to cut or not to cut

I've considered cutting off Ty's mohawk after I looked at the picture of him in the bumbo chair and his mohawk blends into the background. Hmmm. He may be just a little cuter without it. I've even discussed this with a few people, but it somehow doesn't seem right to cut my tiny little infant's hair. So I did a little photoshopping so we could take a closer look at what he would look like.

Mohawk Ty

Bald Ty

(obviously my photoshop skills are less than perfect, but I think you get the gist of it)

As you can see, he looks a little less like a Native American (is that the politically correct term these days? So sorry if it isn't and I just offended someone and not that Native American's aren't cute, it's just that he isn't one). But really, every time I see pictures of him with the mohawk, I have this urge to strap a feathered headband to his head. I know it's just hair, but the lack of mohawk just seems SO NOT HIM.

It made me think about if I removed my, um...uh....mole. (I feel really weird calling it a mole. I've always called it a birth mark my entire life and when I do, people look at me like I'm an idiot for calling my mole a birthmark- somehow it's just seems more natural and like I couldn't control it in any way- you know, because I was born with it,as if you can control whether you have a mole either. I'm done trying to explain myself since it's obviously not working). Anyway. Here's me.

And here's me without the....mole.

kinda crazy, isn't it? It's just not me, right? Or is it.... I guess you could say that about nearly anything. I've been begging Cameron to agree to let me get braces. (Thanks to the blurriness of this picture, you can't really tell that I have crooked teeth. While I recognize that they could be much, much worse, I do have a few snaggle teeth, mostly on the bottom that I've always been very self conscious of and I promise I'm not trying to fish for compliments). He has finally agreed (upon certain conditions), but maybe I wouldn't be me with really straight teeth...

What do you think? Should I cut Ty's hair? Would it change who his little self is or am I over thinking this? I'm really not that worried about it, I'm just curious. And on a less superficial level, do you think things oughta be left the way they are to preserve our true selves? What's the difference between braces and a chest enhancement (I didn't use the obvious term for fear this blog would come up on somebody's search)? Where do we draw the line or is there a line at all? Do we try to "fix" our kids? What would you do if your child had a really bad nose? Would you support a nose job? I learned in graduate school that it is a really easy and painless procedure to pin back a kid's ears that really stick out and when I learned that, I always thought I'd let my kid do that if they wanted to. Well guess what. I have a kid with ears that really poke out. But, again, it's him. But then again, the thought of him getting teased about it breaks my heart. I know there are a million things we'd all change about ourselves but what's okay to change, and what's not?

Your thoughts?

I think I could ramble on about this forever.

Diggin' Deep

It's photos like these that make you so proud to be a parent.

And no, that's not my grandma's hand in the picture.

It's mine, right before I tried to snatch her finger from her nose.

Random

The following pictures were taken by Colby

when he did a photoshoot with Kara.

It cracked me up when I saw Kara with her legs crossed,

her hand under chin and her head tilted to the side.

7 week photo shoot

This week's photoshoot features Ty's mohawk. I figured I'd better snap some pictures before all his hair falls out, which is already starting to happen. Somehow, that little patch of long hair is holding strong for now.

He is starting to smile a lot more and it melts my heart every time. We had to be a little more patient to get Ty smiles, but it's been worth the wait. He has started to coo a little here and there which is my very favorite thing in the whole world. I'm not kidding. I'd rather hear my little infant child coo, than eat fresh peach crepes. There, I said it.

To my surprise, he is still pretty popular in our house. I really thought the novelty of a new baby would wear off with the Colby and Kara, but it hasn't. If anything, they are more into him now, than ever. As cute as it can be, it's kinda starting to drive me crazy. Ty is definitely my fussiest baby and fusses a ton all day long. He has been difficult to put to sleep during the day and the kids have a really bad habit of waking him up on purpose. I can't complain too much about his fussiness during the day because he is still sleeping beautifully during the night. Last week he slept through the night 4 nights in a row and woke up only once the nights he didn't. I'm getting really good at doing everything one-handed and will gladly do it as long as I'm getting some sleep!

Spring Soccer

During both fall and spring seasons, Colby was proud to display his super turbo running skills across the field and happily hung back from the pack of kids with the ball. But suddenly he turned it on and in the last 3 games, he decided to join the pack and attempt to gain some control of the ball. We were so proud of him for going out of his comfort zone and he even scored his first goal in his very last game! He was so excited to get a trophy, evidenced by his several attempts to nonchalantely(sp?) display his trophy for anybody who came to our house. While our home teachers came last Sunday, he quietly left the room, came back with his trophy and placed it on the piano without a word. Needless to say, he is pretty proud of himself!

What Colby's been up to

PRESCHOOL GRADUATION

Playing his instrument during the song

Saying the Pledge

His diploma

Colby and his best buds- Michael and Justin

After this summer, I lose Colby forever. I'm not sure I'll shed tears like a lot of parents do when they send Kindergartners off- I guess I'm pretty heartless. But I do have this sick, panicky feeling in the center of my chest. Did I take advantage of all this time I've had with him? Is he ready to interact with his peers and begin to make decisions on his own on a daily basis? Will I regret not doing more when I had all the time to do it?
I may not show those emotions the conventional way (which is bizarre because I'll cry over hitting a red light or when Albertsons is out of my hairspray), but I get it. I get why parents feel the way they do when they send off their kiddos to school. Those precious moments of time, flexibility, almost complete control, and when they are just completely yours, is over. Alright, maybe I will cry a little.

Happy Birthday Kara

Princess Kara turned 3 yesterday!!

At her request, she had a Cinderella cake and was showered with several princess presents. This is a relatively new love of hers, but fits in nicely with the rest of her girly desires. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, must be purple and pink. She loves the Care Bears and has loved dolls since she was tiny. As much as she loves these girly things, I still think she'd choose food, particularly anything sweet, over any kind of girly toy.

In the last month, we have caught her with candy in very strange places at very strange times. While up with Ty at 3:00 in the morning, I caught her in the basement eating suckers. The other night I got in bed around 1:00 am and felt something on my back. I reached back to find a half eaten chocolate bar. And Kara was asleep next to me with chocolate all over her face, her clothes, and the sheets. We often find stashes of candy all around our house so that she can get her fix.


Kara is definitely three and everything that comes with it. She's sassy, loves to say no, and is great at the fine art of ignoring. Funny how Colby and Cameron have mastered it as well. I think Ty is even starting to catch on...

Kara makes us laugh everyday. She comes up with funny names for really random things. She has nicknamed a door that is difficult to open in her bedroom, the cookie monster door. She calls people names, not by who they are, but what they have. Cameron's mom and step-dad are "grandma and grandpa big babies" because they have these big dolls that she loves to play with. Cameron's dad and his wife are "grandma and grandpa horsies" and my mom and dad are "grandma and grandpa trampoline."

As naughty as her three-year-old self can be, she is also very sweet. She tells me she loves me several times a day, she LOVES to cuddle with her daddy (so much that she is in our bed every single night), and one of my favorite things about her is she has a really good memory. She remembers everything that anybody gives her and anytime she puts it on or plays with it, she'll tell you where she got it. As she puts on her pink jelly sandals she'll say, "Aunt Lindsay gave these to me." Or when she reads her book about colors, she'll say, " I got this in my Easter basket last year." She also never forgets to tell me thank you for a good dinner. She always says, "thanks for the yummy dinner mom," without being prompted by anyone. Even though she tells me it everyday, it always makes me feel good.


Kara is definitely one-of-a-kind and our lives would not be nearly as interesting, fun, or fulfilling without her around. We love you Kara!

And until March of 2010, that a wrap for us. For birthdays, anyway.

Happy Birthday Cameron

Today is Cameron's 32nd birthday. Since he doesn't like attention, I'm going to make his birthday post short and sweet.






C ourageous- Cameron will do just about anything. I once had to stop him from diving off a 30 foot ledge into a 10 foot diameter area of water. I seriously had to beg him not to do it and he still hasn't forgiven me for it.


A thletic. Cameron is pretty good at whatever he tries. He can pull a 12 mile run out of nowhere.


M usical. The longer I am married to Cameron, the more passionate he becomes about music.


E asy Going. Most people know this about him. He is one of the most laid back, chill people I have ever known. Thankfully someone in our marriage is!


R easonable. He is a man's man in that everything his does and thinks is very logical and reasonable. His actions are rarely a result of his emotions and his decisions always "make sense."


O ptomistic. He is much better at seeing things in a positive light than I am.


N on confrontational. Cameron enjoys keeping the peace. Confronting people is not worth a few bucks he might save, or feelings he might hurt.

Happy Birthday Cameron!

Happy Mom's Day

to all you momma's out there!

To my friends and neighbors who are raising such sweet children that are positive examples to mine. For dropping everything to take a break from motherhood to catch a flick. For cheering each other on when we're having a bad day/week/year. For being amazing mothers but not being perfect.

To my sisters and sister-in-laws that amaze me with their patience and seasoned knowledge of how to take things in stride. For being there to give advice and show me what's worked, what's not worked and what's working at the moment. For supplying the majority of the things we own- furniture, clothes, etc.

To my mother-in-law who amazes me daily with her positive attitude toward life. For her thoughtfulness and her unconditional love to our family. For raising a son who is tough and willing to do anything for anybody. For rising above trials and discouragement.

To my mother who has taught me more than she'll ever know. For showing me the value of hard work and productive days. For putting others before herself. For listening to me when I think I can't mother anymore. For giving me encouragement only a mother can give, when I've needed it most.

And to all you mothers out there who are in the throws of motherhood. Who often think you're failing, but deep down inside, know that you are doing the very best you know how.

Happy Mother's Day!

One Month Old

Has it really been one month already? Wow.

In that month, we have survived the following events that I once thought impossible with 3 kids...

A 3 day trip (that is, Cameron being gone on a 3-day)

Errands to 7 different places in a 3-hour period

Church

Making dinners for dinner swap

Being cooped up in the house with each other for way too long

A five-year-old birthday party

In that month, Ty has survived...

2 uber loving siblings who shower him with endless hugs (more like really tight squeezes) and kisses

Being carried by a two-year-old from his swing to his carseat

A crazy mother who's constantly in his face making strange noises while trying to get him to look at her

2 photo shoots

In that month, Cameron, Colby and Kara miraculously survived...

A crazy, postpartum, hormonal mother/wife who cried over every tiny little thing, and nothing at all, who feels like she's finally gaining a bit of control over her emotions

...and quite a month it has been. We feel so blessed to have little Ty in our family. His little spirit really is so precious and, like when the first 2 joined our family, I can't remember what our lives were like without him! He has just started to smile occasionally and has already rolled over a few times. He was born with crazy strong neck muscles and head control and is constantly straining his neck to look at the world around him. And to my great pleasure, he is a fabulous sleeper. We love you Ty!