Moving Up

We've missed a few weekends at church lately. Either Hank or myself were sick, the kids were sick, or we were visiting another church. So, it was nice to be back at home so to say. But today was a little different...today we dropped Taylor off in the 3-year-old class instead of the two-year-old class. You wouldn't think there would be much of a difference but there is. Crafts and snack time stayed the same, but three-year-old children get to join the larger group of children for worship time with a real band and drama time with puppets. Taylor had fun!

When I picked her up, her teacher handed me a yellow card that was titled: I can pray for other people like Jesus did.

Here were her answers.
1. Jesus
2. Mommy & Daddy
3. Ryan

When I looked at the card, I was like what, who is Ryan? Then it occurred to me that Ryan is Ryland. I kind of giggled and told the teacher I think that Ryan is supposed to be "Ryland". The teacher said, "Oh, that makes sense. No wonder Taylor was a little annoyed with me when I kept saying Ryan back to her." Taylor was listening to our conversation and was like yeah, it's RYLAND! I guess that's what I (we) get for giving our son a unique name :-)

Playdate

This morning we headed over to our neighbor's house and let the kids have some playtime with their friends. I must say, it is awfully hard to get three kids to look in the camera and to smile. I don't think Katie wanted her picture taken because she would continually put the cup up on her face when she saw me with the camera.

Katie's new playhouse was a hit. Even though it was a princess playhouse, both Taylor and Landon loved it. Landon is playing with lots of girl things these days. He just does whatever Taylor does. I'm sure he'll love these photos in 15 years when he sees himself continually photographed in a pink tent, playing in a princess playhouse, pushing a pink stroller, etc.

And yes, the kids were all still in their pj's. Katie decided to put on a princess dress over her pajamas. Thankfully there wasn't a shot of Bonnie or myself because we were both in our pajamas too. It's a good thing we are good friends and can feel comfortable hanging out however we choose.

Budding Artist

Many of you might not know that Hank has awesome artistic ability to draw and be creative. It seems like Taylor may have inherited his "artsy" gene. She wants to color, stamp, paint or draw ALL of the time. In fact, her most common words these days are, "I want to do crafts." That means she wants to be artistic and get out all of her new art supplies. She uses her new easel every day, all day. Even Landon has created his own artwork.

Back in the Shop

Yes, our van is in the shop again. Yes, we are a bit frustrated. And yes, Landon just saved money on car insurance.

Party in a Tent

Just enjoying one of Taylor's new birthday gifts!

Party Time!

Taylor celebrated her third birthday today with her neighborhood and school friends at Gymboree. She had a wonderful time playing with all the kids. In fact, she was a bit sad when it all ended and we started packing up the car. Taylor is definitely a social little girl who loves her buddies. If you can believe it, Taylor made up her guest list herself. She told me who to invite and reminded me several times. Thank you to all of the families who were able to join us. You eagerly celebrated my little girl's life and helped create a lifelong memory for our family!

Growing Tall

Taylor had her 3 YEAR WELL CHECK-UP today. Basically, little peanut, who is scratching my back at the moment so that Mommy will continue to let her stay up late while ALL of the boys in the house are asleep, is tall and thin. She weighed in at almost 30 pounds (40%) and measured almost 39 inches tall (90%). The pediatrician looked at me and said, "Taylor is tall and thin, just like Mommy." I was like what? Have you not seen my midsection? Seriously? It's all good. And anyone needing some encouragement, I have a new pediatrician in mind for you :-)

I had all three kiddos with me today at the doctor appointment. I didn't know if we would cause a "scene" or if it would go well. I would definitely say the lollipops, I actually call them suckers, were a BIG hit for Taylor and Landon. And while we were briefly waiting for the doctor to see us, we played games with colored squares on the floor. Only Landon would get down on the floor, find a crumb of something (possibly even mud), and try and eat it!

Request Granted

Birthday Surprises

Last night Hank and I decorated little peanut's door with streamers and heart lights. My friend Mindy has always done this for her boys and said my kids would love it too. When Taylor woke up this morning, she asked me: "What are those pink things?" She definitely loved the decorations; Landon did too. But just like the birthday crown, within 20 minutes the streamers were pulled down and now just the lights remain.





I gave Taylor a pretty vase with flowers and she opened one of her gifts so far. Unfortunately, she opened it after lunch time and wouldn't take a nap because she was too excited to play with her new toys. After finding all of her dolls and teddy bears, we set up the playpen, stroller, playgym and chair for her little ones. She is loving it. I think I will wait until tomorrow before I give her one of the gifts from my mom. That way the birthday celebration lasts longer.

Taylor has been asking for a birthday cake and candle for today, so we last minute decided to take her out to dinner. She will love it when the restaurant staff sings happy birthday to her as she really liked it when her Gymboree friends sang to her today too!

Birthday Crown

It's kind of hard to believe my baby girl turns 3 tomorrow. In a sense, she seems older to me, but on the other hand, it feels like I just gave birth to her. I remember the day vividly. After 30 hours of labor, out came the most loved, precious little girl ever. Taylor was beautiful...even at birth. We, including all of our friends and family members, were in love at first sight. Taylor was a miracle. We wanted her for years...literally years...and then one day she was here with us and we were 100% responsible for this new bundle of joy.

Since Taylor won't attend school tomorrow on her actual birthday, her teachers and classmates celebrated today. They gave her a birthday crown and sang happy birthday to her. She was beaming when I picked her up today. Sadly, the crown now rests in the garbage can as Taylor and Landon both played with it a little too hard. It's now in pieces...something I can't salvage for her scrapbook. At least I have these photos.

Rainy Afternoon

While Taylor spent the day at Grandma's, the boys and I spent the afternoon hanging out at home. There were so many cute moments, I had to take photos to capture the memories. I thought it was a bit comical that Landon's pants were sagging, and I thought it was endearing to see Landon play with Ryland and give him a kiss on the head.

Last 2 Days

Yesterday, we took an impromptu trip downtown to the children's museum.



Today, my blood was drawn and a cyst on my wrist was drained for a second time. Let's hope this bad boy doesn't come back again!

Glendale Glitters

Last night we attended the Glendale Glitters Glow Night along with the rest of the city :-) It was so crowded and trying to keep three families together with a total of 10 kids was a little difficult at times, but we sure did have a good time!

On the way to Glow Night, Taylor saw the mittens that I brought for her. While driving she said, "Mommy, can I have my hand bags?" Hank and I were like "What? Hand bags?". She pointed to the mittens and we were amazed at how she gave mittens a name and such an appropriate name it was. That is definitely something for us to remember for when she is older. So now we call mittens "hand bags" in the Schepemaker home.

Once we got there, we met up with our good friends, the Tuckers and the Browns. We ended up walking around for 2.5 hours. The hot air balloons spooked Taylor a bit because when we would walk by, the fire would blow up into the balloon and it scared her. There were at least a dozen balloons spread out throughout downtown Glendale.

One of the highlights of the evening was when Taylor and Hank along with our friends went down the super slide. When Taylor saw it, she started to cry. I thought she was crying because she was scared of it. But no, she was crying because she wanted to go down it. This event totally reminded me that Taylor is my adventurous child. She has little fear in life...just fire I guess :-)

But before Taylor and Hank went down the slide, Hank purchased a churro for all of us to {share}. By the time he came back to us with the churro, it was time for him and Taylor to go on the slide. So I handed Landon the churro first. I was so distracted with watching my boys and wanting to catch Taylor and Hank coming down the slide, I didn't notice that Landon was eating the entire churro by himself. I should have known he was up to something because he was being so quiet in his stroller.

Just a Little Productive

OK, I know some of you think I am crazy for taking a photo of a bank. But since I am participating in {Project Life} where I take a photo a day to document our lives, the only thing I have done today besides sleep and hang out on the couch was to visit our neighborhood bank and set up savings accounts for Taylor, Landon & Ryland. Setting up these accounts was one of my New Year's resolutions. Now I can mark that off of my list!

Necklace Details

Here are the details about the necklace. I purchased it from Lisa Leonard Designs. My friend Joanna got me hooked on this artist a couple of years ago. The jewelry isn't cheap, but definitely worth every penny. If you use the coupon code: welcome 15 you will receive 15% off your order. Happy Shopping! And if you do order something, please post a pic on your blog so I(we) all can see it too!

Seriously?

This week has proven to be a test of endurance. I don't even know where to start. It seems like my three kids continue to pass around a cold. No one is sleeping well, especially Hank and I. Honestly, we are up at least 5-8 times a night between the three kids. We can't turn our heater on because everyone starts to cough. It's quite common to take a middle of the night shower with a child to help with the congestion.

This week alone, I found out I have a thyroid condition that has been contributing to my bruising, fatigue, insomnia, etc. I also received a driving ticket for not having {current} proof of insurance while driving Hank's car (he had every year but 2010 in there). Probably experienced one of the worst days of my life yesterday. I could feel my throat becoming more and more painful and knew I was getting sick on top of all of the kid drama I've been dealing with. I really feel a bit ragged right now. Also, our van is in the shop with a price tag of almost $2k.

So after being awake all night last night, I headed to Urgent Care this morning because my family doctor was off today. Turns out I have a pretty nasty infection in my throat...very similar to strep. Nothing a little bit of antibiotics can't fix.



Some of the blessings have been that Hank's dad is letting me drive his Tahoe until our van is fixed....something the kids and I have really enjoyed. All three kids are right behind me and they all sit next to each other. Taylor told me she wants to keep Grandpa's car :-) And my mother-in-law took the kids from me today and told me to rest until Saturday. At first I wanted to politely decline on her proposition, but I knew full well that I am in no condition to take care of three little ones. So now I can sleep and enjoy down time to recover. Also, in the mail came my most prized possession...a sweet little necklace that has the names of my babies on it. That totally made me happy! So while I am trying to figure out why life has to be so difficult at times, I am comforted with other's generosity and help and knowing that life has to get better from here on out :-)

On the Mend

I took Landon to our new pediatrician this week. He has had a fever on and off since Friday evening. He could possibly have a sinus infection, which Hank gets often, or it could be something else. The doctor felt confident that antibiotics would do the trick and Landon would be feeling better. And I can definitely tell even though he has had only 3 doses of the medicine that it is finally starting to kick in and make him well again.



Today I had an appointment in Phoenix so the kids and I met up with my parents for a quick lunch. The weather was beautiful today and we were able to eat lunch right on the patio next to the water fountains. It was sure nice for the kids to see their Oma and Opa. (Thanks mom and dad for treating us to lunch and for the sunglasses for Taylor.) I will have to take the kids there more often before it gets way too hot.

Homebound

It wasn't until last night at dinner that we noticed Landon wasn't his cheerful old self. Instead he was cranky and warm and even the food wouldn't console him. Now normally Landon could be mad or sad, but food always does the magic trick of cheering him up...just not last night.

So today we stayed home. Even though Landon felt miserable as he has had the fever now for 24 hours, he looked so sweet and cute. He's been a little more needy today, but who isn't when they aren't feeling well.

Taylor figured out how to make Ryland laugh over and over again tonight before bedtime. Ryland was laughing for several minutes before I finally found the camera. I am really enjoying watching all three kids interact and communicate with each other. It's the sweetest thing ever!

Table for 5

Well, Landon has officially been kicked out of his highchair. Ryland now occupies that spot during mealtime. It's so nice to have all three kids around the table when we are eating. I had to document this day for my scrapbook. Our family is now complete around the table...no more baby in the swing or bouncy seat while we eat.

Music Class

I take the kids every Thursday to a family music class at Gymboree. It's a fun activity for all the kids (even Ryland) to participate in. It's a good thing I brought my camera with me today because Taylor and Landon got really into it. Excuse the first few seconds of a shaky camera. I was dancing too and didn't realize I was affecting the video :-)

Cousins

The kids' cousin Laila is in town. My kids love her to pieces. We just wish they lived closer to us so we could spend more fun times together.

Day of Firsts

So much has happened today for Ryland! I started adding baby food to his diet. I know by now that I should start slowly with vegetables, go from green to orange, and then on to fruits. But today for his first day of eating solids, he started off with sweet potatoes. He sure enjoyed them too!

Ryland also has learned how to put pressure and stand on his feet. His exersaucer taught him that I'm sure. Ryland also amazed us today when we put him down for tummy time on the floor and next time we saw him, he was on his back. He did it again this evening.

Hank feels like Ryland is reaching all of his milestones earlier than the rest of the kids, but in fact he is at the same pace as his siblings. Ryland is probably reaching them faster than Landon, but Landon had so many complications at birth that we give him slack for that :-) In the end, they are all happy and healthy and that is all that matters, right?

Time with Daddy

I've been feeling overwhelmed the past two days. I don't know if it is due to all of the preparations for Christmas, taking care of three little ones, or knowing that Hank goes back to work on Monday. It could be all three...whatever it is though, I sure feel it.

So today I just wanted {needed} to relax as much as possible. Hank ended up taking Taylor and Landon to two different parks near our neighborhood and literally wore the kids out. They were gone for almost two hours and let Ryland and I cuddle alone at home.

Since I am taking a photo a day of our life, I sent the camera with Hank to the park. He came home with some awesome photos. I think my favorite is the one of the kids walking and the photo being taken behind them. Taylor and Landon are surely best friends...they prove it to me every day.

As I was putting Taylor's guest list together of friends she wants to invite to her birthday party, she reminded me not to forget her teacher, Miss Dawn, and not to forget her best friend, Landon. The kid melts my heart all the time...as do my boys!