'

Playing Catch up!

2010-08-25T16:05:00.006-04:00

I was going to try to do one post that captured our summer through pictures....but found that this summer we had a lot of fun and couldn't fit it all into one post! Here is a glimpse of June in random order b/c I cannot reorder the pictures!

My roommate from college came to visit with her baby girl Caroline. It was so fun to see her and the boys loved meeting Caroline!

Nate was such a good helper and entertained the babies with this toy. I have never heard Asher laugh like this.

The boys also enjoyed watching things in the washer.
We called grandma and she told the boys stories.
Asher and Caroline didn't interact too much but we had fun posing them!
I took the boys to the beach by myself once. I learned that it is possible but I don't enjoy doing it. I can't be in three places at once.
I also learned that Caleb enjoys looking at tractors but doesn't like it when they come near him.
Asher loves giving big smiles.

Nate enjoys taking care of Asher. Here he is giving Asher his special blanket and telling him it is ok.

We also went on lots of walks. This is one of my favorite pictures. :)

Fun

2010-05-25T10:01:00.005-04:00

When Pete got Nate up from quiet rest time he told him, "let's put on your shorts and go have some fun." That is just what they did. Is it any wonder that the next morning Nate asked me, "are we going to put on my shorts and go have some fun?" What a great memory. Caleb wasn't as enthusiastic as Nate but still enjoyed having daddy hold him and run through the sprinkler.

Buttons

2010-05-25T09:56:00.003-04:00

My boys love to press buttons (both figuratively and literally). One of the newly discovered button pushing opportunities is on the fridge. Ironically discovered the same afternoon as the "great bean explosion". Busy afternoon for the big boys.

Beans

2010-05-25T09:46:00.003-04:00

One bean. No big deal.
Thousands of Beans....sigh.

Missing

2009-11-02T16:43:00.002-05:00

Lately things have been missing around our house.

Not surprising b/c Caleb has been able to open the trash can and loves to put things in. He will throw away his dirty diapers. Which is nice. However, I think that he has also thrown away a few other things. Like some of Nate's favorite cars. Oh well. I did catch him throwing away his shoe...not the cheap 5 dollar shoes...

..then Nate's crocs went missing. I thought that I didn't notice them being thrown away and that they were history.

Until I found them this morning.

In the dryer.

The load that I had washed and dried.

His shoes are very clean now.

I'm still not sure who put them in the washer. Oh well.

Park play

2009-10-14T16:47:00.002-04:00

We decided to check out a park that was close to our house. We had a great time! There was a pirate ship where Caleb and I played hide and seek. He found me. I love this smile.

It also had some fun slides.

We did have fun, but we had forgotten the park phenomenon. For some reason being at a park makes Nathaniel poop. Unfortunately he had on underwear. Fortunately I did not throw up. However, that ended play at the park.

**This was the first accident that he has had yet! Woo hoo for potty training. Now if we can figure out how to avoid the park pooping thing we will be good!

Just like daddy

2009-10-14T16:40:00.002-04:00

The much anticipated game. (at least for Pete) I knew that it would basically mean that Pete would desire to (but not always) play 24/7. Thankfully he beat it rather quickly. Trying to be just like daddy

And another gamer in the works.

Oh, and another hat wearer. :)

One of my favorite pictures of Caleb. He loves his daddy so much and when he comes home it is like all is finally right in Caleb's world.

Cape Girardeau

2009-10-14T16:31:00.002-04:00

Well, not exactly in the right order....but it will tell the story anyway. We went to visit Cape Girardeau for Pete's birthday and so that I could go to a women's retreat! We stopped to let the boys run off some steam. They had a great time playing on this dump truck.

Nate reading in the library with a new friend.

And (below) Caleb ready to try whatever big brother does.

Taking a break

2009-09-23T22:24:00.002-04:00

I have been thinking about time. How much time I have to "myself", what I am doing with "my" time. One of the things that God has shown me is that it is NOT my time. First, He has put me here to do His will. When I walk in my own strength with my own agenda I get nowhere...and sometimes I think that I actually take a few steps back. I am so thankful for His grace and for His love for me.
In order to accomplish these things I started looking at where all my time was going.
1. Sleep was one of the top things. Hopefully getting on a regular schedule of getting up early will help me to not feel to tired all the time. Getting to bed also helps. :)
2. Kids. I don't think that there is much that I can change here. Nate is still working on potty training, Caleb is still teething, and the baby is still growing inside me. I am sure that they aren't ready to be out on their own yet. However, when I am in the word my reaction to them is pleasing to the Lord and will help train them in righteousness.
3. House. This sort of goes along with the kids. Whatever I do, they undo in half the time. Discouraging. But I can make sure that under all the toys is clean. I looked at the guest bathroom today and couldn't remember the last time I cleaned it. Yuck.
4. Computer. I realized after taking a few days away from Facebook just how much time is tied up in reading about other people's lives. Yes, I care so much about these people but honestly I haven't seen many of them for over ten years. Do I really need to know that they are mowing their lawn? Or spend time looking at the 100 pictures they posted from a vacation? Really? I have also started looking at the blogs that I read and what is helpful to me and what is (like facebook) just taking up time and not really beneficial at all.
5. Reading. I could read four 300 page books in a week. (not a shocker that my bathroom wasn't clean).

As I think about the last two things that have consumed my time recently I realized that I have been using them as an escape. I still don't feel at home here in Indiana. But I think that part of the reason is that I've been living somewhere else "the Internet"..I can still feel a part of Delaware or Tennessee or Illinois or Missouri when I am facebooking. Which is nice to a point, I think that I have been living there just a little too much.
Then, when I am reading....I become that character that is facing the challenges of solving a mystery and I can forget for a time my challenges of teething toddler and boundary testing three year old.

All that to say that I am taking a break from Facebook. I am going to blog some. I feel like I can control that time better than I can with facebook. I am also *gasp* limiting myself to one book a week. I am more than halfway through the book for this week and I am already wondering if I am going to be able to keep my promise to not start another one till Sunday. Maybe I will clean my guest bathroom.

Testing

2009-07-27T12:32:00.001-04:00

I'm just playing around with word and thinking that I can blog without really logging in. Wouldn't that be fun. J

Reasoning

2009-02-06T19:08:00.002-05:00

Tonight Nathaniel was practicing his reasoning skills on me.

Nate: Caleb wants chocolate.
Me: Ok. (I gave Caleb a piece of wrapped chocolate)

Nate: Can I have chocolate?
Me: No, you already had some.

Nate: Caleb wants to share.

---------------------------------------------

Caleb is starting to get around. Not by crawling or rolling to his destination...he's doing a "butt scoot". He will lean way forward and scoot forward while sitting up. Creative movement!

New baby

2009-02-04T13:50:00.004-05:00

Guessing how big Charlie would be. My guess was the closest: he weighed in at 7 lbs 5 oz and 19.5 inches long! Charlie Wyatt is the sweetest and cutest little baby! Pam, Caleb and I drove over the next day to meet him.

So tiny and so sweet!

I think that they are going to have some trouble with the girls! (What girl wouldn't pucker up for those lips!)

Real Winter

2009-02-04T13:17:00.004-05:00

Last night I drove back from Missouri. It was a great drive, the kids were fine (even though the DVD player is on the fritz...sigh) until we got about 20 miles away. Then we started to see snow, and more snow...and everyone slowed to a crawl. The heavy snow combined with the high winds made for some great white out conditions. It was ok as long as I was following someone. The GPS said that I should arrive home at 5:30 which put me about 30 minutes past Caleb's next feeding. I thought that it was worth it so that we could just get home. Little did I know.

The crawl never improved. It got slower. The snow picked up, the wind picked up and you couldn't tell where the lines on the road were. I was thankful for the rumble strip and the barrier. I spent the majority of the last twenty miles trying to keep the rumble strip between my tires. Then at 6:15 it was time to exit. I made it across three lanes of traffic and saw the first exit for Michigan City. I thought that I might take it because then I could finally pull over and nurse Caleb and let Nate run around in the van. I started to pull over and realized that I didn't have a clue where the exit actually was. I couldn't see the road and I knew that it was a ramp that went up so if I missed then I would be in big trouble. So, I got back on the road and decided to try the next exit five miles down the road. After listening to more screaming and more crying we finally made it to the next exit. Thankfully the snow let up enough that I could see the road and we made it safely off the interstate. It was so scary to see oncoming traffic and realize that there was no barrier! I was the first one in line and I didn't have anyone to follow...even more scary. I finally pulled over and let someone pass me. They were far more brave than me! I was finally in the home stretch! Only a few more miles! Caleb was still screaming and Nate was starting to cry just to keep him company. I didn't want to stop because we were so close to home and visibility was so poor. (It was about 6:50 and the snow was easily a foot deep) Finally my GPS told me that I needed to turn into my neighborhood. I missed one of the turns onto my street and I had to go up a pretty steep hill but my car couldn't make it so after we slid back down to the bottom of the hill I turned around to see if I could figure out the other way to get home. I knew we were only about a block from our house. (Pretty scary that I couldn't figure it out! What did they do before GPS?) We finally made it into our driveway at 7:15, I have never been so excited to push the garage door button!

Some pictures around our house this morning. I have a new respect for snow. I am so thankful to have made it home safely.

Fun with Family

2009-02-04T13:02:00.006-05:00

Last week we went and visited Pete's parents while Pete went and watched movers pack up our house in Knoxville. Apparently winter weather likes to follow us. The night that we arrived they had an ice storm. It was pretty fun because we weren't out of power but Far Far (Pete's dad) was out of school for 3 days. Nate had a blast playing and sledding and helping. It is amazing to me how quickly he is growing up!

Nate's make shift boots. Regular shoes, cover with plastic bags then cover with thick socks and boot strap suspenders (from far far's time in the army).

Apparently Nate knew that I wasn't a very good driver and was not inclined to sled with me. I still had a great time!!! Notice my father-in-law's army boots that I am wearing!! I was not prepared for winter weather!

Nate observing how to make a scratching post for the cat.

I love how attentive he is to anything Far Far tells him.

Lake Michigan

2009-02-04T12:59:00.002-05:00

One of the fun things about living so close to the lake is seeing the progression of winter. You can hardly tell that there is a lake there!

Catching up

2009-02-04T12:53:00.004-05:00

Caleb is eating! He is pretty sure about what he likes and doesn't like. However, I have discovered that I can mix things together and he'll eat it. For example: pears and squash! Yum! He also LOVES bananas but they don't always love him and peas make him gag....but I am thankful that he is eating so well now! I didn't know that he would eat things mixed when I took this picture. (The idea of bananas and peas makes me gag...but if he'll eat it...)

**I tried to mix pears and peas and he still gagged. Oh well. Peas may not be his thing.

Caleb

2009-01-20T15:39:00.005-05:00

Well, we have made great strides in eating for Caleb. First a few giant steps forward! He opens his mouth wide! He likes it! He takes more than five bites! He eats more than once a day!

Then a few steps backward. A NEW FOOD! Are you kidding? He won't open his mouth for anything. Not even if you go back to a tried and true food. Bummer. I had to give up for the night and know that I would be waking up in the middle of the night because he would be hungry.

Thankfully today is a new day. He will watch and study Nathaniel and I eat and decide, maybe he should try again. (And he did) I guess that we will just keep trying new foods...and maybe in the morning so that my nights won't be so bad!

This is Caleb's intense study of Nathaniel's eating habits. He will just open his mouth as he watches Nate. You would think that it would be the perfect setup for sneaking some new food in? Alas, my boy has a discerning palate and the moment a new food sneaks in he is concentrating on me and trying to fend off the offending food!

Nate

2008-12-19T15:43:00.004-05:00

Taking pictures of Nate has gotten so much harder! He's so busy and curious that I end up with a lot of picures of the top of his head or his hand as he reaches for the camera!

He has has a new version of a smile that makes him look like he's in pain.
Thankfully I have a big memory card

Sisters

2008-12-19T15:27:00.006-05:00

I love my sister and I am so glad that she came to visit us! She encouraged Caleb to learn to read and to do

this

Nathaniel also thought that she was wonderful. Right after we dropped her off at the airport he asked if we could go and get her again.

We love you Aunt Kymmy!

Cheap

2008-12-19T15:18:00.004-05:00

I could have bought a little tree or something that would have made our rental house seem more "christmas-y". But for some reason I just couldn't, so here is our "tree".

Really, the outside was already decorated for us!

Hope that you all have a very merry Christmas!

Christmas

2008-12-09T12:09:00.005-05:00

This was taken at the Christmas party for Pete's work. Caleb was fine with sitting on Santa's lap. He just didn't want to look at the camera. At all. Whichever way I moved or the photographer moved, he looked the other way. So, I just pretend that he is thinking about what he is going to get this Christmas. He looks rather concerned about it.

You may wonder why Pete is also sitting on Santa's lap. Nate developed a rather healthy fear of Santa. He would not let go of Daddy and he has a rather good grip. So, instead of having the picture of a child SCREAMING on Santa's lap, we have a picture of daddy running interference. I love how nothing can hurt you as long as daddy is there. So very sweet.

Merry Christmas.

He's the Zookeeper

2008-11-01T11:52:00.004-04:00

Picture time!

2008-10-28T10:12:00.006-04:00

My little one is six months old! Amazing! I'm starting to see more interaction between the boys and so far it is really fun! Caleb loves Nate and always laughs really easily when he is around. Nate always seems to want to hold Caleb and sometimes this is great but not usually. (Nate often picks times that Caleb really would rather be eating).

Oh the sweetness.

Fun at the park

2008-10-28T10:03:00.006-04:00

We went to meet a new friend at the park. The boys had a great time playing together and "estigating" (investigating new things).

Caleb had a great time in the borrowed stroller!

Not too many beautiful fall days left!

Looking back

2008-10-22T16:33:00.016-04:00

I have been busy scanning all my baby pictures so that we can each have a set. It has been so fun to remember all the fun and crazy things that we did. So, here is a look back!

My older sister had a matching outfit. We were so cool.

Even then I knew what was good for me....chocolate.

Mini Me....spooky how similar Nathaniel and I look.

Me and my little brother. I was two and a half and he was one year old.

My little sister. I was so proud. I was three and she was three months.

(Not pictured...my purple shoes...that so completely matched!)

The year of the teeth.

*cough* *mullet* *Cough* ...what I didn't say anything. Oh....and the Michal Jackson shirt...I was SUPER cool.

My brother and sister and their friend...the two headed tv monster.
My brother and his friend....

My sister did my hair....and then wouldn't let me talk about it.

Trend Setter

2008-10-22T16:13:00.003-04:00

Way back in the day....

.....I was a trendsetter. (I actually think that it was clash day...I don't think that you can tell that the dress actually has white polka dots....plaid and polka...they don't go together....do they?)

Friends

2008-10-10T20:14:00.008-04:00

Hudson came over to play today. Which really made Nate's day. However, getting two very energetic two year olds to sit still and smile at the same time (all with a camera that will randomly turn off or not take a picture) proved to be a little much!
Hudson loves babies and did pretty well with Caleb. (You can't see him holding Caleb's hand) So sweet.

Even giving kisses.

Which, as it turns out, really isn't Caleb's thing.

Hudson is going to be a great big brother.

Catching up

2008-10-10T19:59:00.008-04:00

It seems like I can't blog without pictures. Here are a few that I have managed to squeeze out of the camera since it starting to act up...shutting down, turning on, shutting down...then a few MINUTES later deciding that it would like to take a picture. Sounds like fun, oh the randomness! They are not always in focus, but hey....at least I have them!

Seriously?

Five Months Old!!!
First Bites of Cereal. Not a big hit. But very happy to pose for the camera.

First Surgery

2008-10-10T16:07:00.003-04:00

Well, it happened, our first surgery. It's not like the teddy bear didn't have it coming. What with all the yanking him through the crib slats and all....when Nate handed me his bear and said "he's broken" and proceeded to stick his thumb in his neck, I was still a little shocked.

With a few haphazard stitches he's back in the game...thankfully! There is a little boy who needs his bear. :)

Reasons I haven't been blogging

2008-08-31T13:45:00.022-04:00

7. I have a four month old who still is not consistently sleeping through the night.

I do not like to start my day at 3 am.
Or 4 am.
Or 5am.
One night.
He will sleep.
All.
Night.
Long.
And so
will I.

6. Nate's Naked Nap time.
There is no diaper there.
There is no diaper anywhere.
I threw the diaper. Yes, I did.
I peed upon it.
While on the floor.
Now could you, would you, please close the door?
Close it firmly, leave the room.

I need more time to get this right.

If I try and try with all my might.

I might just hit the cup in mid flight.

Duct tape, DUCT TAPE you say?

I laugh in the face of duct tape. I will rip open my diaper.

I will escape. Duct tape is no match for Super Nate!

A special treat? You will give me a special treat? Only if I keep my clothes on? Special treat now? SPECIAL TREAT! I love special treat.

(So far it has worked. I love special treat too.)

5. We traveled. I got to see one of my best friends from college. Oh, how I miss her. Can we shrink the distance between TN and TX? Please?

4. Oh the cuteness! How can you not spend all your time taking pictures of these two little guys? (And then editing them on Picnik.com!)

3. Nate likes to help cook!

And really. Who wouldn't find salt and dish soap delicious?

2. Nate likes to help with Caleb!

He likes to help him play with his toys.

Caleb does not always find this particularly helpful.

1. Really, I have no excuse. The one that can run is now going to a mom's day out program at our church. Oh the freedom!

I can...

2008-08-04T13:42:00.008-04:00

Blow Bubbles

Laugh!

Snuggle with monkey

Love on my brother

Rain, Rain, where are you?

2008-08-04T13:36:00.006-04:00

The middle number is the temperature outside. Pretty hot. Also pretty sunny.

Getting Dressed

2008-08-04T13:27:00.004-04:00

My little boy is growing up so fast! I know that he can get his shorts and diaper OFF *sigh* having stumbled upon a bare bottom when I checked on him before bed. He has also started to express an opinion about what he would like to wear ("Thomas shirt mommy, Thomas? Thomas? Thomas?") Now he is making the next steps towards dressing himself. Wow.

He wasn't able to get his shorts over his bottom.

So very proud of himself!

Trouble

2008-08-04T13:23:00.003-04:00

This is what I found.
This was the result.

Three Months Old!

2008-07-24T17:35:00.005-04:00

Wow!! So much has changed in three months.

Ahh, this expression always makes me laugh.

This expression always melts my heart.

Happy 4th!!

2008-07-05T11:03:00.008-04:00

How sweet!

Cheese.

More cheese.

Nate was riding on daddy's shoulders.

He was also holding onto daddy's ears until I got the camera out.

We made the effort to go downtown.

It didn't last too long before both kids were kind of losing it.

So, we went home and watched our neighbors set off fireworks

(which made Nate so scared he started to shake).

We did stop by Sonic and get ice cream.

Huge success.

Friends

2008-07-05T10:50:00.006-04:00

Last weekend we had one of my good friends from college visit. She is one of Nate's favorite people. He didn't even have his usual five minute shyness--but walked right up to her and said "hi scar-et."

**pause to retrieve my make up bag from the boy**

We had a great time doing a little shopping, taking naps, talking and eating out! Thanks for coming Aunt Scarlett--we love you!

We took Caleb out to eat with us (Apple Tea Cake Room--yummy). He did great for half the meal. Then not so great. Oh well.

There is more

2008-07-02T12:59:00.002-04:00

The little cyclone has discovered that among the new things that he can get into. He can also open the refrigerator. Beautiful.

A list of the damages:

-Celery on couch (not too bad, this has happened twice)

-Yogurt opened (he also got out a spoon and was eating in the living room, not that bad of a mess. Just found him again today but he was eating the yogurt with a fork.)

-Lasagna container lid thrown on floor (none of the lasagna touched)

-Prune juice (spilled all over floor. not fun.)

-One dozen eggs (all broken: some in the fridge, some on the floor and one he carried around till I caught him. Sigh.)

Life with two. :)

Into EVERYTHING

2008-06-24T15:46:00.004-04:00

My make up.

Other things that he has discovered he can do that I couldn't catch a picture of:

Put on my lipstick

Get on the computer

Play with the camera

Drink my coffee

Empty all diaper bags and purses

Play with my credit cards

Make the car alarm beep

Call people on my cell phone (still haven't figured out who it was)

Turn on the tv

Empty the toliet paper roll

Put on sunscreen

Play in the toliet (ick)

I love him.

Awwww

2008-06-24T14:00:00.002-04:00

Starving

2008-05-21T16:04:00.002-04:00

Apparently, I am starving my oldest child. (The youngest one is very well fed.) Today I was preparing our first meal since Caleb was born. I decided to fry some potatoes and onions since both are about to go bad. As I was cutting up the potato Nathaniel starts begging for some. I decided to give him a slice, thinking that this will end the incessant whining.....um....no. I give him a slice and tell him it is potato. He eats it and comes right back and wants more ta-to. I give him a few more slices and we move onto the onions. This, I think to myself, he won't eat....um...no. Again, I give him a slice of onion and tell him onion, yucky....he looks at it and puts it in his mouth and asks for more on-n, ucky.

Is he that hungry that onions and raw potatoes taste good?? Am I starving my child?

Caleb's Birth

2008-05-21T11:08:00.002-04:00

Tuesday night I started having some mild contractions. I went to bed thinking that they would go away. They didn't. I woke up at 2:30 and they were stronger, I tried going back to sleep so that I could wake up Pete at a decent hour. :) I think that I may have dozed off once or twice...but the contractions kept coming and they were getting somewhat stronger. Still, nothing to write home about. I finally decided that 5:30 was decent enough and told my dear husband about these persistent contractions. We debated for awhile about if Pete should go to work or if we should both go to the hospital. I finally called my dad (retired OB/GYN) he thought that I should go and get checked out.

So we got everything ready and dropped Nathaniel off with some friends (thanks again Sandra!) I was praying the whole morning and felt a real peace about going to the hospital. The contractions were not all that bad but I was already 5 cm dilated and I didn't know how long it would take for them to get bad either. Looking back I see how God's hand was in all of this. I felt rather foolish for going to the hospital. The nurses looked at me like I was crazy but they were very kind and took me into triage and monitored me and the baby for about three hours. While we were being monitored Caleb's heart rate dropped a few times (at least three but he was so squirmy that they couldn't always get his heart rate). This was enough cause for concern that the doctor did an ultrasound. She discovered that my amniotic fluid was a 4 (I think that she said it should be around 10) so we decided to induce. Yahoo!!!

As a result of having such low amniotic fluid they were pumping fluid into me so that (as my sister put it)...he wouldn't get rug burn on the way out. Very odd feeling. They also loaded me up with some pitosin (sp) then we waited for the epidural and all would be good. It didn't take long for the pit to start putting me into a world of hurt. The epidural wasn't as fast to counteract the hurt. It did great on one side but then the other side I could feel every single contraction (OUCH!) Pete was great and was very sweet to me and compassionate while I was in so much pain. The doctor finally came back and fiddled with something and all was numb! Yippee! The nurse checked me and told me that the baby was still pretty high up so it would be awhile. (this was about 3:10) About 5 minutes later I told Pete that I felt a lot of pressure. The nurse walked in and said that they noticed a big jump on the monitor so she was going to check me again. She did and said, "oh, I see the head". WOW!! We waited for the doctor to come and then I started pushing. After two or three pushes little Caleb was born!

Welcome to the world

2008-04-26T18:06:00.003-04:00

Announcing Caleb Andrew

6 lbs 3 oz

19 inches

Born on April 23, 2008

at 3:45 pm

Well, my little peanut is 4 weeks old today and I am just now getting to posting anything about him! I'll try to catch you all up! (For all 5 of you that read this blog) :)

A look back

2008-04-22T16:44:00.003-04:00

I was getting ready to journal some more for Nate when I ran across this journal entry. It made me laugh. Enjoy!

From December 4, 2007

The charges against me:

I would not let him bathe with his blanket (even though he had already put it in the bath)

I tried to make atonement by making his bath “fun” by adding bubbles. I was wrong, this defiled his bath and he needed to get out.

I put his blanket in the dryer (when he could see…yes I know…poorly planned) now I have not only offended him but also the blanket. He keeps going to the dryer and coming back to me and sobbing.

How could you mommy?

Things that make you go....huh?

2008-04-18T12:28:00.003-04:00

Nate in the train box....eating track.

Going two directions at once.

Sharing

2008-04-17T22:13:00.004-04:00

Nate loves the cat. He tries to talk to the cat in "kitty language" which consists of him laying on his belly in front of the cat and saying "meow" over and over again. We are so thankful that we have a very tolerant cat. Nate also loves to try to feed the cat or give him his juice. While I was trying to get ready for baby I came upon this scene....

Bunny is one of the special stuffed animals that sleeps with Nate. I can't help but wonder if he thought that the kitty needed to sleep with him too.

O-R-E-O

2008-04-17T17:14:00.004-04:00

Nate's first Oreo!!!

The very happy result! He even figured out how to open the Oreo and eat the icing first! He is a smart boy!!

I love my duck

2008-03-30T13:44:00.003-04:00

Nathaniel got a wonderful Easter present. A duck as big as he is. His eyes light up every time he sees it and feel feels compelled to let us know that it is a duck and it says quack quack. I had kept it downstairs (who doesn't like a giant duck around while you cook dinner?) That was short lived as my wonderful son made the effort to haul it upstairs by himself. Here are some pics of Nate loving on the duck.

Spring

2008-03-26T12:35:00.004-04:00

This was taken yesterday. The picture below is just a few days before! What a difference a few days can make!

Ahhh, spring is in the air and I am so thankful! Nathaniel and I take walks whenever it is nice out. It has been so fun to see everything start to bloom around us.

This is a picture of the little tree by our front door. I love the bright pink color. The flowers are just starting to really bloom.

Easter

2008-03-26T12:29:00.002-04:00

Nate was very excited to get all ready for church. I think that he felt like a very big boy! I thought that he looked adorable.

First Popsicle

2008-03-17T17:06:00.003-04:00

These pictures make me laugh every time I look at them.

Took a tumble

2008-03-15T21:17:00.004-04:00

Well, our little cyclone finally fell down the stairs. I say this after weeks of him insisting that he can take the steps on his own. He is usually careful to hold onto the railing and take one step at a time. However, he is also far to bold for his own good. I am glad that the only thing that happened was a little bruise and hopefully a dose of caution.

It seems the the dose of caution that I was wishing for was not attained. Tonight we think that he fell again. How else would you explain a bloody nose and tears at the bottom of the stairs? It seems that he is (again) no worse for wear....thankfully.

8 More weeks

2008-03-15T21:14:00.005-04:00

Well, if all goes according to schedule...we will only have 8 more weeks until we meet the new little Olesen man! I am so excited to think that we are almost done! Yippee! The little guy is running out of room and my ribs are taking a beating!
Not the most flattering picture.....but oh well....I know that the currently nameless child will want documentation that I did in fact birth him. :)

Packing

2008-02-20T21:58:00.004-05:00

Well, my wonderful husband got me a great Valentine present. A DVD recorder!! Woo-hoo!! Not only is the actual present great but the box it came in was a big hit!

Traveling

2008-02-20T21:49:00.004-05:00

In the last two and a half weeks Nathaniel and I have spent about 48 hours on the road. At least 14 of those were by ourselves. I thought that I came up with a great plan...."bags of discovery". Well, they didn't entertain him for as long as I had hoped. But he did enjoy the glass globs that I got. He also liked for me to try and tickle him with the pen.

He is starting to become a better traveler, but it is still hard for him to be content when he's strapped in....oh, and FORGET about a nap. Oh well, it could be worse....right?

Amazing Talent

2008-02-20T21:43:00.004-05:00

I just (um...well....a month ago) about Nate's amazing skills. Here is another one. Balancing the broom. I didn't even know that this was possible!

Accomplishments

2008-01-08T20:09:00.000-05:00

Well the little cyclone is sure learning some new skills lately.

1. Climbing. He can climb onto chairs, coffee tables, boxes. He loves standing on things and it stops my heart to walk into the living room and see him on top of the coffee table looking pleased with himself. If you ask him to go to his chair he climbs up on one of the regular chairs and smiles. He climbed onto a box and was playing with the humidifier in his room. Lovely.

2. Stairs. He is no longer content with going down on his belly. (Maybe if he wants to get down quick and no one is watching). Usually he will go down on his bottom but if you walk with him he wants to hold your hand and take 'em like a man.

3. Potty time? Well, we aren't there yet....but he did poop on the potty. Mostly it was a timing issue, it was either on the potty or in the bath....and mommy stuck him on the potty. I wish that I had been able to do that again today. He ran diaperless from the bathroom and pooped in the hallway. Gross.

4. Self feeding. My cyclone boy has been able to feed himself for awhile now. Not that he has it mastered. Today he took it to a new level. I walked in to the kitchen and he was standing with a yogurt in either hand. He can open the refrigerator. Oh the fun that awaits us.

5. Affection. I don't think that I would ever call Nathaniel a "cuddler". "Bulldozer" more aptly describes him. However, when he gets it in his mind to shower us with affection, he does it right. Kisses upon kisses, then come the hugs complete with pats on the back. It kind of makes waiting for it worth it. He is so funny.

6. Talking. Nate has always been a talker. He has a running commentary on life but we just don't understand his language yet. We are starting to understand more of what he says which is really fun. He is quick to tell us that there is a train going by or a plane, that he is riding on a car. Yesterday I figured out that he can say blanket, bunny and bear....all of which sleep with him at night. We are starting to work on animals and the noises that they make. He loves to hear us Baa like sheep but he really likes it when the cat meows....sometimes I think that he steps on the cat's tail on purpose.

7. Sleeping. Recently we've had a little confusion about bedtime. We have put him to bed at the same time but he's been doing a magnificent job of keeping himself awake. He stayed awake almost 2 1/2 hours the other night. Not crying at all just talking and playing. Amazing. We are trying some different things to see if that will cut down on the fun that he is having in his crib and enable him to wind down.

8. Babies! You may remember a recent post during Thanksgiving where Nathaniel didn't do such a great job of sharing his mom with a little baby. (It involved much wailing and ganshing of teeth.) Yesterday I was visiting with a girl from my mom's group who just had an adorable baby girl. Nathaniel didn't bat an eye when he saw me holding her! THERE IS HOPE!!!!

We are so blessed to watch this little guy grow.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-28T21:47:00.000-05:00

I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas. We had a great time celebrating with Pete's parents. Nate loved opening and playing with all his presents. One of his favorites was a shopping cart. Even the cat enjoyed a ride in it!

Any guesses NOW?

2007-12-14T21:01:00.001-05:00

That's right folks, its a boy! We will have a fun time with two little boys so close in age. :)

O Christmas Tree

2007-12-14T20:49:00.000-05:00

We had a great time cutting down our Christmas tree! Once we actually made it to the tree farm....we got a little bit mixed up on the directions. Good thing my husband gave me a GPS for my birthday! :)

"The" tree!Nate eager to help daddy cut it down
Family photo

Guess?

2007-12-10T18:55:00.000-05:00

We only a few days left until we find out what baby number two is! I am so excited! We are going to do a 3-D ultrasound so we will get a better picture of this little one that has been causing so much havoc! :)

So, any guesses? What do you think it will be?

Lovin' on Grandpa

2007-12-06T12:49:00.000-05:00

One of Nate's favorite people in Delaware was Grandpa. He would giggle and run to him as soon as he saw him walk in the door. He cried (even mommy couldn't console him) when Grandpa left to take the trash out. Thankfully Grandpa came back quickly and Nate giggled and squealed when he saw him.

This was the game that they were playing at the big family dinner.

Look at me Grandpa

Tickle Me Grandpa

I love you Grandpa

Issues

2007-12-01T14:34:00.001-05:00

Nate doesn't share me well. While we were at my sister's house I happened to hold a baby.

This did not meet with his majesty's approval.

He decreed my arms should only ever be occupied with him.

(You are in for a rude awakening kiddo.)

The kingdom is at peace. For now.

I Love Your Cup

2007-11-16T09:42:00.000-05:00

Nate loves my pottery mugs. I display them on a shelf in the dining room. He always looks up at them and says hot. Smart kid. Then asks for one. Yesterday he found one on the floor and snatched it up and would not let it go. He thought that he was pretty special.

Hiking

2007-11-12T09:03:00.000-05:00

Pete’s work put together a hike once a month for three months in a row and motivated us to get out and try to do all three. So we did the first one, the second one we missed and this was the third. I borrowed a child carrier and said let's go. The drive was beautiful! I would have loved for you to see the wonderful fall colors but 10 minutes into the trip I realized that I forgot the camera. So you will not be able to see the beautiful streams or fall colors that we crossed as we hiked the Chimneys. You will not see the adorable picture of my sweet husband as he carried our little guy up the trail. You will not see pictures of my little guy when he decided that he needed to give daddy’s back a break and hike on his own (he walked about half a mile). Nor will you see the results of mommy not dressing our little guy warmly enough (red fingers and runny nose). You will not see pictures of my little cyclone as he threw the temper tantrum of the century. He didn’t want to go up the hill anymore, nor down the hill, nor carried on a hip of a parent nor carried in the borrowed carrier. It was great. As we progressed down the trail, we found out that this was a pretty busy trail. Many people were able to witness the meltdown and as they passed they would hear, “buh-bye” and then the crying would start again. We were only about half a mile from the top and never made it. I heard the view was beautiful. We will have to find out another day. I’m still sad about the pictures.

Caffeine

2007-11-08T10:53:00.000-05:00

Caffeine is my friend. It really does make me feel better. However, as I learned yesterday, it can also be my worst enemy. I drank some Coke a little late in the day, thinking that Pete won't be home tonight and I need to have energy to care for the cyclone. Well, I did great all night. Then came time to sleep. Not so great. I feel like I dozed all night long.

It did not help that my sweet husband came home at 10:30 and then went into the bathroom to throw up. After the second time that he got up and I didn't go back to sleep. I went to the couch. Then Nathaniel woke up at 3. I thought that my worst nightmare had come true. Pete would not be able to deal with the throw up this time. I silently prayed that there would be none. There wasn't. He just needed to be cuddled for a few minutes and he went right back to sleep. Yeah! Then I laid on the couch some more and composed this post in my head. The cat then decided that I was in need of a massage....he purred and kneaded me until I thought that I would go crazy. Then I heard Pete's alarm go off. Then he got up. Then I got up...whoa...I needed to go throw up. What fun. Pete decided to stay home and help in case I got sick again. So now, I am caring for our little cyclone and Pete is sleeping. I am glad that I don't feel worse. I am just so tired of the throw ups.

Dixie Stampede

2007-11-05T17:42:00.001-05:00

We got some discounted tickets through Daddy O's work. So, we decided to try. :) We got there just in time to make our way to our seats. Little cyclone had a great time eating (the chicken was as big as his head). He cried when we tried to take the corn cob away from him. He loved all the singing and dancing and horses and clapping. He clapped right along with everyone and danced...and said ohhhh and wooo. It was really fun to watch him. We didn't get great pics because we were on the top row. (It actually worked out great because the cyclone got restless towards the end and needed to explore). I think that we will do it again next year!

T-I-double G-er!

2007-11-01T13:08:00.000-04:00

Tigger and I had a great time visiting with our neighbors. They all thought that he was adorable! Really, who wouldn't? His tail wagged when he walked...I was overcome with his cuteness at that moment! :) Getting your kid dressed up is a great way to get to know your neighbors better and a great introduction to the new neighbors that just moved in. :) Tigger invited himself in and played with whatever they had (a swiffer and a broom) they are doing some home renovation before they actually move in. We had a great time chatting and Tigger tried to clean. Who could ask for more?

Yearning to be big

2007-10-30T22:02:00.000-04:00

My little cyclone is back in full force. Still a little grumpy, a little more tired but all bulldozer. He has decided that he doesn't want to put his cookies or his drink on the little chair that I have for him. No, it goes on the counter like mommy. Nevermind that he can't get it back down (and will cry about it) or that as he tries to put his drink up there that he occasionally misjudges and the drink will come back down on his head. He is determined. Try, try again.

He has also decided that he's ready to pack his bags. He will drag any bag around and then out the door and wave bye bye as he goes. The backpack I used for our hike that is as big as he is and weighs almost as much him....he could move. I was amazed. He also dragged daddy's briefcase from the bedroom into the bonus room and then into the guest bedroom. Nothing is where we leave it anymore. Today he got one of my old purses and put his toy car in it, said bye bye and was off to explore his bedroom. I think that we have an adventurer on our hands.

Sick

2007-10-27T12:32:00.000-04:00

Well, the little one has been sick for the last few days. Really sick. Fever of 104 kind of sick. So, we went to the doctor this morning. I was convinced that he had some sort of incurable disease and that he would never be the same because I didn't get him to the doctor sooner. I was on the brink of tears the whole time that we were driving to the doctor. (Isn't it amazing what a hormons can do to make you even more freaked out than you would be normally). Turns out, my little lathargic cyclone has ear infections in both ears. Poor little guy. It has been a rough couple of days.

All he has wanted has been mommy. So, we have laid on the couch and watched all the cartoons and talk shows that mommy could stand. In the picture he is watching Rachel Ray and learning how to prepare a quick easy dinner. I love cuddling with him but I am starting to miss my little bulldozer. I know that the meds will kick in soon and he will be back to tearing the place up!

Last night I heard him getting rather restless. So, instead of waiting for him to start screaming, I went in and woke him up to give him more meds. He was freezing cold and I held him for 15 mintues with a wool blanket over him before he stopped shivering. I felt so bad. Then he started coughing and kind of gagged himself. He threw up on me. I put him in bed and proceeded to go to the bathroom and throw up. So much for being able to handle your own kid's throw up. I am sunk. Luckily, Daddy Cyclone was home and he took the offending shirt and cleaned up the chair where we had been sitting. I am so thankful that he can handle that sort of thing.

Raising 'em right

2007-10-22T15:30:00.000-04:00

Thought that you might like to see our little cyclone back when he was still pretty new.

Our cyclone family

Looking for trouble

Yes, this will be used for blackmail. :)

Spoons and forks

2007-10-22T12:42:00.000-04:00

Well, little Nate has reached another milestone! Yeah for the mini-cyclone! He has decided that he must have either a spoon or a fork! Last night daddy-o was amazed at his ability to spear hot dog bits with his fork and put them awkwardly in his mouth. Today I was amazed that he managed to eat most of his oatmeal with a spoon. Most of it actually made it into his mouth. I made the mistake of using the spoon to get some off of his bib....so he wanted to try, but there needed to be oatmeal on his bib. sigh. It could have been much, much worse. I (foolishly) gave him a breakable bowl (what was I thinking?), and then left him unattended (smart). Oh well. He did great, didn't break anything and can feed himself. Next goal: learning to drink from a cup unassisted. I can't wait. Maybe we will savor the moment with the spoons and forks. :)

Dollywood

2007-10-15T18:15:00.000-04:00

Well, no one can say that we didn't try. I responded "yes" to the Dollywood e-vite so by golly we were going to try. Nevermind that I didn't feel 100%, nevermind that my child woke up screaming thanks to the cat who ever so thoughtfully went in to wake him by meowing, nevermind that we would probably be late. I should have known that it would be a headache.

He went on his first real ride. Pretty fun. Until I had to take him off the ride. Meltdown. Tried to get him to go on a different ride. Meltdown. He got on a different ride. Loved it. Happy. Tried to get him off. Meltdown. Let him roam free. Happy. Tried to tie his shoe. Meltdown. Finally sick of having people stare at me, sympathetically or otherwise, I put him in the stroller and left the area. He screamed the whole way. Fun.

A peaceful ride. Buttons to push. The breeze in his hair. A girl to look at.

He liked the duck. It went in circles, he could push buttons, and play with the steering wheel.

The resulting meltdown.

Round One: Mini Cyclone 1 Mom 0

We went into a store. They had a little table with Thomas the Train and he played wonderfully with the other children. Then he found a Thomas the Train backpack with wheels. I turned around and he was gone...out of the store...down the sidewalk....ready to leave town. I picked him up (meltdown) and went back to the store. We left after I got tired of chasing him around the store with the backpack. (meltdown) I am thankful that we tried. We did eat yummy food, saw some friends, and were able to ride fun rides....we will just have to try again. Yeah for season pass holders!

Joining the fun

2007-10-15T18:09:00.000-04:00

Well, I am not really a "blogger". But it seems that I am also not a "website master". So, in an effort to record our little cyclone's growth and trail of destruction I have decided to jump into this "blogging" thing.