Trip Home Girl's Night

One night, Gina & Amanda had the great idea of doing a little girls night together with the three of us and Mom Stevens. We really don't get to spend a lot of time together, and thought it would be fun to have an evening just for the girls. They had the night all planned out. We met at Mom & Dad's house and first went bike riding together. We took the road to some really neat off-road dirt trails. I admit I was a little nervous about the whole thing since it's been a good few years since I've been on a bike, especially dirt biking in the foothills. It ended up being a blast, and I'm really glad we did it. Maybe next time I'll be brave enough to try some of the huge jumps.

Afterwards, we headed back home and got cleaned up before we went out to get some dinner. We have so much fun just talking together that we got out of the house later than expected, so it was tricky finding a place that was still open, but we ended up going to good old Applebee's and enjoyed a yummy dinner & dessert.
I don't think you can ever have enough time to spend together with sisters/moms. I really feel blessed to have such amazing sisters, sister-in-laws, & mothers. I really am surrounded by so many wonderful women and I enjoy any and all time I get to spend with them.

Caleb's 1st Day of Preschool

Not to be left out, Caleb started his 1^st day of preschool the same day Jacob started kindergarten. We were excited to find something for him to do as well. This little preschool is close to our home, and near the park, which makes it fun when we pick him up and can go play & eat lunch afterward.

Caleb chose this pose! ;)

Caleb has definitely been ready to have something fun to do. He’s been missing preschool ever since his 1^st preschool ended last spring, and with Jacob being gone everyday now for kindergarten, Caleb has been ready! His preschool is on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9am-11:30. It’s pretty convenient since I drop off Jacob at about 8:30, then I just head over to Caleb’s preschool and we play on the playground for a little while before he goes in. He also is lucky to have 5 other little friends from our ward who are in the same preschool class with him.

It's a shame, the lighting is so much better in the sun, but this is the face we get... I guess we'll just stick with the poorly lighted photos. :)

He seems to be enjoying it and loves to tell me all about the toys and games they play, and the fun projects they get to create. I love to see the pictures and crafts he colors, he’s getting really good and really enjoys coloring.

This also means that 3 days a week, for 2.5 hours, Matthew and I get to be buddies together. I enjoy being able to spend one on one time with him playing, reading books, and just being together. It feels a little strange only having one child with me, but it also makes it a little easier to run errands, although Matthew is definitely NOT the ideal shopping buddy, especially grocery shopping. I’m hoping he’ll be a little more helpful in the upcoming weeks, so we can enjoy the time before we’re joined by another little partner!

At the end of the week, I admit that I was the one who was tired and ready for the weekend! It’s busy trying to keep up with kids and all they have going on, all the while still fulfilling the regular day to day responsibilities. I enjoy it, but I also think I need to try and get more sleep, which was evident in my getting 2 cold sores within 6 days of each other. I’m grateful for weekends!

Jacob's 1st Day of Kindergarten

Jacob was supposed to start kindergarten on September 15^th, but because we were on vacation visiting family, he didn’t end up starting until Monday, September 20^th. I don’t even know how long he’s been excited about starting kindergarten. He’s been talking about it for over a year and would always ask me how much longer until it started. We were able to meet his teacher and visit his new classroom last week, so when we got back he was all ready to go. I just wasn’t sure if I was ready to let him go!

I guess it's too sunny, even at 8:15

Kindergarten is an all-day event here. I drop off Jacob at 8:20am and walk him to the school yard where he waits in line with his class for their teacher to come out and get them. It’s fun to see him interacting with his friends and I’m glad we have at least 10 or so minutes to enjoy each other before he has to go inside.

It was so fun to pick him up after his first day; Caleb & Matthew get pretty excited about going to pick him up as well. Jacob was so excited to tell me about every little detail. He likes his teacher and his classmates, and loves all the activities they get to do. He told me about lunch, and recess (it makes me a little sad that they only have one 15-minute recess a day) and the games they played. He also told me that he had been chosen to be the line-leader for the week, and he was pretty excited about that. I knew it was good when later on that evening, he asked me how many hours there were until he got to go back to school.

Jacob is lucky to have 4 other good friends, who all happen to be boys, in his same class this year

After a whole week of kindergarten, he is still just as excited about going; which makes me so happy and helps me feel better about leaving him there all day long.

It’s amazing how for so long I’ve just thought of Jacob as my little boy. Ever since he was born, he’s been home with me. He’s had times where he’s been gone a few hours a week for preschool, but for the most part we’ve spent most of our days together. At times, it just felt like it would always be that way. It’s such a strange feeling knowing that all of a sudden, they’re old enough to be away from you all day long, 5 days a week. For the next 13 years, he’ll only belong to me on weekends, holidays, and during summer time. After those 13 years, he won’t even belong to me. While I’ve been excited for him as well, it’s such a big step and one I admit I was a little afraid to take. I’m not sure I’m ready to be entering this stage of life. Jacob is the first, the rest will follow, and our lives will never be the same. I guess that’s how life is though; change can be difficult, but it’s also necessary, and we certainly wouldn’t want our children to be stuck forever as small children. I’m looking forward to all the fun things that lie in the future, the fun times and new adventures that come with older children, teenagers, young adults, and adults. But for right now, even though I’m so happy for Jacob, I’m slightly mourning the loss of young childhood. It’s a good thing Jacob is so eager to move forward to the next step in life. He’s a sweetheart and we’re sure grateful for him.*

Trip Home Part 3

Of course, a trip home wouldn't be complete without spending time with cousins and family. We were able to enjoy playing with cousins at their homes, going on walks, eating popsicles, playing tennis at the park, and just having fun. Our boys are lucky to have so many cousins to play with. We wish we could see them more often. Hopefully it won't be too long before we'll live closer and be able to spend more time together.

Trip Home Part 2

On Saturday, we were able to celebrate Kaden's baptism with the Coleman family and quite a few others in the extended family. It was fun to be gathered together for such a special occasion. Kaden is a pretty special young man, and we were glad we could be there.
Afterwards, Tami and Kyle treated everyone to a yummy lunch at Sizzler. That was definitely a treat. All the kids especially loved the ice cream cones from the salad bar.
We stayed for a while enjoying the food and of course the family; it also didn't hurt that they were playing the BYU football game on the television at the same time. Does it really get any better than that?

Trip Home Part 1

After getting home from Outer Banks, we had 2.5 days to unpack, and pack and get ready for a trip home. After our trip this past summer, we didn’t think we would be headed home again for a long time. As it worked out though, Jeff had some business interviews/work/job opportunities that he needed to go; and my brother Houston was having his mission homecoming. We decided to just make it a family vacation and go home. I’m so glad we did!

Wednesday was a little crazy, I was still trying to finish up last minute things and then Jacob had his meeting with his teacher at 12:45. Right after we finished, I drove home, we picked up Jeff and headed out to catch our flight at 5pm. The only difference was that we decided to fly out of New Jersey since the flights were $120 per ticket cheaper, so it took a lot longer to get to the airport. We made it okay, but I definitely like the non-stress approach to traveling! The flight out home went extremely well. It was so nice to have Jeff with me this time, and not have to do it all alone! We were able to spend about a week & a half at home and it was so much fun; I just wish the time didn’t go by so fast.

Matthew was happy to just follow Carly around all day playing with her, feeding her, and playing outside. The first thing he would do when he woke up in the morning was to run to the window yelling, "Carly, Carly!" He was always so excited to see her. I'm glad she's a sweet and patient dog.

We loved being able to spend time with all our family. One of the boys’ very favorite things was my parent’s garden. When we were home in the springtime, they had helped grandma plant the garden and it was so fun for them to see all the plants that had grown. Every morning we would go out and pick raspberries, cantaloupe, watermelon, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, and more. We also had peaches, pears, beans that mom canned over the summer. The boys really were in heaven! We made fresh salsa, raspberry syrup, and loved eating all the fresh yummy food! Even now the boys ask me how long it will be until we can have our own garden. I hope not too long!




The boys loved being able to spend the whole day playing outside in the yard, sometimes it was hard to get them to come in for anything. One of their favorite things was to have a campfire. We did a campfire a couple times, and they loved gathering the wood, watching the fire and of course making “roasty-toasty” marshmallows. The weather was just perfect, it was warm during the days, but would cool down enough at night that the campfire felt just perfect!


One night, we celebrated Caleb’s birthday at home. Mom had been saving his presents, so we celebrated his birthday again for about the 3^rd time, and Caleb certainly didn’t mind. He got a couple fun bath toys, a bug vacuum, and a handsome new outfit. It was fun to have Grandma & Grandpa Haworth with us that evening as well. They came up early to spend some time with everyone before the homecoming on Saturday. We love spending time with them!

Six

SURPRISE!

We will be a family of 6 sometime on or around March 13th when this little one decides to make an appearance! We're so excited, even though it still seems a little crazy to think about!

I'm now almost 14 weeks. (13 on my schedule) It was so fun to have an ultrasound on Tuesday and see our little one kicking its legs, stretching its arms and moving all around. The baby was so cute to watch, I don't think I could ever get tired of that. (In this ultrasound picture, the baby had put its hands up to its knees in a 'rocking' position :)

This pregnancy has been very similar to previous ones. I've been tired, but I've felt pretty good. It helps to stay active, although I admit I haven't been as motivated to make the 6am runs, I've been using the gym a whole lot more; and I've definitely had my share of afternoon naps.

I've had the same cravings as always. My favorites are apples, bananas, peaches, grapefruit, and especially mineolas! (tangerine/orange mix) I just can't get enough. Of course fresh vegetables, and soup are favorites as well. I hated the smell of cooking meat, and BBQ; and I've had no appetite for treats, desserts, and fatty foods.

We're looking forward to March, and baby #4. I'm sure it will be a little crazy, but we're so excited to have another sweet little baby in our home.

Happy Birthday Caleb

Because we were in Outer Banks over Caleb’s birthday, we didn’t really get to fully celebrate his 4^th birthday. I had gotten his birthday presents beforehand, so on Monday night after getting back we had a little birthday party for him. The great thing about Caleb is that he really doesn’t care if it’s his real birthday or not; if he’s getting presents, that’s enough for him! He was so excited and so were Jacob and Matthew. I love celebrating birthdays with your kids when they get so excited about it. Of course, considering that we have three boys and they all tend to like the same toys, when it’s a birthday for one it’s pretty much a birthday for all!

They all had a good time playing with the toys. I think the hit toys of the evening were a couple of cheaper little motorized trucks with tow cables. They worked great, and the boys spent the rest of the night towing random toys and objects around the house. They even helped by wrapping the tow cables around the leftover wrapping paper and driving it to the trash can!
Caleb is such a fun boy and a special part of our family. He has such a lively and unique personality, and our family just wouldn’t be the same without him. He can be extremely stubborn and driven to do what he wants, but he is also a softie with a big heart and is usually quick to give in to others if it will make them feel better. I love his big dimpled smile that he is so quick to give. I also love the little impish grin he gives when he’s doing something he knows he shouldn’t be.
He is still a bit of a wild man and loves to run around and do what he wants to do. I still have to chase him down at times, and I have to remind him that it’s okay to be cautious at times. He isn’t shy at all, and is quick to make friends or strike up conversations with just about anyone. While he can be extremely entertaining, sometimes we worry a little about the things that will come out of his mouth. He’s definitely not afraid to speak his mind or give his opinion.
I can’t believe that my little guy is already 4. He’ll be starting preschool on September 20^th and can hardly wait. I am excited for him, but I do have to admit that I’m glad he won’t be starting kindergarten for another two years. The birthday cut-off date for starting school is on or before September 1^st, and Caleb’s birthday is September 2^nd. I’m glad I get to keep him home for one more year with me. We sure love our Caleb and are so grateful to have him in our family!

Back

It feels good to be home after a fun-filled week long vacation. I have a lot of catching up to do, but I need to get unpacked from last week and packed for the upcoming trip. More to come later...

Visiting the Menssens

On our way home from Outer Banks, we thought it would be fun to make a detour in Charlottesville to visit Mike, Kimber, and Tyler. We made it there on Saturday afternoon, and since it was 'National Bowling Day' we decided to show some spirit and go bowling together. The boys loved the black-light bowling and we all had fun, especially Matthew who loved running up and down the entire bowling alley. I was finally able to get him to sit still for a few minutes by pulling the 'sucker-bribe' it just didn't last long enough!

After bowling we stopped to pick up some food and pizza so we'd be all set to watch the BYU/Oklahoma football game. It was great to be with a whole house-full of fans and the game

definitely didn't disappoint! We were excited to see BYU win the game!

On Sunday morning, we had a beautiful drive to church and enjoyed the meetings. On our way home we took a short detour to walk on the University of Virginia campus and see some the of sites. After a fabulous dinner, we finished packing up and headed out. It was a pretty quick trip, but a very enjoyable one! Thanks Kimber & Mike for a great weekend! (By the time we got home, Matthew was DEFINITELY ready to be done with the carseat! :)