Preaching & Prescriptions

Bubble Wrap

2012-01-29T21:44:00.001-06:00

We got a package in the mail from Auntie Kristi and it had bubble wrap!!! The boys had a great time jumping on it and popping as much as they could as fast as they could.

Current Project

2012-01-29T21:40:00.000-06:00

I finally sucked it up and cut the fabric for this table runner:

I think I did a good job of cutting fabric this time. When I first started to sew/piece I though this would be my favorite part. Turns out it is not! I find it somewhat confusing and seriously nerve wracking because you only get one shot when you start that rotary cutter going. Now that I have it cut I can start piecing it together... Should be pretty when it's done!

Due to my lack of confidence cutting fabric I thought I would watch some YouTube videos for tips. Wow are there some bad ones out there! There are also good ones but seriously scary what some people think are good tips... I thought this one lady was going to cut off her finger every time she made a cut!

I think the only thing that will help me is more practice and maybe one other kind of ruler... Like a 12 inch square or maybe a 24 inch square? Not sure yet. The reason I say that is because I find myself using the cutting mat as a guide when I know I should only use the actual rulers to measure.

Supper Tonight - Chili & Cinnamon Rolls

2012-01-29T21:31:00.001-06:00

While I made supper the boys put together puzzles. I think I heard "mommy, help me!" about a hundred times from Andrew.

I'm not sure if this is an "Iowa thing" or sort of a central mid-west thing but people around here always have chili and cinnamon rolls. It's on the school lunch menus, fund-raisers serve it so I figured we needed to try it.

They look pretty excited to eat, don't they?

It was really good! I just used those store bought cinnamon rolls in a tube (love them) and made my favorite chili using soy crumbles instead of beef (sorry Grandpa F.). It is SO easy and SO good! The boys had a few bites of the chili which was more than I expected so I was happy. Gabe said if it didn't have "those green things" (chopped green chiles) he would like it more. Andrew ate the top of his cinnamon roll... he gets that sweet tooth from me! If you would like to try the chili (seriously it could not be easier) click here.

BFF

2012-01-29T20:31:00.000-06:00

Hudsen came over on Saturday and spent the day. Both Gabe and Andrew were so happy! And the big boys were pretty nice to Andrew.

There was one incident where Andrew was trying to take Gabe's blanket from him and they were screaming and pulling on the blanket. Hudsen jumped in saying "Andrew you can't have Gabe's blanket, Gabe I'll help you"... then it was 2 on 1 and was quickly over.

Talking to Dad

2012-01-28T09:12:00.000-06:00

When Aaron was out of town we tried to Skype with him every night before bed.

The boys would get so wound up and excited!

Pecan

2012-01-17T13:20:00.000-06:00

Andrew got a little beanie baby "Pecan" when he was in the ER after his seizure. He is holding it in the picture.

Seizure & Recovery

2012-01-15T20:06:00.000-06:00

I stayed home from work on Friday to be with Andrew because he was sick with a fever and the start of an ear infection and possible bronchitis. He wasn't acting all that sick until after our nap. He said his tummy hurt so I picked him up and he was HOT. I didn't take his temp but gave his some liquid acetaminophen. He threw that up within a few minutes so I broke out the acetaminophen suppositories (which I keep for just that reason). He was really upset that I was going to put medicine "in your butt" (as I say) so I let him chill for a few minutes and then gave him the supp. While giving him the supp. he twitched once and his eyes rolled a little so I quickly put his diaper back on and sat down holding him. Almost right away he started having a seizure. Muscle stiffness, jerking (tonic-clonic), loss of consciousness, the whole ball of wax. I was in disbelief or amazement that this was happening. Hard to explain. Just autopilot. Laid him on a blanket on the floor on his side. Called 911. Kenneled the dog. Opened the garage door. Made sure he was breathing. Talked to him. Checked his pulse.

I took this picture right before I gave him the suppository because I couldn't believe how sick he was feeling. I guess I was going to show it to Aaron? I have no idea why I snapped some pics.

I didn't freak out because I know that fever seizures are benign. I didn't freak out because I have seen seizures happen. They are not fatal. I didn't freak out because I knew we had a family history of these in Aaron. I didn't freak out because I was praying for God to take care of Andrew.

The scariest part?

When he was completely unconscious after the seizure. His pupils were fixed, non-responsive to light. THAT scared me. He did not respond to our voices.

The best parts?

1. I knew both deputies and the Sheriff by name.

2. I knew one of the ambulance crew well. I LOVE small towns!

3. He cried when we got in the ambulance. His cry. His sound.

4. Dr. Gerges was the ER doc. He knows Andrew. He is compassionate and smart. He knows I am a pharmacist and speaks to me as a colleague.

5. Pastor Raether was there with me. I wasn't alone. He made Andrew smile and laugh before he left. We prayed.

I took this picture with my phone at the hospital after everything was "over". He was resting and it felt so good to hold him. He was clinging to me.

We were home in under 4 hours and he was completely back to himself. Crazy! I would just look at him running around and feel this sense of lack of understanding. He was just having a seizure. He was unconscious. How can he be acting normal now?? Thank God! He knows and He understands... all I can do is give thanks and praise.

I took this photo Saturday as my silly kids ate their lunch on top of the dog kennel. Whatever works! They were healthy and eating and not fighting so who am I to argue? :-)

Sick Day

2012-01-12T20:13:00.001-06:00

Both boys have been under the weather. Gabe is on the upward swing but suffice to say it has been a long week!

Thankfully I had the day off from work today so we didn't have to do anything at all! We made a little fort in the living room and the boys had fun in it for about 5 minutes until it was destroyed.

A nice smile but those eyes tell his story... not feeling well!

This boy on the other hand wears his sickness well. He was put on antibiotics and nebulizers this morning but was no worse for wear throughout the day!

I found this cute hat at Casey's of all places. He puts it on and says "ooo-ooo, aaah-aaah" like a little monkey.

Gabe was in bed sleeping a little after 7 tonight. Crazy! I sure hope he feels better tomorrow and can go to school. He was mad at me today when I told him he had to stay home from school again.

Gabe, the local celebrity

2012-01-08T22:36:00.001-06:00

Gabe's preschool class uses iPads in the classroom and they had a big article in the paper about it this week. Here is the picture of Gabe! Click here to see the full article.

Our Andrew

2012-01-08T22:33:00.001-06:00

Andrew was sick a few weeks ago and he and I took a nice long nap on the couch. Note the puke bucket and towel, just in case.

He had all his electronics out just like dad does.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-08T22:29:00.002-06:00

A nice spread of Christmas presents

After the Christmas Eve service

one of the rare family photos.

EAGER to open presents!

Gabe opening his first present. He thought it was going to be a watch but it was an ornament.

Posing with his new 'Autobot Arc' for his Transformers.

Church Christmas Program 2011

2012-01-08T22:24:00.000-06:00

A big crew of kids and an even bigger crowd for the Christmas program.

Holly (our babysitter's daughter) speaking her part about offerings that were given to God in Old Testament times.

Holly again... you can see she has her cell phone in her pocket, such a teenager!

Me and Andrew. Andrew was reading the program to see what song was next.

He kept leaning over to look at the kids and saying "go up there?"

Gabe and Hudsen in the middle. Such cute kids!

The 3 girls singing, Kylie, Carlie and Keagan.

Gabe walking in followed by Hudsen.

Cookies & Lefse

2012-01-08T22:17:00.003-06:00

It was a tradition with my mom to make sugar cookies with us every year for Christmas... One of my favorites! So here I am with my boys carrying on the tradition.

Helping Andrew with the sprinkles.

Notice the blue frosting on Andrew's cheek... he ate a lot of frosting!

Can you tell which ones Andrew made?? We saved those ones for him.

Keri that I work with found me some Lefse at the Goldfield Cheese Mart in Goldfield Iowa. It was really good, just like my Grandma used to make!

Gabe LOVED it...

So did Andrew! True Norskies.

...more gooey s'mores....

2012-01-04T22:48:00.002-06:00

OK, this one is called 'white chocolate s'mores gooey cake bars'. With a name like that how could they be bad? I linked up to this recipe on pinterest. If you want the recipe click here.

These were RICH. These were DELICIOUS. However I can complain that the white chocolate chips that I could buy at HyVee in Humboldt were NOT chocolate. If you could find real white chocolate chips I think these would be amazing, fantastic, etc.... So let me know if you find some of those, OK?

A few tips for making these:

1. Be sure your foil covers up the whole pan

2. Use non-stick foil

3. Bake at maybe 300 instead of 350. The top browned way too quick on mine. I took them out after about 21 minutes at 350.

4. Use a plastic bag or plastic wrap or something to squish your top layer out on then just flip that over and put it on - there is no way you could squash it out on top of the marshmallows and you can't squash it out on the counter top because it just gets stuck.

Photos & Fun Night

2011-12-15T22:42:00.000-06:00

The first two pictures are Andrew's photography debut. I thought he did quite well at snapping some pics! I did help him a bit.

Tonight we had a family fun night at Gabe's school. We did a scavenger hunt then had pizza, pop, and cookies. Here is a cute pic of Gabe and his BFF Hudsen. They are so funny together! And Andrew was happy that Hudsen's little brother was there. I didn't get a picture of them together but those two were hugging and Kyzer tried to kiss Andrew. Such funny kids!

Andrew.... and a fire (unrelated items)

2011-12-10T23:25:00.001-06:00

Andrew LOVES the book 'The Gingerbread Man'. His dad bought him a gingerbread man to eat and he thought it was great! "run, run fast as you can......"

Love this face. It is so him! That smile we see so often....

And the fire. Thursday afternoon about 4 there was an oil fire at the quarry behind our house. The smoke was impressive! Me, Aaron and one our neighbors were standing behind our house watching it for a while.

This silly boy and his mess of monster trucks. He picked out his pajamas and was insistent on wearing them even though I told him he would be cold! You could really see his bruised up legs!

Pics with Dad

2011-12-10T23:20:00.001-06:00

Our boys like to have their pictures taken with dad. Here Andrew was posing with dad because of how handsome he looked in his suit!

This morning these boys wore their Iron Man shirts to play practice at church.

Andrew did not want to be left out of the pics!

And on a somewhat unrelated note I feel I must mention that I bought a new CD the other day for the boys. I knew they would like it but I didn't know how MUCH they would like it! It is 'Party Like a Preschooler' by GoFish. Love those guys! And Andrew thinks it is so cool when I tell him when Andy is singing (in case you don't know we have met one of the singers in the group) because they have the same name... So if you hear me humming 'John Jacob Jingle Heimer Schmidt' or 'The Wheels on the Bus' you know why!

Pics with Mom

2011-12-10T23:17:00.001-06:00

This is what we do (almost) every night before bed. It lasts about 20 minutes and we take turns who picks the book.

I am a good mom and I never skip pages (honest). Gabe is very interested in what the words are and can pick out a few words he can read himself. Andrew sometimes just reads by himself. See below.

First Snow of 2011

2011-12-05T22:44:00.001-06:00

The boys were READY to go out in the snow. I also joined them.

But I guess I didn't bring the camera outside with me. We got about 6 inches on Saturday the 3rd of December. We tried to sled outside but ended up playing on the swingset. Then I wussed out and went inside!

A Flashback to the year 2001

2011-12-05T22:41:00.001-06:00

Aaron was busy scanning in pictures from our wedding and honeymoon (love him!) so I picked out a few that caught my eye.

Mt. biking in Durango, CO.

Up by the college in Durango.

Slick Rock trail near Moab, Utah.

Me & Nathan. Still kids.

My dear childhood friends!

Jessica & Jared. Love.

Us with Devra and Todd at the farm.

'Tis the Season!

2011-11-30T22:44:00.001-06:00

Gabe was so excited to put up the Christmas tree. Both he and Andrew helped put on the decorations.

I was trying to get them to pose real nice and cute by the tree. Pretending like they love each other. The following 2 pics are the result:

Andrew checking out the tractor ornament.

And totally unrelated to the Christmas tree.... My superheros! Well Gabe is a superhero and Andrew is a race car driver/ironman head.

Gobble

2011-11-24T19:09:00.001-06:00

Our Thanksgiving was a nice quiet day at home! Here's Gabe getting ready to eat.

S'mores cookie bars. YUM!

Smoked turkey

Cheesy potatoes

Aaron, getting ready to dig in!

The master cook.

Andrew, let's eat!

600th Post!

2011-11-18T18:54:00.001-06:00

I got some boxes of clothes out of the attic and Andrew was so excited to find all of the "new" things that fit. The coat he has on is a hand-me-down from a gal I worked with in St. Louis. We sure have put it to good use!

The empty boxes were fun to sit in!

I was trying to get some good pictures of the boys for our Christmas card. This one is so cute but is a little blurry so it won't be on the card.

We had a VERY happy boy tonight when he got a package in the mail from the farm with a Captain America costume. He is planning to wear the whole outfit to bed tonight.

When I was taking pictures of Gabe Andrew was copying me and pretending to take pictures with Aaron's headlamp.

We are SO lucky!

2011-11-13T19:57:00.001-06:00

I guess not lucky but blessed is a much better word. Our boys are blessed because our family loves them so much! And they have a Great Grandma, too.

Tuesday November 8th Aaron and his dad took the boys all the way to great Grandma Gena's house in North Dakota. They got to check out a lot of fun things there including uncle's Larry & Jerry's HUGE wood pile. And yes it's true, that is a picture of uncle Jerry!

Sitting down for lunch in great grandma's kitchen.

Gabe and Larry. It looks like Larry's lunch is a plate full of doughnuts. Lucky guy!

Great Grandma Gena and her first 2 great grand babies.

Andrew and great auntie Nancy

A nice hug for grandma!

What happens at the farm....

2011-11-13T19:48:00.001-06:00

.... is always so much fun! The boys (all 3 of them) went to the grents in Minnesota for some deer hunting and cousin bonding time. Not to mention it was Grandma Mitzi's 33rd (according to Gabe) birthday!

Here baby Rhett is showing off how strong he is.

Sorting fish in the bathtub.

I think Rhett is doing his Elvis impression.

We are farm boys!

I have a sneaking suspicion this cute pic will be grandma and grandpa's Christmas card.

We love playing with our cousins!

Swinging at the farm.

Giddy up!

Driving home. Mom couldn't wait to see her boys!

shenanigans

2011-11-01T22:39:00.004-05:00

Andrew found these glasses that Gabe got from Hudsen so we had to take a picture. And Gabe has in his vampire teeth (although they are hard to see).

I see you!

Man it is hard to get these things into the right position!!

Love this boy!

My Helper

2011-11-01T22:33:00.005-05:00

Today I caught Andrew "vacuuming" around the kitchen area. He was even working under the kitchen table which needs the most vacuuming!

I think he really liked that I recognized he was vacuuming and he was all smiles for his pictures.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T14:48:00.003-05:00

Gabe's school had a "parade" so the parents could come and see all the costumes. Gabe was happy to see his mom! Hudsen is right behind him in his Robin costume.

I sneaked in their class after the parade to get another pic. They were having snacks of a cookie, chocolate milk and chex mix.

Trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. It was a nice night to be out. Just a little chill in the air.

Andrew had NO interest in any costumes so it was good we got this one on him. It is Optimus Prime. But he wouldn't wear the mask.

All done! And in case you were wondering Gabe is a Green Lantern.

Mayo Clinic 10.28.11

2011-10-28T23:59:00.003-05:00

Andrew and Aaron had their annual nephrology appointments today in Rochester. They both had good reports and tolerated their blood draws just fine. Although Andrew did cry a little more than Aaron did.

Here Andrew was all done and all smiles as we waited for Aaron. Gabe was completely distracted by the TV (cable!!!) so his smile was a little forced here.

Cheese! Little Andrew's blood pressure was elevated during this visit so we need to keep an eye on it for 4-6 weeks to determine if an "intervention" needs to be made (medication). I'm not sure how we are going to manage it yet but we'll figure out a way to get it done.

Another big grin for the ride home.

As a side note, more for my memory and to tell Andrew about when he was older: They put a little "baggie" over his business to catch a urine sample since he is not potty trained. I had pretty much forgotten about the baggie since it took him FOREVER to fill it last time and we decided to go down to get some food. I popped Andrew up on my hip and we got in the elevator. I felt something warm and set him down when I saw "water" dripping off his shoe. Thankfully we were alone in the elevator because the baggie had sprung a leak. The elevator door opened and some poor lady saw us kinda acting weird with "liquid" on the floor of the elevator and she backed away saying "I'll take the other one". Ha! I cleaned up the floor of the elevator with 2 baby wipes and we hurried back up to the 16th floor where I knew there was a great "special needs" bathroom with a large counter for me to remedy the situation. Amidst quite a bit of crying Andrew and I were able to salvage a sufficient sample and remove the apparatus from the poor kids skin. We lost 1 pair of socks in the battle but amazingly there was only 1 little dot of "liquid" on my shirt and Andrew's pants. After we had breakfast (finally) we drove to Fleet Farm and Andrew got a new pair of Minnesota Vikings socks to replace the other ones. And a new John Deere dump truck for all his troubles!

Some Good Mail!

2011-10-28T23:43:00.000-05:00

Monday a package from Grandma & Grandpa Schaefer arrived. It was much anticipated because....

....it had CAPES in it! Grandma (with the help of her trusty sidekick Grandpa) made a batman cape for Gabe and a Superman cape for Andrew from scratch.

We had 2 very excited boys to try on their capes....

....and to see what else was in that box! It was chock full of goodies.

Thanks Grandma & Grandpa, we love it!!!

We also received a package from Grand Auntie & Uncle Linda & Jim. It also had many goodies for us including these hilarious suckers! Andrew had a hard time keeping it in his mouth (note the drool on his shirt). Gabe was trying to look "mean" to go with the vampire teeth.

Cleaning Up

2011-10-22T20:55:00.003-05:00

Getting ready to start. Gabe's got the grain shovel to move things along...

Teamwork!

Voila! Finished product...

Warm-Ups

2011-10-22T20:51:00.002-05:00

Stretching out, getting ready to go on a walk with mom.

He says he was exercising and stretching in this photo. To me it looks like a victory stance!

Bedtime Snack

2011-10-22T20:38:00.000-05:00

As usual ice cream was the bedtime snack the other night. Andrew was being goofy with these sunglasses perched on his head. This picture is how he glares at me. Love that!

Here is a good shot of the healing ear. The crusty dark stuff is the DermaBond glue.

And a big CHEESE grin!

Oh Andrew!

2011-10-22T20:24:00.000-05:00

He thought it was so fun to be in the toy box.

And now for the "Oh Andrew!" pics. Our boy took another tumble at daycare resulting in an ear injury. His ear was SO swollen but Rachel had stopped the bleeding (don't ask me how!).

I put him in the tub to clean the dried blood off his ear. Apparently I also got the clot off the wound and it would.not.stop.bleeding.

Carleen brought me out some gear to try to get the bleeding stopped. Stupid platelets! It just oozed and oozed for a good 3 hours before we gave up and took him to the ER.

Of course I shouldn't fail to mention that I could not get ahold of Aaron because he was at a meeting at the church and doesn't answer his cell phone (grrrr). So I loaded the boys up and took them to the church and then let Aaron decide what we should do with him.... he chose ER because we were pretty sure they could just DermaBond (glue) the wound.

So after the doctor DermaBonded the wound it was still! bleeding! So I think the doc got a little nervous and started asking us about his bleeding disorder, etc. He ended up calling the ER at Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines for some advice. WELL, they advised drawing platelets to see just how low they were and they also suggested a CT scan of the head since there was significant bruising behind the ear. He was saying words like "skull fracture" and "internal bleeding". Gulp.

We decided to "let" them draw platelets even though we know they are ridiculously low. Soooo, after they stuck him twice fishing for a vein I said no more sticking and also declined the CT scan simply because there was NOTHING wrong with him other than a huge bump on his ear. He was his usual self unless we touched his ear because that hurt!

The doctor was a little unsure of letting us go without a CT of the head but told us that he will let us decline because I am a health-care professional and he trusted my judgement. Thank goodness because I have no idea how they would have pulled that off without sedating him and they can't sedate without an IV line and they couldn't even draw blood.... It would have been a nightmare!

So Andrew had a pressure dressing put on his ear and his head wrapped like a turban and we got home about 11:30pm Monday night. Here he is having a snack when we got home. He got to snuggle in bed with me so I could keep an eye on him. He kept tapping his turban and saying "hat.... outside?"

The next morning we followed up with a nurse practitioner and she thought he looked great. She did a thorough neuro exam and told us we only needed to follow up again if the swelling in the ear did not improve.

Oh Andrew!

Letters from Great Grandma Gena

2011-10-22T19:57:00.001-05:00

Gabe and Andrew got some special notes in the mail this week.

I could not get this image flipped, so you'll have to turn your head sideways to read Gabe's note.

Along with their notes they each got a $10 bill to spend!

WILD child with a sweet side

2011-10-06T22:30:00.001-05:00

Good grief this child is wild sometimes! I love this picture because it is sooo HIM. Just crazy, happy, smiling, fun!

And a side profile of the rider...

I helped Andrew dress our build-a-bears and my old cabbage patch doll... then he came and got me... "come, wook..... (points to them all lined up on the pillow), nigh nigh". He can be so sweet!

Buzz Cuts and First Homework

2011-10-04T11:23:00.000-05:00

Andrew modeling his new haircut from dad...

Gabe showing off his haircut and his teeth.

Reading time with my cute boys.

Gabe's first homework assignment was due on Sept. 26th. He had to make his home. We printed out some pictures and then he colored the rest with colored pencils.

Enjoying himself!

The finished product. He drew pictures of transformers, a door, and a cross. He also colored a cat and the atrium (orange part) because that is where the cats live.

Cross Country & Des Moines

2011-10-03T22:35:00.000-05:00

A few weeks Humboldt held their home cross country meet. We haven't missed one yet since we moved here and the Wildcats did not disappoint! Andrew was in top form as the above photo shows. Although he does need to straighten out that arm swing.... :-)

That's our buddy Kalle in the blue. She is an AWESOME runner but is out now with some hip problems. Sad cause it's her senior year. We hope she'll be back in time for sectionals and state!

I had some clingy boys while we waited for the runners. That's about 75 pounds I'm holding there.

Well that didn't last long! Andrew wanted down and then Gabe started slipping....

Oh my! This is such a silly boy. He wanted the stickers on him like a tattoo. So of course I helped him out!

We had a mini vacation 2 weekends ago in Des Moines. Aaron took the boys swimming while I got a few hours to shop. I arrived back in time to photograph my little fish.

Yup, that's Andrew jumping in by himself. He could also float around and swim a little with his life jacket.

No trip to Des Moines is complete without a trip to Toys-R-Us. The boys had fun and each got some new toys!

Exhausted on the ride home. Gabe slept the ENTIRE way from Des Moines until we pulled into our neighborhood.

Homecoming and Horse Riding

2011-09-18T22:02:00.001-05:00

Friday was blue and gold day for homecoming week. Gabe and I were both excited to wear our matching shirts. He got to go to the parade with his class at school. Andrew also went with Rachel.

Soooo, here's Andrew with my old vest on riding his horse with beads and a hat. Just how I used to ride! Except we don't have a cowboy hat or red beads. Blaze orange hunting hat and brown beads had to do. Some cowboy boots might have helped but we don't have any of those either.

An action shot! Look at that fringe flying on the vest. So cool!

9.14.11

2011-09-14T21:50:00.001-05:00

I must stand like this often. I've found both of them starting to do this when they look at me!

We walked to the park tonight and the boys had a good time playing and throwing rocks in the river.

Looking north on the East Fork, Des Moines River in Dakota City, IA. We need some rain! There isn't much water in that river...

First Day of School!

2011-09-11T20:35:00.000-05:00

On August 29 Gabe started his second year of preschool. This year he is going 5 days a week, half days at a different school from last year. So far he LOVES it!

Andrew wasn't interested in the family shot. Too bad because I love this picture! It would have been nice to have all 4 of us but it is hard to convince Andrew to do something he doesn't want to do.

Gabe with his teachers. He doesn't look too sure of this yet?? Mrs. Mueller and Mrs. Ireland are his teachers.

I think it is so cool that they get lockers. I didn't get a locker until 7th grade!

And one of the best things about school is that Hudsen is in the same class! They get to play together every day.

His favorite...

2011-09-11T17:22:00.002-05:00

If Andrew had his way he would ALWAYS sleep with his momma...

Ice cream craziness....

2011-09-11T17:16:00.002-05:00

Our kids love ice cream (who doesn't?) and eat it almost daily. When Sydney was here we had sunday's every night and one night I offered Andrew a bib.... Then next thing all of the kids were in bibs!

....and we have AnOtHeR trip to the ER....

2011-08-22T22:08:00.004-05:00

Gabe tried to ride his bike one-handed tonight. It didn't work out so well and he ended up falling on his handlebars and splitting open his lower cheek. [He told me between sobs that he was trying to ride with one hand "because daddy can ride with one hand and with no hands". So we talked a little about using both of our hands for a while until we get a little older!]

I had gone inside to wash my hands and looked out the window and saw him laying on the driveway, mouth open, crying.... So I run out and see blood.... Assess the injury and decide we better go to the ER.

Since I was home alone with the kids (like I am most every night thanks to the life of a pastor) I tried to get hold of Aaron and failed. So we drove to the church, his car was there so I went in... he wasn't there (after running around the whole church... it's not small). All the while wondering how I'm going to handle Gabe getting stitches and Andrew being the handful that he can be???

When we arrived at the ER we got in right away (one of the MANY perks of small town life) and I called work to see if someone could come help me out with Andrew. April came over (God bless her!) and stayed with me in spite of the fact she had been working ALL day long.

Dr. Gerges was awesome and decided Gabe didn't need stitches and that steri-strips would do the job. What a relief for Gabe (and for me)! It only took a few minutes and there were no tears involved. Andrew was good as gold because April came armed with a sucker and M&M's (can you tell she's a mom?). So all in all it was not a bad experience.... Now we pray that the would heals well.... and that we don't have to go to the ER again for a LONG, LONG time!

A nice hug for dad...

Andrew was telling me about his owies too!

And my little stinker ready to read books!

This week

2011-08-21T18:45:00.002-05:00

I only managed to take a few pictures this week. It was a busy week of work and appointments! One more week left and then Gabe starts pre-school...

We found this frog in one of my flower pots this afternoon...

Last night the boys and I went to Subway for supper while Aaron was at church. The always eat SOOOO good there. They get a kids meal with a ham sandwich, juice and a cookie. They have to eat their sandwich first and then get the cookie. Gabe usually ends up eating most of Andrew's cookie as well.

Tuesday Andrew had his 2 year check up (2 months after the fact). He was NOT happy with the process and screamed for a large part of the exam. He had to have 1 shot... He made it very clear to me after the exam was over that he wanted to go H-O-M-E!

Nothing New

2011-08-16T09:10:00.002-05:00

I feel like I don't have anything "new and exciting" to take pictures of and post. For that I am thankful! Our lives are blessedly uneventful.... so here are some pics of the things that we do....

Playing outside and posing for the camera...

Climbing and being dangerous. He then turns his head sideways to fit between the boards and crawls up onto the platform.

Showing off for Grandma in Hutchinson, MN. They spent 1/2 a week at the farm before Grandma had to go back to work.

And just for you Katie... The socks.... He looks cute! :-)

Okoboji Fun!

2011-08-07T16:44:00.003-05:00

The congregations of the Iowa District West of the LCMS (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod) own a camp on West Lake Okoboji. They have 2 Family Retreats each summer and we have gone the last 2 years. Last year Aaron was the topic leader so this year it was nice to just RELAX!!! And that is about all we did.

Andrew and Gabe playing with all their new friends...

This is what happens when you leave your door in the Bethel Retreat Center open on a rainy Friday evening...

My boys playing in the playhouse.

Andrew enjoying getting a line wet. He then proceeded to get the whole rod/reel combo wet. And it sunk. Thankfully some folks loaned us their net to get it out of the water!

Gabe with his pillow pet he picked out at the camp store.

Reading before bed..

My boys after catching 7 fish.

Gabe enjoying his time on the dock.

NICE! Andrew got bored waiting for supper. He had to pass the time somehow...

Food & Fun!

2011-07-23T22:12:00.002-05:00

Andrew's first time eating sweet corn. This was one method he employed.

Aaron and I got a little hoop for the boys and he rigged it up this morning.

Good grief my boys LOVED eating Grape Nuts with Gramps!

My child that hardly eats vegetables ate 3 ears of corn....

Swimming with Gramps & Syd

2011-07-23T22:07:00.002-05:00

After a supper of chicken and Iowa sweet corn we went to the pool for about an hour.

Syd jumping off the diving board.

Coming down the slide, this is a great picture!

Splashing Gramps

Gramps and his little boys playing at the pool....

Haircuts by Dad!

2011-07-18T22:34:00.002-05:00

The boys were in need of haircuts and dad volunteered for the job. We bribed Gabe by telling him he would look like Hudsen and that he could have a sucker. Andrew was bribed with the sucker alone.

Afterwards. He wasn't having too much fun during but still enjoyed his sucker. Even after it was dropped on the ground and licked by the dog. We're good parents.

He WANTED to be hosed off. Honest!

Ready for bed after a bath.

Another little man, pleased with his hair!

These boys have the BEST dad! Thanks Aaron for giving our boys a trim. :-)

Fishing with Mikey & Laura

2011-07-13T19:22:00.003-05:00

When we were at the farm in May for Rhett's baptism Mike & Laura took the boys fishing in their boat. Gabe and Andrew loved it and they both caught some fish.

Andrew driving the boat. I don't know who is happier to be on the water?

Gabe had a turn driving too.

The catches of the day.

A very happy Gabe. He was so proud of his fish!

Rhett's Baptism Weekend in May

2011-07-13T19:15:00.007-05:00

These pics will be in no particular order primarily because I find it very annoying to try to arrange pictures in blogger, especially with this many.

Gabe holding Rhett

Rhett all ready to head home.

Laura, Gabe and the dog Rusty playing ball.

our Rowdy dog

Drew playing in Grandma's rock garden, Rusty looking on in the background.

Rhett telling Dan all about his crazy hairdo. Rhett's crazy hairdo, not Dans!

More baseball with the always-willing auntie Laura.

Godparents Auntie Laura and Uncle Mike

I love this photo of the Walter family... it's so good and I really like how we caught Bauer throwing his shoe up in the air, kinda aimed at the altar.

Andrew enjoying his ice cream after Grandpa made him WAIT!

The "other" set of Godparents!

All 4 Godparents. Man, he is one lucky kid! :-)

Andrew and Bauer shoveling in auntie Holly's delicious cake after the baptism.

Here is the cake before we proceeded to down the whole thing.

Sisters!

Brother's Mike and Dan

Andrew and Gabe WAITING for their ice cream cones.

It was a fun weekend spent with family!

Archery

2011-07-13T19:11:00.004-05:00

If you don't already know this, Aaron is very into archery. More the primitive type... stickbows, wood arrows. I guess "traditional" archery is a more accurate term. We have shot a lot of bow and arrow in our time together and Aaron has passed his interest on to our kiddos.

So we happened to find a traditional bow at Jax in Ames, Iowa for Gabe to try out. He loves it and wants to shoot all the time.

Here Grandpa and uncle Jon were watching Gabe and Aaron shoot at a hay bale on the farm.

He has his own quiver and arrows. The following 3 pics are a series of him pulling an arrow, pulling back, and shooting.

Andrew always want in on the action..

Uncle Dan (also an archery enthusiast) and Gabe talking strategy and safety.

And not to be outdone Andrew shot a few rounds.

Stationery Card

2011-07-09T23:01:00.001-05:00

Another Year Blue Thank You Card

Elegant thank you cards and notes by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Swimming and T-ball

2011-06-26T12:53:00.002-05:00

Gabe is taking swimming lessons and he LOVES it. His buddy Jackson is in the same class and here they are practicing kicking.

Here they are getting the diving sticks. Looks like fun!

Gabe taking a swing at his 2nd t-ball game.

He is enjoying his summertime activities!

Happy 2nd Birthday Andrew!

2011-06-26T12:44:00.002-05:00

Andrew turned 2 on June 21st! We had special visitors for his birthday week. Grandma & Grandpa Schaefer, Auntie Kristi and cousin Sydney came all the way from North Dakota to help us celebrate!

I'm not sure who was more excited about opening presents.

Posing with his special birthday banner that Grandma made.

Family photo. We couldn't manage to look at the same camera at the same time...

Naughty Boys

2011-06-26T12:35:00.002-05:00

This is what happens when our boys find a marker....

Something tells me Andrew had some "help".

Biking!

2011-06-14T10:00:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago Gabe decided he wanted his training wheels off his bike. But then he didn't really want to learn to ride it... until Sunday (the 12th of June). We were just sitting there talking and I told him to go put jeans and a long sleeved shirt on and we would show him how to ride his bike. He got dressed and then told me he was scared. So we talked about only riding on the grass and wearing a helmet, etc..... and he was ready to ride!

It only took about 3 tries before he was able to ride a little ways by himself.

He was so funny when he was actually doing it himself. He would just laugh and laugh and forget to keep pedaling and then fall over. Or he would turn around to look at one of us to be sure we weren't holding on anymore.

He had 2 crashes that made him cry but he would want to get right back on (while still crying). Needless to say I was a pleased mommy!

Oh and don't forget Andrew. He was in on all the action!

Brothers

2011-06-14T09:52:00.002-05:00

Getting ready to camp outside. Note how pleased Andrew is with himself in spite of having his headlamp on backwards.

Such a nice picture of brothers hugging.

But OF COURSE this is what came next....

Cool Drew

2011-06-14T09:45:00.001-05:00

A close up of the tough guy's stitches.

Sunglasses....

....and more sunglasses

Hamming it up for the camera!

Gabe's first sleepover...

2011-06-14T09:40:00.002-05:00

Last Friday (the 10th of June), Hudsen came over and stayed overnight.

These 2 managed to talk Aaron into putting up the tent (not too much convincing was needed) for sleeping.

Bonfire time (note Rowdy, it looks like he is walking into the fire)!

Sleepy boys in the morning.

What a fun time the boys had! Hudsen's mom had a terrible time leaving her boy overnight but hopefully it'll be easier next time for her!

Nearball

2011-06-14T09:33:00.002-05:00

For little kids the city of Humboldt has what they call "Nearball". It is basically t-ball without many rules. The kids get to hit, run the bases, and try to field the ball. Gabe's first game was Wed. the 8th of June. They have only 3 games left and don't have any practices.

Gabe and his friend Braden in the dugout, getting ready to play.

Before the game.

Braden & Gabe

Here I had just put his t-shirt on him... He was being really quiet and not wanting to do much, come to find out he was "scared". So we had a little talk and then we found Braden.

After he found his friend things were just fine!

Since Gabe was worn out after the game Andrew pulled him to the car in the wagon. What a good brother!

Official Tumbling Pictures...

2011-06-06T11:31:00.001-05:00

Key Photography out of Ft. Dodge did pictures for his tumbling class and they turned out SOOOO good!

Truly, truly a big boy!

2011-06-06T11:15:00.007-05:00

Andrew is testing his mettle as a BIG boy. So far he has gotten stitches.... and tried out the big boy bed. Here he and Gabe have big smiles after Andrew got home from having 4 stitches put in his forehead.

Could care less that he got a big owie...

He fell in the garage at daycare and hit his head on something, likely the motorcycle but we're not sure. It was a nice, neat split in the skin, not too deep so it only needed 4 stitches on the surface layer of skin.

He screamed the whole time they put in the stitches. They had strapped to a "papoose board" so that he couldn't wiggle and a nurse had to hold his head tightly. I suspect that is the main reason he was screaming. I tried to talk over his crying and tell him stories about the farm and when he went fishing with uncle Mikey and auntie Laura. That helped him calm down some during the procedure, but not much.

As soon as they unstrapped him and I picked him up he shook his head and pointed to the door like "let's go mom!" He was not thrilled that we had to wait around a few minutes to get our discharge orders.

Now we have to keep it clean and keep antibiotic ointment on it at all times. Kinda hard when he is always rubbing it off but he is getting used to me putting the ointment on. Stitches should come out on Wed. or Thurs.

In other news he tried out the big boy bed a week ago or so. He only slept there one night but did well!

I guess we have a ways to go before he is officially a big boy.... getting rid of the bottle and potty training.... ugh... we'll see how that goes!

Tumbling Recital

2011-06-06T11:04:00.002-05:00

This past year Gabe has been working on his "tricks" at tumbling class. They had their big recital last week. Gabe had fun! Here he is showing off his costume on the night of dress rehearsal.

Lining up before they went out on stage. Gabe is standing between some crazy twins, Graham and Adley. Shortly after this the tears started and a nice lady came and let Gabe move OUT from being between those two.

Here they were lining up for the finale and he was all smiles to be next to Corey and near his friend from daycare, Macy.

Giving Corey a funny look!

This was before their performance, after he was moved out from between Graham and Adley. The other boy with glasses, Henry, was much nicer to stand by and wait...

The girls from his tumbling class.

Coming out after the finale where they have a balloon drop..

After the recital at home with his balloons. My lovely friend April brought Gabe some candy and balloons for his first recital!

Of note is that we never actually saw the performance from the audience. Aaron had church and I stayed back with Gabe in case he was upset (like he was the night of dress rehearsal). BUT pretty much all Gabe's group did for their performance was cartwheels.... which Gabe can't do yet. He does this cute, sad, deliberate attempt and concentrates so hard... from what I hear the audience loved him and thought it was adorable! Since I didn't see it I ordered a video of the night (for $40), can't wait to watch it!

I have a few animals....

2011-05-24T23:13:00.003-05:00

Some of my animals are human...

some of my animals are feline and fuzzy....

...and tubby.

Others are the cutest things imaginable. Complete with new haircuts.

And some are rowdy. And cute. Very cute.

Little Red Tractor + a set of brothers....

2011-05-24T23:07:00.002-05:00

Red vs. Green tractors. At our house, it's a toss up. But on this day the red prevailed....

It's good to haul your brother around...

...and ditch him if necessary.

Even if he doesn't mind,

it's still funny....

...and we still love to play together.

Birthday Boys 5.15.11

2011-05-24T23:00:00.002-05:00

Aaron and Rowdy share the same birthday. Here Rowdy is 5 and Aaron is 34. Those are some really cute boys.

Speaking of cute boys.... Here is the birthday daddy with his cute baby boys.

Daddy's cake (left) and Rowdy's cake (right).

Quilting...

2011-05-24T22:56:00.002-05:00

My mom is an AMAZING quilter/sewer and I have always admired her ability to create something beautiful from fabric. I (in my determined, type A, psycho way) decided I would like to be able to make things like she does so I have been learning. Slowly. With lots of questions.

This is my first quilt block ever.

And here is the whole top of the table runner. Now I am petrified to try to layer and quilt the darn thing. I'll get there though, don't worry.

2011-05-15T11:58:00.001-05:00

Andrew lined up his cars just like Gabe used to. He was so proud of himself and wanted to show everyone!

Dad rocked his baby to sleep!

Big Brother needed his picture taken!

Baking for dad!

2011-05-15T11:55:00.003-05:00

Today is Aaron's birthday and the boys were very helpful in the cake-making process!

Mixing...

Preschool graduation!

2011-05-15T11:47:00.003-05:00

Gabe successfully completed his first year of school. Here he is getting his certificate.

Hudsen made it too, here he gets his certificate!

BFF's on the last day of school.

Make a funny face...

Andrew celebrated too!

Gabe & his teacher Barb

Best Buds!

Sleepy time..

2011-05-10T09:11:00.003-05:00

Story time with mom. They fight over the little rocking chair.

Now Gabe sleeps on the floor next to Andrew.

Worn out!

He was so proud to be wearing a headlamp...

Our New Nephew Rhett!

2011-05-01T22:06:00.004-05:00

Rhett Johnny was born on April 28th at 2:15, 9#12oz. to Jill, Craig, & Bauer. He is simply precious and we are in love!

Here I failed at supporting his head and was feeling a little guilty...

Poor guy!

He got over it quickly though.

Brother & Sister checking out the little guy...

awww!

Rhett's first time at the farm.

Hmmm, do you think anyone likes this kid?

The 4 grandkids on the Flatau side!

Andrew's Bliss??

2011-04-25T22:41:00.002-05:00

Andrew wasn't quite as thrilled with his Easter bunny gifts as Gabe was but he sure liked this cake made from scratch, oh I mean bought at Hy-Vee....

S U G A R H I G H

There it is, there's the bliss!

Heck with the fork I'm using my hands!

Gabe's Bliss

2011-04-25T22:39:00.001-05:00

The Easter Bunny got a pirate ship for Gabe and he was one happy boy! Absolutely loves it!

Makes my heart happy to see my boy so happy!

Easter Baskets.....

2011-04-25T22:37:00.002-05:00

Digging in after they found the baskets. The Easter Bunny does a really good job hiding them. The baskets that is, not the kids.

Sharing a room...

2011-04-22T17:57:00.002-05:00

The boys are still doing great with room sharing. Tonight Aaron made Andrew's crib into a "toddler bed" so we are 1 step closer to being done with a crib! Yay!

Since Andrew is constantly climbing in and out of the crib it was time to get an easier way out. His legs are bruised and he has petechiae all over the inside of his thighs from the climbing.

I Love My Kids!

2011-04-17T21:25:00.004-05:00

Andrew woke up before Gabe this afternoon and was playing by himself. I had to come check on him when it was a little too quiet.... This is what I found. He was playing on the shelf!

Monster Jams was on the regular non-cable TV today and they LOVED it! Sat by each other and soaked it all in... Then they had to get ALL the monster trucks out. I am in love with this picture!

Reading and being silly tonight. Gabe calls Aaron out when he "misses" some of the pages in the book.

Andrew in his new jammies. What a doll!

Gabe wanted me to take his picture. I took it like this 3 times....

until I convinced him to OPEN his eyes!

The latest news from Iowa is that we moved Andrew's crib into Gabe's room on Friday night. So they now officially "share" a bedroom and so far they love it.... They have been sleeping good and it seems to have strengthened their brother bond in a short period of time. The first thing Gabe did is teach Andrew how to climb out of his crib (bummer for us)... And as a matter of fact it is 10:10 right now and they are both still awake, so maybe the plan is backfiring on me as I write! I hope not....

Playground Time!

2011-04-10T21:51:00.002-05:00

We spent some time at our favorite playground this weekend...

More...

2011-03-31T23:12:00.002-05:00

Heading out for a walk on Sunday...

Gabe fell asleep on the walk and continued his rest inside..

Mr. Drew showing off his toys. He likes to haul them around in the wagon.

The boys both had colds this week. Here are Andrew and I trying to catch up on sleep yesterday...

And tonight Andrew tried out a road bike for the first time. I think he liked it!

Randoms!

2011-03-26T10:47:00.002-05:00

Andrew with his new haircut wanted yogurt and pepperoni for supper. We get spoiled by one of my customers with pepperoni and salami from Liguria Foods.... It doesn't last long around here!

Hail. In March. Oh hail no!

My little buddy and how I put him to sleep every night. The only thing that changes from day to day are the books.

Gabe kept saying "take my picture"! So here it is...

Little man showing off his slippers. They lasted only about 1 minute.

Time for a trim...

2011-03-26T10:44:00.003-05:00

Our fantastic hairdresser Linda attempted Andrew's hair for the 2nd time. THIS time I used Jill & Craig's trick (thanks!) of giving the little one a sucker. He sat perfectly nice and let Linda trim away and even use the clippers without a problem!

I love the squished sideways tongue in this picture. What a goof!

And OF COURSE Gabe had to have a sucker too, "so I don't fweak out mommy".

When all was said and done I had two well trimmed boys and Linda and I got the giggles because Andrew looked SO grown up...

Love me some work girls!

2011-03-26T10:40:00.002-05:00

My work pal Jan (left) had a surprise 60th birthday party last night in Algona. It was a good time and a lot of people.... these are the only 3 I knew there! L to R, Jan, me, Mary, Mary Ann.

Jan opening her presents.... Reading her card from all of us at Larry's Rx.

...and her gift from us! An engraved cake pan that isn't engraved yet... The machine broke so it will be done later! Jan still loved it though...

April and 'the original' Jan came later but I didn't capture them on camera...

2011-03-18T21:28:00.002-05:00

2011-03-18T21:27:00.003-05:00

Home & Away

2011-03-15T21:36:00.004-05:00

We have all been healthy for a week or so and have been enjoying the "normal" life.... Cuddling...

riding horse....

and travleing to Watertown, SD to meet up with Kristi & Sydney.

Our hotel had a great pool and we went to a place called KidZone. It was like a gigantic McDonald's play place with games and pizza.

The kids had a great time being crazy..

Andrew was so funny at the pool. He happily sported a mohawk and walked around with his swim trunks falling down.

Gabe...

2011-03-09T20:48:00.002-06:00

Gabe and I were goofing around with orange hats that Andrew gave us...

And Gabe got his first ribbon at tumbling for doing really great crab-walks on Monday!

It says "Melinda's School of Dance Star Tumbler"!

Silly little boy!

2011-03-09T20:47:00.003-06:00

Andrew loves to copy how I sit in bed.

W I L D!

Dressing up with goodies from the closet.

Always loving the cozy-coupe!

He looked like such a little man in this outfit....

but I had trouble getting a good picture of him!

Trying out the potty....

2011-03-09T20:45:00.002-06:00

I think he may be a little young....

No Andrew, it's not your feet that are supposed to go in there!

Winter Video

2011-02-27T20:39:00.002-06:00

The boys were having some fun with dad.

Some Winter Fun!

2011-02-27T20:34:00.003-06:00

A few pics from the last couple of weeks!

Brothers sledding...

The playground is even fun in winter!

Morning reading time with mom.

Andrew has this thing where he likes to take his pajamas off. Here he was caught hamming it up for the camera.

Look at all those bruises on his legs. Stupid platelets.

Loving the blanket his "North Dakota Grandma" made for him.

The best result of attempting a pic of them together!

Mike & Laura's Wedding Part II

2011-02-10T13:38:00.004-06:00

Our room at our cabin at Oak Haven Resort.

Living Room

Uncle Jon & Heidi

Grampa Gary, Auntie Holly, Uncle Dan

Aunties Emily & Jill and Uncle Craig

Mitzi & Gary with their big boys.... leaving to get ready for the wedding.

Bauer & Craig..... TWINS!

Blond cousins...

Andrew taking some cuddle time with Grampa at the reception.

Beautiful Allison Flatau! Her dad is Jason, Harvey & Betty's oldest.

Gramma & Grampa dancing with their baby boys.

Andrew & Heidi. The boys just love her!

The look on their faces was too funny to pass up!

Polar opposite facial expressions....

He loves to have his picture taken and say CHEESE!

Our best result at a family pic.

Me & my babies!

"Getting" uncle Jon...

Uncle Mike & Aunt Laura's Wedding Part I

2011-02-09T21:52:00.004-06:00

The Flatau "kids".... LOVE this picture!

Awww, Dan & Holly!

Awww, Gary & Mitzi!

Awww, Jon & Heidi!

Awww, Gramma with one of her 3 favorite little boys...

Poor Bauer! All Andrew did was strangle him, hit him, push him, and beat up on him. What is wrong with my son???!!!!???

Bauer & his mommy feeling their bellies!!

OK, here Andrew wasn't trying to beat up on Bauer. They were loving watching all the uncles and daddy's get the snowmobiles ready!

Bauer & his Uncle Mikey, so cute!

WHOA. That is a lot of Flatau's in one small space. Whoa.

Uncle Mikey with his new mother-in-law, Marge!

Gorgeous altar where Mike & Laura made their commitment!

....more to come.....

Andrew eating

2011-01-22T18:41:00.002-06:00

He loves to open the fridge and pick out something to eat. Funny, he couldn't find anything he wanted this time (cause there's nothing good in there).

He loves to eat cereal and then try to drink the milk from the bowl. Both Aaron and I dump most of the milk out so that he can't make too big a mess. Although he did pretty good this time....

Arkansas!

2011-01-17T19:34:00.006-06:00

Last week we made a trip down to Stuttgart, Arkansas to visit our fave friends. The guys went hunting and Katie and I hung out with our kiddos. It was a great time with GREAT hosts! Thanks Matt, Katie, Claire, and baby Jay!

My pictures are in no particular order because I find it very annoying to upload pictures in order on blogger. So. There it is....

Andrew and Claire playing on her trampoline.

Katie's cooking. DELICIOUS, ALWAYS!

Claire "helping" Andrew find something.

Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. Poor Claire was inundated with all things BOY when Gabe arrived.

My 2 favorite baby boys! Andrew was eating M&M's if you're wondering what is in his mouth.

Kiddos eating pizza.

We went to the children's museum in Little Rock on Friday. Andrew and Gabe were checking out the light house. I'm not sure what Gabe was doing here but I love the look on his face.

Crawling through the tunnel....

Andrew too!

My good eater.... He LOVED the hummus we had at the River Market in Little Rock. He cried when I took it away but we HAD to go because Jay had just peed out his diaper down Katie's leg!

Gabe & Claire waiting for their lunch in Little Rock.

Oh my goodness, our friends Bradley & Heather have 3 kids under the age of 3. Here big brother Wesley is trying to pose for a picture with Abigail (R) and Addison (L).

Papa Matt with his baby boy Jay

Aaron with Addison (check out cute Andrew in the background).

Aaron with Abigail

(see, the pictures are out of order). Gabe in the light house again.

Probably the best pic we got of the 3 Farmer kids together!

HEAVEN!!!

2 tired kids watching a video.

Andrew fell in love with Claire's toy strollers. I was afraid I would have to buy him one but when we got home he started pushing around his toy lawn mower. Last night I attached a basket to his lawn mower with zip ties and now he can walk his monkey around at home!

What a great time we had in Arkansas, can't wait to go again!

Some Randoms...

2011-01-11T19:31:00.002-06:00

A few days after Christmas Andrew kept bringing me underwear, saying "eeaahh", and trying to put them on his head. After about the 10th time I finally put them on him (over his diaper, don't worry) and he was SOOOO happy to be wearing underwear!

Opening some more Christmas presents with Grandma & Grandpa Flatau

Gabe displaying his monster trucks

He likes to organize his toys. Sort of.

waiting for their return...

2011-01-05T19:45:00.002-06:00

...now that they have been gone for 9 days we are getting anxious to see them again!

Rowdy is wondering when his little buddy will be back to love on him?

Before they left....

2011-01-05T19:40:00.004-06:00

...we were SO ready for a break. December was hectic with lots of church services, sick kids, work, preparation for the holiday, etc. We were happy that Gramma & Grampa Flatau came to take the kids!

Grampa & Andrew working on Optimus Prime...

Gabe showing off his black eye....

Andrew wanted a band-aid too!

T.P.

2010-12-26T13:42:00.002-06:00

This video needs no explaining.