Fabulous fun with friends!

One of my closest friends and her family came from MI this past weekend to visit. With their almost 4 year old son and almost 3 year old twin boys in tow, they moved in for a few days! We had a great time exploring the Arboretum (and trying to keep track of 6 kids under 5! Sam was easy... :O), walking to our neighborhood park, swimming and playing, playing, playing some more! The kids did remarkable well for being very tired and in close quarters at times. We adults did very well too...actually sitting down for meaningful adult conversation after all was quiet at night..what a treat! 

Thanks again, Kevin and Lisa, for making the trip...we loved having you!

Goofing around with a swim diaper on her head...hmmm, how did that get there?!

She's growing up way TOO fast! 

I caught you looking Drew! :O)

Ethan

Derek
Bedtime...the twins slept in Sam's room on mattresses (Sam was in our room), so we all did story time and prayers together with them! 

At the Morton Arboretum

Despite his absence in most of the pictures, Sam was with us at all times and for the most part, enjoyed himself too! Here's a shot to prove it. :O)

Just had to add it...

I was looking back at pictures of Sam from a few days after he was born and I just can't believe how much he's grown already! 

We're not sure where it came from, but it appears that he's grown another chin! But, isn't it adorable?!

Yikes!

Wow! I just realized that it's been 2 weeks since my last post! Sorry about that...not that any of you really care. :O)

We spent all of last week in Michigan, soaking up the sun, getting sand stuck between our toes and relishing in Grandma and Papa's love and attention! Let me tell you...it was hard to come home! Brian was in Germany with his dad, sister and nephew, so we were able to get away and get some help. :O) 

Hannah and Ellie (when she wasn't napping) absolutely had the time of their lives on the beach! I think Hannah would live on the beach if she could. It is almost incomprehensible how much energy she exerted swimming and playing in the sand each day. By the end of the day, I was exhausted just looking at how tired she was! We were blessed with the company of dear friends and family almost every day. It was so great to see Jane and her family, Lisa and the boys and my cousin from Texas. And, as usual, we had a blast with Stacey and the kids. She was able to spend a couple of days out at the lake and the kids just couldn't get enough of each other! We were even able to spend one night at their house...what a sight seeing Luke, Taylor and Hannah side by side sleeping soundly in their sleeping bags! 

Now we're back at it here in IL. Sam continues to grow and explore the world a little more each day. He is now working on getting his hands in his mouth as much as possible. I don't know...I might have a thumb-sucker on my hands! He has also mastered batting at the toys hanging on his car seat. What a guy! ;O)

Mmmm, this fist looks SO good!

I think I'll eat it! 

Playing with these toys can be so tiring! 

Brian and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary this past Tuesday. Usually we spend a night away from the kids, going to a nice restaurant in the city...not so much this year, with a 12 week old baby needing "me" every 3 hours! So, instead, we put the girls to bed and I ran out to pick up dinner for us. (hey, no one should cook on their anniversary, right?!) On the way to the restaurant, I had to chuckle and literally said out loud, "You know you're a mom when..." Why, you ask, did I say this? Yeah, when I looked down at the shorts I had been wearing all day and saw the remnant of Sam's dirty diapers on them! Here I was on my anniversary, picking up dinner at restaurant where I would have to see other people (no drive thru at this place :O), with poop on my shorts!!! And you know what made me more of a "mom?" I didn't even care! ;O) We had a lovely dinner (with Sam on my lap, instead of sleeping like he should have been) and added another fun memory to our 8 + years together! 

Okay, I've been trying to finish this post for about 2 days now...I'm going to add a couple pictures here and then call it a night. I hope you are all enjoying your summer. Hug and kiss your loved ones 5 times today...just because...

Our bleached, tan little fish!

Brian took this w/ his phone...we just love E's expression...she really is a sweet little girl (most of the time!). And, she'll be 2 in a few weeks! WOW!

By the way, Brian had our camera with him in Germany, so I used my mom's in MI, but don't have the pictures on our computer...sorry, no beach pics!

KCC & Children's Museum

Last Saturday, Brian and I took the kids to a Kane County Cougars game (our local minor league baseball team...the field is less than 10 minutes from our house!) and Connie, Brian's mom joined us. It was great, although we all laughed that we really didn't see much of the game. They have a few blow-up "rides" for kids to play on, which of course, Hannah couldn't wait to get on! So, we spent about 3 innings watching her play and she loved it! Ellie wanted to love it and attempted to go in the moonwalk, jumping thing, but changed her mind as soon as her big toe entered it! Hannah graciously took Ellie's turn for her! Ellie simply enjoyed watching all of the kids get crazy! We sat on the lawn and decided that was definitely the place to be with little kids. The girls could walk/run around and we didn't have to worry about them kicking the person in front of them if we had sat in regular seats! Hannah even made a little friend and played catch with her for a while. Unfortunately, we didn't last for the fireworks at the end of the game, but nonetheless, we enjoyed our little family outing! :O)

On Monday, I took the kids to the DuPage Children's Museum in Naperville. It was a rainy morning and I had a coupon, so I thought, what a perfect time to go! Well, apparently all of the moms in Naperville thought the same thing! It was packed! As soon as I pulled into the parking lot, I tried to change Hannah's mind about going in, telling her that it was going to be SO busy and she'd have to wait in line to do stuff. I even tried bribing her with a trip to Barnes and Noble...it didn't work. And, to tell you the truth, it didn't turn out too bad. It was certainly crowded, but as long as I knew where the girls were at all times, it really didn't seem that crazy. Bottom line...I didn't lose anyone and they had a fabulous time!

On my heart...

There are several people that are heavy on my heart with the things that they are going through right now. This is just one family that is desperately in need of prayer. I graduated from Taylor with this couple and although we weren't close friends, I am saddened by the heartbreaking situation they are in and the tremendous struggle they will endure in the coming years. Please pray for the McNeils...you can read their story by clicking here.  

http://familymctravels.blogspot.com/

*Forgive me if I already mentioned them on this blog...I couldn't remember if I had and rather than look back, I thought it wouldn't hurt to mention them again.

2 Months and 5 days

These pictures were from yesterday when Sam was officially 2 months, 5 days old. He is a true boy...eating and growing like a champ!

At his 2 month check-up on Monday, he weighed in at 12 lbs 9.4 oz and was 23 inches long! The pediatrician said Sam looked great and does not believe that we need to check his bilirubin anymore! And, even more exciting news is that we got the tyrosine level back and it was down to 121! The level was close enough to the base-line that the docs were looking for, so, this too means that we no longer have to visit the kind people at the UIC pediatric geneticist's office to have it checked. Yah! Sam and his heels are very much appreciative!

I was trying to get a picture of Sam alone, but Ellie was bound and determined to be in it with him! I finally had to send her off to the toy room to retrieve a toy for him!

Big Boy! or "bee-boy" as Ellie says

Even though the flash was bright, Sam was still all smiles!

There is just something so cute about a baby's pout!

It is really unbelievable that 2 months have gone by already. I'd say we've have adjusted nicely to 3 children...well, except for times like this morning when I took them all to Costco and had Sam and Ellie crying and Hannah whining about wanting to go home. Yeah, that wasn't too fun. Other than times like that, things are great! We are enjoying the summer...visiting MI, swimming in the pool, playing on our new play set, trips to the splash park (one of the best ideas ever!) and having good friends over to play...I love this time of year!

Ellie - shoving in her snack after a dip in the pool. We're still working on being lady-like! ;O)

Hannah - looking very warn out...let me just say that if you have a hard time getting your kids to bed, buy a pool - they will be pooped every night!

Smiley Boy

Sam will be 2 months old in 2 days!!! Unbelievable! We had a doctor's appointment with the geneticist we've been seeing again today and everything still looks good. They drew blood and we should have the results of Sam's tyrosine in the next day or two. You know, I'm not sure I've written about this in a while...so, to catch you up, we are still tracking Sam's tyrosine level until it reaches the 100's. 3 weeks ago, the level was 307, thus, requiring the visit again today. We are hopeful that this will be the last visit with the great UIC specialist, but if not, we'll go back and get this thing taken care of until Sam is free and clear. On that note, we've also still be checking Sam's bilirubin level. It is very unusual for babies to still have jaundice at this age, but the type he has ("breast-feeding jaundice" - yes, that's really what it's called!) tends to take longer to clear up. So, we had that test done this past Monday and his bili count is down from 12 to 6.7. This means that it is still elevated (apparently a "normal" bili level is 1), so we'll have to continue to monitor that as well. He has had a couple of liver function tests done throughout all of this and they have always come back normal. So, basically his liver is just taking a while to kick in and now that it is, everything should be normal and he will have no lasting effects from all of this. (to which we are so thankful!)

Sam is a smiley boy now...full of grins for anyone who'll ask for one! :O)

Tummy Time Fun!


Strong Boy!


Trying to give Sammy kisses!


I had to share this shot of Gabby and her friend...I guess we don't give her enough attention! Yikes! :O)

One of our best purchases...

Last summer Hannah would longingly look out of the back sliding door every day at the neighbors pool and if she was lucky, they would be swimming and she would "get invited" over to join them. Unfortunately, there were many days that she didn't get to swim. And although she survived, Brian and I decided that our little girls deserved a pool all of their own.  So, we made the purchase at the end of last summer (when they were on sale!) and became pool owners for the first time. We put it up a few weeks ago and I think we've already gotten our money's worth and then some! Hannah and Ellie LOVE to swim! It's so fun to see Hannah who, much like me (Sarah) as a young child, couldn't get enough of the water. She's really turning into a good little swimmer too. And, of course, Ellie can't be left out and thankfully, she seems to enjoy the water just as much.

Here are a few shots from today's swim...

MI FUN!!

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