Slip N Slide

Do you remember Slip N Slides! I do! Last week, Aunt Niki sent the boys a Toy Story themed Slip N Slide for their birthdays. They have had more fun running, diving, slipping & sliding on this things! Even Cruzie gets in on the action, bopping & singing down the runway as he goes. In this August  heat there is just nothing better than water play!

Random Sweetness

Love these pictures of the boys just hanging out at home.  Luke is 7, Noah is 4, Cruz is 20 months. Although most of the time I feel more like a referee than a parent, there are random sweet moments that bring me back to reality and remind me of how blessed I am.

Happy 4th Birthday Noah!!

Oh! This day brings me so much joy! Today I remember & celebrate the miracle that is Nathaniel Noah Padron.  I am so thankful God was with us each step of the way through his difficult labor, emergency birth, pyloric surgery, anesthesia crashes, plagiocephally and every other day of his life. There is no explanation for how amazing, athletic, smart, precocious, fun-loving, tender-hearted and just plain wonderful this boy is....except for God.

We started the day by decorating the mantel, taking birthday pictures, decorating his birthday chair at the table. He chose his birthday breakfast of pancakes and then headed to Christy's. There he helped her make brownie cupcakes and all his neighborhood friends that live next to her came to celebrate. When Noah came home it was SO hard for him to wait for daddy to get home so we could open presents and eat his birthday dinner - cheese pizza!

Noah received legos, dinosaurs, hot wheels, Car's Operation game, books and more. He had chocolate cupcakes for dessert with chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.

It was a great day - it's been a blessed 4 years. This little boy has changed my life and brought me so much love. I will never tire of hearing him say, "Mommy, you so beautiful!"  or, "Do you know who I weely, weely, weely love?  YOU MOM!" 

Oh, how I love my Sweet Angel!

Noah's Grasshopper & The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Noah is the most boyish boy I know. Give him some mud, worms, rollie-pollies, whatever - when I think of boy, I think of Noah!   They plowed the corn field behind us not too long ago and really stirred up the bugs. I think every grasshopper hiding in the corn came to our backyard. When I say grasshoppers, I mean GIANT locusts. Noah isn't scared of them in the least. He picks them right up and proudly brings them to me.  He also noticed some horn worms on our tomato plants. What is a horrible pest destroying my tomato plants, to him is the very hungry caterpillar. After we took pics, we spent the afternoon reading the book by Eric Caryl. Life is always an adventure in our backyard!

My Sweeties

It's not often I get all three boys together, looking in the same direction, not hitting or kicking, and smiling! The peace only lasted long enough for me to snap this picture, but that was enough! I got it! My memory! How I choose to remember my sweeties.  Even though chaos broke out immediately after, it's a mother's prerogative to choose to remember her very favorite memories. This picture will help me do just that. Love my circus!!

Dreamlights Sleep Tight

The other day the boys came running in my room singing a song that I had never heard before. "Dreamlights, sleep tight, good night love."  They proceeded to tell me all about these pillow pets that were night lights.  They shone starts, moons & animals on the ceiling in rotating colors. Noah convincingly promised me these would help him stay in bed and not be scared to go to sleep by himself. As luck would have it Granny & Gramps ordered all 3 boys one. Luke got a penguin, Noah chose the doggie and Cruzie has a giraffe. Each night all boys must have their dreamlight with them when the go to bed. Cruz even likes to point at the ceiling and mumble gibber gabber as I rock & sing to him. There's definitely no mistaking - dreamlights are a HIT!

Rub a dub-dub 3 Boys in A Tub!

Every family has the quintessential bath tub picture of their kids when they were young. This is exactly that. Luke is 6, Noah 3, Cruz 18 mo. Not sure how much is actually getting cleaned with this many boys in one tub, but at least they are having fun. It's a good thing we have a garden tub. There's no way this would work in a regular-sized one!

Splashing in The Sprinkler

Is there anything better in the 100+ degree dead of summer than turning on the sprinkler, stripping off your clothes and having fun?  Not if you are a Padron boy! You would have thought Leo & I hung the moon we bought this $10 sprinkler last week. The boys have literally had hours of fun - and are yard is enjoying the thorough soaking too! I have some of the funnest memories as a kid enjoying simple pleasures like this.  The giggling, splashing, running & playing is pure delight! I love seeing my boys smile!!

Mommy & The Pumpkin

I can't remember why we took this picture, but I love my chunky pumpkin and wanted to document it in our family blog. We were obviously dressed up - had to have been for church. My sweet baby is growing up so fast. He still loves his paci & bottle before bed...and I have to admit I love it too. I should probably be encouraging him to wean off these things, but I love having my baby and don't want him to grow up too fast. Knowing he's our last baby makes everything more special, precious, bittersweet. It's a hard thing to articulate just how amazing it is to watch these three little beings grow up in front of me. Most of the time I'm lost in the chaos of the moment, but every once in a while it hits me how fast time is going by. Despite the hustle, bustle, noise & lack of sleep, I know that I am truly blessed!

Cruz - The Littlest Gator

Couldn't resist snapping a few pics of Cruzie in his Gator gear that Aunt Niki sent him. Yes, he is the littlest gator in our house, but he has a big heart! His smile lights up the room...even behind that paci he refuses to give up! He loves his doggie & monkey babies and makes a "ruff ruff" or maybe a "ooo ooo" monkey sound when you say the word dog. I honestly can't believe my baby is closer to 2 than he is to 1. Time flies with 3 little boys making life crazy, busy, wild!