July...

I am really having a hard time believing it's August already! June was a whirlwind because we were busy adjusting to having a new baby, and the beginning of July was crazy with family being in town for Jim's wedding... and after all that, I think we kind of shut down for a while to get back to "normal" around here and catch up on the sleep we'd been (and continue to be) so deprived of. And now it's August! Wow! So... I guess I'd better start by filling in the details of the month of July. :)

The fun started at the tail end of June, when my sister arrived with her family. It was so wonderful seeing the kids together and getting to meet the newest edition to the DeBoer family! There's probably too many details to put into one blog post, but they say a picture is worth a thousand words so I'll let the pictures do the talking... and put my two cents in where it's needed. :)

Caleb and Elin getting to know each other ~

My sweet niece ~ the rose among the thorns :)

Micah and Luke in their theater seats :)

Bath time after a long day of playing ~

Caleb meeting Great Uncle Randy ~

July 1, 2011 was my brother's wedding day... and what a beautiful day! The weather was just about perfect, despite predictions of 100 + degree heat, and the bride and groom looked happier than ever. I'm bummed because I don't have many pictures from the day... but I guess that's what happens when you're in the bridal party AND trying to keep up with 2 little ones. :) Here's what I do have from Jim and Julie's wedding ~

Cutting the cake ~

The handsome ring bearers watching the cake cutting ~

The boys got a little bored inside, but found a golf cart outside to play on :)

The day after the wedding, my parents had an open house at their place like they did after both Lisa's and my wedding, and the boys had a ball playing in the alligator pool in the back yard. I think Luke was trying to make sure Micah knew he was bigger and stronger... for now... as he tackled Micah in the pool. :)

We've got to be careful not to leave these two unsupervised for too long! :)

At the parade on the 4th of July ~

Sleepyheads ~

Playing with Nee Nee ~

We had a great time with my sister in town! And we can't wait to see them again over Thanksgiving! :)

* * * * * * * * * *

Once the dust had settled after all the excitement with the family, we got to work settling back into our everyday life and routine at home. Which included...

Micah's culinary expertise being shared with the family ~




Setting up Caleb's crib and getting the boys in the same bedroom... a transition we're still working on ~





Learning to share ~ it seems to come pretty naturally to Micah :)




Various construction projects ~



Fun in the water ~





And some family bonding ~

It's been a whirlwind month, and I apologize for my lack of blogging during July. Hopefully, now that things are back to whatever "normal" is for our family, I'll be more consistent... but no guarantees. :)

Settling in...

Well, we've been a family of 4 for just over 2 weeks now, and have been home and settling in for most of that time. (thankfully, we didn't have to spend the entire 5 days in the hospital after Caleb was born... I was anxious to get home to Micah!) I think I mentioned that Micah received some big brother gifts from Caleb and Pops and Nee Nee in my last post, but what he hadn't received yet was his gift from us. We decided to save that for when we got home, since we didn't think the hospital staff would be too keen on him playing with it in the halls of the maternity ward. :) Ever since the Touch a Truck festival in early May, Micah has become obsessed with cars and trucks and buses... basically anything that goes "vroom vroom" (a sound that Micah makes VERY well!)... so Aaron and I thought a cozy coupe would be a great thing to get for him as a big brother gift. To say it was a huge hit would be putting it mildly. Micah was very excited about his new toy and plays with it every chance he gets! :)

I LOVE the look on his face in this picture! :)

Checking out his new wheels...

...literally!

Making sure the horn works ~

Vroom vroom!

Aaron had the week right after Caleb was born off from work, so we had some good family bonding time that week, and it was great to have him around to help. Here are a few pictures of our first week together at home ~

Caleb settling in ~

Micah settling in ~

Micah has taken a major interest in the seat we have for Caleb. Interestingly enough, when Micah was Caleb's size, he was never terribly interested in the seat... which can also be used as a swing... but now that he has to share it, he's decided it's his new favorite thing. :)

My 3 favorite boys ~

So far, everything has gone pretty smoothly with the boys. Aaron went back to work this past week, but my mom came over and helped me out with the boys since I'm still not supposed to be lifting anything over about 10 pounds. I think that has been the hardest part of the whole recovery process. Since Micah is well over 10 pounds, but can't really comprehend that mommy just had major abdominal surgery and really can't be lifting him, the emotional side of recovering has been really tough! My heart just breaks every time Micah comes over to me with his arms up, wanting to be held, so (not surprisingly) I haven't exactly stuck to the whole "no lifting over 10 pounds. But, overall I'm feeling good and we're doing well as a family of 4.

I LOVE our life! I LOVE my boys! God is SO GOOD! :)