And more Halloween fun...

The tough Optimus Prime
The cutest pirate ever!
Super smiley girl
The beat up boxer and the super old fairy

More Halloween fun...

The next night we had the Van Wagoner family party. Stacy always throws a fabulous party. Everyone was so good to dress up, (Casey and Rachelle??? And mom and dad I never got a pic of your cute biker costumes.) We started off the night with some grub...of course, a party would not be a party without the food. And of course it was delish. We had some yummy sweet and sour chicken, beef brisket, potatoes, breadsticks, shrimp, salad, and some yummy chip dip.






We then went on a road rally, and it was alot of fun. We broke into 4 teams and we had clues to each spot we had to go to. In some cases we had to bring back a little something to show that we were there, but thanks to Mom's team, all the trinkets were taken...oops!! Someone didn't get the memo that you only take 1 trinket. My team did not win, but we did put up a great effort. It was alot of fun, and something a little different.

After we got back we were all able to enjoy some of Russ's delish homeade vanilla ice cream with a little rootbeer to make one great rootbeer float. We all had a blast! We missed you Eric... Thanks Stacy, for a awesome Halloween party!

"Hip, Hip, Hooray for Halloween!!"

Hooray, Halloween is finally here. Coop has been asking me for the last month, "Mom, how many days until Halloween?" I am so impressed with that he didn't continue to change his mind about a costume like he has done in the past years. Each year he gets more and more excited about Halloween. We are a Halloween family, it is probably one of our favorite holidays. We love to get dressed up and have Halloween shin-digs. Halloween has been much lived in our household, the last 5 nights I think we have had some kind of Halloween get together. I must admit, I am a little Halloween pooped out.
On monday night we had the Richards family party, and of course it was awesome as usual. We had yummy, yummy food. Holly had made some awesome soup and breadsticks, and the kids had some pizza. Next we carved some pumpkins. Each child had their own pumpkin to carve, (with the help of the parents...expect for little Paige, she was determined to do her own.) What was nice was that Grandpa Charlie had gutted all the pumpkins for us, we did not have any messy stuff to deal with. Thanks Charlie!
Grandma Holly then took all the kids on a treasure hunt. They had a blast with this. She had clues all over the house and out in the yard, and then they were able to do a little early trick or treating, which of coarse they loved! They had so much fun running from clue to clue, and they were especially excited with all of the prizes they got. It was a big hit with the kids!
We all had a blast at the party and appreciate all the hard work that was put into it. We missed you Court and Matt and hope you had a fun Halloween together. Thanks Holly and Charlie for a great night!

"What is he thinking?"

Okay, so I am a nerd, and I admit that I love to watch The Bachelor. But, after watching last nights episode, I am a little confused. What in the world is he thinking, Betinna?? I don't know how much she really even likes him..(coming from her comment on 2 episodes ago). I know most of it we don't see, but still, I ask again "what is he thinking?" I am sure he knows what he is doing, right? Anyway, yes I am pathetic...but, I had to vent! Go Jenni!

"Like, a totally cool murder mystery party..."

So, like on Friday night, we totally hosted this super fun murder party. It was like sooo much fun! So, like it was like called "Murder High Class Reunion of 85'," so cool! So, like everyone came in their 80's attire, and like talked really rad, I mean it was like super fun! Like Collin's character was Judd Jenson, the class "Stud", which now he is a used car sales man. And like my character was like Molly Ringworm, "The Drama Queen," and like o'boy did I bring the drama. Some other characters were, Nick Nixon

"The Class President," who is now running for the President of like the United States of America...like holy cow! And like Cindy Crawfish was there, "the class flirt," The "Head Cheerleader" Natalie Nebraska, with her hubby like, Joe Nebraska, "The Jock" They were like so cute, I mean like super cute. We had everyone from like the class nerd, hall patrol monitor, the band geek, the super stuck up "pom pom captain." The list goes on and on...we like totally had 15 characters, and like everyone totally got into it to make it so super fun.

So, like by the end of the night, like I think everyone had a super great time. We are like so, so, so happy to have like the best neighbors that we like can have so much fun with. We like really enjoy our neighborhood and all of like the cool friends we have met. I mean it is like so, so, great. So, like give me cheers for the 80's, you totally rock!!

Anyone up for some "Cornbelly's?"

For family night on Monday, us and some friends thought it would be
fun to go to Thanksgiving Point and do the
Cornbelly's Maze. It sounded way fun, but we were kind of hesitant about the price to get in. But, let me tell you, it was well worth the money.

The kids had so much fun! They was so much to do other than the maze. And what was great, was that Bode was so good. He loved it. He kept right next to Collin and enjoyed everything they had to do. My favorite was probably the hay ride, you sat on a bunch of hay, which was quite comfy, and it took you along the corn maze. They had all these cool carved pumpkins, some real scary things that would pop out (eeeh..) and some great tunes (its all about the music, right?)


We have decided to make it a tradition every year because we had so much fun! So, if anyone feels up for some "Cornbelly's," we suggest you go.

Cheetos!!

I don't know about anyone else, but I hate giving my kids cheetos. They seem to make such a mess. I will buy them every now and then, you know for a "special" snack. Well, Bode had a hay day with them, (actually he looks this way everytime he eats, the Cheetos just show up extra well). I thought it was too cute not to capture the moment. Thank goodness for yummy Cheetos....

Blessing Day...

Yesterday we were able to bless Peiton. Collin did such an awesome job! Blessing days are such neat days. You get to spend time with all your loved ones and focus on this new little infant that has joined your family. Everything turned out great. We kept it pretty small, inviting only family members, which they all were so supportive to be there for us. We had a little gathering at our house after the blessing and ate some yummy food...yum...yum...yum!

Peiton looked so pretty in her long white dress. In a couple of the pictures, I thought she looked like a little porcelain doll. She looked so peaceful...you would have never guessed that she was screaming a second before the picture was taken. I can't believe she is 2 months now and just getting so big. We love her so much and are just so thrilled that she is a part of our family.

The only females of the house

Proud Parents

Pumkins Galore!

So, last week I thought I would venture out with all three kids by myself, with no use of the stroller. I still am not sure what I was thinking. Craziness!! I felt like my kids never get to do anything fun with me since Peiton was born. So, I put Peiton in the carrier and we headed out. It actually wasn't to bad. The hard part was chasing Bode around with Peiton in the carrier, she is still working on holding her head up by herself, so she got quite the ride.


Collecting the pumpkins was the difficult part. They had wheelbarrows that you could use to put the pumpkins in. But, I could not push the wheelbarrow and chase Bode at the same time. When Bode has anywhere to run, he will run and listening is not an option for him. Thank goodness Cooper is such a good helper, it did get a little crazy at times.



We weren't able to pick out any pumpkins that Cooper could not lift, so the pumpkins we got were pretty small, But they are perfect!

Overall I think the kids had a great time. Cooper's favorite part was picking the pumpkins. Bode's favorite part would have to be the corn maze they had. He loved it! He would run crazy in it. He wanted to keep going in and in. I knew when it was time to go, Petion was screaming for food and Bode had potent poopy pants, but altogether, I think it was an okay trip. But, I don't think I will be venturing out too soon without Collin.

The Buddy Walk

A couple of weeks ago we participated in a activity called the "Buddy Walk." It is a activity that promotes Down Syndrome. The day was so much fun. They have activites for the kids, cotton candy, snow cones, popcorn, you go on a little walk, lunch and some super cute entertainment. A down syndrome dance group performs called "PALS." It was so cute.
The object of the activity is to have all of your child's "buddies," come and walk with them. We had sooooo much support! Bode had 95 buddies!! It was so awesome. He won the prize for the most buddies. Thanks to you, he got a gift card to Toys R Us. We just could not believe all the support we received, we really love our family and friends.

So everyone could tell who Bode's Buddies were, I got a lime green bandana for everyone to wear. It was so awesome to see the lime green everywhere, and I mean everywhere. My friend Elisha, got Bode a pair of lime green Crocs, it was perfect...the finishing touch. We called ourselves "Bode's Lean Green Buddy Machines."









We are so happy to have so much support from our family and friends, we know that we can always count on them. And it is so great to get everyone aware of Down Syndrome and how special these kids are. We love our little Bode, and we don't know what we would do without him. Go Bode!!!

Getting the hang of it

So, I started this Blog 2 days ago, and finally I am able to share it. I think I am so computer stupid...it took me so long to figure out how to do this. I see all these cute blogs and just sit in amazment because I can barely do what you see here. Everything is out of order, I can't figure out the whole picture thing, I think I need a lesson. Any takers just give me a call. But, as time goes on, I should get a little better, we will just have to see.

One day at a time...

Collin and I are living life one day at a time. This whole 3 kid thing kind of took us through the ringer. We are finally adjusting and kind of getting back to the swing of things, but still have a long way to go. The hardest part is not finding enough time to give each kid some down time with us...it is crazy! I never thought 3 would be so difficult, call me a whimp or something, because that is what I feel like...aaah~!

Both, of us are trying to get this baby weight off ( alright maybe it is just me trying to get it off). Trying is the keyword, now are there results? Not, for Natalie! I am getting sooo frustrated, I have been eating so good, and I mean good, for 4 weeks now. I have been working out every morning for 3 weeks, and I have lost a total of 3 pounds...whoopee! Talk about lame! Now, Collin is probably having better success. I am just waiting for it to fall off one morning, but I don't feel like it is going to happen in the near future. I will just live in sweats for a few more months. I can fit into a couple of pants, but then you button them up and there you have some serious muffin top. Collin just reminds me that I have got to be patient...whatever, what is patience?

Other than the weight issue, and adjusting back to life, things are great. We love our kids and are so glad to have them in our lives. We couldn't imagine life without them, they are continuously making us giggle They are so fun!

Little Pei, Pei

Peiton June Richards

August 10, 2007 * 6 lbs 5 oz * 19 1/2 inches

We finally got our little girl!! Pink ,pink, pink, how fun is pink? Mommy loves it! I never really thought that at this young of a age you would be able to tell a difference between the boys & girls, but I believe that you surely can. First of all, they are so much fun to dress, bows and all. Secondly, there is just something about a daddy and his little girl. I had a friend tell me that, and it is so true! They bond with the boys by wrestling, sports, etc....but, with a girl, they are so sweet and tender with them, I have loved watching Collin with her. And thirdly, they already have attitude, or at least Peiton does. Our boys were such good babies, but O'boy, not our Pei Pei. I must admit she is getting a little better, or I am just getting use to it. Mommy was going a little bizurk (sp??)...but slowly getting a little better.
Cooper is such a good brother to her, it is so dang cute to see him with her. He is my little helper too.."Coop put the binkie in Peitons mouth," "Coop entertain Peiton for a minute," "Coop, do this, do that," He has seriously been so good with her. I have already mentioned Bode, but day by day getting a little better.
We are so excited to finally have her here. Time flies by too fast, you just want to eat them up when they are this age, and you want them to stay little...especially when they are your last.

The Besh, Besh!

We love the Besh, Besh! That is the nickname Collin came up with for Bode. Don't ask me how he gets these names, but they seem to stick with you. For instance I am the Nesh, Nesh...who would have thought. Bode keeps us on our feet, holy cow! He is a work in progress, and constantly makes us laugh. He is finally adjusting to having Peiton around, he still is not quite there yet, I think it will still be a little while until we reach that point. His new thing lately, well it has happend twice, is picking Peiton up. Both times I have been right in the room, my head turned for just a second, and lo and behold there is Bode with Peiton in his arms slowly falling to the ground. The second time Peiton was just on the ground and I know she didn't get there by herself. And when he is done dropping her, he gets super excited and claps with a huge grin on his face. I am not sure if he is happy that he is a "big boy" and can pick her up, or that he thinks he might of hurt her. So far no injuries have occured, and mom knows that she really needs to keep a eye on him now. Knowing that she was okay, it made me giggle after he did it, just because the sight of seeing him holding on to Peiton the best he could, it was kind of hillarious.

Our little guy Cooper started Kindergarten in August. We can't believe that he is old enough to be in Kindergarten. Time flys by so fast..arrgh! He turned 6 this last September. He is really liking school. I was kind of worried at first, but he has adjusted so quickly. He really enjoys going and comes home each day and tells me he met a new friend. I am so glad that he is meeting new kids, because at his age I was super shy, would not say a word ( I know hard to believe). He isn't to excited about the homework part, but we are working with him. He says his favorite thing about school is Recess...go figure!

Alright, here we go!

Alright, so here we go! I have always enjoyed reading everyone's blog, so we thought we would start our own. Hopefully it will help us remember all the fun and crazy things that go on in our life. I feel like life is going by so fast and I don't have time to inhale it all. I forget to take pictures and I just don't remember the cute things that my kids say.

I really have no idea what I am doing, I am so not computer savvy. Everything has to be super user friendly or I am clueless... I figure eventually I will get the hang of this, and be able to learn all the cool things that you can do with a blogspot. But as for now, it is going to be pretty basic. So enjoy!