Warmth

Jack was a little worried one night that the big bad wolf would come over and blow down our house. Even though I told him multiple times it was just a story, and that the big bad wolf couldn't actually blow down houses.. he was still concerned.

Thinking on my toes, I said, "You don't need to worry Jack, our house is made out of bricks."

"Oh, okay!" He stated while walking off smiling and satisfied with that answer. Looking over Jack's shoulder I see Trent mouthing the words, "Good one!" and holding his thumbs up. Haha. Parenting sure is entertaining.

There is a reason why they don't come with a manual. Each one of them is a completely unique person, inept with different ways of viewing and conquering the world. It's in our jobs as parents to help them figure out how to solve and view difficulties they may face in this life. And maybe we just need to show them that if they fall into a river.. they just have to learn how to take a bath instead.

Another funny thing with these boys?! They came up with their own word for calling someone silly. They will call you a 'poppy' instead! HAHA I sure love 'em! And as for little Tye? He sure is sweet and squishy as ever! ~ And growing like a weed!

Can I listen to your 'heart-beep?'

My chunky monkey

Tyler is now 2 months old! Seems like he's been a part of our family longer than that :). I told the doctor he is cooing, smiling.. and laughing. Which surprised her.. guess laughing isn't common at two months. Looks like we have a funny man on our hands! Oh, and he is growing a uvula! Phew. haha.

As for his height and weight? Well.. this is how the conversation went:

Doctor: "Wow.. what's he eating?"
Me: "Just milk."
Doctor: "Oh.. he's breastfed?!"
Me: "Ha yeah.. my husband jokes that I only make cream.
Doctor: "Or butter!!"

At 2 months old my little chunky monkey weighed in at 15 lbs!! And he is 24 1/2 inches long. Both being greater than 95%.

Jack ~ 13.6 lbs and 25 in
Blake ~ 13 lbs and 24 in
Tyler ~ 15 lbs and 24.5 in

Yeah.. I make some big boys. But I wouldn't want them any other way.

Summer has been going great so far. I absolutely love having 3 boys. Life is always entertaining, and certainly busy! This picture is of them having their own picnic together.. making sure Buddy doesn't get any of the goods!

Poor Blake was playing outside when all of a sudden the sprinklers turned and he was terrified. Jack is on his way to help rescue him from this unthinkable predicament!

Tyler actually likes tummy time. He is such a cutie!!

Blake has a habit of falling asleep during dinner sometimes. This time it was only 6 o'clock! Haha. Asleep with a corn-dog stick in his hand.. can't get any better than that!

Jack tells me I need to do this with them to stay 'healthy'. We all have a great time exercising together. We do jumping jacks, push ups, balance on the ball and even stretch! We've tried to make it into a daily habit.

Maybe I work them too hard ;)

Here is Jack's recent drawing of him and Blake. They have super powers.. can you tell?? Hope everyone has an amazing summer. The fun has just begun!

Embrace

Some are so scared to accept the great unknown.

But I preach to you all about how important it is to embrace new opportunities, strange and exciting. About how important it is not to limit oneself to the familiar because there is so much to learn from the unfamiliar.

Take for instance my sister-in law and her beautiful daughter. Sailing across the ocean. That's all my little niece has ever known. What a great way to explore the world.

Also my brother-in law and his beautiful wife & family. Teaching in Guatemala before turning their adventures toward Saudi Arabia where they spent the last two years of their lives.

Now I am not saying that these things are what every person is to strive for. Little things can also make a big difference, such as bringing new life into this world - or just saying 'Absolutely' to something unknown and unfamiliar. How else are you suppose to grow unless you reach? After all, it's after we accomplish the little goals, and take unknown roads that brings the greatest happiness into our lives.

So there you go.. take the first step towards greatness. It's in all of us.

Catching air

Yes. As daunting as it may seem.. we decided to take a road trip with our little family up to Oregon!!

We know we may be crazy, but we were so excited! We had no idea how our littlest tot would do on the ride, so we were kinda nervous - but he did great! We made sure to make the whole trip fun.. stopping along the way at parks, and making every part of it an adventure!

We also were so excited to go see Jenni, David and their cute family (Caleb, Noah, Eva, and new little Matthew)! They have all grown up so much - and it had been awhile since we had seen them last.

So here we are, about to evoke on our adventure. Not sure what lies ahead...

Haha - actually, Trent had just discovered how to take pictures on our tablet and he was all excited, so he took this picture!

We had the car set up pretty good for us I thought, with the boys all the way in the back, they could talk as loud as they wanted, and I still had a place to sit in case any of the boys needed anything.

For those of you who have never been to the Oregon coast, I would highly recommend it. It is gorgeous, even just along the 101. We enjoyed the driving, and we even got to see some waterfalls right from the road! The boys had fun trying to spot them.

One completely awesome thing about this trip? Jack learned how to ride a bike!! That's right. In about 5 minutes, Jack was cruising around on two wheels! Apparently the best way to teach someone, is to have them learn to balance themselves on the bike and not use the pedals. After coasting about 8 times.. he said he wanted to use the pedals. We told him to go for it - and off he went!! Just like a born pro! I was sitting there with my jaw wide open. I am so proud of that kid!

It was so much fun staying with Jenni and her beautiful family. They are some of the kindest most generous people! They fed us well, and all of our kids played and played. Their little Matthew is so darn cute! Look at those gorgeous eyes! Funny thing was that Tyler and Matthew's cry actually sounded very much alike. Every time one of them cried, we looked around to figure out which little guy it was!

Another fun thing we did?? We went BMX biking! Now mind you, I have never done this before.. so of course, I took advice from those who have. They told me to go as fast as I could down the initial hill, and it would make the whole course more fun. So off I went... and completely LAUNCHED myself. I caught major air - and have some nice bruises and scrapes to prove it. haha. I will definitely be trying that again ;) . I just wish someone would have caught it on video!

All the 'big boys' went on a hike - and we enjoyed ourselves exploring all around Oregon. The boys made big boats and watched them float away, played in sand, and played in a few parks. It was so nice to be with everyone and enjoy the nice weather!

Here are the cute babies together! Aww I just love them, but how couldn't you?! Tyler is on the left, Matthew is on the right.

We also had a great time at the Oregon coast. It was such a fun day, and I would have to say that Jenni is a super mom for driving all the way by herself to the coast with 4 little people. She's amazing. We found 2 starfish, and the ocean is always relaxing!

This is actually our FIRST family picture since little Tye was born. Thanks Jenni!

To more fun times ahead! Keep reading, keep exploring, and hold those loved ones close!!