two boys and a girl

This is what happens when you have 2 baby boys and then a GIRL.

My baby, in a boy camo creeper that I painted a pink birdie on.  I thought surely having a baby girl would be all hair bows, ruffles and twirls, not so much.  I love making things for her and I really love buying her sweet things, but for every day wear it is just not practical!  Iz is as rough and tumble as her brothers ever were, so I find myself going through their old things trying to figure out what I can make work for my girl.  I think this creeper in particular turned out wonderful, a little girly, a little tough, all Iz. 

A special thanks to my dear friend B, who actually gave me this creeper when Iz had a blow out at her house (B has all boys), then told me to keep it.  I had no clue what I could possibly do with this boyish onsie when my baby was a girl!  Then I painted the birdie on it and I LOVE it, now I feel inspired.

How cute is my Iz?



BOYS!

It is never so obvious to me that my boys are in fact crazy, as when we have family and friends over to visit.  Nobody ever says anything, they don't have to, it's their wide eyed fear as they watch DJ bodyslam Asher off of the couch that speaks volumes.  Or the way they avert their eyes when the boys run into a room in head to toe knight/viking/superhero gear because just the sense of violence to come is so overpowering.  The way visitors all move up to sit on the edge of the couch when Iz is in the room because they know at any moment a brother could come tearing around the corner and take her out.  I am tempted to say, "my boys are ALL boy," or "boys will be boys," or "at least Iz will be a tough little girl,"  but these are all cliche and not at all true.  My boys are something, let's say something "special" and they terrify just about any person who is not around them constantly (like me or J or our dear friends in OK who have come to embrace the epic violence in the Newberry household). 





I recently joined a movement on FB called "21 days of prayer for boys" all about learning to pray scripture for the ones you love, especially the boys in your life, however, I truly learned so much more about my boys.  I learned that their epic violence is not unique, it is not super common, but it is not unique.  I read this blog post and I felt the weight come off of my shoulders...
"when boys are just too much"
strangely enough the author of this blog post is the same author of the "21 days of prayer for boys" apparently she feels my pain.  We are all born selfish, we are born with only thought of ourselves and desire to only do what makes us feel good.  For some of us the desire to please is what makes us feel good so we behave and do as we are told, for others (my boys) we feel good when we are in control, when we lead and are able to do whatever whenever.  Now I can bribe and threaten my boys to get them to behave themselves (and I do) but that only works 75% of the time. It is only when their hearts change that they will have the character and the obedience that I desire for them.  It is only when their hearts change that they can truly love and be great leaders. 





Who can change hearts?  Certainly not little old me, only God can change hearts and so my prayer from now until the day I die is that God softens the hearts of my children.  I am committed to being a living example for my children (although I do mess this part up on a fairly regular basis, I am trying), and I am committed to letting my children be who God has created them to be.  There is a fine line to be walked between letting my kids be who they are in the depths of their souls and making sure that they are socially acceptable human beings in public. 

I am praying every day for the hearts and souls of my children but I also need to remember to pray for myself.  For patience and wisdom, for God to open my eyes to see the things in my children that come from Him and to notice the things that are out of place or wrong.  I wish that all of the people who come to visit could see the things that my kids do when no one is watching.  The way that DJ will lovingly brush the hair out of Iz's eyes.  The way that Asher gives kisses by holding your cheeks in his chubby hands and puckering up so huge you think he might swallow your face.  The unsolicited "I love yous" or the way that they tell me at least six times a day that I am pretty or precious or cute, they also love to tell J that he is "the best daddy in the whole life world contest."  Yes my kids are wild, and violent, but they are also loving and caring.  God entrusted these babies to me just the way they are, and so I will indulge their wild side by slaying dragons and having pillow fight wrestling matches, but I will also show them what is loving and caring.  Most of all I will pray for their little hearts because in the end it is not really me at all that will make them mighty men, it is the All Mighty that will do that job.

21 days of prayer for boys

Today I am starting 21 days of prayer for boys with my friend Mary Chris @ http://mc4him.blogspot.com/
I am so excited to see what God can do with my passionate prayer on behalf of my sons!

My Baby Turned 4

My first born is a 4 year old!!!  How did that happen?!  One minute I am rocking him to sleep and this week I am not aloud to kiss him on the lips any more, I am beside myself!!  How emotional does it make me to have my boy turn 4?  Here is a little taste..
DJ has been asking for exactly one year (since the day after his 3rd birthday party) for a dragon cake "when he turns this many," picture 4 chubby little sticky fingers held high in the air.  The movie "How to Train Your Dragon" came out right around his 3rd birthday last year and it was his first movie that he saw at a movie theater.  J took him for a little treat and DJ was so worried it would be too loud we sent him with a set of earphones, that he put on before the theater was even dimmed and left on the entire movie.  DJ was also too little to keep the seat down on his own, so J had to hold it down, I happen to know my husband and I know he sat through that whole movie, holding DJ's seat down, grinning ear to ear and overflowing with love for this sweet boy...

Long story longer, we HAD to have a how to train your dragon birthday this year.  I got online and found some cute favors and Viking birthday hats, not as much as I usually do for birthdays but I really thought I could find quite a bit at Wal-mart or the dollar store.  The party was Saturday and on Thursday I finally got to go shopping, first dollar store nothing, second dollar store nothing, Wal-mart I head for the bakery and order a "how to train your dragon birthday cake please," NOTHING!!  Let me say as a disclaimer I actually asked a friend to make a cake weeks before this and she was going out of town so I looked at the Wal-mart cake book, saw the dragon cake I wanted, and came prepared to order on Thursday.  APPARENTLY they still had the cake in the book but no longer had the items needed to make it, cue my misty eyes.  The baker (and I use that term loosely) did tell me if I brought her a dragon toy she could make a cake to go with it, so I jaunted on down to the toy isle, NO DRAGON TOYS.  Seriously not one, anywhere, cue the hysterical sobbing.  I managed to take my phone out and call J, who was in fact willing to jump in the car and drive 2 hours to find something, and when I got home he had already pulled several tutorials off of the Internet for me on how to bake one myself.  If you know me, you know baking a cake in a circle is difficult for me, in the shape of a dragon impossible.  Once I pulled myself together I remembered the United grocery store and gave them a call, they saved the day with an awesome cake that not even a jump castle could pull DJ away from.  I tried one last dollar store and found the party favors I needed.  I sat down and painted a "Toothless" shirt for him to wear and set out the new kid camera and donuts that were his birthday morning surprise, and found some peace that even though he probably won't remember this birthday or even this last year I did my job, I did all that I could to make him feel special and celebrated and loved and those feelings will be with him for a lifetime even if the memory of the perfect dragon cake won't.

This year DJ...
Became a Big Brother, again

Graduated from Mother's Day Out

Likes to play with "sets"

Was in his Nini's wedding

Got a new "stuck together" bed

Got his first baseball mitt

Got a Daddy hair cut

He also had his first sleep overs with friends Jake P. and Athen K. (no pics unfortunately).
DJ uses adjectives for items, like a towel is a "dryer" and a gun is a "ka-poom thing"
And is really beginning to learn about and understand what it is to be a Christian.

We are so blessed with such an amazing boy, who loves his family with all of his heart and soul.  DJ is a warrior and a leader and I just know that if I can guide him and teach him in the ways that are good and right then he will be a great great man of God, who will change the world.  We love you handsome boy, Happy Happy Birthday!

Bodily Functions

If you are friends with me on FB then you know my week has been chalk FULL of bodily functions!  Asher is coming into a real knowledge of his body and its excrement's, he refuses to leave a diaper on if he has "used" it which means there is a trail of dirty diapers throughout my house.  On occasion there is also a trail left behind from those really really dirty diapers.  I did attempt to start potty training, it was a fail.  The instant that I put some big boy underwear on him, Asher freaked out, "I want my diaper, I want my diaper back!!!!"  And now, because I am tired and J is very busy, I am going to just continue to clean up the trail of diapers and streaks of poop until I can get myself together enough to actually train Asher how to use the potty.  Potty training requires a VERY put together mommy.  Now DJ has been trained for quite awhile, and he does a great job of knowing when to go and washing his hands.  Not so great a job at flushing or closing the lid, which was not a big deal until Iz became mobile.  The other night, while cleaning up after Asher, I heard the toilet lid and the distinct sound of water splashing.  I looked over at DJ changing into his PJ's and recalled that I had just sent him to use that potty and I did NOT hear a flush.  I finished cleaning Asher as fast as humanly possible and ran to the bathroom to find sweet Iz just as happy as can be bent over the potty splashing away, in DJ's pee. 
There are times in life you are never fully prepared for, the craziness of motherhood is one big season of never being prepared and always being amazed at the things your children can and will do.  The thing that blows my mind is that even though I am on baby #3 I am still not prepared, I am still amazed, I am still learning.  Not just with DJ but with each one of my children, they are so different from one another.  I guess that's what makes motherhood so special, what makes God so amazing, the unique beauty in each of my babies; even if it is covered in poo.

walking

summer lovin'

today we played in the sprinklers,
it is officially summer
*sigh*

a bit of a tantrum from the resident 2 year old

SO MUCH FUN

They LOVED the water

and they LOVED their super strong Daddy

they called this one the helicopter

Brother Helping Brother (of course it was DJ who knocked him down)

we tried to get Izzy in on the fun

but she would rather eat snacks

and share them with Harley

and this is the face that means its time to go inside :)

Bubby

Well, it's here, our little Izzy B is one year old today and officially no longer a baby.  For some reason the time seems to be speeding up faster and faster with each baby.  I find myself watching the kids playing, and I have to catch my breath because what seemed like mere moments was in fact months.  Izzy has gone from her funny little army crawl to nearly walking, she has gone from an easy going ball of cute in a car seat to an opinionated little girl who wants to explore life.  One moment I was rocking her, stroking her hair, singing her to sleep and the next I can barely get a moment to snuggle before she wriggles out of my lap to go to find her puppy (who she LOVES and NEEDS to sleep with).  The same goes for the boys, I was watching a video we took on Mothers Day last year (three days from delivering Izzy) and I could not believe how much has changed.  I just wish that I had a bionic mind, one that could capture every memory and every smell.  I want to be able to re-live the sweet kisses from DJ, what it feels like when Asher says "Mommy, I lub you" for no particular reason.  I want to hear Izzy's belly laugh that makes everyone else giggle even though we have no idea what could be so funny.  I don't want to freeze time or live in this place forever because I know that where we are heading will be incredible as well.  I just want to be able to re-live these moments with every detail so crystal clear that I can smell their breath on my face, or feel their chubby hands around my neck.  Maybe if I do enough writing and collect enough pictures I can come close...

Izzy has been growing by leaps and bounds lately, tonight at dinner she tried to use a fork and spoon for the first time, insisted that she use them really.  Iz crawls into a room and the second she gets a smile from you she bursts into a giggle fit and falls to the floor, she laughs almost constantly and it is contagious!  Tonight at dinner she was eating some french fries (don't judge) from J's plate and she started dipping them into phantom ketchup mimicking what her brothers were doing, she mimics everything they do.  Iz loves and hugs on all babies, few adults, and she melts the hearts of everyone who catches her eye.  Izabella is amazingly special, and she will do great things with this incredible light that shines from within her, I feel so blessed to be her Mommy.  Happy Birthday My sweet Bubby, I will always remember this year as one of the best of my life  because it was the year that I met you.

I had to add a pic of the boys just because :)

Will I Ever...

Again, its been awhile, and J informs me that these moments are precious and I am missing them by not writing them all down.  I do agree with him some funny stuff is going on right now, like Asher suddenly deciding that diapers are the worst so he just takes them off and runs around naked.  Generally cute and adorable and I have taken tons of pics (which you all will unfortunately never see because I have to draw the line somewhere), but really memorable when he takes off a poopy diaper and then jumps into J's arms!  DJ is very into the 10 Commandments right now and every other conversation we have is about God's rules, which I really love.  With Easter right around the corner I found these clips http://ministry-to-children.com/animated-video-of-the-easter-story/ and used Resurrection eggs http://www.christianbook.com/resurrection-eggs-updated-edition/9781602003927/pd/003927?kw=003927&en=froogle&p=1013824&cm_mmc=CBDfeeds-_-froogle-_-gifts-_-003927&gclid=CLrl3LbCsagCFYTr7QodbV8zDA (mine are homemade b/c I forgot to order them) tonight to teach the boys the real reason we celebrate Easter.  DJ is pretty stuck on the whole crucifixion part, so I just know that my conversations for the next month or so will be on the challenging side to say the least.  Izzy is just a crack up always giggling and being adorable.  Its so hard to believe that she is almost one, she still seems like such a baby to me, probably because she is so petite and still has no teeth.  She is starting to say words like daddy, done, bra (which I am pretty sure means brother) and mama.

Last weekend we had the greatest Saturday, the kind of day that just makes you sigh.

We took the whole family on a long bike ride that ended at Braums for some cheese burgers and ice cream. Like I said a perfect day.

While I know that these days and these moments are fleeting and precious I just can't help but to feel like there are some things that there will never be an end to, like...
will I ever take a shower / poop / talk on the phone in peace again?
will I ever be on time anywhere ever again?
will my children always use me like a glorified paper towel?
will I ever leave somewhere and make it from the door to putting my car in drive in less than 20 minutes?
will I ever sleep an uninterrupted 8+ hours again?
Can I leave a store without having my bra flashed to at least 5 strangers?
Can I make a dinner that pleases all of my family members and can I do it without getting pants'd?
Will I ever make it through a whole day without feeling guilty about some parenting choice I made?
Will I ever go a whole day without loosing my cool?
Can I keep the super human mommy power to fix anything with a kiss?
Will my boys always ask me to "rock a bit" when it's time for bed?

OK, the last two would actually be dreams come true, but you get my point.  I just can't see that these things end, do they?  What would you add to this list?  And if you are a seasoned mommy, what things do end and you find yourself missing?  I am just a little curious...

Until I have all the answers I guess I will just keep loving ferociously, cleaning constantly, crying occasionally, laughing often, and of course blogging so I can look back and remember when.

sweet Izzy in her PJ's, I could snuggle her all day long!

This is one of DJ's epic battles that he creates daily in our playroom, the kid is a warrior in his soul!

Don't you just want to eat him up?!!!

Our Major Daddy, comes home for work and is immediately placed on dragon duty :)

Please forgive my poor photo quality, crappy camera + zero patients for editing = these pictures

Snowy Days and Cute Kids

So what is new... Well today is a snow storm here in good old Altus so we are all of course still in our pajamas!  Asher is walking around in his frog footie pajamas and snow boots (on the wrong feet of course) and he told me while looking out the window that the snow was "bootiful."  Asher is also starting to play pretend with "guys" and cars (his current fav is the firetruck) and he also loves to pretend to eat your face (he may have gotten that from me).  I also love that he turns most single syllable words into two syllable words like "yeeeaa" or "thaayaat."

When the boys pretend together they always want to play the villain, and always like to pretend to be frozen.  "mommy I frozen" and they strike a pose only to be freed if I tickle them silly!  I love that they are playing together more and more these days.  The other day when I took them to school, DJ found Harley's leash in the car and when we got out he informed me that he was the puppy and Asher was the boy and Asher was going to walk him to school.  SO, Asher walked DJ into the school on a leash like a puppy dog, there are some battles I just choose not to fight and some memories I will cherish for a lifetime.  Here is a video of the evil villain laugh (professor bug is from a backyardagains episode)

DJ got a big boy bunk bed that he calls a stuck together bed, now he is sleeping on the top.  We let him pick out his own sheets, "How to Train Your Dragon" sheets, and I am in the process of making comforters (and by process I mean the material is sitting in a box by the front door).  Asher is jealous beyond words of the "stuck together bed" so we are going to brave getting Asher a mattress for the bottom bunk and move him out of his crib, dum dum dummmmmm.

Iz is still the stinkin cutest thing on this (or any other) planet.  She just absolutely lights this family up with her shy sideways glances and big belly giggles. She is really starting to move with a steady army crawl that she is slowly perfecting into a real crawl, when that happens I will have to post a video, until then here she is in her most favorite toy, the jumperoo!! 

Here are the boys new super hero boots! Yea, snow here we come!! (when it is warmer than 8 degrees out side and the wind isn't blowing at 100mph)

Also, we put the kids in a bath all together for the first time last night, there is a picture of that, but I think we will save it for immediate family and future prom dates.

Finally I have been a sewing mad woman full of inspiration from all of these awesome blogs... I made this scarf (and soon to be matching earwarmers) for my mom...

I made this scarf to go with the "bracelet" that didn't turn out from the last post

And I made this shirt up-cycled from a shirt that doesn't fit J anymore...

Love to you all, stay warm!