Our family of five

On Monday October 28, 2013, our family went from four to five in just the blink of an eye. 

The even bigger news is we added a BOY! 

Lincoln Ryan was born at 3:28pm weighing 9 lbs 6 oz. 

He is one. big. boy. 

 

Ryan was so shocked to hear "it's a boy!", that he literally didn't have a reaction.
Stunned. 

I reached my arm out from the side of my bed to touch him and make sure he was still alive and said "you got your boy!".

Priceless 

We are all so very much in love with this bundle of joy

I had some fun in the hospital taking pictures next to the large window. Lincoln placed his finger in his mouth and gave us a double chin just as I snapped this photo. 

The girls are loving him up and all we hear is "when can I hold him?" minute after minute as they fight over whose turn it is to hold him. 

All in all he's a pretty lucky, special little boy and we are all so happy he is here!

Como in the fall

Ryan enjoyed one more day of golf today today. And I waddled my way through Como today with the girls; though slightly concerned that I was going to go into labor at any moment! 

We made it and boy was I glad to have had all day with the girls :) 

We had the entire Sunken Garden to ourselves. That has never happened! 

It was so much fun to stop and smell the flowers, take some pictures and not have to fight a small crowd. 

Regan climbed up on this brick wall, and waited for me to come by to take this adorable picture. Oh these girls melt my heart! 

Pumpkin carving 2013

We dug out the guts of our pumpkins and carved 'em this weekend. Ok, I'll be honest, Ryan does the carving, and me/girls do the gutting. It works out well and the girls have really started to get into over the last year. 

Just look at that face! 

We'll have to wait until later this week for a picture of his final work....

Update-baby

Here we are, 39 weeks pregnant. Yes, still pregnant. Funny thing is I really do love being pregnant. Most people call me crazy for saying that, or look at me like I've lost my mind. Maybe I have :) But I really do love this most amazing and unique experience. Sure I'm uncomfortable at this stage of the game, there's sciatica pain that makes me stumble when I stand up, crazy belly button pain explained away by muscles being pulled in all directions, heart burn that doesn't burn but rather feels like a giant gobstopper stuck in my throat and feet that are mildly swollen each evening. I haven't seen my toes in weeks, maybe months, but my lovely husband painted them orange recently....perfect for the season. It's comedy hour watching me try to get off the couch or roll out of bed in the morning. It's slim pickins' when it comes to clothing, not much fits around this belly anymore, and there's no way I'm spending any money at this stage. So I may be wearing the same pair of pants until baby is born!

And yet, I still love having this gigantic belly staring at me in the mirror each day. Right now, though, we are all very excited to meet this new one, and super hoping s/he will make his/her debut this weekend. Because at the end of the day, we are ready. 

Life lately-in the fall

We are plugging along and keeping busy this fall. 

Regan's been working hard on adding minutes to her daily reading as she participates in the school's Read-A-Thon. She does quite well (most days) and has finished more chapter books than I can count. Her preferred books lately are the 'Bad Kitty' series and she even convinced Grandma Jan to buy her a new one last week instead of waiting on one to be available at the local library. 

She still enjoys arts and crafts over any toy in the house. Together we enjoy playing board games and she's become a wiz on the school-related websites for learning. Anything to motivate more learning!

Our determined Sidney has recently mastered the monkey bars, from end to end. And her "I can do it by myself" attitude shines from morning to night in every aspect of her day. Don't bother trying to help this girl because she's just going to tell you to "get lost", usually in a much more tactful manner :)

Lately she's been talking about anything and everything "online". I think it's a term she picked up and can't get enough of. And I can't help but laugh, thinking I was pushing 16 years old before I even knew what that word meant. 

As for me and Ryan, we are soaking in the love from these two cuties. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of drama when you have 2 little girls. But when one or the other asks you to snuggle in bed, or listen to them read a story, we can't help but take the time out of our busy evening to love them up. Life is busy, and about to get even more busy as we approach our due date. Each of us are so very excited for this growing family. 

Pumpkin

The girls painted this "pumpkin" today.....

that is one special pumpkin :) 

Fall photo shoot 2013

We missed the mark on this year's fall photo shoot, by one weekend. But today I took the girls to the annual spot and thankfully we found a gorgeous spot for a few pictures. I was a bit saddened because the usual tree had already dropped all of its leaves, but thankful we found this one to use instead. Plus I liked the pond in the background. 

It was a bit chilly, and SUPER windy, so we got just a few shots but I think they'll make some amazing photos and I know the memories we create each fall at this park are something we will all cherish. 

Gosh they are growing up way too fast! Click HERE (2012), and then HERE, to find the link to 2007-2011.  

See the fall colors 2013

Each year, we venture to a local ski hill and ride up the chair lifts to see the fall colors (click here , here,  here and here for previous years). And each year, we comment that they've missed the mark by about 7-10 days in terms of "peak" color. But nonetheless, we keep going back and have a really great time. 

There was a break in the rain/hail tonight, so we made a bee line for the hill in hopes we wouldn't get soaked. 

Turned out to be great timing.

We know that the girls' favorite part of the evening is always the ride up to the top; and who can blame them!

Once on top it was bon fires, s'mores, music and fun. Sidney impressed Ryan with her hoola abilities; something he hadn't seen her doing yet. She's pretty awesome at it and can go for quite a long time; clearly taking after her big sis.

We headed over to the raptor center viewing just in time....dinner time that it! This owl was given a dead mouse (yea gross, but pretty cool at the same time). She looked around for a minute and then in 3 quick bites, it was gone. Ewwww! 

We ran into some family friends who offered to take a family picture, as she put it, one more picture as a family of 4! 

And we grow, and grow, and grow

Ryan commented, as he took the 36 week picture, that it might be the last one we take before slapping on the "born" picture (which by the way I had to tell him goes on BABY, not on my belly). While we'd like baby to stay inside for a few weeks yet, we all know it's not necessarily our doing. Regan was born at 36 weeks, and Sidney at 39. So sometime in the next 3 weeks, we anticipate baby's debut and we could not be more excited! 

I'm starting to dilate, though this is really just par for the course at this stage of the game. Loads of contractions and I've been timing them regularly just in case. 

I'm feeling awfully pregnant now. My belly is much further out front as compared to the girls when I was round in every aspect of the word. My big belly makes everything challenging, from walking, to sitting, to laying. 

Yet each day I am so in love with being pregnant and feeling all the jabs and rolls and kicks, which makes all those uncomfortable feelings all worth it.

Ryan still thinks this one is a boy; and he has many reasons for saying so.
The girls mostly say it's a boy too, though I'm guessing they each want a girl. 

So either way, we are all going to be very happy! 

And here I am, at 'roughly' 36 weeks with all 3. 

Regan, then Sidney and now baby

Fall fun

We started our fall fun on a very warm "fall" day last weekend. We got an early start, traveled south about 30 miles and enjoyed our day. First stop was MN largest candy store and accompanying pumpkin patch. 

 It's kind of a tradition for us to take the kiddos to this place and we let them be "kids in the candy store", picking out various treats to sample as we welcome fall. This year, they each picked some yummy treats like wax bottle candy, fudge and bubble tape :) Kids were in heaven let me tell you. 

And me?, well, I just love to take their photos when they stop and smile. 

After lunch with grandma Jan/Papa, we made our way into a nearby scarecrow festival/apple orchard/fall festival. 

Despite him having to miss watching the Vikings game, the girls had daddy wrapped around their finger on Sunday. They got to enjoy a camel ride first.....how cool is that?! 

Not every day they see a camel, let alone ride one! I was surprised that they each climbed aboard, without any real prompting from us.  

we all thought this guy was pretty darn funny :) 

though this scarecrow won all of us over. the girls recognized him as the 'man that is before every movie'! 

And then it was on to some pony rides. Yea, daddy was caving left and right to their requests. But really, they were behaving so well, it was hard to say 'no'. 

We picked a few apples, took a few bites to be sure they were good and came home with a bag full of yummy fall (overly priced) deliciousness! 

And a couple of pumpkins too :) 

I'm guessing that together-time was just what this family needed. The girls have been spending more time lately upset with each other instead of loving on each other. But not that day. The rest of the day, they were inseparable, in every aspect of the word. Best of friends racing around the back yard; complimenting each other on decorating above pumpkins, showering together and even snuggling under the same blanket before bed. I had the best time just watching them interact with each other, and breathed a sigh of relief knowing that some days, when they seem to dislike each other, we might just need to spend a little more time together. 

Baby on the brain

We've got baby on the brain over here. Sometimes I'm one of those 'crazy-worry about everything' pregnant ladies and other moments I'm the 'go with the flow-everything will work out fine' types. But regardless, we are constantly talking about baby's arrival. 

The girls have lots of questions, and are hearing more and more about our conversations with others such as labor and delivery and everything in between. Regan has actually started to use the words "go in labor" when referencing the former term "when baby comes out". She is also getting to be a pretty good "kick counter" for me and we've used it to add a little math into our days. I'll tell her what number I'm at, say 3, for example, and she has to tell me how many more to get to 10. And we just keep going from there until we reach 10. 

Sidney is still our sweet lover and would just climb into my belly if she could right now. Gosh, she cannot wait to meet this baby. She talks to baby and the cutest thing is to watch her wrap her arms upwards around my belly in a giant hug. She does this whenever possible. Love it. 

Ryan and I took our hospital tour, seeing as though we'll be in the new center to deliver, he needed to know where to go. Holy Moses talk about gorgeous. I've seen it already as I happen to work at the same place, but he's quite impressed. 

Bags are getting packed, phone lists are created and diapers are purchased. We are so excited to meet this babe. Although, ideally would like to stay pregnant another 3-4 weeks, because frankly, I simply LOVE being pregnant!

Heritage Days fun 2013

Regan has been practicing for a few weeks in anticipation of walking/dancing in the local Heritage Days Parade last weekend. She did a wonderful job (though looks a bit stunned in the photo below to see us). We are so proud of her, especially because the night prior to the parade, she cried in fear that she didn't know the routines well enough. Oh the things a tired little girl will worry about :) 

This year, we didn't have birthday parties or specialty clinics (like last year) to race off to and were able to actually enjoy the festival for a few hours. With some carnival food in our bellies, we checked out the bouncy houses, face painting, pony rides and more! 

Both of the girls were excited to take a turn on the trampoline fun! Way up high they went, and bounced to their hearts content. Sidney looked a wee bit scared, and Regan did too as she did some backward rolls mid-air, but both of them claimed they were having the time of their lives!

They were so looking forward to these pony rides and could hardly contain themselves! For days on end they asked when they would get to ride a pony. It's not everyday you get to take a ride a top a cute pony in the middle of the city! 

And what's a festival without a bunch of fire trucks around for tour!? They climbed in the back seat first, listened to all the firemen had to teach them. Then while Ryan was busy chatting it up with him about the Hofbrahaus (another story), they climbed in the front and it was make-believe time as they raced around town saving lives! 

 We had a great time, hanging out in a great community with some great friends! 

Drawings

Sidney drew a picture for me to take to work this week. It's a picture of her and me, with baby in my belly (see that orange blob?....that's baby). Boy that girl makes me smile. 

5 year stats

Our itty bitty girl is growing up. And today, she had to venture to the doctor to check her stats and endure a few shots. She was so scared, knowing full well that shots H.U.R.T. 

Bravely she walked in, chatted a bit with the doctor, telling her everything she wanted to hear (how she sits in a car seat and buckles all the straps, that she wears a helmet when bike riding, etc). I had to fill out a quick questionnaire and at one point, I chuckled out loud. Sidney asked me why I laughed and I said "this question asks if mommy is concerned about your behavior" (yes, I know what this question means, and no, I'm not concerned), but she looked back and and nuzzled into my shoulder with a grin. 

Stinker.

She's pushed some buttons lately. 

So in the end, she is healthy and happy and growing right on track. 

Weight: 38 lbs (~40th percentile)

Height: 42 3/4" (~55th percentile)

A week with Nala

Maddi (and Zevlen) left for Florida last week to get married. And they gave us the responsibility of watching their beloved Nala. To say Ryan was thrilled is ridiculous. In fact, Maddi couldn't even muster up the courage to ask him if Nala could stay with us and told me she would leave it up to me! Thanks Maddi! However....once he realized how sweet and obedient she is, he succumbed to her cuteness and loved her up. 

The girls adored having a dog for a week. They fought over who got to open up the door when we arrived home from an errand, because seeing her greeting us was simply lovely; they fought over who got to pour her fresh water, or give her a treat when she did her duty. They melted when she would sit next to them on the couch and giggled to no end when she would give them kisses. 

This sweet golden color beauty followed me around and watched my every move. She slept by my side each night (which only contributed to my pregnant super heated body!) and waited patiently while I would get ready each morning. 

But our week with her was coming to a close, and Regan's heart was aching. She was nervous to go to her dance class tonight, worried that Nala would be gone when she returned. The first words out of her mouth at the end of class were "is Nala still at home?". Oh boy, this wasn't going to be easy. She couldn't shower fast enough and then the tears started as she knew the clock was ticking. She panicked and exclaimed "mom,Vicky is almost here and I don't know what to do with Nala!", referring to should she play?, or snuggle?, or take her out for a quick walk? She sobbed and cried but took some comfort in simply snuggling and petting her for an hour. 

After she was gone, I nestled in to bed with Regan and let her cry, and cry and cry. 

Man it broke our hearts. 

Maddi~we might need to borrow Nala occasionally now! She's welcome anytime :) Thanks for trusting us with your baby girl, and congratulations on your wedding!!

A whole hand!

Sidney turned 5 on Tuesday, and she was so proud to be "a whole hand"! Oh how I want her to stay little, because she is the sweetest little thing around. But I'm embracing her as she grows up, and looking forward to what her future holds. 

Her eyes still look tired, but we told her once she got dressed for the day, she could open presents. And she sprang into action :) 

She had been eyeing the game table/chair for her American Girl Doll for several months and was over the moon excited to open up this gift. She and Regan grabbed their dolls and the playtime began, at 7am on a school day! 

All day long, I thought about that day, 5 years ago. At 11am, I looked at the clock, remembering it was at that moment that my water had broke (in my office nonetheless, just as a patient was exiting!). And then at 12:30, I text Ryan and reminded him it was at that moment that he had walked into the wrong "Liz's" room at the hospital....another one was trying to give birth about the same time. And then at 3pm, I smiled, remembering the exact second she was born.  

 For dinner, it was her choice. And of course, she picked Rainforest Cafe. Although it's a step up from Chuck E Cheese (we all know mama germ-freak here would like to avoid that place), Ryan and I still think Rainforest is a tad bit over-the-top with less than awesome food. But we suck it up and treat the girls to this place. 

And they ADORE this dessert....it was pretty yummy!

Regan grabbed a pink flower off of a pot on our way out of the mall and stuffed it in Sidney's braid telling her it was perfect. 

Awww, sometimes they can be so sweet together :) 

I think Sid had a great 5th birthday, and she's really milking it for all it's worth now "but mom, it's still my birthday week" as an excuse for everything.

She's a smart one, that sweet Sidney. 

We just can't believe how fast the last 5 years has gone. Sounds so cliche. But in the blink of an eye, she's A WHOLE HAND! 

Sidney's 5th birthday eve

Our little girl went to bed tonight a 4 year old. 

And tomorrow she will wake up as a 5 year old. 

Boy is she excited. So much so that she squealed and jumped up from the top bunk and nearly had her head removed by the ceiling fan. 

Near miss. 

Tonight, I can't help but reminisce about the last 5 years. And how quickly they have passed. I asked her if she could stay little forever, and her response "I can't mom! I want a phone, so I have to grow up". 

Talk about priorities. 

Here is our sweet Sidney at about the 1/2 way mark during my pregnancy. 

And then she was born, looking "pissed off"...yes, I said those words to the doctor just after delivering her (might have been a little exhaustion by me). But she really did look upset, and that was the face she showed us for about 2-3 weeks.

She was a tough one, not wanting me to put her down, forcing me to hold her while she/we slept, for 5 months,and doing squats to keep her from screaming her head off. 

But when she slept in my arms, and the world was ok, she was just perfect :) 

She was apprehensive and a mama's girl; still a little bit of both. 

Growing up so sweet and so silly. Sidney is genuinely engaged in conversations, always with empathy. She can make you laugh and your heart melt. 

 She has an awesome personality, and it is simply lovely to soak in. Her desires to be like her big sister helped her get over many fears. She is imaginative and creative in her play, loving princesses and dolls. 

Her shear love of life and the expressions she shows us are priceless. 

We love her to pieces, our 'second born-initially oh so crabby-beautiful-tiny-(almost) 5 year old'. 

Happy Birthday eve sweet girl, but keep in mind, you are NOT getting a phone tomorrow!