Hello friends and family! I don't have too many pictures to add this time, surprisingly! I realized last night I haven't taken many pictures lately.  Right now, I'm praying we're on the mend of sickness.  Both boys have been sick since Thursday.  They went to the doctor on Friday and started antibiotics. Today I thought we were headed in the right direction until I was almost ready to leave for work and Griffin starting crying telling me his head hurt.  Sure enough, he had a fever of 102.  :( 

The boys are really starting to interact more which melts my heart.  There is nothing sweeter! On the way home from church this past week, they were laughing back and forth at each other and then roaring.  They tend to copy each other and crack up while doing it.  It's too fun! and just to think we're adding another one to the mix! :)

Griffin is starting to say more.  One thing we realized is we must say, "There you go" a lot! He now says that all the time.  I love hearing him say, "please" and "thank you" and "yes." There is something about him saying the word, "yes" that sounds so sweet and delicate.  He has been a complete momma's boy over the last couple of weeks which I'm totally okay with! :) Last night I was trying to leave to run errands and he wouldn't let go of me.  Nate got him distracted and I headed out the door.  When I got home I asked Nate how he was and Nate said fine for a few minutes until he realized I was gone and then kept saying, "Momma." Yesterday morning he sat and watched out our front storm door as neighbors were leaving for working saying, "bye" to them and waving.  He's too funny. 

Maxwell is still just a little peanut, but almost a year old already! He seems much smaller than Griffin was at this age.  He isn't walking yet but he will walk pushing a little shopping cart or this lion we have.  He is really proud when he does this.  Griffin got a sand box from my sister and Max loves playing in that.  He's starting to point and boy is he ever an eater! You wouldn't know it by looking at him! He is still waking up during the night.  He usually eats and then goes right back to sleep.  Nate and I say it's been about a year too long of this! but I guess we won't get used to sleeping through the night.  Come October, we'll be up...well, I don't even want to think about that part of things! ;) Anyway, Max is still the happiest, smiliest baby I've ever known!

Baby Boy #3 is now 23 weeks baked! We often wonder what he'll look like and what his personality will be.  October will be here before we know it!

Below you'll see some pictures from a celebration that was held to celebrate our precious friends' completion of their adoption home study.  They are adopting a baby boy from Ethiopia and have named him Ezekiel (Zeke for short). 

That's really about all for now! No complaints! Just gearing up for Maxwell's first birthday party! Time flies!!!

Invites for a small get together to celebrate our friends completion of their adoption home study

 Thanks to Heather Murray for coming up with this cute, fun lil' ditty!

 Nikki paints her fingers each time we are finding out the gender of our baby! Blue it is!

 Cousins

 Rough day? I love how he's still holding on!

 Bailey the Beagle!

 Daddy and G

 Anoteher day of bliss

 Checking on his lil' bro

 Love these boys!

 Love this face!

 Our friend, Heather's mom made this outfit for Zeke to come home in from Africa..this is Elizabeth, the momma-to-be

 Everyone brought their favorite book for Baby Zeke and this is from me



This is how we roll i n our house!

He tried to wrap his half naked body up in foil?!

Oh man...he already has some plastic!

Nate and his dad working on putting a new door in...Griffin was their little helper and he LOVED it!

 Ornery!

 Sporting his new sandals and nothing else!

 Max had no idea that Griffin was about to get him!

 19 weeks baked with baby #3

 Girl or boy? My guess right now is a boy...

 Art time!

 On the move!

G's 2nd Birthday, Easter, and Sesame Street Live

So, it feels like it's been awhile since I've updated our blog.  Of course, I have a ton of pictures to share.  As for a few updates, we have had a lot of sickness this year already...more than our fair share! Just over the last month, both boys got Strep Throat, then Griffin got an ear infection and Maxwell got an infection in his lungs.  However, we're still plugging away! Griffin turned 2 on April 8th.  He cracks us up on a daily basis.  He's starting to say a lot of words and he's still constantly on the go.  This morning I got in out of his room and he had somehow got a screw out of his door and was scraping it across the door.  I asked him where he got it and he pointed to the door stopper.  Let me tell you, there is no such thing as child proofing in our house, it's called Griffin proofing.  We've realized the age 2 is hard and challenging, but it's also fun.  We have been doing crafts and this year he LOVED coloring eggs and doing egg hunts.  Two of my favorite things to hear him say are, "yellow" and "thank you." Maxwell will turn 10 months on Saturday.  He's still the sweetest, happiest baby I've ever known.  He rarely stops smiling! However, over the last couple of weeks, we have seen him get a little crazier.  He is obsessed with 3 things at our house and those are this little plastic figure of Elmo, a plastic Little People person, and this cheapo Recorder (you'll see a picture below).  He will throw a fit when you try to take those away from him if we're going to eat or leave the house.  Speaking of eating, he has started table food and he is loving it.  He's been interested in our food for awhile, so this past week we started.  Sadly, he's still not sleeping through the night which is a killer for Mom and Dad, but thankfully he wakes up with a huge smile on his face and you can't resist being mad for the lack of sleep.  I am now 16 weeks pregnant with Baby #3.  This pregnancy has definitely been different than the last 2.  One difference is I've been feeling sick to my stomach now and I'm past the 1st trimester where I had no problems.  It's more of I need to eat as soon as I feel hungry or else...My belly has popped out for sure over this last week, too. Other than that, it's really been an easy pregnancy.  I think God knew I needed that since I'm trying to keep up with 2 VERY active little boys.  Nate is for sure staying busy at work with his new position.  I think most days he's enjoying it, but other days he misses having a cubicle.  I know that sounds strange---to miss a cubicle, but he spends  most of his hours a week in a conference room with I think 6-8 other guys and they are packed in there like sardines.  I think that's all for now...thanks for taking the time to keep up to date on our family!
Love,

Joy, Nate, Griffin, Maxwell, and Baby #3

 

Griffin's 2nd birthday and the theme was MONSTERS! :)

Ok, so he was having a rough time and we gave in and let him have his paci (he only gets it at nighttime)...he was at Urgent Care the night before with an ear infection and you can see he still isn't feeling so well. :(

                                                

Wouldn't be a party if we didn't have The Wiggles playing in the background!

Opening his gift from Nate and Liz...it was another Wiggles DVD and an Elmo gardening set.  They know him well! Two of his favorites!!!

Admiring his new DVD

Daddy lighting G's birthday cupcake

Rosey cheek boy didn't feel well and he wasn't sure what to think when we were all singing to him.

Not too sick for his cupcake though!

Ice cream!

Griff and Emma into concentrating on their ice cream

Dangerous!

Why I love this kid...he HAD to have this sprinkling can in his bed with him.

And why I love this kid...so sweet!

Maxwell was napping so G and I had craft time.  We made the pig, though he popped it probably 15 minutes later.  Now he's into his glue...he LOVES glue!

And onto PlayDoh

                                      First time coloring Easter eggs---I think this calls for a kiss!

Obviously we were both too distracted for a picture!

Fun stuff!

Maxwell was supervising all of us...he's obsessed with this recorder

                                Practing his Easter egg huntin' skills! Don't you just love the attire?!

So, the story behind this picture is...I kept smelling chocolate and peanut butter on Max.  I kept smelling his breath and face and couldn't figure it out.  Nate said the same thing.  It wasn't but half an hour later I went to put his PJs on and found that he had somehow stashed a Reese Cup egg between his 2 layered shirt! Needless to say, his body temperate melted it! We laughed the rest of the night about this!

Easter EGGstravaganza at our church...Elizabeth Hultz did an amazing job planning this.  Max is checking out Griff's eggs and Griff is making sure Max doesn't steal any!

My friend, Heather with her twin boys, Ashton and Austin and her mom

Lovin' the golf! Like father like son!

He couldn't get the beanbags tossed into the hole, so he came up with this little trick on his own!

Sand sculpture that is created every year...it's always so awesome!

Easter morning.  Griff got Elmo and cones and Max got a book and a bubble blower, but wouldn't ya know, they both want this little light up cheapo bunny I paid maybe $1.50 for.  :)

Just a little laundry to fold!

First bike ride together! They are too precious!

Easter egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa Anderson's

Part of the gang

Right after this picture, he took off running and was losing eggs but had no idea.  He was too worried about finding more. 

Looks like they both are distracted...Kara and Grady

This is Trevor aka T-Bone...he's 7 months younger than Griffin, but the same size

All the grandboys!

I don't know what kind of caption to put on this picture...If you notice Nate has a butterfly bandaid on his eye...he hit himself with a wrench earlier in the day working on the car. 

Celebrating Griffin and Aunt Danielle's birthdays.  Notice the adorable monster cupcakes!

He is thinking, "These taste even better than they look!"

World's youngest hula hooper!

Hanging out

Well, this is one way to get Maxwell to look at the camera.  ;) Maxwell with his cousin, Anderson

Best buds

 Max and his Godmomma

 So typical...G with a blank stare and Max with a big smile

 Sesame Street Live and Maxwell is lovin' it!

G was so into it, he was forgetting to swallow...he was drooling

 More drool

 Our family

 Liz and Max

 The gang at Sesame Street Live minus one of our Nate's!

 The sweetest blue eyed baby!

 Out of all of our pictures from this day, this one may be my favorite!

 Big boy had to sit all by himself...he's 2 now, you know!

 Out for a walk/ride.  G is on his bike he got for his birthday