Kids...

On our Saturday Thanksgiving we got treated to a John Denver concert... Jim's mom loves John Denver so some relatives organized a little concert for her. Maybe I shouldn't say little--10 people and they played/sang for two hours! It was really nice. Above is Jim's cousin, Thomas, who played with them.

So, we've decided there is no easy way around it... Carsten IS going to cost us money. Friday night was quite cold here so we turned on our gas fireplace as nice as you please. Jim went upstairs to work out on the elliptical and I was on the computer downstairs with both boys. I noticed that it smelled like burning plastic so I got up and moved the plastic fence we had put in front of the fireplace... went back to the computer. A few minutes later I looked over and there seemed to be smoke. Now this is a gas fireplace with fake logs, you can't get into it, it shouldn't smoke. I quickly turned it off and told Reese to go tell daddy that the fireplace was smoking. I opened a couple of windows and waited for Jim. He came rushing down and we racked our brains for what could be wrong. Well, lo and behold if Carsten hadn't put four plastic spoons in the top of the fireplace! Lovely day... we had four plastic puddles of goo oozing and smoking toxic plastic smoke into our house... Nice. Jim started taking the thing apart and scraping off as much plastic as he could. We opened ALL the windows (mind you we had turned on the fireplace because it was so cold out in the first place) and let in the 29 degree, um cold. I bundled the kids in coats and we froze while Jim worked. We are still not sure if we'll ever turn on the fireplace again.

For the love of dogs...

Carsten thinks dogs are pretty neat... everything is a "voof"... Today we found these headphones and couldn't resist.

A few questions...

Just a few questions Internet fans...
How many x-rays can one child have?
Have we met our deductible yet?
Is there a way to budget for childhood injuries?
Is there a way to measure the years off your life each time your child gets hurt?
Is Motrin really enough for a broken clavicle?
Is there a way to keep kids from climbing on chairs, etc.?
Is there a way to know how we are going to cope these next few days?

Our more accident prone child--no names, Carsten--fell off a kid chair tonight (so 1 1/2 feet off the ground) to the kitchen floor... He has done this before--this time he wasn't consolable, he kept clutching his collar bone... I just felt like something was wrong. Off to the ER, where we are starting to recognize the staff... An x-ray later we were told he broke his clavicle and that all there is to do is give him Motrin... So, we are home and trying to figure out how to accomplish the normal tasks of getting him undressed, dressed, how to nurse without crushing his side, should we let him walk around and fall like he is always doing??? Oh, boy...

Without Oma...

Without Oma here I haven't had time to post! Pathetic I know... Here is a little of what's been going on here...

Our two cute little boys...

We went to Nana Wendy and Bob's this weekend and Reese got to play with Cole! His special buddy. They get along very well--wish we lived closer!


Reese couldn't get enough of the fishing pole and outsideiness of Jim and JoAnn's backyard. I was over taking pictures of their grandkids and my two were in outdoor heaven.

Carsten trying his hand at fishing in the grass...

Bliss...

I believe I mentioned in an earlier post about how a new pair of shoes makes my day... I need to say that I have now found something much better, bliss--a visit from Oma. Having Oma here means a few things--I haven't unloaded the dishwasher once in the past three weeks (my least favorite house keeping duty), I get 3 hours a day of freedom as she naps with them. I haven't given one bath, I rarely change a diaper or get someone dressed other than myself. She even let Jim and I go to the midnight release of Harry Potter last night! Oma is going home tomorrow, Sunday, and I'm going to go through withdrawals, depression, sadness, and having to deal with grandchildren that miss their Oma...

Too Much...

Well, it seems that just daily life is too much... I can't seem to do the laundry, pay bills, cook, clean, bathe children, pick up, go to doctor appointments, read blogs, AND keep up my blog.
We are still around and we are doing fine. Oma is here and keeping us sane, so I can try to do all of the above, but I am still sinking some days... Each day we try to accomplish something else on our list and we do, but we also add a couple more things each day. Oma is here until Saturday and then she is going home... (how will I do it???).

We had a great visit from Wendy and Callie--can't get enough of those two... Might just have to go and see them again before Callie leaves. It was Wendy's birthday, so we got in on a birthday celebration which is of course of one Reese's favorite things.

Both boys are doing good. Carsten had his one year shots yesterday and his fourth molar is finishing coming in so that has got to be painful. He signs now for; more, thank you, all done, and milk. He says, "woof" for a dog and he claps for everything.
Reese continues to say the cutest things even though I can't come up with one at this moment...

The 4th, Camping, Friends...

We went camping the weekend after the 4th with Jim's family. We got to try out our Suburban with the trailer--it did quite nicely. Oma was with us and we had a very good time. Reese and Carsten enjoyed the amount of dirt that surrounded us and were quick to cover themselves... not really, but it was a dirty weekend. Both boys were doted on by all the adoring relatives and we ate ourselves happy.

Carsten learned how to *pick* his nose. He really just figured out where his nose is and realized that by putting a finger in it all the people surrounding him would make a big fuss.

Abigail (Terry and Sara's girl) was there and she and Carsten tootled around together.



4th of July we spent with Steve, Barb, Heidi, Siena, Remy, and Oma. We went to a small town parade (which was way better than the circus) and then back to Steve and Barb's for lunch. The kids played with multiple water toys--a wiggly hose, water mat thingy, and a Elmo water spinner deal... Fun was had by all.

Friends, New Cars, More Teeth...

We are the proud owners of a Suburban as of today... We needed something to tow our trailer with and this one fits the bill. We brought it home and cleaned it to our little standards and put some of our things in it so now it is feeling like ours...

We had a surprise visit from our friends Siena and Remy (their mom and grandma too). Fun crazy kid times...

Well, Carsten has tooth number ten... He has the four top in front, two little ones in the middle on the bottom, and four molars. He seems to be handling this molar a little better. The other molars are finishing coming in at the same time. It seems so cruel the way they come in a little at a time.

Bibs, New Shoes, The Circus...

So, Carsten refuses to wear a bib at meal time, but yesterday and today he has worn a bib all day long just around the house. He pulled some bibs out of the drawer and tried to put them on. I helped him and he was satisfied and trotted off. Kids are really weird.

New shoes... Nothing makes my day more than a new pair of shoes. Especially clearance ones. These Keens are very comfortable and I think quite cute...

Carsten also has new shoes since he's a'walking.

Reese can never be outdone, so here are his new shoes that we got on clearance over a year ago, but that are fitting him now.

And... THE CIRCUS... What to say??? We thought it would be fun to go to the circus with Reese, so we took them on Monday night. We can honestly say we were disappointed. It was expensive--$20 for each adult--children were free, but good night that is still a lot of money. Especially when each item in the circus (popcorn, cotton candy, slurpies, etc.) were all $4-. The music was extremely loud (we were trying to cover the boys' ears). The performances were just okay, and there was a lot of wasted time. I don't remember circuses having advertisements, but every few minutes they would stand in the ring and show some new toy, drink, etc., and say that they wanted the kids to promise they wouldn't go home without one... oh boy. The crowd was fairly low class and the set-up was cheesy... the last performance was motorcycles in a globe deal going around and around--how exciting. We don't recommend the circus. period.

Boys, Sun, Water...

Our little park here in our development has lots of picture opportunities... I love the tunnel. This was Carsten's second time in it and he was just as excited as the first time...

Summer is here and the sun, water, and boys go quite nicely together. My two could live outside all day as long as there is an endless water supply. Did I mention sand and water go together as well??? If I'm not watching the sand box and water table get very mixed up and you can't tell which is which!

3 Years and 1 Year Pictures...

I finally got around to taking the boys pictures and here they are... I redid the header using them too, but it is not fitting quite right--oh well.

Doctor, Vehicles, Boys...

We've had a fun evening... We ran around all day, had a doctor appointment, etc... When we got home we went for a walk/trike/stroller ride and then the boys played in the front yard with their vehicles. Carsten was thoroughly enjoying sitting on Reese's tractor and putting the scoop up and down. The picture above is of him laughing after putting the scoop down... he thought it was a riot. It also shows the wound he got by this walking thing... he fell against an end table and it left a dent--seriously a dent! He is now walking everywhere and loving it. Oh, boy.


On our walk we saw a different looking lawn mower and Reese pointed it out. I said that it must be an electric mower... He said, "Maybe that is the way God made it, maybe (shrug, shrug)."



Today was the boys' one year and three year check-ups. They both weighed/measured fine. Carsten is 21 pounds and in the 25 percentile in weight and height. I opted to wait on Carsten's one year shots as he is just getting over being sick and it seemed unfair at this point (for both of us--me having to put up with a cranky baby and him having to feel cranky).

Carsten also has tooth number nine. It is another biggie on the top. He seems to be getting four molars right now. Yick.

Teeth, Talking, Anniversary...

Carsten now has his 8th tooth... He really broke it through on Monday. His third on the bottom, a big one near the back. He is also walking a lot now--fun to watch him teeter along so proud! Reese usually makes us all clap if he is paying attention...

Reese is still making us laugh with his language usage...
We were driving to Grandma Paula's and Papa's house and Reese had to go to the bathroom, "Real bad.." We were almost to their road so we asked him to wait. Once we stopped Jim asked him if he'd like to help drive down the driveway. Of course he did and he also no longer needed to go to the bathroom so desperately. When he climbed on Jim's lap to drive, I said, "Just hold it Reese". I meant for him to hold in the pee... He said, "I can't, I have to hold the steering wheel."

This morning... Midway through my shower I hear, "Mommy, wipe me..." Decisions... I told him to wait, or try himself. He did both. I had some cleaning up to do.

Our 11th Anniversary today!

Don't we look cute???

Weekend, Birthdays, Runny Noses...

My awesome brother gave me a new (to me) laptop for my birthday... I've been getting all the programs I use put on it and so I've been lax again in posting. Lots going on here it seems...


This weekend my parents came to help celebrate all the birthdays and they are heading on a trip and we were on the way. We were sure glad that they were here as we added two more little people to our herd. Jim's cousin, Tom, and his wife Rae Ann had a funeral to go to and we watched their two girls for Friday night and Saturday. Reese and Stella had a blast. There were bikes to be rode, bubbles to be blown, toys to be investigated, baths to be taken, snacks to be eaten, and water everywhere! Carsten and Ivy did a lot of sibling watching as the little whirlwinds ran around. Fun cousin times.



Carsten is one today!!! Can hardly believe that my baby is one... He is an amazingly happy little guy. He always wakes up happy--whether he gets woken up or wakes up on his own. Hardly a grumpy moment for him. Just this weekend he has decided that walking is okay. He has taken steps before, but now we catch him walking places instead of crawling. Carsten is still our bulldozer, crawling over any obstacle and not too afraid of falling. He climbs on anything he can--he loves standing on Reese's chairs and then letting go--no hands! I think that he is bigger than Reese at this age--I put some of Reese's shoes from this age on him and they are too small...

Reese got a, "scootcase" for his birthday and a sleeping bag. We've been camping on the floor this morning. Carsten got a little car and that has been the *toy of the moment*--they both want it.

Now we are sick... Carsten has a gooby nose, I have a sore throat, and Reese has a runny nose... we've put a call into the doctor. It is disgusting to be sick this time of year as it is so nice outside and feels like you shouldn't be sick. Mondays are laundry and bath day, but we might just skip those...

Carsten Ola Ola...and last night...

Picture: In recovery...

Well, let's see... the overflowing potty seems like such a small thing now...
Long story--Last night Jim and Reese went to a highschool concert and Carsten and I stayed home. We were waiting for them to get home and Carsten was just playing. He found a finger flashlight and was content with that. I followed him while I was doing something and noticed a little battery on the floor, and then another... then I found the flashlight and no batteries in it. I pretty well knew that it took three batteries and when I put the two back in I knew for sure it took three... where was the third??? I searched and searched and then googled--swallowing a battery. It said to immediately call poison control, which I did. They said to immediately take him to emergency for an x-ray...

Picture: The Battery

So, I met Jim at our local hospital where they quickly did an x-ray and there was the battery, big as life in his stomach. This was somewhat good news as it can do damage to the esophogas if stuck there... the doctor came in, took one look and said, "That has to come out!". This is when I started crying...

Picture: The Removed Battery

He then told us we'd have to take him to the children's hospital an hour north of here... They speedily finished the paper work and off we went (we drove, no ambulance)... Our VERY good friends, Jim and JoAnn came and took Reese home to put him to bed and stay with him--THANK YOU!!!
Carsten was pretty fussy in the car, but he hadn't nursed since five and was very tired... They wouldn't let me nurse him or feed him in the event of surgery.

Picture: The Battery in Carsten's Stomach and on the Way Out

We got to the children's hospital and did lots of waiting... They did another x-ray and the battery was still in his stomach so the pediatric gastro doctor wanted to take it out. At 3:30am this morning they took him from me--second time I cried... and ten minutes later they came and handed us the battery in a bottle... five minutes later we went in and he was holding the anesthesiologist's finger and playing with the cords to the blood pressure cuff. They took it out by endoscopy.


Picture: Waiting in the ER

They let us take him right home after he nursed and seemed fine. We got home at 6am this morning...
You can make financial contributions directly to our bank account.

The staff at both hospitals were super and they even let me use the employee breast pump as I was a mess in that department.

I hope you all have a good day and please keep all small objects from your little ones... very scary!

Coincidence???

Carsten has the pleasure of one more tooth! This is his seventh terrible tooth... I am finding it hard to believe that kids don't get *sick* when they are *teething*. Our doctor said that there are no medical findings that prove that kids can be sick when they are getting teeth. She did say that if you talk to any parent, they will disagree and say that kids do in fact get sick... Reese was never really affected by the getting teeth process--he maybe got a little warmer, but that was it. Carsten on the other hand has been getting a cold basically with every tooth. He has had a fever, completely stuffed nose (of which he can not nurse with--even when I use saline solution on him...), and pretty crabby for him. I am becoming one of the camp that believes kids get sick when they teeth!