Short Pump

The kids and I tagged along with Mike to Richmond and while Mike was in a medical conference the kids and I played.  We played at the Virginia Science Museum, in the pool and at the Children's Museum of Richmond.  

Virginia Science Museum

Blowing bubbles

The Pool

Marcus enjoying the pool at Mike's Conference

The pool at our hotel ended up being broken and so we were sent to a couple of other hotels and the YMCA to try and find a good place to swim.  Luckily the pool at the hotel where Mike's conference was ended up being a good pool to swim in.  We would join Mike at the end of his conference each day and the kids and him would swim.

Raquel & Marcus
Raquel was a big help watching her brother and sister in the pool
while dad played with the kids and I watched Erik.

Erik hanging out at the pool

Children's Museum of Richmond

Marcus playing at the museum

Raquel & Natalya riding the train

Marcus loved riding on the train

Playing dress-up

First Bath

Erik took his very first bath which he very much enjoyed.  He seems to love the water as much as the other kids. I think we have another future swimmer on our hands.

Getting ready for his bath

Enjoying the water

Raquel also learned to ride her bike without training wheels and has been having a blast riding up and down our street.  She is out there everyday after school riding.

Raquel and her bike

Mudbass Classic

Mike took the girls to the Mudbass Classic on Virginia Tech campus.  They let the kids fish in the Duck Pond on campus and give out prizes and food.  The kids even got new fishing poles for the event.  Raquel and Natalya had fun hanging out and fishing.  Raquel was the only one to catch a fish but the girls had fun playing with friends.

1 week

Erik had his 1 week dr. visit today he is a healthy growing newborn. He is just shy of his birth weight and he dazzeled all the girls at the doctors office.

Weight: 7 lbs

Length: 20 1/4 inches

head : 13 inches

Introducing

Erik Michael Kennedy

April 12, 2012 at 3:06pm

7 lbs 3.9 oz and 20 1/4 inches

This little guy really wanted to hang out in mommies tummy for the whole 40 weeks.  We decided to give him a little help in coming out.  I had a doctors appointment the day before my due day on the 11th.  I had been having a few mild contractions over the course of about 5 days, so the doctor checked and I was dilated to 5.  The decision was made to have me come into the hospital early Thursday morning and have my water broke in hopes it would progress things along.  Mike and I arrived at the hospital around 6:45am and I was dilated to 6. Dr. Zolovick then came in around 8 am, broke my water and then we waited.  We waited for about 3 hrs and nothing more happened.  Mike likes to tell everyone when the nurse came into see how my pain was I told her a 0 even though I had been having major contractions.  Since I wasn't in a lot of pain I guess they figured I wasn't progressing on my own so I was given a small dose of platosin to kick start my labor and about 4 hours later our little guy was born.  

Mike brought the kids to come meet their little brother later that night.  Natalya was very excited to hold her little brother. Marcus was interested for a little while and then had fun playing in the curtains. Well Raquel also enjoyed holding her little brother.

Hanging out waiting for our little guy to come

Mom & Erik

Of course I chose to try a pain medicine/epidural free birth with our biggest baby.
Not that 7 lbs is a huge baby, just big compared to the rest of our kids.

Proud Dad

Little Erik

The whole family

Raquel & baby Erik

Having fun at the Hospital

Marcus is doing what any good big brother should do.
Poking his eyes to make sure they work

Natalya, Erik & Marcus

1 day old

Natalya a very proud big sister.  She loves to hold her little brother.

Easter Bunny

With all the excitement of Saturday night we told the kids that we had asked the Easter bunny to come Monday instead of Easter Sunday. The kids were every excited to wake up on Monday to find that the Easter bunny had really come.

Raquel & Natalya hunting for eggs

Marcus showing what he found in his egg

Natalya hunting for more candy

It didn't take Marcus long to dig into his candy filled eggs

Raquel collecting more Easter eggs

Sorry the video is sideways

but its cute watching Natalya trying to crack open her plastic Easter eggs.

Saturday Fun!

We had another fun Saturday planned. The kids started the day by building bird feeders at Home depot. Which also included a stop out front on the lawn mowers.

Marcus' eyes just lit up when he saw the lawn mowers at Home Depot.

Next we headed to Dish Network's Eggstravaganza where the kids had fun playing games, getting airbrushed horse tattoos, getting their picture with the Easter bunny and going on an egg hunt.

Dish's Eggstravaganza

Raquel, Natalya & Marcus with the Easter Bunny.

(Both Natalya and Marcus liked the bunny much better than Santa at Christmas time)

Raquel playing pin the tail on the bunny

The girls getting ready for the egg hunt

Marcus and Daddy eating their treats from the egg hunt.

It didn't take them long since Marcus only got 2 eggs.

Natalya getting her horse tattoo

Raquel getting her horse tattoo

Marcus loved this little rabbit and kept hugging it.

After a quick stop for lunch we headed back to Home Depot for their little egg hunt. The kids only were aloud to pick up 5 eggs but were then given a choice of prizes and a bag fun of candy. It was by far the better of the two egg hunts because there were not all the pushy parents trying to get as many eggs for their kids as they can. Marcus even won a beautiful flower plant for our kitchen table.

Home Depot Egg Hunt

The girls waiting for the egg hunt to begin at Home Depot

Marcus and Mom

It was such a beautiful Saturday that we had to end the day with a fun bonfire with friends. We invited the Brian's/Folkarts over to roast hot dogs and make S'mores. The kids had fun helping Mike build the fire and getting to cook their own hot dogs and marshmallows.

Bonfire

Raquel, Natalya, Nick and Luke having fun around the fire.

Unfortunately our evening ended with this......

Luke took a dive off the trampoline and ended up taking a trip to the ER in an ambulance. Luckily he ended up only breaking his wrist but it did put a damper on the rest of the evening. We ended up keeping Nick with us for the night while Luke and his parents spend the better part of the evening in the ER.

After having contractions all day I thought Mike and I would be joining them at the hospital and welcoming our new little boy. That didn't happen and instead Craig, Nick and Luke joined us for Easter breakfast the next morning.