A Weekend of Transplants

We had a busy weekend of transplanting items from our house to the farm!

The chicks are officially out of my house & in their new home. The chicks on the left are the ones we brought home last month - our 'fryer' chickens. They've grown a lot!


We also transplanted 6 of the 10 trees we planted last spring. We started them at our house so we could keep them watered & moved them to the area that will eventually be our backyard on the farm!


I had to include some pictures of Leighton being his ornery little self. He was making all kinds of faces for me while I was taking pictures. This was when he wasn't listening to me about the hot fence. I'm afraid this child is going to have to learn the hard way...

A little ironic??

So...regarding the chicks. Our heat lamp is out at the farm with our other chickens. We thought the chicks would be 'warm enough' in our house until we got a 2nd light, but I started feeling sorry for them AND they were peeping WAY too loudly.

I was standing by my kitchen counter, where my crockpot was currently residing, in the on position. And I thought...hmmm, that's quite warm. Maybe the chicks would like to experience that warmth. So, yes, the chicks moved from a folding table, to my kitchen counter and are LOVING the warmth of the crockpot.

The irony: I'm roasting a chicken...

I'm sure that none of you will ever eat anything I prepare ever again...but I assure you, my kitchen counters will be disinfected several times before I prepare you anything.

Chick Population Increases!

Our 30 layer chicks arrived today in the mail! The postmaster said we should have ordered ducks....since it was raining. They are currently residing in our house, but will soon be moved to the farm with the fry pan chickens. Hopefully there will be no hard feelings between the 2 groups, when they 'find out', some of them are for eating :)

After a little bit of research, we decided to go with Buff Orpingtons. They are supposedly good for eggs, as well as meat. We are excited to have fresh farm eggs down the road & hopefully will have enough to share with others!

Who needs a big house?

I'm sure most of 'my followers' know we live in a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom house right now...and the rooms are pretty small. Everyone has been wondering (and asking) where we plan to put this 3rd child when it arrives! Yesterday we got the room rearranged & were able to fit 3 beds (1 twin, 1 toddler & 1 crib), as well as 2 dressers. Amazingly, there is still floor space (even enough to fit the portable crib, when my niece is here).





I am also happy to report that with this new set up, we are in the process of completing another task on my to-do list. I didn't intend to move Leighton into the toddler bed right away, but thought it would be a good idea to let him see it...and get familiar with it. Yesterday at naptime, he went & laid down in it. I closed the door & he didn't make a peep & napped for 2 hours. Last night at bedtime, he went to bed without a fuss too! He did wake up once at 3:30 and struggled a bit to go back to sleep, but eventually did! Yahoo!

Daddy's hat....Big brother's shoes...

There's just something about his attire today that makes me smile....

Easter 2009

We enjoyed our weekend with family. Brecken & Leighton had a great time playing with their cousins (or 'My Girls', as Brecken calls them).

I took MULTIPLE pictures of the boys & never did get a 'good one'. No big surprise...they couldn't sit still for long.




Group picture of all the cousins on Easter Sunday!

Past Easters

Here are some pictures from previous Easters with the boys! We are hoping for nice weather this weekend so we can do an outside Easter egg hunt without all the heavy weather gear! Hope everyone enjoys time with their families & remembers the wonderful gift of Life that Easter brings us.

2006 - Brecken's First Easter


2007 - Brecken


2007 - Family pic - expecting Leighton


2008 - Brecken & Cousins - Easter Egg Hunt


2008 - Brecken & Leighton Easter Morning (with the flu)


2008 - Weekend After Easter "Official Easter pic"

Baby Lamb

We got a call on Saturday from a couple in town that has a bottle lamb. They said we could bring the boys out to feed it, so after lunch, we did just that! Brecken got to do this last year too & loved it. They both enjoyed chasing Cocoa around & feeding her.

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!