Boerger Blog

Preparations

2009-12-15T19:32:00.002-07:00

We're pretty excited around here. Afterall, it's Christmas time!

We've put up the tree, our decorations, ornaments, nativity, and stockings. The children are loving it. Each and every little thing! We hope your preparations are coming along nicely, too. After all this is the season to celebrate! Christ is born! Which means a birthday party - and we love birthday parties!

My Little Helper

2009-12-10T15:34:00.002-07:00

We recently painted an accent wall in our living room. I managed to whip out the trim work on my own, with my little helper watching closely, in awe of someone actually painting on the walls in our home. Knowing that Olivia in the past has shown good judgement, demonstrated caution, and typically obeys our instructions, I was glad to offer her the opportunity to help paint this wall.

We talked about how special this was, as we normally do not paint on the walls. And we talked about how she will only paint on paper at the table with her paints in the future. And that we really usually do not paint on walls, but this was a very special project that we could do just this one special time. I think she got the idea!

So, with the floor covered in a drop cloth, and wearing her painting shirt, my little helper was thrilled to help paint our wall. And I was nervous. But I knew that she could handle this. And boy did she ever. She painted like a pro. Very carefully, paying attention to each detail. We had fun working on this project together, and I'm looking forward to future projects with my little helper

Let's Play

2009-11-23T13:22:00.003-07:00

The weather here has been so nice the entire month of November. We've been able to enjoy many days outside playing at home and at the park. The kids usually love to go to the park, so on this particular day, we headed there with our friends Stephanie and Charlie for a picnic lunch and some playing.

I try to catch Olivia acting natural for some fun pictures, but when she catches me, she always stops for a moment to say "Cheese!".

Charlie and Olivia had a great time playing together and even went town this twisty slide together a few times. Wow - that was so much fun!

Olivia is growing so fast lately - her vocabulary has expanded to include "tasty", "u-bet-cha", and "fantastic". We always smile or laugh when she says these things, as they are just to precious, and it's sometimes hard for us to believe these words come out of her little mouth! This time with our children is just so precious!

Son

2009-11-17T13:21:00.005-07:00

Our son is now 5 months, and enjoying every moment discovering the world. He is observant of all around him, soaking in our expressions, the changing scenery, and tastes and textures galore. He loves trying new things, and especially discovering them with his mouth. He's recently discovered his feet and loves to put them in his mouth!

Our little guy lights up a room with his smile. It's so contagious, as is his laugh. He loves to interact with people, and has quickly learned that a cute smile or laugh will keep someone's attention. He loves to be the center of attention and to laugh and smile while being played with. We just cherish these wonderful moments, taking joy in the little things right along with him.

See that right at the top of his head?? He lost most of his hair since he was born, and is quickly growing a new headfull, but there are a couple strands that I just can't bear to part with yet. So, he has a few wispy hairs on the top of his head - and I'm afraid I'll soon have to trim them. But for now, I'll postpone that for the joy of that little part of him that came along on the first day. I suppose I'm sentimental that way, parts of me wanting the milestones to slow down, to keep him small and precious and innocent in every way.

We've had our fair share of days with tears, from both him and me. He's cried and had a difficult time many days. And while those moments have been difficult for all of us, there are still the many moments of joy, of seeing a sparkle in Wyatt's eye as he observes something new, hearing him laugh from deep within as he watches his sister jump. And all of this in 5 short months. I love you, son.

Fall

2009-11-10T07:56:00.002-07:00

This year our leaves all fell off the tree on one very cold Saturday. It was unusual to say the least, and left us desiring a bit of that fall weather we've come to love. So, when the weather warmed up, we headed outside to rake and pile our leaves for some fall fun!

Olivia had a blast throwing and jumping in the leaves. Wyatt had a blast watching them fall!

Trick or Treat

2009-11-03T09:20:00.002-07:00

We love our little dalmation!

We love our little princess!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-26T10:10:00.005-06:00

This is the week to prepare for Halloween. The pumpkins are out. The costumes are chosen. The candy is stocked. And now the fun begins. We are so excited for Halloween this year - Olivia has been practicing saying "Trick or Treat!" very loudly so that people can hear her and give her candy. She's pretty proud of herself and feels very "big" to be doing this. She will dress up as a princess, and has tried on her costume many times.

Our other preparations include a few fun snacks to lead up to the big day. Of course there is candy galore, but we needed to throw in a few healthy things to get us threw the week. These little snacks are "Ghost Toast", and easy to do. Make a piece of toast, use a knife or kitchen scissors to cut out a ghost shape, spead on softened cream cheese, and add raisons for eyes/mouth. The kids loved these this morning! Check out this link for some other fun ideas! Happy Halloween!
http://familyfun.go.com/halloween/

Recently

2009-10-20T14:21:00.003-06:00

We returned from a little work/vacation to Des Moines, IA, which had Jake working and the kids and I vacationing. We spent a lot of time at our hotel, but our trip also included a couple of outings for the kids and I while Jake was working.

One trip was to the zoo. We loved seeing all of the different animals. Since we don't have a zoo near us, this was really a special treat. The season was winding down, which meant that some of the exibits were closed, but also that fewer people were there, which was nice for us. We were able to take our time and enjoy the experience.

We loved watching the giraffes, walking with their lanky legs and long stretching necks. When I say we, I mean Olivia and I. Wyatt just mostly cried. I don't think he liked the zoo that much.

Behind Olivia are some cute little penquins, swimming laps in their pool. Oh, they were so funny watch, diving under the water and playing together.

This, however, was Olivia's favorite animal by far. Little Llama. He was in the feeding area of the zoo, so we were able to feed him, and Olivia really got a kick out of that. She had to stand up on the stroller (which probably isn't really that safe), to reach his mouth. We fed him almost all of our food. The other animals just didn't quite make the cut.

We had a great time overall (despite Wyatt's crying). Hopefully the next time we go, Wyatt will be a little older and will enjoy the experience a little more!

Conversations with Olivia

2009-10-19T19:12:00.002-06:00

Although we do usually take Olivia to Sunday church, I'm not sure if that's the Noah she's often talking about:

Mom: Olivia, would you get your shoes on so we can go?
Olivia: No-ah! I'm still playing!

Mom: It's time to put pigtails in your hair.
Olivia: No-ah! I don't want those!

Mom: Let's get ready for bed.
Olivia: No-ah! I'll go in five more minutes!

hmmm... is this the sassiest she'll get or might it be worse in 10 years??

Summer's End

2009-09-29T21:06:00.004-06:00

We've been spending our days soaking up the sunshine and fading warmth. We love playing outside, and although the days are getting shorter, and the temperature is getting cooler, we are hanging on with all our might. For us, that spend most of our days at home, the chance to get outside and play makes a big difference in our days. We know that shortly we will be inside all day. And that if we do venture out into the snow, we will be bundled up in layers, and trying to figure out how to go potty AFTER the snowsuit is on! Oh, I will treasure these warm fall days for as long as possible! Gotta get outside!

big boy

2009-09-22T13:54:00.000-06:00

Braids

2009-09-14T15:22:00.002-06:00

The days go by

2009-09-10T21:27:00.003-06:00

We've just been having so much fun at home lately. We love these summer days, getting shorter and cooler in preparation for fall. And yet, still warm enough to be summer, so we are gathering up our final fill by spending alot of time outside. Wyatt loves hanging out on a blanket in the afternoon, watching the clouds go by.

We are starting a "dress up" collection and this is our latest addition. The kids love wearing different hats, seeing how they look and generally acting silly in their part. Here Olivia is saying "cheese" for the picture - I just love the shape her mouth makes - a little kiddywompus and just too precious.

And Wyatt is just growing. Growing and growing and growing. Everyday he is changing and I just can't believe how fast it goes. Some days are hard, some days have more than our fair share of crying, but then there are days full of snuggles and laughter and new experiences. I just love this time with my kiddos.

Daddy's Arms

2009-09-04T08:55:00.000-06:00

Lately

2009-08-25T15:20:00.002-06:00

Wyatt has learned out to hold a rattle. He's noticing that it makes noise when he moves and is trying to work on shaking it.
Olivia has been loving "projects" lately. Painting, coloring, glue, chalk, etc. Each day I hear "Mommy, let's do a project."

The weather has been perfect for soaking up the last of summer's warm sunshine rays. We've been watering our garden, playing in the sand, swimming, learning to catch, and more in our own backyard.

I'm just so thankful to be home with my children. I never thought this would be me. I never thought my heart would fill with such love and joy at the sight of these precious ones. But it is me now and I wouldn't ask for anything different. Although some days are trying, some days are filled with doubt, I still know in my heart that this is the best place I can be right now. At home with my babies. And some day, oh that far away someday, I will look back with fondness on this time. Our time. Together. And this is what we've been doing lately.

Our Big Boy

2009-08-20T07:58:00.002-06:00

Babies are always little. It doesn't matter how much they weigh, they are always little. Floppy. Delicate. Precious. I love that stage, but it goes by way too fast.

Before I knew it, Wyatt was trying to hold his little head up. Getting his neck strong and developoing into a little man. He became more alert, following us with his eyes, soaking up the new scenery, and interacting with the people who love him.

And now, at just 2 months, Wyatt is our big boy. Our little man. He is regularly laughing, smiling, crying, flirting, cooing, rattling, kicking, and growing way too fast. He enjoys a little tummy time and is able to lift his head. He loves to hold a rattle and listen to the noise, trying to figure out where it came from and if it was in fact caused by him. I just love him so much.

Good Morning

2009-08-18T08:08:00.003-06:00

Bedtime involves a detailed routine, of which Olivia is constantly trying to extend. "Can I get a drink?" "I'm hungry!" "I need to go to the bathroom!" "Tell me a story." And on and on it goes.

But mornings are a different story. Our little girl sleeps well throughout the night, and is usually eager to wake up in the morning, to greet the new day and see that the sun is up. But some mornings, I'm able to sneak in her room and watch for a few moments this precious time before she wakes up.And then, as if an alarm was set, she wakes up to greet the day. Sometimes it is with a smile, she's excited and eager for the day. Other times it is a slow and sleepy wake up time, full of snuggles and stories, sharing of dreams, and otherwise gradually easing into the day. And then, there is always her hair. Oh that hair. How it has consumed me since the day she was born. We wash it at night, as part of her bedtime routine, and by the morning it is as wild as can be. I gently try to convince her that we should comb it, put in some "pretties", just about anything to make it more manageable. She occasionally obliges.

And thus begins our day.

I found it!

2009-08-13T08:26:00.002-06:00

Within the last week, Wyatt has found his thumb. We've been anxiuosly waiting for this day, although I never new it. See, I've never been too fond of thumb sucking. I much prefer the use of a pacifier, an object that can later be removed. The thumb, however, is around forever. There's no taking it away when your child is older.

But, Wyatt has been a little bit of a crier. Okay, kind of a lot of crying. His little tummy hurts and there hasn't been much we can find to comfort him (although he's now on some medication that seems to be helping). Wyatt has never been fond of the pacifier. We've tried and we've tried, but he make the most revolting face and spits it out. Sometimes an infant just needs to suck on something to soothe themselves.

Well, for Wyatt it's the thumb. And, I'm okay with that. It's pretty clear to me at this point that anything that helps my little boy to be happy, to make him feel more comfortable, is fine with me.

Pine Lake, MN 2009

2009-08-11T08:22:00.003-06:00

The Boerger family has been reunioning (is that a word?) at Pine Lake, Minnesota for about 30 years now. This family tradition has taken us to Pine Lake about every other year, in hopes of catching a big one, reconnecting with family, and relaxing by the lake. This year we managed to catch several pounds of fish, a few small frogs, and observed a giant snapping turtle eating from our stringer! Wyatt loved meeting his extended family, and had a blast going on walks in the stroller. The lake was a relaxing place for him. He enjoyed being held, observing the sights, and laughing with us all! Olivia was thrilled to have her first fishing experience at Pine Lake. She loved sitting on the dock and catching these sunfish. She reeled them in like a pro, and proudly displayed her catch for all to see. She quickly learned how to hold a fish, and loved to toss them back into the lake (although the fish got more of a ride than they probably bargained for!).

Uncle Ben and Aunt Mitzi where there to meet Wyatt for the first time, and show the little ones the ropes of Pine Lake. I think they all had a great time hanging out together! Since Olivia is new to the Pine Lake experience, Ben and Mitzi gladly showed her around, catching frogs for her and playing with her around the resort.

The weather this year was considerable cooler that past years, which led to more indoor cabin time than usual. We had a great time playing board games with Mitzi, doing crafts with Grandma, and visiting with everyone.

Grandma Boerger came prepared with daily projects for Olivia. It was so thoughtful of her to have some things planned, and Olivia loved her foam visor, beaded bracelet, and artistic collage.

We all created great memories, relaxed, and reconnected with family on this trip! We had a great time in the Great North, and look forward to our next trip there!

Conversations with Olivia

2009-07-20T19:37:00.003-06:00

A Little Background:

We were at Grandpa and Grandma Berreth's for dinner last night. Olivia had finished eating, but since we were all still eating and visiting, she asked if she could color at the table with us. She was coloring away, when she asked Grandpa Berreth to color with her. They had been coloring for a few minutes, when...

Grandpa: Look, Olivia, I can make a circle. (as he draws a circle on the paper)

Olivia: Oh. I can make a octagon. (she procedes to make a circle - but we all knew it was an octagon to her!)

We all cracked up for the rest of the evening over this! Really, she's just 2 years old - I can't believe the things she comes up with!

11 lb 8 oz

2009-07-14T14:15:00.001-06:00

We went to the dr. yesterday, and learned that Wyatt is now 11 lbs. 8 oz! He is just short of 6 weeks old and has already gained over 3 lbs.!!!!!

A few random items...

2009-07-11T11:10:00.002-06:00

A few random toughts and pictures:

I'm loving being a mommy of 2 - it's a little more work, but totally worth it.
Our second baby is alot easier than our first, it could be because we are more laid back now, or have a little experience under our belts, but either way, it's great.

Olivia has found her inner funny girl. she loves trying to make us laugh, laughing at herself, and laughing at others.
Her favorite phrase lately is "Be Happy!", which she says any time we make a facial expression that she doesn't understand, or when we look sad or confused, when someone is crying, or just in general when she would prefer that you be happy!

Olivia now chooses at night between a bath and a shower - who knew that a 2 year old would enjoy a leisurely shower? She loves standing in there and it's so much easier to wash her hair (for both us and her).
Wyatt is growing much faster than his mother would like. Jake was gone a couple of days this week and when he returned, he was shocked to see how much bigger his son is. That newborn look is nearly gone.
I'd love to show you some pictures of Wyatt, growing, but our computer thinks otherwise. We're looking forward to getting our hospital bills paid and then looking for a new computer. There will be fewer and fewer blog posts until then.

CONVERSATIONS WITH OLIVIA

Our friends the Lindsley's (see their website on the right) share snippets of funny things their daugher Charlie says. They're always hilarious, and we love reading them, so I thought we'd share a couple of our own.

This morning Olivia woke up from the thunderstorm, and seeing that it was 5am, and Jake was going to be leaving soon for an all day softball tournament, I told Jake that Olivia could climb in bed with me to sleep for a couple more hours. I don't know why I thought this was a good idea, knowing that she has never before slept in our bed, but I did. Here is how our morning went:

Mommy: Olivia, you can lay down in mommy's bed and sleep until the sun comes up.

Olivia: Okay.

Mommy: You need to lay down and close your eyes.

Olivia: Mommy, it's thundering.

Mommy: Yes, just close your eyes and go to sleep

Olivia: I can't. My eyes are busy looking around!

A version of this went on for nearly an hour, when I finally realized neither of us were going to be sleeping any time soon, so we woke up for the day. Note to self: Olivia should remain sleeping in her own bed.

Amazing to me

2009-06-22T18:10:00.003-06:00

I now have 2 wonderful children, and each day it is still amazing to me. Amazing how I can be so blessed. I just love these little munchkins!

We recently held a little "photo shoot" in our living room to capture images of these 2 precious little ones. When Olivia was born, we did this every month, and I plan to do the same with Wyatt.

But, having 2 of them together in a photo shoot will definately be a little interesting!

Hopefully I can still get a few good shots, but I think I can pretty much guarantee that there will be plenty of wild ones, too!

A few more

2009-06-09T20:53:00.002-06:00

Just a little update to let you all know that we are doing well! Actually, I think we've transitioned quite smoothly from a family of 3 to a family of 4. It just feels like Wyatt has always been here with us.

Daddy with his 2 kids!

Mommy and Wyatt

Wyatt is such a good baby. He is really settling into a routine, and seems to be pretty laid back. Of course, we still just can't believe we've been blessed with a son, he is just so precious. Before Wyatt was born, I wondered what it would be like to have two children. Would there be enough love for both? Would I like my next child as much as I liked the first? I suppose all mothers go through some version of these questions, but the amazing thing is, the answer is always YES! I just LOVE my son so much, I enjoy holding him and looking into his eyes. I love getting to know him and bonding with him. I just pray God can give me the wisdom to raise him to be a wonderful man.

Olivia continues to flourish in her roll as big sister, continually checking on her baby brother, smooching him, and helping. She is often asking, "What's he saying?" and then attempts to mimic the coos Wyatt makes. She just can't get enough of her baby brother!

Wyatt Allan Boerger

2009-06-06T09:20:00.004-06:00

Wyatt Allan Boerger

June 3, 2009

4:02pm

8 lbs. 1.6 oz.

20 inches

Mom and baby are doing well!

Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes!

Update...

2009-06-02T14:29:00.002-06:00

I know many of you are anxiously waiting (along with us!) for news of the arrival of our 2nd child. As you can tell by the ticker on the right, we are now 4 days overdue! It's so difficult waiting after my due date for our baby to arrive. I never thought I would be here - I always wanted my babies to come early or on time, not late!! Anyways, in case you're wondering, we are doing as well as can be expected. Each day is a bonus day to spend one on one time with Olivia and enjoy our family of 3 before it becomes a family of 4. Of course, we also don't really know what to do with ourselves, because all of the preparations have been in place for weeks and we certainly thought we'd be home with our baby by now. So, each day we're trying to find something to do to keep occupied, and it's pretty difficult, if you can imagine!

I am scheduled to be induced tomorrow if the baby hasn't come by then - so please keep us in your prayers. We'll post an update as soon as possible.

Still waiting...

2009-05-26T21:05:00.000-06:00

Spring is in the air

2009-05-20T15:18:00.003-06:00

We've been enjoying the beautiful weather lately along with some of the spring-time blooming that's been going on in our yard. I mentioned in my last post that we've attempted to plant a garden, and seeing that it is now in it's 4th day and all of the plants are still alive, we'll consider that a success (at least for these 4 days!). The tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, and green peppers have survived record temperatures and sunny days. We'll see how the weather the remainder of the summer!

Our apple trees in the back were pollinated last weekend by a few busy bees, and the blossoms have all fallen off during the last couple of days, leaving us anxiously awaiting the arrival of true apples. Olivia is so excited and seems to recall (at least somewhat) enjoying them from the tree last year. Everyday we're in the backyard checking on the apple tree and watching the process. I'm hoping to make better use of the apples this year with some homemade pies and crumbles.

When we first moved into this house, there were rotten tulip bulbs galore. Many of them didn't bloom, and just grew stems, but some would manage a colorful flower or two. They were growing so randomly around the house, that we decided to pull them. It's been 4 years of pulling, digging, and attempting to clear out the spreadng bulbs, but they continue to win the battle. This year, we had three blossom, and it had me wishing for more color around my house. Maybe those bulbs will just win this one in the end!

And, of course, we continue to be successful at growing the little yellow lawn flowers (dandelions), and Olivia loves collecting them as gifts. We occasionaly have paper cup vases of them in the house.

As many of you are wondering, we still have not had our baby. Check out the ticker on the right side of this page to see how many days we have left until our due date. We can't wait to share the news with you when our 2nd little one arrives!

Mother's Day

2009-05-12T20:18:00.002-06:00

We started a tradition the year that Olivia was born in which we take a picture of our hands on Mother's Day. It's hard for me to believe that I've celebrated 3 Mother's Days with Olivia, and that next year there will be an additional hand in our photos. Mother's Day 2007

Mother's Day 2008

Mother's Day 2009

My daugher and husband made this year's Mother's Day very special. I woke up to Olivia walking into our room announcing "Happy Mother's Day, Momma! I got you present! It's wotion!" She was so thrilled to give me her gift, and I was spoiled with enough bath products to last a year! Then came breakfast (egg bake by my loving hubby, with fresh strawberries! Mmmm!), and off to church. After church we came home for lunch then ran to the hardware store to select some plants for our first attempt at gardening. (This should be interesting!). We're looking forward to tasting our home-grown tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, and strawberries - if we can get them before the deer or bunnies do! In the evening we had my folks over for dinner and topped off the night with an ice cream cone.

Motherhood can be such a wonderful and rewarding experience - and being able to spend this day with my wonderful family makes those difficult days seem so insignificant.

Fun at the Park

2009-05-05T10:05:00.003-06:00

We've been taking advantage of nearly every nice day to play outside or go to the park. Olivia was pretty reserved the first few times we went to the park, wanting help on most of the equipment and trying things out for the first time.

Each time we go, she gets more and more brave, trying things on her own and getting adventurous. It's so fun to watch her grow and try new things. It's even more amazing to me that it can happen so quickly - I'm continually amazed at the new things she is doing. Now, she goes down the slides all by herself and runs around the playground with ease.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Olivia!!

2009-03-31T14:53:00.002-06:00

Olivia turned 2 on Monday, and to celebrate we had a couple of close friends over on Saturday for a birthday party. One of Olivia's friends recently celebrated a birthday, so we used the opportunity to explain to her that her birthday was approaching and soon she would have a party like that one. We talked alot about cake and ice cream, opening presents, and blowing out candles. After celebrating at her friend's house, she couldn't wait to have her own birthday party!

On Friday night, Olivia went to bed and I decided it would be a good time to bake her cupcakes - white with pink frosting, and sprinkles (per her request)! When I stopped the mixer, I heard Olivia crying upstairs and knew I had woken her up or she hadn't yet fallen asleep. When I went up to check on her, she sat straight up in bed and asked me, "Momma, what you making?" I knew I was totally busted! After much coaxing, she agreed to sleep, but I knew she was already so excited for her party. When she woke up on Saturday, all she could talk about was "we eat cupcakes and ice cream?"

Her party was fun! She thoroughly enjoyed each and every friend that came over and gift that she opened. She was so excited each time she opened and gift and had to show it around the room! "Look! Look!" One of her friends gave her this cute little camping chair, and she sat in it for much of her present opening. Now, each time she sits in it she exclaims "____ gave me this chair!" Actually she does that with all of her gifts - so appreciative of each one she recieved!

Of course, Grandpa and Grandma Berreth were on had for the celebration, too!We got Olivia a bike, which she's been wanting for quite some time. She's still working on figuring out how the handlebars turn and the peddles work, but for now she just loves sitting on it and being pushed for a little ride.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Olivia!

We love you so much!

Tummy Time

2009-03-16T09:54:00.003-06:00

Olivia came with me to my last Dr. appointment. She was interested in everything that was going on, including getting my blood drawn, tummy measured, and the interesting assortment of instruments in the Dr.'s office. Our Dr. was glad to explain and involve Olivia in as much of the appointment as she could. Olivia's favorite part was "helping" the Dr. measure my growing tummy, and even doing it a few times on her own. The Dr. sent the measuring tape home with Olivia, which she uses quite often to check her progress and mine!

Olivia checking out the size of her growing belly!

Okay, mommy, now it's your turn.

And a smooch for the baby!

People ask me all the time how Olivia feels about becoming a big sister. Although she doesn't verbalize it, I would say that she is thrilled. She askes daily about the baby, how it's doing, when is it going to come out, and often has plenty of hugs and kisses to share with baby, too. We talk about when the baby comes, the she will be a big sister and help mommy with the baby. She'll tell you that the baby is going to say "Wah! Wah!" alot, and that then she will be right there to sing "Rock a Bye Baby", "Twinkle Twinkle" and more. I know she will be a great big sister!

Swimming Suit

2009-02-25T10:04:00.002-07:00

Although we don't go very often, Olivia just loves to go swimming! She loves to go to the local indoor pool, explore the water, splash, go down the kiddie water slide, and has even tried going under water. She get so excited just seeing her swimming suit that she even occasionally requests to wear it in the bathtub at home. I just love this picture of her in our tub - this was the first time we let her wear her suit, and I think she was just amazed that she was allowed to wear it for her bath!

Marshmallow Shapes and Fun

2009-02-13T15:16:00.001-07:00

Snack Time!

2009-02-03T09:31:00.002-07:00

We recently enjoyed these fun "snowmen" snacks that I just had to share with you! You can find the instructions and more fun at www.familyfun.com

We used sliced bananas, 1/2 strawberry, blueberry, 2 pretzels, chocolate chips, and a sliver of carrot for the nose. I put them on bamboo skewers, but also found that just laying the pieces out on a plate was just as much fun and a little easier for the little ones to eat (and not poke themselves!). You can really use any fruits or veggies that you have around. Wouldn't a strip of bell pepper make a cool scarf? Olivia loved her snowman snack!

Fun at home

2009-01-29T14:43:00.002-07:00

We've been home alot lately. Well, I guess we always are. But I've been remembering to take some pictures, so I have alot of home pictures to share.

Here is Olivia participating in one of her favorite past times, puzzles. She asks for this specific puzzle at least once each day, and will often do others, too. She's really starting to recognize some of the letters, and will repeat for us a word that starts with that particular letter. This is all by memory, of course, of the things we've told her, like "D is for Daddy, A is for apple". Since Christmas time she has really developed an understanding of various shapes and how they fit together, I'm sure by doing all these puzzles and shape sorter type games.

Here is the second apron I've made for Olivia - her spring apron. This side as pockets, and it's reversible, though the polka-dot side is minus the pockets. I used a ribbon for the ties on this apron, and just love how it turned out, easy to make and great to use. She of course continues to love "helping" in the kitchen, as you can see today we're washing potatoes for dinner.

Yes honey, that's a potatoe. An Idaho potatoe, actually.

Paint Toes

2009-01-23T11:02:00.003-07:00

Snowy days and inside time are great for our family. We love being at home together, playing games, doing puzzles, hiding under blankets, chasing each other around the house, and general having fun. During the winter, we're home alot. I try to have something special to do each day, whether it's cooking, painting, coloring, or something similar. Some days it's learning a new skill, from finger painting to using paint brushes. Some days it's just coloring freely or in a coloring book. But, the activities help the day to go by, to have something to look forward to, and in general keep the attitudes of all of us a little more positive.

Recently, I wasn't watching other kids, and Olivia and I needed something new and special to do together. So, it was time for her first manicure and pedicure. She was amazed that the paint could go on her finger nails and toe nails, and loved admiring them throughout the day. The paint lasted quite awhile, and eventually wore off.
So, we had to do a new manicure and pedicure on Monday, because it's just too much fun to play together!

Big Girl Bed

2009-01-21T15:13:00.002-07:00

Olivia is loving her big girl bed! We took the railing off of her crib to convert it to a toddler bed around Christmas time, and she is loving every minute of it! She has a few select items that must be in the bed with her at all times, including her binky, blankie, wolf, and baby doll. Each time she goes to sleep (nap or night), she checks to make sure they're all there with her, and then she's off to dream land.

One of my biggest concerns about this particular transition is that it is actually a baby step to getting her moved to a big bed in her new room. Soon, she will be moving out of this room entirely, into a more girly and spacious bedroom, to make this smaller room and crib available to her new brother or sister. I was really concerned that she would not stay in the bed, but have been plesantly surprised to find her staying put. In fact, she doesn't even get out to play around in her room when she wakes up, she just lays in bed, snuggling with her blankie and animals/baby doll until we come to get her. What a blessing! I just hope it will stay this way forever! She continue to love reading, and has taken a liking recently to "The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear", and also "Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon". I just love reading her these books repeatedly, only to discover in a short while that she is now "reading" them to herself - repeating a few of the words or phrases found in the book, and pointing out various aspects of the illustrations.

Hope

2009-01-20T13:28:00.002-07:00

It's a new day. A new day here in America. And, along with the rest of the country, I am watching the inaugeration of our 44th President in awe. Regardless of how you voted or felt during the election, the time has come for us to join in celebration of a new day, a new era.

I get emotional just thinking about the historical significance of this president, our first African American President. Of the challenges our country has faced, overcome, and will tackle in the future. This country is a wonderful place to be, a place of opportunity, a place of hope. And, while I can be realistic in understanding that everything will probably not play out just perfectly during his time, that there will definately be challenges for us all, I cannot help but hope.

Hope for a better country and world. Hope for peace. Hope for opportunity and blessings for my children. All I can do right now is Hope.

SOYO

2009-01-16T13:41:00.004-07:00

SOYO - Sew On Your Own

One of many quilting terms I am adding to my vocabulary lately. Last weekend the Black Hills Quilters Guild hosted it's annual SOYO and I attended with my wonderful new quilting buddies. SOYO's are fun because you get to work on whatever you want. You bring all your own stuff (sewing machine, fabric, scissors, etc...), whatever you'll need, and then you work on your project. It's also great for people like me who don't have a designated sewing area in the house and have to typically haul everything out to the kitchen table and return it all when you're done. It can make for quite a chore. But here, you set up and sew all weekend, as much or as little as you want. And you don't have to clean up your stuff so your family can eat dinner.

Photo by Moneik Stephens

We sewed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, pretty much from sunrise to sunset. With a few breaks in between for retail therapy. It was great visiting with friends, meeting new friends, seeing other people's projects, and just overall having a great weekend. Of course the room was often filled with the whir of the machines, and laughter galore. To see more pictures and other projects at the SOYO, click here and here. Thanks, Moneik, for sharing!

Photo by Moneik Stephens

I made this quilt that weekend, along with a new spring apron for Livvy. This quilt will go in her new room when she moves up to a big girl bed (in order to get the crib ready for baby). The top is done, the back is pinned on, and I just need to quilt it and get the binding on. It's a lap size, and I made a matching one that is baby size that will be a gift later. I just love the softeness of the pinks, golds, and browns in this quilt, and the 9 inch blocks really showcase the various fabrics. (Buggy Barn fabric and Happy Hour quilt pattern).

This makes for quilt #2 nearly completed. And I can't wait to see it done and decorate Olivia's new room around these colors. I'm going for bit of an "old fashioned" look in there. More on that to come... (but not any day soon - maybe the next month or two)

Tempting

2009-01-13T14:01:00.002-07:00

I just love these pictures of Olivia. This was New Year's Eve at our friend's house. This little candy bowl was on a side table, and Olivia was just struggling with the temptation. I watched with wonder as she reached for the candy, anxious to see what she would decide. She never did take a piece of candy out of it, but boy was it hard to resist, and I just love how you can read her emotions right on her face.

When she finally realized I'd been taking her picture, she came to my side and we headed upstairs to get dinner. And afterwards we enjoyed some really yummy pie.

Read me a story

2009-01-06T15:01:00.001-07:00

Great Aunt Kris with Olivia

Great Grandpa Marvin Kalt with Olivia

Great Grandma Merry Kalt with Olivia

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T12:03:00.003-07:00

We had a great Christmas with family. Olivia really started to enjoy the season this year, talking about Santa, opening presents, and eating cookies were some of her favorites. I think she was a little overwhelmed opening gifts, she wanted to just play with the first thing she opened, not realizing that she had some more to open! But, she loved her gifts and we talked about Jesus' Birthday, to which she sang a wonderful "Happy To You, Jesus".

Here is a great photo of Christmas. From left to right, in relation to Olivia, is Great Grandpa Kalt, Grandpa Al Berreth, Mommy, Olivia, Daddy, Great Grandma Kalt, Uncle Mark, and in front are Grandma Tracy Berreth, and Great Aunt Kris. We had quite the houseful, and enjoyed all of the time visiting with our family!

And here is Olivia on New Years Eve. We went to a friend's house, kids included, and welcomed in 2009. Olivia had so much fun playing with the other kids, and really showed her independence. A funny story to share was when we were eating, I grabbed a plate and filled it with food for Olivia and I to share, thinking it would be easier to eat from one plate. We sat down together and started to nibble, when Olivia noticed the other kids were sitting at a kids picnic table eating together (mind you they were a bit older). She grabbed our plate and headed right over to eat with the other kids! I just watched in awe - so proud of her to go over and play with them, and just really amazed at her

Happy New Year!

Christmas Cheer

2008-12-21T14:15:00.003-07:00

Our house has been decorated and ready to celebrate Christmas for some time, and it dawned on me that I should share some of our celebrating with you! I've gotten a little creative in my decorating (thanks to some thrify ideas from my dear friend, Megan), and want to share a couple of new spots in our house. First is our entry way. It's been bare for some time, since we sold our piano, and I'd been brainstorms cost effective ways to make it an area to display our Christmas card and photos from loved ones. I came up with this:

I had some velvet-type ribbon in my stash that I cut into three strips and adhered to the wall with pins and sticky tack. (don't tell anyone). But the ends of the ribbon needed some "finishing", so I stopped at Hobby Lobby and they had these little clusters of berries that I tacked on to finish the edges. Better yet, they were 50% off! So, for a couple of dollare we now have a beautiful display for our cards, and love looking at the pictures of our family and friends that have been arriving in the mail lately. (It's covered now, I just forgot to take another picture!). The pictures and cards are hung with clothes pins.

We had to rearrange furniture in our living room to accomodate our Christmas Tree, and in doing that I decided to try a photo collage. (never mind the bare frames, they're full now - just hadn't picked up the photos from the printer!). Anywho. Again, with some 50% off help from my friends at HL, I purchased these twigs with berries to add to the festivities. And, I printed off some of our favorite family photos and memories of Christmas past. Rather than fill each frame with pictures, I used (per Megan's suggestion!) some scrapbooking paper and a marker to write the words: "Believe" "Hope" "Love" for the three small frames on the lower left. Then, I thought, to tie it all together, I'd use some more of that red paper to back some of my photos, so that they would all coordiate and bring a little color to the collection. I just love how they turned out, and am already thinking about new ways to fill the frames as the seasons change.

Despite my resistance, we've cut our own Christmas Tree again right here in the Black Hills. A tree permit costs $10, and with a little hiking, some much needed advice on location, and help from Coda, we were able to find a beautiful Christmas Tree this year. Last year our tree was so "drought-stricken" that I nearly cried when we put it in the house. I could hardly bare to see how bare that tree was, and our ornaments and decorations still didn't help. I was quite distraught! But, this year we found a much fuller tree, which meant much heavier, too, and Jake and I dragged it for 3/4 of a mile to get back to our truck! But, it was all worth it and fortunately for Jake, I am more willing to participate in this tradition next year!

Here it is all done up and enjoyed by little Ms. Livvy. She absolutely loves the tree, is gentle with the ornaments, and is enjoying naming the ornaments she discovers. To see the twinkle in her eyes, the wonder of the season, just brings such joy to my heart.

Merry Christmas!!

As promised....

2008-12-15T20:47:00.005-07:00

Here is Olivia sporting her gingerbread apron. She really didn't like it at first, but once she discovered that wearing it meant that she got to "help" make cookies, well, then it was wonderful! In fact, I'm guessing she'd love to wear it all day!

Here we are in the middle of a project. Flour, measuring cups, bowls, and every surface in my kitchen covered in cookie-ness. It was fun and wonderful and exhausting. For me. Olivia, on the other hand, couldn't have been more thrilled to be "helping" make cookies. For her, that means tasting each ingredient, on it's own and mixed with the others, while discovering the ones that taste the best (like chocolate chips) and devouring as many as possible.

Below is a video of some recent Christmas goodies we made with my daycare kids. If you come to our house, you should really try the dipped pretzels. They're delicious!

Olivia loves to read

2008-12-11T14:27:00.004-07:00

I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but Olivia loves to read. She reads books all day. In fact, I'm sure if we removed all of the toys from the house and kept only books, she would be thrilled. There are a few books that we read often, as in every time Olivia spots them, and she's come to "read" them herself. Of couse, she is just memorizing their parts, and even at that saying the words or phrases she remembers, but it's fun, nonetheless, to watch her and listen as she "reads". Below are a couple samples from our favorites: Go Dog Go! and Mrs. Wishy Washy. Enjoy!

Announcing...

2008-12-08T21:23:00.003-07:00

Olivia is proud to announce

that she will soon be a "Big Sister"!

Baby Boerger #2 is due May 29, 2009!!

Preparations

2008-12-02T14:21:00.003-07:00

I love this time of year - Christmas Time! I love the chance to reconnect with friends, to decorate, eat, and prepare for the celebration. There is something so comforting in all of the traditions and such, that it seems to take my worries away. In preparation for Christmas, one of our family traditions (and for many others, too), is to bake Christmas cookies. I love preparing a variety of sweets, trying new recipes and reminising with old ones. This year, we've added something new to our Christmas baking:

I made these aprons after finding some guides online and tweeking the ideas to fit my fabric and my daughter! I just love how cute she looks in this, but forgot to take a picture of her, so I'll try to get one up later.

The apron is reversable, with pockets on one side. One side features a gingerbread man pattern, and the other is a green vertical stripe (with gingerbread pockets). I've been working on some grown-up aprons, too, which I will reveal later. Merry Christmas and Happy Baking!

Pactola Lake

2008-11-19T13:54:00.004-07:00

Earlier this fall, before the snow, we headed out for a walk and picnic at Pactola Lake. The weather was perfect, cool enough for long sleeves, warm enough to go without a jacket. The area was quiet, in fact we were the only ones when we arrived, and the lake set the tone for a lovely walk and lunch.

We walked down to an area near the lake, and settled in at the picnic tables. Olivia is wanting to be a "big girl" lately, so she enjoyed sitting on the picnic bench all by herself! We ate, Coda swam, and we played around checking out sticks and leaves and pinecones.

On the way back, Olivia chose to walk, as she thinks she is getting much too big for the hiking backpack, and should do all things "big girl". So, we strolled and enjoyed her wondering eyes, as everything we saw was new and spectacular. "Look, Mommy! A rock!", "Look Daddy! Water!"

But the boards that lined our walking path were the coolest of all, a place to sit, explore, and enjoy. "Come Mommy, sit." "Come, Daddy, see rock."

And for us, to see these beautiful Black Hills through our daughter's eyes, was more precious than ever. I can only imagine all of the wonderful things she will teach us, and today it was to slow down and enjoy.

A New Endeavor

2008-11-15T14:22:00.003-07:00

Here is my first quilt, awaiting it's border, but nearly completed. I know nothing about quilting - little about sewing, in fact, but enough to get me by and enough to get me interested in quilting. I recently took a class at the Quilt Connection, Too, a local quilt shop, where I was introduced to this simple pattern and with the help of a wonderful instructor and other quilters, I've been able to put this top together. I'm starting to learn the lingo - fat quarter, binding, etc. - but still know so little about this new hobby of mine.

It's been fun to learn something new - to try a new adventure, if you will. To feel exposed and clueless at times, but still trying hard to make sense of it all. And through this, my new friend has been there for me, helping me to learn the basics, explaining every detail to me, repeatedly if necessary (and with patience, none the less). She's helping to me complete this quilt and to get into this new hobby with a passion. So, THANKS, Moneik, for all of your help, and for your new friendship. I'm so glad I met you!

SNOW Much Fun!

2008-11-07T15:31:00.004-07:00

Here's a picture of the south side of our house. This is with some melting, as it was taken today. (I wasn't about to go outside yesterday!) School has been closed for 2 days, no travel advised, Interstate-90 closed, you get the idea. We're pretty much snowed in! We've been having too much fun, playing, baking, reading (of course), and playing some more. But, after a little cabin fever hit, we bundled up today to head outside for some snow fun! This was Olivia's first real experience playing in the snow!!

We took a little walk down the street, stopping to make some snowballs along the way. Olivia would try to throw them for Coda, who would then come and eat them - it was quite a site.

Of course, any good neighbor would make a neighborly visit on a snow day, so we headed over to visit the neighbor's dogs! Olivia got stuck in the snow a couple of times, and when she fell down, she was quite upset that there was snow on her mittens! I tried to explain that was okay and it was fun, but she still insisted we try to wipe the snow off! She's a bit of a girly-girl.

Below is a short video of Olivia playing in our neighbor's yard, making snowballs.

Now, what does a person do after all that fun in the snow?? Make "Snow Shakes" of course, courtesy of my dear friend Megan. (Only we omitted the raw egg - still turned out great!!) Oh, and make sure to check out her blog, she has tons of brilliant ideas! Like the Chirstmas Ornament she posted today.

"Ice cream, mommy?" "Yes, Olivia, Snow Ice Cream! Isn't it yummy??"

Halloween Fun

2008-11-03T08:02:00.003-07:00

We painted these bag "pumpkins" with the daycare kids, and Olivia just loved hers and had to carry it around everywhere! Punkin, Punkin!

We made these masks, too, with our dc friends, but Olivia thought hers was "ouchy" - so this is the only time she wore it!

Go, Dog, Go!

2008-10-29T20:09:00.002-06:00

Olivia has reached a point in her life where she has become obsessed. There could be worse things to be obsessed with, but -wow- we have read Go, Dog, Go! so many times in the last couple of weeks, that we can now all recite it by heart. Without the book. Every member of the family.

Dog. Big dog. Little Dog. Big dogs and little dogs. Black and white dogs. Hello. Hello. Do you like my hat? I do not. Goodbye. Goodbye.

And on it goes. Olivia just loves when the 2 dogs meet to discuss the hat. She always says "goodbye" and laughs and laughs. I realize I'm writing this like you probably know the book by heart, too, but bear with me!

Olivia loves to read - she would rather sit down with a book than play toys at almost anytime. In fact, sometimes she sits on our orange couch, by herself, just flipping through books. It is so adorable, to me, that she is patient and quiet like that - maybe a little reserved even, and enjoys seeing what each page will hold. And, as her language is developing, she's learning new words and their meanings by reading these books.

I know it could be worse. I know she could be obsessed with Barney or some other atrosity that would totally drive us nuts, so we will embrase the dogs, if we must. Still, that won't stop us from occasionally "misplacing" the book, or pointing her in another direction, from time to time!

Finger Food

2008-10-22T14:22:00.002-06:00

A while ago, Olivia discovered the joy of eating black olives on ones fingers. She L.O.V.E.S to do this anytime an olive is in site, and she'll do it with green olives, too, but she'll want you to remove the pimento. Is that what it's called? Anyways...
The other day we were enjoying a pasta dinner, with penne noodles, and Olivia discovered that she could eat them just like she enjoys her olives! They were the perfect size for those little fingers, and she just loved placing them on the ones she could. Of course, daddy had to help get the other fingers, because a girl just can't have half of her nails done!
She is one funny girl! Hope this makes you smile next time you're eating pasta!!

My favorite time of year...

2008-10-15T14:22:00.002-06:00

I can't say it enough. I love fall. The colors, the smells, the first hint of snuggling by the fire, warm soups and homemade breads, I love it all. Here are a few recent photos from a trip up Spearfish Canyon:

Hiking

2008-10-05T14:54:00.002-06:00

We recently hiked an area right inside our city, locally known as "M" Hill. The "M" is for the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, a local college that uses the hill for it's homecoming festivities. Aside from that, the area is typically pretty quiet, and being right in our town, it's really easy to get to. It offers some very basic hiking, and we even saw a few mountain bikers out that day. It's a short hike up the hill, and the views are amazing, so it makes for a fun family outing, especially when we're looking for something to do quickly.
Here's a view overlooking the city - or town - as some may call it. It's hard to believe that this scenic hike is located right in town! There is another natural area in town that is full of trails for short day hikes - it's one of the things we love most about where we live - that we can enjoy nature right outside our back door! It doesn't get any better than this!

Oh, Piggies

2008-09-25T14:22:00.002-06:00

If you know me, you know that when I was pregnant with Olivia, I imagined that if she was a girl (we didn't know) she would have thick, dark, curly hair, just like me. I don't know why. I just did. Well, she came to us with the thinest of thin, blondest of blond, bairly there kinda hair. I couldn't believe it! I've been waiting and waiting for it to grow and gain some substance so that I could finally put in the pig-tails, pony-tails, braids, and bows that I'd always dreamed of. And, finally we're getting there. Although Livvy wasn't a willing participant, I just had to get these pig-tails in her hair last Sunday. I couldn't wait for everyone to see how "cute" they are! On Saturday, I purchased some little hair rubberbands and a comb just for the occasion. I was so excited. We even had a practice run on Saturday, to see how it would go. Within seconds, Olivia had pulled those piggies right out! But on Sunday, I wasn't giving up so easily.
After the third time of putting them in and telling her that she should leave them in her hair because they were sooooo pretty, Jake finally convinced Olivia by telling her, "Olivia, it really means alot to mommy that you wear your pigtails to church, you can take them out after church, but please just leave them in for now." She obliged. Until she got into her car seat. By the time we arrived at church, one pig-tail was out, one was barely hanging on, and I knew it was a lost cause.

Children are so wonderful. I just loved how Olivia reminded me that she's her own person, designed wonderfully by God, and no matter what I might have imagined her to be like, she will be who she is, and really, I will love her, no matter what. But, I'm keeping these pictures in case it's the only time she'll wear those piggies!

Mommy Time

2008-09-23T14:35:00.003-06:00

Lately Olivia and I have been having some fun around the house. We've been cuddling on the couch reading books, and pastime we both love. Livvy thinks it's hilarious if I change my voice for the characters, to which I'm happy to oblige.
And, last week we spent the evening baking some chocolate chip cookies ("kikis" to Olivia). They were delicious, and she just loved "helping". She poured in some ingredients, mixed with a spoon, and tasted some dough, of course. Now, everytime I pull out my large mixing bowl or measuring spoons, she asks, "Kikis?" I just love watching her grow and enjoy spending this time with her.

Welcome Fall

2008-09-17T07:10:00.004-06:00

It feels like fall here. The weather has been getting cooler, the sun is setting earlier, and the leaves are starting to change their magnificent colors. I just love fall. Something about the beauty of the colorful leaves just draws me in. I look forward to a warm cup of tea, snuggled under a blanket, feeling the cool air on my face. I just love fall.
Olivia has been getting a glimpse of it, too. She's been enjoying playing outside, kicking some leaves around, stepping on the crunchy ground, and bundling up in a sweater. She's getting bigger, I know this keeps happening. It's such a joy to watch her steps stabilize as she walks, and she is getting more confident in playing with toys and going down the slide. Yesterday, she slid down the slide herself, but held on to the top handrails so she was laying on her back until she couldn't hold on any longer and finally let go to slide the last couple of inches on her own.
She's also starting to get faster on her feet. She's beginning to run, although not too fast yet. But, she just loves to "Go! Go!" Whenever she wants to run with us, she holds up one finger on her right hand, and says "one", and then one finger on her left hand and says, "two", and then she might try to say "free, or" for three and four, and then she yells, "Go! Go!", to which we all begin running. It's hilarious and too much fun!

Yellowstone 2008

2008-09-08T13:44:00.003-06:00

We just love this place. The warmth of the mountains, the beauty of the guysers and colorful pools, the hot springs, and wildlife. Yellowstone National Park is one of our favorite places to visite. And lucky for us, it's within a day's drive.
So, we headed over for Labor Day weekend, and rented a cabin on Vacation Rentals By Owner. As a side note, this site is fabulous, my in-laws use it often, and we had a wonderful experience with our cabin. Choose where you want to go, then check out this site to rent a cabin or vacation home nearby. You won't regret it! Most can be rented for a price comperable to a hotel, maybe a little more, but with a fully furnished home you get the comforts of home, your own room, fully stocked kitchen, some will even provide groceries for you! This is way better than any hotel. Anyways, moving on...
We enjoyed the sites and sounds of the park, got our chance to watch Old Faithful (not "on time", by the way), and spent some great down time. To make the trip even more memorable, my folks came over for a couple of nights, and my brother came down from Montana, too. So, we got to visit with family and relax.
This year we tried something new at the park, and stopped at the hotspring near the North Entrance. This spring runs about 130 degrees and runs into the Gardnier River. I've never been to a natural hot spring before, but you can imagine walking into your local creek, and sitting near the shoreline where you can experience a natural "hottub". Very refreshing, the warm mixed with the coolness of the river made for a nice and relaxing temp, and as long as you could find a smooth rock to sit on, it was better than any hottub I've been in!!

If you haven't visited Yellowstone, this should be a must do on your vacation list. There are sights and experiences for everone, from the avid backpacker to the more urban-lites, everyone can appreicate the beauty of God's creation

Finished

2008-08-26T13:32:00.005-06:00

It was a long journey, with many ups and downs, but alas I finished the Leading Ladies Half Marathon!

Kris and I and the finish line - We made it!

Kris and I (Kris is my neighbor that trained with me) woke up at 3:30am in Spearfish to get ready so that we could catch the 4:00am bus to the starting line. Yes, you heard me right, AM. We got to the starting line by 4:45, which gave us over an hour to wake-up, relax, stretch, visit, calm down, get worked up, breathe, etc. At 5:45am I headed over to the starting line, and started to get pretty nervous. Would I be able to finish? How many blisters would I get? Would I keep my energy up and drink enough fluids? My mind was racing, and at one point I nearly got sick just thinking about what I was about to do.

Then, I heard some ladies visiting behind me, and one said, "I'd like to find someone who will run a 9:45 mile pace to run with me." Hmm...that's in my range. So, I told her I was planning to run around that pace, but it was my first time so if she was looking for someone who could keep a steady pace, she might want to find someone else. In the end, we agreed to run together. Sherry made my run one of the best I've had. We ran close to a 9 minute mile, had a blast visiting and get to know each other, and both finished strong. It really made for a memorable run!

Jenn and Jake at the finish line

2 hours later, I was drinking a sports drink, eating up, cooling down, and soaking it all in. My family met me at the finish line (some cheered me on along the route), including Jake and Olivia, mom and dad, brother Mark, grandma and grandpa, and Aunt Kris. It's definately motivating knowing you'll see someone at the finish line - maybe that helped me, too!

Jake, Jenn, Grandma, Olivia, Dad, Grandpa, Aunt Kris, Mark

Photographer: Mom (Thanks!)

It was a lot of hard work training for this run. I put in many miles and hours running for 2 months before, with a strict training schedule. In the future, I'd like to train longer for the race so I feel more comfortable, and my other goal is to steady my pace so I don't speed up or slow down too much during my runs. For now, Coda (our dog) and I will be up with the sun, getting in a few more miles before winter. And we'll wait to see what's around the next corner... I hope to be at the finish line again next year!!

Fun and Games

2008-08-14T14:44:00.003-06:00

Peek A Boo

New Floors

2008-08-10T14:33:00.003-06:00

Ahh, yes. The floor. This has been a point of contention since we've moved into this house. The floor is terrible. I mean was terrible. We've had a "country blue" carpet, complete with clear traffic patterns/wear, stains, and of course the never ending battle of black dog hair. It was disgusting.

Not to mention, when you enter our home, it was on carpet, right up to the front door. Now, this must have appeared to be a good idea to the people who put it in, but for us, it was not. See, who wants to walk into a house and immediately step on carpet?? You've never thought of this before?? Well, I've thought about it enough for the both of us: it is not cool on so many levels. First, for us who usually enter the house, there is the constant tracking in of wetness, mud, dirt, debris, you get the idea. Second, for our guests, we open the front door and welcome them inside, but then they get a weird look on their face and ask, "Should we take our shoes off outside??" Does that sound welcoming to you?

So, alas, we've replaced the carpeting (at least on the main floor) with a beautiful laminate wood floor. I am so in love. L.O.V.E. I can swiffer this thing all day and night. It never gets old. I love that I can wipe up spills under my dining room table, and that the whole level of the house has the same type of flooring. It is just fabulous. The color is perfect for our house. The laminate is durable and cleans up easily, and was affordable. You should come over. This is much more welcoming:

And did you know that wood floors = fast kids?? Check this out:

Storybook

2008-08-01T14:19:00.002-06:00

Recently I took Olivia and my daycare kids down to Storybook Island for a little play time. Storybook is a local park that offers free admission, short kid friendly plays/musicals, and a variety of fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters and scenes to explore. I have a few shots of just Olivia. She had so much fun running in and out of houses, climbing, sliding, and just soaking it all up. Above she is in the "crooked house", and below she's on a fire-engine.

I just love this last picture. Too adorable for words. I've got to get this enlarged and framed.

Cheese!

2008-07-24T20:43:00.000-06:00

I just love this smile!

Baking

2008-07-16T09:45:00.004-06:00

Olivia loves to help. She is currently the most interested in learning to bake. I say this because her favorite cabinet in the kitchen is the one next to the stove: the baking center. She just loves to open and close the doors on this cabinet, and especially to check out the ingredients, see if they open, and lay them out on the floor to inspect.
I just love watching her explore. This is just one of her favorite places, but I know that everything is a new experience for Livvy, so she can just soak it up. The baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, food coloring, they're all new to her, and she wants to see them, discover them, and taste them. She wants to learn how to take the lids off and put them back on. She wants to see if they are liquid or solid. Her curiosity is endless. And I just love it!

My Journey to a Half

2008-07-14T15:12:00.004-06:00

It's official. I will be running a Half Marathon on August 17.

Did I just say that outloud? Somebody help me!

Yes, it's true. I've been conviced and I'm commited. I'm putting in my time on the road. I'm running 5 days a week, with a very long run on Sundays. I'm sweating like crazy - seriously - I never new a person could sweat from their arms. It's gross. And smelly. But, it's all worth it - worth it to set a goal, work hard to achieve, and finally reap the rewards of completing that goal. Even if it's not a Half Marathon for you, we all set goals for ourselves that appear to be difficult to reach, but with hard work and determination, we accomplish them and feel great about it! I hope I'll be able to say that when I'm done!

Yesterday I ran the longest I've ever run in my entire life. It was grueling, my legs hurt, my thighs chafed, and I could barely walk for the rest of the day. It was 7 miles. I'm over halfway there. Halfway through my run, as my running partner was getting more and more ahead of me, I thought this was a mistake. I thought I was a failure. I thought I couldn't do it. I didn't want to do it. There was no way I would be able to run 13 miles. No way on earth. And when I was done, with a little encouragement from my friend, I realized that those thoughts were wrong. I did it! I could do it! I will do it!

So, join me, would you? Join me at least in blog world on my Journey to finishing my first Half Marathon. I'll keep you up to date on my adventures in training on my new blog: Journey To The Half. You can also find the link under our family picture on the right - check it out!

Daddy Time

2008-07-10T17:48:00.005-06:00

If I've said it once I've said it a thousand times: Olivia just loves her daddy. I'm thankful I get to spend my days with her, and while we have fun, smile, and sometimes share in girly giggles, it's just not the same as it is with her daddy. They have a special bond, a goofy bond, an i.could.laugh.until.i.peed.my.pants kinda bond. And he loves her just as much. It lights up my spirit each night I see him come home. It's their special time. As soon as she sees him she starts kicking her legs and squeeling with excitement. She runs right over to him and wants to be held, she settle for a quick hug, but then she's begging for the fun to begin! Lately, she's learned about teasing, she'll run the other direction, wanting daddy to chase her and tickle her. But the funniest part is that she'll stop before he can catch her and lay down, she just can't wait for the fun!

I love that they have this kind of relationship. I love watching Olivia's eyes light up at the sight of her daddy. And, while I have a different type of relationship with her, it's beautiful to see the strengths we each bring to parenthood. And over the years, I know there will be times when it will be more difficult (terrible twos, teenage years, etc...) and we'll be looking back at these days and cherishing the memories. But for now, we'll just soak it up.

A new do

2008-07-03T17:37:00.003-06:00

I've had the same look for the last 15 years. You can check it out in the photo to the right. And, seeing that I'm 27 years old, this is a bit of a problem. I've always had naturally curly hair, which for a period of time in high school, I absolutely despised. I begged my mom to iron it straight, with the iron. (This was before flat irons, apparently.) Any who. I adjusted and learned that this will just be the hair I will always have. Curly. Coarse. And thick. So, I might as well learn how to deal with it. Which I had done, and came to enjoy. In fact, I got my morning "fixin-up" time down to 30 min, including a quick shower, 5 minute face, and blow dry with the diffuser.

But, as time has gone by, and quite frankly my hormones changed while I was pregnant (IMO), and now those curls barely know how to bend. I don't know what happened exactly, but I've been fighting it for nearly 2 years now. So, as I was beginning to look like a disheveled mom, I realized that I would just have to change with the times. And so, check out my new do:
I love it! It's short, if frames my face well, I think, and it's easy to do. What do you think?
When I went down to get my hair cut a couple of weeks ago, I told my stylist that it was time for a change. I was so nervous, I couldn't decide on any pictures that I like for my own hair, and I really didn't know what else would look good on me. So, I told Meghan, "Can you make me look a little less like a mom? But still keep it easy? And my only request is that it stay long enough to pull back into a pony if I need to work out." She agreed, and this is what she came up with. She is so wonderful! I really should have let her do this a long time ago.

And, for you Livvy fans, a recent pic of a banana eating contest. She won, obviously, and there is 1/2 of the banana in her cheek to prove it!

Say "Cheese"

2008-07-03T17:30:00.003-06:00

Smile for the camera, sweetie! Say "Cheese"!

I just love it.

An Award, for me?

2008-07-02T22:10:00.004-06:00

My new bloggy friend Grammy has given me an award! I couldn't believe my eyes! Thanks, Grammy! You can check out my award on the sidebar, and read more about why I recieved it here. Grammy is a thoughtful friend, who writes eloquently on her blog about her family history and recent life happenings. Why don't you take a minute to visit her, and leave her a comment to let her know you stopped by?! (we all love comments!)

I just love meeting new friends in blog-world. It's fun to share our life with you, and get a glimpse at yours.

Fireworks!!

2008-07-01T13:21:00.002-06:00

I know some of you who read this blog would be very excited to discover an inexpensive craft idea for celebrating the 4th of July. We all love fireworks, so why not make them on paper?? I found this and many more wonderful ideas at www.familyfun.com Check it out!

First, take three pipe cleaners
Put them together in a bunch and bench the bunch in half (above)
Then, twist to form a ring at the bend, and you will have 6 ends pointing down
Spread out the ends to make a great stamp for making fireworks!
Put some paint (I love washable tempra for kids) on a paper plate and use the pipe cleaners as a stamp. Show the kids how to go "up and down" to get the paint on the stamp
Then, apply the stamp, twisting to get a beautiful fireworks print!

My daycare kids just loved making these fireworks. FamilyFun suggests using this method to make a t-shirt, which would be fun, also! Just check the paint for fabric use, and follow the directions to make a shirt. Happy 4th!

Just Tri It!

2008-06-23T22:04:00.004-06:00

Jake and I completed another Triathlon this past weekend. My second, his third. Our last tri was 2 years ago, before we were pregnant with Olivia - so this was our first post-baby. We had so much fun training together, encouraging each other, and finishing the race.
The swim was by far the most difficult portion of the event for both of us. We trained for this for 3 months, and still hoped our times would be better. Yet, we both finished the 800m swim in 20 minutes! That was a significant improvement for both of us.
We typically train for the bike portion by attending a Spinning class at our fitness center. However, the class time really didn't work for our schedule this time, so we ended up training minimally for this. But, between the couple of classes we were able to take, and a few times out on the road, we survived. I have to admit, biking really does require a different type of leg strength - I know mine felt like jello when I dismounted, and I was pretty shaky at the start of the run. But, again, we were able to complete the 20km bike in under 40 minutes.
The last portion of the event was a 5k run, but to top it off, over 1/2 of the course was uphill, including the entire last 1/2 mile! It sure made for a difficult finish, but I just kept telling myself: "finish strong!" We completed the race within one minute of each other. Jake at 1hr30mn and Jenn at 1hr31mn.
As it happened, our starting order was pretty near each other for this race, infact, I could see Jake for almost the entire race! I kept trying to catch up to him, but he was always a little out of reach. But, we were glad to have the strength to complete this race, and have another one behind us.

Art Alley

2008-06-16T13:27:00.003-06:00

We recently visited a local hidden gem: Art Alley. This is an alley downtown, that with the building owners permission, people may paint their original works of art for all to see and enjoy. The concept started when a couple who live in an apartment downtown noticed all of the graffiti , started painting over it, and then began to creat their own art. Now, the alley has taken on a life of it's own and has a huge supporting both locally and online. The alley is absolutely beautiful, and ever changing. Artists can paint directly on the buildings, which many do, or they can submit a canvas to be hung in the alley. It's amazing to see the variety of art and personal styles of so many artisits. Recently an event was held in Art Alley to promote the area and local artists. Several artists were there painting on canvas, along with food, drinks, and music. We enjoyed watching the artisits brush strokes taking form as they painted.
Below is local artist James Van Nuys, who also has a gallery near Art Alley. He is active in the local art scene, as well as a performing musician and sculptor.
While we wouldn't call ourselves artists, we truly enjoyed checking out this free and local hot spot. As it's in the alley, it's open anytime, and with the ever changing paintings, I can see us visiting here again and again. I hope you do, too.

Zoo Crew

2008-06-09T14:48:00.002-06:00

We recently joined our friends Steph and Charlie for a "Girls Weekend" at the Great Plains Zoo, in Sioux Falls. It was a quick trip (leaving Friday night and coming home Sunday morning), with a fun-filled Saturday at the zoo! We had so much fun catching up with our friend Amanda and her family, who graciously hosted us on our trip.
Olivia enjoyed her first ride on a carosel, chosing the beautiful dolphin pictured above! She was laughing and giggling throughout the ride, which made for many smiles from mommy, and a memorable adventure for Livvy. She new right away to hold onto the post in front, and of course I was with her the whole way.
We saw some wonderful animals, including this giraffe above. I was plesantly surprised by the number of animals they had at this zoo, which Olivia enjoyed. As we walked around, Olivia would point to the animals and ask me: "Puppy?", to which I would respond the correct name of the animal we were watching. It was so much fun to see her watching the gigantic rinocerouses, and asking if they were puppies! When I told her they were rinos, she said: "rho rho?", to which I agreed.
It was an exausting adventure watching all of those animals, so Livvy took a little rest for the last part of the zoo. We then headed over to a nearby park for a picnic lunch and playing on the jungle gym. We just had such a wonderful time, hanging out with just the "girls", and catching up with good friends!

Family Time

2008-06-05T14:48:00.003-06:00

Recently we headed down to Custer State Park for our first family fishing trip of the season. It was opening weekend at the Park, so we knew it would be busy, and thought we would be lucky to find a spot to fish that was "family friendly". Before Olivia was born, Jake and I could just hike around and fish wherever we chose, but now with an active toddler (did I just say the "t" word?), we new we neede a place that was flat, had some grassy areas for play, and wasn't too near the water. We found a great spot, and thankfully another family was just leaving as we pulled up. The grassy area was limited, and it was pretty near the water (I guess we needed that to fish!), but there was plenty of room for Olivia to explore. We packed a picnic, took turns fishing, but mostly just played together as a famliy.
Life is sure changing, as well as our priorities. We really didn't feel the need to catch dinner, as we used to. We just enjoy this family time and the closeness it brings. And most of all, we just enjoy these precious moments with our little Livvy, all of her discoveries just bring a new persective on life for us!

Family Time

2008-06-03T14:14:00.004-06:00

Olivia recently met her Great Grandparents on the Boerger side, and here are a couple photos:

Sooooo big

2008-06-02T18:10:00.003-06:00

Getting closer...

2008-05-21T13:04:00.006-06:00

Crazy Hair

2008-05-20T11:03:00.001-06:00

Olivia loves to play with her growing hair, especially when she's eating. She creates some beautiful styles, the one above says it all!

Graduates

2008-05-17T21:54:00.002-06:00

Olivia with Aunt Mitzi

graduated from St. Cloud State last weekend with a degree in Spanish

Olivia with Uncle Ben

graduated with a Surgical Tech degree just a few days ago!

WAY TO GO, Ben and Mitzi! We're very proud of you!

And a couple of snapshots with the grandparents:

Who's in your family?

2008-05-15T14:09:00.002-06:00

Some people consider dogs to be animals. They should sleep outside and do their work. Some people consider dogs part of their family. They should sleep inside, play with you, and likely eat your food. We are the latter.

Coda recently had a little eye infection, and seeing that she wasn't feeling well, the royal treatment began. First, I applied a warm washcloth to the eye, trying to loosed the crusties that formed overnight. Then came the extra cuddling, petting, and doggy massages. When that wasn't enough, we tried feeding her some of our favorite foods, steak, lunch meat, chicken. Finally, when we realized that wasn't enough, we took her to the vet for a check-up. She was prescribed eye drops 3x daily. Of course, they were difficult to give her, so we offered her a treat after each application. And what sick child doesn't need a little extra TLC? So we turned it up a notch and invited her to join us on the couch, blanket and all...

She's feeling better now, but we're prepared to do it all over again should the need arise!

Banana Popsicles

2008-05-15T14:00:00.002-06:00

Popsicles are a great treat in the summer, and these banana popsicles offer a healthy alternative. Also, I'm pretty sure most kids like eating something off of a stick - don't ask me why! Anyways, to make these just use 1/2 of a banana, spread a little peanut butter on it, roll it in your favorite topping, and put it on a stick. WOW!

You need to know that these are pretty messy, so think about just having your kids take a bath afterwards, cause you will never get all of the peanut butter out of their hair! And, most likely, the banana will eventually fall off of the stick (this tends to happen with kids and adults!), so they will likely squish the banana into their fingers in an attempt to finish eating it. But it is totally fun anyways!

If you want to get creative, try other spreads and toppings. I usually roll mine in cereal or crackers, crushed if necessary. Cheerios, vanilla wafers, rice crispies, ritz crackers, you get the idea. You could also add a little milk to the peanut butter to make for a little easier spreading. I've also found that you should spread the butter right after you peal it - if the banana sits out for a couple of minutes, it starts to get a little softer which makes it harder to spread the peanut butter. You could also try your spread of choice - I've only done pb, so I don't have any suggestions on that, but let me know if you try something different! Happy snacking!

Got Paci's?

2008-05-14T08:05:00.002-06:00

Olivia falls asleep with her pacifier. It's great. If she wakes up in the middle of the night, she crawls around in her crib until she finds it, puts it back in by herself, and heads back to dreamland. We love it. For now.

We know the paci can't last forever. We know the end will come someday. But for now, it's great. In fact, we have a paci "system" at our house. When Livvy has had enough of her crib, she takes her paci out and throws it across the room. She's been doing this since she started standing up in her crib. We find paci's in the oddest locations, under the crib, next to the rocking chair, behind the dresser. You name it. (she's got a great arm!). So, in our attempt to keep her sleeping, and quiet, throughout the night, we put a couple back-up paci's in her crib. Just incase. If one is thrown out, she might be able to find the others in her crib.

But, she always out-smarts us. It never fails that in the morning, when we first hear her talking in her room, that last paci will be thrown out of the crib. When we get her, there are no paci's to be found in the crib, and the hide-and-seek game begins. We search the room, hoping to at least find one or two of the paci's to get us through the next night. I know we'll be finding paci's in that room for years to come...

Wordless Wednesday

2008-05-07T12:48:00.003-06:00

Feeding Coda

notice how Olivia asks for more to eat (hand to mouth) after she's fed all of her food to the dog??

Quesadillas

2008-05-06T13:08:00.003-06:00

I've never really been the cook in our family, but since I've started staying home and watching kids, I've had to at least come up with some things to eat for lunch. And, while I'm at it, I figured the food I serve should be healthy. That's why, for lunch, I try to provide something from each of the food groups. And also why we only have a "dessert" once each week.

Lunchtime is pretty simple - I don't make alot of casserole type dishes, because it just never fails that someone won't eat it because it has something in it that they don't like (mushrooms, brocolli, etc...). And they are a lot of work, to me. So, I keep my lunchtime meals simple, usually a main dish with a fruit and veggie side. The kids usually love one of the foods, and will at least try a few bites from the others. If I'm serving a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, for example, we might have a side of corn and pears. It's pretty basic. But, before there are seconds on anything, the kids have to try everything on their plate, and at least clear two sections (I serve on these 3-section type plates). That way, I know they at least got a variety of foods, and most likely ate from 2-4 food groups. This also prevents someone from only eating mac n cheese, they at least have to eat the peaches or green beans, too.

Anywho...one of my favorite lunch items in the quesadilla. It is so versitile, and allows me to get 2-3 food groups into one dish. I also like to keep them pretty healthy, by choosing whole wheat tortillas (when they're on sale), and going easy on the cheese. I know, I know, a quesadilla is supposed to be loaded with cheese, but the other fillings more than make up for it. For my latest quesadilla, I used a whole grain box mix of rice - it was flavored with a chicken flavoring, so I cut up some chicken and saute`d it first. Then, i cooked the rice according to the package, added a can of black beans and a can of corn. This made for a pretty hearty pot. Then, I turned on my large skillet, sprayed it with Pam, and threw in a tortilla. I put a scoop of the rice/chicken/beans/corn mix in the tortilla and sprinkled it with just enough cheese. Then I threw another tortilla on top, let it sit, and flipped when the first side was golden. In just a few minutes, I had a wonderful quesadilla, and the kids just loved it. Best of all, I loved it because it was healthy - it had protien, daily, veggie, and grains all in one! And the beans added some fiber, so it was filling, too. Check out the recipe below, then try your own version:

Easy Quesadillas:

1 box whole grain rice (chicken flavor)

1 chicken breast, cut in small pieces and cooked

1 can corn

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 package shredded cheese (you choose the type)

whole wheat tortillas (as many as you want to make)

Cook the rice according to the package directions. Meanwhile, cut up the chicken breast and saute` in olive oil. When 2 minutes remain on the rice, add the chicken, corn, and black beans to the rice. In a large skillet, spray with cooking spray, and heat to medium heat. Lay down a tortilla. Top with a scoop of the rice mixture and spread evenly. Top with a light sprinkling of shredded cheese. Lay a second tortilla on top, and cook until the first side is lightly brown, then flip and cook the other side the same, making sure to melt the cheese. Cut diagonally into small triangles, and serve.

Fun with daddy...

2008-05-05T08:17:00.002-06:00

I've noticed a change in Olivia - a change for the good, I believe. See, I'm home with her all day, I'm the one that tries to discipline her and show her right and wrong (to the extent that is possible at this age...). I feed her, nurture her, read to her, play with her. But when daddy gets home, she is a different girl. She just loves to PLAY with her daddy. They wrestle, she crawls on him, he tickles her...it's just different. But the part I love, is her laugh. She doesn't laugh like that with me. She might smile or even have a small chuckle. But, with daddy, SHE LAUGHS! They have so much fun together, and it just fills my heart with joy. There is just something so special about hearing her laughing and playing with her daddy, a special bond they will always have.

Hair to stay

2008-05-02T15:02:00.003-06:00

Ladies and gentlemen: we've got hair!
It may not be shoulder-length, but I was able to get a hair clip in.
From the day she was born, I've been waiting for her hair to grow. I'd always envisioned my baby girl with dark curly hair, like me. I thought by now I'd be fixing it into ponytails, pigtails, braids, and more. I wanted to fill it with ribbons and bows. And the other day I got my first chance. It may not quite be ready for my elaborate plans, but someday, this girl is going to have some cute hair (fixed up by mommy!). Can't wait!

Flower Power

2008-05-01T07:49:00.002-06:00

We've lived in our house for 3 years. Each year a group of old bulbs tries to pry their way through the dry soil and grow near the house. Each year, I try to dig them up. See, the bulbs are not planted in a neat arrangement, they are just random bulbs that have spread and try to grown where they can. So, rather than a beautiful flower garden, they tend to look more like weeds, to me. Each year, I wish they would just go away, and that I'd find all of the hidden bulbs in the ground so that that wouldn't keep blooming.

And yet, they are the only flowers we have right now, in the early spring, and considering that we are to get 3-5 inches of snow today, they are brightening my days. On Monday, I went out and cut these ones, so that I could enjoy them inside, and they are just beautiful.
We have another vase of flowers in our house, too. This makes it two vases of flowers, and two vases more than we normaly have. The other vase holds two "birds of paradise". I've never seen them before, but my wonderful hubby brought them home last weekend, one of his random surprises! I've been told that these flowers will bloom to really look like birds, and if you ask me, they already to - check out the picture below:See, there is one to the right and left, and they really look like beaks. I look watching them grow every day - I'll let you know when they're in full bloom...

Wordless Wednesday

2008-04-30T13:44:00.003-06:00

"Budding Artist"

Swimming

2008-04-28T14:15:00.002-06:00

Water can be a little scarry when you are a little one. Although Olivia always loves taking a bath, there was something a little frightening about the first times we took her swimming. I don't know if it was the loud echos of the indoor pool, the smell of chlorine, or just the new-ness of it, but the first times Livvy went to the pool, she just didn't like it. She would sit in one spot, right on the edge, and just freeze - she wouldn't smile, play, splash, any of the typical things we expected her to do.

But, it didn't take long. After a couple of times of sitting on the edge and just getting her toes wet, she started to venture out into the water. She would scoot along, inch by inch, until she was a little deeper. Then she began crawling in the water. And she would crawl until she couldn't crawl any further (because the water was in her face!). She started smiling, and splashing, and we knew she had come to love the pool and swimming.

Lately, Jake and I have been swimming some laps (in training for our summer triathlon), and we always take Livvy with us. We go down to the Swim Center and we take turns playing with Livvy and doing our laps. Of course, the best part is always playing with Livvy in the kids pool (the laps are not fun!). She is even starting to try out her walking in the pool - while hanging on to our fingers, of course! It won't be long, and we'll be taking her for her first swimming lessons!

Watch me grow...

2008-04-28T11:35:00.000-06:00

A Year of Photos:

Olivia Alice Boerger

"Puppa"

2008-04-12T11:38:00.002-06:00

Olivia is really starting to talk more and more. She is trying so hard to say words that she regularly hears, and when she wants to know what something is, she points to it and asks, "Ah?", which we understand to mean "What is that?" But her favorite word is the first one she spoke and she uses it frequently: "puppa".

Puppa is Olivia's puppy, Coda. When Livvy wakes up in the morning, that is the first thing she asks about. "Puppa?", she'll ask, with her hands up in the air, as if saying, "where is my puppy? I want to play with her!" And, of course, in her wonderful Livvy-style, she refuses to say it if any recording devices are in view! But, her puppy is her friend. Already the one that stays beside her, tries to cuddle with her, and will sit through a game of "climb the puppy", with kisses waiting afterwards.

I'm sure this in an indication of things to come. Of sharing treats, ice cream cones, and cheerios. Of walks, chases, and frolics in the park. But most importantly, of those wonderful puppy kisses, the ones that are slobbery, stinky, and of course, right on the lips. Oh....puppa.

Dinosaurs!

2008-04-04T13:14:00.003-06:00

Recently we visited the Museum of Geology at the School of Mines and Technology with our friends Stephanie and Charlotte Lindsley. Steph and I have been friends since middle school, and her daughter, Charlie, is about 6 months older than Olivia. So, needless to say, we have fun together!

The Palientology Club at SDSM&T put on a free event for kids with fun stations throughout the museum, with activities and candy. The first thing was to decorate a bag for all the projects and candy - the girls had fun coloring and putting stickers on their bags!

There were activities for all ages, but of course our little ones could only do a couple. They didn't care much about that, though, they were more interested in checking out the dinosaurs and following footprints throughout the museum!
We had so much fun! This museum is open year round and is always free to the public! Isn't that amazing? I just love to entertain my daughter, but especially when it is free! If you are ever in Rapid, this is place you've got to check out! To learn more, click here.

A few Birthday pics

2008-04-04T13:08:00.002-06:00

We had a fun, quiet celebration at home for Olivia's 1 year birthday. Grandma and Grandpa Berreth celebrated with us over dinner, cake, and presents. It is hard to believe our precious daughter is 1, and the time has gone so quickly. We are really trying to slow life down, to enjoy each moment, and celebrate life! We are truly blessed.

Megan O'Connor

2008-04-01T11:02:00.004-06:00

Please check out the link on the right and pray for my friend Megan O'Connor. She is a Kdg. Teacher in Harrisburg (near Sioux Falls) who has been battling cancer since December 2007. She has been hospitalized since December, and just this last weekend was moved into Hospice care. Please pray for a miracle in healing Megan, and also pray for her famliy in this difficult time, that they are able to enjoy these moments together, say what needs to be said, and stay strong if the Lord chooses to bring Megan to HIS HOME in heaven. The difficulty she and her family face is just overwhelming to me.

I went to college with Megan at USD. We had nearly all of our Education courses together, and graduated in 2003. She married her wonderful husband Ryan shortly after, and now has a beautiful 2 year old daughter, Ella. Megan is the type of person that spreads joy wherever she goes. She has such a gentle, caring spirit.

I know at this time thoughts fill my mind of enjoying each day, celebrating life, and living life to it's fullest. Take a moment to tell the people in your life how much you care for them today. Take a moment to grow your relationship with your spouse or significant other. Take a moment to play with your children today. Take a moment to spread joy in His creation, as Megan has, and make this world a better place.

Happy Birthday, Olivia!

2008-03-30T10:50:00.001-06:00

Ode to Olivia

2008-03-21T12:31:00.006-06:00

Olivia recently debuted her musical talents, and we wanted to share her masterpiece with all of you! She just loves playing her xylophone, but wished the string did not get in her way so often. She would prefer for this to be an ambidextrious talent. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Olivia has also been learning some responsibility around the house. We told her that it was about time she started helping out, so she recently swiffered the kitchen and helped unload the dishwasher. It's so wonderful when your children can finally do the chores you never wanted to do in the first place! hahahahaha! Now if I could just get her to dust...

Hiking in the Hills

2008-03-05T21:20:00.005-07:00

Recently it was 70 degrees here in SD, and although everyday since has been 30, we still believe spring is right around the corner. Of course, we had to get out in the hills for an afternoon hike, enjoy the warm weather, and try out our baby backpack for the first time. We typically have a few trails that we are familiar with that we enjoy hiking, but on this particular day, our friends invited us geo-caching, so we got to try out a new adventure and a new trail!

Nick and Steph love geo-caching and tell us how much fun they have exploring the hills and finding new trails. If you aren't familiar with this past-time, it is a hike used with GPS to locate a hidden cache (or treasure!). The cache is some sort of container, metal or tupperware-type, and in it is a notebook to record the date and time you were there, and also a collection of small "treasures". Geo-cachers (is that a word?) can bring a treasure to trade for one in the box. Now, I was excited about this, but also could see how much fun kids can have geo-caching, especially if they get to give a treasure and get a new one - how exciting!

Well, we had a lot of fun with Nick and Steph, and their daughter Charlie, and their two dogs kept Coda company as well. It was fun to try something new, explore a new part of the Black Hills, and also hang out with some great friends. Thanks Nick and Steph!

Play Time

2008-03-05T21:05:00.004-07:00

Olivia loves playing with her friends. She gets so excited every day when they come over to play with her. She loves doing the things they do and showing them her own style of playing, too. Here are a couple of recent pictures of Olivia playing, and a video below of Olivia reading a book.

Here is Livvy crawling with crayons. She loves watching my daycare kids color, and of course has to be involved. She colors some, but when Mommy tries to take a picture, she starts crawling, and won't drop the crayons!

Here is Livvy talking on the phone. If you look closely you can see it tucked under her chin. She loves to hear people on the real phone, but she always gets quiet and looks at the phone as if trying to figure out how that voice she recognizes got in there.

Livvy loves looking at books, and especially loves being read to. She is very good at helping to turn the pages, and is starting to point at the pictures, like we do when we read with her. Of course, we support her "reaching for the stars", even if it means she wants to eat them!