Frogs and snails, and puppy-dogs' tails

Moved

2012-01-15T09:31:00.001-05:00

I have moved my blog! I will come back and post here to share the new link after I have the new blog up and going.

Thanksgiving and Gabriel 3rd Birthday!

2011-12-08T16:38:00.004-05:00

We went to West Palm for Thanksgiving and celebrated Gabriel's birthday there with some cake. When we came home, we met some of his buddies at the mall for Chick-Fil-A and cookies.

dessert and presents at the Howards

thanksgiving at Grandma and Grandpa:

Friday/Gabriel's party:

playdoh with Uncle Kenny

play date at the mall:

Gator Game

2011-12-07T12:34:00.002-05:00

We met the Howards at Satchel's for pizza and Nicolae went with Neena and Babat to the football game on the Champion's level

Oli is 9 Months!

2011-12-06T13:56:00.002-05:00

He is just too cute! He got his first real sickness-terrible congestion and a fever. He is 27.75in and 16lb 9oz, still a little guy (not for his lack of love for food) and I'm to feed him high caloric foods to try and keep up with his activity and metabolism. He adores bathtime. He loves his brothers and is just all around a happy guy. He's babbles and has 3 teeth and is now drinking from a sippy.

Food and Wine Festival 2011

2011-12-05T17:39:00.004-05:00

We went to our yearly Food and Wine Festival at Epcot in Disney. The boys did so great and tried pretty much every food!

test track

football with babat

Halloween

2011-11-10T10:35:00.000-05:00

Nicolae was allowed to wear his costume to school that Monday and wanted to share all 'his' candy (that Gabriel aquired over the weekend) with his school friends. After I dropped Nicolae at school, Tristan and Aden came for a visit while Jimmy and Jeannette were working. Oliver and Tristan love each other and are always caught 'wrestling'

That afternoon, we went to the zoo with Aden and Tristan and then over to Marie to meet Zeke too!

Oma and Opa Visit

2011-11-09T10:05:00.003-05:00

Oma and Opa came to visit the last week in October. We all went down to Orlando!

if you know my boys, you know they like to do this in public:

Oliver is 8 Months

2011-11-04T13:40:00.000-05:00

I'm way behind on this! I can't even remember if I'd posted that he was crawling..he is! And, pulling to stand. We have our first tooth and a second very needed haircut.

Before

After

Butterfly Event, Sleepover, and Baby

2011-11-03T12:48:00.003-05:00

Gabriel had his first sleepover with his buddy Junior. He still talks about Marie taking them to the library! We went to the butterfly event on campus with Zeke and Pax. Afterward, we went to the hosiptal to meet Lorelei!

butterfly wings

Morning Side Nature Center

2011-10-18T12:22:00.000-05:00

They do a 'feed the animals' every Wednesday at 3 and I finally got around to taking the boys there to meet up with their buddy Zeke.

The Little Things

2011-10-17T12:17:00.006-05:00

I've been centering my post around all our activities lately and that usually leaves Oliver just tagging along, which he is incredibly good at, but I miss posting the little times I spend with him at home so here is a little peak.

kisses for mommy

he loves bath time!

Kaylen is 3!

2011-10-16T12:13:00.000-05:00

There has been plenty of birthdays lately which always leaves Nicolae asking, "Are they gonna share some of their cake?" This past weekend we did bounce house and hay rides for Kaylen's birthday, and yes, she shared her cake....

I tried to get the boys (minus Aden and Tristan) with the birthday girl and this other little girl snuck in.

Beach Day

2011-10-15T11:25:00.004-05:00

Gabriel and I met John, Marie and Jr at the beach for a night. It was so relaxing!

ice cream from a cone! Meanwhile, my parents came to town for the Gator game and they went with Micah, Nicolae and Oliver to tailgate

my boys eating meat off the bones

Nicolae Soccer

2011-10-12T12:18:00.001-05:00

Nicolae is shirt number 2

Gabriel's First Trip to the Dentist

2011-10-05T13:42:00.002-05:00

Occasionally, I take Gabriel to a kids class at the gym. He is a clumsy boy some days and just happen to be that day. He tripped in the parking lot and busted his lip. No big deal...he does this quite often, until I noticed some tooth missing. We finshed his class, picked Nicolae up from school and headed to the dentist where she filed it down for him. The boys got toys and 'free' ice cream. He is looking back to normal today... except for a piece of tooth

Oliver is 7 Months!

2011-10-04T13:24:00.003-05:00

I had pictures taken of the boys recently and wish I could work our scanner to share them! Oliver is actively crawling and pulling up onto his knees. He is so laid back, such a good baby. He loves to smile with his tongue out. He's a HUGE drooler and still no teeth to be seen. I think he's starting a little seperation anxiety but it's not terrible. He's almost ready for another hair cut! We stopped breastfeeding over labor day weekend. I've always had a routine for the boys and it's always been scraped by evening time, not so with Oli. He is on a perfect schedule
7:30-wake
7:45-8oz
9:30-nap
11:00-wake
12:00-6oz solids
1:00-nap
3:30-wake
4:00-8oz
5:45-4oz solids
6:00-cat nap
8:00-8oz and bedtime
Straight pumpkin apparently gives him a TERRIBLE diaper rash so we spent a few days playing in the tub and having nakey time

Swimming

2011-09-15T13:12:00.001-05:00

These are from their last lesson in June.

Zeke is 3!

2011-09-14T12:59:00.000-05:00

We went to Zeke's party last weekend. We met him at swimming lessons last summer and caught up with him for refreshers this summer. He and his mom are so sweet and the boys love him!

Oliver's 1st Haircut

2011-09-13T12:49:00.001-05:00

I've been needing to cut Oliver's hair for a while now. It was a big mess with normal hair on the sides and crazy amounts of hair on the top. While over at Angie's house (the one who cuts the boys' hair), Oliver got an unplanned cut

before

during after! how cute is he now?!

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-12T11:58:00.004-05:00

We went down to West Palm for Labor Day. It was Grandpa's birthday and our family would be together to scatter Uncle Lyn's ashes, which I actually didn't get to witness but here are a few pictures.

Nicolae goes to VPK!

2011-08-29T14:03:00.002-05:00

Nicolae just started his second week in VPK. He's loving it so far but still getting used to having to go every day. He's also on a soccer team and his first game is next week.

Oliver is 6 Months!

2011-08-26T07:51:00.002-05:00

Half a year already for my sweet Oli! He's just started solids on a regular basis and in only a week, I've had to up him to twice a day solid feedings (about 6 oz/day) which had me spending half a day prepping his foods to cook and freeze. The boy acts like he is starving. He's done great from the start, rarely spitting it out but he gets distracted easily by the older boys and tries to talk to them, instead, blowing his food all over me. He is still breastfeeding twice a day if I can get him to. He had a great appt-26.25in (44%) and 14lb 12oz (9%). He's working on crawling and still hasn't got the hang of it. He's also sitting! He is so laid back; I find myself ignoring him wherever he's playing to get the older boys taken care of. I've been meaning to get him to a professional photographer (any suggestions??) soon!

Nicolae is 4!

2011-08-17T13:44:00.010-05:00

We went for a week to Disney World with Neena and Babat to celebrate Nicolae and Matt and my dad's birthdays. I will try not to overload this post with pictures! The first park we went to was Animal Kingdom. The boys really enjoy it and there is an area where you can look at bugs and snakes and frogs and other gross things. We went to Magic Kingdom and Nicolae is now tall enough for the rides. We had lots of pool time and even some putt putt

birthday dinner at Rainforest Cafe

there was a fountain outside that sprayed water over the walkway and a normal person would be too short to get sprayed...except when you're carrying Gabriel like this

birthday boy with his golf cake

boys in its a small world Nicolae went on Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain!!! His first times lego world swimming with Babat this is how Gabriel goes down the slide

Blue Spings and Nicolae's Pictures

2011-08-14T14:04:00.008-05:00

We went to Blue Springs a couple weeks ago with Mike and Angie. It was hot but the boys had fun! Nicolae has been drawing his own pictures and I can't believe how well he does (for being barely 4)

5 Month Old and Other Recents

2011-07-24T15:43:00.006-05:00

We've got milestones! First, Oliver has slowly stopped breastfeeding and is on the bottle except for once a day. He has gained a ton of weight since formula feeding but I feel like a total failure so I'm still considering getting a natural supplement my pediatrician/lactation consultant suggested to up my supply. Since, he's finally gained some weight, I decided to give solids a try. I home-made some oatmeal cereal. His first bite was a go but he decided after the second bite that it wasn't for him. I fed him one time a day for two days and decided to wait for a few more weeks since he wasn't really 'eating' any of it and Gabriel just ended up drinking it up (gross!!). Oli has been grabbing things and swatting at his toys. He is finally sleeping through the night (bedtime at 8 to 8:45 and wakes at 6 or 6:30). Within the past few days I've been catching him pushing up on his hands and knees. I can't believe he's already trying to crawl! Until today, it was just pushing up but now he goes forward, face plants and tries it again. He seems so happy to be getting mobile.

5 months old!

Last week, Nicolae was taking Gabriel for a ride in the truck when (this is Nicolae's version) he drove under the mulberry tree and he ducked but Gabriel didn't. Here is what happened:

It was all superficial but looked so terrible and Gabriel was really hurting for a few hours afterward.

Nicolae likes to spike his hair after a shower

Making ice cream

big boy feeding his brother

4th of July in WPB

2011-07-13T12:00:00.005-05:00

On our way down to WPB, we stopped for a night in Disney World and went to Epcot and Animal Kingdom. The kids love the safari ride where they got to see tons of their favorite animals.

silly faces In West Palm, we went golfing and swimming and checked up on grandma in the hospital (she is home and doing well now!).

The clubhouse put up this inflatable waterslide and the boys were the only ones on it! Gabriel LOVED it and Nicolae took a few times down the slide to realize he enjoyed it

Tattoo for the 4th

steak n shake on the way home

Nicolae just adores Oliver and he plays so well with him. I had to post this video. And, in looking at my videos, I had totally forgotten to post about Oliver rolling over from back to tummy which he did a few days after he turned 4 months old.

Girls Trip

2011-07-12T14:10:00.002-05:00

This year we had a lot more girls! I had a great time other than getting terribly sick from being engorged. I was up all night and couldn't wait to get home to feed my baby! Next year will be better...

all the ladies

Waterslide!

VBS and Play Dates

2011-07-11T07:51:00.003-05:00

Henry, Jordan and Oliver Henry and Oliver Henry and Oliver at VBS Gabriel, Zeke and Nicolae at Zeke's house

4 Months

2011-06-20T13:32:00.003-05:00

Oliver went in this morning for his 4 month appt and shots. He has eczema around his neck and I am able to use the oil I had for Gabriel on Oliver. He is very small at 12 lb and 4 oz (8%) and 25 in (54%) and his head is in the 3rd percentile. I am to feed him every 3 hrs and even through the night when he wakes (he's been waking still but will take a pacifier and goes back to sleep). She is concerned about my milk production so I'm going to do a few things to try and up it before trying supplements and "power pumping." Other than that, he is so active and rolls over all the time, always tummy to back. He is such a sweet baby and usually happy. He's very strong and learning to be more coordinated. Here he is with Jen when she and Matt were driving through to south Florida on their way to Jamaica for their honeymoon

Gator Baseball

2011-06-13T09:27:00.003-05:00

Mom and Dad and the Howard Family came up to watch a couple of the Gator Baseball games. So far we're heading to the World Series

Oliver with Junior and John and Marie

napping with neena watching nascar

My Sweet Baby

2011-06-08T14:32:00.000-05:00

Jen and Matt's Wedding

2011-06-07T13:41:00.004-05:00

Jen and Matt got married Memorial Day weekend in St. Augustine. It was such a great wedding and an awesome time on the beach and with family!

Hanging outside our rooms, the police actually got called one night, we were laughing so loudly!

Toasting with a few of the cousins the night before

Jen getting ready

Giving the kids gifts

3 Months

2011-05-27T11:59:00.002-05:00

I am so in love with this baby! He is so darn cute!! He is so smiley and is just beginning to "play." I'll throw him up in the air and he laughs. He's so strong and has just rolled over for the first time this week, from stomach to back. He still doesn't sleep through the night. He'll sometimes go 8ish hours but most of the time it's been 3-4 hrs. I'm getting so, so tired but am lucky that I've only had about 2 hormonal breakdowns with the crying and wanting to throw him in the dumpster. I can't believe he is already 3 months!

Nicolae thought he needed the remote

Getting love from Scott

The kids still love to hold him. Above is Chloee feeding him is 2nd or 3rd bottle ever

look at his hair!!!

Time of Loss

2011-05-26T09:22:00.002-05:00

I have no idea how to blog about this subject since I'm usually blogging about what is going on in our family (mostly about the kids) but this past 6 (ish) months we've lost 3 in our family. After a long life, Aunt Betty passed and I flew with my family to Michigan for her funeral. In January, we learned Aunt Shirley had cancer and she passed mid March. It was such a fast time for us to learn that she was sick and so soon after, we lost her. I was still thinking of how Uncle Howard and the rest of my cousins were getting along in Ohio when my mom called to let me know my Uncle Lyn had unexpectedly passed on May 15 at only 55yrs old. I am still shocked to think he is gone

Disney with Erin

2011-05-25T09:10:00.005-05:00

Last weekend, we met Erin to have a couple days at Disney. We went to the Magic Kingdom and then to Epcot. Magic Kingdom was open until 11pm that day, so I left the kids with Micah and the hotel room and Erin and I were able to go back after bedtime to the park and ride thunder mountian three times in a row with no wait! We went back to the room and shared a bottle of wine in the lobby. It was SO nice to go out without a diaper bag and kids running about. I'm still absolutely exhausted since Oliver is having sleep troubles (topic for another post) but worth staying out late for some adult time. We met Billy in Epcot and rode a few rides after eating lunch in the biergarten

Nicolae on the steam train Gabriel was in a mood at the biergarten. He was singing then the music came on...

Oliver bundled up with Erin

Thunder mountain!

Mother's Day Weekend

2011-05-11T10:13:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, I mowed and trimmed. Oliver was dedicated on Sunday morning along with all his other buddies from our Sunday School class. Our family went to "welcome to Moe's" (as the boys call it) with Jr (and Marie and John) and a couple that just started attending the church. That afternoon the boys decided not to nap and Oliver started feeding every two hours and only sleeps 3 hrs at night (a growth spurt, I'm assuming, that still hasn't ended). Not an exceptional weekend but I'm still thankful for my boys!

balloons at Moe's

mommas and babies

AND, I found my hand!!!

First Trip to Disney

2011-05-03T10:13:00.000-05:00

We bought year passes to Disney world and thought we'd take the boys this last weekend. It ended up being just a day trip and I didn't get many pictures even though it was Oliver's first trip to Disney. Here's what I got:

Watching the parade

on the steam train

Easter Weekend and Neena/Babat Visit

2011-05-01T17:56:00.009-05:00

1st annual gator fly-in: Easter with Marie, John and Junior: Time with Neena and Babat:

2 down...

2011-04-26T08:16:00.002-05:00

1 to go! I've been meaning to write this post since I wrote the last about Gabriel deciding he wants to use to potty. Within a week and without any coaxing from me, he's wearing underwear and is as potty trained as Nicolae! I'm so surprised he can even hold it really well. He had some mild diarrhea last week and ask to poo, waited for me to take his underwear off, and stopped at the boppy to say, "Hi, Oliver!" before heading to the potty. Oliver is the last one left in diapers!

2 Months

2011-04-22T12:24:00.005-05:00

My poor baby getting harassed

This was his first 'tummy time' at 2 months old exactly. I know...I'm slacking on that but look how strong he is!

Oliver is 2 months old! He is such a tough little guy and he's got to be. Besides being tormented on car rides, the older boys love to pack his swing with toys when I'm off getting housework done. He had his appt today and was 11lbs 12oz and 23.75 inches. He got his shots today, screamed like crazy and shut right up once the nurse picked him up

Sunday School Girls

2011-04-17T14:00:00.001-05:00

All our babies are here! Here we are in order of due date, then birth order. I'm so excited to see our babies grow up together! By the way, this (us all getting pregnant at the same time) was not planned. Typically, there is just us 4 but we threw in a few other pregos from church for good measure

early november January early february middle march

today

Baby Birds

2011-04-16T12:10:00.003-05:00

Our baby blue birds hatched! Nicolae is fascinated with them. Loves to stand and stare at the babies and waits for the momma to come back to the nest.

V-day

2011-04-15T10:00:00.002-05:00

Today is the day after v-day. I suppose I was a little anxious yesterday but overall didn't worry about it (Easy for me to say obviously, but since I'm writing, it'll be my take on it. You can ask Micah how he liked it another time) probably because I've been so busy with the boys lately. The weather has been great! We go outside daily to water plants, dig in the dirt, mow the grass, and keep an eye on our bird's nest out back. Anyway, not that it can be taken back now, but keeping busy has been good for me since when I do sit and think about how I'll never have my own baby again makes me a little panic-ky (is that a word?). I do keep the thought of adoption open in my mind because that probably helps me cope and the decision doesn't seem so permanent (even though that'll never be followed through on) Here's some pictures from today. Oliver peed on himself but was due for a bath anyway. He really enjoyed it!

Visit from Oma and Opa

2011-04-14T04:22:00.000-05:00

I didn't get many pictures since our trip was cut short because of some health problems that Micah's grandpa was having. His parents decided it was best to leave. We did get to spend a day together and had a bonfire (Oliver's first). Here's some pictures in no particular order

love his hair

Nicolae (and Oliver)

2011-04-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

Nicolae is such a helper. He loves to be involved and learn new things but is SO sensitive. I have a hard time correcting him without breaking his spirit. Sometimes I feel like a good talk works wonders with him, then the next second I'm just sure he's an amazing manipulator. He loves his new brother a little too much. He always wants to hold him, bring me his pacifier/diaper, sing to him when he cries and rock him. I've had to tell him multiple times he cannot hold Oliver alone, but alas, as I was cleaning up Gabriel from breakfast, I suddenly heard Oliver in the living room when I knew I'd left him in my bed. I ran out to see Nicolae carrying him with his arms, one around Oliver's head and the other around his armpit. I gasped/screamed and Nicolae dropped him. It had to be the scariest mom moment so far. Needless to say, Oliver is pretty sturdy and Nicolae and I had a nice talk. I don't know what's going on with him lately though as he's been peeing on himself during the day and acting out pretty badly some days.

Gabriel (and Oliver)

2011-04-12T15:38:00.006-05:00

spilled his milk

Gabriel is in the process of potty training himself. I didn't even try to start since Oliver was coming and I thought he wouldn't take to it. It started with him wanting to sit on the potty and now he is in underwear during the day (around the house only). He already runs to the bathroom by himself when he has to go which is a HUGE help when I'm occupied. He has really taken to Oliver. He loves to talk to him but is WAY too rough. Oliver has already endured his first bloody lip (Gabriel likes to take off his shoes in the car and hit Oli with them). Gabriel finds it funny when Oliver fusses (or cries). Gabriel has been waking in the middle of the night and I can't figure out why. I assumed he was getting his molars with the constant drooling and chewing on his fingers. He is such a tough kid and that's great because he's incredibly clumsy. He's constantly got bruises and scrapes all over. He's SO loud. He's such a tough kid to train and so, so stubborn, not much phases him. He is a sweet boy when he wants to be, loves to sing, roughhouse and be a clown.

Back from West Palm

2011-03-27T10:20:00.000-05:00

Micah went on a work conference to Vegas this past week and I took the boys down to West Palm to have Oliver meet the family.

meeting the great grandparents

Little gassy, he was laying with Kathy and Grandma's getting his attention

Time for bowling

How cute is this?

Wrestling with Buzzy

Reading with Kevin Fishing with More Babat First time at the pool

Happy 1 Month!

2011-03-26T10:41:00.003-05:00

After a diaper change in the morning. So handsome!

Growing Up

2011-03-19T09:05:00.000-05:00

He smiles!! I caught the end of a smile a week ago (first picture) and here he is yesterday, pretty much in a full smile. He has developed some nasty baby acne. You can see his smooth baby skin in the first picture and now it's all red and broken out. It seems to be starting to go away...I'm hoping

Newborn Pictures

2011-03-18T06:20:00.000-05:00

ok, Here he is! These were taken when he was 6 days old. For those of you who were asking before why Micah isn't in any photos, it's because he doesn't want to be and when I insist that he is (like for the Christmas photos), he puts up a huge stink about it.

Continued Amazement

2011-03-08T10:25:00.003-05:00

Oliver is now over 2 weeks old. After a discussion with some friends at a birthday party, I've realized (so far at least) it was MUCH harder to go from 1 to 2 kids than from 2 to 3. I'm not sure if that is because the older boys have playmates or if it's because Oliver is an incredibly awesome baby. At 4 days old, he was going 4 hrs at night and I couldn't believe it! At 11 days, he went 8 hrs and has continued to sleep 6.5 to 8 hrs every night. You can imagine my disbelief. After carrying a week over, I was second guessing my decision to wait it out. I was super frustrated and disappointed and was sure I was headed for PPD. I couldn't be more wrong. It has been the total opposite! Not that I'm not still a little tired and hormonal, but so far it has been a complete blessing. Pictures of Oli are coming soon, I promise!

Oli's Appointment

2011-03-04T12:42:00.001-05:00

Oliver went in yesterday for his circ recheck appt. He looks great and has gained over a pound in a week! He is 9lb 1oz. Must be getting some good food since he eats only every 4 hrs

Meet the Baby

2011-03-03T08:33:00.000-05:00

My friends Marie and Erin did a shower/meet the baby lunch for me and Oliver on Saturday. We had a great time! I feel so blessed to have had everyone there to support us and I'm so thankful for Marie and Erin and their work putting it together

Coming Home

2011-03-01T10:02:00.006-05:00

The boys have been so great with Oli. Gabriel likes to touch his hair and man-handle him of course and Nicolae loves to hold him and be the big brother. He gives tons of kisses and has decided he's ready for underwear overnight and has been doing great. Oli is an amazing baby! I rarely hear him cry, even for food. Usually he smacks his lips and I'm able to change his diaper and get his food while he looks around and waits. He goes to bed around 11pm and wakes once at night around 4am then sleeps til 7:30 or 8am. He's had some fussy times around 10pm for 30min or so. My hips are finally setting back into place and I'm feeling almost normal again.

Home from the hospital

Meeting his brothers

playdate at the park after church

That was AWESOME!

2011-02-22T14:15:00.006-05:00

A week overdue, I was really starting to think I'd never go into labor on my own. I was so frustrated and getting pretty depressed about how my body was working. I'd been having contractions a few days for hours that always were irregular in intesity and always dissolved to nothing. My mom had been around for a week, waiting for this little guy and after going to the hospital in the afternoon and just planning on telling the doctor at my appt on Monday morning to schedule me for an induction, I was trying to get over that I would never labor on my own. We hung out all afternoon and decided not to go to church that evening. The boys were watching Dumbo and Micah had just started getting them ready for bed.
I was on the computer and 8:15pm got a pretty uncomfortable contraction. I brushed it off since this had happened multiple times before. Got a couple more and all were really uncomfortable and I thought of my friend, Marie always telling me I should time them so I started noting the time, every 5 minutes, 50 seconds long. After 3, I texted Marie to tell her (she was meeting me at hospital no matter the time) and told her to not get too excited. With every contraction, I felt like I had to pee and it was honestly so uncomfortable, even right away, that I felt I had to move my body to get away from the pain. I felt like I had to pee during contractions and went to the bathroom and did have some light blood, which had never happened before. I still refused to believe this was it, but soon I was walking around the house, barely able to walk through them and needing to support myself on counters til it was over. By that time (not even 15 min later) contractions were 3:30 apart and 50 seconds long. Mom told me I was going to the hospital, but I did wait til I had about 15 contractions timed since I still thought as soon as I'd go to leave, they would stop. I packed some last minute stuff and texted Scott to come stay with the boys. Mom waited for Scott, and Micah and I left. I remember calling Marie on the way there and telling her to hold on as I couldn't talk through them. Micah was anxious to get me to the hospital and I was arching my back and turning from side to side in the seat trying to alleviate the pain. During the start of a contraction I would say, hurry up! and between them, I'd say, drive safe! As we pulled up to the hospital I was having some serious back labor.
9:15pm and 6cm, We got upstairs and admitted right away. Changing into my gown was painful as I was already in active labor at that point. I was told to get in bed right away (which I did NOT want to do, standing was more"comfortable") to get my IV and bag of fluids/lab work out of the way since that is the prerequisite for getting an epidural and I was already asking for it. They nurse was trying to get my IV in quickly and wasn't doing a great job. She blew my vein and kept jabbing, ending up giving me the IV in the crook of my arm. While that was happening, I was put on oxygen for baby's low heartrate. I was writhing in pain, kicking off all the covers and sheets til there was nothing but the plastic bed under me. Back labor was excruciating at this point. I needed to have all my jewelry off for the epidural so Marie was taking off my earrings and I was sure she wasnt doing it fast enough. I told her to get them off and she told me she didn't want to hurt me. I would've ripped them off if I could but at that point I was trying to pull off my own toe ring since my mom and Micah couldn't get it. I basically was trying to just pull my whole toe off in desperation to get the epidural. My toe would hurt for weeks afterward.
9:30pm, I swore my water broke. I felt really wet and tried to stop moving since no epidural was in sight and I could feel lots of pressure with a contraction. Apparently, I just peed on myself. I don't know the time but, I finally got the epidural and after it caught up with my contractions and got some relief, I watched as my contractions basically stopped for a while. I was checked at 7.5cm and moved positions often to pick up contractions. I feel like the bulk of the time I was laboring was them working with me putting in the epidural and getting me comfortable. When I was finally feeling normal again and contractions were back to strength again, my doctor (who happened to be on the night shift) came in to break my water. Most of this time seems a super foggy memory.
11:18pm, 9cm and 90%, He was set up and waiting out a contraction before breaking my water and I coughed (this cough I've had since I got the virus in week 39) and I sprayed the bag of water all over his arm and scrubs. My contractions were basically one big contraction at this point as I waited while dr went to change clothes and wash off. My epidural was wearing at this point as well and apparently, I was asking over and over for another dose, to which I was refused since at 11:20pm I was complete and ready to push. The back labor was excruciating!! They got the bed ready for pushing and I started coughing again. Basically coughed him out. I tried to stretch over and push my belly down to see him come out since everyone was yelling, Look at his hair! As I pushed around my belly to see, I watched him come out, face to face, since he was sunny side up (the source of my TERRIBLE back labor).
11:28pm, Oliver Hicks Johnson was born, 8 pounds 6 ounces 19.75 inches and perfect Apgar score. He is named after his great great grandfather, Brent Hicks Johnson. My grandma was born a Johnson and became and Miclean and I was born a Miclean and became a Johnson, so he is able to have his almost exact name. He is perfect and I didn't tear and didn't even have swelling. I did though have a low blood count and was just monitored for it. He nurses great, even took and bottle and takes a pacifier!! It was by far the most painful labor and my back still hurts badly but I am still in awe that my body did it and how inredibly fast it happened. We are home today and doing great so far. Nicolae and Gabriel love him!

Marie got to cut the cord

Home from Labor and Delivery

2011-02-20T15:58:00.002-05:00

I woke up this morning and wasn't feeling the baby at all. I drank chocolate milk before church, ate a donut at church then drank a coke and still no movement. Decided to head to the hospital to have him checked. I was put on the monitor for an hour and had a quick ultrasound to check fluid level. Everything looks fine and he eventually started moving again. I have an appt tomorrow morning and will set up my induction on Tuesday. Here's a couple pictures from the last few days:

Here We Go!

2011-02-18T14:04:00.003-05:00

To the pediatrcian again that is. Nicolae was up all night long last night and telling my mom his ears hurt. He has a double ear infection and is now on antibiotic for the next 10 days. We were all wondering what Gabriel would do after spending most his week in there getting some painful shots daily. He ran in looking for the lollipops but Nicolae was the one who was worried about getting "bandaids" like Gabriel had gotten. It was a quick visit and of course, he finally realized he wasn't getting the bandaids. My poor boys.

Lots of Dr Appts

2011-02-16T14:32:00.002-05:00

I'll start with Gabriel. He had his 3rd round of shots today. He started crying when they asked him to get on the table. I hated to see him like that! His ears are starting to look better aleady, though. His right ear drum did rupture Monday night and I got some ear drops for it on Tuesday in addition to the shots. He goes back in a couple weeks for a recheck and possible referral to an ENT.
I had my appt this morning, also. I, again, did not gain any weight. My labs were all fine. I was 4cm and 60% effaced. He's dropped a bit more and my fundal height was 36. Dr is surprised I have not had him yet and let me know I'm still welcome to induce whenever I'd like. I have an appt for Monday (41weeks) including an ultrasound to check amniotic fluid, birthweight and any other problems there could be to medically need an induction since he says problems usually start occuring after 41 weeks. At 42 weeks, he needs to schedule a date. I need to have him today or tomorrow to make sure I'm at Abby's baby shower on Saturday though!!

Happy Due Date

2011-02-14T14:50:00.002-05:00

Don't get excited, I have NO news about baby. This post is actually about Gabriel and definitely not a "happy" day. To start, mom came yesterday afternoon to wait for the baby and last night Gabriel was up ALL night long. Micah took him for the wee hours til morning and got the impression he had an ear infection again. Seriously?! He just got off his 3rd round of antibiotic on Friday..like 2 days ago, Friday. Mom and I took the boys to the pediatrician this morning and sure enough, infection in his left ear and a soon-to-rupture infection in his right ear. I cannot believe he's still battling this, but, we're on to getting the shots. He got two syringes of antibiotic mixed with lidocaine, one in each thigh. Apparently, it's a painful shot and he would be limping from them afterward (by the way, he gets another dose tomorrow morning and a 3rd dose on Wednesday). Mom held him down for me and he did well, just screamed when they stuck him and for a couple minutes after. He sat down in a chair for the next hour while we waited to see if he was going to have a reaction. When he got up, poor guy grabbed at his legs. He's been normal this afternoon but I'm dreading his appt tomorrow morning.

39 weeks

2011-02-10T19:24:00.002-05:00

Yet another appt. Labs were normal and I've gained a pound. Usually dr would check me today as routine but he decided not to since it seems I've come down with something like the flu since Wednesday morning and he didn't want me in labor until I am over this. Of course, it's 7:30 and I've been having irregular contractions since 4:30. I'm not so hopeful since this happened to me last week, having contractions for 2 hrs then they were gone. It's been tough deciding what I want to do about them tonight since I was told not to labor long at home to make sure I will make it to the hospital. Seems like they're just about over and I plan on going to bed as usual, trying to get at least a little bit of sleep I can manage during the night with all the peeing and pain in my hips that has returned terribly in the last week or so.

Gabriel's Ears

2011-02-05T21:39:00.002-05:00

So sorry for the lack of pictures. I took Gabriel in a few days ago thinking he had another ear infection. He had been up and wandering into our room for three nights in a row. By the 3rd night, I was so tired and just pulled him in bed and he slept by me like an angel (I know this since I was up all night and able to stare at him). Finally, the 3rd day, I asked if he had a boo boo and he pointed to his ear. He does, of course, have another infection. The waking at night was his only sign until he verbalized it. I'm so glad he finally is able to tell me his ear is hurting him instead of having to wait til his ear drum ruptures to know that there is a problem. He is on his 3rd kind of antibiotic. If it doesn't clear it, he'll be given shots of antibiotic and if that fails, he'll get tubes (tubes won't be discussed yet since this is only his second ear infection in the year and he would need to have 5 for the tubes). I am hopeful this round will work. He's already feeling better, sleeping at night and less atitude problems during the day but we'll see at his recheck in a couple weeks when I'll bring him and his new brother in together

38 weeks

2011-02-04T12:48:00.003-05:00

Great appointment! Baby is 7 lbs today and not expected to get too much bigger in the next 10ish days. The plan is to labor on my own, no membrane sweep. I gained nothing and everything else looked great as well. I am 4cm, 50% and the sonographer had to dig under my pubic bone to try to get his head measurment. He is in perfect position to come out. Now we wait. If you're wondering about PT, I've cancelled my appts and haven't been in a week or so.

37 week appt

2011-01-28T14:12:00.002-05:00

Went in today for a quick appt. Everything looks good and I've only gained a pound. I'm clear to go to my physical therapy water class on Monday. Group B was negative and I'm measuring 34 weeks again. Dr is not concerned that I'm measuring a month behind because baby's heart rate is jumping fine with his activity and I have an ultrasound scheduled for next week. He still thinks there may be a good size baby in there. I'm feeling like he's gonna be a small one and am actually looking forward to him being a tiny guy since I'm wanting to wait intil I labor on my own. I was 3cm, thick and -2 station but he is definitely engaged and not budging when the dr tried to push him back up.

Caught on Tape

2011-01-27T16:29:00.002-05:00

The boys were wrestling and I thought I'd catch some on tape when I accidentally caught the sweetest conversation

Previously, Nicolae fell into a puddle in a parking lot when it was raining and got a scab on his knee. They had been wrestling and Gabriel was tackling him and falling and saying "ouch"
Gabriel: A boo boo!
Nicolae: ya, it is a boo boo
Gabriel: big boo boo
Nicolae: ya, it is...from when I falled down
Gabriel: I'm sorry
Nicolae: it's ok...
Gabriel: ...in water
Nicolae: It's ok, you can still go on my back and say, "Ouch"

'Playing Golfing'

2011-01-23T10:04:00.001-05:00

36 Week Appt and Physical Therapy

2011-01-21T17:05:00.004-05:00

PT has been going alright. I have exercises and stretching to do at home and I go in for massages and, soon, a pregnancy water class. I was pretty nervous going in for my first ever massage and I had no idea what the etiquette is for that. I wore my jeans which, I guess, is not good. Apparently, it's also not appropriate to take them off and just sit there on the table waiting for the guy to do his job. I got the hint by how awkwardly he had me get under the sheet to lay on the massage table. I've only been once so far but go again on Monday so if anyone has any more info on what to do (or not do), I would definitely like to hear it. Besides my obvious faux pas, I can actually walk when I leave the office. It doesn't last too long and I've had some painful days this week but it seems I'm swapping my pain for a different kind of pain.
I had my 36 week appt today and wasn't able to see my doctor since he had to go down and deliver some babies. My nurse did my strep B and had a midwife come in to check me. She was super rude, giving me 50 questions why I felt like I needed to be checked. This was my second experience with the midwives there and I've not had a good time with either. She said I was 1, thick and he is high which I think is weird since my doctor tells me he's so low and that's why I have so much pain and why I'm meassuring 2 weeks behind (34 this week). Other than that, my weight is good, 2 lbs this week (167). His heartbeat was 125bpm and I think we've finally got a name for him which is a load off me. My body is definitely preparing, though, with tons of BH contractions that have begun to hurt like period cramping and digestive problems, I'll get spurts of energy every now and then, and losing some plug about every other day. I'm so done with being pregnant but am so not prepared to be taking an infant home. I have way too much laundry to catch up on and cleaning house to get done

Maternity Pictures and PT

2011-01-16T21:48:00.010-05:00

The whole family took a day trip to Tampa to get some maternity pictures (36 weeks), watch a rugby game and hit the outlet mall. Turns out there was no rugby game but we ended up having a nice family day trip.

Today, I had my first PT appt. Basically, I need to have the baby but I'm scheduled twice a week for stretching and small workouts as well as pregnancy massage. I figured I'd give it a chance before cancelling the rest of the appt's.

34 Week Appt

2011-01-07T15:04:00.004-05:00

Went in today for my 34 week appt and all my labs were normal. I'm up to 165 lbs, total of 27 lbs so far and my body is looking like something out of national geographic. I'm still trying to enjoy the good parts about this pregnancy but hormonal Amy even gets irritated with the rhythmic hiccuping. Most days I'm in unbearable pain. I have no idea what position gives me relief and most nights, when you think I'd get the rest for my hips, I wake throughout the night with even more pain. My days consist of massive amounts of Braxton-Hicks, burning pain between my pubic bone, and cramping down my legs (among other things I'm guessing people are not wanting to read about). My doctor is sending me to physical therapy to try and help me find a way to get more comfortable. Baby has dropped incredibly low, which is the cause of my pains worsening. My belly should be measuring 35, but is only measuring 33 because of how far he's dropped into my pelvis. He is head-down and ready!

Christmas

2010-12-31T12:20:00.006-05:00

Christmas was a week long trip to West Palm. We went to the airport, Christmas Eve, Gabriel got his hair styled Christmas Day, we opened presents, had the family over and went to lights on Gabriel Lane Gabriel got a train set. Nicolae made sure he knew he was going to share. Nicolae got his own real set of golf clubs We went for a train ride to Bass Pro Shop in Ft Lauderdale

Bowling with Neena

Met Gianna at the mall for a quick playdate before heading home The boys both got ear infections a couple weeks ago. Gabriel's did not clear and he had a fever for a couple days while we were gone and is now on another round of antibiotic.

32 Week Appt

2010-12-31T12:01:00.003-05:00

I can barely remember details of this appt but all was well. I'm having a lot of pain lately, sometimes I'm barely able to walk. The whole family (minus Gabriel) got a severe stomach bug that was being passed around Gainesville the weekend before my appt which caused me to lose a pound. Here's the 33 week belly :

Family Photos

2010-12-13T11:12:00.001-05:00

Marie's sister-in-law, Jen, took these for us. She does a great job! This is what we got even though the boys were being TERRIBLE

Baby Update

2010-12-11T10:43:00.000-05:00

I just went in for my 30 week appointment. I was late from visiting Georgia at Shands (recovering from giving a kidney to her sister) and decided it was a good idea to "jog" 25 minutes back to my car, busting my hip up even more probably for the duration of the pregnancy. I was still 20 minutes late for my 4:40pm appt. Nurses were leaving as I hobbled into the office. My OB/nurses were SO nice about it!! I gained 6 lbs these past weeks, putting me up to 161lbs and total gain of 23lbs so far. Everything else was fine. My blood test came back slightly anemic but an acceptable sugar level (108). Baby hadn't been moving like he was, so I was hooked up to the NST for a few minutes while my doctor finished some paperwork (instead of sending me down to labor and delivery since it was after hours). While I was hooked up, a nurse came in and took the boys to make them animal balloons (can you believe how nice?!). I've made my appts into January since I'll be going every 2 weeks until 36 weeks. And since, appartenly, it's a must, here's a few belly pictures:

8weeks 10 weeks

17 weeks

19 weeks 26 weeks

Getting Ready for Christmas

2010-12-10T10:12:00.000-05:00

We've started advent and made a gingerbread train. Decorating is next! Gabriel caught stealing advent candies!

Get-Togethers

2010-12-09T09:53:00.002-05:00

I took the boys to the duck pond at NFR for the lighting of the lights with Marie. The next night, we had David, Daniel and Reagan over to play and Scott stopped over with Carlee and Chloee

Happy Birthday, Gabriel!

2010-12-01T11:19:00.002-05:00

Gabriel is 2! He got to go to his 2 yr check up on his actual birthday. Lucky for him all he got was a finger prick. His eczema is only on his feet but his doctor gave me a refill for his medicated oil. He had a double ear infection a couple weeks ago that tore his ear drum and was leaking green pus, so he got his ears checked. He's still got some fluid in his ear that could turn into an infection so he'll go in again in a month to recheck and make sure they've not gotten infected (since he never shows any signs of an ear infection until his ear drum ruptures). He is 36 inches (double it for his predicted adult height, 6 ft) and 28 lbs. He can be super sweet but is incredibly stubborn and gives me so many problems. He's a terrible listener and needs constant correction. He has been peeing on the potty whenever he asks to (I'm not pushing it with him since it'll do no good when his new brother arrives). He was moved into Nicolae's room to a toddler bed and that is going fairly well. Here he is at the doctor with his band-aid over his finger prick:

Thanksgiving and Gabriel's Birthday

2010-11-29T09:02:00.005-05:00

We went to West Palm for the traditional Thanksgiving meal and celebrated Gabriel's 2nd birthday while we were there.

Most of the great-grandkids

Happy Birthday to Gabriel!!

I ::heart:: our SS Class

2010-11-23T10:44:00.001-05:00

I so love our group of friends in our Sunday School class. We just recently met for lunch at the park to go over our family covenant. Here's some pictures:

Reagan is 1!

2010-11-22T12:03:00.001-05:00

Ok so there are a lot of kids in our group of friends (pretty much all boys, too). Reagan just turned one so we went out to Borges's to celebrate!

The birthday boy! Sparklers around the bonfire Nicolae thought they were like the big fireworks and he covered his ears cause he said they were too loud

Sammy is 3!

2010-11-21T22:46:00.003-05:00

Nicolae's buddy, Sammy, just turned 3 so we went to his party at the park to celebrate! Nicolae and Sammy

They had a pinata and while everyone else was playing, this little man was swipping desserts...a utensil in each hand

And, on a totally unrelated subject, there are probably about 30 pregnant women in our church at the moment, 4 of which are in our Sunday School class. Here are a few of us in order of due date.

Me (mid feb), Annie (a week behind me), Abby (end of March), Deborah (April) and Julie (end of April)

26 weeks

2010-11-12T09:52:00.002-05:00

I cannot believe the 3rd trimester is almost here! I've just within the past few days, gotten the baby clothes down. I've started painting Nicolae's room which will be the room both the boys share. Gabriel is 'moving in' for his 2nd birthday in only a couple weeks, then, I'll start working on 'the nursery.' I had an appointment this week that went well over all. I've gained 9 lbs since only the last visit...apparently that is a little much. His heartbeat was 134-142 bpm. I'm scheduled for another glucose test before my appt next month and I'm measuring right on track. I've already (since about 20 weeks) been having problems with the pubic bone seperation which seems to only be getting worse as I get bigger. I actually look forward to labor because I will finally be able to walk without pain again.

Halloween

2010-11-10T12:59:00.004-05:00

Our church had it's first trunk or treat this year. Nicolae was a soccer player (then changed his mind to be a penguin) and Gabriel was a pumpkin.

popcorn!

Michigan

2010-11-01T11:35:00.000-05:00

After a day at home to recover from our week long road trip, I drove to Orlando to fly to Detriot with my family for a funeral. I really didn't take any photos but it was a good time catching up with family, a traditional trip to the Mennonite store, a wonderful service for my aunt and some delicious Polish food all wrapped up into a couple days. I am happy, though, to be home for a while!

excited for the rock n rye Aunt Betty and her study Bible

food I've been craving..it was SO good

Road Trip

2010-10-30T10:32:00.006-05:00

We packed up a ton of stuff and headed out for a week long trip to Ohio (with stops in Macon, GA, Charlotte, NC, Medina OH, Beloit, OH). Here we are in Macon, visiting the Judah's

After our afternoon in Macon we headed to Charlotte for the night to stay with Jacon and Rachelle (and their kitty of course). The next morning we drove to Medina, OH to meet with Micah's family for Mark and Erica's wedding Nicolae was loving the attention. He played cars with Merle...

Then Oma joined... Then a few more.. until everyone was on the floor playing cars On Sunday, we drove to Brunswick for the wedding On Monday morning, we drove to Beliot to visit my family there.

Pumpkin Patch and Rugby Game

2010-10-12T08:19:00.004-05:00

Being like daddy
We went to the pumpkin patch at Trinity with a few moms from our Sunday school class. Gloria and Sammy Boys in the hayride

Pregnancy Catch-up

2010-10-08T05:00:00.000-05:00

I have yet to blog AT ALL about this pregnancy, so let's get caught up! In the spring, we decided if we're going to have a 3rd (and final) baby, we wanted to get it done. I wanted a winter baby this time (because of the heat) and am looking forward to getting rid of all our baby "gear." We got pregnant right away, big shocker (I'm being incredibly sarcastic). Mother's day was the beginning of my 40 weeks. This pregnancy has seemed to fly by! I don't know if it's because of the constant things to do, or that I know (and slightly dread) what is to come with the newborn stage. Because it is my last, I'm so determined to make myself enjoy this pregnancy for everything it is.
I didn't really feel pregnant and have never felt nauseous which made me incredibly nervous before I could feel movement. I was super tired for only a couple weeks. By the end of the 1st trimester, I started the vomiting (just as I did with Gabriel) and it continues.
Micah has been volunteering at the Women's Clinic to help with their IT problems and it so happens that they were in need of pregnant women to help sonographers practice. I went in at 16 weeks and again at 17 weeks. Today, I just completed my Level II ultrasound at the hospital and will not have one again until 38 weeks (again, to check for birth weight). I've been diagnosed with macrosomia and was given paperwork and my lovely sugar drink at 15 weeks to do an early Glucose Tolerance Test (dr thinking maybe gestational diabetes causing large birth weight). I found out today, I was WELL within my limits and will be given more paperwork and drink at my next appt for another test.
The boys, Nicolae at least, is very interested in seeing the baby at our ultrasounds and asks me occasionally, while looking at my belly, if the baby is still in there. I assure him that it is and he will know when it's not in there anymore. Gabriel rubs my belly and says 'baby' but I think he's just copying what we've told him. Overall, it's been a very healthy pregnancy. My labs have all been great and, at 22 weeks, I've gained 8 lbs.
Here are our collection of ultrasounds pictures (first two at 17 weeks, leg and foot and then a profile shot)

21 weeks (above is a profile and below is the "money shot")

Our sweet baby BOY is due February 14, 2011!!

Cruising

2010-10-07T20:10:00.000-05:00

Here's just a short recap of our cruise with our friends John and Marie. We went on a 5 day cruise to Jamaica and Grand Cayman. We ran into some weather and the seas were pretty choppy but it was a great time. Marie and I tanning on the boat

Chairlift up Mystic mountain in Ocho Rios, Jamaica Our formal night

Vai Şa Ma!

2010-10-06T11:45:00.002-05:00

Not really "Woe is me" but I decided to post it that way because this is something my Aunt Betty, who passed away yesterday evening, always used to say. I will miss so much her entertaining stories, even if I had heard them thousands of times before, the way my Aunt Esther could make her laugh until she couldn't catch her breath, her joyous giggles that ended any story of her misfortune and how she descibed her talks with the Lord. I'm so thankful the boys were able to meet her but sad that they weren't old enough be able to benefit from experiencing her example. I know she's a happy woman today having been reunited with her mother, something I know she was longing for. At the age of 96(someone correct me if I'm wrong), she's finally home with her Lord.

Swimming: the final product

2010-10-05T14:53:00.004-05:00

Time with Neena and Babat

2010-10-04T09:42:00.008-05:00

Micah and I went on a cruise with our friends and left the boys for their first stay away. The boys took a trip to Disney World with Neena and Babat. When Micah and I got back, we spent time with family and went swimming to show off their newly learned skills.

Swimming Lessons

2010-09-14T18:41:00.006-05:00

Basically, swimming lessons for the boys have taken the bulk of my time lately. It has been 4 completed weeks since they've been in lessons and it's been so worth it! I've been having to keep track of everything they eat, sleep times, appts, rashes, medications, urine output, bowel movements among other things for BOTH of them. They are almost done! Videos did not turn out so great for the blog but the top is Gabriel and bottom is Nicolae

Besides swimming, we've been going to soccer games and even had their buddy Junior over for a "sleepover." We got to the beach with Marie, John and Junior too! sleepover..movie and cheetos :)

soccer game was too loud for Gabriel

Nicolae is 3!

2010-08-16T08:50:00.009-05:00

I can't believe Nicolae is already three! He is such a sweet boy. He's a thinker and fairly shy until he's comfortable. He's finally decided to be potty trained (except for pull-up thru the night). He loves to be one of the guys doing "guy stuff". For his birthday, Micah wanted to roast a hog. We are so thankful for our family and friends that came to help us celebrate!

Nicolae's airplane cake

Nicolae decided, since it was Babat's birthday too (the 20th), that he needed to have a rocket ship cake

Grandma watching the Jungle Book with the boys

Getting the hog ready

he's not too thrilled about the pig

Reading with Dean

Dinner with the Howards

2010-08-11T04:44:00.000-05:00

We went to Outback (yum!) with Janet, Buzzy and Karen when they were in town and they brought Nicolae an early birthday gift...his own laptop! When we told him we were going to eat with the Howards, Nicolae says, "I like Buzzy." Of course, he had to sit by him and play all through dinner which he loved.

Gabriel at 18 months

2010-08-09T16:19:00.002-05:00

So I realize Gabriel is 20 months now and I'm way behind on blogging. He is talking a ton, not quite so articulate saying almost everything including Spanish from their lessons. He is such a ham, everything is funny to him until I tell him 'no' and he goes on a complete rampage, hitting anything in reach, clearing the tables and throwing his body around. He's never had problem with strangers and has no problem going up to anyone for a short chat. He LOVES to swim!

How (my) Boys Swim

2010-08-02T09:08:00.002-05:00

West Palm and Hair Cuts

2010-07-10T13:52:00.003-05:00

Micah flew out of Miami to Spain for a mission trip for a week and a half. The boys and I went down with him and stayed with my parents. Our first day, the boys got hair cuts (it was Gabriel's first hair cut, all his curls are gone!)

Neena fixed up an old desk for Nicolae and painted it his favorite colors, purple and yellow. Yes, those are my son's favorite colors...

Here is Gabriel working hard in Babat's office. After a stop in to see Babat, we headed to the Tri-Rail station to drop off Daddy. The boys were fine until he got on the train and Gabriel started crying and screaming "DADDY." It was SO sad!!

One day, we went fishing with More Babat and caught some barracuda to add to the rest he had caught that week for our family fish fry

They got a bubble maker from the Howard's that they just LOVE

We went swimming a few times. Nicolae does well in his floaties and Gabriel prefers to swim by himself, which he can do quite well.

Reading with Babat

Terrorizing the rabbits

Of course we had to go bowling with Neena

We went out to the airport for a picnic dinner

and to the zoo!

This kids had a blast and Micah finally arrived home after a missed connection.

First Part of June

2010-07-08T14:23:00.004-05:00

Nicolae hanging out with our friend's dog. I think he loved that it was small enough for him to pick up

Gabriel helping me with some laundry

Most of our Sunday school class. This was my last Sunday with Joel and Katie. I will so miss having another mom that solely stayed at home with the kids and was up for anything whenever I needed to get out. So thankful they introduced us to this class as well!

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-13T13:29:00.000-05:00

We took a weekend trip to Midden's place on the beach. Another weekend of pool and beach! We went to Cape Canaveral one afternoon to watch cruise ships leave.

Reading with Maggie

My parents were in the area and drove over for a couple hours

Hilton Head

2010-06-11T13:41:00.007-05:00

In attempts to get my blog up to date, I'm sure I've missed some cute videos. We were in Hilton Head the week of the 16th. My parents and brother stayed through Wednesday and Micah's brother, Jacob and his wife, Rachelle, took a drive to come spend a couple days with us at the end of the week. I got sick for a couple days while we were there but it was all beach, pool and stables with a couple trips to the playground.

Riding in the back with the guys

Cocoa Beach

2010-06-10T13:06:00.006-05:00

The boys and I took a day trip to Cocoa Beach to meet my parents and my brother and watch the shuttle launch. They drove back to Gainesville with us. It was the kick off to our week-long vacation in Hilton Head.

Nicolae flying his kite with Babat

Georgia's Wedding and the Days Before and After

2010-05-09T10:03:00.002-05:00

Here's a video of Gabriel saying 'bye.' His little voice is so cute. It's a 30 second video and he says bye at the very end so be patient, I promise he says it! We stayed in New Smyrna for Georgia and Dean's wedding. We got there on Friday, went to the beach and out to eat. On Saturday, we went to the beach in the morning and back to the room to get ready for Georgia's wedding at 1. They got married at an Episcopal church in DeLand. It was such a beautiful wedding and fun reception! (sorry, our camera is on its way out and the lens wasn't fully opening)

Grandpa giving Georgia away

LOVE these people! All the cousins (except we're missing April), in order of age. A 'few' of us piled on the bed (and apparently my only picture of Dean. Sorry Dean!)

On Sunday, we headed back to the beach.

Right before we left the beach, Gabriel took a nose dive into the hard sand and split his lip

This video is how Gabriel says ball. Makes me laugh pretty much every time he says it