Boys will be boys

As comes with playing outside in summer, so does dirt, mud, and messes. We all have the dreaded summer colds here, but it isn't stopping the fun outside. And all the work inside has been slowed by the fun/messes outside. So house pictures are slow in coming, but rest assured, they are! Facebook has more pictures and some of the before pictures if you haven't checked them out, you can look there. But for now, we will keep plugging away at our home.

Caution!!!

A word of warning to those who do not find body humor funny, you may want to skip this post. This is posted by request - I have been told this is a VERY blog-worthy story. Anyway, the face you see below smiling so innocently back at you, is not always so innocent. Sweet yes, innocent, no. This particular event happened during our moving transition - before we could get into our home. Drew had spent the day pretending to be a dog. His name was Sparky and he did everything Sergei did - chewed bones and toys, went for walks, ate dog food (pretending thankfully). Evening came after a good day with Drew. Pete was home from work and taking care of Ty while I was nursing Jude. All of a sudden we hear Drew: "All wet! The floor is all wet!" I will save you the drama and tears, but the long and short was this: he had peed on the floor. No convincing him though - he didn't. It was "penis water" like Sergei. He had lifted his leg and gone on the floor...because Sergei did it, it must be OK. Drew spent some time washing the floor - and all dog activities since have been monitored.

ALIVE!!

Yes, we are alive. Yes, we have moved. Yes, Pete has started and enjoys his new job. Yes, we are in our own home. Yes, we are in a new state. Yes, we will welcome company; and yes, that means YOU!
As of Sunday, we spent the first night in our new home. Drew has his own room and the little boys share a room, so that is also new. So many things have changed/happened this last two months - a rundown:
We celebrated Drew's third birthday. He is growing so fast - and while the over a month long transition was hard on him, it's amazing to see how fast he is settling into our new home. He loves to help with his brothers, and now that we are in a bigger home is is helping to go "check on" Jude or Ty when they are out of sight. With plenty of land here he is excited to run around outside and dig dirt or explore.
Ty has been doing well with his speech therapy. While he is still slightly behind, he is catching up fast and we have decided not to transition him to a new program here in Michigan. He'll catch up in time! He is getting bigger and learning new skills. He also is excited about more room to run and play - both inside and out. He loves his new room and gets up in the morning to check and see if Jude is still in his bed.
Jude is growing. He no longer looks like a little Drew, but has taken on a whole new look of his own. He is cooing and smiling and a very happy baby. He started sleeping through the night on the Fourth of July - whoohoo! - and hasn't stopped since. He is growing bigger too; I tease friends that we traded him in on the twice as big model.
Pete found a job, a good job, and is enjoying his work. I am so excited for him, to see that all his hard work has paid off. He is working a lot of overtime now during the summer, but we are told it will slow down during the winter. He also has a L O N G list of remodeling/repair jobs to do around the house...enough to keep him busy for the rest of his life!
And for me, I am mostly recovered from being on restriction and feel pretty well now that Jude is sleeping through the night. I am not as handy around the house as Pete is, but I do what I can. I love that we are done renting and am excited to slowly decorate and re-do things in the house to make it ours.
With the move, the camera cable has not been found yet...but I do have pictures from this summer. You will just have to wait for them! To all our friends we left - we look forward to having you visit us! We miss you all, but still appreciate your prayers as we continue to adjust! Now back to work for me...maybe I will find that camera cable!! :)

Transitions

So I guess I have really fallen off the ball lately. On top of that, this blog entry will be without pictures. I'm glad you read this on your computer so there will be no throwing of items in my general direction!! Lots has happened this month:
Jude is growing and gaining weight. After his slow start, he is finally making progress. How many of you know a baby who was born not knowing how to suck? He is now sucking, and even nursing, something that we didn't think would be possible just a month ago.
Ty had his assessment and is doing well in every area except speech. He has been behind overall his whole life so we are not to concerned, but now that he is a middle child, they are recommending speech therapy to give him a bit of a jump start so he doesn't' start to fall farther behind due to the "Middle-Child Syndrome". Even before therapy has started, each week I notice progress in his attempt to communicate in a meaningful way, so like I said, I'm not too concerned.
Drew is still Drew. Action packed, super high-strung and determined. If an idea passes his brain it must be attempted, even if forbidden, he must find a way to act out each little whim that comes his way. He just turned three on the 28th, and he changes his mind from day to day on whether or not he is "big". Some days he wants to be little and "have cover on drink, please" and other days he wants to be big and "help do dishes, please mommy?" During Ty's assessment, the worker looked at me and commented, "There is no speech delay for Drew, is there!!"
Pete has graduated and is all done. He finished with honors, as expected, even earning the Golden Wrench Award. Then began the job hunt, and there too - God has been watching out for us. Pete has a job, he starts on the 21 of June, and we will be moving. It is a really good job for him and he is excited.
To all our friends here in the area, please try to see us before we leave! We are not planning a big get together; we know so many of you are traveling and crazy busy with end of school year and early summer plans. We hope to see as many of you as possible though!! And, save some road-trip time for us - we expect lots of company! :)
This has been an interesting three years as Pete attend school and we moved several times trying to find the right place/job for our family. Now with a good job offer we hope to settle down and put down some roots. Thanks for all your prayers and support the last few years. It has been a ride for sure, and we look forward to all our new adventures. Please bear with me as we move and we don't know what we will be doing for Internet!!