Our 4 year old Natali

Natali Lynn turned 4! Sunday was her special day and we had lots of fun. We started the morning off calling Dad back in Penn. so he could give his birthday wishes.

Then Natali was off to play with all the toys at Grandmas house. Natali requested birthday waffles and Grandma whipped up a tasty bunch.

Spencer was really into this whole birthday thing as you can tell!

We baked and decorated cupcakes. Chocolate with white frosting and pink sprinkles...exactly what the birthday girl asked for (this girl loves her chocolate...I am more of a vanilla girl myself...she must of got it from her dad).

We went to church. Then we came back so everyone could have their naps and then the countdown started until the cousins would arrive. That by far was the most exciting thing for Natali...the cousins were coming! We ate pizza, played, and then blew out the big 4 candles! Can you see the excitement in her face!

Time to finally eat those cupcakes!

Isaac, Allison, & Natali sitting around the table.

Dan, Ruth, Sandy, Grandma, Natali & Courtney

Next we opened presents! Isaac couldn't wait to be a help. Isaac the destroyer!!!

Natali opening her Belle Barbie from Uncle Greg & Krista

Natali and the girls! Courtney helped read Natali's birthday cards for her.

Haley & Krista

Cute Bubba and Grandma. I think this is one of the few times during the party that he sat still.

It was a great birthday spent with family. We were so lucky to be out here in California to celebrate with my family...a first. Natali I swear is 4 going on 16. She has the sweetness of a 4 year old mixed with the sass of a teenager. I often forget that she is only 4 because of the things that come out of her mouth. She keeps me on my toes and makes sure there is never a quiet moment in the house. She wakes up talking and goes to bed talking. Needless to say she has a gift for gab. She loves her brothers and is usually a big help. She loves anything princess and all things "girly". Thanks to her dad she also loves Star Wars & Spiderman (not so girly). She loves ANTYHING chocolate and until recently would refuse to "dip" fries, nuggets, or any thing into any kind of sauce. She is a dynamic singer and dancer and has a deep love for ABBA! (that's my girl) She cries when other kids have to go to time out and spends her fair amount of time there as well. She has her dad's blue eyes and my red hair...a perfect mix! She is my pride and joy! I love you Natali...Happy Birthday

Day at the Park with Dad

Today was one of those beautiful Iowa days where you just can't sit inside. Dad was home and with a park just down the street we got out the double stroller loaded the kiddos and made our way for some fun! Nobody pushes the swings quit as good as Dad!

Preschool Graduation

Natali successfully completed her first year of Preschool. She loved every minute of it and developed some new skills along the way. The beginning was a little rocky, but due to some wonderful (and patient) teachers Natali got the new routine down and never had another melt down (yeah right!!!). But is was a great year and I wish that she was going there next year but due to funding the preschool is closing and she is going to a different one. I wish I had the picture of her first day to post because I can't believe how much she has grown this year. This is her last day of school, the program, her teachers, and her carpool buddy Austin.

Ben's First Post Ever

This is a tribute to the birthplace (Philadelphia) of the best country in the world and one of it's less-beautiful cities (Allentown). I went to Philadelphia with two classmates, Dave and Jessica, today and experienced the BEST Cheese steaks in the world--hands down. I ate more than two feet of sandwich and honestly would eat another foot and a half if it were in front of me. For those who are familiar with Philly and cheesesteaks, I ate at Pat's then Geno's, with Pat's winning the taste test by a narrow margin. It was also extremely rewarding to see the Liberty Bell, Benjamin Franklin's grave, and of course, Independence Hall. The only way it could have been better was to be eating Cheesesteaks INSIDE Independence Hall on George Washington's Constitutional Convention chair. Maybe another trip. On an interesting note, I thought I saw a balding, over-rated, hack running out of Independence Hall with a copy of the Declaration of Independence and some 1776 3D glasses but realized it was just Nicholas Cage.

The first rotation of this fourth year of podiatry school is a week old. It has been a whirlwind of ER visits, hospital rounds, clinic appointments, and of course, surgery. It has been intense, but a very rewarding learning experience. I have seen a wider variety of medical problems and surgeries the last week than in my entire twelve months of work in DMU's podiatry clinic. Bidding Becca and the kids farewell was one of the most difficult things I've done, so I am grateful to have been busy. Let's get this year over with!

Northern Kentucky--Wow! I thought Iowa was green

A tiny cemetery in Rome, Ohio. We thought it could have been the resting spot for an ancestor. After an hour of reading all the legible headstones, she may be a few counties away after all.

Beware the dirty tattoo needle! This girl got lymphangiitis and a high fever and had to be admitted for IV antibiotics.

This is the free student housing in Allentown. Not bad for free housing, as long as you clean up the mouse nuggets and previous student's underwear.

Independence Hall, through the trees.

Pats' Steaks: a should-be Mecca for anyone who likes beef and cheese.

The Liberty Bell was actually stored in Allentown for safe-keeping during the Revolutionary War.

Everything Little

My fabulously talented friend Chrissy came over last week and took some pictures of Spencer for me. I have always been pretty good about getting the kids pictures taken at all the different month marks (3, 6, 9, 12...etc) but have never had "baby baby" pictures taken. I decided with Spencer that I needed to document and remember how small these babies come (or not small in my case) and relish the brand new baby stage. In these pictures he is between 3 & 4 weeks old. These are just a few of the many she took. Thank you Chrissy for capturing these precious moments and memories of my baby.

Spring Came

(I am playing catch up a little bit here. I am slowly but surely adjusting to life with 3, and my computer was getting fixed so I didn't have access to my pictures.)

When I went into the hospital to have Spencer, Spring was on the verge of arriving. And went we left the hospital Spring was here...and it was beautiful. The Mid-West Spring is unlike anything I have ever seen before. San Diego is always wonderful, but a lot of just brown and green. Provo had me captivated with it's pretty white and pink blossoms, but Iowa blows it out of the water! So after being trapped in the hospital and house for a few days I asked if we could all load up in the car and go look at the blossoms. It was so nice to get out, and such a fun feeling to have all three of kids tucked safe in the back seat. These pictures don't do the blossoms justice, but it will have to do.

My Boy

Spencer is already 3 weeks old (tomorrow) and it is killing me! In so many ways I look forward to him growing and hitting those fun milestones, especially the sleeping through the night one. But with those stages and steps means I am also losing the baby part of it all. The sweet tender coos and sounds, the baby smell, the little smiles (even if they are gas) that melt my heart, the fact that I can hold him and he doesn't fight me to get down, he doesn't talk back (or to be honest talk at all), and he is just all things little! They grow so fast and I have made an effort to savor this as long as I can with Spencer. To sit and hold him instead of doing dishes or writing the many Thank You notes that need to be done. To let the house get messy and laundry pile up while I lay on the couch and listen to my baby breath and make his little noises. He is such a sweet baby and we love him so much. I love all the different stages as babies grow up but I just need to remember (through the sleep deprivation and all) that it always goes by to fast and to soak it all in before it's gone.

The Faces of Isaac

Isaac is now officaially the middle child and I think no one has more sympathy for him than Ben, middle of 7 kids! Overall Isaac is handling the transition of a new baby well. I think the hardest part is that I can't pick him up and snuggle that cute face as much as I could before (thank you c-section). Today/This morning I could tell that he needed a few minutes of quiet time to himself. So I put hime in his crib with a few books and shut the door. His whinning immediatley stopped and it was quiet. I knew he wouldn't fall asleep, but just needed some time to himself. When I went in later to get him he was a changed boy. He had pulled his giant stuffed lion into his crib and was using it as a back rest. He had his binki & blanky...a boy, life was good! He just looked at me and gave me this little smirk that said, "...oh Mom...this is the good life!" I wish everyday I saw that sweet face instead of some of the other ones that appear!

...HAPPY ISAAC...

...MY LIFE IS SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL ISAAC...

(Are you seriouolsy documenting this face???)

Back Tracking

These pictures are from when Spencer was still up in the NICU on the last day. No tubes and just waiting for all the paper work to be done so we could go home. What an angel!

In Love

Natali and Isaac L-O-V-E baby Spencer. All Natali wants to do is give kisses & hugs, and constantly requests to hold the baby. When Isaac sees the baby out he just runs full force at him yelling, "baby"! It's pretty funny. I have to constanly say, "soft Isaac, soft." It makes my heart warm and full though when I see all three of my kids together. It is the best feeling! It may be a rocky road for awhile, the whole sleep deprevation thing, but I sure love these kids.

Little Faces

Here are pictures of each of the kids just a few days old (two are the same of Spencer). I thought it was fun to see how each kid kind of has their own look, except for the chubbiness!
Top Left: Spencer 10.5 lbs
Top Right: Natali 9.9 lbs
Bottom Left: Isaac 10.9 lbs

We Are Home

We are home, and it feels so good! Thursday we said goodbye to Ben's mom which was hard (lots of tears were shed) but we knew she had to get home herself. Spencer was doing well with eating, blood sugars, and he had been off his IV since the day before. His billirubin was going up but not enough to where they were going to put him under the lights. So WHY was he still in the NICU...my point exactly! I talked to the rounding doctor who initially wanted to keep him there one more day for observation, and told him that I thought we should take him home. I could do follow up appointments for his jaundice with his pediatric doctor and if he needed photo therapy we could also handle that at home. Thankfully I was convincing and the NICU doctor gave the okay for discharge. We got me discharged from my room and then were waiting for Spencer. We had to wait till he went "wetties" in his diaper from having his little "manhood" surgery. I have never wanted to see a wet diaper more in my entire life. It took the kid almost 5 hours! Finally around 6:30 pm we were all loaded in the car driving away from the hospital. It felt so good & weird. I was leaving a very controlled enviornment and heading into what seemed like inevitable chaos! I am happy to say we survived our first full day at home, thanks to Ben, and love being all together under the same roof! Life with 3...ready, set, go!