Last night as a family of 5!

My sister, Shar, flew here from CA for baby's birth. 

My mom was going to come also, but due to a back injury, she wasn't able to. :( We were so sad Grandma couldn't be here but SO glad Shar was able to come. I don't know what we would have done without her. She arrived late late Tues night and spent the night at Shawn's house. Then she came down to our place on Wed. and we had a fun day together before baby got here on Thursday.

She was a life-saver and her and Jeff split their time between the boys and the hospital. 

It was awesome to know our boys were so well taken care of while we were busy with baby #4!

Here is our last night as a family of 5, can't wait to see what the next little guy adds to the bunch:

We LOVE you, Shar. THANK YOU for coming!!!!!

Happy 4th Birthday Tave!

Our Tave is 4 years old!!!  

I let him pick all of his favorite things to do on his birthday (within reason, I was hugely pregnant!) 

We started off with getting out his new remote control jeep and going crazy with it in the house. SO FUN:

I asked him if he wanted to go anywhere or do anything and he chose to have his best buddy, Michael, over for a playdate. These two LOVE playing together and get along so well. Tave had a blast:

We skipped quiet time to play games and hang out and then he got to choose his favorite show to watch.

Once daddy got home, we headed out to eat at the boys favorite restaurant, Red Robin. Shawn & Abby joined us for the celebration dinner:

 They brought the birthday boy a gift, which he LOVED:

The boys did a little racing:

Family Photo - Love my guys:

We headed home for Tave's birthday dessert:

 Make a wish:

Then Tave opened his gifts from us & his bros - superheros and a bike!! (Bike is coming soon...)

 Oh how we love this boy.
Happy Birthday our adorable Tave!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Mother's Day was especially sweet this year.  My boys spoiled me with sleeping in, a delicious breakfast, and  thoughtful gifts.  

I tried to savor every moment with Jeff and my sweet boys before we became a family of 6.  6! Wow. 

 These three boys continually teach me. Being their mom is such a privilege and the best thing I could ever hope to accomplish in this life. I am so grateful for their love, their forgiveness,and their hilarious antics that keep me laughing all day long. I may not be a perfect mom, but I am their mom, and I'm trying to be the best for them that I can.

I can't wait to see what baby #4 brings to our family. But I know one thing is for sure: 

With four boys come four times the love. Lucky me.

Trying to get a photo with these guys is quite the adventure!!

Oh how much my heart just melts for each one of them!!

Tave's 4th Birthday Party!

Our Tave-man turned 4!!  He absolutely insisted on having a Pokemon Party. 

(because that is the birthday party Weston wants!)  

So this mama had to brush up on her Pokemon skills (I knew NOTHING about them) and figure out how to make a fun party out of these crazy characters. Good thing we have the internet and pinterest!

It turned out pretty darn successful and Tave was THRILLED.

Happy Tave = Happy Mama!

The fabulous b-day cake:

 Tave was BEYOND excited to get these cool figures on his cake! They were from his cousins Kapria & Mila!!

The Decorations:

He LOVED coming downstairs in the morning to a fancy shmancy house:

The kids started by coloring some Pokemon characters while we waited for everyone to show up. They were pretty serious about it:

Tave's friends:

After coloring, the kiddos got to make Pikachu hats.  

 Then we did Pin the Scalchop on Oshowatt. (Oshowatt is the pokemon that Tave loves and really wanted!)

Next, opening gifts:

Santa had brought Weston a Pikachu backpack for Christmas. It has been Weston's all-time favorite toy.  Tave has been asking for his own and he decided he wanted an Oshowatt backpack. LUCKY for me, there are only a few pokemon actually made into backpacks, and Oshowatt is one of them! YAY!!  He was one happy kiddo:

 Happy Birthday to YOU:

Making a wish:

Thanks, friends, for celebrating with us! The take-home loot:

And here is my cute 4 year old!!!!

 We had to get a shot with the boys and their backpacks!!

Happy Birthday Tavester!! We LOVE you so much buddy, and can't imagine our family without you!!!

!!!Go Crocodiles!!!

Weston has been playing spring soccer the last 2 months. It has been such a fun, learning experience for all of us. We were lucky to be on a team with a bunch of Weston's classmates and one of his best friend's, Jaron.  Jaron's mom, Rachel, is one of my good friends, so it made games even more fun to watch. :) Jeff volunteered to help out the coaches and he ended up refereeing over half the games due to scheduling difficulties for the other coaches. (the coaches ref), so technically he became a coach as well, which he loved. When he wasn't reffing, we took turns with Ryder, who had such a hard time sitting through the games. He is our busy boy and just wants to RUN.  It made for quite the exciting season.  

We were lucky, though, to only have 1 nasty weather day, the rest were beautiful and sun-shiny: perfect for a family night of soccer playing/watching!

Weston absolutely loved soccer! It was so neat to see the improvement he made over the season.   This was his second to last game and he was adorable!  He really ran after the ball and tried to get in and kick it a lot.  After the first half, he ran up to me and said "Mom, I'm doing so good this time!"  He was so proud of  himself and made this mama so happy!! I love seeing the boys try new things and work hard at different activities.

My parents & Shawn were able to come to the game. West LOOOVED having a cheering section for him. 

Ryder made it through the entire game!!  I put pretzels and nerds in his cup holder and he had to really dig for those nerds. Hahaha, it worked, though, and kept him busy!

Weston played defense the last part of the game. We have some really great offensive players, so there wasn't a lot of action down at this end. West & the goalie took a break, so cute!

Jaron & West:

The very last game of the season:

The coach's wife put together these adorable trophies with each boy's name and the year. 

Weston LOVES his.

We sure loved our first season of soccer!

Play time with Nonny Kare & Grandpa Dan

My kiddos sure LOVE their grandparents.  

We talk about them often (pretty much every day) and sure wish we lived closer. I need to be better at having the kiddos call them and actually send the dozens of pictures they've drawn for them.

When the grandparents visit, the boys are in  heaven. They want to do everything with Grandma & Grandpa...from eating breakfast to playing, reading stories, etc.We soak in every second of Grandparent time that we can!!

My parents were able to stay a few extra days after Shawn's graduation. We had some fun afternoons just hanging out and relaxing.

My dad knows how to play with the best of them! He dug a huge hole and buried the boys in the woodchips. Best park day ever.

 Ryder (my little runner) actually stuck around the park instead of taking off for, oh, anywhere BUT the playground.  I need my dad around more often!

This picture cracks me up. (Or craps me up as Tave would say, ha!)

It was a little too bright for the boys! Shawn & my parents all came to Weston's soccer game. He really loved having people there to cheer him on. :)

Playing cars and legos with Grandpa:

Such a fun visit. We sure miss you Nonny & Grandpa!

Hee Haw Farms Fieldtrip!

We took a field trip to HeeHaw Farms with our little Preschool group. It was SO MUCH FUN!! 

We went at the perfect time- right as we arrived a bunch of school buses full of kiddos left, so we had the place to ourselves! 

We learned about cows/milk/dairy and all about seeds. The kids got to plant and take home a sunflower seed.  We fed and pet the animals, went on a hayride, and played in the corn box. 

It was AWESOME!!  

My kiddos especially loved that Nonny & Grandpa came along!

Ryder on the tractor:

The Corn Box - WAAAAY better than sand!!!

I couldn't get Ryder to leave, he had a blast in here:

He also loved chasing the chickens:

Enjoying the hayride:

 Isabelle, Michael, Hailey, Ryder

 Weston, Jaron, Noah

 Tave & Ryder with Grandpa

These ladies are some of the best friends I could ever ask for. We had so much fun doing preschool together this year. I just love them to pieces.

Me. Geniel. Jenna. Rachel. 

Feeding the animals:

The boys were so sweet with the little baby rabbit:

The best part of the trip was this AMAZING slide:

We loved Hee Haw Farms!!