Memory Time

I wish so much that I had stumbled into the world of blogging when Jacob was a baby.  I had endless days stretched before me with only one baby to manage.  I remember watching the clock all day, waiting for it to be time for Trevor to come home.  Living in CA, I was away from family and hadn't really made any friends yet since we had him right after we moved there, so I didn't have much to do.  I made almost daily trips to the Safeway across the street.  I loaded Jacob up in the stroller and off we went.  I would buy only what I needed to for the day.  I didn't want to plan too far ahead because I would want a reason to take another trip to Safeway the next day.  My point being, I had LOTS of free time and I would have loved to invest it into a blog about my firstborn.  Especially since most of the memories we have of that time is through our pictures, which isn't saying much because I wasn't as obsessed about taking pictures at that point in our lives.  I didn't start my blog until Jacob was 4 and Hunter was about 18 months old.  So I feel like there is this huge chunk of memories missing from our family journals (which is what I turn my blog into each year).  So, the other day, I was driving and Adam was crying.  I had the thought to turn on the music, it seems to quiet him down.  It did just that.  Then I had a memory about Hunter.  Before our Tahoe, we had a Dodge caravan.  Before I continue with this memory, I'm going to go a little farther down memory lane.

I was so excited when we got this.  We upgraded from a Ford Focus (which is now Trevor's car) and sold the Sentra.  After I had Hunter, it was pretty tight in that back seat with his bulging infant carrier and Jacob's car seat.  The passenger seat had to be moved up quite a bit to even fit Hunter's seat in.  It was not ideal.  The van didn't have key less entry or a CD player, which was perfectly fine with me.  I was only interested in space.  I felt like we could sprawl out and breathe in there!  Instead of a CD player, we had a cassette player.  After a few months of only having the radio available, I thought my kids would enjoy listening to stories on tape.  When I was younger, we had Disney stories on tape that went with books.  I found the exact same ones on eBay for my kids.  The books never got much use, but they loved listening to the tapes.  The one we listened to the most was the story of Bambi.  I'm not sure why they chose this as a favorite, but they always asked for it.  When Hunter was upset while we were driving, the only thing that would calm him down was Bambi.  Those of you who know Hunter, know he can be frequently emotional.  It has always been this way. 

We listened to that Bambi story so much I'm pretty sure I have it memorized.  I had completely forgotten about our Bambi times until then.  So, as I have random memories, I am going to record them here in hopes of piecing together some of those lost years of memories with my first 2!

Cute Baby

It was a tough decision which picture was the cutest, so they all made the cut.  Adam has been pulling himself up on his knees lately.  He seems pretty proud of his new trick.  He wants so badly to be able to get up and run after his brothers.  I'm sure that day will be here before any of us knows it!  Last night, he was crying in his crib.  When I went in, I found him sitting up in bed for the first time.  I'm pretty sure he was just as baffled as I was at how he ended up that way.  I have noticed that the more kids you have, the faster they grow.  I can't believe the difference from when Jacob was a baby.  When Jacob was turning 2 and we were expecting Hunter, I remember thinking, these last 2 years took forever!  It seemed like it had been eternity since Jacob joined our family.  Now, I can barely remember Hunter as a baby, his 1st year went so fast.  And Adam's is proving to be even faster.  I can't believe he is 7 months old already!

Warm Fuzzies

Jacob told me:  "You're the most beautiful and pretty in the whole family!  I can't wait til you're skinny again!  Once you're all skinny again, I'll remember what you looked like before you had Adam."

Gee..thanks.

Also, he asked:  "Mom, could you get me a car, like a real car, so I can sit in it until I get old enough to drive it?  I wish I could have Tiffaney's truck."

Apparently his cousin, Zachary, has a car that is intended for him when he gets older.  Trevor's sister's car is in our garage right now as he is helping her sell it.  It seemed perfectly logical that we would want to do the same for him, especially since we just have this extra car laying around.

First Haircut

 Nothing too drastic, but notable since it was his first (besides a few long wisps I chopped off when he was a few months old).  His spike was getting a bit tall.  He was pretty happy, especially since I was holding him.  He is generally OK with anything life has to throw at him as long as he is safely in my arms.



Captain Destructo

Hunter's nickname is Captain Destructo with good reason.  He was begging to wear Jacob's tie to church.  Since Jacob was wearing his other tie, I didn't see why it would be a problem.  Jacob was not in harmony with this idea.  He pouted and pouted because he didn't want Hunter to wear his "favorite" tie.  I reasoned with him that it was a TIE.  It would be fine! 

Jacob asked, "But what if Hunter ruins it?" 

"Then I will go to Kohl's and buy you a brand new one."  I responded. 

Boy did I have to eat those words.  Apparently Hunter wanted the tie off during his class and this is the result.  I asked why he didn't ask his teacher for help.  He told me she wouldn't do it for him.  I investigated further and found that she was actually dispersing snacks at the moment he asked.  He just was too impatient to wait for her.  Jacob had valid reasons for his concern over his favorite tie.  On a related note, Hunter is now banned from borrowing any of Jacob's clothing and/or accessories.

10 Years

10 YEARS!! 

10 years of me trying to be that thin again (it used to be so effortless).

10 years, 3 kids, 5 houses, 5 cars, 3 bunnies, 2 turtles, 2 rats, 2 frogs..

10 years of watching Trevor attend college & law school, moving to & from CA, passing the bar, finding a job, working and working and working, continuing to support our family so I can have a cushy stay-at-home Mom gig.

10 years of building our life together and accumulating memories, experiences, and stuff.  Lots and lots of stuff!

10 years of togetherness, starting our own family, expanding that family, learning how to be parents, discovering joy and intense love for those children, bonding more deeply through our parenting experiences.

10 years figuring out that we work pretty good together.

10 years, thousands of pictures, thousands of memories.

Here we are at only 10 years and have had all these wonderful experiences and memories.  I am excited for the next 10 years and for the oodles of time after that we have to enjoy each other and make memories.

Trevor surprised me with this cute bench.  I was lustfully eyeing it at the store, but didn't want to ask for anything since we just got our beautiful floors done.  I love surprises (good ones)!

Happy Birthday To Me!

Trevor did a great job spoiling me on my birthday.  I woke up to find all these decorations.

As well as a nice card and some Cadburry candy bars (Mmmm)  waiting for me at my place on the table.  He did a great job decorating and I was impressed!  I usually make an effort for their birthdays but his were way better!  I need to take some of these ideas for when it's my turn to decorate!   

Adam is really starting to notice things and had a fun time trying to figure out these balloons.

I went to the movies with my boys, Mom & Sabrina's group for the Summer Movie Program. We saw Diary of a Wimpy Kid. It was cute, but definitely not what I would have chosen!  The highlight was getting a free popcorn for my birthday!  Oh and running into this guy:

 

He's pretty much my favorite actor because of his dream factor.  Trevor was not amused. 

After the movies, we came home and hung out.  Trevor & I went out to Joe's Farm Grill for dinner.  Tiffaney watched ALL 3 boys.  That was pretty special.  It is a rare treat to get away without the baby.  I miss having dates alone together. 

The boys all cooperated so I could get a family picture of us.  I'm sure they were only being nice about getting a picture since it was my birthday.  I will definitely take advantage of my day any way I can!

I got some yummy treats delivered.  Tiff & Kathleen brought me some yummy cupcakes, my Mom brought some White Texas Sheet Cake (so good) & my friend, Wendy, brought over a plate of cookies..which I promptly put in the freezer to enjoy at a later time when I'm not drowing in delicious treats!!

After we got Adam to bed, Trevor rounded up the other two for a Happy Birthday melody.  He also lit some candles on a cupcake for me (thanks Tiff & Kath!).  We didn't have 33 candles, nor would they fit on this little cupcake, so he improvised by putting 3 on each side. 

The boys helped out by trying to make 33 with their fingers so we will always remember what birthday this was. 

I enjoyed all the birthday love from everyone.  Thanks!  It was a fun day!!