A Curious Kid

Who needs a daughter who experiments with scissors and whacks a chunk of hair off? We have Ryan! The day before this "experiment", Ryan & Alex both got their "summer haircuts". They looked so handsome in their short, yet stylish, haircuts. The following day - Ryan, being curious, decided to see exactly how the hair clippers worked and shaved a nice chunk of hair off. Way to go Ryan! Your mom has no idea how to fix this!

Baby AJ - 1 month old

Oh my! How does the time go by so quickly. Our precious baby boy is already one month old. He has adjusted to our crazy schedule fairly well. The first week back at work was a little rough, but we have lots of loving, helpful friends at the office who are more than willing to hold baby AJ when needed. He is growing so quickly. He is becoming more alert and aware of his surroundings. We are anxiously awaiting his first real "social smile"!

Conversation With Nick

I have a daily conversation with Nick a few times a day, that goes something like this:

Nick: Where Dad?
Mom: At Work
Nick: Dad at Work?
Mom: Yep, Dad's at work.
Nick: Where Dad?
Mom: At Work
Nick: Dad at Peppi ("Pepsi")?
Mom: Yep, Dad's at Pepsi.
Nick: Where Ry-Ry ("Ryan)?
Mom: Ryan is upstairs.
Nick: Oh. Where E ("Alex" don't know where this came from)?
Mom: Alex is upstairs.
Nick: Oh. Where Pop-Pop ("Grandpa")?
Mom: Grandpa is at home.
Nick: Pop-Pop at house.
Mom: Yes, Grandpa is at his house.
Nick: Oh. Where Kah-yee?
Mom: Kallee is in Las Vegas.
Nick: Kah-yee on aaapane.
Mom: Yes, Kallee went on an airplane to Las Vegas.
Nick: Oh. . . . . (thoughtful pause)
Nick: Where Ashee?
Mom: Ashley is in Las Vegas.
Nick: No, Ashee on aaapane.
Mom: Yep, Ashley went on an airplane to Las Vegas.
Nick: Oh . . . . (thoughtful pause)
Nick: Mom, where not-pop-pop (this is a recent name for "Grandma")
Mom: Grandma?
Nick: Yes, where not-pop-pop?
Mom: Grandma is at her house.
Nick: Oh.
Nick: Mom, where Dora?
Mom: Dora the Explorer?
Nick: where Dora?
Mom: Dora is at home on the tv.
Nick: Oh. . . . (thoughtful pause)
Nick: Mom, where Dad?

Repeat . . . Repeat. . . Repeat.

I have this conversation with Nick at least three times a day. I am not kidding either. I often get a little frustrated and the conversation ends with:

Nick: Oh, sah-eee ("sorry") mom.

Gotta love this little guy. As my first two boys were late-talkers, I have never had a two-year-old that talks this much all of the time. He says the most randome, sometimes interesting, things.

The Fabulous Foursome!

Baby AJ O'Dell arrived on May 12, 2009 (3:45 am)! He weighed in at 6 lbs 6 0z and was 21 inches long. He is named after my dad (Andrew Johnny O'Dell) but we are going to call him "AJ". He is the sweetest little guy with big eyes and soft white-blonde hair. The boys have just been smothering him with love and in-your-face affection. I was worried about Nick, but he has been great with the baby and is always asking to "hold baby aj" which lasts for approximately 5 seconds before he moves on to something else. The recovery has been different since the baby made his grand entrance via c-section this time, but I have had lots of help and have been really good about following doctor's orders to do "nothing". How fortunate I am to have such wonderful friends and family to support us. My parents made a quick - last minute - trip to be here to help take care of the other boys while I was in the hospital. I am grateful to them for that. My sister, Kallee, came and stayed for 10 days! She was my saving grace and I would not have made it without her help. Ashley also came to help and visit. I have the best sisters ever! Shawn was as wonderful as ever and constantly taking care of me and our boys. Thank you for all the phone calls, love, and concern on our behalf!

I have been enjoying my time at home, but looking forward to returning back to the office with all four boys following behind! How grateful I am to work at an office that values family. Recently, KTVB did a story about our unique office and baby AJ O'Dell made his television debut. You should check it out on their website at http://www.ktvb.com/news/business/stories/ktvbn-may1909-kids_to_work.1b92b2c5.html

So, with a new house and a new baby - life is grand!

Easter 2009

Easter came and went so fast. I think because it fell near the end of tax season and I can barely keep the days straight. Kallee was here visiting and I could not be more grateful to her. She helped out so much with the boys. Nick stayed home with her every single day and she was willing to take him with her wherever she needed to go. She picked up Ryan & Alex from school - which they loved. She cooked dinner, she emptied the dishwasher. She was awesome! Thank you Kallee!!! We were all sad when the day came that she had to go back home. I think Shawn tried everything to convince her to move back. :o)

Easter was nice though. The day before, we had an office bbq and easter egg hunt. That was fun. We colored eggs and ate way too much candy.

Ashley & Kallee Visit Us!!

Kallee & Ashley came to visit and we had so much fun. It made me wish they lived closer. We played Rockband, went shopping, ate out, and hung out. Even Ryan chose to go to the mall with us (the amazing powers of the "aunts"!). Ashley only got to stay for a few days, but Kallee was on spring break so she stayed the entire week. We miss them already.

The Rollerdrome!

We went to the Birch Elementary night at the Rollardrome. The boys have been asking all year to attend this once-a-month school activity, so finally we went. It was really fun. I think we will go back sometime.