The Lechtenberg Family

Shameless advertising for Vine Street Child Care

2011-03-25T08:41:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know. I opened up a child care center, with my bestie Hollie, in October called Vine Street Child Care. It is going fantastic! And if I had more time I would tell you all about it. But being a mom of three boys and the co-owner and director of a new child care center leaves me little time for things like my blog. It is sad cause I do love the blog. I'm going to try to post more often. Short but important posts. Poor Gavin is getting the shaft! Here is few more of him to make up for it:)

Its been a long Time!!

2011-01-30T15:04:00.000-08:00

It's been to long since I've posted. With a new baby and a new business and the holiday seasons it seems like I have had zero free time for anything. But I will make time to post some great holiday pics of my boys. Here is Gavin's first Christmas photo shoot.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-08T07:38:00.000-08:00

A family of American Guys!

Iron Man Cameron

Captain America Sammy

Gavin the Pumpkin (of course:)

American Guy, as the boys call him, was our only new costume this year. Just couldn't pass up the Halloween day sales. Sam and Cam both loved the costume.

Gavin was all in for Trick-or-Treating. He was set with his candy collecting ghost. He soon realized that our neighborhood is fairly lame and decided the best use of his time to take a little nap.

Well rested after his nap, Gavin is ready to play while the older boys dive into their Halloween loot.

Baby Holden Gray

2010-09-18T18:07:00.000-07:00

TJ's brother Greg and his wife Betsy just had their first baby. Sticking with the true Lechtenberg style they had a little boy. He was born on August 27th at 1:04pm. He weighed 7 pounds 4.4 ounces and was 20 1/4 inches long. Here are some beautiful pictures of the newest Lechtenberg. We are so excited to meet you Holden. Congratulations Greg and Betsy. We Love You!!!

Happy Baby!

2010-09-07T14:19:00.000-07:00

This has got to be my favorite picture so far.
What a little cutie!!

Here are some more of the many faces of Gavin.

Cameron & Gavin

Happy smiles with Sammy.

Not so sure about the kisses :)

And one more silly one of my funny man Sam.
"I wike um wike dis Mommy!"

1st Grade

2010-08-27T07:44:00.000-07:00

Well, my little man is now a 1st grader. I can't believe it, he is growing up way too fast. He loved going school supply shopping especially since he got a new Transformer backpack and an Iron Man lunch box. He enjoyed his first week very much. He is excited for new things, like computer lab, and for old things, like art and library. I'm excited for Cameron's first grade year, I feel like he is going to grow and learn so much this year. Good luck Cam, we love you.

At his big 1st grader desk.

Little brother enjoying the first day of school visit.

Even Gavin was happy and laughing for Cam's first day.

I have made it a tradition to get Cam a first day of school present. This year he got an Iron Man quad. Very exciting!

The day wore us all out. Gavin especially had it rough, but a little thumb makes everything better.

Summer Time!

2010-08-24T06:38:00.000-07:00

Well its the last day of summer. School starts tomorrow. Although I am sad that it has gone by so quickly, I am excited for Cameron to start 1st grade. Here are some of the fun things we have been doing since Gavin was born.

The boys have discovered that they love to slide into the pool from the playground. They did this for hours and hours one day just having a blast.

Uh Oh! Looks like he is going to be a thumb sucker like his Mommy.

Who says you can't dress up for Halloween in the middle of summer?

Who says Buzz Lightyear has to wear clothes?

Random shot of Gavin that are too cute not to post.

Camping. Every year we go camping with TJ's family at Sugar Bottom near Iowa City. Gavin was only two weeks old, so me and him didn't spend much time there. Besides it was so hot, who goes camping in July anyway;)

On an early morning ice run with dad they stumbled upon the Devonian Fossil Gorge in Coralville, yeah, they still had PJ's on. I can't believe we never checked this place out while we lived in Iowa City, it was really cool.

Cam thought the water was a little stinky. According to him, as he gets older his sense of smell is improving, that fact kept him from wanting to go to the fair this year (hall of breeds, whew).

Checking out the Coralville Damn spillway, cool stuff, so much energy!

Cousins Jenna and Emilio playing in the dirt (beach was closed due to flooding).

The dirt and rocks provided much entertainment for the kids.

Aunt Steph with baby Gavin. Grandma Cathy with her newest grandson.

Aussie Cousins Tracy, Audrey, Peter. Sammy Chillin.

Cousin Jamison from AZ.

Dave participatin in his favorite camp activity. ZZZZZ.

Sammy, Jack (from GA) and Max (from OK) hanging out way too late at night.

Connor (from KS), leader of the cherubs, toasting a mallow.

Telling Mommy stories. It's so fun when they start to smile and coo.

Nap time with Daddy. TJ would often go lay down with Sammy during the day to get him to take a nap. And almost always he would end up falling asleep with Sam. Such a hard life. He is going to miss his afternoon naps now that school has started.

My precious baby.

Mo-Hawk fun in the tub!

No more mo-hawk for Sammy. We decided to buzz his hair down short for the rest of the summer. Poor kids sweats like crazy, this has got to be cooler for him. My little boy looks so much older with no hair:( And what a melon!!

Baby Gavin after a bath. Hes growing too fast.

So cute he is. Our little Mini Cam.

Big Creek Triathlon.

Gavin was way excited by his dad's tri.

At the park.

At the beach.

Photo Shoot.

Fountains of Fun!!

2010-08-07T09:29:00.000-07:00

Fun in the fountains at West Glen Town Center.

Gavin of course slept through the whole thing. Put me in my car seat and I am out.

Long after Sam had finished playing Cam continued to enjoy the fountains.
Cam's close up.

Fun With Baby Brother!

2010-08-07T08:52:00.001-07:00

Sammy just loves Gavin. He gives him kisses and hugs all day long. He even talks to him with this really high pitched baby voice. Ahh Gav!

Our Three Boys!

The biggest and the littlest.

My baby outfit that Cam picked out for me, and no longer fits:(

I'm a cute baby!!

Gavin Theodore

2010-07-06T14:35:00.001-07:00

We welcomed Gavin Theodore into our family on July 2nd 2010. He arrived at 11:13 am weighing 8.76 lbs and stretching 20.5 inches long. He is an amazing baby. Puts up with lots of love given by his older brothers and pretty much sleeps through the night. He is the perfect addition to our family.

Gavin's Birth Story. He wasn't due till the 4th of July, but I was able to be induced on the 2nd. We went in at 7:30 to Methodist West. If you are even thinking about giving birth here, you should definatley decide Yes! Beautiful building, brand new birthing suites, excellent room service and the best, most caring nurses! We had a great experience there. Anyway, at 8:30 my doctor came in and broke my water. By 9, the contractions started. They were long, 90 second to 2 minutes each, and hard. I went from a 5 to an 8 quickly. Once at 8 I stopped progressing so rapidly. After laboring for awhile they moved me on to my side to see if it would get him to change positions. It did! Two, maybe three, contractions later the pressure had changed and it was definitely time to push. This was right about 11 am and 13 minutes later Gavin was here. Oh and did I mention that the World Cup was on during my labor. Such a good wife I am. The Netherlands had just won right before I started pushing.

My parents came up on Thursday to be with Cam and Sam while we were in the hospital. They brought the boys up to meet their little brother that afternoon.

Sammy was in love the minute he saw him. He wanted to hold him and give him huggys and kissys. He was also willing to share his new happy meal toy.

Grandma Candy with her third grandson.

Papa and Grandma with their three grandsons.

Mommy and her boys.

Our first family of 5 picture!

Grandma Cathy and Grandpa also came to see their newest grandson. TJ's brother and sister are also expecting either later this year or early next. John and Cath are going to be busy with lots of new grandbabies for awhile! Aunt Normie, our favorite baby sitter, and uncle Dave also came to visit the new addition.

Gavin's first bath.

The boys were fascinated with the bath. They were very concerned because Gavin didn't seem to like it very much.

After the bath, he got to wear his own clothes. Cameron picked out this outfit all by himself for Gavin to wear at the hospital. He liked the dinosaurs.

Little TJ.

He has decided he likes the Soothie.

Getting spoiled by daddy.

Ready to go home. We left the hospital on the 4th of July. A rainy, humid 4th of July. It seemed weird to let him be exposed to all the elements so early in life, so I put on his hat and covered him with his blanket, he didn't seem to mind. In fact we have found that the child hates to be cold. Must be why I was so hot during this pregnancy, Gavin likes it warm.

At home Cameron is eager to be the big brother. He helps me get him out of the car seat and is the first one to hold him. Cam is the best big brother Sammy or Gavin could ask for.
Hugs from Cam.

Kisses from Sam.

Hangin with the big boys.

Welcome to the family Gavin.
WE LOVE YOU!

Summer Pre-Baby!!!

2010-07-01T06:45:00.000-07:00

Well, tomorrow we are going to become a family of 5. I'm being induced tomorrow, and I am so ready! I am already dilated to a 5 and 95% effaced, but they will still have to break my water before this little guy decides its time to come out. So this post will show all that we have been doing with our summer pre-baby brother.

Cameron's Last Day of Kindergarten!!

I can't believe that I now have a first grader. Cam loved kindergarten. He has grown so much since that first day of school. I can't believe all he has learned and the confidence that he has gained. He is growing up too fast for this mommy. Great job Cam! You are amazing!

SOCCER!

Cam tried soccer again this season. To be honest, this may not be the best sport for him, sorry dad, but he still had fun. He has decided that there is too much running, I would have to agree. He has found a new love for tennis though. Sam got some tennis rackets for his birthday, and although Sam's attention span for the sport seems to be a bit to small, Cam has really enjoyed playing. He's not bad either. Wimbeldon here we come!

The 2010 England Blue Team.

This face pretty much sums up the season. I think over all we may have won one game, not that they keep track. But it's not about who wins or loses, and luckily in this case its not about how you play the game either. It's about playing with friends, what kind of snack you get after each game and having fun!

Copper Creek Triathlon!

TJ is in full triathlon mode. Swim, Bike, Run! This was 2nd tri of the season. This tri is not very spectator friendly, its hard to get pictures of the swim and bike at this race, so run is what you will mostly see. Here we are after the swim & bike portion waiting for daddy to run by. Cow bells ready boys?

Go Daddy Go!!

Waiting at the finish line. Sam is way excited at this point, and mostly just pouting because I won't let them go to the play ground (conveniently located right next to the finish line) till after daddy finishes.

The end is in sight! TJ did awesome, placed in the top third of his age group and took 4 minutes off his time from last year. Nice work baby!

Sharing after race snacks with the boys.

Finally we get to play at the play ground.

Sam needed help trying to push over this tree. He was still not successful however.

One last shot before we go. Here is TJ at his bike in the transition area. I say, what a good looking husband I have!!

Playing outside!
It was beautiful after we got home from the triathlon and decided it was a good day to break in the sprinkler. Cam was all about getting wet, Sammy was quite content staying dry playing with trucks. Mom was loving the sunlight and the new camera. But man do my boys need a hair cut. Shagtastic!

Got Freckles?

Hy-Vee Triathlon.
TJ did the swim portion of the big Hy-Vee tri this year. He was so excited because it was going to be his first olympic distance swim. Unfortunately due to bad weather that was going to be coming in, they shortened the distance of the non-elite events. This meant that the swim actually turned out to be shorter than the length he usually does. But it was still a good experience for him. Never had he competed as a team before and hadn't participated in an event of this scale. His swim time was something crazy like 6:20 am, but the boys and I were ready when Norma came to pick us up at 5:50am to catch the shuttle down to the tri. On our way there we found out that the swim times got pushed up and we were afraid that even though we were on time, for once, we were going to miss his swim. But luckily we just barley got there to see him run in and actually got a picture of him coming out.

The very large transition area.

If you were down there at all that day, you know that the weather did come in as they predicted. We hung out for awhile after his swim, visiting the booths full of free stuff. But as soon as the sky looked like it was going to open up we headed out of there. Good thing too because it started to pour as soon as we got on the bus. We all got completely soaked just running to Norma's car from the bus. We waited out the storm and then headed back down later to watch the mens elite event.

On our way back to the shuttle we stopped to play at the play ground for awhile. Sammy and daddy had a fun time on the micro merry-go-round thingy.

And Mom even got a pretty new flower to bring home.

Hot Summer Nights.
He went to bed with a shirt on!?!

Swim Lessons.
Sammy experienced his first year of swim lessons. It was slow going getting him into the water, but after he realized that it was actually fun (thanks to a little nudge from Fireman Sam) he had so much fun.

Cameron was a pro and jumped right in. If only he was a little taller so he could actually reach the bottom like the rest of his class. He still loved every minute of his lessons and can't wait for next year.

Des Moines Art Festival
TJ had some student work in the art fair this year. We went to see the awards ceremony and check out some of the booths. It was very hot that day, and I was very pregnant.
Sam insisted on having pizza. We didn't think he would actually eat the whole huge slice, but he did, and drank a large glass of lemonade to go with it. He is obviously not Cam.

Cameron was content with his balloons and
his bag of kettle corn.

We didn't stay long as the day was getting hotter so we checked out the student work and headed for the comfort of AC!

Happy 3rd Birthday Sammy! May 23 2010!

2010-05-29T12:43:00.001-07:00

We have made it a tradition to go to Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo for Sam's birthday. This year was no exception. So for Sammy's big #3, actually the day before, we headed off to the zoo. The great thing about Sam not technically being 3 yet, is that he was still free for admission and all the activities at the zoo. Here are the boys with a fresh coat of sunscreen, hats and sunglasses, ready to beat the heat and enjoy a day at Henry Doorly Zoo.

Where did he go? Do you see him Sam?

There he is.

The first thing the boys wanted to see was the elephants, or elephant I should say.

We got there just in time to see him being fed. Cam thought it was a little weird that he ate the entire Banana, including the peel, all at once. Cam was not going to try that any time soon.

Right next to the elephants are the Rhinos. They were hard to see and the boys were disappointed, until we discovered the Skyfari. We finally have kids old enough to brave the heights of the open-air chair lift. And since we were, for once, with out a stroller we took full advantage of this being a mode of transportation from one side of the zoo to the other.

The other great thing about the Skyfari is it goes right over the rhinos. The boys were excited to see the rhinos in all their muddy glory.

It also gives you a great view of Monkey Island that is hard to appreciate from any other perspective.

The reticulated giraffe. One of our favorites. Such an amazing graceful creature.

One of our other favorites, the giraffe statue. Its a tradition for us to take pictures by all the brass statues in the zoo. Fun for all ages.

Giraffe statue winners from 2009 & 2008.

The Butterfly Pavilion. The perfect place for TJ to experiment with the zoom on his new camera.

Mommy & Sammy in the butterflies 2010.

Mommy & Sammy in the butterflies 2008.

Mommy with one in front and one in back!

The Polar Bear. Finally he was out for us to see. Every time we have been there he has been sleeping in his cave. This is Cameron's favorite animal, and the reason we first went to the zoo back in 2008. He was very fun to watch, swimming circles around his pool.

Someone threw a log into his water, not cool, which he didn't like at all. He immediately fished it out of the water and placed it on the rock. He then continued to swim circles again.

Gorilla Valley.

The boys had a fun time pretending to 'pout' like the silver back gorilla.

We missed the Gorilla statue this year, but here is the winner from 2009.

The Roseate Spoonbill.

Funny story. As we are walking through the atrium, Sam is running his hand along the railing. Never mind the teenage girl with the short, butt hugging, white shorts on. She about jumped out of her skin as she felt a hand run along both of her cheeks. Sam just keeps walking as she looks around for who may have just fondled her behind. I apologize to her and reassure her that the man is question is only 2 and more interested in the hand rail.

The Merry, as Sam called it. We caught the last ride of the day. It was kinda lame as they shut all the doors and you felt like you were riding around inside a very humid and stagnant Morton Building. But both boys still seemed to enjoy the ride.

Sam on the merry in 2009 & 2008.

Sammy's close up.

Too tired to walk up one last big hill, we opt for the tram. Not quite the steam train that we wanted to ride but didn't have time to squeeze in. Still good times and only 50 cents, except for Sam, who was still free.

The aquarium. The infamous self shot of Mandy & TJ.

We love this shot of Sammy in one of his rare quiet moments. And of course TJ's favorites, the jellies.

The Earth. A large granite globe that sits on a high powered water fountain that allows the globe to move in any direction.

The Lion Statue.

ROAR!!!

Sam wanted to be like all the other hicks and walk around the zoo half naked! Seriously, when did it become okay for grown men to walk around a public zoo with no shirt on? What really happened was as we were walking to the car Sam was attempting to drink out of a wide mouth Nalgene and walk at the same time. The result was a very wet shirt that Sam was not a fan of. So we took it off as we were already on our way to the car where a dry shirt just happened to be waiting.

But for some reason, when you are half naked and in the zoo parking lot you turn into a ferocious tiger.

The next day, Sam's actual birthday, was a little more low key. He got to choose whatever he wanted for breakfast. He decided on a Poptart and apple juice, very easy to please. We then went to Toys R Us to let him look around the store. Both boys were really good while we were there. Not once did they ask for anything. We spent almost two hours in the store letting the boys wander around and look at all the cool toys. As we were leaving, dad took the boys out to the car and mom purchased a few of the toys that Sammy had been most captured by, plus a few extra items for baby brother. That evening we headed over to aunt Normie's for dinner, presents and cake.

Even though Grandma Candy was not there to celebrate with us, we had her present that she left at our house before she left on her trip to the Virgin Islands. It was this fabulous Twinkle Twinkle Little Star book where she could record her voice while reading each page. It is very precious and has become one of our most beloved books.

Normie and Dave got Sam two tennis rackets and balls. There is a whole story behind this gift of how one time when Normie had the boys at the park they sat and watched with pure fascination people playing tennis. The guy, who happened to be a tennis coach, even gave them some balls (and of course his card if they wanted to take lessons;) So Normie got him a set of rackets for him and who ever his component might be. We are excited to take him to the local park to see how well our little sports player does.

From us he got a spider man hop-n-bop. One of those big balls with the handle that you sit on and bounce around. In this picture he has no idea what it is, but the enthusiasm is real non the less.

He also got a track for his race cars and a new Hot Wheels semi trailer. He even commented how he had played with those in the store and then there they were. Its must have been magic.

Cake! I don't know why I bother to make the child cake. He doesn't really like cake and is scared to death of candles. So not only will he not eat it, he was actually scared of it because I put one little number 3 candle on it, that didn't even get lit. He did enjoy the Birthday Party ice cream. Birthday cake flavored ice cream with sprinkles and a ribbon of frosting. Pure Yumminess.

Happy Birthday Sammy. You have brought so much energy and laughter into our family. You are full of giggles and smiles and can be the sweetest little boy when you really want to be. You love your older brother Cam (CHam) and always want to do what he is doing. You are very excited that you get to share a room with him when the baby comes. You can't wait for baby brother to come out and always want to give him lots of hugs and kisses in mommy's tummy. We love you peanut, happy #3!

SPRING BREAK ROAD TRIP 2010!!!!

2010-04-11T11:29:00.001-07:00

For spring break this year we road tripped to New York City and Tennessee. Why NY? TJ's brother, Greg, and his wife, Betsy, live in Brooklyn. They are expecting their first child in August and we wanted to visit before they decide to move out of the city with their little one. Why TN? My father wanted to take Cam backpacking. So we swung down to TN so that Cam could go hiking in the Smokies. Yes a lot of our trip was spent just getting to our destinations.

We spent hours in the car at a time. We brought every kind of car activity possible to entertain the boys with.

We celebrated each new state we entered, at least dad and I did, knowing it was one state closer to our destination. Some times Cam did not appreciate our extreme enthusiasm.

The Giggles. You can get a little crazy when your in the car for that long. Things that are normally not so funny, turn out to be hilarious when you have been strapped in a seat for an entire day.

Movies, movies, movies! When all else fails hook up the DVD player.

Or take a nap.

We spent a lot of time in the car. We had lunch in the car.

We had dinner in the car. (Which did not seem to be settling well with Sammy in this particular case.)

We even relived some of TJ's high school days and jammed out to Paradise City.

But finally we arrived in the city!

It was raining that day, and would continue to rain until the day we left. Rain, NY city traffic, two kids, a pregnant wife and not knowing where to go makes for good times!

We were greeted by Greg & Betsy with warm smiles, open arms and a very cozy apartment, which we quickly took over in a matter of minutes. But the NY couple was happy to share their home with our family for a few days.

They had awesome presents for the boys and NY style pizza, what more do you need? A crazy uncle who was willing to wrestle for hours on end was a huge perk.

And well the view wasn't bad either. Even the boys could appreciate it.

This is what you saw when you stood where the boys are looking out from Greg & Betsy's balcony. The view alone made the trip worthwhile, we might have been content had we never left the apartment.

Cam and uncle G on the roof! Check out the park development on the promenade, very cool.

The next day we ventured out in the city with Greg & Betsy as our guides. Priceless. The boys would have been happy to just ride the subway all day long. Cam was full of questions, which Betsy was happy to answer. He took it all in. He even asked Greg that next day if we were riding the local or the express. What a kid!

Sweet poster in the subway terminal.

Our first adventure was to the American Museum of Natural History. What a place that was. The boys have a new favorite show on PBS called Dinosaur Train and were really excited to see the dinosaurs (or dragons as Sammy liked to call them.) I was quite impressed with Cam's knowledge of these extinct creatures. Go PBS!

Random shot from TJ, so that's how they make glass houses.

After a long day at the museum, we headed to one of Greg & Betsy's favorite restaurants for some fabulous Thai food. Of course this meant more fun on the subway.

Sammy didn't quite make it all the way to the restaurant. After a long hard day without a nap the subway easily lulled him to sleep before we reached our destination. TJ carried him asleep to the restaurant and he ended up sleeping through half of dinner. Not that he minded much. Him and Cam didn't think the Thai food was as fabulous as we did. Luckily thanks to Betsy and her pregnancy cravings, they enjoyed a fabulous box of Annie's mac 'n cheese when we got back to the apartment.

The next day we were off to Ellis Island to visit the Lady of Liberty. It was Monday and Betsy had to miss out on the fun and go to work. Sammy asked us all day long where she was. You were greatly missed Betsy!!! The Statue of Liberty was quite impressive. Although not as big as I thought it would be. And of course as soon as we stepped off the ferry it started raining.

We quickly walked around the island and then headed inside the gift shop to get out of the rain. Greg got quite the musical happening going while pressing each and everyone of the little liberty bears "press me" buttons, your only as old as you act! Yes Cam, we can buy that souvenir for ya, well, the small one anyways.

Cam even discovered that he had been there before, or a least that's what one of the seats said.

Waiting for the ferry to take us back to the city. This is one of my favorite pics of the trip. These are two of the most energetic, enthusiastic boys I know.

Our next adventure took us to Toys R Us in Time Square. The boys were in heaven. Every toy you could possible imagine. Flipping giraffes too.

Legos.Big legos.

Transformers and super heros.

Life size dinosaurs? Yeah, they have those too.

Star Wars and Toy Story. Each kind of toy had their own section. Cuzin Jack, you would have been in heaven!

They even had a three story ferris wheel that the boys and I enjoyed. Man, we wanted the little people bus, what a jip.

Our next stop in Time Square was the M & M store.

Honestly I couldn't tell you much about this store. I spent most of the time with a very stinky Sammy in a bathroom that was way too hot and a stall that were way too small. But I hear they had lots of M & M's in any flavor or color that you could possibly imagine. As long as you didn't mind paying $14 a pound. "Can I get some red ones Dad?"

This was our last night in New York City. We ate at a great little joint right in Greg's neighborhood - Heights Cafe. We spent the remainder of the rainy evening inside soaking up as much of Greg and Betsy as we could get before we had to leave. I really cannot put into words how breathtaking the view of the NYC skyline is at night from Greg and Betsy's balcony, I (TJ) sat out there for an hour after everyone went to bed trying to soak it all in before we left the next morning.

As Micheal Stipe so fittingly put it 'You don't need me to tell you now that nothing can compare...Leaving New York, never easy...you find it in your heart.' Got Gehry? NYC's latest addition to the skyline will be pretty spectacular.

But leave we did, missing Greg and Betsy all the more, and the day we left they had a record high Temp, of course. We were off to Tennessee to visit Maama & Papa and see the Smoky Mountains. It took another day in the car to reach Tennessee.

We did lots more fun car activities and even discovered that...

Cam could be quite useful when needing snacks out of the food bin.

We arrived late to the condo, but had just enough energy to try out the puzzles that grandma bought for the boys.

Our first day in TN we went to the Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg. WOW! That place is awesome, here are some of the highlights. Even better we got in free thanks to Papa and Maama enduring a time-share pitch, thanks guys!

One of my(TJ's) favorite shots from the trip.

Mommy kissing the catfish! The glass was pretty clean till Sammy got done with it.

Sammy could take only so much walking. This bench suited Sam just fine.

In the walk through aquarium: They actually had a moving conveyor belt that you could stand on and just enjoy the fish as you slowly moved along.

Maama Candy enjoying the fishes.

Mommy decides to be brave and play with the hermit crabs.

So many cool interactive things for kids and adults to partake in. More than just a tourist trap, a seriously good time.

I (TJ) lost myself staring at this Jelly for what seemed like hours. Fascinating creatures, this one was bigger than my head.

Daddy and his boys.

Can't stop Grandma from buying the boys new stuff. Each got to pick out a new toy from the aquarium gift shop. Of course Sam chose the biggest rubber ball you have ever seen. It does glow when you bounce it though, which is pretty cool, especially in the dark.

The next day, we drove the boys into the mountains so they could go on their over night adventure in the Smokies. This is where I turn it over to TJ so he can tell you all about Cam's first over night camping trip. (Mommy was very sad that she could not go and be with Cam on his first backpacking adventure:( Sleeping on the ground at this point in my pregnancy was just not an option. But since he was with Daddy and Papa and it was only one night, I decided it was okay and I look forward to his first BIG back packing adventure that he can share with his Mommy:)

At the trailhead to "Kephart Prong Trail". Cam is STOKED!

Papa crossing one of the many footlogs.

Which way do we go?

Our sweet digs at Kephart Shelter, a stones throw from the Appalachian trail. This being my first shelter experience too, I was blown away by how nice this place was, sleeps 12, and we had it all to ourselves!

Cam partaking in a little stone throwing into water, every kids favorite pastime.

One of our little friends at the shelter.

At the first footlog corssing, Cam insisted I hold his hand and stay close, by the third or fourth, he insisted he do it himself. Your a brave little man Cam!

Got roots?

Papa and Cam doing a little housework, getting the bunks ready for sleeping.

Another source of entertainment, building rock fortresses for the transformers! Yes, we brought transformers with, I am pretty sure they are one of the 10 things you are recommended to bring into the backwoods for survival.

Fortress development.

Cam eating a PB sandwhich (again, only the essentials), watching Papa mix up a surprisingly (to me) yummy concoction of tuna, relish and mayo, yummy yummy on a cracker!

"What if bears climb out on the wires, can they get the food then?" Cam asked curiously.

Leave no trace? Not when your six, cam tagging the earth, putting his stamp on it.

Five star, eh? Cam passed out fast and slept well in his warm bag. Daddy shivered most the night in his inadequate summer bag, we's on spring break I thought.

Breakfast on a rock, pop tarts of course.

Cam checking out big downed logs on the hike out. "I like hiking downhill better Dad." I'm with you on that one buddy.

Cam checking out the ruins along the trail.

Papa whittling a walking stick for Cam.

"Ah, I got too close to the water." Post hike Cam made a little splash in an attempt to retrieve a stick form the river. Here he is checking to see if his clothes are dry yet.

Being a little more careful this time.

Cam and Papa sharing a moment on the bridge.

Cam and Papa sharing one last moment tossing sticks and rocks into the river, shortly before being picked up by Mom and Mamma and Sam. Cam was very happy to see his mom, and tuckers out form the hike.

CAM LOSES FIRST TOOTH!

2010-02-28T10:59:00.000-08:00

Cam's front left tooth has been wriggling looser and looser for the past two weeks. Below to the left you see him showing off his loose tooth just moments before extraction! You can see a twinge of anxiety in his eyes, poor kiddo.

It has been hard for mom and dad not to just yank it out, as it seems to have been just hanging on "by a thread". In an attempt to help convince Cam that we should let us help him out (pushy parents, yeah), Mom has been sharing with Cam how when she was little, papa (her dad), used to pull hers out with a swift yank, and little hurt. Cam has been in the process of creating a "tooth-fairy pot" with clay in art class at school, they just glazed them last week, and he had been saying that he wanted to wait until he got his pot back before he let his tooth get pulled out, a good reason I suppose - but it could be weeks. Timing was good this weekend as we were visiting Mama and Papa in Shell Rock. Mama was able to find a small bag for Cam to store his tooth in, just in case it might come out soon, you know, a place to store it until he gets his tooth fairy pot back, this seemed to have been what Cam needed to work up the confidence to make it happen. After enduring much inspection and talk of teeth pulling, Cam did voluntarily worked up the courage to let Papa have a go at it.

In the words of George Bush, "Mission Accomplished!" Cam said it didn't hurt that bad, and was eventually able to crack a smile. Congratulations Cam!

This was Dad's first posting on the blog, I hope I did it right!

It's a BOY!!!

2010-02-26T17:44:00.001-08:00

Due July 4th, 2010 baby boy #3!

Mommy, I don't feel good:(

2010-02-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

What a week this has been. It really started last Thursday, I stayed home from work because Cameron had a fever Wednesday night and we kept him home from school on Thursday. (I am convinced the the Lord knew I needed to be home on Thursday and that's why Cam had a fever on Wednesday.) Sammy had an ENT appointment on Thursday to see if he needed his tonsils out. As it turned out his tonsils and glands were very large for a two year old and was diagnosed with chronic strep and tonsillitis. Well we decided to give him one more round of drugs to see if the inflammation in his throat would go down so we wouldn't have to rush into surgery. So me and the boys are at Hy Vee shopping a little as we wait for Sam's prescription. Sam just starts crying, refuses to walk and begging me for a nap. Seriously the child wanted a nap and its like 10:30 in the morning. So we get home and Sam just wants to lay on the couch. I take his temp and it's 103. I'm thinking that what ever he has is going to get better as soon as he starts this round of drugs, turns out I was wrong. Thursday night was awful, the child was up every hour crying. He still had his fever on Friday so again I stayed home with him. Cam on the other hand is totally fine and goes to school. Sam just gets worse. The fever never goes away, a really nasty cough has started and it seems like he just cant breath that well. I assume this is from the cough and the seriously swollen glands. Friday night was no better then Thursday. When he was sleeping he was either snoring like a freight train or whining while he was sleeping. Saturday starts out no better and I decide that after his nap we are going to the walk in clinic. About an hour after he goes down he throws up in his bed. I get him up and get him changed start getting ready to leave only to find that he has fallen back asleep on the couch. So I decide to let him sleep awhile, he obviously needs it. In the mean time TJ and Cam head off to the tax man to get our taxes done. Sammy is in and out of sleep, never really waking up, but hes breathing so hard that its hard to sleep deeply. I decide its getting to late and I need to get him up and get going to the Dr. I wake him up and put his shoes and coat on. As I am getting my shoes on he falls back asleep on the floor. I get him in the car and not half way to the Dr. he is sleeping again. He falls back asleep as we wait to be called in and again as we wait for the Dr. When the Dr. comes in the first thing, and I mean the very first thing, he says is "He needs to go to the ER. I'm calling for an ambulance." Okay time to freak out. I just start bawling. I try to understand what is going on but the Dr. being so vague that I can't get a strait answer out of him. I do know that Sam was breathing too fast and his oxygen level was too low. That explains why I cant get him to wake up. So I call TJ, I'm sure he was pretty freaked out by the call as I was crying and telling him were taking an ambulance to the ER. The ambulance arrives and luckily the EMT has better tact then the Dr. did. I mean he actually introduced him self and even asked me my name. He got me calmed down and during our ride to Blank he explained things. They put Sam on oxygen and almost immediately he perked up. He refused to let go of the stickers the nurse gave him even when the EMT was putting in the IV. We arrive at the hospital and the check in process is quite easy when you come in an ambulance. They know who you are and what is wrong before you even step out of the vehicle. Then let the questions and the tests begin. Cam and TJ arrived shortly after us and I was thankful to have them there. They plugged Sammy up to the monitors, started his IV fluids and kept the oxygen pumping all the while Sam is still holding his stickers. They had decided to wait to do anymore treatments till he had a chest x-ray. So we waited. TJ's aunt Norma came and got Cam. They were going to the Drake basketball game. Popcorn, skittles and a stuffed bulldog, he defiantly had a better night then us. While we are waiting Sam falls asleep again. The fast breathing comes back along with the snoring. When the nurse walks in and hears him, then things start happening. Apparently the way he sounded was not normal. They immediately started him on steroids and gave him a breathing treatment. Which helped a lot. It was then time for his x-rays. I of course couldn't go in with him, so I was thankful again that TJ was there. The x-ray came back clean, which is good, except that they still don't know what was wrong. So they do a blood panel and a nose culture. The steroids are really kicking in now and Sam is turning back into his old self. The blood comes back first, he has mono. Then the nose culture comes back, he also has RSV. Strep, RSV and mono. Not a good combination. They change his strep meds because the steroids will react with what he had before, they give him two days of steroids to take home and we get a nebulizer. By this time its 10pm, we have to pick up Cam from Norma, find a 24 hour pharmacy, pick up the car from the Dr.'s office and this pregnant momma is starving. At least now he will start getting better right? The two days of steroids really helped lessen the swelling in the throat. The nebulizer helps with the cough, but doesn't make it go away, and still the fever persist, thanks to the mono. Also with the mono, he can't return to daycare if he still has a fever. This presents a problem since I am the assistant director of a daycare and usually he comes with me to work. So I take off Monday, TJ takes off Tuesday, and I take off the rest of the week. I have been going in to close after TJ gets home from school, and doing as much paper work as I can at home. Sam started to get better. He was even fever free for a day and a half, and then it came back, and hasn't gone away. Its now Saturday and his fever this morning was back to 103, he threw up most of his meals yesterday and is really too tired to function on a normal level. TJ's mother is coming the beginning of the week to stay home with Sam so I can go to work for a few days. I am very grateful to you Cathy for helping us out. But then what? How long can mono really last? Apparently awhile. Mostly I just want my little peanut to feel better. He looks and feels miserable. Its heartbreaking to watch and when he says to me "Mommy hold me, I don't feel good" I know were in for another bad spell. Time heals all things and I know time will heal Sammy too. In the mean time if you were planning on coming over to visit, you might just want to give us a call instead;)

January Birthday's

2010-01-31T15:46:00.001-08:00

Cameron and Daddy both have birthday's in January. Cam's is on the 5th and TJ's is on the 24th. Cam turned 6 this year. I think that officially makes me sound old to say I have a 6 year old. He was excited to take cupcakes to school this year to share with his class. And as always we went to Happy Joes to celebrate, getting Wendy's on the way for Cam. Hes the birthday boy and he wants Wendy's at Happy Joes, what can you do. We had fun playing games and opening presents. Which I would love to show you pictures of, but we forgot our camera. So all I have to post is the cake. Made with love by mom, really that's the most important part anyway. You will notice that the boys are decked out in their finest Iowa garb because Cam shared his birthday with the Orange Bowl, Go Hawks!!

Sam is still not a fan of candles, even on birthday cakes. Thank goodness Grandma was there to save him from that evil candle.

A few weeks later we celebrated TJ's birthday. The boys were so excited that as soon as they got up in the morning daddy had to open his presents. We each got him a gift and we wrapped them in brown paper so we could color them especially for daddy. Cameron is doing so good at reading and writing. He wrote on daddy's present all by himself.

The boys are helping dad open his new swim trunks that Cam picked out. Sammy got him some special crystals that will keep his new swim suit from fading from the chlorine.

Mommy got daddy some fins so he can better train for his triathlons.

Mommy and Cam decorating dad's cake.

Normie came over to watch the boys while mom & dad went out to dinner. We couldn't go to the movie because that would mean missing too much football. So it was just dinner and then home for cake.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Christmas at Home.

2010-01-30T09:04:00.001-08:00

Our Christmas at home this year was full of presents (a whole million to be exact) for our boys. They were both at an age that they could enjoy the thrill of tearing into wrapping paper.

Cam approves the size of his pile of gifts.

New big boy underwear. Yeah!!

Hungry Hungry Hippos. I had this game as a child and loved it. I couldn't resist getting it for my boys to enjoy.

Bumblebee helmet. The gift that has been on Cam's Christmas list from the beginning. As you can see he was pretty excited to finally receive it.

We also made and decorated Christmas ornaments for our tree. This was so fun. And they make our tree look fabulous.

No I'm not the artist in the family, but I did have fun with this little project. Simple, fun and hard to screw up, that's my kind of art.

A Bettendorf Christmas

2010-01-30T08:25:00.000-08:00

Better late then never right?

Santa came to visit again this year. All the kids love it. Well except for Sam who still wants nothing to do with the jolly old soul.

Santa with Ann, TJ, Cathy, Ryan and John. Only missing you Greg, why is NY so far away?

The boys watching a show before bed.

December Snow

2010-01-07T13:33:00.000-08:00

This year December brought snow with it. Lots of snow, inches of snow, feet of snow! TJ has spent many hours this winter shoveling the driveway. One major plus that comes with the snow is snow days, which means we all get to stay home together!

Inside mom takes advantage of the snow day and makes homemade bread sticks. The boys are very good helpers and love to roll out the dough with the rolling pin.

Decorating the Tree 2009

2010-01-07T12:28:00.000-08:00

The boys were very excited to decorate the tree this year. Cameron knew what it was all about and knew that he had a box of ornaments that were all his. Sam figured things out quickly and was very excited to help out.

Happy Tree, Happy Family 2009!

At the park with daddy & papa

2010-01-07T11:31:00.000-08:00

For part of thanksgiving weekend we were in Shell Rock with my family. It was a really nice day so TJ and my dad (papa) took the kids to the park. T took all these pics, and they were so good that I couldn't choose between them. Plus I had to show off his "senior picture" poses he took of all the kids.
Sammy with cousin Sydney.

Sammy and cousin Pandorah say thanks to Uncle Aaron for their fabulous Winter foreheads:)

Papa and Sammy enjoying the swing.

I luv bubbles!

2010-01-07T11:28:00.000-08:00

Living History Farms Race

2010-01-07T11:15:00.000-08:00

This was TJ's second time running the Living History Farms Race. This race is like no other, its really more of a muddy obstacle course. People dress up in crazy costumes and run 7 miles through the mud in the middle of November. Not my idea of fun, but TJ and his RAGBRAI crew seem to love it. Cam and Sam get excited too because they get to play on the RAGBRAI bus while we wait for daddy.

The perfect day to fly a kite!

2010-01-07T11:04:00.000-08:00

Boys in the leaves!

2010-01-07T10:57:00.000-08:00