Rub-a-Dub-Dub, 3 Kids in the Tub

All the kids like it when they can take a bath with Nicholas. So one day, I had three of four kids in the tub together. It was a tight squeeze, but they had a good time.

Moments after this picture, Nicholas leaned over a little too far and fell out of the tub head-first. He was okay :)

Just a sweet picture of my awnry little boy!

Fun in Mom-o and Pops' Pool

We stayed with Matt's mom and dad's following the Baptism. The kids really had a blast in the pool. Nolan was really excited to show us all the things he could do since having his swimming lessons this summer.

Nathan enjoyed floating around the pool in the big duck.

Natalie was pretty secure with all of her floatation devices. She'll pick up swimming in no time....she really knows how to kick her feet well.

Nolan & Abby in mid-jump.

Kids' Baptism

I've obviously fallen quite behind in my blog, so I'm going to try to do some catching up.


On August 15th, we got all the kids baptized. The kids acted very good, considering their ages. Nathan had a little bit of trouble standing still, but what can one expect out of a 2 year old. Here are some pictures from the big day. I'm so proud of my kids.









Making the sign of the cross on the kids.

























Nicholas being baptized.




















The kids were excited to hold their Baptismal candles.

Pittsburgh Pirates Game

Yesterday, we decided to head to Pittsburgh to see a Pirates game. We assumed that since the Pirates' record isn't exactly great, that it would be no problem to just go and buy tickets when we got there. We had to park on the opposite side of the river and then walk across a bridge to get to the stadium.....must have been at least half a mile. I had Nicholas in my front pack, then Matt and I held hands with the kids as we made our way over to the stadium. It was so sad to see, but there were lots of homeless people shaking their cups at us along the way. I actually saw more homeless people in that one walk than I have in my entire life. Along with the homeless, there were ticket scalpers about every 20 yards or so. We had several try to sell us tickets, but we decided to go to the ticket booth instead.

(the bridge)

When we finally made it to the ticket booth, we found out that the game was sold out. It was something like the 700th game at the stadium, and there were going to be fireworks after the game....so obviously this drew a large crowd. So our next step was to head back over toward the bridge to find an alternate means of getting tickets. We were able to get someone to help us (of course) and bought 4 tickets for $100. Matt didn't have enough cash on him, so he and the guy headed to the ATM so Matt could get out some money. Matt got the money, handed it to the guy, and the guy gave him the tickets. As soon as Matt looked at them, he started walking after the guy to tell him that the tickets weren't all in the same section. The guy told him "not to worry about it" and that we would be able to find seats. As Matt had this little conversation, I looked over at the ATM to see that his card was still in the machine. As I was reaching for it, the ATM ate it. Wow! What a way to start the trip.

Fortunately, when we got to our seats, we were able to all sit together....for a while anyways. The kids did great. We ate hot dogs, drank some drinks, and enjoyed the game. Matt and I had discussed whether or not we should stay for the fireworks and thought that we might. But, in the 6th inning, some young guy came up and sat right in the middle of our family and announced that he had these seats and that he had about 8 friends on their way up. There were probably 6 or 7 empty seats above us that we could have moved to, but decided to just go. I was so appalled that this guy didn't offer to sit in the row above us. I understand that those were probably some of his seats, but seriously.....how ungentlemanlike to ask a family of 6 to move a row considering how much stuff we had to move with us.

We left the seats and decided to just hit up the little play area for kids. We let the kids run around for about 20 minutes or so and then headed back to the parking garage.

We ended up getting home around 11:30 pm and then put the kids to bed right away. Even though the night was a bit hectic, it was still a great outing for us.

First Word!

I had been trying to teach Nicholas to say "ma-ma" or "da-da" but he wasn't real interested. Last night while he was taking his bath, I noticed how much he was making the "s" sound. So I decided to see if he could say "yes." After repeating "yes" to him several times, he finally began saying it. It's a big change from the other kids that had always learned to say "no" before saying "yes" since they hear "no" much more often. Here's a couple pictures of the "yes" man.







He's always this happy :)...
even with a big knot on his head!











The biggest and littlest.

Celebrations!

We've been pretty busy with birthday parties, a family reunion, and a t-ball party over the past few weeks. Our first birthday celebration was for our neighbor Morghan. She had her party at the Gymnastics Center (which is where Natalie, Nathan, and Nolan all want their next birthday parties). The kids had a great time jumping on the trampolines, jumping into the foam pits, and running around on the spring floor. The kids and I had been to parties here before, but this was Matt's first time, and he had as much fun as the kids!

Nicholas hanging out on the tumbling floor.

Nolan swinging on the rope.

Nathan's face is definitely saying, "Get me down from here!"

Tuesday was Morghan's actual birthday, so we decided to go to Family Night at Chick-Fil-A and meet up with the Weavers. The kids had so much fun and all got their faces painted again. This time Nathan was Cookie Monster, Nolan was Elmo, and Natalie requested Sleeping Beauty. They all looked too cute!

Nathan getting Cookie Monster on his cheek.

Miss Tea Cup did a wonderful interpretation of Sleeping Beauty for Natalie.

Nolan wanted to coordinate with Nathan, so he got Elmo on his cheek.

Our next celebration was the 4th of July, which is also Poppy's birthday. We drove to Poca and spent the day with my grandparents. Granny set up a slip n' slide and Matt set up the "bounce house" that his sister had just given him. All the kids had an absolute blast. Though I would never move back to the country, it sure is fun to visit. Natalie was stripped down to her panties since I forgot her bathing suit....but it wasn't a big deal at all! Nathan was "country-livin'" as well.....I have him potty-trained now, and sometimes let him pee outside. Well, at Granny's house, he just dropped his pants and peed all over the driveway....this kid cracks me up!

The kids in the bounce house.

Abby and Natalie in an upside-down picture.....look at Abby's pose....LOL

All of Granny and Poppy's great-grand kids.

Joe, Judson, Nicholas, Natalie, Nolan, and Nathan.

After our day at my grandparents, we drove to Spencer to spend the night at my dad's house. We were so lucky to be able to go sit on top of his cellar building and enjoy the town's fireworks. The kids all really enjoyed this. Sleeping arrangements that night were a little less desirable since none of the kids wanted to leave me. Nicholas, though, was in the playpen in Shirley's room....otherwise, I was on an air mattress between Nathan and Natalie and Nolan laid sideways in the bed so he could be even with us. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep, but that's okay.....I'm pretty used to it at this point!

The next day was the Mace family reunion at the park across the street from Dad's house. The weather wasn't that great....in the 60's and damp. I could not believe that I was actually feeling chilly on the Fourth of July! We stayed only until 2:30 and then headed home. The kids were so exhausted from our travelling and are finally rebounding back on schedule.

After we got home from Spencer, we had another cookout to attend for our neighbor's little boy's first birthday. Again, we got out the "bounce house" and wore the kids out. This thing does wonders for night time sleep!

Finally, this past Tuesday, Nolan had his T-ball party at the park here in our subdivision since all but two of the players live in this subdivision. They served pizza, cupcakes, and awarded all the kids with an engraved trophy. Going to the park is always lots of fun, but having food and watching Nolan get his trophy made it so much sweeter!

Is this a proud little boy, or what!

Beach Trip 2009

We had a fabulous time at the beach again this year. The kids were super on the way to and from WV to SC....only a few little outbreaks which is always to be expected. We spent our days at the beach or in the pool depending on what the kids wanted, which was usually the pool. The weather was great....hot and it only rained a few times in the evening. I'll go ahead and cut to the chase and show off some of our pictures.

Nolan on the beach.
















Nathan looking extremely COOL in his shades.













These two loved playing in the sand.

Nathan saying, "Oh Mom-my,"

Nicholas sitting on Matt's shoulders....he had been trying to sink his teeth into Matt's head.

Enjoying some pink ice cream.

Nolan's bright ice cream turned his lips blue.

Nathan is really into the Build-A-Bear scene.

Natalie anxiously awaiting her turn to stuff her Hello Kitty.

Natalie and Nathan taking a ride.

Matt and me at the amusement park.

The kids loved this ride as it whipped them around the corners. Nolan and Nathan rode in a car together, and Natalie and Abby in another car (you can see them in the back).

Riding the little Ferris wheel.

Pops and Nicholas.

My blue-eyed boys.

Makayla and Natalie in the pool.

Nicholas fell asleep while Hannah floated him around the pool.

Mom-o and Nolan.

Matt and Natalie.

All of Mom-o and Pops' grand kids.

Cousins.

Mommy and daughter...the sun was really in our eyes.

Our happy family.

Matt and me.

Just our babies.
.

The entire crew.