Sneak Peak

We had the kids' pictures taken on Thursday. It was impossible to get one of the four of them all smiling, but they are adorable anyway!!!


GO PACKERS!!! Right after they took this picture, Aaron fell off the beanbag and hit his head on the hardwood floor. Poor little bubby!!


How cute are these two little boys!!!!!!!


Adorable, sweet babies!!


This little boy is the spitting image of his big brother, Ryan!


Our sweet, sweet baby girl!!


All four of our sweeties get ready for Halloween!


Little turkeys!!


How sweet!


How can my little sweet boy be getting SO big!!!! Today he and I were having a conversation about his birthday. He was so excited that he was growing up. I told him I was excited too, but a little sad cuz he is growing up so fast. He gave me a BIIGGG hug and said he loved me and didn't want to move out yet because he would miss us. How sweet is that. I told him he still had a lot of years with us. Then he told me he was going to live in WI when he is 28 and we can fly on an airplane to visit him fast. I told him he should stay a little closer to us, but we would be happy for him wherever he went. I said maybe he could go to Madison like Daddy did.


Who can resist that little boy's face!!! I just want to eat him up!!!


Awwww.... little cutie!!


What a little princess!!!

I am so in love with our children... they are beautiful and perfect in every way!!! My sweet babies!!!

Misc

Aaron and Bailey watching the goings-on out the patio door.


Ethan needed a family picture for school. The last ones we had taken were at Easter, right after the babies were born. So we took this one this morning! And so begins many years of trying to get all four kids to be looking at the camera with decent faces at the same time!!! Tonight they we are having actual portraits taken of the kids.

Catching Up Again

As usual, our lives are hectic. I apologize for not updating sooner. In the last couple of weeks the boys have started back to school on their regular schedule, as well as MOPS restarting and me joining a Bible study. Ethan now goes to school MWF mornings, Ryan goes WF all day, I have Bible study on Tuesdays and the kids go to childcare at the church, Wednesday is Weight Watchers, Wednesday nights Ethan has Cubbies and Thursdays is MOPS. Needless to say, there is never a dull moment in our home and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday you will usually find us rushing to get out of the house on time in the mornings.

Mud

When the tornado hit, we had some damage to our home. One of the things that our insurance covered for us to repair was re-staining the fence due to the hail. That was an easy job that Matt was able to do, so we used the insurance money to move our fence over, creating a larger space in the backyard. It left a line of dirt in the grass where the old fence was that we will replace with grass in the spring. Well, yesterday we emptied the pool and the water created a big mud pit in that dirt area. The boys got into and had fun making mud pies!!!




Ryan really getting into it!




After all that playing in the mud, the boys needed some nourishment, which they found in the carrots from our garden!!



Babies

The babies are getting so big!! They had their 6 month appointment last Friday. Aaron weighed in at 16 lbs, 13.5 oz putting him in the 35% for his age group. He has almost four pounds on his sister, who technically came in at 12 lbs, 15 oz, but we bumped her up to 13 lbs even. This puts her in the 4% for her age group.

Aaron says "Go Pack!"

Reading their book together.

"You taste that page, and I'll try this one"

Aaron's first try of fruit puffs in his high chair.



Silly Ryan


I caught Ryan trying his hand at doing the laundry. He was standing on his stool and putting detergent in the wash machine. Little monkey!!!


What a cute boy!!!


McKenna Leigh... what a pretty girl!!!

McKenna love, love, loves her feet. She's always playing with them and putting them in her mouth!

Big boy Aaron is sitting up all on his own these days. McKenna isn't quite there yet.

Sweet boy!

Playing and talking to each other!

Zoo

We made a trip down to Denver to meet up with one of Matt's friends from college and her family at the zoo. It was a nice day and the kids had a great time. It was fun to chat with Tony & Sarah and get to know their family. Their sons are 4 (just turned) and almost 2.

Ethan, Ryan and Braden

Ethan and Evan

Daddy, Ryan & Ethan riding the zoo train.

Back row: Daddy, Ryan & Ethan, 2nd Row: Evan and Sarah, 3rd Row: Tony & Braden

First Day of School

Ryan outside Miss Sarah's school.

Ethan with Cole, one of his best friends.

Ethan pointing to his cubby.

The babies like to look at each other and play with each other in their bumbos.

Best Friends!!! Broggan & Ryan walking out of MOPS together.

Babies playing together.

Ryan shows off his talent jumping!

Playing in the mud! Watch what Ethan does to Ryan.

More mud fun.

Sleepy Ryan

What a sweet, sweet little boy he is. Yes, even when he is getting into trouble, but he is so innocent when he is sleeping!

Vegas Videos

Matt playing the big floor piano at FAO Schwartz.

The fountains at The Bellagio.

The fountains viewed from the top of The Eiffel Tower.

The dolphins splashing us!

My turn to train the dolphins!

Dancing with the dolphin!

Dolphin tricks!

They are so smooth and such wonderful creatures!!

A dolphin kiss and walk.

Yeah, this is embarrassing!!! My trainer told me to dance with the dolphin. Notice Matt laughing at me!!

Saturday, August 23, 2008

We woke up early Saturday morning, got dressed, and checked out of our hotel. Matt said we had reservations for breakfast at 9:30. We took a taxi over to The Mirage and checked our luggage with their bell service. We had some extra time so we walked around a little and checked out the hotel and some of the shops. At about 9:30, we headed out toward the pool where they also have a dolphin habitat. Matt finally let me in on the secret that he had signed me up to do the Trainer for a Day program at the dolphin habitat. I was ecstatic as this has been a dream of mine for a long time! We spent the rest of the day with the dolphins and it was amazing. Since the program was so pricey, Matt just came along as an observer and took lots of pictures.

They provided a continental breakfast for us, as well as giving me a polo shirt and hat, and providing a gourmet lunch for us too. It was made up of menu choices from the various restaurants on site at The Mirage. There was tons of delicious food. We started the day learning about the five dolphins that live in the habitat. We got into the pools with them where we were able to touch them, pet them, give them kisses and feed them LOTS of fish. We also were able to give them commands and see them perform many different tasks. They were so amazing and the trainers that worked with us were great. It was such a dream come true for me. It was wonderful!!!

After the dolphin experience, we had a quick snack and then it was time to head to the airport. Rather than having to take a dirty cab, Matt had scheduled a car to pick us up at The Mirage and take us to the airport. By this time, we were tired of listening to the ring of slot machines, which are everywhere, including inside the airport. We were running on low sleep for the past three days, so were both exhausted. Fortunately, our flight left early and arrived in Denver about 25 minutes ahead of schedule. We got home about 11:30 and fell into bed… until the babies woke up.


In front of The Mirage.


One of the ceilings in the Venetian.


A quiet morning at the Venetian.


The hotels were magnificent!


The entrance to the Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat.


Awwwww!!! I was in heaven!!!


Maverick


Kelly and Maverick


Kelly and Duchess


The white tiger cubs.


Kelly and Maverick


Kelly, Duchess & Matt

It was a fabulous trip and I can’t thank my husband enough. What an amazing man that loves me so much!! It was a much needed break for us and we had so much time to focus on our love for each other and it was like we fell in love all over again. The kids did great and a BIG thank you to my mom, Vanessa & Ashley who all worked together in taking care of the kids. It was nice to be able to relax and know that our babies were in good hands!!

Now it is back to the grind!!! It’s amazing how a little break can refresh you and remind you how important your family is to you!! The babies will be 6 months old next week and the boys will start their regular school schedules. I’ll get some more pictures of their first days of school and some of the babies next week!!