Summer List {2015 Carlin Family Edition}

 We are a few, scratch that, SEVERAL weeks into summer and I haven't yet posted about the "Carlin Summer 2015" list!  And, we have already accomplished a handful of these!

Also, please note that I had help with the list this year so it's not quite as neat looking as I would have liked.  But it's really okay because the little hands that wanted to participate are what matters more than spelling and neatness.

Make ice cream * Swim lessons * Slip 'n Slide * Summer Reading Program * Wyoming * Zoo * Playdates * Fly Kites * Splash Park * Mount Rushmore * Grandma Nancy * Farmer's Market * St Paul Saints * Vacation bible School * Milwaukee * Royals Games * Nature Table * Summer Camp * Gardening * Hiking * New Ulm * Stillwater * Mill City Museum * Duluth * Children's Museum * Minnesota State Fair * Fort Snelling * Stone Arch Bridge * Octoberfest * Minnehaha Falls * Pleasant Valley Apple Orchard

It's an aggressive list again but we are having fun crossing things off the list and planning our next adventure!  We are excited that school doesn't start until after Labor Day so we feel like that gives us a little extra time to accomplish things on the list. 

Ready for 1st Grade!!!

Lesley finished her Kindergarten workbook and has declared herself ready for 1st Grade!  We really loved these activity books.  The girls would work on them pretty consistently for awhile, but then put them away and forget for some time.  But, it was nice to have a fall back workbook when we were traveling or just needed to get some "academics" in our routine again.  The summer was perfect for focusing and finishing it up!

On to 1st grade...and her new 1st grade workbook!

Levi is confused

Buster got a little confused about the seasons this summer.  No buddy, a stocking hat is not needed.....but don't pack it away too tightly, I'm sure it will be necessary this winter.  Minnesota winters!  They are intense!

Royals Game {Family Night}

Since the Royals and Twins are in the same division, this means the Royals come to town several times per year.  This was the second series in town and we decided to take the entire family to a game.  We all put on our Royals attire and headed to the ballpark.

Not sure Levi wanted a picture with Daddy.

Actually, he was probably focused on his hot dog.  Thank goodness it was $1 hot dog night since our family ate more than our share of hot dogs.  Daddy is always our food runner which I'm not sure he loves, but it just works out better if we find our seats and then he makes a few trips to the concession stands to get food for everyone.  We have enough to carry without also juggling refreshments at the same time we are trying to beat the first pitch.

Mandatory family selfie.  Levi was showed a little more exciting and I promise I washed my shirt from "Date Night" the evening prior.  :)

Lesley proudly sporting her Royals shirt!  We have been excited to teach her about baseball and actually seeing her understand it more and more.  She can read a scoreboard and tell us how many runs each team has and if it's a good thing or not a good thing.  "Boo the Royals have less runs than the other team."  Or, "Yay!  The royals are ahead!"

We are sure proud of this little lady for maturing and getting so close to age 5 this summer.  She has been fun this summer with her new big girl attitude and behavior!  We still see her "whiney, cries about everything" fits occasionally but it's most associated with being overtired which we take the blame for since we are an on the go type of family.

Our view of the field, we had similar seats both nights which makes for easy decisions on what food to buy or where to get our drinks.  You can even see Target Center in the background where the Timberwolves play basketball and a lot of big events are held.

Dippin' Dots!  Enough for everyone!  The real reason the kids like to go to games

Picture with T.C. Bear outside the stadium.

We love that the kids enjoy going to the games with us, it makes for great family adventures and lots of fun for everyone.

Royals game {Date night}

In early June, the Royals were in town and we had planned to make it to a few games.  We really love going to the games and supporting our "home" team!

I lined up a babysitter for the first night and we made it a date night.

First up was dinner out at a bar and grill we hadn't yet tried in downtown, near the stadium.  I had purchased a Groupon there awhile back and it was getting ready to expire so this was perfect timing to use it.  There was also a World Cup soccer game on the big screen so we saw a little of that action as well.  We both enjoyed the food and drinks before heading over to the ballpark.

We met up with our friend Brandon and Laura.  They are both Iowa State grads, and Jason worked with Brandon at Sprint and now again at BCBS.  Laura is originally from Iowa and has family in KC, so cheers for the Royals too....and also the Twins, but it was good enough.

They were excited to have a night out too.  With 4 year old twins at home and Baby #3 due to arrive in July, I think they gladly took Grandma up on the offer to watch the kids while she was in town visiting.  Laura's mom is spending quite a bit of time at their house while they get ready to welcome Camden.  I loved catching up with Laura since it had been a while since we'd seen them.

 

 

We really enjoy the ballpark and the downtown location.  It makes for a great view and a very different experience than going to a game at Kauffman Stadium.  There is limited tailgating before games, unless you want to participate in a parking garage with business professionals coming and going from the parking area.  :)

Fun night with friends and a Royals win too!

Dear Baby Tiny {Week 20}

June 26, 2015

Dear Baby,

Well, here we are, already at week 20!  How in the world did that happen!?  First, let me say so sorry for not keeping a better journal about those early weeks of pregnancy.  It's funny how I thought about you all the time from the moment I knew you existed, but then it also feels like I just haven't had time to really think about you.  Makes no sense I'm sure, but that may help understand how we got to week 20 and this is my first official letter to you (not counting the sticky notes I have little bits of details jotted down on).  So, I'll play a little catch up….

Daddy and I were thrilled when it was clear that we were both ready to try and make our family complete.  I had known for a LONG time that FOUR is the right number for our family and I think Daddy has been onboard for some time, just keeping mama hanging and in suspense if we'd ever completely agree.  So just a few months after we decided it was time, you were right there in my belly, growing and changing our lives.

Here's the deal, mommy tracks her cycle and I was pretty confident on your due date but a lot has pointed to something earlier.  One early clue perhaps was (though I didn't realize it at the time) was the early, early onset of morning sickness (It was week 7 with your older siblings, but closer to week 4/5 with you).  It came on quickly and pretty strong.  Probably less actual vomiting than with your sisters, but sort of a constant feel of nauseousness.  It got better when I stopped taking the prenatal vitamins but still present until one day it just stopped.  Suddenly.  Weird and a little unsettling.  Things just felt different this time around….I should have been an expert, right?  Baby #4…but you were throwing me for a loop and making me worry a lot.

Another concern was I basically had ZERO soreness in my boobs which was probably the first indication of pregnancy with your siblings.  By the time I got around to picking a doctor and scheduling an appointment, at what I thought was 10 weeks, I was convinced I had miscarried and just didn't know it. I had tears in my eyes in the doctor's office and a huge pit in my stomach.  When the ultrasound tech asked how I had feeling, I started crying….I just had a bad feeling.  But, then we saw your little heartbeat and the tears were then of joy and relief.  So thankful for those few hand squeezes from your daddy at that point…and the box of tissues he knew I would need.

The ultrasound actually showed you were closer to 12 weeks along and they officially moved my due date up.  Now, though this is exciting and perhaps explains the unusual timing of my morning sickness, I won't get my hopes up about an "early" delivery.  A pretty long conversation has already happened with the nurse practitioner and the OB about my feelings toward natural childbirth and my history of birthing babies at 40+ weeks.  We shall see what happens, but I think it's safe to say we will get to meet you in November.

Of course daddy and I immediately started talking about names and even have been soliciting for suggestions.  We kind of have put ourselves in a situation where we need to focus on "L" names.  We can of course use the "L" name we had picked out for your big brother had he been a girl, but we are still looking for other options as it's no longer a "must have".  And, for a boy….we have a few we really like and will just sit tight to make any decisions just in case another idea comes along that really excites us.  The girls are requesting "Lollipop" as the name, but I don't think that will likely make the cut.  And, even middle names are a bit difficult to narrow down when a first name hasn't been decided.  Time will tell what "Baby L" or "Baby Tiny" will be called.  These are the two nicknames I like to use for you, though I haven't really mentioned them to many people.  Baby L seems obvious since it's sort of given your name will begin with an "L".  Baby Tiny seems fitting since there really is nothing tiny about you.

Mama seems to have gotten big fast this time around.  I know some of it is because you are my 4^th little blessing causing havoc in my body, but even considering that, I was digging out my maternity tops and even pants much sooner this time around.  At least I'm past that pudgy "I just look fat" stage and can gladly show off my growing bump.  J

Around week 14/15, late on a Friday night, around midnight, I had gotten up from the couch to return to sleep in my bed when I made a pitstop in the bathroom.  To my alarm, I started bleeding a LOT.  Gushing and clotting….probably one of the scariest things I remember.  I kept thinking, "I can't be miscarrying, it's too late for that".  But it was another moment where I had to ground myself and just remember all babies and pregnancies are different.  We called the hospital, decided that I wasn't cramping so would just wait it out…and we didn't know what we would do with the kids if we did decide to go to the ER.  Daddy was able to sleep some, I was not.  I continued to bleed and then experienced what I thought was cramping.  By morning and after about 2 hours of restless dozing, I knew we needed to go to the ER.  Daddy called Uncle Andy and Aunt Katie who graciously said, "we are on our way" and then made arrangements with one of Lesley's classmate's families to watch the kids while we headed to the hospital and Uncle Andy and Aunt Katie were enroute.

The ER visit was actually calmer than I expected.  Of course they are medical professionals and have "seen it all", but I felt very comfortable right away.  My blood pressure was through the roof, but the nurses and other staff were pretty great at making me feel as relaxed as I could.  The doctor was super sweet and kind and we just talked through scenarios and went to get an ultrasound.  A heartbeat!!!!  So thankful and more tears of joy.  But, no explanation for the bleeding and nothing could be done (which I knew) in the event it was the early stages of a late miscarriage.  The ultrasound on that day measured you as 14 weeks, 4 days and we headed home feeling relief.  Mommy got some sleep that afternoon and generally just took it easy the whole weekend.  Grandma Nancy and Papa Keith drove up and that was amazing for your siblings.  Kept them occupied and less stress and pressure for mama!  (Plus they scored a new swingset that weekend since Papa was able to help Daddy install it.)

The follow up apt with the doctor Wednesday of the next week included a long discussion with the doctor, checking for a heartbeat and more tears of thankfulness.  We had another appointment at about week 16 which included another ultrasound (we are trying to capture your smiles already!) and just another report that you seem completely normal and healthy, just a spot below the placenta that is probably causing the continued bleeding.  Nothing to be alarmed about (which is never easy for this worrisome mama to actually accomplish).

We are now just short of 20 weeks and going strong!  I feel better and better every day, and bigger and bigger too!  I switched over to the gummy prenatal vitamins which helped with the nauseousness and I'm trying to eat a little healthier…..though that one is hard!  Also trying to get a little exercising in the forms of walks and fit in yoga.  I greatly miss my prenatal yoga classes from past pregnancies and really need to make a better effort to get to a class at least once a week.

We won't be doing anything fancy for a room, just setting up a corner in mommy and daddy's room to start with and then move you into the crib where your brother is sleeping now.  Hopefully he is ready and willing to move to his firetruck bed by then.  If you are a boy, we'll likely just keep you in the same room as Levi.  If we get girl #3, we may consider moving the older girls into the same room and then having Levi take over Leah's room.  We shall see, no rush at this point!  Mommy loved having Levi in our room for so long and I think we'll do the same with you.  A king size bed would be nice though!  Some nights when the pack-n-play doesn't cut it, the bed gets too crowded.

We will need to get a new carseat for you.  Something new for #4!  Be excited, it will likely be one of the few new items you'll get in the coming years.

The biggest thing you should know at this point is we are EXCITED!  The girls cannot wait and your brother seems to kind of understand the baby concept.  It's hard to fully comprehend that you are growing and will soon complete our family.  I'm sure the next several months will go by fast and likely slow at the same time.

Love you Baby!

Mommy

Dear Levi {20 months}

Yes, this is your 20 month letter but since I missed the previous 3-4 months, this photo is closer to 18 months.  You look like a baby rocking a baby.....hitting 20 months has really turned you into a little boy.

June 26, 2015

Dear Levi,

Well, sorry Buster but I'm pretty sure I missed your 18 month update or any sort of update for several months and here we are at 20 months…getting oh so close to that TWO year mark.  Time.  Slow.  Down.  You have turned into a little man right in front of me and as much as I love it, I also fear that we are soon saying goodbye to all these sweet baby and even toddler moments.  And, I've not done a good job documenting!  Ah!  So here it is, my attempt to get "caught up" on the current happenings in our sweet baby (no so much anymore) boy's life.

I'll just get all the general stuff out of the way.  You are mostly wearing 18-24 month clothing and also a lot of 2T.  We have been so, so lucky to get lots of hand me downs from cousins Landon and Luke and we for sure won't be running out of clothes anytime soon.  What a blessing for this busy mama to not have to shop (much).  You eat really well and love cheese, yogurt, pretzels, noodles, hot dogs, crackers, apple, rice, any sort of dipping sauce your sisters are using, will eat most vegetables and meat, drink milk but don't require all that much lately, and sometimes can easily out eat your sisters.  We eat "bite", "eat", "more", and the sign for please all the time.  You also LOVE desserts of all kinds.  For breakfast, you like either oatmeal or cereal with the most likely request being cheerios AND kix in the same bowl with milk up at the counter.  You have to be like your sisters and sit at the counter.

Sleeping is pretty fantastic.  We are very blessed with a great bedtime routine right now and love that you aren't really attached to either mommy or daddy, just your blankets and ba-ba (pacifier, we have no idea where you got that name for it).  We sometimes rock before bed (for mommy's sake) and read a book, or we will just give kisses and hugs, and put you in your crib and say night night.  Often you want a book in bed and we will hear you "reading" for several minutes before drifting off to sleep.  Some times when you just aren't quite ready to be alone in your room, you'll start yelling "Da-da" or "Ma-ma" and want a few more hugs, or even to rock.  Butr, we pretty much always put you in your crib awake and just pat your back and you are good to go.  Sleep all night, occasionally wake up looking for a pacifier but rarely these days do you require coming into our bed.  Some mornings you like to cuddle in our bed, and other mornings you sleep until we are up and getting ready.  I feel very happy about your sleeping patterns!

Books are a big love of yours.  You are you often very specific in your requests and right now your FAVORITE is "Little Blue Truck" known by you as "Beep".  There are also a few animal and baby books in your room/crib that you gravitate to most.  I think it's the ones with real photos that intrigue you.  You are the first of our kids to love books this much at this age, and it's great.

You went through a screaming stage for awhile but thankfully as your vocabulary (and our understanding of your vocabulary) has grown in the past few months, the screaming has lessoned.  You might think the screaming is no big deal, but it was pretty awful.  Super high pitched, loud and annoying to the point it would give us all headaches and we would just tell you to "stop!"…which of course rarely went over very well.  Now your vocabulary is getting better with lots of words.  We have also been working on a lot of animal sounds which is fun.  Another reason the "Beep" book is so awesome for you right now.  Daddy was telling someone you don't have many words, but when I started counting it was quite a bit ….and especially a huge increase over the last few months.  Thank goodness!

Being outside would always be your choice in activity if we let you pick.  Going on walks, walking around the house, playing on the swingset, digging in sandbox or splashing in the water table, drawing with sidewalk chalk, exploring the garage, watering the flowers, etc….these things could easily take up your entire day.  You are pretty good at riding in the stroller but you also are now liking to push the baby stroller.  Those walks are slow and a bit painful since your sisters aren't very patient about waiting for you.  While outside, you never miss the opportunity to point at airplanes and birds.  And we must acknowledge them too, "yes, Levi, that is a bird (or plane).  If we don't recognize what you have noticed, you just keep pointing, with a crooked little finger, and yelling "BIRRRR".  Funny, cute, and too often overkill.

Daddy took you on your first visit to the ER on your oldest sister's 6^th birthday.  Daddy was in charge that day and while up at the school to pick big sister up and wasting time on the playground, you stepped off a platform and injured your leg.  We thought for sure it was broken but just strained.  It took a few days for you to even try walking on it, and a few weeks to get back to normal.  Boys, boys, boys…I've been told that it probably won't be our only trip to the ER for you.

Papa is still one of your favorite people.  Grandma Nancy gets you pretty excited too.  I have finally figured out that your word for Grandma is pretty much the same as Papa, just said with a little less excitement.  So, we have to pay attention to the amount of jumping and smiling and laughing you do when you say "Papa" to know whether you really mean Papa or Grandma.  Poor Grandma, though I suspect she is okay with it for the time being.

You love to tease us, especially your sisters.  You will steal something from them, turn away and run to hide.  At this point, it's pretty easy to corner you but your feelings do get hurt when we extract said object from your tight little grip.  A favorite is markers much to mommy's dislike.  Now that the house has a fresh coat of interior paint, we just can't have you running around with markers.  Pretty sure every piece of furniture has some sort of blue or black marker streak across it by now.  This is why we don't own nice things yet.

You, my child, LOVE your blankies and adore your pacifier.  It's a bit ridiculous honestly.  We have no idea why or how, but your pacifier is known as "ba-ba".  You need it to go to sleep and you wake up if it's missing in the middle of the night.  We try to enforce the rule that your blankies and your pacifier stay in your room in your bed, that is difficult at times.  Some evenings, between the time you get home and dinner time, you sneak upstairs and you snatch a pacifier and blankie.  Some nights you come downstairs with them, but often we will find you sitting at the top of the stairs holding 2 or 3 blankies and sucking on your ba-ba.  Then you get pissed when we make you leave them upstairs.  The pacifiers are going to be in the past very soon as we know it's time to rid of those.  Daddy will be in charge of that.  Don't worry Buster, Mommy won't take your blankies away in the near future…and perhaps ever.

Thankfully you are still do very well at Ms. Amy's house even though your sister is no longer there with you.  She is going to summer camp and a few other activities this summer before preschool and we were worried you would miss her.  But, every morning you are excited to leave with Daddy and Ms. Amy says you are happy most days and enjoy playing with your buddies Leo, Sterling, Adrian, Sawyer, Rafi, and even baby Amelia.

Turning into a little boy is tough for me.  You like to do thing independently, you sometimes fight the high chair or stroller or carseat, you don't want to be left out of anything your sisters get to do, and tantrums are never really all that fun.  I do love that if we ask your sistes a question, you often raise your hand and say "me!".  I also love the snuggles you still give me and the need for hugs and kisses at bedtime….or really anytime mommy says "I need a kiss".  I also love your opinion about what book to read or what plate to use.  Soon you will no longer be my sweet baby, but I sure hope you are then my sweet boy.

Oh Buster Pants, I think I love you more and more every day!  At this rate, I may run out of love……but probably not!

Love,  Mama



Wisconsin - Moose Jaw stopover

On our way to Milwaukee, we stopped at the Wisconsin Dells for lunch and found this gem of a restaurant - Moose Jaw Pizza Company.

It wasn't the best food or wait staff, but it was still a good break on our journey east.

The kids thought the hat were great and they were sure that Papa Keith would have loved eating their too.  Beer, pizza, and random moose!  (They of course didn't consider his new gluten free way of life.)

Seriously, even the delivery vehicles were funny.  We hope to explore the Wisconsin Dells in future years, and it turned into a good place to get out and stretch our legs and grab some food.

Abbys walk for wheels

The neighbors that live behind us have a sweet little girl named Abby who has some physical disabilities.  She is in a wheelchair and as she continues to get older, transporting her has become more challenging for her family.  So, a good friend and old neighbor organized a fun event hoping to kick start fundraising to allow the family to purchase a handicap accessible van.

 

We signed up and got our bright pink and bright blue shirts.  It was a hot day, but thankfully the walk wasn't too long and it was located at a fun shady park near the lake in town.

 

 

The organizers did an amazing job putting the events together!  Not only did they have the walk where participants donated money to support the family, but they also had fun games for the kids who could participate with just a $1 or $2, yard games for all ages, a silent auction with lots and lots of gift certificates for local shops, and even a smoothie guy selling some of the best smoothies we've ever had.

Lesley's good friend Nadia and her family were there and it was fun for the girls to walk/run together and play games.

 

The boys took full advantage of the playground including the sand pile while we waited for the walk to begin.  Levi had a blue shirt but it was about 10 sizes too big so we opted to just put it on him for the actual walk.

We ended up getting a few gift cards on the auction - one to a steak place that we planned to enjoy on our anniversary and another to a local salon where I have gotten my hair cut once before.  Both will be useful and both purchases will help Abby's family get the van they very much need and deserve!  It will be an exciting day when we see the new van in the neighborhood!

 

The Cousin's came to visit!

In mid June, we were lucky enough to have all the Anderson girls come to visit us.  Jason was out of town for the weekend at a wedding back in Tulsa, and Uncle Mike was fishing with his buddies so it seemed like a good weekend to get together and let the cousin's play.  The best part was I kept it a secret from the girls so they had no idea their cousin's were coming.  What a fun surprise when they got to the house!

  

We have lots of options for things to do around us, but decided a trip to the nearby zoo was a great choice.  It was actually raining that morning, but we waited it out and headed over mid morning after a quick grocery store stop to buy some food to take along for a picnic.

 

 We opted to go to the aquarium first while it was still a little drizzly out.

 

The Minnesota Zoo has a few Hawaiian monk seals so we stopped to watch the show and grab a snack.  Our attempt at a group selfie while we waited for the show to begin.  Not too shabby!

 

The aquarium is not large by any means, but it's still a really nice display and a great place for us to be while it finished up raining outside.

 

We had to experiment a little with the younger kids and quickly figured out that Levi was happier in the back carrier and Loryn was best in the stroller, opposite how we started.  It also freed up our second stroller for Lyssa to crawl in and out of as she pleased.

 

Levi liked being at eye level much better than sitting down in the stroller.  The kids really liked the sharks and Leah was thrilled to see the turtles too.

 

 

The girls have so much fun together and loved watching the peguins.

 

After the visit to the aquarium, we found a good spot to enjoy our lunch.  Sandwiches, fruit, and Cheetos!  And some dark chocolate covered almonds for the mamas at the end!  :)

Then we headed out on the trail to see what we could find.  With 2 adults and 6 kids, I thought it went pretty well.  The older 3 girls stuck together, the younger 2 were strapped in at all times, and Lyssa was just being Lyssa....doing her own thing.  I'd say it pretty much took 1 of us to keep track of her at all times (usually me since Aimee was pushing Loryn and carrying Levi).  She's not so much into the listening or following instructions mode.  She is for sure a special treat!

These girls can be so silly at times!  And, so much fun!

By the end of our trip, Loryn was completely tuckered out and Levi was "all done" riding in the carrier.  There is a play area in the plaza area where the girls ran around for a bit longer, then we were off for nap time.  Very much needed nap time....though I don't think it went exactly as planned.

We hung out around the house the rest of the day and Daddy came home that night.  After church and brunch the next morning, we found a park for the kids to play at before Aunt Aimee and the girls headed home.  A very fun weekend!  So glad we got to have that time together!

We are getting a "puppy" in November!

You will never guess what happened?  We got a puppy!  :)

Just kidding!

But.....WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER BABY!!!!

I made the kids all shirts which they thought were pretty cool.  They didn't know at the time there was another little shirt with a #4 on it.  We were about 10 weeks along (by mommy's due date estimate, not the doctor) when we told the kids, the day before Mother's Day.  We wanted to tell our family when we were visiting Iowa that weekend so we needed to spill the beans to the kids.

The kids were excited to find out what the 'gift' was inside the bag.

Lesley:  Mommy, is this what I think it is?  Really?!

Lesley:  It's a baby!  We are getting another baby.  Oh wow!

This is when Lesley was questioning how long we had known about the baby.  When we told her for a few months, she got kind of upset and kept saying "why didn't you tell me sooner?  You should have told me as soon as you found out."

Lesley was working really hard to get Levi excited.  And, it was really cute how excited he did get.

Look at Levi's face, he was clearly excited...though I'm certain he didn't really know what he was so happy about. 

This photo makes me so happy!  I LOVE how happy the kids are and how they are sharing in the experience this time around.

They did so good keeping a secret until the next night when Aunt Aimee, Uncle Mike, Aunt Katie, Uncle Andy, Grandma, Papa and all their cousins were finally together in one place.  The kids hid in the bathroom while Daddy helped them change their shirts, then they came running out carrying the sonogram pictures and #4's shirt.  No one believed they kept it a secret for over 24 hours, but their lips were sealed.  And were so happy to tell everyone!

These three are going to be awesome "bigs".  Levi knew quickly where the baby is and gives hugs and kisses frequently.  We are still working on "don't hit baby or kick the baby" during clothing or diaper changes....he just is not a patient little guy.

Now we are all trying to think of names for our little person.  I call the little one "Baby L" and it's pretty safe to say this baby will have a name that starts with "L".

We are all very excited and can't wait to meet our new family member in November!