CATCHING UP

Summer is coming to an end and we have had a great time.  We go to Berthusen park every now and then and here are a few cute pics from one of our recent visits.

All the boys always love to go down the slide and it is sad to see Baker left out and Deegan really wanted to take him.  I had to help hold him of course to make sure he was safe but he really loved it.

The other night on bath night, I had just taken Baker out of the bath and Madden was anxious to get in and I kept telling him to hold on a second because I needed to get Baker dressed and I walk out of the room and  I hear a little splash and bam, he jumped in fully clothed, shoes on and all :)  The bath is only a few inches deep b/c Baker has to lay down in the bath so that is how it is safe for him so it wasn't horrible but it was funny and I walk in and he is just laying there like ok mom I am ready for my bath. 

Then comes fair week.   My mom came over when the little ones were down for their nap and then I took Talan and Deegan to the fair.  When Jeromy got off work he joined up with Baker and Madden.  Talan and Deegan loved the rides again and wanted to do every one of them over and over.  When Jeromy came we went to see all the animals.   Baker was actually really watching the pigs and I am always so excited to see him interested in anything so that was so fun to see. 

Talan and Deegan always love to see the tractors and this year Madden really liked them too!

Another day at home Talan and Madden got stung by bees.  Madden got stung once behind the year and once on the mouth.  Here is a sad little picture of his big lip.

Here is a picture of the boys with their cool tattoos.

This weekend we went camping with my parents to the Oak Harbor City Park.   We went their last year too and we love it there!   The boys have so much fun it is great.   There are a bunch of paths for the boys to ride their bikes on, there are a couple shallow pools that they can play in all by themselves, there are a couple of great playgrounds and then of course the ocean where they love to throw logs into.  It was raining, windy and cold our first day there so we were a bit worried but it got better and was just cold off and on.  We still had fun though.    Talan and Deegan turn 5 next weekend so my parents gave them their bday presents early, which were new bikes, so they got a lot of practise on them.  They are bigger (16 inch), they really needed them, there other ones were a bit small.  Madden is still trying to ride their old bikes and if only his legs were just a pinch longer he would be able to do it.   The boys even went swimming one time even though it was freezing.  They had been begging and we kept saying it was too cold but my mom and I ended up taking them one time and they didn't last too long but they splashed around awhile, so at least they can say there were able to go swimming.

Next week Saturday and Sunday the boys will turn 5, yes they were born on different days.  So they are of course excited for that and then the following week they will start preschool.

CAMPING

Last week Thursday the boys had their last day of T-ball clinic.  They did Monday-Thursday for 2 weeks in a row (so 8 days).   They seemed to really enjoy it and the weather was great for them.

Thursday afternoon we headed out for another camping trip.  This time with the Stauffer's to the Concrete KOA.   This is one of the boy's favorite spots and we all love it there.   They have a fun jumpy pillow which is like a huge pillow/trampoline that all the kids can jump up and down on.  I took Baker on it a few times and layed him down in the middle and sat next to him and the boys would come jump by him and he would laugh so hard it was so cute.   Madden even had fun on there.    They also loved the playground, the mini golf, the wagon ride and of course the pool.   I tried to take Baker in the pool again this trip and this time he was not up for it so we just watched the other boys play.   Madden loves the water and of course Talan and Deegan do as well.

Thursday was great weather, Friday was really cold (I was actually wearing 2 thick sweatshirts all day) until 4:00 when the sun broke through and it got nice.  Then Saturday it was a mixture of raining and pouring all day long.   Sunday was cool in the morning and we came home that day anyway.

While we were there Talan and Deegan learned to ride their bikes without training wheels :)  It was very exciting.  We had talked about it awhile and it didn't know how it would go but wow, they really took off and made it look so easy.  We were so proud of them and it was so fun to see them ride like big boys.   Deegan had a couple wipe outs so he is a little apprehensive but when he gets going he really goes.   He needs help getting started yet and gets frustrated when he can't get it on his own.   Talan can start and stop really great all on his own.  He said he was just going to keep practising and practising until he got it and he did...very quickly.   I think we could have taken their training wheels off a long time ago!

The boys had so much fun playing with Brooklyn (she is 5) and she encouraged them to try riding without training wheels since that is the way she does it :)   She even supervised as they took the wheels off all by themselves. Looks like they are going to be handy just like their daddy! 

On Saturday the boys and Brooklyn were coloring in our trailer for awhile and I was sitting in there with Baker and Talan had a notebook that he likes to draw in and he was looking through the pages in it and he said "Mommy, there are so many good memories in this book....this is going to be my memory book"  it was so cute.   Some of the things that kids say just crack me up, you never know what to expect.

We didn't take the double stroller this trip b/c Baker does not sit well in it at all b/c of the lack of support and we figured Madden could just ride his trike.   Well, he didn't ride in the gravel as well as he did at home and he would get really distracted and go off course and so sometimes when I would want to go for a walk with the boys I would just throw him in the basket under the single stroller.   He loved it and it looked pretty funny :)

Here are some pics of the boys on their bikes without the training wheels:

Here is a picture of Madden playing mini golf and looking to see where his ball went

Here are just a few sweet pics I love

Here is a picture of Baker adoring little baby Kingston...he loved him!

T-BALL AND HAIRCUTS

Talan and Deegan are doing a 2 week T-ball Clinic with the YMCA at Bender Fields. They started this week Monday and are having a lot of fun. It is very cute to watch. They are with the 3 and 4 year old group and are quite a bit bigger then a lot of the boys out there since I think some are barely 3. When we were leaving the first day they were upset b/c their best friend from Preschool (Carson) who is actually younger them is with the 5 year old group that plays after them and they really wanted to play with him. Talan crossed his arms and stopped his foot and said "well I am not going to play then" if he couldn't play with Carson. He had to put up his little stink. They got over it and played the next day but they both wished they could play with Carson. His mom said they put him with the older group b/c our group was full.

Their coach is coach Lisa and they have been working on throwing properly, hitting off the T and running the bases. I just love to watch them and it is funny to watch Talan not be shy with speaking up again. He can act so shy sometimes but I remember when I went on a field trip with their preschool class to the pumpkin patch he was answering all the questions and talking the whole time and that really surprised me. Well this is similar to that, he is not afraid to speak up that is for sure...even when the coach isn't asking a question :) Madden and Baker come with of course and Madden loves to run around in to the parking lot, in the dug out, on the field, you name it. The other day Talan looked at me after I chased Madden onto the field and he said "Mom, what is the problem, you are suppose to keep Madden out of here" . I thought that was so funny, excuse me Talan :) Deegan is doing really good and he is showing excellent patience so I appreciate that. He even was staying quite when he was going to get his turned skipped when it was time to bat. Both boys are doing great. We have been trying to help Talan with his throwing b/c he thinks he has to balance on one leg when he throws and Deeg's is so cute b/c he is trying to help him, he just like "see Talan, watch this". Gotta love these boys. Here are a few of the many pics I have taken. The 2nd picture down is Deegan and notice his tongue out, he always goes that when he is concentrating.

Last night was haircut night in Daddy's parlor here at home. He buzzes all the boys so it is nice to save money that way. He was done with Baker and Madden so I was working on bathing them and when I here Daddy yell "oh no" I come out and Talan had gotten a hold of the scissors and cut a big chunk out of his hair so Daddy buzzed it really short, shorter then he wanted to but I love it and think he looks really adorable. I think since Jeromy made kind of a big deal of it Talan thought it didn't look good so he was acting embarrassed today when I took them to T-ball and he asked if he could wear a hat so people couldn't see his funny hair. I think I have convinced now that he looks handsome. You can see pics below. Good thing he wasn't a girl b/c I am sure he would have cut his pony tail right off like little girls tend to do once in awhile.

This is the after the buzz cut shot for Talan. Deegan went and re-wet his hair this morning b/c he told me he decided he wanted his short like Talan's. Deeg's is just a little longer. Still super cute of course :)

ANNIVERSARY & OWIES

Jeromy and I celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary on July 22nd and so this weekend we were actually able to take some time with just the 2 of us which is a very rare thing. My parents had the two "babies" and Jeromy's parents took the twins and we spent the night in Lynnwood on Saturday night. It was a nice get away. I feel very blessed and lucky to have such a wonderful man in my life and for celebrating 10 years of marriage. He is a great Hubby and Dad and I love him so much.

Baker has his first battle wound on his face. It is usually normal for little kids to have scrapes, cuts and bruises but since Baker can't move around and play we aren't use to seeing them on him. Madden loves to push Baker's stroller and while we were gone this weekend he did it again. This time in one split second he pushed the stroller off one stare of my parents deck and the stroller tipped over and he hit his head/face on the deck. I feel so bad for him b/c he doesn't have the natural reflexes/reactions to put his hands out to brace him so the poor little guy probably just saw the ground coming and could do nothing about it. It could have been a lot worse so thankfully no broken bones or anything but his scrapes and cuts do look really sad, these pics don't really do them justice. His tooth, or actually teeth, went through his bottom lip. It isn't affecting him now though, he still as happy as ever :) Here you can kind of see his chin owie

Here you can see his head and kind of see his lip and gums, but not too well.I hope these are the last of the battle wounds from his bro's but I doubt it.

Now onto Madden real quickly. He has been playing around on Talan and Deeg's trikes and the other day he actually started riding it really good all by himself. It is so cute, he is so little, only 22 months.

SOME EVERY DAY THINGS

Life with 4 boys really is a lot of fun, never a dull moment, that is for sure!

Having twins is a crazy thing. I don't know if it is b/c they are boys or just b/c they are twins and by eachother every second of the day but I always find it amazing how they will go from being the best of friends one second to fighting like mad the next then right back to having fun and loving each other. I am sure it will be like that all of their lives. I really hope that all 4 boys can grow up being the best of friends and more then anything I hope Baker can continue to be included. Right now Talan and Deegan are usually both pretty good at entertaining or loving on Baker here and there and I really hope that doesn't change the older they get.

Lately Talan has been very attached to me, which I have to admit I really love. He never wants me to leave and always shows me a lot of love and attention. I savor that for sure!

Talan is very into music and he pretty much pretends everything is a musical instrument. Whether it be a tuba, drums, trumpet or anything else; he can turn any household item into a pretend instrument. I am anxious to see if he will stay interested in music.

All 4 boys love to dance and it is fun. We probably dance together almost every day and it is so cute. Baker can do his little hip thrust thing and Madden bounces up and down and turns his head from ear to ear and thinks he is pretty cool. Talan and Deegan have quite the style and they think they are pretty cool, I just think it is the cutest thing to see. "look at me mommy", "watch this mommy", I love it :)

Now, someday they will probably kill me for writing this but right now Talan and Deegan are into doing the model walk. On a cartoon yesterday one of the girls was modeling and now they run in their bedroom and yell for me to watch their "model walk" and I just bust up laughing. They walk down the hall with their hands on their hips, greatly exagerating the shaking of the hips and they have the silliest looks on their faces it is just adorable. I treasure all of these memories and can't wait to give them a hard time about all if when they are older ;)

CAMPING AT THE LYNDEN KOA

We went camping at the Lynden KOA last week Wed - Saturday with Jeromy's parents. We all had such a great time. The weather was wonderful and it really is such a nice campground. It may seem funny to camp so close to home but once you are there you don't even realize you are that close and the kids don't know the difference and we have to admit the short drive is wonderful! The kids loved it there, we did paddle boating, mini golfing, swimming, bike riding, fishing and playing in the park. The family camping next to us was from Alberta and they had a 7 year old boy and a 3 year old girl and the 7 year old boy (Kaeden) and Talan and Deegan were pretty much attached the whole time. Kaeden came with on whatever the twins were doing and they absolutely loved being with him too so that was tons of fun.

The first time I tried to take Baker in the pool he was scared and cried...the water was quite cold though and there were a lot of kids in the pool. So I took him back out and we sat on the side for awhile watching his brothers and then Baker started to do his excited hip thrust thing so I thought it was time to try again and yep, no more crying, he really enjoyed it and as you can see on a picture below we were able to hold him up on the floatie and he liked that.

Madden is having a big spoon full of cool whip.

Here is Deegan and Addison, the girl camping next to us.

Madden attempting to fish :)



Deegan stretching out as far as he can trying to help on the paddle boats


This was Kaedens boat and the boys had fun playing around on it too.

CAMPING AND BREATHING TREATMENTS

We went camping to Entiat City Park with a great group of friends this past long weekend. Hermanuts', Baars, Ortiz', Maynards, Nyhoffs, Trent and Us were there and Julie Shumate and her boyfriend Corey, came for a few days as well. Talan and Deegan had so much fun playing with their friends and that was great to see! The Baars had their boat there and Kip took the boys on a couple rides and Talan and Deegan said it was "their favorite thing they have done in their whole entire life" which was cute. They also had fun doing the slip and slide down the hill, riding their bikes and scooters, building sand castles and spying on the neighbor girls. Yes our 4 year old boys along with the help of one of their best buddies, Trey, hid behind a pickup and spied on the 16 year old girls that were camped a few sites down. It was pretty funny :)

Now unfortunately Madden is sick and for him there is no such thing as a simple cold. He goes from having nothing to having trouble breathing in the snap of a finger. I spent 3 1/2 hour with him in the Dr. office last night and after low pulse ox, a couple breathing treatments, a dose of steroids, chest x-rays, and waiting for his pulse ox to come up we were able to come home and we didn't think we were going to be able to. Without the proper breathing treatments the Dr. said we would definitely end up in the ER (which we have before). Since he has had so many issues in the past with his breathing we know that at the first sign of any symptoms we need to give him his puff nebulizer but sometimes (like this time) that just isn't enough b/c we started that right away at home and it did nothing. So luckily we already have a nebulizer machine for Baker at home that we can use for Madden as well. He is not crazy about the mask but he will get use to it...hopefully :) So every few hours he will get that. Poor guy can never just have a simple snotty nose. He needs to see his regular Pediatrician in a few weeks b/c the Dr. last night is thinking he should get on some daily medication (even when not sick) that will help him avoid these serious issues. He said he was shocked how quickly he turned bad. The nebulizer machine (instead of the puffer) are helping though b/c his breathing is looking somewhat better today and yesterday he was so miserable and wouldn't eat or drink and was whining in my arms all day and today he has already had some watermelon and right now I am not holding him so hopefully today will be a better day!! Baker woke up with a snotty nose too and we are of course hoping it doesn't develop into something more serious for him as well.

Here are a few pics from our camping trip.


Our little stud Madden flirting with Reese


Deegan building a sand castle.

Our family on the last night there.



Talan (in Daddy's sweatshirt) having a serious talk with Kaeden

Baker having fun in my sunglasses

Madden wanted to hang from the bars over and over, he loved it. I am not holding him up at all, just there to catch him.