The Knutson Update

More Pics

2011-09-16T23:12:00.001-04:00

I found some more random pictures from this last month or so I thought you might enjoy! :)

Our Fall Schedule

2011-09-04T15:22:00.000-04:00

We started school this past week, even with all the hurricane craziness. Believe it or not, the kids had been begging to start school. The summer boredom had set in and they were dying to get going. With four of them doing school now (Luke does preschool 2-3 days a week for about two hours, John David is in 2nd grade, Caitlyn is in 6th grade, and Kylie is in 3rd grade) it took a little to adjust to a new schedule, but they all did fabulous their first week. John David learned all about seeds this past week in his Science lessons, so we did a fun science experiment about seeds. I posted all about it on my website, and you can go here to read that, but here's the video I took of his explanation. Too cute!

Our normal Fall schedule will start back up this next week, with dance on Thursday nights and Tae Kwon Do classes twice a week. Kylie is taking a clogging dance class, and Caitlyn is doing a second year of Irish dancing with hardshoe and softshoe Irish. Both Kylie and John David are currently blue belts, and will be testing for their brown belt in early October for Tae Kwon Do. This is a big accomplishment and bumps them up to the advance classes, with only a few more belts between them and black belt. All the kids are doing really well in their extracurricular activities, and enjoy them very much.

On a totally different note, I keep forgetting to tell everyone about Jeremy's accident. Many of you may already know, but Jeremy was in an accident earlier this summer. A man T-boned Jeremy's truck and totaled it. With the insurance money, Jeremy was able to buy a new truck.... his dream truck! :) It's a very large white Dodge Ram truck with an extended cab, and he loves it! As do we all, because we all fit in it. It has been such a blessing having two vehicles that all the kids fit in, and not having to worry about being stuck without enough seats. Have a great Labor Day holiday tomorrow!

The Last Month in Pictures

2011-09-04T15:08:00.000-04:00

Yes, we are still alive and, YES, we have power! :) It's been such a crazy week, and Hurricane Irene did a doozy on our area. We weathered the storm very well, and only lost power for a few days. Initially, the power company was telling everyone it would be at least a week before power was returned, so we were pretty excited when it came back on so quickly. We did fine though, and actually enjoyed the 'unplugged' time with the kids, playing board games, and hanging out.

With our busy schedules, I haven't had as much time to post pictures and such here lately. So I thought I'd post some recent pictures from this summer. Everything from a recent trip to the Science Museum with the girls and their friend, Grace, to pictures of the girls and some of their friends at a party we had one night, to pictures of Luke chilling out.

The kids have all grown leaps and bounds this summer, and I have already started taking stock of what clothing we'll need for the Fall season. They all seemed to have grown out of shoes and everything else. Luke's third birthday was a few weeks ago, and I still can't believe that he's three years old already!! All the kids are acting so much older all of the sudden, and now that Luke is potty trained and I don't have to worry about diapers or a diaper bag anymore, it feels a bit strange. It's been so many years since I wasn't nursing a baby or changing diapers, or pregnant! :) We have definitely entered a new phase in our family, and while it feels great, it's a bit for this momma to get used to. I always laugh when I do laundry, because you can tell so much about our family by what shows up in the laundry. From little Spiderman underwear to itty bitty bras (yes, I said bras!), not to mention the things I find in pockets like lip gloss and lizards, it always warms my heart to realize they may be growing up, but they are still my babies. :) Love you all!

Earthquake and Hurricane - All in One Week!

2011-08-27T12:31:00.000-04:00

Yes, you read that correctly. :) It's been a bit of a crazy week here. Earlier this week we experienced a 5.8 earthquake that we luckily got out of with a only nice size crack in our ceiling, some things that fell off shelves, and a few scared kiddos. But now, Hurricane Irene has us in her sights, and the winds are picking up! The likelihood that we will get through this without losing power is slim to none, and after our last bad hurricane (where we had no water for a few days and no power for an entire week), I'm not holding my breath.

We are inside, safe and secure, and prepared for the bad weather. I will do my best to keep everyone updated wither by phone, text, or here on the blog. Keep all of those affected by the hurricane in your prayers!

The Simple Things

2011-07-22T11:11:00.002-04:00

Sometimes it's the simple things that make them smile!

Trip to the Science Museum of Richmond

2011-07-22T10:49:00.002-04:00

Thanks to an awesome deal recently on Groupon, we now are the proud owners of a year long membership to our local science museum. We headed there for a visit earlier this week, and had a great time. I was surprised at how Luke did, and we even got to see an IMAX movie. So fun!

We're heading the museum for a visit again next Monday. I'm so glad I snagged that deal when I did!

Couponing My Way to Stardom!

2011-07-22T10:27:00.002-04:00

Our local news channel was at one of my coupon workshops recently, and I ended up on TV! It's brief really, but the kids think it's pretty cool! Don't blink! You might miss me. :) (I'm the one teaching the class)

Caitlyn's Dance Recital

2011-06-21T15:21:00.000-04:00

Caitlyn had her end of the year dance recital a week or so ago, and I wanted to share some video and a few pics. She has grown up so much over the past year, and it was really eye opening for Jeremy and I to see how much better she is this year. He doesn't get to see her dance every week like I do, and I kept telling him he was going to be surprised. :) She is really turning into a graceful dancer, and I credit her Lyrical teacher, Ms. Tammy, for that. She has done a stellar job of teaching Caitlyn about finishing movement and 'feeling' the music. She took both Christian Lyrical and Irish Hard Shoe this year. She has really taken a liking to the Irish dances and will be doing Irish Soft Shoe as well next year. The video and pictures were all taken the night of her recital rehearsal, so that I could just enjoy her performances the actual night of the recital. I wanted to soak up these moments.... Anyway, the lighting wasn't great, and well, you can at least hear the music and see the choreography. Enjoy!

UPDATE on the house: No, we have still not moved in, but we are very close. Hopefully within the week. The house is really starting to come together, and I am so excited. I have plenty of pictures and even some video, but once we start getting rooms completed I will post before and afters for you. There's a few rooms that are completely done except for the carpet which will be installed on Thursday. So close!!

Luke Blowing Up a Balloon... Or Not

2011-06-18T14:57:00.000-04:00

This week, I caught this video of Luke trying to blow up a balloon. It was too funny not to share! I kept trying to tell him that these were water balloons and they were too hard to try and blow up, but he just kept trying. :)

Pictures and video of Caitlyn's dance recital will be up in the next few days. We've been super busy working on the new house and trying to get everything straight so we can move in!

The New House

2011-06-01T09:39:00.001-04:00

As promised, here's a couple pics of the new house! We had our final walk-through last night, so I snapped a couple of the front and back. We are FINALLY closing today. So excited!

The Kiddos Get New Bikes

2011-05-28T10:49:00.000-04:00

Remember those new bikes I said the kids got for Easter? Well, here are the pics and video finally. :) I know, I've been a slacker. Luke LOVES his new bike (big wheel) and makes us laugh when he rides around making car noises. By the way, here's an update on the house. Our closing was postponed yet again, and has now been scheduled for this Tuesday. I'm not holding my breath at this point. I'll post some pictures of the house as soon as we close!

Family Time at Reviewers Retreat/Great Wolf Lodge Poconos

2011-05-20T14:54:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, I attended a blog conference called Reviewers Retreat in Pennsylvania. It was part of a blogger network that I have been working on in regards to my website My Four Monkeys. Besides the conference part of Reviewers Retreat, my favorite part of the whole trip was the location. Not only did it allow me to bring the whole family along for the trip, but Reviewers Retreat took place at Great Wolf Lodge Poconos. Now, you know we LOVE Great Wolf Lodge, but have never been to this location. Even the kids were excited to see how this location differed from our usual Great Wolf in Williamsburg.

Right away we noticed that the Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos is a bit larger, with a roomier lobby and a larger 'treehouse' section in the waterpark. Over all, there wasn't too much of a difference, as it still featured the fabulous food (we're talking syrup fountains at breakfast time, and everything you could possibly dream of at dinner), great amenities (like the Northern Lights Arcade), well-trained and caring lifeguards (John David got a boo-boo that had to be tended to), and the ever present and helpful staff. Apart from the blogger festivities and sessions, I really enjoyed getting to spend some fun time with Jeremy and the kids, and take advantage of the fabulous location to get some family time in. It was a much needed getaway with all the house craziness that's been going on here (we are finally closing next week), and I'm so glad we went!

So glad we got to stay indoors! It was yucky and dreary outside the whole time we were there!

4th floor please!

The large fireplace in the lobby is always an attraction for the kids. Super warm and comforting atmosphere.

Whose got muscles?

I do! I do!

Eating dinner at Loose Moose Cottage. Where else can you go out to dinner still wet from the waterpark?

Gotta love the smiley face fries!

Our ingenious swimsuit dryer. :)

I think somebody is wore out from playing so hard!

Caitlyn taking a rest while the boys nap. She read through two whole books while we were there, and we ended up taking a trip to the store to get more!

We of course found time to be silly!

So close!

So much to choose from!

Time to go, but we'll be back!

Happy Birthday to ME!

2011-05-20T12:40:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know... I'm getting old! But nothing makes it better than hearing "happy birthday" from your two year old. :) He kept singing it to me this morning and then when I got the camera out he got quiet, of course.

If my birthday is today, that means in TWO days it will be my dad's birthday! So, Happy Birthday Poppy!

Easter Pics - We Are Moving!

2011-05-09T17:53:00.000-04:00

I know I'm late, but I wanted to share a few pics from Easter. I was looking at pictures from last Easter, and seriously... how do kids grow so fast?!! The kiddos all got new bikes for Easter, and I have some fun pictures and video of that I'll share tomorrow. Enjoy!

Also, for those of you who haven't heard - we are moving! It's only about ten minutes away from where we are now, but we are super excited! More to come on the moving process soon. We are supposed to close this week, and will be working on both houses a ton over the next few weeks. I will be sure to post some pictures of the new house and the work we'll be doing. Seems like our lazy summer is off to a busy start!

Caitlyn Dancing a Jig - Plus Luke and His "Nebbit"

2011-03-25T11:18:00.002-04:00

Last weekend Caitlyn participated in a St. Patrick's Day performance at a local nursing home. It was kind of funny watching her class, because the floor they had to dance on was less than half the size of their normal stage. They made do though, and I thought they did great! Caitlyn is really enjoying her Irish hard shoe class, and has her recital coming up the first weekend in June.

Here's another short video. This one of Luke. He has really been talking more and more, and this morning I caught this short clip of him naming the parts of his face. For some reason he keeps calling his neck his "nebbit". Not sure where that came from, but it's super cute!

Wordless Wednesday - My Love, My LIfe

2011-03-09T11:14:00.000-05:00

Catching Up....

2011-02-25T10:31:00.002-05:00

It's been a busy week (I've had two fighting a stomach bug), but I just wanted to post a quick "catch up". :) Luke's surgery last week went fabulously! We were in and out of the surgery center faster than we ever have been before. Luke did great, and once we arrived back home he wanted to play. I expected him to nap for awhile, but he lay down till that afternoon. Then he slept for almost five hours though! He has healed well, and is finally done with all the meds from the surgery. Hopefully, this will be our last trip to the surgery center with him. :)

The Friday before Luke's surgery, the girls' had their annual birthday sleepover. There were twelve little girls ages 6 to 12 here that night. This year, I enlisted two teenage girls to help! Everyone had a blast, but we were all pretty tired the next day. Here's a couple pics I managed to snap during the festivities. I made some lavender cupcakes with a chocolate mousse filling. They were delicious, and it was my first try at using fondant. But they turned out really cute!

The girls got lots of fun gifts, including some craft kits that they have really enjoyed....

Most of all, they just had fun being with their friends! It's hard to believe they are growing up so fast, but I am glad that they both have a great set of friends.

**PS: My camera is really giving me trouble. I seriously need a new one so I can take pictures that aren't fuzzy and weird looking! Anybody got any recommendations?**

Big Firsts: A Lost Tooth & Getting Dressed

2011-02-16T11:26:00.001-05:00

In the last twenty-four hours, I have gotten two big reminders that my boys are growing up fast! First John David lost his first tooth last night. He has been dreading the pulling, and didn't realize that it doesn't hurt. Jeremy talked him into just letting him "look". ;) He barely touched the tooth and it fell right out. John David didn't even know it was missing! It was one of those that was so loose that it barley even bled. Now he hasn't the cutest little smile, but somehow it makes him look older.... humph :)

This morning, Luke asserted his independence with a surprising accomplishment. He not only managed to undress himself (which he's been doing for a few weeks), but managed to dress himself as well complete with shorts and pants! I tried to help him, just assuming that he needed my help, but all I got was a emphatic. "NO!" I left the room, thinking surely he would call me back shortly to help. A few minutes later, he emerged completely dressed, and this mommy was a bit sad and very proud at the same time!

Happy Birthday Kylie!

2011-02-14T10:12:00.002-05:00

We had a very busy weekend, but I wanted to make sure and wish my baby girl a very happy birthday! Kylie turned eight on Saturday, and she was practically glowing. :) Birthdays are always extra special for her. I think she feels like she's catching up to her big sister. For me, they are always extra special since we almost lost her before we ever got a chance to meet her. She was my preemie who the doctors said could possibly have a variety of issues. She came out kicking and screaming and never spent a moment in the NICU! She's always been a fighter and our ball of fire! I love you, Smylie!

Q&A with Kylie...

Q: What's your favorite food?

A: Pizza!

Q: What's your favorite color?

A: I don't really have a favorite color, but the color I like the most is green.

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?

A: A chef.

Q: Why do you want to be a chef?

A: Because I like cooking and making food.

Q: What is your favorite activity to do for fun?

A: Umm... jump on the trampoline, make bead jewelry.

Q: What is your favorite animal?

A: I would say dogs, for sure.

Q: What kind of dog is your favorite dog?

A: Black labs! (No surprise there. Our dog is a black lab) :)

Q: What are some of your goals for your life right now?

A: Get my purple belt in TaeKwonDo, learn how to be a good babysitter, and go ice skating.

Q: Anything else you would like to say on your eighth birthday?

A: I had fun with my friends at my sleepover, and I'm really excited that I don't have to sit in a car seat anymore!

Surgery Scheduled for Luke

2011-02-10T16:15:00.001-05:00

Looks like my mischievous little sweetie will be heading back in for surgery again. Luke is still having issues with his ears, and when we saw the ENT yesterday, he wasn't happy with how they looked. So the doctor would like to re-insert his tubes, and remove his adenoids. On a good note, this same surgery seemed to do the trick for John David, so I'm hoping it will work for Luke too. :) Surgery is coming up quick, and was scheduled for next Friday the 18th! Please pray for a smooth and fast recovery.

Wordless Wednesday - Kylie Plays Hairdresser {Poor Luke!}

2011-02-09T07:56:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Caitlyn!

2011-02-01T10:35:00.000-05:00

Today is Caitlyn's birthday! Wow! We're so proud of her, and can't wait to see what the next year brings. Love you Caitybug!

Q&A with Caitlyn...

Q: What's your favorite food?

A: Pizza!

Q: What's your favorite color?

A: Purple, no doubt.

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?

A: I want to be an animal rescuer or a rancher.

Q: What is your favorite activity to do for fun?

A: Crafting and reading.

Q: Any crafts in particular?

A: Painting. .. Paint-by-numbers, actually.

Q: What is your favorite animal?

A: Horse, of course!

Q: Why do you want to be an animal rescuer?

A: Because I just love animals.

Q: What are some of your goals for your life right now?

A: To get to pointe in ballet, be a good Irish step dancer, and to get good grades. Be a good friend, and learn to be a better artist.

Q: Anything else you would like to say on your tenth birthday?

A: I love my family and I'm glad that they are there for me all the time!

Christmas at Our House

2011-01-08T16:59:00.002-05:00

I still can't believe the holidays are over and it's already 2011! But it is, and I figured it's about time I got around to posting our holiday pictures. :) Our camera has been on the fritz, so I didn't get near as many pictures as I usually do of this time of year. Plus after I got home from the hospital and the whole gall bladder surgery thing on Christmas morning, somehow snapping photos wasn't at the forefront of my thoughts.

Mid-December, Jeremy headed out of town for a week on a business trip. So, the kids and I decided we would tackle the tree and surprise him when he got back home.

Uh, John David, I think that Santa hat is a little small! :)

Jeremy's mom was able to fly in for Christmas, and it was a huge blessing for all of us! In the 13 years Jeremy and I have been together, we have never been able to spend a Christmas with his mom, so to say the least, it was very meaningful to have her here. Plus, when I ended up in the hospital just a few hours after she arrived (the Thursday before Christmas), we knew God had it all worked out. She was able to spend some good quality time with the kids, and we didn't have to worry about them while Jeremy went back and forth between home and the hospital. While I was in the hospital, Jeremy, his mom, and the kids managed to do some quick Christmas light touring around our area, and enjoyed the lots of snow we got that weekend!

John David and Kylie using their sleds as snowboards - such fun!

Christmas morning came and it was a blur of wrapping paper, smiles, and thankfulness to finally be home with my family.

John David was pretty excited about his Dollar tree handcuffs!

Even Chewy was in the holiday spirit!

Kylie and her kissing frogs

Grandma and Luke

This is my favorite picture from Christmas weekend. It's a bit blurry, but I thought it was precious. As we were opening presents, it started to snow - a lot. Kylie is always so amazed with the snow, and she just went and stood by the windows watching it fall.

I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season! While ours may not have turned out exactly as we had planned, we were still able to enjoy each other and remember the true reason for the season!

Our Christmas Drama

2010-12-25T17:00:00.000-05:00

Well, Christmas didn't turn out exactly as I had hoped, but we have so much to be thankful for! Thursday afternoon my mother-in-law arrived from Wisconsin for the holiday, and we were all so excited, making plans for the next few days to visit Santa at the Bass Pro Shop, drive around and look at Christmas lights, and view the live nativity at the local zoo. As it turned out though, Thursday night I was admitted to the hospital in severe abdominal pain. By the end of the night, the doctors had decided that I needed to have my gall bladder removed, due to several gallstones that had blocked my duct and caused a nasty case of infection. After doses of IV antibiotics, the surgeon took my gallbladder out yesterday (Christmas Eve), and I was thankfully able to get home just in time to open presents mid-morning (on Christmas day) with the kids.

While it wasn't exactly the Christmas I had planned. My mother-in-law has been a HUGE help and a trooper helping take care of the kids and cook most of Christmas dinner by herself. I am so thankful that I was able to make it home Christmas morning to be with my family! I had some sad little children, whose faces lit up with joy at the sight of mommy coming through the door just in time to open presents!

Hope you and your families had a fabulous holiday!!

Our Thanksgiving Holiday - The Rest of the Story

2010-12-17T16:45:00.002-05:00

So after visiting my parents in Tennessee, we headed to Indiana where we celebrated a birthday with my cousin's stepson, helped my Nanny decorate for the holidays, visited with the Stults, saw our first snow of the season, and baked Christmas cookies! We didn't have much time, but we crammed as much fun as we could in what time we had!

Lunch at the Stults - Caitlyn and Issac

John David and Sam

Kylie and Gracie

Cutie Patootie Micah

Birthday Fun with Joey

I think Luke thought the new scooter was for him! :)

Todd, Jeremy, and Uncle Mike - talking guy talk

Tami and Rocky

Just the girls - Me, Tami, Angie, Vicki, and Lacy

It's Snowing - You can't really see it, but it is... I promise!

Kylie thought Nanny's old fashioned crank cookie press was pretty cool.

Yummy cookies!

More cookies!

Thank you Nanny!

Lastly it was off to Ohio, where we visited with two of my aunts and uncles, one of which we hadn't seen since Kylie was a newborn!

Uncle Mike and Mary Lu

The kids and Kramer

We were definitely happy to be home when we returned, but are looking forward to the next visit!