Carson turned 1 month!

Carson turned 1 month old last week and it's taken me until today to down-load the camera pictures to post this! My friend, Danielle, gave these cute little sticker ties to me for a baby gift...what a great idea! They are so cute, I love them! Here he was on August 22nd. He is already showing to be a character of his own... he is not like either of my first two babies really. It will be fun to continue to see what his personality will be as he gets bigger each day. I already can't imagine life without him! We love you Carson Benjamin! Happy 1 month of life here with our crazy crew :) You have survived! ha!

a helping hand

I can't let this season go by without without brinigng light to the simple gestures that make life so much better for me when I am adjusting to something new in life, such as a new baby :)  Bringing Carson home has been a beautiful, wonderful time for me... but I would be lying if I said it hasn't been hard at times. A new baby brings a big shift into this family dynamic and while we couldn't be happier with our new bundle of joy, we are having to figure out a new routine here amongst us five.
My mornings are getting a bit more in rythem as I try to balance being up before my 2 big boys in time to have their breakfast made, clothes laid out, school things ready, myself clothed if not showered, and time for nursing before I get Jaxon out the door to school. Some mornings I go to school in my shorts I wore to bed and my hair under a hat. Some mornings Carson cries longer then I prefer while I finish packing a school snack or brushing my 3 year olds teeth.
The day is filled with baby feedings, diaper changes, baby cooing, getting baby to take a nap or two or three, a tiny bit of house maintance, and as much time as I can give to Austin to explore outside or ride a bike or paint his name or work on his numbers or read from his Bible or anything else he'd like to try or learn. Lunch is made or pulled out from the fridge and enjoyed around the table together, usually while I nurse Carson and attempt to eat at the same time. Books are read and Austin naps and I care for Carson some more. I might make a grocery list or two, read a devotion, sort some laundry, return phone calls and emails, pick up a room, or on a really good day...sneak in a nap! We get Jaxon and have snacks and hear about his day.
Then the part of the day comes when I try to figure out what exactly we are going to eat for dinner. Some days I got it down and some days...not so much! This is where I feel so much gratitide for the friends and family in my life who have carved time out of their own lives to prepare food at their house, make a mess of their kitchen, clean up their kithcen, tend to their own kids while doing this, and haul a wonderful meal over to our house to enjoy a yummy home cooked meal.
I can not explain the amazing gift of a good meal while I transition here as a mom of three :) We had an out pour of helping hands bring us awesome meals after Carson was born. I couldn't think of anything more helpful during this stage and I really want to remember just how great this gesture was to me, so I can pay it forward myself in the future. I even have 3 meals in my freezer made by friends for when I return to work next week doing daycare here.  My mind rests a little better knowing I can take "prepare a good nutritional meal for family" off my list for a few days as we keep walking forward in this new stage and figure life out a bit more each day.  So to all you out there who has ever taken a meal to a friend, family member, neighbor, or even stanger.... THANK YOU for being a helping hand at that time.  It is by far one of my most favorite gifts!!!!

Crazy, maybe?

You may finish reading this post and think I am the craziest mother out there. I think my husband would take your side on this one, even though it turned out very well, despite the risks involved :) 

So, this day started with a quick phone call from Dave's parents just a few days in advance asking if we wanted to go to Adventureland. Seems fun enough... a majority of the Brody clan was going and who wouldn't want a fun day with cousins and family at an adventure themed park? Well, Dave couldn't go and I had 3 boys on my own, including a 3 week old!! I was torn and had about 1 hour to make a decision. Hormones running high, mom guilt setting in from the last couple weeks of feeling like a boring mom and not doing enough fun things with my middle child, end of summer, school starting, hormones running high (oh, did I mention that!?!), trying to "do it all", and a bad decision maker these days and I found myself bawling for a good 20 minutes before I made a quick and final decision. One phone call to Dave's mom and I was committed. I was taking 3 kids, including my 3 week old to Adventureland in 3 days. Yikes! I had a pit in my stomach for the rest of that night and then woke up the next day and decided..."I was going to make this work and had a great group to go with to help me when I couldn't!!". I really wanted to do something fun with my big boys before summer ended and I really wanted Austin included in something fun outside the house. Jaxon has had lots of fun play dates since I had Carson and Austin has been a trooper and just hung out here a lot of the time. This could be a really fun day trip if all my ducks fell into a row!

Well, as you can see from WAY too many pictures on this post that we had a GREAT day!! Things timed really well for feedings for the babe, my big boys behaved awesome all day, I had amazing helpers, and the weather was perfect. I am so glad this crazy lady decided to go and I am just as thankful that the day went so well.  What a perfect ending to summer :)



 With in 5 minutes of getting into the park Jaxon rushed off with his cousins to find a ride! See him with his arms up...let the fun begin!

 Austin had his eye on the train ride and nothing else until he could sit on that train!!! Here's a bunch of the cousins waiting to board the train!

 All Aboard! Austin and cousin Myles :)

 So, Jaxon was onto bigger and faster rides then Austin...or me :) Austin however, LOVED the kiddie rides!

 He literally rode these trucks about 8 times!

 Some of the ever so helpful helpers!!! THANK YOU to G'pa and G'ma Brody for holding babies and filling in wherever and whenever needed!

 Another fave of Austin's... around and around he went on his sweet wheels :)

 G'pa was good at holding sleeping baby while I got to play with Austin... a much needed day for me and my middle boy!!!

 Cousins having fun!

 We looked like quite the caravan with all our strollers!! 2 singles and 2 doubles here and 1 was in action some place else! Holy little kids!!

 Jaxon was good about doing a few small rise with his brother... I sure appreciate his great Big Brother skills!

 Uncle Kyle made Jaxon's day SO FUN! Thank you Uncle Kyle for taking Jaxon (and all the big cousins) on the "big kid" rides. His day would have been much less fun without your help!

 We survived...and were all smiling when it was time to go home!  Thank you G'ma & G'Pa for treating us all to a fun family day...it was great!!!

Austin's first choice of fun :)

3 wks came and went

 I'm just a little behind because Carson's 3 week mark came and went already! Here he was with his brothers the day he turned a short 3 weeks old. He sure is a sweet baby boy!

one last time

It's no secret that this mom and her boys spend as much time at the community pool that we can in the summer. I love having a nice pool in our town to take our kids to to spend time together, see friends, play in the water, and enjoy their childhood on lazy summer days. I hope my kids have fond memories of doing just that during their summers. At the pool I am not distracted by laundry, cleaning, and other random things at my house and can only play and watch my boys...it's a wonderful needed oasis :) Once Carson arrived I knew my time would be slim to none at the pool. I really didn't want my boys to have to miss out on the last month or so at the pool. We have had such awesome friends offer to take them and as a mom I have felt so blessed to have those other mom's and friends step in to make sure they were getting some fun pool time! I had to get to the pool one last time this summer with my crew. It was great. I waited til boys had napped, been fed, and off we went. We were meeting some friends there, so I knew I had some back-up help if and when needed!! I loved being able to play with my big boys at this stage in their childhood and hold onto their little hands as I pulled them around the water and tossed them in. Carson woke at the very end and I nursed him as the sun started to set and just breathed in the smell of summer all around me as I felt fall just beginning to come in. It was a perfect last summer pool day with my boys...all three of them :)  Thank you to my dear friends who have spent time with my big boys at the pool while this mom was cuddling and feeding a new babe at home! We'll be back in full force next June!!

One last time at the pool for the summer...



A New Year!

Wow, I can not believe the school year has kicked off already! This summer just flew by (though I did not feel that way about mid-July, 38 weeks preggo and 110 heat index! :)  This is the first year Jaxon wasn't totally excited to head back... he kind of wished for a few extra days off.  He was looking forward to seeing his friends though, a locker all to himself this year, and the new wing his classroom would be in. Second grade does come with a few perks for a 7 year old boy :)  We are happy to see him begin a new year with good friends in his class and a new set of things to learn and experience.

 To begin our school year we baked our "Back to School" cake together the day before... who doesn't get excited for cake?!?!

 "Back-Pack night"  We literally picked our two big kids up from the pool (they were there with friends) and went straight to Back Pack night... just seems weird to be swimming at the pool and then have to go to school. Sigh.... the final days of summer. Austin insisted on wearing his backpack too. He would have stayed if we would have let him I think?

 THE locker he has been talking about all summer! He looks so old standing next to a locker!!

 Night before school I make his favorite meal and then we celebrate with Back 2 School cake. Usually a grandparent or two can come and this year a few family friends stopped by to pray for and wish Jaxon a good year. As our kids enter school and our friends kids do, I have found it so important to cover them in prayer... prayers for them as individuals, their teachers, the school, his peers, safety at the school, the principals, and all the people that influence my child's day at school. As our kids spend more and more time in the schools I know the best thing I can do is pray for them as they go and learn life here away from home. We feel really blessed to have such a great school and friends and family who pray for our kids as well as they travel this path.

First day as a 2nd grader!!! Looking good, big boy! Happy School Year to you!!

foggy days

It seems when you bring a new born home that the following days are a bit foggy. Days and nights run together and the normal routine of life you knew before is quickly thrown out the window as a new one starts to take shape. I knew with two older ones at home that I needed to provide some normalcy, yet be okay with the chaos that would probably come naturally for a bit. Our days have definitely looked a bit different since Carson has arrived, but they have been really good mostly and I hope my big boys enjoyed their last few weeks of summer... baby brother included :) I tend to get overwhelmed with people right after I have a baby. I like to hide away in my house with my family and just get to know my new little one and our new family dynamic. This means I don't leave the house much, answer my phone much, or even my door at times. I don't want to be rude, but I just need those first few weeks to adjust and love on my new babe. I have had some great help step in to keep Jaxon entertained and Austin even at times too. We've also just done a bit more creative playing inside and unfortunately a bit more TV/movie watching. When you are nursing every 2 hours it seems easiest at times to just put the movie on and sit with my kids to watch while I nurse. Even in these foggy days I've tried to make them fun for my big boys since it is their summer break! I am slowly feeling the fog rise and it's good to feel a bit more in a routine. School starts tomorrow and I know I am going to have to put my fog lights on to get a jump start back to the school year!!

 domino walls... a fun morning activity :)

 Carson tried out his floor play mat... and for the most liked it!

 We've snuck in some great visitors here and there...

 I have snuck in a few naps here and there too... :)

 Carson has worked on his double chin...

 Brothers have bonded...

We've made the most of baby nap times, backyard pool, and hot sunny days...

 Carson even joined us outside a few days for picnic's and pool time :)

And we've made forts...inside and outside...a fort is always a welcomed fun project by boys!!

first bath

Look who did NOT like their first bath? Poor guy... screamed from the time I stripped him down until I wrapped him in a towel again.

After a very quick bath, he finally was content again.  Good thing him and I are on a similar bathing rotation right now.... about every few days is all either of us can get in these days! Lucky him, not so lucky me :)

pie auction

For the last few years Jaxon has made a pie with my mom for the 4-H pie auction. Jaxon enjoys baking and it's a great cause to help out. We plan to have our boys in 4-H once they get a bit older and I like supporting the program while we wait for that day to come. I love what the program stands for and what it helps teach families together. We usually get out to the fair, but we had a new baby that week this year. Grandma took them for a quick morning trip over there to see the animals, but they would have enjoyed a bit more time! This year Austin got to help make a pie too... Grandma brought all the pie stuff and made it super easy to do while I just held my new baby :) I forgot to take a final picture, so all you get is their prep time. I heard they sold for a good price AND even better, they tasted good too! Good job boys and thanks Mom!!

(PS I am catching up on blog posts, so check my first few from today below :)

Brotherly Love

Jaxon is at a great age to bring a new baby home! He has totally surprised me with how helpful and in tune to Carson he is. He constantly holds him, often just picking him up to cuddle. He often lays next to him and just talks to him. He often is the first to tell me... Carson is crying, Carson is awake, Carson is acting hungry, Carson fell asleep. When I come out of my room in the morning with Carson he is first to say "HI CARSON"! Almost 7 1/2 years between these two, but I think Jaxon is going to have a soft spot for his littlest brother :)

 I love watching these boys learn to love each other, all 3 of them!

PS I am catching up on blogging pictures so don't miss my first few posts from today :)