Stock Show with Pop and Moe!

Pop and Moe took their oldest 4 grand-kids on a special trip to the stock show and rodeo. Levi and Joel were soooo excited to spend some time with their cousins, Nora and Asher and grandparents! Going to see all the cowboys, animals and farm equipment each year is always a treat for the boys, and it was extra fun for them to change things up and go with Pop and Moe. They dressed up in their best cowboy duds and I got some cute pictures of them before they left.

 
Levi said he loved the bull riding and Joel loved seeing the horses and tractors. It's like little boy heaven! Thanks for a fun day Pop and Moe, we love you!

Joel's Treasures

Joel is quite the little hoarder collector. Things that most would consider trash or junk are often priceless in his eyes. When I opened my ergo carrier for the first time Joel was super interested in the box and begged to have it for his "very own treasure box" He has been carrying it around for the past couple months and does an inventory on it several times a week, if not daily.

You might wonder what is in this oh so special box. Well, it's filled with a random assortment including; a glass cleaning cloth, too small suspenders, a mini stocking, a James Avery box, plastic spider, leaves, crafts from bible class, an empty Tylenol box, rubber bands, paper clips, a pond filter from our old house, rocks, plastic dinosaur bones, a toilet paper roll and more. Such beautiful and priceless treasures! Don't think he won't notice if you tried to "clean out" some of the trash from his box. Thankfully, most of the things he saves are pretty small, because he adds items often and rarely takes anything out. It's getting rather full, and I've made it clear that he will not be getting another box to keep more treasures in. One is enough :). I love Joel's enthusiasm and funny logic about each item, but I do wish he had as much love for all of his toys purchased with hard earned money!

3 months of Nathan!

Our sweet Nathan turned 3 months old on Monday! Even though this is my third time to watch a baby grow day to day, it is still surprising how quickly he is growing and changing! He is a pro at rolling from his stomach to back and has managed to roll from his back to tummy a couple of times, so we may have a roller soon! Eep! He has also discovered his ability to grab things and will hold onto light toys and blankets (or handfuls of my hair). Nate has always been a happy guy, but this month he has gotten really smiley and started to laugh too. I can't get enough of his sweet baby giggles! His core strength has been increasing and he can now hold his head up very well and sit in the bumbo. I did not have a bumbo with the other boys, but my sister loaned me hers this time, and I am loving using it! Nathan enjoys sitting eye level during meal prep and clean up and even sits on the table as a center piece while we eat some times too :)

Nathan has been given a lot of nicknames by his brothers and Daddy including; Nate, Natey, Nater, Nafe, Tor-nate-o, Nathaaaaanial, Natey Matey, and you can add "anates" to the end of lots of words for fun, depending on the situation - poopanates, pukeanates and the list goes on. Basically, Nate is our family mascot and we all love to watch him and think he is just the cutest thing ever. Levi and Joel both adore their baby brother and always want to give him kisses and hugs first thing in the morning, before and after school as well as at bedtime. Levi is really good at making him laugh, which makes Levi so happy and proud. Joel has a harder time showing his love appropriately (his hugs and pats often cause some tears or screams) but occasionally he and Nathan enjoy a good long snuggle.

So far, he remains my smallest baby and can still wear size 1 diapers, and 0-3 or 3 month clothes. He doesn't let his smaller frame slow him down though! He loves to stand while held and is getting stronger and more sturdy every day. Not only is he just as physical as his big brothers were, but he can be loud too! Nate has the sweetest little voice and "talks" all day long, especially if you will talk back, but he can also yell and wail at an impressive volume. Other than hearing himself speak, his other favorite activities are bath time (especially splashing and kicking in the water), chewing his fingers, watching his brothers, ceiling fans, and occasionally the tv will grab his attention. Lately his most favorite thing to do is eat. He has been nursing every 2 hours and getting up at least twice to eat in the night. I'm expecting a growth spurt soon!

I am so in love with my precious youngest son! Being an "experienced mom" helps me look past the frustrations of sleepless nights and fussy moments and just soak up all his special newbornness :) He's growing so fast, you can hardly call him a newborn any more...he's my big baby now! It feels like just yesterday that my other two babies were 3 months old, here are some pictures of the boys to compare (all on their special blankets quilted by the quilting club at church!)

Levi (so much hair and fatness!)

Nathan

Joel

Duck Season

The past few weeks has been duck hunting season. Philip has not been able to deer hunt this year (the hunting men in the family moved to a new deer camp and weren't able to get set up in time). Since hunting is one of his favorite activities and a big stress reliever for him he has spent a bunch more time duck hunting this season than in years past. Since he's been getting up in the wee hours of the morning and heading out to hunt ducks several times, he brought home a lot of duck meat to stock our freezer. My favorite things about his hunting trips are the sausage he makes and that it gives him a chance to spend quality time with my brother as well as his Dad and my Dad. Won't be long and the boys will be old enough to join them if they have interest and I'll have a few Saturday mornings to myself :)