Halloween x 3

We had a fun but exhausting Halloween weekend. We ended up gong to 2 parties and then taking the kids out on Halloween. We did a lot of dressing up, which I love.

Friday night was a party at my boss's house. He pulls out all the stops-pony rides, balloon artists, pumpkin carving, smores, you name it, he had it. We were not a united front that night. Ryan was Don King and Madden was his boxer. I was Ursula and Harper was my Ariel (we won the costume contest). As you can see from the picture, Lincoln was Ironman.

Saturday night was our other annual Halloween party at Ryan's brother's house. We decided to get a little more themed and we rounded out the cast of The Little Mermaid with Ryan as King Triton and Madden as Sebastian. I am proud to say that I made everyone's costumes but my own which I borrowed.

Halloween came around and we met at my mom's house for some pre-trick or treating dinner. Lincoln had to throw a few energy bombs (no idea what Iron Man really calls them) at me so I could capture his true persona.

This was Madden's first time to trick or treat and since he doesn't really talk well he kind of just yelled 3 syllables at people. It worked and he got his candy. He only made it to a few houses though because he kept wanting to eat as he was collecting. It wasn't working out so well because he wasn't bothering to have us open the candy for him. We found 1/2 chewed up candy in the wrappers in his bucket when we got home, gross.

We had a good time, I love Halloween and I love dressing up as long as I have a great costume. I better start thinking about next year's costumes so I'm not trying to make them day of. Maybe next year we'll be KISS......

Pumpkintown

Due to time constraints (or the fact that we didn't want to drag 3 kids too far away), we decided to try out Pumpkintown. We went a little close to Halloween so it was a tad crowded but not too bad. This was Madden's first time at a pumpkin patch where he could actually walk around. It was quite amusing. Apparently, Madden had his own method for picking pumpkins.

"Hey Madden, let's go and pick a pumpkin. What are you doing?! Quit licking them, wait, are you kissing them?" Maybe he thought we said let's go and kiss a pumpkin, not pick a pumpkin.

"Madden, let's go over here and pick pumpkins. Can you pick one up? Oh, wait, stop kissing them." I promise you that I could have taken more pumpkin kissing pictures but I got tired. I think he tried out each one that he passed.

Lincoln enjoyed jumping on the hay bales.

If any of you have been around Madden, you know he is a big boy in a tiny body. He is certain that he can do anything that his big brother can do. I think this picture kind of sums up how I think he feels most of the time. Little guy in a big world.

Lincoln found himself a perfect pumpkin. It did not go home with us because I am too cheap to buy one of these $20 pumpkins. We left with $2 ones.

Harper was pretty much wondering why we dragged her to the pumpkin patch on a windy day. It's not easy on her hair.

And, alas, the attempt at the group shot. I had to make it quick because it was a dirt floor and apparently Lincoln is not as strong as he thinks he is. You can barely see Ryan's hand at the bottom of the picture. Believe me, you can never be too safe.

3 Months Old

Time is flying by and I am barely getting a chance to document it. It is very true that with each subsequent child there are less and less pictures taken. Poor Harper never even got a birth announcement. Maybe I'll make one just to keep for memory sake. Anyways, she is already 3 months old (almost 4) and I really need to buckle down and quit making excuses.

Here's a few facts about Miss Harper:

1. She loves to smile and is starting to coo.

2. She gets a very concerned look on her face when Madden comes too close to her. This could be because he lays on her and likes to poke at her eyeballs.

3. Madden calls her Ha-Ha, which is very cute (okay that was actually about Madden, but whatever).

4. She weighs about 11ish pounds.

5. She can manage to keep her daddy's undivided attention.

6. Her hair is getting wilder by the minute.

7. Her thighs are getting chunkier by the minute.

8. She is cute, cute, cute.

Okay, I know that wasn't much, but that's all I got for now. I will post more pictures up as I take them. Until then, enjoy this last pic of this cute little crazy haired lady.

Backyard Guest

*Warning*-Do not read any further if you have any sort of phobia towards eight legged creatures, you may faint in your seat.

This is in my backyard.

Not by choice, although it is contained.

Apparently, this may become our new family pet, again, not by choice.

This thing is huge, those are Lincoln's feet.

I'm with you on this one, buddy, that thing is CREEPY!! We have learned though that tarantulas eat crickets. Apparently, the best crickets are fortified ones from the pet store. I mean really. Can't it just eat yard bugs? Hopefully, we don't kill the poor tarantula. If there is anyone who actually really wants one of these things then let me know. I would be more than happy to give it up.

A Concession

I have a concession to make, not to be confused with a confession. I have told more than one person lately that adjusting to having 3 kids has been, well, awful. I have to clarify my statement a little because I don't want to give anyone the idea that I don't love having 3 kids or that having 3 kids is a frightening thing. It is, in fact, wonderful, fun, and always exciting. You get 3 times the hugs, kisses, and best of all, they fight for your attention. All of a sudden you become 3 times more awesome than you were before.

Now, is it easy, no. Can it be stressful, frustrating, sleepless, and just plain overwhelming, yes. Does it sometimes just make you want to do this, yes. But, it is worth every second and would I trade it for anything else in the world, no.

So, please do not judge me the next time I sigh when someone asks me what it's like having 3. I probably don't mean it : )

Back to Reality

Well, the time has finally come for me to go back to work. I left the 2 terrors and baby sister off at Nana's on Monday morning to begin our new daily routine. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but they were also all 3 asleep. It made for an easy getaway, but required 4 trips to the car, 1 for the bags and 1 for each child, wow! We'll see if I can continue to get out of the house at a decent time. I'm not a morning person so this has been quite an adjustment.

I wish that I had more exciting news than that, but with 3 kids we haven't done much lately. Miss Harper is growing by the minute. She gets lots of love from her big brothers and most of the time it's nice. Madden is still getting himself into every predicament imaginable and has lots of bruises to show for it. Lincoln has started preschool and acts like he's 3 going on 13. He says the most random things and the conversations end like this. Me-"How do you know that?", Him-"I know everything". Okay, who can argue with that.

Well, I will attempt to get some more pics up soon. Hopefully that will include some pictures of Harper's room and our new multi-purpose family room. Right now, I have to go and put a 3-year-old back to bed, and yes, it is almost 11:00 (sigh).

Settling In

I never thought that life with 3 kids 3 and under would be easy, but, I'm not sure how people do it. The most common scenario these days- I have a baby nursing in my lap, a one year old about to leap off the coffee table, and a 3 1/2 year old egging him on and occasionally giving him a "helpful" push.

But, alas, there are the few moments of silence when they are all asleep and I can bask in the peacefulness of our new baby girl. She is sweet, calm, and smells delicious. I know that many of you may not believe me, but boys really do have a boyish smell, even from the time that they are born.

I love how she still keeps her feet curled up beneath her.

She has some long, delicate fingers and toes. Maybe she'll be a pianist or a ballerina.

As for now, baby Harper sleeps through the commotion. I know that soon she will all too much a part of the commotion or even the cause of it. Until that time comes, I'm just going to enjoy her sweet, wonderful calmness and pray that it lasts for a little while.

Welcome Baby Harper

I know this post is long overdue, especially since I have been plastering her all over Facebook, but I wanted to make sure I got an official blog post in. As many of you know, Harper was a little stubborn in her arrival. My body was ready to go but she was just hanging out right on the brink of....well, you know. Dr. Sterling suggested that I could go ahead and be induced because he felt like she would come too quickly if my water were to break. I opted for yes, please help encourage her into this world. Well, we went in Wednesday morning at 7:30 am on July 21st and baby Harper entered the world at 1:01 pm.

I could not have asked for a better birth. It was calm and for the most part pain free. The best part is that she literally entered this world amidst laughter. Who could ask for a more joyous birth! I hope that reflects in her personality. She weighed in at 6 lbs. 12 oz. and was 19 inches long.

Proud parents of our new baby girl (which I did have the Dr. confirm when she came out, you never know).

Ryan's parents brought the boys up later that night once we were settled into a room. Lincoln was enthralled, while Madden, on the other hand, would barely give her the time of day. He's finally starting to come around.

Here's our first picture as a new family of 5.

Unfortunately, Ryan had to go to work the next day. Here are some pics that I snapped of Harper while we were hanging out at the hospital.

Love her little newborn feet.

Ryan came back to get us after he got off of work. It was a very short hospital stay, which was nice.

We went and picked up the boys from his parent's house. People suggested that we leave them there one more night and spend our first night with baby alone. I really missed my boys though so I wanted us all to go home together. Later I realized that "the people" were probably right. It was quite chaotic but we made it through.

As you can tell, Madden was still not quite sure what to think.

So here she is, our new baby girl. Welcome to the world little one! We love you so much and we are so excited to add you to our family. We cannot wait to watch you grow and see your personality blossom.

The Last Time....

I actually finished this post yesterday, but I woke up last night and realized that this was going to be the last time (if we can help it) that I am going to be pregnant. This will be the last night that I will feel little kicks in my belly. This will be the last time that I will get to anticipate seeing our little peanut grow in ultrasounds each month. This will be the last time that I will get to feel the excitement of adding a new addition to our family.

This will be the last time that our family photo will include only 4 people. It's very strange to actually say that we will be a family of 5 very shortly. FIVE, that sounds like a lot, and when the kids outnumber the parents, it can't be a good thing. This will also be the last time that I can say "boys" when referring to my kids.

And last but not least, this will be the last that you will see baby girl's picture from the inside. Tomorrow, she will make her debut into this world and will hopefully do it in a speedy manner. We are so excited to meet her and see how she will perfectly round out our growing family.

Lincoln can't wait and Madden has no idea what's about to happen. Ryan is excited and nervous at the same time. I am ready, excited, and can't wait to fall in love with our newest addition. Please keep us in your thoughts and I will keep everyone posted on her arrival. Hopefully, this won't be the last time that I post for awhile.

Some Random Goodness

There's not been a whole lot going on in the Gambill household, just the same old, same old. We are definitely anticipating the arrival of this baby girl. She is already making a spectacle of her arrival, as girls will do. She's sent me to the hospital once, only to be sent home and has provided multiple contractions that last just long enough to really start hurting but not quite long enough to qualify as labor. The boys were easy, water breaks, and off you go. If this is forewarning of what's to come, please help me.

These are some shoes that my cousin brought her back from China, can't wait to get them on her.

My sister is in town this weekend and all the cousins got together. They are a mess and my mom is exhausted after attempting to keep them all amused. Girls seem to be a scarce commodity in this family.

Madden's personality is starting to shine and at times it's not so nice. He doesn't say much, so there's a lot of grunting and screaming that goes on in our household. He loves to put hats on his head and will actually leave them on. Here he is with Daddy's cowboy hat, love it!

I've decided that I am starting trade school early with the boys to make sure that they turn out to be handy husbands. Remember, always wear your safety goggles. Ryan was the one who was brave enough to actually let Lincoln hammer in nails while he was holding them. No thanks on that one, I need my opposable thumbs.

Madden "participated" as well and by that I mean he attempted to hammer everything in site as well as chunk it across the room, not good.

So, that about sums up a whole lot of nothing. Next time I post I hope that it will include the picture of a sweet baby girl. Until then, I'm going to attempt to stay cool.

Happy Fourth of Fuly!

Lincoln was so excited about the 4th of Fuly (as he pronounced it). It actually took us a minute to decode exactly what he was talking about and why he kept calling it a birthday party. I kept telling him that just because we were having a party it wasn't anyone's birthday. Well, silly me, he pointed out it was America's birthday, man did that make me feel not smart. So, here a few pictures from our "birthday party".

Here's Lincoln with that lovely watermelon, maybe this will help put it's size into perspective.

Madden enjoying a piece of that juicy thing once it was cut open (at least for picture purposes only).

Everyone enjoying the fireworks, Madden was so cute in his little chair. He would gasp and point when he saw a big one.

Lincoln enjoying some snap and pops.

Madden loved the poppers too, he was stomping all over them. I tried to get a video but by the time I came back with it, his interest had waned, oh well.

Madden and daddy.

Cousins, kind of funny the variety of skin tones they are.

This is how the kiddos and Ryan celebrated America's birthday. They lined up a ton of sparklers, got them all lit, and then shouted "Happy Birthday, America".

I hope that everyone had a great 4th of July and all were safe. We only ended up with one punk burn this year, that's pretty good stats for our group of crazies.