Polar Express 2012

Way back in 2010, we were lucky enough to get tickets to the Polar Express.  Hubby was deployed, so we took our beloved Boppa along on the ride.  Prince M was a baby so he stayed home with his Grammy.  Prince K and Prince L were so excited - but when Prince K realized we weren't actually headed to the North Pole, but back to the train station, he was furious.  So when we were lucky enough to score some tickets again this year, we warned Prince K and Prince L to keep the secret for their little brothers' sake. 

Prince M was beside himself with excitement at the thought of seeing Santa and his reindeer.  On the way to our adventure though he got carsick and had to wear a t-shirt with no coat in this cold weather. Poor baby!  Then Prince N soiled himself and had to be changed as well... at this point I thought we wer going to be so late that we'd miss our train ride!  Fortunately, Hubby always keeps his cool, and we were able to make it just in the nick of time.

Prince L was all smiles, and insisted on a window seat.  He loved the idea of singing Christmas carols along the way!

Prince K wanted a seat of his own to stretch out.  He had to play it cool, of course!  But when you have a little brother (let alone 3!) you can only sit in peace for a few minutes before company comes along.

When we made it to the North Pole, Prince M was beyond excited to see the elves waiting for him and waving.  He was smiling, giggling, and staring in amazement.  That moment made the entire trip well worth it for me!  I love the innocence of a little boy who still believes with all his heart!

Once at the North Pole, we read a story and went upstairs to see Santa, who gave us all bells.  Santa was in rare form that day, however, and attempted to "pose" my children for a picture.  Too funny!

I hope we can get tickets again in a couple years when Prince N is old enough to share in the fun!

Toothless Wonder

A couple weeks ago, Prince L lost a top front tooth.

The other night he lost the other front tooth!

 

Now my sweet 6 year old is a toothless wonder!

Some of his words sound a little funny as he gets used to missing those front chompers, but I think he's relieved to not have any more wiggly teeth (for now)!

Keep On Growin' Baby

I thought it'd be fun to put up all Prince N's monthly pictures to compare... I am amazed at just how quickly he's growing!

The bear, in perspective, seems to be shrinking!  :-)

It's Beginning To Look Alot Like Christmas

Going to see Santa was an adventure this year (well, every year actually!).  Prince M was gung ho to see Santa, but clammed up last minute and wouldn't go near him.  I tricked him into the photo by asking him to hold Prince K's hat... by some miracle it worked.  He was pretty excited about the fake presents around the tree as decoration though and wanted to open them!

Prince L was more than happy to climb right into Santa's lap, smiling from ear to ear.  It may very well be the last year he's so excited, and I'm going to cherish it! 

Prince K played it cool - he strutted around in his police costume (as always) until I roped him into holding Prince N for the photo.  He was very casual, but still happy to see Santa and make his Christmas requests (for a bow & arrow... again.... maybe this year Santa will deliver?).

Prince N was actually the first to see Santa a week earlier while Hubby and I were on a date.  He smiled happily (not the typical crying baby photo!) as the fan near Santa blew his hair in crazy directions.  This isn't a very clear picture because it's a photo of a photo we had taken there, but it works.

I had to torture the poor little baby with Santa hat and tree photos... this one is my favorite.  The hat kept covering his eyes, and he kept rolling onto his back, so I had to work fast! 

The night we decorated the tree was a blast.  I sat on the floor nursing Prince N while unwrapping ornaments for the other boys to hang on the tree.  Prince K and Prince L were very fair about it all, splitting up the ornaments fairly and hanging their own special ornaments as much as possible.  Prince M was wild, so excited and happy.  He got a chair and moved ornaments around, quietly chattering to himself about Santa coming.  Honestly, he has done the same thing every day since we put the tree up!  Other than the extra pine needles it causes to fall off, I love watching him.

Finding the tree itself was a little more difficult this year than in the past.  EVERYONE  has an opinion on which tree is best.  It was pouring rain and windy, so we layered up and dragged a couple sleds to help us on the slippery hills.  Prince K was happy watching Hubby cut the tree, while Prince L and Prince M ran happily around the rows.  Prince N just hung out, fussed a bit, and watched the craziness.  Next year all 4 will be running in separate directions!

Prince L took a small slice of trunk from the ground and proudly proclaimed it was a bomb.  Such an imagination.

 

Prince K dragged our tree the ENTIRE way back to the van... such a trooper!  I love his face in this picture, he certainly means business. 

I can't wait to see what the rest of the holiday season brings, we have big plans this year!

Family Photos 2012

A few weeks ago we had family photos taken, and I was excited to see the disk arrive in the mail yesterday!  Woohoo!  I thought it would be fun to compare photos from years past, too.

I love this picture of Prince K - he always has sunglasses on hand these days (much like his uncle and daddy), and is getting so big I can hardly stand it.

Prince L is still a little reserved and sweet (but loud as can be in the comfort of his own home)!  He was the most willing to participate in the photo shoot.  If only he could have had a little chat with his brothers beforehand so they were all on the same page.  Hehe.

Prince M cried.  The entire time.  No, he screamed and flailed around.  He didn't want pictures, and no bribery could change that.  Sigh.  He is a 3 year old, through and through.

Prince N slept for a while and was not too happy to be dragged from his warm car seat on a chilly day, but his smiles were generous.

 

 

Back in 2011 we got these beauties:

 

(Prince K was on a mohawk streak - kinda miss those days!)

 

And in 2010 (when Daddy was deployed) we got these taken:

 

(Prince L was going through a phase where he was always playing with his belly button - he sure had a good outie!)

 

Seriously, it's like watching my kiddos grow up before my eyes.  I love looking at their sweet faces and remember what life was then at each given phase.  My, how quickly things change.  I am so blessed!

 

 

Waiting On Our House

We sold our old house mid-May, excited to be moving somewhere new, but scared because we didn't yet have a plan.  We ended up spending the entire summer with my parents (bless their souls!) while we built a new house in a new town. 

We would drive by the site often, looking for progress, and playing in the dirt, trying to make this piece of land "home" for our boys.  As hard as this move was on everyone, I think it may have been hardest on them with the majority of their things in storage, and their old life as they knew it left behind.

Finally, the house was delivered and set (and we were able to watch!), and it was only a matter of time until we could move in.  To say we were excited would be an understatement.

On to bigger and better things...!

And then there were 4

On July 5th, we welcomed Prince N to our family.  My labor with him was fast and furious, but just as magical as could be.  Even with months of preparation, seeing his face for the first time was priceless.  I happily shed tears of joy, admiring his dark hair and sweet features.  He was the biggest newborn in our little family, and looked like a great combination of all his brothers.  We love you so much, Prince N!

Gazing at his Momma...

Proud Papa...

Biggest brother gets the first opportunity to hold you, and takes his job with great seriousness and care...

Prince M kisses your sweet cheeks and jabbers constantly about your new presence...

Prince L is smily and proud, wanting to stare at you for hours...

And then there were 4...

Reservoir

We bought a season's pass to the local reservoir this summer, and it was well worth every penny.  I sat on the beach watching Prince L learn to swim on his own...

Prince M trying to keep up with his big brothers, nearly submerging himself every time.  No fear...

And Prince K antagonizing his brothers to no end, and experimenting with his new strength and swimming abilities.

I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Things got so much more complicated just days after this picture was taken, however, when we added #4 to our family!

July 4th Festivities

This year I was determined to do as much as I could with our 3 older boys before Prince N was born.  His due date was July 3rd, so I was thinking I would miss the parades and fireworks, but Prince N held out until the 5th and I was able to participate fully!

Prince M saw a fun house and had to try it out.  Mid-way through he got scared and had to be ushered out by his big brothers.  It's times like this that make me appreciate how close they are, and just how much they love eachother.

With 3 (soon to be 4) active fair participants, we have to really limit rides and games, but the kids don't seem to mind.  They all took turns at 2 games (I love how they are small enough still that they need to stand on the game surround itself to play!) and a ride, and got a snack, then we settled in for fireworks.

Prince K is too big for most of the travel rides at these small fairs, and the ones he can ride he's scared of, so he helped me take photos and looked around at the scarier rides happily.  Of course, I had to get a (very prego) pic of just me and my big boys!