Summer Fun

As much as we love summer, we're waiting for cooler days. Heat index has been 110 which keeps us inside with crazy, wild toddlers! The kiddos are doing great. We have so much fun with them...we are the ones that get entertained daily. Lately we feel like referees as one of the kids is always taking something away from another one. Karly likes to hit and Anna likes to bite. Nathan just gets into everything he shouldn't. In the past week Karly has taken a great interest in "reading" books. She'll bring one and expect to sit on your lap while she turns the pages. The kids are working on their animal noises and today we took them to see the ducks...well, as you will see in the photo, the ducks swarmed us when we walked towards the pond. Travis had the girls, I had Nathan and we RAN back to our van to keep from getting pecked! It was hilarious. The kids enjoyed throwing bread to the ducks from inside the van.

Here are the latest numbers on the kiddos: Anna is 18.2 pounds and 29 3/4" tall. Karly is 20.6 pounds and 30 3/4" tall. Nathan is 24.8 pounds and 32 1/2" tall. Here are some photos from the last month, hope you enjoy. Descriptions: Karly on the horse; Nathan having a sad moment; Karly's snot nose; Anna giving Apollo a hug; the kids "riding" in the blanket; Little Cardinals' fans; Karly and daddy reading; Anna in her dress and handsome Nathan.

We're 15 months old!

I can't believe the kids are 15 months old...how time flies!!! We are finally in our new house, not settled, but we're getting there...slowly. With the help of friends and family we have some time without the kids to get projects done. The kids LOVE the house. They've hardly touched their toys as they are too busy exploring and getting into trouble! They've mastered climbing stairs, now we're working on going down them (a much harder task). What I've realized in the last 3 weeks is the kids understand more than we give them credit for. When we say, "It's time for a nap" or "Time to go to bed" they go to the door that leads upstairs and if we ask, "Do you want to go outside?" they go to the back door to go outside. Little milestones I know, but big for us! We go to the pediatrician on Thursday so I'll post again with their measurements. Nathan is still a ham and Anna is still our peanut and then there's Karly :)!

This past week I lost a friend from nursing school , she and her husband were killed in a tragic car accident. They left behind a 4 year old daughter. So, take this time to love your kids and family because you never know when it's going to be the last time you get to hug or kiss them. And think about putting together a living will for your children, in case, God forbid, something like this should happen to you.

Sorry for the damper, hope these pictures lift your spirits! Take care of yourself.

Riding Around In A....

Laundry basket! It's amazing what the kids love to play with, all those toys and the simplest things entertain them. We have their old car seats out getting ready for the garage sale and they love to sit in them and just laugh and laugh.

Is it Summer yet?

Is it Summer yet? It sure feels like it outside. We introduced the kiddos to the pool this week and even though the water was freezing, they loved the it!

We're Moving...AGAIN!!!

Yes, we're moving, again! Two weeks ago we received a letter from our landlord stating he would be occupying the residence as of September 1st. We were so upset! We were planning on staying in this house until Travis finished school next August. But, things turned out for the better and we bought a great house with plenty of room to grow in. We're planning on closing June 23rd as long as everything goes good with the inspections. I've attached a photo of the outside. It's 4 bedroom, two bath, 2 car garage, fenced in back yard, and partially finished basement. So, Nathan will have his own room and the girls will share a room...for now.

Nathan and Anna are walking everywhere. Nathan doesn't like to be held anymore now that he's on the move. He's getting so big, it's hard to lug him around too long. Karly will hold onto your finger and walk just fine but when you let go she's immediately to her knees to crawl. She just needs some confidence and she'll be off like the other two.

Not much else to update you with. We've been enjoying the weather, taking daily walks or bike rides. The kids are so funny now they constantly have us cracking up about something.

I've been terrible about taking photos, here's a few from the past month.

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.