My busy boy

Luke is soooo busy! He is such a curious little boy and into everything. This morning I left the room for a minute and he pushed over the Christmas tree! He sure was proud of himself! Luckily there was a chair to catch it on the way down.

Healthy...finally!

I'm feeling very blessed today that my entire family is healthy and happy. These past couple of months have definitely been a bit rough on the family. It seems like one of us is always sick. We all got the stomach flu...Tyler, Luke and Jeffrey had strep throat...Luke has had three double ear infections...Luke's doctor thinks he had mono...and we've all had a number of other viruses. Oh, and Jeffrey got strep throat AFTER he got his tonsils out! Is that supposed to happen? Luke's doctor referred him to an ENT because of his multiple ear infections. We met with the doctor a couple days ago and he wants to put tubes in Luke's ears. He'll most likely be having surgery next month, as well as surgery to remove the cyst on his forehead. Poor little guy. They're hoping to do both surgeries at the same time, which will be nice. As for me, the pregnancy is going good. The baby weighed in at 2 lbs. 11 oz. last week and is doing great. He is in a breach position right now but has plenty of time to turn around. The hemorrhage is still the same size, but my doctor says that I can do a little more walking since it hasn't gotten bigger in the past couple of months. I'm definitely eager to have this baby in my arms and know that he's safe. His big brothers are sure excited to meet him!

My three little indians...

Halloween!

I absolutely love Halloween! The boys had so much fun dressing up and trick-or-treating. Luke seemed a little confused at first, but quickly realized that people were giving away candy and joined right in the fun!

Pre-Halloween festivities

These are some pictures of the fun we had leading up to halloweeen. We baked and decorated sugar cookies, carved pumpkins, and had our traditional spooky Halloween dinner....complete with pumpkin pizzas, apple eye balls, spider crackers, monster teeth (green corn), strawberry hearts, and bloody intestines (aka spaghetti, Tyler's idea!).

Tyler turns 6!

I can hardly believe that our sweet little Tyler is already six years old! We celebrated his birthday last month with a small space-themed party (he's really been into planets, rockets, and everything space related lately). Jeffrey's mom flew in from Oregon the night before his birthday which made the day extra special.

Tyler cried for his first four months of life and has been such a happy boy ever since. I was looking back at pictures of him growing up and noticed that he has a big smile on his face in just about every picture. He is such a sweet natured little guy and loves to help others. He loves to be with his friends, go to church and school, and especially loves playing with his two little brothers. Tyler is constantly asking me questions about things and enjoys reading, drawing, and building. I am amazed at the things he creates with his Lego's and Tinkertoys. It has been such a joy to watch my sweet Tyler grow each day and I feel so blessed to be his mother!

Still here

For those of you who have been wondering, we're still alive and well! This past month has been pretty busy and I don't get to spend much time on the computer these days. I'll be posting some pictures of the past month really soon! I'm now 25 weeks pregnant and the baby is doing well. I'm seeing a perinatologist along with my regular OB and they've put me on a modified bedrest. The hemorrhage is still quite large and will most likely be present for the remainder of the pregnancy, so the doctors say that our biggest concern now is preventing preterm labor and making sure that the placenta is continuing to give the baby the nourishment that he needs. I've been having lots of contractions, but there are much fewer when I stay off my feet. The baby is growing well and was 1 lb. 3 ozs. at my last appointment. I've been getting lots of help from friends which I am so incredibly grateful for. Just 15 more weeks to go!

Caught!

This little guy is always trying to sneak something out of the refrigerator when I'm not watching! I'm not sure how he got away with this one, but he sure was happy when I found him!

Craft time!

This is one of Ethan's favorite little crafts. I bought several bottles of cheap white glue and added a few drops of food coloring to each one. Then I fill a muffin tin with various little items. Ethan loves creating with his rainbow glue and is always excited to see what things I'll put in the muffin tin. This is such a nice, quiet activity....and we love quiet!

Little Slugger

Tyler started his first season of t-ball/coach pitch a few weeks ago and he absolutely loves it! He has a smile on his face most of the time and never seems to get bored. There's nothing like watching a team of 4-6 year olds playing baseball, it is so adorable and entertaining! I'm so proud of my little slugger!

Transformation

Last month we discovered that our parsley plant had been overtaken by little caterpillars. Tyler quickly got attached to his little friends and checked on them every day. It was so exciting to watch the incredible transformation from a caterpillar, into a chrysalis, and then see our beautiful black swallowtail butterfly spread it's wings for the first time. Truly amazing!

The sweetest!

This little guy makes me smile every day. He is so happy, so curious, and so incredibly sweet!

Another little Rockwood!

This is a photo of the newest addition to our family....another little BOY due to join us around February 28th!!! That's right, IT'S A BOY!!! I'll have to admit that after the initial shock at the thought of having four boys, we couldn't be happier and feel so blessed at this time. His older brothers are already so excited for his arrival! I am now almost 17 weeks along and have had a bit of a worrisome time with this pregnancy. At nine weeks I was diagnosed with a subchorionic hemorrhage/hematoma (a bleeding behind the placenta, often caused by a clot). The doctor says that there is not much we can do except monitor it and wait to see what happens (I've already had six ultrasounds!). In many cases these heal on their own but after researching online, I've just tried not to think too much about the other possible outcomes. I've been told to "take it easy" and avoid picking up Luke whenever possible which has been extremely hard. At times like this I wish we could be closer to family but I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends who have been eager to help out. Jeffrey has pretty much taken over in the evenings with cleaning and the bedtime routines. The hemorrhage has gotten bigger since the initial diagnosis so my doctor has decided to send me to a high risk doctor to see what they have to say. We're just praying for the best and can't wait for this precious little boy to join our family!

Preschool....A Whole New World!

Ethan started preschool last week and boy was he ready! He's been so excited to go to school "like Ty". He walked to his room, put up his backpack and lunchbox, and then walked right into the room without a second thought. I insisted on getting a picture with his teachers and then he was off to make new friends. I didn't even get a hug goodbye, which made me a little sad, but I just love the confidence of my little Ethan. He loved his first week of school and was especially thrilled to help me make his lunch each day (probably no suprise to those of you who know how much Ethan loves food!)....the first day he requested....a circle peanut butter and jelly sandwich, cucumbers, some stoplight peppers (green and red peppers), apple slices, a little bit of milk, a little bit of juice, a dill pickle, a sweet pickle, some goldfish crackers, and some fruit snacks. Pretty silly little guy!

The Aquarium

We spent a fun Saturday afternoon at the Virginia Aquarium. The boys loved the huge fish tanks, especially the shark tank! For some reason we couldn't get Luke near the glass, I guess he thought the fish were going to swim right out and get him!

Bristle Blocks

Do any of you remember playing with these when you were younger? I honestly think that this is one of the best toy purchases that we have made. Tyler, Ethan, AND Luke all love creating with these fun bristle blocks. Tyler makes really elaborate airplanes and rocket ships, while Ethan loves to make planes and "machines". They fly their planes through the air, watch the pieces break apart all over the floor, and then start all over again! It's so fun to see what their little minds come up with!

The musician

What will he come up with next?

Girl's Night Out....Boy's Night Out Back

A couple weeks ago I was able to go out for the evening with some very good friends of mine. It was a fun night out with the girls, but definitely a sad occasion. My sweet friend Emily moved away a couple days later and will soon send her husband off on a seven month deployment. I don't know what I'll do without Emily here to constantly make me laugh, but I'm so glad that she can live near her family during this time. We already miss you Emily!!!

Upon arriving home from my night out I found that Jeffrey, Tyler, and Ethan had decided to have a boy's night and camp in the backyard. They even made s'mores over the grill! What a fun night for everyone!!

Tyler's big day!

Our little Tyler started Kindergarten last Tuesday! He has been so excited to go to school and ride the bus. I dropped him off on the first day, took a picture of him with his teacher, and then he gave me a hug and walked right into the classroom. He looked a little nervous but had a huge smile on his face! The boys helped me make a school bus cake to celebrate Tyler's big day. I definitely think that riding the bus is the most exciting part about Kindergarten for Tyler! It's been a little sad having Tyler gone in the mornings but I love hearing all the stories about his day as we walk home from the bus stop each afternoon...he absolutely loves school!

A Night Out

Jeffrey and I were recently able to go to a traditional Navy "Dining Out". It was a formal event and was quite entertaining, with lots of funny little rules to follow...or be punished! The best part of course was getting all dressed up and spending the evening with Jeffrey, without the kids!

Nature

It's been a long week with two sick kids, so when everyone woke up feeling pretty good today, I decided that we all needed some fresh air. After breakfast I gave Tyler and Ethan paper bags to collect "nature's treasures" and we all headed out for a nature walk. It was a gorgeous morning and the boys loved every minute of it, picking up every little thing they could find. When we got home, the boys picked out their favorite treasures and made a display board to show them off...."just like in a museum" as Tyler put it!