New Year's Eve!

Well, today is a very boring one around here. Burger's at work and the kids and I are just hanging out trying to decide what to do. We haven't gotten very far... Yesterdays post was really messed up. I don't know what happened there. But I will tell you that my bathroom sink it still leaking. We were thinking of taking Jacob bowling tonight. He's been wanting to go and we thought it would be something fun to celebrate the holiday, even though Jacob doesn't know it's a holiday. Hope some of you have fun plans for the evening. We don't, but I'm kind of looking forward to it.

Hooray!

Jacob opening his gift from Aunt Cheryl. He loves it and has already used up almost all the paint!

Alex, Kiyrah, and Jacob playing puzzles after opening gifts at Grandma and Grandpa Oldenburger's Christmas Fiesta.

Emrick on her pony. She loves this thing. Santa brought it and Jacob named it Red. I'm just wondering what we're going to do when she inevitably asks for a real pony. Grandpa O. can we keep a pony in your barn?

Some cute kids in the tub. This is their new thing, they love to take tubs together and play! They both think it's super fun. Usually Jacob gets in trouble the whole time for splashing her too hard and she usually gets in trouble the whole time for trying to put the bottle of soap in the water...

I have been trying to post pictures for days and finally they let me!! We are all feeling much much better today. We are chalking it up to some sort of food poisoning, but who knows! Today we went to Target and I spent too much money on clearance items. It was fun, though. Right this second Burger is trying to fix our sink in the bathroom. It seems to have a terrible leak and he can't figure it out. It's making him grumpy. I will call my dad to help. Two heads are better than one, you know!

Today I was in the bathroom washing my hands, when I shut it off is when it began to leak actually... Anyhow, I was washing my hands and Emrick came in with me. Usually she likes to stand on the stool we have by the toilet for Jacob and play with the tub toys. But today when I turned around to get her she was entirely in the tub. Just hanging out, waiting for the water and some hot surfer boys. It was so funny! She looked very proud of herself, climbing in the tub alone.

Stick a Fork in Me...

I want to be done! Last night at midnight Jacob came into our room gagging. He never did get sick but he woke up every hour on the hour to gag over the garbage can some more. Poor little guy. I was nauseous and very uncomfortable. Burger is sick. Sickly sick sick. Emrick went to my mom's to make thing easier for me and so that she hopefully doesn't catch it. Whatever it is. I am ready to be done with 2009 but not quite ready to start 2010. Burger will be gone at school all next week and I'm not looking forward to starting the New Year like that. Hopefully Jacob and I are done with out 'sickness' and don't get it any worse than what we had. Hopefully Burger feels better really soon. Keep your fingers crossed for me, OK?

Merry Christmas!!

Hope everyone is enjoying their Christmas morning! I have tons of pictures to post but blogger is acting up. Hopefully I will be able to post some of them later today. Jacob and Emrick had a nice visit from Santa. Jacob's favorite toy that Santa brought was the Leapster with the games and Emrick's favorite thing that Santa brought is the bouncy pony that Jacob named Red. We are hanging out and playing with new toys until early afternoon when it's time to go to Great Grandma Hild's for a Christmas meal. Merry Christmas everyone!

Well, I tried...

Took some pictures of the kids in their Christmas outfits today. They were not very cooperative but I did end up with a couple good shots. Trying to get them both in one picture is the hardest! Jacob is a little easier now that he's older but Emrick is just getting to that really difficult stage where she wants to eat the camera or crawls towards some distraction right in the middle of the photo flashing... Oh well. All I can do is try and hopefully when the kids area big we will look at them and laugh hysterically about it!

Oh, the memories

Jacob with Santa last year. He was a little nervous, I remember. But he was really excited to tell Santa that he wanted race cars for Christmas! He looks like a baby in this picture, I forget that it wasn't that long ago when he was 'small.' This year he loves Santa but we haven't gotten any pictures yet. Well, we went to Wal-Mart one day and a really sketchy looking Santa was right in the door and they were doing free pictures so we got one of each of the kids and then one of the kids together. This year Jacob is asking Santa for a toy dinosaur. It's really fun that he gets the story of Santa this year and is excited!

Naughty Baby

OK, so everyone knows how much I love my kids. I really do, I swear! But I would like to take some time out right here to list the things that naughty little Emrick does. We have had to rearrange much of our furniture to accommodate Her Highness. I'm sure this list will keep growing as she gets bigger but here's it for now:

-Unplugs anything she sees plugged in

-When you tell her 'No, no!' she shakes her head at you and smiles but continues whatever she's doing

-Pulls the bread off the shelf and pokes her fingers through the bag

-Runs off with Jacob's trains when he's not looking

-Tips over the paper shredder spilling out any shredded paper (the shredder has been moved for safety reasons!)

-Notices if the bathroom door is even slightly open and rushes in there to try to climb in the tub or play in the toilet

-When placed in her high chair, any food on the tray is almost immediately swiped onto the floor so she can laugh and watch the dog devour it

-The second her diaper is removed she rushes away and puts up quite a fight when diaper is replaced on her behind.

Her cuteness greatly outweighs her naughtiness, so I think we will keep her. But, some days it's debatable! Does anyone have any ideas on how to get a nine month old to sit still, even for a few moments?

Sunday

Wow, I have left you guys hanging for a long time. Almost a whole week! Well, with Burger working second shift, I get really side tracked during the day. So blame him. He won't mind.

Last week was busy, what with the massive snow storm and Emrick had/has strep throat. The rest of us have colds so I have been using Lysol like crazy today! I got our Christmas cards addressed and in the mail yesterday. We ordered a game from ecrater for Jacob for Christmas two week ago and still haven't received it, but I ordered a different thing from eBay and it came in two days! I love the Internet.

Jacob loves the snow and will jump in it any chance he gets. Yesterday on the way to swimming he took a detour through the snow and it made me so mad because I had to go back inside and get new clothes for him. He wears his snow boots every where because he likes them and it makes me wish I would have bought him a fancy pair (like the Cars I saw at K-Mart) instead of cheap basic ones from Wal-Mart! Oh well, he likes the ones he has and doesn't know the difference. And the cheap orange ones match his coat!

Today we have no exciting plans. Mom and I were thinking of jean-shopping at Kohl's because I got a 30% off coupon in the mail! Emrick is feeling better, but still whining. But that's just kind of her personality. And she's probably really bored with being at home for so long! Hope you all enjoy your Sunday and get to hang out with your family like I do!

Lovely Weekend

We enjoyed a lovely weekend together as a family. We put up the Christmas tree and stockings and I got Christmas cards ready to mail out, but not mailed yet! I feel like a I really accomplished a lot today. I went to work and while I was there Jacob and Burger went grocery shopping and returned some stuff at Target. Then when we all came home the boys shoveled the walkways, Jacob absolutely loves to play in the snow. Burger went to work, still on second shift for an undetermined amount of time. While the kids took a nap (together in their room at the same time!) I swept the floor and used the steam mop. That thing is going to get some major use this winter! It's so easy to use and makes me feel like the floors are really clean. Anyhow, then the kids woke and I got them each a snack while I took care of some bills on the phone. For future reference, after Friday we will no longer have a house phone. You can get ahold of Burger or me on our cell phones at any given time, though, so don't panic! If you don't have our cell phone numbers, just e-mail us and we can get it to you or leave a comment in the comments section of this blog. Right now Jacob is eating some left over tuna noodle casserole and we are getting ready for gymnastics! Hopefully our evening will go as smooth as the rest of our day has!

Emrick Gets Stuck

Snow what...

Today it snowed. Yes, this should not be breaking news in Iowa. Jacob was so excited for snow he had to get his boots, hat, coat, and mittens on immediately and investigate. I was at work so Burger watched him play in the snow. From the kitchen window. He's a funny man sometimes. So now I'm thinking it's definitely time for us to get the Christmas tree up and decorated.

December, really?

All of these pictures were taken yesterday. December first. That's Iowa for ya! You can never count on the weather. It was so beautiful and lovely. We played outside then went to the park with a friend. We stayed out until the sun went down and it got too chilly. Today was not the same. It was cold today, normal December weather.

Burger has been working second shift which actually works out really well for us. He gets to hang out and play with the kids and relax then go to work and come home after the kids are in bed. The kids don't put up such a fight at bedtime because nothing even remotely fun is going on in the living room to distract them. Evenings are easier for me to fill because everyone else I know works first shift and has open evenings to entertain me!

Tonight we went to dinner with my parents. Jacob was naughty and punished by not being allowed to ride in Grandpa's Jeep. He was so sad. Before bed I asked him what was his favorite part of today. We did a lot of fun things today. We made cookies with Burger and went to my mom's school and Jacob got to paint and play with the train set! We went to the restaurant with my parents. Well, he said his favorite part was when he got to ride in Grandpa's Jeep on the way to the restaurant. He said it hurt his feeling when Grandpa was mad and wouldn't let him ride in the Jeep home. Insert misty eyes here. But honestly, I think this kid just knows how to play people's emotions. How do they learn so young?

Story Time!

My dad and my kids. He was reading them their bedtime story and I couldn't resist the urge to photograph! What a lovely moment to capture. This picture makes my heart smile!

Thanksgiving 2009

I am thankful for so many things this year that I would hate to bore you with such a list. So, I am limiting myself to a list of ten.

1.) Burger

2.) My kids

3.) My parents

4.) When my parents watch my kids so Burger and I can hang out

5.) Fuzzy new slippers

6.) Consignment shops where I can buy cheap, lightly used clothing for my kids

7.) My friends

8.) Caramel iced coffee from McDonald's

9.) Cozy hooded sweatshirts

10.) My digital camera because it makes photographing my cute kids so simple and easy to share!

Hello? Anyone There?

Yes, yes! We are here! I didn't forget about you, my faithful Internet friends. But one little boy and one little girl baby keep me so busy. Unbelievably busy. Ridiculously busy. Unreasonably busy. True. She crawls all around climbing on things and falling or stealing Jacob's toys. In response he spends most of his time chasing her, pushing her, and stealing his things back from her. My time is mostly spent kissing bonks, distracting, changing DVDs for Jacob, washing dishes/laundry, and putting things up higher where little sticky hands can't reach. We have decided to put the Christmas tree up in the porch where it can be enjoyed by people outside. And where Emrick can't see or reach it. I was ready to put it up last Sunday but Burger refused. It's too early for Christmas trees! Pish posh. What a lame excuse.

Today one of my front porch windows was broken out. Odd timing because my mom and I were just talking about how some businesses in my neighborhood have had their windows kicked in to be robbed. It makes me very very nervous and I am hoping that our big, scary dog will scare bad people away. Anyhow, my porch window was not broken out my a robber. It was broken out by Jacob and his little friend Owen. They decided that it would be a really fun game to throw Hot wheels cars at the window. Apparently to see whose would break it...

I now, right at this moment, have two sleeping children. Jacob is sleeping in his own bed and Emrick is sleeping in her crib which means I have full rein of the whole rest of the house. Amazing. This hardly ever happens here! So, I was thinking to celebrate I would make some peanut butter bars with chunks of peanut butter cups crumbled on top. I was going to have Jacob help me make cookies today, but since he broke the window he is still in trouble. So I am thinking it's only fair for me to bake a giant pan of yummy things and sit and eat the entire thing in front of him. That's reasonable punishment, right?

Cookies!!

Emrick had an Oreo cookie the other day. She had a blast, as you can see in the picture! We had a lovely weekend. Celebrated Burger's birthday yesterday by making grill hamburgers and hot dogs! Today he worked 2nd shift and will do the same tomorrow. It was really nice to have him home for a bit during the day. We went to Target and he was surprised at the lack of shoppers shoving carts around. Jacob had gymnastics this evening and had a great time! We are starting to get excited for Christmas and trying to think of a way to have a Christmas tree up and decorated without Emrick destroying it. Any ideas can be left in my comments sections!

Fishy Face!

This just makes me giggle. She is a silly little girl sometimes! So, today is Thursday and we have already been to work at the Y and are home and Emrick is napping. Jacob is working on it, he's in my bed watching cartoons half asleep. But, today at the Y I had a flashback to the winter of 2006. Mandy, do you remember all the babies we had that winter? And how one of us would grab a box of Cheerios and line babies up and feed them like baby birds? Makes me laugh. Today I lined up Emrick and one other baby of the same age and fed them fish crackers and it sent me back in time.

Time Flies

Wow, I can't believe it's Wednesday already. The kids and I went to the Y to work on Monday and Tuesday since a coworker has been sick and needed someone to fill her spot. Then yesterday we went to the park after work since it was so gorgeous outside. Today we stayed home and chilled all day. It was really gorgeous outside today, too, but we were all too lazy to do anything. We need days like that sometimes. We are gearing up for Christmas, starting to decide what we want to get the kids and what not. Kind of fun, it means I get to shop around online a lot more often. I am also a member of some sort and get e-mails with the ads for Black Friday. Nothing too great out there yet, but I'm sure something I can't live without will be on some sort of super sale that requires me, Mom, and Jeremy to wait in line at some store at four o'clock in the morning the day after Thanksgiving. There's always something. Thank goodness for Redbull. Anyhow, we have tons of fun or something like that. Yesterday we went to the mall and the bookstore had dollar clearance bins! It was really exciting and full of great hardcover kids books that I bought more than enough of. What could be better?

Sunday Fun

Today we spent the entire morning in our jammies hanging out at home. The we realized it was way too super nice outside to stay in any longer. So we went to my parent's house and got their fancy camera and wondered outside. Above is Emrick in the swing at the park. She was not fond of the swing.

Jacob giving Burger a push in the tire swing. You should have seen Burger trying to get out of that thing!

Jacob in the tire swing. He's not very fond of swings, either.

Jacob climbing some rock. He's a good climber and had the time of his life doing it!

And, last, a lovely picture of Emrick and myself. We got a good shot for a Christmas card, I think. We will have to see how everything turns out and how I feel about mailing as Christmas-card time creeps closer. Hope you all went outside and enjoyed the lovely weekend weather!

Togetherness... And Stuff

Last Thursday was the big day. Burger got home from work and I said, 'It's time!' So, we took the kid's dressers and moved them into our bedroom and moved Emrick's crib into their bedroom. She officially sleeps in THEIR bedroom. Jacob is the big brother now and everything just kind of fell into place. It was such a perfect night. We went to the Halloween party at the YMCA and when we got home everyone was tired and totally worn out. The kids went to bed at the same time and then slept through the entire night in their very own room. Together. It was so perfect and amazing and happy. Exactly how I had hoped they would share their room as babies. Last night was the first night that Emrick woke up to have a bottle. She woke Jacob up but it worked out. It was not a dramatic up-all-night kind of thing that I was so worried about, the reason I kept her crib in my room so long. Jacob has been reading her books and telling her silly stories before they both fall asleep, happy and together.

More Halloween

Thomas and a conductor. They wore these costumes to a Halloween party last night. Had a great time. Jacob poured his own green juice from the pitcher, took a drink, then decided there was too much in the cup so poured some back into the pitcher! Oops. Wasn't fast enough to catch him before it happened! He went swimming this morning and jumped in the pool to the instructor about four times! A big step for him. Them we got them dressed up in their Tigger and Winnie the Pooh costumes and went trick or treating downtown with my parents. After dinner we walked to some houses in our neighborhood and Jacob had a great time looking for houses with a porch light on so he could knock and say 'Trick or treat!' We had an enjoyable Halloween.

Halloween Costumes

Jacob as Tigger and Emrick as Winnie the Pooh. We also have Thomas and a baby train conductor. These two are really hard to get a picture of together, this was the best I could manage! Hopefully I'll be able to get better ones tomorrow at trick or treat time!

And then there's this...

She turned eight months old yesterday. I can hardly believe time is flying by so fast. With both the kids being sick I hardly remembered it was her eight month birthday! She went from being such a grumpy crying little infant to an almost normal tempered little baby. She crawls all over the place and calls 'Mom!' to get my attention. She loves to throw Cheerios at the dog and makes Jacob mad by stealing his toys. Life is really fun at my house!

Hallowfest 2009

Emrick in her train conductor costume.

Jacob waiting for a hayride in his Thomas costume.

Emrick's first hayride. I don't think she's that impressed!

Emrick trying to steal the tractor. You want a hayride? I'll give you a hayride!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Oldenburger for the fun fall festival! We had to leave early because Jacob said his throat hurt and when we got home I took his temperature and it was 104. I gave him some Motrin and within 45 minutes he was clearly feeling better so I took his temp again and it had gone down to 101.5. He went to bed and we are all hoping this whole thing clears up on it's own. We will see how he is feeling tomorrow! Emrick has been feeling better since she started her antibiotics. Burger and I both feel fine, however my throat has been slightly sore this evening. Other than that we are all dandy around here. Tomorrow is my birthday and we have no big plans. We're waiting to see how the day unfolds.

A Baby in a Box

To update: The nurse called back and said the doctor is prescribing an antibiotic just in case it's some sort of sinus infection. She did not sound very happy to be calling me on the phone.

Today

Wednesday, let's see... Well, not an awful day but not great either. Seems to be pretty standard these days. Jacob watched Finding Nemo. I ordered my own birthday cake and mailed some things out at Hy-Vee.

Emrick is still really really stuffy and keeps gagging. Bottles are especially hard for her which is a bummer since that's mostly what she eats since she's a baby and all. I've called the doctor's office probably half a dozen times and haven't gotten any response. I realize that the world is not ending. The baby is fine. But why should she have to suffer with a stuffy gross runny nose for over a month if there could be something to make it better? I talked to a triage nurse about a half hour ago who said that she would personally go tell Emrick's doctor's nurse to call me and that I was starting to get upset about her not returning my phone calls. I am still waiting for a call back.

My new steam mop came in the mail today and I cannot wait to clean my floors. Jacob and I have been working on picking up the toys so we can try out the new mop. But, he gets bored easily and distracted then plays with the toys so they are not picked up yet. We are getting closer. I will give everyone a review of the steam mop later.

Emrick's Favorite Thing!

Hello!

Tuesday, Tuesday. It has to be better than Monday right? Well, yesterday wasn't horrible for us, but not great either. Kind of boring. The kids and I stayed home all day then when Burger went to bowling league we decided to go visit my parents. I got a couple of good pictures of Emrick outside. It's really hard to photograph my kids outside because their paleness just glows in the sunlight! Right this second, we are getting ready to go the to Y for work.

Christmas Dress Preview

This is the dress my mom and I bought for Emrick to wear at Christmas. We bought it when she was a tiny baby and thought a size 18 months would be plenty big enough, with room to grow even! Not so much. It will definitely not fit at Christmas time, it barely fits now! So, I took pictures so everyone could see the cuteness. If you see my daughter wearing fancy party dresses on just any old day, don't ask what the special occasion is. Chances are it just happens to be a fancy dress that won't fit at any specific fancy dress occasion and I wanted to get one good wear out of it before passing it on.

Another List

Today seems to be a listing kind of day. I made a grocery list before going to the store, even! So, here is another list for you. A list of things that made me happy today:
-Pumpkin Spice latte from Starbucks
-Eating frozen waffles for breakfast with Jacob.
-Tubby time for the kids.
-Picking out a pumpkin!
-Watching Burger and Jacob make pumpkin pie from scratch.
-Roasting pumpkin seeds to snack on.
-Chicken Alfredo with broccoli for dinner.
-Warm, home-made pumpkin pie for dessert.
-Listening to Jacob and Burger play a board game after dinner.
-Listening to Emrick try to eat said board game and not having to be the adult who stops this all from happening.
-Putting the kids to bed and snuggling in with Burger to watch the Discovery channel.

Odd

Ways my baby Emrick is like a puppy:
-She eats anything she finds on the floor.
-She likes to get into trash cans.
-She licks people.
-She crawls after me where ever I go.
-And she likes to lay in the pile of laundry..
-

Saturday

Today is Saturday. Burger is working, no one knows for how long. Went to the Y this morning for Jacob to swim. Emrick is a pro crawler and is now pulling herself up on things. Last night she stayed up super late and wasn't tired. But, it was bedtime for me so I put her in her bed. A few minutes later I could hear a scratching noise so I looked over and she was standing up in there scraping her bottom teeth on the top rail. There are teeth marks all over the top rail now! Crazy girl, Jacob never did that. I was actually really surprised to see her standing in there. We have no definite plans for the rest of the weekend, but I was hoping to buy a pumpkin and carve it with Burger and Jacob. I think Jacob would have a lot of fun pulling the guts out of a pumpkin! Also, my old facebook account has been deleted for some unknown reason. I made a new account, but you will all have to re-ad me! Still Mandi Oldenburger for the name, but the new profile picture is of Emrick and me! Hope you all enjoy your weekend and I will see you back here another day!

Quick

This is just a real quick update! We are getting ready to go to work and mornings are always kind of rushed. I am taking Emrick to the doctor after work today because she seems extra grumpy and keeps tipping her head to the side and gagging on her bottles. I was worried she has ear infection or some sort of sore throat thing going on. Other than that, we are all good. My facebook is currently down, for the third day in a row. I cannot log in and when I log into Burger's account I can't click on my profile. Facebook is such a pain in the butt, but I am so addicted to it!

A Wonderful Sunday

Life is good. Today included:
-Cinnamon rolls
-Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino from Starbucks
-New clothes for myself
-A Subway sandwich
-A visit with my parents
-Time alone with Burger
-Chuck E. Cheese's
-New shoes for myself

New Clothes

Emrick in her new dress and boots. I went to the consignment shop the other day and got a whole bag full of clothes. I love the consignment shop. Anyhow, this dress was included in my shopping trip and I am so in love with it! The boots came from Target, I paid full price because I love them so much! They will literally match everything. At Target, Jacob got some jeans and some long sleeve T's that were clearanced down to $2.80. I love finding great deals. It makes me feel all fuzzy inside!

Chillin'

We hung out at home today and had a really nice relaxing day. In the afternoon I dropped the kids off at my parent's house and went to Kohl's all by myself. Very fun. I found Emrick a beautiful Christmas dress for $6.40!! I love finding great deals. We went to Megan's house for dinner and enjoyed taco salads and chocolate milk. Owen and Jacob played trains and had a lot of fun together. That is, after they decided to jump off the top bunk of the bed a couple times, leaving Owen with a badly swollen ear and lip. When we came home both kids went right to bed and I am now enjoying a little bit of alone time. How often does that happen?

Saturday

Today is Emrick's seven month birthday. I can't believe it. Seven months! She's a little person now, not just a blob of a baby. She is a very funny and particular little girl. And I'm kind of happy to share that she obviously prefers me over anything else in the entire world. I used to get annoyed the my kids are so 'clingy' but one days it hit me. They like me, they enjoy my company and feel safer when I'm near them. Isn't that what moms are supposed to be for their kids?

On a different subject, we got a Jacob a new swim instructor. He did not enjoy going to swimming lessons and kept telling me he didn't like the instructor, he was scared of him. I'm very lucky I work at the YMCA and know some of the other people that work there. A very fabulous swim instructor that has worked there ever since I can remember has a daughter the very same age as Jacob. And on Saturdays she takes her daughter in the pool and has fun showing her how to swim. They sing and play games and have a grand ole' time and she told me that if Jacob was not enjoying the other lessons that I could surely bring him to their 'lessons' on Saturday mornings. Jacob loves her little girl and they had so much fun today playing and learning in the water together. I was fun for me to see him enjoy being there. After swimming we went to the CFU energy fair and ate hot dogs and soda and Jacob played in the bouncy things and rode the little train. He had a blast and I think today was a very enjoyable Saturday.

Burger leaves for school tomorrow. He will be gone for our anniversary which is kind of a bummer. I'm getting over it. But when he comes home his hours should be back to normal. I say 'should be' because he hasn't been told where he is working when he comes home. We are hoping they have somewhere for him to work.

Escaping

The girl is learning fast. She can crawl pretty well now and gets herself around. She was attempting to find Burger in this picture. This morning I put her in the living room and she came and found me in the bathroom. Slowly, but she made it! Jacob loves that she can move now, but he is getting greedy with his toys. He used to like to share with her but now that she can help herself he doesn't want her to have any! And, yes, the wood flooring in that picture is disgusting. We had to pull the carpet up out of the hallway because it kept snagging and ruining the vacuum cleaner. We are thinking of fixing the wood or, most likely, putting new carpet in the there.

Monday

Today is Monday and my family is not looking forward to this week or next week. We are all sick of the long work days and short weekends. And next week Burger will be gone at school in Des Moines. September has been kind of hard on all of us and I'll be especially happy when October gets here.

Yesterday we enjoyed our time as a family by running errands together! We went to Toy'sR'Us so the boys could look and then we went to Cattle Congress. We didn't know when they closed and we got there too late so we only had 45 minutes to play. But that was just long enough! Jacob had fun on the rides and got to play the fishing game. He won a teddy bear. Emrick sat in her stroller and watched. We all had a pretty good time. I forgot my camera so there are no pictures.

The kids and I have no plans this week or next week so they will be long and boring. We are trying to stay sane and I think we're doing a fairly good job. I'm hoping to be able to upload some pictures later and am still working on getting a video of Emrick scootching! Enjoy your Monday!

My Baby can Crawl

Ok, so not crawl, but scootch really well. I have been trying to get it on video for days now but she is very uncooperative. And she only does this in Jacob's room and only if I lay the Batman blanket out on the floor. Did I ever mention how particular this child is?

Hanging In There

Sorry I left all of you (what, three readers now?) waiting for over a week for an update. There really isn't much to update, to be honest. Burger is working crazy long hours and the kids and I are just trying to keep ourselves sane. We are out of the house a lot! Jacob started swimming lessons on Tuesday. He goes Tuesdays and Thursdays. His first session was interesting, and I'm hoping tonight goes a little better. He has been having a bit of a hard time adjusting to Burger's new longer hours and it's been rough on both of us. Emrick is her usual smiley little self. Her personality has really blossomed in the past month or so and she has been a joy. She is starting to crawl or scootch herself around quite a bit but doesn't like our hardwood floors. She stays on the rug or the carpet in the bedrooms. I'm sure it won't be long before she gets a little better at this crawling thing and then nothing will be safe!

Wednesday

This is Emrick today. I loved the writing on her butt and had to get a good shot! Smiley little girl! If anyone wants a copy, just let me know!

Recap

OK, so the long weekend went nicely and we all enjoyed ourselves. Well, except Burger, who had to work a ten hour day on Saturday while the kids, my mom, and I went visiting people out of town. I think he's over it. We went to a family picnic on Sunday and had a great time. Jacob got to swim in the freezing cold pool with my dad. We went to a car show and bike riding and picnicking and grilling all weekend. Fun stuff.

Tomorrow Burger start working twelve hour days. You heard me right, twelve hour days. Seven in the morning until seven-thirty at night. Working. Sounds like a really long day for him. Sounds like a really long day for me, too. At the end of September he will be going to school. So I get to go from him working twelve long hour days to him being gone for a whole week. So September is a really busy month for him and a long boring lonely month for me. I figure it will work out in the end.

The kids are doing great. Jacob is obsessed with puzzles. And rocks. He found a rock on Sunday night and named it Piglet. It sleeps with him in his bed. Today while leaving the YMCA he found another rock and named it Chophib and said that it will also be joining him in his bed. Funny little boy. No wonder he doesn't like to sleep in his own bed anymore. I wouldn't like to sleep in my bed either, if it was full of rocks! Emrick is just the same little girl we have all gotten to know and love. Grumpy little lady, but we are working together better and getting along. I don't know about crawling but she was standing holding onto me the other day and when she let go she balanced all by herself for about five seconds! She might skip the whole crawling thing and go straight to walking. I doubt it, really she's just lazy. But I will definitely keep you posted and if my 6.5 month old baby gets up and walks away we will all be equally surprised.

Emrick's Favorite Thing!

Emrick loves to sit on my bed with a pile of clothes surrounding her. I think she likes the feel of all the different fabrics, but that's just a guess! Here is a slightly boring video of her doing her thing.

A Day in the Park

This is Emrick at the park. We went last night to wear Jacob out. That kid has boundless energy. We do what we can, but at bedtime he's usually still full up. So last night we walked to the park and played. Emrick was cute in her little baby jeans and hat so I decided to photograph her. She refused to look at the camera. Not for one single picture, so now I have a bunch of profiles of her. At least you can see her chubby cheeks! Both of the kids have stuffy noses and Jacob has a bit of a cough. He's starting to feel better, I think. But Emrick has been sleeping in her swing because when she lays down she can't breath. I'm hoping it doesn't turn into a habit. I'll let you know how that works out for me!

A guy just came and fixed our dryer and now we are getting ready to go to an appointment. Emrick is sleeping and Jacob is on the couch almost asleep. Great time for an appointment, huh?

Just the Three of Us

Just Another Monday

I am well aware that I am a slacker. But, when it comes to blogging you have to have something blog worthy to talk about. And since I blog about our family life, there really isn't much to talk about. We are rather boring people. Over the weekend I got my hair trimmed. We also went to Burger's Dad's and roasted hot dogs and s'mores over the fire pit while Jacob played baseball. Last night we went to my grandma's and celebrated all the August and early September birthdays. Emrick helped herself to some red frosting off the cupcakes! She also helped herself to some one's coffee. She enjoyed herself tremendously! There was a 50% off clearance prices sale at Old Navy that I didn't go to. I didn't go because it's all summer wear and I have no idea what size to get either of my kids for next summer. My kids grow funny. Emrick is already wearing size 12 months and Jacob wears 4/5 or a kids x-small. I do buy his pants in a 5t at Target, though! My guess is that his body wanted to catch up with his feet. Today I should be working on cleaning the entire house, but I probably won't. I'm not going to lie. I am exhausted today and just want to sit and watch Dora with my kids.

Six Months Old

At exactly 5:12 this evening, my baby will be six months old. A half year! It was only six months ago that I was in the hospital waiting for labor to be induced. Just long enough that I remember the story vividly, but not the pain...

Emrick sits unsupported very well and gets up on her hands and knees trying to crawl. She has very animated facial expressions and likes to have her feet rubbed. She is almost always kicking her feet or pushing off of something with her feet. She has very busy feet! Jacob and Emrick love each other and the picture of them above takes my breath away. What intelligent, beautiful little people!

Ready for the Week?

Not so much. But it's too late. It's here whether I want it or not. Today is all about laundry and groceries. Sounds fun, huh? We are updating a bit in the kitchen. Painted the cupboards yesterday and put some curtains in place of the cupboard doors. Sounds silly, but it looks OK. I'm still getting used to it. Jacob drew me some pictures that I am framing and hanging in there. When everything gets a bit more 'done' I will try to post pictures. Then I can get your opinions! I'm not sure I love the new look, but it will do...

On Wednesday my baby Emrick will be half a year old! I think I might bake cupcakes or something. We'll sing and have Jacob blow out the candle. I don't know. Surviving six whole months in this family seems like a big accomplishment to me! I also would like to share with all of you that every time I spell check, every single time, the only thing that comes up highlighted is Emrick's name.

Teeth, you say?

I bought Emrick some teething biscuits the other day and she loves them! I think these slobbery pictures are hilarious and thought maybe you guys would, too! And, yes, her eyes are always that large.

Emrick is sleeping right now, she has been wiped the past couple days. Apparently growing teeth is hard work. Jacob is on the sofa watching cartoons. Very wholesome. So I am enjoying a few moments of quiet to myself. I am also washing all the new shirts my mom brought back from Florida. She got so many, it was almost a full load of just new shirts! When Emrick wakes up we are headed to Target for diapers and probably to Hair Biz to get Jacob's crazy hairs cut.

On a totally different note, we have started talking about Halloween costumes and as it turns out, Burger and I don't get a say in Jacob's choice. Well, we will be buying the costume so I guess we have the final say. But, if he doesn't get to pick then he won't wear it and all that money would have been spent for nothing. And he says he wants to be James, from Thomas and Friends. It turns out that they DO sell a James costume. But them he wants to be McQueen. No wait, Curious George. No, no, he wants to be Tigger or Elmo or whatever else he can come up with in that three year old head of his. So I think we are all settling for Thomas because they are readily available at the local Wal-Mart and fairly easy. Thomas will satisfy everyone. So, to match, I want to dress Emrick as a baby train engineer. Cute, huh? But I need a pair of striped baby overalls. And it seems I cannot find any online... Odd. So, if you know where I can get a pair of striped baby overalls please let me know. Thanks, in advance!

Half Over

Burger and the kids playing puzzle.

This week is half over and I couldn't be happier about it. I am so ready for the weekend. Then next week I start work again. Kind of excited but also kind of bummed at the same time, if that makes any sense. We went to my friend Megan's house to play today and the kids, all four of them, were just charming. And now both of my kids are sleeping! Hooray! I need to clean the stove, but I thought I would update everyone here first. Nothing much to update, besides Emrick had two little baby teeth now!! I noticed the first one on Tuesday but she wouldn't give me a good look. So I got a better look yesterday and sure enough, there are two of them! Such a big girl! Next thing ya know, she'll be crawling!

Vampire Baby?

I got this picture yesterday at the park. It was Emrick's first time in the grass. She was indifferent, and a little confused. But I took the picture with my phone and when I put it on the computer, I noticed that she is absolutely glowing. This is kind of what I imagine a vampire would look like in the sun.

Friday Friday!!

The car got cleaned out today. And Jacob's car seat cover got washed. I vacuumed the car and dusted it and washed the floor mats. The car looks brand new even though it's ten years old! It took me two hours to clean it all while Emrick slept and Jacob watched the TV.

Yesterday at the doctor, Emrick weighed in at 17lbs. 8oz! My big girl! She got some Desonide Lotion for her face and some Nystatin for her girl parts. Under her neck, the doctor said is a yeast rash and is due to being wet and dark constantly. She said to use cornstarch if I wanted and just try my best to keep it as dry as I can under there! Right, have you seen this girls chins? Jacob and Emrick behaved themselves the whole visit. I was so happy and proud.

Today we went to the mall and checked out Old Navy. Then went to play in the play area. Again, both kids were very well behaved. Obviously. Could we expect anything less from my perfect children? Of course not. We got cheeseburgers and Sprite from McDonald's on the way home. Jacob spilled half of his Sprite into his car seat which is what actually sparked the car cleaning frenzy today. Burger ditched us for the night so I am trying to figure out dinner plans now. Any good ideas?

You Should Have Known...

The car's not cleaned out yet. It was super hot outside! So instead I took a million videos of my kids and posted them on facebook. OK, three. But still... I also did dishes about a million times because I only own four Avent bottles that don't leak all over everywhere. So I have to clean them quite frequently. Today we went to the park and played. Then went to Kohl's and would you believe that they have Halloween costumes out already? Burger wants to be in charge of Halloween this year, and I'm going to let him. But they are still fun to look at! Right now Emrick is sleeping and Jacob is wasting his mind on TV. Later we take Emrick to the doctor to check out the rashes. Wish me luck!

Again?

I have two sleeping kids. Again. Can you believe my sheer luck? So, I thought I should use my time wisely and update the blog. Again. Two days in a row. Can you believe your sheer luck?

I went to the YMCA today and talked to said boss. I start back to work on the 24th of August and work Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Sounds like a nice change. While I was there I fed my baby Go-gurt from the day care in back and she loved it. I know it's all sugar, but I couldn't resist. And it made her so happy! I also picked up the fall schedule books. I want to put Jacob in swimming lessons and gymnastic classes. But since they overlap I will have to pick just one. I guess I'll let the kid have some input, but I am personally leaning more towards swimming lessons.

On my list today was the YMCA and that's done. And that was the list. The only thing on the list. By ten o'clock this morning it was done. Crossed off. Can you believe how on top of things I am today? High five for Mandi. So on my way home from the Y I thought I should make a new list. My new list is to clean out and vacuum out the car. We'll see how long that takes to get done.

Relaxin'

Today is all about me getting stuff done around the house and relaxing. Dishes and laundry are done and both kids are asleep so I thought I'd update everyone on our lives. Not much to update, really. Last night Burger lost his wallet in the parking lot of Wal-Mart in the pouring rain. That was fun. But someone actually found it and took it to customer service. And nothing was missing. Doesn't that give you warm fuzzies? Burger and I were both really surprised and delighted! Then he got a new wallet because the old one will probably never dry out. Oh well, it's nice to have a new wallet every once in a while. My mom is in Florida until next Tuesday, then she starts school right away. So, my summer fun with my mom is done. Bummer. I am still waiting for my boss to call me back and give me my hours for the YMCA. I have already contacted her twice and she said she was busy and would call me back both times. Haven't heard from her. So we'll see what happens there. It would be nice to get back into some sort of regular schedule, though. Not a whole lot else to update.

Tubby Time!

Emrick in the tub. She sits up well enough that we can just put some water in the big tub and toss her in. Well, we don't actually toss her... But you get the point. So big! We had a nice semi-relaxing weekend. Went to the Bremer County Fair on Saturday night. Jacob got to ride some rides and play some games. Won a little stuffed Nemo fish. Very cool. So cool, in fact, that it's still in my car because that's where he left it when we came home from the fair. Pretty chill week coming up. I should be going back to work at the YMCA any day now. That should help the kids and I get a better schedule going. I am getting ready to paint the kitchen cupboards any day now. They are painted light blue right now, but the guy who lived here before us painted them with funny paint that totally just washes off every time I wipe them. So I am repainting them a darker blue and we got all new hardware to make them look a bit nicer. Hopefully. So, what do you have planned for your week?

Jacob is Three!

I can't believe my baby is so big! He walks and talks like a grown person but still needs his mommy to scare the monsters away! The perfect age, right? Today Grandma Hild surprised him with balloons and a fun trip to Chuck E. Cheese where he ate enough pizza and cotton candy to choke a cat! Tonight he wants eggs for dinner. That's his personal favorite for some reason. So Daddy is working on that while I write a blog and Jacob is watching a Thomas video. What a fun birthday!