2012 Olympian

My sweet girl is currently competing in the following events:

1. Pulling up at the coffee table and gnawing on the corner
2. Crawling and exploring
3. Nursing while in the plank position
4. Overall cuteness

I predict a gold in all four events!

Sawyer time

Having multiple kids has truly taught me that I really don't know very much about raising kids. It was so much easier to give other parents advice when I was the school counselor. With my oldest son, Jack, I put many of the theories I learned into practice, and he willingly cooperated and followed my lead. Jack likes to follow the rules, won't leave the driveway if his seat belt isn't buckled and recently talked about wanting his 6th birthday party to unite his various groups of friends (school pals, neighborhood friends and playgroup buddies). Wow...what a great parenting job we did! :)

And then came our #2...Sawyer James Egan. My loving, creative, funny, smart and strong-willed little train lover. He writes his own rules. This kid can have me laughing hysterically one minute and then he can frustrate me to no end in the next breath. My little bull knows what he wants when he wants it...he's sure to be the leader of something in the future. President of an entertainment network?

Here's my little character being, well a character!


Sawyer does not like to perform on my command. He drives the train...literally. His little brain is constantly working, and I love when he lets me have a glimpse of the amazing things inside of it. He's known his letters and sounds for a long time now, and he's really progressing these days in his fine motor skills. When asked at home to write his name or any letters he typically replies no or asks for us to do it together. Both of those choices are okay with me at this point. However, tonight while waiting for Jack's basketball pep rally to begin I gave my little boy a pen and paper for doodling. He proceeded to write several letters...H, W, S, T and O. Some of them are hard to make out on this picture, but my jaw dropped when I saw him do it. All on his own and all on Sawyer time.



I wonder how little I'll know as a parent by the time Grace is 3?

Sick!!??

My big boy rarely gets sick (knock on wood), so we were all surprised when he got sick to his stomach a few times on Sunday evening. I worked late that evening, so Scott was charged with clean up duty. He handled it beautifully and said that Jack calmly directed him through the chaos. Daddy did get doused in uck when he lowered Jack from the top bunk...better him than me but don't tell him I said so!

Jack woke up on Monday still a little slow and not quite himself, but most of the day he had a smile on his face. We got to play a few extra games together, read some books, enjoy a couple movies and do a little artwork. Today he bound out the door for kindergarten, and he's thrilled to be well again for his big field trip to the Golden Dome tomorrow.

I'm so happy he's back to normal, but truthfully Jack's sickness was one of the best parts of my week. These days I'll take any extra time I can get with my big boy.

First time for everything

Grace has celebrated several firsts over the past few days. She's officially on the move. Put away the legos and keep the basement door closed because this girl is a crawler!

Gracie became quite the foodie this weekend as she enjoyed adding whole wheat pasta, Havarti cheese, whole peas, cantaloupe and cheerios to her plate. She is becoming much more efficient at delivering the pieces of food to her mouth and loves to flash a big grin when she succeeds.

This morning Scott walked into her nursery and found her sitting up tall on her knees and leaning over her crib. Lowering her crib had been on our to-do list this weekend, but we never quite got around to it. It became a priority this morning!

Lastly, Grace used her teeth for the first time this weekend while nursing. It was the first time I ever had to tell her "no" in my not-as-nice Mommy voice. She stared at me with her wide eyes, and I could sense she was trying to remind me that that tone of voice was reserved for her brothers. I'm sure I'll NEVER have to use that voice with her again...especially when she is a teenager! :)

Big firsts for my growing girl. Makes me smile and tear up all that the same time.

Adios winter!

The average temperature in South Bend this time of year is 48 degrees, but we have been blessed this past week with temperatures in the upper 70's. Our southern family LOVES this weather, and we lived outdoors this weekend. The kiddos enjoyed riding bikes, playing basketball, playing with shaving cream, enjoying the water table, having fun on the playground with friends, and SWIMMING in a neighbor's little pool. That's right, I said swimming. In March. We are in heaven!

Yipee!!

Warmer weather, bright blue skies and longer days...spring is creeping in!

Noooooooooooo!

Grace can be passionate about many things in life...books, art, music, sports, dolls, cars, etc. BUT please God don't let her love trains! I am ready for a change after 3 1/2 years of living/loving my little train enthusiast, Sawyer.

All aboard!

The boys headed off to Chicago for a two day excursion with Grandma and Grandpa. A train ride, the Science and Industry Museum, sleeping on the top floor (the 19th) of the hotel, eating way more sweets than Mommy allows, swimming in the hotel pool, visiting the Hancock Tower and spending special time with Grandma and Grandpa all made for a perfect mini-vacation for Jack and Sawyer. They are lucky little guys!

Flying solo

Grandma and Grandpa whisked her brothers away to Chicago for a couple days, so Grace is enjoying her experience as an only child. What a change!

Elegant errands

Grace and I enjoy our time together while her brothers are in school. After she plays, has breakfast and takes her nap, we often have a couple errands to run on the way to pick up Sawyer from ECDC. Gracie likes to look cute even when her day consists of a trip to Walmart and Chipoltle with Mommy and Grandma. Any day can be a tutu day!

Slimey Smiles

Grandma and Grandpa came to town to visit us for a couple weeks, and the boys got to make/play with slime on Sunday. Smiles galore in South Bend these days.

Great Eight

March Madness is almost upon us, so Grace thought it was fitting that she turned eight months old yesterday. She has definitely made these past eight months great...actually perfect. This soft, smiley, beautiful, funny, cuddly, smart, patient, lovable, chatty, irresistible and nearly mobile girl is the icing on top of the cake for our little family.

Pardon the grainy photos, but blogging is so much easier/quicker with my I-phone. Efficiency is paramount these days!

Not so subtle hint

All morning Sawyer has insisted that I refer to him as the "zookeeper." His animals have visited the vet, explored the jungle, "fallen down a waterfall" (which the zookeeper loves for me to be very upset about) and enjoyed some "yummy pet food."

I'm thinking Sawyer might want a pet. Sorry, zookeeper, I am busy enough these days with my three wild animals!