Sturgis Falls 2013

 Sturgis Falls was this past weekend at Cedar Falls.  We missed out on the parade Saturday morning because it was pouring rain.  So, instead of the parade, we went to Chuck E Cheese's with Jamie, Jeff and Keller.  After that we headed down to the carnival by the river.  The above picture was a shot of the boys in a monkey ride.  It was one that spins and moves in a circle and they both really liked it.

 Austin and Colton and Brian all enjoyed the carousel!

 And in this one Austin and Colton are the last two, in the fourth car back.  Austin had his hands up in the air for most of the ride and Colton was grinning from ear to ear and loved every minute of it.  Brian and I were a little skeptical on if Colton would like it or not but it was definitely his favorite one!

 Ice Cream sandwiches on Annie and Papa's deck!  We met Grandma and Grandpa Kliegl in Fort Dodge on Sunday night so that the boys could go spend a few days in Emmetsburg.  So far they are loving it.  Colton has already caught a fish off the dock and Austin has already made a friend at the park!  So, they are having a wonderful time in Emmetsburg.  Meanwhile back in Cedar Falls . . .

 Gavin is definitely enjoying the silence at home!  ;)  He took a three hour nap lying on the couch.  We also had a quiet mommy/Gavin day and just got laundry done and played in the living room a lot.  He is a precious little guy and it is nice to just have him to focus on for a few days!!

Such a sweet baby boy!

Gavin hanging out!

These are just a few pictures of Gavin! 

Being "Bart Simpson".

 Tons of serious faces from Gavin all the time.  I was trying to catch one of the wrinkled forhead.  He makes this adorable 'concerned' face every once in awhile that is so hard to capture!

And here is Gavin, taking a snooze.  He loves being curled up in a ball when he sleeps and this boppy pillow seems to help.  It kind of holds him so that I can put him down for a few minutes and get something else done.  Of course I would love to just hold him and rock all day!!!

Awesome Aunt Kim!

Aunt Kim came and stayed with us for almost an entire week!  It was such a fun week too!  She played with Austin and Colton & got tons of holding time in with Gavin.  She also spoiled Brian and I by making us great dinners (and amazing desserts)!  We went to a park one day so the boys could play, and we walked across a big bridge and did a trail walk.  Kim even braved the grocery store with Austin and Colton so Gavin and I could sleep in!  When they got home they were all smiling, so it must have gone well.  They played with legos one day and Kim taught them how to use their imaginations to build different things, now, on a daily basis they will dump all the legos out and start using their imaginations!  Austin and Colton will tell eachother "Great job.  You used your 'magination."  It is super cute and they mostly love building rockets and towers. 

Brothers!

Austin and Colton love being big brothers to Gavin.  They are wonderful helpers.  They also love to look at him when he is awake.  As soon as his eyes open they both flock to him and try to start up conversation.  They will ask Gavin questions and then talk about what noises Gavin makes in response.  In the below picture Austin is asking Gavin if he likes his jammies!  Such cute conversations already!

 Gavin, enjoying his tummy time!

Colton likes to say hi to Gavin and tell him what a sweetheart he is and that we love him.  Also very cute!  Both brothers are attentive and LOVE their baby brother!

Trip to Remsen

Towards the beginning of June we were ended up getting together with a lot of my extended family up over in Remsen.  My Grandma Nitzschke passed away on June 5th and we were all together for the services.  It was a very emotional trip for me.  The boys were able to see everyone and Gavin got to meet a lot of his family all in one weekend.  We stayed at a hotel in LeMars and the boys got to go swimming all three days that we were there.  They really enjoyed the pool and the kids energy helped to make the weekend a little bit easier for all of us.

 Austin enjoying the pool!

 Colton "wearing" his goggles!

 Uncle Jon spent a lot of time holding Colton in the pool and letting him kick his legs.  Colton loved making splashes at everyone else who was in the pool!

 Great picture of Colton and Jon.

 Clare getting to hold her new little nephew Gavin!  Gavin slept through all the swimming.  He enjoyed being held by everyone the entire trip!

 Jon meeting his new nephew!

 Austin and Colton playing Slap Jack with Kelsey.  I think Austin won most of the games that he played this weekend.

 Boys being goof balls!

Gavin being held by his beautiful cousin Mallory!

On the trip home Gavin slept almost the entire trip!  We didn't have to stop until we were about 20 miles outside of Cedar Falls.  Brian and I couldn't believe that he slept almost the entire 4 hour trip.  He was a great traveler!  All three of the boys were so exhausted that they were sleeping as we pulled away from my grandma's house. 

Preschool Graduation!!

On May 29th, Austin graduated from preschool!  It was a wonderful little program.  The entire class sang songs and then received their artwork (which they had signed) as a sort of diploma.  Below Austin was just given his 'diploma' and you can see he is able to write his name very well!

 Here is a picture of Austin with some of his friends.

 Granny Annie was staying with us for the week so she was able to go to the graduation ceremony as well!  Annie, Colton, Gavin and I enjoyed the performance and then enjoyed a snack afterwards.

Gavin Lenox Kliegl

 We proudly welcomed to our family, Gavin Lenox Kliegl, on May 22nd, 2013.  He arrived at 9:37 am.  He weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces and was 20 1/4" long.  He gave us quite the scare as he had some fluid in his lungs and had to go to the NICU.  Brian and I were new to the NICU so everything seemed scary to us.  It was an emotional few days in the hospital.  Brian held him in the operating room but I wasn't able to hold him until 10pm which was a long time to wait.  He was under a 'hood', which was giving him 100% oxygen.  He had to be under this hood until he could breathe the same air as us, which is 26% oxygen.  Brian and I learned a lot while Gavin was there.  The day he was born we all got to hold his hand and touch his little body.  Austin and Colton were excited to meet him and loved being able to hold him the following afternoon.  They were very proud big brothers, as you can see in the photo above. 

We checked out of the hospital on May 25th around 1pm.  Brian and I were very anxious to get home to our own beds and we were so happy that Gavin was going home with us!  Grandma and Grandpa Kliegl were staying with the big brothers at home, so we had a nice welcome home party for Gavin when we arrived.

When we checked out of the hospital Gavin weight 8 lbs and 4 oz.  When we had his 2 day check-up on May 28th, he was already at 8lbs and 6 oz.  This was a great sign and meant that he was eating and growing!

On June 5th, Gavin had his two week check up and was weighing in at 9 lbs and 11 oz.  He is growing so fast and definitely drinking his milk!  At this same appointment Colton did a follow up ear exam and he weighed in at 32 pounds.  Austin stood on the scale to show Colton how it was done and he weighed in at 44 pounds.  So, all three of our boys are growing at a good rate!

We are enjoying being at home.  Austin and Colton have been amazing big brothers.  They love to help out when I ask them to do things.  They are also very quick to talk to Gavin and give him hugs and kisses when he starts to cry.  Gavin is a wonderful addition to our family!!