Gabbling With The Gersts: My 3 Amigos

There are days I want to go crazy. The crying, fighting, screaming may seem endless. They can make me want to pull out my hair and swell up in pride all at the same time. And, at the end of each day... I can't imagine my life without it. I know I WILL miss the toys to pick up, the laundry to do, and the busy days filled with lots of discipline. ;-)

I know I want to bottle up these days and in some ways keep these boys this young forever. I want to capture their silly sense of humor and their funny ways of saying things. I want to get a snapshot of their faces filled with joy and also their grumpy glares and crocodile tears. I want to remember it all. They are growing too fast and I can barely keep up. I want to remember it. I try to cherish it, all of it. Even the tough days.

Last week on a chilly last day of January 2015 we went on a little family walk down to the river. Which, by the way, may be the boys' favorite spot! I love watching them explore and laugh and I'm pretty certain they could throw rocks in the river all. day. long. I brought along my camera to capture some of the joy... and also some of the tears. Poor baby Ike had been sick and was in no mood for pictures. So, unfortunately, we only caught his tears. But I love them none the less. :)

Here is a little update about my 3 amigos at age 4.5, 2.5, and 9 months!

Elijah Steven: 4.5 years old and FULL of wonder, questions, excitement, curiosity, and facts. This kid is a whiz. He's SO smart. He knows the most random facts and has a crazy good memory. He loves learning, loves reading, loves playing games, and asks questions non stop. He explores mostly about animals and dinosaurs. He says he wants to be a paleontologist when he gets big so he can learn more about dinosaurs. He loves school and looks forward to each day. We talk a lot about going to kindergarten when he's five and I think he's going to really excel. He is a sweetie when he wants to be. He's become a great helper, especially with his brothers. He loves being more independent. For example, He recently mastered buttoning up his shirt all on his own with much pride (something he's worked on for some time!). He is sensitive and loves a good cuddle with his Mama. He still naps most days. He adores Isaac who he calls "baby" or "baby brother" or "baby boy" most of the time. He is still tall and very much skinny and weighing in at 35-36 lbs. He has enjoyed having a dog SO much. He's always wanted one and is best buds with our Harley boy. He loves his brother Lukey, and they really are best friends, even though they fight most days over every.little.thing. He just finished another round of swim lessons, his favorite. And is going to do soccer again this Spring and try t-ball this Summer. He enjoys church, is the loudest singer when we sing songs he knows, and really likes his Sunday School and kids church. He has recently found his love of going on "dates" with mom or dad and appreciates the one on one time with each of us and we have the best conversations together. He recently asked me questions like "how can God be every where?" or "Why can God see us but we can't see him?" These questions lead to one of our best talks and ended in him praying and asking Jesus into his heart. Probably one of the most heart melting moments of my momma hood thus far. I love his heart that loves to sing, worship, pray, and wants to follow God. I pray we raise him to be a Godly man who always wants to seek HIM and do his will.

Luke Terence: 2.5 years old. FULL of attitude, stubbornness, craziness, smartness, and spunk! Oh this sweet boy gives me a run for my money. He is very smart but he's a very hard headed little boy. He's brave and he is wild. He is talking more and more, even though he's often hard to understand. He's still in Speech but making great strides. He's still in ECI and getting followed by our family support specialist, who is fabulous and adores our boys. We hope to get him into preschool this fall and think it will be great for his communication skills! He's silly and goofy and has the best cheese grin ever! He loves to chuckle and my favorite is when he says "I'm happy mama!" He's pretty obsessed with most cars, trucks, planes, construction equipment, etc. That, and good ol' Mickey Mouse. He's a flirt and very much a ham when he wants to be. He loves any attention he can get, even if that means he gets in trouble to get it. He can be stubborn, has a hard time sharing, and can scream like crazy when he's mad or fighting with his brother. The boy can EAT. He always has been that way. He loves food and is constantly snacking. Thankfully, he pretty much eats anything and everything and will literally eat tomatoes by the handful if we let him. He love to read, do puzzles, and build things. He's busy and he's messy. We tried potty training, and have pulled back a bit of the pressure. We still encourage it but after a lot of struggling and resistance and stubbornness and regression from him, we decided to not put too much pressure on it all. He likes his pull ups and we'll try to conquer the potty training again come summer when he's a bit older and hopefully easier! He really likes Sunday school to learn about "God!" and "eesus!"and he usually comes back to church with more marker on his fingers and face than he has on his paper! He is a solid boy who weighs in around 33-34 lbs. He loves to sing and he even be held, and even rocked sometimes when he lets me before bed. He still loves his blankie and gets to sleep on the bottom bunk in the room with his big brother. He loves his baby brother and even though he's a bit wild, he likes to watch out for him when he goes to the dog dishes or the stairs, helps feed him, and even steals his food! He is athletic! He's got a good arm and most recently has decided he wants to be a kicker- and has us hold the football so he can kick it! We hope to put him in swim lessons this summer when he turns 3! He is a sweet boy with a wild side who is tough to tame. He has a sweet heart and loves to love. I pray that we can shepherd him to use his smile, fire, and spunk and put it towards serving others and doing the work of God.

Isaac Jacob: 9 months old. Oh sweet baby boy of mine. I love you so. I wish he'd stay a baby forever! I do love watching him grow, change, develop more and more of a personality, chase his big brothers, and learn new things each day. He did not want pictures taken this day, but generally he's a pretty happy baby! He likes his little schedule and as long as he's eating and sleeping as he should he's in a good mood! He's moving and crawling and into everything. He just started pulling himself up to stand, but not very much yet. And, I'm ok with that for time being ;) Just today he conquered climbing up the stairs for the first time. He has fluffy hair that usually sticks up on top. He has the cutest scrunchy nose smile and just cut his first tooth! (with a second coming soon!) He has a silly chuckle and a pathetic little cry when he's sad. He has quite the angry cry when he wants something or he's hungry. He is little and barely has grown since 6 months. He now weigh 17 lbs 8 oz. He loves his mama, likes to cuddle, still nursing well, and I love rocking him to sleep singing Jesus Loves Me and watching him suck his thumb as his eyes go heavy, he snuggles into my chest, and he drifts off to sleep. And I never want those kind of moments to end. He is baby Ike, Baby, baby brother, or baby boy. Before I know it I'll be planning his first birthday. I don't want these baby days to end. But I'm so thankful for each and every one of them. I pray he continues to grow, that he's healthy, and that he finds his ultimate joy in the ONE who created him just the special way he is and blessed us with him to make our family complete.

Harley: (Can't leave him out!)

4 years old. Big. Gentle Giant. Has lost weight some coming to live with us and keeping up with our busy boys. Loves to be pet and wants the attention as he's always close by our side. He puts up with anything the boys do- including riding him, pulling on him, hugging him, and playing with (on) him. He is a great companion for the boys, especially Elijah. And He is a great addition to our family!