Catching up is hard to do!

Happy Thanksgiving, Readers!  

We were so thankful for so much this year:

~The new life that God graced us with in October.

~The opportunity to spend all of Thanksgiving Day with ALL three of my brothers.  We laughed and laughed and laughed at the dinner table...

~Michael B and his contagious laughter and the pure joy that he felt in being with his family.      He honestly enjoyed every single minute of the Thanksgiving holiday.  

~To spend the day with my three living Grandparents and to watch them smother our babies with hugs and kisses.  

~My aunt and uncle and cousins came all the way from Ohio to hug and kiss on Mr. Nicholas.  Chris and Nicholas entertained Michael with the Leggo's and with a game of pool.  (Michael calls them "The Leggo Boys!" 

~For the love and laughter that filled my parents' home on Thursday.  

It could not have been a better Thanksgiving Day....

FYI:  There will be a Thanksgiving Part II post sometime soon to commemorate our holiday spent with the K-H side of the family. We've been busy running around!!

Our Handsome Boys...

What a gorgeous weekend! Yesterday we took full advantage of the sunshine, and tried to be outside as much as possible. Nicholas enjoyed napping in the fresh air, while big brother Michael enjoyed digging in the dirt with his new cars. Our weekend was full of activity, which is why I'm ready for bed right now. Josh is in the process of kicking off his (rec league) basketball coaching season, yesterday was the draft. And, Michael went to a birthday party for one of his daycare friends yesterday. Of course, Josh and I were so excited about the party that the whole family ended up going. (We're so silly, I know!)

Today was our first visit to mass with Nicholas. It felt so good and so healing to be back at church today. All four of us were there, with support from Michael and Mary Jane. Surprisingly, the boys handled the mass just fine. Nicholas slept in Mary Jane's arms the entire time, and Michael could not have been more well behaved. We've spent the rest of the day doing chores around the house and visiting with friends.

I don't think we could have ordered a better fall weekend...

Our First Day!

Today was my first day of flying solo with Mr. Michael and Mr. Nicholas.  And, even though we still have  a few hours before Josh rolls in the door, I would venture to say that the day was a success.  I haven't gotten much done; other than feeding the boys, putting the boys to sleep, cleaning up the breakfast dishes,  and showering.  I guess that's the way that things are going to go for the next few weeks, actually, maybe months! : )

Today was also our first day of joining the local Mom's Club!  We had a blast.  Today's activity was a bustling Halloween party.  Michael brought his costume, but refused to wear it.  We had lunch with the other mothers and their children. Michael did a craft, decorated a cookie, and even jumped on a moon bounce.  Unfortunately it is FREEZING cold today, so he didn't last too long outside.  It was really interesting to watch Michael in this setting, we literally knew three people at this outing: two mothers and one little boy.  You would never know that Michael had never been around this group before.  He jumped right into all of the activities and was incredibly sociable.  I have a feeling that he was comfortable because it was similar to daycare: noise, toys, chaos, lots of kiddies!  Of course, Nicholas slept right through the

 party. All three of us had a blast, and I'm looking forward to next week's activity already.  The best part of the party was getting to know other families who live in our neighborhood.  

I would certainly say that our day together was a smashing success!  I am totally exhausted, though... Thankfully, Mary Jane made us a delicious dinner for this evening.

Melts my heart...

This morning, while preparing breakfast, I peeked into the playroom to check on Michael and Nicholas.  The baby was strapped in the bouncy seat, trying to sleep.   And, Michael was playing with his cars, or so I thought.  When I stuck my head in the room, there was Michael sitting beside the bouncy seat, reading Nicholas the book "I'll Always Love You".  I quickly tried to find the camera, and couldn't find it quickly enough.  Nicholas started to cry.  And, I heard Michael say something like, "Well, if you're gonna cry, then I'm not going to read to you, Baby." Even though the moment was over,  I laughed to myself and continued to look for the camera.  When I finally walked in, there was Michael B.  trying to console his brother with a little kiss on the forehead.  We then played together, the three of us, by introducing Mr. Nicholas to tummy time and letting him stretch out on the floor .  

These pictures are not from this morning. Once the camera battery is charged, I will be sure to post them!  We're also going to a party on the mountain this afternoon, so I'm very hopeful that we will have a few family photos to share from the celebration!

Almost Normal...

My mom stayed with us today because Josh needed to get back to work. The morning started out a little rough. Michael threw two fits in the course of about two hours. One being as soon as he got out of bed, nothing like waking to a screaming three year old! ( At least the baby wasn't crying, too.) Naturally, I was a little worried about how the day would go. As it turned out, the day could not have been better. My mom and I took the boys to a local co-op farm, that is full of fun activities for kiddies. We went on a hay ride, picked out four pumpkins, watched a pig race, jumped on a gigantic pumpkin inflated with air, and we played on a toddler/little kids playground. Towards the end of our visit, we bought some hot apple cider and kettle corn. Nicholas cooperated quite well by sleeping throughout the entire outing. 

Today I was so grateful to no longer be pregnant, with a baby ramming my rib cage. I could breathe, I could climb on the gigantic pumpkin with my Michael (though I probably should not have..), and I was able to truly enjoy his laughter and curiosity again. It's been a long, long time since I have felt good enough to truly appreciate his magical age. And, sharing this wonderful day with my mom and Nicholas was quite a delight, as well. We can't wait to take Josh back to this farm, Michael wants to take him back TONIGHT. That's how much fun he had today, and I'm so glad for that. The new baby is kind of taking it's toll on Michael B right now, which is completely understandable and to be expected.  

I am looking forward to more days like this one...

Enjoying our company!

Obviously, things have been busy this week!  We're learning how to adjust to two babies now, how to deal with a sleep shortage, and how to get daily chores completed around the house while squeezing in naps.  Even though we have a lot to learn and a lot of adjusting to do; we couldn't be happier.  Michael loves his brother so much.  The crying seems to bother him a little bit, and he frequently tells the baby (in a sweet voice), "Too noisy, Baby! Too noisy!"  He does worry about the baby when he cries, though.  He's such a sweetheart....

Josh is an awesome father, and he loves to cuddle Nicholas. Josh will often take over the "shushing" duty after I nurse Nicholas.  

Cousin Amanda came over to meet Nicholas with Mango the other day.  She did a fantastic job holding Nicholas!  And, Michael was SO HAPPY with the paper, crayons, and coloring book that she gave him.  Michael worked on his writing ALL day yesterday with that paper!  : ) 

And, now some pictures of some very, very special visitors!  Grandma and Pap-Pap!!

Grandma and Pap-Pap also came over this week to meet their newest Great Grandson.  I think both of them fell in love instantly.  Pap- Pap said that he is a "fine baby boy."  And, Grandma was actually speechless for a moment or two.  I am so incredibly thankful that our  children know three of my four grandparents.  

What a tremendous blessing it was, to be able to introduce our baby to his Great Grandparents on such a beautiful fall day!

A tearful morning.

The K-H Brothers....

Michael went to the sitter's for the day, and I'm not sure who was more tearful this morning.  (We both cried.  Michael cried first and I cried after he left with Josh.)  I know that another day of rest and a quiet house will help me to heal faster, but I still miss my Michael terribly. When he is home the house seems to come alive, and when he's not here it's just way, way, way too quiet. It seems to me like a cruel thing, to send him when both Josh and I are home. I know my son, though, and if we stall on getting him back on track; he will have an even more difficult time transitioning back into the normal routine next week. So, it's really for the best. Gosh, do I miss him, though! 

I suppose I should take a little nap--to make the time pass a little faster and to catch up on some much needed rest. 

More sweet pictures to come...