Missing: A few teeth



When Ryan took the kids to their dentist appointments in July, the dentist said that Jack would be losing his two front teeth before his next appointment.  Sure enough, they're now gone.  Of course, the first tooth fell out after so much drama that I dreaded hearing that the second was loose just a few days later.  (And by drama, I mean tears, refusals to eat and sleep, etc.)  However, after taking a few bites of a bagel, the second tooth fell out after being loose for just three days!  Thank you, Lord!

 

I like the look of the two missing front teeth and am sort of dreading the thought that Jack will get big teeth in there soon.  *sniff, sniff*  He will look so old!

 

Hoosier Outdoor Experience

A couple of weekends ago there was a Hoosier Outdoor Experience at a Ft. Harrison State Park, which is only about 10 min. from our house.  It was advertised as a way to experience some new outdoor activities for free. We had never been to the event or to the park, so we decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather and free admission and go.  As we arrived we were immediately overwhelmed by the size of the event.  There were a TON of people there, and it was spread out into three separate areas of the park connected by a tram-like shuttle.  What we thought might be a quick, fun morning turned into a long, whiny adventure.  However, we were able to do a few things without waiting in long lines.

 



The kids enjoyed playing in this huge tent and thought we should buy it.  Seeing as I'm not much of a camper, we passed on that.

Ryan and the kids practiced tying different kinds of knots.  I was waiting in a line while they did this, so I'm not sure how they did.

All three children drove remote control boats, but Caroline was not quite as interested in it as the boys were.  Personally, I don't exactly see the appeal of remote control boats, but I suppose there is something for everyone.

 

We caught the very end of the animal show so the kids were able to touch some animals if they wanted. My cautious first-born was not too sure and refused to pet the snake and skunk. However, the two younger ones were fascinated and went right over.  I wasn't sure if Grant, who has a love/hate relationship with snakes, would actually want to touch it, but maybe it was good for him.  He didn't have nightmares afterwards so that was good!

All in all, I suppose it was fun.  I think if we were to go again, we'd make sure we got there right when it opened and took money/food for all of us.  I think it would be fun to try fly fishing or rifle shooting, but let's be honest.  Next year I'll have an 8-mo.-old baby, so the likelihood of me being able to try anything I want to do is pretty slim!

And then there were two...

Now that Jack is back at school, I decided to take advantage of the time I have with just two kiddos.  After all, in just a few months I'll be adding another little one to the mix--a little one who will need to be fed on demand, changed on demand, and sleep at random times.  As I recall, that makes life a little more chaotic!

 

So a couple of weeks ago I loaded my two kids into the mini van and headed off to the zoo.  Because Ryan usually drives, and I don't really pay attention, I missed the exit so we got a nice little detour through the city.  However, it wasn't too sketchy because it was 10 a.m.--not sure I'd want to be there at 10 p.m.  Anyway, we made it there and quickly discovered that late August is a great time to visit the zoo! (Kids are back at school but it's too early for field trips.)

 

We decided to use the double stroller, which is a BUS!  I am not sure I will be using it much more during this pregnancy with 70 lbs. on it!

 

Although Grant kept insisting we visit the snakes first (interesting choice since they have given him nightmares), the Oceans exhibit was right at the entrance, and Grant decided he'd like to touch the sharks.  I was happy that he and Caroline were both able to touch one.

There was a docent with three animal skulls (carnivore, herbivore, and omnivore) on her cart.  Grant was quite fascinated by opening and closing the lion's mouth.  The woman said, "Oh, maybe he'll be a dentist when he grows up.  He's quite interested in teeth."  I had to correct her and say, "Well, he actually just likes seeing how things work so he is probably just watching how the jaw opens and shuts."  She then predicted he'd be an engineer.  We shall see, but that may be more likely than dentist. 

 

Grant preparing to "race" the cheetah (There is a little blip that represents the cheetah's speed.)

And he's off!  He was quite sure he beat the cheetah in the race.

 

Caroline had never done it but wanted to as well.  I decided I'd pay the $0.50 for her to race as well.  She doesn't look too sure standing at the starting line.  (And yes, she dressed herself, right down to her two "right" shoes that I didn't notice until we were at the zoo.  But hey, my two-year-old chooses her clothes and dresses herself.  We'll worry about matching when she's 3--or 4!)

How cute is her little pigtail bouncing as she runs!

 

We shall see how many more of these little two-on-one adventures we will have.  I want to enjoy my time with my two middle children while I can because I know life will soon change.  They're pretty fun kids, if I do say so myself!  Now if only we could get their fighting under control...

Thanking God

On Tuesday we had our 20 week ultrasound.  I must confess I've been quite worried about this one.  I just feel like I've known so many people in the past few years who have had babies/children with health issues.  And I realize that the ultrasound is not necessarily saying my child is perfectly normal and healthy, but it certainly helps to give me (and the doctor) some peace of mind.

 

With all of that being said, here are some pictures of our beautiful baby:

 

toes

left hand

baby's face (yes, I confess this is slightly alien-like and creepy)

 

right hand

 

I am always in awe of the amazing creation God has made when I see my babies on the ultrasound screen--to know that this little person started off as just a cell dividing and somehow ended up becoming a baby!  It just strikes me as unbelievable that someone could not believe in a Creator when you see how life forms!

 

And no, we do not know the gender.  Our tech took pictures and put them in an envelope (we were unable to see the screen at the time) so we have the option of finding out.  However, we've chosen to wait.  It's just so fun in the delivery room to find out with the shout of "It's a ___!"  Plus, we want people to be just as excited to hear that our fourth child is born as they were to hear that our first was born.  (Yes, that's my selfish, but I feel valid, reason.)  Jack, who has been so sure it's a girl, stated that he now thinks it's a boy.  When asked later why he thought that, he said it's because the baby has no hair in the pictures.  I will have to remind him that his sister was pretty bald until she was two!

Yes, Michigan

Didn't that used to be the slogan for Michigan ads?  If not, just pretend that it was...

Anyway, a few weeks ago we went up to northern Michigan for a family reunion on my mom's side of the family with my aunts, uncles, cousins, and cousins' kids.  It's kind of crazy to see my cousins as responsible adults with kids and stuff.  When did we all grow up?  We stayed at Crystal Mountain Resort, and it was great!  Ryan, the kids, and I shared a condo with my parents, my sister and her family.  (My other sister just lives too far away--one major drawback of living in SoCal, but I have to say that after visiting this summer, there are not too many!) 

We had a lot of fun just hanging out.  It's definitely different now that we all have kids--the nights end a lot earlier!  However, it was good to be with my immediate family.  Jack, Grant, and Caroline had fun playing with each other and with their cousins, Barrett and Audrey, even though Barrett wasn't feeling 100%.  That actually probably kept the 2 two-year-olds out of some mischief!

One of the favorite things that we did was spend a little bit of time at the beach in Frankfort (about 15 min. away).  It was too cold to swim (or so we grown-ups thought) but was nice to see and spend some time enjoying.  I just LOVE Michigan beaches.  When I was in high school and college my family would rent a house with my aunts, uncles, and cousins in Grand Haven, MI, and it was such a relaxing, great vacation.  When our kids get older, I think I'd like to do a Michigan beach vacation sometime.

Here are some snapshots of our time there.

Jack, Grant, and Caroline gathered around the iTouch.

Caroline loved Audrey!  She looks like such a big girl sitting like this next to Baby Audrey.

We also rode an alpine slide, but Caroline was too young.  They had this one at the base of the hill to practice braking.  Caroline enjoyed playing on it.

 

more Audrey admiration

Jack was so cute on this ride.  He asked me several times if the baby was okay.  I guess he was worried that the baby might be hurt by this ride.

Grant, my little daredevil, loved the alpine slide!  Look at his wild hair!

 

the two-year-old troublemakers who couldn't ride, sitting and not getting into mischief at that moment--trust me, I got a workout chasing after these two while my sister rode and my brother-in-law took care of Audrey

Jack and my dad--I think there was a battle of wills over who had control of the brake!  Jack is his grandfather's grandson!

 

Isn't this a cute entrance to a town? 

my dad with Jack and Grant heading out to the lighthouse

So the boys decided to get wet, and we decided that it was fine if they wanted to make that choice--I'm not sure they liked being so wet, though, when they got out of the water without a towel or on the drive back to the hotel!

Caroline wasn't so sure about sand at first but quickly got used to it. Once she saw her brothers in the water, she decided she wanted to join them. I, however, decided I didn't want to deal with her cold, wet whining (I would have to carry her, afterall), so I dragged her away from the water pretty quickly and onto the swing set. She was pretty happy up there, too.

 

 

another attempt at a family picture--You just really cannot get a good picture of three kids!

 

And just one more of Caroline fawning over her baby cousin.  I am pretty sure Caroline is going to be a very doting big sister, but we shall see!