Florida Wedding

I am finally posting pics from the beautiful wedding in Florida which was almost 2 weeks ago.....that will teach me to leave my camera at home next time! Also - our swimming suits - WHO goes to Florida and stays on the beach AND forgets their suits? Duh.

Anywho - my cousin tied the knot at the Don Cesar in St Pete on the 1st. It was a fabulous time & the wedding was gorgeous! Here are a few pics from the festivities.

My hubby & I

Maids with the bride

Maids with the groom

The bride & groom

Dress Rehearsal

Since we are going to be traveling over Halloween & the kids will be with relatives, we dressed them in costume for a practice run today at the local businesses.

Brecken the Monkey, Leighton the Lion & Reese as Strawberry Shortcake (her aunt tiff's costume when she was little)

The Clampetts

I'm sure the 'folks' around here thought the Clampetts had moved to town when they saw this in our driveway, but when you don't have a trailer....and you can't find one to borrow last minute, you improvise...



The boys were excited about what the crate held...



and we are too!

Introducing.....Mocha, our milk cow (or calf, at the moment).



You might ask, who exactly is going to milking this cow in the future.....that is yet to be determined....we have some learning to do :)

He's 3!

Brecken turned 3 on Saturday. The celebration started on Wednesday with a 'friend' party. It was wild & crazy in our house, but the kids had a blast.

On Saturday, we celebrated with family in the park. This picture is of 4 of Brecken's 7 cousins.

The day couldn't end without the traditional buttering of the birthday boy's nose, so that he will slide through another year. Hannah did the honors.

Birthday Boy was TIRED after all of his weekend festivities. He crashed hard after church on Sunday!

His 3 year appointment was this morning. He is 40" tall (95th%) and 30 lbs (30th%).

All by Myself...

Brecken has really changed this past month. He wants to do things all by himself.

*When going to the bathroom - he tells me, You stay out.
*He doesn't cry when we leave him in Sunday School or the nursery, or with a sitter. He tells me, "I tell baby, it's ok....mommy's coming back."
*He puts the toothpaste on his toothbrush by himself.
*He can ride his bike & use the brakes.
*He describes things with GREAT detail.
*He sings tons of songs & does pretty well.

The list goes on...but these are probably the most significant.

I'm (sort of) ok with this aspect - it's fun to watch him develop, but it's also sad to see him change so quickly.

My BIGGEST issue is that for the past two days, the majority of the time he has been addressing me as MOM, not mommy. Aaron thinks he's doing it b/c he knows I don't like it. I'm hoping this is one area where he will regress.

Tornado in my room...

This will teach me to leave a laundry basket full of clothes on the floor in my room. Thankfully they had not been folded....and thankfully I caught them as they were just starting to empty my drawers into the pile.

Rewards...

You may recall our potty training days with Brecken late spring/early summer. Shortly after this post, we started withholding popsicles until he started going #2 in the potty. The kid would request a diaper when he had to poop...so I knew he could do it. He just didn't want to take the time to sit on the toilet. It took one day of withholding popsicles & he's been going in the potty ever since (so for the last 3+ months). Shortly after that we didn't have to reward him with popsicles either.

Fast forward to today - I was on the phone with my mom and was interrupted by Brecken. Very seriously he said, "Brecken go potty and farted. Brecken have popsicle?" Now he thinks THAT deserves a reward????

My song?

While driving home from the farm after feeding cats tonight, we had Brecken's music playing. He's singing along to Boom Boom Ain't it Great to Be Crazy. I just couldn't help myself and joined in. So the conversation goes:

Brecken: NO mommy, I do it myself.
Mommy: Oh, sorry Brecken.
Brecken: It's ok......it's MY song! Your song's at home.

He said this very matter-of-factly, like I had NO business singing his song. I couldn't help but laugh. So, I guess because I have MY music playing at home, I can no longer sing along to his in the truck. Bummer.

Let me just say....

that I NEVER realized how much I LOVE my toilet...until it had been out for 3 days. We decided to pass on sleep (who needs it) & were up until 1:30am grouting 1/2 of the bathroom....just so we could be closer to putting our toilet in. We got it installed and I was happy as a lark. I have never been so excited to use the bathroom! No more midnight treks up to my parents.

We (or I should say Aaron) finished the grout this evening. We'll seal it next week sometime...when I return from my trip for Kendra's bachelorette party! I'll post a pic of the finished bathroom after we put the trim board back up....forgot about that step :)

Three Days

Three days may not seem like a long time, but it IS a long time to go without a toilet....and it's going to be more.

We decided on Friday that we were going to tile our bathroom this weekend. I think when we made that decision, we were delusional...and thought that we would be done by Monday....not so much.

Before picture(sorry - forgot to take one, so this will have to do)

Friday evening: trip to Home Depot (or the orange store as Brecken calls it)
Friday late pm: rip up carpet
Saturday am: take out toilet & trimboard
Saturday pm: screw in hardiboard
Sunday am: cut all tiles to fit & lay them out.

Sunday pm: lay all tiles except closet


Monday am: dang - hubby had to go to work...but mortar had to dry
Monday pm: yeah...hubby still working.

We still have to lay the tile in the closet, put in the grout & seal it. I think we can put the toilet in before sealing....but I'm novice tiler :)

I'm hoping for a toilet by tomorrow night :) When you only have 1 bathroom...removing the toilet makes things interesting. Brecken is a fan of going potty off the back deck anyway...but I make the 1/2 block trek up to my parents. Thank goodness they are close!

15 months

I'm posting this a little late...he was 15 months on Aug 29.

Leighton's 15 month stats (from last week's dr appt)
Weight: 20 lbs 11 1/4oz - 2nd percentile
Height: 33 1/2 inches - 97th percentile

Verdict - long and skinny

It's hard to believe he is 15 months old. He's babbling up a storm and some of it is even starting to make sense. He loves doing big boy things with Brecken - running around the yard, sitting on the couch, drinking out of a big boy cup (unless it's milk....then we're still attached to our bottle), playing at the playgound, etc. He has also discovered that he can get things out of reach with big brother's stool and carries it around the house.

Seriously?

Ok...is it sad that my almost 3 year old son asks the question, 'Mommy where are you going' whenever I happen to get myself ready? Most days if we are around the house, I wear shorts/t-shirts/comfy clothes...and pretty much ditch the make up & don't necessarily fix my hair....so I guess I understand, and it's evidently enough of a difference that he notices. How quickly they learn things...

46?

I've been neglecting my blog lately....I have been spending my free time on my digital scrapbook instead. So, to keep all my avid readers interested, I decided I better post something. Sorry for the lack of inspiration...but this is all I could come up with. I don't necessarily lead that boring of a life (or maybe I do...), but the last few weeks have been filled with outside play time, naps, park time, running all over...and nothing too exciting!

So, upon last count, we are up to 46 animals in our care....39 cows (well, 29 heifers, 1 bull & 9 calves), 2 dogs (one whom has been chewing up all our toys and cannot seem to stand still while going to the bathroom, thus spreading his waste all over...which thrills my husband since he's the one who picks it up) and 5 kittens. Oh yeah, can't leave out Melody - the beta fish- so 47. This beta has to be the oldest beta known to man...we have had this one for at least 5 years...can't believe it is still alive.

Brecken loves having kitties on the farm & they seem to be enjoying their new home!

Here are some pics of the animals! I promise to post something more interesting next time....

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy 32nd! This picture is from last year....only because I didn't have my camera ready for the 'buttering of the nose' tradition this year. Aaron's family has ALWAYS put butter on the birthday person's nose....so that they 'slide' through the next year. I thought it was a little different when we were dating and first married, but the little kids get a big kick out of smearing butter on each other's noses, so it's become a fun tradition to carry on.

Fun Week

Our oldest niece, Sara, spent last week with us. She was SUCH a big help with the boys. Brecken absolutely loved having her here....and the morning after she was gone, the first thing he asked when he woke up was, Where's Sara? He was very sad to find that she was gone.

He learned some things from her:
*new songs
*new things to build with play-dough
*that older cousins are pretty cool

She also learned some things from him:
*how differently her little boy cousins act compared to her little sisters
*boys like bodily noises...a LOT
*boys like to run, jump & climb - on things AND people
*boys like to wrestle
*boys stomp around the house, growl & are loud
*oh yeah...and they like to go potty outside

Where's my baby?

Leighton turned one 2 months ago....and it seems like all of a sudden he is making significant changes from baby to toddler....SLOW DOWN! He has decided that at meal time he wants to eat off of a plate - he is no longer satisfied with me putting a few bites out on the table.
Also, while playing with trucks, he makes the sounds & knows what the trucks/tractors are for (notice that he is hauling something in the pic). It fell out several times as he was pushing the tractor around & he put it back in the bucket.

It seems like he is growing up more quickly than Brecken did - maybe because a) he is watching Brecken & learning 'big boy' things much earlier or b) when Brecken was at this age I knew I was pregnant, so I wasn't bothered by Brecken turning into a toddler. I love the stages my boys are in - they are both so much fun for different reasons, but I do miss the baby stuff at times! Then I see this pic below & see that Leighton is still very much a baby...he's got the chubby baby hands with dimples still. Phew.

Rub-a-dub-dub

Three Kids in a Tub...

While changing a load of laundry, I heard squeals of laughter. After investigating, I discovered Reese & Leighton splashing in the toilet, with Brecken cheering them on. I wanted to grab my camera to catch some pics of them splashing, but couldn't bear the thought of fingers in mouths....even though the toilet was 'clean'. So, bath pics are what I went with.

Announcing our newest family member...

This is Gauge (or Gorge..as in a crevice in the earth...as Brecken calls him). We are now a 2 kid, 2 dog family. So far Gauge is enjoying city life - Brecken likes his big new lellow puppy.



This is Beemer - our schnauzer. He still thinks he's the top dog & lets Gauge know it. Thank goodness Gauge is a laid back dog....or we might not be a 2 dog family for long.

Top 10

Today is our 8th wedding anniversary! 8 years seems like a long time, but it's also hard to believe that it has been that long!

Top 10 reasons I love my hubby...

1. He loves me when I'm happy, sad...even when I'm grumpy.
2. He helps me around the house & with the kids - diapers (even cloth), dishes, cleaning...you name it, he'll help.
3. He encourages me to pursue my dreams & never tells me I can't do something.
4. He is a positive influence in my life.
5. He is a better father & role model for our boys than I ever could have imagined.
6. He gives great foot & back massages.
7. He isn't afraid to be himself...in any situation.
8. He is VERY slow to anger.
9. He is a hard worker, but doesn't sacrifice family time
AND...
10. What can I say....he's even better looking today than when I married him :)

Love ya sweets!

Weekend Getaway

We had the fun opportunity to spend a weekend at my aunt & uncle's home on the lake. We putzed around on the lake in their pontoon, went kayaking & floated the day away. The weather was perfect & it was actually relaxing, which is saying a lot with a 1 yr old & almost 3 yr old (around water...or anywhere for that matter). Thanks UM & AJ!

I've Been Tagged

I have been tagged by Miss Courtney of 'Carpenter's Colorful Collections'. She is a fun & light-hearted mommy of 2 sweet boys. Check out her wonderful creations!


Here are 7 Random/Weird Facts about me.

1. I don't like (never have....never will) ground meat. I can't stand the texture of it. I keep 'trying' to eat it, but I just can't.
2. I can touch my nose with my tongue...I know...I'm talented.
3. I would lock myself up in a room all day & read a book if I could.
4. We just started a grassfed beef operation...and I like going out & helping hubby do his work with the cows.
5. I can pick things up (and even pinch) with my toes.
6. I love being pregnant & the whole labor/delivery experience. I think I would have 10 kids just to go through it that many times....don't worry babe - we won't have that many.
7. I have a tattoo.

I tag the following people. Follow the instructions above!

Kristin
Lindsay
Kendra
Amy
Kate
Paige
Jamie

Phillips 66 Kid

Aaron's Grandpa Nabb owned a Phillips 66 station for many years in Sabetha. Aaron had a Phillips 66 outfit when he was a little boy. My sister-in-law Christina had our niece's picture taken in it 7 years ago....which started a tradition. Each of our nieces on Aaron's side have had their picture taken in Uncle Ernie's outfit. Brecken is at the age where it fits, so we took him out on our land to take some pictures. Here's a collage of some of my favorites. My mission the next time we are at my in-laws is to find a picture of Aaron in the outfit.

Updates

Looking back over my posts these past few months, I realized that I have left you hanging on several issues....so I'm going to do my best to update you on several of them. Here we go.

1. Potty Training We are there! Brecken wanted absolutely NOTHING to do with Scotty Potty. I attempted a couple other tries after the Scotty Potty failure & he still wasn't too interested in potty training, minus the occasional success, followed by cheering, clapping & M&M's. About 4 weeks ago, we put him in big-boy underwear (not pull-ups) and he's been in them ever since! The past week, he has been telling us or running to the toilet on his own when he has to pee. #2 is a different story. I have to catch him in the act, put him on the pot & read him a story.

2. Scrapbooking I am happy to say that I have kept up with this & have almost completed Leighton's 1st year book. I have 2 more months to do & then I will be able to print it! It's been fun to go back & scrap from a year ago....the boys have changed so much! Here's a page I recently did of last summer.

3. Cows We now have 15 yearlings on our land. Since we are doing intensive grazing, it is a bit more labor intensive (they must be moved to a new paddock every couple days). Aaron is doing the bulk of the work, but the boys & I do go help occasionally. Brecken loves it - Leighton doesn't quite yet...which is probably why I don't go as often. Or it could be that I need a good pair of farm boots. The tennis shoes just don't cut it, especially knowing that there are rattlesnakes around here...eek.

4. Slow Learning Curve Last night, Aaron & I had hair appointments. We had originally planned for a sitter so we could go out to eat afterwards, run errands & not have a replay of last month. Sitter plans fell through.... Everything was great up until the point while we were in Target when we noticed Brecken doing the poopy face grimace. I ran him into a bathroom, where he proceeded to scream & say, It's too hard. To avoid causing a huge scene, I relented & we continued shopping. He managed to climb into the shelves near the baby section (where the swings, etc are) and wouldn't come out. Well, boy howdy, when he came out, we knew what he had been doing....in his big-boy underwear. We got that cleaned up & started home. It conveniently happened to be right around Leighton's bedtime which is not a good thing. He started screaming, Brecken started mooing loudly at him, and my blood pressure started to rise. I tried sitting in the back, but this made Leighton even madder b/c he could see me & I wasn't holding him. So, I moved back to the front. He continued to scream & about 5 minutes from home, Brecken says uttoh & starts crying. Leighton had puked ALL OVER his seat. So, when we got home, he needed a bath & so did the seat. It still stinks....anyone have any suggestions for that?

5. Run & Play Still haven't started either of these. Might have to wait until the boys are in school....or when they graduate....or maybe in my next life.

1st Annual Uni Bash

We spent Saturday in Manhattan with several of our college friends & determined that we had such a fun time it should be an annual gathering. Here's a pic of all the cute offspring of those that could make it.

Brecken Work

Brecken is our little helper. He 'helps' with whatever chore Aaron or I happen to be doing.....laundry, cleaning, cooking, mowing, etc. I love it when they get to the age of 'pretend play'. He is all about working now. He'll come up to me & say, Mommy, Brecken go work. Bye. Then he's out the door. Last week, he asked me for his work gloves. I couldn't find them, so I gave him his daddy's. This is what he wanted them for. I LOVE little boys in shorts & cowboy boots. It always makes me smile!

Happy Birthday Leighton!

The night before you arrived...

One year ago today....

4:55am - Checked into hospital - dilated 2.5cm & 50% effaced
6:55am - 3cm dilated
7:30am - Daddy ate my breakfast

7:55am - Started Pitocin

9:30am - Epidural....ahhhhh.
9:48am - 5-6cm
10:05am - 8cm - you dropped quickly & so did your heartrate.
10:27am - 9cm - 90% effaced...but cervix is off to the side a bit.
11:21am - Dr Catterson broke my water.
12:16pm - Dr Catterson checked - not ready to start pushing - but fully dilated.
12:30pm - Time to push!
12:34pm - Leighton Asher is born! 7lbs 8oz, 20 1/4" long


Big brother Brecken meets you for the first time.


This morning, you woke up shortly after 5am & wanted a bottle. You snuggled with mommy on the couch & fell back asleep. I just watched you sleep and gave thanks for you & all the joys you bring to our lives. We love you Leighton! Happy Birthday Baby :)

Run& Play...I think.

And the winner is.....Paige. She is the only one who guessed the correct lie - "I want 4 children". I'm sure many of you are surprised because I have ALWAYS said I was going to have a passel of children. I do still waver on this a little....but I'm fairly certain that we have decided that 3 is a good fit for our family, if God allows.

Truth #1: I have wanted to learn how to play guitar ever since playing in Praise Band at our Manhattan church with Charlie. He is an AMAZING guitar player & I love to listen to him play. I really miss playing little ditties with him & the rest of the band. Maybe I'll put guitar lessons on my wish list at Christmas time....or maybe I'll ask for Guitar Hero - is that one step closer?

Truth #2: The 1/2 marathon... My cousin & her fiance are into running, so I am inspired. Chuck actually recently completed the 1/2 marathon in Orlando this year & they both plan to run it next year.

So, after publishing the '2 Truths & a Lie' post, I decided to try out the running thing. Note to self: When running for the first time (in a long time) after having 2 kids....don't attempt it while pushing 50 lbs of kids in a jogging stroller up an incline. Go solo...on a flat surface. Duh. After pushing them for about 5 blocks I thought I was going to die. At that point, I thought about my blog & realized that I posted two 'half-truths'.I waver on 2....the kid # (because it is truly the most amazing experience) and the 1/2 marathon. It depends on the day which one looks more daunting. I'm so wishy-washy.

2 Truths and a Lie

My brain is drained right now for blogging, so we'll play a game. Which of the following is the lie? Leave a comment & see if you are correct later this week :)

1. I want 4 children.
2. I want to learn to play guitar.
3. I want to run a half marathon.

Well, that was a trip!

Last night we packed up the family & headed to Manhattan so mommy could get a haircut. Ideally, mommy would have went alone, but it didn't work out that way. The trip started out a little rocky with demanding/whiny kids & a grouchy mom. Thankfully things got better.....daddy & the boys played in a park during the haircut......and then daddy & the boys picked mommy up....which is when things got worse. Here's a brief synopsis:

1. Leighton started screaming right when he heard my voice & knew I wasn't getting him out of his seat.
2. Brecken started singing Wheels on the Bus at the top of his lungs, which made Leighton scream louder.
3. We drove through Dairy Queen so we could quickly get on the road.
4. While waiting in the drive through, Brecken starts chanting Octopus which actually sounds like 'APPLE PISS' (again at the top of his lungs). Thankfully he stopped when it was our turn to order.
5. We leave DQ and start eating - Brecken is eating fries & keeps teasing Leighton with them, putting them in front of his face & then eating them. Leighton is just now starting on table food & this ticked him off b/c we weren't letting him eat them. So, mommy turns around and yells, BRECKEN, IF YOU DON'T KEEP YOUR FRENCH FRIES TO YOURSELF.... and then realize how ridiculous that sounds & start laughing....good disciplining right there.
6. Brecken proceeds to tease Leighton, stick his hands & feet & fries in Leighton's car seat. Leighton continues to scream because of this....and everytime he comes close to falling asleep, Brecken would start chanting APPLE PISS again.
7. I turn around again & this time yell, BRECKEN, DO YOU ENJOY LISTENING TO LEIGHTON SCREAM??? CUZ IF YOU DO....... How am I going to finish that? Cuz if you do, keep doing it? Cuz if you do, that really makes mommy mad!? Yeah, second failed attempt....couldn't really go anywhere with that one either.
8. Aaron & I finally just stop trying (to discipline/calm) and eat our Blizzards. Brecken sees us doing so & says, Brecken Ice Cream.....I say, it's gravy. Oh the lies

They both finally settled down when we were about 10 minutes from home. What a fun family trip! I could have skipped the haircut b/c I pulled it all out on the way home.

It's a Girl!!!

Cow, that is.  We are celebrating our first birth in our Grass-fed Beef operation.  Our little heifer was born on April 26th while we were in Chicago, which is why I have given her the name Chica.  Aaron has informed me that it is against the rules to name our cows....because they WILL be sold.....or slaughtered.....  So - if any of my faithful readers are interested in some Grass-fed Beef, you know where to find it!  I promise I won't tell you the cow's name.