It's definitely summer!

Finally broke out the sprinklers! Not that it hasn't been warm enough before now, although today has been our hottest day yet (31 degrees C), but because Joshua finally has his cast off!!!! He's still in his sling until Thursday, and suddenly life seems like it's on hold until then (it's been a looooong time since he last rode his bike! I don't quite know why it's suddenly so important now).
Andrew had a fun afternoon with both of his brother's home all day! He was laughing a lot today at Joshua, despite the start of a cold making him feel kinda yucky.
Boys being boys. Noodle war. Yup, someone got hurt. But it was fun while it lasted!
Andrew driving his trike. Ignore the blood on his arm - he just scratched a scab off of a mosquito bite and spread around the mosquito sauce.

Sunday Trip

On Sunday, I was brave (crazy???) and decided to pack the four kids and my growing self into our van and head out to my old stomping grounds...way, way back when I probably wasn't even really stomping yet. My Dad's side of the family was holding a gathering of sorts, and I decided that even with Mike working, I wanted to be a part of it. We made it for lunch (after a 3 hour, 45 minute or there-about drive) and afterwards, took a school bus on a bit of a tour to where I remember my Grandpa & Grandma living before they retired into town. It was Andrew's first bus ride - and Natalee's too! - and he loved it! Above you might be able to see Joshua and Andrew on the bus.
And Andrew and Natalee on the bus, enjoying their freedom from car seats!
It was a quite a warm day, perfect for swimming, and a bunch of my cousins took their kids to the outdoor pool where I spent time learning to swim as a child. My cousin Jill was kind enough to take the older two boys into the big pool, while Andrew was forced to enjoy the wading pool, for a good half hour. They had a blast!
This is the "homestead" that was the destination of our bus trip. Unfortunately, the buildings were pushed down shortly before we got there - apparently they had been standing just a couple of months prior. One of my Uncle's even found a coffee cup that had been used by the family! These are some of my Dad's brothers and sisters standing in front of what used to be the old house.

Caleb, Just Caleb

Sometimes Caleb is overlooked because he is at school all day, because he's the oldest and expected to behave as the oldest, and generally because he can be pretty quiet (compared to Joshua and Andrew, anyway!). However, I decided to dedicate this entire post to just Caleb.

Caleb has just finished grade 1 and is looking forward to grade 2. However, just this evening, as we were out and about shopping, he started crying because one of his friends is changing schools. He has such a tender heart, and I think we sometimes forget that with the little tough-boy act he so often puts on. Lately, he's been talking about a little girl named Cheyenne, who chases him at recess time (he loves being chased, and not just by Cheyenne!). This is the map he drew of the school yard with his "plan of escape". I thought it was so cute!Caleb also has been learning a lot about insects and nature at school this past month. So it's no surprise that he has taken a keener interest in these things outside of school too. One day on the way to school, he stops in the middle of the lane, bends over right in front of me, lifts up a broken off piece of square concrete and peaks underneath. He says, "Well, that's what I'm SUPPOSED to do!" I just said, "Oh" and then he proceeds to explain to me that his teacher told him that all different kinds of bugs live under rocks and that he was told he should take a look sometime!

Here he is with a lady bug. He loves to let them crawl all over him.
Soccer season has ended. Here he is after his final game with his team. It was definitely a learning year! What a change from the much more relaxed pace of the 4-6 year old mixed teams he played on the last two years. He is in the back row, second from your left.
And he seems to be doing much more of this lately! I don't know if he's growing, if his night-owl brother Joshua is keeping him up too late at night, or if school has just exhausted him! If he gets a time-out, he'll fall asleep within 5 minutes, and it's very hard to get him to wake up!
And that's just a bit about my son Caleb.

The Greeter

The cutest thing these days is whenever the front door opens, Natalee says "hi!" Even when I'm carrying her and we're heading out together, as soon as I open the door, she calls out "hi!"

My Cute Kids

I know every Mom thinks that their kids are the cutest kids ever...and I am no exception. Well, I've seen other cuter kids, but I've forgotten about them already. I will never forget my children's smiles or their beautiful blue eyes. Natalee and Andrew enjoying their morning snack together.
Smile!
Andrew eating his afternoon snack outside - an ice cream treat. Yum!

And Joshua. This is his fourth cast. The first two were the hard-backed casts, the third one they put on was a day cast that he could take off at night and for baths, but by the second day he had swelling and pain in his arm, so two days after having the day cast, he was back at Cast Clinic for another hard-back cast. We go again next week to see what the next thing/cast will be. (Caleb, although very cute too, was not included in this post only because I don't have a picture of him from most recent camera download).

Baby's Heartbeat

Turn your speakers on and hit the play button! Here is our first listen of Baby's heartbeat, from my June 5th appointment. It's beating at approximately 160 bpm. I always find that first listen to be so incredibly remarkable!

Soccer Season is in Full Swing

Caleb had his second soccer tournament this past weekend. And he scored his first goal on Saturday!!! Unfortunately, I missed it because I had to recover Joshua's sunglasses from a basketball thing. At the end of each game, he got a hot dog and soda drink and on Sunday, after his final game, he received this small trophy, which he is very proud of! He played pretty well; he has his moments where he's on fire, and then there are times when he seems too tired to run. Overall, his concentration on the game is really, really good.
Natalee, enjoying the beautiful Sunday afternoon. Caleb wanted to take her for a walk in the wagon, and usually she sits and enjoys the ride. He had stopped for a few minutes to examine a spider, so she was getting restless.

It's Official, Baby #5 to Arrive in December

I can't believe that tiny little Natalee is going to be a big sister! More about little Natalee later...

I saw Midwife Janet today and a heartbeat was actually found! I was convinced it was just a lump of cells, some kind of odd mutation, that was making me feel sick, tired, and just plain grumpy and moody!! However, there was a very strong little heart beating at 160 bpm!! I'll try to post a short video of that after I upload it. My EDD is December 27, but if things follow the trend, it may be closer to the beginning of December that this baby arrives. Whenever he/she decides to come, it will definitely be a very memorable Christmas! I need a nap just thinking about that.

Natalee and Andrew were also in to see their Doctor today. Andrew managed to make it through without any full-blown hysterics. His problem was that he had to strip down to his diaper for the exam - not his idea of a good time, but between his thumb and his Mom, he survived.

Andrew has grown FOUR INCHES this past year! He is at the same height that Joshua was at this age, but weighs nearly five pounds more. I don't have Caleb's stats for this age. He is definitely going to be a big boy! His large feet really seem to indicate that, as well as his recent growth.

Meanwhile, Natalee has dropped off the charts! She is so small, apparently she does not register in any percentile. She has to go back in another three months for another weight check. Hopefully she will not be as sick as she has been these past three months so she can actually keep some weight on. I am not concerned; she eats well, her digestive system works well, and she's happy, content, and moving all over that house. She's also trying more sounds with her mouth each day. It's been so exciting to have such a young child who is interested in talking!