Accelerating

Miller riding his bike on his own. Still figuring out those pedals, but not bad for a 2 1/2 year old.

Busy Kids

A few shots of the kids from the past few days. Miller's 1st bubble bath.

The kids found most of Brooks' toys for him while we cleaned out our toyboxes for Goodwill.

The decorating of our first pumpkins of the year.

Ella designated them by size, so hers is the tallest on the right, and Brooks is the smallest on the left. I think they are beautiful.

Perks of the Midwest

We were finally able to go to the Benton County Fair tonight since it stopped raining. We saw animals, ate yummy food, rode ponies and rides. Ella is a big roller coaster fan, always screaming and throwing her arms in the air. Miller has always shied away from them, but participated tonight. He was literally expressionless and we had to pry his hands off the bar, but he claims he had fun.

Oh Man!

Our response when the dentist told us that Ella had a yuck yuck between her right bottom molars on her xray. She does such a good job brushing and not eating before bed. It is simply a flossing issue because it is between the teeth, and those teeth are moving closer together. Never in a million years did I think a toddler could get a cavity from not flossing. She will get her fillings in 2 weeks and we are going to be flossing and fluoriding like crazy around here to prevent anymore! Miller had a great exam, but didn't get any xrays. We won't be waiting to get those to start flossing him. In fact, I may start flossing Brooksy's teeth the minute they come in just to be sure.

4 month comparisons

Pulled these pics off the blog from when Ella & Miller were 4 months old. Genes are too cool.

Brooks' 4 Month Stats

The same day Miller got his staple Brooks got his 4 month shots. His physical was unremarkable and they commented on what a happy boy he was. And much to my surprise, they informed me he would keep his blue eyes. He weighs 14lb 3oz(40%) and is 26 1/4 inches tall (90%). He has become quite a talker, squealer, and laugher..mostly at his siblings!

That's gonna hurt in the morning

Mommy & Daddy got the call from school that no parent wants to get: Miller had fallen on the playground and had a gash in his head that would require stitches. Daddy picked him up with gum, motrin, and a sucker in tow to take him to the ER. They attempted 5 staples, but only one stayed in. Miller was very brave and a very good boy without any anesthetic. When you ask him what happened at the hospital, he says, 'click', because that's all he heard when they put the staples in.

Miller's 1st Day of School

Miller & Ella started Mom's Day Out today, they were both very excited to go to their new classrooms with their new teachers. They wanted to take a picture with Brooks. Ella will go in the mornings to Mom's Day Out and then to Preschool in the afternoons. They both did really good at the drop off...nobody cried and everyone had a smile on their face. I hope it's the same all year long.

Happy Labor Day

Jason started the day running the 5K in the Run 4 a Child. We met up with him after the race and the kids played in the bouncy area. We had our annual picnic to celebrate our engagement. This year we decided to celebrate in the backyard under our new patio. We truly enjoyed our 3 day weekend and the beautiful weather that came with it.

In the Minivan on a MiniRoad trip to the MiniFarm

We met the Braman's for lunch on Saturday in Joplin at the Red Onion, as well as my cousins Pam & Morgan. Lunch was delicious and we ended up at Lindsay's farm in Purcell for ice cream and brownies. She had horses, ducks, chickens, dogs, tomatoes and even a snake!

Just Hook Them Up To An IV

We bought the kids some Leapsters for learning on road trips or during long waits. They obviously love them, even caught Ella doing hers in the bathroom!

Changes

Brooks requires buckles now that he has figured out how to slither down his bouncy chairs. I've also noticed that when the kids are watching a show he is absolutely mesmerized. Time to get out the Baby Einstein dvds.

S'More Soup

While I was baking Ella wanted to create something of her own. She was so excited to have daddy try it when he got home. I knew she would be devastated if he didn't eat it, so told her to limit it to 4 ingredients. She decided on marshmallows, chocolate chips, crumbled graham crackers, and peanut butter...her favorite part was very dramatically taking the lid off to display her masterpiece.

I heart this....

This is Brooks' relaxed position with his feet hugging. I just love it and wanted to get a shot of it because it will be gone before I know it.

Celebrating Daddy

Last weekend the Target team threw Jason a 'going away' party, since he will be moving to a different area, although still working with them. They laid out this huge slide on the hill and soaped it up to make it very slippery. I think the adults had way more fun than the kids on this one. Thank you!