montgomery party of five

san diego in january

2012-01-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

this past week has been filled with faces like this. fortunately, we have turned a serious corner!

yesterday isaac and i skipped quiet time and went for a walk. what a treat to get that one on one time. i sometimes worry that our kids are will look back on their years at home and think they were more of a traveling pack rather than an individual on the go. let's hope they block out any and all bad memories! ha!

we took our shears and got busy ~~stealing~~ cleaning up the overgrown rosemary around the park.

i seriously LOVE san diego in january! ok, i love it year round.

this character was too cold to play in the pool and made it very clear. fortunately, i think he still managed to have a decent time.

bad trade

2012-01-25T21:44:00.000-08:00

this is a glimpse of what a typical afternoon looks like in the montgomery house, rather outside of the montgomery house.

unfortunately we've traded these smiles in for...

...more(and i do mean a lot more!) vomit and diarrhea. seriously! this picture was actually taken at the target parking lot, on january 1st, when ryder threw up for what we hoped would be the last time for many years to come. as life would have it, less than 3 weeks later, we are back with the loss of bodily fluids. if you're thinking, they should've got their flu shots! the pediatrician says it's not the "flu," but rather the stomach virus. believe me, i asked the doc as i was cursing my own name for not marching us all in for those dang shots. all that to say, we have this lovely little "stomach virus" that is soon to be making it's way through our home. come on by, we've got plenty to share;)

victim #1

victim #2
he spent most of his waking hours fussing and crying while victim #1 reminded me ~~several hundred~~ a few times that his tummy hurt. it was a glorious day that might have included a phone call to stew to let him know that i wanted to quit my job. he's a good man and knew that a quick trip home to give me a 45 minute break, might be enough to keep me on the payroll. he was right. amazing what 45 minutes of alone time will do for the soul!
truth be told, we have been spoiled with amazing family and friends who have showered us with food, a listening ear and magazines. thank you all! in the midst of this minor(seems kinda major when you're in it, but don't all first world problems?;)) obstacle, we have felt loved and that's the greatest.

any guesses on victim #3??

flu round two

2012-01-23T22:25:00.000-08:00

just wrote my dear friend a quick message before bed...

"ryder has the flu for the second time in a month! he has been throwing up with diarrhea since saturday! off to the doctor tomorrow. oh, and i accidentally brushed isaac's teeth with ryder's toothbrush tonight. DANGIT! and did i mention that isaac has an ear infection and my baby has a green snotty nose?!"

after i read it i laughed, not because it's funny, but because this is what our life looks like right now. here's to hoping we see less vomit(please pray we don't all go down again!!) and more smiles in the next few days. as soon as my sweet ryder is well we are putting a finger guard on that boy! no more sucking all those nasty germs.

sugar packets and electrical outlets

2012-01-21T14:46:00.000-08:00

we joined some friends at the little carlsbad airport for a morning of watching airplanes. the kids did not all stand like this the whole time (thanks to the security guard who reminded us that the sign said to stay off). soon enough, the kids were running all over, chasing, eating, tackling, stealing sugar packets from the outdoor restaurant tables and even playing with an electrical outlet. we like to call this parenting at it's finest.

this character soon caught wind of the electrical outlet and had plans of his own.

and then he realized i had planted myself in front of his goal. his happy smile soon turned to this sad little whine(my favorite! please note the sarcasm.). one of the hardest parts of a one year old is their lack of reason. he was certain i was out to ruin his time and was not easily redirected(if you have tips, i will gladly receive them.). love the persistence that each one of our boys has had in life. they set their eyes on a goal and mom is merely an obstacle to overcome. i am thinking this strong persistence will serve them well in life, as for now i am hoping to survive it;)

12 month pictures(a few days late)

2012-01-21T08:11:00.000-08:00

i failed to take the 12 month shot on his actually birthday. but how much can a child actually change in a few days?!

did i mention...

2012-01-21T07:58:00.000-08:00

that this big brother made the cupcakes for asher's 1st birthday?

let's celebrate!

2012-01-19T08:37:00.000-08:00

my mom did all the decorating and it was super cute!

i am one spoiled girl!

and this is when you know you've asked too much of your children.

happy birthday to you...

he liked making a mess of the cupcake more than he actually liked the taste. ha!

i can't say the same for the brothers.

it was good to celebrate with family.

this sweet boy wasn't feeling well all day, but was still such a great trooper. i seriously can't get enough of him!

asher's day continues

2012-01-16T07:26:00.000-08:00

big boy woke up from his much needed nap to see gaga ready to celebrate his first birthday.

gaga brought over some new animal magnets for the fridge. asher was pretty excited about all the attention.

and just when i thought the boys were going to let him actually play with his gift, they started moving all the magnets up high so that asher wouldn't pull them off the fridge.

the brothers like to play games where they run down the hall, charging at asher. he LOVES it(when he doesn't get plowed over)!

later that evening our dear friends popped over with a fun surprise for asher. thank you guys! i think asher felt like a big boy with the older brothers in bed and him up with friends;)

these two are great helpers with the little brothers (they have their own.)!

ryder was still awake and wondering what was going on down stairs. he was thrilled to jump out of bed and join in the excitement.

can you tell?

the parsons dropped off this awesome motorcycle(it makes sounds!). asher was pumped. thanks, friends!

guess who else thought it was pretty cool?!

and look who was left playing with the box? love the flexibility of the third born. this picture might actually be one of my favorites, a picture of reality for this sweet boy;) hysterical!

365 days of love

2012-01-11T15:06:00.000-08:00

asher, how in the world has it been a year? i still refer to you as baby asher. you are such a little love and such a bruiser. you continue to hold your own with the big brothers, taking hit after hit and still wanting in on the fun. your joyful personality makes life with you even more enjoyable. i love when we play, just the two of us. you laugh at the little games we come up with and think it's super great to take the brothers toys when they aren't around. when isaac and ryder are near you do your best to keep up. you love to play at the park, trucking up the stairs and launching yourself down the slide. i'm not sure fear has kicked in for you. you have lots to say, but not in any language i speak. i love that you "talk" as if we know exactly what you are telling us and then bark if we don't do what you have said. you are definitely a third born, going with the flow on most things. your strong personality still lets us know you have your own ideas and opinions.

this year has held so many wonderful firsts and a few not so great. you survived your mom dropping you on your head(the neurologist said we shouldn't have walked out of there so easy. i will forever be grateful for the friends and family that prayed for you in such a critical time. if you're reading this and you're one that prayed, thank you!). you learned to roll, crawl, climb and walk. you've made it through two ear infections, several colds and the flu(thanks for sharing that with the family!). you learned to smile and laugh early on(my favorite!). you gained 6 teeth in a matter of two months(talk about a good time). sleeping wasn't a strong point for a long while, but i am happy to report that you can sleep through the night(thank you, Jesus! and thank you to the friends that reminded me that sleep training is crucial to survival.)! you have been a one nap a day kind of kid, mainly due to life with two older brothers who love to be outdoors.

almost every time we're out in public i receive comments from people about having three boys. my favorite line is, "bless your heart." fortunately you three boys have done just that! little do they know the greatness that came when you made it three! asher, we knew someone was missing from this crew, but we didn't know who until you arrived january 11, 2011. i am so glad you're you! and i am so glad i GET to be your mom. may you always know that you are loved by your family, but more importantly by Jesus.

what a fantastic year we've had. life isn't always easy(in fact i am not sure it's ever easy.), but it sure is worth it.

i asked your brothers what they like about you. here's what they had to say.

ryder: "he does silly stuff."
isaac: "babyzilla is silly."
we refer to asher as babyzilla. it helps the boys laugh when he destroys the things they've made:)

a glimpse at our big boy's morning...

our birthday boy got this awesome mask in the mail from sharon, sarah and ed. thanks guys! stew and i had a good laugh this morning.

the brothers and i took asher to the park to celebrate. he's a huge fan of climbing the structure and throwing himself down the slide, head first. he keeps me on my game.

his first cupcake! there wasn't any frosting, but this weekend we are celebrating with our families and we'll be sure he gets plenty of frosting.

true montgomery fashion. a little time on the ground doesn't slow us down.

my three little loves. i wouldn't miss my days with these three for anything(that's saying a lot especially since all of them managed to get poop on me at some point yesterday)!

thank you for capturing these, joy!

happy birthday ~~baby~~ big boy asher! (please excuse the oversized glasses that were all over my face.)

belmont friends

2012-01-10T05:04:00.000-08:00

sunday we headed back to the belmont retirement center to make marshmallow snowmen. let me just say that there was lots of sugar eating and a little bit of the snowmen building. at any given point ryder was either licking the plate or stuffing his cheeks with big white puffs of sugar. weird that they were a little rowdy.

ms. sarah is so sweet, always encouraging the boys and telling us what a treat it is to see us. she is totally that gem of a lady that makes me think about how i want to be joyful and grateful at every age.

i wasn't lying when i said he was licking the plate(he might've learned that ~~nasty~~ adorable little habit from his mother).

seriously though! i'd also like to add that he ate 6 pieces of toast with a stick of butter before we arrived. the child can eat!

sawyer's 3!!

2012-01-08T18:06:00.000-08:00

saturday we celebrated this little hunk. seriously, check out his outfit!

happy birthday, sawyer! thanks for letting us celebrate with you!

sawyer is a total rocker! he has his own drums and all.

did i mention that he was gifted a REAL electric guitar for his birthday?! tell me he doesn't look like he belongs in a band!

this ridiculously fun jam session was a totally new scene for our boys (blame it on their parents lack of any musical talent). they were slow to warm up, but soon found themselves having a great time.

i might have played the recorder or clarinet in my day. hot cross buns, anyone?

proud little sister.

and just when i thought there was no way that my kids would want to play the drums, ryder wanted a turn!

as for now, we'll play that very loud instrument when we visit sawyer. this mom isn't sure she'd make it with three boys pounding on the drums all day.

a new day, a new year

2012-01-08T14:39:00.000-08:00

january 1, 2012- my three little hunkys straight out of baths. (tell me that asher doesn't get plenty of love;))
i am excited to see all that life brings this new year. it's rarely easy, but it's usually exactly what we need. ready or not, here we go!

the boys like to take turns with my camera. isaac took this one.

and ryder captured a great one of asher. ha!

new years eve

2012-01-04T14:08:00.000-08:00

we kissed these little hunkys goodnight one last time in 2011.

NYE turned out to be one of our favorites. we were back and forth on if we were going to be able to make it between all the sickness and finding a sitter, but in the end we were well and my parents party was canceled due to sickness. so at 6:30pm on the 31st we were in! my WONDERFUL DAD(my mom was down with the flu. i am telling you, it took us all out!) watched our boys as we headed over to the dassos for an around the world new years eve themed party(thank you, karen and amanda!). every couple brought a bottle of wine, an appetizer and beer from their chosen country.

next to each bottle and appetizer was a list of facts about that country. we were given the heads up that there would be a contest and we should pay attention to the details. i put stew on that since he has a ridiculously amazing memory!

after the cheese fondue part of dinner we were given this sheet to fill out. i was kinda hoping for multiple choice, but hey, we still came in second! go team!

team huffman and don't let that #1 lead you to believe they came in first. ;)

and this is where the night really took off! the chocolate fountain was borrowed and so it was a learning process. the men put themselves in charge of making this happen and in the end it worked out great! i am not sure if milk is the proper addition to the recipe, but matt was certain it would work and it turns out he was right! i would also add that this whole ordeal was hysterical.

success.

we decided to get a group shot right before the countdown. thanks for the photography, paige!

happy new year!

i might have taken a sip of champagne instead of kissing my leading man at the stroke of midnight, but better late than never.

christmas continues

2012-01-04T13:22:00.000-08:00

christmas afternoon we headed to papa alan and grandma chris' to celebrate with the montgomery side of the family. we were glad we made it in time to see papa alan before he headed off to work.

our boys were loving helping open everyones gifts. i think our family likes the unwrapping part almost as much as the actual gift.

my sweet baby sat on my lap for an extended amount of time. i should have known then that he was terribly sick. this child doesn't believe in sitting still, ever!

all the cousins in attendance. not sure emma was too excited about being squished between all these boys.

christmas night we put all the boys to bed and stew and i watched our last christmas movie for the season, love actually(thanks, karen!). at around 10pm i went up to feed asher one last time for the night and found him in a crib of vomit:( poor little guy had been sick all day. turns out the stomach bug made him feel sick for around 4 days, taking down the rest of the family as well. as i type i am looking at isaac, asleep on the floor in front of me. he's officially the last of our crew to be taken down with the flu. this one was nasty! it lasts forever(ok, we've only had it in our family for 1.5 weeeks, but that feels like forever)! here's to hoping that we have officially gotten the flu over with for the year! fingers crossed.

christmas morning

2012-01-01T19:30:00.000-08:00

our two oldest have the gift of rising between the hours of 4 and 5 am and not just on christmas! this gave us plenty of time as a family to play and get ready for our very full and ~~exhausting~~ fun day. isaac and ryder were excited that is was jesus' birthday and wanted to get to the party(breakfast at my parents). i love that at this age a birthday means a party(isaac refers to any gathering of friends or family as a party.) and who doesn't love a good party?!

more rocket shooting

baby brother always wants to be included. he will seriously sob until he joins the group.

what more could a girl ask for?! love these guys and their rocket shooting abilities!

ryder immediately throws theses flip flops on whenever we get to my parents. they aren't even his size, but he calls them his and wears them with great pride.

new shoes for our little walker.

stew and i made allison a jewelry hanger. ok, i picked out the hardware and stew did the real work.

thank you for the presents auntie! oh the hours of fun we've already had as we've been in the house for ONE WEEK WITH THE FLU(more to come on that)!

who knew this little love had the stomach bug all day. he was exceptionally fussy and i just assumed he was getting more teeth. christmas night i went to feed baby asher one last time before going to bed. poor little guy was in a crib of vomit. he wasn't well for at least 4 days. as i type this, we are still in the trenches of it with ryder. let's hope it ends soon! and let's hope isaac doesn't get it! yuck.

the boys made these for our families for christmas this year.

this was a perfect picture of the morning with asher! looking back(and having just gone through the pain) i feel horrible that we were dragging him all over that day.

ryder and isaac wanted to make christmas gifts for our families. they even wrapped them with very little help from me. let me also add here that our boys love duct tape and use it to wrap gifts as well.

my parents gave the boys a box with their names on it. when the boys opened it, ryder exclaimed, "there's nothing in it." my dad had to point out the pink string that was flowing out of the box and tell them to follow the string. the boys are only 4 and 3 and had no clue what was going on. the string lead them to the backyard where they had to put on their helmets before following the string to the side of the house. under a large brown tarp the boys were thrilled to find two new lightening mcqueen bikes. thanks gaga and papa!
we all headed out front to parade down the street, showing off our bright red lightening bikes.

it was such a great morning(thank you mom and dad!)! i hope our boys are always this excited to celebrate the birth of Jesus, even if presents, food and family aren't included.

"I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Luke 2:10-12

christmas eve (part 2)

2012-01-01T14:22:00.000-08:00

after the boys took naps on christmas eve we headed to my parents for a little dinner and fun. my mom made homemade lasagna this year and it was delicious! we ate, played and spent time with family.

my dad found shooting rockets at a garage sale and the boys were outside for much of the night, launching them as high as they could. great find, dad!

what a hunk! (he might not let me keep this one up since he wasn't overly excited to have his picture taken:))

aunt bonnie brought christmas bingo with prizes. totally fun for all ages!

dad, great aunt beede and great aunt marguerite

the cane is always a hit with isaac. i am happy to report that this year he didn't whip it around in the air, nearly taking my great aunts out!

christmas eve (part 1)

2011-12-27T05:43:00.000-08:00

christmas eve holds a great tradition for our crew. north coast calvary offers a sweet experience for families to come see livestock and a manger. what a great way for us to catch a glimpse of the real christmas story.

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:8-14

not a huge fan of the animals.

a typical picture for us.

ran into the huffmans.

this was the best family shot we got. i especially like the sign behind us. we're classy like that.

"...'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices..."

blast off

2011-12-27T05:21:00.000-08:00

auntie allison wanted the boys to open her gift a few days early.

they were thrilled with their new hideout.

funny house...

2011-12-26T05:02:00.000-08:00

last thursday night grandma chris and papa alan came out to see the boys. grandma chris had to miss ryder's birthday due to a nasty flu bug, but still had cans for ryder to drop at funny house.

christmas break

2011-12-24T07:18:00.000-08:00

my mom is on christmas break!! can i tell you how great it is to have gaga around to love on the boys?! life is so much more fun with an extra pair of hands! they made rolo/pretzel desserts(heavenly!), hit up the airport for lunch and airplane watching(thanks, mom!), and returned an accidentally stolen bracelet(love that my boys think i need new jewelry and add it to the diaper bag;)) to banana republic. let me also add that as we entered banana to apologize for the stolen goods, isaac knocked over a mannequin. we've officially made our way on to the "do not enter list" at the banana outlet.

fortunately legoland still lets us in! the boys have loved the christmas decorations and snow!

our dancing machine.

try and find santa. ha!

the "store"

oh what fun...

2011-12-23T07:35:00.000-08:00

this weekend we decided to walk the neighborhood, looking at lights. this house happens to be one of our favorites. too bad we knocked off a few of the lollipop decorations in all the excitement. the next day we dropped by the house to apologize and thank the family for decorating such a cool house. the dad was AWESOME! he didn't seem to care about the minor mess we had made and was thrilled to hear how much the kids enjoyed their house. he promised our boys there would be even more decorations on his house next year. we'll be back!

ryder now 3 and andy 33!

happy birthday, ryder!

2011-12-19T14:44:00.000-08:00

saturday we celebrated the third birthday of our spunky second born, ryder! we learned that ryder does much better with a smaller group of friends for his party. he invited a few little boys that he sees regularly, to jump, collect bugs and eat cupcakes with him. ryder had so much fun that he wanted to know where all his friends went after the party. FINALLY we threw a party that he truly enjoyed! yay!

this year ryder asked his friends to skip the presents and hook him up with some cans for funny house(a house that we LOVE to drive by 365 days a year! they go all out with their christmas decor and the boys love it. they accept can donations for an organization called interfaith. when the boys caught on to the fact that some people don't have food, ryder was all about the cans for his birthday!). he was pretty excited to collect the cans as his friends rolled in. ryder loaded the box with pride(picture of the delivery at the bottom of the post). to be totally honest, we are NOT in NEED of anything in our house. we are well fed, well clothed and have a warm house. we want our boys to know how fortunate we truly are. i hate that i have to remind myself of this fact... often!

totally his pick on the theme!

the day of the party this character decided to walk. he has been cruising with a few steps, but saturday he kicked it up a few notches. looks like someone doesn't want to be left behind. watch out world!

our can collector.

showing off his alien tattoos.

sawyer showed up with a bag of cans(thanks, friend!) and a candy cane for each brother. he knows what these boys like... sugar!

baby cooper, one of the youngest party people.

ryder requested an alien bug hunt. what's that? good question! it's a regular bug hunt.

stew played a game with the boys, throwing them into the jumpy over and over again. the kids were elated and the moms were holding their breath. this might have been ryder's favorite part of the party. i love that i can always find my husband playing with our boys. stew has his faults, but he's one hell of a dad(husband too)! i am so grateful!

the first attempt.

he might have spit a little:)

saturday night we headed to funny house to make the drop. the owners of the house came out with candy canes for the boys and shared with us about their connection to interfaith. the mom and her daughter have worked with this organization helping people get back on their feet.
as it turns out they almost didn't decorate this year, but their college aged daughter insisted! so glad! we would have had two very sad boys.

ryder, you are a truly your own person. you love to make us laugh and you love to try daring things that make me gasp. you have really come out of your shell. you talk about your friends and look forward to seeing them. you could spend all day outside running, jumping and collecting bugs. it thrills me to see you be kind to others. i love when you notice that baby asher is in need of a toy and you share. you love to tease your brothers! your favorite color is orange and you remind everyone else of their (assigned)favorite color. tomatoes are an absolute favorite of yours, along with most other fruits and vegetables. you are willing to try most foods and aren't too picky. you seem to pick up on other peoples feelings, even in movies and want to know the why behind them. "why?" is your favorite question. when we talked about funny house collecting food for people without anything to eat, you were concerned. you have spent most of the past few months reminding us that there are people without clean water and food. even at 2 you are teaching us to think about others. you are a pistol with a tender heart. i look forward to seeing what God does with your enthusiasm and fearlessness. i love you so much and am so proud to be your mom!

let the weekend begin

2011-12-19T05:38:00.000-08:00

on friday auntie bonnie came down to celebrate ryder's birthday! the weekend was packed with celebrating and playing( stew and i even had an afternoon to ourselves! thank you, auntie!). that evening we headed to legoland for some snow fun and tree lighting before dinner at sammy's.

stuff your stocking

2011-12-18T14:21:00.000-08:00

thursday i was invited to a "stuff your stocking" party, hosted by these two gals. it was very similar to a favorite things party, but with a few new creative twists. these girls spoiled us with a night of pure fun! thank you both!

every friend brought 3 unwrapped items along with their own stocking. we placed each of our goodies on the dining room table in front of a glass. once all the gifts were out, we were given 3 candy canes (2 small and 1 large). we took our candy canes and placed them in the glasses of the items that we might want to take home, the largest candy cane placed next to our first choice item. at some point paige and melissa disappeared from the group and did the sorting of the goodies, dispersing them into all of our stockings. as we sat around talking, the door bell rang and guess who it was...

inside of santa's bag were each of our stockings filled with our new goodies. such a fun surprise! we were like a group of little kids, laughing and giddy. thank you, frank!

we even got to take individual shots with santa! so much fun!

did i mention we had a little ornament exchange as well? look at the beauty i brought home.

end of the semester

2011-12-17T19:33:00.000-08:00

the only picture i captured from isaac's preschool picnic. ryder didn't make it into the photos with the big kids and really wanted to be in a picture. can you see the tears?

thursday marked the end of the semester for isaac's preschool. many of my friends talked about these great christmas parties at their child's school or performances their kids were in. isaac on the other hand had a crazy hair day(and he refused to do the crazy hair) for his ending. all the families gathered for a picnic(do boys actually ever sit still for these things?) out on the playground and then headed home. i was a tad bit sad that our preschool doesn't celebrate christmas or do any of those cute performances. i love christmas and wanted to enjoy the kids singing sweet christmas carols and hearing about the birth of jesus while trying to keep an eye on my other two little ones. unfortunately that's not how isaac's preschool goes down and i had to choose to dwell on the reasons we LOVE isaac's school and class in general. here's what i came up with...

1. isaac's teachers take great care of him.

2. the other parents are kind and involved.

3. the students in this class treat each other like rock stars!

4. isaac has a very dear friend(terje) that seems to have a similar joyful personality. terje even refers to isaac as his best friend.

5. there's a lot of hand washing!(this is huge for a child with a low immune system!)

6. his teachers have learned how to put his hearing aids in and out so that he can wear them as much as possible. (this is huge!)

7. not everybody is white. let's hear it for diversity!!

8. isaac loves going to school!

9. ms. jennifer came to isaac's IEP to make sure she was on the same page as his speech teacher.

10. the school and families are outside of our usual community. i LOVE this and need this! my world gets bigger.

11. diver(one of the students) is an amazing little artist. he makes pictures for isaac! love that isaac continues to ask me to make pictures like diver. ha!

12. there's not a kid in the class that isaac doesn't enjoy (i guess i can't think of many people isaac doesn't enjoy:)).

i could go on and on, but these were the things that came to mind as i drove home from the picnic. so, yeah, we didn't get to see any adorable kid performances(maybe someday), but it did force me to really think about the things i love about isaac's preschool.

happy birthday, dad!

2011-12-17T18:05:00.000-08:00

wednesday was my dad's 88th(just kidding, dad) birthday. ryder's birthday is on the 18th and so we did a little joint celebration. when my grandma was alive we used to celebrate her birthday(the 11th) and my dad's at the same time. fortunately my dad doesn't mind sharing his big day of celebrating with special people.

we don't usually give our kids birthday(or christmas) gifts, but stew found them each 2 new cars - way to go daddy!

gaga brought cupcakes and boy were those a hit!

these two love their gaga!

earlier that morning we put this little gem on papa's facebook wall.

decorating houses

2011-12-17T06:52:00.000-08:00

the boys saw the pictures of the houses i had decorated with my friends and they wanted their turn at it. i am not a big gingerbread decorator and assumed my kids wouldn't be either. turns out that candy has a large draw with 3 and 4 year olds(go figure!). on tuesday the younger boys and i ran by walmart and grabbed the goodies we needed while isaac was at school. the minute we got home we started in our project. i built the structures (i know i am no gingerbread builder, but my kids don't care:)), opened the candy canes and the boys did the decorating.

ryder got a smaller house since we ran out of graham crackers. we might have scarfed them down earlier in the day:)

belmont retirement center

2011-12-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

tami organizes an amazing opportunity for our children to visit a local retirement center one sunday a month. our kids get to visit with the very kind and PATIENT folks as they do a craft together. this month we made christmas trees with ice cream cones, frosting and candy. i think everyone had a great time, we sure did! thank you, tami! we're enjoying getting to know our new friends at the belmont retirement center. (forgive the pictures, i had asher on the front of me.)

sweet sarah(on the right) was so gentle and encouraging of ryder. she did such a great job encouraging him with his first tree, he moved around the table decorating every lady's tree. what a riot!

a true highlight of the morning is when the director of the retirement center had everyone sing happy birthday to asher and another little girl. i tried to tell her he was 11 months that day, not 1 year old. she said nobody needed to know that. it reminded me of something my mom would have done. she used to take us to visit retirement centers often. she was always coming up with funny little things to entertain everyone. love that!

11 months of love

2011-12-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

oh little love, how are you already 11 months old? i continue to call you baby asher, knowing that this name can't last forever. you continue to be my little cuddle bug even though you think you're as big as the brothers. you insist you can keep up with them and HATE being left out. i've never seen a child take so many hits and keep on going. you are trying so hard to walk. you've managed a few steps on your own, but still crawl most places. you are now eating almost all foods and have really scaled back on the milk. i am pretty sure you see what your brothers are eating and want in on the goods. i tried to take your 11 month picture, but you wouldn't sit still. the brothers were close by and quickly jumped on the couch to help. they think you're pretty great and you feel the same about them. when daddy walks in the door, you fuss until he holds you. daddy is a true family favorite! you have had a snotty nose the past couple of weeks which has made it hard for you to breathe at night. i must admit i kind of enjoy our late night snuggles (daddy's not such a fan). you LOVE to dance! when i sing the "oh yeah" song, you pump up and down and smile. we howl! you clap and want us to cheer. you throw your hands up in the air and look for us to hoot and holler. you are our little entertainer and we enjoy you!

this is what you do when you are done.

catching up with my phone

2011-12-13T13:03:00.000-08:00

my mops table made this little beauty.

wrapping the gifts they made for the family

movie and popcorn night

this character fell asleep in my lap before i moved him to the floor.

disneyland

legoland snow

candy cane court

"it's a wonderful life" for my dad's birthday celebration.

candy cane court

2011-12-13T05:42:00.000-08:00

saturday night we joined a few other families to stroll candy cane court. what a great family outing! the kids were running from house to house checking out all three cul de sacs of lights!

To get there:
I-5 to the 56 east
Exit Rancho Penasquitos/Poway Road
Turn Right off the exit
Continue on Poway Road (you will pass Pomerado Road)
Turn Left on Carriage Road
left on Saddlewood & immediate left on Hickory.

go and enjoy it! it's truly gorgeous!

three cavities and fun

2011-12-12T18:04:00.000-08:00

friday morning we joined a few friends for a fun little play-date. soula had crafts, a jumpy and we all brought food. so much fun! please note the butterfly that ryder was giddy for me to see. little did i know the thing was real! oh the excitement;)

the attempted group shot that will always be funny to me.

this little trooper had three cavities filled before the party(partially due to genes and partially due to his cleft). stew took him for the appointment and said he was amazing! he had all the cavities filled without any drugs and was very still through the process. if you need a dentist let us know. she's located in the forum and ridiculously affordable($19 for a child's cleaning and $39 for adults)!

gingerbread house decorating

2011-12-12T14:06:00.000-08:00

last thursday amanda hosted her annual gingerbread house decorating party. it's always fun to me to get together with good friends and have a low key night in the midst of this great christmas season. thanks, beaut!

best part of this photo is the kissing ball on karen's head!

jamie does NOT kid around with frosting! i think she won the "winter wonderland" award:)

disneyland

2011-12-11T13:39:00.000-08:00

aunt bonnie took our crew to disneyland last tuesday for a day of fun! the boys have been talking about going since she mentioned it. this was our 4th trip and disneyland did not disappoint. so many beautiful decorations, fun rides and running into friends(does chad lowe count as a friend?:)) much to my surprise baby asher made it through the day with a ten minute nap (love the third born) and the older boys did really well. love those days when everyone seems to be on their best behavior! please know that our best behavior does not mean that we were perfect(pictures to follow).

started off on the buzz ride. though not our first time on this ride the boys were scared. funny that they have been sharing with people that it was their favorite ride. ha!

we headed over to small world to get the kids back in the swing of things.

ran into laura on her birthday- happy birthday, laura!

back on small world. the boys were amazed through the ride. even baby asher loved it:)

i love when he checks things out with this munchable little face. seriously want to eat him up!

this sequence is so typical.
i kind of want to frame it for my house as a reminder of what my life looks like to others.

off to the jungle ride!

the ride might have been a little intense for my kids.

we saw the lighting of the tree...

...and watched the parade (wish you could've seen the faces on the couple sitting by us at the parade. let's just say that their little girl was a quiet little child, while ours were running, jumping and kind of bumping into them.).

what a great day! thank you, auntie! we felt spoiled:)

ugly sweaters and tons of bacon

2011-12-11T12:43:00.001-08:00

the mattinglys host one of our FAVORITE christmas parties every year! i mean who can beat ugly christmas sweaters and tons of bacon?! no joke, everyone brings a dish that calls for bacon. let's just say that last saturday i was up by 2 am with the sweats from all the consumed bacon that night.

winner of the ugliest sweater: blake

how adorable are these little guys?

i finally got to meet sweet noelle. she is just precious!

happy birthday graham!

2011-12-11T05:26:00.000-08:00

graham turned 2! please note his glare. he's afraid i am going in for more of his chick fil a nuggets. dang those things are delicious. it was my first experience with chick fil a ( i know, how did i go to baylor and not experience them before?!) and i am in love! i should also confess that i am NOT a fast food fan, but have made my way back to chick fil a already!

the whole party was car themed and decked out accordingly. it was awesome!!

stew saw this picture and said, "that was my favorite part!" yep, my husband would wait for the kids to come to the side and he would push them all down. it was a riot for him and the kids:) it's probably a good thing we have all boys!

let it snow

2011-12-10T14:07:00.001-08:00

legoland snow was just what we needed to kick off the weekend( a week ago). i had never been with the boys to play in the snow so i let stew stand on the outside, holding baby asher while i played:)

neither boy wanted a turn riding on the sleds. i wanted a ride and fortunately the other 2 and 3 year olds let me jump in line.

stew was humored with the fact that jay-z was working at legoland.

we were there for the lighting of the lego christmas tree and isaac was astonished!

deck the halls

2011-12-10T08:51:00.001-08:00

the boys had been talking about decorating the tree since the minute we left home depot. the next afternoon we set to work. asher was sleeping, christmas music was playing and the boys were busy. my mom popped by with a little panera for our crew. she told the boys that sometimes you need a special dinner when you do special things like tree decorating. the boys were thrilled and so was i! thanks, mom!

tree farm (aka home depot)

2011-12-07T13:36:00.001-08:00

about a week ago we headed to home depot with my parents to pick out our christmas tree. the boys LOVE this process. ryder hides in the trees while isaac loves playing on the carts. it's truly a riot to watch and i am certain the home depot workers aren't sad to see us leave. did i mention that my dad has to smell every(ok, not every, but almost) tree on the lot?! NO JOKE! as my grandpa used to say and i am sure the home depot folks would like to say, "glad to see you come and glad to see you go."

our little tree:) isaac was certain we needed a bigger one, but was finally content with this little beauty.

family photos

2011-12-02T06:16:00.001-08:00

i can remember sitting in melissa and andy's backyard, sipping wine and discussing the fact that melissa needed to start her photography business. it's been a long time since that conversation and she is well on her way:) i love that we got to be one of her first family photo shoots. the girl is GOOD! it was a huge gift to our family. thank you, melissa!
(more to come on her new site)

i love that melissa totally captured my boys' personalities...

isaac is usually smiling ear to ear, excited about life.

ryder is always in search of a "treasure" aka bugs.

our happy baby is 10 months and growing!

friday phone dump

2011-12-02T06:08:00.000-08:00

cooper was baptized.

sweet lila turned 4!

we had a little "picnic" in the parking lot of isaac's preschool while we waited for him.

baby asher slept right through that picnic.

we got our tree.

ryder truly enjoyed home depot's tree lot.

my favorite time of the year to drink(at starbucks).

isaac spent a lot of his quiet time just looking at the tree, waiting to decorate.

oh christmas tree...

2011-11-30T18:53:00.000-08:00

this makes isaac's 5th year at the forum christmas tree lighting. i can still remember the 1st lighting he attended. he was days away from his first surgery at only 3 months old. funny how every christmas tree lighting reminds me of that first year we were preparing for a big surgery. fast forward four years and we've got this happy character running through the crowd, throwing his glow stick, playing with friends and anticipating santa's arrival. life isn't always what you expect, sometimes it's even better!

ryder's a huge fan of the christmas tree lighting as well. this makes his 3rd lighting and he was jazzed. can you tell? the child would NOT stand still!

last year i had no idea how great it would be to have this third little love in our family.

they ditched the traditional christmas carols this year for celtic music. i wasn't a fan, but many others were.

auntie allison was able to make it even after her all night shopping spree for black friday(how do people do that?).

give a kid a camera...

this child LOVES to take pictures!

everything is more fun and crazy(who am i kidding, it's always crazy with three kids!) with friends!

the characters were just that, characters. ryder was apparently a jumping elf.

prime seating as santa walked down the aisle.

giving thanks

2011-11-30T14:25:00.000-08:00

thanksgiving was spectacular! we gathered at my parents place for A LOT of food, family and friends. it was totally loud and crazy and i loved it. my mom said something along the lines of, "it's better to have a packed house(and it was) than to be alone." i couldn't agree more!

this fool is getting really good at the turkey carving! way to go, lit!

this was the table where 16 of us dined;) there was play dough, crayons and coloring sheets to keep all entertained.

with these four, my life will always be loud and a bit chaotic- i'd have it no other way.

in an attempt to get the kids smiling and looking at me there might have been the promise of dessert.

guess who heard "smile for dessert" and decided to get in on that deal.

turkey trotting

2011-11-24T13:50:00.001-08:00

this morning we participated in the o'side turkey trot for our third year. each year it's a different group(and additional children), but always a good time. i love these sweet family traditions and i am hoping our kids will continue to love them as well.

ready to run.

what a good lookin group of men. please note the bars in the boys' hands (i think i grabbed 50+) .

when gaga was ready to cross the finish line with baby asher, the boys wanted to join them.

this character wouldn't slow down for a picture. i think i've found my running partner:)

the turkey trotting was good, but the turkey eating will be great!

happy birthday, ethan!

2011-11-23T13:16:00.000-08:00

last saturday the boys got to celebrate their friend, ethan! it was such a fun morning of bug hunting, fishing and playing(sarah knows what little boys like!).

happy birthday to a sweet four year old boy!

isaac loved this helicopter.

ryder made a bird for our thanksgiving centerpiece.

checking out the bugs

a few random

2011-11-22T06:28:00.000-08:00

i just found some photos on my camera from a couple of weeks ago. love that our boys made these sweet bags in their sunday school class. (ryders on the left and isaac's on the right.)

baby asher with auntie allison

"get this off my head!"

first time in snow

2011-11-20T06:47:00.000-08:00

the first weekend of november stew took the two older boys up to forest home for the all church retreat. this was the boys second time and this trip was MUCH BETTER than thefirst visit up to forest home! they saw snow(didn't plan for this part. please note our kids were in jeans and boots that stew stopped to pick up at target on the way up.) for the first time(i was sad to not be there for that), they slept through the night(kind of), and played! stew was exhausted but said it was worth it(i think he said that, but i could be making that part up. ha!). here's a glimpse via ed murphy's photos(thanks, ed!)...

this one makes me laugh. can you tell that he didn't get much sleep and spent 24 hours wrangling two children all alone?! love this! you're a good man, little!

rainy day

2011-11-20T06:43:00.001-08:00

a little over a week ago we found ourselves in the middle of a rainy day. what better to do than play in the puddles?!

a night of thanksgiving

2011-11-17T14:27:00.000-08:00

when we were invited to a night at the danielsons', i knew we were in for a beautiful evening(thank you frank and paige for an amazing time!!). what i didn't know is that it would be one of the greatest nights of friendship i've experienced in a long time. the food was fabulous and the whole setup was just plain gorgeous, but to be honest, my favorite part was when we gathered in the sitting room to share all we have to be grateful for. frank and paige kicked it off with the reminder that "our cup runneth over." i immediately felt the same way, looking around the room at dear friendships that have been a true gift of hope this year. when it was my turn to share i was able to get out my gratefulness for such deep friendships and a mom who taught me the importance of those. as i went to share how thankful i am for my sweet husband and boys, i could barely speak. i could feel the tears about to fall so i kept it short. but what i wanted to say was... i am a lucky girl! i married up and i know it(so does my whole family). my husband gets me in a way no one else does. he has the gift of helping me see why i am the way i am(the good and bad). he is honest and faithful. he plays with our boys in a way that only a dad can. stew is the man that puts firm boundaries on work and life so as to keep our family his first priority(we learned that in premarital counseling... anyone can be a minister, but only stew can be dad to our children and a husband to me. thank you, doug and kim!). stew has the gift of serving behind the scenes without taking credit(something i lack). he cleans and does laundry(i fail at putting clean clothes away). his gentleness and kindness towards others has been such a great example for me and for our three boys.

this thanksgiving i am reminded what a gift i have in my friends, my family but especially my husband(he does have faults, but i'll save those for another time;).

life can be hard and it's good to be surrounded by jesus loving people, reminding me of what's truly important. may this thanksgiving be one where you are reminded of the sweet gifts jesus has given you.

one of the two gorgeous dinner tables.

6 boys between the two of us and we're still smiling- that's something to be grateful for;)

how cute are these two?! they did an amazing job carving the turkey!

before the meal, we had these awesome fellas clean up some of our mess. a good man knows how to clean!

they weren't kidding around with the carving!

i am so grateful to call each of them friend!

our good looking husbands! love that they all let us play so much! clearly they all subscribe to the motto: a happy wife is a happy life;)

had to take another one once everyone arrived:)

melissa captured this one during dinner (not sure when, since i was sitting across from her).

is there any food better than homemade whip cream? i think not. if you're looking to really put a kick in your baking(or whip cream) you have to pick up this vanilla bean paste. seriously over the top!

stew made this baby from scratch and it was delicious!

funny how it's so much easier to enjoy a sweet two week old(baby cooper!)when they belong to a friend(not that i didn't enjoy mine, but i was too tired to remember it!)!

11.11.11 (10 months of our littlest love)

2011-11-12T06:39:00.001-08:00

steal my heart! you officially weighed in at 22 lbs 5 ozs of love. you say, "ma ma ma ma ma ma." i like to think you're referring to me, but i can't say that confidently(yet). you also say, "da da da da da da." not sure that you're referring to daddy either. little love, you think you can walk(not without a hand hold). you love to put ALL things in your mouth. you have graduated into a big boy car seat (thank you to that nurse that told me you needed to move out of the carrier and thanks you auntie for that fun gift!). i am thrilled to say we are finally sleep training you(my guilt from dropping you, would not let me start this any earlier). you are currently at a halt with 6 teeth. your favorite spot is anywhere your brothers are playing. they usually let you join in the fun, but often forget that you're still a baby(fortunately you handle those tackles well). i had thought you would be our low key, mellow child, but i was wrong. you have strong opinions(nothing wrong with that) and are full of energy. dr. metsch pointed out how active you are(he didn't have to tell me!) while trying to listen to your heart at your well check. you fit in this family perfectly! i can't wait to see where God takes you.

my cup runneth over

2011-11-12T06:04:00.001-08:00

last night we shared in an evening of giving thanks. one friend(thanks, frank!) said it so well, "my cup runneth over." in the midst of real life i sometimes forget how true this statement is... our house is LOUD and messy. we start the day early (4:26am this morning)! i am surrounded by piles of clean and dirty laundry(my husband is the one that puts the piles in their proper spot). i spend a lot of my day reminding our boys to be gentle, kind and share. we visit the doctor more times than i can count(this past week i took all three for a well check and shots! it was so crazy i had to laugh, so did the doctor!). did i mention our house is MESSY?! nothing stays nice(our newly painted banister has dirty little handprints all over it!). we get to live 1/2 a mile from my parents and 20 minutes from my inlaws. my sister makes my kids laugh. my aunt is like a third grandma to our kids. i have dear friends that are like family(thank you for teaching me the importance of good friends, mom!). my husband thinks i am great(he still knows my countless faults) and has no clue how over the top amazing he is! my cup runneth over! in what ways is your cup running over?

happy birthday audrey!

2011-11-10T18:14:00.000-08:00

happy birthday cute audrey! sorry i missed out on the celebration(mom's fault). looking forward to playing/swinging with you!

phone dump (part 2)

2011-11-08T14:26:00.000-08:00

a couple of friends hosted an amazing little boutique. there were some great vendors and great ideas for the holidays(the flower shop presented these floral arrangements). totally fun to bust out my new little "shop"--- hair tied! this past summer i fell in love with these hair ties and decided to make them myself. it's been great to add my own twist to the look.

happy birthday joy! thank you paige for the delicious cookies! fun treat:)

thanks for babysitting mom!

baby asher and i ventured out to the forum while the rest of our crew was at forest home. i think people thought i was nuts to have a baby out in pouring rain. funny how it was easier to have one out in the rain than all three when it's dry!

met baby cooper and fell in love. he is so so precious! he happens to share stew's birthday :)
even more fun is the fact that his birthdate is 11.1.11 and asher's is 1.11.11(they're destined to be friends).

this is the look brayden was sporting when i stopped by. how great is this kid!

we celebrated our favorite man with family! thanks mom and dad!

and the party continues...

thanks grandma chris and papa alan!

please don't hide your children from us. it's movember and my husband is in full swing.

we made bug muffins for breakfast (thanks, auntie!)!

phone dump (part 1)

2011-11-08T14:06:00.000-08:00

here's a glimpse at our last couple of weeks(part 1), in no particular order...

stew and i LOVE a good biore strip. we used to do them when we were dating--- fortunately or unfortunately, some things never change.

thanks reviers!

we tried to make him the toy story monkey for halloween, but he wasn't having it.

a little piece of heaven.

love when my mom pops by after school.

this fool was all about the costume. every time i would turn around he was back in suit. so perfect for him!

the boys love to race back and forth on the front porch. it's perfect for that late afternoon time when all seems to fall apart.

daddy and isaac carved an alien and buzz for halloween.