Hudson Stephen

There he is! (Susan looks pretty great for 11 hours in labor!)

Waiting Game

Brooklyn, getting some zzz's. It should be any moment now. . .Then three hours later. . .

Still waiting! :)

Today was the big day! I got a call at 6 am that Susan was in labor and in the hospital. At 8:30, another call: things were moving along pretty well. So I called Shawna to see if she could hang out with the kids a couple of hours so I could go down since the baby would probably be here soon. Nearly six hours later, little Hudson finally made his appearance!

Think Spring?

Our unofficial snow gauge! This all accumulated just last night after 7 sometime.

What a winter wonderland!!! They were predicting this snow would be gone by noon and we would be on to a spring-like evening. This picture was taken at about 10:30. It doesn't seem to be going anywhere soon.

More snow. . .

Making snow angels. . .

Kayte laid down to make another snow angel, and then she realized she had already taken her gloves off. So now it is just a wingless cherub.

A few minutes with our Sara. . .

First Bloom of Spring!

TV watching is serious business!

Out for an adventure on the sheep farm!

Happy Easter!!!

Easter Baskets were a hit!

Yeah!

I love this picture! Kayte just lost that second tooth today! That hole in her mouth is getting bigger and bigger. . .

The Madness Is Upon Us

Well, it is the end of March. Every year at this time Joe is bitten with the Madness Bug. Much time is spent poring over brackets and agonizing over daring upset picks. Finally, at the last minute, the bracket is submitted, and the Madness begins. For the next two weeks or so, most meals will be eaten in front of the TV, and there will be lots of yelling. Poor Sara, above, is just being introduced to the symptoms of this disease (it can be a little frightening the first time around. . .) Hopefully the baby won't come during the championship game (ladies, you've seen the commercials! :)

Maybe I was right after all. . .

Fifteen minutes after my last post, my mother-in-law called to say that my sister-in-law was in labor. (I told you those storms can be helpful!) The next morning she gave birth to twin boys, Terran and River! Hopefully we will be headed up to see them this weekend. . .

Deja Vu?

A thunderstorm woke us all up from our naps today! I was a little bit excited, because when I went into labor with Sara, it started an hour after just such a storm. I was always convinced that the change in atmosphere had everything to do with it. Wishful thinking I guess. . . .

Guiding the Tooth Fairy

Kayte has a very loose tooth. This is the second one for her, and she was a little concerned that the tooth fairy may not know that she moved to a different bedroom since the last visit. So she sat down to write her a note and let her know about the change. Joe is helping her out with the spelling, but she wanted to write it all herself!

A little violinist. . .

Kayte, practicing her violin. This is pretty much the smallest violin on the market and looks like a little toy. She has been practicing violin for about 5 months now and is getting pretty good already! The best thing about this age is her ability to memorize so quickly. She is playing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star by heart.

Movie Night!

Saturday was movie night. We netflixed Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium and made some popcorn. Popcorn and movies are Sara's two favorite things in the world - she eats her popcorn with two hands as fast as she can! The movie wasn't that entertaining for kids or adults, but they sat through the whole thing anyway!

Pondering mortality

Trainer got dead! Trainer is one of Will's two special dogs. Apparently there was some kind of fire. . .Notice the brown spot around his tail? All (and I mean 40+) of the stuffed animals gathered on the top bunk to wish him farewell. Not very organized, but they are all very sincere well-wishers.

Playtime with Dad

Sara and Kayte dancing to country music.

Racing! Sara is getting lapped. . .

Joe gave me the night off tonite! He cranked up the music and made a big pot of his famous potato soup! The kids danced and raced and generally got all tuckered out. When I got home from coffee with the girls, all the kids were bathed and sound asleep in bed (their little tanks all full), and the dishes were washed and put away. Brownie points!!!

Pajama Time!

Uncle Ed has been doing a lot of painting for us in the last couple weeks, so we've been seeing a lot of our Driskill cousins. Here are the girls all dressed up in their matching nighties.

Growing up is hard to do. . .

Well, Sara doesn't really like her new bed. I think she would be content to be the baby for another two or three years. The first night, as I promised, I was only half-asleep all night waiting for some kind of drama in the night. Sure enough, about 2:30 am I heard a little fiddle on the doorknob in Sara's room and I sat straight up in bed, waiting, not sure if I'd heard anything at all. Then I saw her teeny silhouette at the the top of the stairs. Of course, I freaked out a bit, which sent my husband into full alert! He could sleep through almost anything, but when he wakes in a hurry, he jumps out of bed with all guns blazing. All this noise scares Sara and she starts crying, probably a little unaware why she is up in the first place. Anyway, we all settled down and got Sara tucked in again and calmed her down enough to get back to sleep. We barricaded the door with a chair so she couldn't wander out again.

It has been a bit of a bumpy road since then, but I think she will eventually get used to it, won't she?

Performing for the camera

Sara, singing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

Introducing Kayte, Sara, & Will. . .

I was starting to suspect that it was taking me a whole hour to bathe, dress, blow-dry, and curl my three children (with the fourth clinging mercilessly to my ribs). So today we were a bit under the gun and I thought I'd time myself. Sure enough, an hour (plus!) later, here they are dressed and ready to go! I'm pleased to say we still made it out of the house on time, with moments to spare for this quick pic. It only took three attempts to get this shot - they are all looking at the camera and no one is frowning or making faces! Woo hoo! Thank goodness for the digital camera!

One month to go!

Usually I only allow Joe to snap this photo at about 7 months. My belly is just as big, but I weigh less then. But the month got away from us, so here I am, 8 months preggo!

The kids are all settled in their new rooms and new beds. The little boy's clothes have been carefully washed in Dreft, folded, and put away. The fourth car seat has been squeezed into the backseat, and Kayte and Will have learned to buckle up on their own. The Costco run has been made, so the freezer is sufficiently stocked. The only thing I have left to do is my list of regular spring cleaning, and I could truly use an excuse to put that off. So I think we are just about ready to go!