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.  

The big 2

A few weeks ago this little guy turned the big 2. We had a fun little party and the boy was spoiled with lots of new cars and trucks.  He is growing up so fast and talking so much earlier than his big brother did.  He copies everything we say (which is both cute and educational).  He adores his brother who he calls "Weed" and loves to give loves.  Unfortunately, he is not so fond of eating his dinner.  But we'll still keep him around.   We think he's kind of adorable.

my first ambulance ride

It has been quite crazy at our house the last few weeks.  As you remember from Halloween, Wade got the flu despite having a flu shot.  On Monday, his fever spiked again and he wasn't acting like his normal self so I took him back in to see the doctor.  She immediately tested for pneumonia by checking his oxygen levels....which were too far below normal for a 4 year old.  I obviously didn't understand how serious a situation this was, because I figured they would give us antibiotics and send us on our merry way.

Not how the story went.

Instead, I am sitting there with one sick boy in my 9 month pregnant lap and my two year old getting into everything within or not within reach and laughing, while the doctor proceeds to tell me she has to send Wade in an ambulance to the hospital and that we'll probably stay there for a few days and that I need to call someone to come get Sam.  Did I mention that my husband had boarded a flight 20 minutes earlier and would be gone for the week?  

Luckily, I have lots of family close so I didn't have to worry about Sam.  The doctor was nice enough to play with him in her office until my dad could pick him up.  

I spent the whole ambulance ride trying not to pass out, which is harder than you might think.  Did you know that ambulances are like a million degrees hot inside and so not comfortable for people with huge bellies?  Wade was thrilled with the ride...can't you tell?   

Anyway...after one very sleepless night at Primary Children's Hospital, lots of oxygen, and a healthy dose of antibiotics (and I'm sure a hefty medical bill) we are home and doing much better.  

I am so very thankful for all of the kind doctors and nurses who looked after us and for helping my babe to feel better.  I am also very thankful this has all happened before the new baby comes and that this didn't actually put me into labor.  Oh, and I am thankful that my husband is catching an earlier flight home tomorrow night.  

October 31

Around this house, we have been counting down to Halloween since October 1.  Every morning Wade has asked what day it is, found it on the calendar and counted how many more days until the 31st.  

Unfortunately, earlier this week Wade tested positive for influenza b....so he has not been feeling his best.  But after counting down for 31 days, I just couldn't tell him no trick-or-treating.  So we dressed up in our pirate gear (and sanitized our hands)  and headed down the street.  We only made it up and down one small street, but it sure made one little boy happy.

The pirate

 

and his parrot

 

Sam was not as convinced about this whole dressing up thing until he got that first piece of candy in his bucket.  We could not run to the next house fast enough.  At one point, there were two homes in a row where no one was home.  At the second, Sam broke down sobbing saying "trick-or-treat" pointing to the door.  Even though his little bucket got so heavy, he would not let go of it.  I think they had a great time.

bunks

In preparation for #3's arrival, we got bunk beds for the boys.  To say they love them is an understatement.  Today I found them snuggled up together reading books.  It was a welcome sight on this crazy Monday.  

Frown

So in nursery at church, Sam has been learning lots of new songs.  One of his favorites is "If you chance to meet a frown."  His cute nursery leaders have taught him how to make happy and sad faces, and we like to make a game out of practicing them at home.  I mean...look at this face.  How could you not play this all day?
(I just want to kiss these lips every time!)

pumpkins pumpkins everywhere

This little guy went on a field trip to the pumpkin patch with his preschool today, and I was lucky enough to be able to tag along.  It was so fun to see him interact with his little buddies.  They completely cracked me up with their knock-knock jokes.  Where do 4 year-olds come up with this stuff?  

Wade looks forward to these trips to the pumpkin patch....like all year long.  I think they are one of his favorite (and his dad's least favorite) activities.  And yes, he is already asking about going back next year.  Love this kid!

a picnic

Today during our break of watching General Conference we took the boys to a local pond to have a picnic.  After we finished eating we fed the ducks.  Sam was so excited to see them, until they started rushing toward him...at which point he only felt comfortable feeding them from the safety of my arms.  Both Wade and his daddy thought the adventure was great fun.  

cool

So this last weekend we joined the mini-van club...that makes us cool, right?