Nothing says special memories like the phrase "Picture Dump"

And yet, here we are dumping pictures and trying to tease out some special memories at the same time.  Mainly here are a few things I just need to share, despite my rusty blogging skills. 

1.  Ben's "smile" for the camera.  Is it a smile?  Jury's still out, but it's darling.

2.  And consistent!  (Excuse the food-filled mouth...)

A note about Jacob: this week he pulled his card in school for the first time ever.  He felt really bad and come to find out it was the Spanish teacher who had him pull it for basically a misunderstanding.  I tried to explain to him that his day to day teacher wouldn't have had him pull his card (which she herself told me) and that the Spanish teacher just doesn't know him well enough to know he's not a trouble maker (at school, anyway). 

Jacob seemed comforted by that and said, "Yeah, she totally doesn't know me.  She keeps calling me (phonetic-ish spelling) Ha-cobe!"  I felt bad breaking it to him that that's how you say Jacob in Spanish.  Sad to deflate his healing ego a little bit.  And really sad he didn't know that's how you say his name.  I mean, it's April man! 

3.  People often comment on our having 3 boys and I often say that we've specialized.  I am coming to see how right I am.  Boy stuff reigns around here.  I only wish I felt our specialization was really making me a rock star mom. 

To further explain, I also often say (or at least feel) that I have three pots on the stove. 

One is simmering.

One is boiling.

One is boiling over.

Also true, never truer than lately, and proof positive that I am not "specializing" in a way that brings the kind of tantrum-free, all potties always flushed success I crave.  Sigh.

Cute kids, tho.

4.  I pretty much only put the helmet on him because it looks cute. 

5.  Box fun!  Real smiles!  Woot woo!

6.  Box fun with a snack of frozen peas!  (Jacob is weird.)

I totally asked them to punch fists in the air, if it weren't for Benjo's total emotional commitment to it it would look too lame to post.  Ah the innocence of toddler-hood!

7.  Yeah, we tried general conference yet again with kids.  I scoured the internet (5 minutes on pinterest) for tips for keeping kids interested.  It all said to buy candy.  Lots of it.  And that was pretty much it!  Candy and a few print outs.  Which means I ate a lot of candy that weekend.  Seriously, what's with Nico?!

8.  We made "grilled cheese sandwiches" out of pound cake and orange frosting for April fool's.  I felt like the best mom ever!!! 

Nico took a bite and didn't comment on the fact that his grilled cheeser tasted like cake.  He rather rolled his eyes back into his head and said, "This is so dad gum good!"

9.  Jacob got this out of the treasure box at his school.  It's sort of a harmonica-ish thing in lip shape.  Ben is in love.  And yes, it is incredibly unsanitary.

10.  No words.

11.  Ben sipping from a straw is a favorite image of mine.  I will leave you with that and his crazy, crazy, mad, mad, mad hair.

A boy, his blankies and his bike

It's funny how a kid will do something over and over again for a few weeks and then just stop. That's sort of like Ben and his desire for me to wrap him in blankets.   These are a month old, but just terribly, terribly cute.  Mommy's little urchin.

Really love this one.

Oh, and this boy loves his hog.  So do his big brothers. 

Matt says there are too many pictures here...bah.  Also, I really will blog more about the big boys.  I guess they are just older and require more storytelling, whereas Benjamin gets a 20 picture blitz and it says it all.  Must...be...better...mother.

We need more table time

I feel like by the time we get Jacob home from school and snacked and homeworked we sort of fritter the afternoon away with perhaps a show or two and then lots of running around and screaming (read: fighting).  I saw these pictures from a few weeks ago and it hit me...the minute Jacob gets home I either want us to be outside, reading books, or puttering at the table.

I'm just gettin' greedy, right?  Ah well, they're cute, anyway.

Leland face!  (Above and below.)

By the way, Jacob and sports cards?  A winning combination! 

And Jacob not changing out of Sunday clothes?  The best!

How can you be the best and the worst at the same time?

Just be Benjamin lately!  

I hate to say this, but he's just turned sort of awful!  But he's also just terribly, terribly cute!  Even in a super small Alabama onesie!  But again, so terrible!  Throwing toys, hitting Nico, screaming in the car, pulling Nico off of his chair at the table, dumping bins of toys we've just cleaned up, pushing Nico off of the little kid picnic table.  Do you see a trend?  Destruction and Nico.  That pretty much sums it up.

Except for his cuteness, you dig?  He's still cute.  Ridiculously so!  It's just so confusing!  I mean, one minute I'm offering him an apple and he points at it and says "baple" and "da"* and the next minute he's throwing the plate across the room and swearing at me in Russian!  Or whatever language he speaks!

People usually react to hearing that I have three boys by saying, "You have your hands full" or "You're one busy mom" or they simply just shudder.  Still, until about, oh, um, 2 days ago I really felt like I only had 2 boys and 1 baby.  I don't anymore.  It's three boys.  Three boys who might not be fluent in Russian, but who are fluent in the languages of throwing, screaming, teasing, jumping, and being pills.  Not all of the time, but now that Benjo's thrown his hat into the ring it's gettin' crazy up in here! 

Help me.  I miss my baby so much.

*("Yes" in Benjaminese is "da".  Benjaminese is a slavic tongue I guess.)

Do you see a resemblance?

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

 
Exhibits A and B together (B thirty years later and with her thighs safely covered)

 

It's a treat to be told that I look like my Benno.

Friends at the Fair

When we met the Clives the first week we moved to Chicago we never would have dreamed that either of us, let alone both of us, would end up in Arkansas.  At the same time.  Considering how scattered all of our Chicago friends are, being 3 hours away seems as if we're still just six floors apart.  Sort of. 

We visited them in Bentonville a few months ago and this past weekend the Clives drove down to experience Little Rock.  And...the State Fair!  Apparently some of Mardee's friends were sort of confused as to why we'd want to go to the State Fair.  Well, apparently some of Mardee's friends don't know the great lengths we went to in Chicago to see the sights!  Buses, trains, blocks of walking...all in the snow.  Anything to do something "local".  When Matt and I saw the ads for the Fair we high-fived and thumbs-upped and then immediately got in touch with the Clives.  We were completely certain that they would by dying to go.  And they were! 

Their visit was wonderful.  Fun to catch up and try to hear each other over the racket the kids made. 
Jacob told me that he loves Cadence and Campbell more than Daddy...which means I'm further down on his love line.  When our families met Jacob was 3, Cadence was 2, Nicholas was 1 and Campbell was 6 weeks old. 

And seriously, Campbell pretty much was the stroller or Baby Bjorn those first few months.  So little!

Awwwww.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

 

We tried to take as many pictures of the kids in as many configurations as we could.  I mean, with our three boys and their three girls surely someone has to at least date!

Poor Benny experienced 99% of the fair from his stroller. 

Sunny, hot, confusing and yet fun.

Maybe Nico and Cadence will hit it off!  I see this at their reception on the table where the sign-in book is.

This ride rocked.  It was a little track that whipped the kids around a sharp curve.  As you can see, it was fun. 

In my attempts to photograph the three cars our kids occupied I got a few strangers.  But look at how cute these boys are!

It was fun AND Nico needs a haircut.

We also went because we were anxious to see any crazy fair food we could.  This article has changed us.  I love how colorful and wild it is.  I half expected to see Pinocchio running around in such a sinful, gluttonous place that serves fried dough (look far).

The food wasn't as crazy as we had hoped, but still...

Yes, chocolate dipped bacon.  Eeeew.

This sign was in the cow barn...what is "filling"??!?

More couples shots.  Layla and Benjo chillin' in the stroller. 

Nico and Campbell playing peek-a-boo.

We ended up with a funnel cake and a deep fried twinkie. 

And here comes the part where I come off as a fuddy duddy.  Ah so be it.  Spencer is pretty much always up for it.  He even was up for wheeling and dealing with the carnies.  He was able to save us major dough (un-fried) by dickering them down ride after ride.  When he started working with the guy running the bull I didn't even consider doing it. 

But Spencer did.

And Matt.

I was ready to walk away when Mardee hopped up there!  I was impressed.  But the minute they all came off saying it was exhausting I said no thanks.  Now that I'm blogging it I'm a bit sad, but mainly just for the photo op.  I've become an old lady!     

More car ride!

I am seeing more wedding video fodder!

I can't get enough of these smiles.  Unfortunately, Campbell and Cadence weren't as easily seen so we missed their reactions.

Smiling eyes...

Note our kids' cars are the Budweiser car and the Miller Lite car.  It's a kid's ride!  Ha.

I must have taken 100 pictures of the dads from behind holding kid hands or carrying babies.  I guess we enjoyed seeing all of the domesticated animals at the fair.  Ba dum bum.

Oh Benjo.

Matt's fair hair.

I honestly hate this picture of me.  My hair fell all stringy-like on my forehead when I took of my sunglasses and then there's my weird shirt.  And I was all fair-ey by the end.  But everyone else looks so darling I'm swallowing my pride.  Plus, Matt has horns.

I guess Spencer knew I felt a little insecure about that photo.  Thanks.  (And yes, Mardee really looked that darling and stylish and fresh the whole time.  She really brought class to the fair.)  Don't confuse Mardee with the other redhead with glasses walking by. 

We love you Clives.  Please let's be related some day!  (Here are a few more pics of the kids while still in Chicago.)  I say next time we get together we do formal couples shots.  Just in case.

(What you can't see is that Jacob is in his underwear at the park.  We're close.)