Boy, Girl, or Tomboy?

In December when we told our boys we were having a baby, they were thrilled! They immediately began making predictions abut whether it would be a brother or sister. Travis, ready to document our guesses, grabbed a sheet of plain paper and a pencil. At the top of the paper he wrote these categories: Boy, Girl, Tomboy. Why yes! Why didn't I think of that? Travis recorded our votes on paper. We set it aside and waited.

Just a month later, the verdict was in...

It's another precious baby boy!

No need to wait and see if it is a Tomboy and rightfully so they have not mentioned it being a Tomgirl. They are excited to have a new little brother in June! We feel blessed to be able to "relive" the moments we shared with our other two little boys and create new memories with three fun-loving boys in the house!

Role Reversal

Sometimes this mom just doesn't feel very good, especially after a LONG day of teaching second graders. It just so happens that my class LOVES to talk. And sometimes this chatter causes me to return home with a horrible, unwanted headache. Lucky for me on this particular day, my own two sweet little boys were willing to take care of their mother. As we pulled into our drive that afternoon, Tyler hopped out of the van and said, "Mom, don't worry. You go inside and I will get the mail." That was just the beginning. Upon entering the house I announced, "Boys, you go play something quietly. Mommy has a headache so I'm going to lay down." Before I could get to my room, Travis yelled, "Wait!" His little legs ran as fast as they could into my bedroom. A few minutes later he came back and said, "Okay mom. Your bed is ready!" Confused, I entered my room and smiled. Lying there on my pillow was my heating pad, plugged in ready and warm, just as I usually arrange it. Of course I hugged my little boy and beamed. I am so thankful for these two wonderful growing boys who take care of their mommy. They are sure to make wonderful fathers and daddies some day. Don't you agree?

December Cheer

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY JESUS! Travis made this cute little sock baby Jesus in Primary at church. He chose a blue sock because it's his favorite color. Duh!

Tyler-8 and Travis-7
A few more years and they'll be taller than the tree!

Every Christmas Eve we read the Christmas story from the bible as a family. The boys' enjoy reenacting the story using the nativity figurines. We might need to buy a new set in a year or two. Let's just say the wise men could use some first aid.

Travis had a list a mile long for Christmas. Fortunately, Santa and his elves (a.k.a mom) chose his presents wisely. Here's my smilin' boy jammin' in his new robe. Guess I won't have to share my robe with him anymore.

Tyler never wants for much. One of the things he mentioned he would like for Christmas was an alarm clock. He admired it for a short while, then plugged it in the wall by his bed. Afterwhich he proudly proclaimed, "I set my alarm. Now I can wake up at 5am tomorrow." I'm starting to regret this gift just a little.

Snowman Family- Jeremy, Laura, Tyler, & Travis

Tyler, Travis, & Mommy huddled together in the 9 degree weather at the ICE exhibit at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando. The popular story "Twas the Night Before Christmas" was featured in ice! It was beautiful! The boys' favorite part was scooting down the chilly ice slide.

Until next December...

The Halloween Trick

Tyler as Mario, Travis the Ghostbuster, and Natalia the Mermaid

We nearly missed our trick or treating around the neighborhood this Halloween. As we pulled into the driveway after visiting a friend's house, Tyler announced he could not get out of the van because he was stuck. Annoyed at first, Jeremy and I yelled, "Tyler, hurry up! We don't have much time before the Alvarezes come over!" But with further investigation, it appeared his seatbelt had pulled a mean Halloween trick on him and he really couldn't get out. We pushed and pulled on the seatbelt which only squeezed Tyler more. Just as I was about to get the scissors and cut him out, Jeremy somersaulted Tyler around the seatbelt twice and he was freed! After a short lecture on how to properly wear a seatbelt, we met our friends and treated around the block. No more tricks were needed for the night.

A Sonic Blast

Our darling Travis turned 7 this October. There was no delay when I asked him what he wanted his party theme to be...SONIC the Hedgehog, of course. Why I asked, I don't know. To say that Travis loves Sonic would be an understatement. One day in the van Jeremy and I laughed when Travis said, "I don't understand why people call me Travis. My name is Sonic but everybody keeps calling me Travis." Strange that his birth certificate says "Travis" then too, huh?

The Sonic party began with some outdoor games. In this one, they had to pop each other's balloons to capture the rings (plastic bracelets) inside.

Our boy was spoiled with tons of wonderful gifts from his friends. Just look at that coy smile!

After swimming, hotdogs, and chips, the twenty or so kids headed back out to the yard to complete the "Sonic Obstacle Course" designed by Travis's very own creative, spontaneous dad. The course included jumping through doughnut shaped rafts, climbing the playground, going down the slide, and climbing the rock wall. The smiles on their faces was enough to convince us they were all having a BLAST!

Our guests each left with one of these handmade Sonic treat bags.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONIC POPE!