Quick Catch Up

This past week has been crazy in our house. All the boys were sick again with the flu or croup or something. I did not take the time to go to the doctor for him to tell me to "ride it out" again. I just Vapor Rubbed them up (not Drew) and let it ride out. We are finally getting a little better!

I have a bunch of things to post to catch up on this evening, such as naked snow running, dog catching, treadmill buying, and crayon eating. Yes, I know you are in suspense! For now, I read an article this morning that really hit home! So many people ask me "How I do it" with three kiddos under 2. This article sums it up pretty well so far! Enjoy!

Why big families are easier:

Patience. I never have to teach patience. My children know that I can’t drop everything for them if I have a baby in my arms.

Work Ethic. My children have learned to work because there are always chores to do in a small house packed with little messy lunatics. And they all learn quickly that sometimes they have to clean up a mess even though they didn’t make it.

Humility. My children have learned it’s not always their turn. They’ve accepted they can’t always get their way because other people have to get their way sometimes. They’ve learned that some children are better at certain things than they are.

Foreign language skills. You can learn a lot of Spanish by watching ten years of Dora the Explorer that you just can’t pick up in two. And now with the Diego spin off I’m practically fluent.

Laughter. The children have learned to laugh at the insane non sequiturs of younger siblings. They’ve learned that laughing just feels better when seven people are doing it along with you.

Competition. Do I really need to go into this? Everything is a competition in big families. The children compete over who reads faster, who drinks their milk faster, who gets to the bathroom first…etc. Everything is a competition and they’re all keeping score.

Balance. The floor of the front room of my home is a minefield of toys and childhood paraphernalia. Just walking through the room requires great skill and balance. I’m absolutely convinced my two year old will be a favorite for Gold on the balance beam in the 2016 Olympics. (She might have to lay off the cookies a little but I’ll deal with that later.)

Life isn’t fair. Sometimes you just give it to the baby because you want a little quiet. Not all the time. But sometimes.

Just say “No.” Being able to say “no” may be the most undervalued skill in this world. The need to be liked is pervasive. The need to be cool even more so. Having brothers and sisters teaches children to say “no” about 143 times a day. It’s a good skill.

Praying. They learn that nothing beats praying together as a family.

Nature/Nurture. Having many children has taught me that nature has a lot more to do with who my kids are than nurture. This is helpful, especially when your children misbehave you don’t have to feel bad about it. Just say “Stupid nature!!!” and blame your spouse’s genes.

Namecalling. You can occasionally call your child by the wrong name and still not be considered a terrible parent. They know who you mean just from your tone. Sometimes if you need something done you can call the wrong name and someone will still show up. That helps.

Spying. My children have learned that they can’t get away with anything. I have spies who look a lot like them who are willing to drop the dime on them for anything. Even at school I’ve got a child in just about every grade. If they do something I’ll hear. That keeps them nervous. And I like keeping my kids a little nervous.

Friendship. The children have many friends. They’ve got girly friends, crying friends, fun loving friends, consoling friends, and crazy friends. And they all have the same last name. And they’ll be there forever for each other. No matter what.

Love. I think my children have learned to love because there are others around them to love and who love them. I honestly can think of no better way to teach children to love than siblings.

Drew Stats

Quick post to get Drew's stats on here before I forget or lose them! We went today for his 8 week checkup even though he is 11 weeks, because he had the flu a few weeks ago. He did great until the shots of course, then he was just mad for about an hour. Lovely car ride home! The boys kept imitating him, so I had three screamers!

Weight 13.25lbs (66% percentile)
Height 23.75 in (60% percentile)
Head 17 (96% percentile) Yes, you have a big head! Have from day one!

Some perspective on this for me, I am not comparing you, but just so everyone knows how different this is for me. You are the size right now at 11 weeks that Jaxson was at 5 months. Yes, you are my big boy! You are now in 3-6 month clothes and mainly 6 month because of your height.

Love ya Drew!

All About Drew!

I thought Drew needed a post of his own, so I could jot down what he has already accomplished in his 11 weeks!

Drew you are 11 weeks old tomorrow! It is hard to believe. In these 11 weeks you already have:

1. Rolled Front to Back (7 weeks)

2. Rolled Back to Front (9 weeks)

3. Smiled like a maniac (especially at Mama - 8 weeks!)

4. Sleeping through the night (7-9 hours) starting at 8 weeks

5. Got the flu at 8 weeks

6. Jumped in your jumperoo for hours

7. Have survived your brothers!

You had a diaper shower at church yesterday and received enough diapers we should be good for a while! You slept through church service and Sunday school!

You are an easy going baby most of the time, occasionally I let you sleep too much during the day and you think night time is play time, but we are getting into a routine. We love you Drew and you are such a perfect addition to the Armstrong madness!

We Love Clifford, the Big Red Dog!

Saturday was a big day in the Armstrong house. For their Valentines present from Jon and I we took the boys to "Breakfast with Clifford". The local PBS station was putting it on. Going into it I was a little leery because I was not sure how they would react to him. We had the best time! It started with going into the door and a big red Clifford dog.They had breakfast burritos for everyone, with arts and crafts on the tables. We played with the paper and stickers and colored away. The boys loved their burritos!

Then the time came to meet Clifford! They both were all about it in line, then Ryan became a little hesitant. Jaxson was excited and ran up to Clifford (he actually tried to cut in line in front of everyone and get up there!). Ryan was a little hesitant and needed Dad to stand with him.

We had to wait around a bit for our official pictures to be printed, so the boys went through their goodie bags. They found their favorite thing! Books! So they sat down right there and read them. It was a lot of fun and we plan to do it for the next few years. All they could talk about the rest of the day was "Clifford".

Fashion Week at the Armstrong House

This week the boys have gone wild at our house. I think it is complete boredom from being inside so much because of the snow. I work remotely from my house for my job. The boys know that when my work phone rings or when I am feeding Drew they can get away with murder. I would now like to list the things that they have done over the past few months, the majority of these, this week.

1. Climb in the fireplace with the ashes and all.

2. Stand on top of kitchen dining table, jumping and trying to grab the light fixture.

3. Go through all the kitchen cabinets and find the most dangerous utensils I own (spiked spatula for grilling, meat thermometer, etc.) and proceed to run around the house with them.

4. Take a running leap/jump onto the couch (couch leg is now broken).

5. Color the kitchen tile, china cabinet, and hall walls.

6. Jump from dining room chair to dining room chair without touching the ground, during this getting stuck in the dining room chair.

7. Open the refrigerator and take out the Tabasco sauce and try to drink it. (They could not get the lid off, or it would have happened)

8. Break into Drew's room and scatter three boxes of diapers all over the place. These are no small packages people, these are the 300 count, hence around 700 diapers scattered throughout the house.

9. Break into the diaper bags and get the wipes. They eat wipes! The weirdest thing!

So yesterday I hear screaming coming from the living room and I walk in to see this.

Yes, that is Ryan in Drew's Jumperoo. He was stuck! It was the funniest thing, I had to run and get the camera.

The boys completely destroy their room sometimes and one of their favorite past times is going through their drawers of clothes. Now, some days I have issues keeping clothes on them. Like yesterday they ran around the house in diapers most of the day, because lets face it after dressing them 5 times in the span of 30 minutes, I was done!

Well, today they both came in from their room looking like this.

You know you were wondering what their room looked like after this, here you go!

I am so glad tomorrow is Friday! We are suppose to have non-snowy weather this weekend so we are really looking forward to it!

We have big plans for Saturday! Let me just say it has to do with a Big Red Dog!

Bouncing and Snow!

This weekend Drew really started liking his bouncer, I was really surprised that he was big enough for it - but I had to remember that he is the size right now at 9 weeks that the boys were at 4 1/2 months. So, Jon put him in it this weekend and he loved it! This afternoon I put him in it and shot a few pics.


The boys had fun watching it snow this afternoon. They are wearing their new Elmo p.j.'s from their great Aunt Arlene and Uncle Ronnie. They love them!

This Weekend

1. Drew and I had some much needed alone time with some old friends of mine at a coffee shop in Amarillo. Amazing how we are all mommies now but are all still the same when we get together. Love it!

2. Took the boys to Mr. Gattis pizza Friday night. Seriously had to be the craziest place on earth. The boys absolutely LOVE pizza. They call it "peetzie". Jaxson ate around 6 pieces and Ryan around 5. No kidding folks, these are big normal slices. Plus they ate jello and peaches from the salad bar. I have a feeling with three boys, we will be doing a lot of buffets in the future.

3. The boys went to their friend, Avery's 2nd birthday party. Party consisted of running around the gym at church and playing with balls, hula hoops, and sit scooters. They had a blast! Ran off some energy.

4. The boys had cake at the birthday party. Ryan went crazy! You can tell he really does not get a lot of sweets. He devoured his piece then went to play. A few minutes later I found him on a chair going for the rest of the birthday cake! Caught him just in time. The party was at church so on Sunday morning when we were taking them into Sunday school, Ryan started hollering "cake!" yes, I have a sweets monster. Jaxson on the other hand, ate some but could care less, but give the kiddo pizza and he is a crazy man!

5. Boys went to Sunday school the first time in a while. We try and keep them out during flu season, but we all had it anyways so I figured what the heck! They did ok, Jaxson was screaming like a crazy man, but after about 2 minutes was good to go. They had to tell me all about their Jesus story when they got home.

6. We relaxed and watched the super bowl with Mimi and Poppi last night, it was nice and the boys got some much needed "Grandparent" time.

I have a crazy busy week ahead work wise and we are getting more snow now as I type. Looks like another week to get creative with activities in the house!

Jo

Playdough and Movie Madness Friday!

Our schedule around here is pretty strict during the week because of my work schedule, so Fridays are usually a little more relaxed and laid back. I only let the boys watch one hour of t.v. a day, Sesame Street. They absolutely love it and I am amazed at how much they pick up from it. Well, on Fridays I let them pick out a movie to watch during nap time. They usually fall asleep in the floor, I don't know if they have ever watched an entire movie. Currently the favorite movies of choice are Up, Cars and Nemo. They are absolutely obsessed with the movie "Up" which is funny to me because it is a little sad, scary and kind of weird. Oh well!

This morning the boys were completely bored with everything and wanted to color. Well, they are on day 3 of 7 of the ban from Crayons, so I had to come up with an alternative.

Sidenote, they decided to cover my kitchen floor, cabinets, hall wall, and china cabinet with crayons the other day during one of my work conference calls. They know they can get away with murder when I get on the phone, because I really can't just start disciplining aka speaking loudly at them when I am talking to the COO. So hence the ban on Crayons. Thank goodness they were washable and it all came off!

So back to my story, I decided to make some homemade play dough. The boys have never played with play dough before, so I thought this would be a good start. I made the old flour/salt mixture from a recipe on line. Turned out well and the boys enjoyed it. They played with it for about an hour, until I noticed that the HUGE ball of play dough I had made had shrunk significantly. Then I saw what was occurring, Ryan was eating it! Seriously this stuff tastes awful, but no, my son is chowing down. He probably consumed about half of the mixture before I figured out what was going on. He ate a ton at lunch, so guess his stomach does not hurt. I am sure his salt intake is good for the year now!

Yes, I made it boring white, because I was out of food coloring and I was also scared of food coloring for the time being. White will have to work!

Drew has been doing well, just got over the flu, but is back to his old smiling self. During the majority of the day he sleeps in his bouncer on the bar next to me and out of the line of fire from the boys. We have a busy weekend planned since it is not suppose to snow and we all have cabin fever!

Jo

Quick Pictures

Here are some pictures in the past couple of weeks that I wanted to show.

The boys were ready and bundled up to go feed the "puppies". They love our two dogs Jake and Ringo and this day they went through a couple of inches of snow to go see them.

Jon and the boys out in front of our house. Yes, they are in their p.j.'s! Don't judge!

Reading Time! The boys LOVE to read. They will site in the recliner together and read for hours! Just kidding, really only a few minutes until a fight occurs or something else looks like fun!

Ok, so we had a major snow storm last week, and we really get bored in this house! So we opened up some of Mommy's headbands and played with them! I thought this picture would be good black mail for wedding videos someday!

Could not resist posting this one! Yes, that is a smores in Jaxson's hand! A kid after my own heart!

Jo

A Place for Stories!

Ok, so after almost two years of realizing baby/memory books were not going to happen for my three boys, I have decided to archive using this blog. The stories that have already developed these past couple of years are priceless.

What can two 21 month old twin boys destroy? You would be amazed! Adding Drew to the mix has made this zoo of life amazing! Little guy just goes with the flow most of the time. Some of this may seem boring to some, but to me it is what our days are made of and are fabulous!

Read along and enjoy our crazy and blessed life! On this first post I will leave you with this picture. This was taken when Drew was about two weeks old. He had just thrown up on Ryan, hence the tears. Sometimes it is so hard not to laugh when you should be sympathetic!

Jo