One Thing Done

I have a long list of things 'to-do' before baby W3 arrives. I have been avoiding several things on the list because a) I think we have plenty of time (which I'm realizing we don't) and b) some things are just not as fun as others!

Things I'm avoiding at the moment are:
1. Moving Leighton out of his crib. He goes to bed in it, sleeps well & doesn't climb out...so we really don't want to mess with a good thing. Baby will be in our room in a bassinet for awhile anyway.
2. Figuring out where we are going to put all the baby gear. It's going to consume our small home...and give me MORE things to stub my toe on & trip over. I'm quite graceful.
3. Going through baby clothes. Why didn't I pack gender neutral clothes in a separate tote? At least I have them organized by size :)

(I'm not complaining about doing these things by the way...just putting them off for awhile)

I have many more things on the list, but they all are things that have to 'wait'.

Yesterday the boys & I went to Salina with Nonny & were able to cross one fun thing off the list though....the coming home outfit.

The boys enjoyed helping choose what the baby will wear home. No big surprise that the 'boy' outfit is yellow (that's Brecken's favorite color). I was happy they chose pink for a 'girl' outfit. The clothes seem so tiny & make me even more excited for baby to arrive!

Chicks

Our 'newest' adventure. These are the fryer chicks we picked up from Long's today. They haven't gotten their layer chicks in yet...but when they do, we'll be purchasing some of those too. What farm is complete without chickens???

Comfort

Ever since Leighton was old enough to reach & grab things, he has been 'fascinated' with hair, specifically mine. Whenever I am holding him, his hand becomes a permanent accessory in my hair. I hear from many people that they think it is adorable. And it is...when he is being gentle...



But then there are days when he wraps his fingers in it so tightly that it hurts...and I wish he would outgrow this 'comfort' thing. I know I will miss it when he outgrows this little fetish, so I'm trying to 'enjoy' it while I can :)

Good/Bad Weekend

THE GOOD
This weekend, I attended the WOF conference in Kansas City with my mom, & two friends, Courtney & Kara. The weekend was very memorable & hard to describe!! The speakers & musicians were amazing & I felt like I gained insight from each one of them. I returned home to an empty house because my hubby, kids & canines were visiting the in-laws. It was a little strange, but I took advantage & did some relaxing. I was very happy for them to return!

THE BAD
Upon returning, my husband had to relay the bad news that there had been an accident on the farm & our lab, Gauge, had been hit by a vehicle. I have shed a lot of tears & it's hard to go in our backyard & not think of him. Even though we 'adopted' him less than a year ago, we all loved him. He was such a great dog - so laid back. I don't think I ever heard that dog bark! He didn't jump on people & was great with the kids. We will certainly miss him. We have yet to tell Brecken & Leighton about it...we're trying to wait until our emotions are a little less 'raw'. We miss you Gauge, the yellow dog.

Seriously?

We like Pringles at our house & for the longest time have been paying $1/can. Yesterday I went to the store & there were new 'SUPER STACK' containers for $1.99. All old cans are off the shelves...so there was nothing to compare to, but somehow I knew I was getting hosed.

When I got home & put the new cans away, I was appalled to see that the new can only has 1 ounce more in it. 1 OUNCE FOR 1 DOLLAR???

It's almost as disappointing as it was years ago when they started making candy bars a little smaller...so we would think they made them 'healthier' for us - less fat/calories/etc.

I suppose they can get away with it if people like me continue to buy them. ARGH....weakness.

Ride 'em Cowboy

Both boys wear their cowboy boots & hats most days. Leighton hasn't adopted the 'jean in boot' look yet, but I'm sure it will be soon, considering he likes to be like his big brother.

In the evening, when we ask the boys what show they want to watch before bed, Brecken typically requests 'Wow Wow Wubzy' & Leighton says 'Cows'. He LOVES watching bull riding on tv. When it goes to a commercial, he points to the tv & signs 'More'. After many commercials of signing for 'more', we DVR'd it so we can fast-forward.

Brecken uses our rocking horse as his bull...but Leighton prefers the dog.
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Where have we been???

I am a bad blogger this month! Here's what we have been up to...

Cruising at Papa Phil & Mama Linda's farm...


Putting in huge fence posts on Papa & Mama's farm...


A lot of wrestling...


And some fun playdates...


I will try to do better :)

Big week!

On Monday, we parted with my Honda Accord that I got when I was a junior in high school. 13 years....125,000 miles...she was a good car...lots of memories.


Thank you everyone for your input on the mini vans, etc. It was very helpful! We are officially in the mini-van family now...and are enjoying it. We went with a Chrylser Town & Country.


On another note, Baby W3 is officially half-baked. We hit 20 wks this week & had our ultrasound today. Baby was very active during the sonogram and the tech couldn't get it to turn for the 'cute' profile picture, so here is the front-on alien looking shot instead. Prior to the appointment, Brecken was concerned with how they were going to open my tummy to get pictures of the baby. I think he was relieved today. The jury is still out on the gender - sorry to disappoint some of you, but we chose not to find out. 20 more weeks of waiting.


And the picture of the growing belly...at 20 wks.

Sunday Entertainment....for some attendees

Church yesterday was entertaining, to say the least....

The first 'act' was when Brecken made a statement about his 'woo'. I had Aaron take him out for a little while to make sure he didn't continue…thank GOODNESS I didn’t teach him ‘penis’! I’m not sure if anyone heard that….probably just seemed loud to me.

The second 'act' came during children’s time, Brecken picked his nose & ate it while the video was on him. He was evidently feeling very comfortable because he proceeded to wave at the camera. The lady was talking about food during children’s time & Brecken piped up & said, my brother plays with his food.

The third 'act' was the climax of the performance. After children’s time, during a song, Brecken & Leighton got out in the aisle….and DASHED to the front of the church. Aaron caught Leighton & scooped him up. Brecken, on the other hand, ran up behind the altar railing AND ran back & forth, giggling, as Aaron tried to catch him. I think Aaron ran back and forth a couple times before I got him trapped and we got him up over the altar…and out the door into the nursery. Aaron & I weren't sure whether we wanted to return to the sanctuary or not...but we finally did after leaving the boys in the nursery. Boy howdy, the Wertenbergers sure did perform today!

After communion, a very sweet lady stopped & whispered in my ear, "Your boys sure did make my day today. They are precious." SHE made my day by whispering that to me :) Needless to say, she enjoyed the performance, as I’m sure many others did, based on the smirks we got as people returned to their seats after receiving communion.

Boys will be boys...and I pray we don't have a repeat performance!

Need Your Opinion :)

Since #3 is almost 1/2 baked, we have been discussing our current vehicle situation. The truck works well for us at the moment & three car seats will fit...but it's not ideal, especially when doing longer trips and when taking the dog. I've been trying to hold off, but am thinking about joining the ranks of the super cool moms who have those really fun, cool mini vans.

This is where you come into play...if you are one of those cool moms, please tell me what your van is and why you like or dislike it :) We plan to go test drive several but would love to hear what you like/dislike about yours! Thanks!

Aaron may feel the same as the guy in this song at first...but with time, he will start feeling cool in his minivan.

Talented Child???

Brecken just came into the kitchen & got some spoons out of the drawer & did this.
I didn't show him this....don't even know if I can do it.

He does get this talent from me, however.

Must Have

Several months ago, I saw an advertisement in my Parents magazine for a GoodNite Lite. It was a night light that allowed you to set a morning 'wake-up' time and an evening 'night-night' time.

I thought this might help our sleep situation some, so I decided to order one. The product was on backorder until just before Christmas! We received it the week before Christmas & began using it the week after. Let me just tell you that I LOVE this thing...the boys actually get excited after bath time, waiting to see when the moon comes on. As soon as it comes on, we brush teeth, say prayers & get in bed without fussing! The moon shines throughout the night, so if they wake up in the middle of the night, we show them that the moon is still on & they typically get back in bed without a fight. Brecken is really good about waiting until the sun comes on in the morning before getting out of bed & we are working on Leighton.

The night light is around $43 with shipping, so expensive as far as night lights go....but we think it is well worth it considering how well it has worked so well for us!

First Dentist Appointment

While we were in Sabetha over Christmas break, Brecken had his first dentist appointment. He did really well & even left the hygienist clean his teeth! Aaron's cousin is our dentist & the night before the appointment, his cousin's wife talked about the treasure chest that Brecken could pick a toy from after his appointment. On the way to our appointments, when we turned out of his parents lane, Brecken asked, "Is this the way to the X?" Aaron & I kind of looked at each other & asked him what he meant. Brecken said, "The X! That's where the treasure chest is!" He then said, "I wonder if there will be chocolate coins in it."

10 Years Ago Today

Wow - 10 years ago today, Aaron proposed to me. After rushing through his last final of the week, we headed off to Kansas City to the Plaza. I could tell 'something' was up on the way to Kansas City by the way he was acting, but I wasn't positive what it was. We were planning to meet his brother Doug & fiance, Anne, as well as his parents for dinner.

When we finally arrived at the Plaza, we didn't go to the restaurant. We went straight for the horse & carriages & took a little ride through the Christmas lit Plaza. It was beautiful! Aaron had prearranged for the driver to stop in front of a fountain so he could pop the question. He was planning for a secluded, private fountain....but the driver stopped right in front of the Cheesecake Factory where we had MANY curious onlookers watching as Aaron proposed. I, of course, said yes & then we finished our ride....while our driver proceeded to talk to us, rather than let us have our little private moment.

After the carriage ride, his parents met up with us & his mom had a dozen roses (well, eleven, since one head popped off in her car) for me. I said it was ok, because we had been dating for exactly 11 months, so that made it more significant :)

Here's a pic from the night he proposed.

Snowy Day Project

We really wanted to go outside and play in the snow yesterday, but the bitter cold temperature turned us away. A friend said she was going to do a Baby Jesus project with her little girl, so we decided to do the same! Thanks Kara - Brecken had a blast & carried Baby Jesus around with him the rest of the day/evening. Baby Jesus even slept with him.

Noteable News

Helper?

Leighton apparently didn't think Reese was doing a good job feeding herself, so stepped in after he was finished with his own.

Turkeys

We enjoyed our Thanksgiving celebrations with both families & were able to have a night out consisting of pizza & cards in Sabetha with friends.

We ended our trip with Leighton's 18 month check up yesterday. He is 35" tall (98th%) and 22 lbs 7 3/4oz (5th %). We also found out he has an ear infection. We have been really fortunate with both boys - this is our first one between them!

Brrrrr....

Aaron & Brecken were outside today winterizing our windows. Aaron was up on the ladder, doing his work, when Brecken said, "Daddy I have to go potty." Aaron told him to go ahead and go, which he did. Aaron then heard, "Daddy roll up my pants", to which Aaron replied, "As soon as I get this finished, buddy."

Aaron proceeded to finish up the window & heard Brecken say again, "Daddy roll up my pants". Aaron said, "In a minute, I'm almost done." Brecken waited patiently...and Aaron heard again, "Daddy roll up my pants. My woo is getting cold." The whole time, Brecken was saying PULL up my pants, not roll up my pants. Thank goodness it wasn't below freezing today :)

Playing Catch Up

Since we have been traveling fools this month (by the end of the month, we will be gone over half of November), I have not taken the time to update my blog....so here are a few things worthy of posting about in November.

#1
My baby's attachment to bottles was really made known when I babysat a 6 month old earlier this month. Leighton hasn't been using a bottle for awhile, but when he saw me feeding her a bottle....this was his reaction. I'm a mean mom for taking a picture, but I couldn't help myself.

#2
I turned the big 3-0 on the 16th. Aaron surprised me by taking me out to dinner at Jude's with some friends. It was a fun evening...and just good to get out of the house without kids! He's not much into cake baking, so this was my birthday treat that he & the boys created...
#3
We spent 3 days in Nebraska City last week. Aaron & Papa John were in meetings all day, so Nonny, the boys & I searched for some fun things to do. We visited the Children's Museum in Lincoln - it was awesome! I wish it were closer....I would definitely have a membership for rainy/cold days. It had so many fun things for the boys to do. We also went on a nature hike at the Arbor Day Farm. It was a long hike...carrying Leighton, but pretty cool too. We even saw a big buck while we were hiking.

I promise to do better next month...

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...