Still playing catch-up!

My Jaxon..
Granddad, Mimi and Shea.
Sharing the love!

Naturally, when Jonathan offered to play through the tough levels on a Lego Star Wars game that the boys like to play, they were thrilled to pieces. They also learned a few secrets, so that now they can finish these levels on their own. SO much better for Mommy than me having to admit that I have no idea how to help them play it!!

What a big helper!

Jaxon and Seth

Dexter and Nichole
One of the things we love most about our Shea is her fantastic hugs. She gives them generously and, as Seth pointed out, there's just nothing like a baby wrapping her little arms around your neck!

Another installment

Shea convinces Daddy to read all about cats. Meow.
Great Grandpa with two sillies. Jax-left, Dex-right.

Dexter sharing a story with Great Grandpa.
Uncle Jonathan and the big 23!

Jaxon kept reminding me that Uncle Seth and Aunt Nicky are his friends. I know I've said it before, but I love how much the boys adore my brothers (and Nichole!).
Seth, as photographed by Jaxon.
Jonathan and Dexter. Seriously, this is why I wish we lived closer!! Can I do that?! Absolutely not!
I cannot for the life of me remember why the boys were covering their eyes. Surely, someone was promising some amazing treat if they would only cover their eyes. Truly fun that I caught each of them peeking. Dex-left, Jax-right.


Another round of cats!

A few more

Mimi had a book about cats that Shea had to look at constantly over Thanksgiving!! It was so funny. I remember the boys being more interested by character-driven story books, but Shea just loves animals. Puppy dogs, cats and rabbits are her all-time faves.
There are a few parts of our daily routine that are always present... they are things that the boys insist on a regular basis and I just love that they are starting to be able to structure their playtime according to their interests. First of all, there's our regular storytimes. We read books in the morning while the kids are having their snack. Then, the boys jump on storytime alone with Mommy after Shea goes down for her nap. There is usually a period in the afternoon during which the boys listen to music and work on jigsaw puzzles or coloring books. There's a game time, where I get to share a board game with the boys (I LOVE GAMES... even Candy Land and Monopoly Jr.). My all-time favorite time of day, however, is when the boys start appearing in costumes. They are so funny to listen to when they're dressing up. There are days when the put on a sports show for me, complete with costume changes for each sport. There are high-flying space adventures and crime thrillers... or there's just two silly little boys making it up as they go along. Above, we have an astronaut and a clone trooper. Interestingly enough, clone troopers in our house usually wear rhinestones and fringe. A few days ago, however, they insisted I cut holes in grocery bags so they could wear them like space suits. Then, they had be write Commander Fox on one and Commander Rex on the other. Love it.
Dexter, with showing off his jet-back.
Getting ready to blast off.

Dex, Henry and Shea, playing together at Thanksgiving.
It's always great when we get together with D.R.'s family, because there are so many little boys! However, because there are so many little boys, Shea usually winds up playing with light sabers or, in this case, some sort of ninja weapon? Oh, Shea...
Thanksgiving photo with D.R.'s family.
The boys have really taken a liking to taking photographs. They are impressively careful with my camera, so every so often, I will let them take a few photos. It's always fun to see what they choose to photograph and how their subjects respond. The following shots are a few that Dexter took... including the one of D.R. above.
Jax, photographed by Dex
Jax, flipping for the camera. Love that Dex wanted an action shot.
Jax, posing for Dex.

Snapshots...

At some point in the past six month, my life became infinitely easier. Actually, I feel like I can say that for the past 4 1/2 years. We started with two tiny little babies that required so much, all the time. They nursed every two hours around the clock for the first five months of their life. How did I do that?! From that point on, it seemed that things got a bit easier every couple of months. I've always tried to enjoy my children, to savor the moments I have with them, but it has gotten so EASY to be with them. Is it just that the boys are getting older and Shea is following suit... or are we all just getting used to each other? Whatever the case may be, we are having a lot of fun together, these days. Rather than counting the hours to bedtime, I find myself looking at the clock, regretting the fact that bedtime is quickly approaching.

Anyway... on that note of parental ecstasy... a few photos from the past few weeks...
Shea taking such good care of one of her babies.
Okay... it really has been a long time since I posted! Here are the boys working on Thanksgiving turkeys. They got such a kick out of painting that day that they each made six turkeys. What funny little boys.
Snack time quickly became an opportunity to play Little Red Riding hood with their trail mix... the boys had a funny obsession with the big bad wolf for a few weeks.
Dex- left, Jax- right
What would we do without the piano and things to climb on?
On this occasion, Jax met some sort of awful fate while Dex and Shea tried to determine the severity of his conditon.

Moments like these just crack me up. Dex tried just about every trick he could come up with to keep Jax alive. Too funny.
Shea, climbing the couch cushions.
My Dexter
One of Shea's classic tackle, death-grip hugs, with Jax, the lucky and patient recipient.
What a good big brother! The boys are so good about letting Shea be... well... Shea.
The three kiddos painting together. Love the fact that we can start doing things like this with Shea included!
Jax and Shea
On this day, the boys kept hiding under a blanket with flashlights. They probably spent a good hour or two under there that afternoon, whispering and plotting... giggling and playing. LOVE IT.
Another painting pic

First post of 2010.... February?!

I have been having trouble uploading photos, which has brought my blogging to a sad halt. Until I find a way to remedy that problem, I'll just have to settle for blogging without visual aids.

We've had a busy past month, filled with many Christmas celebrations (extending all the way through late January), visits with loved ones and a fantastic week in January with D.R. on vacation. I think the boys were kind of shocked last week-end when we didn't have another Christmas get-together to attend! Whereas last year at this time, we were getting a strong dose of cabin fever, this year, I feel like I blink and the day is gone. The boys have discovered the joy of sledding (thanks to their daddy), the comfort of hot cocoa and the excitement of planning their own days' activities. They are still as sweet as can be when I propose games or projects, but they don't certainly don't suffer from boredom when left to their own devices. I need to start recording their conversations when they're not aware that I'm listening. They are fantastically creative and inventive and definitely keep Shea and me entertained.

Speaking of Shea, she is a bundle of energy, just like her brothers were (and are!). She continues to follow the boys everyplace, but also has her own opinions about the best ways to pass the time. She is a story book addict, adores lining up the boys' little action figures or board game pieces and is adorably attached to a zhu-zhu pet she calls Walker (after her cousin), a plush rabbit puppet "rah-rah" and her toy dog. Before falling asleep most nights, she'll call for Walker, rah-rah and dog, as well as a series of blankets. It's pretty hilarious. I think my favorite part is when I go to check in on her before I tuck in for the night, and I find her lying on a mountain of blankets and toys. Oh, Shea. It brings me back to the days when the boys would request specific matchbox cars to sleep with.

So, here it is... my attempt to reconnect with this little blog. Hopefully, this will be the start of many more posts for 2010.