Dear Justin,

It was really fun having you and the rest of the brouzins over my house yesterday. And I don't mind sharing my toys with you. But wait for me! Please don't tear everything up before I get to play with them. Mommy just set up my play mat and I really like it. And the book shelf attached to the lower cabinets looks great for climbing.

Love,

Baby Central... Whew!

This afternoon, Richard and I watched Justin and Nathan to allow Georgina to run some baby free errands. During this same time, we watched Aiden while Carlene did her hair. And oh yeah, we watched our own baby.

Here is what the afternoon was like.

1. Justin and Aiden spent much of the afternoon running back and forth from the living room to Ariana's room.
2. They competed for the toys and snacks even forcibly taking them from each other even though I gave each his own snack cup.
3. They fell in love with Ariana's play mat; at first they just rolled around but later began to "attack" the arches.
4. Once I had thrown both boys in the air I had to repeat this over and over again, especially for Aiden while Justin preferred that I chase him back and forth.
5. I saw both boys studying the security gate as if figuring how they could get over it. (I hear they worked together to knock one down at their house.)
6. They kept trying to climb on our glass coffee table. (I can already see it's going to have to go in storage once Ariana starts crawling.)
7. Aiden kept opening the stove and refrigerator.
8. Both boys kept trying to climb up the shelf/bookcase on the lower kitchen cabinets. After being told repeatedly to stop, Justin waited until I began to nurse Ariana, looked me directly in the face, and started to climb. On one hand, that move shows intelligence, problem solving, and determination; on the other hand it shows stubbornness.
9. They kept going into our bedroom even though the door was closed and at one point Aiden ran out of the office with the empty kingdom hall money bag.
10. They kept trying to touch the TV screen, sit on the TV stand shelves, and crawl behind it.
11. Meanwhile Nathan wanted his arms to be supported as he stood.

I'm sure I've forgotten something, but you get the picture.

We did get help when Richard's sister and niece stopped by and ended up playing with the boys. Don't get me wrong, I adore my nephews but I'm exhausted. Is this what it's always like with boys? And since Ariana will be joining TyC's "daycare" will she end up like them?

Kudos to Carlene who watches the three boys Monday - Friday!

1 Month Down, 3 More to Go

A month into Carl's deployment and I finally got some much needed me time. Yesterday Carl's aunt watched the boys while I got my hair done and then a friend picked them up and kept them overnight so I could go to my brother in law's wedding reception. And although this is not my first time away from the boys I was much more emotional and started crying this morning while I was waiting for them to come home.

Perhaps it's because this deployment is vastly different from the last. Last time around I was pregnant with Nathan, and although still dealing with morning/all day sickness, I only had to take care of one child. Fortunately I was on leave from work for the majority of the deployment so I didn't have to worry about working full time and taking care of J. And I was very fortunate that Lalla & Richard were able to keep J every weekend to give me a break.

Timing wise this deployment worked in our favor since Carlene has moved in, so at least I'm not alone. But, this time around I'm working full time and taking care of 2 boys. And since Ariana's arrival I've lost my designated baby sitter(s). Add on top of that not being able to drive and it makes for a less than ideal situation; one that's actually become quite stressful. Of course my family, friends and co-workers have really stepped up to the plate, offering rides to and from work, to dr's appointments and running errands. But I feel like such a burden. And even though I got some alone time this weekend, not being able to drive made it a logistical nightmare.

So 1 month down, 3 more to go (that's assuming Carl's deployment isn't extended).

Yo Gabba Gabba Live

I'm not sure who had more fun at Yo Gabba Gabba Live, the kids or the parents.

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Hanging with Nana

Carl's mom watched Justin for us this morning while Carl and I took pictures for a newly engaged couple. This was the first time she's watched either of the boys alone and we figured it would be too much for her to watch both of them. We knew Justin would be easier to watch since he's so independent and plays well alone. And if all else fails, he can be easily entertained with Elmo. But Justin had a great time with his Nana.

5 states, 30 hours

and I'm totally drained from our long weekend in North Myrtle Beach for my cousin's wedding. Road trips with kids under the age of 3 are for the birds so we'll definitely be flying on future trips.

I thought the ride down was pretty rough but the return trip was 10 times worse. J got sick and threw up all over the place so we spent about 30 minutes on the side of the road cleaning up the mess. After that he did okay for a few hours, happily watching Elmo and reading his books, but towards the end of the trip he got so restless and was really fighting his sleep. I spent 20 minutes in the back seat, hunched over Nathan's carrier trying to console J in his car seat.

But, all in all, we had a great time. My cousin's wedding was beautiful and it was nice to spend time with the family.

Labor Day Weekend

Introducing Ariana Lila

Born September 2nd, 6:47 am, weighing 7 lbs 5 ozs and measuring 21 inches long. Lalla progressed so quickly that we almost missed it. We got the call that she had been admitted at 3am and was 3 cm dilated. Carlene and I debated on whether to go to the hospital at that moment but decided we'd sit tight until we heard more from Richard. But we were way to anxious to sleep so we started packing the boys diaper bag and getting their clothes ready. Good thing we did because at 5:30 we got a call that Lalla was 8 cm dilated. We rushed to get ourselves and the boys dressed and headed off to the hospital. When we arrived we were told that we couldn't go back because Lalla was "working" and pushing but a minute later Richard walked out to come and get us. We walked in just as the Dr. declared that Lalla was fully dilated and started pushing. Click HERE to read Lalla's birth story.

Waiting on Ariana

So, as of Friday Lalla broke the "curse" when it comes to early deliveries for the Smith sisters. I guess technically she broke that tradition last Saturday, but at 39 weeks 2 days pregnant she holds the record for the longest pregnancy out of the 3 of us.

Ariana's due to make her arrival September 3rd. As this is unchartered territory for us all we don't know what to expect. But I'm hoping she comes on her due date for a number of reasons:

1) Lalla would really like Carlene and I in the delivery room so logistically a weekend delivery makes that much for feasible.
2) Mom arrives September 3rd and I'd hate for Ariana to arrive late and miss her gammy's visit. And I'm sure Lalla would appreciate the extra help from mom with a new baby.
3) I'm excited to meet my niece.

So come on Ariana, that is on September 3rd, that is!!!

Leave it to Carl

to provide priceless memories:

Since Carl has Friday's off the plan was for him to take J to his doctor's appointments. Well the night before we were discussing the day's schedule and he says "so do I get babysitting fees for tomorrow?" I had to politely remind him that it's not called babysitting when the kids have your DNA. Leave it to Carl, lol!

Justin's Watering Can

Yesterday we visited with Carl's dad and aunt. Justin had a ball helping his great aunt water her flowers. When she was finished he walked her over to the hose requesting that she refill the can and water some more. After 3 rounds Justin handed her the water can and when she said thank you he responded with you're welcome.

Outdoor Fun

Leave it to Carl...

to provide some priceless memories:

1) Carl was dressing the boys one morning but wasn't paying attention to the sizes and ended up dressing Justin in one of Nathan's rompers. When I mentioned that to him he says "umm, so you want me to change him?". Funny thing is, Justin fit into the romper without a problem.

2) Monday Carl picked me up from work and we headed to the BMW Ultimate Test Drive with the boys. We had to make a pit stop for diaper changes. Well that husband of mine forgot to pack diapers for Justin so I had to use one of Nathan's. Again it fit Justin without a problem.

3) Last night during dinner I guess I was nagging Carl about one thing or another. So he leans over and whispers to Nathan "son, don't do it, don't get married" as if he was getting married anytime soon.

TACOM Org Day

Every year Carl's job hosts an organization day with food, music and family friendly activities. We thought it would be fun to take the boys and enter them all in the cutest baby contest and Justin & AJ in the toddler crawl/race. Unfortunately Carl didn't realize that we had to pre-register for those activities early in the day so by the time we got there we missed out on the fun. And sadly they didn't have many other activities for toddlers; the one bounce house that was suitable for Justin & AJ had too many bigger kids in it. But J & AJ did enjoy looking at the animals and playing at the park after we left Org day.

Lalla's Baby Shower

I'm hoping things will slow down now that Lalla's baby shower is behind us; the last few weeks have been pretty hectic preparing. Fortunately our hard work paid off and Lalla had a great time. I won't duplicate pictures so here's a link to the post on her blog.

Hopefully now I can catch up on my blog; we'll see.

1st Family Vacation

Going on vacation takes on a totally different meaning once you have kids. Gone are the days of rest and relaxation, at least when your kids are young and require your constant attention. But we had fun and I welcomed the much needed change of pace. And it didn't hurt that I had the help of family (sisters, brother in law and dad).

The boys did great on both flights and we got so many compliments on how well behaved they were. One woman commented that she didn't even know we had kids because they were so quiet.

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Family Photos

This morning was very busy, we had family, Justin's 2nd b-day and Nathan's 3 month photos taken. Below are some of my favorites. To see the rest click HERE.

It's a girl...

and I'll admit that I'm a little jealous. So hopefully Lalla having a girl gives me my fix since we won't be having any more kids. Carl told me he's ceasing production like GM did Pontiac when I told him I was jealous, lol!

And although it would've been fun to add another brouzin, we definitely need a girl in the family. But now we have to come up with a new name, any suggestions???

Gammy's gone!

As always our visits with mom just seem to fly by. The boys enjoyed spending quality time with their Gammy playing head shoulders knees & toes, football, story time and taking naps together. Gammy even taught Justin how to climb/slide down the stairs; I'll have to get it on video, it's too cute. And of course I appreciated the extra help around the house with cooking, cleaning and small household projects.

Luckily we get two visits with her this year, we're all looking forward to her next visit in September for the birth of Lalla's little one.

Gammy's here!

We're all enjoying mom/gammy's visit so far.