Ethan and Ava's 6th Birthday Party

Ethan and Ava celebrated their 6th Birthday this last weekend with some shared friends and family. The theme this year was camping and Thomas transformed our basement into an amazing camping adventure. The adventure included a slide down down the steps into foam pit followed by a trail through many dark tents and tunnels that led to a gigantic tree covered with green balloons as leaves and an impressive indoor campfire! The kids were pretty amazed and I think they all had a great time. When the kids arrived and sitting together Thomas jumped down from the upstairs dressed in an Indiana Jones vest and hat and asked the kids if they were ready for an adventure? Of course the kids were ready for the fun to begin and Thomas and I came up with a scavenger hunt that would ultimately lead them to the basement steps where they would slide down into the forest. The kids found all their clues, slid down the basement slide and used flashlights to guide them through the tunnels. We only had two kids that weren't so sure about entering the caves but they did ok. Once we were safe in a tent, Thomas turned all the lights out and turned on lightning sounds as if we were stuck in a storm. This is when I had a few kids plead to be released back to their parents :) Shortly after, we turned off the sounds, turned on the flashlights and read some stories instead. After that, we continued through the tunnels and made it to the campfire where all the kids bundled up in their sleeping bags with some trail mix and listened to Papa Shiplett and Grandpa Fawcett tell campfire stories. They were great! They had the kids captivated. We ate cake and amazing cupcakes (thanks to Grandma Fawcett who never disappoints with her baking creations), opened gifts and watched a movie under the stars! Thomas and I are exhausted, but it was well worth the effort. It's hard to believe we have a soon to be 6 year old in the house! Simon and Samuel enjoyed the party as well! Samuel refused to take a nap and wanted in on all the action. I had somewhat planned the party around his nap time so that both Thomas and I would be completely freed up to party with the kids however we were flexible and even though he didn't nap, he was very pleasant for the party and didn't require much added attention. Simon enjoyed the slide so much that we were still sliding days after the party was over. Finally Thomas thought it best to remove the slide since it was becoming a bit of a safety issue as the kids were sending all sorts of toys down the slide and sneaky little Samuel had opened up the basement door and slid down, unattended, several times. Very dangerous! Simon is already talking about his Birthday and how he would love a slide into a prehistoric basement! We're exhausted just thinking about it! This week, we have been trying to recover from a busy month! We did finally get our Christmas tree purchased and decorated. It's a bit smaller than last year which I think is appropriate for our size living room and it gives the kids a little more space to run around. We are excited for the trip to Grandma and Grandpa's in a couple of weeks along with Christmas morning in Ames! The kids can't wait! In the meantime, I will be baking our Holiday cookies and getting them ready to send to our family and neighbors. It's always fun to get the kids involved although I would say they stay involved for about the first batch out of 20 and that's about it! Their favorite are the date balls because they can roll them around in powdered sugar. I hope to take some pictures and get them posted. No snow thus far but we're eagerly awaiting its arrival! We had a few flurries the other night and the kids were having such a difficult time getting to sleep because they couldn't stop looking out their window at the stoplight down the street where they could see the snow falling. Unfortunately, nothing stuck to the ground. We're hopeful and optimistic though, that it will be a white Christmas!

This is the tree, although difficult to see, and the balloon covered ceiling.

This is the campfire that Thomas built and the picture really doesn't do it justice!

Here is a picture of the kids blowing out an amazing flower candle that opens up and plays Happy Birthday!

Here is the slide going into the basement! The lights were all turned off when the kids slid down as well as a wall of streamer and pit foam at the bottom!

The table of goodies along with the campfire cake!

The Birthday kids!

This is the early construction of the tree in our basement!

Date Night With Ethan

This week, we are beginning our homeschooling journey. I am scrambling to try and get things organized but then realize that I've been organizing all summer and we've already started "school". It will be official however this Thursday and to kick of our homeschool year, we took Ethan out on a date to talk to him about how excited we are and our vision being homeschooling his Kindergarten year. We dressed up and took him to The Cafe. He was able to order anything he wanted off the menu (which is rare in his case). He picked orange soda with a steak for dinner. He ate it all and loved it! We talked to him throughout the meal about what his thoughts were and how our home life might look a bit different this coming year. Meaning Ethan will have more responsibility and a few more formal activities to do throughout the day. The curriculum we finally chose is very straight forward and I think that it's probably not something I will stick with but it's a good way to get our feet wet for the first year. After the meal came our dessert and after going over the choices several times, without hesitation, Ethan chose the chocolate lovers cake. It was definitely loaded with chocolate and Thomas and I may have had a small portion of it but Ethan really finished it fast. We were happy to let him. It's not every day you get to choose from a fine restaurant what you want for dessert and have the option of eating the entire thing by yourself. It was a great time and if nothing else, I think it communicated our love for Ethan and excitement around being his Mom and Dad!

Ethan sipping some orange soda!

Now that is one big chocolate cake!

Thanksgiving 2012

I know I say this often, but time sure is flying by! We're almost to December and 2012 is nearing its end. I can't believe how quickly this year has gone by. As I reflect, I think it's been an exciting year of firsts! Ethan started school and learned to ride a bike without training wheels, Simon purchased his first pair of big boy underwear and started preschool, Samuel started sitting up, crawling and walking all in the same year, and Thomas and I went on our first trip without any of the kids! I'd say it was a full year of firsts for all of us! What a joy it's been to experience these blessings each day! Last week we celebrated Thanksgiving in West Branch with Grandpa and Grandma Fawcett, Troy, Leanna, Grace and Grant, Uncle John Fawcett, Tom Stumpff, and Kent and MarKay Stuart. While were were in West Branch we were also able to visit with Allen and Elaine and their children Owen and Nora, and Elaine's parents, Mike and Ginny Zimmerman. We shared a wonderful time together over great food, good conversation, many laughs, along with good memories from watching old home videos. Since the weather has been atypically warm, we were all able to go outside and watch Grandpa and Uncle Jon do some outside chores by the barn. He had quite a to do list and we were able to be there to watch him plow through it with the help of Uncle Jon. Unfortunately, we provided little help however, Thomas and I are doing our best to prepare the boys to be oriented around service and that means helping out grandpa with the farm chores when we're back. Hopefully, we're raising up some helpful, strong hands! We often tell them "many hands make light work"! I remind them of this when I'm picking up the dumped lego bin for the 5th time that day! The boys watched Grandpa power wash the combine as it needed to be cleaned after harvest. We all went to the pond one morning and took down the Teepee. The boys liked helping with this project.

We also watched grandpa, Uncle Jon, Kent and Allen pull "Hollywood", the pond's floating dock, onto shore, dry it, clean it and store it for the winter.

The following day, we went back out to the pond and went on an adventure, hiking all the way around it and through the wooded area. Everything is an adventure with the boys...and Thomas! He is always telling a story! I was quite proud of myself as I found a 5 point deer antler on our hike. I found it as I was collecting pine cones for Ethan's Birthday party next weekend. When I showed the boys, they were quite impressed. Even more impressed was Thomas when I showed him. I didn't think it to be much of a big deal until I saw everyone's reaction and so as a result, I became very proud! It's not every hike you find a 5 point antler! I think it will be a nice centerpiece for the camping party, along with the small piece that Thomas bought home off of the buck that he hit with his new truck last week! I have to say, mine is a bit more impressive...and it didn't have such negative repercussions. The meal that Grandma Fawcett prepared was amazing, as usual. The spread of dishes was so beautiful on the table and everything taste so delicious. My favorite was the turkey this year. I've never seen a turkey come out of the oven and look just like the turkeys you see on the Butterball advertisements. It was fantastic to look at and even better to eat! It was so moist and tender and the flavor was great!

The pies were wonderful! Uncle Tom made an elderberry pie and it was a nice change from the traditional pies. We all filled our plates with about 3 or 4 different pies as no one could choose just one. Thank you to Mom Fawcett for a wonderful meal! And lastly, Grandma and Grandpa are always so thoughtful and never let a visit go by without a special gift (or gifts) :) for the kids and I wanted to include a picture of the boys after they had opened up a Christmas village scene of children sledding down a snow covered hill. The figure plays music and lights up and the kids' faces say it all (or at least Samuel's does)!

Fall

This is our favorite time of the year, for several reasons. #1 We love the way our street becomnes busy on Satruday afternoon with all the fans walking to the ISU game. We oftentimes walk to the game and visit friends who are tailgating. WHile we never usually go to a game, it's always fun to be apart of the pre-game partying! Although, we did run in to an old friend of Thomas' this last game and he gave all of us free tickets. We weren't planning on it, but made the most of it! The kids did pretty well and we made it through about 3/4 of the game before Samuel was a bit crabby and unable to make it any longer. #2 We llove going to the Apple Orchard. Last year we didn't make it too much but this year we decided to get season passes. THey have added so many fun kid-friendly attractions. It's possibly the best thing to do in the fall in Iowa. Among our favorite activites are the animals, the giant slide, the corn pool, the giant jumping pool, apple cider doughnuts (we never leave without a few) and of course, the apples. We've already been about 5 times this year and plan to go several more.

The corn pool!

The Three Billy Goats bridge

# 3 Jumping in the leaves! For some reason the kids have been talking about this more than ever. Thomas and I always feel a bit overwhlemed this time of year from the amount of leaves that need to be raked, bagged and then stored until a free leaf disposal day rolls around. It's a lot of work but the kids seem to love the tradition. The thought of the very first pile puts a huge smile on their face and hopefully motivates them enough to help out with the whole process. We'll have to wait and see. We love the fall and are thinking about throwing a party this year. Thomas's Birthday lieks on a Saturday and it would be fun to have a Birthday/pumpkin carving party this October. So, we'll see if we can pull it off but I think the kids would have a blast! The kids haven't decided on costumes yet for Halloween and I'm just hoping one of them will be ok with wearing any of the myriad of costumes we already own, but again, we'll have to wait and see.

Grandma and Grandpa took us to see Thomas the Tank Engine in Boone with the cousins! Happy Fall!

We are 21 days into our homeschooling journey and we're off to a good start. I think we've settled into a comfortable routine, which allows for A LOT of flexibility, and the boys seem to be enjoying the activities that we plan for the day. The boys wake around 7 and slowly, very slowly, get out of bed and head downstairs. I typically am up an hour or so before they awake and have started their breakfast. usually heads downstairs first and is the one who always asks if his oatmeal is ready? Some days it is, and some days I haven't started preparing it yet, but since we have it every morning, I have it made fairly quickly. Simon isn't thrilled about the idea of oatmeal, but I make sure that his is always ready to go when he comes down so he doesn't have time to think about something that sounds better to him. We wrap up breakfast pretty quickly and the boys get dressed. Ethan is pretty independent when it comes to getting ready and Simon is catching on. He still needs a little assistance every now and then. He has made the switch from diapers to underwear! I'm so proud of him and it was good timing! It was beginning to feel a bit overwhelming having two boys in diapers. We get ready, play for a bit and then sit down at the table for about an hour or so doing various subjects. We try to get Math, History, Language Arts and Handwriting done first. These take the longest and require my attention most of the time. We do some games, fun worksheets, or maybe some sort of craft that I can think of quickly that ties into what we're learning. Simon loves to sit with us and he stays busy either working alongside Ethan or working on his own workbooks. Samuel is usually sleeping at this time for his morning nap but if he's up, he's usually playing independently or on my lap, checking in to what we're doing. Around 10 or 11 we finish up and the boys play, usually outside, depending on the weather. They collect the eggs outside first and then are free to play however they would like. The boys could be out for hours! THey love being outside and if the weather is nice enough, we usually eat outside too! Following lunch is my favorite time of the day, story time. Sometimes, we'll read stories outside but more often than not, we'll be on the couch together reading books. I love this time and can't wait until Samuel is old enough and all four of us can read together curled up on the couch. Then it's quiet time and the younger one's nap and Ethan reads alone. When he's finished up, we work on reading. I enjoy all the one on one time I can get with each boy! It's so special when there's one on one time because I feel like I can really get to know them apart from their brothers. They love each other and oftentimes will act a certain way to go along with how the other is acting or playing so when it's just the one, they are truly themselves and I love this time. That's about it. The boys wake, we play, get ready for Dad to come home and start making dinner. It's a loose schedule, and I think it works well for us! Each day, I'm learning more about how they will best learn and I"m trying to adapt accordingly. It's going to be a trial and error type of year. This is the cake that I made to celebrate Ethan starting school. He wanted Batman on it.

We celebrated the first day by going out to Perfect Games that night. Thomas won the jackpot and won the boys 250 tickets!

Here are the boys playing in the backyard in a teepee that we built together! They love to pretend to be squirrels...or shoot squirrels...Boys!

Summer 2012

Today marks the 3rd of August!  How on earth did the summer fly by so quickly?  It always seems like just when you warm up to the idea of getting out and going to take the family to the pool, the summer is almost gone!  Time sure does seem to go quickly.  Despite the speed at which time seems to travel, our family does a good job at taking moments to enjoy each other, family and friends quite often.  We have had so much fun this summer and even though it does seem like our calendar is always full, the fullness and joy of what fills each day is priceless.  I really do tear up every often because of how blessed I feel to be married to such an incredible man and be given three amazing young boys.  They bring me so much joy and I love every minute with them.  I think every season of their lives has been wonderful, and I've always told them that, however this season right now...surpasses them all!  It just keeps getting better and better.  They are so much fun, each with their unique personalities, strengths and quirks, they all bring so much fun and excitement to the family.  Thomas and I comment often of the wonderful "gifts" that God has given us and how we can't imagine life without them.  Our journey into parenthood seemed to happen very quickly after we were married and not quite as we would have planned (originally) however, we are so glad we did!  Looking back, it's been the best thing for us.  Children have revealed in us where we need pruning and where we each need to strive to be better for the sake of each other and our family.

I love to read and have been reading like crazy ever since I was engaged to marry (I'm not sure why it wasn't really something I enjoyed prior to this however it became such a hobby when I could find a book that would serve as a mentor to me and help me be a better wife/mother) and I am reading a book at the moment by an author whom I adore.  Tim Kimmell writes how your children model you and you say you want to teach them kindness, servants to others, thankful, grateful, patient etc...then you be those things as a parent.  They watch and observe and too often our children see hypocrisy in our what we say and what we do.  Thomas and I are doing our best to be an example to them and then we pray for the rest!  They are in God's hands and we thank Him every day for giving them to us a gifts to love and teach and grow into young men!  What an honor and privilege.

So, yes, this summer has been busy.  Here's what we've been up to.  For 3 years now we have been taking a trip to Minneapolis and staying at a hotel that includes a huge indoor playground and gym with all sorts of balls and trikes.  The indoor playground is 3 stories high and has some of the fastest slides that we've ever been on.  Last year we actually went hiking one night before we stayed at the hotel however this year, we weren't as adventurous and just stayed an extra night in the hotel.  We played at the hotel and went to the Mall of America.  It's become a tradition now that the boys are really looking forward to each year.  The best part, in their minds, would probably be lego land where they can pick out a tub of legos and piece together any sort of creation they can think of.  They were in heaven!  The rides weren't too bad either.  We did end our trip with a dinner at the Rainforest Cafe (a personal favorite).  It's was unfortunate that we were just coming off of some virus (I'm pretty convinced it was the influenza virus) and none of us were that hungry.  Nevertheless, it was a good time and the kids loved all there was to see.

Me and the boys on the 3rd level of the play gym!

Ethan enjoying the fish at Rainforest Cafe

Simon and Daddy riding the Big Rigs!

Daddy and Ethan riding the big roller coaster in Mall of America

July 4th weekend was especially exciting this year because my cousins Summer and Shannon came out to visit with us.  They love the family and we absolutely love them!  We went to the pool, the mall, and did crafts together and played music.  They are amazing musicians and have really inspired me to ramp up my guitar playing and get some new songs in my repertoire.  It was so much fun having them here and time really went by all too quickly.  The boys are already asking when they are coming back next year.  Maybe a trip to Disney altogether would suffice?  Sounds like a good idea to me!

This last week we were in West Branch celebrating Sweet Corn Fest along with Samuel's First Birthday...once again, where did his first year go?  My goodness, my little one is turning 1!  It was a wonderful time with so many laughs and good memories made.  The boys were able to play with other cousins from out of state.  Owen and Nora were there, along with Daniel and Soren Schabilion and Ryker.  The boys had a blast picking and eating corn, playing at Grandma and Grandpas, visiting with Grace and Grant and eating Samuel's bear cake.  The cake was amazing, as usual.  Helen did such a great job constructing a masterpiece out of lots and lots of sugar.  The boys all helped Samuel pick apart the cake and eat every last bit of frosting off of it!  It was a pretty fun time for all the kids.  My parents were able to make it and take part in all the festivities.  We are back now and enjoying the ages 5, 3, and 1!  They are so much fun to watch when interacting with each other.  It really is amazing and wonderful to see the bonds that are beginning to be formed and strengthened.

riding in the covered wagon

picking corn with Grandpa

center stage at the cabin

another ride in the wagon with Daddy

The Birthday Boy with his family

"This is pretty good Mom!"

We are now looking at the last couple weeks of summer.  The sun is still hot and the Iowa State Fair is just around the corned.  My garden has needed watering almost every day due to the severe drought that we have been having.  It has been a good year for the garden.  The beans, beets, and dark greens have been abundant and the tomatoes are beginning to ripen.  Most of the ripe cherry tomatoes don't ever make it into the house because of the boys!  I love it though!  It's the main reason I have a garden!

Catching frogs in the backyard

The garden mid summer

Plantar boxes are home to herbs, peppers, chard, kale and cucumbers.

One more trip to West Branch in a few weeks for Samuel's surgery and then we will be kicking off our school year.  Ethan and Simon are pretty excited although it's not going to look much different from what we are already doing now.  I'm excited about the new schedule and staying inside a bit more to snuggle on the couch and read...especially with hot cocoa!

Spring 2012

I am currently typing on our new iMac computer that Thomas purchased for our family about 2 weeks ago.  We were trying to manage with a laptop with a broken screen hooked up to a monitor that didn't necessarily belong to us along with not having near enough space for all of our pictures.  We had filled up all of our external hard drives and there was no more room for taking pictures on our phones so we decided we could no longer put this purchase off. We needed a new computer otherwise we were going to miss out on taking all the pictures/movies that we wanted this summer!  That wasn't an option, so I am feeling very blessed right now with a lovely computer that will hold all the pictures we want to take and more!  I haven't been able to blog so I am taking the next week or two to try and get caught up.  This brings us to spring 2012.

It was a very mild spring, beautlifuyl weather and early planting.  Thomas was pretty busy through March, April and May.  He did have the help from Andy and Logan which was awesome!  He worked so hard and we are so proud of him.  When Dad was gone, we hung out outside quite a bit in the evenings.  There were a few nights that we would walk down to the river by our house and skip rocks or find cool things to look at.  I would strap Samuel in the carrier and off we'd go.  THe boys love going down to the river and we have even taken their sling shots (from grandma and grandpa) and Thomas has showed them how to safely shoot a rock in the river.  They think it's pretty cool!

The boys and I at the river by our house

Yes, those are slingshots!

Ethan has a good aim!

Samuel loves the carrier!  I love being hands free!   

This spring Thomas and I have been talking quite a bit about homeschooling as Ethan is approaching his Kindergarten year this fall.  We have decided to take it on a year by year basis and give it try this year.  I attended the Iowa Homeschool Conference in June and learned so much and we're pretty excited about getting started.  I have purchased a curriculum that I think the boys are going to love.  The curriculum is designed to work with multiple skill levels and I think Simon will probably enjoy sitting in on some of the learning.  He already loves being apart of what we're doing.  The books that are included in the literature collection are some of my favorite classic children's books!  I don't really know how all the scheduling is going to work out, but I'm kind of in the "go with the flow" category when it comes to my homeschooling style.  We're really looking forward to creating some special bonds between all the boys and doing some special things as a family this year.  I have checked out almost every homeschooling book from the library and committed this summer to reading all that I can on the topic.  I'm learning a lot and ready to begin.

Working on handwriting!  Not sure what Ethan's thinking :)

This was our first year in a long time celebrating Easter at home.  We hid some Easter eggs for the boys and they had a blast hunting for their easter baskets from Grandma.  We spent some time with my family and all the cousins in Ames were able to get together and hang out.

Finishing up Easter Egg Hunt in our backyard.  Thanks Easter bunny for sending some goodies!

The boys love this park (Roosevelt School) and one night we decided to go and play in the puddles.  

Yes, we are proud soccer parents!  Ethan joined Ames Soccer Club this season and had a blast!  Simon is anxious to play now too!

Ethan in action!

Fun at the park.  He LOVES swings!

Veisha Parade

No caption needed!

Chickens!

So, about a year ago, I got a lot of requests to have chickens and raise them in our backyard.  I was pretty sure I did NOT want these birds in our yard as I didn't want the added responsibility and nothing really appealed to me about having them.  That was a year ago.  SInce then the idea has come up several times and after talking to a friend of mine down the street who has 8 chickens and loves the fresh eggs, I decided to look into it.  Thomas felt the same as I did a year ago and expressed that he didn't like the idea much either.  After we discussed it over a period of a couple weeks and after a few trips to Theisens to marvel at the cuteness of all those chicks, I was sold on the idea and Thomas wasn't far behind.  The practicality of it seemed a little daunting but we jumped right in and figured that the details would all work themselves out after we made the initial commitment.  And they did!

Here we are at Theisen's picking up 6, day old baby chicks!  Ethan was pretty excited to hold them.   Simon was excited about eating popcorn!

For the first couple weeks, we set them up in a bin in the garage.  

Our 6 baby chicks!

The chickens lived in our garage for about 2 months.  We periodically let them out in the yard when they were little so they could have some fresh air.  THe boys loved corralling them and keeping them in our yard.  They really do stay together and don't wander to far.  They have grown really fast and now, they are about 4 months old and almost full grown.  Grandpa Fawcett was kind enough to build us an amazing chicken coop out of some wood that he had.  The coop is beautiful and more than we could imagined it would be.  These chickens are very spoiled.  THey have a ton of space to live in along with their own nesting boxes and roosting bars.  They have a window that we can open and a door that let's us get in and out of the coop.  There is also a door that raises and lowers so that during the day, they can get out into the caged in run and at night can be closed inside to keep them safe from critters.  The other night, the top of their caged in run was caved in which was probably due to a raccoon trying to get them.  Luckily we had locked them inside, which occasionally we forget to do.  A good reminder that they need to be locked in every night!!!  We have had one causality.  The boys were playing with them inside the coop and one was trying to escape out of the chicken door.  Simon let go of the rope and the chicken was partly outside and got stuck under it.  Ethan tried to save it but unfortunately, it lost it's life.  THe boys were both pretty upset but we took the opportunity to teach them a lesson about death and as we buried the chicken the boys felt better that she was out of pain.

Ethan helped set up the chicken coop

Here is the chicken coop set up behind our house.  We have since built an outdoor run.

So we on on an adventure with our new "pets".  Ethan now tells people that we have "5 new pets".  We have not given them names as someday, they might be placed in front of us at our kitchen table.  This is what Thomas tells me.  I am not opposed to doing it however, I will NOT be eating chicken that night.   The chickens are fun to have around and the boys are slowly taking on more and more responsibility with feeding them and changing their water.  They should start laying eggs in about 1 month.  THat's exciting!!!

This is random, but Thomas just got his new truck.  We are very excited and it is beautiful!  We have already had a ride in it!  It's even a smoother ride than the toyota.