Girls Night Boys Night

On February 18th the boys and the girl got a night all their own. I was able to have a fantastic girls night with some of my best friends and all my sisters. It was a first to be able to have dinner with my sisters-in-law MiRanda, Tisha and my sister Tara. We had a great dinner at Setebellos then back to my house for some much needed girl talk. I am so lucky to have such a great group of friends. They are so supportive and encouraging. Thanks girls for a fun evening! That same night Peter, my brother Paul and Tyler took Aydan and Sam to the monster truck show. They had a really fun time, stayed up too late and may have damaged their ear drums but it was worth it! And where was baby Wyatt through all of this, he had a date with grandma and was in bed by eight.

Sam hiding from the trucks

Aydan

Sam, really they did enjoy it!

Bryttin and Lorri

MiRanda, Tisha, Lorna and Annie

Cute sister Tara

Nan, me and Kaylyn

I got this from yahoo today. And it expresses all my thoughts on advice too. Especially when it came to having baby Wyatt.Third boy I think I have it covered! Enjoy!!The 10 Most Irritating, Least Helpful Parenting Tips Ever

I got this from yahoo today. And it expresses all my thoughts on advice too. Especially when it came to having baby Wyatt.Third boy I think I have it covered! Enjoy!!

The 10 Most Irritating, Least Helpful Parenting Tips Ever

• by Redbook, on Fri Feb 4, 2011 7:39am PST

I have nothing against friends and family offering advice when you come to them with a dilemma. It's the people who pipe up, unbidden, because they see you with a child and assume you have no idea what you're doing. Too often these people are elderly great-aunts. Fortunately those ladies are afraid of the Internet, so I can rail against them and they'll be none the wiser! Thanks, ladies.

1. "Sleep now, because once that baby comes you'll never sleep again." Technically this is a pregnancy tip, of course, but I'm shoving it in here anyway. Yes, Great-Aunt Hildy, I will sleep throughout my entire third trimester. Because I am part bear.

2. "Sleep when the baby sleeps." Everyone gives you this one — annoying relatives, pediatricians, the cashier at the drugstore where you were buying newborn diapers. Are these people all robots, capable of instantly dropping off to sleep whenever their child is unconscious? Do they not have other things to do, like bathe, or simply relish the rare moments of silence you get when you have an infant?

3. "I think your baby's hungry." Whether you're nursing or bottle-feeding, everyone assumes you don't know how to feed your child. And every time your child cries, whines, grimaces, or squirms, they are going to assume you are starving your poor baby and you need reminders to feed it. Lest you forget! This advice is especially maddening when they turn out to be correct.

4. "Relish every moment of your baby's first years, because they'll be grown before you know it." You mean, time only moves forward? I had no idea! I thought we'd be like this forever and ever! This sort of advice, obvious and innocuous as it seems, always put me on the defensive, as if I had just been carrying my baby under my arm like a football, muttering, "Grow up already, why don't you. Just GROW UP."

5. "I hope you're sleep training that child. Do you WANT him to be spoiled?" Oh, distant relative/person whose aisle I shared at the supermarket, I'm so glad you know exactly my child needs. And that you know, from your years of scientific research, that any child not allowed to cry it out will be a horrible waste of flesh! (See #6 for this parenting tip's counterpart.)

6. "I hope you're not doing that 'crying it out' thing. It's so barbaric. Enjoy your baby all through the night!" Again, kudos to you, whoever you are, for knowing what's best for our unique family situation! I will be calling you at 4 a.m., so you can enjoy our baby as well.

7. "Why are you bringing your child outside when it's so cold out?" It never ceased to amaze me that, no matter what my child's age, total strangers will express alarm and revulsion that I dared expose him to the elements. "And WHY ISN'T BE WEARING MITTENS? He's going to get consumption!"

8. "Your child isn't really sad/angry/injured. He's just manipulating you." There's no doubt that children can push our buttons as if they've had professional training in it, but the notion that my kid's authentic feelings are in fact manufactured to elicit a reaction really chaps my hide. If that were always true, he'd be a pint-sized sociopath. I'm pretty sure that's not the case.

9. "Schools are just glorified prisons. If you loved your child, you'd homeschool." Oh, if only I loved my child enough to abandon my livelihood, tear him away from the community he so enjoys, separate him from the professionals who have dedicated their careers to childhood education, and forced him to stay home all day with me, where we'd be at each other's throats for hours! If only! Please note: I am not opposed to homeschooling, at all — in fact I wish it would work for us, but it would not.

10. "If I were you, I'd just—" OH NO YOU DON'T. I know where this is going. Listen, unnamed distant acquaintance who last parented in the 19th century (it's true — I often get my unwanted advice from ghosts) you don't know diddly about my kid, and our relationship, and what works for us.

Well! That felt good. What did I miss? What parenting advice could you do without, forever? Speak now!

Swimming

We finally got a rec pass! We have moved up in the world. We have been having fun taking the boys swimming and of course they love it. Anything active and the boys are in heaven. I would like the pool to be a bit warmer. Yes I know I am a princess! And sorry Aydan we have no pictures of you. You were having way too much fun to be bothered with pictures. Aydan can swim on his own and is so confident, he has such a blast in the lazy river.

Sam and his swim robe, how cute.

Baby Wyatt's first swim

Snow Play

Finally it snowed enough to stick! The boys love the snow and love to be outside. Hopefully it warms up soon so I can join them! I love that the boys enjoy the outdoors.

Sammers

Aydan

Aydan sleeding on our "hill"

Baby Wyatt wanting to join the fun.

Sam with his cheesy smile.

9 months

Really nine months old?! He weighs 19 lbs 11 oz (35%) and is 29 inches (74%). He is getting really big and is so much fun. He loves to clap, loves to eat and loves to open all the cupboards and empty them out. Wyatt is such a sweet, calm and cuddly baby. My favorite thing is that he will respond to Wyatt and to baby! He will forever be know as baby. We love you baby Wyatt!!

Brothers? They look so different!

He prefers to sit like that, so cute!

Wyatt loves the dishwasher, and loves to have his picture taken!

It Never Ends

Humidifiers, Tylenol, ibuprofen, Kleenexes, antibiotics, lack of sleep, croup, ear infections, sinus infections, eye infections, coughs, runny noses, lots of jammy days, too many movies and more croup. We have had your fare share of sickness. And it just keeps coming. Even while the boys were on antibiotics Aydan picked up some new cough and by the end of the week I am sure the rest of the boys will have it! Thankfully Wyatt has only been infected with croup and he recovered very fast without any complications. We are surviving and the boys have been really good about taking their medicines. Hopefully by March we will be infection free and ready for Spring!

This is not all of it, our mini pharmacy

Sam being silly, Aydan being sick

Aydan

Sammers

Wyatt