The Children's Museum

Olivia's preschool took a field trip to the Children's Museum downtown. We met everyone there for a morning full of fun!

Andrew did not have school that day so he joined us!  This is Olivia and Andrew driving some sort of car. They had a blast chasing each other all throughout the exhibits.  I love the relationship they have.  They can be playing kitchen and baby one moment and the next thing I hear is them blasting Star Wars figures into space.

Sara and Ava met us and joined in on the fun.  It was nice for Sara and I to have a chance to catch up while the kids played.

As usual, Norah came along for the ride and was such a good girl.  She was in her stroller for most of the time and then in my arms for the rest.  I couldn't turn that picture for some reason but you can still see that sweet smile from the side. :)

Our Thankful Tree

With Thanksgiving upon us we sat down and created a Thankful Tree!  We shared ideas, added a few pictures and created a beautiful piece of art. It was fun to hear about what the kids were thankful for.  We got everything from specific friends to good food to family.  

I got the idea from a blog called, "Life," which has amazing parenting ideas.  I hope this is something we can continue each year.  It'll be neat to compare how our gratitude changes as everyone grows.

Happy Thanksgiving!  I am so THANKFUL for all of our friends and family.

Braden's Life Lessons

Just born... Braden introduced me to a love I didn't know existed.

1 year old... His curiosity started to blossom and I began to learn that mothering was going to be the hardest job I had ever done!

2 years old... It may be the hardest but Braden also taught me it is by far the most rewarding.  His heart grows larger each year he is alive and with it ... so does mine.

3 years old ... Braden has reminded me of what's most important in life - snuggling and love. 

4 years old... Braden's creativity is showing up in everything he does.  I have had to learn that it's okay for things to be different than what I expected.  That doesn't mean they are bad... just different. 

Five years old... Braden is a builder.  He builds legos, zoobs, tinker toys and anything else he can get his hands on.  He has taught me the importance of slowing down to capture the moments and the importance of simply playing together.

6 years old... Braden has taught me everything I know about being a mommy and about loving unconditionally.  He is a treasure to us and a blessing in our lives.  He challenges me and has helped me grow and I certainly hope I do the same for him.  

I feel such a mix of pride and love with a tinge of sadness with his sixth birthday.  Hmmmm I wonder what lessons Braden will teach me this year?

Braden's Birthday Celebrations!!!

Braden didn't have school on his birthday due to parent-teacher conferences.  Steve took off and we had a day full of fun.  The first thing we did when we woke up was open presents.  

He got a Packers Uniform - helmet and all!  

This cutie just had to try it on too.  Don't you love the look of the packer pants, uniform and helmet paired with the "candy" dress?

The rest of the day consisted of great meals, playing at the Big Backyard with Evan and Andrew and playing with new toys of course!  

Braden had a friend party this year at the Urban Ecology Center.  This is a slide that the kids got to go down.  You have to go outside to get to the top!

Walter, our party host, sat the kids down for a game to start things off.

Braden and his buddy Julian.

Then we went up to the camouflage room (the door blends into the wall so it's hard to find if you don't know it's there!!) where we did a craft.  The kids made colored turtles backed by a recycled CD to reflect light.

There were 20 children and Walter did a GREAT job holding their attention and keeping everyone engaged.

We bundled up and went on a nature hike outside where we did some learning, exploring and games.

When we came back inside to warm up we headed to the animal room.  They got to touch a turtle and a snake!

Braden had a GREAT time!  It was a fabulous birthday party and we are so thankful that he was able to have so many friends join him.  

The fun didn't stop there though.  We brought his friend Simon back with us and the boys opened all of his gifts and then played and played until it was time to take Simon home.  

Wow - what fun celebrations for the birthday boy!    

A New Day

Olivia looks how I feel today!  WOW - it's amazing what a five hour stretch of sleep can do for a person after only getting 3-4 hours at a time the last four nights.  It makes me wonder how in the world we do it when we have newborns. I guess adrenaline is at work during that time period.  

So today is a new day... a rested mommy, happy children eating breakfast, another busy agenda, and no complaining!! :)

A Glimpse...

Our house has been bustling as are all houses at this time of year!  Here are a few pictures to give you a glimpse into what the last few weeks have held for us.

These moments continue to make my heart melt. I absolutely love seeing all three of our children playing with and/or next to each other.  If my memory serves me correctly there have been more and more times that I peek into the porch to see Braden and Olivia playing the same game rather than fighting.  Those of you who know our family well know that the two of them tend to be oil and water so when they are loving each other I try to slow down time and soak in the conversation, sound effects and happiness that can be heard.  At church this week Braden ran into Olivia's classroom to pick her up and surprised us all by attacking her with a bear hug.  So sweet. :)

Norah ... is having so much fun playing with all of the dishes in Olivia's kitchen.  Her favorite thing to do is empty out the cupboard!

 Ava visits our house two mornings a week before preschool.  We love having her!  It's really fun for Olivia to have someone to play with but the best part is that Braden enjoys her company just as much.  This was taken one evening when her mommy Sara came over for some good ol' mommy time!  Nothing is better than having a good friend over and talking about life over a bottle of wine.  Especially when it ends up being the entire bottle. :)

Braden is a really into building and creating things.  This is a suit of armor, a shield and a sword or ax he built out of tinker toys. I love toys that inspire creativity and can be used for so many different things.

Braden is having a family feast today at school.  I showed him a picture of these adorable turkey's off of a blog that I follow.  We gave it a try and made 26 for today.  They were a lot of work but turned out really cute.  Don't you think?  We have a week full of baking because we have his birthday treat for school on Thursday and then cupcakes for his party on Saturday!  Good thing I enjoy working in the kitchen. :)

 Norah had her adenoids out at Children's Hospital last week.  This was a before picture of she and mommy cuddling.  I could go on and on about how much I love that we have Children's Hospital close to us.  It's truly a blessing.

Daddy was able to join us just before they took her away.  She was very excited to see him and it helped me to have him there.  I was having a hard time keeping myself together when they took her away.  Thankfully she had, "goofy juice," so she didn't mind someone else holding her.  

This was a picture from afterwards...obviously.  UGH - this has been really hard on all of us.  She continues to struggle and is only sleeping 3-4 hours at a crack before becoming very uncomfortable at night.  She has had a few times each night where she is inconsolable.  It breaks my heart.  Now she is also fighting a low-grade fever and a cold so the poor child just can't catch a break.

My parents and Steve's came down on Saturday for Braden's family birthday party.  Norah liked the wrapping paper and bow!

As usual Braden chose the menu.  This year we had brats, home made baked beans, home made apple sauce, french fries and a wide variety of cupcakes.  Yummy. As you can see he enjoyed the entire day in his PJ's.  I can hardly believe he is going to be six years old.  I'll post more on that later!

This was taken before church on Sunday.  It was an awesome service and we were very excited that Judy was able to join us.  The sermon was entitled, "Rain is my choice."  It was all about complaining and about making a conscious choice to be positive.  She talked about the importance of making changes if we find ourselves in situations that don't make us happy rather than complaining about it.  She gave us a challenge to live complaint free for 21 days.  We received purple bracelets that we are to switch from one wrist to another each time we catch ourselves complaining.  Steve and I have each had to switch it one time so far.  If you're interested in learning more or taking the challenge yourself check out the website by clicking on this link: A Complaint Free World.

That about sums it up. I am not sure where the time goes or why I can't stay on top of things. I know I owe a ton of people return emails and I will try to catch up this week.  Thank you all for being patient.  Until next time...

Enjoying the Sunshine

Steve and his dad worked and worked this weekend outside!  They raked, mowed, cleaned out the garage, put away outdoor furniture, and put up rabbit fencing.  They were maniacs and everything looks awesome.

Norah was enjoying some of the beautiful sunshine we've had.  She loves to crawl around and explore outside.  Today she learned how to climb up the front step so my guess is this week I'll be bringing up the rest of the gates!

Isn't she just precious?