Last Braves game of the season

A bittersweet day in the Powell house. Although we are psyched for football season ( a little less psyched after Georgia and Furman's losses yesterday...ugh), we are always sad to say goodbye to baseball for the year! We decided to head out to Turner Field one last time to cheer on our Braves, and when Greg got front row seats in section 405 for $2.50 each...there was no debate! :) the seats were awesome and we really got our money's worth when the game went into extra innings! We stayed in our seats through the 7th inning stretch and then headed up to Sky Field (for those of you not familiar with the Ted, it is a wide open area on the top level of the outfield -right next to the Coke bottle and the Cow that does the chop!) Anywhoo, there is a place for the kids to run from "home to 1st base" - I think the same distance as the real field - and I promise the boys ran, got back in line, ran again, etc. for a full hour and a half! They had a ball and completely wore themselves out! It was hysterical...at first they were very intense...running their little legs off...but then as time went on they started getting really silly!
Around the beginning of the 14th (yes you read that correctly) inning, all seats were opened up so we headed down about 14 rows behind the dugout. SO cool! The boys (and we) loved being able to really see the players and where the pitches were...unfortunately, we also saw a horrible final call that mistakenly called a checked swing a strike...we think the ump was just hungry and ready to go! Even with that...we had a wonderful day! The weather was perfect and all 3 of the boys enjoyed themselves, even after, as we were walking in, Tanner missed a step and tumbled - complete with a full flip - down the concrete steps to the rail at the bottom. Incredibly, he wasn't hurt, just scared to death (so were we!). He is such a tough little guy!

To top off the day and the season, we headed to the world famous Varsity for dinner...yum! Needless to say...all three were asleep before we got back on the highway and Greg and I are totally exhausted...but it was such a wonderful day!

Hope you all are well and enjoying these beautiful days!

Guilt trip...

I know that I have totally dropped the ball on this blog thing. In my defense...I have been posting photos on my facebook page but I know that many of you are not on fb so I am going to try and do better about updates.

We have had an amazing summer, full of firsts, new experiences and two birthdays! Stay tuned, because I will be "retro-blogging" so I can share photos of beach trips, birthdays, first days of school and other fun activities.

For now...here are a few photos of our handsome boys from our weekend in Destin over Labor day...we had a wonderful time! All 3 boys loved the beach (Mathis enjoyed munching on the sand, while the older two were more into driving their trucks and building forts!). Landon and Tanner got really bold about swimming in the ocean...Greg taught them how to ride the waves on their boogie board and even took them out to the sand bar. When did they get so big? The last day was so calm and beautiful that we put Mathis in his float and we took a family swim out to the sand bar. We all loved it!
















It was super fun to have some time away as a family...with school and baseball starting it seems like life is starting to get away from us already! Was that really our last beach trip for 2009?

Hope you all are well!

Blessings,

Greg, Kristen, Landon, Tanner and Mathis

Wow...time does fly!

So I almost completely skipped the month of June! I wish I was better about updating this thing, and I will try harder, because all three of the boys are changing and growing so fast! We are having a blast with each of them! Landon is all about swimming now and still enjoys getting out with daddy to hit baseballs. Tanner is a little daredevil on his bike and pretty much tries to keep up with whatever Landon is doing. Mathis is getting so big...pushing himself to sit from laying down, sitting unassisted (at least for a minute or two), and crawling! Yes, I did say crawling...at 6 months old! Granted, it isn't graceful and it usually takes him a few minutes to get moving but once he gets started...he's off! It is adorable, and the boys are hysterical cheering him on and clapping...they get so excited that he stops, drops down to his belly and just waits till they are quiet before starting again! Very cute! Everyone says he is early to crawl b/c he wants to keep up with his brothers...funny, Greg and I seem to think he is trying to escape from them! :)

Hope you are all doing well!

When did THAT happen?

I am sure I have no idea how you mom's keep your blogs up and running. I am just proud to get one on each month anymore! :)

Tomorrow we leave for Destin for the long weekend, and can't wait!! We stay at a great low rise condo with a pool and we all just love it! We are going to have to really enjoy our time away because things are going to get crazy when we return! The boys are done with "school" for the summer so it is 3 & me all day...every day. I am already tired and haven't even finished week one! Actually, the main reason I am so wiped is that I have started this boot camp trying to find my body...I seemed to have lost it somewhere and boy do I miss it! (oh to be as "fat" as I thought I was last year this time!) I go 3 times a week from 5:15-6:15am. So far it has been great...even running 1.5 miles...but I have a long way to go! We are going to put both boys in a group "refresher" swim lesson once/week for the summer and I think we are going to try Tanner in soccer and see how he likes it (he is still too young for baseball until next spring). He took a sport tykes class at the Y and enjoyed it, but it was really obvious that he has an older brother and he really needs something a little more challenging...so we'll see.

Mathis is all of a sudden a big boy! Chatting away and rolling here and there...crawling (usually military style...and backwards) and grabbing at anything he can (my hair is his favorite)! I had his photo taken today and it was so adorable...I went in for my freebie 8x10 and came out with 6 sheets...oh well, Also, today the boys decided that since they both were given Build-a-bears when they were born, that Mathis should have one too! We all had fun putting the bear together! I am attaching a photo for you to see our little squirt up and trying to crawl already and also to see how big all our boys are!

Happy Summer and Memorial Day!!

Happy Easter!

Hope you all have had a wonderful day! We had the best day to top off a great week. Greg and I have been really going through the Easter story with the boys each night so that they would understand the real reason behind Easter...not just the bunny and egg thing. It really was so exciting and humbling to hear Landon tell the story to us last night...God is so good...and we are so blessed...everyday, but especially this day!! "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, He has risen!" Praise God!

So after a week of spring break with the boys, we capped off the week dyeing eggs on Friday, with intermittent trips to the basement due to tornado warnings. You should have seen the amount of hail that fell! There was so much that it actually looked like snow on the ground! They had a ball, though most eggs had a "spiderweb" design due to them dropping the eggs into the cups! :) Our family has a tradition called the "Egg smash" where everyone has an egg (also called fighter, steed, warrior, etc...ah, there is quite a bit of smack talk in my family...shocker, I know...) and we tap (read that "smash", crash or crush) small ends first with everyone determining a small end winner, and then the same with the fat end until we have two winners. Then those two compete for the title of Egg smash champion for the year. This has become such a serious competition, that my mother actually brought eggs for my dad and her to fight with...to be sure that they had worthy competitors (which ended up to be wise, but funny that they would come packin' just the same!). Unfortunately, with 5 kids under the 7 and under and 4 of them being boys, the smash quickly dissolved into mass chaos so therefore, we have no idea who was the "official" winner. I personally think that people were making illegal substitutions...next year I'll have to hide the extra eggs!!

So, yes, you read that correctly, this year we celebrated Easter at our home. When my mom and dad called my grandmother to wish her a happy Easter and told her they were coming to my house for dinner...there was a moment of silence and then she asked "who's cooking dinner?" When my mother told her I was, she laughed right out loud!! Thanks for the support! It was my turn, as I really wasn't much help with Thanksgiving or Christmas this year, though most of you know that I really hate cooking...mostly because I am horrible at it! However...Easter is the holiday to cook for if you have to...the ham comes completely cooked!! All you have to do is make the glaze and glaze it! Imagine my surprise and joy at this discovery!! Now before you all think I was a total slacker, I did prepare a turkey breast (which, may I add, wasn't half bad...though I did receive a little guidance from Scott on when I should take it out of the oven), and I made my mother in law's soon to be famous sweet potato souffle. And last I heard, everyone was doing fine! :)

It was a wonderful day. The boys woke up in time to check out their Easter baskets before church...and we even made it on time!! At our home (from my childhood, and I think, even my dad's childhood) the Easter bunny leaves roasted peanuts (in the shell) all over the house. When we were kids, Lisa, Chadd and I would tear through the house and then count to see who had found the most. See, I do come by this competitive nature honestly! Anywhoo, the boys aren't there yet, but they sure did have fun finding the peanuts...with a little help from Grandy! And, they enjoyed eating the goods too! Scott, Lisa and the kids got here around 1 and we were able to have a fun visit. Tanner took an aluminum bat to the mouth and put his eye tooth through his tongue and bottom lip...but no teeth were loose, and after a Popsicle and some good sugar, he shook it off...but has one heck of a fat lip. He is such a tough guy, I was so proud of him! Mathis was an angel and napped at all the right times so we were able to visit and eat, and then sat in his bouncy seat and talked for everyone. Poor thing didn't make it into a family shot, but we'll stage one later on! Landon just reveled in the presence of his cousins...he sure does love and look up to them...it is so sweet to see...and they are so good to him and all the young ones! It truly was a fun day!

Hope all of you had a wonderful day and made some great memories!! God bless you!

Sweet talkin'

In the past few weeks or so, Mathis has discovered his hands, his thumb and his voice. It is so fun for us to watch him get so excited over every little thing. The squeals and giggles will melt your heart and Landon and Tanner's newest favorite thing is to see who can get the baby to laugh first and loudest...it truly is the sweetest music ever! :)

Sea World photos

WOW! Sea World was amazing! I'm not sure who enjoyed it more - the boys or Greg and me! The shows were incredible and the boys really had fun seeing the penguins and sharks and feeding the dolphins. The weather was wonderful and we all had so much fun! Tanner was too small to ride all but one ride but Landon got to ride the kiddie coaster with Greg and topped the day off with a ride on the Atlantis - which is a HUGE water log ride. He was so brave but informed me afterward that he probably wouldn't ride it again until he was "7 or something like that". It was precious!

Hitting the road!

Hello all! Hope this finds you all doing well and enjoying the beautiful spring weather. It is so crazy that 2 weekends ago it was snowing and this past weekend was warm enough for shorts and tee shirts! We are definitely a warm weather family and are so excited for warmer and longer days!

It is now past midnight and officially Mathis' 3 month birthday! It is so hard to believe that he is already 3 months...it seems to have flown by! He is so chunky and cute and a pretty happy baby, as long as he is fed right on time! I am sure he is at least 15 pounds and is consistently sleeping through the night (from around 9 or 10 until around 6am) which is so wonderful! He has also become quite good at getting his left thumb into his mouth and putting himself to sleep. Today he knocked himself out while playing on his play mat...check out how he was holding his left hand in with his right! And check out those "rubber band wrists"...he sure is a roly baby! :)

Our big boys are doing great too...though Tanner has had a tough time shaking a cold and it seems that it is back about every other week or so! True to form, he doesn't let it slow him down too much and just wants to snuggle more...which is fine with me! He is still totally into the baby and will at random times come up and say "I love my baby"...it is so sweet! Landon had his first game last Saturday and did really well! His cousins Scott Patrick and Noah rode over with Grandmommy to watch his game and I'm pretty sure he was more interested in them than the game once he realized they were in the stands! I don't think he could wait til the game was over and he could see them! After a team lunch, we hit the road to Marietta to watch the boys' first game and then cook out at Scott and Lisa's with their family and Grandmommy and Grandy...so fun to watch the kids all together!

At long last, tomorrow we leave for Siesta Key!! For those of you that know what beach bums we are, you will know that not having visited a beach since last June was REALLY hard on all of us! :) Actually, we are heading to Orlando first and are going to Sea World on Friday and then will arrive in Siesta Key that evening late so we can wake up and be out on the beach early! We are all really excited! It is incredible to me how much stuff a family of 5 "needs" for a trip like this. We bought the van so we'd have more room, I think we just bring more stuff! We had to make a few purchases since it's been a while since we had a little one on the beach. One was a beach cabana so Mathis will be able to be shaded since he is really too little for sunscreen (although, I think I am going to use it anyway...just to be safe). The boys have had a really fun time breaking it in in their playroom! They are really looking forward to camping out in the backyard once the weather is pretty!

Anywhoo, we will look forward to sharing our trip with you all when we return, but for now, I've attached a few recent photos! Take care...and Happy Birthday Grandmommy!

Our little golfers...

The other weekend was so pretty that we took the boys to the driving range...they had a ball and so did Greg...I think he has visions of his future foursome! Mathis and I enjoyed the weather and listening to the boys and Greg banter back and forth about who was hitting better! I know I am the mommy and wife, but I think they made a pretty cute picture out there together! And, of course, the boys ended up on the putting/pitching green...rolling down the hill and laughing hysterically...it was a really fun day!

Where has the time gone??

Wow, I am really bad about updating this! How do you other moms keep up?? I originally started writing this on the 19th...it is now the 25th...well...just like our Christmas cards, better late than never!!

Yesterday I took Mathis for his 2 month well check...can you believe it? Two months old already! I am having a hard time accepting that! He is such a great baby and the boys are still loving him! There is no doubt in my mind that Mathis is going to have to be one tough cookie! The appointment went really well, only 2 shots and an oral roto-virus vaccine. He weighs an amazing 13pounds 11 ounces and is 23 inches long. The nurse practitioner kept laughing about how cute and full of rolls he is...even where he doesn't bend he has rolls! However, much to the disbelief of Greg who thinks he is enormous,Tanner was even bigger at 2 months...hard to believe! He is hitting milestones right on time and has started smiling all the time and "talking" with boys, much to their delight! He rolled over back to belly twice one night last week, though he hasn't since, so it might have been a fluke! All in all, these things, as well as him sleeping for most of the night (around 8:30p-3:30a and then again from 4-8 or whenever I have to get him up to take the boys), we are really having a lot of fun!

The boys are doing great being big brothers, but seem to be a little wilder than usual with each other! We are doing "boot camp" at our house to try and re-establish the rules - Listening "right away, all the way, and with a happy heart". It has been tough, but I think it may be tougher on Greg and me then them!

We've had some exciting happenings around our house...My Gram came to visit and had a first meeting with Mathis...obviously, he found her quite amusing! :) Also, after trying unsuccessfully to keep Tanner in his crib at night, we finally put a "big boy bed" (aka - a mattress on the floor) in his room. And, after trying unsuccessfully to keep Tanner in his room at night, we put a gate in his doorway...which he promptly scaled. Yes, we are being stretched as parents with that one! :) He is so impish and charming, but is every bit of two right now. That being said, we can't help but have to hide our faces and giggles while we are trying to discipline - it truly is impossible to stay angry with that boy! Landon has started baseball again and is really enjoying it, and so are we! Greg is helping with the coaching and having a ball. I am so excited to finally be able to watch him in action and he is so amazing...as a 4 year old...with what he is able to do! I am so surprised by how well he hits and the fact that he is now willing to actually play the field in addition to hitting is exciting too! I, and we, are really looking forward to the season (well, except for Tanner who spends each practice asking why he can't play too).

Finally, I was able to get our Christmas cards out last week...nothing like Christmas in February, right? Now maybe I can get a little better about updating this blog...we'll see! We are counting down the days til we head to Siesta Key for a little beach and spring training. We will also be surprising the boys with a trip to Sea World. We are looking forward to seeing their reactions to the dolphin shows, and we are pretty excited about going too!

Hope you all are doing well...we'd love to hear from you!

The end!

January is almost over!! I have GOT to send out our Christmas cards! :) I mean, I think that we may get a bye this year, but we'd like to send one just the same! It's alright, we take pride in prolonging the holidays for our friends and loved ones! My goal was to have them mailed by January 31, but that is Sunday, and they aren't ready to go yet, so maybe by Valentine's Day!

Thursday marked the official end of our "ordeal". I saw my OB for my follow-up exam and got the all clear to resume normal life...whatever that is! I am feeling stronger every day, but still require a nap most days, and Motrin is never far! I caught a virus from somewhere (probably the urgent care last weekend!) and have a wicked sore throat, which I seem to have shared with Landon and quite possibly, the baby, who has been uncharacteristically fussy today. Ugh! So we are laying low and keeping the Motrin/Tylenol handy. Mathis also has thrush, which can be quite painful when they are eating, so I am treating him with nystatin and I am taking an antibiotic and hopefully those two things together will get us both squared away!

We are looking forward to wonderful weather on Sunday...and some time romping about in the yard. It seems that there is also a possibility that we could be frolicking in the snow come Tuesday, but we'll have to wait and see...it is amazing that it can be 62 one day and two days later cold enough to snow! I think the boys would enjoy it, they still talk of our snow storm last January and the snowman we built...but truth be told, we are a warm weather family and are counting the days til we leave for Siesta Key in March! Greg used to encourage me by saying, "you've already been here (the hospital) longer than we have left til the beach" He certainly knows how to motivate me!

Hope 2009 has started out well for ya'll!

And just like that...

...we're into our new normal! It is amazing to think that just 6 weeks ago we were anxiously awaiting P3's arrival...now we have a wonderfully sweet little Mathis and have trouble remembering life before he got here! The boys still love him so sweetly and although I am exhausted...I am happily so...and we are really starting to find our rhythm! God is so good!

This weekend was yet another glimpse at what life was like before my "incarceration" (what I affectionately call my 5 months of bed rest!). After a fun dinner out as a family at our neighbor's new restaurant on Friday, I got to meet my dear friends Rebecca, and birthday girl Lila for breakfast and toes Saturday morning! Our first time in 6 months and I think we all enjoyed it! Happy Birthday sweet friend! When I got home I went straight to the ball fields where Landon was having his skills assessment for this season of baseball! I can't believe it is already starting again! He did awesome, hitting both pitches thrown to him...complete with a little "waggle" before he took his swing, and sending 2 line drives down the 3rd base line! He also has improved with his fielding...instead of playing in the dirt, he actually chased down both grounders and made great, accurate throws to first! We're so proud!

When they got up from naps, things had dried up from all the rain we had gotten Friday night and they had a fun time riding bikes and playing basketball on the drive, and we had a ball watching them have fun together!

And, today, yet another return to "normal". Tanner awoke very congested and with two pretty red, goopy (sp?) eyes, so instead of church, off we went to support Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (we like to make routine "contributions" at the urgent care center on Mansell...it's pretty bad when they recognize you and your kids!) Anywhoo, I took Mathis too since he has been congested since Tanner's first "cold" last weekend. Poor Tanner had sinusitis, bronchiolitis, and two eyes full of conjunctivitis...that is what we call a hat trick! He was prescribed an antibiotic and also an abeuterol nebulizer (yeah, I have NO idea how to spell that) to help with his wheezing. Thankfully, he has seen his super star older cousins use their "puffers" from time to time so he felt like quite the big boy using his and doesn't seem to mind it. He was already acting like he felt 100% better tonight and should be totally back to normal by tomorrow late!

Mathis, on the other hand, got a clean bill of health. He does have a cold, though it is only in his nose and not in his lungs and the doctor felt we could hasten his recovery with saline drops and lots of feedings to increase his fluid intake. They tested him for RSV, which thankfully, was negative. Here's the amazing part. Remember that he weighed 7lbs 14oz at birth, and at 3 days old had dropped to 7lbs 3oz. Today, at 6 weeks 2 days of age, he weighed 11lbs 12oz! That is basically 4 pounds in 6 weeks! Yup, we make 'em chunky here in the Powell house! My sister joked that Mathis would lap Bennett, who is 4 months and 14 pounds within the next 2 months! It would only be fitting because Tanner outweighed her daughter Mary Claire when he was only 6 months and she was 18 months!

We are having fun and feeling more like old times...with an extra little cutie in the mix. He is starting to really pay attention to the world around him and has even teased with a smile or two lately! It really is amazing to see how much he has changed so quickly!

I promise to try to be better with updates...for some reason, I feel a little more pressed for time these days! :) Hope you all are well and enjoying this new year!!

Making up for lost time

Hope this finds you all well! We have been busy lately! It is so fun to see the boys love on their little "Mathis Cooper Powell" (Tanner always calls him by all three of his names!). He turned 1 month old the 12th...so hard to believe. I am going to try and do monthly photos of him, like I did with Landon...Tanner was no so lucky and I only have about 6 of his monthly photos...such is the life of a middle child...poor thing!




Last Saturday, Tanner awakened with quite an impressive cold, so after a quick visit to the doctor who assured us that it was just a cold, we had a fun family day! Sunday, we didn't want to be "those parents", you know, the ones that bring their kids to school/church with snotty noses and germs to share, but since he was much better than he had been on Sat, we headed out to the Aquarium. It was really fun to watch the boys reactions, and it was so fun to be doing something fun as a family instead of hearing about it and experiencing it through photos after the fact!


Monday, the my sister's boys had the MLK holiday off, so we met them over in Marietta at a gymnastics/competitive cheerleading gym and let them go crazy on the trampolines, swinging on the bars, swinging on a rope and jumping into the huge foam pit! Grandmommy and Grandy stopped by to watch the madness...and Grandmommy even donated one of her socks to the foam pit collection while taking Tanner for a ride/jump on the rope! It was super fun...we'll definitely do it again the next time the boys' have a day off!