Lunch

Gotta love those winter lunches at IKEA..now if only Em were tall enough to play at the playplace too;)
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Thank you

To the village worker who came around trimming trees today at exactly the right moment. I got to SIT, nurse the baby, and space out for a moment...thank you!! You provided 20 minutes of entertainment! It was epic. Only after he left did I wonder if I should have let them sit there in the window...what if a big branch crashed through? But it didn't. And perhaps the risk was worth it....;)
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Good Morning...

One full ride

Yep, even got the cartop carrier strapped on for this one! Perhaps we should have a carseat for Madeline though (our honorary fifth child you see in the middle...) Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!
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smiles

Olivia often has a slightly bewildered look on her face - sometimes I want to narrate her thoughts. "Seriously Mom? You are letting her get this close to me again? Remember what happened last time Em came in for a hug?! Woooooow she's so excited...she's getting closer and closer - wish I could brace myself..."

"Oh hugs. How nice...just going to turn away a bit ...ohh...she's so excited...hope she doesn't bounce me off the couch :)"

p.s. the snuggling was all under supervision - no babies fell off the couch!

Had to take a picture. Much to Daddy's chagrin, this was the footwear selected for a family yardwork day. What can you say? When you have fun shoes...it's just so hard not to wear them.

Abbie hanging out outside her fort. Looks comfy, no?!

Fun in the leaves

Safe warm dry...

Never tried the top of the dryer til today. In desperation I was looking for a way to more quickly switch clothes from Wash to dry- needed a safe place out of reach of sisters...will def be using this spot again! She likes it to be running...looks like I will be doing lots of laundry this winter :)
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The Fourth

Instead of a real doll this is what I found being pushed gently around the living room! Great idea..and she does fit well...and she does love it...but...doesn't seem like I should allow it. New rule - as long as she enjoys it, Olivia is allowed to play house as the baby but she has to remain stationary!
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First smile!!

Wow..one month old today and to celebrate, Olivia decided to grace us with a series of intentional smiles!! This is sooner than I remember...of course I am biased, but..genius?! That or party animal...:)
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Price of gas

Whoa. Gas tank 385gallons..range 300miles. $3. A gallon...about a $1000 for a tank of gas that gets you 300 miles?? Glad our van is more efficient
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Cantigny park

Exploring a place we have not managed to find yet in our 3.5 yrs here. Climbing on tanks!! Alex said the window panes are six panes thick! Girls are fascinated ...just how to explain the purpose of a tank? Mayne they wont ask...abbie said she thinks its a garbage truck :) wearing the baby but I might have to climb up anyhow...
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Lazy mornings

I love lazy no-school mornings...especially when we are watching Dora the Explorer ;)
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A bit chilly

On our way home from walking Abbie to school - we saw snow flakes! Olivia was in the kangaroo pouch so she slept thru the excitment...I am sure she will have plenty of opportunity in the coming months....:)
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Our Abbie Anne is Six!

Well, half a dozen years and we still love her more every day!  Happy Birthday to our eldest baby!!

Our Abbie next her b-day cake.

If you can't hear it in this picture she is bouncing on the trampoline to Baby Your A Firework.

Love you Abbie!

Us

Highlight reel

Some of the best Olivia Lynn shots

... reprints available upon request Grandparents. :)

BOJ4 has arrived!

Our 4th Bundle of Joy has arrived!  Olivia Lynn Martinson was born 2:58am early Thursday morning, 8 lbs 14 oz.  It was a truly beautiful birth and mama + baby are thriving ... within the chaos.  :)

Emelia is TWO!

Happy Second Birthday to our little Emelia!

We can't believe you are TWO! Such a sweet personality - we love having you in our lives. You light up our days, Baby Girl! You potty trained yourself a couple weeks ago - Mama wasn't ready for this but you really wanted to do it, so in your easy-going style you just did it. You gently nudged me along and it was so easy. You delight in choosing which fun undies you will wear each morning...ah, for those simple pleasures :)

You are curious and also agreeable. You love to keep me company in the kitchen while I am cooking and even provide excellent "help" - setting the table is your specialty.

You love to hug the baby belly - wonder what you will think when that bump turns into a baby so soon...I hope you know we will love you just as we always have.

Licking the birthday frosting from the beater...smart gal that you offer so much help in the kitchen :) There are perks too...

Banana cake! You love bananas...so when deciding what theme your cake should be, we went with the obvious ;) Who doesn't love a good banana cake?!

Papa reading after the birthday dinner - got room for one more there?!

Opening a present (with some enthusiastic help of course) Grandma brought down when she came last night - magnatiles! yippee...they even stick to the fridge :)

Happy Birthday Emelia!

p.s. See following blog entitled "Em's Show" for a little glimpse of two year old showgirl :)

Em's birthday show

Teeth, School, and ... Spiders

I'm a big fan of the new tow rope game... I think it surfaced after water skiing this summer.

Em looks old to me....

We found the perfect mom-n-pop apple orchard this year.... no $3 slide rides or stinky animal petting.

Abbie found some beauties this year.

Melia seemed to like the apples highest up...

For those who annually scour your local orchards for the shiniest apples you know the draw of that one that everyone else must have missed.  My face was only 8 inches away from this silver dollar sized behemoth before I realized why those particular apples were untouched...

Informative orchard owners (did you know all know the magic of Snow Sweet?) and a sense of humor.

Long story here, but a short and sweet ending - Abbie lost a tooth!

The obligatory backpack shot as Abbie heads of for here first day of K.

I came home to enjoy the first of many walks to school.  Pregger Katie and been huffing the half mile to and from school (x 2) with stroller every day!

Yes, I carry a big stick at all times.

Perhaps the most beautiful load I've ever seen.  Hmm... just noticing now... wonder how much sand ended up in our a/c?

I dare say the next blog will have big (or rather little) news...?

August Antics

Wow.  What a month.  I had a blast just remembering it!  Enjoy with us below.

Summer in full swing at the hot tub/lake/cabin/utopia.

Uncle D and Abbie... not having any fun at all.

Lovely ladies.. warming up after the lake.

One and ...

... two on "surf boards" this year!

Emelia in a giant t-shirt playing in the rain and suds.  I couldn't have staged a cuter day.

Whoah... six made my stomach turn for a minute. :)

We went camping on a beautiful August day weekend with Reba and Karl.  Two daddy pros sporting sleeping babies in the pack.

We see a great future for you guys ... !?!

Izzie especially seems to enjoy her B-day month.

Made the now-annual trek to Minnehaha Falls... and boy were they falling this year!

The B-day girl basking in her B-day dinner.  I think we got all three of Iz's favorite foods.

Isabel, if you're reading this some day, that cake took us 4+ hours. We love you.

Hope this finds you all making the best of your last 25 days of summer (not that I'm counting)!

Alex