Our Babies aren't Babies Anymore!

We actually have children living in our house these days! Not babies, not toddlers, but children! It has been amazing to see the transformation in them over these past 3 months. Avery taking ballet, tap, and gymnastics, they are all going to preschool and loving it, and the depth/complexity of their discussions....they are officially "children!"

Needless to say, it sure has been fun around here! I thought the kids were really into exploring things when they were toddlers, but the grabbing, touching, tearing, eating, destroying, and asking questions is way more advanced now! Aaron put a flashlight in the toilet because he wanted to see the spider we flushed...When I told Adam that Jesus lives in our hearts, he responded, "Well, who put him there? We better get him out!"...Avery wants to collect every dandelion and rock in the whole yard.

Avery had her first dance performance on the square the first weekend in December. The child is NOT like me....she stood there and didn't move a muscle! She didn't dance, she didn't smile, and she just looked at everyone like they were crazy. That's when I realized that Avery really is slow to warm up to people and that she feels uncomfortable when there are lots of people around. She has been doing, what I thought, was a shy "act" for months, but apparently, she really does feel uncomfortable! Having said that, she got moved from the 2-3 yr old to the 3-4 yr old class in dance/gymnastics because she does so well! She just doesn't like that huge audience.

Here are some recent pictures of the trio:

Making a gingerbread house with TT!

Adam and Aaron ready to watch Avery dance!

Do I really have to do this?

Don't want to forget....

Yes, I'm a slacker. I didn't even post about the kids 3rd birthday party! I had good intentions of doing so, but the end of July, and beginning of August, also signals the beginning of a new school year...and I get so wrapped up in getting things ready for my classroom!

Their birthday party was a family party with a Toy Story 3 theme. I picked that theme for several reasons: 3 kids, turning 3, they like Toy Story, and because I saw a poster that just had a giant "3" in the middle of it----it seemed to fit perfectly! So, a friend here made their cake and it was exactly what I had pictured!! Perfect, absolutely perfect! And did I mention it tasted AMAZING?? Makes my mouth water just thinking about it now!

The kids got tons of great toys from family and friends. They are so blessed to be surrounded by so many people who love them!

This week marked another milestone in their lives...the beginning of preschool! They are going to a church preschool Tues/Thurs for 2 1/2 hours a day. This last Tuesday was the first day of school, and Avery had strep! We really wanted the boys to still go to school and were anxious at how Avery would react to leaving her brothers at school. Avery was feeling so poorly that she couldn't have cared less. John, Taylor, and I (Avery too!) all dropped the kids off and picked them up for the first day. The boys immediately went into their classroom and started playing! It was obvious they felt comfortable. When we went back to pick them up I was looking through a darkened window into their classroom. Avery said, "Mom, hold me, I want to see brothers." So, I picked her up and she got a huge smile on her face. Aaron and Adam had not seen us walk up. Just after I picked Avery up, Aaron turned around and saw her in the window. He ran toward the window yelling, "Avery! Avery!" It was so sweet and brought tears to my eyes!

The boys had so much to say about their morning! They told us about their Bible lesson saying "Mom, did you know God made me?" (Oh yes!! I knew that!) They talked about the lamb that they made, and the playground. It was just so sweet!

Unfortunately, everyone now has strep, so they were all unable to go to school today. But, there will be plenty of time to recover before Tuesday!

I have some pictures of the first school day on my phone that I need to upload, and then I can post them!

Here are some birthday pics!

Our Summer....

It's been a summer of "Firsts" at the Power Household! June was our 1st vacation, 1st time to stay in a hotel with the kids, 1st time to sleep in a real bed, 1st time to San Antonio (and all the 1sts included in that!) and when TT brought the kids back home and John and I stayed in San Antonio, it was the 1st time they were on the road that long without us! 

John, Taylor, and I took the kids to San Antonio mid-June. We had such an awesome time! After getting to San Antonio and getting them to nap, we went down to the RiverWalk. (Our friends from here, the Gills, went also. They have 3 kids: 20, 10, and 9). The kids wanted to ride in a boat SO badly, but by the time we ate dinner, it was alredy really late and we just needed to get them back to the hotel! Our hotel was a family suite, so there was plenty of room for the 6 of us. The kids shared a king-sized bed in the back room. John and I were in a room next to theirs, and TT had the sofa bed in the living area. We couldn't believe how well the kids did sleeping in the big bed together. I know that it helped they were all so exhausted!

The 2nd Day we took Sea World by storm! We started our day with a Sesame Street breakfast (before the park opened). Avery wasn't so sure of the characters, but the boys really enjoyed it! Afterwards we fed the dolphins, went through the aquarium, and watched 3 shows before leaving around 1. They ate lunch on the way back to the hotel and CRASHED immediately after laying down! That evening we took them to see Toy Story 3 (which we all loved) and went to eat some amazing Mexican food!

Aaron, Avery, and Adam in front of Sea World

Adam and I with Telly

Feeding the Dolphins

Watching the Sea Lion show....

The Whole Gang! Elmo, Aaron, TT, Zoe, John, Avery,

Adam, and me!

Besides Sea World, we've had many other fun days....swimming with friends, a weekend trip to Midland, going to my parent's house for three days, Dino World, library, Fossil Rim wildlife park.....The kids are so fun and are getting so independent! It's just SOOOOO much easier to pick up and go!

Quickly Approaching 3!

This, and the three posts following, are finally an update of what's going on in our world! TT took all of these beautiful pictures of the kids (and many more) for my Mother's Day present. I love the pictures SO very much!

Things here are going great! I've been off of work for two weeks now. We've done so much with the kids already! We've gone swimming (in a real pool) twice, gone bowling, watched a movie in the theater, and are making plans for much more! We are leaving this week for a 2-night stay in San Antonio. TT is going with us too, and we are very excited about going to Sea World. Before Sea World opens, we have tickets for a Sesame Stree breakfast with Elmo and others! We can't wait! Later this month we are going to spend two nights with my mom, start swimming lessons, and whatever other adventures we can find!

The kids are doing great at potty training! They've been in panties/underwear for a week now! Very few accidents, and are still wearing a Pull-Up at nap and a diaper at night.

I just can't believe how easy they are right now! They can do so many things independently, and it really makes life so much easier around here. I truly believe this time is the easiest we've EVER had since they joined our family! We've taken all the gates down in the house, so they finally have free-reign. (Except for our bedroom). They can get their own shoes, are starting to drink with regular cups at meal times, and can help do small chores around the house. It is so amazing!

Also, we are just having the best time! We are constantly surprised at what they say, how fast they are growing, and how blessed we truly are. Hope you enjoy this, and the next three posts. Maybe it will get you caught up!!

Avery

Oh, Avery! My little, independent, girlie-girl! I find myself just shaking my head at the things she does! She is so funny too, and so prissy!

Avery's newest thing is the red/yellow car that she drives around the house. Now, you know the car I'm talking about-- that Little Tykes coupe that most all kids have. Well, Avery's love for that car goes to a whole new level. She drives that thing ALL over the house. She will tell us she's going shopping, grab her little purse, get in that car, and then drive to a different area of the house. There you can see her pretending like she's buying stuff, and then she will drive it back to you. Frequent trips to the store happen for "Eggs, milk, and nachos." The other night, she even drove her car to the bedroom, and parked it right next to her bed. She got out of the car, crawled into her bed, and went to sleep!

Avery has gotten very adept at pretend play. Poor John was a doctor's patient one whole Sunday afternoon! She plays in the kitchen, shops, plays with her dinosaurs...talking quietly to herself most of the time. She also, however, LOVES to help around the house. She does a great job of helping with laundry and emptying the dishwasher. She likes to clean with wipees, takes pride in feeding Alex, and does a great job of holding the dust pan.

She can be SO incredibly sweet, or full of drama. Of course she won't leave the house without her bow! John has nicknamed her "Popcorn" for two reasons: she can eat her weight in popcorn, and she's little and always popping around the house. When you ask her what her name is, she will reply "Popcorn Power." Ha!! She can often be found singing lullabies to their stuffed animals, rubbing her brothers' hair, or kissing Bella's nose. She's our sweet girl!

I love this picture because she is laughing so hard!!

Adam

My Sweet Adam! He cracks me up. Adam tells it EXACTLY like it is! He is very much like John in so many ways. First of all, Adam is very stubborn! A few weeks ago they were eating breakfast at their picnic table in the living room. Adam didn't want to eat, not even one bite. John told him "Eat one bite and you can get up." Adam said "No. I don't want a bite, " and that was it. It was definitely a power struggle as Adam finally decided to take a bite 45 minutes later. There was plenty of staring between John and Adam....it was like watching an almost 3 year-old John in action!

Adam also is very verbal! He has a great vocabulary, memorizes books, and talks from the minute he gets up to the minute he falls asleep! We really work with the kids about using their words when they are mad instead of crying. So, frequently Adam's words consist of "Mom, I'm mad at you!" Careful about what you want kids to do, huh??

Adam is also very sweet and uses the word "Please" almost every time he asks for something. In fact, it is mostly, "Dad, I want to watch bowling, PLEASE..." Yes, he loves to watch bowling! He loves to watch any sport in fact. He is also very good a Wii bowling, and has bowled 140 by himself! Adam is VERY independent and doesn't really want a lot of help doing anything. Honestly, he has always been that way. I remember how difficult it was to spoon feed him as soon as he was barely able to do it himself. If he didn't want you to do it, he would just sit and cry and scream when you tried to feed him.

Aaron

This is the perfect picture of Aaron! It truly captures his fun and crazy personality! He is just so creative and witty..

The other night Aaron was on the potty when Avery came in the bathroom and needed to go too. After she was finished---and I didn't have a diaper handy-- I just snapped the top two buttons of Avery's night clothes and told her I would get a diaper when Aaron got finished. Aaron said, "Look, Mom..It's Super Avery!" And sure enough, her PJs looked like a cape! So, Avery stuck her arms out in front of her and started flying away!

Aaron is a very polite young man. He always uses his manners! There are times when I may say something like "Oh, no, Aaron..we don't need to do that now." He will smile, make a little giggle, and say, "Oh, Mom, I'm so sorry.. (laughing)." The other day I accidentally scratched him and when I apologized he said (giggling also), "Mom, it's ok." He also will give his brother and sister anything they want. If he has a toy and they want it, he will gladly turn it over. Likewise, if they have a toy he wants he will say, "Thank You, Adam. Thank You" and the other two know it's time to share.

Aaron gives the sweetest hugs and kisses, loves to hide under John's shirts (while they are still on John), eats like a horse, and at least once a day says "I'm so happy!" He will ask me, "Mom, are you so happy too?" Of course I am!! He is doing a great job brushing his teeth, potty training, and keeping us entertained!

New Weights

I never think about weighing the kids anymore. Just out of curiousity, I weighed them today.

Aaron: 31 lbs. 7 oz
Adam: 32 lbs. 4 oz.
Avery: 27 lbs. 8 oz.

She is so little compared to the boys!

Today I filled out their registration forms for preschool. Preschool....is it even possible?? It's a 3 yr-old school that is from 8:30-11:00 Mondays and Wednesdays. It won't start until September, but it seems so surreal filling out the forms! I've learned a great way to fill out forms for them too. I complete one set of forms with everything listed except the name and sex. I make 2 copies and then add their names and sex. Presto! Saves time over having to write everything 3 times!

Here are a couple of new pics of them playing outside in a tent and of them working in their "garden."

Adam and Aaron

According to Avery "Planting seeds and working the garden."

Avery, Adam, and Aaron

Boys will be boys

Ok...so how is it that even little boys are so proud of their poop?

Aaron has decided that he will only poop in the potty. (Yeah! One step closer to being potty trained!) The funny part of this, however, is what Aaron does while on the potty. First of all, he rolls his big eyes all around and wants to talk about random stuff. "UUMM....What color are your eyes?" Then he will name all kinds of things in the bathroom....then, he will poop.. and say "Wow! That's amazing!" or "Look, Mommy, it's big!!" One day he even had a big poop followed by a little one, to which he responded "Oh, it's the daddy and then the baby!" Are you kidding me?? I just about died laughing!! More proof that Aaron is the jokester...

Avery has turned so much into a little girl. She looks like a little girl, walks like a little girl, plays like a little girl....she is definitely not a baby anymore! She will put all of their little dinosaurs in her stroller and take them for a walk around the house. Then one day she pulled the dinosaurs out individually and sat each on the table. She would name the dinosaurs (T-rex, t-tops, brachiosaurus, or just dinosaur) and line them up. She then got a little toy knife, picked them up one by one, and began the doctor examination. "Say AAHHH," as she would stick the knife in their mouths. She pretended to listen to each heart and check each set of ears. It was so funny and cute!

A couple of nights ago Adam was trying to get Aaron to talk to him while they were laying in bed. We were sitting in the living room and could hear him yelling, "Aaron! Aaron!" Finally, he started yelling "Mom! Mom!" So I went in there..."What's wrong Adam?" To which he replied "Is Aaron sleeping? He won't talk to me?" I told him that Aaron was trying to go to sleep and to leave him alone. He said "But I want to talk to him." About 10 minutes later we heard a ruckus again in their room. Taylor went in this time to check it out. When she walked in the room Adam was still trying to get Aaron to talk. When TT walked in, Aaron said "It's night-night time, Adam! No more talking and stay in your bed." Ha!! Taylor said the next morning when they woke up, (I usually leave for work before they are awake) Adam had crawled in bed with Aaron and was talking to him!

Adam in his Ranger's Shirts

Aaron in his Ranger's shirt

Our Sweet Boys! Aaron and Adam..

Avery and her new bathing suit (Thanks Aunt Joni!)

Dresses, Frog Jumps, and Mommy to Time-Out

Easter Weekend was great fun! The kids really got into hunting Easter Eggs! We weren't sure how they would react---one thing I've learned about kids is that you can't predict them. They really enjoyed hunting eggs in the backyard, but the real excitement began when our neighbor's daughter and friend covered our front yard with eggs. The kids were in heaven! It was too cute!

Avery has decided that she IS a girl and that she must wear dresses. Not only dresses, but apparently ONLY two of her favorites. I tried to get her to put on other dresses that I bought for her, but she just cried and cried. So, I took her to her closet and asked her what she wanted to wear. No surprise that it was the same dress she had worn two days prior. Toddlers...

While walking through the aisles at Wal-Mart, Avery discovered a Barbie Doll. I asked her if she liked it, to which she replied, "Mommy, I want to hold." So, I let her hold it. OK...I figured....John and I would have to get her a Barbie Doll for Easter. Now, what you may not know is that I despise Barbie Dolls. I never liked them as a kid...I never played with them...nor did I play with them at friends' houses. I think they are stupid. But like a good mom should, I put aside my personal feelings toward Barbie and we got her one anyway. As of last night, she hadn't touched it. Ha!

One day recently Aaron just started hopping around like a frog! And he's good at it! John and I had no idea where he had gotten this from, so we asked Taylor. She didn't know either. I'm thinking it was from Barney or Sesame Street----regardless, he looks so dang cute doing it! I wouldn't realize that he is very coordinated in doing his frog moves, except for the fact that Adam tries, but not with the same final result.

Aaron has become a sports nut. He loves anything that has to do with bowling, golf, tennis, basketball, soccer, football...the list goes on and on. We got him a soccer goal and ball for Easter. Again...this killed us. We are football people and I don't know the first thing about soccer! But, he loves it! He will kick the ball into the net and yell "Gold!!" (Instead of "Goal!") Also, when we are out in the car, he searches for basketball goals and yells "Basketball!" every time he sees one. I didn't realize there were so many people with basketball goals outside of their houses.

Adam is quite the opinionated little character. I don't have the slightest idea where he gets it from! (Me----definitely me!) He will argue about anything. He and I got into a heated discussion over the difference between a T-Rex and a Velociraptor about 2 weeks ago. He had a little velociraptor that he was playing with. When I asked him what it was he told me a t-rex. Being the teacher that I am, I pointed out that the dinosaur's front two legs were too long to be a t-rex. He argued, "No Mom. Not a raptor, a t-rex." To which I replied, "No, it is a velociraptor." And so it goes. Finally, I dropped it and changed the subject. Later that same day John asked Adam what the dinosaur was. He told John "It's a velociraptor." Adam will argue with me if I say the sky is blue. John says that I'm getting exactly what I deserve because I'm always so willing to disagree with whatever John says. HHmmm.....

Adam also likes to TRY to put me in time out if I don't do exactly what he wants. "Mommy, you took Adam's plate. I put in dishwasher, not you. Mommy to time-out." Sure, son...whatever you say! I would LOVE to go to timeout! If I sit for one minute per year of my age, that means that I get to sit for 39 minutes without doing anything! I'm in!!!

Life is so amazing right now and words cannot begin to express what a fun and exciting time this is in our lives. The kids are so fun, so silly, and so sweet. I could cry out of gratitude every day! Sometimes, the sweetest part of the day is bedtime. We tuck the kids in bed, give kisses, and say our "Goodnights." Adam, in his sweet little Adam voice will say, "I love you, Mommy." And my heart melts. Thank God I get to know what being a mommy feels like.

Aaron checking out his loot....

Adam and his egg-dyed shirt!

Avery getting her hair curled for the day!

I know....it's been too long!

There are so many days that the kids do something hilarious, and I think "I've got to write this down." And then....well....life happens and now it's been over a month since I posted again.

We are now in the complete throws of potty training. Thanks to TT's knowledge of potty training, however, it has been a rather easy process. We tried potty training with Pull-Ups on, but the kids weren't getting the hang of it, so we moved to underwear/panties. It's been very good ever since! TT would set a timer for every 15-20 minutes during the day and they would all go when they heard the timer go off. We've been trying to wean them off the timer and just have them pay attention to their body clues. Well, Aaron's got it down. He can tell you when he needs to pee-pee or poop. He is the leader and when he needs to go, everyone needs to go. Avery and Adam also pee-pee in the potty, but aren't as sure about the poop aspect. In fact, on a few days Adam has asked me to put a diaper back on him, and then he would go! It is quite a sight to see the three of them on their frog potties all at once! Ha!


Adam is now speaking in sentences---and he just has SO much to say! That kid talks from the moment he gets up to the moment he is asleep. Last week I told him "No" to a question he asked. He responded by saying "No, Mommy. (Wagging his finger at me.) Mommy no tell Adman no! Mommy to time out!" Do you think he's heard that before?? Two nights this week Adam read to Avery, Aaron, and I before bedtime. He has several books memorized and he can recite most of the words, and according to the page. His best "reading" is The Very Hungry Caterpillar. He will even name that huge list of foods the caterpillar ate before getting "a stomach ache." It amazes me!


Aaron has the most amazing memory! When TT or I play the Memory matching game with them individually (we usually use about 12 cards), Aaron dominates. He can remember where things are and can easily find matches. Aaron likes to count, name things, and is still an amazing helper. We all think he is so dang funny! He makes faces, cuts his eyes, laughs at his own farting...typical boy behavior! Aaron is also very determined. One day he shot a nerf basketball at the goal hanging on the door until he made it several times. He will also bowl for 30 straight minutes. He will set up pins and bowl...set up pins and bowl....over and over. Sometimes he and Adam will take turns setting up pins and bowling. Aaron doesn't leave his bed without his infamous monkey!


Avery is a mess! That child can be SO sweet and SO naughty! Avery is very headstrong and I'm certain she does things just to frustrate us. She is all about the playing. She wants to run when you try to give her medicine, hide in the closet when it's time to potty, kick her feet when you try to dress her---and she is laughing the whole time! Reminds me of John--just can't be serious! She is very much a girl---as can be seen when she puts on her play high heels, sunglasses, and grabs her purse. Avery absolutely loves "The Polar Express!" She always pretends that she has lost her ticket, or she wants me to punch it for her. She also loves Nickelodeon's Fresh Beat Band! She will sing and dance to the music. It's so cute! I'm convinced Avery will be left handed. She eats left handed, colors left handed, and even plays her guitar left handed. She will strum that guitar and sing "Twinkle, Twinkle." She can also sing the ABCs, Rock-a-Bye Baby...and much more!


They are very busy and some days are insane. Not bad...just non-stop. We are all completely exhausted by the time they go to bed each night. And I mean COMPLETELY exhausted! But, of course, it is all worth it!


Here are some recent pics.

Going to the Rodeo: Adam, Avery, and Aaron

Avery in her heels, glasses, and purse!

Valentine's Pics with Puppies. Aaron, Avery, Adam

Standing with their snowmen! Aaron, Adam, Avery



Ready to play in the snow!