Isaac Turns 3 - Part 1

Happy 3rd Birthday, Isaac!

It's hard to believe Isaac is 3 years old already! Where has the time gone? My sweet, sensitive little Isaac isn't so little anymore. He is quickly catching up to his big brother and actually outweighs him by a pound, though still a couple inches shorter. He has become quite a character and has about a million expressions that make everyone he meets laugh. He is so expressive and charming, and it's hard to hold a grudge. Isaac's favorite things include cars, trucks, trains and anything he gets to play with his older brother. Isaac loves to read stories and play pretend and snuggle up. I love chatting with Isaac because he is a thinker and he is very creative. He always has a good story to tell. It's crazy that he is 3 already. It seems like just yesterday we were wondering what his little voice would sound like, and how it would be when he and Calem could play together. He is growing up so fast and will even be going to preschool in the fall. Isaac is so easy to have around, and is wonderful company. Happy Birthday sweet boy, I love you very, very much!

Not All Handmedowns

Little man Grant. Our third Nagy boy. Destined for a life full of "used" things. However, he does have a couple outfits all his own that must be documented. This super cute romper, compliments of Aunt Julie, is so soft and cuddly I wish I had one to wear. It is the most adorable outfit I've seen for a boy in a long time and sports a picture of a friendly walrus ice fishing--it's become a favorite and he wears it about once a week! Thank you, Aunt Juju for something new!
And then there is the warm and fuzzy animal sleeper that Gramma Martin sent. How nice it is to add something other than blue to the repetoire. Thank you for helping Grant feel welcome and for letting him start life with a few things he can call his own, because it isn't likely he'll have a whole lot of that as time goes by.

'sno fun becomes Snow Fun!

So, last year's attempts to play in the snow didn't go over so well. But this year has been a whole different story! The boys now stay out and frolic in the cold whiteness for a longer period of time than it took to don all the snow gear--and that makes it worthwhile. Besides, they now know that playing out for a while is a means to acquiring hot cocoa with marshmallows, and that makes it worthwhile! I enjoy standing inside the warmth of my cozy kitchen snuggling my baby boy, watching and smiling out the window.

Calem has learned to make snow angels. Here he is making a beautiful one.

The hill in our back yard has been in full use this winter, thanks also to Gramma and Grampa Nagy for the saucer sleds for Christmas. How nice it is to have our own private sledding hill out back!

We even enjoyed a crisp winter day at the zoo where the boys had a snowball fight with Daddy. Calem could really pack 'em and got Scott good a few times!


And of course no winter fun would be complete without building a friendly snowman. Isaac was more interested in sabotaging our efforts and knocking the heads off, but eventually Calem and I were able to complete our frosty friend. We had so much cold and snow for a while that the guy stayed with us for quite some time! Even after his face had long been eaten by various critters.

We also put Calem to work, and he is finally pulling his weight around here! He enthusiastically helped Scott shovel the sidewalk out front. Will he still have the same enthusiasm when he's 16??

Christmas Time 2009

We had a lovely holiday that went by in a blur, what with a newborn who cries way more than his fair share, and two very excited little boys anticipating the arrival of Santa. It was a no-muss, no-fuss kind of Christmas around here and we all enjoyed it immensely. (Except maybe Grant, who just is having a bad day all the time--poor guy.) Below are some photos from Christmas day for the Nagy family. Calem was very serious about leaving cookies and milk for Santa, and took great consideration in which cookies to choose and exactly how many. Santa really liked them, and ate them all.

A Christmas tradition that stems from my childhood, Santa left Christmas Crunch cereal on the fireplace hearth. A treat for the boys, for sure--but not as much of a treat as it was for me as a kid living in a home where sugared cereals were forbidden!

Isaac is excited about checking out all the fun packages in his stocking.

After the morning spent in the quiet (except for Grant's wailing) of our own home, sharing our own family holiday, we made the trek to Gramma and Grampa Nagy's house. And, yes, I take responsibility for forcing the boys to wear the silly Christmas vests. But don't they look cute?? It's only so few years I can force them to dress like this, and I do it so seldom. Hopefully they won't hold it against me later in life.

This was the "year of the Tonka truck" for the Nagy boys, and nothing could have made them happier. They recieved two large cranes and one giant dump truck! In the interest of my walls, cupboards and wood floors, I have decided they will be outdoor trucks.

But the best Christmas present of all was that we got to share the holiday (albeit briefly) with my mom and dad, and that they got to meet Grant for the first time. (Have I mentioned he cried pretty much the entire day!?) We were all very glad that my parents were able to come for a short visit and share Christmas day with us. Despite a terribly fussy newborn, we couldn't have asked for a happier Christmas altogether.

Christmas Cookies

Newborn or not, the season must go on, and that means Christmas cookies must get made. And since Grant cries about 23 hours a day, I have learned to do many things with one hand. Let's just add baking cut-out cookies to that list. Hey, look on the bright side--the little guy has very early partcipation in this tradition under his belt already! And it kept him from screaming for hours on end. But have you ever tried to roll cookie dough with one hand???

However, I did have a couple of eager helpers at the ready. Check out Calem's very cool apron that Gramma Martin made for him, complete with Thomas pockets and buttons. Isaac also has a matching one, his in red. They love the aprons and feel very important, indeed. Calem has always enjoyed helping me in the kitchen and is passionate about stirring, cutting, measuring and pouring. His job this day was to unwrap the sticks of butter, cut them into squares and scrape the sides of the mixer. He did an excellent job!

Then came the fun part. The rolling, cutting and decorating. Both boys had their own rolling pins and did a surprisingly good job rolling gently and evenly. I guess all that play-doh has paid off!
Would you trust a 4 year old and an almost-3 year old with open bowls of colored sugar? Everything in me didn't want to, but I took a deep breath and had my vacuum at the ready.

Long after Isaac's attention was diverted from cookies to choo-choos, Calem remained and meticulously decorated tray after tray of snowmen with scarves, christmas trees with garland, multicolored stars and striped candy-canes.

I could not have done it without Calem. And the pride he took as each tray went into the oven and came out again was evident. What a difference a year makes in attitude and capability. We had a lot of fun making Christmas cookies this year, and despite Grant and his surly disposition, we can at least drown our weariness in milk and heavily-sugared cookies for weeks to come. YUM!

Welcome to Our Family!

On November 23 at 10:13pm my long and cumbersome pregnancy finally came to a blissful end, and we joyfully welcomed our third baby boy into our family!!!! At 7lb. 9oz. he cried heartily and sported a full head of dark hair. Big and pink and healthy, we couldn't be happier, but he needed a name! Once again, we had been unable to commit to a boy's name prior to the birth.

But by the next afternoon, we had decided on Grant Martin Justice Nagy. It seems to fit him, and will be a good strong name as he grows into a man.

It's still surreal to believe that I am a mother to three boys. I am outnumbered in this family, for sure, but I will certainly take three boys over three girls any day!!! What mom wouldn't want three strapping young men to take care of her in her old age?

Welcome, baby Grant! You are a blessing and we love you so, so much already. We can't wait to watch you grow and learn and develop your special and unique personality. My only word of advice for you is to learn to be tough quick, because your big brothers aren't likely to go easy on you!

Pumpkins and Trees and Racecar Drivers, Oh My!

Happy Halloween!In case you can't tell, Calem is a tree and Isaac is a racecar driver. Both boys picked their own costumes, completely unprompted. The fact that my 4 year old boy chose to be a tree (and not just any tree, "a fall tree, mommy. with fall leaves and crunchy leaves") instead of a fireman or power ranger or dinosaur is just one more example of how special Calem is. The kid truly thinks outside the box and marches to the beat of his own drum. But I love him for his creativity and I must say he got many, many compliments on his tree costume. And it really didn't come as a surpise that our 2 1/2 year old who eats, drinks, sleeps and lives for all things trucks and cars wanted to dress up as a racecar driver. He LOVED his costume and I think he believed he really was a racecar driver.
However happy they were about their costumes, nothing compares to the sheer joy of a bag filled with candy, and an opportunity to eat piece after piece after piece until it just doesn't taste good anymore!

And no Halloween is complete without the carving of the Jack-O-Lanterns. Being the smart and savvy mom that I am, I have stealthily succeeded in making this a Grampa and Daddy tradition, always completed at Grampa's house--and the mess stays far, far away from my happy home!

The boys watch, with disappointed faces because they are not allowed to use the "big knife" to cut the lids of the Jack-O-Lanterns. Isaac's face really says all there is to say on that matter.

Isaac had a blast scooping "guts," but was cautious about using
the spoon because he did NOT like the slimy stuff on his hands.

And in the end, we had a very friendly Jack-O-Lantern indeed
and a very proud little boy with a grin to match!