Special Visitors

A few weeks ago we had some very special visitors...

The Hawthornes!

One of the hardest things about leaving Iowa was leaving this lovely family

 whom had become like family to us. 

We met right before Jonah was born and our friendship has continued since despite our distance!

We have been fortunate to see them a few times a year as they are in St. Paul now and are a little closer than good old Iowa. 

We were honored to have them come and visit us in the arctic tundra.

They were slightly delayed due to the wonderful winter weather, but managed to get here Saturday and we enjoyed them for a full 24 hours. 

It was surreal to be together again and made my heart ache for their friendship.

It was also fun because we were able to meet the newest member of their family who was born in August. Yeah for Finn! He is so adorable and sweet!

 Here are all our boys!  5 boys in 6 years of friendship...not bad huh?

It was so fun to watch the older boys together because our boys remember and know Clint and Katy well and love Isaiah. 

They played very well together and our boys were very sad to see them leave.

As they were pulling away, Jonah said, "Mom, wouldn't it be sweet if they could stay for 100 days!" 

We were able to visit, share a meal at our favorite local restaurant, and relax together. 

Besides being so short, it was a perfect weekend!

Here are ALL the boys together!

Thanks for coming guys!  We sure miss your friendship and are so blessed and encouraged by you.  We look forward to seeing you again soon!  

Craft Time

Last week I did something I haven't done in awhile almost ever...

I had my own craft time!

While Isaac took a nap and Elijah got to watch a movie, 

I painted a decoration for our living room and painted a sign for Isaac's room.

Here are my supplies beforehand.

Here is the 8x10 painting. 

(I saw on a blog I visit frequently, hers was cuter, but oh well)

Here is the sign for Isaac's room.

(It used to be blue and we had it hanging in the boys' room in Iowa.

A little green paint from Isaac's room and ...

The painting sitting out.

The painting next to "Olive"..."Olive the other reindeer" 

This little reindeer was a souvenir from Arizona.  We went to an olive farm there. It is made from the Olive trees on the farm. Fun huh?

So after this little craft time I decided I need to do this more often. 

It was extremely relaxing and enjoyable. 

Plus it was a cheap way to make something old look new!

Oh The Places You Go!

Oh Isaac, you are getting into everything!

I love Dr. Suess and think he could have written a story about the places you typically go in our house.

You have discovered the kitchen cupboards and drawers

and often empty them before too long. 

You have a certain attraction to my hair dryer and enjoy watching me use it (bonus for me), dragging it around the house, or yelling into it like a megaphone barking orders at us in your adorable baby jibberish.

You share your daddy's love for plants. 

You may be need some more Iron in your diet as i have found you eating dirt 

on more than one occasion!

You share your mommy's love for chocolate though! 

If the fridge door is left open and you are able to sneak in there, the hershey syrup bottle is often your first choice!  I must say this does make me proud as I LOVE chocolate!

You share your brother's love for books. 

You enjoy being read to or reading yourself.

Your attention span doesn't allow for you to sit through too many, but its a great start!

You also enjoy our front window and looking out it.

I am sure the drapes have nothing to do with your fascination with this room in our house....

or the objects lined up on the windowsill by your big brothers...often just out of your reach. 

You also want to be everywhere your big brothers are. 

They are becoming more tolerant of you "playing" with them.

(For example: here you are the Joker destroying Gotham City while Elijah saves the citizens)

You are a busy and very curious boy.  

You are rarely still and unfortunately often are sneakily quiet about your adventures. 

You are still sweet as can be and although our snuggle time is decreasing at a rapid rate, you manage to steal my heart with sloppy kisses and hugs every once and awhile. 

I look forward to watching you go many more places as you grow Isaac.

Brothers 'Till The End!

These 3 brothers have such a special relationship.

To see such friendship and love at such an early age melts my heart.

Despite their major differences in personality...they have ALL started playing together

Or at least, they older 2 are including Isaac more. 

This is so fun to see. Isaac wants so desperately to be included by the older two and often just follows them around or sits and watches them with minimal problems.

Unless he is his normal destructive self, aka "Isaaczilla" as he roams the house destroying everything in his path or making messes.

This is the fort we built last weekend

I found Mario, Super baby, and Ninja boy inside.

We played for a few hours in this fort, having many adventures and rescuing people from bad guys.

It was tiring to say the least! 

Isaac was so darn cute in his super hero cape. He didn't seem to mind it and spent time wandering around the basement and then back over to the fort.  

He could barely fit standing up underneath it and thought it was pretty fun to walk all the way through.

Mostly because it created a rise out of his brothers...they were worried he would ruin the fort. 

I was pirate girl.

The following picture is definitely not one of my finest, but I will include it so you can have a good laugh get the full picture of our playtime.

Being the mother of 3 boys is quite exciting!

I pray for many more lazy Sundays filled with forts, pirates, superheros, ninjas, and video game characters.  I also pray for the bond of brotherhood to grow stronger through the years.

I love you boys!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Tonight we will be celebrating a special day!

Today is my Dad's Birthday!

My dad and I have always had a great relationship and I am very thankful for that.

He has taught me so much about life, encouraged me to push myself and work hard, celebrated many momentous occasions with me, and helped me to see the positive when I have faced a fork in the road.

He spent many hours attending our dance recitals as little girls, choir/band concerts, track meets, helping us study, and offering bits of his wisdom when we needed it. 

He believed in me and taught me to continue to strive for my goals. 

I am so grateful for his love, support, and laughs over the years.

He is a proactive father, Grandpa and father-in-law. 

My boys adore him and love spending time with him.  I pray they will have many more years building memories with their "Bampa" going to sporting events, playing outside, wrestling, and being spoiled with treats and special outings.  

He loves Jesus and loves his family.

I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful father 

and pray he feels blessed on this day as we celebrate him!

We love you Dad! Happy Birthday!

And he's off..

Hello 2011,

You have snuck up on me, and I felt a bit unprepared to meet you this year.  

We have been BUSY, BUSY, BUSY and I have billions of memories to blog about, but until then I have an announcement....

ISAAC is walking! AHHHHHHHH!

We spent a wonderfully relaxing week in Arizona for Christmas with my family and the little turkey decided that was as good as any time to learn how to walk.

(He also had 2 more teeth pop through while we were there for a grand total of 8!)

We also celebrated Jonah's 6th birthday, my parents 30th wedding anniversary, and spent time enjoying each other's company while soaking up some much appreciated sunshine!

Until I can get caught up...

Here's a quick video of Isaac walking

I can't believe how quickly he is picking it up.  This video is only a week of walking under his belt!