Shortly after we moved to Ohio, we found out we were pregnant. We had Chinese food for supper that night, and this is how I told Dave about it:
We made a short video and posted it to youtube to let our family know the happy news:
Jumping ahead a bit...
In October(in Halloween), we found out that our little pumpkin would be a girl. This is how we told our kids, and the family:
I want my kids remember all our different houses that we have lived in along the way, because there were memories made in each room. So, I am posting pictures of our Ohio house:
Back porch:
The backyard:
Our room:
Toy room:
Sometimes, when it rains, we lay under the skylight in the toy room with blankets and pillows and watch and listen to the rain come down. The kids love it, and I like the snuggle time. :)
The bathroom connected to our room:
Kitchen:
Living room:
Basement:
Garage:
Boys room:
Boys bathroom:
Hall bathroom:
Easton's room before we put the boys together in the same room.
Right after we moved here we celebrated Canada Day with strawberry shortcake since it is a red and white dessert.
The library was one of the first things we explored. They have so many fun activities! One was a Star Wars party. I went as princess Leah, and Landon was "Darth Landon". Easton was sleeping, so he stayed home with Dave.
Having fun with Hayden:
A car snack I made for the boys one day:
They painted their toast with colored milk:
And then ate it:
Easton used to tackle Landon to the floor and give him hugs. Even though Landon doesn't look happy about it in this picture, he asked me to take the picture.
I often find Landon in random cozy spots in the house reading. His love of reading is so fun to watch!
Easton with his car snack:
Our friends the Hemsleys had a family olympic game party. It was so fun! This is our family flag. Landon loved it!
A tower the boys made out of the book shelf containers. They ran around and around it playing tag.
Block house.
Landon practicing his writing skills:
Shaving cream words. I would write a word for Landon to sound out, and after he read it, he would erase it.
This is a picture I FORGOT to include from our visit to Canada. Landon on the train.
A cardboard box airplane my Mom made for the kids.
Playing on the mall toys.
Their prize for the library summer reading program was a happy meal. After they ate it, they pretended to be McDonald's workers and made happy meals.
It also ended up as a mail box, and they played mail man for quite a few days too.
Swimming in their underwear.
We started a co-op play school with a few cute friends. These pictures were taken by one of Moms who is a very talented photographer.
Play school snack:
We learned about "e" and made nests for our EGGS which starts with the letter "e".
They colored their eggs and put them in a big nest.
Cute friends playing:
Letter "b". We made an ice cream come and only put on scoops that had things on them that start with the letter "b".
We put snacks in the butterflies wings because butterfly starts with "b".
Dave took the boys out one morning on some adventures.
Again, the house was quiet, and I suspected mischief, but they had found a cozy spot to read.
Snake bubbles:
Word game where he match the capital version of the word with the lower case version of the word.
Sight word cup hide and seek. I hid the piece of cereal under one of the cups and told him the word it was under. He had to read the words and know which one was the one I called out.
We put him in a program at the Y called, "sporties for shorties" Each week they got to play a new sport. There was basketball, soccer, t-ball, and even football.
Parking garage:
A cute friend of mine takes the most amazing pictures. She also does some product photography. The boys were her models. I love when we get a chance to help model because she gives you a cd of the pictures she takes. She is so good! Some of my favorite pictures of my kids have been taken by her.
Here is her FB page: https://www.facebook.com/rachaelcookphotos
Conference castle!
We surprised the boys on conference weekend with a cardboard conference castle to watch conference in. They were so excited!
They decorated it with stickers, pompoms and even had a clothesline of all the apostles.
Landon helped me make a toilet paper roll President Monson. He played conference all through the sessions. It was funny to hear some of the things his toilet paper roll President Monson said.
We stayed in our pajamas for the morning sessions, and had tons of snacks. It is so fun to relax, be together as a family, and enjoy listening to a prophet speak. It is just a really uplifting weekend, and everything about it makes you want to be a better you. I feel blessed to be able to have a living prophet on this earth.
We decorated for Halloween!
Ghost tree:
Grandma and Grandpa McGarry and Aunt Anne came to visit and Aunt Anne's first order of business was to get this boy some M&Ms.
Picking up Grandpa at the airport:
Aunt Anne took some fun fall pictures of the boys.
We went on a fun train ride:
At the train station waiting for our train sharing a snack:
We went to the park which is right by a fire station. The fire men were cleaning their trucks, and the boys were mesmerized. The firemen let the boys check out the fire truck.
Fun at the park.
For Halloween, we did a, "LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS...OH MY!" theme. I made Dave's shirt, and crocheted my bear hat, and we bought a used tiger costume. Easton's lion costume, I made for Landon when he was 2, and I was happy we got to use it again.
Church Halloween kids activity:
Pumpkin carving!
Fall leaf texturing. We taped it to the floor so it would be easier for the boys to do.
Easton fell off his bed one night and he must have not wanted to get back on, because he made himself a cozy spot on the floor. This is how we found him.
Tin foil dinners for supper. The boys had to watch them cook.
Monster towers! Easton spent most of his time eating his tower, and not building it. Oh well...He was not even 2. :)
We made a turkey that the boys named "Gobble" and each night up until Thanksgiving, at the supper table we each got a feather and wrote something we were thankful for on it and added to our turkey. He had quite a few rows of feathers, and looked more like a peacock when we were done.
Picnic with the puppets we checked out form the library.
In his Dad's coat.
Ice cube painting. They couldn't wait to start!
Marble racing down a pool noodle.
Franklin came and made us elf sized pancakes for breakfast.
We wrote letters to Santa, and Franklin delivered Santa's response.
Franklin made frosty "Movember" ready!
Just making himself a snack.
Sometimes Franklin appeared in the creepiest places...
Franklin testing out our shower.
Monkeying around.
Sick day for Frankie.
The boys woke up to a surprise car wash that Frankie made.
It kept them busy ALL morning!
Sugar angel.
Shoe train.
A festive snack Franklin left the boys:
He left them some dollar store socks:
Church Christmas party. Someone LOVED Santa, and others could have done with out him that year...
The kids thought they were going to bed one night in December, and when they got there, they each found a ticket to to mini-van express on their pillow. They hopped right into the van to look at Christmas lights. This is one of our yearly traditions.
They got their tickets punched with a Christmas "C".
We had to wear the fuzzy socks Franklin gave us.
Hot chocolate and snacks on the way.
Landon had to hold his ticket and went to bed with it that night.
Frankie wanted to come to church one Sunday with us, and was even in his Sunday best studying the scriptures.
Franklin went into the fridge to get a snack and got stuck. He crocheted himself a scarf to keep warm.
The day before this, Franklin gave us candy cane seeds. And look what they grew into the next day.
Shooting hoops.
Frankie loves to read to his friends.
Toy mutiny! Franklin was too loud last night, so the toys tied him up. Party elf!
Franklin painted the boys noses red like rudolph one night while they were sleeping!
He has a sugar tooth.
Play dough an toothpick houses.
Tape spider web.
Christmas themed supper.
My parents have a time share near Disney World and gave the kids a trip to disney for Christmas. This was the countdown.
Our yearly tradition of acting out the nativity.
Christmas Eve Supper.
Leaving a note for Santa, and snacks for the reindeer.
Christmas morning.
Santa did well!
The happiest place on earth! Wish Dave's schedule allowed him to come.
Little mermaid ride:
You take kids to Disney for the rides, and they beg you to stop and look at the bird eating popcorn. :)
They LOVED the pirates!
I was 7 months preggo, but it was still so fun!
I went on all the easy rides.
Beach time!
Sea world!
We we all tuckered out at the end of each day from all the fun!
And then, we came home to SNOWY Ohio...
We brought it into the kitchen to play with.
I redid the nursery to get ready for a GIRL!
I never thought I would be making something to hold hair bows. We thought we were going to have all boys.
Head band holder.
After church photo shoot.
So that I could make this for their room. I LOVE this story and scripture so much!
Snow painting:
Roll a dice and make a snow man.
Valentine craft. We made the lettering with tape, finger painted all over it, and then took off the tape when it dried. It didn't turn out perfect but it was so fun to do.
Counting down to Valentine's day we put up hearts describing different acts of kindness that each member of the family did for each other.
Landon's play school Valentines. We got a package of stick-on mustaches from the dollar store to put on them. The boys had to test them out.
Valentine breakfast surprise for the boys. The love bomb was full of a few dollar store prizes.
Dave loves cookie dough, so I made him and giant heart shaped cookie with cookie dough ice cream in top for v-day!
The boys helped me make Valentine pinwheel cookies with sprinkles on the edge.
Valentine's day cinnamon rolls. Yum!
Mailbox we made for Landon to put his play school Valentines in.
Puffy paint I made with self rising flour. You paint a picture, and then put it in the microwave for a few seconds and it puffs up.
Name puzzle Landon helped me make so he could start to understand the order of the letters in his name.
The boys with their spy glasses watching for my visiting teachers to come.
We froze yogurt in a waffle cone with a fruit topping for the boy's snack.
Easton's 2nd birthday party. Construction themed! Here are the invites:
Cake:
Cloud dough the kids to dig through with their dollar store tractors. That was the take home gift for each kid.
We painted the styrofoam brown so the kids could hammer golf tees into them with toy construction tools. It kept the kids busy for a while.
Construction cone party hats.
St. Patrick's Day! We made a lego trap, and Landon gathered everything in the house that was green to attract the leprechaun.
He even made a sign that said, "gold", with a picture of a leprechaun.
Our leprechaun escaped out the side.
He made a mess of our kitchen, and left green shamrock glow sticks and green cups.
Also a note... When the kids looked in the fridge, there was lucky charms and the leprechaun turned our milk green.
Notice anything about my clean laundry basket?
I came into the room one day to get Landon out of quiet time, and seriously looked around for him FOR-EV-ER! Started to get worried, and then realized he had found himself a cozy little fort to take a nap. This is the view once I took the basket off:
No comments:
Post a Comment