Just for fun

I thought it would be fun to compare pictures of Isaiah (who is 5 weeks) to Jack and Patrick at that age. When Isaiah was first born I thought we had another little Jack. And while he certainly does look more like Jack than Patrick, he is definitely getting his own look. His eyes look especially different to me.

Jack at 6 weeks.

And our little blondie... Patrick

And for one more comparison - here is a before and after shot of our house. So far we've removed all the rocks and mulch from the front yard, grown grass from seed and removed the tree. It's not a true "after" shot since we have new windows coming this fall, a new tree and shrubs to plant. Next summer we want to install new garage doors and paint the house.

4 weeks

This little guy is going to be a month old tomorrow! He's such an easy little guy and is very content to sit in his bouncy chair and watch all the events around him. It won't be too long before he's running around with his crazy brothers. He's already rolled from front to back (he had his arm stuck under him... but at just 3 days old, that's still pretty impressive) and he ooches all over the place. Just the other day he ooched his way off our bed right onto the floor. Looks like I probably have another early walker on my hands.

Patrick takes his dinner very seriously. Actually, he doesn't. But it sure looks like he does here.

I try really hard to get good pics of the boys together, and this is what I get.

It has been very crazy around here since Isaiah came along. I say this as Monkey #1 is hanging around my neck. Both boys have had the flu and colds here (Isaiah got in on that one too.) We're healthy here, except for the baby. But Jack's dropped his nap and Patrick's not sleeping well at night. And Patrick seems to have the baby blues too. So uhm... yeah... this is what results....

Fun times with Grandma, Grandpa and Gracie

My parents and Gracie came our for a week-long visit last week. We had a wonderful time hanging out and even went boating up in Coeur d'alene with them.

The boys warmed up to them immediately, even though they hadn't seen them since January. Thank goodness for Skype!

Isaiah is a bit more aware of his surroundings now.

I'm trying to wean the boys of this activity. Needless to say, when there are three crying boys, one of whom needs to be nursed, the cartoons are turned on.

This is supposed to be fun?

Thanks to Gracie for the pictures!

5 Days

This little guy is such a sweetie. But then again, what 5-day-old isn't?

Jack is so loving to Isaiah and the novelty of holding him hasn't worn off yet.

And our "Big Baby" is showing some signs of jealousy. Usually a cuddle/tickle session helps him out. He seems so big now that he's a big brother. Just within days of having Isaiah it seems as though Patrick's vocabulary has grown drastically. Oh, and for all you out-of-towners who don't get to hear from Jack on the phone - Jack is now talking non-stop. Seriously.... non-stop. He's quite a delight to talk with (or listen to... they're pretty one-sided conversations.)

My boys

We welcomed our sweet little boy #3 into the family early Thursday morning. At 1:38 am, July 22nd, Isaiah Kyle Bakken finally made his appearance. He made us wait (his due date was the 12th), but he was well worth it. We praise the Lord for a smooth and short labor and even more for a healthy son. He weighed 8 lbs 14 oz and is 22 inches long.

Don't you love how none of the boys are looking at the camera and Jack's just a blur?

Both boys just love Isaiah (or "BayBEE" as Patrick says). Patrick has to learn to be gentle. Jack is pretty gentle with him and loves to hold him. This morning when he woke up the first thing he said was to ask to hold Isaiah.

And here's Isaiah - just a few hours old in this picture. We think he looks a lot like Jack. They were almost the exact same size at birth and both have a head full of dark hair. It'll be fun to see how much they look alike in the coming months and years.

Keeping Cool

... or trying to at least. We waited for what seemed like an eternity for summer to show up. And it finally did!

And we are all very happy!

If you look close you can see little sticky marks all over Patrick's chest. This would be from his ER visit on Monday. The little guy decided to take a taste of some automotive cleaner he found in the garage and poison control sent us off to the hospital for the day. After several blood tests and monitoring his heart for 5-6 hours we were sent home tired and completely healthy! His least favorite part of the trip was the multiple failed attempts at an IV. But chocolate pudding and jumping on the bed made up for this.

Want some?

And check back soon - there should be a baby update within a few days!

Ice Cream

We finally had our first cookout of the season! We went to Laird Park with some friends and enjoyed food, conversation and sand. Some brave kiddos enjoyed the mountain water too.

And this of course has nothing to do with our cookout. But it's too funny to leave out. Jack loves to read while using the potty. We keep a tool catalog on the tank for him.