Let the Games Begin!

As every day passes, the boys are becoming more and more mobile. Frequently, they are running into each other and getting into each other's "dance space." During each of these "interactions," the boys are starting to actually play with each other. Andrew has mastered the art of reverse and this morning he backed into Wesley and started rocking his bottom into Wesley. Here is a little look at Wesley's response....

Wesley first starts by grabbing and tugging on Andrew's shirt.

When this tactic proved unsuccessful, here was his next step....

Congrats Welsey, this was enough to move Andrew or at least get me involved so that I helped move Andrew along. As said in the title of this post.... let the games begin!

Just a bunch of pics...

As I know that some people check this blog and only care about the cute pics, I thought I would catch up on some cute pics that have not made it into another post.

I took a copy of this picture to a conference in early November to show off the boys. I left it at our company booth while I attended a workshop. When I returned this pic was gone. Interesting....

This is the first pic of all three boys sitting all together. The boys start the day dressed in the same outfits and then are changed if neccessary. Andrew always seems to get a wardrobe change during the day (and doesn't he look happy about it).

Please ignore the hazardous electrical cords in this photo. This was taken before the boys were moving around. We have since moved the cords out of their play area.

The boys in their workout sweats which were a gift from Ms. Heather. Thank you Ms. Heather...

This picture was taken at Grandma Sally's house over Thanksgiving. During our last two trips to Grandma's the boys were photographed in the chair behind them. The boys are too big to fit together in the chair. They are growing so fast!

Here are some pictures of Andrew......

And some of Jared.....

Last but not least, Wesley....

These boys are the sweetest and funniest people I have ever met!! The melt my heart and make me smile everyday!!

Teeth Progress

Last week, I posted a fuzzy pic of Jared's two new teeth. I was able to get a really great photo today and thought I would share! I have started brushing these fancy new teeth and he seems to really enjoy it. I have also started brushing Andrew and Wesley's gums so they do not feel left out.

Our First Puffs

Since we have had some cookies, we decided to try some other finger food. We offered the boys some puffs and it was interesting to see their reactions. The boys were a little surprised by the texture and were not very excited about this new experience. But their little faces made it a humorous experience.

Andrew - not too sure of this new way of eating. However, he managed to keep the puff in his mouth...

Jared, our wonderful eater, was not too keen on the puff. He had trouble keeping it in his mouth which you can see evidenced by the get away puff below his lip....

And then there is Wesley. Much like the others, he was not over joyed with the puff and his puff also tried to make a get away. Can you find the missing puff?

The boys are growing up so fast (how many times have I said that?). It is really excited to watch them experience everything new from eating a small puff to meeting Santa for the first time. It is an honor to be a mother to three terrific little men and I look forward to many more firsts that I am able to experience through their eyes.

Baby Magnetism

The boys are currently displaying the close connection that they have and hopefully will always have with each other. It appears to be magnetism that they just can't resist! When the boys start to play, we will place them in a very peaceful triangle with them facing each other. Within just a matter of minutes, this peaceful baby tripod will turn into one big baby pile. Here are a few pictures that demonstrate what I am talking about...

Peaceful babies...

Big pile of babies...

Here we go again. Here are three sweet and peaceful babies playing calmly...

And again... big heap of baby...

The boys are all on top of each other but aside from the occasional unintended kick or hair pulling, they seem happy like this. They just like being close to each other.

Brotherly love is beautiful!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Our first Thanksgiving with the boys was wonderful! We traveled to Grandma & Grandpa's for the week. We traveled to Brandon on Monday evening after the boys had their bedtime bottle. This travel time seems to be the best time for the boys because they sleep for the majority of the trip.

Prior to hitting the road, we weighed the boys. I knew the boys were getting big and with the weight limit on the infant seats at 22lbs, I wanted to get an update. Jared weighed in at 21lbs, Andrew weighed 19.5lbs and Wesley remained our peanut at 19lbs. Based on these weights, I think this might be our last trip in the infant carriers. It is going to be a little bittersweet to retire the infant carriers and transition to the big boy seats.

Uncle Lance and Aunt Kim were going to the beach for Thanksgiving (typical Floridians) so they would not be with us for Thanksgiving dinner. Because of this, they came over for dinner on Tuesday evening. Pooka and Aunt Joan also came over for dinner on Tuesday evening. The boys were very happy to visit with everyone and were even more excited to be pampered as they were getting ready for bed. Since the boys have been holding their bottles, we have not been holding them as much to eat (sad, I know). We had enough arms this night so the boys were treated like the superstars they are!! Jared was so use to taking care of himself when Uncle Lance would try to hold his bottle, Jared would get a little upset. Lesson learned... don't try to get between Jared and his bottle.

On Thanksgiving, the boys woke up and spent the morning watching the traditional Macy's Thanksgiving day parade. In the pictures you can see them chillin' in their bouncy seats watching the parade. The parade coverage was long enough that they watched the beginning, took their nap and were awake in time to see their new friend Santa and Mrs. Claus (for Jared).

Later in the afternoon, the boys took in a little traditional Thanksgiving football. We were joined for Thanksgiving dinner by Aunt Pam and Zack. Zack enjoyed playing with the boys and entertained them by flying a paper glider all over the living room.

While the boys were taking their afternoon nap, we had our adult Thanksgiving dinner (ummm!). After the boys woke from their nap, it was their turn to have Thanksgiving dinner. I know it is a little early to introduce meat to the boys but I could not resist. The boys ate baby food turkey dinner which was turkey and sweet potatoes. I am sure they did not notice the difference but I thought it was only too appropriate to have turkey on Thanksgiving.

With all of the activity during the day, the boys were very tired when bedtime rolled around and it was definitely time for bed. They all got a little fussy but once everyone was bathed and dressed, they were quickly in bed. Over the week, Daddy was not feeling well and was battling a cold. Get well soon Daddy!

Lastly, I thought this "shot" was too funny! Below you see a bottle representation of little family. Daddy's bottle, Mommy's bottle and the boys' bottles....

We had a wonderful and memorable first Thanksgiving!! We hope that next year we are able to get together with all of our cousins included our new little cousin Laura.

I hope everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Take care,

Kellie

Bathing in the Sink

The boys have officially outgrown their baby tub and we are transitioning to the sink. Within the next couple weeks, we will make the transition into the big tub. The boys are very good sitters but we are both a little nervous about having all the boys in the tub at the same time. On Thanksgiving, the boys took their baths in Grandma's sink and I was able to get a couple pictures of Andrew. After Andrew, I was busy with rub downs and jammies to take pictures of the other boys. Andrew looked like he was hanging out in a hot tub!!

We tried baths in the sink one time before we were at Grandma's house. During this effort, Jared was first and I was able to get his picture.

Don't worry, we will get a picture of Wesley. When I get his picture in the sink, I will make sure I post it as well. You may notice that when the boys have wet hair, all three have curls! Jared's hair is actually getting quite long and we have a lot of fun playing with those curls.

I remember giving these little babies their first baths and they just screamed. They have all learned to really enjoy bath time and I am sure being with each other in the bath tub will bring on an entirely new element of fun. Bring on the bath toys!!

Our First Pictures with Santa & Mrs. Claus

Tonight we took the boys to the Brandon Towncenter to introduce them to Santa Claus! The boys have started to get a little skittish around new people so I was nervous about them meeting Santa without getting upset. Someone told me to get the pictures done before Thanksgiving and I say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for this advice!

Santa took a "reindeer break" between 5pm & 6pm. The boys, Grandma, Daddy and I arrived at the mall around 5:30pm. Grandma volunteered to save our spot at the front of the line while the boys, Daddy and I walked around the mall. We returned a little before 6pm to join Grandma in line. At 6pm, Santa and Mrs. Claus walked out to take their seats and we were the first to meet them after their break.

We were very happy to have Mrs. Claus in the picture as well or there would not have been room for all three of the boys! As soon as we handed the boys over to Santa and Mrs. Claus, we heard the sound of birds chirping and trumpets blaring.... this was the sound of Jared falling for Mrs. Claus! We had trouble getting him to take his eyes off of the fair Mrs. Claus long enough to take a photo. As soon as the camera would snap, he would immediately turn his head to stare longingly at Mrs. Claus. It was very funny! When we were picking the boys up to leave, Mrs. Claus asked his name and then waved and said, "Goodbye Jared." I think we will have to make a special trip to Brandon for pictures next year to see if the love will survive the year long separation.

In addition to the Jared & Mrs. Claus connection, the other comic relief was Andrew's left shoe. I think it must have fallen about four times during our turn with Santa and Mrs. Claus. While we were unable to capture smiles in this photo, the boys were just WONDERFUL during this experience. I was really nervous about them taking this photo without crying and I was pleasantly surprised. Here is the photo.....

Happy Holidays from Team Darnell!!

I almost did not post the photo with this post. We are using this photo for our 2008 Holiday Cards. I know this ruins the surprise but I could not wait..... it's too cute and I am so proud of my little fellas!

Our First Cookies

Tonight, we are planning to venture out to the mall to meet Santa. Because of this outing, we are going to be a little late having our dinner. We decided that today would be the day that we offered the boys their first cookies to put a little extra in their bellies before we leave for the mall. As the boys woke up from their afternoon nap, they each were given their first cookie. Each of the boys were in a little shock and looked like little squirrels as they nibbled on their cookie.

Wesley was the first to wake and Grandma was able to give him his cookie....













Then Andrew woke up to join the party....













Last but not least, Jared was awake and enjoying his cookie....













One last note.....

Please don't tell Andrew and Wesley but, this past weekend Jared was experiencing his first cold and was not able to sleep due to the congestion. He seemed so sad that Mommy decided to offer him a cookie while the other guys were sleeping. Here is his real first cookie pic....

Playing with the "Cats"

Have you ever used a laser pointer to play with your cats or your dogs? Well, apparently babies are just as intrigued by a laser. Mike decided he wanted to play a little with the boys and they were very interested in this moving spot on the floor. The video starts with Wesley and Andrew trying to catch the red spot and then Jared tries to catch the moving spot. During Jared's segment, you can actually see him strut his new crawling skills. Yes, Jared is starting to actually crawl. Yesterday he also started sitting up all on his own!

Enjoy....

It's Christmas Time & Time for Another Group Pic

In an effort to prepare for Christmas, we attempted to take a photo of the boys in their festive jammies! As the boys get older, I thought it would get easier to take their picture as a group. Well, I was wrong! It seems like as they get older and more mobile, the less they want to sit still for a photo. Here are just a few results of our morning photo attempts.....

Here was the best photo from this morning! They are not smiling but they are all sitting up and looking in the direction of the camera.

Dear Santa,

All I want for Christmas is one photo of all three boys looking in the same direction and smiling!!! I have been a very good girl this year. I promise to be good all next year if I can just get one photo of three smiling babies!!

Yours truly,

Kellie

Huh what... I'm Awake!

Wesley is our little guy that thinks he does not need to nap as much as the other guys. He does nap but he wakes up much earlier than Andrew and Jared. The boys start their afternoon nap at 2pm and typically sleep until sometime between 3:30 & 4:00. Frequently, Wesley will wake as early at 3pm. I don't mind Wesley waking up early because he really can function on less sleep than Jared and much less than Andrew. I fully understand that the day will roll around that Andrew and Jared realize Wesley gets up early from this nap and I will have to address that. Until then, this is usually the time that Wesley gets some one on one with Mom or Dad.

Because he wakes up from his afternoon nap we have a common phenomenon. When it is time for bed, Wesley is more than ready for bed. Because he is such a "big boy" that does not need his naps, he likes to try very hard to stay awake and finish his bottle but more than not he looses this battle. Here are a few shots and a video of Wesley's last bottle of the day.....

Here is another night....

This is a different night... Wake up Wesley.... Jared's coming for your bottle....

Since I am talking about the bedtime bottle activities, I felt it important to share Andrew's little quirk. Andrew is very serious about his sleep. As mentioned earlier in this post, he NEEDS his sleep. The boys wake up in the morning at 7:30. By 8am, I will wake Andrew if he is not up. There have been a couple moments when we have him sleep and he will sleep all the way until 8:30. During naps, he is also the first to fall asleep and the last to wake. When it is time for bed, he is also very ready to hit the sack. He will hold his own bottle during the day but for the last bottle of the night, he does not seem to have enough hands to hold the bottle and cover his eyes in the dramatic fashion demonstrated in the following picture. We have discussed getting him one of those masks to cover his precious eyes so he can hold his bottle. He is so funny!

One more funny sleeping picture! Mike went to get the boys up the other morning and this is how he found Andrew. He was not fussing at all. Again, too funny! The bumpers are no longer serving any purpose in the crib.

Regardless of their little sleepy quirks, the boys are still wonderful sleepers and go to bed each evening without a problem!