Happy Birthday, Hudson!

The kids wanted to send a little shout out to their cousin, Hudson.  I don't think Marketa was as excited as the boys were.  Sorry Hudson.  She still loves you and can't wait to meet you and your sister when she's born.  Hope you have a great 3rd birthday!

Looking Back

So, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at the 21 months before Marketa arrived.  It went fast and a lot of it was a blur so it's fun to look at some 'memorable moments'.  (That was for you, dad.)

Here I am at 34 weeks (April 12).  One week before Maddox and Beckett arrived.

Maddox and Beckett arrived on April 19, 2007 at 12:21 and 12:25 pm.

Here we are visiting Beckett in the NICU.

The boys getting some cuddle time with dad, again in the NICU.

May 14, Beckett came home.  This was his first night sharing a bed with Maddox.  Can you see the excitement on Maddox's face?!

Sleeping boys...sometimes I miss the quiet of those days.

Scott's first Father's Day.

Maddox and Beckett on their first road trip.  We went up to North Dakota for a little reunion and they got to meet Great Grandma Fjelstad (and her twin) before she passed away.  They've seen Great Grandpa Fjelstad since then and are looking forward to playing with him the next time he comes down (hint, hint).

4th of July celebration at Grandpa Denny's when Jake, Stacie and Hudson came to visit.

A little trip to Christy's in Omaha before she had her baby.

Hanging out with the grandpas at the Benson Bash (Labor Day weekend).

Our 'perfect pair'.

Next major road trip--Pennsylvania.  The drive was not nearly as peaceful as the one to North Dakota.  Oh well.  They got to meet Great Grandpa Larsen and get pictures taken of the 4 generations of Larsen men.

Thanksgiving

Our little snow angels.  Looks like Beckett was enjoying himself a little more than Maddox.

Visiting Great Grandpa DeGroote.

All smiles.

Easter

Beckett, giving Maddox a little push on the retro rocket.

Happy Birthday boys!  They had a lot of friends and family come help celebrate.

Mother's day

Ready for church in their cute little clothes.

I don't think they understood the significance of that sign then.

The drummer boys.  If Scott gets his way, he'll have a drummer, bass player and someone to play keys.  We'll see who ends up playing what.

Labor Day 2008...visiting Aunt Beth before she went off to the Czech Republic.  The boys love talking to her on the computer now, but can't wait to see her in person again.

Playing in the leaves at Grandpa Denny's.

And peeking through the fence.

All bundled up to head out somewhere with mom--probably errands.

They love to play the piano.  Now we just need to find someone with a bass who will let toddlers play around with it.  Any takers??

Hope you enjoyed our trip down memory lane.  These boys have grown up so fast and Marketa is already 6 weeks old.  Where has the time gone?!

Grandparents

Aren't grandparents the best?!  Our kids are so blessed to have grandparents so close.  Some here in town and some just a few hours away.  They love them all and have a blast playing with them.  Just last weekend, grandpa and grandma Larsen came from Cedar Rapids to play.  

Here's Grandpa Ed telling Maddox a secret.  Wonder what it was.

Grandma Ginny and Beckett, not sure what they were up to.

Maddox and Beckett cuddling with Grandpa Ed.

Marketa having a little chat with Grandma Bonnie.

Marketa got to stay up and celebrate Grandpa Denny's 59th birthday with us last month.

And, we can't forget those great-aunts.  Doralyn and Debbie got to cuddle with Marketa when they came to Jodi's baby shower.  She's looking forward to meeting the rest of her great aunts and uncles someday soon.

I'm so glad our kids get to grow up so close to family (most of the family--we miss those of you who are far away!).  I have fond memories of visiting my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.  I hope our kids will have even more.  We love you!

February 18

Just a few random pics from the last week.  It's hard to believe that Marketa joined us 5 weeks ago.  

Here are the boys with their monkeys.  They've started toting them all over the house lately, especially Maddox.  It's pretty cute!

Just a funny pic of Scott and Beckett.  I love lazy Saturday mornings.  The boys have fun playing with Scott and I can sit back and relax a bit.

Here's our sleeping beauty.

And here she is awake.  She's laying on the quilt that Grandma Bonnie made for her.

Scott soothing Marketa...when she's fussy in the evenings, this is how Scott calms her down.  It's the only thing that works sometimes.  

Bedtime

Bedtime is a good time for all of us here.  The boys love playing in the bath.  Then they get to read stories, sing songs and pray with dad.  Once they're down (at 7), Scott and I have some downtime until we head to bed ourselves.  Well, that was before Marketa.  Now she's up at random times throughout the night.  I'm looking forward to an earlier bedtime for her one day too.  

Here's a video of some fun in the bathtub one evening.  (I'll apologize now for the video quality...I was couldn't stop laughing at them, which makes for lots of movement.)  Notice how Beckett laughs when Maddox pours the water on his head--he doesn't laugh quite so much when Scott does it to rinse hair.  Oh well.  

Marketa joined Scott and the boys for a photo opp one night during story time.

Survival

I think that's what it's all about some days.  Most days are good, even great sometimes, but some days are all about survival with 3 kids under 2.  Thankfully Marketa still sleeps a lot (during the day) so Maddox and Beckett get time with mom and dad.  We can finally download pictures, so here are some snapshots of what we've been up to since bringing Marketa home from the hospital.

Here are the boys playing some blocks aunt Beth sent them for Christmas.  The package was waiting by the door when we got home.

Marketa's first bath at home--I don't think she was too happy about it.

Beckett holding Marketa.

Maddox and Beckett do pretty well with her.  Most of the time they don't pay her much attention, but then they'll go check up on her and give her hugs and pats on the head.

Here I am catching a little shut-eye while cuddling with Marketa.

Maddox and Beckett building a tower with their new blocks.

Here's Scott cuddling with our little glow worm...she was a little jaundice so we had to do phototherapy lights on her for a few days.  

Maddox and Beckett with mohawks before their haircuts.

Grandpa and Grandma Larsen came for a visit.  This was Grandpa Ed most of the afternoon, cuddling/napping with his new granddaughter.

And Grandma Ginny got to enjoy reading to Beckett.

Finally, before they left, Grandpa Ed woke up to play with the boys a bit.  He had them giggling pretty good.

Josh, Alissa and the girls came over to visit, too.

Eden and the boys were sharing for the moment.

Here's Maddox giving his baby sister a hug.

And, finally, the haircuts.  Aunt Jodi made a house call.  They sat pretty well for her, with some help from Grandma Bonnie.

Here's our little sweetie napping, as always.  

My first few days alone with all 3 kids went great.  The boys were pretty well behaved.  Nights, on the other hand are another story.  If only Marketa would get her days and nights switched around.