the Bolander Bunch

More of December

2012-01-24T21:12:00.000-08:00

This year we not only made decorated sugar cookies. We decorated Gingerbread men. Johnnie was very particular about the placements of his candy buttons, the sprinkles & the icing. Jimmy happily let me help him & well Joey put all his decorations on just so he could eat them off. It was a fun evening & even Holly enjoyed watching her brothers decorate & create messes. And the boys were very proud & so was I.

Finishing up the Christmas Blogs

2012-01-23T21:46:00.001-08:00

Time seems to go faster & faster but I did want to finish sharing our December moments. Christmas Cookies are a tradition in our home. Every Christmas Eve we roll out those sugar cookies, let the boys press out the shapes they want & decorate them any way they want. We always have lots of fun. And Johnnie has taken over showing the smaller boys what to do.

And once the cookie was ready for Santa the boys went outside to play in the leaves. And if you look closely you can see that it's still warm out.

5 Months & A Whole Lot Different

2012-01-15T17:35:00.000-08:00

Our girl is 5 months old now. Crazy how fast time flies. I swear she was just born yesterday but no, in fact it has been a very quick 5 months. She is still a little baby but each day she becomes more of a little person with her own great personality. This month she found her feet

started eating solid food

finally started enjoying tummy time

watched her 1st football game with daddy

started reaching for her dangly friends

spent lots of time with her biggest brother (he's still the only one who truly enjoys her company)

& started trying to learn to drink from a sippy cup.

And the most important thing she did this month was made me realize that she is our last baby. There will be no more sleepless nights just enjoying my alone time in the quiet with her so I have to enjoy all the quiet times I get with her now. I need to spend less time worrying about the new wrinkles I have gained & how much older I look & instead just relish each moment I get to hold my baby girl (& boys when they will let me.) Happy 5 Months little one!

Ten on Tuesday- Grandparents Visit

2012-01-03T22:36:00.000-08:00

1. What better way to share our visit with Rick's mom & stepdad better known as gramma & grandpa Joe. They arrived 5 days before Christmas & stayed for a week. We had so much fun & already miss them & look forward to our next visit.

2. We were lucky enough to have beautiful weather. Being from Connecticut the weather was a little different than they were used to at Christmas time so we took advantage & spent lots of time outside. Sitting with gramma & Holly.3. Playing on the swingset.4. This visit Johnnie spent lots of time enjoying his grandparents.5. And they also enjoyed meeting their newest granddaughter. And getting lots of cuddle time.6. Lucky for us they celebrated Christmas with us. And they helped make the holiday so special for the kids. 7. Holly felt a little under the weather & gramma with her special touch was able to soothe her to sleep sitting on her lap.8. Johnnie was really excited to show gramma his newly acquired writing skills.9. The last morning of our visit took us to Manhattan Beach to enjoy one last breakfast before gramma & grandpa Joe had to catch their plane back to the cold. I kept trying to get a photo of Rick & his mom alone but Johnnie really wanted to be in the photo & I'm so glad because I love how happy he looks here.10. And the final photo taken on their visit was Johnnie sandwiched between them which is exactly where he wanted to be. Miss you both already!

Happy New Year aka Joey's Birthday

2011-12-31T11:59:00.000-08:00

In our house the turn of the new year is always a special occasion because we celebrate the birthday of our 2nd child. Jojo, Joseph & Joeeeeeeeeey (his new reference to himself). He is even more stubborn, more playful & feistier than ever. It's hard to believe that so much personality can be packed into such a small package but if you have ever spent even just a few minutes with our boy then you know he's hard to forget. Just the faces I captured in a matter of 30 seconds shows how full of life he is. He is still all about daddy. Can't get enough of his trucks. Inside the house or outside. Adores chocolate. Loves playfully hitting. Can't say the word NO enough. And overall is just such a joy when he's not being naughty that is. We love you Joe & can't wait to see what changes your 4th year will bring.

4 Month Baby

2011-12-26T23:20:00.000-08:00

Holly actually turned 4 months old almost 2 weeks ago & I didn't want the holidays to get too far away before I gave a quick update on our baby girl. She is now 12 pounds 14 ounces (35%) & 24 1/4 inches tall (50%). She started daycare this month & took about a week to get used to her bottles but is now drinking them like a champ. She celebrated her 1st Thanksgiving, her 1st holiday party & rolled over from her back to her belly for the 1st time. She laughs out loud when her neck is tickled, sleeps 10-11 hours with one feeding & she is always trying to sit up. Holly is such a calm baby & has adjusted to her new daily routine without a hitch. I had so much fun taking her photo this month. What better way to celebrate the holidays than with a Christmas baby.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T15:00:00.000-08:00

from our family to yours! Now that all our Christmas cards have been sent out I wanted to share some of the photos on the blog. We were so happy with our family photo because it's never easy to get the boys to look at the camera & now we have a baby to worry about as well.

We decided to let the boys be themselves wearing superhero shirts even though we wanted to let Holly stand out as our only little girl.

She already has a hold of daddy's heartstrings & this is my favorite photo with her.

Christmas is a whirlwind of crazy chaos in our house but we love it. I will be back to share more photos later. We hope you had a wonderful day spent with family & friends.

The Stockings Were Hung

2011-12-24T22:52:00.001-08:00

by the chimney with care. The entire family was decked out in new Paul Frank jammies. The cookie was ready for Santa's visit. And the tree was surrounded by gifts just waiting for the pitter patter of little feet in the early hours of the morning. I hope your family is as blessed as ours this Christmas Eve.

10 on Tuesday

2011-11-29T05:33:00.000-08:00

1. So last week was a big week for Holly Moon. She started daycare. She spends her day under the watchful eye with the same 3 ladies that took care of Johnnie, Joey & Jimmy. She was happy watching all the other babies & smiled most of the day as long as there was not a bottle in sight. The sight of those caused many a tear. But by the 2nd day I think she realized that she had to drink the bottles to get food so she happily drank all of them. She is adjusting well & although I miss spending my entire day with her I'm happy that I trust & care deeply for her caregivers.

2. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Lots of yummy food, football, family & friends. No pictures of us from that day because we take the opportunity to take our Christmas card photos each year on Thanksgiving since we are dressed somewhat nice & have lots of family around to motivate the kids to look at the camera.

3. My sisters were here of course. 4. Us girls made sure to pull our dad away from the football game to get a photo with him.5. Kayci's boyfriend Christian spent part of his day here. Eating the 1st of 3 Thanksgiving dinners. 6. Kim & Joe ate the 1st of 2 dinners with us. 7. And Jen spends every year with us.8. The boys weren't interested in turkey dinner so they feasted on cereal in the evening & paused for a few seconds to smile at my camera. 9. And Holly Moon is now 15 weeks old. Such a happy baby with dark big eyes with long lashes, chubby cheeks & pouty pink lips. 10. After taking pictures of each of the kids for the Christmas card I decided to try to get some more photos of Joey . I don't like to use bribery but I'm not above offering candy to get a good photo. As soon as Jimmy heard the word candy he came running outside yelling I'll smile. I already a great photo of him for the card but I absolutely adore this picture of him. He looks so happy but he also looks like such a big boy.

13 Weeks & Counting

2011-11-15T15:40:00.000-08:00

Holly Moon is 3 months old now. Still in the 50% (23") for height & 40% (12 lbs) for weight. She has changed so much this month. She stays awake a lot more during the day. She is sleeping 10 hours at night with one feeding. She still can't stand tummy time so we are trying other ways to build up her neck & tummy muscles like sitting in her high chair during dinner & watching us from her bumbo. She still has weekly playdates with her 6 week older bestie, Whitney. She loves napping with the sunlight on her on the living room floor. She absolutely adores sitting in her carseat as long as it's not in the car. And she loves me. Her mama. Probably because I'm her only food source & I'm constantly doing funny dances for her. She is such a doll & her brothers are finally starting to entertain & be entertained by their baby sister. Her life will drastically change in a few weeks when she starts spending her days at daycare. I will miss her dearly but I know she will be okay with the same caregivers that took care of her brothers. We love you baby girl. Happy 3 Months!

My love.

2011-11-13T20:48:00.000-08:00

I write this blog mostly to keep a record of what our lives are like with all of our children as they grow up. I look forward to being able to read about memories of our day to days along with photos to remind myself of the little things that will probably fade with time. But tonight I want to remember who makes my happiness so possible. My best friend. My husband. My love. We spend our days waking, feeding, bathing, disciplining, laughing, reading, doing homework & playing with children. We also manage to fit in full time jobs, the occasional work out & the rare date night. A night to spend completely alone (well Holly tags along right now). Trying to catch up on how our lives are going. We talk about where we want to live, what things we want in our future & quite honestly we just enjoy talking uninterrupted. There is something so nice about being able to have an ENTIRE meal including dessert & coffee without once having to take care of anyone else. We look at it as our time to just be us. Our conversations always make their way back to the children but during these dinners we only remember the best moments. The ones that make us smile & laugh. I love my life. I love my kids. But most of all I love my Rick & our moments together.

Trick or Treat

2011-10-31T23:07:00.000-07:00

So with the pumpkin carved (design by a very proud Johnnie) & sitting out front we were ready for the big night to arrive. And arrive it did. Halloween came & went quickly this year. We decided to let the boys pick out their own costumes. And then we in turn tried to choose costumes that would go with. Johnnie decided that he wanted to be a parrot. But not just any parrot. A Pirate's parrot. So we found a Pirate costume for daddy because what is a parrot without a shoulder to perch on. And daddy made a fantastic pirate. He was quite the swash buckler. Our friendly dog wanted a picture with the pirate too & I think he thought the sword was a bone. Knowing that Holly would probably sleep in the stroller the entire night I wanted to get her a costume that would be really comfy but still cute. So a ladybug seemed perfect. But a baby bug needs a mama bug to protect her so that's how my costume was chosen. A few more pictures & we were ready to head out. Our 4 cuties & a family photo. At first the boys would walk up to the door together. They would all say Trick or Treat in unison quickly followed by Joey telling every neighbor that he is Scooby Doo (in case they couldn't tell.) But it soon became obvious that Jimmy as Elmo wanted to go at a slower pace. So Daddy stayed with the big boys, I stayed with Elmo & thankfully Auntie Kim enjoyed pushing Holly (who was alseep) in the stroller. This year we made it 2 block & 45 minutes. Not bad!

And of course we had to check out the loot before we could let the boys (& ourselves) eat any. It really was a Happy Halloween.

The Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-23T21:31:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again. The time when we all pile into the car & drive the whole 3 miles to our local pumpkin patch. Not a lot has changed at George's Pumpkin Patch. Nothing fancy. No hay rides. Only a few animals wandering around & rows of pumpkins. But the boys are still happy just being pulled around in the wagon. And of course they still love picking out their pumpkins to take home. Johnnie always goes for the big ones but the rule is that we will buy the one he can carry himself. And he did. A perfect round one that we will carve for Halloween night.Jimmy spent a lot of time with grandpa trying to pick his perfect one. At one point he tried to convince us to get two but in the end he settled on one. And once again Joey was connected to daddy who helped him find his pumpkin. With the pumpkins picked out this left us free to get some photos. A little grandpa love& photos of our baby girl's 1st visit to the pumpkin patch with her auntie Kim, her biggest brother & her mama. And before we went home we took the chance to get a family photo. The first of many I hope since for now it's like pulling teeth to get all the kids together but that's okay since it gives me such joy to see the whole family in one photo.

My little 2 month old

2011-10-15T21:50:00.000-07:00

Time flies or it could just seem like that now that I'm getting some more sleep at night. Holly is now 2 months old. She sleeps 12-16 hours a day. She eats every 3 hours during the day & every 4-7 hours at night. She is finally starting to wake up happy & is spending more time smiling now. This month she had her first haircut, attended her 1st birthday party, had some play dates & has been such a joy to have around except when she is screaming at me because she is angry about having to drink a bottle.

2011-10-12T21:31:00.000-07:00

I have been in bottle training mode for the past week so pictures have been sparse. Johnnie is loving swimming & spends a lot of the weekend swimming with his friends at the neighbor's home. This leaves Joey & Jimmy at home to play together. They get along really well when they aren't fighting that is. Lately the favorite game has been using Tinker Toys to play make believe kitchen & cooking. Naptime has always given us a 2 hour block of time to clean up, rest, get chores done & enjoy some quiet time. Well since the boys share a room & Johnnie has given up naptime so have the other 2. We still make them go in the room to rest for at least an hour but this weekend when I opened the door to check on them this is what I saw. The 3 of them huddled over a book reading together. Doesn't Johnnie look worried that I just caught them not sleeping? At least one of our children took a nap. And daddy's arms & chest seem to be her favorite place to sleep these days. And at 8 weeks old she is finally waking up happy in the morning & smiling more throughout the day! And this makes her mama smile more too.

I tried for the Tuesday 10 but it's Friday.

2011-10-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

1. Last week Holly got her 1st haircut. We have done this to each of our children between 5-7 weeks old & I personally think she looks adorable. And look at the little piles of hair. Thanks daddy.2. Her after shot.3. Here is a shot of each of the kids after their hair cuts. I personally think she looks EXACTLY like Johnnie.4. Johnnie had his 1st school photo this Wednesday & so last weekend we practiced a little. I think he looks cute but lets hope he looks at the camera. 5. Say cheese Joey. Okay he says but only if he can take the pic with daddy.6. Jimmy is such a little entertainer. Always making us giggle.On this day he was laying with daddy & playing hide and seek with his blanket.7. Daddy spending some time with his baby girl. I guess they were both tired.8. It's always been difficult to get a picture of the 3 boys together & now trying to get 4 of them to cooperate is going to be practically impossible but I'm up for the challenge. 9. I have been trying to train Holly to take a bottle for 5 days now. I basically nurse her in the morning & then only offer bottles until bedtime. She still screams & cries for that 1st bottle, takes the 2nd one, pushes the 3rd one around & drinks some of it & then tearfully takes the 4th. WOW! She is stubborn.

10. My girl is 7 weeks old now. Her BFF's mom described her to a tee. Very focused & intense & maybe that's why she is so stubborn about the bottle.

Happy Birthday Johnnie

2011-09-26T23:23:00.000-07:00

Johnnie turned 5 years old today. It's hard to believe how quickly he has gone from being our only baby to a big boy who is going to school everyday along with being a big brother to 2 little brothers & a baby sister. Our boy is usually very well behaved & his daddy & I are still trying to get used to him asserting himself. He is very sweet & always the first one to try & help us out especially with Holly. He no longer really enjoys being in front of the camera & basically just puts up with his mama & the crazy amount of photos I like to take. This morning before he left for school I had to get his official photo since I don't think he or his teacher would appreciate me coming in to take his photo at 9:50am so here is Johnnie at 7:15am. Such a big boy with the leftover tattoo from his party on his face, wearing his I'm 5 sticker on the outfit he picked out for the day himself. The baby fat is completely gone but if I look really hard I can still see that little baby face he used to have. At his official birth time he was sitting in his Early Bird class & I imagine he was getting this Happy Birthday hat from his teacher to wear all day. It made him feel really special to have the attention put on him. He wore it all day & then all evening until it was time for bath. I wanted to share this photo because he loves to investigate stuff (a leaf here) & mostly because it shows off his cute little dimple. Like me he only has the one on his right cheek. And this next photo is one of my favorites I have taken recently of him. Eyes all sparkly, small smile, looking right at me & being totally cooperative. I love this face! And tonight his grandpa & Auntie Kim came over for dinner & cupcakes & to open some presents. And here he is in all his glory. Birthday hat, Batman cape, Batman tee-shirt & his cupcake with his 5 year old candle.And at 5 his favorite thing is still superheroes which is how we chose the theme for his birthday party this year. We honestly were not planning to have a party for him this year but weeks before his birthday he started asking questions about the non-existent party so I decided we better not disappoint him. So we quickly planned a small party with food, a cake, some of his friends & of course a Batman bouncer. A Spiderman cake. Birthday wishes. And most importantly friends & family (some sporting superhero themed tee-shirts.). And no party or event would be complete without the attempt at a family photo. And now with 6 I think we are going to be lucky to just get some of the kids looking forward but today we lucked out. It may not be portrait worthy but it does include all of us & everyone is looking at the camera. Small miracles. And I absolutely love it!

Tuesday Check In

2011-09-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

1. My boys have always enjoyed certain household chores. But the favorite has always been spraying & wiping. Usually more spraying than wiping but at least it's a start. And Jimmy is no different. Now when he grabs that spray bottle I point him toward a window or glass door.2. With the addition of a new family member laundry has been raised to a whole new level. In order to keep up I now do at least one load a day if not two so when my boys ask me if they can paint I reluctantly say yes. It makes a big mess but it keeps them busy, happy & outside for a good long time. And then we get pretty pieces of art to hang in my office but they also really enjoy painting their faces. 3.And as you can see they are often very proud.
4. And little brother Jimmy likes to do whatever Johnnie does.5. And for once Joey didn't paint himself. He was too busy eating fruit & painting the outside of the house.6. Grandpa just returned from a business trip in Hawaii & Holly was very happy to see him or at least calm in his arms. Maybe she knew he brought mama some Kona coffee & chocolate covered macadamia nuts & she would get a little taste at feeding times.7. Joey is becoming such a big boy. His preschool teachers say he is thriving in class now that his big brother is no longer there with him. Maybe it's because he is now the big brother in school but whatever the reason we are so happy for him & so proud of him. But we still can't keep his clothes on.8. I just ordered 401 photos yesterday. YIKES! Some for photo albums, some for scrapbooking & some to update the frames in our home with more recent pictures that now include Holly.

9. Holly is 5 weeks old. She still spends a lot of the day sleeping & I'm glad I captured this face. This is the smirk she gives as she falls asleep. 10. I take Holly on a walk most mornings. She usually stays awake for about one block & then she falls asleep & peacefully just enjoys the walk.

Soccer.

2011-09-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

And so the Bolander sports life begins. Johnnie is signed up for his very first organized sports team. Soccer. Ages 4-6. And today was the first game. 1pm. Field of Dreams Field #1. The Wahoos (his team) vs. The Batfish. It was quite entertaining. 10 little boys on a field running, kicking towards whichever goal they happened to be near, tackling each other & pretty much just a free for all going after a ball. Johnnie has been a little reluctant to play because he was worried he wouldn't score or be good enough. But within minutes of the game starting that worry subsided as he dribbled the ball down the field & scored the 1st goal of the game. And when he turned away from the net he was really proud of himself as he went to throw his arms in the air. He spent most of the game running laps around the field but he did get a few more good kicks in. And each time the other time had the ball he ran back to protect the goal. The game ended early for him once he was kicked really hard in the knee & decided he was finished but I would say his 1st game of soccer was an overall success.

Holly is One Month Old

2011-09-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

& getting bigger EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. She literally outgrew her Newborn diapers & Newborn clothes within days. One day they were huge on her & not 3 days later they were too tight. She started of in the 10% for weight & height & now she is in the 50% for both. She weighs 9 pounds 5.5 ounces & is 21 inches long. She sleeps 14-16 hours a day. She eats every 3 hours all day & every 4 hours at night. The only problem is that even though she is only usually getting up once a night to eat she stays up for 1-3 hours which means I stay up for 1-3 hours. She spends most of her days sleeping, occasionally cooing at me, crying if she gets cold or not fed quick enough, trying to lift up her head during tummy time & is very easily startled by loud noises. The boys love to kiss her, hug her & are constantly patting her head. She smiles as she falls asleep & is just such an adorable addition to our family. While trying to take her one month photo today she yawned a lot & spent most of the time sleeping. I love watching her grow & look forward to watching her change but knowing every day is one step closer to us having no more babies in our home makes me wish time would slow down just a little. We all love you Holly Moon!

Love is

2011-09-11T08:14:00.000-07:00

seeing all the hands in my life touch the new life that was growing in me just 4 weeks ago.

Another First

2011-09-07T17:15:00.001-07:00

The 1st day of school has finally come to the Bolander house. Johnnie woke up this morning excited to start school. With his new haircut, his 1st day of school outfit, his new shoes & his Batman backpack he was ready to go. Holding his sign to show us what day this was he was all smiles. We made it to school & I think I was more nervous than he was. His day was made easier by the fact that one of his closest friends from daycare was in his class. While waiting in line he flashed me a smile to let me know he was okay since I was already crying & then he told me I would be okay since I would have Holly with me all day. So then we entered his classroom to listen to the 1st Day of School book before all the parents were dismissed. With one last look at the Loving Hands wall (Handprints of the kids with one parent made during orientation- Johnnie's is the 2nd one from the left on the top row made with daddy) this tearful mama left her little boy to enjoy his 1st day of school.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-09-06T17:08:00.000-07:00

1. Holly is now doing tummy time a few times a day & she can pick up her head & turn it from side to side but she still only makes it a few minutes before she gets ANGRY.2. While doing tummy time Johnnie often lays down next to her to try & convince her to pick up her head. Such a helpful big brother. 3. Since Holly's arrival I can't pick up the kids (for at least 6 weeks) & so Jimmy has become much more of a daddy's boy. At first I was sad but seeing moments like this remind me that I'm okay with having daddy's boys.4. While Holly is falling asleep she often smiles which in turn makes us smile.5. Joey remains a daddy's boy & this is his favorite way to watch tv. With almost no clothes on & laying on his daddy.6. My goofy boy. Always taking the time to have fun even when trying to climb a tree.7. Mama & her girl. Miss Holly doesn't look very happy in this photo. Probably because she is in the sun outside when moments before she was happily asleep in her swing.8. Jimmy is trying to give up his nap but as you can see he is definitely not ready for that.9.Holly Moon is 3 weeks old. She hopefully is ONLY going through a growth spurt because she has been eating every 2 hours & as much as I want her to grow I would like to get some sleep too. Here she is enjoying Labor Day in the backyard. A rare photo with her eyes wide open. 10. Wanted to share 2 photos that show what a difference 4 weeks can make. Pregnant with Holly (photo by Sara) & the photo we used to announce the birth of Holly. She was 1 week old.

10 on Tuesday- Week Two

2011-08-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

1. Holly Moon turned 2 weeks old yesterday. With all of my boys a routine with some consistency set in at the 2 week point. And my daughter seems to have fallen in to a routine as well. She is still a great eater & remains a calm soul among our chaotic home of boys. For the 1st year of life I keep a scrapbook that contains a weekly photo so for this week I decided to take a photo of Holly sleeping on our front lawn since that is what she does ~ 15-16 hours a day. And last week she did a newborn photography shoot with Julie Rollins & if you click on her link you can see the sneak peek she posted. 2. These next 3 photos were taken prior to Holly's arrival. We had a playdate with the Laughrey girls. Kelsea & Johnnie still play really well together whether it's kicking a soccer ball around or coloring their faces with chalk like they did on this playdate. 3. Jimmy & Lorelei have been friends since Jimmy was 3 days old. Even though they aren't in the same daycare center anymore they still remember each other when we can get them together. 4. Joey still doesn't like to take photos with other kids except his brothers & his photo companion preference is always his daddy.5. And this is also an older photo. Holly is 2 days old & her new bestie, Whitney Laughrey is 6 weeks old.6. And Jimmy is still enjoying his baby sister.7. While Johnnie was swimming with our neighbor the other 3 kids & I spent some time enjoying the backyard sun. I love this photo because I'm usually the one taking all the photos so it's nice to just have some pictures of us being us on a lazy sunny summer day.8. There are a lot of changes in store for Johnnie. He is a big brother for the 3rd time. He starts his pre-Kindergarten program next week. And he starts his first organized sport activity, soccer in 3 weeks. So his daddy took him to get his cleats & shin guards & he has been very excitedly practicing every evening. And of course enjoying popsicles & the brain freeze that comes with it afterwards.9. Holly had her 1st bottle this week with daddy. After a little struggle she happily drank the entire thing. 10. My new favorite photo of my boys. They still fight us to get in the bath but once in the bath they have a GREAT time & don't want to get out. And in order to get them to enjoy washing their hair we make shark & fish fins. I love these boys.

1/2 Way Through Terrible Twos

2011-08-23T21:40:00.000-07:00

Jimmy is now 2 1/2 years old. He is a little stinker. Our little mimic who is constantly repeating everything we say, or sing or yell. He is definitely our boy with the best sense of humor. He laughs out loud at cartoons & movies. He loves to copy Johnnie & wants to do whatever it is that he's doing. He & Joey create mischief together. When it's bedtime & we hear loud noises we always know we are going to find Jimmy in Joey's bed giggling & playing. And Holly has given him the chance to be a big brother. And he LOVES it & her. He wakes every morning looking for his sister & he comes through the front door every evening yelling "Where is Baby Holly?" Jimmy remains our biggest cuddlebug always wanting to be held & wanting to snuggle. He is very polite & uses his manners almost all the time. No matter what type of day we are having, Jimmy can always brighten our day. This last picture of him gives us big smiles. He came out of Rick's office/studio wearing these headphones. When I told him he looked like a DJ he kept walking around the house yelling DJ.

Happy 2 1/2 year birthday Jimmy! We love your little character, your always smiling face & just everything about you even when you test our patience.

Baby Holly is 1 Week Old

2011-08-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

How can it be that a week has already gone by? Our beautiful little girl with daddy's fingers & mama's toes. Baby Holly is what the boys call her. So far she is a very calm & loving baby. She loves to be held which is a good thing since the boys are constantly asking to hold her any chance they get. She rarely cries. Not even during her first bath. I think she actually enjoyed it. She is a great eater. She loves to sleep. And last night she went 4 hours & 15 minutes between feedings. She has settled so easily into our lives & home & our world is so much better with her in it. Happy One Week Holly Moon! We all love you!

Going Home

2011-08-19T21:14:00.000-07:00

After 4 sleepless nights in the hospital it was time to take our baby girl home. One last feeding, a going home weigh in of 6 pounds 7 ounces, a Newborn size baby pink going home outfit & some more photos & it was finally time.

Daddy hasn't been able to spend as many hours with Holly as he would like but in those few short hours he has completely fallen in love. I have been falling more in love with my newest bundle since December but being able to have my photo taken holding her puts a very big smile on my face. After wards a very kind volunteer rolled Holly & me down to the car to head home. She was buckled in to her car seat for the very 1st time & driven home to get settled into her new home to await the craziness known as the Bolander brothers to get home from school. Johnnie & Jimmy kept fighting over who got to hold her next but Joey happily waited till later in the evening to take his turn. Holly Moon completes our home. We now have a house that is FULL of noise, children, boys AND girls, happiness, chaos & more love than I could have ever wished for.

Meeting the Girl

2011-08-16T23:53:00.000-07:00

Tonight Rick brought the boys by to meet their new baby sister. Right when they walked in the room I realized that I would no longer be the princess I once was to them any longer. It quickly became obvious to me that I would always be their mama but the girl that would now hold a special place in their heart is little Miss Holly Moon. And seeing their faces light up makes me so happy that I have been replaced. They adored her. They couldn't get enough of her. Joey hugged Holly & gave her a kiss but was more interested in playing with our iPhones. Johnnie wanted to hold her the entire time he was here. He wanted to hug her & pet her & just love on her. We weren't surprised because we expected Johnnie to adore his baby sister. But the surprise of the evening was how much interest Jimmy showed to the new baby in the house. He kept repeating "I hold Holly" over & over. And he wanted to give hugs & kisses. And when it was time to head home all the boys were very sad to hear that their little sister would be staying in the hospital. I was hugged & kissed to resounding calls of See you later mama. Like I said I think I have been replaced at least for now. And I couldn't be happier.

Our Baby Girl

2011-08-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

This morning we took one last photo as a family of 5 & then headed off to the hospital all before 7am. All checked in & ready to go we just had to wait for the doctor's arrival. As you can see even when daddy is nervous he's still hilarious. At 9:25am I was taken into the surgery room to prep. By 9:40am the surgery started & by 9:50am our little girl Holly Moon Bolander loudly entered the world. I was wrong, all the nurses & the doctors were wrong because what we expected to be our biggest baby turned out to be our tiniest weighing in at 6 pounds 9 ounces & measuring 18.5 inches long. Daddy made sure to get our traditional welcome to the world photo of our newest addition screaming & then once you were all wrapped up we made sure to capture a photo of you with your proud parents. And then of course it was time to get a photo of Holly Moon with her loving family who will be fixtures in her daily life. Her birth has given daddy the opportunity to have himself a daddy's girl. Then Auntie Kimberly came by followed by grandpa & last but not least Auntie Kayci. We are all so happy to have her in our lives & can't wait to see her change daily. I look forward to everything about her & can't wait to see her meet her brothers tomorrow. Thank you baby girl for entering our lives & for giving us the opportunity to continue the memory of my mother with your middle name. She would have been very proud to see her name passed down to a beautiful baby girl. We love you sweetie! Welcome to our world!

One Last Night

2011-08-14T23:02:00.000-07:00

It is 11pm right now & all of you are soundly asleep in your beds. When you wake up tomorrow morning your daddy & I will not be here but instead your Auntie Kim will be here to take care of you. I will be in the hospital waiting to have your baby sister. It was our last day as a family of 5. Our last day with only 3 boys in the home. And the last time I would be going to bed thinking about what a new baby will be like in our home.

Johnnie you are 4 years old (almost 5 as you like to point out) & this will be the 3rd time you are becoming a big brother. You are such a sensitive, caring, strong willed, loving little boy & I am so very excited to watch you help with your baby sister. You have been telling me for months how you will help take care of her & you have even been trying to pick out pink toys for her since all girls only like pink. Today you asked me how she would get out of my belly. I told you that the doctor takes her from my belly. And that was enough for you. You then decided that as soon as the doctor sees her arms she would grab hold & pull her out. Thankfully it's a little nicer than that. You also told me that you hope she likes like you since your brothers don't. Me too sweetie! Joey. What can I say about my 3 1/2 year old boy? You are quite possibly the most stubborn child I have ever met but one of the sweetest. The first time you became a big brother you were only 13 months old but now you know that there is going to be another baby. I wouldn't exactly say you're excited but you have been very loving to my belly. And I can't wait to see you with your baby sister. I love you Joe! Jimmy. My baby boy! You have been our little baby for 2 1/2 years now & tomorrow you will learn what it's like to be a big brother. On one hand I'm so sad that you won't be the baby in the house anymore but on the other hand I think you will be such a great big brother. So loving. So funny & just so excited to see the baby. Don't worry little one it won't be long now before you get to start being a big brother. I love you all so much. I look forward to watching you discover the differences between little boys & girls & I also look forward to discovering that myself. I have so enjoyed my house of boys. The energy, the sheer volume you create, the rough housing, the craziness & most of all just learning what it's like being the mama of all boys. I'm hoping you will welcome your baby sister with open arms & sure she will fit right in. I will never let you forget what it was like having your own home of just boys but I'm very excited to see the softer side (hopefully) of you boys with the addition of a little girl to our home.

Sleep tight my angels. We love you!

One Week Away

2011-08-08T22:37:00.000-07:00

As of today I am one week away from giving birth to my 4th baby & we have been super busy getting ready but I have managed to take a few photos to share. We can rarely keep clothes on our boys anyway but when it's warm out we don't even bother trying. And during warm days they like to sit in the sun with sippy cups & a treat (Cheetos on this particular day) & they aren't too interested in cooperating with my camera. And tonight 2 of my boys wanted to be superheroes while one wanted to be his cute little self. Hopefully over the next 6 days I can manage to get some more photos to document our last few days as a family of 5.

Date Night

2011-08-02T21:39:00.000-07:00

With 3 young children Rick & I rarely go out on our own. On this particular night we were going out to dinner & to see a movie. And we were just trying to get a photo together but it seems we can't do that on our own either. Jimmy kept asking where we were going so we had to indulge him with some more hugs. And then Johnnie ran out for another hug as well. Joey was happily hanging out inside watching a movie & after some photos we went out on our date all alone.

Baby Shower

2011-07-24T22:31:00.000-07:00

Today my friends & family threw me & the baby girl in my tummy a baby shower. It was a day full of lots of pink good food good friends generous gifts & so much love for a baby that will be in my arms in 3 weeks. Thanks again to all my friends & family including the ones who couldn't be here today to celebrate in person. And I wanted to share this one last photo of my 3 boys giving their mama & baby sister a little love after the shower!

New Setup

2011-07-19T22:06:00.000-07:00

In preparation for the arrival of our new baby we had to transition Jimmy out of the nursery. No time like the present so tonight was the night. After some discussions with the boys we decided that the boys would all share a room since none of them wanted to be alone. So we ordered bunk beds for the older boys & moved Jimmy to his 1st big boy bed. And once he's ready we will transition him to his very own bed that moves the mattresses off the floor. Daddy read the boys their books & I sang them bedtime songs & then it was time for photos in their new beds before lights out. They were so happy but Jimmy did ask if he could go back to his crib. And one last photo before we turned the lights out. Overall it was a successful transition. Jimmy only got out of bed once. And now we have an empty nursery & a boys room full of happy boys!

8 Months Pregnant

2011-07-11T21:47:00.000-07:00

I am now 8 months pregnant. 6 weeks from my due date & 5 weeks from today I will be meeting my new littlest love. Johnnie & Joey are very willing to take photos hugging my belly but Jimmy must know he will no longer be the baby because he is constantly giving my belly kisses & hugs but he keeps running away from my camera. And he is now more interested in daddy than ever.

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-05T22:14:00.000-07:00

4 days went quickly. They were jam packed with visits to the park (using Instagram app) swimming with friends face painting at a birthday party (using Instagram app) playing with the water table running through sprinklers, bbq with family fireworks & a visit to the aquarium. So much fun had in a short amount of time & such a great way to kick off some HOT summer days & nights.

First Step

2011-06-23T22:33:00.000-07:00

Today was Johnnie's last day of preschool. He will be starting a TEDDE program in September. It is basically a 2 year Kindergarten program to get 4 year olds ready for full time Kindergarten. The curriculum is mostly the same but the ratio of children to the teacher is really small & there is a lot of time spent helping the child grow emotionally. But before he does that we celebrated with his classmates today & he willl spend summer just playing with his classmates. This afternoon we helped him celebrate. Daddy, Grandpa & I were there. Joey is in the class so of course he was there. Johnnie loves his teachers & will be very sad to not see them everyday. But he will definitely miss his friends the most. And I spend a lot of time trying to convince him that he will make lots of new friends. We were very proud of our boy today & look forward to all his first school steps.

SUMMER

2011-06-21T21:44:00.000-07:00

Today is the official 1st day of summer. Hopefully this means that there will be more days full of sunshine. I know there will be more time spent in the kitchen hopefully teaching the boys to cook. Johnnie & Jimmy already show a big interest, helping me make pancakes this past weekend. All the while Joey enjoyed his alone time with daddy watching Saturday morning cartoons & I think he would like to spend his entire summer doing more of that. There will also be lots of time painting & I get the feeling there are going to be lots of photos that I take where I notice pieces of clothing missing when I download them on to my computer. Funny Joey! There will be a lot of time spent playing in the water. There will be tons of hours spent bouncing in the trampoline by the kiddos & some adults. And Rick is very happy that Johnnie & Joey are showing huge interest in his favorite sport, Lacrosse. And I think he will happily spend endless hours teaching them how to play. Welcome summer. Stay awhile.

Daddy Day

2011-06-19T22:23:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated the wonderful dads in our lives. I am constantly surrounded by two. My loving husband who has so much patience for all our boys (most of the time) & gives so much of himself to make them happy! And my own dad who is not only wonderful to his 3 daughters but so loved by his 3 grandsons.Thank you for all you do & for all the love you give! We love you both very much!

Spring Photos

2011-05-31T21:16:00.000-07:00

1. Johnnie & Joey often fight these days. But I'm so happy when I'm lucky enough to catch a photo of them loving each other.2. This year we had an annual pass to the Los Angeles Zoo & the boys loved it. We went at least every other month & each person in my family took a turn coming with us. Today it was grandpa's turn. Here he is showing Jimmy the giraffes.3. And of course Johnnie & Joey had to climb up for a better view as well.4. As the weather gets warmer we spend more & more hours in our backyard . Joey loves the tunnels & even though his eyes are closed I just love how happy he looks here.5. Jimmy is all about mimicking. He repeats the last words of every sentence we say or read. He sings along to songs. He does whatever his older brothers do & on this afternoon he wanted to be like daddy so when daddy started drilling the table Jimmy ran inside to get his drill & join in.6. On all of these nice days we also like to play baseball & recently Johnnie has really gotten in to it.7. This weekend I bought a watermelon & I was actually worried that the boys wouldn't eat it. I'm not sure why since Joey & Jimmy ate 1/2 a watermelon in one sitting. And this photo shows how dirty Joey likes to get in the backyard.8. And Jimmy even offered to share with me.9. Johnnie has a crush on the girl who lives next door. Her name is Madelyn & she also has a crush on my baby boy. Everyday when we get home he runs out to the backyard to yell her name & she happily yells back & then they end up in the same yard playing until dinner is ready. 10. Hello 3rd Trimester. Only 11 more weeks until we get to meet you baby girl since you will be joining our family 1 week before your due date.

Birthday Celebration

2011-05-21T22:57:00.000-07:00

Tonight I got together with 3 of my girlfriends to celebrate all of our birthdays. 1 birthday in February, 2 of us in April & 1 in May leads to a night out to share a meal, laughs & new memories! We don't get together as often as we like but I hope these friends know how much these evenings spent with them means to me.

1st Movie Night

2011-05-19T21:09:00.000-07:00

We often sit down & watch movies with our boys but a few months back we made a special event with all 3 of them for the 1st time. After choosing the movie we decided to add popcorn to the evening. So we pulled out the popcorn maker & set it up on the island. At first the boys were really frightened by the noise. (Notice Johnnie's face). But once the popcorn started pouring out of the machine the boys started screaming with excitement, especially Joey. And after one bite they all climbed on to the counter & started filling up the popcorn containers with handfuls of popcorn. A few minutes later we were settled on the couch & ready to watch Tangled. We didn't actually finish the movie because the boys got too tired but overall it was a great night & we can't wait for our next movie night.

Noodle Time

2011-05-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

Our picky boy discovered why his mama loves noodles. Once his daddy wrapped a rubber band around his chopsticks & we removed all the liquid it was go time. With a little practice & some concentration he successfully got a lot of noodles in his mouth. And now happily gets excited when noodles for dinner are mentioned.

Jam Packed

2011-05-01T22:08:00.000-07:00

I thought turning 37 would be awful because it is that much closer to 40. But to tell the truth I have so much to be happy for that I just find myself smiling when I look at the pictures from this weekend. It was 3 days full of jam packed fun. Friday was my actual birthday. I spent it pampering my 5 1/2 month pregnant self with a facial, a massage & a haircut. Then a lovely dinner of lasagna followed by cupcakes & singing with my boys (big & small). And thanks to my sisters Rick & I spent the rest of the weekend in Newport Beach celebrating 13 years together & 7 years of marriage. 2 days of alone time. Shopping at South Coast Plaza, a romantic dinner an anniversary brunch & laying by the pool. I love you Rick! I can't wait to see what the next 7 years holds for us.

Easter Hunt

2011-04-25T21:52:00.000-07:00

Easter was a beautiful day! The boys started their day with baskets left behind by the Easter bunny. (I will post some pics later this week.) Then after nap time the boys spent the afternoon searching for eggs in the backyard. Some of the eggs were well hidden to give Johnnie & Joey a challenge while others were in obvious places for Jimmy to find. They all had a wonderful time for very different reasons.

Jimmy just liked having grandpa show him where all the eggs were & he also loved dumping the contents of each one out to eat some. Joey started the hunt with a lot of excitement but once he realized there was candy inside he was done hunting. He just wanted to sit down & EAT all the candy. That was okay with me though because it meant I got some snuggle time. And Johnnie was all about searching for the eggs. He was really proud of himself for finding them. And because he was so happy he was willing to take photos with mama & his aunties. And the boys were so happy to show daddy everything they found. We ended the egg search & candy eating extravaganza with a family photo before heading in for Easter dinner. Thankful for such a blessed day!

Another Visit Over Already

2011-04-07T20:10:00.000-07:00

The boys grandparents were here over the last 2 weeks & once again time went by way too quickly. There were lots of snuggles, lots of kisses, singing & LOTS of bubbles. We already miss you & can't wait for our next visit.

Big Day

2011-03-25T16:58:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day for the Bolander house. We had our 18 week anatomy ultrasound. Rick's mom & stepdad flew out for the appointment & of course to visit the boys so with them & my dad in tow we headed to my appointment. The baby was very active the entire appointment & as the doctor took all the measurements, the legs remained tightly together obscuring the view of the sex of the baby.We got great views of the perfectly formed heart, stomach, limbs, kidneys, brain & after some pushing & jiggling of my belly we were finally able to see who would be joining our home. So the sex of the Bolander baby growing in my belly is a GIRL!!!! And here is our ultrasound proof. As her daddy puts it imagine she is sitting on a photo copy machine. HA! And this will be the 1st & last photo I will ever be showing of my lil' girls' private parts. It's hard to believe a baby girl will be joining the ranks with the Bolander boys. She will be very loved, very protected & hopefully very tough to keep up with her 3 older brothers! Thanks friends & family for all your excitement! We are so excited & love our baby girl so much already!

Sharing

2011-03-16T21:35:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back I shared a sneak peek of our family shoot. I have now received all the photos & just loved them all so much that I wanted to share some more of them. Some of the photos now pepper the blog but some of the others are in this post. Johnnie was so great. He actually enjoyed his time in front of the camera. And happily showed off some of his skills.Joey was his normal, ornery yet playful self. And of course his happiest moments were spent in daddy's arms. Jimmy absolutely loved the camera. He not only gave the camera some smiles but he gave some intense gazes & daddy got some squeezes too. I'm really happy that Erin was able to capture this photo of me & my hubby & our baby at 12 weeks. And last but not least was this family photo of all of us laughing. I just love how much all the boys are enjoying themselves.

16 Weeks

2011-03-05T14:58:00.000-08:00

I am now 16 weeks pregnant with baby #4. The baby is growing well & had a fast heartbeat at my latest appointment of 160. The boys are really excited about having another baby. Jimmy just keeps kissing my belly & saying baby inside. Joey loves to tell me that the baby inside is Jimmy's buddy. And when we ask Johnnie if he wants a brother or sister he says a sister because he has enough brothers who already takes his toys. We try to explain that the baby will probably be a boy (judging from past experience.) Then he replies "We can just take the baby boy to the circle store (Target) & exchange him. HA! Funny kid.

Here is the photo of my growing belly from 2 weeks ago.

Jimmy's Celebration

2011-03-03T21:34:00.000-08:00

I wanted to capture Jimmy's birthday celebration in this post. This year his birthday was only celebrated with a family birthday party. There was a cake. And of course his brothers showed him how to eat it starting with the frosting. And then after staring the candle down for a little while he blew it out & then opened up his presents & played with them. Two days after his birthday he spent the entire day at Disneyland alone with his mama. He was excited to have me all to himself. But he didn't just have me. He had his good friend Lorelei there celebrating her birthday as well. And Jimmy was so happy to have her there. He couldn't stop hugging her the minute he saw her. She likes him too but it takes her a little longer to warm up to him. And having her there added to his day where he enjoyed rides on the carousel the Dumbo ride, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Pinocchio ride & lots more but his favorite was It's a Small World. I'm so happy your first time (not including your visit at 2 months old) at Disneyland was enjoyable & I look forward to our next trip back. You did so well all day with no nap, no complaints & no crying. But you were definitely wiped. Within minutes of us starting to walk to the front gates to leave you were fast asleep. Happy Birthday again baby boy!

My Birthday Baby

2011-02-23T20:49:00.000-08:00

Two years ago you entered our lives & nothing has been the same since. You are our little ham. Always making us laugh. Always wanting to be in the middle of everything. Always full of love, cuddles & kisses. Early this morning I took photos of you just being you in our front yard. You are so funny & giggly. And you absolutely LOVE your lovey. This little bunny goes everywhere with you. During your well check appointment today you held tight to it for the entire time. It calmed you & kept you from crying, even during your shots. And during your check up we found out you have gained a little weight. You are now 24 pounds 15 oz (15%) & you are 34.25" (40%). You have definitely entered the terrible twos. You love to say no & you already throw temper tantrums. But for the most part you remain a very happy child. And as much as you smile this is your signature face. Holding bunny with the cutest little smirk. We love that face. And we also love watching you sleep which is what you were doing at 9:50am. The exact time you were born. Peacefully sleeping in your car seat. I can't wait to see what this year brings. Your personality will continue to grow. You will make us laugh & smile all the time & I'm sure you will push our buttons but we love you just the same. Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

Sneak Peek

2011-02-17T06:36:00.000-08:00

If you head over to Erin's blog you can see a glimpse of our very 1st professional photo shoot. We had so much fun even if it took a little while to rally the boys. And you won't be able to tell but Joey was by far the most difficult to convince to have his photo taken.

And remember I'm not just big I'm actually 12 weeks pregnant in this photo :-) Just happen to be growing a lot sooner this time.

10 on Tuesday

2011-02-08T21:06:00.000-08:00

1. Jimmy is still very much enjoying his vacuum cleaner that he received for Christmas. It never fails that when we vacuum he runs over, grabs his & joins right in. 2. Rick has been traveling a lot for work lately & because of this I have learned that I would hate to be a single mom. We miss Rick & need him here & can't wait for the traveling to relax a little.

3. Joey is still trying to convince us that he is ready to give up his naps but as you can see he clearly isn't. 4. I am enrolled in an online photography course that I'm really enjoying. I get to take lots of photos but it takes up most of my free time so I haven't been taking as many photos of my own kids. I'm hoping future assignments will have me taking more photos of the boys though because my camera misses them.

5. Totally random but worth noting. Johnnie is finally starting to try more foods while at school. He doesn't always like it but it is nice that he is more willing to at least try some new food.

6. Luckily the weather on the weekend has been nice so the boys have been enjoying being thrown around the trampoline by daddy.

7.8.9.10. We just had our 1st professional photo shoot with a great photographer who lives in Alabama. As soon as a sneak peak is available I will share the link to check it out.

Time Flies

2011-01-26T22:36:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is January 26th already & I haven't posted anything yet this year. It has been a crazy busy month. Pink eye, mini colds, long hours of work for Rick & therefore a lot of time for mama trying to keep up with the boys. Here are some photos of what we have been doing these last few weeks.

Jimmy is one month away from turning 2. He is such a sweetie & still a mama's boy for now. Johnnie is now 4 years & 4 months old. So smart & so funny. And such a sweetie! Joey has fallen in to the role of a 3 year old BOY with ease. Stubborn, hilarious & able to cheer us up with just a tiny smirk. We celebrated Rick's, my sister Kim's, my dad's & Rick's dad's birthday this month. As a family & alone as a couple. It has been very busy but fun but I promise to keep more in touch.

Birthday Boy!

2010-12-31T21:08:00.000-08:00

How is it possible that Joey is now 3 years old? Our birthday boy is a New Year's baby & we are lucky enough to have friends who were willing to spend the last afternoon of 2010 celebrating our boy. Jojo remains our most stubborn child with the biggest heart. His gaze can melt your heart. And his temper can make you cry in frustration. He still loves baseball, golf, jumping in the trampoline & basketball. He remains our only daddy's boy & I don't see this changing any time soon. His laugh is infectious. He is always speaking in full sentences. He is now in swim lessons & loves it but would just prefer to play in the water. He is in the preschool room with Johnnie at daycare & is not only the youngest in the room but one of the bossiest. These two photos were taken at his birth time of 12:41pm & does a good job of showing his personality. You're a tough kid Joe but we love you more than you know Enjoy being 3 but try & slow down a little?

Christmas Day

2010-12-25T21:58:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day was filled with family, good food, presents, playing & lots of laughing. All the boys slept in until 6:45am (late in our house). After getting mommy & daddy to get up we all walked down the stairs & listened as Johnnie exclaimed "Santa came." All the presents were opened with exclamations of "It's music, it's books, it's spiderman jackets" & so on. But one favorite of the day for Johnnie & Joey was the $1 stocking stuffer given to Jimmy...the slinky. Hours were spent watching it go down the stairs as they chased it. It was okay with Jimmy though because he was busy playing with his new music chimes & his favorite gift of the day the mini version of mama's vacuum. For the 1st day in weeks it wasn't raining so the boys spent part of the day enjoying their outdoor gifts. Santa brought all of the boys bikes this year but Joey wanted no part of leaving his indoor toys to try his out but the other boys loved playing with theirs. Kayci's boyfriend Christian gave the boys a gift that brought a lot of joy & a lot of laughter. The Gigaball. It's a 5' inflatable ball that you can push around or get inside & roll around in, which is how our boys preferred to play. Daddy chose to wear the ball & I even took a turn or should I say I was pushed into trying it. All our friends & families were too generous this year & there are way too many photos to post but I leave you with this last photo of the aftermath of gift opening in our homes. Thank you to everyone. Merry Christmas. We love you!

Merry Christmas From Our House

2010-12-25T19:15:00.000-08:00

Santa was very good to us today & we hope he was good to your families too. From our family to yours we wish you lots of love & happiness in the coming year. Merry Christmas!

Our Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T22:14:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas Eve was full of activity. Cookie making (& yes we do feed Joey- he just sucks in when he concentrates) fondue dinner with family, singing & watching the The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.

Trim the Tree

2010-12-14T22:17:00.001-08:00

1. The 5th night in December the Advent calendar told us to decorate our Christmas tree & we listened. Johnnie was so excited. He jumped right in all on his own as soon as I opened the box of ornaments. 2. But he did allow Auntie Kim to help out a little. 3. And Jimmy learned by watching his big brother.4. And he happily showed grandpa what to do. Such a quick learner. 5. And Joey wasn't so interested until he saw this Pinocchio ornament.6. And I was there too. Mostly rearranging ornaments but also helping the boys put them on the tree.7. A lift from daddy helped put some fun ornaments like the guitar up top.8. Johnnie also asked grandpa for a lift so he could decorate up top as well. 9. But mostly he just enjoyed the lights & the ornaments all on his own. It was a wonderful evening & a great start to our holiday.10. These 2 photos were taken the night we went to see the lighting of the Fort MacArthur Christmas tree. Our family photo & the train ride with mama & Auntie Kim.

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2010-12-07T21:09:00.000-08:00

1. My company Christmas party was held this past weekend at the Biltmore hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. Thanks to my sister again we were able to enjoy a night out as us all dressed up eating with friends, dancing, spending the night in a luxurious hotel, sleeping in & having breakfast all by ourselves. 2. The house is all decorated inside & out. As we turn the corner to drive up to the house every night the boys exclaim "LIGHTS LIGHTS." (Taken with a point & shoot).3. And once they are done checking out all the neighborhood lights they move on to pointing out the snowmen on the doormat. It has always reminded me of my 3 boys. 4. And of course as soon as we walk into the house Johnnie beelines for the Advent calendar to see what has been left for him. Examples include chocolate, hot cocoa, ornaments, movies, coloring books, activities such as giving money to the "bell" at the grocery store, going out to lunch & helping purchase a gift for a less fortunate child. 5. The small tree that lights up my evening as I type on my computer because it's powered by my computer. 6. Our mantel. All of our stockings are hung & ready for Santa's arrival. The photo in the background is Johnnie at 3 months old. The are a ton of photos of the other boys but they have never been willing to wear the hat so their pictures adorn the house during the rest of the year. 7. Our Christmas Tree. Sunday evening's advent calendar activity was decorating the tree & Oscar (our 6 year old cat) has spent most evenings laying underneath it. 8. My family is always a big part of the holidays. As a family we only give gifts to the boys (& of course they give to them). But the adults choose a Kris Kringle & it's always fun to try & figure out who we each have. 9. The centerpiece that sat on each table at the party. I was one of 7 lucky winners to take one home. Isn't it cute? 10. And I will end this holiday post with this photo that shows how we feel about the holidays. I am very happy & overjoyed about all things involved with this season & well Rick he just participates because he loves us & of course he loves the happiness all of it brings the kids.

31 Days Away

2010-11-30T06:34:00.000-08:00

Joey is now 1 month away from being 3 years old. He still loves sports. Especially baseball. He is still a little stinker who still hits a little too often & says NO way too often. But a very cute one. He is still all about daddy. Happiest when he is being held by daddy. And finally getting along with both his brothers most of the time. We love you big guy but wish you wouldn't grow up so quickly.

So Much To Be Thankful For

2010-11-25T07:09:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was yesterday. Time with friends & family, lots of laughter & way too much food. Just like we do every year at this time, we did our Christmas card photos & I was able to get this great photo with my dad & my sisters. I am constantly telling my hubby & my boys how much they mean to me but I don't tell my dad & sisters how thankful I am to have them in my life. I love you guys more than you will ever know!

10 on Tuesday

2010-11-23T22:22:00.001-08:00

1. I love Thanksgiving. Food. Family Time. Football. Christmas Card Photo Shoot. Did I mention the food? So to get ready I'm taking tomorrow off from work so I can bake 3 pies (Sweet Potato, Apple & Chocolate Silken), prep all the side dishes & to get my house ready for friends & family to spend the holiday here.

2. This past weekend I took some pictures for a friend & brought Johnnie with me to play afterward. Johnnie & Kelsea have been friends his entire life so it's really sweet to watch them grow up together. 3. Oscar is 6 years old & still craves the attention of a kitten. 4. Joey is almost one month away from turning 2 years old. Such a unique little guy who can melt our hearts even when he's doing nothing but watching tv. 5. Rick introduced Johnnie to Wii. He is hooked & we are thankful that the tv is on the wall since he (like his mama) gets very excited & tends to move forward & swing all crazy. 6. Earlier this month on a walk I took a picture of the sky of my hometown at sunset. 7. I discovered a tv show recently that I CAN'T STOP watching. Criminal Minds. So good.

8. Johnnie (& Jimmy) enjoy cartoon episodes on Auntie Kim's cell phone & poor Johnnie is such a good brother because he constantly has to answer Jimmy's question about what they are watching.9. The first neighbor on our block put up their Christmas lights tonight & the boys were so excited. In only a few days our lights will be up & they can look forward to driving up to our home every night.

10. Jimmy loves to brush his teeth. He is always saying "Teeth. Teeth." The other night when I came home from the grocery store I found this photo on my camera. Rick said that when he went upstairs to put Jimmy to bed he found Jimmy standing on the stool brushing his teeth wearing his baseball cap backwards. What a little character!

Little. Bit. Of. Everything.

2010-11-08T21:00:00.000-08:00

1. Jimmy LOVES Jo-Jooooo. He is constantly wanting to do everything he does. Following him around & just wanting to be near him. On this sunny afternoon they were enjoying riding bikes after swimming at the neighbor's house. 2. Playing Hide & Seek. Or should I say Joey & Luke hiding under the bin. And Johnnie seeking. 3. Joey & Auntie Kim looking very happy while chilling in the backyard.4. Joey riding his tricycle around the neighborhood. 5. Johnnie vrooming around on his friend's bike in their backyard. He is definitely ready for his own. Hopefully Santa is listening or reading.6. Joey is still such a daddy's boy at 34 months. He is always ready to give cuddles but his best ones are always saved for his dad-deeeeee. And daddy is always ready for them. 7. This is what a walk looks like for us. Johnnie leading the way. Jimmy following behind him. And usually walking back to Joey to get him to follow along at a quicker rate. Thanks to my sister joining us I was able to stay in the front with my camera. 8. And Jimmy often runs around the block happy as can be.9. And at 20 months he sometimes just melts down for NOTHING.AT.ALL.10. The boys love grandpa. I wonder if it's because he is a little bit goofy at times. Maybe that's where they get their craziness. I don't care what it is. I'm just happy to see all the love they have for him.

Gramma. Los Angeles Zoo.

2010-11-02T21:04:00.000-07:00

Rick's mom (Gramma) came for a visit this last week & the boys had a great time entertaining her. We of course had to take her to the zoo. And the boys always enjoy their popcorn. It's always such a great day there because with each visit our boys become interested in more than just the gorillas. But they always spend most of the day watching their friends. But this last time they noticed the Ibex, the Flamingos, the Rhinoceros, the Giraffes & the Meerkats (these are located right at the entrance & these 3 are always sitting atop this rock & remind me of my boys for some reason). As we were following the detour out of the zoo we came across this fun little park & ended up detoured ourselves for almost an hour. Lots of time for climbing on animal statues, pretending to be Spiderman, pictures with gramma & hiding from mama's camera (which only Jimmy succeeded at.) It was a wonderful day & a great start to our week with with gramma.

Super Halloween

2010-10-31T22:36:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful day. This morning Johnnie carved the pumpkin with daddy. And it sat outside all night for the Halloween trick or treaters. After some family photos we set off to the neighbors home to begin our night of treat-or-treating. Johnnie & Joey were so ready this year to walk up to each house & announce their line, take their candy & say thank you. And Jimmy just slowly followed along.And as soon as we turned to walk away Johnnie was pointing to the next house & saying "Lets go to the next house." This didn't last long though because after hitting up all the houses on one block the boys were ready to go home to pass out candy & check out all the other costumes. It was a great night & a Happy Halloween. Hope your day was as super as ours!

The Local Patch

2010-10-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

This time of year is always the start of my favorite season. The weather starts to cool down & it's the start of the holiday & birthday season in our home. 1st we had Johnnie's birthday, then Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Joey's birthday (on New Year's Eve), daddy's birthday, Valentine's Day & Jimmy's birthday all in a 5 month period. And part of working our way toward Halloween is visiting the pumpkin patch. We used to go to the big farms with the rides & hay mazes but for some reason our boys didn't seem to enjoy these places. They just wanted to run around touching the pumpkins & mostly just trying to keep away from mama's camera. So keeping with a longstanding tradition (it began last year) we visited our local pumpkin patch here in town. A lot has changed since last year. All the boys can now walk but they still enjoy being pulled around in the wagon. Gramma was here this time & of course Auntie Kim but Auntie Kayci & Grandpa couldn't make it. And this year the boys did some of the pulling. And I think we discovered where Johnnie gets his sense of humor. Each time I look at these two photos I laugh out loud. I spent lots of our time there chasing Joey around trying to get just one picture of him watching the animals or playing with the pumpkins but all I got was a blur as he ran around so daddy helped me out out. Johnnie & Jimmy thankfully were happy to oblige with big smiles & giggles. And take notice of their new short haircuts. Joey escaped the scissors for now by being sick. And no trip anywhere would be complete without an attempt at a family photo.

Beach Date

2010-10-19T22:38:00.000-07:00

1. It was a beautiful Columbus Day weekend so two families, 4 adults, 5 children & a lot of beach toys ventured out to Redondo Beach. 2. There was beach soccer with a large beach ball. Currently being held hostage by Jimmy at the moment.3. An impromptu beach date. 4. A lot of time spend holding daddy's hands to watch the ocean.5. Running back & forth from the shore to the sand to bring water for sand play.6. Teaching little brothers & sisters how to build a sand castle.7. Time to just enjoy the view.8. Playing shy when interacting with new adults. Wallis was trying to convince you to come in the water but you were having no part of that. You just stood there staring at him.9. Thank you Laughrey girls for a lovely day at the beach.10. The only way to get all the sand off is a bath of course. And what better way to end a playdate, right? Notice that only the Laughrey girls are smiling. The Bolander boys are too busy playing in a new tub to notice their mama with a camera.

Friday Five

2010-10-15T13:13:00.001-07:00

It's Friday & that means the weekend is right around the corner. That also means more time with the boys to catch up, take more photos & just enjoy our time together. But before that I wanted to share some of our recent goings on.

1. Johnnie's gramma & grandpa Joe could not be here for Johnnie's birthday party but we did manage to share cake & a birthday song with them the evening of his actual birthday.2. Johnnie modeling his new fireman pajama top from the Vuoso boys. 3. Auntie Kim showing Johnnie her birthday gift to him. He was shocked at first but then he happily jumped up & down & gave him a high five. It's a Spiderman wall decal & all the boys love it. 4. Thanks to Auntie Kim watching the boys all day Rick & I were able to go to the University of Washington vs USC Football game. (UW won 32-31). It was a great game & a great afternoon/evening spent alone (along with the other 90,000 fans) watching football & eating. 5. And because Auntie Kim is always so willing to watch the boys they really enjoy her company & happily love to show her how much they love her.

Another Milestone

2010-10-11T21:46:00.000-07:00

It finally happened. Joey moved out of his crib & into his very own bed. At first he wasn't too interested. He crawled out & went over to Johnnie's bed. But we moved story time to his bed & that made him happy. And then after singing his 1st song with daddy he finally layed down for the evening to try & sleep.Another milestone down big guy.

Party Pics

2010-10-06T20:52:00.000-07:00

Johnnie's birthday party was such a great day. From the moment daddy & Jimmy started setting up the backyard Johnnie truly had an amazing day. All his friends made it such a special day. They played inside, outside, in the bouncer, on bikes & with trucks. And of course there was cake. Everyone sang Happy Birthday including his brothers & the excitement of the chocolate cake made Johnnie a happy boy. And then there were photos taken with family & friends before everyone had to leave & go home & you can see that Johnnie was not happy about people leaving. Thank you friends for giving my son a day to remember. Hope you had a wonderful day baby boy. Just because you are another year older doesn't mean you still aren't my baby. We love you!

Our 33 Month Old Antagonist

2010-09-30T20:41:00.000-07:00

Joey continues to be a unique little boy. So loving one minute & then arguing with us or knocking down toys his brothers have just because. He is always willing to help clean when asked & he is usually ready to give my camera smiles. He slept in a bed for the first time this month while on our vacation to Arrowhead & showed us that he is in fact ready to transition out of the crib. He is using the potty many times during the day but is not fully ready to transition out of diapers yet. He still loves to rough house with anyone willing & loves to ask questions about everything. He loves bedtime stories. And we usually end up listening to him sing the songs at bedtime instead of us. His favorite movie is The Curse of the Were Rabbit & his favorite cartoon right now is Penguins of Madagascar. He is a tough kid to handle sometimes but can always make us smile just by looking at us. Love you big guy.

4

2010-09-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that my baby boy turned the big F-O-U-R today. His birthday party was yesterday but that post is for another day. This post is all about Johnnie. Sensitive. Playful. Picky. Mostly about food. Knows what he wants. Gets upset when he doesn't get it. Loves all things superheroes. Especially Spiderman. Usually hates the camera even though it usually loves him. From the moment I held him in my arms he became my little love & today he's often the cause of my loss of patience, frustration & heartache but he is & FOREVER will be my baby boy. These are some of the photos I took of him during our photo shoot.

Him walking around the tree. And then once I asked him to look at the camera he played coy, but I move faster than him. I have to chase him around while he acts like Spidey & I have to figure out ways to get him to stand still long enough for a photo. And at the time of his birth 0947 I asked him to show me how old he is & instead of his smiling face I got this. I love you baby!

19 Months

2010-09-23T20:34:00.000-07:00

What a little character you are growing in to. Our little mimic. You repeat everything we say including, "Awwwwsum (Awesome), @*ck (Truck- that one needs some work), Jojo, Jonhe (Johnnie), Gwanpa (Grandpa), Wemote (Remote), bwefast (breakfast) & of course Word World & honestly just too many other words to list.

You're a great runner a cuddler a climber a BIG flirt always with your Mine (your little bunny) & my littlest blonde lovebug!

The Lake

2010-09-20T22:04:00.000-07:00

This past weekend the Bolander clan took their 1st family vacation to Lake Arrowhead. We drove up to the mountains to meet two other families to stay in this beautiful cabin, okay it was a house, a big one. We were the first family to arrive so after settling in we took the boys down to the lake to look around. They loved the water, the boats & the ducks. This trip was full of laughter, good times, swimming, jumping playing in the sand & water photo ops spending time with old friends, making new friends & lots of children even in the bath. And after a weekend of going to bed really late, sleeping in a little & getting in some quality time with my honey we took one last photo of everyone & headed home. Thanks for the great memories friends & of course for putting up with my constant picture taking!

10 on Tuesday

2010-09-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

1. Last month when I went up to visit my best friend I enjoyed a great girls night out & wanted to share photo.2. I have been trying new recipes twice a week every week but just the other night Rick mentioned that I haven't repeated any of the meals. So a new project for me has begun. A new binder of KEEP recipes. Tonight was whole wheat pasta, tomatoes, garlic, Italian sausage, zucchini & artichoke hearts. YUM!

3. Johnnie has been sleeping in a bed for more than year & we are ready to move Joey to a bed once we actually take his crib apart but now we continue to find Johnnie & Joey cuddled together every morning. On this particular morning a flash was not such a nice way to wake up.4. My little family of 5 will soon be taking our first family vacation to Lake Arrowhead with some friends. We have never gone away except to visit family so this will be a new experience.

5. The latest photo of me with my baby sisters. 6. Just received my first book in the mail about photography. Looking forward to reading about how to actually take a photo.

7. Jimmy loves his lovey. His little bunny. His "Mine" as he calls it. It goes everywhere with him.8. I love Fall TV. Most looking forward to the return of Grey's Anatomy & Fringe. And of course one Tree Hill.

9. Hello Smiley! The look that is usually on our boys' face. 10. And the last photo I took this weekend. My boys being them the way they are these days. Johnnie showing us what he looks like when we ask him to "smile". I think we'll keep working on that. Joey sort of cooperating by being in the shot but not looking at the camera or smiling. And Jimmy happily surrounded by his big brothers being squeezed with hugs.

Labor Day Holiday Wrap Up

2010-09-08T22:11:00.000-07:00

Labor Day weekend was thankfully very sunny so we spent most of it outside in the water. Swimming at a birthday party with neighbors & then visiting friends in Orange county. We decided to buy the boys life vests to make the water time a little more manageable & therefore more fun for all. Johnnie is in swim lessons but he still can't swim for a long time on his own & well with mostly two adults in the pool & 3 children we just felt it was safer. And they loved being able to move around the pool on their own. Well at least two of them did. Jimmy rather enjoyed laying on his back & floating. And of course being held. Auntie Kim was with us both days which allowed me to take photos. She used to be a lifeguard & swim instructor so she was able to take our timid Jojo from a scared boy holding on to his daddy to a boy excited to jump in & swim around. And Johnnie our little swimmer just swam around the pool & of course did some jumping of his own. And of course there was time for lunch eaten while hanging all over daddy by the pool. And after a long weekend of swimming the boys were wiped out. Within minutes of leaving the OC they were fast asleep. Until our next weekend.