So much going on....

Potters Park 08

Last Tuesday Grandma Sue had the great idea of packing up the kids and going to the zoo. We invited Sheryl and her daughter Katie to come along, too, since there were a lot of kids to watch. So off we went with Barrett, Raina, Lauren, Louie, and Elizabeth. We had the best time and I loved watching Barrett's expressions as he saw a new animal for the first time. It was a great afternoon with perfect weather.

County Fair

Then on Thursday Ben and I decided to take Barrett to the county fair. Dad and Trina watched the girls so Barrett got mommy and daddy all to himself! :) It was a fun evening taking turns riding rides with Barrett (we bought him an unlimited pass and then tickets for us) or just watching him play around in some other kid toys or looking at animals. By the end of the night he was zonked out!

Cooper Wedding

Then last night we went to our friends' Dawn and Bob's wedding. It was the perfect day for an outside wedding. There were lots of great friends there and we had a great time. The bride and groom seemed very happy and in love. Congrats to the Coopers!

**Click on the pictures above to view all the pictures from that event!**

My Babes

A picture is worth a thousand words!

Holding hands

Smoosh face

This is the face you see when Barrett is about to wrestle you...watch out!

Chris and Heather's Wedding

Barrett with his buddies Cayden and Damian

Barrett and me before the ceremony. I was a reader!!!

Yesterday was Chris and Heather's wedding. The ceremony was at St. Patrick's and then the reception was in DeWitt. I was a reader in the ceremony so Ben (who was the best man) and I along with our kids went to the rehearsal the night before. I was nervous realizing that I was going to be speaking in front of so many people and in a microphone, no less! Ben was quick to remind me though that he had to give his best man speech which was much tougher. I guess he was right! :) The ceremony was beautiful, but of course I left my camera in the diaper bag which was several rows back with my kids (Sheryl, Ben's aunt was watching them during the ceremony), so I have no pictures of the event. :( After the ceremony, we waited for pictures, since they wanted a few with the whole family. At this point I am feeling pretty good...feeling like I had thought of everything. Ben's cousin even got our car keys to drive our car to the reception hall, since we were both going to be riding the bus. Then after the pictures were taken, I was starting to head over to the air-conditioned building next door to feed my babies before they were to be picked up by my dad and stepmom. It was then that I realized that all the baby stuff that was to be handed over for the evening to my dad was in the car that I sent to the reception hall! I had no formula to feed one of my girls and they were ready to eat! So I quickly called my stepmom and she said "Guess what?!? We're already at the church! Yea" and I then had to ask them to quickly head out to where our car was (thankfully it hadn't made it all the way to the reception hall yet) and retrieve the overnight supplies. So while I waited for them to return, I continued over to the other building deciding that I was going to have to nurse simultaneously so that the party bus didn't have to wait for me (although they still had to...sorry). So here I am in this building with many windows completely exposed nursing my two girls at the same time! One of the bridesmaids stayed back to help move the girls if I needed them to be move, etc. One too many people now know me on a way more personal level! It's one of those memories that I'd soon rather forget. Anyway, Sue and Del stayed back with our kids and waited for my dad and Trina to arrive so that we could move along to the bus. Once on the bus I finally relaxed a bit and began to enjoy myself. The reception was also very beautiful. The hall was decorated with many deep pink roses and petals. Another mishap that occurred was that during the fiasco after the ceremony my camera got thrown back in the diaper bag that was now with my dad and Trina, so I don't have any pictures of the night, either!!! Can you believe that?!?! People have told me that they'd email me some, so I'll post some when I get them. Ben's best man speech was wonderful and made many people tear up. It was a special moment, indeed. We danced and danced and Ben and I even dramatized the Meatloaf song "Paradise by the Dashboard Light". It was fun! Congrats to Chris and Heather.

Silly Boy!

He climbed on in!

He climbed in this toy and got out then got back in with his blankie. He stayed here for about 30 minutes watching cartoons!! I asked him if he wanted out and he said "nope". :)

Yesterday I decided to get out a few toys for the girls even though the girls are still on the small side. I wanted to wipe the toys down and get them ready to be used again. Barrett took in onto himself to climb into both of the toys and entertain himself. He was a bit big and kept getting stuck on the way into the toys, but once he was in he had a blast. It was so funny to watch him in his "old" toys. I think after multiple attempts at climbing in them and getting stuck, though, he finally believed me that these toys are for the babies! :)

On another note, Barrett has started using the potty at least once a day!! He tells us he has to go and then we rush him to the toilet. Hopefully it's a good start. We'll just have to wait and see!

2 Month Check-up

Yesterday I took all three kids in to see the doctor. Barrett just needed to get his ears check because he had an ear infection a few weeks ago. He got a clean bill of health! Then the girls had their 2 month physical (they'll be three months old this Friday). Raina weighed in at 10 lbs. 10 oz. and Lauren weighed in at 12 lbs. 1 oz! I missed their lengths and their percentiles...it was quite busy in the room. Grandma Sue came along to give me a hand, which I was very thankful for since we had a lot going on in the doctor's room. The girls did get a round of immunizations, which made them cry and almost me, too. It's so hard to watch your kids cry like that! Overall their health is great. They are both a little stuffy, but they say this is common in newborns. Here are their stats @ 2 months:

Raina:
**Weighs 10 lsn. 10 oz.
**Can roll over from her belly to her back
**Can lift her head all the way off the floor during tummy time
**While on her back, moves is a complete circle around and around
**Loves to suck on her hands...would prefer to suck a thumb or something, but just can't quite decide which finger would work best! :)
**Spits up often!!! (and a lot)
**Still loves to curl her legs up, but her arms have to have room to spread out
**Sleeps from about 10:30 pm to 5:30 am
**Alternates breastfeeding and formula throughout the day eating about 3 oz. at each feeding
**Loves to smile and coo

Lauren:
**Weighs 12 lbs. 1 oz.
**Working on her neck strength, almost able to lift it all the way
**LOVES to coo and make conversation
**Doesn't really spit up, but she makes a lot of other nosies in the opposite end!! Never knew a baby could make such loud noises!! Hee Hee
**Sleeps very still, doesn't move much
**Sleeps from about 10:30 pm to 5:30 am
**Alternates breastfeeding and formula throughout the day eating about 3 oz. at each feeding

Mini Vacay

4th of July Weekend 2008

We went up to Ben's grandma's house (she lives on a lake) last Wednesday and came home yesterday. It was a nice extended stay and we were able to rest and relax and get some sun.

The first day we were there a big storm rolled through and cut the power. We had to "rough" it and use kerosene lamps and the outhouse. The power didn't come back on until Friday afternoon! We did get a few generators hooked up on Thursday, though, so we didn't have to rough it for too long. Thursday was a day of relaxing in the sun, then that night Barrett went home with Aunt Sheryl to spend the 4th with Ryan and Alissa and their boys. Barrett went to the local parade and rode on the ponies and the small ferris wheel. Alissa took pictures, so when I get those I'll share. Friday there was a big golf tournament that the men and a few women participated in. When they returned there was a celebration and a handing out of awards. It was fun. This is an annual thing that they are already planning for next year. Saturday and Sunday were more sun filled days (honestly couldn't of asked for a better weekend for weather). The days were filled with boat rides, water splashing fights, and even a painted turtle race! There were so many memories made this past weekend! The girls were great and Barrett had a lot of fun.

Just a Few Pics!

Raina

Lauren

Raina & Lauren