Crazy Sunday

Well, today marks the first Sunday that I conducted primary as the new North Kansas City 1st primary president. One down, many more to go but the first is always the worst. I think it went ok. I don't know a lot that is going on. And I'm sure I'm going to be changing some things in primary. Right now I'm trying to put names with faces, meet the teachers and start to learn the names of kids in primary. There is a lot of chaos going on right now with teachers, some just don't come and don't get subs so we are working on that. It is just plain craziness right now. Not to mention that the primary sacrement program that was scheduled for next week is put off until November so we can get organized and actually write the program. I feel a little guilty about this, but I guess it is part of delegating things out, I have one of my counselors writting it up for us.Then there are the meetings after church every week. Poor Colton had to wait 3 hours before he could eat so that had to seem like an eternity to him but my no means is he starving to death. But all in all, I think everything went well. I just tell myself that the Lord called me for a reason and he'll make all things possible if I just give it all that I have.

Belly Time

Are you kidding me!

I'm not happy!

Colton really doesn't like to have belly time. But we make him do some every day. He gets his head up pretty good but as far as rolling over goes, he's not even close. He's to chubby right now to get himself over. But kissing those cheeks are irresistible!

Nate says no more!

The training wheels come off.

So this is Nate trying his out his bike without any training wheels. He came to Danny and I the other day and said, "So, I've been thinking, I want my training wheels off." Mommy asked him "Why?" Nate replied, "Because I have to try and try and try and keep trying so I can learn." After further interrogation, I found out that he watched some show like 'Calliou' or 'Barney' and they learned to ride their bike without training wheels and he thought it time for him to learn. I can't believe my 4 year old thinks he's too old for training wheels. He thinks he's older than he is sometimes. And frankly, I think he's growing up way too fast. It's just one small step towards boyhood and farther away from babyhood.

Johnny Appleseed

"I found the perfect apple!"

Mr. hotshot, thinks he can climb trees now.
This is what Nate does outside when we aren't around.
I think the pictures speak for themselves.

Welcome Sofie

Sofie Annetta Howell
Sept 4, 2008
5:27pm
6 lbs 13 oz
19 1/2 inches

Congratulations Jason and Tilisa! She is a beautiful baby girl. We are so glad that she is here and that she and Tilisa are doing good. It's so nice to know that their is a new little baby "GIRL" in the family now. I wish we could be there to see her. I would love to hold her, I never really got to hold a newborn, she looks so sweet, I just want to cuddle her. Give her lots of kisses for us. We are so happy for you guys. Dannny and I just smile because gone are the days of long Sunday naps, no more sleeping in on Saturdays, no eating meals together at the same time, no last minute quick errand running. Now are the days of sleep deprivation, showering when you can sometimes not even getting one at all, having a big "poopy blow-out", being pee'd on, pooped on, vomitted on, bugers, spit-up you name it you will have it on you. But it is all worth it. There is nothing in this world that can replace the love that you will have for you child, for this sweet, innocent little Sofie. You won't care about any of that other stuff because she is your daughter and together, Jason and Tilisa you have created her. You learn to love even the yucky stuff of parenting because their is nothing like holding and cuddling your child when they are new. And as they grow up, hugs and kisses and hearing "I love you" can never be replaced. Being a parent is one of the greatest blessings and gifts the Lord has blessed us with in this life. So welcome to the world of parenthood!

Lidia

It was September 3, 2002 that we were able to hold you in our arms. It was a bittersweet moment for us. It was the day that we welcomed you to our family but also a tear filled good-bye. It seems like many, many, lifetimes ago that you entered this world. Life sure would be different with you here. Today you would be turning 6 and you would be entering kindergarten. You would surely have your Daddy tied around your little finger. Mommy probably would have already hi-lited your hair by now. And your brothers would most likely have a second mother with you around. But alas many of our dreams and aspirations for you are put on hold. Heavenly Father had a different plan for you. And many days, I wonder why you couldn't be with us but I hold on to the fact that He does have a plan and purpose for our trials. And so, if I prove faithful I will be able hold you in my arms again and oh how your father and I look forward to that day. We love you Lidia and miss you so much!

Smithville Lake

We took a Sunday drive up north to a lake called Smithville. It was really pretty and the lake was rather large with lots of places to boat or fish. It made us really jealous to see all the boaters out there. One day we would love to be out there boating or wave running, (of course on any day besides Sunday.) The boys loved getting out and throwing some rocks in the water and burning some energy off. It's amazing how pretty Missouri really is. There are so many beautiful things that we are discovering out here. If anyone ever gets out here we will have lots of beautiful places to take you. It was nice to be out in nature at a lake and see all of the beautiful scenery that God has created for us. Even if it was a little hot and muggy, we all enjoyed some sight-seeing.

MMM...Chocolate!!

This is what happens when cupcakes are left on the counter and Mommy goes and gets in the shower. They were given to us the night before from the birthday party that Nate went to and Joshy didn't get one that night. So, he really wanted one but Mommy was making him wait until after lunch. Well, he couldn't wait that long, so when Mommy wasn't around he dug in. He pretty much ate the best part off of all of them. Most of the chocolate was gone leaving just the cake and that isn't nearly as good. If you can't tell he really did have chocolate all over him. Needless to say it was too cute and funny that he didn't get into trouble. As Joshy would say, "MMM...Chaco!"

We Love Cereal!

I went to get me a bowl of cereal before bed, then I had a thought hit me: If I eat some cereal the boys are going to want some and a regular sized bowl is not going to be enough to share with them. So rather, I grabbed a huge bowl and 3 spoons and we sat down to enjoy our bowl of cereal. We go through so much milk and cereal around here because we eat it at breakfast and as snack times. In fact the boys fuss when I tell them we are having pancakes or anything other than cereal in the morning. Fritz's love their cereal day or night!

Kansas City Air Show

Saturday brought the boys some fun at the Kansas City Airshow. They were really excited to go and see some planes. Not to mention that Danny wanted to show off to the cops. The freeways and bridges were closed to the public during the air show but FAA employees received a special permit to enter. Only the elite were allowed access and Danny was one of them. He enjoyed driving on the closed roads and irritating the cops on duty. The Airforce Thunderbirds were in town so Danny took them to watch them. Mommy and Colton stayed home because it was too loud for Colton. And it proved to be too loud for the boys. As you can see in some of the pics the boys are wearing ear protection to help with the noise. Danny commented that as they were leaving he tried taking them off of Josh but they weren't far enough, Josh replied, "No, on!" They liked all the cool tricks the pilots are doing. The picture that looks like Josh is picking Nate's nose is really him pointing to the sky because they are doing tricks. Nate and Josh had a lot of fun exploring some of the planes that they could go into. And of course they had to get a shot of the 'Marine' plane, who can resist that when Daddy was a Marine. They had a great morning looking at planes and spending it with Daddy. And Mommy had some much needed quiet time with just Colton at home.

Rub-A-Dub-Dub

Rub-A-Dub-Dub, three boys in the tub. This makes for a very full tub. This doesn't take place to often because Nate and Josh are a little to wild in the tub. They like to try and throw water on Colton. So usually the two big ones get showers because it's easier than having to sit and watch them in the tub. (I know, kind of lazy of us but they love the shower too.) I was telling Danny that poor Colton probably only gets a bath twice a week because he's the third one and of course we all know how left out the third child is. (I know Jason will agree and it's just more ammunition for him to use.) But with the first you have alot more time to devote to that one and they get a bath like every other day. Then child number two comes and he gets a bath pretty regularly like every 3 days and by baby number 3 it all falls apart. But in the end, it doesn't matter because the love is there for all 3 of them. They each are loved and treasured simply because they are our boys. We love you Nate, Josh and Colton!

3 Months Old

Bath time August 21, 2008

Today marks 3 months since our little Colton entered this world on May 22. It's amazing how much you can come to love someone in 3 short months. He is such a sweet, happy baby boy. He has begun smiling all the time, he is cooing, and even starting to giggle. Daddy can really get him to giggle by tickling him. He is so fun to have here. We are all so glad that he is a part of our family. I can't believe it's already been 3 months, where does the time go! He's our little "chubby," even Nate and Josh call him "chub-chub." Colton, our family just wouldn't be the same without you in it. We love you!

Gladstone Start Smart Soccer

Nathan is ready to get started.


Here he is listening to instructions.


Nice form buddy!


He's practicing some basic soccer skills.

Nathan had his first practice today. It was at Happy Rock Park. It's not actually soccer games but a soccer camp for 3-5 year olds to teach them the fundamentals of soccer. Parent participation is required and it's meant to be lots of fun for them. Nate enjoyed himself, he had to be probably the oldest one there. I could here one of the coaches saying that Nate gave the hardest kick she'd seen all night. And Danny said that she also commented that she couldn't believe how far Nate could throw. He was pretty tired out afterwards because he came home and had another plate of spaghetti after the 2 plates he had before practice. It seems like it will be a really good program for the kids and it will be good for Nate to have something to do each week.

Just like Grandma's house

We just had to take some pics of the boys and their shoes underneath our desk. It reminds us of living at Grandma's house. I think the boys really enjoy having a desk to throw their shoes under; it reminds them of being back at Grandma and Grandpa's. Of course we had to conitinue what was began in Utah. So this is for you, Grandma and Grandpa.

Our "little" man

As you can see Colton finds our couch just as comfy as Danny and I do because he is just blobbeled out. You can really get a good look at how big Colton really is getting. He's going on 3 months now and well, he's big. At 2 months old he was 17 lbs. The orange outfit is from Aunt Tilisa and it's 6-9 months. Thanks again, Aunt Tilisa for the onesie, I just wanted you to see how cute he looked in it as well.

Dagg Park

We went to the park today. It's a really fun park, called Dagg park. They have a small pool for the kids (we didn't get in it today), the water fountain and a playground. It's a nice park to go and hang out at. We had lunch with some other mom's and kids from our new ward. The boys really enjoyed playing and getting out of the house. I even managed to find it with out the GPS this time. This on Wednesday, August 13th, I am just now getting to post it because blogger wouldn't allow me to upload any pictures. Danny was able to help me out and get it working again. He's too good to me, thanks Danny!

Wagon Fun

Nate and Josh were having lots of fun playing in the wagon. Nate grabbed himself a pillow and blanket and decided to make himself comfortable. Josh thought it was funny. He thought he was a "baby". That's what you can barely hear Josh calling Nate, a baby. It's always nice when they are playing so good together and no tears.

All smiles

Here is Colton smiling on video. Everytime I tried to get him on film he would stop and just stare at the camera. Finally he was distracted enough not to notice he was being filmed. I think he has a beautiful smile that just lights up the room, but I am prejudiced because I'm his mom.

Finally

I have finally joined the world of blogging. It has taken me a while to join because I haven't been able to come up with a name that we liked. So we finally settled on Fritz Fury. I will try and keep this updated as frequently as I can. There will be pictures of the boys and what they are up to and how they are growing. And funny little stories of things that they have done or said. This is our way of keeping everyone updated with our family since we live so far away from everyone. We hope you all enjoy it and check in often.