New Look

I know what some of you are going to say! He is only 5 months old. He is only a baby. But it was time. Yes, for Collin's 1st haircut! His hair was super long and out of control. Craig has been saying for awhile that he needed one, and today I agreed. Craig gave it to him and did a good job. Collin sat there watching Camdyn and Carter like nothing was going on. Now he looks like a little man!

Little Dishwasher

Today after lunch as Camdyn was putting her plate in the sink, she decided that she was going to wash her plate. She washed her plate and then said if we bring her our plates she will wash them. So before I knew it, Camdyn had washed all of our plates from lunch. When should I start paying her allowance?

1st Run Together

Lately I have been trying to get back into running. Everytime I go for a run, Camdyn says that one day she can run with me. I am all for that. She loves to run, play chase, etc. We have spent lots of time running around the house; she is a pretty fast little girl. Today as I was getting ready for my run, Camdyn said that she wanted to go for a run with me. I said sure, go get your running clothes on. She got on her running clothes, socks, shoes and was ready to go. We walked to our starting point and started running. She started running and within 30 seconds she was done and wanted to turn around and go home. Although a little disappointed, I said alright and we turned around. On the way home she got distracted by some pretty red leaves that had fallen. We spent longer picking leaves off the ground than running. As we were talking on the way home, Camdyn said "I didn't run for very long." I told her that is alright, we can try again another time. Her response to that was "Yeah, when I am 13 I can try again." Secretly inside I am thinking by the time she is 13 she is going to be setting records. No pressure on her part, whatever extracurricular activities she wants to participate in, Iwill support her!

Collin Sitting

So Collin hasn't perfected sitting yet, but it takes a lot of talent to sit and laugh at the same time.

Collin - 5 months

Collin is now 5 months old! He continues to be a fun, laughing boy! He loves to hear his sister sing. If you want to really hear him laugh, watch Camdyn sing to him. It is so cute. We fed him some cereal for the 1st time a couple of weeks ago. He did alright, but it took him a couple of times before he got the hang of it. He has also tried sweet potatoes and loves them. He is almost sitting up. He can sit for close to a minute before falling. Collin is now about 18 pounds, right where Camdyn and Carter were at this time. Enjoy the pics!

Bridge

The past few weeks, Craig has been making trails through the woods. He spotted a place that needed a bridge, so a couple of weeks ago we decided to make it a family project. Using some logs from some trees we cut and some scrap lumber, we built the bridge. It may sound like a daunting task, but it only took a couple of hours to build. The kids did a great job helping. Camdyn was by Craig's side the entire time. Carter got a little side tracked after awhile, but did a great job helping. The kids love to go through all five trails; they all have names including the Hobby Lobby Trail. (named by Camdyn) Next time you feel like a hike, come on out and bring your hiking shoes!

Halloween

Here are a few pics of the kids at halloween. This year Camdyn was a monkey (the same monkey that she was last year), Carter was a dragon and Collin was a turtle.

One tired boy

This past weekend Scott and Heather Bedichek and their girls came up. They stopped by for a little while and the kids got to play. Carter and Avery played well together. The bottom photo is Carter asleep on the kitchen floor. During all the chaos, he found a quiet moment to take a snooze.

Pumpkin Patch

The other day we went to the pumpkin patch with Chrissey and her kiddos. We had a great time. Lots of fun things to do. The kids had a blast feeding goats, riding a pony, running around on big hay bails and going on a hayride.

Camdyn & Collin

Camdyn is usually good with Collin. She definitely knows how to make him laugh. He loves to be sung to. His eyes just light up. Sorry for the side view. I didn't want to distract him.

Collin - 4 months

Collin is now 4 months. He weighs close to 17 lbs. This month he has become so aware of his surroundings. He loves to laugh. His sister is good at making him laugh. He likes to have one finger in his mouth. Collin is still not rolling over and is really not close, but we are working on it.

Camdyn - 3 1/2 months

Here is Camdyn at 3 1/2 months. What do you think now?

Carter and Collin

The top picture is Collin a week before 4 months and the bottom picture is Carter a couple of days before 3 months. Any similarities?

Collin Laughing

C - Off the wall

Here are some pics of the wall that I built. I put some kids in one of the pics to give a size reference.

Stats:
650 Blocks at 85 lbs each
140 Cap blocks
72 cubic yards of backfill (that's 6 dumptruck loads)
165 feet long
1 hot summer


I'd like to give a special thanks to my build crew: My Dad, Alex, Laura and two very little helpers. Thanks guys.

Bubble Bath

Today while playing in the rain, Camdyn and Carter decided to blow some bubbles. They loved playing in the rain and making bubbles.

Ready To Play

I guess Carter is ready for Collin to play. I thought the top

pic is cute with Collin holding up one finger.

Collin - 3 months

Collin is now 3 months! What a fun month it has been! He is such a happy and smiley baby. He is always ready to give a smile. He has definitely made the transition to three kids easier. He is a pretty predictable baby; awake 2 hours, asleep 1 hour and eating every 3 hours. After our trip in August, he began to sleep in his room. He has done great in his crib. Collin continues to chunk up weighing 15 lbs 10 oz. The pediatrician pointed out that Collin has a flat head on his left side. I noticed after she said it. As she was talking, I realized everytime he is sitting he is always looking to the left - in his car seat, in the kitchen, etc. Now we have moved him, so he is always looking to the right. If the problem doesn't correct itself, he will have to wear a helmet. Yikes!

Mini Vacation

Last week we took a little vacation to visit family and friends. We left a week ago Friday to go to Kansas City, Missouri where we met my brother and his wife and their 6 month old, who we hadn't seen. My brother lives in St. Louis and we thought we would meet them there and go to a Kansas City Royals baseball game. My parents and my brother already had plans to go to the baseball game, so we decided to mee them there. The game was fun. The kids had fun and did well. After the ball game, they had a spectacular fireworks show. It was definitely worth staying for.

On Saturday we left Kansas City and went down to a small town in South Central Missouri (West Plains) to see some college friends. We stayed there for a couple of days. They have a 4 1/2 yr old girl and a 1 1/2 yr. old boy. Camdyn and Jayna played great together. On Tuesday we left West Plains and drove to Springfield to see my grandma. As you can see in one of the pictures, the kids crashed once we got to her house. We had a nice visit with her and some good cooking! On Wednesday we headed back home, where we are still trying to recover from lack of sleep.

Kiddos

You would think after almost three months of new baby, that the newness would go away. Not so much. Almost every morning that is the first thing they ask for "Where is baby Collin?" Anytime Collin is on the floor or on the couch, they are right there in his face. He is one loved boy!

Wall - still in progress

A couple of weeks ago Craig rented a tractor to help the wall building process go quicker. He made some good progress until he ran out of gravel and dirt. He had several good helpers. Camdyn and Carter helped part of the day as you can see in the pictures. Camdyn enjoyed riding in the tractor with Craig until he dumped dirt on both of them. Alex, my brother-in-law, came over and helped too. Thanks Alex! Hopefully one more day with the tractor and it will be mostly done.

Carter's hat

Every time we go outside to play, Carter always finds his favorite hat to wear!

Craig's Project

One of Craig's big projects is to build our retaining wall himself. He started at the beginning of the month, trying to to get a good start before his Dad came. He got the first couple of rows complete before his parents arrived. This week Craig and his dad completed another level, along with lots of shoveling gravel for back fill. Craig is now waiting for more stones to come, before he can continue. Thanks Bruce for all your help!

Collin's 1st Smile

Collin was just over 5 weeks when he smiled for the 1st time. He had just woke up and I sat down with him. He looked right at me and gave me a big smile. It was so unexpected, I nearly cried. I love seeing his big smile everyday!

Collin - 1 month

Here are some pictures of Collin during his 1st month of life. He is now almost 7 weeks. So he has changed a lot in the last couple of weeks. At one month he weighed 11 lbs. 11 oz. - chunky like his brother and sister. He has been a great baby for us. By the end of the 1st month he was sleeping 6 hours at night. Camdyn and Carter still can't get enough of him.

Camdyn's 4th Birthday

We haven't been able to access our internet for the past 10 days. Here are some pictures of Camdyn's 4th Birthday! We had a backyard water party. For her cake, we dipped some ice cream bowls in white chocolate and decorated them with sprinkles. We stacked them and put candles on top. Camdyn had a great time! Her expression while we sang Happy Birthday was great! She didn't know what to think of all these people singing to her. Thanks to Kerri for some great pictures!

Fun Picture

Cousin Hunter Visits

Last weekend my sister and her family from Colorado came to visit us. They have a 2 1/2 yr. old and a 6 month old - Hunter and Briley. Camdyn and Carter had so much fun with them. All of the cousins were together except for my brother's baby, Chase, who is 4 months old.

Collin - 3 weeks

Collin is now 3 weeks. In a way it seems like he has been around forever. He has been a great baby for the most part. The last couple of days he has been awake more, so he has been a little more fussy. Camdyn and Carter love him. Camdyn has done great. She has been a big help and enjoys holding him.

Father's Day

This picture was taken on Father's Day. This is the best picture that we have taken with three or more of us in a picture. I don't think it is possible to get a good picture of all of us. We got Craig a shirt for Father's Day and shortly after he put it on Carter spilled coffee on it. Craig wasn't very happy. (that is not the shirt we got him)

Carter napping

This is how I found Carter the other day after I put him down for a nap. His feet were under his dresser and his head was under his bed. Luckily, I went in his room shortly after he fell asleep.

The arrival of Collin Scott

He is here!!

Collin Scott

8 lbs. 7oz.

19 inches

Born at 1:33am

April/May Pictures

Here are some pictures from the last month or so. Baby update - we are inducing on June 2nd - if I make it that long. I probably will, but I am really hoping he will come before then. Craig finishes up his summer school class this Friday. It would be ideal if the baby waits till at least Friday, but that will make a long week for me. I am doing fine as long as I don't do anything. I am sleeping fine for the most part. There has been two or three nights where I lie awake for a couple of hours, not being able to sleep, which is unusual for me. Hopefully soon we will post pictures of the new one!

Big Boy Bed

This past week we made the big transition (at nap time) from crib to bed. We were going to make the transition when we moved, but for some reason we didn't and it has worked well. He has done great, staying in his bed until he wakes up then he will come out of his room. In the next few weeks we will make the transition at night. I am excited to get him out of the crib.

Cute Pics!

Spring Break, sprinkler system, Easter, etc.

Over spring break, we decided to spend a night in Tulsa and let the kids swim and then the next day go to the Tulsa zoo. Camdyn loved the swimming. She swam from the time we got there (about 4:00) till 10:00 with the exception of dinner. The next morning she swam for about another 1 1/2 hours. Carter on the other hand liked to be in the water, but he was content sitting on the stairs. Occassionally he would go out for a quick swim, but would be happy when he returned to the stairs.

Craig has been busy doing outside work. He installed our front sprinkler system before we moved in and has been working on the back the last couple of weeks. Camdyn has been by his side as much as she can while he has worked on it. She loves being outside digging in the dirt.

The other group of pictures is of Easter and Quin's B-day party at the zoo.

Kid Pictures

Now that the house is complete, I will post some pictures of the kiddos. These are some random pictures of them during the last month. Most of them are random pictures, although there are a few pictures of Carter's 2nd Birdthday!

Furnished House

Here are some pics with furniture in the rooms. Most things are in their places. We still need to buy a dresser for Carter's room, therefore his room is a little empty. He is still sleeping in the crib in the baby's room. Hopefully he won't be confused. Now I just have to convince Craig that it is okay to put holes in the walls. (for wall decorations)

House Complete!

After 7 months, our house is finished! We moved in on February 26th and have loved being here. Most everything is unpacked and put away. If you look in our garage it doesn't look like it, but it is mostly garage and shed stuff. We can park our cars in the garage for the first time in almost two years! The kids have adjusted well. The night we moved was pretty rough for Camdyn, but she has done well ever since. We have already had guests. The first weekend my parents came down for Carter's birthday and the next weekend Melissa (Craig's sister) and Alan came down. Enjoy the pictures!

Tool Time

Last weekend I went to Ada, Ok to do my semi-yearly scrapbooking. While I was gone, Craig took the kids to Lowe's (Sorry Travis). While he was there, the kids craft was going on so he decided to let them create it. That day they were making tool boxes. They each came home with their own tool boxes, a Lowes apron, safety goggles and a certificate of completion. We may start taking advantage of more of the Dad and kids Saturday mornings at Lowes.

More Home Updates.

Last week the tile was started and is almost complete except for the tile that we were short. The fireplace stone was also completed and the porches poured. Today the plumber finished his work which included the faucets, master tub, toilets, water softner, etc.

IT'S A . . .

BOY!!!

Yesterday I had my ultrasound. Everything looks really good. We are excited, especially Craig. Now he will have two boys to help at the land.

Countertops Installed!

Yesterday the countertops were installed and they look really good. We are happy with how everything is coming together. Tomorrow the tile work should begin. We are hoping that the tile choice looks good with all the other choices we have made.

More Progress!

Things are coming along really well on the house. While we were in California the trim caprenter was working on the house. I was surpised when we got a call the day after Christmas and the trip carpenter was working. Yesterday he finished his work. All the cabinets are installed, the interiors doors are in, the closets are complete, the crown molding and the base boards are done, and the stair railing and fire mantle are up. There was a lot of things that the trim carpenter had to do and we are really pleased with his work. The pictures are the ones we took before he was done, so we don't have pictures of the the fire mantle and some of the other things he completed. The septic sytstem was also installed within the last couple of weeks. We now have all utilities running to the house. Today after school we went out to the land to clean up so the painters can start their work tomorrow. The porches and driveway are to be poured on Monday. This past week we have made our final major decisions for the house, the hardware and the lighting. The lighting was my least favorite thing to do. No completion date set yet, but it will be here before we know it. Yeah!

Christmas ' 07

This year we flew to California for Christmas. It was Carter's first time on an airplane and Camdyn's 3rd. Camdyn was so excited! We left on Christmas Eve morning, arriving in California at 8:30 a.m., making for a very long day. That evening we opened presents and Christmas Day morning we opened stockings and later that day had our Christmas dinner. We mostly relaxed while there, although we went up into the mountains one day. Camdyn loved that. It was actually cold in California. Most of the time when the kids played outside, they had to wear their coats. Not what we were expecting. We stayed there for 8 days. We had a late flight out the day we left, which we were delayed a total of 3 hours. We even boarded the plane once, went out on the runway, sat there for about 5-10 minutes, before heading back to the gate, having to get off the airplane and board another one. By this time it was 10:00 p.m. California time (midnight Oklahoma time on New Year's Eve). We finally arrived home about 3:00 a.m. just in time to get about 4 hours of sleep and head off to Springfield, MO to my grandma's house to have a rushed Christmas with my family. We stayed there one night and came back home. We had a great time seeing family. Camdyn and Carter had fun playing with their cousins and meeting their new one Briley McCall born on December 11.