welcome home daddy...hello grandma!

Grandma Michele flew Mark and Uncle Matthew out to visit Great Grandma Mary and take a little trip to Universal Studios and then flew back to Iowa with them to stay for a few days...the boys couldn't wait to welcome daddy home and say hello to Grandma Michele! 

We didn't have anything out of the ordinary planned for the week that Grandma stayed, we just wanted to show her every day life around our crazy house.  Because both bigger boys had school, Grandma got to spend lots of time getting to know Titus.  She of course spoiled him (and all of us!) and bought him a puppy toy to help teach him to walk!  He did great!  She also required Starbucks each morning and had to treat the rest of us -- I'm not a coffee drinker, but they did talk me into the Spiced Apple Cider one day.

Of course we had to spend a few hours together at Chuck E Cheese.  And Grandma got to meet our buddy Caiden who came along with us!  

And it wouldn't be a trip to the Cedar Valley without stopping to play laser tag, right?  Grandma got to see Mark's store and try out his guns!  My mom joined in the fun too!  She also got to take both boys to school and witness the meltdowns that Isaiah had each morning before school (more to come on this one) and even took a stroll down Main Street. 

On Wednesday night she took the boys to Awana with me and got to witness Isaiah getting to hold the American Flag for the first time!

The week flew by and it was time for her to head home, but not without a few family pictures!  

The boys loved every minute of having Grandma here with us and often ask when they get to see her again -- come back soon Grandma Michele!

9 months and 4 years pictures.

Titus was being such a cute sweet little boy and sitting still (doesn't happen often with this early crawler!) late September when I had the camera out. I caught a sweet little shot of him.

 All the while Levi was watching from above in the tree - a favorite front yard spot for the big boys.  So he wanted me to snap a few pictures of him too.  Hard to believe this boy is FOUR!

After the pictures were taken it was time for some brotherly wrestling!  Titus is going to be one tough cookie after being Levi's little brother! :)

happy birthday ice cream

Isaiah learned in school that September 22 was ice cream's birthday or it might be the ice cream cone's birthday, he couldn't remember for sure.  But either way we had to celebrate by eating ice cream cones.  So that Saturday afternoon we went to Hy Vee and bought way too much ice cream stuff (as I was in one of the I'm not going to fight with you, just stick it in the cart moods) and we brought home 2 kinds of ice cream, ice cream cones (with the insides chocolate), chocolate syrup and strawberry syrup.  

Shortly after we got home my friend Laura called to see if we wanted to have a few extra kids for the evening so they could have one more date before their baby was to be born so they joined in the party!  It was perfect timing really - a party is more fun when friends are there too!  I'm pretty sure they all loved the ice cream - except Levi who really just ate the chocolate part of the cone - that boy just does not like ice cream!  Even Titus got a taste as someone put their cone up to his face and got chocolate all over his nose :)  

I love the simple silly reasons to celebrate!  And I really love all of these kids.

Touch a Truck

My friend Erin invited the boys and I to Touch A Truck this year.  I am so glad she did because I'm pretty sure this was every little boy's dream - it was basically a big area filled with just about every type of vehicle that you can think of and the kids have free reign to get in them, touch them and honk the horns!  The boys just couldn't get enough of all the vehicles!  

 We bounced from one vehicle to the next to the next and the boys were so amazed.  They had been in a few of the vehicles that were there (police car, firetruck, school bus) but so many more they had never had the opportunity to do more than see from a distance (snow plow, cement truck, semi cab, street sweeper).  

 It really was an amazing experience for them.  I think we would have stayed longer if it was a little warmer out and if we had a lunch packed.  It was really hard to get them away from the it all.  And I will admit, I didn't let them get in the jumpy houses that were set up across the street which made us end the day in a fit.  But it was well worth it for all the fun they had during the experience. And right before the fit, we had a bit of a situation ... the last vehicle for us to get in was the Corvette.  The kids all piled in and were honking the horn, touching all the buttons and then somehow the doors got locked.  The alarm went off on it for some reason and they were locked in. After coaching Isaiah to read the word "unlock" he got the doors unlocked and we quickly got all the kids out -- but the alarm would not stop going off!  Erin and I were a bit embarrassed and were not sure what to do since there wasn't anyone at the Corvette (many of the trucks had the owner or someone else with the vehicle) so we took hold of the kids and ran :)  haha.  

What a fun experience!  My boys cannot wait to go again next year! Thanks for inviting us Erin, Shiloh and Avdon!

Kiara Leigh

My sister had her third daughter on September 18. She is such a precious little peanut.  Not only does my sister have daughters and I have sons, but she has little babies when I have big ones.   As soon as I knew she was on her way, I made arrangements to head down to Iowa City to meet her as soon as I could after work!  Just like with her big sister, Liahna, other than my sister, her husband and the doctors and nurses, I was the first to meet the little addition!  :)

 It must be the magic of having a third child that made me and my sister both opt for the epidural the third time around while going without the first two times.  My sister thought it was an amazing thing -- me -- I'm still on the fence :)  I was lucky enough to get to watch the sweet baby be all cleaned up and then I got a chance to hold her.  What a doll.  Titus was the only boy that made the trip with me and he just wasn't so sure about a new baby in my arms - he quickly started fussing which made the new baby fuss -- I think he was just trying to give my sister practice right off the bat of what it's like to have 2 little ones around (her middle daughter is 18 months old). 

 Not too long after I got there, my parents brought up the big sisters.  They were excited to meet their new baby sister...but I think they may have been more excited about seeing their mommy and the chocolate ice cream from the snack room :)

And of course my parents were so pleased to meet their 6th grandbaby.  

 Congratulations Nichole and Jay on your beautiful daughter Kiara!

safety city

Isaiah's kindergarten class took their first field trip to "safety city."  Just about every kind of safety worker had a station set up in the big distribution center parking lot to teach all the little kindergartners about being safe and not to be afraid of helpers that they may need someday.  There was a police car station, fire truck station, ambulance station, train safety station, 911 station, finger printing station, power lines safety station, and probably a few more I'm forgetting. Parents were invited along to help with the event and both Mark and I were able to go (Levi was in preschool and a big thank you to Natalie for playing with Titus!).  We were put in charge of group of kids and were excited when Isaiah was in our group along with his buddy Rhea.  It really was a great learning experience for the kids and hopefully will help them be prepared in the event they need help.  

I'm sure the highlight of the field trip for most of the kids was getting to use the big fire hose!  I love it that both Mark and I have flexible schedules that we get to be involved in all the activities that we can with our boys.  What a great morning with Isaiah!

Isaiah's 6!

On September 11 our Isaiah turned 6 years old!  His birthday fell on a Tuesday so he had school as usual.  We had picked out a birthday favor to bring for each of his classmates and put them together the night before - he was excited to give them to his class - inside was a little notebook, a small pen and a fruit roll-up.  Mark, Levi, Titus and I all went to have lunch with Isaiah at school.  Isaiah was so excited when he saw us!  

 I spent the day making cake for his party that evening (I love to celebrate birthdays on the birthday for some silly reason).  After school we all picked Isaiah up (and took his picture by the school sign with his name on it) and headed to Mark's store to get ready for a birthday party!  Again, Isaiah was sooooo excited.  

 At 5pm the party started and everyone we invited came!  The night started with a nerf gun game.

 Then a pizza party.

 Then laser tag!

 The night ended with cake, presents -- he received so many nice presents!!  THANK YOU friends & family!!

and a fit.  Isaiah gave each of his guests a black or pink angry birds bracelet - I knew I was cutting it close buying 13 bracelets when I had invited 12 kids, but I did it anyway.  Isaiah had asked if he was going to get a bracelet and I told him that he would if there were enough after all his friends got one.  Well, all 12 kids came and the girls got the pink ones and the boys got the black ones -- perfect -- except the one that was left for Isaiah was PINK.  Isaiah was outrageously upset and started throwing himself a big huge tantrum just as all the parents were returning to pick up their kids. I will admit I was totally embarrassed - but no one really seemed to even notice - hey they all have 5/6 year olds too who do the same thing - but still - it wasn't supposed to be my kid who threw a tantrum over a birthday party favor that was intended for his friends since he just got TONS of his own gifts.  sigh......but it was.  so Uncle Matthew just couldn't stand to see the boy cry on his birthday and ran to the mall to get Isaiah his own black bracelet -- and he came back with both a red and a black bracelet for him.  Now I know this isn't the answer to let the kid throw a fit and then get what he wants, but an uncle also can't bare to see his nephew cry on his 6th birthday either.  The most unfortunate part of the whole deal is that Isaiah hasn't given either bracelet a second thought since the party.

So, minus the whole end of the night tantrum, it was a really nice day celebrating our SIX year old son!  Happy Birthday Isaiah!

football gear

Our community has a forsale group on Facebook where people list things they no longer want along with a picture.  I've sold several things on the site, and I've also bought quite a few things too (I will admit it can be kind of addicting - although I find myself hardly on the site anymore now that it's gotten really huge and people list things way over what I'd want to pay!).  One night I found a guy selling a box of football pads, jerseys and pants for a good deal.  I agreed to buy them and we went and met the guy right away.... the boys were thrilled!  The gear is a bit big for the boys, but they don't notice and love them just the same!  We've spent lots of time in these football pads and they especially love it when their dad joins in!  

Gotta love all the new things I'm learning being a mom of boys! 

corn on the cob

We only had sweet corn a handful of times this summer -- I'm really not sure  -- both boys love it (who doesn't?)  By mid-August Isaiah's loose tooth just hurt too badly when he tried to eat it so I did have to cut it off  the cob (which just isn't the same!) but when his tooth finally came out he was so excited to get to eat it again that we had it right away!   Even Titus got in on it this time around.  He really just sucked on the it for a little bit and then had fun playing with it.  I already miss the yummy summer food!    

boys will be boys.

Not a day goes by that I don't think about how "boy" my boys really are.  They are fearless, rough, tough, dirty, stinky, crazy, wild, rowdy...you get the point!  So when they find a toad sitting in our "little" garage minding his own business I immediately felt sorry for him.  The boys decided that they needed to hold him and play with him and then they decided they needed to make him a home and then require that he stay in that home while we ate dinner.  The home was an old space station toy that is meant for little people toys.  Then they made him a playground of rocks and even offered him some food (mud).  I'm not an animal rights activist and I really don't know all the things they stand for, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have approved of all the fun that the boys were having with the little toad.  After a few hours of play, I did convince them it was time to let him go find his mommy because I was just sure she was wondering where he was.  

As crazy as life is with these rowdy boys - I wouldn't trade it for the world!

University Cruise

We just about missed the University Cruise this year, but Mark's store is now right on University and he saw all of the cars getting ready for the cruise and called to remind us to come watch.  So we spent some time watching all the cars cruise down University from the party room at his store.  The boys always love to watch.  I will admit watching inside was no where near as cool as watching from the road and hearing all the engines so after awhile we went out  in the truck bed to watch some more.  

What a fun night!

my experience of a lifetime!

 I had decided that I was going to do something extravagant for my 30th birthday.  It's that big birthday that I just felt I wanted to do something so far out of the ordinary to celebrate --- I thought and thought and thought about it and decided I was going to go on a hot air balloon ride.  It was something I'd always thought would be a really amazing experience and it was also a little bit out of my comfort zone.  It was decided....and then I found out that you cannot be pregnant and go up in the balloon (the landing can be rough).  SOOOOOOOO I then decided that I would go the next year for my GOLDEN birthday!  So this August I turned 31 on the 31st and couldn't wait for my experience.  I had called around to a few different companies that I found that offered balloon rides - they were all pretty comparable so I selected the one closest to our house (and that had the prettiest balloon on their website:).  I couldn't wait... and I really hoped for the right weather - the balloon lady warned me that the weather had to be appropriate for ballooning which meant not too much wind, but not too little wind, and not too much change in the speed or direction of the wind, it also meant no rain within 8 miles (or something close to that) and no expected rain or prediction of rain....and the list went on.  I woke up on my birthday and was worried - it wasn't the perfect sunny, beautiful day that I was hoping for, but I remained optimistic.  I was instructed to call the lady at 4pm on my birthday to see if we could go and when I called she said it's very overcast, but the wind was okay and there was no rain within the limit so we could go, but it wouldn't be quite as breathtaking as it could be so it was up to me.  I really wanted to go so I said let's do it....and I'm SO glad I did.  We started driving toward Cedar Rapids and called the lady to figure just where to meet her when we were about half way there.  She gave us instructions and with just a couple wrong turns we finally got there right on time.  I was thrilled.  I had asked my parents to drive down with us -- I really wanted my boys (and my parents) to see us take off and watch us up in the air! 

The balloon lady told me that the process of getting the balloon ready was a neat experience to watch and she was right!  It was amazing to see how tightly they had the balloon rolled up into one bag (I would say about the size of a big bean bag chair) and stretch it out super long and then light the fire to blow it up.  The workers were so nice and the kids were good about watching. They were given the okay to go up and touch the balloon as it was blowing up.  Wow.

Once the balloon was ready, we were instructed to get in -- this was the one and only point in the whole deal that I was scared, and I will admit I looked at my dad and said, "maybe I don't want to do this."  Holy cow that balloon is HUGE and VERY intimidating.  But Mark and I got in the balloon together and pretty quickly started going ...up ... up... and AWAY!  And it was INCREDIBLE from the minute we started moving. It felt like the world was dropping rather than us going up.  It was beautiful; it was breathtaking.   

The pilot was a very nice older lady who just absolutely loves ballooning.  She was excited to tell us lots of different stories, point out different neat things to see from up high, and encouraged us to  soak it all in.  She's been flying for something like 28 years and flies every single day the weather allows!! but after our trip, I can see why.  WOW. I think the most fun part of the flight was being able to talk back and forth with the people on the ground.  We could understand them and they could hear us too!  We got lots of people calling out "hi" to us or "I like your balloon"  We took off with another balloon - actually the other company out of Cedar Rapids - they often fly together she said!  It was really pretty to watch their balloon behind us the whole way - sometimes we were higher than them and other times they were higher than us.  Very cool.

After being up in the air about an hour and 15 minutes she said it was time to find a place to land.  It is crazy to think that they have no clue where they will end up and do not have the landing spot picked out ahead of time.  She did tell us that they have an idea of where it could be and have lots of spots that they have used several times.  We ended up landing in an empty lot right in the middle of a housing addition in Hiawatha.  Our land was very smooth and I was so disappointed it was over.  It truly was the experience of a lifetime - an experience that I think every one in the world should go on.  

We were able to call my parents from the balloon way up in the sky to let them know what direction we were headed and then again as we were about to land.  They made it to us just as we were landing!  The boys had lots of fun helping take the balloon down!  All the workers were so family friendly!  The boys were thrilled when they told them they could get in the basket - which you see in the picture below - it has the 3 tanks of gas in it that were used to keep us going! There were two chase cars that followed us around (one with a balloon trailer in the back that said something like "this vehicle is a balloon follower, the driver is often indecisive and makes quick turns at the last minute, look up" or something like that it was funny.  After the balloon was all put away it was time for a champagne toast to celebrate the ride - an age old tradition in ballooning.  We really didn't know what was going on, but they had us kneel for a prayer and all be in a group before the toast and little did we know that at the end of the toast they poured the champagne over our heads in celebration!  It was a really cool to complete the experience.

Like I said before, it was an experience of a lifetime.  I really hope that you will figure out a way to go on your own balloon ride one day.  I sure hope I get to do it again someday!

big baby

As the summer days went by I knew my time with the "bucket" carseat was coming to an end; it was getting so heavy to carry and Titus' little legs were at the very bottom edge and his head was at the very top edge, but I just didn't want to let it go.  It is just so, so, so convenient to carry them around wherever and still get a nap in.  But we knew the time had come when the carseat would start to sway as we turned a corner because of his weight.  So the very end of August I cleaned up the next level carseat and put it in the van and of course it made him look like such a bigger boy!  My baby is growing up way too fast!  

by the way - he was weighed shortly after I switched him over and he was 21.6 pounds and the bucket carseat was good up until 22 pounds so at least we hadn't let him use it over the weight limit!  

and looking at this picture it almost looks like he's not actually in the van, but he is - the other side door is open and you can see the basketball hoop and the stroller on the wall of the garage and the squares behind the carseat are Avengers stickers from a trip to the doctor that the boys decided would make a nice decoration for the back of the van seat :) 

1st day for Levi

 Levi was so excited for his first day of school -- not so excited about getting his picture taken -- but very excited that it was finally his turn to go to school! 

I let him pick out whatever he wanted to wear and he picked the Lego Ninja shirt that Grandma Karen bought for him -- on a side note, my mom took both big boys out individually on a special little before school starts date to pick out a few new shirts for school - so nice of grandma and the boys loved the time with just her!! Also Grandma Michele sent the boys a few new shirts and a bunch of school supplies before school started too -- super nice of her too!  (THANKS GRANDMAS!)  Anyway, Levi picked his red ninja shirt so Isaiah decided to wear his red ninja shirt that Grandma Michele sent him -- I still think it's so funny that both grandma's who live states away from each other found and picked the same shirt for the boys and just happened to get them for the opposite kid!

Levi had no fears or seperation concerns when we dropped him off.  He was ready to go and was excited to find his name tag on the table waiting for him in his new classroom. Off he went and then Mark and I and Titus were all alone -- no big boys -- what do we do?!  It was a bit of a strange feeling to be with only a baby.  We ended up running a few errands and then before we knew it preschool was over.  Levi was excited to see us and said he had a great day. 

It's hard to believe that we have not only a kindergartener but also a preschooler in our house!  What big boys!  I can't wait to see how much Levi learns and grows this preschool year!