Sunglasses and Toothbrushes

Don't all teddy bears wear sunglasses?
And doesn't everyone brush their teeth with sunglasses?

Aiden in his outfit from Tom and Charlene

The boys in their matching outfits from my Cousin Julie and family

A little candy bribery for these pictures!

At Christmas, John mentioned that I would not notice the fact that the Christmas lights are still on the house in May because we would be too busy. Well, he was probably right about that. Getting those lights off the house is probably at the bottom of my list at this point in time, but leaving up the Christmas lights is common in MN because the lights are frozen on the house anyway. I heard a statistic the other day that we have had something like 80 days straight of snow on the ground. We are certainly ready for spring!

I am posting a few random pictures of the boys from this week. Aiden continues to grow and is wearing much bigger clothes than his brothers wore at this age. We have received several very cute outfits which has been quite helpful. Based on the pictures, you would assume that Liam loves to brush his teeth. I think he mostly likes to "play" with the mechanical toothbrush. He always asks for it after he finishes eating. Not sure how much brushing he actually does, but it a good start!

Hockey with Aunt Ann and Cousin Jacob

Up Up Up...
Jacob and Luke

Jacob and Luke coming down the slide

They even have lights to play hockey at night
Practicing his hockey skills

Luke on the ice

Watching the other skaters with Daddy

Liam warming up for hockey

Jacob skating on the ice

Jacob practicing his hockey skills

Jacob and Liam at the Maze

Hi Mom! Liam and Jacob climbing

Hockey...that pretty much sums up a lot of how our time was spent this week. We had the pleasure of sharing the week with John's oldest sister, Ann, and her son Jacob. Jacob was a lot of help with the boys by entertaining them with basketball, baseball, and hockey. Jacob was also very interested in trying the outdoor rinks in Minnesota so he spent much of his free time skating on the rink in our neighborhood while the boys napped. Considering how much Jacob loved the rinks, we decided it was never too soon to let the boys try it as well. We had a few "warmer" days so that we could take them out for awhile. It seems that Liam is a natural at hockey. He already has a fondness for just about any type of ball and frequently plays basketball and baseball in the bonus room. Although neither of the boys actually have ice skates, they love to slide on the ice in their boots and Liam particularly enjoys hitting the puck with his hockey stick. Luke also enjoyed chasing the balls around on the ice, but he never wants to work too hard so having Daddy carry him or hold him is preferable. I am posting a few pictures from the week. Thanks so much to Ann and Jacob for making the trip to Minnesota and for helping us to introduce the boys to some of the outdoor hockey rinks.

Busy

Aiden sleeps just like Luke with his hands up near his head. Luke usually has his tucked behind his ears.
Mr. Blue Eyes (at least right now)

Trying not to be bothered by my brothers

Holding up his Head. Oddly, one of his favorite positions is on his tummy.

Busy...that is the one word that I would use to describe our lives right now. People are always asking how things are going and I guess that is the first word that comes to my mind. We are doing very well and enjoying Aiden, but we are definitely busy. It is a lot to balance the needs of three very young children during any given 24 hour period. Our days seem to be in segments that are divided up by meals, play time, naps, baths, and bed. The routine is generally getting to be a little smoother, but there are days that I wonder how I will make it to bedtime. Aiden is doing very well and changing quickly. I am posting a few pictures of him from this week.

I recently attended a Toddler Night at the Montessori school where the boys are going a few hours each week. I thought this quote from Maria Montessori was a good one: "Love your child enough to have the courage to say 'no'. Love them enough to teach them empathy and compassion. And love your child enough to look past the next ten minutes of unhappiness and see the wonderful person you are assisting them to become."

Happy 1 Month Birthday Aiden!!!

Aiden at ONE MONTH!!

Aiden is already one month old and he has had quite the month with RSV. We are happy that he is healthy now and doing much better. He is so easy going and seems to accept being carted around with his brothers quite well. Grandma Morse (Mimi) is visiting right now and helping out with all three boys. We are thankful to have the extra set of hands. I think we changed a total of 5 diapers in 45 minutes this morning!

Aiden is Home!!!

Aiden in the Hospital
Getting a bath with Aunt Jennifer

A very alert Aiden


Liam kissing Aiden

New spinning tops from Grandpa Morse for our Birthday

Luke and Aunt Jennifer

Liam loves the new truck!

Brothers playing!

The Five of Us

After six long days in the hospital, Aiden returned home on Monday. He is much better although he has a way to go to get rid of all the congestion he still has, but he is sleeping and eating very well. We are so thankful for the many friends and family who have prayed for us, brought us meals, and helped with Luke and Liam. In addition to Aiden's return home, Liam's test on Monday turned out fine. He appears to have an abnormal diaphragm, but at this point he does not require any type of surgery or treatment. He did so well with the testing and was amazingly good the entire day. This was a long week for us, but it would have been so much harder if it were not for the help we received from so many people. Thank you all for your assistance and concern.

On another note, prior to Aiden's illness, we celebrated the boy's second birthday. We also had a very nice visit with Aunt Jennifer. We are so thankful that Jennifer could be here during the week that things went haywire for us! I am not sure what we would have done without here help during a week where we took multiple trips to the pediatrician, trips to the ER, a trip to the hospital, etc...

We are trying to get back on track into somewhat of a routine. The boys are very happy to have "baby" back and they continue to be great big brothers despite the occasional roughness. Aiden is doing well so far and a little spoiled after being held so much in the hospital.

Aiden and the Boys

Click here to view these pictures larger

Brief Update

Due to the emails, phone calls, and prayers we have received over the last couple of very long days, I thought I would post a brief update.

Aiden is on Day #4 of hospitalization. He is progressing very well and has not encountered any setbacks, thankfully. He is, however, still on a very small amount of oxygen and we continue to work on weaning him off. He is very congested so he needs the oxygen to get the amount of air his body requires. He is eating well and is more alert than he was a few days ago. It is basically a waiting game for his oxygen saturation levels to remain at a normal level while he is breathing at rest for several hours. I am still at the hospital taking care of Aiden while John is at home with Luke and Liam.

Overall, Luke and Liam are doing much better and you probably would not know that they have been sick by looking at them. They are still typical two year olds with lots and lots of energy. They have been keeping John quite busy at home. They are a bit out of sorts with all that is going on and keep asking about "Mommy and Baby". Liam will have his additional testing on Monday due to his abnormal chest x-ray so please continue to pray for the results of this test and for Liam's quick recovery after the testing.

Thank you all again for your continued thoughts and prayers. I am posting a few pictures of the boys at a place where they have open gymnastics for preschool age kids, playing the piano at school, and a few of Aiden from about a week ago before the RSV and other medical issues that we are dealing with right now.