"Appy Bir'day To Ooo"

The Birthday Boy!

Last Saturday we went to the first birthday party of the adorable Dawson. On the way home I could hear Carson talking away to himself. He wasn't trying to get anyone's attention, and I couldn't really hear him, so I wasn't paying attention. When we got off the freeway I could finally hear him and he was repeating over and over:
"Appy bir'day to ooo"
And then again today, nearly a week later I heard him doing it again! So cute!


What great picture of Travis with Emmett and Carson!

The Big Kid table (Avery, Hailey, Sienna, Brandon)

Pictures by our friend Amy

Caring for the Sick and Needy

Carer: Avery
Sick: Laurie
Needy: Carson & Emmett

I got food poisoning from last night's diner. (No I didn't make it) And I know it had to be food poisoning because Travis had just a bit of my food and he woke up with knots in his stomach too (although his got better quickly, while mine started at 3am and got much much worse).
I'll spare you the details of course.

Being stuck on the couch in some pretty significant pain, I was pretty useless in the Mom role.

Avery took over.

He made frozen toaster waffles for himself and Carson - without electrocuting himself, so that's a plus. I think the last waffle he did got stuck and left there.

At one point Avery informed me he was washing (the already clean) table for me. Later he told me he got paper towels to wipe up the water. Hmm, how much water and how many paper towels? Who cares.

During that time in the kitchen, Avery told Carson to "Stop your whining. Sheesh!"
A few minutes later I said, "It's hard taking care of whiny kids isn't it?"
I got a resounding "Yeah!"

A little later Emmett was screaming and needed to eat. I had to wait for the current bout of cramping to pass, and next thing I knew Avery came in with a bottle for Emmett. It was made in the rinsed out bottle from the day before, full to the top, with who knows what amount of formula in it, and I nearly dropped it when he handed it to me because it was ice cold.

What a sweet, caring boy Avery can be. I love that he took all that upon himself.

Thankfully, Travis came home midday to help and I was able to nap which helped some.

Dental School Winter Gala

The much anticipated, long awaited post... :)
Friday was the Marquette University School of Dentistry Class of 2009 Winter Gala. (Prom for dental school). Except way fancier. Apparently, through the years of school there are lots of fund raisers and acquiring of sponsors that pretty much all culminates in the throwing of a big party. And what a party. I guess this year's was the most expensive a class has ever thrown. $24,000! I guess good job to Travis' class for earning that much!

Before the night could start, thanks to my friend Laura for doing my hair!

The event was at the very fancy Phister Hotel (for some pictures of the fancy joint, go here. Thanks to Hailey for requiring these pictures of her Mom.) We got there during cocktail hour and took some pictures before heading into dinner.

My girl Kristel and I hamming it up:

the happy couple:

Some of the girls (missing 4 couples yet)
Kristin, Jessica, Jenni, RaQuelle, Laurie & Kristel

Most of the guys (2 couples still MIA)
Rob, Guy, Todd, Travis, Travis, John, Aaron, Mike:

Kristin, Jessica, Laurie, Kristel, Jenni, Erin, Amy, Sherri, RaQuelle,
and all we're missing is Lacey!

Then it was time to head into the ballroom for dinner, which was super yummy. The only bit that didn't match the fancy ballroom, table setting and food were the guest gifts at the table. A cheap plastic bag with a big tube of toothpaste, toothbrush and floss. Huh, really? Didn't fit so well with the setting, but I guess we all got a laugh out of it! (there's a picture where you can see the bags if you follow the link to see the pictures of the place)

Here's one of the many chandeliers from the ballroom:

Just hanging out after dinner:

Sherri, Kristel, Laurie and Jenni:

Some silly friends, Jenni, RaQuelle & Kristel:

Travis DANCED with me! Without complaint! TRAVIS! While we were out there, he did tell me to enjoy it while I could since I would probably never see it again...

I think Travis was enjoying himself that night...

Here's a picture of everyone that was there. I'd like to say it was the whole crew, but unfortunately I can't. We missed Jared and Wendy due to Wendy being only about a week from delivering.

Todd & Erin, Rob & Amy, Mike & Jess, Lacey & Anibal, Travis & Laurie,
Travis & RaQuelle, Kristel & Aaron, Jenni & John, Guy & Kristin, Eric & Sherri:

What a great night!!! We had so much fun with everyone! Dancing was especially fun - and entertaining... Todd... Guy... I need Jenni's video... hehe. Thanks everyone for being part of a great memory! Ah ha! Here's the video. Nothing like a little "Baby Got Back":


100% Sober from Jenni G on Vimeo.

I asked Travis on the way home if he had fun dancing with me. He said, "I had fun...(big pause) making you happy." SO SWEET! Seriously, what a great night.
Before we took all the pins out, Travis took one last picture of my somewhat rumpled hair:

He's a Rolling Stone

Last Thursday, at 4 and a half months old, Emmett finally made it over his pesky arm and rolled from his back to his stomach.

Four days later and he's rolling and pushing himself all over the place!

He headed over to the Lightning McQueen bean bag and sucked on it for a while, then took off again, picking up a pair of Carson's pants along the way, before stopping and having those pants for breakfast.



And one more thing from today.
Carson is NOT impressed with Emmett being in his seat. It may look like Carson is smiling and making Emmett laugh, but really Carson's trying to climb in and Emmett just loves any attention from his brothers.

Best Eater Ever

Today we sat down to try rice cereal for the first time. And Emmett was a natural! I remember with Avery and Carson that first bite was pretty much it for the first try.
I made an ounce of formula and added the cereal until I was happy with the consistency - and Emmett ate all but about 2 bites! AND he didn't make a huge mess pushing it out reflexively with his tongue as is so often the case. He ATE it! It was definitely the cleanest first feeding we've ever had! (Okay, I know this bite looks pretty messy, but that's my fault for paying attention to the camera.)
Of course, he's also expert at eating these:

Wet Toes

Can you guess Emmett's new favorite snack?

Can you imagine the abs we'd all have if we were
always holding our legs up like Emmett does?

And look! Here's a smile!

Senior Pictures at Book Club

Last night I hosted book club. We read Princess Academy by Shannon Hale and Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (we read more than one the month we do youth lit).
Since both books were high school aged, I thought it would be fun if the girls brought a picture from high school to share.
And for kicks, I'm going to share Travis and my senior pics with you as well.

Emmett's 4 Month appt.

Poor kid falls asleep playing, or at least without letting go of his toy...

Emmett had his 4 month appointment today.

He's 75% for his weight

And, just like his brothers, he's off the chart tall.

And his head is 90%... hm, I thought some of his tops were unduly difficult to get on...

Me and My Bros

Today I remembered I needed to find the suit that's in Emmett's size for him to wear to church. Haha! His size? Okay, so he got to wear the 6-9 month suit once, he's just too long. He even looks chubbier in this picture than he seems to me.

At least I got a decent picture of the boys all dressed up and all actually looking! No head swapping necessary for a change.

Frozen Bubbles at -16° (Yes, Below Zero)

The weather we've had here recently has been a tad cool. As in 20 below lows, highs around 3 below, and a wind chill of 40 below! In fact, the news says it's colder than they've seen in over a decade. So, my friend Mindy told me I had to take pictures of soap bubbles freezing. The instant I read her message I jumped right up to try. I let Avery go out with me that first time since I knew I would only be a few minutes and it was in the afternoon, at the warmest time of the day (a whole zero degrees!) But I wasn't quite happy with that first attempt. They froze without any problem, but they just didn't last long, they would pop - or rather crumple or shatter at the slightest. I knew it would be much colder the following morning, so I tried again as soon as I felt I had enough light on my north facing porch (it was windy, I need some shelter for the bubbles to not blow away too soon).

The bubbles proved to be much more durable at -16°. (I did NOT let Avery go out with me that time. The boys watched from the window.) Since the bubbles are blown with air obviously hotter than the outside, they like to implode. I think the colder air must make them freeze that much faster allowing them to be stronger against imploding - instead they just start to look like a balloon that doesn't have enough air keep the walls smooth, and often they crack under that pressure. What I wouldn't have given for a bubble machine!

The bubbles had a beautiful crystalline pattern. You can click on all the pictures to enlarge a little.

Here's a few pictures from my first attempt at 0°.

A tiny bubble that stuck to my snow pants:

It doesn't take long for the soap in the wand to freeze!

A crumpled bubble:

You know how blowing bubbles is a messy affair? Not in sub-zero weather!
It freezes right away and when you come inside it wipes off easily!

Yesterday morning's pictures (and a video) at -16°.

One more wand shot:

A bubble that smashed against my leg:

This large bubble adhered to the porch, which kept the wind from blowing it away...

...until the wind got too much for it and shattered it:

Here's a smaller bubble that actually stayed whole (no cracks) and it was just rolling around on the porch like a ball. The wind cooperated long enough to get some pictures:

Here's a closer shot:

And finally, since that little bubble was still there, I decided to take a video of me cracking it because it gives a better idea of what the frozen bubbles were like:


I was only out there for 11 minutes when I had to come in. My fingers were killing me! I had to wear gloves light enough to work the camera, and the news must not be joking when they say frostbite can happen in 10 to 15 minutes without proper attire in that weather! I can't imagine how long I would have lasted if I hadn't worn any gloves!

It gives me new appreciation for Travis. Last winter our car had to have a serious problem fixed. It took Travis 3 hours out in the garage when it was only 3° out!

Thanks Mindy for sharing such an awesome project with me! I wonder if I'll ever see temperatures that low again in my life with this being our last winter here, so I'm super grateful I got the chance to try that!

Monkey Feet

Monkey feet, courtesy of my gloves...

All Carson's idea.

The trouble was not letting Avery have a turn then because of course I didn't really want my gloves walked all over the floor. That was yesterday. Today he's been bugging me again for a turn...

Hubby Tag

HUBBY TAG

Where we met: Institute at Oregon State University

How long we dated before we got hitched: 9 months.

How long have we been married: almost 6 1/2 years!

What's my favorite feature about him: He's tall, dark and handsome - but with blue eyes!

What's my favorite quality about him: He's laid back enough to handle me.

What's his nickname for me: I guess sometimes he says hun or babe.

His favorite color: He's not that particular.

His favorite food: A good burger, Mexican, or my chicken enchiladas.

His favorite sport: He's not terribly into sports, although he rowed for OSU.

Who said the L word first: He did, I waited a little longer.

First kiss when and where: Um, first date. But he's so shy and he asked is such an adorable way and I couldn't refuse! :)

Favorite couple thing to do: When I asked him he just gave me a look. I don't think I'll answer that.

How many kids: 3 boys.

His hidden talent: I don't think his talents are all that hidden. I suppose he doesn't broadcast to the world how incredibly handy he is at everything.

His age: 28

His favorite music: Rock/Alternative

What I admire most about him: He's just so level headed and easy going and sure in his knowledge of who he is. Oh, and he's about to graduate from dental school, and having gone though most of his undergrad with him and with the trials of dental school, especially with a family fresh in mind, I have to admire all the work it's taken to get to this point.

His favorite pastimes: "Taking the sandrails to the dunes, working on/building anything in the shop, anything outdoors: snowboarding, hunting, fishing..."

Will he read his: Yes.

I tag...ooh, it's hard to choose, it's kinda a fun tag to do after all. In the interest of picking people I haven't picked before:
Laura M.
RaQuelle W.
Mandie P.

Two Day Tidbits

So I post a lot of pictures. I like pictures. The boys are making it even worse now that they're often asking for pictures to be taken...
Anyway, here's some tidbits from just the last 2 days! At least in this case when I say tidbits, this is all I have. It's not that these are just a small sampling of lots of pictures that I have to comb through, as is often the case!

Actually, here's something from 2 days ago too:
I came upstairs from doing some laundry and had to ask Avery, "Why is my door shut?"
Avery said, "There was an office guy with mean eyebrows and I put him in there. In the mixer. And my police dragon is going to eat him. I gave him a straw."
Hm, that sounds a little gruesome, Avery.
Oh. By the way, Avery's police dragon has been around for a while now. He's joined his other imaginary friend, Cory, a black lion, who I wrote about back in November. And apparently they're all, along with Carson, "police guys."

Yesterday Avery was very excited about the picture he drew. He said it's him kneeling. This was great because Avery just isn't into coloring or drawing. So I thought this was actually a high quality composition coming from Avery! So, he asked for a picture:

Emmett holds his bottle! Okay, so he's only holding it properly because he was half asleep last night. He likes to grab it, but he hasn't yet figured out that holding it in place instead of moving it all around gets his belly full...

This morning Travis plopped Emmett down all cozied up between Avery and a pillow. The two of them in their footy pajamas watching morning cartoons all snuggled up was too cute. Right when I tried to take a picture Avery jumped away explaining that he couldn't stand to smell Emmett anymore. Oh. Thanks for leaving me with that diaper, Travis. But I think this picture is funny because it says to me Emmett is laughing about driving Avery away with his stink:

This monkey towel was actually a gift to Emmett, but his head gets lost under the monkey's still, so we sometimes use it on Carson (who has a frog towel). Carson loves the monkey towel though and enjoys being called "monkey." He wanted his picture taken too:
Just like he posed with the bib the other day, this is him, unprompted, smiling for the camera. Considering how long Carson had such a serious face, I love that he's decided to give us his smile and poses for the camera!

Honest Answers about Mom...

I saw this on a friends blog and thought it would be funny to do with Avery.

1. What is something that mom always says to you?

You're handsome

2. What makes mom happy?

Making you (Mom) pretty

3. What makes mom sad?

When I'm naughty

4. How does your mom make you laugh?

By tickling me

5. What was your mom like as a child?
You're (Your?) Mommy

6. How old is your mom?

16

7. How tall is your mom?

17 points

8. What is her favorite thing to do?

Going to fun things

9. What does your mom do when your not around?

Just be alone

10. If your mom becomes famous what will it be for?

Lightning McQueen (I tried asking once more and got "A race car" okay, moving on...)

11. What is your mom really good at?

Playing board games

12. What is your mom not very good at?

Not doing my favorite sticker book

13. What does your mom do for her job?

Work on the computer

14. What is your moms favorite food?

Broccoli

15. What makes you proud of your mom?

Going poop in the toilet

16. If your mom was a cartoon character who would she be?

Minnie Mouse

17. What do you and your mom do together?

Play

18. How are you and your mom the same?

We love our family

19. How are you and your mom different?

My hair is different than yours because my hair is short and your hair is long

20. How do you know your mom loves you?

You love me because I'm so cute

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?

He gives you hugs

22. Where is your moms favorite place to go?

The movie theater

Strike a Pose

Yesterday Carson decided he wanted to wear one of Emmett's bibs. Funny enough, he chose EXACTLY the right one. This kid has a SERIOUS temper lately. In fact, earlier this week Travis called it when he said Carson had just thrown a 3-day long temper tantrum! Anyway, he wanted the bib on and then I asked if I could take his picture. What a ham! He said yes and didn't want me to stop! He even struck different poses for me!

Four Month Faces

Emmett is already 4 months!
He's laughing, "talking," trying to sit, grabbing toys and is all around lovable!


I also just realized the About us blurbs on the right haven't been updated in a long time, and there's nothing on Emmett. So, here's my update (not that much changed for Travis and me):

About Laurie:
I met Travis in Institute at Oregon State University in 2001 and we were married in 2002. We have 3 boys, Avery, Carson and Emmett. Currently we're living in Milwaukee, WI where Travis attends Marquette University Dental School, class of 2009. Hence the title having us here only until then! :) After that it will be back to Oregon! I love nature (especially the green kind), and I can't live without music. I love photography, but Photoshop even more. I love book club and back in OR I love going to the coast, the dunes, crabbing, and shooting in the coast range.

About Travis:
Travis is in his 4th year (and final semester!) of dental school at Marquette University Dental School. When he is finished we'll return to Salem where he'll join his father's practice.
Travis loves dentistry and is excited to be done with the school and their bureaucracy and to start practicing at a real pace.
Travis' accomplishments to date: a general handyman extraordinaire, general construction, pro concrete finisher, woodworking, fly tying, good general vehicle knowledge for fixing our cars, etc. etc. He's very useful to have around!
Travis loves going shooting, riding his motorcycle, woodworking, working on/fixing things, going to the Oregon dunes with his homebuilt sandrail, hunting, fishing, crabbing, snowboarding, and water sports.

About Avery:
Avery was born in Dec 2004 and is now 4. He loves being a big brother to Carson and Emmett.
When he grows up Avery still wants to be a dentist like Daddy, a policeman so he can get the bad guys, a doctor, a garbage man so he can ride on the side of the truck, a mechanic like Uncle Kevin, a construction worker, a fireman, and a super hero - which all of that will be "a lot of work." Avery has a great imagination.
Avery tells me what he loves: the snow, sledding, playing in the dirt (doing a lot of work as a construction worker) playgrounds, basketball, football, soccer, baseball, playing with Carson, making Emmett laugh, reading books, puzzles, riding his bike, going out to eat, the museum, “racing” around the house, racing on the new Wii, anything with an engine that's big (semi trucks, airplanes, and especially all the different construction equipment), being loud, and making mischief.

About Carson:
Carson was born in March of 2007 and is now almost 2 years old.
He loves his big brother and whatever his big brother is doing. He makes a great parrot to Avery. He loves his little brother Emmett and giving him kisses, rubbing his head and talking to him. He loves running. Carson's love of food has disappeared. He's very picky now, but not like a typical kid - about the only sure foods with him are fruits and vegetables! Carson loves anything that has wheels, anything that makes noise, chasing and being chased by Avery. Carson's talking skills and vocabulary are expanding dramatically every day now.

About Emmett:
Emmett was born in September of 2008 and is now 4 months old.
He's a happy little boy. After his sleep patterns were gettin naturally better and he slept through the night a handful of times, he started getting a lot worse. He's not my best sleeper of my babies. But he is very happy and loves to laugh. He's growing just like his brothers - tall. At 4 months he's wearing 9 month clothing. He's also like his brothers in looks. Travis even has a horrible time telling which kid is which when I show him baby pictures! Emmett has gotten very grabby and loves to gnaw on things... teeth soon? He has discovered his feet and I wonder how long it will be before they make it to his mouth too.