Happy birthday Brecken!

Happy birthday to Brecken!

You entered the world at 6:08am on October 18th, weighing 8lbs 8oz, measuring 21 1/4 inches long & started us on this joyride of parenting!

You are such a joy & growing up so fast. You amaze me with how patient & good you are with your sister. You & Leighton are best buds 95% of the time & I love that. We love you big boy! You were 45" tall and 40 lbs at your 5 year appointment yesterday.

She's getting good :)

In all the excitement for the KSU-NE game today, Zoe decided to stand up & walk! For the past week or 2, we've had to stand her up to get her to walk.

Today, I was working in the kitchen & she stood up & walked across the room to me...and did it again, and again, and again, all over the room. Down she'd go & then back up to do it again. She was so proud of herself, and so is her mommy :)

Sonogram

We went in for our sonogram this morning & got to see Baby W4 kicking around. Baby is 11oz & measuring correctly for our February 23rd due date. As far as the tech could tell, everything looks great!

The boys were more interested in the fish bowl that was in the exam room, than the sonogram :) Baby W 4 is already trying to toughen itself up in preparation for it's older siblings...it appeared to be hitting itself in the face during the sonogram.

Here's a profile pic!

Homemade - Yum! (most of the time)

I've always liked the idea of homemade...from watching my mom can foods from their garden & my grandma baking homemade pies. I make a lot of things from scratch (pancake batter, pizza dough, biscuits) because I think it's better for us...and it is definitely a lot more economical. I made my baby food for each of my kiddos & started canning last summer.

For the past 6-12 months, I have been making my own laundry soap & deoderant (I know...you just said WHAT?...and have labeled me as weird...but it's been better for the sensitive skinned folks in our house).

More recently, I began making homemade salad dressings, chocolate syrup (sorry Hersheys, but this one is tasty!) & some elderberry syrup to help boost immune systems & combat illness. The boys love the chocolate syrup & elderberry syrup. Yesterday, we ran out of ketchup, so I decided to make my own. I found a recipe online & went to work.

As I was making it, I overheard Brecken talking to Aaron about what I was doing. He was 'bragging' about mommy's chocolate syrup & 'medicine' (elderberry syrup) & I heard him use the phrase, "Mommy's cool"...because she can make such & such. I'm pretty sure that little phrase won't be one to stick around :) Anyway - I tasted the ketchup & thought it had a few too many spices in it, especially for kids...but decided to have Brecken taste it. He took a little lick & got a bizarre look on his face. I said, what do you think? He looked at me really sweetly, and said, "Not good?" It made me crack up - he was trying hard not to hurt my feelings :) I'm hoping that the taste is a little better today after the flavors have time to blend, but if not, we'll experiment with another recipe!

Are you excited?

This is the question we have been asked frequently in the past couple weeks. The question is referring to our upcoming move.

It's a question that I don't have a good answer for...a question that has a different answer, depending on day...or my mood...or what I've been thinking about that day.

As I pack up our little blue house that we have been living in the past 3 years, 4 months and 11 days, it's hard not to think about all that we are going to miss. Here's the short list:

1. Being a half a block from Nonny & Poppa.
2. Being 2 minutes from our land...for little adventures & to enjoy the peacefulness of it.
3. Having Aaron home at lunch time. This is hard for both of us...well all 5 of us.
4. Small spaces, which force us to be together - I actually like this.
5. Walking to the park...the post office...the bank...the telephone office.
6. Seeing only 2 vehicles when we do this - a.k.a. less worries when walking with 3 children.
7. The retired ladies on our street that are outside a lot...and know my children.
8. Our friends and boys' friends in town.
9. Our chickens. I know - kind of funny - but I do like them...and we haven't completely ruled out taking them :)
10. The quietness & simpleness of really small town living.
11. Our back yard.
12. Our house we brought 2 of our babies home to & the only house that Brecken remembers. Great memories!

I remember doing the same thing when we moved from Manhattan...it's hard not to think about the things one will miss! So, I try to focus on the things that I am excited about to help me as I pack!

1. A bigger refrigerator (we had to buy a 'midget' fridge to fit the space)
2. A built in dishwasher (although I'm thankful I at least had a portable)
3. A separate laundry room, rather than laundry/dining/tv/toy/mudroom combination.
4. 3 bedrooms (my boys will no longer be sleeping in our living room!)
5. A walk in closet (a.k.a. Baby W4's room until it's sleeping well at night)
6. 2 bathrooms - it's amazing how often multiple people have to go at the same time!
7. A basement for toys & riding bikes in the winter!
8. An attached garage.
9. A 5 minute drive to church...to playgroup, etc, etc.
10. Close to friends.
11. Closer to all our Manhattan doctor appointments & KSU games.
12. A little shorter drive to the in-laws...& yes, 20 minutes DOES make a difference.
13. A GROCERY STORE (although my mom was a pretty good substitute for this on most things).

Little blue house, memories & people...we will MISS YOU!!! New house...we are looking forward to new memories to create!

My little secret...

This is how I get things accomplished during the day - my little elves help me ;) I don't think 15 months is too young for laundry, do you?

Interesting Design...

We saw this cute little Buckin' Bull playset this weekend while in KC & thought the boys might enjoy playing with it.

I was a little surprised at the 'ingenious' way that the designers decided to attach the cowboy to the bull....is this the best they could come up with?

My boys believe the cowboys came with all their body parts...

Yea, Zoe!

Zoe is one 'step' closer to walking! Today we discovered that she can stand for long periods of time not holding onto anything. The boys & I cheered her on & she was so pleased with herself :) I don't want to rush her...but I am getting excited about the thought of her walking. She would have so much more fun at the park if she could walk around & chase her brothers! Scooting on the mulch/rocks just doesn't feel too great on her bum.

Rock City

We had a fun trip to Rock City (outside of Minneapolis, KS) after church today.
The boys had so much fun climbing on the rocks - you would have thought they were climbing mountains :) We hit Bogey's in Salina afterward for a yummy milkshake!

This month...and making progress

We are about 1 month away from move time & it's going to fly by! In the next month, we have the following already on the calendar:

*4 KSU games
*4 haircuts
*4 soccer games
*4 praise band practices
*1 night of serving Scramble (meal at church)
*1 picture appointment
*1 dog grooming
*1 weekend trip to KC (drop dog off for boarding)
*1 weekend trip to Nebraska City
*1 Dr appointment & labs for Zoe
*1 Sonogram (yeah!)
*2 PEO meetings (at which I'm President...)
*2 Lion's Club Meetings (at which hubby is President...)
*4 Bible Study meetings (one of which I lead)
*4 playgroups (which I could skip...but my kids need social time...well, or maybe it's for me)
*3 other meetings that hubby or I must attend
*4 Sundays of choosing music for worship & playing piano at church
*12 days of home preschool with the boys (thanking God I didn't send them...since the above mentioned involves at LEAST 26 trips to Clay Center, alone)
*1 Piotique celebration (which I could skip, but hubby has to go...so I may as well take the kids, as I won't be very productive at home) :)
*1 Closing on house
*1 Move

I have been trying to pack up several boxes each day for the past couple weeks ...and I think I'm doing pretty well!! We close on October 5th, but don't have to be out of our house until November 1st, so our move date is flexible, thank goodness!

Not sure, but...

I think there might be a resemblance between these two...

Dear Nausea....

Dear Nausea:

How are you doing? I assume you are enjoying your 'stay', as I can't seem to get rid of you. According to the American Pregnancy Association, You can occur at any time of the day, and for most women it seems to stop around the 12th week of pregnancy. I am writing to remind you that I am now 14wks 2days pregnant, so it's time for you to go.

Apparently, I do not fall into the 'most women' category this time. I try not to complain about your extended stay (because my reason for feeling yucky is well worth it), but I'm really tiring of you. You keep me up at night, you make a lot of food un-enjoyable, & you make me not want to do anything. I just wanted to let you know that I'm ok if you want to leave...and feel free to take your friend, "Headache", with you. No hard feelings.

Sincerely, Me

Leighton's Turn

Last night was Leighton's turn for the overnight stay at Poppa & Nonny's house. He left for their house around 5:30. Brecken was nice & helped him carry his stuff up. They hugged each other good-bye...and Brecken returned home.

At about 7:00, I heard a knock on the door. It was Nonny & Leighton. He had told her he needed to tell mommy a secret. She offered the phone, but he wanted to tell me in person. On the walk back down to our house, she asked,"What secret are you going to tell mommy?" He said, "That I'm not going to stay at your house." When he told me the secret, Brecken piped up, "Pack my bag mom, I'm going." Leighton stated that he would stay if Brecken did. So off they went together.

Thanks Nonny & Poppa! They had a blast & I think last night was the first time in FOREVER, that I actually slept all night :)

Running Away?

Last week, as I was out snapping pictures of this, my neighbor's daughter hollered out - is he running away? That would have made for a funny story, but it was just for an overnight stay at Nonny & Poppa's. Brecken had his first 'sleepover, without a reason' (meaning mom & dad weren't traveling). He was so excited to roll his suitcase up to their house. Leighton wasn't too keen on big brother leaving, but he enjoyed his time with mom & dad while Brecken was away. Leighton followed him to the street & then waved good-bye. Brecken forgot a stuffed animal to sleep with, so Leighton was a good helper & ran back to the house to get one for him & delivered it. It was pretty sweet to watch.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless (or few words) Wednesday

The Things You Do for Love...1999

First words...

Zoe is saying words a lot earlier than what the boys did! I've always heard girls talk earlier...and more...and I believe it! She is quite the little chatterbox.

She says ball, daddy, hi, bye-bye - and a few of my favorite to hear are Uttoh, Meh-me (just like Brecken said it) & Baby. She says baby ALL OF THE TIME...and follows me around the house with her arms up, saying Meh-me. We were in Wal-mart this morning buying birthday gifts for our nieces & she said baby repeatedly in the toy aisle. We then checked out behind someone with a baby & she continued to say it over & over.

Baby...


Meh-me (mommy)

Wordless Wednesday

10 Years

Happy 10th to my best friend!

10 years
5 homes...soon to be 6
3 towns...soon to be 4
3 kids
So many fun times, challenges, adventures & amazing moments. The last 10 years have been truly wonderful & I look forward to what God has in store for us in the future! ;)

This is the highlight portion of our wedding video...my boys watched it & kept saying, who's that...they look different...

Wordless Wednesday