Happy Halloween!!

The kids in their matching Halloween pajamas... which I got on clearance for $2.99!! I think I may have a bargain shopping problem! :)

We took the kids to the pumpkin patch last weekend. We had fun, but it was pretty windy so the kids weren't real big on smiling for the camera.

The only decent picture of Grant in front of the ruler also includes Regan and Daddy!

Daddy and Regan working on their pumpkins. We found a ton of awesome templates at familyfun.com and we had the coolest pumpkins, but of course I didn't get a decent picture of them before they rotted out. Oops.

Grant doing his favorite thing... putting things in his mouth! :) Do you see his cute little fat wrists?! He's so adorable.

Eric showing Regan what the inside of the pumpkin looks like. Notice the look of disgust on her face... she was not sure what the think of that stuff. We put some in front of her and tried to get her to touch it, but she was not interested. I think we may have a girly girl on our hands! :)

Of course Daddy doesn't look too thrilled to be touching the stuff either....

We took them again today to get pictures in their costumes. I told Eric that as long as I got one good one of each of them seperate and then one of them together, I would be happy. Mission accomplished.

Grant the Monkey. Do you see his banana in the pocket? He also had a swirly tail on the backside of his costume, which was really adorable. Gotta love Old Navy. I have gotten every single one of Regan's costumes there.

A rare shot of Regan smiling. I was so thrilled when I saw this picture. I told her to smile like a jack o lantern and this is what I got. Regan was a puppy dog named FiFi. She was SO funny because she kept carrying the top part of her costume around saying, "Come on FiFi. Let's go, FiFi," like Fifi was her baby doll. But then I called her Regan and she said, "NO, Momma, I am FiFi." She's so adorable.

And the one decent picture I got of the two of them. I may be a bit biased here, but I'm pretty sure we have the cutest kids in the world!

Sister time!!!

Last week my sisters and their broods came into town! We had an absolute blast, although my ears are still ringing from the constant noise!! We had 7 kids and 5 adults (where the grandkids go, Nana goes too! -- and one night Papa was with us before he flew out again!) all sleeping in our house. It worked out pretty well, with the exception of a tiny bug passed between Kylie, Regan and Nana... of course in the middle of the night.

I can't get blogger to upload my pictures in the right order, so here are some pics from the week in no particular order.

My sisters and I being dorks. I'm on the left, Brandi is in the middle and Sarah on the right, in case you can't tell. I swear the older we get, the more we look alike. It's a bit creepy.
"Quick, grab Nana's credit cards and let's hit Babies R Us!"
This is after everyone left. Regan got a new swing (for free!) and she has loved playing outside on the swingset ever since we hung it up. I think the first night we were outside swinging for 40 minutes before either one of them got tired of it!
Since there are 7 grandkids, I took the liberty of naming them after the 7 dwarfs. My sweet niece Aubrey is now known as Dopey, and trust me, if you've ever met this kid, you would agree that that name fits her perfectly! Aubrey is a hoot and always keeps us laughing!

The older of the twins, Harlee Barlee... that's my nickname for her and it's so cute to hear Regan call her that! Harlee is such a sweet little baby, but she just has her days, thus the dwarf name: Grumpy.
And Shyann, now known as Bashful...
This is the only picture I have of the bundle of energy we call Kyle. Man, that kid is constantly on the go... he's so cute to watch too, because he's so intent on everything he does. Because of his constant exploration of all things new to him, when Kyle hits the hay, he hits the hay!! It isn't unusual for him to sleep 13 or 14 hours at night (tough luck for Brandi, huh?) and then turn around and take a 3 hour nap. I do hereby pronouce Kyle the dwarf... Sleepy.
For some reason I didn't get a picture of Kylie by herself, so here she is with Regan, both in their 'big sister' shirts. Kylie is the oldest of the 7 grandchildren, a role she takes very seriously. She is such a big helper and is so good with all the little kids. Because of her take charge attitude, we shall now call her Doc.

That leaves 2 remaining names for my kiddos.... whoever guesses their nicknames (matching the correct one) will win.... nothing. :)

This was before everyone came. One day when I went to get Grant up from his nap, this is how I found him. How stinking adorable is he!?!?

Of course we then had to take a crib picture of Regan. And I'm glad we did because tonight we took the side off of her crib, so she officially has a big girl bed!! She was so excited to sleep in it and I don't even think the thought crossed her mind that she can climb out of it because once we turned the lights off, I haven't heard a peep out of her... am I crazy to hope it stays that way!?
Kylie reading "Brown Bear" to Regan. I will say it again, we highly recommend this book!! I also saw two other books in the series at Target this week. I'm thinking I may have found 2 Christmas presents!!
Harlee Barlee and Shiny watching Praise Baby. I'm pretty sure we had one of those movies playing constantly the entire time. Between three 6 month olds and two 2 year olds, those movies are a lifesaver!! More like a sanity saver, right sisters?! :)
All the grandkids playing on the swingset, except Grant, who was sleeping. The weather was beautiful while they were here, so the kids spent a lot of time outside.

We had such a wonderful time with everyone and it makes me miss my sisters like crazy. I wish we all lived closer so we could get together like this more often. I always see families who live in the same town and get to do things together all the time and it makes me want to ask them, "Do you know how lucky you are?" My sisters and mom are my absolute best friends and I feel so incredibly blessed by God to have them in my life. I can't imagine a day going by when I don't talk to at least one of them, and usually all 3 of them!

A lot of people have asked where everyone slept when they were here and when I tell them everyone slept at our house, the looks I get are usually incredulous. That's the way we grew up, though... I can remember sleeping on an air mattress with Beth Ann in the dining room at Granny's one year! That's just how we roll... we fit as many people as we can into one house (it works best if you only have 1 shower!) and then enjoy the choas that ensues! It just wouldn't feel like family time if someone was stuck away in a hotel.

By the by, that same attitude goes for friends too, so if you're ever in the area and want a free place to stay, feel free to drop by! You might end up on the futon in the stuffy office, but hey, we put ya where we can fit ya! :)

Finally!!!

We finally got a new camera!!! I have been so sad that we don't have pictures of the kids from the last few months, so I have been going crazy taking pictures!! Here are just a few because blogger is slow and it's driving me crazy!!

Regan taking her pumpkin to Mother's Day Out last week. They are learning about pumpkins and other fall things and at the end of the month they are going to paint them.

Mr. Grant sleeping the day away...
This past weekend we headed up to churchcamp in the mountains of New Mexico for a relaxing weekend. My parents went with us and we had a GREAT time! Here's the monkey laying down.
When I took this picture, Eric said, "You are in such a blogger mode right now"! :) This is the entrance to camp.
Regan trying to figure out how to get up without getting dirty. It was the funniest thing ever because she wouldn't put her hands down or roll onto her knees. I finally had to pick her up and set her on her feet!

I will try to post more pictures tomorrow but blogger is driving me crazy, so I'm giving up for right now!!

On a brighter note, we found out last week that we are going to be aunt and uncle for the 8th time!!! Eric's brother Bill, and his wife Karen are expecting a baby in mid-May!! We are so excited and happy for them!! The doctor could only see one heartbeat, so no twins this time, but it will still be a very exciting time for them and for Lindsey and Leah. Congratulations, Bill and Karen!!

Funnies

Our children bring such joy to our lives. Sometimes I don't know what the heck we did for entertainment before they came along! Allow me to share the funniest things from the last couple of days with the kids. And by the way, these are probably more "had to be there" moments than "laugh out loud while sitting at your computer" moments, but allow me to tell you how awesome I think my kids are.

Regan has discovered a new art form: fake crying. She doesn't do it to be deceptive or get out of trouble, but more when she wants something. Today she determined that she did not need to lay down for a nap when I thought she did. We were sitting on the chair reading her two books, and she turned on the fake tears. Knowing full well that she was fake crying, I started chuckling. My chuckling led Regan to start laughing... while still fake crying. I can't really explain it other than tears were rolling down her cheeks, but she had a huge grin and was laughing. Oh my goodness, it was the funniest thing. I laughed so hard my cheeks hurt and the more I laughed, the more she laughed. And when I would stop, she would turn on the fake tears again and start the whole process over. I'll try to capture it on video sometime because it really is hilarious.

I just love how easily Regan laughs at things and how she also loves to make people laugh. She's definitely got a great sense of humor.

Moving on to Grant...

Grant is still waking up at night. Every night. Every 2 - 2 1/2 hours, every night. Sympathy is welcome, unsolicited advice... not so much.

Now, my child is 6 months old. He should be well past the stage of needing to nurse every 2 hours at night. But for some reason he has determined that this is a good mother/son bonding time and that he would like to continue to see me in the middle of every night. And because I'm one of "those" mothers, I immediately pop out of bed and rush into his room at the first sign of a whimper.

Here's where it gets funny. Grant isn't really awake when he wakes up and he's just kind of crying out more than crying. So when I pick him up and he recognizes that it's me (you mothers out there know what I mean by that) he starts this little yelp. It's kind of a mixture of annoyance, relief, tiredness and anger all rolled into one. It's almost like he's making a statement that he wishes I would be in his room, ready to nurse him the second he wakes up and since I wasn't, he's going to complain about it.

I know you have no idea what I'm talking about, but it's so funny for me to think about that I'm sitting here laughing. Anyway, not only does he yelp until I start to nurse him, he also bends himself over in half trying to beat me to the punch of getting ready to nurse. Oh my goodness, it's hilarious. And it's likely one of the reasons I'm not [too] upset about having to get up with him 3 or 4 times at night... it's cheap entertainment! :)

I realize that neither of those stories seem that funny to the vast majority of you, but it's just one of the reasons I thank God that he gave me the two children he did. They're such a blessing and a joy and we have so much fun with them.

Pictures from Nana!!

Mom has been here for a few days, so we've been taking lots of pictures of the kids. Be sure to watch the videos below here. They'll definitely make you laugh!!

Here's a picture of Regan's new hair cut. She looks so grown up now, it makes me sad.
Here's Regan with Nana...
And our happy little Grant. Is he not the cutest, happiest little boy ever!?
Daddy and Regan reading "Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?" We very highly recommend this book... it's a definite favorite in our household!! Can you see how much she adores her Daddy?
Grant started cereal this week!! He seems to like it okay. Here are a few pictures from his first night....
"Here Momma, let me show you how to do it."There's a glare so you can't really see his face, but he wasn't too messy.

The Rath children....

... demonstrate healthy bodily functions!! Enjoy!!!

Patience is a virtue....

Just think of how much my kiddos will have grown by the time I finally have a camera and can start posting pictures! :)

We've been good here in the Rath household. Fall is here and words do not express how happy this makes me! I absolutely love everything about fall... the colors, the weather, the FOOTBALL!!! And can I just say, "How 'bout them Cowboys!?" Dang, I love me some Romo and Co.

Regan and Grant are doing great. Regan is going to Mother's Day Out on Tuesdays and Thursdays while Grant and I go clean houses. She has had a little trouble adjusting to her new teachers and the new classroom, but I think she'll figure things out before too much longer. Her teacher is also her Sunday school teacher at church, so I'm hoping she'll get comfortable with her enough to stop screaming and latching herself onto my leg the minute we walk into the building.

Grant is growing like a weed. He had his 4 month shots on Monday. I tell you what, those shots are about the worst thing that a mother could go through. My poor little guy had the most painful look in his eyes and his little cry sounded so hurt. It was terrible. The good news is that he weighed in at a whopping 18 lbs, 6 oz and is 27 1/4 inches long!! Can you say "tight end for the Cowboys"!? The doctor said he has a small heart murmur, but that 50% of all kids have one and that it will more than likely resolve itself by the time he's a pre-teen.

Today I was in our bedroom folding laundry and I heard Regan talking and Grant laughing in the living room, so I went to see what they were up to. Grant was sitting (a skill he learned about 5 weeks ago) in the middle of the floor and Regan was running in circles around him, making silly faces every time she got in front of him. It was the sweetest thing and was one of those moments I just had to quietly watch from the hallway and try to preserve for my Alzheimer's years.

I better hit the hay. I hope you all will take the time to enjoy the cooler fall weather and the beauty of God's nature. Blessings!!

Of ants and disobedient books....

Still no camera... Sorry, but you'll have to settle for another word-painted picture. :)

Things are going just swell in the Rath household. Eric started school today, which is really no big deal since they've been having summer band for 3 weeks already. The only difference is that now he's required to dress up and wear close toed shoes, which for him is a major sacrifice. Regan starts back at Mother's Day Out tomorrow. We go tonight to meet her new teachers, Tiffany and Tabitha, the latter of which is much cause for confusion because Regan thinks if she sees Tabitha, she should also see Tara Lynn and Wesley (our cousins). Grant and I are going to miss her, but I know how much she enjoys playing with the other kids, so that makes it easier to let her go.

Granters is growing like a weed. Yesterday he sat up all by himself for close to a minute before he toppled over. He got the biggest grin on his face (which I would've captured on a camera, if I had one!) and was so proud of himself. When he fell over he got this look on his face like, "Wait. What am I doing on the floor?" It was pretty cute. He's trying to cut a tooth so he chews on everything in sight and has been a bit cranky today. I'm hoping that he'll take after Regan and cut two at a time and then be happy for a couple of months before he cuts the next two!

I have a funny Regan story to tell:

Yesterday after lunch Regan was playing with all of her books. She was lining them up in the entryway one at a time. Eric and I were in the living room watching the Olympics (SO sad, they're over, by the way) when we heard her start to tell her books, in a rather firm voice, to "Stay There! I be right back, you stay there!" It was quite humerous, as Regan is often told to stay there. In fact, I think this all came about because as we were leaving the Donut Shop with Grandad yesterday morning (a new tradition), I told her to stay on the sidewalk while I put Baby Grant in the car and that I would come back for her.

Anyway, so she goes about telling each individual book to stay there while she goes and gets yet another book. As she is making her way back into the entryway, we heard a smack, like she had dropped a book. Then we heard a VERY stern mother Regan tell one of her baby books, "NO, book, you O-BEY. Stay there. You O-BEY book!" And yes, the smack we heard was our very own daughter spanking her book because it did not obey her. I'm wondering if our life lesson of obedience isn't quite making the connection....

So that sums up our life for now. Football starts in 2 weeks, can I get an AMEN!? And if anyone knows how to get rid of ants in our dishwasher, drop us a line!!

Maybe next time I post, it will be with pictures!!

Borrowed time...

Granny was nice enough to loan us her camera for a few days this week, so we have a few pictures to show....

Now that Grant is rolling over, I can NOT get him to sleep on his back anymore. Even in his side positioner he finds a way to roll over! Isn't he just the sweetest thing ever!?
Hudson came over to play yesterday and today so that James and Kristen could get some packing done. He loves, loves, loves to sing into the microphone on Grant's excersaucer. He's been privy to a lot of youth group jam sessions, so he even gets the furrowed eyebrows, closed eyes and head bob going on. It's the cutest thing ever. I'm not real sure what Regan was doing here... something mechanical, I think.
Granny and Papa brought over a video game thing to put in our garage sale a few weeks ago. Eric decided it was the very thing he needed in order to occupy his free moments, so he bought it. Regan likes to sit next to him and "play". He's playing Galaga or Arapanoid or something like that. I love his intense look!
How could anybody resist a face like this!?! Do you see why I am the luckiest mom in the entire world?
Not our most lady-like position, but a great shot of how long her hair is getting! I think she looks so grown up these days. I now know what every mom means when they ask where the time goes!

Wait.... what happened?

Hello? Is anybody still there? :) I know it has been coming up on forever since I've posted, but friends, I've been busy. "Busy doing what?" you may ask.

Busy dropping my camera in the bath water as I was trying to take a picture of Grant. That's what.

Now my camera is completely ruined and the worst part is that I didn't even get the picture of Grant and he was being really cute!! So I probably won't have any new pictures for while but I will try to paint a picture with my words because seriously, I have the cutest kids EVER!

Regan is learning so much every single day. The kid is smart as a whip and so stinking funny. One of her latest cute things to do is squeeze our noses and say "konk, konk" which translates "honk, honk". It's SO cute! She also likes to sing "Zaccheus" and the ABC's. She still goes to Mother's Day Out on Tuesdays and I think she has a lot of fun. She has a friend, Emma, and she's always anxious to go play with her. I think it's good for a parent's heart when they see their children excited to go play with friends. Regan is apparently the life of the party, too. Whenever we pick her up, all the kids run up to the door and yell "Bye Regee" until she's gone. It's really sweet.

Eric has been able to both drop her off and pick her up a lot of those days because he's been home writing for the summer, and that's been nice for both of them. Regan has certainly become quite the Daddy's girl this summer. Wherever Daddy is, that's where Regan wants to be. There have been a couple of times this summer when I've gone in to get her out of her crib in the mornings or after a nap, and she sits back down and says, "No, Momma. Daddy" and she refuses to let me get her out of the crib. I have to admit, I'm a little bit jealous.

What to say about Grant? Oh my goodness, that little boy has stolen my heart completely. He brings so much joy to our lives. He has this infectious smile that just lights up his entire face and manages to make me smile, no matter how tired I am. He is the happiest little guy I've ever met and is so content. He learned to roll over last week (!) but doesn't like the end result of being on his tummy. He's a great sleeper and usually lets me get at least 6 hours in before he wakes up at night. (If I would go to bed on time, it would be more like 8 hours!)

We went to the doctor on Monday for a 4 month well baby check up. He tipped the scales at 16 lbs, 7 oz and was 26 1/2 inches long. If I had a camera, I would take a picture of his rolls because they are the cutest thing ever!! The doctor said he's doing great and that if I wanted to start cereal, I could. I think I'll hold off on that for another couple of months, though. It's not always convenient, but the time I spend nursing Grant is high on my list of favorite things to do. I love having a chance to cuddle him every 2-3 hours and focus completely on him. Sometimes he looks at me and just starts grinning and cooing and it about melts my heart. Oh yeah, cooing is another new thing for Grant. He loves to make the 'g' sound and he likes to make it LOUD! He's so cute and happy and sweet. Man, I love that kid.

Eric started band camp this week, which means summer is officially over for us. :( He only has to teach part-time this week, but then goes full-time next week. He spent the majority of his summer writing on drum books. Oh, the never-ending drum books. He's written 4, I think, and still has 3 more to do. He is so gifted in the writing field and I'm glad he gets to do what he loves. If you haven't ever, you should really check out his website. There is a link to the right of our blog. My favorite pieces are Axiom and Jesu/O Holy Night.

I'm sad that summer is over, but I have to admit, I'm definitely ready for cooler weather. I really enjoy summertime and all that comes with it (9:30 and the sun has just set, bbq's, watermelon, running through the sprinkler) but lately I have found myself anxious for fall and FOOTBALL!!! Praise the Lord, we are finally within one month of the pre-season and kickoff for the first game is 7 weeks from this Sunday!!! The NFL on Fox theme song will once again ring loud and true from our t.v. set... all Sunday, every Sunday. Lord have mercy, I can not wait!! :)

So, that's a quick catch-up on our lives. I hope I can get a new camera soon, but until then, I think you'll just have to stick with these long word-painted pictures. Thanks for not giving up hope on us or our blog!! :)

Graduations at long last!!!

This is my cousin Tonya and her sweet baby girl Kori, at Tara Lynn's graduation. It was a really neat graduation because it was a homeschool group. They had 14 in the "class" and it was really personalized for each graduate. My Aunt Julie was in charge of the graduation and I think she did an excellent job!
It's pretty dark, but this is my aunt and uncle presenting Tara Lynn her diploma from Livingston Heritage Academy.
These are the great-grandkids that were there. The two oldest ones are Maycee and Damion, Tasha's kiddos, and then Kori. They had a great time playing together. If only the other 7 (sooon to be 8) cousins could've been there, they would've had a ball!!
After Tara Lynn's graduation, Mom and I went to spend a week with Sarah in her new house! It was stinking hot and humid in Newton, but we had a great time anyway! This picture cracks me up because if you look carefully, everyone in it has their arm around their head! This is Rowdy holding Harlee, and then Rowdy's best friend, Nick and then Grant.
Here's Grant and the twins. Shyann Hope is on the left and Harlee Ann is on the right. They look so little compared to Grant, but I have a feeling they'll be able to hold their own against him when they're all older!
Nana getting a sweet smile from Shyann.
Harlee and her mowhawk. The kid has so much hair, it makes me jealous!
After Sarah's, we all went to Ponca City for Michael's graduation. Again, it was stinking hot and humid, but we had a good time there as well. Here are Regan and Kaitlin (Marcia's little girl; she is 1 year older than Regan) watching all the graduates go across the stage.
Michael David Berry getting his degree.
Grant learned to suck his thumb while we were gone. I don't want him to be a thumb sucker, but it's so cute when he does it that instead of giving him his binky, I always end up taking a picture! :)
Sarah, Kylie, the 3 babies and I all stayed in one hotel room while Regan stayed in another one with Nana and Papa. The girls had a rough night one night and when I got up to take a shower, I couldn't help but take a picture!
Kaitlin and Regan taking a bath together. They had a lot of fun playing together... I just wish it could happen more often!
And of course, the one picture I wanted to get while we were in Ponca, I didn't get. My cousin Beth Ann was there with her little boy, Hunter, who is only 4 weeks older than Grant, and I really wanted a picture of us with our boys, but I guess we were too busy playing tennolleypong to remember to take the picture! :)

Overall it was a great week and we got to see a lot of family. We had so much fun, but we definitely missed Daddy and wished he could've been there with us.