the two who are on the move....

Happy Nine Months babies! It's hard to believe how far you've come! The days can last forever but these last nine months have just flown by. We can't wait to see what your stats say when we take you to the Doctor on Monday! But guessing you will be moving to big boy car seats just after Christmas. Who knew 9 month olds wore 18 month clothes :) At this time, Christopher was in 6-9 month clothes.

Jackson, our big "tank". Although you are the baby of the family you make up for it in size. Only 1/2 a pound bigger than your older brother at birth, you've since been at least 3-4lbs ahead of him. You were the first to sit up, last to crawl but first to crawl to sit. You are a cuddle bug and don't give away your smiles too often....making the people work for it :) You love to laugh at your big brother and you love to play! Such a great sleeper and eater. In fact, you are soo over baby food and prefer to pick up and eat your own! You are so mild mannered but when you are ready to eat or sleep, you let everyone know. Jackson Jones you have such a sweet tender spirit!

Sweet Smiley Sutton, you are a JOY! You will talk to and laugh with anyone nearby. You are social just like your mama but look JUST like your daddy. You, although smaller than your brother are a scrapper. You take toys from and slap Jack. I'm afraid your in for it when he discovers how much bigger you are. You are amused by your doggy brothers and love puffs. You have been slow to sit, preferring to roll around but once you got up you've been moving ever since. You were the first to crawl and you are so fast! I love to watch you discover and play. Sutton Price, you are tender and sweet and joyful! We love you!

to the one born on this day....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT AHWEE!!!!!!!!! We love you more than words (mainly because 2/3 of us don't have any) Hope you liked your texted message earlier!

Christopher, Sutton and Jackson

the one who gave up her weekend....

we love you! My sweet sister gave up her weekend to spend it with me and the boys while J went hunting. I tell you, I dont know what we would do without so many family members who pour their lives into my boys....but lets face it, It also is a big help to mom!

This weekend Allie was with us from Friday night until about noon on Sunday and while I loved every minute of it, Christopher was in heaven. He got such special attention and is still talking about it. He has prayed for Allie and Sadie (her dog) for the past two nights. Just them and his brothers. Its pretty great. He went on walks, saw Christmas lights, wrestled with, play dohed, colored with and just had a great time with Aunt Ahwee.

She took this pic of C on one of their cold walks. I know why C is such a lover, he's got the greatest role models! Allie, thanks for giving of your weekend and all the times weekly that you come to play with us! I loved our grown up talks and laughs at night too!

the one that makes me laugh all day....

on our short ride to school today Christopher and I were talking about Cousins and what makes a cousin. I thought the convo was finished when C began pointing out the "castles" and bulldozers we passed. And then:

C: mommy
Me: yes buddy
C Ahwee has baby, I get bruder
Me: no, when mommy has baby you get a brother, when Allie has a baby you get a cousin
C: okay, no more babies for mommy. Ahwees turn, you share.
Me: well said buddy. Mommy will share. But, first Allie will meet a neat boy and get married
C: we can share daddy!!!
Me: no buddy, we don't share that!

END OF CONVO - PRAISE GOD!

Still laughing hours later!!!!

the one who gave me 3 beautiful boys....

Happy Birthday! I love living life with you. Thank you for all you do for our family and for the Godly example you display daily for our boys. We are blessed!

I am thankful for you everyday and LOVE YOU!

the one who played in a holiday wonderland.....

This week I have been shooting all things holiday for the Frisco Mercantile. Images were needed to publish online, email blast and facebook updates. Its really put me in the Christmas spirit. A little Christmas music to edit to didn't hurt things either! Here are a few I really liked, hope the client does too!

the three who dressed up.....

Happy Halloweeeeeeeen! This year toy story came to life at the Delcambre house. We almost went for a Dr. Seuss theme with a Cat in the Hat and Thing 1 and Thing 2 but with Christopher's love for all things Woody....Well, the little men were just along for the ride. Literally.

This was the first year C really got into it. He would walk (by himself mostly) up to the door with his bucket in hand saying "trick or treat". Then the door would open and we would have to remind him to say it again. Once he got the candy he would yell out a very excited "thank you". I think that got more laughter from the homes than his cute outfit.

Mom and Allie came with us and seriously, I dont know what we would have done without them. Half the time one would walk C up to a house, hold him, or push the triple stroller. The babies only lasted about 45 minutes and Allie went home with Jonathan to help while mom and I stayed out with C.

Our neighborhood was out in full force. It makes me love our new place even more. Such a since of community. We came back to the house and had taco soup and handed out candy to some of the late night crowd. It was a great night!

And we've lost an Alien.....

Down two little blue men

Ready to tackle the night!

Woody ready to go!

"yeeee haw" for Halloweeeeeen!

the one with the talent....

seriously, I know you are jealous. Let's face it, I am. Christopher wants her for a mommy and not my stick figure drawings and lame "whale" scribbles.

Really, check out this talent.

She also submitted her illustrations at Smashing Mag and has had two chosen. I love this one!

Talent, serious talent!

the one who keeps me laughing...

Had the following conversation with C today:

C: Mommy, lets count
Me: Okay (we count to 20)
C: lets count those (pointing to magnets on fridge)

I pull 5 button magnets down and he puts them in a row and counts them

Me: Those are called Magnets, buddy.
C: Oh yes, I love maggots!

Ha! Happy Friday.

the one who wanted some extra face time....

the one who made me a sister.....

Happy Birthday! Krissy we love you and hope you are celebrated today. We thought and talked about you all day today. We are blessed to have you and our little guys are lucky to have you as their aunt and godmother! Christopher loved the "bug" on your blog, too!

I am amazed at the talent you possess and am blessed that you share it with me for my business and my clients. Thanks for your example of what dedication and loyalty look like.


We love you !

the two that changed everything.....

HAPPY HALF BIRTHDAY! It's hard to believe you are 6 months old today. Thank you for all the joy you have brought our family. I can't imagine life without you two. I love the big brother that Christopher is becoming. He is so tender and kind and very proud of his little people!

Sutton, you have a tender spirit and love how your sweet smile lights up a room. You are super active and love to roll around and bounce in your bouncer. You just love life and want to be a part of all the action. You are so special!

Jackson, you are such a lover. You like to cuddle and snuggle on anyone who will let you. Just this week you have started to sit on your own (in a tripod format) and every time it surprises you. You love to talk, the louder the better. You are such a joy!

Christopher, I know this has been a big change for you and you handle it with such grace. You are such a wonderful big brother and I hope your little brothers learn to be just like you. God gave you to me so that you could teach me how to love unconditionally and he knew that these two would need a great role model. Thank you for your sweet heart, big hugs and crazy thoughts! You keep me on my toes. I'm so proud of the big boy you are becoming!

the 4 who melt me......

This week C is learning all about family at school. They asked us to send a pic of our family to school this week. Um....the newest one we have of all of us is when I was about 7 months preggo with the twins. Not sure that counts and might be kinda hard to explain to C. So, this weekend Marcus and Amanda were in town and we snuck in a little photo opp. Marcus shot the pic and Amanda made (most) of the little men smile. Jackson was over it! As crazy as our days can get, its images like these that remind me how quickly it all passes and I just want to freeze time!

the one with super powers....

or a super nose. On the way to school we prayed for a great day and good, obedient attitudes and ended praying for Aunt Ahwee (Allie) who is having her wisdom teeth out today. Then, the following conversation:

Me: I'm glad we were able to pray for Aunt Allie. She is going to the Dr today.
C: Yep, gotta see Doctor about mouth.
Me: Thats right. I'm sure thankful that she is going to feel better
C: Me too, her and sadie (dog)
Me: right?!

A brief pause and lots of sniffing. (typically meaning he smells that he or one of the twins has a stinky)

C: Mommy, smell that.
Me: what is it
C: Mommy, I smell snow!
Me: wow, winter is months away. You must have a powerful nose to smell snow.
C: Yep, and I smell the sun.
Me: I cant believe you can smell the sun, buddy
C: Mommy, I can smell Aunt Ahwee.
Me: you can? What does she smell like
C: Sweet........Corn.

Love that kiddo. He loves his aunt and just like his mommy......LOVES corn.

Allie, hope you didnt hurt your face laughing. You are loved by all your little people!

The one with the BAD "cheese" face....

someone taught my kiddo to "say cheese". Wasn't me, for the exact reason of the scary "cheese" face that he now makes. Being a photographer, I know better. So, I've been working to change that into "say brothers" or "say happy". FINALLY got a normal looking son in 1 pic of the last 6 months.


Then, we got tickled and the giggles started....

the one who looks just like daddy....

although i love when all the little men sleep at the same time....a little one-on-one time is fun too. love !

The two that look nothing alike....

Even when dressed alike. These were taken a few weeks ago when they both decided against napping one afternoon and we had some fun quiet downtime before big bruder woke up. These are a part of their 4 month shots we've been taking. Just need to get them edited :)

The three that melt my heart!

Please ignore the annoying mommy/baby voice. Please also ignore the "helpful" big brother camera shake. Most of all, please enjoy my lovies!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymjC3gWS7us

Back to reality. I had the following conversation with Christopher as we were getting up from nap:

me: wow, someone sure is smelly
C: I got a stinky
me: I smell that
C: (takes a few deep breaths) It burns my nose.

PRICELESS!

The one with sticky fingers...

I started cooking again (post twin arrival) about 2 months ago. Lately, Christopher is REALLY interested in helping. He helps make his pb&j for lunch, stir anything that needs stirring and helping whenever he can. As soon as I'm in the kitchen he walks over dragging a chair to "help."

For his birthday, our friends the Stampers got him this really cool gift. We have made a ton of stuff in these. They are perfect for little ones wanting to get involved. Still his favorite to make are chocolate chip cookies (thanks Amanda Duggan for the BEST recipe ever) and banana bread.

I had been promising him that we would make cookies for his good behavior for several days so last night we did. We had a great time pouring, stirring, watching them bake. C got one small on before bed. It was really fun.

This morning after I fed the twins I went to put the cookies in something (they had been out since cooling last night) and noticed that three on the edge had gone missing. I admit I had one this morning. (they have oatmeal so that's sort of a breakfast meal, right?) I went on a Christopher hunt. I found him in my closet with chocolate all over his face and the third cookie in his hand waiting to be devoured. After a small melt down (read, largest in the history of C) I promised him that we would save it for a snack this afternoon and from now on he needed to ask mommy for food.

Needless to say, my kiddo is HIGH on sugar and I'm sure is not totally asleep yet in his bed. New lesson for mommy today, counter height is no longer out of reach. That and my kiddo has sticky fingers. People, watch your valuables :)

The one with the heavy cheeks.....

I've decided to blog more for me and family these days. No more trying to be smart or funny. Just life as it happens so I dont forget. This also means more posts without pictures. This, in truth, is hard for me. But, I also have 3 client shoots waiting to be edited along with about 500 of my kiddos and sometimes trying to wade through all that for the perfect pic, keeps me from posting. So, to that end, a post with no pictures. I will get to them soon....just tell the twins to sleep on a schedule so I can plan my day, please :)

Jackson, he's the "little one". Although the baby of the family, by 2 minutes, he is by far the one who knows how to throw his weight around. He is heavier than sutton by at least 3lbs. We get to find out for sure on Wednesday at their 4 month appmt. He is in 6-12 month clothes. Outfits that are now the TOTAL wrong season because Christopher was not wearing 6-12 months until almost 8 months along. Yep, there is NO question why we call this little chunk "tank".

I love to hear him laugh, the newest development for him. Most often its at his biggest brother although sometimes its after a lengthy conversation with his fist. A new discovery a few weeks ago. Regardless, his belly laugh moves me....and him quite literally. Which makes us all laugh harder. Im so glad he is laughing now. With the gravitational pull of his cheeks, sometimes it was hard to tell if he was smiling or not.

Time files....

when you are outnumbered 3 to 1 ! Ha. Seriously, I think everyday about what I would/need/wish/should/want to blog about and then all the kiddos go down and I cant think of anything more I want to do then rest. So, I'm finally getting into a new "normal" with 3 under 3 and the twins are falling into more of a schedule, I'm going to tackle this again. For me and family more than anything. I want to keep a better record of what happens here daily. There is just too much to miss.

So, there is your warning. I'm back, not everyday back....but several times a week back.

Today I will leave you with a morning convo with C:

Me: I think you are so special
C: yeah
C: hug u mommy
Me: sure, thank you
C: I'm amazing and special
Me: you are
C: sorry mommy
Me: why buddy
C: just tooted on your leg

NICE! Love that kiddo!

Hope you have a happy hump day, I'm off to feed three mouths at the same time. :) Yep, I'm super human. I love a good challenge.

Holding on.....tight.

I started this blog to mark milestones and memories of our family journey. Most make me laugh. Many times its just to share with friends and family, saving an email update or facebook message.

Tonight, as I sit alone on the couch, its to share, vent and hold tight to the promise of hope. I feel like this has been a season of challenges for us/me and quite frankly, I'm ready to pass this season. Ready for spring. I know that I have SO much to be grateful for and I am constantly reminded by the blessings I have in my life but sometimes, in the midst of a hard rain, its hard to see the sun.

The babies are healthy, we are so grateful for their continued growth and protection. Its amazing to me that we will meet them in 10-11 weeks. Christopher continues to be a joy and the light of my day, most days :)

Today however has been a tough one. At my appointment, my OB reminded me to take it easy and not add any additional stresses in my life (my blood pressure was an issue at the end of our pregnancy with C and he wants to try to avoid those issues this time). Well, we are trying to get our house on the market. That's stress enough for one person. Add to the fact that I cant help or do as much as I normally would, makes it that much harder.

On Mondays Jonathan works from home. Today, I was super glad for that. When I left for my Dr appmt our master toilet was clogged. No biggie. J said he would fix it. When I got home we realized the same thing was happening with the guest toilet. Then at 6, thirty minutes before he had to walk out the door, we noticed a large wet spot in the hallway. Four towels later, it was better but not great. Just before he left the house, he flushed the toilet and the "puddle" was back! Uggggg. Its kinda the last straw for me. I waited until J left and I had C in bed to fully break down but really.......its all overwhelming.

We have been trying to save to help with moving costs and getting a "new to us" car for our growing family. This problem could wipe this out. Its all just so much to handle. Especially for a 26 week, pregnant hormonal mommy.

So, I'm sitting on my couch, not drinking anything because I already know I'm going to need to pee 97 times tonight and we cant flush........ Uggg. I'm just in a funk and cant shake it.

We are praying for a minor problem that wont take much to fix!!!

On a side note, our wonderful church just celebrated its 10th year anniversary this weekend. It was so neat to be there and witness the history and we are excited to be a part of the future. As a church we are memorizing a verse a month this year. Given our recent trial, this months verse (which is also the verse our church was built on) seems quite fitting. So, Ive been reciting it over and over tonight.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

So tonight, I'm holding on ......tight to a plan to prosper and not to harm! Plans for a hope and a future!

Tomorrow, when I'm back to peeing in my own toilet, I will resume the light hearted Christopher stories. Until then........holding on.

Lucky, Lucky Girl!

I could sit here all day and list the reasons I am the luckiest girl around but instead I'm just going to write about my new find today. So, I like Craig's list.....I'm not a lover yet but I do like looking for a find.

I have been searching for a Pottery Barn Sleigh Crib for about 4 months. We have one for Christopher and really wanted to have matching cribs for when the twins come. I know that sounds silly but I just wanted the perfect nursery. I didn't want to spend the $600-$700 it costs to get one from there so I've been trying to be patient and look around. It RARELY happens that PB furniture is on Craig's list and never the style I want and for sure NEVER in Espresso.

SO, you can only imagine my excitement yesterday when I got on CL for the first time in weeks and up pops the EXACT crib for next to nothing. I called the owner, explained why we wanted it and are SO excited to pick it up on Sunday! Woo hoo! With what I'm paying for it, I will make money on the resale too so that is another bonus! Its in like new condition and hardly has a scratch on it.

Now, all we need is a mattress the Eli Elephant Crib bumper, sheet and crib skirt and the boys will have a bed!

On a side note, I'm committing to be a better blogger this year. I realized that I was waiting to post something until I had a pic to go with it fully edited but I'm missing out on recording so many memories so this year might be more stories and not include a pic every post but at least I'll have the memory captured!