Suddenly, you turn around...

and your baby is sitting!!  She is growing up too fast!

Frances Robert

I am an aunt again!!  Baby Frankie was born on March 7 weighing 8 lbs 7 oz and 21 inches long to Matt's sister, Kitty and Blaise.  He was the exact same weight as Naomi when she was born.  He is my 13th niece/nephew with both of our families combined!  I am super excited to meet him!  He is just so cute!

Here he is with his adoring big brothers, Stephen and Jacob.

Our Little Cuties

We snapped this picture before Mass this morning because they all looked so nice.  Naomi was in a great mood but the flash of the camera and the fact that I sat her on her brothers' laps sort of dampened her smile.

Our children are at such cute ages.  Ok, so I have thought our children are at such cute ages all the time! ;)

NAOMI is so playful and full of smiles.  She thinks every child should play with her and lights up when her brothers or any other child gives her the time of day.

ETHAN has such quirky phrases that keep us laughing and on our toes, especially when you remember he is only 2 and a half.  A few nights ago, we were finishing supper and Ethan had a little left on his plate.  He looked up and asked, "Can I get a box for this?"  NOTE: We eat out about 1-2 times a month and RARELY do we have leftovers to even take home!

JOHN PAUL is a wonderful helper and loves to rhyme words.  His imagination is amazing, but he is becoming such a big kid and figuring out big kid things.  He asked me if I could go in the kitchen so he could do his "exercises" in the living room.  Any parent knows that if a child asks you to go into the other room, then he/she is up to something they shouldn't be doing...but I obliged out of my own curiosity.  After I "left," he jumped on the couch a few times, then did some jumping jacks on the floor and some other exercises and it was all cute and entertaining to witness that I didn't say anything about the jumping on the couch.  He gets corrected enough.

Alternative Playground

 We have had a stretch of nice Spring weather, but wouldn't you know, we went to put the kids in the car to go to the park, and the wind picks up, it drops 10 degrees, and looks pretty gloomy.  But the kids needed to go play and we needed them to go play.  So we headed to Menards (similiar to Lowes.)  But OUR Menards has several play equipment on display.

It's really a great deal for us and Menards.  I took the kids to play in the display area and Matt looked around and eventually found something to buy.

Play houses on display-- This is a favorite for the boys because it has a doorbell.  I think there are 3 houses to play in.

  I train my kids to give a good cheesy smile and continue to bug them until they do.  They have come to realize if they just give me a good smile, then I just let them play!

The roller coaster is a big hit!

 And the slides!

 Naomi loved the swings and the boys loved giving her pushes.

 The little fleece snowsuit might be a little overkill, but Naomi won't keep her socks or a blanket on her legs.  So snowsuit it is!  It's kind of nice because we don't have to tote a blanket around either.

Arr, Matey!!  I spy a pirate!

 

Going Home

 No matter where I will live, I will always have a HOME!  We traveled back to see my parents this past weekend and it was so much fun.  The kids love their cousins, I love my family, and my husband loves to be on the farm.  Serious win-win-win.

 Ted started the weekend off right with Easter egg hunts that lasted all morning.  The kids really wanted candy in them, but settled for the goldfish crackers when they found out Grandma wasn't budging.

 Ethan, you found one!  Under the stick!

A picture with Grandma is always a good time!

Lilly really wanted to hold Naomi.

 A classic hanging from the gate photo.

 Beth and Kristina holding their babies that are growing up way too quickly!  Alisa and Adriana are both walking around and starting to talk!  I NEED to see these cuties more often!

Baby Toes

Look at these chubby little feet!

Naomi loves playing with her feet too!  Sometimes I just have to take off her socks and her pants (because she can't quite reach them with her pants on) and she is just as happy as a lark.

She is pretty long too and a pure delight!! (well, as long as her mom isn't too far away and her brothers aren't bothering her and she isn't being forced to do something she doesn't want to do and has a full tummy and is well rested.)

Fancy Awards Banquet

As a follow-up to Matt's awards that he has won, we attended the StratComm Awards Banquet on Friday.  Matt was up against some tough competition for the StratComm Officer of the Year award, and unfortunately didn't win it, but we are all very proud of him.

It was fun to get dressed up and go to the banquet together.

A little disheartening that Naomi did TERRIBLE for the babysitter.  Didn't take a sip of the bottle that I left for her and I know that our 15-year-old sitter was very over-whelmed.  Nothing like arriving home and the sitter's mom is there trying to help out!!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

We celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday at the library where they were having a read-a-thon.  Different guest readers joined the kids as well.  The mayor of Bellevue, Nebraska was our guest speaker!  I know, rub elbows with the big wigs!  Ethan also won a prize!  I don't know what it is since we haven't made it back to pick it up, but I am sure it will be exciting and very useful.

My Bread Winning, Trophy Earning Husband

 Matt has been bringing home more than just the bacon lately.  I mentioned a few posts ago that Matt won the Company Grade Officer of the Year for J5.  Well...

 He won it at the next level too!

Now he is in the running for the StratCom CGO of the Year as well.  We are going to a fancy awards banquet on Friday night for the event.  Since my dress is a little form fitting, I don't think I will be able to sneak Naomi in with me.  So I guess it is time for her first baby sitter.  Say a prayer for her, Naomi, and me!!

Our kids...[sigh]

Our kids are hilarious!!  Naomi is just cooing and laughing and hyperventilating all the time!  I think she will be sitting in no time.  John Paul is my older kid.  He knows how he wants to play and he is very helpful.  But Ethan's new thing is to make up words.  It started with him substituting letter sounds, mostly with the letter "p."  So cup = pup; and toot = poot (this was a very common one! Boys!); and finger = pinger and so on.  Now he has taken it to a new level by adding definitions to these new words.  He told me that I needed to "fribbit."  I asked what that meant and he replied, "It means to say "Go away monster!"  What?

Well, here is a video of our three beauties.  I love the playful interaction of Naomi and JP and it ends with Ethan and his new word.

Ok, while I am doing videos, here is one of some animal sounds.  I wonder why the cow moos like a train, but then again, he is a city kid.