Happy Birthday Caleb

Caleb is 3 years old today!

Happy Birthday Caleb! Caleb turned three years old today! I love this age because they start to understand their birthdays and get so excited for them. He had picked out a few things at the store yesterday so he was already well into birthday mode. We had breakfast and afterwards he got to have a little cupcake. We did some chores around the house during the morning, and then when everything was cleaned up, Matthew took his morning nap, and I let the boys watch a special movie that Caleb had picked out the day before. (He chose Thomas & the Treasure)

While they watched, I finished wrapping birthday presents. Then I got to work on his birthday cake. Caleb said he wanted a train cake, and there were lots of great pictures to go by- I figured it would be pretty easy. Well, once again I was reminded that I am by no means a cake decorator. It took me a while to get everything figured out, baked, and put together. By the time I got to the frosting I’d already about had it. Then you still have the fun part of trying to get the frosting just the right color. I have the hardest time- you pretty much have to dump the entire bottle of food coloring in the bowl and even then I still get baby blue, pale yellow, and dark pink instead of the intended red, yellow, and blue. By the time I finished the cake I was reminded *why* there are people who specialize in this type of thing.(Becky S. I could have used your help today!) I was feeling a little discouraged and feeling like I had wasted the afternoon, but then Caleb came in the kitchen and got the biggest smile on his face. He was so excited about the cake, and thought it was “cool.” It made me feel good, and I figured that as long as Caleb liked it, that was all that mattered. So I hurried & cleaned up the kitchen and the boys helped me make pizza for dinner.

Jeff got home just after 5:00. In the past we’ve always done birthdays so late at night (Jeff has been on call, or other things have come up) that I was determined to have everything ready so we could celebrate early this year! So we had dinner just after 5 and went right into the cake and presents. Caleb had a blast- he got some really fun things and was great about sharing them with Jacob and Matthew too. It did make us laugh that Caleb was really excited about all his gifts, but when he opened a couple of books from Grandma, he had to stop for a few minutes to read both of them, even though he had more presents to open. Matthew thought the whole night was great- lots of new toys to play with, cake, and lots of wrapping paper. I think he’s getting geared up for his big day next month! Anyway, Caleb had lots of fun blowing out his candles, and playing with the new toys (Thanks Mom & Dad, and Grandma & Grandpa!) It was a fun day to celebrate and I still can’t believe my little Caleb is already three years old. We love you Caleb!

Side Note: I know it was Caleb's birthday, but I have to put in a little bit for Matthew. He was fun to watch. After the present were all opened he started playing with a few of them. I was pretty impressed watching him play with Caleb’s little pretend cash register. Matthew watched the boys for a while, and then when they moved on to something else- he moved in. It was fun to watch because he knew exactly how it worked! He didn’t just chew on the money or pull on the toy. He would try to put the ‘money’ in the slots, and then push the buttons to make them go down. I thought it was pretty impressive for a 10-month old baby. (You can see him holding the orange coin while trying to get the red coin in. He gets the red one in and pushes the button to send it down, then he puts the orange coin in.)

Labor Day Fun

For Labor Day we decided to hit the beach again. We had a couple things in mind, but Jeff hasn’t been this year and it ended up being a perfect day. It's funny to think of being at the beach in September. I was just surprised that it wasn't even crowded on a holiday.

It was a fun day and we enjoyed the sunshine. I wish I could say we enjoyed the water more; the waves were amazing! …so amazing that the life guards wouldn’t let anyone take boogie boards out in the water. It was still neat to watch all the surfers catch the huge waves. Jeff was bummed, he lived in Hawaii for a while so he knows what he’s doing in the water. He was wishing he had a surf board too. He sure had fun with the boys though. They loved having Daddy with them. Matthew was great- I just wish he would get over his love of the taste of the sand. Once again he was helping himself to the endless quantity of sand, and who-knows what else. At the end of the day he was tired and perfectly content to lay on Jeff’s shoulder while patting his arm; too sweet. We picked up some dinner on the way home and also hit Toys R Us to pick out a few birthday gifts for Caleb. I love Labor Day, I think we need a few more of these great 3-day weekends!

Love 'Em

I've been meaning to do this entry for about 9 months now. Right after Matthew was born I started looking around for different recipes to give lunch a little change-up from the same old sandwiches. There was one particular recipe for homemade pitas, that I immediately fell in love with! I've always loved pitas, but don't necessarily like the ones from the store. A- most are expensive B- they go bad fast C-the sides stick together and don't make a nice little 'pocket'
I found this recipe and it became an instant hit. They're easy to make, easy to store (you can freeze them) and entertaining for the kids -and parents- to watch while they're baking! Just wait. Plus they're a healthy & cheap alternative to others. I like to substitute whole wheat flour-you can choose . They're great for use at breakfast and lunch.
If you're looking for a new recipe to try, this one is great. Your kids will thank you for it too!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Peppys-Pita-Bread/Detail.aspx

Enjoying the Outdoors

On Monday for FHE, we had originally planned to go do some yard work for a friend who recently had shoulder surgery. As it turned out, Jeff didn't get off work until later than anticipated so we had postponed our activity until Tuesday night. So Tuesday evening we picked up a pizza and headed over. We were happy to help, and the boys were especially happy to play in a nice big yard! The boys and I helped move the lawn furniture while Jeff mowed and trimmed. We had fun visiting with Steve & Edith, playing with their dog, and enjoying the beautiful fall-like weather. (I think summer has come to an early end- I'm hoping we'll still have a few more hot days before it's officially fall, but we're loving this mild weather we've been having lately!)

First Step

On Monday, August 25th, Matthew took his first step! He was holding onto my fingers walking around, then he let go and stood there by himself for a few seconds, and took his first little baby step! He sat down right after, and I don't think he'll be fully walking any time real soon, but it was fun to see him take his first step. I don't mind if he keeps crawling for a while, he's a busy boy and gets into enough as it is. I don't know if I'm ready to have him be a 'big boy' just yet!

Happy Birthday to.....Me!

I had a great birthday this year! I felt so lucky to be the recipient of so many sweet cards, phone calls, emails, and gifts- it felt more like a birthday week, and I really appreciate so many of you who have been so thoughtful!

On Wednesday, Jeff got home a little early from work, so he stayed home with the boys and I was able to go out for a little birthday shopping trip. I love being with my boys, but it goes without saying that they’re not big shoppers; so I enjoyed some time being able to shop at my own leisure. I found some cute things and had fun in the process. One funny story during this trip. So a couple years ago at Christmas time my brother gave me a gift card to Aeropostale. I held on to the gift card for a year, and finally last Christmas went out and used it. One of the items I bought was a pair of khaki pants, I thought they were on sale for $14, but when I checked out they ended up being $20, which is more than I usually like to pay for pants (I’m cheap). Anyway, I thought they looked good, but when I got home I decided I didn’t like them as much as I had thought. So my plan was to take them back. Well I don’t go to the mall very often- I’ve averaged once a year over the 6 years we’ve been here. So I didn’t return them until this birthday trip, 8 months later. When I brought them back, the sales girl said, “Wow, these are old!” I still had the receipt so it wasn’t a problem. So I found a few other items and went to pay for them. While checking out, the sales girl told me that the pants I brought back were now marked down to $1.20! So of course I said, “I’ll take them!” I wasn’t willing to pay $20 for them, but $1…sure! So I guess the smart shopper style is to buy clothes, hold onto them for 8 months, then return them and buy them back dirt cheap. Works for me!

The Friday night before my actual birthday, we had a date night so the boys went to play with friends and Jeff and I went out to dinner. We decided to go to PF Chang’s again and had a great time.

On Saturday I was the lucky recipient of breakfast made by Jeff with some help from Jacob and Caleb. After breakfast we all went out to do a little shopping, we found some dress shirts for Jeff, some pants for Jacob and a couple shirts for all the boys, and a couple other things for me.

We didn’t have much time before we had to head out for a get together with the residents that Jeff works with. Sarah had a fun dinner/bbq at her house and we ended up being over there with everyone for 3 ½ hours. The boys had a blast swimming in the pool, playing with toys, and some of the other kids. Jeff and I had fun visiting with the other residents and their families, it was the first time I’ve been able to meet some of the first year residents. Jeff sure is lucky to work with such a great group of people- you really couldn’t ask for better.

By the time we got home it was well after 9pm. So we got the boys to bed and ended up watching a movie together. It wasn’t a typical birthday celebration, but it was a fun day. Jeff made a cake Sunday night, so we were ale to enjoy that later!

It’s weird to think I’m another year older, and in Jacob’s words, at 24, I’m getting “pretty old!” I wonder what he’ll think when I hit 30. It was sure a wonderful year this year though! Thanks again everyone.

Fun at the Park

This past Wednesday we met up with some friends at the park again. At this nearby park, there are some really cool fountains that are turned on every afternoon. The kids have a blast running through them and playing with their friends. It's a perfect activity for a hot afternoon. If they get tired of the fountains, they can just run over to one of the two different playgroups to change things up a bit.
Matthew enjoyed hanging out in his stroller munching on his crackers and watching everyone. He was spoiled by Emma Griffits who pushed him around in his stroller for about 20 minutes- he loved that. Of course, when the fountains were turned on full-force his interest immediately turned to the water. I was holding onto his hands and he kept trying to pull me towards the water. I finally took him over and let him play in the fountains for a little while- he couldn't get enough of it.

We spent a good portion of the afternoon enjoying the park. The boys sure love playing with their friends. The day was also somewhat of a sad reminder though. They'll be loosing a couple more good friends pretty soon. The Claytons (Taft & Zea) will be moving in just a few weeks and we're sure going to miss them. (Jordan, Angie Clayton, and me)

And one more funny picture from the same afternoon. Matthew likes to hold and play with spoons while he's eating. He usually likes to try and grab a hold of the one I'm using to feed him. I find it's much easier (and a lot less messy!) to give him his to play with. He was having fun with this one.

Matthew is 10 Months

Another whirlwind of a month gone by, and my baby is yet again, a month older. Matthew is really starting to develop his own unique little personality and boy does he let it show! Here are a few things of what he's been up to over the past month.

• He’s become quite the speed crawler, he can get around pretty darn Fast! He has a cute little ‘compact crawl’ as we like to put it. He has perfect little form and takes tiny little crawls with his arms & legs, it makes him have a funny little wiggle when he crawls.
• Favorite new snack: baby goldfish.
• Likes to clap his hands. When he's sitting down and he's really excited and happy he likes to shake his hands really fast. (He also does this when he's mad or wants me to pick him up out of his crib)
  
• Stands up to the couch, chairs, crib, etc. Likes to slowly walk along them & hit them with his hands.
• Loves to explore everywhere- which means lots of baby-proofing and lots of messes! He’s a little mess maker, especially when it comes to nice stacks of paper, books, toys, etc.
• He loves to pull clothes out of drawers and can completely empty a nicely folded drawer of clothes in less than 1 minute! (Don’t ask how I know this…)
• Love his food! He’s always hungry! (must take after his brothers)
• He thinks he’s a big boy and wants to be right in the center of the action with the older boys. Sometimes this results in injuries. J
• He’s getting to be more difficult at church. He’s squirmy and a bit noisy.
• Diaper changes have turned into wrestling matches.
• He’s a major chatterbox and loves to chant all day long. (da da, ma ma, ba ba, and all sorts of other cute little baby sounds)
• Matthew likes to click his tongue & can actually do it pretty loud. Sometimes if I’m playing with him, I’ll click my tongue back at him. He laughs and thinks it’s pretty funny. Sometimes he responds like a puppy and will come when I click my tongue!
• One of his newest favorite toys is the all time classic assortment of pots and pans.
• He’s starting to be interested in books, mostly just turning the pages, but he has his favorites. ‘Touch & Feel Farm’
• I love his soft, blonde hair. It’s getting thicker, and he definitely has the most hair of any of our boys at this age.
• I love his little toothy grin. He now has 6 teeth. I think he’s working on a few more because he’s always chewing on things- fingers are some of his favorites!
• He loves to throw and drop things- especially off his high chair.
• Starting to understand and enjoy the concept of ‘chase.’ He loves it when I get on my hands and knees and chase him around the room. He laughs and crawls away as fast as he can for a few seconds, then he’ll turn around, sit up and wait for me to come at him again. He loves this with Jacob & Caleb as well!
• Once again, he’s active! He loves to climb all over things, especially pillows, blankets, and people!
• Loves playing ‘chase’ with his toys. He’ll hit a toy with his hand and then chase it around the room. He’ll play this for quite a while. My favorite is when he makes sounds effects to go with it, babbling at the top of his lungs trying to sound tough. J
• Matthew absolutely adores his Daddy!
• Loves to put anything (and almost everything) in his mouth. This means lots of vacuuming for mom!

Jacob vs The Chair

Sunday night was another round of Jacob vs the furniture at the Stevens household. This time, the opponent was a dining room chair. The chair came out victorious, and Jacob came out with 5 stitches. (Picture taken day after, on Monday)
Jacob was standing by me, and all of a sudden went to grab something on the floor. He just didn't realize how close the chair was and caught the corner with his head on the way down. Don't be fooled by the somewhat small appearance of this one...it was Deep! In fact when he first hit the chair I knew it was going to be bad, he hit it so hard and when he moved his hand he had a big hole right between his eyes. Luckily we got him to the bathroom before the blood came- it was everywhere. Fortunately we have a doctor in the house who's pretty good with stitches! :) Normally his stitches are done on the actual eye, so this case was easy.
Jeff would have stitched him up right here at home, but he didn't have a needle or anesthetic. So Jeff and Jacob took a drive down to Jeff's office where he did the stitches. Jacob was pretty brave. He didn't cry and told Jeff that he was doing a pretty good job :) He also told Jeff that he still wanted to be an eye doctor so they could work together. Pretty cute. When they got home (9pm) Jacob told me that he had had a fun outing with Daddy. I'm glad he was such a good sport. Hopefully we'll be done with stitches for a little while at least! But we'll keep supplies on hand just in case.

Another Sum Up 10th-16th

Another busy, fun-filled week. We've loved watching the olympics- although the lack of sleep isn't helping anyone! We've been going to the gym, playing with friends, keeping busy at home, and everything in between. Here are a few of my favorites:

Making cookies with the boys. It's been a while since we've made any treats, and Jeff had another late night. So what do we do? Make cookies! Caleb enjoyed finishing off the bowl- these pictures make me laugh! When I came back into the kitchen to pull some cookies out of the oven, this was how I found Caleb.Another one involving Caleb. Lately he's gotten into a funny thing. He'll say to us, "Wanna see my silly eyes?" Then he'll make a face crossing his eyes. It makes us laugh, he's a funny boy! (Picture taken after he was licking the cookie bowl- hence the cookie dough all over his head)

On Wednesday we got together with friends at the park to celebrate a birthday. It was fun for all the kids to be able to play together, eat cupcakes, and enjoy the small fountains. Also lots of fun for the moms to be able to visit together.
Friday, Jeff and I had a date night. It was great, as always- it's awesome to have alone time with your hubby! We kept it pretty simple, but had a fun time. We went to Baja Fresh for dinner, then headed to Barnes and Noble. We walked around looking at books, then we went to the music section and had fun listening to a wide variety of music selections- there are some pretty interesting ones out there! :) It was fun to spend the time together. It was also great to receive the news while we were there, that Mom's BRC test came back negative.Saturday we did some more swimming. It's always a fun way to spend the afternoon. We ran into some friends (Erika & Neve), so the boys had a friend to play with. Now, at the beginning of the summer we bought a little baby float for Matthew- it was okay, except that Matthew has never been one content to just sit. He likes to try and get into the water, and he'll reach hard enough that he can actually tip over the little float device- so we always had to just hold onto him anyway. Today I decided to try turning him around backwards in it, perfect! It balanced it out perfectly so that Matthew could walk himself around, and even lean forward as much as he wanted without flipping over. He thought he was pretty cool, and Jacob and Caleb enjoyed pushing him around the pool. Jacob also enjoyed swimming with Jeff in the deep end of the pool, his favorite was jumping off the edge into the pool. It was such a beautiful day and a perfect way to spend the afternoon.

3 Babies @ 9 Months

I was just going across old pictures and couldn't help but be amazed how quickly my boys have grown up. Matthew is almost 10 months, and it seems just yesterday that Jacob and Caleb were this same age. I thought it would be fun to see each of them at the same age. Although they have some similarities, I think they've all had their own distinct look. I think it's kind of fun that way. As my doctor once put it, "Some families have cookie-cutter kids that all look the same, and other families have kids that all have their own looks." I can sure tell that they're brothers though. I feel like such a lucky mom to have these three sweet boys.

Jacob @ 9Months
23 lbs
30.5 Inches


Caleb @ 9 Months
20 lbs
28 3/4 Inches


Matthew @ 9 Months
21 lbs
29 3/4 Inches

Week in Review

This past week has been one of those crazy busy weeks...but in a slow sort of way. We've been doing a lot every day, but a lot of it has been at home. We've also had some doctor's and dentist visits- nothing too exciting. We've had lots of friends over to play- which the boys have loved. Here are a couple of pictures from the highlights of the week.

Monday for FHE, we did our own little version of the Olympics. Events included the long jump, stair-running, flips & tricks, timed one-leg balancing, and a few other things. For our dessert we had "Olympic torch" ice cream cones. It was definitely a hit for the boys and quite entertaining for Jeff and I as well!
One day I decided to break out the finger paints. It's a good thing they only last through one session because I don't know if I could stand the stress of doing all the time! Jacob and Caleb had a blast painting their 'masterpieces' and were so proud to show Jeff when he got home. The paints started out as one color, but by the end of the painting session they were pretty much a hodge podge of different colors.