6 Months and Counting

Well, his quiet little kicks have turned into strong jabs and pokes...especially when it's time to go to bed. He doesn't seem as calm as he was before. In fact he seems to have a lot of energy! No names for this little guy but we have a running list of ideas. 3 months left and things are still great! The children enjoy talking to their baby brother, even Elijah! Not really sure if he grasps what's going on yet. Grace and Riley get the idea....the like to check and see if he's kicking all the time.

We all are gearing up for fall as the weather grows colder. We had a wonderful time at the state fair this year and thankfully had great weather the day we went. The farm exhibits are always a big hit with them. They love seeing the baby animals. This year they were all big enough to go on a few kiddie rides and they had a blast! Dad accompanied them on a few rides as well. Here are a few pictures of their fun!

Another boy!

19 weeks, 4 days and our little boy has decided to make his presence known. I feel all his little kicks and he's finally big enough to give me the long awaited baby bump! If you didn't catch that, yes, we are having another boy! For those who lost count, this makes 3 boys and 1 girl! We have no idea what to name this one and suggestions are welcome! We are still due December 20th. Baby is healthy appears to be a little larger than the others at this stage.The boys , Richard included, are thrilled to have another brother and Grace is warming up to the idea. She really wanted a little sister. This one seems a lot calmer than the two boys were. He seems content to just float around and give occasional nudges and kicks. We'll keep you posted as things progress!

Washington Trip

Summer has been busy for us this year but a lot of fun! We've enjoyed several warm (by Alaskan standards) and sunny days playing outside and in the garden. Then all three children and I got to take the trip of a lifetime to visit my grandparents in Kennewick, Washington for a whole week! My mother contributed a lot to the trip and we were able to take all three kids, herself and Steve, and my sister and her 3 week old on this trip. We were quite the group! All 8 of us flew 3 1/2 hours to Seattle where we stopped to have lunch with my cousin Kelly and Richard's brother Aaron who drove all the way up from Portland to meet his niece and nephews that he's only heard about! We then got back on the road and drove 5 hours to Kennewick, Washington to see my grandpa for Father's Day! The children loved the plane ride, especially take off and landing, but got a little antsy towards the end of the flight. The car ride was a bit much for them but we seemed to arrive all in one piece and all together! We rented a 15 passenger van for the trip!

We were able to visit my great-grandmother and took a 5 generation photo!! We enjoyed sunny weather and very warm 80-90 degree temps! It was great! Made some good memories for the kiddos and took some great pictures. It was wonderful to visit with extended family I hadn't seen in almost 4 years. Grace and I flew down for Thanksgiving about 4 years ago. I was pregnant with Riley at the time. It was definitely a lot easier with just one kid! Grandpa took the kids to a water park, fed the ducks, and made the trip very enjoyable for them! By the end of the week I think we were all exhausted! It's tough keeping up with all three of them! Even I was worn out! I think the most memorable part of the trip was getting to spend some time with my great grandma who taught me when I was younger how to make pies. She's the sweetest lady you'll ever meet! She was tickled to meet her great-great grandchildren, one of which is named after her! We got some great photos! You can see all the pictures at the web site below but here are a few for your enjoyment!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28214&id=1152026827&l=20bf09d343

End of the first trimester!

One trimester down, 2 more to go! This is a picture of me and the little one at 13 weeks pregnant. As you can see I don't have a baby bump yet but there is a baby in there!! We find out the gender for sure next month. It's been an easy pregnancy so far except for the morning sickness that arrives faithfully right around dinner time every night. Stay tuned for more pictures!!

New addition coming this Christmas!!

Looks like we're expanding the family again! We are very excited to announce we are expecting a 4th child December 23rd, 2009!! Check back often for more updates!

Children Have a Language Entirely Their Own

Recently I've become more aware of the unique language we've become accustom to since having children. Everyday things have new names that we find too cute to correct. "Hamburgers", for example, are "happymakers." "Guacamole" is "mockamole", a "man-guy" is the beard you make out of the bubbles in the bath tub, "chickenbeef" is the new name for all things pork. I have no idea where that came from. I still don't know what "smuffing" is but apparently you do it to the cat. They are always asking if they can "smuff" the cat and they insist that Aunt Chrissy said it. She has no idea what it is either. My other favorite is the "washcar." Not "carwash" but "washcar." I can't wait to hear what they come up with next!

Birthdays

My babies are growing up faster than I can keep up with! I can't believe Grace is 4!! I never knew how smart a 4 year old could be. She has her own opinions, thoughts, feelings, and can carry quite a conversation. I can tell her mind is always working, learning, and questioning. She is a little princess now and wants to wear dresses which I think is adorable! I think she plays girly for mom but is daddy's little football fan when he wants her to be too. She is a people pleaser.

The boys, on the other hand, are completely opposite. Riley, 3 this weekend, is more energetic and destructive and Elijah, 18 months, is very inquisitive and likes to play quiet and look at picture books. But, you can tell they love each other and even though Riley is very rough and tough I am starting to see a tender side of him when he looks after his little brother and almost protects him. I can also see Elijah looking up and admiring his older brother and mimicking him already. ( Riley likes to slide down the stairs on his belly, like a lizard, and Elijah recently tried to follow!) It's amazing the emotions they can demonstrate at such a young age.

From the mouth of babes

I've noticed that over the past few years that with each age comes new rewards and challenges in raising children. These past few weeks I've come to love the little nuances and personality traits that are developing in each child. It's true....kids say the darnest things!

Grace is very observant and opinionated. She's quick to tell me when I'm making my mad face and even quicker to tell everyone about the goings on in a dressing room or public restroom. She loves to announce what color underwear I'm wearing...or " That's way too tight mommy!" I'm cherishing these few precious years when she wants to be doing everything I'm doing and wants to be just like me. I love when she notices that she's standing like me or interacting with her baby doll the same way I'm interacting with Elijah. She's growing up so fast!

Riley has always been full of energy and now that he's talking a mile a minute he too says the cutest things. I love how he calls elevators "alligators" and always want to be the one to push the "alligator button." We say a blessing before dinner, commonly called grace, and recently he started asking if we could say Riley before dinner instead of grace. I also love how creative and imaginative Riley is becoming. He loves to take the blue loofah in the bath and dunk it in the water and he says " Look out! The rain cloud's coming!!"

Elijah's vocabulary is slowly building. He says "mama," "Dada," "cracker," "ball," and now "car car." He loves any car...big ones in the parking lot or little matchbox cars. He is very excited and always has been a ray of sunshine. When he smiles you can tell it's pure joy.

Family News

I started this with the intention of sharing family news, fun tid-bits about the children or any photos to a mass group of family and friends. Most of you know that every Christmas I send out the Gressett Gazette Christmas letter. This will serve as it's monthly version.