Halloween 2012

This year, the costumes of choice was a soldier for Colin - the red power ranger for Carson - and last minute Minnie Mouse for Corynne. The boys went out with Maddie and Ave and Corynne and I handed out candy. This is a picture of Corynne by the end of the night - priceless!

Pumpkin Patch

We went to Clark's Elioak Farm for our annual pumpkin picking. We did the hay ride, fed the animals and picked out our small little pumpkins. Not the kind of pumpkin that grows on the vine, but the kids didn't seem to mind! We also had Sandra with us to enjoy the beautiful fall day!

Fall Soccer

Most of our weekends in the fall were spent on the soccer field on Sat. Mornings. Soccer comes naturally to Carson and he really enjoys playing. Below is a picture of what Colin preferred to do... ! He actually was on a co-ed team and would participate at times! Corynne was our little cheerleader and would typcially nap through half of Carson's game.

Goodbye Ms. Anita :-(

1 year ago we signed up to have an AuPair from Switzerland come live with us and help take care of the kids. We had never met her, skyped with her and only had an online application to go off and 1 year later she became family and she will be missed tremendously! We thank her family for sharing her with us for an entire year and we will visit her village in the near future. Thanks for everything Gatzi!

Happy Birthday Carson!

4 years ago I gave birth to an amazing little boy, Carson! I often tell John that I think of Carson as a 5 year old instead of an almost 4 year old. Carson is my supersized 4 year old. He wears the same size clothes as his 6 year old brother and fits into the same size shoe. He's the youngest on his soccer team, but fits right in with size. He's one tough little guy. So, how do I describe my little man as I watch him grow? Since Carson was born, he was an "easy" baby. He was (and still is) a laid back kind of guy and just rolls with the punches. He gets "it". He has the perfect personality for being the middle-child. He can stand up for himself when his brother is picking on him and he is very protective of his younger sister. It touches my heart to see him be such a loving little boy. He's very affectionate and gives the biggest bear hugs ever. His big brown eyes are a mirror into his big big heart. I cherish watching Carson sit on the couch with Corynne in the morning and he keeps her so close and cuddles with her and doesn't let an inch of space seperate them. He's always concerned about his siblings well-being. He's also one 4 year-old that likes to share... he will give you the last bite of his favorite cookie or give his brother his last piece of candy even after they were just fighting. He is eager to learn and will try just about anything, except when it comes to food.. he is by far our pickiest eater. oh, and one last thing..he is a great story teller - just like his mom! (LOL!)

Go Out. Be Great.

I'm not one to to normally share my feelings or show my emotions (unless I'm watching a sappy movie). My sister told me this story of a family who lost their little boy in a tragic accident at the lake. I was immediately heart broken and my eyes well up with tears every time I think of this little boy and his family. I think about them often. I don't know them, but I cannot imagine what they are going through and I find myself praying for them everyday. They have shown incredible faith and strength and have touched the hearts of so many. The story surfaced all of my worst fears and my heart aches. I read their blog and facebook page and the family's quest to share Nate's story and I'm inspired to be a better person, not take the little things for granted and to be the best wife, mother and friend I can possibly be. Their motto is simple: Go Out. Be Great. (Great words to live by) If you are able, pls read their story and make a contribution to the playground they are builidng at his elementary school in Nate's memory. http://nathanchrisbaker.wordpress.com/

1st Day of School & 1st Tooth!

We celebrated a lot of "firsts" this month. Carson is still in the Goddard School, but started a new class and was super excited for the first day of school. Colin started 1st grade at Rockburn Elementary and has Ms. Barker as a teacher. The first time getting on the bus is the hardest for him, but he seems to be adjusting well. Ms. Corynne finally got her first tooth @ 13 months!

Happy Swiss Independence Day!

We celebrated Switzerland's Independence Day on Aug. 1st. I came home and the kids were festive in their swiss flag shirts and Ms. Anita made a delicious swiss meal and it came complete with swiss napkins, placemats and swiss flag candle holders. The set-up was so cute and the whole thing was a pleasant surprise by Ms. Anita.

Swim Test

We are so proud of Carson for passing the swim test at our pool this summer. He had to swim the entire length of the pool and then tread water for 1 minute. The lifeguards said he was the first 3 year-old to attempt and pass the test. He had a lot of people cheering him on and he was so excited to be able to go off the diving board and sliding board like his big brother.

Corynne's 1st Birthday

Happy 1st Birthday to our sweet baby Corynne!! Where has the year gone? She's getting too big, too fast..(sniff sniff), but there is not a day that goes by that I don't thank God for this little blessing in our lives. She's absoultely amazing and I tell her every day how beautiful she is. She is a ray of sunshine and we all adore her to pieces. We were supposed to have her birthday party at our swim club, but the rain had us change it last minute to our house. Corynne turned one without a single tooth and she started walking at about 11 months. She is pure sweetness and loves to cuddle. She is always able to find a nook just for her in John's arms. Corynne is very outspoken and tells us how she feels. The boys anxiously await for her to wake up every morning and climb into her crib at the first noise they hear from her. It's these little moments that I feel so blessed to have such amazing children.

Sandra Vists

We couldn't go on vacation without somebody coming to watch our kids for a week.. so, we are lucky enough that Sandra wanted to come. Between Sandra and Ms. Anita they had the routine down to a science. Made lunches for school, made 3 meals a day, got baths done, got the kids to school, took them to the pool, went for walks, played outside, build-a-bear, shopping, made cookies, had Madi and Ave spend the night, the list goes on and on... exhausting! We can't thank them enough as John and I don't trust many people with the kids, but all went well and the kids hardly missed us ;-)Some candid shots from their week.

Happy 10yr Anniversary

John and I celebrated our 10yr wedding anniversary in June!! We took a delayed trip (July) to Punta Cana and stayed at an awesome (adult only!) all inclusive resort... and it was AWESOME!! The food was great, the staff was great and we met a lot of great people. It was definatley a R&R type of vacation and we did absoultely NOTHING!!! We didn't do any excursions and stayed at the beach most of the day, visited the pool bar, had a nice massage and ate great food. Just what we have been needing. It was hard leaving the kids, but with technology these days, we were able to see them and talk to them every night via Face Time/Skype. Can't wait for what the next 10yrs bring! Happy Anniversary!!

4th of July

Corynne and Ms. Anita's 1st US 4th of July! Thank you Mr. Haynes for taking us out on the boat and a tour of the Baltimore harbour. It was a great night and the fireworks were spectacular! Carson and Corynne were not big fans of the loud fireworks. God Bless America!

Corynne's Baptism

We were so blessed to have so many people be part of Corynne's Baptism. It really meant a lot to us to have her godparents there all the way from Colorado.

OBX 2012

The whole gang together again for our annual OBX trip. Always great memories and too many pictures to post in the blog. The house we had was awesome and the pool/view was spectacular. So good to see the cousins from Colorado and have the kids together for memories that last a lifetime. We are so fortunate that we are able to do this every year. This was Corynne's first OBX trip and she was great. We can't wait to go again next summer... let the countdown begin!

5K

My friend and I did the app Couch-to-5K and started training in March to run our first 5K. I was very motivated to accomplish this goal and would run after working long hours and putting the kids to bed, but I was determined... and I thank my husband for pushing me to do it. So, in June, I ran my first 5K. I would love to run a 10K next, but I actually haven't run since then :-(

Grandmother

Grandmother/Great-Mother passed away peacefully in her sleep on Memorial Day. She was 91 years old and was married for over 70 years. We miss her dearly. My mom said it best in the eulogy that you haven't lived until you have lived a love story like my grandparents. My grandparents were the foundation of our family and we have so many special memories and traditions to tell our kids. Great-Mother was a big part of my life growing up and I'm so happy my 3 kids were blessed to meet her. Baby Corynne will carry on her name. We love you Grandmother.

Kindergarten Graduation

I cannot believe Colin already completed Kindergarten. (sniff sniff..) His school had some very special activities for graduation and Colin will miss his teachers and all his new friends. Colin had a great year and gained a new level of confidence. He wore his glasses everyday and we got most of his homework done timely..! He showed improvement in his Math skills and is reading Level C books. His music and art teachers would like to see more participation and focus. We are very proud of Colin's first year in elementary school and look forward to what 1st grade brings.

Hershey Park 2012

Our 3rd annual trip to Hershey Park was a blast. The group keeps getting bigger and as the kids get older they want to ride more of the bigger rides. It was a nice change for me not having to walk around the park 8 months pregnant in the heat. Colin/Madi & Ave were super brave, but Carson was still a little scared. All the little babies were troopers and Gatzi enjoyed her first trip to Hershey. We all had to make a last-minute dash to the cars before a big storm hit and we made it with seconds to spare!

Ocean City, MD

Slowly, but shorly I will catch up the blog...In May, we took a long weekend trip to Ocean City. I probably haven't been there since senior week in high school which was a long time ago ;-) We stayed at the Carousel Hotel and had a really nice ocean front room. This was Corynne's first time to the beach and of course the boys had fun. The hotel had a heated pool which was nice because it was kind of chilly outstide. We walked the boardwalk and of course bought the kids candy from Candy Kitchen. We had a great time and will probably make it an annual trip for the family! Forgot to mention it was car week and it was VERY noisy with lots of old cars cruising up and down the trip day and night.

Cinco de Mayo Camping

Our first camping adventure with the family in Harpers Ferry, WV was a success. We went with the Coesntino's and had a great time. So much to do there with the kids and the boys couldn't wait to go to bed and sleep in the tent. Corynne did really well too and slept in her pack n' play. We are already planning our next camping trip in August.

Corynne 9months

Colin's Birthday

Colin turned 6 on April 30th and we celeberated at the YMCA with a pool party. Of course he wanted a John Deere/Camo themed party. I think he has had a John Deere cake almost every birthday. Happy Birthday to my future farmer!!

Rynne - Rynnie - The Rynnester!! (nicknames)

Easter

We had a wonderful Easter and the kids had a great day. After Church, we had our Easter egg hunt at Courtney's house and Grandma had lunch. The weather was beautiful and we did some hula hooping and nobody was able to beat Madi. Colin LOVES hanging out in the country for the day. Gotta say.. I LOVE dressing Corynne in dresses! I didn't want to take her Easter dress off. Can't wait for summer clothes!