Big Boy Bed - Dorm Style!

So we finally got our second set of bunk beds done! My dad and Ryan got them built - and then it seemed like forever for us to get them sanded and painted! But alas, we got them done and I think they look GREAT!!! Yes, it's a little crowded - but we won't be in this house forever! Plus, the boys are much smaller than I am right now, so they don't have a problem with it at all! Ridge and Hudson bunk together with Ridge on the top and the other set is Grady and Anders, with Grady (of course!) on top!

Here is Yummy exploring his new beddy-bye! He loved climbing into it, however, later that night - he wasn't aware he actually had to sleep in it! He cried for about 10 minutes off and on and the resigned himself that it was where he was staying!
Now he is a little champ and loves his new bed!

CHEESE!

My awesome and hard-working husband allowed me to get new bedding for them all to match. I was hoping to find the same duvet covers to match from the previous set, but couldn't find them anywhere! So my honey offered to let me get exactly what I wanted - he is too sweet! Thanks Ry!

So here's the boy crew in their dorm! They love it and are great sports at sharing a room! The only tricky obstacle is closet room - we have been rather creative there!!!

Big Boy Coming Through.....

Anders William is quite the little handful these days! He has started throwing temper tantrums, whining excessively, and just overall being kinda hard to deal with. He definately takes some patience to deal with recently! So when I get these cute adorable moments with him, I snap the picture to help me rememebr daily how much I love him!!! :)

Always looking for a laugh!

So when my parents were here visiting my mom and I took the kids out to Applebees (of course, where else would my mom and I go, right mom?!) And the waitress made a reference to Anders about being a girl. I chuckled and dismissed it while Nana stood her ground and defended Anders. It was shortly after that, that I decided it was time to cut off Anders head - that's right - time for his Big Boy Batchelor Buzz! All of my boys have clipper cuts in some way or another. Some use scissors on top, some buzz all around. Mommy is the designated buzzer, so as to save $36 every month! Anders had been getting scissor cut, but I decided on a whim to go ahead and clipper cut his back! So, while Ryan was off working in the garage on the bunk beds, my mom and I got busy on cutting hair! Here is the finished product, which you can't really see too well. But he looks exactly like Hudson now with the new 'do!!!

And of course, I love me some tubby-time pictures! I hadn't brought the camera into the bathroom for a long time, so these are way over due as well! Enjoy!

More to come on Anders! To give you a little preview - he has moved into the bunk beds in the boy's room - so stories and pix to come of that later on! :)

Another Typical Day!

On any given day - if you dropped by our house, you would find us looking like.....


Today - we find 1 race car driver - whom seems to be hiding in the background!
1 gymnast, 1 Bob the Builder, and 1 monkey boy! This changes by the minute, this is just when I happen to capture to moment with my camera! The more I look at the picture - don't they seem like loving, happy children whom never fight with each other! Who knows how many battles I disengage throughout the day!

My Happy Monkey Boy make me laugh daily! "Oh Hudson" is what you hear me saying most days several times a day! :)

Growing up before my eyes!!!

Is it possible that my 6 1/2 year old is going on 20? I have seen recent changes in Grady that are somewhat exciting and new, and on the other hand, nerve-wracking!

The biggest change - Grady has his first crush. I may have told some of you already, but his first crush is a life guard at the YMCA where he is taking swim lessons. I must admit - at least he has good taste! I first noticed it when he kept looking over at her and when she would come over to where he was in the pool, he would get his embarrassed look all over his face. He would be polite and talk to her, but nervousness was still apparent! Ryan (of course!) didn't notice a thing, until I told him to watch. I asked Grady about her later and he got all nervous! I was very careful in not embarrassing him. However, it my part of my personality to inquire and poke as much as possible without stressing him out too much! (That is one of the joys of being a mom!!!) :) I don't know the life guards name and he noticed on his own that she wasn't at swim lessons last night. Grady has only one more week until he is done and will start soccer. I asked him what he was going to do then - much grinning, but no words spoken! :)

Grady is also a smart kiddo. Learning comes easy for him and I am so glad for that, not only as his teacher, but also as someone who struggles to learn new ideas and concepts. Sometimes he reads too much - unappropriate billboards, emails that I have left open on the computer, etc. I truly enjoy Grady in my classroom even though he is ADD to the MAX!!!

The other big change with him is that he is going to start wearing deodrant!!! Yes, I know, he is only 6 - but he stinks when he sweats!!! He takes a shower on his own (which is nice just to send him to his bathroom and tell him to take a shower!) and I am assuming he is washing, but after activities like Gym, AWANA, etc. he starts a'stinkin'! I am handing that one over to Ryan to deal with instructions, etc. I know this will come much better from Dad rather that bossy ole mom! I can't believe one of my sons is wearing deodrant! It blows my mind that they are getting so old!

Another thing that Grady is doing is being so responsible with his money. He has a wallet and a bank that he works from. The money in his wallet is his to spend as he wants - there is usually a $20 max to the wallet! And his bank is more for saving for what he wants that costs more money! We are getting ready to re-vamp our chore charts around here seeing as Grady can do more and Ridge needs his easier jobs to take over. So I am thinking about up-ping his allowance each week. We are pretty cheap around here and for most chores, that's just part of being a family that you don't get paid for! However, things like helping me out by pushing the grocery cart at the grocery store because my back can't handle it right now, he gets paid for. (And yes, sisters, it is more than a penny!) :)

As Grady gets older - I think about what kind of friend, brother, man, boyfriend, (and God-forbid) husband I want him to be. Of all the character traits I want him to keep that he already possess - I find that I want him to turn out just like his daddy. Ryan was raised well and am truly appreciative to all his parents and other influences that made him the man/husband/father he is. I want that for Grady and his future family. I want that precious innocence kept, that shy but polite guy that finds laughter in everything he can, that helpful spirit that comes naturally to him. I pray all the time that God keeps those qualities in Grady - he is a great son to be raising and has a great role model to learn from God and Ryan!

I love you Grady Ryan Batchelor!
hoping to train my child like my husband

Happy 4th Birthday Ridge Lawson!

A GREAT picture with Daddy!

His first model! He is so excited and asks every day to put it together!

Ridge chose to have a dinosaur party!

So a dinosaur cake was attempted - try not to laugh!

So I am a little late in posting about Ridge's 4th Birthday! I also couldn't get the pictures to go in order once I downloaded them, so join the party in reverse! :)

Ridge is definately our special little guy! One whom we have to make sure we don't miss. He is so quiet that I am constantly making sure I am spending time with him....sad as it sounds! Ridge is a fun-loving guy who loves life. He is very shy in a new setting, but once warmed up - he is ready to go!

Ridge is in preschool 3 days a week with mommy. I am finding he already knows most of what is taught, so school comes pretty easy these days! He knows most of his letters and his counting cracks me up! 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20 - I mean who needs 15, 16, or 17?!

Ridge can woo anyone with a flash of his dimples! I can't wait to see how his personality develops in the future! We love you Ridgey! Happy 4th Birthday!

A Little Slacking...

I haven't been able to blog for awhile - not that I am all that dedicated about updating - due to sickness in our family since Christmas! I am hoping we are on the tail end (until the next round, that is!)

My pregnancy is going well. Baby is very healthy and growing like a true Batchelor Baby! We have chosen a name for our little girl-to-come!

Caylor Lindy Batchelor

We let the kids make the final decision after much debate. For some reason Ryan and I have been looking for a "C" name, so that is where Caylor came from. Lindy is in honor of my two very special sisters whom I strive to be like! (Lisa + Cindy) They are the best sisters! They have ALWAYS been there for me no matter where or when! They are some of my best friends and truly Godly role models for me! I wish everyone had a pair of sisters just like mine - love you ladies! :)

Anyways, I found out my actual due date is April 6th, however, when people ask, I still say early April in hopes that I don't become the ugly bitter woman that I usually become when flying right on by a due date! I know that God has the perfect time for them to make their joyous arrival, but by the end, I want to hold that special little girl.

I have "come to terms" with the addition of a girl. Don't get me wrong, I am still holding a small glimmer of hope for another boy, but again, God knows what our family needs. So a sister for Ellie it is! Ellie is getting excited about her little sister coming. She keeps saying things like I can share that with my new sister when she comes, or maybe we can play that together when she gets bigger. It truly melts my heart! Every little outfit/blanket/pair of socks I get, she oooo's and aaaahhh's over! She has asked if she could come with us to the hospital when it's time for the baby to come out. Ryan and I are still in deliberation about that one. What do you all think? This particular 5 year old girl loves the ooo and goo of boo-boo's so I'm not worried about that one. Selfishly I want Ryan to be able to fully focus on Caylor's day and his new daughter and not be distracted with Ellison being in the room and such. I am open for opinions!

I will try to get some pictures of Ridge's birthday pictures up here soon - er, well - soon in Batchelor time! :)

Phew - I'm Worn Out!

Wow - so much has happened in the last 6 weeks! Phew - I think I am tired, but no rest for the weary!
Somwhere around Nov. 4th- We arrive KS after our car breaking down somwhere in TX and the dealership being so nice and kind that we they didn't make us pay our over $600 bill. God was watching over us!
Nov. 5th - Startd looking for a house and looked for about 5 days straight! We finally found the house for us!
Nov. 13th - Our household goods arrive - pretty much in good condition, considering all the hands it passed through!
Nov. 15th - Our laptop crashes and the whole hard drive is gone. Yes, I lost over 500 pictures of our month of vacation. I was close to crying and then remembered that we have our memories to last us! Sad that I lost all the cute pictures though - and for those that know me, you know how painful that was!
Nov. 17th - Our first company arrives for Thanksgiving - Welcome Mamaw and Pwapa to our new (and box-filled) house! :) Had a yummy and fun-filled time!
Nov. 24th - We welcomed a new baby nephew to our family! Welcome Mr. Tristan - we can't wait to meet you!
Nov. 30 - Homeschool starts up for G, E and R!
Dec. 1st - Ryan leaves for around 2 weeks to CA to do some training. Mommy is on her own! I only got lost one time, ate out only 2 times and only wanted to quit 2 days! That's pretty good for 5 small children and pregnant mommy!
Dec. 11th - Ryan arrives home - with WELCOME arms from many small children!
Dec. 14th - We find out we are having another girl! :) Thought I would sneak that it and see how many readers are still paying attention! That's right - another girl will be joining our family in early April. So far she is growing great and very active! Big Sister E is VERY, VERY excited and can't wait to meet her.
We are almost completely moved in and getting ready to travel back to Indiana for Christmas! We aren't too excited about packing up again, but excited to see family and friends over the break! Merry Christmas!