Newest Family Pictures

I never knew how hard it was go get a great picture of all 4 kids! I settled for a good one.

Olivia's Dedication

The whole family. (not at all a good picture, but at least Maddox wasn't crying and the older 2 were looking in the direction of the camera)


Grandma and all her grand-daughters.


Chilling in Aunt Sheila's arms. Aunt Sheila even managed to get her to go to sleep during the service.


During lunch Olivia decied she had enough of the crazy family. Thankfully they all wore her out. She got home and slept for over 3 hrs.

The Awesomeness of Daddyhood

Most days, being a father feels the same as any other. It doesn't matter if you're a new dad of one or a seasoned dad of more than 4, the special moments seem few and far between the endless amounts of teaching, telling, asking, yelling, refereeing, disciplining, bathing, dressing, diapering, pacifier-hunting, toy-fixing, and everything else we do because we love our children.

And when you add to that, the stress of trying to fill Mom's shoes while she's at the dentist, life can be a bit overwhelming. Tonight was that sort of night, when I added cooking and cleaning to the list. (My wife does much more than that, but I've accepted the fact that she's better than me at some things. At first it was difficult to admit, but after realizing I married a SuperMom who manages a house, 6 different schedules, and the stresses that comes with it, while I simply try to survive it, I had to face reality.)

But today, the overwhelming day ended up being special. After making a pot-luck dinner of 1 left-over chicken quesadilla, 3 pieces of left-over, kid-made pizza, 4 corn dog bites, and 15 pizza bites--all items that fit on the stoneware and can reheat at 350 for 15 minutes while I feed Olivia a bottle-- the boys and I enjoyed our bachelor meal.

And after they had put their dishes away and started coloring, I began setting up Cooper's spelling homework when Nelson all of a sudden interrupted me and said, "Dad, I want to ask Jesus into my heart!" At which point, he realized how vulnerable he just made himself and his tenderness showed and he began to cry.

Women probably don't understand this, but guys usually don't cry when they're hurt, mad, sad, or angry. Sometimes they do, but it usually comes from the act of being vulnerable with another person, not from the emotion itself. But it was an awesome thing to share that moment with my son.

So after they got ready for bed, we said our prayers, and then Nelson and I said the same prayer I prayed with his older brother earlier this year, "Dear Jesus, I know that I do bad things sometimes, and make bad decisions that keeps me from spending forever with you. I believe that you died on the cross for me. Please forgive me for the bad things I have done. Please come into my heart and help me make good decisions and live for you. I love you, Jesus. Amen."

Thank you God, for the reminders of just how awesome being a Daddy is!!

God speaks, we hear different things...

I'm convinced God spoke to me this morning, and it was rather clear! While unloading the dishwasher, making coffee, and making breakfast (yep three things at one time) I somehow got a pinched nerve in the base of my neck.
I quickly called for Travis and started down the hall into our bedroom to explain the immense pain in my neck. He told me it was nothing major and should go away in 3-5 days. Nothing major?!?! I want to see him have a pinched nerve and do laundry, clean the family room, and chase the kids all day.
I told him I thought this nerve was God speaking to me. I heard that I should have a cleaning service, personal chef, and live-in nanny. He said from this he heard I should keep things in their place, set the coffee pot at night, before I go to bed, and remind the boys that they are able to do things on their own.
I like my interpretation a lot better!

Winter has arrived.

My parents left yesterday morning for an 8 day vacation in SUNNY, WARM, Jamaica. I talked to them at the 2 airports and then again when they landed. I gave very detailed instructions of what they were supposed to do when they got settled. They were to go to the beach, face Northwest and BLOW!!! I was hoping they would send some of the sun and warmth to us. But, alas, they didn't. They have chosen to be selfish and keep it all to themselves. Maddox, Olivia, and I are forced to come up with our own ways of keeping warm today... I have chosen to clean, call it creative exercise. I figure sweeping, washing floors, and dusting should keep me toasty and burn off some extra weight at the same time.
Maddox gets comfy under his fleece batman blanket and watches Blue's Clues.

Olivia knows how to beat the blahs, she just snoozes with her doll from Auntie Sheila. On a side note, check out her jowls! She's getting big. I never thought she was heavy until I spent Saturday carrying her in my arms for almost 4 hrs.

Our first girls' weekend

This morning. My parents, myself, and Olivia decided to venture down to State Street and Macy's to see the big Christmas tree (unveiled by Tommy Hilfiger) and the Christmas windows. It started out as a very uneventful day, but that quickly changed...

Mommy and Olivia getting ready to look at windows.


Me being interviewed by HGTV for a holiday lights special (to air the first weekend in December, stay tuned for times and show name). This was very exciting for me and my parents, we are all HGTV fans. I was also very thankful I had taken the time to dry my hair this morning and put make-up on.


Olivia sitting on a book display with all of the Oliva books


Meeting Mr. O'Leary, the designer of Waterford Crystal. Grandma Nelson bought her a Christmas tree ornament and he engraved her name on it and signed it!

Standing in front of the observation window with the tree in the background. This year the theme was Christmas' from the past. The tree was beautiful, like always. We didn't get to meet Tommy Hilfiger, the lines were just too long and Olivia was getting fussy.

Halloween cuteness everywhere!

Our kids couldn't get into their costumes fast enough on Friday. (Well, that's not true, I quickly discovered Olivia is not as girly as I thought... She hated playing dress-up.) Maddox was the first costumed and ready to go. He was standing by the front door ready to go 45 minutes before the other 2 got off the bus. The boys, Travis, and my friend all arrived at the house at the exact same time. Travis helped Cooper and Nelson into their costumes and I started snapping pictures like a mad woman. Nothing turned out great, but with 4 kids and the oldest being just over 6, I had to set realistic expectations (ie, everyone looking at the camera, no one crying, and no one being smothered boy a brother.)
We took pictures, ran to Target to get Trick-or-Treat buckets and candy and were on our way to my brother's house for dinner, Trick-or-Treating and nacho fun!


The older 2 striking Ninja poses


Maddox just being absolutely adorable.


Olivia in a brief moment of not crying, living up to her costume, the angel.