Gabriel

Gabriel is 5 yrs old, I don't even know what to say. It snuck up on me.

The little man is 41 lbs and 3ft 4in tall.

He is starting Kindergarten this year which is just totally crazy! We have been working on math.

Counting, addition (he uses his fingers), subtraction (more fun with M&M's), and even counting by 5's.

We are also working on his letters. He knows the alphabet but has trouble recognizing some of the letters. Hopefully we get there soon. He knows all the letters in his name really well its those pesky ones that aren't that we have trouble with.

I am also trying to get him to eat faster too. He is just about the slowest eater you will ever meet, but I have a feeling that the school isn't going to let that slide.

Now for my worries, he has so many food allergies that I am concerned about him eating next to other kids that could be eating peanut butter. I also am afraid of someone trying to switch lunches or something. Oh the horror. It's not like he is just allergic to one food, it's like eleven! I just need to put on my brave mommy face and pack his epi pen and make sure everyone knows about it and how to use it but ahhhhhhhhh. I will give him credit though if you tell him "this has wheat in it" or "this has eggs in it" the first thing he says is "I can't have that". He just needs someone to know what is in it.

The thing is, I am sure he will be fine, it's just the over protective, nervous, mommy that cant handle it.

We did just take him to the allergist and knocked out a few of his allergies off the list so we are working in the right direction. I am so excited and he's been trying new foods!

Mommy loves you baby boy!

Christmas Decorating

I am normally am very ready for Christmas and all of the decorating but last year the radio stations started playing Christmas music right after Halloween and it really messed with my brain. I wasn't ready for it to start and it made me kind of Scrooge like. We'll this year with thanksgiving being so late and the radio stations backing off until the week of thanksgiving, it helped give me the time I needed. We had thanksgiving and the long weekend so we set up the tree it was really nice. Gabe was excited to help and I think that really got me in the mood, kids can be really good spirit lifters.

The last few years we have had blue, green and purple ornaments so when I found, all of this for $10 I was really excited.

New Beds!

The boys have all been sleeping in toddler beds which have the same mattress size as a crib. They all still fit but I think Shawn was getting close to being to big for his.

 Recently we got them all twin size mattresses but they hadn't been able to use them because their room just isn't big enough for three of them. We'll over the weekend we bought them a bunk bed and got it all put together so they can use their new beds.

Needless to say I think they really liked them.

They haven't decided who is sleeping where yet. I think they all kind of want the top bunk. As long as they don't fight they can sleep in a different bed every night if they want.

Veterans Day Parade

Now that Shawn has entered first grade he is old enough to join Cub Scouts. I am pretty sure Patrick has planned for this since Shawn was born. They were both excited to go sign up. Any way the time has come and he is officially a member.

Yesterday he did his first big thing as a scout he marched in the Veterans Day Parade.

Here comes the pack

Gabe, Wesson and I had a great time watching the parade and looking for Shawn and Patrick to march by.

Fall colors

It's Fall and everyone is talking about it. There are pictures all over facebook and Instagram. For such a wonderful time it really should last longer. The leaves change colors and then they are gone. It would be so nice if we had a whole season of beautiful trees rather than just a couple weeks.  I love fall and I have noticed that I enjoy it more every year.

There are so many vibrant and beautiful colors. I really do love all the pumpkins, and mums everywhere.

Gabe really likes the colors too. He came home the other day and said "Mommy, me and papa were driving and we saw lots of pretty trees they were red and orange and yellow and green. They were pretty but not as pretty as you." In case you were wondering, yes my heart totally melted. 

Pumpkin Festival!

I have taken Gabe to the Pumpkin Festival every year since he was born. It is something I look forward to every year. I always take his picture next to the biggest pumpkins we can find. I love looking back on the pictures from every year and how much he has grown!

We had a lot of fun this year. He made a car and played on the playground and found an inflatable pumpkin man that Gabe thought was awesome!

He has gotten so big. I love traditions! This is one of my favorites.

WOW 4 & 7 Already!

October is a big birthday month in our house.

Wesson White

Shawn Patrick

Wow really explains it all. As their Step-mom their birthdays are a little different for me, just because I wasn't there when they were born, but at the same time, I was in class with Patrick when Shawn was born and remember him being the proud daddy showing his baby's picture around. I remember being on Facebook and watching Wesson crawl across the floor for the first time.

When Patrick and I started dating Shawn was 4 and Wesson was 1. It's crazy to look at them and think about how far we have all come, in the last 3 years together.

We love you boys! 

Happy Birthday!

A trip to the cabin

It's a peaceful place in northern Missouri that Patrick and the guys refer to as the hunting lodge. They go there to fish and hunt and do manly things. I go up once or twice a year and enjoy the peace and quite and the gorgeous scenery.

We'll we broke it lol. We brought the kids up with us. Peace and quiet I did not get, but hey we had fun. Me and the 7 Male types.

Here is Gabe in the tractor. Wesson didn't stay put long enough for me to get a picture. They were so excited about the huge tractor.

The big boys being Patrick, Chris and Greg were more concerned with getting a new roof on the Cabin.

We mostly working....there might have been a small photo shoot :)

Here are the rest of the guys shooting stuff, while the roofing was happening. Tony, Scott, Shawn, Gabe and Wesson.

And there was some fishing of course.

Life

Wow it has been so long since I have updated this blog. Honestly other than home renovations there hasn't been much going on. The other renter did move and the house is ours. We have been working our butts off fixing different things around the house. This is out other blog if you want to see what we have been doing with the house. http://rutherfordhomestead.blogspot.com/

In the meantime I've stayed busy with work and school as usual.

Patrick got a new job! He's working at Menards now.  We were so excited to have two incomes again. 

I took Gabe to the dentist for the first time. First they cleaned my teeth and Gabe was right in my face watching everything they did. Then it was his turn he got in the chair and they counted his teeth and gave him a new toothbrush. He was really excited and he told everyone for the next week how he had 10 teeth on top and 10 teeth on bottom. I'm so glad it went well!

Shawn started first grade. I think his favorite part is that he is old enough to be in cub scouts now.

Taekwondo

Shawn has been in taekwondo since Santa gave him lessons for Christmas and the boy loves it. About a month ago we took him to his first tournament. He was still only a white belt and they put him in the novelty division (everyone got medals). It was a great experience for all of us. I enjoyed seeing what he has learned and what the older kids are doing.

He didn't place but they gave him two medals and he was thrilled. We went out for pizza to celebrate.

Last week he did belt testing, and he got an 8th grade orange belt! He is moving right along.



The Belt Ceremony



With his Certificate

Way to go Shawn :) We are so proud of you!

A little piece of heaven

Recently Patrick and I have come across a great opportunity to finally have some land. We both have wanted some land where we can just let the boys go out and play. In the neighborhood that we are in now that just isn't feasible at least not with the two younger ones.

 My grandmother lives on 4 acres of land and wants to have us live on it with her (different house). I have been dying to have some more space. So this way we will be gaining a bedroom and a bathroom! I wont lie the bathroom is a pretty big plus in my book, me and four boys all sharing one toilet is not my idea of fun. The house is a fixer upper but hey that just means I will have home improvements to Blog about.

I think Patrick is just in it for the pond and chickens lol. We are just looking right now but I do see some feathered friends in our future.

We are out there on a regular basis anyway so it all just makes since. It all has happened pretty fast, and we aren't exactly sure when we are moving but some time soon I think. There is so much to do.

Can you tell that they love it?  :)

A Fishing We Will Go!

This weekend Patrick, Gabe and I went down to Bennett Springs State Park with the Groomsmen Scott, Chris and Greg. We had a blast there was of course a lot of trout fishing!

Gabe and I spent the day together while all the big boys were in the water. We went fishing, fed the fish, and played on the playgrounds.

I taught Gabe how to cast a fishing pole. I remember always fishing with my dad and how much fun we had, so being the one that got to show Gabe how to cast was really special to me. I hope that he remembers how much fun we had fishing when he gets big and  is teaching his kids to fish.

Gabe was pretty excited to learn, and all the people fishing near us were amazed that my little four year old could do that. I was very proud.

Happy Boy

It was a great weekend!

Snow Day

As the alarm goes off, I hear my little boy in the other room getting out of bed. I think about the weather forecast, anywhere from 1-12 inches depending on which one of the weather stations you listen to. I sit up to look out the window. Nothing not a single flake. I get up and start getting dressed, not even a min later I hear this huge gust of wind, I look out the window again and the snow is here just like that it blew in and attacked. It didn't take long for the road to be covered and for me to decide that the boy and I weren't goin anywhere. I can't believe how fast it's accumulating. It is continuing to cover every thing in sight. This storm is a little different than most, it's a thunder snow, at least that's what everyone keeps calling it, thunder, lightning and big puffy snow flakes.

Patrick decided to go to work and leave Gabe and I at home, which for anyone that knows him means that he took forever to get there due to pullin people up hills and such. I guess it's good as long as he's safe.

Gabe and I are having a lazy day. We did try to go outside got all dressed in snow suits and stuff but Gabe decided against it as soon as the tried to make a snowball, but at least he tried. So we have decided that some nice inside play in the heat of our cozy house is the way to go, some TV and some snow watching out the window.

We had a fun 4 day weekend and Gabe and I even shoveled the driveway.