Fierce

Over the past year, I would say that my boys have become each others' best playmates. They do fight, of course, but for the most part I would say that they truly are best friends. Just a few minutes ago, we had a "moment" that I wanted to make sure to write down before I forget it.

We have been really trying to take advantage of the unseasonably mild temps here this winter, so we decided to take a bike ride down to the park. Our park has a large walking path that runs all the way around the playground equipment and sports fields, and past a small pond. After playing for a little while on the swings, we decided to get back on our bikes, and ride around to the pond to see if there were any ducks. Unfortunately, as we came upon the pond, we saw that the water had overflowed heavily onto the walking path and we wouldn't be able to cross it.

Tanner, of course -- stubborn as a mule, refused to turn around and wanted to ride through the water. This child is so strong willed, we had a real fight on our hands. He is definitely too big for me to pick up and carry home, so I was trying to reason with/threaten him. (I know -- probably not my best mommy moment.)

"Why don't we ride our bikes onto the grass around the water? We can pretend we're on a bear hunt, just like the song!"

"Tanner, that water is a lot deeper than you think. If you try to ride through it, you could get hurt."

"Tanner, I'm not coming in to help you if you get stuck."

"Tanner!! You will definitely get spanked if you go into that water!!!"

Tanner continued to be stubborn and inch toward the water on his bike. This is when our little "moment" happened. Landon ran over to Tanner, threw his arms around him and tried to get him to stay put. Tanner shoved him away. Landon is now panicking that Tanner might go into the water, so he stands in front of the bike, straddling the front wheel and pushing on the handlebars.

"Don't go in the water, Tanner!!" he's screaming as tears run down his little cheeks.

At this point, I come to pick up Landon so that he doesn't get hurt, but he's fighting me so hard that I have to put him down. Tanner inches a little closer to the water. Landon grabs the back tire and holds on for dear life, screaming and crying for Tanner not to go into the water. By now, Tanner is crying (his natural reaction to hearing me say "no" to anything), Landon is crying, and I am almost in tears witnessing my almost-3-yr-old try to save my 4-yr-old from what he thinks is certain disaster. My heart was literally swelling as I watched this display of love and concern between brothers. Finally, I got it together, removed Landon from the back tire, picked Tanner up off of his bike, and carried both bikes around the water to the other side, where we continued our ride and started heading home -- both boys still in tears. Tanner was now upset that we were going home. Landon, I think, was still scared that Tanner was going to get hurt.

This one was Landon's moment to be tenderhearted, brave, and concerned for Tanner, but I have seen Tanner do the same for Landon in the past. There is nothing that makes my heart want to burst more than witnessing my sons' fierce love for one another. So happy to be adding another little guy to the mix.

Counting my blessings ... :)

A Few Things ...

1) 36 wks 4 days pregnant. Only 24 days to go???? Feeling like I really need to get focused on having this baby. Time is FLYING and I am NOT mentally prepared. I've been obsessing with the little re-decorating project going on in my master bedroom. Just have to sew 2 pillows and make the headboard and I'm done. Then on to finishing touches in Kellen's room, picking up some diapers and toiletries for him, and packing our bag for the hospital.

2) This week's baby check: 1 cm dilated and head is "right there."

3) For posterity's sake: the other day I asked Jon if he would PLEASE answer his phone at work if I promised only to call him when I was going into labor or if there was an emergency with the boys. He said the best way to get ahold of him was EMAIL. No, I'm not kidding. (Actually, email is probably the fastest way to reach him, I just had to write it down because it sounds so absurd that it's actually funny.)

4) Note to self: Don't get your hair cut by somebody new less than four weeks before delivering your baby. You are SURE to be disappointed, pay WAY too much, and spend most of the day crying -- UGLY crying. It's really not worth it. Wait until AFTER the baby comes, and you can go back home to have your normal person give you a fabulous cut at half the price. Even Landon cried when he saw my hair today -- probably because he was freaked out at my ugly crying, but still ...

5) Jon and I are gearing up to watch the movie Courageous. I hear it's a good one -- so happy to have a night at home with my man -- he's been a busy guy lately.

Here's hoping for a wonderful rest-of-the-weekend! :)

This Is What Happens ...

... to little boys who stay up past 10:00 talking and playing around in their bunk beds.

... then make their way to mom and dad's bed at some point through the night.

... only to wake up for the day at 5:45 when Daddy gets up for work.

... several days in a row.

My plan was to keep them up without a nap all day, then put them to bed EARLY, hoping they would be so exhausted that they'd stay in their beds ALL NIGHT until our normal 7am wakeup. Clearly, that isn't happening. Both boys passed out in the car on the way home from preschool. I let them sleep for a little bit, then woke them up and brought them in the house -- only to find them like this 10 minutes later. At least someone's getting their beauty rest! I'm thinking God must just be using this to prepare me for life with a newborn in a few short weeks. I don't know what I need more at this point -- coffee or a glass of wine! LOL!

Six more weeks.

SIX MORE WEEKS??

The counter at the top of my page tells me only 40 days left until our sweet little Kellen is set to arrive. We are so stinkin' excited here in the Hall house. And a teensy bit scared, but mostly just excited. These are the sweetest days of pregnancy for me. There's something about knowing your life is about to change forever that makes you cherish the precious few moments you have until then:

• Sweet time with just two boys (although I'm thinking three can only be better!)
• A laundry pile I can almost keep up with
• A full night's sleep with only minor interruptions
• Loving the miracle of how my body can accommodate growing a little human -- I love my big pregnant belly! (not looking forward to the big non-pregnant belly that will be left behind)
• A schedule that is somewhat normal
• Enjoying the anticipation of how much more WONDERFUL and FULL our lives will be with the addition of another little boy to LOVE!!

So ... as excited as we are to meet this sweet baby, we are also trying to enjoy every day of these last six weeks as a family of four.

It seems like the boys have been sick a LOT since Christmas. We've finally had almost an entire week of relatively good health. (READ: gross snotty noses and coughs, but still able to leave the house) Tanner was able to make his bowling field trip for preschool last week. I didn't chaperone because I knew I would have Landon with me, but we did stay to watch for the first half hour, and it was SO adorable! I just love watching Tanner interact with his teacher and classmates. They used bumpers, of course, but it still took each child's ball around 90 seconds to make it all the way to the pin. Tanner was delighted to be paired with his best friend in class -- Scarlet. :)

Landon has been quite the character lately -- showing a lot of attitude, which has not been his personality up until now. I'm wondering if it's a phase or if he's just starting to grow up a little bit. It's not that he's being mean or nasty really, he's usually just trying to be funny and get a reaction out of somebody (me). His speech therapy teacher warned me last year that he's a good-time Charlie and will do anything to create a little bit of fun, and she was totally right. He's also wanting me to carry him constantly these days. He's not that heavy, which is good, but by the end of the day my back is killing me. I know I need to just say no, but at he's still my baby at least for the next few weeks, and I do love that he still wants me to hold him.

We've started getting Kellen's room ready to go, which has been fun for the boys and I. They helped me put together the crib last week:

They were also around as my mom and I took out the bins of newborn clothes and started to get everything laundered. Tanner literally picked up each outfit and said "AWWWWWWWWwwwwww! Mom, look at THIS one! So cute!" It was hilarious and heartwarming all at the same time. After going through everything, it's nice to see that we really don't need ANYTHING for this baby, except for a new monitor, since our current one has seen better days. I'll just have to go get diapers, wipes, and a few other toiletries before we're completely ready to go. One of the perks of having three boys, I guess. Our world would be turning upside down right now if we were having a girl, I'm sure! Instead of redecorating the nursery, we're going to redecorate our master bedroom :) We finally broke down and bought a king size bed, since our queen was having trouble holding four bodies by the time both little guys made their way to our rooms. It should be coming any day and I can't wait!!

Jon has been busy busy busy with school and work. Luckily, the master's program he's currently in isn't nearly as demanding as his MBA, so he's able to really enjoy the weekends with us. We all look forward to that special time we get to spend with him. He's currently addicted to The Bachelor. I can hardly stomach watching this season, but I'm toughing it out :) We make Monday our special "date" night at home, where we order in dinner after the kids go to bed and watch the show together. It's great to have that to look forward to each week.

Well, I better get a few things done while both boys are occupied. I'm never sure when that opportunity for free time will come again! LOL!