Ultrasound

We had our ultrasound yesterday and I am not sure how to scan pictures yet so sorry...We did get an awesome picture of the baby shaking its fist! I told Ryan during the ultrasound that the baby was shaking its fist at him for not letting me find out what we are having!!

So we did NOT find out what we are having which is kind of a bummer to me because I like to be prepared! No one else in the family wanted to find out or they don't understand! The kids are excited to have a surprise but I think Cooper might be a little sad if we have another girl but Chloe wants a little sister so we are just going to make it a big deal either way! I think Chloe would like a baby brother because she LOVES babies!!

The baby is healthy and measuring right on which I am usually small so that would be the reason why I am showing earlier than my other pregnancies! The baby was very active during the ultrasound so I am sure if we had wanted to find out we could have but if this our last kid then it will be nice to have had one surprise! Not sure if I would do this again!

We are busy organizing the house and getting everything done before the baby comes which I know is still 5 months away but I like I said I like to be prepared so that means digging out boys and girls clothes, washing them, and picking out outfits to bring him or her home in!

And we got our OFFICIAL due date ..... July 25th, 2010 .... So I should be having this baby around then since I go right up to my due date!

Happy 3rd Birthday Chloe!!!!!

Chloe turned 3 on February 9th! I am sorry being late on this we have been busy! Since her birthday was in the middle of the week we went to Jump-A-Lot and it was nice and slow so the kids got to go anywhere! We then hit McDonald's for lunch and then came home to nap!

We waited for Daddy to come home to do presents and cake! She is too funny when it came to either a cake or cupcakes. I kept asking her which one she wanted and she would only say "candles" :) She was so worried about having candles on there she didn't care about what they were going on just that she could blow them out!

I love having birthdays at the beginning of the year because I did NO shopping for her after Christmas (even though I was tempted!) She is a girl and is easier to shop for than Cooper if you ask me because she is such a girly girl princess! I just stocked up at Christmas and divided up the gifts but I kept forgetting that when we would go downstairs and the doll house box was pretty hard to hide! She opened one gift early that she found but was still excited for the others!

Chloe very excited to blow out the candles!!!

Girls not sure what to do with dollhouse.

This doll house was much bigger than I thought and the kids were kind of in shock when Ryan brought it out! Cooper wanted to take it apart, Reese wanted to climb through it and Chloe didn't know what toys to use!

Cooper and Reese helping open presents!

I think this was her favorite present - sparkle colored nail polish!

She was so busy at Jump-A-Lot!!

Cooper and Reese playing!!

All three kids love this slide!

Chloe is so much fun! I know that 3 is harder than 2 but she is a busy yet helpful little girl! She is a huge mommies girl except when she gets in trouble then she wants daddy! Even though I think she looks exactly like Ryan!

She loves anything princess, to dance in her Thumbelina skirt or just dance at all! Chloe loves Tinkerbell, Anastasia, Mary Poppins, getting her hair and nails done and most of all to play! She LOVES to be outside and is sad that there is no snow this year to play in! She helps me out a ton with Reese, cleaning up, dishes, laundry, and she understands why she gets in trouble and doesn't do it again....well, for the most part :) Chloe is just a special girl to us and we can't imagine our lives without her! Chloe was born on her due date and ever since we brought her home from the hospital she has been such an easy going, beautiful little girl!

We love you Chloe!

New belly *Warning* not a 6 pack!

This post was going to be a FUN way to announce we are expecting our 4th child but I didn't get around to it! I got a new haircut and was going to put up a picture of that but it didn't get taken before Ryan went to work today so it is just a picture of my little belly showing so soon! Kind of not used to that! Normally it is around 20 weeks...

(I am happy in this picture but it was after 2 hours in nursery on Sunday!)

We are 15 weeks pregnant and are due around the end of July! Ryan doesn't want to find out if it's a boy or girl and I am okay either way but of course REALLY want to know what we are having so I can plan for it! I like to be ready for the little one since I will come home to 3 anxious siblings and a ton of laundry while being sleep deprived! It will be worth it...I know... but the stress of it might get to me!

We do have some names that we like but aren't 100%...Okay Ryan is but I am not 100%!! We do get to have our ultrasound the end of February at 18 weeks and we are not bringing the kids as we want to enjoy it! I took them to a doctor's appointment last week and I think the doctor was ready to pull his hair out, they were shutting the lights off, jumping off the exam table, touching the chemicals they have on the counter...You name it they were doing it so it was a quick visit and we will show them the pictures when we get home! Last night we told them, "Mommy has a baby in her tummy but the baby is really small still and will come during the summer when it is hot!" Chloe kept trying to look in the stomach by pulling my shirt up and Cooper said the baby wasn't ready to come down from Heaven yet! I love their reasoning! Also Cooper keeps telling us that if we have another girl then we will have to have 3 boys to take care of the girls!

So we are excited to tell everyone now as we have held it as a secret for so long! We have known since mid-November and thought about announcing so many times but finally just decided since I am starting to show and getting too small for my clothes we better start! And I think my sister-in-law's have known for awhile and just stopped asking!! I am bummed I dont get to do any half-marathons or even 10k's this summer but I can start training for next summer after this bundle of joy comes :)

My kids I think are missing McDonald's a couple times a week as I had a HUGE craving for Taco Bell almost every day! So we would swing by McDonald's for chicken nuggets and then go 2 blocks to Taco Bell and get me 2 cheesy crunchy gordita or a 7 layer burrito! Some days I would eat 3 - 7 layer burritos...Don't count the calories it is sad! But I have been able to work out off and on with this pregnancy just depends on the day! One yoga class a week is my goal but as the belly gets bigger it will be more challenging! My kids love going to the daycare at the Kroc Center where I work out so it works both ways!

Happy 5th Birthday Super Duper Cooper!!!

Chloe excited to help blow out Cooper's candles!

Loving the slide with his friends!!

Nothing like a little boxing with some friends!!

Friday the 15th was Cooper's 5th birthday! This little boy was born at 11:38pm after many hours of pushing and with a huge cone head he decided to finally enter this world! He was such an easy baby and over the years we had our fun times and hard times but I think he has grown up to be so much fun, intelligent, loving, and a great big brother to his younger sisters!!

Friday night we hung out at our house with our friends the Forman's for a Wii Party and treats ... It went great with the girls hanging out and all the boys playing Wii and the kids on sugar highs!!

Saturday we got up and headed to Jump-a-lot which is a warehouse place with lots of blow-up jumping things for the kids! We had a private party with 12 other kids, Chloe and Reese...It was a lot of fun! After 30 minutes the kids were sweating! The kids were able to play for 90 minutes jumping, sliding and running around and then we headed up to a party room! We got Pizza Hut and fed the kids and then the cake! Cooper picked out a dinosaur cake from Costco and it was a pretty big hit! Opening presents was crazy so I didn't get any pictures of that as we were just trying to figure out what came from who because they were all so excited for Cooper to open the present they brought!!

There was such a great group of kids and some of them had never been there before so I hope the parents don't shoot for me getting their kids addicted to Jump-a-lot!

Cooper your Mom and Dad love you very much and I hope that after years have passed you read this and think of how much you are loved and have many friends and family that love you! You are a very smart boy who loves to help others, play Wii and Leapster 2, learn how to solve problems, help with your sisters, play and wrestle!

The toddler play area is loved by all ages!

Chloe trying to show this handsome boy how strong she is :)

Reese LOVED the slide and with help from Daddy she went on her butt!!

Yummy chocolate cake!

Cooper, Chloe and their cousin Preston enjoying the slide...not waiting in line today!!

Thanks to everyone for coming and for the gifts...I am not into buying Cooper light sabers or guns and he made out like a bandit today with those toys and much more! I guess I need to get over how much of a boy he really is :) Love you Cooper!

New Years Eve

I guess we usually don't do anything for New Year's Eve but we have some friends we go to church with and we just click! So we got together at their house since it is bigger .. until he helps us finish our basement :) Then we can have parties down there all the time!! We just bought a bunch of snack food and since Keith likes to cook he made some hot wings and littles smokies and we just ate and played games...Well really we just played Sequence...Ryan and I don't play games much but are getting better at trying to do it more and we ended up playing that since someone kept losing :( We had to leave a little early since my papers come early on holidays and I like to go early (11pm) and get home and sleep straight through the night!

Our kids played really well and since they have an older daughter who is great with babies and little ones she watches ours so we can play or just hang out! I think we ate too much but it was yummy and when do we really do that!

As for New Year's Resolutions we really don't have any....Okay I, Carrie, have one to not make resolutions...I take one day at a time and try to plan and be organized but with 3 kids that is hard! I would like to be more organized but you never know what life is going to throw at you or your bank account! On New Year's Eve Ryan had to buy a new hot water heater for our duplex and spent hours with our friend Keith installing it...

As for the being grateful during Christmas Ryan and I are thankful for our many blessings each day...We have a house to live in, cars to drive, healthy kids, jobs, family and friends, and most importantly Jesus Christ in our lives and can teach that to our children...We love our life and couldn't ask for anything more...Well maybe a million dollars ...Just kidding :) We are so blessed!!!!!

Christmas...No pictures :(

Christmas just snuck right up on me this year! Usually we go to my parents house for Christmas Eve and this year the weather was even good for traveling but my dad had his 2nd back surgery for the year (2009) on the 23rd so he was still in the hospital...I didn't dare take 3 kids, ages 4 and under to the hospital to see him...So we are still waiting to Christmas with them but I think it is fun to do it a month later!

Christmas Eve Ryan braved taking our two oldest to the Alvin and The Chipmunks movie and they were SUPER excited! We had no idea that movies were so popular around Christmas time! The first time was sold out but 20 minutes later they got into the movie and LOVED it! I must say I am thankful the kids did really good for Ryan! He even bought them treats which is big for him to do since we all know they are way over priced! The kids still talk about the "girl chipmunks" and want to go see it again! I want to see it now and we will be renting it for sure!

During this time I wrapped presents for 3 hours...I wasn't even done when Ryan called and said the movie was over so he took the kids to the Kroc center to play for the last hour they were open! They loved it and love every time we go there...It is free and like a McDonald's playland but better and cleaner! We do have a membership and take the kids swimming but have just been too busy lately...Need to get back to that!

Christmas day was awesome because our kids slept in til 7:45...Ryan had to wake them up! We surprised Chloe with a new Tinkerbell comforter on her when she woke up...I put it on her before I went on my paper route that night and we told her Santa put it on her :) Hopefully that didn't freak her out that Santa was in her room! They loved all their presents and I didn't take pictures but they got a lot of necessities this year and each got one big present...I didn't want to get Reese a toy since we have too many so she got Play-doh for her to share with her brother and sister :) Since the oldest have birthdays right after Christmas we divided up their presents between birthday and Christmas! Our kids are soo good and would have been fine with 2 presents!

We headed to Pinehurst to Ryan's parents house with the whole Frank family for presents and dinner! It was a lot of fun and as hectic as usual! There are now 12 grandchildren and 12 adults but keeping the kids' presents straight as they wandered with them or tried to steal their cousins present was fun too! We always eat and hang out for a couple hours which is nice after all the craziness of the whole day! We then headed home and just hung out snacking!

Ryan went out snowmobiling the day after Christmas so I didn't go shopping but really I didn't think there were any deals I had to have! The day after Thanksgiving was much better and I am sure I will be shopping that day from here on out for good deals! I saved a lot of money and got everything I had on my list....plus more :)

Kids Bowling

The day after Thanksgiving 2009 we were going to take the kids roller skating but decided that might be a bit much with two falling all the time and one chasing Reese! So we checked out bowling and it is expensive! I remember when it was $5 for an hour for the lane and shoes!! Now it is $30 for 2 kids for one lane for one hour! We decided on Triple Play since it is down the street a half mile and non-smoking...We went around 6pm and it was busy but the kids had a lot of fun!

Ryan was completely stressed because we did the lane with the metal bumpers and the 3 lbs. balls and our kids were definitely not throwing them hard enough to hit the pins and trigger the ball to come back so sometimes we had 3 balls down by the pins half the time! Ryan and I would take turns asking a worker to push them through and they just laughed...I am sure we aren't the first or the last that this happened too!

The kids had a ton of fun and keep asking to go back but we need to wait for some kind of deal because that was an expensive activity for the kids! Maybe we could do an annual date for bowling but not monthly! Here are just some pictures from our adventure!

Chloe waiting for her ball to hit the pins!!

I think Cooper was exciting but worried maybe...Reese just wanted to help!

Reese trying to take a turn bowling...

Chloe was very well behaved and have lots of fun!!

Cooper pushing his ball and mom and dad praying it makes it all the way down!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving! First we want to congratulate Darin (Ryan's brother) and Sarah on their 3rd kid, baby boy Charlie :)

This year we were on Ryan's family rotation so we were in Pinehurst...I personally am grateful first and foremost that we didn't have to drive on snowy roads!! Secondly we are grateful for our families and how blessed we are to have them and not too far from us! We were able to celebrate with some of Ryan's siblings and their families and his Grandpa, which today is his 88th birthday! He is still so fiesty!

This time of year I always feel like we got so caught up in the buying of Christmas presents and all the things we have going on from parties, to shows, to baking and of course trying to remember to pay the bills...So this year we are focusing on things we can do as a family! Tomorrow we are going bowling for the first time as a family and each week we are going to do something we do as a family!

I personally am grateful for my family! I have an amazing husband who works so hard to provide for our family not only temporally but spiritually. He loves our children so much and we talk all the time about how we want our kids to view the world, know that they are loved, and to be successful in whatever they want to be when they grow up! My children and so important to me. I am extremely blessed to be a stay-at-home mom, although there are days I wish I had a job in an office or something, but the thought doesn't last more than a moment!

I am thankful for my parents, brother, sister and her family and all of my in-laws! Each one is so different and I believe that everything in life happens for a reason. People are put into your lives for a reason whether good or bad...Life isn't easy but having those you love around makes all the difference!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that the spirit can carry with us all throughout the whole year!

Ryan's birthday was actually on November 5th and he is 29 years old! Almost 30!!

It was a Thursday so he worked and then I got a babysitter and we went out for dinner!

Before we went out for dinner I told him he had to blow out the candle so the kids could have some cake while we were gone! And the kids had to help him blow out the one candle!

We went out to dinner at Chili's and Ryan's food was great but I ordered a burger because I never really eat burgers unless we bbq during the summer. I asked for it "well done" and when it came out I took a bite and saw pink and almost vomited on the table! So we waited for the waitress to come back, I ended up eating all my fries by then so she came back and I told her that my burger was pink. She replied, "Oh did you want me to get you a new one?" Carrie, "Is that okay, I can't eat pink meat." Waitress, "Yeah let me get you a new one." She walks away and Ryan says,"No, I don't want you to get me a new one I was just letting you know it was pink??!!" Sarcastically of course! She didn't hear him thank heavens or I would have been embarrassed but it was kind of funny that she asked and didn't say she would get me a new one! After that we went shopping for Ryan and then he and his friend went and worked on the duplex for the next 3 hours!

Happy Birthday Ryan! I love you so much and think you are so amazing and talented! You are great with our kids and I know you love them so much! Love you!!

*Don't forget next year is 30 :)

Halloween

This year for Halloween we had a lot of fun....Ryan and I we to a party the Saturday before Halloween that some friends from church had which was a TON of fun! We played some awesome games and ate and just laughed! And some got spanked....HEHE! Sorry inside joke!

The kids had fun also on Halloween and their pictures are below!

Ryan had his costume for a month before Halloween after he saw someone else having the Mario costume. I was trying to compliment him with Princess Peach or something fun but came up with a witch...And I wasn't about to pay $50 for a cheap piece of wannabe silk! We didn't compliment each other but everyone loved Ryan's costume!

Ryan before the party

Carrie before the party

Sorry no pictures together!!

Here are the kiddos...

Sorry this first one is blurry...

This was after trunk-or-treat and Reese was out for the night even after pulling the sucker out of her mouth! Cooper was picking tootsie roll out of his teeth but he woke up to go around the neighborhood! Halloween is so fun! Sorry for being so late on posting...Don't blame you for not reading this!!