Since we've been home...

The kids wanted a snack last Sunday (May 22). Emma told Cosette she could put the peanut butter in the celery. Notice she has the bowls with 4 celery stalks each in them. What a great helper.
Tuesday, May 24th was a big day for everyone. Gma and Gpa Sewell had driven down from Northern Idaho on Monday and stayed the night. The picked up the boys and took them to California for two weeks. Isaac has been waiting for this trip for months. He knew he was going to Gma and Papi's house after his birthday...at the last minute Ethan was invited so Isaac would have someone to play with. At first Isaac was a little disappointed he wouldn't be going alone, but he'll probably appreciate it once they're in CA. Ethan asks Emma every other day when the family was going to CA so he could swim in Gma and Papi's pool. Now he's having his chance.

The house was instantly quiet and sad as the boys left. The only spark was the display of tulips in the front yard. We do have the best tulips on the block...it's the only thing we can grow apparently.
Isaac -- this picture is for you. Sarah's umbilical cord fell off during her bath. We saved the stump so you can see it when you get home...

Coming home

Sarah came home at 2:30pm on May 19th. she was nearly 24 hours old. The kids adore her. Reese is a little more skeptical. Isaac is enthralled with her umbilical cord/belly button. Ethan, when he walked into the hospital room, went straight up to Emma and asked, "Where is your big belly?" Cosette is a much more quiet observer, but she's aware when Sarah needs help.

Induction Day - May 18th

What to say? Not much. We are so happy that Sarah is finally here with us! She was a trooper. Once they broke her water at 11:40am, she knew it was go time. Sarah was born at 3:42pm. For those that have had experience with inductions, the doctor was astounded it only took 4 hours. He was ready to take a nap and stay for the long haul.

We were the first VBAC in the new hospital. Yeah us. :-)

8 lbs. 7 oz. and 22 inches long

Sarah came back with this adorable bow glued to her head after her bath in the nursery. When it fell off, Rob put the bow in his wallet.

Who does she look like? Good question. She has darker skin and brown hair (Rob). She also has a fold in her ear just like her daddy. But, seems she has mommy's nose...

A May Birthday

Isaac's 5th birthday was Tuesday, May 17th. He was quite excited for his "Monster Truck" party with Spiderman cupcakes. His two buddies Owen and Joseph (and Joseph's brother Preston) came over for presents and cake. Birthday dinner was none other than Mac & Cheese. It was a small party, but Isaac loved it all the same. (Blue dye has got to be worse than red dye...)

Ode to the Tooth

Cozy's first mistake was showing her dad how wiggly her tooth was. It was just a matter of seconds before it was out.

Bruises and Bumps

Ethan dropped a good sized rock on his toe May 2. This is the bruise it developed into by May 4. We figure he probably broke the toe, but there's nothing that can be done for it.

Here's the baby bump at 37 weeks. I know some have been anxious to see how Mom and baby are doing...

Easter Eggs

Here are the Easter Eggs we promised you! :-)

All Things Birthday

After great debate, Cosette had a party this year. Four friends made it (it was Easter weekend after all).
The novelty of the LiteBrite Cube and Cozy's hide-a-way could have entertained the girls the entire time!
Hot Dogs and Cheetos for lunch!
This is the look you get when all the candles are lit and a breeze blows them out before the birthday girl does...We symbolically lit another candle so she could make her wish.
After the guests left the party really started - scooters for everyone! Happy Easter!

Snow

There's snow today. It's been falling since this morning. There's something wrong with this Spring picture.

Cosette is 7!

Cozy had been asking for a helmet for a while now. Guess she got tired of the black/red one she'd had. This helmet will look nice with the razor scooter she's getting this weekend.
Thanks to Gma and Papi for the Lite Brite cube! She can work on it on her table in her room with a friend on the other side.
Cozy turned 7 Monday. She was thrilled to have a friend that spent the night Sunday. For breakfast she'd requested Danishes we'd tasted at Costco. Birthday dinner was Mac and Cheese that she insisted she cook herself.

Where has the time gone?!

Finished Product

It's taken a couple of weeks, but it's finally done! This is how the bed looks put together. You can see the brace on the back wall that the table slides onto.

Cosette's table has been painted with chalkboard paint so she can entertain herself that way. The cushions are covered with a very detailed paisley type fabric. We hope she's as excited with the finished product as we are. Thanks to good friend Jodie for helping Emma sew the cushion covers (or curtain covers if you're asking Isaac.)

Ethan loves his letters and "homework" books. Here he is thumbing through an activity book in his room.

Spider-man

We found these jammies at DI for a couple of dollars. I can't think of a boy who's more excited than this one, especially when he discovered the spider wings! He flies through the house doing chores with these wings.

Building Adventures

Lowe's has a bi-weekly "Build and Grow" program for kids. This was their first project, a fortune teller. Inside the hole is a dice that says things like "yes", "no", or "maybe". Think Magic 8 Ball...The kids loved it! They have their own goggles and apron now to help on construction projects.

During Spring Break Emma and Cosette started work on a cardboard doll house. This is what we came up with. Cosette has had fun with it, especially now she has a special place to play.

This is the latest in Wood construction endeavors. We'd seen this concept in a picture, but the bed would have been $600. Instead, we found the bunk bed on Craig's List and made our own table/chairs for under the bed. The table comes down and will lay flat in the open section. The cushions (which is the last thing to do) will slide down into the twin bed mattress.

"Rob never ceases to amaze Emma in his ability to look beyond a simple purchase. He is a master craftsman (in his own mind)"

Happy Leafy Day

Pocatello had a great opportunity to host Temple Grandin. She's a champion of autism as she has autism herself. HBO created a 7 Emmy award winning movie last year called "Temple Grandin". Rob was the interpreter at the event that overflowed into 3 other auditoriums.
Cosette watched the movie twice. When we told her there would be a babysitter because we were going to meet Temple Grandin, she told us she wanted to meet the "real" Temple Grandin because she did watch the movie two times. How can you say no to that logic?

There was a Q&A session. Cozy asked Temple why she "Only liked yogurt" - it's in the movie. She did it all by herself. Wouldn't let Emma help or even walk to where the mic was at all.
Here we are eating cereal with green milk on St. Patrick's Day. The kids were up at about 6:30am following the trail of Gummy Bearies (jelly beans). Isaac couldn't figure out they were jelly beans no matter how many times Cozy told him.
Isaac made this hat at preschool. He was always waiting for "Leafy Day" because that's what is on the calendar at school (a shamrock). We love his interpretation of the world.
Not only did the Leprechauns turn the milk green, they left these headbands and small pots of chocolate coins for each of the kids.

If you ask Ethan what he knows about Leprechauns, he'll tell you they're "tricky" as he wiggles his fingers in front of his body. The time of make believe and wonder is fantastic!

The request has been made for baby pictures. Isaac took this picture of Emma at 30 weeks. Only 10 more to go!

Isaac

Here's our dear sweet Isaac. He's growing up so fast it's unbelievable. All of a sudden he's not a "little" boy anymore. We have found his favorite food - orange jello salad made with cool whip and cottage cheese. The bowl you see here is at least his 4th helping of the same size.

The other day we asked the kids what they wanted on their pizza. Isaac requested "cheese and peppermint"...then he said, "what are the red circles called?" Rob and Emma had a good chuckle over that one.