24 weeks!

On Friday I hit 24 weeks and today I had my 24 week appointment. Everything looks great with Miss Olivia Joy (yes we have decided on her name). Her heartbeat was great, my blood pressure was great, and I am measuring at 26 cm, so a little ahead. I have gained more weight with her (19 lbs) than I did with Nolan at this point, but they are not concerned.  I also had my glucose test and should know in a couple days if I passed it or not. I am finally feeling her more regularly and Justin is feeling strong kicks now as well. I will go back in three weeks so I can have one more appointment in before we leave for Maryland. We have lots of pink things and I even broke down and bought her a pink car seat. We are very excited to have her here, but I am also trying to enjoy every minute of this pregnancy and the last few months with just my boys.

Easter

Happy Easter! We had a wonderful Easter together as a family. For once the boys slept in, so I hated waking them up to get ready for church, but we did. Tyler and Carter were in the service with us for the first time, while we put Nolan in the nursery as usual. The boys did pretty well. When the band started playing Carter covered his ears saying it was to loud, but got over it pretty quickly. By the middle of the second song he was standing in the aisle to see the band better. They got to go up and hear the Children's sermon and received and empty Easter egg to represent the empty tomb. Tyler came back to his seat and colored some pictures. Carter decided he didn't want to color pictures and then got upset when his egg came apart. Justin had to take him out once and sit with him along the wall so he wouldn't disturb anyone. Tyler however did great. He drew one picture of the three crosses and an empty tomb with Jesus' cloths in it, one picture of Jesus in the tomb before he went to heaven and Jesus had a very big heart), and one picture of a boy who loves Jesus. Wonderful to see!
After the service we came home, took some pictures, let the boys get their baskets, and had a small indoor egg hunt as there was snow on the ground. Then we went over to Seth and Leah's for dinner. A very relaxing and great family day!

Easter Egg Hunts

Last week both boys had their egg hints at school. Tyler's was on Wednesday and Carter's was on Thursdays. It was very cold the day of Tyler's, so it didn't lat long. All the kids came out, sang "Lord I Lift Your Name on High" and then release balloons in symbolism of Jesus rising to Heaven. Then the kids each got a bag to find eggs. All the eggs were empty though, so as soon as the kids found a few they turned in their bag for a bag of candy and a book about Easter. Like I said it didn't last long, I think Tyler took maybe a minute to find his eggs.

The weather was much nicer for Carter's. The kids all did the same things, but Carter was very particular about his eggs. They couldn't be opened, and he really only wanted to find purple ones. After he found 10 eggs he turned them in got his candy and then wanted to play some. All in all it was fun for both boys and I am so glad that I get to go and see them do all these fun things!

Encouragement

The boys are so sweet to each other, I love to watch it. Today on our walk Carter didn't want to run and race, but Tyler did. So as Tyler ran Carter would yell "Go Tyler, you are going to win the medal" and remind him of where he should stop at. Once Carter reached Tyler he would give Tyler a drink of his water bottle to help him on his next race. Tyler would then tell Carter "you are a good coach Carter". When we got home Carter went downstairs and got Tyler's wrestling medal to present to Tyler for winning the race. Love it!

Tyler has also been great lately about cleaning up right when we ask. Carter still would rather Tyler do it all (and Tyler would if we didn't make Carter). Finally Carter started helping and Tyler told him "you are off to a great start Carter!".  Life is good!

More Oma and Opa Time!

On Friday we all got to spend more time with Oma and Opa. They came over in the morning and Oma, Nolan, and I went off to run some errands and do some more shopping - Thanks again Oma! The big boys got the special treat of spending the morning with Opa! They loved every minute of it and I am told they behaved very well. First they went to chick-fil-a for lunch were they ate everything and got a special treat of apple juice. The they got to play for a very long time and one of Carter's friends from school, Elenore, was there as well. The mom told me today that she loved playing with Tyler and Carter because they called her a Princess. I am sure they were playing Star Wars! After some playing Opa then got them ice cream! After that they went to the store where Opa bought them both Star Wars Legos - talk about fun! They came home and Oma and Opa left to pack up before they left the next day. The boys put their legos together and had some quiet time before Oma and Opa came back over so Justin and I could have a date night. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and once again I am told all three boys behaved great. They ate some pizza and watched a movie and all went to bed without any issues. Thanks so much Oma and Opa, we all enjoyed our visit and can't wait til May when we get to see you again!

Conferences

Both boys had their end of the year conferences last Thursday and they are both doing great. Tyler was up first and I was excited to hear how he was doing as some of the things he does at home now amaze us. Tyler has threes (proficient or exceeding) in all areas except for a couple. He can't always tell you the middle sound in a word and when you do syllables he tells you how many sounds are in the word, not the syllable (like dog, he would say three). He can skip now and his hand writing is great, so he is also doing fine on all gross and fine motor skills and still doing very well with his spiritual questions. He can read and his teacher is awesome so he has already learned the rules about silent e's, double vowels , and has memorized many sight words and blend sounds (or, st, ok, etc). He had some addition fact memorized and can even do simple multiplication (7 + 7+7 =21). Like I said we are amazed with what he can do. Some of the things he has learned were things I would teach my first graders. We honestly haven't even been working with him on things at home because we don't want him bored next year. However we still stand by our decision to hold him a year as he has just blossomed socially. He now asks friends to play with him and almost becomes the boss and telling them what to do. He still can gt very shy when on the spot and we know it will be quite the adjustment next year when he won't know anyone in his class, but we are so proud of how much he has grown this year!

Next up was Carter turn and he is doing great as well. His teacher commented on how intelligent he was and how he really pays attention when going over letter sounds. He has threes in every single area. For one task they had to make a three colored patterned. She asked him if she wanted to start it or if he wanted to do it. He quickly grabbed the manipulatives and did it all his own, she couldn't believe how fast he was.  One thing I noticed, but his teacher didn't think was a big deal, was at the beginning of the year he spelt his name properly )capital at the beginning and then small letters), now we writes his a and t also uppercase.  His class is more for social than academic, so he is doing great with what they worked on this year. She gave me some paper with his name on it for him to practice over the summer.  She also commented on how sweet of a boy he is and so good natured. He never really gets upset, just goes along with everything. I am glad to know he doesn't bring his drama to the classroom. He doesn't really have one single friend, just plays with everyone, mostly the boys.  All the teachers just love him and I am always being told how sweet he is. I can't wait to see him grow and learn even more next year!

Scooter and the Park

Daddy surprised all of us on Monday night by getting home early. Because it was so beautiful out we took the opportunity to head to the park so the boys could practice their scooters. Nolan also got his first ride on the swings at the par. He loved swinging giggling the whole time! The boys are getting better and better at their scooters as well and seem to love to ride on them. This is great to see from Carter especially, as we can never get him to even try to ride his bike for more than a minute or two.

Oma and Opa Time!

Oma and Opa are in town for the week and everyone is so excited to see them! Because of plane delays, they got in late Saturday, but we still got to meet them for a quick dinner that night. On Sunday we headed over to Todd and Jessie's for dinner. The boys did great during dinner time, and then all the boy cousins seemed to really enjoy playing with each other.  On Tuesday I dropped the boys off at school and went and picked Oma up from the airport. Oma was then very generous with outfitting this little girl clothes and nursery wise. We picked up the boys a little early (and they were very excited to show off their classrooms) and had a nice lunch before heading up to Castle Rock. The boys, who usually love to play their leapsters while we shop one of the few time they can have them) decided it wold be nice to run around everywhere instead. However OMa still got everyone new shoes and some clothes - thank you Oma and Opa! After that we headed home and once daddy and Opa got there we had dinner. The boys are very excited for some Opa time on Friday!

Surgery Update

Last week Tyler had his post surgery appointment. Happy to report that all is well! Some of his stitches still haven't dissolved, but they should soon. Everything else looks great and there is nothing more we should need to do in the future. Tyler doesn't seem to traumatized from the whole thing either, which is a relief. One funny story - I told him we had to go to the doctor and he said "I don't want to get shots!" I explained to him that we were going to the doctor that did his surgery. He replies "Oh I am going to see the penis doctor, not my regular doctor - ok then." Glad everything is fixed and its now all behind us!

Eight Months!

Happy eight months Nolan! In this past month you have started doing so many things! You can now army crawl everywhere, fast! If you want to get somewhere you will go there.  You would love to go into your brothers bedroom and try to every time they forget to close their door, and it seems that you have a keen sense of when that may be. You also can turn on a dime and switch directions if you need to.  You love to play peek a boo and in the past few days have mastered clapping. You have also gotten your first tooth (finally - that was a rough week for you) and started pulling yourself up! You love to get into your bookcase and pull all the books down and you love to pull toys out of bins. You have started becoming aware when I leave a room and don't necessarily like it. I have also found that I can't go into your room at church as you will just want me and no one else. I am hoping this phase pasts quickly as I love visiting you in there.

You still love to eat your baby food and would eat that over your bottles any time.  You also got your first taste of pizza crust, which you loved. You are now drinking only 5-7 ounces a bottle and I am not sure if that's just cause you are tired of the formula and want real food or if your reflux is acting back up. You are becoming a better napper everyday as well. You are still the happiest, easy going baby we know and we love you so much!

Outside Time!

The weather had been crazy as usual here in Colorado. Record highs in the 80's one day and snowing the next. Its also been very windy and dry so far this Spring. However the boys are loving being outside regardless. They are climbing trees, which are really bushes and then they get stuck, digging in the dirt, playing soccer and football, and playing through the fence with the neighbor boys. We also got them scooters this year so they love waiting for daddy to get home every night and ride their scooters and bikes around. The crazy weather is suppose to continue a while longer, but I think we are all ready for sunny days everyday.

Zoo fun with Carter

Last Friday we were all headed to the zoo when we had some behavior issues so we had to turn around (Tyler colored on the seat). So on Saturday, just Carter and I went. Carter was so sweet and wanted to see the tigers just for Tyler. He also talked about missing Tyler and Nolan while we were there. We had fun with just the two of us though. We got there almost right when it opened so we got to see the giraffes walk into their yard and then feed them lettuce instead of the normal crackers.  I also let Carter ride a pony and climb on every climbing structure the zoo had. When we got to the carousel he was the only kid there, so he rode it all by himself.  They also didn't have the music on so halfway through I think he gt a little bored. We went and saw the orangutans where he got to paint a t-shirt for them and give them lots of kisses. All and all a very nice time with just my middle son.

Little Sister

Here is just a picture of my three boys announcing that they are going to have a little sister! They boys are so excited about having a sister and "protecting her because girls are fragile". The other day Justin overheard this conversation.
Tyler "I'm going to use my bat to protect our sister against the bad guys."
Carter "I don't have anything to protect her with."
Tyler "You can use my bat, we will share it to take care of the bad guys."

They are also trying to come up with names for her. Right now Carter wants her to be named Oliver (ummm no) and Tyler likes Brooke.

We were watching the disney channel and they had some commercial on for a dress up party with Minnie Mouse at the disney store. Carter announces that he, Tyler, daddy, and Nolan, would not like to go to that store. Its only for mommy and baby sister. Hen then decided it would be ok to go there to buy something for his sister there though.

I love how excited they are for her to get here!