It's been a while!!!

We're back! Hopefully it won't be a two-month delay on the blog ever again! We've been busy with work, school, soccer, and family time!! Olivia loves 2nd grade--reading, writing, and math are all of her favorites. She enjoys reading about animals and taking notes on what she reads. She literally has scrolls of notes she has taken rolled up and banded together with rubber bands. She and Ben played fall soccer and had a good time with Dad coaching. Olivia has just started her basketball season. Ben will probably start playing in January. With the nice weather they have been able to shoot hoops a lot in the driveway. Olivia has also started taking piano lessons this fall---so far she likes it and doesn't mind practicing:-) Ben turned five in October (see pictures below), and he is really growing up. He is excited to be starting kindergarten next fall. He is learning a lot at Carrie's--he's getting better every day at writing his letters. Sam is becoming quite a character--walking and running at times now. He likes to play hide-and-seek with his brother and sister--he really looks like a big boy now since his first hair cut last week. He likes to go outside and basically GO anywhere. He has recently started dancing when he hears music--he's almost as good as his dad:-) If anything needs to be taken out of drawers or the refrigerator, Sam is our man! Enjoy the pictures from the last couple of months:-)

Olivia and Ben helped rake leaves---jumping in them and throwing them in the air before bagging them up. They still enjoy playing together and get along well (most of the time) :-)
Sam wasn't a HUGE fan of getting his hair cut, but he was a trooper. The whole family went, so he had A LOT of support:-)
By the end he was too tired to cry . . .
When it was over, he was all smiles:-)

Happy Halloween! We watched some Husker football during the day with Cousin Millie--she was a little cat for her first Halloween. This was the best we could do for a group photo:-)

Olivia chose to be a cowgirl this year--pretty simple costume--she had fun!
Ben and Sam were both Batman----Sam didn't want to pose for an outside picture, but he did like wearing his costume------not as much as Ben though:-)
Great weather Halloween night. We took Sam to a few houses and then he went home to help Grandma Jane hand out candy. The big kids lasted for about one hour; boy, those pumpkins get heavy (according to Ben).

Sam's favorite part of the zoo on Ben's birthday was the aquarium. He ran ALL around!

After opening presents, going to the zoo, having birthday dinner at Grandma Jane's house, opening more presents, and going to Uncle Tyler's 30th surprise birthday party. . . . . the kids were finally exhausted! All three of them fell asleep in the car on the way home.


Ben had his first "kid party" two days after his birthday. We had it at the Mahoney State Park Activity Center with about 14 of his friends-----lots of climbing, sliding, and running around! He and his friends had a great time! I think Ben had that smile on his face all weekend!! When he went to bed that night, he told me it was "the best 5th birthday he had ever had" and that he couldn't wait until his 6th birthday!!!

One of Sam's favorite things to do is sit in his room and look at books. His favorite book at the moment is Where is Baby's Bellybutton? After his bath, Sam can usually be found "sitting down with a good book."

This is Sam's "dress-up" shirt--made for him by our friend, Dedra. He was going a little casual on this day with denim shorts.
Ben FINALLY turned 5 in October!!! It was a "super day"---Olivia and Mom didn't have school and Dad took the day off! He got lots of nice gifts and we went to the zoo (Ben's choice). He got a Super Friends movie--he and Olivia both love watching the old episodes of The Super Friends (Mom and Dad kinda like it, too)!!
Ben loves the Cat Complex at the zoo---He got to see the lion up close.
Before seeing the gorillas, I had to get a picture of my four monkeys with the apes!

Ben and Olivia really have enjoyed riding their bikes this fall. They set up these cones one weekend in September and rode and rode and rode for hours! They both are ready for a bigger bike. . . . .which they might be getting for Christmas:-)

Once Sam started walking at the end of August, there has been no stopping him! He loves to push around this red stool in the kitchen; he's crashed it to the floor a few times.
Sam with Daddy on his first day back to Carrie's house in August--all smiles as usual--he is loving every minute at daycare.
Olivia posing with Ben on her first day of 2nd grade! Ben is enjoying his last year at Carrie's house!

Lincoln Zoo

We hadn't been to Lincoln all summer, so we went with John for a couple of days----he worked and we played with our cousins, Grandma Kay, and Aunt Nancy!! I had never been to the Children's Zoo in Lincoln--it was a lot of fun. It's not nearly as big as the Omaha Zoo, but everything is geared toward kids, so there was a lot for them to do. They had a chance to see animals and insects up close---Olivia was not a big fan, but she did touch some of the animals. She wasn't quite as brave as her cousin Julia when it came to letting a giant cockroach attach itself to her shirt!!

The kids climbed on this spider web for a long time---Sammy slept:-)
Riding the train was the big finale! Sam loved it--except when everyone screamed while going through the tunnel-Grandma Kay had to hold him close:-)
Olivia and Julia had lots of fun playing together while we were in Lincoln.
Ben and Jack liked the train most of all!

Visitors from Kansas

Dedra and her boys came to stay for a few days. Once again, the kids had a lot of fun playing together. Going to the pool may have been one of the only things we didn't do. It was great seeing Dedra--we got to have a long lunch with some friends from school; I know she enjoyed seeing everyone! Thanks for coming to see us!!

Sam was happy swinging while the big kids climbed and went down the slides. Ben had to try out the "baby" swings--just to see if he still fit!
Miles is quite a character. He liked Olivia---he referred to her as "that girl."
I actually got them to sit still long enough to take this picture. . . . . .
Olivia and Owen finally got the hang of the teeter totter!

Sam's First Birthday!

Sam is ONE! His big day was the 25th of July. He loved his cake and even had his first few bites of ice cream (something our family loves to eat)! He was a good boy while opening his presents--his brother and sister were more than happy to help him. Now that Sam is one, he gets to face the front in his car seat, which makes him very happy. He isn't walking yet, but he likes to stand by himself and walk while holding onto furniture and Mom's leg! He still isn't a fan of his sippy cup. He isn't transitioning from the bottle like Olivia and Ben did. . . . . . . .I took it away the day they turned one and they were fine with it. I can't say the same for Sam. . . . hopefully by the time I go back to school next week, he will accept it:-)

Sam's attempt at using the spoon himself to eat the ice cream. When he finished his cake and ice cream, we stripped him down and gave him a bath!
Sam is working on cutting his 10th tooth-----chewing is not a problem for him.
Sam is full of laughs and smiles most of the time. He is so much fun to have around:-)
He is trying to sit in chairs (his size of course)--no luck yet. . .just lots of tumbles!
Olivia and Ben had a lot of fun celebrating Sam's birthday. They were a big help planning the party!

Basketball Hoop

We surprised the kids and got them a basketball hoop. They're always dribbling in the driveway and shooting it up in the air---with no hoop! It was a two-day process. Before we left for Lake of the Ozarks, the bottom part of the pole was put in the ground with cement. We told the kids it was a new sprinkler for the lawn--they believed us. They didn't install the rest of the hoop until the day we came back----I brought the kids outside and they said, "That's not a sprinkler, that's a basketball hoop!" They are enjoying it. . . . and so is their dad!

Lake of the Ozarks

The day after Olivia's birthday we drove down to Lake of the Ozarks to stay for a few days. We went with Angela, Tyler and Millie, my mom, and Tyler's parents. The house we stayed in is one that Angela and Tyler stay in each summer when they go there for his work. They had access to it and asked if we would like to go. It's not far from where we stay in Osage Beach. It was wonderful having a kitchen, so we ate some great food--mostly prepared by Tyler and his dad.

Once again, Olivia and Ben were excited for vacation. Olivia got some binoculars from her grandpa for her birthday and luckily we found the old ones we had at our house, so both kids had a pair for the trip. They used them A LOT!

Sam is a great traveler. . . . . he sleeps well in the car! Olivia wanted me to give her credit for taking this picture.
We sat outside a couple of nights around the fire pit and made S'mores. . . . .the weather was great!
Our pool overlooked the lake, so it was a beautiful view. The kids spent most of their time in the pool.
There were lots of games around the house. Olivia was trying to organize a game of Cadoo, but Ben was only interested in wearing the glasses and Sam just wanted to eat the box. I should add that their cousin Amelia was there, but being only two months old-----she just did a lot of sleeping and eating:-)

The basement of our house had two bedrooms, pool room, workout room, family room, laundry room, and kitchen! Our room was in the basement, so the kids "played" pool when they weren't outside.

We had jet skis one day. It was our first time riding on them. John and Olivia liked them better than Ben and Mommy! Angela and Tyler were old pros!
John went pretty fast when he was with Olivia. . . . .
. . . not as fast when he was with Ben and me.
The kids were EXHAUSTED on the way home. Lots of sleeping. . . . .not sure how they ended up in this position, but they were both buckled in:-) Olivia never complained of a sore neck. . .