3 Bathing Beauties.

Bath time can get kind of crazy at our house.  Landon and Kadence have been bathing together for a very long time and now Kenzie has been thrown in the mix.  I usually do Kenzie's bath first but the kids always want to get in with her, so I finally gave in.  They have so much fun!  Kenzie is in absolute heaven splashing around in the water and watching her big brother and sister.  I have come to the conclusion that we just need a larger tub!  Landon will hate me for these pictures some day...bathing with his little sisters.  I will just have to remind him how much he liked it :)

This picture didn't turn out as well as I wanted it to, but I still like it.  I always put Kenzie on her tummy and rub her back for a little bit in front of the mirror.  This was the first time she had noticed herself in the mirror.  She was smiling at herself and just staring, it was absolutely adorable.  On a side note, I don't know what we are going to do with her hair...pray that it grows I guess!

THE LAST DAY!

TODAY IS RYAN'S VERY LAST DAY OF CLINICALS!!!!!!!!!!

The above photo is from Ryan's very first day of class back in August of 2008.  We have been dreaming of February of 2011 for so long that it has seemed sort of surreal that it is finally here.  Ryan has worked so hard and put in so many hours between studying and clinicals this past 2 1/2 years.  I am so proud of him!

Nurse anesthesia school is definitely not an easy accomplishment.  It is high stress with very strenuous course work along with 50+ hours of clinical time a week.  Being an RN, I know how nerve-racking it can be to work in stressful situations with physicians and surgeons.  Ryan has done this almost every day for the past year and a half.  Being in the OR everyday can be a very stressful work environment, especially when you are a "student" and at the bottom of the totem pole.  He has learned so much and done so well.  He was recommended by several CRNA's for a position at McKennen and the Surgical Hospital.  Ryan has such a great personality and is so hard-working and people always seem to like to work with him (I used to tease him because when we worked together on 2 East, everyone (other RN's, physicians, RT's, patients, patient's family members) loved Ryan-it was almost sickening, except for the fact that I loved him, too).  


Not only has Ryan finished his Masters degree in Nurse Anesthesia with a 4.0, but he has done it along with being a great husband and father.  Even when Ryan has been stressed about school, he has not forgotten the most important part of his life, his family.  He has been here for me and been the great dad that he has always been.  Having small children is not easy without the added stress of a strenuous graduate program.  We have managed to make it through the past 2 1/2 years in Sioux Falls mostly on our own.  I don't think just any guy could have done what Ryan has and I am so very proud of him.  When he started school back in August 2008, we had a 5 month old and a 22 month old.  Our family has now grown to a 4 year old, almost 3 year old, and a 3 month old and we have so much love for each other.  So, a lot has happened in the past couple of years and although it was not easy at times, it is DONE!  Ryan, I commend you on all of your accomplishments, you are such a wonderful person, husband, and father.  Congratulations to you and we love you!!

Here's Ryan when he signed his letter of intent for his CRNA position at Essentia Health (Innovis) in Fargo.   Wohoo!!  

She makes me smile.

Today was the much anticipated day for gymnastics.  The kids were especially excited to go this week because we were meeting Katie and the kids.  Neither Landon nor Kadence would even eat breakfast because they were so excited!  As we were getting into the car Kadence looked up at me with a very serious look on her face and said, "Mama, my tummy is grouchy."  It was hilarious and so cute.  She does make me smile everyday!

Landon and Kadence had so much fun playing at gymnastics with Hayley and Lily, we are going to miss their family so much!

Kenzie is 3 months.

Our smiley little girl is 3 months old today.  Where does the time go?  She has grown so much the past 3 months and is turning into a happy, fun little baby.  She is very smiley as long as she is rested, fed, and dry.  She still absolutely loves to watch Landon and Kadence play and loves when they play with her.  Kenzie has become very aware of being left and lets you know she isn't happy when you walk away from her.  She has started to grab at toys and bring them to her mouth.  She recently found her hands and stares at them and puts them in her mouth all the time!  She usually tries to fit her entire fist in her mouth and then gets very mad when she gags!  Her neck is very strong and she does well with tummy time.  She has started to roll from her tummy to her back more and more.  She has also started to really enjoy bath time (as long as the bathroom and water are warm) and kicks and splashes her legs around.  She still remains very inconsistent with her sleeping.  Some nights she will sleep from about 8ish to 5, other nights she will be up 3 times and stay up for quite some time.  I just really treasure the nights she sleeps well!  What a sweet baby God has blessed us with!

Oh the things they say...

Kadence has always been such a chatty little girl.  She started talking very early and has not stopped for a break since.  She has such a loud voice (like her Daddy and Aunt Kristy) and it can be heard clearly from quite a distance away.  She always cracks me up with the things that she says and I should really be writing more of them down.

The other night we were watching the Super Nanny for just a few minutes before they went to bed.  I don't regularly like to watch the show, but on occasion it makes me feel better about our family.  The day after we had watched the show Landon and Kadence were fighting and I had disciplined them and Kadence said, "Mommy, the Super Nanny needs to come to our house."  I couldn't help but laugh!  It was very funny and sort of true!  She has since then repeated it a couple times, usually appropriately.  Love  her and her big personality so much!

Love the Paci.

Finally!  I have been trying to get Kenzie to take a pacifier since she was born.  Being sort of a fussy baby, I knew this would be a way for her to self soothe a little bit.  This past week she is finally taking it and liking it A LOT!  I am hoping this means we will have more nights filled with less awakening!  

Pat a cake.

I was cleaning up the kitchen one evening when I was able to see this wonderful act.  I heard giggles and goo's coming from Kenzie.  I turned and watched quietly as Landon sang "Pat a Cake" to her and she was loving life getting all of her big brother's attention.  It was so adorable!  Such a good boy!

Buds.

Landon had his first Valentine's Day party at preschool.  He had 3 special Valentine's for his teachers and was so cute giving them to each of them.  When he came home from school excited with his box full of Valentines and candy, he brought them to the table to look at them all.  He immediately (and all on his own) gave Kadence all of the princess and "girly" Valentine cards and then shared his candy with her.  Landon is growing up and is such a caring boy.  Love him so much!

Think Spring!

We've had some awesome weather here the past few days with temps in the 50's and lots of sunshine!  A lot of our snow has melted and it has everyone thinking spring!  I know this is just going to be a tease because it will cool down soon and I'm sure we'll get some more snow, but we are going to enjoy it while it's here!  We bundled Kenzie up and went for a little family walk.

Kenzie's first ride in the stroller.  She liked it!  Also her first view of the world outside since her face was uncovered.  She was in awe looking around and into the sky!

Landon and Kadence had a blast with all the water.  They splashed threw all of the puddles and were very wet.

So much fun to be outside!  I can't wait for more days like these and even warmer!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love to my sweet Valentine!

"The best thing about me is you."

Happy Valentine's Day!  I am blessed to have the four best Valentine's a girl could ask for!  Today the kids and I are hanging out while Ry is at clinical and then studying.  I am so excited for him as he only has 6 days of clinicals left, yes only 6!!  The two of us actually get to go out for a movie tonight and I am so excited to have some alone time with my love.  What a great day!  

Back Blogging.

 If you have noticed I have not been very good at keeping up with my blogging lately.  I have three very good reasons for the back blogging lately:  1. Landon  2. Kadence  3. Kenzie.  These three loves have been demanding most of my time and never fail to keep me busy.  With all the extra things Ryan and I have been trying to figure out with transitioning to the next step of our life; along with normal living chores (yuck!), Ryan having clinical and studying, and three very young children (one being a demanding newborn) the things that I enjoy doing have definitely been put on the back burner.  This month has been a very stressful month for our family and I know that the next is going to be just as stressful.  The thing that is keeping me sane right now is knowing that in just 2 short months we will be moved into our new home (that we haven't found yet) in Fargo and Ryan will be finally getting paid to work.  I am hoping our life will find some normalcy in the near future and we can all relax a bit.  Until then, 1 day at a time....and dreams of a tropical vacation!

We're going crazy!!!!

The expression on Kadence's face shows how we have been feeling here.  The weather has been very cold and we have been cooped up.  We are going a little stir crazy in the house and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of spring and some warmer weather!  Thank goodness the weekend is supposed to be 40 degrees!

Slumber Party!

Kadence joined Landon in his room for a few nights so that Arin could have her own space in Kadence's room.  The kids both thought this was a great idea and were very excited!!  Landon begged to sleep on the floor and Kadence wanted to sleep in Landon's bed, so it worked out perfectly!  Here is a shot of all three of them in Landon's temporary bed (the floor) reading stories before bedtime.  It was definitely fun for them for a change.  Love these munchkins!

A trip to Fargo.

On Monday, we headed to Fargo to look for housing, hang out with Jack and Holly, and do some other odds and ends.  Arin was able to make the trip with us to help with the kids while we looked at houses.  Unfortunately, we didn't find a place to live yet but had a nice visit.  It definitely increased our excitement and Ryan and I are getting very anxious to move.

The kids had a blast with Jack and I know they will love seeing him more often when we move.