Family Update

I figured I have not given an update recently so here goes....

Me: I am good, not much to report really. Still home with the boys. I am going to start an at-home nursery school program with the boys in the next few weeks and I have also started looking for recipes to make for the boys. Last night Ben and I made turkey meatballs with a red pepper sauce. We also have the ingredients and plan to make chicken & potato balls and a tuna & broccoli dish. All of these recipes you can cook and then freeze for later use which is nice. We will stock up on food for them so that they aren't eating the same thing over and over again. I joined the local Mothers Of Multiples club last week so I plan to do some events with them. They have toddler playgroups as well as other parties and activities.

Ben: He is still working at Dogwood Acres, but is in search of a new job.

Zak: He is a crazy man, always on the go. He is SO close to walking on his own. We have gotten him to take 1 or 2 steps on his own after lots of practice. Any day now he will be running all over the house I am sure. He has mastered crawling up the stairs, but still wants to go down them head first. He now has 3 teeth and is working on his 4th. He is still the bully and enjoys hitting and throwing things all the time! Today he has started to clap on his own and loves doing patty cake. He also now initiates playing peek-a-boo by covering his face with something (usually a toy mirror or blanket) and then taking it off and laughing like crazy. He has started to enjoy "reading" books, but also likes for us to read to him. Zak has also started to say his first word (other than mama and dada)...he likes to say "dog dog".

Ryder: He is definitely the cuddly and sensitive one right now. He loves to be held and he clings to you and won't let go once you pick him up. He has now mastered crawling and is into everything. He is now learning the meaning of the word "no" but chooses not to listen most of the time (typical 13 month old). He is also now playing while being up on his knees which is new for him. The physical therapist is still coming weekly (Thursday mornings) and is now working on getting him to pull to a standing position along with trying to start getting him to walk. Ryder now has 2 teeth, but he has been cranky so another might be working its way in (he doesn't let us get a good look in his mouth so its hard to tell). Poor Ryder is still being bullied by Zak, but has started to fight back a little more when Zak tries to take his toys away. The other night Ryder started doing something very comical and it all started with Ben. When Ryder was laying on his tummy the other night Ben said "beached whale". Well after that whenever anybody says beached whale Ryder will flop to the ground on his tummy and lay there. It is really funny to watch him crawling across the floor and then all of a sudden somebody says beached whale and he flops to the ground! Ryder also likes to read books and play with his shape sorter.

Our upcoming plans include a trip to the Renaissance Festival on Saturday as long as the weather is nice and not rainy. Ben has never been before and I love going so we thought it would be fun to take the boys. If it ends up raining we still plan to go, but on a different day. We are also planning to take a trip to a local pumpkin patch so we can get pumpkins to carve as well as take the boys to the cornfield maze and on a hayride.

In November my sister is having her baby girl so my mom and Piper will be flying in for about 10 days. She is scheduled to have her c-section on November 14 so my mom will be here for Thanksgiving this year. Ben and I had talked and decided to stay home and do dinner at the house so my mom, Piper, Chelley, John & baby Maddie will also be here for dinner. It will be nice since we have not had Thanksgiving dinner with my mom for a few years now. I will be watching baby Maddie once Chelley goes back to work so the boys and I will be busy with her. In January we will be flying to FL to visit my mom and everybody down there for about 10 days.