Lots of Finn (at almost 4 months)

Finn tried out the "johnny jumper" for the first time this week and, like his three big brothers, loved it!

Note the sticker on his shirt from Aiden

Big smile after rolling over on the floor (with assistance from AJ and Mom)

Hmm, I like this.  Rolling over a little more....

Its very hard to see Luke and Liam, but all the kindergarteners sang in church on Sunday and they did really well.   

Donuts after singing in church!

Happy Finn!

Laughing

Talking

Checking things out

Finn will be 4 months old in a few days.  It really is crazy how fast they change.  He is a big boy and may surpass his brothers in size (at least right now, he is slightly ahead of all of them at the same age).  He had his first ear infection recently and his weight was 16.5 pounds.  He is quickly moving into 9 month clothing.  His favorite activities include:  watching his brothers, taking a bath, eating, sleeping, playing in his exersaucer, and laying in his bouncy seat.

In other news, Luke and Liam (along with the rest of the kindergarten class) sang in church on Sunday.  We practiced "Come Thou Almighty King" or as the boys said "Come Down Mighty King"  a lot in car so they knew all the words.  And, our practice worked because honestly I could hear Luke singing!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with Family and Friends!

Hockey Season #2 and Soccer Saturdays

Its that time of year again...Backyard Hockey Season #2

Cutting potatoes for soup.  Luke and Liam loved this!  We may have the soup again just because it kept them busy for nearly an hour.

If only kitchen tables could talk, ours would have so many stories to tell!  The boys were doing play doh while Finn watched.  There was so much chatter and conversation during all of this and each of them was so busy working on whatever they had envisioned in their head.

Liam running on the field in soccer.  I think our camera might have to be upgraded because the action shots are blurry, but anyway....

Yellow team

Liam (far left) and Luke (right) talking with teammates 

Luke was doing this absolutely bizarre dance, but again the picture is blurry.  Had to post it just because it is so much like something Luke would do.

Aiden ran around the track at the soccer field several times.

Running hard!

Time to rest

Luke and Liam continue to enjoy soccer on Saturdays.  Aiden, Finn, and I went to watch this weekend and John was right about one thing: it is controlled chaos.  There are probably 75 or so kindergarten age kids that are split into about 4-5 teams and they each have an area on the field to practice and then scrimmage.  Some kids are into it and some kids could clearly care less.  Despite the chaos, it has been a good introduction to soccer for us and helps to burn energy especially on days when going outside really isn't possible.

A brief update on Aiden:  He is scheduled to have his titanium rods removed on December 12th.  He has been to see the orthopedic surgeon monthly since his accident in July.  He is doing extremely well and we are so thankful that so far he seems to be making a full recovery without any lingering issues. He is able to run, jump, walk, and do everything he was able to do prior to the accident.  He no longer complains of pain after activities nor is he scared that his leg is going to hurt following activity.  He does not have a leg length discrepancy at this point and his range of motion in his leg is excellent.   We are hopeful that he also makes a full recovery from the surgery in December.  Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers following his accident.

It is that time of year again...John and our neighbor worked all weekend on the hockey rink in the backyard.  Since the rink was "so small" last year, they are making it bigger and better this year.  It is about 8 feet longer than last year.  The design and structure were improved based on some lessons learned last year.  I think the boys are ready for the snow and cold temps so we can start skating.  Until then, they are using the walls to climb on and make obstacle courses.  

Soccer and Finn at 3 months

Liam and Luke started recreational soccer for a few weeks this fall/winter.  Luke is definitely a fair amount taller than Liam right now and while Liam is small, Luke is BIG.  When we got his kindergarten class picture, he was a head taller than any other kid in his class.  Liam, on the other hand, was pretty average in height.

Daddy is going to help with coaching!

Getting ready to play or maybe just a little dazed...

Finn at 3 months (taken by Liam)

These two (this one and above) pictures are courtesy of Liam.  He loves to take pictures and he's good at it.  Granted, there were about 10 or more that I deleted because of various reasons but these two look great!

Sweet Finn is so big for a three month old!  His pillow was made by Aunt Sarah.

Finn Morse Carrithers

Luke and Liam are going to try some recreational soccer this fall/winter.  We tried t-ball over the summer and enjoyed it pretty well although baseball is a little slow for five year olds (and me).  I am hoping that soccer will move faster and keep their attention a little better.  They had their first game/skills class on Saturday and really enjoyed it.

Finn turned three months old on October 29th, but I am behind on posting anything after the posts for Halloween and a visit from Grandpa Morse.  So, here's to Finn!  He is much bigger than your average 3 month old and looks more like a six month old!  Finn has been sleeping through the night for several weeks now which is a HUGE blessing to his parents!  There just isn't an opportunity to "nap when the baby naps" when you have three other kids to entertain so night sleep is a precious commodity.  Finn continues to be an easy going fourth child.  John and I often comment that we don't know how we could be so fortunate to have such an "easy" baby.  His brothers certainly didn't have as much patience as Finn.  He gets carted around a lot to school, errands, play dates, doctor appointments, etc...He loves his brothers and loves to laugh and smile at them when they play with him.  I still think he favors Liam a lot, but honestly he has features similar to all of his brothers.  He coos, laughs, and is easy going like Luke as a baby, has facial features similar to Liam, and has a body size and some facial features of Aiden so he is a good mix!  He is already moving out of 3-6 month clothing into 9 month clothes.  I don't know his exact weight, but would guess he is around 15-16 pounds.  He is a good eater, good sleeper, and happy most of the time.  We all love him and are thankful for his addition to our crazy house.  

Halloween and A Visit from Grandpa Morse

Our pumpkins this year:  a Star Wars rocket of some sort (Luke), a scary spider (Liam), and Yoda (AJ)

Making, Decorating, and Eating Halloween Cupcakes

Carving Pumpkins

Finn, the football player

Yoda, a Ninja, and Darth

Getting ready for the parade in our neighborhood

Finn and his first Halloween parade.  Did I mention it was quite COLD!?  

The group of neighborhood kids seems to get bigger in size and stature every year

One of my favorite pictures: Huck and Tom.  Huckleberry "Finn" is on the left Tom "Sawyer" on the right.  Our neighbor, Sawyer, was born about a month after Finn and the names are very ironic!

Riley, Luke, Aiden, Liam, Jack, and Carter (left to right)

Grandpa with Liam, Finn, Luke, and Aiden

Liam at the arboretum doing some digging

Luke and AJ in the little house at the arboretum.  The boys could have played here all day.

Aiden "working" with sand at the Arboretum

Aiden and Liam working on their fort

My Dad and I at the Arboretum

Grandpa Morse and the Boys.  Note Finn's glasses from Grandpa!

We had a busy couple of days last week with Halloween and a visit with Grandpa Morse.  We started off with our annual Halloween parade on Thursday night, followed by a potluck and trick or treating in the neighborhood.  Each year, it seems that trick or treating changes a bit.  I can remember the days when we were at the end of our neighborhood parade and we barely made it around our small horseshoe.  This year, however, we were up at the front of the line and had to be reminded to slow down.  Our first Halloween we made it to maybe 4-5 houses because we stopped to eat our candy after the first house.  This year, however, we basically ran from one house to the next in an effort to get as much candy as possible!

On Friday, Grandpa Morse and his friend Ms. Jane arrived for a visit to meet Finn.  The boys loved all the extra attention as usual and even convinced Jane and Grandpa to play several (maybe more than several) games with them.  Jane gave the boys each a gift and one of them was the card game UNO.  I am certain we have played UNO more times than anyone should in the past 72 hours!!  I regret that I don't have a good picture with Jane, but she was so helpful with the boys and they loved playing with her.

On Saturday, we had a picture perfect weather day for November in Minnesota.  It was gorgeous and the temps were cool, but warm enough for all of us to be outside for an extended period of time (even Finn).  We spent the entire day with Grandpa and Jane at the Arboretum.  The boys played so well outside and had a wonderful time.  They built forts, played in the sand, climbed, ran, jumped through the waterfall (yes, despite wearing winter coats), etc...Finn was a trooper and hung in there all day.

It was a great ending to a wonderful month of October and a good start to November!