Christmas

We had a fun night as a family celebrating Christmas before we left for our Christmas trip to Texas. The boys were so excited. They kept trying to guess what they were getting, they didn't succeed!

 What does the third boy need...not much so he got bathtub toys. 

SNOWSHOES!! They are both really excited and can't wait to try them out with Dad and his.

Christmas program

Our little cowboys all ready for "Christmas in the Country." Ethan and Micah were both a part of our church Christmas program this year. Micah sang a few songs with the preschoolers and Ethan was on stage the whole time singing with the elementary kids. They had a blast dressing up like cowboys. Ethan even got to do some line dancing at the end of the program.

9 Months

Levi is 9 months old! We had some fun taking pictures before school on his 9 month birthday. What a joy all three of these boys are to us.

Snowmen

We have no snow outside so we can't go out and build a snowman. We decided to build a snowman inside the other day. And you can't get any better then a cinnamon roll snowman!! We had fun shaping them, watching them bake and then decorating and eating them. Now we'll wait for outside snowman building, hopefully soon!

School Christmas program

Ethan had his school Christmas program on Friday night. He did a wonderful job. His class recited Psalm 23 and then sang three songs with 1 and 2 grade. He loved singing and you could tell he sang his heart out. He said his teacher made him the leader of the class reciting Psalm 23. We are very proud of our son!

 

8 Months

This cool dude is already 8 months old! He has found mobility so nothing is safe anymore. He loves being on the move. He is starting to pull up on things but so far hasn't figured out how to stand on his own. He is a jabber box and it is so fun getting him to laugh. His older brothers adore him and will bring him cars and play beside him. He loves eating and is discovering new tastes everyday. He especially likes to feed himself. He has four teeth and has discovered out how to grind them, much to his mother's dislike! We love our smiley littlest man and are so thankful for him.

Candy time!

We had a busy Wednesday at our house. After Ethan got home from school we got ready to go trick-r-treating and after an early supper we headed out annd then back home to get ready for AWANA. The boys had fun even though it was a quick time. We got enough candy to last for awhile and they were happy. Ethan is a spaceman, Micah is Lightening McQueen and Levi got to be himself this year.

Carving pumpkins

We had fun carving pumpkins this year. Daddy was the master carver after each boy drew what he wanted on his pumpkin.

7 months!

This little man is already 7 months old! He is such a happy little guy and a great joy to all of us. He is up on his hands and knees doing the rock and getting ready to crawl. We give him another month then look out world! His brothers adore him but as he moves more and reaches out more they are finding he can get into their stuff and bug them. They love helping him eat cheerios and making him laugh. We love all three of our little guys and are so thankful for the blessing they are in our lives.

Smash balls

We have tried another fun craft. Thank you Shelly for the cool idea. We made what we call smash balls. They are cotton balls rolled in water/flour mixture and baked in the oven. We then took them outside and had fun smashing them. The boys declared it great fun and are ready to make more and do it again. Notice small bystander in picture two observing, someday soon he'll be right there with the other two.

AWANA Crazy Hats

Last week at AWANA it was crazy hat night. We had lots of fun making our crazy hats. 

Pumpkin patch

It was a beautiful day on Saturday so we decided it was time to head to the pumpkin patch/apple orchard. Daddy was out of town to MN for a conference and we were able to have Papa and Nana here. It was a fun time running around the haybale maze, looking at the goats and picking out some apples to take home.

New discoveries!

Levi has been experiencing some firsts lately. We had his 6 month doctor visit last week and we talked about starting solids and milk to see how he would handle it. He has 2oz. of milk based formula with each bottle and is so far doing great. We are going to take it slow with increasing that but hopefully he is over his milk intolerance and we can go to a less expensive formula that is milk based. He also has started eating oatmeal cereal. He wasn't too sure the first time but has had it three times now and is getting the hang of it and actually is getting it in and down. He loves to help hold his bottle and today when I needed an extra hand and didn't have one I layed him down on the floor and gave him his bottle to hold while I was helping Micah. Oh my how our little man is growing up so fast!

Crazy boys

The boys decided it was dress up day at our house. They wanted to dress up like clowns so they started the search for things in the house. We love our boys and their creative minds and how entertaining it gets sometimes.

Backpacking to Lake Angeline

Labor Day weekend found us backpacking in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming. We picked up our good friends in Rapid City and together we braved the great outdoors. Many memorable things happened; rain, strong winds overnight that about blew the tent over, but a great time was had by all and we are ready to do it again next year. We hiked about 3 miles to Lake Angeline and climbed about 2000 ft. elevation. It was a great trip. Thanks to the Grandparents who watched the kids to make this trip possible for all.

The middle peak, with snow on the left side, is where we went. Lake Angeline is just below that peak on the left below the snow glacier.

Teeth!

Yes, this little man who is only 5 months old has two teeth. It was rather hard getting a good picture so this is as good as it gets. He has been a really good little teether, just like the other two boys. We are waiting on more as he doesn't seem to be done with all he is chewing and putting in his mouth. All our boys have been early teethers and maybe that is why Ethan is also losing his teeth early as well.

First haircut

Levi got this first haircut last night. We've been talking about doing it as one side was growing more then the other and looking really long. He did great. We did it with the clippers and it didn't seem to bother him at all. He looks so much more grown up now. Why do haircuts always grow them up so much? Levi got his first haircut a lot younger then the other two; Ethan was over a year and Micah was almost 9 months. The only requirement Mommy has is that she needs enough for a baby curl and there was more then enough. Below are before and after shots.



Kindergarten

Our Ethan is officially off to his first day of Kindergarten. He was so excited when he got up. He picked a special breakfast and we packed a special lunch and off he went. We are so blessed to have the opportunity to send him to Missouri Valley Christian Academy. His teacher this year is Mrs. Frederick. I'm sure he'll have many stories to share about his first day when he gets home. Now for a day of just Mommy and two boys at home. That will be an adjustment.



5 months

This little man is already 5 months old! Where does the time go? He is a very happy and smiley little man and such a joy in our lives. In the past month he has learned to roll over to his tummy but hasn't figured out how to get back to his back yet. He has found his toes and loves playing with them. He loves his big brothers but Ethan is a favorite. He loves to stand up and play in his exersaucer. He will smile at almost anyone and has a very fun laugh. Such a joy children are!

Another tooth

Ethan has lost another tooth. Now he has a nice gap up front. The bottom two are almost in so that helps but he is a little bare on top now. He lost one top front at Papa and Nana's awhile ago and this past weekend he lost the other top front at Grandpa and Grandma's house. No corn on the cob for this boy this year.

Airshow

Last weekend brought a nice cloudy day to travel to Sioux Falls to see the airshow. POET was a sponsor so we got VIP tickets and were able to be up front and also under a tent. It was a great day with many cool planes flying. The boys enjoyed it but did get a little tired near the end. The Blue Angels flew last so we kept telling them they had to hang in there to see the Blue Angels. It was a fun day and we are excited about next year.

 POET planes

 Stealth

 Blue Angels

 Micah has earplugs and we gave some to Levi when the Blue Angels were flying.

 Blue Angels

Blue Angels