Red Vines Rule

Will discovered today that Red Vines are very much to his liking.

First Grade

It's Madison's first day of first grade. She was so excited to go to school, it was all I could do to have her stand still for 10 seconds to take a picture to document this landmark day. It has been awesome for Kerrin and me to watch how excited Madison gets about school and learning. She loved kindergarten; and judging from how excited she was today to start the first grade, I think her love affair with school will continue unabated.

Madison - Mom and I are so excited for you. You are an amazing little girl and I know you will have an incredible year continuing to learn about the subjects you love so much. Try to enjoy every minute!

Max Sheds the Training Wheels

Today Max approached me and said, "Dad, I think I want to learn how to ride a two-wheeler today." I told him I thought that was a great idea and we proceeded to take the training wheels off of his Spiderman cruiser. Here is what happened next:

First 30 Minutes or so:

Then the next 30 Minutes or so:

And then, voila!

Way to go Mighty Max! We are so proud of you!

Our Amazing Gymnast

Madison's gymnastics teacher sent us this video the other day. Madison is so excited about gymnastics and she is so good at it. Check out our little girl in action!

Ice Cream and Turkeys

Ice cream cones the size of our heads? Yes please!

Apparently, turkeys really like ice cream (at least these two do).

Cruisin' with Dad

Tattoos

This is what happened when Madison helped Lewis put on some tattoos that they had left over from Halloween! Just FYI, tattoos come off nicely with rubbing alcohol.

First Day of School!

Today Madison started Kindergarten and Max started preschool. They were both very excited. It is so fun to watch them grow up.

Labor Day 2011

Brant took Madison, Max, and Lewis to the Tetons and Yellowstone over Labor Day. The Paulsen extended family has been going, a sort of reunion, since 1993. Will and I stayed home to catch up on sleep. It was great! I was anxious to find out how Brant did (mostly by himself) with all 3 kids for 4 days, but they had a blast and will always remember their trip with their dad!

All 4 kids

All 4 kids, all 4 different sizes!

Our Kids

When I was in the hospital having Will, the nurses and staff were surprised to see two blond haired boys, running around, that belonged to Brant and me. On the other hand, friends and neighbors were surprised to see Will come home from the hospital with a full head of dark hair! For fun, I am attaching the links to all of our kids' "first day" baby videos. Proof that when they arrived, they really did look similar!

Madison

Maxwell

Lewis

William

Thanks to Sean and Chad for their help!

William Ryder Paulsen

We are thrilled to announce the birth of our new son and brother:

William Ryder Paulsen
25 August 2011
8 lbs 8 oz
20.5 inches

He is absolutely amazing and his sister and brothers are smitten.

Please click on the following link to view a brief video montage of his first couple of days on planet earth:

www.brantandkerrin.com/will

What Max thinks about 24/7 (Hint: Food)

Maxwell came down the stairs the other day crying. He came up to me and this is how the conversation went.....


Max - "Mom, (cry, sob) it isn't fair"

Me - "Maxwell, what isn't fair"

Max - "Daddy said when you go to the hospital to have the baby, you get to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the hospital for 3 days. And when Madison has a baby, she gets to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the hospital for 3 days too. And I don't get to because I am a boy!"

Me - "Max, (trying not to laugh), boys get to do lots of fun things that girls can't do."

Max - "I know I can do scouts when I turn 8, and roast hot dogs and s'mores at scouts, but I don't get to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the hospital for 3 days!"


A little back ground...Brant had his scouts over and they roasted s'mores in our back yard, and then he goes on a camp out every month, so Max's idea of being a scout is roasting hot dogs and s'mores. He thinks that is all they do!

The Princess and Her Clothes

We recently found out that Madison was accepted into Providence Hall, a charter school right around the corner from our house. This is her first year of school and she can't wait to start kindergarten.

Students at Providence Hall are required to wear uniforms. For the uniforms you have four color choices for tops, and three for bottoms. I have spoken with other parents, whose kids go to Providence Hall, about what they ended up doing for their own kids (where/what to buy). I found it funny how most would say not to bother with skirts and dresses because the kids just end up wearing pants everyday.

Well... my situation is very different. Since Madison turned three (so for almost three years now) she has only wanted to wear dresses and skirts. I showed her the options for the upcoming school year and she said "I like that dress, that jumper, and that skirt." I asked if she wanted pants or shorts and she said no. As an aside, I bought her three pair of jeans for the winter and I don't know what I was thinking. When you wear pants once every 2-3 weeks, why in the world do you need three pair?

At the beginning of the summer I was planning to get Madison some new shorts because she hasn't worn hers this year and I assumed it was because they were too small. It was at this time that Madison informed me that they weren't too small and then asked a question for effect... why would she wear shorts if she already has dresses and skirts?

Very sound logic.

Announcing to the World...

I just wanted to let everyone know, as it will most likely come up in the future...

Yes, Maxwell is Captain America.

(Photo credit goes to Uncle Sean)

Iron Man-Lewis?

Our boys are so funny regarding how much they like to wear their costumes! Lewis was recently watching an Iron Man cartoon, and, of course, he had to be in character to do it. Luckily, for his birthday, he got an Iron Man mask from Uncle Sean and Aunt Britney. If Iron Man is on... so is the mask.
You can't tell me that this looks comfortable. I guess it beats wearing the entire suit.

Wheeler Farm

Going to Wheeler Farm with nine cousins can be kind of tricky, especially when it comes to keeping an eye on all of them (even with four adults). Good thing Max and Lewis insisted on wearing there Super-Man capes; it sure makes it a lot easier to keep an eye on them.

Lewis and cape (left) and Max and cape (right)

Hannah, Alex, Madison

Madison, Max, Cate

Whenever Lewis would start getting away from us I would have to tell him to come back and stay by me. After studying me for a bit, little Lucy, who is only two months older, took it upon herself to shepherd Lewis, taking him by the hand in order to prevent him from getting lost. It was cute.

All of the cousins (except Emma and Luke).

Lewis loved petting the baby goats.

Princess Madison
Mighty Max
Sneaky Lewis

Max's friend party

Max's friend party was a lot of fun. Having the chance to entertain five of his friends was exciting. Luckily Brant was off work and was was able to help out. I forgot to take pictures throughout most of the party. The ones below show the kids (in Bat-capes) apprehending Bat-villains using silly string.

Maxwell's Family Party

Max's family birthday party was very eventful. He wanted to have a Batman party, which made Brant happy. Papa made an awesome cake which was, pretty much, gone by the end of the party. I bet you can't guess why (real whip cream, chocolate mousse, chocolate cake...).

Brant and I got Max his very first bike. Of course, it had to be a Spiderman bike. He loves riding it and was even excited to get his "bike hat".
Here is Max modeling and displaying his birthday treasures.
One of Max's favorite gifts was his new 'Super Hero Squad' pajamas. If you ever see Max in the afternoon, then you know how much he loves to wear pajamas. This is not because I let him wear pajamas ALL DAY LONG, but whenever we are home, he would prefer to wear pj's over anything else (well, except maybe his superhero garb). I promise that he does get dressed and has his hair done every morning, but after the third pair of pj's and fourth mask of the day, I give up!

Mighty Max is 4

Dear Maxwell,

Well, little man, you have hit the four year mark... where has the time gone? You are growing up before my very eyes and, in certain moments, it feels like it's all happening way too fast. I cannot express how grateful and blessed I feel to have you as my son.

There are so many things that I love about you. I love watching you play with your action figures. I love watching you don your superhero capes and masks so you can fight the forces of evil. I love watching you play with Madison and Lewis and seeing how much they mean to you. I love hearing your voice when you first wake up in the morning or from a nap. I love that you ask me to play baseball, football, basketball, and soccer with you. I love your bear hugs and kisses. I love that you love Slurpees. I love that you enjoy wrestling. I love hearing about the things you learn during Primary. I love talking to you. I love your big heart. I love your strong spirit. And most of all, I love being your dad.

I love you, little bro... Happy Birthday!

-Dad