Kamryn Anne

Well, it's been a really long time since I've posted and the main reason is this precious thing:

Mouw design

In case you missed the announcement, Kamryn Anne was born on her due date 3 weeks ago.  Our lives have once again been switched back to baby mode and we are all in love with her.  The boys are still very focused on her every move and sound even 3 weeks after her arrival.  Both of them still want to hold her every day and they never forget to kiss her goodnight.  She's a pretty good baby, although she has a fussy time at night and I've discovered, she usually needs some quiet time and a good bath to help her settle down before she can go to sleep.  But once she falls asleep at night, she is usually a great sleeper and can be out for 6-7 hours at a time.  

A lot of people have asked me how it is to have 3 kids and I don't think I've really noticed that much of a difference.  Adjusting to life with a little one has been challenging but refreshing at the same time.  And I had forgotten how much more time a newborn takes.  I'd also forgotten how a baby makes you so much more home bound, but God has shown me to slow down and enjoy the time I am spending at home with my baby.  I know this season of our lives is a short one and there are so many blessings in it.  Here's a few more pics of our family of 5.

Happy Birthday Mason Jay!

It's that time of year to celebrate our oldest boy.  Today you are 6 Mason Jay! You started your special day out the same way as the past few years with a bed full of balloons.  Then we had chocolate chip pancakes (your choice) and off to school.  Then as soon as you came home it was time for your party.  You asked for a water party and it was a great idea. Everyone had a blast!  Here's a few pics.  

 We did some relay races with cups and water.

 We also did quite a few water balloon games. This is the balloon toss.

 This is another relay with water balloons where you had to pop your balloon by sitting on it. We also did a water limbo game, and a squirt gun war in the end.  Most of the games were pretty fun, but i think the boys liked the slipnslide best. Unfortunately no pictures of that.

 I'd say it was a pretty fun party!

Its hard to believe we've had six years with this peanut!! We are grateful every day that God has blessed us with you.  You have a kind, determined, energetic personality that we love.  You still love sports more than anything and I'm starting to think this may be the last year I can beat you in a foot race:) You are very smart and I'm certain you will do great in kindergarten this year.  You are determined to do your best at everything you try.  It's been fun to see your personality continue to develop each year and to watch you with your friends.  We love you like crazy and can't wait to see what God has in store for you this year.  Love you Mason!

Reveal Party

It's hard to believe that June is almost over! We have been busy enjoying our summer and I've forgotten to blog a little.  So I'll recap for you all because there are too many pictures to share it all.  We've been  to Chicago and back. We had a great time with family and friends there. Spent some time in the pool, on the beach, at the park, the races, and even got to play mini golf.  Kevin flew back home a few days before the boys and I to be at High Camp for a week.  Then midweek the boys and I said our sad goodbyes and joined Kevin at the boardwalk for a day with my mom.  We spent a little time on the beach and went on a few rides.  Then we finally made it home and got to see daddy for a day before he headed off again today to Southern California for a week long class.  He's working on his master's program at Concordia and is taking a pulse class there this summer.  So that basically sums up the month of June for us!

However, we did have a surprise for our family while we were out in Chicago. I think most of you have figured out that we're expecting #3 by now.  But we hadn't found out what gender the baby was when we had our ultrasound.  I traveled out there a week after the boys had gotten there with a sealed envelope in my purse that had the baby's gender revealed inside.   And we decided to surprise everyone by revealing the sex with some cupcakes.  Here's a few pics of our reveal.

Drumroll please.......... It's a GIRL!!  Everyone was pretty excited as are we:)

Fort Bragg/Mendocino

We decided to do a short trip this week up to Mendocino/Fort Bragg to see the ocean and explore something new.  We had a great time playing in the ocean, hiking in a state park by the beach, and exploring some tide pools.  We got to Fort Bragg Monday around lunch time and had a picnic on the beach.  Then we let the boys play on the beach for awhile. The weather was sunny and beautiful and they had the best time running from the waves. Still a little too cold to swim, though. Then while Talen and I had a rest time at the hotel, Mason and Kevin got to play some golf.  The next day we had some more fun at the beach exploring tide pools and hiking along some beautiful oceanside trails.  We discovered lots of bannana slugs, and a few seals on the rocks.  It was cooler and more windy that day, but the waves were pretty awesome because of it.  Hope you all enjoyed your spring break as well!!

Bannana slug

exploring tidepools

the skunk train

January

It's hard to believe that January is almost over already! We had a great Christmas break.  A little time in Chicago celebrating with family and friends, then Kevin had a guys weekend away, and then we had another Christmas here in California.  Now it's 2013 and it doesn't feel like we've slowed down that much.  Mason and Kevin are back at school, and I'm busy working extra shifts at the hospital like I normally do this time of year.  So we decided to take advantage of the holiday last week and go somewhere where it's a little more restful.  We headed up to Yosemite Sunday afternoon and were able to enjoy God's awesome creation. Winter in the park is so beautiful!  It was kind of a last minute trip, but well worth it. Mason has really gotten into ice skating this year, and so we decided to check out the outdoor rink in the park.  It was fun to skate especially with a beautiful view of half dome behind us.  Talen wasn't quite as interested in skating as MJ, but he made it around a few times anyway.  After skating, we did a little hike to lower Yosemite falls, (which was beautiful) and saw a few deer on our way back.  We of course made some time to play in the snow a little and build a snowman before leaving.  Such a fun day!

Pretty small, but still a work of art:)



Building a snowman

Our friends outside the balcony of our hotel

It's never too late to be thankful!

So, I realize we are in the middle of the advent season and Christmas is getting closer each day, but I think I still have time to write a Thanksgiving post.  Afterall, it's never too late to give thanks.  This Thanksgiving we had a pretty uneventful weekend which in itself is something to be thankful for.  Everyone has been pretty healthy this year, our boys are both going through huge growth spurts, we both have jobs to feed our hungry boys, and we have more blessings than we can count!  I was supposed to work Thanksgiving and the day after, but due to not so many sick kids, I was able to stay home with the boys and enjoy the weekend with them. We took the boys ice skating saturday morning and they had a blast. I think they are ready for some hockey on the pond in Chicago in about a week!
Earlier in November, Mason's school put on a cute thanksgiving program in which he was a pilgrim.  I've included a few pictures of that. It was a pretty great thing to listen to a room of preschoolers sing "How great is our God."  I love hearing little voices praise God.  "Don't be a turkey, just say thanks" was pretty cute, too:)  Enjoy the pictures!

Birthday Boy!

On Friday we celebrated our Talen's 3rd birthday!! Hard to believe he's three already. We had a fun little party friday morning with his friends.  Talen wanted a tractor party and a tractor cake, he's a little obsessed with tractors. Every time he sees my dad he asks to have a ride on the tractor and he even asks Papa in Chicago for a ride on his tractors when we skype.  Here's a few pics of the party, judging by the smiles on his face, I think he had a pretty good day:)

The spread, complete with a bulldozer truck and sand pudding.

Pin the boulder on the bulldozer

 

Buddies

 Happy 3rd Birthday Talen!! You've grown so much this year! Your vocabulary seems to get bigger every day.  You've learned so many new songs and ryhmes from storyhour this year and even made a couple little buddies without my assistance.  You've mastered the potty (not an easy task;).  And you always seem to make us laugh.  Your personality is so different from your brother with your goofy grins and silly expressions.  You play so well independently, yet you always look forward to your brother coming home from school so you can play with him.  I love how you still like to cuddle with your mommy in the mornings and I love listening to your prayers, that seem to go on forever, at bedtime.  I'm so thankful for the gift you are to us and I can't wait to see what new things you learn this year, we love you so much Talen!