The Becker Bunch

New pages

2010-02-08T18:14:00.007-05:00

more pics

2009-10-05T10:12:00.005-05:00

It's been so long!

2009-10-05T09:52:00.013-05:00

Ian's Graduation

2009-06-10T21:13:00.002-05:00

My sweet baby boy graduated from Pre-K today! It was so sad and sweet! They wore cap and gowns and sang us songs...

Long time no post

2009-05-10T18:55:00.006-05:00

I am so sorry I have not posted in almost a month. Life has been incredibly busy with Joe out of town so here is a photo recap of our past month including a trip to SC for my cousins wedding which included time to catch up with some dear friends from Columbia. We have about 5 weeks til Joe returns and are already counting down!

Easter

2009-04-13T13:06:00.004-05:00

Patches the Fish

2009-04-10T21:03:00.002-05:00

Ian LOVES fish. He loves to watch them. So I decided to get him a fish. The guy at the pet store took one look at me with my 3 children and said he would recommend a beta fish since they are easy to take care of. (I must have looked quite frazzled!) Anyways, here is Patches. We have a 2 week guarantee so hopefully he lasts!

Awana Grand Prix

2009-04-08T20:56:00.005-05:00

Ian had his first pinewood derby tonight at Awana's and in true Becker fashion he came in first! Joe's dad and Joe "helped" him with his car. Apparently Joe won't quite a few of these growing up!

Ian's 5th Birthday Party

2009-04-08T20:49:00.004-05:00

We had Ian's birthday party a few weeks early this year since Joe had to go out of town. He had lots of fun with his friends on the bouncer we rented. Too bad it was so windy! Didn't really slow them down much though! Ian got a Wii so he and I have been playing some!

Hiking

2009-03-18T21:46:00.005-05:00

We went hiking with all 3 kids in Great Falls, MD a few weeks back when my niece was visiting. When we got to the start of the trail it said "Danger - This is one of the most treacherous trails east of the Mississippi". I asked Joe if we should turn back...he said no, they were exaggerating! HA HA! (Spoken like a true male) About 1.5 miles into our adventure, after Abbie Grace had already taken a spill and had a nice goose egg on her forehead, being asked multiple time by people coming the opposite way on the trail if we were sure we wanted to take 3 kids any further we decided to stop and let Joe go check out the next little trek. He came back to report there was a "small cliff" we would have to climb up but he didn't think it would be a problem for us. Now, he's carrying our 28 pound child on his back, Jess and I are switching back and forth with Abbie Grace, and Ian is having a grand ole' time! After much debate we decided he and Ian would finish the hike and Jess and I would take the other kids back the way we came, which meant I was then carrying the 28 pound chunky monkey on MY back and AG in my arms at times for the next 1.5 miles. We all made it back safely though and had some good pics of our adventure. I don't think Jess will ever go hiking with us again though!

Abbie Grace and Great G-Ma

2009-02-25T16:21:00.003-05:00

We went to visit Joe's grandma, who will be 90 this year, and Abbie Grace just loved sitting by her and chatting! The first pic is of the kids playing with the toys from the toy box Joe and his sisters all played with growing up!

Swimming Lessons

2009-02-25T16:15:00.004-05:00

Evan

2009-02-25T16:09:00.003-05:00

Here are some pics of Evan from a recent impromptu photo shoot.

Snow Day

2009-01-27T19:39:00.002-05:00

Silly Kiddos

2009-01-15T19:41:00.002-05:00

The kids were playing on the couch in the playroom tonight and I heard Abbie Grace say "I got my 2 babies right here" She is such a little momy.

Happy Birthday Grammy!

2009-01-03T12:13:00.002-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRAMMY!!!

SC Trip and Christmas

2009-01-02T20:52:00.005-05:00

The kids and I went down to SC right before Christmas. It was nice and warm so we spent some time at the beach, at parks, and having a great time.

Evan's First Haircut

2008-12-11T11:51:00.001-05:00

Marine Corps Museum

2008-12-07T09:43:00.001-05:00

We took the kids to the Marine Corps Museum last weekend. They had fun going through some of the obstacles they had setup. This is a GREAT museum if you are in the DC area.

Abbie Grace

2008-12-05T12:46:00.003-05:00

The dress Abbie Grace has on was my niece Jessica's dress when she was the same age. (Jess is now 20!)

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T23:39:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to wish all my friends and family a Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you for your constant support, encouragement, and love through these crazy years of being the mommy of 3 under the age of 5!

Here's an update:
Ian is doing great in Pre-K. Just tonight at dinner he corrected Joe on something he said and Joe asked him if he was going to be one of those know it all kids. Ian replied yes:) He loves to draw, color, and write...in his own timing though, not when the teacher asks him to. He is a loving big brother with an occasional hit to remind them who is in charge! He and Evan have matching bruises on their faces where they collided the other day!

Abbie Grace is still our drama queen. I never knew the tears could come on so quickly but they do many many many times a day. She is especially sensitive to Joe and hates to disappoint him. She continues to mother the other kids in her class at daycare! Potty training is still underway....unfortunately. For a control freak like me this is really hard to know she will get it in her timing because I won't this stage OVER with!

Evan is our little sick boy. He currently has pneumonia and a double ear infection. The poor little guy has been sick since he was born it seems. This along with getting his molars and eye teeth could put us all over the edge!! Thank the Lord for Motrin to relieve some of the discomfort though. He is walking around some but would still rather crawl but we think by Christmas he will be a pro. That will make him our earliest walking at 13 months. Here comes trouble! He's already mastered the stairs unless he seems me...he just lunges forward and expects me to catch him.

Beautiful Abbie Grace

2008-11-08T17:57:00.003-05:00

Abbie Grace is our entertainer. She loves to dress up and act. My niece Jessica was here this past week and taught her to say "I'm a rock star, baby!". Here's our little rock star all dressed up.

Evan's First Birthday Party

2008-11-06T22:22:00.003-05:00

We had Evan's first birthday party this past weekend. Joe is going to be out of town for his actual birthday so we had to have it a little early...he wasn't quite sure what to do with the cake at first but soon figured it out!

Hallloween 2008

2008-10-31T21:29:00.001-05:00

Star Wars came to the Becker Household for Halloween this year. Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Yoda had a great time entertaining the neighborhood with their themed costumes!

Marine Corp 10K

2008-10-29T20:25:00.003-05:00

I ran in the Marine Corp 10K this past weekend. It was a lot of fun. There were 30,000 runners total...25,000 marathon runners and 5,000 10K runners. It was tons of fun but I hope to run it with some girlfriends next year as it was a little lonely at times!! This was by far the most emotional race I had ever run as many runners wore shirts in memory of soldiers who had lost their lives and there were even some soldiers out running with prosthetics....quite humbling. I was able to use the time to pray for those soldiers, their families, and our soldiers who are currently fighting for us.

Evan - 11 Months Old!!!

2008-10-15T20:24:00.003-05:00

Only one more month until our baby turns one...it's just so sad. Where has the time gone? Evan is close to walking. He loves to dance every time he stands up though so he always falls over! I'll have to try and get his dancing on video for yall to see. It is very funny. At night when we sing our dinner prayer he bobs up and down like its some kind of techno song:) What a funny boy!

Fall Fun

2008-10-12T20:33:00.003-05:00

Sorry it's been so long since we have posted...it's been busy busy busy!

Ian is now in soccer so we have a game and practice a week. He and Abbie Grace are also in Awana's one night a week. Awana's is like a Christian scouts program where they memorize bible verses, play games, etc and earn patches for certain milestones. Ian's memory is amazing with these verses! It's helping me to memorize scripture too! Evan had tubes put in his ears last Friday and is doing great! He came out of the surgery like a champ and is already gaining balance and could be walking soon:( Here are some pics of our latest fall activites...Cox farm, soccer, potty training, etc. Hope you are all great!

Abbie Grace and Casey

2008-09-16T13:03:00.002-05:00

Abbie Grace's best friend is Casey from church. Casey's dad brought these dresses back for the girls on a recent trip. Aren't they sweet!?!?!

10 Months Old

2008-09-16T12:49:00.003-05:00

Here is sweet little Evan's 10 month picture! He is so adorable:) (if I do say so myself!!) His blonde hair and blue eyes make my heart melt! That is Ian in the 2nd picture at 10 months old...

They have the same smile!!!

Poor Sick Evan

2008-09-05T15:10:00.003-05:00

We have a sick house right now. Abbie Grace and Evan both have double ear infections, Evan has bronchitis, and Ian and Abbie Grace both have stomach flus. FUN FUN! Here's a picture of Evan getting his breathing treatment. His mask is a little fishy:)

Pics

2008-09-03T10:22:00.003-05:00

My Mom, Grammy, came to visit last week and we had pictures taken...Abbie Grace is like her daddy and does not like portrait studios!

9 months old

2008-08-14T19:12:00.005-05:00

Evan is 9 months old today! Where does the time go? He is crawling all over the place and says hi and dada in between all of the sreaming and growling he does when he is mad!

(look at the size of those feet!)

Evan and Granddaddy

2008-08-14T19:10:00.002-05:00

So many people ask us who Evan looks like since he is blonde hair, blue eyed...well he looks just like my daddy. You may not be able to tell from this picture but they both have big blue eyes and receding hair lines!

Trip to Texas

2008-08-14T18:50:00.007-05:00

Evan loved playing in the grass

Abbie Grace had fun on the horsie swing too!

They love their Granddaddy!

Riding the horses at the Stockyard

Our wonderful Virginia friends that moved to TX

Evan and Blake finding something to get into!

The kids and Taylor riding the horse (she's only 4.5 and rides by herself!!)

We took a family trip to Texas to visit my dad for 5 days. It was lots of fun for everyone although the other passengers on the plane might not agree! Evan took his first plane ride and did ok with the help of a little Benadryl! All of the kids were able to ride a horse, see the Texas stockyards, and we also got to visit some of our dearest friends on Sunday. Ian wanted to ride horses and eat steak and that we did! It was really hard to get up and run today with these extra pounds from all the beef eating we did!

Evan

2008-08-07T13:55:00.001-05:00

Pics

2008-08-07T13:50:00.002-05:00

Abbie Grace LOVES chicken legs!

Sorry I haven't posted yet...here are some pics from the recent weeks.

8 Months Old

2008-07-14T19:11:00.006-05:00

Singing Debuts

2008-07-10T20:11:00.004-05:00

Here are Abbie Grace and Ian's singing debuts...

Camping

2008-07-06T21:12:00.003-05:00

Joe took Ian camping last weekend. Abbie Grace, Evan and I went out for dinner but didn't stay the night. They had a great time sleeing outside:)

First Haircut

2008-06-26T22:50:00.006-05:00

Abbie Grace got her first haircut today. It was only a trim but she was so excited! She went with me to get a haircut first before I took her to the little girl "Spa" called Bella Spa.

Swim Lessons

2008-06-26T22:47:00.003-05:00

Ian started swim lessons this week. He's doing really well. Next week the swimmies come off though!

Abbie Grace's Birthday Party

2008-06-26T22:27:00.006-05:00

Abbie Grace turned 2 on Monday! It's so hard to believe. She had a party last weekend with her little friend Casey. At her 2 year appointment today she weighed 27 pounds 15 oz. She talked so much the dr could barely ask any questions!

What's happening with the Beckers?

2008-06-19T13:14:00.002-05:00

Sorry for not posting more often and only posting pics when I do anything but I figure you can get the gist of our lives from the pics!
Since returning from vacation Evan continues to have an ear infection. He's been on antibiotics off and on since our ER trip in SC back on March 17th. We go back next week to see if it's finally cleared up and discuss tubes. He has cut his top 2 teeth which didn't help him feel that great either but they are here now. He's trying to get in the position to crawl which is so cute. I'll try to get some pics of that. We started table food this week too so now he hates baby food and screams when they give it to him at daycare...Definitely a morning baby and screams most nights from 5-7:30 unless he is being held. So most nights he is attached via the baby bjorn or the back pack so that I can get stuff done. Still has great big blue eyes that make your heart melt:)

Abbie Grace is potty training and doing fabulous! The Lord knew we needed a break after Ian! She does really well at school and only has about 1 accident per day because she doesn't get the pooping thing yet...it's still early though! At home we tend to have power struggles to get her to go but most of the time she will go. She definitely has the middle child personality and tries to fix everything and be a little mama. Her speech gets clearer every week and she loves to sing.

Ian is getting to be such a big boy...he picks out his own clothes and dresses himself every morning. He knows which are schools shirts and which are church shirts and does pretty good about matching things. He starts pre-K in a few weeks. It's hard to believe, huh! He loves to do things with Daddy and is a big helper...most days. It's always sweet when he wants to curl up in my lap though and snuggle since it doesn't happen very often.

Joe and I are good too. We stay pretty busy with work and the kids. I am trying to get caught up on my scrapbooking. I'm trying to do individual books for all the kids so it's pretty time consuming! They better appreciate these things:) Ian does enjoy looking through his books though so it' worth it. I always throw projects into the mix if we ever have a free few hours so there's not too much rest for us! We have both been running (exercising) a lot lately and take the kids with us which is fun. My next race is the Marine Corp 10K in October so that should be fun. I may try and do some shorter races before then but we will see. We still have a small group on Sunday nights which we love and are volunteering at church some too.

So as you can see our lives are crazy busy right now. It's just a season though and one day we will look back and laugh at these days! We would love to have visitors if anyone needs a summer vacation!

Fathers Day

2008-06-19T13:00:00.002-05:00

7 Month Evan

2008-06-19T12:56:00.002-05:00

Myrtle Beach

2008-06-09T20:41:00.003-05:00

We got back Sunday from our vacation to Myrtle Beach. It was a great family vacation...not very restful but lots of good times! I don't really think you can rest very much with 3 kids 4 and under:) Ian and Abbie Grace LOVED the pool and the ocean. Evan and I hung out under the SPF 125 umbrella the majority of the time but we did venture out a little. He enjoyed the pool and watching his brother and sister jump off the side of the pool again and again and again!

Life is back to normal here in NOVA. Ian's daycare is starting a new pre-K class in 2 weeks so he will be moved up. I'm a little sad that he is old enough to be in pre-K but excited they are doing this. Abbie Grace is potty training and doing a great job! She only had 2 accidents today...woo hoo! She loves getting stickers so she goes a lot! Her teachers at daycare have been fabulous with teaching her. Evan has been sick with another ear infection so he has been a bit clingy and hasn't gone back to daycare yet. Hopefully he will go for a few hours tomorrow so that I can catch up on some work but we will see how he's doing. They but him on another round of antibiotics today along with Tylenol with codeine. He's pretty funny when the codeine hits his system. He starts giggling and his eyes go silly. Crawling is not too far away either...he's rocking a little now. Once again a sad mommy time...where did my babies go!?!?

Chillin at the Lake

2008-05-29T12:06:00.001-05:00

Nationals Game

2008-05-29T12:01:00.001-05:00

Joe and I went to the Washington Nationals vs Milwaukee Brewers game this past Sunday with some friends. We had a great time and the Nats won!!

West Wing Tour

2008-05-26T09:06:00.002-05:00

I had the opportunity to go to the West Wing this past week with some girlfriends. It was really neat to see the press room, oval office, and every thing else in the WW. The oval office looked like something off a movie set as it was decorated so nicely and so neat! We were not able to take pictures inside but could take them on the grounds and in the press room.

The Best Small Group

2008-05-19T21:02:00.003-05:00

Many of you hear me talk about our small group...here is a picture of them (2 couples are missing). We are so blessed with this group.

6 Months Old - Evan

2008-05-19T20:52:00.002-05:00

Countdown to Daddy!

2008-05-10T10:17:00.003-05:00

We are less than 24 hours until Daddy/Joe gets home! WOO HOO! I think my body is finally resisting the pace I have been keeping as I have a horrible cold and can hardly talk. I asked Ian what he was going to do when he saw Daddy and he said "give him a big daddy hug". It was so sweet. Excuse the hair in the clip...we are having a slow paced morning!

Sitting Up

2008-05-10T10:08:00.002-05:00

Evan is sitting up for short periods of time by himself. He can tripod for quite a while but if he moves he topples over. This morning Abbie Grace decided to share some lime flavored tortilla chips with him...he really liked them until I saw what he was chomping on and freaked out!

Military Spouse Appreciation Day

2008-05-06T13:22:00.003-05:00

Today 3 girlfriends and I got to go to the White House and have breakfast on the south lawn, shake the president's hand, and tour the white house! It was a BIG day in Tammy's world! My ticket came through last minute so I didn't have time to get nervous like my girlfriends did! We thought it was only going to be a couple hundred people...well it was around 1200! But we were still made to feel special. Phil Vasser did a concert at the end of the President's speech as well.

Fun with Friends

2008-05-05T12:30:00.003-05:00

At small group last night the kids played and played and played! Then they had ice-cream. Aren't they the cutest group of kids!?!?!?

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

2008-05-05T12:22:00.002-05:00

Yesterday afternoon we were relaxing before small group and I got a couple of pics of the munchkins...

Soccer

2008-05-05T09:03:00.003-05:00

Ian started soccer practice last Wednesday. It's a parent involved clinic where they concentrate on the 4 most important things in soccer: running/throwing, trapping, kicking, and dribbling. We are doing the class with our friend Azilee. Ian did really good...when the coach would tell him to do something...not so good when Mommy would : ) Guess he was wondering when I became a soccer expert!

Good Morning!

2008-04-29T10:46:00.002-05:00

Sorry it's been a while since I have posted, we have been busy around here! I completed a 5K this past weekend! WOO HOO! My pace was only 11:40 but at least I finished! Next is a 10K hopefully in the fall. Joe is doing well and gets to call every few days which is nice! And now to who you really want to know about...

Ian is great! He convinced me he had a tummy ache this morning though so he is at home with me. And let me tell you he is NOT sick. I am such a sucker. He is getting so tall and looks so much like Joe!

Abbie Grace is definitely starting to look like a little girl and not a baby anymore. It's very sad for mommy though! Oh and I am no longer mommy, I am mom to her!

And Prince Evan is doing much better this week. As many of you know he has been sick since March. The dr's have tried different things but now they have him on antibiotics, steoroid puffer, and albuteral puffer. And his cough is finally getting better! Thank you Lord! He actaully slept from 8-5 last night which is the first time in about 10 days. I really needed the rest too. He still has big bright blue eyes that melt mommies heart!

Darth Vader Balloon

2008-04-17T13:30:00.003-05:00

This balloon has scared me more times than I can count. As many of you know I am scaredy cat so this balloon is not good for me. I come around the corner and since it's as large as Ian I think someone is in the house. I really want to deflate it but I think Ian would be crushed!

Silly kids

2008-04-15T17:57:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Ian!

2008-04-14T20:31:00.004-05:00

We started the morning with the Happy Birthday song and ended it the same way! Ian was very excited about his special day! I was able to read to his class this morning and spend some extra time with him at school. Then tonight Grandma, Popie, and some friends came over to celebrate! It was a Darth Vader Star Wars party...we are really into the Jedi Knight thing:)

5 Months Old!

2008-04-14T20:28:00.002-05:00

Here's Evan at 5 Months...weighing in at 18 pounds 14 ounces!

4 years old...already!?!?!

2008-04-13T21:13:00.002-05:00

So tonight I was just thinking that at 6:14 am tomorrow I will have a 4 year old...me...with a 4 year old! Am I old enough to have a 4 year old? I really don't think I am. As I think back over these wonderful and challenging past 4 years a big smile comes to my face. Ian is the most precious little boy. He has more energy than most but has lots of smiles to go along with that energy! Tonight at small group a friend told me to tell Ian the story of when he was born. At first I wasn't sure what to say but then after everyone left and Ian was lying in bed I went in and told him the story of when he was born. I left out the 31 hours of labor part:) He thought it was lots of fun to hear how he was as small as Evan once. He especially liked hearing how Daddy was the first to hold him. He misses his Daddy a lot.
As most of you know Ian is a big talker. He talks pretty much non stop from the time he wakes up until he goes to bed and sometimes even when he sleeps. If he doesn't have anything to talk about he just makes up stories! This past Friday night he spent the night with Joe's parents and I missed his constant chattering so much! What a blessing we recieved 4 years ago in our little guy! Too bad they can't stay little forever!

4 Months

2008-04-07T19:45:00.001-05:00

Forgot to post this pic of Evan at 4 months...

Jumping Wears Evan Out

2008-04-03T19:27:00.001-05:00

SC Pics

2008-04-02T21:12:00.001-05:00

I know these are out of order but here are some pics from our SC trip...

Cheesy Pics

2008-04-02T21:08:00.005-05:00

Abbie Grace loves to say CHEESE. Whenever she sees the camera she immediately poses and says it! She and Ian had a popsicle after dinner tonight. She loves sitting next to her brother at dinner! If I could only get them to look at the camera at the same time!

I sure do love food!

2008-04-02T21:03:00.003-05:00

Evan LOVES food. He enjoys nursing but he really likes food. He eats at least 3 containers per day along with rice cereal AND still nurses or gets a bottle 5-6 times a day. He kicked Abbie Grace out of the high chair today and now gets to sit with us at the table. Tonight at dinner he had rice cereal, green beans, and peaches. He has rolls on top of his rolls! He doesn't even have ankles...just a roll where his ankle should be!

Evan has teeth!

2008-03-30T19:31:00.002-05:00

My baby boy has 2 teeth as of today! I am so sad:( My friend was feeding him some green beans this afternoon and Evan was chewing on the spoon so I put my finger in his mouth and there were 2 bottom teeth in there! Isn't it sad how quickly they grow up!?!?!?!

Where in the world are we???

2008-03-26T21:12:00.005-05:00

So sorry I have not blogged in a few weeks. After Joe went out of town we went to SC for 10 days. It was a lot of fun and so wonderful to see family. I must say that this was one of my crazier adventures though...3 kids and me on a 8 hour car ride. McDonald's is the best place ever though for stops! We got our system down after the first try and I was able to do diaper changes, potty breaks, order food, feed Ian and Abbie Grace while nursing Evan, and let them plan on the playground in less than an hour. Whew was it tiring though! I'll post more pics later but here are a few.

Pea in a Pod Evan

2008-03-10T18:14:00.005-05:00

Yes, I know it's not Halloween but Evan is getting too big for the Pea in the Pod outfit and I had to make sure all 3 of them had their picture in it. Here he is:

Here is the post with the other 2 in the outfit: http://beckerjti.blogspot.com/2006/11/ian-or-abbie-grace.html

Jumping Evan

2008-03-09T21:17:00.003-05:00

We put Evan in the jumparoo last night and he had such a great time. I thought he was too small but he sure did enjoy it! He's a whopping 18 pounds...not even 4 months old yet!

Ian's New Bike

2008-03-09T20:53:00.005-05:00

We got Ian a big boy Hummer bike for his birthday and gave it to him this weekend since Joe won't be home for his actual birthday. The bike is a little big for him but he'll grow into it. Movie Star Abbie Grace was on hand to help her brother ride!

Family Pic

2008-03-09T20:48:00.002-05:00

Blowing Bubbles

2008-02-26T12:23:00.003-05:00

As many of you know Evan is not in daycare right now so for part of the day he stays home with me while I work. The other part of the day he goes to Tabitha's house so that I can get some focused work done. Well, today I was on an internal call and Evan starts blowing bubbles and talking up a storm. It was very entertaining for all participants of the call! One day last week he was eating while I was on a call and then let out this huge burp. One of my co-workers said "man, even I feel better after that!".
Please pray that we get him into daycare soon though. He's been on the list for 11 months now and we are number 8! With Joe leaving soon I will need to be able to focus and get things done during the day.

3 Months

2008-02-20T11:04:00.002-05:00

Random Pics

2008-02-20T11:01:00.001-05:00

The Hotel Pool

2008-02-03T17:14:00.001-05:00

Ian loved the hotel pool. He and I would go down there every other night or so. By the end of the 2 weeks he was jumping off the side, swimming to the other end and then back (with a life jacket on). We are hoping to start swim lessons soon with Azilee though. Abbie Grace went down with us one night but didn't get too far off the stairs. I love her little bathing suit! Great Grandma Jean got it for her. She had to wear Ian's Nemo suit to get in the water though. SHe looks so funny!

Sleeping Angels

2008-02-03T17:11:00.000-05:00

Ian and Abbie Grace slept together at the hotel in NJ. There were quite a few picture moments of the week babies. There were other times I thought I would lose my mind too when they woke each other up at 6am!

Great Grandma's

2008-02-03T17:08:00.000-05:00

We went to see Joe's grandma a few weeks ago in Virginia Beach.

We're still here!

2008-01-30T09:43:00.000-05:00

The kids and I are in New Jersey for a couple of weeks which is why I haven't posted. I'll post some pictures soon from our trip. I started a new job so had to come to New Jersey for training. Ian loves having an indoor pool at his access! He jumps off the side now and is pretty fearless. (he still has swimmies on!) Abbie Grace sits on the steps for the most part but will eventually start floating. Evan is getting so big! He is 11 weeks today and is trying to roll over. When people see him they think he is 6 months old he is so big! He has passed Ian and Abbie Grace on weight and size when they were his age! He may have started off small but he's caught up. He loves to sit up and watch his big brother and sister play. More later...

Crazy Weather

2008-01-15T12:22:00.001-05:00

So I just went downstairs to the basement for 10 minutes and came back up to this weather...this is insane! The snow only lasted about 20 minutes and then the majority melted away.

2 Months Old - Evan

2008-01-14T19:05:00.000-05:00

Evan turned to months old today! He had a drs appointment and got a clean bill of health. Here are his stats:

Weight: 14 pounds 15 ounces - 97th percentile

Height: 23.5 inches - 97th percentile

Head: 41.5 centimeters - 97th percentile too!

Moving on Up

2008-01-14T18:34:00.001-05:00

Abbie Grace has moved from the infant room to the toddler room at daycare! It was a successful transition although it was hard for Mommy! We were so blessed with a wonderful group of ladies to take care of her for 18 months. We are praying Evan gets into the same room.

Potty Success

2008-01-14T18:27:00.000-05:00

Ian has gone 8 days without a pooping accident! Praise the Lord!!! As many of you know this has been one of the hardest things we have done as parents. We could probably write a book on potty training at this point. We are not sure what clicked for him to start pooping on the potty but over the past few weeks we took him out of pull ups and he only wore big boy underwear, started giving him chocolate and then 30 minutes later putting him on the potty, we put a timer in the bathroom so he has to sit on the potty for 2 minutes and most importantly we have been praying. We appreciate so much the prayers and encouragement from all of you. The big prize, a light Saber, was awarded tonight. I'm not sure who was more excited, Joe and I or Ian!

Bike Fun

2008-01-12T11:57:00.000-05:00

Abbie Grace caught a ride on the back of Ian's tricycle today.

The futures so bright I gotta wear my shades...

2008-01-12T09:39:00.000-05:00

Outside Fun

2008-01-12T09:30:00.000-05:00

We had beautiful weather last weekend and the kids played outside for a while. Ian loves the new scooter his Aunt Kerry and Uncle Dan bought him for Christmas! Abbie Grace loves to dig in the dirt. The ballerina sweater is just a facade!!!

Cooking for a Month

2008-01-08T22:57:00.000-05:00

Since our life is crazy busy I decided to try this cooking for a month thing. I bought this software from www.30daygourmet.com that has lots of recipes loaded and then you can go to their website and get more. Then you choose what recipes you want to cook and it prints reports for you for the grocery store, appliances, containers, an action report, and the recipes. So once you have your groceries you might boil and cut up 10 pounds of chicken, 4 onions, etc but then when you put your recipes together all the ingredients are ready. For those of you who know me well you know this is right up my alley! I didn't make 30 meals since the kids and I are going out of town for 2 weeks for my training but I made 14 meals, some of which will last us 2 separate days, and it didn't take tons of time. Some of the meals had to be cooked in a crock pot but overall this is the easiest thing ever. OH...and it even prints out a report you put on your refrigerator, broken out by meat type, of what you cooked with a checkbox for when you have eaten it. I am so excited to have meals already prepared and I just have to thaw them and stick them in the oven. Joe is excited not to eat spaghetti, roast, pizza, taco soup, and chili again!

Abbie Grace's Big Girl Bed

2008-01-02T08:45:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!!

We transitioned Abbie Grace to a big girl bed a couple of days ago. She is doing really well. Over the next couple of months we have quite a few transitions coming up with her changing daycare rooms from infant to toddler, moving Sunday School rooms, a deployment for Daddy (just a couple of months but still pray!), and then potty training! Whew...that's a lot for mommy to take in much less an 18 month old! So we figured moving to a big girl bed was the easiest of all. She still screams her head off for 5-10 minutes when we put her to bed but that was no different than the crib!! These pics are from her last night in the crib and first night in the big girl bed.

Smiles

2007-12-28T14:51:00.000-05:00

More Christmas Pictures

2007-12-26T17:02:00.000-05:00

Jesus' Birthday Party

2007-12-26T16:56:00.000-05:00

The kids were a little too excited yesterday to have cake so we delayed Jesus' birthday party until today. They sang Jesus Happy Birthday and then Ian wanted to know where the presents were:)

Christmas Morning

2007-12-25T12:36:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to all our wonderful family and friends! We had a great morning. It is so different now on Christmas morning with Ian and Abbie Grace opening presents. They make us laugh so much. The first thing they saw when they walked into the room as a M&M's fire truck which they immediately both wanted! We had to refocus them to the gifts for them but they still kept coming back to that fire truck! If we would have known what a big hit the fire truck was going to be! Ian loved his transformers and trucks he recieved. Abbie Grace received 3 phones on different toys so she is a very happy girl. She walks around with all of them and puts them to her ear and says "Hewo". We are still putting together some of the toys as the kitchen took all of our energy last night! It's nap time for all right now though before we go over to Joe's grandmas for dinner. Tomorrow we all rest!

Twas the night before Christmas...

2007-12-24T20:37:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics of our sleeping angels in their matching pajamas:)

Some Assembly Required...

2007-12-24T20:32:00.000-05:00

So Abbie Grace got a kitchen for Christmas and we just opened the box that said "some assembly required". This is a little more than "some". I am still laughing as I write this as I think back on Joe pulling piece after piece after piece out of the box! Yikes...we still have 11 hours before the kids wake up:)

Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T20:29:00.000-05:00

We went to Joe's parents tonight for dinner. His sisters are in town and so is Cousin Cooper! Ian and Abbie Grace fell in love with Cooper and had lots of fun playing with him!

Ian's Debut

2007-12-24T20:25:00.000-05:00

Today at church Ian's preschool class played the handbells. He did so good! Joe and I were those nervous parents though wondering what he was going to do! He stood there so focused and rang his bell every time the red card came up! Good job Ian!!!

The picture didn't turn out great but we have video:) Ian is in the back row in between two tall boys.

Finally exercising again!

2007-12-18T21:29:00.001-05:00

I went walking for the first time yesterday and boy did it feel good! Today I took the stroller out with Abbie Grace and Evan. They were all bundled up so I couldn't resist this picture.

Just some pics

2007-12-18T21:10:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of the kids from last Sunday. I love this little outfit on Evan our neighbor got him. He looks like a little man. He has this funny thing he does where he scrunches up his forehead and I think he looks like a stressed out accountant! Ian has forgotten how to make a normal smile:) Abbie Grace loves her baby brother! She loves to give him hugs and kisses.