WAY behind...

Exactly one million years ago I didn't have Instagram, and I was a better blogger. I have been so behind on keeping up with things because Instagram lets me post things so quickly that I feel like I'm all up to date. Except, those pictures don't print in my blog book for the kids, SO I must get back to a regular posting routine. :)

Seriously, some of these pictures are over a month old!

 

Way back in early September, some of my sweetest friends had a sip-and-see to welcome baby Bretton home from Oklahoma. He got more monogrammed items than you have seen in your entire life, and he was snuggled crazy by all my friends.

Later that same day (you know, way back in September) Bretton went to his first Razorback game with his Daddy and I. Actually, I think he just tailgated, but that's pretty much all we've done this year. Games have been terrible! :)

Newborns are easy to take anywhere, so B got to be philanthropic and attend his first charity event. :)

Bretton has been snuggled silly and roughed up by his siblings. Collier loves to "hold it," and Landry thinks she's his mama.

I posted about how much Bretton loved to be swaddled like a little burrito...

 

Then, within a few days he was busting out and we had to change our plan. :)

 

Collier turned 12, and requests to play on "his" iPad and phone all the time. He is GOOD at all the games and puzzles, but it makes me feel like he is so big! 

 Landry pretty much refuses to make a serious face in a picture. She loves to be silly all.the.time.

I brushed up on my coloring and cutting skills one morning. Collier hated his mask, so Landry and I got to be animals all day. :)

We had a few beautiful days where we played outside in our pj's and sunbathed when we were tired.

Collier loves to put things on Bretton's head and make them "hats."

We all got dressed in our matching Arkansas outfits for another game one Saturday...

Dado and Nana babysat all three monkeys, and Dado enjoyed napping with the baby (and the Barbies). :)

 

We celebrated my Papaw's 90th birthday! He is such a good man, and we had fun celebrating with family...

Landry and Laurel riding the pony.

Uncle Tyler and Aunt Emily were reunited with their former roomie. :) They missed him!

 

I realized I have one of the most handsome men in all the world...neck tie and all.

 I got in Collier's crib for extra snuggles one day...

because most of the time when he is awake he wants to be right at Daddy's feet!

We've all been sick at least once this month with EVERYTHING. I'm hoping that we are in the clear for the rest of the year since we all got it out of the way at once.

We had lots of slumber parties with all 5 of us in our room. Air mattresses, pack-n-play, and lots of snuggles...

Then we felt better, and life was good again!

Someone has started writing her name on her own...and is so proud!

We celebrated health with doughnuts one morning...and maybe cupcakes one afternoon...or ice cream. I've got to get off the sugar!

Love...

2 carts, Halloween costumes, and meltdowns at Sam's Club...

Precious little missy started "anastics" last week. Just incase you were wondering, when you go to gymnastics, you "nast." :)

Baby B had his 2 month check-up yesterday and was healthy as a horse! He's 11 pounds 12 ounces and has grown an inch since birth.

He does have major cradle cap, so the doctor suggested Selsun Blue. :) He looked so funny all lathered up. Hope it works!

The kids have started perusing magazines for Christmas presents. Landry wants everything she sees a commercial for, and Collier has no clue. He picks out girl toys or things we already have at our house. The clothing bags on their heads are just perfect, aren't they? Collier goes along with almost anything his big sister suggests. :) 

Ok, my pictures are cleared up, and I feel better. Hopefully, I can make myself do an Instagram post once a week to keep up-to-date and everything caught up. My kids are just too sweet for you not to have updates, right? :) Halloween pictures coming soon, and then we have a weekend full of "camping" (in a cabin, but not a FANCY-shmancy cabin) with all 3 kids. It should be fun, fun, fun and make my husband happy, happy, happy! 

Parke and Bretton...

Before Bretton's birth, I talked a little bit about how emotional our whole adoption situation had been for me. I shared with you how torn I felt to be adopting another baby boy and feeling the burden of "replacing" Parke. My anxiety towards loving another sweet baby was put to rest the moment I met Bretton and felt like our family was so complete. All four of our beautiful babies light up my life and fill my heart with joy.

Since Bretton has been with us, I haven't talked much about how I have been feeling. It has continued to be emotional. It's been great, Bretton is the sweetest baby, and I could not love him any more than I do. However, I've thought about Parke often...especially as these weeks have passed so quickly. I have not kept up with Bretton's age very closely, and I actually had to ask my mom last week if he was 6 weeks old yet for me to take him to our church nursery while I taught Awanas. I wasn't counting because I really didn't want to know.

I woke up yesterday morning, and I felt the need to figure up how old he was...to count the days. After that, I got on Facebook and saw more than one person post about October 15th being Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day...I googled it to make sure it was real because I couldn't believe what God had done for me.

Yesterday, Bretton was 50 days old. Parke lived to 49 days, and on Bretton's 50th day of life, it was a day nationally dedicated to remembering babies we have lost. How crazy is that?

I had trouble holding back tears and just thanked God once again for his perfect timing.

 

I haven't been brave enough to compare pictures of the boys yet. People have asked if they look alike, and I always say no...because to me, they don't. When I finally pulled up pictures and looked at them, they look NOTHING alike even though they are blood relatives. Looking back through Parke's pictures makes my heart ACHE, but I'm so thankful for all the memories and photos we have of our sweet little man.

 

Parke is on the left, Bretton is on the right...

Their coloring is totally different, eyes are different, hair is different.

 It's so strange to see them next to each other because I really thought they looked more alike than this...wild!

 

I love them both so much. I am amazed at the peace God gives my heart and the precious moments he provides for me to tell Parke's story.

Colli-Wolly-Doodle

Collier Gibson has my whole heart....like, all of it. Which doesn't make sense because I still have tons of love for my other babies and precious husband, but SERIOUSLY, I could not love him one ounce more or I would explode.

He is absolutely rotten, ornery, smart, sweet, cuddly, and perfect. He wears me down, but then he makes it all better with his soft heart and kisses.

Collier is two, and he is doing TWO year old things. He doesn't mind well, he doesn't "understand" a lot of reasoning, he throws fits, and he thinks he's the boss. Landry didn't really go through a terrible two's phase, so some of this is new to me!

 

His vocabulary has exploded in the past month or so, and he talks in sentences...like a big person! He still has some baby talk, and says lots of things that don't make sense. I need him to be a baby a little bit longer. :)

 

Occasionally, we let the kids sleep in our bed. Maybe once a month or so, he will ask to "nuggle," so we let him. He has become the WORST bed hog. He used to sleep in one little spot and not move. Now, he sprawls out, kicks the covers, wants his legs right on top of you, and smothers you with his rotten smelling blanket. Some nights, it's worth having him in there for the sweet snuggles...other nights, not so much!

 

 Collier is {capital O} Obsessed with his newest baby brother. He wants to "hold it" all the time and then says, "take my picture!" Every time Bretton makes a peep, Collier yells, "She's cryin'!" He knows he is a boy and that it is his brother, but for some reason when the crying starts he turns into a girl?

I have to keep an eye on him constantly when he is around Bretton because he will go try to pick him up out of whatever he is in. Unlatches the swing, climbs in his pack-n-play, pulls him out of the nap nanny to hold him, etc. He knows no limits...

 

Other funny things Collier is saying/doing:

-When he hides from us and we start saying, "Where's Collier?!" He will yell, "I don't know!" from his hiding spot. :)

-He loves to tell people that he's 2, but he holds up all 5 fingers.

-When strangers ask him what his name is, he answers, "name."

-The moment I say, "one" when Collier is in trouble he says, "No count...no count!"

-He loves to compliment Landry, and I have heard him say "good job Nanny" and "well done!" to her multiple times this week. Sweet boy!

-When someone says they want something, Collier says, "Me three!" {instead of "me too."}

-When he is finished eating and says, "I'm done," it comes out, "I dumb!" He keeps yelling it until we get him down. Micah has started responding, "No, you're smart!" People look at us very funny when we are out with a child professing loudly that he is dumb! :)

 

-Potty training is hilarious. We haven't officially started, but the few times we have put him on the potty and tell him to go, he wiggles his pointer finger in the potty and says, "Pssss...I dumb!" and bails from the toilet. Total mess!

 

Every day is an adventure with this one. I'm so thankful!

The Comical Landry Elise...

Ok, so you already know that Landry makes me laugh...always. She is an absolute mess, and she comes up with the craziest things to say. She is the silliest, sweetest, most stubborn 3 year old I think has ever walked the face of the earth. Maybe I'm a little biased, but I'm really glad she's mine!

 

So, these days we are changing outfits 6 and 7 times a day. This girl can destroy her closet in about 2 minutes, but she is learning quickly how to hang things back up before mama bear comes out. She loves to match things up, and that doesn't just mean by color...stripes go with stripes, flowers go with flowers, dots with dots, etc. Her outfits are a hoot! Also, she wants to wear a "princess with NO pants" all the time, so she will come out in loose fitting tops that she calls dresses with her little booty hanging out. It's a battle to get pants on this child to leave the house!

She seriously loves her baby brothers. The other day the boys were staying with my mom while Landry and I ran somewhere. I told her to tell Mimi to take care of her baby brother. She got right up in my mom's face and said, "Take care of my TWO brothers!" and held her two fingers up in her face. She is so protective!

She whispers to Bretton, "I'm your mama!" all the time. I will hear her and correct her. Then, a few minutes later, she'll be whispering it to him again. She is definitely a mama at heart!

 

 Landry is in a phase where she wants to be just like me (why not, right?). Ha! Yesterday she asked me to fix her hair just like mine. I wanted to tell her that her freshly washed hair would not be able to do the same magical things as my 3 day post wash, oily mess would...but I didn't. She wanted a headband AND a clip..."just like you mom!" She was so proud when we were done and couldn't wait for her daddy to get home to show him.

Also, a few weeks ago I was getting all dressed to go somewhere (a little rare these days). Landry got really serious and said, "Mama, I really like it better when you stay in your normal clothes." AKA: Get back in your pj's!

I can't wait to show 12 year old Landry this someday. Sister, you used to think I was cool in my pj's, no makeup, and dirty hair. You begged to look like me, and you wouldn't have been embarrassed of me for one second in public. Maybe we can keep it that way? :)

 

Other "roll on the floor" Landry quotes:

 

-"My teeth won't come out because they are really glued in!"

-"My throat won't quit hickin'" (hiccups)

-"I'm not touching him, I'm just kissing him!"

-When she didn't want Collier to go in the playroom and get one of her toys..."No Collier! It's terrible in there...it's just terrible!"

-"I'm not a princess, I'm a people!"

-"Food don't talk!" She realized this after watching Veggie Tales for the 9,000th time, and now she thinks it is hilarious!

-As we were practicing her Bible verse for Awana's the other night (For God loved us and sent His son.) She said, "For God loved us and sent His....pony?!"

-She loves to negotiate, but she can't figure out how to do it right. I will tell her we have an hour to play somewhere, and she will say, "But what about 5 minutes?!" like that is so much longer.

 

 

She is so much fun. Everyday is something new, and every day is a challenge. She pushes my buttons and melts my heart all at the same time.

A post on Collier is coming soon. That little jabber-box is starting to have some good quotes too!