Snow

We got our first big snow storm so we got all the kids dressed up to go play. Olivia wasn't sure what to think of it, but seemed to like walking around in it. Nolan loved it at first until he got cold. The boys thought playing on the tramp in the snow was the coolest thing ever. Of course we all had to have hot chocolate when we all came in to warm up.

Christmas with Nana and Bapa

On Christmas morning we all woke up and opened our stockings, had some breakfast and then let the kids open thier gifts. We then had a relaxing day with a yummy dinner of turkey and skyped with Lee's family. We also talked on the phone to my brothers. That night we packed u as it looked like a storm was coming in so we would be able to head out first thing in the morning. We had a wonderful Christmas with the Pederson family. Enjoy the pictures! The one of Carter in a cape is the cape Aunt Sharalee made for him herself - very cool gift.

Nana and Bapa Time

After Christmas with Oma and Opa we headed off to have Christmas in Montrolse with Nana and Bapa and Boyd and Sharalee's family. We stopped at Boyd and Sharalee's house on the way in for lunch and for the cousins to play. The we all headed to Montrose together. The kids had a fun running around Nana and Bapas house, playing the Wii and the older kids getting to have a giant sleepover in the bonus room upstairs  The next day Everyone but Nana and the babies headed up to Ouray to go see some ice climbers and hit the hot springs. We only saw a couple ice climbers, but just hiking around and seeing all the ice was very fun. Of course everyone had a blast at the hot springs. Justin and I were spoiled that the babies weren't there and could really relax in the pool as the smaller pool is shallow enough for the older boys to play in without our help. Very nice. We then headed home, got ready for Christmas Eve service, which was a children's service, and then put everyone to bed to await Christmas morning. A very fun day!

Christmas with Oma and Opa

Since we would be in Montrose for Christmas, Oma and Opa came over the day before we left so that we could open presents with just them. This is also the time we gave the kids most of our gifts as well, so that we wouldn't have to pack them n the car. Oma and Opa tok the kids for a walk while we brought the toys out and then they got to come back and be surprised   As usual the kids were spoiled rotten, but they had a bast with Oma and Opa. Oma and Opa got Livi her first American Girl baby doll, we got the kids a giant bear from Costco (that was daddy's idea) and the boys got a new Lego table made by daddy.  We just had appetizers and things for our Christmas dinner, and just enjoyed our day together. Justin and I also went out with Oma and got our Christmas present from them  - new bikes and a new trailer for the babies. Thanks Oma and Opa!

Oma and Opa Time

Oma and Opa got into town the week before Christmas. We always have a wonderful time when they are here. They took the kids to have some time with just them, I got to go shopping with my mom, and then we all went over to Todd and Jessie's house to have some time with the cousins. We had pizza and the kids played a lot, which they always love.

Christmas Lights

We had to do our annual tradition of driving around and seeing the Christmas lights. Everyone got in their pjs, we stopped by Starbucks for some hot cocoa, put some Christmas music on and away we were off. The boys always love seeing the lights, the babies just feel asleep. This is one of the traditions I hope to continue every year, even as the kids grow up into teenagers. We always have fun, good conversation  and just nice time to be together.

Electric Safari

We did our annual Electric Safari trip of the zoo t night. The boys always look forward to this and even better they were opening up the elephant house for the first time that evening. First thing was we had to visit Santa though. Tyler told Santa he wanted a guitar and Carter wanted binoculars. Olivia screamed her head off and Nolan looked confused. After that it was on to the elephants. Olivia LOVED seeing them and got so excited. The older boys got to help the zoo keeper feed them by dropping food down a tube to them. You can feel the elephant blow through their trunk up the tube - pretty cool. We also let the boys ride the horses, which they always like doing. We were going to let Nolan ride but after he sat on it for a minute he said all done so that was that. Another fun trip and we can't wait for the rest of the elephant exhibit to open in the spring!

Long Family Weekend

We got to have a very nice long family weekend. We went to the park and rode bikes around (the older boys are getting very good) did some shopping, where the kids behaved well, Justin and Tyler got to watch Notre Dame win and then we decorated the house and tree. Not much fills up my tank than time with my wonderful family.

Parade of Lights

We joined a bunch of our friend in Denver for the parade of Lights. It was very warm that night which made the parade super crowded. The kids (or really the adults) couldnt really even se so all the adults had to have kids on the back of their shoulders. Eventually Tyler and Carter found spots where they could sit right in front. I could barely see the top of their heads but a bunch of other parents were also watching out for everyone so I felt pretty safe about it. Olivia pretty much sat in the stroller and Nolan rode on daddy's back. They were very excited for the fire trucks, Tyler liked the Nuggets mascot and Nolan was very excited to see Santa.  I didn't even think he knew who he was. We had a great time seeing our friends and all the kids were asleep within minutes of getting in the car.

Breakfast in Bethleham

Our church did their annual Breakfast in Bethlehem where they do the Christmas story in an interactive play for all the kids, with a pancake breakfast included  The kids had a lot of fun. When we got there we got yummy pancakes  which they made into Christmas tress and snowmen for the boys and then got to do some crafts and coloring. Then the play started where the kids got to sing along and use their crafts to act out parts of the story. We then got to go home with a goody bag full of fun things. It was a great time and the older boys seem to understand everything more and more every year. The babies just like the pancakes!

Thanksgiving

We had a very low key Thanksgiving just the 6 of us. We had a roasted chicken for dinner, which was very yummy. We also made a Thankful Turkey saying what we were all thankful for. The boys both said they were thankful for members of our family the most - which always warms my heart. We finished up our low key day by trying to get a picture of all the kids. So much to be thankful for!

15 month check-up

Olivia had her 15 month check-up and is doing just great. She is ahead in almost all the areas of development that they test and the doctor doesn't have any concerns.She did pretty well with her shots and even showed off some of her talking. Speaking of talking here are some of her newest words: ready go, thank you, amen,and  jacket

6 and 7 year Check-up

The boys had their 6 and 7 year old check-ups and as usual are doing just great! They were both excited that they didn't need any shots (except for their flu shot which is up the nose). They both passed thier eye tests and surprisingly they both passed their hearing tests as well (the first that Tyler has ever passed). They are both growing great and our doctor was really surprised with how much Carter has grown in the past year ( I guess the average is 2 inches and he grew 3 inches). Happy I have two healthy boys!!

Teacher's Note

I got a note from Tyler's teacher today telling me how hard he working at his reading and how we is really improving  Always nice to get good notes home!

We also got this email form Carter's teacher - it describes him to a tee!  "We were working on some projects today for Thanksgiving and I told them to give themselves a pat for working so fast on challenging projects.  I said we were working at a second grade level/pace.   So Carter said he could even work at a high school pace. So I told him wow, he’s such a good leader.   On the way out the gate he said, I could even work at a college level. " Proud of both of my boys!

Nana, Bapa, and Cousins

Nana and Bapa came for a quick visit and with them came Faith and Noah. The kids as always ad a lot of fun with their cousins. They played in the pool, went and watched a movie (Wreck it Ralph) and then played some more. Justin and I also got some time to do some Christmas shopping with just the little ones.  Always a fun weekend with Nana and Bapa.

Favorite Things

Another favorite thing - every night I rock Nolan before bed and lately he has been singing along with me, mainly twinkle twinkle. He is also starting to say his prayers with me. He repeats me saying "thank you" "love you" and then "amen". Olivia usually chimes in with "amen" as well. Love this sweet time every night with my babies.

Favorite Things

I haven't done one of these in a while, but the older boys are becoming such big helpers. On the weekends (and really almost all mornings) they ask e if they can get the babies when they hear them wake up. They then get the babies out fo their cribs, bring them to me to give them hugs then take them downstairs to give them their milk, a snack and put on a show for them. This allows Justin and I to sleep in a little longer on the weekends, very nice! They did this all on their own, we have never asked them to do it.

Also the babies are very good at making messes. The boys still clean up during chore time and even though they don't make the mess they usually clean it without any grumbles. I love my big boys!

Livi Update

Olivia is talking more and more everyday. Its so fun! Here are the words that she says that I can remember (I know there are more): daddy, baby, cookie, mama, banana, uh oh, cheese, Elmo, night night, Hana, ball, more, Tyler, Carer, plug, thank you, milk, bye bye, block, pumpkin

Halloween

We had a great Halloween. The boys both had parties at school that day, which they had fun at, and then when they got home they did their homework and chores right away so we could have fun that night. Justin got home a little early that night which was a nice surprise as well. we had pizza for dinner and then got into the costumes and headed out. We went to about 10-15 houses in our neighborhood and then went by Heather's parents house and Heather's house. All the kids got way to much candy. Nolan and even Olivia went up to all the houses and had no trouble holding out their buckets. Nolan would say "er eat" and then ask for more. He did always say "ank ew" at least. Olivia just followed her brothers and liked it when things wen into her bucket, and everyone thought she was super cute as well!

Pumpkins

We actually got around to caving the pumpkin this year, which the boys were happy about it. We let Tyler and Carter mostly do it on their own , with a little help from us to clean them up some. Cater had his pumpkin look just like his plastic pumpkin bucket, Tyler had a vampire pumpkin, Nolan had a smiley face pumpkin with two teeth (since he can count to two now) and Livi had an "o" face pumpkin since she loves to say "uh oh" Enjoy the pictures!

Conferences

The boys had their first conferences. Heather came over and watched the kids so Justin and I could go together. Tyler was up first and he is doing great. It was fun to read the stories he writes everyday. I am amazed by his memory, he writes about things that happened years ago. He needs to work on slowing down some and on his punctuation, but that's about it. He is excelling in math and is reading very well as well. We likes the competition to see who can get to 100% on their computer program first, which we don't mind as he always strives on competition. We were very happy to hear such a great report.

Carter was next and once again he had a great report. At the beginning of the year he had a hard time adjusting to school and following the rules. We are happy to hear that that is no longer the case. He is also excelling academically, with his scores being way above the rest of his class and the district. We asked about being bored, and she says while he is the first done, he always has something else to go to, so he thinks he is ok for now. His gym teacher did comment on him needing to be more of a team player, but since he really doesn't like sports or competition or losing, this didn't surprise us too much. He is working on it. Justin and I couldn't be more proud of how well our two young men are doing.

Leaves

Because of all the aspens we have a ton of leaves. The other day we raked them all up and let the kids go for it. Tyler and Carter loved it, burying themselves in the leaves. Nolan also thought it was fun to run and jump in them. Olivia would walk in them and then quickly walk out. Eventually she sat with me in the leaves, but she loves throwing them around more than anything. Fall is always so fun!

A-Hiking We Will Go

The weather has been so nice this fall so far. We only got  a dusting of snow so far, very weird but nice! So we are trying to enjoy it and took a hike in Ute Valley park. We had Olivia in the backpack  which took her a while to warm up to. Just like swings, she does not love to feel like she may fall or anything. But after a couple minutes she was fine on daddy's back. Nolan had to hike most of the way, and he did great. Just at the very end did he get tired and want to be carried. At one point Justin was carrying Nolan, and he and Olivia loved getting to play with each other that way.  For the very last part we put Nolan in the backpack and I carried Olivia. The older two of course loved hiking around and it was once again a great afternoon.

Oma's Visit

Oma came to visit which is always a great time! She actually came so that Justin and I could have a night away, which was very nice. On Wednesday she came over and took the babies and I shopping, spoiling us way to much. She then picked the boys up from school which they loved. She then came over to have dinner and cake with us n Carter's birthday and to see how everyone went to bed. On Saturday she came over and had the kids from about noon on Saturday til noon on Sunday. Justin and I went to Todd's wedding, which was beautiful and a great time to see old friends. We then had a hotel for the night downtown, and we enjoyed sleeping soundly through the entire night. Oma tells us the kids did great for her, and we are so thankful for her visit so we could have some time away. Thanks Oma!!

Birthday

On Carter's birthday, the boys had the day off of school, so Justin took it off as well. We started with breakfast at Starbucks and then ran some errands. After that we went and did Glow Golf (Carter's choice). We then had dinner at Olive Garden with Oma and came home for Captain America cake. Carter seemed to  enjoy his day, and really loved his presents - a drum set from mom and dad and a new "cool" bike helmet from his siblings. Happy Birthday Carter Bear!