Tys has a new love for Casey's measurer... he carries it around the house ALL day long and "measures" everything. It's funny to see him hard at work measuring the walls in Katie's bedroom ~ something he must've seen his dad and Papa doing! My brother, Jake, arrived from Boise on Thursday evening to celebrate my parent's birthday (and mine) The kids and I spent yesterday with them.. first, we went out to lunch and ice cream/coffee. Afterwards Katie got to spend the afternoon with my parents and Jake while I took the boys home for a much needed nap. Then, in the evening my parents, Jake and Joe (aka. OSO) came over for a yummy steak dinner ~ made by Jake! It was a fun evening and great visit with Jake!

Jake got to meet Trent for the first time... Trent looks scared!! hee hee

Trent's bath on Thursday night; he still enjoys bath time! Check out that chubby arm!

Casey got Trent's swing out this week and he's been liking it. He's still a little too small for it so, I put his blanket in there to help fill up space!

One more thing about my birthday... Casey surprised me by setting up a trip to Boise for our family in March! We'll be staying with our close friends, Erik and Kristal, and get to see our other good friends and family. I also get to use my Two Rivers Day Spa gift cert. I'm so excited about going and looking forward to seeing my friends there! Thanks to my awesome husband for arranging everything and surprising me!!

Katie on her pretend phone. I think she's talking to "Jibit"... Katie is in love with Jibit and is convinced that she'll marry him someday. Yesterday I noticed she had put her play ring on and informed me that she was marrying Jibit. I had to laugh.. little does Jakob know his future is already planned for him.... all the way down to the ring she'll be wearing :)A couple of Katie's favorite phrases:
"I have an idea"
She is always telling us to "be careful" whenever we're doing something

the big 3-0

Happy Birthday to me... I celebrated my 30th birthday yesterday but those of you who know me best know that I actually celebrate my birthday for the whole week! I know... I'm spoiled. But, it's just always happened that way since I was a kid :) So, it began last Friday when my friend, Jona, from the hospital made me her authentic homemade Chinese for dinner. Her Chinese is definitely the best! Thanks Jona :) On Monday, Tys and Katie spent the night at my parents house (according to my mom, this was for my birthday!) With Casey at work, it was just Trent and I at home by ourselves for the evening. I gave Trent a bath, spent time good quality time with him and watched a movie ~ definitely VERY quiet at home! Tuesday ~ Casey, Trent and I spent the day in Elko. We ate lunch at The Star, got our glasses fixed, went grocery shopping (yes, when you live in a small town you do those necessary 'things' when you 'go to town'!) and to Home Depot. Casey also dropped me off to do some of my own shopping... while he and Trent went to Cal Ranch. I found lots of great 75% off sales and had fun "Birthday shopping" :) Wednesday was my actual 30th birthday and it was pretty low key... Casey had training and worked all day. My parents brought over breakfast in the morning and hung out a while. I got a nap (yippea!) and had a great day with the kids. In the evening we all went to church, where there was prayer meeting. My mom had made dinner & cheesecake for everyone and we all ate dinner at church. It was fun to spend my birthday with my friends and family! Now, the celebration continues as my little brother arrives tonight from Boise. We'll be celebrating my dad's, mom's and my birthday tomorrow night with him... Jake is making his specialty steaks for dinner! I think that will pretty much wrap up my "birthday week"....
I was a little worried about turning 30. I used to always say that once you turn 30 you have to 'grow up' and become 'responsible'. Well, I may have more 'growing up' to do but, with 3 little kids I'm already feeling responsible :) So, 30 really isn't going to be that bad!!
A birthday present from my parents

friends

Trent and his friend, Josiah, got to hang out in their p.j.'s after church last night.... At 2 1/2 months old, Josiah now weighs a little over 7 lbs and is such a sweet little guy. I was amazed at how much he had changed and grown in just a week! I'm looking forward to watching the boy's friendship grow as they get older.
I'm not sure how much Trent weighs right now but am guessing about 11 lbs. He was awake quite a bit during the day yesterday and slept like a champ last night!

Katie 'wuvs' her baby Trent and is a gentle, entertaining big sister.... She loves holding him, patting his head and trying to make him smile. She's always saying "he smiled at me" even if he didn't :) And when he begins to cry, she comes running to the rescue. And, if I don't come running as well she informs me that "the baby is crying". Between Tys and Katie, we think Trent looks the most like Katie when she was a baby. Like Katie, Trent has the dark hair, rounder face and similar eyes. However, Trent's laid back and content personality is more like Tys'... so, he's inherited good traits from his siblings!

Princess room

Katie got to move into her new Princess bedroom last night and she was SO excited! I'd have to say that her most favorite thing was her new bed/Princess bedspread and pillow. She spent the evening checking everything out and showing us around her new room :) Casey and my dad did an awesome job building this addition and, thanks to all 'the guys' who helped!

Tys was pretty excited about the new room too! So much to explore and get into

The bottom dresser drawer is still being worked on. My mom bought it at an antique store and my dad repainted it. The bottom drawer needed lots of work which, Casey is so graciously doing! Her new headboard was once Casey's while growing up... we repainted it and got the new mattresses

Katie's new desk and book shelf from Oma and Grandpa!

She was so excited about her new bed that she wanted to go to bed early and even turned down ice cream so she could hang out in bed! She didn't end up going to bed early... infact, she was up at midnight and 4am because she "wasn't tired" (I think she was still alittle excited!) Thus, another early morning blog from me!! On a side note... Trent has slept great tonight!!

New Dress

I was finally able to get Katie's dress finished this afternoon! My mom taught me how to sew when I was growing up but I haven't done it in SO long that I pretty much had to start over... So, this is a really basic pattern and yes, there are mistakes :) It also required help from my mom! But, it's done and I'm happy with it.... Katie keeps telling me "it's beautiful" and "I wuv it" However, she won't try it on again for me to take a picture with her actually wearing it. So, I'll have to try and get one later.... There's a wide band black ribbon that gets tied around the upper waist once she's wearing it.

Katie's new Princess bedroom is almost finished!! Casey is doing the last of the little touch up work today and I hope to have everything ready to move this weekend or Monday. Her refurnished furniture looks great and, I'm loving the pink walls!

Trent is getting to the point that he is easily bored whenever awake. He can only stay in one entertainment "station" (as I call it) for a short period and is ready to move on. Yesterday I needed to get something done and decided to put him in front of the t.v. for a few minutes... he's happy and content watching Dora with Katie and Tys (sad, I know....)

Harley tradition

Trent in his first Harley t-shirt!! I got the Harley t-shirt and chaps (which were really clothes for a teddy bear) when Katie was born. She needed the outfit to ride the Harley with her Grandpa :) Tys had his turn with the Harley outfit and it's now being passed along to Trent. I just LOVE the chaps! Too bad it's so cold right now and he can't wear them all the time. Trent also got a cool H.D. beanie from Oma and Grandpa but, it's still just a little too big...

Trent will already be a month old tomorrow! He is doing good at nights - waking up every 3-4 hours to eat. And, becoming more alert and awake during the day. We're learning that his little tummy is more sensitive so, I have to watch what I eat. This is all new to me since I could eat whatever I wanted with Katie and Tys... so, for the sake of Trent I've given up my beloved chocolate and Mexican. (or, at least excessive amounts of chocolate!)

Tys and Katie got to spend the night at my parent's last night and, Casey has CPR training for work all day today. So, I'm enjoying the morning with Trent and hoping to finish sewing Katie's dress. It was nice to sleep in until 8:30!!

Trent is a good little sleeper no matter where he's at or time of day (well, he sometimes likes to be awake at night!) But, his most favorite place of all to sleep is in the secure, cozy, comfort of our arms!

yesterday's Sunday afternoon nap

My dad and Casey have been working very hard these last couple of days on finishing up Katie's "Princess Castle" bedroom! All that's left are the flooring and last coat of paint (two of the walls will be pink) I'm getting excited to have the room finished... not just because Katie can move into her new room but also because I can now get all of her new bedroom decorations/furniture out of our bedroom!

And of course I couldn't resist posting at least one picture of "baby Trent" (as he's been named by Katie and Tys)

Yes, it's 4 am and yes, I'm awake with a very wide eyed baby! Deciding that 2 am was a good time to be awake, Trent is being a little night owl tonight. Normally, he's been doing really good at night but, I think he got too much sleep during the day yesterday. So, tomorrow (or should I say today) he's back to his normal schedule! Good thing Casey is off so I can get a nap :) What better thing to do in the middle of the night than post a few pictures....

Photo session

With three kids I know we will never have another normal, everyone smiling and looking at the camera photo! I tried yesterday morning and this is what I got.... "Everyone look at mommy... say cheese"

"Katie, look at the camera"

"Katie, close your mouth and smile"

"Trent, it's ok... please don't cry"!! Katie says "mommy, that's baby's crying"! "I know, I can see him through my lense"

Katie tries to comfort him while watching tv. Tys spilt juice on his face and begins to cry. Trent continues to cry and, mommy gives up!!

3 weeks

Trent hung out in his bouncy this morning while I made breakfast. He is 3 weeks old today and 'filling out' more and more each day. He is feeling much better since his procedure on Monday and entertains us with his many facial expressions! I'm still working on getting Trent to sleep for longer periods at night. Currently he goes to bed around 9 and wakes up every 2-3 hours during the night to eat. Most of the time he goes right back to bed (which is great!) but, it's still tiring for me to be up and awake so many times throughout the night. However, I won't complain that he's such a good little eater :) On a side note.... I weighed Tys and Katie yesterday and took measurements of their chest (since I was measuring Katie for a dress that I'm sewing her) Tys weighs 32.5 lbs and Katie is 34 lbs!! And, both of them measure 22 inches around their chests! Katie had better start eating more or else her little brother is going to pass her up :)

cookies

I made oatmeal raisin cookies this morning and gave one to the kids after their lunch. Katie asked me:
"Mom, can I have more cookies"?
"No, Katie that is enough cookies"
She then informed me "I love cookies and THEY LOVE ME"!!!

uh-huh, I'm sure they do :)

check up

Trent had his 2 week check up and circumcision yesterday... and, I must say that it was a long, emotional draining day for me! And, him! My mom and Tys came with us to Winnemucca, while Katie got to spend the day at her best friend, Jibit's, house (Katie has informed me that she loves Jibit and is going to marry him!) I was happy to have my mom with me since I really can't handle seeing my baby in pain... she really can't either but did a great job in taking care of him after his procedure! A little medicine helped with his pain and he is doing much better today. Recently, he has been smiling lots more, holding his head up better and he loves to be talked to :) Oh, and did I mention that he weighs 10 lbs already!! Like his big brother, Trent is a good little eater!

2 weeks old

Trent must be a very special brother ~ Katie lent him her special blankie this afternoon!!

Casey has been working very hard in the addition/Katie's bedroom all day today... it's almost finished!! Tys spent the day "helping" his daddy. He likes to "hammer" with a piece of wood or, sit at the doorway and watch everything that Casey does. It looks like he inherited his dad's love for construction work!

We've had a pretty uneventful week but, also a busy one. Trent is getting on a good day and night routine and, is developing more 'baby' features instead of the 'newborn' look. Katie is my big helper and likes to talk to her baby brother, wrap him up in blankets or hold him (with help)

Casey took the kids and I out on a "dessert date" last night ~ we went out for ice cream then, stopped by Nana and Papa's for a little visit. It was good to get out and we enjoyed our milkshakes :) Also, yesterday, our good friend, JJ, came over to visit. She's currently on winter break from college and it was so nice to see/visit with her!!

I passed up a nap this afternoon and did some scrapbooking instead. It's always nice to get something accomplished!! Now I'm off to give Trent a bath.....

I was finally able to catch Trent smiling! He was half asleep and half awake...

So sweet and angelic ~ amazing how babies go from this....

To this in just seconds!!

I have to say we haven't done a whole lot this week so far. Keeping up on laundry, cleaning, cooking, changing diapers and feeding kids is quite enough to fill my day! We also celebrated Katie's birthday... Katie and Tys have been having fun with all of their new Christmas/birthday toys and Trent spends most of his day sleeping or, awake watching the kids. Thankfully, he's a very mellow and laid back baby! My mom watched the kids yesterday around lunch time so that Casey and I could go on a date. That was so nice!! We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch then, went to the bank, store and post office before going home. In all, we were gone just over an hour - the joy of living in a small town. You can get lots done in a short amount of time! What a goofy little boy!!

Today is Katie's 3rd birthday (her real birthday!) and it amazes me how fast these last 3 years have flown by! She brings so much joy in our lives and is a huge blessing in our family! I love her smiles, constant energy and her ability to never cease to amaze me with the things that she says and does!!

We had my parents and her friends, Jakob, Eliese and Wesley over for dinner, dessert and presents last night. We had a "Princess" themed party and, yes, even the guys ate off of the Princess plates :)