6 months

I love this little guy so much.  He is so happy and smiley now.  At 6 months Luke is still only in the 20th percentile for weight, but 90th percentile for head.  He loves to eat, especially if we are eating.  And he adores his big brothers.  He loves it when they stop to play with him.  He can finally roll over and loves to squeal and talk giggle.  I could just eat those cheeks up!

before we left

It seems like we had been counting down the days to our move forever.  And then, before we knew it, everything happened at once and we were gone.  Before we left, we got to spend a couple of days with our Grandma and Grandpa Broadbent.  They flew to Russia today to be missionaries for two years.  

And this little guy graduated from preschool.  He is such a joy and is so excited for kindergarten (which much to his mother's chagrin is all day).  

And now, after our 3 day drive, we are in Texas trying to survive the heat.  Things I have learned about living here so far are:

5: Grocery stores are empty on Saturday nights.

4: You can't leave butter out on the counter.

3: My boys sweat continuously.

2: I get to go to bed an hour earlier without my husband giving me a hard time.

1: After being outside in 95 degree/50% humidity weather, a 78 degree house feels amazing

Camping

We went camping with the boys last weekend.  They were in heaven...something tells me this is what my summers will be like for, oh, the rest of my life.  We only went for one night, but they loved every minute of it, and since we have a tent trailer, it's not so bad for me.  I was worried about how Luke would handle it, but he did great.  Sam got out of the car and immediately started picking up and throwing rocks (such a boy).  Wade was daddy's little helper, he'll be a boy scout before we know it.  We're packing up to head to Texas this week, so we may have a camping hiatus for a while.  Unless of course its for boys night out.  

Mother's Day 2013

I've had a lot of good great Moms in my life:

My beautiful wife



My wonderful Mom



My boys' Grandma Karen



My Grandma



and mine and my wife's Grandmas.



Thanks for everything you have done and now do for me and my family.  Who knows where we'd be without you.

stuck

I got this crazy idea to start potty training Sam three weeks before we move.  He's doing great, but we are pretty much stuck at home.  Luckily, my boys are really good at practicing their silly faces to keep us entertained.  

Love them!

5 months

This little man is finally starting to get some chubs on him...not much, but a little squishiness (probably due to him wanting to eat every 2.5 to 3 hours...really?).  We also got him on some reflux medicine and life got a whole lot easier.  I wouldn't go as far as to say I have 3 kids down to a tee, but we are making improvements.  Luke is a little flirt.  He loves faces. He will stare at the entire room until he finds one and then grin from ear to ear.  He still loves to be held up, but now its because he wants to see what is going on, and not just because his tummy hurts.  

Wade has always adored Luke, remembering to say thank you for him in each of his prayers.  Sam has been fairly indifferent until recently, probably because Luke cried so much for a while there.  But now Sam seems quite fascinated with his baby brother, and always likes to help out.  Unfortunately, when you are two, its not always quite helping.  But I'll still take the brotherly love for as long as it lasts.  At least Luke isn't quite so breakable now, right?  

And just like that....

...we don't live here anymore.  We decided as a family to move to Houston for two years while Grandma and Grandpa Broadbent serve a mission.  We are going to take care of their house for them while they are gone.  The plan is to save up, and move back to Utah and build a bigger home.  We were able to sell our house very quickly (with some minor bumps in the road), and moved out within a month.  

I am not going to lie...I cried when we left.  We have loved our house, our neighborhood, ward and friends.  We have brought two of our children home from the hospital here, and the third wasn't even walking when we moved in.  So many memories happened here and I am sad to leave it behind.  

However, we are looking forward to spending time with all of our family in Texas (thank goodness there is a bunch) and for the new adventure that moving brings with it.  We move at the end of May, just after Wade finishes preschool.  

4 months

This little tyke is 4 months old now.  He has assumed a new sleeping position, with his hands behind his head.  While he still has some tummy issues (usually only when mommy sneaks ice cream), he makes up for it by smiling at anyone who will look at him.  And when I say smile, I mean a whole face grin.  He is still much smaller than my other boys, not quite fitting into 3-6 months clothes yet....something my other boys never had  problem with.  He can roll from his tummy to his back, and half way to his tummy from his back.  It won't be long till we have a rolly polly on our hands.  He doesn't sleep through the night yet, but then none of my babes have until about 9 months.  

things to remember

Last week when I was picking Wade up from school, one of the other moms informed me that Wade had invited her child, little Miss "S", over for a sleep over.  Little Miss "S" was very excited and told her mom that it was ok, because she and Wade loved each other.  Melted my heart!

Every day this kid can be found here, lining his favorite cars up...and yes, he knows the names of each one.  No matter what other toys or activities I try to involve him in, he has to bring along at least one car.   

At Christmas, Santa brought us the game Super Mario Galaxy for our wii.  Playing it has been Wade and his dad's special time.  Last night just before bed, dad beat the first portion of the game.  Wade said, "Dad, I'm just going to be happy all night."  He has not stopped telling me all about it this morning, and he pretty much thinks his dad is a hero for beating it.  I channeled all his positive energy into art time and had him draw his dad a picture to express his excitement.  (His first drawing ever...if you can't tell, it's Mario saving the princess by the star).   

And this kid absolutely adores his baby brother.  Anytime Luke is awake, Wade can be found smiling and giggling with him and completely covering him in kisses.  I'm trying to enjoy it while it lasts.  

blessing day

After a string of scheduling errors and miscommunications, we decided to bless our little Luke today.  It was just a few family members gathered together at the church.  Luke wore the same outfit as his older brothers (and promptly spit up in it just like his brothers).  And being true to himself, Luke cried through most of the blessing.  The poor little guy has the worst tummy issues.  But we all still adore him and simply love having him in our family

I am so blessed to be surrounded by so many cute boys.

gone fishin

Last week was a bit of a nightmare.   Phil was out of town all week at a training seminar for his job.  Most of us left at home were sick.  And we had a few other stressful things going on.  So, being the rockstar mom that I am (sarcasm inserted here) my boys spent most of last week sitting in front of the Disney channel.  There is a reason we don't sit in front of the tv all day...it ends in tantrums, crying, meltdowns, yelling, etc.  

But this week we are on the mend, thank goodness for new weeks and antibiotics.  While I was busy catching up on cleaning and laundry this morning, I walked in on this scene.  I love that they are back to playing together , and that I don't have to endure another week of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.   

two months

It's really not fair that the newborn phase of having a baby goes by in such a blur of sleeplessness.  My little babe is already two months old.  He is my runt.  Currently he only weighs 10 and a half pounds putting him in  the 13th percentile.  My older two have never been below 75% in any category, so this is new territory for me.  While the first 6 weeks were rough, we are slowly adjusting and little Luke has melted my heart with his sweet smiles.  As long as he is not gassy, he is a happy little babe.  

I am hoping he turns out to be my blue-eyed babe...I think there is a good chance.  

five

My baby turned five last week.  How in the world did that happen?  

Right now Wade is obsessed with numbers.  He loves to count and is learning how to read clocks (his choice).  His favorite number is 7:00....the time when we let him get out of bed in the morning.  He also loves letters and is slowly learning to read.  He still loves his cars and knows the names of his favorites (Jaguar, Navigator, Porsche, BMW).  And he is such a great big brother.  Love this kid!

One Month Plus

I have a confession: I used to be one of those moms everybody hated.  You know, the one who always had everything under control.  My kids were always dressed nicely, with teeth brushed and hair combed. They usually were well behaved in public.  I was always dressed and ready for the day by 9 with my house picked up.  You get the picture.  Having two kids was a breeze for me.

I am no longer one of those moms.

Perhaps today was particularly hard, but I definitely do not have everything under control with three.  These days, I am lucky to have my kids dressed by 9, usually after many tears have been shed.  And then, Wade is usually in sweat pants, because he hates any pants that are not soft, and Sam has mismatched shoes because he refuses to wear his Pumas that actually look cute with his outfit.  Enough tantrums have been thrown in the last few weeks, I am terrified to think what would happen if I took all three out in public.  I am NEVER dressed by 9 now, and usually don't get around to showering until noon....if at all.  It seems I spend more days in pajamas than clothes.

Perhaps it is just because everything is still so new, and things will eventually adjust.  I sure hope so.  But having three kids is hard!  And more than just our outward appearances, I feel so stressed about having time for each of my boys.  I can tell each of them is crying out for attention, and I just cannot give them all the love they need.  I feel Luke's newborn-ness slipping away without me being able to snuggle him as much as I want.  And while I have an amazing husband who does so much to help me, it still feels like it is not enough.  Hopefully soon I will pull out of this fog.

On a happy note, I was able to snap a few pictures of my babe at one month old (plus a few days).  He is definitely one of my boys.

snow day

Have I mentioned how much I love my husband?  Because really, I do.  We got dumped on with snow this week, and instead of complaining that he had to go shovel, he bundled my boys up, took them outside with him and played with them.  It gave me a few quiet hours with my babe and to get some cleaning/after Christmas organizing done.  I think he is the best.  These little snow angels aren't bad either.

Merry Christmas

This year we have a very special reminder of the little babe that was born so long ago.  We hope everyone has a very happy Christmas.

Grandma

Oh, how my children love their grandparents! And I love that they do.   

My boys got to spend some much needed time with their Grandma Ann who lives in Houston.  We don't get to see her often enough.  While I snuggled my new babe and slept, Grandma played cars and cooked, played puzzles and cooked, played trains and cooked, read books and ...well, you get the idea.  It's safe to say that my boys are pretty bored now that Grandma has gone home and mom is left to juggle life with 3 little ones.  I wish I had more pictures to document everything they did together, but I was somewhat in a haze being in and out of sleep. 

One night, Wade prayed that Grandma Ann could come live at his house.  It melted my heart.  They were pretty much best buds for the week.   

clean

This little boy does not like to be naked, not that I can blame him seeing as it is so cold outside and our house is a little draftier than usual.  And if you didn't notice, he has perfected his dad's furrow.  

zoo lights

Grandma Ann and Grandpa Charlie are in town with us this week to help with the boys.  To celebrate, we went to see the Christmas lights at the zoo.  It was cold!  But the boys were fascinated.  I'm pretty sure they will be absolutely spoiled this week.

Introducing...

Luke Charles Broadbent

He arrived on December 1, about a week early.  My water broke in the middle of the night, and Luke joined our family about 3 hours later.  We think he's perfect.

His big brothers adore him.  Every time he starts to cry Wade will run over and give him a kiss on the head.  Sam walks around the house asking where baby "Yuke" is.  

We are smitten with this sweet baby and his oh so kissable cheeks.