Happy Halloween

"Trick or Treat" sounds its sweetest out of the mouths of two-year-olds.  I am convinced that is how my sons came home with literally their weight in candy after only an hour of trick or treating.  That, and the fact they are the CUTEST stinkin kids EVER!!!  This year's Halloween was the greatest of my 29 years here on earth, the weather was beautiful, we were with great friends and their fun kids, and trick or treating on base is so nice and safe and carefree.  We decided this year (well DJ decided for us) that we would all be marvel super heroes...
DJ was the Hulk
Asher was Captain America
J was Wolverine
I was Spider man
and Iz was the spider that bit me

We had so much fun!!!  DJ led the way up every driveway to every bowl of candy, Asher kept yelling "Mommy, Mommy, watch!" and he would leap (it's a leap for him anyway) off the curb and onto the street.  I stood with a grin on my face, trying to be humble as the people around me gasped and gushed about the adorableness of my kids.  Thank you GOD for the gift of this family and the fun memories that we get to share with one another!

funny (at least it will be one day)

SO my hubby has been traveling the world this month leaving me alone with our 3, 3 and under, which you know always leads to some story that actually brings me to tears today but one day will be funny.  Throw in some construction work on the house and we are all sure to have a good time.  Picture this, if you will...
Story #1
I am in the nursery feeding Iz and getting her ready for her morning nap, Asher is in the kitchen eating his second bowl of cereal, and DJ is quietly working on a puzzle.  Ahhhh sweet mornings are made from beginnings like these, then without warning BUBUBUBUBUBUBUBUBUBUBUBU a jackhammer and 5 construction workers begin to tear out my back patio mere feet from where DJ is doing his puzzle.  Terrified screams come from the kitchen I have to rip Iz off of her morning snack and throw her into her crib, which does NOT make her happy.  I run into the kitchen and find a terrified Asher who has dumped his cereal into his lap and DJ running up and kicking me in the shin in a desperate attempt to crawl up me.  AND THEN I look over and... wait for it... my five year old completely potty trained dog is pooping on the couch.

Story #2
Giving the kids a bath...  giving three babies a bath by yourself is no easy task.  I put the boys in the tub and let Iz watch us from her bouncy seat, once the boys were nice and clean I got Iz's baby bathtub out and ready.  I took Asher out first and that little squirt took off the second his feet hit the floor, he ran straight into the hall and peed on the carpet.  After clamoring out of the bathroom I scooped Asher up and took him back to put his diaper on.  After I had Asher pee proofed I came back for DJ who I discovered let himself out of the bath and was using the bath cup to get water from the toilet and fill up Izzy's bathtub for me.  Needless to say Iz did not get a full bath that night, I opted for the more white trash baby wipe bath for her.  And now me and my dirty kids cannot wait for our Daddy to get back home.

Enjoy the stories, I know that they will make me laugh too one day.  Today is not that day...

the view in my rearview mirror

While I am driving around town I can't help but stare into my rear view mirror (dangerous I know, and I try to keep it limited to stoplights only) at this beautiful family that I have been blessed with.  I think back to the things I used to see in the rear view...
In High School I saw my friends singing, and smoking, and having a ball.
In College I saw my friends singing, drinking and puking, and having a ball.
When I married J I would imagine a car seat in my cute little Mercedes, then I had DJ and there was a car seat in my cute little Mercedes.  I remember driving home from work on the bridge between Mt. Pleasant and North Charleston, stuck in traffic, watching DJ's head bend to such an angle while he was sleeping that I thought for sure it was broken, then I would start to panic because stuck on the bridge there is no pulling over to check and make sure he was still alive :)
Then Asher came and we sold my cute Mercedes and got a *gasp* minivan!  Then I would watch and listen as DJ pointed out every car or truck and Asher screamed at the top of his lungs, until finally the day came we could turn him around! 
Now I look into my rear view mirror and I see my two sweet boys, DJ singing along to KLOVE bopping his head to the beat, Asher trying to catch my eye so he can say "hi mommy" with a shy little smile that makes his eyes go squinty from his fat cheeks.  All I can see of sweet baby Iz, in the mirror that faces her, is tiny feet which she has just discovered and she LOVES so they are always in the air, always in her hands.  I can listen to Iz's squeals of delight as DJ makes funny faces at her, and DJ and Asher having some very important brother conversations about types of cars and trucks, and that all animals are not called "moo" regardless of what Asher seems to think. 
Far gone are the days when my car was a lonely or peaceful place.  When I sneeze there are people in the car who say "bless you mommy" and when the radio plays a great song there are voices in the back shouting turn it up! 
I love the view in my rear view mirror and I am trying my hardest to remember exactly what I see in it today, because I know what I see tomorrow will be different; just as amazing, just as magical, but drastically different.

Five Years

So, tomorrow morning is our 5 year wedding anniversary and right now J is packing up to fly in an air show *insert pout here* I did, however,  insist that we sit down together as a family and watch our wedding video.  It was actually a really fun time, we all piled on the bed where I nursed Iz, Asher kept yelling "mommy, mommy watch!" and then threw himself on his backside, and DJ was excited in the way that only DJ can get excited about the fact that he knew just about everyone on the TV, though he did keep asking, "where are DJ and Asher?" J and I only caught bits and pieces amongst the chaos, but it was really nice to look back.  Here are the things that I learned...
#1 We have both put on a few lbs and I think we may never go back to looking as HOT as we did that day.

#2  I am more in love with J today than I was that day, something I once thought impossible!

#3  While I never in a million years imagined that I would be spending my 5th wedding anniversary running around with 3 kids 3 years-old and younger, I am so blessed that I am!!

J is my eagle.  Eagles mate for life, and I know that J will be my husband forever in this lifetime and the next.  Eagles continue to build on their nest and have new chicks every year *wink* they work together to feed and protect their chicks, to teach them how to fly and encourage them to leave the nest.  I am so blessed to have J as a partner in raising our children.  He is an amazing dad, and all his strengths as a father are where I am lacking as a mother.  Our children are the incredible product of Gods beautiful handy work, my ferocious affection, and J's big bear hugs and guiding hands.  Eagle's are the kings of the sky and the sky is where they are truly at home, anyone who knows J knows this is true of him.  Thank you J for an amazing 5 years, I cannot wait to see what happens the next 55!!  I will fly with you anywhere, anytime.

Hilarious and Horrible

Because I have been a little wordy lately, my own hubby almost fell asleep reading my last post, this will be short and sweet all of the things my short sweet babies have been up to this week...

DJ showed some major courage when he DESTROYED J's childhood car book (a book that he looks at with J all the time and he LOVES!) and I told him that when J got home he would be very sad and DJ would have to apologize, and show Daddy what he did.  This caused DJ to break out in tears randomly throughout the day worried about hurting his Daddy or making Daddy mad at him.  First thing when J walked in the door DJ told him, "Daddy I have a dangerous problem, I broke your car book and I am so very sorry.  I will show it to you."  Blew me away, I knew that he was sick to his stomach with worry about this very moment all day, yet he pulled himself together and faced it straight on first thing, so proud!

While the boys were eating fish sticks I stepped out to change Iz and when I returned Asher was covered in head to toe ketchup and before I could say a word he said, "Mommy, I paint!"

DJ named his gigantic stuffed horse "Panto" and went riding it around shouting, "YeeHaw Cowboy, Howdy Partner," and "I am looking for a dangerous creeeeeeepy bad guy mommy."

During a terrible thunderstorm in the middle of the night a scared Ashey insisted on "holding" his mommy and slept on my chest like a newborn *sigh* <3

I set the boys down to color while I cooked dinner and when I checked on them I caught DJ "decorating" his brother.  This left me with 2 options, #1 get mad and take the markers and coloring sheets away or #2 strip them both down to skivvies and let them go to town decorating each other and throw them in a bubble bath before dinner, I chose option #2 and I am so glad I did!

And while Iz has done nothing hilarious or horrible she is quite possibly the most beautiful baby I have ever seen and I catch myself daily just staring in awe of her beauty so thankful that she is mine!

Shower Power

Friends and Family, while I still have yet to write about our AWESOME adventure to Arbuckel Wildlife Park, I have to share what happened tonight.  First of all lets rewind a bit so I can tell you that last night I had a near mental breakdown, between a crying Iz that I could not put down without one of her brothers harassing her into screams, DJ flipping his dinner plate onto his lap (grilled chicken, couscous, and salad with ranch), Asher tossing my camera onto the floor, and a very rainy day that started at 6am (after I had a night of 5 total hours sleep and not consecutively) with no coffee to be had because I desperately needed to go grocery shopping, I was pretty much a mess when J got home at 6.  J walked in and I took Iz and walked out, where to you ask, why to the walmart of course to do the desperate grocery shopping... but at least I was out of the house and away from my naughty naughty boys; mommy needed a break.  When I got home J put all the groceries away, I put Iz to bed and was in bed myself at 9:30, only one feeding last night and no getting up from the boys until around 6:30 this morning which was fine because today was the glorious mothers day out!!!  I did nothing all morning, got my hair done after lunch (its fab by the way) before I went to pick up the boys completely recharged.  After a lovely dinner (by the way is it 8pm now and Iz has been asleep since 4pm and yes she is alive because I keep going in to poke her but I will not wake a sleeping baby) I gave Asher a bath while DJ took trash out with Daddy and just for kicks I asked DJ if he would like to shower instead of take a bath, to my surprise he said yes and was stripped down and in my shower before I could say boo.  I turned the water on for him and went to get the baby soap and when I returned to the bathroom he was already "cleaning himself" with J's bar of soap "like a big boy."  DJ then informed me that it was time to shave and he needed his shaver, I just so happen to have one of those "razors" that has no blade so I gave it to him, then he pointed to J's shaving cream and said "Mama, that too!" so I put a little on his cheeks and melted into a puddle as he began to shave, I ran to get J and my camera and when I came back this is what I found

Head to toe shaving cream!!!

It was SO AWESOME!  Then of course Asher came in to see all the commotion and had to shave his face too!

Have I ever mentioned that I love being the mom of boys?!

Football Sunday

Every football coaches dream come true!