Life Is Good

Before visiting Santa, they were so excited. Not so excited to be by him though!

With their favorite person ever....Papa!

They are so excited for Santa to visit!

The kids saw photos of when they were bundled up in blankets as babies and wanted me to replicate it now!

Thanks to my wonderful friend, Sue, the kids were this for Halloween!

My fabulous friends get together for my birthday!

Playing dress up with their very good friend, Madison!

My good friend, Jessica, and I after finishing our first ever 1/2 marathon....more to come!

Our Halloween pumpkins!

Awww....sweet kiddos!

At the pool with our favorite cousins!

My little handsome man!

Karly in all her laughter!

Typical day for Anna...a baby in tow!

Kids on my friends boat, they had such a great time!

Summer fun, love these moments!

As we enter the Christmas holiday I reflect on the past 10 months. What a different direction our lives have gone. I have to say I am happier now than I have been in a very long time. I became a Christian and have become such a stronger woman, not only because I had to but because I wanted to. I have strengthened my girlfriend and family relationships which is so important to me.

The kids have done AMAZING! They have such a good relationship with their dad and look forward to seeing him any chance they get. The kids continue to surprise me with their wit and humor daily.

Karly is my little helper. Always by my side helping fold laundry, do dishes, and/or cook. She has an opinion about everything...she's quite the thinker and funny as can be!!! She also gives me my most struggles with discipline...she's always testing the line.

Nate is such a boy but can also be very lovey. He LOVES to watch TV and would all day if I let him. When he's not watching the tube he's usually pestering his sisters. Nate is interested in how things work and if given the chance will take most items apart. Currently, he's into shooting things with his pretend gun.

Anna is Anna. And for those of you that know her, that is exactly right. She loves her babies and is the best mommy to them. Very kind hearted. She's very observant of people's behavior. She's my easiest out of the three for discipline but not so much on sleeping. She would much rather be in my bed than her own.

This stage the kids are in is so much fun. I love watching them play and listening to their conversations...I marvel at their imaginations. They are always full of questions...very inquisitive...like their mother! :)

Enjoy the photos, I will make a New Year's resolution to update this more often. Merry Christmas to you and your family and have a very safe, happy, and healthy 2011 Year.

We're 3

Nate on his big boy bike. He'll need to grow into it a little bit.

Anna on her bike. She rarely rides it, would rather walk around with her helmet and her water bottle.

Karly loves her bike. She took right off and loves to ride it any chance she can get.

Papa at the end of the week...very tired! He worked hard on the house and ran around with the kids.

Kids before having professional photos done, they did such a great job. Sat still and did what Tieraney asked of them.

Outside after the party, as you can see, the balloons were a hit!

The kids inside with Teagan before opening gifts.

My little tribe. Can you see Karly's personality here?

The kids really do play very well together. Not to say there aren't fights but very few and far between. I hope they continue to always be this close.

We had such a great 3rd birthday party! Beautiful weather and wonderful friends/family. The kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The kids received some very nice gifts. Getting their bikes they've been asking for since Christmas.

Meme and Papa were here all week getting the house ready for the celebration. As you can see by one of the photos, exhaustion usually sets in for mom and dad by the end of the week! hehehe They'll be back the end of May to watch the kids while I go on my annual girls trip; Mexico this year...yeah!!!

Kids are doing great as usual. I was thinking today, I'm still waiting for the "terrible 2s" to kick in. Some people say 3 is when it hits. I guess we'll see!

Enjoy the photos, I hope their smiles are as infectious for you as they are for me!

Almost 3

Waiting to be seated at Hickory Park.

Do you think I could send this to Pringles for advertisement?

The girls and their Meme

RIP Apollo, we miss you!

The kids during their visit from Auntie Michelle and Auntie Jen.

Nate going through his eggs.

Anna trying to find her "money, money"

Karly has such a sweet tooth like her mommy.

Nathan sat his basket down and brought the eggs to it.

Anna and Karly finding eggs. They were so concerned that the Easter bunny didn't stay to see them.

Sorry it's been awhile since I've posted. I plan to do more, I promise!

The kids will be 3 next week and it doesn't seem possible. Some times it's hard to remember them as babies. This morning I looked back at all the previous postings and had some wonderful flashbacks.

As most of you know Travis and I have gotten a divorce. For now the kids are handling the situation like superstars. They love going to daddy's place. Travis and I have a good relationship going which is the best for the kids. We try to keep them on a consistent schedule as far as visitation. I was hoping for a different outcome but it didn't work out. I guess all things happen for a reason, still trying to figure out the reason for this. But, the kids keep me going and each day is getting easier. The nights when the kids go to bed or the days I am without them are my toughest, but I will conquer....GUARANTEED!

So, now to the kids....Man are they fun!!!! I am loving this age, so pure and full of innocence...okay, not completely but for the most part.

Karly continues to be the spit fire. Very talkative and funny. Her personality is very outgoing. She jokes a lot and can be sarcastic at times...watch out! She's the one in the corner the most, I think Anna and Nate are already learning from her mistakes! haha

Nathan continues to be such a boy. It's amazing what that different chromosome can do. He's my little man and loves to cuddle with me any chance he can get. Since he was born he's been my best eater and sleeper and continues to be to this day.

Anna is still my tiniest of the three. Very soft hearted, kind, and caring. She loves her babies...very motherly. Takes after her momma. Of the three she is completely potty trained (even at night). Karly and Nate are except at night. Hoping to conquer that feat next week. It will mean letting them get out of bed at night to go the bathroom, not sure I'm ready for that or not!

I'm still working the weekend shift in the ER. Every Saturday/Sunday and have started picking up one day during the week (depends on when I can catch an 8 hour open shift). My friends have been amazing through the past several months, not sure what'd I do without them. And of course, mom and dad are my rock. Wishing we lived closer but at this time cannot be. I am still able to get out of the house and have some me time which is so important right now.

We are sooooooooooo looking forward to spring and summer. So much to explore outside! Hoping this finds you doing well, enjoy the photos and I will post more after their birthday next week.

Winter 2009

Posing for Christmas card photos...Anna, Nate, and Karly.

Anna, after her first professional haircut, dressed up for Mike and Shannon's reception

Karly, after her first professional haircut, dressed up for Mike and Shannon's reception, with a tootsie roll in her mouth.

The girls before they got their hair cut with their babies...of course!

The fam at our friends in Bloomington.

Nate with Jen's motorcycle...look at that grin!

The kids with their pumpkins. They were so proud of those this year and had a great time painting them and themselves, with daddy's help.

The kids at Halloween, dressed up as the same as last year, but the girls switched outfits.

The girls today with their "piggytails".

The kids with the new Christmas tree. Now if we can only keep our hands off of it! :)

Nate on his big boy bed.

Karly with mommy's glasses on doing my homework.

It's been almost 8 months since our last post. We've been using Facebook to post photos but have several requests from people who aren't on Facebook to update our blog. Plus, this is a bit more personal.

We continue to stay busy with the kids but it's getting easier in many areas. The kiddos are potty trained during the day and go by themselves. Still wearing diapers during nap and bed time. It's been easier than we thought so far! Nate's in a big boy bed and the girls are in toddler beds...no more cribs...thank goodness! Anna will get up 2-3 times a night but will go back to bed with little redirection.

Karly continues to be Miss Independent and our challenge at times. She gets very frustrated with tasks she can't complete by herself and doesn't like to ask for help. She is definitely are best "talker". Always making us laugh with her quirkiness.

Nathan is such a little boy. He's learned how to pester his sisters and make them scream. Continues to be our best sleeper and is quite the little cuddle bug. Nate likes his trucks and balls but will be right there with the girls playing babies.

Anna is still our littlest. She is such a sweety and plays well with the other two. She LOVES her babies and any other babies she can get her hands on.

So far we've all been healthy this flu season. Trying to keep the kiddos out of public areas as much as possible. However they occassionaly go to daycare so mommy can pick up some extra hours at work.

Travis finished his bachelor's degree and has started his master's online. He continues to work full-time and enjoys what he does. He gets out of the house on Wednesdays for bowling night...his only salvation! :)

I am still working in the ER but work part-time every Saturday and Sunday which is nice to have the whole week off with the kids. I am so lucky to have this opportunity to be with the kids. It's hard not to have more time with Travis, but we know this is a temporary sacrifice.

It's hard to believe the kids are 2 1/2. I look at them some times and wonder how they got to be so big. The days of them being tiny are slowly leaving my mind. But our minds are being filled with new memories every day with smiles, hug, kisses and laughter.

We hope everyone has a great Holiday Season and a Happy 2010! Thank you for all the support and prayers over the past 3 years.

We're 2

Nate trying on Daddy's shorts.

The kids "acting" like they're sleeping...looks like Nate actually might be!

The BIGGEST gift of the day...big wheels and a trike!

Happy Birthday Buddie, don't you look handsome! (they love to put their hands in their pockets)

Happy Birthday sweet Anna!

Happy Birthday Karly, you are so beautiful and funny!

Happy Easter! The kiddos did great at the egg hunt.

Auntie Michelle and Aunt Jen...gosh we miss you guys!

Peters' family photo...a rare occasion!

Karly all packed up to go. Every once in awhile she'll do this...whether it's on the bed, the chair or in her wagon, she'll pile everything in sight in that spot (notice the two bears on her back).

Anna in the recycling bin. Don't ask me what possessed her to do this. Thank goodness we had just received it and it was clean!

Karly and her goofy self, she was probably jabbering in this photo.

Nate and his pockets again! :)

Anna loves this shirt...it has a hat, buttons, and pockets!

Cuties!

Anna being silly outside.

Karly...can you just hear her giggle?

"Mommy, I don't know how I got these marks on me!" This would be a result of me being on facebook and not watching the kids close enough....darn Facebook!

Karly's cheesy grin!

Another rare occasion....

Can you believe the kiddos are 2? Some days we think the time has flown, other days we feel like they should be turning 16! :) We had a wonderful day with great family and friends to spend it with. The weather cooperated so we could eat and play outside...we've been lucky to have had beautiful weather the past 3 years, I'm sure one of these years we'll have a snow storm on their birthday. The kids received a ton of gifts and ended up playing with the balloon bouquets the most! (of course) hahaha

Not much has changed since the last post. Anna and Nathan have since had their first ear infections. It's so weird neither one of them were pulling at their ears...just fevers we couldn't break and not acting like themselves. We are all better now, thank God!

Karly talks up a storm and if we can't understand her she gets pretty frustrated, so to prevent a meltdown, we "act" like we understand her most of the time. Anna had her first day of potty training today (thanks to Julie, Cindy, Ron, and Al for the potty chairs) and she did pretty good. We went through ~13 pairs of underwear and made it to the potty in time on 3 different occasions which resulted in 1 Reese's peanut butter piece each time. Nate is still Nate. I often think he gets overshadowed by the girls, he just kind of hangs back and chills. Not to say at times he can get a little wild! :)

We'll be walking Saturday in our local March of Dimes walk. If you're interested in sponsoring our family go to http://www.marchforbabies.org/ and our team name is JPETERS5. We hope that you can contribute in your community to help make all babies that are born healthier.

Hope this post finds you well. Enjoy spring and look forward to summer! FINALLY!