Halloween 2009 (drum roll please...)

The story of Halloween this year is as follows: We have been looking at costumes at all the stores for months now (since they put them out in July!). Luke saw a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costume he wanted (yuck!) and Noah was convinced that the infant hot dog costume was his Halloween destiny (he was undeterred by the fact that the costume didn't have leg holes). I wasn't sold on either idea. We kept looking and talking. My (brilliant) idea was to have all the boys dress as farm animals and Nat and I would dress up as the farmers. We already own a cute chicken costume (see 2005 below) and a darling baby horse (2006) and so we would just have to find something for Luke. He conceded that it would be alright to be a pig, so long as said pig was allowed to get really dirty, not painted dirty but really dirty. This, of course, led to the conclusion that we would have to have a dirty chicken as well. So I went on the look out for a cute pig costume in Luke's size. There were none to be found. All the costumes for boys his age are super heroes. Then Luke came to be in a serious moment of honesty and told me that he, "actually really hates the idea of being a farm animal". Back to the drawing board (and Target). We found that the Ninja Turtle costume had "sold out" and I crammed Noah into the hot dog costume with the idea that I could cut leg holes but his arms didn't even fit into it. After serious perusal of the Star Wars costumes we came home to see what we could do with what we already had. It was determined that our Jedi cloaks would do, I had fabric to cut sheaths and belts and then we would just have to get Isaac the toddler Yoda costume which would be an asset to our dress up throughout the year as well. Throw in the light sabers that see daily use around here and you have the perfect Halloween trio.

I love it when a plan comes together.

Ghosts of Halloweens Past

2004
(hey Whitney, do you have a good pic of Ivy and Luke together-- there are NONE in my iPhoto library)

2005

2006
(Note: Noah is a days old Bullseye to Luke as Woody. If I recall, there were some specific instructions about not riding the newborn)

2007

2008

Isaac is still the center of our world

This top video is illustrative of how things work in our house. Isaac has us all trained well. Oh, to be the baby...

Here are Isaac's latest parlor tricks, appropriately applauded by his adoring fans.

Magical Three

He started as a late coming, wrinkled, and crooked nosed newborn,

grew into a cupcake eating, brother following, always smiling one year old

then became a drooly, gravity loving two year old

and now is a confident, individualistic, and sweet three year old.

What a journey it has been with this little man. He has surprised me at every step of the way with his wit, his happy smile, and his unique perspective. He is the glue that binds this family together, always asking where Dad is and wondering why Luke has to go to school or why Isaac is sleeping so long. If he had his druthers we would all be together all the time. He now has declared himself my "good helper" and keeps me company while Luke is at school and Dad is at work. He had his three year checkup today and the doctor declared him "perfect". I couldn't agree more (except perhaps that shriek he lets out when his sense of justice is violated).

I sure love being this guy's momma (though, I report [sadly] that he no longer wants to marry me in the temple, a sweet little Sara has taken my place).

Happy Third Birthday Noah!

11 months, 2 days

I'd better get on this or eleven months will go the way of ten months and fly by without acknowledging the many milestones happening in this little man's life. Isaac has carved out a very unique place for himself in this family of all boys. He amazes us daily with his personality, his intensity and his overall charm. He is most assuredly a Fredin boy; rolling, scooting, sitting, crawling, walking, and cutting teeth when his brothers did. But even amid all the similarities there is something about him that is so very much him, all his own. I have tried (and failed) to put my finger on it. He's just Isaac, my sweet irreplaceable third boy.

At 11 months Isaac:

• has five teeth through and is working on two more (he cut the incisors first and looks like a vampire-- I have tried repeatedly to get a picture without success)
• pats me and rubs my arms while he nurses
• loves to eat but hates being fed
• has a sixth sense about when someone has left the gates or bathroom doors ajar, opened the fridge or the dishwasher and can get there often before mom does
• has a special affinity for the toilet and tries as hard as he can to get there and splash before mom can catch him
• smiles constantly and continues to make friends in public
• can climb all the stairs of play structures at the park and then tumbles down the slide, giggling
• hums along when I sing him his lullabies and "sings" loudly during the hymns at church
  
• relishes any opportunity he gets to tear paper
• arches his back in protest when put into his car seat
  
• adores his older brother Luke, laughing heartily at all his jokes
• is warming up to Noah, learning to play cars and trains with him when Luke is at school
• prefers his momma but
  
• squeals when his dad walks in the door from work
• walks steadily
  
• runs clumsily
• climbs constantly
• giggles at his books, especially books with other babies in them
• loves his blankie and binkie
• says and signs "all done" when he feels like it
• claps
• utters a breathless and excited "da" when he sees a dog
• has brown eyes!
  
• has more hair than his brothers did and it is lightening up
  
• still flaps his arms like a bird when he is excited
• dances when my cell phone rings
  
• leans in for very slobbery open mouth kisses
  
• melts my heart constantly
  

More Noah

Sometimes, I just can't get enough of this little man. I hope that when I look back on these pictures I will remember him at almost three. I hope that somehow this pictures will help me recall his eyelashes that were so long they reached his eyebrows, the curve of his soft cheeks, his wispy blond locks, the sweet little mouth (and the funny and sassy things that come out of his mouth) and his big, big jewel blue eyes.

Noah

While Doug and Barb were here I sat down with Barb to try and find a recent picture of Noah to replace the one that she currently has in her house. Somehow, in my mass iPhoto library there wasn't one good recent picture of him. I have lots of theories about how this happened, none of which I will bore you with here. Let's just say that almost three year olds are elusive.

I set out to remedy the Noah photo situation when I noticed the autumn light pouring into the living room today and liked how it caught the color of the orange in Noah's hands. What a little lover this one has turned out to be.

back to business

I just returned home from taking Doug and Barb to the airport after a lovely visit. I also just realized that I didn't take a single picture of them while they were here. I will blame the rainy weather. It was so nice to have them around to carry the kids, read lots of books to the boys, and to share these kids with. We made it to the spy museum downtown as well. It was crowded but fascinating. The kids are in full spy mode now, hiding all the time. I love it.

But now I am back to the day to day of my life for a little while. I find myself living in between visits, trips, and days off. But, if I let myself I can see the happiness in the day to day. I can find joy in the everyday moments, right?

Here are a few moments that I noticed today:

• Kindergarteners start and end each day with a series of greetings. Luke is welcomed at school with LOTS of "Hi Luke!" He ends each school day with another round of farewells and "see you tomorrow". They have to get each other's attention as well. So there is a lot of friendly shouting when you drop a kindergarten student off and then again when you pick him up.
• Isaac is DRIVEN to master the current set of skills he is working on. We always stop at the same pitiful little park on the way home from school. Today he repeatedly climbed all the stairs to the slide and went down (once on his own because I couldn't get to him). His sense of accomplishment is downright contagious. I get to celebrate these moments with him all day every day.
  
• All three boys are currently playing together in the basement. They are all wearing winter hats because, "that's what spies wear". Obviously.
  
• The leaves changed and fell this weekend with all the rain. Luke and Noah notice every change in our daily walks.
• Noah got a play kitchen for his birthday (Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!) and today I was served all sorts of creative concoctions.
  

Lots to celebrate, for sure. (I am still looking forward to our big Midwestern Thanksgiving trip, though.)

Fall in Boston

Columbus Day weekend in Boston could be another annual tradition, in my book. Trees were ablaze with color, the cool weather was invigorating and the company was wonderful. I now find myself in a post vacation depression and wishing that I was back in the yard of Brian and Melinda's house, collecting acorns and colorful leaves.

Here are some of the highlights:

park play

seeing Mrs Mallard and her ducklings at the public garden

Luke stepped in one of the fountains, you can see the puddle forming under the bench as his shoes and pants drip.

These two and their endless imaginations. I love watching them interact at a park, they stick together and come up with the best scenarios. Noah has invented a place called "Sindia" and it is always the destination when he travels.

This one and his endless smile

A compromise about who gets to ride in the swing

edible?

scheming, to be sure

my dear, dear cousin Lauren and her endless attention to the boys

This bed is the MOST comfortable bed I have ever slept in. The sheets were wonderful as well. I should have smuggled the bed home with me. I am sure they wouldn't have noticed the king size bed strapped to the roof of my van, right?

hot, right?

Noah loved this door and we loved watching him exit the room. He always had to open both doors all the way before he would leave the house.

This is the most incredible house and yard, classic New England charm at every turn.

Isaac got (and loved) lots of attention all weekend. Melinda followed him around telling him, "do whatever you want baby".

This is his new walk, arms raised above the head with plenty of grunting.

Acorns galore!

Blurry photo but a sweet, sweet picture of Aunt Melinda reading to my baby the way that I remember her reading to me as a child

Lauren and I were best friends when we were growing up. We would cling to each other and sob and sob every time my family had to get back in the van to leave Utah. We clung to each other again. I still love her dearly.