Little Cyclone

So I know I am bias, but I do believe Ian makes one of the, if not the cutest Cyclone I have ever seen.

Visiting Grandpa and Grandma

For this Memorial weekend, we headed south to spend our holiday with Nate's parents.  The weather was wonderful and so we took many opportunities to be outside as possible.  Some of the top things on the kid's list besides seeing their grandparents were, riding/seeing farm equipment, fishing and playing at the park.  Even though we probably won't be down again till the fall, we sure hope Grandpa and Grandma can make it up here because the kids miss them already.  

 Just for fun..."Grumpy Faces"

Special thanks to Mike and Kathy for everything, we had a great time!

Preschool Graduate

It's completely bittersweet but today Elyse graduated from preschool and officially will be in kindergarten in the fall, YIKES!  Well her last day was a short one that concluded with chapel (singing, watching a puppet show and prayer with her class and their families).  As you can tell with the tears in her eyes, Elyse LOVED preschool and her teachers.  Thankfully with Caleb attending next year I told her that she just might be able to see them again in the fall and all tears turned to smiles :) 

Unfortunately with having to watch all three boys I did not want to carry around the nice big camera or my phone, which resulted in old camera and horrible pictures....will never make that mistake again!

Elyse with her teachers, Mrs. Guenther and Mrs. Johnson

Elyse with her closest classmates: Nora, Emerson & Sarah

Visiting Caleb's Birth Family

Yesterday we all piled into the van and headed northwest to visit Caleb's birth family and celebrate the graduation of his birthmother, Mariah. It was a very short trip, but it was great to see everyone.

Caleb with his birthmother, Mariah

 Caleb with his birthfamily: Monica, Judy, Ray, Mariah and Rande

 Caleb with Mariah & birth-grandmother, Rande

 Caleb with Mariah & birth-great-grandmother, Judy

No More Training Wheels :)

Elyse informed Nate and I a few weeks ago that she wanted to try to ride her bike without her training wheels.  Her coordination isn't the greatest so I was very hesitant at first.  Well she tried on Sunday with Nate for a short time but got very frustrated (does not like help, especially from Dad and/or Mom).  Wednesday we thought we'd try again.  She again proceeded to get upset and told us she wanted to do it herself.  We did some reverse psychology on her and said, "No way; but if you can, we will give you an M&M."  She agreed, put her feet on her petals and instantly took off.  As you can see from the video, she is riding great and not missing her training wheels!


DSC 6491 from NSquared on Vimeo.

Ian Turns 5 Months Old

Today the littlest man of our house turns 5 months old.  To celebrate Ian turning 5 months, I have come up with 5 things that I believe describes him best right now.
1. Happy
2. Unpredictable
3. Drooling machine
4. Cuddly
5. Active- LOVES to jump, bounce and kick

Happy 5 Month Birthday, Ian!

Ian's Dedication

As stated in the previous post, our morning involved attending a special event at church, Ian's dedication.  For those of you that have never heard of a dedication, it means that we presented Ian in front of our church family saying that we as parents will raise him up in a home dedicated to the Lord.  According to the bible, a child is not saved by being baptized as an infant.  Therefore, we promised God that we will teach Ian about Him; in return Ian will hopefully make the decision to commit himself to God and choose to be baptized.  Just like the other three's, dedicating Ian was a very honoring experience for Nate and I.

We were asked to pick a verse for Ian.  We chose, Proverbs 3:5-6:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,    

    and he will make straight your paths."