Eli's 1st week events

Kai has been SUPER sweet with Eli. He gets down face-to-face to talk or sing to him. He asks to hold him and is very gentle and even asks if they can sleep together! Here's Kai holding Eli while he watches Thomas the Train (you can see his attention is somewhat diverted) and Eli laying with Kai in his bed. Eli and Kai seem to have alot of similar expressions. This is Eli's "old man" face. This is Papa Don (Derrick's dad) and the whole crew in their PJ's. Papa and MooMoo have been a great help this last week.....grabbing us food, babysitting, and even last minute sleepovers! Thanks guys! We had our first family outing on Saturday up to Castle Rock for a birthday party in the park. It was nice to get out but stressful at the same time. The getting ready to leave was the most stressful. Eli pooped and then pee'd all over himself twice while we were trying to get out the door. He's already known for shooting pee randomly....we have to be on-guard at all times! We ended up being 1 hr. late to the party, but nevertheless, we did make it! Here's Kai whacking the pinata! He would take a swing and then come announce to us "it didn't bust open?" He also found this little spider jungle gym and loved sitting in the middle of the web! Derrick is back to work. I felt a little anxious about being on my own with the kids already so I lined up a few guests to ease the transition somewhat. My aunt from Parker (now known as "BonBon") came down to help entertain Kai and Addie on Monday. They played outside making sand castles galore and then took a little hike around camp. Here's them after their hour trek....walking sticks in hand! Thanks Boz! Addie seems like a "monster" now in comparison to Eli's size! Derrick and I are sure she's gained weight!! LOL So here's a cute one of her packin' on the pounds with her watermelon! Here's Eli's 1 week mark: he was scooting all over this blanket by moving his little feet! My good friends from high school, Sarah and Laura, visited this week as well! They were thoroughly entertained by Kai and brought us an amazing brunch! It was fun to catch up. Thanks girls. This video is for the family...not particularly exciting but captures Eli's meloncholy moment!

Eli Luke Unrein

Eli arrived June 22 at 2:57am after only 4 hrs of labor. He weighs 6 lbs. 1 oz. and is 19 in. long. The birth story is FAST (which was GREAT news for me despite a difficult delivery). He had a pretty bruised up head and face after delivery but it has dramatically disapated now. He has started as a "lazy" feeder but we're working on that. He has a much fuller, darker head of hair than his brother and sister did (more like Daddy I think). Kai and Addie were so cute coming to meet him the next morning! See their pics below. Eli's 1st pic with Mom and Dad. You can see his banged up face....poor kiddo! After Kai did a quick exploration of the hospital room (which was very intriguing) he just wanted to stare at Eli and then hold him. Addie saw the "baby" right away and was leaning and asking to touch/hold/kiss him. We put her by him right away thinking she would just watch him, but she ended up giving him two wacks on the head (surely meant as love taps). After we corrected her and asked her to give him kisses, she did so very gently! You can see me holding her hands in this pic so she wouldn't wack him again!! She didn't really appreciate that. Here's Kai holding Eli and giving him kisses on the head. He was diggin' it! During their visit, he kept asking me why Eli wasn't talking and then continued to "teach" him animal sounds (especially his infamous mooing). We also told him it was a special day since it was Eli's birthday....so he softly sang "Happy Birthday" to Eli right in his face. So precious. Addie continually wanted to give Eli kisses and that was about ALL we were willing to let her get close for. She definitely is interested in her big brother and wants to view him in the crib and pack'n play at home. Once she learns the rules about being GENTLE, I think she will be a very good helper! Here's one with his eyes open and his cute little summer onesie! Eli content to hang with Daddy. When he's awake and not crying, he's very alert and content to just look around. At this point, he seems to have a pretty laid back personality. Here's little man waiting to be discharged from the hospital. We were anxious to get home. Eli's 1st pic at home......he's a little squirt in his carseat! A few things we've noticed: It's unbelievable how BIG our little Addie seems in comparison to Eli. It really puts the 1st years' growth in perspective! Kai got his hair buzzed tonight by Daddy while I gave Addie a bath and Eli slept in his crib....except when Eli started wailing, what to do? Derrick didn't want to leave Kai alone outside with lethal clippers and I can't leave Addie in the bath alone. Someone will have to cry. We will have to double team somewhere. Things like this should make for some interesting scenarios around here in the coming weeks! Stay tuned for that.

Father's Day

We had a great day celebrating OUR DAD this year! We went to church with Papa and MooMoo to watch Aunt Mimi sing, we ate yummy Mexican for lunch with family, we napped in the car while heading up to the Park Meadows Mall to shop for Daddy, then we headed to Roxborough State Park to skate/bike and have a picnic. It was a full but beautiful day to be together and show Derrick how much we love him and appreciate him! Last family pic as a four-some! 37 wk baby boy the next day. Last pregnancy pic! Daddy and Kai cruisin' together around the lake. Kai got to play in the skatepark "bowls" with Daddy. They were being very silly! Daddy with Kai and Addie ONE day before their brother was born.........

Family Galore

"Galore" is a good thing...we love having family visit! A few weekends ago (sorry about the delay), we ended up having my parents and Derrick's brother's family visit at the same time. It was alot of fun to have all the kids together (a wild time with all 5 of them and soon to increase in #!) and of course have grandma and grandpa here to play as well. One night we did smore at the camp pavilion.....a huge hit with the kids and an insanely sticky mess as you can see from the pics! Good things moms always carry wipes! Drew (5 yrs) Issac (almost 3 yrs) Ella (1 yr) Addie (1 yr) Kai (2.5 yrs) Grandma and MooMoo with Addie Kai and Grandpa sporting their leathers!

June Summer Days

Our new love in the heat--a pool with slide! Thanks Steegers! Kai's new mission outside....wet sand pies!! It's now customary that the sand toys end up in the pool and the pool water ends up in the sandbox....urgh! But man, it is fun and entertains for hours..... so I guess Momma is okay with it! Addie loves the sandbox....she's catching on to shoveling sand, although rarely gets any into the buckets at this point! We've been taking advantage of the pregnancy/ice cream combo in the summer heat and light evenings at the ROCK HOUSE in Palmer Lake (our favorite place). Addie dives right in....no lessons necessary. Lots of napkins needed!

Gone Fishin'

Kai's been super excited for weeks now to take the fishing boat Great Grandpa Ed gave us out on the water! There were several factors that contributed to the excitement: 1. he got a new life vest that he has to wear when riding in the boat (which is very cool at 2 yrs. old) and 2. he got to practice casting and reeling in the water with his Spiderman fishing pole he got for Christmas. The 2-3 ft. deep pond where the "launch" took place was out on Ponderosa conservation land not far from our house. It mainly serves as a watering hole for wildlife and I seriously DOUBT it sustains much underwater life. So that Kai wouldn't get his hopes too high for catching anything, we told him we would be fishing for "mud puppies!" He was okay with it and thought it was kinda funny...but I'm wondering what he was really envisioning a "mud puppy" looks like???? Kai and Daddy putting the boat in the water. Kai is decked out in the fishing attire....vest complimented by the net to scoop seaweed!! Beautiful place to fish right in our backyard! Father/Son bonding out on the water.....having a great time together! Addie and I took pics and walked around the outskirts of the pond during this whole adventure. Luckily, we found some huge black beetles to watch and keep her occupied during the boys' voyage! It won't be long before we'll be purchasing life vest #2 and princess pole!

Who said dandelions are weeds?

We have an abundance of dandelions all over camp this year! Funny enough, they are actually kind of pretty and colorful in the fields because there are so many of them! Addie picks dandelions every time we are outside. She will sit in the grass and scoot to reach as many as she can. She has figured out not to eat them for the most part (although occasionally I find yellow remnants in her mouth) and now just picks the tops off and carries them around. Derrick and I wanted to put her in a cute yellow dress and do pics, but I kept forgetting. So when watching the kids last Wednesday, Derrick took these pics as they drove past one of the dandelion-loaded fields in camp! Daddy is so efficient on "Daddy day." I think the pics pretty much speak for themselves!

Gettin' dirty and tired

Summer days are back! I love dirty, happy and tired kids. Life seems more simple, yet busy! Each outing is an adventure and our yard has become Kai and Addie's haven! Just a few happy faces to share now that it's warm enough outside to spend our morning and evenings digging in the sandbox, drawing with sidewalk chalk, swinging, picking abundant dandelions, taking walks, going to the park, etc. Our little Picasso now has his own easel. It is common for shorts to go into the wash with splashes of pink, yellow, and blue! Why is chalk messier than sand???? Kai and Addie have LOVED the sandbox so far! Finally Addie understands NOT to eat the sand which has been helpful for tantrum-free playtime! Kai proudly tells people everywhere we go that he has "new" sand in his sandbox! Addie continues to try to feed herself with utensils. I'm absolutely positive more makes it into her bib than into her mouth if Daddy or I are not right there to assist! A baby update: I'm now 34 wks along and our little guy is doing fabulous. At this point, the pregnancy is normal and we're really praying for it to stay that way until our due date July 12th (although late June would be okay by me)! I've gotten through my most critical weeks (31-34 wks). By this point with Addie I had been on bedrest for 3+ wks already and Kai was already born. So naturally, I'm feeling pretty good about things! Derrick and I decided to introduce Kai to his brother by name. It has been really cool how much more he seems bonded to the baby! He talks about him by name and is more interested how he's doing. We're not telling the name, but Kai just might if you ask!!