The Aspens that Weren't

Yesterday we had planned to take a drive and go see all the aspens changing color. We decided to take a different route this year and because of the location and a fire that happened 10 years ago we really didn't even see one single aspen tree. However we still had a great time. The boys napped for well over an hour on the way up. Right as they woke up it was time to feed Nolan so we pulled over and the boys got to take walk around the river, climb on rocks, and explore some. From there we drove on and happened to drive by Woodbine Ranch, the camp Justin worked at one summer in college. Justin jumped at and walked around some. He found some people who told us that the camp is now an ecological center but we are welcome to walk around. So we "hiked" according to the boys, all around the property and I finally got to see with my eyes all the places I have heard about from stories for the past 10 years. The boys thought it was really cool that daddy made some the stairs that we walked on! At the fire pit we talked about how the kids would sing songs around the fire. Tyler asked what kind of songs and we told him they were songs about a very important person. Tyler's answer was "that would be Jesus!".  He was right of course. We got back in the car and headed home for a quick bath before going to Heather's house or game night. It was a great family day, even if we didn't see any aspens.

Haircut

Well I love Carter's hair a little long, but apparently he doesn't. The other day I was inside feeding Nolan while the boys were playing outside. Tyler comes running in yelling "emergency, emergency!" and informs me that Carter was cutting his hair. When I went out to see I saw Carter cut a lot, but you couldn't really tell because of of thick his hair is. Except for right in front where he cut it very short. He told me that he didn't want long hair anymore and wanted it short like Tyler's. We are suppose to get family pictures taken on Saturday so I guess he will be getting his wish.

Celebration

 For Tyler's birthday this year we kept it very low key with just our family of five. On Thursday he got to bring cupcakes to school and pick where we went to dinner that night. Justin also came home early so we got some nice family time in the afternoon. Before we went to dinner Tyler opened his presents. He was very excited to get the cement truck he saw at Costco 10 days earlier and had been asking for every day since. He also really like the helicopter that Carter picked out for him and the wood plane he could color from Nolan.  The we were headed off to Red Robin  where his favorite part was the wait staff singing to him.

On Saturday he got to pick a family activity to do. Tyler picked putt-putt and we all had a great time. Nolan rode along in the front pack and we played 18 holes. At first Tyler would swing like a hockey player, but by the end of the 18 holes he had it down. From there he picked Chili's for lunch and then we ran a few errands. When we got home the boys watched Justin decorate Tyler's cake. He chose a purple dump truck this year with dirt in the bucket and dirt on the ground. I made him his favorite dinner - macaroni and cheese with sausage and then we had his cake for dessert. All in all a very nice birthday for our five year old!!!!

5 Year Old Video Montage

Here is Tyler's 5 year old video montage - enjoy!

5 Years Old

I know I say it every year, but I can't believe you are FIVE Tyler. Although I am not sure why it takes me back so much when I see you acting and looking more and more grown up every day. I can not call you a little kid anymore, you are definitely a big one.

We have loved watching you grow into a big kid this year. Seeing how much you grew in school, not only academically, but socially was a highlight of my year. You made so many new friends and have so much more confidence now. You also played so well on your first baseball team. Hitting was your favorite and still is, but when it was your turn to throw the ball, you always knew right where it should go. In the past few months you have really enjoyed watching all sports with daddy, which he loves. You love cheering for the teams and want to know whats going on at all times.

You still have such a great imagination. You always want to pretend to be some type of animal, and you come up with the greatest stories and tell them with such enthusiasm. You are always building cities with all your rescue cars and trucks or construction sites with your diggers. You also have a new fondness of Legos. You love building all types of cars and trucks with them and you can usually do them on your own (as long as we help you find the pieces, you don't like that part). You are very good at following the directions precisely and always can tell if something is off.

Along those same lines you are still our rules kids. Always making sure everyone is being safe and doing the right thing, even if you aren't. If your brother is doing something you know he shouldn't you come running in yelling emergency at me.  You love being read to from the chapter books at night and I love listening to you retell the story.  I love the conversations we have now. From the silly ones with your knock knock jokes - knock, knock, who's there?, a pineapple, a pineapple who?, a pineapple on you head! - to the serious ones about life in general.

You have such a big heart when it comes to your brothers. Carter is still your best friend and I love watching you play. You are getting better at working out your disagreements and are the first to tell Carter that you guys should do teamwork.  You two love to see each other at school. It warmed my heart to hear that you found Carter during Chapel at school and sat next to him. And now with Nolan I am seeing such a gentle side to you. You are the first person to his crib when he is crying, always asking to hold him and give him hugs and kisses every chance you can get.

Yes you are getting so big right before my eyes. You are so much better at controlling your emotions. You get "braver" everyday with talking to your teachers and others you don't know very well. There is not much you need me or daddy's help with anymore. But the times you do need us we love helping you out, knowing those times are becoming less and less.  I couldn't be more proud of the big boy you have become. I love you Tyler bug!!!!

Playdates!

Now that some of our good friends are having kids we are doing more play dates. I used to do play dates all the time with the boys, but when I started working more at the church I didn't want our one free day to be scheduled every week. Plus I knew they were getting plenty of social interaction at church and school. However I must say we have enjoyed going on play dates the past few days.

Last Friday we meet up with Melissa and Avery and Lindsay and Savannah in Denver at Monkey Bizness, a place that has bounce houses and climbing structures. The boys loved it here and could do everything on their own, letting me just have some nice adult conversation. The place also let us bring in our sack lunches and eat there - very nice. We played for over 2 hours and the boys took great naps on the way home (a rarity these days).


Yesterday after I picked up the boys from school to headed over to Palmer Park to meet up with Kisa, Westin, and Grace. We had a picnic lunch together and then went on a hike. The boys had a great time playing and running down the trail with Westin. They did a pretty good job of not getting to far ahead and stopped when they did. There were a couple disagreements, but nothing to bad. For the most part they all played well together and we plan to meet up again soon,. Gotta love play dates!

Cousins!

Last week Uncle Boyd, Aunt Sharalee, Griffin, Noah, and Faith came by for a quick visit. They also brought dinner for us. The boys had a blast playing with their cousins and spent most of the time either playing hide and seek or running around outside. It was great to see them and we can't wait for Christmas when all the Pedersons will be together.

One Month Appointment

On Tuesday Nolan had his one month appointment. The doctor said he is very strong and doing just perfect. His stats are - weight - 9 lbs 10 oz, 75th percentile, height - 21 in, 50th percentile, and his head circumference is also the 50th percentile. He is much more alert during the day and he has started batting at his toys some, liking tummy time more, sitting up in his bumbo, and even gave us his first smile! His favorite thing to do however is stare at our brown curtains.

One Month

Nolan is one month old. I must say it makes me a little sad to think that he is already one month, it has gone by so fast. He is still a pretty easy baby. He does have a fussy period around dinner time every day, but nothing that a little holding won't fix. He loves to be held all the time so we are working on just having him next to us for a little bit longer of times everyday. He also seems to love tummy time so far, at least for a few minutes of a time. Nolan is up to drinking 3-4 ounces at every feeding and is still an all time sleeper. On a great night he will go 7-8 hours. A bad night for him is only going 4 hours. The norm is usually at least 5. He also takes pretty regular and great naps and goes to sleep on his own, awake in his crib already. He is showing signs that his first smile will break through any day now and we can't wait. I have noticed that when the boys are out of the house, I think Nolan misses the noise. Those have been some of his fussiest times. Tyler and Carter are still infatuated with Nolan and have to give him kisses every 3 minutes or so. We are working on not giving him those as he is trying to fall asleep. Justin and I can not believe how blessed we are in having Nolan and can't picture our family without him in it . We love you Nolan!!!!

First Day of School!

Like I said, Carter was up nice and early for his first day of school. Tyler woke up around his normal time and they both went downstairs and got dressed while I made breakfast. I took a few pictures of them out front and then it was time to go. Carter actually fell asleep on the way there., however he woke up just fine when we got there. I took Tyler to his room first, thinking he would have a little of an easier time. He asked me to stay so I told him I would drop Carter off and then come back and check on him. Carter and I were then off to his room. When Carter got there he saw the other kids playing with play doh. With a quick hug and kiss to me he was off to the table. So much for maybe needing me to stay with him for a few minutes. I went to go check on Tyler who was doing just fine and gave me a thumbs up from the door. Nolan and I spent the next 3 hours grocery shopping and feeding him (I manged to keep him on schedule even with all the driving back and forth!).

When I picked the boys up I picked Carter up first. He was just starting to read a book and was not happy that I was there. He started crying and refused to come out of his classroom. I had to carry him out. I guess its better that he wants to stay rather than not be there at all. I was told however he had a great day and never once gave the teachers and attitude. Thank goodness! When I asked him what he did today he said nothing and then told me he didn't play with anybody either. Both things I know aren't true. When we picked up Tyler I was also told Tyler had a great day. He talked to his teacher and played with other kids instead of just on his own. He told me he was "being brave today". They also got to see each other on the playground which they both enjoyed. They both told me they liked school very much and were sad they didn't get to go today. I think it will be a good year!

Getting Ready

On Tuesday the boys had their Open House for preschool. We went to Carter's room first where all he wanted to do was play. He didn't want to say hi to his teachers or new friends, he didn't want to make his placemat, or even have a snack. All he wanted to do was play. He finally helped me a little with his placemat and then it was back to playing. He had a small tantrum* when we had to leave to go to Tyler's class, but I told him we would come back to his. When we got to Tyler's class we found out that he knew at least half of his class already from preschool last year or from the activities at church. This would be very good for him. He was still quite shy however and didn't talk to his teacher or really anyone else in the room. He made his placemat with me and then found some new toys that his old class didn't have. When it was time to go Carter had another tantrum because he didn't want to leave an go back to his class. He then changed his mind so we went back to his class to say bye to his teacher and meet more of his classmates. When it was time to go home more whining ensued. Let's just say I feel for his teacher. Both boys however were very excited to start school! *When I say tantrum for Carter it's usually a little tears and a lot of saying "no, I am going to stay here!"

On Wednesday we all decorated their buckets together that they would bring to school everyday. Tyler picked out purple paint and Carter picked out orange. Then they both went a little sticker happy and covered their buckets in stickers of animals, sports, and police and fire fighters. We set out their clothes for the next day and reminded them that they needed to get dressed before coming up for breakfast in the morning. That night they didn't fall asleep til way past bedtime and Carter actually ended up in our bed at 1 am. This was a first and we usually would have sent him right back downstairs, but I was too tired to take. him. He then woke up when Justin got up at 6 (and was also woken up by Nolan at 4) so I was a little worried how the first day would go.

Family Pictures

The boys have their Open House tomorrow at preschool There, they will make a placemat for them to have snack on everyday. On their placemat the teachers like them to have pictures of their family. Since adding our new member we needed to do a quick photo shoot. Here are some of the pictures.

School Supplies and Football

On Friday night Tyler, Carter and I had a little date night together. First we went to Five Guys for dinner (their choice) and after they behaved very well there it was off to buy their school supplies. They had a great time finding all their items and carrying them around the store. Carter however did think that the baby wipes and spoons he had to get were "boring". I had a very nice time with just my older boys and I am told Nolan did just fine for daddy at home.

On Saturday we decided to brave the heat and head to the Air Force football game. They boys got a special treat of getting to meet the bird on our way in. Once in they really liked watching the parachutes and fly overs. Tyler liked that "Uncle Todd's plane" flew over for one of them. During the game Carter got a little restless, but for the most part as long as they had popcorn they were happy to watch the game. We stayed until after the halftime show and then headed home where the boys fell asleep immediately in the car. Nolan slept the entire game in either Justin or my arms. All in all a great day.

Many Faces of Nolan Isaac

I love little baby facial expressions - here are some of my favorite ones that Nolan has been making.

Nana, Bapa, Aunt Dawn and Pikes Peak

Last Sunday we got the special treat of Nana, Bapa, and Aunt Dawn coming into town! The boys loved seeing them. Aunt Dawn treated us all to dinner where she also ordered a mud pie cake. Up on seeing the ice cream cake, Tyler told us all "that's the hugest cake I have ever seen!!!" Needless to say they enjoyed it. They spent the night in their hotel that night and the next day Nana, Bapa, and Aunt Dawn took them on the drive to the top of Pikes Peak. Carter told me that they "could see the whole entire world" from up there. It was a little chilly (only 36 degrees at the top) and very windy so they also got some new fleece jackets and a stuff animal each. I enjoyed having a day with just Nolan where we got some housework and grocery shopping done. It was a very nice day for all of us!

Daddy Days!

After Oma and Opa left, Justin took the rest of last week off to help me out with all three boys, Tyler and Carter especially loved to have the extra attention from daddy. They started on their first 500 piece puzzle together, we took Nolan on his first trip to the zoo, we played soccer in the back yard, went on walks, went to Avery's first birthday party, and enjoyed being a family of five. It was a wonderful five days and I am so glad Justin is such a wonderful daddy and husband that he would know how much we would all need those days.

Big Boys Update

So I figure its about time I update on the comings and goings of Tyler and Carter. There have been a few more tantrums and behaviors that are new to them since we brought home their baby brother. Carter has started yelling at us and actually kicked me once (a thing he wouldn't even think about doing in the past). Luckily it has only happened a handful of times and he seems to be going back to his usual gentle, happy except for the occasional tantrum self. Tyler's anger has been popping up more and more. He is also having tantrums, which is unusual for him. Usually he isn't one to sit and cry, but more get mad and yell. The past few days have better with him as well. For both boys these behaviors are happening very few times. For the most part they are being the great boys that they are. I also must say that they LOVE Nolan. They have zero animosity towards him. They want to help out with every little thing. They ask to hold him and give him hugs and kisses at least a dozen times a day. So why we may have a few tiring parts of our day, I am glad they are directed at me and Justin and not Nolan.

In other news they are getting very excited for preschool to start. I really think most of the behavior problems is from the lack of routine and structure more than anything. We are all ready to get back to the routine of church and school. They are also excited to be getting their bunk beds this weekend. Tyler is a little nervous about sleeping on the top bunk, but I am sure he will get over it quickly. Now to convince Carter he needs to stay on the bottom will be the real challenge. We are also starting a new bedtime routine along with the new bunk beds that Justin and I are hoping will help the bedtime battles. We are going to have them start in their beds and then read to them a chapter book (without pictures). For out first book we got them Swiss Family Robinson. I am hoping they will like it. I read them Babe right before Nolan was born and they seemed to enjoy that, but we didn't always read it in their rooms as part of bedtime. Here is hoping this will work.

Since Nolan has been here they seem such much bigger to me. Not only in size but in the fact that they are now kids, not really even little boys anymore. The conversations we have, the games they play and come up with on their own, and their interactions with each other, make me take double takes everyday of who they have become and how quickly it has gone by that they were once Nolan's size (well actually they were never as small as Nolan, but close enough). I am so blessed to have my big boys.