"My wugey and my pass"

Sunday night we were over at John's parents house for dinner. With Will and Alex being their only grandchildren, the den is sort of a shrine to them...pictures everywhere. There are two small albums that I made for John's parents when each of our sons were born-one for Will and one for Alex. They boys just discovered these and LOVED looking through them. It was at that moment Sunday night when I realized that without me even meaning to, or even realizing it, Will's birth and childhood has been so much more documented than Alex's. The proof was in those albums. Will's album was basically every picture we took in the hospital. From his very first picture, to his first bath, to every visitor he had while we were in the hospital. Alex's album was about 10 pictures from his newborn photo shoot, and two of those 10 had Will in them! Even in looking at the blog, it pains me to see how each and every little milestone of Will's was documented with pictures, blog posts, and videos. Will's baby book is filled out through year two, completely, with hair from his first hair cut and everything! Alex's baby book was ordered and came shortly after he was born but was never even taken out of the FedEx box until last summer and then I never wrote anything in it. This makes me quite nervous to bring baby boy #3 into this world....will we even know where his birth certificate is in a year or two?? People told me I would get busy and it would be harder to keep the blog up. I vowed that I wouldn't let it slide....and guess what....it did. It is hard to be motivated to sit down at the end of a long day or on the weekend and update the blog in my free time. Laundry and dishes and just pure exhaustion totally have gotten in the way. I am not a scrapbooker, so I rely on this little blog to help keep these sweet, special memories so when our babies are not babies anymore, we can go back and remember fun little details about when they were.

Alex will turn two just days before we welcome a third son into our family (assuming he stays put until he is scheduled to come out). He is my heart. He is such a fun loving, laid back, hysterically funny kid who was born to be a middle child :) He has this toothy grin that makes it so hard to discipline him. Just the other day he was throwing a FIT! I put him in his room where he continued to throw a fit and then about 2 minutes later it got very quiet and I heard, "Worry Mommy, I not mean to." He is perfect and precious in every way.

Since he was born he has been attached to his lovey and paci. In recent months, the obsession has gotten worse and I really am nervous to wean him off. I don't mind the lovey, but the paci needs to go. He used to call his paci and lovey "mine." They went together and if he had one, he wanted the other as well. A few months ago he started calling his lovey "wugey" and his paci "pass." To hear him say it makes me smile and I hope I never forget the sound of that little voice.

Most days Alex can be found with wards (swords) in his hands "fighting da bad guys." He loves tagging after Will and likes for them to play ninja turtles (Alex always chooses Weonardo). He calls Will "Wool" and that makes me smile too. "Come on, Wool!"
Alex loves any sport. He loves having a ball in his hand and playing catch with daddy or basketball...or soccer....or baseball.....

He is often heard telling us "just a minute" or if he wants a snack just before dinner he will try to be convincing by saying "just one mommy and thats it!" Little stinker!

We love this little boy! His carefree spirit reminds us that life is short and these days are fleeting. I try to soak it all in. I am incredibly thankful for Alex. I hope that one day he will look back at his childhood and have sweet, precious, special memories...even if they weren't all documented :)

Sunday Afternoon Adventure

After all of this cold, dreary weather, we knew that the sunshine on Sunday and warmer temps were going to warrant some kind of outdoor activity. Will wanted to go on an "adventure" so we loaded the boys up with snacks and their binoculars and set out for Oak Mountain State Park! We have never taken either of the boys, but after the fun we had on Sunday, I am sure there will be lots of return trips in our future!

 "I did it!"

 Love my boys!

The Dusting of 2014

We survived the dusting! HA! What a crazy few weeks of weather we have had! As I type, I am home from school again on an "inclement weather day" because of the threat of ice. No complaints here! My laundry pile is definitely benefiting from these unexpected days home! 2 weeks ago, I was at school when it started to snow. I took my students out to run around in it and stick their tongues out because I was just sure that it would be short lived and this might be the only chance they got. I figured it would be well over by the time school got out. Shortly after it started to snow, I looked out the window and it was really coming down hard. I remember texting John that it was "legit snow" and I wondered if it would stick. Within 10 minutes, I got a call from the boys school that they would be closing at 11:30, and then our school system announced we would close at 10:30 as well. As you can imagine, pandemonium struck at that moment. It was 10:50 and I was making arrangements to leave my class about 11:10 so I could grab the boys and get home to play in the snow! I was so excited to get to pick them up so we could play. I even told Shealy that if Clayton wasn't coming home from work they should just come over to our house and play! A few hours later, that statement proved to be very ironic. Shealy and I set out in our own cars following each other to get to our kiddos. Liberty Parkway was already a backed up nightmare. It was about 5 minutes after I was in my car that I realized this might be a very, very bad situation. We turned around and went back through a back way through the neighborhood to try and get out on a back road to get to the interstate to loop back around to get to their school. On the way out the neighborhood, my car completely lost control on a small hill and would not do anything. I couldn't get it to go up the hill, to brake.....it was like it just shut off. I rolled all the way back down the hill. By the grace of God, there was a man behind me that knew what he was doing and he threw his car in reverse and managed to get out of my way and kept others from turning in my direction. I couldn't steer...I was literally helpless and just praying to run into a mailbox or something so my car would just stop and no one would get hurt. At the bottom of the hill my car stopped sliding and I just got out. I did not want to get back in! The sweet man who was able to get out of my way got out of his car and got in mine and got it parked on the side of the street so I would be out of everyone's way. I called John and told him I was getting in the car with Shealy and we were going to try and get to the kids and that he needed to leave work. Shealy and I proceeded to try 2 other routes....both were a mess and she ended up getting a flat tire so we just parked her car and walked back to the school. By this time, it was about 12:45 or so. So in an hour and a half, we had gotten no where. John was going 10 mph on the interstate and I knew he would never make it to the boys before dark. After sitting at school for about an hour trying to figure out what in the world to do, I called my dad and asked if he could come and get us in his truck and try and get us to the kids. A few minutes later we were in his car and driving down Liberty Parkway completely on sidewalks and the grass. Cars were wrecked and abandoned all down the parkway. I have never seen anything like it. The weather became crippling almost as soon as it began. It took us a little while, but we made it to get the kids and we crammed them all in the backseat of Pops truck!

 Shealy and I shared the front and we made our way to Overton to pick up Clayon who had left his truck at work, walked to their house to pack a bag, and had started walking/sledding our way to meet up with his family.

Pops entertained the kiddos while we waited by bringing some snow into the truck for them to touch! Shocker-Alex was not a fan!

He made it to Overton Road and we were starting the trek back to our house. Back on the Parkway we picked up our old neighbor's little girl who was at MDO at Liberty Park Baptist Church and they couldn't get anywhere near her. So with Clayton in the bed of the truck, Will, Alex, Ann Clayton, and Kate in the backseat, and Shealy and I in the front seat with Ally, we headed to my house and finally made it home about 4:00.

 The whole crew-5 kiddos 5 and under-if you only knew the snacks that were consumed in less than 24 hours ;)

I was so thankful to just be home and now my focus shifted to getting John home. He ended up being on 459 for 6 hours! He made it off the Liberty Parkway exit and drove as far as he could until abandoned cars kept him from making it any further and my parents picked him up and brought him home. Sleepover at the Vakakes' ensued and the kiddos thought it was the most fun thing ever!

 While waiting on our daddy to get home, Clayton entertained the big kids who were dying to get out and play!

John and Alex made a fort upstairs, Will and Kate slept in the boys' twin beds, AC slept in the crib, Shealy and Clayton slept on our pull out couch, and Ally and I slept in my bed. It was comical to look around at the stuff everywhere and the sleeping arrangements, but everyone did fine!

Obviously school was cancelled Wednesday (and would later be cancelled the rest of the week!) By about noon, Ally's dad had borrowed a 4WD vehicle and came to rescue her. John and Clayton were bored and antsy so they decided to embark on an adventure. They walked from our house to Shealy's car, changed her tire, and then drove on a SPARE down Sicard Hollow Road to get her some gas! That road is dangerous when it is sunny and 85 degrees!! I could not believe that they drove it in a car with no 4WD and that had a spare tire. Once they were back (bearing caffeine and candy bars!!!!!), the McKinnons quickly packed up and were going to make a run for it to try and get home before the sun went down and the roads completely froze up again! It took them 2 hours to get home (normally it would take them about 20) but at least they made it! The next day was fun! The snow was still here and pretty but it wasn't nearly as cold so we could get out and enjoy it. 

Now that we've had some snow, I could not be more ready for flip flop season!!! I don't know that I will ever complain about the hot summer months again!

It's a.....BROTHER!

Thursday afternoon we had our 20 week ultrasound. We decided to let the ultrasound tech not tell us at the appointment the gender of the caboose, and instead wait and find out with the boys and the rest of our family that night. Everyone came over at 7:00. Our appointment was at 2:45 and it was a LONG wait until 7:00!!
In keeping with tradition, I made pink and blue cupcakes (except for this time, first I think I left something out of the cupcakes because I was so anxious....they didn't rise up like normal and I never even ate one so I have no idea if they tasted right...and second, somehow I came home with HOT pink and BRIGHT blue icing...not exactly baby colors!)
Once everyone arrived, they chose the cupcake with the color icing that was their guess as to what Baby #3 was. We have done this each time and it is fun to look back on the pics. Since this was our last time doing this, we invited our families (my brother and his fam were able to make it to this one since they now live in town!!) and we also invited our two sweet friends, the McKinnons and the McClearys.

Then my little fam made our selections. John has said it was a boy all along. Will REALLY wanted a sister. Alex mostly said he wanted a sister, but I'm pretty sure that is because Will kept saying sister. At any rate, there were no more pink cupcakes for him to choose :) I chose pink to go out on a limb. This pregnancy for me was much different than with the boys. I took zofran round the clock, which I never had to do with them! The heartbeat at our first appointment and at the gender appointment was different than what Will and Alex's was, so that was all I had to go by.

I think everyone standing around was a little overwhelming for Will. We tried to get him to do the honor of opening the envelope, but he got super shy. Alex tackled the job with no problem and before we knew it he pulled out a BLUE sheet of paper that was to inform Will and Alex that "It's A BROTHER!"

Alex didn't really have a clue what was going on and after everyone screamed and cheered at the paper, he just kind of put it down and dug into his cupcake :) Will cried immediately. He REALLY wanted a sister. Since before I was pregnant, he would pull up my shirt and say, "Is there a baby sister in there yet??" He prayed every night for a baby sister and so I think he was just SURE that God would give us a sister. John and I tried explaining to him that God might give us a brother and if so, that would be just fine! His reasoning was that no God would definitely not do that because "we already have one of those." HA! Will never really recovered that night. He was sad. Partly because the outcome of the situation didn't go his way, but also I think in part to he was tired, there were a lot of people with a lot of action going on, and he didn't understand why everyone didn't stay longer to play :) Will was in NO mood to take a picture!

I literally had to bribe with every treat known to man to get this one picture. Will was crying, Alex was NOT cooperating, and I was in tears as well. I just wanted one sweet picture to document the night we found out we would be adding another sweet, precious boy to our family. It was harder than I thought!!

The next morning, Will seemed better and I really tried to talk up all the reasons why he was going to LOVE having not one, but two little brothers. We talked about how fun it would be to go to Auburn games with Daddy and his brothers....how there would be another buddy to wrestle with....and play ninja turtles with. Out of the blue he asked me when we were going to go to Disney World again. I told him I wasn't sure and you could tell he was thinking about something. He looked at me and said, "Hey Mama, the next time we go to Disney World we won't have to wait in any of those lines for Princess stuff!!!!" That was what changed his attitude. Seriously?!? When we went to Disney in October, he saw really long lines and would ask what people were doing. I would tell him they were in line to meet Belle or Ariel or whoever. He was so glad we didn't have to wait in those long lines. I told him then that if we ever had a sister, we would have to do some of that princess stuff because that is what girls like to do. So after that thought, he decided having a brother wasn't going to be so bad after all :)

So here's to having a house full of BOYS!! I am extremely outnumbered and have a feeling I am in for quite the ride!! A wild, but insanely fun ride!! It was obviously God's plan all along for us to have all boys and I can't wait to meet the newest little guy!

FIVE...The Party

Will knew exactly how he wanted to celebrate turning 5, and started talking about his party around Halloween. He wanted a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle party at Pump-It-Up. We had his superhero party last year at Pump-It-Up, so I tried thinking of other options of where to have his party. The problem is that we are pretty limited in January with the cold weather. Finally we just decided that if that is what he wanted to do, why were we trying to make alternate plans. It is an easy party!

 We are so blessed with so many sweet friends and family who came to celebrate Will with us!

 After the party, somehow neither boy took a nap, and instead had Birthdaypalooza in the den :)

 His Godparents win for most original gift-a fart blaster from Despicable Me 2.

 I'd say he had a GREAT birthday!!

FIVE!

Will turned FIVE last Monday, January 13th. Can you even believe that?!? I know I can't! Hard for me to believe not only is he five, but I will be registering him for Kindergarten in just a few short months. My how time flies. Will is a lot of fun! He gives us a run for our money A LOT, but he is also so sensitive, caring, rambunctious, ALL BOY, particular, and a perfectionist (Kindergarten homework should be a blast!!)!!
 I love watching him grow. He is super inquisitive and learns so much by asking questions and paying attention to detail. He is an awesome big brother. They fight for sure, but he looks after him and wants to make sure he is happy and safe.

On his birthday, he celebrated with his class at school and then once home, he opened his presents from us and then we headed to Kobe for birthday dinner. The boys LOVED it!! They were so entertained and sat perfectly still the whole time (and ate their dinner!!).

He made us laugh so hard at dinner. After we were finished eating, they gave us fortune cookies. We let Will open his and read it to him:

As serious as he could be, he looked at us and said, "How did they know I got a soccer goal for my birthday?!?" :) I love that kid!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY sweet boy!!

AT FIVE...
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Toy: My big Ninja Turtle House
Favorite Fruit: Grapes
Favorite TV Show: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Favorite Movie: The New Despicable Me that's Silly :)
Favorite thing to eat for Lunch: Peanut butter and jelly
Favorite thing to wear: mesh shorts and ninja turtle shirt
Favorite game: Chutes and Ladders
Favorite snack: Cheez-Its
Favorite Animal: Tigers because they go for Auburn
Favorite Song: Jingle Bells
Favorite Book: The Ninja Turtle book that Daddy drew
Best Friend: Gabriel
Favorite Thing to Do Outside: Ride in my jeep
Favorite Drink: Milk
Favorite Holiday: Christmas
Favorite Thing to Take to Bed: Froggy and My Auburn Tiger
Favorite thing to eat for breakfast: Chocolate Chip Muffins
Favorite thing to eat for dinner on your birthday: Hot dog
Favorite place to go out to eat: Momma G's
What do you want to be when you grow up: A Worker Man

2,920 Days and Counting...

Actually it is more like 3,010 days....I am a little behind on the ole blog. I can remember when I just had Will and it would annoy me when writers of blogs I loved to read would go months on end without a post. Now I totally understand how the blog might get pushed to the bottom of the totem pole amongst a to-do list. However, my goal this weekend is to get caught up as best I could. And first on my list is the anniversary post. I have done a post every year on our anniversary since I started writing this blog. And it has been bothering me ever since October that a post about our 7th year of marriage has yet to be written. If you recall, we spent our 8th anniversary in Disney World. The weekend after we returned, we learned we were expecting baby #3. And I guess the rest is history....ha! I felt like garbage for about 17 straight weeks and I am just now coming out of the newly pregnant fog. At 20 weeks, I finally feel like myself again.
For whatever reason, in my opinion, our 7th year of marriage was by far the hardest. I can't put my finger on any exact event that would make it hard....I can't think of a major argument or situation that is imprinted on my mind. It just was hard. Two active boys and two full time jobs kept us very busy and on our toes. It seemed at points like we just passed each other as we tended to the needs of our boys. With the busyness of life, communication broke down at points. I sometimes felt like we talked more over text than we actually did face to face :) But tis a season. Does this mean John and I loved each other any less during that year? Absolutely not. But do I feel like we had to "work" at our marriage more this past year than any other...absolutely! It makes sense. After about 7 years or so, you are super comfortable. The "newness" and "romantical whirlwind" has passed and you are faced with real life. Where laundry is coming out of our ears and dishes are always scattered along the counter. And if you don't laugh, well then you just might cry! But it is in those moments when you choose to love your mate. Even if you don't really like them at any given moment. I choose to love John each and every day, despite how irritated I am, or how slighted I feel. And thankfully, John chooses to love me too. I had to accept last year that marriage isn't always cheerful, and flowery, and bliss. It is work. Hard work. Work I am thankful to be able to do alongside John.
If you are like me, sometimes a song comes on the radio that you really relate to and it sticks with you. I could pinpoint two songs that sum up our 7th year of marriage. First, "Hard to Love" by Lee Brice. I know that I was hard to love at times last year. Sometimes I set expectations way too high and when things don't work out just like I think they should, John gets the blame. Sometimes I am high maintenance. I expect my feelings to be looked after when I am not doing a great job of looking after John's. My favorite part of the whole song is "I am a short fuse. I am a wrecking ball. Crashing into your heart like I do. You're like a Sunday morning, full of grace, full of Jesus. I wish that I could be more like you." I know this was a guy singing about a girl. But in our situation, in this verse, I feel like it is the opposite. I am the one with the short fuse. I am the one who loses it more often than I should. I am the one who lets things build up and then explode about the garbage in our bathroom not being taken out :) John is so much more composed in that way. I am sure he lets things build up. But he never truly blows up on me. He takes my shortcomings with such a calm spirit and such grace and I wish I could be more like him in that way. The other song that is a true testament of this past year to me is "Mine would be You" by Blake Shelton. I absolutely love this song. Because through everything, even a hard year, mine would always be John. Every. Single. Time. I have no regrets. I am so very thankful for this life I share with him. He has given me more than I ever expected, including two (almost 3!) boys that are my heart. Mushy post maybe. Wasn't going for that. But maybe, someone who reads might feel a little bit better knowing that it is okay and normal to not feel like everything is perfect all the time. The imperfection is what makes it...perfect.

Mine would be you
Sun keeps shinin', back road flyin'
Singing like crazy fools
Makin' up our own words
Laughin' 'til it hurts
Baby, if I had to choose
My best day ever
My finest hour, my wildest dream come true
Mine would be you