*A Sneak Peek Josh and Valerie's Wedding*

Yesterday my beautiful sister got married! It was a small and simple ceremony, but absolutely beautiful. It was at a restaurant in Stillwater. The lift bridge was in the background and we watched the town light up with Christmas lights. The banquet room we were in had stunning views of the Mississippi River.

Congrats to Val and Josh- may the rest of your lives be filled with gratitude that you are in it together.

"If you live to be one hundred, I want to live one hundred minus one day, so that I never have to live without you" -Winnie the Pooh

*A Visit To Santa*

This year has been so much fun in terms of Santa and Christmas. Hunter is getting the concept of what Santa is and what he does. We went this past weekend to visit Santa in Eau Claire. We waited for an hour and a half! I must say though, thinking back on it... all of the children in line were well behaved... this Santa guy has a lot of power! Hunter and I watched Santa for a good 1/2 hour seeing kid after kid. Santa even waved at Hunter! When it came to their turn, Santa let Hunter know that he knew that he wanted a fire truck for Christmas. Hunter sat on his lap just fine and wasn't too scared like he has been in the past. Abby wasn't quite convinced, but she didn't cry and we even got some smiles out of her (which doesn't take much anyway!). Before Hunter got down, Santa asked if Hunter wanted a hug and Hunter told him yes, so they hugged. It was very cute. Although it was a long wait, we had a fantastic 3 minutes with the big guy, so it was a good day.

*Hunter's Video From Santa*

Now this is a cute video!!!! I captured Hunter's email video that he got from Santa. It was the cutest darn thing to see. Enjoy!

*Walking Proof*

So this video was a long time in the making! Getting the right shot was hard work. There was just so much that seemed to stand in the way. Such as:

• Abby seemed to always walk more when she was just wearing a diaper, and I just won't put a video of her without being fully clothed on the internet
• It is hard to be the one who she is walking to and being the one holding the camera, or vice versa being the one who is holding her and holding the camera before she goes
• After a few walks her legs still get tired and she has to crawl for a while- so the camera goes away and then she will start walking again when the camera isn't nearby
• She will walk a few steps and then fall towards her goal most of the time so it doesn't look like anything but falling... and I wanted to show how good she really is at this!

But I still can't believe that my daughter is 9 months old and walking! Holy cow we have a long road ahead of us I'm thinking!

*Surgery*

Up until today, we have been happy to report that Tucker does not mess with Hunter's stuffed animals. Lately we have been catching him pushing around 'Jakey-Jakey' but nothing too bad.

But, again, that was until today. We went to fleet farm to get a license for Jake. Upon arrival of home Jake found that 'Rawr' Hunter's stuffed animal lion, had his arm nearly amputated from a vicious Boston Terrier. We immediately went into survival mode (insert joke). I let Hunter know we would do surgery. Hunter consoled Rawr until I was prepared. Here is our journey:

The before pictures of Rawr. Hunter was hugging him and telling him it would be ok. 

     


  Dr. Verdon ready to go in for surgery.

Hunter held Rawr's foot and told me it was so Rawr wasn't scared.
The end results. A large scar, but hopefully this one will hold.

A successful surgery!

*Happy 9 Months Abigail!*

Happy 9 Months old Abigail! Wow has time flown by… I can remember being pregnant with her and here we are 18 months after I found out she would be coming into the world and she is now such her own little person.
I didn’t update on 8 months because she was in the middle of some transitions and so there wasn’t much to report at the time (I think that is the reason why…). But boy I have lots to report at 9 months! I was going to do this blog a few days early because I had some cute photos from this past weekend, but I decided to wait because I knew she was going to be doing some amazing things here coming up. I was right too! Two days ago she took her first ‘real’ steps at home. She was coerced into it though, so I’m still waiting for her to do it all on her own… or dreading it. She has also started really teething on her top teeth. They are SO close to coming through! We can see the white under her pink little gums. I hope that for her sake they come through and aren’t too painful! I don’t remember Hunter’s teeth being that big, but I suppose they were.
Her personality is just too funny. She LOVES to keep up with her brother. Tonight he was running circles around her back and forth and screaming, and oh boy you should have seen her! I’ve never seen a baby crawl so darn fast just to keep up! She was screaming right along with him and oh was she giggling! It was adorable. She loves to giggle. She is drawn to anything that is fun, loud, and plays music. She loves to dance, wiggle and jiggle.
Here is what she is doing:
- She plays “SO BIG!!!” and puts her hands up high in the air!
- She plays patty cake and claps her hands (she also claps when you say YAY ABBY!)
- She loves socks, loves to chew on them, suck on them, and most of all, NOT when you are wearing them (which is great!)
- She can say dada, papa, mama (yay!), baba, nana, and lots of other a-a sounds
- She eats stage 3 baby food and some table food with her fingers
- She can walk along the furniture great, crawl all over the place, get out of anywhere, and into anything
- She is not as much of a cuddler as her brother is- she would rather be doing something
- Excitement excites her, she just loves to have a reason to smile and laugh… and sometimes she doesn’t have a reason to smile or laugh and does anyway.. which ends up making us laugh too!

*So Incredibly Thankful*

We had a great Thanksgiving! I hope all of you in internet land did as well. We spent our Thursday Thanksgiving at my Grandmothers house with my Mom's side of the family. We enjoyed the Packer game (ok, well my husband didn't...) and then went over to my Mom's house for a while. Hunter and Abigail had fun running around their place and of course, taking a bath in her tub! Hunter has a love for their bath tub. He did mention to me the other day that he needs a bigger bath at home here. I told him he does and when we get a new house he will have a bigger one. Since we only have a shower here and not a bath tub, he uses a little plastic tub that is bigger than an infant one, but it just isn't as much fun as those big tubs are! We spent Friday hanging out at home and over at Nana and Papa's house while the kids played with their Oshkosh cousins for a while.
On Saturday we had what I considered "Thanksgiving Encore". We celebrated with Jake's family over at Nana and Papa's house. We also celebrated Jake's nieces' birthday that was at the beginning of November. We had a fun time and enjoyed the company. There were lots of smiles and laughter the whole day. Hunter stayed over night with his cousins and had a fantastic time with them. He is currently out to eat with them for lunch today, and Abby is sleeping.
So that is us in recap! Again, I hope that you and your family are doing well. We are so blessed with all that we have in life and couldn't be more grateful at this time of year.
I've posted a video I've been trying to upload for weeks now. It is one of Hunter playing "da ditar" and singing twinkle twinkle. It is so sweet... I just melt when I see it!

*It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Thanksgiving...*

My little marshmallow!

Happy boy in the snow!

Can you make out his snow angel?

Abby's first time in the snow!

Wow we have been busy lately! Guess what I go to do? Clean the house! I finally got to catch up from the past couple of weeks months… I feel much more with it now! Imagine Jake’s surprise and joy when I looked him straight in the face yesterday and told him I was going to clean the house, do the laundry, and get it all done without any help… he was suppose to lay on the couch and take a nap! I bet he was pretty happy then!

We have been busy though, Friday night we had a Tupperware party at my sisters that Abigail and my mom and I attended. Saturday we had craft sales that again Abigail and my mom and I attended. Then Saturday afternoon we went to a baby shower, and then today we went shopping. Jake also hunted this past weekend. Guess what? He got a doe! I bet he is pretty happy that we have some venison now. He did say it makes him want to get out and get that buck.

We have also had a great time playing outside with the recent snowfall. It started yesterday afternoon, and by 6pm we had a couple of inches on the ground. Enough for some snow angels and snowball fights between Hunter and myself! It was a fun time outside with him. He was excited to wake up this morning and go out again. We did have to wait for a bit, but when we did, it was so much fun! He was sledding down our little hill outside of our house. He would bail out every time he would reach the end- he thought he was hilarious!

Here is one issue we have now hit… 2 ½ years old. Period. Ha! It just seems like lately Hunter is all over his sister to take her toys, push her out of the way, get in trouble on purpose (why?!). It seems like he just is pushing it. Poor kid for him, he has Jake and I as parents and we don’t let him get away with much. I do hate the point where I wonder if this is one of the arguments to just let it go, or keep on pushing to make him listen. He does get time out a few times a week at home, and that seems to help curb it, but I hate constantly having to say “or else you will go to time out”. It is annoying after a while to listen to myself! I know that eventually this will just be a phase and it is good if we stay consistent on our redirections and discipline.

 A short week this week! I’m looking forward to Black Friday. One of my guilty pleasures for sure, but at some of those prices, how can you NOT go out?!?  I also just love the entertainment of it all. I go out with a big smile on my face, Christmas music in my head, and understand that some people are just going to be that way. I feel so accomplished when I’m done with it all! I’m baking about 4 dozen cookies for thanksgiving today, and then making sweet potatoes for the parties. I’m doing my civil duty and bringing a dish for the parties I’m attending… it doesn’t happen all of the time, I forget some days that I’m an adult and have responsibilities such as these J

* A long one from mom- An honest narrative*

Well I shouldn't be writing a blog right now. I shouldn't be checking facebook, I shouldn't be catching up on blogs, I should be cleaning the house, picking it up, doing the dishes, taking out the trash, and doing the laundry. I'm not making that list up... the sink is full, the garbage stinks, you might have seen how easy crap clutters up my house, and the laundry... ugh.

But I'm writing a blog. Showing off some adorable pictures and giving some thoughts for where I'm at right now.

I feel like I've lost my motivation. My motivation to clean, my motivation to keep up, get ahead of the game, I feel like I'm just making ends meet, and that is not where I'm usually at. I usually feel like I'm prepared for the next step, able to be super mom and then some. But these days, I just can't. I was thinking this morning, wondering what has changed. Is it because I am working more? The side responsibility of homework on top of that? Working out too much? (nope. that can't be it lately...). Is it because I've been sick? I can't really put my finger on it. I just feel like I don't have the motivation. I want nothing else to do but to go to sleep at 9pm. But I have bills to pay online, a checking account to catch up with, a husband to spend time with, a budget to write, ugh. I just go to sleep, because that list is just too long. I feel like I'm in uncharted territory that I haven't ever been in before. Just a phase, I'm sure of it. I have learned that Jake is capable of doing things on his own (yes women, men CAN and WILL do it... if you don't say anything about HOW to do it!), that I do require 8-9 hours of sleep at night to avoid getting tired during the day, and that working 40+ hours a week and managing a family is HARD work. The balls are always juggling. So maybe I should learn to buy paper plates, cups, and silverware, so that the dishes don't need to be done. Rewear my clothes until they stink... maybe not. Or just let my house get messy- Oh I already do that.

Ok, I think I'm done venting to my blog! But this is where I'm at. I usually don't verbalize, or write down things that I'm struggling with, but this time I felt like I should. No reason why, maybe I just wanted to get it out.

So you ask, enough about Nicole- How are the kids!?  Well the kids are doing well. Getting over some viral things but well. Hunter is napping right now, and Abby is sitting in her bed playing with her blankie, obviously not napping, but happy to be in there... so there she will stay until she decides to sleep or scream! Abby turned 8 months since the last time I really blogged. She is a big big girl these days! She is crawling all over, walking next to furniture, and her latest thing is talking. Her first word was "Wow" But she also says "Uh Oh!" and "Dada" and "Papa". Smart girl! She hasn't quite realized what to do when her brother takes away toys, but the more he does it, the more I feel sorry for him when she knows how to get back at him! She does have her two teeth on the bottom and is working on the top two as well. They just haven't come through yet.

Hunter is doing really well. Guess what? He is potty trained! It took him a matter of what? One day? It was shocking to us really. We just decided the Saturday before Halloween to take away diapers during the day, just use underware. That morning he had 3 accidents, the rest of the day he was dry and using the toilet on his own. He now just tells us when he wants to use the potty and goes in himself. It is great to see him excited about his accomplishment of this.

So here are some of my favorite moments in the past couple of days:
When Hunter was on the couch waiting for his night time chocolate milk and I asked him if he wanted to cuddle with Mommy instead of Daddy (which is the usual routine), the smile on his face was priceless... he was so excited! Abby loved the switch up too...she fell asleep in Daddy's arms!
Hunter playing "Da Ditar" (That Guitar). I finally showed him my guitar and he now LOVES to play it!
Watching Abby dance to "Da Ditar"- she is a natural mover and shaker!
Cuddling with my husband. He is so wonderful :)
Having Abby say Dada for the first time was great! I'm working hard on that Mama now!

Thanks for reading... and enjoy the photos!

*Abby's 8 Month Photos Are Up!*

Hey Everyone!

Abby's 8 month photos are now available for viewing. You must view them in the next week, it closes on Sunday, November 13th.

Go to https://vando.imagequix.com/index.html and enter G9GCR9M in the box. Then click on Abigail's image and enter your email address and password: 11022011av
Happy Viewing!

*Genetics Game: Part 2*

Here are some fun photos for you! I was having a good time going through some of these... funny how similar our kids are to us in some ways!



*Pumpking Carving, Teeth, and Hair 2011*

We had a fabulous time carving pumpkins this year! I had originally wanted to paint them, but we never did get around to getting some paint, so last night I figured we best get these pumpkins carved before Halloween comes and goes! Once we got into it, I remembered that it is Abby's first Halloween, so I'm glad we got to carve a pumpkin for my little pumpkin. She loved the experience, she even kept trying to eat the pumpkin guts, seeds, anything she could get her hands on... but there was a secret reason she wanted to chew (I'll tell you about that in a bit). Hunter carved a spider, Dad carved a ghost, and Abby carved a one toothed smiley pumpkin. I don't have a photo of the pumpkins completed, as we put them outside and I was so stinking cold I couldn't stand to!

Now for the surprise, if you are my facebook friend, you know that Abby has gotten her first tooth as of this past week. Here is the photo: (keep reading below)

Want to know the big secret though???? She has a second tooth already! Time to break out the tooth brush, she is eating steak! Kidding of course, but I'm shocked at how quickly they came in for her not being whiny or spiking a fever like Hunter always did. I'm excited to see these teeth come in, and they are coming in quickly already. The first tooth you can see pretty good now when you look at it. Not quite as small as what it was here in the photo, which was the first day it popped through.

Now to finish with some more wonderful moments. I had bought these pajamas for $4.50 each at the end of last season from Children's Place. I was certain after this summer that Hunter wasn't even going to wear footie pajamas because he would think he is too old, but he loves to wear his footie pajamas! I have two matching sets for the kids, these red ones and some white snowman ones. I had to take a photo, I might just have to use it for the Christmas card this year! So adorable... oh and check out Miss Abigail's hair... pretty soon she will be able to use that brush for more than a teether!

*Dancing to Disney*

One of my favorite times with my kids is when we turn the music on and dance. Hunter is finally getting to the point that he will dance with me! Abby, well, she just loves just about anything that is exciting, and dancing is exciting! Enjoy the videos, I enjoyed the dance!!

*Watermelon Sneak Peek*

I'm not sure if this is a sneak peek or a full on launch of the costume... but I figure that posting on here will at least make it a bit more difficult for everyone to see on Facebook! Here is Abby's Halloween costume! I made it all myself, I crotchet the top, straps, part of the headband and put all of the tulle and sequin band on. I'm so proud of myself! It even fits her, and she doesn't mind wearing it! That is until she starts trying to crawl, but on Halloween I'll have to tie the tulle up when she is moving. She will have red pants on for Halloween (and for the rest of the moms out there... a sweater/coat as well when we are outside!).

I even got a photo of my new favorite face! This is her stink face! I love it!!!

I do have to tell you the story of Hunter being Spider Man though! We had decided that Spider Man is what he was going to be. I saw the costume on sale the other week at Wal Mart so I decided we would go one Saturday to pick it up. Hunter kept asking if we were going to get it and that he was going to fly. I didn't really respond to the fly part, I would just ask him "Oh yeah?". He was SO excited when we purchased it and to get it home to put it on. Again, reiterating that he was going to go home and be able to fly when he put it on. Well, we got home and immediately put it on. And after about a moment or two wearing it, realizing that the costume carried no super powers, he was done and wanted it off. Quite disappointing to him!

In other news, Abby is blowing my mind... she thinks she is capable of standing on her own (last night she just kept letting go... and kept falling back), she waves bye bye (Amy was right!), she will reach up to be picked up, and she knows how to kiss! What a smart girl!!!

*Pretty Perfect Day*





Wow what a wonderful day we had! It started out at Hoffman Hills (a State Recreation area by Menomonie). We hiked up to the tower at the top of the hill. We were joined by Nana and Papa. Boy did we have a great time! Abby enjoyed her walk in the stroller, although it was a bit bumpy! Hunter was a big boy and walked probably 2 miles of the whole journey today! Hunter really loved just getting out and walking. He seemed to just enjoy it and didn't really ask where we were going, just enjoyed being outside. It was just a perfect walk! Afterwards we all enjoyed a delicious Culvers lunch. The kids took a nice nap and then we headed out to the pumpkin patch to meet some friends. Jeremy and Amy were there with their son Casey. Casey will be 1 at the end of this month. We had a fabulous time! We went on a tractor/wagon ride, Hunter 'drove' a large tractor, they saw the animals, it just was all around perfect. Afterwards we went out to dinner with them. Anytime I can compare the weather to Denver, you know that it is a beautiful day out and today was definately a 'Denver' weather day! I'm now feeling spoiled and really don't want the cold to set in!

After our long and wonderful day, we all came home and joined in the family band. Hunter starring on the drums and Abby on the maracas. It was wonderful.

And now, after a long day. I'm tired. Good night!

*7 Months*

Can you believe it! I can't! She is over half way to one year old. She sure is acting like it though! She has grown so much in the past month... I hope I can remember everything so I can write it here!

Abigail at 7 months:

• Crawling up on all fours, belly up, and going everywhere!
• Eats around 4-6 jars of food a day
• Starting to introduce puffs (a soft palatable baby food) she is intrigued but not sold on the idea!
• Loves to be on her knees hanging onto the couch or toy box
• Her legs aren't strong enough to stand for long periods of time... she is working on it though!
• Doesn't get what the jumperoo is for... she doesn't jump, just plays with the toys and they whines to get out
• She loves to talk and jabber a lot!




7 months old! (please disregard the dirty shirt... she IS a MESSY eater!!! Even with a bib on!)


• Her big brother can get the biggest belly laugh out of her
• Is starting to crawl all around the house and chase me down if I'm busy
• Size 6-9 clothes
• Size 3 shoes (I know you really wanted to know that...)
• She does have the CUTEST pair of nikes though...
• Size 3 diapers, I do still buy the swaddlers though, I can't bring myself to get the cruisers
• Goes to sleep at 8pm and wakes up around 6am or 7am
• Can sit herself up from a crawling position (although still falls back sometimes!)

This is by far my favorite part of being a parent, she is getting to be her own person and really showing her personality. She loves to make people laugh and loves being silly. I think she is going to be a little comedian.

*Videos*

*Henry Miles*

We were blessed to be asked to be God parents for a very adorable little boy, Henry. Henry is the son of some good friends of ours. We attended his baptism a week ago. I have some nice photos from the baptism and wanted to share them! We are lucky to have friends like them and are excited to see our children grow together. Hunter loves playing with his friend Edmund, who is just a couple months younger than him. Abby will love playing with Henry, just as soon as they both start to understand playing!

*Happy 6 Months!*

Wow! A half of a year already! I just can't believe it! It has gone so fast, but yet, it feels like so much has happened since she was born, and I can't remember life without her. Lets roll down the facts list of Miss Abigail at 6 months!

*Wakes up around 7am... usually with a big smile on her face, a stretch of her body, and a cute little toot to go with it :)

* She still LOVES her daddy! I find it frustrating when I'm trying to feed her and she catches a glimpse of him, she just forgets about what she is doing and focuses on him!
* She likes to have a 6:30pm cat nap, but is slowly getting rid of that
* Her favorite thing to do is interact. She likes toys, playing alone, but her favorite is when she can talk and interact with anyone.
* Sleeps through the night until about 4am or so, eats, and goes back to sleep
* She eats baby cereal for breakfast, two jars of food for lunch, and usually one to two jars for supper. She has milk when she wakes, after breakfast, after lunch and before bed.

* We will probably be switching her over to formula in the next week or so, I'm just not able to keep up with her anymore (and feel very guilty about this!)

* Size 3 diapers
* 17lbs, 5 oz (71%)
* 27.5 inches long (94%)
* Head- 92% (although it was measured bigger at first...)
*Size 6-9 month clothes
* Size 3 shoes
* Cute as a button (had to throw that in there...)

* Still has her dimple

* Favorite toy is her new monkey from Kalahari
* Her brother is really starting to pay attention to her. She likes to 'fake cry' and get attention from him. I find it hilarious!
* She will actually cry when a toy is taken away from her. It surprised me the first time she did it!
*A.L.M.O.S.T. to a full crawl.... It is only one quick thought away... I'm not pushing it!
*Can 'army crawl' pretty much anywhere she wants to go, unless if whining about it sounds like a better idea at the time
* Still sucks her thumb! (a great idea by the way... I never have to search for a nuk!)
* Favorite food is anything with chicken or vegetables. Weird kid.

*She loves to hang upside down like this:

HAPPY 6 MONTHS BABY! WE LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK!!!

*Overdue Update #1*

This exciting version of Overdue Update is all about our weekend to Kalahari!

Abby enjoyed the baby swings in the water!

This was the weekend of Labor day. It started out with our drive to Oshkosh on Friday night. We stayed overnight at Josh's house (Jake's brother). Early that next morning (and I mean 3am early...) Josh and John (Jake's dad) left for salmon fishing in the great lake. They had to wait out a few storms, but got on the boat and set sail around 7am. They were done around 1pm and returned to us shortly later. Meanwhile, Debbie (Jake's mom) and Jordyn and I stayed with the kids and played with them during the morning. Although all of the kids were generally really good, I do remember thinking I was glad that the guys were returning, but I can't remember the specifics of why we were ready for them to return! I think it was just a general, "Lets get to Kalahari!!!!" feeling! After the guys got cleaned up, we left for Kalahari. We spent that night in the game room and hanging out in our condo. The next morning, we headed over to the indoor water park. It was a great time had by all! Hunter is a timid type, and wasn't too sure about the water slides by himself. Gavin and Kylin had a great time running around playing in different areas. Abby liked the warmer pools, but found herself tired out by all of the excitement. As a family, Jake and the kids and I headed down the lazy river for some bonding time. We were then joined on a later trip by Gavin and Josh. This lazy river wasn't very lazy when it fed into the wave pool however! I think the true lazy river was part of the outside waterpark, but it was too cold outside to be out there. We spent that evening at the indoor amusement park. The kids turned in their tickets for some great prizes (Gavin-20 gliders and stuff, Kylin- Hello Kitty stuff, Hunter- Collectible tin and suckers). I the 'kids' (dad's) won some pretty great stuffed animals from the vending machine/claw machines as well... and they got pretty expensive... you know how it goes.

Kylin on the carousel!

Abby didn't want to let go of her new stuffed animal that Uncle Josh won for her!

On Sunday, Josh and the kids had to head back home, so we went to Buffalo Phils for lunch. At this restaurant, a train brings out your food, drinks, and some other stuff. Hunter had a great time, but the restaurant left a lot to be desired for. I would go again, but I will be sending in some feed back to them regarding some of their practices and the atmosphere. I hope that they are receptive to some feedback! I would say though, call ahead and reserve a table next to a train, it is the only way to go here! We had a GREAT location next to a track. I'm very happy where we were placed.

Hunter loves his Papa!



The bubbles on the train at Buffalo Phils... they kind of got Papa in the head!



The ride home was a quiet one as you can imagine! Both kids were zonked out for the whole trip. The parents as well had wished they were zonked out... but we survived, had a great time, and enjoyed spending these magical days with two magical children! Thanks to Nana and Papa for the great time that weekend, we made lots of memories that we will fondly look back on!

This photo cracks me up! It was suppose to be a picture of all of the grandkids... this is what we got. And I now display it proudly on our fridge :)