My water babies!

Since we have a little fish in our family, literally, and another who is following in his big brother's footsteps, we've decided to spend some time (after Daddy finishes his training) every Saturday at the local pool. The boys had an absolute ball this morning and they so enjoyed having some 1-on-1-Daddy time in the water. Robbie amazed us by swimming the entire length of the pool on his back without flippers and without help - there's a first time for everything and both Rob and I got to be there to witness it. We were so excited, as was he! I think Rob really inspired Robbie by showing us how strong of a swimmer he has become after many weeks of training himself! The boys were all little prunes after spending nearly 2 hours in the water. Here are a few pictures of our super fun morning that I was lucky enough to capture .... perhaps Sammy boy will join them next time. He enjoyed watching them from his stroller while eating a snack and we were fortunate to have a surprise visit from their Pop Pop, too! :)

Our very "sweet" news!!!

Looks like we'll soon be changing the sign in our nursery from "Thank heaven for little boys" to "Thank heaven for little girls!" We are so very excited to be adding a precious little girl to our family of boys. Our big news came  as a complete shock to Rob and I, though Robbie has been saying for quite some time that he was going to have a sister, so perhaps he knew something all along that we didn't! We honestly believed that we were meant to have all boys! Funny how the Lord surprises you in pretty profound ways sometimes! Robbie (our soon-to-be 5 year old) shared in our joy yesterday at the OB's office and was thrilled when we were told, "your son is right! It's a girl!" Music to our ears! We are thrilled beyond words and are so looking forward to meeting our precious little one in early July! Looks like I'll have to soon begin shopping for pink ruffled dresses, hair bows, and cute little shoes ... it may seem a bit foreign to me at first, but oh, the fun I will have! Thank you, Lord, for such an incredible blessing!

My little swimmer man!

I finally made it to a swim practice of Robbie's tonight with the intention of solely watching him (and taking pictures, of course) without the distraction of 2 other little ones. I was so happy to be there and I enjoyed every moment of seeing how very much he has progressed in such a short time! I got some great action shots of him diving and swimming the back stroke ... which he is learning to do without his flippers. He swam almost the whole length of the pool on his own, with a little help from Coach Laurie, so he was super excited tonight and his mommy was quite proud. He's been working so incredibly hard these past few months and it's really beginning to show. He loves being a swimmer now and is looking forward to being like the "big kids" someday. Best of all, he was the only little kid there tonight so he received a ton of 1 on 1 attention from Coach. We missed all of his teammates though! Here are a few photos of my cute little swimmer superstar ... I'm having a hard time believing that he will soon be 5!

Warm-up time!

His Daddy, who is training for a triathlon, is trying to keep with his 4 1/2 yr old son in the pool :)

His best dive yet!

Walking back after his great dive ... he was SO happy :)

The wonderful HOT shower after practice is through ... he stays there for at least 5 mins :)

A very MESSY situation!

I'm pretty sure I nearly had a heart attack today ... funny that I actually stopped to pick up my camera to take a picture of such a scene, but it was truly 1 of those moments as a parent that you never want to forget (at least I think that's the case)! I had to laugh, otherwise I probably would have cried!

Ok, so here's the story ... I'm not sure the picture will do it justice so you'll just have to use your imagination!

I stepped upstairs for a few minutes in search of something. Robbie was engrossed in some school work at the kitchen table, literally, and the little guys were busy playing (and yes, the gate was closed this time). I heard lots of laughter and running around so I just assumed everything was ok. When I came downstairs (a few minutes later), I was greeted by 2 little boys giggling (cackling almost) covered in cocoa powder ... the floor was covered in cocoa powder and little footprints with tracks of cocoa powder were ALL OVER my house, including our new sun room's carpet. Yeah, so this is where the heart attack happened! I stopped to take a picture (for memory's sake ... I'm crazy, I know) and then scolded the boys. Daniel was quite upset that he made such a mess and Sammy, well ... he's only 16 months so I'm pretty sure he was clueless. I gave both big boys jobs to help Mommy and they literally scrubbed, vacuumed, and cleaned our entire 1st floor while Sammy boy sat in the high chair eating a snack. Fortunately, thanks to lots of hard work (and the rental of a carpet cleaner) we got every last stain out ... and my home is back to normal!

Such is life with 3 little boys, right?! Needless to say, I am grateful for times like these ... they make life exciting, never boring, and full of surprise! Had I reacted with anger (something I probably would have done in the past), I'm pretty sure I would have left a lasting negative imprint on my children. Sometimes, ya just have to laugh, roll with the punches, and make the best of situations that, at the time, aren't very pleasant. Another lesson learned today (# 1052) ... never leave a 3 year old and 16 mo. old alone while big bro is busy and engrossed in something ... makes for an absolute mess for Mommy! Oh, and I guess I failed to mention that I left the cocoa powder out since I had been baking earlier that morning. Lesson #1053 - never leave cocoa powder (or any substance like that) within arms reach for young children to grab!

I sure do love my boys! God blessed me with them for a reason, even if it was to make my house smell like a chocolate factory on this given day! :)

A FUN afternoon at Penn Park ... what a glorious day!!!

The boys and I ventured into town this morning to Penn Park ... we had a cute little picnic on the lawn and enjoyed lots of playtime on all the fun play gyms. The boys had a blast and I did, too! Though I quickly came to the realization how very different things are this year compared with last year. Sammy boy is 16 months and nearly running - everywhere. The stroller was simply not a possibility this time. He wanted to be right where his big brothers were. I can't say I blame him. My body was being pulled in 2, sometimes 3 different directions as I was trying to keep an eye on my clan. I even received some funny (yet cute) comments from folks who were  probably thinking ... phew, that woman is brave for having yet another! Perhaps I am, but it's almost hard for me to imagine life any other way. They really were wonderful and they pretty much stuck together like glue. Daniel, who just turned 3, was SO much fun and was just fascinated by all the play gyms and his big bro, who I'm pretty sure he idolizes! He even did a little song and dance for us on the grass ... which pretty much had his brothers and I in tears! Robbie was my very BIG helper ... keeping an eye on his brothers with me yet still having so much fun being himself. I'm so grateful to have such a responsible and sweet almost-5-yr old! The years are flying and I'm trying to savor every last drop as I know that, someday, my full plate will be empty ... though I guess that's when Rob and I get to enjoy the fruits of our labor ... and being empty-nesters! I won't go there, at least not right now! As crazy busy as life is when its just me and my clan of boys at the playground, or anywhere for that matter, I couldn't feel any more blessed! These are the special times!

Did I mention how incredibly thankful I am to finally have my 3 healthy boys back?! After a challenging 2 weeks, we have been so grateful for some amazingly beautiful spring-like days to spend outside. Here are some pictures that truly capture the joy on my children's faces on such a glorious February day! How could I not enjoy photography?! My camera and I are buddies and probably will be for many years to come! :)