The Pumpkin Patch!

On Friday night we made our way to Vala's Pumpkin Patch for fun night with Kyle's old squadron (the one he still deploys with). It turned out to be a wonderful night, despite the rain. The kids had a great time- including Cambria who absolutely LOVED the corn pit. I did my best to get a picture of all 4 kids, but Ainsley slept most of the time and it got dark pretty quickly- my camera doesn't work well in the dark. We let the kids pick out a few already picked pumpkins, but decided not to do the hay ride out to the pumpkin patch because it was wet. I am sure we will have another chance to go to pumpkin picking this year. What a fun time!

Sorry the pictures are out of order, I just don't feel like taking the time to fix that right now.

All four on the big rocking chair- Cambria was definitely ready for bed by this time.

Looks like Ainsley was being squeezed (with love of course!) and who knows what Gavin was doing.

feeding the baby camel

my 2 little aliens

Ainsley loves the Bjorn- I love it's back support (compared to the sling)- she likes facing outward if she isn't tired.

Cambria loving her blanket!

She just had to share the corn pit with her blanket

Cambria didn't want to leave- she just kept going up and down on her knees, squealing with delight!

Making "corn angels"

Cambria's favorite part of Vala's- wish I had one in the backyard

Cambria still Loves her bottle- wish it were a sippy cup

Sitting by the fire- who needs smores? Got MILK!

Ready for Fun! Avalyn's been asking to go to the pumpkin patch for months and the day was finally here!

Ainsley Brooke- 1 Month old!

I am doing my best to keep up, things are pretty crazy around here and this post is 2 days late. Mon. Ainsley was officially 1 month old. It's crazy how fast the first 4 weeks went. I am doing my best to enjoy every moment of this little one, she is growing so fast.

She is a pretty good baby, as cute and cuddly as can be. She does still have quite the scream- not as much squeaking. She hasn't figured out how to entertain herself, so when she is awake she wants to be held and will let you know. She is a good eater and sleeper, still not much of a schedule but that's okay (I am not a big scheduler) since most nights she sleeps (in between feedings every 3 to 4 hours). I am enjoying all the cuddling, she does LOVE to be held especially by her mommy! No smiles yet, but hopefully soon.

We are watching her eyes carefully and curious about albinism. For those of you who are new to our blog if you look back to my post in April of 2008 you can read about our 3rd child Cambria and albinism. There is a 1 in 4 chance Ainsley has it, it will be the same type as her sisters but can have different side effects. She has shown signs, but doesn't have nearly as many symptoms as Cambria did. Her eyes aren't crossed most of the time, don't shake as frequently, don't seem to be as sensitive to light, and do function together. She isn't tracking well, she has no reaction to what she is seeing and when she does follow something with her eye it is with a twitching movement (quick movements back and forth). Another sign of albinism is her lack of pigment in her nipples- crazy I know, but that is one of the ways the geneticist identified it in Cambria. Honestly if we didn't have one with albinism, we wouldn't even be thinking something might be wrong (hopefully nothing is). The only way to know for sure is the ophthalmologist- her eyes must be dilated so he can look behind them. We are thankful that her eyes are functioning much better than Cambria's were at a month and if she does have it, hopefully the effects of it will not be as extreme and her vision will not be too bad. Thanks for all your prayer and we will keep you updated!

Ainsley has strawberry blonde hair, dark blue eyes, pale skin, and long skinny arms and legs.

Growing fast- Bathtime fun!

9/12/09 Loving a nice bubble bath. Looking a lot like her siblings when they were this old.

Working on lifting her head, she isn't as strong as Cambria was but she is getting better. I am looking forward to her holding her head up!

9/12/09

We are trying to get her to take the pacifier. I know, why force it? but since she isn't good at soothing herself (especially in the car- she hates being in her car seat) we are willing to try anything. This is the only kind she will keep in her mouth, but we have to be holding her (usually against your chest) in order for her to keep it in. Hopefully she will get better.

9/6/09 enjoying her bath!

Daddy's Birthday!

Daddy's Birthday Present- Operation

Singing Happy Birthday and blowing out the candles

Happy Birthday Daddy! Kyle's birthday was on Fri. Sep. 11th. Gavin, Avalyn and I went shopping for a present after Gavin got home from school and then we ALL went out to eat to celebrate. It was a little stressful taking all the kids out to eat with just Kyle and I, but I refuse to think we can't do things like that once in a while and how bad could it be- at least I wasn't alone. Dinner went well, once we got Ainsley to sleep we managed to entertain Cambria in her chair (we brought from home). Gavin and Avalyn love to eat out and are usually really good, Cambria is the challenge (as most 20 month old are). Once she became entertained with her orange spoon, Kyle and I were able to eat. Of course I forgot the camera at Chilli's, but did my best at home (sorry Ainsley was sleeping and Cambria wasn't interested in the cake). A wonderful night for a wonderful Daddy (and husband)!

"Ainz-a-ly" Brooke

"Ainz-a-ly" Brooke is how Avalyn says her name. Sometimes Brooke comes out at Broke, but she always corrects that. She absolutely loves having her new baby sister around. I had a feeling it would be that way, over that last year she has really enjoyed taking care of her baby dolls and stuffed animals and Cambria. She names them and spends hours taking care of them- usually on her own (it is wonderful to have children that can entertain themselves). Gavin too loves the new baby, I think he would love it if I had many more children (don't worry not going to happen). Cambria still doesn't acknowledge her much, but she seems to be a little more patient when I am nursing- usually just walking away. I don't know when I am going to get all 4 in a picture- probably have to leave it to my photographer friends (so excited Jessi is coming this weekend with Ryan from Minn.).

Slow Down little Ainsley

I finally got the camera out last night, she wasn't thrilled with the flash but I managed to get a few of her not screaming...

Okay, so I feel like my little baby needs to slow down on the growing thing. I am thrilled she is doing so well, but this is my last little baby and at times I hate that it goes by so quickly (not that I couldn't use a full night of sleep). She will be 3 weeks old on Fri. and today at the doctor she weighed in at 8 pounds 11 ounces and was 20 3/4 in. long. When she was seen at 5 days old she was 7 pounds 1 ounce. She is definitely thriving! She is a good baby, still sleeping a lot! She is definitely awake a lot more than Cambria ever was in her first few months of life. Her dark blue eyes look great so far- no shaking or crossing and minimal sensitivity to light. We will have to wait till she is older to know for sure if she has albinism, but so far everything looks good. For the past week she does have times in the day (or night) that she just screams in pain and there is no calming it down, she appears to be gassy or possibly reflux- I am praying that all goes away. Ainsley is such a cutie- as you can tell, it's amazing how much she looks like her brother and sisters did as baby. We are so thankful and enjoying every moment of watching her grow!

hanging out with Daddy!

Bless You Ainsley- after a big sneeze!

It has been busy around here (haven't honestly taken too many pictures in the past 2 weeks- sorry Ainsley I know I need to catch up), summer is over and all the activities the kids have are beginning. Gavin is still loving kindergarten. Avalyn and Cambria started Mother's Day Out on Tues. Avalyn went last year and I decided that in order for me to truly have a little break I would have to put Cambria in this year. They go once a week and I am happy to say that this first week went great. I was surprised how well Cambria did, she loved all the toys and the teachers said she was very content just exploring everything (even without a nap). I enjoyed going out to breakfast with a good friend and then shopping (with Ainsley, who slept the whole time). I am already looking forward to my next day out! Avalyn and Gavin began gymnastics on Mon. night- they loved it! This coming week Gavin begins soccer and Avalyn's dance starts up and later this month MOPS for me. It's going to be a busy fall!