happy birthday, bug!

happy birthday to the coolest little sister in the whole wide world!

you are beautiful, inside and out.

you're my great listening, wardrobe supplying, running inspiring, chick flick watching, dirty romance novel reading, long afternoon saving, clothes shopping, hard truth telling, gospel sharing, very best friend.

and my sister.

it just doesn't get any better than that!

i love you!

painful

these pictures don't exactly resemble a celebration of the birth of our Savior...i think we'll be holding off printing the Christmas cards just yet!

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picture taking as a family of 5 = pain, misery & torture
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i can see why photographers charge so much...they earn every penny!

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shealy might be designing us a card with 3 squares this year...

one for each beautiful, angelic, obedient little face!

::fun on the farm::

we had a fun time with friends on a farm! hayrides, hotdogs and s'mores...a perfect night! and yes, our method of photography is for the adults to just keep smiling at the camera no matter what the kids are doing...it hasn't really worked for us so far, but we'll keep trying!

at least we have all 5 in a picture together!

*Christmas Cards*

if you're in the market for a fabulous Christmas card, my super talented sister is the girl for you! she can do just about anything you can dream of, and who doesn't want a custom-made, one-of-a-kind card to show off your cute family and spread a little holiday cheer? she also does blog headers, birthday and shower invitations, and birth announcements...she did the dunc's and i LOVE it! her email is shealy.mckinnon@gmail.com if you're interested!

::6 cousins on the plains::

the rays came for homecoming and we took all 6 kids to campus before the game. it was wild and crazy, but lots of fun! they love each other so much and it's so neat to have cousins so close in age. 10 of us under one roof means lots of noise and not a lot of sleep! the big 3 sleep together in ford's room, mark, jennie and emma are in the nursery with emma in the closet,

luke stays in his room, and duncan goes in our closet.

for some reason, whenever papa and dede are here with us they opt for a hotel...

i can't imagine why!

ford is four!!!

my big guy is 4! here are some four-year-old ford facts:

loves: superheroes, puzzles, sweets, coloring, painting, writing his letters {total nerd alert}, playing football with daddy, his baby brother, his little brother in moderation, chicken nuggets, pancakes, chick-fil-a, playgrounds, books, his bike, his cousins, school, dinosaurs, his new leapster, the backyardigans, and being outside.

does NOT love: vegetables, naps, anything pink and girl-related, when luke gets into his stuff, when mommy has to work, when daddy leaves in the morning before he can give him a kiss and hug, getting haircuts from mommy, and wearing anything other than jeans!

l

we had a pumpkin patch party with 4 of his friends with fall birthdays back in october and he had the best time ever!

we love you so much, fordman!

you are the biggest blessing to all who know you!

--a cowboy, an indian, a little squaw, and a racecar driver? --

the kids had so much fun trick-or-treating this year! luke didn't feel the need to wait for people to open their doors, he just knocked and walked straight in...the boy is not shy! dunc was just along for the ride...little man lives in jammies and tonight was no exception.

this is one of my most favorite things about living in my hometown...the whole family together!

my {middle} man

Something tells me this one's not going to get lost in the shuffle of being the middle of 3 boys...between his fashion sense and that dimple, he can't help but stand out! His latest escapades: smashing grapes with his armpits, putting peanuts in his ears, getting his hand stuck in the opening elevator door at school {one of my top 3 scariest mother moments...the other two being our times in the NICU} and only wanting to poop in his underwear! He sure knows how to keep things exciting around here!

--naked slip 'n slide--

i bet that title got your attention!

::

sunday afternoons are my most favorite time of the week! it's family time...no grocery shopping, errands or other chores...just time be together and have fun! so this past sunday we combined two of the boys favorite things - water and nakedness!

::

{does anyone else have children that strip their clothes off at every opportunity? it's a rare afternoon if my boys aren't running around in their underwear...and my neighbors can attest to that.}

::

they had a blast!

::life just doesn't get much sweeter than that!::

duncan @ 6 months

this baby is the definition of joy! he is rolling everywhere, can sit for a little while, drools constantly but no teeth, smiles, coos and laughs from sun-up to sundown, loves the exersaucer and puts everything in his mouth. his hair is really dark and his eyes are blue except for a streak of brown in his left one, so the verdict's still out on what they will be. he LOVES ford and ford LOVES him; ford is always talking to him and singing to him and giving him toys or his paci, and he loves to make him laugh. luke is indifferent, although he seems to warming up to him a little more now that duncan is more interactive. it's hard to believe he's already 1/2 of a year old, but it's also hard to remember life without him!

6-month stats:

weight: 18~10 (75%) by far my biggest baby! i can't remember what the other 2 were at 6 months, but i know ford only weighed 19 lbs when he turned 1!

height: 26 3/4 inches (70%)

head: 17 3/4 inches (80%)

at least he's proportionate! i like to say there's just more to love!

{birthday boys}

happy 31st birthday to my husband and happy 1/2 birthday to my baby...i think you're both delicious! i'll be back on monday with duncan's 6-month stats...he's large and in charge!

duncan

baby boy is 4 1/2 months and pure sweetness! it was a ROUGH start...tummy trouble, sleepless nights, days full of inconsolable screaming...but that's all a foggy memory now! this angel sleeps from 8:30 until 7 or 7:30, takes 3 naps a day, drinks 5 bottles and is just about ready for baby food. he smiles and laughs and coos and goes from playmat to swing to exersaucer to bumbo to bouncy seat pretty much all day long. when he smiles big his left eye squints and it's the cutest thing i've ever seen. he is HUGE...definitely my biggest baby...he weighed 15~13 at 3 1/2 months and is wearing 6-9 month clothes. he loves watching the big boys and they love to make him laugh. luke sat on his head yesterday, but other than that, they are very gentle with him and they both like to hold him. his hair is coming in very dark like daddy's and his eyes are still very blue. he is pure sugar and i can't imagine life without him! by far the best surprise ever!

moobs

he's got 'em, that's for sure! chunkalicious!

my 3 boys

Puzzle Prodigy

ford LOVES puzzles...i mean he LOVES them. he's an early riser, and the boys have to stay in their rooms until 7 every morning, so he usually does legos or puzzles when he wakes up until mommy drags her tired self out of bed. yesterday morning, i walked in his room to find that he had done a 100 piece puzzle all by himself!!! i was shocked! he was so proud of himself. i told him he could come downstairs and he said, "i need 30 more minutes, mommy" and then proceeded to do 3 more 48 piece puzzles before coming down for breakfast. joseph used to do puzzles all the time with his bea, so i guess ford gets it from him!

birthday boy

my lukey is 2!! where to even begin...this little man is my heart! he is the snuggliest, cuddliest, kissingest boy on earth! and it's a good thing, because he's also one of the most mischievous too!

he loves: cars, trucks, push toys, trains, throwing tissue in the potty, jack & mac, turning over water bowls, destroying his big brother's puzzles, being outside, chips and french fries, drinking juice, buttons and switches, mickey mouse clubhouse, things that light up, rocking with mommy before bedtime, anything his brother is playing with, his rainboots, and hiding things in obscure locations.

he doesn't love: eating, getting in his carseat, coming inside, room time, being told no, swimming, leaving granny's house, not getting to play in the fridge, not getting to play with the computer and fax when mommy is working, mommy working and not giving him 100% of my undivided attention, and cats (he's allergic).

He is a mama's boy, loves his brothers but torments the big one and pats the little one a bit too rough, smiles with his eyes, has a dimple that melts my heart, has a great laugh, runs instead of walks, and gets into everything he shouldn't! I think I say "Where's Luke?" at least 40 times a day. His granny is his most favorite person and he asks to go to her house from sun-up to sundown. He talks a lot but I have no idea what he's saying most of the time. He makes the funniest expressions and is almost always wearing the hat the Rays gave for his birthday. I think he's as cute as they come and he is absolutely adored!

big boy bike

Papa and Dede got Ford his first 'real' bike as an early birthday present and he LOVES it! Joseph and Debbie took him to get it and they said he hopped on at the back of the store,

rode it to the front register and said, "We'd like to buy this, please!" while sitting on it! He looks so big and he has already put many miles on it! Thanks so much, Papa and Dede!!!

fordisms

Last night at dinner: "Daddy, I'm too busy to eat tonight, I've got a meeting in January." {the boy will say just about anything to get out of eating a few chicken nuggets}

Today at breakfast:
Me: Ford, why do you think Goofy can talk and Pluto can't but their both dogs?Ford: Well Mommy, I guess that's just how God made them.

Today at lunch: "Mommy, I'm not going to be here for a little bit this afternoon, I've got to take Chick (the green car from CARS) to the jungle."

never a dull moment!!

::at least it's not just me::

Happy Father's Day, love!

l.o.v.e.

Popsicle-eating, dirty-faced, sweet-dreaming boys...and they're all mine!

Baby Boy

I could eat him up! I LOVE this munchkin...and I'm trying to savor every minute of his babyness because this. is. it!!! He's definitely more high maintenance than his brothers were as babies. He's got pretty bad reflux and lots of gas, which causes a lot of discomfort for the little man. But it's getting better and we're all hanging in there. Every time he makes a whimper, Luke tries to jam his paci in his mouth or rock the swing 100 miles an hour, so at least I've got some good helpers! He's been eating every 3 hours around the clock, but last night he only got up once! Praise the Lord! He weighed 11~2 at his 2 month check-up so all that eating is paying off. We are just so thankful he's healthy and well and ours!

Loungin'

Never a dull moment

This is why I don't have time to blog these days...

this rascal is keeping me busy! In the past two weeks, he's gotten in the shower and turned the water on fully clothed {twice}, dumped an entire bag of chips out in the pantry, poured sand on his head {on the day our water pressure broke - imagine cleaning that mess up with a drip}, tripped on a sand bucket and sliced his face, tripped over a table and busted his bottom lip, fell off the picnic table on the deck and busted his top lip, multiple busted knees, broke my brand new necklace I got for my birthday, transferred half of the toy basket to the refrigerator, took all our old VHS tapes from a drawer and put them in the shower, shredded my new bath sponge, whew! You'd think I was never around, but he is a sneak and manages to do all these things while I'm feeding Duncan, pumping, or working. It's a good thing he's cute!

If a picture is worth a thousand words...

this one's made up of the four-letter variety!

Thirty and Fabulous

I got to kick off my birthday celebration at my favorite restaurant {Warehouse Bistro} with some of my most favorite people! Thanks Holly for planning such a fun night! I sure do have some beautiful friends!

home

we are home! and exhausted! duncan is going to be the toughest kid on the block after all he has been through in 6 short weeks. his blood cultures began to grow some sort of bacteria yesterday and we were told we might have to stay in the hospital for 5-10 days of antibiotics, but it turned out to be a contaminant in the culture so we were discharged this morning. the thought of another week in the hospital just about did me in, so you can imagine the joy and relief i felt when we heard the good news! thanks for the prayers and i'm sorry it's taken me so long to update - it's been a little wild around here! we go back to the doctor monday morning for a follow-up, so hopefully we'll get a good report. a HUGE thank you to Dr. Brooke for taking such good care of us and giving up your night off to be there for us. brooke was one of my pledge sisters at Auburn and has been such a blessing to our family! you are the best!

Prayer Request...

It's Shealy - Sarah asked me to update with a prayer request...

Sarah is at the hospital with Duncan right now having some tests run. He woke up from his nap this afternoon with a fever of 100.8. Apparently, any baby 8 weeks and under running a fever of 100.4 or higher, has to be admitted to the hospital. So, that is where they are right now. I just talked to her and she said his initial tests looked good, and they should know more in the morning. It is routine that they have to stay for at least 48 hours to make sure everything is okay.
Also - Luke has had a fever and has been throwing up since Monday. A trip to the doctor today revealed a slight case of pneumonia, a double ear infection, AND a stomach virus. So, a baby in the hospital, a VERY sick almost 2 year old...you can imagine the feelings.
Please pray for healing and rest for everyone, as well as patience with the situation and wisdom for the doctors. Thank you!

Savory Solutions

My aunt, Carol Duncan, is a fabulous personal chef and owner of Savory Solutions, and she has started a new service that I have to brag about! It's called Crockpot Wednesdays. She comes to your house, loads up your crockpot with something delicious, and you get to eat an amazing home-cooked meal with no effort on your part! My mom gave us two Wednesdays of meals after Duncan was born, and it was wonderful! I think this would make a great baby shower gift, especially for a mom with multiple children. Or anyone who just needs a break one night a week from figuring out dinner! Carol's website is www.savorysolutions.net, but I'm not sure if she's updated it for Crockpot Wednesdays yet. Her email is savorysolutions@bellsouth.net, and she sends out a newsletter with all she has to offer plus recipes and fun tips every month, so email her and ask to get on her mailing list! She's amazing!

:: bright eyes ::

big brother

luke was my main concern throughout this pregnancy - he's a mama's boy and i just didn't know how he'd handle having a baby in the house. so far, so good! major answered prayers! he doesn't pay duncan a lot of attention, but whenever it gets too quiet, i know where to find him...on his tiptoes in our bedroom looking at "baby". sweet, sweet boy!

--first bath--

milk drunk

ford.

he's hilarious. and really smart. and stubborn. and a touch ocd. and quirky. and loves crafts. and to be outside. and speaks like a robot a good bit of the day. and makes me laugh ALL day long. he's my big boy.

pics from the first day home...

life is full. but so are our hearts!

we are adjusting to our family of five and it's been a great week! joseph took this week off so we've just been soaking up every second of our time together with our boys. ford loves to rock duncan in the swing and has held him a few times. luke points to him and says, "ooooh, baby" and then ignores him for a few hours. duncan sleeps for most of the day {and night!} but I know will wake up soon and become a real baby! he's the sweetest thing ever and we are blessed beyond measure!