Aly's Birthday

Aly turned 4 years old a few weeks ago. This year her birthday ended up being on Easter, so that was pretty special for her. She chose a Dora theme party and had a small but very fun party with friends including a detailed Map outlining the adventures for the day, a few party games like "Pin the Tail on Swiper" and an Easter egg hunt, followed by her own special Dora cake. She was in heaven.

It's hard to believe that Aly has only been a part of our lives for only four years. She has brought so much adventure (and drama!) into our family. We love this little princess and all the joy she brings us.

Introducing Our Newest Addition

Jarom Michael Glabe, born December 11, 2012

weighing 8 lbs. 5 oz.

Proud parents

I'm finally getting around to posting some pictures of our sweet little Jarom. The pictures need editing, but with three little ones running around and Christmas just days away I've decided to just get them up here. We feel so blessed to be entrusted with this precious little spirit from our Heavenly Father. 

The big brother

The proud big sister

Momma's  boy

Grandma Glabe

Three generations

Definitely on the "nice" list this year

Look Who's Two

Nolan's birthday came and went on November 28th. It's hard to believe this little man is already 2, and yet I don't remember what we ever did without him. Definitely exploring his new independence as a full-fledged two year old, this guy keeps us on our toes with all his mischief, yet flashes those dimples and gets away with just about anything. He has a sweet little voice that makes anything he says sound adorable. He is absolutely obsessed with choo-choo trains and carries several with him wherever he goes. He especially loves reading train books and never goes to sleep without a stack of them in his bed. We are so blessed to have this guy in our lives and couldn't love him more. Happy Birthday Buster!

Thoroughly enjoying his train cake with Aly

Halloween and other Fall Happenings

I've vowed to get my Halloween pictures posted within a week of Halloween, so here goes:

Aly was a beautiful princess this year and loved trick-or-treating with her friends.

Nolan had two costumes and was a train conductor for our ward party and a cow for trick-or-treating. Of course he refused to wear the cute train conductor hat and insisted on the pumpkin one. He caught on pretty quickly to the concept of getting handed candy at each door and got quite a bit of attention with his cute little "trick or treat" and "thank you". Of course, he wanted to eat each piece before moving on to the next one.

 


Here I will also include the obligatory pumpkin patch and pumpkin carving pictures (although getting Nolan to sit for any picture is really a chore, so evidence of his involvement is scarce):

 

Also included are some other fun happenings in our house:

Nolan is now an expert pancake flipper.

The kids LOOOOOVE playing in the fall leaves!

Aly loves having Grandma Glabe come visit!

Here's Erin with all her other pregnant friends. (Believe it or not the girl next to me was actually 5 weeks ahead of me and just had her baby yesterday!) We have enjoyed throwing each other baby showers and exchanging pregnancy stories.

Summer in Missouri

Do you ever get so behind in blogging that you feel like it's hopeless to try and go back and make up for lost time? Not that we're great bloggers to begin with, but our neglect for this blog has certainly gotten a little out of hand.  So, without further ado, here is a quick update for the last couple of months:

• During June we spent some time in Washington with Erin's family and got to see her brother come home from his mission.  We had all 7 of the siblings with their spouses and children together for an eventful couple of days.
• We made the journey to the great city of Kansas City where we will call home for a whole year.
• We got settled into our new home just in time to welcome the severest drought and hottest summer Missouri has seen in a while. Thanks to our AC, a couple big buckets we frequently filled with water, and making a quick friend with a pool, we survived the worst of it.
• Dave started his residency program, which he absolutely LOOOOOOVES. It's a demanding program, but definitely well worth the work he puts into it.
• We found out that our third baby will be another boy. We have yet to come up with a single name that we both agree would be tolerable. Boy names are so horrid! Hopefully we will come up with something before December when he is due.
• We have had fun exploring the Kansas City area and all the attractions it has to offer. From Crown Center and Union Station to the Deanna Rose petting farm to the zoo to nearby lakes and conservation areas and apple farms to the art museum there has been plenty to keep us entertained, even with our limited budget. And we love living just 30 minutes from a brand new temple.  
• Grandma and Grandpa Glabe have been able to make the short journey to visit a handful of times, which has been a real treat for the kids (and for us when we get free babysitting and the occasional date!). On one such visit they brought a trampoline, which has been the source of countless hours of entertainment in our backyard.
• On August 10th we celebrated our 6 year anniversary and still agree getting married was the best decision we ever made.

Hiking in Washington

Two handsome guys all ready for church

Packaging popcorn = hours of entertainment + hours of cleaning up

Aly's first time fishing

Tractor rides

Fun at the petting zoo with Grandma and Grandpa Glabe

Nothing like s'mores on your back porch on a hot summer night

Doctor at last!

We finally made it! After four long years of hard work, late nights studying, stressful tests, and packing up and moving all around the country for clinical rotations, we (and I am rightfully including myself in this accomplishment) graduated! I am so proud of my brilliant husband, who not only graduated concurrently with his O.D. and M.S. degrees, but managed to do it with a flawless 4.0 GPA and was honored to represent his class as Valedictorian. Not to mention, he snagged some pretty nice awards too. And he gave an awesome speech, to boot. So I am incredibly proud of him and feel that I deserve a chance to brag just a little about my doctor husband. Here are some snapshots to capture the big day:

So proud of our daddy!

All the guys

All us supportive wives

Really gonna miss all these people!

Dad, Renae, and Katie made the long drive down to support us - and help babysit (thanks Katie!)

Some of Dave's professors that helped make getting his Masters possible!

Giving his speech

Aly turns 3

I know it's been almost a month, but we wanted to document that our little princess turned 3 on March 31st. It's hard to believe how quickly she has grown up. I can't remember what life was like without her - she has brought so much joy and fun to our lives.

Her birthday included breakfast at IHOP, an Easter egg hunt, General Conference, ice cream, and a princess cake. Plus, she scored some great gifts, including a princess dress-up trunk from Papa and Grammy Nae, the Pretty Pretty Princess game, and some princess dolls. A girl can never get too much princess stuff!