Not So Marvelous May

Eeek! It's been awhile since I've blogged. May has been a tough Mommy month. I'm pretty much running on empty since the boys have decided that sleep is overrated. I beg to differ. When Bryce got a cold at the beginning of the month, I assumed it was affecting his sleep. But he's all better and his sleep is only getting worse. Like up every three hours on the dot worse. And Brennan has decided that our  "be quiet in your bed until 7am" rule no longer applies to him.

I'm usually good about finding the positive in situations: Bryce might be up more often, but he just eats and goes back to sleep easily (most of the time). Brennan might be waking up screaming his ABCs before 6:30am, but he doesn't get out of his bed and he's screaming something educational. :) And I know there are so many people who would give anything to have two healthy, happy, handsome boys like I do, but sheesh, this Mommy needs a little more sleep.

I have caught myself almost dozing off while driving to Brennan's school. And just the other day Brennan was having a hard time going #2 on the potty and was sitting there for A LONG TIME. He wanted me to sit in there with him most of the time and I kept falling asleep while sitting on the edge of the tub. And I haven't even mentioned Brennan's new attitude problems. We're full force into the "terrible 3s", which probably aren't all that terrible, but for my once almost always sweet little boy it makes Mommy sad.

I feel too tired to do fun "Tot School" things with Brennan. All I want to do at nap time is nap myself and once I get the boys in bed and I just want to crash on the couch and not move.

But then there are little moments when Brennan says the sweetest things to me: "You're my best friend", "You're beautiful, Mommy", "You're the best, Mommy" and all seems right again. And just today I read this article and it was exactly what I needed to hear.

Ok, enough griping. Now to share some sweet pictures of my boys.

This is my favorite picture I've captured of the two of them in awhile. I was trying to get some pictures of Bryce with the good camera because I don't feel like I do that enough and Brennan said, "Me too!" and jumped down on the floor. Kyle asked me how I got them to look at each other and I told him, "That's just what they do."

Bryce watches Brennan like a hawk when they're in the same room together.

It was a long, cold winter, but today it is GORGEOUS and over 80 degrees. I surprised Brennan when we came home from school by having his water table set up. We changed his clothes and he had a great time playing.

The littlest guy had fun being outside too.

After playing in the water, Brennan and I ate lunch while Bryce napped. Then he wanted to play with his 50 states magnets. He's seriously so smart and is quickly learning the names of states.

So very thankful for the sweet moments that make the exhaustion well worth it.

Happy Sunday

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Happy Sunday

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Touch-a -Truck

Today we went to Niantic's annual Touch-a-Truck event. This is the third year in a row Brennan has been. The first year Kyle was working so I took him. Last year I was at my cousin Beth's baby shower, so Kyle took him. This year we all got to go together! Bryce had tons of fun sleeping in the Ergo. It's a fun event with lots of different types of trucks and other vehicles that the kids can climb on and in. Of course Brennan took interest in everything but the trucks! He rode a train, played cornhole, got his face painted, and played on the playground. We did manage to get some pictures of him on the vehicles though.

He's a puppy if you can't tell; not the newest member of Kiss.

Here's Brennan at Touch-a-Truck the past three years starting with today.

They Call Me Mommy

I'm so very blessed to have two healthy, happy little boys. Being their Mommy is pretty much the greatest job in the world.

This one made me a Mommy and I love him so very much. He has a new love for finding "puffers" in the yard and hair crazy hair when the wind hits it just the right way.

The littlest guy came second, but fills up my heart just as much. And gosh he's cute.

I had such a nice Mother's Day. We went to church where I volunteered in the nursery, had Taco Bell for lunch (Brennan's pick, not Mommy's), and I got to use the mall gift card Kyle got me to go shopping while the boys napped. I couldn't tell you the last time I bought myself clothes, so it was the perfect gift!

Comparison Update

I shared some photos comparing Brennan and Bryce back in March and thought it would be fun do it again. It's so funny because some people still tell me the boys look alike, but most people think they're completely different. I tried to capture images that were close in age for both boys and in similar positions. Enjoy!

Brennan one day shy of 3 months old:

Bryce at 3.5 months old:

 

And again...

Brennan visiting the National Zoo at 3.5 months old:

Bryce at the Roger Williams' Zoo at 3.5 months old:

Brennan's 4-month giraffe pic:

Bryce's 4-month (and 4 days) giraffe pic:

Happy Mother's Day!

I am so very blessed to be a Mommy of two wonderful little boys. For some, however, Mother's Day isn't such a happy day. Thanks, Kelly for sharing this.

Acknowledge the Wide Continuum of Mothering

To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you

To those who lost a child this year – we mourn with you

To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains – we appreciate you

To those who experienced loss this year through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away—we mourn with you

To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment – we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t mean to make this harder than it is.

To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, and spiritual moms – we need you

To those who have warm and close relationships with your children – we celebrate with you

To those who have disappointment, heart ache, and distance with your children – we sit with you

To those who lost their mothers this year – we grieve with you

To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own mother – we acknowledge your experience

To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, and the overall testing of motherhood – we are better for having you in our midst

To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year – we grieve and rejoice with you

And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising –we anticipate with you

This Mother’s Day, we walk with you. Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst. We remember you.

Dear Brennan,

You're a whopping 39 months now! This is a funny age because in some ways you seem wise beyond your years, but sometimes you still act very babyish. Nothing new in the clothing or shoe size department. You still wear mostly 3T clothes and size 7 shoes. Here's a little more about what you've been up to the last month.

Your Papaw came to visit. You love him so much. It's a shame we don't get to see our family more often, but I'm so glad you know exactly who they are and love them anyways. You had lots of fun playing ball in the basement with him. You also liked to wrestle. You still love to wrestle with anyone!

You went to the dentist again. You seem to like going, which is good. I think you've been three times now. It's so nice that you're already used to it at this age. You sat in the chair by yourself like a big boy this time. You did great and even practiced getting your teeth x-rayed so they can do that next time. Little things excite you so much so getting stickers, toothpaste, a new toothbrush, and a new flosser just made your day! The dentist always remarks that your teeth are close together, so I'm sure braces are in your future. Bummer!

You are such a good big brother. You love to go into Bryce's room when he wakes up in the morning and say, "Good morning, Brycey!" Then you look at his clock and tell me what time he woke up. You listen to him when he babbles like you know what he's saying. Sometimes you talk back to him and say, "I love you too, Brycey." You call him "Brycey" most of the time. You often ask if Bryce can take a bath with you, but I have a feeling once that is able to happen you won't be wanting it anymore.

You have such a good heart. You tell me often that I am your best friend. Your best friend used to be Auntie Val, but now you say it's me! :) It melts my heart. Unsolicited "I love you"s are the best! You crack me up when we play games together because you're constantly saying, "Good going, Mommy!" Your teachers must say "good going" at school because I don't think I say it, but it's just the sweetest.

You are still super sensitive and can cry at the smallest (and often silliest) things. A tiny little bump can send you into hysterics as can someone just looking you. Then there are the funny moments like we had today where you are laughing and jumping in a puddle, then all of a sudden you start crying because you're wet. :) You have also started to get mad more often. You'll let out a scream and I'll take you straight to your bed. We will keep working on using big boy words instead of screaming and crying.

You are singing a lot more now and I love it. Well most of the time. Sometimes it's annoying. :) You sing the ABCs about 100 times a day and VERY loudly. You also sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star a lot. You will sing some of the songs you sing in class at church too. However, you won't ever sing me any of the songs you sing at school.

I know I say every month how smart you are, but it's worth saying again. You're definitely gifted. And so very observant. When we're driving down the highway and pass different exits, you tell me what we use that exit for: "Exit 88 is for the library and playground, Exit 87 is for church, Exit 86 is for school". It's so funny. You can read all your color words and so so so much more. And I'm beginning to think you're really learning to read, not just memorizing words. You see words completely out of context and read them. You are such a quick learner. You have a new game on the iPad that you like. It asks you to make a number and you have to create it using base ten blocks and you can do it easily. I'm so glad you're smart, but I definitely don't want you to be bored in school. Right now I'm just thankful you love learning.

Now that the weather is getting nicer, we've been able to play outside more. I think we'll do that a lot this spring and summer. You don't like bumblebees (or most bugs for that matter), so I'm working on helping you overcome that fear so that we are able to get outside. If you see a bumblebee flying around while we're inside you'll say, "We can't play outside the bumblebee is back." I like watching you around other kids now too. You walk up to kids you don't know and try to initiate playing with them. You often ask, "What your name is?" It's pretty darn cute. You're still slower than most kids your age at running and climbing, but you've made drastic improvements in your gross motor skills.

Even at your whiniest, you are such a lovable little boy. I was just telling you the other day how much I love you and that I hope you're always a good boy, love people, and love Jesus. And I told you to always give Mommy hugs and kisses no matter how old you are. I love you so very much!

Love,
Mommy

I know I already shared this picture of him, but it's my favorite right now!

All About Mom

I asked Brennan a few questions about me in honor of Mother's Day to see what his answers would be. I actually thought he'd get more questions "right", but he seemed to get stuck on a single idea and just go with it. Most of these questions came from Carisa's website!

My Mommy's name is: Momma, Mommy, Rachel

My Mommy is ___ years old: 31 (close, he got my age mixed up with Daddy's)

My Mommy weighs ____ pounds: 31

My Mommy's favorite things to do is: wrestle

My Mommy likes to eat: lemonade

My Mommy likes to drink: milk

My Mommy's favorite color is: green (it's actually purple, but green is a close second)

My Mommy's favorite toy is: dominoes (not really)

My Mommy likes to wear: pink

My Mommy and I like to: wrestle

My Mommy's house is: Brennan's house (good answer)

My Mommy's car is: gray

My Mommy smiles when: obey

My Mommy is sad when: hitting

My Mommy loves me because: I love you too, so big (I don't think he understood)

I love my Mommy because: I love you too, wrestle (I love the "I love you too"s!)

And if that wasn't cute enough for you, watch this. Made me cry like a baby. Yes, Val, I need to get a grip!

Dear Bryce,

You are four months old my sweet little Brycey! One-third of the way to one year! Unfortunately you also have your very first cold! Even while sick, you are still such a sweet, laid back dude. You went to your four-month checkup today and you are a skinny little guy. I was shocked that you only weighed 12lbs 15oz. The doctor said you're probably thinning out because you're so active. She gave us the go ahead to start you on rice cereal whenever we're ready, so you'll start packing on some pounds then I bet. You're still doing great with nursing and eat 5-6 times each day. You wear mostly 3-6 months clothes and are now in size 2 diapers. I'm excited for the weather to get warmer because I'm tired of dressing you in wintery clothes.

The biggest change in the past month has been in the sleep department. You've made big improvements there! You are now taking great naps in your crib. Not sure why you decided you liked napping all of a sudden, but I'm a happy Momma. Somedays you only get one long nap in your crib; usually while Brennan is taking his nap. You just have to nap while we are out and about in the morning; either in your car seat or the Ergo. I definitely had Brennan on a stricter napping schedule when he was your age, but you just go with the flow. Second baby syndrome I guess! You are sleeping better at night too. Most nights you are usually sleeping 10.5 hours straight, wake to eat, then go right back to bed. You even slept well last night. I was worried your cold would affect your sleep, but you were a champ. Most nights I feed you around 7pm, read you your bedtime story, and put you to bed in your double swaddle. You've been waking most mornings around 5-5:30am for a quick feeding and then sleeping most days until after 8. Some days I have to wake you so we can get out of the house in time.

Like I said, you continue to be so laid back most of the time. You spend lots of time on your playmat or a blanket just laying on the floor. You don't mind doing tummy time for a little bit. Some days you'll roll straight over to your back, but most the time you struggle and struggle trying to crawl. You have been trying really hard to roll over from your back to your belly and had success on Thursday! It's pretty early for you to roll from back to belly, but I think you're gonna hit gross motor milestones early; the complete opposite of your brother. While on your playmat, you grab all the toys that hang on it and bring them to your mouth. If you can't find a toy to put in your mouth, then your hands are always in there. You still won't take a binky.

You "talk" so much! You make such funny noises and your laugh is starting to sound more like a laugh and less like you're hacking up a hairball. Brennan is always up in your face and you just babble at him. He talks right back to you like he knows what you're saying.

You're a lot more alert now and stay awake in your car seat sometimes during our outings. Thankfully you still love your car seat and did great on a little day trip to Boston this past weekend! You seem to really like the Ergo too and it's gotten a lot more use this past month. Those blue eyes of yours still slay me. I am hopeful they stay blue, but if they do boy oh boy are we gonna have to fight the girls away!

You also got to meet your Papaw this past month! He's pretty in love with his only two grandsons! It's pretty crummy living so far away from most of our family, but I know you'll grow up to love them all just like Brennan does. And they all love you very much too! You're one loved little dude!

Love,
Mommy

Bryce back at 3 months...

Bryce at 4 months and 4 days. He's finally starting to feel better after catching his first cold!

Happy Sunday

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Boston Strong

We decided late in the week that we'd take a little day trip up to Boston today. Unfortunately, Brennan woke up with a horrible cough and a snotty nose (I cannot keep that boy well for the life of me), but we decided to head on up anyways. The boys did great in the car. It took us exactly 1.5 hours and we parked for free at the Coast Guard Base in Boston. Parking there gave us about a 25 minute walk to the Boston's Children's Museum, our first stop for the day. We were pleasantly surprised upon checking in there that they were running a promotion and because we're military we all got in free (tickets are normally $14/person!).

Here are a few pictures as we headed to the museum.

And some pictures from the museum itself. Brennan's favorite part was this room with lots of golf balls you could roll down all sorts of ramps. We started and ended our time at the museum there!

The bubble room was a big hit too!

It wasn't long before the littlest dude was fast asleep on Momma.

Brennan found Kentucky on the map all by himself!

Brennan helped out a local college student by answering some questions about how people were feeling.

And of course he liked playing in the water.

After the museum, we walked a little more and grabbed lunch at a food court at the Amtrak's South Station. Brennan was still coughing up a storm and it was pretty windy outside, so we decided it was just time to head back home. When we made it back to the car, we decided since we were so close to Chick-fil-a, we should just head there. Brennan had fun playing at the mall's play place and Kyle enjoyed some Chick-fil-a. Then we drove back home and the boys were excellent in the car again! Bryce slept almost the entire ride and Brennan even slept for 30 minutes. We weren't in the city very long today, but since we parked for free and got into the museum fore free, it was certainly worth the trip! I definitely want to go back to Boston when it's a little warmer and Brennan is feeling better.

Both boys are in bed now and I'm praying Brennan sleeps well and feels better in the morning.