Easter surprise

Apparently the Easter bunny is a girl and decided to have her babies in our front yard. Ron and I stumbled upon a little hold in our front yard. I looked a little closer and noticed it was full of little baby bunnies. The kids (Kipp included) were so excited. They were brand new and still didn't have their eyes open. One even jumped out and we found it on our front porch. It was a fun little surprise for our Easter holiday.

Lately

These are just photos as of late. It's been too long since I have posted comings and goings. I also realize that since Hayden started school I have hardly any photos of him. It is so sad! I need to do better!

Lunch date at camille's with my Gracie girl. It's tradition to go to lunch together after we have a doctor's appointment  .

Fall break came and we had to do something fun. So we went to urban swirl and got frozen yogurt.

 Grace has been loving craft time with mommy lately. This particular day we made bugs.

 Sometimes Gracie gets sleepy in the afternoons and we are shopping. So she asks for a pillow and settles down in the cart for a snooze. It cracks me ups.

Rosie finally has hair long enough for a little baby pony. She looks adorable and way too big.

I straightened Grace's hair for the first time, and I am amazed at how long it is.  It doesn't look as long here but in the back it is past her waist.

This handsome guy went to a conference recently and killed it. He ended up winning best poster presentation for  doctorate degrees. Little smarty pants. I don't even know what the research was about. Something about diabetic cells or aging muscle cells or something crazy.

Miss rose is a terrible sleeper. She wakes up too early. This particular day was 530. She was so tired come 8 am, and this is how she told me.

She also really really really loves black beans.

Just cause she is cute.

Little man can count and write clear to 100. Such a smart little guy.

Ron took the kids to the zoo one day so I could have the house to myself. He sent me this photo.  Dang we make cute babies.

She loves loves LOVES people food.

Grace: mommy you need to do your hair and make up before we go the store. You also need to change out of your Jammie's.

Me: I already do those things grace.

Grace: oh you did?

Gee thanks.

Hayden drew a skeleton and his name. His handwriting is getting sooo good!

Sisterly love. I love seeing the love between my children.

This little guy is sure getting fun. Ron and I are really enjoying training him. So far he can sit, stay, lay down, and dances for us.

She is definitely my most mischievous child.

Halloween

This year for Halloween our ward through together a fall "car"nival trunk or treat. It was a lot of fun, each family signed up for a fun game for the kids to play, then we had a chili cook off, followed by a trunk or treat. We are hoping it will be a new tradition because it was so much fun!

After the party we went home and went trick or treating on our block, and ended the night by watching "the nightmare before Christmas" and eating Halloween candy. 

We had a great time!

Grace dressed up as different things for each party we went to. Gotta love dress ups.  Ultimately on Halloween she went as Cinderella.

Little owl

The best part about this Halloween is that the only costume we bought was Rosie's, and that is because we wanted and needed something really warm. Besides look at her, we simply couldn't resist!!!

Indy Boo Zoo

This last weekend was the annual Indy Boo Zoo. Ron and I decided it would be fun!  We headed down Saturday morning, ate lunch with two of our most favorite missionaries Sister Lowry and Sister Smith, and then headed to the zoo.

The kids got to go trick or treating around the zoo, check out the animals, and see some of the events like bears bobbing for apples.

It ended up being rainy, but the temperature was perfect and ended up being lots of fun!

Grace wanted to be Elsa 

Hayden was the Red PowerRanger

Little Rosie was an owl. I just can't get over how cute it is!

Hayden's ear surgery

Since the day 1 I feel like Hayden's ears have been little trouble makers.  Ear infections galore, surgery for tubes, then no water in ears for 3 years, then surgery to get tubes out, 2 perforated ear drums, no water in ears for another year, and surprise surprise yet another surgery. Hopefully this is our last! Of course it was a big one.

It all started with Hayden's perforated ear drums. We knew there was a chance when he got his tubes removed that it could happen, but they had to be removed, and Ron and I assumed that they would heal themselves. Well we got lucky with the left ear, but not so much with the right. We kept hoping the right ear would heal, but at his last ENT appointment the doctor said that the only way to fix it would be surgery.

Hayden had only 40% of his ear drum on his right side which caused major hearing loss in that ear. Ron and I felt pretty bad. We didn't know until the doctor told us that he couldnt hear well with his right ear, so of course we booked the surgery that day. It was important to us to get it fixed right away with school just starting and all.

Monday was the big day. The surgery took about 2 hours. The doctors went in and made a small incision behind is right ear. They cut and took a skin graft and then went inside his ear, grafted and formed that skin into new ear drum for him. 

All went well and we are about 5 days post surgery. We have to change the dressing every day, but other than that the recovery process has been very easy on our little guy. He had a hard time on day one and had to be on quite a bit of pain meds, but he had been a real trooper since and only complains of pain if it accidentally gets bumped.

We will do a hearing test in the next couple of weeks when we go back for a post op check up. Hopefully the graft took and Hayden will have his hearing restored!!

We are so grateful for modern medicine. Without it our little man wouldn't be able to hardly hear in that ear.

All ready and waiting for the nurses to take him back.

Post op: He wasn't so happy that he was a lot of pain and this surgery on his ears wasn't as easy as his last. Poor guy.

It took ice, Tylenol, IV pain meds and children's Motrin to get this boy's pain under control, and then after that he was pretty dang loopy. It was pretty funny and way sad at the same time.

Once we got home grace thought of he only way she knew to help make brother feel better. A big snuggle. He loved it, and it warmed my mommy heart.

His little Picasso ear is growing on me and I think it is quite cute. He has enjoyed picking his band aid colors and matching them with colors of the day at school.  Just a few more days and hopefully is ears will be normal.

He is super excited to go swimming and take a real bath as he has never in his life had his head under water or his ears submerged.