Our Two Tootlepops

Another First!

2011-12-19T12:01:00.001-08:00

Carsten lost his first tooth on Friday night!

Boys!

2011-12-09T19:40:00.001-08:00

All the boys!

We went to the zoo, zoo, zoo...

2011-11-30T16:17:00.001-08:00

Thanks to some very nice friends (you know who you are!) we had tickets to the zoo! Oma, Reese, Carsten, and I got to go today...

These gals were a riot to watch--one was even picking her nose and eating it!

This guy was alive--doesn't look like it. He would get up and move around and we weren't sure what he was staring at in these pictures, but made for nice pictures for us!

Reese has been practicing his crossed eyes look (see picture below)

What a fun day! :-)

A Fun Visit!

2011-11-20T14:20:00.001-08:00

We had fun company this weekend! The boys had a great time...

(Carsten, Cole, Eli, Reese, and Zachary)

Elephants (in case you can't tell...)

Catching Up! (and growing up...)

2011-11-11T19:04:00.001-08:00

The boys and I had a little photo fun today... I am way behind on their 7 and 5 year pictures (like almost 6 months!). Now I can cross that off the list... :-)

A fun picture from our last visit with Opa and Oma!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T11:06:00.000-07:00

We headed over to the cousins for trick or treating again this year. We had a sailor, a fireman, a baseball player and a police officer. The dads took the big boys out scavenging for candy while the moms stayed home with the two cuties and handed out candy.

Silliness...

2011-10-29T12:58:00.000-07:00

We went to a Barn Potluck last evening and had some fun taking pictures...

The boys thoroughly enjoyed climbing all over hay bales and roasting marshmallows on a bonfire. We enjoyed being with others and eating good food! :)

Little Miss Jennifer

2011-10-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry Becky if you wanted to keep any of your pictures as a surprise for anyone, but I couldn't help but share this one of Jennifer! She is so cute!

Last Game Until Spring...

2011-10-28T15:16:00.000-07:00

We had a special fan there!

The happy team! You can't see one player, but it was a good picture of my kid, so...

They are all looking forward to the next season and playing together again.

Dixie Cups

2011-10-17T16:10:00.000-07:00

Reese has been wanting a sailor's hat for quite some time... I finally thought to ask our friend, Jordan R. (he's in the Navy) if he could get some...

They came today!!! Thanks Jordan!

The boys have done school in them, ate lunch in them, and are now playing in their new 'dixie cups'! :)

And Another Game...

2011-10-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

A freezing cold day! Reese played really well today and they tied the other team.

Clayton's ears were icy, so Auntie Dana made a do-rag for him.

Starting Early???

2011-10-11T14:03:00.000-07:00

Reese loves to shave (thanks Auntie Diana and Uncle JuJu for the shaving kit long ago...). If he gets to use real shaving cream (thanks Bev R.) it makes it even better!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

We grew our own pumpkins this year (well, some of them) and so we decided to save a few $'s and do our own pumpkin patch--complete with eating a donut off a string with no hands, pin the face on the pumpkin, bean bag toss, etc.

Fun times!

And yet another...

2011-10-01T13:50:00.000-07:00

Today was Reese's fourth game--they are undefeated so far... Having a good time.

This isn't Reese, but the all-star on the team--I thought it was a cool picture.

Another Game...

2011-09-29T13:59:00.000-07:00

Another game from a different perspective (thanks for the pictures Larry!)

Bob the Builder day at the library...

2011-09-14T13:38:00.000-07:00

We went to a Bob the Builder day at the library where our cousin lives. There was a backhoe and a dump truck they could sit in, crafts, and boards to hammer on. They also each got a hardhat (not so hard, but looks like one anyway!)

Fun times for boys!

First Soccer Game!

2011-09-10T20:38:00.000-07:00

Reese had his first soccer game today! It was quite hot (in the 90's), but Jim brought a sprayer (we had only used it once for weed killer--just kidding) and we kept spraying the kids, so it was good. Reese's team, The Green Giants, won! 6-2

Reese was quite nervous this morning, but ended up enjoying the game immensely.

There were even some crazy girls there that we know...

First Day of Virtual School...

2011-09-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

Carsten got up early and helped me make crepes for a first day of school treat...

We've had a good day back at virtual school. Reese is now 2nd grade and Carsten kindergarten.

We started off by doing writing samples and drawing pictures to put in a time capsule which we buried in the yard. We hope to remember where we buried it and dig it up at the end of the school year and compare it to our work then...

Oh, and Skippy didn't forget the routine... he joined us in his sunny window perch today.

Soccer!

2011-09-06T09:48:00.000-07:00

Reese has started soccer...

These pictures are from one of his practices. First game this Saturday!

A Labor Day Hike...

2011-09-05T19:23:00.000-07:00

Another Day at the Beach...

2011-09-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

Unc is here and wanted to make a trip to the beach for some clam chowder, so off we went again... Fun day at the beach (a little windy, but that didn't stop us).

A day at the beach...

2011-08-20T21:47:00.000-07:00

We spent the day at the beach for Oma's birthday today! Very fun. I meant to get a picture of Oma with the boys, but by that time they were quite cold and wet...

More of Jennifer...

2011-08-19T20:45:00.000-07:00

We got smiles!!!

Butterflies!

2011-08-12T14:46:00.000-07:00

Oma took us to a butterfly farm today! Very fun. Loads of butterflies flying all over the building. If you look closely in the picture below there is a butterfly flying over Carsten's head.
We even came home with some caterpillars to raise.

Our Niece Jennifer...

2011-08-09T18:43:00.000-07:00

Actually a cousin of some kind, never can get it right, 2nd cousin? cousin once removed--Jim's cousin's daughter... Niece is a lot easier.

Bottle Rockets!

2011-08-08T18:11:00.000-07:00

Clayton's 2nd Birthday!

2011-08-06T20:52:00.000-07:00

Reacquainting...

2011-08-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

Got to see an 'old' friend of mine, Chloe (15 or more years since we last saw her!)

And her kids and husband as well. Was quite the day of seeing those we haven't seen for a long time!!!

Got together with my cousin Kristilyn and her daughter Nora after 15+ years?

Oma Time...

2011-07-31T18:45:00.000-07:00

Cousin Play-date!

2011-07-21T18:09:00.000-07:00

Had the cousins over today for a play-date! Fun times and lots of noise :-)

Goodbye Mud, Hello Lawn!

2011-07-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

We've been wanting to put in a lawn and finally got to it today!
The boys are a little sad because putting in a lawn also took away their mud/dirt to play in--one happy mommy though!
Papa Jim came down to help out...

Our tuckered out helpers.

Reese also caught a little tree frog today... so exciting!

Devin & Preston

2011-07-01T17:18:00.000-07:00

Alicia and I had a little fun with the twins!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T15:43:00.000-07:00

Twin Nephew Update

2011-06-18T19:02:00.000-07:00

Opa and Oma got here last night! So, today I took Oma up to see the twins. She is going to be helping Alicia with the twins (and Justin and Clayton) when Alicia comes home...

Preston

Devin

Currently at our house...

2011-06-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

Breaking News!

2011-06-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

Tooth #7

Best Buds!

2011-06-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

"Eese" and Clayton are best buds... Reese says that if Auntie Alicia hires him to help with the twins that he wants to help with Clayton. :-)

Help Wanted: Live-In Nanny, No pay, long hours...

2011-06-09T13:31:00.000-07:00

Devin Clark

Alicia holding Devin for the first time.

Preston Eugene

Alicia asked me to post some pictures of the twins! They were born on Monday, June 6th (7 weeks early). They are doing okay, but they will be in the NICU for awhile. Meanwhile we are watching the older brothers here. So, the need for a nanny! We would appreciate the help here (we are doing fine actually), and then Alicia is going to need some serious help in the future when she has a four boy house!
Here are the older boys here today:

Reese pushing two boys at once (Reese has been a huge help!).

Happy Birthday Carsten!

2011-06-04T18:29:00.001-07:00

Busy birthday day started with Jim running a marathon.
Carsten said when he woke up, "I feel like I'm five!" He then had to stretch out on the bed to show me that he was the right length to be five too! :-)

Then we went to the aquarium. Carsten wasn't enjoying posing, so this is what we got...

This otter really likes kids and was having fun looking at Reese!

These sea horses were so cute, swimming around and then they hooked onto this plant with their tails and 'kissed'. :-)

We then got Starbucks treats and came home!

The Birthday Continues...

2011-05-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

Reese's dinner request...crepes! Then on to presents (lots of Legos) and up next was cake...

Orange Lego cake.

Reese was quite pleased to light his own candles this year!

We have a 7 year old!

Carsten got to celebrate his birthday with Opa, Oma, and Unc too.

Happy Birthday Reese!

2011-05-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

Reese's birthday has begun with breakfast in bed! It is an extra special birthday as we are at Opa and Oma's...
Can't believe we have a 7 year old.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

Love these two!

Spring...

2011-04-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

Fruit Kabobs

2011-04-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

Enjoying a favorite snack at our house--make your own fruit kabobs!

Spring Break!

2011-03-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

Thanks for a fun Spring Break Opa and Oma! We had fun! (notice Carsten has dust all over his face, and the boys had already changed from nice clothes to 'traveling' clothes!)

Spring Break Minus the Spring Part...

2011-03-24T15:19:00.000-07:00

The kids and I are spending Spring Break at Opa and Oma's... We keep looking for the spring part, but it is eluding us--pouring rain and windy.
We are partaking in the break part however. Two of the kids' favorite activities at Oma's--helping start fires and playing in the kitchen sink!

System has been down...

2011-03-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

Well, my system has been down--a couple of weeks ago my computer gave up the ghost. It was a hand-me-down from my brother, which he graciously gave to me. I am now the proud owner of his next hand-me-down! :-) (and now I can update the blog...)

I was watching Justin and Clayton for the afternoon and allowed the older boys to go outside as it looked like the only sunny day in the forecast until early July...

It all started innocently, and then got muddy quite quickly! One guy would fall (supposedly accidentally) and then domino affect, they would all fall--giggling crazily the whole time.

A three boy bath followed.

Friday Night Fun Night Extreme

2011-02-26T11:15:00.000-08:00

Usually the boys sleep in our room on Friday nights, but last night Jim set up our tent in the living room and all the boys had a camp in!

Excitement!

2011-02-24T11:05:00.000-08:00

We woke up to snow this morning! It hardly ever snows here, so when it does we get very excited!!! We suited up and headed out before any could melt...

Googly Eyes

2011-02-08T16:10:00.000-08:00

Watching the nephews, so we had to have a little fun...

And mom had to get in on it too, right? :)
(Also Reese's first picture with mommy's nice camera...)

Cousin Justin's Birthday

2011-01-31T19:41:00.000-08:00

The Birthday Boy--we went bowling for his 4th birthday and then out to Papa's for stir-fry and cupcakes!

Love this shot! :-)

Ta-Da! Happy 4th Birthday Justin!

Indoor Golf

2011-01-24T13:12:00.000-08:00

We had a fun game of indoor golf (9 holes) after lunch today... Idea from the Family Fun magazine (thanks again Grandma JoAnn!)

Special Visitors...

2011-01-22T15:06:00.000-08:00

Monday night we had special visitors--just like old times!

Kitty Love

2011-01-17T15:19:00.000-08:00

Sleepover!

2011-01-14T20:35:00.000-08:00

4 silly cousins...
Tomorrow is Auntie Alicia's birthday, so we have the boys for the night to give the parents "date night". Hope they enjoy themselves and don't worry about us too much!

These three were enjoying playing in the corner--looking at toy catalogs.

Happy Birthday Jim!

2010-12-29T13:56:00.000-08:00

The 39 birthday... Next year's birthday is a doosey.

'Tis the Season...

2010-12-18T21:10:00.000-08:00

...for holiday letters and all that.
This year I am saving a few pennies and putting our holiday letter and pictures on our blog. I have to admit that I do feel a little bit guilty as all of your pictures and letters arrive in the mail...

Now for the memories of 2010:
The year started off with a bang--in more ways than one. The kids and I were in a car accident in January, which totaled our Suburban. Thankfully we weren't injured beyond sore necks and the boy that turned in front of us wasn't hurt too badly either. Not an experience I wish to repeat.

We had a wonderful roommate for one quarter, Ben. The boys absolutely adored having an older brother for a couple of months. He was usually up for a game of Nerf darts, boxing, horse rides, sitting in a dark closet--pretty much anything the boys dreamed up!

We've had many great visits from Opa and Oma this year as well as from some good friends. Please come see us and we'll add you to our good friend list!

Jim still likes running for some reason--I like to say it is because he still runs with eleven women most mornings :-). He continues with Weight Watchers, teaching one class a week and substituting often for other leaders. Jim remains working with his dad and brother in law at Bashful Bob's Windows and Doors, which keeps us close with Papa and Auntie Alicia and Uncle Todd. It's always fun to run to town for lunch with Papa and the cousins.

Carsten: He remains our accident prone child and I don't think he is going to lose that title. Carsten and Reese have become best friends the last couple of months which is quite cute to watch, but I am waiting for the moment that ends... They like to share a bed, give each other toys they know the other one will like, and being sticky sweet with their words. Carsten likes to listen in to Reese and I doing school and he picks up little tidbits of information which he likes to spout off later. He is the boy that wakes up happy and is quick to tell you, "thank you" and, "I love you".

Reese: He is our big 1st grader. We are continuing with the Virtual Academy that we were with last year and Reese and I really enjoy our time learning. Reese does well with math and reading, but his favorite subject is science. We finally put the boys in swim lessons this past summer and Reese really did well. He progressed quickly through the levels and wasn't afraid to try what the teachers asked him to do. He is also continuing with piano lessons and doing well with that although practicing is sometimes a chore. Reese lost six teeth this year, four rather quickly, so he has had trouble biting apples and other hard objects.

Our newest addition to the family is Skippy Jon Jones and we are loving having him. He adds so much life to the party. He is either on or off. Either running in circles or sleeping (in some odd positions for a cat).

We started with a feral cat we had tamed all summer and fall, Caramel, but he was hit by a car. We felt a void when he was gone, so off to the shelter we went and we didn't come home empty handed!

We hope you all have wonderful holidays!
Love,
Jim, Dana, Reese, and Carsten

*Picture of our family and kids by Michelle Tschetter

Crazy Cat...

2010-12-16T14:54:00.000-08:00

Skippy is the funniest sleeper, whatever is comfortable...

Gingerbread House Making

2010-12-12T12:45:00.001-08:00

Or, maybe more accurately, Graham Cracker House Making... :)
We had a fun evening of making winter houses!

Carsten and Grandma JoAnn's--Carsten wanted a bridge up to his...

Reese and Jim's--theirs ended up like an outhouse or a bus stop... and, theirs fell down twice during construction.

Justin and Auntie Alicia's--theirs was the most "house" like.

Uncle Todd's--his was the most sturdy, thanks to a pound of frosting!

Joren and Kaitlyn's house--thiers was the most creative.

Clayton kept himself busy--here he is hammering on the table.

Papa Jim relaxed with Skippy Jon Jones while the house making was going on...

Goodbye Ben!

2010-12-10T18:05:00.000-08:00

Ben left today... He is transferring to the school by his parents. We are very sad, but hope for the best for him. Notice Carsten's hair--he had to have his hair cut just like Ben's, "Do a number 2 all over mom"... okay.

Little Ole Skippy

2010-12-10T10:31:00.000-08:00

The kids and I wanted to take pictures of Skippy Jon Jones before he gets too much bigger so we remember how little he was. This is Skippy next to Butter for size comparison...
He is quite the people kitty, always wants to be right by us. He is also very wild when he wakes up from the night or naps... :)

Skippy Jon Jones

2010-12-05T19:20:00.000-08:00

Our new kitten's name!
We really like these books and even though our new guy doesn't look like this Skippy, he sure acts like him!
These books are about a Siamese cat who thinks he looks more like a Chihuahua because of his big head and ears... you'll have to read them!

We caved...

2010-12-04T16:40:00.001-08:00

We went to the Humane Society today... just to look... and... yeah. Meet the new member of our family! His name is yet to be decided by all of us, but we are working on it. He is 12 weeks old, but the size of an 8 week old as he and his siblings were malnourished. So far he seems to be very good natured and is loving the boys--Reese loves holding him and keeps saying, "I've always wanted a little kitty to snuggle".

The kids and I made some of our favorite GF Sugar Cookies last night... Yummm.

Carsten insisted on wearing this sign around on Thanksgiving... Not many pictures of our Thanksgiving as both kids were sick, but we had a nice day anyway.

Tears...

2010-11-29T14:21:00.000-08:00

Well, so far just I've shed tears for this little guy, but Carsten is still trying to figure out why he is gone. His solution was to go and dig him up and take him to the doctor, which of course just made me cry more...
While we were on our trip to CA, Caramel was hit and killed by a car. We didn't get to know him long, but he was by far the best cat I've ever had. He was actually more like a puppy. He would follow the boys everywhere outside and even race them to the barn.
There is a kitten sized hole in my heart right now...

Happenings...

2010-11-21T21:10:00.000-08:00

This is a tree in my parents yard that I thought looked pretty in the light...

Jim brought the kids and I down to my parents last weekend so we could have some time here before Thanksgiving. We are thoroughly enjoying our time--I am enjoying some breaks as Oma puts the kids to bed and then stays with them so I don't get interrupted and can just relax. The boys are completely enjoying starting fires in the morning in the wood burning stove, playing on Unc's iPad, taking naps with Oma, playing outside for hours, and just being at Opa and Oma's...
Carsten did get a cold and is snuffly now, and Reese threw up this morning, but with Oma around everything is better...

Carsten's cute saying this week after spelling my mom's name, Cate, "No, how do you spell your real name, Oma?"

Photo credits for the pictures in the new header-- Michelle Tschetter

Cousin Wyatt's Pictures

2010-11-08T15:09:00.001-08:00

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Just Cute!

2010-11-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

This last week I took some senior pictures at a park and Alicia kindly watched my boys. When we were all done and just visiting the boys went off to watch the ducks and this is the picture we saw...

Halloween

2010-11-08T10:27:00.000-08:00

We last minute went trick or treating in Justin's neighborhood... We raided our dress-up box and this is what we came up with! A bear and a pirate.

Pumpkin Patch!

2010-10-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

Took our annual family trip to the pumpkin patch!

Thanks Papa!!!

Special Company

2010-10-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

We had special company last night, Robyn, and she made (literally whipped up) slippers for the boys (they wanted slippers like hers)! They are so pleased--even slept with them on...

New Member of the Family!

2010-10-18T11:26:00.000-07:00

Our new roommate, Ben, with the boys. Ben moved in when school started, but I am just getting around to posting a picture... The boys adore him of course!

Losing Streak is (hopefully) Over...

2010-10-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

Sixth and hopefully last tooth for awhile.
Now we need to paint triangle eyes on him and dress him in orange...

Warning... kitten updates will be frequent! :-)

2010-10-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

Caramel is following the boys everywhere they go... He can see them, can you? (notice camouflage clothes=invisible kids)

Success! Introducing Caramel...

2010-10-07T12:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday one of the feral kittens that we've been trying to befriend, decided to be our friend! Someone had given us the advice to try to start petting it on the back instead of the head and it worked! We've been feeding him, so he is used to our presence, and yesterday he just ate up the attention we gave him. We have named him Caramel since we all like caramel and he is that color...

Check out these paws--seven toes on each...

Want to remember...

2010-10-02T16:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the boys had their teeth cleaned and they both were in rare form.
The hygienist told Reese to stay put while she went somewhere and he said, "Aye, aye captain!"
Reese told another hygienist to go ahead and pull his loose tooth while she was in there.
And Reese again... when he was all through with his cleaning he opened the drawer by his chair and helped himself to the coins that they get when they are good (they get to spend them in a bubble gum type machine that has toys) and then he turned to the hygienist and asked her, "How many do I get?"...
Thankfully the hygienist thought all of this was quite funny--she actually said it made her day as she had a couple of difficult patients earlier that day.

He's on a roll...

2010-09-28T16:57:00.000-07:00

Reese has been losing teeth left and right it seems... Thursday he lost his fourth tooth, and last night his fifth tooth.
We are working on a jack-o-lantern costume for Halloween!

(taken by my phone, so not such great quality, but realized I didn't take any "real" pictures)

New Play Stucture

2010-09-11T15:31:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that Carsten is the one getting hurt and "hung up" on our new to us play structure... :) Today his pants got caught on the swing and over he went--he was giggling and laughing, but needed help getting out of his predicament.
I'll have to post pictures of the play structure soon--a friend of Jim's gave it to us and the kids love it!

Finally...

2010-09-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

Another loosey goosey tooth is out! Third one for Reese.
I promised him ice cream after our Bible study if he could get it out, and he did five minutes before!

First Day...

2010-09-08T12:12:00.000-07:00

First day of Homeschool 1st Grade...
The boys out taking a break before lunch. :)
Carsten is playing the harmonica and Reese is on the guitar and doing vocals.

End of summer project...

2010-09-02T14:41:00.001-07:00

Our end of summer project is to catch some wild kittens... here is Reese waiting for them to come to some food (notice the blue bowl in the grass). And below is one of the victims seemingly oblivious...

Playdate at the water park...

2010-07-22T15:46:00.000-07:00

This pole is how you turn on the fountains and so Carsten pretty much just hung out here all day...

Blueberries!

2010-07-18T19:15:00.000-07:00

Blueberries are ripe for picking... The library here has a summer reading program and one of the prizes is a pound of u-pick blueberries--yum. Reese, Carsten and I went to pick them on Friday and they are all gone now--slurp.

4th of July 2010--Lots of Firsts

2010-07-05T17:35:00.000-07:00

The boys got to go on their first fishing expedition with Papa, Jim, and Uncle Dave...

Reese caught his first fish (and only two were caught total...)

And Carsten convinced Jim to take off his training wheels... and guess what??? He can ride!

Now we need to get him a less girly bike!

Swimming Lessons!

2010-06-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

Well, we are finally getting around to swimming lessons for these two... and they are loving it! Carsten's teacher is Catherine and he likes her (except today she dunked him and he wasn't so pleased and won't stop talking about it). Reese is doing great--he moved up a level today--on day two! Cousin Justin is also going with us, but he is still working on getting in... might take some time.

Wedding Weekend

2010-06-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

Reese and Carsten were in a wedding on Friday night--Joren and Katelyn's wedding...
They did very well--I had told them they needed to smile a lot and it looks like they did!

Some of the other guests... crazy relatives.

The boys with the bride and groom...

Reese and Carsten got to ride around the golf course with this man (don't know him, but very nice!). They loved it!

We then went to another wedding Saturday morning 3 hours away... I forgot to take my camera (it was safe at the hotel...), so no pictures. This time it was Jim's cousin, Thomas, who got married. Busy, but very fun weekend!

Farmers

2010-06-05T16:35:00.000-07:00

Carsten and Daddy out being "farmers" on our new to us riding mower (for the worried grandmas--Jim had already mowed and Carsten was just doing the driving. :)

Carsten's Birthday!

2010-06-05T15:53:00.001-07:00

Carsten wanted a farmer hat cake (I tried...) and he wanted to go to "Vurgerville" for lunch! Papa and Auntie Alicia and Uncle Todd and cousins met us there.

Carsten with his helicopter from Papa.
He was quite tired after lunch and is still asleep in the car clutching his helicopter...

We celebrated Carsten's birthday today as we didn't have time yesterday... This bottom picture here is him opening his present from us on his brother's birthday (they picked them out themselves the day before Reese's birthday and it didn't seem fair to make Carsten wait 2 weeks to open his!).

Carsten

2010-06-04T11:27:00.000-07:00

Today--4

0

Happy Birthday Carsten! Today is a busy day with a wedding to attend so we are going to celebrate tomorrow...

Reese

2010-06-03T10:30:00.001-07:00

0

I enjoy looking back at pictures of my boys and so I thought I'd put up Reese through the years for his birthday--a couple days late... I'll have to get busy and do some for Carsten tomorrow! This picture of Reese at 0 is also of Grandma Paula as it is the two year anniversary of her passing... We miss her greatly!

Happy Birthday Reese!!!

2010-05-23T20:34:00.001-07:00

Reese with his watch from Papa and his other presents...

Reese's requested space cake... a rocket. He thought it was going to take off when we lit the *engine* candles! Hmmm...

Reese this morning opening his present from us. Daddy also went and got him balloons early this morning.
Whew, now we have a 6 year old--amazing. He is a great little guy. Learning so much this year and becoming an outgoing boy. He is thoughtful of his brother--asking often if he is okay and watching him so he doesn't get hurt. He is always the one to try to make everyone happy if we are with the cousins and there is fighting over toys. Reese loves listening to stories on his mp3 player and enjoys telling me all about them. He still likes to play in the dirt and loves to spend an afternoon exploring and digging in the backyard.

Whoops...

2010-05-18T17:31:00.000-07:00

Reese was just walking along and *whack* he ran into the end of a wall... People always ask kids when they get hurt if the other object got hurt--in this case it applies! His face cracked the wall!!!

Another Playdate...

2010-05-07T22:33:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to get to go to our old college town today and meet up with old buddies. The kids got to see some friends too and seemed to pick up where they left off last year... We didn't make them sit for the above picture, they were busy with their balls and then had to sit down to watch some other people fly kites and it was pretty much monkey see monkey do--one would sit, they would all sit and then as soon as one started to get up they'd all get up.
Fun day!

Girl Time

2010-05-07T22:28:00.000-07:00

These girls all came for a very fun IKEA getaway weekend last weekend (just haven't posted about it yet) and stayed with us. I was fortunate enough to get to join them them in their excursion sans kids. We felt like we were 19 again!

Playdate at Oma's...

2010-05-06T16:17:00.000-07:00

The boys and I are at Opa and Oma's for 2 weeks...
Today we had a play date with Ian. So we had a 6, 5, and 4 year old. They all had to wear boots and later bare feet. Lots of noise and giggling...

Blowing bubbles on the big rocks.

Bowling with the Family

2010-04-22T14:58:00.000-07:00

We went bowling with the whole family--cousins and all! There were 10 bowlers (and of course we had coupons!). The kids are really enjoying it, so we think we should look into getting some used bowling shoes to save on the rental fee...

The Three Musketeers!

Just being boys again...

2010-04-22T14:54:00.000-07:00

Playing--they thought these blocks looked better on their heads...

House of boys?

2010-04-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

I just glanced up to see what time it was and had to look again as it was very hard to tell the time... hmmm. Wonder why?

That was quick...

2010-04-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

After my previous post I grabbed my camera and got some photos of the boys outside--Reese was already out there and when I saw Carsten I knew I had to take a picture... When I asked him if I could take his picture and I was giggling, he said, "I look funny in this?". Cutest little guy.

Still Around...

2010-04-01T12:24:00.000-07:00

This is for our adoring fans... nothing special, but this is us one year ago.
I've got to dust the camera off and take some new pictures--we've been busy. Oma came for a visit and Auntie Callie came for a visit. Today we are enjoying the sunshine (it's been missing for awhile). Reese is outside with his cap gun "shooting" bugs.

Bubble Experiment

2010-03-09T13:10:00.000-08:00

Opa and Oma were here for the weekend and lots happened! Jim and I took the opportunity and went up to Seattle for the night and then bought a new car the next day... (new to us). I'll have to post pictures of it soon. We had a wonderful time away--need to do that more often... Opa, Oma???
Reese needed to do a science experiment for school and so we also used Opa for this one. He found a great idea online--making different shaped bubble blowers out of pipe cleaners and then seeing what shape of bubble was blown... I had homemade bubbles and they worked really well--floated forever. Fun.

(credit for this picture goes to Twila K...)