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.

Father's Day Weekend...

Last minute we decided to go away for the weekend. We left after lunch on Saturday and drove a couple of hours to stay in a nice hotel and to relax away from home. We had a nice time. The boys slept on the way up and the way home for a couple of hours--traveling at nap time is great. We didn't do too much, a little shopping, a little sight seeing... Sunday we met with people we hadn't seen in a long time...

This was Jim's Father's Day! Thanks for being a great dad!!!

Big fluffy beds with lots of pillows make a fun playground...

Reese all dressed up on Sunday. He enjoyed being on the 13th floor and watching all the goings on down below. He would report on what he saw.
As soon as we got to our room he said, "Look they have a TV, I've always wanted a TV." Wonderful. Thankfully he didn't figure out how to turn it on and he didn't ask so our peaceful getaway remained peaceful.

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.

No Pictures, Sick, Camping...

Not too much to report other than we are all recovering, or in the midst of being sick... Jim is the worst case now and the rest of us are hopefully getting better. There doesn't seem to be as much green stuff oozing today as there has been.

We went camping this weekend and don't have one picture to show for it. We were camping with two other couples who stayed in tents. We were in our new to us trailer. Everyone decided to come home one day early as the rain never let up... The tenters had had it. Seeing as how we were all sick we didn't mind. I will have to admit that it was kind of fun to be in the trailer all warm and dry with it pouring outside. We'll have to try it again sometime.

In other news... Reese this morning at breakfast said that we shouldn't talk because our voices were all funny. This cold has taken all our voices at some point and we are left now with gravely voices.

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...

Birthday Presents...

Reese's new ride...

Reese getting his birthday present from Papa, Grandma Paula, Aunt Alicia, Uncle Todd, Daddy, and Mommy...

Happy Birthday Reese!!!

Yesterday was Reese's 3rd birthday... He got taken to breakfast by Jim and JoAnn and then we all went to lunch together at his favorite pizza place. We then had cake and ice cream later with some friends.

We find it hard to believe he is so big! Reese's most recent accomplishments are riding a trike (around and around the block), wearing big boy underwear, fascinated more and more with books (although he will tell you that he cannot read, he just has to look at the pictures), dresses himself, and still loves his brother (for the most part). We love you Reese--you are a great 3 year old...

We told Reese that after singing last night and having cake that he'd be 3 years old (he was born at 7:45pm). So after we'd sang and eaten cake he came up to me and sadly said, "Mommy, I'm not any bigger, look I still can't touch the ceiling."

We put Carsten's name on the cake too as he is nearing 1!
A little Carsten update--he seems to be doing fine after his little adventure. He is coughing more (they told us that he'd probably have a croupy cough). It seems that Reese, Carsten and I all have colds, so we are laying low here for a couple of days...

BTW--I hope everyone knew that the financial donation request was a joke? Jim was worried someone would take us serious... We don't really want to know how much that battery is going to cost us, but he is worth it!

Reese with his adopted grandparents--Jim and JoAnn

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!

Potty Stuff...

Ok, funny story...
We had a little toilet overflow issue (sorry, but gdiapers sometimes don't all go down here at our house...another story). So, last night Reese went in and went to the bathroom and came out to ask me, "Mommy, why is the toilet so full?" I went in and very wisely flushed it again--big mistake as water started to flow over the edge of the toilet. I frantically shut off the water supply and ran to find Jim (after shoving a rug under the door to at least try to keep the water contained). Jim was on the phone, but after the look on my face he hung up and came to see the disaster. As Jim was entering the bathroom Reese came running out and was yelling, "Run for your life!" We broke down in stitches and it made the cleanup a little more tolerable. I must add a little awesome husband award here as he offered to clean it all up and mopped it afterwards as well! I was offering to do the cleanup to save my gdiapers, but he refused.
(The run for your life comment comes from an Arthur book we check out frequently at the library--Arthur's First Sleepover.)

Other recent Reese talk...
Reese told Jim, "I'm a good ride biker." Jim said, "Oh, you are a good ride biker!" Reese responded, "Yes, I are." Later Reese said, "I am a good bike rider." He then told Jim he was supposed to laugh. Jim said, "The reason I laughed before is that you said you were a good ride biker, not a good bike rider." Reese then said, "Oh well, it's similar."

BIG DAY...

Carsten started walking yesterday!!! He loves the clapping and cheering... Grandma Paula and Papa got to witness the first steps.

Some Old Pictures...

Some old pictures that were on Reese's camera... Carsten getting his hair cut at the place Reese loves near my mom and dad's house...

He didn't mind at all... She is quick and did a great job.

Reese asked later the same week if we could go get another haircut... there is something about getting your hair cut in a Hummer.

Reese's first experience in one of those restaurant play structure deals. He mostly sat on the one bench inside the tube--until another child helped him climb to the top. It then became a convincing game of getting him down... He finally agreed to let an older girl come down the slide with him. A weird feeling of not being able to get to him when he wanted me to... Once on the top he enjoyed playing the "plano" as he calls a piano. It was a xylophone type thing. Anyway, he finally came down the slide as I said earlier and we were able to go home!


I keep forgetting to take pictures of Lamby and Lu Lu--Reese's favorite animals. They sleep with him and he likes to drag them with us when he remembers. Recently he has wanted Lu Lu strapped in the carseat with him. I had to take a picture to document the unsafe practice of strapping a stuffed animal in with your child... the things we do to keep them happy...

Blog Break...

So, I feel like I've been on a blog break or something... Sorry to all our loyal viewers! Here we are again. The weather has turned really nice so we went on a family bike ride this evening. Packed a picnic and rode to the park. Reese fed the ducks and Carsten enjoyed watching them quack away... This was Carsten's first bike trailer ride and he seemed to enjoy it. He leaned on Reese most of the trip. At one point he was sucking/chewing on Reese's arm and I was riding next to them telling Carsten to stop chewing on Reese. Reese said, "It's okay mommy". We ended up at our little park until it got to cold.

g diapers...

Okay, so you can go to g diapers.com to learn even more, but here is my little speech...
g diapers are a cloth/disposable diaper system (Con that is for you). They consist of three layers, the cloth outer (very cute), a vinyl liner, and a disposable/flushable/compostable liner. So, you don't need to have a diaper genie, diaper pail, etc., you just flush them. I've been using them for two days and they work really well for me. The only drawback as I see it is the price. They end up being double the price of a regular disposable diaper... I am going to a play date at their headquarters tomorrow, so I'm going to see if there is any more economical way to buy/use them (coupons, buying in bulk???). I am not using them because of some earthy reason, but because of the convenience of flushing them. If you choose to not flush, they compost hundreds of years before regular disposables which is nice. Another feature is that they velcro to the back so that your child cannot take them off as easily. Hope that explains them for you!