Go!!

Carter's class is beginning to read! Crazy that he's only in pre-school, but he's in with the old fives. These are the kids that maybe could have gone to Kindergarten this year (summer/fall bdays) or just miss the deadline, so the teacher introduces some Kindergarten stuff.

His teacher sent home a list of sight words and asked us to start practicing and continue throughout the summer. So, we looked over the list and Carter knew the word "go"!!!! I was so excited for him. There's something really amazing about your kid learning to read. I probably should settle down...it's just one word, just two letters nonetheless. Still exciting though. I wonder what his first book will be.

Brooks - 3 Months!

On April 24th, Brooks turned 3 months old. He had a cold at the time and still has a bit of a cough, but is recovering. He's been doing great otherwise. He rolled over a few times from his tummy to his back, but needed me to help put his arm up first. The big news...he sucks his fingers just like Leah. We can't believe it. I really tried hard this time to push the pacifier, just so we could eventually take it away. At first, he took it, but as soon as he could figure out how to get his hand to his mouth, he started sucking his fingers, the middle two. It's really adorable, but I'm sure we'll still be battling it when he's 4! Must be some genetic thing, 3 out of 4 kids. :- )

His eyes are still blue and his hair gets crazier every day. I'm thinking about cutting it, at least trimming around the ears. The mowhawk doesn't bother me so much. Brooks smiles and cooes a lot now. He also started to laugh a bit. He loves when the other kids talk to him. Leah is the one that is most interested in playing with him and often lays with him under the play gym. Or, she'll bring him 50 toys and surround his entire body with things "for Brooks to play with", even though he just lays there and bats at things. Leah talks and sings to him anytime she can. Carter told me the other day that Brooks will probably like trucks too, just like he and Elliot. And, since Elliot is starting to talk more, he likes to point out his body parts. I'm constantly blocking Brooks' face so he doesn't lose an eye.

I love this picture. I just want to tickle his little armpit!

Easter Break

We spent the week before Easter in South Carolina with my side of the family. My parents have been building a house near my brother Mike, so it was our first visit since it's been done. We had a great time visiting with everyone. The kids loved playing together and getting to see their "big" cousins, as they call Mike's kids. Mikey is now 15 and driving, which seems crazy! He should have his official license in November. It was sort of a hectic time since there were still some final details that had to be done to the house. We stayed busy. One day, we went on a 3 mile hike with all the kids. It was hot! Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera that day. There were some beautiful views from up in the mountains.

My uncle also lives down there and his neighbor has a carpentry workshop in his barn. It kind of reminds me of Norm Abram. Amazing work! Anyhow, he built my brother a table for his large family. It is so beautiful and such a special addition to their home. They'll be able to enjoy meals together for years to come! They spent one morning sanding and staining it.

Here's my Uncle Mark, taking the kids for a ride.
Uncle Matt with Maren.
You can see the bottom of the table in the background.
Here's Carter, pretending to drive the four wheeler with Keira.
Carter, teeing off
We spent the day at Hollywild, a local petting zoo. The kids saw a black panther, bears, lions, farm animals, a rino and more. It was such a great park, low key but with lots to see and do.
Mike, with Jake and Tommy
We took the Safari ride, where the kids could feed the animals off the side of the bus or right their hand, depending on the animal.
Their tongues were so gross!!

Carter, taking the rope swing, at my brother's house.
Here are Leah and Hannah on the other swing. They spent hours doing this together. It was so cute! They were total buddies, only a week apart in age.
Jeremy and Brooks - nap time after golf.
Brooks and I.
One night, we went out on the golf course and played around a bit with the kids.
Here's Elliot, filthy as usual, after a full day of playing in the dirt!

Dad, teaching Leah


Keira, Leah and Madeleine playing dress up with some blankets.
Here's the whole family, just before we loaded up to head back to Ohio. Everyone else stayed for Easter, but Jer had to work on Monday and the kids had school so we ventured back and spent Easter Sunday with Jeremy's family.

Here are all the grandkids in the stairwell.

As soon we left, Jer says to me, "What can we do to Mike and Kel's house on our way out of town?" in his true prankster form. Mike was having some drainage put in around his driveway so there were a bunch of pipes stacked along one side. So, we swung through and rearranged things a bit. Jeremy then hung a bunch of toys in their trees. In the meantime, the kids were sitting in the car wondering what in the world we were doing. I'm sure we'll be getting a call someday when they're in high school after they've tee-pee'd someone's yard!

When Mike later tried to call us, instead of answering, I just sent him a text with a picture of Jeremy standing in the driveway. All in good fun. It was a great trip and we're hoping to get back down there soon!! Thanks Mom and Dad!!

Egg Decorating

Thursday night, before we left town, Jeremy's whole family came over to decorate eggs. I had hard-boiled an 18 pack earlier that day and everyone else brought eggs over too. G-ma made homemade wagon wheel mac-n-cheese which the kids devoured. Then, we set up the eggs and let them go to town!

About halfway through, one of the eggs got cracked open and it wasn't hardboiled!! I then looked around and realized that someone pulled out the wrong 18 pack from the fridge. That's what I get for not marking them!! So, we spun each egg to try and figure out which ones were hardboiled. We only found 8 of 18 and just put all the eggs in the fridge. So, it makes cooking for the next week or so sort of interesting.

Brooks - 2 Months!

Yesterday marks his two month birthday. A few updates....he suddenly seems huge. We go to the doctor tomorrow for his two month visit and Leah's 4 year check-up, so I'm really excited to see how much he weighs. This also means the start of the vaccines (ouch!). Hopefully, he'll do ok because from the office, we're headed straight to SC for spring break. 9 hours in the car! We're going to stay at my parents' new place which should be complete this week. It's only about five mins down the road from Mike's house so all of my family will be together for the week. Should be fun.

Other updates....last Saturday Brooks was baptized. I had temporarily misplaced my camera so I had to have other people take pictures. When I get my hands on those, I'll be sure to post about it. I can still smell the chrism in his hair. I've intentionally washed his hair only slightly since that day. The smell is one of my favorite things!

Brooks is sleeping really well at night. Usually, he's in bed around 9, then wakes up at 1/1:30, eats and falls back to sleep till 4:30ish. Then he sleeps till around 7. I was just saying to Jeremy last night that it's been a while since he's been awake for a long stretch during the night. I don't mind waking up to feed him, as long as he goes back to sleep. Plus, I usually nurse him laying down and fall back to sleep myself!!

Here he is with dad on March 23rd

His cheeks are starting to get chubby!

This is yesterday, the 24th

He's starting to smile more and more, especially when we talk to him. He cooes a lot now too! He's so sweet!

Happy 4th Birthday Leah!!

"Leah Becca" she has called herself since she could talk. Now she's 4!!! However, as cliche as it might sound, I can remember the day she was born like it was yesterday. Shocked and excstatic when the doctor announced she was a girl. It was such a special day. As with the birth of every child, life's never the same afterwards. Leah keeps us hopping. She's most often having a good time and talking, laughing or singing. In fact, if I don't hear her, I wonder if something is wrong. Daughters are so different than sons, or at least Leah. I don't have any other daughters to compare her to, but I'm constantly asking myself if I'm treating her right, spending enough time talking with her, if I'm too hard on her, if I'm not hard enough on her, why she does or says the things she says, etc, etc. With the boys, you know what you're getting. For some reason, I've got my hand on the pulse as far as how things are going with them. With Leah, sometimes I'm left wondering, just hoping we're doing a good job.

Back to her birthday, which was Monday the 15th....she had school that day and was "Star of the Week" in Miss Ellen's class. They rotate who's the star each week and try to make it coincide with their birthday week. They get to do things like be line leader, mom or dad can come in and read their favorite book to the class, etc. Miss Ellen also encourages you to put together a poster collage about them, something they can hang in the classroom. We filled it with pics from her birth until now and I took Kristy's interview idea and asked her several questions about herself, filling in the answers on the poster. The poster's still at school or I would list the answers. I'll have to post on that later. We brought in My Little Pony fruit snacks as the snack that day and on Thursday of her star week, I read "Horton Hears a Who", one of the favorites in the house. A great book, but a little on the long side for a class full of 3 year olds. It doesn't seem that long when reading it at home. The class did a great job listening though.

That night, we had the family over for pizza and cake. One thing she kept asking for was a pony cake, so we attempted a pony cake. I ended up buying some My Little Pony toys and putting them on the cake with pink sprinkles, not very creative, but she liked it. Leah and Carter helped with the decorating.

Here's all the cousins playing in the sun room with Trenton front and center.

Check out that masterpiece!

She ate off the special red plate. I need a new ceramic marker for the record on the back. The old one is worn out. Any ideas on where to get one? Maybe Michaels. I couldn't find it on-line.
Here's Leah, during the olympics. She and Carter kept gearing up for the bobsled.

This shirt has been around since Jeremy was a kid. His mom made it and both Leah and Carter have worn it. Leah now wears it as a night shirt and it's so comfy, having been washed a thousand times.

I just thought this pic was funny. A long time ago, I blogged about checking on her one night and finding her with her doll stroller across her back while she was sleeping. Well, her funny sleep stories continue. On this particular night, Jer and I went in to check on them before bed and found Leah sprawled out in her bathing suit. She had changed after we put her to bed and then brought a bunch of books into bed with her. I can remember calling up to see what the noise was and Carter yelled back that she's just getting books, covering for the fact that she was changing into her bathing suit! Anything for a little bit of summer.
And here they are today, snacking on some giant lollipops....hopefully all their teeth won't fall out!Happy 4th Birthday Leah!! We love you to pieces! When I tell her that, she corrects me and says, "No Mom, Grandpa loves me to pieces!"