All Over the Place

That's the answer to the question: WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN???

A couple weekends ago - my entire family (parents, grandparents, Joe, Jon, Gina, & kiddos) all met in Grand Haven for a long-weekend. We rented a house and it was a BLAST! All of the kids are so close in age, it was non-stop action.

Jack went to school on the following Monday and reported to his teacher that he had a lot of fun on his "occasion."  But he quickly followed that up with "but my mommy didn't have fun, because she was feeding the baby." At least he's observant.

Nolan spent the weekend being held and spoiled. He loved every minute of it. We celebrated Jon's 28th birthday with a Kosciusko County favorite - Betty's Cake. It was awesome.

Speaking of awesome - Jack caught his very FIRST fish!! Uncle Joe is quite the fisherman (like a real one, that wins tournaments) and he introduced Jack to the sport. Jack used a pink princess fishing pole (that he borrowed from his cousin, Emma) and caught a little bluegill. He was pretty proud of himself!

In case you missed it - which we did not - IU beat Missouri that weekend. Good thing, too. We had LOTS of IU fans on the edges of their seats as they watched the game on Tyson's iPad. Lots of cheering and fist pumping...

After we left Grand Haven, we made a stop in Ypsilanti to celebrate Nuala's 5th birthday! It was a LONG, but super fun weekend!

Nolan's One Month Stats

Believe it or not (I prefer not to) - this little guy is already a month old! He had his one month check up yesterday and he's already a WHOPPING 10lb 14oz. So - yeah... I'd say he's well on his way to being a chunk like his sister.  He grew an inch, too!

Jack had a check up, too! He's healthy and growing well! Don't ask him about his visit though...he was NOT happy about getting his vaccinations. Luckily, he's all set for Kindergarten next fall!

School Days

 My kids are officially back in school for the fall. Jack is in a Pre-K class and goes M,W, F for most of the day. He gets to pack his lunch - which is pretty exciting for a four year old! Josie and I (and Nolan) are doing a 2's class on Friday mornings. Josie is the oldest in her class (she misses the 3's deadline by a month - which is fine with us).

 She gets to have "snack time" at school.

Here she is with her friend, Reese, listening to a story.  They also sing and dance to songs - which Josie LOVES! She's a very animated dancer!

Awkward first day pic.

Life with Three

People have been asking how life with three is going...It's good...crazy at moments, but good. I'm sure as Nolan becomes more active - life will get crazier, so for now, I take the sleep deprivation in stride.

Here are a few things I have noticed:

1) Dude humor runs deep. The other day I was burping Nolan and he let out a HUGE burp. Josie yelled out "Excuse You!" while Jack died laughing. Then he came over, patted Nolan on the head, and said, "Good burp, Nolan. That was AWESOME!" Burping and farting are never NOT funny to boys - regardless of age.

2) Blowouts are viewed as normal, everyday occurrences. I think my official title should be "President of Bowel Movement Operations." I am responsible for lots of poo in this house! Three kids, two dogs, and when I can find the time - myself. The other day I was on the phone with a girlfriend from college. I heard Nolan poop and I knew it wasn't good. Sure enough - I picked him up and it was ALL over him (and also on me). Did I end the conversation? Heck NO! I was talking to another ADULT. I grabbed a towel, a new diaper, some wipes, and a half-way clean onesie...then proceeded to change him while continuing my phone call. Didn't miss a beat.

With Jack - that blowout would have been an all-out catastrophe...end the call...put on a haz-mat suit...crap just got real (literally).

3) 2am wakings never get easier. After three babies - those early morning, dead asleep, rip you out of your REM hunger cries - still make me think "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON???" And then I remember I have a baby sleeping next to me.

4) Baby steps to freedom. This week I've focused on taking baby steps toward the freedom of going out & about with three children. I won't lie - it's tricky just getting everyone ready to leave the house. But we successfully visited a farm (Tues), a cider mill (Thurs), and everyone attended school today! (pics to come) Maybe someday I will be able to grocery shop with all three...although, honestly, the thought of that makes me want a very large glass of wine.

Girl's Weekend - Boy's Weekend

Last weekend Tyson and Jack were away...so it was a Girl's Weekend for Josie and me.  We went to a local farm for some Cider Donuts.

We also did some napping, reading, and back-to-school shopping at Target.

Meanwhile, in Northern Indiana - Tyson and Jack went camping with the Carsten Boys and some other FW friends. Jack pretty much had THE.BEST weekend of his life. From what I've been told - there was canoeing, playing, marshmallow roasting, and plenty of fun. Jack came home sad (because he had to leave) and tired...oh, and FILTHY.

And - not to be forgotten - Nolan is still a nugget. He's been really fussy lately and refuses to sleep anywhere unless he's tucked in close to his mama. (And yes, that is his hospital hat...his head is small)

Nolan Walter Netherland Becker - What's in a Name?

So - for each child - I also do a "What's in a name?" post to explain how and why we chose the name we did. Nolan's name choice goes back to 2009...but settling on his name only happened a few weeks before he arrived.

When I was pregnant with Jack - Tyson and I spent a lot of time thinking about baby names. Nolan was at the top of our list...until Tyson's Aunt Kim told us she would have named a son Jack Dyer. Once we heard it, the name Nolan was pushed aside, but never forgotten. When I learned I was pregnant the second time (Josie) - Ty and I talked about how THIS could be Jack's brother, Nolan. But then we learned Baby #2 was a girl. (and I began my fight for Josephine)

Fast forward to the first few months of my pregnancy with Baby #3...again, we talked about boy names and Nolan was at the top of the list. Boy names are REALLY hard for me. My girl list was super long (and amazing)...and then we learned we were expecting a boy...and I was torn about what to name him. Even though the name Nolan had always been a front runner, I wasn't sure if it was what I wanted. Finally, after MONTHS of talking & thinking - Tyson and I settled on TWO names. Baby #3 would either be Nolan or Blake. Even on the way to the hospital I was wasn't set on a name. But once he was born - Tyson and I both knew he was a Nolan.

The name Nolan is of Irish decent and means: Noble or famous

Since we *BELIEVE* Nolan is our last baby...we threw in two family names for his middle name.

Walter: My maternal grandfather is Walter Walker and my paternal great-grandfather was Walter Clevenger.

Netherland: Netherland is Nancy's maiden name. Since she has two sisters, the name Netherland wasn't carried on.  She gave Tyson the middle name Netherland, so we decided to give it to Nolan, too.

And that's why we have our Nolan Walter Netherland Becker.

Also - if you give your child a name with 27 letters, you will spend A LOT of time on the phone with the Social Security Office, because they will surely misspell your child's name on his SS card.

Footnote: I say we *BELIEVE* Nolan is our last baby...but one can never be too sure. If I didn't have to be pregnant for the last 4 weeks of the third trimester, I'd consider a 4th.

Last Days of Summer

No offense to Nolan - but I feel like a big chunk of my summer was stolen this year thanks to a very big pregnant belly and not being able to travel to the lake all of August.  Yesterday was a toasty day - so Jack, Josie, and I suited up...

We ran through the sprinklers.

We had a water balloon fight! The kids LOVED it. And I won't lie - I had fun, too!

And then there is Josie - showing us how she can fit right in with her brothers...with a finger up her nose. Classy.

Daddy's Work Trip

This guy is two weeks old today. I captured a little "gas smile" - unfortunately you can't see his dimple.

Grandma Shirlee is back for a few days. Cooper & Tucker are in heaven. She makes them gourmet meals...and she cooks for the humans in the house, too!

Tyson is in Chicago for a few days. Jack and Josie had to get in their goodbyes before he left.

It's true what they say - "{Toddler} Love hurts."