Surprise visit!

I looked out the front window this morning and saw a strange truck & trailer parked on the opposite side of the street from our driveway.  I strained my eyes to see who was driving and got confused when a man stepped out.  He pulled out a baby gift bag and instantly it came to me…my Uncle Ron!

I couldn’t believe my eyes.  He was driving home from doing a kitchen installation (he’s a woodworker) and stopped to surprise us on his way by.  He spent 5 hours at our house – holding Ingrid, talking to the boys.  It was great!  I don’t often get a chance to talk one-on-one with him in such a relaxed setting.  Our conversations generally take place at holiday gatherings, so we don’t get to really catch up.  I was so thankful for his visit today – he made my week!

Making muffins

A couple of preschool moms have been picking up and/or dropping Nolan off from preschool while we get adjusted to things at home.  I am so thankful for their generosity – it has made my life SO much easier these first few days at home alone with the kids.  Today, while Nolan was at school, Lincoln and I made muffins.  After putting them in the oven, he watched them to make sure they baked correctly.

Ingrid was pretty tired again, so she slept through the whole process. 🙂

 

Ingrid in the cradle

Here’s our cutie pie sleeping in the “Billy Ash” cradle that Papa made as a baby gift before Nolan was born.

All three kids have now been rocked to sleep in this fantastic piece.

Can you tell who is Lincoln and who is Nolan?

Zhu Zhu pets and haunted houses

The boys received big brother presents to open from Nana & Papa’s neighbors.  We are now the proud owners of 2 Zhu Zhu pets.  I had heard of these things, but had never seen them in action.  Who knew hamsters quacked and moo-ed???  The boys love them!

Later in the day, we broke out the construction paper and stickers and made haunted houses based on a picture of one in an I Spy book the boys received (also as a gift for being big brothers.)

1st trip to mass

We loaded up the crew and headed to our first mass as family of 5.

Ingrid was pretty worn out afterward, so she needed a nap – ha!

Photos from Brooke

My friend, Brooke, came over today and took pictures of the kids.  I couldn’t be happier with how they turned out!  I highly recommend her!

Playing in the leaves

The boys have been asking for a chance to play in the leaves.  Our trees don’t drop leaves that are any good for that, so we asked our neighbor of we could “borrow” theirs.  J was kind enough to rake a pile for the boys to kick, jump and throw around.  They had so much fun!

Sleeping baby & boys in the hammock

Ingrid is definitely her daddy’s girl.  She sticks her tongue out just like her dad, uncle, brothers & grandpa. 🙂

While our little beauty was sleeping, the boys were out back in the hammock.  Today it was being used more like a jungle gym than a place to relax.

Present from Aunt Kari & visit from Uncle Jason

Aunt Kari sent the boys a package a few weeks before Ingrid was born.  We held off on having them open it until after she came home.  They loved what they found inside the envelope.  Although I have to admit, I think I ate most of their Raisinets.  Sorry boys!

Uncle Jason came to visit tonight.  He brought puzzles for the boys (which they love) and got to meet Ingrid.