We are Rockin' the School Library selection!

The Papa child who attends Kindergarten is SO excited about the selection of books at the library! He came home on Tuesday, which happens to be library day. He returned a Great reader! Clifford The Big Red Dog! Who doesn't like a good Clifford book? I then asked him what book he checked out for the week. He said "I don't know what it's about mom. You can look and see though." I opened up the backpack and here is what I found. Who doesn't want to read a book about the President of the Philippines right? What the heck? Who is helping my child pick out library books? Not that I'm saying that someone should help, but more importantly who let him check it out? Hilarious! Needless to say he doesn't want to read it. I think he just wanders aimlessly around the library until it's time to go and grabs the first book he sees. His big sister has volunteered to take him to the library Friday and guide him to the "more kindergarten reader friendly" books! Love this kid! My sweet boy, you never go a day without doing or saying something that makes me smile! I hope that you always keep that quality about you!

*On a side note I have to write this down and so that my boys can read it one day and get a good laugh. Carter and Gage were playing upstairs yesterday and Gage was not playing Zack and Cody the way that Carter wanted him to, so Carter told Gage. "Gage I don't want to play with you anymore. You aren't my best friend. You aren't doing it right." Gage then told Carter. "Carter, you're a freakin' boob." Don't even ask, because I have no idea where that came from!

Monster Trucks Anyone?

The boys and Mike got to go see the Monster Trucks on Saturday night! Gage and Carter have been really excited to go. They got the tickets for Christmas and Gage especially has been talking about it every day since. Papa and Trace decided to go too! Trace was super excited.

Danny and Braydon went too. Don't they look like Twins?

This was one of Carter's favorites. Grave Digger! He also loved the Ninja Turtle truck, but Mike didn't get a picture of that one. Carter says this will do to put on the blog. Gage's favorite truck was Blue Thunder.

Isn't he cute!

Mike says this one was really cool. It's called Backwards Bob and the body of the truck is on backwards. So, in this picture he is just about to jump over a bunch of cars and it looks like he's driving backwards! Pretty cool. The boys had a blast, but were tuckered out at the end of the night. They can't wait to go again! I'm so glad that Danny and Mike think of these things for the boys to do. Mike is just like a kid himself still, so our boys get to do all the fun stuff. Katlyn doesn't get left out though. Mike felt bad that she wasn't getting to go so he took her out of school and they went to lunch. Lucky! (I remember when my dad would do that out of the blue sometimes and I felt like the luckiest kid on earth.)

While the boys were out, Katlyn and I met Lisa, her girls and my mom in Show Low to watch Hotel For Dogs. (I know you are really jealous Brandy Jo. It just means you have to move here!) It was a really cute movie. Carter was kinda disappointed that he wasn't there for it, but no boys were aloud! We had a lot of fun, and Gavin even slept in Nana's lap through the whole movie. Thanks for the fun girls! We need to do it more often!

1 MONTH OLD....

Gavin was 1 month old on the 15th and I am just getting around to posting the pics I took that day! We had just walked in the door from the doctors office, and so he was not too happy! I just love the outfit that he has on! Thanks Grandma & Grandpa Papa.

Gavin now weighs a whopping 8lb. 12oz.! He's growing like a weed. He gained almost a pound in 3 days. We are now enjoying the chubb of his cheeks. This chair is his new best friend and my saving grace on some days. Mike went to a wrestling tournament and brought it home with him. What a sweet guy.

I can't believe how fast our little babe is growing! I did not notice it so much with our other kids. He is already a pro at holding his head up. He stands on his legs for a few seconds at a time. Mike swears he smiled at him a couple of days ago, but every time he would tell me to come look, it would mysteriously disapear! He loves to be folded up tight in a blanket to sleep, but only to sleep. He screams if you do it when he's awake. He's not to crazy about baths still, but loves the feeling after when he's all dressed and lathered with lotion. He will lay and just look around for about an hour after that. He loves the car as long as it is moving. He hates church! I tried to take him just for the second hour so I could do my primary job and Mike could teach his lesson, and he cried the whole time. Mike didn't mind, because after he was done teaching his lesson he got to come home and watch the Cardinals. Stinks to be the babysitter!

Love This LITTLE Guy!

I love this little boy! Well, both of them, but Carter is really so thoughtful! I was in the bathroom getting ready to take Gavin to the doctor and he was not happy! I was trying so hard to hurry. He was screamin' for all the world to hear and then he just stopped. I went to see what was going on and found Carter sitting next to him singing Silent Night. It was so sweet it made this mom cry. So, we found the cure for Gavins crying. He just needs a little sweet song from his brother!

I feel so lazy lately! I don't usually get out of my p.j.'s unless I have somewhere to go. I do get my house clean on a daily basis instead of a weekly basis now, but my drier is broken now and so drying laundry has become a problem! I sometimes don't make dinner. My kids don't always get a bath. I sleep on the couch most nights because I don't make it past 8. Mike is kind enough to put a blanket over me and doesn't complain that he sleeps alone a majority of the time. Katlyn is a little late for school most mornings. Carter gets after me for forgetting his homework.

But, life has never felt so easy and fulfulling. The picture above shows how our evenings are spent most of the time. We have learned to turn off the t.v. and just enjoy eachother for at least a little while, and it does wonders for the kindness factor in our home! I have always made my life way to complicated! So what if Gage misses a bath or two, or if we have cereal for dinner. No one will die if the bathrooms are not cleaned every Monday. Katlyn still gets straight A+'s on her report card even though she's late, and Carter forgives me for the homework failures! I do wish that Mike and I could get back to the routine of spending the nights together. Hopefully that will come soon! Family is all we've got when it comes down to it. I want us to love being together, ALWAYS! I love these 5 people more than anything in the world, so why did I take time away from them to make time for to many other way less important things? 2009 will be better!

This little lady is such a big help to her CRAZY mother! She holds, pats, changes, rocks and just generally adores her baby brother! (Notice the new haircut. We think she looks adorable!)

What a Week!

This week was a little busy for the Papa Family! We had everyone's teeth cleaned, and it was Gage's first time! He did so good, and talked the Dentist's ears off! Katlyn was the only one with a cavity, but only one so we are doing pretty dang good in my book! A good cleaning = new toothbrush, flossers, toothpaste and a prize! We made out like bandits!
The next day, I had to take Mr. Gavin in for his 4th, yes 4th weight check! Our pediatrician wanted him to get back up to his birthweight before she would cut his lower boy parts, so we have tried to be patient.
By the time we left the hospital after he was born, he had lost almost a pound due to being hooked to an iv for about 20 hours. Gavin was having a little trouble breathing (they call it retracting and grunting) so they ran a million tests, took a ton of blood and hooked him up to an iv. It made me a little nervous when the sweet man told me that Gavin was the smallest patient he had ever put an iv in! HOLY COW! So, the nurses tell me that he has to nurse for at least 8 min. 3 different times before he could come to my room with me. In the same sentence they tell me that the sugar water that he's getting through the iv makes them lazy and not want to eat. What the heck? Poor boy, and poor mom. Every time I tried to nurse they pricked his foot to check his sugars. I had to come down to the nursery every 2 hours to try. It was so hot in the nursery, and it made me nervous to have nurses watching me all the time, and so I was exhausted! He did finally eat, and got to come to my room for a whole 7 hours before we were released.
Gavin now weighs 7lb. 7oz.! Hooray! Now I have to take him BACK on Monday to subject him to all that pain! I love our pediatrician, but I feel like we live there right now!
I also had to go get a check-up that day, and Dr. Tindall gave me the all clear. Now it's back to trying to get some form of a body back. I'm not all that motivated.
Katlyn started Little League Basketball this week, and it is so fun to watch those little girls play. Basketball has so many rules and they are just trying to figure it all out. Katlyn is so tender hearted and was quite discouraged because she doesn't get it yet, but we're going to keep trying! Mike has had wrestling and work all week, and although I love that he enjoys helping those boys get better, it's hard to have him gone so much! I did not realize how much he did during his 2 weeks off until I had to do it all by myself! CRAZY WEEK!


We got a little snow in Snowflake this week. The kids got a trampoline for Christmas and are loving it!

This is Carter and Gage at 7:30 on Monday morning. Ambitious!
You tell them to stay in the yard, and do they listen? In your dreams MOM! The golf course is way more fun to make trails in.