Our 4th of July

First we got a new (much needed) stove!

our old stove...'nough said.

use those muscles man!

Alex hard at work...

Alex and Ryan taking a quick break from installing the stove to get some major fort action out of the box!

The transformation of that side ofm y kitchen...next comes the fridge...I'll keep you posted!!


Then we had our own little celebration complete with family fun and a mini fireworks display!

Sammy hangin' out in the backyard

Alex loves pop-ices!

We opted not to try and drag our toddler and baby out to the fireworks display in town and had our own little show instead.

Alex (of whom I expected to be excited) did not like the fireworks. He ran to Daddy and cried and clapped when they were done!

Sammy (of whom I expected tears) did not even flinch!

Sammy is 5 Months Old

On Tuesday Sammy turned 5 months old, and he's been a very, very busy boy! He now rolls onto his tummy almost immediately when you lay him down. And, to his mother's horror he has started pushing up on his knees as if to crawl. He hasn't figured out what to do with his arms yet, so they get stuck under him, but he's so strong with those legs that he pushes himself forward without his arms! I'm trying to get a good video of it, but he so often winds up frustrated and in tears! Half of me wants him to learn to crawl so that the frustration can end, the other more sane half of me does NOT want him to crawl at such a young age. Call me crazy but I like the freedom of knowing I can put my kid down and he can't go anywhere or get into anything! With Alex I had that freedom until 9 months old--don't think that will be the case with Sammy. He's on a mission and learning fast!

Earlier this week Sam found his toes. He's not really into chewing on them yet, just likes to hold them. He's really been using his hands so much more lately, grabbing toys on his excersaucer, mommy's hair and earings (ouch), his toes, and stuffed animals.

About 2 weeks ago Sam had his first taste of oatmeal.

Now he LOVES his oatmeal because I put applesauce in it. He can't seem to decide if he likes green beans or not. And yes, for those of you who have asked me about it, I am making homemade baby food again. I didn't really want to because it is so time consuming, but Sammy seems to have the same reactions as Alex did with the acid preservatives they put in many of the canned foods, so I am just going to buck up and do it!! Plus, I save a lot of money--with just $2.00 worth of frozen green beans I made 32 jars of baby food, saving us $10.00!!!

I'm not the kind of photographer that often takes fabulous shots, but somehow I got this one the other day and I LOVE it! This is a typical Sam pose, watching the world with wide eyes!

Alex is 2 years old!!

Can you believe the boy is 2? We can't! But even though he definitely has moments when the "terrible twos" shows through, we are so glad Alex is our boy and wouldn't trade him for the world! He is a joy to our family and puts smiles on our faces every day! We had a fun birthday weekend with Grandparents. We kind of spread the celebration throughout the day on Saturday and even on Sunday when we went for ice-cream, just to keep it from being too overwhelming for the kid. Even still I think some of the sugar-high/attention-overload is still wearing off!! A big thanks to Grandpa and Grams and Grandpa and Grandma Mitts for driving all this way to celebrate Alex's bday with us. We all had a great time!

Boys on the Move

Sammy learned to roll over last week. And in just about 5 days went from novice to pro!! He can now do 4 rolls in a row and get from one end of the room to another. Crazy kid!
...if I could just get over this football shoulder...
...ok, now what?...
...now over the other shoulder...
...yeah, now I can really keep my mommy busy!!!!...
I found Alex like this in the living room last week.  Cracked me up!!

Outdoor Fun

Classic pose.

Talking to the leaves above him. He does this forever!

Alex LOVES the swing Grandpa put up for him.  And yes, his shirt says "My mom rules!"  

Sam always chews on his blanket when he wakes up.

King of the castle!  This is the play fort that all the grandparents pitched in to get Alex for his bday.  They gave it to him a few weeks early so that he wouldn't have to miss a whole month of summer fun on it!  His favorite thing is to go outside and enjoy a Popsicle and play!

"Playing" together.

Family Trip to the Zoo

Last week we were looking at the summer calendar and realized that between activities with the church/youth group and family visits the next 4 or 5 weeks are booked solid! So we decided that if we were going to work in a family outing we should just get in the car and go before the days slipped away on us!! So, on Friday afternoon we loaded up and drove the 2.5 hours to Omaha. They actually have a GREAT zoo there in Omaha. Well worth the drive. We really only made it to the aquarium and the jungle, but we bought a membership for the year because we plan to get back there many more times! We weren't there terribly long, but we all had a good time. Alex spent not one second in the stroller we took for him! He walked (& attempted to run) the whole time, talking all the way. He pointed and jumped and laughed. He was in little boy heaven! Sam used the stroller instead of the baby carrier I had planned for him to sleep in because he wouldn't go to sleep! He watched everybody and everything. Very intently. And Ryan and I enjoyed the nature around us, but mostly just watching the reactions of our kids. Talk about family fun.

Oh, the Silly Games We Play!

Happy Father's Day to my Husband

The Best Man I Ever Knew

When we married, I saw you as perfect,
The ideal husband and more;
I thought I knew all about you,
All the things to love and adore.
But when you became a father,
I saw new qualities to treasure.
You enrich all our lives in fresh ways;
As a dad, you bring so much pleasure.
Our children are forever blessed
To have a father like you,
And I love you more than ever,
You’re the best man I ever knew.

By Joanna Fuchs

Boys in the Bath

I find it much easier these days to give the boys their baths together. This way I don't have to wonder about what the other one is doing while I'm getting one cleaned up. And they seem to like it, too! Alex still has room to goof around in the tub and loves to "help" rinse off Sam and splash him. And Sammy loves to watch Alex and give him lots of big smiles. In fact, bathtime is apparently so fun around here that I can't even say the word without Alex running to the bathroom and trying to get his clothes off--so I spell it!

Crazy Kids

Have I referred to him as my little monkey before?


"I call this one 'Impressions of a Misunderstood Toddler' and it will be part of a 3 section series!"

"Wow, all this painting sure make a fella thirsty!"

The fruit of our budding artist. And let me tell you, it wasn't easy in coming. It took me several minutes to figure out just how this kid wanted to paint. First he cried when I put his fingers in the finger paint...ok, try another approach. Got out the paintbrushes. Then he cried when I put the paint directly onto his paper..ok, try again. Toddlers are so particular! 3rd times always a charm right? So I put the paint on a paper plate almost like his own little palette, and he was happy as a lark! Painted tons of pictures and had a great time, too! And I love to let him paint tons of "pictures" cuz then I use hem to make homemade cards for thank-yous, bdays, etc. Good fun!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo BooksSammy is turning into a drool monster! Wether he is just getting ready to eat solids, or starting to cut teeth--heaven help us--I can't tell. His favorite thing to do right now is blow spit bubbles. He will even pause from drinking his bottle to get a few bubbles in!

Let's Back Up a Bit...

Two weekends ago we drove to my parents new house and helped them move in. Well, the guys did most of the heavy lifting, we s did a little unpacking, a lot of supervising, and kept track of the kids. We had an eventful night with 3 kids under 3 in the house getting up at various times either for a bottle or because of the terrible storms we were getting. But we got the truck unloaded and somehow even fit my mom's enormous couch through the front door!! (had mom worried there for a few minutes!) We celebrated Jen's bday and had a great time! We are so glad to have Mom, Dad, Jen, & Grandma living so close again. Now only if we could talk Matt into moving out here...





This was the sight we came home to late Saturday night! The storms had blown down a huge limb from the tree in our front yard! Praise the Lord that though branches were touching almost every window on the front of the house, no glass was broken nor any damage done to the house! One of the deacons from church brought his chainsaw by and made a path so we could use the front door, and thankfully a neighbor from down the street wanted the wood for firewood, so it was all "magically" gone when we got home from camp!

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Yes, today is Jessica's birthday. As she is approaching the time when it no longer becomes appropriate to say which birthday it is, and out of profound respect for all she does for us boys we decided not to tell you exactly which birthday it is. (Hint: try the sum of the whole numbers from 1 to 7 and you might be right)

Thank you mommy for all that you do for us. We hope today is a very happy birthday for you.

Love,

Ryan, Alex, and Sammy