FFF- pumpkin style

Well folks, we were LONG overdue. It's been months that I've talked about FFF (Forced Family Fun -if you're new here). We used to have them at least a couple times a month but as the boys grew older, they became less frequent. Well, I've decided that FFF must coincide with younger ages, because now that Landry's in the mix again, we seem to see a lot more of these outings.

 
Every year, our annual pumpkin patch visit is always looked forward to. It's my opportunity to wave my fall freak flag with the best of them. The past two years, my cousin's daughter's birthday party has been at the patch and I think that's what made it so fun. We could inconspicuously take photos of the boys as they played and since we were there for a couple of hours for the party, time seemed to fly by.

 
 Well this year, there wasn't a party at the pumpkin patch so we went on our own (with Grandma and Granddad in tow) now that we're outnumbered by our own children. We're calling on back-up more frequently these days until we get our zone defense fine tuned.

Sometimes, I'm still in awe that we have THREE children. Good thing we bought the swagger wagon!
 
 
We went during the evening thinking that would be the best lighting. It was good lighting but apparently everyone else got the same memo and the place looked more like the state fair than a pumpkin patch, it was crazy busy...mistake #1.
   
It made it really hard to get any pictures of the kids without 1,000 people in the background but we managed ok.

Mistake #2, I spent the last hour before we went frantically trying to make a tutu for Landry and a coordinating bow to match her shirt. And so I'm learning how high maintenance girls are compared to boys already. It ended up itching everyone like crazy and the tutu was shed within 20 minutes of being at the patch. And that stupid bow kept getting in her eyes and making her ears poke out. She does NOT have big ears contrary to what the bow illustrates.

I knew we were heading to trouble when we woke up Campbell from his almost 3 hour nap and he was a complete and total grump. Saturday naps are a blessing and a curse. They are glorious in that we get a little down time but when it comes time to wake up Campbell, we never know if we're going to be waking up the beast. This day, it was definitely his beast side. So all things considered, he was cooperative but only if we just let him be a total goofball which meant it was near impossible to get him to look at the camera.

And to add to the craziness, Landry was rooting on me every time we tried to take a picture even though I had just fed her. So the only way we could get a decent shot of the girl was when she was knocked out cold.

I've come to discover now as a family of 5 that pictures will not be perfect...they won't even be close, but those imperfections are what make us who we are. I will probably not have a photo of all three of my children looking at the camera at the exact same time for years.

 Ok, well maybe I'll just make sure to take a lot of individual pictures in the meantime.

I think that's why I love candid photography so much, it's my absolute favorite because it's so true, so genuine. My children don't always cooperate but that's ok, because no kid does. But my kids sure do know how to entertain themselves and how to have a good time. 

 And those moments truly capture who they are, not some forced family photo but just being themselves.

So while I may not have the photo that goes on the mantle this year, I can definitely say that we picked some pumpkins and made some memories.

My best friend Angi says that I always put the "perfect" pictures on my blog.  As I once heard, Van Gogh didn't paint toilets and dumpsters, so I choose to capture the best of our family because those are the memories that I cherish the most. But to show you the dozens of photos that don't make the cut because of their lack of beauty, here are a few I'll share with you because we're far from perfect.

Exhibit A: I DO have the most beautiful baby girl in the whole world, you can't convince me otherwise BUT Landry might have had an off day on a few of these pictures. Between the stupid head bow that kept Landry thinking Who turned out the lights? and poking her ears out, and her bitter beer face, we had a few that we'll probably keep out of the scrapbook...

 
And here is a smorgasbord of the best of the worst...crying faces, forced grins, head bow wardrobe malfunctions and all. 


 That's us.

Not perfect.

Just perfect for each other.

Fitting it all in

I distinctively remember a particular Saturday about 6 months ago when the thought of, How am I going to do this with three kids? popped into my head. The soccer games, the birthday parties, grocery shopping, and laundry fill up our Saturdays and weekends to the point of feeling like I need another weekend just to recoup from the weekend!

And this particular weekend was just like that. First off, Nolan's soccer game. I went sporting my soccer mom shirt (compliments of my husband) to be the loudest cheerleader for my Nolie Polie.
I absolutely love that he looks over to the sideline after making a goal and I make sure to show my biggest you-are-a-total-soccer-rock-star-and-I-am-so-proud-of-you face.



I'm pretty amazed at Campbell's ability as a three year old to sit and watch a game for an hour. As long as we bring some snacks, the boy just acts like he's watching a movie. Having his Daddy on the sidelines doesn't hurt to keep him entertained during half-time.

And as for Landry...well, she seems a little bored at the games.




Soccer game...check! Next up, a birthday party that we're already running late for. But this is one that we can't miss. It's for some close friends of ours who have been so wonderful helping us with getting the boys to and from school while I'm on maternity leave. Plus, it's was a build-a-bear party!



Nolan since the time he was a baby, has been a very tactile child. He loves soft things and discovers things by touching them. So while stuffed animals are on my list of disgustingly dirty toys, we have a ton of them because he plays with them constantly and giving away one of them would be like giving away a family member.

Let me mention that while this party was going on, I was discreetly nursing Landry out in the mall. So I missed all the fun but glad that Justin was there to document it. And might I also add that Nolan, on his own accord, picked the TCU t-shirt for his bear and appropriately named him Froggie. GO FROGS!

Campbell must have had a premonition that the Rangers were going to the World Series. He named his bear Ranger, although he calls it "Tekas Rangers".

And whoever invented Build-a-Bear is a genius. Seriously, the possibilities are endless with these outfits and accessories.

It was a blast of a party and I'm feeling really cheap that we gave away Lego crayons and a coloring sheet for our party favors now.

Birthday party...check!

Next up, a quick nap and the pumpkin patch.

That's when we realize that the pumpkin patch is just not going to happen that day. After two big events, and waking up with a newborn baby in the middle of the night, this mommy and daddy are running on fumes.

So when I look back to that Saturday 6 months ago wondering how I was going to fit it all in, I had an epiphany, I'm not! I'm going to do what I can while still being sane and then call it a day. So far, my sanity is still in tact. Ask me again though on Halloween weekend.

We keep ourselves entertained

I think I might have the funniest children ever. There are numerous times that they get me laughing so hard every day. Here are some really short clips that I was lucky enough to catch on the camera.

If there's one thing our family LOVES to do, it's dance. We break into dance at the dinner table (I know it's not the best example we're setting), in the grocery store, just about anywhere we feel the need to bust a move. So I'm happy to see my 6 week old daughter at the time can fit in perfectly with our family. Who cares if she's bobble head beat boxin', sister has some rhythm!

Both boys are extremely protective of Landry and seeing them into her just melts my heart. All those boyfriends better watch out for two older brothers and one tall daddy!

And here's my Campbelloni just loving on his sister. I just love his eyes. They help him get away with A LOT!My favorite part are those platypus lips of his puckering up for his sister.

Our new normal

Adjusting. That seems to be the best word to describe the last 6 weeks of our lives. You'd think with it being our third that we wouldn't even blink an eye when it comes to sleep deprivation but I think even when it's your 5th or 6th (not that we'll EVER know), it still stings.

But seriously how can you hold it against her?  Especially when you get this greatness and cuteness all wrapped up in one tiny little girl.

Houston, we have smiles and we are loving them. You should see how obnoxious we can be and how high we can both talk to get one of these toothless grins flashed back at us. 

 

 Hi, I'm Andrea and I'm addicted to dressing my baby girl up like she's a doll. Yes, it is an addiction. Yes, I need help. Yes, I will go bankrupt. 

 
 I'm in disbelief how much my boys love this little girl. I know, I know things will change will she starts grabbing their toys but for now, I'm enjoying every single non-fighting loving snuggle moment.

 Campbell calls her "Landry girl" and runs to give her a pacifier (or "piece of fire" as he calls it) or pat her on the head when she's crying. He will not let her fuss.

And everyday day when I pick up Nolan, he asks how Landry's day was. Actually he asks how "Princess Poopy Pants" was. I'm sure she'll love that one when she grows up. 

 Their curiosity of her just melts my heart. Nolan in particular is fascinated with how he looked as a baby. So you know what that means...scrapbooks! For years I've been wondering why I'm doing this to myself trying to keep up with their books. I keep thinking, I just spent three hours on this spread and no one even looks at it and boys could care less about scrapbooks. Some days it's so much fun to scrapbook and other days it seems like torture and I'm just slapping pictures down not even caring, but seeing Nolan study each page intently makes me realize all those hours were worth every second. He even studies Campbell's scrapbooks...

 

I'm glad that Nolan looks at his because Campbell will take a two second peek and then take a break for a good game of bowling. The interest from Campbell hasn't quite gotten there yet...maybe one day.

 

One thing that's coming easy and requires no adjustment is the snuggling. The only adjustment required is the time lost to other things because of all the cuddles and staring. So my laundry is piling up, my scrapbooks are a year behind, and the dust looks like snow falling in my house but I can say that we're soaking it up, baby. 

 

 I look back at Nolan's years when all I had was my little point and shoot camera and I wish I would have taken more pictures. Although the kid has thousand more photos than me, it still doesn't seem like enough to remember how little he was and how fast it goes. So let's just say, that I'm making up for it now. 

 

 In the midst of all the adjustment, we're trying to find time for the normal things we used to do. I almost laugh when I say normal because I can't remember the last time we played outside because it's been so blistering hot this summer. You know it's bad when your oldest says, "I think our playground's feelings are hurt because we never play on it anymore." 

Let's just say that our playground has felt the love lately.

And I'm determined to teach this boy to ride his bike without training wheels. One way or another, it's going to happen. 

 

While I'm at it, I better get Campbell's feet to reach the pedals on this tricycle because my back is going to go out if I keep this up...

 
Some days our new normal seems like a piece of cake and I hardly notice the difference. Other days, I think I need three of myself to get it all done. It's a constant ebb and flow trying to figure out our new life. While there are hair-pulling days, the heart-wearming days far outweigh them.