The Gordons

It has been a LONG time!! Sorry :-)

2012-01-17T14:26:00.000-06:00

Life has been pretty busy lately!! I know I have been a bad blogger and I am sorry _ I will try and get better!!

Quick update on the kids!!

Devyn is a character. Still has a pretty serious attitude...a good one but it is still there. She is definitely a little mini me. I feel like I am bribing her to do almost everything these days. She is very into princesses and is pretty much ALL girl.

Sam just had his 6 month doctor appointment today. He is 19.3 lbs and 27 inches. In the 75% for both height and weight. And 99% for his enormous head. Devyn cried the entire way to school today because she knew Sam was going to the doctor and she didn't want him to get a shot! Not sure when but at some point she became extremely terrified of getting them. Sam does have 2 teeth and is sitting up and rolling over!!! Yay!!!

WooHoo!! Last Day of School!!!

2011-12-20T13:21:00.000-06:00

WooHoo!! Today is the last day of school!!! Two weeks off and so excited!!! Just a few pictures...

We took Devyn and Sam to a train exhibit. Devyn had more fun just playing outside. She wasn't really into the trains. I brought her 12 month snow pants on accident but she insisted on wearing them, so she was walking around with floods. It was pretty funny. You can't really see but it really is a cute picture.

Devyn LOVES to pose for pictures with Sam. We hardly have any of just Sam because she is always running into the picture!! Poor Sam just doesn't know what to think. We got him a 6 month hat and couldn't even get it on that huge head of his. He is wearing a 12 month hat this winter and JUST turned 5 months.

Devyn had a pretty big fall the other day. We were at Kelly's house and she was running around and ran into the wall. She immediately puked afterward. She is okay now but has a pretty decent bruise.

Devyn's teacher sent me this picture today!! I about died. So cute!!!

Have a Merry Christmas!!

Is it break yet?!!

2011-12-15T11:59:00.001-06:00

This has been the LONGEST week EVER!!! Is it break yet?!!? The kids at school are insane right now and I can't wait for next Weds. It can't come fast enough!! I never understood how teachers needed or wanted a break cuz the rest of the world doesn't get one! I get it now!! Being around 25 kids who are wild and already mentally checked out is exhausting.

Devyn had the flu this week. She said her stomach hurt, and we didn't really believe her, then she puked all over the stairs. So my mom had her for the day! I think Devyn had fun because today when it was time for school she said "Wait, I am not going to school. I am going to Baba's house." Sorry to disappoint kiddo!! But Baba does have Sam today! The poor kid has been at the doctor more times than I can count. He had a breathing treatment at the doctor today. Then was sent home with an inhaler and medicine. Poor kid. Hopefully he gets better fast.

Here are some pics of the kids!

Check me out in my new ride!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!! Never thought that I would be in a minivan but I am in love with it. I have so much room and I am higher than everyone else so I can see everything!! Its great!

Weekend Pics!!!

2011-12-06T08:55:00.000-06:00

We had such a great weekend!! We drove to St. Louis to see the Briggs Family!! The car ride was 5 hours and the kids were AWESOME!! We didn't even stop on the way there. We had such a great time and Devyn and Jacob took about 30 seconds to be BFFs again! I honestly have never seen her play with another kid the way she plays with Jacob. I love them together. We miss you guys already, Thank you for such an awesome weekend!!

Devyn and Sam!! Sam is such a chub. We took him to the doctor yesterday because he is so stuffed up!! Basically he has a cold on top of a cold and there is nothing that they can do!! But he gained 2 lbs in the last 2 weeks so we have to stop giving him so much cereal and start giving him more fruits and veggies. Last night was his first time with applesauce and he loved it. I gave it to him again this morning and he wasn't so sure.

Sam and Devyn

2011-12-01T15:44:00.000-06:00

I have been one bad blogger lately. Life has been crazy with report cards and school. I CAN'T wait for winter break! Only 15 days to go _ but who is counting!!

Sam is on cereal now... he LOVES it. He eats 3 times a day and cries when it is over. I can't wait to try real baby food.

Devyn is talking up a storm and the girl remembers EVERYTHING!!! I can't make anything up because she throws it back in my face. She is super excited for Xmas and Santa. We went and sat on Santa lap last night and she went right up and told him exactly what she wanted. I will try and scan a picture later.

We are off to St. Louis this weekend!!! Can't wait to see the Briggs family!

Sam - 4 Months!!

2011-11-14T15:36:00.000-06:00

Well Sam is officially 4 months old!! We had our 4 month appointment today! My mom took him and had to deal with him having his shots!! Thanks Mom :-) He is 17 lbs and pretty much a tank! We are going to start cereal this week so stay tuned for some pictures! And we were told to stop holding him so much :-( He needs to be on the floor kicking and building his core strength. With a head the size of his it doesn't shock me that she also said more tummy time!! When he is awake he needs to be on his tummy 50% of of the time. We will see how that goes. Anyway here is a picture from today!

Devyn and Sam

2011-10-18T13:12:00.000-05:00

Devyn had me laughing all the way to school this morning. This was our conversation:

Me: Devyn, I love you!!

Devyn: No you don't.

Me: Yes I do. Very much!

Devyn: No, you love daddy.

Me: Yes, I love daddy but I also love you and Sam too

Devyn: You can only love 1 person and you chose daddy.

Me: What?

Devyn: You married him. I am going to marry Jacob so I can only tell him I love him.

Me: I see. Well I love you.

Devyn: Well I love Jacob.

Here are pictures. Devyn and Sam

Really Bad Blogging :-(

2011-10-09T18:59:00.000-05:00

I think I forget sometimes that I am supposed to be posting pictures!!! I keep getting text messages asking me to post pics... sorry guys!! I am trying :-) Both of our kids are sick. Devyn has a little cough and Sam has some major diarrhea. I am going to try and take them both to the doctor tomorrow. But having 2 sick kids is really no fun.

We have definitely been keeping busy. We have been to the pumpkin patch, every park in town, and today we went apple picking! It was so much fun!!

We had school pictures a few weeks ago and Devyn's couldn't be any cuter. When I get them I will post some. But now she LOVES to pose for the camera. Here are a few of her posing...And getting everyone else to pose too.

Playing with her twin....

And Sam the tank!! He is almost 15 lbs and just seems soooo huge to me! He is doing really well though. He has been giving us about 6 sometimes 7 hours of sleep at night!! He still eats about every 3 hours during the day though. I have tried to stretch it and he just doesn't seem like he can make it any longer. I swear Devyn was like 15 lbs on her first birthday and this little man is only 12 weeks.

With Papa!

And Sam's class picture!

Pics :-)

2011-09-20T15:30:00.001-05:00

Sorry I have been so bad at posting lately. I feel like I can't keep anything straight anymore. Is it summer yet? We took Sam to his 2 month appointment and he already weighs close to 14 lbs. I swear he is a tank. WHEN will he sleep through the night? I thought babies who weigh more are supposed to sleep through the night faster? So not true...

Brant has been out of town the last few days for work _ and I am telling you being a single mom is definitely the hardest job on the planet. So much respect for all them out there. Thank goodness my mom and dad live close! Baba has been coming over at night for bath time and again in the morning. Thanks Mom! We have been keeping busy! Here are some pics _ they are going to be little cuz I am on my work computer and I am too lazy to actually download them. But hey _ it's better than nothing!

We went to the circus. Devyn loved it so much we actually went 2 times. The first with my OLDEST friend Lindsey and her daughter Sara then again with Kelly and her kids.

Bad blogger... Just a few pics

2011-09-04T16:08:00.000-05:00

I have been a really bad blogger lately. I am just so tired!! I am back at work, started 3 weeks ago, and by the end of the day I am drained!! But we are all doing well!! Sam is 7 weeks now and doing great. He made it 5 hours last night....woohoo!! Hopefully this we start to be an every night type of thing!! He goes in for his 2 month check up next week and I can't wait to see how much he weighs. At his 1 month appointment he was 10 lbs 10 oz.

We had Kelly and her family over for the Iowa game yesterday. I think we all had a few too many drinks. Brant and I have been a huge waste today. But the kids were running around having fun. Next thing we knew they had taken EVERY piece of clothing out of Devyn's room, then decided to throw it over the railing downstairs, it took me about 2 hours this morning to put every piece back. I was not too happy.

Sam is definitely more awake now than he was! He is still Brant's little twin but I think he is starting to grow out of that too.

Playing with his big sister...who still absolutely adores him.

The 3 of us at Grandma's house...

POOR SAM!!! He doesn't stand a chance with Devyn. He needs to get bigger so he can defend himself. She had taken a pen and was writing on him, and then was putting stickers on him. Across his face is a sticker from her new skirt!

Devyn has been pretty funny lately. She is just so smart and comes up with the funniest little one liners! She told her teachers at school that her daddy has a fat butt because he eats too much. Then she went on to tell Brant that he needs to get a new drivers license because the one he has doesn't say he is married to mommy on it. She LOVES watching our wedding video and can sit and watch it for hours. She is just so grown up. I love it because we can actually have a conversation now but it makes me sad that my little girl is getting so big.

CRAZY LIFE!!

2011-08-06T21:53:00.001-05:00

I feel like the Gordons are tired!!! Brant takes the night feeding, which is around 11 or 12, and then I take the middle of the night and the early morning feeding. I am not sure which is a worse shift!! Brant gets to sleep through the night, which is awesome, but I think I get more hours of sleep if you add them together! If I go to bed at 8....which I do!! Luckily Sam is an amazing baby!!

We eat about every 3 hours, day and night, and really only cry when we are hungry! Devyn is getting the routine too. She knows when he cries he wants his bottle. Devyn is still in love with her baby brother.

Both kids sleeping!!! Woohoo!!!

Our favorite thing to do is dress up!!! Devyn is always in a new Disney character!! If anyone is ever thinking of a new gift for the Big D.... Dress up clothes!!

I am still trying to be the fun mom but it is hard with Devyn and the heat... I am sure it is fine but having Sam out in the heat makes me nervous!! But here we are at the spray park.. just the Big Sam getting some rays!! Clearly he is in the shade....

2 weeks old!

2011-07-27T08:23:00.000-05:00

Well Sam is 2 weeks old... feels like we just brought him home yesterday!! So far so good. We are past our birth weight and I swear all the kid does is eat. I know I can't compare kids but he is a HOG compared to what Devyn was. I had to force feed Devyn when she was a baby and I have to make Sam slow down. He slept in his crib for the first time last night... of course Devyn is still in our bed. One of these days she will be out too. School starts in 3 weeks so I need to love them both up now!!

This is my new favorite picture!!! Both my babies.

And one with daddy!!

And mommy!

We took Devyn to get a new bike this weekend. She picked out a Harley Davidson motorcycle. She loves it!!

Kelly and Tyler are moving so we went over there to help destroy their place to make packing more difficult :-) This is what Devyn was doing... just being silly!

Playing with baby brother. We don't use his name at home...we call him Baby Brother. I wonder if that will stick? I think Devyn is having more fun than Baby Brother in these pictures.

With Aunt Kelly!

And our very first bath!! Thanks Baba!! I took Sam to the doctor on Monday and the doctor asked if he had a bath... I said NO...she said my homework is to take him home and give him one!! So we went straight to my moms house and she helped out! I am still learning how to work the extra parts down there.

And posing for the camera!

Devyn & Sam

2011-07-20T14:37:00.000-05:00

It is definitely harder with 2 kids. That is for sure. Brant has basically been on baby duty while I am on Devyn duty. Devyn is absolutely in love with her baby brother. She doesn't like to be far away from him. Is always wanting to hold him, feed him, burp him. She has been calling me Katie and telling me to chill out and walk away from her baby. She doesn't really understand that he isn't a doll and that he isn't as strong as Drew but we are doing our best. I guess it could be worse. She could want nothing to do with him at all.

It is official! Brant and Sam are TWINS!!

This is how we start our mornings. Both kids in our bed. It might be the best part of the day!

Me and my 2 kids!

I can't get Devyn to nap to save my life. But Papa can! She was on him for not even 5 minutes and she was out! Too bad we can't do this everyday!

Sam James Gordon

2011-07-15T14:14:00.000-05:00

Sam has arrived!! Finally!!! It was a pretty eventful Weds at the Gordon household. We woke up and got ready to head to the hospital and were about to leave when my phone rang. They called to cancel my induction. Brant was upstairs when I got the call and I was hysterical! I was crying so hard that I could barely even speak. He ran downstairs and thought something was honestly wrong. The poor nurse on the phone must have thought I was a little insane! But hey it worked out to our benefit. They called about 30 minutes later and said come on in!! Off we went!

Sam James Gordon
7 pounds 15 ounces
21 inches

39 Weeks

2011-07-12T08:11:00.001-05:00

Who would have thought we would have made it this far. I definitely did not. But baby boy Gordon will be here soon... stay tuned :-)

We had terrible storms yesterday. My sister is out of power and could be out all week. We all got together and had dinner at my parents last night. I think Devyn missed her cousins. She didn't see them all week. Here are the big D and Brock riding a motorcycle! Pretty cute.

Devyn LOVES LOVES LOVES the water. She can put her head under and actually hold her breath for a few seconds. I think that is pretty good for a 3 year old. We have been taking her to the pool but the other day we decided to just play with the hose. Here is Baba chasing Devyn!

The other morning Devyn wanted to play in the basement. So we went down there. It is honestly about -40 degrees down there. It is FREEZING!! I said to her hey D can we go upstairs I am freezing. She said "I am talking to Papa! Leave me alone Katie!" Okay then.

Posing for a picture.

And climbing the rock wall with Daddy.

Happy 4th!!!

2011-07-04T20:06:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday America! Hope everyone is having a fun, relaxing and safe weekend!!

Brant took Devyn to the fireworks last night!! Our good friend Aidan works at a country club so they had a little father/daughter night out!! I was a little jealous that I wasn't able to go!! Sounds like they want to make it a tradition :-( Aidan and Charlotte picked Brant and Devyn up in their Jeep and off they went!! Devyn was talking about the car with no top on it all morning this morning! And the way she explains the fireworks couldn't be any cuter! She came in last night and said "Mommy they were AWESOME!! They went boom boom boom boom." Here are a few pictures!

This is Charlotte, Devyn, and Sawyer.

Here Devyn is looking at the fireworks for the very first time!

I told her if it gets too loud that she needs to plug her ears! Here she is taking my advice :-)

I went to school the other day to try and get my room in order. Maybe it is part of this whole nesting thing but the fact that it isn't done yet is driving me insane! Brant was going to take Devyn to the pool but she wanted to go and see Cars instead. So off they went to see the movie! This is the picture I got! He called me on the way and said she wants to go to Cars and I can't get her out of her princess outfit! Love it!

I heart summer!

2011-06-28T21:01:00.001-05:00

The weather is finally nice!! Yay!!! Devyn and I have been keeping busy. We went to the spray park today and had a blast.

We started swim lessons on Monday. She LOVES LOVES it. Getting her to leave the pool is a disaster. I actually made Brant come today to help me because she refuses to leave and I have to basically carry her kicking and screaming to the car then fight with her to get into the car seat. Today Brant got to do the hard part but then I was stuck with her the entire car ride home where she some how wiggled her way out of her car seat and was standing on it screaming she wanted to go back to the pool. How I didn't get pulled over is beyond me.

Anyway went to the doctor today and nothing. Looks like I am going to be induced in a few weeks.

We went to the Libertyville Days Parade with Kelly and her kids. Here are some pictures.

They were throwing candy and Devyn was waiting patiently for the next float. Sometimes she is so old!! She has been saying some of the funniest things lately. She has this little attitude with me and I can't help but laugh at her.

Charlotte came to meet us too!!

And Brant rode his bike up and D had to sit on it. Doesn't Brant look like he is having fun in the second picture.

I was literally waiting months to go to the Long Grove Strawberry festival. It was cute but sort of a bust. Literally all we did was eat and then leave but D got to ride a pony.

And finally at McDonald's. The Big D has become obsessed with breakfast burritos and literally asks for one every morning! And we can't go through the drive through _ we have to actually get out and eat there. So here we are this morning at McDonald's.

Why so hot out!!

2011-06-21T20:44:00.000-05:00

It is way to hot out to be this enormous!! People shouldn't be allowed to be pregnant in the summer. Went to the doctor today and NOTHING! I swear this kid is never coming out. When they tell you for the last 15 weeks that you will basically deliver at any time it is sort of frustrating now to be waiting. I am definitely thankful, don't get me wrong, but REALLY ready to not be pregnant anymore. Honestly all I do is cry, I am really over this. Because of my surgery my cervix is now distorted and the doctor can't find an opening at all. I also have so much scar tissue from the surgery that I probably won't dilate on my own. Probably too much information but I don't care :-) HOPEFULLY my water breaks before my due date.

Being a stay at home mom is by far the hardest job in the world. There are a TON of hours to fill in the day. Devyn no longer naps and is constantly on the go. I am doing my best to keep her occupied.

We went to Libertyville Days over the weekend. D got her face painted. She was pretty excited about it.

Then we went on the rides. You have to be 36 inches to get on all of the rides. The Big D is honestly 36 inches tall. At her 3 year appointment she was 36 inches...I swear on my life! They let her on every single ride the first day we went and she had a blast. The second day they wouldn't let her on ANYTHING! They said she was too short. Try explaining that to a 3 year old...when she was allowed to the day before. That was a blast.

Yesterday we went painting!! It was pretty fun but after about 20 mins Devyn lost interest. But she made a really pretty picture holder!

And her all time favorite thing... playing in the water! We got her a blow up pool and all she wants to do is play in it. I can't ever get her in a bathing suit so the only pictures I have are of her with nothing on so I won't post but here she is playing in the water table.

Summer!!!!

2011-06-14T15:15:00.001-05:00

It is officially summer!! Not that I have been at work for the last few months _ but still it is summer!! WooHoo!! Now I don't have to feel guilty sitting at home when I really should be at work. I am 34 weeks and counting!! I can't believe it. I had my cerclage removed today, which did not feel very good, and now we are just waiting. The doctor said he has only had 1 patient go immediately to labor and delivery after having the stitch removed...I was REALLY hoping I was going to be patient number 2. But no such luck.

We are all settled into our new house! We LOVE it. I honestly can't believe I love my house this much. I have turned into my mom and actually have house rules. Devyn is pretty good at keeping them _ we are still working on Brant. He thinks I am going insane.

Devyn has been a character lately. She is testing me at every angle. I say no and she does it anyway, she puts herself in timeout, she even asked for a spanking the other day...and I have never even spanked her so I don't know where she got that one. I normally give her to the count of 5 to do something and she has been counting to me lately. Not sure where I went wrong but clearly I am not tough enough!

Here are some new pictures of D.

Taking her baby on a walk.

Getting ready to go to the store!! She is always asking me to take pictures of her!! She stops, poses, and smiles.

And when she should be in bed... She was playing with every chair int he house. Jumping from chair to chair. We started a real gymnastics class on Monday and the coach asked when we were leaving if she was afraid of anything. The answer is NO. She is not afraid of a thing. Well except bugs :)

Jenny and Scott moved to Texas... We are so sad!! We already miss them!! It was so nice having them here!! We love you Jenny and Scott!!

32 weeks

2011-05-25T18:37:00.000-05:00

Well we made it to 32 weeks. I was released from the high risk doctors and was able to go back to my regular doctor today...when he saw me he was kind of shocked and said wow your still around? Yep... still hanging on! And most likely going all the way. They are taking out my stitch in 3 weeks so we will see what happens after that. Stay tuned...

We had some great weather this weekend and were able to go to the park. Here are a few pictures of Devyn and Brant playing.

Jacob came to town a few weeks ago and we were able to see them! Devyn was SO excited to see her best friend!! They were so cute together and I miss their friendship so much!!! Jacob _ come back!! Please.

Devyn is the biggest girl but the biggest boy at the same time!! Here she is playing dress up!

And finally posing for the camera!

Quick Update....

2011-05-13T18:10:00.001-05:00

Lots going on over here at the Gordon's. They sold the house we are living in so we are moving in the next 2 weeks, Brant got a new job, and I am still sitting on my butt!! Had a doctor appointment today and nothing really new with me. I am 30 weeks and 2 days and the baby weighs 3lbs 12 oz. At 34 weeks all bed rest restrictions will be lifted so really only 3 1/2 weeks left. WooHoo!! Too bad the day I turn 34 weeks is also the last day of school. I need to just let that one go but I am still having a hard time with it :-(

Here are a few pictures!! This is Devyn right before we went to school the other day!!

This made me laugh pretty hard!! I was trying to take a picture of Devyn in front of my parents yard and Brock heard me say Devyn picture!! So then he went over and actually posed with her. I about lost it!! First one is without him realizing then the second he wanted in!

Happy Birthday Big D!!

2011-05-04T09:14:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was Devyn's birthday!! She was in a GREAT mood all day!! We even started the day with going potty on the potty!! WooHoo!! We are getting somewhere!!! We brought donuts to school and I think she loved being the center of attention. After school everyone gathered at my parents place. It was a little chaotic but fun!! Then we took all the kids to McDonald's where I think Brant and I were the only ones that ate. Then back to Baba's to open presents and have cake. Devyn was VERY overwhelmed. But she had a great time and loves all of her new toys!! Thank you to Baba and Papa for allowing us to make a mess of their house :-) Here are some pics!

Here we are at McDonald's for our bday dinner!

Grandma Linda sent Devyn balloons! They were a big hit!

Kelly got Devyn a doll that is about as big as she is!! And a tinkerbell dress up costume. We had to fight with Devyn to not wear it to school this morning!

Brant found Devyn a kids makeup kit. OMG_ it was a hit!! Devyn was so into it and then Drew was into it! Drew was painting Devyn's fingers and nails!

Aunt Kara stopped by and brought Devyn a tangled princess kit!! Look how pretty Devyn looks!

I HAD to get Devyn a bouncy ball. No idea why but I thought she would love it. And I was right!!

And finally blowing out her birthday candles!!

Happy Almost Birthday Devyn!!!

2011-05-02T09:04:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow is my little girls birthday!! Three years ago today my water broke and we headed to the hospital!! Little D was born at 12:13 am May 3rd. I can't believe she is 3! Time is just flying. It is fun because she finally understands that it is her birthday. She really wants a Cinderella tshirt so my goal today is to find one.

Not much going on with me. Still technically on bed rest. I am able to go on one outing a day so I have been taking full advantage. It is REALLY nice to get off the couch.

The doctors did say no to work...but then I cried in the office so they said it was okay to go back for a half day here and there. Which unfortunately isn't going to happen. After thinking it through it is just too much of a disruption for the kids. They are finally back into a routine with my sub so I will be going back for the end of year picnic.

Anyway that is our update!! Here are some pics of Devyn from the weekend!!

We went to the park with Drew, Brock and Reid... It was REALLY windy so we didn't last too long.

Then we played at Baba's house... We found Devyn and the twins getting into a little trouble. Papa wasn't too happy with them drawing on the house!

We have been having to trick Devyn into taking a nap. We put her in the car and drive her around and then she falls asleep and everyone is happy. Well I think she is catching on to us. This was our attempt yesterday. It clearly didn't work.

The Easter bunny got us a fish!! Devyn named it Dory and she loves it. She sits and just looks at it and talks to her!!

Happy Easter!!!

2011-04-24T09:43:00.001-05:00

Happy Easter everyone!! We have had a great weekend. Went to my parents house yesterday to celebrate Easter! Had an Easter egg hunt and got lots of candy!!

Here is Devyn sitting with Papa!!

We got to make cookies, Easter eggs and deviled eggs. D loved it :-)

Trying our masterpiece. She didn't like it

On the Easter egg hunt!

Getting our Easter basket

Going fishing for more Easter bunny presents...fishing is a Crawford Easter tradition. This is the first year the adults didn't get to fish. I was a little sad :-(

Yesterday morning Brant took Devyn to get a new haircut She is sporting a very fashionable bob.

This might be a favorite picture!!! Brant always picks me up after work at my parents house but Devyn wants to be walked home by Baba. So here is Baba walking Devyn home!!! For those of you that don't know we live across the street from my parents!

Snow in April?!!

2011-04-19T10:45:00.000-05:00

This weather is incredible. Last weekend it was in the 80s and yesterday we woke up with snow on the ground. Devyn was super excited to play in it! Brant took her out for a bit before school. Here are some pictures. In the first pic she is making snow angels.

I told Devyn no more cookies and then put the cookies on the top shelf of the pantry so she couldn't reach. Well that clearly worked...

We have found a way to do makeup that we can both agree on!!

Weekend Pics!!

2011-04-12T09:29:00.001-05:00

We had a great weekend with family. Devyn had a ton of fun and was in a good mood all weekend! The weather was perfect and I even got to sit outside!! I got a little fried but hey bed rest isn't so bad when you get to be outside!! Here are a few pics of D from the weekend. Yes, I realize she is always in the same outfit! But this is really the only thing she doesn't fight to dress in! It could be worse. When I was little I was always in a red velvet dress with long sleeves :)

Here we are sitting outside. She was LOVING it. Walking around my parents house. When I asked her to take a picture she stopped and posed. Not real sure why she chose these two poses but still pretty cute!

And just cheesing out!!! She is so funny lately. She calls Brant Brant instead of daddy. But she has been doing that for a while. I think it is hysterical he hates it! This morning she went up to him and said "Brant can I get a dog...PLEASE" then gave him the biggest hug! Even though it was cute I don't think we will be getting a dog anytime soon!

Lots of Pics!!

2011-04-05T14:30:00.001-05:00

Not much new going on here!! I really can't complain because I feel okay but I am SO BORED!! I can't wait to be able to go back to school. My mom thinks I should start a hobby. Even if I had one I wouldn't be able to motivate myself to do one. But any ideas are welcome :-)

Brant and I witnessed the biggest meltdown ever with Devyn the other night. No matter what we did she just screamed, the entire temper tantrum lasted about 25 minutes. Like the good parents that we are we took photos of it. Enjoy!

Here is D dancing and watching Tangled. We have seen it about 100 times now. I sing the songs when I wake up in the middle of the night and throughout the day!

Devyn's new thing is to put on makeup! When she does it goes all over her face. She also loves hair products for her hair! I don't even get ready anymore because it is too long on my feet so I am not 100% sure where this is coming from! But here she is the other morning all proud of herself for putting hairspray in her hair and makeup on her face!

I just like this picture! Getting ready to go outside and play with Baba!

My mom and dad pick up Big D after school and play with her until Brant gets home! D is into her scooter and looking for pine cones. Here are a few pics outside with Baba!

Spring Break 2011

2011-04-01T17:56:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it is April already. We are doing great. I am still on bed rest and there doesn't look to be an end date in our near future.

My parents have been a godsend. I can't even explain it. I honestly don't know how my mom does it. She has more energy than I could ever dream of having. Brant has also been a godsend. He cooks, cleans, does the grocery shopping, takes care of D at night. I couldn't ask for anything more :-)

This just explains my mom right here. I LOVE this picture. I am of course on the couch and my mom is playing hide and seek with Devyn. Hint _ look under the desk.

Here are a few pictures of Devyn's spring break with Kelly, Brock, Drew, Reid and Baba...

And me and Devyn watching a cartoon... I can't figure out how to turn it. But this is for you Randy :-) It's the best I can do for you.

Will you dance with me?

2011-03-26T21:06:00.000-05:00

That is Devyn's new line. Will you dance with me daddy?? She loves to dance. We enrolled her in a ballet class on Saturday mornings!! My mom has been taking her since I can't. I think they both love it! The first class Devyn was listening and being a great student. Today all she wanted to do was dance, no listening, just dancing! It looks pretty cute. Brant went and took some pictures. Enjoy :-)

We had a few days in there that made it seem like spring was definitely here...so the kids had a picnic outside. We were fooled though, it snowed yesterday and it is cold again :-(

Week 1 Down :-)

2011-03-19T09:34:00.000-05:00

This has been a LONG week!! But week 1 of bed rest down!! WooHoo!! At least 2 weeks more although my mom thinks the doctor is just appeasing me and that it will be longer. But the surgery seems to be working _ at least that is what the ultrasound showed yesterday.

Huge thanks to Brant, my parents, and sister. They have been taking D to the park, the mall, basically doing all of the things that I can't. Here are some pictures from the park a few days ago.

This might be my new all time favorite picture of Devyn!!

This one made me laugh! Doesn't Drew look like he is having fun!!

My little girl is getting so BIG!! She can even ride a big wheel!

I about died when Devyn came down for school the other day. I was laying on the couch and I could hear Brant and D fighting upstairs about what to wear to school. Then I hear her coming down the stairs and Brant said THIS IS WHAT SHE IS WEARING! She thought she looked so cute! She picked it out all by herself and thats how she went to school!

Happy Monday!

2011-03-14T09:12:00.000-05:00

What a week this has been! On Friday I had an emergency surgery to hopefully keep me from going into preterm labor and now I am on bed rest. Being on bed rest with Devyn is definitely challenging. She doesn't really understand that mommy can't get up, mommy can't hold her, and mommy can't really play. I am allowed to go up the stairs 1 time per day. So when I go down I can't go back up until bedtime. It is going to be a long road but we are doing everything we can for our baby boy!

Poor Brant has to do everything. He is my servant bringing me drinks and food and doing everything with Devyn. Oh and he has to work too!! Thankfully we live so close to my parents because my mom has been a HUGE help. She went grocery shopping, cleaned the house, and did my laundry yesterday!

On Friday Devyn went to Drew's hockey game. Here is a picture of her and her new boyfriend _ Tyler.

Then Brant and Tyler took Drew and Devyn to the mall so that D could ride the train. She is obsessed with riding the train. Then they had ice cream!

On the way home she was OUT! I think she looks so pretty in this picture!

Her new thing is taking pictures with my phone. She doesn't really realize that she needs to turn the phone around to get the picture. This what they all look like. But I like close ups so I think they are cute!

It's a Boy!

2011-03-07T18:44:00.000-06:00

Had our 21 week ultrasound today - It's a Boy!! We couldn't be more excited. Devyn isn't so happy but she will get over it! She keeps saying "NO _ I want baby sister." Now we just have to figure out where we are going to live! Hopefully we have a house before this one comes!

I had the day off today and we went over to Baba's house, then went to the Harley Davidson store so my parents could pick up their bikes. We turned around and this is what D looked like :-)

When I told her it was time to go to Baba's this morning she said OK and tried to get herself dressed. She has been dressing herself lately. Sometimes I am like WOW you actually put together an outfit that matches. Then other times it is something like this...

Happy Birthday Drew!!!!

2011-02-27T20:04:00.000-06:00

Friday was Drew's birthday!! I can't believe he is already 6...time flies!!! Here are a few pictures from Drew's birthday celebration!!

Friday night we went to Kelly's house for pizza and drinks. Here I am with my little buddy Brock.

Drew blowing out his candles. He doesn't like anyone singing happy birthday to him so we didn't get to!! But we got to at least put candles on the cake!!

I was hoping that this picture would turn out better than it did! It's so hard to get a good picture with a 2 year old.

Being a cheeseball!!

Trying to get a picture with all the kids!! At least Brock is looking at the camera!!

Devyn is OBSESSED with Tyler. She will not leave him alone when he is around. She was climbing all up on him and making him tickle her! It was pretty cute.

I love this picture. This is mostly how Devyn has been acting. She is so much fun!! Total drama queen. We can be this happy one minute and then the next crying and having a total fit.

Today we went to Pump It UP for Drew's actual birthday party. The Gordon's lasted exactly 28 minutes. Not real sure what happened but Devyn was playing on the slide having a great time and then was crying and saying her knee hurt. At first we thought she could just walk it off but she couldn't put any pressure on her leg so we ended up having to leave and take her to the ER. They did some x-rays and turns out nothing is broken!! She is totally fine now and was even running around tonight but for a while Brant and I thought we were in some serious trouble. Here is a before picture, at the hospital picture, and after picture...

Way to Go Mom!!

2011-02-18T10:06:00.000-06:00

Around Thanksgiving my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Tuesday was her last day of treatment!!! Way to go Mom!!! Kelly and I got her a cake to celebrate, which Brant and I ate about 90% of. It was delicious!!! We love you Baba!

Holy Snow!

2011-02-10T08:37:00.000-06:00

It has been a long few weeks!!! First Brant was sick, then D got a double ear infection, and now I have bronchitis. The joys of winter!! When will it stop!! We had so much snow last week that I had 2 days off work... It wasn't fun snow to play in either because there was just so much of it! Here is a picture of Devyn measuring up to the snow. Thank goodness we live across from my parents because we don't have a snowblower. It would have taken Brant 3 days to get through this mess!

Brant and I got to go to Florida for the weekend!!! Brant won a trip through work _ and it was SO nice to get away and get some sun!! Thank you SO much Linda for coming and watching Devyn. We really appreciate it!! Here are some pictures from our trip!!

This was our awesome view!!

The beach!! Where I felt like a beached whale sitting in a bathing suit. I am pretty big these days!

We went on a walk every morning to get coffee and we came across this tree. I thought it was pretty cool so I took a picture of it!

And D being silly. Brant is still gone so every morning she wants to take a picture of herself and send it to Daddy. Pretty cute. This was this mornings.

Gone Fishin!!!

2011-01-30T16:16:00.000-06:00

We have had a rough few days!! First I got the flu, and now the Big D has it. And poor Brant... we moved and he had to do the entire thing by himself!! I got to watch from my parents window :-) Not a bad way to move for me! But Brant was exhausted and worked his little butt off. We are officially living in the suburbs. Not going to lie _ I think I like it. Now hopefully we can find a house we want to buy!

D and I spent the night at my parents the other night and this is what Devyn was up to. I showed Brant the picture and he said she looks like an old man fishing! And she kind of does. Pretty hysterical.

Weekend Pics..

2011-01-24T12:46:00.002-06:00

Not much really going on here! We are moving on Thursday!!! Yippee!!! We are definitely NOT packed but I am sure everything will come together. It always does. I am definitely going to miss living in the city but with the new baby coming we really have no choice but to move to a bigger place!

Devyn has been wild lately!! Yesterday she decided to jump off the 5th step. This is what happened after that... Thank goodness Aunt Jenny was there!! We needed a doctor in the house!!

I took D to the Children's museum last week. We had a great time, then we had lunch, and went to build a bear. When we were walking out she wanted to drive the train. I told her only 1 time and she actually listened!! I have begun bribing her with EVERYTHING!! Could be a bad parenting tactic but it works.

D and Brant getting ready for the very sad Bears game yesterday.

I can't figure out how to turn this picture. Sorry. But I went to get my haircut the other day and I got a text message with this picture!! It said "Your Daughter" I think it is pretty funny!!!

Go Bears!!

2011-01-17T07:43:00.000-06:00

Thank goodness for Martin Luther King!! I have the day off today and LOVE it!! Definitely needed another day! The whole family has had a cold, got rid of the cold, and now have them back :-( But we have been keeping busy. We are moving in about a week and I am very excited about it!! I can't wait to have an 8 minute commute!! But for some reason whenever I sleep at my parents house I am always late for work. Not real sure how that happens but every time it does. I think the Big D and I will head to the Children's Museum today! We still get in free cuz I work for Allstate :-)

D and I slept at my parents house last week and Devyn was CRAZY!! She loves their house because they have more toys than we do. It is honestly a kids dream in there. And they have more space to run around so she always goes nuts! She was locking me out of the room in the pictures below. She is very demanding lately. Always telling me to walk away or get out. If I tell her to throw her garbage away she will respond with you throw it away. Got a little diva on our hands.

A girl in my class had a tragedy in her family. Her cousin, who was 2, was eating a hotdog at Portillo's and choked and died. I know Devyn eats hotdogs all the time! Anyone with kids out there _ Don't forget to cut the hotdog!!! And the grapes! Two biggest things kids choke on.... Okay enjoy our pictures!

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-06T21:19:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!! Sorry for not posting in a while... It has been a busy few weeks!! We were in Iowa City for xmas!! Had a great time! Thank you Linda! The day we got back Devyn got a double ear infection. Now we are back in school! Here are some pictures from winter break!!

Here is D being silly! We were on our way to Iowa City and I turn around and this is what I see...

We have a huge obsession with dolls right now. We have them in every shape, size, and color. Here is D playing with her doll and changing her diaper! She will say Mommy stinky diaper...we need a new one!! So then we change it. Literally 30 seconds later we are doing the same thing again! We have wasted lots of diapers!

Playing on her new keyboard and microphone! The first few days she sat on the stool and played for hours! She hasn't touched it since!

Feeding our baby!! Thanks Baba :-)

And feeding another baby!!

This might be my favorite picture!! We went to the Shedd and I found Brant and the Big D sitting here!!
I love how she is looking at him!

Just Dance!

2010-12-20T18:49:00.000-06:00

Devyn LOVES to dance!! She is always saying "mommy, stand up! lets dance." So we dance!! She definitely has better moves than I do. I tape Ellen everyday, the other day we were watching it and Ciara was on. Devyn was mimicking every move that she made and kept asking to do it again! I got about the 20th time on video. Brant and I were laughing pretty hard. I wish you could see the tv because then you could see that she is really trying to dance the way that Ciara is. At one point Ciara starts panting so Devyn stopped and started panting. Anyway _ enjoy!

Tree House!!

2010-12-18T18:03:00.000-06:00

Devyn and I spent the night at my parents place last night. Brant went out with the boys and we got out of town!! Brant is still in bed claiming to have the flu... Devyn and I had a ton of fun though!! We went to Drew's hockey game on Friday night and then we went to this place called the Tree House on Saturday. It was AWESOME! It took forever to get there but it was worth it!! Here are a few pictures.

Winter Wonderland!!

2010-12-11T18:09:00.000-06:00

We had a great day today!! We went to Navy Pier to Winter Wonderland! It was so much fun. Normally when you read about stuff like this you go and just aren't at all impressed but this was amazing! We stayed for 4 hours. They had one of the ball rooms decked out with Christmas decorations, they had rides, slides, trains, an ice skating rink, a decorating cookie station. It was awesome! Here are some pictures from the day. Oh and we got to see Santa :-)

Here is a pic of D and Brant right in front of the big Xmas tree. Not a great picture...

Here is Devyn talking to an Elf before she got to talk to Santa. She wasn't at all scared! I was very impressed...huge improvement from last Christmas.

Here is D talking to Santa. She walked right up to him and said "I want Cinderella" it was pretty funny! Good thing we already got her that :-)

And finally sitting on Santa's lap!

They had HUGE slides at this place. Devyn and Brant must have gone down 100 times. Here are 2 pics...at the top and then on the way down.

And finally Dave and Jacob! Jacob is obsessed with hockey and he got to go ice skating today! It was a pretty big moment! I actually got a little teary eyed because I was so excited for him. He did a great job!! Here is the before picture.

It's SNOWING!!!!!

2010-12-04T11:00:00.000-06:00

It's snowing!!!! We woke up this morning to a couple inches of snow on the ground!! Devyn was pretty excited! Brant took her to the park and they made a snowman. Here are a few pictures!! Looks like they had fun!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-29T08:20:00.000-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving. Spent the weekend at Baba and Papa's house. Had lots of food and had a great time. Thank you for having us!!

I am home today with the what I think may be the flu. I was really sick yesterday and would have been pretty useless in the classroom today. I am feeling pretty bad because I have no sub plans but when your sick your sick _ there wasn't much I could do on this one.

Here are some pictures from Thanksgiving! This is what happened when the kids first saw my mom. She was trampled.

Baba set up a scavenger hunt for the kids. Here is me and D getting all her stuff!!! Which we left at Baba's...

Coloring with Brock. They look like twins don't they???

Feeding her baby...with bright orange ear plugs in her ears..

At the computer with Papa!! D looks like my mom in this picture!

And my favorite picture!!! Time to go home and someone isn't happy about it!! Check out her new kicks that she picked out herself!!

At the Disney store. Devyn is such a girl lately!! Always wanting to dance and watch Cinderella!

D made this hat in school. She had to wear it the whole way home and make Indian noises with her hands. It was pretty funny!!

Weekend Pics!!

2010-11-17T20:06:00.000-06:00

I can't believe that next week is Thanksgiving!! Life has been pretty crazy lately. Class is done for me _ I have 1 more paper to go and I am done!! WooHoo!!! I am not taking another class for a VERY long time. I can finally focus on other things.

Devyn is still doing great. Talking up a storm. I have been getting her to say "what you talking about Willis" and it is pretty funny when she does it. We call everyone crazy and silly these days too! And now we won't commute unless our window is rolled completely down. She likes to stick her hands out and sometimes throw her Oreos out. But for me it is so much better than hearing her scream "window please" every 20 seconds so I let her have it down. There are worse things.

This weekend we met Jacob at the zoo and had some popcorn! It was so nice to see them - it had been way too long! Jacob asked Devyn if he would marry her and she said yes! Looks like we have a wedding to plan :-) Here they are eating popcorn. Devyn can't go to the zoo without getting popcorn! The minute we step inside she asks for it!

Then we went to the park with daddy. I love this picture for some reason!

We are 100% girl! I love it too! She is really into Beauty and the Beast lately so here she is playing with her Belle doll.

Bad Blogger

2010-11-10T19:33:00.000-06:00

I have been the worst blogger lately. I honestly don't have any time. I am either driving to work or doing school work. I will try and be better :-)

Devyn is a crackerjack these days. She is hysterical. The other day in the car she said mommy here...so I put my hand back to her and she started laughing and goes it's a booger! She put a booger in my hand! No idea where she got that from but I was laughing pretty hard!

Today I asked her if she wanted to take a bath or a shower - she surprisingly said shower. So we went upstairs and took a shower and I couldn't get her out! She was in there for at least 25 minutes. Finally I told her that we had to save some water for Nemo and we got out! Here are some pictures of her first shower.

Every morning we play games in the car and make each other laugh. Here she is this morning being a total cheez-ball!

Happy Halloween!!

2010-10-30T15:13:00.000-05:00

I will definitely have some Halloween pictures up for you to see tomorrow!!! Devyn is pretty excited to wear her Minnie Mouse costume!! We have been putting it on a lot lately :-)

It was our 5 year wedding anniversary yesterday _ Scott and Jenny watched Devyn so we could go to dinner! Brant took me to our first date night spot! We had an awesome time. Thank you so much Scott and Jenny!!! Love you both!

Devyn is going to start going to daycare 5 days a week now. They had an opening and we took it. I am really nervous about our Friday commute home but I am sure it will be okay!

Here D is ready for the Iowa/Michigan State game!! I have so many babylegs that we are going to start using them on our arms!!

This picture makes me smile!! She looks so grown up!! I want her to stay 2 forever!!

Just hanging out!!

Weekend Pics!

2010-10-24T14:48:00.000-05:00

Devyn and I slept at my parents this weekend because Brant was in Minnesota for a wedding! We had lots of fun _ and both went to bed at 8 pm last night!!! Woo hoo!!! Here are a few new pictures of Devyn with her new hair cut and new vest. She looks SO big!! I don't want her to get any bigger!

Random Pics.

2010-10-20T20:49:00.000-05:00

Nothing really new to report here!! We have just been busy with work and life!

Devyn has been pretty funny lately. She has become a little jokester and sometimes it shocks me! She is talking more and more everyday. We still sing Happy Birthday to everyone we know on our 90 minute commute home. She loves school and tells us everyday that she wants to go to school today. Yesterday she told me that her friend Braden was crying because he got hit by a ball. I said oh that wasn't very nice that someone hit him. Who hit him? Her response was oh Devyn did. I about lost it. I was laughing at her pretty hard after she said that.

Anyway here are 2 random pictures that I thought I would put up.

I can't believe it's October!

2010-10-09T20:33:00.000-05:00

I honestly can't believe how fast time is going by!! It is October already. It was about 86 degrees here today....I can't wait for fall weather. I have been such a bad blogger lately so sorry to anyone who keeps checking and I have not been updating. I feel like I have zero time lately. But once my classes are over I will have more time and will be able to update more often :-)

Devyn has been hysterical lately. She is starting to talk more. She is loving school more now too. She used to run to me when I would pick her up but now she could really care less. She has made a few friends too. She keeps talking about Bella and Tommy. She is finally in 24 month clothing!! So we are definitely growing which makes me happy!

Here we are at Target. Our favorite place in the world. She is playing with a Handy Manny toy.

This was probably my favorite morning ever!! Brant was out of town at the Iowa game and Devyn was in the best mood. She kept wanting to play dress-up. We must have gone through 20 different outfits. This was my favorite one!!

Then we went to the zoo and Devyn tried climbing up this crazy contraption. She got to the top and then couldn't figure out how to get down. She was freaking herself out and I couldn't go up and get it. So finally a little boy said I will help her and he helped her down. I was pretty scared.

I think she likes the zoo so much because she gets to eat popcorn. And she eats the entire container by herself. If only I could eat like that.

Then we rode the carousal. She had to ride on Po...the panda from Kung Fu Panda.

Pumpkin Patch Part 2

2010-10-02T15:44:00.000-05:00

Drew and Devyn got to go to the pumpkin patch again today!!! Brant is at the Iowa game and I was out house hunting...here are a few pictures from the day!!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-09-26T15:10:00.000-05:00

Brant and I had the day off today!! Baba took Devyn to the pumpkin patch with Kelly, Brock and Reid. It looks like they had a ton of fun!! Thank you Baba!! Here are some pictures of the kids!

TGIF!!

2010-09-10T21:09:00.000-05:00

TGIF!!! It has been a long week!! I am definitely coming down with something and I am so glad it is Friday so I can sleep in tomorrow...hopefully the Big D allows me too!! I start class on Monday and have a gazillion lesson plans to make! Teaching is definitely a lot harder than all my other jobs combined. I actually have to work now :-)

Commuting with Devyn has been great. We have only had a few meltdowns! The teachers at her school tell me that she is sooo shy and basically keeps to herself all day. When I get her I think she is so excited to be with me that she just talks to me the entire 90 minute + commute home. We play hide and seek and we sing songs and she fake sleeps and then I have to try and wake her. Here is a pick on our way home the other day.

The next 2 pictures are of Devyn on our way to the Wisconsin Dells. This was one minute....

And then the next....

This is from the Dells too. We don't see much green grass around the city so when I am surrounded by it I always try and get pictures. Well Devyn wouldn't let me. She would say cheese and then immediately turn away! I thought this picture was cute anyway.

And finally just before bedtime. Devyn is finally into having something go with her to bed. She has to have this baby or she won't fall asleep. In the middle of the night if she can't find the baby she screams MOM BABY!! Then I have to go and try and find the baby in the dark.

Wisconsin Dells!

2010-09-08T20:49:00.000-05:00

Devyn and I went to Wisconsin Dells this past weekend with my parents, Kelly and the 3 boys. We had so much fun! Devyn and I drove up with Kelly, Brock, Reid and Drew while my parents were in a car by themselves...it definitely wasn't a relaxing trip for me and Kelly. But it was so fun!! Here are a few pictures.

Here are Devyn and Brock. They are best buds. They literally don't like leaving each other.

Here are the 4 kids playing outside our condo.

Our attempt of getting all the kids in a picture together. Didn't work so well.

Devyn absolutely LOVES the water. She had me running all over the water park.

Gotta love her...

2010-09-02T18:37:00.002-05:00

So I think this is going to start to be a trend!! I got this text message this morning that said _I guess I can't turn my back for a second...

It has been a little while....

2010-08-25T19:37:00.000-05:00

It has definitely been a while since I posted anything...sorry about that!! We have been pretty busy! School started for me and Brant just got back from California. Devyn has been great! She has been going to daycare for 3 days and then is with Natalie for 2 days a week. The first day of daycare she LOVED it. She didn't cry when I dropped her off and had a glowing report when I picked her up. The second day wasn't as easy. She was screaming the minute I put her in the car, the entire car ride to work, and then kicking and throwing a tantrum when I dropped her off. We will see how day 3 goes.... My commute is extremely long but having Devyn has been helping. She is normally in a great mood and plays hide and seek with me from the backseat. She hasn't figured out that just because she can't see us doesn't mean we can't see her.

This might be my new favorite picture of Devyn. Brant took the day off so I could go and set my room up and BEFORE I even made it to work this is the picture that he sent me. He said she was having so much fun that he didn't want to make her stop....

Happy Devyn!!!!

2010-08-07T21:59:00.000-05:00

Devyn has been in such a great mood lately!! She has been so fun!! Brant was gone this week for work so Devyn and I spent the week at my parents house! Here are a few pictures from the week!!

Devyn is sooo different with my parents than she is with me. She LOVES being at their place and having so much space. Here she is in the car with my mom and dad.

This picture is with me...we were at the park and she wanted to climb this rock and she kept taking my hand and pulling me away from the rock and telling me to stay then going back and trying to climb the rock by herself. She actually did it!!

Posing for the camera!

I kept telling Devyn all week that we would get to see Jacob! When my parents door opened she would run to it and say JACOB!! It was never Jacob but we did see them at the park and this is what happened...I think she was pretty excited to see him!!

Eating McDonald's with Brock and Reid!

Shopping with my mom and dad!!

Summer is ending :-(

2010-08-01T10:12:00.000-05:00

Things are pretty much going our way right now!! I got a job!!! Woo Hoo!!!! Definitely didn't think that was going to happen but it did! I am a 5th grade math teacher at Hawthorn. So excited! And a little nervous. I am going to miss hanging out with my little monkey all day! We went to the Children's Museum yesterday and had a blast. Here are some pictures...

Then we hit up McDonald's!!

Then we went to the park. It poured the night before so the sandbox was a total mess! Devyn was jumping in the puddles and loving every second of it.

Watching Toy Story in the car! Do you think she likes the movie????

This might be my new favorite picture!! I said Devyn smile and she said cheese and posed for the picture!

Brant and I went to the Kid Rock/Bon Jovi concert last night! We had such an awesome time!! Scott and Jenny came with us too! Brant and I aren't moving so fast today... Thank you so much for watching D Baba and Papa!

Preschool Pics!!!

2010-07-26T19:28:00.000-05:00

Pretty certain that both Jacob and Devyn LOVE preschool!! I kind of like it too!! It's fun and we get to sing songs and jump around. Here are some pictures from today!

A close up - just cuz I love them and it has been awhile since I posted one!

Devyn at school singing the opening song! And playing with a toy bug. So funny now whenever she sees a bug she says Mamma Bug!!

The next 2 pics might be my new favorites! Here Jacob is coming in for a hug....

And the Big D going in for the kiss...

The 2 BFF's playing with the drum. Of course they find a way to flip it and roll it when all of the other kids are just hitting it like they are supposed to.

Devyn is in love with baby Katie!! She always plays peekaboo or goes over and tickles her! Such a cutie!!

Devyn the tool woman!! She loves this drill at preschool. She gets real mad when another kid has it! Melissa and I were laughing today because the girls normally sit with their moms and play and the boys are running around and playing in the water and basically doing things they aren't supposed to. Well Devyn is playing with the boys and running around and getting in trouble!

AAHHHHHHH!! The paint!! Devyn LOVES the paint and it is such a mess. She got it in her hair, all over her clothes, on my clothes, on her hands! I mean its in all sorts of places. Honestly she painted for about 10 minutes. Anyone that knows Devyn knows she doesn't do anything for 10 minutes! So it was actually pretty nice to see her concentrate and really into something!

At the end of preschool they have a snack and read a story then chase the bubbles. Devyn and Jacob sitting for their snack! And they get to drink from big kid glasses! I think they like that the best! See the paint in the Big D's hair!

And finally playing with the bubbles!

Why is it so HOT out?!!

2010-07-15T16:16:00.000-05:00

It has been so hot out lately. It just hasn't been fun!! I tried to take Devyn to the park today and we made it about 3 feet and she said Mamma home. So we came back home. There just isn't much to do with her when we are inside all day long. Hopefully it cools down soon!!!

We are fighting our nap which makes me very sad...very rarely can I get her to actually take one. And she has been eating like I have never seen before! She had a hotdog at lunch today and then asked for another one. And then ate the entire thing then asked for more strawberries. Who is this girl!?! Growth spurt?!!

Devyn and I had a big day on Monday. We went to preschool and then had a play date. This is what happened on the way home from the play date. She was out!! Holding her babies. We are completely obsessed with babies. We must have 100. And she has to hold all of them at once.

Aunt Kara and Uncle Scott have been watching Devyn while I am teaching summer school!! They are both doing such an awesome job!!! Thank you guys so much!! We love you!

I guess Kara is the only person that ever calls me because when my phone rings Devyn goes Hi Kara!

Kara sent me these pictures today! I opened them and started laughing!! Devyn watching The Lion King!

And outside playing with the bubbles!!

Weekend Pics!

2010-07-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Not much really going on here!! We have been doing the usual...going to the park, the zoo, etc. I did just sign Devyn up for a preschool prep class so that is good! It is on Mondays from 11-12:30. Jacob will be there too!!! I think they need some form or organized activity!

My parents gave us some bikes so we got one of those old school seats and put it on the back for Devyn and we have been riding around the city!! It's been so much fun and she LOVES it! She likes to play little jokes and put her feet on my seat so I can't sit down and then she laughs! Then when every car goes by she says Hello Hello!!

I am running my first triathlon this weekend with Aunt Kara!! Stay tuned for some pictures! Brant and Devyn are off to Iowa City for the weekend!!

This might be my new favorite picture of Devyn!! She is so tired she is like a walking zombie!! But she just looks so grownup!

Here we are at the zoo in the monkey house.

And we got our 2nd haircut on Saturday!! This is the best picture I could get.

I went to my friend Regina's bachelorette party on Saturday night. We started off at an apartment building in the city that had the most amazing view I have ever seen!! It was raining and when it cleared there was a rainbow over Navy Pier...here is a picture of the rainbow and Navy Pier.

Happy 4th!!!!

2010-07-04T13:57:00.001-05:00

Happy 4th of July!!! It couldn't be any hotter here in Chicago!! I walk outside and I start sweating! We have had an awesome weekend with lots of family time! We have actually done some touristy type things too. We took D to the beach and Navy Pier! Scott and Jenny are here now too so it has been so nice to spend the holiday weekend with them!! Yay!!! Love you guys!! I hope that we get to see the fireworks from our rooftop.

Today we walked to Navy Pier then took D to the Children's museum. Here are a few pictures from this morning. Could Devyn's dress be any cuter!?? Thank you Grandma Linda for sending!!

Such a girl!!

2010-06-28T14:30:00.000-05:00

I start summer school tomorrow and I am kind of upset about it!! I really don't want to be away from Devyn!! I was kind of getting used to this whole summers off thing!!

Last night was a pretty rough night at the Gordons. Devyn has night terrors and was up last night screaming. I think we are all really tired today.

Devyn is such a girl!! She can be so prissy sometimes it makes me laugh! Then other times I wonder if she is half boy!! Here are a few pictures with her and all her jewelry on. They are hard to see because of the sun but she has on 2 necklaces, a bracelet, and crown.

Summer Fun!

2010-06-20T08:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!!!

We had a major storm in Chicago on Friday night. It was so bad that we lost our power for 18 hours. NOT fun when you have a 2 year old. Brant was out with a few friends that he had in town and I was home with Devyn and Kara. Of course I couldn't find a flashlight or anything useful so Kara and I sat with Devyn and watched Shrek on our laptop (that eventually ran out of batteries) and drank wine by candle light. It was very romantic!! We finally got our power back and everything is good now!!

Baba and Drew came down to go to Millennium Park on Friday during the day! It was sort of a bust because Ms. Devyn was being a total drama queen and wanted no part of it! But we tried! We took the kids on the "L" for the very first time and I think they liked it. Then we played in the water park area of Millennium Park. When we left Baba bought everyone ice cream!

The lady making the ice cream gave Drew like 1 tiny small scoop and Devyn got an ENORMOUS mound of ice cream. It was pretty much a hot mess because it was 97 degrees so it melted much faster than she could eat it.

We have a slight obsession with Shrek these days. I am not sure if I posted or not but we took her to see the movie last week and she actually sat through it. We planned it so she missed all of the previews and right when we sat down the movie started. The last 30 minutes or so she was screaming SHREK SHREK SHREK because he was flying through the air. Anyway we have almost every single Shrek toy that McDonald's has (we are missing the cat watch and for some reason it is really hard to find) but she can't leave the house without EVERY single one of the toys. And she sleeps holding 2 of them. Honestly the FIRST thing she says to me when she wakes up in the morning is Mamma Shrek?? I guess it could be worse.

Drew!! I love this kid! He makes me laugh so hard! He is so witty for 5 year old.

Here we are waving goodbye to Baba and Drew after our big day!

Yesterday I took Devyn up to Libertyville for Libertyville Days! It was fun! I got totally burned but the kids had a good time. Here Devyn is playing one of the carnival games. You pick up a toy and get whatever it says under it. Basically we paid $5 for a really tiny rubber ducky. You can see Brock next to her and Drew is behind her. Drew played a different game and won a toy just for Devyn! What a nice cousin!

The twins!! They are so funny! Reid can eat and eat and eat all day long he is hysterical. Brock is motoring our and starting to get into absolutely everything! He is really into my parents brooms and mops!

Ms. D eating her all time favorite thing watching Drew go on the ride! I tried to get D to go on some of the rides and she was too scared. Maybe next year.

Drew going on the ride!

And future Olympian Devyn McVay Gordon....We had our last day of gymnastics last Sunday and the kids got gold medals_Devyn insisted that I wear hers so I did. After class we went to Starbucks and I ran in to get the coffee and the guy behind the counter asked did you win, place or show? I was like HUH!?! Totally not realizing I was wearing a gold medal. Finally I realized it and explained what it was and then he goes "well judging by your height you may have an olympic gymnast on your hand." Thanks buddy.

I still LOVE summer!

2010-06-17T19:02:00.001-05:00

Still nothing happening on the job front...I am doing my best not to think about it. What am I thinking about is all the ants that have decided to live with us. I hate bugs. Brant and I always fight over if I can win survivor or not_ naturally I think I can and he thinks I can't_I am starting to think he is right because I can't even deal with a few ants in my house. Anyway I am definitely enjoying every second with Devyn! She has been pretty attached to me lately. If I leave for class she screams Mamma Mamma where are you?????? Then Brant texts me and says great she is freaking out because you aren't here! Aunt Kara is going to start watching Devyn while I am teaching summer school and I am so excited! I think Kara and Devyn are going to have an AWESOME time and I think it is going to be great for Devyn to be away from me for a few hours a day!

Dave took some great pictures at Devyn and Jacob's birthday party! Here are a few of Devyn!

This is pretty much how we spend our days now!! Devyn isn't really into the park lately. Maybe I over did that one? I am not really sure. But when I say park she screams and says no! So we battle it out for a few minutes and sometimes I win and sometimes I don't. When I lose we go and play on the water table. Here she is putting water in the table.

Today we went to the beach!! Erin - YES we do have a beach!!!! Devyn LOVED it! We were there for about an hour and a half and then she told me she is hungry and we left! But here are a few pictures from our beach day!

I have the best job...

2010-06-09T20:45:00.000-05:00

Being home with Devyn is AWESOME!! I am loving every second of it! The weather has been so nice so we have been doing some pretty fun stuff. I try and keep her outside as much as I possibly can but it makes me so nervous because she is probably the fairest skinned kid ever. I am honestly applying sunscreen every 5 minutes. A little nutty I know. Today we were outside a ton because there is a beehive growing under our garage door_anyone who knows me knows that I am terrified of bees so there is no way that we were going through that door. Anyway here are some new pics.

We took our pink car out to get some ice cream. She actually ate the entire thing! She has been a pretty good eater lately! Hopefully we can get some weight on this girl. I brought her to see my kids today BAD idea. She was a little freaked out!

I LOVE this picture! Brant and I went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant right by our house. We have been wanting to try it for so long and we will definitely NOT be going back. The only one that liked it was Devyn and the only thing she was eating was the chips and the ice. Can't really mess those up.

So I left Devyn for literally 30 seconds to go to the bathroom I came back down and this is what I found.

She has been REALLY into playing dress up lately. I have found that if I let her pick her outfit out the battle of getting dressed is so much less. So the other day she wanted to wear her bathing suit over her clothes. I allowed it. But this is what we looked like.

Aunt Nina got Devyn a princess kit for her birthday and Devyn LOVES it. It's hysterical. It came with earrings, a ring, purse, dress, and heels. Devyn thinks she is pretty cool wearing the earrings and the heels....

I HEART SUMMER!!

2010-06-04T21:46:00.001-05:00

Well I did it!! I am done student teaching and graduate next week with my masters in education _ with a 4.0!! Sorry I just had to add that last part!! Unfortunately it is probably the WORST possible time to be a teacher but whatever!! I did accept a summer school position that starts at the end of the month but I have already accepted that I will be unemployed next fall :-(. But that just means more time with Devyn!! I am going to continue on with school to get an endorsement under my belt hoping that it may make me more marketable but who knows. Stay tuned on that!!

With that said WE COULD NEVER HAVE MADE IT THE LAST 10 WEEKS WITHOUT THE HELP OF MY PARENTS, LINDA, BRANT, AND THE BRIGGS FAMILY. Thank you so much to everyone that has helped us get through the last 10 weeks!! I know at times it was stressful to all but we really appreciate everyone stepping up and helping us out! I could never have gotten through student teaching without all of your help! We all really appreciate it.

Here are a few pictures that Linda just sent of her time here with Devyn.

Wisconsin Dells!!!

2010-05-31T21:05:00.001-05:00

We went to Wisconsin Dells this weekend with my parents, Kelly, Tyler and the 3 boys! It was so much fun!! I have never seen a 2 year old love a water park so much!! Devyn LOVED the water and had such an awesome time! Thank you so much Baba and Papa for taking all of us! We had a blast!! Here are some pictures!

Here is Devyn in our condo just sitting on the table eating.

Here she is going down the baby water slide. We did this for a VERY long time. She would go down and then run around and climb back up and go down again. Her knees and elbows are totally bruised!

And playing with Reid in the water! I got this swimsuit for her because I thought a 2 piece would be easier for changing diapers but no she just looked like a homeless kid half the time. She would run around and her bathing suit bottoms would be down to her ankles and I would have to run after her just to pull them back up! No more 2 pieces for us!

Here I am in the water playing with Drew and Devyn!!

Who are these 3 hot dudes?!?!

The twins loved me this weekend!! It was so nice to be able to spend time with them! I rarely see them so I had a blast playing with them. I am with Brock in the first picture and then Reid in the next.

I really love this picture of Tyler and Drew! Drew wanted to sit at the bar with Tyler so they sat at the bar and had a drink!! Don't worry Drew had milk!!

Mom I am tired!! Devyn actually took about a 2 hour nap at the water park!!

Happy Birthday Mom!! We love you!!!!

Birthday Party!!

2010-05-23T20:53:00.000-05:00

We had a joint birthday party for Jacob and Devyn today!! It was really fun and the kids were totally spoiled!! Kelly and Tyler and the kids came so the house was filled with kids!!

Here is Devyn and Brock making out!! All the kids loved being on our bed jumping on it and watching Shrek...poor Kelly had to stay up and watch them!

Here they all are watching Shrek!!

I love this picture! Brant and Brock! So cute!

Laura, Sean and Avlyn came too!

And Natalie, Dodge and baby Dodge came too!! We missed you Natalie!!

And Nina and Kevin came too! Kara came too but I don't have a picture of her!

Devyn playing with her new Cabbage Patch Kid!! She LOVES it!

Walking around with my birthday hat.

Eating my birthday cupcake.

The birthday kids and parents!!

And Devyn's favorite place to run to! Not real sure why she loves it so much but when we go outside she goes straight for it the ramp and runs up it! Then says Mom come on. Come on Mom!!

Happy Birthday Devyn!!!

2010-05-09T09:49:00.000-05:00

Well Devyn turned 2 on May 3rd. I can't believe how fast time goes!! She got lots of fun new gifts for her birthday! A new bike and a new drum set! And some other fun stuff!! We weren't able to spend her birthday with her but I know my mom and dad made her feel special that day!

Happy Mother's Days to all the moms out there!

Here is just a small glimpse of what it is like at my parents house during the day. No idea how she does it!! Total chaos if you ask me.

Devyn was so funny with this new drum set. It is really an 8 piece music kit but she loves the drum. She even wears it around her neck and marches as she plays.

Her first time at Burger King! I don't know how my mom does it but she gets her to eat EVERYTHING!! Since she has been with my mom she has gained almost 3 lbs. I bring her home and she refuses to eat anything.

Another week without the Big D :-(

2010-04-29T15:28:00.000-05:00

Devyn is at my parents house again this week. I really haven't seen her since last week because we were in Austin visiting Jenny and Scott. We had an awesome time! Thank you guys for showing us around town! And thank you to Linda for watching Devyn while we were gone!

I definitely miss my little monkey and can't wait to get her back! If my mom gives her back to me!! It sounds like all the kids are getting along and everyone is having fun!

Here are the kids eating popsicles. Devyn's all time FAVORITE thing. If we don't have any in the house or I won't give her her 10th one she sort of throws a fit.

Playing with Brock - who is walking now!

Watching Drew on his bike! And eating popsicles!! I love this picture because the twins and Devyn are literally the same size and you can tell in this picture.

Not real sure what she is doing but Baba has been loading Devyn up with some new clothes and this is her new shirt! Our new obsession is Tinker Bell. She LOVES it! She calls it Cheese though. For the longest time I couldn't figure out what she was asking when she was asking for cheese...it's Tinker Bell. Cheese is one of the characters in the movie.

I LOVE this picture! I never really think that Devyn looks like my mom although most people think that. But in this picture I think she looks like my mom.

Drew and Devyn got to take a trip to Dairy Queen. I think my mom is pretty brave for letting Devyn eat the ice cream in the car.

I think they liked it!! Looks like 2 very happy kids to me!

Weekend Update!

2010-04-17T23:06:00.000-05:00

We had another ear infection. We took Devyn to the doctor on Sunday because she had a fever and wouldn't stop crying. Then Monday she went back to my parents house for the week. She looks like she had fun even though she wasn't feeling 100%! Thank you Mom and Dad for taking her again :-)

Devyn has been so funny lately. She is starting to talk more and more. I can't wait for these temper tantrums to end though! She will say something and I will guess what she is saying and when I am wrong OMG she just goes off!! Today she was saying something that sounded like gagoogagoo. So I got her some grapes...nope that wasn't it. Tantrum. So I kept on trying turns out that gagoogagoo means water. In case anyone was wondering.

Drew and Devyn got to go to the Children's Museum. Here is Devyn playing the music. She LOVES music and loves to dance. I was going to put her in ballet classes this summer but the cut off for age is 5.2.2008. Devyn was born on May 3rd so we can't get into the class. So annoying because she was born at 12:13 am. I think they could make an exception for 13 minutes. I guess we have to wait until next year.

Playing in the water!!

I can't get this one to flip but she is so into doctor right now. She is constantly checking my ears, eyes, nose. She takes this doctor kit that Aunt Jenny (Dr. Aunt Jenny) got us and is always sticking things in my ears and up my nose.

Sitting on the couch with Brock and Reid. Brock is walking now!! Go Brock!

On the balance beam that Papa made me!

I LOVE this picture! Whenever we go to Target I let Devyn pick something from the $1 rack. The last time she picked these sunglasses. You can't really see them but they are pink flowers with little white dots.

I am tired! Put me to bed! Bed time is SO not fun anymore. She is afraid to sleep in her room or something. We have tried EVERYTHING! So Brant has officially been kicked out of our room. I sleep with Devyn and Brant sleeps in Devyn's room.

First Haircut!!

2010-04-10T21:52:00.000-05:00

Melissa and I took the kids to the zoo!! The zoo was totally fun and they loved it...here is a picture of them looking at a bird? I think...

Then we decided to take them to lunch!! BAD idea!! The table and floor when we left were terrible! Jacob and Devyn could NOT sit still! It was a total nightmare! At one point Melissa and I just looked at eachother and started dying laughing. Every single time I go out to eat with Devyn I remember why I never go out to eat with Devyn!!

At one point Devyn was being quiet. She was taking the salt and the pepper and putting it on her hand and then rubbing it on her face. It was probably one of the funniest things I have seen. I am guessing that she has seen me washing my face enough times so she thought she was washing her face?

We got our first haircut on Friday! It actually went much better than I thought! No crying no nothing!! Here is a before picture!

Before picture! Bye bye mullet!

Sitting in the chair getting ready! And yes we did trick her with jamba juice!

Getting all my hair cut!! They actually took close to 2 inches off the back of her hair.

Then we got professional pigtails!!

When we were leaving they asked if I wanted baby hairspray! NO...I think I am okay! But thanks for asking!

I LOVE weekends!!!

2010-04-09T15:19:00.000-05:00

I RUSHED out of school today so that I could get home and see Devyn!! It has been a really long week without her! I really missed her!!

Here are a few pictures of Devyn's week with Baba and Papa! Thank you SO much for watching her! We really appreciate it.

Here is my mom with Devyn, Brock and Reid.

And my dad with Brock and Devyn.

And Devyn dancing!! Actually I am not sure what she is doing but I am going to pretend like she is doing the wave.

Sitting on the stairs with Drew, Brock and Reid, and baby Kinnick!

Eating breakfast! Devyn looks so much taller and so much bigger to me! It's probably because she actually ate for my mom. And my mom gave her ZERO sugar which is basically all she eats when she is at my house! So I think I am going to start a no sugar rule.

And my favorite picture of all! Probably just helping my dad with some house chores.

More Easter Pictures!!

2010-04-05T18:16:00.001-05:00

Here are more Easter pictures!! We had a great time on our egg hunt and our Crawford Family Tradition of Easter Fishing!!

My parents have Devyn this week. And I am SO BORED!! I honestly don't know what to do with myself. Brant is out watching the Cubs game so I am home watching mindless tv and drinking wine by myself. I guess life could be worse but it is only Day 1 and I already miss my little monkey! I hope she is behaving for Baba and Papa.

Here is a picture of Devyn and the twins having a snack on Easter morning. Both the twins are taller and weigh more than Devyn!

My dad made Devyn a balance beam!! I love it! I had one when I was little too!! Drew and Devyn were running across it trying not to fall! My mom told Drew that if he fell the sharks would get him!

Devyn dressing up in her usual hats!

Devyn insisted on taking a bath!! So I put her in and then Brock and Reid wanted in so the 3 of them took a bath together!!

When I asked Drew if he wanted to get in this is the response that I got!!

Happy Easter!!

2010-04-03T12:30:00.000-05:00

We are glad you are home and feeling better Grandma Linda!!

We had a fun week with Jacob this week!!! We went to the zoo and the park and played in the water!! Jacob is hysterical _ he is always saying Katie Katie Katie. So today Devyn is calling me Katie. She keeps saying Hi Katie. Oh Katie. Come on Katie. Brant asked her where mom was and she didn't move then he said where is Katie? And she came right to me!

We are headed to my parents for an Easter egg hunt so I will post more pictures later. But I wanted to post this one because I thought it was so cute!!

Weekend Pics!

2010-03-28T17:19:00.000-05:00

We spent my birthday hauling stuff up to my parents place. We emptied out our storage unit and put everything in our new storage unit _ My parent's basement!! While Brant and my dad carried box after box this is what me, my mom and Devyn did.

Riding a big wheel. She couldn't really ride it but she could push herself with her feet.

Pushing the shopping cart with the train hat on. Devyn LOVES trains. Drew did too so maybe all kids do?

I LOVE this picture!! She looks so cute! And so big

Playing in the garage! Which is probably cleaner than my house!

She couldn't get the glasses on right!

This hat was too big for her it kept falling down to her neck and covering her face up!

Waiting for a treat! Very patiently.

New Bike!

2010-03-21T12:46:00.001-05:00

Not real sure what Devyn is doing in this picture but it is pretty cute!!

Devyn got a new bike for her birthday!! We tried it on last night to see if it works! She can't ride it but she will definitely learn fast!

It is super cute and her helmet is cute too!!! Thank you Baba and Papa!!

Long week...

2010-03-18T17:50:00.001-05:00

We love you Grandma Linda :-) We are thinking and praying good things here in Chicago.

I was placed into a new school. I have 3rd grade now... and everything is so much better! My teacher is awesome and the class is great and I feel safe so everything is all good!!

My parents came down last weekend to bring us the bed that is now in Devyn's room then they left. Honestly there were there for maybe 30 mins! But Devyn kept going to the door saying Papa Papa Papa.

The weather has been incredible!! So excited for spring and summer!! Devyn and I have been spending a ton of time at the park. The picture below is her watching the ducks.

Devyn and Jacob playing doctor!!

One of those weeks....

2010-03-16T12:50:00.000-05:00

Things just don't seem to be going my way right now. I started student teaching yesterday and my cooperating teacher was a total disaster. She is 23 and has been teaching for 2 years and the kids were getting up and walking around the class during her lesson and she was constantly teaching to nobody so I complained to DePaul because how is that going to teach me anything?!?! So now Day 2 of student teaching and I don't have a school. They pulled me from the class and school and now I am waiting for them to place me again. Part of me thinks I should have kept my mouth shut and just not learned anything then the other side of me is really glad that I am going to be getting a better school. Who knows if I did the right thing?!! Oh and they are letting 17,000 teachers in the state of Illinois go. Awesome. At least the weather is nice!

Here is Devyn yesterday with her new Elmo shirt on. And her converse that I bought for her almost 2 years ago that FINALLY fit. Yep we are still wearing a size 4 in shoes.

Devyn's new thing is saying 'oh shit' she will drop her milk or crayon and say Oh Shit. And I caught her the other day sitting on the toilet (fully clothed) reading a muscle magazine. I about died.

Running toward me because I have the camera!

Trying to climb on me to get the camera.

Finally got the camera!

Then mean mom took the camera away because I kept dropping it.

Sick!

2010-03-10T11:38:00.000-06:00

Well we have our first ear infection. We had a fever of 103 yesterday... so we took her in to the doctor and it's official we have an ear infection. Oh and we had pink eye too! Thank goodness Brant is a pink eye rep :-) That worked out really nice for us! She is still in good spirits though! These are the pictures that I got when I was in class last night!

Honestly Devyn is OBSESSED with my shoes. She is always saying shoes, mamma shoes...then she likes to put them on and try and walk around the house! I tried teaching her how to tie the shoes (I knew she wouldn't get it) but it was still pretty funny! She will grab the laces and go blah blah blah (language I can't understand) and then pull!! Ha! At least she got some of the instructions!

Drew's B-DAY Party!!

2010-02-28T12:42:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to my favorite 5 year old nephew! To celebrate Drew's 5th bday we went to an indoor water park. It was pretty cool!! I didn't go in the water but Brant and Devyn did! Devyn LOVED it!! She was freezing and shaking but she kept wanting to go back in. Here are a few pictures from yesterday!

Walking around the pool with daddy!

She put her entire head under the water at least 3 times. And she never cried. She just got up and laughed and did it again.

Kicking with Drew! Drew was kicking and splashing and Devyn was trying to copy him. We don't call Drew Drew anymore _ now he is Drewie. She kept saying DREWIE!!

Swimming with daddy. They went down a huge water slide too!

Brant would put his foot over this fountain and then stand her next to it then lift his foot up so the water went right into her face. She just laughed and took it.

She kept wanting my dad to go in the water. She would stand at the side and say Papa Papa. He didn't go in!

Walking around! Her bathing suit is a 6 - 12 month suit. When is this girl going to grow?

NOT A FAN OF BIG GIRL BEDS!!!!

2010-02-22T20:18:00.000-06:00

Oh this is NOT an easy thing to do and we are definitely having a hard time with the whole big girl bed transition. We have tried everything _ we have made a huge deal out of it _ we had a big girl bed party _ we go and play on it. You name it we have tried it. Last night she was literally throwing herself up against the door and screaming and kicking it was a nightmare. We let her go and she finally fell asleep at the door! Brant went in to move her and right when she hit the mattress she woke up and we had to do the whole thing all over again.

Brant talked to a few of his doctors and they said to gate her in and not shut the door. So we just tried that and she climbed out over the gate and came down the stairs. So as I am typing she is screaming and throwing herself against the door.

Anyway we went to Build A Bear and the Children's Museum with Jacob this weekend! Jacob and Devyn are literally BFF's. I LOVE watching them together! I hope that they are always friends! Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

Playing in the water room at the museum.

The last time we went to the museum Devyn did this for a good 45 minutes. She was just sitting putting the sticks in the little holes.

Driving on the CTA bus.

Going fishing!

Devyn is completely obsessed with Po from Kung Fu Panda so that is the bear that we picked out for her.

Time for a big girl bed!

2010-02-20T15:24:00.000-06:00

Well we knew this day was coming but we were really hoping it wouldn't be for a while BUT Devyn has figured out how to climb out of her crib so we are changing it out. The last few nights we have tried to put her on her mattress on the floor of her room and every night around midnight we hear her door open and she comes into our room and gets in bed with us! Sleeping with Devyn is probably the worst thing in the world. For being 22lbs she sure does take up most of the bed. Stay tuned for how our first night in the big girl bed goes.

We are really into hide and seek lately. This is where Devyn tried to hide...

I love love love this picture! Natalie sent it to me last week. Devyn fell asleep during lunch!!!

Taking a nap on Jacob's couch!!

Happy Valentines Day!

2010-02-15T13:02:00.000-06:00

Well I am officially unemployed!! And it feels pretty good _ I am only on Day 1 and I am pretty sure that I will get bored! I am not really cut out for staying home_ but right now it feels GREAT!!!

We didn't do very much this weekend because Devyn has a little bit of a cold. She is getting over it so that is great but sleeping this weekend wasn't really something we got a lot of!! Although these pictures aren't going to prove that!!

If I take the camera out she starts running toward me! She honestly is obsessed with the flash! I have more pictures of the floor and of just little parts of her face than I really want!

I decided to try and give her jello just to see what she would do! Not a good idea. She had more fun taking it out of the container and putting it back in then she did eating it.

This was hysterical! Brant had just gotten home from the gym and he had his hat on and was carrying a Starbucks cup. Then he went up to take a shower and left both downstairs. She started imitating him! It was pretty funny! Don't worry the cup was empty but she kept on trying!

You can't really tell from this picture but her Valentine's Day outfit was pretty cute!! Her pants had hearts all over them!

I decided to get her her own camera so she can stop breaking mine. Well who knew that the cheap kids cameras don't have a flash. She said OH NO then put it on the floor and started stomping on it! I don't think she liked it.

And we finally got a kitchen set! I have been begging and begging for one and we finally got one! Of course Brant is mad that I spent the money (being unemployed and all) and now the ONLY thing I hear is that she doesn't play with it! I hope she starts playing with it so Brant stops making that comment EVERY time he walks by the thing.

Camp Crawford

2010-02-10T10:06:00.000-06:00

Brant has been gone all week at his National Sales Meeting. I tried staying home by myself but got totally freaked out - I ended putting booby traps up all around the house and sleeping in Devyn's room with a bat in my hand. Obviously that wasn't working for me so we have been spending the week at Baba and Papa's.

I have to give some MAJOR props to my parents here _ I have NO idea how they handle watching 3 (this week 4) kids. Camp Crawford sure is a lot of fun though!! Thank you to Baba and Papa for letting us crash and for watching Devyn all week!

Devyn is completely obsessed with Drew. She was crying so hard last night when he left_ she kept going to the garage door and saying Drew and trying to open it!

I decided to buy the kids some cupcakes on my way home from work yesterday...this is Devyn before and after the cupcake.

Playing with Reid. Who loves me! Brock doesn't really give me any attention but Reid thinks I am pretty cool.

Devyn and Drew BFF's. Drew is so patient and so tolerant of Devyn. She tackles him and he just takes it!

Here they are hiding under the table!

Devyn eating some crackers! She likes to sit at the counter like a big girl.

And our new game is to stand on the stairs. I have to stand on the other side. It is a pretty fun game.

WE DID IT!!!!

2010-02-04T20:46:00.000-06:00

Well I never actually thought that this day would come but we did it!!! Devyn is officially off of her binky!! The past 3 nights she has been to bed without it and no big problems! Tonight she cried for about 30 minutes but now she is fast asleep!!

Now we need to move on to potty training :-) Although public restrooms with a 2 year old kind of gross me out so she might be wearing diapers for little longer.

Devyn Update...

2010-02-01T17:57:00.000-06:00

So getting rid of the pacifier isn't really working!! Devyn knows exactly where all of them are! We were hiding them above the fridge but this is what happened this weekend...

Then Brant cut holes in all of them and that really isn't working either. But we are getting there.

This is another one of Devyn's pictures...she broke our camera after taking this! So no more pictures for her! I tried to find a kids camera but they don't really have one that flashes!

Exhausted...

2010-01-29T10:40:00.000-06:00

I feel so bad for Devyn. We had a REALLY rough night last night. I have been up since about midnight with her. She just didn't want to sleep. She did throw up yesterday and she is crying all the time. I think she is really uncomfortable and has a bad stomach ache. Both Brant and I had to go to work today so we had to send her with Natalie. Which is probably better because she cuddles up to Natalie more than she does me and Brant so I know she is in good hands! Natalie just sent me this picture. She looks so sad. I wish I could go home and be with her.

Moving Up!

2010-01-25T13:45:00.001-06:00

We graduated from our gymnastics class this weekend!! We are moving up to the next level. It makes me kind of sad that my little girl isn't in the infant class anymore. She is getting so old!!

The kids got medals and everything on Sunday. We tried to get a picture of Jacob and Devyn together but they weren't really having it. Well I think Devyn wasn't really having it. But here are the attempts!

Here is the medal ceremony. Devyn only kept her medal on for about 2.2 seconds.

Weekend Pics!

2010-01-23T14:42:00.000-06:00

I LOVE weekends!! I love being able to spend time with my family and do nothing! It's awesome.

We are in the process of looking for a daycare. Natalie is going to be having her baby in April so we need someone to watch Devyn and Jacob while I am student teaching. But then I am off ALL summer and I can't wait to be able to spend every single day with Devyn. We went to a place yesterday and it was okay but it isn't Natalie. Not sure how we are ever going to find someone as good as her.

Devyn is into pushing anything and everything. We push our table around, the slide around, and our foot stool around. Looks like fun huh??

Devyn is SO into Brant lately. Everything is daddy. I think I have mentioned that before but EVERYTHING is daddy. Oh daddy, wheres daddy, hi daddy. I am even daddy. When I come home she says Hi DADDY!! I am always correcting her saying no honey I am mommy. I think she is just really excited that we can say daddy and clearly.

Having a temper tantrum... I am probably a bad mom for taking pictures of my child having temper tantrums but they are so funny. She honestly loses it for no reason sometimes.

I wouldn't give her her pacifier yesterday so this is what she did. She started crying then climbed into the cabinet and sat there until she was over it. Well until she was almost over it.

She LOVES taking pictures. My camera is filled with pictures that Devyn took. Mostly of the floor or maybe the tv will get in there. She just likes the instant gratification of pressing a button and something happening. But here she is trying to grab the camera - she hasn't realized yet that I already have it.

This is one of Devyn's shots. She got herself. Not bad for being 1.