Ahhh...85 degree weather....

So today the weather got really warm! :) The temp got up to around 85 degrees...which I can completely handle (I don't do well with 90 and above!) and the boys were really happy. We were hoping to make a trip to St. Louis today to get a new car for Greg but things just didn't work out as planned. Before that the plan was that we were going to work on cleaning the garage and the closets in the basement and again...things didn't go as planned which I'm actually thankful for because that was not something I wanted to do today. Daniel needed a haircut...enough said for those of you who know what an ordeal that can be...and a long one it was...poor Greg! :) By the time all was said and done, we didn't make it to St. Louis and by the time we figured out that the trip to St. Louis wasn't going to happen, we didn't have the time to make it to Columbia (to meet up with friends of ours who were hanging out down there today)...all of this much to my dismay!!!! :(

Anyway, all those plans being put astray we decided to try and do what we could to enjoy the beautiful day. We went to Walmart...now for those of you who may be giggling at me at the moment I would like to clarify one thing...there is no place better to be in Kirksville, MO on a Saturday afternoon with three kiddos and your husband than Walmart. That's all I have to say about that (completely just kidding about that!)! So after our wonderful little jaunt to Wally World (which drove me crazy!) we came home and spent the rest of the afternoon outside. The boys played on their swing set, I blew up the pool and put some water in it, Greg and I worked on cleaning up the patio and stuff and the boys are now on their way outside to enjoy some water fun....FINALLY!

Now, I have to admit that a trip to St. Louis to see Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Becky, Uncle John and everyone else would have been more fun than our trip to Walmart, etc. and a trip to Columbia to shop would have made my day. I'm really bummed that we ended up staying at the house but at least the weather was nice and the boys had fun anyway! :)

Nicole

PS - Can I just say that yes...I'm a nerd...a dork...or whatever could be worse than that...because I'm going to NKOTB baby! :) Ahhh...childhood memories!

These Titles Stress Me Out!

So I was thinking about what to title this post and I'm stuck! Titling these posts always seems to be the most stressful part of writing them! I'm just not creative enough to think of something cute to catch anyone's attention...So if I just start not putting a title...you will know why! :)

Anyway, today was a pretty calm day at our house...THANK GOODNESS! The kiddos slept in until 8 or after, we ate breakfast, lounged around, went out for lunch, took naps (I watched Lost), I cleaned quite a bit, we ate dinner, and then Chris had his first T-ball game of the season (Tuesday's game was rained out). Good day for all! Everyone was in a good mood and everyone got along (I guess I should knock on the biggest piece of wood I can find!)!

Ms. Kate went through 3 outfits today! :( Every so often she really has moments where what she ate really doesn't sit well with her and today was one of those days...poor thing! But here is a pic of her just relaxing on her boppy which she loves!
While at Chris's T-ball game (which we all made it to!) Daniel decided it would be fun to use dad as a jungle gym! :) He was lounging on his back, jumping in his lap, rolling around him and everything else! It was very cute watching the two of them having some daddy/son time! How Daniel loves his daddy!!!! :) Here is a pic of the two of them that I will cherish for a very long time!

Then there is the T-ball star! :) Chris has made so much progress since last year! He can actually hit the ball off of the tee after only one miss (if that!) whereas last year the poor boy would sometimes take a good ten swings before actually making contact with the ball! His running and his throwing have really improved as well. He kept asking me to take a picture of him sitting in the grass so here we go!

I also have some pretty cute pictures of him in different silly poses. He has a hard time standing still on the field and actually paying attention to the ball but who doesn't when they are five and are playing T-ball! :) He also declared that he LOVES T-ball and he now thinks he might like it better than soccer! Crazy little man! :) Just can't make up his mind!

Today was such a great day...I can only hope that every day from now until the end of summer is this way...however, I know that that won't be the case! I will take what I can when I can! :)

I hope everyone had a great day and that your evening is just as good! :)

This is summer!!!!

Greg cutting the grass, the boys playing outside, Kate enjoying being in the fresh air and then later on, planting flowers with my boys. Yes...planting flowers...my boys LOVE to get dirty...go figure! :) They were helping me put dirt in the big planter I have (and all over the garage and the porch!), then they helped me actually plant and water the flowers and water the landscaping. Both boys ended up soaking wet and covered in dirt! What fun! This is truly summer!!!! :)

The Beginning of Summer...

So today was the last day of school and the beginning of summer for the kiddos here in Kirksville! :) Chris is ECSTATIC!

Me...not so much. Don't get me wrong...I'm THRILLED that he is home for the next week and a half before he starts summer school and then he will be home for the rest of the summer. But I'm bummed because he is no longer a preschooler....he is now technically a kindergartener! :( For me, this is a sad but proud moment. I know many will giggle at me for being so silly about this moment but that's ok...I will giggle at myself soon I'm sure! :) But it is a bittersweet moment. I've heard that once they hit kindergarten time flies by and I'm not ready for anything to fly by. I would love to keep my little man this little (preferably without the attitude or whining!) but I know it's just not going to happen. Ahhh...life.

So congrats to all of the kiddos out there who have finished this school year and I hope you all enjoy your summers!!!! I know I will!

5 1/2 weeks....

A lot has changed in 5 1/2 weeks I realized as I was taking pictures of Kate this morning (of her feet actually!) and it caused me to tear up (thanks to hormones I'm sure!)....

In the last 5 1/2 weeks:

* I have gone from being a mommy to 2 boys to a mommy to 2 boys and a little girl - three at the moment is proving to be tough!

* Kate is now fitting into most of her 0-3 month clothes and I can't believe how big she's getting - it's going by so fast!

* Chris has only 2 days left of preschool and in a week and a half he will start kindergarten summer school - speaking of going by so fast! :( When did my baby grow up?

* Daniel can now recognize most of his letters and has become such a mommy's helper and a mommy's boy!

* Greg and I have had to adjust our together time to include being up until midnight most nights, crashing as soon as Kate does and then getting up the next day to do it all again! :) We have also had to become better at communicating so that we know where everyone is and what they are doing at all times!

* I have come to realize that staying at home is WAY harder than it looks and that I really may not be cut out for it! I really admire everyone who does and have such respect for them and I REALLY admire my mom for doing it with 6 of us!!!! I am enjoying all of this time I am getting with Daniel and Kate and Chris (when he gets home from school) and I cherish every moment that I get with them but I am definitely becoming very stir crazy although the beautiful spring weather is helping because we can get outside easier now (especially with Kate getting older).

* The previous realization has made me feel slightly guilty that I'm not wanting to stay home, however, I know myself well enough to know that it is not for me...as much as I may wish it to be or dream that it could be...it just isn't. I have to be doing things...I need to be in contact with my peers, etc. It's just a need that I have that needs to be filled.

* I have mastered the art of folding and putting away the kids laundry but conveniently enough the day doesn't contain enough hours to fold and put away my laundry or Greg's!

* I have discovered a fantastic new show that Daniel absolutely ADORES! It's called WordWorld and it's one of the few shows these days that both Daniel and Chris can agree on! :)

In the last 5 1/2 weeks the greatest realization I have come to is that the most important things in life (family and friends) are the things that you should worry about the most and everything else will either take care of itself or can wait a little longer to be taken care of!

Thank you to all of my friends and family who have helped since Kate has joined us. Thank you for all of the big things and little things: the phone calls, the emails, the coming to see us, the constant support, suggestions and love that you send us all of the time mean the world to us!

Ok...I'm doing being so stinkin' hormonal I think! Thanks for stopping by and there will be more to come later!

Enjoying Outside and the Beautiful Weather!

The boys have been spending a lot of time outside (especially since their swing set is finished) and have really been enjoying time with friends and the gorgeous weather! The swing set has been a huge hit with all of the kiddos around. I need to work on staining it sometime soon but I'm not too concerned about that!

Here is a picture of Chris and Daniel on their new swing set (right after it was finished!)

The finished swing set!!!!!

Chris also started his t-ball season last night. He had a practice and now he has games every Tuesday and Thursday night for the next 5 weeks (starting next week!). He did a great job of hitting the ball, fielding and throwing it back to his coach. His favorite sport used to be soccer and now he is claiming that t-ball is his new favorite! :) I think he is just going to like any sport that will let him get outside and play with other kiddos! We will post pictures of his games when they start happening. Here is my favorite picture that Greg took last night:

Well, there are also only three days left of school! I'm busy trying to wrap things up for my class from home (which is proving to be more difficult than you would think!) and Chris is anxiously looking forward to kindergarten summer school!!!! He is sad that preschool is over but he is so excited for kindergarten and this summer school program will be great for him (even though mom wants him to be at home!!!!). He will be used to the school, used to the routines, and used to some of the staff before he actually starts the school year in the fall. I think he is most excited about having a lunch box and getting to take his lunch to school!

Kate is still doing well...she is still sleeping through the night and is just getting bigger and cuter by the day! :) She and Daniel and Chris are really forming quite the bond right now...if she is fussy, they can come over and start talking to her and she will stop to listen to their voices most of the time (depends on how dire she feels her situation is!). She is finally fitting into her clothes so the problem of finding things that won't fall of her is finally coming to an end! Plus with the warmer weather she has more things she can wear and she's been enjoying the outside just like her brothers!

More to come later on! Have a great day!

Weekend Project

So we've been talking for weeks (actually over a year!) about building a swing set in the backyard. Well, this weekend we did it! :) It looks fantastic! We went out last night and bought the materials and got a good chunk of the prep work done. After church this morning we finished our prep work (or so we thought!) and then we were ready to assemble it! We called on a fantastic friend who didn't hesitate to help (THANK YOU!) and with his help, Greg was able to get the slide platform mounted and the beam across the top...only to discover that we were missing the right bolts to hold it to the A frames! :( So off they went to Home Depot to try and rectify the situation!

After all of that, they got the beam attached to the A frames and we were well on our way to having it completely finished! After several other smaller snafus, the swing set was finally done much to the kids excitement (if we heard "When will it be done?" once today we heard it 100 other times!)! :)

Well, within the first five minutes of being able to use it, Chris got a splinter (despite all of my sanding!)...

Swing Set - 1
Chris - 0

After much screaming and crying "I just can't take it anymore!" we removed the splinter, applied medicine and a bandaid and off he went. Fastforward about 15-20 minutes and I hear Chris screaming from outside. I set Kate down and went to the sliding door to find Chris being carried by Greg and crying about his head. Come to find out that the poor boy had slid off a swing and fell face first onto the ground....

Swing Set - 2
Chris - 0

Poor kid had a rough night with his new swing set....but thankfully he didn't give up on it. After recovering from his ordeals he went right back outside to play.

Daniel had a blast just going down the slide, over and over and over. However, we need to get him to learn that there is another way to get to the slide....he likes to go between the two swings....perhaps he just likes to live life on the edge...I'm not sure. I did try to get him to go around the other way but he just refuses to change his path...maybe it will take actually getting bumped over for him to change...who knows!

Anyway, the swing set is a big hit! Despite how sore we all may be tomorrow, we can rest assured that what was made will be cherished for a very long time! :)

Have a great night!

Yeah for spring!

The weather outside is gorgeous today! We haven't been out too much to enjoy it yet but that is our plan for later today! We ran to good old Walmart and then I ran into school to take stock of what I exactly needed to pack up. It's a lot. I manage to pitch a bag full of stuff while I was there but there is still a lot to be done in order to be ready for summer.

Oh! And that peace that was existing in my house last night??? Still here! There was one minor disagreement this morning but both boys managed to stay calm and figure it out! AMAZING! In fact, last night they both wanted to sleep on the floor of their room on the same sleeping bag. This was something new for both of them. They are fine sharing a room but have never actually wanted to sleep in close proximity to each other (besides when they had to in Florida) so this was the scene in their bedroom last night...made my heart just sing!

Now they are awake in this picture but when I went in later they were OUT! :) I meant to take a picture of them actually sleeping because they didn't move too far from this position but I forgot and I was waiting until I was sure they weren't going to wake up from the flash or anything! They are in their room currently napping in these exact same spots and they have actually been helping each other out today! So maybe this is just one of those...you said it so we are going to prove you COMPLETELY wrong kind of situations...whatever it is...I'll take it!

Here is my sweet little girl today...it's quite warm here today so I broke out the shorts for her! Chris and Daniel also insisted that she wear something girly in her hair. Daniel was really pulling for a barrette and Chris really didn't care what it was as long as it was "girly." The only thing that will work at this point in the game are the cute little headbands and I think she looks quite adorable if I do say so myself!

Well, I'm going to sign off so I can get some stuff done around the house, maybe run into school, etc. so that we can enjoy this GORGEOUS weather that is going on outside! I can't believe that it's spring!!!! YEAH!!!!!

Aahhhh...peace does exist!!!!

So things around my house have been a little crazy feeling to me lately. I feel like everytime I turn around there's a new mess, a new crisis between the boys or something new that Kate is needing. Don't get me wrong...I love everything about my life...I love my kids and my house and my husband...they are everything to me. Sometimes, things are just crazy!

Some days we escape to a friend's house (thanks by the way!!!) and peace exists there...I'm not quite sure how she does it ! :) Because no matter how things go, I still am living in a house of craziness! I'm starting to wonder if my house is sitting on some sacred ground and this is our punishment! :) I'm just joking, but I seriously wonder why this is!

There are days that Daniel has decided that he isn't going to do anything that I ask (and of course he gives THE GRIN before he does it or doesn't do it as the case may be!) and there are days that all Chris seems to do is whine! :) No matter what words I use to reason with them and no matter how many timeouts...it can still be crazy.

Right at this moment however, the boys are playing happily in the other room (together!) and Kate is curled up on the couch right next to me and Greg is almost on his way home.

My kids are great and my house is great and my hubby is WONDERFUL but I just wonder sometimes what it is that is causing the craziness...if someone knows...please fill me in so I can fix it!!!! I don't think it's me but I've been wrong before. I don't think it's the weather...I don't think it's the paint colors either...I just don't know what it is! It could be life with 2 boys and a baby girl, 2 dogs and a house that needs to be cleaned (too bad they don't have self-cleaning houses on the market yet!). I am betting on the last option but who knows! :) One of life's great mysteries!

Aaaahhhh...peace. Any bets on how long it will last? We are currently at 10 minutes and counting!

Too Funny to Keep to Myself!

So before dinner tonight, after changing Daniel's diaper, I left his pants off of him while I threw his diaper away and washed my hands. While I was gone, Daniel decided to take matters into his own hands and put his own pants on!!!! We all know that the child can't stand to be pantless and tonight was no exception!!!! He was so proud of himself when he realized what he had done that he wanted his picture taken.

Now, you might be thinking, why is this so funny (as the title implies!)??? Well, when I walked back into the room, Daniel was looking at his pants and saying "Zip! Zip! Where's zip????" :) HILARIOUS! The poor boy was looking for his zipper and couldn't find it because he had put his pants on backwards! He was thoroughly confused by the missing zipper and got very upset with me when I took the pants off to turn them around.

The good news is that we are now obviously on our way to being able to dress ourselves! :) This was the first time that he had really gotten the pants on all by himself...now all we have to do is work on getting them on the right direction!!!!

The New Obsession!!!

So we have "invested" in a Wii....it has been a big hit at our house since its arrival in February. We sold our GameCube to a local store along with all of our games. We were very sad to sell our very favorite game....MarioKart among others that we really enjoyed.

Luckily for us, Nintendo is a very compassionate company and has created our new obsession....MarioKart Wii!!!!! We picked it up last week and we absolutely love it! We had friends over last Friday night to play (which was an absolute blast!!!!!) and my family played while they were up picking up Becky from college (also a ton of fun!). Chris is absolutely the most obsessed out of all of us (which isn't really a surprise) and he actually does really well with it! In fact, while I'm sitting here typing this he is placing anywhere from 5th in a race to about 12th (out of 12!). He gets very excited about all of his races, even his 12th place finishes! Daniel cheers for him and everyone else that is playing no matter how they are doing...he does a great job of being a moral booster no matter the situation. I was playing earlier and I fell off of the side of this rainbow road and Daniel was right there telling me "You rock momma!" This phrase he has taken from Guitar Hero (Daniel's personal favorite!)

While playing, Chris constantly asks for a rocket (one of the nice little prizes/game plays you can get out of one of the boxes you can drive over) and he usually gets one...this has caused him to be CONVINCED that if you ask for it, you will get one! Even if he isn't playing, he is asking for a rocket for someone who is...funny and absolutely adorable! :)

We did discover quickly on Friday night with our friends that if you want to race with Chris, you really need to keep your distance! He is the funniest kid to watch play this game! He moves to the left when he wants his car to move to the left...and I don't mean he just simply leans that way a little...this is a whole body experience! :) He moves his arms until they are outstretched and his whole body moves with him. It's a great workout for him...that's for sure! I also know that he is truly one of my kids because I have a brother that he really reminds me of! Chris even opens his mouth while he plays like my brother does (love ya bro!). I was in tears watching him play over the weekend...it was fantastically funny! I wish I had video to place on here but it just didn't occur to me to do it until it was too late and we had turned the game off...perhaps I will do that sometime this week.

Someday Chris will read this or be told about this and be absolutely embarassed, however, just know kiddo, that we adore you and we think it's the cutest thing ever!!!!!

I hope all of you had a great day! :) Will post more later!

A Month Has Gone By....

Well, as of today, one month and one day to be exact have gone by since Kate has joined us! I just can't believe it. It doesn't seem possible that a month ago I was in the hospital holding my adorable little girl shortly after she was born...that she was actually here. In the past month, we have been adjusting to life as a family of 5 (which is still odd to say sometimes)! :) The boys have really become obsessed with their baby sister and her needs, wanting to hold and touch her all of the time. Greg is getting used to changing a girl's diaper and loves holding her and snuggling her. I am just really enjoying getting to know her as a little person. I have figured out which cry is a cry about her diaper (most of the time!) and definitely which cry is her hungry cry!!!! :)

Time seems to be flying by faster with Kate than it did with either of the boys. I looked at her today and was just amazed at the difference in her now...she doesn't look or act like the newborn baby she was just a few short weeks ago.

I'm just in awe of her and the boys. I am amazed that we have created such wonderful little human beings (as crazy as they can be sometimes!) and that they are a part of us. It's just simply wonderful.

The picture above was just taken today...more pictures of all three of my babies coming soon!

Happy Mother's Day!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all of the wonderful mommies out there! :) I hope that your day is going as well as mine!

I want to especially say Happy Mother's Day to my mom, Greg's mom, and our grandmas! Without you we obviously wouldn't be here but we also really appreciate all of the guidance and support that you have provided us!!!! THANK YOU!!!! We love you!

I will be back on later tonight to post more pictures and update you on everything going on around here (which really isn't too much!)! Have a great day!

Nicole

How many times????

This morning we are home due to Daniel running a slight fever...not sure if it is actually something that is wrong with him or if he is simply teething or what but he's become quite unruly this morning so it's probably for the better! I'm not quite sure how many times I've said "Daniel, how many times have I asked you ....." and then fill in the blank with any number of phrases ranging from "not to bother the dog" to "not throw balls in the house" to "WALK!!!!!" GRRR!!! Poor boy...he's completely being picked on this morning

Chris's soccer season is over now and we made it through both of the games he had scheduled for last week! :) No rain in sight...just very chilly weather (especially Sat. morning!!!!!). Next on his agenda....the end of the school year, beginning kindergarten summer school (he can't wait for this!) and t-ball!

Kate is just hanging out...she's sleeping through the night (YEAH for us!), she's eating well, and she's awake a little more every day! We had her first pictures taken yesterday and I can't wait to get them because she was absolutely ADORABLE in her little dress!

What I'm most excited about is the changing weather! It's definitely starting to warm up outside and in fact it was so nice yesterday we went to the park with our dearest friends and had a BLAST! I can't wait for so many more times/memories like this one! And of course I took the camera and forgot to take pictures! I promise to do so next time!

For now, here are some other pictures that we've taken recently...enjoy! :)

Kate in one of her MANY Cardinals outfits! They won on the day she wore this...coincidence? I think not! :)

And here are my three beautiful children all sitting together and looking at the camera at the same time!

Daniel at Chris's soccer game! Everytime I took a picture of Chris playing, Daniel wanted his picture taken! :) I took a couple and this one turned out just fantastic! Daniel loves going to Chris's soccer games...he was champ about sitting and watching...I can only imagine what it will be like when he starts playing! :)