birthday, eggs, and lots of food

Girls Birthday and Easter 09

***Click on the picture above for more pictures from the weekend!***

This past weekend was so busy, but so much fun!!! It all started on Friday when I took the kids over to Grandpa and Grandma Spitzley to decorate eggs. Barrett loved this! His hands were dyed some many colors by the end. He's getting to be so interactive and interesting! He talks so much and he is just so smart! Then, Saturday the girls turned one!! So we had a birthday party at our house. A lot of family and some friends came by to help celebrate. It was so nice visiting with everyone, although I think I need another get together just to get more time with everyone. Hosting can be exhausting work! I did have a lot of help though, which made clean up that much more bearable. Thanks to everyone that came to party and clean up! :) They girls got a lot of great gifts, several of which were summer clothes....now I can't wait for summer!! I can't wait to get them all dressed in their cute clothes! And finally, Sunday was Easter so we went over to Grandma and Grandpa Spitzleys again to enjoy a lovely brunch with family. The food was amazing and I overinduldged. It was worth it! :) There was an egg hunt outside, but unfortunately Barrett was overtired and was yelling at his cousin Louie whenever Louie went for "his" eggs. Barrett didn't quite understand that they were everyone's eggs. Anyway, that was resolved and all the kids went for a ride on the homemade merry-go-round. Afterward we got all the kids in a pic together. This was followed by several kid naps and lots of conversation. I was definitely beat by the end of the weekend, but I wouldn't have it any other way! Now I'm back to work with only about 8 more weeks to go!

Girls stats @12 months:

Raina
~Squirrley (loves to cruise around on the couch)
~Little monkey (climbs everything)
~Says "what dat" all the time
~Still prefers crawling, although she has taken a few steps
~Has great dimples and blue eyes
~Sucks her two middle fingers on her right hand
~Loves to cuddle when tired
~Is very attached to mommy and often has the "hold me, hold mes"
~Loves to play with others and be involved
~Some hair, slightly brown
~Eats three solid meals a day and still takes about 2 bottles of cow's milk
~Naps twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon for a total of about 3 hours althogether
~Goes to bed around 8 and then is up again around 7
~Loves food and will shovel it just like Barrett used to

Lauren
~Is walking!
~Prefers to sit and play quietly
~Can mimic very well
~Can say baby, momma, dadda
~Barely any hair and big blue eyes
~Prefers to be laid down when tired
~Loves her momma and dadda
~~Eats three solid meals a day and still takes about 2 bottles of cow's milk
~Naps twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon for a total of about 3 hours althogether
~Goes to bed around 8 and then is up again around 7
~Is a dainty eater most of the time and she takes her time eating
~Has a great smile

I am not sure how much the girls weigh, but they go to the doctor tomorrow for their check up, so we'll find out then. What an awesome year it has been. In many ways time has gone slowly, but then in other ways it has really flown by! I love my kids so much. Barrett is growing so fast and doing many amazing things all the time and the girls are doing well. I couldn't be happier!

Vacation

Florida 09

Click on the above picture for more pictures from our trip...sorry there aren't many. We were in our bathing suits most of the time and people really don't need to see that!

Yesterday we arrived back home after a vacation in Florida. It was a nice, relaxing four days in the sun. We stayed with my grandparents and Rex and Monica were there, too. We spent a few days lounging by the pool, shelling, and playing tennis. One afternoon we decided to go kayaking through the mangroves. That was fun. There were huge hermit crabs, strange fish, and even a few fish that were jumping out of the water! At one point, about a dozen fish jumped right alongside Rex and Monica's kayak! It was crazy! The last day was a bit on the chilly side (around 60-65 degrees) so we decided to bike around the island and do some shopping. It was a nice way to wrap up the vacation. By the time we were suppose to leave, I was ready, simply because I was missing my kidlets. I was so anxious the entire trip home, because I couldn't stand waiting to see them anymore. It was like Christmas morning! When we finally arrived home, Grandma Sue had the girls napping, Barrett playing, and dinner in the oven! Amazing! What a way to come home! We couldn't have done this vacation without all the help of so many people who watched our kids. A BIG THANK YOU for helping us out (you know who you are), the vacation really rejuvenated us!

Visit with Edin's

Yesterday we headed down to visit with Jocelyn, Jacob, Gwen, and baby Emmett. It was Ben's first time meeting little Emmett. Emmett is doing great and so are the parents (although alittle sleepy). :) It was a nice visit. Jocelyn and I went to the local secondhand baby store and did a little shopping and then came home to watch the Wolverines (too bad they couldn't pull out a win). We headed hoem after a really nice dinner. All the crying kidlets prevented us from staying and visiting for longer.

Wrestling with dad

Lauren

Raina

playtime

Barrett holding Kaylynn (he was so sweet with her)

Lauren and Raina

Barrett running in circles with Damian and Cayden

Kim, me, and Jenny after a night out

This past weekend was filled with playtime. Saturday my good friend Andrea came by with her 4 month old daughter, Kaylynn. It was so great visiting with her and watching our kids interact. Barrett was so gentle with Kaylynn and wanted to hold her all the time. The girls would just look at Kaylynn with those cute curious eyes. It was fun. Then later that night I loaded up the kids (Ben was down in OH watching his friend Grey fight in UFC 96) and headed over to Mark and Sheryl's. They had some family over and their grandsons. Barrett absolutely loves playing with these boys! They played swords, wrestled, ran around and around. It was fun to watch them play. The girls seemed to want to play, too, but they're still on the small side. These boys can play a little rough sometimes. :) Once the kids were put down for the night, Kim, Chris, Jenny, and myself decided to go out for a bit. It was a late one, but so much fun. I'm still tired though!

new baby and big babies

Aunt Britta with the new little man

He's just so darn cute

The new momma who just kept saying "I'm so happy"

Proud daddy

A bit tied down at first, but was back with his parents later that night

Ben with his lovely goddaughter, Mykenna

The life jacket was a life saver! Barrett is fearless in water!

The girls taking a break from swimming

Relaxing Lauren

Raina climbed in to the cupboard and Miss Lauren followed

What a busy, busy weekend (and beginning of the week...sorry for the delayed post). Friday night Kate and Matt came over and we chatted and chatted and eventually played some Euchre. It was sooooo nice to visit with them, because it had simply been just too long. I forgot to take pictures, sorry. Then Saturday a bunch of us decided to check out a few hotel rooms in town so that we could use the pool. It was so much fun to get the kids in the water and splash around. It was the first time the girls had been in a pool and they seemed to like it okay (although they were on the bit tired side to begin with). On the other hand, Barrett LOVED it! He would jump of the side of the pool, sometimes without anyone in the water to catch him! The life jacket was necessary, indeed! There was always someone nearby, but I could not believe how fearless he seemed with the water. We'll have to be extra careful this summer.

Later that night, after returning home and putting the kids to bed, I got a phone call from Jocelyn. It was around 11:00pm and she told me that she was having contractions. I couldn't believe it! It was so exciting! We decided to wait another hour and see what happens. Around midnight Jacob called me and told me that they were heading to the hospital. I told him to call me when they got admitted. So needless to say I couldn't sleep. I waited and waited and decided to call Jacob back. It went right to voicemail. I called the hospital and they told me that she had been admitted (this was around 2 am). I decided that I better get on the road, because I had an hour and a half drive. As I was backing out of the driveway Jacob called me. He said something about ruptured membranes, but that is all I heard. The connection was breaking up, so I just told him that I was on my way (I found out later that he was trying to tell me that she was going in for a c-section). The whole drive over there I tried calling Jacob (only to reach his voicemail every time) and I called the hospital and all they kept telling me is that they are not by a phone at this time. Ugh! I was panicing, because I couldn't seem to get any answers or any updates. So I finally arrived at the hospital (longest drive EVER!) around 3:30 am. When I got to the receptionist I asked for Jocelyn and she pulled up the computer screen and all I saw was one heart moniter (yikes...I didn't know what to think) and she said that she needed to call him to see if he wanted to come talk to me (I was unsure who the 'him' was...I think I was tired...she had to tell me that she was talking about Jacob). Jacob came out and all my worried went away when he smiled and told me that the baby was already here! Emmett Mac was born at 2:30 am!!! I went back with Jacob to see Jocelyn, who at this point was in the recovery area, and then proceeded to see Emmett for the first time. He was in the NICU due to the fact that the cord had been wrapped around his neck twice (the reason for the emergency c-section). He was hooked up to an IV and oxygen, but by the time I was there he looked pink and healthy. WHat an amazing thing a new baby is! Anyway, a short time later (around 6 am) I went back to Joss and Jacob's house to sleep for a fwe hours and then I went back to the hospital around 10:30 am. Soon after they visitors started to arrive. Emmett was still in the NICU at this point so people had to go back one at a time to see him. I heard later that Emmett was released from the NICU around 7pm, so he was back wiith his parents for the first night. What a day!

Thank you Jocelyn and Jacob for letting me share in this very special time in your lives. I feel truly honored.

And it all started with a little dirt...

This past weekend was great. Although my kids kept me busy cleaning I had a great weekend. It all started when I thought Ben was watching the girls, but he was actually changing Barrett's diaper. When he was done he told me that I should check on the girls and to my surprise they had both gotten into the potted plants! Raina wasn't dirty, but Lauren was covered in it and it appeared that she may have even eaten a little bit! Yuck!

Then Sunday morning as we were getting ready to go to the GR Museum, Barrett decided that it would be fun to paint his face with my lipstick. He also thought it would be fun to open my vanity drawer and "color" everything in it! Lipstick is pretty much impossible to clean, but it sure was funny. Afterwards, we headed off to the museum with most of Ben's family. A new dinosaur exhibit had just opened up and we thought that Barrett would get a kick out of it. For the most part he loved it (especially the digging of fossils...rice covered bones), but the t-rex and the graphic hunting scene did startle him a bit. One dinosaur even moved and appeared to look at him...he decided to then take a few steps back. We toured the museum and the headed back to the in-laws for dinner. It was a very nice day with family.

Dinosaurs at GR Museum 2.22.09

Click on picture above to look at more pictures.

surgery

Grandpa Delbert with the girls after plowing our driveway

Gwen's "cheese" face

The best group shot I could get

The chaos that is trying to get a group shot

This weekend actually started on Friday since I didn't have to go to work, but rather I had to take Ben in to have sinus surgery. His sinuses were almost completely filled with "stuff" (for lack of a better word) and he needed to have his drainage openings made larger and his sinuses cleaned out. We were at the hospital a total of about 6 hours and then we were able to head for home. Ben was pretty out of it that night and into the next day. We were lucky enough to have Ben's parents watch the kids that night and even the next night. The girls did come home for a few hours while Sue went to a wedding, but then they spent the night with them again. Saturday while the girls were home, Barrett went with Aunt DiDi to vist with cousin Louie. Delbert and Mark came over to shovel and plow out our driveway. They ended up staying and playing some Euchre which was a lot of fun. I haven't played cards in a while. Then today we went to pick up the kids and came back home because the Edin crew were coming for a visit. Lynne and Mike came over too, because Gwen had been with them most of the week and they needed to drop her off with her mom and dad. It was a crazy afternoon and everyone got to see what it's like to be in our home on regular basis. Barrett throwing a tantrum, pushing his sisters, Lauren needing almost constant attention, Raina speed walking around every bit of furniture she can get to, etc. Crazy! Needless to say the girls fell asleep early tonight and Barrett needs to, but refuses. Ah, the life of a toddler.

Anyway, I never posted the girls 10 month stats, so here you go.

Raina @ 10 months:
::weighs about 19 lbs.
::sucks her two middle right hand fingers
::loves to cuddle when tired
::cruises around tables and furniture
::can walk while holding on to something (toy stroller)
::pulls herself up
::crawls everywhere (less army and more on all fours)
::has 7 teeth (4 on top and 4 on bottom)
::hair appears to be darker and has a faux hawk hairstyle
::blue eyes
::dimples
::loves to wrestle with Barrett and be tickled
::wants to always play with the "big" kids
::very curious and busy
::shovels food into her mouth
::naps twice a day
::drinks formula two-three times a day (4 oz during the day and 6 oz right before bed)
::sleeps on her tummy
::very independent when it comes to everything (drinking from a sippy, feeding herself, playing with toys)
::super adorable and very funny!

Lauren @ 10 months
::weighs about 20 lbs.
::loves her blanket
::prefers to just be left alone in crib when sleepy
::rubs her eyes when shes tired
::can pull herself up
::slowly cruises around things
::crawls everywhere (beginning to get tummy off of the floor)
::has 5 teeth (three on top and two on bottom)
::barely any hair, but appears to be lighter
::blue eyes
::prefers to play alone, easily bothered by Raina or Barrett running into her
::can hold her own bottle
::naps twice a day
::drinks formula two-three times a day
::loves to eat and feed herself
::takes her time eating, but always manages to stuff a lot down in her lap
::can walk while holding onto something
::loves to bounce while sitting (dance to music)
::loves to play patty-cake and peek-a-boo
::super lovable and precious!

crazy, fun weekend

Jocelyn and Me

Night out with the ladies

Cousin Jenny and Sheryl, the birthday girl!

Barrett with his owie lip

This past weekend was a lot of fun. Friday I left straight from work and headed over to Kyle and Melissa's house. We talked, ate pizza and got ready to go out for the night. Jocelyn, Cheryl, Kele, and Heather all met us there and we socialized some more before heading out. Jocelyn was so kind and gave us a ride (although we all felt horrible for her thinking that it must be so hard to not be going out with us). We definitely missed having her with us. Anyway, we had a great night dancing and mingling. There was a small situation with a camera and some clumsiness, but we all managed to get home safely. What a night!

Then Saturday was Sheryl's surprise 50th birthday party. Sherly is Ben's aunt and the babysitter of our kids. It was a great surprise and she had no idea that it was going to happen. Good job to her daughters who put on a great party. I also got to visit with an old friend, Lottie. I hadn't seen her in close to 9 months, so some catching up was necessary. It'd been far to long. We already have plans to get together again soon, so that will be nice.

Yesterday, Barrett came home with a fat lip, so I thought I'd share a pic of that, too. It's his first real injury and supposedly he fell on a box at the sitters. This morning he said it didn't hurt any more, so that's good. Oh, my poor little man.

fun, fun , fun

Raina in her sweater dress and fuzzy boots

Lauren in her dress and boots

Barrett on the way to Tatym's 1st birthday party

Andrea and Cheryl came to visit on Sunday

Gwen, Sammy, Raina, Lauren, Tatym, & Barrett (trying to poke the birthday girl)

Happy Birthday, Tatym!

This past weekend was so much fun! Saturday we headed over to Troy to celebrate Tatym's 1st birthday. It was a busy afternoon and evening, but great catching up with everyone. There were a lot of kids and we kept saying how much times have changed! :)

Then on Sunday, the Simons and Weages came to visit. It was so nice to see baby Kaylynn again, too. She is 3 months old now and starting to smile and fill out. Time goes so fast. It was a relaxing afternoon and a great way to close out the weekend.

Movin' and Shakin'

has it been 9 months already?

Chillin' in their denim

Too cute

Lauren @ 9 months old

Raina @ 9 months old

The girls are 9 months old today! Crazy to think although at times it has felt like they have been here forever other times I realize that these are the last of their baby stages. They are busier than ever, but so interactive and entertaining! Here are their stats:

Raina @ 9 months:
::She has 7 teeth (4 on top and 3 on the bottom)
::She sleeps through the night (8 pm - 7 am)
::She takes two naps throughout the day, one morning and one afternoon nap
::She sucks her two middle fingers (preferably her right hand, but will sometimes suck her left)
::She loves to be rocked, but can often go without (she's more cuddly than Lauren)
::She army crawls everywhere, yet she can also do the standard hands-knees crawl too
::Loves to create obstacle courses (she'll crawl over Lauren all the time or through the bottom of the exersaucers)
::She can pull herself up to things (her crib was lowered because I found her standing in her crib one morning)
::She is a good eater...she eats 3 solid meals a day, with 3 formula feedings throughout the day
::She eats like Barrett does, though, which means that she likes to shove as much food in her mouth at one time as possible
::Her hair is starting to come in although it sort of looks like a faux hawk right now
::She likes to play peek-a-boo and she thinks it's really funny when you suck on her fingers
::She has a great laugh that comes out when you tickle her tummy
::She love to say "momma" and I claim it as her first word (Ben would argue that point, but whatever)
::She wiggles and squirms everywhere and I call her my little runt
::I love her so much and feel so very blessed to have her in my life

Lauren @ 9 months
::She has 2 teeth (two on bottom)
::She sleeps through the night (8 pm - 7 am)
::She takes two naps throughout the day, one morning and one afternoon nap
::She loves silky things
::She prefers to just be left alone in her crib to sleep
::She can army crawl and roll to get wherever she wants to go
::She is very flexible
::She gets frustrated with crawling sometimes
::She loves to just lay on the floor (or sit) and play with something
::She loves to stand, but cannot pull herself up on her own yet
::She is a great eater...she eats 3 solid meals a day plus 3 formula feedings thoughout the day
::She loves to feed herself
::Her hair is pretty minimal right now...my little baldy
::She loves to play pee-a-boo and she loves to yell at the "kid" in the mirror
::She also can say "momma"
::She is a smiler and giggler
::I love her so much, too. How lucky I feel each and every day!

I don't want to forget about my little man, either. Barrett is so much fun these days. He is talking all the time and saying and doing the funniest things. He loves to build and he will often come over and ask "Mom, build" and he'll take my hand and bring me over to his blocks. I love it that he wants to sit and play with me! I loves to watch his toons and there are still times that he wants to just sit on the couch on my lap and watch. I love those moments. He laughs a lot and helps around the house with things when he can. He is starting to say please and thank you without probing him. He loves to run, wrestle, play with his tools and dinosaurs, and play outside on the big toys. He is definitely all boy, but he is still my sweet little baby. It's incredible watching him grow and change. :) My kids are the best!

Sprinkle & Snow

Jocelyn and Me at her baby sprinkle

Barrett asleep on the quad

Yesterday I met up with Monica and Erica to head down to Royal Oak to attend my sister, Jocelyn's baby sprinkle (baby number two, so not a shower...just a sprinkle..heehee). The weather was horrible (good job Monica who drove there and back), but we managed to get there in no time. It was a fantastic afternoon of chatting and laughing. I had a great time with some ladies. It's always fun to just have some girl time. Jocelyn seems ready to go and I think she's feeling like she is in the hoem stretch now. I just can't believe that she is going to have a baby boy so soon! I can't wait! The drive home was worse then the drive there, but we just took our time and enjoying the company. I think it took us about 3 hours to get home, but it didn't feel like it because I was having such a good time. :) Monica and Erica stayed at my house for a little while and we played Taboo (with Ben). It was a fun way to end the night.

Today Ben decided to take Barrett outside to play in the snow and go for a quad ride. About 30 minutes (maybe) of being outside Ben came inside to tell me to grab the camera. I walk outside and I saw Barrett on the quad fast asleep! He was zonked out. Too funny. :)

Barrett & the Weasel

More Christmas Festivities

The boys waiting to go sledding

Barrett and his helmet

Barrett had to try the helmet on right away!

Spitzley X-mas and Hanging out with Smiths

Last Sunday was our Christmas with Ben's immediate family. It was a nice day, yet with two sick babies and a sick husband it was not as ideal as one would hope for. One of the big presents of the night was Barrett's new snowmobile helmet (for his kitty cat sled). He loved it immediately and had us put it right on him (check out the pics when you get a chance).

Today the sun was shining and Ben was feeling better so he invited Sue over (she was watching Louie and Elizabeth for the day) to take Barrett and Louie sledding. They boys had a great time outside. I must say, it was hilarious watching Barrett walk around in his large helmet! He waddled somewhat, but he just loved the helmet! There are some great pictures of this also, just click the bottom picture above. After sledding the boys came in and we all played around the house for a bit. It was a fun afternoon!