first day back to work

The girls in their matching outfits...so cute!!

The drooling has begun

Raina's beginning to look a little blonde....hmmm...

First day back with Sheryl....he's exhausted!

Today was my first day back at work. No students, but meetings all day. It wasn't that difficult of a tansition, because I came up to school a few days last week and the kids have been with Sheryl on several occassions, so it was nothing new for them. It was actually kind of nice to be back to work and using my mind a little bit more than I so at home. I did start the day with a pretty bad headache which came and went throughout the day. All in all though it was anice day. Ben picked the kids us, too, so I was able to stay a little later and work in my classroom. When the kids arrived home with Ben later, Barrett was zonked out. I guess Louie and Elizabeth were there today, so he must have played and played. I actually can't even wake him up for dinner. Yikes! I'll have to keep trying though. Tomorrow is another day of work and then we are off until Tuesday when the students have their first day.

lake, family, & friends

Me, Andrea (due Dec. 6th), Kristen (due Oct. 3rd), and Renee

Last Friday the girls had their 4 month check-up. It went well. Raina still needs to go back in a few weeks for more head manipulation stuff. The doctor said he's worried about a few things and he mentioned doing some stretches with her (but then he didn't teach me how to do the stretches). Both girls are growing well, though. Lauren weighed in at 15 lbs. 2 oz. and Raina weighed in at 14 lbs. 5 oz. Raina was in the 25-50% for all measurements, whereas Lauren was in the 75th for weight and over the 100th for head size! She does have quite the noggin on her! :) After the appointment, we headed up to the lake. We figured it would be the last time we would get up there this year, so we wanted to make a go for it (even though the weatherman said it was going to rain a lot). Lucky for us the rain held off most of the day Saturday, so we were able to sit in the sun and swim. Barrett is becoming quite the little swimmer. It's so much fun to play with him in the water! I had a lot of help there, too. Cousin Jessica, Aunt Noelle, and Aunt Sheryl all helped out so much with the girls. Thank you! Also, Cousin Chad and Uncle Stu enjoyed playing with the girls and entertaining Barrett, too. It was so nice to be able to relax a bit! Sunday I had to leave in the morning (Ben stayed at the lake with the kids) to head down to a baby shower for my friend, Kristen. She is due October 3rd and just got back from a 6 month stay in Germany. It was so nice to see her. We'll be getting together again in a few weeks, so we'll be able to catch up more then. It was a very nice shower and definitely worth the long drive. Later that evening I had to venture over to Chris and Heather's for a birthday party grill. Chris just turned 27 and Heather wanted to get the family together. It was a nice winding down to the busy weekend. Today I am home with my kids enjoying one of the last days at home before going back to work. This week I have two days I have to go in for PD time at school (meetings and such all day). Then school starts Sept. 2nd. Here's to a new school year!!!

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

Today I went into school to get ready for the first day and I ran into a few colleagues. I talked to them about how I know that as soon as I go back to work I'm going to miss stuff with my kids. Sure enough, when I went to pick them up Sheryl told me that Lauren rolled over! Raina rolled and rolled all over the place and now Lauren is too. She keeps doing it too. It's so neat to see the girls moving all over the place!

A Busy Few Days

Last Thursday Dad and Trina watched my kids for a few hours so that I could get some shopping done. I met up with them later and we went to the Music on the Grand. This is where the city brings in a band and they play outside under a bandshell. Gwen was also there (Dad and Trina had her all week while her parents were vacationing). It was a nice evening watching the kids dance and play and listening to music with family.

Kelly's Bachelorette Party

Then Saturday I went to a wedding shower for a friend from high school, Kelly B. It was fun catching up with her, of course Andrea, and another friend from high school Kelly L. Kelly L. (used to be Sandborn) is expecting her first baby at the end of November so we had a lot to talk about. It was fun! Kelly B.'s wedding is in October. Both Kellys live out in Virginia, so we don't see each other much anymore, but this time was nice. Later that night we all met up again for Kelly's bachelorette party. We did more catching up, especially on the old times from middle and high school. Some of the stories are so funny! :) I did have to leave the party early though because I had to go to an engagement party for our friend, John.

Day @ Upton's

Finally, Sunday we got invited up to Kate and Matt's new house on the lake. Cheryl, a friend from college, was visiting, too, so we all spent the afternoon and evening swimming in their pool, riding on the pontoon boat, and talking over dinner. It was a nice finish to the weekend and we felt completely spoiled to be in that environment. :) Barrett was non-stop the entire afternoon and crashed as soon as the car started to move. I guess that's a good way to know if he had a good time. :) We all did!

**Remember that you can click on the pictures above (except the first one) to see more pictures!**

Weekend with the Girls

I left last Thursday night for my first weekend away from the kiddies (and my husband). It was our second annual girls weekend in Pentwater at Andrea's parents' cottage. It was so nice to get away from the every day and catch up with my friends. Every night we stayed up late just talking. Sometimes I forget how much I need that time. It was an exciting weekend with lots to talk about because Andrea is expecting her first baby in Decemeber, Kate just started her own business, and Rachel is well on her way to becoming Chicago's best lawyer!! I have to go back to teaching again in a few weeks, so that has me rattled a bit, too. Plenty to talk about...that's for sure. The first day we spent on Lake Michigan. Kate slept some, I read some, and Andrea and Rachel played some bean bags. It was nice...but there happened to be a nice breeze and none of us really noticed the effects of the sun until too late. Andrea, being pregnant, sat under an umbrella for some of the time and didn't seem to get burned, yet the rest of us fried. It was worth it though, since I never get to Lake Michigan...not much beats it. That night Kate cooked an amzing meal and we watched our video from college. Hilarious! The next day we spent time walking around Pentwater and Ludington shopping. Rachel had to head back that night, so after she left we just picked up a pizza and went back to the cottage and played games. Sunday we left pretty early and Andrea dropped me off at Ben's grandma's house. Kate and Andrea stayed for a bit to visit with my kids. I sure did miss my family, but weekends like this do not come around often. I love these girls!!

Also, while I was away Barrett turned 23 months old and the girls turned 4 months old. Here are their stats:

Barrett @ 23 mos.:
{} Is talking more and more every day
{} Favorite words: peez, dank do (thank you), sorry, hi momma, baby, dadda, papa, nigh nigh, cerweal (cereal)
{} Will often go to bed easily...after you say "go nigh nigh?" he'll walk into his room and go to bed
{} Is beginning to use his silverware more often
{} Refuses the high chair...moved on to the booster seat
{} Still loves his blankie and his thumb
{} Loves being outside, watering plants, playing in the sand, or going for a ride on the quad
{} Loves spongebob and elmo
{} Loves his sisters, gives kisses often
{} Has gone potty on the toilet a few times, but still not potty trained
{} Still drinks out of a sippy, but can use a regular cup sometimes
{} Eats pretty much anything
{} Gives great hugs
{} Loves to read book after book
{} He's always pointing to things so that you can say what it is then he repeats it

Raina @ 4 mos.:
{} Sleeps from 9 pm to 6:30 am
{} Eats 4-6 oz. every feeding (~3-4 hours)
{} Takes several naps through out the day
{} She can sleep pretty much anywhere: swing, the play mat, her crib
{} She can roll over both ways now
{} She also moves in circles too...she rolled and moved under her crib the other day...DOH!
{} She loves to kick and kick...makes it difficult to hold her on your lap
{} She can lift her head well during tummy time
{} Her head still wobbles sometimes when you hold her upright
{} She giggled for the first time a week or so ago
{} It takes you a little bit to get her to smile...it's like she's not so sure of you at first
{} She has beautiful dimples when she does smile
{} She's smaller than Lauren (they go to the dr. next week)
{} She is very talkative
{} She doesn't love the bath, but she'll take one now without crying
{} Getting cuter and cuter every day!

Lauren @ 4 mos.:
{} Sleeps from 9 pm to 6:30 am
{} Eats 4-6 oz. every feeding (~3-4 hours)
{} Takes several naps through out the day (make sure you get to her before she gets over tired otherwise she is very difficult to soothe)
{} She prefers to sleep in the swing, but you can put her in the crib and she'll fall asleep on her own there, too
{} Cannot roll over yet, but she's working on it...she can get to her side pretty well
{} She loves to grab for toys
{} She can lift her head well during tummy time
{} She has very good head control when you hold her upright
{} She giggled for the first time a week or so ago
{} She loves to give smiles!! So adorable!
{} Lauren is growing so fast I think she hit a growth spurt recently because she would eat 9-10oz. at feedings sometimes...whoa!
{} Loves to coo and make conversation
{} She loves the bath!
{} Getting cuter and cuter every day!

Some Great Pictures

Lauren

Raina

Barrett gave me this rose (it's also the one in the pics of the girls)

Staring at their brother

Barrett crawled in between the girls!

He HAD to wear these toy construction goggles in the pool!

He posed like this all by himself. He's been putting his finger to his mouth like that a lot recently and saying "hmmm" while he's thinking....super cute!

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

Here's to flipping!

Yesterday I had the girls on the floor doing "tummy time" and Ben and Barrett were wrestling off to the side. I was watching the boys and when I looked back over at the girls Raina was on her side...all by herself! Then I just kept watching her and she flipped all the way over! Yea! She flipped from her belly to her back! Now we just need to get Lauren to do it! Man, it has been an exciting week with all the nights in a row of full night sleep and now this...wow!

On a not-so-good note, Barrett has a cold. His nose started running a few days ago and now it won't stop. His spirits are still up, which is good. He just has a yucky nose. The only down side really at this point is that he constantly wants to kiss the girls, but he'll kiss them before I can get to him to wipe his nose, so I end up wiping the girls heads instead. Gross, I know. I think it just comes with having kids! :)

The Blond is Back

Before

After

I Don't Want to Jinx it.....BUT

the girls have slept through the night again!! Lauren has actually slept through the night the past three nights (Raina slept through the night three nights ago and last night....the night in between she woke up one time). I feed them at their regular feeding times throughout the day, stretching the feedings to at least 3 hours apart (no more than 4 hours...but they can hardly wait that long). I was feeding them earlier than that sometimes and the feedings were becoming "snack" feedings and not really filling them up. So now when they eat, they are hungry and they eat well. Then at the end of the day I feed them before I go to bed at 10 pm. Even if they just ate at 8 pm, I'll still feed them at 10 pm for a last minute filler. This has seemed to work the past few nights. Raina's waking up a few nights ago was due to the fact that she didn't eat well during the day. She has been spitting up a lot and she sounds slightly congested. Yesterday she ate better and she slept through the night. Lauren, on the other hand, has been consistently eating well, hardly spits up, and has been sleeping through the night. :)

Yesterday I went to an Osteopathic Manipulator to fix my hip problem. Since delivering my girls I have had a lot of pelvic and hip pain. I haven't been able to sleep on my sides or work out. Even if I went on a long grocery shopping trip I would be waddling by the end. It was bad. Well, the doctor concluded that I have a short leg! My left leg is shorter than my right (I guess it's been this way since puberty) so now I have to wear a heel lift in my left shoe for the rest of my life! Pregnancy loosens everything up and then after pregnancy things tighten back up. In my case things tightened back up, but exaggerated the already existing problem. The short leg made my entire body have to compensate so my body is one long S shape. The doctor also said that on top of the curve, I am also twisted. All this can explain my migraines and my TMJ (my jaw problems), too. He did some manipulating (which actually hurt at some points) and hopefully I start seeing a difference. I have to go back in two weeks for a check up.

Today I go in to get my hair done. This last pregnancy dramatically changed my hair color (I was blond before and now I am quite brunette), so I am going back to being blond. Pregnancy hormones do strange things to your body, I must say!

A Weekend Up North

Cabin and Williams Wedding

We went up to my cabin early Thursday morning to hang out with family and friends. Friday Sue and Del arrived to help out with the kids. Saturday was the wedding over in Interlochen for Trevor and Katie. Sunday was Father's Day so we left the cabin early and then headed over to Sue and Del's for dinner. It was a busy, busy few days, but so much fun! Also, on a positive note, the girls slept through the night last night. I think they were as worn out as we were! :)

Having family fun

Bumbos and Swingsets

Here are some recent pics of our new swing set and the girls' new bumbos. Barrett absolutely loves the swing set and I think all we need now is a sandbox for him and he would be all set. He literally could be outside playing in sand or climbing things all day everyday. :) As for the bumbos, the girls love them! They make cooing sounds and smile so much when they are in them. I think they like being able to sit upright and see what's going on around them. It also helps me to work on keeping them awake after feedings. I want the sleeping through the night thing to become a regular occurrence (which it hasn't happen again since that one night).

Grandpa & Grandma w/their 5 Grandbabies!

So this is what it feels like....

to get a full nights sleep!!! Yes, you read correctly, the girls slept a straight 7 hours last night!!! Yea!!! Eight weeks to the day. This may not be regular yet, but I'll keep my fingers crossed that it becomes more normal. At least its a start. :)

On Thursday night we went over to Grandma and Grandpa's house to celebrate Sue and Pat's birthdays. It was a nice evening with lots of family and food. The boys got to play outside on the merry-go-round that Grandpa made. Then yesterday cousin Dewey and I went into town and walked the river trail. We also went to the local park and stopped by my mother's tree. It was nice. Barrett then had a haircut appointment. It was so cute watching him sit there sucking his sucker while his hair got cut. He was such a good little boy.


The boys on the merry-go-round.

Say 'Cheese'

My kids by my mother's tree on the river.