Our Preschooler

Johnny started preschool this fall and loves it. He goes two mornings a week for a couple of hours. For as shy as he is, Johnny surprisingly didn't have a hard time saying goodbye and walking into class on the first day. He's very independent, smart, and observant. He loves to learn and teach his little brothers. He spends hours coloring and drawing. He often asks to make cards for his grandmas and has become a whiz on the computer.

A couple of months ago one of our moving boxes turned into the Octopod (from the boys favorite show, The Octonauts). We've gotten a lot of mileage out of this box. The boys have spent a lot of time playing in it and Brian patiently added all the buttons Johnny asked for like the octo-alert, rocket boosters, emergency stop button, a laser gun, water gun, claws, wind shield wipers, drinking fountain, radio, computer screen and dashboard. Then he asked for a sausage gun. Brian asked him if he was going to shoot the bad guys with sausage. Johnny said, "No, I'm gonna shoot the sausages into a big pile and eat them." He then asked for a banana gun. I guess sausage and banana are his favorite foods.

Its so fun to watch Johnny grow up. We are so proud of him and love him so much. He is the perfect first boy for our family.

mr. personality

There is never a dull moment with this one. He talks non-stop and is always in character. I don't think he even calls me "mom" anymore. I'm either Alicia (Go, Diego, Go!), Dashy (The Octonauts), Izzy (Jake and the Neverland Pirates), Sariah (The Book of Mormon), or my personal favorite Hippo Bus (Jungle Junction). There are more, too. I just can't think of them right now. I wish I could record all the silly, cute, funny things he says all day, and even more, I wish that I could bottle-up his high-pitched squeaky voice and save it forever. I know I'll miss it someday. Another thing I like about this boy is how much he likes me. I'm so glad that he wants me to be around and wants my help with everything.  He can be really demanding. Like when he runs past me toward the bathroom shrieking, "MOM!!! I have to pee standing up!! Heeeeeelp me!!!!!" (It's really important to clarify exactly how you plan to use the toilet) But he can also be incredibly sweet and loving, (like when he says, "goochi, goochi, goo" to his baby brother.) I'm so happy to have this boy in my home. He is pure happiness.

boys and backyards

We really enjoyed our backyard this summer. Especially in the late evening as the sun set and the air started to cool. We didn't get moved in time to plant a garden but we weeded our garden boxes over and over and over again. Probably because the boys like to water them for fun. Ha.  Well, I should point out that we do have one little tomato plant that somehow popped up and a chive bush that went to seed. Hopefully next year will be more productive. But we sure have enjoyed the extra room to play.

Sunday Afternoon

Here are the boys eating a healthy snack (apple slices) and coloring the buttons on their octo-pod submarine.

Will - 5 Months

William is growing so fast. I sure wish he would slow down a bit. He's only 5 months, but his size makes it seem like he's a lot older! He's right on par with Johnny when he was the same age, maybe even a little bit bigger. He weighs around 25 lbs and wears size 18-month clothes. My back and left shoulder hurt all day long! Luckily, he's a great sleeper, so I get to rest those sore body parts all night. I'm always anxious and happy to see him when he wakes up in the morning.  He's such a sweet, happy baby. And he's soooo squishy and soft and smooth and just so incredibly kissable. If you spend any time with us you know, I kiss him A LOT. :)

Anyways, I just adore this boy. I love his big smile, his double chin, the rolls on his thighs, his widow's peak, the way he sucks on his hands constantly, his squeals and giggles. I love everything about Will! Here are a few recent pictures.

Rice cereal is supposed to help with acid reflux, so I thought I would give that a try since Will's reflux is still alive and well and I would REALLY like to eat dairy products again. But alas, he HATES rice cereal. At least for now. 

When Grandma Comes to Town

Here are a few highlights from our Labor Day weekend. Grandma Babs came to town to share in the fun.

Dad and the boys on the paddle boat. Nice work peddling Johnny. Tyler was steering the ship.

Mom, Grandma Babs, & Will on the other paddle boat.

Will riding the buckin' bronco.

Will belly laughing after Tyler asks Grandma Babs to sound the Octo-alert!

Hope you enjoy!

The Move - according to Brian's phone

We're getting settled into our new home and love it here. We've already forgotten about our nightmare of a move. Here's the moving truck in front of our new house!

Brian started work the next Monday morning. Here is the view from his office window. A little different than the LA Air Force Base.

We promptly started taking baths in the new tub.

And riding bikes in the cul-de-sac!

Its such a different pace of life here. Brian has a short 10 minute drive to work. There is zero traffice and lots of farms on the way. We are all enjoying it quite a bit.

We've been busy painting the house and fixing things up a little at a time. We've already been to the hardware store a hundred times. 

more to come soon.

our big news + newborn photos

I honestly didn't think the day would come. But it has. We are moving this little family of ours back to the country, back to Idaho. I still can't believe it. We've been in this big city for 8 years. 8 years!! It has become our home. The place where everything happened. I moved here as a single girl with no job. All of my belongings in my Mazda 626. Today I have a master's degree, a husband, three kids and an apartment full of stuff.

Brian is going to be working for my dad on the farm. We are going to live in a house. It's going to be great. But boy, we are going to miss this place.

On to other things. Before I cry. William's newborn photos make me so happy. He was just short of one week old when we had these taken. I'm so happy that Stacy captured our family and our home so well.

 I'm so glad we captured William's newness because today he looks like this... so chubby!

And just for fun, here we have Tyler and then Johnny as newborns. What do you think? Who looks more like little Willie?