Genetics

This is a picture we found at the ranch while we were in Nevada. If I weren't Cole's Mom I think I may have mistaken young Rob to be Cole! We borrowed the picture and scanned it in. This post was originally going to just be a comparison between Rob and Cole.. but it inspired me to do some more digging and compare the rest of the kids as well. Unfortunately this picture is the youngest we have of Rob so Cora won't get a Daddy comparison until she gets a bit older! But below you can see the comparison's of the kids with Rob and I at the same age! and I tried to get the same facial expression... Pretty interesting! Cora I think is still a mystery as to who she will resemble most! While we definately look similar we have much different head shapes! I had a big ole forehead! I find it funny because of all the pictures I take of the kids I couldn't find one of Cole that matched the same expression of Rob, even though we see it everyday! OH.. and I specifically chose the picture of me holding my cat, because if Ivy would let him, I am sure he would be doing the same! Instead he resorts to kicking her and pulling her tail.. poor kitten :(

Enjoy! Oh and don't worry I haven't forgotten! I'll tell all about our trip soon!

The Wild Wild West!

We made it!! The kids, or should I say Rob and I, survived the plane rides beautifully! I couldn't get the three kids together in the airport with their shirts on.. but we dressed them in their 'biggest brother', middle brother', 'little sister' t-shirts with their names on them should we become separated. The picture didn't come out so well.. but it's the best of the many we shot!

Here are a few of the MANY photos we've taken so far! We'll have to do a slide show at the end of our trip to get them all in!

Home Base! The San Antonio Ranch.. a ginormous 12,000 square foot 150 acre ranch!

Dundore and the boys!

An old Ponderosa Pine

Cora with a Ponderosa pine cone.. it's almost as big as her!

The kids were fascinated with the lizard

Lake Tahoe

How many have visited a playground with this spectacular view?!

My favorite picture so far on this trip!!

Cora turned 2 months old on Monday!!

Our visit to Virginia City

Whoohoo!! We can go home now we saw tumbleweeds!

Pretty girl!

The fruit trees are coming into bloom!

Cowboy Caden!

8 Weeks Old and a Warm Sunny Day!

8 weeks old and this picture above pretty much sums it up! Last week she figured out her thumb, this week she figured out how to use it! It's great! she soothes herself during the day and the middle of the night! Right now she is up to 6 hour stretches at night! Almost a full night's sleep for us! This week she grew out of the sling in the tub, and look how big she looks without it! She sits/lounges solidly in the tub itself, Caden and Cole would flop all over the place and slide off the bum bump when they first started! We weighed her yesterday and we think she is around 14.5 lbs! Whoowhee! She's a big one!

Today was a glorious day! reaching the high 60's maybe even low 70's! We decided to venture to the playground, and totally overdressed! It was HOT! You can see by Caden's pink cheeks! We also discovered this week that Caden went through some sort of growth spurt. He had grown out of his jeans a couple weeks ago.. but now nothing fits! Not his long sleeve shirts or his windpants! So I was a bit embarrassed as a Mom at the playground because that is when I figured this all out! I'm sure (or I hope!) I am the only one who noticed! It doesn't help that we are all wearing clothes that are left over in our closets since all our nicer clothes are packed for Nevada!! Caden is also going through a phase where he likes to hike up his pants over his belly button (not sure what that is all about) so it makes his pants look even shorter! Anyway the boys had a great time at the playground, it is so nice this year because Cole is big enough to go down the slides by himself and climb around and do most everything! It also helps that he is a bit of a dare-devil. He goes down slides this year that Caden wouldn't even go down last year!

Caden also got his first dose of mean kids. He was running around with some older kids (5 or 6?)and he was trying to play with them, but they kept calling him a baby, etc. Caden would say "no I'm not.. I'm 4" I wanted to go tell Caden to call them shrimps since he was taller than most of them!! After I heard the boys taunting tennis players and booing them, then talking about how they should chase Caden and call him a caca-head (or however you might spell that!) I quickly diverted Caden to play with Cole-bear, Caden quickly forgot about the older kids and the 2 played together pleasantly the rest of our stay! It was great to see them interacting together and getting along so well for that long of a period of time! Enjoy the photos of a beautiful spring day!! FINALLY!

OH.. and the last picture is of the boys and their picket, I plan to take a picture of them every year with it!! Last year Cole wouldn't cooperate, not that either of them were really enjoying the moment today!!

Music to a Mom's Ears!

Today after 22 months of waiting... Cole called me Mommy! I was in the family room, and suddenly I heard his little voice calling "Mommy" I was so excited and rushed to find him to give him a big hug and kiss! Where did I find him? On top of the dining room table, he was stuck and couldn't get down!! Calling me was his last resort no doubt! Prior to Easter we had kept a bowl in the center of the table, often holding Rob and my favorite.. Jelly Beans! Cole caught us sneaking them on occasion so would often point up to the table and ask for "treat". I guess he was taking it upon himself to snag one himself! Little did he know they are all gone! and the bowl itself was holding our dyed Easter eggs on the kitchen table. Throughout the day though Mommy and Mama were his favorite words. I must admit, I did not get tired of hearing them! Hopefully he'll remember them tomorrow!

Happy Easter!

Easter morning arrived and the boys followed the trail to their Easter baskets! which turned out to be more like Christmas stockings.. I guess that is what you get when you shop for them months in advance and forget what you bought so you end up with WAY TOO MUCH! And then the Leapster went on sale and we had coupons, and we thought.. what better way to keep Caden occupied on the plane trip to Nevada?! So then of course we had to get Cole something to occupy him, and so the snowball tumbled!

After basket opening we went to 8am church (some think we are crazy to go to the early service, but we are up! and it's shorter, the choir isn't there so we don't have to sing usually!). I will be honest, we haven't been to church since Christmas since we figured going with three kids would be incredibly difficult.. especially since Cole likes to explore. Well.. they proved me wrong! Cora slept just about the entire time, Cole mostly sat and sucked his thumb while looking around. Occasionally taking out the Book of Common Prayer or the Hymnal and saying "read!" Caden was fine, only embarrassing us slightly when the one guy from the choir sang the hymn by blocking his ears and saying it was too loud. Ugh!

After church we had an Easter egg hunt, we wanted to have it outside, but unfortunately it was much too cold and windy for the whole family to go outside... next year I hope! And Caden is now infatuated with egg hunts, I can see this becoming a year round activity, minus the treats inside of course! After the hunt the kids got to play with their basket goodies, since we didn't have a lot of time before leaving for church. Caden is very excited about his Leapster, and the boys decided to listen in while I read Cora her new books! I love that Cole is now finally taking an interest in stories!!

This is what Cora did during the egg hunt!

And then we were off to the Pyndo Family Easter!! Where the only thing Caden and Cole ate were rolls.. and desserts of course! But the food was delicious as always even if we don't eat any of the polish food served! except.. kielbasa and pierogies! Mmm! Cousin Billy was the super cousin of the day and brought the boys a monster soccer ball and goal, so everyone got a bit of outside time as well! The boys had a great time, and were EXHAUSTED by the end of the day!

Cole yelling "birdie birdie!"

Every year we used to take a picture of all the cousins on my Grandmother's front steps... we've been slacking the past few years, so we brought the tradition back. And there are only 3 missing (Dan, Andrea and Taryn). Even Cora made into the picture through the window haha!!!

4 generations of girls!

Cole getting ready to Party!

Cora all dressed up in her Easter get-up!

Our attempt at getting a picture of the three kids... virtually impossible!