The Good Stuff

Life is good. That's honestly the first thing I think of when I consider the last eight months. Sure, we added a third Stiever boy to the mix and are now wrangling three monkey boys in our already crazy world, haven't had much sleep since August and a date night alone with my husband seems like winning the lottery, but so much of it is sweet and good...the kind of stuff that makes your chest ache because you feel so much love. I wouldn't trade these years for the world.

Little Soybean
Sawyer Hamilton Stiever was born on Thursday, August 1, 2013 at 7:15pm weighing in at 7lbs; 8oz. and 20 inches long. He came into this world with ease and after a very tolerable (almost peaceful...thank you God for epidurals!) labor looking just like his big brothers. We were overjoyed to meet our new little guy and from the very second he was born...he has been our little mellow, happy boy. He went straight to breastfeeding, and parked it there for the next few months...with his big brothers constantly hanging on him, kissing his sweet face and showing their love...he takes it in stride and seems to love them right back! We're so lucky to have such a good baby; I literally say that every day. We are not taking this little gift for granted.

We were SO lucky to have Mimi Kathy & G'pa Greg visit the week Sawyer was born. I seriously don't know what we would have done without them. Owen and Bodhi got to stay at home and sleep in their own beds, and visited the hospital the night Sawyer came into the world. They were so excited to meet him, and had such a wonderful week with their grandparents. Kipper and I were at complete ease knowing our boys were in such good hands. Kathy cooked and cleaned and played and ran to the store for random stuff for me at the drop of a hat. Greg built a tree house in our backyard and fixed other random things around the house for us, in addition to wrestling and doing science projects with our kids. They are two of the most amazing, loving, selfless people I know, and I'm so grateful everyday to have them our lives. They visited again about a month later, and went hiking and enjoyed their company even more. At the end of their trip, I came down with strep/flu and was completely out of commission...once again, they stepped up and saved us!

Mimi Darlene visited in September to meet baby Sawyer, and she was also so wonderful. Owen and Bodhi love her so much, and followed her around the whole time. She walked Owen to school in the mornings, and he loved showing her his day-to-day routine. My dad and Deb also visited at the end of September, and it was so nice to show them around our world. We spent a day in Breckenridge, and although it was freezing, it was beautiful and so much fun. Kipper and Dad golfed, we got a personal tour of the Coors Brewery thanks to our awesome neighbor, and spent a lot of time hanging out on the deck to BBQ. It's such a blessing to have family like this in your lives, especially when you have kids. I love how my boys are being influenced by such wonderful grandparents.

Gigi
In November, Granny went into the doctor complaining of shortness of breath, and ended up finding out she had a blockage in her heart (98%). She needed open-heart bypass surgery, and I was terrified she wasn't going to make it through such an invasive surgery at the age of 93. But...I should have known! She's such an amazing woman...so strong and such a rock in our family. Not only did she recover with vengeance...she has since gone through weeks of cardiac rehab and a second stint surgery...and is back to living on her own! I pray every day for her continued strength and will to live on and on and on! I really hope God gave me her genes! We traveled to Texas to be there with her through the first surgery, and ended up staying an extra week because it fell on the week of Thanksgiving. It was such a wonderful time with her. This experience made me think of how fortunate I have been to have her in my life. I have so many memories of her taking care of me as a child. She has taught me so much, given me so much love and such a sense of family, and she continues to teach me about what unconditional love really is and how your family is paramount to everything else in life. I'll walk with those lessons my whole life thanks to her. (She also taught me to make a mean peanut butter, jelly & butter sandwich...don't knock it til you try it!)

Anyway, she's doing great, and has more energy now than she has in ten years. I plan to visit her in May and spend some real quality time with her now that she's recovered.

Jingle Bells, an Ultimate Makeover & The Flu Bug
December was the best of times and the worst of times all in one month! The first part of December was great, we were home and hosted our annual Christmas Caroling party for our neighborhood. We welcomed about 80 people this year! Can you imagine opening your front door to 80 people singing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?! Some people took videos of us singing to them, some people invited us in their home (yes, all of us!) and others stood in amazement at this huge group of people taking the time to sing Christmas cheer just to them. By chance, we knocked on the home of the Mayor of The City of Arvada, and that was a fun surprise for us! There was a moment for me during this party I will never forget. A family at the end of our street invited our entire group to come into their home, gather around their tree and fireplace, and sing together. Our huge group of adults and kids were somehow in tune and for a moment it felt like we had been rehearsing for months. I looked around the room and got emotional at the sight of all of these good people coming together to knock on doors and make people happy. I am grateful my kids got to see that, and feel the sense of community and love in the room. I will always remember that moment.

The week before Christmas, we traveled to Texas for the best Christmas gift ever! The Perry family was chosen by a new nonprofit organization for a bedroom makeover. Sunshine Spaces contacted us about their first endeavor. They are an organization planning to remodel bedrooms into dream spaces for pediatric cancer patients. They chose Reese & Brielle for their first project. This turned into one of the most breath-taking experiences for all of us (especially the Perry's!). The team of volunteers worked for three days and built two of the most beautiful rooms for two of the most deserving kids on the planet. Brielle's room was a magical forest theme, and Reese chose mermaids/under the sea. Furniture was donated, a custom wishing tree was built, a gorgeous saltwater fish tank was given, and SO much more...all out of the kindness of people's hearts. I was floored by the commitment of the Sunshine Spaces team, all of the volunteers - some of which had never met the Perry's - and the beautiful outcome in such a short amount of time. Watching Stephanie, Ryan, Reese & Brielle walk through that door and see those rooms for the first time was priceless! It was one of those moments you laugh through your tears. Another moment I will never forget.

http://www.wfaa.com/community/A-Christmas-gift-one-Denton-family-wont-soon-forget-236960591.html

At that point, I felt like Christmas had come and gone...but it wasn't even Christmas Eve yet! We had a wonderful celebration at Mimi Kathy's house and soaked up some much-needed down time with family.

Then...the doom hit. On Christmas Day...they started dropping like flies! Everyone in the house (excluding myself somehow) came down with the flu. The four-day, achy, shivering, fever, chills, can't get comfortable kind of flu. Kipper, my mom, Owen, Bodhi, Sawyer and Steph Perry all ended up suffering through, and by the grace of God the rest of us steered clear. It was heartbreaking to see everyone feeling so terrible that week. Thank God for good family (once again!)...lots of food was left at our doorstep and medicine was delivered. I was so grateful! After a week of not leaving the house, nursing five sick people back to health (including my precious new baby) and crossing my fingers every moment that I wasn't next...I could not get home fast enough! Sleeping in my own bed was like a dream come true!

Of course after about a week of that...we missed our family again. ;)

Back Home
Since the New Year, we have been back in the swing of things with the school schedules and sleep training Sawyer. Watching our boys together is hilarious and sweet, crazy and chaotic and the smile on Sawyer's face when he sees Owen & Bodhi will forever be in my mind as one of the best memories of all time. I often stop and think about how fast these times are going, and literally try to sit still in a moment and physically soak it in. I quite literally never want them to grow up, and somehow I feel like if I sit really still, and stay really quiet and just watch them in a moment, somehow it lasts longer. Bodhi gives Sawyer so many kisses every single day, Owen teaches Bodhi how to write and spell and tells him how smart he is, Sawyer is crawling at lightening speed to keep up with his brothers. This is the good stuff. I know it. I feel it every single day, and I could not be more thankful for all of it.

Other random stuff...

Owen

"It's complicated" (he's says this a lot)

He recently told me that "the only thing that breaks love is meanness" (so deep!)

Owen is starting to become aware of the boy-girl thing and told us this week he has a crush on a girl in his class named Leslie. He said she's so funny and nice. The best part is the look on his face when he talks about her...he gets giggly and goofy and it's adorable.

Owen recently told me he knows what the word "hot" means. I said, "Like when you burn yourself?" He said..."No! Like...when a girl is wearing a sparkly red dress!" (wow...I had no idea he'd learn that by 1st grade!)

Owen continues to be one of the most gentle, loving souls I know. His sweet nature makes me so proud to be his mom, and I have learned so much from him. He recently said to me (when I was getting onto him about not picking up his toys and losing patience), "You are teaching me to be frustrated when I talk when you talk to me like that." Wow...talk about learning from your kids. I sat down immediately and realized he was right! I will never forget that moment.

He's in Cub Scouts and his Pinewood Derby car made it to the district race this year. He was so proud. The day he got that trophy was such a wonderful day for him. It happened to be on his birthday, and the whole Den sang Happy Birthday to him right when he got the trophy. I thought he was going to hyperventilate he was so excited. I felt so happy to see him so happy. He got to race his car with Kipper's old car from his childhood (Thank you for sending it GranDude!) and Bodhi made his own Batmobile version as well for the race. Such a special day...a full circle moment for Kipper.

The second part of this school year has been so much better than the first part. We had a rough start, and he wasn't loving being there all day, every day. But now, he has a best friend named Jackson, and lots of other great friends in his class, and I can see his confidence rising each day. He's learning to read and do Math, and he loves Science and recess the most. He had a Star Wars-themed birthday party, with a Space Time expert who came by to teach a little space trivia and shoot off a rocket at the end. He had a great day, and I still can't believe he turned seven-years-old. That's it...he's officially not allowed to grow another inch!

Bodhi

Hand sanitizer - "hanitizer"

Don't be dramatic Owen - "duhmatic"

"Mom, my dinner spot is full, but my dessert spot is so empty!"

Do you need to make a cone fall? (instead of phone call)

"Mom, snails are swo-pokes, did you know that?"

"That is wicked cool!"

"Mom, do you think God will be mad if I catch a leprechaun in my trap?" (he thinks God is the author of all books also)

"Mom, why don't your ears bleed where your earring holes are?"

"Mom, why did God make people have different skin?"

"Not cool man, not cool" (He says this when someone messes up in a video game, when I try to show him my professional singing voice or when someone wont share with him, etc)

Bodhi loves Legos, ninjas, all things Super Hero and he is Sawyer's biggest fan. He almost knows all of the words to the Lego Movie song "Everything is Awesome," and can plan video games and soccer as though he already went to college for both. He's smart and learning how to read and sound out words already because he watches Owen. I can't believe he will start kindergarten in the Fall...that's going to be an experience! Bodhi and Sawyer are best buddies since Bodhi is home with us in the mornings before preschool everyday, and it's as if they are the only two on earth when they are playing and laughing together on the floor.

Sawyer
Our sweet little family pet..."Little Soybean" or "Peanut" as he's known around here. I've never known an easier baby to care for in my life. Maybe it's that he's my third and I am more relaxed, or maybe he's just the sweetest baby on earth...I'm not sure, but I am sure of this...we couldn't love him more! He's turning out to be long and lean like Owen. He started out around the 50th percentile for height/weight, but has split into the 12th percentile for weight and 86th for height. He's a little peanut (hence his name) and all of his pants fall off because his little waist is so small! He has finally grown out of 3-month clothes...but isn't wide enough for 6-9 month size. He has a little red tint to his hair, as Owen did. really blue/gray eyes (just like Kipper's) and sometimes when he smiles I think he looks exactly like Owen...but then other times I see Bodhi.

All of us are so smitten with this little man. He (literally) never cries, he's always smiling and he is sleeping through the night! (Am I jinxing myself here?!) He starting crawling on March 13, 2014 and has been full-speed ahead ever since. He says things like "eh" and "aughhh" and "gu" when he's talking...but I swear when he's hungry and starts giving a warning cry...he tries to say "mama." We all gush all over him all of the time, and he holds the record for receiving the most kisses on his cheeks...ever...and he's only eight months. Bottom line...he's pure joy and he has us all wrapped around his little finger.

Dad
Kipper has taken a wonderful new job at NREL, and it's been wonderful to see him get to transition into his next professional chapter. He deserves to love his job, and although we are so grateful for his previous job and all that is afforded us, this new endeavor is welcomed. He'll do great, and I look forward to watching him grow there as well. It's a really cool place, check it out! http://www.nrel.gov/

Mom
I continue to volunteer on the Development Committee for the Ralston House (our local child advocacy center), and I'm proud to be a (small) part of helping raise money for an organization dedicated to keeping kids safe from abuse in our community. I have also decided to join our elementary school PTSA, which I may regret...but we'll see. ;) I do love to be connected with what's going on at school for our kids, and since we are welcoming a new principal, I will get to be in the loop with all of the new stuff happening there.

That's us in a nutshell right now. We (Sawyer and I) plan to visit Texas the weekend of Memorial Day to celebrate the third little Perry girl and spend some time with Granny. We look forward to seeing everyone and wish we could all come together every time. Perhaps next year road trips will be an option again and we can all make the trip a little more often.

Life is good...sending our love.