Day 30: Wednesday

On days like these I think it best to remain quiet and reflect on happy times.  I think I will just post one of my most favorite pictures...and save some as I know there will be more days like this.

Isaac at the Pacific Science Center

Day 29: Twins

Tonight was Isaac's turn for his super special sleepover at Grandma and Papa's house.  He has waited so long for his turn and was VERY excited today!

It is always interesting to notice the energy level in the house when there are only 2 boys.  A little more calm and not quite so noisy.  We sure do miss Isaac tonight though.

Evan and Drew were playing quietly in their room this evening so I snook (the boys term for sneaking) to see what was going on. I found Evan jamming to his music player and putting together his long alphabet train puzzle.

 

 

These 2 pictures had Evan and Drew belly laughing so hard.  They thought they were pretty funny guys!

 

Day 28: Bedtime

I get asked all the time how we get the boys to bed at night and to be honest, it is an ever changing process.  They share a room so every night is like a slumber party with their best friends - things can get a little silly. 

Now that the quiet game, sleep race, and sleep race quiet game have lost their fun we have moved on to a more zen approach.  We do stretches!  I started doing stretches with them last year when Casey was working a lot of evenings and I was doing bedtime by myself.  I really needed a way for them to calm down but still be able to wiggle their bodies a little bit.  They are totally willing to sit still and listen to instructions because their task is ultimately a challenge for their bodies and they love a physical challenge.  Now we have mixed in a little fun of saying good night to their toes, knees, head, etc.  One of their challenges was being able to cross their legs.  As a little joke for myself I had them cross their legs, make circles with their fingers and say om.  Hilarious yet effective!  They really enjoy it and some yawns are guaranteed to follow!

 

Mix in some slow jams on the iPod and a few trips to the bathroom and its dreamland for these guys. Isaac, now he is a different story - add a few more trips to the bathroom, random walking around the room before finally falling asleep under or behind his bed.

 

Evan meditating!

Day 27: Little Jenny

Here is a secret I don't tell too many people; I love Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies. Love them!  I randomly came across the recipe for these at 1am this morning. 

Enough said.

Day 26: Staying Busy

It was a rainy Saturday and we have one kiddo recovering from hives and another with a newly developed fever.  What are we going to do all day? 

The first rule of a lazy Saturday is to stay in your pajamas.

We played cars...

 

We had monster fingers...

 

We piled up every single pillow in the house and went nuts!

 

Evan

Isaac

 

Drew

Day 25: GNO

Girls Night Out!

Tonight I got to have dinner with my dear friend Kim while daddy and the boys had pizza and a dance party.

 

Speaking of party, look at us party animals downing our glasses of water! 

 

Day 24: Growing

Quick rule change: this 365 project will be a hybrid of a picture or new post everyday.  Needless to say, I didn't take a picture today.  HOWEVER, I just happen to take a lot of pictures most other days so I have plenty to share!

I took this picture of Drew last week because I couldn't stop laughing every time I saw him stand still.  When not in motion, Drew's pajama pants are CLEARLY too short for him.  He is currently a good 1 - 1.5 inches taller than his brothers (but they are quickly catching up) and some things look a little different on him.  I just cleaned out their drawers this fall and already everything is too short again.

This picture just cracks me.  I especially love the small fry shirt!

This is Drew trying to stand still for me after a dozen blurry pictures!

Day 23: Sick Day

We woke up to Isaac crying in the bathroom this morning because his feet were itchy.  So I looked.  Yikes.  Time to get the boys ready and head straight to the walk-in clinic.  Poor guy had red bumps all the way up his legs!

Thankfully Evan was still with Grandma and Papa so I just had Isaac and Drew to take into the doctor's office.  I'm not sure why they must save all of their wacky spazziness for the doctor but they did.  I little embarrassed and a little sweaty, I managed to hear enough of what the doctor was saying to learn that Isaac had hives.  I knew it would be a long, itchy day so we headed home.

 

Let's see what the morning brings us tomorrow.

Drew and Isaac in the doctor's office practicing their letters.

Day 22: Sleepover Part 2

Today is Evan's turn for a sleepover at Grandma and Papa's house.  He was so excited this morning, he even said, "remember mom, don't pick me up today!"  Something tells me he is going to be just fine.

 

The thing about 2's instead of 3's is that they all fit on laps for a bedtime story.

Isaac, daddy, and Drew

Day 21: Cabin Fever

It was a long weekend. 

It has been very cold so we have been trying to stay entertained inside.  Today Isaac asked if we could go get a newspaper or coffee.  How bored is he?  He is so bored at home he even asked if I could just drop him off at Grandma's!  That guy!

 

Did you say coffee?  Yes, let's get a coffee and while we are out we'll try to make a little adventure out of it.

The boys had been playing superheroes this morning and wanted to keep their masks on.  OK.  Let's go scare the coffee lady!  I rolled down the back window and of course everyone was laughing.  The coffee lady asked if they had super powers and Evan took off his mask and said, "no, we are just little boys."

These two and Thor (just out of frame) should frighten anyone!

Next we grabbed a little lunch and stopped by a "secret" park.  It is a secret park because it has been so long since we've been there that the boys had forgotten about it. 

You don't see these old slides anymore. 

Last agonizing stop, Costco.  Grocery shopping with the boys is rough by myself.  We always start out so good but eventually someone is licking someone else and total goofiness is soon to follow.  Needless to say, we get a lot of looks while we are out. Today, I thought we should really give the looky-loos at Costco a treat and I would proudly own the fact that, "YES, I DO HAVE MY HANDS FULL."

The Hulk was not available for pictures.

Day 20: Biscuits

Why has it taken me so long to discover the joy of biscuit making?  Sometime last year was the first time I made my own biscuits from scratch [insert shame and embarrassment].  Now I love it!  They are so easy, inexpensive and quick - not to mention the boys love them, especially with HONEY.  Today was a biscuit day.  Yum!

 

Day 19: Doggone Birthday

Today was Brewster's birthday.  Or close to it...we think.  Casey and I think we got Brewster as a puppy in March making his birthday sometime in January.  Before we had "real" kids we would celebrate Brewster's birthday with cake and presents.  Now before you start judging and think we are insane dog people just know that even originally the party was justification for making our favorite cake.  Rainbow chip.  Now we have "real" kids and not a lot of time for frivolous make-believe celebrations.  Poor Brewster.  It has been a long time since his last birthday - I'm guessing 4 years.  Hmmmm....doing the math.

 

As I was putting somethings away in the cupboards today I saw a cake mix and proclaimed this day as Brewster's birthday.  Not missing a beat, the boys were all in.  Total excitement as if Brewster were a real brother or family member to celebrate.  They were even careful not to spoil the surprise!

 

 While the cake was baking the boys made invitations.  One for Brewster, Monchi, and the boys (yes, an invitation for themselves).
 

Evan made Brewster's invitation.  He did all of his own letters.  Evan thought that Brewster would like dinosaurs and balloons.  He even drew a picture of Brewster complete with big ears, tail and fluffy hair!

Drew made Monchi's invitation.  He really thought that she would like pink and green balloons with snowflakes.  Drew did almost all of his letters by himself.

 

 

The boys' invitation was made by Isaac.  He has been working really hard on his letter 'S'.  He only needed help making Drew's 'W'.  There is a lot more on this picture that you can't see because he insisted on using a yellow crayon!

 While the cake cooled down we ran into town for the sole purpose of purchasing some delicious rainbow chip frosting and just happened to come across a few dog toys as presents.  The entire drive home we were asked over and over if it was almost time for Brewster's party. 

Finally, after dinner we could celebrate.  The boys delivered their invitations and were bubbling over with excitement.  I'll admit their enthusiasm was fun so I indulged a little and added candles to the cake (something Casey and I never did as it slowed down the process of actually eating the cake). 

Then Casey surprised me.  The man who was unsure he would even want an inside dog or one that could have table scraps when we were first dating, let Brewster sit at the table!  I almost forgot to take a picture I was so shocked.  The boys, unfazed!  Monchi even came in and sat in the other chair.  The picture is so funny to me.
 

 

Let's hope Brewster doesn't think this is ever happening again!

 

After cake we did presents.  Each boy got to give Brewster a gift and watch him open it.  Drew got Brewster a plush hot dog.  He loved it.
 

 

 

Evan got him a blue, plush hamburger (or hamaburger as the boys say).  He loved it.

 

Isaac got Brewster a bone.  The love the boys have for Brewster isn't necessarily reciprocated.  Once Brewster realized it was a bone he immediately needed to escape and find some space as he isn't totally sure the boys won't eat his stuff.

 

 

 

 

That is one paranoid looking dog!

Day 18: Superhero Shoot Out

Tonight was one of those nights.  The kind of night you just have to run and be wild. 

Casey loaded up the Nerf gun, the boys armed themselves with superhero powers (masks), and madness ensued.  The boys squeal with a mixture of delight and torture as they run from the flying darts, all the while Brewster is on their heels barking like a maniac.

Good times.
 

 This is Evan Spiderman shooting spider webs at Casey.

 

Isaac Captain America hiding at the top of the stairs.

 

Drew Thor being silly.

 

Day 17: Job Share

The boys haven't played with their Thomas laptops for quite some time now so Casey and I were surprised to find Drew and Isaac working away side by side tonight.  They look so funny to me, as if they each need a cup of coffee to complete the work set up!

 

Day 16: Dog Treats

I was so excited to see Drew this morning and ask him all about his special overnighter with Grandma and Papa.  On the way to their house in the morning I asked Evan and Isaac if they missed Drew.  Evan said "yes" in a very sad voice (and had also packed 2 of Drew's favorite toys to bring to him).  Isaac said "no" very matter of fact and continued "I'm not worrying about him."  I agreed that I wasn't worried either because Grandma and Papa take such good care of us but was laughing on the inside about his tough guy attitude.  Sure enough, Isaac yells out "DREW" once we got to the house and could see Drew waving to us from the window.

After talking to Drew about his very special day I discovered that he had talked Grandma and Papa into going to PetCo (which was close to the pizza and ice cream place he got to go).  Once inside he further bamboozled them into buying toys for our dog, Brewster.  But in true Egger boy fashion, you don't just get one toy.  EACH brother gets a toy to give to the dog.  I am amazed that all of them will always ask for extra [insert anything; stickers, cookies, etc.] for their brothers - they really are very thoughtful!

In any case, Brewster was the happy recipient of 3 new toys tonight! Lucky dog!

 

Now, about a haircut.....

Day 15: Sleepover

In an effort to allow each of the boys some one-on-one time my AMAZING parents have offered to do another round of sleepovers at their house.  By default, because he is the least sick, Drew got to have his turn first.  After many tears in our oatmeal this morning (because we can't all be first) everyone was on board and REALLY excited to stay the night with Grandma and Papa!

I had Drew pack his bag for his overnight adventure which turned into "I want my backpack too!" and more crying so I just gave in and let everyone pack a bag.  The contents of the bags are pretty humorous.  Apparently all you need for sleepovers are PJ's, superheros, and undies.

Here are all of the boys racing into preschool with their backpacks!

Day 14: Cat Burgler

Monchi kitty.

The boys adore her and to be perfectly honest, so do Casey and I.  She is just the best kitty ever! Loving without being obnoxious, independent without being a stinker, and most importantly she is not destructive.  Not to mention she has never scratched the boys - probably because they are surprisingly sweet and gentle with her (even though Drew does try to pick her up and kiss her a lot.)

 

After the holidays Brewster had the pleasure of receiving lots of meat scraps and bones.  One night as I was getting a special treat for Brewster, Monchi jumped up on the counter (which she rarely does) and began devouring the meat I was cutting.  All of it was so out of character that I just stepped back and watched her in awe.  Next night, same thing.  Now I have a problem.  Every night I have to shoo her off the counters now!  Good thing she is so cute!
 

 

Day 13: Movie Night

A disappointing loss by the Seahawks this afternoon left Isaac wondering what the heck happened to his team and his pants!

To help ease all of our pain we enjoyed some popcorn and a movie after baths tonight.  Each boy has his own spot with a blanket and their own little bowl of popcorn.  Often time the popcorn is gone by the time the show starts but they still love it!

Evan and Brewster

Isaac

Drew

Day 12: The Crud

We've got the crud.  

Didn't I just say that nothing slows these guys down.  Well I was wrong.  Now poor Evan has the nasty cold that Drew is getting over.  E-Man has viral induced asthma so the poor little guy is totally wiped out by this cold.  Rarely do my boys sit on the couch all day and NEVER do they say that they want to take a nap.  Little Evan was trying to fall asleep on the couch downstairs but to no avail so I asked if he would like to lay down in mommy's bed - and he did.  He was out like a light in 5 minutes and looked like such a peaceful angel I just had to take his picture.  How often do we get to see our little ones sleeping?  I'm so glad I snapped this angelic photo!

Day 11: Story Time

Tonight before bed Casey told the boys a story about them.  They loved it of course.  When he was done he asked if any of them had a story they wanted to tell.  Isaac did.  He told us that we've never heard it before.


So here it is.  An original tale by Isaac Austin...

Once upon a time.  There were 3 little babies that went into the woods where they found zebras and tigers.  The zebras and tigers asked Drew if he would like to ride them.  So he did.  He "rided" them high up in the sky where Drew could see all of space.  Then Drew fell into an alien city.  Then Evan and Isaac yelled, "DREW" but he wasn't there because he was in the alien city.  Then he rode the zebras and tigers back down.  The End.

Drew and Isaac engrossed in story time.  Poor Evan was not feeling well and had his head under his blankets the entire time.

I should explain that the haphazard Toy Story wall decals are prizes they win from "the big sticker count" (a sticker reward board).  The one with the most stickers gets to choose his wall decal first and put it wherever he wants.  I think they do a pretty good job:)

Day 10: Walking

Here is Isaac trying to walk on these bucket things at school.  He was so determined to do it, so of course he did!  He is also telling me not to take his picture.  Too late!

Day 9: Bath Time

Bath night!  Hooray!

This is Drew showing off his Santa beard.
I can't believe how old he looks in this photo!

Day 8: Poor Drew

Not only are we just getting over some intestinal bug but now poor Drew has a bad cold now.  He wasn't able to go to preschool today with his brothers but he did get to have some alone time with Grandma and some uninterrupted computer time!  I think he is going to make it!

 

 

Each night before we turn out the lights and get hugs and kisses, one boy gets to pick a secret word that we will remember in our dreams.  Tonight was Evan's turn to pick the secret word and he chose "get better Drew"!  How sweet is that?

Day 7: Backwards

It was Monday.  Back to work and back to hanging out with Grandma and Papa!  We got home with enough time to play a little football with daddy before the boys had to get their pajamas on.  The boys love to say hike, run to the front door, turn around and get hit with catch the football.

 

Evan catching the ball under Brewster's watchful eye.

 

Drew and Evan - flyers up!

 

Now its pajama time!

Isaac came flying in at 100mph saying scooby-dooby-doo!

 

 

We could hear Evan crying upstairs and when we asked him what was wrong he finally came downstairs saying he couldn't get his feet into his pajamas and this is what we saw.

 

Backwards jams!

 

Evan in his backwards jams.

 

Isaac was nice enough to zip him up!

 

After we told him what the problem was he thought he was pretty funny.