So many Kids, So Little Time. . .

No big news on the Goebel front. June is winding down and we are getting ready for our big trip to Denver. It'll be the first road trip as a family of five. Wish us good luck!!

Walker is doing sooooooooooooo good sleeping in his own bed!! As with most things with him, when he is ready he'll do it. On that front, Brady is doing so much better going down at night too. He hasn't really cried at all in a few weeks. It makes a difference when Walker is in there with him. He loves that. Although Doug and I have degrees, we are not the brightest bulbs in the chandelier (and they let us raise kids??). We have FINALLY started putting the older two down at eight or after and they are going to bed so much better and getting up at a more reasonable time. I had been trying to put them down at 7 with me, but that was not working so great.

Lauren Grace, what a little bugger!! She is, as Doug calls her "Lucy loud lips!" That girl talks and talks and talks and talks. But she is so cute with Brady. She loves to try to make him laugh while he is eating lunch.

Brady boy, he is just hanging out!! Today was pretty cute. He was literally wrestling with Walker and Lauren. He was having such a good time, laughing like crazy!!

So that's what's new!!

Adios!

Pool days, School days!

Well, Lauren seems to have conquered her fear of the water. She likes to swim in the baby pool now with Brady. Brady just takes it all in and Walker, well he is our fish. He is now jumping into the deep end with his life jacket on. He LOVES to swim!!

Lauren seems like all of a sudden she is getting so big!! What happened to my baby girl? And boy is she a talker!! She is such a cutie!!

Walker is gearing up for preschool. He is pretty excited!

Brady boy is just crawling around like crazy!! He is talking like crazy too!! "Da!! Hi!! Ma!!"

In terms of speech therapy, I am working with Walker on Yellow. He says Lello. I think this is pretty typical, but I just wanted to see if he could do it. It is still Lello!

Lauren makes her S's into F's. For instance, she says "I want to go fwimming!" Embarrasingly, "I no want a fanking!! (spanking)" Walker's stuffed dog Sparky is Farky to her. Pretty cute!!

Well, off to work I go!!

The Long and Winding Road

Nothing to terribly exciting to report. Summer is here and the pool is open! Walker loves to swim. He would jump in all day if he could. Lauren won't go near the water. Not quite sure what the deal is there. Brady is loving sitting in the baby pool and watching the other kids.

Doug is teaching summer school right now. I think this will be a good thing because it is not all summer long and will give him a bit of a break. We are planning to go to Denver in July and maybe, finances willing, California for Christmas. I would really like to get out there, but we'll see how it all goes.

Every day has its little challenges. I have to admit, I wish I was more patient. (if you are my brother or sister, stop laughing as you know that I have a history of being impatient and prone to temper tantrums). I am really trying not to get to upset with the kids of insignificant things. My big hurdle right now is the whole potty training thing. Poor Lauren. She gets it. She does it. But she doesn't always remember to scoot back on the potty, thereby peeing all over the floor. I am so tired of wiping up pee!! But I also know that she is not even 2-1/2 and I need to not take it out on her. Those of you who know me well will appreciate that Walker is just like me, thus we butt heads quite a bit. If I lose my temper, he loses his and it escalates. If there were a video camera, it would almost be funny to watch because he says and does EXACTLY what I do when I get frustrated with him, down to the facial expressions. Nature or Nurture? Talk amongst yourselves. Otherwise, he is really getting to be a fun little guy, riding his bike, playing, reading books and boy does he remember every little thing I tell him!! He is also a great big bro to Brady (Except when Brady blocks the tv, where does he get this from?)

Brady boy, or as Lauren calls him "baby boy" is getting himself into more and more trouble by the day! Yesterday he climbed all the way up the stairs!! He is pretty darn tall to so putting stuff up is not always out of his reach!! He is such a little cutie!

Lauren Funny- Doug bought them some batons at the grocery store the other day (SUCKER!) and taught her the following that she now does standing on top of the lego box as her stage "Go team GO! Go Team GO!" waving her baton. It cracks me up!!

Well until next time, Toodles!

Generous CA Aunts and Uncles!

Well, I have to type in DODGER blue today. Much to his auntie's pleasure, Walker is blossming into quite the baseball fan. He is really into batting the ball (and his sister, and my furniture). Today my ever reflective 3 year-old said "I love aunt Tracy. I love Aunt Tracy because she gave me a baseball, bat, hat, bracelet and shirt. " I think he would still love her even if she didn't spoil him. He even said "Maybe Tracy can take me to a baseball game. She can come, get my seat and we could go!" Are 3-year-olds allowed to travel unaccompanied?

Don't feel left out Uncle Steve. In the interest of getting a nap in my own bed (something I rarely see during the week) Walker and I lay upstairs and watch a DVD. Two days in a row he has been watching the "Here Comes the ABCs" Uncle Steve sent him eons ago by They Might Be Giants. They might be quite entertaining!! He is at an age now where he appreciates it a lot better.

No, this is not a plea to get the rest of the aunts and uncles to antie up and start sending stuff to my kids. But it is nice to see them play with and appreciate what people have given them. I make it a point to tell them if they have something given to them and by whom.

Well Lauren's pool is almost up and running. The pool at our complex has been fancied up and almost ready for swimming. She always calls it "my pool". If you ever really want to get under her skin, tell her she is naughty. She HATES that!! "I not naughty!" she will say emphatically. It is one of the things Doug and I do for a laugh. Yes, we tease our kids for our own enjoyment. That's what happens when you cut back your cable. Well, enough wasting time at work.

Toodles!

No News is Good News!

What's new? Not a whole lot. Same old, same old. Walker has been rather naughty this week. Not sure what is going on there. Lauren is still potty training and having less and less accidents. Brady is pulling himself up on anything and everything. It is pretty cute. Doug is feeling better in terms of his back, but he has some kind of bug (no, not a nagging wife) that has him down for the count now. With summer around the corner, hopefully we can re-energize!!

Peace out!

Lemons and Lemonade

What a week!! The overshadowing event of the week was Doug's back going out. It was brewing over the weekend and came to a head on Monday when he came home in excruciating pain. He was unable to move Monday and Tuesday and finally got some movement back Wednesday. He feels ALOT better now. The kids have been pretty good throughout most of it. Poor Lauren. She is trying so hard to be a big girl, but she has been having accidents (most notable was pooping in the tub the other night, thoroughly disgusting.). I feel I lost my temper with her more than she deserved. Walker slept in his bed all night one night this week. That is quite a feat for him. He tried last night and came in to go potty after he had fallen asleep. He asked to sleep in our door way. I said "sure." When I got up to got to work at 10:30, he was on my side of the bed, on the floor, in my pile of clean clothes. That'll teach me to put my clothes away!! Brady had his nine month appointment today. He is off the charts in height which makes his weight not so bad. He is 22+ pounds. He is a solid boy. He is not only crawling now, but he is pulling himself up on the couch and other things to stand. He is also really getting into bath time. Fortunately he got out before the Lauren poop fiasco. We are hoping to go out this Saturday night but I no longer get my hopes to high. One never knows what will happen next!!

My Girl Likes to Potty all the Time . . .

Well, you know how the song goes!! Lauren has been accident free all week!! Our only hurdle is the big girl potty. She will not use it at all. She might just take her potty chair to college!! Won't she be popular!!

Walker has been sprouting quite the personality lately. He tells me when he gets mad at me that he is going to go find a new mom. He also has requested a different sister. I told him that there are no more sisters coming out of this momma!! (Maybe his new mom will be willing, JK). I have no idea where he gets his attitude from!! (It's like looking in the mirror!!)

Brady boy is going to eat me out of house and home. He will eat anything you put in front of him!! He is starting to pull himself up a little bit now on the stairs and on me when I am on the floor with him. He has the "da da da" down now he just needs to learn "ma, ma, ma!"

By the way, thank you aunty Tracy for the Dodger paraphernalia. Walker wears the hat everywhere and much to my surprise was fine with the fact that he did not get clothing like the other kids. We have been playing baseball (I toss a soft baseball into his velcro glove) ever since. Thanks (I think!). Lauren looked cute in her jersey. It fit her pretty well too!! Brady looked like a cutie in his Dodger blue too!! Thanks for thinking of the kids! They love getting mail!!

Till the next update, adieu!!