Easter/Spring Break

We were thrilled to have my grandma (Giggi) visit us for Easter and Spring Break. She arrived on a very rainy Saturday before Easter. It still amazes me that she drives down all the way from New Jersey!

I was really excited to get a 4 generation picture. I wish I had the one to share when I was a little girl and my Great Grandma Olive is in the picture.

Drake was disappointed he wasn't in the pictures with the girls...you can see I didn't crop him out. After this shot, I made sure to take some pictures with him.

My little brother used to listen to Scripture Scouts ALL the time, when he was younger. They drove me crazy, and I would complain about it ALL the time. Well, you can imagine what the boys love to listen to in the car now. Yep, Scripture Scouts! They have been listening to the New Testament cds, which were so appropriate for this time of year. Drake colored a picture of Jesus and the empty tomb. He was very proud of it, and kept saying tomb, because it was a new word.

We did all the fun stuff at Easter too. We went to an egg hunt at our local park. They separate the kids by age, so that's why Drake isn't in the picture. These cuties are friends from Lincoln's school and from MOPS.

Pinterest is wonderful! We experimented with 3 different egg coloring techniques this year: coloring with crayons, permanent markers and rubbing alcohol, and shaving cream with food coloring. I think my favorite ones were done with crayons. They aren't the most gorgeous eggs, but we had a great time experimenting. Drake colored an egg with orange permanent marker (see below) and he made sure every inch of white was covered with orange. It took him a good 15 minutes, which for him to sit still that long is a marvel!

 

Some of the eggs are missing in the last picture, because they had already been cracked and made into egg salad for a picnic lunch. The boys, Giggi and I went to the Daniel Stowe Botanical gardens on a gorgeous sunny day. Lincoln kept complaining about all the walking, so it surprised me when he said that his favorite thing about that day was being at the gardens and seeing the water fountains.

Ok, I got ahead of myself. Back to Easter. Just like when I was a kid, the boys went in search of their Easter baskets, hidden in the house. Here they are posing with their baskets and checking out their surprises.

They also went on an egg hunt in our front yard and got to play with their friends next door. 

Papaw entertained the children while dinner was being prepared.

 

 As usual, I wish I had more pictures to show all we did with Giggi. We went to the Gardens, took her to our Story Time at the library, ate lunch with BB, played at parks, spent lots of time playing outside, read stories, and visited a historical museum. I know what you are thinking...how much fun did the kids have at a historical museum, right? Well, it was Civil War day, so they had people dressed in period clothing, musket shooting demonstrations, marching practice for the kids and quill writing too. Plus each floor of the old hotel had hands-on activities.

Update on the kiddos:

Lincoln is such a sweet, sweet boy. He takes his job of big brother seriously and has now extended his position to any other small child or baby he sees. He entertained a little baby girl at church on Sunday and she was thrilled. He is so imaginative, always creating new characters and imaginary friends. Every person we meet is his friend. I love that he doesn't care how old someone is or what they look like; he is just glad to play with someone. 

Oh Drake, Drake, Drake. He is just a tornado of energy and messes. I feel like I am constantly cleaning up something that he knows he shouldn't have been into. He is so independent and thinks he can usually do something, even though he should have asked for help. His eyebrows are so expressive. They usually scowl at me when I give him an answer he doesn't like. Although his antics are not funny to me at the time, I go to bed laughing and telling Dave about it all. He still loves his Bear Bear and has to go to sleep with him at night. 

Dorothy is such a love! She is giggling now, smiles all the time and is just happy to be here. The boys never did well in a stroller or a bouncy chair or anywhere besides my arms. She is content to just be on a blanket on the floor, looking at the fan. Her brothers entertain her just by playing together. She still has blue, blue eyes. I just love this baby girl so much!!

 Aunt Kim made her this beautiful blanket.

He would be embarrassed, but I also have to mention that Dave got a promotion at work. He really enjoys working at PG: he works very hard for this company and puts in lots of late nights, so I am glad to see him rewarded for it!

Spring Fun

The weather has been gorgeous in Carolina! We have been enjoying lots of time outside.

Lincoln saw my Pinterest board, and has been begging me to "save Batman." I told him when it got warm and when the stores started selling water guns, we could do it. As soon as the sun started shining, we headed to the dollar store and got some new water guns. We froze Batman and Robin in a pan of water, and the boys saved them by shooting water guns.

 

The bathing suits are out! They have already thrown water balloons and played in the water table. They also cleaned rocks in the water table, so they could paint them with glow paint.

I have been teaching Lincoln how to read, only because he really wanted to learn. I love catching him with a book! The other day he brought the mail in. When I told him it was just junk mail, he said, "No Mom, it says to call now!" The picture also shows how much he has grown. His feet are huge. He wears a size 13 or a youth 1.

The boys have really been playing well together lately. One thing they love to do is play "Snake Tag." It's where I make snake noises and chase after them. They especially love it, when I hide behind a corner and jump out at them. They begged me to take a picture of them running their loop. Even though I explained that it would be blurry, they still wanted me to capture them in action. 

 Dorothy enjoys being outside too! She is doing so much better at night. In fact, she slept from 9pm-7am last night. I totally feel like a new woman!!

 

We must also have the fattest birds in the neighborhood (or squirrels) because we have been making all kinds of bird feeders. The boys have a great time making them, hanging them up and checking them frequently to see how much has been eaten.

 

 

Lincoln won the lottery...the local charter school lottery. I can't believe it, but it is time for him to start kindergarten next year. We had to do quite a bit of paper work and Link had to have a physical in order to keep his spot. During the physical, Lincoln was putting on a show for all the nurses and staff. He was dancing, doing impersonations, and telling stories. When the doctor finally came in, he said, "I don't like waiting, and I had to wait." How embarrassing! I think he was just upset, because he had to get 5 shots. At school the next day, he showed his 5 band aids to a girl at school. The reason I know this, is because a teacher at the school had to tell me. He pulled down his pants to show the girl. Next thing, she was pulling down her pants, even though she didn't have any band aids. Good luck with this one charter school!!

Our Second Month as a Family of 5

This month has definitely been easier than last month! Things are not easy, but we are transitioning back to normal life. We have had playdates, been to stores, and are enjoying the weather outside.

At Dorothy's 2 month check up she was 11 lbs 4 oz (47th percentile) and was in the 87th percentile for height.  I love how much she adores me! When I hold her, she will tilt her head so she can look at me. Dave also gets great smiles from her in the morning. And even though she gets manhandled by the boys, she loves them too!

Drake can be so naughty, so hilarious, and so sweet. I guess that is typical for an almost 3 year old. After Dave made him some chocolate milk, Drake told him, "Canks [thanks] Daddy, you amazing, you smart." Whenever he sees Lincoln on the floor, he feels the need to body slam him. Poor Lincoln puts up with a lot from him! Drake refuses to be potty trained. He would much rather have someone wipe his bum. I love his good mornings. He is quick to tell me good morning and also give a good morning to "Dorphy." He also likes to tell me "that's enough of that" and "that's not very nice" when I give him an answer he doesn't like. Drake is also done with napping.  It makes bedtime a lot easier, but the early evening is a little rough.

Lincoln is starting to pick up on gender differences. He told me the other day, "Girls say pretty and boys say cool." He also told Drake pink was a girl color and that Sophia the First was a show girls like. Link is a tank: he is over 50 pounds. He is still in Lincoln Punch mode all day long. He asks me to play Lego Lincoln Punch with him multiple times a day. We have some new neighbors next door, with grandkids his age, so he has been in heaven with friends to play with. I feel like he has really mellowed out lately. Maybe school won't be such a challenge for him this Fall!

All of my pictures come from the ipad, since I don't have enough hands to carry a real camera. Here are some shots from this past month...

Snow

I hope they appreciated the time outside. It took them forever to get bundled up! I do have to admit I had fun throwing snow balls at the boys. They had so much fun with snow, they decided to have a snow fight with flour in the kitchen.

Valentines Day

Yep, I let them have chocolate for breakfast. We have also started a tradition, where they can pick out whatever they want to eat for breakfast on Saturdays.

We celebrated my dad's birthday this month. He and Dorothy got a nice nap in. Oh, what I would pay to have a long, uninterrupted nap!! Actually, I have thought about it...I'm at 200 bucks.

The First Month

I need to start off by writing that I really do have the best in-laws! My sweet MIL gave up 3 weeks of her time to come out and stay with us. My FIL gave up over 2 weeks without his lovely wife. They are truely selfless and very generous people! Dave and I teased Grandma that we were going to lock the doors the day she had to leave. It was so nice to have a constant playmate for the boys, a kitchen fairy who did the dishes, and a personal assistant to cook meals and grocery shop.

Because Dorothy lost 12% of her body weight at the hospital, we had to get her weighed when she was 3 days old. It was the perfect time to try out her first dress.

She still hadn't gained any weight, so we had to go back when she was 1 week old. We were thrilled she gained 4 ounces!

At 2 weeks, we had to go back to make sure she was up to her birth weight. Thank goodness she made it. She was right at 7lbs 1 oz!

Dorothy Elizabeth

On Thursday, a dear friend helped me clean my house, Grandma Shinsel flew into town, and the hospital bags were packed. We were all ready for the next day. I was too excited to meet baby girl, plus super uncomfortable, so I really didn't sleep that night.

Dave and I drove to Presbyterian hospital in downtown Charlotte through the rain, very very early in the morning. All the pre-op stuff takes a few hours, and I was just so anxious to get going. At 8:04 a.m., I heard cries. The sound made me so teary! As soon as the dr showed her to us, we could tell she looked like Lincoln, only with lots of dark hair. She was so vocal as they cleaned her up, but as soon as they handed all 7 lbs, 1 oz and 20 inches to me, she quieted down.

We had some good snuggle time while waiting for the boys to come visit. Around lunch time, the big brothers got to meet her. I had been so worried about Drake, but he was game to hold her. He was amazed when she grabbed his finger.

Lincoln was very anxious to hold his baby sister.

We stayed at the hospital for a few days, and left for home on Sunday. The boys were thrilled for us to be home. It cracks me up to hear them baby talk to her. Lincoln said, "Welcome to North Carolina, Dorothy. Do you like it here?" Drake just gets right in her face and says, "Oh, hello Dorphy!" then he mumbles some other baby talk I don't understand. I hope she will always be this exciting to them!

Dorothy is more sleepy during the day, than she is at night right now. She is so sweet when she is awake, and is already giving us smiles. I am beyond thankful for a healthy, beautiful little girl!!

Christmas Time

Getting Ready for Christmas:

Lincoln's good buddy Danny met us at the Belmont Christmas parade.

We made candy cane Christmas tree ornaments, foam Christmas trees and candy cane reindeer. I love the look of concentration on Drake's face!

We whipped up a batch of Christmas cookies. Drake ate more dough than he rolled out, but Lincoln did a great job cutting out shapes.

Lincoln had a Christmas program at his school. He was very animated during the program, jumping up and down and creating his own moves to the songs.

Lincoln's class also visited an assisted living center, where the kids sang for the women and helped them with a craft.

Reunited!:

It had been almost 2.5 years, since we had seen Cleve's family. Carson (7) and Lincoln, played so well together. Penny (3) and Drake loved nothing more than to annoy each other. It was pretty entertaining!

The cousins...

Went to Monkey Joe's...

Played with "snow"...

Decorated frosting Christmas trees...

Sat on the "dude couch" where they watched Transformers...

Took family pictures...



Christmas Eve:

That afternoon, we all went to Frozen. The boys enjoyed the movie, and I drove them to our house afterwards. The rest of the family drove down that night, so that my kids could have Christmas at our house (a first). BB and Pawpaw got them all batman pj's. The capes on the back were a big hit!

We had pizza for dinner, and put the kids to bed. It took them all a while to fall asleep, but once they were out, the adults wrapped presents and had a gift exchange.

Christmas Day:

Drake was the last kiddo up at 7:45. We opened presents, after I finished up cutting out some cinnamon rolls. They did a good job taking turns opening presents. Penny kept asking for more presents after hers were all opened.

The weather was beautiful! Dave and I took a walk with Drake, and mom played with the other kids outside on our swing set.

Around dinner time, we celebrated my 30th birthday! It was just such a treat to have all my siblings there.

Saying Goodbye:

It was a bummer to say goodbye to Reed and Chelsea first. However, the hardest part about everyone leaving was seeing Lincoln and Carson hug each other goodbye. They gave a good 1 minute man hug to each other. I was 3 days out from having baby girl, so I was super emotional. California and Utah are just too dang far away!!

Turkey Day

My parents started going to the beach during Thanksgiving, since we don't have a ton of family close by.  This was our second year to join them, and the second year the boys were sick! I can't complain, because this is the first sickness since last winter. Lincoln was still getting over a cough, and Drake came down with the cold while we were there.

We went to Hilton Head, and stayed at a tiny place that was a little bit of a hike to get to the beach. When it was warm enough, we flew kites, played in the sand, and rode bikes on the beach. The boys thought it was great to both ride in the trailer behind Dave's bike. Dave's leg muscles didn't think it was so great the next day! I really wanted a nice picture of the boys for our Christmas cards. I mostly got these kind of shots though.

We found a bike without training wheels at a garage sale and were so excited to teach Lincoln how to ride a bike. He didn't really catch on, but he kept trying!

Mom and Dad were kind enough to let Dave and me go see a movie, Catching Fire. We figured it would be our last date for a while, since the countdown is at 5 1/2 weeks! Baby girl is still nameless though.

I'm worried about how Drake will handle the transition to baby girl. When we talk about her he will say things like, "NO, NO baby." He has also been pushing and hitting little girls, once at the library and a couple times at church. Here are some other phrases we hear multiple times a day from the little monster:

"I do it all myself"
"I fix it with my tools"
"Can I be a firefighter"
"Can we go see Mickey Mouse"
"Can I go on a rocket ship"
"Can I ride a helicopter"

Sometimes I do hear, "I wove you too much, Mommy." I think that's a good thing though.