Life with 3 boys!

So we settle into life as "My Three Sons". For someone who used to imagine that I'd only have one child, and a girl at that, how I ended up with 3 boys under 3...I'll never know. BUT: I'll forever be eternally, completely grateful. I just couldn't have imagined the fun three little boys can create! Noise, dirt, crying, screaming, clutter...all that and more would now rule my home and my life!

Andrew was 8 days old when he had the first party thrown in his honor. All the usual suspects showed up and a great time was had by all.

Now, with not just one, but TWO little brothers to show off for, Alex really began letting his personality shine through. One night while Uncle Albert and Aunt Nell were visiting, Uncle Albert kept trying to tell a joke. And apparently Alex understood that it was a joke his Grandpa was telling, because he kept slapping the table with his hands and laughing, out loud, ridiculously, obnoxiously laughing, at each pause for breath that Uncle Albert took while telling the joke! It was funnier than the joke was! But the best part of all was that when Alex did that each time, and we'd tell him, "Wait, Alex, let Pawpaw finish the joke" and Alex would interrupt with laughter again, and FINALLY Uncle Albert got to the punch line......Alex didn't get it! No a peep out of Alex....stone cold silence!

You just can't script this stuff with kids, can you?

Some other Alex-isms:

Singing "happy birthday, Luck-luck" (his cat) anytime he's at a birthday party for a friend or family member, and for his bedtime song each night after a story and prayers.

Telling his Sunday school teacher that "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne is his favorite song. His SUNDAY SCHOOL teacher...a song by Ozzy Osbourne....oh, yeah! We look good at the church now!

Alex imitating us, when we do Austin's "exercises" (just our way of distracting Austin and Andrew while changing a poopy diaper, cleaning a snotty nose, giving medicine, etc.). Alex grabs Austin's hands, and then his feet, thrashing them about saying, "1, 2, 3 4, pull...that's a boy, you're getting SO BIG!"

Alex telling us that the reason he can't go to sleep at night is that there are red alligators in his room that talk to him all night, keeping him awake. He says they live under his bed. Red alligators...I have no clue where that came from.

Alex thoroughly enjoying watching Mommy crawl out of her skin by telling her that "Alex like snakes and worms, Mommy!"

Alex gave the name "Lulu" to his toy cowboy and his toy fire truck driver. Not the most butch of names for such he-man occupations, wouldn't you agree?

Alex caught on to Mommy's little white lies when I told him we were out of Mommy's Fat-Free Weight Watchers devils food cookies. Alex insists, while standing on tippy toes, looking into the kitchen pantry: "Alex SEE no more black cookies, Mommy! Let Alex SEE!"

Alex insists on talking to his brother while we're trying to put baby Andrew to sleep. We asked him, "Alex, what is it you want to say to Andrew?" Alex replies: "I fart!"

And continuing with Alex's gas-passing-themed quips: While bathing Alex one night, he passed some gas while sitting in the tub, and delightfully (and loudly) exclaimed, "Mommy I made bubbles....with my fart!"

Or how 'bout this classic: "Mommy, my fart smells like.....macaroni!"

Upon hearing Austin crying after putting him to bed, Alex says: “Mom, sumpin’s bugging him. He no want to go nite-nite.”

While playing with my hair, Alex says: “Mommy, you need a hair cut. If you a good girl, and you no cry, you get a lawdy-pop!”

Then there was the day he painted himself, almost covering his entire body, with chocolate pudding, so he'd be black like his little brother. And when he decided it would be a fun afternoon activity to make mud pies on Austin's head (Austin loved it, too, by the way). And the evening he decided to help Austin comb his hair by putting a battery-operated drink mixer in Austin's hair, and TURNED IT ON HIGH, getting the mixer caught and stuck. Yeah, that was some fun, getting that out of Austin's hair. Austin was rockin' a mo-hawk back then. His hair started out silky smooth and satin-y straight, but when his curls began to grow in, they only grew on the top, middle of his head for his first year...the Maddox Jolie Pitt look, ya know what I mean. Apparently Alex thought his hair wasn't just quite curly enough!

Or how about the morning we spray painted wicker chair. We were all out in the garage, where I had the door open to air out the paint fumes while the boys played in the yard. Alex was comforting Austin, whose diaper was half off, hugging him, saying “it’s OK, it’s all right.” I ask what’s wrong, Alex says: “Hop-A-Long sad. Him upset.” I ask why. Alex says: “His butt’s hanging out." To which I reply: "Well, Mommy better go fix his diaper. I'll be right back." And I bend down to pick up Austin, only to have Alex stop me, saying, "It’s OK, I make it better, I make him happy.” I asked Alex how. Alex said, “I’ll spray paint his butt!”

And on another painting day, after the painting was finished up, I went in the house to wash my face and hands, leaving the boys outside with Pete. The next thing I knew, Alex was at my side, almost crying, very anxious and upset, talking too fast, trying to tell me something. It came out, "mommy, hurry, quick, daddy said, run, Austin....fingers.....blood!” Over and over again. I got soap in my eyes and all I heard was "Austin" and "blood", so fearing the worst, I ran back out to the garage with Alex at my heels. Pete was very calmly standing there with paint thinner (which smelled like gasoline) and was dabbing lightly at Austin's hand. My thought was to scream, panic and kill my husband, as in my blinded and confused state, I thought he WAS pouring gasoline onto a cut on Austin's hand, which looked to me to be bleeding heavily. Turned out: Alex was not such a good message relayer, and I really was blind as a bat. Because Austin had simply put his hand on the newly-painted-red chair, and to Alex, it looked like blood, and to me, the paint thinner smelled like gasoline. Easy to guess who the drama queen (and king) is in our house, huh?

So yes, life with three boys under age three was proving to be....let's just say....highly spirited. Drama, tears, laughter, joy...I never knew how much fun my three guys could be.