Audrey Gets Her Ears Pierced

So excited to get her ears pierced!

 I think the pain she felt surprised her a little bit.  She definitely had some sad moments those first few minutes after it was done.

 She was so brave and didn't cry at all, even though I think she wanted too.  Here she is trying to show me a smile, but couldn't quite get there.

 Feeling better and showing off her beautiful new earrings!

 Audrey loves her brothers and she was happy to have Logan and Wyatt there with her!

He says finally you give me the food!!!

Wyatt is 6 months old today!!!  Where has the time gone?  We keep asking ourselves that.  To mark this day, we finally decided to give him a taste of something besides Breastmilk.  He was so funny because he acted like it was no new thing.  He didn't make any weird faces or anything.  I think he really enjoyed it.  This time I didn't even go with the rice cereal and instead just started with Sweet Potatoes.

He really wanted that spoon!!!

Here Bradyn is being an awesome big brother!!

Poor Sick Baby

Last night I got very nervous because after Wyatt went to sleep he was very restless and when he would wake up, it just sounded like he was struggling to breath.  At one point it was really bad and he was very rigid and his back was arched and he would just not settle down and breath normally.  It was about 12:30am and so I called my mom to see if she could come with me to take him to the ER.  By the time she got there he had settled down a little bit was breathing a little easier, but was still not right.  So, we packed him up and headed to the Children's ER at U of M.  We have a much closer hospital, but I just really felt like I wanted him to go to one that is specifically for children.  As soon as we walked to the check in desk they heard his labored breathing and assured me that I had not overreacted.  They gave him an intense breathing treatment (that totally raised his heart rate into the 220s, but is normal for that treatment) and then gave him an oral steroid that will work in his system for the next 72 hours.  With the breathing treatment they gave him they had to monitor and observe him for 4 hours so, there we sat and waited.  I felt a little bad that my mom had to stay so long with us, but I'm glad that she was able to be there with me.  After they were done observing him they felt comfortable sending him home so away we went.  I walked into my house at about 6am (this is after the time change so it felt more like 7am).  I was soooo tired.  I crawled into bed and pretty much slept most of the day, so thankful that I have a husband that understands and totally let me sleep.  So far he is doing pretty good today.  I'm really hoping for a good night and no more scariness.

 

My sweet little boy

 

Breathing treatment is over and he is feeling much better. 

Halloween 2012

Here are our enthusiastic Trick r Treaters read to brave the cold weather!!!!!

Wyatt's 1st Halloween

200th POST!!!!!!

What better way to mark it then with this sweet 1st!!!!!

 

I think he is seriously the cutest little skeleton around.....so stinkin adorable.  The weather was not so friendly so he stayed home and helped his mom pass out candy!!!

Shopping Cart Fun

Look at how big my little guy is getting.  I went to Costco the other day with my mom and she went to put him in the cart and I thought, there is no way he is going to be able to sit there.  However, with the help of his blanket and the little seat strap he did a great job.  In fact, he loved sitting there.  He was such a happy boy, kicking his legs and being able to look at mommy!  Where is the time going....

Orange and Black Day

Last week Audrey had Orange and Black day at her school.  Doesn't she look great!  She didn't really want to wear the jacket, but I thought it just made the look :)

What do you think?

I know that the picture is dark, but what do you think, do these two cuties look alike?

Audrey and the Bus

Audrey is quite the busy girl these days.  She goes to class 5 days a week and she is only in preschool.  She does a speech and language class, to help with her articulation, 2 mornings a week for 1.5 hrs a day and then does preschool 4 afternoons a week, for pretty much the entire afternoon.  So far she is really enjoying it so, of course that makes for a happy mommy.  I think if she had a hard time going everyday it would be hard on me too because I wouldn't want to see her sad.  The preschool program she is involved in, is through our local school district and so she is one lucky lady and gets to ride a bus to school (parents have to do the drive home).  She was so excited to be able to go on a bus, the picture above is her first day riding!!!

Logan finally gets his wish!

Logan has been wanting to take Karate lessons since the spring.  When we were doing baseball sign ups, he said that he would rather do Karate then baseball.  Well, baseball season came and went  (his brothers played) and Karate kept being pushed aside.  Then summer came and went and again no Karate, sorry buddy!  Thankfully Grandma and Grandpa came to the rescue and for Logan's birthday last week they gave him 2 months of lessons as his present.  Today was his first lesson and he was ecstatic!!!!  Can you tell :)

Getting ready for Halloween!

Wyatt 4 months

This is how he looked while we were taking him out of the car after getting home from Cub Scout Pack Meeting!  He loves this little turtle and it is so adorable.

 

 

Wyatt had his 4 month appointment last week and he is doing great.  Some of the things going on with him are:

-18lbs 12 ozs (91%)

-26ish inches long (can't remember the exact length)

-Rolled over on the day he turned 4 months.

-Sleeping just ok at night.  He still gets up every 4-5 hours, blah, however he is a very fast eater and then immediately goes back to sleep.

-Just the last few nights, we have been able to lay him in bed awake and he falls asleep on his own.

-He is very vocal and loves to yell (in a happy way).

-He gets very excited when he sees his family, especially his mom and dad.

-Loves chewing on his toy turtle.

-Loves to smile!!!!!





Happy Birthday Logan

Today our Logan turned 7 years old.  My oh my, where has the time gone?  We just love him so much, he is one of the funniest kids around.  He is always surprising us with the hilarious comments that come out of his mouth.  He is a wonderful big brother to Audrey and of course Wyatt too.  Until Logan started school full day last year, he and Audrey were little buddies and it still continues today.  She just loves him so much.  You can't tell from this picture (since he is enjoying a yummy turkey leg at a fair), but he has the best smile.  When you see it, you can't help but smile along with him.  We are extremely blessed to have him in our family!!!!!

Love It!!!

When I'm at the computer, this is what I will sometimes see when I turn around!!!

He's saying, "Whatcha doing mommy!"

Sweet Logan

Last week Logan was being a wonderful Big Brother and entertaining Wyatt while he was laying on the floor.  After they had been down there for awhile I told Logan that he didn't have to lay there anymore and he said, "I can't move because he is holding my finger."  It was such a tender little moment.

Camping with Grandma and Grandpa!!!

Yesterday was our ward (church congregation) campout.  Call me crazy, but I just did not want to go camping with a 3 month old baby.  Luckily for my boys, my parents are pretty awesome and they said that the boys could go with them.  They were so excited!!!!!  After the scorching hot summer we have had, believe it or not the temperatures have decided to really cool off so, it was a great night for them to go camping.

Grandpa and the boys!!!!

 What's so funny Grandma?

 Bradyn finally has a sleeping space all to himself

 Buddy Brothers!!!

 Yummy Breakfast by the Campfire made by Grandpa!!!

We had to say goodbye to an old friend today!

RIP Old Water Heater
(This is not a picture of our actual water heater)

Today we had to bite the bullet and buy a new water heater :(  It totally sucks because it was expensive, especially when it is an expense you don't plan on having.  Oh well, I guess that is life.  On the bright side, Les has a cousin who was able to come over and help him install it.  He was a total lifesaver.  THANK YOU TONY!!!!!

New Hair

Birthday Present from my parents!

After I got home, Audrey told me that I looked like a different MOM. 

My day!

Yesterday was my birthday, I turned 31.  I don't know about everyone else, but to me 31 is kind of a boring year.  I mean when you are turning 29 its like ok, my last year in my 20s.  Then when you turn 30 its like ok wow, I'm 30 years old.  Now, I'm 3-1....blah.  Now, it is just another number, until I turn 35, to me for some reason 35 is much more exciting then 31-34...haha.  I know I am being silly, but I really do feel this way.

Les gave me a really nice birthday.  I slept in super late, he made me a ton of cupcakes (yum) and then in the evening he took me out to dinner.  (Thank you to my mom who watched 3 of the 5 kids, 1 was at a friends house and the babes was with us of course.)  Later in the night I meet with my 2 besties Melissa and Rachel and got a yummy treat that I of course did not need, but ate anyway.



Multitasking

Les has been working very hard this summer looking for an Administrative job in the school system.  Everyday he sits down and spends hours researching and applying for various positions around the state and even around the country.  We have had a few nibbles, but unfortunately nothing has panned out yet :(  Today I was cleaning the kitchen when Wyatt decided he did not want to be in his swing anymore.  Les went over and picked him up so then of course, Wyatt immediately fell asleep.  He layed the baby right down across his lap and continued working on his applications.  Wyatt slumbered peacefully the whole time knowing he was with his daddy.

Little Brother, Big Brother

Ten years apart, but still a connection!!!!

The Faces of Wyatt

Friends Near or Far

I know most of us have friends that we have had for a while, but haven't lived neared each other for so long.  Well that girl for me is one of my besties Rachel.  We came to be super close friends back when our 1st borns were just babies.  We spent so much time together and our little boys become best buds, even though they were were so young.  It was great to have someone to hang out with and just chill together with our kiddos.  Well, after I had Parker and then she had her 2nd child she up and moved on me, all the way to Texas :(  Needless to say, it was a very sad day for me.  Two years went by and then by complete craziness we up and moved to Texas too.  Les couldn't find a teaching job here, but he could find one there.  So, there we went.  It was so hard to leave all of our family here in MI, but a light in the tunnel was the fact that we were moving 20 mins from Rachel.  Woo Whoo, I was totally stocked!!!!  Again we would just hang and the kids would have a blast together (we were both up to 3 kids by then).  Even though my family's time in Texas was super short (only about 10 months) Rachel and I have stayed wonderful friends.  We only get to see each other about once a year, but it doesn't matter, we just hang out like its completely normal :)

Rachel and I!!!!!

Wyatt and Knox

(We are both up to 5 kids now and our 5ths are only 1 month apart)



Wyatt 2 Months

This little guy right here had his 2 Month Well Baby last week.  He is doing great.  He weighed in at 14lbs 12 oz (96%) and 24 inches (81%).  The Doctor said that he looks great and we totally agree :)  He is just such a little dream baby.  We all love him so much. 
Right now, some of the things he does is:
-He is a great nurser, has been since day one
-Sleeps 6-8 hours at night, eats then sleeps another 3-4 hours
-Still sleeps many hours during the day
-Smiles like crazy.  His favorite people to smile at are his mom and dad and his siblings.
-He is quite the chatter box.  He was cooing so much in Sunday School at church that I almost thought we were going to have to take him in the hall...haha
-Does wonderful in the swing
-Loves to wave his arms around
-Likes to grab onto our shirts when we hold him

It is so fun to watch this little guy day by day.  His brothers and sister love him so much and are always willing and wanting to hold him.  We love him and are so excited to meet more and more of his little personality as he grows.

Mommy and Audrey

Audrey has been having some rough days.  She has done a lot of yelling and telling us no when we ask her to do stuff.  This was not her normal behavior a couple months ago.  I don't know if its because we have a new baby in the house
(who she just adores and is never mean to) or because her brothers are now home all day everday and it can get pretty crazy around here or maybe it is a mixture of everything.  Either way, she had a total meltdown the other day and I decided maybe she needed some girl time.  (As she and I always tell each other, "Us girls have to stick together".)  So, this afternoon we went on a little date. 

We started off by going to the Dollar Store, because she had earned some money.  After that I told her she could decide where we went for a dessert.  She chose to go to The Cupcake Station in downtown Plymouth.  We love that place...oh yumm!!!  She specifically asked if we could eat our cupcakes inside the store.  Probably because the last time we went I got them to go.  Before we went to eat our cupcakes, she wanted to go sit at the fountain that is in the middle of the park they have there.  People were putting their feet inside the water so, she was thrilled to do it too.  She also threw in some pennies and made some great wishes.  It was so wonderful to see so many smiles on my little girl's face.  She was so happy, which of course made me one happy momma!!!!

Father's Day pictures

Last month for Father's Day my sister gave me the idea to take pictures of the kids and give them to Les as his present.  This way he would have some updated pictures for his desk at work.  He had already told me he didn't want me to get him anything so, this would be a cute little surprise.  I got the kids dressed and we headed over to my parents house.  I didn't want Les to see what I was doing and this way my mom could help wrangle the kids a little bit.  With the summer we are having, it was of course a very sunny day and the kids kept complaining everytime the sun was in their eyes (like who complains about that..hahaha).  In the end, we were able to get a few very cute pictures.

 

I just love this one!!!  They all look great, but I particularly love Logan's happy face.

In case you can't tell, the kids feet says "We love Dad"

(I was totally bummed because I left that white baby wipe in view for the picture)

We say this shows Audrey's true colors :)  Trying to elbow her brother in the face!

And here is a super sweet one of my Five Beautiful Babies!!!!!

Chicago

The day after we got back from The Falls, we packed the car back up and headed to my sister Lisa's house for a few days.  She relocated from the DC area to the Chicago area last year and we hadn't been to see her yet.  A situation came up for us to go there and so we took advantage and went.  The kids were of course thrilled to be able to see their cousins and I was happy to see my sister.  When we arrived at her house she asked me if I was going to leave the kids with her the next day so that Les and I could go into the city.  I told her that I hadn't planned on it because I of course was not expecting her to watch my kids.  She practically insisted (haha) so we totally took her up on her offer.  As many know, we are experiencing some extreme heat over here so, we didn't stay very long.  It was just to hard to walk around with little Wyatt in tow because we didn't want him to get too overheated.  However, we were able to spend a couple of hours downtown and had a great time.

Les and Wyatt with some fabulous downtown behind them!

Wyatt and I on the Water Taxi

On the Metra heading back to Lisa's house.  (Lisa dropped us off at her local train station and we were able to take the train into the city and not have to worry about driving and parking.) 

Niagara Falls

Two weeks ago we took a little trip to Niagara Falls.  We left on a Saturday morning and meet up with my parents who were already there.  We only stayed 1 night, but it was perfect for us!

Audrey and Logan enjoying the beautiful view

Bradyn thought it was great

(We somehow did not get a picture of Parker looking at the Falls, but he too loved the view)

Family shot!

As many know, Niagara is a huge tourist trap.  There were a ton of places that you could really just spend a fortune on.  Unfortunately for my kids, we are a big family and so we could not afford to spend the amount of money it would take to enjoy these attractions.  However, there were some places that had things outside that you could take your picture by.  Sorry kids, that is all we could do for you :(  Maybe someday we will have the money to actually go inside some of these places.

Here is all the kids outside the Guinness Book of World Records Museum thing.  With a replica of the Tallest Man!

This is a replica of the Fattest Man.

It was a super quick trip, but still a great one where we were able to make some great memories.  What stinks is Les and I and the 4 oldest kids went on the Maid of the Mist with my dad, but we left all our phones (with camera) with my mom and Wyatt so, we didn't get a single picture :(