Rub a dub dub....

three boys in the tub. Seriously, having them all take a bath at once is sooo much easier and lots more fun. Everyone gets drenched!

My wish for these three boys is that they will share as many laughs as best friends in adulthood as they do as children.

3, couldn't be!

How is it that Eli is already 3? We decided to host a big birthday bash for the first time EVER. Usually we keep birthdays low key, family only, but the boys asked for a party this year so we decided to go for it. 18 kiddos, 22 parents, jumping, screaming and tumbling. The Little Gym was the perfect spot. The line of the day, "Eli, how old are you?" Eli answers confidently, "16!"

Eli, my love, your heart is full of fire and compassion. As much as you love to win, you love to comfort. Your spunk, determination, and sweet ways surprise me everyday. You are pint size but so daring and brave, keeping up with and standing up to your big brother. You never miss a beat and truly love to learn. My most favorite times are when I find you covered in books sleeping in your bed or organizing all of your dinosaur cards or race cars in a row on the table.

I am so lucky to be your mommy and love you to the moon and back!

Going for it.

So we finally decided on homeschooling Luke. Phew, it was all a bit rocky for awhile. We live a few blocks from one of the best elementary schools in the state and have an amazing community of parents and families to fraternize with. Why would we consider anything else? For us, it feels like the right path to take. I am working on getting a curriculum together now and figuring out our schedule. Luke is also enrolled in a program called HOPE which is basically a co op for homeschool parents and will start in August. All of it is a bit overwhelming but, seriously, I will research this thing to death if I let myself. I just need to jump in with two feet. My heart is in the right place and I am so grateful for this opportunity to teach, learn and be such a huge part of my son's life. We have not officially started but so love this break through moment Luke had the other day.

Bad things come in 3's.

So, it all hit at once.

1. The stomach bug- three kiddos over 5 days and one trip to the ER while Matt was out of town. Sleepless night full of worry, countless loads of laundry, lots of time spent disinfecting. Luckily (or unluckily) I got it the day after he got home. At least I was able to lock myself in our room and rest for a quick recovery.

2. A dog bite. I take pilates classes at an in home studio where the instructor allows her dog to stay while we work out. He is a rescued, albino, mostly blind and mostly deaf great dane. About 180 lbs and big. Normally he is gentle and just lays quietly on the ground next to my machine. This particular morning, as I went to pull my ponytail from behind my head he took my neck in his mouth and bit me. Luckily (or unluckily) if he had wanted to really hurt me he could have and all I got was this-

which warranted a round of antibiotics and some apprehension about dogs.

3. All others pale in comparison to when my mom called to tell me her doctor had found a polyp on her colon during her last colonoscopy. Colon cancer runs in our family with my aunt passing away at a young age with it. My mother gets checked every two years so as optimistic as we all wanted to be it rang too close to our hearts. The next procedure brought stress as the doctor never followed up and a nurse ended up telling my mother, on the phone, she had colon cancer and the doctor would call her soon. Turns out the sample had to be sent for a second opinion which resulted in laparoscopic surgery to remove it. All in all, luckily (or unluckily), we are as thankful as ever it was PREcancerous, is now removed and my mother is recovering. We are counting our blessings and sending sweet prayers to my momma.

Hoping the next several months are uneventful.

And then there was 1.

1 child in diapers, really? Oh yeah, with a huge sigh of relief. This is how it all went down- 3 days of Eli by my side. Teaching him how to notice the urge and encouraging him to run to the bathroom. Lots of praise, jumping up and down and high fives. Throwing away ALL the diapers and staying dry through naps and bedtime. This kid knows how to rock it!

Some serious moves.

So close yet so far away.

All you need.

Sometimes all you need is finding a Chick Hicks matchbox in your green smoothie to turn a grouchy mom into a smiling one. No joke, the car came shooting out of the ice dispenser and landed right in my mug. Haha.