My baby is growing up

Casey finished up K4 this week. He is really looking forward to starting kindergarten in the fall. For now though we are going to enjoy summer vacation!

Staying Cool in the Pool

Today was the first day we used our "big pool" as Casey likes to call it. We had a blast and kept cool on this hot summer day!

30 things to do in our 30's...revised

30 Things to do in our 30's

Things we have already accomplished on the list:

1. 1/2 marathon (Matt ran, Joy walked)
2. Trip to Mexico
3. Camp at Peninsula State Park
4. Camp at Kohler Andre
   
5. Climb Turtle Peak in Las Vegas

Things we still need to accomplish:
6. Take a train ride from Milwaukee to Chicago
7. Visit Lego Land
8. Take the boys to the Shedd Aquarium
9. Visit the National Railway Museum in Green Bay
10. Visit the Elegant Farmer and take the trolley ride
11. Winter Dells get away
12. Camp at Mirror Lake
13. Camp at Wyalusing State Park
14. Take a family trip to Disney
15. Parasailing
16. Yearly boys camping trips (so far we are 2/2 on this one)
17. Attend a Packer game
18. Serve in a soup kitchen
19. Short missions trip
20. Little Amerika
21. 10 year anniversary trip
22. Washington Island
23. See the Fireside Christmas show
24. Great America
25. Sea World
26. Broadway show
27. Lasik Eye Surgery
28. Canoeing or tubing trip down a river
29. Badger football game
30. Swim with the dolphins

This summer I am hoping to get at least 3 things checked off this list; Great America, Washington Island and possibly Little Amerika.

A little bit of pink...

Last week we had two very special house guests....Auntie Nikki and cousin Makena from Vegas! It was so fun to have a little girl in our house.

Here she is...princess Makena!

Caleb was a bit much for her sometimes. He couldn't keep his hands off of her!

Makena turns one at the end of the month so we had a little birthday celebration for her.

Auntie Nikki with her newest nephew

Thanks for staying with us. We can't wait for the next sleepover!

3 months!

Here are some pictures of Joshua at 3 months!

The trio

This afternoon as I was interacting with Joshua this realization came to me about my three boys:

Casey was our passionate baby. He was either really happy or really upset.

Caleb was our content baby. He was so laid back like his daddy.
Joshua is our happy baby. He smiles and talks so much. He is a good mix of his brothers.

Recovering

The boys have eaten at least a dozen boxes of macoroni and cheese the past 10 days as well as TONS of ice cream and dozens of pancakes!

During this time of recovery the boys are supposed to play nice, no rough housing. Boys were born to rough house so this has been difficult. To keep them calm we have watched a lot of videos from the library, read books, played play dough, and have blown many bubbles.



In the last few days I have taken the boys on a few fieldtrips to get them out of the house. We went to Casey's favorite store, Puzzle World, and today we visited the Zoo.

We always end our time at the Zoo with a ride on the train. It was Joshua's first time and he seemed to enjoy it very much. Caleb was a bit unsure of it today.

He was almost sitting on Casey's lap!

I am so glad to have my boys back. We have made it through a lot of tears and whining over the past week and a half. I'm hoping that the worst is over and they will continue to get better everyday.

They are out!

Tuesday morning both Casey and Caleb had their tonsils and adenoids removed. Before the surgery Casey was so excited. He couldn't wait to have a sleepover in the hospital with mommy and daddy. We tried to warn him that he was going to have a very sore throat, but his focus was on all the ice cream he would get to eat!

Here is a nice shot of Casey's golf balls

Before the nurses took Caleb and Casey away for surgery they gave them some medication to help reduce their anxiety. They call it silly juice. Caleb's reaction was silly, Casey's was more relaxed.

When we went to see Caleb in recovery he was very upset. Matt calmed him down and got him to sleep. Once he was settled Casey was wheeled into recovery and was upset as well. Matt stayed with him while I went with Caleb up to our room. It was at this moment that I wondered what we had just done to our poor children.

During the next 12 hours we would hold our children's hands, hold them and cuddle with them as they watched their favorite movies. Once the morphine wore off and reality set in it was hard on us all. Caleb passed out during a melt down, Casey threw up a couple of times and removed his IV which had to be replaced...it was a tough night.

Caleb hadn't slept all day and so it was hard to settle him down that night for bed. I finally got him to sleep while rocking him in a chair. It was at this point that I couldn't stop thinking about all of the many families that had to endure much worse. We were only their for one night and our children were going to be ok in a week or so. I prayed a prayer of thanks for my healthy children.

The next morning the boys were ready to eat pancakes and go home!

We are currently on day 4 and the boys are doing much better. They are still taking pain medication every 4 hours around the clock, but their spirits are good. We are keeping busy with movies, play dough, puzzles, trains, legos and marbles. When the weather cooperates I take them out for walks and we color with chalk.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

Mother's Day weekend

What a wonderful weekend spent with family!

On Saturday morning we hosted a Mother's day brunch at our place. My mom, brother Andy, and sister Leah's family came over to enjoy some food and fellowship together. While we were eating Matt and Nick surprised Leah and I by giving us a gift certificate for the spa! So after lunch we headed out for 3 hours of pampering. I received a full body massage, facial and whirlpool bath. It was heavenly.

When I got home it was off for a hot date with my hubby! Nana and Buppa watched the boys so we could go out for dinner. We went to Chili's and enjoyed some delicious Mexican food.

Sunday morning we went to church and enjoyed a wonderful service. Afterward we stopped at Sonic for lunch with the boys. It was a beautiful day so we decided to eat on the sidewalk rather than in the van. The boys thought it was fun.

My afternoon was spent relaxing with Joshua while the big boys helped daddy in the yard. We grilled out some fillets and enjoyed a nice dinner together.

I am such a lucky woman to have such a thoughtful husband. Not to mention I have the 3 cutest boys in the universe!

2 months already?!

Joshua is doing great. He has turned into a very happy baby. He is the cuddliest child we have, although Caleb is a close second. His two favorite things to do these days are ride around in the baby bjourn facing outwards and splashing in the tub.

We feel so blessed to have 3 beautiful, healthy boys. Praise God!