Stohs Stories

Am I still a cool mom?

2012-01-10T11:25:00.002-06:00

I asked Garrett two nights ago if I should come and eat lunch with him at school sometime. I had a lot of fun the last two times and he did also! He hesitated and said, "Well, I feel like I don't have much time when you come so maybe I'll just eat with you at home." (sad face) "Oh," I said, "what if I bring you McDonalds?" (bribery) Garrett hesitated again. "Well, I DO like McDonalds...."

Emmett's Stats

2012-01-10T11:25:00.000-06:00

Wishing you a belated Merry Christmas! Someday I will post pics of Emmett's first Christmas, but the way things go around here, it might be springtime when that finally happens!

Emmett had his 6 month checkup (about 1 week before he actually hits the 6 month mark) and it turns out he is one solid boy, just as we suspected!
Height: 27"
Weight: 17 lb 11 oz (holy cow)

Emmett is hitting some milestones too! At 5 1/2 months he discovered that he can army crawl. Now he is all over the living room floor. He can move really fast if he is after something that motivates him, like the dog's Kong. Greg discovered last night that if he says, "Come here, Emmett," that Emmett will army crawl over to him and up into his lap. Pretty darn cute.

His big accomplishment this week is spending a lot of time rocking back and forth on his hands and knees. Shouldn't we figure out sitting before we start to crawl? How can my baby be growing up so fast?

Having a baby on the go makes me a little nervous this time around. The kids have a lot of toys with little pieces and I am constantly finding small objects on the living room floor. We'll have to keep working on that and keep a close eye on Emmett!

First Big Snow

2011-12-05T22:08:00.002-06:00

I don't know that you would call 2-3" of snow a big snow, but we sure have been enjoying it. We broke out the sleds, drank hot chocolate, and made snow icecream. As we headed home from the nearby sledding hill yesterday, I mentioned that today would be a school day and that I needed to remember to take Avery's snow pants to Lynette's (daycare). As soon as I said it, I waited for Garrett's response. You could see him slowly start to process the idea that he would be sitting in school and not playing outside. He asked, "Mom, when am I going to get to play in the snow??!!" I assured him that we would make time for that after school. We did.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T13:41:00.003-06:00

A few days before Thanksgiving, Avery and I had a cute conversation:
Avery: Is it Valentine's Day?
Me: No, but Thanksgiving is this week. Do you know what that is?
Avery: No.
Me: It is a time that we get together with our family, eat turkey, and think about all of the things that we are thankful for.
Avery chimed in, "AMEN!"

I guess that must have sounded like a prayer!

Big Helper

2011-10-11T12:16:00.003-05:00

I think the first day of school was more tiring for Avery than it was for Garrett! She seemed a little lost without him, almost not knowing how to act when it was just her and I (and Emmett!). The first day of school she fell asleep on the living room floor, holding my phone and listening to kids music on Pandora radio.

Avery is very proud of her big brother and loves to help take him to school. She often rides her bike. When we walk home from school, I can tell that she wishes she could go to. She says things like, "I can't go to kindergarten yet." She can't wait to pick him up every day. She asks, "Is it time to go get Garrett?" Going back to work after maternity leave was tough because I miss all of those little moments.

After school each day, Avery often checks Garrett's backpack before we do! She wants to see if he has homework! She also checks in on his behavior. One day after school, she asked, "Garrett did you tease the girls today? Did you call anyone names?" I had to remind her that I am the parent, not her!

First Day of Kindergarten!!

2011-10-11T12:12:00.005-05:00

My big boy started Kindergarten this year! I can't believe that 5 years can go by so quickly. Garrett is so excited for school. He was such a big kid when we went to open house a few nights before school started. He was excited and a little nervous before the big day, but not scared. The timing of Emmett's birth worked out perfectly so that we could walk Garrett to and from school for the first few weeks. He seemed to grow up overnight. Although we can't get a lot out of him about his daily activities at school, he has been talking a lot about science, singing songs from music, singing us the alpha friend songs and the good morning song, and talking about the Schools Out after-school program that he attends. We couldn't be more proud.

Emmett update

2011-10-11T12:09:00.003-05:00

Emmett is one cute baby. We discovered that he likes to "talk" to things with eyes/faces. When Emmett was almost 3 months old, he was lying on the floor when I noticed him cooing to a Santa Claus book with big googly eyes that was propped up against the couch. Since then we've been propping up books with big pictures of faces as well as stuffed animals/toys with faces for him to "talk" to. And he sure does! The next night Greg had him cooing to the Disney princesses pictured on a pull-up box!

First Haircut

2011-10-11T12:02:00.005-05:00

Awhile back Garrett and Avery woke up before us (as usual) but didn't hang around our room trying to get us out of bed. Instead they helped themselves to breakfast! They got out poptarts and Garrett got them both a cup of water. Luckily they actually chose to eat breakfast food (versus Cheez-its other goodies in the pantry). However, after they ate breakfast, they proceeded to cut their poptart wrappers into a million tiny pieces with scissors. I can't complain...at least I got little extra sleep!

About a month ago Greg was home with the kiddos while I was working later. He was changing Emmett's diaper when he overheard Garrett say, "Okay that's probably enough..." He found Garrett with a pair of scissors and a handful of Avery's hair. He called me right away, starting the conversation with, "You're not gonna like this..." Somehow I knew right away. I knew the day would come. Luckily when I arrived home the damage was not as I had imagined. It was a chunk cut out of the front left side but I think we can blend it in by creating some layers. And we often pull that part of her hair away from her face anyway. Whew. I was picturing a giant chunk out of the back. Avery has had her haircut several times by my hairdresser. This was her first "sibling" haircut!

Welcome Emmett Dean!

2011-10-11T11:50:00.005-05:00

We welcomed our beloved baby boy into our family on July 14th, 2011. Emmett Dean Stohs was born at 8:03 am weighing 8 lb 2 oz and was 21 1/2 inches long. He was born by scheduled c-section. We were quite surprised that he was a boy since both Greg and I felt we were having a girl! Our first hint was during the surgery when Dr. Taylor said the baby had very broad shoulders and they had to widen my c-section incision. I have to admit it took an hour or so to adjust to the idea that we now have 2 boys! Emmett was born healthy as can be. He was a calm little man too, not even crying until they started to examine him on the warming table! He was able to hang with his Momma in the recovery room and I actually got to watch the nurse give him his first bath. These two things did not happen with Garrett and Avery's births, so it was quite a blessing.

Big brother Garrett and Big sis Avery came up to visit (with Grandpa and Grandma Stohs and Grandpa Reimer) about an hour or so after we settled into the postpartum room. They brought Emmett a balloon! Avery was a little unsure of all the medical equipment and hospital bed. She hung back by the wall during the first visit and wouldn't climb on the bed to sit by me. Garrett was a little quiet, taking it all in, but he did hold his little brother right away! Avery checked out Emmett while Grandpa held him. She said, "He likes me Mommy, he likes me!" We've all been enjoying him every since!!

Baby Update

2011-06-25T09:14:00.003-05:00

Can it really be almost 2 months since I blogged last? Yikes. We've been busy around here....

Here's the latest baby update....I am currently 36 weeks along. My c-section is scheduled for July 14th. We'll have to be there bright and early at 5:30 am and baby will probably arrive around 7 or 8 am. I've been having a lot of mid-upper back pain this pregnancy, feeling as if my ribs are crushed, which means I've resorted to spending some time each night sleeping in a recliner. Yuck. I actually googled "broken ribs in pregnancy" about 2 weeks ago! So I am very ready for baby to arrive!

I feel like this baby might arrive early based on the number of Braxton Hicks contractions that I have especially when I walk any distance at all (i.e. walking the dog around the block) and the painful rubbing of the baby's head against my pelvis which seemed to start a little early this time around. So we will see. My c-section is scheduled for 39 weeks and my actual due date is the 20th of July.

The kids and I had hoped to squeeze in a lot of summer before the baby arrives, but that isn't really happening. The weather has been really cool so hanging at the pool and even playing with water toys at home has been limited. I guess I should be thankful for the cooler weather!

I think the kids are excited about the baby. Garrett still thinks the baby is a girl and Avery is wishing for a boy. I'm trying to prepare them that it could go either way! Garrett is very sweet and asks me questions about if I think the baby would like this or that. I think he will be a good helper. He also has been telling me that all of his favorite stuffed animals are "newborns" except for his stuffed Cookie Monster, who is 5 years old, just like Garrett!

In the beginning of my pregnancy, Avery said she had two babies in her tummy, a boy and a girl, but then she lost interest for awhile. Now she has one again. We were eating supper the other night and she leaned over to tell me, "My baby is kicking in my tummy right now." She has also been 'mothering' her stuffed animals, strapping them into the baby's bouncer and feeding them with an old sippy cup that I let her play with.

The countdown is on...only 18 days to go!

Kindergarten, Here We Come!

2011-04-29T21:04:00.002-05:00

The past two weeks have been very busy for us! Garrett had his kindergarten physical, luckily with no shots required (we took care of those at the 4-year check-up). His current stats: Height 44", Weight 35.8 lbs, Body Mass Index 0% (off the charts). His body mass was never high (usually around 5% but it took a downward dive so we are supposed to get this skinny boy to gain about 3 lbs this summer. Sounds like an easy feat, but I can't remember the last time this boy gained a pound. Guess we'll have to start eating his favorite food (PB&J) more often to make sure that he's eating enough! Garrett enjoyed the visit and was all smiles for the nurses, as usual. When a nurse asked him if his Mommy and Daddy know if they are having a boy or a girl, he promptly replied, "It's a girl." Very matter of fact! I had to explain that we actually don't know what we are having.

Yesterday we headed to Kindergarten round-up. Garrett was all smiles and acted a little shy when the principal said 'hi' to him. All of the future kindergarteners were divided among the kindergarten teachers and got to hang out in a classroom while the parents sat through an informational meeting. We won't find out who his teacher is until right before school starts, so they just randomly divided them up. Garrett happened to be in the same group as his friend, Julia, from daycare that will be attending the same kindergarten as him! He seemed excited about that. He got a stamp on his hand, colored a picture, and wrote his name on it while they were in the classroom. I can't believe what a big boy he is! It seems like just yesterday that we were bringing him home from the hospital and now he is headed to kindergarten very soon! He is excited about kindergarten and I hope that school is a wonderful experience for him. The principal said that parents are always welcome to come and eat lunch with their child. I'm looking forward to some lunch dates with my boy since I'll have Thursdays off this next school year!
Here are some stats about our school (which is about 1 1/2 blocks from our house!): I believe it is the 3rd largest elementary school in Lincoln (that scares me a little bit). They are expecting approximately 120 new kindergarten students, divided among 6 classrooms. The biggest class in the school is the current 2nd grade with 138 students.

What We've Been Up To...

2011-04-12T19:58:00.000-05:00

I should be able to think of a more creative name for this blog post but for right now, that's all I've got. Here are some updates...

Garrett's stitches are out! We've been using steri-strips to hold his gash closed a little longer while it finishes healing. Today should be the last day. Swimming lessons can resume this week since he is fully healed! These are all wonderful things!

Avery has discovered my perfume. She came into the kitchen last weekend saying, "mell me, Mommy, mell me." She wanted me to smell her - she leaves off her 's' sounds. It's too cute to start correcting it yet! Turns out she had sprayed my perfume right onto her forehead. Thank goodness she didn't get it in her eyes! Guess I'll be keeping that out of reach from now on. She is very proud of 'being like Mommy!'

Avery is really into nail polish. Unfortunately we don't always have the same taste in colors. I prefer pinks and reds and she prefers green, orange, and purple! She insists that our nails must match so now I am wearing green, orange, and purple! It's hard to resist my little fashionista's style recommendations.

We have a sick bird for the first time in 13 years. Yes, much to Greg's dismay, the birds are going on 13 years now. Harry came down with a sinus infection and is taking a daily antibiotic (by tiny oral syringe!). We discovered that avian exams cost about twice the price of a dog/cat. But like I told Greg, we can't let her die of something easily treatable, and turns out, that was the case. Let's just say that Greg and I are becoming very experienced at medicating a tiny bird, again, much to his dismay. The birds have also been very unsettled lately, squawking at anything and everything. I think their general tolerance for a noisy environment is decreasing with age. It just so happens that my tolerance is decreasing with pregnancy. Anyway, this weekend, for the first time ever, I had suggested that maybe they need a quieter home. When I asked Garrett what he thought about this, he said, "No Mom! They can live in my room. If they keep me awake at night, that's okay." That boy has such a big heart. We definitely can't give his birds away.

My doctor's office is working on getting my c-section date scheduled. The date will be either July 14th or 15th, both good dates for birthdays, I think! I really seems like a reality when we start to talk about a birth date! This last trimester is going to fly by. I'm not quite sure that I'm ready for the sleepless nights and restricted diet again, but I sure am ready to start sleeping on my back again!

This might be the best news yet...there are only 33 days of school left!! Woo hoo!

Welcome to the World of Boys

2011-04-05T18:35:00.000-05:00

Within 1 week's time, Garrett experienced his first goose-egg to the forehead/black eye and stitches! I already briefly blogged about him missing the front porch steps at Grandpa's house and his big black eye that formed later that day. Thankfully that is looking much better these days. On Saturday we went for our bike ride to our neighborhood park. A steep sidewalk leads into the park and Garrett and Avery typically fly down this on their Strider bikes. That day, Avery decided to hang with me and Garrett raced ahead. I could see his front tire start to wobble followed by a big crash. Thankfully he was wearing his helmet, but it didn't protect his forehead very well. He came running toward me with blood running down his face, a big gash in his forehead, and a bloody nose. We wiped up the blood the best that we could and I tried to calm him down. Anyone that knows Garrett well, knows that he is our spirited child and his reactions are usually elevated above most children's. It was a long slow walk toward home. Thankfully our friend, Audrey, who lives nearby, gave us a ride. I wasn't sure if we would need stitches or not, but luckily our pediatrician's office is open on weekends, and they said to come right in. When the doctor saw him, he asked if he had lost consciousness (referring to his black eye) and I had to explain that his black eye was from the previous weekend. The doctor laughed about that and said, "Welcome to the world of boys." Sure enough, my buddy needed stitches. He didn't want anyone to touch his face, so they had to "papoose" him with velcro to a backboard. It still took 2 of us to hold him still while the doctor gave him 5 stitches! My poor boy! Avery was a good sport too. Thinking that he wouldn't really need stitches, I had taken her along with me. She sat in the corner and rocked Garrett's stuffed cookie monster back and forth. Let's just say that it was traumatic for everyone involved! But the good news is that his stitches are healing nicely and he gets them removed on Thursday. We'll probably be a little more cautious around our house for awhile.

The Things They Say...& Random Things

2011-03-29T21:12:00.004-05:00

We just returned from a wonderful spring break visiting Grandpa Reimer and family. We also celebrated Sissy's birthday with the Stohs family and the Reimer family over spring break. Pictures will come when I finally get them downloaded. We came back from spring break with 2 tired kids and one very black eye. Poor Garrett missed Grandpa's front porch steps completely on the way down. His forehead caught the brunt of his weight. Luckily he had no signs of concussion but got a nice scrape on his forehead and a very black eye. It's starting to turn yellow around the edges so I know it's healing. He's a tough guy.

I wanted to blog about the cute things my little kids say....

Avery associates everything purple with K-State (her daddy is very proud of this). When she sees purple, she says, "Go K-Steak!"

I'm amazed at how much Avery and Garrett are alike. When Garrett was 2-3 years old, he was obsessed with dogs and would pretend to be a dog everywhere we went. I remember him barking and licking packages in stores! Avery often pretends to be a dog and refers to herself as "Arfie." "Arfie will open the door." "Arfie wants another sucker." The funny thing about this is that Garrett also referred to himself as "Arfie" for a short time, but Avery would have been too little to recall this.

When Avery hears something new, she will often respond, "I didn't know that..." with a really high inflection on the word 'know.' Garrett did exactly the same thing when he was 3, and again Avery couldn't possibly remember that. How is it possible that she says some of the exact same things that he did at her age???

Garrett asked me tonight, "Mom do you remember when my favorite color was blue? And now it's orange and green."

Happy 3rd Birthday Avery!

2011-03-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Avery,

Happy 3rd Birthday! We can't believe that our baby is turning 3! You've grown up so fast. Sometimes you seem so mature for your age that it feels like you are 2 going on 8. We are so proud of the big girl you've become. You are such a kind sweet like girl with a big caring heart. When you saw your birthday presents the other day, you said, "These are for me and Garrett?!" You would share anything if you were asked to. You LOVE your big brother and mom and dad. Tonight, as I tucked you into bed, you said, "I'm your best friend, Mommy. And I'm Casey's best friend, and Garrett's best friend, and Daddy's best friend. You have a soft spot for animals, much like your mommy and Grandma Reimer. When Daddy didn't let Casey come inside one day, you burst into tears. Three of your favorite stuffed animals/blankets are puppy dogs. As you turn 3, your favorite things are playing with Garrett, snuggling with Casey, your 2 blankies and stuffed puppies, anything that is green, riding your bike, listening to books and "reading" them yourself!, matchbox cars, trains, stuffed animals, Scooby Doo, and watching movies like big brother! Happy Birthday sweetheart! We thank God for you everyday and are so lucky that God has chosen us to be your family.

Love, Mommy, Daddy, & Garrett (& Casey too!)

Welcome Cousin Colton!

2011-03-13T21:20:00.002-05:00

We welcomed another cousin last weekend! Colton Peddicord arrived March 6th, weighing in at a solid 8 lb 13 oz! He's a healthy boy and looks very cute! We can't wait to meet him and will post pictures of him when we can. Congratulations Kim, Tucker, and big sister Isabella!

Rough Day

2011-03-09T21:03:00.000-06:00

Friday ended up being a rough day for us. When I arrived at daycare to pick up the kids, Lynette surprised me with the news that she has now decided she will NOT take care of our new baby this fall. Like I said, this was a bit of a shocker to me. When we initially told her I was pregnant in the fall, she said she had room for the baby. Then later this turned into only 3 days at the most. And now, not at all??? What?? I'm very puzzled and irritated by this. She explained that she prefers to focus on the kids preschool activities and playing outside (both things we love about her) and that she can't keep up with a little baby in tow. I do understand that, but couldn't she just do us a favor? She currently has a baby that comes once a week and she said she dreads that day. She doesn't want to dread taking care of our baby each week. I don't want that either. Our baby is welcome at Lynette's when he/she is 9-12 months old.
On our drive home, Greg called me. "You won't believe what the dog ate today," he said. Apparently Casey decided to chow down on an entire large tube of Aquaphor that I left on the kitchen table. I proceeded to tell Greg that we had bigger problems than that, and told him about Lynette. When I arrived home, I checked the ingredients label of Aquaphor - petroleum and mineral oil. That can only equal one thing...diarrhea. So the dog spent all of his time outside or penned in the kitchen this weekend when we were not supervising.
Greg headed off to poker night with his coworkers after the dog incident on Friday, so I had the evening to myself with the kiddos. It was easy-going and relaxing, which was nice. However, when I climbed onto Garrett's top bunk bed to read him some books, I managed to catch my big toenail on his ladder. This particular toenail was black and blue last fall and had released from my toe about 2/3 of the way. One side was still growing and attached so following my doctor's advice, I had been taping it on until it falls off on it's own. Well that won't be necessary now because I ripped it completely off. So now I only have about 1/4 of a toenail and a very irritated spot where it was ripped off. Pretty painful for several days, but thankfully much better starting yesterday. To make matters worse, I wasn't wearing socks on Sunday, trying to let it breathe and heal a bit when I dragged a big cardboard box across my foot and got a big paper cut where I should have a toenail. Ouch.
Luckily, Grandpa called on Friday night with the news that he wanted to come visit us for the weekend so that helped to cheer me up. We celebrated Avery's 3rd birthday a little early with him and she loved opening her dollhouse from Grandpa and us! Garrett also insisted that she open the Tangled doll that he picked out for her! Don't worry, we still have a smaller gift for her to open on her actual birthday.
There's more to tell about the weekend, including a dog pee incident, which involved both myself and Grandpa sitting in dog pee, but I'll spare you the details. Thanks to the advice of my friend Ashley, it turns out that vinegar and water is really the best carpet cleaning solution.

Our Ultrasound

2011-03-02T21:09:00.002-06:00

We had our 20-week ultrasound today! Several hours later, I still can't believe that we did NOT find out if we are having a boy or girl! The suspense might kill me, but it is exciting! The baby is perfectly healthy which is the most important thing. Garrett and Avery joined Greg and I for the ultrasound, which was a pretty special experience to see them smiling and watching their little baby brother or sister on the monitor. During the ultrasound, the technician asked the kids what names they liked for the baby. Garrett came up with the following ideas: Peaches, Diego, or Possom (wait a minute...aren't those characters from Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs?) or Dora. The baby's heart rate varied from 138 to 133 beats per minute and later 154 with the nurse. We'll see if my theory (and gut feeling) that it's a girl holds true. I have always heard that lower heart rates are girls and that held true for Garrett and Avery. We got to see a lot of movement including the baby opening and closing her mouth and swallowing. It took a long time for the technician to see an air bubble travel to her stomach to pinpoint that the stomach was located in the right place, so the ultrasound took a really long time. We even took a break and tried a second time before she located the stomach. But eventually she saw it and everything looked great, so all is well.

Garrett's First Love

2011-03-02T19:35:00.000-06:00

When I picked up the kids last week from daycare, Garrett pointed out one of the school-age girls sitting on the porch. "See that girl over there Mom? I like her. I think I'm falling in love." He gave me a big smile. I couldn't tell if he was teasing me or serious. I asked, "What's her name?" He replied, "I don't know..." (This week I finally remembered that her name is Morgan.) Garrett might have his first crush. My boy is growing up!

Still running

2011-02-21T19:19:00.000-06:00

I have to brag about myself a little bit today. I am still running 1-2 times per week. Granted, I'm running a little slower and mixing in some walking breaks to keep from getting really out of breath, but I'm still doing it. I'm only covering 2-3 miles at a time now. But the dog still needs his exercise and my goal is to stay really fit for as long as possible this pregnancy. I have my doctor's blessing to run as long as I am comfortable. The last 3 runs have been a little less comfortable with my growing belly, so I'll be curious how much longer I will continue. This weekend we spent our Saturday afternoon on a nice bike path south of town. The kids rode their Strider bikes, Greg rode my bike, and Casey and I had a nice jog. It was a beautiful day and felt so good to be outside enjoying the fresh air as a family. That night after baths, Garrett crawled into our bed and I tucked him in while we finished getting Avery ready for bed. He was such a tired guy that he fell asleep! He hasn't fallen asleep like that (outside of his regular bedtime in his own bed) since he was 1 or 2 years old!

But the baby wants it...

2011-02-21T19:12:00.001-06:00

We made a family trip to Target this weekend because we were out of all of the necessities at our house. Avery got to do a little birthday idea shopping to see what she might want for her big day. To our pleasant surprise, she was really into the big dollhouse that I've had my eyes on for awhile now (sigh of relief...my little girl actually wants a dollhouse and not a monster truck...). After that she got to pick out some plates/napkins for her party. She spotted the Tangled plates right away and added them to our cart. Then she spotted the Spongebob Squarepants cups. She said, "Mommy, the baby likes Spongebob. Can the baby get Spongebob cups?" Nice try!

Fooled

2011-02-16T21:37:00.000-06:00

Happy Belated Valentine's Day by the way! We had a nice relaxing evening at home. The kids came home with lots of goodies from daycare and a favorite neighbor of ours stopped by with delicious sugar cookies (frosted - my favorite!). Lynette had given the kids frosted sugar cookies at daycare too. When we walked in the door after school that day, Garrett said, "Mom, can I eat my cookie, because the other kids ate theirs and I didn't have time to eat mine." I pulled it out of his goody bag and let him dig in. A little bit later as I was sorted through Avery's goodies, I realized that she had a cookie too, so I seriously doubt that the other kids ate theirs without Garrett! I think every kiddo came home with one and he managed to get his before supper!

No Petting the Baby

2011-02-15T20:02:00.000-06:00

I showed Avery how much bigger my belly is getting these days. Her response was, "I don't want to pet her, Mommy." I smiled and told her she didn't have to touch my belly! She still says that she has 2 babies in her tummy. The last 2 times that she talked about them, she called them her "Garrett babies." How do they come up with these things? Garrett overheard this and was NOT happy!

Is He Real?

2011-02-11T21:45:00.001-06:00

Garrett asked me a few weeks ago if the Easter Bunny is real. I said, "I don't know...what do you think?" He said, "No, I don't think he is." Maybe he has heard this from the big kids at daycare? A few days later he asked if Superman is real. My response was the same, asking what he thought. He said, "I think he is." I smile when I think that my little boy doesn't believe in the Easter Bunny but he does believe in flying superheroes.

Leave the snow ON

2011-02-06T20:08:00.003-06:00

We've had a lot of snow lately. It snows, it starts to melt, and it snows again. I'm beginning to feel like I just really want to see the ground and the grass again. I remember feeling that way last January too. Avery loves the snow. She loves to look outside at it. She likes to play in it too, but she gets cold quickly and she's usually ready to come inside right away. Garrett, on the other hand, could take up permanent residence outside. The last two big snows, Greg has kept busy helping the city plow the streets after his regular work day. When Avery learned about this last week, she became genuinely upset. She said, "I don't want Daddy take the snow off. I want Daddy leave the snow ON!" She seems to think that her Daddy is working against her love of the snow. She was almost in tears. The next day she witnessed Greg snow blowing the driveway. She stood in the garage yelling over and over, "I want you leave the snow ON, Daddy!" Of course, with the loud snow blower, he couldn't hear her and kept on going. She eventually came inside and then watched him from her bedroom window, yelling the same thing!

My Avery

2011-02-01T15:31:00.002-06:00

I had a cute conversation with Avery today. I referred to her as "my daughter," a term I guess I don't use often enough, because she looked at me, puzzled. She said, "I'm not a daughter." I replied, "You're MY daughter." She said, "No, you're MY daughter! I'm not your daughter. I'm your Avery."

I'm Finally Cool!

2011-01-29T11:39:00.000-06:00

I almost forgot to announce that I'm finally joining the ranks of my cool friends. Greg and I recently upgraded to SMART PHONES! Woo hoo! So I went from not being able to text on my phone to being able to search the web and do everything you can imagine. Pretty cool. I've downloaded some cool apps included 5000+ Baby Names and the kids' all-time favorite, Talking Tom Cat. Talking Tom Cat is a cute little gray cat that mimics what you say in a funny voice. He also purrs when you rub his tummy and says "no" if you touch his tail. The kids are nuts about it. Turns out it's a pretty good incentive for using the potty also....

Names

2011-01-27T19:34:00.000-06:00

Lately I've been in the habit of calling Garrett by his full name when he is not listening. Something along the lines of, "Garrett Scott Stohs, get in here right now!" Avery seems to think she has the same middle name. She was walking around a few days ago singing, "Avery Scott Stohs, Avery Scott Stohs!" Luckily, her brother didn't hear her.

We've been working on our list of favorite baby names. Since we're not finding out the sex of the baby this time, we'll need a boy and a girl name. I've been asking the kids lately what names they like, just for fun. Garrett always says we should name the baby, "Avery" and Avery says we should name the baby, "Garrett." Either the teasing just never really stops at our house or they don't quite get it.

Doggy Heaven

2011-01-20T18:30:00.000-06:00

I told the kids last night that we would be visiting Grandma and Grandpa this weekend. They both shrieked with excitement. Avery said that she wanted to see Abby, Grandma and Grandpa's old yellow lab that recently passed away. Garrett said, "Avery, remember that Abby died. She's in doggy heaven now so she can eat as many dog bones as she wants. Isn't that right, Mom?" How sweet is that?

Tomboy

2011-01-18T20:47:00.004-06:00

Our little girl is always dressed in pink and has pretty long hair. But that's about where the girly qualities end! Tonight Avery went to bed with a big rubber dinosaur and her brother's monster truck. For her upcoming 3rd birthday I have dreams of buying her a big Barbie-sized dollhouse but in reality she would probably much rather have a shake-and-go race car track. What should I do? I guess we better take her shopping before the big day...

Happy Anniversary Greg!

2011-01-05T07:30:00.001-06:00

Nine years ago today I married my best friend. And if it's possible, our life together continues to get better and better...

The Prank

2011-01-03T21:27:00.002-06:00

Sometimes we underestimate our 2-year old. Avery was busy playing in her bed after bedtime on Saturday evening. We could hear her through the baby monitor but figured she would fall asleep quickly since she was a tired girl. A little bit later we heard some loud noise and Greg went to check it out. Turns out she had come out of her room, walked into Garrett's, and said, "Time to wake up Garrett. I'm locking you in." Then she headed out and locked the door. (His doorknob is turned around so he can't lock us out when he's in trouble, so Avery locked him in from the outside). Garrett immediately started screaming. That little girl was in big trouble! So my big question is, how can a little kiddo that knows how to play pranks on her brother not know how to use the potty?? (Actually on a positive note, we went back to underwear today and she stayed dry all day!!)

Happy New Year and a Dog Emergency

2011-01-03T21:06:00.002-06:00

I had no intention of staying up to ring in the new year this year. I always stay up until midnight but given our recent bout with the flu and my pregnancy-induced sleepy state, I thought I'd turn in at a decent time that night. Greg and I were lucky to have a babysitting offer from my friend Alyx, so we actually went out on a date on New Year's to celebrate our anniversary a few days early! After arriving at a local favorite restaurant with an hour and 45-minute wait, we quickly hurried to Shogun's where we got in within 20 minutes and had a delicious supper. Then we hit the movies with no time to spare. We had a great time!
When we arrived home, we chatted with Alyx for awhile and watched the ball drop on TV at 11:00. We lot the dogs (Casey and Alyx's dog, Bryda) outside one last time and when they came in Casey's foot was bleeding badly. We laid him down and realized one of his big back claws was bent over completely sideways. After stopping the bleeding and making a quick call to the emergency vet office we decided we couldn't attempt to clip his claw because it was anchored too tightly sideways, so off I went with Casey to the vet's office. After they checked him out I received the $73 bill with news that they couldn't do anything so they wrapped it up, gave him a nice lampshade to wear and told me he needs surgery in a few days! The clock struck midnight on my way home. I arrived home to tell Greg, "Happy New Year and your dog needs surgery!"

Casey update:
Casey's beloved kids have been taking the BEST care of him. They snuggle with him and tell him what a good dog he is. Avery lays down with him and puts her head inside his lampshade to snuggle her head next to his. The second night Casey was in a lot of pain and couldn't fall asleep. At about 2:00 am, I found him fast asleep stretched out on his little girl's floor. I guess he just felt better being near his kids.
Casey went in for his surgery to remove his toenail today. Luckily they sedated him and were able to do some major clipping instead of surgically removing the toe. He has exposed bone and his foot is really sore so we are spoiling him. He gets a check-up on Wednesday to see how his toe is healing.

Birthdays

2010-12-29T21:14:00.003-06:00

Avery has really been waiting for her birthday to come along. After celebrating Garrett's, then mine, and then Daddy's, she's a little puzzled why she has to wait for hers to come. She knows her birthday is in March, but that is a long ways away when you are only 2! I asked her yesterday what she wants for her birthday. She said, "Ummm, candles and frosting." I said, "Oh yes, I will make you a cake! But what kind of present do you want?" She thought about this for awhile and replied, "A green one." We're thinking of getting her a Barbie-sized dollhouse for her birthday this year. But everytime we go shopping, it's the matchbox cars and Thomas the train sets that she goes crazy for! Maybe we'll have to add a set of the Cars characters to her gift!

Just a few other cute things that she does at age 2 1/2:
She loves to wear her K-State outfit. She proudly cheers, "Go K-Steak!"

She comes sneaking into our bedroom every Saturday and Sunday morning. She used to crawl up in the middle right away and tell us to, "Make me a pot!" (spot). She leaves off her s's. It's really cute. Lately she will make many trips to bring all of her favorite stuffed animals to our bed before she crawls into bed. Today that required 5 trips. If Garrett is already in our bed, he kindly asks her to get the rest of his animals off his bed. Of course, she's happy to oblige her brother and proceeds to make several trips up/down his bunk bed ladder to retrieve his 5 favorite animals/blankies. She says, "I will get them Gawett." So today that sweet little girl made 8 trips with armloads of animals and blankets to our room before she climbed into bed. I was buried under stuffed animals!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-29T21:11:00.002-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas and hope you did too! We survived 4 days in our house with 7 adults, 5 children age 5 and under, and 3 dogs! It was wonderful to have so much time together with my family, although between chasing our own children around, feeding them, and putting them to bed, we agreed that it still felt that we hardly had time to talk to each other. Thanks Reimer family for road-tripping it to our house this year - good times were had by all!

Santa's Cookies

2010-12-24T21:03:00.000-06:00

When we put out our cookies for Santa Claus, Garrett said, "We could probably eat one, right Mom? If Santa eats them all, he'll get fat." So we ate one!

Dear Santa

2010-12-22T16:15:00.000-06:00

We are SO excited for Christmas this year. We've been cutting links off of our Christmas countdown chains every night. One of the best parts of Christmas this year - we are hosting it at our house! The Reimer family is road-trippin' it up to our house. It will be nice to spend Christmas in our home with our family. I'm excited for all of the cousins to be together for several days straight.

This year we watched Santa ride in on a horse-drawn carriage to flip a big switch and turn on the Christmas lights on the HUGE tree at the mall during the lighting ceremony. His sleigh with 2 reindeer was parked nearby. We also visited Santa at the mall and the kids both sat on his lap. Garrett asked for a "toy train" and Avery asked for a "toy train." That's no surprise!

Greg helped the kids write letters to Santa. Garrett asked for a "toy train and a remote control car." Avery asked for, "What Garrett wants and a bone for Casey." That didn't go over so well with Garrett. Boy does that little girl love her brother! We delivered our letters to the big red SANTA mailbox at the bank and were so excited when Santa wrote us back about a week later!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Baby News

2010-12-21T19:00:00.000-06:00

I'm a little late in sharing on the blog, since most already know that Baby #3 is on the way! We are so excited to announce that our family is growing! I'm 10 weeks now and my due date is July 19th. It will be interesting to see how I survive a hot humid July at the end of my pregnancy! We will probably be hanging at the pool EVERY day! We had our first ultrasound at 8 weeks. Everything looked great and we could see the little flicker of the heartbeat. We'll get to hear the heartbeat on January 5th, our 9 year anniversary and my first dr's appointment! Can't wait for both of those things! I feel like I'm showing really early this time - guess those poor abs just don't hold things in so well the 3rd time around. Oh well. Greg and I have decided we will NOT find out the gender this time. We found out with both Garrett and Avery but since we already have boy and girl stuff, we'll just let this be a surprise. That might be tough for me. I have a hard time waiting for surprises and the suspense can almost kill me! When we ask Garrett and Avery what they want to have, Garrett says a sister and Avery says a brother. Then they proceed to argue about it!

Garrett and Avery were thrilled about the news. Garrett announced to Grandpa Reimer over the phone, "We're having a BABY!" Avery shared with Grandma and Grandpa Stohs, "I gonna be big sister!" Garrett has SO many good questions this time. It's really different having a 5-year old around to ask about everything instead of just a 2-year old like my last pregnancy. He wants to know, "How big is the baby?" "What does it eat?" "How does it breathe?" I have a nice pregnancy book with real color photos of babies at each week of development. For about 2 weeks, Garrett poured over the pictures, studying them closely.

Avery told me the other night, "I have a baby too." I thought she was referring to her baby doll, so I said, "Yes, you do." She patted her tummy. "Right here Mommy. Two babies." I guess she is having twins!

Bell Ringing

2010-12-09T21:35:00.001-06:00

About 2 weeks ago, I spent 2 hours with a good friend doing a good deed. My friend Julie and I signed up as bell ringers for the Salvation Army. We had an evening shift outside a grocery store so we piled on the layers in 30 degree weather. It was so much fun and ended up being 2 hours of good conversation and laughter! We stayed warm except for our toes and we both agreed that they were slightly painful as they thawed out later when we returned home! If you have some free time and want to help out those in need, check out salvationarmyusa.org.

Sunken Gardens

2010-12-07T21:49:00.007-06:00

Every year I love to vist the Sunken Gardens when it is in full bloom to snap some pics of the kids. We barely made it this year (notice we are wearing winter clothes!) before the first frost hit. Here are my favorites:

Happy Halloween!

2010-12-07T21:21:00.003-06:00

15K!

2010-12-07T20:55:00.006-06:00

On October 17th, I ran my first 15K! (9.3 miles - woohoo!) I had wonderful company, running with Julie and Shawna again. My biggest fans were there to cheer me on! I had 2 personal goals for this race - to finish in 1 hour 45 minutes or less and to run 11 minute miles or quicker. I was thrilled to meet both goals! I finished in 1 hour 44 minutes and eleven seconds at an 11 minute 10 second pace! Not to bad. Next time I would train more thoroughly and try to train for speed as my endurance improves. I really slacked off the month before the race, thinking that I was pregnant. I found out the weekend before that I was not, so I dusted off my running shoes and signed up! And I'm glad I did. I can definitely see a half marathon in my future...

a BIG train

2010-12-05T21:22:00.004-06:00

Greg, Garrett, and Avery were lucky enough to see the biggest working steam engine in the world, The Challenger. It passed thru Herkimer, KS, home of Greg's Grandma Melba. The train was making it's way back from St. Louis, MO to Cheyenne, WY, where it is housed. It stopped overnight in Marysville, KS, so the kids, Greg, and Great-Grandma got a chance to see it up close. The next morning, it flew thru Herkimer at 60 mph as they watched by the tracks. We have some amazing video footage of it coming, puffing up huge clouds of steam in the distance as it gets closer to town. I had to stick around Lincoln for a late meeting at work, so I didn't get to witness this "awesome" train. (Just ignore the strange lady's backside in the first picture. We can thank Greg's photography for that!)

Pumpkin Patch!

2010-12-05T21:11:00.004-06:00

We decided to check out a new pumpkin patch this year, ironically it's the one closest to our house! We went to Roca Berry Farm, where we pick strawberries in the springtime. We went on Garrett's birthday, the morning and early afternoon before his party, so it was a busy day for all of us! The kids had a blast in the haunted barns, the corn maze, riding the ponies, and riding the hayrack out to pick pumpkins. Avery rode the biggest pony, Stinky Pete, and Garrett rode Tanner. They both got a kick out of Stinky Pete's name.

Easton

2010-12-05T21:02:00.004-06:00

I'm a little behind with everything! Here is a picture of (not so new) cousin Easton, Johnathan & Shelby's little boy. I can't remember exactly how old he was in this picture, but it was the first weekend that Avery & I met him. Garrett & Greg made a trip down when he was born to meet him in the hospital.

Garrett's Birthday Pics

2010-12-05T20:51:00.004-06:00

Wow, has it really been 6 weeks since I've blogged? Life has been busy around here. Garrett had a wonderful birthday party. The weather was great, so we played games outside, chowed on some pizza and cake, and opened presents. Garrett, Avery, and his friends Andrew, Nathan, Jacob, Salora, and Abbey had a great time.

Happy 5th Birthday Garrett!

2010-10-19T06:02:00.001-05:00

I can't believe that five years have passed since you were a tiny sweet little boy cradled in my arms. I am so proud of the bright loving young boy that you have become. Every day you amaze me with the things that you know. You are always teaching me about bugs, dinosaurs, trains, weather, and plants. You are a huge helper in the kitchen, the garden, and a good workout partner on your bike! You take good care of your sister and your dog. You are always telling me that Casey listens to you better than anyone else! You are a busy active boy with a wonderful imagination and I'm so lucky that God chose me to be your mom. Happy Birthday, Garrett! We are so proud of you! Love, Mom, Dad, Avery, Casey & all of our critters.

Garrett's Biggest Fan

2010-10-13T22:23:00.002-05:00

Soccer!

2010-10-13T22:14:00.003-05:00

Garrett had a blast at soccer clinic this fall! We enjoyed cheering him on.

Big Girl Bed

2010-10-13T22:12:00.001-05:00

Just Like Mommy

2010-10-13T22:09:00.002-05:00

This girl knows how to travel!

Summer Vacation

2010-10-13T21:44:00.004-05:00

Here's a quick glimpse of our summer vacation to KC. I had more pics to post, but can't for some reason. The kids were good travelers as usual. We had a blast at the T-REX restaurant (although the food was overpriced!) and loved Schlitterbahn, the new waterpark. We were there for 9 hours straight with only 1 meltdown when Garrett tasted Avery's slushy and she was NOT okay with that!

Momentum

2010-10-12T19:12:00.000-05:00

We went on a hay rack ride last Saturday during a gathering with members from Greg's parents' church. The kids enjoyed it although Avery seemed more wiggly than her 1 year old cousin. As we were going down a big hill, Garrett said, "The heavy people make us go really fast downhill!" I guess he already understands 'momentum!'

A Train in the House?

2010-10-12T19:08:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we visited Greg's parents. Since Avery is now sleeping in a "big kid" bed, Greg and I split up and each snuggled with a kiddo both nights. Greg slept with Avery the first night with the windows open since the weather was beautiful. At about 7:30 in the morning, a train rolled through. Greg's parent's live quite a ways from the tracks, but the train sounded pretty loud and almost echoed through their house with the windows open. Avery sat straight up in bed with Greg and said, "Daddy, there's a train in here!"

New PDR

2010-10-12T19:05:00.000-05:00

I set a new PDR (personal distance record) last Saturday. I was highly motivated to get a long run in, with the idea that if I could meet my goal of 7-8 miles, I will sign up for a 15K this coming weekend with my friend, Julie. Thanks to my beloved Casey (who ran the first 4 miles with me), my sweet Garrett (who rode along for 3 miles), and my sport beans, I ran a total of 7.5 miles in 85 minutes (averaging 11 min miles). When it comes to running, I can either be really "on" or really "off" so I'm hoping that on Sunday, I'll be "on!"

Swimming Lessons

2010-10-04T21:49:00.004-05:00

A Boy, A Frog, & His Dog

2010-10-04T21:41:00.004-05:00

Nature Lover

2010-10-04T21:30:00.003-05:00

Our little girl is a nature lover. And a collector of nature items. So far her collection includes feathers, rocks, sticks, many acorns of different sizes, and pine cones. She fills her pockets with her collectibles on our walks. On Sunday, she said, "I can put these in my pocket." I noticed that what she was holding was very round and thought I should take a better look. Sure enough, it was rabbit poop!

She also loves to pick up bugs. On Saturday at the Sunken Gardens, she said, "Wook it Daddy, wook it, wook at what I caught." She had a bee in her hand! As Greg was trying to brush it off, it kept sticking to her, but thankfully it didn't sting her.

Yesterday as we were tearing out our garden in preparation for fall/winter, she showed me a giant grasshopper that she had caught. I wondered how she could have caught it. Since I was wearing my gardening gloves, I thought I'd take a better look. The poor thing had it's back legs pulled off - probably the victim of a neighbor boy. The grasshopper was more than happy to hang out on Avery and slowly crawl up her arm into her hair. She would just giggle and say, "He wikes me, Mommy. He wikes me!" We kept him overnight in our bug zoo and released him into the great outdoors today, after she held him again, of course.

Mollie & Willie

2010-10-04T21:25:00.006-05:00

Avery is nuts about the cats. She can't quite get their names straight though. She takes Mollie & Willie and combines them into "Milwie." When she sees both cats, she actually says, "Look Mom, there's Milwie. And there's another Milwie."

Nighttime

2010-09-29T21:05:00.003-05:00

As I was snuggling with Garrett at bedtime tonight, he said, "I don't like nighttime."

I asked, "Why?," expecting him to say that he was afraid of the dark or something like that.

Instead he replied, "It's so boring. You just have to stay in bed and you don't get to play or anything."

He always makes me smile.

Welcome Easton Lee!

2010-09-23T18:00:00.000-05:00

Garrett and Avery have a new little cousin! Easton Lee Stohs was born on Monday, Sept 20, weighing in at a solid 9 lb 3 oz. Congratulations Johnathan and Shelby! Greg and Garrett have already met the little guy, but Avery and I will have to wait a few weeks.

I'll post pics when I get some. I've seen some pics on facebook and he's a cutie with light blonde hair!

Football

2010-09-18T21:55:00.002-05:00

Wow, has it really been 3 weeks since I blogged last? Where did the time go? Guess we've been busy enjoying the cooler weather.

Greg has football on the brain today. After watching the K-State game, I asked him if he knew what the weather was like outside (It was 48 degrees and windy at 9:00 am this morning when we watched Garrett at the YMCA soccer clinic. Brrrr!) His response was, "It was still cold when I took K-State outside, I mean KU, I mean Casey! (the dog). Yikes.

Farewell Summer

2010-08-31T19:05:00.000-05:00

About that last trip to the pool yesterday...there were not many people there. That spells FUN for us. The YMCA pool has a big waterslide that lands in the deep end. Of course, you have to be a good swimmer to go down it, so the kids can't go down. But they never seem to tire of cheering Greg and I on as we take turns going down and trying to make the biggest splash possible. Garrett and Avery stand near the edge of the pool by the bottom of the slide (with one of us) and they cheer loudly, "Go, Mom, Go! Go, Mom, Go!" They were also very entertained as we took turns falling backwards into the water and doing cannonballs. I'm not sure who had more fun, the kids or us!

Driving Crooked

2010-08-31T19:00:00.000-05:00

Greg and the kids enjoyed some quality time together a few evenings ago when I went out to dinner with a friend. Apparently they had a lot of fun. As we were driving home yesterday evening, (we made one final trip to the pool to celebrate the end of our summer) Garrett said, "Hey Dad, do that crooked driving again." I'm thinking, "What???"
Greg said, "Not right now buddy." There were cars driving toward us.
Garrett replied, "Because there's cars driving Dad? And someone would see us and call the police and think we were crazy?"
I'm still thinking, "What???"
After we pulled onto our street, Greg demonstrated his very popular "crooked driving." He makes the van swerve back and forth in rhythm with our favorite kids' CD. I have to admit, it was pretty funny!

Backseat Driver

2010-08-27T18:32:00.000-05:00

I love the honesty of a 4-year old. That filter for what you should and shouldn't say just doesn't exist yet. As we were driving down a narrow street the other day, Garrett commented from the backseat, "Boy Mom, you can't drive very straight, can you?"

I must admit, driving straight has never been a strength of mine, in a car, and especially on a bicycle.

Need a Dog?

2010-08-27T18:30:00.000-05:00

Greg seems to think that Casey needs a new home this week. Problems arose early on Monday morning when Greg stepped in a fresh pile of dog poop in the middle of the living room floor at 3 am. This is very unlike our dog and very unpleasant in the wee hours of the morning. I shouldn't even complain. Poor Greg!

We discovered later that day that diarrhea seemed to be the issue but he made it through the day in the house. Tuesday on the other hand - not so good. I had to clean 7 small piles of #$% off the floor when I got home from work and another one the next day too! I should note that since Wednesday, Casey has been confined to the kitchen on the vinyl floor. Apparently a child's toy is the culprit. (It's slowly passing). But we're not sure exactly what it is that he ate. Maybe something made out of plastic from China?

This is probably too much information but I've done too much carpet cleaning this week and needed to complain to someone. And the thought of Greg stepping in a huge pile of dog poop barefoot still makes me laugh a little. Sorry Greg! Good thing he puts up with me and all of my animals!

Could it be true??

2010-08-25T17:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we clapped and sang and danced. We even went out for supper to celebrate. What is the big news? Avery stayed dry all day at Lynette's AND all evening at home! Last week she stayed dry all day at Lynette's for the first time (but then not in the evening). She came home from daycare with a certificate and a big smile. I helped her proudly hang her certificate on the fridge.

We had high hopes to potty train Sis over the summer, but those hopes were quickly squashed when she refused to sit on the potty most of the time. Then I had high hopes that returning to daycare would be the big motivator that we needed. Once again this proves that children are always more willing to do things for their beloved daycare folks than for us.

We're very proud of her. She's not even 2 1/2 yet. I have to keep reminding myself of that because she already acts more like a 3-year old!

Running Tuesday

2010-08-17T22:31:00.002-05:00

I'm following Skinny Runner's lead and blogging about my run today. I haven't done a long run for awhile, but was super motivated to get out and run today. It must be the stress of starting a new school year! Here's my workout:

Distance: 5.01 miles

Time: 54 minutes

Averaging 10 minute miles

Not bad, considering that I usually run 11 minute miles. My faithful workout partner, Casey, hung in there for the long haul. I usually don't run him for more than 4 miles with the fear that he will drop dead from a heart attack before he ever stops running. You've never seen a dog get so excited to see his owner in workout clothes! He did great today and the 75 degree weather was a welcome change from 100+!

If you like to run and need a little motivation, check out Skinny Runner's blog. I figure that if she can run 10 miles a day, surely I can run a few too, right?

There's a 15K coming up soon that I'm thinking I might sign up for. It's always easier to run long distances when you are working towards a goal. Let me know if you want to join me!

Back to School

2010-08-11T21:55:00.002-05:00

Today was my first day back to school. We had a wonderful summer. We took a little vacation to KC and visited the new waterpark, Schlitterbahn. The kids had a blast! The T-Rex restaurant in the Legends outlet mall was also a big hit for Garrett and Avery. I'll post some pics when I download them. We also had some fun visitors the last few weeks. Annie & cousin Finn spent 5 hot and humid days with us and Grandpa Reimer spent last weekend with us.

Now it's back to work. The students start next Wednesday, so we have a week to prepare. Garrett & Avery had a blast at Lynette's house today. Garrett was so excited to see his best friend, Jacob! He said, "I can't wait to see Jacob. Avery, aren't you excited to see Jacob too?" They were both sleepy kiddos tonight!

Big Girl

2010-08-11T21:32:00.005-05:00

Our little Avery is growing up. She recently switched to her big girl bed! Her bedding has cats and dogs on it, which fits her perfectly. She LOVES her big kid bed. She doesn't try to come out of her room. She hasn't been napping because she spends most of her time "reading" books! We listen to this on the baby monitor and it's one of the sweetest things I've heard.

I included a few pics of our big girl. For her birthday, Grandpa Reimer bought her a pink Strider bike (Garrett has a green one). She is getting very good at it! I also had to include a pic of her with her hair in a ponytail. She looks so grown up ! I can't believe she is almost 2 1/2 now!

Here a few of the cute things she says:

Yesterday morning she wanted to sit on the bathroom counter as I got ready. She asked me, "Wanna do our makeup together Mommy?" As if she wears makeup every day! I must confess, I do put some on her (not daily of course)!

She always says to Greg:

"Hey Daddy." Greg says, "What?" Avery says, "No say, 'Hey Avery!" I'm not sure what this is about, but it's cute!

When she wants to show us something, she says, "Look it, Mommy!" I remember Garrett saying "Look it" also.

Casey continues to be her best friend. She says, "I like Casey. Casey is my friend. He's nice."

One more cute story:
Garrett was stung by a bee twice last week. After many tears and hugs, he was okay. His little sis was so concerned about him that she made 3 trips up and down the stairs to carry his favorite stuffed animals, blankets, and pillow to him, which he had left in the basement. When Greg offered to help, she said, "I get it, Daddy." How sweet!

Summertime Cuties

2010-06-27T14:04:00.001-05:00

The Cute Things They Say

2010-06-27T10:44:00.000-05:00

I love to write down the cute things my kids say. I always like to think that I'll remember them anyway, but the reality is that I can't remember it all. So here's Avery's latest cute sayings:
-She LOVES cereal and mac 'n cheese. She's always climbing in the pantry to dig out her favorite box of "ceweals" or to bring me a box of "mac 'n cheese" (she articulates it so well!) to cook for her. Every Saturday morning she says, "I want ceweals."
-She has distinct taste in everything from music to clothing. When we're driving in the car, she says, "I don't wike this song!" or the other day we were listening to country music and the lyrics went something like, "bang, bang, bang." Avery chimes in, "I don't wike bang, bang, bang."
(This reminds me of when Garrett was a 2-year old and went swimming with Aunt Annie. She jumped in the pool and yelled, "Ta-da!" He yelled back, "I don't wike ta-da!," which really meant he didn't like the splashing!)
-If I wear a new shirt, she notices right away. She asks, "Where you get that shirt, Mom? It new?" She also showers me with compliments about my clothing. "I wike your pants, Mom." How cute is that? Look out, Greg, I think she might be a future shopper!

Happy Father's Day, Greg!

2010-06-20T13:56:00.004-05:00

Happy Father's Day to the best Dad and husband we could wish for. Every day with you is a fun adventure! These pictures were taken when we visited the outdoor safari on Mother's Day. Just for the record, you drive very slowly (10 mph) through the animal enclosures, so the kids can safely ride in the front seat!

10K!

2010-06-20T13:44:00.002-05:00

About 2 weeks ago, I ran my first 10K with these two wonderful ladies: Julie and Shauna. We weren't the fastest runners (I think I slowed them down!) but we had a great time! Can't wait to run with them again sometime.

Our Camping Trip

2010-06-20T13:35:00.003-05:00

We kicked off summer with a camping trip on Memorial Day weekend. We didn't get much sleep! Our little campers were up until almost 11 pm bouncing off the tent walls and then up at 6 am. They were so worn out that we had to shorten our trip to one night!

Camping!

2010-05-27T17:20:00.000-05:00

Our summer "vacation" or maybe I should say "stay-cation" will include a lot of camping this year! We getting ready for our first camping trip. Following my Dad's suggestion, we thought maybe we'd try out camping in the backyard first. When I told Garrett the news, he had other ideas. "But Mom, I want to camp in a FOREST, not in our backyard!" So much for the backyard camping - I guess we're hitting the lake!

15 Miles

2010-05-27T11:35:00.000-05:00

I have to brag a little - not that I like to brag, but I'm proud of myself. This is my 3rd week of running on a regular basis. I ran 15 miles in 5 days (4 days of running, 1 day off). I've had many great running partners this week to keep me motivated including Julie, Audrey, Alex, and my beloved furry friend, Casey! I finally joined the modern era and got an MP3 player so I can zone out to music while I run. I tried it for the first time last night and went from my usual 11-12 minute mile to a 9 minute mile. I guess that upbeat music really puts an extra bounce in your step!

A little more about Julie - she helped me accomplish a milestone last Saturday - together we ran 6.5 miles without stopping (including many loooong hills!). She was a great conversation partner and a good motivator! Thanks Julie! We'll be running together again in about a week in my first 10K!

More Potty Talk!

2010-05-14T18:25:00.001-05:00

We recently watched the movie, Madagascar: Escape to Africa. If you haven't seen it - it's cute. It has a catchy tune:
We like to move it, move it.
We like to move it, move it.
We like to move it, move it.
We like to... MOVE IT!
I'm sure you'd recognize the tune.
Garrett was singing it last week and added a new twist to the lyrics:
We like to move it, move it.
We like to move it, move it.
We like to move it, move it.
We like to...POOP IT!
Now his little sidekick, Avery, is also singing this, but she just sings:
We like to poop it, poop it... and so on...
Where do they think of these things?

A New Discipline Tool

2010-05-11T21:28:00.003-05:00

Garrett has always been a child that likes to test our parenting skills. I think we will spend the rest of our lives trying to figure out how to parent him because he is always bringing us new challenges! We recently took the advice of Lynette, our daycare lady, and are taking a "3 strikes and you're out approach." We chose 3 rules that should not be broken. This we easy - Greg and I immediately agreed on: no hitting, no screaming at mom & dad, and you cannot say "no" to mon & dad. With Garrett's help, I drew picures to represent each rule on a piece of paper. This paper is now on the fridge with 3 magnets on it. As he breaks a rule (no 2nd chances or warnings), a magnet is removed and he goes to time-out in his room. If he looses all 3 magnets, he spends the last hour before bedtime alone in his room. This might sound like fun, but trust me, the one time this happened, he was begging to come out after 20 minutes! If he does something nice or remarkable, he can earn a magnet back. If he keeps all 3 magnets all day long, he gets a special treat before bed (he has already chosen candy necklaces!). So far this plan is working nicely! He is still breaking rules at times, but the consequences are very clear.

Today on the way home from daycare, Avery was bugging Garrett. He says, "Mom, I think we need to get Avery some magnets soon!" I agreed that, yes, we will probably need them for her pretty soon!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-10T17:00:00.000-05:00

We had a nice Mother's Day weekend! On Saturday we visited the nearby drive-thru safari and got up close and personal with some African animals. We also took a beautiful 2-mile hike down into a canyon, around a lake, and back out. Garrett and Avery hiked the entire way - even up the steep steps built into the wall as we climbed back out. I've never heard a 2-year old huffing and puffing before! It was a good workout for them! On Sunday we lounged around the house. Garrett & I had a little mishap - he and Casey accompanied me to return a movie to Blockbuster. I parked to hop out and drop the movie in the dropbox and then realized that Garrett was locked in the van with the van still running! I'm sure I didn't lock the door, but maybe I bumped it somehow? My cell phone was also locked inside. Unfortunately, Garrett cannot undo his own seatbelt on his carseat yet - the button is too hard for him to push. From outside the van, I explained that I needed to run inside and call Dad to bring us a key. Garrett just smiled and said, "okay!" He hung in there patiently until Greg arrived and opened the door. Garrett just gave me a big grin and really didn't have anything to say about the matter. Good thing his dog was with him - I think that helped! We'll have to keep practicing on that seatbelt!

Annie's Biggest Fan

2010-05-07T21:12:00.003-05:00

My sis, Annie, completed a 1/2 marathon last weekend! Congrats on your accomplishment Sis! I had to share this picture of her biggest fan. Garrett was so excited to cheer her on. He proudly wore her medal after the race!

I Four

2010-04-27T22:11:00.004-05:00

You'll hear Avery say that she is "4" in this video. She is now telling us that she is "4 half" just like her brother! We can't convince her that she is 2. She starts to get upset and say, "No, I 4 half!"

Easter

2010-04-27T22:06:00.003-05:00

We had a fun Easter with the kids. We hunted Easter eggs in our backyard on Saturday and visited Greg's family on Sunday. The jelly beans were a hit!

Other Fun Stuff

2010-04-27T21:53:00.003-05:00

Avery's been busy "chatting" on my phone lately. She actually called Grandpa Reimer 3 weeks ago and had a full conversation before I even realized it! Grandpa thought I helped her make the call. When we were home to meet Baby Tanner, we got to hang with the family for a short while. Casey enjoyed spending time with his dog cousin, Boscoe, and we got to hang out with Cousin Finn, Annie, Mike, and Grandpa!

Cousin Tanner

2010-04-27T21:51:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe that little cousin Tanner is already 1 month old! He was just 1 week old in this picture. We sure do miss him!

More Birthday Fun

2010-04-27T21:48:00.003-05:00

Avery also got to celebrate with the Reimer family. Cousin Josh helped her blow out candles since he just turned 2 also! Avery got some darling sunglasses from Aunt Annie, Uncle Mike, & Finn, and unfortunately we lost them the same day!

Avery's 2nd Birthday!

2010-04-27T21:36:00.003-05:00

Avery had a wonderful 2nd birthday! She frowned a little bit when her candles were lit! Garrett helped her blow them out - she couldn't quite figure that out!

Vegas

2010-04-27T21:14:00.002-05:00

We returned from Vegas long ago, but I'm finally posting the pictures. You'll see our friends that we traveled with, Jon & Audrey, the new bridge they are building to bypass traffic from the top of Hoover Dam (don't recommend the bus tour by the way!), the view from the top of the Stratosphere, and our view from our hotel room, Caesar's Palace - it was very similar to the Hangover! I didn't post the picture of Greg drinking 4 margaritas at one time. Maybe I'll save that for facebook.

Summer Fever

2010-04-18T12:19:00.000-05:00

We LOVE summer at our house. I have exactly 34 days of school left. Is it bad that I've been counting for awhile now? I can't stop thinking about summer. I always have high hopes and big dreams for what our summer will be like. As I sit and daydream about it, I thought I would make a little list of the things we like to do:
1) Go for walks with Casey
2) Ride bikes
3) Swing in the backyard
4) Pull weeds in the garden (sometimes I have a little too much help from my little friends - last year the corn got trampled)
5) Visit the park near our house
6) Play at the school playground (Casey is also a big fan - he LOVES kids!)
7) Eat outside on the back deck (we've already been doing this every chance we get)
8) Roast marshmallows in the firepit (can't wait for our first fire this spring :)
9) Go fishing at the pond near our house
10) Weekly trips to the zoo
11) Visit the library
12) Go to Grandpa Reimer's house for wheat harvest
13) Socialize with the neighbors and their kids every evening
14) Coco Keys water resort!
15) Go to the Farmer's Market to eat homemade cinnamon rolls
16) Stay up way too late!

Cold Turkey

2010-04-15T16:00:00.000-05:00

Avery's potty training was rapidly heading downhill last weekend. She was refusing to sit on the potty. We told her that only babies wear diapers, and she would have to wear one. Her response was, "Okay, Mommy!" and she ran to her room to grab one. I talked to Lynette (our beloved daycare lady) about this on Monday and she suggested that we go "cold turkey" - no more diapers except at nighttime. I explained to Avery that we wouldn't be wearing any more diapers. On Monday evening when she had an accident, we walked into the house to change and she said, "no diapers, no diapers." She knows that we mean business! Avery has been wearing her padded cotton training underwear and we keep extra pants on hand. We also got a waterproof pad for her carseat. She is only having 1-2 accidents a day. Last night at Kohl's she said she needed to go potty. We ran (literally) to the bathroom and she went! I'm so proud of our big girl!

I Four

2010-04-02T09:51:00.001-05:00

We had a blast visiting Grandpa Reimer last week. Avery and Garrett really enjoyed seeing their aunts, uncles, and cousins. Since we celebrated Avery's birthday with the Reimer family while we were there, everyone kept asking Avery how old she was. She always held up one finger and replied, "I four." That's interesting, her brother is four. Hmmm....

Day Two

2010-04-01T17:30:00.000-05:00

Let's just say that I had to take Ibuprofen to sleep last night. My body HURTS! I did 50 minutes of plyometrics last night (high intensity jumping exercises). I think I've been run over by a train. Greg took last night off - he might have strep throat and sleep sounded like a better idea to him. We did buy a "recovery drink" and protein powder as recommended by the video - to help our poor muscles recover. Maybe it will start working some magic. Tonight is shoulders and arms - as if they don't hurt enough already...

Day One

2010-03-31T16:30:00.001-05:00

Last night was day one of our new fitness adventure, P90X. If you are not familiar with P90X, you might catch a glimpse of it on an info-mercial. It is "extreme body-shaping." Greg and I kicked butt last night for 1 hour 15 minutes, working our chest, back, and abs. I did 50+ push-ups (modified, of course!). We followed the advice of many people by modifying the workout to our ability level, yet I still feel like I might have been run over by a truck. At least my upper body anyway! We also took our "before" pictures as recommended by the videos so we can see our progress at the end of the 12 week program. We'll be working out 6 days a week for at least an hour. After studying my "before" pictures, I think this is a good thing! I'll keep you posted on our progress.

Potty Training: Round 3

2010-03-19T20:30:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited to say that we've started potty training (again!). And even more excited to share that Avery IS using the potty! She only had 3 accidents all day yesterday. She hasn't been as excited to sit on her potty at home, so we've had to break out some fun little trinkets and toys that have been buried for awhile and then shower her with stickers after the fact. And IT'S WORKING! I'm almost afraid to say it out loud, as if things might start to change. But I have a feeling that as this little girl figures out how to use the potty, she won't ever go back!

Welcome Baby Tanner!

2010-03-16T20:49:00.000-05:00

We welcomed a new family member yesterday. My brother, Jason, and his wife, Heather, have a new addition! Tanner Kent Reimer was born March 15th, weighing in at 8 lb 3 oz and 20 " long. Big brother, Joshua, was excited to meet him! Congratulations Jason, Heather, and Josh!

We can't wait to meet the new baby but will have to wait until spring break (which can't come soon enough!!)

Teasing

2010-03-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

Teasing has become a big issue at our house. We're trying to put a lid on it pretty quickly before it gets out of hand. Garrett frequently calls Avery, "Baby Avery" in a sing-song teasing voice. It drives her nuts and really makes her scream. The other evening when Garrett was washing his hands in the bathroom and Avery was sitting in the hallway, waiting her turn, she was singing, "Baby Darwett" (i.e. Garrett) over and over in a sing-song voice. Luckily Garrett didn't notice. Greg and I couldn't help but smile, because of the way she says Garrett's name. And just for the record, she did get in trouble.

Happy Birthday Avery!

2010-03-15T20:32:00.003-05:00

Our baby girl celebrated her 2nd birthday yesterday on March 14th! I can't believe what a big girl she is! We celebrated with a party and ate some yummy pink cupcakes! Grandma (aka "Baba") gave her a darling little pink purse which (next to her pink blankie) is now her favorite thing. All day yesterday and today, we heard, "I have my purse." She filled her purse with her new sunglasses, a hard bouncy ball, and 4 tubes of "ip tuff" (lip stuff). She even went to bed with her purse tonight. More to come on the birthday girl when I download my pics...

The Sweetest Words

2010-03-12T17:00:00.000-06:00

This week has been pretty sweet. My baby girl, Avery, has started telling us that she loves us. Every night when we snuggle in her rocking chair, I tell her that I love her. This week, she started responding, "I wuf you Mom." Those words melt my heart.

On a side note, she is a little confused about how old she will be this weekend. When I tell her that she will be 2, she says, "Noooo, I'm 4!" That just happens to be Garrett's age :)

My Little Fashion Queen

2010-03-10T11:57:00.002-06:00

I wore a new pair of silver flats last week. Avery noticed right away. "Wook at your shoes, Mommy! I wanna touch 'em!" And she leaned down to touch them!

She's not such a fan of fancy dresses though. I bought her a cute Easter dress at Kohl's and got 2 other cute dresses on sale too. When we tried them on, she screamed bloody murder and pulled her arms inside the dress, trying to get it off. She's kind of a skinny gal, so this was easy for her to do. We tried on another one of those cute dresses last night as I was trying to decide what she should wear for her 2-year pictures, coming up on Saturday. We had the same result. Many tears and attempts to rip her pretty dress off. Maybe we'll have better luck on picture day??? Maybe I better take along a sweater and jeans just in case???

dot com flossers

2010-03-03T20:22:00.004-06:00

Tonight Garrett noticed that we were running out of "flossers" (kid's plastic tools for flossing). He counted them. "Uh-oh Mom, better order some more at 'dot com flossers."
Sounds like he's been watching his mama pretty closely!