Christmas in Grand Forks

Being that we were heading down to Minneapolis on the 22nd, we wanted to do a little family Christmas in Grand Forks before we left. 

 Something that Tim and I have done for years is pick out a gift from the World Vision catalog. Carter helped pick out the gift this year. 

 Wow-gifts on a sled!

 Gift opening was fun and quick. They didn't even open all their presents because they just wanted to play.

 Of course Cooper needed to give Cros some lovin'!

 Sled rides anyone?

 Crosby is all smiles these days (when he isn't fussing:)).

 We all made a cake for Jesus...

 Carter really enjoyed it:)

 As did Coops

 The boys were most excited about their Thomas the Train legos!

Christmas is coming...

Carter has really enjoyed helping me out in the kitchen lately. We made vanilla covered pretzels the other day and he was my sprinkle guy...and boy was he liberal with the sprinkles!! 

   And here are some cute pics after church on Sunday...

 They are cooperating...

...getting a little silly...

...and then a wrestling match broke out (go figure).

Rocket Men

 Target had a sale after Halloween and my friend, Britta, picked up this adorable costume for the boys. Why wait a whole year?? Let's dress up NOW!!

 The boys really enjoy our costume box...too bad they grow out of them so fast!

Advent

Advent means "the coming or arrival, especially of something extremely important". As we anticipate Christ's birthday and remember His extreme importance, we have started a new tradition this year to help the boys (and  us) keep our eyes fixed on Christ in the Christmas season. A friend of mine wrote an Advent devotional which we read each night. After the reading, Tim has had craft time with the boys to draw or make something to remember the story we read. It has been really fun but I constantly need to remember to keep my expectations low as they boys sometimes just prefer to wrestle!

Here is a display of some of our craft projects:)

Crosby's 2 Month Check Up

Crosby had his 2 month check up this week and as we guessed, he is our biggest boy so far!

Height: 23 1/2 inches (68%)

Weight: 13 pounds, 11.5 ounces (87%)

We have noticed that his belly button was popping out and getting larger. Turns out he has an umbilical hernia which should go away on its own. Also, his right eye still won't fully open so we have to bring him in to a specialist on Monday.

 Looking good in his tie-dye from Uncle Dave and Michelle!

 He seems to enjoy baths and doesn't cry even when we get him out.

Watch out Crosby! Your brothers are getting ready to smother you:)

Treasure Hunt

The other day as the boys were going crazy, I knew I needed to come up with a plan. I had them grab their backpacks and told them to put 5 items inside that they would need for an adventure. It was quite comical what they selected-flash cards, stuffed animals, books, etc. Anyways, they put on bandanas, grabbed flash lights and the map that I made them and they were off. I quickly realized this game was way beyond their age but we went with it! They were on a quest for the missing jelly beans and even though I helped them every step of the way, they loved it!

  Cooper quickly removed his bandana and backpack and just kind of followed along:) Good times!

One More Post

I can't quite get a great picture with these three...I'm sure this will be a problem for a long time:)

 Even with no smiles or goofy smiles, they still are cute!

Magnet

Whenever we set this cutie down...

These two crazies flock to him

 It's cute but tiring all at the same time:)

Silly Boys

I called the boys to dinner the other night and they came out of their room giggling...here is why:) 

Afternoon at the "Pool"

The kids were getting restless. We still had and hour and a half before Tim got home from campus. So we decided (by we I mean me) to have a December beach party. They really got into it...for about a HOUR! 

 Carter insisted that we find his shades. 

 Laying out

 We blew up all our beach toys (again...by we I mean me)

 Party!

Carter grabbed our comforter for a water slide. I just love his creativity!

Crosby is 2 Months!

Our sweet Crosby is already 2 months old. Life really does fly by! Here are some pictures of him from the past month...

 It is amazing to me that he can sleep through all the noise that his two older brothers make!

 He started smiling this past month...we get the most smiles right when he is done eating. It still makes me tear up it is so sweet:)

 I love this picture-it looks like he is getting his praise on!

Our little Super Star

Crosby went through a really fussy/gassy stage but in the past week or two he seems to have moved past it! That is a big praise to God as he just seemed so uncomfortable and it was difficult to hold him all day with two other boys needing attention! He was also up a lot in the middle of the night for the same reason. We tried gas drops and gripe water but nothing seemed to help too much. For the past two weeks he has been going to bed around 10 and not waking up until sometime between 4-6 am. I feel like a new woman! He eats a ton during the day though...almost every 2 hours it seems. We love you Crosby Charles! You are getting so big, so fast...I wish I could slow you down sometimes so I can enjoy every minute!