Outside Adventures

We finalllllly had some decent weather while Grandma and Grandpa Maas were here!  We took advantage and played outside.  Yes, I know Annie is stepping with the incorrect foot; we WERE working on that!

 Big boys playing baseball...

 Ben convinced Grandpa to play "Trains" with us.  Love this new game of ours!!!  The best part is that Ben will hear something about one of the cities and remember which train routes he had to build to get there!  (He's learning geography AND math, right?!?)

 Grandma spent most of her time inside sitting on the floor doing puzzles with Annie and Emily...hour after hour after hour...

 Friday night, Gma and Gpa bought dinner, fed the kids and put them to bed and sent Andy and I out on a date!  FABULOUS!  I can't even tell you the last time we had 3 hours uninterrupted by phone, computer, tv, children, places to be, etc...was amazing!  AND the restaurant we went to gives free dessert to first time customers; then we went furniture shopping and FINALLY choose our new sofa sectional that will fit down our narrow stairwell - only 3 1/2 more weeks until it arrives!!!

 More boys playing ball...

 Ben has been dying to use the fishing poles he and Andy got for Christmas.  So, we took a little time and went fishing at the local park.  Ben was so excited.  I learned that I need to become more proficient at untangling fishing thread!

 We had great dinner plans, but Andy was called away - giving us detailed instructions for grilling our chicken breasts.  Mike and I worked together to get a yummy Sunday dinner on the table!

 Where did Andy go?  He was the chosen parent to take Annie to the Emergency Room.  Poor little one was going to fast on her bike, lost control and fell off.  Yep!  Two broken bones!!!  Cast pictures to follow...

We also spent an afternoon swimming at the hotel!  Mitchell had his first swim!!!  (This was pre-accident!)

Thanks, Maases, for the visit!  We hope you enjoyed Ohio, and we loved the sunshine you brought for a few hours!!!

Two Baseball Boys

As we're hoping Andy's schedule will be a little bit more flexible this spring, he is helping to coach Ben's baseball team.

 Ben is so excited to be playing coach-pitch this year!  FINALLY!  Opening day, the fields were a complete mess, so they set up the fields in the grass.

 He's so excited to play catcher as well.  Oh, the joys of all that equipment!!!

 His two biggest fans, of only he'd realize that!  We did sandwiches while we watched the end of this very cold game!

Moments with Grandpa

Mitchell was introduced to Grandpa's funny sounds, and he loved them!  They spent lots of time cuddling on the sofa and watching the kiddos!

 We took a visit to Andy's office for lunch one afternoon.  Mitchell decided he quite likes computers!  Andy thinks he has it made as he has both a window AND a door! 

 Story time!  Ben picked Grandpa each night to read his story - pages from my World History book.  This kid...he could easily live without the fiction world.  He loves to re-enact all the battles he learns about in books and has an incredible fascination with George Washington.

One Little, Two Little, Three Little Indians....

Grandma and Grandpa Maas came to visit.  Grandma Maas had a picture with Mitchell.

 Another picture with Mitchell and Ben...Two Little Indians!

 Then Annie jumped in...Three Little Indians!

 Emily was not to be forgotten...Four Little Indians!

Crazy Hat Day

Really, the joy of special days at school...!  In order for the kids to take advantage of these days, they are supposed to bring a dollar to donate to a charity.  On Thursday night, after bedtime because of softball practice, Ben reminded me it was crazy hat day.  So, the three of us stayed up late creating special masterpieces!  Ben's was a multi-eyed frog with a fly caught in it's tongue.  Annie's was the crazy fish from Nemo when Marlin and Dory are down so far in the ocean that it is dark.  She had a 'light' hanging in from to attach fish.  Such creative kiddos!

 Emily needed a cute picture also!  She's such a trooper to still enjoy what Ben and Annie are doing, with the hope that one day her turn will come.

First Eats

Mitchell had a week without living up to his nickname: the poopenator!  The kids and I decided we needed to give him a little prunes to help him move things along.  Despite the picture below, he loved them! 

 I had to hold his hands down as he wanted to help.  We just did about 2 teaspoons full.  Sadly, he hasn't needed it lately, but it's about time for solids.  We are now back to nursing about every two hours, and it's cramping my style...as if I had one!

 Yes, a family event!  Everyone cheered for him with each bite he took! 

St. Paddy's Day

I admit, I don't get my kids new Easter outfits and they only get holiday clothes if I find them on clearance for the next year, but I just couldn't resist this little outfit...

 He is such a charmer!  'Mommy's Little Charmer'  We just all love him to pieces!!!  Pictures don't do Mitchell justice!

Emily is FOUR!

This was Emily's 'off' year to just have a family party.  She was NOT thrilled about the idea since she has gone to so many parties lately.  So, I tried really hard to make it special for her - complete with a tablecloth in her pattern of choice!

 We had chocolate chip pancakes for dinner (Ben's idea that she loved!)  It was a very busy day starting with the doctor's office for both she and Mitchell to get shots, on to playgroup.  Hurry home to meet Dad (with Chipotle for lunch - YUMMY).  He took Emily to Annie's school field trip while I went to my RS meeting.  Then we met back at home to decorate her cake and quickly make dinner because everyone was so hungry!

 After dinner, we played outside for awhile - it was actually a nice day!!!  Annie and Emily explored a downed pine tree while Andy, Ben and I threw a baseball (and I tried not to get my head taken off!).

 Her Hello Kitty Ballerina cake - happy fourth birthday, Ems!  Andy outlined the cake for me and then I worked my mommy-magic!

 We went to Family Night at the local Roller Skating Rink!  Granted, Emily had a great time, even though her face looks a bit put-out here.  She was exhausted by the end of the night!  After a few minutes on roller skates, Andy and I wondered if we were crazy to do this!  We were both 'awesome' in our younger days, but the ankles don't work the same now!  Each time around became more and more comfortable...for all of us!

 There was a 3-some skate that was the best part of the night.  Andy and I took each of the kids around; after, they were all more stable on their feet.  It was so much fun!

 Emily tried the limbo!!!  She didn't know exactly what she was doing but just had fun!

 Such a fun night!  Definitely something we would love to do again!  The best part was we each HAD to take breaks to sit with Mitchell so he wasn't alone.  It was good for tired kiddos and tired parents!  Happy Birthday, Emily!  We love you sooooo much!!!



Sledding!

We had a freak snowstorm that dumped about 9 inches of very wet snow.  We went early the next day (Saturday) to sled down our favorite hill.  Mitchell was kept VERY warm, especially when the rest of us got hot and starting piling our coats and hats on top of him!

 The group run...

 Emily found that her sled wouldn't stay with the other two, so she just jumped on Ben's back instead!

 It was getting warm and the snow at the bottom of the sledding path was quickly melting and turning into slush, so we spent a good 30 minutes making a HUGE snowman!  For our second ball, 5 guys from the neighboring Ultimate Frisbee game had to help Andy lift it!  The finished product was a good 8 feet tall!

 Mitchell woke up just in time to watch a last run or two before we headed to our new favorite ice cream place, Taggart's, where we ate The Kitchen Sink!



The Boob Tube

We have a special chair to watch shows in.  One day the girls were taking care of Mitchell while I was doing a craft.  I looked over to see both Annie and Emily playing absent-mindedly with Mitchell's hand.  Seeing the 3 hands together was just more than I could take, so I put down my stuff and ran upstairs to get the camera.  By the time I came back down, they weren't doing it anymore, but I still got some cute ones!

 He just loves the camera...see the drool!  ;)

 Love these two cuties!!!  They can be the best of friends or the whinest, teasingest sisters!



Baby Mitchell - 3 Weeks

I was just looking back through and realized I never posted the promised pictures of my little guy.  A friend came to take these one afternoon, and she really didn't know what to make of Mitchell.  He just kept following her camera with his eyes and was so incredibly behaved.  He stayed where she put him and would turn his head to the camera.  He wouldn't fuss, he wouldn't look happy, just a basic expression on his wee little face.

 Love the newborn reflexes!  Helps you to realize how little they really are.  Maybe, he was just kind of ticked at me because I had him undressed in December in our very drafty house...

 His two basic hairstyles...after his first haircut!