Summer

Wow, I can't believe it's been over a month since I last blogged!
We have been SO busy, so I think I'll just share a few of the pictures.

We finished school during the last week of May, we 've been to Valleyfair 6-7 times (depending on which of us you ask), the boys have attended 3 library events and finished over 1/2 of their reading lists already, we've celebrated Brady and Logan's birthdays, and the big boys attended their first basketball camp.

Here are the pictures:

Marshall at soccer

Marshall at T-ball

Marshall helping pick weeds

Birthday boys sharing a tender moment

Learning to roller skate at Skateville for a friend's birthday

Reading a book on the front porch

Marshall in his second tricycle race (he came in 3rd place)

Matching Minecraft shirts at Brady and Logan's birthday party

Birthday party and cake

Swimming at the Lifetime outdoor pool

Getting wet on "The Wave" at Valleyfair

Getting wet on "Thunder Canyon" at Valleyfair

Having fun at Valleyfair!

I have some fun pictures from basketball camp too, and from Brady's first Twins game, but they are on Peter's phone. Hopefully I can get them from him soon.


I also wanted to mention the incredible weekend that the boys were able to spend with Grandma and Grandpa a couple weeks ago. They got to spend 2 nights sleeping in the camper, having a bonfire, visiting a couple parks, planting flowers at the cemetery, playing lawn darts, and wearing Grandma and Grandpa completely out :).
Peter and I also received the gift of a peaceful weekend together. We took advantage of spending time together at home. We went out for a couple meals, went for several walks, and played a million of our favorite board games. It was very relaxing and we felt so blessed for our special weekend alone. I was really starting to miss my noisy boys by Sunday afternoon!

Operation Right Front Tooth

Well, after 3 surgeries, Brady is finally wearing the braces that will hopefully pull his right front tooth into place.

 

 

Surgery #1:

This surgery took place in July 2013. The purpose was to remove a stubborn baby tooth. In the process, it was discovered that Brady had 3 extra baby teeth up in his gum line. They were removed as well.

 

Surgery #2:

This surgery too place in December 2013. The purpose of this procedure was to expose the right front permanent tooth, hoping it would make it's way down and into place. It did not work.

 

Surgery #3:

This surgery took place in May 2015, after waiting a LONG time, hoping the tooth would come in on it's own. The purpose of this procedure was to make sure the permanent tooth was a good tooth, and if so, put a metal band around it, which would later attach to braces. The surgery went well, the tooth looked good, and the metal band was placed!

Then, just a couple days ago, Brady had his first set of braces put on. So far, he has only 5 brackets on, but in a couple of months, he'll get 4 more. The purpose of the braces will be to put gentle pressure on the right front permanent tooth, and hopefully help guide it down and into place, as it should be.

 

This is what my almost 10 year old looks like today.



 

 

Normal Smile with braces. 5-29-15

Goofy face, trying to show off more of the braces, so you can see how the new tooth will be pulled down.

They've Grown!

Back in September, as a part of our Science class, the boys made growth charts. They measured themselves each month to see how they grow. Today was our last measurement, so I thought I would share the results. We measured height, weight, chest, waist, and foot, but for this post, I will just share height and weight.


Brady:

Sept. Height: 54 inches
Sept. Weight: 60 lbs.

May Height: 55 3/4 inches
May Weight: 63.5 lbs.

Logan:

Sept. Height: 50 1/2 inches
Sept. Weight: 52.5 lbs.

May Height: 52 1/2 inches
May Weight: 57 lbs.

Marshall:

Sept. Height: 41 1 /2 inches
Sept. Weight: 31.5 lbs.

May Height: 43 inches
May Weight: 36.5 lbs.

It would appear, as much as I don't want to admit it, that my boys are indeed growing quickly! I wish someone could slow down time a bit, that's for sure.

MN Zoo

Picnic on the deck (yes, we sill love to eat outside)

Last Day of School

Brady, Logan, and Marshall have officially kicked off their summer vacation!

We finished our first year of homeschool this morning. It included cinnamon rolls for breakfast, a math test for Logan, and a Bible test for Brady and Logan. Marshall joined in for some letter writing and xylophone playing. Brady also spent a little time working on his computer typing skills.

I can hardly believe that we have been homeschooling for an entire school year. All 5 of us still feel this is the best path for school, so we will continue on this road into next year as well. With the freedom of homeschool, both Brady and Logan have been able to advance to the next grade level in math, as well as work together on a few classes, which was fun for them. We have had a wonderful time enjoying sports and activities at Lifetime Fitness, getting out to the park, the store, for walks, and visiting family. For me, I have really had the opportunity to get to know each one of them so much more intimately. I love how much our relationships have strengthened between each other in the past year.
Both older boys scored above the 80th percentile among students their age on our state standardized testing this spring, so I am feeling confident that this change in school has certainly not slowed them down a bit.

We are taking the summer off from most of our school work, and we plan to return to school during the last week of August (allowing us plenty of time for our big Sept/Oct vacation!).

Over the summer, I am planning to have Logan work on his handwriting skills, Brady work on his keyboarding skills, and Marshall work on his writing and reading. We will also be joining the library's summer reading program and tons of art classes too. There is also a small Health class that I am hoping to work through with the boys too.
Brady and Logan have 2 basketball camps this summer and rock climbing classes as well. Marshall will be playing soccer and possibly T-ball as well.
Oh, and let's not forget about our Valleyfair season passes :). We've already been there once.
Needless to say, we'll be keeping plenty busy over the summer.

As I type this, Logan is reading a Minecraft book, and Brady and Marshall are playing the board game Ticket to Ride.

Last Day of School breakfast

Learning to play Mary Had A Little Lamb

5/26/2015



And now, let the summer begin!!

Our New House

It's been almost 2 months since we moved. We are finally feeling completely settled in and comfortable. There are still things that need to be done, such as painting, garage organizing, and yard work, but overall, I am feeling pretty accomplished.

I have posted a few pictures of the inside of our house in my previous posts, but I wanted to dedicate this post to a deeper look inside.

Since some of my friends and family can't or don't often make it down here, I thought I'd let you peek inside from the blog.



Front Porch

Front of house from last fall (with green grass and bushes)



Back of house



Mud Room

Kitchen

Living Room

Front Office

Front Entry

Sun Room

Dining Room

Dining Room

Deck

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Brady's Room

Brady's Room

Logan's Room

Logan's Room

Marshall's Room
 

Marshall's Room

Kid's Bathroom
 

Basement Area



Play Room

Play Room

Basement Bathroom

Happy 5th Birthday Marshall!

My baby turned 5 a couple weeks ago. It's still sinking in fully, but I'm trying hard not to let it.
My days of being a mommy to babies and toddlers is over. I now have 3 boys who'll be doing full time school work next year. It's hard to let go, but exciting to watch them learn and grow at the same time.
I am so proud of Marshall and how much he has learned and matured in the past year. He is reading, writing, and doing math. He is making friends and he'll soon be playing soccer. He rides his bike alone on the sidewalk, asks constantly to spend the night with Grandma and Grandpa, and brushes his teeth by himself. He is really showing a lot of independence. Marshall got his own library card yesterday and he is SO proud of it! He has literally been carrying it around with him everywhere he goes.
While I am so proud of his growth, I do love that he still needs me...
He needs me to give an extra kiss before heading into Sunday school or the kid's room at Lifetime. He still holds my hand in parking lots, stores, and in the swimming pool. He needs my help to take a bath and make lunch, and I really like feeling needed :).

Today we are going to enjoy the wonderful weather and spend some time at the MN zoo! One benefit of having older children is that we no longer need to drag our stroller around when we go. Of course, the downside to this is that we have no place to stash our jackets if we get hot :).

Here are some pictures from the party.

I love how he was adoring Mickey on the cake.

All Settled In

Well, it's been almost 3 weeks since we moved now.
The first week was spent unpacking boxes as quickly as possible, so we could return to living as normal.
The second week was spent dealing with a terrible stomach bug that slowly moved through our house, getting us each one by one. Brady had it the hardest, even going in to the ER one night.
Now that we are past the pain of unpacking, and now that we are all healthy again, it has been nice to complete the final finishing touches of the new house.

There are still a few things to take care of, such as some painting, garage tidying, wall hangings, and yard work, but overall, I am feeling very content with where we are at.
Tomorrow is Marshall's 5th birthday party! WOW!
I am excited to let our family see the new house and to celebrate my baby boy becoming a big boy.

3-15-15

Our New House (picture from last fall)

Living Room

Marshall's been practicing writing our new address (he was also writing "ostrich, giraffe, and pig")