Randomness(If that is even a word)

This is a post of random updates and pictures...

Hunter is now pulling up to a standing position. He pulled up to his knees Sunday night, but today he took a chance and pulled up on his feet. He now is obsessed with trying it on everything. Lord Help Me!

Luke is pulling up to his knees and loves to stay there for long periods of time. He will be on his feet very soon.

Ethan is a daredevil and is into EVERYTHING!

They all are working on feeding themselves, with Hunter and Luke really catching on. Ethan is ahead of the game in Gross motor skills, but behind his brothers in fine motor skills. I guess everyone will have their own niche. I have been giving everyone puffs and yougurt melts, but today I gave them ritz crackers and they went to town. It was a HUGE hit!

Sorry for the quick posts lately, but these boys have been keeping me busy. Everyone has or still has a cold, Matthew isn't feeling great and just the normal chores keep me on my feet all day, every day. Life is hectic, but I love every minute of it!!


The 3 Amigos playing. L to R: Hunter, Ethan, Luke












9 month Appt. L to R: Hunter, Luke and Ethan











Ethan loves to crawl over to the sliding glass door and look outside. He will spend a lot of his day doing just this.











Matthew and Daddy decorating the christmas tree. I'd show you the finished product, but it will ruin my Christmas cards. I'll show it off when I finally get around to mailing my cards out:)












My soon-to-be 3 yr. old!










Luke trying a cracker for the first time. He ended up eating 3 of them!










Ethan enjoying his cracker.












Hunter and all his hair enjoying 3 crackers today at lunch. Yes, 3 crackers! I finally found something that he likes. Hunter is a very picky eater.











Our first snowman of the season. Matthew and I enjoyed some time outside yesterday making a "baby Frosty". He has grapes for eyes and a carrot for a nose. I think it looks more like an owl than a snowman.











We like to play under the jumperoo and activity saucers now. Hate to be in them, but like to play under them.

ENT Update

This is just a very quick update on Hunter and Ethan's doctors appt today. I ended up taking both boys to see Dr. Shelton and she THANKFULLY agreed that both boys need tubes placed in their ears. She is able to perform the surgery on the 17th for both of them, so we are jumping on that date! Hunter still had a double ear infection today(after being on an antibiotic for over a week), but Ethan's ears were clear.

I am nervous about putting 2 of my boys "under" that day, but I know that they will be relieved to not have so much pressure in their ears. That makes it worth it!

9 Month Doctor Appt

It's confirmed...I have 3 thriving boys living in our house! The doctor was very impressed with their development and growth as they are either developing with their peers or ahead of them.
All 3 boys are crawling EVERYWHERE, Ethan is pulling up and cruising and they are all starting to feed themselves. It has been a very busy 9th month! Here are the latest stats on the boys and a few new updates....

Hunter- 18lbs 3oz(25th perct.), 28 in(50th perct)....Hunter is still suffering from chronic ear infections and our doctor has decided to send him to the ENT for tubes. He has had the same infection for 3 months straight, been on 4 antibiotics and today, still had puss and fluid in his right ear. We are ready to get this done and hopefully have fewer infections. He will be seeing the ENT next Monday and our hope is to have them put in the following week. I really want it done before Christmas. Hunter is still army crawling, but he proved to me that he knows how to crawl "normally". He is just quicker the other way. Hunter is talking up a storm and loves to say "Dada" all day.

Luke- 19lbs 7oz(50th perct.), 28 1/4 in(50th perct.)....Luke is the healthiest of the bunch. He hasn't and doesn't catch the colds that run rampid around this house. I don't know what is so different about him, but he seems to stay out of it. Luke continues to be the happiest child on earth and is even happier now that he can crawl. He finally took off last Wed. and hasn't stopped since. He is even pulling himself up to his knees. Luke is feeding himself very well these days and loves that he can stuff food into his own mouth. As you can see, he doesn't turn away too much food:)

Ethan-17lbs 5oz(10th perct.), 26 3/4 in(10th perct.)....I am so proud of Ethan I could scream! His growth chart is almost a vertical line and the progress he has made is mind boggling to me. Like I said earlier, he is crawling, pulling up, cruising and starting to let go to balance. I am convinced that he will be walking well before his first birthday. We'll have to wait and see if he proves me wrong. Ethan has been fighting the same cold I had since Thanksgiving, so I knew when we went in today that he needed his ears and chest checked. He has this horrible barking cough. Sure enough, he has croup and a double ear infection. This is Ethan's 4th ear infection, so we are going to wait and see how this winter plays out for his ears. He might be right behind Hunter in getting tubes.

Other than the ear infections, the boys are healthy and thriving. I have loved this 9th month, watching them change daily. I know month 10 will be just as much fun!!

Previous Video

I wanted to send out a GIANT thank you to Alexis Woerner who put the video together for me. She is so creative and talented!!

I know you recognize the pictures which were taken a few months ago by Alexis, but she turned them into the amazing montage that I posted last night. Alexis, you are an amazing young lady and we appreciate your gift more than you will ever know!!!

I hope everyone enjoyed her work!

Animoto.com

Prayer Request

I just wanted to send out a prayer request for Ben's cousin who was just diagnosed with a rare soft tissue cancer called synovial sarcoma in his knee. Derek, who is only 23 yrs old and was married 4 months ago, is now at the Cleveland Clinic receiving chemo treatments and will undergo surgery at about week 13 and will then undergo more rounds of chemo and radiation.

Please keep Derek, his wife Megan, their families and the doctors in your thoughts and prayers. Their spirits are high and their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ is unwavering, but this is going to be a long journey. Please pray that the treatments work effectively and that Derek remains comfortable. As of last night he was having a lot of pain in his ankle which they believe is due to the tumor sitting on the nerves behind his knee. Also pray for all the countless teachers in their school district who so generously gave their sick days to Derek and Megan so that they were able to keep their jobs and health insurance. God is truly blessing them! What selfless acts of kindness!!

9 Months Later

To my boys 9 months later....WOW has time flown by, but I guess that is what happens when you are so busy loving on 3 beautiful, amazing, happy boys!

Hunter, you are such a happy baby who is very inquisitive. You love to be in the middle of everything and you will do whatever it takes to get there. You are our "army crawler" and you love to roll over and over again. Everyone thinks you look like your big brother Matthew and you have similar personalities.I am addicted to your smile and eyes. I can't help but stare at you daily in awe and adoration. You are not a great sleeper or eater, but that isn't your fault. It is hard to be a strong eater and sleeper when your ears hurt constantly. You were the first to roll over, sit up and you got your first tooth before anyone else. Hunter, your Daddy and I love you very much and we thank God everyday for the gift of your presence. Our family would not be complete without you. We love you Hunter Reid!

Luke, you have changed so much over the last 9 months. When you first came home from the hospital, you were very laid back and easy going, but when you turned 3 months we hit a rough patch. You seemed to cry constantly and even Mommy holding you didn't make you happy. Thank goodness that phase only lasted a couple of months before you went back to being your easy-going self. You are the most content child I have ever met and you are happy just watching the world go by. Luke, you tend to watch your brothers play and every once in a while join in, but would rather play alone. You have the most contagious laugh and biggest smile I have ever seen. You currently do not have any teeth and that is okay with me! I will miss your gummy smile:( You have the biggest appetite and will eat ANYTHING that is offered to you. You were the biggest when you were born and that trend still continues. I think you will eventually out weigh your biggest brother! You are starting to rock on all 4's and it is only a matter of time before you get brave enough to take off. Luke, your Daddy and I thank God every day for the gift of your presence. Our family would not be complete without you in it! We love you Luke Mitchell!



































Ethan, you have changed the most since you entered this world. When you were born, you were simply skin and bones, but now you are a thriving little boy who is taking the world by storm. You have always had the fighter mentality and I think you always will. You are most aggressive and FEARLESS! You were the first to crawl and pull-up. You also have a HUGE appetite and are simply trying to catch up to your brothers in weight. You will get there! Last week you started this growling noise which is hilarious and when I say "no, no" to you, you shake your head. Along with your brothers, you adore your biggest brother Matthew and love when he plays with you. Like Luke, we went through a rough patch, but ever since you became mobile you have become much happier and content. You love that you can go anywhere at anytime. You are such an amazing little boy Ethan Cole, your Daddy and I love you very much! We thank God everyday for the gift of your presence as our family would not be complete without you.