Three's Company!

*I had to add that Kara emailed us today and said this post was perfect because today is officially "Best Friends Day." How funny is that?

Warning: possibly my longest post to date...may only interest Bridget, Kara, and our moms!! :) However, also possibly some of my CUTEST pictures to date! :)

Have you ever heard the phrase, "Two's company, three's a crowd?" Well, I am here to tell you it's not always true. My two best friends, Kara and Bridget, and I have been the "three amigos" since Jr. High School. When I counted tonight and realized that means we've been together for 16 years, I was seriously shocked. It seems like yesterday that we were getting into mischief at the Blair House Retirement Residence (our first job; we were meal servers) together, driving around town when it was $10.00 to fill up your gas tank and it was just fun to aimlessly drive and listen to our cassette tapes (ancient, people!) of songs that we requested off the radio and waited for hours on end to play in order to tape, and dreaming about what our futures held in store for us. Through the years we have shared our ups and downs, graduated high school and college together, been in each other's weddings, all become elementary school teachers, and are now all enjoying Mommyhood together. I often take for granted how truly blessed I am to have such loyal and caring friends. Friends like this come along once in a lifetime-if we are fortunate. Bridget and Kara, I love you!! This post is about three posts in the making...got behind at the end of the school year and am lumping them all together.

First we welcomed Holden Jay Hobson into the world in 2007...

Next came Natalie Marie Scott in 2008...

And most recently, we were thrilled to complete our "stair step babies" (for now anyway!!) with Lil' Miss Corinne Paige Thompson in 2009!

(I am allowed to post these only because we've all had our turn at the "ugly hospital bed" shot, so it is fair!) :)

I had planned to do a special post for little Corinne, so here are some video clips of her. She is the sweetest little thing ever! You just forget how tiny and perfect a newborn is. I love the little sounds she makes, the way she curls her fingers, her newborn smell...oh, I could eat her up! I am anxious to spend lots more time with her now that we are all off for summer!


Isn't she beautiful?? Look at those perfectly round, rosy little cheeks, and her sweet little mouth. I love the hand mitts on her outfit, too.

I LOVE this picture of her teeny little tootsies! Kara's hand is so huge in comparison. Don't you love how newborns curl up their butt and feet and cuddle on your chest? Sigh. I need another one.

As I look at these shots, I realize how much she has grown in the few short weeks since I took them! I took a personal day towards the end of the year to spend a day with Kara and Corinne when Gary went back to work. Bridget did this as well. We each took different days so that Kara had more help. (Although I must say she is a natural at the Mommy thing and is doing awesome!) Corinne came out of the womb expressive and makes the cutest little faces! When she is awake she is so alert and into her surroundings. I love how she looks like she is waving in the paci picture, and how adorable are her froggy feet?!

Just a few more close-ups of the sweet pea. How precious is her yawn?

A chat with Corinne

This past week, we finally got the three "babies" (Holden looks so huge here to me it makes my heart hurt a little! He's still my baby boy...when did he get that big?!) together for their first photo op. Holden has seen lots of pictures of Corinne and can say her name very well. Although sometimes I think he confuses Kara and Corinne, and Bridget and Natalie. He associates the girls with their Mommies and will see Bridget, for example, and say, "Atalie??" He was excited to meet her and give her kisses! Natalie was very eager, too...but we weren't sure of how GENTLE she would be, so we stuck Holden in the middle. :)

Holden leans in for a kiss...and Natalie thinks it's funny...and Corinne wants to know what in the world is going on?! She puckered her bottom lip out right after this and it was one of the best pouts I've ever seen! She knows how to work it already!

Three best friends with three cute kiddos! (We have already said that our kids will be best friends whether they like it or not! Very diplomatically spoken, of course.)

Holden and Natalie's relationship is blossoming now that they are both toddlers. It is so funny to watch them interact. Bridget and I are loving the fact that they are old enough to actually play together with minor supervision from the background...we actually get to have conversations again! :) And yes, that is my son kissing his "girlfriend" and touching her chest...in his defense he just really liked the flowers on her shirt. At least that's the excuse he went with!!

Bridget and Ryan are building a new home, and Holden and I went over to play with Natalie and help Bridget pack. The two of them were hilarious in her princess tent together, and got us in on the action.

They also hung out in Natalie's crib together...

...and cuddled up with a good book. :)

I thought this shot was so sweet. We were waiting for Kara and Corinne to join us, and the two "big kids" were getting tired and close to nap time. They both ended up snuggling in the rocker with Bridget. I love that my best friends love my child like he was their own.

"Why do those two get to have all the fun while I'm stuck hanging out with Mommy? No fair!"

Bridget's dog, Zoe, is the best dog. She is so good with the kids. Holden got tired and just laid down with her for a snuggle. Too cute!!!

We also met up at McGraw Park this week for some fun in the sun. Next time around, I really need a little girl. Seriously. Could the sun hat get any cuter?! It is actually Corinne's, and she was kind enough to loan it out to Natalie since it's just a tad big on her own little head!

Holden and "Aunt Kara" enjoying some fountain action.

Bridget and I discovered that Holden's seat fits perfectly in her car next to Natalie's. Too cute for words is all I have to say about the two of them enjoying their ride together!

This is the only shot from the park that I was able to get with Holden and Natalie in the same frame! They were all over the place.

Baby swap!

Bridget and Kara, if you have made it to the end of this post...thanks for being the best friends and extra Mommies that a person could ever ask for!

Swim lessons!

Holden started swim lessons last week! There was an opening in his buddy, Brady's class at Happy Splashes. It is literally 5 minutes from our house, and I like that it is indoors because you don't have to depend on the weather. Plus it is heated so the water is nice and warm for the kids. The room is like an inferno in there though for those of us sitting on the sidelines! I was a little worried about how well he'd do without me but he has proven to do just fine on his own. He is becoming such a big boy. Parents are encouraged to sit on the sidelines so that the kids become familiar with the instructors and aren't dependant on us. The whole pool is deep, and the kids have to sit on the side and wait their turn. I was so proud of him as he sat there "criss-cross" applesauce, smiling away and playing with pool toys while he waited for his turn. I am really impressed with the program; Brady has been in it since February, and can swim across the pool with a kick board and no floaties and go underwater without fear. Pretty good for a 2 year old! Holden is just in the beginner's group, and really enjoys it so far. Here are some pictures and a video clip of my little fish!

I think this picture is hilarious! Look at the little girl's face in the background! Apparently she does not like getting splashed and was worried about Holden's kicking. Brady is the one in the goggles laughing at her. :)

I don't know why this video footage is so grainy; it looks fine on my camera but came up like this on the computer. You get the gist of it, though. :)

A trip to the circus!

One of Jay's coworkers recently gave him three free tickets for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Peoria. We went to the evening show, and it was so much fun! I don't know who enjoyed it more; Jay and me, or Holden. I have never seen the kid sit that still (awake) for a 10 minute time period, let alone 2 and a half hours!! His eyes were just huge as he took everything in. There was so much to look at for me as an adult; I can only imagine what he was thinking as a small child! Technically, it was his second circus, as I took him to one with our neighbors when he was 1, but of course he doesn't remember that. This time, he really understood everything. He was so excited to see the elephants, "roars," (tigers) and the cool motorcycle stunts, among other things. He also made time to shovel in his favorite "kee-corn" (popcorn), a pretzel, and Sprite. When the show was over, he looked up at us and said, "Holden is very SAD! No more circus comin'!" It was so cute. I love that we are starting to be able to enjoy fun events with him.

Can you tell I love the elephants? I think they are so neat!

Holden LOVED the animals. He waved and yelled, "Hi, Roars! Hi doggies!" etc. He also yelled, "HELLO!" back at the ringmaster after he said, "Hello, ladies and gentlemen!" which made the people around us chuckle.

This is when he was watching the tightrope act. He literally chewed on his fingers because he was so nervous! He kept saying, "Dey get hurt??" I tried to explain the net to him but I don't think he quite grasped the concept.

I took quite a few video clips so that Holden could watch them later. The motorcycles in the steel cage were amazing! This was early on, but later they fit 7 in at once, and some were going upside down around the top and cutting across in front of others. There was no margin for error or they all would have crashed. The tiger and elephant acts were really neat, and I thought the trapeze artists were pretty impressive, too.

If you get a chance to check out their act in your area, I would highly recommend it! We can't wait to go again next year.

Just a little of what we have been up to lately...

"WOW!" is one of my most used expressions, and I used it today when I looked at pictures of everything we have done since I last posted around Mother's Day. It is amazing how much has been going on the past few weeks! The end of the school year is always busy, and this year was no exception. Not only was I cramming to complete report cards, special memory books that I make for the kids, and those dreaded cumulative folders ,(if you don't have a clue what those are...be glad!) :) but we've had a lot of fun activities going on as well. So here is one of my infamous "ridiculously long posts." Grab a cup of coffee (or more up my alley, a Dr. Pepper!) and enjoy...and I'm not done yet! I still need to post cousin Katie's baby shower, our trip to the circus, Holden's first swim lessons, and he and Natalie finally meeting baby Corinne! Stay tuned!

I had some great helpers at the end of the school year. At least, Jay was a great helper. Holden tried...here he is coloring with chalk, but not on the chalkboard! Thanks for all of the extra hours you spent with Holden, either at home or chasing him around the school building, Jay! And thanks for your expert "tearing down" and "taping" skills in my classroom. :)

I said goodbye to my fifth first grade class. The years seem to go by faster and faster! I am thrilled to be home with Holden for the summer, but will miss these kiddos. This class was honestly one of the best I've had, if not the best. They were just such a sweet, fun group of children. Here they are getting ready for the little end of the year program that I have them put on for their parents. It is all about how they have grown, thus the flowers. (And a bee and ladybug! Can you spot them?) I think they are adorable even though the boys always protest!

One unseasonably chilly May evening, we went to Heyworth Heydays. It is a small carnival with rides and the usual yummy, unhealthy fair food and booths. Our cousins live in Heyworth, and Tami was watching Chelsey for the weekend. Even though it was pretty cold, the kids had a blast and so did some of the adults, as you will see. :)

Holden LOVED the rides this year! I am realizing what a big boy he is becoming. He was able to ride a lot of them all by himself, but of course loved having a companion, too! He adores Chelsey, and she gamely agreed to ride on this little car ride with him. The second shot shows how embarrassed she was to be seen on such a "baby" ride! :) Especially when Holden started yelling, "Vroom! Vroom!" Which is why she is "shushing" him in the last picture.

Jay and his dad, Paul, decided to show they were still young at heart by going on this NOT so babyish ride! My stomach hurts just looking at it. Jay basically dared Paul to do it. I think the scariest part was the fact that Paul's door was literally held together with duct tape, and looked like it could fall apart at any second. They walked off intact, and managed to keep their fair food down...better them than me!!!!

Some shots from our evening. I can remember when Eric and I were kids and we'd always wonder why Mom had so much fun at the fair when she didn't ride anything. She told us that she loved watching us enjoying everything, and we didn't get it. Now I do. :)

Love this little smirk on my big boy! This is at my school. We took a break from working on things and I let him play in the butterfly garden. He is really into "melling" the flowers right now, which translates into "smelling." His version of this is hilarious; he gets not only his nose right on the flowers, but his mouth as well, often coming up with pollen covering his face! Too cute.

It's the simple things that make him happy.

Natalie Marie is growing like a weed! It is so fun now that she and Holden are both toddlers together. We met up with her and her parents at a park one recent weekend. It was really hot that day and there wasn't much shade, so we didn't hang out too long. But I managed to snap a few adorable shots before we left! Bridget and I are so excited to get our "babies" together for play dates this summer!

What a cutie pie! I love her signature "nose scrunch;" as long as I have known Bridget, she does the same thing when she is really happy or laughing. :)

"Hi pal!"

"CHEESE!" (Gotta love Holden's white trash "I shopped at Walmart" sticker! Ha!)

The same day that we saw Natalie, Holden was very bummed that we couldn't play at the park long. So I pulled his wagon into the backyard and got the hose out. He gave it a good cleaning and had a lot of fun splashing in the lid and cleaning his Scooby shoes! I stripped him down to his diaper after he sat in the water fully clothed. He actually attempted to pull his diaper off, too...guess he thought it was bath time! I told him he had to keep it on. :)

Nothin' like a little boy drinking out of the hose! He caught onto this at a very young age last summer, and his skills apparently did not get rusty over the winter!

We took Holden to his first movie the other night!!! I have been looking forward to this for SO long, being a big movie fan myself. Our town just converted one of its older theaters into a dollar theater, which we are going to love taking advantage of! Jay, Tami, Aunt Allie and I took him to see "Hotel for Dogs." He lasted an hour, which we thought was pretty good for his first time. The first half hour alone he was just enthralled with the popcorn and pop. :) He was so cute in his little booster seat. A rather large woman and her daughter came in at the last second and plopped right down in front of him (WHY does that always happen??) so he ended up rotating laps and also standing in front of us, hanging onto the empty seats. When the lights went out, he yelled, "IT'S DARK!!!" which made us laugh. He also saw some kids leaving the theater and started yelling, "WHERE DEY GO??" over and over until I finally bribed him to be quiet with my drink! :) He really enjoyed the dogs in the movie, commenting on things they were doing and watching with wide eyes. Now I just need to rent the movie to find out what happened in the second half. :)

Memorial Day was wet and humid, raining on and off all day. Bridget joined my parents, Jay and I in taking Natalie and Holden to their first parade! We got these pictures before it started pouring...but we pulled out umbrellas and the parade went on. Holden has the funniest expressions in these pictures, but he was impatiently waiting for the firetrucks to come, and getting annoyed that they weren't there yet. :) He loved the parade, esp. the fire trucks with sirens blaring, all of the cool cars, and the dogs of all sizes that walked for some organization. Oh, and the big, loud drums in the marching bands! Natalie did great, too! We thought some of the loud noises might scare her, but she laughed and clapped from her stroller the whole time, waving at various people and vehicles. She is such a happy baby. When the parade was over, Holden actually cried because we had to go home and there were no more "free trucks." (Fire trucks)

The annual "Fun Run" started up again last Friday. What a difference a year makes! Holden was so excited to get his t-shirt and stood very still, saying, "Mommy put the paper on Holden's back." :) Natalie is joining us this year! Can you tell from the pictures that she enjoyed herself? Colin and Cade were also there, as well as Brady. Holden was thrilled to see all of his friends, and gave me quite a few "cheeses" for the camera. I noticed in reviewing these that I never actually got a shot of Cade's face, although a few of his back end! He is just too quick for me. :) When it came time to run, Holden held onto Jay's and my hands and ran about a quarter of the way. Then he got freaked out by the mob of people (the first week has a huge turnout!) and wanted me to carry him and run. Daddy was a little bummed about that, but I reminded him he's only 2. He's got plenty of time for marathons! :)

Speaking of marathons, whew! That's all for now, folks! Hope you enjoyed this marathon of a blog post.

*Add-on: I just noticed that this cute picture of Colin and Holden totally cut off Colin's head in the collage! Oops! They are both cheesing it and I think it's hilarious, so here's the full version. :)