Pictures at last!

I've finally gotten around to posting some pictures. The boys are napping but will be waking up soon. Forgive me but some are old.

We'll start with the 4th of July. Below is myself and the boys. We went to Brainerd for the fireworks. Very impressive. Logan thought they were too loud and said, "Turn them off." We found that to be pretty funny but then again, maybe they were seriously too loud for him. Maybe we'll bring ear plugs with next time. Gage on the other hand truly enjoyed them. Last year, he slept through them.


This past weekend was the Little Falls Dam Festival. The Clydesdales were AMAZING.

Above is Logan watching the parade.

We were up north a few weeks ago for grad parties. Our niece Jessi played with the boys and Ava in the picture below.

Gage and I posing for the camera.

We ventured to the Zoo here in town last month. They've done a lot of recent improvements which have really made a difference. It's a pretty nice zoo. The pic below was taken there while visiting.

Of course, Logan's favorite thing is the "4-wee-wee" as seen below.

Below, Gage is playing in our new fenced in yard. I suppose this was taken over a month ago.

For Mother's Day, we went to a water park in Brainerd. It was fun. Sarah, Emma, and Jace joined us in the fun.

It's been a while...

Yep. It's been a while since my last post. I have been way too busy with soooo much, and the weather has been pretty darn nice.

I've been busy preparing to go back to school for a masters in technology management. It will be all online and I'm planning on starting Aug. 1. Also, I've been working on a website for a business in town - - which has taken more time than I ever thought possible.

Today, Gage fell and nailed his cheek and eyebrow on the bottom hinge on a closet door. He cried pretty hard and ended up with a nice bruise on his cheek and a small gash on his eye lid. I wasn't sure how deep it was but it was wide open. I brought him to ER to be sure and after the dr.'s close exam, he decided that nothing needed to be done. He said he would have liked to glue it shut but the edges were so bad since his injury was from blunt force.

Logan has been growing up. He has more good days than bad days now. Verbally, the kid just doesn't stop talking. Sentances left and right. He got new orthodics a couple weeks ago that are spiderman in decoration. It took him a while to adjust but he's not complaining about them much anymore.

Gage is walking pretty well but still has to have his fingers in his mouth. That is going to be a hard habit to break.

Lately, Logan hasn't been eating real well but Gage is a pig. It's like Logan doesn't eat so he can get attention. Hard to explain. After sitting there for 45 minutes, he'll start eating everything up.

Well, better get to bed. No time to proof read this.

Logan is 3

Yes. Logan turned 3 last week, but we were so busy preparing for his party and getting our fence up that I have had no time to write.

We had his party this past Saturday. Considering it was opening fishing, it was surprising that nearly all our families made it. The weather was beautiful and the food was great. We completed the fence the night before which made the day that much better.

For Logan's birthday, he got a turtle sand box that has since become a pool, a wiggly sprinkler to jump through, beach toys, remote controlled airplanes, jumpy ball, swim pool playground thingy, some clothes, and much more. Thanks to everyone for their gifts.

The next day, Mother's Day, we went to The Lodge in Brainerd for a few hours. It's a hotel water park. I think Gage enjoyed it more than Logan but we'll definitely have to do it again soon. We were able to go with Sarah, Jace, and Emma, which made it a lot more fun that it would have been otherwise.

Speaking of Emma, Logan LOVES Emma sooooo much. They spent all weekend holding hands and playing together. She's such a good cousin.

Today, after work, I was able to fully enjoy the fenced in yard. I set up the sprinkler, filled the turtle with water, and let them have fun. Ava ran wild as well. It was fun and relaxing. Soooo nice. Gage really liked the sprinkler. He'd fuss a little as he would find himself in sprinkles and not able to get out as soon as he'd prefer. But eventually, he would get a bit more brave and venture in further and further. Logan would run pretty wide by it but he was getting a little closer near the end. Once I filled up the turtle with water, the sprikler was history.

Logan goes on streaks of good and bad behavior. He has been on his best since this weekend and it has truly been a pleasure to be his mom. His conversational abilities are growing so fast. He still gets really whiny here and there but he's getting better I'd like to think.

Gage is a full-time walker now. He falls often but get's right back up. He now has 4 teeth - the middle bottom two and the two top "fangs". Funny. Logan's top fangs came in first too. Weird.

Appetite-wise, Gage is a total pig and Logan has slowed. It is difficult to get him to eat, whereas with Gage, it's hard to satisfy his appetite. A growth spurt must be around the corner.

Logan has his 3 year appointment with the local ped. Friday. Should be fun, I hope.

It's been a while...

Things have been going well ever since Dan bought a tie out for the dog. Now I can keep Logan and Ava separated while maintaining my sanity. The two together are just way too much.

Gage is walking about 95% of the time now and is improving every day. I think he probably has about 3 teeth now. 2 on the bottom and 1 on top. And the best news, everyone is sleeping through the night. Gage, Ava... everyone. I haven't gotten up with Gage in several weeks now so I think it's official.

We went and got Gage a haircut yesterday. He is like a whole new boy. It's weird how haircuts do that. We used the sucker trick again and he did real well. The color of his hair is much lighter now, unfortauntely, as I was hoping he would have Daddy's hair. None-the-less, he looks so much older. I was watching him in the mirror sucking on his sucker for quite a while, thinking about how cute he was. Then I glanced at my own reflection. It hit me how dark complected Gage really is. I am fair skinned but I already have a bit of a tan, but after looking at Gage, I appeared as white as a ghost.

I went and saw the preschool Logan will be attending next fall and was very impressed. Because of his grade III brain bleeds upon birth, Logan has automatically qualified for Early-Childhood Special Education services. He's been getting weekly home visits for about 2 years. Now that he will be turning 3, he will no longer get the home services and instead will have to go to the elementary school. He will be picked up by the short school bus at daycare at 8:00 AM each morning and will be back to day care at 11:20 or so. This happens Tuesday-Friday each week all school year long. There are approximately 1 adult for every 2 kids and the classroom is madeup of 3 to 4 year-olds with varrying disabilities. There was one boy in particular who totally reminded me of Logan... the way he walked and played and talked... neat. I think it will be a good thing for him.

Logan's been working on counting and singing these days, not because we are guiding him to do so, but because he is into that right now. View the video below to listen.



Dan has been outside this morning digging post holes for our fence. Exciting but it will be a long process to get this up and going. I wish I could get out and help him but the boys make it kind of hard. Once they take their afternoon naps, I'll be able to assist with the harder parts, I hope.

I took pictures of the boys this morning and will attach them below. For some reason, Gage was VERY photogenic today. Maybe it's the new haircut. Logan was in a serious mood but believe me, that has since changed.

Gage is a walking man.

Yep. It's true. Gage is walking more and more everyday and is almost past the whole crawling stage. Here's video to show:

Breath...

Dan came home last night around 9:30. I have to admit I was a little crabby - but not bad. I told Dan about my "wonderful" evening with the 3 little rascals. It took me about 2 minutes to feel like a million bucks. Dan shared with me how his trap shooting went and how much fun he had. Just him being happy made me feel tons better. Anyway, the fix for now is to lock the puppy up if necessary. I'll then work on controlling her whinyness.

After work today, the boys and Ava went on a short walk. Then we came home and I threw dinner in the oven and read to Logan for a while. The whole time, Ava was pretty good.

Well, I'm off to TKD.

I'm going nuts!

OK. I spend all my energy just trying to contain Logan. And then add Gage... And then add a puppy. Then make it nice outside... I would so love to spend time outside but Logan runs away (walking in the woods, Logan will even take off and run anywhere he can). And Ava can't stand the leash. And Gage isn't walking yet so instead, he eats everything he touches, including grass and dirt. It's a disaster. Logan is hyper already and now with Ava, he's out of control. I let the puppy outside once every 45 minutes all evening and she still peed on the kitchen floor. Since we got home from Logan's PT, all I've been doing is hollering at either Logan or the puppy, except when Logan's in a time out, which he's in right now for pulling on Ava's ear. Now, I just holler at Ava. She chews on everything... And every day I get home from work, I'm greeted with chewed up magazines in the bathroom, or toilet paper, or anything else she manages to drag from the counter.

I don't think I can do this much longer. The puppy has to go outside, or she has to grow up pretty darn quick... or we need a fence now. I didn't bargain on being a puppy sitter as this puppy is Dan's birthday present. Dan has been clay shooting all evening as he's in a league, so now I'm beinging to think I need to have a talk with him.

On better notes, Gage is nearly a full-time walker around our house. He teeters everywhere he goes and falls often, but then he tries to stand up right away.

I have to take care of business around here. Logan NEEDS to go to bed.

Here's a video - my first on a blog. This will introduce our new family member. She's a sweety.

We need a fence.

I can't do it anymore. We need a fence. So begins the journey. I picked up a building permit today and this evening, Dan met with our neighbor to get the ball rolling. Hopefully, it will be up by Logan's birthday. It would be soooo nice to just go out side and relax, rather than chase after Logan every second. He is unable to stay around me and ventures off frequently, and he doesn't listen when I ask him to come back. It's definitely something we have to work on. And now that there's a puppy in the picture, it is that much more difficult to enjoy the weather. I definitely can't chase a puppy, a one year old, and a rammy 3 year-old. We need a fence. Can't wait for it.

I'll try and attach more pictures soon, especially of Ava, our new puppy.

Pictures, finally.

The boys, thankfully, have been healthy lately, and Gage has even started sleeping through the night. I would say he makes it all the way through about 1/2 the time. Also, we have teeth!! Two on the bottom. I think they came in about 5 days ago or so. I guess we can stop saving for those dentures we thought we might have to buy.

Gage is almost walking. His max is five steps without falling. He does, however, prefer to walk places and spends most of his time on his feet. He has also started imitating lots of things. He tries to put his hat on by himself, holds the toy phone up to his ear... things like that. He isn't all that vocal which I think is because he has two fingers in his mouth all the time.

Logan, Gage, and I went to see Iain and his family yesterday. Iain and Logan were NICU roommates. Both were 13 in. long at birth, both weighed 1 lb, 11 oz., and both his mom and me are named Heather. Logan was born at 25 weeks and 5 days and Iain was born at exactly 25 weeks. They spent a considerably more amount of time in the NICU than us due to lung and feeding issues, but today, Iain is doing great! It is obvious his 2 older brothers are keeping him on his toes.

Later today, we are going to visit Jacob and Madison. Logan loves Jacob but we haven't visited them in quite a while. It is supposed to be nice today so hopefully we can spend some time outside. Dan is in Iowa picking out his new puppy. Another German Wirehair for hunting.

Well, I will attach some pictures below. :)

Gage (1 day old) and Daddy

Gage (1 day old) and Daddy



Gage's first birthday


Notice the two fingers in the mouth - with frosting as a bonus!


Daddy reading to the boys (nightly ritual)


Rusty