December Catch-up

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!

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

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!

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!

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

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

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

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!