Done at last!

At last the back yard is done. A play area for the kids; green, pretty grass; and a privacy (or as I like to call it "containment") fence. The play structure is a bit of a tease at this point since the grass has to grow for a week or so before we let the dog and kids out on it. Ellie just gazes longingly at her "park" from the kitchen window. And bonus, we can no longer see the wreck of a backyard in the empty house next to us! It has been enjoyable to sit on the deck and listen to the people walking by on the path commenting on how great the yard looks this week. I'm really glad I didn't hear any of the comments from passers by over the last year though, I can only imagine what they were saying about our dirt farm.

Look, it's grass!

The Landscapers are here at last!

The "before" shot. This is what my children have been playing in for a year now. Depressing.

Nick's First Day of Kindergarten!!

Nick started Kindergarten today, I'm in shock!! He was very excited to go back to school thankfully. These are the post-first day photos. I missed a "before" photo because, on our way out the long lost landscapers finally arrived to put in our back lawn. Surprise!! Talk about chaos on the first day of school! We both survived the drop off without tears, although I dearly wanted to cry. Ellie burst into tears when we hit the car, crying "I want my Nicky"! I almost joined in then. He seemed a little shell-shocked when we went back to pick him up and it was a couple of hours before he was ready to talk about his first day. Nick was stunned to discover that there was no snack time at kindergarten, you "can't go to recess until the little hand is on the six", his friend Brady from Pre-K is not in his class this year, and there are way too many girls in his class! Hopefully the rest of the week will go better for him....

William at 4 Months

Our sweet little guy has been an unhappy camper for the last couple of weeks. He is being treated for reflux now and the meds seem to be finally working today. His first attempts at rice cereal resulted in more gastric distress, so that's on hold for now. He is working on the two bottom front teeth, making for some absolutely miserable days. And to top it all off, he just got 4 shots this week. Thank God for Tylenol! When he isn't uncomfortable and in pain he is still a very laid back and happy little baby. Rolls like a pro both directions, reaches for and grabs anything, and then shoves everything into his mouth. To our amazement he seems to enjoy ramming his entire fist into his mouth to the point of gagging. Still can't understand why babies do that... Hard to say what his sleep pattern is at the present, once we get the teething and reflux under control I'll let you know! His hair is getting really long and has pretty curls at the ends. People keep telling me what a beautiful baby girl I have, despite the fact that he is wearing blue clothes with trucks or dinosaurs on them. Maybe I should cut his hair?! (I haven't mentioned the mix up to Paul or he would probably be really upset.) I figure there is only a very small window of time where it is acceptable to be a "pretty boy" and this is it!

Our Crazy Kids

William was hanging out in his very cool Bumbo seat this morning when the big kids in various states of undress decided to pose with him.

Our Playdate in the Mountains

We met our friends at their new house in Evergreen for a playdate today. Sam and Nick are best of friends from preschool and we are trying to get them together once a month. Evergreen is quite a drive from our house, it took us about an hour and 10 minutes to get there. But the kids did great in the car (and so did Mom even though she had no idea where she was going and is nervous driving the winding mountain roads). A fine time was had by all, the big kids played pirates on their 2 acres of mountain land, while the Moms sat with the babies and had some much needed adult conversation!

First Food

With William officially 16 weeks, we decided to see if he was ready for rice cereal. He wasn't too sure with the first mouthful, but after that he loved it! Unfortunately it was a short lived experiment as it made him very gassy the next day. We'll try again next month.

Wild Baby "Bill"

Thanks to our friends at CCCS, William has been properly outfitted in western gear. From the Wrangler t-shirt and diaper cover to John Deere cowboy boots. Now if we can just teach him how to rope and ride this summer he'll be ready for the next Stock Show! Thank you to all!

We love the Bumbo Seat!

At last, William has something to call his own. Something that wasn't a hand-me-down from his siblings. He loves the new Bumbo seat as he can sit upright all by himself and play with toys. What a great invention! I wish they had made these when Nick and Ellie were babies...

Fraulein, Part 2

When we first tried my childhood dirndl in May, Ellie was too inconsolable for photos as she didn't feel "pretty". But this morning she came downstairs with the dirndl, and wanted to wear it all day?! Apparently she now thinks it looks like Snow White's costume. So here she is, Fraulein Eleanor, aka Snow White.

Bear Lake Scenery

Ellie's First Hike!

We drove up to Bear Lake in the Rocky Mountain National Park today to let the kids stretch their legs. Ellie actually made it walking all of the way around the lake! Her first official hike! We started up the trail to Dream Lake too, when about halfway there Nick decided he was done. William was perfectly happy to ride along in the front carrier and was asleep by the time we made it back to the car.

William at 14 Weeks

William is quite the mover these days. He rolls over as soon as we put him down, which makes diaper changes interesting. He also rolls constantly while sleeping and makes a circuit of the crib all night. He has figured out how to scoot himself while on his belly and can get across a room fairly quickly. I wasn't anticipating having to babyproof the house this early! William no longer likes the bouncy seat as he wants to sit upright now. He is definitely more social, squawks for attention if we put him down and leave his line of sight. He enjoys being held at the dinner table so that he can smile and coo and entertain everyone. It's just a matter of time before he notices the food and decides he wants to eat too!

Waiting for Nick

Ellie had a grand time in the park waiting for Nick's science class to finish. She found this statue most intriguing and announced it was modeled after her Nick. She spent quite awhile trying to imitate the little boy's pose before resorting to one of her favorite activities. Picking the flowers out of the city's lovely landscaped flower beds. Luckily none of the park officials were there to observe, and her rather rough handling of the blooms resulted in none of them actually making it into the Rec Center when it was time to pick up Nick. Phew!

Another Silky Boy...

Just like his big brother, William likes to sleep with a silky. He actually prefers to use a cloth diaper, but will settle for one of Nick's old silkies. The softer and more broken in the better! Thankfully, Nick has actually voluntarily loaned one of his silkies to William. Must be a male bonding thing, because if Ellie had asked to borrow one there would have been world war three.

Sweet Revenge

Ellie has been biding her time, waiting to pounce. At last the perfect opportunity for revenge. While her brother lay on the floor innocently playing, she dropped the laundry basket on top of him and promptly sat on it. Then there was plenty of time to sit back, cross her legs, fluff her skirt, and peruse the contents of her beautiful pink purse. All the while the hapless victim cried for release from his plastic prison. And what did their mother do during this blatant episode of sibling torture you might ask? Why chuckled quietly to myself and took pictures of course! You know what they say about payback...

William at 12 Weeks

I know they are around here somewhere...

William looking for Nick and Ellie while he is supposed to be asleep. (sorry about the terrible photo, it was dark and I was shooting through the crib bars/over the bumper pad)

The Roll

almost over....
just have to move that shoulder....
SUCCESS!!