Little Bunny Foo-Foo

I am completely aware that my boys are getting older.  However much I am unprepared, it is unavoidable.  Just a simple fact of life.  There's nothing out there that every mother (myself included) wouldn't give, if it meant they had the power to freeze their precious children at that sweet, innocent age.

Houston is such a talented artist!  So much so that if I needed something sketched, I would ask him to do it before even considering it myself.  He has always loved to draw.  He would draw the sweetest pictures of houses, sunsets, our ever-expanding family, etc.  Then his art progressed into drawing aliens, action figures, and monsters.

Nothing screams, "Mom, I am growing up!" like his latest work of art:

A rhino injuring a bunny.  Guts and all.  But I got to give it to him, his bunny is a million times better than I could have produced.  However, I would have drawn a perfectly healthy rabbit.

Reaching New Heights

I generally do not spend much time in the boys' room.  In fact, I am only in there for brief periods each day.  (waking them each morning, picking their clothes out, putting clothes up, and our good-night routine)  Therefore, I am not sure at which point one of them had a "genius" idea.  I was seated in their room, pulling out summer clothes and exchanging them with winter attire when I noticed markings on things that should not have markings.

As most families do, we measure our children on a doorframe.  Every few months (or whenever we remember) we make a tick mark on the frame and write the child's name with the date.  Apparently, the kids thought it a good idea to do the same thing with their stuffed animals.  However, for whatever reason, they decided to measure them on the bed post.

The "stages" have something to do with Pokemon (which Houston is really into right now).  These don't correspond with an animal.

Huey-isms

Houston is my child most concerned with what he got or didn't get versus his brothers.  Adam insists it must be a first-born thing because, as much as I hate to admit it, I have that tendency as well.  Chalk it up to "fairness".  Sounds better, anyway.  Well, after the long Thanksgiving weekend, I was getting the kids ready for their first day back to school.  Houston remembered that he went to school last Tuesday and Hayes did not (because of his eye).  As he is pulling his shirt over his head, I witnessed the lightbulb go off.  "Can I stay home today since Hayes didn't go to school last Tuesday?" he asks me.  In efforts to be extremly fair to both of them, I replied enthusiastically, "Sure, bud!"  His face began to fill with excitement as I finished, "Bust your eye open and I'll let you stay home."  He began putting on his shoes and socks.

Holt Meets FBCL

It was a bit of a hectic morning, trying to get all six Schwartz's ready for church for the first time.  So much so that Dad and the three big boys headed to Sunday School, leaving Holt and I to meet up with them for "big church".  I got myself ready, and as soon as it was time to get Holt ready, he began to get hungry.  I was completely out of time to make it to church without being tardy.  There was certainly no time to sit and feed him a bottle.  I decided breakfast on the go would be the best solution.  Don't tell the cops, but I loaded him in his car seat and placed him in the front seat.  I turned the air bags off so don't panic on me!  This way, I could multi-task -- head to church while feeding Holt.

By the time we arrived at church, he had finished 2/3 of his bottle.  I removed him from his car seat and headed into church.  As soon as I sat down, Adam wanted to hold him.  I passed him off and asked Adam to finish feeding him.  "But what if he explodes?" he asks.  I snickered and said, "Surely not."

We sang all the worship songs and it was time for the preacher to get up and deliver the sermon.  About 10 minutes into the sermon, the preacher pauses for a moment.  At that exact moment of utter silence, Holt blows it out!  I am certain the entire congregation heard it -- how could they not?!  The entire youth group, myself included, could not quit snickering for the next 10 minutes.  What can I say?  My kid was born with perfect timing.  And that was the only peep he made the entire 90 minutes.

Black Friday

Typically, I avoid Black Friday completely.  I will go to great lengths, if I absolutely have to leave the house, to avoid all shopper traffic.  It tends to bring out the inner Scrooge in me.  However, I love shopping the web for the awesome deals!  There was only one item featured in all the Black Friday sales that I really, really wanted -- a gel mat for my kitchen.  Holt woke up around 3:00 am and after he was fed, I checked the website.  The mats were already sold out!  Of all the toys, electronics, and jewelry at ridiculous prices -- it had to be my mat, the only item I wanted, that sold out!  Sigh.  Holt was showing no signs of sleeping anytime soon.

At this point, I figured I had two choices:
A) I could stare longingly at my adorable bundle of joy, wishing that he would fall asleep so I too could get back to sleep
B) head to Kohl's and try to score my cheap gel mat

Desperate times called for desperate measures.  It was insanely cold outside, so I bundled up myself and Holt, and off to Kohl's we went!  With Holt in his stroller, I darted through all the aisles towards the back of the store.  As I neared the kitchen rugs, I spotted one, solitary gel mat left.  Unfortunately, I had wanted to get two but I was still delighted to even have one.  I threw it across the top of the infant carrier and began to shop all the other deals.  The baby, who 30 minutes prior, showed no signs of sleeping, was now, thankfully, completely zonked out.  Ninety minutes later, I kept hoping that Holt would stay asleep because he was now buried under a mountain of merchandise.  No joke.  The stroller was completely loaded down.  There was not a single nook or cranny in the stoller left empty.  Navigating the aisles strewn with the aftermath of the earliest Black Friday shoppers had become an impossibility with the overloaded stroller.  Time to check out and head home!  I wish I could have snapped a shot of my makeshift basket but there were lots of Christmas presents in my mountain of merchandise.  Wouldn't want to spoil anyone's surprise!  However, I did capture a picture of my little helper.

Thanksgiving, Shepherd Style

Fried turkey, glazed ham, cream corn, sweet potato casserole, green bean bundles, macaroni and cheese, rolls, fresh fruit salad with peanut butter dip, pumpkin pie, Snickers cheesecake, 8 adults, 4 children, a game of Whoonu, and a whole lot of laughs!

Holt is 3 Weeks!

*  When we allow you to sleep unswaddled, you sleep with your arms and legs stretched all the way out
*  You're still blowing through diapers.  In fact, the jumbo box of diapers we purchased a few days after we came home from the hospital has been totally depleted.  I'm pretty sure the statistic is upwards of 84 diapers in 10 days.
*  You have officially received more breastmilk than any of your brothers--you should totally feel special.  Be sure to put it to good use later in life!  Even if I were to quit today, there's enough milk in the freezer to last another 2 weeks or so.
*  We're starting to work on somewhat of a schedule with you--at least for the evening/nighttime.  You are not staying up so much in the middle of the night now.  There is still some perfecting to do, but we are on our way to more sleep!
*  We can tell when you are good and asleep because you start to moan/grunt with each breath you take.
*  And can I just say...you are such an awesome baby!

Giving Thanks

I asked the kids to name five things they are thankful for.

Houston:
Baby Holt, my whole family, our big, huge house, for the world, and food.

Hayes:
Holt, Hawkins, and I'm thank you for (how he says thankful for) Mommy and Daddy, (then after 2 minutes of thinking) Houston, and (because she was in sight and he was tired of thinking) the cat

Because Hawkins did not understand "thankful for", I asked him to name things that he loved.

Hawkins:
Candy, fruit snacks, Holt, Grammy, Mommy and Daddy (glad to know where we stand on his list)
"I go play my room now" he tells me as he walks off imitating a shooting gun with his ice man Bionicle.

Huey-isms

Since Houston and Hayes were about 3 and 4 years old, they have been responsible for cleaning their own room.  All their toys are stored in individual containers, grouped by the type.  Most of the time they do an excellent job of only getting out one or two tubs at a time.  I walked into their room and it looked like there had been a mass genocide and dismemberment of Bionicles.  Their room appeared extremely messy, however it was just due to the multitude of tiny pieces covering the floor that actually all go into one container.  I asked them to please clean up the mess while I cooked dinner.  It really could have been picked up in a matter of 5 minutes.

Houston came out of his room several times, hoping I wouldn't notice him avoiding the task at hand and leaving it to Hayes to complete.  Each time, he was sent back with the threat of a spanking.  After about 45 minutes, I went to check on the progress.  It was difficult to notice much improvement.  Houston could sense my elevated mood as I began to give my ultimatum.  With the most concerned and pitiful face, while holding his forehead, he interrupted, "But Mom, I feel like I have head trauma!"

Hayes and the Mouse Day 2

As the old saying goes, "It's gonna get worse before it gets better."  That's exactly what you could say about Hayes' eye.

Yes, the eye is nearly swollen shut and soon it will begin to turn all shades of purple.  After he got up this morning, he began to get upset about his eye.  Fighting back tears he told me, "But I don't want a mouse on my eye."  Nothing we can do to change that now.  Just have to wait for it to get better.  Then he told me, "Mom, I don't like to look at my mouse.  It makes me sad."  I had to beg him to take this picture.  He was hesitant about going outside because he did not want anyone to see his mouse.  Obviously, I kept him home from school today.  Houston tried to figure out a reason that he should also stay home.  Nice try! 

I posted Hayes' pitiful picture on Facebook and by the end of the day had over a dozen sympathy posts to Hayes.  The poor guy was really down in the dumps and reading all the postings of friends and family wishing him to feel better really cheered him up.  Two girls from our youth group at church apparently have a scar in the exact place that Hayes will ultimately have a scar.  They decided to make a club and Hayes loved that idea, though he didn't quite understand the concept.  He was totally excited about it and kept asking when they were coming over!

Since I never explained in the last post how the injury occurred, here's the story I got:  Apparently, both boys were swinging on their stomachs.  They began to swing and bump into each other.  Then Houston got off his swing and began to thrust his empty swing at Hayes multiple times.  All of which was humorous to them both, until the last shot which landed on Hayes' brow bone.  What can you say?  It's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye!

Hayes and the Mouse

When I woke up this morning, I was not feeling very well.  Actually, I was feeling so bad after getting the big guys off to school, that I called my Mom to come get Hawkins and Holt.  I spent most of the day in bed trying to get over whatever stomach bug I had caught.

Mom returned the littles just after the schoolers got home.  All the kids were totally excited to see Grammy (as always).  There's just something about my Mom being in the presence of my children that instantly makes them spastic.  She only stayed a few minutes, but long enough for the kids to achieve haywire status.  When they get like that, the best thing for everyone is to find somewhere or something to vent their energy.

I knew Adam would be a long time coming to my rescue, since he was working longer hours, in efforts to procure a 5 day Thanksgiving weekend.  It was an extremely pleasant day and thought I was feeling well enough to take all four kids down to the park.  Hayes and Houston wanted to ride their scooter and bike (respectively) down to the park.  I figured that would aid in spending some energy and decided it best for the rest of us to just drive.  I trailed them down the street to the park.  Hayes kept shouting out to Houston, "Look out for goose poop!"

It wasn't long and we arrived at the park.  Holt was sound asleep in his car seat, so I left him in his carrier and trekked him out to the playground.  The rest of the gang was far ahead of me and already running, sliding, and everything else.  The kids were having a great time and I was enjoying being outside watching them.  We must have been there about 30 minutes.  Houston and Hayes were swinging and I was watching Hawkins on the playset.  The big boys were playing so well together.  Though I was watching Hawkins, I could hear them laughing constantly.

Suddenly, laughter was broken with screaming.  Hayes screaming to be exact.  I turned around, rather non-chalantly, not figuring on anything much out of the ordinary.  In fact, I was kind of expecting it, since it is quite common for things to turn south quickly when Houston and Hayes are playing together splendidly .  And 99 percent of the time, it is Hayes who becomes the victim.  However, I was not expecting this!

As I turned to see what the commotion was about, I saw Hayes laying with his tummy on the swing, covering his head with both hands, looking at the ground, and crying.  Houston was standing off to the side of his swing and holding it in his hands.  I went over to Hayes, expecting to just give him a hug and some encouragment to be strong.  As he heard me coming, he lifted his head and I noticed his face was gushing blood.  It was about that time that Hayes realized his face was gushing blood as well and began to freak out.  Then Houston realized Hayes' face was gushing blood and hysteria set in.  I do believe Houston was crying harder than Hayes.  "I'm sorry, Hayes" he was repeatedly saying through the sobbing all the way to the car.

Thankfully, there was one other family at the park.  I quickly asked them if they would be so kind as to return our bike and scooter to our house.  There was no room in my car and I wanted to get Hayes to the doctor as soon as possible.  I scrambled to get all four children loaded in the car.  I ran home, grabbed a bottle from the fridge, forgot the diaper bag, and began driving to the pediatrician.  The nurse's line and appointment line was already shut down for the day so I was not even sure if they would treat us once we got there.

I called Adam at least 3 times on the 10 minute drive to the doctor and could not reach him.  I even called several of his co-workers, in efforts to reach him, but also without success.  I started to wonder how I was going to tend to all 4 boys, one of which was going to be sewn up.  Fortunately, just as I was arriving at the doctor, Adam called.  We walked in the office at 4:45.  Because Dr. Owen is awesome, he agreed to go ahead and fix us up.  His nurse, Julie, began to clean Hayes' face.  (Picture below is not for the faint of heart or the weak stomachs.)

Upon inspecting the wound, Dr. Owen gave us the option of stitches or glue.  We allowed Hayes to decide.  Adam put it like this, "Hayes, would you like to use a really long needle to fix your eye, or would you like to just glue it?"  Of course, Hayes chose the glue, as did we.  As Dr. Owen prepared to glue the cut, he opened a package of sterilized scissors.  Houston gasped, thinking that we had all lied to Hayes and that the scissors were for Hayes' face.  To avoid panic in Hayes, we quickly explained the purpose of the scissors was to simply cut the steri-strips that would be placed over the cut.  Fortunately, news of the scissors as weapons against Hayes' face was averted.

Hayes was such a brave and tough guy!  Aside from crying initially at the scene of the crime, he did not cry again.

Huey-isms

Meals at the table have been very frustrating lately.  For some reason, meals that the kids have loved as long as I can remember, are not going over so well.  Someone has to complain about something with each and every meal we serve.  Adam and I end up begging, pleading, threatening, etc. for the kids to finish their plates.  Today's lunch was no different.  PB&J sandwiches or ham sandwiches with a side of "blue chips" aka Cool Ranch Doritos.  After sitting at the table for over an hour waiting for them to finish their sandwiches, I had grown a little perturbed.

Adam questions me, "I feel like you're frustrated."
"I am frustrated!" I announced.
Then Houston, in his perfect timing and sensitive to my pumping schedule, "How come, Mom?  Carrying too much milk?"

Sleeping Baby

So lately Holt has given us trouble with staying asleep.  You change his diaper, fill his tummy, wrap him up snuggly, rock him to sleep, lay him down, and ten minutes later he's magically awake again.  This gave me fits today since I played this game with him ALL day beginning at 2:30 am.  By 8:00 am, he was extremely fussy (and me too for that matter) because he was so tired but still would not fall asleep for good.

We have noticed in the past week or so that he adores sleeping in his car seat.  The only thing I figure is that it just holds him so snuggly.  Whenever we get home from a car ride, he is passed out in the car seat, where we leave him until he wakes.  Sometimes, this could be hours later.  This did not work today.

He also likes sleeping in his bouncy seat as long as the vibrating function is turned on.  It runs for about 10 minutes before powering off.  If you're lucky, he will stay asleep beyond the initial 10 minutes.  However, more times than not, as soon as the vibrator turns off, he will wake himself in a matter of minutes.

Desperate times called for desperate measures.  After fighting a fussy insomniac baby all day, Adam came up with the ultimate solution:

Yes, this would be Holt asleep in his car seat on top of the vibrating bouncy seat.  Worked like a charm.

Turkey Bowl 2010

The annual event known as The Turkey Bowl began five years ago with a mere six people, at best.  Over the years, it has gained momentum and multiplied to fourteen and a baby.  It never fails that we get commitments from more that are ultimately just no-shows.  Jew better believe that we were impressed when PCS finally made a showing this year, after years of running their mouths.  Thank you Ed and Steffen for coming!  It is without a doubt that today, all these men are laid out on the couch with ice packs and aspirin.  But ultimately, it was a blast and look forward to next year!

Back Row from Left:  Ed Flemmons, Jeremiah, Lorenzo Johnson, Steffen Caskill feeding Holt, Todd Hughes, Ryan McKinley, Gabe Pfeiffer  Front Row from Left:  Justin Capebianco, Elijah, Sean Powers, Adam Schwartz, Chris Hughes, Wes Smith, Nyukuri Wailes

One Little Indian Boy

Today I had the priviledge of attending Hayes' kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast.  Each student was assigned a food item to bring in for the feast.  Instead of going to the cafeteria for lunch, the entire kindergarten shared a feast together in the hall.  Tables completely lined the entire length of the hallway.  Each student had the choice to be a pilgrim or an indian. 

Before sitting down for the feast, Ms. Wayland's class performed all the Thanksgiving songs they had learned over the last few weeks for their parents.  One of the songs they sang was one that Hayes had been singing to Holt for the last week or so:

"Five little turkeys are we.
We slept all night in the tree.
When the cook came around,
We couldn't be found.
That's why we are here, you see!"

It was truly wonderful to see my little shy and timid child come out of his shell by singing and laughing with his friends.  Once the singing was over, it was time for the feast!  The entire kindergarten sat together to dine on: cheese cubes, grapes, fruit kabobs, chips, craisins, and Squanto's dessert (dirt pudding).  Before taking the first bite, the children were asked to think of two things they were thankful for and participate in a moment of silence.

Hayes said he was thankful that Holt is finally here and also that he gets to hold Holt.

The principals even stopped by to wish the children a Happy Thanksgiving!

Holt is 2 Weeks!!

Holt, today you are 2 weeks old.  For the last 14 days, you and I have pretty much been shut up in the house together.  Today, Mommy got her driving privileges back and we re-gained some freedom!  Due to my overwhelming excitement to leave the house, I overdid it and no longer wish to leave the house for a few days.  But on the other hand, you were a total trooper!

* You weigh exactly 8 pounds
* You have officially cried.  You're still an excellent baby but you're not afraid to lay down the law every now and then.
* Most of the time, you still enjoy the car rides.  The times that you do get unhappy in the car, your Dad and I are caught off-guard.  We'll ask each other, "What is that noise?"
* You are still enjoying the late night (or early morning, however you want to look at it) pajama parties.  We're gonna have to work out some kind of agreement concerning this issue.

Huey-isms

The other night I was at my mother's house searching for the picture in the "Why Edwards" post of my Nana and I making biscuits.  While searching through album after album, my mom had compiled a gallon size ziploc bag of photos for me to keep.  Tonight, Houston found the bag and asked me what it was.  I told him it was pictures of me as a child, birthday parties I had, and pictures of my friends.

"You had friends, Mom?!" he exclaims in disbelief.
(laughingly)  "Yes..."
"Do you still remember their names?"  (as if I am THAT old!)

Mt. Laundry

This is what happens when a Mom of four takes a two week break from putting laundry away.  Note: I still washed clothes, they just have yet to make it into dressers and closets.

Good thing we have a whole bunch of baskets!

Pirate Big Brother

Don't you just wish there was someway to know when your kids were gonna say or do the cutest things? Today Hawkins asked to hold Holt. Usually, he will hold him for about 30 seconds and then say, "I done." Therefore, I did not have the camera out. But of course this time, he talks to Holt for a minute or so telling Holt that he is his big brother and then tells him that he loves him. Serious melt your heart kind of stuff. I attempted to re-create the conversation but unfortunately, it just looks a little more coaxed than genuine.

Why Edwards?

Each time we are expecting a baby, I look forward to using the middle name Jewel, after my Nana, should God decide to bless us with a little girl.  By the fourth boy, I have pretty much given up on having a girl and have accepted the fact that the task laid before us is to raise godly men.

Up until about a week or two before Holt's delivery (and shortly after finalizing his first name), his middle name was Adam.  We have always used a family name for our childrens' middle names, aside from a temporary stray with Hawk's middle name.  However, that has since been corrected and is a story in itself.   Anyhow, at some point very close to his due date, I had an idea.

I grew up without a grandmother.  My father's aunt filled that void completely.  She was my grandmother in every meaning of the word.  Her name was Edna Jewel Shepherd Edwards.  Because I have come to terms with reality, and am no longer going to anticipate a girl as well as being able to use Jewel, I thought Edwards would be an awesome way to still honor my "Nana".

Of course, I am horrible at finalizing a decision.  It is solely my fault that Holt was nameless for as long as he was.  Adam left it to me to decide between Hodges and Holt.  Because of my lack of decision, he finally chose Holt, even though Hodges was his favorite.  Again, we were stuck between Adam and Edwards for a middle name.  I left the decision to Adam since I loved them both.

Edwards it is!  Now let me share with you how awesome my Nana was:

* Nana had seven grandchildren already.  However, that did not stop her from "adopting" us as her own.
* Everytime we would visit, she would have a cookie jar filled with her sugar cookies.
* She only made biscuits from scratch and would let any willing hands help.
* You could count on her to deliver an awesome meal everytime!  She was an amazing cook - so much so that my family compiled a recipe book of all her wonderful things.
* Her breath always smelled of coffee.
* Each morning, you could find her on the back porch sipping coffee from her dainty coffee cup and enjoying the morning.
* She loved to watch birds.  She kept binoculars and bird books out on the porch.
* She grew the most beautiful roses.
* As small children, when we were done with our bath, she would wrap us up tightly in a towel, snuggle us in her arms, and announce to the household "I have a little wet piggie!"
* Whenever she had little treats for us (a piece of candy or a dollar bill) she called it "a happy".
* She was a wonderful story teller and book reader.
*As it was time to leave her home and head back to Memphis, she would stand out in the driveway and wave at us until we were no longer visible.

Poor Man's Bubbles

The sun was shining through the transom window in the office this afternoon.  Hawkins had been wrestling with a couch pillow.  He carried it into the office and body slammed it on the floor.  Shortly after, he says, "Bubbles!"  And began giggling and playing with what looked to me like imaginary bubbles.  I thought he was losing his mind.  "Bubbles, bubbles!"  He continues to exclaim in the most joyous voice as he dances around the room.  It wasn't until he hit the pillow again and again shouted, "Bubbles!" that I realized he was referring to the reflecting dust particles in the sunlight.

Trigger Happy

Houston received a 10/22 rifle for his seventh birthday.  Adam and I had always agreed that the seventh birthday was appropriate for a little boy to receive a rifle, that is up until his seventh birthday and I had a change of heart.  However, due to a "casualty of miscommunication", the rifle became his.  With the arrival of Holt, today was the first chance Adam had to take the big boys out to shoot it.

They had about a one hour safety course at the kitchen table before heading out.  Adam taught them important things like, sight picture, muzzle control, triggers and safetys, how to clear a cartridge, and don't shoot your brother!

At the range, the rules only allowed two shooters on the lane at a time.  With three in the Schwartz party, it posed a bit of a problem.  However, not too big a problem that a community Dr. Pepper couldn't solve!

Hayes waited in the cafe, looking on at Dad and Houston shooting down range.  He loves Dr. Pepper!

Houston loaded his own magazines.  Approximately 150 rounds!

Let the shooting begin!  It was determined pretty quickly that Houston could be characterized as a Little Sniper.  Hayes, on the other hand, would be more of a Machine Gunner.  Adam had taught both boys how to properly and effectively fire the rifle.  Target in sight, breathe in, hold it, shoot, and exhale.  Houston hit the target every time!  Hayes, throwing caution to the wind and poised on his tippy-toes, forgetting everything Dad had taught him, was less concerned with accuracy and more interested in just throwing lead down range.  He riddled his target, as well as others, with holes.

Everyone had a wonderful time!  That is, except for Houston's squirrel.

Poor Hammy.

Super Saturday

After being cooped up in the hospital and then the house for a total of nine days, I was ready to get out of the house!  We decided to go out for breakfast before heading to visit with Spongebob at The Children's Museum.  Our trip to McDonald's turned into Shoney's.  The place was packed!  With this being our first time dining as a party of six, we found out very quickly that we no longer fit in a 4-top booth.  However, for this meal, we made it work.  If you could just imagine a can of sardines, that was the Schwartz family eating breakfast!  From now on, I suppose we can expect a longer wait for the bigger tables.

Once everyone was stuffed with bacon, french toast sticks, strawberry shortcake, and yogurt, we headed off to the Children's Museum.

Hawk wouldn't get near Spongebob

Houston's addition to the Thankful Wall.  Hayes wrote Holt.  Hawk just scribbled.

Tossing crabby patties in the basket with an oversized spatula

Houston can hula!

One of the many crafts the kids made.

The kids made a jellyfish, a fish bowl, and a paper sack Spongebob.

It was a cold, drizzly day.  We were waiting for Dad and Houston to pull the car around.  Yeah, I let Hayes and Hawkins drink the roof water run-off for the purposes of a cute picture!

Sunday Chaos

Three boys showered, fed, and dressed, one baby fed twice, bathed, and dressed, Daddy showered, dressed, and fed.  Two loads of laundry, manufactured 7 oz of milk, diaper bag packed, shirt ironed, lesson studied.  All before 9 am.  And oh yeah, one toddler who refused to wear tennis shoes to church.

Sometimes, it is not worth the battle.

Puppy Love

Lately, Hayes and Hawkins have been role-playing as puppies.  They alternate the role of puppy and master.  But more recently, Hawk has been the puppy.  He'll even be a puppy when no one else is playing with him.  He crawls around on all fours and says "Wuff, wuff."  Sometimes if you do not acknowledge him as a puppy, he will make sure you know what he's doing by repeating, "Hey, me puppy." until you address him as a puppy.

The other night, he crawls over to me and starts whimpering as he climbs into my lap.  He looks at me, places one hand on each of my shoulders and leans in for a kiss.  A puppy kiss that is.  He licked my face!  I died laughing.

Well again tonight, as most nights, he was playing his role, up until the time to go to bed.  He crawls all the way back to his bed, randomly barking along the way.  I help him climb into his crib.  I give him a kiss on the head and tell him, "Goodnight, I love you."  (To which he usually replies, "I yuv you.")  But tonight, those gigantic puppy dog eyes lit up as he gave me the biggest grin.  He simply waved as he said, "Wuff, wuff."  And nestled down into his bed, frog BB in mouth.

Fourteen Years

Today was mine and Adam's 14th year together.  This is one of the first pictures we have together.  I was a Sophomore in high school and he was a Junior.  We happened to have French I together.  I had noticed him on the first few days of school.  Since my Freshman year, I had a crush on a guy named David Bowen.  He was one of the popular guys that didn't even know I existed.  For the first few days of school, I thought Adam was David since I was too embarassed to do anything but a few quick glances.  Turns out, Adam had noticed me too.  After the first week of school, he decided to make his move.  "Do you have any gum?" he asked me.  I don't remember if I did or didn't but that's where it all began.  Of course I realized he was not David and I am so thankful!  I totally ended up with the better guy and not only that, but he is the perfect guy for me.  I know without any doubt that he is who God had intended for me all along.

First Photo Shoot

Welcome Boom Boom!

Ever since Houston was born, we have made a build-a-bear with each new addition to the family.  We took the kids to the mall today to make Holt a bear.  It wasn't long before Hayes spotted a camo bear and thought he had to have it!  Let the pouting begin.  We tried to explain to him that we were here for Holt as well as the meaning behind why we were there.  To no avail.  Then we tried to appease the situation by convincing him to put it on his Christmas list.  This only ensued a million more problems, "How will Santa know I want it?", "How long before Christmas?", etc. 

Due to the lack of "the perfect bear", we opted for a monkey instead.  We like our stuffed animals floppy, as opposed to stiff.  At the filling station, we attempted to explain to the lady that we did not want much filling in it at all, that the empty shell was almost enough.  Somehow, the monkey ended up looking like an Andouille sausage skin bursting at the seams.  "Like this?" she says.  Ummm....  So after about 5 minutes of her pulling stuffing out, she allowed a co-worker to relieve her and she went to lunch.  Yes, that is how long we had her removing stuffing.  Shortly after, we surrendered hope and reluctantly gave our approval.  Much like the waiter with the parmesan cheese grater at a resterant.  You'd love to tell them to keep going - pile it on!  But you end up copping out because you feel slightly embarassed over the pile of cheese already in your bowl.

Time to give the monkey a heart, or in this case -- hearts.  Each boy rubbed a heart on his head and his foot (I love you from head to toe), rubbed it on his knee (I'll always need you), and gave it a kiss (I'll always love you).  After labeling each heart H1-H3, in the monkey they went!  By the way, Hayes is still pouting.

After the monkey was all stitched up, it was time to give him a bath.  The boys did an excellent job making sure the monkey was "all clean" and fuzz-free.

Once the monkey was all clean, we decided Hayes was a little furry and could use a bath himself.  He stopped pouting for a moment.

Time to name the monkey!  The saying goes, hindsight is always 20/20.  We totally should have decided on a name before going to make a stuffed animal.  Dad and Houston entered all the birth certificate information in the computer but we were all stumped when we had to actually give the monkey a name.  After sitting and brainstorming for about 5 minutes, not agreeing on a single name, an employee suggested we use their name book.  Brilliant!  Dad started spouting off names from the list, much similar to the baby names books, and once he said, "Boom Boom", we all agreed that was perfect!

We heard about the camo bear the entire visit at the store with no reprieve and no amount of consoling would make it quit.  Hayes kept asking the same questions to which we would reply the same answers.  We told him that we would visit Santa soon and also write him a letter so he would know about camo bear.  I decided we should take a stroll down to the lobby of the mall to see how soon Santa would be arriving.  Surprise!  Santa was already there.  We took the opportunity to go ahead and tell Santa about the camo bear.  This seemed to finally make H2 happy.  We've heard about camo bear since then, but mostly just him telling us what he is going to name him or how floppy he wants to make him.  Much more pleasant!  And unfortunately, there are no pics of the boys with Santa because they only allow you to take pictures if you buy a print from them and we were not dressed for our official Santa visit.  And oh yeah, Hawkins was totally terrified of the jolly old man.  Wouldn't even get close for candy.  Now that says a lot!

P.S.  Holt was there for the making of his stuffed animal, he was just hiding in Dad's papoose.

Meet Boom Boom:

The Cutest H's!

Thanks to Aunt Audra for making the shirts!

Happy One Week!!

Holt, today you are one week old.  It has gone so fast--if only your Dad and I could freeze time, we would.  Your brothers were home from school today so we baked you a birthday cake.  However, the only tasting you got was through Mom's milk.  Hope you enjoyed it!

*You are the most consolable baby we've had.  It's as if you were born knowing that you're number four and around here there's a lot going on!

*You have yet to truly cry.

*We haven't taken many car rides but of the ones we have, you have been such a trooper!  As of right now, you like car rides and they rock you to sleep.

*Your favorite awake/playtime is 1am-4am.  Mommy appreciates this one!

*Without fail, everytime you wake up from a nap, you have the hiccups.  It is absolutely adorable!

*You blow through your diapers.  It is not uncommon to change your diaper 4 times in a 30 minute period when it is revolved around a feeding.

*There has been a shift in the paradigm.  You are now the one with the stinkiest gas in the house.

*You are an excellent sleeper (minus 1-4am)

*Your brothers love and adore you.  They are constantly doting on you and they love showing you off or telling others about you.  The first thing they do when coming home is to find you and kiss you.

We are so blessed by the Lord that you are part of our family.  We are so glad you are here!

Kid-isms

After catching me modestly pumping:

Hayes:  Mom, how can those make milk?
Huey:  (in a matter-of-fact tone)  Hayes, it's what females do!  Hey Hayes!  Did you know we are animals?
Mom:  (chuckling)  I think you mean mammals, sweetheart.
Huey:  Same thing.

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Last night I was attempting to trick Houston in thinking he had school today, even though it is Veteran's Day.  He did not fall for it.

Huey:  Mom, we don't have school tomorrow!  It's Veterinarian's Day!

First Check-Up

You were born 8lb 5 oz but when we left the hospital, you weighed 7lb 7oz.  Today at the doctor, you weighed 7lb 11oz and you have already grown 1/4"!  Slow down, buddy.  There is no race here.  That's 1/4" in 5 days!  If you kept up this pace, you'd be 6 feet tall before your 3rd birthday.

You are in the 75th percentile for height and head circumference but only 25th percentile for weight.

You didn't make a sound the entire visit.  The nurse measured your head circumference and you didn't make a peep.  She commented on how most babies hate that and scream through it.  The newborn in the room next to us screamed his entire visit.  What can I say?  You are just the best!

You shared your appointment with Houston.  We banged out the one week check up and the 7 year check up in one visit.

Houston, you weigh 73 pounds and are 52.5 inches.  You're still in the 97th percentile.  Surprise, surprise!  You've stayed there since birth.  You were very reluctant to hand over your finger for a prick.  However, you finally did and realized it doesn't hurt!  (Just like Mom and Dad were trying to convince you.)  Hopefully, you will remember that next year.  Perhaps we should read this blog before going to your 8 year check up.

First Bath

I've never bathed a newborn for the first time who did not scream through the entire experience--until now!  Not a peep.  He actually tried to fall asleep while getting cleaned up.

You look a little pudgy here, but rest assure, it is just your position and the angle of the camera.  You do in fact look like a scrawny, de-feathered chicken.  Of course I mean that in the most endearing way possible.

Hayes, the Bottle Feeder

It was our first day home as a family of six and all the boys were eager helpers!  As it was time for Holt to eat, Hayes excitedly volunteered to feed him.

Holt's Homecoming

After 2 days in the hospital and severe lack of sleep, we decided to come home a day early.  Once our mind was made up, it seemed as though it took us all day to get ready to leave!  After saying our good-byes to Ann, we loaded up our special package and headed home.

Up until Holt's birthday, the Memphis weather had been very mild (70's), but it turned very cold during our stint in the hospital.  It was a crisp 58 degrees on the way home.  He slept the entire drive home and never made a peep.  Had we been anymore deliriously tired, it is quite possible we could have forgotten him in the car altogther.  (not really)  Dad and I enjoyed a quiet evening at home adjusting to our newest little "H".  Since we decided at the last minute to come home a day early, Grandma and Grandpa had already promised all the other H's that they would be going to the hockey game that night.  Instead of spoiling the kids' fun, we decided to continue with the original plans and allow them to go to the hockey game and spend one final night with the grandparents.

We didn't get a whole lot of sleep that night (which is to be expected with a newborn) but at least we were in our own bed!  Not to mention, there was no one coming in my room every 3 hours, just as I started to doze off, to check my blood pressure.

Early the next morning we headed to the Schwartz's.  We couldn't wait to have our entire family back together!  When we arrived, the kids were sitting at the kitchen table eating Indiana donuts.  As soon as they noticed Holt had also come, they all quickly hopped down and scurried over to his carseat.

There was a point at which the entire opening of Holt's carrier was filled with little H heads.  Holt was sound asleep and completely unaware of his fan club.  "That's my brother!" Hawkins proudly announces, in his adorable 2 year old way.