Tyler's Tackle

Logan was attempting to show me how he could tie his shoes when Tyler stepped in. Play the video to see what I mean!

Squash Anyone?

Here are the boys with our first squash we pulled out of the garden. I'd say they're growing pretty well! Unfortunately our zucchini ended up alot like yellow squash- or maybe it was the yellow squash that looked a lot like zucchini- those things cross-pollinate with EVERYTHING, I tell ya! :-) It sure is yummy though- even if we don't know exactly what we're eating... here's a video of the boys holding our produce.

"Knot" Easy!

We hit a milestone last week! Logan and Tyler were in need of new shoes, and Logan saw these hiking boots and HAD to have them. They're JUST like Daddy's!! :-) The ones we looked at had the laces on the front, and a zipper down the side of the laces so he wouldn't have to tie them- he could just zip them on and off. Well, after trying them on, we realized his foot had grown MUCH faster than we anticipated and he skipped an entire size and a half! The bigger shoes were tie only- no zippers. I debated this choice, but he wanted them SO badly that we made a deal.

Deal: "I will buy the shoes, but you may not have them until you show me you can tie each shoe 20 times tightly while it's on your foot. We will not take the tags off until you've earned them."

We came home, and you guessed it! He sat down and after a a lesson and an hour and a half of practice (I kid you not- I sat by him the entire time so I could 'check' each of his 40 ties- all the while holding my sweet baby Katie and checking blogs), quite a few knots to pull out (I told him he needed to learn to get out the knots, as that was part of tying shoes), a bit of frustration, and a LOT of determination, he earned them.

Here's a picture of his newly earned boots. (The tags had not yet been taken off).
Here's a very proud Shoe-Tie-ing Logan. Way to go, Dude!

Best Neighbors EVER!

We had the most wonderful treat last week! Our dear neighbors Rich, Lacee, Austin, & Carter came to visit from AZ! How cute are these boys? Austin, Tyler, Carter, & Logan had such a great time!
Looks like they're enjoying each other!!
Logan and his best bud Austin. They saw each other and Logan said, "Austin! You're big as me now!"
Carter was in love with Baby Katie. He just adored holding her. He is so much fun- this little guy runs EVERYWHERE! :-) He signs so much- I just can't believe how big he's gotten!
Miss Katie loved to entertain her guests. Here she is in one of her favorite dresses. :-)
Here's Tyler Bug- he couldn't have asked for a better time than to spend the days and nights playing with his buddies. Each time he woke up he'd run to find 'Cah-tow' (Carter) to play with.
It was a fabulous weekend- though shorter than we originally anticipated (thanks alot, Phoenix Children's!). The boys had a BALL, and I was SO happy to have Lacee to shop with again. There aren't many people you can swimsuit shop with and laugh about how un-high-school-like your body is.... The big boys headed out for a round of golf one of the afternoons, and had a great time, as usual. Good food, great friends, and lots of laughing. I'm so glad we get to see them again in a few weeks!! We were so lucky to live right next door, and we're luckier still that things are exactly the same between us even if we don't see each other every day!

First Fam Hike

"Rocks in the water throw!" (Yoda, you ask? Nope- that's how Mr. Tyler Bug talks!) He loves to "bye bye go" as well- so he was thrilled with the chance to go for our first "Family Hike" at a local park. He loved to walk by the water, and spent the majority of the time near the water throwing in rocks. It was such a fun time. He loved wearing his back pack- it had snacks for him to eat half way around the lake. It was such a great morning!
"Yippie Skippy Arbichokie" This is Logan's phrase- it comes from "okeydokey artichokie". (If you find this phrase unfamiliar, you should give it a try- it's guaranteed to draw a smile. Logan enjoyed the hike as well- he spent the time picking up anything interesting he could find and slipping it in his bag. Then we taught him about poison ivy, so he spent the rest of the hike warning us when we were getting too close to it. :-) Good ol' Logey.
Snack break for Tyler!
James saw this flower, and picked it for me. He's such a sweetheart!! :-)
Here's Tyler trying to copy James as we sat and enjoyed the view of the lake while eating our snacks. :-) His shirt says, "I get my good looks from my Dad." Laid-back Tyler gets more than looks from his Daddy!

Photo Shoots

I tried and tried to get the three of them to smile- I'd usually get one good smile from one child, and then stone-face or sad faces from everyone else. Luckily, James was there. He is great at getting his kiddies to laugh. Even Katie had a smirk!
This is the outfit Logan chose for his first day of school. You'll notice the all blue attire, including his bluetooth sunglasses (pretend, of course- he's supposedly pushing the 'talk' button in this picture) so he can receive messages from his fellow Power Rangers, his Power Ranger watch (came out of a cereal box), and of course his Power Ranger vest (thanks Matt & Heather- you have no idea how often he wears it!!) He was completely prepared to take on whatever bad guys may have shown up at school (even if it was going to be in our kitchen...)
This is Katie during her 'photo shoot.' I used to spend most of my days taking pictures of Luke & Logan & Tyler, and I decided that if I did it with my boys than of COURSE I needed to do the same with my girl!! :-) Isn't she sweet?
Here's Katie with Mommy- she loved being outside- and I just absolutely ADORE holding her! I am SO happy she's here!!

1 Month with Katie!

Can you believe Katie has already been in our family for one whole month?! She's doing fabulous- 8 lbs as of today! I can't believe how quickly she's growing- I think this may be the last week she will fit into her preemie 'Daddy's Little Princess' shirt. Katie loves getting her hair washed, and though she gets a little startled when she's first placed in the bathtub, she sure does enjoy it once she's in. She's such a sweet baby- great sleeper and great alarm clock (she pretty much goes off every 3 hours during the day to remind me it's time for her to eat!)

Can you tell where Baby Girl got her lips? :-) From my Hot Hubby, that's who! :-) Those lips are one of my favorite features of James- how fun that Katie got them!! She is so cute when she sleeps- and thanks to Babywise she sleeps quite a bit! I am a firm believer in Babywise since I did it with the twins, and didn't do it with Tyler (yikes! What a difference!)- I learned first hand how important it is to me to keep that baby on a schedule! Katie seems happy knowing when to expect her next meal, and I'm happy knowing when she's going to eat (give or take 15 min or so). I'm better able to plan all the super important things in my life (you know, like when I can eat, take a nap, take a shower). :-)
I think Katie may be a bit on the theatrical side from this pose...she wants to be sure her 1 Month birthday is remembered by all. :-) Doesn't she have pretty eyes? :-)

(Pretend you see a picture of a streak of color- that would be Tyler. He sees the camera come out and automatically begins to run to show you how fast he is.) :-) Tyler continues to live up to his age, most likely due to the need to share Mom & Dad more, though he has realized that I can hold him if he climbs in my lap, which has helped a ton. I'm getting better at getting around, as well, which means he can't finagle (sp?) his way out of time out as easily either. Crazy how quickly they learn that inconsistancy in punishment means they can get away with WAY more and might as well test the limits!! He's a doll, though, and thankfully doesn't have a problem with Katie. He really likes to bring her her pacifier (he sets it in her lap for her, and then tells her 'here go, Katie! Take it! Take it pass-fye')

Logan is a huge help, as usual, and is counting down the days to starting school. Doesn't he look way older than 5 in this picture? I can't believe he's already in Kindergarten!! I used to imagine he and Luke going to school hand in hand as I waved goodbye from the classroom door. :-) Funny how things change- the memory, instead, will be putting the kiddies down for a nap while Logan and I happily march to the kitchen table to tackle a couple of hours of school with the help of our trusty laptop. :-) It seems a little less 'monumental' doing it this way, but comfortable all the same- I guess the 'first day of school pic' on the front porch will still be a must, even if Logan's not off to hop on the bus! I am so excited to be teaching him- though a little concerned I bit off more than I can chew organizationally- will I really survive without my afternoon nap?! :-) Hopefully! :-) Either way- it is Kindergarten, and not Rocket Science 101. There's comfort in that as well. :-)