Temptation...

Here's Ava's just completed puzzle and poor Jack in the throes of some serious temptation. He has his tools at the ready and all he really wants to do is pound on that puzzle and push it off the table. He sat like this for a good 10 minutes and didn't even notice that I took the picture. I am happy to say he eventually walked away but it was a tough battle in that cute little head!

Jammy Ride

We took the kids for a jammy ride last week--they loved it but not as much as their daddy who only gets Baskin Robbins when the kids are along! Ava has always been an ice cream fan but Jack is really just learning to appreciate it and he went nuts--he ate half of Ed's then came around the table for some of mine and here's a picture of him finishing off Ava's too.

The Bubba

Here's Jack with his summer haircut which is sort of sad because as Ava says, "I'm not sure summer is coming this year."

The hands on the cheeks is Jack's comfort position--he does it when he's bored, tired, happy, excited, naughty, etc. I have to say it is cuter than the thumb-sucking Ava used to do! He also does it when he knows he needs to turn on the charm. A few days ago he was having a rather rough time of it and after he did something that he had already been disciplined for 15 times that day, I called him over in my firmest voice and he ran up and put his little elbows on my knee and his cheeks in his hands and gave me his best grin and said, "I yuv you mama." I said, "I know Jack, but why are you so naughty?" And he paused and said, "Oh...Me. Boy." Mystery solved.

Ed's 1/2 Marathon

Ava sleeping with her baby on the way over--it's a good thing I got this shot because she seriously slept a total of seven minutes and woke up bright and cheery like she had a 2 hour nap!
The view from the Madson's back deck the morning of the run (yes, that's snow!)

Ed and Ava looking for cover before the race started.

Ed at mile 12.9.

Ed enjoying the post-race bananas. Ava was so proud of him--she kept patting him and smiling.

Ed showing off his fancy race swag.

Ava and Violet doing some coloring at Red Robin--our absolute favorite post-race restaurant!

Well, Ed ran his first 1/2 marathon this weekend in Wenatchee and he loved it! We got to stay with the Madsons for the weekend and see their kids who are so grown up since the last time we saw them and Ava especially had fun playing with the kids (and sleeping in Violet's room!) and we had a great time hanging out and eating Rachel's homemade pizza! Our only complaint is that we have heard so much about the great weather in Wenatchee so you can imagine our surprise to see it snow the morning of Ed's run (although we got blamed for bringing it with us, which actually seems possible these days)! There were big huge snowflakes for a couple hours so Rachel, Ava, and I bundled up to see him off and cheer him on at a miles 3 and 11 (taking a break in the middle there to hang out at Starbucks) but by the end of his run the sun came out and we stuck around to watch other runners finish up. I love these events--everyone is friendly and cheering and a couple people will always cry at the end which, in my pregnant state, made me want to cry too and I didn't even run it! I actually felt a little bad about getting Ed into the running habit and then ditching him before his first big run but I have been way to sick to enjoy the up and down motion of running so I have taken a long break that I hope to get out of here in the next couple weeks. Ed was just happy that he beat my time from last year since that was his main goal! We followed up the race with lunch at Red Robin where Ed quickly replaced those burned calories with three baskets of fries and a well deserved Jack on the rocks. He even felt good enough to drive home while the rest of us were so tired from cheering that we conked out right away.

Introducing....

Driskill baby #3! Due to join the rest of us by November--although with my record, we're hoping for mid-October :). And no, that's not actually our baby but the 3-D picture is much cooler than our blurry ultrasound. Jack couldn't care less but Ava is thrilled! She is already deep in thought about what it should be for Halloween and what we should buy it for Christmas. Although it occured to her that I won't be able to come to the Nutcracker this year (our yearly tradition) and she thought she might still go with Grandma but after a few moments she said she wouldn't have too much fun without me (which is sadly what I was hoping she would say!). Today she picked out the outfit she wants to wear to the big ultrasound (8 long weeks away!) when we find out what it is. And all I can think is that this baby is lucky to get a big sister like her!

On the town

I love to go out with Ava whenever I can and one of her favorite places to go is Starbucks. I buy her gift cards so she can order and pay for herself and she seems so old when walks up to the counter and orders a "tall passion ice tea, sweetened please." She usually picks a cookie to go with it but this time she wanted a donut and I told her to ask for the "old-fashioned donut" so she did but when we sat down she sort of wrinkled her nose and said, "I didn't really want an old one."

It's Here!

Jack and Grace at the park...how cute are they??

The kids pretending the electrical outlet is their intercom system--I love seeing their bare legs and arms after such a long winter!

Spring has finally come to town. This weekend was warm and sunny and the kids were so happy to be outside. In fact the only time Jack cried all weekend was when he had to come in the house for food or sleep. However, this is the great Northwest which means it is already cold and rainy today but at least we know there are better things to come! Although, Ava just said, "Is Summer already over?"

Busy Daze...

Here's Ava working on a puzzle--she later finished this without one single bit of help but for some reason there is no picture of the finished project.

Paula and Joe went out one last time Friday night without kids (good timing!) and here's the boys with popcorn and a movie.

The bathroom is still under construction--here's Jack in his work boots with his screw driver helping Daddy. Why he is in just his unders is beyond me as there is still snow here! Who are his parents??

Well, things are still a bit nuts here. Between all the babies and the construction my house feels like a crazy zone. The good news is that the bathroom is almost done. Ed has done bits and pieces every night and the only thing left is adding the electrical for the tub jets (we have been using it with an extension cord for 2 years and yes, I think it is that dangerous) and trimming it all up so he will definitely be done this week; the rest is up to me and I am not posting a picture till I can finish "accessorizing" the place. In the midst of this, I decided to rearrange the furniture because spring is coming (I swear it!) and I feel the need to either move or just move the furniture when the seasons change. So here we are, in a cocoon of crazy but I am hoping, hoping that by this weekend we will be back to some form of normal.

Just waiting....

We took a break at lunchtime and picked up all the kids for lunch at Wendys.

Dad enjoying the wait.

Susan brought Hudson so we finally had someone to play with!

This is my favorite picture. You can't see him but Joe is holding Ben and Will was so excited!

It was another long day at the hospital. Paula was in labor when she got there but not for long. We spent much of the day walking laps around the maternity ward and just hanging out (something we have gotten very good at this week!).

Benjamin Joseph

My favorite shot--we waited a long time for his eyes to open!

More stats: 7'13", 20 inches long.

Helllooo Baby Benjamin....

Here he is!! It was long labor by Paula's usual standard but for the rest of us it was pretty normal :) He is cute and super chubby and he looks an awful lot like his big brother (including those huge hands!) More pictures and details to come.

Here we go again....

Yes indeed, I am on my way to the hospital. Today is Paula's lucky day. More details to come...

Bummer at the Driskill's

Our 10th anniversary is coming up (that's not the bummer!) and we had a trip to Maui planned to celebrate. You can imagine how exciting the beach sounds considering it is still snowing here even today! So exciting that I spent part of yesterday buying new Hawaii clothes for Ed and I and after my great shopping trip, I came home to find an email (an email!!) that said our airline has gone out of business and our trip is cancelled. I spent the next hour on the phone talking to many "customer service agents" in India none of whom spoke English that well only to find out that it is too late to rebook for the same days or the the same hotel. In fact, the hotel is all booked and while we still have a room in our name it is too late for us to buy a new trip and use it (yes, it is as confusing as it sounds!). So, we would have to pay way more money for bad flights on different days and stay in a not nearly as nice hotel. As Jack would say it was a big fat "bumma".

One more shot

The kids LOVE when Ed does house projects and that last post reminded me of one of my favorite pictures of Ava helping Ed tile the laundry room a couple months ago. I think the tiara is just the right touch!

Work in Progress

Ava watching Ed change the electrical from the safety of the hallway.
Ava "helping" Ed which really means she sits there and talks nonstop.
Jack with the Shopvac--an item he has an irrational fear of but he still wants to be as close to it as possible.

Well, the bathroom is still a work in progress but Ed finished all the boring stuff this week (moving pipes, sheetrock, etc.) and we get to do the fun stuff this weekend (paint, new floors, etc.) The truth is that I hate spending time and money are the "unseen" house projects (new furnace, subfloors, gutters) but I love spending time and even money on the "fun" stuff and I think we are far enough into this project that I get to go out and buy all the new towels and rugs for the bathroom and hopefully by Sunday night we will get to put everything in there and there is really nothing more satisfying than that!

On a side note, I had planned to post today about Spring finally coming to town. However, it looks dark and cold out there so I will not be doing so today! Yesterday was nice enough to take Brooklyn and Madison to the park with us for awhile and the kids were so happy just to be outside but I forgot my camera! The park has sort of two separate playgrounds and the big girls would play at one for a few minutes and then move to the other and then back, etc. and poor Brooklyn spent the whole time toddling back and forth between the two trying to keep up!