Stop Farting on Me!

... says Sam to Seth.

If it isn't one thing, it's another! I can't count the times in a given week where I tell the two of them to go sit on the stairs. I used to have them sit on the step that matches their age. With Seth being eight years old, it puts him too high up the stairs for me to keep an eye on him.

Stairs are not working to well anymore. What to do... What to do...

The dot com

Sam: "Momma, I need help!"

Me: "With what?"

Sam: "I need to cut these apart to hand them out to my friends so they know about this dot com fun."

www.dressupgal.com

You can even make a vampire chick with bloodshot eyes and a mouth dripping blood. WOW!

The next day, Sam said she was invited to be a part of a Hex Club. Oh fun I told her. Until I asked more about this club and found out they pretend to be vampires. umm... not what I was expecting!

Fixing the Payment

Nick did a lot work on his friend Howie's truck that would have paid him over $500. Rather than paying in cash, Nick and Howie made a deal for Nick to take one of Howie's old trucks with a plow. We could have used the cash with me being on maternity leave, but he worked hard and put a lot of hours in on fixing up Howie's truck. He has also been wanting a "hunting" truck for a number of years. I wasn't to keen on that idea since he already has the 1977 Ford pickup in the garage that needs to get fixed. Who am I to tell him he can't have something he really wants. All it needs is a new starter and some fresh batteries... oh so Howie thought...

The truck has been kept in Nick's Dad's shop for the past month. Nick has spent a few late weeknights there and brings Seth on the weekends that we have the kids. Yesterday Seth and Nick spent most of the day working on the truck, with the exception of attending Allie's birthday party.

I love the fact that Nick is always willing to bring Seth along. Whether or not he thinks Seth will be of any help. Seth learns how to fix things, when he pays attention, and the two or sometimes three if Grandpa Jim is there, can spend some quality man time together.

Seth is all about how things work. He had been since he was two years old. It is a pretty safe bet that Seth will assume his squatting position if there are motors or mechanic components involved.



Photo taken from Sept. 2008 at the Worlds Largest Truck Convoy. It is the first picture I have of seth in his squatting position. Hands are typically up on his face. Must be a concentration thing.

Future Teacher

Today we were celebrating Allie Peine's 3rd Birthday. Allie's mom, Meredith is a close friend of Nick's from childhood.

Sam was holding Adelynn and asked Allie to grab a book so she could read to them. She is all about reading books to people, espcially those younger than her.

For a girl who doesn't want to have children of her own one day, she sure can't get enough of them.

At A Glance

Have I mentioned how I love technology?

Since getting my iPhone I have found a handy app that allows me to track Adelynn's naps, eating, diapers, and figure out her daily patterns without racking my tired brain to remember when what happened last.

Over the last seven days she has drank 143.38 ounces from 67 bottles.











She has slept a total of 5 days, 6 hours and 23 minutes. Her longest stretch of sleep was on January 24th for 7 hours and 35 minutes with an average of 2 hours and 23 minutes for each nap. Those little half hour cat naps bring her average down quite a bit.

She has gone through 59 diapers, which doesn't count the times where we have been in the middle of a change and she decided to dirty two, three or even five diapers. Yup, one time five diapers in one changing. She makes us think she is done pooping and then pushes out another shot.









In a given day, she sleeps around 16 to 17 hours. She does have great sleeping habits. Nick wouldn't agree as much. On the weekends he gets up with Adelynn so I can get a night or two of some good sleep. Unfortunately, when Nick is on night-duty, Adelynn doesn't sleep as long of stretches as she does with me. He also struggles with getting her to stay asleep when he brings her into the room to put her back down.










But what I like the most is the Timeline feature. I can see the last seven days trends. There are more options than Sleeping, Nursing and Bottles but at this time they are the only ones I use. We have a good pattern around the 5-6am hour for getting up after going to bed around 9-10pm. It is the middle of the day when we stagger so much. Especially when I have errands to run. She isn't much of a carseat sleeper - unless the carseat is sitting outside of the car. I guess she isn't fond of moving while she sleeps.

Another First

Since Addy has been born she has been sleeping in a Rock-n-Play at my bedside. Her room gets down to 65 degrees at night with the thermostat set at 72. I'm sure with a blanket she'd be fine but nights are so much easier when she is only an arm length away.

She started getting drowsy so I put her down still awake, and in her crib. Both would be a first as I typically put her down for naps in her Rock-n-Play.

She laid there content and cooed every so often. About ten minutes later her breathing changed and she was out. It was a success! Well, for about a half hour until she woke up. I was hoping she would have slept for her normal three plus hours. A bottle later she started nodding off so I put her back in her crib awake. 3 hours and 54 minutes later my baby girl woke.

A Mouthful

Seth's canine teeth have lost their place and have no room between is other teeth to come up. He also has a molar that wants to come in but is stuck on the ledge of the next tooth over.

We brought him to see an orthodontist where he had this nice picture taken. I received a call today from Dakota Children's Dentistry wanting to schedule an appointment to have SIX teeth extracted. SIX!! The orthodontist marked the teeth with an x. Luckily they are all baby teeth. Hopefully this will allow the necessary room so we can avoid braces or other dental issues down the road.

My poor baby boy!

How to Eat a Cake

The leftovers of our Anniversary Cake.

It sat on the counter so I'd pick at it here and there.

Raspberry filling.

mmmmm!

I'm not a frosting person... can you tell?

Pint Sized

If there is one thing that will calm Addy down in no time it is the sound of running water. My mom pointed it out to me when she was just a few days old. After standing by the sink running water over and over again to calm her, I decided to buy an app for my iPhone. It allows me to sync three different sounds together, so i picked rain, thunder and a stream. Now my water bill can go back to the normal amount.

The North Shore is covered in waterfalls which make the perfect atmosphere for soothing a crying baby. Unfortunately, they are all frozen in the winter months. You can still here the water running under the ice, but it is nowhere as loud as during the warmer months of the year.

Nick and I were pleasantly reminded of one pint sized waterfall that never freezes. Thankfully, we never had to use it to calm Addy. Although it did put her to sleep within minutes. Maybe I should see about having one of these installed in her bedroom.

After Addy fell asleep Nick and I decided to take advantage of the soothing waterfall and sit in the hot tub. Nick made a couple trips thru the tunnel to the outdoor hot tub. It was a little to chilly for me.

Firsts

It is never easy leaving a newborn for the first night. With this being our first anniversary, it didn't make leaving her any easier. Instead we brought her with.

We visited Gooseberry Falls on Saturday but signs advised traction devices due to the ice on the trails and the Visitors Center was closed.









Before leaving, we took the cleared walking path to the upper falls which are just as beautiful as the main lower falls.

Addy was sleeping so we took advantage of the moment and had dinner at Black Woods Restaurant. As always the food was delicious!

We decided that since Addy was coming with, we better get the one bedroom lakehome which offers a full kitchen, living room and a seperate bedroom with a jucuzzi.

Much easier to have her someplace quiet if she is sleeping. Plus a full kitchen in case she decides we shouldn't eat out.

On Sunday we ventured to Tettegouche State Park and figured we could give the 0.7 mile hike to the High Falls a try since Addy was sleeping and I could carry her in a sling. The trail was quite icy so we couldn't walk as fast as we thought. It took about a half hour to reach the falls. Unfortunately I didn't get much further than the picture below since Addy decided to wake up early from her nap. I think she was getting too warm being so close to me in the sling.

It was much faster walking out when you have a crying baby. Whoops!

At least Nick made it further down the path to get some nice pictures of the waterfall and river leading to Lake Superior.

We woke on Monday morning to see that it was snowing. There hasn't been a single year that we've gone to the North Shore and had not had a decent amount of snow accumulate.

We bought some shoes spikes and headed back to Gooseberry Falls.

The first thing we did was sit by the fireplace. I need to get better at asking strangers to take our picture. It would have been nice to get the three of us sitting by the fire.

Adelynn's first time being at the Lower Falls.
Of course, she is sleeping!

Our Anniversary

Today we celebrate our one year wedding anniversary. Since I wasn't blogging last year at this time, I'll give a recap.

January 21, 2011

Gooseberry Falls, Two Harbors, Minnesota




Attendees: Seth & Samantha, Terri Loken, Sommer Stafford, Julie Micensik and her boyfriend John, Jim & Linda Schiller, Luke Bauch, Melanie Janke, Amy Parmley, Nick and myself.





The temperature was 31 below (which changed our plans of saying I Do at the waterfall to the fireplace in the Visitors Center.)


Seth walked me down the "isle".


Samantha was our flower girl.









We enjoyed the warm fire before venturing out to the waterfalls and the mouth of the Gooseberry River for some pictures. It was very cold and our cheeks were red.







We ate lunch with everyone at Black Woods Restaurant in Two Harbors. Our favorite place to eat.

Nick and I said our goodbyes and headed to The Gunflint Lodge for a honeymoon weekend.

I can't thank Amy enough for coming up here with us to capture our moments. She did a fabulous job!

To celebrate our anniversary, we returned to Burlington Bay Lakehomes for the weekend and visited Gooseberry Falls to sit once again by the fireplace.

It's an Honor

We recieved a letter from school inviting Sam to be a part of the National Honors Society community program. Absolutely! In this program, Sam will be mentored by a high school NHS student. Today was her first day meeting with her mentor and had to fill out a questionnaire.

• What is your favorite animal? Horse
• When is your birthday? June 25
• Do you have any sibling? Seth and Adelynn
• What is your favorite color? Pink
• Do you play sports? Soccer
• What is your favorite movie to watch? CareBears and Swan Princess
• What do you like to do for fun? Make crafts
• What do you like to learn about in school? Reading and Math
• What is your favorite food to eat? Pickles and Olives
• What do you like to do over swummer break? Go to water parks
• What is your favorite book? Bad Cat meets Baby
• If you had $1 million dollars, what would you do with it? I'd buy an apartment building and make half of it for my horses.

Sam asks Seth what he'd do with a million dollars... He says "I'd buy a new truck for Nick and fix up his old ones."

Baby it's Cold Outside

It's January 19th and it finally feels like winter!

No more Harley Davidson or fleese jackets for me.

Last night Seth showered and put his wash cloth on the window sill. This morning when I went to shower, it was frozen solid to the block window. I had to pour hot water on it just to get it off.

What's unfortunate is that Addy and I have to go get the kids from school today and head to Saint Paul to see Sheila. Bah-Bah-BRRRR!

It's Go Time!

It has been 97 days since I blogged last...

What on Earth happened?

LIFE

Today I start my journey back in time.

My goal is to fill those 97 holes within two weeks. I can do it!

It's Go Time! (as Buddy the Cake Boss says)

Lost

Adorable little boots I bought for Adelynn to wear with her Christmas dress. It was freezing out so I put the boots on her to run some errands.

Later that night I realized she must have kicked them off because they were missing.

I remember taking her out of the Explorer and kicking something but when I looked at the ground I didn't see anything in the snow.

One boot ended up in the parking lot of Arby's covered in dirt.

The other is still missing...

I think I'll have to go back to the store to buy another pair.

Happy Birthday Seth!

My baby was due December 31, 2003. We didn't want to know the gender of our baby until s/he was born. We were very eager to begin the next step of our lives. I was 14 days overdue when I was admitted to United Hospital and given Pitocin to help induce labor. I wasn't progressing, so I was sent home. I returned the following evening for another round. I remember contractions were getting strong while watching ER on Thursday night, January 15th. On Friday I decided to get an epidural because the pain was pretty intense and I was losing what energy I had left. The pain in my left hip lingered as my left side didn't fully become numb. Dr. Nancy Struthers told me that I would need to have a c-section because it was taking too long and baby's heart beats were showing signs of distress during contractions. The surgical room was prepped and the staff came to wheel me away. During the time they were gone the pain I was experiencing was getting more intense. I was ready to push.

At 10:40pm on January 16, 2004

Our baby boy was born.

Seth Thomas Brunner

7 lbs 1 3/4 ounces

19 1/2 inches long

14 inch head circumference

This morning Seth was wished a happy birthday by his Grandma Loken. She was quickly corrected that he doesn't turn eight until tonight because he was born after dark.

I can't believe it has been eight years. Before I know it, I'll be saying "I can't believe it has been 18 years". My baby is half way to driving. Then graduating, going to college (i hope), finding his true love and making me a grandma. It is easy to daydream about the what the future may hold. It is staying in the present and soaking up all of the little things that can be hard. We take life for granted. This blog will help me slow down and look at the little things in life that make me smile. All of which started with this little boy.

Happy 8th Birthday Seth! We love you!

Bowling with Ethan

Today Ethan is celebrating his 5th birthday at the Litchfield Bowling Center. Ethan had a good turn out with a handful of friends from daycare and some family who came to watch. His mom is a pretty good cake decorator too.

Sam didn't want to bowl because I wasn't going to bowl. I offered to help her bowl but that wasn't what she wanted. Nick came up to us and Sam wrapped him right around her finger and he bowled with her.

Look at that form! So graceful.

Seth was already eagerly standing at the lanes ready to start  bowling.

Love the leg in the air Seth!

Boy Crazy

Today we are celebrating Seth's 8th birthday. Each year we pick someplace fun to take him and some of his friends. Last year we went tubing at Buck Hill so this year we went to swimsuits instead. The Red Wing YMCA offers a few different birthday party ideas. Seth chose Gym and Swim. Him and 11 guests could go swimming for a hour and play in the gym for a hour.

Seth is all about opposite days so we started the party off with snack, cupcakes, ice cream and presents.


Row 1: Ethan Stafford, Jacob Weckop, Seth, Nathan Weckop

Row 2: Josh Taylor, Mason Lorenzen, Derek Nieber, Sam, JoHanna Taylor, Samantha Errington, Jacob Stafford and Clay Nielson
Not in picture: Aunt Sommer, Adelynn, Nick, myself and Dave.

After the chaos of presents, we headed for the pool!

It wasn't very busy so the kids didn't have to worry about lines or bumping into people.
The boys are crowded around a large water gun that can shoot the lights and practically across the whole room. YMCA was thinking when they had the gun turn off when pointing towards the lifegaurd stations. Otherwise, all are fairgame.

We brought a few footballs to throw around and some balls that sink to the bottom. We spent a little over a hour in the pool and it was great!

There are three areas of the pool. A kiddie area, waterslide and the large lap pool.

Next we headed off to the gymnasium for the kids to run laps and wear off any energy that they forgot to release while swimming.

Parents arrived and the party ended.

Besides the boys being loud and crazy during the presents, it was an all-in-all good day!