Welcome Home Jake!

Jake started out the year in Squadron Officer School in Alabama. He was there all of January and the first week of February. We had him home again for just 2 short weeks before he left on deployment. He spent 2 month in Kuwait and 2 months in Turkey. He came home on July 1st and we were so happy to have him home!! The boys and I missed him so much while he was away.











We only had him home with us for 6 weeks before he had to leave again. He left a week ago to go to Instructor Pilot school in Oklahoma. The boys and I stayed here because the thought of all 5 of us living in a hotel room was a little overwhelming. He will hopefully be home from his school a month from today and stay home for a long time!!

Spring Break Visitors

My sister Jenni and her three kids came to visit the first week of April. Her kids were on spring break and they came to keep us company and of course take a trip to the beach. Our house was a little crazy with Me, Jenni and our 6 kids, but it was so much fun! My boys were so happy to have their cousins and Aunt Jenni here for a whole week!

We went to the beach twice and the kids had a blast. My mother-in-law rented a small condo on Isle of Palms for the week and we went and hung out with her on the beach and used her condo to get the kids cleaned up after all our fun in the sand. It was so nice of her to welcome our crew into her condo and it was great to see her! The water was still pretty cold, but that didn't slow our kids down at all. It was Asher and Sam's first trip to the beach. Asher spent his time cuddled up against me in a sling, but Sam got down and crawled all over the sand eating it up as he went. He was so cute! All of the kids had a lot of fun and we are hoping to get in a big family beach trip when Jake gets home in July!

We spent the rest of the week playing outside and just hanging around the house. It is so much fun to watch our kids grow up together. I am thankful we live close to family now and get the chance to spend so much time together. Jenni and I have such a close and special relationship and I am very thankful for all the love and support she gives me while Jake is away. I hope and pray that someday my boys will be as close to each other as I am to my sisters.


Asher swinging in the backyard.

Our 3 diapered babies.

Will and Emma being silly on the swing set.

Caden, Brennen and Emma giving each other a big hug at the beach!


Sam's first trip to the beach!

Asher's first trip to the beach!

Kids Bridge Run

This post is long overdue, but I can't miss the chance to record Caden's big race! Last year Jake and I ran the Bridge Run together and we took Caden to run the kid's Bridge Run. It takes place the Friday before the run and it is a big festival for kids all afternoon that ends with a bunch of different races for kids of all ages. Last year Caden ran a 100 yd dash with the toddlers and he loved it! This year, now that he is a big 3 year old, he thought he was ready for a longer race. He could have moved up to the 1/4 mile, but not my Caden. He insisted that he was ready for the mile race! I told him that if he could jog a mile with me in our neighborhood that I would enter him into the mile race. So we put the two little boys in the stroller and set out to jog two laps around our neighborhood. Caden was so determined and he ran the entire way with a huge smile on his face. So, I entered him into the mile race and he was so excited!

We got to the race around 3:00 after spending all morning at the Flowerton Festival in Summerville with our friends. He was already tired by the time we got there, but he was ready to race. We met our neighbor there and got the kids registered. He got his t-shirt and his race number and was ready to go. We spent the next few hours exploring the park and walking around doing all the activities for the kids. The toddler races started at 5:00 and Caden cheered his little heart out for his friends. He was so anxious for his long big boy race! The mile race finally started at 6:00 and Caden was exhausted, but he would not give up. He ran the whole race and he got his medal at the end! I was so proud of my little boy!


Caden with his friend Taylor getting ready for the race.

Sweet brothers taking a little rest while waiting to race.
Running with a smile!

Tired, but proud of his medal.

Finger Painting

Today was a rainy day here and a perfect day for an art activity! Jake's Grandma fell a few weeks ago and is in a rehab facility so Jake's Dad asked if the boys and I could make her something to cheer her up. We were excited to have a new project and to try and cheer her up. Caden and William worked together and finger painted a big piece of paper and then I wrote Get Well Soon on it. That was the easy part of our little project. Next I tried to get all 3 of the boys together holding the sign so we could take a picture for their great Grandma. Have you ever tried to get 3 little boys to sit in a chair together, hold a sign and all look at the camera at the same time?? It is no easy task and we didn't get a great picture...but we did the best we could. you may notice that all of the boys are wearing Georgia shirts, that was Caden's idea! We are going to send the finger painted sign and the picture of the boys to their great Grandma tomorrow. I sure hope it will bring a smile to her face!


Boys working hard on their project. Asher just supervised this time, but I don't think it will be long before he wants to join in.




We ended our day with dinner at our neighbors house. They have two little girls that are the same age as Will and Caden. All of the kids had fun and I really enjoyed a good meal and great company. I am so blessed to have wonderful friends that take such good care of my family while Jake is away. I feel truly blessed!

Give Parents A Break

The Air Force base has a program here called Give Parents A Break that gives you free childcare two Saturdays a month when your husband is deployed. I took all of the boys two weeks ago for the first time and Caden and William did great. They were there from 1-5. I only left Asher for about 1.5 hrs because he was not taking bottles yet and was sill really fussy. I worried about the boys the whole time I was gone, but when I picked them up they were both smiling and said they had so much fun!
So when it came time to take them yesterday I was feeling good about it and was ready to go out and enjoy my kid free afternoon. But William fell apart when we got there and they had to pull him off my leg so I could leave. He often has a hard time when I first leave, but he normally gets distracted by toys and cheers up pretty quick. I set off to go relax and get a pedicure, but called to check on him an hour later. They told me he was sitting at the table happily eating snacks with the other kids so I continued on with my plans for the afternoon. When I got back he was asleep in the corner. They told me he had cried the whole time I was gone except for when he was eating snack and that he had finally fallen asleep about 30 min ago. I was heartbroken! The poor little guy was so sad when I woke him up. If I had known he was having such a hard time I would have come and picked him up sooner. On a good note Asher did really well. He took a bottle and a short nap without much fussing! Caden of course had a wonderful time and loved playing with the other kids! He is such a social little guy!
So I don't know if the kids will all be going back when they have this program again in May...I will have to decide when the time comes. It was so nice to get out and get some things done without the kids, but I hate worrying about them. William was heartbroken, but he did recover quickly back his happy self once we got home. Maybe it will be easier next time...

Buddies

Over the last couple of months I have been watching Caden and William's relationship go through some big changes. They have been driving each other crazy since Will learned to crawl and steal Caden's toys, but he is now finally old enough to really play with his big brother. Caden has realized that William can be really fun to play with and they are starting to develop a special friendship that is growing stronger every day. It fills my heart with such joy to listen to them play together and to hear their laughter. I know that with 3 boys so close in age I am going to spend a lot of time acting as a referee and breaking up wrestling matches, but I pray that my boys will develop a special bond and love for each other that will last a lifetime.

Here are some pictures of the boys playing together.

My boys love their blankets! I often find them snuggling together in Caden's room.


I took this picture at the park last week. William tries his hardest to keep up with Caden and he will follow his big brother anywhere.


I left them playing in the backyard while I was making dinner and when I came out to get them I found them snuggled up on some beach towels in the middle of the yard. Caden told me that were exhausted from playing and just needed a little rest.


This is my favorite picture of the week. Caden decided that they were going to wear their rain boots all day Monday even though it was sunny and 80 degrees outside. They are sitting at their picnic table on the swing set painting the wood with their paintbrushes and a cup of water.

I Love Sundays!

Sunday is my favorite day of the week. It is a big job to get us all ready and to church on time, but I'm so glad we make the effort to go every Sunday. Caden and William go to Sunday school and Asher has just started going to the nursery. The hour I spend in church every week refills my spirit and gives me the energy and confidence to get through the week ahead. I am reminded that I am not alone and that with God I can do anything. I pray for my family and for strength and I always leave feeling refreshed and ready to take on my boys again!

This past Sunday I decided to take all of the boys to Home Depot with me to pick out new flowers and get some more mulch for the yard. I had Asher in an Ergo carrier, Will in the cart and Caden was walking. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy and we got quite a few comments, but my boys were awesome and we had a great time! We spent almost an hour walking around looking at all the plants, and of course the forklifts. We left with a very full and heavy cart and two very happy boys who were holding their own little shovels we bought so they could help plant the flowers.

We spent a couple hours working out in the yard together before we all took a long nap! Caden and William used their shovels to dig around in the mulch, but were not too much help actually planting the flowers. Asher sat in the stroller happy as can be and ended up falling asleep which gave me some time to play in the dirt with the other two. The yard looks great and Caden is so proud of the flowers he picked out. He has brought all the neighbors over to see them.

After a nice long nap our good friends Kevin and Trisha came over to visit. Kevin is awesome with the boys and they love him! He played with them in the backyard for an hour while I got to sit and Talk with Trisha in the screened in porch. It was wonderful!

The final thing that makes Sundays so great is that our friends, the Lundbergs, have us over for dinner every Sunday night. It is so nice to not be alone on Sunday nights. They are such great friends and take such good care of our family.


William working in the mulch.


Caden taking a break from gardening for a little bike ride.


My sweet boys playing together in the dirt.


Little Asher hanging out in the stroller watching his brothers.

Enjoying Life

Taking care of 3 little boys without the help of Jake has been challenging. I often find myself in survival mode, just trying to get us through the day. Sometimes I get so caught up in taking care of them and getting things done around the house that I forget to just enjoy my boys and this time in our life. I forget to take time to just play with them and laugh. Jake is so good at playing with them and I know they miss that so much. In church we are going through a series called The Art of Family. Last week the pastor said something that struck me. He talked about not just surviving raising your young kids, but striving to be a great mom filled with the love of God.

Today we had a really good day. I want to remember it and the way I feel tonight about each of our boys. I feel truly blessed and so thankful for each one of them.
It was the first time in months that Asher has been happy for an entire day! He is a very challenging baby and spends a lot of time crying, but today he smiled and cooed at me more than he ever has before. While the older two napped, Asher and I got to spend some quality time together. He was so happy and I was able to give him all my attention and soak in all of his sweet smiles.
William is my happy little man who always has a smile and a snuggle for me. My favorite time spent with him today happened just before bed. We sat in his monkey chair in his room and read together for about 15 minutes. He was pointing to the pictures in the book and telling me what everything was. It amazes me how quickly he is learning new words. He has just recently found a love for reading and I hope it is something that continues to grow.
Caden seems to be growing up so quickly. Every day after naps we take a walk around the neighborhood. It is a loop that is about 1/2 mile. The last couple of months, Caden has been riding his bike while I walk. He has really been practicing and is getting pretty good at riding it, so today Caden rode his bike really fast while I jogged and pushed the other two boys in the stroller. He went around the neighborhood 2 times without stopping. He had the biggest smile on his face and was so proud of himself. I was so proud of him! He wants to keep practicing so he can ride his bike with Jake when he gets home. Caden's love and enjoyment for life is something I hope he is able to hold onto forever.

So I'm ending the day filled with love and a sense of peace. There are dirty dishes in the sink and laundry to be done, but they can wait. Tonight I will go to bed happy and praising God for this day and my 3 amazing little boys.

3 Clean Boys!

For the first time last night I put all 3 of our boys in the tub together. Caden and William thought it was so much fun to have Asher join them! The three of them sat together in just a couple inches of water while I washed Asher. Caden and William had Asher smiling the whole time. I don't think he has ever had so much fun in the bath. It was cool to have Asher in the bath for a little while, but the fun wore off and they kicked him out so they could fill up the tub with more water and add some bubbles. I can't imagine what it will be like in a few months when Asher is sitting up well and wants to take a bath every night with his big brothers. There is sure to be lots of splashing and laughter!

Blogging for Jake!

It has been a long time since I have posted on our blog. Since my last post, we have moved back to the states and welcomed Asher into our family. I'm obviously not very good at keeping up with it. This time it is going to be different! Jake is deployed for the first time and I want to keep him up to date with everything that is going on in our crazy house. This is the best way to share our stories and pictures with him. In a house of 3 little boys there is always something going on and I don't want him to miss out on any of it!