"My Three Sons"

Christmas with the Lenz family

2012-02-16T14:55:00.000-08:00

Nothing like starting the festivities off with a yummy treat!

You can always count on Great Grandpa to bring donuts!

And now, it's present time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Showing off thier loot!

New slippers!

Uncle Isaac helping the boys figure out their new game. I won't make any comments about how hard Uncle Isaac is studying the directions to a preschool game!

Some fun pictures from the day...

Trying out Uncle Isaac's new hat!

This baby moves a little more then the previous baby...

Jack, always willing to smile for the camera.

Josiah petting Niel Armstrong (yes that is the dog's name).

Wishing and hoping that he could have dog of his own someday.

Cousin time!

Me and Molly!

More Christmas to come...

2012-02-07T13:14:00.001-08:00

Don't worry the Christmas fun isn't over yet, just need to take a nap before I enter more...I get tired just looking at all the commotion I am posting!

More Christmas Fun...

2012-02-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

I realize that this is a lot of pictures, so please be patient...what can I say, we just had too much fun!

Christmas in a barn. This year we had to travel without Eric. Praise the Lord the weather was amazing (notice a few coats missing from children in the picture)! This is always one of our favorite traditions when we go to IA for Christmas!

The boys loved the animals... I forget that I am raising city boys! ;)

Stockings...yes that is underwear!

And yes Aunt Becky is pointing out the fact that Josiah is holding underwear...eeeew!

(Okay, I'm sure that is probably NOT what she is pointing too)

This looks like a lot of kids? Well what if I tell you that 3 are missing from this picture...no wonder G'ma and G'pa are so tired when we leave!

All the kids for now...

Josiah and Jonny or is is Jonny and Josiah??

In case you didn't know Spiderman loves hockey...

...and Grandmas!

There are a lot more pictures, but this at least gives you a glimpse of how fun it is to be with cousins, Aunts and Uncles, and Grandma and Grandpa!

Merry Christmas

2012-02-07T12:36:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas (Yes I realize it's actually Valentine's Day, let's just say our Christmas is so much fun it takes awhile to recover and post about our fun)

My 3 sons.

(We gave Sam a bottle in the morning and as you will see he never put that thing down! The kid has talent, he can eat and open presents...I know gifted, right?)

Mmmmm so good...must keep drinking....

Jack and his new presents...playmobil and puzzles!

Josiah, pretty happy about his loot!

(notice Sam is still drinking...)

True happiness...FINALLY a full belly AND a present!!!

Molly

2012-01-10T10:59:00.000-08:00

Our next stop this November was to visit the newest member of the family...Molly Hillery!

She is as sweet as she looks!

Thanks for a great trip Needham's!!

Now we just need to go see those Ostercamp cousins!! ;)

2012-01-10T10:55:00.000-08:00

Me and Molly!

We brought Avery and Rory their birthday present late.

My boys were eager to help them try it out!

Fun photos!!!

Christmas card pictures

2012-01-10T10:48:00.000-08:00

Look at all these boys!!

Birthday fun

2012-01-10T10:45:00.000-08:00

WHile there I celebrated my birthday. What did we do? The best thing ever...BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPPING and eating chocolate cake!!

Waiting for the go signal...

Thank you God for 32 years of life!!

Christmas at the zoo

2012-01-10T10:41:00.000-08:00

We went to Christmas at the zoo one evening. The zoo was lit up with Christmas lights. It was beautiful and the boys loved it!

Cousns minus Molly, too bundled up for a picture!

We even got to pet some animals small and big!

Wait, is this bear not real??

Not sure if Sam enjoyed the lights...guess he couldn't really see...sorry buddy!

Thanks Grandma!

2012-01-10T10:30:00.000-08:00

Thanks Grandma Lenz for taking us to see our cousins!

And thanks Needham's for a great visit!!!

Cousins

2012-01-09T20:24:00.000-08:00

November was a month of visiting cousins. What could be more fun then that?! First stop, the Bergmeiers!

Ellie and Sam

This is the only way we could get these two to stop moving in order to get a picture and at that we had to work around the bars.

Lots of game playing. Good luck Becky at this one...my nephew Jonny has one impressive memory!

Jack knows better then to even try...he would prefer puzzles.

Such buds!

Yep, these two are just that crazy! I think we are going to have to keep a close eye on these two!

On the go!

2012-01-09T20:15:00.000-08:00

The kids had a ton of ful cruising around on thier bikes and rolling down the hills at Uncle Chaun's school. And as you can tell, the weather was fantastic!!

Josiah George

2012-01-06T13:22:00.000-08:00

Cracking himself up! :)

Jackson Robert

2012-01-06T13:19:00.000-08:00

Cracking himself up! :)

Samuel John

2012-01-06T13:17:00.000-08:00

The family

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The mom and dad

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The Boys

2012-01-06T13:06:00.000-08:00

Josiah Sam and Jack

Sam I Am

2011-12-04T16:43:00.001-08:00

Here is my Sam! So far he has been small in size (minus his head) but incredibly active. However I am sure Jack was probably just as busy and I am equally sure that Josiah was not at all! :) Sam does a good job of keeping up with his brothers...now if he could just keep his pants up!

oops!!!

No worries, Sam still has a smile, despite the slightly embarrassing situation! Not much stops our Sam from smiling! :)

Trick or Treat!

2011-12-04T16:32:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures of my "treats"!

a dragon, Dalmatian puppy, and a monkey!

My little Dalmatian puppy!

Most of the crew ready to trick or treat!

One more picture before we are off to fill our buckets!

San and his friend Selah.

"Trick or Treat!"

One more picture for Sam's Grandmas! Don't worry Grandma the boy behind this mask really is sweet! ;)

I don't let just any skeleton push my baby!

And finally...time to eat the goods (before mom raids the bucket for all the chocolate)! YUMMY!

Apple Orchard

2011-10-21T11:09:00.000-07:00

On the hayride to the apples.

Grandma Lenz was in the area and came to the Orchard with us!

My little monkeys!

If you collected 25 apples off the ground you got a sugar cookie...no surprise Jack was hard at work to get his cookie!

Biking!

2011-10-21T10:57:00.000-07:00

Our Youth Group went on our annual Bike Ride. This year Josiah got to go along thanks to some friends that let us borrow this tag along bike. Josiah was hesitate at first,but ended up having a GREAT day!

Josiah though he was so COOL to be able to hang out with these kids! :)

Samuel John

2011-10-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

Here is our Sam at 6 months!

This boy is on the move!

So funny story about this "pose"

I do not leave cords that my child could choke on, like the one in the background, around all the time I promise!

I took Sam to his 6 month Health and Wellness check and the Doctor asked the routine questions including asking me if he could sit yet, to which I replied sheepishly, "no, he can't." As I was saying this I was holding him in a sitting position on the Doctor's table. I then let go (to prove that he couldn't yet) and TADAA!!! He sat!!! Thankfully my Doctor had a good laugh with me, that my child could indeed sit, I was just unaware of it!

In my defense I blame the BUMBO for this!

So at 6 months, Sam not only sits, he rocks back and forth and just shy of 7 months is officially on the move crawly. As you can see in the background...time for the baby gates!

He is my peanut though, carrying what little weight he has, in that smiley head of his! ;)

See, no cords!

This and That

2011-10-21T10:33:00.000-07:00

So some friends of mine have been diving into the world of crafting...yes, during probably the busiest time of our lives. I guess though in a strange way it keeps us sane! :) So this is one of my first projects...

I saw on line a train/lego table that rolls under your child's bed. I loved how it could be put away our of sight, with out having to constantly pick up Josiah's legos. A few days later I came upon some old doors that my friend was throwing away. So with my handy man by my side (pictured above), I (with the help of a friend) got to work converting this door into a rolling train/lego table! :)

Josiah AND his mom loves it!

To add to our craziness we decided to try to sell these...unfortunately, no sells yet, but let me know if you are interested! I can give you a deal! ;)

I have been starting school with Josiah. We are keeping it very basic with letters, sounds, and math concepts. I told him we are going to do school at home and Josiah's response was, " MOM, this isn't real school it's just pretend school!" Guess Josiah is going to be playing pretend school for quit some time! Maybe if I could find a bus to drive him around the block a few times each day he would be convinced it's real school!

Jack...not to be left out! :)

Here are the boys making Jellyfish for the letter "J".

No that is not Sam in pink, it's our sweet Alyvia who I babysit!

This IS Sam though...smiling away!

Sam at around 5 months!

brothers

2011-09-27T19:49:00.000-07:00

Now this is the definition of brotherly love!

Camping!!!

2011-09-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

Being the mother of three boys I have decided that camping WILL be in my future, and for the most part I am just fine with that! So we decided to embark on our first camping trip this past Labor Day. The best part? We had a great friends that helped make the trip and entire experience WONDERFUL!!!

Thanks to the pros we went with, it was really pretty simple to prepare for and a very relaxing weekend!

For the most part it was an uneventful weekend, which is always a good thing when you are camping. Oh, minus the severe weather that loomed North of us, but never quit made it down...thank you God for that Grace gift and Jack getting his fingers shut in the van door, but again walking away with just minor indentations (that did disappear rather quickly ;) ) We did have some rain, but as my friend (who refuses to camp) says, that is an almost guarantee when you are camping! :)

So here are some pictures from the weekend in a very random order...sorry! But like camping you go with the flow and do as the day leads you...

First picture, very random, but the only picture I have of our home...the tent in the background.

Minus me hustling the entire family into our mini van at the first sight of lighting at 5 in morning because I was scared of being in a metal framed tent in a thunderstorm, it was a great home for the three days we were "roughing" it!

Playing at the lake!

Someone is enjoying his first camping experience!

The crew (minus the 2 baby boys)! The kids all had so much fun together!

Okay, you got me, I not only opened my eyes while we were praying I took a picture! But isn't this ADORABLE??
It melts my heart!

Gabi is always willing to help with the babies!

Jack, like any good brother, steps in to make sure that everything is done correctly.

The men of the group!

Off for a walk!

Camping is fun but it does wear you out!

The kids loved playing at the beach and building in the sand.

There is that Gabi helping out again...can you tell she is a big sister?

The ladies!

If you look closely you can see our yummy food cooking!

One night while waiting for supper Eric took all the kids for a "hike." They all came back with walking sticks. and big smiles!

Superman!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sam and his buddy Malachi

Ready to go for a hike!

Which way to go...

There is a dinosaur in the woods!

All in all it was a GREAT weekend!! We can't wait to do it again!!

Random Pics

2011-09-27T14:44:00.000-07:00

Ready for the season. This was Josiah in late August. He would take Eric's football magazine flip through the pages until he was satisfied with the football player and then proceed to act out football scenarios with his football guys! Let the football begin!

Getting ready for Halloween! Can you tell which one is Josiah and which one is Jack?

With mask still on building a "dog house" out of Styrofoam and golf Tees with Josiah's friend Addison.

I can't wait to tell Josiah the many things he did to cause his mother to smile! :) One of them is playing his socks on. Almost every day for the past month Josiah insists on wearing socks on his hands. I BELIEVE they are suppose to be gloves! :)

P.S. See the castle in this picture? We got it from a friend and it is by far the most loved toy of my boys. Josiah plays with it every day! Thanks Diane!

Oh yes, and in case you care at all, the first Storm Trooper is Jack and the second one is Josiah. Now to decide who gets to wear it for Halloween.

Grandma Lenz comes to visit

2011-09-27T13:58:00.000-07:00

Grandma Lenz came down for a visit to see her boys!

Playing with stickers that Grandma actually gave them awhile ago. They came up with the idea to put them on thier dogs to make them have different faces!

Grandma patiently helped Josiah build his legos!

One last story!

Brotherly Love

2011-09-27T13:53:00.001-07:00

2011-09-11T18:31:00.000-07:00

Yee-Haw!!!! We are in Iowa!!

This past August the boys and I took a road trip to Iowa to visit the grandparents, see friends, our Aunt and a good ol' County Fair!

My good friend Brandi lives in a town near by so Sam and I stopped in for a visit! Macy and Sam are literally days apart (I believe 2 to be exact). It was fun for them to finally meet!

Look closely and you'll see an extra body...my Aunt Donna! She came down to visit while we were there! It was great to see her and my boys really enjoyed getting to know thier Great Aunt Donna! (and she is great!)

There's that Aunt Donna again!

While there we got to attend a horse show. The boys were thrilled to see the horses up close!

Thanks Aunt Donna for coming to visit us!

and

Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for a great visit!

Construction Birthday Party

2011-09-08T19:18:00.000-07:00

Josiah wanted a construction Birthday Party. His birthday was on Wednesday, but since it was mid week of VBS. We had his Party on Friday! Let's just say I was tired after this week! But it is worth it for my Josiah!

Games, Games, and more games!

I don't have the Birthday boy eating his cake, but I have this mess! Trust me Josiah looked NOTHING like this!

Opening sweet cards and presents! Josiah has such loving and generous friends...you are loved Josiah!

Happy Birthday Josiah!

Brotherly Love

2011-09-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

Birthday Boy

2011-09-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

I have Josiah's Birthday scattered through out this blog because we celebrated on many different days. Here is Josiah on his ACTUAL birthday!

Josiah we love your smile, your laugh, and your love! I love how you adore your brothers and dad, how you suprise me by talking way older then you should, your sensitivity, and how you often know I need a hug before I even know it! You

have brought so much joy in my life in the past 4 years! I can't imagine life without you in it!

Bible School

2011-09-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

This year was my second year in helping organize and run our VBS. It was a lot of work, but A LOT of fun!! This year's theme was Son Harvest county Fair.. I decorated part of the church as a farm, a barn, craft barn and Grand Stand. Here are a few pictures from the week.

THe end of July

2011-09-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

Summer flew by this year and as you can see like usual it was a busy summer for the Lenz family! :) We ended July with a visit in Green Bay and getting to spen time with Avery and Rory. Here are a few pictures from the visit.

My monkey!

Not sure how helpful they were but the boys enjoyed helping Grandma Lenz clean the house.

Having a chat with Sam

We ended our visit by attending the annual Hillery Hoe Down. Here is my little Amish boy!

Isaac, Lauren and the boys

Birthday Party #1

2011-09-07T13:03:00.000-07:00

Josiah and the boys waiting for the cue that the party can start!

Still waiting...

Happy Birthday Josiah!!

We celebrated up in Green Bay with all the Grandparents on the Lenz side and Avery, Rory and Aunt Hillery and Uncle Clint!

Checking out the candles

Blowing

Trying to get a family picture!

Josiah got lots of Playmobile (his new love), lots of legos and a scooter! What a blessed boy!

Thank you kisses!

Notice the help...Jack was not far from Josiah's side the whole time to check out the new toys that he is hoping he may get the chance to play with!

I think it is safe to assume that this guy had a GREAT birthday!

Birthday Fun at Bay Beach

2011-09-07T12:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Josiah!

For Josiah's 4th birthday we went to Eric's favorite place in Wisconsin (next to Lambeau Field) Bay Beach! I must say I was quit impressed myself! Josiah had a a great time (as did his brother)! What made the day even better was that we got to spend it with thier cousins Avery and Rory! :)

Riding the train!

Fun on the rides!

Walking with Grandma Lenz

Getting on a ride with the cousins!

Oops...notice Josiah lost his train partner...too scary!

Jack managed to hang on to his!

Avery and Rory

Bye for now! We'll definitly be back next summer!

Sam at 4 months

2011-09-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

Here is Samuel at 4 months! He is constantly on the move/roll, full of smiles and LOVES his feet!

He has dropped in weight so is loving the cereal/food life and doing great! True to all the Lenz boys he has GREAT appetite! I may not be spending money on makeup and dresses, but I have a feeling I will be spending a LOT of money on food when these boys are teenagers!

Delicious!!

Chump 2011

2011-08-18T18:37:00.001-07:00

This summer we had the honor to take the teens from our church on a week long Mission Trip to Chicago. We stayed and worked at my brother ans sister-in-law's church. It was an amazing week and we left feeling very challenged and blessed by the children and people we met! A huge thank you to all the staff that helped us through the week and to my Sister-in-law Unity and brother Matt! Below is a video the gives you a glimpse into our week!

Chump Trip 2011

2011-08-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

Random Shots of the boys

2011-08-18T18:25:00.000-07:00

Josiah got this knight helmet from someone and Jack wanted one too. So his dad worked long and hard to make Jack a helmet too. (which he loved)

Do we look alike??

Craft time!

Saying Good-Bye

2011-08-18T18:18:00.000-07:00

We've loved having these guys living in Chicago the past 3 years. It's been fun having them close by! They stopped in on thier way to thier new home in MN. Were sad they will be farther away but excited for them and thier new adventure!

4th of July Fun

2011-08-18T17:24:00.001-07:00

So this 4th of July we went to not one, not two, but THREE parades! Let's just say I love parades and for the most part so do my boys. Of course there are a few pros and cons about parades...

Con...

Parades tend to be loud and if you HATE loud noises (fire trucks, ambulances, drums, etc) you may not love a good portion of the parade.

Pro...these great ear protectors that muffle out noises!

Con...
Watch out there are clowns lurking all around!

Pro...
Lawn chairs to hide behind and tough guys who are willing to fight off the clowns for you if they happen to come near!

Pro...
Smiling faces! (This one is for you Aunt Becky)

pro...

really tall men!

Pro and Con...

Fireworks...until they start and then it was all down hill, in fact the big brothers of this guy were so distraught that mom didn't ever get a picture to capture the sadness but I forever have it in my head! :)

pro...
New day, new parade, daylight and flags!

pro...
hanging out with dad

con...
Dad has to work Holidays so he could only join us for one of the three parades, but we carried on!

pro???

Random floats...not sure why I took this picture, oh well!

pro...

clapping for the parades!

PRO!!!!!

Jack scored a few smooches from his friend Gabi!

Con...

Gabi's dad said he was going home and buying a gun! That may be your last kiss Mr. Jack!

Con...

Your mom doesn't pack any good food to eat during this long parade!

Pro...

Eating your friend's snack and then pretending like you are kind enough to share.

Two pros...

Lots and lots of Candy that will last until Halloween and a great time with friends!

My Big Brothers!

2011-06-29T17:53:00.001-07:00

My big brother's have always been amazing role models for me, and along with my dad, two guys I grew up looking up to! Recently they BOTH accomplished something amazing! So this post is my chance to brag about them and to honor them! Way to go Matt and Dave! You are both simply amazing and I am proud to call you my big brothers!

Matt just recently became a published author! That's right, he and his buddies wrote a book!!! Simply amazing! The book is called "Putting God in His Place (exalting God in the iculture)." I am so incredibly proud to have you as my brother Matt (for this reason and many more!) So go to Amazon and check it out! (I expect his book sales to triple after this post!)

This is my other amazing brother Dave, who three years ago took a huge step of faith and moved his family of 6 to Chicago to go to Seminary. It was not an easy road, but God was faithful and this past May we got to celebrate with him as he graduated! He is on his way to be a minister in MN. You will make an amazing Pastor Dave! I can't believe there are now officially two Pastor Ostercamp's!

Parade fun

2011-06-29T05:52:00.001-07:00

Enoying the Memorial Day parade! Josiah can't wait until he can be in the Marching band. Instrument of choice? Drum

Oh Baby!

2011-06-29T05:48:00.001-07:00

This is a picture of our Bible Study group...notice all the babies. Let's just say people are a little hesitant to join our Bible Study! (Also note the ratio of boys to girls 1:4, pretty good odds Sam!)

Vacation at Wisconsin Dells

2011-06-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

So I'm starting this post a little backwards...this is actaully how we ENDED our vacation, but it's a good sign that it was a fun week when ALMOST all our exhausted (notice Josiah still ready to go.)

THe boys got to hang out with all thier cousins and Aunts and Uncles for a weekend at the Dells! It was a great break for us all!

The oldest and youngest of the 10 grandchildren.

THanks mom and dad for a great week and for all the babysitting so the adults could go act like kids for awhile! :)

Love this! Sums up just how fun our weekend was!

Josiah and Jonny are just 4 months apart and are great buds!

We always manage to get lots of stories in when we are together! Aunt Unity is quit the story teller!

Bug Hunting

2011-06-25T18:29:00.000-07:00

My boys are truly boys when it comes to bugs. On this day they spent an hour and half outside just hunting and squishing bugs! Gross boys!!!! This will be one outing thier mother will not be joining them on!

6 Years!

2011-06-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

Eric and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary on June 18th! It's amazing to look back at how much our life has changed in just 6 years! God has blessed us beyond words! I love you Eric!!!

We love Uncle Isaac!

2011-06-25T18:20:00.000-07:00

The boys always love seeing Uncle Isaac! This past weekend he played and played with the boys! He even brought the boys thier very first slip n' slide! What a guy!

Slip n' Slide!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-06-25T18:09:00.000-07:00

After talking it through, the boys let Uncle Isaac and dad give them some pushes on the new slip n' slide! What a blast! Thanks Uncle Isaac!!

Lady's Man

2011-06-25T18:02:00.000-07:00

Samuel got to have his first double date with sweet Selah...looks like he enjoyed the day! ;)

Texans Come to Visit

2011-06-25T17:49:00.000-07:00

This past week Eric's Uncle Rick, Aunt Pat, and cousin Patrick came to visit! The boys always look forward to seeing the Lenz family!

Have I said lately, How much I love these boys???

2011-06-25T17:33:00.000-07:00

I am so thankful that I can be home everyday with these three boys! They bring me so much joy! Especially when they dress like this... :)

We have a path that goes around our condo complex. It's about 3/4 of a mile and perfect for our bike rides. Needless to say, we draw quit the crowds when we go out like this...

Would you feel safe, if your Dr. looked at you this way?

Happy Birthday Jackson!

2011-05-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Jack's birthday with Grandparents at Easter.

Jack requested a fish cake this year. (It is his new love lately)
Jack spent the rest of the week singing Happy Birthday to himself!

Jack, I am putting this picture up so that someday when your brother is driving you crazy you can look back and see there was a day you enjoyed sharing with your brother...even your unopened birthday presents!

Jack gave (not knowing what was inside) one of his presents to Josiah to open...now that is LOVE!

The shirt in this picture is Josiah's but note what is in his hand...that is Jack's present! Guess that is the great thing about having a brother...what is mine is yours and what is yours is mine. We'll see how that holds up on Josiah's birthday!

Checking out the goods!

Resurrection Sunday

2011-05-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

Our attempt at a family picture...

Thank you Josiah for picking your nose...
Take two...stretch it out Jack...

Maybe if you are holding your baskets...

Oh well, this is as good as we got! Got to love family portraits!

Brothers!

Coloring Easter eggs!

Samuel got a frog basket full of...empty eggs! Poor guy, better luck next year Sam!

Samuel John...4 weeks old

2011-04-27T16:27:00.000-07:00

My blue eyed boy! Samuel is doing great! He got over his cold that he had at 1 week just in time to catch another at 4 weeks! Poor guy! Despite his "illnesses" he is a great baby! He is only waking up once in the night and putting up with his older brothers! He is a trooper!
My friend took some amazing pictures of our little Sam! He is a sweet boy!

3 weeks: sleep

2011-04-18T18:04:00.000-07:00

3 weeks old!

I just added this one because it struck me as funny!

This is a very common scene at our house! Samuel is not short on brotherly love!

Grandma Lenz came down for a few days to get her snuggling time in with Samuel!

Jack is alway eager to help hold Samuel. So far there is now jealousy in his blood just pure love for his new brother!

Josiah finished his first year at AWANA. Here he is proudly showing his award!

These are Josiah's dear friends Addison and Brooklyn. We'll see how long these girls put up with him, but for now they have great fun together!

Week 2: Aunt Becky and Cousins come!

2011-04-18T15:33:00.000-07:00

Hi! I'm two weeks old now!

My wonderful sister and her kids came for the week! Most of our week was actually very calm...

But there were also many moments that were like this...

and this...

All in all though we did great and the cousins had a GREAT time playing together!

Grandma and Grandpa got in on a little of the visit too!

And here is some pictures of all the cousin fun! Of course there were many more "Kodak" moments but Becky and I were so busy doing crowd control we missed some of those!

We went to the CHildren's Museum. Here Josiah and Jonny are planting trees. Notice the position of Jack's tree below. Guess who won't be helping me garden this spring?

Look at this sweet bunny!

Week 1: Grandma and Grandpa O visit

2011-04-18T15:10:00.001-07:00

Samuel 1 week old

The boys didn't have a lot of interaction with Samuel his first week. Sadly, they both had a bad cold so we did our best to distract them from holding Sam too much in order to try to protect Samuel from getting sick. Did it work? Of course not! Oh, well it was worth shot!

Meeting Uncle Matt!

Ready for his first outing to the zoo!

The boys new look!

My parents brought up some bunk beds for the boys. They have loved the bunk bed life so far!

Of course, the other boys of the house enjoyed having Grandma and Grandpa around too!

My parents came down for the week to help me out with our new addition and of course snuggle their newest grandson.

Meeting all the Family

2011-04-18T15:04:00.000-07:00

Grandpa came down and watched the boys while I was in the hospital. The boys loved having some Grandpa time. Thanks for helping us Grandpa!

Meeting Great Grandpa and Grandma.

Samuel John Lenz

2011-03-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the world Samuel John Lenz! He was born March 25th at 4:30 a.m.

He weighed 7 pounds 13 ounces and was 20 1/4 inches long.

We are so thankful for you and praise God for your life!

Samuel looks like a combination of both brothers although right now we think he favors Josiah. He seems to have blond hair.

The big brothers checking out the new addition to the family.

Sweet flowers from friends and family. Josiah and Jack walked be some flowers in the store and Josiah told Eric he wanted to buy me flowers because it would make me glad! And let me tell you, it did! :)

Grandma and Grandpa Lenz came down to help babysit and of course snuggle Samuel!

Uncle Isaac also came and being the great Uncle he is, he brought cool football balloons for Josiah and Jack and an Aaron Rodgers belt. :)

Happy Birthday Great Grandpa!

2011-03-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month we celebrated Great Grandpa Lenz's Birthday!

Happy Birthday Grandpa, we love you!!!

Can you tell the boys always have fun with Great Grandpa? :)

Let the count down begin!

2011-03-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

We are patiently (or trying to wait patiently) for Baby boy Lenz to arrive. His due date is March 26th. It feels good to finally be able to say that my baby is due Saturday! Be prepared though, Jack was 5 days late...here's hoping he's not an April 1st baby! :)

Week 37
Week 38

Fun in IA

2011-03-20T18:45:00.000-07:00

Playing in the snow!

A day with Grandpa O.

2011-03-20T18:32:00.000-07:00

Grandpa was on a missions trip to Haiti for a lot of our visit, so the boys were excited to see him when he came home. On Monday they had a Grandpa O. day that started with going out for Breakfast and of course Chocolate milk!

They also had a lot of fun playing with Grandpa's train!

Visiting Grandma's School

2011-03-20T18:21:00.000-07:00

Jack playing with the mailbox that Grandpa O. made for Grandma's school.

The boys love visiting Grandma's school when we go to IA. This was the first year that Josiah fit right in with the class. He loved it!

There was a room full of toys and Josiah spent the majority of the time playing with his first love...legos.

Doing a little wood working...safety first boys!

Valentine's Day

2011-03-20T18:15:00.000-07:00

Josiah trying out his new present.

We were in IA over Valentine's Day so we had a little Valentine's party with Grandma and Grandpa.

It was sad not to be with Eric, but we had fun celebrating with Grandma and Grandpa.

Thanks for a great visit!!

2011-03-20T18:07:00.001-07:00

A visit with the Lenz family

2011-02-02T18:56:00.000-08:00

Monster Trucks

2011-02-02T18:49:00.000-08:00

Josiah has been in love with Monster Trucks lately and constantly talks about going to see the Monster Trucks when he turns 4. The other day I met a friend at McDonald's and the toy in the Happy Meal was a monster truck. Well this mom couldn't say no to that so we got a Happy Meal and I got one excited boy! When we got home Josiah convinced me to fill the baby bath with sand (I may need a new one of these for the baby) and Josiah played for literally hours with his monster truck. It was a well spent $3.00!

Grandma O. comes to visit

2011-02-02T18:14:00.000-08:00

My mom braved the weather to come see us in January! It was a bit of an adventure, but we are so thankful that God watched over her journey to us and back home! Thanks for coming Grandma!

We spent a day at our local children's museum.

At the Vet taking care of all the sick patients.

Jack scheduling the patients.

My mom brought a magnetic Mosaic that Josiah loved!

The Ostercamp's came up to see us and Grandma O. The boys love seeing their cousins!

Fun with Friends

2011-02-02T18:11:00.000-08:00

A pan of rice...it may be messy, but it sure is fun!

Christmas morning fun!

2011-01-08T07:50:00.000-08:00

Stockings!

Jack and his Lion backpack

This was one of Jack's favorite gifts...fruit snacks. He would stop in the middle of opening a present to refill his mouth!

Hot Wheels from Grandma Lenz!

Jack got right to work on his new coloring book.

Fun at Great Grandma and Grandpa's house

2011-01-03T17:28:00.000-08:00

You can always count on Great Grandpa for a treat! :)

Playing with all the new toys!

Fun at Great Grandma and Grandpa's house! We also got to see the Lenz cousins from Texas this Christmas! We love whenever we get the chance to see them and catch up. Here is Patrick playing Christmas songs for us all on his saxaphone!

I had to include this one of the "boys" helping Connie figure out her new phone!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T17:20:00.000-08:00

Josiah has been doing his best to play hockey, even though he is short on the correct equipment!

Nothing like improvising: picture books as skates, golf club as a hockey stick, and a dice as a puck.

Thanksgiving

2010-12-08T06:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Matt doing the honors...

We got two for one this Thanksgiving, as we also celebrated Christmas!

The boys each got sleeping bags, which have already gotten a lot of use!

The boys enjoyed lots of cousin time!

Grandpa and his boys

Hanging out with the Uncles

Thanks for a great Thanksgiving Grandma and Grandpa!

One last story...

Josiah and Jonny always have a great time together!

Make room boys...

2010-11-16T17:04:00.000-08:00

We are excited to announce that this duo will soon be a trio. We are having a BOY in March.

(Feel free to pray for the one and only female in the house)

What we have been up to...

2010-11-16T16:53:00.000-08:00

Jack as usual is up to trouble! :)

Jack's newest stunt...crawling out of his crib. Here he is "caught in the act."

Josiah is working on mastering the potty training. Yes, here he is wearing a pull-up on his head. (It was clean)

I think he may need to focus a bit more on the task at hand...

Josiah's newest love...play dough. He will play for hours with it!

And of course, there is always time for friends and brothers...

Halloween

2010-11-16T16:38:00.001-08:00

Jack the Tiger!

Josiah the Dinosour! ( It's really a dragon, but we called it a dino)

We went to the annual Boo at the Zoo. This little Tiger took a snooze on the way there.

Trick or Treating with friends

A sad, tired Dinosaur, ready to go home.

Fun at Grandma's and Grandpa's

2010-11-16T16:22:00.000-08:00

Out attempt at a family picture...

Reading books with Grandma.

Josiah has been asking to play in leaves all fall. The only problem is that we live in a condo complex where the leaves are bagged as soon as they fall of the trees. So when we went to Grandpa's and Josiah saw this big pile of leaves he had a grand time running and jumping in leaves! (and of course Jack joined in the fun)

Happy Birthday Avery and Rory!

2010-11-15T08:48:00.000-08:00

We got to celebrate Avery and Rory's 1st Birthday with them!

Josiah and Jack were not too sure about the Birthday hats.

Giving kisses to the Birthday Boy!

Josiah and Jack were eager to help open presents!

Avery and Rory come to visit!

2010-11-15T08:42:00.000-08:00

Josiah and Jack had fun seeing thier cousins Avery and Rory!

Playing

2010-11-08T19:23:00.000-08:00

Just a quick picture of one of Josiah's many creations!

Marathon

2010-10-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

On 10-10-10 I headed to Chicago to watch one amazing event...

It was for actually longer then this, and my dear sister-in-law Anita was running it... 26.2 miles!!

We followed along in amazement! It was so fun and an amazing accomplishment !

Way to go Anita! We are so proud of you!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone want to do it with me next year? :)

Josiah's new look

2010-10-26T19:32:00.000-07:00

This is Josiah's new "Motorcycle" look! He insists on putting all this on every time we go for a bike ride!

Birthdays!

2010-10-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

October is full of Birthdays for the Lenz family! Here are the boys with Great Grandma on her Birthday. It was also Grandma's Birthday! We love you Grandma and Great Grandma!!

Josiah and Jack had some great family time!

Cubbies

2010-10-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

This fall Josiah started Cubbies. This is the first night. He was/is so excited to wear his Cubbies vest every week! We are so excited to have Josiah memorizing God's Word and pray that the verses he starts learning at the age of three stay with him for life!

Apple Orchard Fun

2010-09-27T16:00:00.000-07:00

Sunday= no Packer game which = apple orchard with some friends!
Best Friends

My attempt at a picture of the boys...Jack is always ready with a big grin, Josiah wouldn't stop eating his apple to smile!

We could eat apples off the trees, but of course Jack preferred the ones off the ground.

So Yummy!

Again...eating off the ground.

No, Josiah wasn't blinking when I took this...he was literally falling asleep, but wouldn't stop eating his apple!

We're back and we have news!!!

2010-09-25T18:02:00.001-07:00

Sorry we've been gone for so long...our mommy has been sick!

This duo of two will soon be over...we are going to have a sibling in March!

Visiting our new cousin Ellie

2010-09-25T17:38:00.000-07:00

The boys and I headed to Louisville to visit my sister's new baby Ellie! She was so sweet and the kids had a blast together!

Thank you God for my family!

2010-06-28T19:17:00.000-07:00

5 Years

2010-06-28T19:13:00.000-07:00

June 18th

Eric and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary this month! 5 years have flown by and have been wonderful! I am so thankful that God brought Eric to me! I love you Eric!

A visit from Grandma and Grandpa O.

2010-06-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa stopped in for a short visit on there way home. We went to our local children's museum for the day. Jack and Josiah enjoyed some special time together!

Josiah is driving the bus. I think his driving is making Grandpa a little scared!

Teaching Grandma how to fix a car.

Such a good day! We ended the day with some books and a walk!

Indiana

2010-06-28T18:27:00.000-07:00

In early June we went to see these little cuties!

All the boys had a great time. Maybe next year they can have icecream too!

Avery and Rory share Josiah's love for books...

Josiah having a little story time with the boys.

Bye boys! It was fun to see you!!!

Loiusville

2010-06-28T18:05:00.001-07:00

Cousin fun!!!

The Bergmeier's took us to Churchill Downs for some horse races!

It was fun to see my sister and have some time to catch up!

So good to see each other!

Double trouble! :)

Summer Fun

2010-06-28T18:03:00.001-07:00

True to our summers, we have been going like crazy, seeing family and having a great time catching up with everyone! :) Here are a few pictures of our month of June.

Congratulations Uncle Matt!

2010-06-04T05:35:00.000-07:00

The boys and I went to Chicago at the end of May to celebrate with my brother as he ended one journey and started another. He was leaving his job at Trinity International after many years and they had a party for him. We are so proud of you Matt! You are an amazing big brother and such an example to me! We love you!!

Grandpa came up to Chicago to celebrate with Matt and we got to have a short visit with him too!

And of course the cousins too!

We love Grandpa!

2010-05-06T10:27:00.000-07:00

It's my Birthday Party and I am SO EXCITED!!!

Checking out his new blanket. And the verdict is...

I LIKE IT!!!

On to presents! Now, how to open these things...

True to every one year old, Jack was just as captivated by the paper as anything else!

This is a little overwhelming...good thing I have a big brother to help me!

Present time!!

Thanks for the Special Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday Jack!!!!

2010-05-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

Jack with his Fire Truck Cake

Great Grandpa thought it would be a good idea to just give Jack the whole cake. :)

Great Grandpa is always willing to help with dessert!

Sugar, glorious sugar!

What have I done??

This is what we call, "Sugar Shock"!

Such a good day!