Loving summer!!

all the boys

Emma (notice how non-messy she is)

Camden, Carter and Jackson

Carter with his girlfriend Emma

Jack Jack

Summer is in full swing around here! Our kids love to be outside and it takes all that is in me to drag them back in at the end of the day. Our neighborhood is filled with so many kids that it makes playing outside so much more fun. We spend a lot of evenings outside after dinner with the neighbor kids riding bikes, eating popsicles and playing in the pool. Carter cannot get enough of Emma and Jackson and wants to spend every waking moment with them. I haven't taken a ton of pictures but this was one night we were all eating popsicles outside.

Are you a boy or a girl?

Chad's dinner

my dinner

It's a boy!!

we checked the envelope just to be sure!

This post is really late but I thought I would tell the story of how we found out the sex of our third child. We decided early on that we were not going to find out at the ultrasound and seal it in an envelope. Then if we decided later on we wanted to know then we would do something fun. So a few weeks ago I started to get an itch to find out either way. I was getting an urge to start planning so we decided to go out to dinner at the Venue (without the kids) and we had a nice meal. At the end of meal we gave our waitress our sealed envelope. We told her to open it in the back and bring out peanut butter fudge cake if it was a boy or creme brulee if it was a girl. After a short agonizing wait she brought out the peanut butter fudge cake. That means we are having another boy! We will have the Scribner fraternity here. We were excited and went to target to buy our new baby a little outfit. Then when we went to pick up the kids at Al and Karen's they had a surprise for us as well. She had got a bag with tons of fun boy clothes in it. It was super sweet.

randomness/update

Carter was trying to convince us to let Camden sleep in his bed

Brotherly love

It was hard to get a good picture

pizza face

helping grandpa with the new cement

one of Camden's favorite things to do outside

hanging with his pugs

wearing grandpas glasses is serious business

falling asleep while eating

one for me....

and one for you

Carter told me to get the camera because they were playing in the "dirt"

wow! I can't believe what a slacker I have been. I feel like the days are flying by, but the good thing is that they have been filled with tons of outdoor fun. Carter and Camden are both LOVING being outdoors. Heat, rain, or wind. Nothing seems to phase them. Carter could live outside all day everyday. Since I don't want this to be the longest post ever I will just try to tell some funny stories that I will want to remember about the boys.
Carter- Is going through phases like crazy! At times it is "I do all by myself" which usually leads to disaster (such as peeing on his own). Other times it is "I can't do it" even if it is an easy task that he has been doing for a long time. He points out the *unfairness* between him and Camden regularly. Such as, Camden isn't helping pick up or that he doesn't have to go to time out for different offenses. Although it is a though concept for Carter to understand, Camden actually is picking up and going to time out now. I find myself thinking that two kids this close in age is a blessing and a curse. When they copy each other doing the wrong thing it is frustrating but when they copy each other doing the right thing it is heavenly. Carter has started really playing with others over the last two months. He *adores* his neighbor and friend Emma, and they actually play together now. They talk to each other and play things together and not just parallel. He also has found his place with the triplets and they also play well together. He is no longer the pest (at least not all the time). This new development is so fun to see. Carter wakes up in the morning and the first thing he talks about is Emma or the triplets. He always wants to have some to play with. This also means he is playing with Camden pretty nicely as well. Although they still have a decent amount of issues, Carter loves have him around and always wants him to play. Carter's night time sleep issues seem to be gone *knock on wood* with only an occasional issue. Thank God! The only new development is that he wakes up anywhere from 6am to 7:30am and it is a crap shoot knowing what day it is. He also might have a good career in law. When we ask him why he did something (like take a toy from Camden) he always starts the story with "well...." He also plays the blame game a lot. If told not to do something he will say "but Will and Grace do it" or "Camden did it". It is a another hard concept to teach but hopefully it will get better. He also knows that if he does something to Camden out of our sight and Camden starts to cry, he immediately says "I sorry brother, you ok" to avoid the punishment from us. Smart little kid. He is excited about the new baby and one day asked me if we could crack open my belly to see the baby now. It was so funny. He often tells me that the baby is crying in my belly. He also has a sweet side that is emerging. He loves to share his food with Camden, even his dessert. He gets upset if he gets something and Camden does not. But if you ask him to share he is less likely to do it. One more story. On my last day at MOPS it was really busy in the daycare. So I told Carter to watch his brother and that if he starts to cry to give him a hug (because all the babysitters were overwhelmed). I left and when into the meeting room. I was pretty sure he didn't hear me but about 5 minutes later a girl at my table came and told me that Camden started to cry and Carter when up to him, gave him a hug and said "it's ok brother" and then Camden laid his head on Carter's chest. So sweet! I am so happy to know that Carter listened to me for one, and that he was so nice to his brother. It makes my heart melt. Ok I am going to end this post and I will post stuff on Camden in his 15 month post. Check back soon.

22 weeks

Well last week I took a picture of my belly at 21 weeks. It is the first of many I hope. I have been feeling pretty good. My pelvis is not hurting as much as it did with Camden so I am very happy about that. I still get a decent amount of headaches but they seem to be tolerable. I had an appointment today and things are looking good. I am measuring right at 22 weeks which has never happened for me. I always measured ahead with both of the other pregnancies. The heart rate was a strong healthy 150bpm. My midwife did not hear any irregularity either which is great. I was able to listen as well and it sounded good. She said we will still probably have another ultrasound around 28-30 weeks to confirm that it is not skipping a beat. She said that 99% of irregular heart rates in utero end up being nothing by the time the baby is born. So I am feeling really great about all of that. Next appointment I have to do the glucose tolerance test which is the worst part of pregnancy but I happy because this office does it the right way and you can eat before the test and they do a venous draw. I would really like to pass it on the first try one of these times. Chad and I need to get started on practicing our relaxation techniques. I think that is about all I have on the pregnancy. Just pray that the heartbeat stays normal.

Mother's Day

I had a nice Mother's Day weekend. On Saturday I slept in till 8 and Chad had made pancakes and bacon. We then played with the kids and ran a few errands. I took a nap with the kids and we spent the evening with Al and Karen. We went to noodles for dinner and then to get ice cream. When we got home we put the boys to bed and watch old home videos of Chad and his family. It was a lot of fun and relaxing. Then on Sunday I slept in again just a little bit, got ready for church and then picked up Chinese food on the way home. I made Chad relax with me during the kids nap and then we went to my parents for dinner and fun game of pitch. I enjoyed it so much that I told Chad I didn't want Monday to come. The boys were pretty good to me, and I am just so happy that was able to celebrate the holiday as a mom.

Spring Days

Having fun playing with an old rag pillow case

home made dew rag

*helping* make a cake* (notice they both have remotes in their hands)

Carter's fort for Nase. (Nase is such a sport, but does not look enthused)

A nice spring evening outside in matching jammies

brothers

It has been nice around here lately. We have had a lot of nice days which means lots of playing outside. But when the weather is cold we have been finding some different things to do in the house. Carter's little imagination just amazes me. I love listening to him play and sing songs he makes up. He loves singing *happy birthday* which he will also switch lyrics too when doing something else. We have had several birthday celebrations lately. We celebrated my moms, brothers and Chads Birthdays' this past week. That means lots of cake and tasty food. Chad's birthday is today. He turns 32 today! We celebrated last night by going out to dinner, and falling asleep to a movie by 10:15pm. So sad! We apparently are tired and old parents! Sorry honey!Happy Birthday! The boys also spent the day at the Niebuhr grandparents so that Chad and I could get a little organization done here and we got a decent amount done, we just need about 2 more weekends to finish the rest. We did get a bunch of stuff ready for our garage sale and all the toys have been sorted and downsized so that we don't have to pick up so much at the end of the day.
Camden has been so wonderful lately. He is sleeping so great I can't get over it. Long 3 hour naps and more than 12 at night. What a good boy. If he were my only child right now I would be one well rested mom. He LOVES walking everywhere now and looks like a normal child now and not a crippled old man when he walks. Carter and Camden have had several days of playing really well together which is giving me more hope for sanity when this new baby arrives. In general Chad and I find ourselves laughing and smiling a lot at what the kids are doing and saying these days. They are very sweet boys.

19.6 week Ultrasound

On Tuesday we had our "big" ultrasound. It went really well, except that the baby had an irregular heartbeat. The tech said she sees it a lot and it usually means nothing but they will have to watch it and we will possibly need another ultrasound. Please pray for our family and that they baby is healthy. Everything else looked good. The heart rate was 140 and weighed in at 13oz. I do have an anterior placenta so it is harder to feel all the movement but I have felt the baby move a lot more now. We didn't find out the sex but we did put it in a sealed envelope. We may or may not wait to find out but we will take it day by day. Chad wants to find out but right now I am content not knowing. I am enjoying thinking of names for both sexes. Which brings me to the next part of the post. Go to this link and vote on which boy and girl name you like the most.

http://www.babynames.com/namelist/9756595

18 weeks

I had my monthly appointment on Monday and it was good. Not too much to report. The baby's heart rate was in the 120's and fast asleep. Not moving at all. I was happy to hear the heartbeat since I haven't been feeling much movement. Although it is normal, I am hoping it just means that I have another anterior placenta which makes feeling movement harder. I have, since the appointment, felt some little movements. We have our big ultrasound in 2 weeks so pray that everything is good with our little one.

15 months

Camden Parker turned 15 months yesterday! I am amazed how much time has passed. He is turning into such a toddler. He is getting a little sassy and throwing fits when things don't go his way. He is walking everywhere now and usually prefers to walk. If he falls down in the middle of the floor he can't get back up without pulling up on something first so he will crawl over to an object. He babbles non stop but really hasn't learned any new words. He signs *more* *all done* and sometimes *please* He is more of a picky eater than Carter was but we still offer all the same food and hope he eventually eats it. He does go through phases of liking certain foods. He is sleeping awesome and taking great naps. He is making up for the torture he gave me the first 9 months. Otherwise he still a sweet boy who loves to snuggle and laugh.

Sleepless Nights

*helping* with the laundry (this was under Chad's supervision)

putting on a piano concert

enjoying his toys

he said he was writing daddy an email

almost ready to do this on his own

I have several posts to do so I thought I would just start with a general update on Carter and then I will do a 15 month post on Camden and a little something on the baby. Carter has been interesting lately. He has done a lot of changing for sure. First of all he has become somewhat fearless. He LOVES being outside and loves that he can accomplish anything on the swing set this year. He can climb up the slide and slide down every which way. He can get up the rock wall without supervision and he can get on the glider and swing with no help. This new found freedom has lead to some daredevil behavior. He now really enjoys jumping off of anything and saying "watch me" or "look everybody." I love that he can play in the backyard without help and the new sand box has led to even more enjoyment out there. He has started a habit we have been hoping for which is waking up after nap and getting up to find us instead of peeing in bed. This was a new and sudden development this week. Hopefully it continues. The new "yucky" behavior is that he is doing weird stuff in his sleep. He is talking, walking, and crying out A LOT! We often find him on the wood floor in the hall sleeping on his puppy. A lot of the time he wakes up and cries or makes noise out there which warrants one of us to get up and take him back to bed. Needless to say we have been getting up several times a night to deal with these shenanigans. I talked with our Pedi and he thinks that he is sleep walking and having night terrors so we can only pray that it goes away. It seems like the more tired he is the worse it is. He is also sleeping less hours and this does not make a mom very happy. He still goes to bed at 7:30 but usually talks/plays till 8 or even 9 some nights. His new wake up call is 6:30am! To top it all off his nap only last about an hour, but we make him have quiet time for 2. Anyway we are happy that he is getting up to tell us that he has to go to the bathroom (except the middle of the night) and this is a positive step but I think it has lead to weird and less sleep.
He is being super sweet and funny lately. He unprompted will tell me "thank you" for dinner and tell me that it is "tasty." Which funny enough seem to happen on the nights where he is not particularly fond of the meal. Then last night after telling me thank you for dinner he told Chad thank you for making money. It was super funny. He now realizes when I raise my voice/yell that it is appropriate for him to say he is sorry. He then proceeds to tell me that he wants me to be happy. He also told me to *relax* the other day when I got mad at him for making a mess at the dinner table. Also his default answer when asked why he was put in time out he answers "Camden?" (because he usually goes for hitting, pushing, kicking, taking toys from Camden) We also went to a fun night at Carter's future preschool which has made him really excited about going. He talks about it a lot but is going to be severely disappointed when preschool doesn't have bounce houses and games all day.
Carter also has become a decent helper and will get things for us if he knows exactly where they are. He will bring me the phone or Kleenexes and even his socks and shoes. He is getting better and better at picking up toys and even picks them up at a faster speed than a snail. He is growing up so fast lately. I love being able to talk to him and listen to his stories. He is soaking in so much of the world around him. Love that boy!

Easter

Grace carrying her big egg

Camden with his loot

presents from Oma and Opa

Uncle Brian showing him how it works

done hunting for eggs

found one

he found one too!

Carter found his big egg!

We had a busy Easter this year. We got up and went to 8:30 church and then over to my mom's for an egg hunt and fresh fruit salsa with homemade cinnamon chips. Yum! Then we watched the kids play with all their new loot and then ate lunch. Camden still wasn't feeling well and fell asleep on Grandma at 12:30. We then went home took naps (me included) and got up for our second celebration at the Hardt's. Chad and I were in charge of the egg hunt this year and we think it went pretty well. We hid some pretty hard eggs for the older kids so it was a bit of a challenge for them. Carter loved it and had a great time with all his cousins/2nd cousins. We ate dinner there and then headed home for bed. Chad and I were still feeling a bit under the weather so we just relaxed the rest of the evening. Carter really had a good time hunting for eggs this year and did a really good job. Hope you all had a great Easter too!
check out the 2 posts below this as well.

Sand and Sun

Enjoying the nice weather

having fun

playing in the sand

getting messy

We had a nice long weekend with Chad being off on Friday. So we took the opportunity to get a few things done outside while the weather was nice. We cleaned up our bushes and garage and cleaned up around the house. Then we decided to put sand in the sand box. Carter was *really* excited. We had trouble getting him out of it. He loves to play in sand and is crazy about this need addition. Here are a few pictures of it.

Camden's one year pictures

I keep forgetting to post these pictures, so here are the family pictures we took a little after Camden turned one. We had Curt Brinkman of www.lifesastoryphotography.com do them again and they turned out great!

Cam 1 year pictures