A couple more days!!!

My belly is HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!! But, only a couple more days and we get to meet our newest member of our family. I am scheduled to be induced on August 3rd. I have mixed emotions about it. 3 pregnancies in 3 years has made this pregnancy horribly painful making me very anxious to be done, but at the same time its a little sad knowing this chapter in our lives will be closed.

Will keep you posted....

The only one

If it wasn't for these faces....

days like today would do me in. Today was a definite "Not Me Monday" kind of day. I feel like these days only happen to me.... I'm the only one sweating it out (literally) as I'm chasing my kids around the store and trying to get something accomplished at the same time. The only one with holy terrors racing around the shopping cart and screaming. The only one who is 39.5wks pregnant, carrying a 35 lb toddler, another toddler trying to climb out of the cart, with one foot in the women's bathroom door to still be able to keep an "ear" on my oldest. The only one with a toddler and an almost 6 yr old (who should know better!!!!!) running over to the eggs, opening the carton to have my 2 yr old pick one up and squeeze it. The only one wearing raw egg all over my dress as I finish up my grocery shopping, because I didn't get this far to quit now! The only one with a one yr old who is taking a bite out of everything she can get her hands on in the cart, including the bread and hamburger rolls. The only one with the toddler pulling all the crap they have in checkout aisles off the shelf and into the cart with her and onto the floor. The only one with diced peaches leaking all over the whole cart to just put them back on the shelf because I just might start to cry if I have to admit to one more person that my life is out of control. The only one who's 6 yr old is twirling his hat around and catches the edge of my dress, lifts up, and ever so kindly gives everyone in the aisles behind me a show. The only one who has the bagger who only puts 2 items in each bag, making things take 4 times as long and all the people around me telling me I have my hands full, to which I want to say "Thank you for stating the obvious and unless you feel like helping me out, SHUT UP!!!!"

BUT, look at those smiling faces and how cute they all look and how could I possibly do anything but laugh off these days!?!?!? :) (just need to keep telling myself that)

Monkey Joe's

On Mother's Day we decided to go to Monkey Joe's to let the kids play.

Tball

Jeff and I have been waiting for 3.5 yrs for this day... Peyton has been hitting a baseball since he was two. He first learned in our apartment living room, knocking the pictures off the walls. His first Tball game was this weekend and it was the longest and funniest 4 innings of baseball I have ever watched! The kids chase their own balls, fight over who is going to get it and throw it, play in the dirt, pick grass, and one little girl even took the ball from the pitcher that was trying to tag her out with it!

Peyton as pitcher...

Second base...

Can't resist playing in the "sand"... He insists that its sand and not baseball dirt.

Running to first after his first hit...

Waiting to be up to bat...

I can't believe my first baby is old enough to play the one sport he has LOVED since he was a toddler. Love you buddy!!

Too smart for his own good (or maybe mine!)

Not Me Monday (except its Wednesday)! I just had to post what most definitely DID NOT happen to me today in a Not Me story. Today I had two "quick" errands to run (as quick as any errands can be with a 2 yr old, a 10 month old, and my friend's 5 month old). I was finished at my last store and I had bought Parker an Icee on our way out. On the way out, he did NOT drop it in the parking lot. I pick it up and save most of it to get back to the car to try and wipe it up. Parker climbs in the front passenger seat which was fine with me since he couldn't get into much (or so I thought) and he was at least not going to take off on me and run around the parking lot. (He was there for literally 30 seconds tops!) He did NOT start playing with the buttons on the door. I put him in his car seat, Piper in hers, lean over and start the car to start the DVD player, put the bag in the car, close all the doors, and am going to go put baby K into her seat to hear a big CLICK. All the doors most definitely were NOT locked with the car running and two kids in it. Oh and did I mention my cell phone was in the bag in the car!!!!!! I did NOT start to panic, I did NOT plead with a 2 yr old to unbuckle his seatbelt and help Mommy out.

Thank God for a very sweet woman who asked me if I was ok and when I asked her for her cell it was NOT broken! The tears are filling my eyes, but just as I am about to ask her to go into the store and call the police, a nice man asks if he can help and I am able to call 911 and admit that my 2 kids are NOT stuck in my locked and running car!! After both of my "rescuers" leave I am left to wait for the police by myself with slight panic that they might not show up and I won't have a cell to call again. Fortunately they show up shortly and unlock my car filled with a screaming 10 month old and my toddler who has decided that he does NOT have to listen to Mommy and put the lid back on his Icee!

This photo doesn't show the red stained hands to go with it and the red stripe down his belly to match.

Oh and to top off the day, he decides to take off his diaper, pee the bed, and not take a nap!!!!!! Really????

Happy Easter

Rare photos with all 3 of them sitting together...

Love these guys!

This was snapped really quickly before Parker decided he was done and pushed Piper off his lap. Good thing for quick reflexes!

The gang.... Parker, Braycee, Peyton, Piper, and Tilman (all coordinating so well) :)

Daddy and his princess.

Chunky Thighs

Probably one of the last times I can call her "chunky", but I just love these thighs!! The rolls are all the way down her legs and into her ankles. Baby chub.... gotta love it! :)

Attached to the binky

The babies are sick again, this time with croup and Peyton and I have gotten colds from all of this.
Showing a little love despite feeling badly.


Piper has gotten super attached to her pacifier (binky) during this whole sickness. She doesn't care how its in, as long as its in. :)

My Mom's 50th Birthday

We had a birthday dinner at our house for my Mom's 50th birthday. (the photos are slightly out of order, but you get the point) :) Piper decided she needed a handful before we took the cake away.

Happy Birthday Grandmom!

Tilman, Peyton, Braycee, Piper, Parker (who of course HATES his picture taken)

Getting into trouble

Piper is finally starting to become mobile. She is pulling herself up (sorta) on some things and she can army crawl now, thankfully not as aggressively as the boys used to.


Getting into trouble... eating Sandman! I am constantly sweeping the living room for any of the boys toys she can't have.

Saturday morning, hanging in their PJs.

First big snowstorm

I hate snow! The kids LOVE the snow! We took them out in it for a while. The boys dove right in and Piper hung out in the stroller all wrapped up.


Parker wouldn't stay still long enough for me to get a good photo of him.

I just realized how squinty her eyes look in this photo. :)

"Uh, Peyton, what are we supposed to do?"

Our little man

Tomorrow I am taking Parker to the allergist for a follow up to see if he has made any improvement, but unfortunately his symptoms persist. He has a constant low grade fever and bathroom issues (to spare you the details). His "allergy shiners" (black and blue marks under his eyes) never fully go away and often flare. I have yet to be able to pinpoint anything in particular that causes the symptoms to worsen. The dr. had originally thought he had dust mite allergies and possibly other environmental allergies. He was tested for those as well as food allergies, but he falls into the 25% of kids under 2 who show a negative result despite the possibility of an allergy present. Their immune systems fight the test. So I'm anxious for tomorrow's appt and am hoping for some answers. It saddens us both to watch him go through this and for his little body to be "fighting" something for so long. It frustrates me to be possibly exposing him to something that his body is rejecting and not agreeing with.

Always on my toes

Welcome to Not Me Monday where I can list all my mishaps as a Mama and give you all a good laugh in the meantime.

So as many of you know, Parker is more than a handful. His crazy toddler antics keep me on my toes and constantly wondering what crazy thing he will be into next. I'm always following his trail like a Hoover just doing what I can to keep Piper from getting every little toy or snack he leaves behind. This time did not end up with Piper having her very first taste of a chocolate chip cookie! She did not have the whole thing all mushy with baby drool and cookie crumbs stuck to her cheeks and I most definitely did not bust out laughing and take a picture. Sometimes laughter is all that gets me through the day!




"Mama, what's so funny?"

As a mom of 3, almost 4, young kids I definitely wear my share of poop, pee, throw up/spit up, partially chewed up food, blood, dirt, and snot. Some days I wonder how Jeff can even muster up the courage to come close enough to give me a kiss when he gets home because I most definitely do not look like I'm the one with uncontrollable acid reflux or decided to start eating something and part way through end up spitting it out in my lap or stop a bloody nose or cut with my shirt. No not me! Although these things happen on a daily basis ( I mean do not :) ), I did not experience a "mommy first" for me today. I did not lean over to kiss my beautiful little girl to get a really stinky formula burp and a mouthful of spit up!

And, speaking of bodily fluids... on Friday I watch a friend's baby and with 3 in diapers, I definitely change my share of poopy diapers. After being up to my elbows in one poopy diaper after another, I realized the smell was still lingering. As I'm checking each kid and noticing they all smell like a fresh diaper, I'm still trying to figure out where the smell could be coming from. After a couple of hours I do not realize that its got to be the couch! I insist no one sits there the rest of the day (which goes so well with a toddler who does not continually jump from one couch to the other all day). With a hyper-sensitive prego nose, I am getting super frustrated with the constant smell of a poopy living room. Just before friends come over, I am overwhelmed by the fact that our house reeks to come to figure out that it is not my clothes that smell!!!!! (Did I mention that I was not sitting on that couch for a quite a while before I figured out that it was the culprit?)

So if you're a mom and can relate to all the imperfections that you wish you could take back (or not and just want a good laugh), check out MckMama's blog and all that everyone else had to say on Not Me Monday!

I finally got one of all 3 of them smiling!!!

Peyton (5) Parker (22 months) Piper (7 months)

SURPRISE!!!

What a way to start off the first post after being gone for a while! Yes, we are having another baby, much to our surprise. Sometimes life throws you curveballs. :) Well we are expecting another little "P" July 31st. So far all looks good and the baby is doing great.

Not Me Monday! Take 2

As I am attempting to rinse out a poopy cloth diaper in the toilet, the toilet DOES NOT start to overflow on me! I mean, come on really??? Its not bad enough that I have to put my hands in the toilet to begin with?? I did not then just hope the problem would solve itself and that the next time I would flush it would just work. (Funny thing is, it did work!!)

Thank goodness I can start over tomorrow!

Not me Monday!

Not Me Monday time! Check out MckMama's blog.

Somehow the worst of my "Not Me's" happen when I am alone with the kids. Maybe that's because there are 3 of them and only 1 of me!! Sunday I did not decide that taking the kids out to run errands as a way to get out of the house was a good idea. I did not then listen to Piper scream the whole way there to then not fall asleep less than 30 seconds from the store. She did not fuss the entire time at the store. I did not listen to Parker scream the minute I put him in the cart until I did not give him a bright red Cherry flavored Icee. An Icee that he did not drink most of in a matter of minutes and then proceed to take the straw out and did not flick all over himself and his brother who was not nicely sitting next to him being quiet. Oh and did I mention that he did not have a white shirt on? I did not then fight with him the rest of the time to keep the straw in and not drink it from the hole in the lid. I was not wishing I had not just created more laundry for me to do.

I did not then decide to head to a craft store, "J" to look for items to finish a Christmas card order. I did not not find what I was looking for in J and then go to the other craft store, "M" across the street. Again, I did not not end up with the things I did not drag the kids in there to find. As I am standing there looking on the shelves I did not feel a warm wet spot forming on my shirt under Parker's butt to then left him up and see that he had not peed all over me. I did not then put everything I had on the stroller on the shelf in front of me and walk out. I did not then listen to Peyton cry about not getting to go to McDonald's that I had not been using as bribery to cooperate at the stores with me to then just cave in and not go in with a soaking wet shirt and a 20 month old with soaking wet pants. Nope not me!! I did not put my vest on and try to cover it up, but then realize it was too ungodly hot to wear that and juggle all 3 kids in McDonalds by myself. I did not then leave it in the car and say to myself "Who cares? My shirt is wet, they can think what they want." Everyone does not always stare at me and make comments about how "full my hands are" anyway, when in reality they do not really want to say "You're crazy for having 3 kids that close in age! What were you thinking!" To which I don't want to scream and say "Mind your own business!!"

I did not then hang out for a while to let them play on the playground to then have to go and rescue the 20 month old from the very top! I did not then decide it was time to go and turn down the help that strangers were so kindly offering me.

I did not drive all the way home to then find out that Parker had not pooped in his diaper like he does not do EVERYTIME we are at a playground!

Thank goodness it was naptime when we got home!!!

Oh and I most definitely DID NOT wear the shirt that did not get soaked with pee the rest of the day because I forgot! Nope not me!!!!!!

Go Phillies!

We are Penn State!

Piper's 1st cereal

Piper had her first cereal the other day. She wasn't too sure at first, but LOVES it now. Its helping to keep this little 18lb girl full longer!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

We took the kids out trick or treating on Friday night to see family and then went around the neighborhood on Saturday night.

Quick photo before we left Sat. No one was in the mood to have their picture taken.

Our little butterfly.

"Rrrgh" pirates!