Snippets

Pear tradition

2012-02-10T12:42:00.005-05:00

McKinley is home sick today.

When I was little, our sick tummies always got canned pears to eat, with a little pear juice.
We opened up a fresh bottle of pears from Utah today. It is the only time we eat pears.
We are faithfully carrying on the pear tradition!

Oh me oh my oh dinosaurs!

2012-02-10T11:00:00.000-05:00

For a few months now Hayden has had me play dinosaurs with him while he's in the bath. He gets to be the dad and I get to be the kid (i.e. he gets to tell me what to do).

We also play "Christmas", with T-Rex as Santa Claus....complete with white beard :)

Little boys are fun.

baby brother, big brother

2012-02-09T12:55:00.000-05:00

Josh really enjoys it when Hayden is around. He lights up when Hayden comes over by him, and giggles when Hayden talks to him. It could be because Hayden is always telling Josh how handsome he is :) It is very cute to watch.

(This picture is of Josh watching Hayden tell him what a handsome baby he is. He is pretty handsome!)

He makes me so happy

2012-02-08T10:22:00.002-05:00

I recently had a friend ask me if there was anything I'd like to be doing in my life right now.

This is it. This is what I want.

I am completely happy right now, truly.

en plein air

2012-02-06T21:16:00.003-05:00

For preschool today I decided to make Hayden go outside for a change. He won't go outside unless someone goes with him. So while baby slept we put on our coats for some fresh air.

He got to find some treasure (chocolate coins) following his map. One of his favorite things to do!
(Don't mind the wacky hair..I just didn't do his today)
We blew bubbles of course.

We did our 'abc work' with sidewalk chalk and played a few games with them: we made rainbow letters, played 'I spy' racing games, and did a square jumping abc race.

An hour later we were done and headed back in. Mission accomplished!

Lawn art

2012-02-05T15:22:00.002-05:00

Yet another example that we are out of our league here; the house up the street recently installed this art sculpture in their yard. It looked like one I saw in D.C., so after doing some research I think it's by Roxy Paine in NYC. They retail around the millions!

I do like the scultpure though. Maybe one day I'll have one for my lawn. I'd better get a job.

Ta-da!

2012-02-02T20:32:00.001-05:00

Brown paper packages tied up with string

2012-02-01T12:13:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite things! I love getting packages!

I had ordered a couple casual dresses online from Modcloth for Christmas. When I tried them on after Christmas, they barely covered my bum! So, back they went. I had store credit just lying around, so after perusing the site for a long time I kind of fell in love with the books. I had to narrow it down to fit my store credit, and now they have arrived!

I got the Coralie edition classics Oliver Twist and Little Women to add to my Jane Eyre. I wasn't a fan of Oliver Twist when I was younger, but I'm hoping my old age has matured my taste and it's more enjoyable. I've never read Little Women, now I don't have to worry about reading it before the library limit runs out. There's just something about a beautiful book.

I've heard of Miette, the pastry shop in San Francisco, so I thought this recipe book would be fun. And the cake on the front completely won me over. The dessert portions at the shop (and in this book) are much smaller than usual portions. I think that's a good idea for me :)

I was a little giddy when I discovered all the pages are scalloped. I'm kind of a nerd like that.

This art book is called Let's Make Some Great Art by Marion Deuchars. It is filled with art projects, ideas, and techniques geared toward children. I've only looked through it so far but it has me sooo excited to start trying some out with the kids. I think the boys will especially like this Jackson Pollack project where they drop a marble covered with paint and roll it around on the paper to create art. Can't wait!

So many inspiring things. I love looking at them on my bookshelf. I can't imagine a Kindle replacing it all! I want walls of bookshelves filled with books in my forever home.

Roll over

2012-01-31T16:47:00.002-05:00

Today I put Josh on his tummy on the couch by the window to take his pictures. He promptly rolled over onto his back. I turned him to his tummy and he rolled over again. After a few times of this I came to the conclusion that we've reached the tummy-back rolling over milestone. Sure enough, even when I laid him on the flat floor on his tummy he rolled over!

Here he is on his tummy (ignore the bluriness of the picture).

One click later he looked like this...

Luckily he chose to roll into the couch instead of off of it!

Such a big boy now!

Girl's best friend

2012-01-30T15:40:00.004-05:00

McKinley undoubtedly loves Sadie the most at our house. She likes to get her to do a few tricks with food bribery, and take her for little walks around the yard. Sadie is a little too energetic and strong for McKinley. Sadie often runs up to McKinley, but her smart self doesn't stop at the right time and knocks her right over. Like today...flat on the ground knocked over. I wish I had a picture. Or the time McKinley took her for a "walk" in Utah and was dragged on her belly across people's yards. Ha ha ha!
Here are a few of the pictures that McKinley asked me (yay!) to take of her and Sadie.
I warned Sawyer that next week is his turn for a "photo shoot".

McKinley still calls Sadie her "little sister". It is the only one she'll ever get.

McKinley

2012-01-30T10:03:00.001-05:00

I made McKinley get pictures taken today after church while she was all dressed up and hair not in a ponytail. She resisted, but we let Sadie come in for a few pictures and this morning she asked me if I would take her pictures today after school with Sadie again. Yay!

Practicing

2012-01-24T08:33:00.000-05:00

Josh is starting to try to roll over. He cranes his head around as far as he can and then tries to get his body to follow, but it doesn't. He starts crying because he gets frustrated, and then I help him roll over.

I want him to develop and grow normally, but I'm not sure my heart is ready for this little one to start growing up.

little baby

2012-01-23T10:22:00.003-05:00

Baby Josh was smiling all morning with me. But every time I pull out the video camera he freezes. So here are some teeny tiny smiles he would give even with the camera on.

Winter is here!

2012-01-21T11:47:00.003-05:00

It snowed!

We are so glad that it is on a Saturday and not on a school day. We do not want any more days of school canceled this year! Although Sawyer's friend's birthday party got canceled and he was very sad. Hayden was so excited to go outside and the other two were happy to go out with him for a little while. It looks beautiful. It might be our last winter in Connecticut. Hm.

Cloud dough

2012-01-20T20:10:00.000-05:00

Cloud dough is all over Pinterest right now, so I followed a link and decided to try it. It is 8 cups of flour to 1 cup of baby oil. You mix it together and then play with it like Moon Sand. Hayden played with it for over 2 hours. It smells yummy like baby. The one thing they didn't mention...

...it makes a HUGE mess! Or maybe that's just Hayden.

Infinity and beyond

2012-01-19T11:57:00.004-05:00

Today we're playing Toy Story...again. We spend an infinite amount of time playing Toy Story. I am the only one Hayden will allow to play Toy Story. Probably because I'm the only one who lets him dictate exactly how to play. I only get to be Jessie, because we're both girls. I frequently get destroyed, or treasure stolen from me. When we run errands in the car we have to role play Toy Story as well. I wonder how much longer Buzz and Woody will be beloved. I hope he stays this little for a while longer.

3 months old!

2012-01-13T11:06:00.003-05:00

Here are the 3 month old pictures, taken today. He is so sweet!

I can't believe he's already 3 months old. He's so much fun. I love this stage. I forgot how wonderful having a baby in the house is. I told Kent I would even be open to a fifth baby...he didn't go for that.

We are having a little birthday party tonight with Outback for dinner and cupcakes for dessert. Kent laughed at me, but since he's my last baby we have to celebrate every milestone!

Unless Kent gives in to a fifth (yeah right).

Enjoy the view

2012-01-11T08:04:00.001-05:00

When I came back inside from taking the garbage out, this was my view. McKinley and Hayden playing DS together on the couch while Sawyer is practicing back somersaults off the ottoman and Josh is taking a nap in the other room.

It made my heart happy. I am very blessed.

Country life

2012-01-10T08:40:00.002-05:00

This....

is a necessity.

One morning Kent opened the garbage can lid to deposit some garbage, when he got a nice surprise. A little raccoon popped up his furry head and shocked the socks off him. Now we make sure the rocks are in place. I don't think the raccoons are happy though. There are tiny claw marks all over the lid. Bwah ha ha!

Mild weekend

2012-01-09T08:40:00.000-05:00

Saturday was 58 degrees outside! It was great. I went exercising outside with McKinley and it felt like April! Later we went outside per Sawyer's request to play football.

I still bundled up the baby like it was January. (Is it weird that I still call him "the baby" sometimes?)

Sawyer used the football tee he got for Christmas. We only had to wear light jackets.

Hayden's not interested in playing football with us, he wanted me to watch him ride his bike down the hill. He said it made him very tired. I think we need to go outside more.

On another pathetic note, McKinley ran faster than me during one of the football plays. It was humiliating. I really need to recover from my 10 pound baby faster.

Colors

2012-01-06T17:02:00.004-05:00

The sunset was breathtaking tonight.

I am going to miss these trees one day. The view out the window from our couch isn't too shabby, is it?

Bubbers

2012-01-05T16:49:00.002-05:00

Josh's nickname so far is "Bubbers". It kind of fits this smooshable little face. All the kids have jumped on board with the nickname. Lately he's been coming into his ticklish-ness. When you change his clothes and pull the sleeves over his armpit area or rub his back with your finger tips he lets out a sort of chortle-giggle. I tried to get a picture of it, but he didn't think the camera I was holding was funny at all. He's so precious.

Back to school

2012-01-04T12:44:00.002-05:00

The older kids went back to school on Tuesday. While it is nice not to hear them fighting all day long (or so it seems) I liked having them at home with lots of down time.
Kent had yesterday off still, so we had a looong break and accomplished very little. It was heavenly.
Today is back to normal.

Mmmm, newly bathed baby, yummy!
Josh got this cute bath towel from my friend. He loved gnawing on it and started crying as soon as I pulled it out of his mouth.

Now that baby is 2 months, and Christmas is over, Hayden's started back with preschool...at his request. At the end of preschool he got to do a treasure hunt for chocolate coins. He made sure I took pictures of his "gold treasure". He's a fun kid.

Winter vacation

2011-12-30T15:12:00.002-05:00

This past week Kent has been off work, so we have been very lazy. There has been a lot of popcorn, movies, PS3, game of Life, eating treats, and general lounging about. I have gotten good use out of my new "lounge" wear I got for Christmas. Oh, I did have a Primary presidency meeting where they gave me presents for Josh. A couple of which are in this picture above. He also got a cute bath towel. I'll try to get a picture later because there's nothing cuter or sweeter than this little baby. I am actually sad that he will be my last. See! I have already kind of forgotten how miserable labor and delivery and recovery was. I'll have to keep reminding myself.

Christmas Day!

2011-12-25T23:01:00.001-05:00

Kent heard the kids stirring before 6:00 this morning, despite the "not until 7:00" rule we placed last night :) He came and woke me up to tell me the kids were awake.
The kids had to line up from youngest to oldest to walk down the stairs and see what was left for them.
They oohed and ahhed then went to check out their stockings. McKinley read the note Santa wrote back to her. I made them sit for a photo before we started opening presents. We took turns opening gifts one at a time. We started with the gifts Santa left for them.

Josh woke up at about 7:00.

My Christmas baby!

So adorable in his cute little jammies.We finished opening gifts around 8:30. I baked the cinnamon rolls I had prepared the night before. Super ooey-gooey! We spent the rest of the morning playing with toys and eating candy.

The hot presents this year:

McKinley: clothes of course, angry bird, webkinz, littlest pet shops, zhu zhu pets and accessories, art supplies, books, DS game, animal magazine subscription, snow tube.

Sawyer: angry birds, football PS3 game, Glow art kit, snow tube, nascar, zhu zhu, marble run, football gloves, kicking tee, hot wheels, custom motors, lego nascars, DS game, book, nerf gun, basketball backboard.

Hayden: angry birds, lots of various Toy Story characters, Toy Story activity book, book and stickers, nerf gun, DS game, PS3 game, puzzle, snow tube, zhu zhu, pillow pets, crayola coloring kit.

Josh: clothes, bumbo, binkies, and bottles, wooden name train, singing "O" man.

Kent: clothes, tools, mechanic jack/vehicle lift kit, various books and scrapbooks from the kids.

Heather: clothes, oven mitt, ring, money, cookbook, cake mix and platter, winter dishes, figurine, calendar, scarf, books made by the kids.

Family: Kettle popcorn maker, camcorder, Life board game, movies.

The At 12:45 though we took a break to go to church. When we got back we did more of the same, talked to Grandmas and Grandpas, and ended the night playing our new board game "Life" until 9:00.

It was a little too chilly for baby to sit out for this photo.

We had a great Christmas this year!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T22:35:00.000-05:00

The kids spent the day asking when they could open some presents...all. day. long.

We finally got dinner ready around 5:00-ish. We had Dutch oven style chicken and potatoes. They ate as fast as they could, but then they had to wait for me to finish eating :)
After dinner we played Doodle Dice. The first person to win (team Mom/Josh) got to open their family exchange gift. Second was McKinley, then Sawyer, then team Dad/Hayden. After the exchange the kids opened their jammies from Grandma and Grandpa Korth.We read the Bible and Book of Mormon Christmas accounts, and then we put out the cookies and milk for Santa. McKinley wrote Santa a letter thanking him for bringing presents to all the good boys and girls. The kids got all nestled and snug in their beds. McKinley said she tried to stay up all night to wait for Santa to come. She didn't make it very long.

Kent put out the family presents and then we went to bed to wait for Santa to visit!

Merry Christmas Eve!

2011-12-24T10:48:00.000-05:00

The house with the window

2011-12-23T09:07:00.002-05:00

We pass by this house all the time coming to and from our house. At Christmas time they put their tree up by the gigantic window. It always takes my breath away.

I would love a window like that one day.

Yee haw!

2011-12-22T09:23:00.000-05:00

what a cute undie-cowboy!

My almost gift

2011-12-17T16:55:00.002-05:00

I almost got this printed out to give to grandparents for Christmas...but I didn't...and I'm not going to get to it in time. So this is my almost gift to grandparents: a picture of the whole family.

Maybe one day I'll mail you a print...maybe.

2 months

2011-12-15T14:02:00.004-05:00

2 months old! In some ways it seems like just yesterday he was born, and on the other hand it seems like he's been a part of our family for forever! We love him!

Today was his 2 month old check up. He weighed in at 14 lbs 13 ounces and 24 3/4 inches tall (although she was generous with his height measurement), and got 5 immunizations today. Poor little bug.

Christmas visit

2011-12-14T13:55:00.005-05:00

Today we had a little Christmas party for the playgroup at the church. We had a cookie exchange, ate snacks, made christmas cards and a little Santa craft. Then there was a special visit from Mrs. Claus, who read them a story and brought a little treat from Santa.

I was happily surprised that Hayden would sit on her lap to tell her what he wanted for Christmas: Angry birds and Buzz and Woody.

Josh slept through the whole thing, so Hayden had the attention all on him today.

He looks like such a big boy in this picture. Where is his little baby face?

Imagery

2011-12-13T12:16:00.004-05:00

Sawyer: "Your eyes are greenish-darkish."

Mom: "Ya, they're hazel."

Sawyer: "They're kinda like goose poop."

While taking a bath the other day Hayden commented on the old bar of soap he was using:

"It's kind of old and smooshy...like grandpa."

Baby smiles

2011-12-06T17:12:00.001-05:00

It's brief, but it's there.

Baby blessing

2011-12-05T11:44:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was Josh's baby blessing at church. He wore the same kind of romper that his brothers both wore. Sawyer wore white and Hayden wore a navy blue one. So it was perfect that we had this baby blue romper for our last boy.
We had our home teachers (Aaron Jacobson and Rob Tupper) and our Bishop (Todd Herget) in the circle.
Kent gave a beautiful blessing. They were wonderful blessings of body, mind, and spirit: to have a healthy body, an intelligent mind, and a faithful spirit that will always seek the Lord. Dad even got a little choked up. We love this little baby.

Just something I wanted to remember about the chuch meeting today, and since I don't keep any other journal, I have to write it here:

At the end of fast and testimony meeting our stake president (President Dave Checketts) got up to share a message. Recently he was at a prominent New Yorkers funeral when a friend of the deceased, Sandy, walked up to President Checketts. Sandy, was a loud and gregarious man. While talking to Pres. Checketts he loudly proclaimed that "The Book of Mormon" Broadway play was the funniest thing he had ever seen. People all around were looking and listening. Pres. Checketts equally loudly proclaimed that "the Book of Mormon is a sacred text and a second witness of Jesus Christ", not a play. During that same funeral Mayor Bloomberg was talking to Pres. Checketts and told him that he had seen "The Book of Mormon" play and found it to be "blasphemous". Mayor Bloomberg told him that if there was a play like that about his religion (Jewish) there would be lawsuits and it would be shut down. We were all given a little blue copy of the Book of Mormon to read. He challenged us to take it with us wherever we go and pull it out and read it...on the train, on the subway, at the doctor's office. So that when people see it they might correlate it with the broadway play they've heard about and ask questions, and it will open doors to conversations about what the Book of Mormon really is.

I've already had a couple people correlate my religion to the broadway play and talk about it with me. I haven't seen the play so I haven't exactly known how to respond to people. I love Pres. Checketts answer to the comments about the Book of Mormon play. The Book of Mormon is a sacred text and a second witness of Jesus Christ...not a play.

Compo Beach

2011-12-03T21:23:00.004-05:00

This afternoon I took the three oldest kids (while baby Josh stayed home with Dad) to Compo Beach in Westport. I was reluctant to go during the summer because it costs $20 for non-residents to park there. It's free after Labor Day. I think it may be worth it this summer though. It was a fun little beach with nice sandy areas, a big playground, and vendors (in the summer). It's about 30 minutes from our house.

It was a bit chilly (in the 40's-ish) but we felt fine in our jackets. There wasn't too much wind coming off the water either.

The kids begged me to let them take off their socks and shoes. McKinley said she loves to feel the sand on her feet. Yes, I let them.

McKinley built little sand buildings and then a rock building. Such a pretty girl.

Sawyer wanted to race in the sand and then be fake-tackled and fall into the sand. I told him he could throw rocks into the ocean, but could not get in it. You don't know how exhausting the conversation I had with him was about the many reasons I would not let them go in the ocean today. He even insisted that he would be fine with getting hypothermia and going to the hospital. That's why I'm in charge and he's not. He did sneak his toes in though before he got busted.

There was a battle fought on this beach and near it on April 28, 1777 between the British and Americans. Here is the memorial of the battle fought here. The objects on both sides are the back views of cannons.

Hayden spent his time building a sand castle. I made everyone come with me to a little rocky archipelago. It all looked very New England and beautiful. I love the water and beaches.

the other ones

2011-12-02T08:11:00.000-05:00

I noticed the blog is a little baby heavy. I do have other kids, I promise.
I took Hayden to playgroup at the Children's Museum Wednesday, and it was actually picture worthy, but I left my camera card at home. So if I can figure out how to get it off my crappy little phone I will.
In the meantime, here are some pictures from the tree hunting expedition of the other kids in my life.

8 weeks old

2011-12-01T10:15:00.004-05:00

He's getting so big!

This morning he was giving out smiles when I talked to him. I need to take a video of it when Kent's phone gets back in town. He is such a sweet baby!

Sunset

2011-11-30T22:10:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure why, but there aren't many sunsets around here that have any color.

So when they do happen it makes you stop and appreciate it.

For Daddy

2011-11-29T16:54:00.000-05:00

who can't see this little face tonight. Miss you!

Christmas tree

2011-11-25T18:15:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving is over, so we got our Christmas tree today! We made the 2 hour drive to go to the same place we did as last year on Geer farm in Griswold, CT. It has acres of rows of perfect trees. The kids loved running around there. We had to dress for a family picture to send in for the ward directory so I tried to take one of the kids too. Sawyer insists on pulling goober faces right now, but as you can see on baby's face we didn't have a lot of time to get it just right.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T17:07:00.003-05:00

and Josh is 6 weeks old today!

This year's dinner is a far cry from last year's McDonald's. I have been cooking all day so we could have a nice turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, homemade rolls, fresh cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, and two chocolate pudding pies! Yum!

I made everyone go outside and play a little football, which turned into a little soccer. Later the kids want to have a sleep over together.

It's been a good Thanksgiving!

Flag Football Finale

2011-11-23T19:05:00.003-05:00

For those who are interested...

This is Sawyer's last football game of the season.

The highlights of the video:

Sawyer is so excited to go that his tiny little legs can't hold still on the line (very beginning of the video)

He makes a great "tackle" by pulling the other kid's flag

I love all the celebration he does (although it will cost him a penalty flag in years to come)

Enjoy!

Sleepy

2011-11-23T14:35:00.001-05:00

It's been a sleepy day for this little guy. McKinley loved snuggling him.

I wanted to take some video of Josh for the relatives to see him in real motion. But he promptly fell asleep. Still cute though.

Growing pains

2011-11-22T15:33:00.003-05:00

Yesterday Josh had a weight check at the doctor. He is now over 12 pounds! I should be used to it by big baby #4, but it is still shocking to me. He is only 5 weeks old!

Stay at home dad

2011-11-20T18:42:00.003-05:00

Kent has been taking 1 of his 3 week paternity leave breaks this past week. I must say it has been very nice. I have been able to go grocery shopping alone, drop kids off places alone, start some Christmas shopping alone, and even take a nap or two! It is nice to have someone to take care of the baby while I need to get other things done. Too bad he has to go back to work someday.

5 weeks

2011-11-17T10:22:00.002-05:00

Today Josh is 5 weeks old! He is growing out of his newborn phase and turning into a baby now. He stays happily awake more during the day. He is starting to get some regular nap times down. Last night he slept for his first 4 hour stint. He also has a cold though, so I don't know if it was a fluke because of the cold or not. Fingers crossed that it's the beginning of more sleep! He's also starting some brief little smiles now and then. And yes, his tummy is that big in real life :)

Official Announcement

2011-11-11T08:00:00.002-05:00

Family should have received their announcements by now, so now I can post the official announcement for Joshua Crew's birth.

Adventure time

2011-11-10T13:46:00.002-05:00

While baby Josh took a nap today, Hayden and I went outside for an "adventure". We made some quick tp rolls binoculars. Haydens job was to find interesting things with his binoculars and then I would take a picture of it. Then he made a few "x"s around the yard for us to go on a treasure hunt. But not just any treasure hunt, a Buzz and Jessie treasure hunt (he is Buzz and I get to be Jessie) complete with an attack by the evil Emperor Zurg. Luckily when I blew green bubbles at Zurg it would destroy him.

I love his little imagination.

4 weeks

2011-11-10T12:58:00.000-05:00

He started making some baby cooing noises today. So cute!

Yummy caramel apples

2011-11-10T11:07:00.000-05:00

We were supposed to make caramel apples on Saturday October 29th...but the power went out...for a week!
Last night we finally made our caramel apples. I got the recipe from "Our Best Bites" website under the Gourmet Caramel Apples post.
My apples aren't as pretty to look at as those other fancy caramel apples. I guess I need some practice. And yes, that is a plastic knife sticking in the apple instead of wooden craft sticks. But man they taste so good. I may have let a little person eat one of his apples for breakfast this morning, because it has fruit in it!

Big Brother

2011-11-09T13:24:00.002-05:00

Hayden is a sweet big brother. He can't seem to get enough of his baby brother. He loves him so much! I have to restrict his "love" to when Josh is awake. Hayden is always trying to kiss him, hug him and asking to hold him. Which is probably how Josh caught Hayden's cold. Poor baby.

He thinks it is hilarious to stick his finger in the soothie and feel Josh sucking.

I don't blame Hayden though. Who wouldn't love this tiny little squishy face?

Bath Time

2011-11-08T09:56:00.002-05:00

McKinley loves to help take care of Josh. She has been waiting patiently for the day he was old enough for a tub bath. She loves to brush his hair and burp him.

He is getting so big so fast! I can't believe how quickly they grow!

2011-11-07T09:02:00.000-05:00

Finally

2011-11-05T20:25:00.004-04:00

The power's back. It came on at 12:01 am. Hallelujah! Now we are busy washing dishes and clothes and cooking real dinners again!

Here's a catch up post of what we were doing this past week...

On Saturday the Nor'easter hit. It started snowing around 9 am and this picture was taken around 3 pm. The kids had fun playing in the snow. Just after this picture I went inside to do some laundry, dishes, and start dinner, you know, just in case the power goes out! Ha! Too late!

The power went out around 4:00 on Saturday 10/29.

Josh stayed inside where it was nice a warm.

On Sunday 10/30 only Sacrament meeting was held for church. Many of the people in the ward actually still had power. We stayed home because of the new baby though.
To pass the unpowered days we took turns on the phone playing "Angry Birds". It was our first experience with the game, so we were pretty entertained...for quite a few days.
The hotels in Connecticut get all booked up by people seeking refuge. A coworker of Kent's had to go all the way to Long Island to finally find a room for a few days.

10/31, Monday, it's Halloween. McKinley is completely bummed that school is canceled because today is the Halloween parties and parades at school. Oh and no trick or treating tonight either. Boo!

But we love holding and watching our little baby.

The days drag on...and on...and on. I took the kids to playgroup at the church to relieve some of the insanity. We stopped by Dunkin Donuts on the way home and got backed into by another car...into my brand new car. Just the icing on the cake of a looonnng week I guess.

Thursday 11/03 Josh is 3 weeks old now! Happy 3 week birthday baby!

Isn't he handsome? Yup!

Friday, 11/04, well the days all blend together by now. We finally see some work trucks out in the area. I hadn't even seen one truck around until today.

Saturday 11/05 12:01 am- the power's back! Now life can return to normal...until the next time.

I have decided I am NOT ready for the winter. Where did the beautiful New England fall go?

We didn't get it this year. At least we saw it last year so we know it does exist.

Grrr

2011-11-03T17:11:00.002-04:00

The power company pushed the restoration date to Sunday now. We are not happy with Connecticut Light & Power!

Wednesday

2011-11-02T19:40:00.004-04:00

School has been canceled for the rest of the week in Wilton. That makes 2 full school weeks of canceled school already and winter hasn't even started.

The power lines around here haven't even been cleared from the fallen branches yet. They are projecting power will be restored by midnight Friday. We'll see.

Kent's co-worker doesn't have a generator, so they opted to go to a hotel. He couldn't find any in Connecticut, so they ended up in Long Island!

Day 4

2011-11-01T10:13:00.001-04:00

School is canceled at least through tomorrow. My laundry is strewn about the room trying to dry out. It's very European :).

Sunday

2011-10-30T21:12:00.003-04:00

Umm, still no power. Kent heard on the radio that the power may be out for a week. This does not sound appealing to me right now. Thank heavens I guess for the generator...again.

Nor'easter

2011-10-29T19:34:00.002-04:00

The Nor'easter hit today. We got about a foot of snow at our house.

The kids were out playing in the snow when McKinley came in telling me she saw a tree fall. I went outside to take a look, but didn't see any obvious tree downed. I was taking a "first snowfall" picture of the kids when a giant branch broke off a tree from the weight of the snow. That's when I decided to hurry and do some laundry and dishes before the power went out. I was just unloading the dishwasher when the power went out. Of course!

The power company's recorded message said there were widespread outages from the storm all over Connecticut which may take days to fix. What?! I don't want to do this again!!! I hope they're wrong and the power is on by morning.

2 weeks

2011-10-27T16:13:00.004-04:00

We went in for Josh's 2 week appointment. He is currently 10 lbs 8 oz...so almost back to birth weight. He's looking good, and building some little arm rolls. I love my squishy little baby!

I've kept a growth chart for all my kids, so I decided to try it here so when I print my blog at the end of the year I will have it recorded in our family book.

As you can see he is above the growth curve, which is typical of my kids.

Halloween Playgroup

2011-10-26T21:00:00.000-04:00

With most of my days taken up taking care of the new baby I wanted to do something just for Hayden. Our ward had a little Halloween playgroup party. Hayden got to dress up in his Buzz Lightyear costume (which he loves). There were little treats to decorate, paper airplanes, games, and snacks. Hayden made this cupcake and we made it a special little time for Hayden while Josh slept nicely in his carseat.

more pictures

2011-10-25T22:10:00.004-04:00

Today I tried to take some pictures of Josh for his birth announcements. Despite being fed and happy, he would NOT go to sleep for the pictures. Grrr.

Here is one picture that didn't make the card. Kent thinks he looks like an old man in the picture. I think he looks adorable! So we chose another picture for the announcements and hopefully they'll be printed up to send out soon!

A couple of other pictures that didn't make the cut, but he's so squishably cute!

Pumpkin carving

2011-10-24T21:55:00.000-04:00

We carved our pumpkins for FHE tonight.

Sawyer wanted his to be scary. So this is the design he came up with. McKinley made her pumpkins into a cat, a witch and a ghost (pics coming later). She took FOREVER planning out her pumpkins facial designs.

Hayden wanted his pumpkin to be angry. He's kind of an angry little boy. He pulls this face a lot. He looks just like the angry pumpkin doesn't he?

Sawyer designed Josh's pumpkin (on the far right).

It was fun to see all their personalities come through their pumpkins.

Fall drive

2011-10-23T21:47:00.005-04:00

Today was stake conference...and I just had a baby...so we didn't go. We decided to take a drive up north to see if the leaves were any better than around here. Apparently the weather this year has made the leaves turn brown and fall more than turn pretty colors. Up north was no different. We did spy a little forest road lined with yellow trees. I took some pictures of the kids for our Christmas card. Now I should have no excuse not to have my Christmas cards out on time.

(Baby was there, but it was chilly out so we only unwrapped him for the Christmas card

picture then wrapped him back up, so he's not in any of the pictures below)

On the way home Sawyer asked me "Today was a good day wasn't it?"

Yes buddy it was.

Precious

2011-10-23T08:20:00.000-04:00

D-day

2011-10-22T16:17:00.001-04:00

The thing I have been dreading happened today. My parents went home today...and we miss them terribly.

Friday Fun

2011-10-21T16:25:00.001-04:00

Grandma and Grandpa are leaving tomorrow, so I let the kids stay home from school to spend time with them.
The morning started with Grandma making us crepes for breakfast. Then she helped McKinley make her pillowcase while Grandpa played with the boys.
In the afternoon they took the kids to a movie, "Dolphin Tale". The kids thought the movie was good and Hayden even sat nicely through it. They got candy, popcorn and Icees (or as Hayden calls them: Brainfreeze).
Kent came home early from work so we could all go to the pumpkin patch in Newtown. The crop was sparse this year due to the hurricane damage. We still found some nice pumpkins. The kids mostly liked the mini pumpkins anyway.
After the pumpkin patch we went home for dinner and then made s'mores.

It was a fun Friday. We miss living by the grandparents.

Grandma and Grandpa

2011-10-21T15:54:00.000-04:00

Grandma and Grandpa came to help out while I had the baby. They got here on October 4 to get the routine down before my October 6 "induction date". Ha! Little did we know I'd still be around until October 13th (well, I went in on the 12th to start the induction). The kids have loved having them around. Every morning before the bus comes Sawyer likes to throw the football with grandpa. In fact both boys were constantly vying for his attention to play playstation with them. Grandma brought along a project for McKinley. She taught McKinley how to sew her first project...a Christmas pillowcase. It's very cute!
While they were here they made meals, cleaned up everything, put the kids to bed, made lunches, got kids ready for school, helped with homework, read stories, went to Hayden's library class, watched Sawyer's football games, drove McKinley to early morning activities, removed leaves from the yard, cleaned out the gutter, fixed a broken light and a broken shower, snuggled baby and basically wouldn't let me lift a finger after the baby came.
It was lovely. I was shocked to see the dishes not cleaned up after lunch...I guess I have to do it now ***sigh***.

1 week old

2011-10-20T18:53:00.003-04:00

Today is baby's one week birthday!

His umbilical cord fell off today too. He's very snuggly and sweet. Happy one week birthday!

2011-10-19T13:57:00.001-04:00

How can you love such a tiny little person so very, very much?!

brothers

2011-10-14T14:54:00.000-04:00

The boys came to visit their new brother. Unfortunately McKinley couldn't come. She had to leave school early for a migraine and vomiting. Poor kid. She came to see him the next day, but we didn't take a picture.

They are all thrilled to have him here!

Baby Boy

2011-10-13T11:52:00.004-04:00

Wednesday October 12th-

6:00 am- got the call from the hospital that we were on hold again today and to wait for a phone call.

11:40 am- another phone call that we could come in. So we hurried before they could change their minds.

1:45- Pitocin finally started. I haven't seen the doctor covering me today yet.

6:00- The much needed epidural. Still no doctor.

10:00- Finally see the doctor. Get my water broken. Only 3 cm dilated. What?!

11:00- 4 cm dilated. My epidural has worn off. The anesthesiologist gives me a bolus, but it doesn't really do anything. Mama Mia!

October 13th

12:00 am- 6 cm dilated. The doctor will check again in 2 hours. "Get some rest!"...yeah right, epidural not working any more remember.

1:00- painful pressure with contractions. I can't imagine another hour of this until the doctor checks back on me. It feels like a bowling ball is about to rip through me. Luckily the nurse checks me and I'm ready to go!

8 pushes. I am grateful it's not three hours like Sawyer because honestly I want to give up and just then the staff tells me to stop pushing and blow my breaths out for a second, and I know that means he's about to come and I can make it! I am so glad this is the last time, because this is killing me!

1:24 am Baby Joshua Crew born...10 lbs 12 oz! He pee'd on the doctor--hee hee. He's a big boy and he's gorgeous.

Try #3

2011-10-11T07:18:00.001-04:00

The hospital looks "too busy" again today. Looks like cancelation #3. We're getting sick of it.

I don't want to talk about it :(

Bummer

2011-10-07T12:44:00.002-04:00

No baby today.
I got bumped from the induction list today.

They called at 6:00 am to tell us that they will have to call later, between 8-9 am because there were a lot of labors going on right now. But she positively said that they would definitely get me in today sometime.

9:15...no call, so I called them. Shifts have changed so the new charge nurse let me know realistically that things didn't look good. She would call me back before 10 am after she checked with the doctor to see how late of an induction she would allow.

9:45...phone call: maternity is pretty much full and not able to do my induction today. Sorry.

I wonder how many ounces this kid can gain until the next induction date (Monday Oct 10).

I'm going to eat cheese fries tonight and drown my sorrows.

1 year

2011-10-04T09:16:00.002-04:00

We have officially been here for 1 whole year. Strange. In some ways it feels like forever and in other ways I feel like we just got here.

And while it has definitely not been fun all the time, it has overall been a good experience. We're learning and growing.

As an obsessive-compulsive planner I am wondering what will be in our future when this year is done. Will an opportunity come up? Will we stay here? Go to a different state? Or go back to Utah?

I find myself to be curious about it, but not anxious. It doesn't matter where we live, as long as we're all together. It will all work out.

Friday fun

2011-10-02T21:07:00.000-04:00

Grandma and Grandpa are going home tomorrow, so I let the kids stay home from school today to spend the day with them.
We started the morning with crepes by grandma. McKinley worked on her pillowcase while grandpa played with the boys. In the afternoon they took the 3 older kids to the movies. They saw "Dolphin Tale" and the kids loved it. Sawyer keeps talking about going to Florida to see the real Winter dolphin. They ate popcorn, candy, and Icees, and they all sat nicely through the movie (I wondered if Hayden would be able to, but he did).
Kent came home from work early so we could go to the pumpkin patch in Newtown again. The crop was much smaller this year from the Hurricane damage, and the leaves aren't really changing vibrantly this year. They are mostly falling off before the change colors. We still found some nice pumpkins and it felt like a nice cool fall afternoon outside.

After the pumpkin patch we ate dinner and then made some s'mores. It was a fun Friday.

Our new addition...

2011-10-02T18:07:00.003-04:00

...my new car!

We finally decided that maybe our Nissan Altima wouldn't be so fun with 4 kids. I didn't expect I would have all 4 kids with me at the same time very often once school started, but so far I have had the 3 all together in the car many times (it's close quarters in that back seat). We were nervous to have McKinley sit in the front passenger seat when the baby comes since there is not an air bag indicator telling us it's off or not. So we took the plunge and bought a GMC Acadia with 8 seats...not to be filled with more children...4 is our limit! We just wanted to be able to fit all 4 kids and have the option to fold down most of the back seat to fit luggage or groceries as needed.

So yesterday Kent and McKinley picked it up. I made Kent put a bow on it because it is my very first brand new car! I've only had used cars before. Hayden keeps smelling deeply and commenting how good it smells.

And I am very happy it's not a minivan...I'm just not a minivan girl.

Our Saturday

2011-10-01T19:30:00.003-04:00

Today was supposed to be filled with Sawyer's football game that he's been waiting for ALL week, but they closed the fields due to rain last night. They rescheduled it for the second week in a row on Sunday. Try explaining that to Sawyer. He just wants to play football! Last week he said the family prayer and asked Heavenly Father to let him get a touchdown. So sweet!

So while Kent and McKinley were running errands I went outside with the boys and played football with him (he ran plays while I hiked the ball and threw it from the comfort of my chair).

He loves telling me the commentary of his moves complete with fumbles, pick-offs and touchdowns!

While Sawyer and I played football, on the sidelines Hayden and I blew bubbles too.

We were out playing for a good 2 hours in the nice fall weather, waiting for Kent and McKinley to get home.

Then we watched the recorded BYU/USU game (Phew!) and finished the night with candy and the Transformers 3 movie.

Music to my ears

2011-09-29T14:12:00.003-04:00

McKinley's school offers orchestra to the 3rd graders. Originally McKinley wanted to play the violin, but after hearing the orchestra teacher play the violin, viola and cello, she decided she loved the sound of the viola better. I am excited she has this opportunity and hope she continues to be as excited about it for many years to come as she is now.

Whoa baby!

2011-09-28T13:12:00.004-04:00

Today I went in for my 38 week appointment. I had an ultrasound done to check for size. According to the ultrasound this baby is currently about 9 lbs 9 oz! Yep, I'd say that feels about right! We scheduled an induction for next Friday, October 7th.

Let's hope he doesn't hit the 10 lb mark by then!

Just look at those cheeks already!

Daddy's girl

2011-09-21T09:00:00.005-04:00

McKinley brought home this writing assignment that she did for the beginning of the school year. I may have gotten a little teary-eyed (in a good way).

She thinks her dad hung the moon (even just sitting on the couch), as every little girl should.

Orange Crush

2011-09-10T22:08:00.003-04:00

Sawyer started his flag football season today. They call themselves the "Orange Crush"! We were at the field for over 2 hours since they had their first practice before the game as well.

While Sawyer was practicing, I was watching another two teams playing their little 6-8 year old game. One of the coaches was a big, burly, "New York" sounding crazy man. He was yelling at the kids and quite a few little guys slumped off the field feeling pretty low. I was getting really nervous about letting Sawyer do football. I was worried that maybe this community puts a little more pressure on these football kids than I want. I was getting really angry at this coach and it wasn't even my kid!

Luckily, our coaches were great with our team, as were the coaches on the team we played against. They taught the kids some plays to run and helped them learn about football. Sawyer had a great time and that's what's important. I was so relieved to be on this team with good coaches.

It was a hot day in the sun. 82 degrees plus insane humidity equals some tired little bodies.

They practiced two different plays today. One with a hand off to the runner up the left, and one with a hand off to the runner up the right (I have no idea if those are real football terms). Here is Sawyer's turn to run the ball. The quarterback didn't quite hand it off though, he kind of tossed it which threw Sawyer for a loop and the ball tumbled to the ground. Sawyer was disappointed in himself saying he didn't get to run with the ball because he messed up. I told him the boy accidentally tossed the ball instead of handing it off and it was just a mistake and he felt better after that.

Every time Sawyer had to take a turn on the sideline he was anxious to get back in the game.

This kid loves sports! I am glad we are on a good team that will give him a positive experience.

35 weeks!

2011-09-08T12:47:00.003-04:00

We're planning to induce a week early due to my big baby history. So I tell myself I only have 4 more weeks to go...I hope I'm right!

I am...very uncomfortable! Which I am sure is just nature's way of motivating me to want this baby on the outside instead of the inside.

Pregnancy

2011-09-08T08:09:00.003-04:00

This post is my journaling of my pregnancy...a very sparse journaling.

March 10- week 9- I never documented my other pregnancies, and since this is the last one for me I thought I would finally do it. Today I am 9 weeks along. I haven't made a doctor's appointment yet. Having had 2 miscarriages this last year (one at 7 weeks and one at 10 weeks) I am taking this one very cautiously. It's hard for me to believe it's going to last yet. If I make it to 10 weeks I'll make a doctor's appointment. If I make it to 12 weeks I'll give myself permission to start hoping. I heard a great quote that explains it perfectly: "It's such a cruel thing, to lose a baby. Nothing is ever untainted again, not even hope."--Lady Agnes in PBS Upstairs Downstairs. In week 9 I'm feeling...nauseous all day long. Mornings are better than evenings, so my family's dinners suffer. I don't feel like cooking taco meat once dinner comes around. I'm a little more voluptuous up top, which is a nice bonus. My mood seems a little more stable-to me anyway. I am not very motivated to do anything though, or go anywhere. I'm content to be at home and read or watch movies or hang out with Hayden. As a result dishes have been piling up for a while.

March 24-week 11- Feeling less nauseated this week, which is nice. Also feeling more energy and have actually been cooking and cleaning! Hayden keeps saying things about a baby in me...it's so funny and I can't wait to be able to tell them. I want to wait until after the ultrasound so we can tell them whether it's a boy or girl. I guess that means I need to make my first dr. appointment though. It's hard to just pick one out of a hat and hope for the best.

March 31-week 12- I finally made that dr. appointment for next Wednesday. They are going to do an ultrasound too. Nausea is back to it's old self again. I do pretty good in the morning and early afternoon, but late afternoon strikes and I don't want to even THINK about dinner.

May 1- I am 16+ weeks now. I did finally go to the doctor. They did an ultrasound in the office so I got to see the baby. It is such a beautiful baby and I just couldn't wait to tell the kids. Of course once I told the kids I had to let others know, since I know the kids couldn't keep it a secret.
At 16+ weeks I am feeling...chubby. I had a little relief from morning sickness while we were in D.C. but it's kind of back again. I am obviously eating enough to get chubby though. My next appointment is on Tuesday, then I will schedule the ultrasound to see if it's a boy or girl.

May 14- 18 weeks. I feel like I am 8 months pregnant. I already waddle sometimes. That can't be a good sign of things to come. I am also chubby...or as I like to think, pleasantly plump. I'd better start looking pregnant soon instead of chubby. I'd rather people think I'm pregnant. On a positive note, I can feel the baby moving. The kid's can feel the growing baby bump. And the ultrasound is next Thursday!

June 9- 22 weeks. We are past the halfway mark. We got our ultrasound a few weeks ago and found out we're having a boy. I knew it! Kent and McKinley thought it was a girl. McKinley was a bit crushed for a few days, but now that all the cute baby stuff is coming out I think she's excited again. I will always wish for her to have had a sister. Sisters are the best...but this is our last so she'll have to put up with brothers. Feeling normal, except I am huge. Much bigger than I think I should be. Not technically, but aesthetically. And I can feel the baby move a lot now which I am relishing every moment. No name yet.

September 8- 35 weeks. Hmm, it's been a while since I've documented anything. I see a recurring theme in all my other updates and it is still appropriate today...I feel huge. I am as big as a house! I also feel a lot of pressure in my pelvis, like this kid just might pop out at any second! If my body cooperates we are hoping to schedule an induction for week 39 (October 6). So I like to think I only have 4 more weeks to go. I wish my body would just have this baby on it's own, but it didn't happen with my other three, so I'm not counting on it. I have lots of Braxton-Hicks contractions everyday. I didn't have nearly as many with my other kids. Baby is moving around a lot and has the hiccups at least once a day. The kids love to feel the hiccups. The kids call our baby Josh. It is still the front running name as I haven't had another name bowl me over yet. I have appointments starting every week next week. We'll do an ultrasound on week 38 to help me decide if I do want to induce a week early...I do, believe me I do.

Sept 20- 36 weeks and 5 days...I keep having Braxton-Hicks contractions, but they end up nowhere. Grrr. I wish just once my baby would come on it's own and not by Pitocin force! Oh well. Hopefully just nearly 2 weeks left.

Sept 22- 37 weeks. Well, I am officially "full term" now. So any time baby...any time. I have an ultrasound scheduled for next Wednesday followed by an appointment to see if I am dilated at all so we can schedule an induction date if everything is good. On one hand I want the baby to just come now, and on the other hand it would be nice if my parents were here to take care of the kids (they come on the night of Oct 4). Chances are I will still be waiting when my parents get here. Feeling: stretched. I can't stand comfortably for more than a few minutes without back pain or overwhelming aches in my abdomen or difficulty breathing. Things I will miss: feeling a baby inside kicking and growing. All the kids rubbing my tummy and loving this baby already. Sleeping (except for bathroom breaks) through the night. There is something very special about experiencing pregnancy and I know I am lucky and blessed to be able to become a mother this way. I thought I would be more sad about this being my last baby. But I know my family will be complete and it feels good. Come soon baby!

First day of school...finally

2011-09-06T21:24:00.003-04:00

After a week's delay from the hurricane aftermath the kids finally had their first day of school.

McKinley started bright and early with the bus picking her up at 7:00 am. She came home and said it was a great first day. She is my eager little learner! Her favorite part was lunch because she got to see her friends from her old class.

Sawyer finally said last night that he was excited to go to school. I think it helped that they were doing gym today and he got to wear the new gym shoes he picked out. He came home today and said it was a good day. But later complained that there was too much writing, and that he doesn't want to read. Oi vay! He said his favorite part was nothing...and then claimed it was lunch. When I asked him why he said it was because of his chips :)

Hayden also went back to his "preschool" today. He tried really hard to trace his "A"s correctly. We did an "All About Me" book where he had to draw a picture of his family. He made all 6 of us (including baby) and I wrote down on his paper that there were 6 people in his family. Then he told me "no, not 6", and we had a little argument as he drew a 7th person. Turns out the 7th person in our family picture is a stranger and daddy is kicking him in the head. That's my Hayden.

Demo

2011-09-04T21:19:00.000-04:00

Our "neighbor" across the street got torn down this weekend. It was the lovely abandoned "structure" with ceilings caved in and who knows what living in there. It was still on the market for $525,000 though.

Recently our landlady sent an email letting us know that if we wanted we could back out of our lease as she wouldn't be able to afford to replace the roof and that this house will probably be a tear down anyway when we're done here....comforting.

It was fun for the kids to watch the demolition though.

It's back!

2011-09-03T15:33:00.002-04:00

The power came on at 10 am this morning! The cable was quick to follow. It may be the best day ever!

The laundry is running and the dishwasher is cleaning! Hallelujah!

And there will be college football tonight!

Day 6

2011-09-02T15:29:00.000-04:00

Still no power. They say it may not be on until next Wednesday! Our clean laundry is getting low. My appetite for hamburgers and hot dogs has waned. I miss electricity. I miss tv. I miss my computer. I miss running water all the time. I miss doing dishes in the dishwasher. I miss running the washer and dryer. I miss dry towels (I don't know why the towels won't dry out in between use).

I'm so glad we have a generator though. So many people without are having to go to community places to shower and such. I was very unsure of spending all that money last year, but it has more than made up for it. Hopefully we won't need it again for a while.

No Power

2011-08-30T22:21:00.001-04:00

Day 3 of no power. We turn on the generator for an hour or two, then off for two hours so we can conserve gas for the long haul. The worst shift is the 2:30-3:30/4 am shift that we have to do to keep the fridge and freezer cold.

A few things we've been doing to stay entertained:

board games (a lot)
movies on our portable DVD player and with the generator on we use our tv.
playstation (when the generator is on)
play dough
crafts
trains
Buzz and Woody toys
reading
walks with the dog
roasted hot dogs and marshmallows
ate a lot of junk
maybe got a little stir crazy now and then

Kent's work got power back quickly so he went back to work on Tuesday. We were able to get out of the neighborhood on Monday so we headed north for more gas and some fast food.

Irene

2011-08-28T23:17:00.001-04:00

Our power went out around 3 am this morning. We could hear the wind howling outside. I was glad my babies were all in my room. I lay awake for a while waiting for a giant crack of the nearby trees, but luckily nothing happened. In the morning we were hearing conflicting accounts on our NOAA radios of the location of Irene. One report said Irene hit NYC at 9 am, and another said it was just barely at New Jersey. So we hurriedly went out in the rain and wind and secured down the generator in anticipation of Irene still making it's way.

I got to wear my new pink rain boots!

We got soaked.

Soon the winds died down...and we figured that Irene must have already passed, since the worst of the winds were over.

No trees in our house! There were just branches and leaves scattered all over the yard.

Later that evening we went out in the truck to see if anyone else got any damage.

A couple houses down from us was this uprooted tree...

and some just snapped over from the wind...

three houses down from us this tree fell over against the power lines...more snapped over trees in the yard three houses down...and behind these kids you can see more of their downed trees (still three houses down)...

We headed the other way about 1/4 mile and spotted this tree. You can see the roots out by the fence and the top of the tree stops short of the house by only a few feet...

down the road we take to get to church was another tree fallen over a power line...There were a few trees around that split right in half...down Kellogg road was another tree over a power line...

down Ruscoe Road was another tree over a power line and some dangling wires...We were lucky...very lucky. Not one tree down on our over two acres. Thank heavens.

'Twas the night before Irene...

2011-08-27T23:10:00.000-04:00

We've been preparing for Hurricane Irene to come right through us Sunday morning. We've got our water, food, batteries, radios, generator, clothes washed, dishes washed, DSi's charged, portable DVD players charged, cell phones charged, church canceled.

I insisted the kids sleep over in our room. I'm incredibly paranoid that one of the looming, giant trees will crash in on them on the second floor.

Good ole Chuck

2011-08-27T16:41:00.003-04:00

This morning Sawyer started his flag football season...kind of. Today was evaluations to see what skill level each child is at so they can even out the teams. It got a bit rainy at one point and I thought (hoped) they would cancel the rest of it, but Kent reminded me "it's football, you don't cancel." So I had to tough it out.

After evaluations we picked up a couple of Sawyer's friends in the car for a little birthday celebration. Sawyer wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese, which is about 30 minutes away, so I told him he could choose only two friends so that we could drive them up ourselves. So he invited Andrew from last year's kindergarten class, and Colin from his bus. Kent drove Hayden and McKinley up after a stop at the hardware store for some rope for hurricane preparations.

We got pizza and drinks, I brought cupcakes, and time flew by spending all the tokens. We were a little late returning the boys home. Sawyer got a r/c truck and Sorry Sliders from his friends. He gave them a "goodie" bag present of hot wheels cars. I had the hardest time getting him to understand that they were thank you presents for his friends and he didn't get any...a very hard time indeed. He tried to talk one friend out of one of his cars on the way home. I put a stop to that.

Sawyer had a great time with his buddies. I hope he makes many more friends in 1st grade this year! Happy birthday Sawyer!

Tracking

2011-08-25T17:04:00.002-04:00

As of right now Hurricane Irene is tracking right toward us. The last projection has the eye going right through us. That's our town in the center of the yellow circle. So we are stocked up on food, water, and gas. Kent went to the store today to get a little more drinking water and the shelves are pretty much empty of water, flashlights, and propane gas.

We'll see how this thing plays out. Wish us luck on our first hurricane!

'lil book club

2011-08-23T16:46:00.000-04:00

(the sign McKinley made to welcome the book club girls)

McKinley has been asking to have a book club for a couple years now. Finally I said yes. She hosted her first book club at our house today. She had two other girls who could make it so it was nice and small. McKinley chose "Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Richard Atwater for her book. She made up her own little questions for the discussion, with her own answers in parentheses:

What are your favorite penguins? (Victoria, Adelina, and Greta)
What was your favorite part in the story? (When the penguins were performing)
How long did it take you to read the book? (It took me two nights to read the book)
Did you enjoy the book? (I personally loved the book!)
Do you have any ideas for books? (no answer written)
Do you have any comments or questions? (no answer written)
What shocked you? (It shocked me when he went to jail)

It was so cute to hear them discussing the book.

Then they did a little penguin origami.

They tried to play a game, but one of the girls doesn't quite have the attention span for it apparently.

We had snacks for them to eat and then they just got to have some play time.

They chose next time's book "Summer according to Humphrey" and one of the other girls wanted to be the host for the next book club.

Adorable.

Beardsley Zoo

2011-08-17T21:51:00.003-04:00

Our field trip this week was to the zoo here in Connecticut. Once again we used a pass from the library which got us all in for free instead of the otherwise $42....thank heavens. It is a tiny little zoo. The big animals were some bison, wolves, a bear and 2 tigers. The tigers put on a good show and romped around a bit. The other animals were things like deer, owls, prairie dogs, amphibians, and such. Sawyer kept asking me if the animals had ticks on them---did I mention we hate ticks?

On the up side, it wasn't crowded, so we could see all the exhibits easily. We ate some lunchables, I let the kids use the other camera and take whatever pictures they wanted, and at the end of the trip they rode the carousel. Pretty fun outing for a good price (free!).

6 Years Old!

2011-08-12T19:30:00.004-04:00

Sawyer turned 6 years old! Although he may tell you he's 7. He keeps trying to be older than he is. We have a measuring board on our wall that we have the kids marked measurements at each year of life. Sawyer is as tall at 6 years old as McKinley was at 7 years old. He is growing like a weed.

He is madly in love with money, so this year we got him a wallet with his birthday money inside for him to spend at the toy store. That afternoon we got his favorite lunch--Arby's roast beef sandwiches (he eats 3 jr's by himself), then headed over to Toys R Us. Sawyer kept grabbing whatever toy was in front of him and saying he wanted to get it. So after a little guidance he decided to buy a PS3 game (Blur), a R/C Ferrari, hot wheels, Bumblebee transformer. McKinley bought him a Dinosaur book (which we later noticed was written in French--ha ha!). We went out to eat that night at Outback. Sawyer just likes to eat the bread and dip it into copious amounts of ranch dressing. Then they sang Happy Birthday and we shared a couple ice cream sundaes. I frosted his cake that night (Ferrari style) but we were stuffed so we saved it for the day after his birthday.

Now here is our birthday Q&A session with a 6 year-old!:

What is your favorite color? black

What is your favorite thing to eat? ice cream

What is your favorite thing to do? play "Blur" on the playstation

What is your favorite toy? Nascars, big Nascars, shaking cars, video games
What is your favorite book? Hot Wheels

What do you want to be when you grow up? I don't know

What will be the funnest thing about being 6 years old? playing video games

Dutch Amish Country

2011-08-09T22:11:00.001-04:00

Before heading home we swung over to Dutch Amish Country. We stopped at Kitchen Kettle Village in Intercourse, PA. It is a touristy little area with a bunch of shops. We did the buggy ride there that takes you around a little of the Amish area. The kids got to sit in front with the Amish driver and help drive the horses. We got to ask him questions during the ride. Interestingly enough, they don't use electricity but use diesel powered and LP powered appliances. Don't ask me why one is acceptable and one is not. Also, "Dutch" Amish Country isn't very "Dutch". We tried to find some Dutch treats but didn't find any. When we asked our driver about it, he had never heard of the Dutch treats we named. In fact, their native language is German, and they eat special treats like schnitz! Ummm, German! Our Dutch little family was a little disillusioned.

They stop on the buggy ride at an Amish house where some girls make treats to sell. We got lemonade, popcorn and a whoopie pie. When the ride was over I bought some yummy peaches to take home. One of Kent's favorite things about Pennsylvania was that there was finally radio reception for country music!

This is "Sarge" one of the horses who pulled us on the buggy. Their horse hair flew all over us during the ride...yuck! I don't know the Amish driver's name. He was missing at least four front teeth and it was hard to understand him sometimes.
The Amish are mostly dairy farmers in this community. The community is about 30,000 strong!
Here are some of the crops. He said this flowery plant (tobacco as far as we could tell from his toothless pronunciation) was the last of the cash crops. The other crops (corn and alfalfa) are for feeding the dairy cows.

And here is a picture for my quilt-loving mother. No, I did not step inside even one quilt shop though...sorry mom.
Another little buggy on the road.

The adolescents in Kent and I made plenty of quiet-voiced jokes about the city's name. What were they thinking?

It was a fun little stop, but we were glad we didn't make a special trip out just for Amish Country. I think we saw about as much as we could have seen in our short couple of hours there.

The kids had fun but were excited to get back home and to their toys! Hayden wanted to play his Playstation games, and Sawyer went straight to his Nascar cars and started racing.

It was a nice, short trip.

Pennsylvania---check!

Hershey Park

2011-08-08T21:47:00.000-04:00

Today we went to Hershey Park, PA. We had a nice leisurely morning and headed out when we felt like it. We arrived in the afternoon and headed to the water park area. I played in the water with Hayden while Kent, McKinley and Sawyer went on the waterslide. Sawyer decided 45 minutes into the wait that he didn't want to do it anymore. When they got to the top he walked right into the slide then turned around and said he didn't want to do it. Kent told him it was too late and gave him a "push" down the slide. I was waiting at the bottom when he came out. When he stopped he burst into tears. It scared him to death! He said he kept flipping around. Did I mention he doesn't know how to swim yet? Poor Sawyer!

After that I took the boys to a water playground part while Kent and McKinley did a tube slide.

Here is the tube slide that McKinley and Kent did. We were all in line for the green tube ride next to it that is more mild so that we could all go on it. McKinley was in tears because she wanted to do the scarier ride not the mild one. Then I saw the sign for no pregnant women and realized only two riders per tube were allowed so instead I took the boys to the little water playground and McKinley got to go on her WILD ride. It looks like fun!

Then we dried off, changed, ate dinner and headed to the rides.

Being a big pregnant woman I was a little limited on the rides, so we went on the Ferris Wheel first. I hate heights so Ferris Wheels scare me to death, but it's one of the only ones I could do! Sawyer was afraid to go on it at first, but once we were there he kept looking over the edge and making me nervous!

After the Ferris Wheel Kent took Sawyer and McKinley on the roller coaster. Sawyer and McKinley sat next to each other and Sawyer wasn't even scared! What?! McKinley said she's never heard Kent laugh so hard! I guess the kids were funny little screamers.

Then we headed to the kiddie ride area. The boys loved it, and even though she won't admit it McKinley had fun there too. She kept pulling faces that communicated how ridiculous she felt going on the "kiddie" rides! She thinks she's too old for them, but kept getting back in line with her brothers anyway.

They did get to go on some "older" rides too. Kent was dizzied out after the roller coaster, so we pretty much just watched the kids have fun.

By 10:00 at night we slipped in one last ride and headed to the hotel. The kids had a BLAST there and were sad to leave. It had a lot of rides that were similar to Lagoon: the scrambler, wild mouse, music express, etc. They categorize what ride you can go on according to your height and then name it after a candy bar. Hayden was a Peanut Butter Cup, and the other two were Hershey's Chocolate bars. It was cute. We didn't make it in time to go to over Chocolate World where you can create your own personal candy bar, oh well. The boys picked up a couple of light swords and McKinley chose two stuffed owls for their souvenirs. We got back to the hotel after 11:30!

Pocono Raceway

2011-08-07T21:07:00.000-04:00

For as long as I can remember Sawyer has been obsessed with cars. When we finally tired of watching Disney's "Cars" movie over and over again we tried Nascar for some variety. It worked. Now we are all into it. So during Sawyer's birthday month we thought it would be fun for him to see a Nascar race.

We went to Pocono raceway to see the race at the "tricky triangle".

We walked around to see all the displays first and pick up a couple of souvenirs for the boys.

Sawyer REFUSED to have his picture taken by the Jeff Gordon car (Kent's favorite driver). Sawyer likes Jimmie Johnson, but we didn't find his car to take a picture by it.

Good thing we brought the ear plugs for everyone, because those cars are deafeningly loud! I was surprised at how fast the cars are moving in real life. It was hard to keep track of who was in front of who because every time they passed in front of us it was like trying to track lightning.

It was much easier to track them coming out from the pits.

Jeff Gordon's pit was almost directly in front of us!

The race started an hour earlier than planned to try and avoid inclement weather. But just after lap 100 it down poured! Everyone took "cover" under the bleachers which just dripped the run off on top of us. We were soaked. Eventually it lightened up and we were able to return to our seats. It took about 1 1/2-2 hours from the big rain for them to dry off the track and start the race again. Our clothes dried out pretty well too eventually.