Potty training

After only 2 days I am happy to report that little Henny is officially potty trained!

And yes, I'm nuts and decided to potty train with a 6 week old baby! But all went well, hen was definitely ready an the big kids put up with their lack of attention for a few days.

Nap time

When you are kid number four at our house sometimes your naps happen in strange places!

Baby smiles

I love me some baby smiles!!!

Merry Christmas!!

So many sweet blessings, so much fun watching them enjoy the wonder of the season!! Time with family, snow, making Christmas cookies, cuddling
In jammies, candlelight church service, opening toys...all has been perfect!

Oh yeah and they are just a little spoiled!!

Christmas photo

Our house looks like some very amateur and misguided thief ransacked the place. It was clean and organized this morning, but after school today we set about taking our Christmas card photo. We always tackle this on our own...this year getting a 2 1/2 week old and 9 month old puppy involved (while still coordinating everyone else) was quite the accomplishment. Fixing hair, getting everyone dressed, adjusting camera positions and settings and ending with a picture showing everyone's face took some effort--and unfortunately the left over mess ought to be photographed and included in the card as well ;)

Thanksgiving

So very many things to be thankful for...

Everett's here!!

Everett Gabriel was born at 653pm on Friday, November 15th (my dads birthday) weighing 6lbs 7oz and 20 inches long.

I called my doc early Friday morning because I thought I had been having contractions on and off since Thursday morning. I just wanted her to check me for piece of mind going into the weekend. At around 2pm she looked up from the exam to tell me I was dilated to 7cm with a bulging bag of water!!! We were going to have a baby that night! So off I went to pick Avery up from school, take the dog to be kenneled, called my folks so they could hurry down from kc. Then Kevin and the kids dropped me off at the hospital while they went home to wait for my parents. I had strict instructions to not have a baby until he could meet me and the hospital. Kevin arrived at around 430pm, doc broke my water, and by 653 we had our baby boy! Still shocked with how it all went down, but totally loving having our little family complete!

Happy Halloween

We had a great night! Happy Halloween!

Our life in pics

School pics, Cougar Run bike ride, Night of the Living Farm at Deanna Rose, dad with his hands full :), pumpkin patch...

There has been lots of other stuff too, call me lazy but I haven't done a very good job documenting it all!!!! Everybody is happy, healthy, and growing up too fast!! 3 weeks left and we'll get to start all over with the last of the Waters' crew :)

Soccer

Lincoln had his first soccer game tonight! Lets just say...sporting kc better reserve a spot! He totally got it and scores like 5+ goals! His coach had to take him out cause the other kids (his team and opposing team) weren't getting a chance to kick the ball!!!

It should be a fun season!

When did they get this big?!

How is it that my kids are big enough to ride bikes on our walk? I remember doing that as a kid!!

One of THOSE days....

Well this will be a fairly negative post, but in the spirit of reminding myself at a later date that life was not always rainbows and sunshine, I thought I'd post about one of those days. You know, the days that for whatever reason you can't catch a break as a mom? The days where your attitude is in the gutter-along with your kids' behavior-and there's no saving it? Well, today is one of those days. Maybe it's because I woke up with Lincoln at 130 last night because of a stubborn cough. Maybe it was because I had to clean up dog vomit out of our puppies kennel at 330. Maybe it's because the Disney channel is conspiring against me and refuses to play cartoons from 6-630am any more (which is the ONLY time of the day we watch)!!! Or possibly it's that Lincoln has soccer two nights this week, Avery has dance and I'm supposed to be having a garage sale I'm not prepared for on Friday and Saturday? Did I mention I washed Lincoln's sheets and therefore had to put sheets back on the top bunk of a bunk bed? Not fun for anyone, an Olympic event for someone 30 weeks pregnant. Our trip to target this morning to get 5 things...we brought home four of them because one mysteriously disappeared from the cart before we made it to the check out (thanks boys). Okay, rant over...future me-remember we had plenty of days like this one!

Oh and I have to be done posting because somehow someone set an alarm clock that just started ringing now that Henry is in his nap...AHHHHHH!

Back to School

Avery and Lincoln both started school last week and are doing great. Ave is a First Grader and loving some of her new privileges....like getting to go to the bathroom with a pass instead of as a whole class, having recess on the big playground, and learning to play the bells for the Christmas program. She really likes her teacher and all the kids in her class.

Lincoln is at Ave's school this year in the Pre-3 class and was SO READY for this we were all counting the days. He thinks that he is big stuff and looks so forward to his three mornings at school. He has already won his teachers and classmates over and is pretty much Mr. Popular like always. So funny how he always works to charm the pants off everyone. He has Spanish, Library, Art, and PE and thinks that it is so cool that his PE teacher is a boy!

Here are a few pics of my cuties going off to their first days! (we have school dress code, hence the polos) I should also say that Henry is thoroughly enjoying these few months as an only child with Mommy on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. We are having so much QUIET fun together!

don't know where to begin?

I haven't posted anything really as far as what is going on in our little family in so long, that I'm a little overwhelmed with where to start. Needless to say I will do my best and it may take several posts, and leaving out countless pictures!

Summer is over :( It's bitter sweet as I know we were all going a little stir crazy and ready for new faces, new routines, and a little more business. But, we sure had a GREAT summer. Everybody grew up so much it is literally insane! We had fun with family, at the pool, a trip to Worlds of Fun, and our new puppy Gracie is officially well-behaved and potty trained! Henry talks like crazy and acts much more like a 2 year old than a baby...he sings, colors, climbs (everything!!) keeps up with his brother and sister, loves to look at books, eats like a pig!, and has so much personality it is bubbling over!

Lincoln is giggly and sweet, ornery and hilarious all mixed together. For those of you My Little Pony fans, he IS Pinky-Pie. His favorite color is black, he fights and plays superheroes all the time, he sleeps on the top bunk of his bed, is almost as fast a runner as his sister, is tougher than nails (seriously UFC quality on our hands) learned all his letters and numbers, holds his pencil like a "big-boy" and can also totally drive me nuts! The boys have really struggled the last month or so with sharing a room--it seems like they like each other a little too much, and we have had our share of bedtime battles as of late.

Avery is quite the little grown up. On our Worlds of Fun trip she rode the Detonator, Patriot, and Fury of the Nile, has lost her first two teeth and now really looks like a grade schooler. She still reads like crazy and has started the Harry Potter series! She missed seeing her friends at school, but thankfully is still a momma's girl and will cuddle whenever asked. She is sweet, caring, and super sensitive always trying to make sure everything and everyone is okay. She is very responsible and considerate and we are so proud of her. Of course, she can also boss those little brothers around quite successfully and had them in dresses and makeup on more than one occasion this summer :)

I have officially entered my third trimester and feel HUGE already. Funny how things seem to stretch and ache a lot differently the fourth time around. We know we are having another little boy (although Avery holds out hope that the dr.'s were wrong), but we will have to wait and see if the red hair will carry through or not. Everett Gabriel is due November 20th, and although I would LOVE to go a little early, we hope he stays in through Lincoln's birthday on the 11th.

Here are just a few pics from our lovely summer!

typical summer day playing toys, making messes, loving our time together...except when we drove each other crazy :)

Detonator with Daddy and cousin Chloe (notice eyes closed on my little girl who barely filled in the seat)

Lincoln and cousin Parker flying Red Baron

Avery and Chloe

Me and my guys...plus Snoopy

Hen was such a trooper...he couldn't ride anything, but loved watching brother and sis

Nana and Lincoln

Look at them go!

this pretty much sums up Lincoln's life!

Dinosaur exhibit was SO COOL! Worth going to WOF just to see the dinos!

my fourth of July fam...so fun that we live somewhere that we can actually DO fireworks...they LOVE them!