Brookie. . . .9 Months

A Glimpse of Brooklyn at 9 months:

• She's FINALLY crawling (the normal way). After dragging her body "army style" around the house and whining the entire time, she figured out how to get from place to place and is a much happier baby
• She has 5 teeth
• She's sleeping through the night and taking good naps during the day
• She prefers walking with the assistance of Mom and Dad than crawling
• She's pulling herself up on furniture and cruising from one thing to another
• Her eating is inconsistent. . .some days she loves food and her bottle, sometimes she doesn't want either
• She's distracted by everything so we are done nursing. . . she doesn't want to sit still or cuddle if there is something better going on.
• We still don't have much hair

Family Birthday Party

We had the boys' friend birthday party on Saturday and their family birthday party on Sunday.  It has been "birthday week" around our house, but each day has been a lot of fun.

I am going to preface this post by saying that I am NOT a fan of Ry and Bran's haircut, but sometimes Mom's don't get to be in control of everything.  Nate and the boys came up with their fancy mohawk haircuts and I tried not to rain on their parade.  I compromised and said they could keep them a week and then we were doing their hair again. 

We had our family in town over for an afternoon BBQ.  We were blessed with a beautiful day to be together and celebrate one more year exciting year for Ryan and Brandon.  The boys were completely spoiled and loved all the presents they got. 

Ryan and Brandon opening their cool Ninjago set from Grandma Connie and Papa Dave

Awwww. . .Birthday Brothers

Brooklyn and Mom winding down after the party

The boys and cousin Heather. . .we are going to MISS her so much while she's in Berlin!!!

Birthday Party!!!!

This year Nate and I decided that we were going to do the boys' birthday party at home.  By the time May rolls around, the boys have attended birthday parties at all the major party locations in town, often multiple times.  These party places are outrageously expensive (although Nate and I have it better than most because we have the 2 kids/1 party advantage).  Anyway- we think we're going to rotate party at home on odd years and party somewhere else on even years. 

Our family loves watching Survivor. . . so that's exactly what we did this year for our party theme.  I searched online and found some great party ideas and Nate and I constructed challenges for the boys and their friends to complete.  We had 2 tribes, led by the birthday boys.  These were the challenges they had to complete. . .

1.  Crawl through a tube to the sandbox, dig for hidden puzzle pieces, race back to their  
     team and construct their puzzle.
2.  Find the gummy worm hidden in the chocolate pudding and oreo pieces.
3.  Relay to fill up a bucket with a sponge.
4.  Slingshot three balls into a laundry basket.
5.  Hold a paper plate with a cup full of water over your head for as long as possible. . .once
     your cup falls off. . .you're eliminated from the challenge.
6.  A good old-fashioned obstacle course.

The kids had a blast!!  Each contestant got a buff to wear (which Ryan and Brandon helped sew) and everyone was a pretty good sport.  I will say that there are some SUPER competitive 7 year olds so we tried to remind everyone that this was supposed to be fun. 

We served pizza for lunch and then brownie ice cream cake for dessert.  The boys got a lot of fun gifts from their friends, the favorite gift this year being $$$$.  This was the first year they've received money as a present and you would have thought that the $10 they each got was $100. 

Grandma Connie and Grandpa Dave came and helped us out for the day and Nate and I were exhausted by the time we were finished, but our boys had the biggest smiles on their faces. 

The boys had about an hour to recuperate from their party and it was off to the baseball fields for an afternoon T-Ball game.  

Brandon's "Green" Team

Ryan's "Blue" Team

Dig for "worms" boys

Fill your bucket faster, Brandon. . .

Slingshot

Papa helping with Brookie during the party

Grandma walking with Brooklyn



Brandon at 7. . . .

What's Brandon like at 7?

• He's full of "drama."  Brandon tends to turn a lot of little things into BIG things.  He overreacts to most situations and if he gets hurt, he milks it for all it's worth.
• Brandon loves being with his friends.
• He's sensitive. . . .Brandon can get his feelings hurt easily and often doubts his abilities.  As soon as his confidence waivers, he shuts down.
• Brandon loves to put legos together and make things. . . he's very good at assembling things.  He stays focused on the task and often it is hard to get him to stop working mid-project. 
• He's a great brother. . . I am a lucky mom to have three kids who really love each other right now.  Nate and I are working really hard to make sure the boys and Brookie truly love and depend on each other.
• Brandon is very funny.  I sometimes can't believe the things Brandon says, but he's very funny and he loves to laugh.

I asked Brandon the same questions that I asked Ryan and here are Brandon's answers:

Mom:  "What is your favorite thing about being 7?"
Brandon:  "Going on longer dirt bike trails."

**Yes, I should have sequestered these two when I asked their questions. . .next time :) **

Mom: "What are three of your favorite things to do?"
Brandon: "1. Jump my bike and scooter with my brother, 2. Going dirtbiking with my Bro, and 3. Snow skiing in the terrain park with my Bro."

Ryan at 7. . . .

I can't believe my 1st baby (by only 6 minutes) is turning 7.  It seems like just yesterday that Nate and I were bringing two little babies home.  Time seems to fly by and even more so when you have children.

What's Ryan like at 7?

• He wants to be the boss and in control.  Brandon is usually o.k. with this until he gets super frustrated with Ryan.  Brooklyn is NOT enjoying how her older brother tells her NO all the time and wrecks anything that is fun to her. 
• Ryan is a great brother!  He and Brandon are usually best of friends and they truly watch out for each other (most of the time. . . . . .I did find out from Ryan's 1st grade teacher that Ryan ratted Brandon out to the rest of the class and told them that Brandon still sleeps with his Blanky. . . I felt pretty bad for Bran.)  Ryan loves to help with Brooklyn and makes sure I know EVERY single thing that she does.
• He loves jokes. . .although at this age it seems the grosser the joke, the funnier it is.
• He's starting to really get into sports and likes to talk about football and baseball all the time. 
• Ryan loves being with his friends. . .he's very social.
• He wants to be just like his Dad and loves everything that Nate does. 

I interviewed both Ryan and Brandon so I could share some of their favorites with you. . .

Mom:  "What is your favorite thing about being 7?" 
Ryan:  "That I get to go on bigger trails on my dirt bike."

Mom:  "What are three of your favorite things to do?"
Ryan:  "1. Go to the park and jump my scooter, 2. Ride dirt bik on the Eagle's Nest trail, and 3. Practice tackle football in the backyard."

Ryan and Brandon's Birthday

Nate and I decided to let the boys have their birthday presents the morning of their birthday.  They have been waiting and waiting for new bikes and today was finally the day :) 

I made a special birthday breakfast of pancakes with birthday candles and I had two excited boys headed off to school on new bikes.

The boys were able to celebrate their birthday at school on their actual birthday.  All the kids in class with birthdays in May brought in treats to share with the class.  The kids played a rousing game of heads-up 7-up and then ate their treats.  Pack all of this excitement into the last 30 minutes of the day and let's just say it's a happy chaotic mess!!

Brandon and Ryan with their friends Henry, Rocco, and Peyton

Playing Heads Up 7-Up

  I was able to get some cute pictures of the boys with some of their very good friends. 

Another New Lowry. . . .(NO, not ours :))

We are so excited to introduce the newest little Lowry. . . .Lucas (Luke) Kenneth Lowry was born on May 4, 2012 at 9:00 p.m.  He was 4 weeks early and weighed 5 lbs.  He is ADORABLE!!!

Our whole family headed up to the hospital on Saturday morning to meet our newest nephew/cousin.  As soon as I saw Luke, I was immediately taken back to when the boys were born.  Ryan and Brandon were close to Luke's size and were also 4 weeks early.  With the boys' birthday coming up, it really was a "blast from the past." 

Ryan and Brandon were so excited to meet Luke and to get to hold them.  They thought Josh and Jo were pretty lucky that they got to have Luke at the new hospital by their house (because they have a better restaurant. . a.k.a. cafeteria) rather than the old hospital where I had Brooklyn. 

Uncle Nate with Luke

Auntie Shell with Luke. . .He is gorgeous!!

Ryan holding cousin Luke

Doesn't Brandon look like a pro?  He's had some good practice with Brookie.