Holiday Happenings

I had a stomach ache the other day so Rhya snuggled right up to me, gently rubbed my cheek and said, "Ohhh...ohhhh...poor Mommy. It's okay, Mommy. Here, I snuggle you". She then proceeded to climb up and lay next to me with her arm wrapped around my neck. Then she hopped down, ran off, and came back with a barf bucket. 

The other day Rhya and Jordan came up to me with those plastic rings that you can string together for babies. They wanted me to put them on their ears. Rhya said, "Mommy, help me be a lady." Then they paraded around VERY carefully with plastic rings around their ears. :-)

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This sums up the past week- job quitting. job starting. snow fun. family fun. friend fun. funeral. eating.

Nate got his old job back at Intek!! He was laid off 3 years ago and now they called him back since an employee on his team is retiring. Start date is Jan. 7.  Everything about it is better than his current position so we are super excited.

The girls and I accompanied Dad and Mom over to Doug and Roxane's for a fun filled Monday. There was LOTS of people, LOTS of food, and LOTS of outdoor time. The TX folks were up so we enjoyed catching up with everyone and meeting Bradley's new bride and family. :-)

Rhya and I played outside with some others back by the river. Rhya never once complained about the cold, and we were outside for a couple of hours. She loved sliding on the ice, making S'mores, and being Gary's 2nd hand helper with firewood sticks. :-)

Fun on the ice!

Thrilled to be outside.

Gary was so thoughtful and included Rhya in every activity, including marshmallows! Nothing like a warm gooey marshmallow to warm one's stomach on a 6 degree day. 

The last time I saw Ashton and Jamie was when they were dating. Now they have 2 little ladies.

We headed down to Doug and Ardi's on Xmas day. Here's Jodi, halfway done w' her pregnancy, holding their new puppy Teddi.

Tim and Heidi were down visiting from Alaska. 

Jordan and Kelli will be married next July. Lot's of happenings with our 'Craven' cousins! 15 years ago we were happy go lucky kids, playing in the woods and coming up with swing shows. :-)

Brielle's latest discovery is the stairway. She zoomed up it 6 times today. I have to watch that one like a HAWK lately. I have felt a little incompetent in the safety department since she's been having lots of little accidents. If it's not herself getting into predicaments, Rhya assists in the matter!

Have a Happy New Year! 

Jabberbox

I wonder how many words Rhya says in one day. It's incredible. She is hardly ever silent. She even talks when she's by herself. 

Here are a few of her latest:

"My hair is very very very long!" "Look at how tall I am! See? I am TALL!!! (small gasp of amazement)" 

        She says this when she can't think of anything else to say. We usually hear this about 15 times per day!

We were at Mike and Kristina's house today. We went to bible study afterwards and she told Gpa George that Mike and Kristina house was very old but very very nice. :-)

Kristina took a tumble down the steps (everything turned out fine) so Rhya told Gpa, "Auntie Stina falled today and she didn't even cry!!"

We tossed around the idea of a new vehicle for a while (including trucks) before deciding that our 05 Camry with questionable transmission will suit us fine even if we have to fix it. Rhya knows that Mike has been itching for a truck too, so the first thing she told him when he walked through the door was "Trucks too expENSIVE!" She has obviously been listening in on the adult conversations! We hadn't even been talking about it.

"Mom? I kinda want some chocwut (chocolate)" 

    hmm. Wonder if she acquired that taste from nursing. :-)

More to come. 

We Have the Moment

Like Kristina (blog link on the sidebar) and the nation, I have been reading and watching the details of the Newton tragety. These were not just kids or adults. They were individuals with names...with families...with passions...with personalities...with ended lives.

I wonder what the last 'together' moments were for the families and other close people. I wonder how they are doing. I wonder how they can possibly cope with such graphic images in their minds, wondering how much their child/friend/mom suffered or saw before being shot.

They will not regret a single moment spent with their deceased loved ones. It certainly helps to put life into perspective. I wonder how I would react if it was my loved one. It sends shivers down my spine knowing that my 'wondering' is someone else's REALITY.

Life can be cruel and confusing...but it can bring our thoughts and intents to higher ground. I noticed that the first thing people did was gather at a church and seek spiritual help.

So, while I have time and opportunity with my children, it is my intent show them by my life how to be spiritual. As a result of spirituality, I can show them how to be kind, forgiving, selfless, happy. I can use the MOMENT while it is still here.

On the Move

Shuffle chubby thighs. Push up diaper butt. Oomph arms forward full force. Grunt. Squeal. 

Our little 8 month old is crawling!!!

There goes the dog bowl! Water everywhere. All the more fun for splashes and blowing bubbles on the hardwood floor.

Wonder what the big kids are doing. Pull hair. Grab book. Squeal with delight. 

Notice Mom in kitchen. Grunt on over. Stick onion and lettuce in mouth, thanks to Mom's messy cooking. Pull self up on Mommy's leg and look up with expectant eyes. Rock back and forth with triumph.

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Rhya's latest:

Somehow, her brain has figured out the concept of saying 'I promise'

I don't know where she learned it, but she thinks it's her ticket to every thing. :-)

Ex- "Mommy, I want a snack for my nap" Mommy looks skeptical and says, "How about after you wake up?" Rhya thinks about it and replies, "But I prOmise, I will NOT spill in bed! I prOmise I will keep my bed clean!"

She uses this for everything. It makes this mama smile and try to think of ways to stay one step ahead! 

Texas

We drove to Texas. And back! Jen was our drawing power. We try to see our far away sisters once a year and she hadn't meet Brielle yet.

We had Thanksgiving on the Lester side the day before departing.

This dude was there. Nate and Bill hadn't seen each other for a few months so they lived it up. At one point we wondered where the brothers had escaped to, and Sarah found them sneakily drinking Mountain Dew in Bill's van, talking up a storm. Ha just like childhood days. :-)

Rhya's emerging imagination allowed these two to play together ALL day. It's so fun to watch the cousins interact!

Can't get enough of Gabriel's chocolate eyes!

Back to the trip. Nate worked Friday from 5:00 am-1:30 pm. We drove until 11:30 pm. We were hoping to eeeaaase the kids into their hotel beds. Didn't happen. Rhya was showing us jumping tricks while Brielle was jabbering up a storm. :-) It took a while to get settled back down.

I was nervous for the car ride (16 hours), but it went great! Maybe it's because I shoved myself between the two car seats in the back and provided constant entertainment and diversions.

It was all worth it, though! We soaked up every moment with Jen. We attended 3 meetings, hiked twice in Palo Duro canyon, celebrated Jen's b-day at a Mexican place, met lots of amazing people, and just plain enjoyed ourselves!

Enough with the car seat! Finally in TEXAS!

Relaxing at the hotel on our first night in TX.

Auntie Jen being a good sport and squeezing herself in the backseat. The girls loved it. Think it's time for a van? ha

What goes up must come down. Rhya has mountain goat blood in her. She had zero fear and wanted to follow us everywhere.

We highly recommend checking out Palo Duro canyon next time you're in TX. It was gorgeous and the perfect size for hiking. 

We loved the canyon so much we checked it out the next day. It was sunny and 66 degrees. PERFECT.

Lots of snuggle time!

Thanks for the memorable trip Jen! Miss you already.

Shutterfly is updated

More later! Happy viewing.

Tighter than Glue

People ask me, "So I don't remember, was Rhya as attached to you as Brielle is?"  :-)

I love it. I love that my baby hugs me SO tight whenever I try to set her down. 

I love that when I nurse her to sleep she keeps a hand on my face, comforting herself w' the touch of me.

I love that when I lay her tiny sleeping body in the crib her hand flies up and reaches for my face one last time before settling into a deep slumber.

I love that she blows and slobbers all over my face just for fun.

I love that her eyes light up and her smile can't be contained behind her paci when I go to pick her up from a nap.

It kinda sorta makes me feel bad when she cries for me when other people are holding her. However, it's so stinkin' cute when she settles right down and smiles and squirms with glee when I take her.

Who cares that the house is a sty. For now I am busy carrying around my attached child. The time will come all too soon when she's too busy crawling around looking for stuff to shove in her mouth to care if her Mama is within sight.

Her next favorite place to be besides in my arms is on her mini potty. She's discovered that she can scoot to some pretty exciting stuff! 

The other day she was sitting on her potty in the bathroom while Rhya was playing in the tub. Brielle scooted her potty chair next to the tub and pulled herself up on the edge. She hung her arms over the side of the tub and was content to watch and babble for a good 10 minutes. :-) Where. Did. My. Baby. Go. It's not a fable that they grow up too fast.

So...for now...bring on the snuggles and nuzzles and the hair pulls and the aching arms (or building biceps, ha) and the pleas for Mommy's presence. These are the moments we longed for in the past and will miss in the future.

Peek!!

Embarrassing Moment

Have you ever gotten SEVEN people sick? WE HAVE! I will forever be scared to go anywhere for a month if we ever get the flu again!!

This poor peanut threw up 7 times total, on the hour two Friday's ago:

We thought we were fine by Sunday supper so we attended a birthday party at Mom and Dad's. BTW, happy bday Kristina, Saraiah, and Gpa Boyd! Instead of gracing everyone with our presence, it was just our presents. Ha, lame. Anyway, Nate threw up right after supper.

Tuesday morning Mom texted that Dad and Travis had gotten sick in the night. Like big time sick. Puking and fainting. Uh Oh. I texted Melanie. Sure enough, Melanie and Court were emptying their stomachs every few minutes. Not cool. I called Gpa and Gma Boyd. Gpa Boyd told me that he'd just barfed in a bucket. Not another one!! William caught the bug that night and Mike managed to fight it off by eating burnt toast (guess it helps nausea!).

I am forever humbled and apologetic to all the poor souls. I owe you a bowl of chicken noodle soup!

Chef in Town

I was lucky enough to walk around the block tonight with a little chef:

She caught on to the concept and enjoyed herself IMMENSELY! She was very diligent in saying, "Trick or Treat" to every house we approached. Sometimes she'd start saying it way before we were within earshot. :-) After receiving her delightful morsel she'd stand there and stare at the person/house/other kids until I'd urge her to keep going. 

"Wow, I have lots of caaandy!!" 

"Look at that guy!"

"We going to that house?"

"I walkin' on the side of the road. Right here, Mommy?"

Our little giraffe promptly fell asleep in the Moby and missed out on all of the activity. No wonder, judging by how comfy she looked:

Good Night

No more naps! That's been the theme of our past few weeks. This was the result at 6:15 this eve:

She had been playing with stickers. I let her perch on the table for a while, but she started to sink really deep into sleep. She was tossing, turning, and rolling around. I cautiously carried her to her bed, gingerly took her shoes off, and slipped a pull up on. She halfway woke up in the process so I expected a little resistance. Instead she said, "You can leave now." I couldn't help but grin.

The grinning ended when she woke up 2 hours later when Brielle was fussing. Yikes. Screaming. Pitching blankets. Chucking her pillow and bunny. Wailing my name. Pushing Brielle's hand. Smacking the side of my head. Not cool. We finally got things figured out (potty break, Brielle in swing, snack, snuggles) and she wanted me to rock her back to sleep. When I laid her back down I tucked her in tight and said, "I love you Rhya" In her delirious state, she reached her hand up and blew me a kiss. Heart melt. 

The night is not done. We shall see what happens next!

This is what Brielle does whenever she sees her mama:

My heart is constantly in melt mode. How can I resist those reaches? She does NOT want anyone else to hold her when I am present. I have to disappear. 

This little man is hard to resist also:

Gary and Amber were brave enough to have us over on Sunday. Reid is already 10 weeks old and quite the jabberbox/smiler/cooer.

I tend to only write about stuff that I have pictures of but there's a certain mall experience I want to remember. Right, Kristina?

Something compelled Kristina and I to go shopping at the Burnsville Mall last Thurs. Hop on over to her blog for a documentary. 

Rhya kept forgetting to stick right next to me so after I lost track of her for the SECOND time I was very firm and let her know it was NOT a light matter. She said, "But Winky runs away!" I knew exactly what she was talking about. You know that song, "Wee Willy Winky runs through the town?" She likes to sing the song but evidently has been processing the words. In her mind she was just 'Winky'. Oh boy. It was hard to not belly laugh over that one.

I informed her that if she stayed RIGHT next to me for the rest of the time she could have a ride on the elevator. She practically tripped me from there on out. Her whole body was TOUCHING mine she was so close! She kept looking at my feet and body and readjusting her steps so she could be as close as possible. She looked up and announced, "I stayin' right next to you!" 

Needless to say, Kristina and I exchanged many silent 'this is hilarious' looks throughout the day. Never ending hilariousness.  

Pet Parade

Small town living means fun little activities every now and then. Our local paper contained an ad announcing the FOURTH annual pet parade on Sat! 

I was clueless as to what to expect, but it sounded like fun, so I formed my idea, gathered some props, and our whole family arrived at Tractor Supply Company.

 We used Sakari's skijoring harness and rope and attached it to the wagon. Nate's tattered belt secured the woodcutting vest, and our childhood radio flyer hosted the very excited little girl! Travis' old hat adorned Rhya's head (I was very surprised that she allowed this, and even more surprised that she LOVED it).

Everyone received a number and paraded around the judges a couple of times. It was so cute to see all of the dressed up kids and dogs. 

Dogs and kids galore! We received an 'honorable mention' prize. :-) 

Our lovable cowgirls! Rhya was so sad when we headed back to the car. She asked if Sakari could pull her home in the wagon.

This little girl pulled around her two pet gold fish- Bump and Smear. There were also a couple of bunnies present that we hoped no canines would ingest.

It's so refreshing to see families enjoying creative, carefree activities. We're already looking forward to next year! Maybe the chickens will be involved...in a dog proof cage!

All in a Day's FUN!

These kids love the chicken pen. They were actually able to pet the chickens! Maybe it's because the chickens were hungry and eating. When I saw the kids climbing on the coop, I wondered out loud if we should let them do that. Nate responded that he'd probably do the same thing if he was a kid. :-)

They were supposed to be napping!

Happy Birthday Shanda!

Hope you have a fun filled day! You're still in your 20's so nothing to worry about yet, right? 

I asked Rhya if she wanted me to read her a book. She said, "YES!" I said, "Okay, pick one out while I go to the bathroom." This was the stack waiting for me when I returned. High hopes from the 2 year old!

The girls played in the leaf pile on Sat before we ground it up and put it in the garden. Sat. was a fun, productive day. We got the house clean, lawn raked and picked up, cupcakes, made, camper cleaned...then we had a bonfire and slept in the camper. Before we purchased the pop up I was a little nervous that we'd get cold. NOT SO. That heater really kicks out the goods. I got cooked out about 12:30. I lasted 2 hours before going to the house. ha. Nate and Rhya stayed the entire night.

Any resemblence?

Here's a picture of Rhya at the same age that Brielle is right now. Can you tell that they are sisters? 

My observations:  Same nose. Rhya has rounder eyes. Brielle has rounder ears. Same EXACT size.

What's your Faaayvrit?

Rhya points to a yellow toothbrush- "this is my faaayvrit. Jordan likes the blue one"
Points to a random object in a book- "This is my Faaayvrit!! Which one is yours, Mommy?"
This goes on and on. She's constantly picking something out and dubbing it as her 'favorite'. It is the cutest thing ever.

Wait- the other 'cutest thing ever' is the way she talks. She jabbers away and is very easy to understand but the grammar is hilarious.
"I is a girl. You is a girl, Mommy?"
"My very like hot! You no like hot?" (usually after we've told her that the food needs to cool down a bit)
"BiEll (Brielle) no how to eat. She too little. I is a big durl (girl). My two. You is big, Mommy?
Tory (Cory) at work? To make money?
Jordan coming amorrow (tomorrow)?
I hungwy for sometin. I wanna snaaaaack.
What's in your mouf? You have um (gum), Mommy? I want um.
When her words can't keep up with her brain she says, 'un un un un un' super duper fast until the next word pops out.
She thinks it's just HILARIOUS to shorten words just for fun. Nama has been called 'Nam'. I have been called 'Ma'. Brielle has been called 'Bee' Granpa has been called 'Gamp' She says it, then laughs with uncharted glee.

Jordan and Rhya have a 'thing' with monsters right now. They run through the house like wildcats saying, "Monsters are coming!!" They proceed to hide in ever nook and cranny.

Friends were made last weekend. Makenna (almost 4) and Rhya are second cousins and played for two days straight! Thanks for hosting the fun family weekend, Curt and Cindy!

Brielle and Rhya are clicking more and more each day. They seem to have their own sort of communication. Brielle knows to scream at the top of her lungs when she knows that Rhya is just trying to bug her (like pop the paci out of Brielle's mouth 'just cause it's fun'). She also knows to let out happy squeals, jabbers, and belly laughs.

The other day Brielle was hanging out in her crib looking at her mobile (or so I thought). I walked into the room and discovered Rhya laying right beside her reading a book out loud. They were both very engaged in the task at hand and hardly noticed I was there.

Brielle has started to reach out at people when they're about to pick her up. She also hangs on with all her might when she doesn't want to be set down.

Her favorite activity is to grab at people's glasses, hair, ear, nose, and whatever object they are holding. Almost every person comments on her unforgiving grasp while they hold her.
We are masters at pushing our chair waaay back and balancing food from our plate to our mouth. Good thing Sakari is around to clean up the spilled morsels.

She is happy happy happy and thrives with tons of activity. Is this a 2nd child thing? ha. She'll squirm and laugh with pure joy whenever there's a lot of upbeat talking and commotion, like she's trying to enter in.

I thought I placed the tuna melt ingredients out of her reach. Not so!

May Fall last a loooong time!

We drive past a certain township park every single time we drive to Mom and Dad's. You think we've ever stopped there? Nope, just gone whizzing by. I swung in the other day. It was worth it!

 The Little Trimbelle Creek at the same park- this would be a perfect summer swimming spot for older kids. It's deep and fresh! (there is a fence separating kids from cows)

Dad was cutting hay as we arrived. I love the combination of early summer's round bales, future hay being cut, and a bounty of corn waiting to be harvested. Dad finished cutting in time for us to explore the newly groomed trails via horseback!

Enjoying a 79 degree day at Afton Apple! Melanie and the kids joined us. Check out this awesome PVC pipe slide! We moms tried it out and got our butts tenderized and brains jarred out! The kids were light enough to just bumpety bump down the thing. Jordan and Rhya did it over and over.

Little apple pickers. The trees were a perfect height for short arms!

Poor Rhya was feeling under the weather. It came on super fast and she threw up on the way home. Rhya is NOT one to like to be carried, but she snuggled right into Saraiah on this occasion. 

One result of cooler weather that I hope doesn't last a long time is ailments! Rhya got over hers quickly but we could've changed her name to Miss Crabbypants for a few days. wowswers.

Brielle ramped up her teething and seemed to have caught my recent fever/sore throat issues. She screamed for two hours the other night, and has been waking up every few hours for the past three nights. yawn. Poor baby. 

We went to Hastings last night and picked up natural teething stuff to put on her gums as well as homeopathic chamomile to put under her tongue. Anyone have other suggestions? Night is when it shows up. She's fine during the day.

We completed our Hastings outing with a visit to Panera Bread. I was discreetly nursing Brielle when Rhya announced that she had to go potty and went trotting off to the bathroom (I have no clue how she knew where they were- we've never been there). The restaurant was almost empty so I took a minute and finished nursing Brielle. Right about then I heard Rhya's squawks echoing off the bathroom walls and into the eating area. I found her in the MENS bathroom, in the farthest stall back, door wide open, leggings on her ankles, wrestling with the toilet paper dispenser. I was proud of her solo potty accomplishment but we made sure to take a look at the MEN and WOMEN bathroom signs and discover the difference!