July 4th in Boise

We took a trip to Boise for July 4th. We had a great time with family. I regret not spending more time with some, but having 3 small kids can limit your freedom. We still did a ton of fun things though.

I tried a golf driving range for the first time. It was fun. A few of mine were beautiful and soared forever, then others would go 5 feet. It didn't feel like I hit them any differently, so it was apparent I had no idea what I was doing. I can see how golfing can be addicting trying over and over to get that perfect hit.


Paul would jump on the "jumpoline" while Caleb rode the snowmobile. Paul could bounce Caleb pretty well. They had a blast.


My mom has a slide attached to her deck that the kids love. This scenario didn't work quite so well with the slip n' slide at the bottom - you can imagine lots of falling on the rear.


The kids had a wonderful time in the backyard. My favorite part of the backyard was the ripe cherry tree. Camille has discovered her hands. They are in her mouth a lot.

Love At First Sight

I love this girl. I love the cheeks, the chin, the scowl, and especially her sweet demeanor.

"Sit on that potty and go poopoo Caleb."

"Sit on that potty and go poopoo Caleb" is what I hear Paul saying in an authoritative voice. I come around the corner a few minutes later after some other bossy remarks made by Paul, and this is what I find:

So I was feeling rather generous the other day because Paul was having a rough day. I promised Paul I would take him to ChuckECheese if he was good during our errands. While we are at the store Caleb poops his pants for the forth day in a row. I take him the restroom to clean him up and somehow end up with a big smear of poop on my pants. I loose my patience and storm everyone home. Paul has crocodile tears for the 3rd time that morning because we are no longer going to ChuckECheese. I promise the kids I will take them to ChuckECheese when Caleb can successfully poop in the potty.

Paul was so determined to go to ChuckeCheese that he kept demanding that Caleb sit himself on that potty and GO. The good big brother that he is blocked his escape and read him stories. Caleb finally went poop while Paul was reading, but it was unfortunately bedtime. Paul was fuming when I told him it was too late in the day to go. I had to rearrange my schedule the next day to fit ChuckECheese in. Caleb hasn't pooped in his pants since. He keeps thinking it will reward him another trip to ChuckECheese...

Coming of Age

According to Paul turning 5 qualifies him for all sorts of activities that he was not "big" enough for prior to his birthday. He is officially old enough and wise enough to attend swim lessons, ride roller skates, rock climb, etc. (any activity that he has previously been too scared to try). Everyone under 5 is now little. Oh the workings of little minds.



This rocket launcher is the greatest. It provides hours of non-battery fun. Happy Birthday Pauly-wog.

Potty Training Woes

I think this speaks for itself.

He's a superstar one day and then the next day a complete failure (pooping on the carpet included). I am frustrated because he knows how... I know I am not the only one to go through this, and I do understand that he is still in the learning process, but right now I just want to complain a little. Feel sorry for me today and I will feel sorry for you when it's happening to you another day.

To The Beach

We discovered a gem here in town. The Aurora Reservoir. I have a feeling we will be there a lot this summer. Pat helped the boys build a sand castle. They had a great time.


The water was pretty cold, but kids don't seem to mind that sort of thing. I have become a regular ol' wuss.


It was windy when we went and Camille kept catching her breath in hitches because of it. I found it amusing. I am cruel, I know.


They sure do like each other.

We are Warming Up

The weather is warming up and we are getting into the swing of having three kids. It feels good to be exercising again too. I wasn't able to exercise while I was pregnant with Camille and I craved it.

We are potty training Caleb which takes quite a bit of warming up of my patience. It has been a roller coaster so far. I gave up last week and put him back in diapers declaring he wasn't ready. He is now refusing to wear diapers(good sign), but he is also cool with going in his underwear and not telling me. May the warmth be on our side.


Smiley


Paul had a program for his preschool. This is Paul with his teacher Ms. Angie. He loved preschool and is going to miss it over the summer. He has come a long way with his letters and colors. He is still confusing greens and browns which is a little of a worry, but we will continue to monitor it as it might be a sign of color blindness.


Hiking! When Paul was Caleb's age we would go hiking and 2 miles was about his limit, and we are finding that consistent with Caleb now. Now that Paul is a little older 2 miles isn't long enough for him. He wants to keep going. It's fun to watch them grow and change.


Camille is a pretty good hiker as well.


Ready for church.


Our first swim of the summer (she peed as soon as I put her swim diaper on). We went a few times this week. The kids are loving the sun.

:)

More Pictures

My family wants more pictures of Camille and the boys. So here are some more:

Camille doesn't cry often and when she does we get a kick out of it. Her cry sometimes squeaks and it makes us laugh. I'll see if I can get it on video.

She is docile like this most of the time. I love that her cheeks are getting chubby.

Pat's father, Bill, was in town. We went hiking and fishing. We also hit an excellent German Deli near Cherry Creek Mall. I am not a huge fan of brats and sauerkraut, but Pat and Bill are. They have other good food and amazing chocolate!

There are two things that give me the heebie geebies, spiders and ticks. After our hike we found several ticks on our clothes. When we got home I washed our clothes and we all took showers. I get the shakes just thinking about it.

Pat took off the kids' hooks. At first I thought it was mean because then there was no chance for them to even catch anything, but after I was hit several times with their line and weight I figured it was for the best.

For a two-year old fishing doesn't keep their attention for too long.

Camille trying out her play mat.

The play mat was actually for the boys. I needed 15 minutes to myself. It worked.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

At times I can't help thinking that my little Paul is growing up so fast, and other times he seems so young. It is an inner struggle for me to treat him older and be patient because he's just four. One day he will be independent of me and I'll wish these days back. It makes me want to be a little more loving, a little more patient, and be a better mother all around. Being a parent is much more difficult than I ever imagined it. In the beginning you're just so excited to have a little baby, and then those babies start to grow up and you get thrown some curve balls. Personality traits that you thought you possessed (like patience for one) no longer apply. And three kids later you're trying to just muddle through the best you can, hoping they will turn out to be educated, responsible, and kind people. Here's hoping those small efforts amidst my flaws will make a difference in their lives.


Paul's preschool did a Mother's day Interview. This made my day!

1. What is your mom's name?
Susan
2. What does she do?
She makes cookies and she makes waffles and special waffles with chocolate cookies.
3. How old is she?
I can remember, so I have to tell you next time I come to preschool. I think she's three or four.
4. How does daddy call mom?
He calls her mom.
5. What is her favorite color?
Pink and red
6. What is her favorite food?
I can't remember. I think it might be bacons and peanut butter sandwiches.
7. What is her favorite movie?
it's a kind of a mommy and daddy movie, like Harry Potter.
8. How many brothers and sisters does she have?
I have one sister.
9. Where does she like to take you for fun?
My mom likes to take me to the outside parks.
10. What message do you want to send her for Mother's Day?
I like to do something and we're excited. It's way cool but I can't tell you yet.

A Little of Everything

I am recovered. During the first week of recovery I would have given anything to be pregnant again. Now that I am recovered there is NO price that would entice me to be pregnant again, ever.

The c-section went well from the doctor's point of view. I have healed perfectly and the surgery went "text book." The healing part was more painful this time. The pain medication kept dropping my already low pressure so I had to stop taking it. My blood pressure was 70/40 for about 12 hours after surgery. It felt like I was dying (or at least it crossed my mind). I could take Tylenol and Motrin, but they didn't seem to help much. In any case, I am better now and loving my increased family. All of it worth it in the end, but it is hard to say such things in the thick of things.

I love these kids! Camille is wearing one of my baby dresses. Happy Easter

The Easter Bunny was good to us this year. I was excited about a record player just like the one I had when I was young. Do you remember them?

Cousin Sarah, Grandma, Camille, and Paul. It was so nice to have my mom here for the past few weeks. I finally feel like I have some legs underneath me. My mom did so much while she was here. We were all taken care of. Thank you Mom!

My Dad came out for Easter weekend and we went to the Wings Over the Rockies Museum. An X-wing fighter from Star Wars IV was there. Very cool :) and signed by a lot of the actors.

Caleb is sitting on a hydrogen bomb. I was also pleased to see a B-1 Bomber up close. They are HUGE! We are actually standing underneath the B-1 in this picture.

A rare thing - Caleb is holding Camille.

And Paul doing what he loves most. I am so glad that he still is excited about her. He has been looking forward to her arrival for SO long.

Camille 2 weeks old. 6lbs. 8oz. She is still a good eater and a good sleeper. She is such a pleasant little thing.

This is a typical picture. Paul holding Camille and Caleb ignoring her.

Caleb's naps went out the window for a few weeks. He would occasionally crash on the couch late afternoon. He still carries that bear everywhere.

Camille Ruth

Camille Ruth Dannenberg was born April 8th. She weighed 5lbs. 15oz. and was 18 inches long. Our little peanut is so sweet. She's a good sleeper and a good eater. Hooray! I am still on the mend, but here are some long awaited pictures from the hospital.

Family Home Evening

I love family home evening! 5 sheets of paper, one big bag of Easter marshmellows, 2 boxes of rice krispies, and the DVD of the Testaments equals out to a family night of fun!

New Dresser For Baby

I bought a rocking chair at a yard sale and after paying for it couldn't figure out how to fit it in the car. Pat went and picked it up from a friend's house the next day and saw a free dresser on the side of the road. He wanted to fix it up for the baby. It was in poor condition and would need quite a bit of "fixing." I wish I had a before picture, but it turned out pretty cute finished. Thanks Pat!

The boys helped paint the dresser.

The finished product.

And this is me supervising the painting. This was a full time job with such good helpers.

An Unwelcome Visitor

The other day I was standing in the kitchen and saw something dart across the floor in my peripheral. When Pat came home he made a thorough inspection and determined there is no way to keep mice from entering our house. There is an opening to the floor boards from the kitchen cabinets and a hole in our outside closet to the floor boards. When I saw the mouse again tonight Pat set a trap. Pat has not seen any feces and is not entirely convinced that I know what I am talking about. Anyway, he is trying to figure out how to block the entrance in the outside closet. Thank you. Here is the tried and true trap system we used all summer at boy scout camp:

It is a 5 gallon bucket with peanut butter inside. You then put a ramp to the top of the bucket. We will check it in the morning. I will keep you posted so that I can prove I know what a mouse looks like. :)