Assignment?

So first of all, it is enough "work" for me to have the kids do their homework, much less when I have an assignment from school for ME to do?!?!?!  Now, the only reason I enjoyed the project was because it gave me a chance to highlight my oldest guy.  His teacher at the beginning of the year told us each student would be highlighted on the bulletin board for one week during the year.  Since our last name begins with a "T", our turn was VERY late in the year.  (I would have much rather done this deal in September when I was more on my game.  Nowadays, I'm just getting by and barely getting the kids to school.  Kidding - kind of!)  Anyways, for the assignment I had to fill 5 large sheets of construction paper with pictures, captions, and a letter.  The letter is to him letting him know all of the things we love about him.  Instead of a letter I decided to be a bit different and create a poem for Logan:

Logan we want to give you a high five!

It’s been so fun to see you grow and thrive.

When you were a baby we couldn’t imagine the day,

He’s nine, in 3^rd grade, and he’s so big, we’d say.

Being our oldest boy you’ve kept us on our toes.

Along the way, you haven’t heard TOO many “no’s.”

You are a noble, fun, helpful big brother.

You show the other boys how to love one another.

You might be shorter, but you’re great at basketball.

You play on the court like you’re 7 feet tall!

On the soccer field, you’re either in the front or the back.

You don’t allow the other teams to give you any slack!

Through First Communion, you became so close to God.

Actions in His name will make Him proud you’re in His squad!

Continue to surround yourself with good friends left and right.

They will help you soar above the rest and take flight!

You’re magical, funny, sporty, and smart.

The best quality you have is your big heart!

God gave us you as a part of our clan.

We couldn’t be prouder of you, young man!

Here is a picture of the rest of the project

I'm thrilled I completed the assignment and can turn it in tomorrow!  Hopefully, Logan won't be too embarrassed with all of the talk about HIM!

In other news, Auntie Al made an appearance yesterday morning before school.  She was headed to Ft. Worth for work and decided to join me at our boot camp in the morning.  Afterwards, she came back here to get cleaned up.  She was able to wake up Bear prior to leaving - he was shocked!  I am always the one waking him up and he wasn't expecting her!  It was a great start to his morning!

So stinking excited!

I'm currently sitting on the runway in Dallas awaiting our take off to go to Indiana.  Hmmm, what's in IN you ask?  Only my uber-best girlfiend, Joy and her sweet family!  It's been 2 years since seeing Joy last.  I haven't been to her hometown since Logan was 1.  She recently adopted a little boy and has 4 other natural children, so it will be a busy weekend!  I cannot wait!   Corey and Daddy are so sweet to allow me to go.  Daddy is watching Colter all day while Corey goes into the office.

The boys LOVED April Fools!  They thought their toes were funny and enjoyed drinking green OJ for breakfast!  They were mostly excited that I "pulled one over on them!"

1/2 Summer

So summer is truly half over.  This is my favorite time of year, as I think I have mentioned previously.  So yes, I am somewhat sad that we are moving closer to fall.  We have been enjoying every last minute of daylight around here.  I was telling Al and Em that the boys and I have been living every summer day to the fullest.  We have been having morning activities, afternoon activities, and some dinner activities - hopefully to be followed by sleeping activities!

We have recently:

 Paraded

 Had a zoo day

Baked (and enjoyed!) 

Crafted (At Vacation Bible School) 

And slept!  Phew!  That is a lot for a little guy!

Make sure to read Allyson's blog for updates on Archie.  He was doing well when we saw him last night after dinner.  We are so thankful that they were persistent and went in to the hospital!

Back to school

Logan is back to school...already. It seemed like he was the first one on the planet to start back to school. I am sad he is back - and he is too - I like having him home full time.

Brody started back yesterday too. He is studying Arctic animals in school and is loving that - Penguins are his absolute favorite! Even Colter has school now, he started in Moms Morning Out yesterday. For a couple of hours once weekly, he plays in our church nursery and I get to do some running around sans kids. It is a beautiful thing!

We had a great time in Memphis! The drive went really well with all 3 kids. We left at 4:30am, and all 3 kids went back to sleep until 7:30 or so. After we made it there, we had tons of fun!

Wednesday - we went swimming, then to dinner

Thursday - we spent 6 hours at the Memphis zoo, then the big boys went to see a movie

Friday - we hung out, then went to the Childrens museum

After the kids went to bed, we got to spend some quality time with my best girlfriend and her husband. It was a fantastic trip!

Easter

We partied in true Gruninger style for Archie's conversion into the Catholic Church. Archie (and Auntie Al) have been working and studying all year for the big Easter Vigil mass. Prior to the mass we had a shin dig to celebrate. It was loads of fun and I was especially thankful all of the boys were at home in bed at a decent hour. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pics from that evening...probably because I was too busy eating and drinking at the party :)

What is quiet, scurrying around at 4:45am on Easter, and moves quickly? No, this isn't the Easter bunny - it was my two oldest boys. They were so stinking excited that morning that they hopped (literally) out of bed to see the candy trail the Easter Bunny had left for them to their Easter Baskets. Bear was able to go back to sleep (thankfully!), Logan - not so much. Needless to say, we all had a big ole family nap that day after Mimi, Grandpa, and Auntie Em came over to see the Egg Hunt and have brunch. Mimi also got the boys Under Armour shirts of their own. In the pictures below, they are flexing their muscles in the shirts.

That afternoon we headed to Aunt Stacy's for more Easter fun. I think in total the boys participated in 4 whopping egg hunts and they have quite the stash to prove it. Click on the link below to see pictures from Easter season.

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Worst. Blogger. Ever

Alright, alright, alright, I admit it. I am the worst. blogger. ever. I own it and I am not afraid to admit it. It isn't that I mean to be the worst blogger, it just happened almost overnight it seemed. My days were turning into nights and I didn't have a good gauge on what day it was anyways. You other parents out there get it and there is no need to explain the haze that encompasses your first few weeks of having a newborn.

Baby C has been a great baby thus far. For the most part he fusses when he is hungry or sleepy - oh, and also around 8:30 at night, his fussy time. He has fit right into our little family and we have been so blessed to have him join us. The big boys have done very well adjusting. Logan is still being the best big brother...just with 2 younger brothers under him. Brody is also liking the role of big brother when it is convenient for him.

We had a wonderful Christmas season this year. It was much slower than normal because we have a newborn, which we all enjoyed to the fullest. Our family had the privilege of playing the part of the Holy Family on Christmas Eve mass. Corey was Joseph, Baby C was Jesus, I was Mary, and the big boys were shepherds. Everyone was able to come and be a part of the mass - it was lovely as Mimi would say.

I am also planning on including a slide show of other happenings around the Trent Casa. We have had quite a bit of soccer take over our lives. Logan has become quite the player since last year, and we aren't sure how it happened. He has been averaging 3 goals per game and eating lots of ice cream. (If the boys get a goal during a game we go out for ice cream, thanks to Grandpa.) Bear has also taken up soccer, he is more concerned about the Fan Fare in the stands. He runs behind the ball and makes sure to wave and give a "thumbs up" to his fans.

A couple of weeks ago my bestie Joy came in town for a visit. I hope she relaxed a bit during her stay since my normal Mama drama continued while she was here. Corey was a true rockstar and took Colter while Joy and I went to Ft. Worth. We almost visited the rodeo while we were there! (But didn't want to pay the $10 ticket price!)

Here is an album of pictures, I hope to be better about posting in the upcoming future. Continue to bear with me though...

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Colter Jackson Trent finally arrived to complete our family. He has already taught me lots of lessons in patience. I fully expected him to arrive at least one week early, if not 2 weeks - he arrived 2 short days prior to his due date. I felt like I was 3 weeks overdue! Additionally, I thought my labor would last 6-8 hours (as this is how long my labor with Bear was), and clearly, Colter has a timeframe all his own. I went into labor on November 20th at around 6am and was in labor until I had him at 9:31pm that night.

Thus far this little sugar has been such a good baby. We were able to make it to both family's Thanksgiving dinners. The food was wonderfully prepared by Auntie Al, Uncle Archie, and Grammy and Pa. We all ate a little too much and hopefully Colter followed suit. After all, his main job right now is eating and growing. We go in for a follow up appointment on Tuesday to see how much he has grown.

Mimi and Grandpa were SO nice to take the boys out to the ranch both weekends. It was nice for the boys to get to go out and run for the weekend. It was also nice for Corey and I, to have both weekends "off" and be able to focus on our new addition. Both boys have responded well to their baby brother thus far, although I am sure there is quite a bit more adjusting to come. Thanks to everyone for the prayers and well wishes!