The Boy is Back in Town

So you may remember a week and a half ago when Sweet Baby Sawyer got exiled from our house due to illnesses from his siblings. He initially was gone Thursday day and night--then that turned into overnight through Sunday afternoon. It was tragic. We missed him. To say we missed him is an understatement. Cohen and Miayla cried for him. We skyped with him at least 5 times a day. I visited him. We colored him pictures, wrote him letters. Shared stories about him. It was all quite sad. It made my heart heavy for all of those that have had a child taken from them. I know this fails in comparison, but just 4 days from him broke our hearts, I could never imagine a lifetime. I pray nightly for those parents. But back to Sawyer. Sawyer is a cutie. Laid back, fun, random. He has his favorites spots and the things he is taking and always getting in trouble for taking, but that is Sawyer and that is why we love him.

So last Sunday, Feb 6th, he arrived back home. I had already decided that Sunday would be Sawyer Appreciation day (I used to have to endure these growing up for my brother, Tony. We would have all these "Tony appreciation days" but never had them for anyone else--that's the last kid for ya. The day would consist of just loving the "subject" of appreciation. Their whole, can do no wrong, status for the day. Much easier to do for a little 1 year old--not so easy to do for a turkey teenager- but I did it-I guess it paid off in the end since he is the reason we are getting Sawyer back;) So We were all waiting for Cody to return with the prodigal son. All ready to love on him, play with him, appreciate him...... And do you know what Sawyer did as soon as he was carried in? Well first he clapped, then when Cody set him down, he went straight to the cabinet because he noticed that the child lock was off...

and he proceeded to take things out of it.

Then he went for his favorite spot---
The table and chairs!


Then he found Cody's hat on the table--it is autographed and Cody rarely wears it. Kids don't touch it...except today one did. He not only touched it, but he wore it, bent it, threw it to the side when he was done with it....it was fun to watch.

Such a cutie!

Then he noticed Cohen and Miayla's door was open! This is like the promised land. He never gets to go in their room. It is a little sad sometimes because they will be in there with the door shut and he will lay on his belly and look under the door and just wait....:(

Well his wait was over

Not only did he make it in the room, but he made it in a chair, to their art table AND even got his hands on a leapster 2!!! HEAVEN!!

Inspite of all the ornariness, we still appreciated him.

Then the next morning, because I was feeling generous, introduced him to powdered donuts. Usually I have him eat toast and yogurt, but I thought he would like a little treat...Boy did he!!!

Is he not the cutest thing you have ever seen??

HE LOVED THE DONUTS!!

And because I missed him so much and the mere thought of him being gone makes me sad, he has continued to have donuts every morning for breakfast since:)

Sawyer's Obsession

Sawyer, as we all know, is an incredibly laid back little fella. He loves life and he is quite intrigued by many things. If you are family or have been around him at dinner time, you know what I am talking about. The kid is OBSESSED with chairs and tables. He LOVES to climb under them, stand on them, crawl through them, anything! Initially relatives freaked out when they saw him underneath the table, "he'll hit his head, watch him..." then they caught on. He knows EXACTLY what he is doing and he loves doing it. Now if anyone sees him under there, it's as if, well, he isn't even there. Every night after he is done eating, I take him out of his chair and he crawls under the table while the rest of us finish our meal. (Yes, this is probably also why he throws food off his tray and onto the floor). He does get stuck every now and again, but for the most part if you can't find him, look under Cohen's bar stool, or under the table and you will 99% of the time find him. (the other one percent he is putting jiffy mix in the shower;). Here are some pics of him caught in the act. I have TONS more, (the kid does it all day) but I thought I would share just a few. A few of his other obsessions: He also LOVES getting into our gum drawer and carrying around packs of gum, and taking them out of the wrappers. And he loves his magna doodle (only the one with the Christmas design though;), and he loves getting into my cake drawer and carrying around things that I use for cakes. So in conclusion, it turns out he is also a little ornery as well and as I continue to write, I am realizing that he may not be that Sweet baby Sawyer after all...hmmm. Oh well, he is so cute, so it is hard to stay mad:) Enjoy

His favorite place-under Cohen's bar stool! He will only sit under this one:)

He is currently trying to get the paper out from under his bum so he can color!

Cohen doesn't even notice he is there half the time anymore:)

working on his magna doodle...his other favorite obsession.

He is carrying around a pack of gum...trying to hide. Unfortunately for him, I know where to look.

Notice the magna doodle again:) and he also stole Miayla's Strawberry Shortcake remote control car....again.

I LOVE this picture because he has puppies on his shirt and he looks like a puppy here with the stuff in his mouth. That is a thing of gum in his mouth and a pack of fondant in his hand:) He likes to straddle the bar under the table or put snacks on there and hang out.

This is how he gets out from under the bar stool. He has my pastry brush with him:)

Again with the pastry brush:) Look at those teethers!!

So he thinks my pastry brush is an actual brush:) This is also a good time to clarify that I do not use this brush on my cake stuff....or my hair for that matter:)

Under the table with the brush and Miayla's headband.... yes, I know when Cody sees this he is going to wonder why his young man has a cake brush and a headband, but hey, it is what it is. I prefer the term domesticated:)

Something in that book must of been funny. Pretty sure we read it about 17 times a day and no, nothing in that book is funny. lol

So handsome! ....again with his magna doodle and Miayla's strawberry shortcake car.

LOVE HIM!

Sweet Baby Sawyer--A week in the life

From the moment I knew Sawyer was alive inside of me, I knew that he would have a greater purpose in life than I would ever know. I didn't know how, or when, or where he would serve this greater purpose, just that he would bless others and myself immensely. Little did I know that it would start while still next to my heart. He helped me get through a tough patch in my life journey, one that only I will ever remember, but knowing he was there, made a world of difference. After he was born, the blessings just kept coming. His birth was amazing, the day of his Baptism peaceful, and everyday since cherished. He is so adored, so loved, and so a combination of his older brother Cohen and sister Miayla. He is a spitting image of Cohen through life and he has a bit (small, minute, smidgen) of Miayla's sass, which is just enough to make him a little spunky. He has the most relaxed disposition (i say it reminds me of someone after an adult beverage--the edge is a little off and things just flow a bit better) and he is such a good baby. Everyone always asks, "is he this good all the time?" And for 98% of the time excluding Mass time, the answer is yes:) He eats, sleeps, plays, and laughs. It is so amazing the things he catches on to. You would think the third kiddo, it would all be typical stuff, but I am so shocked at how he reacts to life. I will hold him in the middle of the night, just to cuddle, and think, "how can i love this little person soooooooooooo much?" You think I would be out of love by now, but nope. Really blogging about this is even hard because there are no words to describe the love for him. If you are a mother, you know the feeling. I am excited to see him continue to grow. No matter what though, he will always be my sweet baby sawyer:) Here are some pics of him through out a week. Sidenotes: He has over 15 pairs of footed pjs (I kid you not), he is always in them, he slides across the on his belly and I hate him ruining his nicer clothes and with concrete floors, the grippers are a godsend.

Hi momma!
Look, I learned how to color!

I'm such a big boy!!

I'm cute, single, a great cuddler, and I enjoy chasing Zhu Zhu pets daily.

I also like driving Strawberry Shortcake around in her RC car. Although, I will admit I try to eat her sometimes too. Not my fault, she smells sooooo good.

Sometimes the car becomes a flying car.... OR Miayla has realized I have her toy and is chasing me to get it back. Always, gotta be on my toes:)

I like headbands and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I put it on all by myself and walk around with it. I look great in all colors too.

See! It stays on my head because I have a nice shaped head, at least that is what mom tells me. I also like carrying around the bottle brush to mom's cake stuff:) Pretty much anything I am not supposed to have, I LOVE!

I try to be like Cohen every chance I get, he is a sweetie and has so much patience with me.

Look we are twins!

Even when I play with my own toys, they still follow me. What can i say? Everyone loves a man with his own set of wheels!

I'm practicing being a big brother by helping Miayla give her babies a stroller ride. I also snatched their bottles! Victory is mine!

UPDATE: February Sawyer's 2 months old

Sawyer Louis is growing up! At two months he is very handsome and very happy. We are so blessed to have him in our lives. It is amazing how three kiddos, spawned from the same people, can all have their unique characteristics, yet all have a huge heart when it comes to loving others. As Sawyer grows, we are excited to see just who he will become. With his super light complexion, and his relaxed disposition...I bet he is like his daddy)

Sawyer and Leroy Thomas (bear) @ 1 month old

Sawyer and Leroy Thomas at 2 months old

its a girl.....just kidding!

Sooo, if you remember the story of the Tank, (under archives..Cody's new baby) you know that we had the name of the baby put on the tank. Well, as luck would have it....the SONOGRAM WAS WRONG!!! It said that we were having a girl and we had a boy! Therefore, the name of our baby girl is on the bike...not Sawyers. The artist who custom painted the bike said she can fix it...thank you Baby Jesus. I guess there is a reason we have never found out what we were having...b/c in the end, it really doesn't matter, you're grateful either way!

Sweet baby Sawyer!!!!

IT'S A BOY!!!

With great joy and blessed hearts, we welcomed SAWYER LOUIS AYRES into the world on December 1st, 2009 @ 11:47 am. He weighed 8lbs 2 ozs and was 20 inches long. Everything went fantastic, except for the kiddos not being able to visit b/c of H1N1:( My heart broke when I saw the sign on the doors at St. Joe saying that no kiddos were allowed.....I even asked Cody if we should leave!!!! I was so devestated for Cohen and Miayla as we had planned for them to be the FIRST ones to meet the new baby. After a minor meltdown, and scaring the nurses with my crying before I was even admitted, I managed to pull it together and deliver the most precious little boy...again:) And the kiddos are ecstatic they got their "little brother."







All snug in my bed, with visions of babies dancing in my head:)














Cody trying to calm me and get me smiling again












Baby Sawyer















My saving grace














Our little family picture...take 3


















proud daddy














The volunteers at the hospital made these for all the babies:)













My sister and brother came to meet their newest nephew!













Cody's parents

My parents

my mika

Our baby boy:)