Baby bro

They all love to hold little Knox... well, Lincoln kinda likes to smack him, too.

Helfert-Huggins wedding

The weather and scenery couldn't have been more perfect for my sister's wedding in Clearwater. Emma was a flower girl and Reese was a ring bearer and they both did super as they made their half-mile trek along the sand from the hotel to the wedding (no joke- the beach was huge!). Thanks, Kara and Chris, for letting us be a part of your special day!

A Disney Birthday!

We were already heading to Florida for my sister's wedding, so we made a trip of it. We started at Downtown Disney for birthday dinner at the T-Rex Cafe (which Reese was terrified of... then loved) and shopping. The next morning, we headed to Magic Kingdom. Turns out you get into Disney World for FREE on your birthday! Just print out a certificate, bring your birth certificate and no more $75 ticket! Anyway, Lincoln got to experience Downtown Disney, but we left him at the condo with Grammie for Magic Kingdom. We packed as much into one day as we could and the kids totally loved it all. Can't wait to go back when they're a little older. I took so many pictures (on the last day before my camera got swept into the ocean)... but here are a few highlights!

Birthday at school

At preschool, they celebrate each kiddo by letting a parent come in to read books to the class. I got that honor (and, wow, do I have a new appreciation for preschool teachers!) :)

Trick-or-Treat

This year, Emma was Super Girl, Reese was a shark, and Lincoln was THE dinosaur.

A few notes:

After bidding on a shark costume on Ebay that went up to over $30, I happened upon the DOG costumes at Target for only $10!!! They are perfect for kids under 4... who cares if there are random ear holes? I will definitely be hittin that aisle up again next year!

The dinosaur costume from Once Upon a Child that I spent $4 on was the best $4 I ever spent. :)

Happy Birthday, Shark Boy!

Since we would be at DISNEY WORLD (!) for Reese's actual big day, we had a shark party the previous week to celebrate (and to use the awesome shark party stuff I got on Ebay) with a few family and friends. In case you are curious, he'll be having a snake party next year. It's good to plan ahead.

Apples 'n Punkins

We decided with the Fall upon us, it was time to hit up the apple orchard/pumpkin patch. It was totally freezing (Josh's worst nightmare), but the rest of us had fun. :)

Family

My cousin Kristen came for a visit from NY and it was fantastic having an extra set of hands. My 2 hands are not usually enough for 4 children. :) She did lots of Knox-holding and even got to share in his first bath misery. We even managed to scrapbook for a couple hours!

Life with Knox

As we stare at our precious baby, we are struck by God's amazing plan to bring Knox into this world. He is a total blessing. The kids are crazy about him- even Lincoln, who has just a slightly difficult time being gentle. :)

Welcome, Baby Knox!

I was up bright and early and ready to be induced for this little guy... and it sure didn't take long! I was all hooked up by 8:00 a.m. and he was born at 10:17 a.m. We were all surprised when my doctor came in to break my water and I was ready to push. The nurses said they'd never seen anything like it. I told them I was fast. :)

Knox Reagan Nottingham

October 1, 2009

10:17 a.m.

7 lb, 6 oz

19 1/4 in

He is absolutely precious and wonderful.

Scooby Doo Fun

On Saturday we celebrated Emma's birthday with family... and since I was barely functioning thanks to the night before.... thank you to Grammie Debbie (mom) for saving me and taking on all the duties that my body was no longer able to perform in the party-planning arena! :)

In the tradition of the Gross family, Aunt Kara took Emma to get her ears pierced at Claires... she got a little nervous right before they actually did it, but she was a champ! Her little "diamonds" look adorable.

Then we had a nice, QUIET party celebrating our sweet little girl.

She's 7!

The big Scooby Doo day finally arrived! Emma woke up to the royal treatment with a decorated kitchen, cinnamon rolls before school... Daddy eating lunch at school (while Emma ate her imitation crab and butter...haha!) Then pizza for dinner... and the big party! It was our first time trying out a friend party and I let Emma invite all the girls from her class and a few neighbors. We had 12 little girls under 7 here for what I can only describe as the NOISIEST night I have experienced in a great while. I don't EVER remember being a part of so much squealing and balled-up energy being released. It was deafening at points... needless to say, the girls were pumped playing "musical bones," "doggy, doggy, where's your bone?" and "mummy wrap" and eating Scooby snacks... phew. Now on to the family party tomorrow... and then giving birth in 5 days. I can do this! :)

counter minus 7 days

So that little baby counter over to the right is not quite accurate. In case you're counting... subtract 7 days. I'm being induced on October 1st, so unless this little guy decides to come early, we have 18 days! Whoa.

First day of preschool!

We have been pumping up the idea of preschool for some weeks now, unsure of how Reese would do with being left by himself. He's been really excited... new dinosaur backpack, lunchbox, and shoes... met his super sweet teacher... got to check out the school, see his class and cubby and meet all his other teachers at open house...

And then last night he totally freaked out and did NOT want to be left at school by himself. Emma was so sweet and slept in his room and prayed for him to be brave. And after talking to him a bit and reminding him about all the fun things he already knew about his school, he got RE-excited and did an awesome job today when we dropped him off. He went straight to the Dinosaur ABC book he'd seen there...

Update: Picked him up at 1:30 and he'd had a GREAT DAY! His favorite thing- the dinosaur book. Shocker. :)

What are we thinking?

Upon sharing our fish dilemma at the bus stop, my neighbor was telling me about this cool thing they're selling at Hallmark. It's 2 frogs and a snail and it's nearly self-sufficient. The "living rocks" and plant provide oxygen and other nutrients, the snail cleans the gunk and we only have to feed the frogs twice a week! They have now been alive in our house for 9 DAYS- it's a miracle!!!!

Another one bites the dust

Our kids have begged for years to get a pet. A few years ago, we decided to give fish ownership a try. After having about 4 fish (including one that the pet store guy said was unkillable) die within a week, we were convinced it was our water. How else does a fish die that fast? We did the whole water-prep thing, fed them as told, and loved them (at least the kids did). After giving it a break for a couple years, we decided to try out the water at our new house and take the plunge! Today is day 4 and Scooby Doo is dead.

Moral: If you have a pet that you are looking to kill (namely, fish) send it our way. We'll get the job done. Guaranteed.

Fried Fun

Am I

36 inches yet? :(

Need I say more?

Greasy. Sweaty. Expensive. Awesome. The State Fair is an experience that, for some reason, keeps us coming back year after year. Where else can you turn perfectly healthy vegetables into a pile of grease? We tried out the Riley Fun Park which was totally fun and had so much stuff we'd never seen before. We also got trapped in the agricultural building during a torrential downpour which we were hoping was perfectly timed to go ahead and grab dinner... but WHO EATS A VEGETABLE OR FRUIT PLATE at the fair?? They had choices like cold tomato juice and turkey sandwiches. WHAT?! Where was the chocolate covered bacon we'd heard so much about? (Gross.) Needless to say, we waited until we could get our pulled BBQ pork and roasted corn slathered in butter. And after spending about $50 in rides and food, Josh offered Emma a deal she couldn't refuse. She wanted a $6 slushie, so he paid her $1 to get a McDonald's sundae instead. Now that's a deal where everyone wins. :)