Dylan Carter

I can still remember where I was on September 11th, 2001 between 7-8 a.m. I was driving to work listening to the radio when the announcers started screaming. The second tower had just been hit. I was confused. It almost felt like a dream. To hear the announcers completely lose control like that on air was a bit unnerving. I remember the drive home that day too. The awkward sound of silence. We were so used to hearing the planes flying into O'hare...now just unbelievable silence. That was a day that I will surely never forget.


Five years later, on September 11th, 2006 at almost that exact time my view of "that" day changed. We were blessed with a beautiful little boy! Dylan Carter was born at 8:38 a.m. weighing in at a very healthy 9 lbs. 15 oz. We were ecstatic! James now had a little birthday buddy.


So yesterday he turned 3. I know I have said it over a hundred times, but I really do wonder WHERE does that time go?! It never really felt like we had a baby for long...Dylan was crawling, then walking at 9 months, and talking in complete sentences we could understand by 10 months! He's always been a little a head of the game, but he really had to if he wanted to keep up the rest of the kids. At just 2 years old he was reciting verses out the Bible!

After Mackenzie was born we started seeing some more of our "baby" coming out. He definitely thinks he's the comedian of the family and when he's not laughing, he's sucking his thumb. All the other kids used a pacifier that I could take away before they were 2, but it's next to impossible to take away a thumb. Every time he holds his little blankie the thumb goes in. Here's a funny story though:

One night James was trying to get the boys to bed. They

were not listening and after a couple warnings for each little

boy, James finally went in and took each of their little blankets. He

then closed the door and what he heard next was classic 'Dylan.'

After his blankie was taken away & the door closed we heard from a tiny little

voice "oh no Noah, now I can't suck my thumb."

James & I were almost rolling on the floor laughing!

Well, our little baby turned 3 yesterday. It's hard to believe sometimes that our kids are growing up. We hold them when they are born and always say we can't wait until they are crawling, walking and talking....then when they do we sometimes wish they would stop;) Dylan is a regular ball of energy these days. Always trying to come up with a funny phrase or noise to make. He loves being dressed up in princess clothes by Madison or sneaking into Brett's room and finding something to claim as his own. Dylan truly loves his biggest brother and wants to be just like him. I am also finding I do more laundry these days than ever before. Dylan will sneak off and change clothes 3-4 times a day. He always leaves us wondering what he will do or say next.

The Start of Another School Year

It's officially happened. Summer as we knew it has ended. The sound of school buses can heard each morning driving down our quiet street. Our neighborhood really comes alive each school year. I think many of our neighbors head off for vacation, have the kids in camps, or spend their days at the pool because our street is empty most summer days. I always look forward to school beginning again. It seems to make my brain kick into gear and we are more easily able to get on a "schedule. "


This year Madison & Noah will also heading off to preschool. I always looked forward to my double trouble leaving the nest for a couple days a week, but since Mackenzie was born...well, thinking of getting 4 kids ready, into the car and off to school, only to do it again in a few short hours suddenly doesn't sound appealing. They are going to do great and have a lot of fun in the process, but I am going to really have to figure out a sleeping/eating schedule for our baby. Dylan, Noah & Madison also will go to Story Hour at church w/ my mom one day a week during Coffee Break Bible Study too. They all can't wait!


Brett was SO ready to head back to school. This year he has some of his best buds in his class and a teacher he really wanted. He has also chosen to play the Oboe this year. 5th grade is the year they begin band in school. He is really excited to play. Luckily he got his cast off last week to make that a little easier. He spent 4 weeks in a cast for his broken little finger/knuckle. He is expected to make a full recovery, but that meant no soccer this fall to allow it to heal all the way. He read close to two dozen books this summer and now is taking tests on all of them to receive points in the library. Every year the kids seem to get into a contest who can get more points. Over all he's already doing great.

The start of a new school year also means doctor check ups for the kids. When I took Madison & Noah for theirs the doctor couldn't believe how big they were. He thought they were coming in for their kindergarten check ups! Of course when he measured them they were in the 100th percent for height. Pretty soon they will be taller than me! All the kids go in in the next couple weeks for their immunizations...joy. When asked by the doctor if they eat healthy foods or junk foods my children replied "we eat a lot of chocolate." Next he asked them if they sat in booster seats in the car, to which they replied "sometimes mama doesn't buckle us when we go to grandmas..." Thanks guys. Grandma lives 2 blocks away.

We had a really great Labor Day weekend. James was off all weekend & the weather here was just perfect! We grilled out, strolled an outdoor mall (ok...just I did that;) took the kids to a few parks, went for a bike ride, and set up the pool, slip n' slide, and sprinkler probably for the last time. Goodbye summer!

Michigan

Last month we spent another two beautiful weeks up in Michigan @ Crystal Lake. Our time could not have been more perfect. Our first few days were spent with good friends who made the hike up to be with us. We had a great time! It was nice having them & sometimes wondered if vacationing with 7 Laslos was a relaxing vacation for them. Ha!


Most of our days were spent at the beach. This was Mackenzie's first trip up to Michigan and I think for the most part she loved it. She spent her naps on a beach towel in the sand or in her stroller under an umbrella. She started sleeping about 6-8 hours overnight so that was a huge plus! She loved taking stroller rides and being held on the beach while she napped the days away.
We have some wonderful friends at the cottage, the Handelmans. James loves to take ALL of the kids out tubing and skiing. One day he took four of our kids and four of the Handelmans out. They all had a great time and even two of the younger ones decided to brave their daddy's driving and try out tubing. Madison & Dylan each took a turn w/ one of the teenagers. I heard lots of squealing and learned just how much of a dare-devil our little Madi really is. She kept wanting to go faster!


We had probably the most perfect weather that Michigan had had all year. 80 degrees and sunny almost every day. This is a picture form the one cloudy day. It really wasn't cold, but everyone wanted to make sure that they had a chance to wear the Crystal Lake sweatshirts. The kids didn't seem to mind as we found a huge basket of crafts & paints Grandma Laslo had. For hours the kids painted rocks, make collages and got to use 'Bend-a-roos' for the first time. I took some time all alone to do a little vacation shopping. Good times had by all.

Even with a broken finger Brett managed to have a blast. I don't have very many pictures of him this vacation simply because he was under water most of the time exploring thanks to his little waterproof contraption we found to cover his cast. It was not east to find, but a dozen phone calls and 8 stores later James was able to find it. Brett wasn't able to tube or jet ski or even fish very good, but we sure got our moneys worth in his cast protector. He was busy spotting fish and other creatures down below the surface.

Madison & Noah taught themselves how to swim this year. Really! After only a day the two of them were holding their breath, kicking their feet and swimming with no help! We were amazed! Dylan on the other hand preferred to view the water comfortably from the little tubes and rafts he floated along on.

After Mackenzie was born we were really looking forward to this time as a family to get away from it all. We certainly enjoyed another beautiful time, amazing sunsets, gorgeous weather and a vacation together in a truly perfect place.

Welcome Mackenzie Kate

We are proud to announce the newest little Laslo to our family!

Mackenzie Kate Laslo was born on Thursday morning at 9:02am, July 16th, 2009. She weighed in at a very healthy 9 lbs. 11 oz. and was 22 inches long. James almost couldn't believe it when he took a look at her and was able to announce to me "It's a GIRL!" I really couldn't either to be honest, but I was so happy just to hear a healthy baby cry. My surgery went extremely well. It was very quick and easy. During most of the c section the doctor and nurses were discussing their fresh cherries and various recipes they had all made recently...weird?...it was actually pretty calming taking the focus off all the sounds and movements my body was going through.

After they cleaned her, tested her, foot printed and swaddled her up I was FINALLY able to hold my baby girl. It still brings tears to my eyes remembering just how she looked up at me with her little eyes peaked open. What a feeling!

Around 11:00 am we made it to our room and began making phone calls. Going into the OR we decided on a boys name because we were almost sure it was going to be a boy, so after she was born we needed a little time to think about her name. We held her for over an hour before we named her and even then it took a little longer for a middle name.

The next morning all the kids arrived at the hospital with both sets of grandparents. They each had such different reactions! Madison was SO excited about her new little sister, but I think seeing her mommy in the hospital bed and all the people in the room made her very shy. Noah was all smiles. From ear to ear his grin couldn't be missed! He immediately asked if he could give her kisses...and two weeks later, he is still showering her with kisses daily. Dylan was very cute. He didn't say a word but just motioned that he wanted to hold her. Brett was a very proud big brother too. Any time someone wasn't holding Mackenzie, she somehow always ended up back in his arms. He really loves babies.

So, we have been home for two weeks now and I am sorry for not sending or posting pictures sooner. I will post some more and an update very soon!

The 4th of July

The 4th of July is by far my favorite holiday. I love everything about the day. Every year we get up early and go to Egg Harbor with the family. Next we attend the Hinsdale Parade. Each year it's new and different and every year the kids have different memories and things that they look forward to. The 4th of July is also the day I most realize just how much our kids have grown! I can still remember when Brett was three years old and was watching the parade from James lap and it feels like just yesterday Madison & Noah were a few months old and slept through the entire parade.



This year we spent the holiday with my parents and Uncle Norm. It's always great to be able to spend time with family we don't normally see. My uncle came from Ohio just for the weekend to visit. The kids didn't really remember him, but it only took about 15 minutes before they shared their short life stories with him and invited him to tour their rooms.




Earlier that morning I left the house at about 5 a.m. to head over downtown to set up our chairs. The sun was just about to rise and you wouldn't believe how many other crazy people there were also setting up their chairs. Gotta have a good seat! After I returned home we got the clan ready to head out for breakfast. As always, we ate an amazing meal and were stuffed! As we left the resturant it started to drizzle and preceded to do so throughout the parade. It really wasn't too bad. The kids had a blast collecting candy, frisbees and other random things thrown by groups in the parade.

After the parade we headed to our house with my parents, sister and uncle to grill & eat. It was still a little soggy outside but that didn't stop the kids from running in puddles and waving umbrellas. Some decided to stay inside and play of game of mini-bags.

Later that evening we took the 3 little kids to ride some kiddie rides at the local 4th of July fair. The had fun getting dizzy & we even let them get some "tattoos" on their arms. Here they are showing them off. All in all we had a great 4th! We knew in a couple short weeks were about to welcome the littlest Laslo to this world and it was a good distraction for me to have a great busy weekend.

Father's Day Weekend

What a great Father's Day weekend! I think we have finally grabbed a hold of summer here in Chicago. On Saturday, James took all 4 of the kids out of the house at 6 a.m. to go to "work" with him. They stopped and got breakfast (donuts) and then headed out to the nursery and greenhouse to get some more flowers and plants for our house and Grandma & Papa's. All 3 little ones "helped" daddy do planting and trimming while Brett caught up on some reading. He's only been out of school for 2 weeks and has already finished close to 8 books already this summer! After all the yards were perfectly primped it was lunch time. James & the kids picked up lunch and went to play at G & G Laslo's and pick some fresh veggies. Next came a trip to the bank (for suckers of course) and to the hardware, Home Depot, and car parts store.



Meanwhile, I was at home feeling extremely relaxed and getting much accomplished. After they left, I just got out of bed bc it was a little too quiet and started my day. I did 5 loads of laundry, ran a couple errands, and paid the bills all before noon....and I just thought "now what?" I NEVER have a Saturday all to myself! Well, after I got all my stuff done I decided to take advantage of a quiet, beautiful yard on a sunny day and get my suit on and sip fresh lemonade & nibble on some watermelon in the backyard. This has never happened and I have to say, it was WONDERFUL!!!



Finally around 1:30 my family arrived back home and spent the next hour cleaning and waxing James truck. The kids were having a blast! They were covered in bubbles and loved every minute. After we got everyone bathed and dressed we went out for dinner to celebrate James. He is truly a wonderful dad. I had a small idea when I met him over seven years ago that he was good with kids just watching him play, teach and love Brett, but had NO IDEA just how wonderful a father he really would become. Over the last few years he has really proved there isn't much he can't do. When needed he can do the laundry, clean, cook or grill a gourmet dinner, bath, dress, straighten hair, paint fingernails and take on a weekend alone with four kids. Pretty amazing if you ask me! Even after all that he still makes time for me.

The next day (which was actually Father's Day) we had my parents and sister over to celebrate my dad's birthday that was a day earlier. The kids played in their new sandbox, swam in the pool and played Bags...a new favorite game at the Laslo house. Overall the weekend was great and relaxing and needless to say, James went to bed pretty early that night.

Robin's Nest

Here are the pictures of the robin's nest built in the very dead hanging basket on our front porch. The kids and I had a lot of fun watching them grow. The first picture was taken on May 14th and the last one was June 6th. They were hanging pretty high so I would just go out with camera in the a.m. and snap a few shots over my head to see what was going on, then later put a little slideshow on the computer for the kids. They loved it! As you can see from the last picture taken 3 days ago...all 5 little robins can barely fit in the nest! As of a couple minutes ago 4 little ones have left the nest and only one remains. It was really an amazing thing to watch and we think OUR kids grow up fast!