rudger's 6th birthday

What a delight this kid is! There is just something about him ♥♥ We have been trying to soak up every moment possible because we know how fast those older three brothers have grown up. I have been mourning the fact that we'll never have a little boy again. 

He gets excited about the simplest things, he loves traditions like crazy, he leaves love notes all over the house. Rudger continues to love warm milk (52 seconds please), the thing that devastates him the most is being told no to warm milk because it's 10:00 at night. 

Earlier this year we watched the movie Zorro. Rudger loved it! The next day I found him in his room marking rows of Z's, with a pen, everywhere. His nightstand, bed, little desk, the wall. Really, everything. My first reaction was incredible frustration, but then I saw his sweet face and how proud he was, there was no way I could be mad at him. It was innocent and I decided I never want him to grow up ever!! To this day you can still see a faint Z in his sheets. :)

Happy 6th birthday Ruggy!!

rudger + adeline

Rudger doesn't go to school until after lunch, which leaves lots of time for these two kids to play, cuddle, eat, and laugh. Their relationship is quite adorable. I would be very content if they stayed this little for a really long time.

bike rider

He did it! Rudger's riding a bike without training wheels. Justin tried to get Rudger to ride last year, but he was not having it. A few nights ago, Justin convinced Rudger to try it out. Within 15 minutes, he was riding on his own! It was the most beautiful night to learn how to ride a bike.

Justin was impressed with how well Rudger would slow down and stop the bike with such ease...that's usually the hardest part.

Riding bikes is one of our favorite things to do as a family. Yay for having another grown-up bike rider! I have a feeling there will be lots of warm summer evening rides this year. ♥♥

roller blade training

A couple of weeks ago Rudger and Justin came upstairs from hanging out in the exercise room. Rudger was so excited to show me something he had been working on. Rollerblade training. He put on the blades, grabbed onto the couch, leaned over, put his game face on, and pushed off towards the kitchen island. And then he did that everyday for a week. He went around and around the kitchen, each day getting better and better. (I probably should not alllow this inside, but life's too short.)  

Justin decided it was time to graduate to the sidewalk outside. Yikes. But, I couldn't stop taking pictures. It was just about the cutest thing ever.

rudger is four

Rudger is officially four! He has been waiting for this day for such a long time. Four days before his birthday, we celebrated Levi's day, and so watching his brother get all that extra love and attention just made the wait feel even longer. It's all he could talk about. So naturally, he woke up with the biggest smile that hardly left his face the rest of the day.

My sister-in-law, who basically has the best ideas for everything that has to do with families and mothering, does birthdays really well. Friend birthday parties are celebrated every three years starting at four. Perfect! I kept putting off planning an amazing party for too long. But lucky for me, all he really needed was a simple theme, his two best friends, and treats. So that's what we did!

Rescue Bott toys, coordinating treats to go with respective bott, a simple game of rescue the baby doll from the fire, and then lots and lots of playing! And he thought it was the greatest day ever.

Plus his brothers were incredibly adorable with him all day!

That night, Rudger wanted to go swimming with our friends again, plus they invited us to come watch Angry Birds in their theater room. So we had pizza and donuts, swam, and Rudger fell asleep - a happy boy - on the giant beanbag - just a few minutes into the movie.

Rudger is exactly who we needed as our fourth child. When we got pregnant (and even before) I knew we would be having another boy...and we knew that this boy would be named Rudger...and he has been beyond perfect for our family!

My favorite line from Rudger:

"Mom, you would think I want one birthday, but no, I want 10."

11.5.2015 - for snow

We woke up this morning and looked out the window, we were disappointed to not see the snow that we thought might come during the night. Before the boys headed to school, Corbin looked out again and saw a few light flurries. After the boys left, I looked out again and saw huge snowflakes coming down. Rudger and I were all sorts of giddy. I only wished the boys were home with us. 

getting back

This summer it has been hard for me to sit down and document. I miss documenting the everyday on here. 

Today while driving home from piano lessons with the boys, we realized that we only have a month left until school starts again. This summer has been good, so I can't complain. I feel like we have found the balance between laziness and fun activities, but it still puts a lump throat to know that it is coming to a close.

So before I lose some of our summer memories, we are going to get them on this little blog soon. 

One of the best things this summer...Rudger has pretty much potty trained himself! 

days with a two year old

^^ this kid never has liked binkeys, now that he is two, he enjoys it every now and then. And hats, he loves hats. ^^ 

1. bikes inside, totally normal around here.

2. I'm trying really hard to be patient with him helping me.

^^ goodness gracious I love this boy.^^

 ^^ In our backyard is a big alfa-alfa field. We love the day when they come and cut.^^

^^ Puzzles are a favorite right now. And this is the choice of hats right now. I love how he wears it :) ^^

1. Again, painting with a two year old is a great way to teach me patience.
2. Babies today really are born knowing how to run technology. While I was washing dishes this morning, I looked over at Rudger to find him playing on his brother's tablet. AND he really knew what he was doing. Seriously.

I have been loving these days at home. Mondays are my favorite because we don't go anywhere. Just clean the house and wash laundry. Then play, watch Curious Goerge, and nap.  Today we need to run errands, and I'm having a really hard time getting us out the door. 
And...time to get off the computer...now.

two

We cannot get over the fact that our baby is two. Two years we have had him light up our home. I know, totally annoying when people say how perfect their children are, but really Rudger, for the most part has been a really good baby. 

^^this is Rudger's patent stare^^

On his birthday, we sang to him and told him he was two. Then he held out all five fingers and said "I'm two". Then we spent the rest of the day opening wrapped candy with cute sayings from the brothers, playing at the park in the rain, playing with balloons, and doing his most favorite things. Which include: running on the treadmill, jumping on the trampoline, playing with the brothers, playing in the sandbox, and taking baths. And clothes were optional.

Happy birthday Rugger.