sweet home colorado

{just because}

2012-01-26T14:25:00.006-07:00

I had to post these photos...

{just because he's so chill}

{just because he has the sweetest buns}

{just because he is simply irresistible}

{just because they're best buds already}

{just because they LOVE each other so much}

AND...

{just because they are so silly}

the nursery

2012-01-24T09:43:00.000-07:00

I realized that I never posted any photos of Brooks' remodeled nursery! We've been lucky enough to have 3 boys so with the birth of each one, we've just changed the theme of their room and have been able to keep the paint color and crib bedding! Good thing because Mark and I can not stand painting and our PBK bedding cost a pretty penny! We've gotten good use out of it for sure! Here are some pics of the nursery, but of course I had to throw in a few snapshots of the cute boy who lives in this room!

Gotta love those big baby blues!

I found these tin letters at Hobby Lobby.

rockin' a hoodie

The letters look great above the crib and fill the space well. And even after 4 years I am still in LOVE with the striped quilt and bumper. I would still choose it today, it's just simple and classic with subtle colors.

The wall color is a slate grey and Mark put up the white bead board. Nolan had a sports theme. Heath's theme was transportation. And we have a vintage golf theme going for Brooks. I love the black metal golfer silhouette! Pretty cool.

hangin' out in his crib

A few golf items: photos, balls, and tees resting on the shelves. Then I made the 'B is for Brooks' print. It says the meaning of his name on the bottom: {residing near the stream}. I also incorporated a few things with the number 3 on them- the third boy! My parents bought each child a pair of little wooden shoes from Holland, Michigan. A little shout out to their Dad's Dutch roots and a little nostalgia for us Johnson kids since we all got wooden shoes with our names on them when we were little. Since my Dad grew up pretty close to Holland we got them there when we were born, even though we aren't Dutch.

There it is! Pretty sure this cute little guy likes it. He's still sleeping in the pack 'n play next to our bed, but since he's such a good sleeper, he just might graduate to the crib pretty soon!

We are SO thankful that he has been such an easy going, happy, content baby- eating and sleeping awesome! Praying it continues!

cereal

2012-01-23T09:38:00.003-07:00

This boy LOVES himself some cereal!

He would eat it for every single meal of the day if I'd let him! He goes into the kitchen and points to the cereal cabinet at any given hour of the day! And since he can't say "cereal" yet, he makes a slurping noise when he wants it, like he's slurping the milk from the bowl.

Fruit Loops, Lucky Charms, and Captain Crunch with Crunch Berries are his favs! But really he'll eat any kind...except for Raisin Bran. He likes raisins alone, but I think it's the bran flakes that just aren't doin' it for him!

I just couldn't resist posting these pictures of him eating his cereal! He devours it. And asks for more and more and more! He is a master at the spoon and he even picks up the bowl and drinks all the milk. Every. last. drop!

And one more thing he loves...

BUZZ LIGHTYEAR!!!

I loved how he set up his mini Buzz' in this little window sill...I just had to snap a photo! We have a total of 9 Buzz Lightyears of many different varieties hanging out around the house! And Heath loves to play with them all together. They sit with him at dinner, watch t.v. shows with him, and are taken in the car with him for almost every trip.

Love this funny little guy!

Oma Bosch

2012-01-18T12:54:00.010-07:00

December 17, 2011: "Early this morning, we said goodbye to my grandma, Ruth "Oma" Bosch. After 94 wonderful years, the Lord called her home...8 hours later God brought our new boy Brooks into this world. Funny how God works sometimes...in the midst of heartache and sadness he reminds us to celebrate the blessing of life! I can only pray that Brooks grows up to be as kind, gracious and loving as Oma was..." -Mark

Oma was the epitome of the following verses: Phillippians 4

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things.

11 For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who give me strength.

20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

If only we could all daily live that way. That has become my prayer since Oma's passing. To be content, to listen more than speak, to not judge, and to have quiet, unwavering faith.

And on top of all of that, to be joyful and fun and loving and gentle. Oma taught me all of these things with her sweet life.

We will miss Oma on Sundays after church, at the annual Easter egg hunt, on Memorial Day at the cabin, when we dress up on Halloween, and when we sing carols on Christmas.

We will definitely miss her on all of those special occasions that we can't imagine having without her. But we will also miss her in the quiet moments of our day to day life.

When we come across a beautiful plate she gave us.

Or when a tuna sandwich reminds us of brunch in her den. Or when we put on a yellow shirt and think about how she loved that color.

But we rest in the knowledge that she is happy and healthy in heaven.

And that we will all be reunited with her there someday.

It is sad to think that our little Brooks will never get to meet his Oma Bosch.

But amazing to know that her spirit will live on in him.

Oma and I were connected from day one: we were both JOHNSON girls from birth. And now that bond has only been strengthened with the arrival of Brooks into our home on the day when she went home to her Heavenly Father.

I was so blessed to have been welcomed into this family that she created. And I will continually pray that Mark and I will carry on her love and light in our own family and relationships.

"Great is thy faithfulness, O God my father

There is no shadow of turning with Thee

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not

As Thou hast been, Thou for ever will be

Great is thy faithfulness

Morning by morning new mercies I see

All I have needed thy hand hath provided

Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me

Great is thy faithfulness"

1 month

2012-01-17T22:01:00.002-07:00

Mark=32

2012-01-16T14:31:00.007-07:00

My fabulous hubby turned thirty two on Friday! Here are some photos of how we celebrated his special day!

He woke up to find his "Super Dad" birthday chair waiting for him!

He sure is our super hero! Mark had to work that day, but just a half day. So he headed out to work to be greeted by a Broncos decorated cube and a yummy coffee treat from his co-worker friends.

We met up with him at work to introduce his friends there to Brooks and to take him out to lunch. We picked up his favorite Philly cheesesteaks and brought them to McDonalds to eat them. That way the boys could get something they liked and they could play and we could enjoy eating and talking together!

After lunch we came home and put the boys down for a nap. We got to relax in the middle of the afternoon together and watched some shows that we needed to catch up on. I really cant keep myself awake at night right now. So we are way behind on our very important reality t.v. watching! Ha!

When the boys woke up we had a blast singing and dancing to Nolan's Lion King Soundtrack!

We pretty much listen to this c.d. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY!

Nolan rockin' the mic! He really has a great voice. We can't wait for him to be old enough to sing in the choir someday. He has great pitch already!

After our family dance party it was time to give Daddy his presents...Nolan was laughing because he insisted on writing "Mark" on his Daddy's card instead of "Daddy"! Silly boy! He thought he was so funny!

Smooches for their favorite guy!

Cheesin'!

Mark got a watch from me, a sweatshirt from Nolan, undershirts from Heath, and his favorite hot sauce from Brooks!

My Mom and Dad sent him cookies with his Birthday card...guess who dove right into those!

Look at that face! He can't get enough cookies!

These boys LOVE their Daddy!

It is virtually impossible to get a good picture of all three of them looking at the camera AND smiling! But I think we got close!

After presents we helped Daddy blow out his birthday candles! Look at Nolan's serious blowing face! Ha! I just baked brownies because he would have a birthday cake at his parents house later in the weekend.

Sweet tooth over here enjoyed them as well! Nolan didn't want a cookie or brownie...he is definitely not as into sweets as his little brother! He said, "No thanks, I just want to be healthy!"

Brooks wore his "I Love Daddy" onesie for Mark's day. He got to stay up with us that night while we ate sushi and watched a movie. We love our snuggle time with this little one once the bigger boys are in bed at night.

The next day Mark and I got to go out to lunch and to a movie! His mom watched the boys and we had a stress free afternoon at The Olive Garden. And we saw the movie, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". It was nice to be able to talk and catch up without someone needing something from us! The movie was VERY graphic, but a good story line. Thanks Mom for watching the boys for us!!!

On Sunday, we celebrated Mark's birthday with his family. We had a fun evening hanging out and eating a delicious Mark requested dinner: flank steak and asparagus! Yum!

Cohen held Brooks for the first time.

And he got some nice gifts.

He also requested a "moist chocolate cake". (Sidenote: Nolan was definitely not on his health kick this night! He had vanilla ice cream first, then requested a piece of the chocolate cake, and then he finished off the night with a couple of dates. Weird combo, I know. But this boy sure loves eating his dates at Oma's house!)

We had a very nice weekend celebrating this man we love so much!

I have always loved Mark. Pretty much from the first moment I met him about 12 years ago. But it is really crazy just how much I have felt that love grow in just the one month we have been a family of 5. It's just a good feeling knowing that this is our forever family. And it is pretty amazing watching Mark step up as a father and husband to provide for and love us! I know that I COULD NOT do this job without him. His selflessness and humor make it manageable and fun! Thanks Mark for being simply the best. We love you.

Stock Show Parade

2012-01-11T16:40:00.007-07:00

Last week we went downtown for our annual trip to the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo Parade.

The weather was warm and gorgeous!

We had fun watching all the animals go down the busy streets of Denver. And of course, just like always, Nolan looks for and laughs at the animal poop on the road!

The boys really liked this Rodeo Clown and mechanical bull!

And the tractors are always a hit!

Even though we got there a few minutes late a kind lady made room for us right along the street so that we could get a good view!

After the parade we ate lunch in a little courtyard and the cousins had a blast running around in the sunshine amongst the big buildings.

6 boys! Wow!! We had to constantly count them and wrangle them and make sure they were all within our sight!

They had a blast together!

The parade was fun, but most of all, we LOVE making memories with these crazy cousins of ours!

Around the House...

2012-01-10T09:20:00.006-07:00

With a newborn, life is busy, but we don't get out as much as we used to. I do take all 3 boys out by myself. We run up to Target, get groceries, or do a quick errand. But it is a lot of work and has to fit in around Brooks' feeding schedule. And thank goodness for all the new toys we got for Christmas and Birthdays...they sure have kept us busy and having fun when we are stuck at home!

Here are a few photos of life around the house these days...

We've tried to get outside a bit even on the chilly days!

We've had crazy weather...one day a snowstorm, the next day almost 70 degrees!

Nolan and Mark built a snowman!

Nolan was so proud of their creation!

He LOVES throwing snowballs too!

And we've spent a lot of time in the tub...

warming up and getting clean while having fun!

We got some new bath toys for Christmas from Auntie Mal so that has added to the fun!

And I saw this great idea on Kelly's Korner blog:

Glow Sticks in the bathtub!

The boys had so much fun and would have stayed in the tub for hours! It was like a rave!

It was cooler with the lights off, but they also enjoyed dumping the glow sticks in and searching for them with the lights on.

You can find glowsticks pretty cheap in the Target dollar bins from time to time but these also came courtesy of Auntie Mal. She's always good for some fun random gifts!

And finally, I just threw in this pic because I think it's too darn cute! But the boys have spent a lot of time playing together in their room. They love to go on the top bunk and bounce and throw all of Nolan's stuffed animals down. They laugh and think it's hilarious! Their mom, on the other hand, DOES NOT think it's very funny. It's naughty and messy, but there really isn't anything else more joyful than the sound of your 2 boys having a blast together! Even if it adds 10 minutes of cleanup to our bedtime routine!

So there ya have it...our terribly exciting life these days! And I'm finally starting to get caught up on blogging with all this time spent at home. Just a few more posts planned and all of my pictures will be shared! Yay!

"This is what I've been wishing for!"

2012-01-08T17:03:00.016-07:00

I can't tell you the number of times I have heard the title of this blog post uttered from the lips of my big FOUR year old over the past several weeks! With Christmas and his birthday so close together he has been all out spoiled with gifts of love! And his excitement over receiving just what he's "been wishing for" is just so sweet! He had a most excellent birthday and made some awesome memories that I'm sure he'll talk about for weeks and remember forever!

Nolan got to celebrate his birthday early at school since we would be on Winter Break on the real day! He wanted to bring cupcakes to share with his friends. So we went to King Soopers and ordered his favorite: vanilla cake with vanilla frosting. He picked out snowflake sprinkles with Santa and snowflake rings on top! He said all the kids loved them! And he even got to wear a Birthday Crown at school on his special day!

Ever since Father's Day when we made Mark breakfast in bed, Nolan has been telling me that for his birthday he wanted to have breakfast in bed. So on December 30th, Nolan's 4th birthday, I snuck out of the house early to go pick up his favorite breakfast treat...DONUTS!

When I got home we gave him "morning kisses" and tucked him into our bed for his special birthday request- donuts in bed! We ate donuts and snuggled up as a family to watch Curious George. Nolan had his favorite sprinkle donut!

Heath had a powdered donut and of course got crumbs all over our bed! But hey, it's worth it when it's your 4 year old's birthday wish!

After breakfast we got dressed and this excited 4 year old could not wait to open up his presents! So he ran downstairs to his birthday chair and we dove right in...

I CAN NOT get enough of this four year old boy! He is just too cute!

When he laughs and smiles naturally there is nothing else like it in the world!

Excited to open a gift from Grandma & Grandpa...Llama Llama books and c.d.s! He has read them and listened to the stories so many times in just a week!

And he got some new Duplos from my brother.

Shooting hoops on his new glow in the dark basketball hoop that he also got from Uncle T.

We got him a helmet and...

a scooter!

He looks so cute wearing his helmet- it's his first one!

Mr. Crazy also needed to try it out!

And of course what one brother does the others have to do as well! Ha!

After presents we went to U.S. Toy to do a little shopping and party planning for Nolan's upcoming birthday party!

Then we hit up McDonald's for lunch and a little play time!

Hello up there!

After lunch Nolan got so spoiled and didn't have to take a nap! He got to go bowling with Mark's family!

He was so excited to get to stay up and hang out with his cousins!

He got home just in time for dinner and dessert...

Fro Yo! His Favorite! Let me see if I can remember what all he put on his Strawberry Frozen Yogurt: mini gummy bears, sour gummy worms, Mike and Ike's, candy corn, mini M&M's, red "nods", blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries! Wow! What a concoction, but he ate every last bite with no tummy ache!

It was the perfect day and he said so many times, "This is gonna be AWESOME!" I'm so glad that he had such a fun day!

Then this past Saturday we had his Jansen family party:

Nolan had requested a Pirate theme, so I found these adorable invites made by my favorite designer: Dimpleprints!

We had fun planning every little detail for his big night!

Each cousin got a pirate hat, sword, and eye patch at their place setting.

And I found these cute plates and napkins that matched the invite.

Pirate Payton ready for dinner! I made mostaccoli, french bread, and salad. It was yummy!

After dinner it was time for presents!

Here is Nolan's birthday chair.

And presents from Mommy, Daddy, Heath, and Brooks.

He was very ready to open his gifts. He wanted to do it as soon as the first guest arrived! Ha!

He got this fun package in the mail from the Sloothaaks!

They sent him a cool plate and tie...just like the ones they got Heath for his birthday!

They Syers fam got him Moon Dough and a Moon Dough puppy making set! He loved it! But this Mommy might make this an outdoor activity...or one that waits for Grandma to come and do with him. (and clean up!)

Auntie Mal sent him this big package!

It had this Slinky Dog in it! Can you tell he LOVES it?!!! Heath also thinks it's his! We've had many a battle over this toy in just the one day it has been in our house! The package also had a talking Monster Truck card, a hat, shirt, and his favorite chocolate covered pretzels!

We got him a Luke Skywalker light sabre and a color changing alarm clock.

Oma & Opa got him a Pillow Pet Pee Wee. He had been wanting this frog and he named him "Pee Wee". He has not let him out of his sight since the party!

They also worked on fixing up this family bike for Nolan. It has been passed down through lots of older cousins and now it is Nolan's turn to ride! We'll have to practice once all of our snow melts!

Uncle Ken had wanted to pass it on to Nolan and had bought him this license plate for the bike before he passed away. So it is extra special knowing that Uncle Ken had a part in sprucing up the bike that he had bought for his own grandsons.

Then it was time for a treasure hunt for the kids! Mark worked hard on writing clues and setting up such a creative and fun activity for them.

Payton read the clues and lead the way!

This was their favorite clue, of course! Nolan was giggling and smiling so big when Payton read it!

The final map that lead the way to the treasure! Don't you love how Mark thought to burn the edges of the paper?!

They found the treasure chest in the front closet.

The kids all loved their loot!

Each cousin got a "gold dubloon" as Nolan calls it! It was really a golden dollar coin. And they each got a bag of chocolate coins too!

After the treasure hunt it was cake time!

I made this cute pirate cake.

I tried to make a friendly looking pirate!

Nolan loved his cake!

Love this face as he listened to everyone sing to him!

Too funny!

He LOVES to lick the frosting off the candles!

And of course, he LOVES to eat his vanilla cake, with vanilla frosting, and vanilla ice cream!

After cake, a spontaneous dance party erupted...

Uncle Brad, Auntie Jayne, and Cohen got him the Lion King c.d. The kids all had fun dancing to Hakuna Matata!

Then we put on some other songs with a "good beat"- just how Nolan likes it!

Heathy and Auntie Cara gettin' their dance on! Nolan booty danced so much that he danced his pants right off! Too funny!

Then we had to play with all of our new toys! Nolan and Brady battling with the light sabres!

And Uncle Wes got the Moon Dough out with Nolan, Brady, and Payton! They had fun, but boy did we have a mess to clean up! Wes is just returning a messy toy favor to me! He's been holding a grudge ever since Payton dumped the Moon Sand we got her all over the carpet in her bedroom.

And look who just slept through all the chaos! Thanks Auntie Jayne for cuddling Brooks all night!

Thank you to everyone who made Nolan feel so special and loved! He had the BEST birthday!

I'm so glad that I can help make all his wishes come true, because, really, he is my answer to prayer. My perfect gift...my dream...reality!

My Three Sons

2012-01-05T15:45:00.004-07:00

Just some photos of life with my three sons...

Dad Jansen is working part time at Water 2 Wine. His boss gave us this bottle of wine to congratulate us on Brooks' birth.

We drank the wine on New Years Eve but now we have the beautiful bottle as a keepsake.

My Aunt Judy and Uncle John, my God Parents, sent us this beautiful print from Red Envelope as a gift when Brooks was born. We love it and found the perfect place to hang it in our home right away!

Jill got me these adorable notepads a year or so ago...back when we thought we would possibly be a family of four forever...how quickly things change. My brother then thought he needed to update it a bit- adding Brooks. And while he was at it, he thought he was pretty funny adding Baby #4 (a girl) and a dog. Sorry Tyler, but both of those just won't be happening! Well, that's what I think now, but God has a funny way of messing with me! Ha!

And just to show you that even though this boy was born at a whopping 8 pounds 7 ounces, he really doesn't have any chunk to him. He's just super long! And very cold in this pic...hence the crying!

We had his 2 week check up with the Doctor yesterday. Really, he was 2 1/2 weeks old. But he is the picture of health and doing everything an 18 day old should be doing. Here are his stats at 2 plus weeks, Heath's and Nolan's are posted next to his:

Height: B- 22 in. @ 90%, H-21 3/4 in. @80%, N-21 7/8 in. @85%

Weight: B- 8 lbs. 11.8 oz. @50%, H- 7 lbs. 12 oz. @25%, N- 9 lbs. 0.2 oz. @ 65%

Head Circumference: B- 37 cm. @50%, H- 36.2 cm. @45%, N- 36.6 cm. @40%

This middle child has needed a little extra lovin' these days. He sure loves his new little bro, but you can just tell he can feel the change in our household. Extra hugs, kisses, and snuggles are abundant!!!

Lovin' these pictures!

Mark and I were just talking about how at this point last year we had ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE that our life would look like this just 365 days later!

But now we could not imagine anything else!

They bring us such joy!

And even though it is incredibly busy and I am exhausted from feedings, messes, talking back, and tantrums...

it is so worth it!!

C is for Cookie

2012-01-04T15:46:00.005-07:00

C is for Cookie...Heath's main food group!

He wakes up every morning asking for a cookie. You'd think that one of these days he'd realize that he is NEVER given a cookie for breakfast. But the kid is relentless and he is probably given way more cookies then we ever gave Nolan! He has such a sweet tooth!

While my mom was here we did a lot of cookie baking and the boys loved helping out in the kitchen!

Mark made my mom's fabulous "Surprise Package Cookies". They are Mark's favorite cookie and he makes them each Christmas. They have an Andes mint inside! Delish!

Before Grandma arrived Nolan had asked her if they could make Gingerbread men together.

We had never made them before, so we actually just bought pre made dough and then had fun rolling it out, cutting the shapes, and decorating them.

To decorate we used raisins, m&m's, craisins, and "red nods" as Nolan kept calling the red hots! Ha!

He really liked the red hots! Guess he loves cinnamon, he had never had them before.

Our first three cookies- one is Nolan's, one is my Mom's, and one is Heath's. Can you guess whose is whose?

After we made Gingerbread men Nolan also wanted to get out our other cookie cutters. We made a cookie with each of our initials. We'll need to get one for Brooks now!

Later in the week we also made sugar cookies and spritz cookies with my mom's new automatic spritz cookie gun! The boys had fun shooting the dough out onto the cookie tray!

Look who had a little too much fun with the flour!

And of course with so many cookies around the house we are now all feeling like we need to hit the gym! But they sure were yummy and we made some more wonderful memories making them!

"Our Chicago Friends"

2012-01-04T13:50:00.005-07:00

While my family was in town Nolan kept referring to them as "our Chicago friends" when he would talk about them all as a whole. He just LOVES them and gets so excited to have them here and a part of his everyday life! Here are a bunch of random photos from their visit with us!

Auntie hearts her babies!

Nolan was waiting for Uncle T. to come so that they could take apart and put back together this lego like Spiderman. It was funny to watch them together. Tyler was reading the "menu", as Nolan calls the directions, and working seriously to put the tiny pieces together. And Nolan was talking, talking, talking and asking him a million questions. Tyler just tuned him out until he was ready to have Nolan help with a part. But that didn't stop Nolan, he just kept jabbering away even when not acknowledged!

Uncle T. and Heathy reading books after bathtime!

Photo Bomb!

Tyler got Brooks this little Northwestern sleeper for Christmas. Northwestern class of 2001, Northwestern class of 2033?

Saying goodbyes before dropping my brother and sister off at the airport.

Grandma & Grandpa sent Brooks our favorite Lou Malnati's pizzas as a BIRTH day present. Even though he's not able to eat it now, he will learn to LOVE it someday! And this gift made his Mommy so so happy!!! Yum! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

And here they are with their THREE grand SONS!

Brooksie and Grandpa before he left.

My Mom was here through New Years Eve so we partied with her into 2012!

We always take a picture together on each of her trips to Denver. We figured out that she was here in Denver for over a month total in 2011! That's a lot of time...and we LOVE it! If only we could get her to move here!

We had a New Years Eve Happy Hour with Mark's parents.

And then we ordered Chinese Food and watched Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Eve.

It was low key and uneventful, but about all this new mama could handle.

And early the next morning we had to take Grandma to the airport to head back to Chicago. As each "Chicago friend" left Nolan would give them the sweetest yet saddest hug, with his head hung, his bottom lip puffed out, and a wimpery voice he would say goodbye. He was so sad to see them go! But we are already looking forward to a week with Auntie and a week with Grandma for Spring Break in March! And then we'll head back to Chicago in May. We wish we could spend more time with them all, but we are so beyond thankful for the fun times we do have with them throughout the year! We couldn't ask for a more loving, supportive, and fun family!

Thanks for visiting "Chicago Friends"! XoxoxOxo

Our Holly Jolly Christmas

2012-01-02T12:44:00.027-07:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year spent with both of our families! It was such a treat to have all of my family here this year to celebrate! With so many fun celebrations, I, of course, took so many fun pictures! I took a bunch of video too! I put some of them in this blog post- completely unedited due to my annoyingly malfunctioning laptop! And I am having major issues uploading so I'm giving up on getting some of the others posted! Bummer!

But I think you'll get the jist of our incredibly fun Christmas in the photos and video below...

Nolan made this ornament for us at school! I will always love it and treasure it as the first school made gift we've been given by our little boy!

He also made this snowflake for us at Awana with pipe cleaners and beads.

Eckabee had fun watching the boys each day and reporting to Santa about their behavior each night. He came back every morning and appeared in a new spot. Here are a few places the boys found him...

drawing silly faces on our Santa photo

making snow angels on the kitchen table

eating our Christmas cookies

We spent Christmas Eve morning with Mark's family.

our first photo as a family of FIVE

We ate breakfast together and then got to open up stockings.

Heath was excited to get more Toy Story guys!

Uncle Brad finally got to spend some time with Brooks!

Then it was time for PRESENTS!!

Nolan and Heath both got these great sleeping bags from the Syers fam! Nolan loves his and has even taken a few naps in it in his bedroom!

Brooks got a Gentle Giraffe sound machine from Cohen.

He was thrilled! Ha!

Heath got this Emperor Zurg action figure! He loves pretending to make him shoot and does some great sound effects with him!

And Nolan got the Army guys he'd been wishing for from Oma & Opa. He was so excited when he opened them that he hugged the bucket over and over again! It was so sweet!

As soon as we got home he opened them up and played with Grandpa who had just arrived from Chicago! Grandpa and Nolan set them all up and Nolan learned all about each army guy and their specific job. They played this together every day while my Dad was here!

We went to church in the late afternoon and then headed back to Mark's parent's house for dinner and carol singing.

Grandpa and his new grandson

Nolan and Brady were excited to sing some Christmas carols.

Heath helped Oma play some songs on the piano!

Having fun "reading" from the carol book!

Brooks got lots of snuggles from everyone!

Aunt Sue and Mark sang carols with gusto!

Nolan helped out too...he added some extra low notes to the tunes!

And of course midway through Jingle Bells...look who came to visit...

Nolan with Santa (a.k.a Uncle Dave)

Heath actually really liked Santa this time!!

And even little Brooks got to snuggle up with St. Nick!

Brooks got this bib as a Christmas Eve gift from Santa! It is perfect because all three of his Aunties were there...and they are all HOT!

A pic with my sibs!

Later that night when we got home, Nolan and I put out cookies and milk for Santa and we left some carrots for his reindeer too!

The next morning we all woke up bright and early (7 a.m.) to see if Santa had come!

And he did! Nolan got these cool new sunglasses in his stocking.

And look what Brooks got in his!

Heath was THRILLED to open up this Buzz Lightyear gift from Santa! He LOVES the same one that Payton and Brady have and was so excited to finally have his own! He was smiling so big and jumping up and down he was so excited!

I didn't get a picture of it, but Nolan did the same thing when he opened up his "Evil Dr. Porkchop" toy from Auntie Mal. As he was ripping the paper he caught a little peek at what was inside and when he saw what it was, he began frantically tearing the wrapping to get to it! The joy on their faces as they received exactly what they wanted was just amazing! Love celebrating at these ages!

My parents got the boys this awesome train table that we set up in the basement. We scored an excellent Black Friday deal on it at Toys 'R Us!

The were surprised to see it!

And they've already played with it so much!

It has even become an Army guy hide out!

We enjoyed a nice Christmas Dinner together with my family. We each had a part of the meal to prepare. Mom- pork tenderloin and mashed potatoes, Mallory- asparagus, Me- cheesy california blend and Christmas jello, Tyler- rolls and wine, Dad- liquor, Mark- warm caramel apple dessert! It was delicious and fun to all have a part in it!

We set up the camera and took a family picture later that evening!

Brooks wore jeans for the first time!

And of course, we played the Pickle Game!

Nolan and Heath played the first round.

Nolan found the pickle! But both boys got an extra gift from Santa!

Then it was time for the adult round...

Mallory won! Her extra gift from Santa: a jar of pickles and a McDonalds gift card!

We spent a lot of time on Christmas weekend playing with all of our new toys.

Tyler bought Nolan 2 new Batman action figures for Christmas: Green Lantern and Catwoman.

Heath having fun with Grandpa! Grandpa was being silly and making him laugh so hard!

Playing Zingo...Nolan's new game!

Nolan sportin' his new Woody p.j.'s from Auntie Mal!

Here Heath is wearing his Buzz p.j.'s that Auntie Mal got him for his birthday! And he's playing on our new Wii...a family Christmas gift! Heath got a Toy Story Wii game from Uncle Wes and Auntie Cara and he loves it. He still needs help playing, but he thinks he's pretty cool waving the controller around.

My sister brought her Just Dance and Glee Karaoke games and we spent a night dancing and singing with my family! I can't wait to get these games too...they are a blast and great entertainment!

We also got a Wii Fit and this Nickelodeon game with Dora, Diego, and other characters the boys love! It's been fun to teach them how to play! And I'm hoping to work out a bit with the Wii Fit while I'm on maternity leave to shed some baby weight!

I surprised Mark with an ipad for Christmas! He was really shocked! He has been wanting one for awhile, but I kept telling him it was unnecessary and too expensive. But my MacBook is dying so it actually was a good time to make the investment.

It has been a fun addition to our family and the boys enjoy playing on it too!

Heathy drawing

Nolan creating a Winter picture

We had such a blessed Christmas full of presents and family and laughing and joy! And we are so thankful for the best gift we have received- the birth of baby Jesus, our Savior.

home

2011-12-31T09:00:00.005-07:00

We've been home now as a family of 5 for over a week and a half now and I am just now finding time to blog! Life is just plain busy with 3 little boys! It is totally manageable, but it leaves very little time for me to do the things that I enjoy...like blogging! It seems like I'm always feeding, bathing, changing, or playing with someone OR cleaning something! Thank goodness for all the new toys in the house that have kept the boys so happy and occupied!

My mom has been here and my Dad, Sister, and Brother too. And then there was Christmas and Nolan's birthday, so those things have added to the craziness. Even though our house has been full it has been so nice to have the extra help! When my mom leaves tomorrow and then when Mark goes back to work on Wednesday we'll get to see what life is really like! But for now I am taking advantage of all the extra hands and especially the extra love and attention for the boys!

We are absolutely loving our new little guy! Here is a video of when we brought him home from the hospital last Monday:

The end of the clip is such a true picture of life with boys! Ha!

Nolan is great at holding "baby Brooks" as he calls him.

We got this Christmas hat from the hospital and Nolan thought it was so cute! Not really my style, but anything Christmas is Nolan's style for sure! He wanted "the new baby" to wear it when they took a picture together!

He holds Brooks so carefully.

Brooks has been a pretty chill baby. We barely hear him make a peep. He just eats, sleeps, poops, and watches the world around him.

Here he is having his first bath. The boys wanted to help and thought that he needed bath toys. So they shook little rattles in front of his face as we washed him.

Love his dark hair! Wish it would stay that way so at least one of them would look like me, but chances are...it will be blonde in just a matter of time! Good thing their Daddy is so cute, I really don't mind that they all look just like him!

All three boys have used this adorable alligator towel for their first baths.

The boys both try to play with Brooks and like to show him things. Nolan can't wait for the day that Brooks will start batting at things and grabbing things. He keeps trying!

And look who has FINALLY accepted the fact that this baby is not going away! Heath will now hold Brooks and kiss him and laugh at the funny head bobbing he does!

He always looks around for where Brooks is. And only occasionally asks us to put him down! Ha!

He loves the button on the papasan seat that makes it vibrate and play music. He is quick to turn it on and off for his little brother.

I snapped a few of these pics one day in hopes of getting a good one for our New Years/Birth Announcement cards. But Brooks was hungry and rooting around and would not lay still. But I still think they turned out pretty cute. He is a big boy, but his arms and legs are still pretty scrawny. He is super long and solid through the middle.

I can't get enough of his sweet profile! He has the cutest little ears.

And he still pretty much looks just like Heath did when he was born!

Here he is in his crib for the first time. So little in this big bed! He makes Heath look like a giant now!

One last picture of our little cutie! He is very alert and has the most peaceful little look when he is awake! He is a complete God send in the midst of our fast paced and loud family! Nothing about him was planned but everything about him has been perfect!

My FOUR year old...

2011-12-30T14:08:00.007-07:00

How can it be that I have a FOUR year old little boy?

Four years ago Mark and I were just starting this

whole family thing...

and now today,

1, 460 days later we have 3 handsome little guys, a house full of hustle and bustle, and more love than we could have ever imagined!

And it all started with this guy...

Nolan Bradley Jansen

This boy who has the BEST heart. He's sensitive, creative, imaginative, funny, silly, stubborn, cautious, and oh so smart!

He is such a great big brother. He is thoughtful and helpful.

He has the cutest laugh! His big blue eyes light up any room and his toothy smile is absolutely adorable!

He loves animals and loves to sing!

Lately, he is our "bottomless pit", with mini pancakes and fruit being his favorite foods!

He goes to preschool 4 mornings a week and attends Awana on Wednesday nights.

He enjoys reading and rough housing with his Daddy.

He soaks up any one-on-one time ANYONE wants to give him! Come along side him and play and he will talk your ear off! This is his happy place for sure!

But, most importantly...he's OURS! How did we get so blessed!

Today we are spending his day doing some of his favorite things and we are having so much fun! He has smiled ear to ear all day long!

Here is a little video we shot of him last night before bed...Nolan Bradley age 4!

N.B.J. we just love you so much! You were made perfect in God's image and we could not imagine life without you. We can't wait to see what year 4 has in store for you!

Xo xO XO

Mommy & Daddy

{loved ones}

2011-12-27T22:02:00.005-07:00

We were spoiled with love and support by our friends and family during our stay at the hospital!

I made little treats for Brooks' first visitors to announce his name...3 Musketeers bars for my THIRD boy! And I truly hope our boys will be the best of friends as they grow older!

Mark's whole family and our niece and nephews all came to hang out in the waiting room anxiously anticipating the arrival of the 7th Jansen grandbaby!

They stayed busy with Uncle Brad's ipad and...

ran around in the hallways and listened for a new baby's cry through the door!

Finally, Mark came out to let everyone know that Brooks was born healthy and strong!

We surprised everyone there with his name! (Although, my Dad, sister, and best friend Jill had all figured out the name from our clues along the way!)

Uncle Wesley and Brooks Wesley

My mom was so happy to have made it in time for Brooks' birth!

Opa and Oma are happy to add the 6th straight boy to the mix!

And Payton is thrilled to still be the ONLY girl! She is such a sweet big cousin!

Later in the evening some of our best friends also stopped by to meet the big guy!

The Leensvaarts came to visit us straight from being discharged from Sky Ridge Hospital after giving birth to their son Jack Dempsey just 2 days earlier.

It is so neat that our 2 boys have birthdays so close together! Rick and Mark grew up together and so will our boys! We hope that they will be the best of friends just like their Dad's have been throughout the years.

Best Buds

James & Lindsay stopped by too! The 3 Amigos will be complete in early March! We can't wait to meet their little man so soon!

We sure had a busy room!

Nolan had fun playing playdough with his Grandmas!

Cara & Wes dropped Chipotle off for us for dinner so that we could have a break from the delicious hospital food!

Our second day at the hospital was much quieter...

just the boys and the grandparents. Nolan and Opa had fun with Doctor gloves, they put them on, blew them up, and drew on them. Anything to keep busy and entertained in a confined space!

Since we've been home we have been spoiled by calls, cards, gifts, texts, emails, Facebook messages, and even more visitors. Thank you to everyone who has already loved on our little Brooksie.

He is just the sweetest thing...if you haven't met him...

you need to...he's the best!

He's here! He's FINALLY here!

2011-12-21T15:42:00.013-07:00

Brooks Wesley Jansen

Born December 17, 2011

12:05 p.m.

"From the fullness of His grace we have received one blessing after another."

John 1:16

8 pounds 7 ounces

21 inches

Friday, December 16th was my due date. And Brooks seemed to be quite content right where he was, warm and toasty inside of me! I had my 40 week appointment with my nurse practitioner midwife, Diana, and she said I was 5 cm. dilated and basically ready to go! I had been having lots of contractions, but nothing regular. So she said we could head right over to the hospital and induce me, I was that ready. But I wanted to be able to have 1 last night with my boys, pack my bags, and hopefully wait for my mom who was flying in the next morning. So we scheduled an induction for early the next morning. Diana then told me that she wouldn't be surprised if I ended up in full labor that night on my own. So I went home and got crackin' packing up a few things.

I snuggled with my boys and gave them LOTS of kisses! It's always a weird feeling for me thinking about completely changing the dynamics of our family by adding a new member. I just felt like I wanted to be sure to tell the boys just how much I love them and that I will always have enough room in my heart to love them fully and for exactly who God created them to be! We watched Curious George's Christmas as a family, put the boys to bed, and then Mark got us take out from Panera and we rented a movie. It was such a nice night!

We woke up early, showered, put the boys in the car to go to Oma & Opa's house, and headed to the hospital. It is a strange feeling, waking up and knowing you are going to have a baby that day! I didn't have that with my other 2 pregnancies and it was so nice to be fully prepared. We hugged and kissed the boys goodbye and off we went.

We checked into the hospital and I was already 8 cm. dilated and having contractions every 10 minutes! They broke my water, gave me a little pitocin, the contractions became 5 minutes apart, and I got my beloved epidural.

The whole family headed over to the hospital and my Mom made it in on time! Everyone was ready for this baby to be born! It took a while for the epidural to start working so I was fully feeling each contraction. It kicked it right about when I was ready to start pushing! But by then, it was almost too strong and I couldn't feel any urge to push. But after about 40 minutes of pushing my BIG boy decided it was FINALLY time to come on out!

We couldn't believe just how big he was! But I guess this was the longest I had been pregnant so I should have known he would be even bigger than my boys were! (Who I thought were big at 8 lbs. and 7 lbs. 9 oz.- 1 and 2 weeks early.)

It really was an easy pregnancy and delivery. My doctor has told me that I am made for birthing babies! I don't swell, I don't get stretch marks, and I have fast births. Ha! Too bad, I won't be doing this EVER again! Our family is complete at 5 and I am meant to be the mom of BOYS! I wouldn't want it any other way!

As soon as Brooks was cleaned up and checked over Mark went out to the waiting room to announce the name of our new boy! Everyone thought his name was going to be Connor. We had given them the clue that his name had an O in it and that it didn't end with an N. They also counted 6 nail holes in the wall of his nursery. So they were shocked when we told them it was Brooks! And his middle name is Wesley after his Uncle Wes. Each of the boys is named after one of their 3 uncles. A pretty cool way to honor the amazing men that they have to look up to in life!

Mark got Nolan and Heath and brought them into the room to be the first ones to meet little Brooks!

They both smiled shyly at their new brother and were happy to see me!

It was a special moment for our new family of FIVE!

Brooks is just perfect! He has LONG fingers, feet, and toes!

He is a SOLID dude, but doesn't really have any rolls on him!

Mark was, as always, my calm and solid encourager during the delivery.

He is such a great Dad!

After introducing the boys, the rest of our family came in to meet Brooks- more on that in a future post. It was wonderful to be surrounded by so much love!

The boys went back to Oma's house for a nap but came back to the hospital later in the day. I made them special gift bags with a book, puzzle, playdough, and little toy in them to keep them busy while they were at the hospital. When Nolan opened up his new Cars 2 Double Decker Bus he said, "This is just what I was wishing for!" It was a BIG hit and they LOVED having something that was all about them!

Nolan and Heath have both had their moments of being emotional or crabby since Brooks was born. But overall, they are both doing a fabulous job with all of the changes that have happened in just a few short days. They were able to sleep at home since my Mom is in town so that was a nice way to keep things consistent for them.

We hunkered down and settled into life at the hospital for 2 days. It was nice to be able to send him to the nursery at night so we could get some uninterrupted sleep.

Brooks ate, slept and pooped well!

We think he looks JUST like Heath! He has dark hair...for now!

We had the perfect balance of rest and visitors while there.

Nolan enjoyed watching his new brother and checking out all his little parts.

He always says, "He's so cute." and "I love him." Too bad he also keeps calling him "Jack". Our good friends just had a baby named Jack 2 days before Brooks was born so Nolan keeps calling him the wrong name. Ha!

Nolan also wanted me to be in the hospital bed the whole time. He said, "Mommy, if the nurse comes back in you better get back in the bed!"

And he like pushing the bed's buttons and making Dr. glove creations with Opa as well. They spent a lot of time running the halls and eating kitchenette snacks. Heath really was not that into Brooks while at the hospital. He just wanted his Mommy! But slowly his affection has grown for his new bro, which is just about the sweetest thing. I'll blog more on that as well in the coming days.

The second night Mark went home to play with the boys and help my mom out. So Brooks and I had some major cuddle time and did what he does best...SLEEP!

the view from our hospital room

On Monday morning I woke up bright and early anxious to head home and start our new life together! The weather made quite the change from when we checked in to when we checked out of the hospital. It was almost 60 degrees over the weekend, but Monday morning ushered in snow and 20 degree temperatures! Crazy Colorado!

Mark came back just in time to go with Brooks to his circumcision. I was also treated to a massage from the hospital. A nice new perk they added in the past 2 years since I had Heath.

After we got all of that and all of the paperwork taken care of, we were finally ready to head home!

We could not have had a better experience at Littleton Hospital. I absolutely adore my midwife. And we loved all of our nurses. Brooks and I had wonderful care. But as we walked out those doors Mark and I both said to each other, "We are so glad to never have to come back again!" Ha!

We are just completely confident that God has formed our family and completed it with this new and perfect addition of Brooks! We love him so much already and we are enjoying figuring out life at home now!

I'm going to try my best to keep the updates coming...I can't believe it took me 5 days just to blog that he was born! But hey, that's kind of a true picture of life with 3 children, ages 4 and under! And add to that family staying with us and Christmas fun and we are pretty much busy, busy, busy!

Good thing Brooks seems to be a very content and easy going baby! He just takes it all in and watches the crazy world around him, barely making a peep! We didn't plan on this little miracle, he fought his way into this world and made us fall in love with him, and now we are left just amazed at God's perfect plan! We couldn't imagine our life without him!

"Before I was born the Lord called me; from my birth He has made mention of my name."

Isaiah 49:1

Jolly Old St. Nicholas

2011-12-15T22:41:00.005-07:00

We had a fun morning last Saturday at the National Cine Media Annual Children's Christmas Party! We headed over to the theater for breakfast...

balloon animals (a turtle for Nolan and a puppy for Heath)...

and...

SANTA!

Nolan did a great job and walked right up to Santa. He wanted to sit next to him and told him that he would like "Army Guys" for Christmas!

He was a little bit shy and quiet but so brave and a great role model for Heathy!

I snapped this photo on my own camera quickly when Heath first sat down with Santa. He CRIED and did not want to get too close! Isn't Santa's reaction hilarious!!!

So, as always, Mark had to get in on the photo action to help Heath calm down and enjoy Santa!

Santa was his usual jolly self and really took an interest in helping Heath warm up to him!

He asked what he wanted for Christmas, and of course, Heath requested another "Buzz" Lightyear figure!

Heath eventually got up really close to Santa and they had the sweetest little chat! And before he left he was high fiving the big guy!

Santa gave the boys great treat bags full of lots of treasures! Nolan was thrilled about his new toucan puppet! He named him "Oneie", because as he says, "I only have ONE toucan stuffed animal!" Funny boy!

And finally, it was time for a MOVIE! All the kids got to stay for the new "Muppet Movie". Daddy and Nolan enjoyed it, but it was a bit over Heath's head as he normally only sits through animated movies. So I was on Heath duty taking him out of the theater every 30 minutes or so to run the halls and let out some energy!

We love this fun tradition and are so thankful that Mark's work is so generous and family focused! Check out our photos from past parties: here, and here, and here! I think we are making progress every year!

TOY STORY 3 on Ice

2011-12-12T14:30:00.006-07:00

We had THE BEST family night last Thursday!

We went to see Toy Story 3 on Ice!

We bought the tickets a few months ago and the boys have been counting down the days ever since! We got a flyer in the mail advertising the show and Heath has literally carried it around with him every single day. He points to each character and asks us to tell him their name and laughs at the fact that they are wearing ice skates in the picture! The flyer has gotten ripped and crumpled and I've had to tape it more than a few times because he loves it so much!

And FINALLY it was the day to go! We ate an early dinner and headed downtown to the Pepsi Center! Nolan was so excited just to be downtown! He thought all the buildings and busy streets were so cool. He loved having his own ticket and riding the tall escalators up to our seats.

We actually had excellent seats! I received a "preferred customer discount" and got 2nd row seats on opening night for just $15 a piece! We had our own little front corner section of 4 seats, which was just perfect! The boys could stand or sit on their own chairs or sit on our laps and we had plenty of room to spread out with no one on either side. And the view was awesome!

Heath just LOVES all things Toy Story! He would watch the movies over and over again everyday if I let him! And it is the only thing he ever asks to watch! He wakes up in the morning asking for Buzz and even though he already has 5 Buzz Lightyear guys, that is what he asked Santa for! The second he heard the music start he literally shook with excitement!

He said the name of each character as they were introduced on the ice!

And he was so excited as Buzz made this pretty awesome entrance!

But his favorite part was when all of these aliens came out! And we all laughed as "THE CLAW" tried to catch them!

Nolan thought Ken and Barbie were pretty funny too! Ken skated all over tossing and spinning Barbie in the air! I don't think Nolan has ever really seen professional ice skaters and he thought it was hilarious that Ken was whipping Barbie all over!

The boys both watched in amazement for the entire show! Nolan asked a million questions and predicted what would happen next. Heath climbed all over and oohed and ahhed at everything. In this photo you see them sucking down their incredibly overpriced snow cones! What they sell, what people buy, and what it all costs is outrageous! But I had told the boys that if they were good they could pick something out! And these gems were ONLY $10 a piece...the cheapest I could find! Ha! But really, the boys were great and it ended up being one of those nights that you want to etch in your mind because it really was pretty seamless. And those times with an almost 4 year old, a 2 year old, and a VERY pregnant and tired mommy seem to be few and far between these days! Usually one of the three of us is having some sort of meltdown! Ha!

After the show we walked back to the car in the bitter cold discussing our favorite parts, what else would Nolan want to do! And he knew exactly everything that was in the movie that was missing in the ice show. It was a late night out, but so worth it! The boys were both sleeping literally within minutes of pulling out of the parking lot! And I went to bed smiling, just feeling so blessed to have such sweet boys and the means to treat them to special memories like this from time to time!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2011-12-06T12:12:00.011-07:00

{THE LIGHTS}

Thanksgiving weekend Mark hung up our outside Christmas Lights! It was a warm and dry weekend and perfect timing considering we've had snow 2 times since!

I think he always does such an awesome job! They are always perfectly straight! This year we swapped out some of our white lights for red in a 2 white, 1 red pattern! It looks great and is something a bit different.

The boys, and especially Nolan, LOVE driving around and looking at Christmas lights. Nolan's theory on Christmas lights seems to be, "the gaudier the better"! He asks me all the time if we can get a "blow up" in our yard! He loves those big blow up snow globes, and snowmen, and Santa! Sorry bud! We will not be taking that route with our decorating! I'm fine with taking an extra 20 minutes a night to drive slowly through the neighborhoods so that you can look at OTHER PEOPLE'S "blow ups"!

{THE SNOW}

It sure has been cold and snowy around here lately! But I really don't mind it...it makes the neighborhood look that much more ready for Christmas! At first Nolan did NOT like the snow blowing in his face...but it didn't take long for him to get over this and to remember just how much fun the snow is!

He is a boy on a mission to clobber everyone in sight with snowballs! Love his face in these photos!

{THE DECORATING}

On Sunday we went to Home Depot and picked out our Christmas tree. There would be no hiking around in the mountains to cut down a tree this year! Although, baby seems to be quite content where he is right now! Maybe I could have tackled it! But it was kind of nice to drive to the store, pick out the tree, have them make a fresh cut, wrap it up, and strap it to the top of the car. The whole process took only about an hour from door to door. And the boys still had fun running around stomping in the snow and checking out all the trees even if it was just at Home Depot.

While the boys napped we let the tree thaw out a little and Mark strung the lights.

When they woke up we had a blast digging out all of the Christmas decorations!

They LOVE their nativity sets that Grandma & Grandpa have given them. Heath loves to hum along and do the motions to the song "Away in the Manger" that his Little People set sings!

We have pretty much played with them NON STOP since Sunday!

Nolan really enjoyed hanging up all the ornaments! He liked them all grouped together and even wanted to hang some on the same branch.

He loved remembering some of his favorite ornaments and he knows which ornaments belong to who in the family.

Heath also hung all his ornaments in the same low spot! They have taken ornaments on and off of the tree a million times since we first decorated. They play with them really nicely and put them back in a new spot each time. So our tree looks different every day!

Here's a quick video of some of our decorating fun...

When we were done with all the oranaments...

Heath climbed up on the ladder with Daddy to place the star on top!

And Nolan helped me find the "perfect spot" for all the other decorations. He really liked the mistletoe too! I don't think I had ever really explained this tradition to him before. It was so cute! He kept wanting to stand underneath it with me to give me a smooch!

After decorating we cuddled up on the couch as a family to do one of our favorite traditions...

The Elf on the Shelf! Nolan was so excited that our Elf "Eckabee" had returned from the North Pole! He has fun looking for where Eckabee hides each day! And he has been really good the past few days in hopes of impressing Eckabee with his best behavior for him to report back to Santa! It's funny because we got this book and elf when Nolan was Heath's age and Nolan has always LOVED it! Heath sat and listened to the book but he was kinda freaked out by Eckabee at first and now he could really care less about finding where he is hiding each morning. Maybe he just needs to be a little older to fully understand it all, or maybe this is just another example of their different personalities and interests.

{THE TREE}

Here it is in all it's glory! It's about 7 feet tall and full and it smells awesome! On Monday morning when Nolan woke up and walked downstairs he said, "What's that I smell?" We had to tell him all about how amazing fresh pine trees smell! Another thing I don't think we explained to him last year.

I definitely have not mastered the art of taking pictures by the Christmas tree! I try without a flash and with a flash and neither one truly captures the beauty of the tree or the boys!

In this photo they are each holding their favorite ornaments: Nolan chose the famous pickle, and Heath chose Rudolph!

It is so fun to see the joy of the Christmas season through their eyes!

Nesting Part 2: The Big BoyS Room

2011-11-29T14:27:00.002-07:00

About a month ago we decided it was time to make the big move...it was time for Heath to become a BIG BOY!! And we moved him out of his crib and into the bunk-bed, sharing a room with Nolan. Nolan was really excited about being able to share his room with Heath because he would now be able to sleep on the top bunk. We knew we needed to begin practicing this new sleeping arrangement before we would need to use the crib for the latest Jansen boy.

So I started making a few little changes/additions to Nolan's room to get it ready for Heath to call home...

I really didn't do much...just added this absolutely adorable photo of him and this letter H from his nursery.

And we took the PBK letter blocks, his wooden shoes, ceramic footprint, and his Rockies baseball guy from his old room as well. I can't really set up much on the shelves of the bunk-bed because the boys just end up playing with everything while they are supposed to be sleeping.

We just LOVE this bunk-bed because of it's built in drawers. One side is full of Nolan's clothes and the other is for Heath's. They also have a great closet that lines one whole wall of their room. So there was plenty of room to add all of Heath's hanging clothes. I also bought some shelves to add to the closet to help organize all of their toys, games, and puzzles and get them up off of the floor.

Now, I bet you're wondering how this transition has gone...

Well, after the first night, we were left wondering if this was really going to work! It took the boys 90 minutes of messing around, throwing stuffed animals, shushing each other, jumping on beds, and yelling BOO to finally wind down and fall asleep. But Heath slept through the night and woke up IN his bed the next morning. He has been waking up earlier than usual, so we try to sneak in and get him out of there before he wakes up Nolan, who likes to sleep in.

A few times we have been woken up to Nolan calling, "He's in my bed!!!" Heath has gotten up in the middle of the night or very early morning and decided to climb the ladder up to the top bunk to join his big brother! Oh, how he keeps us on our toes! Nolan would not have dared to do this even a year ago. Just a few months ago, Nolan was still calling for us and asking for permission to get out of his bed in the mornings! Heath is a whole 'nother story!

One morning, around 5 a.m. we heard Heath calling for me, "Ma Ma, Ma Ma!" I rolled over and said to Mark, "It sounds like he's downstairs." No, he couldn't be! But yes, my little 23 month old had gotten out of his bed, opened the door, and wandered downstairs, BY HIMSELF, in the pitch dark! He really is "crA crA" as Nolan calls him...CRAZY!!!!

But since that first week of freedom, things have settled down a lot! Most nights, they go to bed easily. Occasionally, they toss stuffed animals up and down at each other or laugh and goof around for a few minutes before settling in. And Heath is still early to rise- usually between 6:20 and 7 a.m. But overall, I really don't think this big move could have gone any better!

We just love our bed time routines together as well. Baths, p.j.'s, books, and prayers. And of course, they both have to have their favorite stuffed animals and blankies to cuddle with!

We are so proud of our big boys and the friendship and fun they have together! Sharing a room is just the beginning of a life time of adventures together!

Turkey Day Twenty Eleven

2011-11-27T14:11:00.005-07:00

We had a very nice Thanksgiving Day. We started our day with a little relaxing around the house and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving. We Skyped with my parents for awhile and just took it easy! It was so nice having a lazy family morning together. Then we headed over to Cara's house to hang out, enjoy the beautiful fall weather, and help prepare the feast!

Cara hosted Thanksgiving this year in their new home. It was great for the kids to have so many fun toys to play with and for us all to have a little more space to spread out!

We went before nap time in hopes that the boys would both sleep and we could enjoy some quiet time with the fam! When we got there, Brady proudly announced, "I don't have to take a nap because it's Thanksgiving!" This made it hard to convince Nolan that he did indeed need to take a nap! So we put him down, but about an hour later I heard him calling for me. So I went up to check on him and found him wearing Brady's Storm Trooper helmet. Needless to say, he didn't sleep, but maybe he got some rest! He said, "I could hear everybody playing outside!" Poor guy, he didn't want to miss out! And he actually did do pretty well all day and into the evening, going on no sleep. But much to our JOY, Heath actually took a great nap! Three hours! It was heavenly to be able to relax and not have to worry about chasing him and all of his crazy antics!

The temperature was about 70 degrees! So we all spent a lot of time outside in the sunshine!

Heath was pretty much inseparable with his cousin Cohen, but also with his best buddies- Buzz and Woody! Payton and Brady have these great, HUGE Toy Story guys that both of our boys have just loved over the years! They always play with them when they are at the Syers' house.

Uncle Marky and Co Co! Don't you just love his hair? It's growing out to be kind of curly!

Finally, around 4ish it was time to EAT! Cara had the table decorated so crafty and modern! Loved it!

Nolan set a place for Woody at the Kiddie Table!

The Kiddie Table...oh my! We have graduated to independent, unsupervised eating!

Can you tell they did a lot of it?

Nolan ate mainly applesauce, cranberries, and a roll! And I wasn't about to fight him on it either! He is a good eater, but when things aren't prepared the way he is used to, he isn't that adventurous. But he ate more than Heath did that's for sure! Heath still isn't eating much with his cold and croup. So after a bite or two we just let him get down to play so we could have a peaceful dinner! On a side note, he is finally starting to feel better! Yay for less boogers and no more seal barking cough!

We sure had a delicious dinner and ate a TON! I ate just as much as I normally would, but now I really don't have any room for it anymore! Baby is taking up so much room in my belly! I really could not move or breathe after dinner, I was so full!

We stayed to help clean up, eat pie, and do some more playing! Heath and Cohen decided to take Rylan's Monster Truck out for a spin! It was a scary flash forward into the future as they got whip lash and drove herky jerky a few feet at a time in the yard! I wish I would have gotten a video of it! They were quite the sight to see- cool dudes driving around with pacis in their mouths!

The kids all cuddled up to watch a movie and rest after such a fun day together!

We are so thankful for our family who truly loves each other and enjoys spending time with one another! We are are blessed!

Our Little Space Ranger's 2nd Birthday Bash...

2011-11-25T08:51:00.012-07:00

On the night of Heath's birthday we had a really fun family birthday party for him...

He is "assessed" with Toy Story as Nolan says! (obsessed! ha!) So there really was only one option for a party theme, even though I have always said that I would stay away from character type theme parties. I always thought they seemed cheesy. But what your little 2 year old wants...he gets! And I actually thought these invitations turned out pretty cute! I ordered them off of Etsy and ended up getting them for free because the designer shipped them late! Score for me!

During the day while Nolan was at preschool, Heath and I did a little party prep and he got to watch Toy Story 3 while sitting in his Birthday Chair! He thought he was pretty cool in his big chair and he LOVED his balloons!

One of the only things that I made for his party was his Birthday Chair sign...

I think it turned out pretty cute!

Here is his chair full of gifts even before the party guests arrived!

He got a few packages in the mail from the Sloothaaks, Grandpa & Grandma, Auntie Mal, and Uncle T. He loved going down to the mailbox and finding packages waiting for him each day!

For this party I only baked cupcakes...I had NO creative cake energy in me!

A close up of the cupcakes...love my Pillsbury Easy Frosting! And Heath loved the cupcake toppers that I BOUGHT! Easy was the theme of this party for sure!

We set up the table with Toy Story plates and cups full of Toy Story candies for the kids to take home as party favors.

I pretty much walked down the Toy Story section at the party store and scooped up anything I could find! And I actually thought that these "goodie bags" were very practical. I know I could always use more kid friendly plates and cups for the boys. And I'm pretty sure all the kids enjoyed the candy too!

After nap time it was time to PARTY!!

We kept the guest list small and just invited Mark's immediate family...that was about all this 36 weeks pregnant party planner could handle!

We made French Dip sandwiches and had chips, potato salad, fruit, and veggies for dinner. Simple and delicious and even pretty kid friendly!

All the cousins had a blast running around and playing with just about every toy we own.

After dinner it was present time...

Of course Heath wanted to open this gift first- it was in a Toy Story bag! We got him a Jessie action figure to add to his collection!

We also bought him these rain boots! He loves Nolan's froggie rain boots and always puts them on. But they are way too big on him and he stomps around and trips. So he was thrilled to get boots of his own!

Uncle Brad, Auntie Jayne, and Cohen got him this cool Cars 2 book with buttons to press and a steering wheel to turn! The boys love it!

Heath got his cute plate from the Sloothaaks. And they also got him an adorable striped tie! Can't wait to find the perfect occasion for him to wear it!

Daddy and Nolan went to Target and picked out a special gift just from them! A Darth Vadar Light Sabre! He LOVES it...it lights up and makes noise! Guess what Nolan will be getting for his birthday next month...the Luke Skywalker one! They will have some fierce battles with them for sure! And I'm sure we might have to pick up the Anakin Skywalker Light Sabre too for future roughhousing between all THREE of our guys!

Oma & Opa also got Heath a Buzz Lightyear laser gun that shoots nerf darts and lights up and makes zapping noises! The boys have already loved terrorizing me with these weapons ALL.THE.TIME! My life with 3 boys will never be dull, that's for sure!

My two partners in crime cheesing for the camera!

After presents, all of Heath's new toys had to come up to the table with him to sing Happy Birthday!

He did a great job blowing out the candles! The air in his bottom lip in this photo cracks me up!

Time to dig in! He mainly licked the frosting off of the cupcake topper over and over again. But he hasn't had much of an appetite lately since he's had a cold. I'm bummed because in all of these birthday photos you can tell that he just doesn't feel 100%. He looks pale and his eyes look tired. But he still had a blast despite being under the weather.

I had to snap some pictures with my 2 year old before the evening was over!

Nolan wanted to get in on the action too! Love these guys! And I CAN NOT believe that any day now I will have 1 more to add to the mix!

As soon as our party guests left it was time for bed! The boys were exhausted from all their fun!

Here is some video footage from the birthday party...

Uncle T.'s package came a day late...which was fun for Heath because he got to keep his birthday going...

He got this fun Roarin' and Racin' Rex...which was instantly a hit with BOTH boys! We have had constant negotiations going on over all the new toys! We are really working on sharing, trading, and waiting our turn to play with what we want. But somehow they always want what the other brother has!

The day after his birthday we had his 2 year well check visit with the doctor. Here are his latest stats and Nolan's are next to them in parenthesis...not only are their personalities completely different, but their builds seem to be as well:

Height: 35 1/4 inches @ 75% (37 1/2 in. @ 97%)

Weight: 26 pounds @ 27% (33.2 lbs. @ 94%)

Head Circumference: 50 centimeters @ 85% (48.8 cm. @ 55%)

Thank you to everyone who helped make our 2 year old's birthday so special! We love you all!

thankful

2011-11-23T19:34:00.007-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

From our two little turkeys!

This year we started a new family tradition...

Thankful Leaves!

Starting November 1st, each day at dinner time, Nolan told us one thing that he is thankful for! He did such a great job coming up with ideas on his own! And then we wrote each idea on one of the leaves on the garland.

Here is what he came up with...

Day 1: our baby

Day 2: Mommy

Day 3: Heath

Day 4: Daddy

Day 5: myself

Day 6: my blankies

Day 7: my eyes

Day 8: my bed

Day 9: my animals- Snakey and Princey

Day 10: food

Day 11: toys

Day 12: our house

Day 13: drinks

Day 14: T.V. shows

Day 15: books

Day 16: preschool

Day 17: clothes and hats

Day 18: my kids at school and friends

Day 19: Grandma and Oma

Day 20: Jesus

Day 21: money

Day 22: cousins

Day 23: funny things that make me laugh and be silly

Day 24: Grandpa and Opa

I L-O-V-E how the very first thing he thought of was his new baby brother! And it was so cute to see how he enjoyed this activity and asked to do it every day! Somedays he knew exactly what he wanted to say right away. And other days he sat quietly and thought carefully about what he was thankful that God had given him. Only a few days did we have to guide his answer a bit as he would start to just look around the room and say things he was thankful for like "candles" or "lamps"! Ha!

But what was really fun about this activity as well, was talking to Nolan about why he is blessed to have that thing or that person in his life! He is really starting to understand just how amazing God's love for us is and how He has provided us with so much in our lives!

In times when we wish we had a bigger house, more money, a nicer car, or a fancier wardrobe, we are reminded over and over again of how truly blessed we are! It's neat to see this through the eyes of a 3 year old who is grateful for the small things in life like a blanket or hat. And here we have THREE beautiful and healthy boys, a wonderful marriage, loving family, deep and lasting friendships, a warm house, healthy food, and so much more! So much for which to be grateful.

We wish you and yours a simple and happy Thanksgiving!

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

The Jansen Family

Heath Tyler Jansen...you are 2!

2011-11-22T07:33:00.000-07:00

My Middle Child...

{On the day that you were born} we had absolutely no idea about the JOY and FUN that you would bring to our life!

{1 year}

Your BIG blue eyes and chubby cheeks are oh so charming! And your larger than life personality is magnetic! Yes, it is also persistent, and stubborn, and will-full, but I wouldn't trade your zeal for life for anything!

And now at {2 years old} we pray that you will always use this passion to fight for what you want, to love others deeply, and to be the hands and feet of Jesus wherever life takes you.

You are funny and adventurous. You LOVE your big brother and want to be just like him. You love throwing balls and being WILD! You are OBSESSED with all things Toy Story and you can't get enough of your blankies, "pa pa" and "meow meow". You HAVE to be around people yet you choose your words carefully. You have an ability to completely drive us insane one second and melt our hearts the next!

We can not imagine our lives without you! We love you more than you will ever know! And we hope that this next year is jam packed with all things boyishly fun and amazing for you!

Happy Birthday!

xoxo Mommy & Daddy

{weekend}

2011-11-21T12:02:00.007-07:00

We had a very fun weekend around here! Friday night Mark and I got to go out on what will probably be our last date before the baby arrives! We went out to dinner at Lime and to see the Broadway production of "The Lion King" downtown with our good friends Rick and Mandy. The show was great and it was very nice to have a relaxing night out together! Thanks Oma & Opa for watching the boys! They had just as much fun as we did just hanging out at your house!

On Saturday, we spent some time raking up the last of the leaves and had a little fun playing in them too!

Nolan sportin' his new Winter jacket!

Daddy fell in!

Running through the leaves and destroying Daddy's neatly raked piles! Look at the joy on his face! (He's carrying a train bubble blowing whistle necklace! He always has to have some sort of treasure in his hands! Funny boy!)

Throwing leaves at Daddy is so much fun!

And both boys even tried to help out a little, raking and sitting on the bag to squish the leaves down!

What a good lookin' guy!

Later that evening, we headed out to one of our favorite annual events: The Southlands Mall Tree Lighting Ceremony! We've gone for the past couple of years and really enjoyed the parade and Christmas spirit! 2 years ago, I actually went into labor with Heath the next morning after the tree lighting, so we were a little hesitant to go again this year, thinking it might trigger this little guy to enter the world as well! Ha!

Brad, Jayne, and Cohen joined us this year! Isn't this family photo of them just adorable! We didn't even get one of our family because it was so cold and we were so busy keeping the boys warm the whole time! But I'm glad I got this one of them...so cute!

Cohen's dance moves!

Watching the parade all bundled up!

Oh, the Grinch! He loved posing for me! Too bad he completely freaked Heath out and the rest of the parade was pretty much down hill from here...

Heath was FREEZING and so over the holiday cheer!

He didn't even care to see Santa arrive on the fire truck! But of course Nolan LOVED this part!

After Santa came, he lit the Christmas Tree. Nolan said this was actually his favorite part of the night, "the blue Christmas tree"! It is a real Colorado tree, very tall and scraggly! We stayed just a few more minutes, but couldn't take the cold much longer and headed home! By the time we made it to the car, both boys were frozen and crying! Not exactly the evening we had hoped for, but still a fun night to kick off the Christmas season!

When we got home we put the kids straight to bed and Mark and I cuddled up by the fire to watch some shows!

Sunday morning we went to early church, and relaxed at home watching football and cleaning. It was the perfect way to end the weekend, just chillin' at home! We have some busy weeks coming up with Heath's birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas fun, and of course the baby being born! So, we really enjoyed one of the few "family of four" weekends that we have left!

pampered

2011-11-13T14:55:00.004-07:00

Last night I got pampered!

My friends Mandy & Lindsay threw baby #3 and I a fun little dinner party with my closest gals! Check out the invitation that came in the mail...it was inside of a Pampers diaper! Who knew you could mail a diaper? Nolan thought it was HILARIOUS when we found it in the mailbox!

It was a wonderful night out without the kids to feel spoiled and loved on before my life becomes crazier than ever in just a few short weeks!

Here are the adorable place settings for our fabulous dinner of flank steak with chimichurri sauce, baked potatoes, and salad! The napkins were folded and pinned like diapers, Lindsay made the adorable cookie favors, and each one included a Bible verse that the girls went around the table and read to me as a prayer for baby before we ate.

We played "Baby Jeopardy"! For the category 'Baby Abby', Mandy asked my Mom questions about me when I was a baby! Of course I rocked this category! And then for the category 'Third Pregnancy', she asked Mark questions about our third pregnancy. It was fun to hear what they had to say! The categories 'Due Date' and 'Baby 101' were actually quite hard! They were full of detailed, factual questions that even after having been pregnant 3 times, I didn't know the answers to!

But in the end, my partner and I still won the game! It was hard to remember to answer in the form of a question! We all had a lot of fun and laughed a lot!

After the game it was time for dessert! We had an awesome chocolate cappuccino cheesecake with fresh whipped cream! It was AMAZING!! I will definitely be getting the recipe!

And then I got spoiled with thoughtful gifts...

My Mom and best friend Jill even sent gifts through the mail! I so wish they could have been there.

Look at how adorable Jill packaged her present! Can you tell she teaches Kindergarten? Perfect little touches of cuteness!

I got gift cards and diapers...

and tiny little outfits.

And both of my sister in laws got me some fun reading material too, to help me relax before baby arrives! They so know me! Ha!

With our due dates just 3 days apart, Mandy found these perfect onesies for our future BFF's: Thing 1 and Thing 2! We'll have to do a photo shoot with them wearing them once they are born!

Mandy also made me this adorable diaper cake with little stress relieving and relaxation lotions and scrubs attached to it! Something for baby and mommy!

I was so blessed to have a night to think about this baby and help prepare for his arrival! Here I am with my sister in law Jayne, friend Gwen, sister in law Cara, and mother in law Barb! I'm so glad to have them here to love on and help with our boys!

And these girls have been the best support system over the years of having moved away from friends and family in Illinois and Michigan. We all married Denver Christian boys and are so thankful for their lasting friendships that have now brought us together! (From left to right: Kim Krauth, me, Lindsay Cottier, Mariah Van Eps, and Mandy Leensvaart)

And my awesome hostesses and fellow preggo friends! It will be so fun to raise our BOYS together! Yes, we are all having BOYS!!!

A HUGE thank you to all of my friends and family who have helped to make my third pregnancy so special! I can't wait to introduce you all to our latest handsome Jansen boy! Let's just hope he hangs in there for a few more weeks!

Nesting- part 1

2011-11-09T14:46:00.006-07:00

I have entered full blown nesting mode! Everyday I feel this sense of urgency to get things done around the house and in preparation for the arrival of our THIRD little boy! It's perfect timing because I am off track for the next three weeks and can slowly start to check things off of my TO DO list. I get one or two small things done a day, but I still have a few BIG things that are looming over my head and driving me crazy- like getting the nursery done, and moving Heath into his big boy bed. I know that I still have about a month until my due date. But I just have this feeling that I will have this guy early. I was a week early with Nolan and 2 weeks early with Heath, but now that I'm saying this I'll probably go past my due date! Ha!

One of the first things I decided to take on to get ready for baby's arrival was to redo the boys bathroom. We had never really done anything in this room besides take down the hideous floral border that was up when we moved in and hang up an old shower curtain. And now that I knew we would be having all boys I wanted to make it a BOY bathroom for them. Not that they spend much time in there, but I wanted it to be a cool space for them to take baths and brush their teeth and do what boys do best...stink it up!

I bought this simple navy blue shower curtain and picked out a slate grey wall color. I did all the taping and Mark painted the walls. I also bought all new brushed nickel hardware to replace the gold stuff that was in there already. Wow, it's crazy how expensive just a toilet paper holder can be! This quick little re-decorating job turned out to be much more expensive then planned! More on that to come...

We replaced the lighting and medicine cabinet as well.

And I added a few little decorative touches...

We took a few things from Heath's nursery to use in the new bathroom since he'll be moving in with Nolan soon and I want to do a new theme in the nursery for the "new baby". {What Nolan calls him these days...we have decided on his name, but there is no way we are telling him what it is! Nolan remembers everything and will be sure to repeat! We, actually I, really want to keep it a secret...something easy to do to make it special and surprise our friends and family on the day yet another boy enters our lives!}

I bought nice, new, thick, warm towels for them, in grey and navy. I want new towels now too! They are awesome and so soft and best of all I got a rockin' deal on them at Kohl's with my 30% off coupon!

The boys really love their new bathroom and their Mommy is pretty happy with the way it turned out as well!

Even if we had a {minor} mishap, which resulted in a cracked pipe, a {large} hole in the wall in the hallway, visits from a plumber and a drywall guy, yet another trip to Lowe's for some paint color matching, and about another $400 down the drain! YIKES!

What was supposed to be a quick nesting project done in a weekend, took about a month, but hey...that's life! And now it feels awesome to have it checked off the list! Next up, finishing touches on the boys room and the nursery...stay tuned!

a few more HALLOWEEN highlights...

2011-11-06T20:09:00.008-07:00

This post is random...

really random, but just wanted to share a few more highlights from Halloween week!

I love sending/making/creating cards. I love getting mail myself, so I think it's fun to be able to send a little love via snail mail! For most holidays we make a crafty card or I do a photo card of some sort to give to the fam. Here's our Halloween card this year!

Grandma & Grandpa and Uncle T. sent the boys a great Halloween package! We Skyped with them while opening it so I didn't get any pictures, but the best part of the package for Nolan were these Halloween ducks! He played with them non stop for a week straight I think! And if you come over, he will for sure ask you which one is your favorite! Ha!

Our little Dracula...scary huh?!

Nolan and Heath got Halloween cards from Oma & Opa. They LOVED opening them and seeing what was inside...

MONEY!!! It's amazing how $2 can make a 3 year old so happy!

Money...not sure Heath really knows what it is, but when he saw his brother so excited about it, he knew it must be pretty cool!

And they got stickers too! Nolan decorated his whole card right away using every single sticker!

When Heath does stickers he puts them all over his arms and legs! He looks a little crazed in this photo! Ha! He is showing off the stickers on his hand and saying "CHEESE", but crazed IS really a great description of him! He is truly "crA crA" as Nolan likes to say! Love his passion for life, but his fiesty-ness about puts me over the edge sometimes!

Auntie also sent the boys a fun package, not so much for Halloween, but full of funny little things she's picked up for the boys recently. It was cheaper for her to send the package than to check a bag on her flight. The boys LOVE getting things in the mail anyways so we opened it up when she got here!

Nolan putting together his new "Monster 'tato"!

Auntie Mal brought all sorts of random treasures from her recent trip to Minnesota. This face on a stick being one of them. Apparently his name is Ron something or other. But Ron has brought our boys countless hours of fun since he arrived at our house! They think he is just so funny! And we play "Hide Ron" just about every day! Nolan gets a kick out of hiding him somewhere in the house and having us find him. And we do the same for him! He thought it was hilarious when he found Ron tucked into his bed at naptime. He said, "Hey, what's Ron doing in my bed?!"

Heaters wanted to show off Ron as well...good try!

Ron's Halloween hiding spot!

And then we also ended up with these awesome hats! They are really funny looking!

One night we made a sort of Stromboli creation. It was okay, not awesome, but not bad. However, since Mallory and I both ended up getting the worst stomach bug ever later that night, the thought of this dish is just plain AWFUL! I will not be making it again, that's for sure.

Mark brought home this little leather chair and ottoman that a friend from work gave him. The boys have had a blast with it! They watch shows in it, eat snacks in it, and of course, climb and jump all over it! It's been a fun new addition to the house!

On Auntie's last day we whiped up some take and bake pumpkin cookies for a quick snack!

And we TRIED to snap a few pictures together...

Nolan showing off his spider window clings...

and giving kisses goodbye!

Thanks for coming "Ti Ti"! We love you to pieces and can't wait to have you back for Christmas!

Trick or Treat!

2011-11-04T19:24:00.010-06:00

A look back at our SUPER Halloween...

Instead of a Halloween Party at school, Nolan's class had a Pajama Party! So of course this crazy mama had to run out and pick up some new cute p.j.'s for Nolan to sport at school that day! He looked so warm and cozy. They watched Toy Story 3 and had popcorn for a treat! He also had to bring a small pumpkin to paint. He loved picking out just the perfect one! He hasn't brought it home yet, so I'm not sure how it turned out. But he told me he used lots of colors! I'll have to post a picture of his finished masterpiece when it comes home!

The night before we worked hard on creating a special Halloween treat for his friends at school.

We made MONSTER EYES!

Nolan helped me stick the eyeballs onto Rolos! I was so sick that day so Mark had to help out with the production as well! But they turned out pretty cute and Nolan enjoyed passing them out to his friends at the end of the day!

After school we went to visit Daddy at his National CineMedia Halloween Party! They really go all out and even though we came a little late and some departments had cleaned up already, the boys got some yummy treats and enjoyed seeing all the creative decorations!

Mark's department decorated and dressed up like the game and movie: Clue!

He was Professor Plum! Check out his hair...Mallory cut the middle so it looked like he was balding! Later after work we buzzed the sides off too, although I think he actually kind of liked his crazy 'do!

Mark got to leave work a little early that day which was nice because we were able to put the finishing touches on our costumes and head out to Trick or Treat as soon as we saw that our neighbors were home!

Nolan loved running down the street with his cape flapping in the wind!

It was so fun watching Nolan be so independent this year! He would run up to houses all by himself, ring the doorbell, say "Trick or Treat", get his candy, say "Thank you", and run back to the sidewalk ready to head to the next house!

It was fun to see what kinds of candy the boys chose. Heath has a bucket full of "M&M's"- his favorite. And Nolan has a random assortment- chocolate covered pretzels, Skittles, Halloween marshmallows, candy bars, Nerds...he wanted to try it all! Personally, my favorite Halloween candy are DOTS! What's yours?

Our SUPER FAMILY!

SUPER MOMMY and SUPER BABY!!!

SUPER DADDY was quite the sight! Mark wore spandex pants with underwear on the outside! What a good Dad he is to do this for his boys! The boys wore undies on the outside as well, but their shirts were too long and you couldn't really see them. When we put Nolan's on top of his jeans he said, "I already have undies on, I think I need two butts!" Such a funny thinker!

We hit up as many houses as possible around our block and by the time we made it back to our house the boys were exhausted! Heath had spilled his bucket about 4 times and Nolan was starting to walk very S-L-O-W-L-Y!

So we rested for a few minutes and did a little Tebowing too! Ha!

Then we headed out to Oma & Opa's house to do a bit more Trick or Treating, eat some delicious soup, and have some fun with the cousins!!!

Cohen and Heath liked watching for Trick or Treaters out the front door!

We managed to get all the kids to look at the camera for our annual costume shot! Brady was Mario, Payton was a Zoo Keeper, our boys were Super Heroes, Landon was a skunk, and Cohen wore Heathy's costume from last year and was an adorable little dalmation!

We snapped a family picture with SUPER AUNTIE in it too!

And here's a picture of our capes from the back! My mom worked really hard to whip these up in just a few days before my sister came out! She did a great job and helped make our Halloween extra special!

Check out the video below for a couple of clips from our Trick or Treating fun at the first house we went to and at Oma & Opa's...they were so excited at both!

Such great memories caught in photo and film!

Pumpkin Time!

2011-11-02T14:00:00.013-06:00

My sister came out for a long weekend to have some Halloween fun with us!

And we had a lot of fun with PUMPKINS this year!

Auntie Mal bought Nolan this Pirate Mr. Potato Head set last year that you use with a real pumpkin! He loved it last year and it was just as fun one year later! He told me which piece to put in and where to place it.

And here is our Pirate Pumpkin! The boys think it is so cool that we get to keep him in the house!

They love posing for pictures by him and even ask us to take their photo with the pirate!

On Saturday we drove up North to an awesome pumpkin farm- Anderson Farms! They have so many Fall activities we didn't even have time for them all! Because of our recent snow the admission was half price and it was way less crowded than usual, which made for an even better day! It was snowy and a bit chilly, but we had a wonderful time none the less!

It really was a GREAT farm! We will definitely want to come back next year on a crisp and sunny fall day- WITHOUT snow!

The boys loved the animals of course!

Cheese!

And we had fun climbing this tire tower.

I heart this photo! Think it's a framer!

The boys liked playing in this train...

and making their way through this maze too!

Nolan did a great job on his own and this was his face when he made his way out the end! So happy and proud of himself! It was too muddy to go in the real corn maze so this kiddie maze was just perfect for them!

What a cowboy!

Nolan tried his hand at lassoing too, while Heath...

took his first pony ride! He had a blast! He held on all by himself and kept saying, "Woah"! He bounced himself up and down on the saddle trying to get his pony to go!

It's crazy because Heath used to be terrified of animals, even just a couple of months ago, now he can't get enough of them!

Nolan chose to just watch and cheer his brother on! He was amazed by how much the horses had to pee! Pretty funny stuff to a preschool boy!

This was the only kind of horse he was interested in riding!

Nolan and Auntie on the tractor ride!

At the end of our day Nolan asked everyone, "What was your favorite part?" (He does this with everything, movies, fun places we go, etc. It's so cute! What a good conversationalist!) He said his favorite part was this tractor ride!

Heath cuddled up with Daddy for the bumpy ride! Check out all the snow in the fields!

The pumpkins were covered in snow so we couldn't get out to pick one. But it was a pretty ride around the farm with the mountains as our backdrop!

After the tractor ride we checked out the pumpkins.

Nolan took his brother and a pumpkin for a little ride! It was hard work!

Mark and I even managed to get a rare photo together on this ginormous pumpkin! It's skin looked like a cantaloupe!

My cute 3 year old!

We tried a family picture near the end of our day at the farm...what was I thinking, we should have taken it right away when we got there! But the boys were so excited to see everything we just didn't do it and then this one didn't turn out so hot! Nolan's eyes are closed and Mark thinks HE looks like the pregnant one! But I had to post it for memories sake!

Auntie bought the boys these cute little pumpkin juice boxes!

They thought they were pretty cool! And we bought some freshly popped kettle corn too! Yum!

Heath LOVES cats these days! He found an old stuffed animal cat of Nolan's and sleeps with it all the time! On our way out of the farm we spotted this cat. He loved watching it and was saying "Meow, Meow" over and over and over. He liked petting the cat when Mark was holding him, but when we put him down next to it, he got a bit nervous!

Love this picture of my sister and I!

We ended up leaving the pumpkin farm, pumpkinless! Their pumpkins were WAY overpriced! So Mallory and I ran around to about 4 different stores while the boys napped trying to find some pumpkins for us to carve that night! Everywhere we went they were either sold out or the pumpkins they had were mushy! We finally found 2 great ones at Home Depot for only $2.29 a piece! What a deal! Remember to stock up on your pumpkins there next year! For the size we bought we would have paid $10 each at Anderson Farms!

Later that night it was carving time...

Nolan helped me carve the top of the pumpkin and pull it off!

When we opened it up he said, "See I told you it would be slimey!"

Nolan watching his Daddy carve the face.

Mallory had some pumpkin carving issues...Mark had to coach her a bit!

After carving pumpkins we cuddled up on the couch to watch "The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" and "Spooky Buddies" together as a family!

And here are the final products!!!

Mallory carved the spider and Nolan, Mark, and I carved the bat flying inside of Mr. Moon!

I just can't get enough of holiday traditions and they become more and more fun as the boys get older each year! Stay tuned tomorrow...Trick-or-Treat!

Halloween 2011- The Monster Mash

2011-11-01T16:04:00.004-06:00

We have had a spooktacular Halloween this year! We did so many festive activities that I'm going to break up all of our fun into a few different blog posts! The first thing we did to kick off this holiday was attend the Antelope Ridge Monster Mash!

My school does not celebrate Halloween at school on the 31st so they throw an optional Halloween party at our feeder area highschool, Eaglecrest, for families to choose to attend if they want to. I go every year to see my students dressed up in their costumes, but this was the first year that I took my boys along with me! I thought that they were finally old enough to enjoy some of the activities.

So we got all dressed up in our costumes and were ready for a fun family night!

The boys LOVED their Super Hero costumes that my Mom and I made! They ran around with their capes waving behind them! And they actually kept their masks on for most of the night!

I love that they were able to wear their costumes on more than just one night this year! And their costumes are great for dressing up in and playing with at home too!

When we got there we had fun collecting candy and prizes and checking out all the fun costumes!

Nolan played this game first. He had to walk around in a circle while the music was on. Then when the music stopped he had to stop on a Halloween picture. The girl would pull out another picture and if the one you were standing on matched then you were the winner! We played 2 times in a row and the second time Nolan WON! He was standing on the Haunted House and when the girl pulled out a matching Haunted House his face lit up! He was so excited! He ran up to get his prize! He chose a ghost eraser and could not have been happier!

Then we went through the Haunted House! Both boys did pretty well for it being very spooky! I wasn't so sure about bringing them in, but Nolan really wanted to do it! They held on to us and jumped from time to time as some creature popped out at them or growled, but overall they were very brave! Impressive! But the funny thing was, the only thing Nolan was scared of the whole night was a Garden Gnome! Not anything creepy or bloody, just the Mom of a student I had a couple years back who was dressed up like a Gnome! She came up and hugged me and Nolan was terrified! Later he said, "Mom, that lady had a beard!" Ha!

Then we played a few more games...Spooky Plinko,

Spider Web Sucker Pull,

and the Spider Throw!

Heath decided to just walk up and put the spider into the bucket!

And finally we tried Pumpkin Toss!

Nolan LOVES all of these blow up decorations! They had a "Friendly House" full of cute Halloween decorations! We went through the Friendly House 2 times because Nolan thought is was so cool!

We got these super fun glowsticks as prizes! Heath was in awe of them! He was dancing with them and shaking them like he was at a rave! It was so funny!

It was super crowded and loud so we didn't stay long but we had a great time while we were there! The Monster Mash will definitely now become another fun tradition to do with the kids each year!