Dance Moves

I heard a funny conversation between Lauren and Drew today and I knew I had to get my camera. We were finishing up lunch and Drew said, "Lauren, do you wish that your dances moves were as good as me?" She replied "Ya" because she says ya to almost everything. Drew said, "Well Sissy, you just have to practice and you will have good dance moves." It is hard in this house to just listen and not laugh sometimes, but I turned on the music and grabbed my camera! Enjoy!

Warm weather don't go away!!!

We have been going outside and trying to enjoy all the the warm weather that we have left. I know that pretty soon we will be stuck in the house and going stir crazy so for now we are out and about! The kids are so much fun. Drew is riding his bike without training wheels and lately he has been trying to learn to do some tricks on his bike. The sound of "hey, watch this" scares me to death, however it puts a smile on Sam's face every time. Lauren is trying to do everything that Drew does and right now her favorite thing to do is have Drew give her a ride on his tractor. That is a cute sight to see, Drew squashed up against the steering wheel and Lauren hanging out on back with a huge smile. She is saying so many things now and is starting to learn some songs. She is a little sponge and she understands so much. Not everything is rosy, she has entered the trantrum stage! Her tantrums are short lived so I think we will keep her! :)

Helping brother fly his kite.

We didn't get a good picture of the kite in the air, but Drew was loving it!

Team work!

I LOVE THIS PICTURE!!!!!

Trick or treat!
Drew was actually running a fever so we only went to two houses but they seemed happy with that. Lauren even attempted to say "trick or treat".

Not sure what she is asking but it looks serious. :)

He must have agreed because it was followed with a hug and then......

she was HAPPY!

Love this picture too!

Preschool Days!

We started Drew in Lutheran Preschool in the middle of August. I have to give Sam the credit for this adventure, because Mommy and Drew were perfectly happy with staying together all day, everyday. Sam has great childhood memories of preschool so he was eager to get Drew going. I on the other hand never went to preschool so I didn't see the reason for it. I tried very hard to act excited and get Drew excited for school but it did not work. He wanted to stay with us and said he did not want to go because he would miss us. The first day was hard, second day was even harder (they had to pry him off of me and I had to leave to the sounds of him crying), but since then it has gotten easier and easier. Today he told me that he wanted me to stay in the car so that he could walk to the door by himself, according to him it is a "big boy job" to walk in by himself. So there I stood by the car watching him all the way to the door and although he doesn't need me to accompany him anymore to the door, he does still need me. He kept looking back to see if I was watching and then waved and yelled I love you before he walked in. Those are the memories I will lock in my head and remember. Also we have seen progress in his socialization since going to preschool. Before going he always stuck close to me at playgroups and now he is off and playing with the other kids.

Toy Story Party!

Our little baby Drew has quickly grown into a big four year old. He is amazing and I wish that everyone could see how sweet he is. He says, "I love you" and "I think you are the best" all the time. This year he decided he wanted a Toy Story birthday party. I didn't get many pictures of the party because I was busy running around but I took a few.



I had Toy Story characters hanging along our fence. I didn't get a picture of them out there but I thought I would take a picture of the ones that were left. I let all of his guests take one home. It was a hot day and the kids used them as fans.


I made all of the kids these little Mr. Potato Heads. The body parts are attached with Velcro and I had all the parts laying on one end of the yard. The kids had to run and find the parts they needed to complete their Mr. Potato Head and then they got to take them home.

My nephew Kyle!

Drew and Brett

My nephew Brandon

My mom and I made the cake and cupcakes.

Run Sam Run

Sam just ran a half marathon last weekend. I am so proud of him, he decided he was going to do this in February and started training. The course was hard (hills) and it was VERY HOT and he did it in 2 hours! I wasn't able to get great pictures when he came in because of the number of people watching, but I got what I could.
We took the kids with us to Kansas City and while he was running we took the kids to a little Rain Forest traveling play station.

It is hard to see him, but he is wearing a red shirt and crossing the finish line.

My sister and brother-in-law ran the race too.

Visit with Max, Evelyn, Megan and Stephen

We just had a wonderful visit with one of my best friends from college. We live several states away and we don't get the chance to see each other very often. Although technology makes the distance easier it is still hard to not get to be a part of her life. The visit couldn't have been better (maybe longer), the children played great together. Max is four, just like Drew and Evelyn is 6 months and they are beautiful, sweet children. Megan is doing a great job with them. Every time Megan and I are together we pick up right where we left off, she is a blessing in my life. The only bad part of the visit is when it was over, I knew I wouldn't see her for awhile. Her kids will change and so will mine and we hate missing all the little moments of each others lives. Thanks for the visit Meg!

Lauren is walking!!!

Lauren started walking a couple weeks ago. She took awhile to get going but she is very good at it. She is walking all over now. It is so cute to watch because she walks very slow and controlled, unlike her brother who was fast and crazy!

Changing....

Our life is starting to change and although it is exciting, I am a little sad. Just got a call last night from Drew's first soccer coach and practice starts this week. This is his first commitment he has had, we have been involved in other things but this is the first thing that isn't come when you want. Also we are going to visit his preschool this week. He is not excited and says he is not going to go to school. I am hoping that going to visit will help a little. I realize that fun days of "what ya want to do today?" will soon be replaced with "hurry and get dressed because we have to go to....". This all just makes me so thankful that I was able to stay home and spend time with him everyday. Funny story about Drew... we took him to a little indoor play place that has carnival rides and when the high school girl unbuckled his seat belt he took off out the wrong side of the ride. I didn't see it but my sister looked up and there he was walking along the middle of the ride trying to balance himself on the tarp that covers all the wires and stuff. Mandy said the worker had a look of what should I do? Thankfully Aunt Mandy to the rescue was able to get him and then mean Mommy had to sit him out. He moves so fast that it is hard to keep up with him, but we wouldn't change him one bit. He is a good kid that requires more guidance than some other kids but he really wants to please people. A lot of times all I have to say to him is "that doesn't make mommy happy" and he will change what he is doing. He is so sweet, gives tons of hugs and I love you's.
Lauren has given up bottles (big girl) and doesn't want that baby food stuff anymore! I have been cutting her food up in little tiny bites and Drew gave her a chunk of his pork chop last night and she just chewed it like a champ, with Sam and I beside her ready to do the heimlich maneuver. Lauren loves any attention she gets from her brother. She still hasn't started walking and really doesn't seem interested in walking at this point. She walks with her walker and cruises around the furniture, but just can't get the courage to take that first step. I am just fine with that because with the second child you know that your life changes drastically when they start walking. She is blowing kisses, clapping and waving bye-bye. She LOVES Mommy and Daddy. She has a smile that makes everyone smile. She can say Mamma, Dadda, brother and duck. She tries to mimic every sound she hears and is actually really good at that.
I know, just like every stage in their lives, we will love what comes next and enjoy seeing them accomplish new things. It is just always a little sad to see things change, I am so happy with the way things are now, why can't you just push pause? :)

Lauren's Big Bash!!!

We celebrated Lauren's first birthday with lots of friends and family. She has been a blessing for this family and it is hard to remember life without her. The party was a lot of fun and Lauren got her first taste of cake. Do you think we had enough pink at the party?