Rowdy boys...?

Our normally high energy boys were worn out today. My mom and sister took them down to the pool so Tom and I could go out to lunch. When they got back, they sat down on the couch and were asleep almost immediately. The sunshine and swimming must have drained them. We even had a hard time waking them for dinner... that's definitely a first!

Young at Heart...

...or is it "Wild at Heart"? Tom celebrated his 30th birthday yesterday. I'm not sure how it came up but somehow we argued about whether or not he would jump into our neighborhood pool - with his clothes on. Also, I shouldn't neglect to mention it was 50 degrees here yesterday with a chilly breeze on top of the cool temp. I didn't think he'd do it, but Tom insisted that he'd do it if only to prove me wrong. So on our way back from the grocery store we stopped off at the pool. We unloaded the kids so we all could witness Tom's antics.


Needless to say, he jumped in. The boys were upset because they wanted to go swimming too. Drew was down to his "Hot Wheels" undies and headed toward the pool in less time than it takes to say, "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." Reese wanted to swim too so we ended up taking off his diaper, putting his jeans back on (so he'd be decent), and letting him get wet as well. Now before you judge us as terrible parents let me at least say the pool is heated so the water temperature was warm dispite the cool air. Claire and I were the only warm/dry ones on the short car ride home.

Due to the spontaneous nature of Tom's dip in the pool I didn't get a picture of him - I still don't think I'll ever forget it...

Day at the beach

We went to Saint Joseph, MI yesterday to visit Dave, Leah and Jacob. Dave and Leah have a great fenced-in back yard for the kids to play and they live about 2 miles from Lake Michigan. We had a great time flying a kite, playing at the beach and eating lots of good food.

Tom stayed home for the day and was supposed to rest... we came home and he had worked all day outside on landscaping (I'll post pictures soon). He does such a great job!



Ellie & Gracie
















Gracie



















Jacob

Drew and Reese getting wet... and sandy

Splish-Splash Vacation

My Mom and I took the kids on a little vacation. We went to Frankenmuth and stayed at the Bavarian Inn Lodge. What a GREAT time!! They have 4 pools for kids with fountains, sprayers, etc. There was also: an arcade with games & rides, an indoor 18 hole mini-golf course, two restaurants, peacocks, and a few other fun things to see & do.
We went swimming 3 times in less than 24 hours. The boys LOVED the pools! We pretty much let them decide what we'd do and when - that's probably why we ended up heading down to the pool at 9 pm. It's fun to break the rules when you're on vacation :)

Claire asleep in the pool area.
Reese when I told him it was time to leave the pool.

Drew is just like his daddy... a natural golfer! Both boys made a hole-in-one!! They are training to be speed golfers. It took us less than an hour to play 36+ holes... they're getting ready to play with Dad & Grandpa in the Navigator Golf-a-thon!!

My mom was such a great help and a blast to hang out with! We all had a lot of fun together.

Trick or Treat...?!?

My mom picked up these dragon costumes at a local second-hand store. The boys (especially Drew) have been having a blast wearing them around the house.

We had a pretty laid back weekend. Saturday was a birthday party for a friend and then Tom played paintball with some of his friends. Sunday was cold here so we weren't able to do much outside. Tom did mow the grass but came in quickly after he finished - his ears were freezing!

Claire has been going to bed earlier. It has been nice since then Tom and I now have some time to hang out in the evenings after all the kids are in bed. However, she is now getting up around 6 am. I know to Uncle Dana that is sleeping in, but to normal people... that's kinda early :)

Drew has his last soccer game tonight. I think we will take him out to eat afterwards to celebrate... GO PTERADACTLES!

She's getting so big!

We've got a rainy day here... the boys are doing well considering being stuck in the house. Claire is growing and changing daily it seems. She is napping right now and it's about time for Reese to go down for his nap as well.

Mother's Day Weekend

We had a busy weekend. Friday was Claire's 4 month check up. She is doing great. She is 26 1/4 inches tall (95%) and 16 pounds 2 oz. (92%). Poor girl had to have 3 shots but she took it well and didn't have any side effects. Friday night was Bible Study for Tom and I. We always enjoy our time with our friends and the chance to learn and grow.

Saturday morning was Drew's soccer game. He is in the middle of the picture in the white jersey. He played goalie for a while and made several stops. Great job Drew!! Saturday night we had a group of friends from Ann Arbor over for dinner. The boys spent the night with Grandma and Grandpa Reusser and had a great time.

Sunday was busy too. I visited a friend in the morning. After naps we celebrated Mother's Day with family.

This is Uncle Nate with Annabelle (below). She and Claire are starting to look more and more alike.

Sunday evening a few of us went to the hospital to visit my friend Kim Diaz who just delivered twin boys! Kim and the boys are doing great. What a blessing after a difficult/scary pregnacy for Kim!

Tom with Claire (left) and Annabelle (right).

TGIF

Claire is not loving her rice cereal... but we keep trying. Tom is home from work today - Yeah!! He has had a long week (worked 15 hours on Monday) and needed an extra day off. We have plenty to do around the house so I think today will be a spring cleaning day.

Well, I know I have been letting the boys watch a little bit more TV than I did before Claire was born but I guess I didn't realize how much... until today. Reese and I were reading a book talking about shapes. I pointed to a square and asked him what shape it was. His response... "that looks like a TV!!" Ahhhh, what's a mom to do?

"Gotta Go Potty!"

Reese is working on potty training... it's long overdue but it's been a long day so far. Drew is helping, which is wonderful. He is encouraging and "showing" Reese how to use the "big boy potty." Drew even demonstrated how to put on underwear. It went something like this, "okay Buddy, first I sit down, then you put one leg in here and another leg in here, then you stand up and pull them up over your wee wee..."

Claire is getting so big. I'm anxious for her 4 month doctor's appointment that is coming up on Friday. I've started her on rice cereal once or twice a day. She is doing pretty well with it. Poor girl loves to sleep but often can't due to her two noisy brothers. If the boys happen to be gone she ALWAYS falls asleep and looks so pleased with the peace and quiet.