It must be croup season again :)

The sunglasses were because he hates when the "smoke" gets in his eyes. :)  For some reason he was much more resistant to having his breathing treatments then he was last season.  We do have several reasons to be thankful though, 1) We made it to December before we had to get out the breathing treatments 2) this episode came on fast but we were fortunate to be able to just treat it at home 3) these pictures are from before the holidays and Trae was back to his usual self for all the Christmas festivities! :)

Merry Christmas!

Well, I tried..

The morning of the kids' Christmas Program at church I was hoping to get a few pictures of the kids all dressed up.  However, the fact that my kids do not enjoy having their picture taken and we only had a short time to try before we left for church, ended up with me not getting the cute picture I had in mind.  Oh well, I tried! :) A few photos to give you an idea of how it went.

 Not bad but missing one..

 ...who really didn't want to join in.

 At least they are all smiling I guess.

 Hmm, proof that they can act like they like each other. :)

 Almost.

And this is about when I decided to call it quits! :)  Guess we will try again another time!

First Dentist Visit

Trae had his first visit to the dentist and I am thrilled to report he had no cavities and he got an A+ on his brushing!  He wasn't to keen on the idea of letting them clean his teeth but they got the job done. :)

Time on the farm

It's harvest time and the kids love combine rides!  Although sometimes I think Paul likes it even more then they do! :)  The boys were okay with a pretty quick ride but I think Ali could have ridden with Grandpa all day. 

 If you look closely you can see all three kids, Paul and my Dad squished in there!

  Three generations of family farmers!  As of August, Jess has officially moved home to work on the farm full time. 

Clifford the Big Red Dog

The Primary School had their annual Book Fair and I took the kids there for family night.  They had a Clifford character that you could have your picture taken with.  Trae is a big fan of his Clifford books and he thought it was very cool to see Clifford, at least from afar. :)  He would hide behind a book shelf, gather some courage and peek around the shelf for a quick look then duck back behind.  After a while he got a little braver and stood closer, so I asked if he wanted his picture taken with Clifford and he said yes.  However, the closer we got to him, the more he covered his eyes and got shy.  But he still insisted he wanted to take a picture, so Ali agreed to be with him.  However, the picture below is STILL the only one we got. Oh well, it's the memories, right? :)

My "baby" is 3

I've been in denial about it, but since the cupcakes have been eaten and the presents opened, it's probably time to admit that my youngest has turned 3.  :)  He hasn't quite gotten down how to hold up three fingers yet, but we're working in it!  Happy 3rd Birthday sweet Trae!

Randoms

Just a few random pictures from the summer.  

Fireworks on the driveway.

 Yum!  Watermelon!

 Sprinkler fun!

 I had this bucket filled with water for another purpose but the day was hot and Trae found a great way to use it! :)

 Paul and I went away for a few nights and had to bring back a picture for Dakota to show that we had been to a lego store.  

 Baby sitting for Trae's good buddy E and little sister V! 

Jump It

We tried out the Jump-It near us one day and the kids had a blast! I was very impressed with Trae's ability to keep up with the older kids on the larger play equipment! 

Catch Up - Virkler Vacation

I didn't keep up with blogging very well over the summer, so I am trying to do some catching up! :)

Virkler Vacation was in July.  It was HOT!  So we were very thankful to have the lake within walking distance and even better, a private pool in the backyard!

 A small are where lake water flowed into and made a perfect small spot for the toddlers to splash around.

 My father-in-law rented a jet ski and two paddle boards one day.  Paddle boarding is way tougher then it looks. Especially when my 7 and 9 year old insisted on RIDING it while I was trying to figure it out.  Sorry, no pictures of that!  :)

 We spent plenty of time in the private pool!

 

 Time for mom to insist on a picture. :)

We went putt-putting one evening.  Even though we waited until like 8 pm to go, it was still miserable hot.  We were melting almost as soon as we left our vehicles. The kids seemed to enjoy it!

 Ali isn't covered in sweat, she just fell in a part of the water on the putt-putt course trying to retrieve her ball.  It was quite hilarious and I laughed until I cried.  

 Also, to the delight of my sons, we visited an outdoor train museum where you can take train rides.  The noise was a bit much for them but they loved everything else!

They had three train sizes, small, medium and large.  A few of the kids wanted to ride the small one and the dads were kind enough to be brave enough to go with them.  It was quite the site! :)  It wasn't a small round track either.  You sit on this little train and go through woods and such.  

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Happy Birthday!

Austin Keith turned 1 last week and we celebrated with a party on Saturday at Aaron and Kayla's!

 Unfortunately the only picture I have of the farm cake my mom made (while it was still decorated)  and the birthday boy has my kiddo's in it too!

He was not so much a fan of the hat!

 See here for this picture from a year ago!  Oh what a difference that first year makes!! :)

 Ali was giving Trae and Austin a ride in Austin's new wagon.  I was trying and trying to get them to look at me for a picture and I guess Trae was done with it because this picture is him yelling "cheese" in a very irritated voice and I think that grimace he has is supposed to be a smile.  :)

The toddlers enjoying Austin's new toys.

 Ali had a great time with Cooper, a visiting puppy.

 The birthday boy!

 Ali got her first motorcycle ride from Uncle Aaron.

Yummy - smores!