Ricky, Melissa, Dylan, Lauren and Ethan

Winter fun

2012-01-28T15:28:00.001-06:00

Last week, we had some friends over to play and it decided to snow. Fun times for the kids. Dylan and Rhyli had a blast in the snow. They played outside for a good half an hour! They were so cute eating the snow, throwing it, and jumping on the trampoline. It's always fun to have good friends over to hang out with!

Lauren and Arianna decided that the older kids were having too much fun and wanted to join them. They only lasted about 10 minutes, but they had fun! Luckily, the little boys were sleeping.

We've only had snow a few times this winter, and it seems like every time it snows, the snow only stays for a couple of days. The kids find ways of entertaining themselves around the house! One night, they all climbed on Ricky's back for a horsie ride. Ethan wasn't too impressed, but it was cute!

Last Friday night, Lauren and I got to go on a date! My sister got some free tickets to see Tangled on Ice downtown Indy and invited us to go! When we got there, we found out that the tickets were for a suite! It was awesome! Lauren slept the whole way down there, so I didn't get dinner until we got there. She was so mesmerized that she wouldn't eat until the intermission. Needless to say, she LOVED it! Thanks, sis!

Maximus the horse was 2 skaters! It was pretty cool!

Flynn and Rapunzel held on to these ropes and did tricks in the air!

At the end of the show, all of the Disney Princesses came out to "dance" together. It was a great show, and I hope to go back soon!

It's going to be different around our house the next couple of months. I won't have Jack as his mom is having her baby and staying home with them. It will be nice to spend some time with just my kids again, but I will miss him! On a totally random note, Ricky and I are going on a cruise in March! I am so excited and can't wait! I've always wanted to go on a cruise, and it is finally going to happen! Yeah! It will be different not being around any kids for 8 days! I'll let you know how I do!

I have been addicted (I mean using) Pinterest a ton lately! There are so many great ideas on there. Thursday for dinner I used 3 new recipes and they were all great! I've also gotten some great storage ideas and organizational ideas. The kids even got some cool afternoon activities from there.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-06T09:31:00.002-06:00

I can't believe that it is already 2012! Boy does time keep on flying by so fast! We have enjoyed the holidays by spending lots of time with family. That is one of the best parts of the holiday season. We spent Friday in Illinois with my extended family for Christmas and played lots of games! We stayed up late and enjoyed the great company. Saturday we headed home to have a little new years celebration with my parents and my best friend's 2 boys! Dylan was really excited to see his best friend, Cameron, and I'll take any time I can get with Jaime! (They moved to South Carolina last year and are greatly missed!) New years day we met them for lunch before they headed home. It was a great weekend!

Now we are trying to get back into the swing of things. Dylan goes back to school on Tuesday, and Lauren starts dance class tomorrow. We got all of the Christmas stuff put away, we just have a huge pile of toys everywhere! I hope everyone has a wonderful 2012!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-29T17:11:00.002-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas filled with lots of family and friends. Christmas Eve started us off by having an appetizer and dessert party with some friends. The food was great and the company was even better!

After we stuffed ourselves, we read the Christmas story from Luke 2 and sang some Christmas songs. It was a great evening. Lauren and Ethan helped out at the piano! Luckily, Tamri is great and it didn't even phase her that they were there!

They kids had a great time!

After everyone left, we all got to open one gift. It was pj's for everyone! I love getting new pjs! The kids were really excited! After getting their new pjs on, we put some reindeer food out for Santa to find our house! How fun it is to be a kid!

Christmas morning was great! We opened our stockings and I think this year was a hit! Dylan got his Alien Legos that he wanted, Lauren got a dollhouse and Ethan got a Tomas Train set. Ethan doesn't have the attention span to play with anything for long, so he was all over the place!

Lauren was so content with playing with her new dollhouse by herself. Very great morning.

Dylan sat at the table and put together Legos with dad for over an hour!

We enjoyed some cinnamon rolls while we waited for the Sister Missionaries and my neighbor to arrive for breakfast. (Ricky said the cinnamon rolls were the appetizer.) I tried a new recipe for egg casserole from a friend and it was a hit! Everyone loved it! After breakfast, we passed out the presents and everyone got to open them. It was a busy morning, but lots of fun!

Sister Little and Sister Barrett

After everyone left, we had to get ready for church. We barely made it on time and Ethan was so exhausted that he fell asleep on me! I can't remember the last time that he fell asleep at church.We had to get a cute shot of the kids in their cute Christmas clothes!

I love having a timer to take a family picture! Everyone was smiling! Score one for me!

After church we headed to Ricky's parents house. They were making dinners and Ricky's brothers were there too. We got a wireless router witch I am in love with! (I am using Ricky's iPad to write this!) Dylan had fun playing with Alex, and Lauren even joined them for a while. Dylan and Alex exchanged gifts this year and loved it! It was really fun to see them show the other what they picked out for them.

We got to play a few games before someone got hurt. Lauren jumped into the pack and play and couldn't get out, so Alex tried to pull her out. After a very long evening and a night of no sleep, we found out that she has nurse maids elbow (the ligament was out of place). She was holding her wrist and we couldn't see anything wrong with it, so we waited to take her in. Poor little girl is just very fragile. She fell asleep on daddy for a little while, but would only be held all night.

Monday morning we headed over to the Urgent Care, since the doctors office was closed for the holiday. After a long 2 hours at the urgent care along with x-rays, we finally were able to go down to my sister's house to celebrate Christmas with my family. It was a nice day after Lauren got her arm fixed.

We had to get another family shot. (They don't happen too often!)

My dad made these cute Barbie beds for the girls, and my mom made crochet bedding for it. Way cute and Lauren loves it!

It ended up being a very long, wonderful weekend spent with most of our families! I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas!

Christmas time

2011-12-21T14:12:00.002-06:00

We went to the light show on Greenview last night. It was awesome! The kids had so much fun watching the light show and listening to the music. The show is lights that flash along with the music and the music is on the radio station. The kids are really into Christmas lights this year. Every time we drive past a house with lights, someone will say, "There's some" and everyone looks. Ethan even gasps whenever he sees lights on a house! They love pulling into our driveway and seeing the lights on our house. (So do I!)

This Christmas season is just flying by! Dylan has school until the 23rd and then it's Christmas weekend! We are trying to fit in all of the cookie baking and giving along with all of the other fun Christmas activities that we do. We got the tree decorated along with lights around the house. They kids enjoy having them up and I love Christmas time lights. Ethan is still having a hard time keeping his little hands off of the ornaments. I think we only broke 2 ornaments, which is great compared to the amount that he handled!

Dylan had some fun times at school this year. They made gingerbread houses one day and watched the Polar Express in pjs another day. He really likes school.

Ethan and Jack are keeping me busy! Some days they play great, other days are a struggle. Ethan seems to be a bully to Jack. They both can say each others names, which is really cute! They are my boys!

Lauren had her last day of Joy School at our house. We had a little Christmas party with cookie decorating and a White Elephant gift exchange. It was a lot of fun!

Dylan and Lauren enjoyed some quiet time the other day while watching a movie. I thought it was cute that they shared the same couch instead of laying by themselves.

Last weekend, we headed over to have donuts with Santa at Ivy Tech. It was free and the kids had a blast! They had some cute crafts for the kids to do and then they got to see Santa for the first time this year! They all liked him and Ethan was so excited to sit on his lap! I had to hold him back until it was our turn!

Ricky had to work for the day, so I headed down to my parent's house for their Christmas party. The kids got to see Santa twice in one day! They loved it! Dylan told me that Santa had to be the real one because he was the same at both places! I love my kids!

We are really enjoying the holidays around here, minus Ricky working a ton. I think I am used to it now that he's been working retail for 6 years! We got to do all of the fun things that I love to do to get ready for Christmas!

O Christmas tree

2011-12-11T14:35:00.006-06:00

I got a little spoiled this year. Ricky took his last week of vacation on the weekend of my birthday and we had a great time just goofing off. (Not really! I got a ton of things done with his help!) Saturday morning, after sleeping in and enjoying the morning, we went to Cassen's tree farm to cut down a tree. With the kids getting older, we thought it would be fun to cut our tree down. It was an adventure for sure! Dylan had to go to the bathroom as soon as we walked out there, so he peed on a tree. Then Lauren had to go. It started sprinkling, so we headed back to the barn to use the bathroom and get out of the rain. Ethan was fussy (he's teething) and wouldn't walk. I had to carry him the entire time. We finally found one that we liked on the second trip out. It was a fun experience, but I think next year we may just pick one out that's already cut! (I may change my mind when next year gets here!) Ricky also got the lights done outside. They look awesome and I LOVE having them! (You should drive by sometime between 6-12 pm if you want to see them for yourself!)

Then Saturday night, Ricky took me to dinner at the Melting Pot in Indy. He arranged my parents and siblings to come, too! It was really nice to have the adults together for dinner with no children! (It would have been a lot nicer if my brother wasn't an hour late! That's just how he is and we all know it!) Dinner was amazing and it was a great surprise! Thanks baby!

Tuesday night we took the kids to Chuck 'E Cheese to play. We had some free tokens to get and we wanted to go while Ricky was off work. It was a great weekend together as a family.

Friday night for date night Ricky gave me the last part of my birthday present. He took me to the mall to go shopping for myself! I can't even remember the last time I shopped for myself, actually trying on clothes and looking for styles! I normally just grab a shirt or pants and hope they fit when I get home! We went to Maurices and one of the employees helped me pick some things out. She was great! She showed me what was in style and how to wear things together. It was an awesome time and Ricky is the best husband ever! The employee even told him that she hopes her finance will take her out like this after she has kids! What a nice compliment to a perfect evening!

Another year older

2011-12-01T20:07:00.003-06:00

I had a wonderful birthday, yet again! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family! I got breakfast in bed and got to spend the entire day with my family! Yeah, I had to do some running to classes and whatnot, but that's all part of being a mom! Dylan was so excited that today was my birthday that he ran up to his teacher to tell her! I thought it was cute! Ricky helped out with the boys all day and then put up our Christmas lights on the outside of the house! I have wanted them up for 3 years now, so I am so excited to finally have them up! We all went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse! Yummy! I love their cinnamon butter! And then we came home to put the kids to bed. I got a new laminator for my birthday! I am so excited to start some new projects with it! Ricky also told me that he has some things planned for the weekend, but he won't tell me what! I'm glad I like surprises! Ricky had a week of vacation left, so he had to use it before the busy Christmas season starts!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-12-01T19:26:00.005-06:00

I am thankful for my wonderful family and the time that we get to spend together! I love them very much! (We got our family pictures taken and I'll get around to posting them soon!)

Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Dylan had a little program at school. He was so excited to show us the songs they had been learning. It was really cute and Dylan even memorized 2 little sayings! I was so proud of him! Then after the program, they had a little feast to celebrate.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with family. Thursday, we headed over to Ricky's parent's house for the day. It was nice and relaxing spending time with his family. We played some games and the kids had a great time playing together. I took my camera, but forgot to use it. Darn! Then Thursday night I headed down to my parent's house. Ricky had to be at work at 3:30 in the morning, so we let him get some sleep while I went black Friday shopping with my dad. He had never been before, so I thought it would be fun to show him how it's done! I got some great deals, and he got the things he wanted so it turned out to be a great experience. Plus I got to spend some quality time with my dad.

Friday was spent resting at my parent's house. Since I didn't get much sleep, I wasn't into doing much! My mom took Dylan and Lauren horse back riding, which was Dylan's favorite time of the weekend! The boys and I headed home and Lauren got to spend some time with just grandma and grandpa.

Saturday morning, we headed to Illinois to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. We went to my aunt's house and almost everyone was there! My grandparents even made it, which was really nice! (Ricky had to stay back home to work, boo for retail stores) I think there were 11 kids under the age of 9 and they all got along wonderfully! We had a wonderful weekend of playing games and just hanging out. I love getting to spend time with family.

Last week was spent catching up from the long weekend. The kids really enjoyed the snow on Tuesday (after having the temperature in the 60's over the weekend! Crazy Indiana weather for you!) We had some friends over and the boys jumped on the trampoline. They Loved it!

Lauren and I decided to stay in our pjs all day. It was an excellent day for that! She was so cute outside in the snow!

I love the holidays!

Busy week

2011-11-20T16:14:00.005-06:00

Sunday after church we headed to Indy for dinner with my family. We wanted to squeeze in some family pictures since I waited too long and my friends were booked. Next year I'll have to schedule earlier! You live and learn! Luckily, my mom was more than willing to take some for us! (Thanks mom!) They turned out really good and I can't wait to see the prints I ordered! We had a great time with my sister and brother and their families, too! The cousins love to spend time together!

Dylan was the STAR of the week this whole week, which meant that he got to bring a poster about himself in on Monday, he got to bring snacks in every day for the week, and he got to bring a show and tell every day. I let him pick out the snacks he wanted to bring, so we ended up doing pretzels, animal crackers, pumpkin muffins, goldfish crackers, and rice krispie treats. It was fun to see what he wanted instead of just picking for him. He felt special all week and was telling the teacher how excited he was to bring snacks for everyone. How fun it is to have a kindergartener!

Friday for date night, Ricky was having another computer gaming party, I met my mom at the nail salon for pedicures! Heavenly! I love getting a pedicure and spending time with my mom! After the pedicure, we spent the last few minutes shopping! My next favorite thing! I think I could shop all day long and still not be tired of it! Kids make it hard to get things done, especially when they start remembering things! I guess that's what good friends are for! My mom offered to take the kids for the night (I mean, who doesn't want to spend the night at grandma's house!) so I enjoyed a quiet evening to myself! It was so nice!

Saturday, we were invited to 3 parties! How fun! I went to a baby shower in the morning (yeah for girl time!) then we headed to Indy for my best friend from high school's boy's birthday party. They had the party at Monster Mini Golf, and the kids had a blast! Since the kids were at my parent's house, Ethan stayed and took a nap. It was a TON easier to not have him there! There were tons of kids and we would have spent the day chasing him instead of having fun! Dylan and Lauren loved playing golf and the arcade games. Lauren was even putting by herself about half way through! We didn't make it back to the third party, but we stayed at my parent's house for some pizza and games.

Today is a relaxing day from the busy week. Dylan stayed at grandma's again, so I have to go get him as soon as the other kids wake up. Ethan has been sleeping for 4 1/2 hours and Lauren for over 2! I am enjoying some quiet time as the holidays are fast approaching and I know things are going to get crazy! Ricky also had to work today, as he will most of the week. I am thankful he gets Thanksgiving Day off, but will have to work very early on Friday and Saturday. The joys of retail shops. I am also thankful that he has a job to support our family. Thanks for all your hard work, hun! I love you!

Reading time

2011-11-09T13:29:00.005-06:00

Life is going crazy around here. Ricky had 5 days off of work and we spent them babysitting and sick. I got the flu and felt dizzy and achy all weekend. I was very grateful to have Ricky home to take care of the kids for me. So far, no one else has gotten sick. Now that Ricky is back at work, I am trying to recover the house from the long weekend. I think it will take me all week, but that's the joys of being a mom!

Last night, we went to a Family Reading Night at Dylan's school. It was really fun to learn different ways to incorporate learning into life. The kids got to make a little book to take home, which was a big hit. I'll have to get a picture of it when Dylan is all done with his. It's called, "The Lion." It's nice to know that the school is trying to get families involved in the children's learning. Dylan had a great time, as always, and got to show off his work in the hall.

We were supposed to get our family pictures taken this past weekend, but getting sick threw us all off. Now I have to find another time to get our family pictures taken for our Christmas cards. Speaking of, I am having a little dilemma with myself. I have made our Christmas cards for the past 4 or 5 years, but am debating on using a service to just make a card this year. What are your opinions? I'd love to have some feedback! Thanks!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-02T12:37:00.007-05:00

I love holiday, any reason to celebrate is great for me! Halloween is no exception. We started the day by making orange pumpkin shaped pancakes with green stems. The kids really like them and they are fun to do! After breakfast, we had some friends come play, since their mom was going to get their minivan! She decided to join the mom club by getting a minivan! It was a little busy with 6 kids (5 of them were 3 and under), but we managed to make it through the morning. After lunch, I had to make some phone calls to try to get our water heater to work again. (It has been going out about 2 times a year since we moved in! Not fun when you want to take a shower and wash the dishes!) We then headed over to Lauren's dance class, since it was Monday. After class, we went to Papa Murphey's to get a pumpkin shaped pizza for dinner. It looked really good and it totally goes with the holiday! While the pizza was cooking, I got the kids dressed for trick-or treating. Here are the best shots:

My little giraffe.
Iron Man 2, he would correct you if you just said Iron Man!My Barbie Princess again! (She loves to dress up and decided last minute to be this again instead of Cinderella.)
My three little cuties!
Look at that yummy pizza!

We went over to the church for the trunk-or-treat and the kids got to walk around with their friends, Kiah and Evan. They had so much fun together! I loved seeing all of the kids' friends costumes! Everyone is so creative!
Lauren had to hold my hand (probably because there were so many people around) and I had to hold onto Ethan so he didn't run off! Ricky was passing out Glow Bracelets at the car until they were gone, then he joined us! I guess I need to get lots more next year!
Ethan and his friend, Gabby. I thought it was too cute that they were both little animals!

When we got home, Dylan wanted to go around to some of the neighbors houses, so we headed off while Ricky passed out candy at home. Dylan was really into it!
Lauren and Ethan were just along for the ride! I think Ethan only ate 2 suckers, while Lauren ate just a few too many pieces of candy! Oh well! That's what Halloween is all about!
The next morning, we dump the candy out on their laps! How fun! (I was only a day behind on this, so not quite all of the candy made it there!) Dylan was quite proud of his bucket that was full! Ethan was being goofy, but cute!We had a great Halloween and I love building our traditions as a family! Happy Halloween!

The start of Halloween

2011-10-30T14:05:00.009-05:00

We have had a busy week! Tuesday for moms and tots at church, they had a little Halloween party. I took the three little ones and they had a blast. Lauren liked seeing all of her friends dressed up, too. They did a cake walk, bean bag toss, pin the nose on the pumpkin, and find the ghost. It was really cute!Thursday was Dylan's Halloween party at school. I was grateful to some friends for watching my kids so I could help out at the school party! I had a great time and it's so neat to see and meet the kids in his class and a few parents. They played hot potato with a gourd, ring toss with a Witch's hat, and they made a skeleton and a fall place-mat that will get laminated. Lauren also had a little Halloween fun at her joyschool. It was a fun-filled day!This is one of Dylan's friends from class, Mason. Dylan talks about him all the time!
Friday, we had a Halloween playgroup at our house with some friends that I hadn't seen in a while! It is always fun to catch up with friends! The kids made ghost suckers and foam letter/shape cards. They had a great time playing while I chatted! There were almost 20 kids and they all played so well!
All the beautiful princesses!
Friday afternoon, we played with stickers! And then made mummy dogs for dinner! Yum! Dylan had fun wrapping them for me. What a big helper! Saturday night, we headed over to the corn maze. It was Awesome! It was a little chilly, but everyone had a blast! Ethan only fell a few times in the mud puddles! Boys will be boys! He loved running all through the corn!
Dylan and Lauren had a blast running through the corn, too! Dylan and Dad even enjoyed throwing the corn kernels at each other! They had a pumpkin patch there, too! Too many pumpkins to choose from!
Look at my little cuties!
It was a perfect family activity! We had a great time and can't wait to go again next year! I think next year we will rent a camp fire spot and make s'mores and stay for the evening! It was great! After the corn maze, we headed over to our friend's annual Halloween donut party. The donuts were amazing, just like every year! (they are home-made) They have a new kind called the Baconator, which is maple icing with bacon bits on top. It is surprisingly tasty! The kids were beat by the end of the night, but it was well worth it.

October fun

2011-10-24T20:26:00.008-05:00

Last Tuesday, the kids and I got to go to a pumpkin patch with moms and tots at church. They scheduled a trip to a Purdue lab that grows pumpkins and we are allowed to take some home for free! How awesome is that?!?! It was rather muddy, but still fun! Dylan was sad that he missed out, but he got to go on a field trip to a pumpkin patch earlier this month with his class at school. Life isn't always fair! We are hopefully going to paint some this week, and carve another one before Halloween. Dylan carved the one from his field trip, but it fell over outside and the face got smashed. Bummer!Last week, Ricky had to work late so the kids and I made a band. Dylan made a guitar, Lauren made maracas, and Ethan made a tambourine. It was so much fun and the kids rocked out on the couch for an hour! It is amazing what paper towel rolls and old beans can do for you!
Ricky and I got to go to the temple this weekend. It's really exciting to talk to the kids about it and they understand where we are going. Thanks to a great family from church, we have worked out a babysitting swap for all day on a Saturday. It is working out great and the kids really enjoy spending time with some friends, while we get to attend the temple.

Lauren is such a little singer. She is actually pretty good, too! I love how Lauren sings "I love to see the temple" all the time! It is so precious. She decided that she doesn't need naps anymore, although some days she really needs one. The other day she went upstairs to get her pink blankie (she won't sleep without it unless she is exhausted!) and laid down on the couch and fell asleep. I guess she was really tired that day! So precious! She has such the little personality. While waiting in the car, she convinced Ricky that she had to go potty. She went in just to tell me that there wasn't any potty. She has already started the manipulations.
I have been trying out new recipes lately. Some have been really good, others just ok. It is really fun to experiment in the kitchen. I love to bake, but not so much on making dinner. I have been trying to get into it a little more now with a family of five. I am also trying to be creative and use some of the ingredients I have in my pantry. I think it is going pretty well. I really enjoyed the cake batter truffles best. I just really like cake batter! Yum!

Another day, the kids and I made a car track out of masking tape. (Did I tell you I have joined Pinterest and have found some rather useful things on there! It can be addicting, but I think it's worth it in finding fun things to do!) The kids played so nicely for over an hour until Ethan woke up and started messing up the track. What can you do with an 18 month old?Dylan is really enjoying school. He is learning so much and picking things up so fast! He is already reading and has improved his writing skills in just the past 2 months! I am so proud of him! He came up to me the other day and said, "I feel left out." I was a little confused since I was sitting on the couch watching the kids play. He explained that it was because Lauren was doing dance class and he said that he wants to do karate. I don't know where that came from, but I guess next semester Dylan will be doing karate while Lauren goes to her dance class. I had no idea that he was interested in karate, but ok! I love my Dylan!

Ethan is just getting into everything! He wants to do everything that the big kids do. He climbs much more than my other kids ever did. He is starting to talk more and I can actually understand some words! He started the mommy-clingy stage, by not wanting me to leave him anywhere. If he sees me leave, he throws a fit (or his pacifier) and after a minute or so he is fine. It is so weird for him to act like this since he has always been so easygoing. I hope it's just a phase for him!

Haircut and Make-up

2011-10-10T13:31:00.008-05:00

Lauren decided that she wants to grow up faster than she really is. Friday afternoon she was supposed to be taking a nap in her room. Well, she doesn't like to stay in her bed, even at night, so this day wasn't too much different. I went upstairs to find her playing with toys in her room. No big deal, right? She looks up at me and I see her hair! I asked her what she did and she replied, "I on't know." I went into my bathroom to find chunks of her hair in the trash. I guess she just felt like cutting off her ponytail. Great! I don't know how to fix it, so I think we may have to take her in and get it done.
Then on Saturday night, I heard a noise upstairs. I told Ricky it was his turn as I had already been up there 3 times. He went up there almost 2 hours after we put Lauren to bed to find her putting make-up all over her face. She had mascara on her cheeks and blue eye shadow everywhere! Ricky thought it was hilarious, but I didn't. Probably because she messed up all of my make-up! We are going to have to start locking that girl in her room!
Saturday was a great day! We have been having wonderful weather around here! In the 80's for over a week! My parents came up here for the day to help around the house and to make applesauce. My mom and I made 3 bushels of apples into applesauce! We ended up with 110 pints! That's a lot of applesauce! It took all day and the help of everyone, but we managed to get it all done! Yeah! I love accomplishing things!My dad and Ricky worked on a few projects around the house. The kids toilet was broken again, surprise, surprise! When we were all sick, Dylan clogged it up and flooded the bathroom. It ended up coming through the ceiling downstairs, so they had to re-paint all the spots on the ceiling. Fun times! Then my dad fixed the mailbox, while Ricky mowed. Our homeowners association sent us a letter stating that our mailbox was not up to code since it was missing the topper. So instead of spending $200 on a new one, my dad fixed ours up! Thanks boys!
Why is it that life gets so busy when you think it's going to settle down? I can't believe that it's already October! Last weekend, we spent time in Illinois with my extended family. My dad's younger sister died of cancer after a few months struggling with it. She had breast cancer a few years ago and overcame it, but this time, the cancer was to far spread. It made me very thankful for life and all the blessings I have been given. It was hard on all of us since we were pretty close to her. It was very nice to spend time with my cousins, who I haven't seen in a few years, and my grandparents (my mom's parents). Although a funeral is not fun, it was nice to celebrate her life with the family that is still living.

That's all I can think of right now! Have a good day!

My little dance star

2011-09-26T20:21:00.005-05:00

Lauren started dance lessons at the Morton Center in town. She is in the Creative Movement class and loves it! The first day, she was really excited,but didn't know what to expect. The second time, she did great! Today, she was a little shy and wouldn't do what her teacher asked her to. She has an amazing teacher who tries to get the girls to participate! They get to dance with different things like wooden sticks and ribbons. It's really nice to have something just for her that will hopefully boost her confidence and strengthen her legs at the same time!

Dylan and Ethan were feeling left out and wanted in on the fun!What a cute little dancer!

18 Months already?

2011-09-26T19:18:00.006-05:00

Ethan just turned 18 months old! I can hardly believe that my baby is now a little boy! Here are his stats:

Height: 32 inches 50th percentile
Weight:25 pounds 50th percentile
Head Circumference: 49.2 cm. 90th percentile

He is growing up too fast! He keeps up with Dylan and Lauren around the house. He loves to wrestle with everyone. If you lay on the floor, he will come jump on top of you! He likes to say "momma" to everyone and when he wakes up in the morning. He loves to eat, although he started getting picky. He started biting if he gets upset or doesn't get what he wants. Dylan and Lauren know to watch out for him, but poor Jack is getting the brunt of it. We use his pacifier to keep the biting at bay. He doesn't like to be cuddled at night, he just wants to lay down with his blanket in one arm and his bear in the other. It's really cute, although I love cuddling! He is starting to communicate more and understand what we are saying. He says 'un-huh' for yes or 'un-un' for no. I love his blonde, curly locks! I think they are adorable and everyone tells me they love them too! He is his own person and I love seeing him grow each and every day!

September fun

2011-09-25T20:44:00.009-05:00

Time is going by way too fast! Last weekend, Ricky had to work, so the kids and I headed to Indy to the Hoosier Outdoor Experience. My parents met us there with my 2 nephews. The kids had a blast doing all of the activities, and we enjoyed ourselves, too! The best part of the day, everything was free! I didn't spend a dime the entire time! (We did buy lunch at McDonald's before we got there.) What a great way to spend a fall day!Dylan got to learn how to lasso a bull.He shot a bow and arrow.Ethan loved riding the pony.Lauren did it all by herself!( If you know her, this is a huge accomplishment!)Dylan enjoyed riding the pony, too!Dylan and Lauren got to ride these cool motorcycles with training wheels on them! They had a blast!DylanLauren... I was even more surprised when she actually got on! She took her helmet off while waiting for her turn, and I thought she was done! She put the helmet back on and had a blast!

Ethan got to sit on one while we waited! He LOVED it and I'm sure next year he will be riding one of them!

This weekend, we got to go to the Feast of the Hunter's Moon. This is Ricky's favorite event each year, so we won't miss it unless something urgent comes up! We went with Ricky's parents and his nephew. The weather was great, minus a few sprinkles here and there, and the food was amazing! After the feast, we headed home to relax for a little. Lauren got to go to Ricky's parents for a sleepover, and the boys and I headed to Chuck E Cheese to meet my sister and family. We celebrated Landen's 5th birthday and the boys had a blast! We then had Landen spend the night here since we were headed down to my sister's house for dinner the next day. We had a busy, fun weekend but they always seem to go by too fast!!The only picture I got at the feast! We were too busy eating all the yummy food!
My sister and her boyfriend's kids, my brother's girlfriend's daughter, and my kiddos! They get along great and had a great weekend!

August Catch-up

2011-09-09T13:27:00.010-05:00

Since I didn't get done with the blog before it got to September, here is my catch-up on the fun things we did! (Sorry in advance for the picture overload!)
On August 5th, we met my mom, aunt, cousins, and their kids at the Children's Museum in Indy. We had a big group, but it was so much fun! They kids (and adults) had fun!

They liked the Dora and Diego exhibit!
Lauren had fun dressing up and walking down the runway!
I think Dylan enjoyed the Barbies a little too much!
Ethan wasn't too impressed!
He was a happy camper after his little nap that got him through the day!

Overall, it was a busy, but fun day. When you have 7 kids and 5 adults, it can get a little crazy!

On August 18th, we headed to Indy to the State Fair! It is our family tradition and we love going every year! It was way HOT this year, but we still managed to have fun! My parents and brother joined us for the fun!

Sibling love!
Lauren loved feeding the goats!
I love Ethan's expression in this one! He had so much fun!
The kids had fun 'driving' the tractors. Dylan always had to buckle his seat-belt when he got on them. I guess I have trained him well!
Ethan wanted a turn, too!
Dylan was too big to ride these little tractors this year, sorry bud! Lauren liked the pink one!
We got to eat all of the yummy fair food, corn on the cob, gyros, fried Twinkies (actually so good that we ended up getting another one!), fried veggies, cheese sticks, kettle corn, funnel cake, to name a few! I think the food makes the whole trip worth it!

Dylan enjoying the nice weather in the back yard with his friend from school, Emily.
Enjoying the HOT weather we had! It was 90 degrees at the end of August! Who would have thought! That's Indiana weather for you!
Ethan didn't mind the hot weather! He loves to be outside! He is my little escape artist. He is always trying to get out the door. Every morning when Jack gets here, he tries to make a break for it! Silly boy! Where do you think you are going?

On August 24th, I came up with the great idea to make and can salsa. Ricky's mom came over and helped me make the salsa. After tasting it while it was cooking, I was a little concerned that it was too tomatoey. I put some in the fridge and tried it the next day and boy is it good! Ricky said that it tastes like Don Pablos salsa! Yeah! I made something good and I have 8 jars of it!
On August 27th, the kids and I headed to my parent's house to can peaches with my mom. I don't have a canner, yet, and I'm still learning how to do it! I have to say that I do like canning and it gives me a great sense of accomplishment. We bought 2 bushels, which is 96 pounds of peaches. We made 40 quarts of peaches in one day! We kept some of the peaches out to eat, and I made lots of things with them! I made 4 batches of peach muffins, peach cobbler, peach pie, peach milkshakes, peach bread, peach smooties, and just peaches! They were so yummy!
Lauren decided that she doesn't want to sleep in her bed anymore. She fell asleep at the top of the stairs the other day. Good thing she didn't roll any or she could have gone down the stairs! She wakes up and wants to sleep in our bed or on the couch. I don't let her sleep with us, but she has been sleeping on the 'brown couch' in our bedroom. Silly girl!
My boys just chillin'! They can be so cute sometimes!

As you can tell from the picture overload, we had a busy month! I think that's how my life is going to be for a while. Lauren is picking up dance lessons starting Monday, so instead of calming down, we are gearing up! With Ricky in school this semester (and graduating in December), it is going to be a busy couple of months! Bring on the crazy! (I hope I'm ready for it!)

Sick week

2011-09-09T12:56:00.003-05:00

I guess it wasn't a fluke that Dylan got sick. Wednesday morning, Ethan thought he needed to join in the fun and threw up on my foot. So gross! He wasn't acting abnormal until he woke up from his nap and just wanted to cuddle. I think he had a little fever, but was otherwise ok. Then on Thursday afternoon, Lauren got sick too. This is not fun. They just got sick once and that's it. Ricky is not feeling good today. I guess it's just going around.

We have been keeping busy around here. With Dylan in school everyday, Ricky in school on Tuesday and Thursday, and Lauren in school on Thursday, it makes busy weeks! Luckily a family from church moved into our neighborhood and we can carpool for picking up Dylan from school. It has been so nice to not have to drive to school every day! We are switching off weeks, and it's going great!

I signed Lauren up for a study at Purdue, so we head over there twice a week for that. She really enjoys it and I feel like they are 'teaching' her as they do the studies. She likes getting a free toy at the end. The boys do great in the waiting room playing with toys while she is in the study. It is a lot of running around, but nice to have something to do.

Labor Day fun

2011-09-07T14:35:00.004-05:00

For Labor Day we thought it would be fun to visit our friends up in Chicago and have a cookout. What better way to celebrate the holiday than a good old BBQ? We headed out right after church and spent the afternoon hanging out. My friend just happened to be making some homemade bread, and I brought some homemade jelly for her. It was the best combination ever! Sunday was great fun. The kids ran around outside and we got to chat. Dylan and Lauren got to sleep with the girls upstairs and were so excited. They were chatting and staying up way too late, but we thought it was ok for one night. Dylan got up and said that his tummy hurt, so I just told him to get a drink and go back to bed. I figured it was because he was up too late and just really tired. Found out a few hours later that he was sick. We had to move him downstairs with us and clean up a fun mess in the middle of the night. Thanks to my friend for helping out and not getting sick, too! He was acting fine all day, and then all of a sudden got sick. So random. No one else had any signs of it, so we figured it was just a fluke.

Monday, Dylan was fine and so my friend and I headed over to IKEA. I love that store! I HAD to get a dresser for Lauren since I sold the changer in the garage sale this summer. I am excited to get it put together and in her room! We chilled the rest of the day and cooked out again for dinner. We had a great time and enjoyed the great company! Thanks again for hosting us and putting up with a sick kid!

Lauren's first day of Joyschool

2011-09-02T13:35:00.004-05:00

Today was a busy day! Lauren had her first day of Joy-school. It seems so unreal that she's old enough for it already! It also seems like just yesterday that Dylan was starting Joy-school with his little friends! Lauren is all grown up and here is your proof! Silly shot!Ethan felt left out of the photo shoot!She was so excited to wear her Tinkerbell backpack to school.
After Joy-school and lunch, Lauren and Dylan have an art class by a friend from church. She does an amazing job working with the kids and I know my kids have a blast! It makes a busy day with everything going on! That's just how my life is some days! Busy, busy, busy!

First Day of School

2011-08-16T13:35:00.006-05:00

Today was Dylan's first day of kindergarten. It was bittersweet. I can't believe he's old enough to go to school, but he certainly is ready for it. I think he was a little nervous this morning, because he didn't eat much breakfast which is very unusual for him! He enjoyed getting ready for school and was really excited to get to ride the bus! This is how he posed for the picture. Silly boy!I got him to do one normal pose for me! He watched around the corner for the bus to come. He couldn't wait to get on!
There is my big boy, all grown up! I still enjoy spending half of the day with him. He is in the morning class, so I pick him up at 11:40. Luckily there is someone we know in the same class, so we can carpool! Yeah! He really enjoyed his day and is looking forward to tomorrow.

Lauren and Ethan's check-up

2011-08-04T07:26:00.005-05:00

Lauren's 3 year Stats:
Height: 39 inches (90th percentile)
Weight: 30 lbs. 12 oz. (50th percentile)
According to the doctor, she is in the 10th percentile for height/weight ratio, which means that she is very tall and skinny. She is growing so fast! I tried to put her tennis shoes on the other day and they don't fit her anymore! I think she has grown 2 sizes just over the summer! She is doing great with going potty. She can even go by herself on the big potty! Yeah! I've waited a long time for that! She has been staying dry all night long, so I think we are done with pull-ups! She loves artsy things and is very precise with them. I think I'm going to enroll her in an art class this fall. She is such a little girl and can turn on the tears instantly. We are working on getting her to talk about her problems instead of crying about them. It is a long process, but hopefully we will get there someday! I love my little sweetie!

Ethan's 15 month stats (about a month late):
Height: 31.75 inches (50th percentile)
Weight: 23 lbs. 12 oz. (55th percentile)
Head Circumference: 48.8 cm.
He is just average for both his height and weight. He is very active and keeps me on my toes. His hair is so curly, I just can't cut it now. I think it's adorable, especially when it's humid outside! He is growing up so fast! He wants to keep up with Dylan and Lauren, so he is learning things very fast. He climbed up on the computer desk the other day and was so proud of himself! He looked at me with this excited expression on his face, Look what I can do! He can open doors now, which is not such a great thing. So far, we have been lucky with the bathroom! He is my little wild child, but I love him dearly!

Mammoth Caves

2011-08-04T07:22:00.009-05:00

My parents and sister had planned a trip to Kentucky and invited us along. Ricky had to work on Saturday, so he took Friday off and stayed home with Ethan and Jack to make it possible for me to take Dylan and Lauren. Dylan, Lauren and I headed south to Mammoth Caves right after swim lessons were done on Friday. We stayed for the pool party day, but it rained again! Poor kids didn't get to have their pool party either session. It was a little over a 4 hour drive, and the kids didn't have to stop to use the bathroom until the exit before we got off. They did great and the drive wasn't too long. When we got there, we went straight to the Mammoth Cave. It was beautiful and COLD. It was only 54 degrees down there. Luckily we brought jackets for the kids, so they could enjoy it.Looking down into Mammoth Cave.The whole group! The next morning, we went horseback riding on a trail through the woods. Dylan got to ride with me and Lauren rode with grandma. It was nice and relaxing and all the kids had a blast! (Grandma has the pictures, so I will update with them soon!)We camped at Jellystone Park for the weekend. It was really fun other than the big rain storm we got on Saturday afternoon. We were lucky and our tents and supplies were ok. Others, not so much(as you can tell by this picture)! We weren't able to cook after the storm, so we ended up eating out for dinner. The kids didn't mind at all! After the storm, we went to this rock shop up the street. They had a Mystery House that we toured and had a blast. The kids took turns balancing on this chair with the front 2 legs not touching the ground.
And this part of the house made my sister (5 foot 2 inches) look taller than her boyfriend (over 6 feet tall)!
Dylan and Landen showing off their muscles in the fun mirrors.

Sunday morning we packed up camp and headed to The Lost River Cave for a boat tour. It was beautiful and we got to hike down to the cave.
Here is the boat that we rode. To get through the cave, you have to duck down at the beginning. It was something I had never seen before! The kids had so much fun together! Thanks for a wonderful weekend!

Lauren's Party

2011-08-04T07:21:00.003-05:00

We decided to have a little birthday party for Lauren. We had family and a couple of close friends over to celebrate with us. Lauren thought it was really neat to have her friends over for her birthday. Too cute! My good friend Wendy made this AWESOME castle cake for Lauren. I love it and it was perfect for Lauren! Thank you so much, you are very talented!
Lauren had fun opening her gifts. She got a cute, homemade skirt from my mom. She immediately took her skirt off to put it on. She loves skirts right now! Lauren and the grandmas!Lauren and Kiah (they are 3 days apart)!Lauren and Sean (they are 1 month apart)!
Thanks to everyone for helping us celebrate Lauren's 3rd Birthday! It was so much fun getting to party with everyone!

Happy 3rd Birthday Lauren!

2011-07-14T15:39:00.006-05:00

Today, my little girl is 3! I can't believe how time has gone by so quickly. For her birthday, we made pink pancakes for breakfast. She got to open a few presents to play with during the day. She was so excited to get a barbie movie and a princess to play with! After breakfast, we headed over to Happy Hollow Park to play for a while and Lauren said she wanted to go for a walk. It was a beautiful day, so we all got to enjoy the weather and have fun!
We met some friends at the park and the kids had a great time!If you know Lauren, we had her favorite, macaroni and cheese, for lunch with friends. The kids played outside and got all of their energy out. Lauren, Dylan and I then watched Barbie and the 12 dancing princesses. We ordered a pizza for dinner, so we could go swimming after we ate. My kids are little fish and love the water!
We came home and had presents and cupcakes with grandma and grandpa. It was a great day and we had fun celebrating all day long!
Happy Birthday to my favorite little girl! I love you so much!

South Carolina

2011-07-14T15:38:00.010-05:00

We had a wonderful time in South Carolina for our family vacation. I think this was the first family vacation we have taken outside of Chicago. Yeah! It was very hot, but great scenery. We stayed with my best friend Jaime for half of the week and then we ventured to Myrtle Beach for a few days. Thank you to the Brown Family for hosting our crazy family.

We were pretty lazy at Jaime's house. We played TONS of games and the boys had a blast playing together. One of their lazy moments! Sunday, we went to church with the Brown's and then just hung out. It started raining, so Ricky took Ethan out in it. He loved it and made the cutest little faces!It stopped raining by evening, so we set off a few fireworks. The boys loved it, Lauren thought it was too loud, and Ethan was shaking, but still excited.
For the 4th of July, we went downtown Greenville. It was beautiful and had a waterfall right next to us! It was really hot outside, but we managed to have fun anyway! The fireworks show was amazing!
The only family picture we got the whole vacation!
On Wednesday, we headed out to Myrtle Beach. It was a long drive, but totally worth it! Aside from a mix-up on the hotel, we had a great time and ended up right on the beach. Perfect for little ones and nap time! With the mix-up, we got some good shots of the kiddos. Too cute!We finally made it to the beach after dark, but had to go in the water anyway! (This is the only time that Lauren would get in the water. She was scared of the waves and kept saying they were going to get her. Silly girl! I guess we don't get to the beach much here in Indiana!)
We had a great day on Thursday. We played in the sand, we went in the ocean, we took naps, we just had a great day. Dylan loved the water, he takes after his dad! My boys enjoying the waves. Ethan wouldn't stay out of the water. He would just run in and fall over and then crawl out. Then he would repeat many times. We had to constantly hold onto him so he didn't get taken away into the ocean! The beach was so nice and relaxing! I loved every minute of being there! This was the first time at a beach for all three kids. Overall, they had a great time. Lauren liked the sand more than the water. Ethan just loved every minute of being there. I am already looking forward to our next trip to the beach.

Summer has started

2011-06-28T15:21:00.003-05:00

We decided to keep busy this summer. Dylan and Lauren started swim lessons at Happy Hollow pool last week. The week started out sour with thunderstorms on Monday, but luckily the rest of the week was good. It got a little cold on Friday (65 degrees outside of the pool) but the pools are heated and they are kids! Dylan surprises me all the time. He was moved up to the level 1-2 and loves doing what the teachers tell him! He is doing front floats and pushing off the wall to swim to his teachers. It's great!Lauren wasn't too sure about the lessons at first. She is a little shy when she doesn't know the teachers. She has been doing great and shows me the animals that she learns. It's soo cute!
Ricky had a fun project to do for the first time ever...put together a bike. We broke down and bought one for Dylan. He has outgrown the one he used last year and was always wanting to walk because of it. As soon as Ricky had it done, Dylan was off! He rode around the pond 2 times while I walked once! He LOVES it! He was outside riding around the pond again today for over a half an hour. The next step is learning how to ride without the training wheels!
I also took on the task of babysitting from 9-2 everyday. It's just one little boy who's 18 months old (4 months older than Ethan) and I feel like I am at a point in my life where I can handle it. I started last week and things have been great so far. We load up in the car everyday for swim lessons and some days we have little adventures! We made it to the store one day and the park another. The kids do great with him and love him so much.

A camping we will go!

2011-06-28T15:05:00.003-05:00

This past weekend, we decided it would be fun to go camping with my parents. I don't even remember the last time I went camping! I know it's been a long time and I used to really enjoy it, so I thought it would be fun! We headed down to McCormick's Creek State Park on Friday afternoon. It should have been a 2 hour drive, but due to some fun circumstances it ended up taking us 3 1/2 hours. I can't believe I forgot the sleeping bags for a camp out! We had to head back home to get them. The kids did great in the car and had a great weekend. We got there around 8:30 pm, but the kids were too excited to go to sleep. The adults hadn't eaten dinner yet, so we made some hamburgers while the kids ran around. Dylan really wanted to make smores, so Ricky got the fire going. Ethan is going to be our little dare devil. He couldn't stay away from the fire. He had to be continually watched at all times. We put the kids to bed in the tent with grandma, and surprisingly enough, they were all asleep in about a half an hour! Ethan even slept on the ground with us! I wasn't sure how the kids would do, but they were excellent! Lauren had a little fever and was coughing, so she woke up twice, but we had a good night sleep otherwise! The adults enjoyed a game of euchre before heading to bed. Saturday started around 6 am when the sun was rising. (That was to be expected with 3 little ones in the same tent!) We made some yummy breakfast over the fire, bacon, scrambled eggs, and potatoes, and then headed out for a hike. I wanted to hike by the water so we could let the kids play in the stream. Apparently a rigid trail is not a good idea with little kids. Ethan was in a backpack carrier, but Lauren was having difficulties. It was a wonderful time, nonetheless. I couldn't have asked for better weather in June! It was around 70 with a low of 50 in the evening! Perfect weather for camping. After the hike, we headed over to the shelter where my mom's company held their picnic (The whole reason for camping there!). Ethan fell asleep in the car on the way over there, a whole half mile drive! We let him sleep while we enjoyed some pulled pork sandwiches. It was really good. We goofed off for a little while and then headed over to the pool. The kids had a blast and it totally wore them out! We left around 5 and the kids slept the whole way home! It was a great weekend of camping and I can't wait to go again soon! Dylan asks me all the time when we are going again! He really likes it a lot.

(Pictures will be coming soon!)

Back to life

2011-05-27T15:50:00.004-05:00

Ricky is home for good! Yeah! And we all survived the first week! It is an adjustment having him home all the time! I LOVE it and don't want him to leave again!
My blog has been on the back burner for a while now. I don't know why, but I haven't been in the mood to write/type about my life right now. I am keeping busy with everyday things, but don't have anything too exciting to write about. I guess I am just going through a phase in life and I hope it is over soon. I enjoy looking back at what was going on in life and seeing my beautiful babies grow up! So, until next time.

My little Get-a-way

2011-05-17T21:26:00.008-05:00

I had the wonderful opportunity to get away for the weekend with Ricky! I can't tell you how much I needed it! We had not been on any vacation alone since Dylan was 7 months old! Thanks for the generosity of our parents in helping out with the kids and making this possible! It was so relaxing, almost like being at the beach! (Even though we had snow while we were visiting Mount Rushmore!) I had forgotten how peaceful nature can be!

We got to Rapid City, South Dakota at 10 in the morning, so we headed out for the day. The day started out nice with a free upgrade on our rental car! We got a small SUV instead of a compact car! It was a brand new Nissan Rouge with only 300 miles on it. (We more than doubled the miles!) We started out going to Mount Rushmore. It was amazing! I had never seen it before, and Ricky had only seen it when he was little. It was so incredible to see what they did with such little resources! The men hung down from the mountain on one cord to use a huge jackhammer to carve out the faces. Fascinating!Even though it was snowing and we were freezing, we walked around the Presidential trail which takes you as close as you can get to Mount Rushmore. As we were leaving Mount Rushmore, we saw a mountain goat just chillin' and eating some grass! Crazy!The rest of the day and Sunday were spent exploring the mountains in Custer State Park. It was beautiful! We took some lunch with us and had a picnic at the top of the mountain! We drove down Iron Mountain Road and up Needles Highway. They are both curvy roads that go straight through the mountains.
And we drove through some awesome tunnels! Part of the road was also a pig-tail, where you go around in a complete circle!
We saw the eye of a needle made from lava under the ground.
And some buffalo right next to the fence!
On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at Bear Country USA. It is like a zoo, but much bigger and you drive though the 250 acres and see unique wildlife park from your car. It was so awesome! They had mountain lions, arctic wolves, elk, bobcats, buffalo, reindeer, big horned sheep, and bears! I loved seeing all the bears! They probably had about 30 or so! The bears were walking back and forth in front of the gate almost staring us down. They also came up to our car and were sniffing it. I'm glad it didn't smell too good! These bears started wrestling. It was so neat! They would get up on their hind legs and paw at each other. This one was scratching his neck on the tree. This one was just chillin'! So cool!
They had a small area where you could walk around and see some other animals. They had some Grizzly bears, some beavers, otters, red fox, black ducks, and baby bears. The baby bears were born in January or February of this year. They were precious! They have to take the babies away from their moms when the moms come out of hibernation so the other male bears won't kill the babies. Monday morning, we headed over to Spearfish where Ricky was staying for work. It is a nice little area, but with nothing around! I loved visiting there, but do not want to live out there! We drove through Spearfish Cannon and it was beautiful! Here is Bridal Veil Falls.And then we saw Spearfish Falls, where we got to hike around on a little trail. We parked at the top of the falls and had to walk across a bridge to get to see the falls. We went before tourist season, so it was so peaceful! There were hardly any people around us!
For lunch, we went to Cheyenne Crossing Cafe and had some AMAZING Indian tacos. The manager at the store Ricky was working at recommended it and it was great! It was all the taco fixings on a piece of fry bread. So yummy! Then we had to get a fry bread with cinnamon and sugar on it. Well worth it! We drove back through Deadwood, which is a major gambling town and Lead. We stopped to see the grave sites of Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane. It was interesting and had some pretty views. We also stopped at a Gold Mine and it was huge! Ricky then took me to Belle Fouche, which is were his main location was. I met some of the people he worked with and then went to the Geographical Center of the Nation.
We took advantage of the hotel pool and had fun on the water slide. The water was freezing, so we had to warm up in the hot tub after. We had an amazing time and it was great to see where Ricky had been working for the past month and a half. Thanks for sharing this beautiful place with me!

One week off!

2011-05-06T15:25:00.006-05:00

Ricky is home for 10 days! I don't even know what to do with myself! April was a very long, hard month. Ricky was only home for 5 days, not including traveling back and forth from Indy, the whole month of April. I still can't believe that it's May already! We got things figured out so that I can fly out there with him next week and spend 3 days with him before he works for the last time out there. I can't wait to get back to our normal schedule, but who knows what normal is anymore!?! I certainly don't! We have spent a TON of time with my parents, since we are traveling back and forth each week. It has been so great to have such wonderful parents to help out when you need them! Last weekend, I went to Illinois with my mom to visit with my grandparents. They are doing good and it's always nice to spend time with them!

Things have been difficult for me. When I get all of the kids to bed at night, I almost can't think to do anything. I try to update my blog, or search the internet, but my brain seems to be fried! I guess it's just different struggling to get all the kids in bed after spending the entire day with them. It makes me extremely greatful for such a wonderful husband who does so much to help our family out! I love you baby!

Dylan had his spring program today! He was really excited about it earlier this week, but didn't want to sing today. He gets kinda shy in front of people. He only has one week left of preschool, which is crazy! It seems like he just started! He has been such a great helper with Ricky gone. He can get ready for bed by himself, and be so proud of himself! He told me the other day, "Mom, I really do love you." What a sweet boy!

Lauren is growing up so fast! She is talking like crazy! I know that some people can't understand her very well, but I can! (Most of the time. Dylan can usually interpret if we can't understand her!) She is doing great with the potty. She wants to do it all by herself, and she is so close to being able to! I can't wait until she can do everything by herself! She stays dry for naps and some nights, too. She is very much a girlie. She loves her dolls and purses. It's funny to see Dylan want to play with her toys, too! They are so cute when they put on heels and push their strollers around the house together!

Ethan started walking! My baby is all grown up! He took his first steps on April 18th, while Ricky was home. And then by Sunday (when Ricky got home again), he was walking all over the place! He does a great job of keeping up with Dylan and Lauren. He is very curious and wants to get into everything. He loves to scour the kitchen cabinets trying to open them all! He is going to be my little climber! He is always getting on the couch and he even tried to climb over the baby gate to get to the stairs! He likes to test his boundaries to see what he can get away with. He also started throwing tantrums. He will start crying and throw his head back. I hope he stops throwing his head back soon, because he is going to get some bumps from hitting the ground so hard! He is a great baby and I love him very much!

Happy Birthday Ricky!

2011-05-06T15:19:00.002-05:00

On April 25th, Ricky got to celebrate his birthday with all of us! Yeah! He got to fly home for Easter and then stayed for his birthday. It was really nice to have him home and the kids really enjoyed having him here. We spent the whole day at home relaxing and enjoying eachothers' company. Just wanted to put a shout out to my wonderful hubby!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-27T16:50:00.004-05:00

Here are the fun Easter shots I got of our family!

Coloring Easter eggs at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Look at the cute little family! (I guess we're not that little, since there are 5 of us!)

We had a great day and got to spend some time with Ricky's parents and brother's family, too! It was a great weekend and we were so lucky to spend it with those we love!

Kindergarden already?!?

2011-04-14T14:34:00.008-05:00

I can't believe my little man is growing up so fast! Dylan had his 5 year check up at the doctor this week. Here are his stats:

Height: 45.43 inches
Weight: 42 lb. 13 oz.
The doctor said that everything looks great and he is a pretty healthy boy. We went ahead and got the kindergarten shots done since we were already at the doctor. He had to get three! He took it a lot harder than I expected. He started freaking out when he saw the needle. For the rest of the day, he was complaining that his leg hurt and he couldn't walk. I think he was over-reacting, but that's the way he is! Hopefully he will toughen up soon!

Week 2

2011-04-13T21:10:00.007-05:00

I managed to survive the first week and the beginning of the second week without Ricky. Time went too fast when he was here. We are trying to keep busy so it doesn't seem like forever! Ethan just finished a study at Purdue. They came to our house and observed us and we got paid! Yeah! I love earning money for doing the things I already do! Now, what to do with the extra cash?!?

Monday, we took Dylan to school and then headed over to the doctor for Ethan. He woke up having difficulty breathing. Found out that he has a sinus infection and drainage in his lungs. He is now on antibiotics, again, and an inhaler to open up his lungs. He is doing better, but absolutely HATES the inhaler. He screams and cries the entire time we use it. I have to hold him down and he just wiggles and tries to push away from me. Poor little guy! I really hope he gets better soon! This has been the worst winter for Ethan and sicknesses. Dylan spent the day at a friend's house, so I got some quiet time in the afternoon. It was really nice!

Lauren is staying dry at naptime, now! We are going to start working on nighttime when Ricky gets home for good. She is quite the little girl. She started changing her clothes because she wants to wear skirts. She doesn't like pants, so maybe that's why she loves skirts. As long as she stays in her room, I'm ok with her changing. I am not ok with her waking up at 6:30 in the morning in the bathroom taking her poopy pull-up off by herself. Let's just say that is not the best way to wake up in the morning.

I've been in a blah mood lately. I don't know what's going on, but I just feel like I'm stuck and not going anywhere. Maybe it's all the driving, maybe it's Ricky being gone, maybe I have no idea. So sorry that this post is all over the place. I just don't know where to start or what to say. On a side note, I love this nice weather. We have been outside for hours the past 2 days. We love going on walks and playing outside. I can't wait for the weather to stay!

Water park

2011-04-04T20:58:00.005-05:00

Ricky is gone, so sad. We miss him so much! It's going to be a very long month. I am trying to keep our schedule busy, without over doing it. Thursday was a sad, but great day. After we dropped Ricky off at the airport, the kids and I headed over to my mom's work (she works about 2 mins. from the airport). She enjoyed showing the kids off and then we headed out to lunch. Dylan said that he wanted a hamburger, so he got McDonald's. He even got lucky and they had a great playplace! Mom and I got Noodles and Co. instead and enjoyed it while the kids ate their cheeseburgers. So much better! We then headed over to my parent's house for a little while. Mom took Ethan and Lauren on a bike ride (Dylan is too big!) and we all just hung out for the afternoon. For dinner, we went to Caraba's with the whole family to celebrate my mom's birthday! It was so yummy and great to spend time with everyone! I think I made it home by about 10! Luckily the kids stayed asleep and I could just transfer them to their beds.

Friday was a very low key day. I think all of us were in our pjs until about 4 or so! I had to get everyone dressed for date night, which I enjoyed some quiet time to myself! I had to get some milk, since we didn't have any for about 3 days!

Saturday morning, we headed to Shelbyville to spend the weekend with my sister. We met at IHOP for lunch to celebrate my sister's boyfriend's daughter's birthday. She turned 7! We ended up having 3 adults and 8 kids! Crazy! After lunch, we headed to an indoor water park in Plainfield. It was really fun, and despite being outnumbered, everyone did great. I think we are going to have to plan another trip to this place. The boys had a blast and played very well together. Lauren was attached to Crystal until we were almost done. I still don't get her! Ethan thought it was great fun to splash water all day! After dinner, we went back to Crystal's place to have pizza and put the kids to bed. They were all wired and didn't go to sleep until about 10:30!

Sunday was a great relaxing day. The weather was beautiful, so we went for a walk to the playground. The kids did great playing together. We had cake and ice cream to celebrate Jaz's birthday! Thanks for a wonderful weekend! I'll try to get the pictures off my phone soon! (I'm not as tech savvy as Ricky is!)

Today, we started to get back into the swing of things. Dylan had school, and I had an appointment. Ethan is learning to sleep where he can, since we are out and about when he wants to sleep! Poor little guy! Speaking of Ethan, he is ALMOST walking! I caught him taking 2 steps between the couch and the ottoman today! It is so exciting to see him progress! I can't think of anything else, so bye!

Birthday fun!

2011-03-29T19:51:00.006-05:00

Saturday, we had some family and friends over for a little birthday bash! I kept it very low key and just let the kids play. I have some pictures to download, but I don't feel like doing it right now. Here are the pictures of the madness!

Dylan's cool Transformer's cake! (He only ate a little icing off the cake, he didn't want a piece to eat! Silly boy!)Ethan LOVED his cake! Here is the progression of how his cake got demolished!Chole and Dylan BFFEthan had a blast!
The kids enjoyed the Cars pinata. They each took turns pulling the stings until the candy came out. I guess Ethan didn't like the candy so much!Grandma with some of the grandkids! So cute!
We found out on Friday that Ricky is going to South Dakota for about 6 weeks, with only a couple of days off. He leaves on Thursday and will be gone for a week. I am going to try to keep myself and the kids busy so the time goes by faster. It doesn't seem like it will be too long, but who knows. He is helping customers switch to AT&T and helping the employees learn the new system while he's out there. He is going to a small town called, Belle Fourche that only has 5000 people. It is only about 90 minutes from Mount Rushmore, so if he has any spare time there is something neat to see! I would love to see Mount Rushmore! It seems like everything is falling into place and he is going to have a good time. He will be missed a TON!

Ricky took the past couple of days off, since he will be gone most of April. We have really enjoyed spending some time together as a family. Dylan is on spring break from school, so it's been nice having something to do! Monday night we checked out a place in town called Snapperz. It is free from 5-8, so I thought it would be a great way to spend family night! It is like a mix of bouncy houses and McDonald's playplace. Dylan had a blast, and Lauren sat with Ethan, Ricky and I. She is still very timid around big places. I don't know exactly why, but it takes her such a long time to get into something. Right before we were ready to leave, she started playing on the gym. Silly girl! I'll update more as time allows in the next couple of weeks!

Ethan's one year stats and misc.

2011-03-23T21:26:00.008-05:00

Today we went to the doctor for Ethan's one year check up. Poor little guy had to get shots in both legs! Luckily he has some chubby thighs to get the shot in. Here are his stats:

Weight: 21 lbs. 11 oz.
Height: 29 1/4 inches
Head Circumference: 47.7 cm.

The little chubster lost weight and is taller than the last time we went in! (One of the many times he was sick and at the doctors office (which Lauren now calls the doctors house and asks me if we can go instead of going home). I am really sick of being sick and having sick kids. One of us has been sick almost every day of this entire winter. Not fun! Other than being sick, Ethan is growing up too fast! He is cruising along everything, not quite walking. He will let go and stand on his own if he is distracted. He is very mischievous. He likes to get into things like the cabinets, the bathroom, the pantry. He goes strait for the stairs if the gate is not up! The little stinker! He likes to be around others and is very determined. If he sees something he wants, he will do anything in his power to get it. He started waving bye and will mimic sounds. He is such a cute little guy!
One of the days he wasn't feeling good, he fell asleep on the floor by the couch. It was too cute! I took him up to his bed and he even stayed asleep! I love his chubby little cheeks!
Over the past couple of week, a few things have happened around here. I cut Lauren's hair. It was getting really long and stringy, so I evened it up in the back. I think I like her without bangs (as long as she will let me do her hair and it's out of her face).
Before:
After:
Speaking of cutting, I cut Ethan's hair, too! I was kinda scared that I would mess it up, but the back was way too long. I cut the back and then the sides looked like wings, so I trimmed them, too. It looks good, but he's going to need more cut soon! I'm sad that I didn't get a before and after picture, but I guess that's how it goes for the third kid. Sorry Ethan! I still love you!
Before:
After:
The Monday after Dylan's birthday, we invited a couple of his friends from school over for a play-date. He is always talking about Gabbie, Dylan K., and Alyssa from school, so I thought it was the perfect time to have them all over. It was really fun to see how the kids interact with each other. We had some cupcakes and the kids had a blast! It was a great little "party" (without actually throwing a party) for Dylan's 5th Birthday.

My parents came up here for dinner last Sunday and my dad and Ricky fixed the fridge. The water line in the back cracked all the way down, so I finally figured out which parts I needed and it got fixed! Yeah! I love having my ice maker back, too (just in time for summer)! Thanks dad! Love you!

We are getting to enjoy this nice weather. I think we spent the last 4 days outside walking, playing on the swingset, or jumping on the trampoline. Dylan and Lauren play really well together! I think this is going to be a great summer! Now if Ethan could just walk, we could all go outside all day long!We are ready for the nice weather to stay!

Happy 1st Birthday Ethan!

2011-03-22T15:42:00.006-05:00

Today, my little baby is turning one! I can't believe that it's been a whole year already! I don't know which is more traumatic, Dylan turning 5 or Ethan turning 1! We have spent most of the day just chilling at home. Ricky made some yummy pancakes for breakfast. I think Ethan ate 2! He is a great eater! I figured that since it was Ethan's birthday, we would let him take good naps at home today. He slept really well, and the kids had fun playing with his new toys!
We went to Chuck 'E Cheese to play some games after pizza at home. Luckily we didn't try to eat there, because a school had a fundraiser night and the place was PACKED! It was busier than a Saturday night! Crazy! We still had fun and Ethan enjoyed the rides! Dylan played the Jurassic Park game, so Ethan and I sat there with him. Ethan started laughing because the seat was moving! He laughed so hard he got the hiccups! So cute!
Can you believe that one token can keep all 3 kids occupied for a few minutes? Fun, huh!
We came home and let Ethan open his last 2 presents, some yummy yogurt bites and a new sippy cup! I love his cute little face in this picture!
Happy 1st Birthday to my cutest little one year old!

Happy 5th Birthday Dylan!

2011-03-12T15:13:00.006-06:00

(This picture was actually taken on Sunday. We got home too late on Saturday, so we had Transformer cupcakes after dinner on Sunday. I just love this picture, so I had to add it)
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I can't believe that my little guy is already 5! Time sure does fly by way too quickly! We have had a wonderful day celebrating! We started the day off by making blue pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Dylan picked it out! Then, he wanted to open his presents, so I told him he could open 2 at breakfast, 2 at lunch, and 2 at dinner. He was really excited. He got a transformer and some bakugan guys. He is really into them these days. He played with them most of the day.
After lunch, Ricky surprised him and took him to see Gnomeo and Juliet at the theater. Dylan is just like Ricky and LOVES to see movies at the theater. When they got home, I asked Dylan if he would rather go to Jump It (the old Monkey Joe's) or Chuck 'E Cheese and he picked Jump It. I had never been there, so it was neat to see the huge jumpy slides and bounce houses. Dylan had a blast and was sweating in the first 5 minutes of being there. Lauren was terrified and would not let go of me. Ethan loves seeing everyone and the big colorful bouncy things. I took Ethan into the smallest bouncy thing and Lauren joined us. She got up and bounced when no one else was in there. She didn't like other people bouncing her! Ricky and I got to enjoy the obstacle course with Dylan since they weren't too busy. It was fun to go somewhere new for Dylan's birthday. Dylan had a blast and was off as soon as we got there!
This is where Lauren, Ethan and I spent most of the evening. We still had fun!Everyone was hungry and tired after leaving, so we got some happy meals on the way home for dinner. Dylan got to open his last presents, a Tag reader and books, which he absolutely loves! It is great that it teaches him how to sound things out and will read to you. Great gift! It was a long day, but totally fun! Happy Birthday to my big 5 year old, Dylan!

Happenings

2011-03-11T15:24:00.005-06:00

Oh my gosh! All 3 of my kids are sleeping at the same time! I can't even remember the last time this happened! I almost don't know what to do with myself and all the quiet! J/K! I am blogging! It is really nice outside today, so I am in a better mood and happy! I love nice weather! I am so looking forward to spring and summer weather! I feel so cooped up in the house and don't know what to do (or don't want to do it, either way!). I am really ready for spring cleaning and getting rid of a ton of junk sitting around my house! I'm also looking forward to getting rid of these nasty runny noses that the kids can't get rid of!
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I've been in a decorating kick lately. (Pictures soon, still in progress!) Let me know if you have any good ideas! I would love them! We finally got the piece of wood for our entertainment center we bought back in January! One more piece and the whole thing will be put together. It has taken way too long to get this put together. (mostly because the box was missing a piece of wood! How does someone forget to put the wood in a box for a bookcase?) I love how it looks so far and I can't wait to get it done! I'm also working on a fun banner for birthdays. Hopefully it will be done for tomorrow! Now, on to the fun stuff!
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On Tuesday, Dylan got to drive a 4 wheeler for the first time! He is getting so big! I got a little video of it, but I haven't downloaded it from my phone yet. He had a blast! We went to my friend's house and the kids had so much fun playing outside. Ethan even did great and took a nap for me! Yeah!
Last week, Dylan and I went to school, where he will be going to kindergarten next fall. I can't believe that he will be going to school! I feel a little bit out of the loop with what to do to get him ready!
Lauren is still having her physical therapy once a month. She is doing great, but still needs to work on her muscle tone. Our next step is walking up and down the stairs with alternating feet. She will learn soon enough and is such a good trooper. Dylan loves to play with all of the "new" toys that her therapist brings to our house.
Ethan is almost weened. I am only nursing him twice a day. He started whole milk and seems to like it. The doctor said that the tubes are great and working well, so we are in the clear! Yeah!
Yesterday, Ricky and I got to go to the mall. I needed to get something for Dylan's birthday, and actually found a couple of shirts for me! I love bargains and I got 3 shirts for less than $10! And then I found some clearance shirts for $2.50 and jeans for $5 at Target! I love finding great deals especially when they actually fit me well!
The kids are starting to wake up, so I gotta go! Check back soon for pictures of the cuties!

New Computer room

2011-03-04T14:20:00.004-06:00

Ricky told me a few weeks ago that if I would buy paint, he would paint the computer room. Guess what happened last weekend? We have a beautiful new computer room! Yeah! I think Ricky likes it as much as I do! We also sold our old desk that was just taking up space, so now we actually have room in here! It's nice since Ricky is working from home some days. Here are the after shots:
It's kinda hard to tell in the pictures, but it's a green color that looks really nice with black. I am hoping to get some pictures on the walls soon to give it more of a homey feeling. What do you think?

February Pictures

2011-02-21T09:01:00.009-06:00

Here is the picture overload for the month! I am finally updating the pictures! We spent most of the month in our pjs around the house! So nothing fancy, just us in our everyday life!

We had a big box in the garage that has brought many hours of fun for the kids.
Here comes Ethan the Distructor to mess up what the other two are doing!
Dylan and Lauren love the bouncy house!
Ethan, not so much!
Ricky and I cleared the driveway of the ice/snow combo. I've never seen such thick ice all over the place. Good thing we had a regular shovel to break the ice into chunks!
Here is one of the many chunks!Despite being sick all month, Ethan was still a happy boy. I think he is teething, too, because he chews on EVERYTHING!Lauren is usually running around without pants on, with sunglasses on, and tons of silly bands bracelets. (This day she actually had her pants on!)
Dylan likes to sport his shades, too and show off his little toys of the day!
Ethan all smiles!Some afternoons were spent like this:While this one likes to sleep in our bed:And this one just doesn't like to sleep with all that fluid in his ears. Poor little guy :(
Ethan's newest toy: (or annoying hobby!) We have enjoyed this month together and are still all smiles!
Sorry for the overload, but I haven't been on here for a while with all my cute pictures!

February

2011-02-18T14:05:00.004-06:00

Why does time seem to go by so quickly? I feel like I've been in a funk lately. I don't seem to get much done, but I feel like I'm busy all the time. Maybe it's the three kids, maybe it's just me. I am really liking this nice weather. I think it helps bring my spirits up. It has been in the 50's around here most of this week. I think most of the snow is gone now. We went outside to jump on the trampoline and play in the snow yesterday. We were only wearing sweatshirts, too! Kinda cool! I have a few projects I am trying to get done, but keep getting setbacks. I just want to get them done! Hopefully we can get a few things done around here tomorrow!

Yesterday, Ethan got tubes in his ears. We have been battling ear infections since early December. After 5 rounds of antibiotics, we decided that tubes would be best for him. He is doing great today and is sleeping much better. Fingers crossed, they are going to make him feel a ton better without taking more antibiotics. I'm ready to have my good little guy back. He is getting so big! He is still crawling all over the place, including up the stairs. And man is he fast! Ricky and I were eating breakfast this morning and I asked where Ethan was. Next thing I know I hear him crawling across the floor in the upstairs hallway! He is very determined and will go after whatever he wants to get to. Ricky nicknamed him Ethan the Destructor!

Dylan is learning so much at school. For his valentine's cards, he wrote his name on all of them! I didn't even know he knew how to write his name last week and now he is writing it all the time! (That's one of the reasons he is in preschool and not being taught by me!) He also knows his right and left. I love how he is learning so much! He is such a smart little guy! I think he is growing, because he eats ALL the time! This kid can eat more than I do! I'm not looking forward to him being a teenager and eating us out of house and home!

After a few minor setbacks(sickness and UTI), Lauren is totally potty trained! Yeah! She is doing so well, other than wanting "a piece of moneys" for a jellybean from the jelly bean machine every time she potties. She is talking all the time, and very clear at that. We are still working on the whining, so we started a "whiny chair" in the kitchen. They have to sit in it until they stop whining. Lauren doesn't like it very well, so she stops whining fast. A friend gave me the idea, and I love it!

We had a wonderful Valentine's day. We spent time together as a family. Dylan asked for pizza, so we ordered a pizza and spent the evening just hanging. We had family home evening, which my kids are loving, and just goofed off. It was so nice! I think that's about all that's been going on with us! I am still trying to get back into updating my blog for my personal records. Maybe someday!

Snow days

2011-02-02T15:47:00.005-06:00

So, after being stuck in the house with sick kids for 2 weeks, we get a TON of snow and stuck in the house this week, too! I'm glad that my kids get along and don't get too stir crazy! It has actually been kinda nice spending so much time with my family. I have gotten some cleaning done, which always makes me feel better. Ricky is having a movie-marathon with Lord Of The Rings. Dylan thinks it's pretty neat, too. I'm not sure how much snow we got, but I know it's a lot! It was a pretty nasty storm that went through the area, but we didn't get it as bad as some. We got sleet and snow, with some strong winds. I think the drifting snow may have been the worst part. Luckily, we didn't loose power and have plenty of food and drinks to keep everyone happy. It's been a fun couple of snow days!
(By the way, we found out Friday that Lauren has a UTI. She is on antibiotics and doing much better. She had a fever of 101 for 4 days and we couldn't figure out why. We also found out that Ethan has a yeast infection on top of his ear infection and respiratory infection. Luckily, they are doing so much better this week. They have both even slept all night long for the past 3 nights! Yeah!)

Chicago and sickness

2011-01-25T15:38:00.006-06:00

This month has just flown by. Not the fast kind, the very slow let's take turns being sick kind of month. Last week, Lauren got the flu for the first time. Of course it had to happen on the day that I had MOPS and I was really looking forward to going! That's just life for you! Ricky was the only other one to get the flu, but Ethan had a sore throat and only wanted me, too. He had just finished his 3rd antibiotic for ear infections, so I was more paranoid and took him in. As of yesterday, he has a double ear infection, again, and an upper respiratory infection. Poor little boy. No wonder he only wants to be held all the time! (Not the easiest thing to do with a 22 pound boy!) Saturday and Sunday were not the best days for him. He was fussy all day and didn't sleep well all night. Last night, after starting another round of antibiotics, he slept 12 hours! Yeah! I really hope we can get over this sickness thing around here soon.

This past weekend, my mom came up here and went to the mall with me. It was really nice to get to spend some time with her and return some of the unneeded things we got for Christmas. It was really nice to not have to wait in long lines. It was a little stressful with all 3 kids. I guess part of it was Ethan not feeling well. After the mall, my mom took Dylan and Lauren home with her for the weekend. It was nice and quiet around here other than Ethan fussing. If only I wasn't breastfeeding, mom would have taken Ethan, too! Ricky and I put Ethan to bed and watched "The Social Network." It was really good and interesting (the movie about facebook). Sunday, we went to my parent's house for dinner and to pick up the kids. It was nice to spend time with family and to enjoy the quiet house for a little while.

2 weeks ago, Ricky had a conference in Chicago, so we all went with him. We thought it would be good to test out the hotel room with 3 kids to see how well they would sleep. They actually did very well. Ethan ended up sleeping with us in the king bed (I really want to get one of these! There is so much room!) and the other 2 slept together. While Ricky was in his training, the kids and I went to visit with a friend, Bobette, and her kids. We had a wonderful time and the kids played so well together. Bobette and I even got to make some really cute hair bows! Before we left Chicago, we HAD to stop at Ikea. I love that store! We finally decided on an entertainment center and have started putting it together! Yeah! I love it and it's not even all up! I am really looking forward to getting it all put together. I think it makes the living room look homey.

Ethan and ClarrahGlad we don't have a banister! They kids enjoyed it though.Ethan loved their dog, Zeus. Ethan would chase him around and try to play with him.

New Year

2011-01-08T20:14:00.007-06:00

Happy New Year! We had a wonderful New Year celebration with Ricky's family. We started out by going to Chuck 'E Cheese for some games and pizza. Then everyone came over to our house for some Kinect playing! We love our new Kinect! (Dylan can already get it set up by himself. He is really good at the games, too!) We danced all night long after Spencer's kids went home and most of the other kids went to bed. Here are all the Tate boy's kids.Goofy faces!Ethan and Keegan. Ethan is 3 months older than Keegan, but Keegan is bigger! They have the Tate trait for being big!
Ethan was so tired and this picture was too precious not to post!Dylan and Alex were watching a movie on the computer and I realized that Dylan was still awake at midnight. I had him come watch the ball drop and then we set off a few fireworks. It was low-key, but fun! New Year's day, we drove to my aunt's house in Illinois to celebrate Christmas with my extended family. It was great spending time with everyone again. I can't ever get too much family time! (Well, maybe with these crazy boys! j/k)It was fun trying to get everyone to smile! (Lauren wanted nothing to do with getting her picture taken!)Goofy faces was a lot easier!We spent this week getting back into the swing of things. Dylan started back at preschool on Wednesday. He was really excited to get back and I was ready for him to go. While he was at school, Ethan had his 9 month check up. Here are his stats:
Height: 28 3/4 inches (70th percentile)
Weight: 21 pounds 8 ounces (62nd percentile)
Head circumference: 47.3 cm. (92nd percentile)
He is such a big boy! He didn't have to get any booster shots, but while we were there I had him and Lauren get a flu shot. The doctor checked his ears, since he was finishing up on his antibiotics. He had a double ear infection this time. Poor little guy can't get rid of them! We started a different antibiotic, Omnicef, that is supposed to be gentler on his stomach (the Augmentin tore his stomach up). We are now trying to get rid of diaper rash on top of everything else. He is not sleeping well at all, which makes for a long week. Thanks to Ricky for helping out with the late night waking.
Lauren is going potty most of the time in the toilet. We are still working on not pooping in her princess underwear. I think I might have confused her with using pull-ups on the long drives. I don't want to have to wash the car-seat cover every time we went somewhere. She is in the do-it herself phase. She gets frustrated if she can't do it and screams. We are working on using words instead of crying or screaming. She also decided that she wants to walk up and down the stairs this week. She is still a little wobbly and can only use one leg without touching the ground, but it's a major improvement! She never ceases to amaze me!
We got the Christmas tree taken down today. I am happy to have my room back to normal. I loved having it up, but was sick of the mess it made in the house. I realized that I didn't have any pictures of the tree, so I snapped a few before we took it down.
Here are the stocking my mom made for the kids. I just love how the fireplace turned out!

December Catch-up

2010-12-28T22:11:00.010-06:00

This month has just flown by and I didn't get to write about it, so I apologize for this post being so long. I am going to try to remember most of it and post some of the cute pictures I got this month. So I'll start with December 4th. We got a lot of snow, and Ricky's leg was not healed all the way. I bundled up to shovel the driveway so we could get out and about. Dylan loves the snow and wanted to build a snowman, but the snow wouldn't pack. We managed to get a little tiny one out of some of the snow we shoveled out of the way. What do you think?
(Can you see him by Dylan's foot?) Here's a close up for you!
We were getting all of the Christmas decorations out, and we found some Santa hats. Ethan sported one while he was crawling all over the place.
Dylan loved his hat! Ricky, Ethan and I got sick with colds and spent the next week trying to recover. I lost my voice for the entire week! When Ethan didn't get better after a week, I took him to the doctor to find out that he had a double ear infection. Poor little guy! He never once pulled on his ears. I'm just glad that I took him in! After finishing his antibiotics, he still wasn't better. I took him back to the doctor on the 27th and found out that he still has an ear infection on his left side. We are trying a stronger antibiotic this time and hopefully we'll get rid of it! Dylan got to attend church with Grandma and Grandpa while the rest of us stayed home to get better. He was pretty excited about that!
On Friday, we watched kids for date night. The little girls were so cute all cuddled up with their blankets and sucking on their thumbs.
We ventured out in the rain/snow on the 11th to get a Christmas tree. It was freezing outside and we were all trying to recover from being sick, so we just got it at Lowe's. We went to breakfast at IHOP first to get my free birthday breakfast and the kids were so cute all bundled up. They were so good and enjoyed the adventures! Despite being sick, Ethan decided that he was a big boy and started pulling himself up to things. He has pulled himself up onto the fireplace and on the first step of the stairs. I don't think I'm ready for this! He will be walking before I know it! He was so proud of his accomplishment!
Ricky had a computer gaming party on the 17th, so I decided to take the kids to my parents house for the weekend. It was tons of fun, other than the drive down there. Dylan had to go to the bathroom, which is not fun when it's snowing and you have 3 kids. My parents were watching my nephews for the weekend, so there was a big party! We were admiring their heights and had them all stand next to each other. Brayden is 6, Dylan is 4, Landen is 4 (6 months younger than Dylan), and Lauren is 2. My kids are really tall! The kids had a wonderful time and my dad even watched the four of them so mom and I could finish our Christmas shopping! Thanks dad! (Christmas shopping was hard this year with Ricky's broken leg. I couldn't go with him on date nights, and he couldn't keep all the kids! I managed to get out with Ricky's mom once, but I got most of my gifts online this year. It was really fun getting packages in the mail!) Saturday night, my parents were gracious enough to watch all 5 grandkids so Ricky and I could go out to dinner for our anniversary. While we were at dinner, my parents took the kids to their church Christmas party. The kids got to see Santa! Yeah! Dylan wanted a Nerf gun.
Lauren and Ethan just stared at him. At least they weren't screaming! December 21st, it snowed a ton, so Dylan and I went outside to build a snowman. I think he turned out pretty well! Dylan was really excited about putting his rocks on the snowman and then putting a scarf around his neck! Dylan loves the snow and would be out there every day if I let him! He is so full of energy!
Tonight, we got to spend some time with Spencer's kids. Dylan and Lauren had a great time with their cousins. They live in Missouri, so we don't get to see them very often. We got Kinect for XBOX for Christmas and we LOVE it! It is like the Wii, only your hands are the controllers. It is great and Dylan even has a blast on it! We had fun with the cousins playing sports and dancing! Here is Noah showing off his moves!
While the older ones were playing, Ashlyn and Lauren were being cute! They had such a good time playing together. I forgot to tell you what the kids got for Christmas! (This is more for my records, so don't feel bad if you don't read it!) Dylan got a Batman set and a Nerf gun! He loves them! Lauren got a doll house and a baby doll. She enjoys playing by herself with the dollhouse. If only she could keep Ethan away from her! Ethan got a basketball set that plays music when you dunk it. It's adorable! I think he's going to be my ball player! Ricky and I got a new TV. Ricky has been wanting one for a while now, so we broke down and got it. I would like it better with a new entertainment center, but it's still great. (We were supposed to get the center first, but the TV was a great deal and snuck up on us first!) I think we have gotten to spend time with everyone that lives close to us! It has been a truly wonderful Christmas month!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T19:28:00.005-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas around here, thanks to amazing family and friends. On Friday night, we were invited to a friends house for dinner. It was so fun to spend time with some good friends and then we read the Christmas story with the kids acting some of the parts.We tried to get a group shot, but this is how it turned out. We almost got everyone! Thanks to Tamri for taking all the pictures!
When we got home, the kids got to open a present of pjs. They were so cute getting ready for Santa to come! Lauren was ready for bed if you can't tell by this picture!They were all much happier on Christmas morning. I didn't get any pictures of them opening their stockings, because Ricky was videotaping them. Oh well!Ethan's first Christmas! We have pictures of all 3 kids in this hat for their first Christmas! He was ready for his Christmas breakfast. Such a cutie!We had a tradition growing up to have the missionaries from our church over for breakfast on Christmas morning. Ricky and I decided to keep the tradition going. We had yummy pancakes and bacon. Yum! The kids really enjoyed having them here. It was such a nice morning.
Around 2, we headed over to Ricky's parents house for dinner and presents. Here are the four Tate boys. Kris, Ricky, (Alex wanted in and this is the only one of ten pictures where someone isn't making a funny face!), Jared, and Spencer.We were all there! Here's the proof!
Sunday morning, we woke up and headed to my parent's house for another Christmas celebration. We had a great day with all the family.
We had a great weekend with all of our family and friends. We hope you all enjoyed your holiday, too!

7 years and going strong

2010-12-20T15:02:00.003-06:00

Today is our 7 year wedding anniversary! I can't believe that it's been that long already! I guess if you throw 3 kids into the mix, time can go a lot faster! I have loved every minute with my wonderful hubby, and wouldn't change anything. We got to celebrate our anniversary on Saturday night, since that's when we got my mom and dad to babysit. We went to a new restaurant called Fogo De Chao in Indy. It is a Brazilian Steakhouse where they bring you as much meat as you can eat! It was soooo good! I loved it and think I ate more than Ricky did! I would defiately recommend the restaurant to everyone, although it is a little pricey. Very good place for a special occasion. Thanks for dinner, babe! I had a wonderful time!

December is always a busy month! Getting everything ready for Christmas, potty training a little girl, getting over sicknesses, snow, and so much more! Where to begin... Dylan's preschool did a little Christmas program. It was really cute and he even sang the songs this time. He has a fear of singing (even with a group) in front of people. What a great way to get into the Christmas spirit! Lauren is going potty all the time at home, and most of the time when we are out. She should hopefully be trained by the next week. I am working really hard on keeping her dry. It can be exhausting! Ethan is all over the place! He is pulling himself up onto things, like the stairs, couch, fireplace. It won't be long before he is walking! Ricky's leg it totally healed! Yeah! I can actually have him do things now! :) He just has to work on getting the muscles trained again. He is a great husband and helps out a TON around the house and with the kids! I couldn't ask for a better husband/father for my children. I have been busy baking cookies, I did another cookie exchange this year. I think I am going to make it a tradition. I love getting together with friends, and making cookies, so it is a win/win situation! I don't have much time for getting on the computer anymore, so I'll have to post pictures when I get some time (probably January).

Happy Birthday to me!

2010-12-03T14:06:00.002-06:00

I can't believe that I'm 28 years old! It seems like just yesterday I was turning 21 and getting married. Now I have 3 children and a busy life! Dylan had school in the morning, and then we met Jaime and her boys for lunch at Chick-fil-A. It was nice to spend time with her since they are moving to South Carolina in a few months. I sure am going to miss them! After lunch, we came home to 2 bouquets of flowers! One from my parents and one from my friend, Wendy. They are beautiful and I always love flowers! About an hour later, there was another bouquet of flowers delivered from Ricky. I guess that works out because 3 is my favorite number! Ricky brought home some yummy doughnuts and gave my my gift of a North Face jacket. I have always wanted one, so my sweet hubby got me one! Yeah! I love it and it definitely keeps me warm! We all went to Scotty's Brewhouse for dinner. (I got a coupon for a free dinner and dessert!) I now know why we don't go out to eat as a family very often. It was a little crazy, but it wouldn't be life if it wasn't crazy! The food was very yummy! Thanks for a wonderful day!
Yesterday, Dylan made me some cupcakes, since we didn't have any on my birthday! I enjoy celebrating and sharing time with my children. Dylan is growing up so fast! He doesn't usually remember what he learns at school unless I ask him specifics. He enjoys it, but won't tell me what he's learned. I've heard that it's a boy thing. He asked me in the car the other day when we are going to move. I have no clue where that came from, but he said that he wants a different colored house. To be a kid again!
Lauren is almost potty trained! Yeah! She wears her princess underwear when we are at home, and then princess pull-ups when we are out. She only had 2 accidents yesterday and one this morning, so we are doing pretty good! She just had her yearly exam for first steps. She is excellent in everything except gross motor skills. She is still having some difficulties with confidence and can't walk up the stairs. The therapist said that she can't stand on one leg and that some of her muscles still aren't strong. We will continue working with her therapist once a month to hopefully get her muscles strong. Lauren is a talker! When we take Dylan to school, she is constantly talking. She loves to play with Dylan, but is getting unsure of Ethan getting in her space. She is still trying to 'mommy' him by shoving his pacifier in his mouth or rolling him over. I guess that's the girl in her.
Ethan is all over the place! I set him down to go do something in the kitchen, and within a minute he is right there! He doesn't like to be left alone (maybe why he started crawling faster)! He loves to watch Dylan and Lauren playing. He even joins in sometimes. He takes 2 naps a day, which I love! Except for the first one is usually right when I need to leave to get Dylan from school. We are working things out! He also decided that he NEEDS to wake up to eat 2 times! I can't handle it for much longer. Ricky is hoping to help ween him from this bad habit when he can walk. He has a little cold, so I think I'll wait til he feels better.

Ricky is doing well. His leg is healing good and the doctor said that he can start putting a little weight on it. He usually doesn't use his crutches around the house. I'm sure that it feels good to get around without them!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-30T14:36:00.005-06:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. On Thursday, we celebrated with Ricky's parents and brother, Kris, and family. Dylan and Alex played all day long! They had so much fun together. We spent the day relaxing and enjoying some great food. On our way home, my friend called and asked me if I wanted to go shopping with them. I said sure, so we went out at 10pm to start our adventure. We went to Toy's R Us, but they were way too busy, so we went to Old Navy instead. We got some great deals there and enjoyed some girl time. On our way to Walmart, Ricky called to tell me that Ethan wouldn't stop crying, so I had to go home and feed him. I got him back to sleep and then went to Walmart to get the great deals. I had so much fun! I know, I know. I am one of those crazy black Friday shoppers!

Ricky had to work on Friday, so I hung out with the kids all day. It was nice to just stay home after not getting home until 3am! On Saturday, we headed over to Bloomington, Illinois to my aunt's house. We spent the weekend there with all my family and cousins. We had 29 people there! It was so much fun! There were also 13 kids with the oldest being 8! Talk about a full house! My grandma and grandpa also came, so it was so nice to see everyone!

I am thankful that I have a great family and that I can visit them often. I am also thankful that everyone gets along great! I love this time of year because I get to spend more time with the ones I love!

November fun

2010-11-24T15:11:00.006-06:00

Where has this month gone? I thought things would settle down a bit, but they seem to be getting more chaotic. I don't even know where to begin. We got our family pictures taken by a good friend of mine, Jessica Bateman. She did a wonderful job and I can't wait to get the pictures printed! We had a wonderful time and the weather was gorgeous! Thanks to Ricky for being a great sport and hobbling around the battleground with his crutches. I Love my family!

You can check the rest of them out at:

www.jessicabatemanphotography.com

What else... Ethan started crawling last week. He is all over the place! He stays close to the ground, but it won't be long before he gets up on his hands and knees. He is getting so big! I can't believe that he is 8 months old already! Time sure does fly by! He has 8 teeth now and still loves his food! Lauren isn't too fond of him getting around because he gets into her things. I hope they work things out!

Dylan is doing great at school. He learns so much and has a blast. Last week, they had their Thanksgiving program. It was so cute! Dylan just stood there while everyone else sang the songs. He knows all of them, he sings them around the house, but wouldn't sing them at the program. Silly boy!

Last night, we went to see Harry Potter. The movie was great, but we sure had an adventure after. I started the car and somehow the car decided to lock itself. It made a very long night! Thank goodness we were with friends who helped us get our spare keys from home. It was great to go see a movie, it had been forever since we had been to the theater.

Happy Halloween

2010-11-06T15:15:00.006-05:00

Only a couple of weeks late, but here it is! We went to the church trunk or treat on Saturday night. There was a great turnout and the kids had a blast! It was nice that Ricky could participate and help hand out candy! My parents helped me and the kids walk around. I forgot my camera, so we didn't get any pictures. Bummer. On Sunday, we went to a few houses around the neighborhood with our friends and my mom. Thanks to my parents for coming up here and helping out with the kids. It would have been really difficult to have all 3 kids by myself! My dad also fixed the hole in the wall while he was here! Yeah!Ethan was my little monkey!Dylan was GI Joe. (Gotta love the clearance section at Walmart after Halloween last year!) Lauren was a beautiful Barbie princess. (we had all of the making at home! Yeah!)Dylan loves his sister!
Here are our friends' kids. Dylan and his friend, Chloe.This is a tradition that I started with Dylan when he was a baby. On November 1, I get a picture of all the kids and their candy.
They got a lot this year! One of the perks of having lots of kids, I guess!
Dylan also got to dress up for his school Halloween party. He dressed up as Spiderman. Funny thing, when we got to school, the girl Dylan in his class was dressed up as Spidergirl. How fun!
Happy Halloween everyone!

Applesauce and sick kids

2010-10-19T20:07:00.005-05:00

Over the weekend, I went to my mom's house for a couple of reasons. Ricky wanted to have a LAN party at our house and I wanted to make applesauce with my mom. It was so much fun visiting with my mom and learning how to make and can applesauce. I have memories of making applesauce with my mom as a child. Dylan was looking forward to it all week! He kept asking me when we were going to grandma's house to make applesauce. He had a blast and was such a great helper! First, he washed and scrubbed the apples. Then, we cored them and cut them into pieces.Next, we cooked the apples and played while they were getting ready. After they were cooked, we put them through the masher aka. applesauce machine. Dylan helped by turning the handle

and by mashing them.Lauren even took her turn helping out! They thought the machine was really cool as it "pooped" out the skins. It got a thumbs up by all the kids! Yeah! Ethan even liked it! Overall, we made 20 quarts and 9 pints. It took all day, but it was well worth it! Thanks for your help mom! I love having food storage!This morning, I woke up to get ready for MOPS and Lauren had crusty eyes. I called the doctor to find out if it could be allergies, and they said that they needed to see her. I also asked about Dylan who has been waking up coughing at night, so I took both of them in. Lauren has pink eye and Dylan has a sinus infection. Guess we wont be doing anything today!

Festivals

2010-10-11T14:44:00.004-05:00

This past weekend, I went to the covered bridge festival with my mom. I was kind of hesitant to go after the experience we had last year. (Dylan burned his hand and had to pee every 5 minutes!) I only took Lauren and Ethan this time and it turned out to be a beautiful day. It got up to 90 degrees outside, so we were sweating like crazy, but I got some shopping in this year! I really enjoyed the nice scenery and the whole experience was great. It was just what I needed with this crazy, busy schedule. Thanks mom!

The weekend before, Dylan, Ethan, Ricky's mom and I went to the Feast of the Hunter's Moon. Like every year, the food was excellent. It was a beautiful fall day and we all had fun. Dylan got to pick out a toy and got a wooden sword. He thought it was pretty cool. The only downfall this year was the wait for the buses back to the parking lot. We had to wait for an hour and a half! Luckily the kids were great and we had a parade to watch. Dylan told us on the way home that he had a great time. That just makes the whole experience worth it!

We are all hanging in there. Ricky's leg looks about the same, so we have to keep getting x-rays for the doctor to make sure it's healing properly. His foot is still really swollen, but he can bend his knee and he gets around pretty good on crutches. I guess that's good, since he will only be walking with crutches until Christmas! I am keeping up with everyone. The hardest part of this whole thing is that Ricky is here, but he can't do the same things that he used to! I have a rough time with putting the kids to bed some nights. I miss having Ricky put the kids to bed. It was my relaxing time and now it is my busiest time. I guess it's partly because I have been chasing the kids around all day and they are usually a little hyper. It's nice that Ricky can hold Ethan while I'm putting the other 2 to bed!

Speaking of beds, Lauren decided to take her diaper off again yesterday morning. This time she had more than just pee and it was all over the bed. Yuck! I just carried her to the bathroom and put her in the shower. It was disgusting. I ordered some pull-ups, so maybe we should start using them instead of diapers. She is growing up too fast! Right now, she is sleeping in Dylan's bed. She said that she wanted to sleep there, so I said ok. She didn't get out of bed at all! I thought that she would try to play with all of the toys in his room, but she is out! Maybe we should put her in the toddler bed and stick with potty training. I just need to suck it up and stick with it.

Updates

2010-10-04T17:14:00.004-05:00

We have been busy around here. For those of you who haven't heard, Ricky broke his right leg almost 2 weeks ago. He plays basketball at the church on Wednesday nights and landed on someone's foot. He fractured his tibia, but the doctor said the best way for it to heal is time. He is not allowed to put any weight on his leg for 3 months. Poor guy. To make it even worse, he was trying to come downstairs on Saturday and fell all the way down. He was in so much pain I had to call 911. I thought he surely broke something else, but the x-rays showed that it was just the same fracture. He only sprained his ankle, luckily the same leg, and has rug burn down his back. He is just having a hard time with falling lately. The doctor thinks that it will heal just as good without surgery, so he just has to stay off of his leg. I guess he better get used to the crutches, because he will have to use them until Christmas!
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Dylan is keeping busy with school and playing with his friends. We have a couple of play-date swaps that I absolutely love! He enjoys having someone to play with when the other 2 kids are sleeping, and I love having some time to myself when he is gone. He is learning so much at preschool. He comes home and tells me all about his day at school. I love hearing about his day and what he has learned. Dylan has become quite the little helper around the house. He unloads the dishwasher, vacuums, helps with laundry, helps set the table, and clear the table. He got a wallet at a garage sale this summer and just thought it would be cool to fill it with money. (He gets a quarter for doing some chores!)
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Lauren is my little mom. If Ethan is crying, she will try to make him laugh or put his pacifier in his mouth. (She usually has it upside down, but she tries!) She is going to the bathroom at least twice a day now. She is so proud of herself. She still loves to play with her dolls and to wear jewelry. She loves to follow Dylan around and do/say everything that he's doing. Dylan usually likes it, but sometimes get annoyed with her. She doesn't usually like to watch TV, but she LOVES the Backyardigans. She asks for them all the time! She loves her princess music.
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Ethan is growing up so fast! He gets all over the place. He still really like food and screams if you don't feed him fast enough. He is almost sitting up by himself. He tries to catch himself if he starts leaning. He has 4 teeth now and is getting over a cold. Poor little guy. He started waking up in the middle of the night, which is hard on me. I hope he outgrows that phase soon!
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Me... I am keeping busy with everyone. There are some days that I don't think I get anything done, other than taking care of everyone. I am trying to keep up on the housework along with everything else, but the housework takes last priority. I am really enjoying the beautiful weather we have had. It's so nice to be able to go for walks and just get out of the house. I am so grateful to be a mother and love every minute of it!

Ethan is 6 months!

2010-09-28T18:31:00.005-05:00

Ethan is growing like a weed. He are his 6 months old stats:

Height: 26 1/2 inches 50th Percentile
Weight: 18 lbs. 4 oz. 65th Percentile
Head Circumference: 45.9 cm. 90th Percentile

He is such a good baby! He is usually content with whatever we are doing. I couldn't have asked for a better kid! He sleeps well, most of the time, and is a great eater. He started cereal and loves it! He eats so fast and usually is making noises for me to feed him his next bite before he even swallowed the bite in his mouth. He also eats his fruits and veggies really well. He usually makes a sour face for the first bite of veggies, but then he gobbles it down. He started rolling all over the place. He gets around very well! It won't be long before he will be crawling. He already pushes himself backwards and will push his belly off of the floor.

September 3 was the first time Ethan ate cereal. He hasn't stopped since then! (This is mostly for my records, but I thought he was cute!)

Lauren's appointment

2010-09-27T09:03:00.005-05:00

We had an appointment with a specialist in Indy 2 weeks ago. The doctor said that she has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Basically, she has very flexible joints and loose skin. The doctor said that she should be totally fine and that we are doing the right things with her. It was a big relief to find out what is going on with her. In other news, Lauren has decided that she wants to use the potty! Yeah! It has been a lot easier than it was to train Dylan. She even pooped in the potty! I just need to stick with it and keep her going. I think that's the hardest part. She decided to start taking her pants and diaper off during naps and bedtime. Little stinker. It makes a long day when I have to wash her blanket and sheet along with all the other laundry! She also wants to put her own clothes on. I guess she is ready!

First Day of School for Dylan

2010-09-09T13:30:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, Dylan had his first day of preschool. He was so excited to go! Too bad that Ricky had a meeting in Indy, because I had to wake the other kids up to load them up in the car and get Dylan there on time. Once I get things figured out, I think it's going to be a great thing for Dylan. He has so much energy all the time, and he loves to learn new things! I'm excited to see what he learns this year. Here are the cute pictures of Dylan before we left for school.Lauren wanted to get a shot in there, too!And Ethan decided to take a nap while Dylan was gone. I had to wake him up to go pick Dylan up from school! Poor third child!

Labor Day

2010-09-07T15:31:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful Labor Day weekend! I can't tell you enough how I love having my hubby home for the weekends! It's like a new life! We had a wonderful time on Saturday going to the Old Time Festival in North Salem. They had a wonderful parade that the kids loved and fair food! Yum! We got a tenderloin sandwich for lunch and then we got a funnel cake that was amazing! We met my parents and nephews there, and then my brother came, too! They also had little kid rides, which the kids loved! My mom insisted on getting the kids face painted, so Dylan and Landen were Batman for the day and Brayden was a saber-tooth tiger. They were awesome and the kids loved them! We had beautiful weather, so the day turned out amazing!
Sunday and Monday were lazy days! I finally got around to making some cinnamon rolls! I love them and could eat them everyday! We got a few things done around the house and got to visit with some friends that we haven't seen in a while. It was so nice to just hang out!
My life is going to get really crazy starting this week. Dylan starts preschool tomorrow. He is really excited. I am looking forward to it, but not the busyness of it. In other news, MOPS started today. I love it and the kids enjoy going to their classes, too! I think this year is going to be great! I am so grateful to have such wonderful friends who introduce me to such great activities!

(pictures to come when I figure out how to get them off of my phone!)

Forever!

2010-09-02T15:26:00.004-05:00

It has been forever since I have posted anything, sorry! I really want to get on here and record everything that is going on in my life, but as you can tell, my life is busy! What's new? Two weekends ago, we went to visit some friends in Chicago. It was so nice to have a relaxing weekend away with wonderful friends. Thanks for hosting us! I swore that I would take some pictures, but only got 2 of my own kids. I guess we were having too much fun! Lauren got her toe nails painted for the first time! It is too cute! She shows everyone her pretty toes! Ricky just updated our computer and we are having difficulties with the memory card from our camera, so I'll have to post the pictures later.

Monday, I felt horrible. I thought it was just allergies, which I have been having for the past 2 weeks. I decided to go to the doctor to see if they could do anything else for me, and I found out that I had a sinus infection on top of my allergies! I felt like I got hit by a truck! It was horrible! Luckily Ricky was working from home that day, because I literally could not get off of the couch! The antibiotics seem to be working, but the allergies are still there. I hate allergies!

Today we got to visit Dylan's new school! Yeah! He starts next week at Federated Preschool. I am so excited for him to learn more and he can't wait to go! He asked me on the way there if he could take his sleeping bag and sleep over! Silly boy doesn't even have a sleeping bag! He is that ready to go! I think he will have a blast and has already picked up so much new information in just the past few weeks! He amazes me all the time!

Lauren decided that she needs to start taking her diaper off when she wakes up from bed. (Not just the diaper, but her pants, too!) I don't know where this came from, but I am annoyed with it already! I think I might have to get some duck tape to keep her diapers on when she goes to bed. Maybe she is telling me that she's ready to be potty trained. Any good advice?

Ethan has turned into a fussy boy! I know it's just because his teeth are coming in, but it is hard on all of us! He has his bottom two teeth about half way in. They are really hurting him, because he is just uncomfortable all the time! Poor little boy! He is still my little chubby baby and I love it!

Horses

2010-08-12T14:50:00.004-05:00

Today, we got the opportunity to ride horses with some friends in MOPS. The kids had a wonderful time other than it being really hot! Ethan was so good and didn't cry at all! I was really surprised because he usually doesn't like being hot! Look at my big girl! She was so brave! At first she was a little scared, but after petting the horse, she didn't want to get off! Dylan had a great time, too! He said he didn't want to ride it at first, but he had a blast when he got on the horse! We had a wonderful time with our friends, thanks again!

Wisconsin Part 2

2010-08-12T14:07:00.009-05:00

For Saturday and Sunday, we spent time with my cousin, Dale, and his family. They were so hospitable and showed us around town and even fed us dinner. We had a wonderful time exploring the Madison Zoo, which by the way is free. (Indy Zoo if you would like to take a hint!) It was really nice and the weather was beautiful! The zoo is right off of the lake, so there was a cool breeze all day!
Dylan, Catie, and Lauren took a break in this cool bench! I don't think I've ever been that close to a rhino before!Owen and Lauren shared the stroller. It was cute!After naps at their house, we went to see Dale's work. He works for Epic Software and his office/ campus is AMAZING! I've never seen anything like it in my life! They have themed conference rooms and buildings and they are awesome! I wouldn't mind working somewhere like that everyday! Absolutely everything in the room goes along with the theme. The coasters, the trash can, the cabinets, the lighting, the chairs, even the ceiling! They had an Indiana Jones hallway that plays music when you enter, Grand Central Station, an airplane hanger, a circus room, a log cabin room, an arctic room, and so many more that I can't even remember! They also have themes for the entire buildings. My cousin works in the Wild West, so everything is western. Even the elevators and bathrooms go along with the theme! In his building, the bathrooms doors were swinging doors like they use to get into an old saloon. It was better than some museums that I have been to! If every company made their employees feel like they do at Epic, there would be a ton of happy employees!
Here is a lobby when you enter one of the buildings, they have 8 as of now! This was in the log cabin conference room.The arctic room.
The tree house that is a conference room, too! They have internet access and everything out there to have a conference! The subway in the New York building! They have the subway as the ground level, the first floor is downtown, and the second floor is the skyscrapers. The airplane hanger room.We had such a great time and I couldn't believe how amazing this campus was! So awesome! Thank for showing us a great time and around your work!

Wisconsin Dells Part 1

2010-08-09T15:49:00.010-05:00

For Christmas last year, my parents wanted to take the whole family on a vacation to the Wisconsin Dells and to an indoor water park. We went this past week to do both! It was so much fun! We stayed at the Wilderness Resort and it had 7 water parks! 4 were outside, and 3 were indoors. Even though it was nice outside, we mainly opted for the indoor ones with the little munchkins. I didn't want them to get overheated or too much sun! We had a blast and the kids slept very well the first 2 nights! They were absolutely exhausted!Here is one of the indoor parks. This is just part of the play area for kids. They also had water slides that went out the back in tunnels and a smaller play area for little kids.
Here is the little kid part. They loved the water slides!Thanks to my mom, we got a picture of our family! Dylan went down this slide a ton! It was just his size!Ethan even had fun in the little bouncy swings! His feet would bounce in the water!Lauren did everything she could to stay awake! She couldn't miss anything! She would use grandma or grandpa as an excuse to stay awake. She definitely got spoiled while on vacation!We would take turns riding on the big slides. This one was pitch black the entire way! We also rode on the Tornado and the Black Hole. I got a bruise on my bum from the Tornado, but it was awesome! You go into this huge spiral and go all the way up the sides of the tube. The Black Hole was not quite as good and was compared to a toilet bowl, so I'm told. I was too sore to ride that one, but everyone said it was pretty good!
Ethan would just sleep anywhere! He is such a good baby! Especially since his first tooth broke through on Friday! That explains all of the drooling!Dylan being mischievous!Dylan really wanted to do the bumper boats, so grandma gave in and let him ride with dad!He got so tired that he just sat in the chair and fell asleep! Too cute! They had amazing decor in the parks. This one even had bananas growing on the tree!
They also had this really cool indoor playland that was 4 stories high!My mom and I took Dylan and Lauren to play in it! It was really neat! You could shoot balls (soft foam) from the upper stories at people below. It also had all kinds of obstacles to get around. Not made for adults, but the kids had a wonderful time!Dylan was showing his funny face in this one! Going down a slide.After we were done with the water parks, we went on a DUCK tour. It was so awesome! They are very old machines that they used in wars that go on land and water. It was amazing to see the beautiful land and water and to get the opportunity to ride on the Duck. Lauren and Ethan loved it so much that they fell asleep!
We drove through this gorge!And went for a ride on the lake!We had such a wonderful time and this was just the first 2 days! Stay tuned for part 2 coming soon!

Fun weekend

2010-08-02T13:45:00.006-05:00

This past weekend we had some fun times. Friday night was my nephew's birthday party at the Indiana Downs Horse race track. Dylan was so excited to see all the horses. I took some pictures on my phone, because I forgot my camera, but I don't know how to add them right now. I'll have to have Ricky help me with that later! We had a really good time! For the party, the birthday boy, Brayden, had a race named after him. They took us to the winner's circle to watch the race and then to get a picture with the horse that won his race. Then we got to go to the announcer's box and see what he does. It was really interesting and we had a good time! They were racing horses with the little carts behind them, so it was different than I had seen before. After the party, grandma took all 3 boys for a sleepover. They had a blast and got along really well!

Before we left for Indy on Saturday morning, Lauren was being really cute and posing, so I got a few great shots of her. (Who needs the runway when you are this cute?)Saturday, we went to the Children's Museum in Indy. We have a year pass, so we figured we should take advantage of it and enjoy the museum. My mom brought the boys there to meet us. It was a very busy, but fun day! We had 3 adults and 5 kids! We had a great time and didn't even get to see everything! We started off in the Rock and Roll exhibit. The kids had fun dressing up and riding the motorcycle.Then, we headed over to the Barbie exhibit. The boys weren't too thrilled to go in there, but we needed to see it before it's gone. Lauren had a blast! She loved all the pink.

Dylan and Landen had a good time for a little while! The boys wanted to sit in the race car, so we waited in line for each of them to have a turn.

We then headed over to the playscape. They all had a really good time in there. Dylan went fishing.

The boys drove the train cars.Ethan was even happy (after he got some mommy's milk)!Lauren loved the sand!And daddy had fun watching it all happen!Sunday morning, Lauren woke up not feeling so well. She had a low grade fever and was coughing. I don't know where it came from, but she's the only one with it. Hopefully she will get over it soon and not pass it to anyone else since we are going on vacation on Thursday!

Cute boys!

2010-07-21T15:36:00.004-05:00

I bought the boys these really cute shirts when I was pregnant and the boys finally got to wear them! They are adorable! Ethan's says, "I'm the little brother" and Dylan's says, "I'm the big brother."

They were so cute! Do you think they look alike? I get mixed answers! I think they have the same mouth and nose, but Ethan has a rounder face. Let me know what you think!

Lauren's little party!

2010-07-21T15:17:00.006-05:00

We had a little cookout for Lauren's birthday. We only had my parents and Ricky's parents over, so it was very small. We had a wonderful time and the kids loved getting spoiled by the grandparents! I wanted to post the great pictures that we got!My mom made this very adorable dress! I love it and it looks so cute on Lauren! Thanks mom! Thanks for all the wonderful gifts and for celebrating this wonderful day with us!

Check up time!

2010-07-16T22:16:00.013-05:00

Today, we went to the doctor for Ethan's 4 month and Lauren's 2 year check ups. It just worked out that they could both be done at the same time! Yeah! Only one trip to the doctor! They both had to get shots at their appointments, which I was grateful to have Ricky there with me! Thanks honey! They both did great and only cried for a minute. I can't believe how fast my family is growing!

Here are Ethan's stats:
Weight: 15 lbs. 4 oz. (75th percentile)
Height: 24 3/4 inches (50th percentile)
Head Circumference: 43.4 cm. (75th percentile)
Ethan is getting so big! I love the chub! He is by far the biggest of my children! I think it is adorable! He just found his toes this week and loves to hold them. He also rolled over for the first time! He is growing up way too fast! He is such a wonderful baby! He sleeps through the night and only cries if I don't get him fed fast enough! He loves his swing and sleeps in it during the day. At night, he sleeps in his bed. He will even put himself to sleep! He is our little chubster!

Here are Lauren's stats:
Weight: 27 lbs. 3.2 oz. (50th percentile)
Height: 35 1/2 inches (95th percentile)
Head Circumference: 49 cm. (50th percentile)
Lauren is such a princess! She is into headbands, necklaces, wands, babies, bottles, blankies, and strollers. She takes her babies to bed with her and has to feed them their bottle before she can go to bed. She also had to have a baby blanket for her baby. She is going through a 'mommy' stage. She only wants me to put her to bed. I really hope she outgrows this soon, because Ricky enjoys putting the kids to bed since I am with them all day! She loves to scream, sometimes to try to get her brother into trouble. She does play well with Dylan and enjoys copying him. It isn't always the best thing, but oh well! Dylan tries to get her into trouble sometimes, too! Overall, they love each other and play well. Lauren definately has an attitude. She will tell you how it is in her own little way. I was trying to figure out what she was saying the other day, and she got mad at me for not understanding her. I figured out a few days later what she was trying to tell me. Sorry! She really likes shoes and wants to wear them everywhere. She will get mad and throw herself onto the floor if she can't get them on. Dylan will even try to help her, but she doesn't want his help! We are trying to teach her to communicate instead of throwing a fit! She is just so stinking cute!
I guess I should do an update on Dylan so he doesn't feel left out! He is loving summer. My neighbor runs a daycare out of her home and has kids outside all the time. Dylan is asking me everyday if he can go play with them. It is nice to have someone for him to play with. He is going to start preschool in the fall. I think he will love to have the social interaction. He is my little social butterfly! He asks me every night, "what are we going to do when I wake up?" We are doing a lot of play dates to keep him busy this summer! He just finished his swim lessons today. He had a blast and did an excellent job! I am so proud of all that he accomplished! He also decided that he needs to wake up at like 6 in the morning. We send him back to bed until at least 7, but I still can't figure out why he wants/needs to wake up that early! I guess I need to go to bed earlier so that I can get up with him and spend some time together. He is a great kid and we love him dearly!

Lauren turned 2!

2010-07-16T22:16:00.007-05:00

Lauren turned 2 on Wednesday! I can hardly believe it! She is growing up way too fast! I couldn't think of what to do for her birthday, and Ricky had the best idea! We celebrated by going swimming at the Happy Hollow pool as a family. Lauren loves the water and had a blast! She got a toy kitchen and some princess accessories for her birthday, which she loves! She wears the shoes all the time and she is always wearing a necklace or headband. She is turning into a girlie girl! Yeah! (Thanks to my friend Jaime who made the wonderful announcements to send out! I love them!)We had to do presents and cupcake after the pool, because we got a late start, but oh well! (That's why Lauren isn't wearing any clothes!) She didn't seem to mind!

Happy Birthday to my special princess! We love you!

Ethan's pictures

2010-07-13T21:20:00.004-05:00

A friend of mine started a photography business and used Ethan as a model. She did an excellent job and I love all of the pictures! I didn't post any of the pictures on here, so I wanted to go back to April and show you some! Here is the link to the photos. Thanks again for taking such wonderful pictures!

http://www.jessicabatemanphotography.com/2010/04/baby-ethan.html

4th of July (a bit late)

2010-07-13T20:34:00.008-05:00

I'm not doing a very good job of keeping up with my blog. Life is just keeping us busy all the time! I wanted to do a post for the fourth of July, but didn't get a chance. So here goes! We had a busy weekend planned and were really looking forward to seeing the fireworks. My mom came up here on Friday to pick blueberries with me. Then Saturday morning we were going to go with her to the Brownsburg parade. I thought it would be lots of fun for the kids. Dylan decided that he needed to get sick instead. I'm pretty sure he had the flu because he was throwing up all night long. Ricky and I took turns staying up with him and my mom helped out with the other kids, thankfully! Poor Dylan was so bummed about not getting to go see the fireworks. My dad was going to shoot some off with his friend (some amazing ones that he got from a friend) and we were planning on going to see them. My mom ended up taking Lauren for the night and we stayed home to let Dylan recover. On Sunday, we went down to my parent's house for dinner. We cooled off by going for a swim before the fireworks. This is the only pictures I got on the 4th!
Then, we went over to one of my parent's friends house to shoot more fireworks off. It was lots of fun, other than the millions of mosquito bites we got (we even sprayed repellent all over our bodies and clothes!). Poor Lauren got eaten alive! She had about 20 bites which are now scabs. She will not stop picking at them, so she has "ouies" all over her legs that keep scabbing up and then bleeding again. How do you get an almost 2 year old to stop picking at scabs? I would love some advice because we are going through bandaids like no other! She is still a little cutie!

Dylan started swim lessons last week, so we have somewhere to go Monday through Friday for 2 weeks! It's really nice to get out of the house, and Dylan loves to go. He is doing a great job learning new things and will now put his head under water by himself! I'm so proud of him! He asks me every night what we are doing tomorrow. I guess he just has to prepare himself overnight for swimming!This past weekend, we went to my mom's side family reunion. It was so much fun seeing all of my cousins and their kids. There are 6 grandkids, 3 spouses, and 10 great grandkids! All from just my mom and her sister! It's great how fast families can grow! Speaking of growing, we went to the Pizza Hut buffet the other night and the hostess asked how many. I said 5 and then it hit me, we are a family of 5 now! How crazy! Then the waitress asked how old the kids were. I told her 4 and 1 (not including Ethan!). Until tomorrow, I have a 4 year old, a 1 year old, and a 4 month old! Crazy!
Here are the my grandparents and all 10 great grandchildren.
The entire familyMy family

My sister with her favorite niece (we can say that because she is her only niece)!Best buds (Dylan and Brayden)

Last Thursday on Ricky's day off we went to see Toy Story 3. We took all the kids and they did great! It was Ethan's first movie and I think he slept through most of it! It was really fun to do something spontaneously with my growing family!

We went with some friends to Chuck 'E Cheese today. The kids had a blast. Lauren was even riding the rides! Yeah! They have both come so far from the first time they went! It wore the kids out and they were all three sleeping when we got home! We might have to go there more often!

Still June

2010-06-30T14:48:00.007-05:00

Where has this month gone? Time is just flying by so fast. What has been going on? Well, we have been very active this summer, and I'm sure that July will be just the same if not worse. We have been to the Indy Zoo, the Columbian Park Zoo, the pool, the park, visiting with family, and I can't even remember where else. We are definitely having a great summer!

Dylan decided that naps are no longer needed. I feel like I am spending more time fighting him to take the nap than it's worth. Although at this moment, I have all three kids sleeping! This is a very rare occasion, and I don't expect that it will happen again any time soon! I am definitely enjoying the peace and quiet! Dylan is very active and is always looking for something to do. He is starting swim lessons next week to help get some energy out. We go for walks and play games and jump on the trampoline and ride bikes, but he still has more energy! I guess it's just because he's a boy. He is doing better with foods. I finally got him to eat grapes. He said that he likes the gummy center. Whatever works! He loves to play with Lauren, which is good until Lauren decides that she wants to be left alone. For the most part, he is an excellent big brother!

Lauren is doing great. She is growing like a weed! She will be 2 next month! She is doing great with her therapy. She is showing improvements all the time. She takes great naps for me! She usually sleeps about 3 hours in the afternoon! I can't complain! Her 2 year molars are coming in, so she has been a little crabby lately. She likes to scream, so we are working on that one right now. She has mosquito bites all over her (she must have sweet blood) and started picking at them. We had to put band-aids over them so that she would leave them alone. She then walks around all day pointing to the band-aid and saying "owie." She talks like crazy. It is really fun to be able to understand what she is trying to say now. She is such a good eater! She loves most fruits and veggies. She is a great little girl!

Ethan is three months old now! I can't believe how fast time has flown by! He is still my little chubby baby! I LOVE it! He weighs a whopping 15 lbs. already! We don't go to the doctor until next month for his official stats. He is growing like a weed! He doesn't want to just sit in his swing anymore. He wants to play with toys or be entertained! He really likes his bumbo seat (he can see what Dylan and Lauren are doing). He is a great baby! He sleeps 10 hours at night and most days he will take a 3+ hour nap! I am a very blessed mommy!

Well, the kids are starting to wake up! I gotta get back to mommy mode! I'll leave you with some of the reasons why I love being a mom! These moments make it all worth it!
Man I love these kids!

Garage sale

2010-06-15T15:48:00.003-05:00

I ventured to the store for the first time with 3 kids today! It was pretty good other than the occasional hitting. (By both Lauren and Dylan) Gotta love the sibling rivalry! They had a cart that holds 2 older kids on seats, and Ethan was in the basket part. I didn't have much room for groceries, but that's ok. I only needed milk. As long as the kids are fed, I think I can do it again! I used to go to the store all the time with the kids, but having 3 can make it a lot more difficult!

We had the garage sale on Saturday. It was ok, but we still have a ton of stuff left. I have a load to take to goodwill, and then I'm listing some things on Craigslist. I hope to get rid of it soon so I can park my van in the garage again! It was fun visiting with my friend Stephanie and my mom, thanks again for your help! I really appreciate it! Funny story: One of the toys didn't sell, so Dylan wanted to keep it. I took the sticker off the toy and put it on his shirt. He looked at me funny and said, "Mom, you can't sell me at the garage sale!" I couldn't help but laugh!

I got an I-phone last week. I absolutely LOVE it! If only I could blog on it, I would be set! I think it's funny how Dylan knows how to do everything on it! He's only 4! Lauren even knows how to unlock it! Kids and electronics!

Chicago

2010-06-08T15:25:00.005-05:00

Ricky had a meeting in Chicago yesterday, so we took the weekend off and headed up there with him. It was so nice and relaxing! (I know, Chicago and relaxing usually don't go in the same sentence!) We spent Sunday with my good friend, Bobette and her family. We had a cookout and then just hung out for the day! It was so nice to catch up with them! Thanks for having us! Then Monday morning, Ricky had a meeting. The kids and I hung out at the hotel until he got done. Then we headed over to Portillo's for lunch. Yummy Chicago dogs! And then to IKEA! Yeah! I love that store, and even more-so when Ricky lets me have some fun! I didn't go crazy this time, but I had so much fun looking at everything! I already put the toy chest together this morning! After IKEA, we headed to a park to let the kids play before the long drive home. We ordered a pizza from Giordano's for the ride home, too! Their pizza is the best! We had so much fun and everyone was in a good mood! Yeah! I guess this was Ethan's first mini-vacation, and I didn't take any pictures. What's wrong with me? I was too relaxed and having too much fun!The kids didn't sleep very well while we were gone, but made up for it today! Lauren slept until noon! And they went to bed at 9 last night! Great for me, too!

Now, I have to get ready for the garage sale on Saturday! I love having a garage sale! If you are in town, stop by and see if you need anything! Other than that, we are having a great summer! Dylan is enjoying our new trampoline with his friends, Lauren enjoys it by herself, and Ethan just loves his swing!
Some random things that I just remembered and wanted to post:
Our fish finally died last week. He was a 9 cent goldfish from Walmart that Dylan got for going #2 in the potty almost 2 years ago! I couldn't believe that he survived that long! We would be gone for 3 days, and he was fine! I guess he was just strong willed! Dylan got to flush him down the toilet, and he thought it was pretty cool!

Dylan finally got his bike fixed. He loves to ride it all the time. He is getting so big!I thought this picture was really cute!
Dylan has also really enjoyed squirt guns this summer. He asks for them all the time! We started doing a play date swap and it is so nice. Dylan enjoys playing with his friend, Byron, and then I get some time to get things done without him needing something to do! We got the baby pool blown up for the kids to enjoy last week, too! Lauren was the only one to stay in it! She loves the water! She just splashed away while Dylan would run through it.

Ethan's 2 month

2010-06-03T21:06:00.003-05:00

Last Thursday Ethan had his 2 month check up. He is getting so big! Here are his stats:

Height: 22 3/4 inches 50th percentile
Weight: 13 lbs. 0 oz. 75th percentile
Head Circumference: 41 cm. 75th percentile
He is definitely my big boy! Lots heavier than my other two kids, and shorter! I think it's really cute, though. I love having a little chubby boy!

Fun Filled Weekend

2010-06-02T13:41:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderful Memorial day weekend. My parents came up on Sunday and stayed Monday, and then Ricky's parents came over on Monday night. We wanted to get the swing set put together, but the stupid company didn't include any of the hardware. (This is the second time we had this problem. Once with the tower, and once with the swing beam.) It has become a bigger hassle than it's worth. So, we have the tower set up in the back yard, but still no swings. My dad and Ricky spent all morning putting it together. Thanks boys! Mom and I went to the store and got some flowers. We got them planted just before it started pouring down rain! They look so good, but I have a few more to finish. I spent the last week outside weeding the flower bed, so now I get to enjoy the beautiful flowers! We also got a trampoline with a safety net this weekend! Yeah! It has been so much fun already! We love it! It only took a long time to set up, but totally worth it! Thanks everyone for your help!

Wonderful children

2010-05-25T15:01:00.003-05:00

I can't tell you how grateful I am for my wonderful children! I love them so much and it's times like this that make the hard times more bearable! Hope you are having a great day enjoying the little moments in life that make it all worth it!

Ethan's Blessing

2010-05-25T14:57:00.010-05:00

Sunday, we had the opportunity to bless Ethan at church. The weather was nice (a little humid) and all of our family that lives close came to participate. I can't tell you how blessed we are to have both families close to us. Ricky did a wonderful job on giving the blessing and he had his father, my father, and his brother, Kris, helping out. It turned out to be a wonderful day!

Our beautiful family!

My side of the family.My handsome little man!My brother Jarod. Ricky's brother Jared and his girlfriend, Halley.

Ricky's brother Kris, Joanna, and Alex.Ricky's side of the family.After a long, hard day, Ethan at rest. He loves his swing!We had everyone over for a cookout after church. It was so nice visiting with everyone. Thanks to everyone for making the day special for Ethan and our family!

Dentist

2010-05-20T15:33:00.005-05:00

We had our bi-yearly visits to the dentist this week. I went on Monday and then Ricky and Dylan went on Wednesday. Dylan was so good for his visit. He came home with a toy, toothbrush, and toothpaste for both him and Lauren! What a thoughtful little boy! I am so glad that he thinks of Lauren even when he just had his teeth cleaned with fluoride! After he got home, he was very thirsty, but couldn't have anything for an hour. Poor kid was asking every minute (or so it seemed) for something to eat or drink. I'm glad that he does good at the dentist, because some kids don't like it there. I just wanted to post this so that I have a recording of Dylan being nice to Lauren!

The other day we got some M&M's for really cheap, so I told Dylan that we could make some cookies with them. He was really excited and reminded me two days later! He loves to eat the batter (just like his momma!) if you can't tell by his face!

Lauren saying cheese.

Ethan being a ham! He is getting so big! We tried to get a picture of him smiling. This is the best we got.

He started drooling all the time. I don't know if he's teething, or if he just doesn't know how to swallow his saliva. Still cute!

Catch-up

2010-05-17T14:09:00.004-05:00

I am so far behind on blogging! Sorry! I guess that's what 3 kids will do to you! I really do have my hands full with them, but I wouldn't change it for the world! I feel so blessed to have 3 wonderful kids. I guess I should do an update on each of them. Here is the first family picture that we got! I can't believe that it took 6 weeks to get a picture of all five of us!

Ethan- he is 8 weeks old today. I can hardly believe it. He sleeps really well and eats a ton! He is growing fast and I think he might be my little chunky baby! (I'll find out next week at his 2 month appointment how much he weighs.) He sleeps a 7 hour stretch and then a 4 hour stretch at night and naps frequently throughout the day. I guess he has to be a good baby since I am still looking after his big brother and sister! He loves noises like the bathroom fan, chirping noises from his swing, the blow dryer, and the vacuum. He likes his swing and loves to be cuddled! He enjoys being in his carrier if I am walking. He usually falls asleep in it!

Lauren- she is growing fast, too! She will be 2 in July, but has already started the attitude and tantrums. She will throw herself onto the floor and cry because she isn't getting what she wants. I have to be careful who I scold when she screams, because half of the time it's her not getting her way. Dylan isn't even close to her! Silly girl! She is just testing her limits. She loves to read before bed, her favorite book right now is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?". She talks a TON! We are working on saying please. That's a hard thing for a 2 year old! She is full of energy and loves to mimic whatever Dylan is doing. She is still working with her physical therapist on walking. She is doing great with walking all the time, but still has issues with her core muscles. We are working on strengthening them. We did cut back to twice a month instead of every week. She started the spring out by screaming every time we put her on a swing, but now will ask to sit on them. It's because of her fear of motion. It all goes back to her core muscles, so hopefully she will outgrow this fear. She loves her baby brother and is always in his face saying, "Hi, baby!".

Dylan- he is full of energy and loves to talk. He is learning so fast! He will hear me say something and come back the next day and repeat it! He is a good big brother and tries to help Lauren do things. Too bad she usually doesn't want his help. He helps me out around the house and loves to cook! I can't do anything in the kitchen without him coming to help me! He also loves to play outside. I can't wait to get our new swing set up so he can play on it! He enjoys walking to the library to get books and movies. He loves to play computer games. He is always asking me to play! I guess they aren't that bad if they are educational, right? He is always hungry, but won't eat most fruits and veggies. He actually ate grapes the other day! That is a big improvement for him! He is a great kid!

Melissa- I am coping with having 3 children under 5. I have my good days and bad days. It is getting easier and I love spending time with my children! I am trying to keep up with the housework, but my kids are my priority. I keep reminding myself that the kids will grow up, and the housework will still be there! I have my productive days, and then some days where I get nothing done. Last week, I did 8 loads of laundry in one day! The kids were a great help. I love being a stay-at-home mom! I am getting back into couponing and saving money. It makes me happy to save money!

Ricky- he is really busy with work. He has taken over the mall kiosk as their manager, so he hasn't been around as much. He loves playing with the kids when he gets home, even though he is exhausted. He is going to be finishing up with school in either December or May, depending on when the classes he needs are offered. He is doing a great job of supporting our family and we love him very much! He still enjoys playing his computer games when he gets the chance!

I can't believe that I actually had time to write all of this in one sitting! Ethan is just now waking up and crying. Hopefully it won't be as long before I get a chance to write again!

Ethan's first bath

2010-05-13T16:20:00.003-05:00

On April 14th, Ethan got his first bath in the tub. He really likes them and usually falls asleep after. It is really cute. I know I am really far behind on this, but I wanted to post the pictures of my little cutie in the tub.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-10T19:33:00.008-05:00

Reasons why I love being a mom:

This was my Mother's day gift, and I loved it! We had a wonderful day, thanks kiddos!

Happy Birthday Ricky!

2010-04-26T19:56:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was Ricky's birthday. I had fun planning a little surprise for him. I invited a couple of families over for dinner and Ricky had no idea! It turned out to be lots of fun and I think he enjoyed it. Happy Birthday Sweetie!

4 weeks already?

2010-04-19T16:29:00.004-05:00

I can't believe that Ethan is 4 weeks old today! He is doing great. A little gassy, but he sleeps good at night. He slept 6 hours last night! My kids are good sleepers.

I have 3 sleeping kids and it's not 2 in the morning! Can you believe it, because I sure can't! One of the is sleeping in my arms while I try to type with one hand. It brings back memories of when I did homework with Dylan in my lap.

On Saturday we went to the Bug Bowl/Spring Fest at Purdue. Ricky's mom went with us. I totally forgot to take my camera with me, so I was a little bummed. I guess that's what happens when you have 3 kids and all of their supplies to take with you! Dylan and Lauren had fun with the free balloons and seeing all of the bugs and animals. The weather turned out great and we had a wonderful day!

Fun-filled week

2010-04-11T14:39:00.006-05:00

This week went by so fast! I can't believe that Ricky has to go back to work tomorrow! He was fortunate enough to take 3 weeks off, and we loved it! It was so nice having him here to help out with the kids. I'm a little nervous for tomorrow, being my first day (8 hours) with all 3 kids alone! I'm sure it will be ok and we'll all make it, but it's going to be different. I'm still working with Ethan on breastfeeding. The first month is the hardest, so hopefully it will work out for us. Ethan is definitely getting enough milk, because he has gained a lot of weight! We went to the doctor on April 8th for Dylan's 4 year check up and Ethan's 3 week check up.
Here are Dylan's stats:

Height: 42 3/4 in.
Weight: 39 lbs.

Here are Ethan's stats:

Height: 21 1/2 in.
Weight: 8 lbs. 9 oz.
Head Circumference: 37 cm.

Since I have been feeling better this week (not so sore), we decided to go to the Children's Museum in Indy on Friday. Dylan and Lauren had a blast and Ethan slept the entire time! I woke him up to feed him because I was getting sore, but otherwise he was asleep from the car ride there to the car ride home. We got a Sit-N-Stand Stroller and absolutely love it! Lauren climbed up into her seat and didn't bother Ethan. It was the best thing ever! Dylan was a little jealous of it and wanted to sit in it too. Sorry big brother! We only made it to 4 exhibits in the museum, but the kids didn't seem to care. They enjoyed the Bob the Builder exhibit and the Playscape the best. We even rode the Carousel this time! Well, Ricky stayed with Ethan and I rode it with the older kids. Lauren started to fuss for a minute when I put her on the giraffe, but then she enjoyed the ride. Dylan insisted that they ride on the giraffes, even though they didn't move. He still had fun!

It turned out to be a wonderful day! We then went to my parent's house for dinner and to drop the kids off. I surprised Ricky with a date to go see a movie. We went to Clash of the Titans. It was pretty good if you like the mythology thing. I was sort of lost, but Ricky explained it to me. It was nice to get away from all the kids for a little while. Ethan did great for the first time being away from mom and dad! Thanks mom and dad for watching the kids!

Then last night, our babysitting group did date night. Ricky and I took Ethan out to dinner. He slept the whole time, so it was nice for us. I wasn't planning on going anywhere yesterday, but Ethan was fussy all day, so getting out of the house was more for sanity reasons than anything! I guess all babies have those days! Speaking of sleeping, Ethan is doing a good job at sleeping. He will usually sleep a four hour stretch at night ( I won't let him sleep that long during the day) and then 3 hours. He has been a little gassy which will cause him to be up early in the morning, but Ricky lets me sleep in with him. Ethan can sense our presence around him. If he is asleep downstairs and I go upstairs for a minute, he will start crying. Silly boy! He's going to have to learn to get over that one fast! Ethan is a good baby and we love him dearly!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T14:55:00.006-05:00

My mom came up here to visit on Friday and took the older kids for the weekend. It was really nice to have a little quiet time around here (with the occasional crying baby). Ricky met my mom on Sunday morning to pick up the kids. It was good to have them home again. Dylan has been enjoying the weather with dad. Ricky enjoys going outside since he is usually stuck inside at work.

The kids enjoyed getting their Easter baskets when they got home.

Ethan was really excited, too! Can't you tell? Easter is Ethan's first holiday, so we had fun with it!

After naps, we went to Ricky's parents' house for dinner. The kids were surprised to find out that the Easter bunny hid eggs around the yard for them. Dylan had a blast finding the eggs, and Lauren enjoyed putting them in her basket. Ethan just slept through it all. (Luckily big brother found all of Ethan's eggs for him!)

The kids really enjoyed the candy inside of the eggs. Gotta love Easter candy!

We had a wonderful day watching General Conference and celebrating Easter as a family. I really enjoy living close to our parents so the kids can see their grandparents often.