Spring Party Program '12

Yesterday was a busy day with doctor appointments and preschool.  My mom came over to help me out with kids while I was running to and from, so she also got to stay for Logan's spring preschool program!  I know I have said it a million times, but we really love Noah's Ark.  This is such a special preschool - we are so lucky to be a part of it!  Many thanks to my mom for coming with to Logan's program - he was a great performer (no surprise there!).  The rest of the grandparents are all out of town at this time, so it was perfect to have Nana in attendance!

 There is just nothing cuter than all these kids singing their hearts out!

 Logan loved every minute of being on stage!

 After Eden's shots today, she is one sad little baby.  Luckily she slept through most of the program so I could sit and enjoy.

 Thanks for coming, Nana!  Great job in your program Logan - we are all so proud of you!

Palmer visits!

We had such a fun weekend!  It was packed full of events that we all enjoyed.  On Friday all the boys spent time on a long bike ride to enjoy the beautiful weather while I tackled some tasks at home.  Then on Saturday we went to Owen and Addison's first birthday party.  The boys had a great time celebrating with the "babies" - not really babies anymore!  I went to a bridal shower for one of our past Young Life leaders on Saturday night with Eden.  Then on Sunday we got very special visitors!

My cousin Chad and his wife Angie and son Palmer (15 months) met us at church on Sunday morning.  They drove from Minot, ND to Stillwater on Saturday and wanted to make the trip to Eau Claire to join us for church and lunch.  Their older son, Oliver (4 yrs), stayed back in Minot with family while they made the special trip to MN for Palmer.  We were sad not to see Oliver, but we were so happy to meet Palmer for the first time!  He is the smiliest little guy and so special!  You can see Palmer's commercial here.

The boys loved having Palmer at our house!  They exchanged gifts and played with each other - mostly with our boys entertaining Palmer at great lengths - you should've seen the "performance" they did with their songs from church and preschool!

It was wonderful to catch up with Chad and Angie and we were so touched that they took time out of their trip to travel to Eau Claire and even go to church with us.  The Thompsons have all made great efforts to visit us in the past two months and for that, we are so appreciative!  Jody and her family visited when Eden was just over a week old and Shirley and Myron visited last week.  Many many thanks to them all for the lovely visits.  Now it is our turn to jump in the car and make a meaningful visit to Minot, ND!  Its been too long!  

Two Months!

We can't believe our baby girl is two months old today!  What a wonderful two months we have had as parents of three great kids.  Eden is such a joy - I want it to last forever.  At Eden's two month appointment, she measured 23.5 inches and 12 lbs 9 ounces.  She is in the 85th percentile for both.  She healthy and happy...as you can see:

Smiles for Daddy

We have hopes of getting some of Eden's grins and coos on video, but of course its never great timing.  For now, I was able to get a few photos...she especially loves to smile for Daddy!

Trip to Stillwater

We don't often travel anymore, due to preschool and our non-traditional weekends (Fri-Sat instead of Sat-Sun).  I miss the days when I used to be able to visit friends and family in the Twin Cities for a couple days during the week, but I wouldn't trade our schedule in Eau Claire.  The boys both love their little preschool and we've settled into a pretty good routine around here with John's days off being Friday and Saturday.

So, this week was special when we took a trip to Stillwater right after school on Wednesday.  I packed lunches and we left straight after school got out.  The boys were so excited!  First things, first: we had to stop at Kids' Hair for cuts.  My poor boys needed them so bad!  It was great to get that out of the way and then head to Nana and Papa's house!  It was only Eden's second trip across the border.  The first time was just a quick trip over to drop the boys at my parents' for the weekend in late March.  This was her first real trip - with an overnight!

The reason for our special trip was that my mom got tickets for "Giggle, Giggle, Quack" at the Stages Theatre.  The show was Thursday and we really enjoyed it!  We had great seats and since we've been reading the book, the boys were familiar with the silly story.

 Thanks to Nana for the fun show!

 Eden slept through the first bit of the show and then I excused myself to change her diaper and she was awake for the rest!

We also enjoyed our quiet (that's a relative term with three kids around!) time at Nana's.  The boys love to play with the toys and Nana and Papa love to oooh and ahhh over Eden.  :)  The boys and I even took a swim in the hot tub (complete with inner tubes!) while Eden hung out with N & P.

 Eden sure is growing...

and she sure is cute!

 Logan is sure to tell her everyday, "Eden you are the cutest in the whole world".

 She liked watching the ceiling fan in the porch.

Baby snuggles 

 "Take my picture, Mom!"

 Papa worked both days we were there, but we were sure to give him time with Eden when he got home.  No complaints from him!  :)  During our 1.5 day stay, my dad said he heard Eden cry for the first time ever!  She is a dream baby so far.

She loves to smirk and fold her hands in her sleep.  What a beauty!

Movie Night

We don't very often have a little movie night, but last week we had the chance to enjoy part of a movie and some popcorn before bed.  The kids were all jammied up (and Benny had his backpack on, of course!) and we enjoyed a little "Dolphin Tale" before it was time for bed.

8 WEEKS!

Just to celebrate 8 weeks of life, Eden got to have some special cuddles with Daddy before work today.  So sweet.  Its been the best eight weeks - we can't imagine life without Eden.