Merry Christmas...

...from our family to yours!

Junior Pro Basketball 2009

This is the year of many firsts for Clayton! Another of those included Junior Pro basketball at his elementary school. Clayton was a little nervous at first, but he quickly fell in love with the sport. The season seemed to end in no time and they had their last game Friday night and received their trophies afterwards. Clayton is very proud to add another trophy to his growing collection!

Girls Getaway

For the first time in my LIFE (literally) I left my family members and travelled to Denver, Colorado on the first weekend in December to meet some of my best friends in the world for a weekend of shopping, dining, and lots and lots of talking. I was nervous about being away, but that quickly faded as we laughed and gabbed and shared as we were able to take a break from the lives we all so similarly share. It was a ton of fun and I am so glad I did it and did not let the guilt keep me from participating. All Moms should commit to taking some time out for themselves!

A Thanksgiving to Remember

Sorry it's been so long since I've written! Thanksgiving morning Evan decided to pull Blake out of his crib! Andy had gotten up early to go deer hunting and I was brushing my teeth when I heard Blake crying painfully outside of my bedroom door. I didn't notice right away but after I fed him his breakfast and put him down I realized that something was NOT right with his foot or leg. He tried to take a step and just collapsed. I had him try to walk a few times and each time was painfully unsuccessful. I decided to take him to the children's hospital an hour away because I was so concerned. The doctor explained that although babies bones are very difficult to break he could have what they refer to as a "toddler fracture." A toddler fracture happens along the shin bone and is the result of more of a twisting action. I told her I didn't see the accident but that I suspected that maybe his foot got caught or something. We agreed that if it wasn't his foot then it was a good possibility that it was his leg and that that could've easily happened as he was being pulled out by a kid not even 10 lbs heavier than him. She also explained that there was a good possibility that the "toddler fracture" would not show up on xray, that it is something that is much more easily detected on xray after it has healed. They did 15 xrays from the hip down and Mommy got to play assistant to the xray technician for all 15, fun, fun. The xrays came back clear and we concluded that it was either a bad ankle sprain or in fact a toddler fracture. She explained that the toddler fracture would heal so quickly that he wouldn't even need a brace. As the days passed it was evident to me that it was his leg and not his ankle. He slowly started to bear weight on his leg and pitifully limped around. It just so happened that I had videoed him walking just a couple of weeks prior to that. He had gotten some new "sqeaky shoes" and I wanted to get him on video walking in them. So I couldn't resist comparing that to his limp walk. So now I will always have to tell Evan the story of how he broke his brother's leg! This was definitely a Thanksgiving to remember!

Clayton's First Lost Tooth!

Clayton has lost his first tooth! It has been loose for less than a week and when Andy wiggled it last night it came right out! I was so shocked - I guess I really wasn't expecting it to happen so soon. Another bittersweet milestone that means my baby keeps growing up, waaaaah! He was super excited and giddy and it was so neat to see him that way, he is usually so serious! We don't do the tooth fairy, but I did reward him with a whole dollar bill and he couldn't believe it. I snapped some pics this morning, but his overbite is so significant it is hard to see where the tooth is missing. Here are a couple of the pictures. I have also thrown in another one, I guess you could call it a "before" shot of his smile, lol. It's just another example of what life is like with boys!

Tech Savvy Baby

Someone has been watching his Mommy (and Daddy!) too much. Blake runs to the laptop when he hears the sound that means I've got new email and tries to push buttons. He definitely knows what the telephone is for and loves to have pretend conversations. If he is being fussy from boredom in the car I can give him my cell phone and it is instant entertainment. Yesterday I had him at the doctor and someone's cell phone rang and the ring was identical to Andy's phone. Blake heard it from across the large room where he was playing in the play area and ran with excitement on his face toward the sound. I am convinced he thought that sound meant his daddy was there! I caught him in action today, pizza face and all, lol. Maybe I should get him Bluetooth for Christmas???

Hardin Memorial Hospital Run for Fun 2009

I did my third 5k this year! I finished this morning with a time of 31:46 - definitely not my best, but it is always such a thrill to compete and finish. This race was sponsored by our local hospital and they even held a "Fit Kids Race" for ages 3-8. The three older boys have really been looking forward to it. We had to deal with a some illness this week with strep throat (Clayton) and a nasty stomach bug (Grant), but luckily everyone was well again just in time for this morning's race. The boys definitely enjoyed competing and were each rewarded with a medal, jump rope, and a sucker! It was a lot of fun and I look forward to doing it again next year!

Flag Football 2009

Clayton just finished his first year of flag football! Their team finished the season with a 2nd place trophy and he has enjoyed every minute of the season. Here are some highlights from the championship game.

Halloween 2009

I am finally getting these pics up! We had a Mickey Mouse (Blake), 2 Spidermen (Evan & Grant), and a GI Joe character by the name of Duke Deluxe (Clayton). Blake was not crazy about wearing his hood/ears and even less fond of getting his picture taken with his brothers - he tried to run away several times!

Happy 6th Birthday Clayton!

Here it is, over a week past Clayton's birthday! It was Monday, October 12th and we celebrated with a party on the day before.

I am loving this stage of the game with Clayton. He is mature, responsible and eager to please. I can tell we are on the brink of that "I can make my own choices" back-talking phase so I want to savor every moment while I still can! Clayton's strength of will has always been a challenge, but now we are seeing that being shaped into a self-challenge and motivation to excel in all he does! His teacher says he is doing wonderfully academically and that she is so proud of him - we are, too!! Clayton learns from his mistakes and strives to be better. He follows directions well and I can really trust him - thank goodness he is the oldest! He is still very independent and loves his "me time" more than anything else! The hardest ajdustment to school has been being gone all day and having less down/play time to himself at home.

We love you buddy!

Here are some pictures I wanted to share:

Cake




With Mommy - I can't believe my baby is 6!


Gotta love the cash!


His most prized gift - a DSi - his first handheld electronic game!


My Big Boy

First Steps

Well, it's not the official first steps, but you get the idea, lol. Blake is now taking steps to becoming a full-time walker!

Happy 1st Birthday Blake!

Yikes! I am over a week overdue to wish my baby a Happy 1st Birthday! His birthday was August 27th. I took some snapshots that day to share, but never got around to it!

Our baby boy is full of life and laughter! He really is a happy baby and loves people and attention. He loves making us all laugh and he is proving to be a sharp kid as he demonstrates his ability to communicate more and more. He should be walking by the end of this 13th month, which is very typical for my kids. He is starting to show some of his temper a little more, as well, and grunts when he does not get his way. Blake, we love you so much and you are an incredible blessing to our lives. I can't believe you're one but am loving every minute of watching you grow!

First Days of School 2009

The school year is officially in swing with today marking the second "first day of school" when Grant boarded the school bus mid-morning. Clayton started kindergarten on August 5th. Public preschool always starts a little later than the rest of the public school kids, and they get out a little earlier, as well. Clayton was as cool as a cucumber on his first day and Grant was nervously giddy with excitement. Grant's preschool will run a half of a day and he will go in the afternoon session. I was quite tearful as I watched that big yellow bus swallow my firstborn and take him away - kindergarten just feels like such a big deal! With Grant I was just bursting with pride and excitedness knowing how he will probably jump right in and make all kinds of new friends and have everyone falling in love with him with his kind heart and generous, fun-loving spirit. It's so hard to believe that we are at this stage of the game already! Grant will be in kindergarten next year, Evan the next, and Blake just two years after that - phew, it is scary how fast it will all go by!

Clayton



Grant



I also put together a little video of each day. I have discovered Windows Movie Maker lately and figured out how to put multiple clips of video together into one movie. I love projects like this so you may be seeing even more video with my posts in the future!

Evan and Blake's Birthday Bash

I have never cared much for the big hill that was created in our back yard after it was back-filled when the house was finished being built. That is, until this weekend. After much scrutiny over how to celebrate the two littlest boys 3rd and 1st birthdays we settled upon a joint birthday party with a "water" theme. It is, after all, August! So we threw around the ideas of renting a public pool or one of those inflatable water slides, but after figuring up the cost we decided it was too much for this year's budget. So instead, we opted to homemake a slip n slide for the kids in hopes that they would enjoy it. I don't think they (or we) were disappointed! The hill going down the back and side of the house made a perfect slide and gave the kids a way to gain a little speed as they hurled themselves down. We acquired a large plastic construction-type tarp from my sister (thanks Jody & William!), and with a little help from a couple of water hoses/sprinklers and some tear-free baby soap, the kids were slipping and sliding and having a blast! Also, as their gift, Andy's sister, Sherrie, bought them a small kiddie pool which we set up prior to the party and the kids had a ball diving and swimming around in about 30 inches of water. I think these kids had so much fun! If you know our parties, then it's no surprise that the adults are outnumbered almost 2:1. Plus, it's always such a blessing to have everyone pitch in like they do and bring a dish for a smorgasboard of delicious food! We have such a wonderful group of family and friends! This is what it's all about for us - getting together to celebrate and seeing all the kids delight in the fellowship of their family and friends. It doesn't get much better than this. So, I now see that hill in a new way and you can probably bank on that not being the last of the slipping and sliding we'll be seeing there.

Of course, I have some video of all the fun! Evan has to catch a sprinkle on the way down the first time, lol! I thought Grant might tucker out before he got to the pool to jump in, lol - you'll see, lol. And Evan got nailed by another kid in that last clip (which I cut out), but he came up smiling and laughing. And Blake even got in on a little of the action when my niece, Katie, was kind enough to take him for a ride. He's a little young still for this kind of thing so he was just as content to get back into his dry clothes shortly thereafter and play with his baby toys, lol.



And here are a few pictures!

Why I LOVE to coupon shop

I got some killer deals at Kroger this past week and I have the receipt to prove it! (Be sure and look at the savings breakdown near the top - click on it to enlarge.) Coupon shopping is a LOT of work, but it can really pay off! I use grocerygame.com where half the work is done for you, but honestly, the other half is still a time-consuming chore. If you sign up for a trial be sure and enter my email address as a referral, thanks!

What a rush, lol!

Happy 3rd Birthday Evan & 11 mos Blake!

I'm a day behind but my two little ones turned 3 yrs old and 11 months old yesterday!!

Evan - my sweet little smiley guy who lights up a room has been showing his independence more and more. I think his 3's are going to be much more challenging than his 2's! He is still as sweet as sugar when he wants to be and often wants to help. He eats, sleeps, and breathes sports and if you saw the kid throw/manipulate any kind of ball I think you'd be just as amazed as we are. He has requested all summer to wear his "basketball pants" which just means any pair of shorts I pull out of his drawer - he comes up with this stuff completely on his own but we certainly try to foster his love of athletics. It is so much fun to see him enjoy it so much! The kid is sharp as a tack and picks up on EVERYTHING and he has started that whole "WHY?" phase, something my older two didn't do much and it may take me some getting used to (PATIENCE!). He adores his brothers but is starting to become aggressive with Blake, poor baby! He is such a blessing and we love him so much!


Blake is really cruising now and occasionally standing on his own. I am excited about him learning to walk, although I think it will be another month or two before he is getting around well. He is really becoming self occupied more and I am loving his new-found independence. I truly think Daddy has taken over the #1 spot in his world! He ADORES his Daddy! I'm a little sad but am loving watching the bond between them grow.


We will be celebrating soon with a double birthday bash!

New haircut/Broken Finger

The good news is I got my hair cut today and I love it!


The bad news is that I found out yesterday that I have a broken finger. I was playing basketball on the 4th and it got jammed pretty bad, or so I thought. It has been swollen and has turned every color you can imagine, but the pain wasn't too unmanageable until Clayton bumped it Monday night and I thought I was going to come out of my skin. So I had it x-rayed yesterday and it showed a pie-piece-shaped chip off the bone and a hairline fracture extending a little beyond that. They gave me a finger splint to wear for several weeks. I just hope my finger goes back to being nice and straight!

5K Run/4th of July/White Mills Days

My 4th of July started out with a 5K race! (White Mills Day) This was the second time I have ever trained for and ran in a 5K and I am happy to say that I achieved my goal of beating my 1st race time from two years ago by finishing in 29:42! I am SLOW and am not much of a "racer," but having the goal of running a 5K has helped to keep me motivated in my fitness efforts. I am really enjoying the "me" time I get from training! I would like to do the Heartland Festival 5K at the end of August. I just need to work on getting faster!

We spent the morning hours enjoying White Mills Day and that afternoon we went to Andy's sister, Sherrie's, for a cookout and fireworks. We had a great day!

Race morning


All of the boys while the older 3 were waiting to go on the boat ride (of course!)


In the boat with Daddy

Tball Champs!

Clayton's tball team got 1st place in the end of the season league tournament! It was so much fun to watch and we were so proud of the all the boys. Clayton was so excited he even let out a little silliness - so funny!

10 months!

Saturday our littlest man turned 10 months! Just 2 more until the big 0-1! He is really pulling up a lot now and is thinking about starting to cruise around. I think he may be giving up the army crawl soon and going to hands and knees finally - he can do it, he just prefers dragging himself around, lol. I got some great outdoor snapshots this time. Thanks Laura Beth for helping me and volunteering to take one of us together - I love it!

A Day at the Lake

We went out on the pontoon this week with Mom and Jerry and Brent (nephew) and had a great time. The boys always have a blast swimming and jumping off the boat. I took some video with my new flip video camera (I am loving this thing!) and tried to condense it down but still came up with almost 8 minutes of video! Sorry if it gets boring! After the lake we stopped in at a little "hole-in-the-wall" pizza place that has a karaoke stage and the boys all gave us a perfomance (after the only other people in the restaurant left). I'll warn you, Grant gets obnoxious, but... welcome to our world, lol. This is late in the day after tiresome activities and NO NAP. Hope you enjoy our goofy little boys. Can you see the stark contrast between Clayton and Grant, lol? And little Evan seems to do whatever Grant does - oh, brother! (Pun intended, lol.)

In case a little translation is needed, when it gets to the part where I ask Grant to sing a song from Sunday School he says, "At Sunday School, someone makes a mess, HEY!"

Graduating preschool...

...for the last time.

3 years of preschool have gone by quickly, although, I have to admit there were many times when I thought I would never make it through these years of Clayton's! Thankfully, at our public preschool there is a wonderful and caring preschool staff and I have leaned on Mrs. Lee's advice and many years of experience time and again. She has always been more than willing to listen to my list of complaints/challenges with such a strong-willed child and has helped me to cope while working together to figure out what works and what doesn't. Her level of service goes beyond the classroom and she epitomizes what the intentions of the public preschool program are all about. Clayton is such a differnt kid today than he was on day 1! I am so proud of him! I cannot thank Mrs. Lee, Ms. Carolyn, Ms. Bobbi, & Ms. Tina enough for their dedication to teaching and the love they show for their students.

It is so sad to say goodbye, but mostly because it means my little boy has to continue to grow up and move on to the next stage: kindergarten!

Preschool Graduate

We love you Mrs. Lee - thank you for all of your support and encouragement during these years!

9 months

Blake is starting to pull up! In just a matter of time he will be cruising and walking! Right now he is still working on mastering the hands and knees crawl as opposed to the belly crawl. He can be quite bossy and demands my attention 24/7! I think I am going to have another headstrong toddler in the near future - yikes! LOL He is growing so fast, but I am loving watching him develop. He is starting to say things like da-da, bye-bye, and ball - he's going to be another talker (like Evan!). Those two front teeth crack me up every time I see him smile. He is such a blessing to our family!

Updated Picture

Happy 8th Anniversary!

God has blessed our marriage and family and I am so grateful. He continues to help us persevere in difficult times and rejoices with us in happy times. We continue to learn about and from one another working together towards the same goals. Looking forward to many many more years by your side. :-)

Boys!

Grant decided one evening to entertain Blake at dinner time by making himself belch repeatedly. Normally, I would have promptly scolded him, but on this occasion, it was not worth passing up hearing the hysterical laughter that came from Blake each time Grant burped. (Why are boys so enthralled with things like this, even at such a young age???) So, I did what any mother would do... I encouraged Grant to keep doing it and grabbed the camera! LOL Here is our little cackler:

Happy Mother's Day

I love reflecting on this special holiday and am so blessed to have the precious gift of motherhood.

I have put together a little slideshow for your entertainment. I have often been told that I am CRAZY for the way I have chosen to expand my family so rapidly. But all I know is how CRAZY I am about raising my children and the joy they bring to my life day in and day out. But the perks of motherhood certainly don't come without the MANY challenges that face you daily and so, I've highlighted some of those moments with the anticipation of looking back and smiling and laughing and remembering how grateful I am. Hope you enjoy...

Happy Mother's Day Mom/Grandma!

You mean SO MUCH to us! Thanks for all you do for us and with us! We love you!

I Couldn't Agree More!

I received this Mother's Day card today from a friend and had to share. This pretty much sums up my life, lol. Thanks, Kelly, for thinking of me when you saw this! :-) You made my day!

Why I Never Take My Kids to the Grocery Store

Different Type of Drug Problem

This landed in my email inbox today and I wanted to share. I feel blessed to have had this kind of drug problem when I was growing up!

Happy 4th Birthday Grant/8 months Blake!

Happy Birthday buddy! You are such a little stinker. I think your 3's were much harder than your 2's! I love your forgiving spirit and generous attitude. You make friends easily and everyone falls in love with you, waiting to see just what you'll do next! There is never a shortage of laughter in this house with you around. I know there are lots more funny moments to come, too! We love you and are so blessed to have you.


Blake is getting so big! He is becoming so playful and loveable. This is always the time where I really start to bond with my babies. It becomes easier to understand their needs and wants and we begin to communicate on a higher level than just cry-feed, a much welcomed milestone! I love those big cheeks and that toothy grin, and the way you feel so soft and squishy for those big sqeeze hugs - I can't get enough!

Opening Ceremonies 2009

Well, it's official! Baseball season is underway! Every year there is an opening ceremonies event held to kick off the season where players get all dressed up in their snazzy new uniforms and are recongized by team & league on the playing field. There is also prayer and the singing of the national anthem, and I am proud to be in a community that still puts God & country first.

I must admit, that I am just as excited as the boys are about baseball season! Playing ball (softball for me) as a kid holds so many great memories for me and was definitely one of the highlights of my childhood. It is still a passion for me and I play recreationally every chance I get.

Now, I definitely have pictures for you, but we also got an unexpected bonus this time around. Every year, one child from each league (Weiner, T-ball, Rookie, Minor, and Major) gets to throw out a ceremonious first pitch of the season, and Grant was randomly selected from his league (Weiner). Now, for those of you who know Grant, you just have to laugh when you hear that and can understand my initial amusing thought: "Of all kids...LOL" Grant has an attention span of about 2 nanoseconds and his ambitions are centered around entertaining people with his antics. However, he is not shy about talking to people and to my pleasant surprise he did very well with the mini-interview and, of course, the actual pitch! I was laughing and videoing and swelling with pride for my little jester.

I only had my digital camera with me, so the video resolution is not that great, but here is Grant's "big moment" broken up into two short clips. I am going to caption the conversation below since it may be difficult to hear.

Man: Do you like baseball?

Grant: Yes, I do.

Man: Who do you play for?

Grant: Um... uh, a ball. (And then something else I can't make out)

Man: What's your name?

Grant: Gra-uhnt.

Man: Well, Grant it's nice to have you throw our first pitch. Would you mind throwing a pitch to that fella right there?





And here is a slideshow of pics!

The Amazing Blake... ;-)

Blake must not be an old dog because he has certainly learned lots of new tricks! And Mommy had the camera ready today to showcase his talent, lol! He is turning out to be quite the smart cookie with his ability to give 5, say "hi," kiss, and wave at just 7 months! Okay, so maybe I am pushing it a little with the waving, but the others he does on command every time - we are so impressed! It is amazing how he can distinguish language and know what I am asking him to do each time - they learn so fast! Here he is on video doing all of his tricks, lol.

Giving 5

Saying "Hi"

Kissing

Waving

7 months

Blake turned 7 months old a week ago! I am so behind! It always seems like there is so much on my to do list. Baseball season is starting and soon our Saturdays will be filled with little league games - I am excited! Here are some pictures of our littlest man of the house. His top two teeth have now come through and he is ~almost~ sitting up on his own - he still tumbles over quite a bit, lol. He is drinking his juice from a big boy sippy cup and doing surprisingly well with that. He has that pincer grasp down and can pick up soft foods - he loves to eat! He is also started to scoot on his belly and I think he may be crawling before too long. Watch out!