Rollin', Rollin', Rollin' like a River . . .

He rolls!!!
Yeah Kelton!

Finally . . . an adult night out!

And boy did we look hot! (or at least so I'm told)

After many months of full time mommy-hood and daddy-hood, Brett and I were able to enjoy an evening out without our boys tagging along.


We were invited to a couple's 5 year anniversary party on the rooftop of the Intercontinental Hotel. The suggestion for attire was to wear our wedding gowns. Mine did not fit right . . so I got a new dress and shoes!



Brett originally performed their ceremony and it was really cool to remember back 5 years . . . we were newly pregnant with Levi! I could not believe just how much my life has changed in a short 5 years.

Anyway, thanks to my mom who provided the overnight babysitting and thanks to Chris & Kylie for hosting this fabulous party; it allowed for Brett and I to reconnect and get to be us again . . . at a great price.

My little artist

See anything wrong with this picture?
















Look closer . . .




While Brett & I were painting a room in the basement last night, Levi was up to no good. He found one of Brett's carpenter's pencils and he drew on one of the unfinished walls in another room.

I called Levi into the room and I asked him, "what is this?" He replied, with a straight face, "it's a caterpiller."

I told him he was lucky that we had not painted that wall yet, because it wasn't nice to draw on walls. I then told him that little boys that wrote on walls usually get spanked. I thought he would feel bad about it, but instead he said "well, that's ok; you can paint over it."

Well thank you very much! We have a 4 year old's permission to paint over his drawing!
He's quite a good little artist, though.

Brett and I had a good little chuckle over it.

Christmas memories

This Christmas . . . was Kelton's 1st Christmas . . .

Levi received a black cowboy hat (doesn't he look like Garth?)

Santa brought Ziek & Levi black cowboy boots, just like they asked for . . .

My newest nephew Connor & my sister Leah were with us . . .

My dad was here from Florida . . . and he's decided to move back to North Kansas City, MO (yeah)

My mom was here from Liberty, MO . . .

And again, I was behind the camera taking all the photos . . . hehehe

Merry Christmas 2007.

I wonder what will 2008 bring for us???

Christmas Elves

Levi and Ziek were in the Sedalia Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 1st. They rode on the float and were dressed as Santa's elves. Ziek wasn't so sure about being on the float, but he did just great.

Introducing Connor Roy Barth-Schelper

Meet my newest nephew!

Sweet baby Connor.

Born on Friday the 30th of November.

Weight: 8.9

Length: 20.5 inches

Welcome to the world, little one. I can't wait to meet you in person.

love,

Aunt Cara

O Christmas Tree

On Sunday afternoon we put up our Christmas tree. Everyone had a special job. Brett and I put the tree together,

"fluffed"
the tree, and hung the lights.



Levi hung ornaments.

Ziek hung some too.








Kelton took a nap.


























After it was all said and done, we think our tree turned out pretty nice.
The boys really enjoyed putting it together. It was fun to see the excitement and anticipation in their eyes as we pulled out each part. Great family time together!

Happy 3 month old Birthday, Kelton

This photo of Kelton was taken at one week old. As of the 17th, he is 3 months old! I can't believe it's gone by so fast. I'll post a photo of his 3 month photo after I get them taken next week.

Until then, Happy 3 month old birthday, Kelton!

And Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

photo courtesy of Tracey Rapp photography

Kelton laughs

Brett was cuddling with Kelton last night and he got him to giggle.

It was so sweet, I had to grab the camera.

You can definately tell they are brothers

Sweet boys.

He Sits (with help)

Kelton is so strong! He can sit up in a chair and hold his head up too.

I Pledge Allegiance

Today I had the chance to visit the preschool that Levi attends. It was "Grandparent's Day" or "Special Person Day" and since we don't have any family that lives close enough to attend, I went. Miss Sheri announced that they would say the pledge and so all of the kids stood up and placed their hands over their hearts. To my amazement, they ALL started reciting the pledge! It was one of the most amazing and proudest moments that I've ever had! I was so proud of Levi, my heart swelled! I just had to get it on film and share it with others! You'll notice that Ziek, of course, had to be a part of the action too. I hope you enjoy the video and are just as proud of him as I am!!!!

Some days, this is what I feel like; today is one of them.

Only those who have nursed a baby will understand.

Have a happy day.

It's Halloween Day

It's finally here! A day to dress up and be someone else. After much deliberation we decided on costumes for the boys.
Levi was Woody, from the movie A Toy Story, Ziek was a Duck, and
Kelton was a Skunk.

I'm just a little "batty". All of us cute in our own way.

I am blessed

My friend, Mandy, watches Kelton for us.

We are blessed.

She sent a photo of him to my phone today.

I am blessed.

It was just the right pick-me-up!

She wrote: you are blessed.

YES I AM!

Oh my gracious!

Levi has learned a new phrase. It's "oh my gracious!" Here's an example of him using it:
Me: "Ziek, don't get in the bath tub yet"
Ziek: silence . . . .
Levi "Mom, look what your son did!"
Me: "Ziek, you are a crazy kid!"
Levi: "Oh, my gracious!"
I think he learned it from Connie, our child care provider. It's a much better phrase than some choice 4-letter words that can be said. Glad he picked up on that one.
I love this kid!
Yesterday as we were driving home from Wal-Mart (a weekly family outing for us) Brett and I were involved in a discussion when Levi pipes up from the back seat and says "God is in your heart."
What a sweet little guy! He's learning so much. I'm glad he's going to our church's preschool and is learning all about God from others. We do our best to instill strong Christian values in him through our words, actions, and deeds. He's a little sponge now. He's learning so much. I'm so proud of him.

MOM, look at what your son did. . .

Last night while the bath tub was filling up, Levi stripped down and hopped in. Ziek, on the other hand, didn't wait to BE stripped down and got into the tub FULLY CLOTHED!
I hate to admit it, but there weren't any adults present in the bathroom at the time; I was saying goodbye to some friends and Brett was undressing Kelton. From the bathroom Brett and I hear Levi saying "MOM, look at what your son did." We went into the bathroom and there sat Ziek, jeans and all, in the middle of the tub. We were roaring! I don't think he knew what to do next. Of course I did! I grabbed the camera and got a picture.

Progression of a smile

Kelton was in the swing the other day just cooing and smiling at the boys so I grabbed the camera and started snapping pics.

He is so sweet & innocent.

Kelton says "I'm mommy's little angel"

Sweet smiles

"oh, hum . . . what should I do now"

"I've got to sneeze"

all better now . . .

"bye-bye"

My 3 sons

This photo makes me smile.

It's proof that there is good in this world.

It's proof that love does exist.

I'm so blessed to have these three precious boys.

They are everything to me.

Thank you God.

Chicks dig me

I think his onesie says it all. Who couldn't love those pinchable cheeks or that curly cue hair??? If I were 2 months old, I'd date him. Wouldn't you??

Nanna & my nephews' birthday

The boys and I went to Joplin this weekend to celebrate my nephews' birthday. On Saturday, we drove over to Seneca to visit my grandmother, a.k.a. Nanna.

Nanna is 84 years old and is getting more frail as the years go by. Her memory is not so good, she fades in and out of conversations and talks about folks that have already passed.

She has trouble with her balance and sits mostly in her wheelchair.

Time and age does this to people. It's a part of life . . .

I remember times when Nanna chased after us and played on the ground with us.

I remember as a child when Nanna would come visit us and she would take such delight in telling us stories and singing us songs.

Seeing her was good. I hope it wasn't the last time that I'll ever see her. She has lived longer than her mother and father did. She outlived her brother too.

My mom says she wants to retire at the end of this year and move Nanna in with her. I would like that. I know Nanna would have a better quality of life living with my mom, and because of that she might just live longer too.

I know she enjoyed the visit we had. We took Chandler, one of my nephews, along with us.

Chandler sang songs for us, the boys played in the yard with sticks and leaves, and we even got to see Ziek dance. All in all, it was a great visit.

My other 2 nephews, Kole & Trey, were not able to come over on Saturday. Here's a photo of the boys at their party. Kole is on the left, Trey is on the right.

We made it!

Brett left on Wednesday night to head to St. Louis, and thus left me to handle "my three sons".
All three boys were sort of healthy on Thursday and I left the house at 6:50 a.m. and deposited the boys in their respective daycare facilities. I had a doctor's appointment on Thursday scheduled for a 2 month well baby check-up for Kelton, but had to change it to a sick visit because Kelton was running a fever during the night and all day. He's been eating just fine and had wet diapers, so he's not dehydrated. He told me that if Kelton runs a temperature of more than 100.5, then I am to give him tylenol. The good news is that he wasn't running a fever higher than 100.5 (the doctor said that babies run a higher body temperature than 98.7 degrees and that it was not uncommon for them to be in the 99's or a bit higher).
Thursday night was fabulous! Baths were done by 6:30 and they boys watched a little t.v. with my friend, Stacey, who watched them while I went to dinner with some girl friends. Friday morning went just as well as Thursday, we left the house at 6:55 and I was even able to swing by McDonalds for breakfast (I forgot to make my morning oatmeal).
I thought that the rest of the day would go just as well, but I got a phone call at 9:30 from preschool where Levi was complaining that his tummy hurt and it was hard for him to breathe. So, without Brett being around to come get him, I went to preschool and picked him up. Levi got to spend the rest of the day attending high school classes with me. :)
I called the doctor about Kelton's urine test and still no news. No bacteria counts higher than 50,000 (it's bad if they are in the 100,000's). The doc thinks that everything is fine.
Friday night went great! We ordered pizza, watched a movie, had baths and we were all in bed by 8:30 p.m.!!!
Thanks for all of your prayers during this last week with the boy's illness. I think that we've overcome the sickness.

What goes around . . .

Guess who is sick now! You've guessed it! LEVI.
Levi complained of his head and tummy hurting yesterday so I took him along with Kelton to the doctor's office. Levi was running a 101 degree temperature and tested positive for Strep throat.
The doctor said Kelton's urine test was not completed (and wouldn't be until today, Wednesday) but that he was reacting positively to the antibiotic shot that he was given on Monday. The doc decided to prescribe antibiotics for Kelton and Levi.

So, what goes around comes around and all 3 kids are now taking antibiotics for one reason or another.

If I were to figure up the cost for the co-pays for all of the doctor's visits we've made in the last week, I'd guess that we've spent close to $200! Not to mention the medicine, shots, lab tests, etc. that we've had to pay for as well.

Man, it's EXPENSIVE having 3 sick kids!

I think that if you have to take all of your kids to the doctor, that you should only have to make one co-payment for a family, rather than one for each kid! You know, make it a family plan.

All kids are temperature free now and because they are all on antibiotics this illness should not be spread around the house a second time.

Our medical mystery child

Kelton was running a 101 degree fever all day yesterday.
Brett took Kelton to the doctor's office and they took a sample of his blood and ran a test.
His white blood count was ok and he wasn't fighting an infection.
The doctor said he's too young to have contracted strep throat and that he should have an immunity to it through me.
We did find out that Kelton weighs a whopping 15 pounds 8 ounces! Our little chunk!

The doctors then told Brett they wanted him to go to the hospital's lab so that they could run a blood culture and take a urine sample.
On the way, they told Brett to stop by the pharmacy to pick up an antibiotic shot for them to give Kelton when they returned.
Brett went to the lab and the ladies couldn't find a vein to draw blood from, so he left.
He went back to the doctor's office and they gave Kelton the shot and some Pedialyte to drink. Kelton is with Brett at work today, still running the temperature, and we're waiting to see what the lab results say.
The doctors think it could be a urinary tract infection . . .
I guess we'll have to wait until the doctor's appointment at 3:00 to see what's going on.
Our little guy is sick, but they can't tell us what he's got!
He's our little medical mystery, for a day or so . . .

Kelton's got a fever

It never fails! We kept Ziek home all weekend long to help him get well. He ran a temperature on Sunday, but we think that it's because he's teething. He woke up this morning and acted his normal self so he went to daycare. Now, however, Kelton is running a slight temperature. We can't seem to keep everyone healthy at the same time!
Fortunately for us, the woman watching Kelton is only watching him! She has 2 kids of her own and watches Kelton for us so we won't be infecting an entire daycare!
To make matters even more exciting, we have his 2 month doctor's appointment on Thursday so he'll be getting shots . . . not the most exciting thing for me as a mom to go through either. And did I mention that Brett is leaving town on Wednesday and will be gone through Sunday???
Help me get through this time, Lord!

Clean as a whistle

Kelton loves the bathtub just like his big brothers. I snapped a few photos of him looking so cute all wrapped up in his alligator towel; isn't he cute??

Oh, he's 8 weeks old now!!!

Soccer Guy

Levi played a soccer game this past Thursday night.

He has so much fun!!!

Here's some footage of him in action.

Levi's best buddy, Adam, is on the same team too.

Most of the game for me is spent chasing after Ziek. Naturally he doesn't sit still and he runs onto the field while the game is going on. He's a handful! Kelton enjoys sitting in his carrier watching all the action.

That's it for now.

See ya soon!

Sickness

Look at this face . . .
Poor baby didn't sleep well last night.
He had a high temperature and had labored breathing.
He woke up around 11:30 just crying and screaming.
Brett got up with him and tried to console him.
Didn't work. Brett came in and woke me up to say he was concerned and asked what to do.
We took his temperature; it read 99.1
We called our pediatric clinic's after hours number, no doctor on duty.
We searched the web for symptoms he had.
Finally we gave him some medicine (acetamenaphine) not the recalled cold and cough stuff.
He stayed in bed with us an cuddled with Brett. He tossed and turned and cried.
Brett took him to the doctor and found out Ziek has strep throat!
Problem solved . . . or sort of . . . medicine is ordered and he's at home resting now.
Poor little guy can't talk and tell us what hurts! He's such a trooper.
Pray for him to get well!!!

Halloween 2007

Last year was an easy year for choosing Halloween costumes. Levi "loves" Spiderman, so naturally he dressed as Spiderman.

Ziek was not able to walk yet, so by default he was a "Sweet Pea" in a pod. Wasn't he cute???

This year is a whole other story. We've got 3 boys to dress and possibly 3 costumes to choose.

So here's what I'm up against:

a. do we dress them all alike or

b. let Levi choose what he wants to be . . . and dress Ziek and Kelton the same as Levi or

c. let Levi choose what he wants to be . .. and dress Ziek and Kelton differently

Levi has told me he wants to be a Ninja Turtle; His best buddy Adam (the Ninja Turtle in the photo above) has the costume- no expense there . . .

The "Sweet Pea" costume is too big for Kelton, so I have to find something else.

My favorite place to shop has cute costumes too. Ziek could be a LION or a Zebra!

But the outfits for Kelton are really just onesies . . .

So, I'm asking for suggestions from you! What should the boys be for Halloween???