Twin Girls

I made a bracelet as a baby gift for a friend of mine that lives in New Hampshire. She recently had twin nieces born in Chicago and wanted bracelets for them. I just love these!

Serious Gamers

When is it "too young" to compete head-to-head on Nintendo? :)

Pumpkin Patch

Admittedly, Carter was not thrilled at first to be in the pumpkin patch. Grandma went in with him and then he was okay. Ryan was so distracted by the horses and four wheelers, he hardly had time to pick his favorite pumpkins! Carter had to check out the horses after, but we had to be careful - there was a live electrical fence around the horses! The kids love every minute on the farm!!

Great Grandma and Carter

Carter still has one bottle - the bedtime bottle. Great Grandma gave Carter his bottle on Friday night after dinner and playtime. I love watching her with the kids - there is such genuine love and spark in her eyes when she looks at them. She sang to Carter the entire time she gave him his bottle. She shared dinner with us on Friday night - I think it is a little more lively with these two spitfires than her normal evening at Elderwood, Assisted Living Facility!

More Swimming Lessons

Ryan's love for his swimming lessons and instructor is growing and his concern of his face underwater is diminishing. Jenna is awesome with the kids. His new favorite part - the cannon balls at the end of class! I love the smirk they are sharing in the last photo, post cannon ball! :)

Jump, Jump, Jump

Life is all about action when you are 3. This is what Ryan does from the minute he wakes up (still in pajamas below) until the minute he goes to bed. Jump, jump, jump!!!!

Iron Girl

I competed in my first Iron Girl today. It consisted of a 2 mile run, 22 mile bike ride, and another 2 mile run. My personal goal was 2 hours. I crossed the finish line in 1:57:17. I was exhausted, but thrilled to meet my goal. I don't think if you offered me a million dollars I could have finished sooner - I gave it 100% the entire race. There were 1000 registered participants and 805 completed the race. It was a great experience and one I am so excited to have been a part of! I had a great cheering section and my boys all made me signs and cheered me on - it was a very emotional finish!

Kyle's Cross Country Ribbon

Kyle ran his first cross country race (3/4 mile) on Thursday evening at his school. He had a great time with his friend, Riley.

Teething

I almost cringe just typing the "t" word. My kids have had the toughest time teething and we are up several times a night for weeks before each tooth. Carter clings to his "softy" even more now when he is teething. It is in his mouth constantly and in the wash at least a couple of times a week. I often find him playing with toys with both hands, "softy" securely in his teeth! Once this tooth pops, we are going to get a bit of relief until the 2 year molars...it can't come fast enough, as tired as we are! Carter naps all day, we on the other hand, are the ones left wandering around exhausted! Guess that is all part of parenting!

Swimming Lessons

Ryan is in swimming lessons again at Foss. He is doing well with swimming...now listening is another thing entirely! Sitting on the step waiting his turn is not his idea of fun in a pool. The instructors are fabulous and have unending patience. We go on Friday mornings now and the pool is all but empty. When we used to go on weeknights, it was packed. I love the morning sessions - quiet - just what we need! Carter wanted to get into the water, too. I had to keep him in his stroller so we didn't have him in the pool. I guess it won't be long and he will be in lessons as well!

All it takes is a little incentive...

Ryan wanted to ride his motorized dirt bike tonight, and we had taken the training wheels off. He couldn't balance alone. We made a deal: learn to ride your bike, and you can ride your dirt bike. Never in a million years did I think he could do it...in one night! A couple of trips down the sidewalk hanging onto the bike, and he was off riding on his own! That kid has one thing...determination! I am so proud of him! We'll move him back to his bigger bike when he masters this one. I have a feeling it won't be long!

Rare Moment

It doesn't happen often, but once in a while they play very well together (ex. no hitting!) I had to catch this one! :)

Ready or not...

Ryan started Sunday School today, at the same church he attends preschool. He wasn't quite sure when we arrived if he wanted to stay in the room without us (in fact, he KNEW he didn't want to, but we were trying to convince him it would be okay). He did stay and had a great time. Carter went to the nursery for the first time today as well. He didn't even look back when I dropped him off. He jumped right in, playing with the toys with the other toddlers. When I picked up Ryan, the teachers said he did great. He looked mad when I saw him - apparently all of the other classes had snacks served in Spongebob cups - his class didn't because they didn't know if any of the children had allergies. Next time they will get snacks. A quick stop at the donut table on the way out of the church solved all of Ryan's problems. Maybe I'll try Ryan's technique next time I get worked up - just eat a donut! :) On a side note, with no children sitting next to us in church today, I heard a full sermon for the first time in years - what a relaxing service!

Kyle and Friends

Kyle and his buddies were at a costume birthday party on Friday night. Sometimes you just don't ask... :) He had a busy weekend with 2 overnight birthday parties and then he and I toured the Parade of Homes models today near our house. He picked out which bedroom would be "his" in each of the parade models (the one with the biggest closet, nicest view, attached bath, etc.) - I guess that is a perk you are entitled to when you are the oldest of 3 boys!

Ryan's Trampoline = Carter's Reading Nook

Ryan loves to jump on his new trampoline. Carter just uses it as a place to read his favorite book, Big Red Barn.