Fun Friday...

Strawberry Picking...

Yummy...

Hanging out at the library...

Going to brunch and then checking out the bandstand...
Touring the pet store...

Getting frosties from Wendy's

Playing in the rain...

Thinking about spraying Mom!

Then I took Katelyn and Ben to a birthday party while Connor and Maggie had dinner with Nana, Pa, and Uncle Drew...

Fun Friday for sure...

Our visit to see the big mouse...

Last Wednesday I woke up in the morning to the sound of rain. Again. I could not spend another day sitting at home with all the monkeys restless so I thought to myself, "What can we do that isn't too expensive, but fun, and dry?" "Ah! Chuckie Cheese! But we must get going quick to beat the crowds!" I called Neala, she was all for it too. I yelled to the kids to get dressed. Quick!
"Why?"
"So we can go see a big mouse."
"What big mouse?"
"It's a surprise, just hurry up!"
"Buuuut, what if we don't like the surprise?" Whined Katelyn
"OK, never mind, I thought it would be fun but oh well."
"WAIT! ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT CHUCKIE CHEESE???"
"Yup."
"OK, OK, I DO WANT TO GO! Connor, Maggie get dressed! We're going to Chuckie Cheese!"

We made it out the door pretty quick and got there just a half hour after it opened. The kids had a blast playing. We had lunch, the salad bar was yummy. The kids played more. The place got crazy busy. Time to go. Every one cooperated, picked a prize with their tickets, and off we went.


Ben was in the wrap the whole time so this was the only picture I got of him. It is super light but I thought it came out pretty cute...

Katelyn peddling her way up high!

Connor had a great time in the "tube structure".

Neala, Katie and Drew had a great time too, although this picture doesn't portray that as much...

This was by far Maggie's favorite part! She spent so much time on this horse. I must say she was great when other kids wanted a turn she shared.

We had a blast. The rainy day didn't seem so bad after all...

One year ago...

One year ago....

Not the exact date, but yet last Father's day. I woke up in the wee hours of the morning, 4am to be exact, and decided to take a pregnancy test. Again... I had taken two other tests a couple days prior that were both negitive, yet I just had to take one right then and there. It was positive! I was pregnant! I went back to bed and decided not to wake up Chris. After a long time laying there awake I finally fell asleep. I was so happy and yet, because of recent history, terrified at the same time.

We were awoken by three little monkeys climbing into bed with us to tell, cheer really, Chris happy father's day. We all hung out for about an hour before I got up. Chris still didn't know the news because I didn't want to tell him in front of the kids.

Once the kids were off playing Chris and I had a moment. I said to him, "If all goes well, we should have a 4 month old baby in our bed next Father's day."

Nine months later (give or take a bit of time) Baby Ben joined us....

So here we are today... Father's day... I am so happy that this morning we had 4 in our bed...

Tid-Bits of Chris...

This is my amazing husband and Daddy to my four monkeys...


Chris was born and raised in the same town we live in. As the matter of fact we are raising our four monkeys where he and his brother were raised. I think it is awsome that we can see where he wrote his name on the basement steps or carved his initials in the window shutters when he was a little boy!
We were high school sweethearts and have been together now for 15 years. I am pleased to say I am still head over heals in love with this hardworking, kind, loving, snuggly, gentle, sweet, active man. I seriously could go on some more but I would hate to bore everyone to the point that you wouldn't come back and read my blog ever again.... Really, I love him... So much so, I am going to re-marry him sometime soon when we renew our vows in the Catholic church....
Seven years ago we had our first monkey and he became the worlds best Dad! It is a very common thing for him to take three of the monkeys off for the day to the farm, playing mini golf or just running errands. Rememer last weekend when he even took them frog hunting, not once but twice on a rainy day? He doesn't even like frogs! I would say his favorite thing to do is snuggle up on the couch with them. When they were tiny babies he would spend hours with a sleeping baby on his chest, he loved that time. It is hard to believe that even Ben is already beyond that point.

He is such a huge help around the house too. Cooking, laundry, cleaning are just a few of the things he does!

I love this guy! He is just amazing and I hope we are able to show him just how much we love him on this Father's Day!

(Sorry Ladies, he's taken!)

Connor is done school!

Last week was Connor's last day of school. I know, I am late. Better late then never though, right? Anyway....
He had such a wonderful year at the Greeley school and I am so glad we made the decision to send him there. I really struggled with it for a couple of reasons. I wasn't sure he was ready for school. The gas prices were up over $4 a gallon and the school is a bit of a distance away. Chris really made the decision when he said, "Gas is going to go up and down, you can't decide because of that. If this is the right school for Connor then we will figure out a way for him to go there." That sealed it for me but we had to wait for a slot to open up. I was super excited to hear one opened up!
So on September 3rd we headed off to drop Connor off for his first day of school. It went wonderful! After a couple of weeks he started really giving me a hard time about going (which I know is so normal since I was once a teacher of preschool) but would have a wonderful time while he was there. I knew this because.... A)His teacher would tell me. B) When I would arrive to pick him up he was very busy playing and didn't want to leave. This challenge lasted for a while but we made it through.


Connor is posing for a picture just to please his Mom since I know he just wanted to get in his class.

I remember taking this picture and having tears in my eyes at how big he looked to me.

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During this year Connor made so much amazing progress. His social skills developed wonderfully. He learned so many wonderful things. He learned to love learning. Mostly though, I would say he became a lot more self confident, which in my opinion is the best thing!

He was sad that school was over. I was sad that school was over. Not because the kids will be home, to be completely honest I am so excited they will be home (I know, the opposite of most moms). I was sad because this "moment" in Connor's life is over. He will never again go to school on a farm. He will never again be four years old. He will never again be so little even though he looked so big to me on that first day of school. Watching my kids grow is so bitter-sweet to me. It's really an oxymoron of sorts. When I can put into words just what I mean I will do that....

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So here is pictures from Connor's end of the year show. When we arrived he was literally wrapped around my leg, not a good sign. But after a few minutes he ran off. He grew up even more in just those few minutes.

He looked great up on stage. A bit awe-struck really. When asked what he wanted to be when he grows up he answered, "When I grow up I want to be a scientist". Then when everyone shared their words of wisdom his was, "Be grateful for what you have." WOW, I love that! I am so grateful for what I have and I hope that Connor and all my children will feel that way as they grow.
His class did a song and dance about dogs that was really cute. I loved the way he decorated his mask and was proud that he put a lot of effort and thought into it.


He even got a diploma with a picture of his class on it....

This is Connor, Josiah, and Keegan. They are the "three musketeers" in the class. The bummer is that they are all from different towns so will be going to different schools in the fall.

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The day after Connor's show the whole school met at the Friendly Farm for a field trip. I was not prepared for the cool weather so I ended up buying the kids a sweatshirt there. Luckily the rain held off and we had a great time.

Maggie loved the bunny room. If you sat real still the bunnies would hop onto your lap. Maggie, however, does not know how to sit real still so she gently helped a bunny onto her lap. She was gentle though.

Ben mainly hung out in his stroller or being held by me watching the animals walk around. When we were in with the sheep we learned the hard way that sheep like to eat breast milk poop! Yes, it's true. Ben had a huge blowout in his diaper so instead of dragging the kids to the bathroom I decided to change Ben on the bench. There were no sheep around and the kids were off looking at the chickens. I layed him down and began the messy task of changing the blowout. Well, the sheep came running! I was trying to hurry but really it was like a clip off America's Funniest Home Video. Keegan's mom, Maria, and Maggie were trying to help but those sheep were relentless to say the least. They were grabbing Ben's clothes, the dirty diaper, the bag I was trying to put the mess in, the dirty wipes and one sheep even tried to lick Ben. People, this is no joke! This happened! It was insane! Luckily, Ben didn't seem to be too bothered by the chaos.... So, take my advice, when you are in with the sheep... Don't change your child's poopy diaper!

Here are Connor and Keegan....

Maggie loved feeding the baby goats a bottle! The baby goats loved Maggie. One followed her around all over the place. Maggie was so gentle with all the animals.

So it is official, this "moment" in Connor's life is over.... What will kindergarten bring???

Life is good...

My fourth born monkey is 4 months old today!!! Check out the cute shirt his Nana gave him. Fitting, don't you think? Drool and all....

Plus the back says it all....
I must agree!

I am happy to say that Ben agrees too. The last couple weeks or so he has really turned a corner and is such a happy baby now. The smiles are just amazing! He chats, coos, and smiles so much now.

Life is good!

Frog Hunting...

This morning was rainy and yucky outside. Chris announced that he was going to take the three older monkeys out in the rain to look for frogs. Seriously??? Man, he is a good Dad! They were super excited. Everyone got on their rain boots and coats and headed off to Nana and Pa's "pond". They had a good time but only got one frog, bummer....

Then that wonderful Dad came home from the grocery store this afternoon and announced that it was muggy and warm since the rain stopped. Perfect salamander and frog hunting weather! Off they went again... This time they stopped at four different stores looking for nets. They finally found some perfect ones and Chris even found some rain boots to wear on these adventures....

This time they found a few frogs! No salamanders but they didn't care because they had frogs!
One handed Katelyn with her frog...

Ohhhh, Maggie, that looks like a tight squeeze! Be a little more gentle...

Connor says, "Check out mine!"

I should mention by the way that Chris really doesn't like frogs, lizards, bugs. Basically any small creature really. Yet he brings his kids out on a rainy day to hunt for them! What a guy!

Ben and I hung out at home so I was very grateful when I heard Nana and Pa took some pictures!

He did it!!! Connor is a very cautious little boy. He really doesn't try something unless he knows he can do it. This is very true for the swing in our front yard. Well today he decided to give it a try. I was upstairs in my bedroom putting shades in my bedroom window and saw him do it for the first time. I was so proud! He was so proud! As soon as Chris, Katelyn, and Maggie got home he ran outside to show them. My big boy is growing up!

Check out my artist... The nurse told her that she could draw on her sling so today she went to work on a masterpiece. Here is what is amazing though.... She drew this upside down while the sling was still on her arm! I was impressed. Not sure if you can tell what it is so I will explain. It is Maggie, Katelyn and Connor in the future with their babies. Maggie is holding hers... Katelyn is holding hers... But Connor is standing next to his wife who is holding their baby. Too cute, atleast I thought so. Connor on the other hand didn't really think it was all that cute...
Today I brought Connor and Ben to a birthday party so Chris had a Daddy/Daughter day with the girls. He took them to see the horses at Anheuser Busch along with some other adventures. This is Maggie explaining how big the clydesdale horses were. So funny!

AAAAHHHHH Summer!!!!

Popsicles....

Friends....

Chatting...

Picnic Lunches...

Kid watching...

Hanging out...

Zip Line....

Tree Climbing...

What wonderful times!!!

A broken wrist...

Well, with four kids it's bound to happen right?!?!? To be honest though I am a bit surprised about who had it happen first. I really thought that my Maggie would be the one we would have to cart off to the ER with a broken bone for the first time. Guess what.... I was wrong!


The kids were playing outside today and Katelyn came in crying that she jumped off the swing and her wrist really hurts. "I think I broke it but I don't want to go to the hospital.... :(", was what she kept saying. I put ice on it right away and called the doctor. They said to go to the ER if we thought she needed to be seen since it was after 4 on a Friday afternoon. I waited a few minutes to see if she would calm down. You see, she can be a bit of a drama queen sometimes. After a few minutes I really felt like it was definitely hurt so I called Chris at work. He came home and picked her up to take to the ER. After just an hour and a half (not bad for an ER) they had the results... It's a buckled fracture in her left wrist... No more T-Ball. No swim lessons. No monkey bars. No zip line. For about 4-6 wks at least.
She is in a splint with a sling right now. On Monday we will get into the ortho doctor for a real cast, she is hoping it will be an orange cast.
The good thing is that it doesn't hurt now that it is immobilized. She came home from the ER with big smiles, thinking she is cool and loving the attention!




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Totally unrelated... Here is the one I thought would be the first to break a bone... She had a fudge pop this afternoon and I am not sure she got any in her mouth! You can't see it but it was all down her chest and stomach too, thank goodness she didn't have a shirt on! This girl is by far my messiest kid yet!

She is super loving and sweet though, (well most of the time but I will share that in another post) and was very worried about Katelyn. She was bawling when Chris drove off to bring Katelyn to the ER and was very relieved when they got back home!

Oh, and I took Ben to the doctor today because he has been super congested the past few days. Last night I thought he was doing some wheezing too, although I have a hard time differentiating between wheezing and congestion. Good news... He sounds great and his ears looked wonderful!

Connor picked Sponge Bob Square Pants ice cream off the ice cream truck. Thought I would share something about him so you would know he was around today too!!!

Children's hands...

I have an obsession with my children's hands.... (I also have an obsession about sleeping only on very light colored sheets but that is for another day:) I digress.... When a baby is born every part of that baby is just amazing and beautiful. I spend hours looking at every part of their being. Teeny toes, tiny fingers, chubby hands, button nose, precious lips..... OK, I could go on and on but I think you get the point.

I spend the most time looking at their little chubby hands and wondering what those hands are going to do in life. What are they going to touch? What are they going to hold?




This is Katelyn's adorable little baby hand. It is no long tiny and chubby. It is already doing some amazing things like writing, playing t-ball, and being a fantastic big sister to her two brothers and her sister! I am very happy that she still lets me hold this hand!!!

Here is Connor's hand.... It is such a loving hand. Once in a while he slips it into my hand and I wonder to myself about how it has grown. These hands are so very gentle with all living creatures (as my Tid-Bit's about Connor post talked about).
Here is Maggie's little 3week old baby hand. So tiny and curled up. Maggie's hands still resemble the chubby baby hand but are changing quickly. One minute she holds and loves her dolls with these hands and the next minute she is digging in the mud looking for worms with them.

Then we have Ben's hands.... They are so tiny and precious. So chubby and dimpled. When I am nursing him they grab my finger constantly until he starts to doze and then they sit soft and still. He has just started getting more control over them but it still takes a lot of focus and effort to make them do what he wants. He is starting to bat at toys and grab his "O-ball". They really have just begun their journey....

Really when I think about it, all of my monkey's hands have just begun their journey... While they still let me I am going to stare at these hands and hold on tight to them... Maybe if I do my job as a mom these hands will do amazing things someday!