My Shep!

3 years old!

My baby  is 3 today and it makes me smile because you are an amazing little boy.  You have a big, wide smile with gaps between your teeth... and you laugh a lot.

Shepherd at 5 months old

Shepherd -today- on his 3rd birthday!

I think my favorite thing about you- the thing that makes you stand out- are your hugs.  Seriously, the best hugs... period.  Even though you are way smaller than me, your hugs feel like they envelope me.  And you almost always give me a hug on demand... kisses too for that matter.

You are a really smart child.  You have known your all the letters for a long time and have known the sounds of the letters for a couple months now.  You love letters, numbers, shapes, and colors.  You also like to practice writing your letters.  I think you are going to be a great student as long as you are not bored.  You are also an expert puzzle solver.  You can occupy yourself for quite awhile when given a puzzle.

This morning beside his presents.  He got the League of Incredible Veggietables figures (probably his fave gift), an Avengers puzzle book, CandyLand board game, and an IPod (yes, I gave my 3 year old an ipod--- it is used and about 3 years old if that helps) :)   He seriously has loved all his gifts!

Opening the ipod

Though I didnt blog about it, you have been potty trained for well over 6 months now.  It was relatively effortless for you and you just seemed to get that the potty was better than the diaper.  You still wear a pull up or diaper when you are sleep and probably will for at least another 6 months as I dont see an end in sight.  You wake up dry about 1/2 of the time though.

You love your blankie dearly.  We are down to only one though and it is showing its wear.  Starting today, the blankie will be limited though.  We kind of already implemented that and you are adjusting well to not having it with you all the time.

You are a great eater.  You have really taken to yogurt- especially those yogurt drinks.  You drink one a day and never forget to ask for one.  You area also my best fruit eater.  You totally get the concept that you must eat your food before you get a snack and though you might ask for a snack prematurely, you know the answer and will eventually eat your food.  Your favorite food is spaghetti and eat an adult plus size portion most times. 

Cupcakes- these are kind of ghetto but I just saved 10 uniced cupcakes from the party last week (wrapped them tight and put them in fridge) b/c I didnt want to have to bake a whole batch again.  Anyway, they were really good.  Sidenote- used  the icing that has the little chocolate chips in it... yummy! 

You weigh about 35ish lbs and are about 40" tall and wear a solid 4T/ 4.  Shoe size is 11. You have your 3 year old check up in a couple weeks, but I know you are at the top for height and above average for weight. 

You love time without your brothers but also love them a lot.  Hunter caters to most of your demands.  I dont know if that is just Hunter's character or his age, but you two rarely argue or fight.  Ashton, on the other hand.... lets just say you two bicker a lot.  And by bicker, I mean brawl.  But, the moments when you play together are normally filled with lots of loud laughter.

Shepherd, I cant imagine my life without you in it... most people say you look like me and I love it!

My boy!

Happy Birthday Sheppy!  I love you sooooo much!

Time for a Party

This past Saturday we had a joint birthday party for Ashton and Shepherd.  It is Hunter's year to have the solo party which means the smaller party was for Ash and Shep. It turned out to be an awesome 70 degree fall day with the perfect amount of people.  Each boy invited a friend or two and then add our families in and we had a great day.

The Set Up
We had the power wheels track all set up in the woods.  Thanks to all the adults who had to take turns getting kids unstuck from the path, we also had a painted soccer field, and a croquet set all set up.  Lots of things to do in our little back yard.

The stainglass in the door is something that GrandpaGordie made years ago.  It was nice to have a little piece of him with us.

The drink table and when time, the cake table.  Ashton wanted a football cake and Shepherd wanted cars.

Lunch was tacos... this was so easy and inexpensive and good and kid friendly to do for this amount of people

 Nolan had control of my camera most of the time which translates to Nolan took funny, awkward pictures of people.  So, I take very little responsibility for the pictures taken during this event.

Cousin Caelum

Mantis following Caelum's lead

Leah, Anna, and Great aunt Joan

Jessica (Madi's mom) and Jodi (Karson and Connor's mom)

Joan getting some baby time with Sami.

singing Happy Birthday.  I think the only ones missing in this picture are Leah's kids (Jackson and Will) and Madi and she close bc her shirt was in another picture from the singing.

Blowing out the candles

Slicing some cake for Leah and Jackson with Chad's family in the background.  Sandee, Papa Hub, Chad, Aunt Joan, and Grandma hanging out by the door.

Nolan and my mother thought this picture was hysterical.  So go ahead and take a laugh at my expense... this is what 29.5 weeks pregnant looks like... blah)... But I least I was able to eat some cake ;)  This picture is also for all the liars (haha) who say that "you are all belly"... obviously not. 

Oddly enough, Nolan took a lot of close up pictures of dad... with his rosemary twigs in his Tilly hat.  They are both odd ones.

Mantis, Zach, and my mom

GrandmaDean and Julie listening to Charlee.

The loot.  The boys got some great gifts from a soccer goal to Nerf guns to books and mini air hockey.  Basketballs, Lincoln logs, whoopie cushion, cash, gift cards, pajamas and shoes.  Plus, annual passes to the zoo and The Children's Musuem, I think they made out pretty good.  Thank you to everyone for the sweet gifts.  The boys have loved everything! 

After the party, we got the soccer goal up and they boys played.

This present Shepherd opened after the party.  He had requested it at least a month ago so when everyone left, he asked if his birthday was over.  I told him his party was over and he asked about his "Cars book."  I told him he might get that for his birthday.  He just didnt understand so I ran inside and wrapped it and gave it to him.  Happy Boy!  He plays with these cars all the time.

 So, party was a success.  It was great seeing our family and friends intermix and the boys had a great time.  Thank you to those of you who cam and celebrated with us.

A Soap Box Post

"Are you sad that you are not having a girl?"
HELL NO!

The thought that this even came into my 6 1/2 year olds head really pisses me off.  This is not a concept that he would have come up with on his own, instead it is one that he has repeatedly heard asked from strangers and those we know.  If you are one of the ones who has asked this or something like it, please dont think I am angry at you.  Heck, I probably dont even remember you said it because I hear it all . the . time.

I also hear (as do my boys) these lines...

"please tell me that one (referring to my belly) is a girl."
   My response: nope, another boy.
"Aw, I bet you really wanted/ want a girl"
   My response:  actually, no.  Always wanted 4 and thankfully this what God saw fit to give me.
"You are really trying for that girl, arent you?"
    My response: no, just a baby and I think I got that covered
"I hear after you have 4 boys that 5th one will be a girl."
   My response:  I guess we will never know
"Bless your heart, I wouldnt know what to do with all those boys."
   My response:  Good thing it is happening to me instead of you. (insert sweet smile)
"You will never get to experience a little girl."
   My response:  Got ya beat... you will never get to experience 4 boys.  

I realize this is a pet peeve and I will go as far as to say a hormonal rant but I just dont get it.  I get that some people have gender disappointment, though I never have... I get it and I dont judge it.  However, I dont get how other people have gender disappointment for me and then feel it is necessary to comment to me, in front of my children on how my life is not complete without a girl. 

I am no more missing out on a girl than you (general) are missing out on having a houseful of boys. I realize that probably 99% of these comments are innocent but it is a good reminder for me to weigh my words carefully.

I am so excited to meet this last member of our family and I am so thankful that I have been chosen to be the mother of 4 boys.  I cant help but think about Leah from the Bible where after she had her 4th son she named him Judah which means "now I will praise the Lord."  And that is exactly where I am at.  This 4th son gives me even more reason to praise the Lord.

And yes, I just used the word "hell" and a Bible reference in the same post. Sorry.

Alright, I am done.  Stepping down.

Oh and for the record, I have heard some really sweet comments to.
"Well, aren't you blessed" is probably my favorite.

Ashton's Stats

Praise the Lord!  I was a bit worried about Ashton's weight percentages dropping into the teens.  For the record, I dont place a huge amount of stock in these percentages but Ashton's have decreased over his lifespan and I couldnt help but kind of wander what was going on.
4 Year Stats
3 Year Stats (first paragraph of that post)

Now, let me say, he is still skinny as rail weighing in at 37 lbs but that kept him basically on the same growth curve as last year. 

So, his stats are
Weight- 37 lbs  23%
Height- 42"  53%

He only went down 3% points in weight from his 4 year check up and grew 3.5" since last year which puts his % up from 38% last year to 53% this year, so a BIG jump in height!

The rest of the appt was typical and thankfully he is a healthy, active 5 year old. 

Also big news for Ashton is he qualified for speech through the school district.  He has a handful of letters/ blends he still doesnt say too well and has a tiny lisp with a couple letters.  I had him evaluated last February and he barely missed the cut-off and was borderline.  They told then that since he was border line  to have him reevaluated when he turned 5.  With mom being the director of special services at the district, she wasnt going to let Ashton fall through the cracks so last Friday I took him and the evaluator said he met the cut off this time.  I know this will be a great thing for him! 

So, Ashton is doing great!  He is a bundle of energy and intensity but is such a precious little boy!  Gotta love Smash!

Caved

Those that know me know that I pretty much hate Halloween.  I actually just went back and read my post last year about it and chuckled at the last paragraph... because they hassled this year to participate in Trunk or Treat at church.  Hunter has moved up into the children's ministry (1st to 5th grade) and he hears a lot of the upcoming events in the kid's service.  So there was no way for me to hide Trunk or Treat so....

I caved.
 

Yep, I caved.  They went to Trunk or Treat at church and then we met up Jessica's house with Jodi and her kids and took them to a few houses in Jess' neighborhood.  They then played at Jessica's house with Madi, Karson, and Connor until 8:40ish.  I am happy to say that I think there favorite part was just getting dressed up and playing at Jessica's house. 

Trick or Treating... Karson is the first one with the candy. I didnt get any pictures of our church's Trunk or Treat as I was too busy keeping up with the 3 boys in a parking lot with a crowd of people.  I actually did lose Hunter for a bit, but as Jodi pointed out there was a huge TV screen playing a movie.  One guess where Hunter was?!?! 

 

Hunter and Connor (as Spiderman) are next with Ashton and Shepherd still picking out their candy. 

I must admit- I love having a bagful of candy in house and I think they boys really did have a good time.  Another benefit was that I didnt have to have people ringing my doorbell begging for candy b/c I was with my kids while they were doing that to other people. 

The boys and I did still talk about this... holiday???.... and they know that I dont like it.  But, I think I have Trunk or Treating in my future for at least 8 more years...maybe.

3rd Trimester and a Name!

Wow!  28 weeks today = beginning of 3rd trimester.  I must admit that so far, this pregnancy has FLOWN by.  This little boy is still pretty laid back.  I can tell he is definitely getting stronger and bigger but he has never been one to do big flips in my belly.  He seems content to just stretch and gently push on me.  Crossing my fingers that this personality continues! 

Because I want this blog to be an accurate documentation, I am going to post comparison pictures from 5 weeks to 19 weeks to 28 weeks.

Whoa baby... 28 weeks :)... you also get a sneak peak of the new paint color in our bedroom!   

19 weeks

5 weeks

You know, I can handle the belly.... inevitable... however, why oh why must my butt get bigger... seriously?!?!

Anyway, I thought I would also unveil his name.  I have been tentative to totally commit to a name- this happens to me every pregnancy.  It's like I know it, but I dont want to make it official. But, at this point it seems silly to not make it official, we all (boys included) refer to him by this name.  Anytime I suggest something else, my boys veto it and tell me he already has a name... and I agree with them.. He does already have a name.

I asked the boys to disguise their names. Shep was definitely up for the challenge and his is almost impossible to read, Ashton just wanted to do his own thing (so typical), and Hunter really disguised them as people.  I love how different they are.  And there, at the bottom, undisguised- not knowing his personality- is Bennett.

Bennett means "blessed one" or "little blessed one."  God has done a complete 180 on me when it comes to listing my blessings... counting each and every piece of life as His gift to me.  It only seems fitting that I name my last baby something that speaks to the transformation that God has done in me in finding joy, finding contentment by counting my blessings.

Bennett's middle name was the hardest part of naming him.  I struggled between Brady and Stewart.  Both have significant family meaning for me.  My middle name was Stewart which was a last name on my dad's side.  I recently also found out that it is a last name on Chad's father's side.  However, "Uncle Brady" played a huge role in my GrandpaGordie's life.  GrandpaGordie's father wasnt the best dad and Brady filled that roll for GrandpaG.  With GrandpaGordie passing away, I want to honor Brady for helping to raise my amazing Grandpa and honor GrandpaGordie by paying tribute to his family.

So, it is Bennett Brady... final answer.  Yes, there is a bit of aliteration and yes, his first initial and last initial is BS... haha.  But, we love it and feel that is a good fit with the other boys!

Ashton's Birthday Round Up

WEDNESDAY
The birthday celebrations began Wednesday by taking lunch and cupcakes to Ashton's preschool.

I found these cute little cupcakes on pinterest and thought, "perfect."  Turns out, accourding to Chad, my boys, and even my mother, they look like spider webs.  Oh well, we like soccer and spiderman in this house so either will work! ;)

Webs or soccer ballls?

Everyone singing Happy Birthday to Ashton

Chowing down on the spiderman/ soccer ball cupcakes.

Ashton staged this picture of him eating while I took the picture. 

 THURSDAY
Thursday was not really a birthday celebrations but we did get to go on a field trip to the pumpkin patch with Ashton's preschool.  It is a smaller farm but perfect size for 2 to 5 year olds.

On the "hayride"

FRIDAY
The ACTUAL birthday.  Looking back, we crammed a lot into a small window.  We started early and tackled the birthday presents.  There was no need to wait for Chad since it was a game day.

Happy as a pig in mud!

Getting excited to open his big gift

His loot.  He got a basketball hoop (thanks to PapHub and Grandma for helping us put it together on Saturday!), a Spiderman toy, the new LarryBoy (Veggietales movie), and a Nerf football.  Oh, and Jodi and her kids got him the boardgame, Sorry! and Queenie stopped by and gave him his birthday money (he is all about cash right now)

 Right after presents, we went to see daddy at work so we could cut the brownies and sing.

Yummy brownies.

Blowing out his candles

We all then took our normal "visit daddy at work golf cart ride" around the campus.

The golf cart ride.

  

Me and the birthday boy!

We were home by 10ish and then Jodi, Connor and Karson (Jodi took her out of school to join on adventure) teamed up with us.  We went to G-ville and ate at the mall and then conquered Chuck E Cheese.

Shep and Connor (with Jodi) playing.

Shepherd is petrified of Chuck E Cheese so he would get near the rat or the picture!

The crew!  Love all these kiddos! 

We got back at 2:30 and rested for a few hours and then took off for the football game.  I had asked Chad if during the game sometime, the announcer would say Happy Birthday to Ashton.  Well, he did better than that, the whole stadium sang Happy Birthday to him.  Unfortunately, he had just started playing with Aunt Sandee's iphone and was either embarressed by the attention (doubt it) or really into the game (probably).  Either way, he told me the next day, he loved everyone singing to him.

Needless to say, it was all about Ashton the past few days.  To top it all off, he played in his last soccer game on Saturday where he scored 3 of the 4 goals for his team.  He was definitely the little all-star on his team this year.  One kid was literally all over him and by the 3rd quarter, Ashton had enough and shoved the kid off of him with both hands... hahaha- he is a fiesty little thing (unfortunately he gets it honestly from both his mother and father). 

He has two more birthday activities.  Mom and Dad have their annual "take the birthday boy to lunch and shopping" day today after church.  And then the birthday party for Ashton and Shepherd is the 10th.

Ashton, hope you had a special birthday and I CANT BELIEVE YOU ARE 5!!!!  Love you so much!