Johnson Family Fun

Christmas in Mt. Ayr

2012-01-21T22:36:00.000-06:00

We were able to get together with Dad and Patti and my brothers and their families on the day after Christmas this year. We had a great day. Lots of laughing and joking going on.

This is the best picture I could get of the kids? Seriously? Oh well!

Colby coming back with a gift after trying to run away with it

Becky diving into her "Santa bag"

Just what she asked Grandma for!

Colby tearing the paper off his toy box

Colby and Grandpa (Colby had a 20 minute nap in the car on the way down, and he was D-O-N-E at this point!

Thanks Dad and Patti for making this a special day for all of us get together. We had so much fun. Next time we all get together, I'm bringing my Apples to Apples so I can win again!!!!!

Christmas Day

2012-01-16T21:51:00.000-06:00

We had a great Christmas Day. It was nice to be at home and just play with our new toys.

I love the look of Becky in this one. Do you think Santa brought her what she wanted?

Colby was very excited about his ball popper. So much so, it was at least 10 minutes before we could even get him interested in looking through his stocking!

Lifesaver book. Yeah!

Love my new hat!

handing out presents

getting ready to open presents. is that princess one for me?

still lovin her LaLaLoopsy!

playing in the tent

Colby had fun crawling in and out

just being silly

now there's more room for them!

Al and I were super excited about getting the kids this tent, because they LOVE to put blankets on the card table and play in their "tent." We were so disappointed in its size, and have returned it to the store with promises to Becky of Mommy making her a tent to put over the card table so there is actually room for her to sit up in it. (How I'm going to find time to do that or even the skill is beyond me! I did find some great tutorials and tips online, so I'll give it a go. I'll be sure to let you all know how that turns out!)

Anyway - we really did have a nice day. We managed to make it to church that morning to celebrate Jesus. He is the Reason, after all. Then we just played with out new toys some more and took naps. All that excitement so early really wore us out!

Christmas Eve

2012-01-11T19:01:00.000-06:00

On Christmas Eve, we got to go to my Aunt Ginny's house in Mt. Ayr to celebrate Chirstmas with Mom's family. We haven't been able to do that in a few years, so it was nice to get to go and see everyone. We had a really nice time.

Here are the grandkids - minus the California ones, of course!
Becca holding Tatum, Becky holding Colby, Kaitlyn holding Alba

Colby was about ready to have a meltdown, so he got to open his package from us

Becky saw it and was mad, so she got to open hers too

Then she was mad it was pajamas. You think she would have that figured out by now! I've only done it every year since she was born. :)

Kaitlyn reading a story (Becky not wanting Kaitlyn to get all the attention)

Grandpa and Grandma doing their little program.

So much fun. Love it!

Christmas dance

2012-01-05T21:52:00.000-06:00

On December 23, Becky had a Christmas dance program downtown. She did not have school that day, and I was watching Emma, so we all headed downtown. Don't they look great posing by the tree?

Here is Becky patiently waiting to dance. I don't have any pictures of her dancing because I videotaped it for her, but she did a great job. I was so proud of her!

After the dance and some lunch, I took the girls to the Science Center. Not probably the smartest idea since it was Christams Break. Oh well. I think they had some fun anyway!

early December

2012-01-04T22:31:00.000-06:00

Here is Becky helping decorate the Christmas tree

Becky dressing her brother up for the first time. . . actually I think Colby tried to put the headband on himself. He loved it and wore it all night. Becky thought it was hysterical.

Christmas with Larry and Donna

in pajamas ready to go through Jolly Holiday Lights

Chuck E Cheese

2011-12-11T17:32:00.001-06:00

This year we let Becky invite three friends from school to her birthday party at Chuck E Cheese. None of them had ever been there before. I need to talk to their parent to figure out how they have avoided it this long! They had a great time.

playing a game together

We had to let her invite Drake and Chase too.

dancing

waiting to meet Chuck E Cheese himself

blowing out candles

opening presents

getting ready for the ticket blaster

and she's having a blast!

(she ended up with like 600 tickets total. her friends even gave her theirs. could have gotten something cool. nope. a bunch of little junk. oh well!)

Colby even enjoyed his first trip there

All in all, in was a good time. Quite possibly the most chaotic two hours we have ever spent there, but fun anyway. Maybe next year she will have outgrown Chuck E Cheese? We can only hope! Until then, I guess we'll keep going because she likes it, and we all know it's about her : )

Becky's 6th birthday

2011-12-11T17:28:00.000-06:00

So hard to believe that my litle girl turned 6 on November 19th. The time has gone so fast and only continues to go faster with each and every passing year. This year she wanted a LaLaLoopsy themed party. Since they are fairly new, I had to come up with a cake on my own. After Becky got over the fact that I was not making her another castle like I had the two previous years, she thought this cake was pretty neat - especially since there were two new dolls on it!

Somebody woke up excited to be 6! She gets to use two hands now!

Exactly what she wanted!

Since the 19th was on Saturday this year, she got to actually have her party on her birthday.

LaLaLoopsy treehouse

LaLaLoopsy doll - Holly Sleigh Bells (who she has slept with almost every night since)

and her very own puppy! (the kind that is Mom and Dad approved!)

getting ready to make a wish

blowing out the candles

playing with her new toys

Is tomorrow really December?

2011-11-30T20:11:00.000-06:00

Where has the month of November gone?

Early on in the month, we managed to get some time outside playing at a park.

Here is Colby trying to master his walking skills.

playing on the slide

Becky found a boy at the park to follow around, so she was too old for me to take pictures of her playing that day.

Then we went to Mt. Ayr for a day to visit Dad and Patti.
Grandma Dolecheck stopped by to say hello.

then we got to go outside and play in the leaves one last time before the weather turned cold.

Dad and Colby

kids playing the piano

Halloween fun

2011-11-04T21:37:00.000-05:00

We had a fun couple of weeks celebrating Halloween. The Sunday afternoon a week before, we went to Night Eyes at the zoo. It's always a good time, and the weather was perfect! It always makes it more fun when we get to go with Emma too!

Emma and Becky and the Three Little Pigs

Becky and The Wizard of Oz gang

Colby taking it all in . . . and enjoying a candy bar!

family photo by the pumpkin

That was our first Halloween excursion. On Wednesday night, I took the kids to the church where we had Trunk or Treat (after Becky's dance Halloween party). I even put on a pumpkin shirt and wig but was too busy keeping up with the two kids to snap any pictures!

On October 29th, we went to Tingley to be in the Halloween parade. What a blast! I had been struggling all day on the 28th to figure out something to honor Mom with. Hard to believe it's been 10 years since she died. I just felt like I should do something, but I had no idea what that could be. That evening, Mom's Mom, my grandma, called me and asked if we would like to come down and be in the parade. (God was really working in our lives that day, wasn't He?) What better way to honor Mom than to be in the parade that she loved? So we ran around Des Moines Saturday morning trying to figure out a costume for me and Al and a theme and then headed down that afternoon.

Here is a picture of Great Grandma with Colby and Becky. She was so glad we could come down.

Here we are! Dawn and the girls also decided to join us in the parade last minute. It was just so much fun! What a great way to honor Mom. I know she would have loved it.

I can't even begin to say how great it felt to be doing something fun and to be with Mom's family on the anniversary of her death. It just felt right. I remember being in the parade for years as a kid, and having so much fun deciding on a theme and Mom making costumes, and just having a blast. Also, Halloween is one of Al's favorite holidays (if not his number one favorite), and I really haven't felt much like celebrating it for the past ten years. I'm usually just sad and missing Mom this time of year. It was nice to have that changed around, and Al couldn't have been happier. I am hopeful we can make it a new family tradition. And next year we hope to have a little more time to plan our theme and our costumes. (Although I do have to say I kind of remember Mom running around last minute trying to get everything done, putting finishing touches on the costumes that day and making signs right before leaving the house. Nice to know I'm at least a littlte bit like her! Makes me smile.)

Here is my Cousin Melissa and her two girls Tatum and Alba and Grandpa and my Aunt Ginny in the background.

And here is Al and Becky on Beggar's Night. I decided to stay home with Colby and hand out candy. He was just so tired, and we really didn't need any more candy. I think I answered the door maybe 9 times. Oh well. Al and Becky sure had fun.

Hope you all had a nice, safe, and fun Halloween!

nieces' visit

2011-10-31T21:41:00.000-05:00

Dawn walked in the Breast Cancer Walk on the 22nd, so we got to have the girls come over and play for the morning. The three girls helped me cook breakfast and played very well together. Everyone had a blast.

Becca and Colby

Becky and Katilyn

group photo op!

gotta love oreos!

2011-10-31T21:35:00.000-05:00

Colby had his first taste of Oreos the other night. Gotta say he loved it, and he was a mess! I had to take a couple pics. What a cutie! Yep...all that mess around the face is from one cookie. You should have seen his hands!

pumpkins

2011-10-31T21:33:00.000-05:00

Al and Becky carved pumpkins mid October. I wasn't feeling well that day, so I just snapped a few pictures. Al sure had fun carving four pumpkins!

Colby enjoying the nice weather

pumpkin guts!

finished product

showing them off

soccer

2011-10-31T21:29:00.000-05:00

Becky is in a six-week soccer league on Thursday nights. She loves it! She is pretty darn good too. It's fun to watch her play.

Oh! Here is her missing second tooth!

first fallen leaves

2011-10-17T22:11:00.000-05:00

This pile of leaves is nothing compared to what Al and Becky raked up this weekend, but a couple weeks ago there were enough leaves to play in, so I snapped a few pictures.

Clay County Fair

2011-10-02T20:11:00.000-05:00

We also went to the Clay County Fair while we were in Spencer. It was pretty chilly that day, but fun as always.

petting a cow in the barn

Colby taking it all in

looking at the horses

petting a goat in Grandpa's barn

"milking" a cow

riding rides with Daddy

Colby got a nap in

drawing pictures on Grandma's window

Becky taught Colby how much fun it is to play in Grandma's closet

Becky lost her first tooth the Thursday before we left for Spencer!

Becky has another tooth that has been loose about as long as the other one. She says she has been messing with it, but it's still hanging on for dear life much like the other one did. She was terrified to let anyone touch it because it might hurt. It actually fell out in her sleep we think. When she was eating her cereal on Friday morning, she realized her tooth was gone. She was shocked that it didn't even hurt!

another birthday celebration

2011-10-02T20:00:00.000-05:00

We headed to Spencer the weekend after Colby's birthday. He got to celebrate it again. Good thing he likes cake and presents!

He loved eating the ribbon and crawling through the paper the most. He was having a blast!

Colby is one!

2011-09-13T21:30:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe my little guy turned one today! Here he is this morning opening a few more presents.

posing for a picture

Colby was a little clingy this morning and did not want to be left at day care. It was so sad. He was tired all day. When we got home, we played, but he still didn't want to get too far away from Mommy. I'm pretty lucky that he's such a cuddler and we got some cuddles in. I'll take it while I can get it!

Here he is a little happier.

posing for a pic with Becky

one year old!

Hurry, Mom, before I attack the bear or crawl off this chair!

Nothing but giggles!

And then we took Colby out for ice cream to celebrate his birthday. Poor little guy didn't even get any!

At one year old, Colby loves to eat. He will eat pretty much anything you put in front of him. His favorite, though, is macaroni and cheese. He gets very excited when he sees it, and if Becky still has some on her plate and his is gone, he will point to it and make noises to let you know he wants it. He has started pointing to lots of things to try and communicate with us. Sometimes we get it, sometimes we don't. He has taken a few steps on his own. He crawls at hyper speed. We are afraid when he does start to walk, he will take off running. He is drinking whole milk and loves drinking it himself out of a sippy cup. He also loves to drink water, especially out of a bottle or a regular cup. He likes to dance if there is music on. He loves watching his big sister and following her around. He does not like to be left alone and will not stay that way. He will go find someone to avoid being in a room by himself. He cries himself to sleep at night, but only for a few minutes before he is asleep and then sleeps through the night. He is a happy little guy most of time and a perfect number four for our family. Happy Birthday, Buddy!

Becky's first church Bible

2011-09-13T21:19:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, Becky got her first Bible from the church. She was so excited to have her own!

Colby's birthday party

2011-09-13T21:17:00.000-05:00

We had Colby's birthday party on Saturday. We didn't have the party until 3:30 because of the big game. The Boedings came over to watch it with us. Here are the kids all decked out.
Colby, Drake, Becky, and Chase

Here is Colby opening presents (aka watching Mommy open presents)

Here he is eating some tissue paper. Yum! That may have been his favorite thing . . . .

posing for a picture with Mommy

getting ready to blow out the candle

time to eat cake!

YUM! That's so good!

I'm all done, Mom. Get me out of this chair!

Here he is all clean and happy again!

Omaha Zoo

2011-09-13T21:06:00.000-05:00

On the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend, we decided to head to Omaha to the zoo to kind of celebrate my birthday a little belated, and just because we've been wanting to go there all summer. It was a busy day, but the weather was perfect. The animals were very active. We had a good time. Here are a few highlights.

Feeding the fish, of course.

the sea lions - Colby got out of the stroller for this, and he loved watching them.

posing by the gorilla

another gorilla just sitting there by the window showing off

Colby taking a break

posing for a picture with Mom

a picture with the penguins

in the aquarium

on the carousel

Becky's first day of kindergarten

2011-08-25T21:49:00.000-05:00

Here is Becky all ready for her first day of kindergarten. She was so excited to start school. She did seem a little nervous too, but she wouldn't admit it. She asked me, "What if I don't know what to do?" I told her to just listen to her teacher, and her teacher would let her know what to do. Then she asked me, "What if I can't do it?" I told her she would be able to do it and that she would be fine.

Here she is posing by the playground. Every picture we had to take two, one normal standing and then one with her posing. Oh, my. . . .

Here is Becky with her teacher.

After we picked up Becky and Colby, we all went for ice cream.

Then, just because, here's one of Colby today.

And here he is all tuckered out. He hasn't been feeling the best....working on more teeth we think. Ouch!

All in all, it was a good day. I made it all the way to the car before I had any tears. So hard to believe she's in kindergarten! I took the day off so I would be able to drop her off and pick her up. (and just get some much needed me time) Becky was so excited to show us what she had in her take home folder, that she got it out of her backpack and opened it up while we were still in the gym picking her up. When we asked Becky how her first day was, she said, "Good." When we asked her what she did, she said, "Eat lunch." I think she talked maybe a little too much though, because she didn't have time to eat all of her sandwich or her dessert. I guess that's a hard lesson to learn, but one that I'm sure she will learn fast!

up to date!

2011-08-23T22:00:00.001-05:00

We have had a busy month of August so far. And with the school year fast approaching, I decided to post some highlights for the whole month so I won't be behind in posting kindergarten pictures.

Becky took swimming lessons in June and again in August. She loved them and did great. On the last day, we got to go watch her show off some of her skills.

Of course, on the last day, they get to go down the water slide too. So much fun!

Becky did great this summer at the pool. She went down the slide by herself serveral times and even got really good at jumping in and swimming to the side all by herself. Good thing her dad and her had a lot of time to spend at the pool and practice!

play date with some girls from preschool

Becky got to go to Adventureland three times this summer! She went once with her dad by herself, we all went as a family, and she and I went too. Here are Al and Becky waiting for her favorite ride,the Galleon.

riding the dragons

Colby got a good nap in.

on the ferris wheel

Here is Colby at 11 months. So hard to believe he will soon be one! He is so much fun right now.

Always up to something

Here is one of the cooler evenings spent at a park

Colby in the swing

taking little brother down the slide

We got out the car so Colby could play with it and start to work on his walking. He's still a little unsteady, but he loves to play with it anyway. He really likes it when Becky puts him on it and pulls him around the house making car noises.

Walking behind the car - getting a little too far away. Pretty sure he fell right after I took this picture.

There he goes again. He was grinning from ear to ear.

Becky's third trip to Adventureland.

We met Sarah and Emma there.

the girls on the airplanes

and the frog hopper

Becky on her beautiful horse. She had to walk all the way around the carousel to find this special one!

Emma tuckered out around 5, so they left. Becky and I closed the park down at 10! We rode the Outlaw roller coaster two different times, each 3 times in a row. We also rode the Tornado roller coaster two different times. (I just had to put my arm around her so she wasn't scared. Who knew? ) I have bruises on my legs to prove it! We rode many other rides twice in a row as well. Most of the time you didn't even have to get off! We had so much fun. I don't know how many years I can ride rides like we did, but I'm hopeful it's for years to come because there were hardly any lines and we had a BLAST! Here is Becky all ready for bed with the monkey she won when she beat me in the horse race.

And now I am officially up to date and will try to post pictures on Thursday of Becky's first day of kindergarten. We had her open house at her school tonight. She is very excited to go to school. After a small mix up with Becky not being on the roster at the Walnut Street School because Monroe had called them and told them to release her, they had a spot for her. Thank goodness I didn't have to cry (too much) because I was so mad, and everything will be fine come Thursday. Hard to believe my little girl is going to be going to kindergarten!

baptism

2011-08-23T20:30:00.001-05:00

We were blessed to have Becky and Colby baptized on July 31. It was nice to have family be able to travel to Des Moines and share the special day with us.

State Historical Building

2011-08-16T22:12:00.000-05:00

When Monte was in town the last weekend in July, we visited the State Historical Buidling in the East Village. It was a good time.

Becky was terrified of this bear, but I got her to smile anyway. She thought it looked pretty real.

Posing in the Indian Hut. This is one of five pictures we took with it. She thought it was the coolest thing!

Colby slept through most of the visit.

such a poser!

Al "carrying" water buckets like they did in the Old Days.

I was too short to even get them off the ground. Imagine that!

Colby woke up at the end long enough to look around a little.

Becky took some pictures at the end of the day.

This model of 801 Grand was built with 44,000 legos!

Monte and Becky checking out the history of a mammoth.

mammoth - just like Peaches (from Ice Age) Becky said

Becky and Al

10 months

2011-07-31T21:39:00.001-05:00

Here are Colby's 10 month pics from the 13th. It took a while to get some good ones. He kept tackling the bear. Little stinker!

Carnival on the Fourth of July

2011-07-31T21:28:00.000-05:00

We got back to Des Moines on the 4th of July. We visited our friends Bill and Kim in Algona on the 3rd and watched some fabulous fireworks. I was too busy visitng and chasing after kids to snap any pictures there, I guess! We went to the carnival in Urbandale when we got back to town. They didn't have a whole lot of options there, so Becky got to ride the Tilt-a-Whirl four times, twice with each of us!

I even got her talked into the slide once. That was fun!

Spencer in July

2011-07-31T21:21:00.003-05:00

Brenda and her family were in Iowa the first of July. It was fun to spend some time with them in Spencer.

Bode, Colby, and Becky

Boone

swimming at the pool

Becky under a fountain

Bode

doing sparklers

Colby hanging - trying to watch the big kids do sparklers. So tired!

Bode and Boone, Becky and Colby

dance recital

2011-07-11T20:23:00.003-05:00

I am not real sure where the month of June went, but here are some pictures from Becky's dance recital. That was a crazy week! We had two nights of dance rehersal and two nights of dance recital. Becky did great, and I think she had a good time.

Splish Splash

Hound Dog

zoo

2011-06-24T22:16:00.004-05:00

The second weekend in June, we visited the zoo. There were a few things under construction and it was super busy that day, but we managed to have a good time anyway.

Becky found one goat who was still hungry.

Becky spent at least 20 minutes running through the maze they had there. She loved it!

The dinosuars were pretty neat. I totally recommend a visit to the zoo if you're in Des Moines.

Spencer weekend

2011-06-24T22:04:00.001-05:00

The first weekend in June we visited Spencer. We always have such a nice time. Al and I even managed to escape away to a movie while we were there!

Becky giving Colby a bottle

enjoying the nice weather with Great Grandma Willie

Yep...Grandpa gave Colby a powdered sugar doughnut....and yes, he loved it and shoved the entire thing in his mouth

and now he is really licking his lips

bouncing in the car

Becky showing off her swimming skills

end of May

2011-06-14T22:38:00.009-05:00

Here is Colby spoorting his ISU cap

Kaitlyn and Colby

We celebrated my dad's birthday

Grandpa, Eric, and Dad teaching Al how to play croquet

Becky running through the sprinkler

Colby enjoying being outside

I know it's mid June already, but I wanted to get these pics posted cause I like them!

8 months old

2011-05-31T19:04:00.000-05:00

Here are Colby's 8 month pics. As you can tell, he's already become quite a little poser for the camera.

if you look closely below, you can almost see his first two teeth

As almost another month has gone by since these were taken, Colby is doing well. He has had a couple ear infections, but we have been able to treat those with drops. He doesn't like them much, but it's not affecting his sleep. We did decide to let him cry it out while sleeping. The first day was yesterday. He cried for two hours in the afternoon before he gave it up and took a 3 hour nap. Last night, he was asleep within minutes. He woke up, though, (which is why we decided to let him cry - because he would be asleep and wake up in the night and not want to go back to sleep. This became a habit when he was having trouble with his ears). He then cried for about 30 to 45 minutes before he fell asleep. Becky got to fall asleep on the futon downstairs while he was crying. She thought that was pretty cool. Hopefully it will only take a couple more nights and he will have falling asleep on his own figured out. He did take a nap after day care tonight and only fussed for three or four minutes before falling asleep. Othewise, he is doing well. He is a very happy little boy, and we enjoy watching him grow. Big sister just adores him and can't wait until he gets just a little bigger so he can play toys with her.

tubes

2011-05-05T21:06:00.002-05:00

Colby got tubes put in his ears today. He did very well. The hardest part was waiting until after the procedure to let him eat. I did give him a bottle at 11:30 last night so he wouldn't be quite so hungry. The surgery was performed at 8:30 this morning. He was back in my arms by 8:45 and nursing. Everything went really well. The ENT said there was a lot of pretty nasty fluid in there, so we have to keep doing drops now for 7 days. (they usually have you do it for 3 or 4.) If I had any reservations about Colby getting tubes, they went away last night when he was screaming and would not sleep, and of course I couldn't give him any medicine or nurse him because it was after midnight! We came home after the surgery and took a nap. Colby was a little fussy and clingy throughout the afternoon, but I didn't mind sitting and holding him. That's what I had the day off for! After Colby woke up from his second nap, he was all smiles. He sat on the floor and played for close to an hour. So glad to have our happy little baby boy back!

On a side note, he didn't even cry when we put the drops in his ears. Becky used to scream and fight. Colby just laid there and let us do it.

Here is Becky painting her treasure chest she got for Christmas. She has been begging me to let her do it for a while, so tonight was the night!

first tooth!

2011-05-01T22:15:00.000-05:00

Colby got his first tooth! He was having some trouble sleeping last night, but crying not so much like his ears were hurting but something else. I put my finger on his gums, and could feel the ever so slight ridge of a tooth. I gave him some Orajel (which he hated but today has come to love), and he was better. I could not see the tooth last night, but this afternoon you can definitely see it poking through. I didn't even attempt to get a picture of the tooth. (Okay. You obvioulsy know I did try, but this is what I got instead. Maybe when it gets a little bigger, he will let me photograph it.)

In other Colby news, the medine he was on when we got back from Florida did not work to clear up his ear infection, so back to the doctor we went. He ended up getting two different doeses of antibiotic shot. When he went in for the second one, the ears did not look any better. We went in for a recheck of the ears a few days later. The infection appeared to be gone, but the fluid was still there and it was thick. So.... we are going to see the ENT tomorrow. The concern with the fluid staying there is it will most likely just become infected again, and, more importantly, it can affect his hearing. So we will go see what the ENT has to say. We are going to the same ENT who did Becky's tubes. Lord knows tubes was the best thing we could have ever done for her. We'll see what he says about Colby.

Becky is doing well. Not much to report about her. That girl loves being outside and has been enjoying some of the nice weather we've been having. She has been busy at dance getting ready for her recital in June and in church choir getting ready to sing songs on Mother's Day.

Al and I celebrated our anniversary on Friday. 11 years! We actually went out to a restuarant by ourselves. Then we went to Target. Maybe not quite so romantic, but it was nice to be together without the kids anyway. I'm so blessed to be able to continue to fall more in love with my husband every day. He is truly my best friend, and I can't imagine my life without him in it.

Easter

2011-05-01T22:03:00.000-05:00

Here is Becky ready to head outside on Easter morning and discover what the Easter Bunny had left for her.

He did not dissapoint!

Here she is with all her goodies.

There was an Easter egg hunt at church.

Becky posing in her dress and bonnett.

Becky and Colby in their Easter outfits.

After church, we headed down to Mt. Ayr to spend some time with my family. Here is Grandpa Cecil and Colby.

Becky got to go on another Easter egg hunt. Three in one day! She hit jackpot for sure!

Colby with Great Uncle John, just taking everything in.

A feeble attempt to photograph all of the gereat grandkids who could be there. Poor Colby is so outnumbered. We need Luke to come visit so Colby won't be the only boy! (guess that would add three girls too, so not sure that would solve anything!)

we're home!

2011-04-17T22:50:00.000-05:00

We had a fabulous time in Florida. Stew and Brenda were gracious hosts. It was nice to spend some time with them and to get to see Bode and Boone. Tuesday we went to Magic Kingdom, Wedensday hung out at the resort in Orlando, and Thursday we went to Sea World. Friday we headed back home. It was kind of a whirlwind vacation, but a blast. It was nice to have Saturday and Sunday to get rested up before heading back to the real world tomorrow. I was totally in vacation mode on Saturday and missed a couple things I was supposed to do. Oh well. Here are a few highlights of our trip. I will try to get all my pictures posted to Shutterfly in the next couple days. I took over 400 photos . . . and I didn't even always have my camera. Sometimes I counted on Brenda or Sarah to snap some shots for me!

So that was more than a few. As you can tell, we had fun. Took Colby to the doctor on Saturday. Double ear infection! Don't know how he did so well on the plane. Must have been all the attention he was getting. No wonder he was having trouble sleeping in Florida. Good to be home, sad that vacation officially ends tomorrow morning when we're back to normal everyday life.

spring

2011-04-07T23:34:00.001-05:00

We have had a few nice days mixed in with the cold lately. We have been able to get outside to enjoy them. Colby just loves being outside. We have gone for several walks as well as just playing in the grass.

Here is Becky posing with her Hop Scotch

Colby loving it

Emma and Becky also got to have a sleepover! They had so much fun.

Tomorrow morning we are off to Florida to visit Stew and Brenda and the boys and then to Orlando for a few days. Yeah! We are so ready for a vacation! If you can't wait until we get back to see pictures, I'm sure Brenda will post some on her blog after the weekend.

cousins

2011-03-29T22:19:00.001-05:00

We got to see Brenda, Bode, and Boone for a little while on Saturday before they headed back to Florida. Here are Boone and Colby. They are sitting that far apart because otherwise they were pretty much just pawing at each other. Oh, the fun they will one day have!

Bode and Becky

Incredible Pizza

2011-03-29T22:15:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Al's birthday by going to Incredible Pizza on the 19th. It was a Saturday, and it was inrcedibly crowded. There was a line for everything. We met my brother and his family there. We left early with crying, screaming kids because they did not get to do everything they wanted to do, especially pick out toys with their tickets. So we went back on Monday night. There were no lines which led to no crying and screaming, and some high-quality toys at the end. A good time was had by all.

six months old

2011-03-20T18:47:00.000-05:00

Here is Colby at 6 months old

He loves to chew on his hands... if he can't get anything else!

He loves to play with his toes.

He has even mastered getting them in his mouth!

At Colby's six month check, he was about as perfect as can be. He weighed 19 pounds 4 1/2 ounces, (he was an ounce shy of gaining 1pound in 2 weeks!) He was 27 5/8 inches long (or so). His ear infection was not gone. In fact, the doctor said she thought it looked worse! He got new medicine. Hopefully this will take care of it. Other than the ear infection, everything else was right on target. At 6 months, Colby is so much fun. He loves to play with his toys, putting everything within reach into his mouth. He loves to pull hair and grab at faces. He has a great nature and an infectious smile and laugh. He is eating his food like a trouper and doesn't mind trying new things. He loves to watch his big sister and laugh at her. He does really well sitting up by himself. He still falls over some, but it's getting much better. He is also moving around quite a bit when laying on the floor. One of his favorite things to do is to jump in his jumper. He could do that for hours! He is a great baby. We are blessed.

Butterfly Garden

2011-03-16T22:36:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, the kids and I met a friend and her son in Ames. Al was working on a paper, so we decided to go visit the butterfly garden at Reiman Gardens after lunch. See how excited Becky was to go in?

Well...just like the year previous, she was terrified. She started screaming and clinging to my leg and crying as the butterflies were flying around. I did not have time to get one picture and had to usher her out the door as quick as possible. I felt really bad for the poor girl. I wanted to pick her up, but with Colby attached, there was just no way. Here she is posing by the dead butterflies after she calmed down. Much more her speed.

Then we visited the conservatory, after I assured her there was nothing but plants and flowers in there.

Here she is showing off some dance moves.

Finally....extreme happiness. She got to spend a little bit of her money to get a toy at the gift shop.

Becky and Colby cuddling at the end of the day.

house update

2011-03-01T22:09:00.002-06:00

We had a short weekend. It was as long as it always is, it just seemed to fly by. We went looking at houses in Altoona Friday night. Becky loved two of them. She liked the smallest ones because they had really cool toys in them. We tried to explain to her that the toys didn't stay, but it didn't matter to her. On Saturday morning, we dropped Becky off at Sarah's and headed to the Easter Lake (southeast side of Des Moines) area. There were some great houses there, but decided that it's too much of a country feel for Al. The rest of the afternoon on Saturday was spent getting the house ready for another showing on Sunday. On Sunday, Al and I dropped Becky off at a friend's house and went back to Altoona to look at a house a second time. We both loved the house and would move in a heartbeat. The downside is that we don't have our house sold. We aren't willing to have two mortgages. So here we sit and wait. We have decided we would like to end up in either Urbandale or Altoona. Now it's just a matter of waiting until we get ours sold so we can put an offer in on one. So no more looking for us. We know what we want, and I'm confident that when it comes time to move, we will be able to find what we are looking for.

The kids are both doing well. They have colds that don't want to go away, but that's about it. I did take Colby to the doctor yesterday because he had had trouble sleeping the two nights previous. So bad, in fact, that I couldn't lay him down in bed without him crying. Not like him at all. Turns out he had a borderline ear infection. The left ear was very full with fluid and probably on its way to being a full-blown ear infection. The doctor was unable to get the wax out of the way in the right ear to see. Long story short, he got his first taste of Amoxicillan. Gotta say he's a great medicine taker. And what kid doesn't love the bubblegum medicine? Even Becky thought it smelled pretty good. Colby slept well through the night last night, so I'm confident he will continue to as the fluid goes down and the pressure behind his ear lessens. I sure function a lot better when I get my sleep too!

So that's an update for now. Trying to keep everyone healthy and stay positive about the house. We sure would love to have ours sold and at least an offer on a new one before we head down to Florida on April 8th. Getting so excited for that trip. What a relief it would be to have all that taken care of. In the meantime, we will try not to stress about it. Easier said than done!

practicing basketball

2011-02-20T21:42:00.000-06:00

Here is Becky practicing basketball with Al. She has so much fun doing it. We're hoping in our next house to be able to have a basketball hoop. Wouldn't that be fun to get a good game of HORSE going? Can't wait for the weather to warm up so we can all be outside.

Since it is still pretty cold, here is Colby all bundled up in his snow suit so he could be outside for a little bit to watch. Guess he didn't get much watching in! It was just so warm all bundled up like that!

Build a Bear

2011-02-20T21:37:00.001-06:00

Today was the first showing of our house, so we decided to take Becky to Build a Bear since we had to go do something. She's been asking for a while and had a gift certificate from her birthday that she could use. And you know she needed another stuffed animal like she needs a hole in the head! Oh well....at least most of them are packed up right now so our house doesn't look so cluttered.

Here is her owl getting stuffed

Becky warming up its heart

Becky fluffing it up

Becky and Fluffy

Colby did well. He just went along with it all. So laid back!

basketball

2011-02-20T21:31:00.000-06:00

Becky has been playing basketball on Thursday nights. Al is helping coach. Colby and I usually stay home because it's during suppertime. We decided to go last Thursday. Becky was so excited we went to watch her play. She did very well and had so much fun!

practicing shooting baskets during halftime

shaking hands at the end

Colby spent the first half of the game asleep, but then he woke up and sat on my lap to watch them play. He really seemed to like watching them run back and forth.

five months

2011-02-20T21:24:00.000-06:00

Here is Colby at five months. He is getting so big! He loves talking and sometimes can get pretty loud. He loves watching Becky be silly and laughing and smiling at her. He is still a mama's boy, but he has realized it doesn't matter so much who holds him, just as long as somebody does!

busy, busy busy!

2011-02-12T23:36:00.000-06:00

Whew! The last few weeks have just flown by, which is why I haven't had any time to sit down at the computer. (I'm also playing a diet game with Holly called Game On! where I have to get 7 hours of sleep a night or I lose 15 points. That has prompted me to definitely have less computer time!) We have decided to try and sell our house. We have been working like crazy to get it in order so someone will want to buy it. We have boxed up a lot of things and put them in storage and have also painted half the house neutral. Tomorrow we are having a guy come to do some "deep cleaning," and then we are hoping to get it listed next week. We're just hoping all this hard work pays off! We would love to be moved before Becky starts school in the fall. We haven't heard very good things about the school down the street that she would be attending if we stayed where we are. I have managed to take a few pictures, though, so here you go!

Becky giving Colby a bottle

Becky and Colby watching a movie

cuddle time with Daddy

Al painting the kids' bedroom. I was so sad to see it go from aquarium to boring!

Larry and Donna came up to help us watch the kids last weekend while we painted and got some things done around the house. The kids has so much fun playing with them. I was too busy doing work, though, to take any pictures!

Becky and Colby getting in some cuddle time

cuddle time with Grandpa Cecil

eating rice cereal!

YUM!!!!

all done - now it's time to play with the spoon!

Colby tried rice cereal for the first time last night. He did pretty good. He really went after the spoon. Most of it didn't get swallowed, but he seemed to really like it anyway. He likes to try to grab at our food if he can. Won't be long and he'll be eating like a pro!

four months

2011-01-21T22:52:00.000-06:00

Here is Colby crashed out on the floor. Just too cute to resist taking a picture!

Here is Colby at four months.

Here he is trying out the Jumparoo. Not crazy about it yet, but Becky sure has fun bouncing him in it!

Hard to believe Colby turned four months old on the 13th. It's just going so fast! He went to the doctor on the 17th for his check-up. He weighed a whopping 17 pounds 4 ounces and was 26 5/8 inches long. The appointment went well. He didn't hardly even cry with the shots. It's refreshing to know that he is right on track and healthy. He has gotten a cold the last couple of days, and I just hate to listen to his congestion. Hopefully it will get better soon with a couple days at home to relax this weekend. At four months, Colby is talking and cooing and laughing all the time. He has started reaching for toys and grasping them. He tries to put everything he can grasp into his mouth. He is very interested in watching us eat food. He really wants to be able to sit up by himself, but can't quite yet. He is a little bit of a mama's boy, only wanting Mommy to hold him when he's tired. I honestly don't mind most of the time. I really enjoy my cuddle time with him, which is probably why he's like that in the first place! He is becoming quite the little man. Can't wait to see what the next month brings!

friends

2011-01-21T22:43:00.007-06:00

Becky and Asialin doing dress-up and crafts

Becky and Reagan jumping in the pool

Bill and Kim were in town a couple weeks ago. We got to spend two nights with them at the hotel. The girls had a blast playing together. It's fun to watch them since they are only a week apart in age.

Becky all dressed up for a tea party. She had a blast.

New Year's

2011-01-21T22:39:00.000-06:00

On New Year's Eve, we headed over to the Boedings to celebrate with them. Drake got a chance to hold Colby.

so did Chase

Here is Colby crashed out. I would love to say he stayed asleep, but he woke up and was out of sorts and crying when the new year rang in.

Here are the three big kids watching a movie in their jammies. They were all awake until midnight, so we called them downstairs to do a countdown. I don't think they got it, but they sure had fun jumping around and screaming.

Colby sitting up. He so wants to be a big boy!

On January 2nd, we headed down to Mt. Ayr to celebrate Christmas with my family. Here are the kids.

Colby fell asleep right after lunch and slept through Christmas!

Becky opening presents.

The three girls posing for a picture. Becca was a little reluctant to share her American girl doll. Becky loved her. I'm sure she'll be wanting one of those before too long. She's growing up way too fast!

cousins and dolls

2011-01-17T23:15:00.000-06:00

Boone and Colby

Becky and Colby Bode and Boone

Becky and Emma watching a movie

Becky and Bode watching a movie

Becky with her two new Baby Alive dolls

Becky feeding her baby

and changing her pants

Yes. She got the doll that poops and pees. I very distinctly remember last year talking to a random person in Target and saying that I would NEVER let my daughter have a doll that really poops and pees. What a mess! I even went so far this year as to tell Al how glad I was that Becky spent early Christmas money/ birthday money on the doll that only pretended to eat food. Well.... as soon as she opened her card from Grandpa Monte and saw it was money, she had it spent on the doll that poops and pees. And, yes, she was allowed to buy it. At least I talked her into the one that's Hispanic so she didn't have another blonde hair blue eyed doll. It's actually pretty silly how it works. It's nothing exciting. But, she loves it, and that's what really matters. Al and I both told her she already had a baby that poops and pees, but she replied by saying, "I don't mean a REAL one!"

sledding fun

2011-01-17T23:00:00.001-06:00

Despite the cold weather over Christmas in Spencer, the kids bundled up and headed out for some sledding. They even did some snowmobiling, but I didn't get any pictures of that. There were too fast, and it was too cold!

Bode and Becky

Emma

making snow angels

Christmas Eve

2011-01-12T18:22:00.003-06:00

We spent Christmas in Spencer this year. We loaded up the truck and left early on Thursday to avoid most of the bad weather. We had a little bit of snow, but it didn't take us much longer than normal to get there. We even made it in time for tacos and margaritas at the Silver Hammer. Yum!

Colby was playing with Grandpa and making faces at him.

Becky and Bode were almost as excited to see each other as they were to open presents!

Becky and Colby in their Christmas Eve pj's.

We opened our presents a day early since Christmas Day was going to be busy. I don't think Becky minded!

Christmas cookies

2011-01-12T18:10:00.000-06:00

What would Christmas be like without sugar cookies? I don't know, and I hope I never find out! Here is Becky helping cut them out.

Here is Colby watching us. I'm afraid he may have been a little bored!

Here is Becky helping decorate them the next day.

P.S. No, it did not take this long to get my computer back. We got it back on New Year's Eve. (80 viruses we were told. Whew! No wonder if was acting funny!) It has, however, taken me this long to have any time to sit down at the computer and get organized! If you're anxious to see Christmas pictures before I get them all posted, click on the Shutterfly link. I have them all there.

computer trouble

2010-12-27T19:58:00.000-06:00

I think our computer's got a virus. So...rather than waste a lot of time downloading pictures and having it not work or take forever...I will wait and get our Christmas pics on after our computer gets fixed. We had a wonderful Christmas in Spencer and are anxiously awaiting the new year when we can celebrate Christmas with my family. I will get my pics on the blog and Shutterfly as soon as I get my computer back.

3 months old

2010-12-21T22:31:00.000-06:00

Here is Colby by the bear last Monday at three months old. I can't believe a whole week has gone by, let alone three months! He is getting so big. He is holding his head up really well. He loves to babble and laugh at his sister. He has been doing very well at day care. He seems to like it there. We are having so much fun watching him grow each and every day. We are blessed.

back to work

2010-12-12T21:19:00.000-06:00

Well, I survived my first official week back to work last week. While I was not excited about it, it could have been a lot worse. I hate that I have to work, but at least I like my job. That sure helps! Colby did fabulous in day care. He was asleep when I left him the first day, so that made it easy on me. The teachers said he was a little confused when he woke up, but before long he was smiling and talking to them. So glad he is doing well there. I am lucky enough to be able to go nurse Colby over lunch every day. (or almost anyway.) I did that with Becky too for a while (until she started crying when I left after feeding her!) It was quite an adjustment for all of us to get back into the swing of things, and we all slept an extra two hours each day this weekend trying to catch up on missed sleep! So glad we've only got one more full week and then two short ones when we get to spend time with family!

Last weekend, Al and I went down to Kansas City on Saturday. We met Mark (who Al works with) and his wife Beth. We went out in the Power and Light District on Saturday night. It was neat. We had a lot of fun. Here we are ready to go to the Chiefs game on Sunday.

Al spotted this guy walking to the game, so I had to snap a picture!

enjoying the game

kick-off

a view from our seats - we managed to stay in the sun the whole time, so it was a great game to be at, even though we didn't really care who won

Colby asleep in his swing - Grandpa and Grandma wore him out!

Becky had a play date last week. It was bring a friend to dance night, so she chose her friend Asialin from school. After dance, they came back here for supper and to play a little bit. They had a lot of fun!

a snapshot of Becky and Colby. They're still liking each other!

Colby sitting in his Bumbo. He hung out there for a while and watched Becky and me play a game. He's getting so big!

I couldn't decide which picture I liked best, so you get both of them!

Have a great week everyone. I know I'm not looking forward to another week of work, but such is life! At least I've got the first week out of the way and our routine somewhat established, so this week has got to be a little smoother than the last.

end of November

2010-12-11T08:48:00.000-06:00

My last few weeks in November were filled with so much fun I didn't take the time to download pictures or blog. Here are some highlights.

Santa's lap

riding the train

Meeting Ethan Daniel Durbin!

(Holly's little boy)

ready for Disney on Ice

We had great seats

decorating the Christmas tree

blowing raspberries

giving kisses

tummy time

Chuck E Cheese

2010-12-10T23:58:00.002-06:00

Another digital slideshow by Smilebox

princess birthday party

2010-11-21T21:07:00.000-06:00

Al thought he had Becky talked into a Wonder Woman birthday party, but about a month ago Becky decided she wanted a princess birthday party again. So we bought a pretty Cinderella dress for her to wear and used the decorations from last year. She couldn't have been any happier!

Our princess

opening presents - definitely one of the highlights, even though turnout for her party was low this year

a Leapster!

Another one of her requests was a castle cake again. I was not going to disappoint my princess, so I spent most of the afternoon on Friday making her this fabulous cake. I did learn a few things last year, so it was a little easier and not quite so lopsided.

Getting ready to blow out candles.

eating cake and ice cream

taking a break to pose with Mommy

posing with her balloons

family photo op

All in all, it was a great party. I think Becky was a little disappointed there were no other kids here to play. She spent a lot of time down in the basement playing by herself. That's what happens when you're born so close to a holiday. It just means she'll continue to get presents for a week or so when she sees people for Thanksgivng. I have a feeling she won't mind so much then!

five years old

2010-11-21T20:03:00.000-06:00

Hard to believe my little girl turned five on Friday. Those years sure have flown by! She is such a special little girl. Here she is getting ready to open her presents in the morning before doing anything else. She didn't even ask to watch a show!

Becky got a new table and chairs to do her crafts on in the basement since her table was converted back into the chair for Colby.

She is such a good little poser. I just love it!

She guessed what this one was before she opened it! Probably because she had been asking for it since July and we had seen it at the grocery store the night before :)

Here she is posing with her birthday balloons.

And what does five-year-old Princess Becky want for her birthday supper? Jelly sandwich! I guess anything is fit for a birthday princess when you get to dine at your special table and watch whatever you want while eating it!

Becky has become such a little sweetheart with such a fun and and loving personality. She enriches our lives every day with her songs about bodily functions and toilets. She is very doting on her little brother and is such a good little helper to have around the house. Can't wait to see what the next year brings as she continues to grow and learn and love those around her.

two months

2010-11-18T23:52:00.001-06:00

Here is Colby on Friday. Two months old already!

Colby had his two-month check-up on Monday. He's perfect, of course. We knew that already! He weighed 14 pounds 11 1/2 ounces and was 24 1/4 inces long! The nurse measured his head twice, and the doctor remeasured it again. It seems Colby has a small head! (We knew this, of course, too.) The good news is it's growing, it's just a very small percentage when you consider he is at the 99th percentile for weight and the 90th percentile for height. That makes 28th percentile for head seem pretty low! Colby did very well with his shots. Three is so many for a little guy! He only cried for a minute or so, and then he was fine. Gave him Tylenol a few more times because he seemed a little fussy later on, but didn't need any the next day. Hard to believe he's two months old already. He loves taking baths and watching his sister. She's always in his face, and he loves it! He has been sleeping pretty well through the night. He doesn't go to bed as early as I would like him to, but he has been sleeping until about 6:30 in the morning the past couple nights. (I'm sure I just jinxed myself!) I've got a week and a half to get a routine figured out before I have to go back to work. Oh, how I'm dreading that. It's just so much fun to stay home with him. I've cherished every minute of it!

promised pictures

2010-11-07T23:36:00.000-06:00

Here are a few pictures from last weekend in Spencer. Bode DID NOT want me to take his picture, but I'm too sneaky for him!

Becky and Bode watching a movie

Boone. What a cutie!

Boone and Colby.

I just love how smiley Boone is! His legs did not stop kicking. He is such a happy little boy.

Emma, Boone, Becky, Bode, and Colby

Aunt Brenda, Bode, and Colby

We had a nice time hanging out with the boys and getting to visit with Brenda, even if it was only for a short while.

This weekend was pretty busy. Yesterday Becky and I went shopping for a couple hours while Al was ripping out the floor in our bathroom. Then we spent a couple hours replacing the floor. Today was spent in the yard raking up and bagging leaves. Thank goodness for the gorgeous weather! I didn't get any pictures today. Colby's scrapbook is going to be so much thinner than Becky's. Maybe because he's a boy, he won't even think a thing about it!

Here is one picture I snapped this week. I thought it was cute that Chewie was hanging out by Colby after we had gotten home.

where has the week gone?

2010-11-06T00:17:00.000-05:00

Gosh, this week sure has flown by. Why is it when you're working they go so slow, yet when you're home and dreading going back to work, they fly by? Anyway, we had a great weekend last weekend hanging out with Bode and Boone while they were here for their visit. I will try to get a few pictures from that posted sometime this weekend. Otherwise, all is well. I did take Colby to the doctor today. He was pretty fussy last night and couldn't seem to get comfortable when he was laying down. We spent most of the night dozing off and on in the recliner. Not the best, I know, but I had to get some sleep! I immediately remembered Becky and all her ear infections. Since he was congested, I decided to take him to the doctor. His ears looked fine. He is congested so we need to keep an eye on it, and he did have a slight fever. Basically nothing we can do because he's so little. I put a blanket under his mattress to keep his head a little elevated so there wouldn't be so much drainage pressure, have the vaporizer going in the room, and put Vics on his chest. He's been asleep in his bed for a half hour now. Let's hope he sleeps a good chunk of the night. Now I just need to get to bed too!

recognize me?

2010-10-28T12:25:00.001-05:00

I decided I wanted to go back to my natural hair color for a while. Not exactly what happened, but it's sure different than my usual blonde!

My hairdresser didn't think I wanted to go as dark as what my natural was, so this is what I ended up with. It pulled more red than she thought too. Oh well. Like I said, it's different than what I'm used to for sure!

more Halloween

2010-10-28T12:22:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, Becky, Colby and I went to Nite Eyes with Sarah, Emma, and Vicky. Always a good time had by all!

Last night they had Trick or Treat at church. Everyone loved Al's costume, even if he was a little scary!

ready for Halloween

2010-10-24T13:39:00.000-05:00

We carved our pumpkins on Saturday, and then Becky wanted to get in her Halloween costume. So we got both her and Colby dressed and decided to snap some pictures.

Becky striking a pose.

Grandpa Monte also visited this weekend.

Al's Aunt Kerry and Uncle Mark came for dinner. Here Kerry and Becky are playing Go Fish.

our pumpkins!

Becky posing by her pumpkin. Grandpa helped her carve it.

Reading a story with Grandpa before bed.

Trying to get a closeup.

Trying to capture the little rolls he's getting on his legs. So cute!

Des Moines Marathon

2010-10-18T23:37:00.000-05:00

My Aunt Janet came all the way from California to run the Des Moines Marathon. We got to go watch! My cousin Melissa and her husband Eric also ran. What an amazing day it was to be able to watch all the people participating. It was so much fun. They did so great! Jan had her best time ever, 4:22. This is the fifth marathon she has run. Here she is getting ready to cross the finish line. She is the middle one in the blue.

Here is Mel and Eric ready to cross the finish line.

Colby enjoying the marathon.

Becky cheering on the runners at the finish line.

It truly was amazing to watch. I can't imagine ever having the desire to run that far, but I can understand the enjoyment we saw on their faces as they were getting ready to cross that finish line!

weekend

2010-10-18T23:23:00.000-05:00

The kids and I headed to Mt. Ayr on Friday for a visit. Ginny hosted a big group of family for dinner. Here is Becca, Chelsie, Tatum, Becky, Kaitlyn, and Colby posing for a picture.

Colby got to meet Great Uncle Tom...

and Great Aunt Janet from California.

When we got home, we thought it would be fun to play in some leaves.

Howell Tree Farm

2010-10-18T17:11:00.001-05:00

Last Sunday we went to Howell Tree Farm to help Tatum celebrate her second birthday. As you can see.... no one had any fun!

Becca, Tatum, Becky, and Katilyn playing on the hay bales.

The three girls being silly.

Kailtyn, Dawn, and Becky on the wagon ride.

Colby hanging out with Great Aunt Ginny on the wagon ride to the pumpkin patch.

Becky trying to lead the way in the corn maze.

one month old

2010-10-13T22:16:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe Colby is one month old today! Not a very good picture of him here, but it sure shows how big he has gotten already!

Here is one a little happier and a little slouched.

Here is Colby taking a nap in his crib and lovin his quilt! Trying to get him used to sleeping in there during the day so it will be a smooth transition when he goes at night. He's not going to fit in the bassinet much longer. Now if I could just get him to go to sleep after his midnight feeding so everyone else could sleep, we all would be happy!

hair today gone tomorrow

2010-10-09T14:21:00.001-05:00

So..... Colby is losing his hair! Al says he just hopes that Colby's grows back. Seriously, he had all of his hair on Thursday, and this is what it looks like today. I noticed it yesterday but didn't take a picture. It was the first thing Al noticed when he got home from work. Where did it go? Now he looks like a little old man. Just kidding. He's still pretty adorable. I wonder what color it will grow back as and if all the rest will fall out too or just the top. He does seem to be getting a little thinner on the back too. It's so much fun to watch them change and grow!

And I can't just take a picture of one of them, so here is Becky too. Can you tell our Satruday has been lazy so far? Still in pajamas and hair not brushed. Ahh....love me a lazy Saturday. After naps, though, we are going to go outside and enjoy this beautiful fall day. Gotta love it!

sleepy time

2010-10-06T13:57:00.002-05:00

I had Colby do some tummy time yesterday. He spent most of it almost asleep. Not sure how productive it was!

Then we went for a walk. He slept through that too!

Now if only I could get him to sleep for extended periods at night instead of just during the day!

three weeks old

2010-10-06T13:51:00.000-05:00

favorite holiday

2010-10-06T13:47:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, Halloween is Al's favorite holiday. I think Becky may share his enthusiasm. On Friday we went to pick out her Halloween costume. She had so much fun in the store trying on masks and looking at things. I can't tell you how many times she said, "I can't wait until Halloween!" On Sunday, we got out the Halloween deocrations and old costumes. It's always fun to try some of them on. Here are a couple from Becky's fashion show.

Colby's doctor visit

2010-09-30T12:45:00.000-05:00

Colby went in yesterday for his two-week well check. As you may have already known, he is perfect. and I quote! His weight was 9 pounds 4 ounces (91 percentile). That's one pound more than birth weight, and he lost in the hospital. Crazy! He also measuerd 22 inches long (99 percentile). Glad to hear that he's doing so well. Sad that he's getting so big already! Everything else checked out really well and he appears to be doing just fine. Both his circumcision and belly button look good. He won't have to go back to the doctor until his two-month check-up. One funny sidenote, because he was so long, when his weight and height were combined, he was in the 1 percentile. The doctor couldn't quite figure that out since he was so high in them separately. When I stood up, she asked me if my husband was tall. She commented that I looked much taller in the bed. (She had seen us in the hospital). Glad to know he's probably gonna be tall like his daddy and his sister!

two weeks old

2010-09-27T18:43:00.000-05:00

Here is Colby by the bear today. I always regretted I only did Becky's first week and not the rest of the weeks the first month because they change so much that first month. So here it is. He's still not that great at sitting up in the corner of the chair, but he will be before I know it!

Here he is hanging out in his boppy.

I took Colby in for his two-week check-up today. The appointment is for Wednesday not today. Oh well. I guess the practice run was a success, so hopefully the real thing on Wednesday will go as smoothly as it did today. I forgot how long it takes to get out of the house with an infant!

pictures from the week

2010-09-27T18:34:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of Colby's first week at home.

Becky used to sleep like this too. Cracks me up!

Grandpa's lap is big enough to rock both of them!

cuddling with Mommy

Grandma getting a chance to cuddle the little guy

sitting on Holly's lap

Becky and Daddy getting in some cuddle time

First time in the bouncy seat. He lasted maybe two minutes before he was out!

Becky had to take a family picture to school, so this is what she ended up with.

one week old

2010-09-24T15:19:00.000-05:00

Here is Colby's picture from Monday by the infamous bear I used for Becky's monthly photos.

Just for fun, I added Becky's one week photo so you could see how they compare. I think they are pretty darn close! (although Becky appeared a bit more photogenic in her first debut with the bear!)

On antoher note, I had an incision check-up with the doctor yesterday just to make sure there were no signs of infection. There were not. If there had been infection, it is gone. My incision appears to be healing very well. I sure was relieved to hear that! We are doing well here at home. Colby is such a good baby. I feel so fortunate to be able to have this time off with him to just spoil him. Now maybe I should get off the computer and get to it :)

Finally home!

2010-09-17T17:20:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of our new family of four. Introducing Colby Ray.

Colby was born on Monday, September 13, 2010, at 7:35 a.m. He weighed 8 pounds 4 ounces and was 20 3/4 inches long.

Here is Big Sister Becky singing a song to Colby. She's already pretty smitten with him!

Daddy and Colby getting in some cuddle time.

Here is our precious little guy!

Here he is all ready to go home.

Becky couldn't wait to get her hands on him as soon as we got home. She is going to be such a good big sister. Could we be any luckier?

Whew! What a long week it has been! Al and I left for the hospital at 5 a.m. on Monday morning. Everything went well. My C-section even happened a little bit early. Colby was born at 7:35. I did great with surgery. Colby did okay, but he swallowed a ton of fluid before he came out. In fact, the doctor said when he took him out, "Whoa! That's a lot of fluid!" The nurses quickly took him away to begin assessing him. Al went over to observe. He got some great pictures, of course. He got to cut off a little bit of the cord again too, which is pretty cool. Poor little Colby just couldn't get rid of all the fluid in his lungs. They kept making him cry to try to get it out, and there was just so much. He wasn't necessarily in distress, he just was full of fluid. I went back to the room and Al stayed with Colby until they took him to the nursery. I did not get to see him until 3 p.m. Talk about torture! Luckily Al, Becky, Larry, and Donna were able to go see him in the nursery. They assured me that he was doing fine. He seemed to be okay, but every time they "messed" with him, his heart rate was increasing. They didn't want to cause him any stress. They did bring him down about 3 and I got to see him and cuddle him. I started nursing then too. (I had pumped once so they could see how he would do with eating. He did fine.) After that, things went pretty smoothly. Colby's temperature was a little elevated the first day and they were worried about that. Once they started leaving the hat off and only swaddling him in one blanket, he was just fine. I told the nurses I wasn't surprised. He kept me hot for nine months! We were supposed to come home yesterday, but I developed redness around my incision late Wednesday night. They started me on IV antibiotics. I had to stay another day to do a full dose of treatment. The redness looks much duller today and not so warm to the touch. The doctor finally released me to go home. And then we just about ran out of there! Colby's doctors were a little relieved he got to stay an extra day. He had lost about 10 percent of his birth weight before my milk came in. Duh! Anyway, my milk came in yesterday and he gained 4 ounces. That made them happy. He doesn't have to go back to the doctor until his two week check. I've got to go back in a week to check my incision and make sure there's no infection. Well, that's gonna be it for a while. I'll try to get all the pictures on Shutterfly soon. Now I need to go pay attention to my two kids! Thanks to everyone who came to visit and all the prayers.

I think we're ready!

2010-09-12T20:08:00.001-05:00

Al's parents are here. We've had supper. Becky has had her bath and is playing a game with Grandma. My bags are packed. We've got to be at the hospital tomorrow at 5:15 a.m. Yikes! C-section is scheduled for 7:15. We should have our new little one by 8 or 8:30 a.m.! To say we are all pretty excited would be an understatement. We're hoping we can get to bed fairly early tonight so the day doesn't seem so long tomorrow. I will have Al try to get a picture and the news posted as soon as I can. I might be able to from my new fancy phone. We'll see. Wish us luck!

39 weeks

2010-09-10T19:21:00.000-05:00

Here is me at 39 weeks. 3 days to go! Went to the doctor yesterday. Everything was fine. I am measuring right at 39 weeks. Baby's heartbeat was 148. Doctor said it sounded like a happy baby in there. The doctor listened to my heart and lungs and said everything sounded good. Shouldn't be any problem with surgery.

My doctor was out of the office today so I didn't get a call for what time my surgery would be on Monday. The nurse did tell me yesterday that the hospital would call me on Sunday to go over details and to let me know what time I needed to be there. She also called them yesterday and it looked like I would be the first surgery. So the upside of that is I will have this baby by 8:30 on Monday morning! The downside is I have to be at the hospital by 5 or 5:30. Oh well. I'll have some time to rest in the hospital, I'm sure. Looking forward right now to laying low this weekend and watching the big game. Go Cyclones!

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-07T21:52:00.000-05:00

We had a pretty nice three-day weekend. Al and Becky went to Adventureland on Saturday. It was a little cool, but I think they managed to have a little bit of fun. I stayed home and got a few things done around the house and rested a little bit too. On Sunday, we spent the afternoon with the Tuel family. Tony and Laura were visiting from North Carolina. Always good to spend time with all of them. On Monday, we decided to go to the zoo one last time this season. I didn't take near as many pictures as I sometimes do. I just tried to enjoy it and take everything in. Vicky, Sarah, and Emma met us there. It was great day. A nice way to end a three-day weekend!

the petting zoo is always a highlight of the trip!

can't go wrong with face painting either!

38 weeks

2010-09-04T10:52:00.000-05:00

Here I am yesterday at 38 weeks. Had a doctor appointment. Everything went well. My blood pressure was high, but after I laid down for a few minutes, it was back down. The nurse said my body just needed a little rest. There was no protein in my urine, so no reason to be concerned. (I'm probably just having a little anxiety about having a baby again in just over a week!) The baby's heartbeat was 138, 140. Doctor said it sounded like a happy baby. I asked a few questions about the C-section procedure. If I don't start going into labor before the 13th, I will go to the hospital on that day two hours before the surgery, which will either be at 7:30, 8:30, or 9:30. I should know the Friday before which time I will get. I'm kind of hoping it's not the 7:30. That's pretty early for us to be up! Oh well. I guess I was up most of the night having contractions with Becky. Why not be up half the night with this one too? Getting so excited for baby to come.

Just for fun . . . here is a picture of me when I waas 38 weeks pregnant with Becky. I'm not at quite the same angle, but I think it's fun to see how big I was with her too!

my little photographer

2010-08-29T20:30:00.000-05:00

If I leave the camera lying around, I tend to find random pictures on it. Turns out Becky absolutely loves to take pictures. Here are a couple she's snapped lately.

taking pictures of the games she's playing

At the park today, she made me go pose so she could take my picture. She hasn't gotten the zoom quite figured out, but her aim is pretty good!

Here she asked to just take a picture of the playground.

I think we're definitely going to have to get her a camera either for her birthday or for Christmas so she can take pictures of whatever she wants instead of using up my memory card! Although pretty soon, I'm going to be able to do a scrapbook of just pictures she's taken!

birthday fun

2010-08-29T20:22:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from my birthday. I hadn't taken any pictures of Becky for a while, so I took my camera to the park. It was hot today, but she had fun anyway!

Here Becky is "exercising." So cute!

Then we had to go to Dairy Queen for some ice cream to cool off.

Before we left, Becky wanted her picture taken by the ice cream cone. Too funny!

All in all, a pretty good birthday. Becky and I spent a good portion of the day yesterday doing some shopping all over town. She was a trouper and hung in there with me. We had to go buy a new stroller for the baby. When I had Al get the old one down from the garage, we discovered that an animal had eaten part of the seat. Yuck! I tried to look for replacement pads, but they just don't have them. Luckily Babies R Us was having a trade-in sale, so we got to get rid of the old one and buy a new one for 25 percent off! Becky thought it was pretty cool to be able to help pick that out. Then the three of us went to Red Lobster for dinner. Al had to finish writing his paper today, so Becky and I went to the park and to Dairy Queen. When Al was done with his paper, the three of us went to a movie and then brought pizza home to eat. A pretty nice weekend. I thought about going to the zoo, but a half hour at the park was all Becky and I could handle. I'm sure the zoo would have been way too hot for me today!

Emma's birthday

2010-08-29T20:09:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, we got to celebrate Emma's birthday. It was a great party. She blew out her candles all by herself and even let the other kids help her open presents. Hard to believe she's three already!

37 weeks

2010-08-29T20:06:00.000-05:00

Had a doctor appointment on Friday. My blood pressure was good, which I was excited about. I did some deep breathing and tried to relax before the nurse took it. I measured at 38 weeks, which the doctor said was fine. Baby's heartbeat was 144. The doctor did not check me. When I asked about that, he said they typically didn't when you had a C-section scheduled unless there were a lot of contractions or the patient just wanted to be checked. (Who would?) He was surprised that I had been checked the week before. He said the doctor must not have looked close at my chart to see I had a C-section scheduled. Thank goodness I don't have to see him again! Just two more appointments to go!

Fun fact: Becky's hearbeat at 36 weeks was 144 and at 38 weeks, it was 140 to 145. Could it be another girl? We'll know soon enough!

36 weeks

2010-08-20T23:18:00.001-05:00

Here I am tonight at 36 weeks. Just over three weeks to go! Becky loves being in the pictures, so who am I to tell her she can't be a part of her little brother or sister's scrapbook?

My doctor appointment today was good. I didn't get to see my doctor that I like who is scheduled to do my C-section, so that was a bummer. My blood pressure was pretty high, but when they checked it again a few mintues later, it had gone down quite a bit. (I think I was having a little anxiety about seeing the new doctor and I had just been thinking that my blood pressure was high toward the end with Becky and wondering if it was going to be high this time.) I measured fine, although the doctor did comment that it looked like I was running out of room. He said the heartbeat was in the 150 range, so I have no idea what that means. I did get to be checked for dilation. I was kind of hoping with the scheduled C-section I wouldn't have to go through that. Oh well. No such luck. Also, no luck in the dilation department. That's okay. Although we're all anxious to meet this little baby, we're okay to wait a few more weeks as a family of three before it arrives.

Here is Becky making a scary face. I think it's so funny. I know she thinks she looks really scary, but she's just too darn cute to be very scary. She was trying so hard too. What a riot!

34 weeks

2010-08-08T16:18:00.000-05:00

Here is me at 34 weeks on Friday. Yeah! It's getting so close. Everything went well at my doctor appointment. Heartbeat was 144. I measured right at 34 weeks. Blood pressure was fine. My hemoglobin was excellent as well, so no worries about blood loss there. 5 weeks from tomorrow. (Not that I'm counting down or anything!) I don't care what anybody else says, those who know me know I'm a planner and I couldn't be any more excited that I know exactly when this baby is going to be here :)

We've almost got the room ready for baby too. We got the crib up and put together yesterday. All we're waiting on is a new crib mattress pad, and we're ready to go. Becky seems to be excited about sharing, so I'm happy about that. We'll see how she really feels once the baby gets here! I got all the baby stuff washed up this weekend and put away, so I feel like I'm just about ready and can enjoy these last few weeks, or at least not worry about not having things ready to go!

Honey Creek Resort

2010-08-07T15:37:00.000-05:00

On Monday, we traveled down to Honey Creek Resort to spend some time with my family. We had such a fabulous time. Thanks, Dad and Patti, for doing this for us. It was so nice to spend some fun, relaxing time with everyone.

the girls did not appear to have any fun at all, at any time!

Becky riding her bike

Kaitlyn and Al

Becca riding a bike

Al and Becky on the "double" bike

watching a movie

Kaitlyn and Grandma Patti

roasting marshmallows

eating smores

tired chocolate face

just being silly

These were just some random pictures of the two and a half days we spent down there. It was nice to get away for a little mini vacation before we are a family of four!

water park

2010-08-07T15:16:00.002-05:00

On Monday afternoon, we hit the water park for some fun before we checked into our cabin.

Lake Rathbun

2010-08-07T13:09:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday morning, we took a boat and jet ski out on the lake. So much fun!

Becca and Becky loving the boat ride

Eric and Katilyn on the jet ski

Eric and Becca on the jet ski

Kaitlyn tubing

Al and Becky on the jet ski

Becky ready for a ride

Al on the tube

Al and Becca tubing

Dad and Patti

Darin and Darla

The three (almost 4!) of us.

Eric, Dawn, Kaitlyn, and Becca

I didn't get a picture of the four of them on the boat because they were so busy having fun, so I got them to sit together before leaving on Wednesday morning.

golf

2010-08-07T10:46:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday afternoon, Dad, Eric, Darin, and I played nine holes of golf. What a great time!

I was a little hot by the end and pretty worn out, but everyone was pretty well soaked through. A little friendly competition of Dad and I taking on the boys, and we tied! Not bad for almost 8 months pregnant (and a heat index we found out later of 103 degrees! Oops!) Oh well. It sure was fun anyway, even if it was hot.

zoo

2010-08-04T20:57:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday, Becky and I met my friend April and her two girls at the zoo. We had a picnic before heading in. It was a great time. A little hot and the girls were tired by the end, but I think they had fun running through the zoo anyway!

Lacy and Holly Bainum and Becky

They are all pretty cute posers!

feeding the giraffe

Its tongue was so long!

getting her face painted

Now she's a beautiful butterfly!!!

Holly and Becky in the egg. Holly got her face painted too. She even had fangs!

And we saved the best for about last...the petting zoo. Who doesn't love to feed a goat?

not too big . . .

2010-07-27T20:22:00.000-05:00

. . . for Grandpa's lap!

We decided kind of last minute to make a trip north to Spencer for the weekend. I had every intention of taking lots of pictures, but this is the only one I snapped. Becky sure was tired! On Saturday, we went out to breakfast, to the pool with cousins Nick and Allison, came back for a nap, had Denny and Dianne, Ralph, Mariann, Nick, Allison, and Grandma Willie over for dinner, did some swimming and water gun fighting, and the three kids took a bath all before bed. Whew! It sure was a nice weekend, though. Probably the last one we'll have as a family of three in Spencer. (We're still trying to decide what to do about the Clay County Fair, but I doubt I'm going to be in any shape to go since it starts the weekend before I have the baby and ends the weekend after. Guess we'll wait and make the call at that time.) On Sunday, we got to spend some time with Grandma Irene and Monte before we headed home later that afternoon. Oh, and Becky went to the park while I took another nap. I sure seem to be tired again. Guess that means I'm on the downhill side of this pregnancy!

32 weeks

2010-07-27T20:13:00.000-05:00

Here I am at 32 weeks on Friday. Went to the doctor. Blood pressure was good. I measured good. Baby's heartbeat was 144. I did ask the doctor a few questions about what would happen if I went into labor before my scheduled C-section. He said we would just go ahead and do the C-section at that point, unless I was progressed too far or I decided I wanted to go ahead and try to have a VBAC. I'm guessing everything will go as planned, as Becky was three days overdue, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared just in case! Otherwise, I go back in two weeks. Hard to believe that come September 13th, we'll have another little one to love. It's going to be here before we know it. As you can tell from this picture, Becky isn't excited about it at all! :)

nieces weekend

2010-07-22T17:44:00.000-05:00

We had a nice weekend. Emma came over for a visit on Saturday morning. After lunch, Sarah, Emma, Al, and Becky went swimming. I had to stay home and work on transcripts. It was really okay, though. It was so humid out, I didn't mind staying inside where it was cool!

On Sunday we headed down to Mt. Ayr to see Kaitlyn and Becca for their birthdays. We took them out for lunch and then went to the pool for a couple hours. It was nice to be able to spoil them!

We are so lucky and blessed to have these three wonderful nieces who live close by!