We are back!

Well after a week of no cell phones or internet, we are finally back! How did we ever make it without these things?
It seems that there is so much to share but I am not going to bore everyone so I am going to just pick a few random pictures of the kids. I know everyone is tired of looking at Christmas pictures so I will leave those out.


How funny is this picture of Ashton. Doubled fisted and just can't decide if he would rather have chocolate milk or white milk, so....might as well have both!



How about the twins looking at themselves through the porch door? I guess it is kind of like looking at a mirror?



Ok, so i lied. Just one picture of Christmas. Try getting two one year olds and a two year old to pose for a picture. Totally impossible! (Henry's head really isn't that big! Just a bad angle but I love they way he closes his eyes when he smiles!)



Here is Owen Brown (Kellie & Ben Brown's little boy), Maggie Rae, and Ashton all on his new plasma car. I don't know how they all fit and managed to stay on together but they sure did have fun.



Oh, I would like to point out my new mailbox. No, not MY mailbox but my neighbor's. You know, the one I backed over when we first moved in. Can you see a difference in this mailbox and the original? Other than the fact that the other was in a big pile on the ground? Let me just explain, they first had a nice brick mailbox. After I ran over that one and confessed, they tell me they never really liked it and would prefer a nice rock mailbox. Can't wait to get the bill on that! I'm just so glad I could get them that nice expensive mailbox that they always wanted! I am such a good neighbor!

And the mystery is solved!

Harper has started collecting things. . .just like his daddy!! :) He always pulls off his socks if he does not have on a pair of shoes to hold them down! This afternoon, Russ went to get the twins up from their nap and uncovered the mystery of the disappearing socks! Harper has been peeling off his socks and has been placing them behind his crib!!! We found quite a collection!!

Bathtub drama

I just wanted to share with everyone what I just experienced. I was giving all three boys a bath (yes...all three...much faster) and Harper started to really cry. I couldn't figure out what the problem was so I pulled him out. As I lifted him over the edge, a huge poopie hit the floor! Oh the joys of having boys! At least it wasn't IN the tub. Ashton was really good at that when he was little!

My first "I LOVE YOU"

Today was a wonderful day at the Alder house. Ashton and I were playing trains in his playroom. I was laying on the floor rolling trains around and then out of the blue he runs and falls on top of me, gives me the biggest hug ever and says, "I love you Mommy!"
Wow, totally melted my heart! I mean, he tells me all the time that he loves me but this was the first time he said it first. Best feeling ever!!!!

This is what happens when Daddy gets us ready for bed!

I have not laughed this hard in sooooo long!!!! Tonight while I was cleaning up dinner I asked Russ to take Ash upstairs for a bath. When they came down, this is what I saw!!!!!!!!!!!!


Miss Lara and I were bent over laughing so hard and practically crying! Poor Ashton...I think you can tell his feelings by the look on his face! Just terrible but so funny!


Look at this little hiney!!! Can you tell how tight the pjs are?

I don't know how Russ couldn't know that these were the twins 12 month pjs and not Ashton's 3T pjs!!!! I asked him how he even managed to get them on and he told me it was "freakin hard but they managed!" So funny but at least he does try and help out!

Christmas Parade

Yesterday was the Chirstmas Parade and every year Mrs. Margaret has the kids at Jack and Jill make wagon floats. I have always helped Rachel out with Maggie Rae's floats in the past. We did okay but this year Ashton's float was AWESOME!!! Saying that...Rachel and I did NOT make it. Thank the Lord for Miss Lara! She is so crafty and loves a good project. Maggie and Aiden both rode with Ashton and I think they all had a lot of fun.
The twins had to be under their wind guard because they are both still a little under the weather. I hear Mrs. Patty thought they weren't getting enough air! Haha!!
I know this isn't a very good picture but I just thought it was so neat to see my twins and Jenna's twins side by side. I was so sad that you couldn't see Lorilei's (sorry I know I am not spelling it right) twins that were also right next to them. How crazy, 3 sets of boy twins all together! Katie, we have to get that picture!

I couldn't resist posting this picture of Henry and Harper all bundled up and stuffed into their carseats after the parade. Don't they look so excited!
Henry on his big brother's big wheel. Can you tell he is proud of himself?

Ok and this is just a random picture of Ashton doing his favorite thing....playing with his trains. I just LOVE this picture!

My Babies are One!!!

Today my babies turned one. The party was so much fun but very bitter sweet. I just can't believe they are a year old. Where has the time gone? All the kids had fun. It was very low key...mainly family and a couple of close friends. The babies are both still very sick but they were troopers. Please excuse all the runny noses!

Getting ready for cake!

Oh wow! Everyone is watching!

Two of our beautiful aunts, Brooke and Amber

Can you tell our Daddy is British? Mommy loves dressing us like we are in England!

Playing with Leigh Leigh...Oh how we love her! Thanks for helping get us ready for the party!

Some of our great birthday presents! Thanks everyone!

The pictures don't go in order but this is getting ready to eat cake!!

The pretty cakes! Thanks Miss Jamie Coleman! We love Creative Kitchen!

Henry likes cake but is unsure. New experiences!

Harper LOVED the cake! This picture doesn't do him justice! I had to take it away because I was afraid he would get sick from so many sweets! He is just like his Daddy!

Thanksgiving at the Alders

Today was wild but so much fun! Dad fried a turkey and Mom took care of cooking all of the other stuff. Thanks guys, it was great!
Landy (my niece)tried out the twins jumperoo and she loved it! Maggie Rae practiced her basketball skills (take note of the mailbox behind her...look at previous blogs for explanation.)


Ashton tried riding his Big Wheel. He just can't seem to master the pedals. It was so funny! The twins are doing good. Harper is feeling much better. He is still not himself but is on meds and having breathing treatments every four hours. We are just so happy he was able to be home for Thanksgiving.


This is Russ being silly. He and Andy threw the football around out in the yard and helped entertain the kids.

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving too and I can't wait to see your posts!

Harper is coming home!

Dr. Beene just came and and said Harper's chest x-ray didn't look any worse and he is really "perking" up so he gets to come home!!! We are so excited! He and I are both really missing our other boys! It looks like we will be heading home around noon, just enough time to get the house ready before tomorrow. Thank goodness my mom is doing all the cooking!

Poor little Harper

My sweet little Harper was admitted to the hospital yesterday afternoon. I put a call in to the doctor's office yesterday morning after he woke in the night Sunday with a bad cold (so I thought.) It got worse as the morning went on and he really started struggling to breathe. Very scary! By the time we arrived at the doctor she said there was a 75% chance we would be heading straight over to the hospital. After giving him three breathing treatments in a row with little progress, she sent us over. She first thought it was RSV (both twins had it last year but only Henry was hospitalized.) We just found out this morning that it isn't RSV (thank you Lord) but pneumonia. I know that is still bad but not as bad as RSV. Dr Beene thinks we MAY be able to come home tomorrow as long as he continues to improve. Say a little prayer for him....we sure want him healthy for Saturday! He and Henry will be one year old!!!!

Henry and his pet pig

Henry and Harper are both really enjoying their new found freedom. Henry especially! You wouldn't believe how fast he is! The two of them never seem to go in the same direction, which really makes it fun when you are trying to keep them out of things.
We have a farm mural in the hallway by the playroom and Henry has discovered his new pet pig! I wasn't able to capture him touching and rubbing on the pig but I think you can get the idea. It is hilarious!

More about the move

Well, we are almost settled in and tonight I left the keys to the old house for the new owners. Kind of sad but not too much because I LOVE my new house!
Ashton is also starting to become more comfortable in the new house. He is no longer crying to "go home" and is also starting to be his little wild 2 year old self!
The twins are now BOTH crawling and really curious! I think these picture say it all!!!


Now on to my drama....you would think that I do this blog for the boys but I am starting to use it as a way to vent. (sorry) I don't know if you all know it but last week I wrecked my Escalade! Some damn deer jumped out in front of me. Not only did it run in to the side of my car, then it flipped up on the hood, busted my windshield, then onto the roof and finished off with the back left side. I cried at first for killing the deer but after realizing all the damage that deer did to my car, I was really mad!!! I am just thankful Harper and I were ok. He actually slept through the entire thing.
So you would think making a mess of my car would be enough...oh no!!! I had to wreak my mom's minivan as well! Yesterday I was trying to back her car out of my cul-da-sac. There were a ton of cars, construction trucks, and moving trucks there and I seemed to not realize that my neighbor's mailbox was in the way! Well let's just say it isn't in the way anymore!!! I took it out with no problem! What a way to meet your new neighbor. I felt so silly! (sorry no pics of the broken mailbox, I didn't think they would appreciate that!)

Rough Week

So once again, I have no pictures. I have not been able to find the box with my camera. We are about 75% moved as of tonight. We have been sleeping here since Friday night but with only the necessities. The movers came back today with their huge 18-wheeler and filled it up AGAIN! Russ and I have TOO much stuff! Today they loaded the other 25% of the furniture, all the stuff in the attic and the garage. For all of you who know Russ....the garage was a huge undertaking!!!! Unfortunately, they have to come back tomorrow to unload it.
Needless to say, the move is really hard on the family but it has been exceptionally hard on Ashton. Every night when we put him to bed he asks to go home. He just doesn't seem to realize that we are home. Poor guy! Friday and Saturday night were long nights but last night was much better. Hopefully tonight will start to get back to normal. The twins don't seem to notice that they are any where different. Thank you Lord!!!
As soon as I find the box with the camera I will take some pictures of the house so everyone can see our mess/progress!! And of course...I will have some new pics of my precious babies!!!

Random things

I wish I had some cute pictures to add to this but I don't. Sorry! I did want to share some fun things the boys have done the last couple of days.
First, Harper has learned how to cover his eyes and shout "boo!" Ok, it actually sounds more like "baa" but I totally know he means boo. I guess you could say I feel like after 3 boys I can speak baby!
Now for Ashton...I am so trying to convince him that it way overdue to learn how to pee pee in the potty. Ashton is not having anything to do with it. No matter how hard I try or what I try to bribe him with he gives me the same response. "No, no thank you Mommy!" I know it is a really polite way of turning me down but the cuteness of it is really starting to wear off. Tonight he really put me in my place. I asked him before I put on his pjs if he needed to go pee pee in the potty. He told me, "No, no thank you Mommy. Put diaper on now!" So he obviously totally gets it! I need help so if anyone has any suggestions I am totally open. Little stinker!
Last but certainly not least is Henry. I don't have too much to share about Henry tonight except he is so sweet! My favorite thing about him right now is that he closes his eyes when he gets excited and laughes. It is so funny!
I love all my sweet boys! How blessed am I!

Boo!!

Happy Halloween! This morning, Miss Lara decided to get a head start on the costume pictures! The pictures speak for themselves!! The boys were so sweet, but it was kind of strange to see them wearing different things! ha ha :)

Pictures

Russ and I had pictures taken of the boys about a month ago. I received the proofs today and I have to act the part...of a proud mom! I swear I have the prettiest boys ever! My friend Shannon Walker aka A Moment Captured took the pictures. She is so wonderful and truly the nicest person you could ever meet. If you are considering having pictures taken I am totally encouraging you to call her. Not only does she take awesome pics but she is just wonderful! You will not be disappointed!
I am not great at this blog thing yet so I don't know how to show you the pictures (if it is even possible.) Go to Shannon's website www.amomentcapturedbyshannonwalker.com
then proofing and our password is Alder Family
Like I said, I know I am being a little overboard but I just LOVE these pictures and don't know how in the world I will ever pick!

A Birthday Filled Weekend

Well Maggie Rae turned 6 this week. She had her birthday party at Flame on Saturday. Ashton had the time of his life! He didn't even seem to notice that he was 4 years younger than all the other kids. Maggie Rae was so sweet! She wanted Ashton to sit next to her during the cake and she also wanted to open his present first. Oh, I almost forgot...she even let him "cut" so that he could jump on the trampoline since he wasn't very good at waiting his turn. Those two are not only cousins but best friends. It is so much more of a brother and sister relationship than just cousins. They can sure be sweet but they can also really duke it out!

Sunday was Russ' birthday. He is 35 now! That is so funny considering he still gets carded when we go out! We had a really fun day after we made it through breadfast. We took all three to IHOP (Russ'favorite) Wow...when we walked in I swear the entire place stopped and looked at us! I had all three kids dressed alike which only draws more attention but REALLY! Breakfast turned into a much longer event. By the time all the sweet old people came up and talked to us, Ashton was having a complete meltdown. I had to carry the twins out and Russ was dealing with Ashton giving his best two year old tantrum (which included rolling around on the floor while Russ was paying.) Not good! I was so embarrassed. Needless to say, it will be a long time before we all go out again without backup!

Camping with Dad

What a busy fun weekend we had! Miss Lara and I took the twins to Stillwater to see Jennifer's new baby. His name is Sutton and he was born on October 8. He is precious!
Russ and Ashton decided to have a "Guy's Weekend." I was terrified when Russ said that they were going to go camping while we were away. Really, a two year old going camping? I just didn't like the idea. But....they went anyway and had a blast! They went to the Buffalo River, took the mountain bike with the toddler seat on the back and had a wonderful time. Ashton loved sitting by the fire, playing with the flashlight and counting the starts. How cute is that!

Not much to tell

So we really don't have a lot of stories to share but we have a lot of cute pictures to share! Life around our house is so unorganized, which I hate! Miss Lara and I have begun packing what little we can each day while all the kids are asleep. That only gives us 2 hours so it is a really slow process.
I have also been super busy trying to schedule and get people in to fix the few odds and ends that we have before we close on this house. Note to anyone with a jacuzzi bathtub....always have an access door in the tile no matter how ugly it may be. You never know when the motor will go out. In my case, right before we decide to move. Now I have to have tile busted out, the motor replaced, and then an access door put in. A real pain in the you know what!
On a MUCH better note....my sweet baby Harper has finally decided to start moving. He rolled over for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't have been more excited! On top of that, he has started moving backwards. I would NOT go so far as to say he is crawling backwards but he can move in that direction by scooting. I know it doesn't sound like much but I couldn't be happier. Thank goodness for small miracles!!!

Daddy's gonna love this!

Yesterday before school, Ashton was quietly eating his breakfast and decided to slip away to the garage to play-we found him with about 15 drawers open in the tool chest. If you know Russ, you know that he is very organized when it comes to his garage and there is a place for EVERYTHING and it's labeled! Ashton must have thought it needed a little reorganizing! :)

Milkin' it for all it's worth!

Well, we decided to give the whole "holding your own bottle" a try this past weekend. . .the twins did great! It's been a time saver when there's only one adult to feed the little ones! They are really getting big and they are even eating some BIG people food. Suprise, suprise, they have a sweet tooth, just like their daddy. Last week, Mimi bought all the kids cupcakes and everyone loved them and then yesterday the boys ate cinammon rolls and bread from Calico County. What a treat!

Big Week!

So I haven't posted anything in a while but we have had a LOT going on! I will start with the most exciting news. Harper has finally rolled over!!!!! Most babies roll over way before 10 months. I was so worried that something was wrong. Turns out that all it took to get him rolling was Little Henry moving!!! Not moving forward but moving backward! Russ and I couldn't be more excited! The twins doctor told us last month that they were not developing as fast as she hoped. I guess that got them going because they have made up for a lot of lost time in the last couple of weeks.
I sure don't want to leave out Ashton's big news either. My rough and tough boy woke up on Saturday morning with a black eye. How he did that in his sleep is beyond me! I don't know why I should be surprised, he is the kid that had a cast up to his hip at the age of 1 due to a broken femur!!! He is going to be an amazing football player!