Grandma Came to Town

Tim had 5 days of paternity leave and then it was mommy back to being mommy full tilt.  It was definitely adjusting to 3 kids, no sleep, and trying to keep up with school, cleaning, cooking, and so on!  After a few weeks of this Tim had to start traveling again.  He didn't travel the last couple months of my pregnancy and had to start making up for it.  During October and November Tim had several business trips in a row, so my mom came to visit and help out while Tim was gone.  It was so wonderful having her company and her help.  She is the most fabulous house guest and mother a gal could ask for. Even though she has a bad back and terrible knees I didn't hear her complain once while she was with us for 3 1/2 weeks.  All she did was ask how else she could help.  The biggest help was having her happy personality in our home. We had wonderful visits and could talk the day away.  

My boys definitely kept her on her toes. We had many outings and a busy schedule while Grandma visited.  We went to Gavin and Xavier's Halloween parades at school, we went trick or treating, we went to Mars Fall Fest,  we went to our ward's trunk or treat, we visited the Firehouse in Easton as shown below

Gavin was amazed at how high the ladder could go.

Gavin thought it was so cool to get a picture with real firemen.

We went to Xavier's soccer games and tournaments, we went shopping, we went to the library, and I tried to get a few naps in amongst the craziness.  Since Reid is my third kid, I quickly realized life goes on and sleep was something that would be scarce for a while......

We also had lots of time at home enjoying little Reid.  

My mom even helped me put up my Christmas tree in the middle of November.  I knew if I didn't get it done while she was visiting it would end up being New Year's before it got done.  (Since we go to Michigan for Thanksgiving every year if it doesn't get put up before we leave I would be behind when we got home.)  At least we are able to enjoy it a little longer.  

When the day came for my mom to leave I was soooooo sad to see her go.  It went by way to quick as good things always do.  I wish we could have kept her longer.  But we were so grateful to have her for a time.  The boys loved having Grandma all to themselves.  Her presence is definitely missed.  Sometimes I still go into Reid's room thinking I will see her smiling face or stumble upon her suitcase.  Thank you mom for your help and your love!

1 month old

Reid is a super star!  He weighed in at 14 lbs. at his one month well visit!  That's a whopping 4 lbs gained.  If this keeps up we are in trouble.  This is also quite an accomplishment because this kid is the worst spitter upper.  All my boys have been big spitters.  I would say the first 6-9 months I smelled like baby spit up with all of them.  Reid however is a champ in this department as well.  On top of spitting up a lot he's been extremely fussy which made me think he had acid reflux or cholic.  I spoke to his doctor about it and my doctor said that he would check his eyes.  I thought this was a strange act of treatment for something unrelated.  But I let him do his thing.  Guess what the doctor found?  Reid had 3 large abrasions on his left eye.  He told me that this can contribute to a newborns fussiness.  So we had to use special eye drops for a day and come back in for a re-check.  Voila!  Within 1 day the abrasions were healed.  Magic!  And a somewhat happier baby.  We weren't out of the ball park, but at least my baby could see and wasn't in pain from his eyes.

Our second course of action was to shorten his feedings to see if this helps. I have also taken dairy out of my diet to see if there is an improvement.  Now, I am lactose intolerant so I haven't drank cows milk in more than 6 years, but I have added yogurt, cheese, ice cream into my diet.  So now I am going back to no dairy and even though I crave cheese and crackers or a nice bowl of ice cream, it is worth it because my stomach is happier again and Reid has made a huge improvement.  Reid and I are still covered in spit up most days, but it's been more manageable and he is mostly content when he is awake instead of screaming in pain.  

Reid is fitting right in don't you think?  We are continuing to train them young!  Go green!  Reid has no other choice but to be a Spartan like the rest of the family.

This is Reid's first appearance at church.  (and it was the only time he fit into this outfit)

The cutest Spartan fan on the planet.

Proud daddy with his newest team member!

Saturdays in the fall bring us many gatherings with Henry, Saji, and Hank to watch football.

This is Reid's first appearance at church.  (and it was the only time he fit into this outfit)

This was one of Reid's first smiles....it's more like a smirk.  What do you think he's thinking?

His shirt says it all.

Xavier has loved being a big brother for the second time around.  Now that he is even older than his first go as big brother he's stepped up to the plate and been a champ at helping me when I need it.  He loves snuggling and holding Reid and he loves to play with him.

Life with 3 boys

While Reid is doing this.....

Gavin is doing this......

While Reid and Daddy are doing this.....

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Xavier and Gavin are doing this........

While mommy and Reid are doing this........

Gavin is doing this......

....and Xavier is doing this.......

Never a dull moment!

October in a Nut Shell

Here are some highlights to our October.  I was definitely a little sleep deprived this month and it seems I blinked and it was over!  

We went pumpkin picking as a family.

Xavier and Gavin had to search the entire pumpkin patch until they found their perfect pumpkins.   Of course, they found them in the furthest corner of the patch.  Guess who got to carry them all the way back to the tractor?  Super-dad! He had to be super to carry them and hold them that long.

$25 in pumpkins later we took them home.  The boys couldn't wait to carve them out!

Our neighborhood held a community Halloween party. They had a bounce house, games, a costume parade for dogs, a costume parade for kids, food, a raffle, and face painting.  The kids had so much fun. Gavin insisted on being a mummy this year. I had ordered Gavin's costume, which didn't get to us in time for the party so Gavin dressed up as Spiderman.

Xavier was a ninja.

I sure feel safe with these guys living with me. 

The boys got to pick pumpkins and decorate them.

Gavin was more interested in eating his cookie.

My little angel, Reid was snoozing the entire time.  For Halloween we had him be Frankenbaby.

My friend Ramona did yoga with the kids.

Our favorite event in October is Mars' Fall Fest.  Daddy was traveling, so he couldn't come with us.  Luckily my mom was visiting and got to share in the fun.

Those eyes are hypnotizing!

Gavin was excited to finally wear his mummy costume.  He loved scaring everyone he met.

Each department chooses a theme for their decoration display.  Usually Mars rents a farm where they have pony rides, pumpkin picking, and tents with all sorts of character themes for the kids to enjoy.  Most importantly they give out lots of candy.  This year they decided to hold the event at Mars headquarters.

The boys loved the pirate themed section.

They even got to walk the plank.

Tim's group did Alice in Wonderland.  It was spectacular and won for best display!

One of Gavin's teacher's, Miss Margie was there (her daughter works for Mars).  We had to get a picture.

Here is the display for Alice in Wonderland.  They used fancy china plates and other dishes, they made little cakes, and if you look behind the table the entire area had that greenery which was made from tissue paper.  It looked incredible.

Tim's friend Pawel was The Mad Hatter, Tim's boss was the Queen of Hearts.  The costumes were a 10 in my book.

After they went around and filled their bags with lots and lots of chocolate we visited the cafeteria for more treats- popcorn, ice cream cookie sandwiches, and cider.

Reid was also a champ!

Pumpkin Carving 

Classic Jack-o-lanterns

Trunk or Treat at church

Me and my mom!  It has been sooooo nice having her visit.

Karina and I.  

We had trick or treating on Halloween night.  Reid didn't seem too fond of his costume that night OR he was getting into his role of Frankenstein.

Grandma and Reid

Grandma with a Ninja, Frankenbaby, and a Mummy!

Me and my two big boys!

Daddy and his big boys!  You'd think that having a dad work for a candy company and getting candy from dad any time they want would take the excitement out of trick-or-treating, BUT it does not.

Xavier's loot.

Gavin's loot.  We always sort the candy by company to see who had the most in our kids candy buckets.  Mars represented pretty good this year, but Nestle seemed to be pretty equally matched.

Henry, Saji, and Hank also joined our trick or treating club.  Hank was Frankenstein and Saji was Frankenstein's creator.

And that is our October in a nut shell.  Reid is getting big, we enjoyed lots of fun family events, and my mom was here to experience our world for a few weeks.  October flew by, but was filled with many happy moments.