Aidan with Mr. Monkey from preschool.

Aidan is our little fiery one, which coincidental is what Aidan means. Aidan love, loves, loves preschool. Mostly because he gets to see his friends, Aidan is all about friends. By far my most social child, Aidan makes friends anywhere we go. Aidan is also adamant about having play dates so he has forced his mother to be more social and make play dates with his friends. If Aidan had his way he would have a play date every day and with every friend that he meets. Aidan is naturally full on energy and does not need any natural boost (like in the form of sugar). Aidan most days has chicken nuggets or hot dogs for breakfast but one day wanted waffles and which I happily obliged since he wanted real breakfast food, for breakfast. When I picked Aidan up from preschool that day I was kindly asked if I could save the syrup and waffles for the weekend:) The energy was too much for his teachers to handle and tends to be contagious in preschool.




Aidan is a very passionate person and tends to either be very happy or very sad, not too much in between. He is also passionate about Sponge Bob, Scoody Doo, and Pez candy machines. Some of Aidan favorite sayings are "Oh Barnacles", and "Zoniks". He also informed me that yellow Pez candy "tastes like pee" and are not his favorite, good to know:)

Carter, Carter, what to say about Carter! Carter is growing like a weed and towers above all the kids in his class. Carter struggled with his reading and writing at the beginning of 1st grade, but in the last few months has started making leaps and bounds in both areas and we are so proud of him. Mom and Dad have been working really hard with him and he also has a fantastic team of people who work with him at school. His teacher Mrs. Anderson has worked so hard with him this year and has even stayed after school with his two days a week to work on his reading and vocabulary. We were surprised at Carter's first teacher conference to hear that he was so very shy in class and would only whisper to his teachers. His teacher was trying to get Carter to come out of his shell. Brian and I had to laugh and tell her that at home and with friends he is the complete opposite and is very outspoken and hot tempered. I guess we are glad that his temper is controlled when is away from home:) Carter also has a special vision teacher, Ms. Barb, that works with Carter on making sure he is using his bugs eye (a little magnifier) and monocular (like binocular, except just one lens) to help his see the print in class. She has also worked with his teachers to make sure that print and lines for printing on paper are dark enough for Carter to see. She really is an advocate for his sight at school and we are so grateful that she is there for him. She really cares a lot about Carter and we can see it in all the time and energy she puts into him. Carter makes us laugh and is pretty quick witted. He sure dose keep us on our toes.

One day Carter got mad at something and a "Damn it!" came flying out of his mouth. (I have no idea where he heard that, Dad.) Brian and I both stared at him wide eyed and Carter knew he was in BIG trouble, but with his quick wit came up with "I said DAN, DAN IT!" While holding back out laughter Carter was promptly sent to his room to think about what he really said and so Brian and I could get all of our laughter out before we talked to him.

Preston in his "Halloween costume"
Preston has been having a great year at school. He really likes his teacher and Brian and I really like her too. She encourages Preston to challenge himself and grow more than any of his other teachers have. Sometimes Preston pretends he does not like to get extra work sent home, but secretly I know he loves it. But Preston will never admit that. We have seen Preston grow a lot this year. Preston continues to always be a good friend and won the PRIDE award at school in February for being a Positive, Respectful, Inclusive, Dedicated, and Excellent student. Preston is also enjoying Cub Scouts which he started last summer. Preston is also my best helper at home. He will clean the whole kitchen without being asked and is almost always:) willing to help his mother.

NO PICTURES PLEASE!!

We have been busy the last few months. Life keeps changing and taking us in new directions, one of my friends told me "There is no normal." and I have to agree, I keep waiting for life to "Get back to normal" and the is no normal.

Austin wishes school was not keeping him so busy. 5th grade has brought a lot more homework and this has cut into some of Austin's outside time, which he loves. He hates to hear it but this is just the beginning, middle school is next year and I told him to expect more homework, which of course gets the roll of the eyes. Austin is also enjoying piano, he started last year and has really learned a lot. Austin has made a goal to get more involved in school this year so he joined the choir and recorder club. We are very proud of Austin and the young man he is becoming. He has told me that he believes his purpose in life is to help other people and he is trying to do that every day. At Austin's teacher conference his teacher told us that he has been helping and standing up for a girl in his class who some of his class mates like to tease. His teacher was very impressed that Austin is able to stand up for himself and others and not back down when his friends try to peer pressure him to go along with the teasing. Austin is also very aware of his little brother Logan and tries to make sure he is safe, since Logan tends to make trouble or get into trouble:)

Shape up Mom and Dad!!

Don't mess with this boy!!

It has been way too long since I have posted anything, I will really have to try to catch up so there may be some random birthday, summer, etc. posts.



Anyway, I had to write this down before I forget.



Brian and I were talking to Carter before he went to bed tonight about his day. Carter was mad because some of Austin's friends call him mini Austin and he was a little ticked off about that and then his art teacher yelled at his class today because somebody was goofing off. Carter was very upset because the whole class got punished for something one person did. So Brian got on a little soap box about how teachers should not yell at the kids no matter how mad they get and that maybe he should call the teacher and so on and Carter turns to Brian and says "Never mind Dad, I don't think you can handle it, because you yell too!" Brian just stared at Carter and I was trying to control my laughter and be serious.



Then we had family prayer and I got a little upset at Aidan and Logan for goofing off while we were praying. Carter went up to bed tonight and said this was the worst day of his life because of Austin's friends, the art teacher, and Mom yelling during the most special time of the day according to Carter(and I agree), prayer time.



I think Brian and I got told tonight.

One Decade!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUSTIN!

Austin turned 10 on May 14th. I still can't bring myself to believe that I am the parent of a 10 year old. This also marks the end of my first decade as a parent. This is the hardest birthday for me to swallow. I look at this boy and I can't even say little boy anymore because he is a young man. I walk next to this boy and am blown away at how close he is to looking me right in the eye, which makes me want to shrink him now because I know one day not too far away he will pass me in height. But other than height we are starting to see eye to eye in other things to. Austin can discuss things with his parents, and he is teaching us the art of giving your child space and not treating him the same way I treat his 4 year old brother. I will admit it is hard for me to let go of being the over protective, hovering mother. It is hard being the oldest child and having to teach your parents how to do things. I know being the oldest child in my family, so I try to be a little sympathetic to his request of "Mom I need some freedom!"

Austin had a monster truck birthday and the past couple of years the number one requested gift has been the all mighty dollar.

Austin and his brothers counting the loot!!!!!

I have really seen Austin grow a lot this past year. It is a bitter, sweet thing for me. I still remember bringing this tiny little baby home from the hospital and thinking "OK, now what?" Austin has taught me so much about love and compassion. Also about forgiveness, like a child he can forgive and love his parents despite all the mistakes that we make. Austin is turning into a very fun young man and we are so happy that he is part of our family. Austin's brothers look up to him so much and watch everything that he does. I am glad that Austin came to our family!

The lovely monster truck cake, I have made a few of these over the years. Austin has been true to his first love of cars and trucks. The first toys Austin ever played with were ones that rolled.

Aurora Scholar of the Year

Preston has always been a super star student. He teacher's consistently gush about what a great student Preston is and how thoughtful and caring he is. This year Preston won the Aurora Scholar of the Year for 2nd grade for his school. The teachers in each grade nominated a student from each class and then they chose one student from each grade to receive the award. The Aurora Scholar is someone who is consistently a good student, a good citizen, a good friend ,and an all around good kid. Preston got to go to the city of Aurora building and get his award from a member of the city counsel. Preston was very excited and we were all so proud of him and the good student that he is.
Here is Preston with his "Key to the Future"
Preston and Mom with Ms. Kenyon the principal at his school. (Aidan had to show how happy he was to be there too)

Congratulations Preston!!!!!

1 YEAR OLD!!!!

Logan turned 1 April 24th!!!

Time has gone by so fast!!

It seems like we were just here with our brand new baby.
Logan really was a dream baby. I can say that because I have had other babies (who I love dearly) who were not so easy. The day Logan was born was a crazy day. I had just gone to the doctor to have my blood pressure checked and it turned into a hurry and get to the hospital so we can induce you appointment. I was super happy to have Logan 10 days early but had to make a pit stop on the way to to hospital. In the days before Brian and I had cell phones things got a little complicated, Brian had taken Carter and Aidan to the zoo that morning with preschool. Luckily the teachers knew right where they were so I found Brian right away and we all headed to the hospital. Labor and delivery all went pretty smooth, except for a epidural that left me with a epidural headache for 10 days after Logan was born (I was fine as long as I laid down but instant migraine if I stood up). Logan came out screaming and proceeded to scream for a full hour after he was born. He was not happy to be out but after the crying he became a sleepy baby. Logan was very hard to wake up and wanted to sleep more than he wanted to eat for the first few weeks.

Logan has been so happy and brought so much joy to our family. When I run errands with Logan sometimes I forget he is with me because he is just happy to hang out in his stroller and take everything in. We never had any of the late afternoon, early evening fussiness that some of his brothers had. Logan would just hang out in his bouncy seat or play on the floor and fall asleep if he was tired. He has been a super sleeper and has slept through the night since he was 3 months old. Now these are all 12 month stats some of the angle baby has turned into crazy Condie boy, but I will save that for Logan's next post.

We had a fun little party for Logan!
Logan was so funny when we sang Happy Birthday to him. He just sat a stared at everyone and then got a little upset that we were all looking at him and singing to him.
Logan's brothers had to help him dig into his cake. But once Logan got the hang of it.
He had the best time.
There was a little help from the brothers with the face painting.

The birthday boy had to take a birthday bath and sleep the night away with sweet dreams.

We love you Logan!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

This year in primary they give the kids a candy necklace on their birthday. Carter waited all year for his birthday to come so he could get his candy necklace. You can see how happy he was.

Easter Pictures!!

Ever since #4 and #5 boy came along taking a picture of all of them together is a joke. I didn't get a picture of all of them together until Christmas, and the baby was born in April. You can see how happy they are to take pictures together. As you can see in the last post, it is not that they mind getting their picture taken, it is when you put all of them together they just can't look and smile at the same time.
Preston is the exception, he has never liked getting his picture taken. He was three years old before he would willing look at a camera and smile. Still at 7 he is not very willing. Almost!!


Logan's patience with his brothers is about 30 seconds.

We got Austin and Carter in this one.

This is the best one of the bunch Austin looks great, Preston in his usual camera pose, Carter was tried of smiling, Aidan finally looked at the camera and Logan finally saw the camera which is one of his favorite toys if he can get his little hands on it. There was melt down after this by Logan because he did not get to chew on the camera when we were done.

HAPPY EASTER 2009!!!!

All of my sweet little boys let me take their pictures on Easter. They are so handsome. I wish I could freeze time and just let them all stay where they are. I am pretty lucky with these boys I have got one turning into a young man, a few who are still crazy kids, and my cute little baby who is growing too fast. I know I will look back at this time in my life and wonder how it all went by so fast.

Austin
Preston
Carter
Aidan

Logan

Happy 6th Birthday Carter!!!

Carter's birthday was on Easter this year so we did a combo Easter egg hunt and birthday party. Carter was very excited for his big day! We had a family party and Carter got to open his presents. As you can see Aidan was very excited to "help" Carter open his presents.

Logan got into the action too!
Carter got a train set for his birthday! He also got some Legos and a remote control car. And Uncle Nick gave him some pirate gold ($10 in gold dollar coins). Carter asked if Uncle Nick really got the gold dollars from pirates.
This is Carter's chocolate explosion cake. Carter is a boy after his mother's heart, he asked for chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate ice cream, ahh a little bit of heaven if I do say so. The cake had a mind of its own so it became the chocolate explosion cake.

Carter blowing out the candles on his chocolate explosion cake.

We are so proud of this little boy. He has grown up so much this year. Carter has loved kindergarten this year and has done so well. Carter is one tough kid and does not let life's challenges get him down. One year ago Carter started having problems with his eyes and had to go through 4 surgeries in 2 months. Carter still cannot see out of his eye that the retina detached in but he just accepts it and moves on.

Carter was talking to me the other day about when he lost his sight. It makes Mom a little emotional still but Carter is just very matter of fact about it. When his retina detached the last time it really did happen overnight and when Carter woke up he was blind out of that eye. He was telling me that he woke up that morning and said to himself "Am I blind?" Then he told me, "Jesus said to me yes you are, and I said OK." Oh sweet little boy, to hear the spirit talk to you and to just accept it without any question or complaint. Carter really teaches us so much. Happy Birthday sweet boy, we love you so much!!!!

Pine Wood Derby

After one snow delay we finally had Austin's pine wood derby race in March.

Austin made a police truck with a light on top that actually flashed. It is very cool

Here is a sample of some of the cars that the scouts made.

Austin had fun but wished he won a few more races. Last year he came in second place overall but this year was a good experience for him.

Can't you tell how much Austin loves it when I take his picture:)

Oh Happy Day!

I know you thinks it is always RAINBOWS and SUNSHINE around here JUST KEEPING IT REAL!!!

Sweet Aidan

This is my cute boy Aidan.

He is quite the character and always good for a laugh. He has been in speech therapy the past year and we are quite impressed with his progress. I understand what he says about 80 percent of the time, the rest of the world understands him about 50 percent of the time. As his speech improves of course this percentage is going up which I am very happy about. One of the downfalls: Aidan never holds back in saying exactly what he thinks. If someone offends him in any way is comment is usually "Stupid kid!" A kid to Aidan is anyone from 0 to 100 years of age. He is always told not to say that but I never worried about it too much because I was really the only one who knew what he was saying. But lately as he has become such a good little speaker his sweet comments are understood by all that have offended him. Aidan is also one who is easily offended. As a moody kid he is not always happy to be out with Mom and usually wants to be home watching Scooby-doo, this makes for a grumpy kid while running errands. So if you look at Aidan or talk to him at all he will be offended by you and all your friendliness! It is so fun to take him out:)
What you cannot see in this picture is the strand of my hair that is wrapped around Aidan's fingers. Ever since Aidan was a baby he has been obsessed with eating my hair. A very gross little habit. As he has grown older he has stopped actually eating it and just wraps it around his fingers and licks it. But where it really gets gross is that sometimes he finds a random hair on the bench at church or on the floor of a store and starts wrapping it around his fingers before I rip it out of his hands. I really hope he outgrows this little habit soon!