The Freed Family

Well done

2011-11-18T16:53:00.000-06:00

After a long day at the babysitter's, Will was a tired kiddo when I got home from work. So he ate, got into jammies and was asleep in his crib before 7pm. He awoke at 3am fussing, so I sleepily nursed him and then changed his very full diaper, which was about to burst. As I zipped up his jammies, he looked up at me through the darkness in the room, with a full tummy and a dry diaper, and started clapping.

As exhausted as we moms are when we have to wake up in the middle of the night to care for hungry, or wet, or sick, or crying babies, it's all worth it when your baby applauds you.

I love my little munchkin!

Leaf Me Alone

2011-11-05T16:01:00.008-05:00

The leaves are really starting to come down in the yard, so we took advantage of the nice afternoon and made a leaf pile. The kids (and the dog) loved jumping and playing in the leaves, and Jason loved raking them up over and over again (wink).

Is there any better fall activity than playing in the leaves?!!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T15:42:00.003-05:00

Happy Halloween from the Supers!

We headed to Olivette this year to trick-or-treat with the Hesemanns, which was very exciting for us. I'm so happy to have my sister living nearby, so we can do these types of fun things together. All the kids dressed up like superheros (except for Audrey, who was an adorable, little bug). Ellie and Ella were Supergirl, Max was Batman, and Will was Superman. They were all adorable.

We walked through Laura & Nate's neighborhood or the cool Halloween night. The houses there are on much bigger lots than in our neighborhood, so it takes a lot longer to go from door to door. Which meant a slower trick-or-treating outing, and it meant the kids got a lot less candy than they would have had we stayed in our neighborhood. But that's perfectly fine. We always have way too much candy anyway, that ends up getting thrown out around Thanksgiving because it gets forgotten.

Ellie had 2 school Halloween parties/parades in the days leading up to Halloween. Jason and I got to watch one parade, and adore all the kids in their awesome costumes. What fun! Next year will be even better when Will and Audrey are both able to walk and enjoy the evening a little more. Can't wait.

8 Months Old

2011-10-28T15:51:00.004-05:00

I have failed, once again, in getting a picture of Will on his 8 month birthday, but that hasn't stopped him from growing and learning new things.

Will is finally starting to enjoy baby food. He'll eat most any kind of baby food, without making the yuk face, and he's even starting to try to table foods. He loves to drink water from his sippy cup like the big kids. He has two teeth now.

Will is finally sleeping longer at night, which is awesome for us. His soft, fine, baby hair is getting long enough to be messy when he wakes up in the morning, though he is certainly my baldest baby. And he always wakes up happy in the morning. Sometimes our only indication that he is awake, is when we hear his fish tank music box turn on. We'll go in his room to find him standing at the fish tank or playing with his blanket, but we never hear any fussing or crying. The same goes for waking up from naps. In fact, the only time he fusses when waking up is if it is the middle of the night, and then it's necessary in order to get our attention.

Will is getting more and more verbal and loves to have conversations with us and his brother and sister. He loves to blow raspberries and will sometimes give big, wet kisses, which I absolutely adore. I can't get enough of this little guy. Love him!

Crawling!!

2011-10-26T15:32:00.024-05:00

Will has figured it out. He is officially a crawler. In the past couple of weeks he has really been working hard on mastering the movements, and then it finally clicked. Just in time for his 8 month birthday, he has conquered yet another milestone.

I thought my house was already fairly baby-proofed since we've been through this twice before; however, we've found that Will is much more interested in electric outlets than the other two were. He especially enjoys the sockets that have cords plugged in. And it seems like Ellie and Max have no less than 1 Million bite size toys that always seem to be left on the floor...we've got some issues to tackle.

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-25T15:27:00.008-05:00

Ellie begged us to carve a pumpkin this year...we usually just paint or draw with markers...much easier and less mess. But this year, she wanted the real deal, as long as J agreed to scoop out the guts (she's not one for getting her hands too dirty). I sketched out the very basic jack-o-lantern design for Ellie's approval, but it was quickly rejected as not being scary enough. So we added the angry eyebrows, and....Voila, scary pumpkin. We're in the Halloween countdown now.

Old Iron Works Day 2011

2011-10-10T15:25:00.004-05:00

I always look forward to Old Iron Works Day each year. It really signals autumn for me. This year it was rather warm for the trip to Meramac Springs, but we still had lots of fun. I have such fond memories of this day trip from when I was a kid, and we're working on making lots more memories with our kids.

Arizona Family Visit to MO

2011-10-09T15:20:00.004-05:00

Our Arizona family came for a visit in October. My sister-in-law, Traci, and my niece and nephew, Hannah & Ian, came into town for a few days, but unfortunately, my brother didn't get to join them for this trip. My kids were thrilled to get to see Ian and Hannah, and we took full advantage of our time together. There was a trip to the Science Center, a trip to Old Iron Works Day at Meramac Springs, McDonalds playplace, fishing with Popi, and lots of playing time. We sure enjoyed the visit, and Ellie and Max are both asking when we'll get to see them again.

Pulling Up

2011-10-07T15:13:00.004-05:00

While Will is working on mastering crawling, he has reached another major milestone...he can pull to standing without assistance. When did we first notice? When we walked into his room and found this...

He was very proud of himself. I guess it's time to lower the crib.

Fun in the Tub

2011-09-30T15:06:00.007-05:00

Will is crazy about bath time, especially now that he is sitting up so confidently. Yes, he has been sitting up for a while, but I'm a little slow in remembering to take pictures of bath time. I always love the pics of each kid in the baby bathtub, before they transition to the regular tub. They all loved the baby tub and baths in general...what's not to like about being able to splash to your heart's content and get mom and dad soaked.

7 Months Old

2011-09-28T21:48:00.041-05:00

I was a bit distracted, or I procrastinated, or I just forgot...but anyway, I didn't get a 7 month picture of Will with the proper signage, so these cute pictures will have to do for this month's update.

Mr. Smiley is just as cute and lovable as ever. He's over 20 pounds now, though I don't know his exact weight. He's finally sleeping a little better at night, but he still usually wakes up once during the night because he's hungry and has a wet diaper. He still just has the one tooth, but we can see the whites of two more starting to break through...OUCH!

He is trying his best to figure out crawling, though it's still way too early in my opinion. Both Ellie and Max didn't crawl till 9 months, and since Will is probably my last baby, I'd be perfectly happy if he doesn't start crawling for another few months. I just want to enjoy this fun stage as long as possible before he's on the move. He can move from the sitting position, onto his belly to try to scoot around and get something, then back to sitting all on his own. And it seems that once they can move from tummy back to sitting by themselves, it's just a matter of time before they connect all the movements and figure out crawling.

Will loves to clap and play patty-cake. He'll dance (bounce and wave arms around) when Ellie is performing a routine or listening to music. And he is starting to really like tv. I know, I know, he shouldn't be watching tv yet, but it's kind of hard to avoid when there are older siblings. The tv is constantly on Disney, Nick Jr., or Sprout, and he is already picking his favorites. His head whips around to watch as soon as he hears the songs for Backyardigans, the Wiggles, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Blues Clues.

Will is our lovable, squeezable, smoochable little guy!

Walk to End Alzheimer's

2011-09-17T17:26:00.002-05:00

On September 17, we met at Busch Stadium to participate in the Walk to End Alzheimer's. This is a cause that is near and dear to our hearts, as both Jason's Grandma and Grandpa Pohlman have been afflicted with this terrible disease. Jason's Grandma lost her battle in June, and his Grandpa is still fighting it.

When Jason saw an announcement for the walk, we decided to put a little team together and make a very modest goal to raise $200. Well, our little team turned into 20 people and we ended up raising close to $2,000, with the help and support of very generous friends and family!

We were happy to contribute to this worthwhile cause if in just a small way, and it was lots of fun to participate in the walk. I'm sure Jason will say that the coolest part was that the walk began and ended in Busch Stadium, including a final lap around the field.

During our final lap around the field, Jason's uncle, Scott, decided to go for the fly ball. I can't believe I caught it with my camera.

Then of course, not to be outdone, Jason went for his own fly ball, with the appropriate sign in the background. I'm sure he would want me to say that I was a little slow on the trigger and didn't snap the picture at the height of his jump. He actually got a lot more air than it seems from this picture.

We've got our work cut out for us next year to try to top the amazing results of our inaugural year, but I'm sure we can do it. Go Team Pohlman!

P.S. The Stroh's hat Jason is sporting is in honor of his Grandpa, but it still embarrasses the kids. Aren't they too young to be embarrassed by their parents?

Tiny Dancer

2011-09-06T19:11:00.001-05:00

After begging for months and me procrastinating for months, Ellie has finally started dance class. She is taking a combined ballet / tap class, because that was what was offered at the studio we chose. She was adamant that she only wanted to take ballet, but low and behold, she has found that tap is actually pretty fun too. What's not to like about wearing shiny, cute shoes that make lots of cool noises when you walk across the floor. Her class is pretty small, but she's making some great friends already. We've already gotten the flier for her first recital which is not till June...they really plan ahead. And I'm already dreading it a little. I have visions of sitting in a theatre for hours and hours and hours watching routine after routine that all look pretty much the same. Thankfully, some other moms who had girls in classes at the same studio last year have told me that their recitals are totally manageable - an hour and a half tops. But I am a little excited to see Ellie girl all dressed up in her adorable costume, with a big smile on her face. She's having a ball, and that's what is most important.

The Case of the Missing Birthday Present

2011-09-03T16:03:00.070-05:00

Ellie has really been into scavenger / treasure hunts over the last year and told me 6 months ago that she wanted a treasure hunt for her birthday. Remembering how much I loved scavenger hunts when I was kid, I thought it sounded like a great idea. So as her birthday started to approach, I started thinking about clues. I made myself focus on the party early in the summer so that I could have plenty of time to come up with some good clues...I would think about rhymes and puzzles on my commute into the office in the morning or when I was falling asleep at night and pray I was able to remember them long enough to write them down. Judging by my daughter's reaction ("this was the best party ever"), I think it was a success.

The Invitation

We mailed the invites in a plain, brown envelope, to set the tone for the party.

Knowing that we would have about 10 kids at the party, I thought it would be best to split them into 2 teams. I used the same brown envelopes for the clues and printed either a star or moon on each envelope to distinguish the teams. The teams ended up being girls against boys...are we really getting into that stage already? While both teams had the same clues, they were in a slightly different order to avoid traffic jams and fighting.

Before the hunt began, each kid got a notebook, pencil, and magnifying glass - the tools of a great detective.

Clue #1

The girls quickly found the first clue at the piano and with the help of their reader, Elizabeth,

were on to Clue #2.

Clue #3

After finding Clue #4 on Ellie's bed, they headed back down stairs, to work on the next puzzle.

The boys worked hard on figuring out the clues.

Clue #5

Clue #6

Clue #7 (one of my favorites)

Clue #8 (they had to put the puzzle together to lead them to the Gator in the garage)

Clue #9

Clue #10

Clue #11

Clue #12

The boys figures out the clue and headed for the biggest mirror in the house...and found...

Clue #13 (one of the hardest clues)

Jason always tells Ellie and Max that when the streetlights come on, it is time to go inside. Ellie had no trouble with this clue, but it was a little tough for everyone else. The boys finally found the streetlight, with some hinting.

Clue #14 (Max proved his worth to the boys' team by knowing exactly what and where this toy was)

Clue #15 - Another puzzle.

The girls huddled up to figure out the puzzle clue that would send them to search under the dining room table.

Clue #16

Apparently this clue was not hidden too well...both teams found it quickly. (Please disregard our burnt up backyard. It's been a hot summer).

Clue #17

Clue #18

Clue #19 (another one for Max to shine - this guy is on the dresser in Max's room)

Clue #20

Clue #21 - The Final Clue.

The girls found the final clue first, and then the race was on to solve the last puzzle. They had to scratch out all the letters in the word BALL, then read the word that remained to find the location of the treasure...which took them to the dryer in the laundry room.

Everyone got little treasure chests filled with gold coins, compass rings, jewels, and other little toys. The birthday girl got the big prize...her own ipod. Sorry Kids, we couldn't get an ipod treasure for everyone...Now that would have been a party!

The awesome treasure chest birthday cake my mom made for the party. Another amazing creation by Gran.

Ellie got tons of great gifts. We have such generous family and friends.

And the final fun for the day was a pinata (which we almost forgot about). All the younger kids got a few swings at the ice cream cone, before handing the stick to the older kids.

Candy Carnage

What a fun day! I probably need to start thinking about new clues now, because I know Max is going to ask for his pirate treasure hunt birthday party soon.

Little Miss 5-year-old

2011-08-31T15:43:00.001-05:00

Ellie is 5-years-old! I can't believe she is 5 already.

Ellie unfortunately had school on her birthday. I went with her to school on the day before her birthday, and Jason went with her on her actual birthday (because she has different teachers and different classes on MWF and TR). When I asked her what she wanted for her birthday dinner, she said "breakfast." So she chose to go to Cracker Barrel for dinner, and she didn't get any arguments. After dinner, we came home and opened a few presents, Max put the gift bag on his head, then we had cake and cupcakes.

Unlike her little brother, she did not go to the doctor on her birthday. Her doctor's appointment is at the end of September, and she'll be due for quite a few shots. Ugh! I'm not looking forward to that day.

Ellie is such a special girl. She is sweet, super smart, friendly, and kind-hearted (she even got teary eyed at an episode of Phineas and Ferb recently when Perry the Platypus got his feelings hurt). She is my little helper, fetching me diapers, wipes, and toys when needed. She is anxious to learn new things, and loves to do homework - practicing writing and reading. She loves school, and always has a big smile on her face when she walks in the doors (the teachers always comment about it). She bring so much life and energy into our home (it would be so boring without her). We love you, Ellie Girl.

6 Months Old

2011-08-29T15:09:00.001-05:00

Will is now 6 months old...that's half a year already!!

He is growing so quickly now, and it seems like he is reaching new milestones everyday. He is sitting up on his own, which is awesome. This is always my favorite time for my babies - I love it when they can sit up confidently, I can put some toys in front of them and they are happy and content, but not yet mobile. He loves his jumparoo, but is a little less thrilled with his swing lately. He is just starting to scoot around on his tummy, well more like spinning around on his tummy, when he is on the floor and spots something that he wants (usually his binkie). He has one little tooth that has barely broken through, and we can see 2 more that want to pop through soon. He smiles all the time, and can really get going with the giggles.

He had a doctor's visit this morning. He weighed 19 pounds, 5 1/2 ounces, which puts him in the 81st percentile for weight, and he was 28 1/2 inches tall, which puts him in the 97th percentile for height. He's wearing 9-12 month clothing. I'm working up some strong arm muscles from lugging him around in his car seat. The other kids were a year old when they weighed 19+ pounds, and I definitely wasn't carrying them around in the car seat anymore. His days in the movable car seat are probably numbered.

He had 2 shots at the doctor's office. He didn't even cry for the first shot, but the second one put him over the edge, and he got pretty mad. I picked him up right away, and he gave the nurse the death stare as if saying, "How dare you stick that thing in my leg!!" But he calmed down almost immediately, and was smiling at the doctor and nurses again as we walked out of the exam room.

Will is a happy, playful, active little guy. He loves his sister and brother, and his binkie. He brings so much joy into our home, and I can't imagine our family without him. We love you, Buddy!

A New School Year

2011-08-08T15:07:00.000-05:00

Ellie has started her third and final year of preschool. She turns 5 at the end of the month, but in MO, you have to be 5 by August 1st in order to start kindergarten...so we're doing another year of preschool. She is definitely ready for kindergarten, but I'm trying to slow down and enjoy this little extra time I get with her at home.

She is going to half-day preschool 5 days a week. She was super excited to start back to school, meet new teachers, and make new friends. Ellie is a smart, outgoing, friendly girl, so I never worry about how she'll do on her own at school. We always get rave reviews from her teachers, and would expect nothing less.

Lake Week 2011

2011-07-31T16:25:00.002-05:00

Lake Week 2011 is now in the history books. It was another fun filled week with lots of swimming, golfing, and eating. Here are just a few of the highlights.

Miner Mike's

We can't go to the Lake without spending an afternoon at Miner Mike's. The kids really look forward to this day. We spend a ton of dough, and they come away with some lovely prizes - bouncy balls, parachute guys, and stickers - but at least they have lots of fun.

Putt Putt Golf at Pirate's Cove

"Can we go putt putt today?" was asked multiple times every day until we finally made it to the course. Putt-putt with the kids is always interesting. There were a few times that Jason had to make some quick moves to either avoid getting hit in the shins with a ball or retrieve a ball from going over a waterfall. Max has quite the powerful little swing, and he doesn't practice putting too often.

Annual Couples Golf Tournament

What would Lake Week be without the couples golf tournament. Our outfits this year were very tame, with everyone sporting their college logos. This year's variation included all the young ones competing against all the old ones. Jason and I just made the cut to get to stay with the young group...I'm not sure I could handle it if I were considered in the "Old" group. Unfortunately though, the young ones did not have the depth of experience that the Oldies did, and we sadly lost the Freed Cup to the saggier crew. It will return to its rightful owners next year, though.

The Young Team

The Old Team

Pool Time

There was lots of time spent in the pool and lake. The kids got to swim every day, which they loved. My kids are very fair, so they are never without sunscreen, which then keeps them looking rather fair. At the beginning of the week, someone made the comment to Ellie that she was looking very white. Her response..."I know. I'm as white as a ghost. I'd say white as an angel, but I'm not that good." My kids are awesome.

Hanging Out Together Time

The best part of the week, in my opinion, is getting to hang out, relax, and visit with everyone. While I was confined to the condo more than I would prefer (because a 5 month old baby can't be in the sun and still requires frequent naps), it's still nice to be on "vacation" with my family. When we are all together there are 2 things that we never have a shortage of ... (1) good food and (2) laughter. What more could we need?!

Relaxing with Dad

Happy Boy

Crazy, Sweaty, Chloriney, Sunscreeny Haired Max

Some of the crew

Alex and Danielle

Abby and Sue

Corey and Erin ("Hey Corey, Guess What?")

Allie and Brad

Valerie and Kameron

Kelly and Justin

Sherry and Pam

5 Months Old

2011-07-28T18:09:00.002-05:00

Isn't he just the cutest!?!! He's getting so big, though I haven't weighed him lately. Will's wearing 9-12 months clothes now, which is kind of crazy to me. I thought it would be great having another boy born in the same season as Max, because I assumed I wouldn't have to buy tons of clothes. Unfortunately, he is growing at a faster pace than Max did, so we're having to buy some summer clothes in bigger sizes. I'm ready for the cooler weather (for so many reasons) so we can transition back to some of Max's duds.

We've slowed down on the baby food for a while. He was eating it great, but his stomach didn't seem to like it too much. He has a bit of a sensitive digestive system, just like Ellie did, so we're going to wait a little longer and hope it develops some more before venturing into jarred meats - GROSS.

We've been putting Will into the exersaucer and even brought the high chair out of the basement. He loves being able to sit up straighter and watch everything that is going around him. His big brother and sister love him to pieces and fight over who gets to hold him. They can both get some big giggles out of him too. I'll try to post a video soon.

Yea For Baby Food

2011-07-10T16:08:00.003-05:00

Our Little Man is growing up so quickly. He tried baby cereal for the first time today and loved it. I made just a tiny bit, foolishly thinking that he might struggle to eat off a spoon. But he did not struggle at all. I had to make 2 more helpings of cereal before he was finally finished. I almost don't know what to do with a child that eats from a spoon so easily. Here comes lots of fun with sweet potatoes and green beans. YEA!!

4 Months Old

2011-06-28T14:47:00.010-05:00

Will is 4 months old. He is by far my biggest child. At his doctor's appointment today he weighed 17 pounds, 1 1/2 ounces, which puts him in the 95th percentile in weight. He was 27 1/2 inches long, which puts him in the 97th percentile for height. With both Ellie and Max, they didn't quite hit the 20 pound mark by their first birthday (the weight and age minimum to be able to turn their carseats forward facing), but I don't think that will be a concern for Will. He may even hit the 20 pound mark before his 6 month birthday. It makes me a little sad to not be able to snuggle with a tiny newborn anymore, but I'm happy that he is growing and thriving.

He is still happy and content most of the time. He is developing a great smile and laugh. You can't help but smile when you hear his little laugh...it's contagious. He's working on cutting a few teeth, but none have popped through yet. I wish they would hurry up, so he doesn't have to be in so much pain.

The transition back to work hasn't been too bad. It is such a blessing to have my mom there with the kids while I'm away. I can focus on my work and not worry about the kids too much, knowing that they are in great hands...and the kids love spending time with their granny. And it is awesome to walk in the door and be greeted by happy "MOM"'s and big hugs from the big kids, and great, big smiles from Will when he meets my eyes. Love 'em all bunches!

At the Driving Range

2011-06-26T14:12:00.007-05:00

I've know I've said it before, but Max loves golf. He can't wait for Jason to get home in evenings so they can go into the back yard and hit tennis balls with golf clubs for our dog, Lucy, to chase. And if we're out playing in the front yard, he always has a golf club in hand and will whack anything that slightly resembles a ball.

Both Ellie and Max have been asking to go to the golf course, so we finally took the whole family to the driving range. The big kids both had a great time hitting balls, and Will had a nice nap in the stroller enjoying the fresh air. Ellie is developing a nice little swing, and Max is perfecting his.

I was able to catch a little video of Max hitting, though he was starting to get angry with me if I pointed the camera in his direction, and would tell me, "No, don't take pictures of ME!"

Riding a Two-wheeler

2011-06-25T13:57:00.004-05:00

Peer pressure starts early. Ellie's neighbor friend recently decided that she wants to ride her bike without training wheels (in order to keep up with her big brother and sisters). Soon after that revelation, Ellie too decided that she is ready to start riding her bike without training wheels. So when the weekend rolled around she begged Jason to take her training wheels off. She was very proud of herself and did great for her first try at two-wheels. I'm predicting she'll be a pro by the fall. And yes, she is also Miss Safety, with her helmet, elbow and knee guards.

Toe Sucker

2011-06-21T15:14:00.000-05:00

Will has reached a couple of very important miles in the last few weeks - he is now rolling over and he can suck his toes. Yes, I know, sucking his own toes is not technically a milestone, but it's pretty darn cute. And since he's not walking yet, we're fairly confident that his feet are clean. Don't they look tasty?!

We didn't actually witness the first rolling over, but we put him down for a nap on his back and found him on his stomach later. Since then, he has become a master at rolling over, both back to front and front to back. The only bad part of reaching this milestone is that it means no more leaving him alone on the bed...we've now moved on to the pillow barricade.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T10:19:00.001-05:00

With a 3-month-old, I highly value sleep and just wanted to sleep-in for Mother's Day. I thought Jason would also want to sleep-in, but there's only one thing that Jason values more than sleep...so for Father's Day, Jason woke up super early to play golf with his dad. We went to Columbia on Friday night so that J could also wake up super early on Saturday morning to play golf with Popi and Uncle Nate.

Ellie and Max were very excited for Father's Day, and started planning way in advance. Ellie wanted it to be a very special weekend for her daddy, so we had a list. While J golfed, we got to work.

1.) Ellie and Gran made the cool banner of ties early in the week, but it stayed hidden till we put it up to surprise J this weekend.

2.) We made shirt and tie cards for all of the dads in our lives - J, Popi, Papa, and GGPa (and Uncle Nate too since we were spending the day with him on Saturday). Aren't these just the cutest cards. I saw the cards in my Martha Stewart Living magazine last month, and tore out the page so we would remember to make them when it got closer to Father's Day. Check out the website for the how-to. http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/fathers-day-crafts-for-kids

(I think they would also be adorable with floral paper and no tie for a Hawaiian luau theme event...just an idea to tuck away).

3.) We made J's favorite chocolate chip cookies. They're also everyone else's favorite too, so that's a bonus. For the last few days, Max has been asking for cookie dough as soon as he opens his eyes in the morning...that's my boy.

4.) We are planning on loving on Dad all day long.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads in our lives. We have all been blessed with some wonderful fathers. My dad is one of the kindest, gentlest, and most caring men I know, and I know Jason would say the same about his dad. Our kiddos are lucky to have such great grandpas.

And my kiddos are also lucky to have such a great daddy. He's patient, playful, silly, funny, and very loving. He's a great dad. We love you!

Memorial Day Fun

2011-05-30T14:50:00.006-05:00

We stayed in town over Memorial Day weekend and spent some time with family. Jason and I celebrated our 11 year anniversary with a trip to the Fox on Saturday to see Jersey Boys (a great show) and a nice dinner afterwards downtown. Also, our nephew, Kameron, was turning 7, so Jason's brother and family came into town to visit, and we had a small birthday party on Sunday. The kids had a great time playing together, like they always do. Ellie, Kameron, and Paige run around wild, and Max just tries to keep up. Will and Cole hung out with the adults, but I kept thinking how it won't be long before the little boys are right there with the bigger kids...I'm sure they'll be driving Max crazy next year trying to do whatever he's doing, and all Max will want to do is play with the older kids....oh, the pain of being a middle child.

Bryan and Valerie tied up water balloons till their fingers hurt, but the balloons lasted all of about 20 seconds. So next up was the sprinkler. I love to watch my kiddos running around in bathing suits, playing in the water, on a hot, summer day. I love to hear their squeals and giggles from the cold, sprinkler water....Pure Joy!

3 Months Old

2011-05-28T13:49:00.017-05:00

Will is already 3 months old! He is growing like a weed, and is already outgrowing some of his 6 months clothing. One evening he was particularly fussy and nothing seemed to calm him. Then I noticed that he kept trying to stretch his legs out, but never could quite get a full stretch in the sleeper he was wearing. So I stripped him down and put him into a 9 month sleeper, and he was 100% better. We're happy that it is getting warmer outside so he can start wearing shorts, and length won't be quite so much of a concern.

Will is really starting to want to be in the middle of all the action. He still loves his swing and is usually fairly content swinging by himself, but if he starts to fuss it's usually just that he wants someone to come over and talk to him. He'll usually stop fussing right away, and switch over to big smiles if someone talks to him and pays him the attention that he needs. He's giving us some good smiles in the pics above. Ellie loves to sit by him and have little conversations with him. She'll raise her voice up into the higher baby talk and say, "Hi, Sweet Boy. You have something to tell me?" and then Will will "goo" and "gah" back to her. It's adorable. Ellie was even the first to really get the big giggles out of Will, though we've all learned how to get him to laugh now. Jason is great at finding his tickle spots, and there is nothing sweeter than hearing little baby giggles. Unfortunately, Will inherited the same hiccup response to laughter that Ellie has...whenever they start laughing too hard they always get the hiccups. Bummer.

Will has also improved in the sleep department. He goes down around 8pm and will usually wake only once during the night between 1:30 and 2:30 to eat, then goes back to sleep till about 6am. Sometimes he'll wake a little earlier at 5:00am, which sounds terrible, but is actually not too bad because then he'll go back to sleep till after 7am, whereas if he sleeps till 6am he's usually up for the morning at that point. Both of the other kids had their first, random, sleep-through-the-night by this age, but Will has yet to grace us with that event. He did however give me the first gift of Mother's Day and slept till 4:30am on that Sunday morning (at just shy of 10 weeks old). That was the longest stretch he had ever slept (8 hours), and I suppose that probably counts as sleeping through the night. Unfortunately he only did that a couple of nights, then went back to waking between 1:30 and 2:30.

Will is filling out all over and is starting to get some chub. I just love little, squishy, baby legs, and I could smooch on his sweet cheeks all the live long day. Love him bunches.

The Big Boy Room

2011-05-21T14:16:00.002-05:00

Max has graduated to his own big boy room. We started setting up his new room in January in anticipation of eventually needing to free up the crib for Will's arrival. But we weren't overly anxious to move Max into a big boy bed for a number of reasons. 1) He has always been such a great sleeper in the crib. 2) There wasn't a real hurry since we knew Will would be in the bassinet in our bedroom for the first few months anyway. and 3) Max was still my baby too - he wasn't even 2-years-old yet and deserved to still get to sleep in his crib. But then things changed.

After Will arrived, Max started waking up every night and refusing to go back to sleep in his crib. He would only go back to sleep if we brought him into our room. We weren't too happy about bringing him into our bed because we didn't want to mess up his sleep routine and create problems down the road (like we did with Ellie). But since we were only getting 1 or 2 hours of sleep at a time with Will, we did not have the extra energy to fight Max back into the crib...so into our bed he went. This lasted for about 6 weeks. Max started to improve a little and would sleep through the night in the crib a few nights a week, but he was still coming into our bed the other nights. I started putting him in his big boy bed for naps and he actually did really well, so we decided to try it out at night too, and he has done amazingly well. He rarely comes into our room during the night, but if he does we'll let him into our bed for 20 minutes or so, then we take him back to his own bed and he goes right back to sleep.

I think bringing home Will had more of an effect on Max than we thought it would. Max had always been the baby, and then suddenly there was a new little guy taking our attention. He didn't act jealous or try to hurt Will, but I think he just needed extra mommy and daddy attention at night. Now Max is back to being our best sleeper. He can get himself out of bed after naps (an extra perk for Mommy to not have to walk upstairs to lift him out of the crib) and in the morning. He'll come into our room in the morning very quietly (so as not to wake Will) and peek into the bathroom where one of us is getting ready and give us a little, "Hi." Then he is ready to go downstairs and have eggs with Dad (their morning routine).

And Max's new bed is pretty cool. We got him bunk beds with the full size bed on the bottom. We've moved the ladder away from the bed for now, because I'm still too nervous to let him climb up by himself, since he definitely can't climb down by himself yet. The full size bottom bunk is great at bed time for cuddling and reading stories. There have been many nights where Jason will have both Max and Ellie in there reading bedtime stories while I finish up feeding Will and getting him to sleep, and it's a lot more comfortable than everyone trying to squeeze onto Ellie's little twin bed. Ellie also tells us that some day she'll just go into Max's room and sleep on his top bunk if she gets scared in her own room...we'll see about that.

Little Look-A-Likes

2011-05-06T15:47:00.000-05:00

When Will was first born I thought he looked more like Max as a baby. However, as he has been growing and changing, I started to think he looked a lot more like Ellie as a baby. So I was totally surprised when I put these pictures together. Now I see both Ellie and Max in Will. They definitely look like siblings.

What do you think?

Of course, I must caveat this and tell you I picked the pictures that looked the most alike. There are also tons of shots of each of them where they look totally different from one another. Each baby is certainly unique, but I also love how much alike they are.

Cuteness

2011-05-04T12:19:00.000-05:00

Are you ready for it? I wanted to capture a little bit of Will's smiles and sounds, and Max wanted to be a photographer too. This is just a small taste of happy, little Will.

And here's a little brotherly love!

2 Months Old

2011-04-28T13:52:00.002-05:00

Another month has flown by, and our little boy is already two months old! Wow, how Will has changed in the last month. He now weighs 12 pounds, 14 ounces (that is almost 5 pounds heavier than when he was born) and is 24 1/4 inches long. His length puts him in the >90%, and we can sure see it in his clothing. He has mostly outgrown all his 3 month clothing, especially anything that has feet in it. He's wearing 6 month sleepers at night, and even those are starting to limit his movement when he tries to stretch his legs out.

Will has a lot more awake time during the day. He is very alert, and most importantly, he gives lots of smiles now. He'll do the full body smile, kicking his legs and arms and shaking his head back and forth with a big, wide mouth whenever he's really excited to see someone. He's starting to "talk" to us whenever anyone pays special attention to him, giving us a little "goo" and "gah." Ellie even says, "Mom, listen, he's saying his first words."

Will is starting to do a little better in the sleep department. For about the last week and a half he is only waking up once a night to eat, then will go back to sleep till between 6 and 7 am (I hope I haven't jinxed myself by typing that). I'm hoping this continues and we can get into a good nighttime routine before I go back to work.

Will loves his swing, and is most content there. He doesn't fuss much during the day, but will get a little fussy in the evenings sometimes, especially when his tummy is bothering him. He can definitely get overstimulated when there are too many people around or too much commotion (which is strange since his brother and sister can be quite rowdy, but their noise never seems to bother him).

Will, you are a sweet boy and have brought so much joy into our home. We're so happy you are a part of our family.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T16:19:00.002-05:00

Time to dye Easter eggs. Ellie has been begging me for the past two weeks to dye Easter eggs (Note to self: in the future, do not purchase egg dye when children are with me and hide egg dying paraphernalia as soon as I get home). On Easter eve I finally had all the eggs boiled and ready to go, so we got to work. The kids were super excited to try out all the different colors and to write on the eggs pre-dye with the white crayon. However, it seems like 13 eggs take approximately 4 minutes to dye. It probably was a bit longer than 4 minutes, but next year I'll definitely have to boil more eggs. The problem then becomes what to do with all those dyed hard-boiled eggs.

A few of the finished product. Don't they just look so springy.

A quick family portrait after church. We're always running late and never have enough time before church to get a picture taken (which is why Max is wearing lovely crocs on Easter Sunday), and then we usually have crabby kids after church, but this year's picture is not too bad.

A Special Blessing

2011-04-17T14:50:00.049-05:00

Yes, Will is a special blessing to our family, and today was a special day for Will. We went down to Farmington to go to church with Gran and Popi, and both Will and Audrey received blessings. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the cousins together in their beautiful white outfits, but they were precious. Both babies did great during the service and didn't make a peep.

Lots of family came over to my parents house afterwards to enjoy lunch. It turned out to be a beautiful day so we spent much of the afternoon outside. The dads were playing a little wiffle ball, and Ellie wanted in on the action. She developed quite a little pitching arm.

Max mostly wanted to play with the new golf clubs Popi picked up for him. Max was hitting some great shots and impressing everyone, so Jason finally decided to try to get a little video of Max's golf game. Unfortunately Max was just about ready for a break by the time the camera started rolling, but he had a few nice shots left in him. I just wish there was better sound with the video, so you could hear Max's frustrated, "Oh, dang it!" or his complimentary, "Nice shot!"

And this is what Will did most of the afternoon. He loves to be outside...it seems like most babies love to be outside. I think there is something in the outdoors that is especially calming to babies.

1 month already?

2011-03-28T19:24:00.001-05:00

Will is one month old today. I can't believe how fast the last 4 weeks have gone. Will is changing every day, becoming stronger and more alert. He is getting better at holding up his own head, and will turn towards a voice (especially Ellie's). We think he is starting to smile at us, though we can't be sure it's not just gas. The third picture below is catching a bit of his grin. He has two adorable dimples that pop out when he smiles, so I'm looking forward to him giving us the big ones.

Will is starting to have more awake time during the day, and is generally a very happy baby. He has a bit of a sensitive tummy (just like his sister did at this age), which causes some fussiness in the evening and sometimes during the middle of the night feedings. He usually wakes up twice a night, sleeping 3.5 to 4.5 hours at a time.

We can't wait to see all the changes that will occur over the next month.

As I was taking these pictures of Will, Max said, "I take pictures too?" So I had to take a few with the brothers together. Max wanted to hold Will in some of the shots, but I love this picture above as Max is giving Will a "nosey" (also known as an Eskimo kiss).

Happy 2nd Birthday, Max!

2011-03-24T17:00:00.028-05:00

Happy Birthday, Max! I can't believe you are 2 years old already.

We had a birthday party at home for our little Man. We had planned to BBQ, but mother nature had other plans and decided to dump 5 inches of snow on us instead. Can you believe the crazy weather this year? I'm so ready for spring to come and stay. But anyway...after hearing the forecast for the weekend, we changed plans and order Bandana's BBQ instead. We were thrilled that so many family and friends were able to come celebrate with us. Max and Ellie had a ball playing with all the kids.

Gran once again made an amazing cake. Max is really into 'Dino Dan' (a tv show), so Ellie decided that Max should have a dinosaur cake for his birthday, and Gran delivered. The cake was delicious, and Max blew out the candles like a champ. Max got lots of great toys - we're very lucky to have such generous family and friends.

Max, you are a funny, sweet, intelligent little guy. You make us laugh all the time, and are constantly amazing us with what you know. We love your knock-knock jokes, and your favorite "chicken butt" joke. You are all boy. You love trucks, trains, and all sports. Your dad is thrilled that you have such an amazing golf swing already. We are so happy you are a part of our family, and we love you bunches.

Wedding Fun

2011-03-12T16:53:00.018-06:00

Jason's cousin, Kristin, just got married, and Ellie was thrilled to be a flower girl. She and her cousin Paige got to be flower girls together, and they did a great job. This is their second time to share the duty, and they always come through with flying colors - walking down the aisle with no problems. Ellie talked about it for weeks ahead of time, and was so excited when the big day finally came.

Max and Will looked so handsome in their little outfits - wouldn't you agree? This was Will's first real outing, since he was still under 2 weeks old. He did a great job, and handled being passed around all day very well. And everyone had a ball at the reception. You couldn't get my kids off the dance floor. I think their favorite part was the duck dance. It has been a favorite at our house for quite a while.

Congrats Kristin & Billy.

Sleepy Time

2011-03-10T16:45:00.002-06:00

Do you remember how sleepy those first few weeks are...for baby and for mom & dad. I have a ton of pictures like these with the other two because they are just so darn cute. Will looks so peaceful and sweet with his hand under his cheek.

Welcome Home Will

2011-03-06T16:35:00.005-06:00

Ellie and Max made a great "Welcome Home" banner for Will when we came home from the hospital. They are adjusting well to having a new baby at home. Ellie is a great helper and brings me binkies and diapers whenever needed. Max wants to give Will lots of kisses. Max will hold Will for a few seconds at a time, but Ellie will hold him for hours if I let her.

First Bath

2011-03-04T16:17:00.018-06:00

The first bath is always an experience. Will didn't care for it much, other than getting his head scrubbed. None of my kids have cared for those first baths much, and who can blame them - it is just too cold. We are always happy when the belly button heals up, and we can put the little ones into the baby tub with warm water. Ellie and Max were very excited to get to see Will's first bath and to help.

William Michael Has Arrived

2011-02-28T16:49:00.002-06:00

William Michael Freed has finally arrived. He was born on February 28, 2011 at 12:18 am. He weighed 8 pounds even and was 22 inches long.

We were very anxious for Will to arrive, so when my due date arrived (February 27), we went into "make this baby come" mode. We went to the mall and walked a ton, then we came home and walked some more.

I ended up taking some castor oil (YUCK!) in the afternoon to see if that would help me along. Then in the evening, Ellie and I had just finished showering, and as I was drying my hair I started to feel a little strange. The contractions weren't too bad at first, so we were able to put both kids to bed before we left for the hospital.

By the time we got to the hospital, my contractions were very intense and right on top of each other. I finally got my epidural, then everything was great. This was also the night that tornadoes came through the city, so we were on alert in the hospital, and my doctor was stuck in her basement with sirens going off all around. We ended up waiting about an hour for my doc to arrive at the hospital, then Will arrived about 30 seconds after she walked in the room. He would have been born on my due date if it weren't for those silly tornadoes. Everyone has joked that his nickname should be Twister.

Big sister, Ellie, and big brother, Max, are loving their new little brother. Will is healthy and doing great. We are overjoyed with the newest addition to our family! We love him to pieces already!

When Winter Gives You Snow...

2011-01-23T08:24:00.000-06:00

Make Snowmen!

This winter has been brutal - with the ice, and snow, and cold. We have only had a few days where it warmed up enough to actually be outside for a while, so when those days arrived the kids and Jason headed out to make a snowman. Ellie was very excited to get to use her "snowman kit" that Santa brought last year.

Then they headed into snowball fight mode. This didn't last too long, because this snow was so compactable that those snowballs really hurt. Not ideal for a 4-year-old and 2-year-old. Where are those obnoxious, teenage boys when you need a target?!

And finally, they had a little taste test. For some strange reason, my kids love to eat snow. Of course, we always make sure to point out that one should only eat the nice, clean, new snow, and never dirty or yellow snow. Mmm-mmm-good.

Peek-a-boo with Mr. Snowman.

P-U-D-D-I-N-G

2011-01-22T08:07:00.010-06:00

Max likes pudding. Well, not just pudding, but chocolate pudding. And the pics below say it all.

Generally, Max is a great eater, and some would even say a fantastic eater when compared to his older sister. While Ellie sticks to the main food groups of chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and mac 'n cheese, Max will usually try anything we put on his plate. This boy will even eat hummus and sauerkraut. With such an exploratory appetite it amazes me that he is still such a skinny-mini. He has that 2-year-old birthday and check-up coming up soon, so we'll see if he has jumped up much on the growth chart from 18 months.

Catch Up

2011-01-17T15:47:00.002-06:00

Yes, I know it has been ages since I've posted, and now it feels a little overwhelming to try to go back and blog about all the stuff that has happened over the past few months, but I'll do my best. My main preoccupation has been this pregnancy, and family, and the holidays, and...

Everything has been going well with my pregnancy. The baby is growing like he should, and maybe growing a little too well - my doctor is projecting this new little guy will be even bigger than our almost 9 pound newborn Max. Which I'm totally fine with - I think the bigger babies eat better and sleep better sooner (at least that has been my experience) and it means more pregnancy weight is lost during the hospital stay. HA.

It's getting into one of my busier seasons at work, when I'm normally traveling quite a bit, but at over 34 weeks now, I only have a little more time available for flying before I'm grounded. I'm sure the next few weeks will fly by trying to wrap up as much as I can before I begin my leave.

We still don't have a name picked out for the little guy. There are a few names that Jason and I both like, but we haven't nailed it down yet. I also don't have the nursery ready for the baby, since Max is still in the crib. We'll be doing some room shuffling, but amazingly, I'm not stressed about it the way I know I would have been at this point in my pregnancies with the other two. I know it will get done, and the baby will be in our room for the first couple of months anyway. Although I do need to drag out the baby clothes and get started on some laundry.

So, here's a picture of the little rugrats to tide you over till I get some of my backdated posts up. These two were all snuggled up together in Ellie's sleeping bag, after a long day of playing with new Christmas toys.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-25T10:54:00.029-06:00

On Christmas morning, we actually had to wake the kids up around 7am because Jason was just too excited to sleep anymore. After waking from the fog, Ellie remembered what day it was and rushed downstairs. Santa was very good this year, and the kids favorite gift... the Wii race cars. They are awesome. Ellie has become quite good at Mario Kart now, thanks to her new wheels. The cars are even supposed to hold up to 300 lbs, so J and I may be having some races too.

Santa also brought a John Deere gator battery powered car for the kids, which they are also very excited about. Unfortunately, we got a big snow storm right before Christmas, which makes for a beautiful white Christmas, but is not conducive to testing out the new wheels outside. I found that we took a lot of video of Christmas morning, but not too many pictures... oh well. The one below is the kids modeling their new bath wraps. There was even a froggy one for the new baby, when he gets big enough to wear it.

After our festivities at home, we all showered and got dressed for round 2, at Aunt Pam's house. This is the annual Freed Christmas gathering, and this year, we squeezed everything into actual Christmas day. With Christmas being on a Saturday, it seemed like people had less time off from work, so there was a lot of feting crammed into a short period of time.

Max loves hanging out with older boys...I think it is his escape from playing with a big sister every day. And he especially loves cousin, Justin. Justin is very good and patient with Max, including helping him open his gifts.

Ellie and her cousins were so anxious to open gifts. I remember those days...begging my parents to open gifts before they'd even finished eating. And Ellie got some great things this year. Thank you everyone.

After the Freed festivities at Aunt Pam's, we headed over to Papa & Mamaw's for our immediate Freed family Christmas evening. We had a nice dinner with our Christmas crackers (note the paper hats in some of the pictures). And again, Ellie and Paige were very excited to open more gifts.

Baby Cole was ready for the present carnage to begin as well. Check out that smile.

And the final Christmas event was with the Marler family, only this took place on New Year's Eve. My sister and her family were fighting a GI bug the week before Christmas, so we elected to postpone Christmas for a week. It was a nice low key Christmas/New Year's, where we weren't on a schedule, and could just hang out, eat, and visit all day. What a great way to end the holiday season.

What's in the box?

2010-12-16T10:48:00.001-06:00

Don't you just love the build-up to Christmas? I know I do. I love everything about the holiday season, and having kids around makes it so much more fun. As packages started arriving in the mail from my online shopping and from faraway family, the kids became very excited. But of course, the boxes held just as much entertainment as the prospect of what could be inside the box.

And what might be in this box?.....

It was a Max-in-a-Box. Now that is a great gift!!

The First Snow

2010-12-12T10:44:00.013-06:00

On our way home from visiting baby Audrey, the weather started to change, and by the next morning, we had snow. This was the first real snow of the season, so even though it was freezing, we let the kids go out to play for a little while. It is always amazing to me how kids will stay out in the cold for as long as you let them, even though their little fingers and toes are frozen when they finally come inside. Max even took a digger while walking through the snow, and came up with his face completely covered with snow...but he loved it, giggled, and kept on going.

Visiting Santa and Baby Audrey

2010-12-11T10:13:00.052-06:00

Before Christmas, Ellie started seeing the commercials for Bass Pro Shops' Winter Wonderland with Santa, and she mentioned many times how she thought Pop would like to take her there. So, Pop was happy to oblige and we all tagged along for a trip to see Santa.

While we waited for our turn to see the big guy, there were lots of other activities for us to do. The kids played with trains and Ellie got to write her letter to Santa. She had lots of things on her list at home (nearly everything in the Toys R Us catalog), but she just picked out her most special requests for the letter...a pillow pet, a Barbie, a Whoopsie-Do doll, and a train for her brother, Max. (Isn't she sweet for thinking of her brother in her letter to Santa?)

After she was done writing the letter, she took it to the mailbox for the mailman to pick up.

Max and Daddy tried on various hats while waiting on Santa. Max is very into hats now. If Jason puts on a hat on the weekends, then Max usually insists on wearing one too. He only has one little hat that fits his head, so Santa will probably bring him a few new ones for Christmas.

Finally it was our turn. I wasn't sure how Max would react to Santa, but he made us proud. Ellie kept talking to Max before hand to prep him for sitting on Santa's hat, and when it was our turn, they both ran right up to him. Ellie told him the specific things she wanted from the letter she had just written, and told him how she had been trying to be a good girl all year. Ellie also told us afterwards that Santa said to leave him cookies and chocolate milk on Christmas eve...she didn't want us to forget.

After visiting with Santa, we all headed to Columbia to meet our new niece. My sister was due on Christmas eve, but delivered a few weeks early. Audrey Catherine was born on December 9th, and she is perfect. Ellie was very excited to get to hold another baby. Max was trying to love on her too, though he was a little more interested in playing with Ella and all her toys.

Last summer when our nephew, Cole, was born during our family vacation to Lake of the Ozarks, Max was rather jealous whenever I would hold the baby. He would even try to pull Cole out of my arms. This was a little concerning to me, seeing how I was newly pregnant at the time...how would Max handle our new baby in the family? Well, I needn't have worried. By the next time we saw Cole (about a month later), Max was completely different. He wanted to see Cole and kiss him, and was very gently with him. This came out again when he saw baby Audrey. There didn't seem to be any jealousy, and he was very sweet with the baby. I hope this continues when our baby boy arrives in a couple of months.

Sweet baby Audrey. Isn't she precious?!

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T15:50:00.000-05:00

For Halloween this year, Ellie decided she was going to be Ariel from the Little Mermaid. Great! We already had an Ariel costume, so that was easy. Then a couple of weeks before the big day, she came home from school and told me that another girl in her class was going to be Ariel, so she was now going to be a cowgirl. Um, okay, that doesn't sound too hard either. I found some adorable cowgirl boots at Target, we headed to the fabric store to get some denim and pink fabric, and Gran whipped up a cute little costume.

We all headed to Ellie's school for her Halloween party and parade. Jason was dressed up from work (he didn't just dress up for Ellie's party), and Max had a good time watching the kids. He always loves going to Ellie's school.

We also headed to the zoo on the day before Halloween for Boo at the Zoo. Ellie decided to mix it up and wear her Ariel costume this day to get a little use out of both costumes. That trip quite possibly will be our first and last attempt at Boo at the Zoo, because it quite literally was a zoo that day. There were so many people!!

Here are the kids on the big night getting ready to collect their goodies. We had an adorable monkey costume for Max, which of course he absolutely refused to wear. So we improvised and he was a Mizzou football player. At least he was comfortable, and maybe the new little guy will want to be a monkey for Halloween one year.

Soccer Time

2010-10-30T15:02:00.003-05:00

Ellie had her first season of soccer this fall, with Daddy as the coach. Papa Mike helped out Jason on the sidelines and with practices - they both said it was like wrangling cats. Jason was a great coach with the girls...very patient, very playful, and still managed to impart a few basic soccer skills.

Even though at this age group they don't keep score, our Green Machine team was pretty good. We had a couple of girls that were really good little ball handlers. However, Ellie's main focus at the games was socializing, and there were many times when the parents were yelling for the girls to turn around and watch the ball rather than tickling each other and giggling. Max attended all the practices and games with us, and loved every minute of it - maybe even more so than Ellie.

I'm sure we'll be playing soccer for many years to come.

Old Iron Works Days 2010

2010-10-17T16:24:00.001-05:00

We went to Meramac Springs last weekend for the annual Old Iron Works days. We try to go every year, but weren't able to make it last year, so this was Max's first time. Jason was on his guys' golf weekend trip, so the kids and I met up with Popi and Aunt Laura and Ella to spend the day.

We walked along the path at the fish hatchery. Isn't this a beautiful shot? The trees were just starting to turn, and it was a beautiful, warm, fall day.

The kids had a ball playing on the old playground equipment. I don't think these types of toys are even produced anymore, and probably for good reason. I'm not one of those parents that is too protective of my children and restricts them from playing and climbing on toys that are meant for children. But I was still a little anxious while they played on some of these things. I mean, come on, check out the flying-saucer-type-spinning thing pictured below. I'm sure many a child has flown off of this thing and has the broken bones to prove it. But regardless of the danger, the kids loved it.

We arrived a little too early for some of the activities and booths to open, so we walked around for a while. The booths are mostly demonstration booths of some past art, such as basket weaving, rope making, blacksmithing, etc. When I was ready to move on to something else, I'd say, "Let's go find a new activity." Miss Ellie began to catch on and so she told me, "Mom, I like the kinds of activities that we get to do something. Not just the activities that we have to watch."

So we found her an activity where she could do something - sawing wood. Ellie and Popi each took an end of the band saw and went to work. We have pictures of my dad with me and my siblings doing this exact same thing when we weren't much older than Ellie, so this was a neat "activity" to get a picture of Ellie and Popi doing together. And E was very proud of her slice of wood.

I guess it's about time...

2010-10-14T14:00:00.000-05:00

to announce the latest news in the Freed family's world. We are expecting another baby. The word has been out for a while, but I just realized that I hadn't posted about it yet, so some people may still be in the dark. So let me illuminate the situation...

We are expecting baby #3 on February 27, 2011.

We had the "big ultrasound" on September 30 and found out that the men will soon outnumber the women in the Freed household (that means it's a boy!)

Everyone is very excited!!! Ellie told us that she wanted a little sister, but then soon after said, "but a boy or a girl will be fine." Yes, she is very mature for a 4-year-old. Max is still pretty clueless about the whole thing. I'm just barely starting to show, so nothing has changed in his world yet. But I'm sure as my belly grows and there is less space on my lap, he'll begin to feel the effects.

This pregnancy has been tougher than the first two. The first trimester was rather miserable, with nausea and fatigue sticking around most every day. But thankfully that stage is over. I'm feeling good nowadays, and my energy level is back (so the house is not a complete mess and my family usually gets a homemade dinner when I'm home). And now the fun part begins - shopping for tiny, adorable clothes (just a few are needed though because our new little guy will be born about the same time of year that Max was born), picking out nursery decor, and considering names.

Life is going to be crazy with 3 munchkins under the age of 5, but we're looking forward to lots of fun too!

Happy Birthday Miss 4-year-old

2010-08-28T18:50:00.005-05:00

Ellie turned 4 at the end of August and we celebrated her birthday at The Little Gym. I kind of procrastinated in getting the party organized and invites out the door, but luckily most of her friends and family were able to come.

She had a ball. She loved all the group activities, especially the parachute. But they played music throughout the party, so most of the time Ellie could be found dancing on the mat - whether anyone else was dancing with her or not.

Granny did an amazing job on the birthday cake, as usual. Ellie and Gran spent a few days looking at pictures of cakes, until Ellie spotted the one that she wanted. Ellie was once again spoiled by all the great gifts everyone gave her, and we spent the next few days reopening presents that she didn't remember opening at the party... so her birthday stretched on a while and what kid doesn't love that.

I can't believe my baby is 4-years-old. Ellie is a smart, energetic, friendly little girl. She loves school and learning new things. She is kind hearted, and heaps tons of love on her baby dolls and her brother. She is our little performer, always singing and dancing. And she keeps it lively around the Freed house. We wouldn't trade her for anything. I love you, E!

Cowboy Nakey

2010-08-07T18:37:00.005-05:00

Check out our cute cowboy. We had plans for an adults only outing with friends to see Brooks & Dunn during their farewell tour this summer. As Jason was preparing for the concert and digging his boots and hat out of the back of the closet, Max decided that he wanted in on the fun too. He loved wearing the boots. He would try to take a step and fall down, then he would just giggle till someone set him up right again. Quite adorable, if you ask me.

Silly Kids

2010-08-03T12:01:00.001-05:00

My kids can be just plain silly sometimes. Max climbed inside the tiny, little side table and had a good time just hanging out and watching tv with his water. As for Ellie....what can I say there? She is a goofball.

First Day of School

2010-07-16T11:54:00.002-05:00

Ellie has started another year of preschool. She now goes three days a week and loves it. Every day she asks whether today is a school day or not. We always get glowing reports from her teacher about what a good listener she is and how smart she is. When I've helped out in the class, I always enjoy watching Ellie interact with her classmates. She can be rather bossy (she's just a natural born leader according to her teacher), and many times will drive the activities in the classroom in whatever direction she thinks it should go that day-- she'll pick out the stories to read, the songs to sing, and when to move on to something else. I don't know where she gets that trait from.

Arizona family visit

2010-07-14T11:44:00.000-05:00

My brother and his family came for a visit in the middle of July. Both Ian and Hannah celebrated their birthdays while they were here. There was lots of playing and lots of time spent at Monkey Joe's. Ellie and Max loved having their cousins around. Max followed Ian everywhere he went. I don't think Ian was as excited to have a mini-me as Max was to have a big boy to play with. It's always nice to get to visit with family, and we don't get to see them nearly often enough.

Lake of the Ozarks Week

2010-07-02T10:53:00.000-05:00

We had lots of fun at the Lake this year. We of course spent some time at Miner Mike's. Max was big enough to play in the climbing jungle gym and in the balls, though he was little small for the roller coaster. All the kids loved the games and the cheap toys they got when they redeemed their tickets. What a racket that is.

Jason celebrated his birthday (#32...shhhh, don't tell). He got to be the chef for the evening and make his tasty sliders. His celebration was a little late though because we had a wine and cheese tasting event. Some of the ladies had a really good time...just ask them.

We played putt-putt at Pirate's Cove...the best mini golf course at the Lake, in our opinion. Ellie even got to play a round this year for the first time, and she had a great time.

But the highlight of the week was the birth of baby Cole. He was a few days early, but when he was ready, there was no stopping him. Valerie started having contractions, so she, Bryan, and Sue headed up to Columbia. They barely made it to the hospital before Cole was ready to make his debut. Then Mom, Dad, and baby came back down to the Lake the next day!!! Valerie is a wonderwoman.

Freed Cup 2010

2010-07-01T17:03:00.004-05:00

The theme for the Freed Cup 2010 was tacky golf, so everyone turned out in their finest. We got quite a few looks walking through the clubhouse. As you can see from the pictures above, some people were a little tackier than others, but everyone had a good time.

We played the dreaded Spongebob Squarepants ball challenge this year. Each team had a Spongebob ball that had to be played on every other hole, and had to be played alternating shots by the couple. On the first hole, I hit first and put a good ball out into the fairway, which then allowed Jason to swing hard. Unfortunately, he was swinging hard with Spongebob (he was the brave one to hit it off the first tee), and it went straight into the woods. We were the last couple to tee off so we were able to spend a little extra time searching for Spongebob in the woods, but with no luck. What is so dreaded about Spongebob is that you have to take a penalty stroke for each hole that you don't play Spongebob, which meant we were starting the round 9 over...that's tough to come back from. On the positive side, it took the pressure off having to deal with Spongebob the whole round.

Most of the teams ended up losing Spongebob sometime during the round, though most lost him much later than we did. We knew we were pretty much out of contention for the trophy this year from the get go, so we just took it easy and had fun. We still ended up tied for second place, and actually played fairly well (minus the Spongebob incident).

The Freed Cup 2010 went to Kristin and Billy (tyed-dyed outfits). Congratulations!!! It was a smart move dating and getting engaged to a good golfer, Kristin. We're going to have to step up our game in the future if we hope to win back the trophy from the soon-to-be Gossetts.

Freed Retreat 2010 - Condensed Version

2010-06-26T09:18:00.003-05:00

This year the Freed Retreat was shortened to just a one day event. We met at a park in Cape Girardeau and planned a day of fun activities. We once again had a great turnout and got to visit with about 60 extended family members. Aunt Pam brought lots of fun stuff for the kids. They had water balloon tosses and bubbles, and played in the kiddie pool and on the playground equipment. We ate a lot and visited a lot. It was a nice, enjoyable day.

Magic House Fun

2010-06-19T09:03:00.001-05:00

Bryan and Valerie went to Chicago to celebrate their anniversary, so Kameron and Paige spent the weekend with Papa and Mamaw. We all went to the Magic House on Saturday and had a great time. It has probably been 20 years since I've been to the Magic House, so everything was different.

There were tons of fun places to explore and puzzles to figure out. Jason and Max did the electricity ball, but Ellie wanted none of that. She tried most other activities, but repeatedly told us she didn't want to touch the ball that would make her hair stand up.

They played hard and crashed hard afterwards. I don't think we'll wait another 20 years to return.

Eat More Chicken

2010-06-15T09:31:00.008-05:00

Have I ever said how much we love Chick-fil-A? If you know my daughter, you're not surprised to hear that one of her favorite restaurants is one that serves only chicken. And their chicken sandwiches are so yummy, but we love it for so many other reasons...

1. The restaurant is always clean!
2. The employees are efficient, friendly and helpful.
3. The provide bendy straws for the kids, plastic stick down place mats (for feeding babies right off the table), free bowls of Cheerios for the little ones, fun and educational kids' meal toys, and Purell wipes throughout the restaurant including right outside the playland.

What could make us like Chick-fil-A even more, you ask? Well, this morning we received an email to let us know that Belle from Beauty & the Beast (from the Muny production starting next week) would be at our local Chick-fil-A tonight to visit and make crafts with the kids and sign autographs. Wow! What a treat for a soon to be 4-year-old that loves Disney princesses.

We headed there for dinner, and surprisingly, got a parking space and a table right away. Ellie, however, has developed a bit of fear around dressed up characters. She liked to look at Belle from afar, but wasn't too crazy about going up and taking a picture with her, which is why we don't have a very good shot of Belle. It was pretty fun though, and Ellie has been talking about it non-stop. Yay for Chick-fil-A!

Country Days 2010

2010-06-05T08:39:00.004-05:00

We headed down to Farmington for another weekend of Country Days. The kids always have a great time. We met up with the Felkers and watched the parade. Ellie has developed a bit of a fear of dressed up characters, so she was constantly getting up from her chair and hiding behind me whenever a clown or princess came near.

After the parade, Gran took a sleepy Max back to the house and we took Ellie down to ride some rides. She's getting big enough now that she wants to try some of the bigger kid rides. She and Jason rode this spinning ride, but they didn't spin too much (so Jason wouldn't get sick), and Ellie loved it.

The giant slide is always a hit and a must do each year.

Ellie rode the boat merry-go-round and the car merry-go-round. This might be the last year Ellie enjoys these rides, but I think they'll be perfect for Max next year.

But Ellie's absolute favorite part was the pony rides. She kept talking about it afterwards and telling us how much fun it was.

After we finished at Country Days, we headed back to Gran and Popi's for lunch and to cool down. Luckily we planned ahead and brought bathing suits for the kids, so they had a good time playing in the sprinkler.

Gran saves Max from the cold water.

Max got a cold blast of water and wasn't too sure if he liked it.

The kids also played in the playhouse. What kid doesn't love a playhouse?!

B-day waterslide party

2010-05-31T12:59:00.002-05:00

We headed to Columbia on Memorial Day weekend to celebrate Kameron's (our nephew) 6th birthday. It was a warm, sunny day so the water play that was scheduled was anxiously awaited.

My cute, little guy hanging out in the calm backyard, before all of Kameron's classmates arrived.

Ellie and Paige played a little dress-up before they put on their swimsuits. What a goofball!!

Kameron blowing out the candles. Mmmm, doesn't that cake look yummy. I'd like a piece now. I think I need to steal a page from Valerie's playbook, because she always springs for a regular cake and a DQ ice cream cake, and they are both soooo good! Max even got angry with me when his slice of ice cream cake was gone.

The huge, amazing inflatable water slide! It was so cool, and made me wish I had brought my bathing suit. The big, red bucket at the top would tip over and spill its contents on the unsuspecting climbers coming up the middle, then there were slides down both sides.

There were tons of water balloons, and the party favors were these great, water squirters that Ellie is modeling below. Ellie wasn't that big of a fan of the slide (she's my cautious child, and being 2 years younger and a bit smaller than the other 15 kids running around made her even more so), but she loved the water squirters.
And if Ellie is my cautious child, Max is my fearless child. He loved the water slide. He got to spend a couple minutes on the slide and in the pool at the bottom of the slide by himself while the big kids finished their cake. His little face would light up when someone helped him go down the slide.
Ellie, Paige, and a couple other friends found refuge together in the kiddie pool. The pool was just big enough to keep them cool and let them fill their water squirters without being splashed by the crazy kids on the waterslide.

Happy Anniversary, Sweetie!

2010-05-24T12:44:00.002-05:00

Jason and I celebrated 10 years of marriage with a trip to San Diego. Jason was out there all week for business, so I flew out on Friday and we spent a long weekend together. This was our first time to be away from the kids for more than one night...the kids have spent the night with grandparents, but we were always just a phone call away if needed. So this trip was a big deal for us and brought a little parental guilt as it was being planned.

We did all the normal touristy things....trolley tours around the city, duck tour into the ocean (where we saw the sea lions), a day trip to Coronado island, and a short trip to Torrey Pines. We had big plans for Coronado, with Sunday brunch at the Hotel del Coronado and thoughts to rent bikes and play on the beach in the afternoon. Unfortunately, it was freezing, so we had to go shopping instead....oh darn. Jason was excited to visit Torrey Pines, though he said it wasn't as cool as Pebble Beach. I know he would have loved to have played the course, but with such a short trip, I couldn't justify the pain of having to lug clubs all the way there. So, we'll just have to go back another time.

We relaxed and ate, and as Jason said, did our part to support the struggling economy. We were a little bummed at the timing of the trip because the Cardinals were coming to town for a series on the day we flew home. But it was a nice little vacation, and tons of fun to spend time just as a couple.

Here's to another 50 years, Honey!

Off to the Driving Range

2010-04-11T19:51:00.004-05:00

Ellie got golf clubs for Christmas, and Jason has been dying to take her to the driving range. When we had some free time and good weather, the whole family decided to tag along. Ellie looked adorable carrying her golf bag! As we walked up to clubhouse to get a bucket of balls, Ellie saw another little girl playing golf with her dad. The little girl had on a cute golf skirt, which Ellie immediately noticed, and so she said to Jason, "Dad, next time we come to play golf, you need to get me a cute golf skirt. Okay?" That's my girl.

We had a nice time hitting golf balls, for the first 5 minutes. But Ellie soon lost interest and played in the grass by the fountain or with Max, until Jason finished up the bucket of balls. The bucket was a large bucket, so Ellie was losing her patience by the end. By the time the bucket was finally empty, we were in melt down city. As we walked to the car, Ellie screamed, "I DON'T WANT TO GO HOME!" Even though she didn't want to play golf anymore either. Jason and I just put our heads down and quietly walked to the car, with our screaming daughter trailing behind us.

After we got in the car and started for home, we tried to talk to Ellie about her behavior, and how that is not how you act at the golf course. Jason said to her, "Ellie, if you act like that again, you're not going to be able to come to the golf course anymore." To which Ellie replied, "I don't want to come to the golf course anymore." I could almost hear Jason's heart breaking.

I'm happy to report, though, that there have been other trips to the driving range with Ellie, and she actually seems to enjoy it. Jason usually opts for the smaller bucket of balls now though.

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T19:27:00.005-05:00

It has been way too long since I've updated the blog. Please forgive me. Life has been busy and crazy around the Freed house. Since I always backdate the posts to the day the actual pictures were taken, it may be hard to tell that it has been so long since the last post, but believe me, it has been.

Ellie was relieved to wake up on Easter morning to find that the Easter bunny actually did visit while she slept. Of course the Easter bunny, like Santa Claus, only visits girls and boys that have been very good, and Ellie pulled through in the home stretch to up her "good" factor so she could get a visit from the big, furry guy. All kidding aside, Ellie is a sweet girl who tries her best to please her parents, but sometimes that urge to push her little brother down is just too much to bear.

We colored and dyed Easter eggs the evening before Easter. Laura, Nate, and Ella joined us and Gran and Papi at the Freed house this year, and we had a nice Easter day.

Max and Ellie enjoyed searching for their Easter baskets in the morning, and were thrilled with their new goodies. Everyone looked so cute in their Easter outfits, but unfortunately, the picture below is the best one we got. The lesson learned here is to take the family picture before church, because by the time you get home from church, there's not a lot of cooperation left in tired children.

We had to torture Max just a little longer in hopes that we could get at least one decent picture of him in his adorable duds, but he was having none of it.

Happy, happy birthday, Max!!

2010-03-27T14:32:00.002-05:00

Max's Easter egg hunt birthday party was tons of fun. We watched the weather closely all week, hoping that Saturday would be a nice enough day to be outside. And luckily it was, at least for a little while. It was a bit windy, and kind of cool, but nothing a jacket couldn't handle.

The kids had a good time hunting for eggs. I stuffed about 250 eggs with candy, toys, and money, and prayed that we would have enough for the 10 kids there. Well, if you want to know how many eggs are enough, apparently 25 eggs per kid is too many. Most of the kids got tired of searching before all the eggs were found, and instead just wanted to open however many they had to see what surprise was inside. We had three golden eggs with certificates inside that let the lucky child pick a special prize - a kite, DVD's or markers. We didn't announce that the golden eggs existed, but once the first was found, it became quite the hunt to find the other two.

My wonderful mother made Max's birthday cakes, and they were spectacular. Everyone ooh'd and aah'd. And of course they were also quite tasty.

It's always so much fun to watch a child on their first birthday to see how they will handle their cake. Ellie wasn't much of a fan of getting too messy, and we had to force her hands into her cake. Max, on the other hand, couldn't get enough of the chocolate goodness. He had it everywhere...in his hair, in his eyes, up his nose, and in his ears. His ears were a result of him talking on his cake "phone," which you can see in one of the pictures below. He pretends that anything that is roughly the size of a cell phone is actually a phone and will put it to his ear and say "hello." Especially when someone else eggs him on and keeps repeating "hello" to him, which Jason decided to do. It was adorable and hilarious, but not so funny when I had to clean him up.

And, of course, Max raked in the presents...too many presents. We're very lucky and blessed to have many loving family members and friends that are very good to my children. We are very happy that so many of them were able to join us for Max's special day.

Little Mister is 1-year-old!!!

2010-03-24T14:05:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday!!!

I can't believe Max is a year old already. The last year has flown by. It seems to have gone by much faster than Ellie's first year, which I'm sure is a function of having 2 kids and a busier household.

We're so thankful to have such a sweet, happy, funny boy. Mr. Adventurous keeps us on our toes with his climbing and exploring, and he brings tons of joy into our family. He's developing quite a personality and is already doing tricks and trying to make us laugh. He loves a binkie, some milk, and a good snuggle with mom or dad (and we love those snuggles just as much). He lights up around Ellie and adores Lucy -- in fact he says "Luce" and "Sis" but not "Mom" or "Dad". I treasure every moment and love you to pieces, Buddy!

Gigi invited us over for dinner since she was going to be out of town for Max's birthday party over the weekend. There was singing and dancing (on Ellie's part), crying (on Max's part), and balloons - I'd say that's a normal birthday party for a 1-year-old. Stay tuned for how the actual b-day party turns out.

Let's Talk...

2010-03-19T09:32:00.003-05:00

Ellie loves her babies and has become quite motherly, as you can see from the picture above. Her maternal instinct extends to her brother as well.

Case in point - I was in the other room and Ellie yelled to me, "Mom, Max is on the stairs." (It's a constant struggle in our house to barricade the stairs and the tv from his little fingers). I knew she'd try to pick him up or pull him off the stairs, so I yelled back to her to be gentle while I made my way to them. But before I could get there, I heard this little lecture from Miss Sass...

"Hey Bud, come here. Let's talk 'bout this. Come on, we need to talk 'bout this. Why you get on the stairs. You know you not 'posed to be there. Let's talk about this. You gotta listen to me. You're gonna get hurt. Let's talk 'bout this."

Nope, Max doesn't stand a chance.

Just Because...

2010-03-16T11:21:00.000-05:00

Nothing special to report right now. I just wanted to show some cute pics of Mr. Man, my happy, funny boy. I can't believe he'll be one-year-old in a week...where has the last year gone?

Science is Cool

2010-02-28T11:08:00.001-06:00

What do you do on a winter weekend, when you've had enough of being stuck at home all the time? Head to the Science Center! Apparently though, lots of other people had the same idea, because it was rather busy that day, but we still managed to have a good time.

The kids loved working on building an arch.

Wow! What an accomplishment. What's next?

Let's build an even bigger one. Good thing we have a tall daddy to help put that final piece in.

Max had a good time digging for dinosaur bones.

Ellie and Kameron checking out the globe. Anything that makes noise and lights up is fun, whether you're 5, 3, or 6 months old.

First Haircut

2010-02-06T14:12:00.002-06:00

The First Haircut at the Salon

To update the post below... we did finally take Max to get a real haircut at a salon. We went to the Hairy Elephant, which is where we took Ellie for her first haircut too. It is a great kid-friendly salon, and makes the whole experience much less scary for little ones. Max sat in the jeep and watched Elmo during the haircut, and was a champ.

The First Haircut at Home

Before

After

Max has been in need of a haircut for a while, but I didn't want to cut it till I got a good picture of the length. Well, it was getting in his eyes and bothering his ears, so I finally gave the okay. Gran did a quick little trim in front and around his ears to clean it up a bit, but we'll be heading to get a real haircut soon. I'm sure it will be an adventure. For now though, I'm happy to have gotten the before and after pics of this milestone.

I'm Sick of This

2010-01-15T20:19:00.001-06:00

Ellie has a sweet personality. She's funny, kind-hearted, and good to her baby brother. She's also 3-years-old, which means she may not always behave as we would like her to. She is also still learning new phrases and trying to understand their meaning. One particular evening, she was being rather naughty and testing our limits. She was in time-out a number of times during the course of the evening. It was bedtime, and she had just done something to land her in time-out again. Everyone was tired, and I was not as patient as I maybe should have been. As I passed her to take Max up to bed, I said to her, "Ellie, you have got to start listening better. I'm sick of this."

After her sentence in time-out was complete, Jason took her up to bed. He read her a story, then as she was falling asleep, she said to him, "Dad, is Mom getting sick from me being bad?" Jason sleepily answered her that "no" that is not what I meant, but he didn't elaborate too much. A couple seconds passed then Ellie said, "Dad, I think I'm getting a fever from being in time-out so much." It's a good thing the lights were off in her room, so she couldn't see Jason stifling his laugh.

...and Away He Goes

2010-01-05T10:55:00.004-06:00

Max has finally mastered crawling. Around Christmas time, he was getting quite proficient and moving on his hands and knees, and finally it all clicked. It's kind of an amazing experience to watch it all come together, when they figure it out and can coordinate the movements of their arms and legs. He's a pro now and is getting quite speedy.

He's thinks it hilarious when he starts to move toward the stairs and hears one of us yell at him to "stop," then hears us chasing him down the hall. And we are seeing a very different personality come out in him compared to his sister. Ellie was always a very cautious baby, rarely ventured away from us, and didn't try climbing or walking till she was completely confident that she wouldn't fall. Max, on the other hand, regulary explores the house on his own...we'll hear glasses clanging together which signals that he's moved into the dining room. He has great balance and will pull up to standing then try to take a step. He falls on his face, but gets right back up and tries again. He is Mr. Adventurous. I wonder if this is a signal of trouble ahead?

Horsin' Around

2010-01-04T13:51:00.000-06:00

We traveled to Columbia to celebrate Paige's 3rd birthday in January, and somehow we came home with a new giant toy. Max discovered this horse and was having so much fun with it that Uncle Bryan said to take it home. He looks like such a big kid on it...he shouldn't be able to sit and play by himself yet because that means he's not my little baby anymore.

Even More Christmas

2009-12-27T10:16:00.001-06:00

Just in case the kids didn't get to open enough presents in the 3 Christmas celebrations so far, we threw in another 2 for good measure. Christmas "morning" at Jason's parents was lots of fun for Ellie and Max. Ellie loves her cousins, Paige and Kameron, as you can see from these pics. We can't wait for next Christmas with a new baby cousin for Max to climb all over.

And our Christmas celebration with the extended Freed family at Aunt Pam's is always crazy, noisy, and great. We love all of our family and feel so blessed to get to spend time together.

Rockstar Ellie with her new guitar...now she has a guitar just her size for our Wii Rock Band battles.

Ellie is ready to melt some faces.

Present opening fun.

Every kid loves to make the giant nutcracker talk.

Best buddies.

Max styling in his tuxedo shirt.

The beautiful princesses.

Christmas Morning #2

2009-12-26T07:00:00.000-06:00

Santa also brought gifts to our house for another exciting Christmas morning, the day after Christmas. Ellie had some questions about this, but since there are no rules on Christmas presents and when they're received, she was quickly appeased. The kids had a great time tearing open presents and playing with all their new stuff. It was nice to not be on a time table, so the kids could just leisurely open and play.

All during the holiday season, Ellie would see things on tv or in magazines that she wanted. We told her she had to be a good girl and put these items on her list for Santa. She heard this so much that even she said, "I'm getting a lot of stuff on my list, huh?" But the one thing that she kept asking for over and over was a Princess bike and Barbie helmet. And luckily Santa obliged. We're waiting for some warmer weather so she can get really good at riding her new 2 wheeler.

Last Christmas, one of the few items that Ellie asked for was a shopping cart. Well, things happen, and there was no shopping cart for Ellie under the tree last year. She didn't seem to notice, so we moved on. But this year, we found a cute shopping cart and thought she would still enjoy it, so it made it under the tree this time. She was very happy to open the box and said, "Finally. I had to wait a long time for that shopping cart." Yes, she has quite the memory.

Christmas Morning #1

2009-12-25T07:00:00.000-06:00

Yay for Christmas morning excitement! After going to Grameo's house on Christmas eve, we all headed back to my mom & dad's so we could wait for Santa together. Santa brought some of kids gifts to Gran and Papi's this year, and boy were they excited. Ellie gets it now. Christmas is tons of fun. Max enjoyed the excitement, noise, pretty lights, fun paper, and new toys.

Christmas Eve at Grameo's

2009-12-24T15:40:00.002-06:00

Christmas Eve this year meant another gathering at my Great Grandma's house. Grandma is 96 years old, and we've been going to her house on Christmas eve my whole life. Her tiny, little house can barely hold us all, but it's such a great tradition. For me, Christmas is not quite Christmas unless it includes going to Grandma's.

Cute Max and Ella in their Christmas outfits, ready to head out the door.

We're so excited for Christmas.

Max, Ella and Ellie really enjoyed their Great Uncle Dale this year. Uncle Dale can make kids laugh like no one else.

The mayhem of lots of cousins opening gifts.

He Lost His Head

2009-12-21T16:35:00.001-06:00

I have a ceramic nativity scene that Ellie really enjoys playing with. While it is breakable, it is not expensive, so I don't restrict her from it. One day, she sadly brought me Joseph with his head broken off, and this is what she said.

Ellie, quite remorseful: "Sorry, Mom. I broke dis."

Me: "Oh, that's okay. It was an accident, right?"

Ellie: "Yep."

Me: "What happened?"

Ellie: "He fell off the top of the house." (meaning the wooden creche)

Me: "Oh." (pause) "What was he doing on top of the house?"

Ellie, matter-of-factly: "Trying to get baby Jesus."

Me: "Oh." (pause again) "What was baby Jesus doing on top of the house?"

Ellie: "I don't know. He shouldn't have been up there, huh?"

Maybe I'll look for a nonbreakable nativity next year.

Go Rams

2009-12-20T15:25:00.002-06:00

We got to take the kids to their first Rams game this month. We had great seats (thanks to a Partner at my office), and the Rams actually played pretty well, but of course they ended up losing. Ellie wore her cheerleader outfit- who cares that it was an MU Tigers outfit - because in her words "the football coach will be happy to see my cheerleader outfit." We stuck around till halftime so Ellie could watch the halftime show, and everyone enjoyed the afternoon.

Better luck next season, Rams!

All Dressed Up

2009-12-05T15:17:00.002-06:00

We all got dressed up for a Christmas open house at my cousin's house. Laura and Ella came in for the day so the mommies got to do a little Christmas shopping, while Jason offered to stay home with the 3 kids (what a great dad!). Then we all got into our holiday attire and headed to Festus for some festivities. Everyone looked quite adorable, and it's always nice to spend time with family during the holidays.

Caught Red Handed

2009-12-04T15:09:00.000-06:00

While not quite crawling outright, Max is able to scoot and pull himself where he wants to go, and often times he wants to go to the Christmas tree. Many times we'll be in the kitchen, notice the Christmas tree moving a little, and find our little guy under it with a big grin on his face. He's even starting to get into the wrapped presents a bit. He tore a tiny piece of tissue paper off of one of Ellie's gifts, to which she of course cried, "He ruined it!" But who can really be angry at that face.

I'm thankful for cuteness

2009-11-26T15:19:00.000-06:00

We were blessed to get to spend Thanksgiving with our families. The Marler side came up to our house on Thursday for the big meal (minus my dad who has been fighting a nasty upper respiratory thing for a while). I had responsibility for the turkey and my mom handled most of the sides. I was a little nervous because the turkey is the major component of the meal, and it was my first turkey solo. But Jason and I delivered a pretty tasty bird, if I do say so myself. The kids were all just as cute as ever and enjoyed being together.

The day after Thanksgiving, also known as Turkey Sandwich Friday, was spent with the Freed side of the family. I think Jason looks forward to Turkey Sandwich Friday more than actual Thanksgiving. It has become a bit of a competition with some of the Freed guys as to who can put together the bigger, tastier, more impressive turkey sandwich each year. This year there were even "buns" made out of fried cornbread stuffing. It was quite amazing.

I'm very thankful to have such a loving, healthy, happy family.

Mohawks are Awesome!

2009-11-24T15:11:00.001-06:00

My little blonde boy has some awesome hair right now. It's at the perfect length to have a little fun. We haven't styled it outside of bath time, but I think a little gelled mohawk might be on the horizon soon. In fact, we have Marler family pictures coming up.....it could be very cute. What do you think, Gran?

Make like a tree and...

2009-11-04T15:01:00.001-06:00

LEAF!!

When the rain finally stopped long enough for the ground to dry, we had a ton of leaves to rake up. It seems like this is the first year that Ellie has been big enough or maybe just interested enough to want to play in the leaves. Jason would rake then Ellie would jump, then Jason would rake again...this process went on till the sun began to set. Even Lucy (the dog) wanted in on the action. The autumn colors make for some great pictures, so I tried to take advantage.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T17:17:00.001-05:00

Trick-or-treat.

We had such a good time on Halloween. Laura, Nate, and Ella came to town, along with Granny & Papi. We all chowed down on chili and hotdogs, then got into costume. Papa and Mamaw came by with Great Grandma and Grandpa Pohlman, then the trick-or-treating began.

Max dressed up like a skeleton (in super comfy jammies), Ellie was a beautiful princess, and Ella was a sweet, lady bug. We bundled the babies in the wagon and set off. We ran into some friends a few houses in, and Ellie was very excited to get to trick-or-treat with her friend, Lindsay. There really is safety in numbers because having Lindsay nearby made Ellie much braver. Some houses had scary decorations or lights which normally would be a strong deterrent for Ellie, but if we said that Lindsay was going to go to the door, then Ellie would be right there with her.

If Ellie was timid about going to the door, she was not shy about asking for what she wanted (chocolate) and making sure that Lindsay got a piece too. I heard numerous times during the night, "I like chocolate. Chocolate's my favorite."

Good Girl.

Pumpkin Painting

2009-10-25T17:06:00.001-05:00

We opted out of carving pumpkins this year in favor of painting pumpkins since I know how my daughter is about feeling messy things with her hands. She asked me to draw a face on the pumpkin (not a scary face), then she would paint it. Jason teased me that my OC would come out, and I would have to take the paint brush away from Ellie. But I'm happy to report that I let her use as many colors as she wanted and paint the pumpkin however she chose. It became a lovely, colorful, non-scary pumpkin.

At the Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-19T16:53:00.001-05:00

A couple of lovely pumpkins to paint...check.

Some adorable pictures in the pumpkin patch...check.

A fun family evening...check.

This year's trip to the pumpkin patch was a success. We tried to go to the pumpkin patch on the weekend, but the crowds were too much for us. We tried again on a weeknight, and found it to be much less crowded and much more inviting for a family with young children. Ellie had fun climbing on the tractors, playgrounds, and goofing around with Dad, and Max had fun looking at and trying to eat the pumpkins. So much fun!

Sitting Up & First Tooth

2009-10-18T16:46:00.004-05:00

Max is now confidently sitting up. In fact, he's been sitting up for about the last month, I'm just a little slow in updating the blog lately. He loves to sit now, so he can reach all his toys and see what's going on around him. He's beginning to get up on all fours and rock, but when his legs push off, he falls on his face...I'm sure he'll get the hang of it soon and will be mobile....Aaahhhhh!

Max also has his first tooth. The poor little guy has been working hard on cutting teeth the past few weeks. I've said before what a good baby he is and how he doesn't fuss much, but we could definitely tell that his mouth has been hurting him. He would be happy and smiling one minute, then the next he'd purse his lips together, give a little wimper, and tears would come to his eyes...quite pitiful. Finally, one of his bottom front teeth popped through. We've got the baby ambesol and baby tylenol to give him a little relief, because I think he's working on cutting a few more.

Toes

2009-10-14T17:43:00.001-05:00

We got the Zac Brown Band CD a few months ago, and if we're not listening to Mickey Mouse or Backyardigans, then we're listening to Zac Brown. Apparently Ellie has picked up on some of the songs, though she doesn't quite get all the words.

One morning, Jason sang a couple of lines to the song, "Toes," and Ellie jumped in to finish the next verse. Hopefully you know the tune, and can hear the music in your head as your read her rendition below...

I've got my toes in the water,

Toes in the sand,

No worry in the world,

Cold in my hand,

I was good to Dad.

A Little Silly Fun

2009-10-11T16:40:00.000-05:00

Ellie loves to do "projects" and one evening that project was making crowns. Ellie made a crown for everyone in the family, unfortunately you're only going to get to see Ellie and Max in their crowns. They're pretty darn cute, though, wouldn't you agree?

JDRF Walk

2009-10-10T16:19:00.000-05:00

We were so happy to be able to join our cousins, the Felkers, for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk in Kansas City this month. Ross (not pictured) is such a cool kid, and we're lucky to be a part of his family.

We started the weekend off by heading to Columbia on Thursday evening to watch the MU v. Nebraska football game. Being the true fans that we are, we stood in the pouring rain, only to watch the Tigers disappointingly lose the game in the 4th quarter. On Friday, we headed to KC to spend some time with our friends, the Benassi's. They generously put our family up for the night, and then joined us for the JDRF walk on Saturday morning.

We knew it was going to be cool the morning of the walk, but we still were not quite prepared for the close to freezing temperatures at walk time. We made due with what we had, which meant both kids wore multiple layers of clothes, with pajamas on top. I even forgot Ellie's tennis shoes, and since we only had crocs, which would be a little chilly with their holes, we pulled socks on over the top of her shoes. None of us were going to win any fashion awards, but our team shirts for Ross's Gator Crusaders definitely pulled our outfits together.

Klondike Park

2009-10-04T16:08:00.001-05:00

At the beginning of October, we had some beautiful weather (before the rain began), with perfect 70 degree temperatures and clear, sunny skies. One particular Sunday afternoon, we piled the kids and the dog in the car and went for a drive down to Klondike Park. We got our workout in pushing the strollers to the top of the steep trail up on the bluffs overlooking the Missouri river. The leaves hadn't started to change yet, but it was still a beautiful view, and the whole family enjoyed getting out of the house.

Lazy Weekend Morning

2009-09-12T12:00:00.002-05:00

This weekend, we got up early to get Ellie ready, then sent her off to Columbia with her grandparents to watch her cousin, Kameron, play soccer. That left the rest of us at home, in a fairly quiet house, with no immediate need to do much of anything....which was great!! We had a lazy breakfast, reading the paper and catching up on some magazines, while Max was his normal, happy self.

We've been utilizing the high chair quite a bit lately because it lets him sit straight up, at a height high enough for him to be part of the action. He was looking so cute that I had to snap some pictures, and I couldn't pick just one to post, so...... Enjoy!!

Bouncin'

2009-09-02T18:47:00.001-05:00

Max has discovered the bouncy seat and loves it. We usually hang it in the doorway of the office, and he'll happily bounce away while we catch up on work or email. We've only been putting him into the exersaucer or bouncy seat for about a month, and we can already tell a huge difference in the strength of his legs and core muscles. And since he loves to be on his tummy and push himself up, I'm predicting he'll be an early crawler.

Fun at Home

2009-08-29T18:00:00.000-05:00

After we got home from Ellie's birthday party, we of course had to spend the rest of the afternoon playing with all her new gifts. She wore her lovely pink tutu all day and rode many a mile on her new horse.

While Ellie rode Lightning (or whatever his name is today), Max discovered the bouncing Tigger. I think the sequence of pictures below is priceless.

Umm....I'm not sure....

Oh wait, yes, I do like him......

In fact, I love him. What does he taste like?

Happy kiddos.

Happy, happy birthday, Ellie dear!

2009-08-29T13:35:00.000-05:00

Our Little Miss has turned 3 years old!!! I can't believe it. Where has the time gone? To celebrate, we had a party at Monkey Joe's. Monkey Joe's is an indoor bounce house extravaganza, with lots of slides, tunnels, obstacle courses, etc....all the things kids love.

Ellie on the slide.

Daddy and the birthday girl.

The amazing princess castle birthday cake my mom made.

Monkey Joe even came to the party to give Ellie a special birthday gift. He only stayed for a little while, and left some of the children in tears. What is it about a huge, purple monkey that could frighten a child?

The whole gang enjoying the birthday cake.