My cute kiddos!

I tried to get some shots of the kids after Church in their Christmas clothes and as you can see the individual pictures turned out nicely but the one of all three of them turned out a bit blurry. Oh how I want Santa to bring me a digital Rebel G for Christmas or something similar. I will try again next Sunday because I am making them wear the same thing. Since I didn't get a Christmas card out I am going to shoot for a new year letter and picture. I can't believe Christmas will be here in 2 days and a wake-up!! I think I am as excited as the kids!!

Mia is pointing to her tooth because she has a loose tooth already, at just 5 years old. Does that girl have to do everything early? I think it will be out by the end of the week. She wanted me to pull it today. Yikes!!! No thank you! Hope you all have a Merry Christmas with lots of love and cheer!

Christmas Festivities

Since I am up at 5:30am with Jack who has a cold passed to him by his sister, a baby who thinks he is done sleeping for the night and a cold of my own I thought I would post some more. I post so randomly but that is how my life goes.

We went to Lake Metro Farm Park with our friends, the Yonkers. This was our first year and certainly won't be our last. The kids had a great time! We first went in to see Santa. Jack likes the idea of Santa but wouldn't even look at him. So much for making this our Christmas picture. We then went on a carriage ride and then on to the workshop where the kids were able to choose from over 50 different wooden cutouts, sand them and then paint them with an elf. It was a very cold night so we had them bundled up. The kids even got to see how a cow is milked. They liked that a lot and Jack asked for a few days if he could go back. It certainly brought back memories of when I was a child and my aunt milking the cow. Being a kid was awesome. Not that milking a cow has a lot to do with Santa. We had a great time with great friends.

My baby is 4 months

Speaking of time flying, read the previous post to understand, Cole is 4 months now. It seems he has reached milestones so much sooner than Jack or Mia. I think that is just because time is moving more quickly this time around. He is such a great baby, a bit needy but if he wasn't I would be missing out. He gives some great belly laughs now. Mia seems to be the one to get the best laughs from him. I hope I can get it on video soon.

He has settled into a routine and I seem to be more in tune with it. It's about to change I am sure. His appointment went well and he did great with his shots. He will occasionally go a long stretch at night without waking to eat but not always. It is getting better, thankfully. I do love to snuggle with him early in the morning though. He is just about as long as his bassinet and he still loves to be swaddled. His talking has gotten high pitches and he likes to squeel sometimes. If I do it back to him he will copy me. He has such a sweet face and loves to be kissed.

Mia adores him more and more each day. He will watch her until she looks at him and then he gives his incredible gummy grin to her. She loves to get him to talk and laugh. She is my big helper. Jack is becoming more and more interested and is very gentle with Cole. I love to listen to him talk to Cole, "He's my baby brofer."

Cole weighed in at 15 lbs. 3 oz. He is not as big as my other babies but seems to be pretty long in the arms and body. He's a sweet guy and such a sweet blessing! (I wish the last picture wasn't blurry.)

Look Mom, No Cast

This is a bit overdue but where has the time gone? With Christmas coming I feel swamped. I am sure everyone does. It has been more fun this year with the kids understanding more. I get excited just as much as they do. We are really loving the lights and it gets dark here so early we get to see them often.

Jack had his cast removed last week, the tenth actually. When we had the cast put on the doctor said he would walk funny after it was taken off but I didn't expect crawling. He crawled for about a day and a half then limped tiny steps the next day. The limping continues but his stride has lengthened. He turns his foot out which causes him to step to the side a bit so he walks sideways. He is not running on it yet. He is still climbing. Imagine that. He developed a callus on his big tow from walking on it. I am so happy that the cast is off. It was so awkard!! Because the cast was waterproof they were able to take it off, he said the saw tickled, and they taped it together and gave it to him. He likes to play with it and seems to have some attachment. I picked it up to move it and he quickly spoke up to let me know that was his cast! He pretends to take pictures with it. I really don't know why he thinks it is a camera of any sort but at least he has an imagination.

Being Thankful

After catching up on some blogs I have been inspired to write about the things that I am thankful for. I know the list could never end so I will try to highlight the most important and recent things in my life.

Everyday I am thankful to my Heavenly Father! I love to think of life in the pre-exsistence! I am grateful that I have this knowledge. I often think of how much I love my own children and then I know that Heavenly Father loves me more than I can ever comprehend.

Everyday I am also thankful for Jesus the Christ. I know he lived a perfect life and that he died so that I can once again return to live with Him again. He is my daily example and when I don't know what to do with my crazy kids I ask myself, "What would Jesus do?" This simple questions allows me to step back and hopefully be a better mom. Knowing Him is such a blessing in my life. I know that he loves me too.

I am thankful for parents who love me and are such great examples. Their decision to serve the Lord has blessed me in ways I have seen and in many I have have yet to realize. The raised me with love and kindness. I am thankful for my sister and brothers who taught me how to get along with others. I know they love me.

I am grateful to be married to my best friend. He is a wonderful, kind, thoughtful and loving husband who helps me everyday. He puts up with my shortcomings and doesn't say anything if dinner isn't ready and the house is messy. I knew the day I married him that I was marrying my soul mate. He continues to strengthen me and help me on my journey of life. He has given me 3 amazing and inspiring children. I know Colin loves me.

Along with Colin came an incredible family the I am so thankful for. I love all of them so very much. I really have the best in-laws a person could ever want. I know they love me.

I cannot think of my children without tears. There is nothing I could say that would do justice to them. With every part of me I am grateful for Mia, Jackson and Cole! I am thankful that I get to have them in my life, for all the things they teach me, their example of forgiveness, for all the times they have forgiven me, that they keep me young and that they are mine forever. I love it when they tell me they love me!

I have wonderful blessings in my life and I am grateful for all of them!

Getting Around

Jack is really getting around well and it really isn't as bad as most people think. He doesn't complain of any pain or even of wearing the cast. He was even outside yesterday with a thick sock of Colin's, a grocery bag and the other thick sock. It has only slowed him down a bit. He can walk up and down the stairs with no help. The best part is he doesn't climb up on the counters. I don't think I've said, "Jack, get down, stop climbing."

On another note, Jack and Mia were introduced to the world of the Little Rascals movie. Unfortunatly it has taught them to say some things I would rather them not say but, the other night Jack was up late due to a late nap so he went to bed with me at about 10. We were singing as usual and Jack broke out into "You are so Beautiful." It was much more entertaining when we were in bed, he made up his own verse even, but this one is pretty good. He is such a sweet guy.

Sorry about the angle. I forget that I can't video this way.

A really cool camo cast!

I took Jack to the orthopedic doctor yesterday morning. Can you believe I got in the same day I called?! I have to make several trips to the car just to leave. I had to carry Jack and the diaper bag to the car, head back into the house, get Cole and the xrays. Remember, our garage is not attached to our house, its only about 29 degrees out, there is snow around and we have to use the side door that leads to the sidewalk because the grass is worn and muddy. Oh, and of course I have left 10 minutes later than I wanted to because I had to change Cole again because he really spit up all over his clothes. It was a struggle to say the least. We got to the office on a prayer. I hadn't been there before and had only glanced at the google map. I knew the area vaugely. I had to park away from the front door quite a ways and wondered how I would get in with an infant carseat and a sleeping child, xrays and my diaper bag. I am sure it was an interesting sight. We got in quickly, saw the student and then the doctor. He confirmed what we already knew and tried very hard to get on Jackson's good side. He was a bit too enthusiastic for Jack. The hard part came when he had to get a full leg cast on. I had to hold Jack's body, the student held his right leg and the doctor and the casting guy put the cast on as fast as they could. Jack fought the whole way through and just into is Cole started crying. I then had to hold Jack's leg and upper body while the student held Cole. After the cast was complete we tried to get Jack to ride in a wheel chair and he would have nothing to do with that. The student then had to carry Cole out for me while I carried Jack, pantless and it was only about 30 degrees out. The cold didn't bother him at all.

Overall he has been a great sport about it all, walking around, just slower, much to my liking. He sits in the stroller and we have to carry him to and from the car. I was completely exhausted by the time we got home. I did get a nap but by 7pm I was wasted again. It didn't help that Colin had to be on call last night.

I prayed a lot during the day that everything would go well and it really did. Jack was pretty good, Cole was pretty good, even when we had to go to Target to get sweats for Jack. Jack won't have any growth problems and he only has to wear it for three weeks, no more. They will just cut it off, no more xrays and he should be fine.

He's gone and done it!

At just 2 1/2 years old my extreme child has his first fracture. Today, about 4:30pm, Jack decided to stand on the arm rest of our desk chair and jump off. The chair fell over and when I ran into the room he was laying on the floor with the chair on his leg. I could tell he was very hurt by his cry and by the way he held on to me. Normally he cries and then is off and running again. I calmed him down and tried to get him to walk on it but he wouldn't. I called Colin and he was about 1/2 hour away from home. I knew in my gut that it was probably pretty bad, Jack just never complains about being hurt. I made an appointment with my pediatrician but when Colin got home we decided to just go strait to the ER. I guess they took an xray of his foot and found nothing so they xrayed his leg. Colin said it is a buckle or torus fracture on his fibula almost to his knee. I just said to my sister yesterday, "I can't believe he hasn't broken his neck." Well thankfully it is only an incomplete fracture. Colin is not yet home from the ER so I will post pictures of Jack later. I guesss they put a hard splint on it tonight and I have to call the orthopedic tomorrow to get it cast Meanwhile, here is a picture of the chair. The armrest is about 30 inches from the ground.

Snow is falling all around!

We woke up to a cover of snow this morning. It fell some time before 4 am. The kids were so excited. Jack just wanted to tromp around in it but I wouldn't let him before we bought snow boots. My kids eat snow like it was candy. Could it be better than candy? We bought boots and as soon as we got home they started shoveling the deck and eating to their hearts content. I am still teaching Jack not to eat the dirty snow. I think it is time to buy a sled before they are gone.

Happy Birthday Mia!

The night before Mia's birthday I stayed up to make her a Hello Kitty Birthday Cake. It was my first attempt at making a nice cake.

For school I went in with Cole to celebrate Mia's birthday. She read two books to her class and we had cupcakes. She really felt special!
Mia decorated all the cupcakes herself. We used a pastry bag and a star tip. It made it soooo easy and there wasn't that much of a mess.
We headed to Build-A-Bear in the afternoon. They were so excited! How could they not be?
The Cake. I did make it look like a kitty but not so much like Hello Kitty. She loved it though and I was pleased with my work.

A little about Mia

My girl turned 5 last week. Where has the time gone? She has grown and matured so much over the past couple of years I can't get over it. She continues to be a wonderful help and loving sister to her baby brother, Cole. Mia loves Jack and would be lost without him most days and others she could just get rid of him. He is learning what pushes her buttons and pushes them often. He gets a great reaction from her. His lot is life seems to be to torture his big sister. A trait in all brothers, I think. Mia thrives in preschool and loves her friends. She has started to really separate roles and sometimes take a step back from playing with boys because they don't like to play "house." She is boy crazy just a bit. The cute thing is that there are a few boys that have confessed their love and interest in marrying her, at least to their mothers and relayed to me. She likes the attention I think. Recently she was invited to a birthday party and she was one of two girls. The boys, ages 3 to 5, wanted to sit by her and expressed excitement in her coming along to pizza. Boys already?

Mia wanted quite the party this year and I guess I gave in. She wanted a Build-A-Bear party and a sleepover. I limited it to 3 friends. She had a blast, stayed up past midnight, got gifts she really wanted and played pin the flower on Hello Kitty. I was exhausted the day after and told her next year we were only having a family party. It didn't help that Colin had to go to some training. We had a fun party!!! She loved it and I think it was all she wanted.

No one I know from Texas is like this

Great Blog

I was reading a comment on my sister-in-law's blog and started reading it. It looks like a great resource for food storage and the like. Take a look!

http://safelygatheredin.blogspot.com/

October

I have been meaning to blog about our fun adventures all month now. Since I didn't get it done as it went by it gets to be put all together now.

We carved our pumpkins early this year, too early. We went away for a few days and left them in the house. Mia's was very moldy on the inside and Jack's was starting to wilt. They had a great time carving though. Mia helped Colin pick out all the pumpkin seeds to toast. The kids loved to snack on them. They did a great job!

We then went out of town to Virginia. We love it there! Matt and Crystal blessed sweet baby Asher. I have no idea how my sister-in-law does it. She is a mother of two and teaches at two different higher learning institutions. My brother-in-law works nights at a very difficult job and they hardly get to be together as a family. They are great at making it work!! I really commend them on their efforts. We were also with Abby and Mom and Dad Croshaw. Colin and I took Jack and Mia to a children's museum, met some friends from Blacksburg at an apple orchard, visited and stopped at IKEA on the way home. It was so nice to get away for a few days and even better to see family. The longer we are away the more I want to get back to Idaho to be close to most of our family members.

Another weekend we went with our friends to a haunted hayride. Mia was soooo excited and Jack didn't. He was nervous/scared and so he had his hands over his ears the whole time. They had a Curl up and Dye tent and Mia thought it was DIE. We were 3/4 of the way through and she didn't want to go any farther. We went through and she was okay. It took a lot of explaining when it came to the dye part. I really think she thought she might die. It was cute and I am so glad we have had no nightmares because of it.

Our church puts on a Halloween party. It was a week before the 31st. The kids loaded up on candy, ate on it for a week and then went trick or treating and reloaded. They really haven't asked for much lately. I think the novelty wore off. I am going to throw the rest away in a day or two.

Aunt Leslie came out for a few days. It was very nice to see her, we missed Uncle Alex! Seeing so many family members so close together made me homesick when Leslie left. It was very relaxing and always great to have another set of hands. Who wants to come next? We are waiting.

Can you guess who?

I have been thinking a lot about when Jack was a baby and how much harder it seemed to be than it does now. I am finding that despite what so many people have told me the transition to 2 was much harder than the transition to 3. Crazy, I know. I suppose it is different for everyone. I just can't believe how my boys look so alike. Jack hardly looks like he was when he was a baby and Cole looks just Jack did. So, who do you think is Jack and who do you think is Cole?

2 months and growing

Our little Cole is just growing like a weed. He is in the 90% for his weight. He is 12 pounds 11 ounces and 22.5 inches long. He is filling out and fun and squishy. He is smiling like crazy, sleeping pretty well and Colin said he thought Mia made him laugh last night. He is easy going and loves, loves, loves to be held. I finally found a pacifier he will take, thank you MAM, and figured out he will actually sleep on his back if I swaddle him tightly and give him the binky he likes. I know that sounds like a no brainer but before the new "suckie" as Mia calles it, he wouldn't sleep unless I put him on his tummy. I know, spare the lectures and gasps, I slept Mia on her tummy too and guess what, I even slept on my tummy as a baby. Can you believe we survived?

Fall Festivities

Cole was very attentive to the camera. He was so good!
3 peas in a pod
Our own little zombie!
Here we are waiting to watch a group of dancers that dress in black and put
glow sticks on their clothes and dance around. It was certainly entertaining!
I love Jack's smile in this picture. He was swinging in this great big tire swing with his friends.

We had a busy weekend this past one. Friday night we joined our good friends at the Haunted Hay Ride. I was so excited about it all day that I forgot to go to a doctors appointment. They had some fun creative things to partcipate in. Mia loved it, Jack covered his ears the whole ride. There was a tractor pulling the wagon but it really wasn't loud. I think it was his way of saying he didn't like it. It was really a good time.

Saturday we went to a fall festival, again with our close friends and ate apples, got pumpkins and enjoyed the warm fall weather. It was over 75 degrees. Colin had to work and I had help thankfully. Jack likes to run off and never while I am paying enough attention to notice. It happens frequently. Thankfully he doesn't like other people or people he doesn't know I should say. It can be very stressful for me. He's such a sweet guy though when he wants to be and watch out he can be terribly two and usually when we are in public.

Fall is just so much fun!

The things Jack says

One night, of many, Jack kept getting out of bed and coming down stairs. I think he had been down about 3 times at least. He peeked his head around the corner from the kitchen. Because we get exhausted taking him back up to bed again and again Colin said, "Go back to bed or I will take your butt back to bed." We don't use that word and usually say bum. Jack, not know what a butt is said, "I don't have a butt" in his high pitched voice. He said it so cute and so innocently that we just had to laugh.

Jack picks up many things from Mia and she likes to say that certain things are her "favorite" as all kids do. Today I heard Jack say to Colin, " your my favorite daddy!" Later today he said, "your my favorite mommy!" He's so sweet! He uses that sweetness to get what he wants from me and it almost always works.

Playing Mia's games

Mia made up this obstacle course tonight all by herself. She walked us through the course then Colin had his turn. He had to sing the ABCs at the very end, he timed each of us and we had some good laughs. I have to compliment Mia on her creativity!! Colin didn't get a recording of me but the pictures show that I am singing "I'm A Little Tea Pot". Jack played a bit but as usual he only wanted to do his own thing and kept trying to mutilate the course. He is the typical younger brother torturing his older sister. I have a feeling it will take about 20 years for him to stop doing that.

Oh the things you do for your kids!

I'm in LOVE!

Cole just started smiling last week and I got lucky and shot these pictures today. It just melts my heart every time I get him to smile at me. He is even starting to coo. He loves to talk to Colin. This is my favorite stage I have to admit!

Sweet Relief

For 4 nights in a row Cole has slept from 10 or 11 pm to 5 am. He then eats and goes back to sleep until about 8 or 8:30. It has been GREAT!! I hope he keeps it up. He is now in size 2 diapers. He will only be 7 weeks tomorrow but the time sure has flown by. He's such a sweet baby. I think he is learning to like the car a little more. That makes me happy considering we are headed out of town in a few weeks and will be driving for about 6 hours one way. It should be fun!

Catching up with some photos

Time is Not on my side these days.

Well, if you have a new baby and other kids to keep up with you know why I am behind in posting. I have wanted to blog for about a week now with a good update but between the kids I don't get a chance and Cole currently is trying to get worked up. He is a bit fussy and likes to be held A LOT! Colin has been home a lot these past two weeks and so he has been able to help out in that department. The past two days Cole has been satisfied with some time, I mean more than 3 minutes, in the bouncy seat. There is so much to do though that I am not sure where to start. I do feel like I can keep only the dishes done, with help from Colin, and the laundry. I am not complaining, I really love the newborn stage and I just can't believe that Cole will be 6 weeks old on Thursday. He's putting on some weight and trying to smile a bit. It really is exciting. It is so great to just snuggle with him and watch his facial expressions. He is just so sweet.

Colin blessed Cole last Sunday, the 7th. He gave Cole a beautiful blessing. I had a hard time concentrating because Mia was trying to lick me at the time. I could have just... I don't know. I was so frustrated with her though. Our good friends from Dayton, Ted, Kashia and kids, drove up to be a part. We also had J.T. Nelson and Travis Yonker stand in. It is sure nice to have such close friends. Some of the things from the blessing were he was blessed to be born into a home where the gospel is taught; to know who he was as a child of God; to be influential to friends and neighbors in sharing the gospel; desire to serve a mission and love those who he serves; marry in the temple and have a family; health and strength throughout his life; gain an education.

Mia started school the week before last. The first day after school she had a melt down and I figured we were in for a big adjustment but by this last week she was in good form every morning and happy every afternoon. We seem to be in agreement more often as of late. It has been nice. She loves school and is already asking to go to kindergarten. She is trying to grow up so fast.

Jack doesn't seem to care too much about Cole. He has become a bit clingy and wants to be held a lot by me. I kind of like the attention from him. He is such a sweet boy and all boy! He just won't stop climbing and he loves to do his own thing. We have had a good time togther in the mornings after Mia leaves for school.

I just wish I could sleep more. I am so bad about going to bed early and Jack and Mia have been getting up early. I usually am wiped out by 2pm. If I don't get a nap then and I sit for more than 10 minutes I fall asleep. That certainly comes with the territory doesn't it? I am still working on trying to figure out Cole. He is a bit of a mystery after 9pm. I can't figure out what it is he wants besides eating. He will only sleep if he is being held or is on his tummy. He also likes the vibration setting on the bouncy seat and the bassinett. He sleeps at night but wakes up often to eat. He is just a cool kid! I am eager for his 2 month appointment to see how much he has grown. I think he is up to maybe 9 pounds now.

Well, that is us in a nut shell.

Cole Pictures

Here are the first of the Cole pictures. We just had a friend of ours take some pictures and she posted some of them on her blog

http://sarahpalfreyman.blogspot.com/

I have some cute kids!

Mia tells me that Cole loves her more than he loves me.

He just loves me for the milk.

What a sweet baby boy!

Thank you!!

I can't believe it has been 3 1/2 weeks since Cole was born. We have been so busy it has seemed like months. The summer, especially the last month, has really flown by for obvious reasons. I have been thinking so much about my blessings and those that have blessed my life so much through kind acts of service. I would try to name them here but I know my mind is not that sharp, lack of sleep, and I would forget a name or three. So, for those that have served me and my family, thank you so very much!!! We had family and friends help us move 6 days before Cole was born. We had meals for a week from friends at church, that saved my life, or kept us alive. The meals were all so great! Friends also watched Mia and Jack while I was in the hospital and Colin was at work. Then my mother-in-law, Debby, came for 10 days, fixed meals, cleaned, held kids, entertained us, and made me realize that even when your kids are grown you still have many opportunities to serve them and mother them. Once a parent, always a parent. We are so blessed! Thank you to all of you for the help and love given to us!! I know the Lord will bless you for your service.

Lori Pix for her B-day

Happy B-day Lori. Here's a little look back for those of us who didn't know you back then.