Just me and the boys with a splash of pink

Football=Multiplication

2012-01-21T11:44:00.002-07:00

So these days, Carter is doing legos, Olivia is playing in her exersacuer, Nolan is making messes, and Tyler is playing football. He plays these football games all by himself. Its usually Air Force verse someone, Notre Dame verse someone and now more recently the Broncos verse somewhere. (A side note - he LOVES Tim Tebow and we had to go buy him a Tim Tebow shirt. Lets just say they day he found out they lost in the playoffs and the seasons was over he was not happy). He plays all the different positions and plays both teams. He keeps the score in his head. Many times throughout the day he comes and makes sure his addition is right. I hear "mom 28 plus 7 is 35 right?". The teams also seem to get a a lot of safety and field goals. The thing I love most about this though, is you can ask him what the score would be if a team made three touchdowns and three extra points and he knows its 21 points without even thinking about it. If he tells you the end of the game the score is 52-24 he will tell you exactly how each team got those points, and it almost always adds up correctly. I love watching his little mind at work.

Messes

2012-01-21T11:26:00.000-07:00

We have a lot of messes around our house - here is a little video of why that may be.

Nolan's Speech

2012-01-21T11:20:00.000-07:00

Nolan finally got re-evaluated for his speech. I was pretty sure he would qualify this time as technically he qualified last time and this time the referral was coming from our doctor. The ladies who did the evaluation (including our lovely friend Marj) this time were different than the first time and they were confused as of why they didn't let him have services after the first evaluation. They asked me what, if anything, had changed since his first one. Well he now would try to make the "ma" sounds, but he wouldn't direct it at me, he would hold his hands up more often when he wanted to be picked up, and he started waving bye bye. So really not much. They qualified him right away and said he was at about a 9 month developmental level. He also got a hearing test done showing that was fine. We have had two sessions so far with his therapist, Julie. She thinks that its a muscle problem - that he can't make his mouth imitate correctly to make the sounds come out. So we are working on him imitating other things first - like tapping his head, clapping, pointing out body parts etc. He seems to be doing ok with this, but the more fine motor you get (pointing at body parts) they harder it is for him. He has started saying "uh oh" when something falls on the ground and I think he is trying to say "bye" to Tyler everyday when we drop him off. He waves at him and make an "i" sound anyway. We are also working on getting him to sign more. Right now we are concentrating on "eat" and "up" so that he will do those consistently. So far if I say eat or sign it he will do it, but he won't sign it to tell me he wants to eat. But at least we are getting somewhere. The other fascinating thing out of all of this, for me anyway, is that his receptive language, or what he understands, is actually above where he should be. We can pretty much tell him anything and he gets what we are saying, from go put your milk in the fridge, to where are your shoes, to when somewhere says they are going to leave he goes and gets them their coat. He also has his own way of telling us what he wants. If he wants food he goes to the cabinet and points at the food. He has learned to shake his head no in the past few days so now he can tell us no he doesn't wants the kix, he wants the graham crackers. So the tantrums are down somewhat thanks to those new milestones, but by 18 months he should be saying the words not pointing. But I think with Julie's help the words will come sooner and hopefully by 2 he may be where he should be at.

Play time

2012-01-21T11:05:00.001-07:00

The boys, all three of them, at least once in a while all play together and I love watching it. Nolan has recently learned how to color. Here are my three boys coloring away together. Life is good.

Haircut

2012-01-21T11:02:00.000-07:00

Nolan's hair was getting crazy with all of his curls so we had to give him a haircut. I was somewhat sad as I was afraid his curls would go away. That didn't happen though, if anything his hair seems even more curly and of course he looks a little older. He did great during the haircut, just sitting their very nice and hardly moving his head at all. She only used scissors though and trimmed it up so we didn't get to see how he would have reacted to the razor, but I think he would have done just fine. Here are the before pictures:

And the after pictures:

Tyler Update

2012-01-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

So an update on Number 1 now. Tyler is still doing great in school. They test them at each quarter and he is way above where he should be. He reads me new words and books everyday and got all Proficients on his last report card. I love seeing his writing as well. A couple weeks ago he wrote me a story about the zoo. This is what he wrote: "I like the zoo. I ucided to dru a bir bkuz I see birs at the zoo." Translates: "I like the zoo. I decided to draw a bear because I see bears at the zoo." This week he wrote this: "I like to play on the playgrnd. First I Cim the slid. Next I run. The playgrnd is fun." Translates: I like the play on the playground. First I climb the slide. Next I run. The playground is fun." I thought that was pretty good improvement!

Carter Update

2012-01-21T10:38:00.000-07:00

So just a little update on Number 2. Carter is doing great in school and he blows my socks off with how much he is already reading. He can sound out words like a champ and already knows about 10 sight words. When Tyler is doing his homework and trying to come up with words for a certain letters, Carter usually chimes in with at least one new word for that letter. We registered him for Kindergarten and boy was he excited. They didn't test them like they did Tyler last year. I was hoping they would just so I could see how well he is doing for their standards. Tyler's teacher did call me and ask if she could request Carter for next year, so I guess that's a good sign that she thinks our kids are pretty great.
Carter got a bunch of legos for Christmas. Usually he sits there and hands Justin or I pieces as we put the things together. However he is finally into them and does them day after day by himself. If we even help him a little bit, he will take it apart because he wants to do it on his own. I love that he is enjoying them so much as usually he would rather play with people than toys so it can make long afternoons without Tyler around.
One more funny Carter story - he got Cars 2 pajamas for Christmas. The are the pants with the button down collared shirt type of pj's. He LOVES them and for three days refused to take them off. He finally did so we could wash them, but as soon as they were dry he put them right back on. He even wore them to Red Robin when he did a after dinner surprise dessert run. Justin calls him "Hef" after Hugh Hefner. Gotta love my boy!

5 months

2012-01-21T10:29:00.001-07:00

So this post is way late...about 2.5 weeks ago Little Livi turned 5 months old! She rolls everywhere, and scoots backwards. She loves her cereal and is starting to take longer naps. One of her favorite things is getting changed - the girl thinks it so funny to get her clothes taken off. She has dropped her dream feed and goes from 7-7 most nights! She always smiles when she sees her brothers and is getting pretty tough when her littlest big brother accidentally steps on her. Olivia has also started playing in her exersaucer and thinks its the best thing ever. We lover her giggle, her smiles, and we love her.

More Oma and Opa Time

2011-12-28T14:58:00.001-07:00

On Monday the boys got some more Oma and Opa time. Along with Josiah they all went to see the Muppets movie. Both boys gave it good reviews and thought it was very funny. On Tuesday they came over and we went to the mall to play. After some lunch Oma and Opa took the big boys bowling on the Academy. They both had a fun time an then they drove around seeing where I grew up. They ended up at the Field House and actually got to see the Air Force hockey team practice - very fun. On the way home I guess they had a pretty cute conversation. They were talking about when they grow up how they want to play football at the Academy and how they could be on the same team. Oma and Opa said they would go to their games and watch them play. Carter responded "I have some bad news guys, I got some bad news. You guys are kinda old so you will probably die and then you can't watch us". That night Oma and Opa came over again so that Justin and I could go out for his birthday. They had pizza, did some fun crafts, played games and just had a great night. We will all miss them and can't wait to see them in April!

Christmas Pictures

2011-12-28T11:36:00.001-07:00

Just a few more pictures from Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. Enjoy!

Favorite Things

2011-12-28T11:08:00.001-07:00

A couple favorite things - Nolan is loving to give hugs. He comes up and gives me hugs multiple times a day. When he hugs he makes a little "mmm" sound and pats my back. He has also started giving Olivia hugs and it is SO sweet.

On Christmas Eve we had pigs in a blanket for part of our appetizer dinner. Carter called them "Baby Jesus in a blanket".

Big Mess

2011-12-28T10:33:00.002-07:00

This is what happens when the 16 month old can get into the fridge and get his own yogurt while his mommy is feeding the little sister. This is also why we now have refrigerator locks.

Luckily he is really cute

Christmas

2011-12-28T10:32:00.003-07:00

On Christmas Eve Oma and Opa came over and then we all headed to church for the Christmas Eve service. The big boys joined us for the service and they did pretty well. One baby was getting baptized and when they asked the congregation if we would help teach the baby about the Lord and if so say we do, Carter very loudly said "we do". He also answered the Pastor's question to "are we alone or with God" with "with God". We came home to have some appetizers and watch Polar Express. On Christmas morning, the boys woke up at 5:15, but we made them hold off until about 8:30 when Oma and Opa made it over. We had some cinnamon rolls for breakfast and then opened gifts. Like usual everyone was given way to much. The rest of the day was spent with the boys doing legos and finishing up with a nice Christmas dinner. It was a very nice Christmas day.

Week with Oma and Opa

2011-12-28T10:32:00.001-07:00

We had a good week leading up to Christmas. On Monday we didn't do much to make sure everyone was feeling ok. Tuesday brought swimming lessons for both boys and Opa came over to watch Nolan and Olivia for me. Olivia got overtired though and was pretty cranky for Opa. That night both Oma and Opa came over for dinner. Wednesday, Justin was off so we had a nice family day and I got a much needed Girls Night and we also got snow! So on Thursday the boys played in the snow and we had a cozy day at home. Friday Oma came over and watched Nolan and Livi during swimming lessons and then we ran some errands. On Friday night we had a babysitter come over and we had a very nice adult dinner with my parents and siblings at Craftwood Inn. We try to do this every year when we are all together and it is always a fantastic time. I was taken back this week at how blessed we are and what a great family I have.

Christmas with the Cousins

2011-12-28T10:31:00.006-07:00

Oma and Opa got her on Saturday afternoon and came over to say hello. Unfortunately Carter got sick the morning so we ate some pizza quick and then they headed to their hotel. On Sunday we were suppose to go over to Todd and Jessie's house to see both Uncle Todd, Uncle BJ and all of their families along with Oma and Opa. Nolan got sick in the middle of the night however so we weren't sure what to do. In the end all the kids seemed to be acting fine so we headed over praying no one else would get sick. We had a great time. All the cousins played well together, the adults got to play some password, we ate a lot, the kids made gingerbread houses and we opened gifts. It was a great time and I know a lot of great memories were made. And no one got sick while we were there (Tyler got sick Sunday night).

Christmas Program

2011-12-28T10:31:00.002-07:00

Carter had a Christmas program for his class along with a party. It was also pajama day, so he was super excited to wear his pj's to school. I was excited that I didn't have to fight with him to wear something nice for his program. He was very excited to have Nolan in his class and had Nolan sit with him while his teacher read a story. Then the class sang a couple songs and gave the parents the gifts they made. Carter made Justin and I an ornament. Then they gave their gifts to baby Jesus, which will be donated to a pregnancy center and finally it was time to decorate cookies and do some crafts. It was a very nice party and everyone seemed to have a lot of fun. However I must say its was a little difficult to be present and involved with what Carter was doing, watch Nolan from destroying the classroom, watch Olivia (who mostly stayed in her car seat) and socialize with parents all at the same time. I told Justin he would be joining me from now on to these things.

Cereal

2011-12-10T13:59:00.001-07:00

We have started Livi n cereal. First we did the rice cereal, then oatmeal (and I accidentally gave her oatmeal with bananas, but no issues so all is good) and then barley. She likes the oatmeal the best. However she still spits most of it out. I am not sure if this is because she just isn't quite ready for it yet or if its because I am not that consistent with her about it. I am still trying to figure out the best time to feed her everyday with all the running around we do. She has adapted to her 4 hour bottle schedule quite well at least and is getting 6 oz of formula at every feeding. Hopefully we can get into a routine soon and she can start eating solids more regularly.

4 Month Check-Up

2011-12-10T13:54:00.001-07:00

Olivia had her 4 month check up on Wednesday. She is weighing in at 13 lbs 11 oz and is 25 inches tall. That puts her right at 50th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height. Developmentally she is doing great as well, and is a little advanced in some areas. She does have a little labia adhesion that we need to put some medicine on to fix, but not a big deal and should be cleared up in a week or so. She had to get three shots, and just like last time did not like them at all. By the time we were home though she was just fine. We also got the go ahead to start cereal and I am going to start putting her on a four eating schedule instead of the three hour one she is ow. So thankful to have a healthy baby girl!

4 months

2011-12-09T21:22:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, Olivia turned 4 months old. It is going by so fast. She is still a super easy baby and loves to smile and laugh. And boy does she talk. I always thought my boys were pretty vocal at this point, but mane she is hardly ever quiet. She has also learned to blow raspberries. Always a fun thing. She also has no qualms to let you know when she wants some attention. If you haven't held her for a while or left her in the swing for too long she will start squealing out. I guess she already know that if you are 1 of 4 kids you have to make yourself heard. She now sleeps unswaddled as she rolls onto her tummy as soon as you put her on her back. However she loses her pacifier or starts playing around some so its a little harder for her to fall asleep now. If we wait to long and she gets overtired she really has a hard time. Its really the only time she gets fussy though so I can't complain. She loves her big brothers, always smiling when they come by. She has started grabbing and holding toys and is pretty good at pulling her plug out of her mouth. She is working on getting it back in. Olivia is also more sensitive than the boys were. She doesn't like it if someone speaks to loud around her or if she gets knocked in the head by something (the boys wold usually giggle if this happened). So fun to watch her grow and see how already she has a little personality that's completely different than we are used to.

Nolan and Livi

2011-12-01T21:23:00.003-07:00

Everyday Nolan gets more and more interested in Olivia. He will come over to her swing and talk to her and try to give her her plug. He also seems to know which ones are hers and which ones are his, as he will bring me her pacifiers when he finds them on the floor. I had them both in my lap the other day and Nolan would just bend over and get right in her face and talk to her. When she is on her mat playing, he will come over and play next to her. It was very cute. He also pets he hair. Of course he has also hit her a couple of times trying to give her high fives and has stepped on her a few times. I can't wait to watch their relationship grow over the years.

Daddy Weekend

2011-12-01T21:23:00.001-07:00

Last weekend I went on a Moms Weekend Away with my Mops group. It was a wonderful weekend where I made a lot of new friends, had friendships grow, and laughed a lot. Justin was home by himself with all 4 kids. I was never really worried and didn't need to be, he did great. They took quite a few trips to stores, wrestled around, and even made me a chocolate cake for when I got home. The boys said they had fun with just daddy time and I am glad they got to spend a weekend with just him. It so nice that I have a husband that encourages me to get away and have a break when he works so hard himself. I love you Justin.

Outside Time

2011-12-01T21:22:00.001-07:00

The weather has been quite nice lately, which means more outside time. Nolan loves just to sit and watch his brothers play. Until they get on the trampoline and then he wants to join in. I have had a few scary moments with him just standing on a couple cinder blocks. Luckily he has yet to fall on them. Tyler and Carter also love playing outside. Tyler is usually found throwing a football around. Carter loves to build things and usually Tyler will join in. One day they made a whole beaver dam, complete with a clubhouse, pool, and garage. IN the pictures Tyler was pretending to be a cheetah and Carter was the zoo keeper taking him to his new cage. Love how well they still play together!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T20:47:00.001-07:00

We had a very nice, low key Thanksgiving at home with just us. We started off the day with the big boys running a 1 k Turkey Trot at the Y. We got there just as they were ending, but since we weren't the only late ones they ran a second race. The boys did a great job and were both very tired at the end of it. Of course they loved the ribbons they got. We then came home, watched some football, at some yummy chicken (turkey would be to big) and I made my first pumpkin pie which Justin and the boys said was great. On Friday the boys and I decorated the house. Now we are trying to keep Nolan away from the tree. We have so much to be blessed and thankful for with the number one thing being our family. So glad we got to spend it together and just enjoy some great family time.

Thanksgiving Feast

2011-11-25T20:46:00.001-07:00

Carter had his Thanksgiving feast for his school. They performed two songs for us and and then we all got to eat some yummy food. It was kind of crazy tyring to get the food with just me there with three kids. I actually had Carter watch Nolan and Olivia while I waited in line, luckily he did a great job holding down our table. He was very cute performing as well, waving to me from the stage and asking where Olivia was (he couldn't see her in her stroller). Tyler also had a little thing at school for just his class. He got to bring a snack for a friend and they shared it together. Tyler was sad he didn't get to pick his friend, but was happy they each brought fruit snack to share. Its odd having the boys doing two separate things when I am so used to them doing the same things, but I know its good for both of them.

15 month check up

2011-11-25T20:45:00.003-07:00

A week after the big boy check ups, Nolan had his 15 month check up. He is weighing in right over 20 lbs and for the life of me I can't remember his height. They don't write them down for me anymore with the electron records either. I do know he is 10th percentile for weight and 50th percentile for weight and head circumference. She was happy that his weight didn't drop anymore. He seems perfectly healthy and her only concern is his speech. Even though the district didn't want him evaluated til March again she wants us to do it sooner than that. Her hope is that he won't be delayed by the time he is 2 if we start working with him now. So in the next couple of weeks he will be getting reevaluated. I am pretty confident he will qualify this time. He had to get two shots, but he handled them pretty well. Just glad he is happy and healthy!

Check ups

2011-11-25T20:45:00.001-07:00

Well this happened almost a month ago at this point, but that's what happens when you have 4 kiddos. Tyler and Carter had their 5 and 6 year check-ups. Like usual they are both doing just great and seem very healthy. They weigh they exact same (Carter maybe be .2 lbs more) at right under 40 lbs. Tyler is measuring in at 46 inches and Carter at 43 inches. Like at school, Tyler failed his hearing test again. He goes in for another test next week and then we will go from there. The doctor is troubled because last time he was failing them it was his right ear and now its his left. There seems to be no fluid and he seems to hear fine (he is in the top reading group). Both of their eye sights and blood pressure and bmi's are just perfect as well. The boys were happy to hear no more shots until they are 11and I am happy for healthy boys!

Swimming

2011-11-13T10:47:00.001-07:00

We are trying our hand at swimming once again. I got a good deal on private lessons for Tyler so we bought him 3. After those 3 lessons we already saw an improvement so we decided to bite the bullet and buy 10 lessons for both Tyler and Carter. Carter is doing great and can practically swim the length of the pool already. These aren't like normal swim lessons. They first teach how to survive n the water if a child fell n and then work on proper stroke and breathing technique. While Tyler is much more comfortable in the water than he used to be, he is still afraid to do much on his own. After the 10 lessons the owner thought they both should be farther along and gave us 2 more free lessons with her for free. So on their Christmas break they will be going four days in a row. Hopefully this will do the trick and we can enjoy some time in the pool in the spring.

3 Months!!!

2011-11-05T19:52:00.001-06:00

On the 4th Little Livi, you turned 3 months. I can't believe how fast its going! You are getting so big right before our eyes. You are still super easy and hardly ever fuss or cry. You are happy to take naps anywhere, but I know that wont last and need you to start sleeping in your crib now. You are now sleeping in your room you share with Nolan. Occasionally you wake up in the middle of the night and we bring you back to our room so you won't wake your brother, but you always just fall back asleep. You still go 11-7 every night and you drink 4-5 ounces every 3 hours or so. You love to talk all the time and so far daddy is the one who can always make you giggle the most. You are already starting to roll over! You roll from your tummy to your back no problem and are so close to rolling onto your tummy. You love to watch your brothers and always smile when they come near. You have started grabbing my hair when I feed you and you also love to hold onto a finger, which we don't mind at all. We love you Livi Joy and can't imagine our life without our little girl.

Outside Time

2011-10-31T14:11:00.001-06:00

Now that Nolan is walking better with his shoes on, I let him play outside with his brothers more. He LOVES this and wishes I would let him out all day long. The boys have been pretty good playing with Nolan as well. They other day they put him in their dump truck and drove him around the yard. He didn't even mind when they dumped him out. Fun times!

Snow!

2011-10-31T14:11:00.000-06:00

A couple weeks ago we had our first snow of the year. While Tyler was at school, Carter and Nolan went a played. This was Nola's first time in the snow, and while he was excited he was outside, he wasn't so sure of this cold stuff. We only stayed out a for a few minutes. Then he just started out the window watching his brother continue to play out all day.

Pumpkins

2011-10-31T14:10:00.001-06:00

Way behind once again....Because it was so cold at the pumpkin patch, Oma and I went back to the car while daddy, Opa, and the big boys picked out the pumpkins. Which meant I didn't get any pictures. So I took some of Olivia and Nolan with the pumpkins on our porch. Here they are.

Halloween

2011-10-31T14:10:00.000-06:00

We had a very busy Halloween, with lots of wearing of the costumes. Carter had his Halloween party at school the Thursday before. Tyler happened to be off of school that day, so he got to join in as well. I also had Nolan and Livi in their costumes too. They boys had a blast decorating cookies and Carter enjoyed trick or treating around the church. On Saturday we had a friends birthday party which was Halloween themed. The kids even got to tick or treat around the house - very fun. Then on Halloween day, Tyler had his Halloween party and got to wear his costume to school. They did a parade around the school as well, but I missed getting to see that. Carter, Nolan, Livi and I then joined him in the afternoon for his class party (in costume). I guess they snag a couple songs, but I missed it. They had fun eating lots of food though and Carter always just joins in like its his class. Tyler loves showing off Nolan and Livi to his friends. Halloween night we actually took them trick or treating around our neighborhood. I must say Nolan was just adorable toddling around. The boys did well saying trick or treat an remembering to day thank you. After about 10 houses we came home and let the boys hand out the candy. They were more excited about this part. They sat on our porch yelling to anyone who passed by "we have candy!!!". Glad to see they were just excited to give out candy than to eat all theirs. Also glad that all the Halloween candy is now gone.

Conferences

2011-10-29T15:34:00.001-06:00

The past couple weeks both of the boys had their school conferences and they are both doing great! I had Carter's first and his teacher just loves him. She is very impressed with his fine motor skills and that he knows all his letters and most of his sounds already. She says he is happy to play with everybody in the class and lives life like it his to live. I thought that was a pretty good assessment of him. There a few things to work on, like skipping and some of his numbers, but I think he will do great this year and be ready for Kindergarten next year. Couldn't be prouder of him!
I had Tyler's on Thursday. He is also doing great. His teacher says he plays with the kids and does talk in class, but he always wants to make sure he knows what he should be doing before doing it. He is excelling at reading and writing being in the top reading group right now. He had all P+, P's and a couple PP (partially proficient). However the PP's were because they hadn't gotten to some skills yet. When he is home he amazes us with how well he can read and sound out words and how much he loves to write. I am one proud mom of my big boys!!!

Oma, Opa, and the Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-29T15:27:00.001-06:00

The weekend before Carter's birthday my parents came to town. Opa hadn't met Olivia yet so they came in to meet her and see everyone else. We saw them Friday night and went and had Old C's for dinner. They spent Saturday with Todd and Jessie's kids and then came back over to our house on Sunday. Unfortunately Olivia and Tyler both got sick on Saturday (Nolan had already been sick a couple days earlier). So Oma and Opa didn't come over til the afternoon so we could see how everyone was feeling. Everyone seemed to be ok so we headed to the Pumpkin Patch.

We went to a different one this year that had hay rides, a slide, a train ride, a swing, lots of animals, and pumpkin of course. It would have been a lot of fun but it was VERY windy. We kind of rushed thought everything and my mom, Nolan, Olivia, and I even headed back to the car early while the boys finished up with the pony rides and picking out the pumpkins. The kids still had a good time though so I guess that's all that matters. We went and got dinner that night where Tyler got sick again. I loved that ,y parents came out and that my dad got to see Olivia, but I just wish we weren't all sick all weekend (I then got sick a couple days later as well).

Celebration

2011-10-29T15:19:00.001-06:00

We had Carter's Birthday party at ArtSports this year. He invited his whole class, but because of a long weekend a few of them couldn't make it. All the kids still seemed to have a great time however. Carter loves jumping and doing flips and then loved his Star Wars cake. For his actual birthday we had ravioli for dinner and he got to open his presents from us. The first thing he did was tell Tyler he could share his gifts. I sure do love his heart!

Carter's 5 Year Video Montage

2011-10-29T15:11:00.000-06:00

Here is the video for Carter turning 5.

5 Years Old

2011-10-29T15:02:00.001-06:00

On the 19th, Carter James, you turned 5 years old. You are most definitely a big boy now. You still have one of the sweetest, most emphatic hearts that I know and I can't imagine our family without your little smile in it.
You love to do art, and boy are you good at it. Painting, coloring, cutting, or just doing worksheets, you love it all. You actually ask to do homework everyday because it usually means doing something with a pen in your hand. I hope this creativity will continue through out the years. You (usually) love going to school and you love to share with us all that you are learning everyday. You love to sing, and although you never want to go, you love being in choir on Wednesday nights.
You love to jump on the trampoline and be outside. You may not always be running around, but if you are outside, even just sitting and watching or talking to the neighbor boys you are a happy kid. You also love to watch "shows" which at times we had to put limits on for you. However if we give you the option to go out you will happily accept.
You still have such a big heart and would rather give things up yourself than see someone else sad. You are always the first to share your toys and special treats and always willing to do something less desirable (liking cleaning the playroom) if someone else doesn't want to do it. You also try to talk your way out of anything. You have an argument for anything we may ask you to do and you love to exaggerate. One of your favorite phrases right now is "this will take for ages".
You still love to play with Tyler, but since he is in school all day you are starting to have such a great relationship with Nolan, and he loves it so much. You play with Nolan and try to include him all day long. You also love your baby sister who you call "my baby girl" and "my princess". However once Tyler is home you want to know all about his day and show him everything from yours.
You love to cuddle and always run up to daddy when he comes home from work and to me when I pick you up from schools. This is one of my favorite parts of everyday. I love you Carter James and can't wait to see you grow this year. Happy Birthday Carter Bear!

Aspens

2011-10-09T10:53:00.001-06:00

Last weekend we took our annual drive to go and see the aspens changing. I was the perfect day weather wise and the trees were beautiful. The boys had a blast running around in the woods and having a picnic lunch by a stream. Enjoy the pictures!

Nolan Updates

2011-10-09T10:21:00.001-06:00

Just a post to share a few of Nolan's favorite things right now

He loves to read and brings me books a few times a day. He always brings me Go Dogs Go, its his absolute favorite.
If he isn't reading in the play room he is throwing his blocks. Hopefully soon he will learn to put them back in the bag. He does find it quite humorous to have the blocks placed on his head as well.
Nolan's favorite game right now is playing peek a boo and he just found out how fun it is to hide behind doors to play.
He still loves to climb - he can get onto any couch or table we have. He has also learned to push our kitchen chair over to the counter, climb onto the counters, open up the cabinets and get some food out.
He loves to climb into the dishwasher as well. To stop this we have been locking the dishwasher, that worked until he learned that when the dishwasher is locked to you can turn the dial to make it start which makes fun sounds.
Just recently he has learned to throw trash away for us. But he doesn't quite have the concept of keeping the trash in the can once he throws it in there.
Nolan has had a lovey in his crib since about 4 months old. Just recently he has decided he can't sleep without one and he loves to carry them all over the house.
Nolan loves to play in the bathrooms - his favorite thing to do in there? That would be give his lovey a bath in the toilet.

So those are some of Nolan's favorite things - he is just adorable doing all of them, but they make me exhausted!

Two Month Check-up

2011-10-08T11:50:00.001-06:00

Olivia went in for her two month check-up on Wednesday. The doctor says she is doing great and has no concerns. She can't believe how well she is sleeping already or how she already stands up when you hold her hands. She thinks Olivia will be walking at 9 months - I am hoping she is wrong. She is doing great on the weight gain as well so no concerns again about her spitting up. She did have to get shots and did not like them at all (neither did Carter who left the room with another nurse while she was getting them done). They bothered her the most out of all my kids. However by the time we got to the car she had settled down and was fine the rest of the night. Glad to hear she is doing so well! Her stats are - weight 10 lbs 13 ounces - 55th percentile, height - 2 inches - 75th percentile. Now that they do electronic records they don't write down the measurements for me and it wasn't on the print out they gave me so I don't remember her head circumference, I believe she is in the 50th percentile for that though.

Two Months

2011-10-08T11:48:00.001-06:00

On Tuesday little Livi turned two months old. She is smiling everyday at us and just yesterday I heard her first laugh and it was the cutest thing ever. She is a great sleeper and is already on a pretty good nap schedule. After she wakes up she is awake for about an hour or so and then takes about an hour and a half nap. She does this throughout the day. At night she will be awake for one longer stretch for about 2-3 hours. Then she goes to bed around 9ish, gets a dream feed at 11 and sleeps until 5 usually and then goes back to sleep til I have to get her up to take Tyler to school. A couple times she has gone 8 hours!! She is a great eater, 3-4 ounces every 3 hours, and while she still spits up some she still isn't bothered by it. She is also becoming a better burper which helps with the spitting up. She loves her swing and loves being held and talked to. She is constantly watching her brothers, who in turn love her to pieces - even Nolan is coming around. She is holding her head up more and more everyday and can almost sit up if she is getting help. She loves to kick her arms and legs, but has yet to try to hit any toys or anything. She is also starting to coo and talk, and her favorite time to do this is when she is eating. We love her so much and while we can't wait to see what she will do next we are enjoying this stage she is in now. Love you Livi!!!

Two-Wheeler

2011-10-01T10:40:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we took Tyler out to try to ride his bike without training wheels. We weren't sure how it was going to go as sometimes he takes things with no problems and other times he says he wants to try something and then changes his mind. I am happy to say he did very well. We started off in the grass and after a few times when Justin let go Tyler kept riding! Then we went up to the sidewalk area of the park. He did very well at one point and rode a long way by himself. However he forgot how brake and ran right into some bleachers (see the video). He did get back and try some more, but he wanted to mostly work on braking at that point. We are still working on braking and he has yet to get on and start by himself for he did very well for his first time. I just wish we had a better area at home for him to practice more. Hopefully we can get up to the park again this weekend and have him practice some more.

Nolan's Evaluation

2011-10-01T10:32:00.002-06:00

Last week we had an evaluation for Nolan's speech. He still doesn't put any sounds together to make words and reminds us a lot of Tyler at this age when he started getting speech therapy. Nolan played and acted pretty normal during his evaluation which I was happy to see. They all thought he was super cute and sweet and I have to agree. In the end they decided that why yes he does have a delay in both speech and social (I think for speech they said he was at about a 9 months old). they want to hold off on giving him services. He is still young and because he has been working on walking - which he now does 95% of the time- he wasn't working on talking. If we still have concerns in 6 months they will reevaluate. Part of me is fine with this, and part of me knows that if he does qualifies in 6 months I will be upset that they didn't start services earlier. For the most part Nolan is very easy, but there are times where he will just scream because he can't communicate to us what he wants. He continues to just scream and cry until we can finally figure out what he wants. This is the part that reminds us of Tyler. He is much more social and a people person that Tyler ever was though, so we aren't as concerned because of that. Hopefully he will start having some words soon!

Celebration

2011-10-01T10:24:00.000-06:00

For Tyler's birthday this year we thought we would let him have a real party. He wanted to do a bowling party at Mr Biggs, where he went for another boys party last year. When I asked him who we wanted to invite, he still hadn't been in Kindergarten that long, so he named a bunch of boys from his preschool class last year. He did invite one boy from his Kindergarten class,but I never heard back from his mom (Kindergarten is a completely different when it comes to knowing the kids and their parents). On the day of his birthday he brought cookies for his class, and then we had a family movie night where we watched Evan Almighty.

The next day was the party day. We had 7 boys there all together and I think they had a blast. After one game of bowling (which seemed to go slow) we had some cake, opened presents, and then bowled some more. There was a lot of running around, a lot of laughter and being silly, and all in all a great time.

6 Years Old

2011-10-01T10:04:00.000-06:00

First, I need to apologize that this is a week late Tyler. Things have been busy around here. I can not believe that you are 6 years old. I know I say that every year, but its true! You, once again, have grown up so much this year.

You finished your last year of preschool and started Kindergarten and you dad and I couldn't be prouder of how well you are doing in school all day long. You had more confidence than I ever thought you would when you just walked into your classroom with no problems at all. I have gotten back a progress report with how you are doing, and while I was happy to see that you are right where you should be, or not ahead in all the academic areas, I was most excited to see that you are doing great with behavior and social as well.

You still love all things sports and you have gotten so much more athletic in the last year. Two years ago we had you in PT for your tight muslces in your legs that made it hard for you to run correctly. This year you ran two .5 mile races and did it super fast. You have quite the arm when it comes to both throwing a baseball and football and you can knock the ball off the tee out of the park (or at least our backyard). You have learned how to skip and even ride your bike without training wheels. Not to mention your wrestling tournament where you wrestled your heart out, never gave up, and got second place.

While you are starting to make new friends, you still love to come home everyday, have your snack, and then hang out with Carter. You boys have your disagreements, but for the most part you love to play together. Whether its Star Wars, jumping on the trampoline, or playing with cars, you almost always welcome your little brother to join you. You are starting to realize too I think, how much he looks up to you and are becoming more and more sensitive to him and helping him rather than tattling on him.

While Carter may still be your best friend, you are one of the greatest helpers in the world when it comes to Olivia and Nolan. You and Olivia had an instant bond it seemed. You are so happy to finally have the baby sister you have always wanted. You love to call her your "princess" and are always giving her kisses and hugs. She seems to calm down whenever you get near as well. You also love to help out with Nolan. Helping him to walk,talk,and play with him, he loves it when you are near.

Tyler you have become quite the silly boy this last year, always trying to make people laugh. You still have the most helpful attitude I know and loving heart. You have the best manners - the office ladies at school even commented to me on how great they are. You still love to make up stories and play on your own if needed to. You are learning to read and you are always eager to do your homework and go to school. Most of all though you are just a great boy and your dad and I couldn't be more proud to be your parents. We love you Tyler bug - happy birthday!!

Denver Zoo

2011-09-17T17:51:00.003-06:00

Last weekend we headed up to the Denver Zoo for the day. The boys were very excited as the remembered the polar bears and the sea lions from the last time we were there. We saw almost pretty much everything, and the boys loved guiding us around with their maps. The decided to ride the carousal instead of the train, because this carousel as all different kinds of animals they could ride on, not just horses like at our zoo - very exciting! We had lunch there, let the boys splash in the water area, stopped and fed Livi a couple of times and then the kids and I headed home while Justin went over to a friends to watch football (the first day of the NFL season). We had a great morning and all the kids took great naps on the way home - a rarity around these parts.

Six Weeks

2011-09-17T17:37:00.000-06:00

When I was pregnant with Olivia, my mom sent me some of the dresses I wore when I was little. One of the dresses I had pictures taken in at both 6 weeks and 4 months. Yesterday I put Olivia in the dress, as she is now 6 weeks. Here are the pictures. The first one is of me in the dress, the other two are of Olivia.

Pictures from Family Weekend

2011-09-17T17:31:00.000-06:00

Here are some pictures from Labor weekend - enjoy!

Family Weekend

2011-09-17T17:17:00.000-06:00

Over Labor Day weekend we had a great family weekend! We started the weekend off with a trip to Focus on the Family so the boys could play. Nolan loved the play area and climbed everything in the room all by himself - he is a little monkey when it comes to climbing! Tyler was excited to go down the big slide, and Carter was once again sad that he couldn't go. He has been feeling left out a lot lately I think (not getting to go to Kindergarten, etc) so we told him he would get to pick out something for Sunday. When we got back from Focus, the big boys and I went to a pottery store where they each got to pick out a piece and paint it. Tyler picked a plane and Carter picked a robot. They both had a great time with it and did great jobs painting.
On Sunday morning we went to the balloon festival. We had never gone in the morning and the boys seemed to enjoy watching them lift off. After that we had a nice breakfast put. That afternoon, we took a family hike. We told Carter he could pick where we would hike. He wanted to go to Yellowstone, so we compromised on a park closer to Yellowstone - Fox Run. The boys all had a great job on the hike and then walking around the lake. They were tired on the way back but they both finished strong, running to the car at the end, Nolan seemed to enjoy riding in the backpack with Justin and Olivia slept in the front pack on me the entire walk. We mostly spent the day at home on Monday, enjoying the extra day together. It was a great weekend!

First Day of Pre-K

2011-09-17T17:08:00.000-06:00

Finally the day came - Carter started Pre-K!!! He was so excited and we were counting down the days. So far he loves his teacher and is having a blast. On the first day however, even though he was so excited the night before and didn't want to leave his open house the day before, he woke up saying he didn't want to go. Once we got over some tears and got to church however he was fine. He went right into his classroom with no problems and was all smiles when I picked him up. He says he already knows a couple kids from the year before and is making friends no problem. His teacher is very into science so Carter comes home telling me all kinds of facts - like did you know your hearts never stops beating?!? I think he is going to have a great year!!

One Month Check-up

2011-09-17T17:01:00.000-06:00

Last week Olivia had her one month check up. She sure has grown! She now weighs in at 9 lbs 5 oz, which is the 60th percentile, measures 21.5 inches, which is the 60th percentile and her head circumference is 36.1 centimeters, which is the 55th percentile. She had to get one shot, which she cried for a couple seconds but then was fine. The doctor thinks she is doing great and doesn't have any issues at all. While she still spits up a lot, for now since it doesn't bother her and he is gaining weight we aren't going to put her on prevacid. She is still very easy, sleeps great, and is starting to bat at toys and play some during the day. She usually falls asleep during her tummy time. So glad that she is a healthy little girl!

Favorite Things

2011-09-07T12:59:00.000-06:00

I haven't done this in forever, but its time to start it up again I think. Nolan does one of my new favorite things. When he crawls now, he does it with a strut, shaking his head and hips as he is crawling all over. As much as I want him to walk (and he is taking more and more steps everyday) I will will his little strut.

Pictures of Olivia

2011-09-07T11:17:00.000-06:00

Let's just say I take a lot of pictures of Olivia - here are some recently....

One Month!!!

2011-09-04T23:00:00.000-06:00

Olivia is one month! I can't believe how fast this month has gone. She has stolen all are hearts. I was telling Justin that so far it doesn't seem that different, her being a girl, compared to the boys. He disagreed with me, saying its already very different for him, knowing that she was his baby girl. Tyler and Carter still love giving her hugs and kisses and always wanting to know what she is doing. Nolan is getting a little better, with less tantrums when I am holding her. He also really likes to go and see her when she is in her swing or laying on the couch. One time I saw him put a Kix in her mouth - at least he was trying to share!

She drinks anywhere from 2.5 to 4 oz every 3 hours. She only gets up once at night, which is great! We usually feed her around 11, she wakes up sometime between 3 and 4 and then goes back to sleep til around 7. Very nice! The past couple of days she is awake a lot. I think she is getting overstimulated so I need to work on her getting to nap in her bed so she can get decent naps in. Her hair is getting lighter and lighter everyday. I think there is some red in it, but Justin doesn't see it. So far she only cries when she is hungry, but I know that will change soon. She has her 1 month appointment this week and I am very excited to see how much she has grown. She seems a lot longer to both of us. She is still spitting up after every feeding so I am hoping that she is gaining weight just fine as well. We are very excited to see her grow and her first smile will probably come any day. However we are just fine if time slowed down some, as we want to treasure this time with her, its going by too fast already!

MOPs

2011-09-04T22:19:00.000-06:00

One of the main reason I have been so behind on the blog (besides the obvious of adjusting to 4 kids, and Kindergarten pick-up and drop-off, along with trying to keep the house somewhat clean and keep my family fed) is that I am on the ministry team for MOPs this year. I joined MOPs last year and absolutely love it. It encourages me so much and teaches me so much on how to be the best mom I can be for my kids. It also remind me that I AM the best mom their is for my kids. So far I am enjoying being on ministry team as well. Growing a lot, getting to know a lot of great moms, and having a lot of fun. We start next week, so the past few weeks have been getting ready for the year. I will be a small group facilitator and am so excited to meet all the moms that will be coming. I also love that I get some time away knowing my kiddos are in great care (for now, Olivia stays with me), our church nursery!

Avery's Party

2011-09-04T22:14:00.000-06:00

So we also went to Avery's 2nd birthday party in the last few weeks. On our way up there we stopped by the park in Larkspur that Tyler and Carter just love playing at. It was great timing too as Nolan was napping and Olivia needed to eat and then the boys got to play for about 30 minutes or so and right when it was time to leave, it started raining, like I said great timing. Once we got up to the party the boys loved running around all the grass and playing in the water. It was so much fun to see everyone and some new babies that we hadn't gotten to meet yet as well. We then had some yummy food and yummy cupcakes, which Nolan really dug into. The boys also got lollipops, their favorite part. Another great family day!

Zoo Time

2011-09-04T22:02:00.000-06:00

We headed off for Olivia's first zoo trip when she was a little over two weeks old. Of course we had a great time like always. Nolan got his first trips on the train and on the carousel. The bog boy fed the giraffes and the chickens. We also got to see the hippos being fed and pet a lizard. Enjoy the pictures!

Carter's Day

2011-09-04T21:47:00.000-06:00

Once again way behind on the blog...this four kids thing takes a lot of time. So about 3 weeks ago at this point, Justin was still off of work, Tyler was in Kindergarten for the day, and Carter was feeling a little left out. So we let him decide what he wanted to do. He asked to go to the fountains to play in. Uncle Wilber wasn't open, but America the Beautiful was, so he said it was ok to go to that one. We played at the park some first and then headed over to the fountain. Nolan loved swinging and Carter loved climbing and they both loved splashing around in the water. Olivia loved sleeping through the whole thing. After some time there we went to Chick-fil-a for lunch where the boys got to play some more. Carter even helped Nolan up the steps to go down the slide. After Carter did it once, Nolan was able to get up them himself - he is quite the climber! I think Carter enjoyed the day and all the attention on him, Justin and I sure did.

Updates

2011-08-21T11:21:00.000-06:00

I feel like I am forgetting so many things lately, so here are just some quick updates.

At Nolan's one year check-up we also weighed Olivia. She was weighing in at 7lbs 7 oz. I was glad that she is back up to her birth weight and seems to be doing well. She also got her second newborn screening test and handled it like a champ.
I must say its a little odd to not have Tyler around during the day. Carter seems to be handling it ok so far, but he is having some more tantrums and things. Tyler is also having a few more tantrums and issues trying to adjust to doing something all day long and being over tired. I think this is an adjustment that may take awhile for all of us.
The good side of this however, is that the boys seem to come together every afternoon and play just like they did before Tyler was gone all day. They also seem to fight less and enjoy each other more. I hope this trend keeps up. While I know their relationship will change, it breaks my heart to think they won't be each others best friend anymore.
Nolan has started taking some steps!!! He has taken two or three steps and seems to do it more frequently everyday. We are hoping within a couple of weeks we will have a full blown walked on our hands!
We also think he may have said his real first word. We were at the zoo (more on that later) and looking at the fish. He kept saying "ish, ish", however we are still not sure it was him trying to say fish or just making more of his gibberish sounds.
Olivia is doing great. She usually goes 4 hours stretches at night and only wakes us up once at night. However she doesn't always go right back to sleep at that time. which is hard as she is in our room and we hear her every sound. She also gets the hiccups ALL the time. I still can't wrap my head around that I have a daughter.

Nana and Bapa's Visit

2011-08-21T11:12:00.000-06:00

Nana and Bapa came into town the night before Nolan's party and brought along Griffin, Noah, and Faith with them. The boys were very excited to see everybody, but was most excited to go to the campsite with them! On Sunday afternoon, Nana and Bapa came and picked them up. Tyler spent Sunday and Monday night at the campsite with them, and Carter stayed through Thursday. They had a blast playing putt-putt, swimming, coloring, and just running around and exploring everything. We also all went to the Olympic Training Center one day, which I think the adults enjoyed more than the kids. On Wednesday, Tyler's first day of school, Nana and Bapa went down to Trinidad and since Justin was off of work we kept Carter with us. We went up to Denver to show Olivia off at his work and Carter got to chose his lunch and he wanted ravioli so we went to Magiannio's . After a celebratory dinner at Red Robin for the first day of school, Carter went back to the campsite. He enjoyed his one on one time with Nana and Bapa Thursday and loved getting to swim all morning. After Justin and I picked up Tyler we went up there and played putt-putt with our big boys and then cooked out hamburgers for dinner. We said goodbye to them that night and were sad to see them go. The boys can't wait to go camping with Nana and Bapa again.

1st Day of Kindergarten

2011-08-21T10:57:00.000-06:00

Well the day finally came - the 1st day of Kindergarten. At first I was most anxious for Tyler, worried that he would be scared to death, but quickly learned I should be more concerned for Justin and I. On Tuesday Tyler got to go to his classroom, meet his teacher, and turn in his school supplies. He was so excited to go and showed no signs of anxiousness when we got there. He loved looking at his whole classroom, and found his spot right away. Which according to him, is the perfect spot because he can see everything. He also liked that his room has computers in it and the playground in right outside his door. Justin and I were both amazed at how well he was doing. That night we got his backpack ready and he helped me pack his lunch. He went to bed pretty easily after Justin cuddled with him (he was missing Carter who was with Nana and Bapa).

On Wednesday we got up nice and early and Justin made him pancakes for breakfast. Carter was with Nana and Bapa still, so we loaded Tyler, Nolan, and Olivia up and headed off for the first day of school. When we got there he didn't want to play on the playground, just hang out with me. Although he didn't really seem that nervous either. He stood in line where they are suppose to line up and went in with no problems. He waved bye, blew me a kiss and then he was gone. Justin and I on the other hand had a few tears once we were home. When we picked him up he had a big smile on his face and had he had a great day. He did have an accident at the end of the day, because he was to nervous to tell his teacher. He didn't really remember an of his friends names, but one boy did have a cool Star Wars towel. He did fine at lunch and ate most of the things we packed for him. He said he had a great day and wanted to go back - a good sign I would say! I still can't believe I have a Kindergartner, one who is gone from me as much of the day as he is with me - 6.5 hours is a long time! But mostly he amazed me with how grown up he has become. The fact that he went right in with no problems just tells Justin and I we made the right choice by holding him back a year. I love that he has so much confidence and I couldn't be more proud of my boy.

One Year Check-Up

2011-08-21T10:38:00.000-06:00

While the big boys were with Nana and Bapa, Justin and I took Nolan and Olivia to Nolan's one year check-up. he is doing very well overall. He has however dropped in his weight percentile once again - down to the 10th percentile. So we are trying to keep him there instead of him dropping again by giving him some instant breakfast drinks and putting butter on everything. We did all this with Tyler as well so its something we are used to as well. He is on track in every area except for his communication skills. He still doesn't have any words and reminds us of Tyler at this age where he just has tantrums instead of even trying to communicate with us. If he has no words at 15 months we are going to refer him to get him tested for speech therapy. Besides all that stuff he is doing just great and we are so happy for a healthy happy boy! His stats this time are: weight - 19 lbs 7 oz, 10th percentile, height - 29 1/4 inches, 25th percentile.

Oma's Visit

2011-08-21T10:29:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful time with Oma here. She was, as always, a great help. She made us lots of yummy food, changed lots of diapers, and even hired a cleaning service before Nolan's party so I wouldn't have to worry about it. The boys of course loved having her around as well. One day she took all three boys, along with Jessie and their kids, to the zoo so that I could have a morning at home with just Livi. She also bought Tyler and Carter a hermit crab with a spiderman shell, whom they call Hermie (after going through many other names - Bob, Tom, Sammer, Hermic, etc). Tyler was very excited that he was going to be able to tell his Kindergarten class that he now has two pets - a dog and a hermit crab! We all said goodbye to Oma after Nolan's party and started missing her right away. We can't wait til we get to see her again!

1st Birthday Party

2011-08-21T10:22:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful 1st birthday party for Nolan last weekend. Oma came over in the morning to help get some food ready and spend some time with Nolan and Olivia. Bapa and Nana came over and got Tyler and Carter to hang out at their campsite with Griffin, Noah, and Faith. Nolan took his naps perfectly and woke up right before party time. He seemed to enjoy his dinner and his opening his gifts, but he LOVED his cake. Justin made a monkey cake for our little monkey, and Nolan got his own monkey face to smash up. He destroyed the cake before shoving it in his mouth - so fun! He also loved playing on the trampoline. We made all the big kids get off of their could be baby time on the tramp with Avery and Savannah. Nolan had a blast, as did the two girls. Nolan also just loved getting to crawl all over the backyard to his delight. We are so blessed to have so many great friends who came down to celebrate his birthday and to meet Olivia. It was a great day!

Happy Birthday Nolan!!!!

2011-08-12T15:26:00.000-06:00

Nolan, I can't believe its been a year since you joined our family. It seemed like you were always a part of it though. The transition of you being born was so easy because it was like you were always a part of us. You have been a laid back, easy baby from the beginning. You never cared being brought place to place to get your brothers to their activities. You were always a good sleeper and eater and you still are.

As you are getting older you are always making us laugh and smile. Your smile is contagious and with your beautiful blue eyes people can't help themselves but comment on your cuteness. I love the little curls of your hair, the way your belly button is a tiny outie, the way the top of your feet are always filthy from you crawling everywhere, and your mischievous look you give me when you know you shouldn't be doing something.

You do love to get into everything. It seems that you have taken up this phase a little early. Already getting into the toilet, dog food, and trash, it seems we can't baby proof enough things. You have also already started tantrums early. When you aren't allowed to go somewhere you want, like outside with your brothers, you will lay on the floor, put your head back and cry. And for a child who doesn't walk you sure climb everything. At the play area of the mall you can go up any slide or structure. At home you climb from our couch on to bookshelves or anything else that looks like fun. I have a feeling you will be climbing out of your crib earlier than either of your brothers.

Speaking of you brothers - you absolutely are smitten with them. You want to do whatever they are doing and will just watch out the door when they are outside hoping to be with them. Your favorite room in the house is their bedroom. Not a room you get to go into very often, but when you get the chance we can't wipe the grin off your face. And they love you too. They love to teach you new things, read to you, tell me what you are doing in the car, and they love to make you laugh. Your world has been turned upside down in the last week with Olivia. Right now you are not so sure of her, but every once in a while you go up to her and just smile and I know that you guys will be fast friends as well. I can't wait to see you take on the big brother role with her.

I love that you are a mama's boy, Always wanting me and always willing to give me hugs and kisses. You laying on me just cuddling is one of my favorite things in the world. It will be a sad day when you no longer want to cuddle with me. As much as I can't wait to see you take your first steps and start talking up a storm (I think that would help with the tantrums) I also know how much I will miss this stage with you. So Nolan, my big one year old, I know you are about to grow up so quickly in the next year, amazing me with what you can do every day. But do mommy a favor and still be my little cuddle bug. I love you Nolan Isaac - Happy Birthday!!!!

Nolan's 1st Birthday Montage

2011-08-12T14:46:00.000-06:00

Here is the video of Nolan's first year - enjoy!

Photo Shoot

2011-08-10T13:02:00.000-06:00

So I can't help myself from finally having a little girl to dress up! I had Olivia do a little photo shoot in some of her bows and her tutus. I must say she is the prettiest thing ever. Enjoy the pictures!

Uncle BJ and Cousins

2011-08-10T12:52:00.000-06:00

BJ and his family are in town for Abbi's dad memorial service. To give the kids a break and so that they could meet Olivia, BJ, Toby, and Norah came down on Sunday. We had a nice day together, with lots of jumping and talking Star Wars. Like always the boys had a blast playing with Toby. Norah was very cute holding her newest cousin and I was glad that BJ got to meet his newest niece.

4 Day Check-Up

2011-08-10T12:46:00.000-06:00

On Monday Olivia had her 4 day appointment. My mom stayed home with the boys so the two of us were off. She left the hospital at 7 lbs 1 oz and is now 6 lbs 15 oz. Since she is still a little below her birth weight we will continue to wake her up at night every 4 hours for the few days at least. She is also a little jaundice, but not enough to even test, just to keep an eye out for. She is also already spitting up, but we are just going to watch that for now as well and if it gets worse get her on the medicine. As the doctor put it I am "an experienced mom" I don't need to bring her back til she is one month. Of course if I have any concerns we will go in right away. Nolan also has his 1 year check up next week so I will get a quick weight on her then to make sure she has added some ounces. All in all a very healthy girl!!

In Love

2011-08-10T12:35:00.001-06:00

The boys came to the hospital the next day with Oma to meet their new little sister. They brought her flowers and were so excited to give her hugs and kisses. Well Tyler and Carter were anyway, Nolan was just very excited to see me. The older two boys are just smitten. Especially Tyler. He wants to hold her, give her hugs and kisses and wants to know whenever she is awake so he can talk to her. Carter also is taking a lot of interest and has sung her cute songs to sleep, reads books to her, and wants to help feed her. Nolan is having a little harder time adjusting. He is a mama's boy and doesn't seem to like sharing my attention. We are having a few more tantrums and he really doesn't like not getting the bottle she is getting. I guess my assumption that, like it did with Tyler, having him off the bottle before she arrived would be easier. However I know after a couple of weeks he will too adjust and hopefully they will be friends within the year. Just yesterday he thought it was the funniest thing to push her in the swing, so its a start. I am loving watching them all interact and can't wait to see their relationships grow.

Pictures from Olivia's Arrival

2011-08-09T09:52:00.000-06:00

Here are just some more pictures of when we finally got to meet our daughter. My mom was there too, which I was so happy she was a part of. She is an only daughter, I am her only daughter and I gave birth to my only daughter. It was a pretty special moment for all of us. Justin was, as always, great during the whole process and is in awe of his daughter.

Introducing Olivia Joy!

2011-08-09T09:39:00.000-06:00

She is here!!! Olivia Joy made her big appearance on August 4, 2001 at 6:21 pm. She weighed in at 7 pounds 5 ounces and 19 1/2 inches. She has dark blue eyes, light brown hair and is just perfect!

It all started on Thursday when I went in for my 39 week appointment. My mom came into town the night before so she was watching all three boys for me at home. I was really hoping that she was head down and that I had made some progress, but I wasn't counting on anything. To my surprise she was head down! I was also 3 cm dilated!! My sister in law Abbi had lost her father the night before and knowing that they would wan/.need my mom's help during the services I let my doctor know that if we could have her earlier than Monday, it would be helpful and appreciated. My doctor said since she was head down and I had made progress, and because he didn't want her to flip again, he would call the hospital and tell them I was in labor and to admit me. I went home, gave my mom some instructions, grabbed my bags and my mom drove me to the hospital.

When I got there I was having some contractions but not much really going on. They set me all up with my i.v. and asked me all the admitting questions and we waited for Justin to arrive before starting the epidural. We thought my doctor would take about an hour to come in and then would break my water to get things really started, so the nurse figured just to give my my epidural now. Justin got there, I got my epidural, and the wait began. It ended up taking a lot longer as my doctor was delivering a first time mom who took about 3 hours of pushes before her baby arrived. Around 2:30 pm they started the pictocin and the doctor arrived around 3:30 to break my water. At this point I was still only 4 cm.
Leah, Marj, and Heather were so wonderful and watched the boys at our house so my mom could come and be with us during the delivery. She arrived around 1:30, so she was waiting for a while as well! Around 5 pm I started feeling my contractions and pushing the button for more pain meds with the epidural wasn't really helping. All the epidural was doing at that point was making my legs go totally numb I couldn't even wiggle my toes. They checked me and I was only at 5! I couldn't believe it. They called the anesthesiologist to come and give me some more meds since the epidural wasn't doing its job. The contractions were right on top of each other and I felt each one. The anesthesiologist finally arrived at 6 pm and gave me more meds, they checked me and I was complete and ready to push. 5 to 10 cm in 1 hour! We got everything set up and 4 pushes later out she came! My mom and Justin tell me that once her head was out she actually turned over to try to see me and gave a little squeak. Her apgars were 8/9 and she stayed with us the whole time! It was my first delivery without any issues and was just perfect! Because I got my extra pain meds so late they didn't really kick in until after the delivery. I could not move my legs at all for about 3 hours. They had to keep me in bed to go up to the mom/baby room instead of a wheelchair because I would have fallen out of the wheelchair. But if that was the only problem I will take it!
Justin went home around 10:30 and the nurses were kind enough to take care of Olivia all night in the nursery so I could rest. The boys came by the next morning with my mom and we can't believe we are now a family of 6. We love you Olivia Joy, welcome to the world baby girl!

38 week Appointment

2011-07-29T16:45:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I had my 38 week appointment and an ultrasound to measure her size. Leah was kind enough to watch the boys so Justin could join me at the appointment. Well the good news is, she is still a girl, looks very healthy, has a lot of hair on her head, and is weighing in at 7 lbs 10 ounces. So like I was thinking she will be bigger than Nolan, but not as big as Tyler and Carter. The one big surprise however is that after being head down for the past few weeks she has flipped and is breech. I am thinking she actually turned Wednesday night as on Thursday morning my stomach and her movements felt different.
After the ultrasound we went and saw my doctor. He thinks he will be able to turn her because after three kids I have more room for her to turn (obviously since she turned on her own). However since she hasn't really been engaged in my pelvis I am still not dilated at all (only 1 cm). By this time with all the other three I was at least 2 or 3 cms. Because of this he thinks my induction may take longer than we thought and he isn't on call the night we were planning to induce. So now the plan is to go in early on Monday the 8th. If she is head down, great we will go ahead and induce. If she isn't head down he will try to turn her and then induce me. If the turning doesn't work we will do a c-section that day. So no matter what we should be meeting her on the 8/8/11! I will now have one more appointment as well next week. I am hoping she will be head down by then and maybe some progress as well - one can hope anyway :).

Nursery is Done!

2011-07-23T21:54:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Justin, we got the nursery done today. We pretty much split the room in two and Nolan and Olivia each have their own sides. I think it turned out pretty well. I had my 37 week appointment and after the ultrasound next week we will schedule the induction - only 13 days left hopefully! Enjoy the pictures!

TV Debut

2011-07-20T20:07:00.000-06:00

Here is the boys tee ball game that made the news. I am not sure how long the link will be up however. You can see Tyler in the outfield close to first base, and Nolan also makes his tv debut.

http://www.krdo.com/video/28603728/index.html

Olivia's Shower

2011-07-19T08:57:00.000-06:00

On Saturday, Melissa and Lindsay through me a shower to celebrate Olivia. It meant so much to me that our friends want to celebrate her upcoming arrival! It was just what I wanted as well - hanging out with my friends and catching up with each other, having some girl time, and oh the ice cream cake and all the cute outfits and diapers were wonderful too! My mom also sent out some more clothes that she bought her and a few of my dresses that I wore when I was little. I can not wait to see them in her and take her pictures in them. Thanks Melissa and Lindsay - you girls are the best!

Savannah's Party

2011-07-17T15:23:00.019-06:00

Last weekend we headed up to Broomfield to go celebrate Savannah's first birthday. She was adorable as always in her tutu! It was a great party - after we had some yummy food and cake and watched her open her gifts we all got in the pool. At their complex they actually have a baby pool as well, which was great. Nolan loved standing and splashing in the pool. Carter mostly stayed in the bigger pool with Justin and Heather. Jumping away and swimming all over. I love watching him enjoy the water so much! We tried a life vest with Tyler, but he was still very cautious. He mostly played in the baby pool as well with some of the other kids. I was happy to see him go up to kid he doesn't know and just start conversations with them. Hopefully one day that confidence will transition to swimming as well. We had such a great time and can't believe its been a year since Savannah was born - happy birthday beautiful girl!

36 week appointment

2011-07-17T15:23:00.000-06:00

On Thursday I had my 36 week appointment. They checked me and did my strep test. No dilation yet, but I am getting very ready for that to start and am 20 % effaced. She is also head down and has started dropping, but not totally down yet. Everything less looks great. I will go back next week and in two weeks we will have an ultrasound to check her size. So far she is measuring right on though so they don't think she will be too big. I will also be induced at 39 weeks, so less than 3 weeks to go - crazy!

11 Months

2011-07-17T15:17:00.000-06:00

On Tuesday, Nolan turned 11 months! Still no steps but he is standing more and more on his own when we let go of his hands. He said dada for the first time on the 4thof July! He is constantly babbling as well. He loves to eat, and also loves to feed Hana his food. He loves all fruit, his yogurt and grilled cheese sandwiches. He also now has 7 teeth. These last ones that have come through he has dealt with a lot easier, which was nice. On most days he now takes two long naps and has dropped his evening one. However on days he takes shorter naps he still needs his third nap. He loves to bang on his piano, play catch with his brothers, give hugs, and go vroom vroom with his cars. He is still very laid back and mostly a very happy baby. However he has learned to show the signs of already throwing tantrums. When I close a door to somewhere he wants to go he will start crying and put his head down into the floor. I can't believe in 1 month he will already be one! This year has gone by so fast and we love that we have Nolan with us!

Last Tee-Ball Game

2011-07-17T15:03:00.000-06:00

On Monday the boys had their last game of the season. While they have a ton of fun I must admit I am glad to have our nights back. I must say though, the last game was the best game. Both boys have improved over the season. Hitting the ball harder and fielding better. Carter still doesn't really field but by the last game he would occasionally run after the ball and he at last stayed out there the whole time with no complaints. His favorite part was the snacks at the end and the running thru the tunnel the parents made with their hands. Tyler loved every part and I loved him watching him cheer on every teammate and just being so positive out there. He was really improved and during the last game he was playing first. He actually caught the ball while he was standing on first, so if outs counted in tee ball he would have created his first out (it was also a first for the team). Very exciting and he knew he had did great too and was so excited. Even more exciting - the news was there and we will be the game of the week next week. I hope that I can get a link to it off once its aired. We will see who plays next year. they will once again be in different divisions and Carter isn't so sure about playing without Tyler. We have a year to convince him at least.

Garden of the Gods

2011-07-15T14:07:00.000-06:00

Thinking we would beat the heat the boys and I ventured out to Garden of the God one morning. The boys were excited to go, but it was hotter than I thought it would be. The boys still had fun climbing up some rocks and going through all the rock tunnels. They were a little disappointed that I wouldn't climb on everything. I just knew I wouldn't really be able to spot them if they climbed to high. Nolan had fun riding along in his stroller and looking around. We only walked around for an hour or so before we were all worn out, but it was still fun to get out and do something we hadn't had time for in a while. I am excited to go back on Olivia is here and its a little cooler so we can all climb and hike even more.

Lost Tooth

2011-07-15T13:57:00.000-06:00

Besides being our nation's birthday it was also a big day at the Pederson's house on the 4th for another reason. Tyler lost his first tooth! It had only been loose for a couple of days and at breakfast it fell right out. When he first noticed it was loose he got very scared and didn't like it at all. However Toby, who has already lost a tooth, explained to him that it would be fine, he got over it and was pretty excited about it. He was also excited that the tooth fairy came and gave him a dollar. I just can't believe my baby boy is big enough to lose teeth already!

4th of July

2011-07-15T13:51:00.000-06:00

Happy 4th of July!! We had a pretty low key day. We did some work around the house and ran some errands. We were playing it by ear of what we would do that night. I wasn't sure how hot it would be and we weren't sure if we would want to brave the crowds or not. I am glad we did however! We ended up going to see the fireworks at the Air Force Academy. Because I am 9 months pregnant they let us park very close so we didn't have to walk far. We didn't head up there til 8 pm, but we still had plenty of time to do everything. They had free bounce houses for the kids, which of course they loved. They also had a car show going on which Justin loved. Then we went into the stadium and got great seats about 30 minutes before the show was suppose to begin. We listened and danced to some music and then they played the 1812 Overture and shot off the cannons. The boys thought those were pretty loud. Then the show started. It was pretty spectacular! Nolan looked a little bit, but he was very tired at that point and got cranky half way through. Tyler and Carter seemed to enjoy them as well, but they did both mention that it was loud. It did take forever to get out of the stadium, but besides that it was a great night!

Nana and Bapa

2011-07-15T13:43:00.000-06:00

Nana and Bapa were here to work for the US Women's Open. The boys loved seeing them as always and I was grateful that they watched the boys for one of my doctor appointments. One night the boys went swimming at their hotel's pool. We have been trying to get the boys, especially Tyler, better with being in the pool without us. So we bought both boys some arm floaties and goggles. Tyler was still very scared and he had to hold on to us for dear life. I am pretty sure we are going to have to put him in private lessons or something to get him over his fear. Carter on the other hand did great! Once he saw that he would float he "swam" all over the pool. He jumped in over and over again all by himself and just had a blast. It was so fun to see! It was also helpful to Justin and I that Carter can be on his own some more. Nolan loved the pool as well, but does not like getting dunked!

VBS

2011-07-15T13:38:00.000-06:00

Once again I am behind on blogging....The last week of June the boys were in their first Vacation Bible School. Our church does it so that VBS is going on in a bunch of different neighborhoods around the city. It turned out that Carter's preschool teacher from last year, Mrs. Bradley, would be the house the boys would get to go too. Carter was very excited about this and ran to Mrs Bradley and gave her a big hug the first morning I dropped them off. The boys went there Monday thru Thursday where they got to learn songs, do crafts, and jump on her trampoline. On Friday there was the celebration at the church where the kids were able to perform the songs they learned. Carter was very funny about this. When we got there all he wanted to do was get on stage, however as soon as it was time for them to go up, he refused to do so. Tyler went right up and did his songs with the rest of the kids. After the performance the celebration began. The boys got ice cream sundaes, jumped in the bounce houses, got tattoos, made more crafts and watched a movie with pictures of them in it about their week of VBS. Very fun and the boys loved every second of it!

What Nolan Has Been Up To

2011-06-29T13:59:00.000-06:00

Nolan has been becoming less of a baby and showing he is ready to become a toddler lately. While he still hasn't taken any steps, he gets to where he wants to go and he gets there fast. He has learned he loves to play in the fridge and in the cabinets.

He has also shown off his dancing skills.

And lastly he has been to the doctor way to many times for one week. He has had a rash around his mouth for a few weeks, but I figured it was from his pacifier and extra saliva. But when it started getting around his eye I took him in to the doctor. He has a skin infection and is on antibiotics so hopefully that will clear up soon. The next day he also fell down the stairs. He was going down the safe way, but picked his arms up and fell backward cartwheeling down. We picked him up and he had a bloody nose and lip. We brought him in immediately to the doctors. By the time we got there he was acting fine and just wanted to play. No serious injuries at ll thank goodness. However with the scrapes, his infection, and then just normal bumps and bruises from cruising around he looks like a mess. He is all boy for sure.

Getting Ready for Olivia

2011-06-29T13:29:00.001-06:00

We are slowly but surely getting ready for this little girl to come. We have her crib (although not yet set up) a double stroller, plenty of clothes, and almost everything else we need to get. The boys are very excited and Tyler even said yesterday "I want my sister to come now!" Nolan has no idea what is coming to him. The boys made her a bear at Build a Bear and Justin has picked out her going home outfit. .Having a daughter has also made me a little more crafty I guess as I also made her a bow holder for her room. I am hoping within the next couple of weeks her nursery will all be done. We only have about 5 weeks left until we should meet her!

Cousins!

2011-06-29T13:23:00.000-06:00

BJ, Abbi, Toby, and Norah are in Colorado for a while so we have had lots of fun with the cousins. One night we went over to Todd and Jessie's for dinner. The kids had a wonderful time playing in the yard, riding bikes, throwing the football, and just being with each other. We also had BJ, Abbi and some friends over here one night. BJ and Abbi got everyone pizza and all the kids jumped there hearts away on the trampoline, playing games downstairs, kicking the soccer ball around, talking Star Wars. We are very excited to see BJ and Abbi and the kids later this week. Always a lot of fun to make memories with the cousins.

Rain Day

2011-06-29T13:14:00.000-06:00

For the most part it has been a very dry hot summer so far. One day we got a nice relief from the sun where it seemed to rain on and off all day. Tyler and Carter absolutely loved it. The found that their side walk chalk they left outside, when wet, acts more like paint. They had a blast "painting" everything. They also of course had fun just splashing in the puddles and mud, finding bugs in the yard, and once it started thundering, counting how far away the lightening was. Very fun day indeed.

Zoo Member Night

2011-06-29T13:10:00.000-06:00

Last week the zoo had a zoo member night. We got there somewhat late and flew thru the zoo, but we still had a lot of fun. The boys got to feed the giraffes (including Nolan) some lettuce, but Tyler seemed very scared to do so. We got to see the tiger walking around, the mountain lions playing, and watch a hippo fall asleep. It wasn't too hot thanks to it being at night and I am very glad we got in another zoo trip before Olivia gets here.

Tee-Ball

2011-06-15T14:57:00.000-06:00

The boys are officially in the swing of their tee-ball season. We missed the first two practices while we were in Maryland, but they seem to be doing just fine anyway. The are on the Blue Jays this year and very cute in their uniforms. The love going to the games and are always asking when the next game is.

At the first game Carter got upset because he never got the ball. Tyler, who was playing first base, let Carter catch one, and then all was better. During the second game they actually got to play 3 innings (they usually only get 2 in within the hour time limit) and Carter did not want to keep playing. However when told he wouldn't get snack unless he played the whole game he got back in there. He also got to play pitcher during one game, but since he doesn't run for the ball he only got it once. Once he did though he was so proud and shouted "I caught it!". He does seem to get bored during the games and not really pay attention or even run for the ball like the rest of the kid while they are in the field, but he says after the fact that he has fun and he gets very excited to every game. He seems to enjoy hitting and just being with all the other kids the best (besides the snack at the end of the game of course).

Tyler of course loves every part of the games. He has gotten so much more athletic in the past year. He hits the ball hard and far, fields the ball very well, and runs a lot faster than just a year ago. Since he is one of the oldest and played last year, the coach has put him at first base a couple times already. He does a great job of getting the ball and throwing it back to the catcher. He is also great at encouraging all his teammates, telling them great hit or great throw. He also is very good about encouraging Carter and helping Carter out. So much watching them both play together!

10 Months

2011-06-15T14:45:00.000-06:00

On Sunday Nolan turned 10 months! He is getting so big so quick! While we were in Maryland he started eating a lot more (right around when his top teeth came in as well) and hasn't stopped. I am pretty sure he is gaining weight and we won't have an issue with him dropping in percentiles. He drinks three bottles a day, anywhere from 3-6 ounces. For breakfast he has some his oatmeal and cut up fruit, lunch is usually some veggies, some more cut up fruit and some yogurt. He also seems to like lunch meat and cheese for lunch. For dinner he eats whatever we eat. He loves blueberries, chicken, lasagna, hot dogs, and cantaloupe.He also loves sweet potatoes, but we still mostly give that to him in baby food form as its just easier that way. Nolan takes 2-3 naps a day depending on when his second nap ends. He is getting to be a much better napper though and takes at least one long one, if not two, a day. He has mastered the stairs and cruising around. He is no longer happy to sit in a lap when outside, we wants to be out crawling around in the grass and dirt. He loves to pull all the puzzles and books off the book shelves and get into Hana's dog food and water. He absolutely loves bath time and races to the bathroom as soon as he thinks he might get one. A couple of times when we have let go of his hands he would stand there for 10 seconds or so, but lately he is getting more timid in that area. He babbles all the time, but still no words. Nolan is becoming quite the mama's boy, with wanting me more than any one else. I am sure after a few weeks of Olivia being here he will have to get over that. He is still the happiest, easy going baby we know and we enjoy him so much!!!

Nana and Bapa

2011-06-15T14:34:00.000-06:00

Nana and Bapa were in town for a quick trip and the boys loved seeing them. Bapa helped Justin put up the net on the trampoline and the boys loved swimming in their hotel's swimming pool. Nolan even got his first taste of swimming and LOVED it. He sure is a water baby, as long as he isn't on his back. Nana and Bapa will be back in a couple weeks for a week to work at the Women's US Open and we are all excited to spend more time with them then.

Summertime!

2011-06-15T14:32:00.000-06:00

The boys are enjoying the warmer weather and everything else that comes with it. While they are enjoying going to church on Mondays and Wednesdays, they are also seeming to enjoy being home during the day and playing outside almost the entire time. We got a trampoline for them and they are constantly on it. If they aren't on the tramp they are playing baseball in the backyard. We also planted our flowers, went to the fountains to play in at America the Beautiful park, and have rode our scooters around the park. If it wasn't so hot we would be doing a lot more, but it just zaps my energy so quickly. Luckily the boys have been behaving well and seem to be ok with our low-key summer.

30 week Appointment

2011-06-15T14:22:00.000-06:00

Once again behind on the blog! Last week I had my 30 week appointment. It was pretty uneventful. Everything looks and sounds great. One more appointment in 2 weeks and then I am onto weekly appointments. I am feeling pretty good, but getting tired quicker and Nolan seems to get heavier by the day when I carry him around. We finally got a crib and her double stroller ad we hope to start working on the nursery in the next couple of weeks!

Great Trip!

2011-06-01T15:38:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful time with Oma and Opa and were sad to have to leave. Carter actually insisted that he wasn't going to leave. When we said we know you will miss Oma and Opa he answered " no I won't because I am staying here!". On Sunday morning the boys got to eat Opa's pancakes one more time and take Dickens on a final walk. They played outside some and we took some pictures before heading to the airport. Carter was having a stubborn moment so he isn't very happy in any of the pictures however. The boys once again did great on the flight, even though it was also completely full. They were very restless once we were off the plane however so once we got home we made them run some laps outside instead of doing their legos like Tyler wanted to do. We had a great time as usual with Oma and Opa and are already missing the, Thanks for a great visit Oma and Opa!

National's Game

2011-06-01T15:31:00.000-06:00

On Saturday Opa, Justin, Tyler, Carter, and I went to the National's baseball game. We rode the Metro to the stadium, which the boys loved, and had great seats. The boys got to see the racing President's, Opa caught a free tee-shirt, and Tyler got on the big screen dancing. Of course they also got to eat hot dogs, crackerjacks, and cotton candy. After the 4th inning Justin took the boys to the playground for a little break and it started raining during the 5th inning but it didn't last long. The Nationals lost, but it worked out ok as it made a shorter game. Both boys fell asleep on the Metro on the way back. When we got back Oma told me she and Nolan had a great time playing all day and he took great naps for her. We went to Red Robin for dinner and the boys got to get some new lego's from Oma nad Opa for when we returned home. Both boys now say the baseball game was one of their favorite parts of our trip.

Night Out in Georgetown

2011-06-01T15:23:00.000-06:00

On Thursday my parents were so wonderful and took all the boys so Justin and I could have an overnight in Georgetown. We left after lunch and got to the hotel where we took a nap and got ready for dinner. We walked along the canal to go to Filomena's, an Italian restaurant we saw on the travel channel where they have pasta mama's that make the pasta homemade right there in front of you. It was delicious food and we were both beyond stuffed. We went back to the hotel so it could cool down some and we could digest the food some. The plan was to go walk around Georgetown once the sun went down, but I feel asleep and woke up 12 hours later. I think my body needed some sleep! In the morning we got ready to leave and stopped at Ben's Chili Bowl on the way out of town. I didn't have any chili, but Justin says it was good. When we got back to Oma and Opa's we were told the boys behaved very well and went to bed for them just great. Nolan woke up in the middle of the night and they were worried he would wake Tyler and Carter so he slept in Oma and Opa's bed with him. They say they didn't mind though. The boys played outside, went and fed the horses, had some chick fil a, and got to watch a new movie. They had a blast and didn't seem to miss us at all. However I did get the best reception ever from Nolan. He just kept giving me hugs and giggling for about 10 minutes. I loved it! Justin and I took the boys to the mall that afternoon to let them play and give Oma and Opa a break. We picked up some pizzas on the way home and then took a nice walk that night before bed. Thanks for the break Oma and Opa!

Philly Zoo!

2011-06-01T15:14:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday we went to the Philadelphia Zoo to meet up with my friend Shannon who moved to New Jersey last year. It was great to see her and her kiddos and the boys of course loved the zoo! On the ride there we learned the boys were old enough to play the alphabet game, which was great because the traffic was pretty bad in Philly. But we finally all met up and off we were. The zoo of course had all their favorites, hippos, lions, tigers, etc. The kids also went on a train ride and splashed in some fountains. They also had a lot of sculptures to climb on and a kids zoo with farm animals to look at. Shannon's daughter Abby gave Justin a look onto the future of what like will be like with a daughter and boy is he in trouble. She would ask him to hold her and he couldn't resist, carrying her around half the zoo. After the zoo the boys were asleep within minutes so Justin and I took the opportunity to grab from cheese steaks (we both decided we like Gino's better than Pat's) and then we headed back to Oma and Opa's. There the boys got to tell Oma and Opa all about it a take a bath in their big jacuzzi tub with the jets on and everything - talk about a fun day!

Boats

2011-06-01T15:03:00.000-06:00

On Monday Justin and I took all the boys down to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore to check out some old boats. When we got there we had a quick lunch and then toured one of the boats. The boys enjoyed going up and down the ladders the most I think. We got to see everything from where they slept, to where they kept their food, and even the boats jail. After the boat tour we went on a submarine tour. The boys really liked that it was painted as a shark. They also seemed to really get how small it was in there and how cramped it must have been for everyone. It was very hot and humid that day so we were all ready to go back to Oma and Opa's house after the submarine tour. We came home, had a little quiet time and then went out for dinner.

On Tuesday all of us went down to Annapolis where we took a 40 minute ferry ride. The boys had so much fun. Carter got to be the life vest demonstrator and they had a little wheel at the front of the boat where both boys got to "captain" the boat. Carter also hung out with the Captain some and saw how everything worked. Nolan mostly stayed downstairs in the air condition with Oma, as he refuses to wear his hat and I didn't want him sunburned. We had some ice cream before we headed back to Oma and Opa's. It was a very fun day.