TTT: Season 3, Episode 44

1. Tomorrow is the highly procrastinated anticipated open house that I'm selling at. Yay! And that's a "yay" as in "Yay. Glad it's here. Note to self: Don't sign up to do any in-person events ever again unless you're way ahead on everything else." Eek. I know that probably sounds so rude and unprofessional. But I've come to a realization about the whole self-owned business thingy. In-person sales are fantastic for selling items that can easily be made in bulk, items that involve designing and outside production (such making a graphic design and then having ten copies of it printed...only took time to make one!), or items where the seller is a sales rep for a larger company. (jewelry, make-up, etc.) Or, I suppose, handmade businesses that are starting out and don't have an internet presence yet. It's definitely a way of getting business/orders. But the reality of my business right now is that since I've spent several years building the internet side of things, I don't have to do anything to get business. Just sit here and wait for the ding to go off on my phone. And the orders I receive dictate what I make. Whereas with in-person sales, you have to pre-make a bunch of things that may or may not sell. (By the way, let me pause for just a moment. The Christmas shopping season is just around the corner. 'Sell' and 'sale' are two different words. One is a verb and one is a noun. The poor misuse of these two is driving me crazy lately.) Back to what I was saying. I think I've been drawn to the whole in-person handmade market thing because I've seen photos and blog posts of so many and they just look oh-so-pretty and fun. Time to see other handmade products, time to be "all in" with my business, and heck, a break from the kids to spend sipping wine and chatting with other ladies! But I think the idyllic view I had of it all changes a bit when I think of what I've put myself through over the past week to try and squeeze everything in. Sure, I have several baskets of products to sell, a cool new handmade "catalog" for in-person orders to be placed, order forms, pricing sheets, the whole nine yards. But what am I going to do with all of this stuff after tomorrow!?! If the products don't sell, I'll essentially have to sit on them until I receive an order for each color/design online. And create individual online listings for the custom blankets I made. The other stuff? Who knows. I suppose it will sit in a bin in my sewing world until I agree to do another one of these someday. Please, don't listen to me ramble on and on about this. I'm obviously exhausted from staying up until at least midnight every night this week. Who knows...I'll probably come back next week raving about how well it went, how much fun I had, and how I can't wait to do it again. It's the lack of sleep talking here!

2. Among the personal madness mentioned above, my gig as mom has continued on as normal. Yes, the boys do know that I sew during nap time and sometimes after bed, but I'm pretty sure they're totally unaware of some of the insanity I put myself through. Anyhow, we had a blast doing Halloween festivities yesterday and carving pumpkins on Monday. Rudy, especially, is a huge fan of Halloween. Several of my parent's neighbors go all out with decorating their houses and giving out all kinds of gifts and goodies so we headed over there early last night. While living there for a few months when we first moved down, we became friends with many of their neighbors too so it's nice to meet up with everyone again. Then we headed back to our own street and had fun visiting with all of our current neighbors. Mark, unfortunately, got stuck in a long surgery and didn't make it home until all of the trick-or-treating was over but he still got to see the boys in their suits and help them rifle through all their goodies. The excitement was so high that they were very late to bed last night and then up early this morning so we could go to mass for All Saints Day. The older two and I had deep discussions about how the saints became saints and Kolbe informed me that he didn't know if he'd ever be able to be one because he didn't know if he could be that good all the time. Ha! While it's certainly my utmost goal to raise little saints, I appreciate his honesty! And, of course, I told him that many of the saints were the biggest sinners before they dedicated their lives to serving Christ. His response was, "Ok, well I'll try." That's my Kolb.

3. As I mentioned earlier, my brother Pat has been here off and on for the past few weeks. It has been great to spend some quality time with him! The boys love Uncle P. Unfortunately, my grandmother and aunt didn't get to come because of the hurricane, but hopefully they'll be able to reschedule soon. Despite the crazy busyness, I love this time of the year most especially for the time with family. (certainly not for the Houston weather) Next week we have tons of "events" surrounding Kolbe's birthday, the end of the soccer season, etc, but it won't be long until we are headed to Lubbock to celebrate Thanksgiving. We haven't been to Lubbock since last Christmas. It has been way too long and we can't wait! ...Maybe it won't be in the 80s when we get there...

Mama and her super heroes!

Kolbe's new favorite quiet time activity: scavenger hunt. He has to read the word and go find the object somewhere in the game room all by himself.

Carving pumpkins!

This is how our Halloween morning started. Someone found a mud puddle. It's hard to see in the picture, but knees to toes were completely submerged. 

Uncle P teaching Grant how to play with Power Rangers!

TTT: Season 3, Episode 43

1. It's been a big, long, exhausting...but fun!...week. Last week I was fretting over our trip to Austin for my cousin Audry's wedding. Despite the usual dramatics and the "anything goes" mentality that accompanies traveling with young children, we had so much fun and came home completely spent. Back in August of 2009, Kolbe, at only twenty-one months old, was quite possibly the cutest ring bearer of all times at Uncle Brian and Aunt Cristi's wedding. But Rudy most definitely gave him a run for his money this past weekend. He was oh-so-adorable and did a great job at hanging in there for all of the events and pictures. He definitely enjoyed his special moment, though he was not a fan of the tux shoes. Apparently they don't make them in wide widths for little boys with Fred Flintstone feet. We somehow crammed Sixth Street (with babies!...for the rehearsal dinner), the Congress Street Bridge, several yummy restaurants, a trip to my childhood home, the Capitol, and the wedding all in to one weekend. And the Tech game too, of course. We definitely got our dance on as well. And I might just add that Audry was a stunning bride. Any function with our family is a blast and the wedding was no exception. So. much. fun!!!

Mr. Handsome.
There are many more pics to come from the wedding...this was just the best one I had on my phone!

2. After returning from Austin it was immediately back to the real world and the reality of Kolbe's impending tooth extraction. He knew it was on the horizon but kept trying to avoid the topic. Who am I kidding...I put it off for roughly a year because I didn't want to have to see him go through yet another something or other for his mouth. We knew it needed to be done; it was causing further damage to his front tooth. Poor guy. The night before, just like the night before school started, he cried and got all emotional but refused to admit that he was nervous about the dentist. Then he teared up again when we dropped Rudy and Grant at my parent's house and they wished him luck. Luckily, it was all done with sedation so he didn't have to feel or at least recognize what was going on. We got to sit together and watch a movie while the medicine took effect and then they took him back all by himself while "mom went to the bathroom." It only took about forty-five minutes to remove the tooth and do his two fillings. He was awake the whole time but calm. He came out and said, "Mom! Now that I know what it's like to get a tooth pulled, I won't ever be nervous any more!" Hopefully it won't have to happen again any time soon, kiddo. The dentist said it was pretty rough because of all of his scar tissue from his previous surgeries. I was worried about the pain he'd experience later in the day but she said that once the medicine wore off, he should be fine and not need anything else. Despite my skepticism, she was right. Took a long, peaceful nap and then right back to life as normal. Not a single mention of any mouth pain. Must just get worse when you're an adult 'cause I know my mouth was killing me after my cavities! Anyhow, he also got a visit from the Tooth Fairy last night which was oh, so special to him. (and me!) He had so many questions about the Tooth Fairy so we explained that she is one of the guardian angels that God sends to watch us while we sleep and when little boys or girls are extra special brave with their teeth, she leaves a little prize. She also left him a letter telling him how proud God, his mama and dada, and family and friends are of him for all he has gone through with his mouth. And boy, was she right! ;)

Sorry if these pics gross you out...we share partially just for our own family records/memories but also for anyone else who has to go through this or wonders about clefts. This is the "before" shot.

And here's after! Plus a good view of his lip and palate repair scars from roughly four years ago.

Brave little guy leaving the office.

3. Tidbits! (and more pictures)
- We are finally getting our fall "cool front" tomorrow. Highs in the seventies for the next week, thank goodness. Today it was ninety degrees. The boys and I went to the park and came home sweaty like it was June. I miss the four seasons.
- The holiday open house that I'm a vendor at is a week from tomorrow. Don't ask how many items I have ready to sell.
- My brother Pat is in town this week and next. He's awesome and we love him. And my grandma and Aunt Debbie are coming all the way from DC next weekend! I love family!
- I love football season too. Goooooo Tech!

I lived in Austin from the middle of kindergarten to the middle of 4th grade. This was my elementary school that I walked to each day!

And outside of our little house on Wing Road. Seven people lived in there. Must remember to pull this pic up every time I feel crammed for space! 

By the Congress Street Bridge. I love my little family!

Prior to dressing for wedding pictures, I gave Rudy a bath and wrapped him in a towel. He was cold, we had an hour to burn, and I knew it would be a long night so I put him under the hotel bed sheets and he slept like a little angel wrapped in his towel. So sweet!

Checking out a Christmas toy catalog with Pinkie. Hard to believe it's just two months from today!

Post soccer practice dip cone with Dada!

And while the boys were at soccer, Mama and Grant were working on the yard. That was until Grant threw a rock into an ant bed and then went and got it. *Mom Fail.*

Don't you love kiddie drawings!?! Kolbe disappeared tonight and came down stairs a few minutes later with this picture of a bat for us. He even wrote "BAT" on the back. I asked him how he knew how to spell it and he said, "Mom, it starts like 'Buh, buh, buh' so that's B. Then it's 'a, a, a,' so that's A. Then 'tuh, tuh, tuh' so that's T. Did I get it right!?!" The reading process is coming along! Oh, and Happy Halloween from Kolbe's little bat! And All Souls and All Saints Days, too!

TTT: Season 3, Episode 42

1. I'm burning the candle at both ends right now! We leave tomorrow around lunch time for Austin to attend my cousin Audry's wedding. As I mentioned last week, Rudy is going to be the ring bearer and he's so excited for his moment in the lime light! Just as how life typically behaves prior to any form of traveling, there's been a massive snowball effect taking place across all aspects of life around here. And though my mind has typed out my packing list, not a stitch has been pulled from the drawers. Heck, the suitcases aren't even out yet. Tomorrow morning promises to be a madhouse. But I have to say, I can't wait for the wedding! It's been a long time since I've seen my mom's side of the family all in one place. (I missed the huge family reunion the took place just days after Grant was born last summer.) Considering the family is so massive, there's never a dull moment and it's a blast getting to have fun and catch up with everyone. But back to Rudy....Be still, my heart!

Really!?! He's literally the cutest little man to ever wear a tux. And actually, I'm quite fond of knowing he's mine! (this adverb-happy caption is just for you, Mom and Dad! ;)

2. One huge component to the snowball effect taking place around here is definitely the whole sewing machine transition. In fact, I'd consider it to be the avalanche. Not sure if I've ever explained this on here before, but I run on a one week timeline for my shop. So if a customer places an order on Thursday, it will ship by the following Thursday. Usually, it's fairly easy for me to keep up with this schedule. But when you spend two full nap times shopping for a new sewing machine instead of filling orders...and this just days before leaving on a weekend trip...well, the rest is history. But alas, I do have an awesome new sewing and embroidery machine sitting up on my sewing table. I ended up spending way more than I imagined, but I think in the end I'm going to be glad that I did. And heck, she'll pay for herself quickly. I'd classify her as a dream machine. At least for what I'm needing right now. Just a few days in and I'm already in love!

The boys are fascinated by how the machine can sew "all by itself!"

3. Running errands with all three boys isn't easy. A four-year-old, a three-year-old, a one-year-old, a shopping cart, a list, a crowd. There are many, many variables. But lately, it has seemed like errand running with the monkeys hasn't been too bad. The older two have developed an understanding of how to act and how to help mom. But then there's Grant. He's certainly the most spirited of the bunch right now. We set out to run a bunch of errands yesterday beginning with Rudy's tux fitting. Since I knew I'd need both arms free to dress Rudy, I strapped him in the stroller. All was well for the first ten minutes. But not so much by minute forty-five when our salesman had wandered off to help another customer, Rudy and Kolbe were entertaining themselves in the mirror tunnel, and I was doing my best to avoid letting curse words slip from my mouth. Grant was in full on caged animal mode, and though I took him out of the stroller for a bit while we waited, his goal in life was to run wild in the Men's Wearhouse. I felt like I needed an alcoholic beverage by the time I left the place. Our next stop was Target. I convinced myself that maybe if I bought a pretzel to share with the boys, they'd be really well behaved while I raced through and grabbed what I needed for our trip. Luckily, this was true for the older two. But again, then there's Grant. He has figured out how to stand up in shopping carts. Even when strapped in. Why can't they make them with five point harnesses!?! So being the desperate mom that I was, I put him in the bin part of the shopping car and just decided to walk along side of it so I could hold on to him. Despite my efforts, he just had to have that last chunk of pretzel in Kolbe's hand. He went for a forward somersault move in an attempt to get it. Yes, with my ninja-like mom skills, I did catch him prior to hitting the ground. But not without incurring the wound below. And that's just half of it. The top of my foot has two similar gashes along with bruising. I'm going to go ahead and nominate myself for the first person to come out of her shoes on the dance floor at the wedding this weekend. And as for the errand trip...Grant went straight to nap time when we got home. It was for his own safety.

Part of Mama's boo-boos

Ahh. I nice, peaceful picture of the boys reading books with Dada. Wish the whole week had been this calm!

TTT: Season 3, Episode 41

1. I'll be the first to admit that one of my least favorite aspects of kiddie rearing is dental hygiene and care. My kids have never been fond of brushing their teeth. Except for Grant. Right now he thinks it's the coolest thing ever. But he seems to be the exception to many things, so Grant aside, it has always been a battle. And I'm always the bad guy forcing them to brush, "brushing too hard", "gagging them", etc. Ugh. But alas, it is a necessity. Beyond the fact that no one likes stinky breath, all kinds of problems can show up down the road when baby teeth aren't cared for properly. Plus, Kolbe has his own set of issues from his clefts. He's had an extra tooth behind his top front teeth that we've know would need to be pulled for a long time. Between Mark's job changes and changing insurance, we just haven't gotten around to doing it. About a month or so ago, Rudy fell while rough-housing in the family room and hit his mouth on the frame of our couch. His gums bled a little right after and the next day he said it hurt while brushing but then we never heard anything more from him. Sure enough, just recently we've started noticing that the tooth is turning gray. So between Kolbe's tooth and now Rudy's, we decided to head to the dentist this week. Despite the fact that they act like I'm brushing their teeth with a razor at home, they were perfect patients at the dentist's office. (Imagine that.) They each got a cleaning and x-rays done...and came home with plenty of goodies! Kolbe's tooth extraction is scheduled for two weeks from now. We've been discussing it with him for a long time so he knows it coming, but I'm sure it will still be tough. Keep the little fella in your prayers! He's been through a lot with his mouth and is always a trooper. As for Rudy, the dentist said there's no evidence of any damage or real problems so she thinks we should leave it and monitor it for the time being. He may develop more problems down the road and have to get it pulled, but it could also possibly lighten back up and be just fine. She said that since he's only three, it's better to leave it there for now and pull it down the road if it becomes more of a problem. That way he won't be missing a front tooth for roughly four years. Considering that Kolbe will be five in a few weeks and we've yet to have an ER visit, any broken bones/stitches/etc, and a "dead" tooth with Rudy is our first accident, I'd say we're doing pretty well!

In the waiting room at the dentist! Two brave boys!

2. Rudy's tooth is not the only thing that was confirmed dead this week. Sadly, my sewing machine, Number Two, was laid to rest as well. Number Two lived a short but very full life creating hundreds of items (actually, over one thousand!) for many customers. If you've been reading for a while, you're probably thinking that it hasn't even been a year since my first machine died. It's true. Number Two was purchased last December. Like I said...a short life. But she admittedly was a cheap, necessity-type buy in that my first one died, I had a huge stack of have-to-get-out-in-time-for-Christmas orders to sew and just needed something functional in a hurry. But considering the fabric that I sew with is thick and I'm sewing multiple layers of it...with thick elastic in the middle too!...it's hard for just about any machine to stand much of a chance. And I'll fess up...I'm definitely not the best caregiver. I'm usually in too much of a hurry to get one more order done or rushing off because babies are waking from naps and sure enough, the lint builds up until the machine jams and I have to take it apart. That being said, Number Two did really well considering her quality level and what I put her though. I did take her completely apart in hopes of resuscitating her little sewing machine heart, but to no avail. So this time around I'm going to make some changes. I still can't bring myself to drop roughly $2,000 on a dream machine, but I'm trying to take a little more of a get-what-you-pay-for approach along with adding embroidery since it's been something I've been needing to add to my shop options for a long time. Plus, I suppose I'll vow to provide better care and maintenance as well. I mean, it's not like a little spray down with some canned air takes more than five seconds! In the mean time, I'm working on the beauty below. She's my mom's sewing machine that's got to be a good thirty to forty years old. Sure, she's missing many, many, many of the common features of more modern machines (cough, cough- well placed thread cutter- cough, cough), but overall, she's a real work horse and is getting the job done just fine! There's something to be said for a solid metal machine that beats today's largely plastic-cased machines hands down. 

3. Time for some tidbits!

- Our colds that started last week still haven't gone away. No kidding, I woke up this morning feeling like I might have gotten a little bit worse instead of a little bit better. And I even went to bed early last night! Grant's nose is still running like a faucet and Rudy's voice still sounds like a boy going through puberty. Ten days is enough. Go away.

- I ordered, yes, ordered the boys' Halloween costumes this week. I cringe at the word only because their costumes have all been handmade in the past. But they're begging to be Hulk and Batman. Despite the fact that they've never seen a movie or show involving Hulk or Batman. And so it begins. I gave in, realizing I couldn't make their costumes for as cheap as I could buy them. Boo. Next year I will remember to plant my (much cuter!) ideas much earlier on!

- I'm looking really, really forward to next weekend. Headed to Austin for my cousin Audry's wedding where Rudy will serve as the ring bearer. Can't wait to see all of our family!

Little Rudy loves to take pictures. It's so fun to look through them and see what he sees.

I mentioned that we've developed somewhat of a war with Grant and eating. Namely, he likes to exert his power in the form of refusing to eat anything. A few days ago I was craving onion rings like crazy so Mark brought me some home. And while Grant wouldn't eat things that we know he loves, he sure did throw down on an onion ring!

A few weeks ago Mark took Kolbe on a little man trip and this week Rudy got his turn. They headed to Toys-r-us to walk the aisles and then, of course, off to get a dipped cone!

Kolbe had picture day at preschool this week and on the way out our front door  he blended in so well with our fall decorations that I had to get a pre-picture picture. He's just too cute!

Kolbe's number one fan at soccer!!!

TTT: Season 3, Episode 40

1. It's late, I'm tired, and I'm sick, so I'll (try to) be brief. It has been a bit of a long week around here as we've all drudged through our first cold in a long time. No, unfortunately I speak not of cold weather but more of the sore throat, watery eyes, congested head, runny nose variety. And for the little ones, fevers too. Oddly enough, Mark and I were the first to pick it up. Usually it's the other way around with the kiddies getting it first. And honestly, I really haven't been sick in a long time. Like maybe before I was pregnant with Grant??? At least not that I can remember. (Oh, the benefits of pregnancy/nursing mom immunities!) But it has been long days of fussy babes, long nights of restless sleepers, and quite a bit of Motrin and Tylenol. We are actually expecting our first good cold front this weekend so hopefully by the time it arrives, we'll be feeling well enough to go out and enjoy the cool weather! (and by cold front, I mean the high on Sunday of 70. Not 50 or 40.)

2. My hair saga continues. As I mentioned last week, I was relatively happy with my Locks of Love chop but wasn't totally sold on the all-one-length 'do the stylist gave me. I mean, really, it was all one length. No shape or style to it whatsoever. I tried tapering the front around my face just a tad on my own but realized I was going to need a lot more than just that to make it look like an intentional hairdo. So I went to the salon again. I rarely go to the salon twice in a year, let alone twice in one month. But as a stay-at-home, newly thirty mom of three, I've just been feeling a little ugh about my appearance lately and just wanted a little something to help me put my best face forward. Unfortunately, I got anything but that. I even took pictures with me of a cute cut I had in college. Specifically told her that I just wanted some shape to the sides and around my face but no length take off. Even told her how much I loathed super stacked hair cuts where the back is way shorter than the front. And what did I walk out of the salon with? The exact thing I asked her not to do. I was a little worried as I watched seemingly long pieces of hair fall to the ground, but when she pulled out the blow dryer after about ten minutes of cutting, I gave a little sigh of relief assuming that a cut that quick couldn't have been much. But then after drying it she kept going. And going. And going. And going. I think she could tell I was not a happy customer; she gave me a free styling brush and a discount on my cut without any prompting. Let me pause for just a moment. You're probably picturing me with a spiked out Kate Gosselin looking mess. It's really not that bad. In fact, the front looks okay. It's just the back that I hate. It's short. Really short. Like I walked in there with a pony tail and I won't be wearing a ponytail until at least next summer now. Yes, it's just hair and I'll make the most of it. But making the most of it is going to require lots of work and styling every single day to make it look good on me. Not to mention a truck load of styling supplies. And actually, I think I've had it shorter at previous times, it's just not what I was hoping for so I'm bummed. Mark swears it looks cute and that he's not just saying that to cheer me up. Sweet, but I still don't like it. And no, I don't have a picture to show. Lord knows with our colds I've yet to style it anywhere near picture worthy in the past few days. Now if you would all pull out your violins and play me a sad, sad song, I'd appreciate it. Whaaaah.

3. I feel like I'm in a calm before the storm with my shop right now. Why? I've signed on to participate in my first ever open house/ handmade market/ boutique/ whatever-you-want-to-call-it. It's not until the 2nd of November so I've still got a month to go but there's one major problem: In order to succeed at one of these functions, you have to actually have a product to sell! With my etsy shop, all of my sales are made to order. So even though I already have the fabric, I don't produce the item until after it has been ordered. My work time each day is essentially just keeping up with all of the incoming orders online. With throwing this open house into the mix, I'm going to somehow have to squeeze in quite a few products so that I'll have something to sell at the event. Really, I'm not sure why I bring this upon myself. Not to sound smug, but I'm certainly not struggling to get business. I guess I've always just wanted to try out something other than online sales and get the experience of actually getting to interact with my customers. Plus, two of my local girlfriends are doing it with me so it should be a lot of fun. Just might not be fun over the next few weeks trying to build up a little inventory!

Despite our warm temps, it was time to break out some of the fall decorations. Now if only we could make some decisions on Halloween costumes....

My brother, Andy, his wife Abby, and their two boys, John and Will came to town this weekend and we had a blast getting to visit with them. We watched the Tech game at my parents' on Saturday night and Pa just had to squeeze in a five baby wrestle-mania! 

Abby's mom, Miss Mary, is the wonderful creator of Grant's beloved "Blankie Blue." The only problem with Blankie Blue is that he's huge. So when Grant carries it around, the majority of it drags on the floor. Plus, it's size makes it difficult to take along from place to place but perfect for cuddles at night. When Abby arrived this past weekend, she delivered a new mini Blankie Blue from Miss Mary. Grant (and Mama!) were thrilled! Can't you tell?

Uncle Mark found someone willing to lend his baby legs for a drum solo. Poor Will! At least everyone else was entertained by it! 

Kolbe and Rudy scored scrub caps and masks in the dollar bin at Joann Fabrics the other day so they could be just  like Dada.

Grant has started trying to steal the iphone. Trouble!

This fella has always been a "witching hour" baby...enjoying a good meltdown almost nightly from roughly 5-6:30. The best way to end a meltdown? A nice bubble bath always does the trick.

TTT: Season 3, Episode 39

1. My little Grantness had his fifteen month check-up this week. Shockingly, he did gain weight and weighs twenty-five pounds now. I say 'shockingly' simply because in the past few months he has figured out the power over eating. Yes, my babe who used to eat everything you put in front of him has now become a picky eater. Kolbe and Rudy both went through this phase too so I'm not surprised. And definitely not worried either. Grant is no stick figure. And considering Kolbe asked for broccoli the other night and Rudy eats tomatoes like they're going out of style, I have no fears that Grant will return to a good eater before long too. Since his one year appointment three months ago he has mastered the art of walking, picked up several words like 'dada', 'ball', 'book', and his favorite- 'this.' Or as he likes to say, 'dis.' He has also mastered the stairs going both up and down though I'm still terrified of him doing the down part without me watching. He loves books but gets horribly frustrated if it's not a board book. He can't quite figure out how to turn the paper pages. He's constantly under attack from his two big brothers so he's learned to be quite defensive, poor guy. He'll let you know if you're treading on his territory! Oh, and he's gone from four teeth to ten. In just thee months. So yes, we've had our share of whiny, fussy days. But for the most part he's still a happy fella. Wild and adventurous as can be but oh, so smart. And in a good way! He already responds appropriately when I say, "Grant, go put this in the trash for Mama."(train him early to help out!) He has struggled quite a bit to give up his morning nap. Some days he takes one, some days he doesn't, but he still loves his sleep. Which is great for him and Mama! And he still loves to dance. Can't wait to see him at my cousin's wedding in a few weeks!

Don't worry.... no, I'm not already potty training my 15 mo old! But his latest thing has been going and standing by the potty before his bath, tugging his diaper off, and then  trying to set the little seat up on the toilet. Sure, I imagine he's just imitating what he's seen his brothers do at times, but hey, why not let him!?! He hasn't actually gone yet, but who knows. He may just be my easiest (and earliest!) yet to potty train! (Though Rudy is hard to beat.) He's a smart little baby.

2. As I'm sure you may have seen on my facebook page, I survived my Locks of Love haircut! It actually ended up way longer than I thought it would. The last time I did Locks of Love I ended up with a super short 'do. I knew this would be at least a little longer, but didn't think it would be long enough to touch my shoulders and pull into a little ponytail. So I was happy not to have to endure the major shock of long hair to pixie cut. But a week later, I'm almost wishing it was a little shorter in some parts. I told the hairdresser that I'd still love to be able to pull it back, tuck it behind my ears, and make a ponytail if possible so she didn't do any layering around my face. Yes, I can do all of the things I requested, but the lack of layering in the front and on the sides just makes it pretty blunt of a cut and kind of heavy. I'll keep it for a few weeks and see if it grows on me (no pun intended), but who knows; I may end up back at the salon before too long for a more styled cut. Regardless, after looking at pictures, I'd say I definitely look better with shorter hair, though I never regret growing it out and doing the Locks of Love thing.

My hair right before I left for the salon. Looooong!

Super creepy 10" ponytail that's on it's way to West Palm Beach, Florida.

The results!

3. Speaking of things I'll never regret, it's been just over four years since I started blogging. Hard to believe. Four years! Early on I just did sporadic posts about our family, and then, of course, I started my Three Thought Thursday in January of 2010. Having a scheduled weekly post that I hold myself accountable to has been challenging at times but it is something that I will never, ever regret doing. I've said this before and I constantly find it to be true that I am writing the story of my life. And my childrens' childhoods. Something I believe Mark and I will read and re-read time and time again. And hopefully something that Kolbe, Reagan, Grant, and any other littles will find to be heartwarming as they mature into adults and possibly (hopefully!) parents as well. I can't imagine being able to go back and read through my childhood. And I love knowing that no matter where we go, if there's internet available, there our story will be. Mark sent me this text a week or so ago that brought tears to my eyes:
Just taking a moment to read your blog. It's so heart warming to go back and read from the few years past. I rarely tell you, but I think your writing is a great gift from you to our family. No matter the time, I'll be able to relive the times when our kids were little. Our boys are so sweet and you've done a marvelous job. I wish so deeply that I could give them what you give them. Thank you! I love you!
I know. My husband is the bomb. But really...while the blog does warm my heart too, it warms my heart even more to know that something I started as an outlet and "memory book" of sorts is becoming our story. Our successes, failures, hopes, dreams, smiles, cries, milestones, complaints, praises, joys. Our life. 

The layout of our family room is totally non-conducive to having a coffee table. So our old coffee table has made its way up to our game room. The boys use it as their coloring table and it also fits our train tracks perfectly. But I figured we could put it to additional use so I bought a can of dry erase board paint. (I didn't go with the chalkboard paint because for one, I didn't walk chalk dust everywhere and for two, Grant eats chalk. Like whole pieces.) Many, many, many coats of paint later and we now how a huge dry erase table. Here, the boys had me draw a "city" where they could decide what they wanted on each block. Tons of fun!

Kolbe's game face at his soccer game. Taking a much needed water break. It was hot!!!

Kolbe is totally soccer-crazy right now. He LOVES it! So despite his earlier game, we still had to go back up to the park after dinner on Saturday for another family game of soccer.

And man, isn't this guy just precious!?!

We're trying to get back into the habit of having a solid Sunday dinner as a family. Since Mark's work schedule can be somewhat erratic during the week, it's nice to have at least one meal that is special for all of us. Over our Labor Day weekend trip to Dallas, Cristi made us The Pioneer Woman's pot roast and it was delicious so we decided to give it a try and our house and it did not disappoint! Best pot roast ever!

Can't decided what's more delicious...the ice cream or that face! Mark took Kolbe to his soccer practice on Tuesday evening and they went for their own little Dada and Kolbe time afterwards. The older the boys get, the more they want to connect with us. And we certainly don't want to let the opportunities pass us by so having these one-on-one times is so special and so important. They have so much to say and are just so, so precious.

TTT: Season 3, Episode 38

1. Tomorrow is a big day for me...I'm cutting my hair! I'm kind of nervous because I've gotten so used to my long hair. The convenience of being able to just pull it back in to a ponytail, being able to let it just air dry and not look all that bad, the fact that my little boys love it. Overall, when looking at the whole of my life, I've pretty much been a short hair person. It was short through most of high school and short through most of college. Super short at one point. I grew it out while Mark and I were dating and it was long for our wedding. But within days of returning from our honeymoon, I chopped it all of for Locks of Love. Then, it proceeded to stay short through Kolbe and Rudy's births. I got tired of looking like a page boy and decided to grow it out again shortly before we moved. And since then I've only had it trimmed once or twice. (I know...that's horrible. Even when you're growing it out, you should still have it trimmed, right!?!) I decided why not do Locks of Love again so I've just continued to let it go, but now it's to the point where I look in the mirror and just know that it's not doing anything at all for me. Let's face it: the celebrities that have long, gorgeous flowing hair have extensions in. Nobody's hair is naturally that luxurious while also being that long! And mine has reached the "that long but now nappy" phase. But hey, I've pretty much run the gamut on hair styles. Really, if you check out some of our early family portraits, it's hard to tell if my parents had four boys or five. And did anyone else out there rock the perm? I did. In a very un-natural way. Seriously...no one's hair naturally looks like that!!! I mean, unless she was struck by lightening. So yes, I do have reason to be apprehensive about tomorrow's cut. Because of Locks of Love I'll definitely be losing at least ten inches but this time it's even longer than last so hopefully post cut it will be long enough to still at least look somewhat attractive. (No pageboy.) My biggest requirements are that I have to be able to pull it back, have to be able to tuck it behind my ears and the cut absolutely, positively cannot involve the clippers in any way whatsoever. Say a little (frivolous) prayer for me around 10:00am tomorrow.

2. Life is full of "seasons" or "phases" and I'm so happy that right now we are finally in just a normal, steady season of life in our family. Summer time is always fun, but chaotic. So fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants. Out of routine, here, there, and everywhere...it's full of adventure but just so unstructured. And, of course, the winter holiday season is all over the place too. Lots of traveling, lots of activities, parties, etc. But then in between you have these periods of just normal-ness that are so nice. Sure, the calendar is filled with this and that but it's all routine. Things that last their scheduled hour or two at the same time and place every week and that's that. It's nice. It makes me feel somewhat in control of our little family! And really, considering we always seem to be going through some major life event, it's nice to just have nothing significant going on for a while. Life is good.

3. Each week when I sort through my phone pics to add to my post it always surprises me how as the weeks pass, different kiddos seem to steal the show. I never realize it's happening as the days pass but then I go to set up the pictures and find seven of Grant and one or two of the others. Or a whole slew of Kolbe and not much else. This week, my little Rudy seemed to steal the show. Like I mentioned last week, he has been such a sweet boy through all of the changes going on with Kolbe and one of the things I've loved most about Kolbe going to his little pre-school on Tuesday and Thursday is getting to spend some quality time with Rudy. He's so, so unique. And though they're connected at the hip, he oh, so different than Kolbe. For example, some fabric that a customer of mine requested came in this week. Upon opening it, Kolbe sees it and says, "Mom, that fabric has Os all over it." And then Rudy interrupts with "Kolb, those aren't Os. They're glazed donuts. And these ones are donut holes." (polka dots)  He's definitely my creative, imaginative one. He sees things through different eyes that anyone else. And as always, he's just the biggest (and best) tender-heart around. I love everything about my Rudy. He's a dreamer, that one. And I can't wait to see where all of his dreams take him.

We had a lot of rain on Sunday...the kind without thunder or lightning so we went out for another round of playing in the rain! And this time turned in to a great round of making mud pies. We detached part of the gutter, moved a bunch of the rocks, and had the perfect little mud pool. Rudy was the ultimate mud pie chef.

But all three boys got in on the action!

Pa joined us for dinner last week while my mom was hosting a get-together for the ladies on her street. He loves to play "wrestle mania" with the boys. They usually choose some object (in this case, his keys) to be "the power." Pa is the owner of the power and it's the boys' job to try and steal the power from Pa!

Another bolt of fabric or a typical creative hide-and-go-seek spot for Rudy?

Rudy fell in love with this awesome tweed fedora at Old Navy today. He wore it home and proceeded to keep it on the rest of the day. He wears it well, I'd say! 

And, of course, your weekly dose of yummy baby. It's the obligatory picture of Grant, because he's just oh so precious!