Shirley and Myron visit

 We were so lucky to get a visit from my aunt and uncle when they were staying with my parents in Stillwater.  They all drove over for a nice long visit on Sunday.  Of course, the boys were thrilled to introduce them to Eden (as Logan said, "This is MY baby girl"!) and show them our new house.  It was so nice of them to make the trip over and spend the afternoon here.  The boys loved it and they said, "I wish Shirley and Myron could come over all the time - they are so nice and fun" (no kidding!).

Shirley and Myron brought some new books for the boys, so of course we had to read them right away.

Both Papa and Nana got lots of good snuggles from Eden.

 Eden was awake more than before for Papa and Nana's visit - they enjoyed seeing her baby blues (yes, still blue!).  She even gave out some smiles and coos - especially to Myron, who is so good with babies.

 Nana and her first granddaughter, looking so cute together.

My mom and her sister - they are so funny together...they are so much alike.  I love spending time with them.

One last photo of Eden...just because.  :)

7th week!

Eden is 7 weeks old and this week we started to get back to social life! After more than a month of meals delivered by friends I got "back in the saddle" and cooked meals not only for our family but for some friends too. We also hosted our small group on Tuesday and two families on Friday night. It's fun to be back to hosting! The boys always love to have people over and with a new baby it's nice to stick close to home (where the diapers are, haha!). While I spent lots of time I. The kitchen this week, Eden was my sidekick: enjoying some time in her bouncer (wide awake!). She's a champ!

6 weeks old and busy!

Eden is six weeks old and she learned how to cry this week!  :(  We don't hear it often, but it sure breaks our hearts when she lets loose.  She is awake much more, which is fun for all of us - and busier for mom!  :)

Snuggles with Logan before school

I just want to remember how tiny she is...

drifting off to sleep.

 Eden made friends with her butterfly this week!  She loves to smile and coo at it!

 The boys enjoyed some of Eden's awake time - they wanted to take her in the tent to play with them.

 She also started to like her swing.

 Tummy time!  She has lots of hair, but a spot where its rubbing off in the back.

 Smiles for Daddy.

I know my sister and I have a special bond with my dad, so I am excited to see Eden and John's relationship grow.

Museum Fun!

While Daddy installed some of the new entry flooring on Friday, the kids and I retreated to the museum. Logan built a giant tower, Bennett had fun in the water exhibit and Baby Eden enjoyed a long nap.

Serenade

Logan and Bennett love to sing to Baby Eden.  Its so cute!  

Here's a sampling from this morning before church.

Just because...

Eden is the cutest ever.

 At 6 weeks she started smiling and cooing, right on schedule!  She is precious!

Eden has so many expressions - we love to just watch her make faces!  I want every stage to last forever...what a blessing to be new parents again.

I told you...

this boy can sleep anywhere.  A couple days of no naps and this is what happens at dinner!

Thanks B & B!

Special thanks to Baggie and Bopbop for visiting us tonight and making us a yummy dinner (and dessert, too!).  The boys loved having visitors and Eden was wide awake the whole evening.

B & B are about to take off on a very exciting adventure, so we are thankful they made time to come see us before they go!  We loved every minute of their nice long visit!  Thanks Bob and Deb!!

First Playdate

Today for Eden's 6 week birthday, we had our first little playdate!  One of my very best friends, Sarah, traveled to our house from Minneapolis with her new baby girl, Kate.  Kate was born just 8 days after Eden (and a whole three pounds lighter!).  Sarah and I have had kids close together since Logan and William were born 4.5 years ago.  William is 2-3 weeks older than Logan; Grace and Bennett are about 3-4 months apart; and now Kate and Eden are just over a week apart.  Its been so fun to go through life and babies together - sharing the joy (and sometimes the stresses!) of motherhood with such an old friend.

 The girls were sleepy for most of our day together.

 The ladies looked so lovely in their lavender.

 Beautiful sleeping Kate.

 I asked Sarah to take a couple quick photos of me with Eden because I have hardly any photos with her!  I'm usually the one behind the camera.  :)

My boys were well behaved and they loved meeting baby Kate.  "She's even smaller than Eden", they said!  Thanks to Sarah for taking the day to come visit us at our new house and so the baby girls could meet!  We'll look forward to many more fun times together!

Buddies

I think in this transition to a family of five, having the boys be such good friends has been a lifesaver! While we are spending a lot of time at home these days, the boys are keeping each other company while I tend to Eden. They love to create imaginary scenarios and at together for hours. I'm so glad they have each other! It must so wonderful for them to have a brother to go through life with...

Playmat (Take 2)

Bennett thought Buzz Lightyear needed a turn. Haha!

Playmat Fun!

Logan is interested in all things "Eden".  In fact, he has an opinion about what she wears everyday.  Today, he told me she has to wear the polka dot outfit.  He also worked hard getting her playmat ready for her.  He attached all the rings and toys.  It was a good activity for him!

 Logan loves to see Eden play on her mat.

 Woohoo!  "I got it!"  Eden grabbed ahold of her toy!

She had a good grip on this toy and really enjoys some time on her playmat, 

thanks to Big Brother Logan!

Sunday with Mom

Sundays are always different for us. We usually arrive at church all together in the morning but from there the day is pretty unpredictable for us. The kids and I are home most of the day together and today that included some cleaning, naps, and a walk after dinner. I loved that Bennett wore his helmet the whole time, even though he only rode his Skuut at the end! And of course Logan led the pack, picking out every speck on the sidewalk to examine! Me and my girl walked behind, just taking it all in on a lovely evening. :)

1 Month Stats

 Eden is five weeks old this week!  Amazing!  Her well-check was on Monday while Logan was at school so Bennett came along to see how Eden was doing.

 As expected, she is great!  She now weight 11 lbs, 6 oz and is still 22 inches long.  She passed the check with no concerns.  The boys were excited to hear that she now weighs "11 pounds!" so they have been sharing that with everyone!

 "So big!"

 At one month, Eden's awake periods have started to get a little longer during the day.  She still sometimes sleeps most of the day away, but when she is awake she is really alert and looks toward the sound of our voices.  She did an amazing job deciphering night from day since about 3 days old, but she now consistently sleeps 7-8 hours a night.  Woohoo!  That can always change so we're not taking it for granted.

Eden is an easy going, very happy baby.  She rarely cries - even when upset (or "frustrated", as the boys like to say).  She gives us a couple grunts when she needs to be changed or eat.  I've noticed its easier not to tend to her needs immediately because she doesn't put up much of a fuss.  I have to remind myself sometimes that she needs me! Its a far cry from the boys who were calm-to-upset in about zero seconds.

 Eden likes to grab onto things now when she happens to get them in her hand - fingers or a toy sometimes, but usually mom's necklace or hair!  Her eyes are still dark blue...will they turn to brown??  Her dark hair has been filling in and growing long and is sticking up on the crown of her head where its super long!  Just this week her skin and scalp started to get a little flaky and she has more bumps on her skin - maybe the start of a little baby acne.  

The jury is still out on resemblances.  At church last weekend many people met Eden for the first time and commented on her being "a little Jill", which, of course I love.  :)  We see a lot of resemlance to both boys and think Eden is her very own special self - not exactly resembling either of the kids yet.  :)  One thing is certain - she is so special and so loved!

Our Easter Weekend

We enjoyed a great, long weekend to celebrate Easter.  Logan didn't have school on Friday (and John is always off on Fridays) so we took our annual trip to Govin's Farm near Menomonie.  The weather was pretty nice: sunny and a little chilly, but not windy as in past years.  We got to the farm at a great time, beating some of the crowds.  

 There was a huge pig, but no piglets this year. :(

 Logan was excited to hold the lamb

 Bennett preferred to watch this year.

 There were so many baby chicks!

 Logan held lots of the chicks, but Bennett watched and petted a couple.

 Eden took her first ride in the Baby Bjorn...she loved it and so did I!

 The boys ran around and climbed on hay bales and an old wagon while we waited our turn for the carriage ride.

 Finally it was our turn to ride the carriage!

 Bennett was a little sleepy by now...

 Logan enjoyed the ride, especially when the horses galloped and we went fast!

The rest of Friday was nice and quiet.  Tackling a few projects at home and enjoying time all together.  On Saturday, we woke up to an early visit from the Easter Bunny!  We heard the Bunny could come early since Sunday mornings are too busy around here to do Easter baskets.  So, the boys hunted around for eggs, found their hidden Easter baskets, and enjoyed some new toys.  Eden had a little basket, too.  She liked just hanging out and watching...

Bennett playing with the new log truck 

Logan making his new puzzle 

 I caught Bennett talking sweetly to Eden while I helped Logan with his puzzle.  Bennett is more and more interested in Eden each day.

After some playtime, we went to a cool local garden center for an egg hunt and the boys enjoyed that.  Eden slept through it.  :)

 Eden tried out a bow for the first time!

 After that much fun, we were all tired out at the end of the day!

Sunday morning the boys were excellent helpers and got dressed like champs.  John was off to church early, so the kids and I got ready and made a special stop at Starbucks before church.

 The kids all looked so cute.  This is a rare grimace from Eden.  I think it was that silly bow we tried.  Sorry, Eden...no more bows like that (I think it was an uncomfortable one!).

After a great church service at Jacob's Well, we went home and waited for our Easter guests!  My whole family got to come spend the afternoon - even Amy and Andrew all the way from VA!

 Nana and the sweet girl (already on her second outfit of the day by this point).

 Andrew's first time meeting his new niece.  We hadn't seen Andrew since Christmas and it was great to have him over!

 Papa took the tough job of snuggling sleepy Eden while I ate some lunch.

 The boys loved having everyone over - they talked all week about "having TEN people" over!  They gave everyone a tour of the house (with special attention to their room, of course) and kept us all entertained.  Logan loves to sing Easter songs he learned at preschool and Bennett likes to tell his version of the Easter story : "Jesus died on the cross because he was naughty".  Oh boy - we have some work to do on that one!

 Special Easter treats from Kyle and Ali!

 And a little backyard Easter egg hunt set up by Nana.

 I think the boys could hunt Easter eggs for hours!

 Amy and Andrew with all the kiddos.  They had to leave around 4pm so they could catch their flight home to Virginia.  :(

 Papa and Nana with all the kids!

(and yes, Logan is wearing play pants with a hole in the knee...)

 Ali and Kyle with all the kids.  This was their first visit to our house and it was so much fun to have them!  The boys loved it!

Eden finally woke up after everyone left and she even gave us a couple smiles. 

She is just so pretty.  :)

Monday was another day off for John so we spent some time with friends and worked on a few more projects around home.  It was so lovely to have family and friends to share Easter with!  What a joyful time!