The Alder Boys

Just a little taste of life at the Alder house

2009-09-22T18:15:00.004-05:00

Tonight Russ is going to be late coming home. I decided to try and get ahead of things and give the kids an early bath so that I can have all the kids to bed and dinner ready when he gets home. Since the weather today is SO WONDERFUL here I have all the windows open and the doors to the screened in porch open. The boys love to play out there and here is a little video of what I saw when I peaked around the corner. FYI, this is NOT out of the norm for our house. Oh, and by the way, if you can't hear what Ashton is singing, it is "What will we do with a drunken sailor." That is one of the songs that he and his daddy like to listen to in the office!! haha!! Only Russ!! Got to love him!

Elmo

2009-08-26T20:23:00.005-05:00

Can I start by saying that I am so happy most of my friends haven't posted much over the summer? I feel like a terrible mom but wow, we sure have been busy. I am vowing to be better as soon as we get back in the swing of things.

Today I took the twins to see Elmo. Ashton wasn't able to come since he is now going to IC for preschool. Kellie, Owen, and my mom also went. We had so much fun! Everyone really liked it but I have to say that I really got my moneys worth with Henry's ticket! HE LOVED IT!! Never even moved a muscle!!

First day of preschool

2009-08-18T13:09:00.004-05:00

Ashton had his first day of preschool today. He was a little unsure this morning when he woke up and had very little to say. On the way there I asked him if he wanted to listen to "his songs" and he told me no. I then asked if he wanted to watch a little bit of a movie on the way and he told me no again. I decided to just talk to him and he told me to be quiet. I guess it was the nerves because he never wants to sit in a quiet car.

As soon as we pulled up at IC he got very excited. That made me feel a lot better because I thought I was going to be in for a rough drop off. We walked in and talked to his teacher, Wendy Hindley. Next we walked to the room next door to see his cousin, Aiden. All was well until I took him back to his classroom and told him that I had to go home to take care of the twins but that I would be back in a little while to pick him up. Well, that is when things turned around. His little eyes swelled up and and he told me, "I not want to stay at big school with Miss Hindley. No thank you Mommy!" As much as I hated seeing him so upset I knew that it would only be worse if I stayed because that would just drag it out. So I kissed him goodbye and handed him to Wendy.

I am DYING to go pick him up this afternoon!!! I can't wait to hear how he did after I left. I sure hope he didn't cry for long.

Here are a couple of pictures of Russ trying to teach Ash how to ride a big boy bike. Look closly at his bike, YES it is a Dora bike!! I know that it is supposed to be for a girl but he LOVES Dora!!! I always say that he has a thing for older Hispanic women!! hahaha!! Oh, and yes he is wearing a pink shirt. He is very secure in his manhood. How else could he ride a Dora bike and wear a pink shirt at the same time!!

Such BIG boys!

2009-08-03T18:14:00.005-05:00

The twins are growing so fast and are really enjoying feeding themselves! So, we decided to just give them a bowl of mashed potatoes and see what happened! They can definitely make quite the mess, but unless we want to feed them until they're 18, guess we'll have to deal with it! :)

And of course, we don't like to eat peas if the are on our plate, but if they belong my brother, I will eat them up!!

EXTREME bedroom makeover!!

2009-07-27T18:16:00.004-05:00

I have been waiting very patiently to have my bedroom completely finished so that I could post before and after pictures. For those of you who don't know, Russ and I bought our house about 6 months ago from the sweetest couple! They are a little older than our parents and had pretty great taste as far as most of the house went but I have to say that their choice of curtains in the master bedroom was not very good to say the least. I couldn't wait to replace them. I swear I would wake up every morning looking at those curtains and just dreaming of the day I could replace them. Unfortuanely, all the light that comes in through the windows doesn't allow you to see how great my new curtains are but you can at least get a feel!
I am going to show you after first!

Ok this is before! How about ALL of those curtains!! I wish I would have taken some more up close!

Let me know what you think!!

Catching up

2009-07-19T19:11:00.006-05:00

Ok so forgive me but I am having some blogging problems. I can't seem to get my pictures to work with me so this post it kind of crazy!
I was reminded last night by Leigh that I haven't posted anything in a long time so...here you go Leigh!!
This picture is from the Bahamas last week. Russ and I went ALONE!!!! The kids stayed here with Miss Lara. We had a wonderful and relaxing long weekend.

This is the only picture we have together and it isn't even on the beach!

This is a picture I took from our patio which walked out onto the beach. So wonderful! I had to take the picture of myself because my sweet husband had a little too many adult beverages that afternoon and he was taking a power nap! hahaha!!

This is what he looked like most of the trip. I don't really like him smoking cigars but I told him it wouldn't bother me while we were on vacation. Little did I know that he would have one in his mouth THE ENTIRE TRIP!!

This is just a cute picture of Henry from this week. He and Harper are both really coming into themselves and are both developing a precious little personality!

Today I was looking for the twins and I found them both with Russ in his office. I was cracking up over the Indiana Jones hats that are sooo big you can't even see their faces. Oh, and do you all notice the newest member of our feline family? SOOOO GROSS!!

How cute is this? I just love it!!

And now for the biggest news all summer......Does anyone notice who is wearing big boy underwear????? I have to say we are no where near potty trained but Ashton has not worn a diaper since Thursday. I may go insane before it is all over but I am determined to get this guy potty trained. We have accidents but I figure that is just part of it. I will keep you all updated but pray for me!! I need all the patience I can get during this VERY TRYING time!!

Oh, one last thing....my brother-in-laws, Tristan and Jon, who are twins and both married their high school sweethearts this last year, are BOTH expecting babies!!! Two more boys to add to the Alder family! We are so excited!! (If you don't know already, we know they will be boys because there hasn't been a girl on Russ' side of the family in 106 years. The chances are not good but I am still keeping my fingers crossed for Brooke and Amber. I know they would both love a girl!!)

This picture is of one proud little boy wearing his big boy underwear! Yea Ash!!!

And last but not least, this is what happens when Daddy sneaks the baby a cookie!

4th of July

2009-07-05T18:46:00.005-05:00

We had a very fun and very laid back 4th of July. My parents and Russ' parents came over to our house for a cookout and we shot off some fireworks in the driveway and cul-da-sac. Thanks MiMi for taking pictures. Sorry you were not in any of them!

All the boys liked the smoke bombs.

Henry didn't really like the smoke coming right toward him!

Later in the evening, after the twins went to bed, we shot off some bigger fireworks. Ash was a little unsure at first but was fine as long as I covered his ears.

PaPa always loves to tease Ashton! You can tell from Ashton's face that he really doesn't mind!

Lots of fun!!! Now only two more days and Russ and I are off to the Bahamas for a vacation!!! NO KIDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't think I have ever been so excited about a trip! It can't get here soon enough. Momma needs a BREAK!

Harper's first steps!!

2009-06-24T19:05:00.002-05:00

Look who is FINALLY walking!! Harper just decided tonight that he wanted to walk. I have waited a LONG time for this! I am one VERY HAPPY MOMMY!!!

Birthday party

2009-06-15T12:13:00.004-05:00

Friday Ashton turned 3. Can you even believe it? Crazy! Anyway, we had a small school party and then a dinosaur party at our house on Saturday. Thank goodness we had good weather! It was so much fun and all the kids played SO hard!
We had a bounce around, a snow cone machine, did a "dinosaur dig", and also had a couple of dinosaur pinates.
So what do you all think of this dinosaur cake? Not quite what I was expecting! It reminds me more of the bleeding armadillo cake on Steel Magnolias!!
Oh don't mind how dark I am! Just had a spray tan. It only looks THAT dark right after I get sprayed. hahaha

Ashton and Maggie Rae on the bouncy

How about this awesome T-Rex watermelon? I would love to take credit for carving it but you all know that I couldn't do that! Thanks Miss Lara!

The best part of the party was when the kids were all eating their cake and Russ asked if Ashton is supposed to eat the candles? I totally freaked out and made him spit it all out and then cleaned off his tongue. Turns out that Maggie Rae gave him the candles to lick the icing of off and poor Ash got a little confused and just took a huge bite out of it! Too funny!!

I love this picture of Aiden! I have a very similar picture from last year but he didn't have any hair due to his chemotherapy. How things change in a year!!

This last picture is all the kids having their dinosaur dig

Happy Day!

2009-06-02T14:29:00.006-05:00

What a wonderful day today is!!!! Henry IS WALKING!!!! He is still crawling a little but mainly walking! We have only waited 18 months and 2 days but who is counting!! Ha ha! Thank you to the Gregory Kistler Center and especially his therapist, Kristen Ricketts! Oh how I LOVE that girl!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now we just have to get Harper walking. Congrats to my baby Henry who isn't as much of a baby anymore but trust me, I AM NOT COMPLAINING!!!!!!!!!! Can you tell how excited I am?

Wonderful wedding weekend

2009-06-01T12:20:00.004-05:00

This weekend one of Russ' twin brothers got married to his junior high sweetheart. They have dated since they were 14 years old! Isn't that amazing!! The wedding was at Russ' parents house. It really couldn't have been a nicer weekend. Russ' aunt came over from England and his brother Tim was also in town. We had so much fun hanging out with him. He has to be one of the funniest people I have ever met and he and Russ together are hilarious!

My wonderful father-in-law and mother-in-law

Russ and I at the rehearsal

My brother-in-law, Tristan (the other twin) and his beautiful wife, Amber

Brooke and her dad

The happy couple!

Jon and Brooke had been taking dance lessons. I have to admit, I laughed at first because Jon is really shy and I couldn't imagine him dancing in front of people. Let me just tell you, I haven't ever seen anything so sweet. It was amazing! I don't think there was a dry eye!

Here is the best father-in-law in the world! I love this man!!!

My sister-in-law Amber and my nephew Aiden. Can you all tell how healthy he is! You would never know that little boy is in remission for leukemia!

Tim, Ashley, and Russ

Cindy and Aiden

Perfect day at the zoo

2009-05-24T19:08:00.006-05:00

Today Russ, Mom, Dad, and I took the boys to the Tulsa zoo. We had SO much fun! I won't go into the fact that we were all very tightly squeezed into my Escalade, that I got car sick due to sitting in the floor in the back, Russ forgot he wasn't back home in England and got confused on which side of the road he should be driving on, getting lost in Tulsa even when you have Onstar, or eating at the most disgusting McDonald's know to man. Other than that, it was a PERFECT DAY!
The first animals we saw were the elephants. Ashton was in awe over them. I am not sure if it was their size, the fact that the zoo staff were giving them bathes, or that it was his first animal to see. No matter why, you couldn't pry him away. He was so excited and was just squealing. I told Russ that just watching him look at them made the trip totally worth while. The twins also LOVED it! They both would point to all the animals and yell, "Look!"

Ash getting his first look at the elephants having a bath.

The twins pointing at the animals.

More pointing!

This is Ashton running from animal to animal, which he did ALL day!

Ash and Russ

More pointing!

Just a cute picture of Ashton

Henry wearing Dad's "cool" hat he bought at the gift shop to protect his neck which was already sunburned.

Ashton wearing the hat.

Ashton and his daddy as we were leaving the zoo. Oh, by the way, do you all like Russ' sunglasses? He bought them at Walgreen's this week and swears he looks just like Johnny Knoxville! Not sure he is someone I would aspire to look like but that is Russ! So silly!!!
So much fun! Thanks MiMi and PaPa for coming along and for sitting in the back so I didn't get sick! We had a blast!!!

A day with my best friend

2009-05-20T20:40:00.005-05:00

Yesterday Ashton skipped school to spent the day with his best friend, Owen. Of course his mommy (Kellie Brown) is also my best friend...I know, so convenient! Here are just a few pictures of our fun day. A picnic at the park, a train ride, sand boxes, dinner, and a bath. Could the day be any better?

Big News!

2009-05-14T12:52:00.003-05:00

Guess what! Henry took probably 15 steps at physical therapy today!!!!! I couldn't be happier! Hopefully I will have these two little guys walking soon. Their poor knees can't take much more crawling!

Henry

Henry

Harper

Day at the park

2009-05-11T20:01:00.003-05:00

We had a big day today. Ashton went to his first dentist appointment and did FABULOUS! I couldn't have asked for him to be any better behaved. He was also cavity free which made things even better!!!! Yea Ash!

After lunch with our best friends, Kellie and Owen, I brought Ashton home for a quick nap. When all the babies woke up we were off to the park to meet Kellie and Owen again for a play date and a nice train ride around the park. So fun! Here are a few pictures of the kids on the train and playing at the park.

On another note, I meet a really nice lady at the park. She has identical twin boys who are 15 months old. They were precious and after talking for a few minutes she tells me that one of the twins was just diagnosed with a very rare type of cancer. Since the boys are identical they tested the other twin. He is fine for the time being but they said he has a 50% chance of also having cancer down the road. The baby had his first chemo treatment at Children's Hospital and the mother was really optimistic. After watching my sister-in-law and my nephew Aiden go through this same thing, I know that sometimes all you can do is hope and pray. I told her about my nephew and how sick he was and how the odds were stacked against him. Aiden is now cancer free and acts just like any other 3 year old little boy.
She offered me her phone number and said she is new to the area and really could use a friend. My heart just really went out to her. Please keep this family in your prayers. I just can't imagine what she is going through. I know it must be heart breaking to have an extremely sick child and also have to leave your other baby at home. I can't even begin to understand what she must be going through. Please pray for this family.

Fun Weekend

2009-05-10T13:09:00.008-05:00

We had such a nice weekend! Friday we had Owen over for a play date. We had a lot of fun playing outside.

Look how big the twins are getting! They love these little chairs.

Harper loves my phone!

Sweet little Owen!

Russ and I ordered take out after all the kids went to bed. This is a picture of Russ after a few adult beverages. He decided that he wanted a cigar and need to go dig in his office for the proper attire. He found this lovely jacket which he told me was a "smoking jacket." He also found this Chinese looking hat. He informed me that it was a "smoking hat." Never heard of such but he looked so hysterical I just went along with it.

Yesterday we had company over for a cookout. It was so much fun! Here is a picture of the twins helping me get ready. You have to love it when they help themselves into the pantry for a snack.

We LOVE the sun!!

2009-05-08T08:07:00.008-05:00

We have definitely been enjoying the last few days with the sunshine and playing outside!! The boys have spent a lot of time playing on the back porch where there are lots of toys for them to play on. . .as well as puddles!!

We put some "big boy" underwear on Ashton yesterday outside to see if he could keep his dinosaur underwear dry! We figured it wouldn't make too much of a mess outside if he went to the bathroom in them. We didn't have much of a problem with keeping them dry.. .more keeping them clean! He decided to go ahead and use the underwear just like a diaper and, needless to say, he had to get a good spraying from the hose to get all cleaned up! So much for that idea!

Here is Ashton wearing his dinosaur underwear but on top of his PJs. He insisted! :)

Here are a few pictures from the last week. We love the I.C. Carnival--Harper didn't enjoy the jumper so much, but everything else he did! :)

One last picture of the boys this morning. . .getting all three in one place AND looking? Almost unheard of!! :) Love, love, LOVE these boys!!

BIG DAY!!

2009-04-30T12:49:00.002-05:00

Today has been an AWESOME day! Guess what my twins did at therapy this morning! Harper stood on his own for 20 seconds and Henry took 2 steps!!!!!!!

It is a miracle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think we are going to be walking soon. Oh and for all of you who are going to leave a comment saying not to rush it because they will be into everything...I have two things to say to you. First, they are already into everything. You wouldn't believe how fast babies can crawl when they have been doing it for 6 months. Second, if you had a baby that was a year and a half and not walking, you would want them to start too.

Great job to my H's!!!!!!!!!!

HOME!!

2009-04-27T14:11:00.003-05:00

Harper was discharged today!!!! So cute, when we pulled into the driveway he yelled, "yea!" I had to second that!!

I am in the process of washing everything we had up there. Harper and I both took a long bath when we got home (not together) and now he is down for a nice long nap. Before he and Henry fell asleep it sounded like a party up there. You should have heard them screaming, laughing, and playing. They really missed each other.

As far as how Harper is feeling, MUCH BETTER! He is on a ton of medicine, antibiotics, inhalers, and steroids. He also has an appointment with a pulmonologist at Children's Hospital so hopefully we can get to the bottom of this.

I'm just so happy my sweet baby is feeling better. Let's just pray that he stays healthy!!!!!

We escaped from our room!

2009-04-25T09:49:00.003-05:00

Harper is feeling better. It is too bad his reports from the doctors aren't as good. He is now off of oxygen and his iv but is still having breathing treatments every three hours.
Since he is feeling better he is REALLY bored. I have a bunch of toys here and I even brought up his portable DVD player but I guess he can only watch so much Baby Einstein.
The nurses here are SOOOO wonderful! I know them all pretty well since we have been here so much and they are very sweet to Harper. Amy, one of my favorites, noticed Harper's restlessness and came to the rescue with a wagon! She even let us leave or wing and have a nice long stroll through the hospital. HE LOVED IT!!!!

Hospital update

2009-04-24T07:38:00.006-05:00

After a LOOOOOOOOOOONG night, we are doing better. Harper had a bad tummy ache and was also very upset about the oxygen he had. He usually goes to bed at 6:30. Last night it was around 1:30. I think he finally just wore himself out.

We were up bright and early with lab work and Dr. Beene just left. WE LOVE DR. BEENE!!!!

She is referring him to a Pulmonologist in NWA (thank goodness) and we will hopefully get to the bottom of all of this pneumonia.

He is feeling a little better and even playing some in his crib. Hopefully he and I will both be able to take a little snooze this afternoon since we slept so little last night.

Thanks for all the sweet comments and Natalie, don't make offers like Mexican if you don't plan on following through!! Harper is a big fan of the rice and beans! JUST JOKING!

Back in the hospital

2009-04-23T18:54:00.002-05:00

It is amazing how fast Harper gets sick! Tuesday after he woke from his nap he was having a terrible time breathing. We were unable to get him in with the pediatrician's office so they sent us to Promed.
I HATE that place! They never seem to get things right. I guess it doesn't help that they sent me home with Ashton and his BROKEN FEMUR last year and told me it wasn't broken and he would forget that it hurt!
Needless to say, Tuesday they told me Harper did not have pneumonia and to go home. Yesterday he was doing better after I had given him updrafts every two hours for the last 24 hours. When he woke this morning we were right back where we started on Tuesday. He was having a terrible time breathing and was very wheezy. The pediatrician was able to get us right in and sure enough....he has pneumonia and we are back at the hospital. It looks like we will be here several days. No fun! He is already doing a little better but still very sick. My poor baby!!!

Oh how they look up to their big brother!

2009-04-22T20:38:00.005-05:00

The twins want to do anything that Ashton does. That includes eating the same food that he eats and drinking from the same cup that he drinks from. Most of the time Ashton is really good about being nice to them. Other times, well I am sure you can imagine. This is Henry tonight helping himself to the yogurt that Ashton stepped away from. Notice how he poured it all down his shirt while he tried to DRINK it!

Here is both of the twins after they dumped Ash's chicken nuggets and are now eating them off of the floor. (I do realize that I should have been more concerned about taking away the nuggets than taking pictures but I just couldn't resist!)

Last but definitely not least! This is Henry creating his own "sit and spin" with Ashton's plate of chicken nuggets! Too funny!!!

Congratulations Miss Lara!!

2009-04-19T12:09:00.004-05:00

I hear wedding bells!

Miss Lara and her boyfriend, Brandon took a trip to Seattle for the week and guess what!! He proposed! So exciting!!! Here are some pictures from the top of the space needle where he popped the big question!

She was sooo surprised! They have talked about getting married basically since they met. They never talked about when, they just assumed. So when he did it on the trip she was totally taken by surprise! Isn't that fun!!

I have to admit...I feel like I should get a little bit of credit because she wouldn't have moved to the Fort and met him had she not been my nanny. I made a love connection!

Oh what a day!

2009-04-17T18:59:00.003-05:00

It is now 7:00 and I just took the last little boy up for bed. I am sitting outside on my porch drinking an adult beverage and loving every second of it. Today has been a really long day. Where to begin?

Ok I will start from Wednesday. As most of you know, I have a live in nanny(Miss Lara) that helps me with all these crazy boys. Miss Lara and her boyfriend went to Seattle for the week. So fun! I am super jealous! Especially since I am alone with all three boys. Russ lost an employee this week at the plant and he has been working even longer hours than usual. My mom and dad went to the lake for the weekend. That leaves me to take care of all three. It probably wouldn't be SOOO bad if I weren't so spoiled with all the extra help.

It really is the little things that make a big difference. Like the twins not being able to walk. It would be so much easier to load my car if they could actually walk outside!! But oh no. Too easy! I have to carry one on each hip with Ash leading the way and barking out instructions to "his twins."

Nap time today was pretty entertaining. I am a VERY scheduled mom and I don't mess around when it comes time for bed or nap. The boys are always very willing and actually very happy to get in their beds. I can honestly say I couldn't tell you the last time I heard one of them cry when I put them in bed. So needless to say, I was really surprised when I heard SCREAMING from upstairs right after I took the twins to bed. I was so scared! I thought one of them had fallen out of their crib! As I ran up the stairs I realized that the twins were having an all out party up there! They were both roaring with laughter and having a full on "little girl" screaming contest. I couldn't help but laugh myself! After about 15 minutes of nonstop screaming and laughing they finally got tired and fell asleep.

Dinner time was also really interesting. Henry decided that he wanted to feed himself. I hate a mess so I was totally against it but he wouldn't eat so I finally gave up. I think the pictures explain themselves. I especially like the pea stuck to Henry's chest and the carrots all over his hands!

Now on to bath time! After dinner we headed straight up for a bath were I found more veggies floating in the water. Sounds bad huh? Not really. You should have seen what was floating next! Yep! Harper decided to take a poopoo in the tub!

I have been doing laundry all day while the kids have ran circles around me. Well I got quite the surprise as I pulled the darks out of the dryer. Looks like they decided the dark pile wasn't big enough and added two balls to the pile. So sad that I didn't even notice until I pulled the clothes out of the dryer! How this didn't start a fire I will never know!

I think I deserve my adult beverage! Being a stay at home mom is hard work!!!

We now have tubes!

2009-04-13T15:32:00.004-05:00

Russ and I took Harper to the hospital this morning at 6:30 for his tubes in his ears. I couldn't have been more excited! So long ear infections!!! They did Ashton so much good so I hopeful that my very serious (and sometimes almost borderline unhappy)child will now join his twin brother and be a happy little boy. Here is a picture of the twins TRYING to play this morning. Poor Harper was still a little "drunk" from the surgery but giving it his best.

Please note that my twins are wearing different clothes. If you know me, you know that I NEVER EVER EVER dress them different. Their pjs even match at night. If one of them has an accident during the day or night, then they both MUST change! House Rules and everyone follows. Today is an exception and it will probably never happen again until the boys are old enough to tell me that they don't want to dress alike. Who knows, I may still make them dress alike!!

Garage Sale

2009-04-06T19:21:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone! Just wanted you all to know that Rachel and I are having a BIG garage sale on Saturday. We will have mostly kids/baby stuff. Some adult clothes and furniture but mostly baby things. I have a TON (almost glutonous) of baby boy stuff from the twins last summer. Some is 3-6 and a some is 6-12. I would say that about 85% is polo. They all look brand new. Actually, some still has tags on them. I know! TERRIBLE!!
If you know anyone who has a baby boy, send them my way!! We will let our friends shop first so let me or Rachel know if you want to come by on Thursday. We also have A LOT of toys!
Just a little FYI if anyone is interested!! Tell your friends!!! Thanks girls!!

(Jenna, I called you tonight. Not sure if you got my message. I have a bunch of things monogrammed with "Henry" so Heather might be interested! Obviously not selling those in the garage sale but thought she might want to take a look!)

LONG day!

2009-04-04T19:18:00.003-05:00

Well today has been a REALLY LONG DAY!! It started with all three boys in the bathroom with me while I was getting ready this morning. The twins like to turn the water on to my tub. Well it also has a sprayer and some how Harper got it on as well. I hate to admit it but...I wasn't paying attention to what he was doing. He had turned the sprayer and it was soaking my area rug! I hear a blood curling scream and turn around in a panic to see the sprayer turned and spraying Harper in the face. He was freaking out!!! Can you say HUGE mess!!!
After taking all three boys (by myself) to Maggie Rae's soccer game, getting them some lunch, and putting them all down for a nap, I was exhausted. I revived while they slept. As soon as they were up we loaded back up and went to Russ' parents house for a visit. We left Ashton there while we went to church. This is a regular Saturday thing because being 2 and sitting for an hour through Mass doesn't go very good together. Russ and I meet my parents every week with the twins and have never had a problem. UNTIL TODAY! First Russ had to leave with Harper. A few minutes later I had to leave with Henry. We decided to not go back in and instead go to the cry room. I am not a big believer in the cry room because I want my kids to participate in the entire Mass. I feel so secluded in the cry room. Well guess what, Russ had to take Harper out of the cry room too!!! B-A-D!!
After that craziness, we decided to go to eat. Not sure what we were thinking but we went to Taliano's because it was just down the road. Well no big surprise but they were SOOOOO bad!! Both boys had to be taken out of the restaurant. Lavaca was having their prom and there was 20 kids in the small room with us and my screaming kids. So fun!
Now all kids are in bed and I am drinking a beer. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!

My boys and their favorite HERO

2009-04-01T19:14:00.004-05:00

This is something that is a nightly thing at our house. Oh how all 4, yes 4....Russ being the fourth, love INDIANA JONES!!!!!
Ashton has now started reciting the words! I think he has seen the movie a few too many times!!! Have I ever mentioned that he sleeps all night to the theme song on repeat? Yes he is obsessed!!!!
The twins are following right in Ashton's footsteps. They love all the things their daddy likes. They love Indiana Jones, wearing hats, and playing in Russ' office with all of his artifacts.

Yes this is our HERO!!! We love "Dr. Jones." (As Ash likes to call him!)

These next pictures are from a week or so ago when Braxton and Megan came over to play. Megan and I left for five minutes to go pick up pizza and this is what we saw when we came home. Needless to say, they were watch Indiana Jones!

Can you tell how serious Ashton takes this?

Harper is in the hospital...again (update)

2009-03-27T13:16:00.003-05:00

Well we are back in the hospital with Harper. The poor little guy started having breathing issues last night. I was able to get him an appointment first thing this morning but unfortunately we were sent over to the hospital. I am still not sure what is the problem. It is either RSV or pneumonia. They did blood work and a chest x-ray a little while ago so I am hoping when the doctor does his rounds we will know more. He is in pretty good spirits....I am listening to him talking to the toys in his crib right now. What a little trooper!!
I will let you all know what is going on as soon as I hear!

Well Harper and I have just made it back to our room. We have been in the hallway with about 50 other sick kids and their parents. Tornado Warning! Can you believe it? They made us sit in the hallway, IVs and all, until the warning expired. Not fun!
We did find out that Harper has pneumonia and not RSV so we are so thankful! Not that pneumonia is good but it is easier to get over and not contagious like RSV. The doctor seems to think that we will be able to leave on Monday. He said MAYBE Sunday but only with the best circumstances.

My paintings are here!

2009-03-24T13:32:00.005-05:00

My paintings are finished!! I can't wait to see them in person! Leigh Ann just sent me an email showing what they look like. The all look good but I really like this one of Harper. He looks so chubby!
I will share the rest of them when I actually get them in. One is a surprise but I can't say anything else because it is for someone who reads my blog. It looks awesome though and I know they will love it!

Don't you just love seeing those rolls? The boys are both really small. They weigh as much as Landy Lou and she is only 8 months old! I don't know if she is just really big or they are really small. Maybe a little of both! Anyway, I love this sweet little boy and I am so happy he is starting to finally feel better!
If anyone is interested in getting an oil painting done from a photo you have, just let me know and I will put you in touch with Leigh Ann. To give you an idea of prices... this is a 20x24 and I paid $150. REALLY REASONABLE and it looks soooo good!

Poor Harper

2009-03-20T19:50:00.005-05:00

Well it seems like forever since I have made a post! Rachel has been making it fancy. Thanks Rach!

For all you who know us well, poor Harper has been sick a lot or has some strange issue. We have had a lot of very random (and scary) tests run on him lately. A couple of weeks ago we had to have him tested for Cystic Fibrosis (thank you Lord that it was negative!) and this week we found out he has a large blockage in his bowels. We were hoping that with the proper medication we could get him to finally pass it but there was a chance it was something more. Yesterday, after 3 days of double the laxatives, he started vomiting. This was very scary because they then thought he had a complete bowel obstruction. (Which was an initial concern) Thank goodness we learned today after new abdominal x-rays....he is passing the blockage. It is getting smaller but not gone so we are having to continue with doubling his daily laxitive which presents a separate problem. MAJOR DIAPER RASH!!!!

These are some sweet pictures of Harper hanging out in the kitchen sink while soaking his red bum!

Harper and Henry are also getting ready to get their new leg braces. Hopefully with the help of the braces and all their physical therapy, they will both be walking before we know it!!!

This is a picture of Ashton today having a cookie. He is getting so big!

Our Little Nursing Home

2009-03-12T15:02:00.000-05:00

Since the twins are really starting to spend more time on their feet (YAY!), we got out the "walker" toys to let the boys practice moving while on their feet. They have become more interested in moving while standing, and we got a few videos of the boys using their little walkers--we felt like we had our own little nursing home! :)

And last, but not least, here is Henry being Miss Lara's model this morning!

Double Trouble

2009-03-03T20:08:00.000-06:00

I hear from strangers everyday, "Oh gosh! Double Trouble!"

It always really bothers me and I always make sure to correct them by saying, "No just twice blessed."

Well this is what I saw this morning and all I could think was, "Oh gosh! Double Trouble!"

I mean look at those faces!!! They know they are busted and they don't even seem to mind!

These are just a few pictures of all of my boys playing before they went to bed. It is amazing that they have a HUGE playroom FULL of toys and they all chose to play with paper plates! Go figure!!!

ASHTON...MIA

2009-02-25T19:58:00.000-06:00

Well last night I went upstairs to tuck all the kids in before I went to bed. I do this every night and usually find the same thing every night. Last night was a MUCH different story!!! I walked into Ashton's room but found...nothing! Where in the heck could he have gone? I have child locks on his bedroom door, his bathroom door, and his closet. I immediately panic! He was not is his bed or on the floor. He didn't somehow make his way in his closet either. I was REALLY getting nervous now. As I went to see if he was in the bathroom I had horrible thoughts running through my head. Did he get in the tub and turn on the water and drowned? I can't tell you how fast my heart was beating!!! As I opened the door...I found NOTHING! Ok now I was beyond panicked!!! I was frantically looking around his room and for some reason I decided to open his armoire. Don't ask why because I have no idea. I just could think of anything else. This is what I found!!!!

If you are wondering...yes, the doors were closed! I still can't figure out how he got the doors closed or why in the world he would want to but it was too funny!!!! I ran downstairs, grabbed the camera and pulled Russ up to see. We laughed so hard and Ash stayed sound asleep! I wonder about the little guy sometimes!!!

Just a fun day with the cousins

2009-02-24T20:25:00.001-06:00

Today was a nice day. All the kids played really well together. Maggie Rae was mad at me by the end of the day but that isn't that unusual (she said I was going to go to Hell for spanking but I didn't even spank her! I just almost spanked her and Ash and she held a grudge!)
Here are a few pictures of the first time ALL five cousins played together with the same toy. I know it looks as if Landy Lou isn't playing but she really liked the Legos. It was just unfortunate that when all the kids got involved she wasn't in the mix.

Just a cute picture of my Baby Lou and her mommy. (Can you all tell how much weight Rachel has lost!? Doesn't she look AWESOME!!! I keep telling her but she doesn't believe me. Maybe you should tell her too!)

This is Landy Lou and Henry playing together yesterday. Harper was sick and just hanging out with me and the two older cousins were still at school. They really seemed to enjoy playing together. It was so funny to hear them "talk" to each other!

This last picture is just a sweet picture of Henry that I wanted to share!

Henry's first haircut

2009-02-20T20:06:00.000-06:00

Today I took Henry for his first haircut. I did NOT want any length taken off but only the big frizz ball on the back of his head. It was REALLY getting out of control!! I took him by myself so the pictures are not very good. If you are wondering, Harper has VERY different hair. It is brown and very waxy. It is also really short and has no frizz like Henry's. I am posting a before picture of Henry's WILD hair and then a couple of pictures during his haircut. I do not have an after picture but it looks the same as the before minus the frizz!!
Oh by the way, if you are wondering where I took my child for his first haircut, we only go to the best!! Super Cuts!! We make sure that NO ONE will recognize us! Ashton always seem to misbehave while getting his hair cut. Henry actually did really good but Ashton is another story! He is terrible during a haircut! I love me some Super Cuts!!!

Nap Time Mystery

2009-02-17T15:27:00.001-06:00

I went upstairs to get the twins up from their nap and as I was walking down the stairs I noticed that Henry's face was covered in something that looked a whole lot like oreos. I couldn't figure out for the life of me what it was! I mean seriously!!! He was in his crib!!! (This picture doesn't EVEN do his dirty little face justice!)

I went back up to his crib and moved all of his blackets and loveys and this is what I found. Nothing!

I was completely stumped....what in the world could have gotten all over his face??? Well I was holding him and asking him just what had he gotten into. Of course he didn't answer me but as I glanced down this is what I saw!!!!!!!!!!!

HE IS A BEAVER!!!!!! Umm, I am pretty sure he tried to EAT his way out of his crib!!! Anything not to have to take a nap!!!
I told you last week he started pulling up. Well, I guess he pulled up and decided to try and take bites out of his crib!!! I guess I will be heading to Toys R Us to buy those plastic covers you can get for the crib. Boy, Ashton never did ANYTHING LIKE THIS!!! I have been saying all along that I thought Henry was going to be the WILD one!!!!

OMG!!! HE DID IT!!!

2009-02-15T19:19:00.000-06:00

Well I hate to brag...but not today!!! Harper pulled up!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you tell I am excited???? He only did it once but that was enough to get me over the edge excited!!! We have been working SOOOO hard at therapy and at home to get this little guy comfortable on his little feet. I wasn't sure it was ever going to happen! To think in the last two weeks both of my boys would be standing is amazing!!! I am SOOOO THANKFUL! Now all we need is to get them walking and they will be all caught up! Everyone says that preemies are a little behind but that they catch up by the time they are two years old. Maybe it is true? The twins are almost 15 months old now but Mommy couldn't be more proud of her precious babies!

Oh, on a side note, (I tried to get it videoed but he wouldn't cooperate) Henry's new favorite saying is, "H, H, Henry!" Too cute!! He gets that from Ashton who likes to say the first letter of everything and then say the word. We hear a lot of, "A, A, Ashton, B, B, Ball, C, C, Cat." You get the picture! Too cute!!!

My Little Walker

2009-02-12T12:05:00.001-06:00

So I bet you are thinking that Henry pulled up yesterday and is walking today. Not hardly!!!! He was proudly standing in his crib this morning. I wish I had a picture! Too cute!
No my little walker is Harper! He still isn't pulling up but we are working very hard on it. We go to the Kistler Center for our therapy and last week they started him walking with a walker. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen so I came prepared today with my camera! Last week he hated it but this week he was actually ok. It is amazing what a kid will do for a cheerio!!!

Can you tell that Mommy is proud?

Henry did it!!!!

2009-02-11T19:59:00.000-06:00

Well I hear this phrase a lot around my house because of Ashton but this time it if from me!! Henry FINALLY stood up on his own!!!! Yeah Henry!!! I am sad to say that I wasn't here to witness it (due to stupid Weight Watchers) but my mom called me right away to tell me the good news.
For all of you who are doing the math, yes Henry and Harper are almost 15 months old and still have not pulled themselves up. I know that it is because they were preemies and they will be slightly delayed but of course I have been on the edge of my seat waiting!!! That the Lord that Henry is now standing. Let's just hope Harper follows his lead. We are working so hard at therapy to make sure that we catch up soon!
GREAT JOB HENRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Crafty

2009-02-10T14:25:00.000-06:00

So Miss Lara and I have been busy being crafty. Ok, Lara more so than me but I should get a LITTLE credit!
Ok first I want to share a REALLY fun idea to "fluff" up any boring old lamp. Those of you who know me well know that I am obsessed with lamps!!! Can't have enough of them!! Russ likes to disagree but he tolerates them.
Ok here is a picture of a nice lamp but it is a little boring.

Now scroll down and see how a strip of fun feathers and some pretty dangly beads really spices it up!!!

Soooo fun!!!!! All we did was hot glue them to the bottom of the lamp. I was going to put some on the top as well but ran out of stuff. I may add the "fluff" to the top later.

Ok now on to more festive crafts! Of course, Valentine's Day! Russ and I are not big on celebrating with each other but it is so fun to celebrate with the kids. Here are some really cute Chinese take out boxes that I found at Hobby Lobby. We made Rice Crispy Treats that we put sprinkles in and used a heart shaped cookie cutter to put inside. We also made fortune cookies out of felt(soo cute!!) Inside the cookies are some Hershey kisses and a strip of paper that says, "I am FORTUNATE to have you as a friend!"

Just thought I would share some of our crafts with you all because I love reading all the fun stuff you all do (AKA Heather Kohler!)

Last but not least is a picture of the twins enjoying their first taste of Rice Crispy Treats. BIG HIT!!

Fun Oil Painting Party Come ALL!!

2009-02-05T21:06:00.001-06:00

This Saturday at 7:30-9:30 Rachel and I are having a little get together at my house. A girl we know from Bentonville is coming down and you can order any picture you have made into an oil painting. Anyone can come. Call me for directions if you are interested 479-597-9675 or email me lesli_suzanne@hotmail.com. I don't have price list in front of me, but for instance you can get an oil painting of one of your kids for $100. I think this is wonderful considering Rachel got a price one time for $800. She will also have some frames and some other paintings for sale for great prices. Let me know and don't be shy about calling me or you can give me the picture or email to me and I can order it if you can't come!!!!

More on Russ' "Collection"

2009-01-31T21:55:00.000-06:00

Well I am having a party at my house next Saturday so I told Russ that he HAD to work on his office. I told him that the boxes all over the place would have to be unpacked. He was a great sport and jumped right into it today. Here are a few pictures of what I am having to endure while he is unpacking. I hope you all notice ALL of the mannequins! My mom told me tonight that he told her that he has 20 more on the way so that he can display all of his military jackets. Once again ladies, I know all of you are so jealous that I am going to have all these lovely mannequins in my house!!!
I am posting a few pictures as he "cleans and organizes." Notice how it all flows out of his office and into the halls. These pictures really don't do it justice!

This last picture totally shows Russ' personality and humor. He knows I was kind of freaked out by the mannequins so he decided to play a joke on me. Well...it worked!!! It scared me to death! How would you feel if this is what you saw on your way to the bathroom?

Snow Days

2009-01-28T19:24:00.000-06:00

Well we have been REALLY bored the last two days! Here are just a few pictures of what we have been doing.
The kids got sick of their toys so we had to get creative!

MeMe and Ashton "cooking cookies"

This is our backyard. I know we didn't get near what you all in NW Arkansas got but Mom said we got a lot more than she did.

My sweet babies!!! I love the jogging suits but they are a little big.

Ashton's tiny snowman. What can you say...we didn't get much snow!

The twins watching Maggie Rae and Rachel play outside.

Maggie Rae VERY proud of her tiny snowman that she added springles to. Every snowman must be fancy!!

Ashton decided to get inside of Landy's toy, and then he couldn't get out. Of course, I had to take a picture before helping him out!!

Last but not least, sweet Harper drawing so carefully! Oh how I love him!!!

Hope everyone else had fun today!!! Tomorrow...we are back to normal and can get out of the house!! Thank goodness!!!!

Russ' ebay UK obsession!!

2009-01-23T13:17:00.000-06:00

If you know Russ, you know that he is an ebay UK addict! It was a BIG problem in our old house because there just wasn't enough room in his office for all of his swords and military uniforms. Now he has a nice big office so he has brought all of his "stuff" back from his mom's house (where he was keeping it all during the move.) Last night he couldn't have been more excited to show off his newest purchase. I almost DIED!!! He has really gone too far now!
Here is a picture of his office and all of the boxes of "stuff." Can you see all of the swords along the fireplace? How about the gross tiger over the mantle? Well if you think that is bad, just scroll down to see his big (HUGE) new addition to his collection.

Yes this lion WAS real at one time (about 50 years ago.) It is stuffed and looks SOOOO alive! Very very very scary!

Ashton was scared to death when he saw it! The twins didn't seem too scared but I wouldn't let any of them near it. I told them it might have the mange. I know all of you girls are so jealous that your husbands don't have a cool hobby like this!

Rachel said that we should name it so the kids wouldn't be as scared of it. Not sure what I am going to do so that I am not so scared of it! Talk about some nightmares! Can you imagine sleeping in the room next to that!!

So sorry but I must brag

2009-01-18T09:44:00.000-06:00

I have to brag on this beautiful little boy! How pretty is he?

My mother-in-law is very talented and painted this fabulous portrait of Ashton. He looks so sweet and innocent. I just LOVE it!!! Thanks so much Cindy!

I have also been doing some "fluffing" at my house and I wanted to take some pictures and show how much better it looks. I wish I would have taken before pictures because then you would get the full impact. My house is my new favorite project. It is so much fun to decorate and I am learning as I go. We are taking small steps and doing just a little bit at a time but here is a small taste. This is my formal living living room. The shelves looked terrible before! So much better!

This is a picture of my powder room. I LOVE this floral!!

These are all pictures that my friend Shannon (A Moment Captured by Shannon Walker) took of the kids. So is so good!!!!

These are just a couple of random pictures of my precious twins from this week. I just love it that Henry closes his eyes when he smiles really big. He is such a ham!

Sick Kids

2009-01-13T19:41:00.000-06:00

Well we are all sick at the Alder house. Surprise, Surprise!

I had to take Harper to the doctor yesterday and he was diagnosed with a double ear infection, strep throat, and mild pneumonia.

Last night Ashton woke me up crying and very sick. I took him to the doctor this afternoon. Guess what, he also has a double ear infection and either a bad cause of bronchitis or a mild pneumonia. The doctor didn't do the chest x-ray because he said it wouldn't change the type of antibiotics that he prescribed.

Well as if things weren't bad enough...when I came home from the doctor's office little Henry was looking very rough. He has a very runny nose and is really fussy. I have a feeling that I am going to get to go back to Dr. Beene's office tomorrow for the third day in a row!! I think I should just get a job there. It is really sad that they all know me by name. I guess that is what happens when you have three little ones!

Fun idea I stole from another blog

2009-01-10T18:47:00.000-06:00

RANDOM PICTURE CHALLENGE!
Ok I totally stole this fun idea from another blog but I thought it was really fun and we should all try it.

This picture is from my April folder and was the 5th picture down. It is of Maggie being silly with the twins. (Don't they look so small?)
Now for the fun part, go to your April picture folder pick the 5th picture and post it on your blog! Leave a comment here to let me {and others} know you've joined in!

If....God gave me a girl....

2009-01-06T11:46:00.000-06:00

This is what her life would be like! I can't even imagine all that the poor little thing would have to go through having 3 big brothers. Today I am baby-sitting my sweet niece. Henry and Harper love pestering her. She is a pretty good sport about it for a minute and then she gets really mad. I guess I can't blame her. I wouldn't want someone taking my pacifer away, pulling my hair, and stopping my swing either! God love you sweet Landy Lou!
And the fun begins!

Can you tell he is proud of himself?

Now Harper comes over the back to get in on the fun. I will point out that this is a portable swing and Harper figured out how to close it up. Only problem was that Landy was still in it!

Nothing like throwing toys at her and then coming over the back of the swing to get it back!
Thanks goodness Landy Lou is such a good baby and tolerates them (for now!)

Our Unexpected House Guest

2009-01-04T19:19:00.000-06:00

This morning while I was upstairs getting the twins ready for the day I heard Russ yelling at me to look over the railing. I looked down and saw a HUGE German shepard trotting through the foyer! For those of you who don't know our pets, we have a pug and min pin so I was REALLY surprised! The best part of the story...the dog let its self in! Turns out it is a really smart German shepard and can open doors. When we called the number on her tags, the owners said that she got out last night and had been running the neighborhood.

Russ was obviously very surprised to turn around and see this big, strange dog walking through the house but I think it brought on some sad feelings. He has several German shepards at the plant as guard dogs but his favorite, Mavrick, had to be put to sleep just a few months ago. I know some day I am going to be outnumbered and he and the boys will want a big dog but that is going to be a LONG time from now!

I have to say that one of the best parts of this story was Ashton's reaction. He just kept say, "I not scared Mommy! I not scared! Hold you Mommy! Hold you!" He really didn't want to be afraid but he is not used to seeing big dogs. Especially walking around our house!

Bowling with the Kids!

2009-01-02T18:36:00.000-06:00

I don't know if any of you have taken your kids bowling but we had so much fun and I would highly recommend it. I thought Ash might be a little young but they have a wonderful piece of equipment (it looks like my Grandma's old walker) that helps them bowl really good. Actually, Russ only beat Maggie Rae by 3 points! Pretty sad considering she is 6!!!!!! Ashton decided he was finished by the 8th frame but I thought that was good. He had so much fun and was really proud of himself. I will have to admit that the ball coral (not sure the technical name) was his favorite part. Oh and I do not allow my child to climb on furniture and I promise I got him off...as soon as I took a picture first! Haha. We were just having too much fun!

This is a picture of the ball that Ashton threw as soon as we got there. The lane was not open yet and needless to say, he didn't throw it very hard and it got stuck in the middle.

This is Ashton carrying his ball to the walker!

Ashton and Maggie using their grandma walkers!

Ashton on the score computer just hanging out watching Daddy.

Russ tried really hard to get a picture of Ashton and I together. This is the best we could get. I know, terrible, but something is better than nothing!

We are back!

2008-12-31T13:25:00.001-06:00

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!

2008-12-21T14:58:00.000-06:00

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

2008-12-19T17:27:00.000-06:00

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"

2008-12-15T21:36:00.000-06:00

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!

2008-12-09T19:33:00.000-06:00

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

2008-12-07T09:10:00.000-06:00

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!!!

2008-11-29T19:01:00.000-06:00

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

2008-11-27T19:13:00.000-06:00

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!

2008-11-26T07:48:00.000-06:00

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

2008-11-25T08:44:00.001-06:00

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

2008-11-23T13:08:00.000-06:00

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

2008-11-19T19:54:00.001-06:00

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

2008-11-17T19:42:00.000-06:00

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

2008-11-06T20:21:00.000-06:00

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!!

2008-10-31T10:24:00.000-05:00

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

2008-10-28T18:30:00.000-05:00

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

2008-10-27T19:08:00.000-05:00

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

2008-10-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

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

2008-10-09T18:46:00.000-05:00

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!

2008-09-24T15:31:00.000-05:00

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!

2008-09-24T15:11:00.000-05:00

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!

2008-09-22T19:20:00.000-05:00

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!

Our new house!

2008-09-12T09:55:00.000-05:00

Russ and I have finally found a house that we BOTH love. Seems we have been looking for a while for a bigger house...Lord knows we need it with all these kids. It seemed that every house I liked, he didn't. All the houses he liked, I didn't.

Well Rachel decided to take action and she found a house that she thought we would both like. There was only one problem.....the house wasn't for sale. I know, BIG problem! Well everyone knows how Rachel is. She just went to the couple and asked if they might consider selling their home. They were NOT interested and wouldn't return her calls but she stayed on them for over a month. She finally convinced them it was in there best interest to move. How she did this I have no idea. Russ and I went around the house and both fell in love. Before Rachel could even get our house listed, she sold it! Go figure! If anyone knows of a better realtor than Rachel Brown, please tell me! I just can't believe they are out there! (Thanks a bunch Rach! We love you!)

So....here are a couple of pictures! Can you tell that I am excited?

I love a man in a suit!!

2008-09-04T11:58:00.001-05:00

So I know everyone thinks their child is the cutest ever but you have to agree, these are two really handsome boys!!
Miss Lara loves to take pictures and she sure can do some fun stuff with a camera! My two little men sure are cute!!!

So Handsome!

2008-09-04T09:29:00.000-05:00

I guess it was bound to happen sometime. . .little Ashton looked like such a big boy for picture day this year at school!!

3 Boys in the Tub!

2008-09-02T21:01:00.000-05:00

Well we had a really big night...all the boys took a bath together. This helped me out A LOT!!! Unfortunately, Harper wasn't really happy about it. Henry and Ashton thought it was great but my sweet, sensative Harper didn't like it. I have to toughen him up. He is so sensitive, which is funny because he is the biggest of them all.

All the Alder Boys together

2008-08-23T15:57:00.000-05:00

Today Russ and I took all of the boys out to his parents house. Tim is in town and had Eli and Amber came over with Aiden. This is the first time all five of them have been together, with the exception of Ash's birthday party. Sweet Aiden is finally getting his hair back after a long winter battling cancer. Little Eli, who looks as though he is the twins age, will be 5 months next week. Can you even believe how HUGE he is!! 4 motnhs younger than the twins but looks like he could be their triplet! It was a lot of fun but I am beat! Too many kids (all under 3) together in one place!

Prune Face

2008-08-23T15:34:00.000-05:00

Poor little Henry has some digestion problems. I try to help him out by feeding himm prunes A LOT! This picture was just too cute not to share!

we have a tooth

2008-08-22T09:14:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that a week from now, the twins will be 9 months old!! Where does the time go?? Last week, we noticed Harper has a tooth! We figured it wouldn't be too long before one of the kiddos got a tooth with all the drooling we've had around here. Now we just need to practice rolling over!! :)

Peanuts and China

2008-07-31T19:22:00.000-05:00

Ashton has grown to be quite the curious child! This weekend, Henry was getting a diaper change (which you can imagine happens quite regularly around here) and Ashton was observing this occurance. He looked at Henry and pointed to him and said, "Henry's pee-pee!" I figured it would be an appropriate time to discuss proper terms for private parts and replied by saying, "That's Henry's penis." With his sweet innocent face, he looked at me and smiled and said, "Henry's peanuts?" :) And with that, we have re-named our boy parts around our house. . .along with Maggie's name for girl parts. . .china! :)

Later, while cooking supper that night, I walked into the den to find Ashton sitting on the floor, playing with his little brothers! The twins were sitting up playing with a few toys, and Ashton realized that they were playing just like he does! Lately, Ash has been into sharing and letting others have a turn. He was being so sweet and decided to share his rubber toy snakes. He handed them each a snake and refered to them by name. . .HER-NEY and HAA-PER (we think this is the "british side" of him!) :)

Happy Birthday America!

2008-07-07T10:30:00.000-05:00

The 4th of July was fun and eventful this year! Mimi and Papa came home early from the lake to celebrate with us, so we grilled out for dinner and let Ashton stay up late to watch the fireworks at the country club! We weren't sure if he would make it that late (or that he would be in a good mood), but he did it!

We met up with Andy, Rachel, and Maggie, as well as Maw and Papa Tom (Rachel's parents) at the country club. Ashton and Maggie played together while we waited for the fireworks to begin. Ashton was having such a good time, and was making friends with other adults! :) He walked up to two men who were visiting and stood between them speaking jibberish to them. The men weren't sure exactly what he was saying or what to do. We figured he just wanted to make some new friends, but we quickly realized he thought he knew one of the men, because he started crying and yelling, "Andy! Andy!" The man didn't quite know what to do, so he just looked at him. Ash figured that if he put his hand up this man's pants and pulled on them, it would definitely be Andy and he would pick him up!! Makes perfect sense!! Mom went over to save the man and to tell Ashton it wasn't Andy, but he insisted it was "my Andy!" finally he found the real Andy! :)

Not long after the hand up the shorts, the fireworks began! Ashton seemd a little nervous about the loud noises from the fireworks when they first started, but toward the end, he was out of mom's lap and on his own naming the colors he saw as the fireworks went off! He even talked about "fireworks! boom! boom!" on the ride home as well as first thing the morning after! :) He really enjoyed himself!

We had to do some minor surgery at our house this weekend as well! Ashton dropped his duck through the stair spindles into a bowl-type lamp in the entry way. Luckily Miss Lara (our nanny) noticed the duck sitting in the globe, but it was a little too late! Duck's poor arm had a hole burned through it and we were lucky we saw it when we did, or it could have burned the house down! He has 2 ducks, but really seems to favor the duck that has his bill chewed on! (gross, we know, that's why we had a newer one, but he just won't take it!) So we thought about amputating the wing and just sewing it up, but Russ and Mimi thought up a very creative idea! What about decapitating the old duck head from the burned body, and sewing it onto the body of the new duck! He really only likes the bill anyway! So we did some surgery, and put the old duck head on the new duck body! We think he still knows it's not quite the same and keeps saying, "my duck!" but we just keep insisting it is the same ol' duck! :)

Never a dull moment around here!!

A Fun-filled Weekend

2008-06-30T20:34:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, the twins were finally baptized at St. Boniface Catholic church, even though they were 7 months old the day they were baptized. :) It was a very nice service and the twins wore gowns that were both part of our families--one gown from the Alders and the other from the Browns. the one that Henry wore was Russ's great-great-grandmother's and was worn by every member of the Alder family since then. Ashton was really good through the service except for when the candles were lit, and then he got a little excited. He also decided to share with the congregation that he had a flash card which had a ball on it by saying, "BALL! BALL!" Never fails to make us laugh!