It wasn’t because of football that Ethan needed stitches. Earlier this month, he ran into the door hinge in his bedroom, cut his forehead and ended up with nine stitches! Aiden’s therapist, Ms. Tara, was present when it happened and she was so amazed by Ethan’s courage that she gave him a very nice card with a note about how brave he was. Evan read it a few times and wrote the whole thing out by hand (picture below).

The boys started swimming in the pool even though the weather is not as warm as it usually is this time of year. But, they still love it!

Of course, this month’s highlight was football! They play hard but love the challenge! We are working on teaching them to not be sore losers (this seems to be an issue as they are fiercely competitive). Some pictures below.

Evan writes out Ms. Tera’s note to Ethan

Some pictures at the Winnie the Pooh play

Football!

Looking for Evan

Don’t do it!

Uh oh!

Evan, there is no crying in football

Ethan taunts

Now Aiden is getting involved

On the run

Aiden is not interested

Go Evan!

Touchdown?

Run, Aiden!

Time to catch some bubbles

Aiden is into this

Oh yeah

What is he looking at?

So happy

Love shooting things with water

Hmm…this looks like trouble

Aiden stays on the other side of the pool

The little bear looks like he is trying to catch a fish

What do they see?

Fishing with a hose?

Wheels? They were after the wheels.

There is more to get

Ethan is happy

It had been a while since Aiden was in the hospital but this month he caught RSV (as did Ethan and Evan) and ended up in the hospital for a few days. Fortunately, it was a mild strain and he stabilized quick enough to come home; albeit on oxygen.

The boys recovered just before Papa and Grandma visited. They were happy to see their grandparents but Papa’s IPad was the most fun! Aiden kept asking, “can I have the pad?”

The month ended with some Easter egg hunting in the backyard with their cousins (Gavin and Kaelyn).

Back in the hospital

At rest

Icing his ‘injured’ knee

It’s all about the “gamey”

…and football

Playing with the Ipad

So happy

His turn

Everyone’s turn

Papa’s turn? Evan wants it back

At McDonalds and loving it

Papa and Grandma feed the hungry little boys

Even in the midst of hunger, they still are looking at the game

More Ipad?

First thing in the morning: “can I play with the pad?”

Being confined is not so bad if you have McQueen

Time to race

Easter egg hunt

Finding the candy

Wonder what is inside these?

Meanwhile, Aiden plays with the pool hose

Smile everyone

February was another good month for the boys. So far, no major issues or illnesses. The boys have been having a great time playing hide and seek, their helicopters and (of course), their cars.

Below are some pics from this month.

Loving their Mommy

The Chopper

Fly it Ethan

They love this

Mesmerized

Who is hiding there

Found him

Evan is so proud of himself

Loves playing with the brothers

Building a car city

Whatever is on TV, must be interesting

Our hot water heater stopped working this January on a Friday evening. What a way to start the year! Apparently, the unit was so full of rust that it caused the pilot to constantly burn out due to lack of oxygen. The internal tank was on the verge of leaking.
 
But it was all fixed thanks to Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, who did a phenomenal job! Through our home warranty company (which is not always reliable), we were able to get the entire unit covered with no fees, etc. Thank God for his goodness!!
 
The boys had a good month with no major illnesses and Aiden is doing very well. We are praying he gets through Winter with no illness. Below are some highlights from the month.
 

Time for a new water heater…too much rust

Riding their Mercedes

Hmmmm….

It does not go very fast, but they enjoy it

Maybe it is a good thing it is not very fast

Got to share everything

Who is missing?

There he is

Brothers!

Look at those faces

Time to play with the leaves

Boom

Bang

Evan has a handful

It was a war of leaves

Loving it!

Aiden vs. his brothers

Despite the odds being against him, he lives for this

Evan can jump!

And race…

Swinging

Laughing

King Aiden?

Good job eating

They still fit…sort of

It was a rather eventful December. All the boys were sick at one point and then Manish and Hannah got sick as well. The flu was going around but we are not sure exactly what it was. First Aiden, then Ethan, Evan, Manish and finally Hannah. Manish was sick Christmas day…not fun.

The boys also had their ear tubes put in (for the third, or is it forth?, time) to stop the drainage and other issues they have been having.

Despite these issues, they had great (snowy) Christmas and got some very nice toys from Mom and Dad, Grandparents, relatives and Uncle Tim and Aunt Aleta. In the video below, you can see Aiden getting his medical treatment for his lungs and a short clip of the boys reciting Luke 2. They did a great job memorizing nearly the first 30 verses.

We hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

A White Christmas!

Riding their bikes

Times Three!

Brothers…

Hmmmm

Love those bikes!

So cute

With their Mimi

Time to open…presents!

What’s in here?

Throwing ‘peanuts’ at each other

They love their gifts!

They used to bit in their

A dream come true: he got his Tanker truck

Loving it!

Uncle Tim shows them a short video

Stop putting your hands in your mouth!

What are they watching?

Smile!

Don’t take little Gavin’s toys!

More gifts?

In the midst of chaos, Aiden reads

What did Uncle Tim and Aunt Aleta get the boys?

Wow… a Mercedes.

End of day…bedlam.