My Parents Visit and Addy's First Day of Kindergarten

My parents came to see us when Finn was 6 days old. I was so excited for them to meet my little guy. I was really starting to feel great and back to myself again. We got out walking everyday which really helped me heal quicker. On Saturday we decided to get the kids out of the house and headed to downtown Naperville. We walked the river-walk and my dad and Christian took the kids on a paddle boat ride. It was such a beautiful day! We stopped off at the Naper Sweets and Twisted Olive to pick up some treasures. 

My mom and I did a little shopping in the evenings once Chris was home so we could leave the baby with him. We were on the hunt to find Benson some more sports gear. His obsession that week was about getting a shirt or sports jersey that had a name and numbers on the back. He could not function until he had one. He seriously cracks me up! My mom surprised him with a baseball jersey that he absolutely loves and wore for 3 days straight.  

Here are some pictures of Finn at 1 week old. He is such a good baby! He gave me 2- 5 hour stretches in between feedings at 6 days old. It was the best feeling ever! I needed some catch up on sleep. Starting at 1 week old, he has been sleeping 8 hours at night. I put him to bed around 10 pm and he hasn't been waking up to eat until about 6 am. He goes right back to sleep until around 8 am. Such a good little sleeper. I hope it continues!

Finn is 10 days old in these pictures. Addy and Benson have been so sweet with Finn. I was prepared for some serious meltdowns once I brought him home. They have adjusted so great! Benson kisses him non stop. It's hard to keep his lips of the little guy. Such an amazing brother! He has done really well sharing all of his stuff and luckily isn't jealous of him. Addy has been so sweet and very helpful. She loves to hold and snuggle him. 

These pictures are of the day my parents left. It has been so nice having company to help me with my kids. I know they have loved all the attention!

My baby started kindergarten! This was such an exciting/sad day at our house. Addy has been waiting for this day for about a year. She couldn't wait to get to school and meet new friends. She got right up and ready without me even having to ask her. She had a hard time eating because she was so excited. It was really hard for me to let her go. I have really loved having her home with me and having her gone all day is going to be an adjustment for Benson and I. Having her in someone else's care for 6.5 hours a day is nerve wracking! The girl hardly is away from me at all. It was hard for me to send her also because of her nut allergy. I talked with the nurse and her teacher and I know she is in great hands, but it still doesn't ease my fears for her. Hopefully it will get easier for me as the school year goes by.

Her first day of school was more of a meet the teacher and orientation for the parents. I took her pictures right before we loaded in the van and it started pouring. It was the craziest storm! The wind was blowing the rain sideways so even though we had our umbrellas we both were drenched from head to toe. Addy didn't mind one bit!

Addy's teachers name is Mrs. Straughn. She is such a friendly smiley teacher. Addy was very shy and quiet while we were there but talked my ear off on the drive home. She loved Mrs. Straughn's pink shoes and her dress. 

Addy's first full day of school was a success! She loved it so much and gave me the thumbs up when I came to pick her up. She couldn't believe all the things they were able to do. Her favorite part of the day was art class and recess. It was spirit day so she wore navy and white and I thought she looked so cute! Addy wasn't able to eat her lunch because she said she had "nerves in her tummy".  She didn't even drink her juice or her water.  Luckily there was another little girl for her to sit by at the nut table. Addy said she didn't talk to her though. I am just grateful she didn't sit alone! I am sure Addy will warm up in no time. 

My friend Chelsea was so awesome and came over to help us take a family picture. Not bad considering we aren't photographers!  Finn turned two weeks old the day we did them. The kids were great and let me take a few of each of them. Of course I take way too many pictures, but I just can't resist! My kids are at such a fun stage and I love capturing how cute they are! 

Benson 3.5 years old

Addilyn 5 3/4 ( that is how old she tells everyone she is :)) 

Finn 2 weeks old

 Love my family!

Waiting for the baby

We were so lucky to have Christian's parents come to help out when the baby came. We hadn't seen them since January, so the kids were really excited! They got here on Aug 3 and if the baby didn't come on his own I was going to be induced on Aug 7. 

Christian had been wanting zucchini bread so the kids and grandma made him some. It was so delicious! Of course they loved the clean up just as much. Playing in the sink with lots of bubbles! Jamie and I did lots of shopping and walking around trying to get the baby to come.  Benson picked out a pair of Jordan's from the Nike outlet that he just had to have. I am such a push over for that kid and his sports addiction. He couldn't wait to get home and make a "big slam dump" with his new shoes! 

 Grandpa took the kids to the city on the train to meet Christian for a White Sox game. This was Benson's first time on the train. He was so excited! He thought when he got to the baseball game that he was going to get to play. He was ready with his mitt and was so disappointed that no one would hit the ball to him. They had a great time and loved riding the train. Both kids fell asleep on the ride home. It was definitely a great day!

Baby Finn finally decided to make an appearance on Aug 10. I was so glad that grandma and grandpa didn't miss his birth! They had to leave the day after I came home from the hospital but enjoyed all the snuggles they could get. It was so helpful having them here taking great care of us.

April 2013- Christian's B-day & Myrtle Beach

Christian turned 36 this year! We had a fun night with just our family. He picked a new mexican restaurant for dinner which turned out to be delicious. We came home right after to open gifts. Addy was very excited about this part. She made him a really sweet card and wanted to give him her money she had been saving. She wanted him to have all of it but I talked her in to just giving him the five dollar bill. Benson and Addy picked him out some new golf shirts and some beach clothes for our trip the following week. I was really excited to give him my gift this year too. Christian had been hinting to me and asking me for his own quilt. I have never taken the time to make us or him anything. I just kept telling him I didn't have time with my work schedule and young women's to sew a big project. I pulled it off and secretly got him a quilt made. He was so surprised and absolutely loved it!  His reaction made all the hard work worth it! After presents we went and got frozen yogurt for dessert. The kids loved it! Benson was pretty concerned though that daddy didn't get to blow out a candle. Happy Birthday babe!

The following week we spent four days in Myrtle Beach. Christian had been wanting to go somewhere for awhile and randomly found some good deals. It was the most relaxing vacation we have had in a long time. No schedule at all! We just got to venture around and check things out and play at the beach every day.

On the first day we went to the store and got the kids a bunch of beach toys and spent most of the day playing at the beach. The kids did not want to leave! They had so much fun running through the water, digging in the sand, and collecting seashells. 

On day two we spent the morning at Broadway at the beach. They had cute little shops, rides for the kids, and some yummy restaurants. The kids of course loved all the rides!

We spent the rest of the day playing at the beach. We found a more private entrance and were the only ones there for the day. Addy caught some really small fish and saved them in her bucket. Every afternoon when we left the beach we would take the kids for a long ride. They would fall asleep within minutes and Christian and I would look up places we wanted to check out. This afternoon we drove to North Carolina to a cute little fishing community. It was so fun to look at all the real estate. Chris definitely is sold on buying a house by the ocean.

That night we ate dinner at a restaurant on one of the piers in Myrtle Beach. We had the best table right against the window. The view was so beautiful. Christian ordered a seafood dish and I had steak and grilled shrimp. It was so delicious! After dinner we walked the pier and the kids played out there until after sunset. The wind was blowing like crazy but we still had a great evening.

On the third day we went miniature golfing. It was by far the hottest day of the whole trip. Benson and Addy loved playing golf with their dad. Benson randomly got a hole in one! He didn't like to play by the rules and would set his ball down anywhere and would hit it as hard as he could. He looked more like he was playing hockey! Addy tried so hard and did such a great job. She almost had a hole in one. She made a lot of the courses in 2 or 3 shots. Not bad for her first time!

After golf we went to a restaurant on the water that was a fresh fish market/restaurant combined. It had beautiful scenery of the ocean and we watched the boats coming in and out the whole meal. Christian had fish tacos that were by far his favorite of the trip. Afterwards we went to an outdoor mall and walked around the shops. We headed straight for the beach for the rest of the day. We played at a park that was on the beach before we went down to the water. The kids loved it! They never made it into their swim suits but didn't even care. We found some kind of jellyfish that washed up while we were playing. The kids thought it was awesome. Benson really wanted to keep it in his fishing net but I wouldn't let him. 

Our last night there we took the kids on a long drive for their nap. We ended up going to Georgetown Historic District. It's an old Jewish fishing community. We ate dinner at Portofinos on the Warf. It was a very fancy Italian restaurant. We were very hungry so we didn't care that we were under dressed. Dinner was by candlelight and the kids did really well. They loved the bread and oil and caesar salads. The kids and I had bruschetta linguine and Christian had clams and linguine. 

We were sad to leave Myrtle Beach the next morning. It was such an awesome vacation and we definitely want to go back.

February & March 2013

We had a long and cold February and March in Chicago. A lot of rain and windy cold days. We stayed inside most of the time.

Addy wanted to make her preschool class treat bags for Valentine's day. She die cut and stamped her own valentines this year. We had so much fun making them together.

Chris made the kids and I green pancakes for breakfast on St. Patrick's day. We decided last minute to spend the day in Chicago and take the kids to see the Chicago river. It was barely 30 degrees and we were freezing out walking around, but we really enjoyed the day! The kids were excited to see all the people dressed in green and wearing crazy things from the parade. Addy got a green shamrock hat necklace that she wore proudly. The kids picked a stuffed animal from the Disney store and Benson went to the Nike store on Michigan Ave for the first time. That boy was in heaven! So many "swoosh" things to look at. He really wanted some basketball shoes right then, but I talked him into getting a dri-fit shirt instead. He wore that shirt for three days straight and I had a hard time getting it away from him to wash it. It is his favorite!

We finally had some sunny days at the end of March just in time for Easter. The kids went to an Easter egg hunt on Saturday and colored eggs that night. Easter morning we surprised the kids with a new wagon and some treats in their baskets.

Benson's 3rd Birthday

My crazy boy turned 3 in February! On his birthday was the last day of tumbling. Daddy took the day off so he could go see him tumble and then have lunch afterwards. Benson chose Chili's for his birthday lunch. He and his dad ordered ribs and they had matching messy faces afterwards.

Benson was so excited this year for presents. He is very into sports and loved the sports clothes, soccer net and ball, and his bike. He is a little too small for his bike still but I hope he will be able to ride it by summer.

Benson loved his banner and balloons! Every time he walked into the kitchen he would say "Look it's my party!" We had cupcakes and ice cream after dinner and then headed for the kids first 3D movie. We met Lexi and Walker at the theater and watched "Escape from Planet Earth." It was a little scary at first for both Addy and Benson, but they warmed up really quickly to the 3D glasses.  Benson had a great birthday!

Here are some things about Benson at 3.......

-He is wearing 4T clothes

-He weighs 34 lbs  50%

-He is 3ft 4 in  93%

-He is just barely in a size 9 shoe

-He loves sports

-He has a hard time sitting still and bounces all over the place

-He has only one speed...running

-His favorite movies are all 3 Toy Stories

-He still takes one 2-3 hour nap everyday

-He doesn't like to go to bed at night because of his nap

-His best friend is Cailyn

-He really struggles going to nursery and doesn't like us to leave him

-He has a clothing and shoe obsession

-He is very particular in what he wears

-He loves Addy and misses her when she is at school.  He runs to her in her classroom when we pick her up

- He is a daddy's boy and loves to be rough and wild but is so sweet and mostly soft with me

-He wants to be a skateboarder and do tricks

January 2013 and our trip to Utah

January was not a good month at our house. We were pretty much sick the entire month.  I ended up getting H1N1, which I didn't even know was still going around, and stayed in bed for 8 days straight. I have never been this sick and hope to never experience anything like it again. Christian took off an entire week of work and took great care of the kids and I. Unfortunately, I passed it on to Benson. We caught it very quickly and he was treated the first day. His fever and body ache only lasted about a day and a half, but still had to stay away from the public for 5 more days. Longest 2 weeks for my family!  We were worried about the flu being passed to Addy so we had her treated as well. She never caught the virus! 

 I started doing project life this year and these black and white pictures are some from my cover page from the album. The pictures are all from the first weekend in January.

On the 24th I finally had my 12 week app and the Dr. cleared both the baby and I. We were both healthy and doing well! I was so worried about the baby the whole time I was sick. This was such a relief! Christian and I decided to tell the kids that night about the baby. Addy was excited and Benson didn't quite understand. I showed Addy and Benson the ultrasound pictures and here is the conversation we had.....

Me- "do you know what this is a picture of?'

Addy- "no"

Me- "look at it again"

Addy- complete blank stare

Me- " here is the back, head, feet, arms, ect....."

Addy- "a dinosaur?"

I started to laugh! Seriously so innocent and cute.

Chris- "it's right here in mommies belly"  

Addy- "you have a dinosaur in your belly?"

Haha! How cute is that? I explained to them that I was going to be having a baby. Addy said she understood but wasn't super excited like I hoped. Benson couldn't stay in the room long enough to have a conversation. He was running around like a crazy boy. When I told him he just kept say "no it isn't" and ran away laughing.

That night I went up to bed and Addy was still awake laying in her bed. She said she was having a hard time sleeping because she kept thinking about the baby. ( she really was excited!) She came and got in bed with me. I was laying there with my eyes closed and our foreheads touching. Addy wrapped her arm around me and said " I just hope you have a really good time having your baby. I hope it's really good for you." It made me tear up! She was trying to process all that info, congratulate me, and be the sweetest little thing all at once. Love this girl!

Two day later we caught our flight to Utah. We hadn't been home since last summer and we had news to tell everyone which made the trip a little more exciting. Our first day there Addy and Benson got to meet my sister's new dog. If you know my kids this is a huge deal. Addy had some serious anxiety the whole way home from the airport. She knew the dog was all ready at my parents house. We pulled in the driveway and Addy had Allyson hold the dog so she could walk in the house. Addy immediately ran to my mom's couch and sat on the arm rest. Betsy was running around playing. Addy was shivering, broke out in hives, her little teeth were chattering, but she was so happy to see that dog. After about an hour and a half I talked her into getting off the couch. Within minutes Addy was letting Betsy jump all over her and they were playing. Such an accomplishment! Benson was nervous for about 5 seconds. I think he fed more off of Addy's fear than anything. He was rolling around on the ground wanting Betsy to lick his ears. 

All Addy could think or talk about was Betsy for the entire trip. That girl loves this dog and overcame a fear. I am not going to lie and say I didn't want to pull my hair out! Love my daughter, but there is only so may hours in the day we can talk about a dog.

The following week my family had a surprise 60th birthday party for my dad. It turned out great and my mom did such a good job organizing it and keeping everything a secret. There was a great turn out and my dad was excited to see a lot of his friends. 

We celebrated Benson's birthday a little early so he could spend it with all of his cousins. He picked a trampoline/ bounce place. The kids all had such a great time! It is so fun to see all of our kids together. Benson really latched on to Hayden this trip. He wanted to be everywhere he was and thought Hayden was super cool.

We went with my family bowling the night before we left. The kids had so much fun! Addy loves to bowl and did a really good job. She was doing the cutest cheers for everyone. Benson had fun for about his first 3-4 turns. It took way too long and he wanted to go play video games instead.

Saying goodbye is always the hardest part. We went over and said bye to some of Christian's family and met my parents and sister's in Sugar House for breakfast. 

One of my most favorite pictures of my kids with nanny Jamie. I caught one of the only real smiles from Benson from the entire trip. I torture that poor boy with all the pictures I like to take.

We had a really great trip and loved spending all the time with our families.

October 2012

The weekend before Halloween, Christian and I took the kids to Blackberry farms. We decided to try out a new place this year instead of going to our usual pumpkin patch. The kids had so much fun here! They rode tractors, played on the huge treehouse, rode a zip line swing, went on a tractor hayride and train ride around the farm, picked pumpkins, and had so much fun running around. The kids are both begging for us to go back. It will be a fun place to try in the spring and summer.

Later that evening we went to our ward trunk or treat. It was really cold but the kids enjoyed going around getting candy. We stayed for dinner and the games for the kids.

Our costume choices this year were based around Benson wanting to be "Woody".  Addy couldn't figure out what she wanted to be until Benson chose his costume.  She said to me " I guess I could be a cowgirl but not Jesse!"  Nanny Elaine sewed her a costume while she was here for Addy's birthday. I loved how it turned out and she made the cutest cowgirl!

Benson of course had no interest in posing for pictures. I will take anything I can get with this boy! He was so happy with his costume and wanted to wear it everyday. We definitely got some good use out of it ! Christian dressed up with the kids and his costume was perfect. The indian costume is something that he was suppose to wear at pack meeting with the scouts, but I never allowed! I about died the first time he came out during pack meeting dressed in that outfit .... it was also his last.

Halloween I took the kids trick or treating with a neighbor until Christian came home. The kids really had a great time and came home with more candy than we could eat. Benson is all ready planning his costume for next year!