Recent cuteness

Just a few things that the little two are doing/saying lately that I dont want to forget:

Sullivan: calls Lauren - 'Bo-Bo', when we tell him to jump he does this strange little one legged jump that resembles the guy on top of the Heishman trophy - it makes us double over in laughter every time, Grandma Barb taught this to Sully - When we say 'Go Cyclones' he yells out 'HAWKEYES', when it is time to pray Sully folds his hands over his eyes and then when we are done he yells AMEN! as loud as he can and looks around waiting for us to show our approval

Avery: when she has a coughing attache she tells us, 'I have the coffers." This afternoon Avery came up and said, 'Mommy, when Rosanna (the babysitter) was here yesterday she said that Poptarts have sugar! And they dont!' (she must have been trying to talk Rosanna into letting her have one! She is always asking to watch 'Heis Muscal' - translated - High School Musical

Drugs

The entire family minus Lauren is now on an antibiotic. Sully - strep, Avery - double nasty ear infections, Becky - sinus infection - general yuckiness, Jordan - dont know but figured why not join the party.

I actually have the paper prescription for Lauren for WHEN she gets sick later this weekend. The doctor said it was pretty much a definite that I'd be filling that one at some point too.

YEAH! But actually we are all doing pretty well and we are off for a Pre-New Year's celebration at my moms tonight. I'm sure everyone there will just love us for showing up.

Pirates

Sully got some pirate stuff. He loves pirates and loves to watch the movies with daddy.

More pics

Avery got a ballet outfit - she LOVES it.


The girls got 2 more Wizard of Oz Barbies to add to their collection. They were thrilled. Grandma Cindy gave them the last 2 later and now we have the whole set.




Avery having fun!

A few pics from our Christmas

I love Christmas with my kids. The fancy dinner, reading the Christmas story and watching their eyes as they open their presents. I am transported back to my own family Christmases and how magical our parents made them. I hope my kids feel the same way.


Daddy reading the Christmas story.


Mommy reading a picture book of the first Christmas


Sully wanted to read it by himself.


Getting ready to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus.

It's time...

Tonight begins our Christmas celebrating. We will be celebrating with our own little family and then on to 4 other Christmas celebrations by next weekend. Lots of family will be arriving. The kids are so excited that it seems all they can do is argue. Jordan is at work so I did what every good mother would do. I put on Polar Express and gave them sugar.

Merry Christmas!

Guess what Lauren wants for Christmas?

Sullivan

Sully loves being outside. He loves his boots, he loves his shovel and he loves being like dad!

Avery

Avery calls this her bootiful smile.

Lauren

Lauren's Christmas dance performance a couple of weekends ago. She tapped to frosty the snowman. She loves performing and just smiles away.



I got to help at Lauren's Christmas party at school yesterday. It was a lot of fun!

Urgh

Yes, I know some of my pictures are sideways, No, I do not know why.
I'll fix it tomorrow. maybe.

More pics

On our last day Jill took us to Sedona to take in the beauty. It was amazing. All the mountains were red and shaped just like you would picture the old west. Thanks again Jill, Andrew, Nate and Luke for an amazing vacation!




Seriously, are my arms pregnant? Is the child growing in there? Why do I get pregnant arms?

The boys

Avery was rather infatuated with Nate during our entire trip.



Lukie...soooo much energy and cuteness.

Train Park and AZ Scenery

The train park was just that - a park full of trains - real ones and small ones for us to ride on. Very fun.


Avery really wanted to touch the cactus.

Silly kids

Lucas, almost 4, Nate 5, Avery 3.5






We took the kids to a lighted parade on Saturday night. It was in a shady neighborhood and the kids couldnt see. We did our best. I had an easier time than Jill.

Arizona pictures

I finally got my pictures downloaded...!

Avery getting ready to board her very first airplane


Talking to daddy before take off...


Jill, Lucas and Avery


The boys and the 'fascinating' rain.

Avery's suppertime prayer

Dear Jesus,
Thank you for my family. And thank you for Christmas trees.
And the naughty kitty, is naughty.
Aem. (amen)

Happy Birthday, Mom!!!

Thanks for everything you are constantly doing for me and my family. I wouldn't be who I am without you. We love you.

And baby makes 6.

Jordan and I just returned home from our first prenatal appointment and ultrasound. We are VERY excited!
Due date is July 7th.
I swear there is really nothing like watching that little tiny heart flutter on the screen or those little arms and hands punching out at you.

'A-bye'

I want to get this down so I never forget.

Sullivan has the sweetest bedtime routine. After he has his bath and is already I carry him into his room and turn on his humidifer. He points to the rocking chair and says, 'a-bye, a-bye' (rock a bye). so I sit down with him and then he says, "bankie, bankie' (blanket). I get the blanket and cover him up with it and rock. Then he looks up at me and says, 'A-bye?' (asking me to sing, rock-a-bye baby).

So I sing and he pulls my face towards his and kisses me over and over and then just kind of pats my face.

How blessed am I.

Pictures

Just a couple of random pictures.


Sully was loving helping me make chilli this weekend.



Just a family bowl of ice cream before bed.

Extremes

Like with everything else with Avery, when she is sick, she is VERY sick.

Avery has had a horrible cough for 1.5 weeks. Yesterday it turned into a fever, no energy, no appetite and vomitting. This morning she was laying on the bathroom floor with tears flowing from her eyes. But she wasnt making a single noise. I bent down and stroked her head and said, 'Sweetie, what hurts the most?' She responded, 'Mommy, my throat hurts worser than ever.'
We made a trip to the doctor. I said, she is showing me classic Avery signs for strep. The doctor looked in her throat and said no way but did the strep test anyway.

Yep, strep.

Avery has had 2 doses of antibiotic and is now jumping off the couch yelling, 'Ta Da!!!!'
Lauren said, 'I thought you were sick?!'

Like I said, it is always extreme.

gift idea

Need gifts for school teachers, sunday school teachers, great grandparents, babysitters?
Check out this website and look under family to personalize to your family.

www.doughdelights.net


I spose if you're really crafty you'd make your own. I'm not crafty.

Graduation

Sullivan had an appointment with EDI this morning. We havent been there since September.
We were there all of 10 minutes. Our therapist, Jamie watched him and asked me a few questions, talked to Sully and then showed me his progress chart. She showed how far off he had been when we started in June and then how he is exactly where he should be now for his age in almost every area.
She said, "Congratulations, you've graduated, I hope I never see you again, at least not in this office!"

My heart cannot express my joy. I cant wait to see what else God has in store for my boy.

Home again Home again

We made it back before the snow yesterday. Seeing Avery giggling and running across the airport to jump into Jordan's arms was the highlight of my trip. (We had an amazing trip, but there is never anything like coming home.)

I'll be posting lots of pictures later but for now I am still in awe of what I came home to...the laundry was done, all of it. The dishes were clean, all of them. He changed the sheets on all the beds! He had food in the fridge.
And while I was upstairs putting the kids to bed last night, he started more laundry! I hope this lasts!

Seriously thank you Jordan. We had an amazing time.

Apparently I owe him...

Sullivan had the flu all weekend. Lauren woke up with it about 12;30 last night. Jordan says NOW I owe him.

Stuck in the Middle

I am having a blast being able to concentrate on Avery. The bad part about having more than one child is never being able to give them one-on-one attention like I want to.
This has been great. I dont have to tell Avery to wait because I am doing something 'big' with Lauren or to wait because I'm doing something 'little' with Sully. Sometimes during the day at home I swear I can almost see her wrestling with herself inside..."Do I want to be big, or do I want to be little? Being in the middle is HARD.
But not here, here it is all Avery time.
Lucas and Avery are the same age so everything we are doing is tailored straight to them. This is great!

Its raining, Its pouring

It rained all day yesterday and all night. It is supposed to let up sometime today. I didn't really believe Jill when she said it hadn't really rained since March. But the weatherman confirmed it.

Lucas and Nate are like Avery and Lauren would be during the first snowfall. They go out in run in the rain, they stare out the window at the rain, they jump in all the puddles and giggle all the way.

It is hilarious! Avery thinks they are nuts and wants out of the rain as soon as we are outside. All she cares about is that this rain means that she cannot get in the swimming pool in the backyard, it is just killing her. Just plain torture.

It is all very cute.

We're here...

We arrived yesterday as scheduled after what seemed like a ridiculously long plane ride. Although Avery didnt think so. She did great and loved it all. She had so much fun.
Today we went to Lucas's preschool field trip. It was at a pizza place called Organ Stop Pizza. It is not named that because it stops your organs from functioning, although the pizza was pretty bad, but becuase it has a gigantic pipe organ inside that is played by this man who lives to talk about his pipe organ. The thing weighs like 30 tons, not exagerating. It was quite the experience!

Tonight we went to Mr. Mogoriam's Wonder Imporium. It was very cute. I definetly need to start jumping on a lot more beds and stop being so serious!

We are missing daddy, Lauren and Sully but we are having so much fun. Avery cannot remember Lucas and Nate's names so she just says, "Hey, my friends, come here!"
Very sweet.

Catch up

I swear I am the worst blogger. I have no motivation to make myself over to the computer at night. Or really anything else for that matter. That is sad.

However, thanks to my wonderful, perfect husband, tomorrow Avery and I leave for a week in sunny Arizona to visit my college friend Jill and her family. We are SO excited. I cant wait to see Avery fly for the first time.

Jordan is holding down the fort. He has promised me that I will not come home to a house that has fallen down.

Hopefully this trip will rejuvenate me in time for the holidays! See you in a week!

Decorating

We decorated the house for Christmas last weekend. Sully is very impressed. So far he has kept his hands off the breakables, we'll see!
The girls were thrilled with their ornaments that we picked out for them this year.








Seriously, stop growing up.

Christmas fun

Last weekend we took Jeff and family up to our town's Christmas kick off. The kids just love the horse drawn trolley rides, the ice sculpting and of course the hot chocolate and cookies!


Daddy and Sully. Contrary to Sully's serious expression he loved every minute of it!


Uncle Jeff and Avery


Christina, Ryan and Lauren