Greg Goes Golfing

Hey everyone! Greg here. I received a new video camera as a gift from work. Perfect for taking on golf outings. One nice thing about paternity leave is the extra time I have to work on my game (which still needs work). I better extend my leave of absence! :)

Pool Party

I have mentioned before how much we absolutely love our neighborhood pool. We have wonderful neighbors all down our street, and we pretty much run into them at the pool every night. So last week I had the idea of organizing an "end of summer potluck" at the pool, which ended up being tonight.

We had near-perfect attendance from about 7 families, and we had a delightful time. Everyone brought fabulous food, and we had burgers and brats on the grill. Greg even made everyone play 'around the world ping pong,' which was a silly but fun activity. And the three Lang kids managed to get lots of attention from everyone!

Here we are walking to the pool with our BBQ supplies and burgers in stock...

One of our neighbors just made home-made beer, and brought some for everyone. It was delish!

Nana Sue was helping to give the kids juice. The most hilarious thing was that she was also holding a margarita in the other hand. The two drinks were in identical cups and were the exact same color. So who knows if the kids got the margarita and Nana Sue got the juice?

Greg and our fun neighbor Mark are manning the grill...

Our Five-person family

It is crazy to me that I am the mother of a FIVE person family now. How did that happen? Wasn't I just graduating from college yesterday? Wow - the time flies. But Greg and I both agree that our lives are so much fuller, richer, and more rewarding now than they ever have been. God is so good to us!

Here are a bunch of pictures that we took yesterday - of various combinations of our five person family!!

My fabulous husband

I have to say that Greg is one amazing husband and father. He is so kind, good, loving, and fun, and we are all so lucky to have him in our lives every day! He is on a 7-week break from work, and it has been wonderful for our family (Thank you, Microsoft!)

He has been very helpful with the kids, and the twins have just eaten up all of the playtime they have gotten with daddy. We have gone to the pool a lot this summer, and Greg takes them for walks each day, plays ball with them in the yard, teaches them how to wrestle, and sings them songs. They adore him... as do I! We love you, hunny!

Here he is on a brave walk the other day - with all 3 kids, and in the rain! And then there is a second video showing some of his craziness with Hailey in the house... her giggle in that video is fun...

Chuck E. Cheese's

Now that Greg is on paternity leave, we are doing an "activity" each day. The kids love it, and we have done a lot of fun things. Greg picked going to Chuck E. Cheese's for pizza and rides the other night. The kids had major sensory overload, since everything in there is loud, full of bright lights, etc. But they loved it! Here they are in "toddler playland" riding the rides... it is cute.

Greta at one month

Greta turned one month old yesterday. Here is a short video showing her little antics on her b-day...

The best thing about her birthday was that I got my first genuine smile out of her... at 4am! She has since given us several smiles, and she is starting to be so much more interactive. Everything changes when they smile back at you!!!

Gifts and Visitors...

Since we had Greta, we have been overwhelmed by fun gifts for her,... but also for the twins. I guess people realize that the older kids need attention too, so here are a few pics of them enjoying new toys.

One of Greg's co-workers sent along giant stuffed animals for A&H. Here is Hailey's giraffe, which she now carries around everywhere!

We have also received tons of cards and other gifts - thanks to all of you who have so graciously blessed us!

Greg's dad, Rich, and his girlfriend Margay were in town this last weekend. We had a lovely time with them, and they kindly brought a cool wooden truck for Drew, and a purse with stuffed animal kitty for Hailey. They love those!

Over the last 4 weeks, since Greta arrived, we have had all of the grandparents visit. My mom was here for 10 days, and was SOO helpful. Greg's mom was also here for a long visit and was kind enough to cook lots of meals and put them in our freezer! Then we had my dad for a long weekend, and this last weekend we had Greg's dad for a long weekend. It has been fun for all 3 kids to see their grandparents!

Greg is also now in the midst of a 7-week paternity leave from work! Yea! I LOVE it. He has been so helpful with the kids, and has given me lots of time to take naps. :) We are so grateful for this opportunity, and we are using the time to sit by the pool, take "field trips," and do lots of other activities!

Here we are out to b-fast this last weekend... with the kids in their matching jean jackets.

Meanwhile, our little Greta (who is 4-weeks old today!) seems to be quite content sleeping through life! She is having more and more wakeful periods, but still holds records for the % of her life she has spent asleep. Given the craziness of our life, it is so helpful that she is a good baby! I just snapped this pic moments ago..

Museum of Flight!

Hey everyone. It’s Greg here, doing a rare post to the family blog. We went to the Museum of Flight today with the whole family, including my mom. It was a hit. They loved seeing the old airplanes, super fast jets, tiny helicopters, and everything else that flies. Here are some pics of our adventures.

Greta J. Lang at three weeks

Yesterday, Greta turned three weeks old. She is such a good baby, and she sleeps so much, so it hardly feels like she has been with us that long! We are adjusting to life as a five-person family, and enjoying lots of help, meals, and gifts from family and friends. Greg is now on his 7-week paternity leave, so it is a delight to have him home with us all day, and the twins love the extra time with daddy.

Greta had a doctor appt yesterday, and she weighed in at 10 pounds, 8 ounces, which is exactly one pound more than her birth weight. So, she is growing nicely, and has done a good job nursing. Our next milestone is to get her to sleep through the night... .then mommy will be very happy!

Here are some pics taken in the last day or so...

Here are some cute pics that show her adorable face!

Nana Sue

We have the world's best next door neighbor.... Nana Sue! Sue and her husband Bern have been dear friends to us since we moved to this neighborhood 6+ years ago. They have five grandchildren of their own, but they have also 'adopted' our three as their own, too!

So, the kids call Sue "Nana Sue" and they love to run and give her hugs every time they see her. Sue generously babysits for us, brings gifts to the kids, and visits us on our back deck almost daily. Sue has also become a dear friend of mine, and we sit and chat about all kinds of things every day.

Recently, we are extra grateful for Sue, because she was the wonderful person who came to watch the kids at 3am, when it was time to go to the hospital and have Greta! She was a trooper, and slept with her phone by her bed for several weeks. Then when the call came, she showed up in her Pjs, with a smile on her face! We adore you, Sue!

Here are pics of the kids wearing the "panda shirts" that Sue gave them after her recent visit to China. They run around saying "panda, panda, panda" everytime they wear them!