Tristan 2 Month

WOW! 2 months have gone by and its really just a big blur. We are all doing really good. Tucker is going to preschool everyday for 3 hours and is really loving it. He just had his Thanksgiving Day feast and got to dress up like an Indian. His Native American name was " flapping bat". He is making lots of new friends and his teachers tell us he is one the best students. Really???

Jacob is well a 2 year old. He is really a challenge but we just take one day at a time with him. He is just your typical 2 year old. We have been potty training for a while now and we are about 95% there. He is doing really good with it and hopefully by the new year we will be in underwear. We finally moved Tristan out of our room and into the crib which means Jacob had to move into a big boy bed. I was soooo nervous about it but Jacob has done great. He did fall out one night but I guess that is normal.

Tristan just had his 2 month checkup and he is doing great. He weighs 14lbs and is 23 1/2 inches long. He is such a sweet baby. I can honestly say he is my best baby. He really only cries when he is hungry and the rest of time just hangs out. He is sleeping great and I think we are all really adjusting to having another baby in the house. You hardly even know he is around. He smiles and coos and watches every move his brothers make. They love him and he really loves watching them. Life is Good.

Happy Halloween

This year for Halloween Tucker told me he wanted to be a Ninja. I was fine with that and we actually found the perfect costume at Costco. Tucker found some old pictures of himself from last year and decided he wanted to be Batman again. Of course Jacob wanted to be Robin again so they were the dynamic due again this year for Halloween. I was so glad because we didn't have to spend money on 2 new costumes. The boys had lots of fun and got way to much candy.

Batman and Robin (circa 2008)

The rain held off long enough that we were ALL able to go out trick or treating. It was actually a really nice night. The temp was about 65. Tristan enjoyed riding in the stroller.

Happy Halloween.

Pumpkin Carving

Last week we went to the pumpkin patch and the kids picked out a few different pumpkins to carve. Tucker got one for himself and we also purchased a carving kit for him to be able to carve his own pumpkin. He was super excited. He did really good and actually did most of it himself.


Everyone is getting in on the action.


Tucker picked out a "Bat" pattern for his pumpkin.

Hard at work.

Tristan enjoyed being outside.

Happy Fall Y'all

Cox Farm

The weather here the past week has been wet and cold and finally yesterday we had a perfect day. It was sunny and about 75 degrees. We decided it was time to go to Cox Farms. It was actually nice enough that we could all go and I really needed the fresh air and sunshine.



The good old barn slide. Jacob was a little scared to go by himself.

Johnny loves the castle slide!

Tristan was with us but slept in the stroller the entire time!

WOW, I know how she feels!

Here they come!

Good Times.

Fire Station

Last weekend our local fire station had there yearly open house. The boys love going so as soon as Johnny got off work he took them to the festivities.

Nothing but trouble!

Pumpkin Patch

This past weekend we headed to our local pumpkin patch to pick out the perfect pumpkins for Halloween. The kids have been looking forward to this since the summer.


This little guy was getting into everything!


Tucker is getting too cool for pictures!


Time to go play.

That's a big pumpkin!

First Bath

Last night Tristan got his first bath! I guess being the 3rd child and all I didn't have to look for the baby bath tub so he went straight into the big bath tub. It started out pretty good but then it just went down hill. He liked it at first but then just screamed until I got him out.


Not so sure.


Ok, get me out of here.


All nice and clean.

We've survived the first two weeks!

Well, its been two weeks since little Tristan came into our world. We are all doing great and I am finally feeling back to normal. Yesterday I vacuumed and cleaned our bathroom. I hate to clean but I actually enjoyed doing the work.

Tristan is the love of my life! He is the best baby of all my babies. He has the sweetest personality and is already sleeping like a pro. I feed him and he just hangs out. Last night I put him down around midnight and he didn't wake up until 8 this morning. That is crazy. It is amazing what sleep does for you. I got up, fed the baby and took Tucker to school. Tristan had his 2 week Dr. appointment and he looked perfect. Here are the results from his appointment:

Weight: 9 pounds 4 ounces 55%
Length: 22 1/2 inches 75%



What a crew!

Saturday with the boys.

Today I woke up feeling like a new woman. Tristan slept 5 hours straight before waking me to eat. He did keep me up from 5-7 but then went back to sleep until almost 11. My boys do like to sleep.
We had a good morning hanging out. Tucker had soccer until 10 then him, daddy and Papa John went and got us Krispy Kreme donuts. The boys got settled in and watched a movie and just enjoyed being together. Here are a few pics I took of them with Tristan. Hope everyone has a good weekend. Roll Tide Roll!!

James Tristan Hinely

Well, I am back with a new little addition to our family. James Tristan Hinely was born September 23, 2009. Everyone is adjusting and doing great.


He has a good set of lungs!


He was a big boy! 9 pounds 3 ounces 22 inches.



My sweet boys.


Sweet little Tristan!


Tucker wanted a baby sister but as soon as he saw Tristan he said "He is so cute". He loves him so much and wants to hold him all the time.



I was so worried about Jacob's reaction to a new baby but he has done great. He calls him my baby and wants to hold him all the time.
My life right now feels like a circus or maybe a funny farm but we are all adjusting and taking one day at a time. I wake up and just pray to get through the day. I am actually doing great and just try to laugh as much as possible. Laughing really is one of God's greatest gifts.

Good Good Times

Last weekend Jason and his family arrived in Northern VA. The elders at our church had asked him a few months ago to hold a weekend meeting for us and of course he told them yes. At first he was just going to come up by himself but instead the whole crew came and I can't tell you how happy I was that we were all going to be able to spend this time together. They got in Wednesday night and we started our tour Thursday morning. The entire weekend we were suppose to get rain so we thought we should do all the outside things on Thursday since it was not raining. We thought the best place to start would be the White House. Of course the day we pick to go with my brother and his family there is a protest in front of the White House and people are getting arrested.


So, the protest consisted of people over the age 60 dressed in orange jumpsuits yelling "Justice Delayed is Justice Denied". They were protesting about Guantanamo Bay. Um, yeah all I can say is why and who cares.



These were the protesters on the other side of the street that were not getting arrested. Notice the nice black bags they have over there heads.

Nice family shot in front of the Guantanamo Bay protest.

After the protest we headed out for some lunch then we went to the Washington Monument.

The kiddos had so much fun being together.

We then headed down to the WWII Memorial. This is one of my favs and I think Jason and Amberly really liked this one.


The kids had fun playing in the water and running all over the place. After the WWII memorial we headed to the Lincoln memorial and then to the Vietnam memorial. We saw everything outside in DC that we could possibly see. I don't know how far we walked but we were all dead by the time we got home.

Friday morning we got up and went to Arlington Cemetery. Who knew that you could get yelled at by one of the guards at the changing of the guards ceremony. After Arlington we went to the Thomas Jefferson memorial then headed home. We were all so tired and Jason had to get ready for the meeting at church. Saturday we headed back downtown to the Holocaust museum. Note to self: must have timed ticket to do tour. We did not get to see the main exhibit at the museum because we did not get a ticket. Moving on, we headed to the Air and Space museum. The kids were sorta interested but were tired and so we headed home. All in all I think they got to see everything they wanted to see. I think Sarah was disappointed in not seeing the ruby slippers or the hope diamond but they all seemed to have a great time.


We tried to get Jacob in the picture but he had other plans. The kids had so much fun being together. They all played so good together and really had a good time. It was so great for us all to be together. I think we all made great memories that I know I will cherish forever.

Jason did such a great job with his lessons at church. You can listen to them on our website. Check them out: www.annandalechurch.org.

More Easter Fun

Last Saturday Mary Raines, Tucker, and his friend Allison came over to dye eggs for Easter. Tucker was so excited! Jacob would have been in this picture but he was on the floor having a tantrum. You think I'm joking but I'm not.


Let's get started.


All of the kids did very good with their eggs.


Sunday after we had lunch we got ready for our Easter egg hunt. Everybody looks ready to go.

Um yeah he would rather go for a ride in the wagon.

Brooks would rather play in the play set.



They all had more fun on the swing set. Oh well, we had a great day with the kids