Summer Come and Gone

This summer went by in a flash as usual.  It was another Apx summer.  However, this year we were in Naperville, IL...not too far from our temporary home in DeKalb 

while Adam is finishing up his Masters Degree at NIU.  

Kaleb and Savannah both made lots of new friends this summer.  Kaleb loved playing with his buddies Brigham, Lucas and Jaden.  Savannah spent alot of time with her friends Riley and Ann.  We even did a couple of sleep-overs!  Such Fun!  =) 

 

Probably the best part of our summer was that we got to share it with Brandon, Audrey and Cele'.  Adam's brother Brandon came to work with Apx this summer.  They made the trek all the way from Arizona!  I don't know what I would have done without Audrey!  She was there for me all summer long through being extremely pregnant, having the baby, and trying to adjust to having 3 kids.  Honestly...I don't know what I would have done without her.

 Cousins are special friends...=)

Growing...Growing...So big!

Here's Mason coming up on 4 months.  It's gone by so fast!

The Babe is Born

Mason Reeves Hancock was born on May 29th, 2008. He was a healthy 8 lbs 7 oz and 21 inches long! Our biggest baby yet. =) We're pretty sure his eyes are going to stay blue and the little bit of hair that he has...well, we'll call it light brown. So far he's a good sleeper, a good eater and his sister and brother just ADORE him!  (Sorry guys...He just didn't look like a Ryan or an Ashton! =) Mason gave me a couple of false labor's...which my other 2 didn't.  We were wondering if he was ever going to come out to meet his family!  Finally 3 days after his due date we went to the hospital, pumped the pitossin (sp?) and about 10 hours later he was born!  =)  When Savannah and Kaleb came to the hospital I remember feeling overwhelmed with joy (and maybe a little anxiety) that our family had officially grown!  We're so proud of our little family.   

Mamma Mia!

Can You believe There's only 5 weeks left!! Most of this pregnancy has gone by pretty quickly. With our other 2 hooligans keeping me busy, there's not as much time to think about being pregnant. However my ever stretching....everything... is a constant reminder at this point! =) I just had another ultrasound on Tuesday. The baby is approximately 5.5 lbs and if he holds out till his due date, he'll be about 7.5 lbs. Everyone wants to know what we're naming this baby. Well, you probably won't find out until he's born. We've yet to name a baby before we see it. So just be patient. If I can be patient...you can be patient =) . We're still taking suggestions, though. And yes, it is good luck to rub my belly...in case you were wondering...

Happy Valentines Day

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Tribute to Gordon B. Hinckley: Late President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Family Photo Shoot

Our Florida Winter Vacation!

It was so much fun visiting with Grandma G.G. and Grandpa Harry in Florida...Even though the temperature was in the 40's during half of our visit. No matter what the temp...
we were just happy to be there. =)

Our Good News!

Today, January 14th, our new baby is about 22 weeks grown! In the ultrasound picture above, you can see 2 ovals. the oval on the upper right is the Head, and the oval on the lower left is the body. You can see a tiny arm above the head. You can see the smaller dark spot in the body is the sweet little heart!
Wait...it gets better!

Here's lookin' at you, kid! This is the face shot. If you tilt your head to the right, you'll be eye to eye. You can also see, at the top left, the little rib cage.
And last but not least...

IT'S A BOY!!!
And boy, are we excited! This is actually a record breaker on my side of the family. Out of 16 grandchildren, there are only 3 grandsons (soon to be 4). I will be the first of the Reeves girls to give birth to 2 boys. =) I think I'm supposed to give credit to Adam on that one...And God, of course. He gets credit for all miracles. =)

Christmas in Virginia, MN

Spending Christmas with Grandpa Jim and Grandma Debbie was a special treat! There was lots of snow, lots of cookies and lots of love! We love and miss you Grandma & Grandpa!

Carving, Costumes and Candy!

As you can see, we decided to dig in and carve a silly pumpkin face this Fall. Savannah and Kaleb really enjoyed getting their hands in the gooey pulp and seeds. Savannah detailed the inside of the pumpkin...with not a string or seed left behind. She's very much a perfectionist =). The final result was a success! Our Jack-o-lantern was finally ready to greet the trick-or-treaters!

Savannah and Kaleb chose their own costumes for Halloween this year. Savannah knew all year long that she wanted to be a mermaid--Ariel the Little Mermaid, to be precise. She didn't like any of the costumes in the stores...because they didn't really look like mermaids anyway...so I ended up, for the very first time sewing something of my own pattern and creation! It may have not been to perfection, but she loved it nonetheless =) It was freezing on Oct. 31st this year so I ended up having to pin the seashells to her sweater. All was well. Kaleb, chose the "g-waff" costume complete with chubby, squishy cheeks! Irrisistable!!! He was proud because it made him "sooooo tall"! Needless to say, the kids had a wonderful time dressing up and getting one sugar high after another...=)

Savannah, Kaleb, Brayden & Mazie

Great Friends & Good Times

After spending some time this past summer at the cabin we took a trip down to Big Lake, MN to see our good friends the Hansens. Savannah and Kaleb had a blast playing with their friends Brayden and Mazie. They played on the new "John Deer", got nitty-gritty in the sandbox, and had plenty of fun watching movies and just goofing around. There wasn't a dull moment with these 4! Our 3 days visit went by quickly and it was hard to say goodby, but we knew we'd be seeing eachother again soon.

Summer's End

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Summer in the Springs

As many of you may already know, we left our glamorous caretaking job in Brooklyn Park, MN to spend the summer in Colorado Springs. What a beautiful place!

The kids and I feel like we're on a really long vacation...spending every warm day by the pool.
Savannah turned half amphibian this summer. With the pool only a stone's throw distance from our apartment we've been able to spend quite a bit of time there. The deepest part of the pool is only 5ft which has been nice for Savannah. She basically taught herself how to do the doggy paddle. (What are parents for anyway?) Just yesterday she showed me that she knows how to do a flip under water! It's hard to believe she's only 4!
Kaleb has taken leaps and bounds--litteraly--into the pool this summer. His first attempt into the pool here was a very timid one. For the first few weeks he spent most of his time on the steps. But look at him now! Confident and independent. I'll have to say...None are prouder than the parents!


If we weren't at the pool, we were probably at the park down the street. Sure, the kids loved climbing the trees and playground equipment. I'll have to say I think they really went to the park to feed treats to the dogs. Savannah had the great idea to get some dog treats at the store: "If they cost a dollar, we can get them, but if they're 600 dollars, then we probably can't get them, right mom?", is what Savannah said when presenting her bright idea. Every day she would pack a snack bag full of dog treats and bring them with us wherever we went. When we were in the car she would ask, "MOM! I see a dog, can I throw a dog treat out the window to him?!! In fear of actually hurting the dog, I declined. But we would take lots of walks in our neighborhood and in the park to feed those hungry dogs!

At the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo the kids and their friend Brigham got to feed special crackers to the Giraffes! ...And of course, get their picture taken on a mountain lion. Proud Peacock! He spread his tail feathers right when we asked him to.

During one of our last Sundays together as a family in Colorado Springs, we took a trip up to Pikes Peak to ride the Cog Railway to the top of the mountain. The pictures we took while we were there turned out a bit blurred and foggy. But it wasn't the camera...we were up in the clouds! The ride up the mountain took an hour and a half as well as the ride down. At the bottom of the mountain it was 89 degrees. But at the top...35! BRRRRR! It was a beautiful view out both sides of the train with streams, boulders, wildlife and 14,000ft cliffs!!! Of course, that's what we came to see. At the top of Pikes Peak we had high altitude donuts...mmmm greasy, and hot chocolate. That's probably the only place people have hot chocolate in the summer. Good times were had by all.