the egg HUNT

Yay for hidden baskets full of fun surprises! (Easter is much more fun with 7 kids around! Right Liz?? :))

They were pretty excited about emptying their baskets and heading outside to find MORE!Oh, and I am supposed to say something about how Ty left the grass REALLY long so that the Easter Bunny would have better hiding places and Not say that it's actually because his mower has decided to be officially done with it's mowing life and we haven't had the time to replace it yet. So, Ty left the grass long for the Bunny...And it DID make it pretty hard to find those last few smaller eggs that were down in the grass, but eventually they all ended up checking out their spoils on the porch.those hunts can be incredibly exhausting (can you see Finn sprawled out on the couch? Leaving his mom some great floor space to sleep on.)And these two Kings took the best bed in the house...apparently, sitting up on the porch watching "the hunt" is even MORE exhausting :)

Special Deliveries

Ok, so this one came a long time ago--6 weeks from this picture to be exact--but we still are thoroughly enjoying him! (Isn't she so cute, she ALWAYS wants to hold him and pat his back--plus this picture gives you a good look at their matching round cheeks, profile noses and hair color)But his adorable smile that emerges on cue is definitely new!Grandma sent a wonderful package that turned Coleson into a SUPER hero! (and it also contained their incredible Easter clothes, yay!)
And the most wonderful Liz and her 3 boys came down to play! We LOVED our time with them, but it went by so, so quickly...(I should have taken a picture of the awesome food she brought to stock my fridge and freezer, because that was definitely an unexpected special delivery!)

we have a PROBLEM

We ran into 2 major problems last Sunday: #1: we found out there was a candy loving rodent in our house.It leaves VERY sticky wrapper trails and we aren't sure how to capture it#2: we got dressed up, everyone looked super sharp, we were going to be EARLY to church (and Dad was at work, so we were all on our own), BUT, then we ended up looking VERY nice at WalMart for 2 hours instead, waiting for our tire to be patched.

We did have 1 MAJOR blessing (in addition to a BUNCH of littler ones, ie: mom miraculously not loosing it!): the best neighbors EVER! They saw us leave the house (and noticed a weird sound, then saw my very flat tire!), tried to call- my silenced phone in preparation for church- repeatedly and then resorted to running red lights in order to stop me before I got on the freeway with a screw punctured tire! (because apparently, if it's a back tire, and you have 3 kids in your car listening to and singing along with their church music and one crying infant, you don't notice a thing!) It really could have turned into an incredibly DISASTEROUS day if the Fife's hadn't saved us.

Occupied

The best way to keep these two that way is to make them think they are NOT supposed to be playing with eachother, ie put them down for naps and then they "sneakily" meet up in the loft :)...that way, they will keep eachother quietly occupied for a VERY long time (key word: quietly--this means they aren't fighting and screaming at eachother)

Beckett seems to think he needs to be kept occupied as well, otherwise he may resort to the tantrum pictured above...so, if I am trying to make dinner or something, I slide him in here, and he is perfectly occupied. Except that it seems to do this to him every time:

As soon as he passes out he loses the pacifier and proceeds to make a LOT of noise. Can you hear those manly grunting/breathing noises--this video doesn't really do his sounds justice, but I tried. And then, you can lie him back down and he will look like this all through dinner:But the very best way to keep this young man occupied??? Is to turn on my new birthday present and let him watch the ice cream magically appear...I'm just a little nervous that he may accidentally add another (drooly) flavor to the ice cream before it's done!

Science Museum Fun

had to start the day with a power nap (not sure why he prefers his belly, with his mouth wide open, and a bit of drool oozing out the corner of his mouth...couldn't be related to his mother...)racing the animals (and yes, cool shades definitely make you faster in a dark, indoor museum)only REAL men wear baby packs (that's what our VERY "tuff", cop neighbor tells Ty EVERYTIME he wears this outside)and, only REAL men cry in the corner about their sisters touching some dragon puppet and putting it on your castle wallshe wasn't brave enough to try this last time, but I think she decided it was pretty awesome!yes, I'm a wuss, (in my defense they were just tennis balls, I just had a baby, and this wasn't my fastest throw :)) but Ty took the picture and made me post itapparently she DOES like riding bike, as long as it stays in one spothe REALLY loved this GIANT truck (so much that daddy put him up inside of it and he had a HUGE grin on his face the entire time--oh, does that sign say do NOT climb???)that was exhausting!

This tired LITTLE mister

Is asleep quite a bit of the day...and he always looks soo sweet and peaceful...even if...he is frequently raising his hand (he must dream about taking turns, that will come in handy soon enough)until it's time to "go to bed," then he may keep one eye open just to make sure he gets enough snuggle time with daddy before he has to actually be put to bed. (But that's okay, because it is really fun for me to watch daddy fall asleep in the chair with a cute little grin on his face :))

And sometimes, we might just forget he is sleeping there and mistake him for a lump of clothes...

No, not really. Everyone at this house has a pretty close eye on this little guy and he is usually surrounded...even if it is just to watch him sleep.

It's MY birthday (well, it WAS)

Birthday gift #1: Everyone pitched in and made the house cleaner! (I LOVED that gift!) Not sure how this little weasel ended up on "taste tester" of the SUPER yummy dinner dad made and "baby holding" duty...she must be MY little girl!Next up: Walking through the neighborhood. It can be dangerous stuff. So, safety first! (this "fragon" helmet is ALWAYS good for a bit of a laugh)

Even sweet Beckett got bundled up and ready to go out on a walk with me (I LOVE going out on walks, especially in the mountains/hiking, but our neighborhood is pretty awesome too). Don't let this fool you. I only wore the back-pack a third of the way and then handed it off to Ty, that probably should count as gift #3 or 10, I don't know, I lost count by this point in the day.

Yay for presents! (yes, I DID ask the kids for a new exercise ball--especially since Coleson was the one who took a push pin to my last one)

They also made WONDERful cards! And mom sent a yummy cook book...

YUM! Ty's famous oatmeal chocolate chip cookie in the shape of a heart with ice cream on top--and YES, I kept this one ALL to myself!

True Love and Devotion

is written all over this face!

I know he omitted this picture from his post about Beckett's arrival because of how exhausted he looks...but that is why I LOVE it.

Ty is an incredible man. The exhaustion in his eyes just proves how much he is willing to sacrafice in order to try and make me more comfortable and happy.

I know he would have willing traded places with me, several times, in the past few months...and he has gone through some pretty emotionally and mentally rough times as he has had to sit back and just watch me suffer, wishing that he could do ANYthing to make my pain and struggling go away. And he has done a TON for me and our little family to try and make up for the fact that he isn't allowed to take my place...I feel so blessed to have him in my life. I am a very lucky girl!

WAY too fast

This quick growing, telescope exploring,little squid eating (I couldn't believe they ALL didn't even think twice about eating these!), handsome young man is ready for his brother to get big and play!

SO, when it was his turn to pick out some clothes for baby brother, (Beckett has been wearing PJs everyday since he has been home) instead of grabbing an "outfit" from the 3rd drawer down, he came in with this:

from the 4th and 5th drawer :). Coleson was wearing jeans, so he came with this t-shirt and (huge) jeans for Beckett and said, "boys who wear these blue pants is the coolest." So, I had to put these blue pants on and take a picture...but they fell off as soon as I lifted him up :).

And, on Beckett's first Sunday to church he HAD to wear a shirt and tie! (I REALLY wanted to be there to watch Ty teach his Sunday School lesson this week...which was WONDERFUL! He is an excellent teacher, and now I am even more bummed that I have to spend my church time at the other end of the building every week instead of coming to his class. But it was nice to come at least once!)

He was quite the handsome little man, isn't he so adorable? (And that "jaundice tan" makes him seem even more dapper.) But, he looks so much older when he is all dressed up...

so, I decided that I prefer him dressed like this (in all blankies and pjs and yummy baby smells) and curled up into a squishy little baby ball. I am trying to savor every moment that he is tiny! I don't want him growing up WAY too fast like the others...