One word: YUCK

Remember when we woke up to this sight?

Well, this morning both Win and Wes had removed their sleepers and thrown them on the floor. But to make matters worse, Win took it one step further and had taken off his dirty diaper and threw it on the floor. We will spare you the details and a photo of the scene because it was a mess.

And sadly this is not an April Fools joke.

Celebrating making it through the day

The boys are quite...rowdy. Active. Crazy, even. They enjoy body-slamming and pushing each other, putting each other in headlocks, etc. It rained all day, so we were stuck inside (after a fun weekend outside). And that seemed to put the boys in a tizzy. Winston would steal toys and books out of Charlie's hands. Charlie would come crying to me, saying "Take!" (which was him saying that someone took something from him). Then I would chase Win down telling him to return the contraband, but he thought this chase was a fun game. Then Winston would steal from Wesley and Wes would fight back and someone would end up tackled on the ground crying. Then someone else would stand on a chair and start the microwave or shove all of their magnets under the fridge (and out of reach for good) or crawl inside the oven and dishwasher. So it was a fun day.

So after the boys went to bed, we celebrated getting through the day with champagne. And folding four loads of laundry. Welcome to our world:

GeGe and Uncle

We had the pleasure of a visit from GeGe (Rob's Granny) and Uncle Raymond last week. The boys loved their time with a great grandmother and great uncle! Highlights of their trip (besides playing with the boys!) included a visit to the New Paris Bakery (a favorite from our old neighborhood), a trip to the park (complete with each of us following a toddler boy on his outdoor adventures), playtime on the sun porch (first time this year) and a wonderful meal out!

This meal out was monumental for us! (We have only taken the boys out to eat a handful of times, and it has been months since we have done so.) The boys were so well-behaved! They drank out of straws and they dipped their food in ketchup (Charlie even started "painting" with his ketchup fry)! And to top it off, all thanks to GeGe, the boys held our hands as we walked to the car. This may sound like nothing to most parents, but when you are outnumbered with three the same age, you don't get the chance to just walk down the road holding your child's hand. They were so proud and excited to just hold our hands and walk to the car! So all this is to say, we're hoping to make this a weekly family meal out.
The boys remembered a game with Uncle Raymond from January: they would look in his shirt pocket and pull out (and put back) pieces of paper!

They also loved playing with his hat
Wesley

Winston and Uncle Raymond

Wesley, Daddy, Win, Charlie, Uncle Raymond and the luckiest dog in the world (Julep)

Charlie

Wesley, GeGe, Win and Charlie

Charlie and Wes in the ball pit

Win, Charles Raymond, Uncle Raymond and Wesley

Classic Wes

All the boys have a wonderful sense of humor, but Wesley has an impish side to him. He is a ham. This photo is classic Wesley. Here he is, chilling on the chair, wearing Daddy's hat, flashing that sweet little pursed-lip smile. He is often the one that is running back and forth, from room to room, clearly cracking himself with whatever he is doing (wearing Daddy's hat that covered his whole face, wearing a bowl on his head, or dancing). And then he looks at you out of the corner of his eye, with a quick little raise of his eyebrow, and upturn of his lips, to let you know that you're in on the joke with him.

In other Wes news, he just started saying "Charlie" today. (Apparently, the name Charlie is easier than the "w" sound of Wesley and Winston.) It sounds a little like "Cha-dah". It's adorable.

What a week!

This week has been a doozy. We started with a foot of snow, making us housebound for 2 days. Winston then started with a runny nose, which turned into a fever, and was quickly passed along to his brothers. The boys seemed like they had finally stabilized, so Saturday night, Grammy & Poppy came over so Rob & I could have a date night. We drove into Boston and saw Slumdog Millionaire (first movie we have seen in over a year!!) and then went to our favorite tapas restaurant. It was wonderful! But when we returned, we learned that Charlie had taken a turn for the worst. He woke up screaming, so I slept with him in the recliner all night. And I use the term "slept" very, very loosely. He's had a fever of 101 for the entire weekend, but this morning was the first chance we had to take him to the doctor. It turns out he has a severe ear infection in both ears! So he is on antibiotics and lots of tylenol.

The upside of last week was that Charlie started to say his own name, as well as his brothers' names! It is the cutest thing!

Before they all got sick, the boys enjoyed parading around the house in Daddy's t-shirts...

Wesley, Charlie and Winston

The boys enjoy making each other laugh

Bird watching

Crayons and stickers

Always in search of activities to do with the boys, I have been trying to introduce the boys to crayons and stickers. Winston loves taking two crayons in each hand and scribbling away. Wes and Charlie will scribble for a short time, but ultimately the crayons end up in their mouths. So I've tried giving them stickers. Charlie loves to put all of the stickers into one large pile, while Wesley like to stick them all over the page. Win is still trying to figure out the whole sticker thing and often tries to fling it off his finger instead of putting it on the paper.

Winston pointing out the green crayon on Charlie's face

Charlie the green monster

I asked Winston to smile for the camera. This is what he did.

Wesley and the purple crayon (most of the crayon is in his mouth)

The Stripper

The boys have been waking up early, but Mommy & Daddy haven't. So they have a little more time to kill in the morning. Here is Winston, as we found him this morning, proving that idle hands are the devil's workshop. A baby left too long in his crib will devolve into a pole dancing stripper.


Note the sleeper lying helplessly on the floor...

Dallas

Rob's parents (Nanna & Poppa) came up to Boston last week so that I could travel to Dallas for our nephew, Christian's, first birthday. The first birthday in Korean culture is a huge celebration, complete with special decorations, traditions and foods. So it was wonderful to be able to celebrate with family, even though Rob and the boys were not able to make the trip.

Friday, we went to Alexandra's preschool performance (called a Hootenanny - only in Texas!!) Here she is hugging her best friend.

Mrs. Kim (Mi Jung's mom) is a phenomenal cook - known as one of the best in their large Korean community. So it was a joy to get to feast on her creations. For the party, she made about 100 rolls of Korean sushi, seafood & cucumber salad, seafood pancakes, miso soup, etc. It was amazing! To give you a sense of the quantities in which she cooks, here she is making the cucumber salad.

The decorations

Christian in his hanbok

Mi Jung, Alex, Christian and Jim

There is a tradition where the birthday child is placed in front of items to symbolize their future. If I can remember correctly, it is money (prosperity), string (longevity), paint brushes (creativity), pencil and book (intelligence). Christian did this a few times and first selected string, then the paint brushes, then the pencil, then the paint brushes. Since Mi Jung and Alexandra both picked money when they did this at 1, so for fun, Mi Jung took everything away but the money. And instead of picking it, Christian reached for the cake!

My beautiful God-daughter Alexandra and birthday boy Christian

The whole crew: Poppy, Grammy, me, Mrs. Kim, Kathy (Mi Jung's dear friend and Godmother to Christian), Alexandra, Mr. Kim and Jennifer (of Maine/Green Pond fame)

For such a great trip, the biggest downside was that both Nanna and Poppa got the stomach flu while here taking care of the boys! I am so thankful for their help - there is no way I would have been able to make the trip.

The stomach flu

I haven't had a moment to write nearly two weeks because the boys came down with the stomach flu. My only guess is that they picked it up when we went to the pediatrician appointment the previous Monday. Winston was the first one to get sick, starting on Wednesday, then Wesley, Charlie and Rob followed suit on Thursday night. I'll spare you the details, but this bug is awful. The boys were miserable (to say the least), and watched more Veggie Tales DVDs than they have in their lifetime. It lasted about 8 days, and was trying to say the least.

It is beyond difficult caring for not one, two, three - but FOUR sick men at once! And when I needed it most, we were blessed by help. Our part-time nanny Valerie offered to help out on Friday, then Grammy and Poppy came on Sunday to give me a much needed break. And wouldn't you know, they were all hit hard by the stomach bug as well! I have no idea how or why, but I was the only one to avoid this stomach virus.

I'm thankful to start to resume normal, but the fun that we're experiencing now is the post-sickness "why can't you hold me all the time anymore" tantrums...

The 3 kings and their robes

The little men and I started a little game. Every time they sit in their chairs (they each have little Pottery Barn chairs with their names on the back), I say "King Charlie/King Wesley/King Winston sitting on his throne!" Since all kings need robes, I brought out the robes that Mrs. Bowser made for the boys. Amazingly, they are wearing the exact same robes as they were a year ago!
Winston, Wesley and Charlie

Wesley, Charlie, and Winston (Taken almost exactly a year ago. Yes, the robes are over their bumbos.)

18 months old

I cannot believe the boys are a year and a half old! We are closer to their second birthday than we are to their first. Time is flying! Poppy came to the pediatrician appointment with me to help watch the boys so the doctor and I could talk. The boys are right on track - running, throwing, climbing, kicking, talking, eating, etc. Charlie continues to excel verbally, with his list of words up to 80+. When I mentioned this to the doctor, she immediately said this was off the charts and to not compare Win and Wes to this (who are right on track with their 15-20 words). It is wonderful to see how each of the boys have their own personalities and excel in different areas. I'm so proud of how well the boys did during the exam - they were calm and curious and barely cried when they got their shot. So now for the stats!

Winston
Height: 32 1/4 inches (49th percentile)
Weight: 23lbs 10.5 oz (21st percentile)

Wesley
Height: 32 1/4 inches (49th percentile)
Weight: 23lbs 14 oz (24th percentile)

Charlie
Height: 32 3/4 inches (64th percentile)
Weight: 23lbs 4 oz (17th percentile)

Time for another haircut

Charlie got his first haircut tonight (and Win and Wes got their second cuts). Charlie had grown his mullet long enough, so we trimmed off the back. It is tough cutting hair on moving targets!
Attempting to trim Wesley's hair, while Charlie and Winston wait patiently

Mullet-free Charlie

Birds!

Uncle Raymond gave the boys a bird feeder for their playroom window. The first visitors (and I swear I'm not making this up) were 3 male birds, who sat side by side at the feeder. (We could tell they were male due to the bright red heads and chests vs. the all brown female.) Three male birds to christen the feeder of the three Bunn boys. How perfect!

Can you help us identify the bird?

The boys love going to the window in the morning and saying "BIRD!" and when they aren't any, they yell "MORE!"


Winston understood that the bird's were eating at the bird feeder. He wanted to eat the seed too, but the window sill was as close as he could get.

Yes, he took a bite of the window sill and took a chunk of paint off!

A long journey home

Our trip to Virginia was wonderful, but the journey home was dreadful. We drove home knowing that snow fell earlier in the day and a few inches were expected overnight. We also had to go about an hour out of the way to avoid DC, due to all the inauguration traffic. On the 12 and half hour overnight drive, we encountered sleet, black ice, thick fog, snow - and worst of all - unplowed highways! We are home now, but unfortunately sick.

A few of the trip highlights: Uncle Raymond hosted a gathering so the boys could see their Boykins church family, meeting our nephew Liam, seeing Nanna & Poppa's new house, celebrating Abby's 4th birthday, going to Granny's house for corn beef and cabbage, Winston interacting with Liam (he brought a blanket over to Lala to cover Liam with, and every time she held him, Win asked for "up" so he could sit with them and pat Liam's back), visiting Holland Baptist Church where Poppa is the pastor, the boys playing outside with cousins Ann and Abby (marking the first time the boys haven't eaten anything outside)

Giggles with Poppa
Charlie

Wesley

Winston

Charlie thought it was fun to pick the fuzz off Nanna's socks and collect it on her leg

We owe a great big thank you to Nanna & Poppa for taking such good care of us, to Uncle Raymond for his help with the drive, and to Grammy & Poppy for shoveling our driveway and helping with meals and boy care on the day of our return.

Virginia Living Museum

We brought the boys to the Virginia Living Museum yesterday. It was their first trip to an aquarium or children's museum. The boys loved seeing all the animals.

Wesley splashing in the touch tank. Though we were told moments later that he should take his hands out of the water since he has germs. But he did get to touch a sea star, crab and horseshoe crab (despite being labeled germy).

Charlie pointing out the horseshoe crab

Winston befriends a turtle

But their favorite part of the museum? Running around, playing in the log and pulling their wagon around!

Charlie and Wesley share a moment on the window sill

Marching their wagon through the museum

The funniest part of this photo? Wesley in the bottom right corner...

Wes recovered from his spill and started pulling Winston around