We spent a mostly quiet first week at home, cuddling, reading, and sleeping. We unfortunately did have a water leak before Isaac was born and the work crew came out to repair the ceiling the day after we brought Isaac home from the hospital, so our dining area was out of commission, but everyone took it in stride. With Nana, Grandad, and Grandma Pat nearby, we are getting lots of help, which has made the transition really easy. We did get out to enjoy a warm afternoon and go on a short family hike with one week old Isaac. which was lovely. This family of 6 thing is really wonderful :)
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We are thrilled to announce the birth of our healthy baby BOY! Isaac James Rodgers made his debut on November 16 (only 8 days late...) and here is his birth story: I'd been having contractions for the couple of nights leading up to his birth that would start, get closer together, and then peter out late at night; but on November 15 I started having contractions much earlier in the day, but they were very sporadic. I got my membranes swept at the doctor's office in the early afternoon at my weekly appointment in hopes that would get things moving along, which they did. Matt and I decided to head to the hospital in the early evening as contractions got closer together. After a negative Covid test and finally getting settled in a room, I got an epidural just in time to take the edge off of the end of labor and give birth at 12:26 AM after the doctor broke my water. Isaac James Rodgers was born weighing 8 lb, 4 oz and was 22 inches long. He spent the first hour cuddling and nursing with me before we cleaned him up a bit and headed to our room to sleep. By the time we made it to our room for the night, I was feeling back to normal and definitely had the easiest recovery of all of my births. Sadly, because of Covid protocols, Micah, Ezra, and Ruth were not allowed to come and visit at the hospital, so we facetimed them after we got some sleep so they could "meet" their new baby brother. But the real reunion happened when we got to bring Isaac home on the 17th. The kids LOVE him and all took turns holding him. Great Grandma Pat had also arrived for a visit while I was at the hospital so she got to love on him along with Nana and Grandad too. He's a very loved little boy.
We're officially in Baby Month, and I'm really hoping this Baby comes sooner than the others. But in the meantime, we're plowing on with our house and yard projects. We had dirt delivered for the garden beds Grandad built for me, and the kids helped Grandad haul it around in their wheelbarrow. Then after those were filled, we got a load of mulch and moved that around to the other side of our yard to make a play area for the mud kitchen, playhouse, and small climbing structure. The yard is coming around! While we wait for Baby Rodgers, the kids are enjoying the new yard space, and we are all looking forward to a new garden in the spring.
We spent the last week of October playing in the leaves, working puzzles, taking walks, and joining our Wild + Free Homeschool group for our annual Fall Festival. All good times, and the kids and I are soaking up the last weeks of just the three of them. The goal for the week was not to go into labor so that I could take the kids out trick-or-treating (Matt had to work). Mission accomplished! I bundled the kids up in their winter coats and they wore their costumes over their layers because it was below freezing for Halloween. We met some more of the neighbors on our street, and learned that we are one of the few families with young kids living on our hill, and apparently the only ones brave enough to venture into the cold, as we had no trick-or-treaters at our house. The kids had a blast getting their little haul from the grandmas and grandpas around our house, and I think the grandparents had equally as much fun seeing the kids and marveling at their costumes. Now Baby Rodgers, you can come anytime...
Lots of October fun before Baby #4 joins us! I took the boys on a special outing while Dad stayed at home with Ruth one day, which the boys loved. We went putt-putt golfing and got some fro-yo after. The boys hadn't been putt-putt golfing in years and had a blast with all the obstacles. I've been informed fro-yo isn't quite as good as ice cream though, lol.
Our crab apples also ripened mid-month and Ezra was bound and determined that we should harvest some and make something. After the mixed-results with chokecherry jam, I found a recipe for crabapple muffins to try this time instead. They actually turned out delicious and it was determined that we should make them a yearly tradition with our crab apple harvests. Baby Luke was born early this month and we took dinner over and visited with the Wiley's one evening to meet him. I got lots of newborn snuggles in while Micah, Ezra, and Ruth mostly enjoyed playing with Leia, though they did each request to hold Luke for a few minutes before they got antsy and went back to chase with Leia. The big weather event of the month is that we finally got some flurries (last year we got a full snow shower in early September, so to be mid-October with no sign of snow is late!). Ruth was napping through most of them but the boys went out during the heavier snow and enjoyed it for a few minutes. It melted upon impact so no accumulation this time. Finally, Uncle Trent came for a long weekend visit, which was a blast. The kids were dying to tell him and show him every little thing about our new house, yard, and all their special talents, so Trent got his ear talked off for hours straight upon arrival, lol. Micah had to show off his monkey bar skills, Ezra showed him how he could swing all by himself now, and Ruth showed him how to climb up and slide down the big slide. Matt took Trent for some mountain hikes, much to the kids disappointment, as they thought they should have Trent all to themselves. Before Trent left though the kids got to take him putt-putt golfing at the same place I took them and everyone had a blast. There was much laughter at missed putts and cheers for the holes in ones. In the end, Matt beat us all. Nana and Grandad came back from California for a couple of days before heading off on another trip, so we made the most of our time with them. We spent Monday hiking to Horsethief Falls, playing in the water and climbing the rocks, and of course checking out the changing leaves on the Aspen trees that covered the mountains. The boys especially loved climbing all over the rocks and probably would have spent the whole day there if we hadn't needed to drive home for dinner.
Tuesday we all drove up to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and spent the day exploring the museum, showing Dad, Nana, and Grandad all the cool stuff since they had not been before. We've also had some fun animal adventures this week. The big pumpkins started to get soft spots and critters have been coming to nibble on them. The last couple of nights a large buck has come to eat large portions of pumpkins right at bedtime, so the kids have been watching him from their window. We have also had a mystery animal coming and pooping on our back deck, so we moved a camera down to try to see what it was and caught three racoons invading the deck last night to play and poop. Not sure what we're going to do about that yet, but the kids thought solving our own mystery was pretty fun. The last week of September was a quiet week at home playing outside in the beautiful fall weather and playing magnatiles inside. The kids built large cities in the playroom and dug ditches filled with water outside. Ruth rotated playing with her brothers and helping me around the house. She especially loves to help me cook so anytime I start preparing dinner, she comes to help. We also got our new baby swing that is also big kid friendly and the kids have been testing it out.
To ring in the first day of October, we headed to the pumpkin patch with many of the other Wild + Free families for a day of fun. The kids had a blast with all of the various activities and rides and spent several hours playing before we picked out a few pumpkins and headed home with our very tired crew. On Saturday, the kids did Pumpkin crafts and decorating with Grandma and Aunt Meredith while I made a couple of apple pies for the birthday celebration for Grandpa and Leia. Leia and family came over for dinner and to see the Rodgers, and to celebrate birthdays! We had a great time and the apple pie did not last long, lol. Chelsea and I got a good laugh out of our giant bellies as well. Soon we'll both have little babies!
On Sunday, Matt and Meredith decided to hike to the top of Pike's Peak, and it was decided that the rest of us would drive up to meet them at the summit. Grandma and Meredith had never been to the summit of Pike's Peak, and our kids had never driven to the top, so it was a fun adventure for everyone. It was a beautiful clear day, though unfortunately very windy. We didn't last long outside but we did enjoy some donuts in the Summit House before heading back down. Hot pizza back in Woodland Park on the way home warmed up everyone. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to everyone on Monday morning as they headed back home. Until next time; we had so much fun! Mid-September brought the arrival of some much anticipated guests: Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Meredith! The kids settled right in playing balloons, throwing the football in the backyard, having Grandpa give horsey rides, reading with Grandma, and relaxing with Aunt Meredith on the deck. Since they could only come for a long weekend, we packed in the activities, driving them up into the mountains and hiking to the summit of Mt. Rosa on their first full day here. My parents came too so we would have enough high vehicle clearance room to get everyone up to the trailhead. It was an ambitious hike with the kids but they all made it and everyone enjoyed the views from the summit immensely. We were even rewarded with a moose sighting as we were driving home through the mountains!
The middle of September brought more fun in the way of Grandad's birthday (the kids love making/eating cake and making cards for birthdays), camping, and a park adventure with Nana and Grandad. After showering Grandad with love, we headed off for a weekend of camping at Mueller State Park with many of our nature/homeschooling group families. The kids had a blast riding bikes, playing with friends, eating all their meals outside, and even getting an archery lesson! The group is hoping to make this an annual tradition, and we hope they do!
After we got home, Nana and Grandad took the kids for some grandparent, grandkid time and the kids apparently had a great time exploring a new park and playground. I got some fun videos of them mastering the climbing wall! |
AuthorWe are a father and a mother doing our best to raise our children with God's guidance. Archives
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