What's wrong?

Between cutting teeth (molars already...not fair) and now this crazy, weird, gigantic, icky sore on your tongue, you are not your smiley, sweet self. A few days of mild temps and uber clinginess.

Last night I noticed the sore at bedtime. This morning....umm tripled in size. You don't want to eat. I can't blame you. You don't want to drink. Once again, I can't blame you. The only thing that makes you happy is being in my arms.

And that is where I would love to hold you all day long. If only I could.

Except....

I have your brothers too. And since we were at the doctor with Nick yesterday and came home with a shiny red bottle of amoxicillin for him, he is also kind of a cling on. And the big bro, well he's just going with the flow with a few doses of irritation to the middle brother because he finds it amusing (your momma doesn't really find it amusing though)!

And the nurse momma in me wants a definition for the icky sore. Between me and your aunt Laure, we've diagnosed you with hand, foot, and mouth disease. I had a hunch I just didn't want to believe it, but she proved me right.

I'm so sorry baby! I don't know where you got it. I'm blaming it on the super, yucky race car grocery cart that your brother insisted on riding in Tuesday. And your momma...well I didn't want to fight the battle, so i wiped it with the sani wipes as best as I could and hoped there weren't any "bugs" on it.

My hope failed me. And here we are! We're going to get that grin back though. That sweetness that melts my heart!

xoxo my sweet boy!

Love

Thank you s. jordan photography

*i wish i had thought about putting gabe in something a little less casual and a little more picture worthy but i hadn't planned on getting his photo. bonus that i got this photo and it's totally perfect because this is so us!! and i have a photo, a great photo, with my boys!!!!!! my heart is swollen with pride and giddiness!!

Somebody!

The boys and I were sitting at the table eating dinner last night when Nick started to discuss something that was stinky....referring to it as "stinky butt". (Disclaimer: I've tried with all my might to evade the word butt with my little boys, instead going for bottom or buns. Nonetheless, it keeps sneaking into their vocab more and more frequently. Quite honestly, I don't know that it's a battle I'm willing to keep fighting!) I was getting ready to correct him and divert the conversation elsewhere when Gabe thought he should take it upon himself to "correct" Nick.

I asked Gabe to worry about himself, and I would worry about Nick. I usually follow this up with the statement "be the brother not the mother", but for some reason I chose "be the brother not the dad" this time.

Which he quickly followed up with "well somebody's gotta be the dad around here"!!!!!

I think Daddy has been out-of-town waaaay too much lately....hunting, Texas, the Slope!! Thank goodness for Thursday evening when Daddy comes home for awhile (we hope:)!!

*an escapade from a few weeks ago!


This should have been my warning....



that they were up to no good!

And poor Sam was trying to tell them they were busted!!

How did this happen?

Time, would you please, please slow down!!

go shaster!

• loved spring break and having the freedom to do what we wanted when we wanted everyday of the week! granted preschool is only 2 days a week. was still nice! BUT by the end of our 2 weeks (yes we got 2 weeks and yes i was totally kicking myself in the butt...albeit lightly:).....for not going to maui or california or iowa where the weather was warmer and they're not b.u.r.i.e.d. in snow...just saying) i was ready for the return of routine. the brothers were ready for some little "alone" time if u catch my drift!
• ok, so yes we have a lot of snow but i really shouldn't complain about the weather. no it's not beach worthy weather but today is the first cloudy day in over a week and a half i think. we have been digging the warmer temps (upper 30s...whoo hoo) and getting our boogie board on. that's boogie boarding in the white stuff! shedding the inner liner to our winter coats and those crazy "big" kids on the street were even wearing shorts outside to play! silly "big" kids!
• thank u to the nice man in target this morning that saw me coming with the wild child (aka. nick) blazing a trail in front of me while i scampered after as fast as i could lugging a car seat with my sleeping, chunky babe in it. he must have seen the wild look in my eyes bc he got me a cart faster than anyone could and even picked the trash out of it! even better, it was a small cart not those long carts that steer like semis that nicholas is drawn to. he didn't even have time to think about the fact that he was in a different cart!!
• mourning the departure of the nap for a particular 4-year old in our house. i think he's pretty much good without it now. maybe twice a week if i'm lucky. this momma lives for nap time. so it's kinda sad. but not worth the hassle of trying to get him to fall asleep rather than talk to and rearrange all his buddies over and over again while his bro is trying to take a much needed nap in the bottom bunk.
• ummm...i love easter time! the colors, the eggs, waiting for the leaves to sprout on our easter tree, the anticipation of warmer weather, and the peeps! yep, i said it. peeps. i puffy marshmallow heart them! but only at easter time! i can't eat them at christmas and halloween. they just don't seem right and i swear they don't taste the same as at easter time! my favorite way...opening up the package and letting them get a little hard....mmmm...yummy!
• on the way to target this morning, nick said "go shaster" mom. and just bc it was so cute, i went a little faster. and the grin on his face, so worth it!

lights, camera, our boys

i puffy heart them!

things you say

Nick and Daddy sitting on the couch. Me starting to pick up toys for the night.
Me: who wants to help me pick up toys?
Nick: nobody!!
Me and Daddy: laughing like crazy!
Note to self: think how you ask the question before you ask it!

Sitting down on the couch to nurse Ty.
Gabe: You gonna feed him from your stacks mom?
Where in the world did he get that reference?! I wish I had stacks. So does his daddy ;0)!

Sitting at Red Robin waiting for our food to come.
Gabe: Mom, look, that girl has polka dots on her face.
Me: Where honey? I don't see anyone with polka dots.
Gabe: Right there mom! Pointing at the poor teenage waitress suffering from a healthy dose of acne. Thank goodness she didn't hear or see my son gesturing toward her "polka dots"!

Nick: I going to get bigger and bigger wike Daddy?
Me: Yes, someday you will be big like Daddy!
Nick: And my pee pee going to get bigger and bigger?
Hmmm, cat got my tongue on this one!

favorite foods

Gabe: When does Daddy get home?
Me: Tomorrow. He'll be here for dinner.
Gabe: Oh goody! Can you make all my favorite foods? Broccoli, corn on the cob, moose meat, and mashed potatoes.

I secretly love that one of your favorite foods is broccoli. And that you and Nick both scarf it down like it's dessert when I make it. AND ask for seconds!! You're daddy says you are not his boys because you love broccoli. Silly daddy! You get your love for the green trees from your mommy. Just like you love the snowy trees (aka. cauliflower)!

And the born and raised, will never forget her midwestern roots, Iowa girl loves that you heart corn on the cob!! The sweeter the better kiddo with just a wee slab of butter to go with it!