Happy Mother's Day!

I had a great Mother's Day, complete with the boys waking up on their own and making me breakfast in bed.

2 pieces of toast, each with a different kind of jam.

I can't believe how much they are growing and how quickly it's all happening. I love being a mother to these 3 special boys who keep my life interesting and have helped me find my purpose.

Some days it's incredibly hard but there's nothing I'd rather do.

And I'm so grateful to have an amazing husband by my side through it all, I couldn't do it alone.

Happy Mother's Day!

Uncle Ryan's Son...

Today Kamden asked me if Uncle Ryan had a son & I said no, although Aunt Charly has a baby in her tummy but it's a girl.

Then he asked again if Uncle Ryan had a son so I asked if he meant Uncle Brian, who does have a son.

"No, Uncle RYan. Does he have a son?"

Again I said no.

Then he brought me a picture and said, 
"Well then who's this with him?"

I'm not sure if I should be laughing or offended that he thought I was a boy. 
But it is pretty hilarious that he thought my dad was Uncle Ryan. 

When I explained that the picture was of me and Grandpa Leuven he said, "Well, you look like Ethan."

And now that he points that out, I can see it:

I also hadn't realized until now that Ethan & I were baptized on the same day, 22 years apart.

My Squishy

"I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my Squishy." ~Finding Nemo

 This is my Squishy, ever since he came into this world at a whopping 9.3 pounds with his squishy soft cheeks.

It's hard to believe that he's now an almost-4-year-old with opinions and attitude. But he's also sweet & cuddly, with deep brown eyes and those same squishy cheeks.

He likes to fix his own hair (which is evident by the picture) and pick out his own clothes. He's learning about finding shirts and shorts that match...even if right now that means wearing a brown and orange striped shirt with blue and orange plaid shorts. 

They both have orange, so they match...right?

He makes me laugh when he means to say "Ole!" but instead he yells out "Jose!" 

Or when he means to say "Comfy" but he says "ComfTy"

And when I told him to go wash his hands after using the bathroom he said "Wash yours Mom's hands."
He loves babies and we've watched his cousin Michelle a few times and he is a great helper, always making sure she has enough toys and that she's happy. We've also had our friends' baby over a few times and, although Owen is a great helper, he has his limitations. 

When I was changing a particularly stinky diaper he ran out of the room and came back with a clothespin he'd gotten from my closet.

He started crying when he tried to clamp it on his nose to avoid the smell.

He loves to dance and listen to music and in the car he's always saying "Turn it up LOUDER!" (I'm pretty sure he got that from Kamden)

The first weekend in April we watched General Conference for Church. Jeff turned on the TV and Owen came running in my room crying because "Dad turned on the show with the pants!" and Owen didn't want to watch the show with the pants...I'm thinking it's because all of the men wear suits & Owen associates that with Church pants?

A few weeks ago Owen got to go stay 2 nights with his Grandma & Grandpa Van Leuven so I could go help at the school with their testing. Owen had such a fun time that he's been asking nonstop when he gets to go back. He came home with all kinds of treasures that included a new set of watercolors, a toy from a Happy Meal, a McDonalds Gift Card to share with his brothers, and a bag with some spare change. He'd been home about 2 days when he went with me to run errands and I'd gotten him a sucker at one of the stores. I was going to grab a drink when he said he wanted one but I said he already had a sucker. He thought for just a moment before he came back with, "Grandma lets me have 2 things, mom. She lets me have watercolors AND a slushy. Soooo....."

He's a clever little boy.

He is looking forward to PreSchool in the fall and asks about it constantly. There's a flier on the fridge about it and he'll see it then run over & hug me & say "Thank you for my PreSchool, Mommy!" He's so excited to be a Big Boy and go to school like his brothers....even if it'll be a little strange for me.