Before and After

Now that the kids are feeding themselves, dinners are quite messy. Here are some before and afters taken tonight after eating goulash, needless to say they went straight to the bath.

WE'RE 1 YEAR OLD, finally!

April 16th came and went but it'll be a day we'll never forget. The weather was perfect, the kids were in good moods, we had WONDERFUL company (25 of them), and the food was great! Who could ask for a better 1st birthday? Thanks to: Aunt Deb for helping with the meat and for all of your creative ideas; Uncle Dave for riding around for 2 hours with Trav and Dad so the kids could get their naps; to Mom and Dad for EVERYTHING you do, just having you here is a joy; to Shannon, Cindy, Mandi, and Ang for feeding the kids and getting everything cleaned up; to everyone else that was there, for your support, nice gifts, and wonderful company.

The kids had their year check up and are doing fantastic. Nathan is 23 pounds, Karly is 19 pounds, and little Anna is 17 pounds. They are officially off formula and baby food...what a relief. They love to feed themselves, hardly take anything off the spoon anymore. Everyone is in their own crib and sleeping at least 12 hours a night. HOW DID WE GET SO LUCKY? Let's hope this next year is just as great! The kids' personalities are so prominent and very individualized. Karly is the funny one, with her facial expressions and body movements, she can make anyone break out in laughter. Nathan is such a boy, from his grunting and to his physique he truly takes after daddy! :) And Miss Anna is just sweet as can be, her smile lights up the room and will cuddle with almost anyone...okay, not many people but mommy and daddy...we're hoping that changes, SOON!

Over the past year we have had so many wonderful memories with the kids and continue to feel very honored that our kids chose us to be their parents. We thank EVERYONE who helps us out weekly, to those who give us handy me downs, to those who give Trav and I our much needed date night, and to anyone and everyone who loves them, hugs them, and kisses them...our kids are very lucky to have such a great family and circle of friends, as are we!

I will try to continue to update monthly, if at any time you are needing a baby fix I can send photos via email. Take care of yourself and enjoy the pics I've uploaded here. Anna is sitting on the top of their new slide; Nathan and Anna are sitting at their new picnic table; Anna and Daddy are exhausted after a day of fun; and the "cake" pictures.

1 Year Pictures

Okay, I was going to wait until the kids were a year to post these but I couldn't resist. We had their "1 Year" photos taken 2 weeks ago and here are some for your viewing pleasure...

We're 11 months old!

Who's ready for spring? I know we are! We do manage to get out on the 50 degree days but it'd be nice if it was a bit warmer. The kids are doing great; crawling, pulling up to stand, cruising, and Anna is experimenting with standing alone. Nathan is getting his top two teeth, the girls still just have the bottom two. We are slowly getting them on table food, it's so hard making sure they get all their fruits and vegetables. We've managed to stay pretty healthy this winter, the kids are dealing with runny noses and coughs now but it could be a lot worse. The girls are "trying" to talk, Karly says ball and Anna says Apollo (our dog's name). We got a mama out of Karly the other day, but it's a rare occasion to have it happen again. Darnit!

Travis is still pluggin' away at school. He got a part time job as a Park Ranger for the summer so he'll be working the days I'm off. He is in need of more adult contact, which I can't blame him. My work in the ER is going great, I really like everyone I work with and I love the idea of not knowing what my day will entail when I get there. We've started working out at the YMCA, they have a daycare so the kids go about 3x/week, it's nice to get back into the fitness mode.

We're working on the kiddos birthday party for next month, I can't believe they're going to be a year old, wow how time flies. Here are some photos from the last posting. We got a quad stroller and choo choo wagon and love them (thanks for the recommendation Kristi)!!!

9 MONTHS OLD

The kid's had their nine month check up last week...here are their numbers: Nathan weighed 21 pounds 3 ounces and was 29 1/2" long; Karly weighed 17 pounds 8 ounces and was 28 1/2" long; and Anna weighed 15 pounds 8 ounces and was 26 1/2" long. Karly has to see a pediatric orthopedic in Springfield the end of March for her left foot, she stands on her tippy toes and the muscles are pretty tight so she'll do PT here in Quincy and see what the orthopedic has to say in March. Anna is a peanut and went down on the growth chart. She doesn't eat much and is active so we'll keep an eye on her. Other than that the kids are doing great. Karly and Nathan are finally crawling everywhere. Karly is pulling herself up, Nathan will pull himself up to his knees but that's about all the further he'll go. Karly said "Daddy" yesterday and Nathan is saying "Mama" but it also sounds like "Anna", I'm going with "mama" for sure!!!

I have some really good photos from the last week or two, too many to put on here, I have a shutterfly account, if you're interested in seeing more photos, let me know and I'll send you an invite to view our shutterfly album.

We're ready for spring, how about you? Can't wait to get the kiddos outside to play.

KARLY GETS A HAIRCUT

Karly's hair was driving us nuts so we finally had to cut it, here are the before and after shots.

WHAT'S YOUR COLOR?

WHAT'S YOUR COLOR?

http://web.tickle.com/color/index.jsp?testname=colorogt&resultid

My Result: Green

You're color is green, the color of growth and vigor. Good-hearted and giving, you have a knack for finding and bringing out the best in people. Green is the most down-to-earth color in the spectrum — reliable and trustworthy. People know they can count on you to be around in times of need, since your concern for people is genuine and sincere. You take pride in being a good friend. For you, success is measured in terms of personal achievement and growth, not by status or position. Rare as emeralds, greens are wonderful, natural people. It truly is your color!