the bilstad's

happy valentine’s day!

2012-02-14T06:16:00.000-06:00

Not gonna lie…trying to take a photo of these three little children together continues to be an undertaking. However, I know that years from now I will be so glad I sat them down and attempted to capture the three of them together.

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

marriage.

2012-02-10T06:06:00.000-06:00

Each day we try to ask the boys…

“What made you happy today?”

and

“What made you sad today?”

This evening while asking our questions we somehow got veered off topic. Jack had made mention of his friend, Kayla, from school and I said “Oh, is Kayla your best girl?”

{Insert smirk here, kind of like the one you see above.}

“No Mom, I am going to marry Hillary.”

“Hillary? Who is Hillary? I have never heard of Hillary? Jack, you need to point Hillary out to me tomorrow when I take you to school.”

“Okay.” Jack said.

Love his innocence.

Happy Friday…enjoy the weekend!

kate - 8 months.

2012-02-06T20:58:00.001-06:00

Oh Baby Kate, you sure did not stay a baby long.

8 months old…where has the time gone?

When I returned home from taking the boys to preschool this morning, Paul very proudly showed me the new trick he taught Kate while I was gone.

Kate can hold her own bottle.

I called bluff and said I did not believe it. And then Paul replayed for me the 44 seconds of recorded coverage he has of Kate holding her bottle.

Yep, Kate sure can hold her own bottle.

Ahh heck, just another sign that she is not going to be our ‘baby girl’ forever. Who am I to kid…she will be our baby girl forever, whether she likes it or not.

So, other exciting milestones for Kate at 8 months of age:

. Kate, you are still army crawling all over the place. You have occasionally raised up on all fours and rocked back and forth, but for the most part army crawling is your main mode of transportation.

. You are not too crazy about solid foods. I continue to try different options. However my latest observation is that you would much rather feed yourself than be fed. Hum…I am interested to see where this development takes us.

. You are a screamer, a loud, happy, ‘hear me ~~roar~~ scream’, kind of screamer.

. Kate, you like to sleep on your tummy and for the most part you are a very good little sleeper. We still need to wean you from your little snack in the middle of the night, but other than that you sleep very well.

. You love taking a bath and slashing all over the place.

. You have a new little gesture that just melts my heart. When I am holding you and we start talking to a stranger, in a shy like manner you tuck your head into my neck and with those big eye peer back at who we are talking to. Oh Kate, I just love when you nuzzle up close to me.

Thanks for the past 8 months Kate. They have been grand!

same ol’, same ol’.

2012-02-01T21:17:00.001-06:00

There is not much new in our house.

I mean really, we are rather boring.

Boring is okay, I guess.

Today Jack and Andrew had swimming lessons.

As you can probably tell from the photograph, they don’t like being in the water at all!!

These little boys were so silly! I suspect their silliness was elevated by the fact that they did not take a nap today when they were suppose to.

Until we got in the car after swimming lessons, at which time Andrew thought it was time for a little snooze.

Waking Andrew up from a nap is probably similar to taking food away from a bear…he is so growly!!

Today as we were walking to the family locker room at the gym we passed the racquetball courts.

Andrew said “I go play with racquet and ball?”

“Maybe someday Dad will take you, Buddy. I don’t know how to play.” I replied.

“You just take the ball and bounce it. {He is moving his right hand up and down like he is bouncing an imaginary ball.} And then you take your racquet and swing. {He swings his left hand numerous times."} You can do it Mommy. It’s easy.”

Oh, his innocence. I love it.

I suspect Andrew has not heard the stories about my attempts to play tennis!

Same ol’, Same ol’.

my best girl.

2012-01-30T06:46:00.000-06:00

Following Church on Sunday the kids and I meet up with my friend Julie and her family. On the way to Julie’s mom and dad’s house I was asking that the boys please be on good behavior, which went something along the lines of “…please, please don’t fight with your brother, don’t break anything and please use good manners…”.

You know, the typical pep talk…for 3 and 4 year old boys!

Following my pep talk, Jack asked “Mommy, is Julie your best girl?”

“Yup Jack, she sure is.” I replied.

“Where did you meet her?” he asked.

“I meet her when I was going to school.”

“Oh that’s nice.” he said.

And so it was that I had the joy of visiting with my best girl, her husband and parents for a short time. But more importantly I had the honor of meeting their daughter, Maya.

Maya is Julie and Dan’s first child, born on November 2nd. I was so excited the day I heard that Julie had given birth to a baby girl. She and Miss Kate are exactly 5 months apart. Which right now at 3 and 8 months seems like quite an age gap, but fast forward a couple of years and 5 months will seem like nothing.

Maya, meet Kate.

Kate, meet Maya.

Oh girlies, can I tell you how excited I am for the four of us to spend an occasional Saturday together. I sure hope the two of you will meld right into what your mommy’s like to do together….

A brisk morning walk, followed by a cleansing glass of water, homemade muffins and a warm shower to get us ready for our day’s adventure. In the background Kare11 is updating us on the latest news, meanwhile we plot out the stores and/or malls that we would like to visit. We ask Dan for any final directions that we might need, cuz Maya, your dad is the human MapQuest for the Twin Cities. On more than on occasion he has received a call from me and has ever so accurately guided me in the right direction {Thanks Dan!}. We grab a bottle or two of water, some snacks and we are off, knowing that that we won’t be back until after dark.

Our Saturday Shopping Soiree begins with a stop at Caribou Coffee. Two tall Northern Lite Lattes for the moms and 2 hot chocolates for the little girls. We shop, we talk, we people watch, we re-connect…because on this day, this adventure is about so much more than stimulating the economy. It is about two friends {and their little girls} who have almost 15 years of history together, refueling their souls. Our conversations may range from the latest creation that was prepared in our kitchens, our goals, shoe styles, how we would like to decorate our homes, our feelings on this or that topic…our conversations will go all over the place, but at the end of the day we feel refreshed, having spent the day with our best girl. By the way little girls, I think you are a perfect addition to our Saturday Shopping Soiree.

A Best Girl…every girl needs one!

Julie’s dad, Clayton, holding Miss Kate.

Julie and family…thank you for letting us drop in and visit!

Happy Monday….sorta. Weekend, you came and went a little too fast!

our week in review.

2012-01-28T00:22:00.001-06:00

It has been one of those weeks.

One of those weeks where my ambition level for anything above and beyond what is required to maintain status quo in our house has been rather low.

Ugh, the act of not being productive drives me crazy.

Like I said, it has just been one of those weeks.

The most likely ‘symptom’ is a reaction to my Co-Pilot working really stinky shifts for a young family {and a young mother trying to keep the young family held together}. Oh we will make it, we always do, but let’s just say there is a countdown in our house until this string of shifts is over.

In the meantime, this is what we have been up to…

On Monday night a rash started to form on Miss Kate. At the time it was primarily around her ears and a few spots on her tummy. I called my trusty Doctor, explained the symptoms and he informed me he was not worried. By Tuesday morning it had spread head to toe and back again. Poor peanut looked awful!! I am happy to report that as of Thursday her rash had cleared.

Miss Kate has another tooth coming in…right next to her first tooth.

Oh, and she may have a slight runny nose.

“Mom, you are the best treat lady ever!” said Jack today as he was cleaning out a bowl once filled with melted milk chocolate.

I made Twix Bars. I am not sure I would make them again, but maybe my expectations were too high. I am waiting for a review from my Co-Pilot.

However, I think Jack really liked the milk chocolate!

In our house, we do drool…and we do it well!!

Guess what I am doing this weekend?

Installing a baby gate!!

Miss Kate…she is all over the place and the one place we do not need her is on the stairs headed to the basement!

Disclaimer: Our son Andrew still lives at home with us, but he did not want any photos of him taken.

None. Maybe next time.

Happy Weekend!

Andrew’s 3rd birthday…rewind.

2012-01-22T21:32:00.001-06:00

We celebrated Andrew’s 3rd birthday way back in December of 2011 {click here if you missed seeing how much our little boy has grown}. Somehow in the hustle and bustle that is know as the month of December, I didn’t post any photos of Andrew’s special day...so here I am with another rewind post.

The theme of Andrew’s birthday party was dinosaurs {or if you ask Jack, it looked more like a lizard}. As I always say, my cakes might not look that great, but they are made with love!

Our birthday boy…so excited to begin opening presents.

Focused!

Our big 3 year old waiting to blow out his candles. May all of your birthday wishes come true little man!

Phew, I feel so much better now that I have given Andrew his moment in the spotlight…thanks for looking!

cheerios and berries.

2012-01-20T21:45:00.001-06:00

Kate’s first finger ~~food~~ snack was Cheerios, and she is lovin’ it…working so hard to make the finger pinch movement.

My approach to introducing solid foods to Kate has been to pick any vegetable or fruit from our refrigerator, clean it, if needed cook it, puree it and feed it to our little peanut. Her first few bites of blueberries were followed by some strange facial expressions, but if the empty bowl was any indication, she liked them!

Yummy…solid foods!! Enough with all of that formula business! Who am I to kid, lil’ sister still really likes her formula, but it is exciting to expose her to solid foods.

Have a fantastic weekend!!

she.

2012-01-15T23:38:00.001-06:00

she is such a happy little girl.

she likes to know what is going on around her.

she is 7 months, 13 days old. {someone please push pause, quickly!}

she melts my heart.

51.

2012-01-12T21:56:00.001-06:00

On Tuesday the high for the day was 51 degrees.

Let me clarify that. On Tuesday, January 10th, the high for the day was 51 degrees.

Amazing!

We could have spent the afternoon putting away laundry, cleaning bathrooms and taking a nap. Instead we decided to embrace the beautiful weather and went outside to breath in the fresh air and enjoy the spring like afternoon.

Miss Kate went for her first adventure in the swing. She loved it,

I am here to tell you that Jack is an awesome brother to his younger siblings. I could not have handmade him any better if I tried. His playfulness and desire to see his younger siblings happy shined thru yet again as he was pushing Andrew and Kate in their swings. He is a fantastic big brother.

Paul and Andrew played football.

Jack doesn’t have the interest in football that Drew does, so he played ‘chase my dad around while he plays football with my little brother’. As for Toby, he was up for chasing anyone.

Our little football player, walking away as he waits for his turn to play with Paul.

“I play football one more time, please Daddy?” Andrew said again, and again.

Andrew was a little irritated that he has to share Paul’s attention with Jack. Jack wanted to play tennis…Drew wanted to play football, thus they had to take turns and you can imagine how well that went over!

We humans were not the only ones who enjoyed the beautiful afternoon. Our loyal furry friend Toby was right along with us, playfully chasing tennis balls in the backyard. I can only imagine his surprise when I let him outside this morning. Let’s just say the wind was fierce and the temp was frigid, making Toby’s trip outside very quick!

51 degrees…thank you for visiting.

snow.

2012-01-10T06:59:00.000-06:00

On December 31st it snowed.

The boys were ecstatic!

They bundled up for an afternoon of ‘working’ in the snow.

By the time they were done our deck was all shoveled, table included.

The fresh air, so good for little souls.

And if you could see our backyard now…

you would wonder if we have had any snow this winter…

and question what month it really is.

It is true. It is January 10th and records show we have had 3.1” of snowfall since December 1st. Our temps have been averaging in the high 30’s to low 40’s. This isn’t the type of weather we are used to having in January!

And our boys, well they keep wondering where all of the snow went and questioning when we will be getting more.

Snow, what snow?

football champs.

2012-01-09T22:22:00.001-06:00

Saturday was a big day in our house…well for some of us anyway. The Bison took on Sam Houston State for the FCS Championship. We won 17 to 6. Yippie!

Football season…I love it. On any given day I enjoy having a college or NFL football game on in the background as I do my best to care of our kids, make meals and keep our household running. It is very, very rare that I will actually sit down and watch a game in its entirety {hello, 3 kids under the age of 4 don’t exactly allow sitting for an extended period of time} but when it comes to Bison football everything goes on hold and we settle in to watch the game.

Taking a photo of our three children continues to be such.a.challenge! Andrew is such a little punk when it comes to sitting/standing/laying/breathing the same air as his sister. Ugh. Can you feel his angst in the above photo?

“She’s touching me! Mom, Kate is touching me!” Andrew screeched.

“You are right Andrew, she it. Who cares? She is not hurting you.” I replied.

Meanwhile, Miss Kate’s first tooth continues to grow, which contributes to her constantly wanting to have something in her mouth to chew on.

Hope you all had a good weekend!!

Capturing a Simple Moment.

2012-01-08T14:09:00.001-06:00

Andrew’s favorite cartoon is Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends. Jack is a little more neutral on the cartoon, mostly because of his tender little heart. Recently Andrew said “I want to watch Spider-Man.”

“But Drew, I don’t like the scary parts.” Jack replied.

“That is okay you can just hind under your blanket when they are on.” Andrew answered.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

For the past two days Kate has been a little fussy. Just a little off, not her normal happy-go-lucky self. Following Church we decided to stop by the hospital so Paul could take a peek in her ears. On the way to the hospital Jack asked why we were going there.

“So Daddy can take a look into Kate’s ears” I answered.

“Oh, so Daddy really is a real doctor?” Jack asked.

While laughing, I replied “He sure is.”

*Sidenote. We knew it was only a matter of time, but Kate is the first of our children to have an ear infection. We went 4 1/2 years without an ear infection, so I would say we have done pretty well. But alas, our little peanut broke the mold.

2012 – A New Year

2012-01-05T07:03:00.000-06:00

For me, starting a new year is refreshing. It is filled with hope, renewed ambitions, a list of goals and reflection on the past 365 days.

This year we rang in the new year with two of our very best friends. We had dinner, drinks and easy conversation, amidst the chaos of our crazy kids.

As you can tell, Jack and Andrew are not too fond of our friends. Well frankly, it is just the opposite!

While I was at the grocery store purchasing a few items for our dinner, I couldn’t help but pick up a bottle of sparkling white grape juice for Jack and Andrew.

And then I went so far as to pour their juice into a special glass. They were so excited. Andrew liked the sparking juice a lot more than Jack, however they both thought drinking out of their ‘wine glass’ was top notch!

May your 2012 be all that you wish for and more! Here’s to fulfilled ambitions, special memories, laughter and good health.

Kate – 7 months.

2012-01-03T22:13:00.001-06:00

This was Kate on Sunday…at crawling camp.

She was very vocal as she worked ever so hard to figure out what body parts to move to actually get her little body moving.

This was Kate on Monday…at food camp.

I knew I needed to start her on solid foods, but starting an infant on solids throws in a whole new layer of mess, time consumption and planning…but I did it. Late Sunday afternoon I realized I could not deny Kate ‘the good stuff’, so I threw a handful of carrots on the stove, boiled, pureed and then started feeding our little peanut. She was not at all that interested in her carrots. But I am here to tell you, as of today, Baby Kate is lovin’ her carrots and eating them like the champ she is.

Back at crawling camp…this was Kate today.

Big milestone…lil’ sister has figured out how to do the army crawl.

Put an object on the floor, and wham, Kate is moving her way towards the prize. {Insert whole new level of irritation from her brothers…ahh siblings, so fun to watch them figure each other out!!}

As Kate heads into her 7th month of life, we have one last milestone to report. There is a slight glimpse of a first tooth in her lower gums that is so very close to breaking the surface.

Man alive, this little girl has been busy…and we are loving every moment of it.

Andrew starts Preschool.

2012-01-02T22:12:00.001-06:00

In August, while preparing Jack to return to Preschool, Andrew was rather bummed that he was not going to school. We told him he could start once he could pee and poop on the potty. Four days later he was potty trained and asked “I go to school now?”.

Needless to say, we didn’t think potty training Andrew would be that easy and unfortunately we were not ready to send him off to preschool {heck, he wasn’t even three yet, and Paul and I really enjoyed our time with Andrew while Jack was at school}. So, knowing that Andrew did not really have a full grasp on the concept of time, we told him he could start preschool after Christmas.

We have been repeating that the same line for the past 4 months…finally he got to start!

Andrew’s main concern was that he was going to be in a class with babies. Really, it was. I suspect this idea has been generated from the time he spends in our church nursery while Paul and I worship. In the nursery he is with little ones of all ages, up to the age of 3. Andrew just turned three in November, so until then there was no place for him in an actual Sunday School class. When we would talk about him starting school soon, Andrew would often say “I not be with the babies!”.

Today was Andrew’s first day of preschool. He was ready, excited and eagerly went off with his teacher and friends. A little too eagerly. This did not surprise Paul and I as Andrew is very outgoing and is typically not intimidated by others. Let’s just say the kid can handle his own. But he didn’t even look back as he walked toward his teacher. Ugh, why do our babies have to grow up so fast?

When I returned 3 hours later to pick up the boys, Andrew’s teacher told me he had a great morning. She said she overhead Jack and Andrew talking on the bench as they were waiting for me to pick them up. Andrew said “I had a great day!” to which Jack replied “See Andrew, I knew you would like it.”

Our little boys, growing up so fast…reminding me to savor these moments because before I know it they will be in school all day long and our house will be all too quiet!

Christmas Day 2011

2012-01-02T11:09:00.001-06:00

I heard the pitter patter of little feet coming into our bedroom. “Daddy, can we go see if Santa came yet?” Jack asked. “No buddy, it is still sleep time, go back to bed for a little while.”

Sleep time it was. I was pretty sure my head had just hit the pillow and I had 6 hours of blissful sleep ahead of me. {Insert reality here} It was 4:30 in the morning and Jack was so very excited to see what Santa had brought for him. He did managed to fall asleep for another 3 1/2 hours, but by 8 o’clock he was ready to see what Santa delivered.

Paul was in the living room helping the boys with their stockings as I was trying to gather my thoughts for another fun-filled Christmas adventure. I enjoy all of the excitement of the Christmas holiday, but it is so very exhausting at the same time.

“Andrew, what did Santa bring you?”.

“Beer.”

“No Drew, that is a bottle of Root Beer, kinda like pop.”

“Oh.”

The boys were so excited about their bottle of pop. Our kids don’t get pop except for super rare, super special occasions…Christmas certainly falls into that category. Jack drank his rather quickly, Andrew rationed his out over a couple of days.

A muskrat ornament. Oh there is a story to go along with that…something along the lines of an unwanted muskrat visitor in our garage, under my car, that I almost stepped on. Oh these critters…I am certain they seek me out and laugh at my reaction to them.

Christmas Day…the joy in our children’s expressions as they open their gifts was priceless. We spent the day relaxing with family and enjoying our time together.

On Monday, December 26th we packed up the car and traveled to South Dakota to celebrate Christmas with my dad. The boys get excited about road trips because it means they get to watch a movie in our car…another novelty. Even though our car has a built in DVD player, they only get to watch it when we go on trips. A Trip = 1 hour or more of travel time in the car. The trip to my dad’s takes about 3 1/2 hours…plenty of time for a movie, or two!

Kate and Grandpa spent the better part of the evening snuggled up in the recliner while the boys played with their new toys.

Meanwhile on Tuesday morning we went to visit Grandma DeJong. Unbeknownst to me, Jack and Andrew hammered down mega doses of sugar before going to Grandma’s because those two little boys were out of control. They would not, nor could not, stop touching each other, whether it be in the form of a punch, tackle or sitting on each other. Drove me crazy!! Kate and Paul stayed back at my dad’s house. Kate was still fighting the Croup bug and we didn’t want to risk the chance of Grandma getting sick.

Christmas 2011…such a joy…such a blessing. Such an enjoyable time spent reconnecting with family, sharing stories and making memories.

Merry Christmas.

Christmas Eve 2011

2012-01-01T23:13:00.001-06:00

December.

Oh, December.

It was {and always is} a busy month. However this year was different. It was busier.

We celebrated Andrew’s 3rd birthday on December 3rd. A week later we hosted almost 60 people at our home for the annual Bilstad-Bowers Christmas Party. Throw in one evening spent Christmas shopping {via the Internet, because the idea of shopping with our three little ones quickly loses it’s holly-jolly appeal}, a day spent baking goodies to be shared with others, an evening spent putting together our Christmas letter/photos and a few late nights of wrapping gifts…and wham, just like that Christmas is here.

Christmas Eve. The day is spent checking off our final preparations list. Making sure the kids have equal number of gifts, {I never knew until this year what a big deal that is! The boys, without any prompting from us, kept a tally on the number of gifts they each had under the tree.} running last minute errands, assembling our cookie trays and appetizers for later in the day.

Our traditional Christmas Eve involves going to the 4:30 PM Church service, embracing in the reminder that He is the reason for the season. After church we all gather at Peter & Sandy’s for an evening of appetizers and opening gifts. The kids are giddy. They can not contain themselves and eagerly await for the go-ahead to start passing out the gifts. Once all of the gifts have been delivered to their recipient, the unwrapping begins. The little ones go first, youngest to oldest. We watch each child, one by one, open their present…so fun!

Kate Marie, her first Christmas.

Kate with her cousin Blessing. Kate’s most recent discovery is her tongue, as documented in the photo above. She is so very proud of her tongue and has it going in all different directions!

My mom, along with Paul, myself and the kids.

Andrew thinks his fingers taste really good, especially when it is time to take a picture of him…Jack is going through that awkward smiling phase where a person has to work really hard to get a natural smile from him…and Kate, well she is just dumfounded by all of the activity!

Peter, Sandy and all of the Bilstad grandchildren.

Peter, Sandy and all of the ‘big kids’.

Christmas Eve…such an exciting day spent with family, rejoicing in the joy of the season and the gift of baby Jesus. We rolled home around 12:30 AM….carried our little ones to bed, finished last minute preparations for Christmas Day and then drifted off to dreamland.

Up next, Christmas Day 2011.

Christmas Break 2011

2011-12-28T23:35:00.001-06:00

The boys have been lounging and have maybe spent a day or two in their pajamas all.day.long.

They helped ‘clean up’ the kitchen after a fantastic day spent baking with a dear friend of mine. Oh what a glorious day it was! An entire day devoted to baking {while taking care of the kids} is a top ten day in my book of life.

Kate Marie.

Her first Christmas….which also coincided with her first bout of Croup.

All of our kids had it. Started with Jack, ended with Kate.

Ugh, sick babies…they are no fun at all.

Next up…a Christmas 2011 recap. We had a fantastic holiday! Many photos were taken, I just need to weed thru all of them.

Christmas Break 2011…enjoying the downtime!

capturing a simple moment.

2011-12-22T01:04:00.001-06:00

Yesterday :: Lunchtime :: Our Kitchen.

J: “Mom, how do we get to heaven?”

N: “The angels come down and get us.”

J: “Why can’t we just ride in an airplane?'”

N: “We can’t Jack. Riding in an airplane is not how we get to heaven.”

. . . . . . . . meanwhile, a little while later . . . . . . . . . .

J: “Mom, why don’t some kids have a mommy or a daddy?”

N: “I am not sure why Jack. Each family is made up in their own special way.”

Good gracious! Where is my reference manual when I need it!! I am so ill prepared for some of these questions.

Today :: Early Evening :: Downtown Fargo.

The kids and I had stopped at the hospital to pick up a prescription. It was around 7 PM and the lights of Downtown Fargo were calling for a little cruise down Broadway adventure. As we were traveling I was pointing out various stores and mentioned that before having babies I used to work downtown at an architecture firm. We talked about how I used to design buildings for people to work and live in.

A: “Mommy, when I get big I be just like you.”

N: “That sounds great Andrew.”

J “So Mom, you and dad got married then?”

N: “Yup Jack, we got married.”

J: “So that means Dad loves you?”

N: “He sure does Jack.”

The complete randomness of their questions/comments, I love it! I never want to forget these innocent remarks, hence the reason you are reading about them on this here little ol’ ~~scrapbook~~ blog of ours.

smitten.

2011-12-21T11:14:00.000-06:00

Paul and I are just smitten with this little girl. Her content demeanor, huge smile and cuddling nature make it very easy for us to spend all day just lovin’ her up.

And when she wants to give you a kiss, oh you can just see the excitement!

Kate’s kisses, oh man are they wet ones…but I take them every time!

By the way, notice those leg rolls!

Man alive does she have some scrumptious legs and if you squeeze them, boy oh boy does Kate ever laugh.

splash. splash.

2011-12-20T22:46:00.001-06:00

Today Miss Kate made her debut in our local fitness center pool. First time lil’ sister has worn a swimsuit…and good gawd, I could not get enough of her sweetness! Before we left for this adventure, and let me tell you…it was an adventure, I snapped a few photos of our little swimsuit model.

The adventure….

…some little girl/boy pooped in the pool, so the pool was closed for a some time while the chemicals processed. Jack and Andrew were so fascinated by the fact that someone actually pooped in the pool that they would.not.quit talking about it!!

But wait, that was not the adventure. The adventure was that by the time I got all of us ready to go swimming, only to be told that the pool was not open, got us all back into our street/workout clothes so I could workout while the kids went to the play area…following my workout we all got back into our swim gear, played in the water, took showers and put all of our street clothes back on…well by the end of that adventure I was wishing the water fountain was a beer fountain because this mama was worn out.

And then I got that look from a lady. That look that said, really you are taking these kids all swimming by yourself.

Darn right I am!

She was curious enough to ask “These kids all yours?”, like having three kids is such a rarity, but I suppose three kids under the age of four is a little crazy to some, but to me it is our life and I would not change it for anything, not even a beer fountain at the end of an endless swimming adventure.

What did Kate Marie think of her swimming adventure? Sister was a champ! She had a blast in the water, didn’t even so much as offer up a whimper when some little dude {not one of mine} splashed water in her face.

On the other hand, many hours later I am still recovering from our adventure!

bison pride . update.

2011-12-20T11:55:00.000-06:00

We won!!

That is right…the mighty Bison are traveling to Frisco, Texas for the National Championship game on January 7th.

We won!!

In other related news…on Saturday morning while getting ready for the game, Andrew asked me why I had my football shirt on. I lied to him and told him ‘because I just wanted to wear it’. I knew that if I told him I was going to a football game he would freak out. So as far as Andrew was concerned, I went Christmas shopping with Peter and Sandy. So sorry little man…someday (in like 20 plus years) when you have kids of your own you will totally understand.

In other, other related news…I broke the screen of my cell phone during the football game, so if you have tried to call, text or email me in the last couple of days, I apologize. I could hear my phone chirping when a text or email would come in, heck I even heard it ring once or twice, but there was nothing I could do about it. The screen of the phone was nonexistent. The sad news, this is the second time within the last month that I have had to replace a broke/lost phone. Not having a cell phone readily available made me realize how dependent on my cell phone I have become. Thankfully, I went to the store today and now have a new phone in my possession.

Hey, did I mention that the Bison won? Yippie!!

bison pride.

2011-12-16T18:40:00.001-06:00

Andrew. Andrew enjoys pretending he is a football player!

He will often say, “Here comes the football player” as he runs down the hall and jumps onto the couch!

Andrew is also still wearing his Spiderman costume from Halloween…so we often have Spiderman the Football Player running around our house!

However, this weekend we are hoping the Bison have their superpower game on as they take on Georgia Southern for a chance to play for the national championship in Texas. And I just so happen to have snagged three tickets for Peter, Sandy and I to be a part of the game on Saturday.

Can.not.wait…GO BISON!!

look at that hair accessory.

2011-12-05T23:49:00.001-06:00

Yes I did.

Yes, I certainly dressed our little girl in a crazy, homemade, attention getting hair accessory, pokka dotted leg warmers and a denim mini skirt and enjoyed every single minute of it.

Who knew dressing a little girl could be so much fun. I didn’t, until 6 months ago!

pheasant hunting rewind.

2011-11-30T23:16:00.001-06:00

This is my last ‘rewind’ post. I think I am finally caught up on all of the adventures we have been on!

Life…sure keeps me on my toes!

In October we traveled back to South Dakota for the opening weekend of pheasant hunting. Paul and I have been returning home for the opener since we first started dating. We are so excited to have our children be a part of this experience.

Speaking of our children, look at how dirty Andrew’s face it. What in the world did he get into?

The boys helped their Great-Grandma Doering collect the chicken eggs.

Andrew, lil’ dirty face…and bruised forehead.

Baby Kate and her mama…Kate loves to be in the baby carrier.

No trip back to South Dakota is complete without visiting my Grandma DeJong. It is always such a joy to spend time with her. She held Kate the entire time we were at her home. Held her, fed her, loved her up. It was so fun to witness.

Jack and Grandpa headed out for a four-wheeler ride.

Andrew turn for a ride with Grandpa.

Our weekend in South Dakota was so enjoyable. The big boys limited out on their pheasants. Jack and Andrew had a fantastic time playing at the farm, in the fields, running wild and free…what a childhood should be all about!!

a glimpse into the future.

2011-11-28T06:35:00.000-06:00

Jack, so content

to be sitting on the couch playing a game on the ipad, until

I plop baby Kate down right next to him and she starts moving her hands all over the screen of the ipad.

Boy did her big brother not like the idea of Kate sitting next to him! However, in my eyes, it is glimpse of what is not too far of in our future. Girlfriend is rolling around on the floor like crazy. She added this trick to her resume on Saturday and has been unstoppable ever since. Well that is until she rolls into an object that does not move (like a wall or piece of furniture) then she demands that we send help her way.

Watch out big brothers, your little sister is going to be a movin’ and a shakin’ before we know it!!

happy thanksgiving.

2011-11-24T22:34:00.001-06:00

Miss Kate and I. We quickly took a moment today to photograph the two of us together as we were headed out the door for lunch. My children are going to look back on their childhood and wonder what in the world their mother looked like. I am the one always behind the camera, while the kids and Paul are in all of the photographs….but that is okay, they are much better to look at anyway.

Speaking of the kiddos…ohhh these kids!

I tried to take a photo of them together, you know, givin’ it is Thanksgiving and all…why not capture the moment?

Well I definitely captured the moment!

Andrew is still very luke warm {on a good day} about his sister. Oh he doesn’t do anything to harm her, but he very clearly does not want anything to do with her!!

Jack, on the other hand, could not keeps his hands off his sister. He was all about playing with her hands and touching her hat. Would you please just leave a girl alone!

Today (and every evening while saying my prayers) I give thanks and praise God for all of the blessings he has bestowed upon me. I am so very, very thankful.

In other non related news, no I will not be participating in the Black Friday frenzy. However, I did try to purchase a newspaper on my way home from our Thanksgiving feast and there was not a single paper to be purchased. I was more curious than anything as to what was in the ads. There is nothing I need that is worthy of shopping at some crazy hour {especially when I could be sleeping!!} so that I can deal with obnoxious drivers, overfilled parking lots, long lines, pushy, rude people, un-organized, overfilled stores all to save a buck on something that I probably did not need in the first place.

In other non related, but much more positive, news…Christmas is coming!! I am one of those ‘will not decorate for Christmas before I give thanks’ kind of persons. But guess what? Today we gave thanks, which means that tomorrow I can begin decorating for Christmas!! Yippie Skippie! I love decorating our home for Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

friends.

2011-11-21T06:11:00.000-06:00

Friends…they are a wonderful blessing,

My friend Lyla and her family spent this past weekend with us. We had such a great time doing nothing.

Nothing has never felt so good!

While the kids played, the grownups visited. It has been almost 3 years since Lyla and I spent a considerable amount of time with one another. Oh we have visited with each other at various functions, talked on the phone, exchanged emails…but we have not spent time together doing ‘nothing’ and just letting the conversation meander wherever it may.

: :: December 2008 :: :

: :: November 2011 :: :

Friends…some friends may come and go, but a true friend is one that you can pick up a conversation with and carry on like you never missed a beat. I never missed a beat with my friend Lyla. We have been friends our entire life. Both of us are living two very busy lives, but spending a weekend doing ‘nothing’ reminded me of one of the more important blessings in life to be thankful for…friends.

kate’s baptism.

2011-11-18T06:50:00.000-06:00

Kate Marie was baptized on Sunday, October 2nd.

Our sweet baby girl did not make even so much as a peep as she was baptized.

Kate with her Godparents, Uncle Scott and Auntie Tina.

Kate with Grandpa Doering.

Kate with Papa and Nannie.

Kate with Grandma Connie.

The Bilstad grandchildren.

Kate and her daddy. Our baby girl loves to be carried around at the hip, facing forward. Loves it…she likes to know what is going on around her!

God Bless Kate.

andrew turn’s 3.

2011-11-15T06:12:00.000-06:00

The day Andrew was born…November 15, 2008. We were thrilled!!

: :: 7 months old…June 03, 2009 :: :

: :: Andrew’s 1st birthday…November 15, 2009 :: :

: :: 1 year, 7 months old…June 15, 2010 :: :

: :: Andrew’s 2nd Birthday…November 15, 2010 :: :

: :: 2 years, 7 months old…June 11, 2011 :: :

Our big 3 year old! Andrew, at 3 years of age…

. enjoys eating spicy food (just like his daddy!!)

. is in to all activities involving a ball…basketball, football, tennis, soccer, golf, etc.

. is rather, ahem, independent shall I say!!

. is outgoing and has been know to flash his contagious smile and say ‘hi’ to complete strangers, young and old alike.

. is so excited to start preschool!! We told him he could not start until his was potty trained. Four days later (this was in August) he was trained and said ‘I go to school now?’. Wow, that took us by surprise! So, we informed him he would not be going until after Christmas. Now when we take Jack to school Andrew can sometimes be overheard commenting ‘I go to school after Christmas time’. I sure hope his excitement for going to school continues!

. can be a little stubborn….just sayin’.

. is a fantastic sleeper. He falls asleep rather quickly and will occasionally inform us when he wants to go to bed.

. when asked what his name is, often replies ‘Drew Bear’…a nickname we often refer to him as. For the longest time, when we would ask him what his full name is he would say ‘Drew Bear Robert Bilstad’.

To our big boy Andrew….thank you for the past 3 years. You are indeed a cherished gift from God. We are thankful for your unique self, your mannerisms, your cuddling ways…we are thankful for YOU!

Happy 3rd Birthday little man!

pumpkin carving rewind.

2011-11-11T09:57:00.000-06:00

Pumpkin carving, it’s a family event at our house.

The day before Halloween we all gathered at the kitchen island to strategize our pumpkin carving designs. No fancy smancy designs at our house….we let the boys lead us in their pumpkin carving desires.

Andrew wanted a scary pumpkin.

Jack wanted a happy pumpkin.

They each helped carve out the faces of their pumpkin, but found it much easier to watch mom and dad do the carving.

Jack did not like cleaning the guts out of the pumpkin, which comes as no surprise to us…the kid does not like to get dirty!

Andrew and Paul digging out the pumpkin seeds.

While the pumpkin seeds were roasting we set up our Halloween decorations. The kids were so excited!! It brings me so much joy to see them excited to help us in holiday preparation. I absolutely love making memories with them, even if it does occasionally cross my mind that ‘this or that’ would be easier to do after the kids are all in bed. Seeing the pride in their face as they help carry up decorations from the storage room and place them ‘just so’ is SO worth the few tid bites of patience I need to have them be a part of the holiday preparations.

Happy faced pumpkin and scary faced pumpkin turned out pretty darn cool…way to go little boys!!

her smile.

2011-11-10T05:43:00.000-06:00

Kate, so focused on her toy…

…until she realizes I am nearby and we lock eyes…

…and then she shines her toothless smile my way. The smile that makes me stop and say my blessings for this beautiful little girl whom I get to spend each and every day with.

Her smile…a precious little gift Kate shares with me each and every day.

halloween rewind.

2011-11-09T23:01:00.001-06:00

Halloween, one of our favorite holidays!

As a family we get excited about the costume selection process, enjoy decorating our house and most of all we have a grand ol’ time checking out the costumes others are wearing.

This year we had a Ladybug, Lightening McQueen and Spiderman.

Whoa…don’t drop the Ladybug!!

The boys had candy on the brain and could not wait to start ‘trick or treating’.

I never know what I am going to get when I try and take a photo of all three kids together.

Spiderman…pretending to eat grass, because it will give him bigger muscles.

Lightening McQueen…really, another photo mom?

Ladybug…hey Lightening, don’t let the ladybug fall over! Ladybug will not like laying face down in the grass!

Our family*…Halloween 2011.

* Disclaimer: Be afraid, be very afraid of that little Spiderman. That look you see in his eyes…I am here to tell you, he is always thinking…and I just never know what he is going to do next!!

Happy {belated} Halloween!!

noise.

2011-11-09T05:45:00.000-06:00

Our sweet baby Kate, she can fall asleep anywhere. She is so accustomed to the background noises of our house that she is almost lulled to sleep by them {insert the activity of two older brothers here}.

Miss Kate…sleeping so peacefully.

Miss Kate…those big, bright eyes opening up from her peaceful rest. I don’t know how many times a week I hear from others about “what big eyes she has”. Yes, my daughter has big eyes…all the better to see with!

The noisemakers. They claim they were building a house for Toby…I think they momentarily forgot how big Toby really is!!

our 3 on the 8th.

2011-11-08T20:24:00.003-06:00

The 3rd of the month came and went and before I knew it the 8th was here and we were without a photo of our kiddos…thus, our 3 on the 8th.

Like usual, neither Jack nor Andrew wanted Kate to sit by them. Good gracious, you would think this little girl has cooties!! But with the mention of getting a sucker after I was done taking their photos, the big boys started to pay attention.

Notice the headlock Jack has on Kate…poor girl!

For two little boys who didn’t want their sister to sit by them, neither of them can keep their hands off of her.

Our 3 on the 8th.

knock, knock…this thing still work.

2011-10-27T23:52:00.001-05:00

Ahh yes, I am still here.

Just been busy.

Fear not, for even during our most busiest of days, I am still clicking away with my camera, trying to preserve a moment in time. These moments that are passing by way too quickly!!

Take for example Jack…

. He is quick to inform a stranger that he is 4 years old….so proud of his age and being the oldest child of our family.

. His little heart is still so very tender and his compassion for others so very apparent.

Or Andrew…

. Who does not care if you do not like what he is wearing, or if his shoes are on the wrong feet. The lil’ man has a style all his own, as is evident in the above photo.

. Our sports fanatic. His current obsession is basketball and football. He will ask me numerous times a day to play basketball or he will also walk around the house kicking a small, soft football while saying “Gooo Vikings” or “Gooo Bison”. Even though he is such a little guy (size wise) his determination is fierce!

And just to confirm how very fast time is passing by…Miss Kate. Miss…I Am Almost 5 Months Old…Miss Kate.

. She is still a ‘talker’. And if her ‘talking’ does not get your attention, her ear piercing scream will. Really, it will!

. She is such a happy, happy baby.

. Miss Kate still holds our family’s Sleeping Beauty title. Have no fear I would hold that title if I did not have responsibilities, obligations and toe nails to paint…just saying, this mama is tired out and would so enjoy drifting off for a long, un-interrupted slumber.

These little ones of ours are growing up way too fast. And I have so many adventures to share with you, I just need to find the time to post them on this here ol’ blog.

Happy weekend!!

our 3 on the 3rd…or the 10th.

2011-10-10T22:26:00.001-05:00

Our three children. Our three healthy, happy, busy children…growing up way too fast!

The days between September 1st and January 1st are the busiest days of the year for us, and this year is no different. I have oodles of photos to share with you (i.e. Kate’s baptism, visits with great-grandmas, our growing girl), but lack in ‘computer time’ to pull them all together and post them. Laundry, housework, cooking, playing, referring and chauffeuring seem to be getting in the way. Someday I will be all caught up, but in the meantime I will keep the shutter on my camera clicking, capturing these days that are passing by way too quickly!

capturing a simple moment.

2011-10-03T21:17:00.000-05:00

"Daddy, I think my heart just stopped pumping" Jack said to Paul as we were eating dinner tonight.

"What" Paul said.

"I think my heart just stopped pumping".

Paul and I looked at each other and chuckled. "No Jack, I don't think your heart stopped pumping. Let me show you how to feel your heart beating."

Ahh yes, leave it up to my hubby to turn an innocent remark into a learning opportunity for our children.

siblings.

2011-09-30T18:20:00.001-05:00

The dynamics of these three little people are…interesting. There is Jack, who is always so willing to ‘hold’ Kate. Awhh, our tender-hearted, compassionate first born.

Then there is Andrew, who absolutely does not want Kate sitting near him. Not in the car, not on the couch, not while reading books…he does not want Kate anywhere near him!

But these two, these two are buddies. They are indeed buddies…and they just may have some similar physical characteristics {grin}.

Happy Weekend!!

flyin’ high.

2011-09-28T06:37:00.000-05:00

kite flyin’.

kite watchin’.

run, oh this little boy likes to run.

this guy doesn’t so much like to run…"my legs get tired!!”

:: : buddies : ::

flying the kite, solo…

…and lovin’ every minute of it.

flying the kite with daddy…and lovin’ every minute of it.

lil sister…just hanging out.

Jack…flying the kite. Andrew…still running after the kite!

the view from here…life is good, so very, very good!

end of lake season.

2011-09-26T13:31:00.001-05:00

Our time at the lake has come to an end until next summer {insert really sad face here}. The kitchen cabinets have been emptied, water pipes have been blown out, blinds have been closed, the power has been turned off {insert another sad face here}.

We said goodbye to our lake neighbor friends…who are really more than just our friendly neighbors.

They love up on our children and treat them like one of their own. I miss our conversations…and I hear they might even miss the daily adventures of Jack, Andrew and Kate…cuz I am here to tell you, every day is an adventure!!

This past summer bon fires became one of my favorite activities at the lake…and not just because of the smores!! I really enjoyed sitting by the fire with one of our kids on my lap, enjoying the cuddle time, the warmth of the blaze and the ease of conversation. Bon fires…I will miss you!!

Our season at the lake may have come to an end…but the memories will live on! Good bye summer, hello fall.

stay tuned.

2011-09-22T14:45:00.001-05:00

…don’t give up on us yet. I have a lot of fun photos to share with you from our adventures of the past month, but good gracious our life {days} have been rather full as of late and sitting down to the computer has been a rarity.

More to come…I promise.

keepin’ it real.

2011-09-12T05:37:00.000-05:00

this

is a

daily

activity

at our

home.

…and it always ends with someone upset!!

Just keepin’ it real!!

our 3 on the 3rd.

2011-09-09T06:22:00.000-05:00

We just so happen to be going to a Bison football game on the 3rd day of September. I know, call me a little crazy for taking all 3 of them to the game, but here is the deal…

. I enjoy watching football.

. I enjoy providing life experiences for our children.

. I really enjoy watching football.

. I enjoy the company of my in-laws while watching football.

Yes, yes indeed I did have help taking all of the kids to the game. I am pretty sure it would have been super challenging without their help! Now granted the game watching experience is different with kids, but the boys had a grand ol’ time!

The kids in their gold shirts. Andrew was very eager to wear his Bison football shirt, Jack didn’t want to wear it because he doesn’t like that color and Kate, well Kate doesn’t have a say in her clothing choices…yet!

Andrew thought that he was going to be playing football. He was ready for the game the minute he woke up from his nap!! Boy loves him a little football action. When we walked into the dome and he could see the field, Andrew said “Me play football”. Not yet little man, you are a tad to little for those boys!!

Jack on the other hand was really excited when the marching band came onto the field. No surprise there. Jack enjoys music…tapping his toes and clapping his hands to the beat of the band.

Big brother and little sister. Jack is so good with Kate. He doesn’t hold her often, but when I ask him, he is almost always willing…and gentle, he is so gentle towards her.

Andrew on the other hand is a different story. The only reason he is ‘holding’ Kate in this photo is because he was upset that Jack held her and he didn’t get to. And yet when Andrew held her he was still upset and didn’t want her on his lap. ~~Andrew~~ Spitfire can he such a challenge!!!

However, one thing Andrew is succeeding at is peeing/pooping on the potty!! Friends, we are now buying diapers for only one child!! We have not had an accident in over a week…even at nap/bed time! We are so proud of Drew and praise him each and every time he uses the potty. Such a milestone!

Our 3 on the 3rd…the adventures continue.

the park.

2011-09-07T13:20:00.000-05:00

In my best attempt to soak the most out of any nice day we have been having, the other morning after we were done running errands, the kids and I picked up two soup and sandwich combo meals to-go, and adventured to a picnic in the park.

These two little boys…most of the time they are best buddies, most of the time!! Don’t ask about last week Sunday and Monday, those two days were a little c-r-a-z-y!!

The park…making memories and enjoying the warm weather…what a perfect adventure!!

kate–3 months.

2011-09-06T21:03:00.001-05:00

Our little princess, Kate, was 3 months old on Friday. She is such a sweet, content little girl…what a blessing! And sleep, good gracious does our little girl like to sleep!! She is typically going to bed around 8 PM, then every so quietly requesting 4 ounces of milk sometime between 4-6 AM, then if she has it her way, she will return to a deep slumber until around 9 AM. Like I said, Girl likes to sleep.

Why is this such a big deal for us…because our two favorite little boys DID NOT sleep this good when they were Kate’s age! And Miss Kate’s sleeping pattern has been like this for about 4 weeks. Again, she is a great little sleeper…such a rarity for our babies!!

Other ‘things’ Kate enjoys at 3 months of age:

…she still loves to be talked to, and boy will she tell you quite the story as well!

…she just started to giggle. Love it!!

…she can certainly grasp onto objects, or fingers, and hold for dear life.

…she likes to sit up and take in all of the activity.

…mostly, Kate just likes to be in the ‘know’ and aware of what is going on around her!

But 3 months old already…man alive is this first year of her life flying by!!

slooooow down.

2011-09-01T13:37:00.001-05:00

These little feet…

…belonging to this little girl…

…are growing way to fast.

Miss Kate (photos taken at 11 weeks) loves to sit in her Bumbo. She has places to go and things to see. Kate wants to sit up like a big girl and take it all in. And with the Jack and Andrew circus showing daily, there is a lot to take in!!

Slow down little lady, don’t be in such a hurry to grow up…please!!

gone fishin’.

2011-08-30T21:10:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we spent some much needed time together at our lake home…all of us, even dad. It was a fantastic!!

On Saturday afternoon we decided to take Jack and Andrew fishing. Our lovely neighbor, Sue, agreed to watch over Miss Kate while the rest of us played together on the water.

Paul is so good about involving the boys while he reels up a fish, always commenting on what a nice fish they caught.

Andrew, very focused on his catch.

Jack, working hard to help out his dad.

And when asked how big the fish was that they caught…well, let them show you…

Beware, the following photo may be harmful to your health…

…little butts, I just love them!!

Now remember, we are in the process of potty training our little spitfire, typically our children do not run around naked. But good gracious, I do love me some baby {okay, toddler…okay, okay, almost 3 year old} tushie!!

Happy Fishin’.

Preschool 2011-2012.

2011-08-29T22:50:00.001-05:00

It is that time of year again…school time!! As of today we are officially back to our old routine of preschool each weekday morning.

Truth be told, I was ready for some form of structure to return to our days. I am sure in a few months when the mornings are dark and the air is oh so very crisp, I will regret my previous statement, but as of today…bring on preschool.

Jack was so very excited to return to his preschool. He eagerly went into his classroom, which was probably aided by the fact that one of his best buddies, Porter, arrived at the same time.

I can’t believe that our firstborn is already four years old. Lately I have been reading or I will overhear others say something along the lines of “Oh what I would give to have my son/daughter little again…to hear their little voice, their little laugh.” I usually stop in my tracks and try to take in my Littles, because I am sure I will be thinking/saying the same thing 10 years from now. But in between now and then I will continue to snap away with my camera, trying to document all of the adventures, changes and milestones our little ones experience.

Like this little one. He was so excited for Jack to return to school! Our little Andrew enjoys all of the attention he gets from his mom and dad while Jack is away.

BUT…Jack’s return to preschool has meant that we upped the anti on potty training…something that has this little man thinking long and hard. He is doing OK with the idea, and overall I think it is getting better day by day, but there have certainly been some funny moments. Like for example, the time he was standing at the potty uttering encouraging words to his anatomy, “Come on penis. Come on penis.” Did it help? I don’t remember…but it was sure funny!

10.

2011-08-11T06:35:00.000-05:00

: :: Kate Marie : 10 weeks old : today :: :

: :: the time really does go by too fast :: :

our 3 on the 3rd.

2011-08-03T22:47:00.001-05:00

I am attempting to begin a new photo tradition in our household, which is to take a picture of our three children on the 3rd of every month. I do a fairly good job of capturing them individually, but I am not too good about taking pictures of them all together. Now as you know from my previous experience, I have yet to be successful in this challenge, but I will keep on trying…

…and trying…

…and trying.

And when all else fails, I will grab a quick close-up of the big boys…

…and I will try again next month to capture our 3 on the 3rd!!

2 months.

2011-08-02T06:33:00.000-05:00

Little Sister is two months old. Where did the time go?? I know, I know, parents always say that, but it is so very true!

What do we know about Kate at 2 months old…

. she is such a content little girl. She rarely fusses, and when she does it is usually because she is hungry {our girl really likes to eat} or is ‘taken care of business’, if you know what I mean.

. she is an excellent sleeper and is usually the last person to wake up in the morning. Our little girl likes her sleep, who I am to change her mind!!

. as mentioned before, she enjoys being ‘talked’ to and will coo and smile right back at you. Such a joy to see her begin interacting with us.

. her little neck is becoming so strong, partially because she is determined to not miss out on the activity around our house.

Our little Kate…we are certainly enjoying every moment with her!!

weekend recap.

2011-08-01T15:00:00.001-05:00

Our pavers, rock beds and plant material have all been installed. Once the sprinkler system has been tested and various weed patches have been killed we will finally plant grass seed. We can not wait to have grass!!! All summer long it has felt like we have been living at the farm with the amount of dirt, dust and mud that is tracked into our home.

But we are not on a farm. We live within the city. We really just want plush, green grass to run around on.

Just call me soft serve.

Andrew wanted a bike so badly. So on Friday after naptime I took the kids to the store and Andrew picked out his first bike. Well, he didn’t really pick it out. There were only 3 little boy bikes to choose from, and two of them cost more than what I was willing to pay, so really we purchased the only one within my price point. However, Andrew loves his bike and is so very proud to show people “My new bicycle.”

Playing ‘catch’ and ‘submarine’ are two favorite games the boys love to play in the water with their daddy.

And really, on a warm summer day, I don’t blame them!

Meanwhile this little lady snoozes away on the deck.

Can’t blame her either!!

8.

2011-07-28T05:46:00.000-05:00

Our little Kate is 8 weeks old today...

…she loves to be talked to…

…and if you are lucky she will ‘talk’ back and shower you with smiles.

end of season.

2011-07-27T05:37:00.001-05:00

Jack’s 2011 Soccer Season is over for the year.

It was an interesting one!! I really should have stitched up Jack’s pockets. That simple task would have completely eliminated this habit!!

During Jack’s last game, there was a lot of activity…some of it not so focused around the soccer ball. The coaches had their hands full trying to encourage these little ones to ‘go get the ball’. We did our fair share of encouragement from the sidelines. At the end of the day Jack and his little teammates where having a grand ol’ time…and I guess that is what really matters!!

jack turns 4.

2011-07-21T21:27:00.001-05:00

Our birthday boy. So giddy to celebrate his special day!!

This year we had two birthday parties for Jack. First we celebrated with our family members on Sunday, July 10th. Now for as much as I enjoy baking and decorating themed birthday cakes for our children, I knew that making two Lightening McQueen birthday cakes was going to be out of the question. So for our family party I hired a local gal to make chocolate (of course, the birthday boy loves chocolate) cupcakes for the celebration. Cupcake stand made by yours truly.

May all of your birthday wishes come true little man!!

: :: Grandpa Doering and Jack :: :

: :: Nannie, Papa and Jack :: :

: :: Grandma Connie and Jack :: :

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

We had four of Jack’s little friends over on Tuesday, July 12th for an afternoon celebration. The big attraction of the party (besides the birthday boy) was a large inflatable trampoline. Since we don’t have any grass yet, and I really like hosting birthday parties at our house, the trampoline fit our needs very well. Jack (and Andrew) had a fantastic time with all of their friends.

The making of the Lightening McQueen cake didn’t start out too well!! I was intending to make and use two cakes, a 9x13 and a 9” round, to use in assembling McQueen. As it turned out, only the 9x13 cake was available. The 9” round cake took a tumble when coming out of the oven. Woops!!

The final product. Jack loved it!!

As a little thank you gift for Jack’s friends, we sent cookies home with them. Half of the cookies had a ‘J’ on them, the other half had a ‘4’.

We also had some random decorations around the house to help celebrate Jack’s big day…

…a simple visual recap of how much our little man has grown in the past 4 years…

…colorful paper balls, in lue of balloons, to bring some color into our dining area…

…and finally, a ‘happy birthday jack’ sign. I also had Andrew and Kate signage made so that I can use the same décor on their special days.

We had two great parties to help Jack celebrate his 4th birthday. Lots of smiles, activity and exhausted kids at the end of the day. Memories made…mission accomplished!!

sibling photo–take #1

2011-07-18T06:17:00.000-05:00

: :: option #1 :: :

Jack and Drew look bored, Kate is just being her laidback self.

: :: option #2 :: :

Jack is lost in la-la land, Drew’s wheels are a spinnin’ and Kate is just being her laidback self.

: :: option #3 :: :

Andrew’s wheels stopped spinning and he is going in for the attack on Jack. Kate is just being her laidback self.

: :: option #4 :: :

Still attacking. No comment.

: :: option #5 :: :

Still attacking. No comment. I give up.

Please notice Kate is still just being her laidback self.

Never a dull moment. There is NEVER a dull moment in our house when our children are awake.

weekend rewind.

2011-07-17T22:32:00.001-05:00

Still catching up…

On June 24 + 25 we had Paul’s sister and her family to the lake. They were back for a family wedding, but before we all adventured into town for the festivities Paul was able to twist their arm to spend some time at the lake. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed every single moment!

Jack thinks that his older cousin Zaine is sooo cool and is absolutely giddy when Zaine visits!!

Many games of cribbage were played…so many that Kate had to squeeze in a nap during the games.

Jack, Blessing and Zaine playing with the best water toy ever…$1 shooters from the dollar store.

Oh how I love hot days at the lake. Especially when this happens to people when they least expect it….

…wait for it…

…wooosh…

…ahh, good times!!!

More water wars with the kids and adults. Well almost all of the kids and adults, Kate and I were camped out on the deck.

Another victim of Nicole and her bucket of water!!

Jack ‘shooting’ his dad with water.

Husband and wife battling it out in the lake.

While the tube was tethered to the dock the kids had a blast playing on it…

…except for this little guy who had a tough time keeping up with the big kids. In his mind he is bigger than they are, but from a physical standpoint he has a much harder time keeping up with them.

Drew and his daddy having a little water war of their own. My children have the best dad. So attentive to making them feel included in all of the activity.

Our princess, lounging in her ~~bouncy seat~~ deckchair.

Kate at 3 weeks.

I told you this was a weekend rewind post…one of these days I will be caught up!!

savoring the moment.

2011-07-15T06:39:00.000-05:00

Our children, they grow up way too fast. Which is why we cherish these kinds of moments…

…because we know that someday our littles are not going to want to sit on our lap.

There are times I wish I could stop the clock and keep our children little forever. To protect them from all of the badness in the world and shield their little hearts from ever being hurt. To have them forever feel confident, loved and secure in their environment. But since the clock is going to keep on ticking, we need to keep lovin’ up our kids and nurturing them into fine young men and women…all the while savoring any and all special moments.

4th of july.

2011-07-13T23:23:00.001-05:00

So I will admit, I am a little behind on posting the adventures of our family (something to do with three kids under the age of 4, a household to manage, a dog, a husband…blah, blah, blah…you get the idea). But I am slowly plugging away on the updates because for as much as you may or may not enjoy reading about our family, we really enjoy looking back over the many years of memories we have on this here little ol’ blog. So without further adieu…Fourth of July, 2011.

The boys kicked off their morning by fishing off the dock with their Papa. Jack caught 3 little fishies….

…and Andrew caught his first fish!! Yippie for Andrew. I don’t think he was quite sure what to do about the fish!!

The day ended up being a beautiful, hot day. A 93 degree beautiful, hot day. So Jack and Andrew spent a majority of their time in the water, meanwhile Kate hung out in her diaper either under a shade tree or in the cabin.

The boys had such a great time playing on the tube.

Here is Miss Kate, enjoying the cool indoor air of the cabin. Poor little girl was so warm outside that she could not get comfortable enough to take one of her many daily naps.

What is that? You said you wanted a closer look at our Princess? Well, who am I to disappoint.

Meanwhile back outside Jack and Andrew continued to enjoy some fun on the tube while Papa teased them.

Jack and Andrew, all prepared to light off their fireworks. Well at least Jack was ready, I can not recall what Andrew’s ‘concern’ was about.

This my friends is the reaction you may or may not get from your husband if he has just witnessed you burn your forehead with a punk. Please keep in mind I was holding Kate, trying to take pictures and carry around the darn punk!!

Andrew and his Daddy lighting a racecar firework. It is worth noting that this was Andrew’s last interaction with fireworks of any kind. Shortly after we lit the racecar, we also lit a really cool, really loud firework that scared the you-know-what out of Drew. From that point on he was done, sat on my lap kinda done and would not even look in the direction of the fireworks being lit. Jack, on the other hand, had a great time as he continued to lite fireworks with his Dad and Papa.

Miss Kate, still so very tired the next morning from her first Fourth of July celebration!!

Thank you Mother Nature for the beautiful, warm weather you provided us with all weekend….we had been waiting a long time for your bright sunshine!!

summer soccer.

2011-07-13T21:23:00.001-05:00

Jack is enrolled in our local summer soccer league and it has been quite the experience for all.

There have been a few moments where Jack is actively participating in the sport. Heck, he has even scored one goal!

However there have been many, many more moments where Jack is standing on the field with his hands in his pockets, observing the activity around him.

Not having access to a crystal ball, I do not know for sure if playing soccer will be a part of Jack’s future, but what I do know is that he really enjoys socializing with the other participants. And really, he is ONLY 4. I don’t expect him to be some ubber fill-in-the-blank-with-your-favorite-sport competitor. Jack is having a good time, getting some exercise and enjoying the carefree days of his childhood. He is happy, and therefore I, as his mother, and happy for him.

I just wish he would remove his hands from his pockets and chase after the ball!!!

happy birthday jack.

2011-07-10T21:42:00.001-05:00

Where does the time go? How is it possible this little boy is 4 years old?

Jack is 4…and he is super excited to be 4. More photos of his birthday celebration to come!!

capturing a simple moment.

2011-06-26T23:26:00.000-05:00

Jack and I sat down together to read a new book he had received. I opened the book to the first page and then paused, as I was trying to sound out in my head how to pronounce the first two words of the book...which happen to be the name of the main character, in Spanish. The pause, well it was a rather long pause, because I will admit I was stumped at the pronunciation of the Spanish character's name.

After a few moments, Jack looked at me innocently and said "Mom, I can't hear anything!"

I laughed...because he was so right. He couldn't hear anything, because his mom couldn't pronounce the first two words of the book!!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bath time has taken on a new twist (insert craziness) in our house with the addition of Kate. It is a little hectic trying to get all three kids bathed, dressed, teeth brushed (for the big brothers) and ready for bed, especially if it is a one-woman show. And wouldn't you know it is usually during one of the previous mentioned steps that Kate decides she is hungry, and she is hungry now!!

So...the other night as I was bathing Kate in her little bathtub and the boys were ~~splashing~~ fighting in the big bathtub, out of the corner of my eye I noticed Jack was watching me. He piped up and asked me "Mom, are you going to have another baby?"

"No Jack, I don't think so."

"Why?"

"Because I have three little babies, Jack, Andrew and Kate, that I love a lot and I don't need anymore."

"Oh, okay."

Good gracious, where do these questions come from???

sunshine.

2011-06-23T22:25:00.001-05:00

If Andrew is giving you this look, be afraid, be very afraid of what might happen next!!

Sun…we actually saw the sun today. AND we are suppose to be blessed with sunshine all weekend. Yippie!!

I am very excited for a family focused weekend (with sunshine). It has been a busy week and I look forward to reconnecting with my husband and spending time with extended family members.

Have a great weekend…make it a good one!!

Baby Girl Kate.

2011-06-22T06:59:00.000-05:00

A photo of our princess…because she will grow and change too fast…because we are so smitten with her…because we think she is ubber, ubber sweet and want to share all of her visual sweetness with you…because she is ours, all ours and we get to love on her all day long…because I can not imagine her not being a member of our family.

A photo of our princess…just because.

summer 2011 kick-off.

2011-06-20T23:13:00.001-05:00

The calendar tells us that it is June, but for the most part the weather makes it feel like early May. Ugh…I just want some heat!! Is that too much to ask?? Regardless, last weekend we made the most of our first weekend at the lake.

Jack and Paul went out for Jack’s first tubing adventure.

Jack was a trooper and made the most of the ride, but I don’t think he is too eager to jump back on the tube any time soon. Baby steps. I know that if we were to fast forward a couple of years, I am sure Jack will be begging for ‘just one more ride’…but as for right now, he is more content to ride in the boat.

If you know this little man’s personality at all, you can imagine how badly he wanted to be on the tube!! Instead he had the important job of “driving” the boat with his Papa. Our little Andrew does not have much fear, thus I fear the tubing adventures looming in his future!!

Miss Kate’s first weekend at the lake was a smashing success. She enjoyed an abundance of love and cuddling from her family and lake neighbors, who are just like family. Spending summer days outside seems to suit Kate real well.

Speaking of lake neighbors…we want these kiddos to return to the lake!! Cole and Molly are the fantastic grandchildren of our neighbors/friends Bill and Sue. They come to the lake each summer, and each summer we enjoy reconnecting with them. However this year something real special took place. Jack and Andrew latched on to Cole and Molly. So much so that I can say “If you want to grow big like Cole, you better eat your fill-in-the-blank”, and it really works!! When we arrive at the lake, the boys frequently ask where Cole and Molly are, wishing that they were next door at Bill and Sue’s waiting to play with them. Cole and Molly….we miss you and can’t wait to see you again next year! Thank you for being so patient and playful with Jack and Andrew!!

Summer 2011…we are waiting for you to arrive, but in the meantime we are enjoying any little glimpse of sunshine and warm temperatures you throw our way!!

Kate Marie

2011-06-14T18:23:00.001-05:00

: :: Thursday, June 2nd :: :

Our day started out early, really early. Like 5:15 AM kind of early. But we were like two children in a candy store, giddy with excitement to meet our new baby, so the early morning hour didn’t bother us. By 6:30 AM we had hugged our little boys, told them I was going to the hospital to get my leg fixed (more on that later) and we were on our way to meet our new baby. Both Paul and I commented on how anti-climatic this car trip was compared to our last two adventures to the hospital to have a baby…just as exciting, but much less stressful and painful.

By 7:30 AM fluids were in the process of being administered, my water had been broke and we were just waiting for my body to respond to all of the activity. At 10:20 AM my water was broke again (the first attempt was not successful) and it was at this time that my body really started to prepare for the delivery of this baby. A little over 4 hours later, at exactly 2:48 PM, we welcomed a beautiful baby girl into our family. As with most mothers, my first concern was whether she was healthy or not. When her healthy status was confirmed and it was starting to sink in that we had a baby girl, Paul asked me to share the name of our baby with the nurse. I lost it. Tears streamed down my checks as I realized ‘We have a baby girl, we really have a girl’. I managed to sputter her name out, and then breathed a huge sigh of relief that our baby was healthy and that yes indeed, we have a baby girl to compliment our two beautiful boys.

So here she is. Meet Kate Marie…all 8 pounds, 1 ounce and 20” of her.

She has a beautiful, full head of dark hair.

The proud parents!!

Daddy and his Princess.

Kate’s first trip in her car seat. I think she was trying to tell us she is much more comfortable in someone’s arms, than in the confines of her car seat!

: :: Kate and her brothers :: :

Jack and Andrew are very gentle with their new baby sister. For the most part, they really just ignore her. They have much more important things to do…like pick on each other!! The first night we were home with Kate each boy asked to hold her. Paul and I were quite surprised by this request, but happily {and very cautiously} obliged.

Big brother Jack holding Kate.

Big brother Andrew holding Kate.

Miss Kate Marie is a beautiful addition to our family, and so far she is such a good baby. She eats very well, sleeps often and spends her awake time looking around. She loves to be held chest to chest and have her bottom patted. We think she is perfect and are so very thrilled to have her with us.

Welcome to the world Kate Marie!!

just some ramblings.

2011-05-23T21:35:00.001-05:00

This one…this one little boy keeps us guessing. We never know what he is going to do next. Like on this particular morning he came out of our bathroom wearing an old pair of Paul’s glasses. We just never know…

The boys have wrapped up gymnastics for the year. Jack and his classmates had a show for their parents on the last day of class.

The little gymnasts were busy showing us all they have learned.

Jack and Andrew equally enjoy gymnastics. The jumping, tumbling, beam walking, summersault-ing, handstand-ing activities fulfill their idea of a good time.

Andrew had a real hard time watching Jack sit in front of the parents, waiting his turn for a ribbon. So, in true Andrew fashion {you know, the kid who always has to be the center of attention…or at least he thinks so anyway} he went and sat down next to his brother. They chatted for a bit…

…and then Andrew waved at his mother…

…and then finally Jack’s name was called for his final ‘ta-da’ of the season and he received a ribbon for completing the class.

This is a photo of me taken last week at a little over 37 weeks pregnant.

As of today, I have 11 days to go until baby’s due date. I am SO done with being pregnant. I have just hit that stage of pregnancy where I am tired of the comments, the looks {yes people, I have a big belly…what can I say, I like to grow big healthy babies} and the lack of energy. Oh and baby, yeah baby is all snug as a bug, breeched in my belly.

With the flurry of baby talk taking place around our house, Jack and Andrew have started to play their version of ‘baby’. Jack is the dad, Andrew is the baby. Using our baby items, they assemble some pretty interesting surroundings for ‘baby’ to hang out in.

They play rather well together for quite some time, and then eventually I will hear Jack say that he is tired of being the daddy and wants to play something else.

Like I said….just some ramblings for today. I have been busy working around the house trying to wrap up various to-do items before our baby arrives…just wish I had a little more energy!!

capturing a simple moment.

2011-05-15T22:05:00.000-05:00

Recent {and frequent} comments from Andrew:

. While sitting down at the dining room table to eat he can be heard saying "Happy Birthday Drew Bear!" to himself. You see, there has been a lot of talk about birthdays in our house and in little Andrew's mind, we should always be celebrating his birthday!!

. Jack and Andrew enjoy spending time with their daddy. So much so that at times it is hard on them {and thus me!!} when Paul leaves for work. I have been teaching the boys the importance of daddy going to work so that he can earn money to buy us things. We will then list off the items we buy with the money earned...you know like food, clothing, gas for the car and toys. Well, Mr. Andrew has a couple of priority items he always mentions when there is talk of Paul leaving for work. Andrew's top three items he thinks daddy should be buying are "toys, candy and robots". Yes, robots. I have no idea where this came from...but to Andrew robots are a priority!!

worms.

2011-05-11T21:44:00.000-05:00

Someone in our family likes worms…

…please send help.

His mother is not a big fan of worms and would never think of holding one for the ‘fun of it’, or naming him Wormy, or carrying him around outside while playing.

But Wormy made Jack happy…and I just made sure he scrubbed his hands really well when he came into the house!!

Worms.

Ick.

capturing a simple moment.

2011-05-06T05:22:00.001-05:00

Jack and I are sitting at a red light, waiting for our turn signal to change colors so I can drop him off at school. He is looking out his window and says to me, “Who put that hole there?”

I quickly glance outside expecting to see a hole in the nearby boulevard, but notice nothing unusual.

“I don’t know buddy, I don’t see a hole.”

“Yeah, that hole right there. Who put that whole there?” he asks again.

“I don’t know Jack.”

“Musta been a nosepicker.” Jack replies very matter-of-factly.

“A nosepicker?!?”

“Yeah, a nosepicker made that hole in the tree.”

“Ohhhh, you mean a woodpecker?”

“Yeah, a woodpecker. Musta been a woodpecker.”

we are still here…

2011-05-01T22:20:00.001-05:00

: :: enjoying adventures outside in our backyard :: :

: :: digging in the dirt, afterall there is no grass seed to disturb yet :: :

: :: riding the scooters the Easter Bunny delivered to our house :: :

: :: matching scooters…the Easter Bunny is smart like that :: :

: :: scooter happiness :: :

: :: joyfully waiting for the arrival of our new baby brother/sister…only 4.5 weeks to go :: :

: :: andrew, wearing his hood…no matter if he is indoors, outdoors, hot or cold…our little andrew enjoys wearing a hood…the little man has a style all his own :: :

Spring 2011

2011-04-07T20:59:00.001-05:00

Spring has arrived!! Yeah for warmer weather and melting snow…boo for muddy lawn, rising river and continuously running sump pump!!

We knew the muddy lawn would be an issue…for kids and dog alike. Gone are the days when we can simply open the patio door and let Toby outside to ‘take care of business’. Now 3-4 times each day we leash Toby up and walk him over to a very small patch of grass on our property. It is not ideal, but it is short term.

Our community is in the midst of preparing for the rising Red River. This preparation has become all too routine…we are looking forward to the day there is a permanent solution to the problem!

Our home is located along the Sheyenne River, which don’t get me wrong, is rapidly rising, but our property is protected by the Sheyenne Diversion, so we should be okay. However our sump pump runs continuously, every 30 seconds as a matter of fact! We have a second pit with a back-up pump, if the first pump were to fail. We also invested in a generator…because a loss of electricity would be so very bad for our finished basement! Our third level of protection is a water sensor in pit number one, connected to our security system, which will call us if water reaches the sensor. With all of these precautions taken, one would think Paul and I would sleep a little easier at night…well, we are not!!

Regardless, we are making the most of these beautiful Spring days and enjoying long afternoons outside. I have been trying to reclaim our garage and obtain a sense of organization to the space. Jack and Drew have been my little assistants. When they get bored with me, they ride their bikes, throw balls into the mud, etc.

Thank you Spring for making yourself known…now water, please go away!!

mr. personality

2011-03-28T22:58:00.001-05:00

: :: he is a little man :: :

: :: with a lot of personality :: :

: :: who is not afraid to show it :: :

: :: especially in the comfort of his own home :: :

: :: while showing off his smoothie mustache :: :

tot sports sampler.

2011-03-15T20:32:00.001-05:00

For six weeks this past winter, Jack met twice a week with other little people his age to learn about different sports. They covered hockey, football, basketball, volleyball, track, etc. From a parents perspective, it was organized chaos. But Jack really enjoyed his time at ‘gym’ and always looked forward to gym day.

Andrew, the team’s designated ‘ball boy’. He was always very happy to retrieve the balls and be a part of the action.

And truth be told, Andrew is way more into activities involving balls, however it is good for Jack to be pushed outside his comfort zone and socializing with other little ones his age.

Poor Jack, at times his little brother was never far behind. At some of those times, little brother’s hands were in his pants.

I can just hear it now…."Oh mom, he is so embarrassing!!".

bubbles and more bubbles, oh my.

2011-03-05T13:10:00.001-06:00

Like most other children, Jack and Andrew thoroughly enjoy taking a bath or a shower. They typically bath every night, it is just a part of our night time routine…our wind down time...and a guaranteed mood booster for all. So depending on how adventurous I am feeling, I will give them the choice of bathing in their bathtub or mom’s. Of course mom’s always wins because it has bubbles (air jet tub).

However on this particular night I thought we would kick it up a notch and pour bubbles into our air jet tub.

Man did we have bubbles!! In the picture above, can you see those two little heads poking thru the bubbles on the right side?

Seeing the joy on their face and hearing the squeals of excitement as they explored what they could do with the bubbles brought such contentment to my heart and filled me with pure happiness.

Children…such a precious gift…and a gift that just keeps on giving, each and every day.

cinnamon sugar cookies.

2011-03-02T07:23:00.000-06:00

When I was a little girl I spent a lot of time at my Grandma DeJong’s house. Grandma was always baking up something scrumptious in the kitchen, which is maybe where I developed my joy for baking. Nonetheless, back in the day Grandma made many pies, with homemade pie crust of course. If I happened to be around on pie baking day, she would let me make my own cookies with the leftover pie crust, cinnamon and sugar. Oh what happy days those were!!

So this past weekend, disgruntled with Mother Nature and her lack of interest in warming up our temperatures, I was desperate for an activity that would capture Jack and Andrew’s attention. I had one leftover pie crust in the refrigerator {sorry, I don’t make my own homemade pie crust} and I knew that if I used the crust to actually make a pie I would probably eat the entire pie in.one.sitting…by myself. My sweet tooth has up and gone crazy on me, or maybe I could blame it on the baby…okay, it’s my taste buds.

Hi. My name is Natalie and I like sweets.

There, now that we have that out of the way, back to cinnamon sugar cookies.

So, with the one and only pie crust, I divided it in half, placed each half on a large rimmed cookie baking sheet, and instructed the boys to cut it up into little cookies.

Jack really got into the task and did a fine job of cutting up his pie crust into little cookies.

Andrew, on the other hand, preferred the rip and tear method.

The cinnamon sugar mixture was a hit. Some went on the cookies…some went directly into their mouth.

We baked our cookies, let them cool and enjoyed a late afternoon snack. And when the boys were not looking I grabbed an extra cookie or two.

Hey, it’s my sweet tooth!!

fred and ted go camping.

2011-02-28T07:04:00.000-06:00

It is no secret in our house….

….Fred and Ted Go Camping…

… is the first book Jack has ‘read’ {memorized the words} from front to back. There are a number of books he will paraphrase for us, but this is the first book that he has recited, page by page. We caught him ‘reading’ this book to Andrew on Saturday. Andrew could have cared less, but I was pretty excited for Mr. Jack!

Way to go little man…now would you please stop growing up so fast?!?

happy friday.

2011-02-25T07:46:00.000-06:00

In our house there are three things I can count on happening during any typical day. (1) Jack will say something very kind to me. (2) Drew will flex his independent muscle and catch me off guard with his funny actions. (3) Together Jack and Drew will ~~banter back and forth~~ fight about a toy, plate, cup or who saw what building/truck/toy first…and in the end neither of them really cared to start with!!

But since today is Friday, and I think we could all use a little more laughter in our life, I thought I would share with you some candid photographs of Andrew doing his little ‘dance’.

Andrew’s routine starts with him first commanding my attention by saying “Mom, watch this!”.

And then I brace myself, never knowing what it is my eyes are going to see….and if I am in public, I brace myself even more.

And after his 12 second ‘dance’, Andrew flashes a smile and gets back to business, like nothing ever happened.

I just never know what my little man is going to do next…which makes him so unpredictable and my days so very interesting.

Do something unpredictable…go on and have yourself a fantastic weekend…Happy Friday!!

26 weeks down / 14 weeks to go.

2011-02-24T00:02:00.000-06:00

Our baby.

A recent ultrasound confirmed that baby is growing perfectly. Perfect. Perfect never sounded so good to my ears.

Baby’s anatomy looks great, size of baby is in line with gestation and all of my pieces and parts for growing/housing a healthy baby look wonderful. I walked out of my OB’s office so relieved, so excited, so thankful and so grateful for all of God’s goodness. Yes, that is right, God is so Good!!

Our family continues to be abuzz with the anticipation of our baby. We still do not know the gender of baby, which has our minds dancing all over happy land anticipating whether baby is a girl or a boy. During the ultrasound we made it very clear to the tech that we didn’t want to know baby’s gender, and for double protection, even closed our eyes when the lower extremities of baby were being looked at. We will find out baby’s gender on his or her birth day…a day we are so very excited for!!

26 weeks down / 14 weeks to go.

Where has the time gone? And man alive, I better get going on my to-do list….only 14 weeks, how is that possible?

christmas celebration.

2011-02-21T22:28:00.001-06:00

This past weekend all of the stars finally aligned and we were able to get together with my dad, brother and his family for our Christmas celebration. Between work schedules and the influence of Mother Nature, this was the first weekend that worked for all of us…but that is okay, because at the end of the day we were together sharing gifts and enjoying each other’s company, regardless of what month the calendar says it is.

While the children played, the adults visited…and before too much time slipped away we tried to snap a photo of my dad with his grandchildren.

And Andrew, being Andrew {who is soooo attached to his mother right now}, would not sit down for the photo without me right by. OR maybe he was trying to make sure his baby brother/sister was also in the photo! Regardless, what started out as a photo of Grandpa Doering with his grandkids, turned into a photo of Grandpa Doering with his grandkids and daughter.

Our little Andrew, he certainly keeps life interesting!

happy love day!!

2011-02-14T00:30:00.000-06:00

valentine’s day prep.

2011-02-13T23:21:00.001-06:00

On Saturday afternoon, while Andrew was still napping, Jack and I put together Valentine’s Day treats for his friends at school. Jack was so excited about his Lightening McQueen Valentine’s…and I was just as excited to see him so happy.

However, when did the manufacturers stop putting the Valentine’s Day cards in white envelopes?

Back in my day, our little Valentine’s Day cards went into little white envelopes. You wrote your friends name on the envelope, inserted the card, dropped the candy into the envelope, and you were good to go.

I guess times have changed!! So we {mainly I} decided that we would staple the bag of M & M’s to the card. Problem solved.

My sweet little Valentine pleading for his own bag of M & M’s.

Oh, I suppose.

Little did I know when I purchased the bag of M & M’s that they were the mini M & M’s. Jack demonstrated for me the best way to eat the mini M & M’s…pour them in your mouth of course!

My sweet little Valentine…bummed that his mother will not let him have another bag of M & M’s and instead offers him a banana or an apple. Yep, that’s me…big bad mom!

Jack and his first Valentine’s Day treat for a friend at school! I am so excited for my little man and I can’t wait to hear about his Valentine’s Day adventures at school tomorrow!

heat wave.

2011-02-12T21:31:00.001-06:00

Here in the Frozen Tundra we are experiencing a heat wave…and making the most of the warm weather!

Today the temps were in the low 30’s. Love it!!

So before AND after Jack and Andrew’s naptime, they were outside. We are bound and determine to enjoy every moment of this warm weather while it last!

The boys ‘painted’ the snow with spray bottles filled with water and food coloring. They each got to decide what color of ‘paint’ they wanted. Options were red, blue, yellow or green.

It was no surprise to me that Jack chose red. He always picks the color red. Drew on the other hand chose blue. Given previous conversations I thought for sure Drew would pick green, but blue it was! So armed with warm clothes and their spray bottles, away they went to paint the snow.

Of course their nagging mother followed along for a quick photograph before the little artists started their creations.

Warmer weather, oh how I adore thee!

ham bone.

2011-02-01T21:44:00.001-06:00

:: : this little boy : ::

:: : ham bone, as we sometimes like to call him : ::

:: : is completely smitten with his dog…and the dog is smitten with him and whatever food he happens to be eating {and sharing} at the time : ::

the final detail.

2011-01-25T15:09:00.001-06:00

Last week the final touches were completed on the wood detail that is attached to the ceiling above our dining room table. We had designed this wood feature to provide a visual anchor for the table. We wanted the dining room area to have a presence about it, without having to design an entire separate room.

Mission accomplished…we are pleased with the detail and happy with the craftsmanship. Check it out for yourself…

More than anything, we are happy to finally have all of the work {to be completed by outside trades} done in our house!

school. snowballs. dust. trains.

2011-01-18T21:05:00.001-06:00

school.

A little over two weeks ago Jack started preschool. 5 days a week, 3 hours each morning. Every morning he tells me he does not want to school…and very morning I take him to school. When we get to the doorway of his classroom he lingers behind me repeatedly saying “Mommy.”

I dole out a hug and kiss and remind him that I will pick him up in three hours.

This morning I had the chance to visit with Jack’s teacher without him around. I mentioned his lack of interest in coming to school and inquired about his behavior while at school. She said once I leave he is just fine and engages in his work and the other children. He has even made a friend!

Hearing these words I was reassured that we are doing the right thing by sending him off to preschool…I just wish he didn’t make me feel so bad!

snowballs.

I was tired of Jack and Andrew following me around the house, was not about to turn on the TV to ‘babysit’ them and I had already exhausted their interest in play-doh. So, call me crazy, but on Sunday evening I grabbed a Rubbermaid container, opened the front door to our house and filled it with snow. Each son received a spoon, small bowl and pan.

Each son was thoroughly entertained by the snow.

Yes, there were little piles of snow on our floor. But guess what…snow melts and cleans up easily!!

dust.

The wood detail above our dining room table is finally complete. And soon, hopefully tomorrow, the pendant light fixture that will hang over our table will be installed.

Until then I am tolerating the dust and dirty floors, knowing that soon the end is in sight. There is no use in cleaning up the mess, when I know it will get messy once the electrician arrives.

However, the dust is a sign of progress…and I like progress!

trains.

Do you know why you color on wooden train tracks?

So your trains don’t get stuck. Duh!

Jack and Andrew were so proud of their work. They had taken their orange and green markers and ‘decorated’ their train tracks so their trains would not get stuck…or at least that is what Jack told me.

I will admit, I was a little surprised by their work, but then I thought…what is the big deal? And I suppose if I really tried I could remove the marker from the tracks, considering it is washable and all. But I have enough little projects on my plate right now, cleaning up train tracks is the least of my concerns!

Afterall, we don’t want our trains to get stuck!!

capturing a simple moment.

2011-01-15T23:46:00.003-06:00

The little boys and I were out running errands this morning. On our list of places to stop was one of my favorite local home decor and hardware stores. I was in pursuit of additional blending pencils for filling the nail holes in all of our main level trim, a project I will be so excited to mark of my to-do list {I am a little over half way complete}!!

Because I knew where the product was located, and that this was going to be a rather quick in and out trip, I decided to let Jack and Andrew walk along in the store with me. Normally when I have both of the boys with me in a store, I am very adamant they ride in the shopping cart. It is just safer, and quicker, for everyone in the store!!

As we were making a loop through the store I may, just may, have gotten a little lost in dreamland while walking through the home decor section. Not to worry, the boys were not too far away {within mom-radar sensing distance}, but when I looked up {and wiped the droll of my chin from admiring all of the beautiful accessories in the store} I noticed that Jack was standing really close to a little girl that looked to be about his age. This little girl happened to be dressed from head to toe in pink. Pink, pink, pink…there was pink everywhere on her!

“Jack, did you say hi to the little girl” I asked.

“Mom I really want to give her a hug.” he so innocently commented.

“Did you ask her if she wanted a hug?”

“No.”

“Do you want a hug?” I asked the girl.

“No.”

Nice guys…they always take a beating!!

one’s hat.

2011-01-13T22:18:00.001-06:00

How does one’s hat become so covered with snow?

One digs a fort into a snow pile with his daddy.

And then one ‘paints’ the fort with a spray bottle containing water with red dye.

And then one decides that he is chilly and is ready to go inside for hot chocolate!

Thank goodness for hot chocolate…and building forts with daddy!!

winterland adventure.

2011-01-05T20:57:00.001-06:00

This afternoon I bundled up the boys and we headed outside for some fresh air. We all needed it!! It was a 7 degrees {above zero}…warm enough in my book for a winterland adventure. Each boy was given one spoon and out the door we went.

Even the furry critter came outside. When Toby knows we are getting ready to go outside, he is so obnoxious there is no way I could forget him in the house. I may have even sent him outside as we were getting dressed, just to get him out of my way!!

Our little Andrew. Big personality…many expressions.

Jack…having a grand ol’ time playing in the snow!

As our time outside lengthened, and my fingers got a little colder, I figured I wasn’t the only one ready to go in the house. When I mentioned the boys it was time to go inside, pleas began immediately for hot chocolate.

And really, how could I turn down that request?

Hot chocolate it was!!

rock it.

2010-12-30T21:00:00.001-06:00

Jack.

One activity that he absolutely loves to do is play band. We have numerous {loud} music instruments around our house. He enjoys all of them…our ears do not.

This year for Christmas he received a guitar. Good gracious…Jack is in music heaven!!

We are certainly supportive of his music interest…but all of his ‘practicing’ must taken place in the basement!

Christmas 2010 – part I.

2010-12-27T14:24:00.001-06:00

Ahh, the Christmas holiday. So much preparation, planning, shopping, baking, wrapping…well, you know…and then before you know it, the holiday is over.

Just like that…so sad.

However, we had a fantastic Christmas. The excitement and joy we experienced thru our children was memorable. And because Paul had to work over the holiday and we were unable to travel out of town, we will experience more of the magic of Christmas during New Year’s Day when we celebrate with my dad and family.

In the meantime, the following are a few photos from our weekend…

Prior to the Christmas Eve church service, I attempted to take a photo of Jack and Andrew.

Attempted is the key word here.

Andrew didn’t want to stand by Jack, and Jack was not about to sit on the floor by Andrew. Neither of them were going to look at the camera.

So are the days of my life….

As we were pulling into the driveway following the Christmas Eve church service, Santa and Mrs. Claus greeted us! Really, they did.

They arrived in a very old, yet well kept, police car. Santa searched thru his green velvet bag and pulled out a gift for each child. Andrew was there with us, but…well, you know by now, he was not about to stand by the other kids and have his picture taken!

Thank you Santa and Mrs. Claus!!

Our friend, the nebulizer, invited itself to our Christmas celebration. Ugh, hate that silly device, but Jack does such a good job with it.

3 of the 4 Bilstad cousins…Jack, Zaine & Blessing.

That’s right…Andrew was, well he was being Andrew.

The Bilstad clan on Christmas Eve.

Jack and Andrew opening up one of their shared gifts.

Andrew playing with cars. This kids loves.loves.loves to play with cars.

Jack, checking out one of his new games.

Andrew, eating blueberries and yogurt with Jack’s underpants on his head. Ahh, this second born son of mine. His actions are unexpected, sometimes rather comical and he always keeps me guessing!!

The boys are knee deep in playing with their new toys. I am knee deep in trying to reclaim our house. However, our hearts are full of wonderful memories from Christmas. The time spent with our family, good food, lively conversation and most of all, the joy and excitement of the children.

capturing a simple moment.

2010-12-22T08:40:00.000-06:00

I was laying on the table in the OB exam room as my Doctor was preparing to listen to the baby's heartbeat {baby is 17 weeks gestation...gasp, where is the time going}. Jack typically goes to my OB appointment with me because we then follow it up with his Speech Therapy appt. As I was laying on the table in the exam room, the Doctor ready to listen to the baby's heartbeat, Jack said "Mommy, your tummy is getting really big!".

My OB Doctor laughed!!

I didn't laugh.

christmas prep + jack’s 1st christmas concert

2010-12-19T16:22:00.001-06:00

My boys…checking out the lights for the Christmas tree to make sure they still worked! You know, crazy things can happen when lights have been stored in a box for one year!!

Toby…he laid in the middle of our living room floor {right in the way of course} the entire time we decorated the Christmas tree…just to make sure he didn’t miss out on a darn thing!

Andrew + Daddy…hanging an ornament on the tree.

Andrew, Mr. Hard to Get, would not look at the camera AT ALL…of course, this comes as no surprise.

Jack is SO excited about Christmas! He has been a super duper little helper around the house. Hanging ornaments…

…placing red hots on spritz cookies, with a hot chocolate mustache…

…and unwrapping chocolate kisses for cookies.

Be still my heart.

Jack had his first Christmas concert for Sunday School today. Being the big bad mom that I am, I made him wear a belt for the occasion.

I love the big boy look on little boys! However, don’t be fooled. It took plenty of coaxing to get him to wear this belt!

We didn’t have a very good view of him during the concert, but what we could see of him, he had his hands in his pockets and he was looking up at the ceiling the entire time. I love when the children sing at church.

random thoughts.

2010-12-12T15:04:00.001-06:00

I have been busy baking in the kitchen in preparation for the Christmas holiday. This year I have a very curious little helper. I think Jack is hanging around the kitchen for the opportunity to nibble on the sweet stuff. Which reminds me of a song he likes to sing:

“Doctor, doctor give me the news. I have a bad case of lovin’…candy!!”. That is our little Jack…sweet tooth Bilstad!

One of my favorite views in the morning is looking out our bedroom window at the frost covering the trees. I love that look…just not the cold weather that goes along with it!!

Toby is lovin’ life at his new house. Having the fenced in backyard means that he is no longer tied to a leash when he goes outside to ‘take care of business’. I think he enjoys the freedom of running around in the open area.

However, the other day I became a little sidetracked after I let him outside. {I know, I know, you can’t imagine that ever happening in our quiet and peaceful house…but trust me, it does!} After a while I realized I had forgotten to let the furry one back inside, but low and behold he had found a spot on the deck to lay down on and bask in the sun.

Yep, there is something to be said about a dog’s life!!

Ohhh. My big boy Jack taking a nap.

I know, it is kinda weird that I took a photo of him sleeping, but he looked so peaceful. Why is it children have to grow up so fast?? It seems like not that long ago we were admiring this little face…

Life, it is just not fair! So yes, I snapped a photo of Jack sleeping…just because I can.

Remember the title of this post, random thoughts, well I warned you! This post was nothing but random images taken throughout the past week, images that capture a specific moment in our life.

Moments that pass by way too fast…

capturing a simple moment.

2010-12-11T16:08:00.000-06:00

Jack was 'shaving' his face with the handle of a razor...no razor attached.

While he was doing this I walked into the bathroom and Jack excitingly told me, "Mom, I look like a man!!".

No, no buddy you do not. And there is no way you are allowed to grow up that fast.

play-doh.

2010-12-05T21:24:00.001-06:00

This afternoon ‘the natives were restless’.

They needed an activity to keep them busy for a while so that I could reclaim control of our kitchen.

Insert Play-Doh here.

They each received their own container of Doh, a bowl, a fork, knife, spoon and two straws.

With no direction from me, they started working on their creations. Jack was busy forming his Doh, meanwhile Andrew was even busier trying to keep up with whatever Jack was doing!

And it worked…thanks to Play-Doh our kitchen is now clean!

look mommy.

2010-12-01T12:20:00.001-06:00

Andrew…our lovely second born. We just never know what to expect from him next.

On Saturday morning, as I was running around the house like a crazy woman, trying to pack bags for a road trip to my dad’s house, this caught me off guard…

“Look Mommy!” Andrew said.

And like any proud mother would do, I quickly grabbed the camera and captured the moment. And then I wondered where he found the Q-tips since they were in a location too high for him to reach. And then I laughed. Andrew’s unexpected behavior was just what I needed at that moment in time.

Our little Andrew…he keeps us on our toes!

a month in review.

2010-11-26T22:08:00.001-06:00

Knock, knock. Anyone out there?

I guess it really has been almost a full month since I last posted about the adventures of our family. The following post is heavy on photos, light on words, recapping the past month. Besides continuing to settle into our home, we have been…

: :: drawing maps :: :

: :: celebrating Andrew’s 2nd birthday :: :

: :: Andrew’s birthday theme – Elmo :: :

: :: opening up presents under the close eye of big brother Jack :: :

: :: yummm, frosting :: :

: :: sharing news with our family :: :

: :: that is right…Andrew is going to be a big brother :: :

: :: trying daddy’s socks on for size :: :

yes, i know the above photo is blurry. Paul was taking photos of he and Jack’s morning adventure while Drew and I were gone. Paul will be the first to admit you can’t just turn on my camera, take a photo and expect it to turn out…but bless his soul he continues to snap photos of the kids.

: :: Toby, the next sock victim :: :

: :: Thanksgiving 2010 preparations :: :

: :: my homemade cornucopia :: :

: :: crazy, after nap, bed head :: :

: :: outdoor adventures :: :

: :: Swinging, the only outdoor activity Drew enjoyed :: :

: :: Jack on the other hand, he could have shoveled all afternoon long :: :

That is all for now!