Parker Josiah

Well I figured since he will be a week old tomorrow, I should probably get around to putting a few pictures of our newest little Hutton on here. I'm sure a lot of you already know, but for those who don't, here's some details:)

Parker Josiah Hutton was born at 10:29 on August 24th. He weighed 7 pounds 6 ounces and was 20 inches long. Labor and delivery went great. He was by far my fastest and easiest delivery of the three! He had the cord wrapped pretty tightly around his neck, but they just cut it off early (getting Brian off the hook of cutting it if he didn't want to) and he was fine. Other than that, we didn't have any complications.

We are all doing pretty well and just continuing to adjust to our new "normal" around here, whatever that may be:) We've had lots of good hours, and plenty of bad hours where I ask myself over and over again why we decided to rock the boat with three kids:) But he sure is worth it! Life with three is definitely loud.....always. I have a feeling that is never going to change, but maybe as they get older is will be less whining and crying and more "fun noise":)

Here are some pictures of Parker in his first few days:

We can call it quits now....I've delivered a 6 pound baby, a 7 pound baby, and an 8 pound baby. I don't want to deliver smaller than a 6 pounder, and I definitely don't want to deliver a 9 pounder or bigger!

He always has to be sucking something. If he's not eating or sucking on a pacifier, he is searching for his fingers.
First bath, not a fan....


Ok, this picture is actually from today. He just looked so cute in his little chair I had to take a picture and include it. They change so fast, gotta get as many pictures as I can (sadly, I've already failed pretty badly on getting lots of pictures). I'm hoping to get more pictures as we settle into more of a routine. Right now I'm too busy herding the older two around and feeding Parker to get pictures. That and changing diapers.....count for the day today (as of 1:30) was somewhere around 6-9 poopy diapers....three in diapers in fabulous:) Also, have to say how crazy it is to me how much Parker looks like Eli as a baby. There are definitely differences, but he has such strong Hutton genes, and whenever I look at him, I just see so much Eli (and Brian). I will have to do some comparison pictures sometime soon.

Train Visit

It's no secret that Eli loves trains. Some might even call it mildly obsessed:) That's ok, I like that he's so passionate about something. And it makes him very very easy to shop for. We made another trip to the Great Plains Transportation Museum this summer. We went last year, and Eli seemed to enjoy it. He was a little unsure of how big the trains were up close, but overall he seemed to like it. So we decided to give it another try this year and see if he still had fun. He liked it even more this year, and I think this might just become a yearly little visit. However, I've decided that we need to start making our visits in the fall since this is basically an outdoor thing. We went in the middle of the summer last year too. STUPID! Even more so this year. The week we went was smack dab in the middle of our several weeks of over 100 degree temps. Granted, we went at like 10 in the morning, but still, it was hot. Not real sure why I only think of going here when it's hot. Oh well, Eli had fun. So did Kamdyn, she got to climb around on things:) And granny even went with us, so it was an extra special day. Thanks for sweating it out with us Mary! She had the camera most of the morning for me, and took a TON of pictures (put me to shame, but made me proud because I definitely have plenty to choose from). But, I only included a few from our trip there. Eli keeps asking to go back to climb around on the trains. Don't worry bud, we will go back, but it has to be cooler than 85 degrees out first!

Sprinkler

About a year ago, I saw this idea for a really cool homemade "sprinkler" out of PVC pipe. I've been dying to make one since then (this means, I've been dying for Brian to make one). We didn't get around to it last year, which wasn't that big of a deal. But I was really hoping to do it this year with the kids getting older. Even though our kids aren't real big on sprinklers, I thought this might be fun and it might be something that they would love to run through. So, onto the summer bucket list it went. It's been so hot that I thought the kids would love to run through the water. So, we finally got some PVC pipe and connectors picked up and Brian got to work one evening. I think the whole thing took him about 15 minutes to make. All you gotta do it connect the pipe in whatever configuration you desire, and then drill some holes in it where you please. You can control how much or how little water will be coming out by how many holes you want to drill in. Easy!

Now, I was hoping the kids would love this little creation, but I definitely had no expectations. They have not been into sprinklers or splash parks at all, but I thought it was worth a shot and that maybe it would be better if they could see daddy making them their own sprinkler. Eli shocked me and actually ran through it by himself right after we turned it off. Of course, I wasn't anticipating that at all, so I didn't have my camera outside. And of course, the first run was the last one he was willing to make (at least by himself). I think the water was so cold that it just shocked him. But, both kids loved running through it with one of us. Good thing it was hot outside and we didn't mind getting wet. I actually think Kamdyn would love it if she could see her older brother being brave and running around having a ball in the water....but since that didn't happen, she was pretty reserved. She had a blast going through with daddy though. We just need some friends and cousins to come over and show the kids how much fun it really is (there's your invite guys!!).

This is as close as he would get on his own. What a goof ball!
Sorry for the very poor picture.....my thumbnails for picking pictures are very very small and I clearly need to fix that before picking pictures:)

She went through about 5 times with her daddy and came out with the biggest smile and laugh every single time. This one is definitely much more adventurous than her brother....give her another year and she will be running through it all on her own with no reservations!

Children's Garden

We are so lucky to have so many great places that we can take the kids, and they just keep getting more! I love Botanica Gardens. They are beautiful and it is so peaceful out there. However, it has never been a place that I took the kids to to spend much time. They like the butterfly house ok, but it will only hold their attention for so long. And the flowers just don't cut it for the kids....unless they can stand in the middle of the flower beds or stomp/pick the flowers. Since that's kind of frowned upon there, we don't usually go more than once a year. I recently got a membership, so we've started going a little more frequently. Eli does love to run around all the paths, and the fountains are always a hit as long as they are allowed to splash in them. But, Botanica just recently opened a brand new children's garden. It's awesome! So interactive and so much for the kids to do. I think the kids would spend way more time there if I let them. The couple of times we've been this summer, we can't stay too long because this pregnant mamma just about melts (EVERYONE just about melts it's been so hot this summer). Plus, it's still so new it's usually pretty busy. Looking forward to it now that school is starting back up and one of these days it will get a little cooler. Anyways, it's safe to say the children's garden is a big hit, and Botanica is going to be one of those places that we spend a lot more time at now.

I think this is Eli's favorite thing there. They have these little streams running through and a big huge rock. The kids can "paint" with water on the rocks. The second time we went here, Eli sat and did this for like 30 minutes. He would have kept going too, but I was ready to move on!

I love these two, and it just melts my heart when I see him holding hands with his buddy. Elliot and Eli are great buds (probably partially due to the fact that she's an older woman:) and can tell him what to do and he does it.....so the like is mutual because Elliot has someone who will do what she says and Eli has someone that likes to play with him all the time!). I gotta say, she may only be 5, but she's been a lifesaver many times. Eli is always with Elliot when we are together, so I can always count on her keeping an eye on him and making sure he stays in line. All I have to do is look for Elliot, and I will surely see Eli too.
Our kiddos LOVE to read. Eli bypassed the colors, the huge caterpillar, and all his friends and found a book and plopped up on the butterfly to take a look.

4th of July

Ahhhh, the 4th of July. This is one of those holidays that I understand the importance of, but kind of hate. Maybe I'm just a holiday scrooge:) I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I just really don't care all that much for fireworks. They annoy the heck out of me, and I would perfectly happy if they were outlawed. As a child I was terrified of them, as an adult, I can appreciate the beauty of a big show, but am not sad if for some reason I don't see any. And the sooner people stop shooting them off, the happier I am. I mean seriously, do we really need to shoot the dang things off for a week and half straight! Ok, off my soap box about fireworks....as you can tell, I'm not a fan, which is probably why the 4th really isn't that big of a deal to me (our poor kids.....they will be lucky if their mommy gets Christmas decorations up every year, let's just forget about REALLY celebrating any other holiday with them:)).

This year, the 4th was okay. We had good days celebrating with family.....they just weren't my best days. On the 3rd, we went to the farm. We were going to grill and climb/ride on tractors and four wheelers. Well, we got an unexpected (and very very much needed) rain that day, so plans were changed just a bit. I didn't get any pictures from there because I was too lazy to get my camera out of the car since it was raining. The kids (and their cousin James) had a blast just getting to climb all over the tractors and trucks in the shed. Eli was so funny as first. Up to this point, he had been talking about "concretes" (what he calls combines) a ton. The farmer behind our house had just finished up harvesting his wheat a few weeks earlier, and Eli liked to watch him from the deck. So we thought he would like to see them and play on them. When we first walked into the shed, he was pretty unsure about the whole tractor thing. Those things are MASSIVE when you are standing next to them. I can't even imagine what it would seem like when you are only a couple of feet tall. But, once he climbed on one with daddy, he was good to go. He had a blast climbing up and exploring the insides of his concretes. When it gets cooler, we hope to take him out again to go for a ride.

The 4th was spent here at home. Kind of a crappy day for me.....I had a terrible cold, so I couldn't breath, had a headache all day, and we were in the middle of all of Eli's horrible sleeping/napping/no paci transistions, so I was just exhausted and grumpy. Add loud annoying people shooting off fireworks (a professional type show too....no kidding, HUGE fireworks, with no breaks for a long time) for 30 minutes the night before, and I was over the holiday before it even really had a chance to start. Regardless, we went to granny and papa's for some food, swimming, and fireworks. The night ended much later than normal for us, and this momma was worn out. Can't wait to do it all again next year:)!!!

Ok, some pictures.....it always takes much more time to get the kids situated and ready for a picture than it's probably worth....

BUT, persistence does pay off. Look how cute these two are. Nevermind the fact that I didn't get a single shot with both of them looking at the camera, or smiling for that matter....they are both sitting there nicely, I consider it a success!
Swimming fun before dinner. One of Eli's favorite things to do is to push his daddy into the pool. He just thinks it's hilarious and will do it over and over until Brian gets tired and stops.


Proof that I was actually there and swimming with the kids (at least some:), Brian is the swimmer in our family.....our kids are not going to get their love of the water from me....I'm more of a relaxing floater:))
Oh, on to the fireworks. We bought some fireworks thinking Eli would like to shoot them off, or at least hold something like a sparkler. He wasn't super into them the year before, but he was still pretty little. And even then, he eventually warmed up to the infamous little poppers. Well we thought wrong. This kid hates fireworks. He must have gotten that from me:)(I've decided that Eli must be a lot like me as a child, because man oh man, he grates on my nerves faster than anyone else....he knows just what buttons to push!). Since it really is pointless to shoot off fireworks until it starts to get dark outside, we decided to stay late, past bedtime, to shoot some off. It's not like the kids were going to be able to go home and go to sleep with all the noise anyways. This seemed like a good idea....but again, I was over it. I was tired, hot, and just ready to get home and tackle our bedtime battles with Eli. If he had enjoyed the fireworks, I MIGHT (though really, probably not) have had a better attitude. We got chairs all set up and ready, and started watching his cousin and uncles shoot some stuff off. Pretty much the second they started, Eli bolted. He wouldn't stay and watch. Every once in a while, I could coax him outside with me and get him to sit on my lap and watch for a little bit. This made me so disgustingly hot and sweaty, but I was happy to not chase him around. Then, someone would shoot off some really loud, not even pretty, colorful fireworks, and he'd take off again. So, it's safe to say that Eli didn't hold any sparklers, or even step on any poppers for that matter. No matter who tried to get him to sit with them and just watch (from a very safe distance, as far away as possible, of course), he wouldn't do it. Maybe he will like them a little bit better next year.

This is where he was trying to watch the fireworks:) Granny and papa's front porch. He kept running back here and trying to hide behind the bush. Kamdyn, being the awesome, supportive little sister that she is, came back with him a couple of times and tried to check things out:)
You an tell he's really enjoying himself, can't you:)
She actually seemed to enjoy all the happenings. I think she was getting pretty tired, but she was happy to just sit and watch. She will probably be the one shooting things off with her daddy next year, and Eli and I will be sitting in the shrubs:)

Even though it wasn't necessarily a good day for me, we had a good holiday. It was fun being able to spend time with family and celebrate the freedom of the great country we live in. So thankful for it all!

Just because she's cute

We've got a sassy girl on our hands. Kamdyn is such a character. She cracks us up all the time and her ornery little personality is really starting to shine. This one is going to be a firecracker (much to her daddy's dismay:)). I think she is definitely going to keep us on our toes. But she sure is cute. She loves to wear sunglasses, hats, bags, pretty much whatever (expect for barrettes and bows like I'd like to put in her hair!). She's was just content to carry around her bag and sport her shades this morning. She looked ready to hit the mall or something.......I'm sure we will have plenty of visits in the future with this one. Pretty cute regardless:)

Splash Park

We have a little summer bucket list. We haven't gotten a whole lot crossed off of it. But we've gotten a few things:) Doesn't mean we haven't had lots of fun this summer, just haven't gotten everything crossed off our list. Part of it is laziness on my part, the fact that it's been soooooo blazing hot this summer, and the fact that we were finishing our basement so things were a little crazy. It's just going to turn into a fall bucket list too. We will get it all checked off!

BUT, we have done some of our bucket list. One of the things on the list was to visit a splash park. Wasn't sure how this would work out for us. Our kids don't really seem to like fountains or sprinklers or anything like that. They will play in a hose if nana or granny are watering flowers, but otherwise they steer clear. We visited the splash park in Valley Center with some friends. The plus side was that there was a great little park that the kids enjoyed playing on too. Actually, it's really all that they played on:)

Some of our cute little friends, Conrad and Griffin, enjoying the park before the fountains.
My kids are much more into puddles than they are fountains and sprinklers.
Always has to be just like her brother:) She was splashing around just like the big boys....can't slow this one down or hold her back.
This is as close to the fountains as the kids would get. They really crack me up when we go to these parks, any park with a fountain that we try to get them to play in. They will just walk around the outside of the fountains and occasionally stick their hands or feet in the water.
Jumping off rocks. He loves climbing and jumping off of things.

Fun day with friends. One of these days I know our kids will actually enjoy stuff like water parks. Until then, we will keep trying:)

Let's play catch-up.....Colorado Trip

We got the privilege of spending some time away from home in Colorado. Those of you who know me, know I hate traveling, so really, the idea of going was not all that exciting to me. But Brian was super excited and we wanted to take the kids, so off to Colorado we went:) I gotta say this much, we at least have a pretty place to travel. While I hate the getting there, it was sure gorgeous once we made it. The kids really did do great in the car too. Thanks to a DVD player.....I think Eli was in little boy heaven. He got to watch so many movies in the car to keep himself happy, and happy it did make him. Kamdyn wasn't quite as into watching movies for several hours, but she still did a great job in the car for being so young. I gotta say, I'm looking forward to family vacations much much more when the kids all get older, but I can't complain too much since they did a great job. I do have to add one funny story......leading up to our trip, Brian was trying to get someone excited to go to Colorado with him, because I clearly wasn't (not because Colorado isn't awesome and I wasn't grateful for the chance to go, but just because I'm a home body through and through, and hate all the work it takes to get ready for a trip). Eli was excited and ready to go. The funny thing is, leading up to the trip, he kept saying, "I wanna go to Colorado, to the cabin,".....until we got to Denver. Once we made it to Denver, he started saying, "I just wanna go home," and he said it everyday, until we left, about 20 times a day. Poor Brian:) One of these days he will have some support and excitement when it comes to family vacations:)

Anyways, we had a good time in Colorado. I would be lying if I said I didn't love the change in the weather. Of course, I would probably even like it more right now since it's been so blazing hot here. I'm ready for some cool weather! We spent a lot of time at the park in Winter Park, and went for a little hike one morning. Eli was in heaven with all the trains we got to see and hear when we were there. We saw at least 3 or 4 a day when we were out and driving around. We got to have some serious sidewalk chalk fun, climbing the hills around the cabin, a little shopping, and some yummy smores.

To the pictures......this is your warning, there are quite a few. If I was on the ball, I would have put them in a little collage so you didn't have to scroll down so long, but I'm not, so if you choose to, you will just have to scroll:)

Fun at the park. We spent A LOT of time here. The kids really love the park and it was so nice to be able to just play outside and not be sweating like a pig. I think Brian and I were sick of the park by the end of the trip, but at least the kids were happy (please ignore the fact that they kids were clearly not matching.....they had been in the car all day, and I never got them out of their jammie bottoms, but it was too cool for the shirts that came with them)


Our "hike" on the Fraser River trail. Eli liked this tunnel the best:)




Looking at the humming birds and looking for squirrels running around on the ground.

Eli really enjoyed walking up and down the steep hills around the cabin. He always wanted to climb the rocks and just kept going up and down. Great exercise for sure!

Proof that I (and little baby Hutton:)) were actually on this trip. I was always behind the camera, so there are pretty much no pictures of me in Colorado. But I was truly there!

Eli roasted marshmallows for the first time.....come to think of it, pretty sure this may have actually been his first smore. He throughly enjoyed it.
Customary family shot.....this is about the best we got:) Our kids are not very cooperative (this comes from me, I was horrible when it came to trying to get pictures.....oh karma....sigh)
Before we left, we saw too moose. One was a huge male, the other was a much smaller female. Pretty cool to see such a big animal so close.