We got Butched!

I wasn't very good about getting the boys in to have their hair cut in a timely fashion, so they really got A LOT of hair cut today! Even our hair dresser, Laura, was shocked at how much hair she had to take off! Isn't it amazing how close in size the boys are now? Luke had his one year check yesterday. 28 pounds and 31 inches. He is in 18 month clothes now and walking like a champ.....when he wants to!

The Fair!!!

We went to the fair with Grandpa and Grandma R, Aunt Kate, Uncle Danny and Aunt Noelle. It was HOT! But, the kids were in high heaven! Jake, of course, loved the tractors, animals and anything else we showed him. For the first time ever, Anna was a little leary of the animals and not really excited about touching them or even being near them. Towards the end Luke became interested in all the activities and reached out to touch a sheep. We had a fun time and the kids slept great that night!!!

Gourmet Cookies!!

Talk about amazement! We stopped at a local bakery today and the kids couldn't get enough of all the neat sweets! They each picked out a cookie with a dog on it, and of course, mommy had to take a picture of each kid with their cookie (Luke shared mommy's cream puff!).

And the cake!!!

I could have put 20 cake photos on here! As you can see, Luke LOVED the cake! There are after photos of me washing him, he was very upset about that! Luke had a wonderful birthday. Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate our youngest son's first year of life!

The food and fun!

The First Birthday Party...the presents

His favorite present you ask? A frog birthday card with google eyes. He wouldn't put it down!!!

A ONE YEAR OLD...ALREADY!!!

Where does the time go? Luke is already one, I can remember being pregnant with him better than what happened last week!! I feel like I have been placed in a time warp!! Luke can walk now, although he CHOSES when he will do so...which makes it difficult for anyone to believe me! Honestly, he really does walk all the way across the livingroom with no assistance!!! He has 8 teeth and a whole lot of personality now!!!

Helping build the new shed

Yes, the kids are on the roof of our new outbuilding! I was asleep and I guess the big kids wanted to help with the construction.

A nice day to play outside

Luke tried out the Cozy Coup for the first time....I think he likes it! And the photo of Jake is a lucky shot...He was racing past me at light speed!

Anna's new school playground

We go to Anna's future school occasionally to play on the playground. Anna and Jake LOVE IT! Now that Luke can move he really gets into it too!

Swimming smoother!

By day three the kids decided that they were fish! Actually, on day two Anna was taken with 4 others from her group of 16 and put on the other side of the pool. These were the children that were more advanced and she jumped off the diving board! (Of course I didn't bring the camera that day!) Jake has NO fear and will now just right in! It's amazing how fast they learn!

The First Day of Swim Lessons for the Big Kids....

Tonight was Anna and Jake's first swim lesson. I really thought that Anna would have NO problems and that Jake would be a stuggle, when in fact, it was just the opposite! Jake and Mike had an absolute blast in "Waterbabies", while Anna was quite reserved and acted scared for the first 20 minutes. Sorry about the photos, I couldn't figure out the correct setting for inside a pool area. Any advice just let me know, I have 7 more lessons to perfect it!

Early Birthday Presents!!

Mommy let me open my birthday presents from my buddies in Colorado early! I had lots of fun trying to pull the paper off and eat it too! I love my gifts...especially the swim trunks! Now I can go in the pool like normal little boys! Thanks Auntie Rebecca, Nick, Ellie and Baby William!! Miss you LOTS!

My other girlfriend!!

Luke and Alexa were finally reunited today. Last time they met Luke was 12 pounds or more heavier than Alexa. Now they are probably 5 pounds apart. Luke was very mezmerized by all that Alexa could do. He also helped her look pretty (well according to Luke anyways) by taking her hair bow out of her hair. It was a lot of fun and we hope to see her again soon! Thanks Aunt Meg!!!!

On Luke's final day as the only child, I actually let him play in the bath tub. He didn't know what to do, he played for almost 30 minutes before he finally was sick of the, now cold, water. He has actually been a happier baby since the kids came back, I think he needed a little one on one time, now I just have to find time for the other kids to do the same thing!!!

I could get used to this!!!

Aunt Noelle came over to take the big kids for the afternoon, but when she got to our house she said she and Uncle Danny wanted them overnight!!!! OH YEAH! SO, off they went into the sunset for a fun adventure at Uncle Danny and Aunt Noelle's house. As they left Jake said, Bye, I love you! And he never looked back! This was a first for me letting Jake go...After waving goodbye, Luke and I went back in the house and weren't sure what to do....I think Luke could tell he was on his own because (as you can see) he was hamming it up big time! He has been an angel the entire time the big kids have been gone...I am thinking that he likes this only child business. Too bad for him, all good things come to an end and they will be home tomorrow night! Sorry Luke, it's back to 3rd child!!

The Dunes Part 1

We went to the Silver Lake Sand Dunes on Sunday after nap time. The kids had never seen so much sand and weren't really sure what to do at first. It didn't take long for them to figure out that this HUGE sand box was actually pretty fun.