This is never good

Up until today...I was able to close the lid and be assured that my little angel wouldn't be able to get into the toilet.

Imagine my horror when I returned to the bathroom after putting some clothes away to this sight. No more allowing Eli to play in the bathroom. Until he's at least 2.

Pictures in my head

My posts usually have a picture attached to it. A picture speaks a thousand words. It speaks to my life when you see a photo of three little blond boys smiling for the camera.

Today I don't have a picture. Mostly because I don't have the energy to download my current pictures from my camera.

But, there are the pictures in my head of today that I would like to share. Gabriel with his mask and snorkel in the swimming pool. Never coming up for a breath because he doesn't have to. Owen sliding down the slide at the play land and loving every moment of it. Eli riding in the stroller to Gabe's school with no shoes on because who needs shoes when you are nine months old. My husband holding Eli as I sneak out of the house to go to my bible study. This was a day to cherish. A day of laughter, excitement, and learning something new. An evening with Daddy, a movie, and plenty of boy time.

I feel closer to my boys more then ever today. I feel so close to them because I have been given the blessing of time. I'm not busy with a million things. I am busy with my boys. We have all day to go exploring things like the pool and play land at a new rec center we went to today. I don't have any obligations to dictate my days. I have the day with my boys and I can make it into whatever feels right at the time. Yesterday, we stayed home to ride bikes, take naps, and play hide and seek. Tomorrow we will go exploring again. We will meet new friends or maybe we won't. It's all part of this new adventure that God has given us.

As I close my eyes tonight, I see only those three little boys on the couch with their daddy. It sums everything up for me and puts a smile on my face. Everything is right, if only for a moment and mostly because they are all sound asleep upstairs like little angels.

And his first word is....

He's growing so fast. He changes everyday. When we first moved to Thornton, he couldn't climb stairs, stand up, or crawl. He used to sit quietly and watch the world from the seat of his stroller. Now he wants out to explore. He wants to put things in his mouth, climb on everything, and follow his brothers everywhere. An adventure to the park with Eli is indeed an adventure these days. No more sitting under the shade tree for mommy. I'm up and climbing on everything with Eli.

Yesterday, we were at Jake's house (Owen's new friend) for a play date. Jake has two large golden retrievers. Eli loved them. They were big and loud and liked to bark at us. He laughed at them and then out of nowhere said "Dog". He kept pointing and saying "dog, dog, dog, dog, dog. It was very cute. Another milestone reached.

I also remember Gabe's first word. Duck. We had a duck in our living room in Arvada that he loved to play with. One afternoon when we were playing in the living room he said "duck" out of the blue. It all started with this first word and now he doesn't stop talking. His teacher even mentioned to me the other day how verbal he is. She said that he has an excellent vocabulary that is well above the other children. This could be a Brotherton trait?

Owen's first word was mama. I was pushing him on the swing and he started saying "ma ma, ma ma". Owen is not quite the talker that Gabriel is. In fact, most of the time, Gabriel talks for Owen. Owen is quiet but so smart and says the cutest little things. For example, this morning we were walking Gabriel to school and he found a rolly polly bug. It was rolled up in a ball in his hand and he looked up at me and said "mom, we can bounce him, right?" "Bounce him?" "I don't think that is a very good idea, it would be better to gently put him back in the grass". Unfortunately, he didn't listen to me and the rolly polly bug was bounced on the ground several times before he went to rolly polly bug heaven. Owen's favorite activity proved to be "bouncing" a rolly polly bug.

I'm not quite sure that I'm ready for three talking little boys. Ready or not Eli will be talking soon and I am excited to watch him grow and change and yes start talking.

Favorite Toy

Kids love to play with the simplest things. Give them a rope, a box, some rocks, or a stick and they can entertain themselves for hours.

Give Eli and Owen a dryer. They climb in and out of it, play peek a boo in it, and hide and seek. Their favorite game is to pretend that they are bears and living in a big cave. It's so cute to hear little Eli growl like his big brother.

Who would have thought that anyone would like to climb in a dryer or that it could be a toy?

hiking in Breckenridge

Here are some pictures of our hiking adventures in Breckenridge. This is a picture of me and the boys on top of Sapphire point, overlooking Lake Dillon. It was a beautiful little hike and perfect for the boys with the stroller. Of course, we couldn't get a good picture of Gabriel. Every time you tell him to smile he makes a funny face. It's one of those things that makes you mad at the time but as you look back on it, it's kind of funny. Oh, what would we do without our Gabriel and all the excitement he brings to our lives?

On one of our hikes we found a river. You can't just walk by a beautiful river in he mountains. You have to get in it. No matter how cold the water is or how wet you get your clothes. You have to get in the water. Here are the boys....just being boys in the river.

Mom and Britt enjoying the morning.

You know what one of he best parts of being a boy is? Being able to pee anywhere without making a big production. It's so easy to do anywhere (if your a boy). Being a girl, I have only experienced something completely different. Finding a secluded spot. Squatting. Not just squatting but positioning yourself just perfect so you don't pee all over the back of your pants. This explanation could go on and on. It's just so much easier being a boy in this aspect. Here is a perfect example. Owen peeing while playing on the bridge. Classic.

Rock climbing is a favorite hiking activity.

Breck

Megan, my mom, and my cousin Britt came to Denver for a week. During the week we took a couple of days and went up and stayed in Breckenridge. There is something about Breckenridge that I just love. It's the cutest little mountain town.

I wouldn't say that our little get away was relaxing. It was far from relaxing with 3 children and 2 babies. It was hectic and fun. There was never a dull moment. We had a great time sharing our little two bedroom condo that we rented and walking up and down the streets of the town. We also took a couple of small hikes that burned off plenty of energy.

Here are some pictures of the kiddos in the pool. They had a great time swimming.

Isn't Adaline the cutest thing in her little swimming suit.

Those babies

The babies of the family. All my life I have heard about how the babies are treated so much differently then their siblings.

From experience I have to say, it's so true. I have lost all self control when it comes to Eli. My precious little cherub is not just spoiled, he's spoiled rotten. Here are some examples. He sleeps in my room and comes in my bed most of the time. Gabe and Owen were never allowed anywhere near my bed. He is allowed to have ice cream, candy, and anything else he desires to eat. Gabe and Owen were deprived of these delicious treats for at least 18 months. He goes to bed and takes a nap when he chooses. Gabe and Owen were on a strict sleeping schedule. And he is never allowed to cry. Not my precious, Eli. His every need to attended to.

What has caused this phenomenon? Is is because I have three children and don't have time to lay down all those silly rules? Or is it because Eli is the cutest little baby on the face of the earth and I can't help but spoil him? To tell you the truth, I'm not sure what the reason. I do know that my other two certainly aren't as lucky as this little angel.

A day with Ashton

A day in the mountains with family, sunshine, and lots of exercise. This is the perfect time of year to live in Wyoming. The weather and the mountains are heaven on earth.

We started our day early. We all loaded into the money pit (aka the motor home) and Pop drove us up the mountain. Dogs and all, of course. After we arrived, we parked on Black Mountain Road and were ready for our hike. Before we started our big adventure we had a few mishaps. One finger slammed in the car door, 1 mean dog that we had to pass, and a trail that was way to bumpy for even the best baby stroller (see above). We overcame them all and at the end of the trail found some beautiful wildflowers to sit in. Here is Ashton and the boys.

This picture is a perfect picture of grandma happiness. Since I'm not a grandma, I don't quite understand this happiness but I've been told it is precious. I seriously don't think that my mom could be any happier then when she is holding one or even both of her youngest grandchildren. What a special moment and an awesome picture.

Amaya had her turn holding the little guy also. Here she's holding him while he's eating a cookie. She is a great cousin and such a big help with the babies.

A nap is always crucial for a 9 month old when you are out in the fresh air. The problem is, where do you take a nap? Today, the nap occurred on the way up the trail. Whenever my children fall asleep on the go, I am always jealous. I would love to just fall asleep whenever I got tired, where ever I was at the time. Car seat, restaurant, stroller, even in a backpack in the mountains.

The kids are tired, cranky, and mostly hungry. "Mom, when can we eat? I'm starving". OK, OK time to stop smelling the flowers and find the motor home, pronto. Here is the whole clan, headed back to get some grub.

Stewart's pool

One of the best parts of moving to Colorado is Stewart's pool. The boys could actually live at Stewart's house. Not only does he have a pool in his backyard, he has a pool table, fuss ball table, and fire pit. Boy Heaven.

Gabe absolutely loves the water. He spent all day in the water and didn't want to leave even though we were all exhausted and a little sun burned. He was also very proud of himself because he jumped off the diving board for the first time. It did take him quite a while to actually decide to jump off. He would go up to the board and look off the end and promise that he would jump....and he wouldn't. But, at the end of the day, he did it and was very proud of himself.

Here we are enjoying the hot weather and cool pool.

What is this? It's a Lucas barricade. Lucas is Stewart's dog. He is a big black lab that we all dearly love however, Eli can only take so many kisses before he starts to get cranky. Lucas also likes to steal baby biscuits which makes Eli very sad. So, Stewart made our little guy a barricade to keep Lucas out! It worked really well and we could enjoy the day without a thousand Lucas kisses.

The Big Move

Here is the view off the back porch of our new little home in Thornton, CO. Isn't it beautiful! We really like our new little home on the lake.

There is a walking path that goes all the way around the lake complete with a little park. It's the perfect walk for three little boys! Every morning we load Eli in the stroller and make our trek around the lake. It's the perfect way to burn off some energy before we start our day.

The Rodeo

Here are my little cowboys. All dressed up and ready for the rodeo. The boys were very excited to get their boots and belt buckles on and go to the Sheridan Wyo Rodeo. I really thought that after a couple of minutes into the rodeo the boys would lose focus and be restless in their seats. I was wrong. The boys loved it and sat quietly watching all the events. They really enjoyed the cowboys, horses, and bulls.

Here is Gabe practicing his roping skills. He loves playing with a rope.

Cousins at the Rodeo

On Friday morning we wake up early and head down to the pancake breakfast before the parade. It was hot by 9:00 in the morning but we enjoyed the morning breakfast and parade. Here are a few shots of the morning.

Waiting for the parade.