The Fischer 5

Recent pics 5

2012-01-14T00:03:00.001-07:00

Recent pics 4

2012-01-13T23:52:00.001-07:00

Recent pics 3

2012-01-13T23:48:00.001-07:00

Recent pics 2

2012-01-13T23:46:00.001-07:00

Recent pics

2012-01-13T23:42:00.001-07:00

kicking fun

2011-12-06T16:59:00.002-07:00

November randomness

2011-11-28T00:08:00.001-07:00

"strawberry" by Alex

2011-10-21T23:33:00.003-06:00

backlog of pictures from August

2011-09-22T20:19:00.004-06:00

ethan fed himself with a fork today!!

2011-09-01T18:59:00.002-06:00

Results are in

2011-08-09T22:29:00.002-06:00

James got a call from Ethan's GI doc on Monday. He said Ethan has mild to moderate reflux. We are to just keep doing what we are doing with his meds (he is on a pretty good dose of Prevacid), but unless the pulminologist found anything, we shouldn't have to do more.

Well, James got a call from the pulminologist Tuesday. They found that Ethan has food particles in his lungs. So, they want to do a swallow test to see if he is swallowing correctly. If he isn't swallowing correctly, then we will go from there. If he is swallowing correctly and the food in his lungs is from reflux, then we have an issue. The doctor told James that if it is reflux, we most likely would have to do surgery to get his reflux calmed down so his asthma isn't caused by the reflux. (does that make sense?) Probably not, but a lot of this doesn't to me right now. I am determined not to let him go through a surgery without for sure knowing that we can't control it any other way. If I have to, I will get a 2nd or maybe even 3rd opinion.

I just don't want to have to put my baby through any more. :( I hate this! I hate that he got sick. I hate that he lost weight and the Dr was so concerned. I hate that we had to do the procedure two weeks ago. And now this. Prayers are greatly appreciated right now. I want Ethan to be able to thrive and grow and be just like any other little boy. If this is what we have to do to get there, so be it, but don't think that I won't fight tooth and nail to keep him from having to have surgery!!

Ethan's GI scope

2011-07-23T16:39:00.001-06:00

The date is set. This monday morning (as in 2 days from now) Ethan and I have to be at RMHC at 7am. His procedure is at 9am. He will have a GI scope and a bronchial scope while he is under. Then we will stay there until some time Tuesday morning because he is getting a 24 hr reflux test. I'll keep you up to date. Thoughts and prayers appreciated. Thanks.

July update

2011-07-18T21:04:00.003-06:00

Hi. I know I have posted lots of pictures lately, and updates on our trips, but not a lot about the boys. So, here is what I know. I'll start with Alex, then Grant, then go to Ethan... :) birth order!

Alex
Alex is doing really well these days. He is walking and running all around. He has started to talk some. He has some words...
"choo-choo"
"bee-bee" (beep beep for car)
"Mom-me" (he always says it very softly with a high pitched mom then a slide down to me, its cute)
"E-i-e-i-o"
"Sisa" (airplane, don't ask me how it got to sisa)
"my" (bye)
"uh oh"
"sing sing" (he sings along with his lullaby song)
"A, B, C"
"two, tree, foo, ive, x, eig, nah" (I say one, he fills in most of the rest)

He is throwing a fit when he doesn't get his way. Temper tantrums are a norm around our house these days. So, I would say, he is almost caught up to his actual age. We'll see what the therapist says at his next update in a couple of months.

He is eating most everything I put in front of him. He really loves to eat fruit chunks. He is still on prevacid, but we may try to wean him from that soon. We'll see what the pediatritian says about that after their 2 year appointment.

Grant
Grant is still trying to recover from the trauma of the hospital. He is slightly working on it. He doesn't scream all the time when he is around strangers that much any more.

He is also walking and running around everywhere too! He likes to keep his toys away from his brothers. He does NOT like them interefering when he is playing alone. However, he plays really well with his brothers when they are playing.
He is starting to speak some too.
"choo-choo"
"uh oh"
"da-da" (all the time!!)
and then starting to immitate some more of my sounds.

He is on an inhaler for athsma. He has a very minor case of it, but he still has a bit. He doesn't snore very much any more. Every once in a while he does. But it is a good thing he isn't.

He was eating pretty well up until about a month ago. Now he is being a typical toddler and does not like to eat some things. He has developed quite the sweet tooth. We are trying to keep that under control because I want him to eat other things than just sweet things. He really likes eating fruit, only if it pureed though. He gags on chunks of fruit. He used to eat noodles really well and feed himself, but lately he takes a few bites and then refuses to eat any more. I dont know. Just being a toddler. It's a phase I am sure.

Ethan
Ethan, Ethan, Ethan! What to say about him. Oh, there is a lot, I just don't know where to start.

Well, I guess I will start with the good news. Ethan was approved to come off the oxygen today. He had been on it since being in the hospital in March for RSV. When I laid him down for nap today, he laid there expecting me to put his canula on him. I told him no o2 and gave him his blanket. I think he was a bit confused, but he slept well.

In other news, he is walking and running around like crazy with his brothers. He loves to ride in the strollers and wagon. He plays hard with the cars and toys. He loves to swing too. His physical therapist is really happy with his progression to walking and squatting, and now running some.

He just learned how to say "uh oh". That is pretty much his first real word. He doesn't really say much else. He just screams and grunts a lot still. He is still working with the speech therapist on that, but we havent seen her very consistantly yet because of travel and sickness.

Speaking of sickness, he was a very sick little boy last week. He could not keep any food down. We aren't sure what it was, and neither Grant or Alex got it, so who knows. He has gotten back to normal now and is eating to try and gain back the weight he lost.

Speaking of the weight loss, last Thursday I took him to the GI doctor for a follow up. He was not happy with Ethan's weight loss. He said that even sick, he should not have lost so much weight. The last time we were in his office, Ethan weighed 19lbs 6oz. On Thursday he weighed 18lbs 12oz. At his max between these times, on the pediatritians scale, he weighed 2olbs 10oz. So, he has lost a lot of weight.

So, we talked about a lot of things and decided to get Ethan in for a scope of his GI track and an over night stay and test of his reflux. I don't know what the technical terms are, but I know it is an over night stay. He will also be getting a bronchial scope at the same time. Each scope takes around 8-10 minutes. He is going to wake up one hungry kid though cause we won't be able to give him anything after midnight the night before. It will be rough, but we can do it. I am expecting I may need to have ear plugs. :( I don't have a date for the proceedure yet, but I'll let you know when I do.

Once we get the results, then we will know how to proceed with his eating and reflux issues. Hopefully he can start gaining some substantial weight once we know how to proceed.

So, that is what we know right now. That is what the boys are doing right now. Our days are really busy, but we have lots of fun. They love being outside and love playing on all their toys out there. I am so glad we have a fenced yard they can play in. It makes my life a bit easier. They can run and run back there and I don't have to worry about traffic. I am not looking forward to when we have snow again.

Iowa Relocation/Vacation

2011-07-12T21:59:00.015-06:00

At the end of June, the boys and I took off from Denver on a drive to Iowa to visit Elizabeth, Dan, and family. We drove part of the way on Friday, then the rest of the way on Saturday.

Friday we stopped in Sterling, CO to eat at the Village Inn. The staff there was really great for me. They saw I was a bit overwhelmed with 3 and put me in a corner table.

After eating, we ran over to a park right by the railroad tracks. The boys could walk around a bit and I could get their diapers changed. It was nice to have this play yard to keep them contained! However, I did not inspect the area very well before I put it out. I parked it right under a berry tree of some kind. It looked like blackberries or boysenberries. They turned all of our feet purple! Oh well.

On Friday evening we stayed with a friend of mine, Mary, from college. She was great to let us invade her house. The boys loved playing in her big back yard. Plus, they liked her little dog, Boo!

Saturday was a long travel day. We left Mary's around 11 and stopped for lunch around Lincoln, NE. I should have taken the highway north there when I saw it. I thought long and hard about it, but storms and clouds were all behind me, so I figured I could make it through Omaha with no problems.

Boy, was I wrong. Omaha has a bunch of problems currently because of flooding from the Missouri river! You cannot take I-25 north out of Omaha because it is underwater. I spent about an hour trying to figure out how to get north of Omaha, finally, James guided me through it on the phone. We got north and as I was driving, the water from the river was coming up on the road in some parts. Just barely staying off the road. It was crazy! And at the place where that was happening, we were about 4-5 miles from the main area of the river.

We got to my sister's town and hung out with them till bed time.

The next morning, all the kids played hard, and well, together. Check out this picture of Ethan and Aria. The tallest and the smallest of the children!

Alex and the phone

We got to spend a lot of time outside in their yard, even though it was extremely humid and very hot some days. Grant didn't understand why there was so much grass and that he had to walk through it. He eventually got the hang of it, but he was not especially happy to walk through it.

Ethan really just wanted to swing most of the time we were outside. He loved these swings.

They all like to swing!

Except, there weren't enough swings often, so we doubled up a few times.

Then Elizabeth set up their bounce house! My boys weren't too sure about it at first. But they got the hang of it!

Ethan learned to slide!

Here are two of the big kids. Aria and David. They were little clowns for a while!

James' parents came down for a couple of days from ND. We went and walked around the mall with them on Tuesday morning. The boys got to ride their first "carnival" like ride at the mall. They enjoyed it and didn't like it when it stopped moving!

Boys' first ride on a "carnival" ride at the mall

It was good to see Larry and Peggy again, and since they won't be seeing the boys until October, it was good for the boys to see them and them the boys.

The next day we returned to Elizabeth and Dan's house. Played and then went to the pool in the evening. The boys weren't all too sure about the pool. So many kids, and people, and I think they could sense my stress too. Imagine trying to keep track of 3 toddlers at a pool who don't really want to be held, don't want to be in the float toys, and want to walk in and out of the water. It was fairly stressful. I don't think I will ever not be in the lifeguard mode when I go to a pool now. I am constantly scanning, counting, looking, jumping at the smallest thing, and wanting to yell at kids who are running!! :)

We had to get out the pool for a few minutes for break and the boys had a melt down. So, we left, but they enjoyed the majority of it.

The next morning, we got up bright and early, fed the kids, then headed into Sioux Falls to the zoo. We met up with another set of triplets that is one of my aunt Donna's friends. At some point along the way Elizabeth and my children all switched spots, so this is what we ended up with. Aria, David, and Ethan in the stroller. (Oh it was SOOOO hot and humid.)

Then Alex, Grant, Levi, and Lucas were in Elizabeth's choo choo wagon. We saw the rhinos and stayed inside the area for quite a while since it was indoors and pretty cool. There was a mommy rhino and a baby rhino.

Here is the whole group. Somehow the kids were all mixed up again too. :) We just barely got this and a few other pictures. As soon as a few pictures were snapped they all tried climbing out of the stroller/wagon. They were done! They wanted to get out of the heat as much as the adults did!

After the zoo we stopped at Donna's house for lunch and naps. Donna was kind enough to keep an ear out for all 7 kids while they slept and Elizabeth and I ran errands.

Then, I got back from my errands, Elizabeth still was not back from her errands, but Donna had to leave. So, I got the job of watching over all 7. It wasn't bad. It really isn't.

Elizabeth was still running around, trying to get stuff done in Sioux Falls, so I fed all the kids dinner! Boy, that was interesting, loud, and LOTS OF FUN!!

Now, the kids were hot, sweaty, and sick of being stuck inside once we got back to Elizabeth's, so we let them play in the water on the driveway with all the ride on toys. They LOVED it!!

Here is Grant. He mostly just sat there and pushed this toy around.

Ethan really loved the water. He liked being sprayed and liked chasing and following the big kids around.

Alex played almost all evening on this toy. They are all new different toys then what they have at home so they like to experience something new.

Dan was having fun spraying everyone.

The next morning was our last morning. The boys were playing in the playroom while I was getting ready for the day and I came out of the room to find this! I don't think this is what it is made for.

Everyone played hard all day, and I started packing the luggage and the car. That evening Elizabeth and Dan took the big kids to a party for a friend at the pool. They left Lucas with us, which was fine. He gets along great with my boys, since they are all about on the same wavelength! We watched some Little Einsteins for a while before bed to keep them from having meltdowns.

So this is what it would be like to have 4, huh??

Ethan and Lucas liked to sit close to the tv some.

Grant really likes watching Little Einsteins. We are going to have to start DVRing it on our tv if I can figure out where/when it plays.

Alex was also enamored with it!

We headed to Gillette on Saturday. Luckily my brother and sister-in-law, Doug and Kara, were heading there too. So, we traveled together. Which was WONDERFUL when I went to stop and let the boys out. They helped a lot.

We finally got home after a short stop in Cheyenne on Sunday. It was a long trip/relocation, but it was a lot of fun. I think the boys really enjoyed watching and playing with their older cousins. I enjoyed spending time with my sister and my niece and nephews. Now, to get them to come and spend a week with us!

New York and Washington DC

2011-07-05T15:30:00.000-06:00

Wow! June flew by so fast, I can hardly believe it is July already! Seriously. I was home for 13 whole days in June, and that was split up by one vacation. So, I'll start at the beginning of the month and work my way to yesterday!

James and I left June 10 (actually 12:55am June 11) for NYC! We arrived at JFK airport at 6:30am and started a FULL week of sight seeing and walking. We took the train and subway to a place to drop off our luggage for storage, and got some coffee. We each only slept about an hour on the plane so we were pretty tired.

Saturday, June 11
We walked up and down the streets of NYC. Somehow we ended up in front of the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum. We decided to take a tour. It was pretty interesting.

We both stood by a statue of one of the world's tallest men. Boy do we look short! :)

Then, we saw this ship. It is about 8 feet long and is completely made of jade! It is gorgeous. Very intricate too!

This is a sculpture made entirely of camel bone. It too is intricately carved and tells the story of this warrior. It is quite interesting and you really have to see it to enjoy it.

The best "attraction" at Ripley's was the black hole! It was this walkway/bridge through this room that had spinning walls. You literally could not, and I mean could NOT, stand up straight and walk through it. As soon as you stepped in the room your body wanted to counter-act the spinning walls. It was just wiggy! But it was fun.

The subway was our best friend. We road it everywhere that we wanted to get if it was just too far to walk. But, surprisingly, NYC is a very walking friendly city. We walked a long way on Saturday, but we enjoyed every minute of it.

Times Square is a must for every NYC tourist. We stopped and took a few pictures. Stepped into a few stores and generally enjoyed the people watching.

As our walking tour continued, we ended up at Rockefeller Center. It was starting to drizzle on us at this time, but we didn't mind. It wasn't that hot, but it wasn't cool either. It was just right and the drizzle was nice and refreshing.

I had to get a picture in front of Radio City Music Hall. Maybe some day I will be able to get back there and see a show there. I think it would be awesome to see something at such a historic place.

We weren't planning on walking all the way to the UN on Saturday, we were planning on getting there Sunday sometime, but we had plenty of time to kill before we were to meet up with some friends for dinner. So, we walked all the way over the the UN. It was fairly un-remarkable, I must say. I figured it would be a little bit more stunning, but none of the flags were out, it was drizzling still, and the building was under construction. Just not as much of an awe inspiring site as I thought it would be.

Once we finished at the UN, we walked to Grand Central station and road the subway to Penn Station near where we dropped our bags. We got our bags and road back toward the UN, where we were meeting some friends for dinner. It was a really good dinner and we had fun catching up.

Sunday, June 12
James and I stayed at a friends house just outside NYC into Connecticut. However, it was about an hour train ride in to Manhattan from their house, so we had to leave there extra early on Sunday morning to be down at Battery Park to be in line for the Statue of Liberty. I was up at 4:30 am that morning (2:30 Denver time mind you) so we could leave the house and catch the train by 5:15 am. Oh, it was an early morning.

Our train from Connecticut arrived at Grand Central Station about 6:30am. That place is DEAD at that time on a Sunday morning. But it was really cool to be there and be able to see the main concourse like that.

We arrived at Battery Park by 7 am and we didn't have to be in line till 8 am. So, we decided to walk up to Ground Zero. It is all under construction and there is a small viewing platform, but nothing spectacular. I think it will be nice once it is complete, but we didn't get to see much.

Then we got a Starbucks coffee and walked back to Battery Park and got in line. We went through security, got on the ferry to Liberty Island and rested.

Once on Liberty Island, we had tickets to get up in the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.

We had to climb 140+ stairs to get up to the base of the statue, which was good for me. I don't think I would have enjoyed going all the way up into the crown. Plus it wasn't the clearest of days, so we wouldn't have been able to see much more than we saw just where we were anyway.

Once we finished and had lunch on Liberty Island (at 10:30 am mind you), we hopped on the ferry over to Elis Island. It was so interesting to be walking in the footsteps of history there. However, I was so exhausted from the day that when we went in to watch a video on the people that passed through there, I couldn't keep my eyes open. James had to elbow me once cause I accidentally started to snore. I just could not stay awake. But I think it was just enough of a snooze to help me keep going through the day!

We left Elis Island and arrived back in Battery Park around 12:00. Funny story: we were on our way out of the park when we passed a tourist group of high schoolers talking to some guys selling "Coach bags" and "Designer sunglasses". We stopped to peek at the purses and the guy started telling us what price he wanted. We were thinking of negotiating, but all of the sudden he gathered up everything and ran away. I guess there were a few plain clothed cops that had joined in the group and arrested a few of the guys. It was kind of funny and scary at the same time.

James really wanted to go see Wall Street, so we walked up there. On the way we walked by Trinity Church (famous in the movie National Treasure, and a few others). Church was just letting out for the morning, so there were quite a few people around.

The NYSE was next and it was a little un-remarkable to me too. I figured it would be a pretty prominant street and easy to find and see. Not so. It is kind of hidden back away from everything. It is also facing the east, which in my mind before, I could have sworn that it was facing south. Who knows why I thought that, but I did. Now I know better.

After seeing NYSE we walked to one of James' companies new buildings. We wanted to go on a tour, but there was no one in the office. That was ok. We hopped the subway back up to Penn Station. We were looking for a Lane Bryant for me to buy a belt (all the walking was making my pants stretch and they were falling off!) Supposedly there was one on 34th St, so we made our way there. Once there, the store front was closed off and there was no Lane Bryant. I was sad, tired, and hot, so we stopped for a few minutes. There were no benchs, so I just sat on the sidewalk up against a building.

We didn't know what to do next, so I got out my phone and looked for the Empire State Building since we had not seen that yet. As I was looking at the map, I realized that it was basicly right behind us. Then I got to looking, and I looked up. Much to my tired suprise, we were actually sitting AGAINST the Empire State Building. I laughed so hard, so did James. It was the moment I realized I really really needed to get more sleep that night!

We opted not to go to the top of the Empire State Building. It was pretty foggy still, so we decided to head up to Central Park. Once we got off the subway, we walked close to the park and thought about taking a carriage ride through the park. Romantic right? Well, they would only be able to take us around the outside of the park because most of the park was closed. We opted out of that too and walked as far in as we could (which wasn't very far). We asked a police officer what was going on, and she told us it was Puerto Rican day, and there was a concert, and parade, and a bunch of other things going on. (Later our friends told us that we really shouldn't have been there cause that place can get really dangerous on Puerto Rican day! YIKES!)

James and I rested on a park bench and tried to decide what to do next. We wanted to take our friends we were staying with out to dinner, so we decided to head back out to Conneticut. However, we ALMOST missed our train. We had to get from Central Park to Grand Central Station in 20 minutes. We didn't realize that we had sat there so long, and all of the sudden we were running from one subway train to another. Walking so fast, and then once we got to Grand Central we had NO idea what train we were supposed to get on. LUCKILY we found the right one. However, finding a seat on that train was kind of tricky. We walked the entire length and finally found 2 seats together. As soon as we sat down the train started moving. We just barely made it.

As we got back to Conneticut, I asked my friend if we could run down to the beach, which is 2 miles from their house! She gladly obliged my request! I got to go to the beach on my vacation. It was low tide, so I collected a few seashells too. It was great. They have a wonderful beach near their house.

We went out to dinner with our friends then came home and crashed. We were exhausted and had to be up and out of the house by 7 am the next morning to catch the train back in to NYC. We were heading to DC too, so we had to take our luggage.

Are you exhausted from reading yet? We have only been through 2 days!! Keep reading!!

Monday, June 13
James and I were up, packed and out of the house with my friend at 7 am. We got on the train, and luckily found 3 spots to sit together. I found out that the train is about as silent as a funeral home on Monday morning (and really any morning) since the commuters sleep and read. They don't appreciate anyone talking, and they will let you know with dis-approving glances and glares! :)

James and I got to experience the commute in to NYC on a Monday morning. Boy does Grand Central station change on a Monday morning from Sunday morning. It was mad crazy, and if you stopped moving, you were run over. So, we walked with my friend to her office and dropped off our bags for the morning.

We tried to make it over to Rockefeller Center to catch part of the taping of the Today Show on the Plaza, but once we got there, they were finished taping outside. That's ok. I really don't need to be on national tv! We ran down the basement of Rockefeller center and had Starbuck's for breakfast and conversed about what to do with our limited time for the day. It was 8 am and we had be at Penn Station to catch the Amtrak to DC at 2 pm. We weren't sure what our day would hold.

We decided that since it was a nice clear day to go to the top of the Rockefeller Center. It was something I had not done before and it gave us really good views of Central Park and the Empire State Building.

Once done there, we went to the NBC Experience store in the Rockefeller Center. We found a Chili's and had lunch before the lunch rush about 11 am. Our bags were waiting for us at my friend's office and we were at Penn Station waiting for the train by noon. We were on the train and ready to leave NYC at 1:45. It was nice to get a good rest on the train. James and I each had our own seats for the majority of the ride, so we could lay out and stretch out without having to worry about disturbing each other.

Once we arrived at Union Station in DC, we hopped the Red line to Silver Spring, MD, where our hotel was. We decided to call it an early evening since we were going to have to get up early again the next morning.

Tuesday, June 14
Up and out the door of the hotel by 6:30 am. Yes, I think we are crazy! He had an appointment to be at the White House for a tour at 8:00 am. So, we got in to DC and stopped at Starbuck's again for coffee and breakfast. They really got our business on our trip!

We were a bit early to our 8:00 appointed time for our White House tour, but they let us in early anyway. It was interesting. I couldn't believe I was walking halls that presidents of past and present have walked. It was fairly surreal. It was a little un-remarkable though cause we couldn't really go in any of the rooms, except a few. You could only peek into most of the rooms you went by. The tour only lasted about 10, maybe 15 minutes. There weren't signs to read, or anything, you could just look and keep walking. But, like I said, I go to go IN the White House. That may be a once-in-a-lifetime event!

Once done at the White House, we walked over to the Washington Monument. Do you know how far of a walk that is? Seriously, I did not expect the monuments and museums to be SO FAR APART in DC. I guess when you are looking at a map and pictures it just doesn't do it justice. We got to the Washington Monument and there was a line wrapped around the building to get tickets. Guess we didn't get their early enough. We decided that just seeing it from the outside was ok with us.

Our next appointment that day was to go see Diana Enzi at Mike Enzi's senate office at 11 am. So, we decided to walk the mall from Washington Monument to the Russell Senate building. Oh man, that is a REALLY long walk too! We walked by all the Smithsonians and discussed which ones we really wanted to see while we were there. We stopped inside the "Castle" for a refreshment, and to get out of the heat for a few minutes. We rested for a while then continued to walk towards the Capitol.

Along the way, I saw a tree with these gigantic white flowers on it. I asked James what it was and he told me a magnolia. Can you believe I had never seen a magnolia tree before? I know that seems trivial and weird to some people, but I thought it was so beautiful. I had to take a picture!

We arrived at the reflecting pool just west of the Capitol. Now that was an awe inspiring site! I couldn't believe how massive the building is. It was amazing to me to stand there in the "shadow" of history too. I couldn't wait to go inside.

We met Diana and I got to chat with a friend I graduated highschool with who works for Mike Enzi now. We then walked down to Union Station and had lunch. As we were sitting in the restuarant waiting for our food, I looked up the history of Union Station. It was interesting to sit there and read about the things in the station and the events throughout history that had happened there. It was just about as interesting as most of the other historical sites in DC.

We were back at Enzi's office for our 2:00 tour of the Capitol. We got to go in and tour the normal areas of the Capitol. We got gallery passes and were able to go into the Senate and the House galleries. We sat in the House gallery till a little after 5:00 cause they were debating some spending bill. It was really interesting to see. I was fairly disapointed to go in a see only a few senators and a few representatives in the actual chambers. It makes me wonder how much each congressman/woman really understands the bills they are voting on. Yes, I understand that their time is valuable, and they have other things on their plates. But seriously, how can they know truly what everyone is saying and debating if they are not there to actually hear it. Yes, I know they can read it, but how many of the actual words do they really read? It just makes me wonder...

The visitors center at the Capitol is really nice, if not very crowded. But that is what every place is there in DC. CROWDED! We took a few pictures of the Capitol from the east side of the building. And decided that we should call it a day.

I took a picture of the Library of Congress from afar. I didn't figure we would be getting back there to see it. I wanted to, but we just did not have the time or energy.

I also took a picture of the Supreme Court as we walked by. That was all we could do to see it, but we were ok with that. At least we got to "see" it.

Still with me?? Good, keep reading. You'll appreciate living vicariously through our trip if you never get to go there... Ok, so I lie, but you can experience it, kinda!

Wednesday, June 15
FINALLY, a day to SLEEP IN!! We had a nice dark hotel room, so we slept until a whopping 9 am! But, James had gone to sleep as soon as we got back to the hotel the night before, so he had slept a total of 15 hours! He was one tired man! I got about 11 hours of sleep and was feeling refreshed!

We woke up, at a bit of breakfast, and took the metro back into DC. This was our day for memorials, Arlington, and whatever else we could fit in.

We started by hopping off the metro near the Washington Monument. We walked through the World War II Memorial. It was James' first time seeing that, since he had been to DC in 2000. Our trek continued on to the Vietnam Memorial wall. I imagined it being bigger. I don't know why, but it just seemed small to me.

As we walked toward the Lincoln memorial there were a bunch of construction signs. When we rounded the corner, this is the view we got. How disapointing! I really would have loved to see the reflecting pool in all of it's glory, but it was just dirt and construction equipment.

Next was the Lincoln Memorial. Now that was as big as I imagined, actually bigger. As we climbed the stepps up to see Lincoln, I was thinking how many historical figures have also walked those steps. As we stepped into the cover of the building I saw the towering figure sitting stone faced. It was quite breath-taking (but I think that might have been from the trek up the stairs ;-)!!) It dawned on me that if this "temple" was this huge, what were the temples like in ancient Greece and Roman to their gods? I mean, I know that the Lincoln memorial is kind of in that style but is small compaired to some of those temples. What it would have been like to see those. Can you hear my history degree coming out??

We found a quiet place to sit in the shade on the backside of the memorial and discussed the rest of our day. We planned to go to the Korean Memorial, the walk to Arlington, then maybe down to the Pentegon.

So, we walked over to the Korean War Memorial and had lunch at a stand just right there by it. That memorial is more of what I imagined the Vietnam one to be, but it was just that. The Korean War Memorial. It was spetacular in its own way. As we were sitting there looking at it, quite a few veterans were walking by in their uniforms. It made me tear up. I can't imagine what veterans go through, and how many of them come to these memorials and remember those friends, buddies, brothers, that they lost in those wars. It tore at my heart. I am so thankful for them. I wanted to stop some of them and say thank you, but I didn't have the guts!

I think we were insane to do the next thing we did, but we did it anyway. It was about 2pm and full sun, so we decided to WALK across the Arlington Memorial Bridge over to Arlington National Cemetery. We walked even more up to the JFK burial site. This is a picture of the site looking towards the Lincoln Memorial.

Here is the Eternal Flame and the two grave markers for the JFK and Jackie.

We made our way across to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They had just finished the changing of the guard when we arrived so we decided to stick around for the next one. We needed the rest anyway. We got a good spot for the next change, which happened within 20 minutes.

We also got to witness a wreath laying ceremony. A middle school had donated wreath to lay. Four girls from the school got to put the wreath up. It was interesting to see and be witness too.

So, do you think we stopped walking yet? NO! We didn't. We finished at the cemetery and got on the metro down to the Pentegon. Man, security around that place is crazy. I felt weird walking around it, but I wanted to see the Pentegon 9/11 Memorial. In the memorial is the only place you can take pictures. If you get a chance to go see it, do. It is pretty touching.

Once we had seen the memorial, we walked over to the Pentegon Mall. It is just a shopping mall, but we could get cooled off and rest if we wanted. So, we had dinner, shopped a bit, and then took the metro back to the hotel. We were exhausted, and guess what? We had to be up early the next day!

Thursday, June 16
James and I had not planned on having a car at all while we were on vacation. But once we got to DC our plans changed. We decided to rent a car for one day to go down to Mt. Vernon and out to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum overflow hanger at Dullas airport. We had to be at the car rental agency, about 8 blocks from our hotel at 8 am.

God was nice to us on our trip. The only day He decided to make it really rain was this day, that we had the car, and were going to be inside most of the day! :)

We got the car and drove to Mt. Vernon first. Luckily the rain stopped for the time we were there.

I was really in awe to walk along in the footsteps of George Washington. It was so amazing to see where he lived and how he lived. The place was just amazing, that's all I can say.

The mansion was undergoing a renovation of sorts. They were painting the outside of it, so the picture isn't quite perfect. But look at that view that people saw when they road up to the house! Isn't that amazing?

We got to go inside the mansion and see all the rooms. We got to see the actual bed that Washington passed away on. Kinda weird, but historically interesting. The house beautiful inside. The tour guides kept saying that they sometimes would have up to 600 guests stay there in a year! Can you imagine? I thought my house was a central hub for guests sometimes... I can't imagine having 600 people there in a year.

Another part of Mt. Vernon that was historically interesting to see was Washington's tomb. Did you know that he was supposed to be intombed in the basement of the Capitol building in DC? Well, he was. But by the time the Capitol was ready for him, his family decided that he didn't want that and that he wanted to be intombed at Mt. Vernon in a "brick" tomb. That is all he supposedly specified in his will. So, he was moved to this tomb and that is where he remains.

James and I grabbed lunch at the cafe at Mt. Vernon, did a bit of shopping and hopped back in the car.

We made our way up to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and just as we pulled up it started raining. We got inside and were greeted with this GIANT building. It was so amazing to see so many aircraft and space craft under one roof.

My first stop was to see the space shuttle Enterprise. It is quite large.

As we walked around the space area of the museum we came across a replica of the Mars rover. I guess my view on the size of things is fairly off. I imagined the rover to be fairly large. Like the size of a car. Guess what? It's not. It looks about the size of and RC car.

A few other notables that we were able to see at this museum was a Concord jet, a jet that holds the record for crossing the Atlantic the fastest, and the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, the Enola Gay.

After an exhausting 4 hours touring the museum, we stepped outside to pouring rain! So glad we had that car!

We made our way to a town nearby and had dinner at Cheesecake Factory. We talked about driving down to see the memorials and Capitol building in the dark, but it was still raining some. We opted just to return the car and head back to the hotel. Afterall, we were pretty tired, again! Who would've thought!? :)

Friday, June 17
Our last full day of vacation. Do you think we would have taken a break and rested? NOPE!! Had to fit it all in...

We were up and back into DC by 9 am the next morning. We sat in line for the National Archives for an hour. We got to go in and see the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Bill of Rights. I was very impressed with them. I am glad we went to see them.

Our next stop of the day was the Museum of American History. I was so excited to go to this museum. Mostly because I know that the ruby slippers from Wizard of Oz are there and the original Muppets are the newest addition!

The original flag that inspired our National Anthem is there also. As we walked into the darkened room, I seriously teared up. It was one thing that was completely unexpected. To imagine that flag flew above a fort, was shot at, covered the men who shed blood for our country and still flew the next morning, was so much for my mind to take. I was standing there looking at the flag thinking that I am so proud to have that as a part of my history. I am proud to be an American. I really am.

James and I had passes to get into the Holocaust Museum, so after a quick rest and bite to eat, we headed there. I have studied World War II quite extensively, been to Dauchau concentration camp, and know a lot about the Holocaust, but NOTHING prepared me for this. It took easily 45 minutes to go through the entire exhibit. James and I kind of split up and did it at our own paces but we ended up together. By the time we were done, we walked out speechless. We were physically and emotionally worn out. I felt like I could have been ill.

We left the museum and sat on a park bench beneath the Washington Monument. I am sure there were people walking by and time still ticked away, but it felt like the world was standing still. James and I didn't say anything for a long time. Just sat there, contemplating everything we had just seen. It still makes me shake to think about what all happened during that time in history. I can't imagine that that was only 6-7 decades ago that people believed those things, and did those things. I can't believe there are still atrocities like that going on in this world today.

As drained as we were, we still had time left, and there was still one more thing I HAD to see while I was there. For some reason the first ever airplane to fly, the Wright Brother's Flyer, has facinated me. I really wanted to say that I have seen it. So we made the trek over to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum there on the mall.

I got to see the Wright Flyer!

I could read no more signs. I could walk no more steps. I couldn't have any more history enter my mind. I was spent. So, we took the metro back to Silver Spring, had dinner, went to the hotel, packed our bags, and called it a night.

Saturday, June 18
We had a cab coming to get us at 11:30 am, so we had the morning to do what we wanted in Silver Spring. We were up and ready by 9am, so we went around the corner from our hotel to, yep, you guessed it, Starbucks!! However, when we rounded the corner, we found so much more than just Starbucks. They were having a farmers market. It was fun to walk around and look at all the fresh produce, flowers, and crafts that were available. I bought a few gifts and we enjoyed the lazy morning.

Our cab ride to the airport was event free and we got home to Denver around 6:30pm. The boys were so happy to see us. I am sure Marie was too! We had a blast and I would do it all again.

Things I learned.

Do outside things early in the day before it gets too hot.

If you want to experience things without crowds, get up early. You can always go to bed early too.

Use contacts if you have them to advise you on things like where to go, when to go, how to get there, etc. It was nice to have those people!

Back to college, hardwood floors, and finally!! A VACATION!!

2011-06-08T14:23:00.002-06:00

I thought I would update you on the happenings for James and I the next couple of weeks. I know, I don't do that very often, and most of the posts are about the boys, but I like to keep a few things on here that are not children related (however, they inevitibly will relate to the boys!)!

So, James is going back to school to get his Masters degree. He is going to be doing his MSA with the University of Pheonix online. He is crazy, I know, but we agreed on him doing it. Once he does it, he can sit for the CPA and not have to work in a public accounting firm to get it. He is pretty excited about it. He is going to mostly work on studying and all that once the boys go to bed about 7:30pm. It will give him a few hours to work on the stuff he needs to do and then he can have the majority of the weekends with us, unless he has big stuff he has to do.

We went to Lumber Liquidators this past week and bought a new flooring for our living room. We are going to be putting hardwood (laminate) floor in our living room and tear out the GROSS carpet. We clean our carpet once a month right now and it never ever looks clean. Guess thats what we get with having 3 little tornados running around!

James and I are leaving late Friday night to go on vacation by ourselves. My aunt and mom are going to be taking care of the boys here, so we don't have to move them! We are going to be gone for a week. I am excited! We are going to spend 2.5 days in New York City. We are then spending the rest of the week in Washington DC seeing everything there. I have never been to DC and James has never been to NYC so we are both getting a new experience. I think the boys will be fine for Marie and mom, but we'll see. Hopefully they aren't little terrors!! They have a tendency to scream and cry at strangers.

Then, a couple of days after I get back the boys and I are going to Iowa to spend a week with Elizabeth and her 4 kids. I hope she has told Dan this! I am sure the boys will love playing with the "big kids" while they are there. It will be crowded, and busy, but tons of fun!

Not sure what else is going on. I will post pictures of our NYC/DC trip sometime. I hope you are all having a good day.

Couple of pics of the boys' new toys! :-)

2011-06-03T20:16:00.004-06:00

Grant Ethan Alex Grant, Ethan, & Alex Grant, Ethan, & Alex Boy's Christmas present finally bought and set up. Grant, Alex, & Ethan in the new sand box. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Fischer Grant, Alex, & Ethan

Hello Dolly

2011-05-19T17:57:00.003-06:00

I turned on Hello Dolly since it was playing on the tube. This is what happened to the boys as soon as it came on...

Grant's response to Boo on Monster's Inc...

2011-05-12T08:28:00.000-06:00

Every time Boo comes on screen for the first time while we are watching Monster's Inc, Grant does this...

MUD!!! fun stuff

2011-05-10T17:38:00.004-06:00

running

2011-05-06T11:15:00.002-06:00

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T16:14:00.005-06:00

Happy Easter All!! I hope your day was blessed with fun and family.

Here are a few pictures of the boys' second Easter! This one was better than last year (they were sick last year). They are having fun playing with their toys from the Easter Bunny (they got 3 baskets!! EACH!!)

Alex

Grant

Ethan

Mommy helping with some of the baskets

Daddy helping Alex with the baskets

Ethan

Grant and Ethan

Alex

Our little family....

They just wouldn't sit still for a good picture...

This one and the one at the top of the blog are my favorite family pictures from today! Don't we make a good picture!?

All 3 Walking

2011-04-21T16:02:00.003-06:00

fun with alex and jet

2011-04-20T11:00:00.001-06:00

Ethan's walking all over now

2011-04-20T09:17:00.004-06:00

Sorry for the run of videos. I finally figured out how to load them from my phone!!

Alex says "Hello"

2011-04-19T23:53:00.002-06:00

windows and doors... the best thing about the house

2011-04-19T23:48:00.003-06:00

we like to dance to the music too

2011-04-19T23:40:00.001-06:00

we like to dance to the music

2011-04-19T23:37:00.002-06:00

Ethan walking!!!

2011-04-14T19:57:00.001-06:00

alex saying uh-oh

2011-04-14T14:46:00.002-06:00

2011-04-11T23:00:00.003-06:00

Ethan standing on his own in the middle of the floor. He took 5 steps on his own today while the physical therapist was here. He was showing off!

Alex

Grant likes to watch the bowls spin like this. I don't know why, but he does.

The boys got a present from Nana MJ and her husband. It came in this really big box. Grant liked playing in the box best.

Alex playing wither the doorbell on their new playhouse!!!

Ethan got his turn too. So far Alex is the only one that actually goes in!!

Pool time again. I put it in the garage cause its too windy for outside just yet. Can you tell Alex and Ethan apart??

almost 20 months old...

2011-04-10T14:39:00.003-06:00

Where has the time gone? They were just in the NICU what seems like yesterday. Now they are becoming little boys.

Here is a picture of them sitting in their chairs. I need a little table to go along with these. Order is Ethan Alex then Grant.

here we go again (not an april fools joke)

2011-04-01T08:39:00.002-06:00

The boys are sick again, mainly Grant, but they don't feel good. We are at home though!!! We have had some problems with keeping food down, but not too much with the breathing right now.

Ethan is probably doing the best. He threw up a bit last night but that was cause I was suctioning his nose and he didn't appreciate it. He is on antibiotic right now for an ear infection we caught a week ago. So I think that is why he is doing better than the other two.

Alex isn't doing too bad either. He just gets to coughing and gags, then you know what happens. They are all taking fluids just fine so I'm not as worried about dehydration as I was before. He is a happy little boy other than a bit of congestion, funny nose and a cough. They aren't deep coughs either. It's more a cough cause their noses are draining so much.

Grant feels the worst right now. He is working a bit hard to breath so we put him back on o2 while sleeping. I don't want him getting so bad we have to go back to the hospital. Luckily we still have the o2 stuff here. The company hasn't come back for it yet. Otherwise he is eating fine and keeping his food down. Just the cough/drainage irritates him.

So, I guess I shod update you a bit on what has happened since my last post. Ethan got out of the hospital on the 17th. They all were on o2 till Tuesday of last week. We went to our Pediatrition and she said Grant and Alex could come off. Ethan went to his pulminologist on Thursday of last week and she said to keep him on it for a few more weeks and then we'd do a pulse-ox study to see if he can come off. We are fine with that.

She referred us to go see a GI doctor for Ethan though. She doesn't like his lack of weight gain but isn't convinced it is due to lack of o2. She thinks it might have more to do with reflux. Who knows. We will go see him on April 5th.

I am not sure his lack of weight gain is completely reflux or o2 related. You should see him... he is constantly moving!!!! He never stops!!!! I think he just burns tons of calories and just doesn't eat enough to offset that. He is on a very fortified diet. He gets butter, oils, peanut butter, and carnation instant breakfast in every milk(a full package). I don't know how to get anymore calories in him. He will not snack like his brothers and he eats like a bird. I have even tried feeding him more meals and he just throws if he gets too full. Who knows... we'll see what the GI doc says.

So that's all for now. Prayers again for health are much appreciated. We need to get well soon cause we are all getting cabin fever.

Update on the boys

2011-03-16T22:17:00.005-06:00

So, I think I have finally figured out where the boys got this nasty illness. Grant had an ear infection at his 18 month well-baby check, so he was put on antibiotics. I had to take him back in to the dr for a follow up once we finished those. So, Feb. 28 I took him to the drs office by himself. I remember a little boy in the waiting room that was coughing a lot and coughed on Grant a few times. His grandparents were there with him and got mad at him for coughing on Grant, but I didn't think anything about it at the time.

Fast-forward to March 4. Grant started not feeling well and it just progressed from there. I probably should have gotten the boys in to the the doctor sooner, but I just didn't want to have to lug them in there to tell me to just let them sleep and they will get better eventually. Been there, done that.

I just didn't expect that when we did get them in to the dr they would be as bad as they were. Oh well... we are here now and there is no going back.

Actually, only 1 is "here" as in the hospital now. Ethan is the only one left. Both Alex and Grant got to go home! Grant went home on Monday the 14th and Alex went home today, the 16th. I hope that tomorrow is good to us and Ethan can go home. We will see.

The boys will all be on nighttime oxygen at home, but that is not a huge deal to us. We had Ethan on o2 at home till he was just 2weeks past 1 year old. Not a big deal. We just have to make sure they keep the nasal cannula in their noses all night.

I will have some pictures of the boys here in the hospital at the end of the post for those of you not on Facebook with me.

I have to say a HUGE thank you for all the prayers and thoughts. It means so much to us that we have such a huge base of prayerful people lifting us up. It really does keep me going! Especially when I am living on only 4 hours or so of sleep each night.

I also must say thank you to my mom, James' mom, and Nana (Mary Jane Fox) who have helped out by staying at the hospital with us and by taking care of the boys at home!! I couldn't do it without you three!! (Nana is the boys' adopted Grandma here since neither of our parents live here).

So, that is the update, now for the pictures.

We got checked in to the ER and this is what we looked like till we got cribs for the boys. It was rough sitting like this. They did not feel well. At least we got to watch Barney... over, and over, and over, and over again!!

Alex and Ethan were finally laid down to sleep in a crib together. It wasn't bad. They were exhausted and didn't care the other was in the bed. Unfortunately they couldn't stay that way.

Once Grant got a bit of o2 on him, he was like a new little boy. He was jumping around and playing in his crib in the ER. You wouldn't have known he was really sick!!

Alex finally got up the energy to play a little bit in his crib with a truck for the first time on Saturday.

Then he played with the truck in my lap.

I didn't know that they had highchairs we could us, so i created a makeshift highchair from the carseat Alex had to use in the ambulance. (I didn't know that they had to be in carseats in an ambulance, but they do.)

For the first couple of nights Alex would NOT sleep in the crib the hospital had. I think he viewed it as a torture chamber since that is where he was held down to be suctioned and diapers changed, and other things. He couldn't handle it. Well, I was running so low on sleep cause he wouldn't sleep but on one of us that one of the nurses suggested a normal hospital bed. Well, we tried it. IT WORKED!! He would sit on it, sleep on it, etc all by himself!! It was a life saver for me.

Ethan finally took a bit of solid food (i.e. Cheerios) on the 13th. It was the first time in about 3-4 days.

That same night he decided to block out all the nurses/lights/mommy and daddy by putting his arm up over his eyes. He just wanted everyone to quit touching him. It will actually be a while before these boys lets strangers near them again! :( Which does not bode well for when we get back to Church.

Alex sat up and played and played with toys in his bed!! He liked having a big boy bed. I hope this is a good sign for the future.

He loved to play with the controller to the tv too. The buttons are hard to push so we didn't have to worry about him changing the channel or calling the nurse by accident!! :)

Tuesday, Ethan finally sat up and started playing some in his crib. We were excited.

He then got a room air challenge where he was off his o2, so we were just connected to the pulse-ox. So, I let him play on the floor. He tried crawling away a couple of times and loved being out of the confines of the crib!!

All three boys are in the hospital with respitory infections

2011-03-12T01:21:00.003-07:00

So we went in to the drs office this morning because the boys have been miserable all week. I figured it'd be a quick in and out. But no. The boys' oxygen levels were all really low so we had to come to the children's hospital. Alex was transported from the drs in an ambulance cause his o2 level was in the mid 70s and that is BAD!

So we got checked in and Grant and Ethan were checked in too. The are all needing quite a bit of o2 help to keep in the ok level. I don't know when we will be out of here since Ethan and Alex both have RSV. Grant just has a REALLY REALLY REALLY bad cold. I'll update when I can once I know more.

Just a Few February Pictures and Videos

2011-02-22T22:15:00.005-07:00

Grant

Ethan

Alex and Daddy

Guess who? Seriously.... who is this? Can you tell? (I know, but I'm not telling!!!!!)

Grant can walk

Churches and Social Networking

2011-02-21T10:03:00.000-07:00

(devotional I wrote for ABCRM on Jan. 24, 2011)

“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. ... Is Christ divided?” – 1 Cor. 1:10 & 13

Do you know what social networking is? Do you have a Facebook account? Do you have a MySpace account?

These words may mean a lot to you, or they may sound like jibberish. However, they are words that are used (and sometimes over-used) in this technological age.

Facebook, MySpace, and other social network websites connect people who have lost connection or want an easy way to connect with each other. One website helps someone in South Africa learn more about and become friends with someone in Alaska. Another website allows friends from all around the country to know in almost instantly that a baby girl was born to Jack and Sue in Arizona at 7:25, and she was 6lbs 15oz. Yet on another website, a woman finds an old friend that she was mean to in high school and asks that friend to forgive her.

Since working in the ABCRM office, I have realized that the churches in our denomination have lost connection with each other. Pastors may be connected, but it is likely that people in their congregations do not know anyone else in the denomination. Very likely, they may not even know that their church is a part of a larger denomination.

With as many people connecting via social networking websites, where is the connection in our churches? Traditions and past conflicts seem to stand in the way of churches connecting to one another and learning from each other.

God can fill any hole, any gap, any chasm that has separated the churches and people in them from each other. God just has to be asked to work, and then allowed to do the work. Then connections can be made or restored and churches can share again. Old friends can find their long lost buddy and new friends can be found.

What is standing in your way? Do you know anyone that might deserve a connection from you? Look outside the walls of your church to the walls of another in the ABC. Find someone from a sister church and make a new friend, or rekindle an old friendship. You may be surprised what you learn.

18 month check-up

2011-02-15T16:48:00.002-07:00

I took the boys to their 18 month well check Tuesday. "Nanna" (MJ - the women who takes care of the boys once a week for me) went with me. It was absolutely crazy when we first got there.

As soon as I set Alex out of his stroller seat onto the ground in the exam room he started screaming. The other two fed off him and started crying too. I had to strip them down to their diapers to be weighed and measured, so we set to doing that. They screamed and screamed, cried and cried. I am starting to think that they know that the drs office is a "bad" place and you get poked every time you go there.

Anyway, we got the boys weighed. At 18 months old...
Alex weighs 23lbs 8oz
Grant is 23lbs 11oz (he lost weight)
Ethan is 18lbs 10oz (he gained, but only 10oz since Dec 19)

Alex is really doing the best over all. We only need him to be eating better (texture issues remember?) and then he will be GREAT!

Grant has an ear infection. His eczema is also flaring up and he has some infected sores. Poor guy. He has to take an antibiotic for the next 10 days then I have to take him back in. I hope he is all cleared up by then. He doesn't really act like he has an ear infection, so I don't think it is bothering him much.

We also have to take him in to get a renal ultrasound to make sure that one of his tubes from his kidneys to his bladder isn't enlarged anymore. It was slightly enlarged after birth and once they got out of the hospital, so hopefully it has gotten back to normal. I don't know what we do if it isn't normal. We'll just have to wait and see. I have to get that appointment scheduled soon.

Ethan is still my PEANUT!! He is on his own growth curve (meaning he is following the curve, but just in his own way) at about -20th percentile!! However, he has a HUGE head for his body size. His head is in the 40th percentile for ACTUAL age, not adjusted age!!

Since he isn't growing as fast as they would like, we are still pushing the calories. I am adding butter to their lunch and dinners. I just started adding some vegetable oil to parts of their lunch and dinner. He also gets Carnation instant breakfast in his milk. And, we are trying to transition him to a Pediasure a day (he doesn't like the taste of straight Pediasure, so we are trying to mix it like we did with the formula). I tried it today and it worked ok, so we'll see if I can get him to take just straight Pediasure here in the next couple of days.

We have to return to see the pulminologist for his breathing issues sometime in March. And I was supposed to schedule the PT to come out tomorrow, but didn't get it done, so maybe next week. We will finally be getting him on the right track to be able to walk soon.

Overall the boys are doing well. We could have things a LOT worse, or we could not be here at all. I thank God every day that these boys are here and I have the chance to be a mother to them.

As for other news, Grant is thisclose to walking. He will take a few steps or more by himself, but he falls down a lot still. When we try to get him to walk between James and I, Grant gets the giggles then doesn't concentrate on what he is doing. It is so cute.

They are all playing a lot more together and Alex is starting to pick up on some things that other kids are doing. He was playing with a little girl that is a few months older than he tonight at church. They were chasing each other, tackling each other, and tickling each other. It was so cute. I should have gotten a video, but didn't think about it until just now! :)

As for James and me....

James is loving his new job. He is keeping busy. He loves what he does though.

This weekend he gets to have the boys to himself! All to himself!! I am going to a women's retreat for the weekend. James gets to take care of the boys for the first time ever by himself, with no help!!! (He is going to be exhausted by the time I get home Sunday afternoon!)

I have also found a new friend. She has twins that are 6 months old and she goes to our church. We started walking together this week and found out that we have more in common with each other than just babies!!! She used to play soccer!! Hey, so did I!! She was extremely involved in our church as a youth and young adult and thought she was the poster-child for an ABC youth.... so did I!! We really do have a ton in common and I am so very thankful to have found a very good friend to be able to talk to, walk with, and commiserate about my kids to!!

I am so excited to be going on this retreat this weekend. It will be the first time I am away from the boys over night since May of last year when I went to my friend Amy's wedding. SO EXCITED!! Plus, the last time I went, I had a WONDERFUL experience. (And not to long after that, the miracle I had prayed for the entire time I was at the retreat came true). You can read about that last retreat in this post of mine titled "A Dose of Conviction". (It is an amazingly prophetic post... go read it!)

I know this was a long post. Glad you stuck with me! I am sorry but I don't have any pictures in this post. It is late and i haven't taken the pictures off my camera yet. I will do that as soon as I can tomorrow (or so) and try to get another post up soon!! So check back then.

I hope you all are having a great week. Love to all...
The Fischer 5

Bad mommy!!!

2011-02-01T13:47:00.004-07:00

Alex looked like he had a mullet growing. He had really curly longer hair on the back of his head. So, last night I thought I could just take some scissors and trim off that part of the hair...

Well.... I got a bit trim happy. I started with just cutting off some of the hair, but it looked BAD!!! REALLY REALLY BAD!! As in, James was calling him chunky cause his hair looked so bad! I didn't get a picture of it cause I couldn't handle it.
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So.... here is what I did this morning....

I put him in the sink, let him play in the water, and shaved it all off. He HATES the electric razor, so I had to do it by hand with a new razor like I use in the shower. He didn't seem to mind that. And he doesn't seem to mind that his hair is all gone! :'-(I think this looks just about as bad, but at least it will all grow back the same. :-(

Such a bad mommy!!

Some January videos and pictures

2011-01-18T21:38:00.006-07:00

This is the first time one of the boys has sat in their chairs we bought at a garage sale in Lisbon in June! Alex climbed up there all by himself and sat there and played. It was so cute.

I gave the boys a snack of our left over corn from dinner one night. Alex and Grant did really well eating it out of the bowl. They were watching a video at the same time so it was a bit distracting.

Ethan wanted nothing to do with the corn. But he is one that has never really liked to snack, unless he knows what it is (like Cheerios) and knows what it tastes like.

Here is a video of them eating. I was talking mostly to the dog trying to keep him from eating out of the bowl too!

So instead of climbing on the couch lately (which has gotten old to the boys) they like to climb on our rocking chair/recliner. So, who is to prevent them? NOT ME! I can't take anymore screaming. So, I set up a little couch cushion to catch them, and let them have at it!

On January 8 my parents came down to visit us, since we didn't get to go home to see them over New Years. They brought us a whole nother Christmas! It was great!! The boys got to open some new cool toys. Plus mommy and daddy got some stuff too!

Alex was relaxing with Grandma after the presents were opened.

The favorite thing that the boys got (well, my favorite thing) is a book called Guess How Much I Love You. It is a recordable book (that Hallmark sells) and MY Grandpa (Grandpa Dickey) recorded the book for the boys. I opened the book the first time and it silenced the boys. They usually only get that quiet when a baby Einstein DVD is on. It was amazing. We "read" that book a lot now.

I had about 10 minutes to figure out something for dinner the other night. So I looked to see what I could find that we had. I looked in the freezer and found a whole meal! Pork chops, veggies, and rolls! I thawed the pork chops in the microwave, then cooked them in the skillet with a tiny bit of olive oil. I then used the left over oil to saute (stirfry) the veggies. All of it had a cajun seasoning on it. Then I popped the rolls in the microwave to heat them, and this is what I ended up with. Isn't it pretty??? And it tasted SO good.(It only took me 10 minutes... seriously!!)

So bath time in our house is quite the ordeal. If the boys hear the bathtub running, they will come running (crawling as fast as possible) into the bathroom to get it. They LOVE their baths. I on the other hand would prefer to just hose them down. But I am also the one getting soaked from all the splashing.

Here is Alex

Ethan

The boys. Notice the surface of the water. It really never stops moving!!

Now, for those of you that almost had a heart attack when we got the boys' hair cut, fret not! They will grow their hair back. And Grant has proven that no matter what, he is going to have the curliest hair on the block!!!

What a ham, huh?

James' cousins came to visit us this past weekend. They took a lot of pictures (I am going to have to get from them) but I lacked in that department. The only picture I got was of Susan with the boys at Borders bookstore on Monday. We went out to the mall and walked around. She got to experience pushing the triplet stroller around!! She also got the boys snowsuits so we will be able to go and play in the snow!! (THANK YOU SUE!!! I can't wait to use them)

On a laughter note...

2011-01-05T09:26:00.005-07:00

No, I didn't say that wrong. You will be laughing by the end of these videos! I can almost guarantee it!

As soon as I hope...

2011-01-05T09:11:00.004-07:00

that Ethan may be making good progress on the weight gain, he gets sick and probably loses what he gained since the last time being sick.

He is sick, AGAIN. 3rd time in as many months. Poor kiddo doesn't get a break. Right now he is as sick as I have ever seen him. Violent vomiting of everything that goes into his mouth. Sometimes he keeps a bit of it down, but inevitably it comes back up.

He isn't even playing like he normally would. He is just laying in my lap, on my chest, in the recliner, or in the swing (which I had to get back out after putting away so I could actually tend to A & G without having to hold E.)

Your thoughts and prayers for my littlest guy are much appreciated. I hope he gets better within the next 12 hours or we may be making a trip to urgent care. :(

Here's a video of what he was doing last night while I was holding him. I sometimes do this when I feel as bad as he does!

Fun times on New Years Eve!!

2011-01-01T22:30:00.009-07:00

See, I do dress my kids every once in a while!! :) (James wanted me to put that on here cause we have quite a few pictures of the boys in just their diapers!)

We are playing peek-a-boo!!

Look, Ethan can walk, just with a toy!! He is getting there. He needs to learn how to turn his feet in the correct way and bend his knees when he walks.

Grant was playing in the curtain! He was having so much fun. Ethan played some too.

2010-12-28T19:12:00.007-07:00

Merry Christmas everyone! We had a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas day at our house. The boys did not understand what was going on, nor did they understand the whole presents thing, but it was fun nonetheless! Here is some pictures and videos from Christmas day and the day after Christmas.

Here was our loft with the tree and stockings all full with presents. We even have "presents ON the tree" since if we get envelopes or cards we put them on the tree.

I decided to do a video of the boys as they come out of their room to see what Santa brought them. Like I said, they don't quite understand yet.

WHEELS!!! The boys love wheels. Every car, truck, vehicle with wheels gets turned over and the wheels are spun like crazy.

See what I mean about the wheels??!!

Now, Grant is starting to be our book kid. Plus he LOVES animals. So, needless to say, these books from Santa were a big hit with him. He was "studying" the animals on the front of this book for some time. Not sure why exactly, but he was right up against the book looking.

I thought they might be a little overwhelmed with the presents and toys, but they did really well.

Grant was even kind enough to "smile" for the camera!

Jet has a stocking too. This year he got about 8 tennis balls in his stocking. I think Alex and Ethan had more fun with the tennis balls, throwing them for Jet, then Jet really did.

More wheels!!

The boys got a hat and some mittens from Grandma and Grandpa Fischer. We put the hats on Alex and Grant and the gloves on Grant. He was not fond of the gloves. In this video they have their hats on (Ethan wouldn't keep his on) and Ethan is playing with the helicopter they got.

Alex in his hat.

Grant and Alex in their hats.

Grant in his hat.

We went to church Sunday morning. The boys spent the morning in the nursery. After church, it was gorgeous outside, so we spent a bit of time on our front lawn in the sun. It was so nice.

Grandma wanted a picture of them and the boys, so we took some. This was the best one.

I laid out a huge blanket on the grass and didn't think the boys would crawl off it. They used to be scared of the grass. However, Alex and Grant both ventured off. Ethan stayed put. He did not like the feel of the grass!

Alex found the stroller strapped on to the back of the van. Look, another wheel!!

Then he walked all over the driveway and sidewalk. I had to take their shoes off because they were dragging their feet when they crawl. It was scraping the leather off the tips of their shoes. So, they are in their socks. Oh well.

Grant got his exercise in for the day. He decided he was basically going to crawl around the block. He made it quite a ways around the corner, but there was broken glass on the sidewalk so we had to bring him back.

He enjoyed sitting on the corner!! :)

Merry Christmas from the Fischer's!!

2010-12-25T12:39:00.001-07:00

Merry Christmas to you! We hope you have a WONDERFUL day!!

Growing up Christmas style...

2010-12-23T22:11:00.003-07:00

James and I got to go on a date tonight! It was WONDERFUL!! but we had and interesting discussion. I posed these questions to James. I'll tell you my answers...

1) Did you ever "see" Santa??

2) When did you figure out who "Santa" really is?
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1) I remember one night when I was smaller, probably about 6 years old, and I woke up in the middle of the night Christmas eve. I all of the sudden heard a key in our front door. I peeked out of my room and saw this small roundish figure walk into our door with a bag. They took some presents out of the bag and put them under the tree then left.

I about fell over. I SAW SANTA!!

A few days later I heard my grandmother talking about how she came over that night and dropped off some presents she had stayed up late to wrap.

Oh, but I could have sworn for a few days that I had seen Santa. I just knew I had. I didn't want to tell anyone either cause I knew they wouldn't believe me. Oh well.

2) I remember when I was probably 8-10 years old I was standing in our backyard and had what James called an "epiphany". I realized who Santa really is and how it all works. I remember that it was a really nice summer day. Don't remember anything else. But it was interesting.

Just thought I would let you guys get a bit of a laugh too!

Much needed December Pictures

2010-12-20T22:01:00.008-07:00

A modification of the picture earlier this year. Instead of them all sitting in front of the door, now they are all standing there (screaming and laughing at the dog!!)

If there is a blanket anywhere where Grant can lay on it, he will, thumb in mouth. And that is where he will stay until the blanket is taken away. :) Some days I just don't mind if he is like this. It is better than the alternative.

They aren't babies anymore. They are toddlers!! Toddlers that like to CLIMB!!! Check out Grant on the left and Alex on the right.

Jet is starting to allow the boys to be closer to him and sometimes to actually climb over and on him. It is interesting to watch them interact. Here is Alex and Jet "cuddling".

Excuse the food on the face. Like a lot of toddlers I know, my boys do NOT like to have their faces washed, so it is a fight to get the big stuff off most of the time. Alex screams so hard when he sees the washcloth coming. But, I have found that singing the ABC's to him has started to help calm him a bit so I can get more of the food off the face! But look at those baby blues...

And Jet, the child that used to take up most of my blog posts, hardly ever gets mentioned anymore. So here is a picture of him!! :)

My little clown, Ethan, has decided that even though he is small (but gaining, he has finally broken the 18lb mark!!) he is still a boy! Note the bruises on his forhead. That is from taking a head first dive off the couch, more than once. You would think he would learn, but he doesn't seem to mind.

And look at his baby blues too... Can you tell Alex and Ethan apart still?

These are some wonderful hand made ornaments I got from a friend. She did all these by hand. Aren't they awesome??

The boys love having Christmas decorations around. I let them play with my snowman figures from Hallmark since they play music. Watch Ethan in this video. :)

And, finally, the video you have been waiting for. ALEX WALKING....

End of November pictures

2010-12-07T10:54:00.003-07:00

Ethan at Thanksgiving

James and Alex at Thanksgiving

Grant and Grandpa Rigsby at Thanksgiving

Ethan

Grant

Ethan's favorite spot at Aunt Donna's house. He especially loved this when he wasn't feeling well. he slept here for one of his naps. It was a bean bag. He LOVED it!!

Cousin Lucas kind of was jipped out of a really big 1st birthday bash since quite a few people in the family were sick. But he got to have a small party. He loved eating his cake (complete with blue frosting!!). His brothers and sisters really loved that he got a bunch of new toys too!! :)

Grant didn't end up getting sick, so he was basicly happy most of the weekend/week. Except after James left on his business trip. I think he really notices when James is gone.

Alex was the worst sick. He could not keep anything down, which made for not a lot of fun around Donna's and Elizabeth's houses. I think they are feeling better now, but you can just see it in his face in this picture he wasn't feeling well.

Grant, Ethan, and Alex

Video on RMHC website

2010-12-02T20:59:00.005-07:00

Oh my gosh. One of my friends on facebook directed me to this video on the Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children's website. I went to their home page to find it, and WHAM!... we are on the page front and center!!! It is a pretty good video. The friend is also in the video too with her precious family and little boy that was in the NICU with our boys. This was taken just after the boys turned 1 year.

The webpage for RMHC is http://rockymountainhospitalforchildren.com/.

I didn't realize their hair looked so bad!! Oh well.

QOTW - What is your favorite Thanksgiving recipe? Butter Horn Rolls

2010-11-21T22:11:00.004-07:00

The Multiples and More blog community that I am a part of does a QOTW (question of the week) each week. This week the question is "What are your favorite Thanksgiving (or holiday) recipes? Are they ones that are passed down or one you found yourself?"

I decided to put on here my all time favorite recipe. I love making these and they are very addicting to eat!! I wish I had a picture of them, but I don't. I will get a picture over the Thanksgiving holiday.

I remember going to my grandmother's house before Thanksgiving or Christmas and helping her roll these up. She would make hundreds (if not a thousand or more) of these every Christmas. Now my aunts and mom have taken on the "duty" of making rolls!! I do them sometimes too (when I have the chance).

I do not know where the recipe came from. Mom, Marie, or Donna, could you enlighten me on that?

I will be making them this Christmas since we will be staying at home. I am so excited to do my bake-a-thon one weekend (James has already agreed to take the boys off my hands.)

These are the best rolls I have ever had, but they take a while to make. Be prepared to spend at least 5 hours on them (not all of that is in the kitchen however). ENJOY!!

BUTTER HORN ROLLS

Ingredients
1 cup milk (@ room temp)
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 package yeast
3 eggs beaten (also @ room temp)
4 1/2 cups flour (approx.)

To make dough-
dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water (about 100 degrees) and a tablespoon sugar. Let rise till yeast is doubled.

Meanwhile, combine milk, butter, sugar, and salt. Add doubled yeast. Gently mix together. Add eggs. Gently mix. Add flour. Dough should be thick and a tad sticky. Add more or less flour for consistency.

Put dough in a large bowl, cover with a dish towel and let rise for at least 2-3 hours. (Make sure it is in a warmish place - between 70-80degrees so it can rise properly.)
If desired, punch dough down and let rise again.

To form rolls -
take a ball of dough about the size of your fist (or a bit more) and roll out on a floured surface (roll it out like a pizza crust). Roll to about 1/4 inch thick. Take a pizza cutter and cut into 12pieces. Start at edge of piece and roll dough in onto itself, like a crescent roll.

Repeat until all dough is gone.

To bake-
Preheat oven to 350. Place rolls on greased cooking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes. There should be a touch of brown and the inside should be not goo-y. :)

Yield ~ 3-5 doz (depending on size of rolls)

Prematurity Awareness Day

2010-11-17T10:53:00.003-07:00

15 months ago Alex, Grant, and Ethan were born premature. Very premature. Ethan is/was considered a micropreemie, since he was so small. March of Dimes is working on research trying to find causes and cures for premature birth.

We know why we had to give birth to these boys early, since Ethan had a flow issue in his cord. However, we don't know why that was a problem and what caused it. We can only speculate.

I am so thankful to Presbyterian/St. Luke's that they did a WONDERFUL job at keeping these boys healthy and sending them home with us.

Videos of the boys playing with eachother (REALLY cute)

2010-11-15T10:28:00.005-07:00

Alex takes his first steps

2010-11-11T11:49:00.001-07:00

Alex is starting to be interested in walking. He has taken a few steps on his own. Here is a video of him at church yesterday. He is so close, but still a bit unstable.

Beginning of November, vol 2

2010-11-09T13:46:00.003-07:00

Our therapist suggested that I give the boys something to climb on. She suggested that I use the couch cusions on the floor and let them climb to their hearts content. So, that is what I did. I have 2 climbing monsters now. Grant and Ethan can't get enough of the climbing. Alex isn't quite sure he likes to climb yet. Here are a few videos of them climbing around. Ignore me in the background. I was talking on the phone to James.

Beginning of November, vol 1

2010-11-09T12:40:00.005-07:00

Alex

Ethan

Grant

Ethan and Alex

Alex

Where is Grant? He is hiding under the blanket, sortof. He climbed up there all by himself and cuddled with the blanket.

Ethan was sitting on his knees screaming at Jet barking. It gets kind of crazy around the house when that starts.

Ethan eating peas with Daddy. Ethan isn't one to normally snack, but for some reason he was really liking the peas daddy had for dinner one night. So, James fed him a bunch of peas. He looked so cute chewing...

Getting close

2010-11-09T10:53:00.002-07:00

Alex took two steps on his own without me coaxing him this morning.

James and I have been working with him trying to get him to walk between us. Most of the time he just falls into our arms, laughs, then turns around and falls into the others arms.

This morning I got into our living room after getting ready just in time to see Alex let go of the couch and take two steps towards a toy. Both James and I saw it. It won't be too long before he is taking more steps on his own. At least he is getting brave enough to try it some without us coaxing him.

It won't be long till they are all running around!

End of October vids and pics

2010-11-08T10:24:00.008-07:00

This is the noise that sometimes invades my house. I really can't do anything about it once it starts. :)

Pumpkin patch

2010-10-23T14:23:00.005-06:00

My peanut needs butter!! :)

2010-10-22T20:58:00.003-06:00

So, James and I have been wondering if Ethan was gaining any weight since he came off the oxygen. I was concerned enough about it that I set up a doctors appointment to get his weight checked. We went in last Tuesday and he weighed 17lbs 5.5oz.

Guess what?

That is the exact same weight he was 2 months before when we went to their 12 month check up.

So, he has not gained any weight. But... he hasn't lost any either. So, Ethan is now on a high calorie diet. We are putting butter and cheese in everything that he is eating. He is getting about 3oz of half&half in his milk (3oz .5&.5 and 5oz of milk). We also put Carnation Instant Breakfast in his oatmeal in the morning to make it extremely high cal.

However, he needs to be keeping his food down. He hasn't had the best track record this week at keeping his food down after eating. He gets to gagging and then he doesn't keep his food down. (Alex is actually having this same issue too.) But we had forgotten his Prevacid for a few days, so hopefully with a couple of days of us remember it will help him get back to none puking.

We will be going back in on election day to do a quick weight check and then we will go in again on Nov 16th for the 15 month check up. If he doesn't gain weight or doesn't gain enough weight we will be discussing going back to the pulmonologist about the O2 issue.

Sometimes if the body is working too hard on trying keep it's o2 supply up then it doesn't work on gaining weight. So, if the high cal diet doesn't work, we may have to go back on o2. I really don't want to, and I am sure Ethan really doesn't want to. But if that is what we need to do then we will do it.

Please pray that he gains weight these next couple of weeks.

October... so far...

2010-10-20T21:49:00.008-06:00

At the beginning of October, my company had it's annual meeting. James brought the boys to the meeting and our Executive Minister, his wife, and one of our coaches got to hold the boys and carry them around a bit. They all enjoyed it.

Yesterday was the boys' due date birthday. They are offically considered to be 1 year old now (developmentally). So, we got a cake to see if they would eat it, unlike on their real birthday. Here is a picture of the boys and James with the cake... it says "AGE Happy Due Date B-day"

Here is the video of them with the cake. They weren't too sure about touching it still.

Ethan and Alex yesterday. They actually end up sitting like this A LOT! I am not sure why, but they do.

Here is a picture with Grant in the jumper in the back. He loves that thing. :)

Here is a video of Alex throwing the ball. He loves to throw things. They like to play ball on the kitchen floor.

We had to make room in our expedition for James' parents so we could all go in one vehicle next week while they are here. So, we put Grant and Alex in the backseat forward facing. They are big enough for that now, so we decided to do it. I think they like it. Since Ethan still has not hit 20lbs, he has to stay rearfacing. That's ok. He can see A and G and they entertain eachother.

All the boys are feeding themselves now!! I am so proud of Grant for finally getting it. It took him a while, but he can feed himself some cheetos now. We are working on the smaller things still, but it's one step at a time!!!

Tonight at our church for Wednesday's Together dinner the boys were getting a bit fussy. I had our portable dvd player so i set it up. We ended up having quite a few kiddos (and a few adults join in watching the video.) This picture shows our director of music watching Baby Einstein with the kids. It was cute! :)

We have 3 crawlers

2010-10-05T10:19:00.004-06:00

Last week both Ethan and Grant started crawling. We now have 3 crawlers. It took me a little bit to get a video of Grant crawling, but here it is.

Here is a fun little video of Grant too. He is the first one that will actually let me do this. He is funny.

Sam's Club

2010-10-01T09:19:00.003-06:00

Sam's Club gets a lot of business from us lately. I can get the boys' 3rd foods there and we buy 8 gallons of milk at a time. It is much cheaper to buy the milk there at $1.98 a gallon than at the grocery store for $2.39 a gallon. Some times I can even get it at Sam's for $1.50/gal.

Sometimes I have to take the boys with me to the store because I haven't planned my shopping out at the right time. This last time I figured out a new way to take the boys in with me. I got more comments about this then I do when they are in the stroller...

Ethan is a bit squished between Alex and Grant, but I didn't have anyone complain. They just enjoyed being out of the house.

Videos of Ethan crawling and the boys playing

2010-09-27T08:33:00.005-06:00

One of Ethan's first times really crawling across the room.

Another video of Ethan crawling. Notice how he moves his legs. It is kind of funny, but it is a start. He'll get the hang of it soon enough and be cruisin' just as fast as Alex.

Grant doesn't quite have the crawling skills, but he has this up-rotate-sit thing that s fairly entertaining to watch if he is really moving. Here is an example. Poor child can't get to the toy, but he isn't to concerned about it.

Last video is just of all the boys playing (and playing without screaming!!)

Videos from this week

2010-09-23T10:59:00.011-06:00

When Ethan is pushed up to the table he somehow figures out how to get his feet up on the table. The other day he was doing this with his feet...

Alex is getting good at the crawling thing. He loves to crawl up to something or someone and pull up. He is also walking along furniture now. It won't be long for him to be walking.

One of Alex's favorite things to do is to crawl into the kitchen/dining room and toss a ring around. It sort of bounces and rolls around so he has to chase it. Watch him play...

I found Grant sitting on this water play mat yesterday. I suppose it works well to build up his core strength...

You get to witness some of Ethan's first "steps" crawling. We have been working hard on crawling, but Ethan and Grant just don't quite have it yet. He is Ethan's progress though. He is so close...

I caught Grant this morning pulled up on to his knees for the first time. I was so excited I had to get the camera. The are progressing fast.

1st haircut!!

2010-09-19T15:57:00.003-06:00

The boys got their first haircuts today!! Thank you Robin for doing them for us!! :)

I have seen them all sit up on their own now

2010-09-13T09:27:00.002-06:00

So, on September 8 I watched Grant sit up on his own. I thought he had before but I hadn't seen it to prove it. I did see it that day so now I know he can do it!

Then yesterday I saw Ethan sit up a couple of times (I thought, but I wasn't positive.) So I wasn't sure if he could do it or not. Last night, he woke up screaming in his crib. I went in to see what was going on and he was sitting up in his bed!! I know he can now!!

All my babies can sit up on their own now!!!

1 Year Pictures

2010-09-09T22:34:00.006-06:00

Ethan in the background. Grant in the middle. Alex in the front. Check out the picture at the top of the blog for my FAVORITE picture of the boys.

I am envisioning them in about 15 years on a football team doing this pose... What do you think?

They all really don't like touching grass!! :)

Ewww... grass....

Ethan

Alex

Grant

Please let me know if you want any of these printed. I can send you the electronic copy that doesn't have the watermark on it if you want to print pics.

Guess what? Guess what? Guess what??????????

2010-08-25T16:42:00.003-06:00

ETHAN IS OFF THE OXYGEN!!!!!!

I am so excited!! He has been on the oxygen for a year and 2 weeks exactly. The doctor says he has improved enough with this new treatment that he is on to come off the oxygen permantly!!! :) Let's just hope he stays well and doesn't get any colds or anything to set him back in the near future!!! Yeah!!!!!!

I am thinking a celebration dinner is in order tonight. Not sure what it will be yet (and I haven't talked to James about it) but something special.

1 Year Birthday Party and some other milestones!!

2010-08-23T21:06:00.013-06:00

I'll just start out with dates and work my way up to telling the story. There are a lot of pictures and a LOT of things to say. Take your time!! Don't get overwhelmed. You may need to pause and go get some water, but join back when you think you can keep going!! (hehehehe)

August 9

James and I got the boys some floor mats that we have put out on our wooden patio in our back yard. I was having to put down blankets so they could be outside, but that got to be a pain. The dog would walk all over them and get them dirty so I would end up doing a lot of laundry. So this works great cause I can just hose it off. The boys love the sound it makes when they run their feet over it really fast. It is really nice to have. If only we had a gazebo or something to keep the sun off it. The picture shows our table umbrella, but that isn't a good solution. Oh well. We only have a couple more months that we will be able to be outside anyway.

August 10

I did a small photo shoot with the boys. They were watching tv so I got all smiles, but no one looking at the camera! :)

We also had a get-together with our Mom's group from church at a park in town. It was a really nice day. Lots of people were in the park. I took a cake for the boys' birthday to share. It was a hit. But, the boys had to take a nap while everyone else (who didn't need a nap) was down playing in the creek. I put their bassinets from their stroller under a tree and they slept well there. I think they slept for a good hour and a half.

One of the highlights of the park is the miniature train that runs around the park. The boys just went crazy looking at it every time it would pass. We didn't ride it because it was $1.50 a person (and I don't know how much they would have enjoyed riding). They did just fine just watching it go by.

August 11

More pictures of the boys. Here is Grant. He LOVES the camera. Can you tell?

Alex was trying to take the camera away from me.

We emptied a diaper box and I decided to let Ethan play in it. He stayed in this spot for over an hour. He played and played. He complained once I took him out, but it was nap time. Needless to say we have that box hanging around now.

August 12

My miracle babies turned 1 year old. I took quite a few pictures of them because I was trying to get comparison pictures (see post below for those pictures). Here are a few of the "blooper" pictures. Alex tried to bite Grant. He can't quite dig his teeth in yet, but he is trying. Needless to say, we are trying to nip that in the bud pretty quickly so it doesn't get worse.

Here is my cutie-pie Ethan!! :)

1 year old! Can you believe we made it? Some days I can't. It was a LONG hard road this first year. I have laughed more, cried more, and gotten less sleep that I ever thought I would. But, it has also been a wonderful year. I can't imagine not having these three in my life! Ethan, Alex and Grant...

August 14

We held the boys' 1 year birthday party at my parents' house. We had about 30 people come over and help us celebrate. We started off with some tacos and then opened presents. The boys got to see their cake, but then needed a bottle and a nap. Then they got to have a bit of cake. Here are a few pictures from the day.

Alex and Madison Cone (my bff's oldest who is 5 months older than the boys).

During the party, Great-Aunt Donna joined in via Skype. It was really cool. She got to watch as the presents were being opened. Then Grant talked to her on the computer. Well, he more or less just watched her talk to him. It was fun though.

This is my cousins Ryan and Alecia. My best friend Jami and her baby Emma. Me and my cousin Jeromy.

Preparing to dive into the presents.

Ethan reading a card (well, maybe not reading, but playing with it!!)

Ethan was a bit fussy during the beginning of the presents, so Great-Aunt Mimi rescued him and put him in a gift bag. He sat there for the rest of the party and played with the bag and the tissue paper.

Grant LOVED all the attention.

Alex's lips started turning blue from the tissue paper going to his mouth. So, Aunt Mimi took away all tissue paper with color. They didn't seem to mind.

It was quite the ordeal, but it was fun. The boys got some GREAT presents that they love to play with and a ton of clothes to wear during the winter months. Thank you to everyone who gave to us. What wonderful friends and family we have!! :)

Grandpa help Alex play with the wheels on the truck. Alex LOVES wheels. He cried the other day at our church group because some bigger kids were playing in the Little Tikes cars and he wanted to spin the wheels on them. We finally tipped one car on it's side so he could play with the wheels.

Here is my first attempt at decorating a cake. We bought the cake from a bakery with just plain white frosting and the green edging. I did the rest of the cake. The A, 1, and G are supposed to kind of be clouds (that is why they are white. The bird in the middle is Chica from "The Sunny Side Up Show" on the Sprout channel. The boys love watching Chica in the mornings. The barn is what they call the Sunshine Barn.

I have to tell you what everything is, because I feel inventive and maybe you might want to use some of my ideas (who knows.) But anyway... The sky and grass are colored sprinkles. I put those on last, very heavy, and used a fork to spread them around. The brown parts of the barn are a chocolate cookie icing that hardens. Chica's nest is something called Mix-Ins. It is chunks of Butterfinger crushed up with some chocolate sprinkles (It was the most demanded section of the cake when it came time to serve the cake.) The rest is just the normal off the shelf frosting. I cut out some templates from pictures online and pressed them into the white icing to get outlines. I then filled the different colors in and drew on the outlines. It was fun to do. I can't wait to see what I get to do next year!! :)

So we set the boys behind the cake to get a picture of them and the cake. So what does Ethan do? He tries to grab a hold of the cake.

Once he realized it wasn't solid he held his hands up like he was saying "ewwwww".

But, someone else was watching him do that. Alex decided it was his turn. They got a bit messy, but it was fun for them. (We didn't do individual cakes for them because I didn't think they would dive into them or even touch them.)

The boys didn't get to eat cake in front of the whole group because they needed to have a bottle and take a nap. They were pretty worn out from the day. But once they got up from their nap, I decided to see what they would do with a small piece of cake.

They kind of touched it. We had to feed it to them. The sort of liked it, but they would not feed themselves. That's ok. It is taking them time to figure that out.

Grant thought the cake itself was pretty good, but the frosting wasn't his favorite.

Alex liked it all.

Ethan was spreading it all over the place, but he ate a little bit. He also like the actual cake part best.

The birthday party was a blast. Thanks to all who attended!!

August 17

The boys got a pool for their birthday. I decided to put it to good use one day after dinner. The boys were pretty messy from their meal, James was not home from work yet, and I didn't want to try and do baths up in their bathroom all by myself. So I pulled the pool out, put it in the kitchen, and filled it with water.

The boys LOVED it. It was easy for me to do too. James came home and just had to take a picture of it though... so here you go for your amusement.

August 18

I don't have any pictures from this day, but I do have a lot to share.

Alex started crawling that morning. He had been army crawling/scooting around on his belly for a few days, but he got up on his hands and knees that morning and just took off. I was so proud of him!! I have to get a good video of him crawling. He is all over the house now. We have to finish baby proofing the house now (most of it is done, we just have to put a few more locks on cabinets.)

That afternoon we had the boys' 1 year check up. A friend from church joined me at the doctors office so I didn't have to try and wrangle them all by myself. She was a God-send!!

The boys are growing great and developing great. The doc said that they are right where they are supposed to be developementally (9 month olds).

Here are their 1 year stats.

Alex - 20lbs 13oz, 29.5 inches
Grant - 22lbs 3oz, 29 inches
Ethan - 17lbs 6oz, 27.5 inches

Alex may be lighter than Grant, but he is surely keeping up on height! Ethan is finally catching up on height a bit, but is still behind on weight. That is ok. He is on his own growth curve and that is all they want to see for him.

We started the boys on whole milk on their birthday and they have been doing great with it. It saves us a lot of money now. Instead of spending about $300 a month on formula, we will spend about $50 a month on milk. A gallon of milk lasts us about a day and a half (maybe). But it saves us so much money. I am so glad that they can drink it and are not alergic or anything. However, they WILL NOT drink it cold. They flat out refuse. Any suggestions on how to get them from warm milk to cold milk would be greatly appreciated.

We are still working on getting them to be able to eat "table food" not baby food anymore. They are progressing slowly. They still have gagging episodes and throw up some, but they are getting better at it. We even started feeding them 3rd foods for dinner (they used to have a duel texture issue, but they are getting over that.) They are getting teeth to start and chew things up, instead of just gumming things.

Teeth count....
Alex- 5 total- 3 bottom, 2 top
Grant- 4 total- 2 bottom, 2 top (kind of, one top one is still pushing through)
Ethan- 2 total- 2 bottom

August 21

My mom came to visit and attend a meeting this past weekend. She didn't get to see the boys much but when she did she had some quality time with them. We even got a picture of her holding all three (this is a rare thing to happen lately as they all want to go and move constantly). It turned out well.

The boys also went to a friends house for the evening so James and I could have a night off!! It was their FIRST time at a sitters house. I think it was our first time to have a baby sitter so we could go out in the evening (other than Grandparents that is). It was really nice to be able to go out. The boys did ok. They were in a strange place so they didn't sleep well. Alex threw up on one of the girls helping out (I felt really bad that happened but she took it well). But we may just be able to use them again for a sitter if we need to. It might be nice to have someone to watch the boys once in a while so James and I can have a date. We'll see though.

Whew... you made it!!! Do you feel exhausted? Well, just keep on keeping on, and soon you will get the hang of it.

Oh, ok. I'll stop with the cheesy workout video references.

Thanks for reading. And thank you for all the thoughts and prayers throughout this past year. I know that those prayers have carried us through some rough times.

God bless you all.

Love,
Jessica

Happy Birthday Babies!!!!! 1 year old today!!!!

2010-08-12T11:47:00.002-06:00

Grant at 6 days old

Grant today

Ethan at 6 days old

Ethan today

Alex at 6 days old

Alex today

We are having a birthday party on Saturday so I will upload pictures after that! Plus I will put some reflections of this past year on here too. :) Love to you all.

2 Fun Videos

2010-08-07T22:55:00.002-06:00

The boys and I went to the mall the other day for a change of scenary. We stopped by the pet shop to look at the puppies playing. I dont know if you can hear, but the boys had a ball looking and laughing at them.

James took the boys on a really long walk this morning. At the end of the walk they ended up at the park. James put them in swings for the first time. (I showed up as they were at the park so I got a video on my cell phone.) Ethan is so small in the bucket that we added Grant to his swing. They sort of had fun. They weren't quite sure what to think of it.

Some updates

2010-08-05T22:10:00.004-06:00

All three boys now have teeth. Ethan just has one on the bottom that popped through last week. Grant and Alex both had one on top pop through last night. They are both working on the second top one and Grant is working on his second bottom tooth too.

All three are rolling all over the place. A week with cousin Lucas showed Ethan and Grant that rolling and moving is a really good thing. It is somewhat crazy around our house now-a-days. I am trying to baby proof as I go, because I know there are things I am missing.

Alex just started sitting up on his own yesterday after the therapist was here. She ran him through the motions and the next thing I know, he is on his stomach, I turn my back for a few seconds then turn around, and he is sitting up. He still hasn't done it when I am watching, but he can do it.

Ethan started a new treatment for breathing 2 weeks ago. He is on 2 inhalers. One a controller and one other med for asthma. So far it seems to be working well, other than he HATES it with a passion!! He screams bloody murder every time we administer the inhalers. Poor thing, probably thinks we are torturing him. I hate doing it because he is exhausted after, but he doesn't seem to be working as hard to breath. We have a follow-up appointment tomorrow with his doctor, so we'll see what she says.

Jet likes his smaller pool we got him this year. He actually lays down in it after a nice run after the ball. He thinks its so much fun.

The boys are going to be 1 in a WEEK!!! Can you believe it? I certainly cannot!!! So, I'll update again later. Bye bye for now.

A quick trip to Sam's Club

2010-08-05T10:45:00.002-06:00

I don't usually wait for James to get home from work to go places. I just take the boys with me. Especially right now when they can't ask for things. So I needed some stuff from Sam's Club, so we made a quick trip inside.

Surpisingly I didn't get as many comments this way as I would have pushing the stroller and pulling a cart! I don't think a lot of people saw Ethan in the cart. Hey, it works as long as I can use the infant carrier!! :)

Birthday Ideas for the boys

2010-08-03T22:17:00.002-06:00

So, many of you that read this regularly have asked me what the boys need/might want for their birthday (mostly family, but they read this blog...)

Anyway, I thought I would put a list on here for you all. So, here it is (and please don't think this a begging for presents)

bath toys
18 mo clothes for fall/winter
diapers (as always - sz 3 or 4)
toys that encourage sitting/crawling/standing
plastic dishes
hat and mittens for winter

Ok, so if you think of anything I should add to this list, let me know. Thanks.

Look what Alex did for the first time all on his own...

2010-08-03T22:07:00.002-06:00

He pulled himself up onto this toy and played with it for a while. It wasn't as easy for him to get down, but he managed.

They are all rolling all over the place now. I am really starting to have to baby proof. Baby gates are going to be going up here pretty soon. Alex and Grant are trying very hard to get on their hands and knees to crawl. Alex is on his and rocking back and forth. It won't be long!!!