September

This month was full of zoo trips and D.C. trips with friends. Most importantly Avery started school!!!! My mom flew out to be with us for Ave's first day. She was sooo nervous the whole way there and I had to stand in line with her until they walked into the school. Yes, I cried. I did wait till she was gone though. When it came time to pick her up she was all smiles and full of life again, she LOVED it!!!!










Picking Ave up from school, she had such a great time! After dinner and when Jared got home we all went to frosted rock for some ice cream, it doesn't get much better than that.

More Of September

Lincoln also started preschool this month. He was so excited to wear his new transformer back pack! He had such a great time and would go every day if he could.


So one day when I was taking Linc and his friend Nate to school I was listening to their conversation, it went like this.
Linc: Hey Nate, my dad is pretty tall.
Nate: Ya, mine too.
Linc: where is your dad?
Nate: He's at work, where is your dad?
Linc: He's at home in his garments.
How I love these kids!!!

Wedding blues

My brother Jesse was getting married on September 19th in Oregon. I was so excited to go. Avery was one of the flower girls and Linc was the ring bearer. We got the dress, made the bow, got the suit rented the tie, we were ready. My mom and little brother who is now 6'5"!!!!!! Creed flew out the night before we were to leave to help me with the kids on the plane. I went and picked them up at the airport at 11:30 that night. Jared and the kids were at home asleep. We got back to the house and Jared was standing there with Liam and he says, "Well, that time Liam threw up was not a fluke because Lincoln just puked all over me." My mom and Creed and I went up to see them. All night long the kids threw up! The puke would not stop coming, I would help Linc while he threw up and then Ave would start so mom would be with her and then Liam would wake up and cry but we couldn't get him since we had our hands full. I think I washed every towel and blanket we owned that night. To make a long story somewhat short we didn't go to the wedding. Everyone there sent me pictures and kept me updated as things were happening, Thanks Anita and Dad! So Jess and Nicole I love you two so much and I am so glad that you are in our crazy family Nicole! I took pictures of the kids in all their stuff before we had to return Lincolns tie, they are so dang cute!!!!!

Visitors!!!!

My good friend Antoinette and her cute daughter Grace came out to see us for a week! I had been looking forward for this visit for months. So they get here Tuesday and the next day I was taking Ave to school and the van started like jumping and not driving well at all!!! I got home and Liam had his pre op appointment as he was having spinal surgery the next week. I called a tow truck for the van and thank goodness my sweet friend came to my rescue and took Liam and I to his appointment (thank you Christina!). So here we are with no car and of course Jared ends up being on call that night and has a presentation the next day and all his stuff is here at the house. So we load up the kids in strollers and walk to the metro. We get Jared his stuff and we get the car keys to the awesome Mazda. We pack 2 adults and four kids into the car and pray nobody knows! So the van was gone the whole time she was here and that meant we were stuck at home until Jared came home. I felt so bad, but Annie was a trooper! We did a ton of girl stuff that I never get to do and we had so much fun. Then she got sick......again (this happened last time she came). But I did manage to get a sweet pic of her without her even knowing, I love ya Antoinette!!! I miss her so much and am so glad that she came. Where would we be without GREAT friends. Love ya Annie!





We also said good bye to our beloved turtle of two and a half years :0( Jared took turtle and the two giant goldfish to a pond we picked out and set them free. We are moving in about 7 months and can't take him with us and I wanted him to get used to the weather change. The funny part is the kids didn't even know he was gone for like a week! Anybody want a nice 30 gallon aquarium with total set up!?

August 2009!

August was sooo HOT!!! We spent a week in N.C. and had a ton of fun. There were a TON of these little frogs every where so the kids were all over it! Jared flew out Saturday and drove home with us the next day. It was nice to have a whole day with him. He has been doing crazy rotations so he has not been home very often. But when he is the kids wanted to go to the pool with him. Pretty much this month we spent EVERY day at the pool! We loved it when our friends would come with us too!
N.C. Fun!






Back home
My sweet little Liam also LOVED the water. I was kind of hoping he wouldn't like it at all just because he can't get his colostomy or ureterostomy bags wet as they will come off. But since he did love it I found a way for him to enjoy the water too. I would use waterproof tape and tape all around both bags, put a regular diaper on him, then a plastic diaper cover, and then a swim diaper. Each time he got out of the water I would put on a dry regular diaper and swim diaper. The whole process took a good 25 min. and would last most of the day at the pool. To watch him be able to play in the water like everyone else and to see his huge smile made the whole process worth it!!!

July 2009

We had such a fun and busy July! We stayed here in town for the 4th and the kids loved the fire works but got bored with them and wanted to go home early, I was very ok with that. My Cousins kids, Abbey and Aiden, stayed a week with us so we showed them the town. Thank goodness for our pool as it is sooo hot here!!






More swimming, farm stuff, and the drive back to North Carolina!

Summer Break 2009

Jared finished up third year on a Friday and we left for New Jersey Saturday afternoon. We loaded up all our stuff and the three kids and drove 4 and a half hours to Jersey. We stayed with Jared's cousin and his cute family. The kids had sooo much fun with their cousins!!! Avery and I messing around with the camera while driving to Jersey! Liam is so cute sucking his thumb! Ben reading the kids a bedtime book, what a good dad!

The next day we headed off to New York! I was sooo excited as I absolutely LOVE New York!!!!! We took the bus in and Lincoln was so excited to ride on the big bus. It's so funny going into a big city with 3 kids. We get so many looks from people, some good but most of them are not. I just give them my, "you want to fight" look and that pretty much takes care of it. Us getting off the bus and headed toward the subway. More pics of us in N.Y.

So I also love the street fair they have every weekend. There is this stand that makes the best fruit smoothies ever. Lincoln thought the blenders were too loud so he covered his ears. He is so funny. We did pass on the chocolate covered marshmallows this time. They are just not the same with out you Tyson! Avery and Linc trying on stuff at the street fair. So they have this giant train table at Toys R Us and Linc loved it. He could have stayed there all day. Liam almost made it through the whole store, but then just passed out.

Ok, so if you have ever seen the movie, Fools Rush In, you know that Gray's Papaya hot dogs were the one thing the main character missed from New York. So we totally wanted to go there and get a hot dog. Sadly they were not as good. Don't get me wrong, the hotdog was actually good but needed to be bigger. The let down was that the sour kraut did not have any "bite" to it. We had a ton of fun though and the kids liked it.

We were able to meet up with Jareds other cousin Mariah whom we have missed so much. We met her in Central Park at the splash park and the kids were pretty happy to see her too. We could spend forever in Central Park.
The kids chasing the pigeons just outside of Central Park.
Good times at FAO Schwartz.

Monday Morning we were off to Massachusetts to my see my friends Aaron and Jessica. So trying to get all the kids to look at the camera at the same time is impossible!

We got there that evening and it was so good to see Jessica and her family. Tuesday we got up and we all went to Cape Cod. It was so pretty and the kids loved it. There were so many Hermit crabs and Leopard crabs. Lincoln just went right to town picking them up and putting them into the bucket, but it took Ave a bit.
Liam also turned 6 months that day! He is growing so fast and he continues to be such a blessing to our family. The kids adore him and can't pass by him without hugging, kissing, or touching him.









Liam LOVED the water!


The next day we rode the train into Boston to go to the Childrens Museum. It was so cold that day, I think the high was like 65!!! When we got to Boston we met Aaron and we all had lunch. Liam LOVED the deep dish pizza. When I would pull my hand away he would reach out and grab them and pull the pizza back to him. He is just so dang cute! We had so much fun there.














Thursday morning we had to say goodbye. The kids did not want to leave. They all played so well together.


Then we were off to Newport Rhode Island. We got there that afternoon and walked the Cliff Walk which ran behind all the mansions. It was sooo foggy which was a bummer, but it was still beautiful!!! You can pay and then tour 5 of the mansions, we didn't get to do this but we are for sure going back next year and taking the tour. So if anyone out there wants to join us, please do because it's going to be amazing! We walked along the beach and noticed the red tide. It was the craziest thing to see streaks of red running through the water.








We then went back to New Jersey to Ben and Tanelle's and met up with Raschell Friday. It was so good to see her, and we know Tyson was devastated that he missed us:0) Thank you sooo much Ben and Tanelle and Aaron and Jessica, we had such a great time and we miss you all already. Please come to D.C. and let us return the favor!!