"Auntie Day!!!!!!"

Auntie Mal came to town! 

Yippee! 

Our boys could not have been any more excited to have her here! They were counting down the days until "Auntie Day!" 

Of course we had lots of fun adventures while she was here, but this first post is dedicated to some pictures from our time just around the house.

Grandpa sent a special car for each of the boys along with Mallory. These simple, thoughtful things are SO my Dad! The boys love him so! 

Mallory got in late Wednesday night, so the boys were happy to find her at our house when they woke up Thursday morning! Nolan went to school for the morning so we hit the park with Ella. Auntie Mal is much more adventurous with the swings. Mommy is a chicken and doesn't push as high. So Heathy and Ella had a blast flying high and laughing hard!

She is also such a good sport...running all over the park and crawling in tunnels with the kids.

I worked that afternoon, so the boys got to stay home with Auntie Mal in charge and nap in their own beds for a change! 

That evening we took our guest to our family's favorite restaurant for dinner...

IHOP! or as the boys call it, "Pancake World"! 

The boys sure love their syrup...oh and the pancakes too! Ha! 

The next day we went to McDonalds for dinner...only the finest dining for our guests! We are so in this stage of life! But hey, it works for our busy boys- food they like and a fun place to run off some energy! 

After McDonalds, we took our boys to a place they have been begging us to go...

PetsMart! 

They were so excited to FINALLY get a family pet! 

We had promised Nolan that when we moved into a bigger house that we could get a pet fish. He has been asking for it for the past 2 months since we moved in. And today was the day his dream would come true. 

It was funny when we got there that he didn't really understand that he was only getting ONE fish, he thought he could take home one of the whole big tanks behind him. And he wasn't really that into picking out the one specific fish that would become ours. He said, "I just want a fish Mommy, I don't care which one." He was more into picking out the other things to put inside the bowl with his fish. We decided on a Beta because they are low maintenance. He and Daddy picked out this blue one with red on his fins. 

All the way home we brainstormed names for our newest family member. Here are a few that we tossed around: Vada' the Beta, Luke (Skywalker), Percy, and Manning (Peyton). 

When we got home the boys enjoyed watching Daddy get the water, rocks, and bowl ready. 

Nolan also picked out this little starfish guy to put at the bottom of the bowl. 

And theres our guy...Solo Jansen! 

(As in Hans Solo...the boys are in a little bit of a Star Wars craze right now!) It's funny, but we all really do kind of love him! And you know me, I AM NOT an animal person. The boys check in on him when they pass by and Mark worries over the water and the food. It's so cute! 

Nolan feeding his first pet! 

On Saturday, Mal and I got mani-pedis as a late birthday present to me! It was a fun afternoon out. "You Don't Know Jacque"was the color of choice. 

While Auntie was here the boys each got a special treat...

Heathy got a new "Zurg" since his old one has broken into a bunch of pieces and has been glued together over and over again. 

And Nolan got a "Box of Boogers"! Mallory sure knows his sense of humor! 

A few other fun things they did together while she was here...

Mallory took Nolan to see Finding Nemo in 3D! She's sporting Nolan's Nemo 3D glasses in this pic! 

They also made this jet pack! It was so cute to watch Nolan perfectly place each strip of tape to cover the bottles and to see them work together to create the flames. Then he told Auntie what buttons to put on it. He came up with the "Excited" button and Heath added the "#2" button. They had fun racing around the house after we "pushed" the buttons! 

The last two nights Nolan & Heath had sleep overs in the basement in her bedroom. They actually slept pretty good in their sleeping bags!

 Brooks got a lot of snuggle time with Auntie as well. He loves to smile for her camera! 

We sure had a great time during her visit...she is at such a special time in her life where she can devote so much love and time to our boys. They are such lucky and thankful recipients! We can't wait to return the favor some day!!! 

P.S. Posts on our Zoo Day and Apple Orchard fun to come! 

committed

This past Sunday, we stood before our family, friends, church, and God to submit Brooks to God's will and to promise to raise him according to his word and ways. We commit our lives to praying for Brooks, teaching him about our Heavenly Father, and showing him Jesus through our own examples of service, love, sacrafice, and praise. We pray that he will grow to have a personal relationship with Jesus and to love him with his whole heart. 

We had a sweet dedication service and were so thankful for the love and support of all of our friends and family who came {and those who couldn't, but were there in spirit} to stand along side us in our commitment. Our boys are so blessed to have so many people who love them! 

Here are a bunch of pictures from our day...

                                      

The boys loved being inside of "the big church"!

                                          

They did a great job waiting for the service to start. 

I was a little nervous about how Heath would be up on the stage in front of so many people. But he did so well! 

They liked watching themselves up on the BIG screens. 

We were happy that Pastor Robert was back from Ghana to dedicate our Brooks. 

It was so sweet to have the boys place their hands on Brooks as we prayed over him. We pray that they will have such a special bond as brothers and friends and that they will hold each other accountable in their actions and words as they become Godly men. 

Robert said that Brooks had gorgeous eyes. I agree! 

Heath was chomping on gum the whole service. Ha! But at least he was quiet. 

He did, however, say to Mark, "NO! NO WAY!" when Mark asked him to step back so that the next child could be dedicated. That's our Heathy! At least not many people could hear it! 

Here are some clips from the service...

After the service we all headed back to our house for a nice lunch together. 

It was so nice that Auntie Mal got to be here for Brooks' dedication. She helped me prepare the meal! 

Brooks was so sleepy and actually slept through most of his party! But he got some snuggles from Uncle E. before going down for his nap. 

Auntie Kim at the kiddie table. The 2 year olds did not want to participate in this photo op! 

It wouldn't be a Sunday without a little football! 

And of course there were kids everywhere! 

At the end of the day we stopped to snap a family photo. And I think it turned out great! I love these boys of mine! 

"From the day I was born I have been in Your care, and from the time of my birth you have been my God." 

Psalm 22:10

Brooks Wesley, 

Boy, do we love you! You are the sweetest thing and the best surprise God has ever given us. We are so blessed to call you our son. We will always love you, pray for you, and guide you. We pray daily that you will grow to know and love our God. We pray that you will be a man of integrity. That you will be a man of faith, and love, and that you will extend grace. We pray that others will come to know Jesus through your infectious joy! Always seek Him. Always serve. 

Love...Mommy & Da Da

nine months

Mr. Brooks is nine months old! 

He is still the easy going, happy guy that he always has been! 

He loves to dance and do his famous "wiggle wiggle" moves! 

And he has the best laugh and oh so many tickle spots that are just too hard to resist!

He is eating all fruits and vegetables and loves to pick up finger foods and feed himself. He LOVES crackers! He has 3 or 4 bottles a day and we are going to start tackling the sippy cup this week! (Mommy's been slacking on that one..)

He has 2 teeth on the bottom and 2 popping out a tiny bit on top! He wears size 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers. His hair is still on the darker side and I am thrilled that so many people think he looks like me! He says, "da da da da" all the time! 

He takes awesome naps and sleeps great at night too! (Except for lately when he's been waking up around 5 a.m. We give him a bottle and then he goes back to sleep for a few hours, so that's good. We think it's because his teeth are bugging him! Hopefully this little habit will end soon!)

He is a late bloomer in the gross motor area, just like his brothers, he's not crawling yet. He loves standing and playing at tables, sitting on the floor with a bunch of toys, hanging out in his exersaucer or Johnny Jump Up, and doing tummy time while watching his brothers play. He has started to dive for things and gets stuck in interesting positions, and has even taken a tumble off the couch...oops! (Not our best parenting moment!) We are enjoying the "put you in one spot and you don't move" phase for a little while longer because we know that before too long he'll be on the move! 

You don't see this face often, but when you do, isn't it just the saddest thing?! Teething will do that to ya! He loves to cuddle and snuggle and Mommy is always happy to oblige! 

He likes to do this "Super Man" move that his older brothers did too! It's pretty cute! And he has just the greatest expressions! He is super social, does the best double arm wave, and claps his fists together. 

We have his nine month appointment on Friday, so we'll update his stats then. But I'm pretty sure he is a couple of pounds lighter than his big brothers were at 9 months! So he may be in the infant carrier for a few more weeks/months. Bummer! 

We just love our little guy so much! We are treasuring this last go 'round and all that the baby phase brings! 

My Birthday Weekend...Labor Day...

I had a fantastic birthday weekend and was super spoiled by all my guys...

 They got dressed up for the occasion! Ha! 

On Saturday, I was treated to a morning of pampering! It started with a massage and ended with a mani/pedi! The perfect way for this busy Mommy to spend her day!

That evening we kicked off the festivities with a fun birthday party at Mark's parents house. It wouldn't be a backyard party without a little running around...

I requested Tilapia and rice for my birthday meal. It was yummy! 

After dinner I got to open some fun presents! I was surprised with a new address stamp from Barb & Bruce! I had been wanting a new one...so this was super thoughtful! All of the kids wanted a stamp on their hands...

We scrubbed and scrubbed and couldn't get them off the next day! All of the Sunday School workers now know exactly where the boys live! Ha! 

And of course, it wouldn't be my birthday without a delicious DQ ice cream cake! 

CHEESE!!!!! with my big boys! 

Payton wrote me a note and attached a Hershey's Hug with tape. What a sweet heart! 

This little one doesn't pass up a chance at dessert! He STILL requests cookies for breakfast even though he has never once been given a cookie for breakfast! 

Cohen and Nolan opted for popsicles! 

At the end of a late night I got some snuggles with my cute and ever easy Brooks! (Do not pay attention to my awful hair! Why Mark did not point this out...I DO NOT know!) Oh, and do you see our fun new chair! We bought some living room furniture last week and I took the plunge and did a chair in a fun graphic print! It's a cool statement piece for sure! 

Sunday morning was my REAL birthday! The boys woke me up with birthday hugs and kisses and breakfast in bed! 

We got ready for church and then I came down to check out my AWESOME birthday chair! Mark really outdid himself this year! 

He got 31 messages from 31 of my closest friends and family members and typed them up/printed them out and attached them to the birthday chair! It was so fun to read them all! Thank you to everyone who contributed sweet notes to my chair! You sure know how to make a girl feel good about herself!

After checking out the chair we headed off to church. When I picked up Nolan from Sunday School, he ran out the door proclaiming, "Now we get to go home and open your PRESENTS!!!!!". Not sure he really took in all that he should have been learning in church that morning...think his mind was on other things! Ha! 

Attempting to get a nice picture with my boys. Nolan smiled super nice but did not want to take off his Sunday School sticker and Bible verse. And Heath, at least he agreed to be in the picture this time, BUT...he WOULD NOT look at the camera. He defiantly starred out the window! Oh, that child of mine! 

So we snapped another one of just Nolan and me! He still LOVES birthdays, even when they aren't his! Hope he always loves celebrating others the way he does now! That is a really cool trait! 

We Skyped with my parents while I opened up my cards and gifts. 

Kati Davis Hart sent me such a thoughtful present...

from one mis-placed Chicago girl to another! 

And Jill sent me this cute camel belt and a fun yellow bubble necklace! Thanks girls for loving on me from afar! What would I do without you?

I also got some nice gift cards and money and a subscription to 5280 magazine! 

After presents, we picked up a quick lunch at McDonalds and brought it with us to the pool for some afternoon fun in the sun! Brad, Jayne, Cohen, and Arie joined us too!

We have had SO MUCH fun at our new pools this summer! Nolan has become more and more confident in the water and Heath literally asks to go to the pool every single morning! He just takes off by himself all the way to the deep end! 

That evening, Barb & Bruce watched the boys for us and Mark and I got to go out on a FUN date! 

I chose sushi of course, my fav! So we hit up Happa for some yummy edamame, rolls, and wine! 

I have always loved my birthday because it automatically gives me a day off of school! I LOVE that it always falls on Labor Day weekend! On Labor Day we woke up and took the boys out for donuts! 

Nolan LOVES wearing my hat, even outside of the house! Heath opted to sport his Rockies cap for the day! They sure were excited for their sweet treat! 

After donuts, we drove up to the cabin for a few hours. 

Nolan worked hard setting up this whole scene in the sand! He loves getting creative in the sand box! 

Brooksie had fun swinging with Auntie Sue! 

We took our Bags set up and Mark did some surgery on them. He has always thought they were too heavy to transport, so he hacked off a foot off the end of both boards. He had originally made them 4 feet long, but the game can be played at 3 feet as well. He thinks we will use them more now that they are shorter and lighter and easier to take with us places. The boys had fun playing and so did the adults! 

Nolan kept asking me to take him hiking, so we took a few short hikes around the cabin. He brought a baggie with him to collect some cool pieces of nature that he found along the way. 

He put rocks, pine cones, sticks, and feathers in his baggie. He LOVES exploring! 

Sue and the family have been working hard to make little improvements in and around the cabin. It looks great and we sure appreciate all the hard work they put into keeping the cabin such a nice and relaxing place to escape the city!

I can't get enough of this photo! It is just so sweet! 

Nolan did a lot of stick whacking as well! He loved finding dry sticks and smacking them against trees to see them break! 

We spotted a few baby deer in the meadow.

Zero the Hero, a.k.a. Rylan, and Heath checking out the deer!

We hung out at the cabin and ate and played and chatted and laughed until about 3ish. Then we headed back down for one last dip in the pool! It closes each year on Labor Day. 

The weather was cloudy and it drizzled off and on but that didn't stop the boys! They played together so nicely and Mark and I actually got to sit back and relax in our pool chairs for awhile! A glimpse of what our future will be. 

We sure will miss our pools and anxiously await their re-opening in May. But we are looking forward to Fall and Winter and the fun things they bring. 

Thank you to everyone who helped make my birthday so memorable! I love you all!