preschool paint and butterballs

i never did do a happy 18 month post for eli did i? eli turned 18 months on the 21st. with ezra it seemed like 18 months was so big and going to nursery was such a big step. with eli though i have really felt like he is still so little. 18 month old are still so babyish, and my little eli is now just my " big baby". the only time he seems really big to me is when i change his big butt. seriously next to abe the other boys have huge old booties like their mama! the day before abe was born the boys were getting really restless so i pulled out one of the kid concoction books and we made some edible finger paints using whip cream and food coloring. it was a hit and they loved that they could eat it.


here are some pictures of abes first bath at home. the boys loved helping us wash abe. it was all fun and games until eli picked up a giant cucumber and tried to throw it in the water with abe. in his defense, i think he was trying to be helpful and wash the cucumber too, not give his new baby brother a black eye. luckily my super fast reflexes kicked in and i was able to intercept the vegetable before disaster struck. abe had his 2 week check up today. his weight went up from 7 lbs 11 oz at birth to 8 lbs 9 oz! that my friends is why i call my kids butterballs. my milk is so fattening that my children literally smell like butter and the 1 lb in 2 week weight gain is proof...

an almost disaster
ezra started preschool on monday. he was super excited to go and then when we got there he was really nervous and needed me to stay for a bit with him. in the end though he had a great time and is really excited to go to preschool. i am really excited for him too, i just can't believe that my little boy is so big. nothing else new is going on. james goes back to work tomorrow which will be scary. other than that we are just trying to take it one day at a time.

no more preggie piggie... i'm just fat

:: he is here! baby boy bateman #3 was born on Wednesday at 5:05 pm. we hadn't fully decided if he was to be baby henry or baby abraham. for some reason ezra had it in his head that the baby was " baby abe" or actually " baby habe" is how he pronounced it. we kept going back and forth but decided on abraham henry bateman. somehow ezra persuaded us all! here are the details::
: we went into to hospital on weds @ 9:30 by 10 i was given pitocin, by 10:30 they broke my water and at 5:05 after only 5 pushes abe was born! it was sooo much easier than both of my previous labors! in fact after the first push james said " he has dark hair" and i was in shock that he could already see the head. ezra was at least 2 hours of pushing and eli a half and hour so it was great. i like the downward trend 24 hours of labor, 11 then 8, maybe next time it will be under 6??!!
he is a little guy- 7 lbs 11 ozs and 20 inches with dark brown hair. he is a little clone baby and looks just like his brothers. we are all doing really great and are excited to be home. thanks family for all your help with keeping the big boys happy and entertained.

the boys love to hold abe. poor little guy has already had his nose honked by ezra, been kicked in the face by eli and had his head pushed around by eli also. they try to be gentle...
ezra kept saying " baby abe is so cute"

eli liked to point and grunt at him aunt beth
granny pammy
dad and eli
curious george

clone baby

tired mama

just like the other two he had jaundice. hopefully this is the worst of it and he just has to sunbathe. knowing our luck he will have to be under the lights for a long time. boo hoo.
loving big brother...

well there you go and good night.

don't hate because you're jealous

have i mentioned that i am the proud new owner of this sweet van? honestly am i lame that i am so excited? i have had it for about a week now and couldn't be more happy. the luxury and ease alone makes it all worth while. i will always drive a mini, mark my words. you say you never will? i defy you to admit that it will cross your mind with a third kid. thanks mom and dad for such a good deal on the just about the most mommyest car i could get.

*this is a photo from google, not my actual car but close...*

ittikids

i'm not sure how i found this store but you need to check out how cute their stuff is. it's called ittikid they are these cute and fun scandanavian style clothes. here are some of my favorites...

sick...

ugh we have all just gotten over having the stomach flu. i am so grumpy because it made me miss out on alot of fun things that i had planned last week. eli got the bug first and was throwing up and having other issues ( you know what i mean...) about every 20 minutes but at least he was able to mostly sleep. i was feeling pretty good, i hardly ever get sick anymore. i was excited to get away to bookclub and get some time away from dealing with sickness when i noticed that i was feeling sort of sick and was having contractions. i called my mom and said i'm either in labor or have the stomach flu. thank goodness it was just the stomach flu! i'm not ready for a newborn yet! then that night ezra also got sick. it was so sad, he came to tell us that he needed a drink of water and than "blahhhh" throw up city. poor little guy,he literally threw up every 20- 45 minutes all night long. there is something so sad about watching your kids stand over a toilet with no energy left in their little bodies. it was the crummiest bug i've had in a long while. i really hope that none of you guys get it or have already had it! it took a few days to get over and we missed our last days together with my friend bridgette and her kids. they moved to atlanta last week and we couldn't be sadder. we lived in the same six-plex with bridgette and chad in holladay. ezra and ella played together almost every day and i soon became friends with bridgette and we continued to see them almost weekly even when we moved. we have also made other good friends through hanging out with chad and brigette. we miss you guys already!

my boys

can i just tell you how much i love these boys? i was lying awake last night thinking about how lucky i am and how much i love my family. there are so many things that i love about each one of them and i just wanted to share a tiny bit about them. i know that this is sort of cheesy and i don't think that generally i am a cheesy person, i'll chalk it up to pregnancy hormones.

ezra- ezra is my sweet little helper. ezra is constantly trying to please people. he brings things to us to make us happy and comfortable. for example whenever we visit my grandma he is bringing her water bottles, pillows, her glasses and whatever else he thinks she needs. ezra is sweet- he hardly ever does anything shocking. he never talks back or hits, he hardly throws fits and he follows the rules. i never have had to worry about leaving ezra playing in his room while i went to another room. he is smart as can be. it amazes me the things that he says and does. when did my baby boy grow up? he is loving and friendly. while we were at the cabin in bear lake there was another group with kids staying next door. ezra would yell from the cabin " my name is ezra, i'm 3. want to play? i have to go poopy. i just went poopy" etc. he always goes up to people and introduces himself and is sweet. he also is a tender heart. he is also fun! i always get sad thinking of how fast my kids are growing but i am loving three! ezra is so funnny too, he is always saying funny things and is at that age where potty talk is funny. the other day james rubbed ezra's head and said " buddy you have a rat tail" and ezra looked at him very seriously and said " no dad me have a wienie!" ezra is also a super cutie. he is a big kid, with a big belly and the sweetest face ever. i love his little mouth and teeth too. thank goodness both of my boys got there dads cute, full lips rather than my thin pout. i can't wait to see what else this age in ezra's life brings.

eli- my little trouble maker. my grandma says he scrappy and i can't think of a better description. eli is so sweet most of the time, when he isn't scheming. today the kids were eating lunch ( quesadillas) and ezra turned around for one second, as soon as he did eli ran over and stole a piece of his quesadilla and ran away with his naughty little smile flashing. ezra just laughed and told eli to go eat his own food. he is always doing naughty little things like that. he likes to steal things from ezra or hit him, then run as fast as he can. eli is also quiet. he knows quite a few words but he prefers to just sit back and plot. eli also thinks he is a big kid. james and i have been in the nursery since eli was about 11 months old. he just sits and plays and runs with the other kids. eli is also very smart. almost to smart, i think he knows how to get exactly what he wants. eli can always be seen with his white silky blankie. he drags it everywhere and rubs it between his fingers. i love it! ezra didn't really start dragging his blanket everywhere until he was 2 but eli has his constantly. eli aslo has the prettiest blue eyes and long lashes you have ever seen. there is something really special about this boy. everyone that see him thinks they have a special bond with him. he is truly a little charmer. even though we weren't exactly planning on having ezra and eli so close together, and i must admit i was a little nervous that i wouldn't love eli as much as ezra, i have to say that i cannot even comprehend my life without him. i love these boys more than words can say.

james- i'll try not to embarress james but i just wanted to let you all know how lucky i am. james is one of the hardest working men i know. he is always doing things for us and for others, working in the yard, or the garden, or helping out our families or the church. he is also one of the funniest people i know. even though i am usually the butt of his jokes. james is also really good at seeing what others needs are. he is always taking care of the kids when i need a break, or cleaning up dinner, or giving baths. i am constantly having people tell me that james is such a good guy and i couldn't agree more. plus he's super cute to boot!

bear lake

one of my most favorite places on earth is bear lake. i love it up there and we try to go at least once a year. this year my grandma cathy rented a cabin and had a mini reunion. we got off to sort of a rough start when james noticed that the the dates on the invoice were a day off! my parents got it figured out though, and we were off. we had alot of fun despite having to switch cabins and no air conditioning. my parents rented a boat one day and the kids loved it. ezra even fell asleep on the boat he was so pooped out. we can't wait to go back and enjoy bear lake.