2023

My sister reminded me that I still have a blog and have a lot of updating to do. So, apparently we've gone from monthly to semi-monthly to bi-annually to yearly. 

Here we are.  Happy 2023!

Here's an update for my children, as this is essentially their baby book. 

Nolan turned 8! He loves all things Minecraft and Lego. Oh, and Lizards of course. His original lizard, Toothless, died last spring.  It was pretty traumatic as our first death experience, but we learned a lot as pet owners.  Despite doing everything according to what we researched, we think that he had some infections that weren't remedied with our vet consult. After lots of talking, thought, and research, we decided to give it a try again.  This time, we bought from a breeder at a local pet show, are feeding him with better sourced food, and hopefully a bit more educated. Our new lizard, who is about 10 months old now, is named Twothless. Nolan thought he was pretty clever with that name.  

Nolan also participates in swimming, golf, and tennis. He's really interested in piano (and figured out Jingle Bells... over and over...), so I'm hoping to get him into piano lessons soon.

Isaac is now 3 (well, now 3.5).  He is his most happy self when he's playing trains.  He can build pretty unique tracks that take over his bedroom or cover the hallway. When he's not playing trains, he's usually fighting with his younger brother or trying to keep up with his older brother. Unlike Nolan, he enjoys building lego to destroy them. He fits the mold of most middle children, and I'd probably stay away from wronging him. He has some pretty clever revenge tactics.  He attends pre-school part-time and seems to really enjoy it. He also participates in swimming, tennis, music class, and just took his first ice-skating lessons.

Grant's personality is mostly described as "the baby."  He knows he has the power of being the baby, despite us trying not to let that be any advantage.  He insists on eating every meal on our laps.  He also will steal something from his brother and run to us to "cuddle".  It doesn't take us long to realize that his cuddles are fairly ingenuine and he's hiding one of their toys in his hand. He has just started liking trains and Duplo. Grant loves getting swimming lessons and participating in a music class. He's very angry he cannot attend Isaac's classes.  I try to take him to his own library classes, but I'm just not as cool as Isaac.

As for the rest of us, we still have Orie & Floyd (They're almost 12!) and Oscar, our dog. Oscar is unaware that he's the size of a miniature horse.  Grant doesn't seem to mind though, as he would appreciate a saddle. 

As a family, we are all just ready for warmer weather so we can go outside. Or, maybe some snow. 

Sending lots of love and new-year cheer!

Nothing too new in 2022!

I was catching up on my email and noticed I haven't posted the boys' most recent photos.  They're basically dated at this point, but I insist on doing this until they can roll their eyes at my insistence. 

As a family, we're keeping plenty busy with swim lessons, tennis lessons, pet training and raising, and the daily struggles that come with raising three boys.  

Over winter break (how does that already seem so distant?), Nolan turned seven.  He still immerses himself in LEGO daily, with Toothless (the bearded dragon) by his side. He also recently took an interest in video games, and I can foresee what our future looks like.  He enjoys school, learning new things (especially science and math), and telling anyone and everyone about his pet. 

Isaac does a nice job of making sure everyone remains silly.  While he doesn't have a preference in calm, quiet activities, he does like to make everything a full body experience. His favorite activities include anything that are completely independent: sneaking candy/popsicles and finding the perfect hiding place for them, jumping off objects while screaming "boing", and making anything move in a train-like fashion. He's that perfect mix of goofy, mischievous, snuggly, and independent. 

Grant's personality has yet to be determined. He's got one, that's for sure.  I often think he is my sweet and sensitive one.  But, then there are days when he's definitely not that. Being the third forces that "sensitivity" to harden quickly, so I'm still learning him.  He's also getting 4 molars, so sweet can't always describe him either.  It's been a rough month. But, he's cute, chunky, and learning the ropes of being big very quickly.

These boys are growing up way too quickly, and I love watching their friendship for each other grow.  They can definitely have their fights and difficulties, but watching them learn how to include each other is truly my favorite thing.

Hope you're staying warm and enjoying the snow! ❄

My Baby is One!

I truly cannot believe that Grant is one.  I was looking back and apparently I've missed the last few months.  My sister recently reminded me that this whole blog is dated. It's missing some descriptions on all the tabs. Sorry, Grant, I will some day get you added to the list. 

Happy Birthday, Granty-Guy! He truly loved the individual cake that may or may not have been shared by Isaac. 

I'm pretty sure, since writing, we have added two pets.  For those that know me, I promised myself for a while that we weren't ready for a dog.  What sane person needs 3 little boys and a puppy, right?  To reward Nolan for putting up with more moves than you should have as a 5 year old, we said he could get his first pet once we were settled. So, a year after being "settled" he was going to get a fish.... mostly because spongebob accessories were available in a tank.  But, as we visited pet stores, he kept being drawn to lizards.  We did lots of research, he got to know the workers in the store, and we finally came home with a very loving bearded dragon.  Loving may not be the right word, but he does a very nice job putting up with the boys' shenanigans (I also now keep crickets alive). 

Oh, and two weeks later, we rescued a dog. Oscar. The timing wasn't ideal, but he's a good dog. He's very much our little horse, and still very much a puppy.  He fits in with the neighborhood pups well, and loves our kids. When we took him on vacation, one of the older ladies said, "Why would you ever get a puppy while also having such little babies?" And, I had no answer. I still don't. 

Moving on and speaking of babies, our littlest guy is one. Gosh, where has a year gone!? It hit me today that we no longer have a "baby" and that was really sad.  I'm so eager for him to start running around with the other two, but also still not ready. Every parent reading this is nodding along saying "Yep."  Most people ask how he is different than the other two, so here's a bit about Grant to celebrate him. 

Size: Largest. I'm not sure if he's the chunkiest, but he's the tallest. He may be the chunkiest, too.  He's got the sweetest cheeks and thighs. I'm not ready to tuck those thighs away for winter. 

Looks: Hair color - he's definitely the darkest. A darker blonde than Nolan's, and not red. Eye color - pretty blue eyes. Nolan has gray eyes and Isaac has brown eyes. They are all big and very pretty with long lashes. 

Personality: He's definitely the calmest. We haven't seen Nolan's energy or Isaac's comedy come out of him yet. But, he's sweet and calm.  The perfect third child.

Foods: Follows in his brother's footsteps.  He's a big fan of mac and cheese, apples, and anything sweet. He really loves to walk around with an applesauce packet hanging from his mouth. 

Sleep: By far the worst. We're still not sleeping through the night. I've tried crying it out, pushing back bedtimes, moving up bedtimes, and nothing works. He throws his pacis at dad when he tries to console him, because, well, dad's milk just isn't the same. ;) 

Development: Exactly the same.  All of our three have walked right around the week of their first birthday.  He may have beat the other two by a week or two for those first steps. My other two were slow, careful, and cautious. Grant tries to go at full speed. But, he's been a trooper with his inevitable falls into walls, cupboards, kids, etc. 

All in all, he's a perfect little guy to round out our three musketeers. I can't wait to see his personality shine through in this next year.  Has anyone learned how to freeze their kids at these ages? I'm interested.

Catch-Up

Hi! 

In my head, I was behind two months.  This is true for my blog, my house work, my check-off lists, my planner, the calendar hanging on the wall, etc. In reality,  I haven't posted since January (🙈).  This half of the year has been tough, but so, so fun to watch the kids grow, interact, and become little brothers.  I'll give a life update. 

Grant is no longer 3 months, but 8 months.  He's a great baby. He's sweet, happy, and very, very mobile.  The other week, he woke up and decided he was going to crawl and cruise around furniture.  It took us by surprise, but he's handling his own with his brothers and finding himself right in the middle of their play time. He's also got a mean snatch, that is perfect for grabbing cookies, donuts, or toys that are desirable. He seems to be behind the curve on getting teeth (boy those suckers are SLOW to come in), but figuring out food just fine.  He's a solid 20lbs and 28in. And while the picture is vaguely misleading, he's got big blue eyes and brown hair.  Isaac is holding his own as our sweet red-haired boy.

Isaac recently turned 2. He's fiercely independent.  The little guy walks around with his step stool so that he can access everything his brother can.  He is talkative and his mood can easily be changed by some music. He can light up a room and quickly becomes the center of attention with his goofy all-in personality. He is a great big brother and just recently started running to get Grant's paci when he cries (but is not too keen on Grant stealing his pacis). 

Nolan is now on to first grade. He still seems to be motivated by Legos, but is recently dabbling in Pokémon. He's a fantastic big brother. He's so patient with Grant, and finds humor in Isaac's shenanigans.  Just last night, Isaac somehow escaped his room after being put to bed and found Mom, Dad, and Nolan reading together during Nolan's bed time. He sat down and started pointing to the pictures and engaging in the book as if he was a part of this process every night.  I thought Nolan would be annoyed that he was missing out on some one-on-one attention, but he happily engaged Isaac with the book.  It's certainly not always perfect, but they are doing such a good job becoming our little musketeers.

As for the rest of the family, our little kitties are coming up on 10 years. They're good little guys, and do great with the rest of the family.  Floyd loves the outdoors. We recently fenced in our backyard and Floyd has found his little safe-haven. He has a favorite bush, a nice little walking trail around the perimeter, and enjoys all the plants.  Orie is still a scaredy-cat, but he occasionally will go off the porch for a little adventure. 

Scott and I are working a lot, but I'm going to be taking a year (or two) away from teaching to focus on the needs of our family. We've been managing 3 kids nicely, but doctor's appointments, sick days, and all of the other needs in a house haven't been the easiest while still giving everything to teaching. I hope to be back and will miss it greatly this year, but we'll see how I do staying at home.  If anyone has some excel sheets to sort and mine data, I have nap times available. Or, I'll maybe finally finishing organizing our office files, basement messes, and my garage.  Or, convert these blogs to a baby book. 😃

Hello 2021!

It's hard to believe that Nolan is already six.  As timehop memories come up, it seems like just a few months ago that Nolan was running around in Isaac's size clothes. Kindergarten really makes kids grow up right under your nose. It's crazy! 

He's busy and social, two qualities that haven't quite had their needs met during a pandemic.  We were so torn about sending him to in-person school (which later turned out to be virtual school), but seeing him come out of those school doors today (being the first day back after virtual school and break) reassured me that all of our back and forth conversations resulted in the right choice for him.  You could tell his love languages were met. While I'm perfectly capable of creating a fun kindergarten experience (heck, I'm a virtual teacher), there's something about learning from people outside of our family, doing it alongside friends, and coming home for a different change of scenery. And, if I'm being selfish, I'm glad to have my dining room back. 

When not socializing, he still enjoys LEGO (both building giant sets with directions and creating his own moving/transforming sets). The days of doing the builds together as a family (or more precisely Nolan and dad) seem to be dwindling... which I think is the most sad for Dad. He also enjoys reading, asking questions, and playing outside on his bike and scooter. 

In other notable steps, Grant turned 3 months. While he's not as eventful as Nolan, he's certainly making progress. He is determined to sit up and quickly tightens his abs to a sitting position anytime he is relaxed against a pillow.  He loves watching his brothers run around and has to gurgle along to make himself heard alongside the noise.  He's silly, loves eye contact, and prefers never missing a moment (mom is wondering how little of sleep is required). 

While I'm sad to see the holiday season gone so quickly, I'm eager to see what is to come.  I have high hopes of dramatically increasing the number vaccinated (Scott has had his first dose, and I'm ready to do the same).  I can't wait to show my youngest two the thrill of large family gatherings, museums, rekindling friendships, and, dare I say, play gyms ( or, are those too yucky to even consider anymore)? Until then, we'll wait. And maybe explore West Michigan's finest sledding hills. 

'Tis the Season

I decorated really early (along with every other family), and I must say, it was refreshing to have a "new" space to look at for the next few months. I feel like I've been overwhelmed with all of the frustration/sadness of high COVID cases, extended (but necessary) shutdowns, positive tests of people we know, virtual learning until who knows when, etc. But, the joy of our kids' faces when they see Christmas lights, wrapped presents they're eager to open, and advent calendar surprises has made the season feel a little more normal. 

I know I'm going to miss these memories that we're making when the boys are older. 

Isaac, now 18 months, is such a fun guy.  He's either glaring at you for not following his plans, or unable to sit still with belly-laughs that knock him over or sheer excitement to be a part of something.   Because of the whole excited wiggle worm who was eager to watch his brother build him yet-another train track (his butt accidentally knocks them all down), you get to see the glaring Isaac. 

His speech is slowly coming along.  He can say a rendition of Grant, cookie, thank you, candy, snack, (sense a theme?), Baa for sheep, uh oh, and bye bye.  He's currently perfecting his nods and shakes of the head... and you get the above look if you offer him something he has shook his head "no" to. He's all personality, and I can honesty say Mom, Dad, and Nolan adore this stage (Well, Nolan's hit or miss. He appreciates his comedy at the dinner table, but not while he's building things). 

Grant, on the other hand, is growing nicely. He's trying to babble as much as his older brothers do. He's easy to get to smile, and has pretty, big, dark blue eyes. He adores watching his big brothers, and is continuing to be easy-going (thank goodness). We do think he has a bit of reflux as feeding has been hard, but we're hopefully going to solve that issue soon with some meds. Luckily, Isaac was already down this road, so it seems par for the course. 

Until next time, take some moments to step back and enjoy the Christmas season. I saw a parent screaming at their kid because they saw a gift in their cart.  It made Scott and I stop and reflect on just how hard things are right now: financially, and emotionally. While I certainly miss the "quiet hours" of being able to accomplish things while Dad took them somewhere (or vice versa), their excitement seems to be just like every other year.... even if they accidentally peak at something in the cart.

A Distanced 2020 Halloween

Over the summer, we had our first run-in with a wasp.  While it was a traumatic experience for Nolan, it set the stage for lots of learning about stinging insects and inspired our Halloween costumes.
*Note: the cats were supposed to be butterflies, but shipping is tough in 2020.

Meet Nolan: the beekeeper, and his bees: Isaac & Grant. 

We enjoyed the beautiful weather as we strolled the neighborhood, while being able to say hi to our neighbors from the ends of driveways. I don't think we're quite ready to see bare trees and prepare for the first snow.

As always, here's our annual pumpkin carving video. We loved that the kids were so into carving this year!

https://youtu.be/ZzfvQMPCtRs

I apparently did the stack of three pumpkins three years ago.  I have no recollection of this, or am just really sleep deprived.  But, with three kids, it seemed more appropriate this year than three years ago.