Well, yesterday was our big back to school shopping day. I was dreading it a little because it can get hectic taking the two kids at the same time let alone adding a baby into the mix. I can honestly say I had a lot of fun! The kids were great and it is fun taking Payton and Carson now especially since they have more of an opinion on what they want. I love watching the things they pick out! Aidan was amazing! He slept a lot of the trip and when he wasn’t sleeping, he was awake and taking it all in!


We left here around 9:30 in the morning for Mankato. The worst part of the trip was the road construction they were doing on HWY 60 and all of the detours we had to take. We took the kids to one hour foto to get pictures taken of all three of them together. The pictures didn’t turn out as great as I had hoped, but we did get a few good ones in. After pictures we headed to culvers to eat lunch. The kids like to eat there b/c they get custard after their lunch!

When we were done at Culvers we headed to Kohls (for shoes and clothes), Target (for backpacks and remaining school supplies) and Hobby Lobby (so I could finish some artsy projects for the kids’ rooms).

Payton and Carson both got very cute sketchers tennis shoes. Payton’s are very girly and we were able to find some narrow ones for her teeny tiny feet. Carson’s are the exact opposite of Payton’s. They are very “loud’ black shoes w/ bright green light up lights on them. You will not miss him coming in the dark (or daylight for that matter)! He alow wears a much larger shoe then she does and he needs wide shoes on top of that. They each also got a pair of shoes for gym. I am glad we had them with us b/c I never would have picked out the shoes that they chose for themselves. I thought this type of stuff was supposed to start when they were teenagers and not when they were 6 and 5! They each got some new jeans which they desperately needed. Payton wore jeans the day before and they were well above her ankles. How fast they grow!!

Target wasn’t as busy as we were anticipating. I finally found Payton’s crayons. Of course she needed 2 boxes of 16 count crayons. I couldn’t find them anywhere around us but Target had them! Why is it that you could buy all other crayons really cheap except 16 count boxes? We paid over $2 / box. What is up with that??? Anyway, they each found their backpacks which are super cute! Payton chose pink camo and Carson just chose green camo. They are on wheels too and they are made a little sturdier than the ones we had last year.

We didn’t get home until after 7:00 last night. Aidan did amazing all day. As long has he was fed and changed he was happy.

We woke up this morning and headed to church. It is funny to watch Carson introduce Aidan to all the little church ladies and gents. He tells them Aidan’s name and that he is his brother and that Aidan is a good baby. He is so proud and it is so cute to watch. Aidan loves the music when we start singing. He just closed his eyes and let it put him to sleep!  We are trying to figure out which weekend we will get Aidan baptized.  It seems like the weekends are full for the next month so we may have to re-arrange our schedules to get the baptism in as soon as we can.

It is hard to believe our weekend is almost over all ready! Where does the time go???





taken this morning before church

This is a super cute collage of Aidan taken by Alison Stumpf.  The bottom of it says bits of Aidan.  LOVE IT!!

Back to School

It is hard to imagine how quiet the house is going to be when Payton and Carson start school. It is even harder to swallow that my “baby” is going to be in Kindergarten this year. Where does the time go? Everyone tells you how quickly kids grow but until you are able to experience it yourself, you just don’t get it. It was hard when Payton went, but Carson has always been my “baby”. It will be tough but he is so excited and so ready for this. They will start the Tuesday after Labor Day so we still have a few weeks at home together. Then, I will have a little over a month left of Maternity Leave and will go back to work mid-October.

We have most of the school supplies needed but the kids need new shoes and clothes for school. We will be heading to Mankato tomorrow to buy our last few things needed. It will be our first big trip with Aidan so we will see how his shopping skills are! I am thinking as long as he is fed and changed on schedule we should not have any problems. If I haven’t said it enough already, he is a great baby!

Aidan turned 3 weeks old and it hardly seems possible. Our days go by so quickly. He is still eating about every 3 hours and eats a 4 ounce bottle. I am going to try to weigh him here today and see how much he has grown in the last week. We have already had to put away his newborn clothes and some of the 0-3 months are getting tight. It is odd for us b/c Payton and Carson were always so tiny. Aidan is just a big boy!

We have been having some cold and rainy weather so Payton and Carson have been getting bored around the house. We had one nice day so when the kids were all napping, I went outside and filled a bunch of water balloons. After snack, I let Payton and Carson go out and throw a few around the yard. They had so much fun! Of course the balloons didn’t last very long but at least it got the kids out and playing.

Aidan has started smiling at me. It takes a lot of talking but he will smile and it melts your heart. It isn’t just a grin…it is a huge mouth open, looks like he is going to laugh smile. I LOVE IT!! It looks like he could just take off talking at any minute. He is so alert when he is awake and will just look at you for minutes at a time.

That about sums up our week! Enjoy the rest of summer while we still have it!

Here are some new pictures:


Just taken yesterday


Isn't it funny how older siblings seem to "sneak" into the pictures??



Trying to talk to us!

Mister Man

Aidan loves his pacifier

The water balloon fight begins!

Carson's wind up!

Payton giving out the rules

And the pitch.....

The balloons! (Did I mention that I got completely soaked filling these? I had to come in and change clothes. Also got some strange looks from the neighbors!)

Brothers

Poor Aidan gets lots and lots of smooches at our house!

How blessed are we??

2 Weeks Old and 2 Loose Teeth

I took Aidan to get his first pictures this week. They turned out so cute! He was such a good boy and was very alert! When we got to the photographer’s studio, a few kittens ran up to us. By the time we were all out of the car there were a ton of tiny kitties running at us. Payton and Carson were in Heaven! They stayed outside and played with the kitties while Aidan and I went inside for pictures. Below are a few of my favorites from his session.

We had Aidan’s 2 week check up on Thursday. He now weighs 9lbs 12oz which is a gain of 1lb 6oz from when he was born. He grew ½” so he is now 21-1/2” long. What a good eater he is!

After Aidan’s appointment I took Payton and Carson shopping to get some of their school supplies. That was a trip! We were in Wal-Mart for almost 2 hours looking around. Unfortunately they did not have everything on our list so we are going to Mankato next weekend and will finish up looking for school supplies and find backpacks, school shoes and some clothes. The kids are very excited and were fun to watch as they picked out what colors or designs they wanted.

Mike spent Friday at the PGA tournament in Hazeltine, MN. He met his mom and dad there for the day. I was jealous that he got to go and I didn’t, but Aidan is just too little to leave yet. Lee and Diane came back here on Saturday and stayed with us and left for home today. Carson and Payton got to show PaPa Lee their golfing skills at our driving range. Carson loves golfing and begs Mike to take him all the time. We are hoping to get him in the Jr. Golf league here in Lakefield next year. Payton likes to go golfing but doesn’t enjoy it as much as Carson does. I am hoping she gets into it a little more since Mike and I love it so much. It is a great family sport. I haven’t had my clubs out all year which is hard to believe. Maybe I will get in a few rounds before the season ends.

Tonight we had sweet corn with our dinner and Carson kept complaining that it was hurting his teeth. I came over and looked in his mouth and was shocked to see that his front two bottom teeth are extremely loose and his 2 new teeth are already coming in! He will definitely be toothless for a while and I think it will be super cute! We have been working on them tonight but he gets frustrated easily so I think we will leave them for tomorrow. They are barely hanging on so it will not be long!

Here are some pictures we have taken over the last week. Enjoy!!

Friday Night at the Movies!

This is a picture of Carson (falling asleep in the sandbox) with his best buddy Jade standing watch!

Last Friday night Mike and I took all 3 kids to the drive in movie theater near Spirit Lake. The movie “UP” was playing and we thought the kids would like it. It was such a good, heart-warming movie! Aidan did great! He and I sat in the car b/c it was a little breezy. Payton, Carson and Mike all sat outside in lawn chairs. The kids thought the movie was pretty good too. The kids had baths before we went and wore their jammies so when we got home they could go straight to bed. The movie doesn’t even start until 9:00 so it makes a pretty late night!

I have been taking Aidan for daily stroller rides and he seems to really like them. Carson will ride his bike and Payton will sometimes ride her bike and sometimes will walk with Aidan and I. If we go at night when Mike is home, he rides his bike with Carson. It is good exercise and a fun activity to do as a family.

It is hard to believe that we are nearing mid-August. The time flies so quickly! The kids will start school the Tuesday after Labor Day. We are going the weekend of the 22nd to get school supplies and clothes. We will have a big first grader and a big Kindergartner! I will be home with Aidan until mid October so that will give he and I some quality one on one time while the kids are in school.

I took Aidan to Alison Stumpf’s for his first pictures yesterday. He did so good! He was really awake and seemed to be looking at the camera a lot so hopefully they turn out as cute as I think they will! She does a great job and the pictures always turn out amazing!

Aidan and I go back to the doctor tomorrow for our 2 week check ups. I am anxious to see how much he weighs. He seems to be so big now but I think it is because he was so much bigger to start with. He weighed almost 2 pounds more than Payton did and a pound more than Carson. He was 1-2” longer than the other 2 kids as well.

Carson has really been playing outside a lot this summer. He has a cute little farmer tan…. Speaking of farmer….he has put many miles on his John Deere tractors in the sand box. One day when I looked out the window, he was laying on his tummy and had fallen asleep and our dog Jade had curled up next to him. It was pretty cute!

Payton loves playing in her room with her Polly Pockets, little ponies, pet shops, or barbies. She can spend hours in there and you never hear a peep from her. I am amazed at how well she and Carson have adjusted to having a baby in the house. They love him so much and just want to help where and when they can. Mike and I are so blessed to have 3 amazing and healthy kids.

Here are some pictures of our last few days at home. Enjoy!







What an Angel!




Mike Playing John Deere Dominoes with the kids. Aidan had a front row seat!

Proud Big Brother!

Getting ready for nap time

Aidan's Big Sister LOOOVVEESS him!

So Big!

One Week Old

Today Aidan is a week old. Where did the week go??? He is adjusting very well and he still sleeps like an Angel. Carson and Payton are such great helpers and love their little brother!

It amazes me at the laundry that one little guy can create! It seems like there is always something in the wash and getting caught up is a thing of the past! He gets up between 2 – 3 times a night and that includes around 6:00 in the morning. So far we are able to handle that! I actually like the night-time feedings. We have a night-light / lamp in his room and that is where I go to change / feed him. I love just rocking him in the middle of the night and having him look right at you. You just can’t beat that! Then, he drifts off to sleep and we start all over again!

Today Payton had a play-date with one of her classmates so Carson and I took Aidan for a stroller ride. I pushed the stroller and Carson rode his bike. We took a nice 30 minute ride / walk and now Carson and Aidan are both napping. The house is really quiet!

Here are some new pictures of the little guy with his brother and sister!

Aidan Parks Amundson

Well, after 9 days of being overdue, he FINALLY decided to arrive!

I went to the hospital at 9:45 in the morning on the 28th and Aidan was born at 12:20 a.m. on the 29th. He weighed in at 8 lbs 6 oz and was 21 inches long. He is a very good baby and loves to sleep! We are so glad to have him as part of our family!! We chose his name because I love the name Aidan but his middle name is my Grandma’s maiden name.

I came home from the hospital yesterday (31st) and Aidan was great over night. He wakes up about every 3 hours to eat and then goes right back to sleep. I have him sleeping in the bassinet right beside me and he doesn’t even cry. I can just hear him rustling around.

Payton and Carson are great little helpers and seem to have adjusted very well to us bringing him home. They love to go and get things and do things for me if it is baby related. They make great big sister and big brother.