Giving Thanks

We had a lovely Thanksgiving last week.  The best thing was that daddy got to stay home for five days!  That meant lots of great, quality family time.  It was the first true holiday since we became a family of five.  I can say that being a family of five makes everything more intense; the hard times are harder, and the good times are even better.  Even with both parents home, the five days seemed long and arduous.  But we did manage to squeeze in some fun as a family.

Thanksgiving dinner took place at my parents' house, with both sets of grandparents.  We were also joined by a distant cousin, Betty Jo,  who actually lives just down the street from us.  We had planned to smoke a duck, but ultimately decided to do seared duck breasts with a port-cherry sauce.  Amma made mushroom soup, brussels sprouts, and a delicious cranberry sauce.  Granmom made cornbread stuffing, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie.  The boys had so much fun riding their scooters around the house, which really put some good energy and excitement into the evening.  There was always the possibility of an impending crash.  Never boring with three boys!

After Thanksgiving we put the tree up and began to enjoy some holiday traditions.  The boys wanted their hot chocolate, and we also guzzled some egg nog while decorating the tree.  Sawyer saw the Christmas tree for the first time.  I am pretty sure he thought it was beautiful!  Evan really got into decorating the tree, and Lance and I had very little work to do hanging the ornaments.  However, I did have to go back and put a few closer to the top of the tree.  

Five Month Fun

We are now almost to half a year.  Seriously, where does the time go??!!  It seems so cliche, but it is mind-blowing how quickly these little boys grow up.  At five months Sawyer is now eating some solid food, hanging out in the Baby Einstein, almost sitting up, and laughing out loud.  The other morning the boys and I were hanging out and decided to put Sawyer in the Einstein exersaucer. When Evan played with one of the toys that makes a funny noise, Sawyer laughed out loud.  It was so amazing to hear such a real laugh from a small baby.  Evan kept playing with the toy, and Sawyer laughed over and over again.  We were all cracking up. Since then, Sawyer has laughed hysterically when we sneeze, and also when Benjamin acted like a dinosaur.

This really is the last little bit of baby that our family will have.  I know I tend to rush their development because I am excited to see them walking, talking, and relating.  However, I really should remember to just enjoy this last bit of baby time.  Ah-goo!

Time with Friends

This weekend we had our firsts dinner guests since Sawyer was born.  I was a bit skeptical at first, but Lance assured me that we would make it through.  He wanted a practice run for the smoked duck that we planned to make on Thanksgiving, so we decided to make pizza with smoked duck.  The funny thing is that we thought it best to do a trial run for the pizza as well!  At least we have learned that you should not try a difficult menu item for the first time when there is an important occasion.  

It was great having Janet, Todd, and their two girls over.  Actually, they have four girls, but they only brought their younger two.  It was so cute to see them playing so nicely with our boys.  It gave us a glimpse of what the other side might be like.  The good thing is that we can always have the Andersons over when we feel like we are missing girls.  For now, I am pretty darn happy with my adorable trio of boys!

First Food

Things just go by so quickly.  Sawyer has already had his first taste of food.  The whole family stood by as mommy fed Sawyer some oatmeal.  He definitely took to it right away.  I must say that I was very impressed with his beginner eating skills.  The very next time I fed him, he was ready!  I have found that if you are too slow in your delivery, he will be unhappy with you.  The basic idea from his perspective is, "Keep it coming!".  I don't know what this says about his future as an eater.  After all, I thought Evan was going to be a great eater based on his first few months.  The boy who was once open to squash would not even give it a consideration today.  I will have to enjoy these non-picky months as much as possible!

Halloween

This was our first Halloween with three children, and Sawyer's first Halloween.  Benjamin wanted to be Darth Vader and I found a great Yoda costume for Sawyer.  We did order a storm trooper costume for Evan but it was way too big.  He decided that he would rather be Jake from the Neverland Pirates.  That is Evan's personality.  He does his own thing.  I love him for it, and it also drives me crazy!  We had so much fun trick or treating around our neighborhood.  This is such a great place to live, and really perfect for our boys.  Evan really got into the spirit and was chanting, "Trick or Treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat".  It was great to see all of our neighbors out and about and to chat with some that we don't know well.  The only problem is that we now have tons of candy.  Maybe the boys will forget about it in a few days and I can throw it out?!

Benjamin Turns Five!

The day has come, Benjamin is finally five!  In his own words Benjamin describes the occasion perfectly; "Mommy, I can't believe I'm five!".  We can't believe it either.  Our little baby, our first little boy, is well on his way to middle childhood.  He seemed overwhelmed by the occasion.  Not just because of all of the gifts, but because he recognized that this was a significant milestone.  Five is such a round, solid number.  As usual, we celebrated three times.  Once with each pair of grandparents, and once with Benjamin's friends.  Some of the gifts that Benjamin was given include a training computer, a pirate ship, a marble run, a helicopter, and many, many games.  

I spent many hours working on his birthday cake.  I think he appreciated it, but he later told me that it was too sweet!  I couldn't believe that those words came out of his mouth, the candy king! I did enjoy making the cake.  It was a challenging project and allowed me to get some creative juices flowing.  Lance will tell me next year that I was too stressed, and I should just buy a cake, and I'm sure I will again tell him that I must make my own.

I'm proud of my biggest boy.  He is so sensitive, sweet, and loving.  He is also smart, curious, funny, and gorgeous!  He loves his little brothers and I know he will be a great leader both at home and wherever he goes.

Sawyer at 4 Months

Another month has rolled around and Sawyer is now 4 months old.    Speaking of rolling, Sawyer has now rolled over from back to front and from front to back.  Right now he is working on grabbing things and putting them in his mouth.  He has also been sitting in the Bumbo on occasion.  Just yesterday we discovered that he is able to stand on his feet with some help balancing.  I wonder if that means that he will walk early??

At the young age of 4 months, Sawyer is already breaking records.  He went for 2 weeks and 2 days without pooping, which broke the record at the pediatrician's office.  Go Sawyer!!

Three Boys Upstairs

It was only about two years ago that I entitled a post, "Two Boys Upstairs".  Now, we have three up there!  I decided to put Sawyer in his room this past weekend.  I was ready to have the bathroom back because all my stuff just doesn't seem to fit in the powder room.  So far Sawyer is doing great in his new room.

The move to his room has coincided with some other changes for Sawyer.  The last couple of days his sleep has been off, and he has woken up more than once at night.  He has also had trouble taking his naps.  Well, wouldn't you know that today he started babbling and also rolled over from back to front!  I'm almost certain that his sleep troubles are related to the development of these new skills.  I think I will be willing to trade a couple of hours of sleep for some cute babbles from my baby.  He is just such a sweetie!

A Visit from Hawaii

We were thrilled to get a visit from uncle Link and aunt Deanna last week!  Link has come regularly each year, but this is the first visit from Deanna since our wedding in 2006.  It was great to see them both spending time with the boys and meeting baby Sawyer for the first time.  Mamaw also came for a visit, bringing the grand total of Vaughns in one house to 10!

I think Link and Deanna really enjoyed sampling all of the great food in Austin, and I know that Deanna enjoyed the shopping.  Lance and I were lucky enough to have an evening out, which was one of the best nights that I have had in a long time.  We went for a great meal at Olivia and then to a live music show with Bob Schnieder.  We had front row seats and were amazed at what a great show he put on.  It was SO much fun.

Link and Deanna returned to Hawaii just a couple of days ago and we sure miss them already.  We already have preliminary plans to visit them next year.  Sure, we can easily go to Hawaii with three little boys, right??

Last Trip to the Beach

We took our last trip to the beach this year.  We usually go only twice, but I wish we could go more.  I had not planned on going for the second trip this time around, since Sawyer is only three months old.  However, I was tired of being cooped up in the house and felt determined to go no matter the difficulty involved in bringing a baby. This was a good step for me.  I forced myself to do choose adventure despite my anxiety about things being difficult.  It paid off.  We did have a good time, and I was even able to enjoy myself.  Sawyer was generally a great traveler, and seemed to have some fun riding in the car with mommy in the back seat with him.

We stayed in a beautiful house at Cinnamon Shore, a resort community that was practically deserted during the week in September.  We had the pool and the beach almost to ourselves.  When I got the chance I tried to practice some photography.  I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get many great shots, especially any of the boys on the beach.  But I reminded myself that the main goal was just to go and to have fun.  Next year I will get some awesome family shots, I am sure!

A great little traveler