Trip #4

We were told that the end of January, during the middle of the week was the best time to visit Disneyland! We gave it a try last Wednesday and people were right! I wouldn't say it was empty but, it was better then all our previous trips! Two days before it was cold and rainy. That day, it was a little windy and high 70s! Isaac took care of the meltdown on the way into the park, so the rest of the day was perfect!   

My oldest...

My youngest...

And my middle!

"Hey Parker, smile for the camera!"

This was the "pictures with characters" trip!

Isaac's favorite part of the day!

Although, he was really hoping to fight Darth Maul... I guess Darth Vader will have to do!

My favorite!

I actually got my boys to check out Minnie Mouse's house! Of course all they wanted to do was sleep in her bed and eat her food! I'm raising true men here!

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That night when we got home there was a package waiting at the door for Parker. We had already put him to bed so we let him open it the next morning. To say he was excited was an understatement! Iso had made him a Mickey Mouse stool!

The detail is amazing! My dad made Isaac a surfboard stool for his first birthday and every night they fight over it! Thanks Iso for making my life a lot easier! No more sharing!

He couldn't wait to try it out... He took it straight to the bathroom and brushed his teeth!

Family Pictures

 Now that these pictures are over two months old I figured it was time to post them! I mentioned back in November that we had family pictures taken for Thanksgiving. We never get good pictures and we are never all together so my sister and I surprised my mom with a family photo shoot! She was thrilled! I was a little worried due to the two groups of boys. The little ones: Isaac, Parker, Maddox, and Blake. And the big ones: Iso, Mike, Aaron, and Shaun. November was also a horrible month for Parker and the camera! They were far from friends! Even though there weren't as many smiles as I would have liked, we survived! We give a big thanks to the marshmallows, Smarties, and bubbles! And to our photographer, Naomi Fugit! Thanks girl!

Family of 5 picture!

More...

G.G. Mom with 4 of her 19 great grand kids

Happy 93rd birthday too!

Uncle Aaron with his four nephews... Looks like he's going to have to supply the girls! ;)

And, of course, Parker will smile when he's with Iso!

Always fun and games when a grandpa is near by!

Close... But not quite ready!

Tonight at dinner Isaac was talking about his cross necklace that he got from Awanas. I asked him why he chose that prize over all the other ones. He said, "Because it's blue and I love blue!" We then started talking about the cross and what it meant. Isaac knows that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and reminds us of that every time he sees a cross. Some how the conversation turned to heaven and Isaac said he really wanted to go to heaven someday. I asked him if he knew how to get there. He thought about it for a second then said, "Ummm, I have to be good!?" As much as I wanted to reply, "YES! So you can never fight with your brother again"... I didn't. I told him that while being good is something Jesus likes us to be, it isn't going to get us into heaven. We just can't be good enough! By this time he was super curious and asked for the correct answer. We talked back and forth a lot but, in the simplest way possible, I told him that we have to believe in God and that He sent His son to die for us because we do bad things. But, even though we do bad things God still loves us. We have to ask Jesus to come into our lives and live with us forever. His eyes grew big and he said, "Mommy, I want to do that. I want to ask Jesus to live with me!" I told him how excited I was and that he could do that right now! He smiled and asked me to help him. So, we prayed together... Isaac repeating after me. After we prayed I hugged him (and of course Parker too cause he was copying every thing Isaac was doing and was just as delighted in his success)!

When we were done we had a quick conversation that went like this...

Me: Isaac, daddy will be home in the morning and if he asks you if you are going to heaven what are you going to say?

Isaac: I'm going to tell him yes!

Me: And if daddy asks you why you get to go to heaven what are you going to tell him?

Isaac: I'm going to tell him I get to go because I want to!

I guess we still have some work to do. Isaac is young and the ground work is still being laid. I knew this wouldn't be the moment but, it made me that much more excited for when he really does ask Jesus into his heart!

The blue cross!

Definitely not ready...

For those of you that don't know what Awanas is... It stands for Approved Workmen are not Ashamed and is based off of the Bible verse 2 Timothy 2:15. "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." It's an international club that focuses on scripture memory. Of course there's snacks and lots of play too! Tonight Isaac's verse was Mark 10:14. All the Cubbies (Isaac's age group) were only expected to learn... Let the little children come to me... BUT, this is a verse Isaac learned a long time ago so he was able to recite the whole thing. And Jesus said, Let the little children come to me. Do not keep them away. My kingdom belongs to people like them! I'm so proud of my little guy!

How many months!?

What??? I'm five months old aready!?!?!?

Wait, let me look at this number again to make sure that's right...

Yup, that's right... Five months old!

Wow! I'm tired... Being five months old is a lot of work!

Blakester,

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! You're almost halfway to being one year old and I just can't accept that right now! You're a pro at rolling over and you're pretty much sitting up on your own already! Seriously, if you knew how to pull your knees up under your body, I'm sure you would take off! The drool never ends and I can't hold you without you yanking on my necklace. I love that you caress your head when you're nursing (just like your big brother Isaac did as a baby and who still to this day plays with his hair when he eats) and when I catch you looking at me in awe! However, I don't like that you think it's time to play at four o'clock in the morning. Thankfully you are a self soother and can put yourself back to sleep. You love your hands. Your poor little knuckles are red from you chewing on them constantly... Still no consistent luck with that thumb of yours. Your brothers are in love with you! Thanks for laughing at their silly faces... It makes them feel special! I love every second with you... Even the 4am smiles. I do have one small request of you though... If you could keep the poop IN the diaper, that would be great! Oh and I'm sorry for locking you in the car the other day and then having to call 911 to come and rescue you... We'll talk details on that in the next post. That caused way too much trauma on my heart and today I just want to remember the sweet stuff!

I love you little man, Mommy

New Years Eve

 It's not too late to post about New Years Eve, right??? Saturday, the 31st, we headed over to the Copes house for a kid's party. Jodi and I (but mostly Jodi) planned activities for the kids every half hour. They started at six and ended at nine when the ball dropped in New York. It was chaos central with 12 little kids (3 girls and 9 boys) that were high on licorice and hot chocolate! I think it's safe to say they had the time of their life. Thanks Copes for being brave enough to open up your home to 120 sticky little fingers! Next year we'll find a way to make it even crazier so that you don't have to stay up til two in the morning playing xbox! I still don't get how you weren't beyond exhausted! :)

Dessert making

(this was the first thing the kids did... Even before pizza making for dinner)

Ligh saber fighting

(Isaac and one of his best friends, Caleb)

Luke Skywalker finding

(the kids had to take turns jumping into a big box full of stuffed animals. The one that found Luke Skywalker the fastest, won)

Peek-a-boo praying

(Parker and Nate on the stairs praying for our food. Forget folding hands)

Balloon tennis, friend cheering, and partying like it's 1999!

(the dance party was the best. These kids have moves!)

Craft making

(I love how it's all the parents finishing their child's project)

All the kids minus Caleb that fell on the floor and Blake who was upstairs sleeping! These little bodies had so much fun!

Over due Grooming

At the end of October we FINALLY took Isaac to the dentist! There are many opinions as to when a child should see a dentist for the first time but, we had been told it was when they turned 3 years old. I know, don't judge... Isaac was almost four when we went. A word to all you parents of preschoolers: The sooner you go, the better. We learned the hard way and Isaac suffered for it. He had three cavities. He did an amazing job non the less. He had no fear and opened as wide as he could. She was a pediatric dentist and knew exactly how to make this an enjoyable first time experience. Isaac had to go back early December for the fillings and even though it was a little uncomfortable for him, he did an awesome job again. We have changed some eating habits and are brushing more often. I'm so glad they're only baby teeth though... No long term problems with root canals and crowns!

Waiting to be seen...

She let him touch everything so that he would know the loud noises where harmless.

She's not even ready... But Isaac is!

Even Parker got his teeth checked... See, never too young! Thankfully he didn't have any cavities!

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Another problem in our family is the hair. It's wild and out of control at times! Isaac plays with his hair all the time, which makes it stand up and look super messy. It doesn't help that he HATES getting it cut either! Parker's hair is still baby fine so it doesn't take much for it to look like he just woke up. He doesn't mind getting it cut but, he does mind holding still. Shaun has always been the one to buzz the boys' heads but, lately there hasn't been time. I heard about a great kid's place called Monkey Dooz and decided it was time for the professionals to step in. I was tired of the screaming from Isaac and the constant movement from Parker. So, one morning Shaun left for work and the boys and I headed to the hair shop. I was a little worried but, to my absolute shock and amazement... Isaac had no problem. Maybe it was because the walls were covered in jungle animals, they had monkeys hanging from trees, a movie was playing, and you get to sit in a cool jeep! Parker on the other hand freaked out and had to sit on my lap. The only reason he stayed was because I was feeding him a lolipop.

Before!

You can see how happy Parker is to be there.

Totally zoned out and could care less with what was happening!

Best place ever!

After! So much better!

Super Preggo Strength

When I was pregnant with Blake I had what I would like to call, Super Preggo Strength! I was go, go, go 'til the day he was born. Yes, I was tired but, I slept hard at night and only got up once to go the bathroom (and that's pretty good. Right fellow preggers!?) I would hold Parker all the time... Or should I say, Blake would hold Parker. The belly provided the perfect seat for him. Everyone would comment on how heavy Parker was but, to me, he wasn't. I would lift him no problem and even go up and down the stairs with him, the belly, AND all the extra weight I gained during pregnancy. It was hard moving around and getting up and down but, somehow I just kept going. Even at 40 weeks Shaun and I would put the boys to bed and go for long walks (my mom was here for the boys).

Now, post baby five months, I'm exhausted and Parker is heaaaaa-vy! By lunch I'm dragging... No motivation. When the boys come running in every morning with guns and costumes in hand I tell them, mommy just needs five more minutes! I can't have caffine due to nursing (I just tried it for two days and while I felt more awake, so did Blake at 5:30 in the morning). I find myself dreaming of living in a one story house because the stairs suck the last few drops of energy out of me. These boys go and go and go and go and go and go... Get the picture!? They want ME running around with them all the time too! I'm thankful when I have to stop and nurse or change a diaper! I didn't think adding one more kid to the mix would be that bad. However, it's just one more person to need me at the same time everyone else needs me. I must say that I never realized how easy the baby stage is. Sadly, I'm figuring out that each stage does get crazier! Not to mention the pile of laundry! I should have asked for laundry soap for Christmas!

The other night I re-indroduced myself to Shaun. I just wanted him to remember he had a wife and that someday she would be able to talk to him again. Last night we took the boys to Ammah and Papa's and went to dinner... Just the two of us. As we were hugging the boys good bye, Isaac asked Shaun,  "Are you going to kiss mommy while you're out?" And when we got home Isaac asked me, "Did you kiss daddy?" I love that even though Shaun and I don't get much time together, our boys still see how much we love each other.

I need to add that even though I am beyond tired, I wouldn't trade the day to day chaos for peaceful nights and relaxing days. I know this for a fact because when I do get a little time away on my own, I can't even begin to tell you how much I miss my boys! I'm always rushing home to see them. I love how excited they get when they see me! I can't get enough of their hugs, kisses, smiles, and endless stories of what they did while I was gone!

Some favorite comstumes!

We go on nightly walks and the boys like to ride their bikes. So, of course, they have to be Finn McMissile and Francesco!

Anything can be a gun in our house. Even a straight edge and Dusty, the saw from Handy Manny.

Seriously, it never ends! We put them in their pjs and two minutes later they have capes and helmets on.

And this sweet little guy is just taking it all in. It's amazing how fast he can turn his head back and forth to watch his brothers fly by.

Disneyland x 3

We've been to Disneyland three times since we got our passes for the boy's birthdays and I am just now blogging about them. Each time it was pretty crowded seeing as how it was Thanksgiving and Christmas but, we were relaxed knowing we didn't need to see everything. As long as the boys get to see Mickey, defeat Zurg, and shop in the Star Wars' store, we consider it a successful day. The first trip was a little overwhelming for all of us. We tried to do both parks (Disney and California Adventure) and realized it was too much... One park at a time! My sister and her family and my brother joined us for the second trip. More adults meant more chances to go on bigger rides. Isaac tried Space Mountain and Star Tours... Not a huge fan of either! Bummer. It's back to Autopia, ToonTown rollercoaster, and Buzz Lightyear. Our third trip was yesterday and we thought Christmas stuff would be down and everyone would be back in school. Boy were we wrong... We'll try again in a few weeks!

Trip one (Nevember 14th).

The boys ALWAYS have to get their picture with Mickey!

November was a hard picture month for Parker! Notice how he turns his head away from the camera!? Oh how he hit the terrible terrific twos right away and with no problem!  

He's looking here but, I was either super fast or we asked him if he saw Buzz behind us! Hehe!

Trip two (December 7th).

The usual picture...

Didn't take many pictures this day... There were too many adults, kids, and strollers to keep track of!

Trip three (January 5th)

Because it was so crowded we didn't even try getting a picture with Mickey. Woody and Jessie were the next best thing!

Funny how Blake always happens to be sleeping on me!

Parker dreamed about shooting Zurg the night before! He even took a gun to bed with him. He was so excited!

It must stink being two... This is all you ever see!

So, we helped him out!

There always seems to be a highlight each time we go. The highlight of this trip beats all the previous ones by a long shot! Isaac was chosen to be a part of the Jedi Training Academy! He was focused and proved to be a good student. Even when Darth Maul, Darth Vader, and the Stormtroopers appeared, the force was with him and he was never tempted to join the dark side.  

A perfect jedi stance!

Two things I love:

1. Isaac activates his light saber fearlessly.

2. Isaac swings away, completely ignoring his fighting instructions. The Jedi Master tells Isaac, "I don't know what you did but, it still worked out!"