Funny Sam

Sam climbed in bed with us at about 5:30 this morning. I got up to feed Max at about 6, and was just about to put him back down in his crib when I hear panicked running down the hall and banging on the front door. Sam woke up, realized I wasn't there, and was pounding on the door yelling "I want to go to girl scouts too!!!" (where I was last night when he went to bed...). So, I quickly put Max down, went and rescued him. After some cuddles, he sighed and said "thank you for making me happy." Funny kid.

Max's Crazy Hair

The longer Max's hair gets, the more red it seems and the more it sticks up straight. Not only is it longer, but I think more of it likes to stand up - it's pretty funny. It's getting long over his ears and at his neck, but I can't bring myself to give my 6 week old baby a hair cut!

So, we content ourselves with giggling at him and his crazy hair:)

The Boys

With Pearl in school most of the day, Sam and Max get to spend a lot of quality time together. I decided it's kind of fun to have two boys. Now I say "the boys" instead of "Sam." It seems they are in cahoots so often, Sam teaching him the ropes...

Here is Max looking at his new crib mobile (thanks, Auntie Mara!) for the first time - pretty interesting...

All the sudden, he realizes...

Hey, I know this trick! You're leaving me in my crib alone!

So, Sam has to show him how it's done...

I know this picture is kind of blurry, but it was just so cute! I finally found a safe way for Sam to hold Max - laying down on my bed. They both seem to be enjoying it (at least in this picture...)

How sweet!

Well, Max is in for lots of love and teaching from his big brother...

"you see what I have to put up with?!"

Grandma Hulbert

Grandma Hulbert needed a picture with Max, so here it is!

Grandma Hulbert is known as "grandmommy" by her other grandchildren. Maryann, romantic idealist that she is, decided to dub her grandmommy (I have no idea what they call Brian's mom...) long after Pearl had been calling her "Grandma Hulbert" (Pearl was 4 when Cumorah was born...). Looks like Lora and John are going for the grandmommy thing, so we're stuck as the boring practical ones. At least grandma weir and grandma hulbert are much better than previous (as in, before Pearl could say "grandma hulbert) identifiers, such as "grandma at Crystal's house" or "grandma with Annie and the trampoline." It's funny to hear Sam, when I announce we're going to grandmas - "Grandma Weir's?!!" "Grandma Hulverts?!!!" (no, not a typo, that's how he says Hulbert) So, Max, too is learning the joy of grandmas and the blessing of having two close by!

Hey, you're squishing me!

Yeah, grandma, you are funny!!!

Thanks, Mom!

I took Pearl to her piano lesson today at a new time that meant I had both boys with me. So, instead of sitting in on her lesson, I send her up the driveway and ran a quick errand then parked the car in a shady spot and waited with the boys. It went well, Max ate and Sam watched a movie on the monitor in the car. I guess these days of waiting in the car with the other kids are only just beginning for me.

But, it got me thinking. I took piano lessons for 10 years, probably the last 7 or so with Jayson the lesson before or after mine. What on earth did she do with all those hours and three other kids to entertain? I remember one teacher was within walking distance of the park, but still, she had no DVD player in the car. Such sacrifices, and it seriously never crossed my mind the entire time I was taking lessons that having to wait for me might be a pain for her, she had other young children to think about besides me (I think Peter was born three or so years into it). So, a belated thanks to my mom and my younger siblings who made that possible. I guess the farther you travel through motherhood, the more you appreciate your mother!

Bathtime

Max is the first of my children who took a while to like the idea of a bath. He HATED getting undressed and re-dressed, and even though we made the water nice and warm and floaty, he just didn't appreciate it.

Well, after 5 weeks of life and a bath every night, he's more ok with it now. The water has to be pretty warm and deep, and he prefers to lay on his tummy. I also swear he prefers Jared's big hands to mine. Which is fine by me!

Ahh, the belly is hanging out in the water, nice and relaxed. This position is especially his favorite when he's having tummy troubles.

Yep, that's good stuff:)

Jelly Belly Factory

Last Monday Jared and I decided to take the kids to the Jelly Belly Factory. We've been reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at home, and thought the kids would like it. So, since Monday was a minimum day, we decided that we would pick Jared up from work early and go.

Well, since I have a newborn, I didn't have my act together to go right after school, so, we decided to come home and do homework and piano lessons first. Then we get to Jared's work, and I have to feed the baby. Then, it takes Jared another 15 minutes to come out. THEN, he hasn't eaten all day, so we have to drive through In and Out to get milkshakes and Jared a hamburger. THEN we hit a pothole on the freeway and lose two hubcaps. Needless to say, we arrived about 10 minutes late for the last tour. They let us catch up, and we had gone through about two stops when Pearl needs to go the bathroom. This is because she is a strange child and would rather have a soda than a milkshake. (I know, weird) SOOO, I take her to the bathroom, and we catch up with the tour at the last stop, just in time to yell JELLY BELLY for our free jelly beans. At least Sam got to see the big machines (he's still talking about them:)

Posing with the Jelly Guy

We let the kids pick out candy in the store downstairs, that is, until Sam lost his candy privileges by not waiting for me to help him and by pulling out the jelly bean dispensers and dispensing them all over the floor, after which he was quickly whisked outside with Jared while Pearl got to pick out candy. It must be hard to be a person whose brain has not caught up with his physical capacity (or maybe it's just hard to be the mother of such a creature....)

Well, it was fun, anyway. This was the last hurrah, Jared ended up having to go back to work a week early. Sabbatical was fun, we've missed having Daddy at home this week. But, we're grateful he has such a good job:)