Ryan and Kaitlyn Madden

december 29

2012-01-25T11:51:00.001-08:00

Just a few pics before Gigi and Pop left for SC.

December 26 -- Christmas with Gigi and Pop

2012-01-24T07:06:00.000-08:00

Gigi and Pop came the day after Christmas this year!! The kids were keyed up!! Now they know what to expect when they see all these gifts. It was hard to keep them contained until the next morning to open. Mom and Dad stayed from Monday-Thursday and it was great. We visited, ate, cooked, cleaned up the house, played with the children, took 2 to check ups, snuggled with Colin, and Mike and I even got to go on a little shopping excursion for him to use up the gift cards he got. It was great! Though, I can't wait to be closer for next year!

Kait's new dress up shoes!

Seriously? All Girl!!

Christmas Day

2012-01-22T14:42:00.001-08:00

It is Christmas Day! hooray!!

Santa came to visit at our house for the first time ever!!

Ryan's Loot

Kaitlyn's stuff

Colin was just hanging out!!

My 3 Christmas munchkins!

slinky dog was a HUGE hit with the children

Obviously, this pirate ship was too!

It's Buzz!!

No, wait, it's a pirate!

Ryan got a Razor 360 Rip Rider from Santa

So did Jake -- I think the Daddy's enjoyed it as much as the kiddos!

Jake also got a police car. Hopefully we won't be seeing a scene like this EVER!!

Christmas with Mimi and Doc

2012-01-22T12:36:00.000-08:00

Mimi and Doc came to our house the week before Christmas since they are heading to China the week after as they have for the past few years. They had some major activities planned to do with the children. They took Ryan and Kaitlyn swimming one afternoon at the indoor pool at the hotel in the neighborhood, they went to Chuck E Cheese, they went to hear "Frosty the Snowman" being read outloud with milk and cookies being served at the hotel, and tried to do the zoo and a few other things, but the weather didn't cooperate. It was a busy 2.5 days!!

The last day they were here, we opened presents. Can I say my children were excited?? Wow, that is an understatement!! They had so much fun during our Round 1 of Christmas!!

The tree full of presents

We got the biggest tree we have ever gotten -- 10+ feet

Doc and Kaitlyn being silly

2 out of 3

tree again

Mike and Mimi

Me and Kait...see, I do exist...wow

Kaitlyn and Ryan both got boots from a trip to montana. Kaitlyn couldn't wait to try them on!

a little unsteady!

Doc and Colin

Colin - 7 weeks -- December 21, 2011

2012-01-17T12:55:00.000-08:00

Colin is smiling now. A. Lot. It is the cutest thing to see him do. He is such a dream baby. I could not have asked for more from him. He loves just hanging out and sitting quietly watching all the action that is encircling him constantly. He LOVES for people to get down in front of him and pay him some attention. I mean, he lights up when you do that. He is sleeping about 6hour stretches at night, but doesn't seem to want to go to bed until about midnight. (killing me) At least I get about 6 hours before he wants to wake up again though. Way better than with Kaitlyn!!

Colin is a special baby... a 3rd baby for sure. Content to hang out when he needs to, fall asleep as if on cue, tolerate a big sister that is barely 17 months older than him and doesn't fully grasp the meaning of gentle, and wowed by an older brother who positively dotes on him, loved fiercely by 2 parents who were not sure that 3 children was ever in the plan, but SO GLAD that God decided to take control and give us this precious being to care for while we can.

Love you Colin!!

Ryan's Christmas Program

2011-12-30T20:18:00.000-08:00

Ryan was in his school performance along with every other child from the 2's, 3's, and 4's. He was a King though he kept calling himself a shepherd. Not sure why since he clearly had a crown on his head?? Anyway, this program was on a Tuesday which is not a normal school day for us. I dropped him off in his classroom and dropped Kaitlyn off too (thankfully). Colin and I went and grabbed a seat. Well, I think I started hearing him call for Mommy down the hall from the auditorium where I was sitting. Great!

I videoed him coming in and going on stage. he knew all the songs, but didn't participate in all of them. He kept pointing at me and saying "Mommy, Mommy" over and over again. I finally talked to him after the program was over and asked him what was going on. He said, " I wanted you to come on stage with me so I kept calling to you." Oh, well, that makes perfect sense. I can definitely say that he was a little "off" that morning. We had a little reception for the parents and Ryan was back to his old self...

December 10 - Christmas pics

2011-12-30T11:20:00.000-08:00

Sibling Love

My sweet, almost-4-year-old!

My Christmas card picture attempts. It is so hard to get 3 children to look at the camera and smile all at the same time!! Then, the one that is finally the best has poor Colin screaming. The least likely of the bunch to be screaming!!! Oh well...maybe next year I will get a smiling picture!!

December 7 - 5 weeks and the "Biting"

2011-12-29T20:02:00.000-08:00

5 weeks old!!

He is getting to be so big!!

At the 3 week appointment, Colin weighed 9lbs and was 22 inches.

I picked Kaitlyn up from school today to find a HUGE bitemark on her cheek. She has some biters in her class and one finally struck! It stayed around for another day or 2 and bruised a little, but she didn't seem to be in any pain. It was crazy how swollen it was and how deep the bite. That child definitely took a chunk out of her!

Santa

2011-12-29T19:59:00.000-08:00

Santa came to our neighborhood. Kaitlyn was SO NOT IMPRESSED!!

It was a fun night and I am glad that the children got to meet him, but Ryan didn't tell him what he wanted and Kaitlyn cried. Ryan still doesn't quite grasp what all Santa means. I guess next year he will finally understand the whole list and naughty/nice thing. :)

December 1 - 1 month and 18 months

2011-12-29T19:45:00.000-08:00

Big Milestones today.

Kaitlyn turned 18 months.

Colin turned 1 month.

Time is going to fly by, I can just tell!

November 27 - 3wks, 5 days

2011-12-29T19:36:00.001-08:00

During the week Colin turned 3 weeks, the kids were in SC with my parents...Heaven!!!

What a godsend that was. We had Monday-Friday with just 1 child. Why did we think this was so hard 3.5 years ago? Our sweet Colin did so well. We slept in 2 mornings until 9am and he went 2 different nights from 11-6am. CRAZY!! Even Ryan didn't do that!!

It was a wonderful, blessed time to bond with our newest addition, but we were so happy to have the older 2 back the day after Thanksgiving. Here are some pics from Sunday after they got back. They are so sweet with Colin. It is a joy to watch them shower him with affection!! (well, at least the times when Kaitlyn isn't trying to bounce him out of the bouncy and Ryan isn't smothering him by trying to hug and kiss him so much!)

really Mom, another picture. Come on already...

cute smile!

Loving their baby brother

Just a picture of me to prove that I did exist in Colin's infancy.

November

2.5 weeks old

2011-12-29T19:27:00.000-08:00

Growing, growing.

This is a newborn outfit that Ms. Beth gave me. I was getting swallowed in Ryan's 3 month clothes.

This is my lovey and my Chocolate bunny that my sister and brother gave me.

I am really not cross eyed. I just look like it in this picture.

November 15 - Colin is 2 weeks old

2011-12-29T17:25:00.000-08:00

I am 2 weeks old.

I am WONDERFUL...or so my Mommy says.

I sleep a lot.

I eat every 3 hours or so...sometimes even going 4 hour stretches.

What a BLESSING I AM!!!

kait's pose

2011-12-29T16:55:00.001-08:00

This is how I find Kaitlyn these days...in the bouncy seat with my phone...that she thinks is hers. All I hear anymore, "Mine! Mine! Mine!"

Leaves...

2011-12-27T17:54:00.000-08:00

This was the day Gigi and Pop left - November 11. The weather was beautiful, the kids were having a blast playing with each other, Colin was asleep inside, and Mike and I were enjoying looking around us and marveling at how blessed we are.

It was a sweet moment...

throwing leaves!

Kaitlyn thought the leaves needed to be raked again...

Nov. 12 - Family pictures

2011-12-26T14:07:00.001-08:00

So, after we got home and Kaitlyn was sick and then Ryan got pink eye and then Colin had to be on the Light Therapy constantly, we talked Priscilla (Mimi) into staying one more night so that we were only alone for a few hours on that first Sunday. My parents arrived that Sunday evening and stayed until the following Saturday. The only pictures we got the WHOLE week was about an hour before they left. (having 3 kids certainly leaves little time for pictures!)

We were so grateful to have Mimi here for almost 2 weeks (1 week before colin and the week that we were in the hospital) and to have my parents here for Colin's Day 5 - 10. It was wonderful to have some built in entertainment and attention lavished on the 2 older children so I could concentrate on Colin and feedings and healing from another c-section.

hallelujah for Parents!!!

I don't think we could ever find the words for what their time meant to us during these first 2 weeks. I was really struggling with how I was going to balance being a mother to 3. (especially since I never thought I would be a mother to 3). I just wasn't sure how to give sufficient attention to each child. Having grandparents here certainly helped ease that burden in the immediate timeframe coming home from the hospital. We appreciate every moment they can give us with their time, their efforts in the house, their entertainment for the children, their constant care of us as well as all the children. It is just amazing to have parents like ours.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

November 11 - 10 days old...3rd bath

2011-12-26T14:00:00.001-08:00

Colin's Gift

2011-12-26T13:53:00.000-08:00

Colin decided that he would join our household with a gift for the older children...what did he bring? A "jump jump" aka Bounce House for the children to jump in during all of the cold winter days when we have to stay close to home with an infant. Ryan and Kaitlyn LOVED it and have already spent a ton of time jumping with their friends. Colin couldn't have picked a more perfect gift to get these two "on his side".

While at the hospital

2011-12-02T09:01:00.000-08:00

Colin was born on Tuesday, November 1 and I was in the hospital until Friday, November 4. Those few days were relaxing and crazy all at the same time.

On Wednesday, our kids stay at school until 4pm. So, Priscilla went to pick them up and then we get a text from our neighbor, Beth, about 5pm telling us that Kaitlyn has a 103 temperature. Well, of course Mike rushes home to find out what is wrong with our little girl. He spends the evening and most of the night at home administering medicine, feeding supper, doing baths, etc. with Priscilla. Then he heads back to the hospital about 11pm to stay the night with me on that "oh so comfortable" couch that they provide for all the daddy's on the maternity ward. (he has got the "making of the couch/bed" down to a science these days)

He wakes up at the crack of dawn to go back to our house and get Kaitlyn for a doctor's appointment. We find out that she has double ear infections and double pink eye!!! WHAT?? You have got to be kidding. This is coming from the child that has never even been on an antibiotic and she has the major things while we are in the hospital!! AHHH!!

Anyway, she seems to be doing ok despite her sickness, so Mike heads back to the hospital late Thursday evening. (thank goodness Colin has not required much of me while in the hospital)

We get home on Friday about 3pm or so and are greeted by our adorable children. Wake up Saturday morning EARLY to get Colin to a doctor's appt to test his bilirubin and find out that Ryan now has pink eye. (oh, and did I mention that Beth got it too...ugh!)

Colin did not do well on his bilirubin test and now has to go on light phototherapy. Great, just what we need...more things we have to do in addition to having this new life. Oh my goodness...overwhelming first day home. :)

Just some pics from our few days in the hospital...

Dr. Christine delivered all 3 children

Beth and Walker

the same outfit Ryan wore home

Ryan welcoming us home!

the Siblings...

2011-11-20T14:27:00.000-08:00

My sweet children have arrived to meet their newest sibling!!

They are just adorable with him. I can't wait to see how this all plays out. :)

Checking him out right away...

Ryan could not wait to hold Colin. That was all he kept asking to do.

Both children gave gifts to Colin. Kaitlyn gave a "lovey" just like hers and Ryan gave a Chocolate Bunny like "Doggy".

they were SOOO excited about giving these gifts. They have had them ready for WEEKS!!

My little munchkins and their "gifts"

Mimi and Colin

Finally, it is Colin's Birth Day!!!

2011-11-18T14:02:00.000-08:00

The day started early...like 4:45 am early. We had to be at the hospital by 6am to get ready for my c-section scheduled for 8am. All the pre-op stuff went according to schedule and I was laying in the operating room right on time. Little one was born at 8:44am CST and weighed a whopping 8lbs 4oz and measured 21.5 inches. This is 1 pound bigger than Ryan or Kaitlyn and 1 inch longer than Ryan and 2 longer than Kaitlyn. I knew he was going to be a big baby. (well, for me anyway) I could just tell by the way he stretched across my belly that he was taking up WAY more room than the other two. :)

Colin passed all of his tests with flying colors and got his little footprints made and then was brought over to me. He looked exactly like Kaitlyn with all of his dark hair, but he definitely doesn't have her full lips. They look a lot like Ryan's actually. All of my children resemble Mike more than me, but I have been told that Kaitlyn's eyes look more like mine...which is hard for some people to see because the rest of her face structure is so blatantly Mike's. It has been really hard for me to get used to Colin. I kept looking at him and calling him Kaitlyn...that is how much they look alike to me. Colin does have a lot of Ryan's mannerisms already.

Waiting for surgery...

Of course, the Daddy always gets to hold the baby first!!

Fresh from the bath. (a little out of order here)

Look at all that hair!!

I finally get to see the new baby

Hide and Seek

2011-11-11T09:47:00.000-08:00

The kids have found a little area between the houses that is perfect for hide and seek. Except that is where they ALWAYS go, so not much of a challenge in the seeking part. Well, the babies have taken to following the big boys to their hiding spot. Kaitlyn stands so still and steady. I think she could stand there all day!

Priscilla's outings...

2011-11-11T09:30:00.000-08:00

Priscilla, aka Mimi, came to visit the week before Colin was born to help me out with the kids and let me get some last things done as well as allow time for Mike and me to spend together. It was a great week as Mike and I got in a couple of good date nights and date afternoons. Exactly what we needed with this new little one on the way!

Here are some pics from the zoo and the park with Mimi.

Kaitlyn at the park with her beloved Clifford

Such a rough life!

at Boo at the Zoo

Halloween!! Trick or Treat!

2011-11-11T08:48:00.001-08:00

Ryan, Kaitlyn, and all the neighbors had an absolute blast on Halloween this year. Running from house to house scrambling to get as much candy as possible and hyped up on excitement! There were about 10 children with our group - 5, 4, three 3's, a 2, and four 1's. It was a crazy night, but we had so much fun watching them really "get it" this year. Every other year we have only done a few houses because Ryan didn't really understand what was going on, but this year Ryan and Kaitlyn totally got into the spirit of it all and walked up to every door unaided holding out their pumpkins and screaming trick or treat. Kait was signing thank you to everyone and miraculously, some of the people noticed. Too funny.

Anyway, here are the kiddos in all their finery...Ryan was a "Knight that's Right" from a Backyardigans movie and Kaitlyn was the "Flighty Fairy" from that same episode. (upon Ryan's request of course)

Ryan's class at school

Mike and Ryan carving our pumpkin

Ryan decided to color one of our extra pumpkins

the finished product

A Ghost, cemetery, and scary tree

My little "Knight that's Right" and "Flighty Fairy"

Jake and Ryan

Leigh and her family came to our neighborhood to Trick or Treat

Kaitlyn just tagged right along with Leigh and Macy.

Scoping out the "good" candy!

Ryan, Jake, Walker, and Kaitlyn

We miss you Brantley and Bricen!!

Me, Leigh, Beth, and Walker

Leigh's Family

Just the 4 of us...for the last time...Colin will be here tomorrow!!

39 weeks

2011-10-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

I CANNOT believe that I will be having my 3rd baby (in less than 4 years) in 2 days from now. I mean, I only have one more wake up before it will be Birth Day for our newest little one. That is crazy!!! It cannot possibly be time for this. Mike and I are BOTH in denial...deep denial!! :)

While we are the most unprepared, we are at the same time the most prepared for this little boy. We know that there are going to be many struggles in the upcoming weeks with figuring how to take our family of 4 to a family of 5...especially with a demanding 3.5 yr old and 17 month old pulling us in many directions, but we also know that God had a plan for this one. God wanted us to be a family of 5 and God certainly made it happen. With that knowledge, I just grin and laugh nervously when everyone asks, "are you ready?" Well, I had better be. Come 8am Tuesday morning I am having this baby whether I am "ready" or not. So, I guess I will just say that I am the most excited to meet a new baby that I have ever been and the most scared to meet a new baby as I have ever been. :)

Here is me...the only pregnancy picture I have taken this time around. (that poor 3rd child!)

Pumpkin Patch in Hayden, AL

2011-10-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

Mike took a few hours off of work yesterday to accompany us to the Pumpkin Patch. We have been every year and to this particular one 3 times. We really enjoy all they have to offer. this year, though, it was misting rain the whole time we were there. So, the bouncy house wasn't as much fun and we didn't get to do the petting zoo or pony rides, but the kids still had a blast riding the covered wagons out to the patch, picking their own pumpkins, and then playing in the hay pile while waiting to be picked back up. It was a fun morning and I am so glad that we all got to go before Colin made his arrival!!

My 2 sweet pumpkins

Ryan thinking he was a bit stronger than he actually is...

Such a sweet daddy/daughter photo

Mike carrying the "perfect" pumpkins. One that was definitely "the biggest pumpkin ever!!"

Posing with said pumpkins from above

the awful picture of me. But, I had to put something on here just to prove I was there.

Seriously Batman!!

2011-10-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

What has really been going on around here...let's see...

September flew by -- the kids started back to school and Ryan started a Soccer Shots class after school on Wednesday's. This has been awesome because the children stay at school long on this day until 4pm and gives me lots of time to get things accomplished! (not that I actually GET anything accomplished, but it has been helping out nevertheless.)

Ryan has learned some letters of the alphabet and seemed particularly interested in "Achoo A" and "Mr. D" while celebrating with Donuts. We don't really work on it much at home, but he definitely recognizes letters when he needs to and does the same with numbers on his clock. He is really into knights right now. He loves watching Backyardigans and particularly loves this episode where they sing a song about "A Knight that's Right". So, he is obsessed with having something that resembles a sword stuck into his pants in back so that he can pull it out like a knight pulls a sword out of a shield strapped to his back. He is actually going to be a "knight that's right" for Halloween. We have the outfit and I found a shield that straps to his back and has a sword that goes in the middle. He was OVER. THE. MOON. when I took it out of the package and showed it to him. It goes everywhere with him and he even sleeps with it. We talk a lot about being Gascon from Beauty and the Beast because he carries a sword. It is pretty cute actually. He is turning into such a responsible big brother. He is always making sure that Kaitlyn is where she needs to be and lets me know when she is not. Tonight he went and got her up from the Dining room floor after she had pitched a total tantrum about not being able to turn off the cable box while Ryan was watching TV. Ryan was trying to block the box and Katilyn got mad, so she started hitting him in the back with her head to make him move. I grabbed her up and popped her on her leg and she dissolved into tears. I took her to another room to calm down and Ryan ver sweetly came over to give hugs and kisses and explain that she could stand up when she stopped crying. Next thing I know, she is standing up dry-eyed, she is giving him sweet hugs to say I'm sorry. You know what he tells me. "Mommy, she doesn't have to say I'm sorry. I'm ok. It's no big deal" What a little mature 3 yr old I all of a sudden live with. Truth be told, he really is getting excited about Colin and about being a big brother again. He told me last night that Colin was coming after Halloween and that he was just going to "squeeze" him he was so excited to see him! He also explained all of the things that he was going to teach Colin. (this included taking him out for ice-cream like we did today and sharing his ice-cream cone with Colin since I don't ever get chocolate and that is what Ryan gets and he needed to share it with Colin.) I wish I had a recorder with me throughout most of the day just to get it all down since I can hardly remember all the cute, sweet, insightful things that he says on a daily basis.

Kaitlyn is starting to talk a little more. She makes sounds for a duck, elephant, doggy, and bunny. She signs please, thank you, more, and all finished. She calls Ma Ma and Da-dee all the time and has a special word for Ryan as well, but I can never catch exactly what it is. She loves to imitate. She imitated me the other night blowing onto her booboo in the bathtub. She has been pulling up that same leg ever since and acts like she blows on it. She copies a lot of what Ryan does and tries to get him in trouble by starting up both the splashing game and the yelling game. She also loves to antagonize him by stealing his cape to his pajamas and running and by stealing "doggy" and not giving it back. She thinks both of these games are hysterical.

Me - I am ready to not be pregnant anymore. I am getting to the uncomfortable last 3 weeks and it is showing. Everything hurts these days and some pains just don't get any relief...my back is constantly strained from holding all 25 lbs of Kaitlyn. My legs are beginning to resemble an elephant's legs, and some days it hurts just to stand up. I am ready and then not so ready. I am anxious to meet this little one. More so than I was our 2 other children. (with Ryan I was too scared of all the life changes that were going to happen and with Kaitlyn I was really worried about the dynamic of 2 children and the loving/caring for etc that goes along with it.) This time, I am really excited to meet Colin. I am just not sure how I am going to get by once he gets here. I think Ryan will be great. He is showing many traits of being a great leader/teacher/mentor to his younger siblings and really shows a large capacity for compassion and caring and protectiveness. (in addition to being a regular 3 yr old that snatches and doesn't want to share and throws tantrums when not getting one's way. haha)

Kaitlyn is another story. She is still such a baby in so many ways. She is independent and wants to do things herself, but then on the other hand she is really clingy these days and wants to constantly be held. She IS giving the best hugs and kisses though. (and freely gives them out to all of our mommy friends) I just think that she is going to be a little jealous of Mommy having another baby to handle. I think I am going to be holding 2 babies as often as possible. Or, just hoping for a VERY laid back 3rd child that won't mind being on the floor, in the bouncy, or in the swing while I hold his sister. :)

Anyway, that is enough of my rambling...

Here is a picture of Ryan trying on a baby hat that I found in a bin this weekend...

It's Fall!!

2011-10-12T19:40:00.000-07:00

Love that it is finally turning into fall. I have been so ready for cooler temperatures and fall clothes. The children were dressed for church (and sporting team colors) and decided that they looked so cute why didn't I take some pictures of them. I happily obliged! Ryan was saying "Go Tigers!" We are trying to teach him about "Mommy's team" and "Daddy's team". Guess that means we need to be fair and get some USC gear for him too. I have had a good time watching some Clemson games here in Bama recently...now that they are actually on TV over here for a change. Ryan has really been picking up on which teams goes with which parent. Kind of cute since this is the first year he has taken an interest in sports.

Not much else to tell about this particular day...just a pretty Sunday catching up with some pictures of my sweet children.

Ryan's mess

2011-10-12T19:16:00.000-07:00

So, naptime...that was such a sacred time at our house for so long...this summer it took a turn for the worse. Ryan went to "school" on Tuesday and Thursday this summer. I noticed that every Tuesday/Thursday I had to FIGHT him to take a nap. I don't know what it was about going to school that didn't wear him out enough to sleep. Or, maybe he got overtired...who knows. Anyway, after 3 months of tantrums, spanking, cajoling, arguing, etc, we finally worked out a little routine where I would put him in his room to "sleep" and he wasn't to come out until 4:30. He would last about 20 minutes at the beginning of the summer. By Labor day, we were going the full 2.5 hours...YES!!! I mean, if he wasn't going to nap on those days, at least he understood the power of "independent play" and "mommy time"!

So, school begins this semester and instead of T/Th, Ryan is going M/W/F. So, like clockwork, he now doesn't nap on MWF and does on T/TH. Well, the mess being made in those 2.5 hours is sometimes indescribable. Last week we walked in and found purple crayon all over his window and 2 of his walls along with some books, the chair, the play kitchen, and a lamp shade. Not a good afternoon I have to say.

These particular pictures are also from last week depicting the amount of STUFF that he pulls out of his closet to entertain himself during "naptime".

It must have taken him at least an hour on this day to clean all of this up...wow!!!

2011-09-18T14:48:00.000-07:00

Just a few shots of the children when we got home from church...just felt like taking them...

a random friday night

2011-09-18T14:33:00.000-07:00

don't you just love how just a random night can turn into something so special for your kiddos? We were outside playing and grilling out and were about to go in when Mike and I started chatting about some things while the kids were cleaning up. Next thing I knew, I heard water spraying against the house...something we had just told them not to do. We both lean our heads down the side of the house and Ryan and Kaitlyn are gathered together so quietly....so that we can't hear anything and conspiratorially turning on and off the water...on and off the water. Mike and I quickly pull our heads back out of sight and chuckle. They were being so sweet and so quiet and trying so hard to play and not have us notice...hahaha

Really, what does a little water hurt? So, we let them play "unnoticed" for a while before they finally caught us spying. It was so cute...they were so startled that we were watching them they were not sure whether to say sorry or ask for some help with turning the hose off. We gave in and started spraying them ourselves...which they, of course, thought was hilarious.

What a sweet, unexpected moment. Love nights like these!!

Kaitlyn didn't have a chance...Ryan was SOAKING her!!

He. Loved. It!

Pictures by Kellen Jacob Photography

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

Remind me the next time that I want to get pictures of the kids, and be in some myself, that taking pictures at 8 months pregnant is not a good look for me. :)

I think Mike and the kids look great though!

So, here are some pictures we had taken the last week of August by the same photographer who took these pictures in November 2010.

I love these 2 pictures the best...

My unbelievably handsome sweet boys...I love them so much!!

All "3" of my munchkins present and accounted for...

Cannot believe how fast they are growing up. This time next year we will have another one almost to the walking stage...really, really, hard to believe...

Wishes...

2011-09-07T12:10:00.000-07:00

I wish that I could say the first morning of school was a huge success...

That the morning went well
There was no yelling or screaming
Both children calmly helped me all morning long
I didn't have to discipline or use sharp words with either child
The drive was pleasant and laid back - we sang songs and talked
Pictures were taken and both children smiled beautifully

Unfortunately, I can't really say that ANY of these things happened.

Our morning started off early, as usual. 6:05am I had a little person standing at my bedside asking to watch a show. This is a normal thing, so nothing different so far. 15 minutes into said show I was again awoken to be told that the show was going off and a certain little someone does not like commercials. (I mean, I love Noggin, but they have totally spoiled him with channels that do show commercials. He is crazy about complaining about NOT wanting to watch them. Very impatient...we are working on that!) At this point I hear our other little one start crying. Now this, this is unusual. She usually doesn't wake up until 7am and even then you may not know she is awake because she sits and reads for a while by herself. So, it is only 6:20 and both children are awake and complaining. I get out of bed knowing I need to hurry and get dressed because I need to fix lunches and I found out late last night that we had some people coming to our house today while I was out. So, I had to put up a few last minute things from being out of town last week that had been left out and vacuum the floors. No big deal...I can do all of that...I have 2 hours...yeah, well, at about 7am it hits me that...Oh. My. Goodness...I forgot Kaitlyn has her 15 month doctors appointment this morning at 8am. This leaves me with only 30 remaining minutes to get EVERYTHING done. (did I mention that I am by myself because Mike is out of town!!!)

It was a CRAZY, HECTIC morning and I am sorry to say that the children saw most of this stress first hand. I am guilty of speaking sharp, LOUD, words, not showing patience or even kindness when I really think about it, hurrying them to the point of craziness, and then continuing to show this horrible attitude the whole way in the car. I am ashamed for acting this way and wish that I could undo this awful, terrible morning and fill it with homemade pancakes, hugs and kisses, time to pick out their outfits and put them one myself without throwing something at them and asking them to do what they can themselves, putting a little something special into a lunchbox, talking and laughing on the way to school, and taking some nice, laid back (all-the-time-in-the-world) pictures when we arrived at school. Maybe Friday will be a better day. A more laid back day. A kinder day.

This is where I need to go. This is what I need in my day.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Oh, and just in case you are wondering. That Doctor's appointment that we forgot about and were rushing around to get to that caused even more unnecessary stress on an already stressful day. Well, they had no power. So, we got there and they couldn't see us. We have to reschedule...REALLY??!!

Here are the few pictures I did get today...

and this is the only one I got of Kaitlyn...running off and laughing the whole time while Ryan tried to grab her. Kind of funny looking back. Very irritating at the time!!!

Labor Day at the Beach

2011-09-07T12:08:00.000-07:00

Kaitlyn and Ryan spent over an hour on the porch dumping out water from a water bottle and laughing hysterically.

Oh, the things that keep them entertained

Our first day braving the waves

By the end of the week, Ryan was a PRO!

Ben surfing

Whoever heard of a pacifier on the beach?

Bo being so sweet to Kaitlyn

Pop and Kaitlyn

My kiddos

Ben-3, Ryan-3, Kaitlyn-1, Betsy-5, Bo-6

seriously, trying to get 5 children 6 and under to cooperate for a picture is near impossible.

This is the best one I got

Another take...

and another. You can see Ben is REALLY into this...hahaha

Our 2nd Annual Beach trip with the "B's" and my parents.

This was so much fun last year, that Brian and Beth asked all of us to do it again. It is such a special time to get together and have the cousins get tons of uninterrupted time together. They are all so close in age that they really do get along very well as their interest are all quite similar. Ryan doesn't know some of the things that Ben knows about because of Bo, but he certainly does a very good job of trying to get caught up on all the latest superheroes, jedi warriors, and Star Wars in general while he is visiting.

We were in SC for 10 days from beginning to end and at the beach for 5 1/2 of those. Just like last year, the 4 of us went down early on Tuesday to soak up some rays as a family before my parents came on Thursday night and the "B's" came on Friday after school let out.

Tuesday afternoon was spent exploring the beach since we haven't seen much of it since last year this time. Wednesday was spent in the same way with a break for lunch and nap and then out to the pool. Wednesday night we headed over to Sam's Corner in Garden City so that the children could partake in the timeless tradition that is the open-air arcade at the Garden City Pier. This is something that Brian and I did as children as well and something that you never forget while growing up. Mike and I were able to buy some fresh shrimp and have a nice meal that night in spite of the chaos that is our everyday life. :)

Thursday was again spent in the same manner with beach time, pool time, and nap time. We headed to Broadway at the Beach Thursday night to walk around and get some ice-cream. It was so fun. There was a huge playground that the children loved. Ryan met some fun playmates and had a ball running around and using up all that excess energy he tends to retain. Ryan got to stay up extra late Thursday night to help welcome Gigi and Pop to "The B Hive" and tell them all about what we had been up to.

Friday was more of the same only we now had 4 on 2 instead of even teams of 2 on 2. Makes life so much easier. The kids still only lasted 1.5 hours on the beach, but they wore themselves out and slept for 3 hours again. HEAVEN!!

Brian, Beth and all 3 children arrived in time for supper and the children went wild playing around. (they haven't seen each other since May) It is really fun to watch the 5 of them interact. :) Can't wait for it to happen more in the future.

Saturday was hectic with children up for 14 hours straight. There was a lot of beach time, pool time, movie time, under-the-house time, TV time, eating time, wrestling time, screaming time, and general enjoyment by everyone.

We were sad to leave on Sunday, but this 9 hour trip with our awful car rider is just something we wanted to go ahead and get started on!!! Whew, and she was in rare form for the way home. ugh...I just hope she gets better, but she is leaning towards getting worse. How am I ever going to do this with another one added in the mix.

Lord, help us all.

The Jump Jump has made a come back

2011-09-07T09:53:00.000-07:00

Kaitlyn was loving the jump jump

Ryan jumped forever...he was so sweaty when the afternoon was finished!

Walker couldn't get enough

Taking a quick 5 second break!

Beth brought out the jump jump before we went on vacation. All of the kiddos had a BLAST!! They were WORN OUT when night time came around. I am thinking this might be a GREAT energy zapper this winter once Colin arrives!! :)

Kaitlyn's Accident

2011-08-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

(right after we got into the big pool from the previous pictures at the fountain...this is what happened)

Seriously, can our children get into any more accidents within 1 week??

Poor Kaitlyn fell at the pool and scuffed up her forehead, nose and upper lip...just in time to have some professional pictures made...great!

2011-08-19T18:51:00.000-07:00

An afternoon at the pool. Haven't taken any pictures in a while and just wanted some of the children enjoying some time at the pool. They so love coming up here on "Mommy Day" and playing for a couple of hours between the fountains, baby pool, and big pool. It really is such a special time with them to just hang out, laugh, and enjoy!!

What a face!

She thought she was SO FUNNY under this chair!

I just love bubbles...

2011-08-19T18:42:00.000-07:00

Wish little girls could wear them forever!! I just love them!!

Accidents, accidents, accidents

2011-08-10T19:57:00.001-07:00

These seem to be our life this summer. Haven't really had any bad ones...ever...until now.

Ugh, little boys and all of their excitement/busyness/not paying attention!!

1st accident - June -- little boy stops in front of moving wagon, Wagon won

2nd accident - same night - little boy falls over in bathroom slamming same said eye into toilet paper dispenser thus creating this swollen/blackish eye area

Glad that this ordeal is over - Last night in the Children's ER - after receiving 5 stitches

This morning - showing off 5 stitches

Handsome boy - Thank goodness June's accidents have healed nicely and you can barely see the stitches when you look at him straight on. Thank goodness!!

Sandestin

2011-08-10T19:48:00.001-07:00

To the beach we went. Our first vacation with 2 little ones that didn't involve any other family. It was so fun...I was quite surprised by how well it went. We had 2 bedrooms and the little ones took naps and slept great even staying in the same room and waking up/going to sleep at different times. Success!!

Sandestin Resort is SO NICE and had so much to do. We went to the nature preserve and the pirate ship and treehouse located on the island, we did the playground (numerous times), Ryan was a gerbil in a ball on the water...so cute and wish I had had my camera, we walked/strolled, had dinner out, ordered pizza at the pool, LOVED the pool, went shopping, met up with Mike's coworkers, listened to live music, learned about throwing money in a fountain, went to breakfast, and learned how to open hotel rooms with the little plastic card. (this was definitely a favorite)

All in all, a perfect family vacation!!

Too bad through it all we only took one or 2 pictures...sad, I know.

the kids watching the rain before we left

Day at the train park

2011-08-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

Headed over to the Ross Bridge Train Park. Haven't been here in a while and looking for something different to do on a day when you could actually walk outside and not melt. Well, we found lots of bees, bees, and more bees. Maybe there is a reason I haven't been here in a while.

The kids still had fun though...in between hiding/running from the bees. Needless to say, we didn't get to stay long. Pool...guess we will be seein ya soon.

Kaitlyn "highly" upset that she dropped her oreo

Why is it so hard to get a good pic of 2 children together??

2011-08-10T19:35:00.003-07:00

Here is my attempt the other day...impossible!

Kaitlyn's "by herself" bathtime

2011-08-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

Ryan took a shower the other day and Kaitlyn got to have one of VERY FEW "by herself" baths. She LOVED it. She had the run of the tub and her pick of all the toys. Man, life's little pleasures!

Saying Goodbye

2011-07-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

June 29, 2011

The Turner's have moved to OK City, OK. Unbelievable...this last week has been a blur of helping them pack and VBS at Mountain Top to take them to...we have hung out so much this past week that I am glad we are leaving tomorrow for a quick trip to SC just so I won't have to feel their loss...

We have helped pack these last few days and tried to feed our neighbors, fellowship and just be there for anything they needed. Moving is hard work and having two small children to care for just makes it that much harder. We have had such a good time, though, hanging out, helping...that is what we love...helping someone else. So, we say goodbye to the Turner's, but not forever...hopefully we will see you soon. And, of course keep in touch by Skype. If OK City can ever get it's act together to install internet. :)

Ryan, Ginger, Brantley, and Bricen - We miss you so much!! We cannot wait to see you again and hope that the time goes really fast!!

Love you!!

Brantley and Ryan right before Brant gets in the car for the 12 hour drive to 'homa.

We Love You Daddy!!

2011-07-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

Siblings

2011-07-13T13:22:00.000-07:00

Lot's of playdates with neighbors the last few days. This one involved older brothers and their younger siblings. The younger ones have just learned how to drive the 4-wheelers. Well, older brothers being what they are, they couldn't handle the young ones having such freedom. So, onto the back they pile to take over...of course.

Here are some pics of how this worked out.

I think the last picture is the truest interpretation of how Kaitlyn and Bricen really felt about having Ryan and Brantley accompany them on the 4-wheeler.

Siblings...ah, the wonder of siblings. :)

Kait and Ryan

Bricen and Brantley

Look Mommy, "No hands!!"

Bricen finally getting a turn by himself!

"The reality of the situation"

A swimmingly good time...

2011-07-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

As usual, I am behind in doing any posts. After Father's day, I had another week to myself while Mike was in Williamsburg, VA from Monday-Friday. We occupied ourselves with several playdates and hanging out with the Turner's. Our neighbors 3 doors down are moving to Oklahoma City on June 28 and we wanted to get in as much playtime as possible with them before they left...

So, we played and went to the pool and did VBS in Ross Bridge with their church, Crosscreek. It was a really busy week to say the least. I don't know if I would attempt a night-time VBS by myself with these 2 munchkins again. It was hard work!!

Anyway, before Mike left, we spent some time at the pool practicing our swimming. Ryan loves to swim and goes under a ton. He surprises us all the time. The week that I took these pictures, Ryan decided to start swimming under water after he jumped to me and to retrieve objects off of the bottom of the pool by himself. I was floored! We had been playing with these 2 other children for a few days that week at the pool and they are 6 and 4 and can do these skills. So, he just picked them up by trying to be "just like them". It was pretty cool. We still use the puddle jumper a lot because I usually have them at the pool by myself, but it is fun to watch him "swim" all by himself...

My little swim bug thinks that she is as big as her brother. This is how she prefers to spend her time at the pool. Floating around in the baby pool with NO HELP from me.

Jump

Under

Swim

Practicing a few strokes

pictures taken June 17

Donuts with Dad

2011-06-22T07:36:00.000-07:00

Ryan took Daddy to school on Friday for Donuts with Dad. They had fun hanging out and it was cool for Mike to get to see Ryan's classroom and meet his teachers for this summer.

Francie is visiting

2011-06-08T14:15:00.001-07:00

Mike has had a lot of work trips lately and this week was a doozy. He had to travel to California and the Dominican Republic. He does both of these trips every year, but they usually fall on separate weeks. This time he was gone from Sunday at 6am until Saturday at midnight. It. was. a. long. week. Ryan misbehaved, misbehaved, misbehaved. We did have some fun though. We went to the pool, Francie and I went to lunch, had plans to have our nails done, went to Praise Baby small group at church, and had plans to get a pottery plate done of the children's hands like I did for Christmas. It was a busy week and we had a lot of things on our plate. We got up to the pool most days in the morning or afternoon (or both) and really had fun there. I need to get some pictures, but Ryan is swimming now without his puddle jumper. He jumps in, swims to me and then I help him to the stairs. Although he has swam a few times to the steps all by himself after he watched a little 6 yr old do it. He has NO FEAR. This is good and bad. Kaitlyn thinks she is just as big as Ryan and "swims" like he does holding onto a raft. Pretty wild when I have them both by myself, but manageable when I have help. :) (Thank you FRANCIE!!)

Here are some pictures we took one day she was here before we went to Praise Baby.

Francie is here!!

Sweet little boy (well, not this week, but usually)

Looks like Kaitlyn was saying, "Hi Daddy!!"

Random June 5

2011-06-08T14:05:00.000-07:00

Just took a few shots before church...

May 31 - Kaitlyn's birthday in the backyard

2011-06-08T13:31:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, May 31 was Kaitlyn's first birthday. We got up and did our usual thing and got ready for our first day of summer school. The kids are both going 2 days a week this summer and I am SO EXCITED!!! They really love where they go and love seeing their friends. I love the time that it gives me to get some things done without having 2 children to attend to.

So, we got up and went to school and came home for naptime. Of course, on this day, my children slept until after 5 and I had to go wake both of them up! (figures because I had something I wanted them to do)

So, we got up, went outside and had some pink and white cupcakes left over from Saturday. Kaitlyn had a blast chowing down on her birthday treat and had a great time crawling around with her baby buddies...

The older boys had fun too as they got "before-dinner" treats. It was a great day and we are so excited our baby girl is now officially ONE!

Before School

Ryan was NOT cooperating while trying to get a cute brother/sister shot.

Brantley is concentrating on his cupcake

Ryan and Jake

Kaitlyn and her baby buddies

Memorial Day

2011-06-08T13:25:00.001-07:00

We actually left on Memorial day, so this was the day before that we were sporting the US of A colors.

Ryan's first trip behind the boat!

Ryan is getting on the float with Mike

Here they go...a little wave for me

and they are OFF...

afternoon family gathering

2011-06-07T14:45:00.000-07:00

It was a full day!!

3 Amigos watching the ducks

Dot and Kaitlyn

opening some gifts

She learned to drive the Dora car...crazy!!

Kaitlyn and Betsy gettin' some "girl time"

Water baby to the extreme!

Ben and Kaitlyn sharing a little hammock time while getting a push by Beth

trying to walk a little bit...

Pictures of Kaitlyn's birthday party in SC

2011-06-07T14:17:00.001-07:00

Morning Party with Friends

Family Shot

The birthday girl

The cake to match her invitation. If you need a cake, this one was awesome.

Kaitlyn's smash cake

Digging In!

Doc and Mimi

Pop and Gigi

Kait thought I needed some cake too.

and more

Brian and Brunson...such good sports!! It was fun having you!

Gigi and Kaitlyn

Emily and Kaitlyn -- finally she perked up after this. Sick little one on her birthday!

The ending crew. Should have done this earlier in the afternoon. Missing Regan and Kristen and children.

(Brian, Misty, Brunson, Emily, us, Tom, Logan, and Gloria)

Mike, Mimi, and Tom

Manning and Ryan

Brian and Misty

Kaitlyn's 1st Birthday party!!!

2011-06-07T13:32:00.000-07:00

May 31, 2011

It is hard for me to believe that a year has already passed in my (our) precious daughter's life. It does not seem possible that ONE. WHOLE. YEAR. AGO. I was just holding her in my arms for the first time. She has been such a blessing to our family. She has the sweetest little smile that lights up the room and reserves a grin for almost everyone she meets. She is laidback until she decides she wants something or wants some attention and then she makes those sweet little lungs of hers heard...loud and clear. I am constantly surprised by how much language she seems to grasp. She is waving, blowing kisses, and shaking her head both yes and no. Such amazing discoveries to me.

I cannot express how much joy she brings me...my sweet, sweet daughter...I love you.

Happy 1st Birthday!!

1 day

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

Happy Birthday!!

Baby Girl is 1!

2011-06-07T13:30:00.001-07:00

We decided that we would head to Columbia to have Kaitlyn's birthday this year. Since it is Memorial Day weekend that seemed that best solution.

We had a great time celebrating the whole day with family & friends.

Ryan's new pose

2011-06-07T13:27:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about hands on the hips, but it is Ryan's favorite new pose!! Too funny. Caught it on film last week and just thought it was cute to remember. I don't do this...where does he get this from?

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-07T09:21:00.003-07:00

My sweet little Munchkins before we went to Muffins with Mom at school.

Sweet, sweet, sweet!

So, without further ado...

2011-05-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce you to....Baby #3!!!

Yes, we are pregnant again. Mike hates (and so does my family) when I say "we"...and it does sound kind of funny, but it is true. "WE" are pregnant again. Pregnant with our THIRD baby in less than 4 years...Can you key the insane music now. Because that is how I feel...insane. I was just finally grasping what it was like to have 2 children and wham...back at the beginning again!! I am not sure exactly how I will handle having 3 children who are barely 3.5 and younger, but from what everyone tells me (and from what I know must be God's humorous side), I can do it. It might not always be pretty, but I will survive this season of life too. :)

I am 14 weeks pregnant today. The baby is due November 5, but due to another c-section (because Kaitlyn was breech), I will be having the baby 5-7 days early. So, I can basically pick his/her birthday. That is kind of cool. We are kind of thinking Tuesday, November 1 for a number of reasons. Mainly though, we can't go into the hospital until Saturday, Oct. 29 at the earliest. This will put me in the hospital over the weekend (#1) and possibly without my doctor (#2), and it won't get me home in time for Halloween on that Monday night which I really don't want to miss with the current kiddos. So, with all of that said, I am thinking Tuesday, November 1. We will see how all of that works out. I am already showing way more than I did with R and K. (WAY MORE) I guess that is to be expected. I think I have been pregnant more months in the last 3-4 years than I haven't been. :)

I should enjoy this pregnancy though, because this. is. definitely. our. last!!!!!

Here are some pictures taken on Wednesday or our newest little munchkin

I am still really early, but they happen to grab this shot and couldn't tell if it was cord or "boy parts", but they seem to be leaning more towards boy...so, who knows. We go back for the "big ultrasound" on June 7.

Some pictures from Sunday after church.

These children NEVER both smile at the same time!!!

Ride that Camel, woo woo

2011-05-04T18:27:00.000-07:00

We don't make it to the zoo that often. We like it, but they have been doing some reconstruction and a lot of the exhibits have been closed, etc. So, we don't make it over there that often. Beth called us last Thursday and asked if we wanted to go. I checked my membership...sure, I have 2 days left. Better make use of the limited time we have. Let's go check out the new elephants, rhinos, camels, etc.

So, off we went to meet Beth and her friend. We had fun just walking around and we were coming up on the zebras and giraffes when I saw camel rides. I asked Ryan if he wanted to do one totally thinking he would say no. (I rode an elephant as a child and have always remembered that ride)

To my surprise, he wholeheartedly said YES!!!

So, up the stairs we went, paid our money, and onto the camel went Ryan. He had such a good time. He smiled and waved and talked the zookeeper's ear off. I one point I heard him detailing all of his booboos and the bandaids that went with them. (and there are a lot of boo boos to tell about.) I got some great pictures of Ryan riding his first camel. Just wish Mike could have been there to see it in person. I was so proud of Ryan!!

Beth and Jake decided they needed a turn after Ryan. They looked like they were having a great time. I was just getting around to taking the close up "money" shot when my camera battery died. Stupid thing...or stupid me for not charging it!

So, I didn't get that great up close shot, but I still got some of their ride.

climbing on the new playground by the elephants

getting on and so excited!

SUCH A BIG BOY!!

Beth and Jake having a blast

and, my camera dies right here.... so sad

April 24, 2011

2011-05-04T18:16:00.001-07:00

This was one of those days that you just wish you had your video camera all day. Especially for this scenario. Ryan comes up to Mike mid-morning to tell him that, "it is a beautiful day for fishing. Let's get my Robin Hood out." aka fishing rod. We still aren't sure why he calls it his robin hood. Anyway, after that comment what can you say, but ok, you are right, it is beautiful. Let's go fishing!

So, off to the boat ramp they go with bread as bait and Ryan's robin hood in hand. Right off Ryan gets a bite, but the fish either lets go or something happens because just as quickly his fish is gone. Almost immediately another one comes along and this one sticks. Ryan gets very excited and reels it in, for the most part, by himself. Mike helps at the very end because Ryan is not understanding that you have to pull the rod up some to get the fish out of the water. Well, that should have been our first indication that we needed the video camera and that Ryan didn't really understand what fishing was. As soon as that fish made it to the bank and out of the water Ryan started running as fast as he could the other way shouting, "aaaahhhh, the fish is chasing me!!!!" Scared to death because the fish was coming out of the water after him. If I could have just caught it on video. Well, I had to run and get the still camera, so Gigi had to immediately rescue Ryan from his own fish and show him that this is the point of fishing. Mike and I are trying really hard at this point to contain our laughter. We just never expected this reaction. :)

So, after a few minutes Ryan was interested again in his fish...

Not bad for a first try!!

The first glimpse of, "a fish outta water"

The token "cheese smile" with his catch of the day

First Fish!

Annual Easter Egg Hunt

2011-05-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

At the last minute, Mike and I decided to make a spontaneous decision and drive the kids home to SC for Easter. (we had originally planned on staying in Bham to attend some easter egg hunts and our church service on Sunday)

So, on Thursday morning at 8:15 we were packed and loaded up for the 6 hour trip...that usually takes us 7 or 8 since the kids arrived.

Anyway, we got to SC and had a great visit with Amy and Luke and got to attend a party Mike's parents were throwing for all of their friends to get to meet Luke since Amy doesn't make it home from Montana that often. That was really fun to get to catch up. We hung out Friday and on Saturday we had the Annual Easter Egg hunt at the lake. You will remember the last one here.

The whole family showed up and we had a great time playing with cousins...mine and Ryan's. The B's were out in full force and Ryan was more than ready to tackle the day with them. All of the kids went swimming and then took a boat ride with all the Dad's. (great day for Mom's this Easter) Then when they got back we ate and afterward had the Easter Egg Hunt with Francie, Suzanne, and Amanda leading the hiding efforts.

It was so fun to watch all of the kids find the eggs. Even Kaitlyn got in on the action. :)

We so miss being close to home and have these activities be the norm instead of the special treat. Can't wait for "one day" to be closer again.

Ryan finding his first egg

Bo, the seasoned pro

Ben getting a little height from Beth

Betsy!

Kaitlyn finding her first egg

She would not let that egg go!

Showing us his "spoils"

Ahh, 2 eggs...what could be better?

Weston & Suzanne

Francie, Diane, Suzanne, and Kaitlyn

Lovely me (yea right) with Kaitlyn

Gigi & Kaitlyn

I am Buzz Lightyear. I come in Peace.

2011-05-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

Wow, I don't think I have ever seen a child want a toy more. See, our neighbor, Jake, got this toy over spring break back in the middle of March. Since the first day he came home, Ryan has coveted this toy. He asks for Buzz everyday to see if Jake is going to bring him outside. He talks about him not coming outside like Buzz is a real person. (and to Ryan, I guess he is) Anyway, after the first week of this I told Ryan that maybe he could ask the Easter Bunny for a Buzz Lightyear toy like Jake's. Well, ask he did and then every time we would talk about Easter and the Easter Bunny, Ryan would say that he hoped the Easter Bunny would bring him a Buzz "just like Jake's". So, of course, that is what the Easter Bunny brought. His very own Buzz Lightyear. The first picture is from the moment he saw his basket. I think he was a little in shock that his own Buzz Lightyear doll was right there in front of him. He was hesitant to pick it up...like it would be snatched away at any moment. (we were actually kind of worried for a few minutes that he didn't like it because he just kept staring at it instead of picking him up). We finally cajoled him into picking Buzz up AND that was the end of it. He still has yet to put Buzz down and it has been 2 weeks. He loves that Buzz like nothing I have seen before. He flies Buzz all over the house, pretends to be Buzz, talks to Buzz like he's a person, pushes all of his buttons until he finds his favorite, and sleeps with Buzz. I have to say that this was definitely a "Winner" of a gift. He rivals Doggy in love and attention...and for Ryan, that is a hard thing to rival. :)

asking if it is really his...

the first moment of picking him up...

The rest of his Easter basket

Kaitlyn's Easter basket

The moment she realized she had gifts too. :)

Seriously, holidays take on a whole new meaning when kids are involved.

(none of this is meant to downplay the true meaning of Easter which we all know is when our only Lord, Jesus Christ, died and rose again to take on all of our sins.) We could not be more grateful for the season and reason that we are celebrating. The Easter Bunny just happens to be a funny aside associated with the holiday. :)

Loving spaghetti night!!

2011-05-04T13:59:00.000-07:00

Walker's 1st birthday

2011-05-04T13:06:00.000-07:00

I would have had more photos of Walker, but I used Beth's camera when I was taking those. Walker had a fun birthday weekend and had all of us up to the pool pavilion to celebrate a little bit and eat some cake...eat a lot of cake as there were many cakes to choose from. :)

Happy 1st birthday Walker!!

Kaitlyn was all smiles at the birthday

Finally a grin that isn't the cheesy 3 yr old grin!!

Ginger and Bricen

Mike and Ryan - at the baby pool portion of the evening

Me and Mini-me

Hi Boys!!

How do you ever get a decent family shot when you have children??

yesterday, Sunday, March 20 - 1st day of spring!

2011-03-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

Realized that it has been a while since I have actually taken any pics of the kids. I got them all dressed and ready to go to church and then decided at the last minute that there was just no way that I was going to make it there on time, by myself and still get to hear the singing, etc. So, I opted to stay at home and hang out. (mike is heading out for a business trip and couldn't go with us due to time...)

So, I thought since the children were dressed, why not "try" to get a picture. Ryan is not the best these days when it comes to taking pictures. He either does a really cheesy smile while saying cheese, or he talks the whole time you are snapping, so you get really weird facial expressions.

We are trying to teach him that the quicker he can smile happily, the quicker he can go. I mean, I am all for candids, but every once in a while I would like a picture that I can put in a frame, ya know?

Here are the fruits of my labor...

After our little photo shoot, the children decided to play for a while in the bathroom and Ryan's room...

2 "cute as ever" bottoms!!

Ryan with his train table

helping Kaitlyn with the activity cube

This weekend...Chalybe Fest #3

2011-03-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

Wow, how times have changed...Chalybe Fest used to be about parents getting together, hanging out, having a few drinks. This time it was about "jumpies", bumbos, and refereeing children. :)

Still, though, it was fun hanging out with the neighbors. Our time is going to be limited with one set of friends as they are moving this summer...we will so miss the Turners!!

Kaitlyn is thoroughly enjoying her time on the swing!

Making faces with Daddy

Ryan on the jump jump slide...in constant motion these days!

Seriously...when one has to go, they all have to go!!!

The kids today

2011-03-18T14:43:00.000-07:00

This week has been spring break...and man, have we been "breaking". Took a break from everything...including going ANYWHERE. So, lots of time spent hanging around the house and finding stuff today. Pretty fun, actually. In between the wanting to strangle certain children, we have had a really good time.

These are pics of the kids before naptime this afternoon. :)

Kaitlyn's new "preferred" position for drinking a bottle

Look at those thighs!!!

Ryan with his favorite Buzz Lightyear t-shirt.

Night out with the Backyardigans!

2011-03-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

The Backyardigans came to town during Spring Break here and we decided to go. Mimi and Doc were here for the weekend and graciously stayed an extra day to keep Kaitlyn while Mike and I took Ryan to the kid's museum to meet the Backyardigans - Pablo, Uniqua, and Tyrone were present.

We had our picture taken with them and had the run of the museum. Crafts were available for everyone to do and there was food from Chick-fil-A. It was a pretty fun night and definitely worth our time and money since Ryan is such a big fan. Wish that Tasha and "Austicles" aka Austin, could have been there too, but guess they can't all be at the same place at the same time.

3 year appointment

2011-03-17T13:41:00.000-07:00

Don't have pictures for this one, but the stats are mostly for me anyway...so, here goes.

My little boy is still the same big boy that he has been since his 1 month check up. He is still in the 80-90th percentile and still growing like a little weed.

He has been embracing the 3's and has started doing the normal things that a 3 year old does...mainly finding out how far he can go with the two of us. :)

Other than that "testing", Ryan is doing great. He knows a little more than half of the alphabet by sight (or at least that is as much as we know that he knows. He probably knows the whole thing and just doesn't let on to us...stubborn child), he can count to 20, recite his birthday and tell you how old he is along with the number of fingers, knows all of his shapes, all of his colors, knows spanish for at least 4 colors and still learning, can do a little simple addition and subtraction, understands rhyming, opposites and finding "like" objects. He is forever comparing things showing us if they are alike or not and telling us what makes them so. He knows a few verses from memory out of his Bible, knows how to say the whole Blessing without being prompted, and probably many more things that, again, we have no idea he knows because he is JUST. THAT. STUBBORN!!

He really adores Kaitlyn and loves to make her laugh. He is NOT crazy about her touching his things, but we are working on that day-by-day. He likes everything to be "just so". Guess he has a little of his Mommy in him. :)

He is going to school 3 days a week and will continue to do so next year also. He is hoping to learn to swim this summer and talks about it all the time. He wants to go to the park everyday to ride his bike. He ZOOMS up and down the sidewalk so fast that we have no chance of keeping up just by walking.

He is a great little 3 year old. Even on the days when he tries my patience...he looks up like he knows that he has just pushed me to the brink and says "I love you too" along with a hug. (ryan always says " I love you too" even if you haven't previously said I love you. Guess he thinks that is how it goes from him...his part. hahaha so cute!!)

Ryan's Stats from 3 year appointment on March 7, 2011

37 lbs

39.5 inches

9 month visit

2011-03-09T09:54:00.000-08:00

The mischievous look. Getting ready to pull up and get into something...or everything...

The famous throwback...

Rockin' the "Pebbles" look today. Just a shout out to my Mama who did my hair like this constantly as a baby.

February 28 was Kaitlyn's 9 month check up.

She is "thriving" as usual...which really means...very large baby!!

Kaitlyn is 20 lbs, 14 oz and 29 inches long. Both were in the 86-88th percentile. Not surprising considering I can feel every pound of her as I carry her around the house. Oh how I had hoped for one of those petite babies that don't break your back. Guess that just wasn't in the cards for my children!! haha

Anyway, as of Feb. 25 weekend, Kaitlyn has been pulling up on everything...and I mean everything! She is really having fun with it and has definitely gotten quick about it. She loves standing at the couch and pulling up to grin at me while I am sitting or make funny faces or just talk a bit. She is a lot more talkative than Ryan was at this age. (maybe that means we will actually have a child that speaks before their 2nd birthday!)

Anyway, she is doing great and just adores her new-found freedom. She isn't crazy about being put in a walker, but I think that is mainly because she can't chase big brother around from room to room while strapped in a walker. Yesterday she was cracking me up because she literally chased him around the house in circles while he rode through the den, dining room, kitchen and hearth room on his bicycle. It was so funny to watch her go as fast as she could, stop turn around and chase after him the other way. They are so cute together!

night, night

2011-03-02T08:41:00.000-08:00

Night, Night Daddy!!

We had a good night and now it is time for bed.

We love you!!!

Kaitlyn is attacking the camera!!

February 27 - us

2011-03-02T08:34:00.000-08:00

Just one day after church...thought we would try to get some pictures with the children. One of these days we are going to get a family picture!!

2011-03-02T08:28:00.000-08:00

My baby is 34 weeks...or 8 months old!!

So happy!!

Mike is 34!!

2011-03-02T08:19:00.000-08:00

Mike's birthday has rolled around again. Can't believe that the end of February is already here.

Mike and I got a baby-sitter (Miss Brittany - their teacher who we LOVE) and headed out to dinner at a new restaurant.

The children had a lot of fun blowing out the candles in Mike's raspberry/white chocolate brownie that I baked.

It was a great day overall!!

Argentina

2011-03-02T07:57:00.000-08:00

Mike and I had the opportunity for an amazing trip with his company. They flew us and 15 other couples down to Mendoza and Buenos Aires, Argentina for a week to learn all about some new brands of wine. It was a spectacular trip.

#1 - we had 7 days to just be with each other

#2 - we got to sip and taste some of the best wines the country has to offer

#3 - we attended a private polo match just for us

#4 - we met some fabulous wine makers

#5 - we visited some great cities and saw some amazing scenery

We started the trip in Mendoza to visit 3 wineries that mainly export Gascon and Alamos to the Gallo brand. This area is really famous for Malbec and Torrentes!! Both AMAZING wines. We toured the vineyards of both Alamos and Gascon and got to meet both winemakers. We learned about what goes in to the final product of the wine and how it gets from the grape to our wineglass. Very interesting stuff.

This is at Gascon

Our private polo match with some famous players from Argentina

Posing in front of the field

Again, the polo players

Alamos vineyard

Wine tasting at Alamos with the winemaker

Atop the Aztec facility at Alamos

The wine cellar at Alamos

Up in the hills with the Andes in the background for another type of grape grown for Gascon.

They use grapes from 4 different regions - high altitude and middle altitude and then 2 other locations to provide 4 different flavors of the same grape to be blended together into the final product that we actually taste. If you haven't had an Argentine Malbec, try one. Both Alamos and Gascon are great wines to sample.

Another picture of high altitude, rocky soil vines.

Buenos Aires - they have a monument just like our Washington Monument in DC.

This tree is insane. 200 years old and big enough that a whole homeless family lives inside. Is that crazy or what? (actually you can see some blue in the right side of picture -- that is from the family's things.)

I have never seen anything like this (top and bottom) This is a cemetery that is like small buildings. Each one has an altar and a door to go in. Then you go down these steps to the crypt. There are currently 40,000 people residing and each space has been purchased. Some are large meant for family for many, many generations to come. Others are just big enough for a door leading down to the crypt and maybe generations of family if everyone is cremated. Very creepy, but so interesting to a history person like me.

Down one of the "streets" of family plots. The whole cemetery was like this with streets and avenues winding through.

The stain glass in one of the crypts that is more modern day.

Feb. 9 - Snow

2011-03-02T07:33:00.001-08:00

This time around we barely even knew snow was coming. We got so jipped out of it the last time that we didn't expect much to happen this go around. This was the Thursday before Mike and I left for Argentina. (crazy going from snow to summer in a matter of 3 days)

We played outside an hour or so and then enjoyed the white stuff from inside. It was nice to get out in it, but now I am definitely ready for some warmer weather. :)

Oh, and kids actually went to school this day. Crazy that for a few days this year they have been out and it hasn't done anything and the one day we finally have some accumulation and they just get a late start. Go figure.

Kaitlyn and Walker

The snow lined street.

Such a happy baby

Burying his feet and thinking that was so funny

gifts

2011-03-01T19:23:00.001-08:00

It is present time!! Ryan got a lot of great gifts and played with every single one of them as he opened them. Reminds me of my Dad...

Kaitlyn looks pretty thrown away in her mismatched outfit because, while at Chuck E Cheese, she pulled my WHOLE drink off of the table and into our laps. Such a grabby baby.

Ryan LOVED his Diego shirt!!

Ryan's Party at Mr. Cheese's House

2011-03-01T18:59:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Ryan's birthday with a party at Chuck E. Cheese, or Mr. Cheese's House around this house.

Ryan had about 12 friends show up along with their families and everyone had a great time playing games and eating pizza. Ryan was especially excited about seeing Mr. Cheese and getting a picture and having another Diego cake. This boy loves Diego all of a sudden. :)

Anyway, I am now officially birthday'd out. 3 weekends in a row of celebrating. This is one lucky child. Gotta love being the first!!

On a side note, all of the children from Ryan's class had been at a "jump-jump" party that morning too. It is amazing that they were all still standing after another 2 hours at Chuck E. Cheese. (If I only just had a fraction of that much energy. Think of all that could get done...)

Pop's 90th birthday party

2011-01-23T13:57:00.000-08:00

January 16, 2011

My grandfather was born on January 18, 1921. He is a hardworking man raised as an only child on a farm that had many uses: dairy, lumber, crops. He aspired to go to Clemson University while it was still a military college and during his 4th year was pulled into battle after the infamous day on December 7, 1941. He graduated in May and was sent overseas. "Pop" was fighting the European front and traipsed all over Germany by foot. He was shot the day before Thanksgiving and finally rescued 24 hours later. he spent 3-4 months recovering in a English hospital before being shipped back to the United States.

On his return, he attended a dance at Fort Jackson and met my grandmother who was a blind date of a friend of his. They married on March 19, 1949 and had 3 daughters, while living first in Kingstree and then Columbia. Pop worked for Clemson Extension Station evaluating livestock all over South Carolina all his life and retired in his 70's. He coached swim team while the girls were growing up and spent many hours at their lake property on Lake Murray. He was an avid water skiier and beach wave rider. He and my grandmother both enjoyed their trips to the lake and the beach and entertained frequently. They also traveled quite a bit before my grandmother passed away 5 years ago. He enjoys working on wood projects and has a woodshop in the back of his house. He is a man of many stories while also being a man of few words. He will tell you all about his time at Clemson and still wears his college ring (though the blacking has been redone too many times to count). He is a treasure trove of family history and I relish the time I actually get to sit with him. My hope is to sit down with him this year and pull the life story of James Carradine Epps out of him. I can't wait for the opportunity!!

Dad, Mom and Pop

Ronnie, Libby, Pop, Amanda

Woody, Diane, Pop, and Suzanne

Pop getting into his party

Mom, Nancy, Mary Elizabeth, Aunt Kathleen (grandmama's sister), Janet, Dot, Jimmy, Wanda

Diane, Katherine

(these are all first cousins - their Mom's were/are my grandmother's sisters)

Pop and my paternal grandmother, Dot

Weston and Ryan - Best buddies despite the 10 yr difference!

Pop doing his signature maestro moves while singing Happy Birthday

Big Breath

Success!

Kaitlyn

More sweet Kaitlyn (girl definitely doesn't miss a meal!!)

My adorable girl!

Me, Pop, and Kaitlyn

Libby, Mama, Diane

Pop

January 22, 2011

2011-01-23T12:40:00.000-08:00

(let me warn you, this is long)

Wow!! My little boy is 3 already. I cannot believe how fast time is flying by with him. Ryan is growing every day...it feels like. He learns new skills so quickly that I can barely keep up with him. He can speak in paragraphs now (quite a change from this time last year where I think his whole repertoire consisted of about 50 words.) Ryan can climb onto/into/out of anything in the house. He loves to use his step stool to get the keys for us and is constantly moving my kitchen chairs around to get something out of the pantry, the cabinet, or the refrigerator. If I am not fast enough for his liking, he will just do it himself. He is definitely a problem solver that way. He started crawling out of his crib on Tuesday, January 18. This was something we had been dreading for a year now. (ever since all of our friends told us about moving their children to "big kid" beds and constantly battling nighttime/morning sleep issues.) Well, it has happened, and while I don't enjoy it, he does follow some simple rules. The first day he got out was nap on Tuesday afternoon. I happened to be sitting up here in the loft and all of a sudden I hear the fan go off, the night light go off, and poof...my child is standing there. Wednesday - he waited for me to get him out of the crib that morning, but got out at 5pm that afternoon for nap. Scared me to death in the kitchen b/c I hadn't heard him wake up on the monitor and I was making cupcakes and he rounds the corner. Just startled me. Well, Saturday morning, he got out at 6:08 and I hear him saying hello from my bedside. Now, this means that he got up, turned off his fan, turned off his light, turned on the loft lights, the stairway lights, the 2 kitchen lights, the hearth room lights and finally arrived in our bedroom. That is a long way to go. Needless to say, I was NOT thrilled with this. (not only did he get up early, on the one day this week that Kaitlyn wasn't awake, but he got out of his crib in the dark, wandered the house, and on top of all of that, ruined my little birthday surprise...not happy) We had a little talk that if it was still dark outside he may not get out of his crib and if he hasn't slept long enough at nap he may not get out. So far so good. This morning as he got up at 6:40 and let me know loud and clear that it was indeed "light" outside of his window. (little one was probably counting the minutes to get up...knowing his little mind)

Let's see - Ryan goes to school 3 days a week right now. He has 4 boys in his class and 7 or 8 little girls. All of the children have been friends for 2 yrs or more and are very comfortable in their class. Ryan doesn't even wait for me when we get to school. He tears off down the hallways for his class room and only stops long enough upon entering for me to attach the (identification) sticker to his back. He seems to be very social and is usually concerned if someone in his class is hurt or upset. He kind of gets in the middle of that.

Some stats as I remember them:

1. 40" and about 36lbs (he goes to dr on Feb. 8 so I will know exactly then)

2. Sleeps 10.5 hours at night and 3-4 during nap

3. potty trained himself after Thanksgiving and only had that one day of accidents...EVER

4. Loves saying nightly prayers - adds in our WHOLE family, some friends and now TV characters

5. Mimics EVERY WORD I say...EVERY word. I really have to watch it around him. :)

6. Loves his "baby sister" or "baby Kait" -- really becoming aware of what could hurt her, but sometimes uses that as an excuse to take away his toys from her reach - we are working on that daily.

7. Knows all of his colors, shapes, numbers, and learning letters A-L - also knows P for Patrick, M for Madden, R for Ryan, and Z for Zebra.

8. Plays with Mike's ipad and can find things on it that even I can't.

9. Understands how my camera works and uses it...crazy!

10. Really into Diego, Backyardigans, Spiderman, and Batman. He recognizes characters now and repeats what he learns from shows -- ex. Diego uses a Llama in the ice - when it iced here Ryan said that we needed a Llama to get across the ice so we wouldn't slip -- Mike about died laughing! Another ex - Backyardigans have ninjas to "save the pies" - Ryan is really into doing "Hi Yah" to everything right now. He wears his backpack as a rescue pack. Uses a "rope" to pull himself up and out of things, talks about baby Jaguar and Alecia constantly. It is really cute to hear him so excited about something.

11. Doggy is still in attendance (as is paci for the moment --only at nighttime though)

12. Has gotten a lovey now-- copying Kaitlyn on this one

13. Night time routine: Gets 2 books every night to read, numerous kisses that he will go through every one in the house for if we will let him, Supermans and crazy kisses from Daddy, and sit a minute with prayers from Daddy -- Ryan is such a structured (in the box) child that a routine is what he thrives on!

14. Can ride a bike like the wind!

Now, Ryan's birthday yesterday --

We got up at 6:08, got in trouble for getting up, watched some TV, decided to go to Chick fil A for a birthday treat (and so Daddy could set up a surprise), got back and saw surprise, played outside, moved party inside, Lisa/Matt/Julia were visiting, had lunch, had cake/icecream, nap, more cake/icecream with neighbors, pizza, skyping, bedtime...whew, it just wears me out again writing it.

Big Guy -- This is one of those huge tubes you see blown up outside of car dealerships or stores advertising something. We pass one every day while driving home from school. He is at a car dealership and has arms and a face. He has 1 leg and is burgundy/red. Ryan is constantly asking about Big Guy or wondering if he will be working that day...etc. He acts like he is a real person...

Ok, so I have the bright idea that we will get big guy to come to our house for Ryan's birthday. He was supposed to greet him when he woke up outside of his window. (this is where his getting up early messed up my plans) Anyway, when we got back from Chick fil A, Mike had set up Big Guy for Ryan. Of course, this Big Guy looked different than the other one...(this one had 2 legs, and was multicolored) so, quickly we had to say..."this is Big Guy's Daddy. Big Guy is working today". Whew, that worked and Ryan was so excited to meet Big Guy's daddy that he had to run around in his socks and pajamas before he would go in.

We ate our breakfast and opened presents - moon sand, 2 books, 2 puzzles, a drum, a bat, and 4 balls. After opening, we got dressed to go see Big Guy again. We went to Jake's and Brantley's to show them what was going on. Out the neighbors all came!! Lisa/Matt/Julia were all coming over about 10:30 and they joined into the shenanigans in the front yard of remote control cars, the ice cream man, and some major jumping escapades. Finally, all the adults are standing in the front yard talking and realize that no 3 yr olds are around (all of our kids were born between Jan. 4 and Feb. 4 2008). We realize that they are all in my house -- gotta love it that they can now open doors, etc.

So, we took the babies (all born within 10 weeks of eachother) inside to see what damage had been done. Everyone stayed until after 12 and then went home for lunch. Lisa/Matt/Julia were still with us to celebrate and Ryan and Julia had. a. blast!!! They played so good up in Ryan's room...it was a disaster from earlier with all 4 kids and just had more dumped out while they were up there. At one point they were really quiet - I went upstairs and they were both in the crib taking pictures of eachother with Ryan's new camera. It was SO CUTE!! I could hear them saying...."Cheese!!" How funny!! Another time I heard them saying something about looking at pictures and found them in the loft on my computer...they really are into everything...but just so darned cute together!

We sang Happy Birthday and had cake/icecream and then it was time for nap - for all children. Mine got up about 5 and we had the neighbors over again for cake since they missed it earlier. Everyone stayed until supper and we had Ryan's favorite - pizza. We skyped with Doc/Mimi while they are in China and we went to bed. Ryan had the best birthday!! I can't believe that we have more celebrating to do!! I am worn out already!!

Happy 3 Birthday Ryan!!

Also, Happy Birthday to my brother, Brian, born on the same day 37 years ago!!

My first attempt at cake decorating

Not too shabby -- just don't look too close!!

Ryan's 1st glimpse of Big Guy up close

Big Guy's Daddy

There is a hole in the knee

Daddy and Ryan

Kaitlyn smiling for the camera - what a ham!

Getting ready to open presents

getting another drum - this child loves instruments!

Trying everything out...demonstrating how to blow the trumpet

Almost, but I don't think your mouth goes AROUND the opening...it'll take a little practice!

Seriously, trying EVERY instrument out...

Remote control cars

Another of Big Guy's Daddy with blue skies

Julia arrives

Ready, set...

JUMP!!!

All 3 in progress.

The icecream man visits...

Comparing treats

All in a line - Brantley got here just in time for a treat!

Ryan, Jake, Julia

Bye, Bye Ice cream man!

Singing Happy Birthday

Make a Wish!!

Ryan's 1st celebration

2011-01-22T14:28:00.001-08:00

January 17, 2011

MLK day and we are getting ready to drive back to Birmingham. Before we leave, Ryan gets to open his present from Gigi and Pop (this would be Ryan's Pop. He calls my Pop, "Big Pop")

We even had a few candles in a piece of leftover birthday cake.

Let the 3 year old festivities begin!!

Waiting patiently

Ryan opening the animals to his zoo.

Gigi, Ryan, and Pop

Lighting the candles

Make a wish

Good job!!

bathtime - January 11

2011-01-13T20:55:00.001-08:00

My sweet water babies. Thank goodness the two of them love bath time. I have a feeling I am going to have my hands full this summer with the pool!!

play

2011-01-13T20:48:00.001-08:00

Kaitlyn and Bricen...

getting locked out of Ryan's room

Jake was LOVING this fire station. Somehow, I see one in his future.

Tuesday playtime at our house. It was so much fun. I don't know why we don't do this more often...

January 10 - Ice, no snow

2011-01-13T14:02:00.000-08:00

Jake riding around the back yard

Get ready...

Slide!!

Jake crunching on some ice

Ryan trying some frozen treats!

Pushing the boys down the hill... 1, 2,

3...

GO!!!!

Ryan taking his first trip down the driveway...

He didn't make it very far...

We wised up and got cookie sheets for the next go-around.

Mike's turn...

Straight into the road

Ryan goes again...

and this time with Beth

My turn...

My little "ice" bunnies.

We were supposed to get 4-6 inches of snow...everyone was SURE of it. What did we get -- a trace of snow and a LOT of ICE!!

YUCK!

We still went outside and found a way to have fun, though. We watched Jake and Mr. Tyson trying to slide through the snow in the back yard. The boys took a turn together going down our tiny hill from our yard to theirs. They decided that ice tastes good and had quite a nice time picking out pieces off of the ground to sample. They stomped and crunched all through the ice and enjoyed the noise they made.

Then the adults decided to have a little fun ourselves...what can we use to slide down the driveway? Why, cookie sheets of course!! We had so much fun sliding down our totally ice encrusted driveway over the bump and into the street. More than one of us ended up totally soaking wet! It was a blast. Ryan really got into it. I loved it and went a few times until the last time I busted it over the bump and landed in the slush that we had created in the street. That was enough for me and inside we went to find some dry clothes. All in all, it was a fun hour spent enjoying the ice. Wish we were Atlanta or Columbia - They still had some snow a WEEK LATER!!

January 10, 2011

Did I mention that Kaitlyn has started crawling!!!

2011-01-13T13:55:00.001-08:00

January 8, 2011

Oh, Man!! How did this happen? When did she get big enough to crawl?? Time is flying by and here, my baby, is starting to crawl!! Ugh, there go my peaceful breakfast times!! There will be no more sitting for me when she starts doing this in earnest...ugh!

Sidenote - these last 2 pics were taken by ryan...not bad for an almost 3 year old!

My South Carolina Babies!

2011-01-13T13:45:00.000-08:00