Bowen

Bowen is turning into an incredibly sweet baby. He is sleeping better, growing beautifully and has that wonderful gaping baby smile that can melt the coldest heart. His hair is epic. My mom thinks it looks like Turks (the gorilla best friend) from Tarzan.

 2 Months old

 3 Months old

Brooks

Mr. Brooks and I are learning each other. He is advancing into a new world of language and communication. Much of this includes the most piercing screaming you'd ever hear; I swear he makes my eardrums bleed. He is my smallest proportionately but has the personality to make up for it. He is nobody's puppet. Brooks is adjusting a bit with having a new baby around and while he is giving me a run for my money he is always my most polite. He always says thank you - even between each bite of food you help him with. He likes to play and he loves to sing. His favorite song is one that my Grandpa Gabrielsen taught me. Horsey Horsey. You would be amazed at my repertoire of children's songs. I am pretty sure I can't be beat.

Brooks is currently potty training. He is the one pushing it - since he is still pretty young, I will let him go as often as he is interested but won't force the issue for quite a while. (Don't mind the graphic picture; its the only one we have:)

 Keeping Brooks in his high chair is a feat. I still can't keep him planted for the duration of a meal.

Drake

My little Drake is full of life. He is hilarious to say the least. He always has a twinkle in his eye and a bounce in his step. If music turns on, you can be sure Drake will be shakin' his bum for all he's worth. It has been fun bonding with him as my little helper now that Carson is at school every day all day. Drake likes to help and is very, very tender with Bowen. He is most certainly my biggest baby lover.

 Drake's job while making 'Carson stew' was to snap the big green beans into smaller pieces and put them in. He took his job very seriously.

 This boy aint afraid of nobody! While Carson liked playing football, Drake LOOOOVED it. The big brothers on Carson's football team would play with each other during each of the games. Drake would put some flags on, elbow his way into the huddle, and throw down with the biggest and baddest of them all. I should mention what sweet boys these older brothers were. They would ALWAYS let him play and even let him think he was the biggest, fastest and strongest.

 Drake is always lookin' for a party. It was spirit week at Carson's school and Drake made sure to dress up every day as well. Here they are on 'mismatch day'.

Carson

This fall big things have happened to Carson. In addition to starting kindergarten, he lost his first tooth the beginning of October and played on his first football team. He even scored two touchdowns! He continues to amaze me every day. Carson is brilliant, responsible, handsome, kind, and conscientious.

 Carson was selected as the first star of the week in his class. This included taking care of a dragon named Dip.

 On a recent fieldtrip, Carson went to a farm and harvested a whole lot of crops. His spoils included cabbage, potatoes, onions, carrots, corn, and a pumpkin. He and Drake helped me make a delicious stew we dubbed 'Carson's crockpot crop stew' - or just 'Carson stew'.

Just a cute picture of Carson and Drake after an afternoon romp in the sprinklers. I wasn't sure where to add this in but couldn't leave it out!

Abnormal EKG

I just got back from the doctor. In case you can't tell from the title, it wasn't a great visit. I have been dizzy lately. Not just your average dizzy, and not vertigo since I have quite a bit of experience with that. I am also really fatigued, sleep a lot more than normal and am still beat, have a really low heart rate (like 36.  60 is as high as I am getting), can't focus (not distracted - literally can't seem to bring things into focus), and have a headache. All the time.
I have already been to the eye doctor to rule that out. I am not going blind...yet.
After getting fed up with they way that I feel, I called the doc this morning. In the appointment just now she was a bit perplexed and said, "you are not whiny person/patient. I think we should do an EKG because you if you say something is that off; it probably is". I felt grateful she was taking me that seriously, but freaked out at the same time.
I had 4 EKGs; they all came back abnormal. Scary. I know heart issues can range from very minor to...well, you know.
I will now go to a cardiologist and be monitored for 24 hours (I can take the monitor home). Time to figure out what is wrong. I am trying so hard not the think of the worst. All I want to do is take care of my four beautiful babies who depend so much on me. Extreme, I know. Ultimately, all is well though. I will update when I know what is wrong, but in the mean time just send a few prayers my way if you would please!

I guess I have reached my max

I thought three kids was a lot to handle. Turns out that for me,  four is the number that might kill me. I can't even take a full breath. Really, I shouldn't be sitting down to write this, there is sooooo much I need to get done, but I need therapy and for me, writing is just that.
So on to my stories:
Yesterday I was trying desperately to get a screaming baby down for a nap. It wasn't happening he was putting up the biggest fight yet. In between sessions of going into his room to try and calm him into sleep yet again I see Drake kind of meandering around downstairs. I asked him what was up to which he replied, "oh, just checking on Carson in the bathroom."
Coming from Drake, this could mean any number of things but I thought I should look into it. There Carson stood, looking in the mirror blotting a gushing wound with a wad of toilet paper. "Are you ok??" I questioned while assessing the situation.
"Yeah I'm fine."
I wasn't so sure. Just the day before Carson had smashed his finger outside between a stick and the pavement. He came inside to clean it up an ended up fainting on the kitchen floor.
"Well, lets get you taken care of," I urged.
I was overly "helpful" as I took Carson to the kitchen to clean he and the wound and get it dressed and bandaged. In the middle of it all the doorbell rings.
There stood my neighbor and her granddaughter. "Uh, Drake is stuck in a tree out back yelling for help. You might want to go get him."
I had no clue he was outside. If I had, I would have been listening through the screen door. As it was I was busy scrutinizing Carson for any signs of passing out.
I quickly rushed out back to see Drake stranded in our lilac bush holding a bucket of sand. The second I took it from him he shimmied out of the tree. It was like a monkey trap.
Meanwhile, Bowen is still screaming.
Fail number 437,912 - 3, and 4

Today, I was prepping potatoes for baking. I wanted them extra clean - I REALLY don't like getting a bit of grit on my otherwise delicious baked potato. Apparently I also wanted them to be extremely ventilated, otherwise I wouldn't have been stabbing them to death with so much vigor. In all my gusto I managed to put a fork into my left thumb.
It hurt a lot, but was really make my stomach church was that when I jerked away, the potato, fork and my thumb were all still stuck together.
I cleaned and dressed the wound as well as I could and hastily moved on.
It was later at dinner that I realized with all of the throbbing and swelling that I had actually stabbed clear the the fatty part of my thumb to the other side.
Yes, I am very sleep deprived.
Fail number 437,915

Its a good thing my husband is so stinking awesome. Not to mention my sweet little kiddos. Somehow I think we will all make it through this :).

(I guess I should mention that part of what is making life c.r.a.z.y right now is that on top of major adjustments with another baby, school, and life in general. Dave has started his MBA and was just called to be the Stake Executive Secretary. I thought we were busy with just the 3 boys...turns out I was very, very wrong :).

Carson Starts Kindergarten

 Excited as could be! He woke up bright and early to prove it!

 In the car, on the way. My mom was in town to help with brand new baby so both Dave and I got to take him :)

 With his teacher - she is great!

 Carson is the tallest in his class. I was the same way until about 9th grade.

Carson did great, with no reservations. But I was that mom. I held it together until he was out of sight, and then I burst into tears and couldn't control myself for about an hour. I love my Carson!