Caring for 4!

We are now on week 3 of having a newborn baby and I would say that we are doing quite well! While a little delirious at times, we are settling in and finding out what our new normal will be with three boys! There has been one unfortunate mishap that has throw us quite a curve ball...last Saturday, Thomas went to go play soccer with some friends at a park and as he was running to get the ball, he rolled his ankle. I was there with them with the boys and noticed him favoring his foot but didn't think much of it as he continued to play. When we were leaving, he said that the pain was getting worse and as he told me that when it rolled, her heard a pop. All signs that something was broken. So that night, at around midnight, he headed to the ER. He came back with his foot all wrapped up and on crutches. Turns out he broke his 5th metatarsal bone in his right foot and has to be on crutches for 3 weeks in a boot! He will then go back to the podiatrist to see how things are healing at which point he will hopefully be out of crutches and just having to wear his boot. This has probably been the hardest for him because he feels terrible that he can't help out much. Poor guy! He really has been so understanding and patient with me as I am caring for all 3 boys and then trying to respond to his requests as well. And as far as the basement goes, my brother is coming tonight to texture the walls! We are so excited to be taking this next step. No more drywall and mudding! It's amazing what Thomas has still been able to accomplish!



Thomas is finishing up some last minute touches before we are able to apply texture to the walls.


I caught Samuel smiling! 3 weeks old today!

He's Here!

That's right, Samuel Thomas Fawcett arrived on July 28th at 5:24am! Yay! We are so excited to have him join the family. A few stats...

Weight: 7 lbs 1.5 oz
Height: 20.5 inches
Hair: Yes, and lots of it!
Total hours in labor: not many! (barely made it to the hospital and pretty sure epidural didn't work...ouch!)


We brought Samuel home from the hospital on Sunday July 31st and he's been doing great. He is a good baby and his big brothers have welcomed him with loving arms. They want to hold him all the time! They are good helpers, with diapers, pacifiers, blankets, etc...

Thomas and I are a bit weary and tired but feel like this is manageable! However, I can't wait until he reaches that 2 month mark when I can get a 6 or 7 hour stretch of sleep! At this point, I would be happy with 4!

Home Grown!

As I promised before, here are some pictures of the garden as of today, July 22nd, 2011. It's quite daunting to me to go out there and harvest anything but I've been picking away at it the last couple of days. It's been so hot and difficult for me to move around (being pregnant) and so I haven't been able to get out there and work as much as I would have liked, but I realize that I need to do as much as possible because it will only get harder from here on out. Thomas and I are predicting that all the tomatoes need about 1 more week and then they will be ripe, right when we get home from the hospital. There are sooo many tomatoes. The boys have picked a few cherry tomatoes already but no big ones. The zucchini and summer squash are taking over. We have had several batches of beans to cook, I just picked our first couple cucumbers today, Swiss chard is beautiful, the peppers aren't fairing so well due to an early on fungus that took a little while to get rid of, the beets are still growing as well as the carrots and the eggplant need some more time as well. It's been fun to watch all of it grow so quickly now that it's really gotten warmer. We were off to a very slow start. Anyway, the boys love being outside playing in the sandbox (with the garden hose) while I work in the garden.





A week ago we had Allen and Elaine and their two kids Owen and Nora here from DC spend the day with us. The kids had a blast in the pool and cousin Grace was even here too with Troy and Leanna. We ate outside together in the backyard while the kids played. It was a bit warm but not too bad in the shade. Thank goodness for all the mature trees on our lot!




Here is a picture of the boys making juice! I wish I could say that I grew these carrots and celery but not so. We did grow the kale and beets which we add to the juice! They LOVE to juice and once I had everything washed and cut up, they took over! They did it all by themselves. Ethan loves the mashing and Simon loves to toss the veggies down the shoot!

So we're are really closing in on the big day and have been putting in some long hours to get things done quickly! Thomas has been working on the basement, finishing up the drywall and mudding process. It's a long process (having to put on three coats of mud and letting it fully dry in between each one) but he's just about finished. Mom and Dad Fawcett have come to the house a few times to help out, which has been very helpful! We have picked out flooring and made a last minute trip to IKEA to get a few things to furnish the room. All in hopes to be finished by August 1st!




The boys and I have helped some too! Sort of...

Simon got a nasty cut on his leg while working. He was pretty proud!




Here we are in the basement window...our favorite place to find frogs! We found a nice big toad the other day when all the family was here! Allen, Elaine, Owen and Nora were here from DC (Thomas' cousin and his family) and Troy, Leanna and Grace were here as well. We had a picnic outside and the kids played in the sand and pool. Fun times!




Thomas took the boys to West Branch last weekend to pick up a bunk bed to finish their room. I worked on some paintings, moved some furniture (not a good idea when 9 months pregnant), hung window treatments and cleaned out their closet while they were away. We had bought a bunk bed that is now going to be used as a reading loft where EThan can escape from little brothers :) if needed. The white bunk will work better long term since they are twin beds so we opted for those. The boys haven't officially moved into the beds because we have to get mattresses but the room is just about finished. Just a few more little things here and there need to be done. I think they're pretty excited...Ethan has spent the last two weeks in his loft reading for his quiet time! No complaints! Yay!





Oh and the garden...it's out of control!!! Pictures coming soon!

And...it's official...July 29th, baby Fawcett #3 should be here! We can't wait!!!

Vacation to Florida

Yes, our "every other year vacation to Florida" has already come and gone so quickly! Boy, this summer is really flying by. We had a blast in Florida and the boys haven't stopped talking about it since (and that was a few weeks ago). A few highlights...

* Flying on the airplane with both boys in their OWN seats! Yay!

* The Indiana Jones and Stunt Car action packed shows at Disney World - Simon loved the gigantic "ball that rolled over Jones" and Ethan loved the fast stunt cars!

* THe dinosaur ride that THomas took Ethan on. He couldn't stop talking about how scary it was and how brave he was for going on it!

* The 3 story beautiful beach house that we stayed at! It had its own pool and game room!

* The beach! The water was crystal blue and there were no waves (being on the gulf coast) which was great for the kiddos to play!

* Thomas and I escaped for a morning stroll along the beach! It felt like our honeymoon all over again! THen again, our life together has been one long honeymoon!

* Hanging out with Nana and Aunt Michelle at the resort! Lots of laughs and good memories!

* Watching the Disney Light Parade and light show on the castle...and of course the fireworks at Epcot!

* Meeting Mickey for the first time!

* All the magical Disney rides!

* Superman Ice Cream!!!


I could go on. It was such a fun trip that we won't forget. I will post pictures via Flickr so that I can include all of our trip! We are blessed with such a great family to enjoy these times together. Many, many memories were made on this trip. We won't forget it!

Summer 2011

The weather this past week has been gorgeous! Temps in the mid 70's and beautiful clear blue skies! We have probably eaten outside on the patio every night (or just about). The garden is growing quickly and the plantar box is exploding! It's been fun to watch and the boys have enjoyed pulling some weeds for me (with only a few minor casualties). Here are some pics of the fun we've been having in the backyard. And countdown to Disney has begun this week! Only 4 more days until we leave! YAY!!! The kids couldn't be more excited. SO much to do before then...

Roasting marshmallows on the backyard fire!





The boys and Thomas had a water fight with some new water guns!




Drinking smoothies out on the patio!







Like I said, the platar box and garden are really taking off. I feel like in a couple of weeks, I'm not going to be able to keep up with it!

30 Weeks!!!

Ethan thought this was pretty funny and we all thought it was hilarious! Definitely worth blogging about! Plus, I was really hoping to take week by week pictures of this pregnancy but things got really crazy and I suppose I missed a couple of weeks. We tried to get Simon to be in the picture, but he wasn't compliant.