about who gets which light saber...more candy...

baseball watching...trampoline jumping...

topped off with some Trick or Treating!

Ninety Nine: Bomb Threat

2010-10-30T12:47:00.005-05:00

Last night Mica and I attended Kellie's Halloween party.

Since the hubbies stayed home with the kids, we decided to coordinate our costumes.

In an effort to fit in with Kellie's 30-something single friends,
we were going to go as a sexy ticking time bomb and

sexy bomb squad member...but then I realized that my fishnet

stockings were still in the wash from last weekend.

So we opted to just keep it simple and go as a normal

bomb and bomb squad member.

Ninety Eight: Numbers

2010-10-29T19:37:00.001-05:00

32: Pieces of candy Hayden received in the Halloween parade today

3: Number of times the kids will trick or treat this year

9: Times each kid will change his mind about what to dress up like for Halloween

18: Number of random costumes in our dress up box upstairs

4: Number of costumes purchased this year (two mummies, Darth Maul, & Storm Trooper)

29: Dollars spent on costumes this year (Hobby Lobby, resale shops)

3: Size of the karate ghee that Hayden picked out as his "Jedi costume"

5: Amount of inches Hayden has grown since the karate suit once fit