Our SIX month old Conrad!

Oh the love we all have for this boy! He is definitely a fourth child gem who has smiles for anyone. I took him in for his six month check-up and he is growing splendidly. His is 18.2 lbs. and I can’t remember his height but he was in the 75% for both so he is right where he needs to be. The doctor commented on how his downy blond hair reminded her of a baby chick. He loves to blow raspberries and drool. He also loves to chew on everything so it was no surprise when his third tooth came in on his exact six month birthday. He also LOVES to pull hair and play with Sophie the Giraffe.  He sits up really well unattended and loves to be the audience for the constant commotions swirling around him. Sleeping a long 6-7 hour stretch at night is his new skill that I am most grateful for. The last six months have flown by but I have really enjoyed them!

Singing in the rain! 9/12

I love warm east coast rain storms. The kids put on their rain boots and go splashing through the puddles. We usually value clothing as part of the fun but with potty training in full swing, Lucy’s escape didn’t surprise me at all. 

Gaithersburg Labor Day Parade!

We went to the Gaithursburg Labor Day parade this year. It was nice to be together as a family but it was really hot and boring….nuff said.

The first day of school 2012!

Matthew started Kindergarten! He was a little nervous but his teacher is a gem! Mrs Bednar is sweet, orderly, and very patient which is nice because Kindergarten is full day here. Other than needing to eat large quantities of food when he returns from school, the adjustment has gone well. Charlie started second grade and was elated when he found out his best buddy Isaac was in his class. His teacher is Mrs Rill who he is happy with (interesting how kids always know the teacher they want and the teacher they don’t want).  Lucy doesn’t seem to miss “The Brothers” much while they are at school but is happy to run to the bus stop to greet them when they return. I usually find her digging around their bedroom after they leave.

Getting ready to walk to the bus stop!

Home after a successful first-day-of school!

I feel like I’ve traveled back in time to the life of two kids. Having just two kids around makes things almost quiet and has made day time shopping feasible again.  Lucy has started a once-a-week playgroup that we named “ABC School” with 2 little boys and a little girl. She has never played with girls so it was fun to see her dressed up in princess accessories when I picked her up. And then there is Conrad, that wonderful fourth baby who is just happy with any love you give him!

Utah Trip Part 6- Brigham City Temple, Logan, W Jordan, and Pocatello!

We were grateful for the opportunity to go to the Brigham City Temple open house. I was very happy my mom came along with us, she is Lucy’s “baby whisperer.” Lucy was perfect during the open house with her little hand being held securely by Grandma Christy. The temple was beautiful and I was really touched by all the artwork and peach blossoms.

We didn’t get much of a chance to drive around Logan on our way to Bear Lake so I was thankful to make a little detour there after the temple open house. We have wonderful memories of Logan and haven’t been back in six years. I took the opportunity to take pictures of the two places we lived. Our first TINY basement apartment was in the brown brick building pictured above. Our address was 654 1/2 E 800 N because we lived in the middle of the block. It was around 500 square feet and made for a short (steep) walk up to campus. The Fillmore’s lived directly behind this building in a house, we loved stopping by. After we found out we were pregnant with Charlie we moved into the basement of the pink brick house. We moved into Holly and Tim’s ward and were very close to them. It had the LITTLESET fridge in the world but was perfect for our growing little family. The baby picture is of Conrad who was wonderful during this really long day. We also drove through campus and I pointed out all the different places I worked, I never realized I had 4 jobs in 2 years. I was able to show Charlie the hospital he was born in which has been completely changed.

Logan wouldn’t be complete without Aggie Ice Cream. It was better than I remembered but then again, we were all really hungry!

We concluded our trip by staying with the Mair family! Charlie was anticipating this stay more than any of the others because Ben is the coolest cousin in the entire world. We arrived the night before school started but they still got in some good play time. 

The day before we flew back to Maryland, Nora, SIX kids, and I jumped in the Pilot for a quick day trip to Pocatello. We have made this trip together a few times before and we always have a full car of kids. Vanessa made us a Pioneer Women Salad and homemade rolls- delicious. We went to the park to play and the kids stayed busy with all their Styrofoam weapons.  Sterling introduced Charlie to the wonderful world of Skylanders and it’s already on his Christmas List. Sisters are wonderful!

The next morning we flew back to Maryland. Other than the cow bone Charlie got from Grandpa’s farm setting off the TSA screener, we had a smooth ride home. Seth had left us two weeks earlier so we were happy to see him again and get ready for school to start in a few days.

Utah Trip Part 5- More Cabin time, Michiganders, and GHS Girls!

We all enjoyed spending time with my parents at the cabin. The weather was cool and sitting out on the deck in the evenings was very relaxing. The kids loved playing and exploring, maybe someday we’ll get our year in the cabin.

Michigan Reunion! It was wonderful to see these great women and their families. It’s hard to believe they are ALL Utahns now! It was fun to exchange information about Ann Arbor people and hear of all their adventures living out west. Charlie met up with his buddy Collin he hadn’t seen in a year.

GHS girls! I reunited with these beautiful women. We met up at Tiffany’s new darling home and then took the kids to the park for “free lunch.” After the kids ate and played  we went to Artic Circle so we could eat! I LOVE brown toppers and fry sauce! What are the chances the our old Science teacher would sit down at the table behind us?? He didn’t recognize us but that's ok…    Lori ate up little Conrad who dished out the smiles to make these ladies baby hungry. 

Utah Trip Part 4- Fowers, a shower, a movie, Midway, Upalco, The Cabin, and Miranda!

The night before Seth flew back to Maryland we invaded the Fowerses’ home. We feasted on Papa Murphy’s Pizza and salad (the little girls ate a ton of salad) , watched the Olympics and visited. Oh how me miss this fun family. We were having such a great time we didn’t want to leave.  It got later and later and our kids started falling asleep in random places so we finally left. Thanks Holly and Tim and cheers to the Thai Chicken Pizza from Papa Murphys.

Mandy is having a BABY BOY! I feel especially attached to this pregnancy because I was the one (against Eddie’s recommendation) who told her to take the pregnancy test. Maybe it was the spirit or womanly intuition but it sure is fun to be a part of such a grandiose miracle! I was so happy to be able to attend her baby shower while I was in Utah. It was a “book” themed shower so it was fun to see all the cute books everybody brought.  Even Conrad go in on the baby action buy trying to make contact with little boy Liu. They’ll be great buddies someday!

While I was at the baby shower, Mike, Collette, and Cassie babysat the three older kids and took them to a movie and then McDonalds for dessert. They loved the experience because they haven't been to many movies.  Lucy was really happy about playing in the basketball cage, I thought it was very fitting.

After we said goodbye to the Brown Family we took off for Midway to visit with Donna, Bevan, and Anna. Every time I go to Midway I dream of moving there, if only there were some biomedical company there. Donna made delicious meatballs and Bevan was the hero with donuts from the corner market!

We decided to spend Sunday with Seth’s parents because we hadn’t made it out the farm yet and wanted to seem some more of them too. I took off from Midway Sunday morning and we had a beautiful drive out to the Basin. I was surprised how smooth and uneventful the drive was (2 hours) when exactly 1 mile from the Thacker’s church Lucy threw-up. She had been complaining her “tummy hurt” which I’m sure was just motion sickness. I got her all cleaned up in time for church and she was happy as a clam running around in her play clothes. We were planning on returning to Midway that evening but decided to spend the night. The kids had fun playing with Grandpa on the tractor. I was grateful Grandma was willing to give the hairy boys haircuts as well. Before we left town we stopped and visited with Seth’s Grandma Thacker where the kids could have spent all day playing with her toys. 

We returned to Midway for more good food and company and we got to babysit Anna the next so Donna could work. I had the grand idea of taking all the kids swimming at the Kamas Aquatic center with my mom. I thought that five kids and two adults was safe odds. It turns out that I was WRONG. After Lucy got out of the kiddy pool and ran to the lap-pool (her slipping is what stopped her) we left. We still all had fun and were happy to return to the cabin. We spent the night at the cabin and the next day my mom and I took the kids to the Kamas Library. It was very tiny compared to our library but there was more than enough books and it was harder for the kids to get lost.

That afternoon we welcomed Miranda and her boys to the cabin. We had a relaxing afternoon catching up and the boys all played well outside. Donna joined us for dinner and then the real fun of reminiscing  about CEU began.  Miranda spent the night and then took off the next morning to reunite with her husband.