Two Other Men in My Life

This would be my oldest and my youngest!

 

I'm thankful for the 3 year, 9 month, and 6 day gap between them...

 

Why?

  

Because these two are crazy and LOUD!

  

I can't imagine having them back to back... 

 

God was kind in giving me an "in-between" break with Parker!

  

Isaac and Blake have very similar personalities...

  

They both had many expressions from week one! 

 

They were my "smaller" babies yet, they never acted like newborns...

  

Super alert!

  

Turn on a video camera now and they start performing. Their volume, especially together, is deafening!

  

They feed off of each other and already have competitions for who can be the loudest!

  

They also compete to be louder than the blender and the vacuum! As if that noise isn't enough... 

 

They both have a hard time holding still but, if you sit and read a book with them, you have to poke them to make sure they're still alive. 

 

They have great focus!

  

They both love animals.

Blake tries to eat anything with fur!

Thankfully his ear piercing squeal usually scares the live ones away...

I hate pulling hair balls from his mouth!

  

The other day I asked Isaac what it was that I tell him the most. He thought for about two seconds and said, "To be calm!"  

 

At school he is working on using his inside voice! 

 

They both play with their hair... All. The. Time!

Which is why you will find food in it. They also use their head as a napkin!

  

They take turns blowing raspberries on each other's tummy!

 

  

They light up when they see each other! I love the special bond they have!

 

 

My Middle Man

 

This would be my middle child 

 

From the womb he was different from his brothers...

 

Unique!

 

He doesn't have the volume they have...

 

Thankfully!

 

He's quieter...

 

A thinker...

 

I'll do it on my own kind of kid!

 

But, he is jam packed with personality!!!

 

He is never Parker James...

 

Usually he's Peter Parker!

 

 Or a Ninja Turtle, Power Ranger, Super Hero, Star Wars guy, Buzz, Woody, The Hulk, Peter Pan, Batman...

 

You get the picture!

 

He is quick to forgive and move on...

 

As well as not sulk in his mistakes!

Parker is the first up in the morning but, the last to get dressed. He's the first to get in the car but, the last to get buckled. He makes the biggest messes and has the hardest time cleaning up. If we're down stairs he wants to go potty up stairs. At dinner he says he's tired and at bedtime he says he's hungry. He doesn't care for animals and I think he hides his toys and then asks for them at bedtime just so I'll go in search for it!

 

I am so thankful for this little guy! Or should I say big guy... He's almost three!!!

 

Blake's BIG Phone Call

I knew this day would come. Besides, all families with little kids experience this type of thing at least once... It's kind of like a right of passage. The pounding heart, shaking hands, confusion, disbelief, embarrassment... How boring life would be without these unexpected twists and turns!

When the boys woke up Saturday morning, they all climbed into bed with me. Shaun was working so it was a special cuddle time just with my little ones. Blake was the first to want down but, when he found the house phone he was totally entertained with the lights and sounds. If it had been a play phone he wouldn't have cared for it! How do they know the difference!?! He played with it for about five minutes and when I heard ringing I figured he needed to be done. I quickly hung it up and set it aside. However, when it rang probably 20 seconds later I just let it go. I didn't feel like explaining that I let my child play with the phone so I could stay in bed a few extra minutes!

As I laid there I wondered who he might have called and if I should have answered that call back. At that exact moment, there was a LOUD banging on the front door. I panicked and jumped out of bed. I told the big boys to stay where they were and to watch Blake. Before I could get to the door there was more banging and ringing of the door bell. Freaked out I answered the door (we have a security door so I still felt save). Two men in uniform where standing there... Cops. They quickly asked, "Did someone call 911?"

I felt soooo bad! I opened the security door and apologized over and over. I told them that my son must have found the phone (of course I wasn't going to tell them that I GAVE it to him. But of course I NEVER thought he would have figured out 911)! They were very nice and understood. They did ask how old he was and when I told them almost 14 months they kind of chuckled. Can't lecture a kid that young about calling 911.

It ended up being a great teaching moment for Isaac. It was safety week a few weeks ago at school and he came home and tried calling 911. The teachers informed us what they were learning so I was waiting for it. Thankfully he practiced on wall phones at school. We have a portable one and you have to press talk first. I walked him through it then and this time he got to see that people really do show up to help. :)

This is where I like to see my boys. All together in one place, loving on each other! One of me makes it hard when they're all over the house!

Elevators are for Wimps

Shaun hates when people find out that he's a fireman and then call him a hero. He doesn't do it for the attention, he does it because he has a servant's heart. At least that's what I think. He says he does it because he likes it... Not for the glory! A lot is expected of firemen when it comes to the community (besides on duty calls). See, Shaun doesn't just go to work and then sit back and relax on his days off... No, he's still out serving the public. Fill the Boot. Make a Child Smile. Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner to whoever, whenever. Climbing to the top of buildings in FULL gear! Wait... What?

 

  

The YMCA has a fundraiser in downtown LA every year and they always ask for support from the firemen and police men. The US Bank is the tallest building west of the Mississippi (like 76 floors) and people rally together and climb to the top. Shaun has participated in past years but, this is the first time I have been able to join him. I'm soooo glad I was able to go! The guys were hilarious as they were trying to pump each other up. energy bars and drinks were in hand! I followed them around and secretly watched all the young, pretty girls watch them. The guys would ask me to take a picture and I'd see random girls pull out their smart phones and snap a picture too!  It was also funny to see people in normal work out pants, that had just finished the climb, hold back their huffing and puffing when the fireman passed them! Believe me public... These guys were DONE when they hit the top floor! They want the fire wives to do it next year. I think I'll pass!

 

Our view as we drove into LA. Shaun took a deep breath when he saw his building trying to hide behind all the other ones.

The guys enjoying their last few minutes before they had to throw on their gear and start hiking!

So glad this isn't my job!

So proud of my man!

La Jolla

The Fullertons were in town from Arizona so we met them at La Jolla for the day. It's not a beach we go to often but, that's going to change... We loved it! So much to see and do! Caves and sea lions were an added plus for my boys. It was a perfect day (which I guess is normal for the coast) and if our boys didn't have afternoon meltdowns, we would have stayed til sunset!

 

Most of these pictures are blurry due to a broken lense. That's why I put them in the collages. You can't really tell that they're not clear when they're little... Thankfully a new one is on it's way!

I thought this is where Blake would spend most of his time so I didn't bother bringing his swim gear... Boy was I soooo wrong...

All this crazy kid wanted was to be swallowed up by the waves! It was  quite the distance from where we set up to where the water started but, he made a dash for that ocean and screamed every time I rescued him from a wave. He was having the time of his life. One lady even walked over to me and said, "I'll help you keep him from drowning!" Apparently my last second saves made her nervous!

Digging for crabs and jumping over waves.

My boys loved having Kyle and Ryan to follow around!

Rub-a-dub-dub, first time in the tub!

I just found this in my draft section of my blog posts. It's about 12 months and three weeks late but, I figured it was still worth posting. It's amazing that not too long ago Blake was this small! As I rocked him to sleep tonight I almost started crying. He's lost that itty bitty baby smell (tonight at the playground he definitely smelled like a boy) and my arms started aching because he's put on about 15 pounds since birth! I love watching my boys grow up... I just wish that every once in a while I could press a button and they could be tiny again. five minutes, that's all I need! No talking, just coos and little grunts! I miss the little sounds... There are no little sounds in our house anymore!

 Not. Even. Close!  

 

 

They all look so little!

 

So fresh and so clean, clean!

His hair looks dark (and a little curly) here but in the sun it has a slight redish tint. Two days before he was born I dreamed that he would be strawberry blonde.

Traumatized!

Nana & Papa Sr.

 

Last week we spent an evening with Papa Sr and Nana. Now, everyone knows that when you go to grandma and grandpa's house they have special treasures that mommy and daddy don't supply. Nana knows that the Higgins trio loves to dress up... These boy's eyes lit up when they saw the vests and head gear. They quickly jumped into character and became the lost boys from Peter Pan. I'm sure they were quite the wake up call for their quiet little neighborhood!

 

Thanks Papa Sr and Nana for a fun evening! 

Taking rides on the remote control recliners!

Nana and the boys

Papa Sr. and the boys

 

My Boon-jee

I'm not exactly sure if I spelled the title correct because I'm not exactly sure if it's a word. "Boon-jee" is the loving nick name that Isaac and Parker have given to Blake! They are constantly fighting over whose boon-jee he is. "No, my boon-jee," Isaac says. "No, he's my boon-jee," Parker yells back. And then they fall to the ground laughing! I don't get it... I have no idea what it means... I have no idea where it came from... However, it's part of their special bond and it makes me smile!

 

 

The Hansens and Jonas Brothers have nothing on this trio!

 

 

Boon-jee gets what he wants...

Boon-jee climbs all over big brothers and they love it!

The End!