Aichele's Out West

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-19T22:01:00.061-07:00

This is the Aichele family's attempt at going green... as you all know, it probably won't last. (Sheila is too much of a list person - the boys have followed suit - and, well I just really don't have that much energy to expend to think about it). For those who have followed our blog since we moved back here, you'll notice that it's been a few months since we've put anything up... so we thought it's as good a time as ever to bring y'all up to speed on this year. To make it easier on us to try to remember what happened this year, we're gonna work backwards.

In case you didn't know - in November we moved about a mile from our old home. With the family expanding, and the boys energy abounding, we thought a little more space would be helpful. God has opened the door to a home that is in town and has some land. The kids can play safely outside, we have a beautiful view of the mountains, and we're still close to our dearest friends and church family. Here's the kids in our new home. It took us more attempts to capture this one that we would care to share - just know it was all for YOU.

Here's a view from the upstairs. You'll see Pike's Peak - and if you look beneath it, you'll see the Garden of the gods.

It's been a year filled with visitors - Sheila's parents, her sister and her family, and my Mom were able to make it out. We have a feeling it was because we welcomed our fourth into the world but they all would say they would have come anyway. (We know the truth)...

Selah (or affectionately referred to as our second Nater) continues to grow according to the Aichele genes, and is simply a happy baby - full of smiles, and relatively calm. But she does like to eat.

Abby (22 mos.) is truly a Daddy's girl and definitely lets us know what she wants. She takes after mama having finally made it to 20 lbs only a couple of months ago. She loves to climb (bookcases, pantry shelves, the bunk bed ladder), will sit in your lap ANYTIME an opportunity arises, and loves to have you read to her.

Nathan (3) lives up to his nickname (Nater Tater) as the clown of the family. Amazingly though, he's also our considerate one, who often thinks of others before himself. When we asked him what he wanted for Christmas, he quickly replied, "Something for Selah..." He knows how to push things to the limit, most of the time without going overboard. He loves to sing, is really - REALLY - loud, and can melt your heart in an instant.

Silas (4 and a half) makes sure you know the half is included in his age, continues to amaze us. He memorizes things really without trying (can be scary), remembers everything, tells us which way we’re supposed to turn to get to whatever store we’re going to (which can be helpful for Sheila), and loves to read. He’s picked it up pretty quickly, and looks forward to “school” time in the afternoons. He learned to ride a bike this year (those posts are earlier in the year), loves to play baseball and soccer, and is usually willing to help mama bake.

Thankfully wewere able to get out camping a few times, and it was a blast. Though we were alittle restricted by Selah’s birth, she quickly stepped up to the table so wecould go out only four weeks later. While mama learned that the little bed inthe camper was pretty comfortable, Daddy learned that sleeping with Abby couldnot be called sleeping.

We made it backto Iowa/Chicago around Easter time, as the second half of our trip toWashington D.C. to spend some time with my colleagues out there. Speaking ofwork – we are grateful for the wonderful organization God has allowed me to bea part of. Not only are we experiencing exciting growth, I honestly love what Ido. (Granted, Sheila still isn’t sure what that is, but that’s a discussion fora later time). I encourage you to check out www.ChildInHand.org - it’s a non-profit that we are closely alignedwith. Knowing the return on our efforts goes directly to meeting the medicaland psycho-social needs of countless children and widows in Haiti make all ourefforts truly worth it.

While my travel schedule has continued to be a bit rough, because of my job, I was able to spend time with Mom and Uncle Tom in D.C. in early June – that was a special treat. Thankfully, God has brought an incredible helper – Miss Maria – to give Sheila a break from time to time when I travel. The kids love her, and we could not be more thankful for the way she cares for our kids.

Underlying it all, we are grateful for the many ways God continues to make Himself known to us. We continue to thank God for the church family he’s blessed us with. It is a privilege to experience His grace through the lives of all those who care for us in so many ways. Whether as a support to Sheila while I travel, as confidants to talk through life’s challenges, or simply as trusted friends that we get to camp with – we are amazed.

We wish wecould see you this Holiday season, but know that God is in control. While wemay not know what tomorrow holds – we know who holds tomorrow.

Merry Christmas!

Blessings to you and yours,
Kurt, Sheila, Silas, Nathan, Abby, Selah, and – of course – Haven

(Here's a little reminder of why we are grateful we live out here...)

Labor Day

2011-09-25T20:45:00.002-06:00

Here is our annual Labor Day weekend Hot air balloon festival. It reminds us every year why we live where we do. Here are some pictures from the festival.

Mama holding Selah at her first of many festivals!

Catching up....again

2011-09-25T20:31:00.004-06:00

Ok, so it has been awhile. I think I have a pretty good excuse though! But thought I'd try to put some new pictures up, even though as I look at these pictures they seem old to me!

Haven sure tolerates a lot from us. She's such a good dog though, here she is with Selah.

The boys played tball this summer and had a blast. Here is Nathan hitting the ball.

Here's Silas on first base and Nathan playing out in the field.

There team huddling up.

We took a zoo day awhile back. Here is Abby with the giraffes.

Here's Selah at the zoo.

I couldn't resist this picture. The kids were all on the couch watching a movie and it took me awhile to realize that they were holding hands. Abby grabbed for the boy's hands and because there was a movie on...they didn't mind. So, it was one of those precious moments.

Here's Abby at our local park. She's become quite a dare devil at the park. Although she's small, she's not afraid to climb on anything!

Here's Nathan at the park riding his bike.

Silas enjoying some time at the park.

Had to end on a Hawkeye photo. The girls are decked out in their Hawkeye gear. We're hopeful about this year......!!!!!!!!!!

more pics...

2011-07-24T23:13:00.006-06:00

Just in case you desired to see a few more from these past few days... they speak for themselves...

Abby's newfound "personality"

2011-07-24T23:09:00.003-06:00

Well, it has become less quiet at the Aichele household... See for yourself...

Silas Riding without training wheels

2011-07-24T21:55:00.012-06:00

Hey everyone,

It's me again... this should be enjoyable for you. Aside from helping Sheila best I could with Selah, I wanted to be sure to devote some time to teaching Silas to ride a bike without training wheels... well, it took one try... honestly - see for yourself. Sheila and I are still in amazement...

Here's his third go...

And Yes, practice is required...

Still not bad for day 1...

and yes, still day 1 - looks like he's got it... appears we've created a monster. In fact, he's been riding so much that if you listen closely you'll hear his crank beginning to go. Thankfully, a friend of ours has offered to repair it this weekend.

Welcome addition...

2011-07-18T22:31:00.007-06:00

It's been a while since I've had an opportunity to post, and since I've been the one snapping most of the photos (well, doing my best given Selah is already suffering from 4th child syndrome in the photo department) I thought I would put them up... so here goes!

For those who are wondering... her name - Selah Kathryn - is pronounced (say-luh). It is found throughout the Psalms and can be translated "pause and reflect". We are so grateful to God for the wonderful ways He continues to shower his blessing upon us... causing us to pause and reflect - then expressing our gratitude for his grace and mercy!

Here's the entire crew with Selah for the first time... as you can see, Abby hasn't quite warmed up to the idea yet - that has changed as you'll see in a bit...

Nathan on the other hand absolutely loves his baby sister...

Silas has been a great help!
Here's grandma Aichele - we are thankful that she was able to help take care of the other three...

As I said - Nathan LOVES his baby sister!

Here's Abby beginning to warm up to the idea...

And yes, Nater again!
Sheila's already pulling out the baby-bling... one day Selah will look back at these pics and say, mama -what were you thinkin'?

And tonight - well, her first bath at the house... as much as it looks like she didn't enjoy the bath, her vocal concerns were short lived.

Stay tuned... more will follow.

Trip recap......Chicago!

2011-05-07T06:06:00.004-06:00

I love how our children are going to have such different experiences of where their grandparents live. When we go to Iowa, life just settles down and you don't have an endless list of things to do, but it is such a rich experience because of that. You play games, ride tractors and 4 wheelers, eat home cooked meals, explore the outdoors, and just visit with friends and family. I find it really funny that this time, a few of my high school friends saw Kurt and they immediately asked if we were home and where I was. That is when you know you come from a small town, when your husband who didn't even grow up in the area gets recognized!

On the flip side, we have the benefit of having family in a big city, so we can explore the endless possibilities of things to do there. There are restaurants galore, activities regardless of weather, traffic that continues to remind us why we don't live there!, and stores that we do wish we could transport to our area.

So, what a blessing it was to be able to enjoy time at both places. In Chicago, we were able to attend a birthday party, spend Easter with Kurt's side of the family, and then have some good quality grandma and cousin time. Here are some pictures of how we enjoyed our time there.

A picture of the Aichele cousins

Uncle Keith and Nathan

Our family on Easter day.

The Aichele cousins on Easter day

Grandma Aichele with grandkids

A fun Easter egg hunt we participated in

Silas showing off what he got

Abby enjoying walking around on the grass

Nathan loves guitars, so he got to enjoy some time with Uncle Keith while Daddy and Uncle Keith played piano and guitar together.

We had a wonderful time at Lego land with all of the cousins

Nathan checking out the lizard made out of legos

Daddy being scared by the big lego spider

Hanging out with Bob the Builder at Lego land

Trip recap...........Iowa!

2011-05-04T20:44:00.006-06:00

After DC, we flew to Chicago and then rented a car and left immediately for Iowa. The car ride was uneventful (thankfully!) and we made pretty good time. We had such a nice time in Iowa, although the weather was not in our favor.....but I guess that is Iowa in the spring!

Anyways, we got to see some family friends we haven't seen in awhile and catch up. We had a nice visit with my sister and her children who were able to come up for the night and also my step sister and her children. All the kids are growing way too fast! Then a very nice visit with my grandparents and an aunt and uncle who live in the area. All in all, it was a quick trip, but well worth the time. The boys got to ride on the tractor and 4 wheeler with Grandpa and Daddy along with decorating eggs with Amma and participate in the freezing cold Easter egg hunt. What more could you ask for???????

Grandpa Shippy and Silas on the 4 wheeler

Nathan and Grandpa Shippy

Daddy and Silas enjoying exploring the farm on the 4 wheeler

Nathan and Grandpa driving the tractor around

Silas enjoying some cousin time with the twins.

Silas and Isabelle doing puzzles with Great Grandma Conklin

Nathan giving "big hugs" to Great Grandpa Conklin (can you believe he just turned 90)!

Silas and Great Grandpa

Abby and Great Grandpa

Abby and Great Grandma Conklin

Decorating eggs at Grandpa and Amma Shippy's

The freezing cold Easter egg hunt in Hawkeye, IA. The boys enjoyed it at least!

Our two week vacation recap

2011-05-04T20:26:00.004-06:00

Our two week trip started out flying to DC so we could see where Kurt works part time. This also prepped us for family DC trips two times a year so Kurt can work in that office and have our family there for 2 or 3 weeks at a time. Other than the flight (over 3 hours long...) I think it will be fine.

We were also able to meet up with my sister and her family from Pittsburgh. They made the trek to DC so we could spend some time together. Thankfully, we got to spend a night in a very nice hotel (The Gaylord), so there was lots to do and good family time together. I wish it could have been longer, but thankful for any opportunities we get! After my sister left, we spent some family time by exploring Alexandria, VA by taking a boat ride and just enjoying some nice weather and swimming. Kurt had to work the day before we left, but I had a nice time playing with the kids at our motel and just enjoying some time together. Here are some pictures of our DC part of the trip.

The cherry blossoms had peaked the week before, but we still found a few trees to enjoy.

Daddy and the boys on the boat ride

Here was the fountain show inside our hotel. The boys really got a kick out of it.

Outside the hotel in the downtown area.

Cousins watching the fountain show together.

Enjoying some time outside although the weather was still a bit questionable.

What has been keeping me busy.....

2011-04-04T19:51:00.004-06:00

My little farmer boys digging in what will be my garden again soon. This usually means an immediate trip to the bathroom to assess whether we need a bath or if the sink will do!

A baby that is into absolutely everything!
Lots of bath time memories.
And keeping the kiddos out of my washer and dryer.

Ultimately, trying to remember that this stage goes so quickly and that one day I will look back at these memories and wonder where the time went. Right now while being in the midst of it, I'm thankful to keep my head above water.

Kurt and I had our first overnight trip away from our kids this past week, thanks to some wonderful friends of ours that stayed at our house. We went to a local bed and breakfast and had a wonderful getaway. As we came back, I'm thankful for so much that I realized in such a short period of time. The couple that watched our kids have older kids that range from middle school age to college, so they thanked us graciously for allowing them to watch our kids, because it helped them gain a perspective on where they are at and how they have forgotten what this stage was like and the memories they have of their children at this age. It helped me realize, as much as I desire for my children to grow up and be more independent.....I really need to enjoy this stage in the moment that I'm in. There truly is never a dull moment and when there is that means.......there's either a baby under the sink or little boys in my laundry room!

Abby and Silas's Statistics

2011-04-04T19:40:00.002-06:00

So we had Abby and Silas's dr's appointments together. Here is the information we got.

Abby was16 lb and 15 oz which is the first percentile. Yeah...she made it back on the scale after going off of it! Her height is 28 inches which is the 10%. Otherwise she is looking good. She's still not walking by herself, so she's definitely our latest walker, but she can sure get around. She has figured out how to get up and down stairs by scooting, so nothing is safe anymore! She took about 7 steps on her own the other day and I think it surprised her. So, just waiting for her to get the confidence she needs!

Silas had his 4 year appointment and this is what he measured in at. He was 33.6 lbs which is 60%, however, this was fully clothed, so I can guarantee he is a lot less than this! His height is 38 and 3/4 inches which is the 17%. So he's still on the smaller side.

Both kids got shots and I asked Silas if he would go first. He bravely did and I had to hold him down while the nurse gave him the shots. He ended up getting 4 all together and I could tell he wanted so badly to cry, but he didn't. By the last one, his face was bright red and his eyes were huge, but he did it. Then, he walked over to Abby and told her she could do it. It was so cute! So, needless to say, I rewarded them to a lunch/playdate since we did so good!

Silas's Birthday

2011-04-04T19:24:00.004-06:00

Yes, this is a month late, but here it goes.

We had a wonderful time celebrating Silas's 4th Birthday. He was counting down every day from Abby's birthday to his, so the anticipation was killing him! We started the morning off with cinnamon rolls and then he got to go with Daddy to pick out his balloons. This is a tradition we've started and the kids really enjoy it, so it's fun to see what balloons they pick out. After that, we went bowling as a family. The boys really enjoy bowling, so it's always a fun time. Daddy then went to work while Abby and Nathan took naps and Silas and Mommy played with all of his new toys and games. It was a nice relaxing afternoon for us. That evening we went to a restaurant that has games and rides and brought his best friend Elijah and their family. Let's just say it was a long but fun day and thankful birthdays only happen once a year! Here are some pictures from the day.

Opening gifts is always fun and it was so neat to see Silas letting Nathan help him!

Silas requested an ice cream cake, so I made him a mint chocolate chip ice cream cake and the boys decorated it with daddy. It's not as pretty as a Dairy queen ice cream cake, but it turned out great and MUCH CHEAPER! Yeah!

Here are the boys on the rides. Nathan has the biggest smile ever. So cute!

Abby's Birthday

2011-02-27T14:36:00.007-07:00

I definitely need to get this posted since we will be celebrating another birthday this week. So, here it goes. Abby turned 1 a little over a week ago. I know 1st birthdays are definitely more for the parents, but we had such a nice day and the boys were so excited about her special day. We wanted to keep it simple yet special, so we invited one couple from church that has been a special part of our lives and my cousin and her husband who live out here. Mr. Vanis (as the kids know him) also shares a birthday with Abby, so we had two birthday celebrations in one!

So, I baked spaghetti pie for the meal and believe it or not....I baked a cake from scratch. We did a small cake and then all the rest cupcakes. It actually turned out really well. The boys decorated it, so it was very beautiful with lots and I mean LOTS of sprinkles! All in all, we had a wonderful day celebrating Abby and enjoying some quality time with special people in our lives.

Here's Abby in the morning with a cute dress and party hat on......that didn't last long!

Silas and Nathan had to help Abby open her gifts. Here is a cute purse Grandma Aichele gave her.

Abby was definitely more intrigued with the candle and people singing at this point. As you can tell she loved the spaghetti pie!

Here are a few photos of her just hamming it up for the camera. As you can see.....she didn't complain about the cake either!

Abby

2011-02-24T12:58:00.003-07:00

Well, I need to do a much needed post on Abby turning 1. Where did the time go? I was just admiring a little baby today who was born 4 days ago and I can honestly say when you are in the moment, you think you will never get through the sleepless nights and figuring out the schedule and then all of a sudden you are celebrating their first birthday! Obviously Abby has been a very good baby, otherwise I might be saying it was the longest year. But we've had such a wonderful year that I can honestly say we have enjoyed every minute of it!

Abby has changed so much and so quickly over just the course of a couple of months! For awhile she was just stomach crawling, but now she's full force crawling like she means it and is starting to stand by herself. She enjoys when we take her around the room and try to walk, so I guess it won't be too long before she ventures on her own. She definitely wants to keep up with those brothers, so she does have some motivation. She now has 7 teeth and definitely knows how to use them. Her teeth have come in one at a time which has been interesting for me since the boys' teeth came in pairs. At about 10 months she decided baby food was not for her, so she eats what we eat and can easily out eat the boys! I'm not sure where this food is going, because she is such a peanut! I think she might weigh just over 16 lbs now, so I'm not sure she will ever face forward in her car seat! Although she's a peanut, she can sure hold her own and she lets her brothers know that.

I'm sure I'll think of more things I want to record, but I'll get this posted in hopes I can get some pictures of her birthday up soon!

Who can resist a fur jacket that Grandpa and Holly gave her?

She likes to play peekaboo underneath the slide.

Abby enjoys playing the piano and she can just reach, so it is really cute to watch her walk down the piano while playing.

She is a stair climber! If I set her down for just a moment, she goes immediately to the steps and climbs them. I get a good work out from this girl.

This picture is for Grandpa Shippy who loves his red tractors. Yes, we start them young!

Playing outside in the wagon on a beautiful day.

The Boys

2011-02-23T19:10:00.005-07:00

There are days I wonder if our boys will ever get along....and then there are days I'm so thankful they have each other and are so close in age! And there are times I think both of these thoughts in a matter of seconds! So, here are some photos I have captured this winter that remind me that no matter what.....they always have each other!

This is one of my favorites. I didn't even ask them to hug, but when they saw me with the camera, they posed....how cute!

Yes, there is something wrong with this picture. For some reason, the boys love to play in Abby's pack'n'play. It's pretty funny. Sometimes they are all in there together!

Silas is pulling Nathan in a wagon some friends gave us. They could do this all day long, and boy do I have some stories to tell!

Who can resist the "sit and spin" with your brother!

The boys had a wonderful time with Uncle Keith when he came to visit us! The lincoln logs were quite a hit.

This picture doesn't capture what was going on very well, but the boys were building towers with blocks and Abby was knocking them down. They were seeing how fast they could build it before she knocked it down. All 3 of them were laughing, it was so cute!

And here is a lazy Sunday after church.

Nater....

2011-02-23T18:54:00.002-07:00

This post is mainly for my sake that I don't forget what Nathan was like as a toddler. Nathan truly keeps me on my toes and is constantly making me laugh! One moment he can have a 2 year old "bad attitude" and the next moment he's hugging you with a great big smile on his face. He really wants to be a "big boy" and do what Silas does, but yet he still wants to know he can sit on your lap and cuddle. He clings to his "blue blanket" and needs it to sleep or when he's having a rough day. He carries it around and often loses it.....and then we're in crisis mode trying to find it! I had to wash it the other day, and we had to play downstairs next to the washing machine to make sure it was ok. Let' s just say it doesn't get washed as much as it should! He also carries around the Dinoco car from the movie Cars. He often sleeps with this too, and then it gets lost in his bed......need I say more! This is why I posted this picture, because he has both his blue blankie and Dinoco, so it was a classic photo! Other than that, Nathan is our singer and dancer! Unfortunately, he sings at the top of his lungs, so this can be hard on mommy, but I trust God will use this talent someday! So, just a glimpse of my Nater.

Bath Time

2011-02-23T18:47:00.003-07:00

The boys really enjoy hopping in with Abby after I've washed her and taking a little bath with her. She gets a kick out of it. Unfortunately it doesn't last too long, because the boys start splashing water and she's out of there! But I caught a picture of them in the bath together and couldn't resist.

Christmas pictures

2011-01-02T13:46:00.004-07:00

Before we went off to Christmas eve service at our church, we took a few pictures of the kids in their nice clothes. Wow, this can be quite a challenge as I'm sure many can relate. So, of the 150 pictures we took, here are a few that we can present as good!

Nathan has no problem cheesing it up for the camera! This truly depicts our Nater!

Silas was more of a challenge and he actually did this pose by himself and it turned out to be one of the better photos. Otherwise most of his photos had his hands over his eyes or in his mouth.

Abby was being shy and didn't want to smile for the camera. Here she's looking at her brothers and smiling, so not the greatest picture, but still a good one.

Getting the three of them together was very interesting, but here is a pretty good picture of all three.

Now for the bloopers....that you keep around because they are so funny!

Abby is determined to get her hair band off........

and she finally does.

Here is how the boys feel about getting their picture done together!

Hey, there's one....not too bad!

Poor Abby.....she has Nater untying her dress and Silas might be holding on a little too tight....but he was just doing his job! Oh to be tortured by your brothers!

Anyways, we had a wonderful Christmas celebration and so thankful to have captured a few good photos of it.

Our Disney visit

2011-01-02T13:25:00.003-07:00

In mid December, Kurt had a meeting in Florida and it worked out to take our whole family down there. We also were able to bring my parents down there so that they could help while Kurt was working and so we could enjoy some more time with them. Although the weather didn't cooperate like we might have liked and we had a little flu bug go around, we managed to have a good time and enjoy some wonderful memories. Here are a few pictures from our trip.

One of Kurt's colleagues took us out for breakfast with the Disney characters. This meant that the boys didn't eat good, because they were watching all of the characters walk around and couldn't wait their turn to see them.

This is the only character Nathan would get close to. Every other one he hid and almost cried about. So, the rest of the vacation he continued to tell us that he kissed Donald Duck. However, Donald actually kissed him!

Abby was so funny with Goofy's hand on her head. He was rubbing her head and she just couldn't figure out what was going on.

We stayed at a very nice resort type motel. Here is one of the days that was actually nice enough to enjoy outside. We each took a boat out onto the lake and had a great time. Silas made Amma and Grandpa do a lot of pedaling! Kurt and I had Nathan and Abby in our boat.

Here is Daddy and the boys meeting Mickey. Nathan still wasn't so sure about meeting Mickey!

I thought this was a funny picture. We were watching the Disney parade and so Grandpa and Daddy have the boys on their shoulders, but Silas kept grabbing Grandpa's cheeks to hold on...it was funny. I'm not sure Grandpa's back will ever be the same, he had a boy on his shoulders a lot of the trip!

Here's our family meeting Tigger and Pooh.

We waited around to see the castle light up with Christmas lights. It was a beautiful sight.

Grandpa and Amma with the kids in front of the castle. I can't remember how many lights were on the castle but it was pretty amazing. Everything was decked out so beautifully for Christmas. It really was an amazing sight to see!

Thank you Grandpa and Amma for helping us on our vacation and creating memories with us in Disney!

Grandpa Shippy and Amma's visit to Colorado

2011-01-02T13:19:00.002-07:00

The week after my sister's visited us, my dad and step mom came out for a weekend visit. This was Halloween weekend, so it was fun to have the kids dressed up and excited with Grandpa and Amma. Since we have done a lot of sightseeing already when my dad and step mom were out here before, we got to enjoy more time just being a family. We did get to go to a little amusement park since the weather was so beautiful. It was so much fun to see Grandpa ride on "fun rides" with the kids. He's still such a kid at heart! Anyways, here are some pictures of their visit.

The kids with Grandpa and Amma right before they went trick or treating.

Amma with Abby.

Grandpa decorating the pumpkin with the boys.

Grandpa and Amma with Abby.

Catching up....My sisters' visit to Colorado

2011-01-02T13:10:00.003-07:00

I'm embarrassed to say I have gotten behind on my blogging...if you couldn't tell. I feel like I have so much to catch up on, so I'll try my best to get as much done as possible before we get into the new year. I'd like to say this year I'm going to be better....but as I look ahead to this year, I'm not going to guarantee it.

So here it goes. My sisters came to visit our family in October. It was so nice to have them in my neck of the woods and to enjoy their company and to just sit and chat again. I didn't realize how much I miss my sisters until I had them for a weekend. It was hard to see them go, but I'm thankful technology has kept us close. I feel so blessed to have two amazing sisters and I hope and pray we can do this again!

Here is Carla at Garden of the Gods.

Paula enjoying the view at Garden of the Gods.

Our visit to the Olympic Training Center

My sisters with the kids.

And the three of us together again! What a blessing!

Abby's 9 month update

2010-11-20T20:39:00.005-07:00

Yes, it has been awhile since I've posted and I have so much to post about....but I don't want to get too far behind on Abby turning 9 months, otherwise her one year birthday will be here before I post again at the rate I'm going!

Abby is such a little peanut! She is weighing in at 15 lb 3 oz which is the 1%. So, she is just barely on the charts! Her height is 27 inches, so she's in the 32% there. I've started her more on table foods and so she is basically rejecting baby food, because she loves to eat what we are eating. I'm thankful for that, but boy does she get messy. Kurt thinks she is our messiest eater yet. I basically give her a bath every night! She has just started to crawl and that has added a new dimension to our life! The boys haven't figured out yet that she can get to just about anything, so nothing is safe! This has caused some problems when they've built a wonderful train track and Abby tears it apart! Abby's a talker. Her favorite thing to babble is "da, da" which is typical of all of our kids. Kurt is sure enjoying that! She's sleeping through the night (for the most part), so I'm thankful for that too! She still absolutely loves her brothers. They can get her giggling like no other. However, they also cause her much frustration when I find them climbing on her and wrestling with her. Yes, we're still working on the fact that yes, she can crawl and she's mobile, but you don't wrestle with your sister!

Here are some pictures to enjoy.

This is how much Abby enjoys eating!

Abby in her new Iowa Hawkeye's outfit from Aunt Jill and family. Too bad it hasn't given us much luck! But at least she looks cute on gameday!

This is where I found Abby the other day.

Abby and Mommy.

Here are some recent 9 month pictures of Abby.

Nathan's 2 year Stats

2010-10-19T20:35:00.003-06:00

Better late than never, right? So, since we're not quite at a month after Nathan's 2nd birthday, here are his stats.

He weighed in at 26 lbs and 8 oz. This is the 32%. His height is 35 1/4 inches which is 74%. He's actually really leaned out. I'm thinking it is all of the bike riding he's doing! So, based upon how tall and lean he is, it is not IF he'll pass Silas in height, it is more like.....WHEN and how quickly! I looked back at Silas's 2 year stats and he was 33 1/2 inches, so we'll see if this holds true and how quickly Nathan passes Silas up!

Other than that, I wanted to post a few pictures of what we did to surprise Nathan for his birthday. I had heard about a celebration in the Denver area for A Day out with Thomas the Train. Nathan and Silas both really enjoy playing with trains, so we decided to surprise them. We left on a Saturday around nap time, so Nathan and Abby slept in the car and Silas just hung out, but we told them we had to drive quite a ways to do some errands. So, we got to the festival and had to park and then take a bus. That would have been fun enough for them (gotta love this age!) and they still didn't know what we were doing. Then, we pulled up to the festival and there was a full size train carrying people and it truly looked like Thomas. I wish I had it on camera both Silas and Nathan saying, "Thomas!" They were truly amazed. So we had a very special day looking at trains and then getting to ride on Thomas as a family. Here are some pictures from that day.

Silas and Nathan playing on the different trains.

Daddy, Silas and Nathan ringing the bell on this train.

Sitting as a family getting ready to take a ride on Thomas.

Our family in front of Thomas.

This is what Thomas looked like, so you can see why Silas and Nathan were so amazed. It truly looks like Thomas with the eyes moving and a conductor on board. It was really neat for the kids.

Nathan's Birthday

2010-10-05T20:30:00.003-06:00

So I'm a little bit behind, but that's ok. We had a wonderful time celebrating Nathan's bday. He is starting to realize how special birthdays are (thanks to having an older brother), so it was neat to see him excited. We started the morning off with donuts and then opening gifts. The rest of the day was spent playing with those gifts. He got a bike (as you can see from a previous post). I can hardly believe how quickly he took to riding a bike. It is amazing! Now, Silas and Nathan chase each other on their bikes. Sometimes I have to turn around so that I don't look, but it's so fun to see them riding together. Nathan also got a surplus of legos.....yeah! He loves to build and so does Silas, so it is great to see their imagination soar as they build things and interact. Yes, we have seen quite a few flying legos recently!

Then, the special day ended with some very special friends over to have a bbq and enjoy some cake. Silas and Nathan's best friends are Timothy and Aleks, so we invited their families over along with our friend Damon. It was so nice to fellowship with friends and celebrate Nathan's 2 bday; what a blessing he is to us!

Yeah....legos!
Lego heaven!

Silas and Nathan chasing one another around on their bikes.

Nathan getting ready to blow out his bday candles.

Camping

2010-10-03T14:03:00.004-06:00

We have hit a milestone in our marriage.....we no longer are tent camping!!!!!!!!! Yeah! We did our last tent camping experience as a family and on the way home I told Kurt I will never do that again until our kids are MUCH older! This was sad in a way, because we love to camp and we've been doing it every summer since we got married, but I just knew I couldn't do it again. So, we've looked into campers quite a few times, but we never had the resources, or when we did, the door closed and we knew the timing was not right. So, this time around we started looking again and this experience has really shown us how it truly pays off to be patient and put much wisdom and prayer into big purchases.

Here is a brief description of some details that helped us in this decision. As we started to look, a gentleman from our church told us his daughter was wanting to sell their camper. He said it was in perfect condition and we should look at it. After some contemplation because of the price and it had way more things than what we thought we needed, we decided to go ahead and look at it. Sure enough, mint condition and although it had more than what we thought we needed, we started to realize if our family grows these features might come in handy and it can actually be something we grow into. The price was more than what we wanted to pay, but we soon realized that what they were listing it at was well below what it was worth and they just asked that we just pay it off for them. Hmmm...that helped us to realize how much we were getting. So, then we thought about it and prayed about it and soon realized there were two things that would not allow us to get the camper. Because it was a larger camper than what we anticipated, it was too heavy for our mini van to tow. Well, a friend of ours has allowed us to use their suburban to tow it. (that is a whole story in and of itself, but what a blessing). Ok, so now where to store it? Another friend of ours said, hey you can store it at our house for free. Hmmmm...ok, so now we felt much better about it all. So, we went with this family to the bank with our certified check and we are the proud owners of a new camper!!!!!!!!! Yeah....here are some pictures of our first camping trip. More pictures to come because we're going again this weekend! (thank goodness for the amazing heater it has!)

Here's our new pop up camper

Here is Kurt making us breakfast on our stove and even our oven. This has a fridge and double sink and even a toilet if we need it. It also has tons of storage and even room for Haven to sleep with us.
The boys eating breakfast at our table which turns into a full size bed.

Here's the boys on their bed (we had to baby proof it so that they wouldn't fall out.) We have two king sized beds, lots of room for all of us.
Daddy and Silas and Nathan fishing at the lake.
Playing in the swimming pool at the campground.
We are so excited about our new adventures and all the places we will get to camp and make memories as a family!

Nathan's Big Day!

2010-09-27T20:40:00.004-06:00

Well, today we officially have entered the stage with two toddlers - WOW! I can't believe how fast they grow up. Here's Nathan on his second birthday - who says the age restrictions apply?

Siblings

2010-09-08T21:31:00.001-06:00

Let's just say we don't get asked too often if our children are at all related!

Here are our 3 little blessings! We thank God often for them!

Abby

2010-09-08T21:17:00.002-06:00

Time is truly flying by, so I'd better get an update on Abby. She just had her 6 month appointment, so I wanted to post her stats. She is weighing in at 14 lb 8 oz which is the 8%. Yes, she truly is a little peanut! Her height is 26 inches and that is the 38%.

Overall, she is doing great and is such an easy baby! She's very content just sitting or laying around as long as she gets to see her brothers. She is already very interested in what they are doing! She LOVES her voice and babbles a lot. I think this is a lot different than the boys, or maybe because her talking is at a higher level, but she sure lets you know she is talking! She's also very into her tongue and is constantly making noises with her tongue. Unfortunately it is usually when I'm trying to feed her, so I get all of the food on me and then the boys think that is hilarious and the next thing you know, everyone is laughing at the table! She's rolling around like crazy, but not quite sitting up by herself yet. I don't think it will be too long. The cutest thing is her little baby giggles. I can hardly believe how much Silas and Nathan can get her giggling. It is quite a sight! Anyways, here are some pictures of our little Abigail!

Yes, Nathan is laying on her and she thought that was pretty neat. This was all under adult supervision, I must add!
Who can resist? She was trying to get the hat off and playing peek a boo in the meantime!

Yup, that is about what feeding time looks like. Yummy!

Fun Times

2010-08-12T20:35:00.004-06:00

Wow, is anyone else surprised that it is already August? Time flies when you are having fun. As challenging as this stage of life is with such young children, there are also blessings. I don't hear, "I'm bored" because I don't think they know what that word means....and it's the little things that entertain them the most. I got out a few buckets and filled them with water and gave them measuring cups and balls and rocks and an hour later they were still having a ball. Here are some pictures to show how fun such a simple thing can be.

Yes, they even decided to hop in and sit in them for awhile. Why not?

We also participated in our library's summer reading program. We attended the end of the summer party and got to see the helicopter, police cars and lots of other things. Nathan is really into airplanes and helicopters these days. So, shortly after we saw the helicopter at the party, it had to leave to go on a call, so it flew off. Here is what Nathan says at least 10 times a day to us (mind you this was already 2 weeks ago!).

Nathan: "Hecopter go bye-bye"
Us: "Where did it go?"
Nathan: "Eat wunch"
Us: "What does it eat?"
Nathan: "Jelly" (that means peanut butter and jelly sandwich"

Pretty creative, but we have this conversation constantly. You can just see his mind processing the whole thing over and over. He's at such a cute and fun stage!

Here's Silas in the helicopter and riding on the motorcycle.

Here's Nathan in the helicopter and motorcycle.

Both boys in the backseat of the police car.....scary, hope I never have to experience that!

Aww...trying to teach them to hoolahoop! Fun times.

Other than that, Abby is doing great. I just started her on solid foods and she's not really interested yet. The boys get a kick out of how messy she gets. I'll have to post pictures soon of that. This has made some excitement at our breakfast and supper table hearing them giggling and laughing at her, which in turn makes her giggle and so everyone ends up laughing. Who knew it could be so much fun? More picture of Abby and our recent camping trip soon!

Hot Days of Summer

2010-07-27T20:35:00.005-06:00

What do you do with two active boys and an infant when it is hot out (not humid though...thank God!) and you don't have air conditioning?

Here is a glimpse of some of the things we have done this summer.

First, find a local bowling alley that does have AC. We did a lunch and bowl special at a nearby bowling alley and had a blast. This was the first time the boys had bowled, so it was neat to see them get excited over knocking over pins (yes we did have the bumpers up!). Silas caught on very quickly and was able to pick up his ball and bowl all by himself by the end. He actually won our 2nd game. I guess that doesn't say much about Kurt and my ability to bowl! Nathan, well, he lasted one game and then he was pretty much done. Oh well, he still had fun!

Daddy helping Nathan bowl.
Silas bowling all by himself.

Daddy's so talented he even bowled holding onto Nathan!

Next.....here is some outdoor fun, as always. We had just gotten done eating popsicles and Nathan was an absolute mess, so I undressed him down to a diaper. Well, Silas didn't want to be left out, so he decided to take off his clothes too. Here are some pictures of them playing in their diaper and underwear!

Last, thank goodness for free and wonderful spray parks in our town! I took the kids here and we had such a wonderful time.

Here is the whole park. There's also a playground right beside it that we played in. Not a bad view of the mountains either!

Vacation- Part 3.....Catching up with Friends

2010-07-18T14:19:00.006-06:00

I was very thankful this vacation home to be able to see some of my friends that still live in the area. It is so nice to catch up with different people and see where life has taken each of us. Here are a few people I enjoyed visiting.

Here is my friend Ellen with Abby. It was so nice to spend an afternoon with her and have her meet Abby. We enjoy one another's company and so it is always a blessing spending time together.
I had a playdate with some high school friends. Here is my friend Jessica with her youngest.

This is my friend Wendy with her youngest.

Here are the three of us at Jessica's house. I can hardly believe we've been out of school for almost 15 years, as it seems like just yesterday we were running track together, playing softball, going to homecoming and prom or having sleepovers. Time seems like it has slipped away from us! Thankfully I enjoyed such a good time with these friends as it seems like although we don't see one another often enough, we can catch up very quickly. I also loved seeing both of their children and now seeing them as moms also. What a fun season we are in as we can laugh about motherhood and where our lives have taken us!

Here are all of our kids! I'm surprised we got this good of a photo!

Here is my friend Hillary on the left and her sister Kerensa. We grew up living literally right next door until her family moved in 3rd grade. We kept in touch through the years and were in each other's weddings. She blessed me by driving all the way from Des Moines (31/2 hours) with her 3 year old to come see me. We decided to meet at the pool so the kids could play while we talked. It was so much fun. Thanks again Hillary for such a wonderful time!

Hillary with her son Sam.

Here our Hillary's, Kerensa's and our children as we ate after swimming.

Here is my grad school roommate. What a pleasant surprise to be able to see her in Iowa. She is from CA and we were roommates at Univ of WI-Madison and we were able to see her last year when we went to CA. Well, her and her husband have now moved to Iowa City so he could further his education in dentistry at Univ of Iowa. We were able to see their house and then while Josh went to school, Alison and her new baby Emily came out to eat with us. What a delight it was to catch up and see how life has been for her in transition. She's been such a blessing to Kurt and I and I'm so thankful to have her in Iowa to visit for a few years. Plus, now she'll have some Hawkeye blood in her....he, he!

Alison and her daughter Emily with Abby and I.

Vacation - Part 2

2010-07-17T20:50:00.004-06:00

Yup, time has already gotten away from me, but here is the next part of our vacation photos.

After Iowa, we headed to Chicago for a week trip to spend time with more family. We were able to enjoy lots of quality time with Grandma Aichele, Uncle Keith, Aunt Stef and our cousins. We also got to see some relatives that came from Cincinnati to visit. It was nice to catch up while watching the kids play together. We also enjoyed a day at the Brookfield Zoo and lots of time in different pools!

Here are some pictures of our time in Chicago.

Silas with cousins, Ashlyn and Anna while we were mini golfing.

Uncle Keith and Silas.

Silas and cousins petting the goat at the zoo.

Grandma Aichele and Silas

We took some family pictures while in Chicago. Here is Grandma Aichele with the Aichele grandkids.

Here are the Aichele cousins.

Here are some cousins dead tired after a long day of running around and swimming.

Grandma Aichele with Abby.

Vacation_Part 1

2010-07-07T14:05:00.005-06:00

I have no idea how many posts I will do on this, so we'll label this one as Part 1 and we'll see how far we get.

We had a wonderful time on vacation! We were wondering if we made the right decision to tackle this long of a vacation after we already visited the ER the first day of our vacation, but I'm happy to say that everything is fine and the rest of the time was safe and fun!

We started our vacation in Iowa. We were able to spend a lot of time with my sister Paula and her family as they were already there when we got there. My other sister and her family came during the weekend and so we had a packed full house of lots of little kids for a few days. Thankfully, the weather was amazing, so the kids got to play outside in water a lot and enjoy being free to run on the farm. Other highlights for me was being able to spend time with high school friends and get to know them as parents and see our children play together. I also got to see a friend that I grew up with, as she made the trip from Des Moines just to get together. We hung out at the pool and had a blast. I even got to take her boy down the water slide...very trusting of him!

We got quality time with Grandpa Shippy, which means time on the tractors and good food from Amma Shippy. The adults and older grandkids enjoyed many nights playing games around the table....sometimes rather late! That's our competitive spirit! It was a joy to see my grandparents and see them with my children. It is such a blessing to spend so much time with them. We also got to attend a family reunion on my mom's side and see some aunts and uncles and catch up. We had many different visitors come by including my aunts and uncles on my dad's side and a great aunt and uncle that came and visited. It was such a joy to spend time with so many different friends and relatives and the time flew by so quickly!

My aunts and uncles on the Shippy side enjoying time together.

My Aunt Jill with Abby.

Kurt with the boys on the 4 wheeler.

Grandpa Shippy taking the boys on tractor rides.

Grandpa and Nathan

Great Grandpa and Grandma Conklin with Abby and the monkey that grandma makes for all of the grandkids.

Grandpa Shippy and Amma with all of the grandkids.

Tackling Uncle Kurt.

Grandpa Shippy playing soccer with the grandkids.

The cousins enjoying quality time together eating great grandma's waffle cookies.
Water fights at the farm.
My wonderful sisters.

And We're Off.......

2010-06-20T21:38:00.003-06:00

To Iowa/Chicago that is. We'll be spending one week in Iowa at Grandpa Shippy and Amma's farm to play with all 8 cousins (the majority being boys!). Grandpa already has his tractors ready to go and the four wheeler tuned up, so we're excited about letting everyone run free and hopefully burn off some good energy while the adults get to catch up. Then, we're off to Chicago for a week to spend time with Kurt's family. We're excited to see our 3 nieces, Aunt Stef, Uncle Keith and Grandma Aichele along with some other relatives that might be home visiting. We also hope to touch base with some old friends in the area! It will be a whirlwind two week trip, but much needed and anticipated! Hopefully post pictures when things settle down when we get home!

Abby's 4 months!

2010-06-17T21:32:00.003-06:00

We had Abby's 4 month appointment yesterday, so I wanted to update her stats and what she's up to. She weighed in at 12 lb 4 oz which is the 21%. Her height is 24 1/2 inches which is 61%. From her 2 month appointment, she leaned out but grew much taller, so although she is on the lighter side, she is still looking really good.

Other than that, Abby has proven to be our easiest baby yet! She's very predictable and by that I mean when she wakes up in the morning and when she takes her naps. Her afternoon nap already coordinates with the boy's naps, so if all goes well, I at least get a few minutes to myself before Silas is done w/ his hour quiet time. She also likes to be fed and in bed by 8 or 8:30 and then sleeps through the night! YEAH! She's overall a very happy and content baby. She doesn't mind being on the go and can sleep just about anywhere if needed. She has just started to roll over but not consistently. She does have a "stiff neck" (it has a term but I forget it already) and favors looking to one side. We are trying to force her to turn to the other side per our dr's orders. If this doesn't get better by 6 months, then we might need to go to PT for further exercises.

Abby is still very loved by her brothers and we're still working on gentleness with them. I think at this rate, she might be one tough cookie to put up with these boys! Oh well, she's protected, right! Anyways, she's such a blessing and we feel very blessed and honored for our three children.

My boys

2010-06-17T21:16:00.005-06:00

Summer has just begun and we are already enjoying it! The weather has been overall pretty good, so as usual, most days are spent outside. We have been trying out many different parks this year, but if we don't get to a park, this is what else we do! We are usually playing trucks, riding bikes/trikes, or playing w/ our push toys in our driveway, or we can be seen in our backyard playing softball, kickball or chasing Haven! Oh, and I guess the normal bubbles on our deck and chasing the birds that come to our bird feeder (thanks boys!).

A lot of times if the boys want to play out back, they are out there by themselves since I can see them from multiple windows and since we don't have many bugs out here, the doors are kept wide open for me to hear them. Well, the boys have now found a new activity, which is picking mommy's flowers! I have a nice flower bed that I have planted flowers and a few plants this year. The boys know that they are suppose to stay out of there, but I guess that didn't stop them this time. They brought me some of my pretty marigolds that had just started blooming. After laughing/scolding them, Silas says, "Don't worry mommy, they'll grow back." I guess I'm just thankful they picked mine and not my neighbors who spends far more time on hers.

Anyways, other than that, Silas and Nathan have a love/hate relationship. They are each others best friend, but boy can they fight! There have already been some good wrestling matches. However, if one is gone, the other one doesn't know what to do! Kurt took Silas to a baseball game the other night, and Nathan cried and all he could say was "bubba, bubba", it broke his heart to go to bed w/o Silas there. All this to say, I'm so glad they have each other to play with. Somedays I can just sit back and watch them play and be thankful they have there very own playmate in their house!

Nathan with my flowers. Doesn't he look so innocent?

Here they are holding my beautiful flowers.

Here's my flower bed after the boys got to it. Not many flowers left!

Wrestling as usual. Don't be deceived....Silas is not always on top!

I thought this was such a good picture. Here they are just hanging out as buddies. After they were sitting in this same position for awhile I finally asked what they were doing. There was a spider web that they were watching and telling each other about. It was really cute listening to them explain it!

Amusement park fun

2010-06-17T21:08:00.003-06:00

On Memorial day weekend, we took the boys to a local amusement park geered for kids 12 and under. The boys could go on all rides and even some of them by themselves. It was so much fun! The weather was perfect and the boys hung in there for a long time. Abby slept through most of it and so it was a great day. Here are some pictures.

This is actually the world's highest ferris wheel, because this amusement park is in the mountains.

Ahhhh....pooped!

More Pictures

2010-06-12T20:46:00.002-06:00

Here is Silas w/ our minor league baseball team maskot. We attended one baseball game as a family and then Kurt took Silas to a Tuesday night game.

There's trouble!
He's such a cutie!
Abby all dressed up for church. I'm loving all of the dresses we've gotten!
Here is our goofball!

Breckenridge Pictures

2010-06-10T21:39:00.002-06:00

Time Away

2010-05-16T21:53:00.002-06:00

Our time away was eventful, but wonderful. I had a beautiful Mother's Day! The most important thing for me was that we got to spend quality time together and we did just that. The weather cooperated in Breckenridge and so we got to explore the town and play outdoors for awhile. It was so nice to just get out and walk around and see the kid's play and have fun. It was such a blessing.

Well, the rest of our vacation was the eventful part. Kurt woke up Monday feeling really terrible and it got worse from there. I woke up Tuesday morning feeling terrible also, and so we decided to pack up early and head home to get to the dr. Unfortunately this was Kurt's birthday. Oh well, we all got to the dr. and found out we had come down with strept throat. So, the downfall is a vacation cut short. On the flipside, we all got to heal together at home and I got to get all of my laundry and unpacking done before Kurt went back to work. So, you know how you sometimes say you need a vacation from a vacation, well, I actually feel like I got it. When Kurt went back to work on Thurs, we all felt prepared and ready and so that was nice.

We did end the rest of the week/weekend on a good note. We celebrated Kurt's (belated) bday on Friday with a cake and Kurt and I got a nice date night on Sat night and today we went to an afternoon minor league baseball game as a family. Not a bad weekend at all! Very thankful for a lot of family time together.

I plan on posting pictures as soon as I can...there are some good ones so worth the wait.

And We're Off........

2010-05-07T20:32:00.002-06:00

On a mini vacation that is! Ahhh....can't wait. We (unlike most people) enjoy going to the mountains during off season to enjoy the beauty and peace and relaxation. It's only for four days, but that is four days away from laundry, cleaning, picking up toys, cooking (for the most part), and just being together as a family. So, hopefully I will be able to post how our trip went when we get home, but for now.....off to the mountains we go!

A day at the zoo with friends

2010-05-04T20:52:00.003-06:00

I feel very blessed by the many mothers out here that I have gotten to know. I really enjoy my MOPS group and am thankful for all of the other moms that are in the same stage as me and can encourage and inspire me. I also have many women at our church that are such a blessing to me and I was able to spend some time today with two of them. We took 7 kids ages 3 and under to the zoo......wow! We did make it out alive and all the kids are accounted for, so very thankful for that.

Anyways, these Godly women both have firstborn sons like us and they are 6 months younger than Silas and a year older than Nathan. In addition, they have both had baby girls recently, so our girls will only be 5 months apart as they grow older. So what an answer to prayer to have our kids so close in age and to help one another parent through these tough years.

Anyways, here is a photo of the boys.

From left, Timothy, Nathan, Aleks and Silas.

The girls were all in our strollers, but Evangeline (Evy) is 7 months and she is Aleks's sister. Lydia is 3 months old and is Timothy's sister. I'll have to get a picture of the girls some other time!

A day at the park

2010-05-03T13:26:00.002-06:00

So we're out exploring new parks while Kurt is out of town. We came across this one today and really enjoyed ourselves, so thought I'd post a few pictures. The view at this one was beautiful and although my camera doesn't depict how blue and beautiful the sky was, I think you can kind of tell. What a wonderful day we had.

Yes, the boys are rolling around on the ground here....go figure.
Isn't the peak so beautiful? Although we get to see it almost everyday unless it's covered by clouds, it never gets old to look at!

Catching up....

2010-05-02T09:05:00.002-06:00

Wow, already May....not sure where time goes. Kurt and I are definitely realizing we are in a difficult stage in life with him being so busy with work and school and me being home w/ 3 very young and active children. I keep hearing the saying, "The days seem so long, but the years go so quickly!" and I'm trying to remember that. There is so much truth to that, because sometimes I look at my clock in the morning and it is only 9:00 am and I think what are we going to do with the rest of this day and the day just keeps going and going. But then I look back and I still vividly remember just bringing Silas home from the hospital and now he's a busy 3 year old. So, I'm trying to take one day at a time and enjoy it....even the challenges.

Abby had her 2 month appt awhile back and so I'll update on her first. She now weighs 10 lb 9 oz (I think more by now) which is the 44%. She is 22 inches which is the 37%. She's still doing great. She's still going 8 hours in the night, so if I can time her last feeding right, we have great nights. Sometimes she can't stay up for that last feeding, so that means an early AM feeding, but I'm not complaining at all! She's starting to stay awake longer during the days, so it has made me be more flexible with the scheduling of the boys, but it's all working out.

The boys are doing good. Still very active and if I can't find them....they've escaped outdoors. Thankfully we have a gated back yard, otherwise I'd be in trouble! The spring has brought some interesting weather....some snow, some sun, and lots of wind. But we still manage to get outside whenever we can.....for the sanity of all of us!

Who can resist those cheeks?

Easter egg pictures..ok a little late.

The boys playing outside. Bubbles are still very popular, can't live w/o them!

Easter and More......

2010-04-12T13:37:00.004-06:00

So, it is much harder to find time to get posts up here, so I will post about our last month. Let's see, where to begin! Abby is now smiling as you can see from the pictures. Even though I'm with her most of the time, she smiles more for daddy than she has me. So, she already knows how to win his heart....look out! Here is a picture that Kurt caught of her smiling while I was out taking the boys for a walk.
We had a very blessed Easter. We were able to attend our church and enjoy wonderful fellowship there along with the usual potluck our church has after service. Most families stay for the potluck, so it is so nice to enjoy Easter with our church family. We also were able to go to an Easter egg hunt at a friend's house. This was the first year both boys really got into it. Silas gathered a lot of eggs fast, and then we had to tell him to help Nathan because he was getting too many and it was neat to see him start helping Nathan gather eggs. I need to remember those moments more since we are in the "not sharing" stage of life!

Anyways, here are some pictures of Easter.
Abby "posing" for an Easter shot.
We gathered all 3 kids together on the floor to try and get a picture. So, it kind of turned out.
Here is our "funny" Easter picture. We couldn't get them all 3 to sit in their nice clothes for a picture, so these are the pictures you have to keep to laugh at. Notice Silas elbowing Nathan who is crying and Abby is also crying...ahhhh, the memories.

So, we only got each of the boys with Abby separately, but they turned out pretty good.

Here are the eggs we decorated at home.
Silas and Nathan showing off their eggs from the Easter egg hunt at my friend's house.

I hope everyone had a Blessed Easter!

Family Photo

2010-03-29T15:39:00.003-06:00

Well, we rarely get our pictures taken professionally just because Kurt is so good at taking pictures. So the church elders and families got together to do a few photos for the church and we decided to bring our camera along in case we got any good photos since we were all dressed up. Of all the photos, only one turned out, but that's all you need, so we were thankful for that.

With young kids you always have to laugh at the ones that don't turn out, so thought I'd post one of the bloopers. Here, Abby is making funny sounds which eventually led to a stinky diaper. Everyone got a kick out of that.
Here's the one that we thought turned out good.

Abigail Photos and Outdoor fun

2010-03-29T15:26:00.005-06:00

A photo of Abby getting a bath. This one happened to be on her 1 month bday.

I love this photo, because it was so random. Nathan was going through Kurt's legs and Kurt just bent over and took a picture. It turned out so cute.

We have a nice backyard to play in and here are the boys playing in the rocks....go figure.

Silas balancing on our little garden ledge.

This is a classic.
Nathan loves his balls!
More rock throwing activities. I've learned sometimes I just have to turn my back and enjoy the fact that these boys love to be outside regardless of what they are doing. The other day we were outside for at least a half an hour before I realized Nathan only had one shoe on and the other foot just had a sock on. Oh well, he didn't seem to mind and I just let him be, that is so much growth in me raising these boys!

A phone call...

2010-03-21T21:18:00.004-06:00

Here's Nathan talking with Grandpa Shippy...

And not to leave two of the others out...

Abby is 1 month and Nathan is 18 months!

2010-03-21T14:44:00.002-06:00

Well, time for another update. I'm not sure where the time is actually going, because my last post was when Abby was 2 weeks and she's already a month old! She is doing great! She's already 8 lb and 10 oz which is the 33%. She's really starting to fill out and even get some chunky cheeks! Her height is 20.5 inches which is 28%. Overall, she is a very good baby. She still sleeps quite a bit during the day, so that has made it easier on me with the boys. She's waking up about twice during the night with about 4 hours in between feedings, so not too bad. The boys are still loving her almost to the point where they fight over her in the mornings to see who gets the first kiss and neither will go to bed without saying goodnight to her. So very precious!

Nathan also had his 18 month appt, so we are keeping the dr's office very busy. He weighed in at 25 lbs which is the 39% and 32 inches tall which is 42%. He's so much bigger than Silas ever was, so he just seems so huge to us. Let's just say he's bigger now than Silas was at 2 years old, so I think he'll pass Silas quickly. He still has a very easygoing attitude and is such a sweet child. He keeps us on our toes, as he has quite the sense of humor for an 18 month old.

Overall things are going well here. Everyday brings new challenges, but we learn from them and I think every night we get a new laugh out of how we're handling things. We feel very blessed and thankful for these delightful children. I'll post pictures when I get time........time...what's that?

Updates

2010-03-12T13:14:00.002-07:00

Ok, I like to do these milestone updates, mainly for me so that I remember, but I think it is nice to have family know how the kids are doing since they don't get to see them that often. So here we go.

We had Silas's 3 year dr's appt. the same day as Abby's 2 week appt, so needless to say, we were at the dr's office for quite awhile! Here is what Silas measures at. He is now 28 lb 4 oz which is the 14% and his height is 36 inches or the 15%. So, at least we can say he's definitely proportional! Let's just say I think he has a lot of the Shippy genes in him and I don't think he'll be the tallest of the bunch! To make matters worse, Nathan is only 2 lbs lighter than Silas and not much shorter, so no more beating up on his brother!

Other than that, Silas is doing great. I wish that the terrible 2's would end when they turn 3, but I guess not! He is such a delight overall though and I really can't complain. He is really enjoying being a big brother and although Nathan and him go at it often, if they are separated they both want to know where the other one is. Silas can often be seen kissing Abby CONSTANTLY and says, I love my baby sister. So, I'm thankful for that. His other new comment is, "I'm just interested." So if he's getting into something he shouldn't, he'll say that. He is still our little encourager and tells us often that we are doing a good job at whatever we're doing. So, thankful for that.

Abby is growing like a weed. At her 2 week appt, she has surpassed her birth weight by almost a lb! She's now 7 lb 3 oz which is 39% and 20 1/2 inches which is 85%. She's a pretty good baby from what I can tell so far. She eats every 3-4 hours and in the night it is closer to 4+ and I'm very happy for that. She "usually" goes right back to bed after eating which really helps! She puts up with her brothers pretty well and takes all of their kisses in stride.

As a whole we are adapting to having 3 young ones as best as you can. Here are some things we are learning as parents.

Humility (ask for help!)
Flexibility (we move about as fast as a heard of turtles)
Bath night takes a full hour and then some
McDonald's playgrounds have become great dates!
Always call ahead to check hours of operation before packing 3 children into a car!
It's never good when your 3 year old tells you that your crabby. First of all that he even knows what that means, but that he's telling you that when he's actually right!
Also, that your 3 year old is telling people that baby Abby drinks from mommy because she doesn't have a sippy cup......hmmm, not sure I like that announced in public!
To be continued.........

Silas is THREEEEEEEE....

2010-03-08T21:38:00.040-07:00

It's hard to believe that three years has already passed by... Thankfully, we were able to spend the day as a family, and as you'll see, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Silas got a bike - and of course, a helmet. If you look closely, you'll notice mama even insisted that he wear elbow pads. I'm not sure how fast she thinks he's going to be going on that thing, but hey, at least he's safe right?

Here's hit first attempt (with a little help)...

Now he thinks he's a pro... As you can see, his riding has improved... (not too bad for a couple hours later)

And yes - he's still a goof ball at home.

We went to a place called 'lil Biggs - an arcade for toddlers, and you can see what fun we had.

Nothing like a HUGE bounce house for the kids... here's an action shot.

Nathan even had fun... the videos tell it all!

Cake anyone?

Here's the next morning - it's amazing what a night's sleep can do for someone's riding style! And yes, he went around...and around...and around...

End of an era...

2010-02-28T21:03:00.004-07:00

On the eve of Silas' third birthday, an era ended at the Aichele household - we said goodbye to the 1990 White Pontiac Grand Am that boasted more than 250,000 miles, had little to no heat, lost it's grill a year ago, was refused to be valet'd at the Broadmoor Resort a month ago, and was considered one of the loudest vehicles in the neighborhood. No longer will the boys hear me come home from a mile away (i'm not joking)... According to Silas, "They took Daddy's race car? That's ok - if it breaks they'll bring it back and Daddy'll fix it..." Here's a photo from last night...

Sheila and I realized that it was simply not possible to fit three child seats in the back of the Grand Am, and if something did happen to the mini-van, Sheila would be stuck. So this weekend, we ended up picking up a little Mazda 5... which, though it doesn't seem like it, is a mini-van as well.

However, it quickly has earned Silas' affection - as we got into Sheila's car this evening, Silas looked at the Madza (referred to as the green machine) and said "I like your car Daddy...you did a good job of picking it out." We went to Target and picked up his birthday gift - scary as it may seem - a bicycle...and of course, to make mama happy, a helmet and elbow pads. I guess she senses that he is his daddy's son and therefore just might crash a few times. Here's a picture of Silas testing the helmet at the store... priceless! (yes, it's still in the package...)

one week down...

2010-02-27T22:15:00.008-07:00

OK... so the transition from man-to-man to zone defense is a great idea - EXCEPT, I forgot to take into consideration that a key player in the zone (Sheila) would be on injured reserve for a while after surgery...

So what have I done - gained an even greater appreciation for what Sheila does on a daily basis throughout the entire year. I've always said that being a mom is the hardest job in history - and this week further solidified my position...

How are the kids doing with the transition? Silas absolutely adores Abby, and Nathan - well he's just a big boy and doesn't yet understand "gentle"... "wrestle" yes, but "gentle" - not so much. Here's some photos just to prove we didn't lose any of the kids on my watch...

A few more pics...

2010-02-19T22:19:00.002-07:00

We took the boys to the mall to Build-a-Bear for Abby - they had an absolute blast! But it was nothing compared with their joy of meeting her for the first time. Here's some photos from the past couple of days...

An Introduction...

2010-02-17T14:04:00.000-07:00

I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family. At 7:27 this morning, Abigail Ellen was born. Weighing in at 6 lbs. 9 oz & 21.5” long she is the smallest to arrive of our children. Both Sheila and Abby are doing well, while the boys are simply excited to meet her. For those of you who might want to know... Abigail means “A Father’s Joy”.

SImply Irresistible...

2010-02-10T20:59:00.002-07:00

Biblically speaking, everyone needs a "Nathan". Well, here's a short video of the boys that highlights God's kindness in providing us with our very own Nathan... who can resist this giggle?

the next pianist...

2010-02-08T21:44:00.004-07:00

One of my favorite things to do is sit at the piano and sing and play with the boys...As you'll see, the boys like it too. However, piano lessons might be in order...but at least he's learning Scripture.

The first time I saw it I had tears in my eyes...hopefully you'll enjoy it as well.

Like Father like Sons......

2010-01-20T20:49:00.002-07:00

Here are a few other pictures from this morning. I got a kick out of these.

How does Nathan already know how to drive a car and talk on his cell phone? Can we say Daddy???????

While I was changing my laundry which is also in the basement, I turned my back for 30 seconds only to find Silas doing this...........My first reaction was to freak out, but I grabbed my camera and took a few pictures and then freaked out at him. I guess right now they don't know what my treadmill is actually suppose to be used for! Ha, ha. But again, I wonder where he got this idea from???? Daddy????

No worries....Haven was there to spot him!

The wonders of beach balls

2010-01-20T20:35:00.003-07:00

Since the weather has been so warm out, we've been able to play outside almost everyday and even go to the park. However today was a different story and it was dreary and cold (thank goodness that isn't common here!). So we were all pretty grumpy to say the least. We were playing in our basement area and the boys were fighting over toys and all I was doing was being a referee. Then I remembered some beach balls that we had gotten on clearance at the end of the summer for .25 each. What a steal. So I blew up two of them (we still have two left.....) and what a change in attitudes. We were kicking them, throwing them, playing soccer and making goals in my laundry basket. Next thing I knew it was lunchtime and we had been doing this for almost 2 hours straight. Ahhhh....thank goodness for the little things in life. Here are a few pictures of our morning.

Nathan just being cute. He loves balls!!!!!!!!!!!
Nathan being "all boy" and playing with the trucks now.

Unfortunately I missed when they both had their heads sticking out the holes at the same time smiling. I couldn't get them to do it again, so this was as good as it got.

Nathan with his beach ball.

Here they were kicking and throwing the beach balls at my laundry basket. Oh what fun!

Yeah, Hawkeyes!

2010-01-11T13:27:00.002-07:00

Well, we're very sad around our house as college football is over.....boo, hoo! We had a wonderful year as Hawkeye fans and never missed a game (thank goodness for DVRs!). Silas started to really get into the games this year as he would run around our living room pretending like he was playing. Both boys have learned the I-O-WA cheer, so it was fun to watch them do that.

Anyways, here was Daddy and the boys the night of the Iowa bowl game. Daddy got a new Kinnick t shirt for Christmas along with a Kinnick hat that Nathan is wearing in the picture. Thank you, Carla for all of your hard work in getting the hat.....he loves it!

So, hopefully Iowa will have another good football year next year!

Nathan hiding under Daddy's Kinnick hat!

Nathan's 15 month update

2010-01-09T13:48:00.003-07:00

Ok, so a little late, but thought I'd update everyone on what Nathan is up to.

He had his 15 month appt at the end of December and he's looking good. He has not gained as much weight as he normally does, so he's now 22 lbs and 13 oz which is 26 percentile. The doctor suggested we go back to whole milk because we had him on 2% with Silas out of convenience. I'm not real concerned about him losing some weight, because I think part of the reason is him chasing after his brother. Since he took to walking at about 13 months, he has been nonstop since! Anyways, he's still a good height at 31 inches which is 64 percentile. He's looking good and has been very healthy. He did have another ear infection, so his 2nd, but it wasn't bad at all. He wasn't even really fussy or sick during that time and he was also getting his back molars so there was a lot going on. Overall, he's still such an easy infant/toddler and I really can't complain....he's spoiled us I think.

He is now starting to communicate which is really cute. I think similar to Silas his first word was Dadda. He also says, doggy, bus, puh (please), ta ta (thank you), bubba (brother) and I think that is about it. A few times he has said mama, but I'm not convinced of it yet since he doesn't say it consistently.

He's a very active little boy and has really gotten into cars, anything moving, trains, music, food, his toothbrush and still loves his sleep (thank goodness for that!). He squeals in delight when Daddy comes home from work and is starting on the daddy phase already. Perfect timing though! Silas and Nathan are starting to play really well together and it is so fun to watch. Silas now asks Nathan if he'll play with him. It is usually cars or chasing one another and although I don't think Nathan fully understands, he does it! Ahhhh.....this truly helps mommy when I need a break, so thankful for that. He is such a blessing and we love our two boys and can't wait to see what holds with the next one!

Christmas and more

2010-01-07T13:38:00.008-07:00

This is called catching up time. My computer had to visit the virus doctor for almost two weeks. It was hard not having a computer, but actually probably good, because I realized how much I don't need it and the time that I was wasting on it. So although I'm thankful to get it back, I feel much better about setting boundaries around it. So while the boys nap....I'm going to try and get some pictures posted and recap some missed time.

We had a WONDERFUL Christmas season. I can't say enough about it. It was so nice to not be traveling and be one of the thousands stranded in airports this holiday season. We enjoyed waking up in our own beds (although earlier than we would have liked!) and just enjoying time as a family. This year Silas started to understand more so it was so cute to see him excited and opening presents. We really tried to keep Jesus at the center of our celebration and so everyday for like two weeks you could hear Silas singing Happy Birthday to Jesus. Now, he continues to ask when do we get to celebrate Jesus's birthday again? How fun!

Other than that, Kurt had two weeks off so we had such a nice time interacting as a family. It really hit us hard Monday when Daddy went back to work, but we're getting back into some sort of routine! So here are a few pictures I'll try to post and maybe catch up more as time goes on.

Some of the best times leading up to Christmas was all of the boxes that we got. The boys loved playing in them!

Christmas eve before our church service, we got some neat pictures in front of the tree.

Christmas morning. Silas exploring all of the gifts.

Our new race track....ahhh...boys and their toys.

Nathan loves his new ride on toy!

Decorating Jesus's birthday cake.

Pittsburgh trip

2009-12-12T20:15:00.005-07:00

We are officially back from our trip and not just physically, but I think mentally now! We had a wonderful time visiting my sister and family in Pittsburgh. It's such a joy to see them in their own environment and getting to know where they live, go to church, see them homeschool and interact as a family. What a blessing! Thankfully they were all very patient with having an additional two children who were very off their routine and a frazzled mother at times. Kurt had a very busy weekend working at a fencing competition, so it was nice to be able to spend a few days with both families together.

Here are a few pictures I was able to get when I actually thought about my camera!

We ventured out to the local mall one day and here are the kids enjoying the fountains.

We spent one day at the Science center in Pittsburgh. Silas and Nathan are enjoying playing in the water....probably too much!
Here was the highlight of the museum. It is the ball area.
At their house, it was such a joy to see the kids play together and interact although there is such an age difference. Here is Evan building a geo track for the younger kids.
Aunt Paula holding Nathan who really wanted to tear apart the track!

Ann-Marie had a fun time drawing pictures with the boys' hands. Silas was very intrigued.

Alec, Silas and Nathan playing together.

Christmas Tree

2009-12-12T20:06:00.003-07:00

We put our Christmas tree and lights up on the day of Thanksgiving and then we finished on the day after. It was so much fun to see the boys really getting into it and help daddy put up the tree. We decided to wait to decorate it when they were napping, since at this stage it is just much easier that way. I was a bit concerned as to how Nathan would be with touching the tree and ornaments, however, as of yet, this hasn't been a problem. He's come close a few times and we tell him not to touch it and he backs right up, so I'm hoping it will continue to be that easy!

Here are a few pictures of our decorating and final project.

Here's Nathan helping to bring the different branches to Daddy. He did such a good job listening!

Silas helping too and he was in the Christmas spirit wearing the antlers.

Nathan just woke up from his nap and Daddy was showing him the finished product. All he could do was point.

Update Time

2009-12-01T20:11:00.002-07:00

Wow, I'm not sure how a month has almost passed since my last update, but time sure has been passing us by! Since our last post, we've had some sickness pass through our house. Nothing severe, just roseola and a bout of croup (Silas both times) and now Nathan has a cough, so really can't complain, but does keep you on your toes! Kurt has been traveling quite a bit, I think since I wrote last he has been in Turkey and London, so busy, busy!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Kurt had Thursday-Monday off, which was such a blessing! The weather was absolutely beautiful here, so we got all of our Christmas decorations up including outside lights and we were hanging them in short sleeved shirts.......weird! We were able to spend Thanksgiving dinner at some close friends of ours along with many others from our church family. It was such a blessing to spend a holiday with so many believers, the conversations we had, the games that were played and watching the kids of all ages play together.....what a joy! We definitely feel blessed in so many ways.

Now, we are very excited to be able to travel as a family tomorrow to Pittsburgh. Kurt has some work there and so while he works, the kids and I will be at my sisters playing...he, he! Kurt does have a few days off that he'll spend with us, but just thankful that we all get to tag along! Kurt did get tickets to the professional hockey game and he's taking my nephew and brother in law, so they are excited about that. I'm just thrilled to be able to see where my sister lives and spend some time with them while the kids get to know one another better. Silas is so excited because he had so much fun with Alec when we were all home over Christmas last year. It'll be neat to see them all together again.

I do have pictures of us putting up the tree and our lights, but I think I'm going to call it a night after I pack a few more things, so they'll just have to wait.....hopefully not for another month!! I hope to get an update about the trip as soon as we get back!

Is it November?

2009-11-06T13:40:00.002-07:00

This week has been absolutely beautiful. Most of the week it has been 60's and then Thurs and Friday were record highs in the 70's. Today we were able to spend some time at the park with our friend Elijah. After the kids ran around for an hour or so we sat down for lunch and the boys were so warm they took off their shirts. Ahhhh.....enjoy it while we can!

Halloween

2009-11-04T20:43:00.003-07:00

After having a snowstorm on Wednesday and Thursday and Silas getting pretty sick, I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to do anything for Halloween. However the saying in Colorado is, "If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes and it will change." How true that is. By Saturday it was nearly 60 degrees and absolutely beautiful out. Silas started to feel better on Friday and so we had a nice Halloween. We went over to some friends of ours and had a chili supper and then dressed the kids up and out we went.

I didn't get the greatest pictures of Silas because my camera is starting to act up, but here are a few photos.
Nathan was an adorable Lion. (Garage sale special!)

Here is our friend Elijah as a pumpkin and Silas as Thomas the Tank Engine.

Daddy did most of the work. He had Nathan on his back and he strolled Silas most of the time. Silas still didn't understand the concept and after we went to only a few houses, he started crying and wanted to eat his candy (all 5 pieces in his sack!). So we allowed him to eat and trick or treat. So he ate a lot of candy that night, but we hid his candy that night and he hasn't asked for it since! Yeah, I love this age.

Just a typical day!

2009-11-04T20:26:00.003-07:00

There are days I have to remind myself that I do enjoy staying home with my children. I must admit, it was much easier working! Kurt constantly asks me how I do it and admits I have the harder job! I am so thankful for a husband that understands how challenging it is and supports me in it fully. He encourages me, praises me and gives me breaks when he can!

Anyways, as I was reflecting how thankful I am that Kurt can provide for me to stay at home and raise our children, I couldn't resist to take a few pictures of what our days can look like.

Yup, that's Nathan. I caught him climbing onto our end table just as innocent as could be. So before disciplining him......always grab the camera.

This is typical Nathan. One shoe on and one shoe off. I'm actually surprised he still has his sock on!

Then there's Silas.....need I say more. We just finished breakfast and he wanted to go outside already! That's typical for him. I told him we weren't dressed yet, so he said he was going to go get dressed. Well, here is his version of getting dressed. Cute little sesame street underwear and his shoes on the wrong feet. At least he knew that I wouldn't let him outside without his shoes on!

Ahhhh..... and then we do have some brotherly love moments! Yes, here is a rare moment where we are actually sharing a toy (the tricycle) and enjoying it! This was not prompted, I actually caught them doing this and had to run and get the camera before it got ugly! Needless to say it didn't and I got some great pictures and a reminder that we can share! Yeah!

Daddy's Helper

2009-11-04T20:17:00.003-07:00

Kurt decided to build an entertainment system since we got a flat screen TV and wanted to mount it on the wall to conserve some space, but we still needed a place to store the DVD player, etc. So he got an idea to build a storage unit. He included Silas in the whole process and it was so neat to see Silas so excited to help Daddy. Hopefully Silas will learn these skills from Daddy so he can be just as handy!
Cutting the wood. Mommy couldn't watch much because I was a little scared!

Yes, he even got his own tape measure for the project.

Drilling the wood together.

The finishing touches on the project. It turned out great and now Silas calls it the tower and he tells everyone about it!

What we've been up to

2009-10-20T20:02:00.005-06:00

We have had a pretty busy month already, so I'll try and update and post some pictures. Kurt traveled to Turkey for a week and a half, so we were very thankful to get him back. Upon his return, our family went to Breckenridge, CO for a few days to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary. We had such a nice time as a family exploring the city. Kurt and I were there before kids, so this was a new adventure. It is not ski season yet, so the town was pretty quiet but that made it even better. We got to eat at some nice restaurants without any type of wait and do a little shopping. We even spent some time at a children's museum and the boys really enjoyed that.

Nathan exploring at the children's museum.

Daddy and Silas playing at the museum.

The weather here has been beautiful (although we know we are in for change soon!), so we have spent all of our spare time enjoying the different fall festivals and activities around the area. This past weekend we went to "Boo at the zoo" where the kids dress up and go trick or treating at the zoo in the evening and get to see some of the animals. We had a wonderful time and it just prepared us for Halloween around the corner. On Saturday, we went to a farm that has various animals and activities along with pumpkins. We enjoyed petting the animals and just being outdoors. Again, a great reminder why we love fall so much.

This is a festival I went to w/ a friend and her children when Kurt was gone. Here is Silas helping make apple cider.

Me, Silas, Nathan and our friend Elijah on the hay ride.

Daddy, Silas and Nathan at "Boo at the Zoo". Silas is Thomas the Tank engine this year, which he absolutely loves and Nathan is a lion.
Silas and Daddy feeding the giraffes at the zoo.

This is the farm we went to on Saturday. They had pony rides and Silas really enjoyed that.

Who can resist the barrel train rides?

Playing on the big tire wheels. (Cheap entertainment!)

Yes, they even played king of the mountain on the bales.

Poor Nathan couldn't keep up!

This is Silas being brave and going right up to the pig. That's my kind of farm boy.

Feeding the animals was a hit.

Silas found the pumpkin he wanted clear across the field and he rolled it all the way to us. Even though it has flaws.......we brought it home. It was so cute watching him roll it.

Here is Silas's way of making sure nobody gets our pumpkins!

More Fall Activities

2009-10-06T20:11:00.004-06:00

In addition to our Happy Apple Farm experience, we did a wonderful hike in the mountains. A couple Saturdays ago, we went up to the mountains to explore a museum we have always wanted to see but never had the time. Unfortunately, but fortunately......it didn't take us too long to get through, so we got to go hiking earlier than anticipated which meant we could take a longer route than normal. The leaves were not at peak turning point yet, so the colors were not as incredible as I would have hoped or have seen before, but it was still beautiful. Silas did such an incredible job hiking and although he got tired, he was such a trooper and kept on going. We did take a break to eat our lunch and he was thrilled about that. Nathan was in the backpack and must have had a very comfortable ride, because he took a little snooze! We did come across a snake and so Daddy and Silas had fun playing with that while Mommy kept her distance. I guess that is part of having boys....right? So, here are some pictures from our mountain hike.

Silas and Daddy playing with the snake.
Yes, Silas is touching the snake. Thanks, Daddy for teaching him that!

Here you can see snow on top of the higher mountains because we did get hit with some snow. The aspens in the valley are starting to change. Unfortunately a picture doesn't portray how beautiful and majestic it is.

Daddy educating Silas on how to pee on a tree. Now that he's potty trained, you do what you have to do!

Silas "reading" the map and telling us where to go as we hiked.

Nathan on the way home from the hike! You'd think he did all of the work.

Autumn

2009-10-05T20:22:00.005-06:00

This is our family's favorite time of the year, so we try to get out and enjoy it as much as possible. This year we went to a place called Happy Apple Farm. We heard that you can pick your own raspberries, blackberries, apples, pumpkins, etc. The best part about it is that you can eat the fruit right off the vines or trees because they don't spray them, so we took advantage of that! We had to limit Silas and have him remember to put them in our basket so we could take some home too!
Riding the tractor in order to get out to the fields.

Here we are picking the berries off of the vine.

Here's some of our full basket of berries.
Daddy picking apples while Silas was our bag holder.
The bag of apples got heavy quickly!
They had some beautiful sunflowers that we enjoyed.

Nathan was very interested in the pumpkins.

The boys in the pumpkin patch.

So I bet you are dying to know what we did with all of our berries and apples. Kurt made us some very yummy raspberry pancakes that were enjoyed by all. Sheila made some homemade apple sauce which was very flavorful. And the best thing was this raspberry and blackberry cobbler that Sheila made. We were sad to see it gone!!!!!!!!! Something to look forward to for next year!

Nathan's 1 year update and Silas's 2 1/2 year update

2009-09-30T12:55:00.002-06:00

Since the boys are 18 months apart (a few days difference), it is easy to do updates on both of them. We had Nathan's 1 year dr's check up today and he is doing great! His height is 29 3/4 inches which is 51%. His head is still in the 55% percentile, so he's pretty average there. His weight was 21 lb 4 oz which is the 72 %. So he's still above average in that category. He's a pretty solid boy and is growing like a weed. I think he'll pass up Silas soon or be very close in height and weight to him. I think they are only 5 lb difference now! He is getting more brave in standing up w/o holding anything, but no steps by himself yet. Will keep you updated.

Silas is 2 1/2 years now. We just hit a milestone in that he is officially potty trained (yeah!)! I had started to try shortly after he turned 2, because he showed signs of being ready. However, it was more me pushing him and after awhile I realized I wasn't ready for that undertaking! So, the other day he asked to wear his Thomas underwear again and I was like, here we go again. I told him let's wait until tomorrow morning, figuring if he remembered, then we'd do it. Well, he did and so we started the day off in underwear and with no accidents. I did have to ask him quite a bit if he had to go potty, but he was very receptive. Well, we're a week and a half later with underwear and only a handful of accidents which upsets him more than us. So I think it is the real deal now! Thank goodness, less diapers for awhile. So overall he's doing great and he's enjoying being a big boy!

Nathan's 1st Birthday

2009-09-28T14:01:00.004-06:00

I am still amazed my little boy is a year old. The year flew by so fast and I truly mean it. Kurt and I were reflecting about this year and the many changes that took place and the many blessings poured out upon us. We do serve a good God!

Here are some neat things about Nathan. He truly is a delight. He has such a sweet and funny demeanor about him. He loves music and can be seen clapping his hands constantly. He has a passionate love for food and can and will eat just about anything. He definitely out eats Silas by a long shot. He is a very good sleeper and even if he wakes up early, you can hear him playing in his crib which is so nice. Then when you do come in to get him, he immediately stands up and starts jumping and laughing. When you put him down at night, he has a little music toy that we push the button for so he can listen to it and as soon as you lay him down and push the button, he just starts laughing and that is the last you hear from him. He is a very fast crawler and is close to walking, but isn't confident yet. He loves his brother and if he wakes up from a nap before Silas he immediately points at Silas's door. Then when Silas finally wakes up, I put Nathan down to crawl into the room first and he goes right to Silas's bed and starts trying to crawl in it. Silas gets a kick out of that every time. I could go on, but he really has been a fun baby and I can only hope the toddler years will be just as fun! Pictures can't portray his cute personality, but here are a few from his bday party.

Nathan loves balloons, so we got some to put on his chair and a few to blow up and he had a blast! Who needs gifts?

Silas and Daddy helping him open his gifts.

When it started to play music, here's Nathan clapping. So it was a hit, thank you Jerome family!

I made his cake and cupcakes, so I had Silas decorate them. He did a really good job and was so proud of himself.

Ahhhhh....the cake! Digging in.

Here are some of the friends that we had over to enjoy the special day.

Yup, always have to cry when the cake and party are over! Poor guy was so exhausted, but a great day was had by all!

Randoms

2009-09-27T08:06:00.004-06:00

While I have a few minutes before church and our big day with Nathan's bday celebration, I'm going to post the rest of the CA pictures that I think are pretty good so I can close the trip up.

Enjoy!

San Fransisco at the cable car museum.

Silas smelling the flowers at the wedding reception.
Nathan being goofy!

Silas loved the rides. He was even big enough to go on one of the roller coasters!

Who can resist a treat on vacation. Look at that face!
Ahhhhh....vacation!

This is my favorite. Kurt was taking the boys on a walk along the ocean and he didn't know I took this one.

The Beach

2009-09-25T14:33:00.003-06:00

We took one morning while we were still in LA to head to the beach. It was a beautiful day and there wasn't too many people there yet, so we had a nice time. The waves did get pretty bad, so they had to put on the red flags, but by this time we were ready to head home, so it didn't affect us.

As for the beach, this helped Kurt and I realize how much more "mountain" people we are then beach people. It's always fun to visit, but not a place we'd pick to live or go on a long vacation to. It just isn't relaxing for us! Plus with young kids you constantly have to be with them and then there is the whole sand issue! Oh my, I think we brought home a ton of sand!

So a beautiful day and fun times, but a great reminder why we live where we do!

Silas loved rolling around in the sand. His diaper showed it when we got home!

Nathan wasn't so fond of the sand. He couldn't crawl in it and he wasn't really thrilled with the water (too cold), so he was ready to go!

San Diego Zoo

2009-09-24T13:02:00.004-06:00

Zoos are nothing new to us since we are members at our zoo and go "at least" once a month! However, nothing had prepared me for how large and extensive the San Diego zoo just is. Wow! We ended up taking a busride around it because there was no way we could see everything we wanted to. Then, if there was something that interested us, we were able to walk back to that area and check it out more. Some of our favorites included the koala bears. Who can resist such cute animals! The elephant exhibit is pretty amazing by itself! I could go on, but all in all, it was definitely worth the time.

In addition to the zoo, we were blessed to be able to spend lunch with Kurt's college roommate and his new wife. They came and met us outside the zoo and took us to a nice restaurant within walking distance. It was great to meet them and get to know them. Since they don't have kids yet, they were troopers putting up with ours, but I think all in all it was a good time. That evening, we were also blessed to be able to eat out with my grad school roommate and her husband. The kids were pretty fried by the evening, so I think Alison and Josh got the worst deal out of it. However, they are expecting their first child in December, so they were very gracious and understanding of the whole situation. It was so nice to see familiar faces in an unfamiliar city and enjoy some fellowship with friends.

Here are some pictures from the zoo.

Here was Silas on our bus trip.
Daddy and Silas in front of the koala exhibit.

The hippo was one of our favorites also.
Silas being goofy!

The elephant exhibit.
Yes, they even have elevators so you can get up to the higher exhibits. It was incredible!

It is still hard for me to believe that we have to go to a petting zoo to enjoy animals I grew up with, but Silas had a great time.

SeaWorld

2009-09-22T19:42:00.003-06:00

I'm going to skip ahead just a bit and go to our Seaworld experience since I'm still trying to get some pictures off of my camera from the LA area. Anyways, after we left LA, we went to San Diego for a few days. We spent one full day at Seaworld and one full day at the San Diego zoo, so it was a busy, but fun time.

Unfortunately again, it was record breaking temperatures, so watching some of the shows in the sun was just miserable, but it's something you just have to do if you go to Seaworld. So we experienced it, but after only a few hours of being there, we were all pretty miserable. We decided to leave the park and get the boys to nap and then come back in the evening. That was the best decision we made! We got back to Seaworld around 5:00 pm and the temperature was still very warm, but manageable! I wasn't sure how long the boys would last, but what troopers we were! I think we finally left the park around 9:30....Wow! I did bring their pj's and we put them on before we left, so both boys were asleep in the car and all we had to do was get them into our motel room and to bed!

I think aside from the shows, the kids had an absolute blast at the kid zone area in Seaworld. There was an obstacle course that Silas (and Kurt) ventured in. Nathan and I played in the toddler zone and he just had a blast. After Silas was done, he came over and they both played for a long time. We actually had to literally drag them out in order to go home. It was an amazing time by all and we left the park feeling like we definitely got our money's worth!

Enjoying the starfish exhibit.
Silas even got brave and started to try and touch them by himself.
We rode the sky ride so we could see the whole park from above.
Here's the obstacle course that Silas enjoyed.
Nathan enjoying the toddler area.

Silas playing in the toddler area also.

California Silliness

2009-09-20T20:29:00.003-06:00

One evening we took an evening to downtown Disney to eat and hang out. We spent about an hour in the Disney store just having fun. I think we had quite the crowd looking at us as we tried on various hats. Here are some pictures of our adventure.

Nathan is wearing a "goofy" hat and pulling on the ears. He thought it was pretty funny.

What a cute Minnie hat.......

Disney!

2009-09-18T13:11:00.004-06:00

We had an absolute blast at Disney! We weren't really sure if Silas would enjoy it or not, because he doesn't know all of the characters. Since we don't really watch much TV or movies, we did have some books with Mickey and Minnie and so we had been reading them to him so he would be familiar with it.

Well, as soon as we got to Disney, we saw a line for Mickey Mouse and asked him if he wanted to meet him. He immediately said yes, so we stood and waited. As we were waiting, he would randomly start jumping up and down saying, "Nathan is so excited to see Mickey." That is his new thing, anytime he's really excited, he just says that Nathan is. So it is really cute. Anyways, we got to meet a ton of the characters and ride some rides and just enjoy time together. I think Silas's favorite would be Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore. He was so excited to see them and we even rode the Pooh ride twice because he wanted to.

So all in all, a good day. Silas didn't have a nap (Nathan fell asleep in the stroller), so it was a pretty early evening and only one meltdown (due to not napping!), so overall not bad! Especially since it was record heat there that day. Here are some pictures.

Ok, meeting Lightning and Mater was a close 2nd to his favorite thing to see!

California (continued)

2009-09-17T13:11:00.002-06:00

The day of the wedding was beautiful. It was just a little bit chilly, but sunny so that made it all better. The wedding was in a cute little church that was open to the outdoors, so the perfect wedding to bring children too! Silas and Nathan did a great job sitting through it, so I was very proud of them. Here are some pictures of our family at the wedding.

Grandpa Shippy and Amma with Nathan after the ceremony. The church is in the background.

Silas and I at the reception.

My cousin Reed with Silas.
Our family at the wedding.
The day after the wedding, we ate breakfast with my cousin Reed before we all went our separate ways. This was in front of the ocean.

California (at last)

2009-09-17T13:01:00.002-06:00

Well here it is....the long awaited California pictures. I am finally getting my computer more functional, so I'm able to post some pictures. I still haven't gotten all of them off of my camera, so I might continue to post later on some other pictures, but this will get us started.

When we got out to California, we started in San Fransisco and then went north of San Fransisco to my cousin's wedding. My dad and step mom flew in, so we were able to spend time with them. We all stayed in the same hotel and then house, so it was nice to have everyone right there. Here are some pictures with Grandpa Shippy and Amma.

Here was our cable car experience in San Fransisco.

Amma and Silas coloring.
Grandpa and Silas walking on the beach.

A stroller ride at Fisherman's Wharf in San Fransisco.

Technical Difficulties

2009-09-09T13:04:00.002-06:00

Well, I haven't been able to post pictures of our wonderful trip (sorry Janelle...he, he) because of some issues we've had here. While we were away, we had lightning strike and it took out my computer, our TV and also our DVR. Our TV was pretty old and we've been considering a new one for awhile, so breaking down to purchase a new one wasn't such a bad thing. As for my computer, Kurt (w/o me knowing) bought a computer right before we left as a gift for me for when we got home, because my computer was slow and had issues. So, even before we knew the lightning had gotten my computer, I was blessed with a new computer. As for our DVR, it was under warranty, so they have already replaced it.

So, to make a long story short...I love my computer, I just don't know how to utilize all of the features yet, including uploading pictures. Plus, I need to figure out my new picture program on it, so I'm afraid it will be awhile until I can post about our wonderful trip.

To be continued!

We're Off!!!!!!!!!

2009-08-18T21:01:00.002-06:00

Just got done packing and repacking.........in preparation for our two week vacation to California. We have some exciting things planned (and a little work here and there for Kurt!). We start in San Fransisco with my Dad and step mom arriving a day after us. We then venture up north of SF for my cousin's wedding. It is suppose to be a beautiful area, so excited to see it. After coming back to SF and spending one more day with my family, we head to the LA and then San Diego area for some play (Disney, Sea World and San Diego zoo to name a few) while Kurt does some work in these areas! Then, back to SF for one more day prior to flying back. So, see you in September!

Family Day

2009-08-14T14:07:00.002-06:00

We had a very busy week last week where it seemed like we were all running parallel to one another with no set time together. Therefore, we set aside Sunday evening after naps as a family time. We decided to go to Chuck E Cheese since we had never been there as a family. It was a hit and even better.....it wasn't that busy! The boys loved the rides and some of the games Silas really got into. He even beat Kurt and I both at a game.....no comment! Anyways, here are some pictures of our time together.

The boys riding in a car together. Nathan didn't last very long, because he got a little bit scared, but he liked sitting in it!

Silas enjoying the car.

Daddy and Nathan.

Silas's version of the game!

Random Summer stuff

2009-08-05T13:47:00.003-06:00

I have a few moments, so I thought I'd try to catch up on odds and ends and post some pictures. We had a great time w/ Grandpa Aichele and Holly, so that occupied our last few weeks. We were able to go to some neat places with them and eat at some different restaurants that we would not normally go to, so always nice to get out and explore. I can hardly believe that August is here already and there are some schools that start back next week already! I'm not sure where the summer went to. We are also preparing for our trip to California which Kurt reminded me this morning is just two weeks away!

Other than that, we have had some nice times with friends and basking in the sun! When I can't find Silas, all I have to do is head outside and he's out playing frisbee with Haven. As for Nathan, well I'll post some pictures, but he's standing up now and thinking it might be fun to walk and chase after his brother. I'm not ready for that quite yet, but it is neat to see him get up, fall back down and try again. I love that stage. We're enjoying our summer and hope everyone else is too!

Nathan standing and actually trying to get up the stairs. Look out!
Silas and Nathan playing with a balloon.
Such a cute picture. Silas with his friend Elijah holding hands!

This is the penny arcade we went to in Manitou Springs with a friend. All the rides are either 25 or 50 cents, so pretty cheap and then there are arcade games ranging from a penny to 50 cents, so lots of cheap entertainment!

Elijah and Silas on a ride.