Only more more for a Basketball team

Steve and I found out yesterday that we are having boy number four this October. And for the first time, my Mom joined us for the ultrasound. She was so excited for everything that it made this even more special for me. Apparently, ultrasounds have improved in quality. She didn't receive an ultrasound until her last two and even then it was a 5-10 minute procedure. Now, they are looking at every organ, bone, body part, etc. I don't have the infamous "it's a boy" ultrasound picture, but it was pretty obvious to all of us in the room. We are excited for October.

Sunday Dress

I love the boys all dressed up in their Sunday clothes. Unfortunately, this moment doesn't last long as clothes soon become scattered throughout our car and church. Donny is the biggest culprit. He wants no tie, no sweater vest, no shoes, etc. We usually have a brief moment when everyone is properly dressed and I guess I can be happy with that. What I should do is document the after church attire. I think that would be more telling.

Disneyland

This past Spring Break we took our family vacation on the west coast to Disneyland. We got the boys excited with a paper chain countdown and youtube videos so that they would get into it. The buildup is definitely part of the fun. Well, we drove the 19 hours through the night to Steve sisters house in Temecula. The boys were pretty good although they all woke up around 4 am and wouldn't go back to sleep. My brother and sister's ITouches came in handy though and we didn't mind as long as they were quiet. I don't know how families used to travel, but it really isn't so bad with all the technology that's available. A portable DVD player for them and one for us made the drive bearable although I was a little cramped in the back. We spent the weekend in Temecula swimming with cousins, driving around the beautiful vineyards, and enjoying the beautiful weather. We were also extremely spoiled by Steve's sister Kirsten and brother-in-law Ryan. Kirsten cooked us every meal and Ryan took my kids joy riding on four wheelers and scooters. They were really in heaven. My first bad mom moment came when I didn't put sunblock on Donny until lunchtime the first day we arrived. He was fried the rest of the trip. Poor kid.

We then spent the next three days at Disneyland. Bad mother moment number two came the first day at Disneyland when I lost Hewitt. We were with our cousins and split into two groups when walking from Tower of Tower to California Screaming which for those of you who know California Adventure is like a ten minute walk. Well, when my group met back up with Steve's we suddenly realized that no one had him. It was the worst possible moment. The park was crowded, it was middle of the afternoon, and I had no idea where he could be. After running very quickly back to Tower of Terror though, I was lucky enough to find that Hewitt had just sat down on a curb and continued to stare up at the ride. When I found him he just said, "you lost me right Mom." And then, "I love Tower of Terror." I praised him endlessly for not wandering. Thomas and Donny would have been long gone. Hewitt still talks about Tower of Terror.

So Disneyland really is magical. We got up early every morning to arrive just as the park opened. We would go on all of our favorite rides multiple times before lunch and then would take a nap in the afternoon at our hotel. We would go back for all the shows and other fast pass rides in the evening. There were a few disgruntled moments of miscommunication because it was hard to keep all of our cell phones charged, but we all had a wonderful time. It was nice to have my brother and sister there too who gave us extra sets of hands.

We are already planning our next California vacation!

Disneyland/California Adventure

Mild Winter

Despite the few inches of snow we are supposed to get tonight, Washington is so unbelievably mild in the winter. Our bikes have remained pretty well used and we can go to the zoo without bundling up. Here are a couple of pictures from our family hikes and ferry rides this past January. I must say I do miss the really big Philly/Detroit blizzards, but I guess I will just have to make a trek to Mt. Rainier once a year for fill my snow quota. And I am sure the East will call my name when the rain starts this Spring. But for now I am enjoying my outdoors and cheaper heating bill.

State Wrestling

So we are a basketball family. Both Steve and my families spend a lot of time watching and playing basketball so we thought it was a guarantee that our boys will play as well. Well, basketball in Yelm is not big. Wrestling is big in Yelm and since they are in the same season, we have already felt a bit of conflict as to what sport our boys will play. We have three boys so we are a good family to recruit early. ha So this past weekend we went and watched our friend Dylan Hyder wrestle in the state tournament. He was defending his state title in the 125 weight class and he did not disappoint winning state once again. The Mat Classic at the Tacoma Dome starts with about 24 matches all taking place at the same time. Every class from 1B to 4A competes so there are 6 mats for the finals. It's a pretty impressive sight. We got a little photo op after Dylan won, which was nice of him. He is going to wrestle for Air Force next year on full scholarship. So even though the uncles all insist the boys will play basketball, I think it will be an interesting competition. I wonder what will have more influence in the end--the city of Yelm and our friends or our basketball crazed family?

The boys love to practice their wrestling moves at home. Mom doesn't play.

Pacific Ocean

My crazy family took a fun trip to the ocean the week before Christmas. It was freezing, but thanks to Grandma Blackner we stayed in an amazing resort right on the water with a heated pool and beautiful hot tub. Every suite had it's on washer, dryer, and gas fireplace which also came in handy when we got all wet. The highlight of the trip for me was on the first day my whole family, minus Dan and Brittan who weren't in from Philly yet and Steve who had to work (thanks, hon), went on a walk on the beach. We threw the football and frisbee around, the boys got completely wet, and Uncle Joe taught my boys had to really dig in the sand. At one point, the family was all facing the ocean at which time I snuck backwards and unbeknownst to them stripped to my swimsuit and charged into the freezing Pacific Ocean water. I must admit that my adrenaline made it so it wasn't nearly as cold as anticipated and the look of shock as my white body went past was reward enough. So that was my polar dip for the year. Unfortunately, it wasn't on January 1st when many others make the plunge, but I will count it just the same. Overall, the trip was very relaxing and fun. My boys could have swam in that outdoor, heated pool forever. Thanks Dad for making us go!

Pumpkin Patch

We took a field trip to the pumpkin patch with Hewitt's preschool. Hewitt looked forward to this trip for awhile and was probably the most excited he has ever been. We took the tractor ride out to the patch and Hewitt and Donny quickly picked their pumpkins. They are easy to please and everyone looked good. Unfortunately, Hewitt's was rather heavy for him and he walked around hunched over because he wouldn't let me help. The highlight of the trip by far was the kiddie corn maze that actually was quite difficult and fun. Hewitt loved it and could have remained in there for hours. After losing Donny a few times though I was ready to be done. It's amazing how fast those two boys can turn a corner. They were gone and out of ear shot in seconds. I had several flashbacks to the movie Labyrinth and have a crazy desire to watch it again. Overall, great trip to the patch. Gotta love this time of year.

Very cool hay maze

Carving the pumpkins with Daddy