First Day of School!

A quick one day after we came home with Case, we were up bright and early preparing for our first day of Preschool.  Caden was starting his 3rd year of school, but Carsten was starting Preschool for the first time!  I had talked with his teachers, and the director of the program, AND multiple friends, AND... yes, lots of people...about how the timing of it all might affect him.  I didn't want him to feel like since we were bringing the new baby home, he would have to start school and mommy was abandoning him.  (Not to mention, he already had quite the separation anxiety without all the happenings with the new baby.)  I was hesitant to send him, BUT, he seemed so excited we decided to give it a try and see how it went.

Brad and I took both boys to school that morning.  Carsten said that he wanted Daddy to drop him off (very unusual for him to prefer Brad to do something, but I would take it!).  I stood back a few feet and watched and tried to prepare myself.  I HATE (more than anything) leaving screaming babies at daycare.  HATE IT!  And, I had the added ingredient of postpartum hormones that could have easily made this a terrible situation.  HOWEVER, it wasn't!  He went straight to the train table and started pushing cars around and didn't look back.   No tears for Carsten = No tears for me!  I was SOOO pleasantly surprised!  It was SUCH a relief!  He did great the 2nd time too.  The 3rd time he went was when we really started to see a little resistance.  Here we are, and his 4th trip will be in 2 days.  I'm really hoping that we can get past this little hurdle soon!

Here are some pics of Caden's first day of Pre-K. He goes 2 half days a week, Mondays and Wednesdays.  And Carsten's first day of Preschool (2's and 3's).  He goes one half day a week, Mondays.  

And here's Case on his big brother's first day!

What's In A Name? 2nd Edition

Unfortunately this is technically the 3rd edition, but only 2nd *posted* edition.  I somehow looped the name post into the announcement post for Carsten... and thus starts the middle child syndrome.  :(

Once again, much thought went into naming this precious boy.  Perhaps more thought went into Case's first name than all other names combined.  We both felt inclined to give him a name that started with a "C".  *There's limitation number one.*  I wanted a short name, the shorter the name the better in my opinion (it is the 3rd boy after all and I would need to be able to say it quickly!).  *Limitation number 2.*  Lastly, the middle name had been decided since week 20, and it needed to flow with that.  *Limitation number 3.*  We had a few names on our short list.  Case wasn't my favorite, it wasn't Brad's favorite, but when it came down to the ranking it was the mutual highest of the list.  Make sense?  This way it's fair.  We aren't using my favorite name (which Brad despised) and we aren't using Brad's favorite name (which I could never go with).  Case it is.  I do like it!  I really do!  And of course, it all makes sense now and I wonder how we ever took so long to decide on it.

Kellen is a very special name to me AND Brad.  I believe that if you are going to name your child after someone, it should be someone that has done good in the world.  Someone that has good characteristics.  Someone that they can live up to!  Someone that we should all strive to be!!  And we have done that with Case.  It only took me a few days after learning that Case was going to be a boy to figure out how to name him after my dear friend Katie "Moses" Gogala.  Katie was a dear friend of mine that I met later in life, but it was one of those friendships that was meant to be...

We were both interviewing with a company during our senior years of college, I was at Texas A&M, she was at Nebraska.  Being that we were attending college states apart, our paths weren't likely to cross, BUT this job grabbed both of our attention.  The company recruited nation-wide, and brought the top 30 candidates to the Houston area for final interviews.  At that point they were only hiring 15.  We met in Houston during those interviews and I do mean it was an instant friendship.  She was the first person that I checked with to see if she was hired once I knew that I got the job.  We talked via email about the Houston area and where we should live.  Our apartments were only a mile away from each other, and I still kick myself for not rooming with her (I was just too excited to have a place of my own after living with room mates for 5 years!).  We had a lot of fun living in the same area, having ice cream dinners, drinking margaritas, enjoying the post college single life.  We would work out together, take business trips together; we really got to know each other.  At times, it seemed that she and Brad were JUST as good friends.  Especially when it meant that they got to team up on me.  :P When it came time for our wedding, she was a definite must as a bridesmaid.

Here's the thing about Katie, she was the whole package: smart, funny, energetic, FUN, a devout Christian, kind, generous, thoughtful, loving - above all - she was GOOD.  She did good for this world.  Everyone loved her.  I remember calling her on lunch break, asking her if she wanted to grab a bite, and she would respond, "I'm at church praying."  She prayed and attended church more than ANYONE I knew.  She had a very strong relationship with God.  It was impressive and inspiring.  The sad thing is that I am using past tense in describing all of these attributes.  Katie was diagnosed with cancer and had a short battle before joining her beloved Father in Heaven.  She left behind a husband and precious 1 year old son.  In the late Spring of 2014 her husband, Matt, assisted me in giving Katie one final message while on her last days of Hospice care.  I told her that I would gladly name a girl after her if I ever had one.  Well, here we are on boy #3 and I thought, I can still make this happen.  He doesn't have to be a Kathryn, we can make this work.  Kathryn Helen was her given name.  Kellen was a name that popped in my head days after discovering that we were having another boy.  It was perfect.  I ran it past her husband and hoped that he and all the other loved ones that she left behind would find comfort in this name.  Here's to you Katie "Moses".  If Case turns out offering only half the GOOD that you did to this world, I will be one happy Moma!

Introducing Case Kellen!

At 39 weeks I was induced with Case.  It was a hot summer, a VERY HOT summer.  In fact, the weather man told me just the other day that we had DOUBLE the days over 90 this year.  There were several days that I would try to go play outside with the big boys, but I would get sick from the heat.  I LOVED going swimming, it really seemed to have lowered my core body temperature and rejuvenate me, at least for a little while.  I usually LOVE being pregnant, feeling the baby's kicks, knowing that he is safe tucked inside of me out of harms way, enjoying the last few moments with the big boys before baby joins things.  HOWEVER, this year was different.  I was HOT, and I am never HOT.  My hips hurt worse than ever before.    I was miserable!  It was time for this baby to come out.
We went to the hospital at 6:30 am on the 19th.  It takes a little while once admitted to get everything set-up, and somehow my body just knew that it was go time.  The contractions started coming 10 minutes apart.  In the past, I have been blessed with quick deliveries, and this was no different.  Case was born at 1:07pm.  He weighed 8 lbs 6 oz and was 20.75" long.  He was beautiful and healthy and had the most BEAUTIFUL long blond hair.  All the doctors and nursing staff commented on the length of his blond hair!

After 3 days and 2 nights at the hospital, we were released, but of course we had to continue watching Case's bilirubin levels.  We've ridden this roller coaster a time or two (two to be exact).  We did have to go to the doctor a few times right after getting home, and do one blood draw, BUT, we escaped the glow blanket!  Wahooo!  The freedom of not having to have your newborn baby 5 feet away from an electrical outlet.  Amazing!!!!  :)

Case has been what some call, "a GOOD baby!".  He sleeps.  We've never had a sleeper before.  I honestly questioned whether it was healthy he slept SO MUCH!  He can sleep with noise too!  Little Boy Noise at that!  He's really been a true blessing to have around and makes all of our hearts so happy.  Both big brothers have taken to him, with very minimal adjusting (side note, could just be Carsten being a typical 2 year old).  He's already had so many firsts.  Both of his older brothers were born in the winter, Midwest winters.  I don't take babies out in Midwest winters.  It's been nice weather and we have gone for walks, gone to the zoo, watched Caden's soccer games, etc.  Wherever we need to go, he just goes.  I hope that this sleeping, laid back baby keeps these ways because I am getting pretty used to them!

Here are my favorite before and after pics that I have ever taken... and a couple from the hospital.

The New Trinity: The Father, The Son and Santa Claus

The boys and I took a road trip down to Columbus, Indiana to check out the children's museum.  I was told that they had a huge toilet that the kids could explore and slide down, and being that my boys are SOOOOO into potties, I figured this would be a BIG hit!  It was!!  They both really enjoyed it and talked about it for a few days.  However, while we were there, I got a good Caden story!  The huge toilet was in a mock house that the kids could explore.  There were stairs and different floors and mouse holes for them to crawl through, and being 6 months pregnant I certainly wasn't going to fit through any of those spaces.  At one point the boys went through a series of holes and ended up in a 3 story climbing area, with only one way in and one way out.  And of course, Carsten got in and couldn't get out.  And then to add insult to injury, he hit his chin on the attempt out and made things MUCH worse.  In the mean time, Caden has made it all the way to the top, and came running declaring that he had to go tee-tee.  (Now.....we did have a bathroom stop 10 minutes earlier in which he declined the chance to empty his bladder.)  And he seemed to need to go pretty badly.  BUT, baby brother was stuck in the climbing area, crying hysterically because 1.) he was separated from us and 2.) he had hurt himself.  Thankfully Caden was able to go back in the house and help Carsten out, but by the time he gets back to me, he REALLY needs to go!  We hurry to the bathroom and on the way to the bathroom he says this..... "I always tell Santa Claus that when I get tee-tee in my pants, it's not my fault, it's my tee-tee's fault."  Oy Ve.  It's one of those times where you want to laugh, but laughing would mean encouragement, and that's not necessarily what I wanted to do.  I was just a little surprised that 1.) we're talking about tee-tee in his pants when he hasn't had an accident in over a year and 2.) he can't think of anyone else that he needs to impress other than Santa???  How about Mommy?  How about Daddy?  What about God or Jesus?!?  I let it go, hoping it would be a passing phase, but over the course of a few days Santa Claus came up again, and again, and again.  Santa was really on his mind during this fifth month of the year.  ;)  The next Sunday morning on our drive to church he was recalling a dream that he had the night before.  He said that he was at church and Jesus was there talking.  There was a microphone that he could go and talk into.  He went upfront and the pastor held him up so he could talk to Jesus.  He said in the microphone - Thank you Jesus for making dirt grow!.  Then he laughed really hard.  He said, "Dirt doesn't grow!  That was silly!."  I asked if the congregation laughed when he said that, and he said yes!  I said, "Well, that was a good dream!  It's good to dream about Jesus!".  He said, "Yeah.  I bet that made Jesus happy!  I bet that made God happy!  I bet that made Santa Claus happy!".  Watch out Holy Ghost, there's a new kid in town.  ;)

It's VERY common for me to find the boys pretending potty.  I personally don't get it, but they love to pretend that different things are potties and then go on to pretend to use them.  Unfortunately Carsten did this with his Easter Bucket while at an Easter Egg Hunt over the holiday.  All the kids were waiting impatiently to be told to go and hunt eggs and Carsten was contempt sitting on his bucket pretending to potty.  In this picture they are "construction workers using a porta potty".

The BIG potty!

Diving right in....

#2 is 2!!!

Carsten turns 2!!!

Carsten's vocabulary is really improving.  He's starting to string 2 words together to get his messages across, and in turn, we're getting to the bottom of what he wants more quickly.  It really is a peaceful thing!!!  However, he is becoming more opinionated and the tantrums are starting.  Boooo!

For Carsten's 2nd birthday we had a Paw Patrol party - naturally.  Paw Patrol has taken this house by storm.  Caden and Carsten both like it, which is great for TV time, but Carsten REALLY loves it.  He loves recognizing the characters when we're out and about.  He INSISTS on wearing Paw Patrol socks and only Paw Patrol socks.  Thanks to Nona we do have 2 sets, which makes for 8 socks, but we still occasionally find ourselves in complete meltdown mode when all he has left to wear is Thomas the Train.  Ohhhh the travesty!  ;)  The funny part is, that he doesn't even really get the characters right... He'll insist on wearing Zuma, and you put Zuma on his feet and he spazzes out because he wanted what seems to be another character that he has mistaken for Zuma.  Oy Ve!  Back to the party, I tried my hand at a Paw Patrol cake and it turned out pretty good.  My mom, brother and Jesse were in town for a little get away down in French Lick.  We hit the indoor water park one day, what fun!!! and then had a party here at the house.  Carsten had a great time at the water park this year.  He climbed the tree house structure and went down the slides again, and again. and again.  He was passed out in his car seat before Brad could even put the car in drive!  He didn't mind the spraying water, the dumping buckets of water, the water gushing in his face as he slid down the water slides.  BUT, he wasn't too fond of the kid who wanted to help with his life jacket when Brad was taking a picture of him... more on that later.  HAHA!

He's a HUGE mimic, mostly of Caden.  It's been nice because he can sing his ABCs and count to 20, but he also makes this horrible grunting noise when he doesn't get his way and will occasionally run and slide on his knees in the kitchen.  He loves to play what Caden is playing, whether it is travel, or building or restaurant, he's there, right in the thick of it.  For now, he listens to Caden and usually cooperates with the crazy requests that he makes, but every once in a while you catch a shrill, "No Bubba!!!".

He still doesn't like to stay with other people, or hang in a nursery situation, but we have gradually gotten him used to hanging out with the backdoor neighbor who has a little boy not too far from his age.  At first he would cry so hard that he would put himself into a nap - I called him my little fainting goat, but then we started having Caden going over with him to help with the transition.  It has made a world of difference!

He LOVES playing outside, digging in the sandbox, mulch, dirt.  You name it, he will dig in it.  But he stays content playing for hours!  He still LOVES riding in the stroller, going on walks and runs.  He hardly ever turns down a trip in the stroller - I love that!

He's a big snacker.  We have taken to locking the pantry door so that he doesn't have the freedom to go and get things at his own will, which would be every 10 minutes throughout the day. He could live off applesauce if we let him.  He's also big on squeeze yogurts now.  Back when he was a baby, he was a snacker and we worked really hard to stretch out his stomach and have him take larger bottles so he would sleep longer at night.  Well, we are right back there again.  He would prefer to eat 20 different snacks throughout the day, than sit down to eat a meal.  I think that there is probably something to this and have not been fighting him too hard on this one this time around.  Some people's body types are just made for smaller meals more frequently.  And as long as we can get healthy snacks, then we're doing good!

Some pics from Alicia this year....

At ZooBoo - our lil' pumpkin found a pumpkin

He LOVES these boots.  Insert memory of red ropers here. :)

Playing Hide and Go Seek - he gets it!

He really cracks himself up - which inturn crack me up!

That's the face you get when you say "SMILE!"

Fall Pics

Our cuddly, loving, non fire breathing dragon!

The water park that he LOVED!

No fear at all going down this enclosed water slide.

Whether it is a bucket, a box or something else, he's putting it on his head and parading around for laughs.

Birthday donut!

Paw Patrol cake

Birthday Present - sensory box.  Pinto beans!!!

FOUR?!? FOUR!!!!

How is it that we have a four year old?!?  This guy... He is FULL of energy, smart as a whip, doesn't miss a beat (even when you kind of want him to) and his imagination is top notch.  I love the inner workings of this kid.  On his 4th birthday, he woke up, went into the bathroom and actually closed the door behind him because we had guests at our house (see that, he did mature in one night?).  After a minute or two, I hear him talking through the door, so I got to check and make sure everything is OK.  I say, "Caden?  Is everything OK bud?"  He puts his hand where his back pocket would be, grabs an imaginary object and holds it out to me.  He replies, "Here's a pinchy crab. Can you throw it away for me?"  Oh Man I love this KID!!!

Just before turning 4 he has mastered all sorts of large motor skills.  This summer he learned to swim the half length of a pool doing the front crawl, he can ride a bike without training wheels and he really does have mad soccer skills already.  So now, we have to work on those fine motor skills. He is getting better with following a line when cutting,  His alphabet letter recognition is pretty good and he has learned to write his name.  Definitely some room for improvement on the sitting still and completing a task front.

He loves playing outside with mulch, shovels, and pretending that he is doing all sorts of manual labor - delivering and planting trees, moving dirt piles, etc.  Inside he loves playing with tools and constructing things.  We build lots of houses around here.

He has recently gotten into Paw Patrol but for a while during his 4's he was all about Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  So we did a Jake party for him this year.  We were home for his birthday for once, and it was about the right age to do a kid party, so we tried our hand at that.  We invited the kids from his preschool class and one set of friends from the neighborhood.  I think everyone had a good time and that the birthday boy LOVED the attention.  The funniest part of the night, being that it was right after Christmas, when Caden was opening presents some of the other kids, especially Carsten, thought that they needed to open presents too.

Here are a few pics of this 4 year old!!!

He wanted to make homeless bags, so we gathered all the supplies and stocked my car so we could hand them out.  LOVE that he has a BIG heart!!!

Family Pics by Alicia this year...

With Sparky at the Firemen's Pancake Breakfast

One of the characters at ZooBoo was dressed as a knight too!

Look Mom, no training wheels!  3 3/4 and he is on his own!!!

Halloween at school as an Astronaut with Mrs. Kelly as the Man in the Yellow Hat!

I was quite impressed with his picture of a jack-o-lantern.  :)

Our "Shinning Knight in Shinning Armor" as he puts it!  ;)

Some fall pics...

Our house is in a current state of this.... because of Caden.  He loves to imagine and build!

He loves the snow, well, at least for a little while!  ;)

Jake and the Never Land Pirates cake