Scott

You know the days you're overcome with emotion? That's today. I'm grateful for my husband. I"m so blessed I married my best friend and that our marriage has involved to more than just that. Our marriage is a full blown partnership. Scott is always at my side sharing my burdens and constantly searching for ways to make my life easier. We are walking through this life together, navigating through trials and enjoying the journey along the way. He is my peace and sanity. He filled the void in my life and made me whole. Together, we are one. Scott loves me. Unconditionally. Whether I'm crazy or sad or hysterical, he never stops. I never have to doubt his commitment. I wonder how I lived without this bond. And how ecstatic am I that it gets to continue for eternity. To say I love him, is simply not enough. He is everything. 

And I'm grateful for days like today that help me remember it.

Cacharoo

Our little Cacharoo had a wellness check today. He is doing great! I've said it once and I'll say it again. It never ever gets old hearing that he is healthy. I love it. He is 16 lbs, which is a bit smaller than my other two were at this stage. And the fact that he is just coming off an ear infection and major lack of appetite, didn't help the numbers any. I'm a little torn about his weight to be honest, part of me misses the big baby to love and squeeze. The other (bigger) part of me is grateful for the blessing of an average size child. He is more portable than my others and with my crazy busy life, that is a huge relief. Considering I usually have to strap him in the baby b'jorn to go shopping or sometimes cook one handed or carry him up and down the stairs 1200 times a day, the smaller size truly is a blessing.

The morning Cache was born, I asked Scott what we were thinking. We had a great routine down with two kids. Were we really ready to throw a third in the mix? Were we going to be able to handle it? We were going to be outnumbered! I wasn't ready to bring him home or start over. The minute I saw him, that all changed. Now, I can't imagine how we ever lived without him. I am so in love with this boy and soak up his sweetness everyday.

Cache always has a drooly smile on his face and is rarely cranky for no reason. However, his sleep has taken a turn for the worse. He's not sleeping as long and wakes up a few times a night. He get so darn excited when we go to him and he just kicks and coos and doesn't want to go back to sleep.  It's endearing, but annoying at the same time.

His brothers love him and are constantly fighting over who gets to sit by Cache or who gets a turn with him or who gets to touch and so on and so on. And Cache loves them right back. They can make him smile as fast as anyone. I think these three are going to grow up to be quite the little team. I love watching them together now and I hope it just gets better. 

We are so blessed to have him in our lives. He is the sweetest spirit and brings so much joy into our home. I'm so grateful to call him mine. 

1000 Words

This candid picture says 1000 words.

I love being a mom.

Springs Preserve

After a whole week of being stuck in the house with sickies, I was more than ready to get out and breath some fresh air. And with Scott being home yesterday, we decided it was the perfect day to try something new. We loaded up the boys and headed to Springs Preserve.

(This is by far my best craigslist find. This stroller is amazing. I'll probably dedicate a whole post to it someday.)

First, we hit the museum. It proved to be more impressive than I thought with a ton of animal mounts and neat things for the kids to look at. The coolest was the mammoth though. Tayden loved seeing 'Mannys' bones.

We meandered through multiple other exhibits all showing distinct Nevada characteristics. 

Don't mind the red eyes. I had to get a shot of cute Beckett walking around with his hands in his pockets. 

But the favorite thing of the day was the bird show. It was really neat to see all the different birds and watch them fly around. We had a great seat in front of a landing post and were able to get a good view of the birds. Tayden was especially a fan.

 Just some shots of my oh so handsome husband. I love him. 

It was a fun day with my boys and a great start to the week.

Hopefully, the rest of the week will follow suit.  

Love Sick, 2

Guess what?! We're sick. We were sick on Valentines day last year, too! I was so looking forward to doing fun things with the kids this year since we missed the holiday completely last year. But, we just hit repeat and spent the day at home and in our jammies and napping.

Scott is working the graveyards this week, so I have been up with 3 sick kids on my own almost all night for the last 3 nights. Makes for one super tired mama.

And working nights and coming home to help with all the coughing, gagging, fevers, crying, etc makes for one super tired papa. 

Tayden had a nasty virus that made his temp sky rocket and brought a relentless cough with it. I've never seen him watch a ninja show on the couch without moving a muscle. He even napped multiple times in one day. He was one sick boy, but is slowly getting over it now. 

Poor Beckett got the same virus, but it led to a double ear infection. The doctor wasn't sure if it was some left overs from about 2 weeks ago when he had an ear infection, or a completely new one. Either way, he was miserable and up all night tugging his ears and crying. He is now on a stronger antibiotic and hopefully will kick it to the curb for good.

Cachee got it too. But it moved to his lungs real quick. After listening to one breath they immediately ordered an RSV swab and luckily it came out negative. He is on breathing treatments for a week to try to prevent it from turning to RSV and has a follow up appointment on Monday. He is also swallowing a lot of snot and having a hard time eating, so he is hungry and cranky most the day. 

Its not a pretty picture here at the Packard house, but I think we might be on the mend.

Fingers crossed. 

Potty Time

I finally did. I broke down and potty trained Beckett. Scott didn't have to work Friday which meant he had a nice four day weekend. Plus, everyone has been too sick to go anywhere. So, I figured since we were stuck at home we might as well be productive. And productive we were. Beckett is now in big boy unders all day. He figured it out real quick. We had one full day of accident after accident, but then the next day he didn't have any. He caught on quicker than Tayden did, but I am sure its because he has been watching his big brother for a few months now and he was super super ready. He is doing really great and gets so excited to put on his big boy unders and hates when we make him put on a diaper at night. I'm not quite ready to face that challenge yet. Although, last night he did wake up to go. Maybe I'll tackle that after Scott gets done working another week of graveyards. 

I am so proud of this boy.

And it is awesome having two boys in unders rather than diapers! 

Good Job, Beckett boy.

Update

Cache: This boy is getting bigger and bigger everyday. It breaks my heart. While I love the smiles, the laughing and his interaction, I miss the newborn stage already. Time has gone so quickly. He will be 4 months old in just 7 days. Yikes. He is the most calm and chill baby out of the 3. Scott and I were just commenting how relaxed and easy he is. He hates his car seat though and doesn't fall asleep like the other two did. Makes driving around a little less than fun, but once he can see you he is fine. He drools like crazy, but hardly ever spits up. His sleep is less than perfect--but better than horrible. He's somewhere right in the middle and we're surviving so that's all that counts. I can't not even express how much I love his little boy. 

Beckett: Boy oh boy, did we have a rough patch. Non stop screaming, tantrums, hitting. Everyday seemed like it was a non stop fight. I attributed it to the mere fact that he is two and getting home from our month long vacation. Nope, I was wrong. Beckett had an ear infection. He woke up one night tugging his ear, but was fine the next day. No fever or anything, so I figured it must be the molars he had been working on. When I took him to his wellness check the doctor found a mild ear infection. After a week of antibiotics, this boy is like new. It is so great having him feel better. This past week I have been in awe of this two year old. He is so funny. Like roll on the floor laughing funny. I'm always telling Scott, look at Beckett or watch B. He is very very entertaining. Beckett is also talking up a storm. He learns more words everyday and surprises me with the things that he comes up with. He takes attachment to weird objects and then loves them for a few days and moves onto something new. Right now its a 'tree' from Caches floor jungle gym. He uses it like a sword and takes it everywhere. I just adore him.

He has also started potty training. He has been ready for so long, but I have been waiting for a convenient time. Well, with this family and our schedule...there is no convenient time. So I just started with the realization that we are going to have to take our time and take it slow. When I potty trained T, I had nothing else to focus on and we got it done in 3 short days. With Beckett, I have a baby that needs me, Tayden to take to preschool and various activities and a husband who works 14+ hours a day. So, he wears unders at home and diapers in public. Not ideal by any means, but I am exited we are at least starting. He is getting the hang of it, so hopefully it will only last a week or two. 

Tayden: Where do I even start? Did you know he is 4? Seriously! That just seems so old to me. He is doing really great. He loves preschool and knows all his letters and can write a huge chunk of them too. It seems we have been focusing so much on letters and different fine motor skills that counting has taken a back seat. He can count fine, but is struggling counting things. He can count up to about 4-5 things...but loses track after that. Something for us to work on for sure. Not only has he found a new love of drawing, but of games and puzzles as well. He is at a really fun stage and I rely on him for to be my helper all the time. He is also very very head strong and more often then not am I reminding him to listen or that I am in charge and so on and so forth. But I would not change one thing about him. He is so fantastic.

Stacey: I'm surviving. The adjustment back home took a few days, but I am back into the swing of things. I stay busy watching the kids and try to attend as many friend functions as possible. Which isn't very many considering how much Scott is gone. I'm really trying to find peace and happiness and a life in Las Vegas. Instead of just trying to get by and waiting for our permanent place, I am trying to make a home and life here. Not only that, but to love it too. I say it all the time and I'll say it again...I am so grateful for my friends here. These girls are my sanity, my family and will be life long friends. I've also started a Chevron quilt and am enjoying myself way too much. Who knew I'd grow up to love sewing as much as I do. Hopefully it turns out like I have planned in my head.

Scott: Working away. He has been moved to the permanent late shift. Which means 7am-8:30 or so pm. I am so grateful for his work ethic. Its hard for him to be gone so much and see me unhappy. But I know he will do whatever he has to in order to provide for his family. I have never had to worry about that. I love that about him. So much. He is enjoying his calling in Elders Quorum and is really doing a great job. And on top of that he is being worlds best dad, greatest husband and somehow still has time to take care of the little things like making sure I always have gas in my car. I know I can be hard on him sometimes, but I love him with all my heart. I love him with that love that aches when he's gone. My heart still skips a beat when I hear his car pulling up and sometimes I just find myself staring at him. I love him so much and thank Heavenly Father everyday that I get to spend eternity with my best friend.