Off to a new adventure

Today was the kids' last day at Pam's. Thank you Pam, Jeff, Payton, Aaron, Christian and Kasey for taking such good care of the kids. They absolutely love your house! Pam is my inspiration. Payton is her first...for those of you that were at my wedding...he was my little ring bearer...hard to believe! Aaron and Christian are her twins and Kasey is just about 20 or 21 months younger than the twins. I believe when Kasey was born, Pam had 4 kids ages 4 and younger! So, my kids were a piece of cake for her :-) Thanks again!!! You really helped us out this month!

Nap Time

I am off this afternoon, tomorrow afternoon and all day Friday with the kids. Marc is off to Portland again and Pam can only watch the kids in the mornings. Normally the routine is lunch and then naps...well, I just took these pictures...Marcus and Olivia just want to play (neither one of them has slept yet this afternoon)...

...Emma, however, is taking full advantage of nap time...she always does :-)

More Fun in the Sun

It was such a beautiful day today...it motivated me to start walking again. It worked out pretty well. The girls loved getting out of the house and Marcus really seemed to enjoy himself too. We went about 1 mile today. Hopefully by spring we will be back up to our regular 3 miles...if all kids cooperate that is...

Tough Girl

We went to a girls' highschool basketball game tonight to watch Mark Edwards (one of Marc's long time friends) coach. The girls had a blast. Olivia had to play with the big kids of course...she chased the basketball up and down the halls of the school. Unfortunately, she decided to take out a table in the process (see black eye...ouch!). We often worry about our little Olivia...she is quite the dare devil and often ends up with bumps and bruises and rarely ever cries...she let out a litte cry tonight, but then was back at it again...crazy girl!

Little Marcus wore his basketball outfit tonight for the game. He continues to be the dream baby. He's regularly sleeping through the night now (8:30pm to 6:30am last night) and is such a happy baby. He loves when his daddy reads books to him...he just watches Marc and laughs and talks the whole time. He really is talking a lot lately. What a smart boy!

Outside!!!

Marc said Olivia woke up from her nap saying "side, side..." which means outside. So, he let them play outside for a while today. It was a perfect day for it...beautiful and sunny...

I see the moon...

We had a great view of the eclipse tonight...right above Mt Spokane! It was beautiful!








Emma was really into the eclipse tonight. She kept saying "I see the moon; I see the moon"...it was so cute!

Thumb sucker

We have another thumb sucker...I got one who loves the binky and two who love their thumbs. Marcus just discovered his this weekend...I even caught him sucking his two middle fingers but wasn't quick enough to get it on film :-) We'll see if he keeps it up. Oh..he slept from 7:30pm until 4:30am last night too!!! I think we are moving in the right direction!

Daddy's Home!!!

Marc left Friday morning and came home today. The girls said "Daddy's work" all weekend long. They waited in anticipation all morning long this morning. When Marc's truck finally pulled up, Olivia was so excited, she started to cry...it actually brought tears to my eyes. They haven't left him alone since. They do love their Daddy...

Violin and Tummy Time

We brought out my violin this morning. This is the second time the girls have been exposed to the violin so they were old pros today.
Emma really loved playing...I think we have a future violinist in the family. Mom, better save my small violin...we might need it over here :-)
It's hard to get Marcus to take even one nap a day lately...he just wants to explore. He's been watching the Daytona 500 pre-show today...We miss you Daddy!

Weekend update...

Emma did not want anything done with her hair this morning. It actually looks kind of cute today...so I just let it be. She kept saying "I cute...I cute..." Oh, are we in trouble! :-)
Olivia is getting a horrible cold (which I'm sure they will all have soon)...but the girl can still eat. She had 2 of her own pancakes this morning and finished 1/2 of Emma's too. She just ate a huge bowl of fruit and some cheese and crackers.
Marcus...well, the shirt says it all :-)

Sleepy Head

Another first for Marcus...he slept through the night last night!!! I put him to bed at 8:30 and didn't hear from him until 6!!! I sure hope this is the beginning of something good. Now...if I could only get the girls to do the same, we'd be in business! Olivia was up at 1am and 4:30am...but she did have a little fever, so I'll let it slide this time. I'm staying home with the munchkins today to make sure Olivia is ok and since Marc is flying off to Portland. I have Monday off for President's day too, so I get to play with the kids for 4 days!!!

More Thanks!

Thanks Nana and Papa for the adorable bears and puppy. The girls are sleeping with their bears right now :-) Thanks for the photo coasters too. We love them! They are just what we needed!

Special Thanks...

DJ and Rebecca...thanks for the "Baby Einstein" videos. The girls were wired tonight so we threw in one of your videos and it calmed them right down...they were glued to the TV...ok, so maybe that's a bad thing...but what a nice little break :-)

Daddy O...thanks for the "Chukar Cherries"...YUM! A much needed treat to get me through the day after those sleepless nights :-) Happy Valentine's Day to you too!

Feed Me...

My friend, Pam, is watching the kids in the mornings now so Marc can get some work done. She'll do this until March when the new daycare can take them full-time. Unfortunatley, this change has affected Marcus' eating habits. He refuses to take the bottle from anyone but Daddy so he goes all morning without eating. As a result, by the time I get home...he wants to eat every hour which continues into the night...sleep is over-rated anyways...right?

Gotta Love Costco

We had a family outing to Costco this morning. The girls were so excited to get out of the house. It's quite a site to see us at Costco...we have one cart for the kids and another for the grocery's. I love Costco for the double seats in their carts...it's one of the few places we can go and know there is a place for everyone.

Presents!!!

Olivia, Emma and Marcus want to say "Thank you Auntie Tracy for making us such adorable hats!!! WE LOVE THEM!!!" Where do you find the time???

Daddy Survived Week 1!

Marc emailed me these pictures and I just had to post them. Sounds like they are having a good Friday. Marc did Olivia's hair today...isn't it beautiful!?! I guess if the lineman thing doesn't work out, he can always open a beauty salon...ha...ha...can you imagine? Just doesn't fit :-)

Bath Time

My kids sure to love their baths. Marcus also had a first tonight...his first laugh. It was the cutest little belly laugh. Oh what a sweet sound!

Daddy Daycare

Marc has survived day 2 of being "Mr Mom". Today was a little harder than yesterday, but I just told him he'll have good days and challenging days. I think he is doing a great job. My house is clean and dinner is made (as you can see, Olivia enjoyed tonight's dinner). Marcus is eating well and the girls are happy...couldn't ask for more. Marc even did the laundry! How did I get so lucky to find such a good guy! He's a keeper :-)

2 months old

Marcus is 2 months old today. He is still such a great baby. Look at that smile!
Olivia is having a rough morning (I'm sure it has nothing to do with waking up at 5am and not going back to sleep). Don't you think this picture looks like Marcus and Emma are saying "It's OK Olivia..."

Unfortunatley, 2 months also brings an end to my maternity leave :-( I go back to work tomorrow morning. Luckily, Marc is able to stay home with the kids for February, so we don't have to take them to daycare until March. Tomorrow will be a tough day...wish me luck!!! (or maybe I should say wish Marc luck :-)...I'm sure he will do great!).

Ready...set...go...

The twins decided to race their bugs today...Emma got a head start...
...she gets distracted by her chocolate ice cream cone (note, it's fake)...
...and Olivia takes the lead! Daddy's so proud, we have racers afterall.
Poor Marcus had his shots this morning. He had a good doctor's visit though. He weighs 12 lbs, 12 oz (75%) and is 23 1/4 inches long (50%). He is very healthy too!